Forte et Gratum: Summer 2011

Page 1

SUMMER 2011 A Dedication to Wellness, Reunion Celebrations, Alumna Award Winner: Nancy Pace

CHALLENGE.

CHARACTER.

COMMUNITY.

Columbus School for Girls, continuing a 113-year tradition of excellence, provides a superior college preparatory education within a diverse and caring community that emphasizes leadership development in an atmosphere of moral and social responsibility.


Ode to the Pool This summer, the CSG swimming pool will be demolished to make way for the new swimming pool, wellness and athletics complex. The pool was built in the 1970’s and sits on the second floor of the current athletic wing.

The Program for Young Children 3/4 Class of 2025 researched the CSG swimming pool. To get to know the pool better they asked questions, took pictures, sketched, and even studied the drain. Coach Standley swam down to the bottom of the pool and photographed it so the girls could paint it. The students then measured the pool by standing side by side, arm to arm so they could better understand its size. Bottom right: the pool’s water was drained to prepare it for demolition and the 2011 swim team members spray painted it and said goodbye.


FORTE ET GRATUM

is produced by Columbus School for Girls. The Development and Communications Offices retain the right to determine editorial conent and manner of presentation.

Summer 2011

OFFICERS/EXECUTIVE BOARD

Susan Tomasky, Chair Bernie Ostrowski, Chair Elect Sarah Ziegler Kay, ’87, Vice Chair and Capital Campaign Chair Lavea Brachman, ‘80, Vice Chair Beth Crane, ’69, Secretary Timothy J. Faber, Treasurer Terry L. Sanders

BOARD MEMBERS

Milton Baughman Tom Brigdon E. Gordon Gee, Ed.D. Denise Glimcher Glenda Pierce Harrison Sarah Benson Heinrichs, ‘97 Jeff Henderson Stephanie A. Hightower Lisa A. Hinson Nancy K. Jeffrey (Lifetime Member) John P. Kennedy Dawn Tyler Lee, ‘90 Robert H. Milbourne Tim Miller Tom O’Hara Pam Phillips, M.D. Rocky Robins Brian X. Tierney Kimberly Rice Wilson, ‘80 Leigh Ann Wobst May Zia Elizabeth Carlin , ’83, National Alumnae Council Babette T. Gorman, ‘69, Alumnae Board Laurie Desai, Parents’ Association Lee Ann Hadley, Parents’ Association Tom Skoulis, Fathers’ Association Kate Carlin Giller, ’87, JUBILEE 2010 Jennifer Zaranek Wood, JUBILEE 2011

EX OFFICIO

Elizabeth (Liza) M. Lee, Head of School Terrie Hale Scheckelhoff, Ph.D., Associate Head of School Christy Rosenthal, Director of Development and External Relations Jane Gibson, Director of Business and Finance

COMMENTS

Columbus School for Girls Development Office 56 S. Columbia Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43209 Ph: 614.252.0781 Fax 614.252.8659 Email your news: classnews@columbusschoolforgirls.org

On & Off

Campus

5 From the Head of School 6 Then & Now 8 Award Winner Nancy Pace 12 Promoting Wellness 21 National Alumnae Council in NYC 22 Archiving Corner 24 Cum Laude 26 Class News & Reunions 66 Commencement 70 LANDMARK: Breaking Ground

6

8

12

22

24

26

66

70

COVER: Commencement 2011, Jennifer DeLong followed by Keyana Kelley. Following tradition, Form VI students line the aisle carrying the laurel chain. THIS PAGE, TOP: Students demonstrate calisthenics on the playground at the back of Parsons Place, 1924. Organized exercises included the use of wands, dumb-bells and Indian clubs.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 3


Every student at CSG, PYC through Lower School, receives swimming lessons as part of the PE curriculum. Students in Forms II - V then compete in the Lower School Swim Meet, a long standing tradition at CSG. In Middle School, students take classes in synchronized swimming and water polo to build strength and improve their cardio, better preparing them for competition. CSG is one of the few schools in central Ohio to have a Middle School swim team. Pictured above, swimming butterfly at the state meet, is Upper School standout Ranndi Grubbs. Ranndi has qualified for states the last 3 years and holds 3 school records and her recent 100 Backstroke record had not been broken in 20 years. Adding to the strength of the Upper School Swim Team next year will be superstar freshman, Rachel Politi, who already has swimmers and coaches across the state of Ohio talking. In order to graduate every student must pass a swim assessment, and take personal safety and water craft safety classes. Coach Kelly Standley, who has been teaching swimming at CSG for over twenty years, is excited about the new pool and its ability to house more competition. She is happy to exchange the “burnt marshmallow ceiling� for natural light, and wants to carry on the memories and traditions of the old and make new memories and break more records in the new one.


Liza Lee

Head Of School To Praise I want to praise bodies nerves and synapses the impulse that travels the spine like fish darting.

I want to praise muscle And the heart, that flamboyant champion with its insistent pelting like tropical rain. -- Ellen Bass

This issue of the magazine focuses on wellness, a concept which certainly was not a part of the vocabulary of my own education and which is still relatively new to the world of secondary schools. However, even in the 40’s and 50’s exercise was thought to be beneficial to physical health, although I do not think that anyone associated it with mental health. At my school, a girls’ school, we were taken outdoors onto a cement “pier” where we did calisthenics in frigid weather, and were admonished to “open our chests” so that our lungs would increase their capacity. I remember that when I read Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain for the first time, the treatments for tuberculosis sounded very similar to the activities in my gym class. For most of my adult life, I never really thought of exercise as a component of health, but regarded it solely as a weight-loss technique. After each baby, I dutifully joined an aerobics class, which I hated. (All those slender women looking at their straight, hard bodies in the floor to ceiling mirrors, while I jiggled and panted and worried about getting home in time for the babysitter.) After I lost the pounds I had put on with my youngest, I vowed never to exercise again. But scientists were hard at work, examining the effects of exercise on the mind as well as on the body. My favorite paper, The New York Times, added a health page and health columnists, and I couldn’t avoid the fact that some form of physical activity was essential to well being in general. Now we know (as did Thomas Mann), that there is an inextricable connection between mind and body. If CSG is really to fulfill its mission to “encourage girls and young women to discover their distinctive potential and to strive for excellence amid the challenges and opportunities of a global and dynamic world,” we must teach them a variety of ways to be well, in every sense of the word. We are beginning to examine what I call our “wellness curriculum,” which starts in PYC and runs through the Upper School. Health, nutrition, personal fitness, sexuality, substance abuse, communication skills, values, all fall under the rubric of wellness. We expand on these classroom lessons with activities in physical education class: strength training, cardiovascular health, yoga, lifetime activities, are just some of the areas of interest that our girls can pursue that were certainly not a part of the curriculum ten years ago. For those girls who enjoy athletic competition, there are a host of team sports. We hope that with the completion of the wellness center next summer, each girl will be able to work with a teacher to devise a plan for her own “wellness” and will be able to work on her own and in her own time to fulfill her physical education requirement –– and, more importantly, to develop a lifetime habit of fitness. Not the least of the benefits of the wellness center will be a yoga/dance classroom as well as a fitness center and natatorium. This issue of the magazine features six alumnae who are immersed in the discipline of wellness. They are just a sampling of our alumnae throughout the world who are involved in medicine, in public health, in nutrition, in exercise, in psychology and psychiatry, in rehabilitation. Perhaps because CSG’s mission has always been one that includes the “whole child” it has more than the ordinary share of caring professionals in this field. Kristin McMenamy Stevens says, “CSG does a great job of emphasizing an integrated, whole-person perspective in education.” She feels that wellness requires a similar perspective, and reminds us that “even during challenging circumstances, we can choose to stay connected to what matters most to us, especially ourselves, in body, mind and spirit.” All of the alumnae featured here credit some aspect of their lives at CSG with illuminating the paths that they have chosen. Rebecca Gee speaks of CSG teaching her “about the strength and importance of women,” and remembers “teachers who taught her never to doubt herself.” Wendy Lazarus also credits CSG with giving her a rock-solid belief that she could do whatever she set her mind to, and Yasyn Lee says that CSG taught her “always to be a learner.” Katie Nyhan says that at CSG she was taught to “think outside the box,” and find creative solutions to problems, while Morgan McDonald says that her experience in athletics at CSG gave her the sense of mental, physical, and emotional engagement that she treasures in teaching yoga. Why is wellness such an important concept in a time in which we are living longer than our grandparents could have imagined? Dr. Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health, puts it succinctly in her book, A New Prescription for Women’s Health: "…when we learn about and value our bodies, we become truly powerful. If a woman envisions herself living well into her tenth decade, as all women should, and being a continuing force in the lives of her family and community, she will be concerned about her long-term mental and physical health. A woman who says with conviction, 'My health is worth fighting for,' is saying, 'I am worth fighting for.'”

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 5


1

Then & Now

2

3 5

4

7

6

8

9 10 columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 6


Then & Now, CSG Exercise & Athletics: 1. Kippie Crouch, CSG Athletic Director and Upper School Field Hockey Coach, huddles with her team after a field hockey game at Kirk Campus 2. 2011 senior lacrosse player, Julia Kelly, in a face off 3. 1956 field hockey game against Upper Arlington 4. Teammates Eliza Irwin and Jamie Feyko during a game at Kirk Campus 5. Summer yoga class, 2010 on the Mansion Terrace 6. Students demonstrate calisthenics at Parsons Place organized exercises included the use of wands, dumb-bells and Indian clubs

7. 2011 Baketball Division III District Tournament Runners-Up 8. 2010 varsity tennis doubles partners, Jessica Gladfelter and Lauren Gerber discussing strategy during a match at Kirk Campus

9. 1966 tennis team 10. 1936 basketball team

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 7


2011 Winner

CSG Alumna Award NANCY PACE, CLASS OF 1971 Babette Gorman, ’69, the 2010-2011 President of the Alumnae Association, had the honor of presenting the Alumna Award to Nancy Pace, ’71, at Alumnae Weekend: The Alumna of the Year Award recognizes an alumna’s accomplishments in the decades following her formal education, and is to be given to a CSG alumna who represents the highest principles of CSG; has shown consistent interest in and loyalty to the school; has made outstanding contributions in her area of endeavor, either career or community; and demonstrates the value of a CSG education. The essence of the award is to spotlight a woman who stands out from others for her contribution in her chosen career or community life. Nancy’s passion is improving the life of the least reached people of the world through the delivery of food, clothing, education and medical care. In 2001, she organized a family “vacation” for her husband and their two children, (then ages 11 and 13) to Thailand where they delivered humanitarian aid to prisoners in two Bangkok prisons and to tribal refugees along the Burmese border. Since 2006, she has extended her reach to Africa where she has traveled two to three times a year to Kenya and Ethiopia to deliver medical aid to the people of the Luo and Borana tribes. She is currently working in the slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and in Nairobi, Kenya delivering medical care, and assisting with projects in microfinance. Additionally, Nancy sponsors four children in Ethiopia and Kenya. In 2009, she travelled to Nigeria to participate in a National Polio Immunization Day with Rotary Clubs from across the United States. Nancy serves or has served on numerous boards both on the local and 1 International level. She is currently the Acting President of the Rotary Club of Honolulu (President 2011-12) and has served as the President of the Rotary Club of Honolulu Foundation and as chair of the Trustees for Kahi Mohala Hospital for three years. Currently she sits on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii, the Salvation Army, the American Cancer Society, the Girl Scouts, Christian Missionary Fellowship International, and Global Hope Network International. She is a Deacon in her church and chairs their Global Outreach Team. Nancy served on the United Nations Speakers Bureau for the International Year of the Volunteer, on the Executive Committee of the Association of Junior Leagues International, and was a Past President of the Junior League of Honolulu. In 2010, Nancy received the Woman of Distinction award from the Girl Scouts, The Peacemaker Award from the Rotary Club of Honolulu, and the Laura Dowsett Award from the Junior League of Honolulu. Nancy received her BA from Vassar College, her Masters of Science in Public Health from Harvard University and her MD from the University of Cincinnati.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 8


2

3

1) Nancy with her sponsored children, Irene and Elinda 2) Glory’s family in Kenya 3) Tate & Nancy in clinic with patients

Nancy’s passionate acceptance is published here in its entirety. “Thank you, I am both honored and humbled to be standing here today receiving the 2011 Alumna of the Year Award. My family has had a very strong connection to CSG for more than 100 years. Both of my grandmothers attended CSG, Helen Huston Pace, ’20, and Catherine Crawford Hislop, ’13, as did my Great Aunt, Jean Crawford Huntington, ’17, my Mother, Sarah Hislop Pace, ’46, and my niece, Sarah Pace, ’05. My education at CSG laid the foundation for the remainder of my life and gave me the skill set for what I do today in developing countries. For me, this school taught me perseverance, fortitude, tenacity, a desire to complete the course with excellence, and a determination to pursue my dreams with passion. There was no glass ceiling to shatter here and for that I am most grateful. My training in medicine in the late 70s and early 80s was difficult, but training in surgery was even more challenging. Many consider surgery the pinnacle of medicine. It was an old boys club, and very few women were members of that club. I knew I would one day need to know surgery to save lives in the bush and so I continued onward. My thirteen years at CSG equipped me with the tools to ignore the off color jokes and demeaning comments that were the norm in the operating room.

My dream to one day deliver medical care to women and children in Africa began oddly enough in the Far East. In the summer of 2001, our family was invited to Thailand to see projects that my husband and I had supported for a number of years. We packed our bags and took our children, then 11 and 13, off to Thailand for what later became affectionately known as one of “Mom’s trips.” We spent our vacation in Thailand ministering in the prisons and feeding the refugees-definitely not your usual itinerary. I will never forget walking into the prison very early one August morning. The temperature was in the high nineties and the humidity was soaring. After being searched, we were taken to cement benches where we waited in the blistering heat for what seemed like hours. Eventually what seemed like hundreds of prisoners were escorted to their seats. They sat on benches behind bars and began speaking to us with heavy foreign accents. They were from Sri Lanka, Burma, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria - everywhere except Thailand. Most were in prison for bringing drugs into the country. Some were incarcerated for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. One of these individuals was a man named Mendis. As I sat next to my 11-year-old daughter, I overheard her conversation with Mendis. She asked him why he had been incarcerated. Mendis told her that he had been a gemologist in Sri Lanka and had come to Thailand and been set up in a land deal by his best friend. He had received 35 years in prison. He had lost it all, his family, his children, and his dignity.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 9


2011 CSG

Alumna Award Winner...

He had nothing to live for. Yet, when my daughter asked him how he felt about his friend who set him up to take the fall for the land deal, he quietly said that he loved him like a brother. Fast forward with me five years later. The title of an English paper that my daughter submitted to her eleventh grade teacher was, “Forgiveness - Mendis from a Bangkok prison”. This moment was one I will never forget. My daughter and son at their young ages had understood that our judgment of someone is often hastily made and often wrong. My children had learned that justice is not always served and perhaps more importantly, that you don’t judge a book by its cover. I knew after that first trip in 2001 that I had unearthed that dream that I had as a child and young adult. Dr. Albert Schweitzer was one of my childhood heroes. He had given his life to work as a missionary doctor in Gabon, Africa. I knew after that short visit to Thailand that I was born to work with the disenfranchised and among the poorest of the poor and I sought every opportunity to do so. My next trip took me to the western part of Kenya to the Luo tribe. My daughter, then age 16, came with me and taught school in the morning and assisted me with the medical clinic in the afternoon. Although the clinics were not announced, we often saw up to 1,000 patients a day. We hired Kenyan doctors, nurses, translators and ancillary personnel to handle the crowds. The patients had not seen medical personnel in years and due to a majority of them having AIDS or being HIV positive were extremely ill when they visited our makeshift clinic. We worked from dawn until dusk with few breaks, staying the course and seeing as many patients as possible. You never know how life experiences will affect your children, but I was adamant that both of my children would grow up understanding the privileges they had been given just by being born in America. I prayed that they would both seek a life of service and find opportunities to give back in order to improve the lives of those who had less than they had. I believe that my daughter had to process what she had seen in Africa. The cultural differences and vast amounts of poverty, illness, and death can be overwhelming. She spoke little about her experience except to say that she had learned what it meant to live on purpose and not to waste her life. Two years after we returned from Kenya, when she was interviewing for college, the admissions officer came out from the interview with tears in her eyes and said, “You will never know how much Africa affected your daughter.” Perhaps it was the night when we were under the mosquito net nose to nose when she said, “Mom, these people live in dung huts. They have little food, no water, and they are dying of AIDS, but they are the happiest people I have ever seen. In

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 10

America, we have everything and yet we are miserable.” Or perhaps it was when she saw the 2-year-old baby dying in my arms of AIDS. I don’t know exactly when that teachable moment was, I only knew that this is what I wanted her to internalize. It’s not about the material things that we accumulate; it is about what’s in your heart and what you chose to share with others. We all know that “It is more blessed to give than to receive”. Selfishly, you get so much more than you give. Your life is enriched beyond your wildest dreams. Over and over I have experienced this truth. What a remarkable privilege it has been to be invited into someone else’s home in some of the poorest areas of the world. Whether that is a mud hut, a corrugated metal structure, or a cardboard box, people really are the same everywhere and suffering abounds in our world today. If we can help to relieve the suffering for even a moment then we have been richly blessed. Not everyone discovers their passion in life and if they do, even fewer are able to live it. I am so incredibly fortunate that I have been able to do both. I have an extraordinary family that knows that my work is my lifeblood, and they give me their blessing to go to Africa two to three times a year for up to five weeks at a time. We in America are so blessed. We have potable water. We have water. We have food. We have medicine. Even in our greatest despair, I fervently believe that we can lend a hand to help someone in need and if only for a moment offer an individual a tiny glimmer of hope. I have family now in Africa; I sponsor four girls, ages nine to eleven: Shelmu from Ethiopia and Elinda, Irene, and Glory from Kenya. This past October I was able to meet them along with their families. Of the four girls, Glory shows unusual intellectual promise and has indicated an interest in medicine. She lives in a remote village, nine hours outside of Nairobi and Glory, should she choose to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor, will be the hope for the future for her village. My hope is to enroll Glory in a girls’ school and provide the resources for her to attend college and medical school in Kenya. Selfishly, that way, I can continue to live in Kenya, long after I am gone. We can each give something from our abundance to change a person’s life and in turn change entire villages and eventually countries and continents. It need not be much. I have seen a microfinance loan change a life. A loan of just twenty dollars which was given to a woman who spent her life begging in front of the luxury hotels in Nairobi. The woman bought


THE CSG ALUMNA AWARD In 1983, the Columbus School for Girls Alumnae Association initiated an annual award to be given to one or more of its own members. The committee is appointed annually by the President of the Alumnae Association and is composed of five voting members, representing six decades of CSG alumnae by their class affiliation, and the President. The committee meets in complete anonymity and confidentiality. The President of the Alumnae Association serves as a non-voting convener of the committee and the Assistant Director of Development, also non-voting, does all research/information gathering.

The award winner will:

Nancy passing out pencils at a school in Kenya.

blocks of soap, which she cut into small squares, tied with raffia and sold back to the same hotels where she used to be a beggar. Today, she is moving from the slum in Nairobi to the outskirts of the city where she has purchased a plot of land and is starting to build a home for her family. Twenty dollars - the cost of simply four grande cappuccinos at Starbucks. Each one of us can make a difference if we only just take the first step. You know the story of the starfish. A girl and her mother were walking along the beach where thousands of starfish were scattered, slowly dying on the sand. The little girl picked up a starfish and one by one threw them back into the ocean. When her mother chided her telling her that the task was hopeless, the little girl looked up at her mother and with a broad smile, she picked up another starfish and threw it far out into the ocean and then she said, “Made a difference to that one.” In closing, my wish for each of you today is that you would make a commitment to “Make a difference to that one” to change the status quo. You don’t have to go halfway around the world to serve, you can do it right here at home. You don’t have to have any special training, but you do need a committed heart and spirit. And most importantly you need to take the first step. For when you choose to share the gifts you have been given, your life will be filled with joy and blessings beyond your wildest dreams.”

Represent the highest principles of CSG

Have shown consistent interest in and loyalty to the school

Have made outstanding contributions in her area of endeavor (either career or community)

Demonstrate the value of a CSG education

The Alumna of the Year Award spots a woman who stands out from others for her contribution in her chosen career or community life. Other than the fact that this woman attended Columbus School for Girls and thinks well of CSG, she need not be a donor nor an active volunteer for the school. She needs to be a woman that CSG is proud to claim, but the award is meant to recognize the very high level of her adult accomplishments.

Nominations must be received by August 15, 2011. Please explain why your nominee merits receiving this award, including career or community involvement, associations, other awards received, etc. Information included will be of assistance to the award committee during the deliberation process.

Please submit nominations to: Lucy Ackley, ’83 Assistant Director of Development lackley@columbusschoolforgirls.org 614-252-0781, ext. 136

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 11


Promoting Wellness

Alumnae Profiles

REBEKAH GEE, CLASS OF 1993 Helping Women through Practice and Policy I attended public school for most of my life, but was lucky enough to attend CSG from grades 10-12 from 1991-1993. Part of the reason my family moved to Columbus and my Dad took the job as President of The Ohio State University, in fact, was that we visited CSG and realized immediately what a wonderful opportunity it would be for me. CSG was an amazing experience for me. It took me from being a somewhat mediocre student to being very successful. I attended Columbia University partly because I had grown up watching football every fall Saturday and lived on a college campus, and Columbia had one of the worst football teams in the country! I also went to Columbia because I loved New York City so much and wanted access to diversity, music, theater, culture, and ideas from around the world. I began college as a premed student but didn’t do well in a sophomore biology class and lost confidence in myself. Because I majored in American History and liked to write, I thought about attending law school. I spent a summer working in Washington in health policy and realized that beyond practicing medicine full time, I could also have a career in policy. The thought of being able to treat an individual patient through a medical practice, but also being able to influence care at the state or national level, appealed to me. I went back to school with renewed interest and was able to finish my premed courses. Despite being told that the bad grade in Biology would prevent me from getting into med school, I was admitted to Cornell University medical school in New York City. During my year waiting to hear back, I earned a Master’s in Public Health at Columbia. Medical school was one of the most exciting and challenging times of my life. I loved learning about the human body, but I also loved learning about the process of caring. My mother died of breast cancer when I was sixteen and I had so admired her physicians; it was wonderful for me to be able to put a healing hand on a shoulder or offer support. I chose the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology because I loved doing surgery and also liked the idea that as an Obstetrician Gynecologist I could care for a woman across her lifespan. I trained at Brigham and Women’s and Mass General Hospitals in Boston but knew that I wanted to do more than practice medicine. I wanted to be trained to do health policy and research and learned of a program called the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars program. This program was amazing because it gave me two full

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 12

"I still call Mary Ann Leonard, my CSG Biology teacher, when I want a pep talk or a kick in the pants. CSG taught me about the strength and importance of women, and my teachers taught me never to doubt myself. My career has been driven by my passion for women’s health and CSG provided the foundation for me to do this work and pursue my dreams." years of support to pursue research dreams and learn about health policy. I completed this program at the University of Pennsylvania and received a masters of Science in Health Policy Research. My research centered around issues of difficulty getting access to care, particularly around contraception. During my time at Penn, I began working on the Obama Campaign and was asked to serve on his presidential transition team in Washington. I moved to DC and began looking for a political job. I interviewed as a finalist to be a White House Fellow. I had “Potomac fever” and was dying to stay in Washington. A completely unexpected turn in life happened when I visited New Orleans for Jazz Fest in 2009. A friend of mine told me I should meet his friend, David, who would be a great tour guide. David and I met and fell in love. Within six months I had a moving truck packing my stuff and moving me to Louisiana. A mentor of mine told me “don’t worry about the job, if it’s meant to be everything will be just fine.” She was right. Since moving to Louisiana in October 2009, I took a job at Louisiana State University in the schools of Public Health and Medicine and started working as the medical director for the state’s maternity program. In 2010, I was surprised when I received a call asking me to direct a new and exciting program at the state level, the Birth Outcomes Initiative. I now report to our Secretary of Health and Hospitals and am in charge of finding ways, through communities and health systems, to improve the outcomes of our state’s births, which rank 49 in the nation. I feel blessed to pursue a career that I feel is a calling. Louisiana is an amazing place with enormous challenges; be they poverty, lack of infrastructure, or natural disasters. These challenges mean that the work we are doing to improve things really matters. I also live in New Orleans, one of America’s most vibrant and beautiful cities. My work allows me to have contact with patients, but also to work at the state and national levels to improve women’s and children’s health.


WENDY LAZARUS, CLASS OF 1967 Implementing Healthcare Reform for Women and Children through Advocacy and Technology Since Wendy’s early days at CSG, she has been on a career path to be a nonprofit entrepreneur. But it took awhile and some twists and turns before she got into the child advocacy field, promoting the health of women and children. In the summer between Wendy’s junior and senior years at CSG, her dad opened the door to a summer job with the National Alliance of Business where she made cold calls to local businesses, asking them to create job positions to train and then employ Columbus residents who were, in those days, called “hard core unemployed.” From that point on, Wendy was committed to make the world a little more just by creating opportunities for underserved families to get the support and resources to lead productive and healthy lives.

Wendy describes her career choices after a summer job as “following her nose,” rather than having some grand plan. After graduating from CSG, she attended Smith College for two years, and then transferred to Yale when it began admitting women. Wendy graduated in Yale’s first class with women in 1971. While at Smith, Wendy attended a lecture (more of a rousing sermon) by Marian Wright Edelman, a civil rights leader in Mississippi who helped lead the Poor People’s March on Washington, and later founded the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington—the organization where Wendy would get her first job in child advocacy five years later. After graduation, Wendy accepted a position at Planned Parenthood in Columbus, thinking she wanted a career in family planning and population. The organization’s executive director told her that to have this career she would need a graduate degree in Public Health, which she completed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). While in graduate school, she discovered her passion for improving the health and well-being of women and children. Subsequently, a professor of Wendy’s at UNC, along with one of her first cousins, introduced her to Marian Wright Edelman who was looking for a young staffer to start up a health advocacy program for the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) in Washington, D.C. Wendy credits CSG with giving her a rock-solid belief that she could do whatever she set her mind to, an asset that was tested at CDF. Edelman asked her to figure out why the Medicaid program that was supposed to provide vision, hearing, dental and other health screenings, along with needed treatment to 13 million low-income children across the US, wasn’t working - and then to do something about it. Wendy felt this trial by fire was the best way to learn how things got done on Capitol Hill. Not only did she learn how to work with a coalition and how to change public policy, but she also learned the “ins” and “outs” of health care policy in this country. It was also a good lesson in how long it can take to make changes. Having started the effort under President Carter, the reform package she helped secure was signed into law six years later by President Reagan.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 13


Promoting Wellness continued...

Alumnae Profiles

Since that time, Wendy has spearheaded a number of advocacy campaigns in Colorado, Ohio, and California, where she moved with her husband and small children in the mid-80s and has lived ever since. Her work is inspired by her desire to make sure that cutting edge developments (such as the advent of computers and the Internet) are used in ways that can benefit everyone, including underserved children and families. Wendy believes her CSG education has helped her career because she was taught to be an independent thinker and to search for new and better solutions to problems. With the goal of providing leadership around new societal developments that affect large numbers of kids, such as technology, Wendy co-founded a national nonprofit organization called The Children’s Partnership (TCP) in 1993. The organization’s tagline is “Innovation at Work for America’s Children,” and it focuses on securing needed health care for all children and ensuring that the opportunities of digital technology benefit all children and families. TCP initiates change by publishing original research about a problem that impacts large numbers of low-income children. The organization then joins forces with leaders in local communities to pilot a solution, learn from it, and then extend the reform to children in many more communities through public policy changes and strong partnerships with corporate and nonprofit allies. Express Lane Eligibility is an example of how this change model works. Wendy and the strong team she assembled at TCP found that nearly 6 million children, who had no health insurance and were unable to get needed health care, were actually enrolled in other public programs such as School Lunch or Food Stamps. To address this, the team developed a pilot program in 100 schools across California to use school lunch eligibility information to enroll children in health insurance as well. Express Lane uses advances in information technology to make it faster and easier for families to qualify their kids for health care and saves taxpayer dollars by eliminating duplicate paperwork. This reform required state legislation to be passed in California and was eventually incorporated in federal law in 2009. As a result, children living in any state in the country can now be “express laned” into health coverage. Today, Wendy and her staff at TCP are working on other reforms that use technology to improve health care for kids, such as creating electronic record systems to provide more coordinated care for the 70,000 youth in foster care; linking children in medically underserved areas to the specialists they need through video conferencing; and using new Internet tools to allow kids with asthma, diabetes, and other chronic conditions to have their conditions managed more effectively. However, Wendy’s greatest source of excitement lately is helping to implement the biggest health reform since the enactment of Medicaid and Medicare over 40 years ago—the federal Affordable Care Act that offers the promise, finally, that all kids in the US will be able to get affordable health coverage.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 14

As fulfilling as Wendy’s work has been, she says she would never be the person she is today without her husband of 35 years, her two adult children, her close extended family, and the values she saw modeled at home and at CSG throughout her childhood. For more information about the work of The Children’s Partnership, see: www.childrenspartnership.org.

YASYN LEE, CLASS OF 1978 Mental Health Advocate Every day, I assess and assist individuals who are severely or chronically ill. Frequently, these patients cannot understand or communicate their wishes regarding their healthcare decisions, mostly because of delirium or dementia. Their families and loved ones are asked to make decisions on behalf of these individuals, too often without knowledge of their wishes. These are decisions about nursing home placement; insertion of a feeding tube; whether to undergo surgery; which medication to take. Four out of five Americans say that they have definite wishes about their end of life decisions, but only half have discussed their wishes with their loved ones. Three out of four Americans want to die at home, but 80% die in institutions. When appropriate, I engage and facilitate these end of life care discussions with patients and families. Although reviewing a laundry list of desired and declined interventions (such as feeding tubes, ventilators, and CPR) has its place, I encourage discussion that is more broad as well, to draw out what the individual values and describes as his or


her vision of “quality of life.” The list of possible medical technologies and interventions grows ever longer, so that it is not possible to anticipate every future health decision. Having a clear image of the patient’s priorities in managing terminal chronic disease helps surrogate decision makers to have confidence. I practice consultation geriatric psychiatry in a 263-bed community hospital in Iowa. When I graduated from CSG, I could not have predicted this, although I knew that I wanted to be a physician, a family physician like my neighbor across the street. The communication and analytical skills that I developed in Mr. Wong’s Calculus class and Mrs. Sedgwick’s English class served me well. During my senior year May Program project, I shadowed several surgeons, which helped confirm my interest in medicine. I majored in computer science at The Ohio State University as a back-up career, in case I was not accepted into medical school. Programming with punch cards has not helped me much with today’s necessary computer skill set. In medical school, I thought that family practice required a greater breadth of knowledge than I could master, so I decided to specialize. I considered Ob/Gyn, but learned when I began to take hospital calls that I did not do well with sleep deprivation. I had not even considered psychiatry until I completed the required rotation late in my third year and found that I enjoyed the constant learning challenge of brain science and the privilege of knowing patients in depth. After psychiatry residency at University of Minnesota, I began practice at a large multi-specialty clinic in the Twin Cities while my husband, a rheumatologist, completed his training. Eventually, we settled in Dubuque, a wonderful town in which to raise a family. CSG taught me to always be a learner. In my career, very little that I do today is the same as 1989 when I began practice. Early in my practice in Minneapolis, most of my patients were thirty-something, college-educated, career women who were anxious or depressed, seeing therapists, and of Scandinavian heritage. This niche practice was suitable in a department with 20 psychiatrists, but I was required to be a generalist when I moved to Dubuque and became one of three psychiatrists for a 100,000 population area. Quickly, I learned that many of my patients were elderly and I studied geriatric psychiatry, a subspecialty I had not considered in residency. My practice now is almost entirely geriatric psychiatry.

"I was a scholarship student at CSG and my gratitude for the gift of my education has motivated me to volunteer on many committees and boards, from tutoring at my children’s schools to serving on the national organizations that develop policy regarding physician licensure and competence. I hope that my service on the state and national boards furthers the goal of every physician being competent, compassionate, and professional." bered my initiative and recommended me. Thus began my seven years of service to the Iowa Physician Health Program (a voluntary monitoring program for physicians impaired by mental health, substance abuse, or physical problems) and six years of service on the Iowa Board of Medicine. I now serve on the National Board of Medicine. I have written test questions for the United States Medical Licensing Examination, which physicians must pass to be licensed in the US. I am also appointed to the Step 3 Committee which develops that portion of the exam. My daily professional goal is to help individuals achieve the potential that they have within them, by restoring the best mental health that I can. This includes dying with dignity, comfort, and respect for personal wishes. Many online and print resources are available to guide discussion of advance directives. It can be very difficult to decide whether to hold on to life or to let a loved one go, and these conversations before a health crisis are associated with a better quality of life near death. Patients are less likely to have psychiatric problems. Caregivers’ bereavement adjustment is improved. I encourage the CSG community to engage in conversations with their own loved ones about end of life care.

In Dubuque, I sought a community of women physicians such as the one in the Twin Cities that had mentored me through residency training. I contacted the county medical society secretary to request a list of the local women physicians. Later, when the Iowa Board of Medicine was recruiting for physician members, this secretary remem-

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 15


Promoting Wellness continued... MORGAN MCDONALD, CLASS OF 1993 Healing the Body and Mind

Alumnae Profiles

Morgan McDonald graduated from CSG in 1993 and then from Yale in 1998 with a degree in English Literature. In Morgan’s experience, yoga education is usually a combination of one’s own practice, formal study, some form of apprenticeship, and ultimately, the teaching itself. Morgan took yoga teacher training with Ana Forrest, an internationally recognized pioneer in yoga and emotional healing, as well as many hundreds of yoga classes with other teachers. She also studied with meditation teachers at the New Haven and Providence Zen Centers, and currently with Lama Tsultrim Allione in Colorado. She has worked with healers — John McMullin in Columbus; Susan Lipshutz, and Billie Topa Tate in Chicago; and Amorah Quan Yin in Mt. Shasta, California. Much of her learning has come from working with her students. Morgan started teaching yoga in 2004, right after she finished teacher training. She describes her first months of teaching as delightfully surreal. She was getting paid for something she loved so much. Still working a 9 to 5 job, Morgan would teach private yoga sessions in the early mornings and in the evenings. The sweet taste of 8:30 a.m. Corner Bakery oatmeal with cinnamon on Wacker Drive – breakfast between teaching yoga and work – is still what Morgan considers the “taste of authentic pride in moving from what I felt obliged to do, to doing what I loved.” In 2005, Morgan leapt headlong from a job with a consulting firm into her own business with only two clients (and very few things in a very small apartment in Chicago). Those first months she taught yoga and wrote a novel. The next year, Morgan finished the book, referrals came, and her practice grew from there. Morgan’s parents are psychotherapists. They would talk about their work at dinner, and as a child Morgan always felt there was something missing in these stories of psychological change – some tool that would make unlocking the doors of recovery easier, and then hinge them more permanently open. One evening after field hockey practice, she was impatiently waiting for her mom in the reception room at her office, fidgeting with a wooden toy from the toy box. It was a cylinder with several bands that, when perfectly arranged, allowed little metal balls to roll effortlessly through the space inside. In that moment of alignment, she felt in her body the beauty and function of physical integrity. Years later, this cylinder became actual bodies, and yoga the means of righting what had been askew. Morgan’s decision to become a yoga instructor was a serendipitous one. As a college student, she signed up for a yoga class and took the elevator to the top floor of Payne Whitney gym, to the gymnastics studio. Late afternoon light flooded through the round windows. Morgan loved the sun – rare in New Haven – and had loved gymnastics as a child, and right off the bat she loved this

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 16

new dance of breath and studied movement. Also during college, Morgan began to attend meditation retreats at the local Zen Center. (At one point, she meditated in a room with an ornate oriental rug and, distracted, thought, “I’m never going to be able to do this!”) Morgan teaches private sessions, group classes, and workshops. She believes that yoga flourishes as an individual practice, and so focuses more than half of her business on private sessions. (Yoga as group demonstration, on the other hand, shares roots with gym culture. For a fascinating read on this, Morgan recommends The Origins of Modern Posture Practice.) She also runs the yoga program at Illinois Masonic Medical Center, a major Chicago hospital, where she teaches a women’s class, prenatal yoga, and mother-baby yoga. (She has just returned from maternity leave and looks forward to practicing with her new son!) Morgan also volunteers at local non-profits, usually for staff and clients. She has taught at Deborah’s Place, a women’s shelter; the Lincoln Park Community Shelter; YWCA of Chicago; United Way of Chicago, and Rape Victim Advocates.

After several years of teaching, Morgan developed a series of “Yoga and Creative Autobiography” workshops, having found that “a conscious awareness of our own life stories – accessed through a combination of yoga, meditation and storytelling – is powerful, healing, and ultimately yields deep joy.”


Morgan and her sister, Keely McDonald, ’96, women’s lacrosse coach at Brown University, are evolving these workshops into a new business, in which women will come together for connection, transformation, and leadership. They plan to lead events at yoga studios as well as on campuses and at retreat centers. Morgan finds her greatest challenge in teaching yoga is being present in her own body and mind. The more connected she feels personally, the easier it is to work with students. When she is preoccupied, clients feel further away and harder to reach, both literally and metaphorically. Morgan is deeply grateful for all of her students, and for each session she shares with them. She describes yoga as a wind that can move and shape anything, all depending on the particular landscape. She has taught people who recover from “permanent” injuries, led sessions on a bed to a woman with advanced multiple sclerosis, facilitated sessions for women recovering from sexual abuse, and created very physically challenging sessions for someone who just wanted to get strong. It is yoga’s embrace of, and facility with, every feature of the human experience – from outrageous fun to deep need and grief – that Morgan loves best. In a particularly moving recent session, a client in the throes of ovarian cancer faced her fear of death in a very direct way. They did a strong physical yoga practice, and then a guided meditation in which the sense of a separate self dissolved into space (and then reconstituted back into her body). In the process, the client’s mind opened, the fear and anxiety dissipated, and her body relaxed in a way it hadn’t in months. Morgan’s experiences at CSG helped guide her down this career path in various ways. At CSG, Morgan played sports year-round, and loved her academic classes. One CSG experience in particular comes to mind. Morgan vividly remembers, as a member of the lacrosse team her senior year, asking not to be on the field at the beginning of the game. She liked to watch the first minutes from the bench – to feel into the interplay of CSG’s offense and the opponent’s defense, and so to kinesthetically understand how to score against a particular team. This made it much easier to go in and play effectively. She feels the same intrigue and accomplishment as a yoga teacher, in watching the movement of a body and then making adjustments so that person, like a team, can move in the easiest, best way possible. It is this same sense of mental, physical, and emotional engagement that she treasures about teaching yoga. Morgan has the following advice for those considering a career as a yoga teacher: “Yoga is a quickly growing industry with many branches. It’s important to know your own motivation and interests, so that you can work in a way that benefits you and your clients. Some people focus entirely on physical postures, some on meditation, some on chanting, and some on a synthesis of these.”

KATIE NYHAN, RN, BSN, CLASS OF 1997 Anticipating Patients' Needs After Katie graduated from Columbus School for Girls, she had absolutely no idea what she wanted to do for a career so she decided that a liberal arts education would best suit her. She attended The College of Wooster where she took classes mostly in Psychology, Sociology, and Women’s Studies. After two years at The College of Wooster, she went home for the summer and worked part-time in a call center doing satisfaction surveys for hospitals. It was then that she realized the demand for nurses and how it might be something she would enjoy. Katie always had empathy for others and loved taking care of people. She looked into nursing programs and decided to transfer to Mount Carmel College of Nursing. Katie soon learned that nursing is not simply helping people when they are sick, and taking vital signs, but it is actually a field that deserves more respect than it gets. Katie realized nursing school was not going to be easy, despite what she initially expected. She recognized there is so much to learn about physiology and how the body is impacted from medications, diseases, and the aging process. Katie was impressed to learn that there is a tremendous amount of independent nursing judgment and critical thinking involved in nursing. She liked the idea of being there with patients at the bedside and getting to know them on a personal level. After graduating from Mount Carmel College of Nursing with a Bachelor’s degree in the Science of Nursing, Katie began working as a nurse on a general medical/surgical floor. She soon realized that although she loved being a nurse, this was not the field of nursing that she wanted to be in. She then transferred to labor and delivery where she found her passion. Katie always wanted to do something involved with helping women and babies. She loves her career as a labor and delivery nurse and feels it is her calling in life. Katie states, “Nursing is not a glamorous career and it can be challenging emotionally, spiritually, and physically. But not everybody can say they truly enjoy their careers and get to see the miracle of life every day. Nursing is so rewarding and I can leave work knowing I made a difference in someone’s life.” Katie works at St. Ann’s Hospital in Westerville, where they are well known for their maternity services and deliver just under 5,000 babies per year. St. Ann’s also has an OB Clinic for disadvantaged women who need OB services. Katie takes care of women of all ages, races, and cultures. She enjoys being a supporter and educator for women during one of the most

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 17


Alumnae Profiles

memorable days of their lives. She has received several letters of appreciation and praise from patients for being a wonderful nurse. St. Ann’s has a program where patients can donate money to a fund in honor of a nurse who gave excellent patient care and Katie received her “Angel Wings” last year. The greatest challenge for Katie in her career is taking care of women who have unfortunate events in labor and delivery. She states, “Labor and Delivery can be the happiest of places or the saddest of places. People don’t realize when sad events occur because they are not discussed. I try my best to be there for women and their families during these difficult times and make sure they have the support and resources to cope when they go home.” Nursing has helped Katie learn that nothing in life is guaranteed and a healthy baby is truly a blessing. Some days are easier than others, but Katie loves her job as a labor and delivery nurse. She thinks there is nothing better than seeing the reaction of the family after delivery. She loves being a part of those special moments and seeing the bond between a mother and her newborn baby. Katie enjoys those great times and that is what helps her get through the more challenging times. She would advise someone going into nursing to be prepared to work hard and to be underappreciated at times. However, Katie also notes that nursing is a field where there is so much personal reward and so much opportunity to try new things and practice different types of nursing. The options for nurses are endless and nurses don’t only work in hospitals or doctor’s offices. For example, nurses can travel, teach, do research, or work in administration. The medical field is always growing and it is a career where one can impact so many lives. Katie thinks the best part about nursing is when patients recognize her efforts to help them. She loves connecting with patients and helping them feel comfortable during uncertain times by anticipating their needs and educating them.

Katie values her CSG education and believes it has helped her in her career. She appreciates how she was taught to “think outside the box” and find creative solutions to problems. She remembers the focus on education and equality while she was at CSG. Katie believes she is a better nurse because of her education and life experiences.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 18

KRISTIN MCMENAMY STEVENS, CLASS OF 1987 The New Teacher When CSG asked me to write an article about health and wellness, I had no idea where to start because my views on the subject have recently been, shall we say, shaken. I’ve spent most of my life pursuing wellness from every angle. I am a vegetarian, I limit sugar and gluten, and I carefully monitor every ingredient I ingest. I use natural skin and hair care products. I actively observe and manage my thoughts. I do yoga and meditate every day. I don’t even have a microwave in my kitchen for fear of radiation. I’ve structured my whole life around avoiding one thing: cancer. And guess what? A few months ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Excuse me? Cancer? Me? Yes, me. And now my perspective on what it means to be healthy is undergoing a radical transformation. One thing CSG gave me is a thirst for lifelong learning. I called on this intense curiosity to develop a “healthy” outlook on my diagnosis. Instead of diving head first into fear about impending doom, I saw cancer as my teacher. Before the diagnosis, I had been the student in the proverbial back of the classroom, avoiding eye contact so the teacher wouldn’t pick me. But once called on, I moved to the front of the class. Now I’m listening with rapt attention. If my cancer journey were like high school, I’m still a freshman and have much yet to learn. However, I would like to share three key things that have become clear to me so far:

Acceptance is one of the most important factors in true wellness. As we navigate through life, we each learn (at one point or another) that stuff just happens, and there’s nothing we can do to control or change it. How we respond to our circumstances is what matters most. I admit that I’ve been rather surprised by my own reaction to my diagnosis. From the moment I heard the words “you have cancer,” I have been relatively peaceful about the whole thing. I’ve been able to accept the reality of my circumstances with very little resistance.


Promoting Wellness continued... The stark contrast to how I’ve reacted to other people and events in my life has brought into focus an interesting observation: resistance is toxic. Resistance causes suffering because we make matters worse than they need to be. Whenever we notice struggle in our lives, it’s because we’re resisting something. For example, we might resist our kids’ behavior, our significant other’s comments, our own dark moods, or any number of unwanted circumstances. The essence of wellness is to eliminate toxins. The antidote to toxic resistance is acceptance. That means, for example, giving our kids space to have their tantrums because no amount of yelling at them, even in the middle of a grocery store, is going to change their behavior in the moment. It means accepting the people around us for who they are instead of trying to hold them to a standard of expectations about who they should be. It means letting go of grudges, not because we condone what happened, but because we want to release the toxicity of resentment for ourselves. Wellness is a choice—acceptance is a critical part of supporting that choice.

Making healthy lifestyle choices is indeed worth it. Naturally, I questioned whether all my lifestyle choices had been worth all the effort. I experienced a momentary “what the heck” backlash, in which I was tempted to eat a pint of Jeni’s ice cream and a box of Pistacia Vera treats in one sitting. But I realized that while my choices may have once been motivated by fear, they are still good choices, and they still make me feel better. When I say better, I mean self-affirming, fulfilling and sustainable better, not I-need-a-quick-fix-to-ease-mysuffering-in-the-moment better. I believe I am able to deal with this particular situation with a great deal of strength and resilience that I wouldn’t otherwise have had. It is important to note that one can be healthy even during what most would consider a health crisis. My body still has some healing to do, but my mind, emotions and my connection to spirit have never been healthier. I consider health to be a multi-faceted thing. According to yogic tradition, there are five layers of being, or Koshas: physical, energetic, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Being healthy is about taking an active approach to healing, integration, and peace at each of these levels.

Self-care and self-compassion are paramount. I thought I was taking care of myself, I really did. But since my diagnosis, I’ve realized my overall self-care was lacking an essential ingredient: relaxation. How we deal with our stress on an ongoing basis matters more than whether we do yoga twice a week. If our parasympathetic nervous systems don’t have the chance to restore themselves by engaging the “relaxation response” (the opposite of the fight or flight response), then our immune systems are impaired and our health is threatened. Taking the time to rest, relax, restore, laugh and play are essential. These are the cornerstones of self-care, and they are more important in this overscheduled world than ever. Another critical component to self-care is self-compassion, which I’ve been working on for years. Self-compassion is a set of fundamental beliefs centered around our own worth and value. In order to make healthy choices and dedicate time to our wellbeing, it is necessary to believe we are worth it and our needs matter. Most importantly, when we fall off the bandwagon, which we all do, we don’t dwell in shame or self-recrimination. Instead of beating ourselves up, we are able to forgive ourselves and allow our lives to be messy and imperfect just as they are.

CSG does a great job of emphasizing an integrated, whole-person perspective in education. Wellness, in my mind, is similar. Even during challenging circumstances, we can choose to stay connected to what matters most to us, especially ourselves, in body, mind and spirit. Kristin McMenamy Stevens, ’87, is a Certified Mind/Body Coach and Yoga Instructor. You can connect with her on Facebook or at www.un-coaching.com .

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 19


IMPACT Safety –

Teaching Young Women How To Say ’Yes’ With Confidence And ‘No’ With Conviction By Julie Harmon

For the last decade, IMPACT Safety, now an agency of LifeCare Alliance, empowers young women at Columbus School For Girls by teaching and training them about personal safety and selfdefense. IMPACT Safety has served the community for 18 years, developing and teaching interpersonal safety skills to a wide range of populations and is recognized internationally as well as locally. IMPACT Safety is looking forward to adding their safety expertise to LifeCare Alliance’s 113-year history of providing health and nutrition services to our community. IMPACT Safety training classes at Columbus School For Girls promote assertiveness and confidence. They help empower the students to advocate for themselves in challenging situations. IMPACT Safety presents young women with realistic scenarios and teaches them effective emotional and physical responses to potential negative situations. Columbus School for Girls is commended for investing in the emotional, physical, and social needs of their students by continuing to provide these comprehensive trainings. IMPACT Safety offers a 15-hour curriculum consisting of ‘handson’ learning for young women and girls. The curriculum contains a variety of topics including: assessment of risk, conflict, coercion versus control, communication, healthy relationships, decisionmaking, friendship, equality in relationships, identity, negotiating boundaries, and both verbal and physical personal safety. The trainings offer both personal and social victories for the students. Breakthrough moments are celebrated as young women discover it is perfectly acceptable to confidently say "no" to friends who are offering unhealthy entertainment at parties, without any social repercussions; or when a young woman has just defended herself by taking a padded assailant to the ground. These are successes to young women’s newfound skills, determination, and conviction! At Columbus School for Girls, IMPACT Safety trains young women to confront the “gray areas” of their lives, to better equip them to accurately and effectively identify and resolve the ongoing conflict between mixed social and emotional influences and messages. Young women are taught how to give power to their words. Physical training is also provided should words not work or be respected. Students learn physical defense and are trained to take care of themselves which translates into increased confidence and awareness at personal, emotional, and social levels. IMPACT Safety empowers students to begin to own their instincts, choices, and bodies. They realize that “no apologies” is often the most difficult lesson taught in the class, and the most valuable. The girls complete the training with a confident new perspective on apologies—they no longer feel that they owe themselves an apology for being their true selves and they no longer feel that they owe anyone else an apology for demanding the respect they deserve. LifeCare Alliance is a not-for-profit organization that provides a comprehensive array of health and nutrition services to older adults and chronically ill or homebound residents of Central Ohio through its signature programs: Meals-on-Wheels, Senior Dining Centers, Wellness Centers, Help-at-Home, Visiting Nurses, Columbus Cancer Clinic, Project OpenHand-Columbus, Groceries-to-Go and IMPACT Safety. LifeCare Alliance has emerged as a national leader in merger collaborations, having successfully completed four in the last eight years with Meals-onWheels of Madison County, Project OpenHand-Columbus, the Columbus Cancer Clinic, and IMPACT Safety. These mergers have eliminated or reduced costs and redundancy of services in Central Ohio, resulting in more funds for programs, enhanced services and an increase in client access to basic needs. LifeCare Alliance has begun several social entrepreneurship endeavors to provide added funding for our clients, including L.A. Catering, meal sales, corporate wellness programs, immunizations and travel vaccines. For more information visit www.lifecarealliance.org. Follow us on Twitter and fan us on Facebook!

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 20


New York City

National Alumnae Council

2

1

3

5

4

6

7

8 CSG and Columbus Academy alumni had a fabulous time reconnecting in New York City on June 14, 2011. The event was hosted by Academy parent Ron Austin and included a presentation on "The History and Redevelopment of the Lincoln Center."

9

1. Lacey Greenwalt, CSG ’04, with CA Alumni, Linsey Manket, ’03, Rachel Mount, ’03, Blair Soden, ’02, and Kelsey Keeran, ’01 2. CSG Alumnae, Alice Stevens and Kerry King, Class of 2005 3. Uka and Quiana Sloan Agbai, CSG ’98, Katy Potts, CSG ’96, and Whitfield Mastin 4. Katie Kessler Chatas, CSG ’84, addressing the guests 5. Luke Davis, CA ’97, and his wife, with Courtney Druen, CSG ’97, Katrin Warren, CSG ’97, and Alex Turina 6. Brian Cho, CA ’91, and CA faculty member, Christy Bening 7. Lucy Ackley, CSG ’83, and Robin Ackley Hochanadel, CA ’96 8. Robbin Park, CA ’86, and Danielle Berger, CSG ’90 9. Christy Schoedinger Rosenthal, CSG ’87, and Ngina Chiteji, CSG ’84

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 21


Archiving Corner Exercise and Athletics

Top: Basketball team picture, 1911. Left: Basketball 1925. Before the New Building, intramural basketball was played in front of the stage which occupied one end of the “Chapel” area in Progress Hall. Since 1924, odd year classes have been assigned to the Gold Team and even year classes to the Red Team. Six-a-side basketball was the rule during most of the school’s first century. Before the advent of interscholastic sports, classes held basketball tournaments on the Parsons Place playground. Most of the remaining photos were taken at “The School Farm,” located on North Cassady Avenue, only a short distance south of the present Kirk Campus; it provided students and faculty a rural venue for picnics, overnight stays, organized exercises, and outdoor sports. Bottom: Farm picnic 1945.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 22


Top: Leap Frog at The Farm in the 20’s or 30’s. Middle: High jump at The Farm in the 1930’s Bottom: Cricket in the 1930’s at Parsons Place playground. All three photos along right side of the page were taken at The Farm in the early 30’s.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 23


Class of 2011, Cum Laude members. Front row, left to right: Elizabeth Simmons, Megan Young, Helen Isaac, Bridget O’Donnell, Emma McGregor. Back row: Morgan Conkle, Rachael Pappa, Mary Muigai, Samantha Wobst, Taylor Lint, Therese Kaltenecker, Megan Murray.

Cum Laude: Paige Shalter Bruening, ’89 Paige came to CSG in Form II and graduated, cum laude, in 1989. She earned a B.A. from Kenyon College in 1993 and did her graduate studies at the University of Toronto. Paige is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Capital University where she teaches Educational Psychology and Social Studies Methods courses to pre-service teachers. She and her husband, Andy, live with their daughter, Lizzy, Form I, in Upper Arlington.

When I was asked to speak for this chapel, I will admit that I was quite nervous. My first thought was “I have no idea what a young woman would want to hear from an old woman like me!” I tried to solicit advice for possible topics – I asked some of you, I asked my students at Capital University, I even facebooked a few of my former middle school students and asked them. Basically, I asked anyone who would listen to my pleas for ideas on what to say to you. Yet time and time again I was met with “Oh you will know what to say!” or “You will do fine, you will figure it out!” Needless to say this did nothing to alleviate my anxiousness. Then one night as I was lying in bed trying to fend off a panic attack about this speech, I realized that all of the people I had asked for advice and who I thought had blown me off actually had helped me. When they told me “Oh you will come up with the right topic” they had essentially told me to listen to and trust myself and I would be OK. I realized that this was the topic I wanted to address with you, for knowing yourself is a very important aspect of learning. I know you probably have heard many times before that it is important to be yourself in order to be happy in life. What you probably have not heard as much is how difficult identifying that true self can be, especially when you have been exposed to the multitude of opportunities a great education provides. Thus, I have come up with a way that can help you identify the choices that will best suit you. Before I begin, I want to stress that I am not trying to be stereotypical or cliché by linking women and fashion. If you know me at all you will know that I am not a fashionista and that you columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 24


are lucky that I combed my hair today. However, even I know there is something to be said about the feelings that you get when you put on your favorite outfit – the outfit that when you put it on you feel great in it. It may not even be an outfit it could be a pair of earrings, your field hockey cleats, a pair of jeans, or a cherished scarf. Whatever it is, it is the thing that when you wear it you feel confident and you feel like you can take on the world. Does everyone have that outfit or article of clothing in mind? Now close your eyes and picture yourself in it and begin focusing on how you feel. Does it fit you without pinching, tugging, or pulling? Are you comfortable and can you move the way you want? Do you feel confident and proud and not anxious about what others think? If you answered positively, I want you to remember these feelings because these are the same feelings you want to have about the choices you make in life. This is how you want to feel when you remain true to yourself. This seems simple, yet enacting it is not that easy. I am sure you have many other outfits that fit you well, or that make you feel strong and confident, or that are just plain comfortable. Yet when you really think about it you do not feel your best in those, there is something that does not quite fit. This will be the way you feel about some of the decisions that you make – you will be comfortable, you will be proud, you will be confident, but there will be something that pinches you or restricts you or that just feels off. This is where the difficulty begins. It is difficult to acknowledge when a decision you have made does not quite fit and it is even more complicated to determine what changes you want to make so that it does fit. Let me give you a personal example. I obtained my Ph.D. from a research intensive institution. I was expected to conduct quality research while there and when I was finished to continue leading research projects as my primary occupation. I was trained to be a researcher and I flourished in and truly enjoyed this environment. In the four years I was there, I presented my own work at very prestigious conferences, sometimes sharing the stage with very well known and respected researchers in my field. I published in respected journals and co-wrote chapters of books. I mingled with famous researchers, publishers, and editors and people in my field began recognizing my name. I enjoyed this attention, I was comfortable in this environment, and I was very proud of my accomplishments, but after awhile I realized that something did not quite fit. Yet, I continued along this path accepting that being a researcher was going to be my life’s main work, for this is what I was being trained to do. But still, there was a pulling sensation, a feeling that I could not quite place. I began paying attention

to that feeling and soon recognized that the uncertain feeling went away periodically and I began focusing on those moments. I noticed that during those times not only did I feel comfortable, proud, and confident, but I also felt excited and invigorated. I felt great in those situations – I felt like me and I felt like I fit in that place. It was difficult to acknowledge, but this place was not to the side of the classroom making observations or in front of my computer running statistics or writing papers – it was in a classroom in front of students being an active part of a learning environment. I began voicing my joy at being in the classroom to both students and professors in my program and I was not met with the same enthusiasm. I was told by some not to waste my talents as a researcher in a teaching institution, as I could always teach at a research institution, just not a lot. But I knew that a teaching institution was where I needed to be and that being a teacher was the profession that fit me best. This was where I felt most comfortable, proud, confident, and most like me. So now teaching is my primary profession, and just so you know I did not give up doing research, I just do not do it as much. As for you, what I hope you take away from this is that sometimes you will make choices that at first feel as if everything fits. Yet after awhile, much like the wrong outfit does something that begins to pinch and pull at you. You will realize that something does not quite fit. My advice is to really examine those feelings – Where does it pinch? How is it making you uncomfortable? What is making you anxious? Use these feelings to guide you in making choices that are more in line with your true self. Rely on those feelings to guide you, but do not discount what others say. Just like a good friend can steer you away from a true fashion faux pas, others can give you advice. Yet I urge you to always think about that advice and how it feels to you. Make sure it fits you like your favorite outfit and you will be on your way to making decisions that best suit you. It is not easy finding that perfect fit, but when you do it is well worth it. Thank you for letting me speak with you and I hope I gave you an image to help guide you through the tough decisions life throws at you. Congratulations to those being inducted into the Cum Laude Society, your hard work is to be commended. Always remember, and this is for everyone – your education is something that can never be taken away from you and the more you use it the easier it will be to discover your best fit.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 25


Class News & Reunions

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 26


1931 80th Reunion At 96, Libby Gill Kurtz made the trek back to CSG for her 80th Reunion. Is that a record? We’d have to do a little research, but we think it might be. Her daughter, Betsy Kurtz Argo, ’63, and granddaughter, Cathy Kurtz Vrenna, ’88, accompanied her. Libby enjoyed the luncheon and the myriad alumnae who came over to give her hugs - daughters and granddaughters of her classmates and schoolmates, such as Marcia Ross Blackburn, ’61, daughter of Libby McKeever Ross, ’36. Libby and her family were seated with Judy Cadot Chambers, ’51, and Barbara Ebner Lutz, ’51, who were celebrating their 60th Reunion (and they thought they were old). Liz Johnson Taylor, ’75, also sat with them in complete happiness at the introduction of her daughter, Francie, who is graduating this year as a member of the Class of 2011. Wow! Libby enjoyed a standing ovation from the Alumnae Association when introduced, which she greeted with a quiet chuckle. Plans are in the offing for her 85th. Time flies when you’re having fun!

1932

Above left: At 96, Libby Gill Kurtz, Her daughter, Betsy Kurtz Argo, ’63, and granddaughter, Cathy Kurtz Vrenna, ’88; Above right: Libby Gill Senior picture, in 1931.

1940 Left: Track Long Jumper in 2000’s; 1995 Varsity Field Hockey players at Kirk Campus; 1930 Varsity Field Hockey team.

Susie Kibler Morris, Class Representative Susiemorris1@aol.com Two Waverly Court, Houston, TX 77005 713.521.0970 Suzanne Kibler Morris writes that it has been difficult for her to keep in

touch with her family over spring break. Family #1 was in Northern India, #2 in Vietnam, #3 in Hawaii, #4 at their family house on Lake LBJ, and #5 skiing in Santa Fe. They do manage to show up at her house for Christmas dinner and at other times also. In early April, Susie spent a delightful four days in Charleston, SC, where the gardens there were in full spring array!

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 27

Class News

Virginia Kurtz Ebinger spent Christmas with her son, Charles, in Washington D.C. In the spring she traveled back there to see his beautiful rhododendrons and azaleas. This summer she will go to Montana to see her son, Bob.

Above top: The Class of 1931, Front row: Ruth Penhorwood, Betty Malloy, Polly Weist, Catherine Hough, Virginia Stark, Sally McKeever. 2nd row: Natalie Howard, Mary Lou DeVennish, Miriam Francisco, Ann Lisle, Mary Winans, Ernestine Baker, Alice Bayne. 3rd row: Flora Powell, Ione Beaton, Louise Shedd, Margaret Bristol, Virginia Schueller, Charlotte Patton, Mary Powers, Mildred Fisher, Sally Menaul. 4th row: Florence Garrard, Virginia Smith, Mary Herron, Betty Brimm, Elizabeth Gill, Jane Marchworth. 5th row: Lucia Little, Betty Kershaw, Virginia Jaeger, Hester Moyer, Miriam Seaton, Betty Alter. 6th row: Marguerite Haller, Claire Daney, Katherine Kuhns, Maureen Armstrong, Betty Ross. 7th row: Frances Shumway, Eileen Payne, Ellen Chubb, Betty Rogers, Cornelia Taylor, Virginia Tice.


Class News

Both photos from the Class of 1941, celebrating their 70 year reunion this year: On left, class Bowling Club and on right Field Hockey team.

1943 Jane Mitcheltree Werum, Class Representative

Marcia F. Estabrook, Class of 1942 with niece Kate Estabrook Schoedinger, Class of 1978.

1941 Susan McIlroy Pierce, Class Representative Susan McIlroy Pierce is a happy resident of Kendall at Granville, where Ashley Wade, mother of Eleanor Wade, Class of 2019, is the Director of Marketing. Fellow residents include Ellen Stoneman Vorys, ’43; Ann Baker; and Becca Putnam, who is a CSG past parent and wife of Bill Putnam from Columbus Academy.

1942 Marylou Zimmerman Corotis, Class Representative Marcia Fidler Estabrook resides in Tampa, FL and was with her niece, Kate Estabrook Schoedinger, ’78, for the wedding of Marcia’s granddaughter, Mallory Kate Estabrook on May 7, 2011.

Since I’ve not received any news from any of you, I will tell you mine. My darling daughters gave me a fabulous weekend at the Greenbrier for my 85th birthday. I know, I’m the baby of the class, but wow! what a weekend, with spa treatment and pedicure and marvelous meals. It was also the weekend of the Mrs. America Pageant so we got to see all those gorgeous women that we never got to look like. The slot machines were fun and the tour of “The Bunker” now “declassified” was quite a revelation. Glad it never had to be used post-9/11 or WWII, the legislators would have rebelled. Love, and happy summer to all of us. Jane

1944 Marilyn Kent Hall, Class Representative mhall6@columbus.rr.com 6000 Riverside Drive, B-452 Friendship Village of Dublin, Dublin, OH 43017 614.764.3914 Joan Shumaker Andrews wrote the following: “My dear husband, Bob, passed away on October 20, 2010, after a sevenyear fight with cancer. We were very fortunate that he never had bone pain and was able to stay in our apartment at the end, with the amazing care of Home Reach Hospice supplemented by Comfort Keepers. His faith was strong

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 28

and he stayed lucid, loving, humorous, and appreciative. We were blessed with 65 years of marriage and a marvelous family. It was a privilege to share his life!”

1947 Jane Maize Stone, Class Representative Barbara Van Meter Carey and Don spent 2010 visiting friends and traveling. Barbara and her son, Ewing, spent February with Barb’s sister, Connie, at her split house on the undeveloped Belizean Island of Caye. With her daughter Brenda’s help, Don stayed home to care for the house, dogs, cats, chickens, and the parrot. In March 2010, she and Don took a three week tour to Ohio visiting relatives. Gita, Seth, and the twins are in Champaign, IL. Indigo and Amara received push bikes for Easter and abandoned them shortly thereafter in favor of faster 2-wheelers. Barb and Don were Tom Sawyered into helping with the latest house project when visiting Ohio and they discovered 339 miles of paved bicycle trails on the Little Miami River Trail from Lebanon to Yellow Springs. Gita and the twins met them in NYC in August for Aunt Flo’s 101st birthday, then they went on to New Hampshire where Seth joined them for two weeks of beach, mountain, and meadow fun. In early September, Barb flew to England and rode the train and bus to Bude on the Cornwall Coast. She planned a 200- mile coastal walk, calling ahead for a B and B or hotel. The weather cooperated. There were narrow trails atop of 300-foot cliffs, and 115 miles and 35,000 feet of total


climbing from Manifold Coves, and afterwards she visited the Isles of Scilly. She visited second cousins of Don’s in Yorkshire and then met friends she knew from India and Nigeria in London. Finally, she made a pilgrimage to Down House in Kent to visit the home where Darwin wrote The Origin of Species 150 years ago. Blythe McVicker Clinchy is happy to be retired, except for the thousand papers she has to fill out. Her three boys are middle-aged and her grandchildren are 12-22. She sends love to all her classmates. Jane Maize Stone has four grandchildren 34-32-30-27. Her six great grandchildren are 2-12 years old.

1950 Judith Gibson Stone, Class Representative judygstone@yahoo.com 509 East University, Bloomington, IL 61701 309.827.8395

Helen Van Hook Spencer is still heavily involved in St. Michael’s. She is jealous of CSG’s physical plant. She and her husband founded St. Michael’s 40 years ago. She was so fond of CSG’s traditions that she called Mr. Chapman and asked if they could use the Second Shepherds' Play. Sudie Durstine Schumacher has lots of news about her grandchildren! Granddaughter Jen Schumacher (25) is continuing on her quest to raise money for ocean conservation & marine life preservation with her ocean marathon swimming challenges. She is trying to become the first person to swim the ocean’s seven channel crossings. She just finished a race off of Capetown, South Africa and

Grandson Ryan will attend Stanford in the fall. He is valedictorian of McCallie (boys’ prep school) in Chattanooga,Tennessee, and he is thrilled to have won a SAMMY award (scholar/athlete milk mustache of the year - a national competition). Granddaughter Darby, 9th grade, won the Chattanooga Science Fair and entered in the Los Angeles Intel International Science Fair where she won a special award there (monetary!) - 2nd place given by the National Institute on Drugs & Addiction. She won a trip to Washington, D.C. this summer to present her project at their conference. Interesting project: “Making Heartbeats Go Loco” - dealing with those sport drinks on the market containing caffeine & alcohol. Two other grandchildren will be in college this fall: Carly at UC Santa Cruz and Dylan at San Diego State University. We are delighted to have a grandson nearby! All grands are Schumachers (since we only have sons); 4 of them are college graduates so now it’s on to the other 4. And daughter-in-law, Barbara, just placed 3rd in the 45-49 age group in the Orange County Marathon.

as she designs and arranges the flowers for church as well as playing in the Chime Choir. Bible study with husband Bob has been such a pleasure. She does aqua sizing, but her biggest love is being Bob’s caregiver. She worked in a medical office which has been of great help in knowledge of medical care. In Sally and Bob’s world of Air Force Military life, they have done a lot of traveling. Having Kelsey, Clifford, Mindy, and Dick as children has brought such pleasure to Bob and Sally and giving grandchildren who are their treasures. Sally will fly to San Diego for granddaughter, Kelsy Manasco’s [volleyball scholarship], graduation and meet Kelsey’s friend, football player for San Diego State, Logan Ketcham. This is the young lady who drops in on Sally and Bob at the greatest of times to help and say, “I Love You”…….. Joan Evans Taylor and husband Freddie will be traveling in Israel, Jordan, and Istanbul, depending on the world situation, but it’s a go as of now. They will be home the middle of May. Most of their time is spent doing things in Columbus and seeing friends.

1951

Class News

Jerry and Judy Gibson Stone have returned from their last winter in California, due to Jerry’s deteriorating health. He has lost all use of his right hand, and his right leg is beginning to drag. Happily, his mind remains active. The happy news is the return of a granddaughter from the Peace Corps in Ghana, the birth of their third great-grandson, AND the marriage of their 50-year-old daughter to her long-time partner. Life continues to be rich and full.

was the 2nd woman & 9th overall - over 2 hours in low-50’s water temperature; no wet suits allowed. You can follow Jen’s history on www.jenschumacher.org.

Nancy Cottingham Johnson, Class Representative Papa7nanio@aol.com 1929 Hillside Drive, Columbus, OH 43221 614.486.3084 Nancy Watt Ingler writes, “Bill and I still enjoy living in the 'valley of the sun'. So nice to see the sun nearly every day! During the winter months our home is often filled with snow-birds whom we love having for a visit. In fact, it appears that our summer will have many friends stopping by...the more the merrier.... In September, we will be taking our 3rd cruise in ten years, to Alaska. It is, by far, one of the most beautiful states that we have. To the Class of 1951, I wish you all good health and happiness in our rusty years (not golden).” Sally Smallsreed Wolfe is still playing golf, and her artistic side hasn’t changed

Both photos from the Class of 1951, On left, two class members bowling and on right dancing.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 29


Class News

Left: The Class of 1951, singing on the stairs at Pasrsons Place. Right: Members of the Class of 1951 after 60 years: Judy Cadot Chambers and Barbara Ebner Lutz.

Joanne Slater Hoffman is ready to return to Upper Arlington’s Senior Center where she is very active - even dancing! She has one great-granddaughter, Olivia, whose mother is Betsy, and another daughter, Kathy, with whom she goes wherever and whenever. Ladies, we all should look as great as Joanne - much like she looked at CSG. Judy Roth Garel and husband Jules have planned a great trip to New York for granddaughter Elle. Elle, 10 years old, is the beautiful little girl from Vietnam and number five grandchild, making this the last grand to take on a private grandfather-grandchild trip (they allowed and invited Judy to accompany Grandfather Jules and Elle). Daughter, Sally Garel Greene, ’75, is still in Singapore and grandson, Scott Greene, is with Barkley’s in Hong Kong. So Judy and Jules have traveled a lot, all over this globe! Susan Hayward Collins is in Greenville, SC, for only these three months, as I caught her in between trips. She reports that all is well. She continues to travel and have a busy and productive life. She was sorry to miss her 60th reunion and sends her love to all. She is a Travel Agent who “Have ticket will travel” anywhere but USA forbidden/advisories. She travels no less than nine months a year and sometimes more. Thus, finding her home was a fluke. She has nine grandchildren. Her daughter

Charlotte’s husband was aboard the airplane that landed in the Hudson River. He has been doing lectures and interviews about his experience. Susan also enjoys her home on Lake Toxaway, NC, and stays in touch with Judy Roth Garel and Jane Power Mykrantz, ‘52. To say Susan is fabulous is putting it mildly!

loves the D.C. atmosphere. Her travels are somewhat stifled at present, but that’s not to say she might take off again to parts unknown like George and Brenda Mykrantz Milum, who have done it all! Jean and Susan are close as is Judy Roth Garel. Maybe a huge volume of all the Ladies of the Club travels would be fun.

Emily “Liebe” Benua Rutherford is “doing her and Robert’s cows,” literally, but planting trees and reforestation is a love of hers. Obviously Liebe has continued to love the great outdoors. Remember the farm where we used to have so much fun, owned by her family? She would like to hear from you at ebr34@ windstream.net.

Patty Nealon Forster is living in Harden, KY—a really interesting area with runways, hangars for planes, and lots of water sports. When De and Nancy Cottingham Johnson visited Pat and Bill, we truly enjoyed the area. Pat also had a great vegetable garden. The Ladies of Club ’51 send Pat our condolences for her loss of husband Bill. He will be greatly missed…just remember his smile!!!

Carol Blau Perot is still in California, loves her work with the library, and visits with her family, also Californians. Her daughter moved from Philadelphia to California. Carol has two girls, one boy and seven grandchildren. Carol sends her love, and do come west as it’s extremely unlikely she would be in Ohio, much less Columbus. Keep us posted, Carol, if there’s a chance of coming east. Jean Kramer Findeis finds herself in Philadelphia, PA, with her brother, being a caregiver while her daughter resides in her Falls Church house until a renovation is finished. She has a son in WinstonSalem, NC, and still has land in Ohio, making her keep roots here. Although she’s a North Carolina girl, she really

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 30

Brenda Mykrantz Milum and husband George’s reason for the trip to Indonesia was the good ship Bididari which was pure luxury compared to the very basic water transportation experienced before. The Raja Ampat archipelago consists of 1,500 islands, cays, and shoals, covering 40,000 sq. km., where the coral masses outdid the variety of fish, since having snorkeled all over the world. They spent Christmas on a cruise to the West Coast of Africa. Of 87 guests aboard their ship, the Milums’ 100+ countries seemed measly. The tour had to forgo Somalia, Equatorial Guinea, and Angola, and cruises up the Congo River are now deleted for safety reasons. They met this ship in Accra, Ghana, and sailed to Lome,


Togo. They saw folklore and a voodoo fetish market. They found Muslims and traditionalists, but in Togo encountered various religions, i.e., Voodoo. Native dances were prevalent at all ports of call but Cameroon was a large Christian faith…and a pygmy village for another dance with not so short people. Sao Tome and Principe had been a wish to snorkel but it was closed and disappointing. Note: Republic of the Congo is not the most dangerous part, but an area never before visited by a cruise ship. So bribes were paid in the form of a fine. At Walvis Bay, Namibia, they zoomed through sand dunes and had an adventure with large fur seals playing with their boat and the passengers. Then on to ”home” through Accra from Johannesburg. Lovely fun with the lost luggage and a surprise when it caught up with them at home… They are in Reno in summer and California in winter when at “home”. Email her at yachtavatar@ yahoo.com.

Last but certainly not least is the beautiful, gracious, and glorious Virginia Stage Lineback, commonly known as “Ginnie.” She is caretaker of her beautiful home in Hickory, NC, where she’s giving Susan Hayward Collins a run for

60th Reunion Ladies of CLUB ’51 are scattered all over the country and world at one time or another so only two of us could attend the festivities of our 60th Reunion. Barbara Ebner Wolfe Lutz, who loves a great get-together, being the great party girl of all times. “Miss Central Ohio” has never stopped being herself …… Married to her high school [North High School] prom date, James Lutz, for 25yrs, she spends much of her time in Upper Michigan at a wonderful “cottage” away from most of civilization. Having one granddaughter, 14 year old Alex has been her love as she watches her grow. Barbara also has every piece of great clothing she and others have ever owned all nicely arranged (in her new room built just for clothes), by color, shoes, jewelry and outfit to match. Style has no bounds  It’s THE Barbara (Babs) all of us know and love… Judy Cadot Stowe Chambers lives at The Kendall in Granville, Ohio, where she lets no grass grow under her feet. She is President of College Town House and is active in Granville Music and Granville NSDAR. She has a granddaughter at Ohio University, graduating with a double major of math and education; granddaughter, Casey, in Upper Arlington H.S. Soccer; and Albert in Jr. High School loving film making. Daughter Stephanie Stowe Dantzer, ’78, and her husband, Henry, live close to Judy. Judy’s son, Steve Stowe has a son, Zack, on UAHS Lacrosse team, and Korinne in the 7th grade. Judy’s great niece will be married in California, so of course Judy will attend and stop at Nancy Watt Ingler’s on the return trip. She would love hearing from you at JudyC@Kagres.org Well, there you have “it” - the whys and wherefores of Club ’51, formerly known as Form and graduating Class of 1951.

1953 Sue Brubaker Allen, Class Representative sballen385@gmail.com 385 Quaker Street, Lincoln, VT 05443 802.453.4485 Sharon Henry Zaharee (the only classmate to return her CSG postcard) writes that her Parkinson’s plus low blood pressure, her husband’s angioplasty in October, and oral surgery for both have limited their activities. They look forward to warm weather walks this summer. Barbara Wagstaff Lowry assists a 91 year old friend with her daily needs. Barb shows a wonderful empathy for the elderly and I am still grateful for her past visits to my 90 year old mother in my absence. She also volunteers twice a week at the church sponsored “Free Store” -a boon to many during this economic downturn. Sally Lou Kirkendall McDonald continues to visit family in Ohio each June. A cousin works the fields at the family farm but the farmhouse is rented, and Sally Lou does not particularly enjoy her job as landlord. She travels to visit her three daughters, but is otherwise quite content to stay home. Jo Bruny Griswold echoes that sentiment. Now that the nearby colleges have closed for the summer, life in the area is peaceful. She and Grant can sit back and enjoy watching their neighbor graze his 50 head of cattle and 100 + goats on their land. Lots of time for reading and entertaining the Book Club! Sally Lane Crabtree and husband Doug went with a church group to Haiti for 5 days in January, arriving during the riots over the return of the deposed Haitian dictator, “Baby Doc” Duvalier. They quickly headed for Cange, 30 miles away, where “Shane” taught art to several high school aged students and Doug worked on organizing the school library. The community at Cange was made famous in Tracy Kidder’s book Mountains Beyond Mountains, about the American doctor, Paul Farmer, and the organization he promoted there - Partners in Health. His partner in the effort is Pere LaFontaine, an Episcopal priest, and all the doctors are Haitian. Sally and Doug Continued on page 34.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 31

Class News

Nancy Cottingham Miles Johnson and husband De have devoted their lives to children of all ages. Currently it involves great-granddaughters Addison, 2 ¾ years, and Hayden, 5 months, daughters of granddaughter, Kathryn, and husband, Siegfreid Lauren, who just bought their first house in Lewis Center, Ohio, leaving De and Nancy’s home after 3 years. We still have Connor, 16, at UAHS Lacrosse and Ice Hockey; Corey, 15, at Jones Junior High, a competition swimmer; and son, Jim, with his wife, Lorraine, and her 2 children living in the house you visited the last time we did a real reunion. We also have a German son, Axel Baudach in Herford, Germany, with his two newest businesses, having retired at age 45 years. Axel travels the globe for his businesses and has been really successful. “Dear friends and followers of the iPhone Apps Hype—my co-worker just sent me the attached report of the German Apps store. Six of our applications are under the top 20 revenue generating apps in the German apps store in the category references. Our youngest app, the tree guide, being the number one sold app. I am proud of our team.”

her southern accent. Ginnie has “George to help her get around, 5 grandchildren, (4 boys and 1 girl): Kenny’s kids - Kameron, 6’5”, at Georgia College, Garret, 6’8”, a junior in high school, and Connor in 6th grade; Keith’s kids, Rachael, 5’11 ½”, a junior in high school, and Carson, a sophomore in high school. Tall Ginnie raised “The Valley of Giants.” She’s the shortest of the clan!


Class News

Alumnae Weekend 2011

2

1

6

5 3

4

9

8

7

1. Class of 2001, Front Row:

10

Natalia Rivera Formen, Renee Ransbottom, Back Row: Kristen Orlando

Ricordati, Katie Logan, Janis Penn Bond, Amy Trumbull Rowlette, CSG English teacher Marsha Ryan, Ann-Marie Christman, Ashley Love, Rebecca Stephens, Claire Murnane.

2.

Students with 2011

Alumna Award winner, Nancy Pace, ’71: Emma McGregor, ’11, Samantha Wobst, ’11, Nancy Pace, Robin Smith, ’12, Sarah Taylor, ’12.

3.

Darcy Copeland, Class of 2002, was the honorary starter at

the 2011 CSG Alumnae Track and Field Invitational. Pictured with Jack Guy. School, speaking at the reunion luncheon. and members of the Class of 1961.

5.

4.

Liza Lee, Head of

Liza Lee, Head of School, with Marcia Ross Blackburn

6. Class of 1961: Patti Schiff Hershorin, Susy Culter Meiling,

Marcia Ross Blackburn, Anne Kirsten Wilder, Tana Sterrett Scott, Annie Saxby Houle, Karen Mykrantz

7. Class of 1997: Kim Snyder Barton, Katie Nyhan, and Sophia Corna, 2011 Alumnae Weekend Chair. 8. Class of 2011. 9. Class of 1996: Sarah Sofia Knepp, Molly Schirner Fortune, Katy Potts, Melissa Seidel Bedolla, Joanne Strasser. 10. Class of 2011: O’Keefe, Ellen Larrimer Tripp, Ginny Cunningham.

Letty Cooper, Tarayn Sanders, Danielle Valentine, Mariah Rhoades, Katie Carlson, Erin Bainbridge.

11. Jerry Becker and Drue Lehmann, ’66.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 32

11


12

14 13

15

Class News

17

16

18

12. Alumna Award Winner, Nancy Pace, ’71. 13. Class of 2006: Jenee Gaskin, Maura Weisenbach, Christine Sko-

14. Past Faculty Members, Doc Hall and Susan Altan. 15. Anne Kirsten Wilder, ’61 and Christy Schoedinger Rosenthal, ’87. 16. Class of 2011. 17. Class of brak.

1981: Kathy Fulmer Waller, Mallory Hurd Hrabcak, Monica Sehring Shifley, Kathleen Lach, Alyson Leeman, Marla Krupman.

18.

Babette Gorman, ’69, 2011-2012 Alum-

nae Association President presents the McCloud Award to Rachael Pappa, Class of 2011.

19. History teacher Perry

19

Rogers (center) with members of the Class of 1986: Jennifer Bally Solodar, Ruth Milligan, Juliet Zelkowitz McCarthy, Cathy Feibel Kaufmann.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 33


Class News

were able to visit satellite missions and a sumptuous farm associated with Partners in Health. “It was a very moving, eye-opening experience.”

ulous job. They are actually booking our reservations for us at the selected hotel, The Renaissance Chicago. As of May, 15 classmates have signed up.

Sue Brubaker Allen had a mini-reunion in the Boston area in late May with Sally Lane Crabtree, Sandra Yenkin Levine, and Yvonne Yaw. We would love to have other classmates join us at these gatherings. In mid-June I went to Derbyshire, England again with Andrew, for 3 weeks at the bucolic country house, Calke Abbey. From our private apartment in the public National Trust mansion/ museum we look out on 600 acres of parkland, flocks of wandering sheep, herds of deer, and ancient oaks said to be the oldest in Europe (two are more than 1,000 years old). The woods are carpeted with bluebells, and yellow cowslips dot the lawns. The cottage gardens in the little villages that are part of the estate overflow with blossoms. I will return to Vermont in July, both inspired and frustrated, I am sure.

Prior to diving into reunion planning, Sylvia English Haller was in Yuma, Arizona, for the christening of her first grandchild, Lisha. Actually, Lisha is a nickname; her given name is English, chosen by her father, David, so that the surname will endure in some form. Lisha wore her great-grandmother’s 105-yearold christening dress, as had Sylvia.

1955 Carole Kennon-Eaton, Class Representative VirtualCarole@aol.com 14805 Pennfield Circle, #207 Silver Spring, MD 20906 301-598-0727 The CSG Class of 1955 will hold its third biennial reunion in Chicago, September 16-18, 2011. Our hostesses, Sylvia English Haller, Ann Blake Parsons, and Anne Johnston Redner, are doing a fab-

Karen Walker Baty has been writing about her childhood memories in her free time. She hopes to join us in Chicago at some point. After teaching for 30 years and docenting for 10, she has been slowed down by a disc degeneration problem. However, she is busy writing poems about her grandchildren and reviewing childhood memories which, of course, include some from CSG. She and I have a question for all: Was the dusty, muddy space, under the Parsons Place portico, a slave quarters or a stop on the Underground Railroad? Margaret Knies Handley wrote that she and John are living in a gated community in the Hocking Hills which is “forested and full of wildlife.” It also has a golf course, stables, lakes, walking trails, and “a lodge with a restaurant and even a small brewery.” But sadly, she also says, “I have had a couple of strokes in the last year,” which are limiting her in both mobility and memory. In March, Sally Schwarzell Leubbe sent word there has been “a miracle in my

life,” recovery from a devastating brain disease which started last October. The road back to health is not an easy one, “but I am alive and my strength has returned…Jim and I are still together. He really does help me, and we look to the humor and kindnesses that have kept us together all these years.” Margie Wasserstrom Gross has been in touch with Carolyn O’Koon Meeker who is very seriously ill at home. Carolyn welcomes calls from old friends (941773-7566). Her address is: 4016 Cascade Falls Drive, Sarasota, Florida 34243. This edition of News of 1955’ers introduces a new feature: ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Herb and Margie Wasserstrom Gross have 11 (yes, 11!) “small trips” planned for this year. They include a visit for Margie with Connecticut College friends in Charlottesville, and a jaunt to New York City for the opening of a sisterin-law’s play, I Married Wyatt Earp, off Broadway. The play is written from the point of view of Earp’s common-law wife, and the production has an allfemale cast. Ann Blake Parsons was in Harrisburg in April, visiting her new grandson, Ben, who joins five other grandchildren, including two teenage girls. Anne Johnston Redner was in Florida for a few weeks in the spring, staying at her brother’s winter place in St. Petersburg and visiting Annabet Rector DeLong, ’54, in Ft. Myers. “There are no friends like ‘old friends’!!!”, writes Anne. Bobbie Isaac Weiler recently enjoyed a week in Costa Rica with two daughters and a grandson.

CSG Community Network, Stay Connected Keep up with the CSG community by becoming a part of the CSG social network. And don’t forget about our website: www.columbusschoolforgirls.org We hope to see you on the web!

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 34

Esther Webster Summers was just in Chicago to see the Frank Lloyd Wright houses and our reunion hostesses. Looking forward to September and being with all of you in the Windy City! Carole


1956 Andy Smith Lorig, Class Representative alorig@comcast.net 12 Evergreen Lane, Mercer Island, WA 98040 206.232.4118 The Rev. Barbara Babcock Claypool has retired from the ministry at age 72. A farewell service was held at the Woodbourne Reformed Church on January 16, 2011, with a luncheon following. Rev. Claypool plans to spend more time relaxing with her family. Barbara recently celebrated her daughter Elisabeth’s birthday at the oldest inn in America, the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck, New York. Barbara has also moved. Her new address is P.O. Box 352, Kauneonga, New York 12749. Barbara Boothby Thun took a boat up the inter-coastal from Fort Pierce, FL, to the Chesapeake Bay. That is why she missed the reunion. Patsy Soderstrom Shellie has moved permanently to room C25, Emeritus at Lakeview, 4000 Lakeview Crossing, Groveport, Ohio 43125. She really appreciates receiving cards when you have time.

Andy Smith Lorig is taking the reins from Patty Park Bowman and will be your new Class Rep. Please send or email your news to Andy: 12 Evergreen Lane, Mercer Island, WA 98040; alorig@comcast.net. Thank you, Patty, for several years of service as our Class Rep!

1957 Mary Rose Webster, Class Representative mwebster@lightlink.com 12 Edwards Street, Binghamton, NY 13905 607.722.1483 Suzanne Schiff Gallant shares her family’s latest good news: “My mother recently suffered congestive heart failure. We all thought that we were going to lose her. Even she thought that it was the end. I took a red-eye from LA on a Friday

55th Reunion, Class of 1956, standing on the stairs (front to back): Patsy Soderstrom, Judy Hartle, Helen Hamer, Gretchen Leutheuser, Molly McCloud, Sue Andreae, Joanna Walz, Lynnanne Stedem, Judy Yenkin, and Eva Agostan. Front row: Sandy Griffin, Patti Park, Myra Zollinger, Bonnie Gertner, Ellen Feinknopf, and Barbara Boothby (standing). 2nd row seated: Barbara Babcock, Andrea Smith, Susan Abel, Caroline Reed, and Debbie Diehl. Sitting up on the steps: Sally Cunningham, Rosanne Campbell, and Betty Ann Wegener.

night, prepared to say goodbye. On Tuesday morning, she and my sister Patti Schiff Hershorin’s, ’61, daughter, who is a doctor, got on an ambulance plane and flew from Sarasota to Miami, where at the University of Miami Hospital she had a brand new procedure which opened the failing heart valve. While I was speaking to her on the telephone exactly one week later she was distracted, because she was giving her helper instructions in making the candy for which she has become so famous. She let her nurses go on Sunday and put her walker away on Monday. I share this with you, as so many of you remember her, and I may be the last in the class to have a living parent. This may also be true of my sisters, both Patricia Schiff Hershorin, ’61,

(mentioned above) and Jane Schiff, ’66. And I know that some of you (those who live in Columbus) would have come to her funeral, had that become the end of this story. It was our family’s Chanukah miracle.” Many of us from the Class of 1957 are marking the fiftieth anniversary of our graduation from college this year. I asked my classmates to look back on their college years and send me their thoughts. Margie Barton Williams has fond memories of Wellesley, but she wondered if she would have selected an all-girls school after CSG, if she had been given the choices that her daughters had, who wouldn’t even look at Wellesley. Her Continued on page 37.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 35

Class News

Patty Park Bowman has moved to 450 North Drexel Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43209. New email address is Patty@clanbowman.com.


Class News

Classes Show Commitment In 2001-2002, CSG began an organized program to promote larger contributions and increased participation by alumnae to their alma mater, particularly in their reunion year. Reunion Giving has become an increasingly important and successful component of CSG’s Annual Giving Campaign. CSG Alumnae have a long and strong history of giving back to CSG to support the education of today’s CSG girls and young women, just as those alumnae who went before them helped support their own educations. The Red and Gold Cup is awarded annually to the class that contributes the most to Annual Giving in their reunion year. This year’s winner of the Red and Gold Cup was the Class of 1961, celebrating their 50th Reunion. They raised $22,934! The Champagne Cup is presented to the class with the highest percentage of participation. This year, three classes achieved 100% participation – the Class of 1931, the Class of 1936, and the Class of 1961! This year’s reunion classes, those ending in 1 and 6, raised $84,691! These gifts are deeply appreciated, and unless otherwise indicated below, for unrestricted use.

Class of 1931: 80th Reunion (100%) Class of 1936: 75th Reunion (100%) Class of 1941: 70th Reunion (36%) Class of 1946: 65th Reunion (80%) Class of 1951 – 60th Reunion (62%) Class of 1956 – 55th Reunion (39%) Class of 1961 – 50th Reunion (100%) Class of 1966 – 45th Reunion (47%) Class of 1971 – 40th Reunion (70%) Class of 1976 – 35th Reunion (26%) Class of 1981 – 30th Reunion (51%) Class of 1986 – 25th Reunion (28%) Class of 1991 – 20th Reunion (28%) Class of 1996 – 15th Reunion (50%) Class of 2001 – 10th Reunion (22%) Class of 2006 – 5th Reunion (9%)

$1,500 $10,484 $240 $3,025 $1,720 $5,600 $22,934 (For a garden in the new building and landscaping plan) $960 $16,059 (Faculty development, in memory of classmate Bobbie Ruch) $1,360 $3,304 (Charles Wong Scholarship, in memory, Tracey Warren-Spears) $11,445 $3,100 $2,130 $645 $185

We extend a special thank you to the Reunion Giving Chairs in the following classes: Class of 1961 – Tana Sterrett Scott, Susy Culter Meiling, and Annie Saxby Houle; Class of 1971 – Leslie Sawyer; Class of 1981 – Marla Krupman; Class of 1986 – Suzie Cho Helgaas; Class of 1991 – Alissa Hadley Hines; Class of 1996 – Joanne Strasser; Class of 2001 – Ashley Love. The great success of this fundraising effort was dependent upon your dedication of time and effort – we greatly appreciate your contribution.

Thank you from the faculty and administration for this strong support. The ultimate winners, of course, are the girls and young women of Columbus School for Girls. Just as alumnae giving supported your education at CSG, you are following in the footsteps of those who have gone before you to ensure that every CSG student continues to receive an excellent education. columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 36


Family Legacies pictured from Left to Right: Annabet Rector DeLong, ’54, grandmother of Jennifer DeLong, Class of 2011 (seated); Megan Murray, Class of 2011, daughter of Debbie DuRivage Murray, Class of 1974, granddaughter of Betty Byers DuRivage, ’44 (seated); Liz Johnson Taylor, ’75, mother of Francie Taylor, Class of 2011, and granddaughter of the late Tibbi Sterner Johnson, Class of 1947, and great-granddaughter of the late Elisabeth Thomson Sterner, Class of 1917; Laura Hadley, Class of 2011 (seated), granddaughter of the late Julia Gardiner Hadley, Class of 1943.

The Harvard/Radcliffe connection certainly served Linda Gerstenfeld Cheren well. She sat next to her “pal” and future husband in two lecture courses in her freshman year. “My college choice was perfect,” she wrote. “For the first time in my life I wasn’t treated like a weirdo, simply because I was dedicated to being a good student. I was exactly like everyone else.” Unlike Linda, Susan Hoover has mixed feelings about her college experience. “Looking back,” she wrote, “I remember feeling trapped at Wellesley. The rules were so strict and we were so far away from anything…. My years at Wellesley were of less importance than those at CSG. That’s where my mind was formed.” She added, “Graduate school

was where I really buckled down. I loved it.”

for making the decision and the effort to send me there.”

While they are in Boston for the Wellesley celebration, Margie Barton Williams and Susan Hoover are planning a miniCSG reunion with Linda Gerstenfeld Cheren.

Suzanne Schiff Gallant wrote: “I went to Cornell, where I got my M.R.S. degree, just as my parents wished for me.” She finished up, ten years later, at Southern Connecticut State College, where her professors remarked on her ability to write in complete sentences. “It was a commentary on both how good my education at CSG had been and how badly prepared most of my classmates were.”

Another mini-CSG reunion will take place at Vassar, which Lanah McNamara Miller and Adelaide Price Northrop will attend. “I found myself, as a person, at Vassar,” Adelaide wrote. “I loved the place, the people, the setting, the relative freedom.” She liked going to an all-girls school. “It enabled women to grow in confidence, to become original thinkers instead of echoes. I was so little aware of ‘the woman’s lot’ at that age that I could not understand all the hoopla” of the Feminist Movement. Lanah echoed Susan’s sentiments about the learning culture we shared at CSG. She enjoyed college, she wrote, “but my intellectual and academic interests and skills were formed at CSG. I loved going to school there. I am very grateful to my parents

Marilyn Masson McRae started out at Ohio State, where both her parents had studied. She graduated from Michigan State University with both a husband and a degree in Education, which served her well in her twenty-year teaching career. I, Mary Rose Webster, often stop and visit the Smith campus to marvel at the privilege that was mine. But, as I wrote in my reunion book, “Sending me to Smith was as if my mother had bought me a Porsche, when a Ford would have helped me on my journey just as well.”

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 37

Class News

daughters have kept in much better contact with their college friends than she ever did. “Wellesley was a suitcase college,” she wrote. Her daughters at co-ed schools developed firmer friendships because they spent their weekends on campus, hanging out with their friends.


Class News

touring the Highlands and catching several musical events all over. We rented a car and I drove around. In December, I returned to Scotland to hear my favorite Scottish Gaelic Rock Band, Runrig, play in Glasgow and Edinburgh. I am totally enamored of Gaelic rock music and Scotland and that wonderful Scottish whiskey. Next year, Scotland again to hear Runrig. Cheers and slàinte! Monin Lopez Dreebin, Addie Thompson Matcham, Toni Seymour, and Dorothy Appleton Gluth, (all class of ’59) had a mini reunion at Monin’s house when Toni visited Los Angeles on her way from Philadelphia to Southeast Asia in January, 2011. Husbands John Gluth and Mike Dreebin joined in the fun.

1960 Carolyn Thomas Christy, Class Representative carolyn@kira.net 212 Ashbourne Road, Columbus, OH 43209 614.258.0512 Bobbie Watson Billings and husband Pete spent a week all over the peninsula of Florida, visiting and sightseeing. Why?? Winter started with November in Buffalo and it was still snowing on April 1st!

The 4 Wyker girls who try to get together at least twice a year. Left to right are Debby Wyker Hoster, ’61, who just celebrated her 50th reunion at CSG; Martha Wyker Anderton, ’63; Becky Wyker Hawksley, ’59, and Sue Wyker LaPorte, ’60.

Being a good student was the last thing I was thinking about. I floated along on “gentleman C’s” until I broke my leg in my senior year, and studying was all there was to do. Graduate school was for learning, and I thrived on it.

1959

Thanks to all of you who wrote. I had such pleasure reading your emails, and I find it remarkable how the many variations in our stories bring us together. I hope we can continue this conversation. Mary Rose Webster

Toni Seymour, Dorothy Appleton Gluth, Monin Lopez Dreebin, and Addie Thompson Matcham had a mini reunion at Monin’s house when Toni visited Los Angeles on her way from Philadelphia to Southeast Asia in January, 2011. Husbands, John Gluth and Mike Dreebin, joined in the fun.

1958 Malinda Kilbourne Boyd, Class Representative Julie Price Myers enjoys the benefits of being 15 minutes away from both grandchildren and great-granddaughter—all of whom are special delights! She had a wonderful river cruise in Germany last summer—her 3rd river cruise in Europe and hopefully not the last!

Monin Lopez Dreebin, Class Representative monind@earthlink.net 310.390.1364

Monin Lopez Dreebin just returned from a wonderful trip to Ireland with a local Irish rock band. It was a fabulous sightseeing/musical adventure. “We visited the Cliffs of Moher, Killarney National Park, Cork, Blarney, Kilkenny, and Dublin with concerts in several places. Met fun people and heard great music and consumed my share of good Irish whiskey…loads of fun for a groupie like me! In September of last year, I was in Scotland with a friend for 2 weeks

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 38

Lynn Balshone Jacobs has just been appointed to a third (and final) threeyear term, by the Ohio Supreme Court, to its Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline. That is the arm of the Supreme Court which conducts trials of Ohio attorneys alleged to have violated attorney ethics rules. Its recommendations go to the Supreme Court which metes out the final disciplinary sanction, which can be anything from a public reprimand to permanent disbarment. Lynn also serves as an appointee (4 year term) of the Board of Lucas County Commissioners to the Lucas County Children’s Services, as Chair of its Public Affairs Committee, which follows state and federal legislation affecting the interests of all children in Lucas County whom this public agency protects from maltreatment. As much as Lynn enjoys these stimulating retirement avocations, her favorite activity is family time. In March, Frank and Lynn enjoyed a week in Palm Desert, CA, with their family who traveled from San Diego, Reno, and Dallas to give them “quality time” with their five young grandsons!!! What a blessing! Sue Wyker LaPorte writes of Barney and herself: “Our news isn’t that earthshattering but we sure are enjoying our ‘golden years’! Our Cincinnati grandkids (7 and 8) flew down to Florida for the first time alone for their spring break


week in April. And before, I enjoyed a ‘sister visit’ with Becky Wyker Hawksley, ‘59, Debby Wyker Hoster, ‘61, and Marty Wyker Anderton, ’63, in Hilton Head, where we won a condo for a week at a charity raffle. So life is good.”

Sally Seifert Cohen is writing her first fiction mystery book. Meanwhile, she and her husband are celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary by taking a trip to Bermuda. During April, Sally helped the women of Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club by being one of the hostesses

The Class of 1961, Seated: Tana Sterrett Scott, Patti Schiff Hershorin, Susy Culter Meiling, Ginny Cunningham. Standing: Joann King Smith, Annie Saxby Houle, Debby Wyker Hoster, Karen Mykrantz O’Keefe, Marcia Ross Blackburn, Sharon Hill Isaly, Anne Kirsten Wilder, Margaret Sutherland Curtiss, Dottie Hubbard Segal, Abbie Hobbs Faerber, Ellen Larrimer Tripp.

for their spring progressive luncheon in Huntington Harbour. Last summer, Sally traveled back to Ohio for the 4th of July to celebrate her 50th reunion at Upper Arlington High School. She feels that life has blessed them so much.

1961 Anne Kirsten Wilder, Class Representative Karen Mykrantz O’Keefe writes now that she’s retired, she has gotten back into riding after a VERY long hiatus. She has a very large jumper who’s for sale, being ridden by a professional. She has a smaller jumper that she is competing on and having a lot of fun. Her kids are scattered all over. Oldest, David, is married and has a three year old son, Owen. They live in Bali doing research. Kathy is living in New Mexico and does body work… massage, cranial-sacral, and polarity. Andrew, youngest, is in Savannah, GA, working for Savannah College of Art and Design, and doing freelance carpentry. They are all great places to visit, and she does, often. Annie Saxbe Houle was honored by the Maine Women’s Policy Center on June 16, 2011 for exceptional commitment to

improving women’s wages and instilling leadership in Maine and throughout the country, her work on the Women’s Employment Issues of the Maine Jobs Council, her spirit of collaboration, and the impact she’s had nationwide training hundreds of students to negotiate for better pay (and a small army of trainers!)

50th Reunion What a blast for the Class of ’61! We DID have fun – about as much fun as we had 50 years ago! We partied all weekend and could have done some more. We discovered that we are just as attractive, most likely more mature and strong, and definitely more wise than in 1961. Just as silly and fun, though – we all wished that we had this knowledge of how really great we are 50 years ago – just think how much better we will be at the next reunion! Our overflowing weekend began with the cocktail party at CSG which we had never attended – it really was a special event and we will do it again. It was great to see everyone for the first time – we had some time to get caught up with each other. Then we carried the party to Neil and Sally Hubbard Larrimer’s, ’68, (brother of Ellen Larrimer Tripp and sister of Dottie Hubbard Segal) lovely

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 39

Class News

As of March 31st, Karen Tweedy-Holmes was no longer at the Population Council where she worked as an editor and staff photographer for 18 1/2 years! She and her collaborator, Allison, a free-lance journalist living in Portland, OR, have signed a contract with Rizzoli, the international leader in the publication of fine art and photography books. Rizzoli has accepted their book on the work of horse sanctuaries in the United States!!! Their agent pitched their project to Rizzoli last June, and the project was approved about a month ago. The book will be 9” x 11”, about 256 pages, and hardbound. 8,000 copies will be printed and distributed worldwide. It will appear on Rizolli’s fall 2012 list at $39.95. “We will be featuring at least 12 sanctuaries in depth and describing a number of others in an appendix. I will spend two to three days at each sanctuary to make high-quality, compelling images. Never before have I been granted such an opportunity to “follow my bliss,” as they say. The dozen facilities that we have chosen are in NH, MA, SC, TX, AZ, ND, CA, OR, and WA.” All of the photography has to be handed over by the end of October, so Karen is planning four major trips by car beginning on April 21st and hoping to arrive at each sanctuary when the weather and landscape look best for each area: the West Coast, the Southwest, New England, and the South. She’ll be heading to Texas first where she’ll spend a night at the home of Helen Spencer! She is driving so that she can take all the equipment she needs and have no airline security hassle and also so she can camp out all over the country. She is very excited to begin this complex adventure and meet new horses and the people who take care of them. Her working title for the book is Rescuing Equus, but she imagines the publisher will choose a title that’s more marketable.


Class News

home where we relaxed around the fire and shared lots of tidbits of our lives. Saturday was the luncheon at school – very well orchestrated and executed, including a yummy brunch and engaging speeches from both Liza Lee and Nancy Pace, ‘71. Home for our 3 hour naps(!) and reunited with our men at Thom and Ellen Larrimer Tripp’s house and were entertained by old Topknots and scrapbooks full of laughable photos of us from the ancient newspaper clippings from the 50’s and 60’s. Again, a very delicious dinner courtesy of Ellen! Sunday, we ventured to Richwood, OH, to Chuck and Joann King Smith’s horse farm. More yummy food and good conversation, and then Joann gave us a demonstration of Dressage in one of their three Dressage rings. Joann has earned her Bronze and Silver medals and is half way to the Gold. Joann is one of the top female Dressage riders in the country – maybe even world! We are so proud of what she has accomplished – she is truly amazing! After hugs and tears we left each other for our own “mundane” worlds, but were filled with beautiful weekend memories that will last forever. We had 16 of our class attend this fabulous weekend reunion. Susy Culter Meiling, our Fundraiser and Social Chair of the reunion, has many interests – mainly her son, Mike, and 6 grandchildren! They live around the corner so Susy is a very involved grandmother. Susy is also active in her Garden Club and does archiving at CSG when she and George are not traveling around the world.

Top: The Class of 1961, Along the wall: Susie Culter, Joann King, Kathy Raney, Marcia Ross, Anne Kirsten, Sharon Hill, Margaret Sutherland, Daphne Daunt, and Karen Mykrantz. First row: Sandra Puppel, Debbie Wyker, Nancy McCloud, and Mary Sue Pringle. 2nd row: Edie Postlewaite, Debbie Hammond, and Patti Schiff. 3rd row and on up the stairs: Dorothy Hubbard, Janie Butler, Ellen Larrimer, Virginia Cunningham, Anne Saxby, and Tana Sue Sterrett. Bottom: The Class of 1961 reunite on the senior stairs at their 50th Reunion (front to back, left to right). Left Row: Ellen Larrimer Tripp, Karen Mykrantz O’Keefe, Marcia Ross Blackburn, Ginny Cunningham. Middle Row: Annie Saxby Houle, Susy Culter Meiling. Right Row: Patti Schiff Hershorin, Tana Sterrett Scott, Anne Kirsten Wilder.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 40


Ginny Cunningham, with her completely new hairdo (love it!), is still living in Marin County, CA, and works with the American Academy of Ophthalmology as its Human Resource Director. However, retirement beckons and she will soon be slowing down a bit. But she still loves to play!

City of Columbus Recreation and Parks. She has edged out of these and is now active volunteering with the Columbus Museum of Art, The Columbus Foundation, and the Scioto Audubon Center. She and Thom have three children and two grandchildren, Davis and Alden, children of their daughter, Corinne Tripp Kusmin, ‘95.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 41

Class News

knot. What a go-getter! Now, as National Director of The Wage Project, which is a nonprofit organization for equal pay for women, she travels around the country to speak to college women about how to negotiate for a job and then how to get the salary equivalent to a man’s salary for the same position. What a success story! She lives in South Portland, ME, and her Plano, TX would not be the same withfour daughters and families are all over out Sharon Hill Isaly. She is involved in Some of us just don’t want to move! the place. many things and even though her sons Karen Mykrantz O’Keefe has lived in are not close, she gets to see them and her the same house for 41 years – wouldn’t We hadn’t seen Patti Schiff Hershorin terrific grandsons often. It was good to want to clear out all that stuff when- for 30 years and she looks terrific as does see Dick Isaly at our reunion as he has ever! She, too, is retired and having the her husband, Richard, whom we’d never not been here for many a year. time of her life riding again. She grew met. They live in Sarasota, and Patti has up with jumpers and now has two with had the privilege of succeeding her father Our doctor, Abbie Hobbs Faerber, is whom she competes, and travels back as the President of the Schiff Company. basically retired as a family practitio- and forth from Florida with one horse. She has enjoyed worldwide community ner, but does free clinic volunteer work She also has three children scattered all service including being a National Board mostly in Florida. She and George have over the globe. Her son, his wife, and member of ORT America. To quote her, three children and five grandchildren only grandson live on Bali; daughter in she says, “Teamwork and creative effort and five homes all over the world!! Next New Mexico; and Andrew in Savannah. make a difference in many peoples’ lives.” reunion, we all may go to Switzerland! Great places to visit and she does! She is the mother of two wonderful chilAbbie loves hiking, traveling, and readdren and has 3 beautiful grandchildren. ing. Edie Postlewaite Flagg, who could not It was so wonderful to see her again! make it to our reunion at the last minute, Dottie Hubbard Segal has lived in the is counting the days to her retirement. Our consummate traveler, Tana Sterrett same apartment in NYC for 40 years! She has been teaching 4th Grade at the Scott, has literally been all around the She has one daughter, Laura, and lots Foote School in New Haven for 27 years! world from Istanbul to Hong Kong to of family. Dottie has gone from being She is looking forward to spending more Machu Picchu. She has also volunteered an editor to a special profession, social time on making and selling handspun her valued time with Alpha Xi Delta for work – she has worked at Rikers Island, a yarn from her own shop, Flagg Hill Fiber. 35 years, Middlebury College, CSG, etc. maximum security prison in NY, as well She also sells at local craft shows and on She has always returned for our reunions as Bellevue Hospital Emergency Room. Etsy. She is married to a retired plastic because, as she says, the reunions afford She is officially retired, but enjoys gar- and hand surgeon and has one son. her to stay connected with friends and dening, friends, and making ceramic classmates. She did an heroic job as Funtiles which she displays and sells at craft Charlotte Power Kessler had double draiser for our class! Thanks, Tana. shows. She teaches ceramic crafting and duty this weekend as this was her 50th has been featured in books on tiles and reunion from The Brearley School in It was such fun to see Margaret Suthertile making. NYC. She attended CSG’s luncheon land Curtiss whose mother had saved a straight from the airport and then she ton of incredibly valuable “stuff ” from We know about Joann King Smith from and Jack were at Saturday night’s party. our CSG days – a whole huge box of the above, but let me say that she is one Charlotte is active in just about every- scrapbooks, Topknots, photos of the busy woman! thing in Columbus and her three daugh- Second Shepherds' play, etc. What fun ters all live in New Albany (very close to go through it! Margaret is a highly Anne Kirsten Wilder retired from The family!), and three of her granddaugh- trained nutritionist who has held many Columbus Academy as Assistant Upper ters attend CSG! plum positions in food management. We School Head about 5 years ago and is think she is retired, but as a person who glad to be able to travel, read, play the Family and traveling to see more family is knowledgeable about food and health, piano, sing, and ring hand bells in the has Marcia Ross Blackburn on the go. she’s really not. We welcomed Ralph, her church choirs. She is on several Boards She has a lovely home in Vero Beach, FL, husband, who also had not been at any of which keep her busy. Nick, her son, is in and a summer home on Lake Michigan. our reunions. Cincinnati and Anne Greggory Wilder She is so involved in so many things that Lofland, ’90, and her family, including it’s hard to keep up with her. Her three What a cutie, still, is Debby Wyker two beautiful grandsons, are in Lakeland, children are scattered around the coun- Hoster, who came from Prescott, AZ, FL. try and her mother still lives in Colum- with her husband, Al. She had been a bus and Florida. teacher for 15 years at an independent Another classmate who has lived in the school in Paradise Valley, AZ, when the same house for over 40 years is Ellen We can still label Annie Saxby Houle as babies came. They have two lovely boys Larrimer Tripp. She was very involved having “more bounce to the ounce” as and 4 grandchildren. Debby is still excitwith the Boards of the Columbus and she was described in our original Top- ing, fun, and always smiling. What a Franklin County Metro Parks and the


Class News

treat to see you again, and with Al, who, I believe, is a first timer to our reunions, too. What a super weekend!!!!

1963 Joy White Culp, Class Representative joy_culp@yahoo.com 5755 Plum Orchard Drive Columbus, OH 43213 614.866.4863 Aase Moeller-Hansen is a grandmother. Troy Meehan was born February 7, 2011 to Aase’s daughter, Julie, and husband, Timothy. He weighed 8 lbs. 13 oz. Barbara Bentley Weiner’s daughter, Bentley, a coordinating producer at HBO Sports, won her fourth Sports Emmy on May 2nd for Outstanding Edited Sports Special. It was for the HBO series, “24/7 Penguins-Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic.” While she has produced many installments of the “24/7” series, this one was particularly rewarding because it involved her hometown Pittsburgh Penguins.

1964 Class Representative Position Available It started off as an unofficial East Coast reunion, but it sounded like so much fun, we eventually came from all over the country. Cathie Krumm Medd came up from Florida, Molly Kauffman Marsh drove from Columbus, Priscilla Gray Platt came from Maine and met up with Cathy Balshone Becze, Linda Benua and Carla Pollack Lane who all live in the Boston area. Lisa Platt Carmalt met the Boston group in Philadelphia and Karen Wise Jaffe came from D.C. Special recognition for long distance travel goes to Ebis (Lizzie) Rambo Lewis who came from Denver and Abbie McClintock Crane who flew in from Seattle! We were hosted by a dynamic and gracious duo, Linda McNealey Anderson and Kathy Tice Phillips who both live in Greensboro, NC.

1964 East Coast Gathering: Seated left to right around table: Karen Wise Jaffe, Cathy Balshone-Becze, Carla Pollack Lane, Lisa Platt Carmalt, Priscilla Gray Platt Standing left to right: Linda Benua, Cathie Krumm Medd, Kathy Tice Phillips, Linda McNealey Anderson, Molly Kauffman Marsh, Ebis (Liz) Rambo Lewis, Abbie McClintock Crane

We toured Greensboro, visiting Kathy Tice Phillip’s lovely art studio and gallery, and the impressive campus of the American Hebrew Academy where Linda McNealey Anderson works. We ate scrumptious southern food. We shared pictures and stories; stories of loves lost and found, children raised and grandchildren enjoyed (and raised), jobs and hobbies, successes and failures, sickness and health. We are well rounded, spunky, and accomplished. We are librarians, writers, educators, mothers, wives, partners, social workers, media tycoons, editors, accountants, sign language interpreters, ESOL teachers, non-profit and volunteer coordinators, musicians, artists, hospice workers, travelers, caregivers, volunteers, students, ministers, bikers, hikers, swimmers, walkers, French aficionados, yoga practitioners. We reminisced about CSG and marveled at what it has become. We missed the classmates who weren’t there, wished they were, shared what we knew about some and wondered how others were doing. We left each other with firm resolve to, “Do it all again soon.”

It was spring in Greensboro and the ubiquitous flowering dogwoods and azaleas were in their full splendor. For the winter weary it was a feast for the soul.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 42

1965 Nancy Schirm Wright, Class Representative nancw814@aol.com 12 North High Street Canal Winchester, OH 43110-1109 614.920.3835 Genie Carlisle Ketterl writes that she and her husband, Jerry, went to the NASCAR race in Las Vegas. It was very exciting and they loved the weather. Barbara Bonner writes that she has been happily living in the Berkshires now for many years. She works as a consultant to nonprofits all over the country, but is trying to do less travel and smell a few more roses. She is also doing a year of Advanced Buddhist Studies. Her actor son, Charlie, is now in a play in Boston which will move to NYC over the summer. Her English professor daughter, Alexandra, just had her book on Emily Dickinson accepted by Oxford University Press. Barbara has two heavenly grandboys, Archer and Nate, 5 and 4. She says that life is more than good and the welcome mat is always out for classmate visits! Addie Donnan Valentine and Deckie Coe Jeffers see each other regularly, living only about 25 minutes apart near Hartford, CT. When Addie’s parents visited last Christmas, Deckie and Chris were invited to join the family circle and all six enjoyed each other’s company so


much that breaking up at the end of the evening came far later than the usual bedtime hour for everyone. Addie and Bob have spent several evenings at the apartment of Mrs. Jeffers, Sr. – Mary Bell Jeffers, ’32 - (Deckie’s mother-in-law) in her retirement home, conveniently located between Addie’s and Deckie’s homes. A real friendship between Addie and Mrs. Jeffers has been a bright spot for both families. All in all, Addie and her husband have been key in making Deckie and Chris feel at home in their surroundings. Deckie and Chris are not looking forward to Addie and Bob’s move to Arizona, but have already promised to visit, whether invited or not! And they have been, luckily. The annual class mini-reunion of Martha Hughes Scavongelli, Cindy Merrill McAllister, and Janie Howland took place in Fort Myers, Florida again this past April. Joining the group was Sharon Monaghan Maul. From all reports, a great time was had by all.

1966 45th Reunion Kay Jeffrey, Class Representative khjeffrey@aol.com 2975 Plymouth Ave., Columbus, OH 43209

Class of 1966 Graduation: Betsy Beverly, Beth Williams, Nancy Canowitz, Ellen Chadkin, Linda Foster, Kathy McClure, Kay Jeffrey, and Mary Jenkins. Next row: Molly Gallagher, Karen Beardsley, Lynn Byers, Drue Lehmann, Christelle Adams, Erica Retter, and Kit Wilson. In front of them: Sherry Inglis, Tracy Carmichael, and Mimi Walz. Front: Kathy Arnold and Susie Shepard. Jane Schiff was absent. Class of 1966 Field Hockey team, taken from the 1966 TopKnot.

Saturday morning found Lynn Byers Barno, Susie Shepard Carr, Kay Jeffrey, Drue Lehmann, Mimi Walz McCall and Jane Schiff all at CSG and all on time! As we were a small group and all there, we were the first to have our picture taken. We wandered around the old rooms

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 43

Class News

The Class of 1966 was represented by a small but companionable group of classmates. On Friday night we gathered at The Top with four spouses/spices. The dark restaurant lent an atmosphere of intimacy as we shared stories about our years at CSG and our current lives. We had a wonderful time remembering teachers and some of the students who had not stayed through graduation. Lynn Byers Barno, Ed and Susie Shepard Carr, John and Mimi Walz McCall, Dan and Nancy O’Brien Dever and, I, Jane Schiff, enjoyed a delicious meal that was far surpassed by the lively conversation. We all seemed very slow in leaving as no one wanted to break the bond.

Class of 1966, 45 years later: Susie Shepard Carr, Drue Lehmann, Kay Jeffrey, Mimi Walz McCall, Lynn Byers Barno, Jane Schiff.


Class News

where we spent our junior and senior years. We heard and told some stories that we either did not know, did not remember, or perhaps choose to forget. It was a boisterous luncheon in a gymnasium filled with other classmates from other years all enjoying each other. We were excited to see the new (oh so young) alumnae, blown away by the accomplishments of the alumnae award winner, and deeply involved in continuing our conversations. We began talking about our 50th Reunion. Drue is anxious to have us out at the lake house or the farm (if so I’ll start shopping for over-alls). Kay agreed to become our class correspondent, yea Kay! Short, sweet, loving, and very special - we missed the rest of you who couldn’t make it. We especially missed Linda, the first to leave us permanently. But, oh how we are looking forward to seeing everyone in 5 years. Mark your calendars now!

1968 Class Representative Position Available Katherine Wilson Muth is still traveling as part of her job in Infectious Diseases at the NIH. Last fall she visited Lima, Iquitos, and Arequipa, Peru - it was wonderful! She spent a week in February visiting Cameroon which was much warmer than Maryland! In the spring, Kathy headed to Thailand, south central China, and the border area along Myanmar for 2 weeks - really interesting. In the meantime, all is well at home and husband, Ward, seems to be surviving while she is away. She hopes to see her younger sister, Lesley Wilson Schaab, ’70, sometime this summer since she could not make it this past Thanksgiving (and to Kathy’s 60th birthday party!). Rosalind Mercier enjoyed an eventful end to winter. In February, her portrait of Frances Lefkowitz, daughter of Ellen Pizzuti, ’94, exhibited at the Columbus Museum of Art, next to its inspiration “Collina” by Sir Joshua Reynolds, for Frances’ birthday party. In March, Rosalind spent 3 weeks in her beloved England, scattering her mother’s and brother’s ashes at what still remains of the family home, Worcester Court, visiting friends, and her 99-year old cousin,

Lady Stewart. She was able to fit in a quick 4 days in Ireland, improving her jumping on talented Irish horses and surviving foxhunting with the Galway Blazers (2 people went to the hospital!). Then on to Paris, where Rosalind was the guest of Vicomte Roland de Rosiere (whom she has known since he was 3!), son of Harriet Moeller de Rosiere, ’46, his lovely Finnish wife, Paivi, and their 2 young and energetic tri-lingual boys, Henri and Pauli (both blondes, of course - they are Harriet’s grandsons!) in their beautiful apartment in Passy. Roland was kind enough to take Rosalind to her mother’s nearby, much-loved boarding school, still in existence, where Rosalind discreetly scattered more ashes. Rosalind then braved trains, buses, taxis, and hitched rides in her rusty French to view her old boarding school in the Chantilly countryside. The next stop was Brussels, where Rosalind presented an heirloom book, published in 1869, passed down from her great-grandfather, Charles Mercier, commemorating the King and Queen of Belgium’s visit to London to receive the National Address. The Palais did not hold a copy in their Archives and were very pleased to receive this gift. Rosalind was also taken on a private tour of the Palais to view the grand life-size portrait by Charles of King Leopold II, and the enormous silver coffre that held the Address. Happily exhausted and having ticked off several items on her “Bucket List,” Rosalind returned to once again be “Artist-in-Residence” for a week in April, sharing her art and stories with Lower, Middle, and Upper School girls at CSG.

1969 Candace Corson, Class Representative drcorson@aol.com 16641 Brick Road, Granger, IN 46530-8518 574.273.1763 Babette Gorman writes, from Columbus: In between rehearsals and concerts for the Columbus Women’s Chorus, classes in jazz vocals and general singing technique, board meetings for the CSG Alumnae Board (my presidency ends in May, and as such I’ve been going to the CSG Board of Trustees meetings, too), Thurber House, the Ohio Environmental Council, Friends of the Drexel (to

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 44

preserve the movie theatre in Bexley), and watching 2-4 movies a week on a big screen, which I write up on my blog (just google “babetteflix”), I am also enjoying the Scrabble-inspired game “WordFeud” on my Droid cell phone. The app is available free and my screen name is btgwordy. Challenge me! You may reach Babette T. Gorman at: babetteorama@ gmail.com and Movies http://babetteflix. blogspot.com/ Helen Drennen Nycz writes, from Cummings, GA: I had an Egg Hunt with all 5 grandbabies here Easter weekend. All 5 of my children came home to surprise me for a belated birthday celebration. The kids planned it all themselves - tickets, airport pickup, the weekend menu, and a beautiful family tree of pictures. We had a fabulous time... it was such fun to watch the grandbabies play and see that they understood that cousins are special. Email: helennycz@bellsouth.net Candace Corson writes: I’ve transitioned from the world of illness-care (important as it is) to the world of restoring wellness intentionally for all age groups, from prenatal to the eldest years. I love my work in nutritional health recovery and prevention, building a team of health-educators from all walks of life. And I am the happiest of all being with my granddaughter, Zoe, born at 22 ounces (26 week preemie due to maternal preeclampsia), and now thriving at 18 months. She inspires me always - happy with life and spreading joy around her.

1970 Jill Levy, Class Representative levyprice@insight.rr.com Kitty Porter Young’s daughter, Liza Young, ’02, graduated from OSU Medical School in June and is in a family practice in Ashville, NC. Son Ned will be going to Business School. He got into Harvard and Kellogg School (Northwestern), but has not made a decision. Ken and Randi Stein Hutton report that their son, Zachary, has had a terrific sixth form (senior) year at The Canterbury School. He ran track, was Stage Manager and Assistant Director for the school productions, sang in the Chorale and Octet singing groups, has been a day


Lots of exciting things going on, the best being time with family! More stuff on the summer calendar to share next time.

1971 40th REUNION Teri Gockenbach, Class Representative anuragartstudio@gmail.com 14680 May Avenue North Stillwater, MN 55082 651.430.2531 Peggy Burt Haire’s two children were both married in the last two years. Peggy is the creator of Maggie’s Memories™, a line of giftware and home décor based on antique holiday decorations. Class of 1971, 40 years later. Seated: Leslie Sawyer, Nancy Pace, Sophie DeVennish Sisler, Teri Gockenbach. Standing: Connor Strauss, Cynthia Lape Bellof, Paige Minister Yates, Martha Livingston, Peggy Burt Haire, Suzie DeVennish Burke, Caroline Donnan, Lisa Miller Westwater, Sandra Mendel Furman

student proctor, was head of the student run snack bar and is finishing up a video of the school for the admissions office. They are excited that he will be attending Drew University!

counselor in their Computer Camp for the 4th consecutive summer.”

Leslie Sawyer enthusiastically and skillfully encouraged annual giving and our class made an impressive gift. She broke her foot shortly before the reunion but gallantly attended almost every event. Our donation (over $16,000) was designated in support of faculty professional development - a passion of Bobbie Ruch’s. Sharon Fields Edelman sent her regrets as she was going on a cruise. She has been busy with business (horses and shows) and her family, and has also been designing jewelry specializing in beadwork. Sandra Mendel Furman has seen and admired her work which is museum quality in her opinion. Janis Block Bloch also sent regrets - she had to get her daughter off the boat from her semester at sea. Janis is very active in fundraising for the James Cancer Hospital. Elaine Gallagher will see Nancy Pace in Hawaii and Sophie DeVennish Sisler this summer at the Jersey shore. Elaine continues her career in the educational system and expects to retire

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 45

Class News

The year began with the deaths of two of our elderly relatives. Aunt Ella, my mom’s sister, passed away at age 93 in Since November, Jill Levy has been late January, after a three-year battle with working with a small non-profit called vascular dementia. Mike, my brother Rwanda Women in Action. It was started Tim, and I made a very quick trip to by two genocide survivors who had Columbus for her funeral. Then Mike’s independently settled in Columbus. mother, Marcie, died on March 2. She “We are helping newly arrived refugees also suffered from dementia, and had from Rwanda, Burundi, and the Repub- been in a nursing home just over a year. lic of Congo navigate the confusing and We hope to bury her ashes in her family often overwhelming challenges of their plot in Michigan this summer. My dad new country. Our mission is to teach (age 88) has also had a couple of hoslife skills and offer support and guid- pitalizations for congestive heart failure ance to the new refugees as they work since the fall, but he has bounced back toward establishing their own social and each time and still enjoys life in assisted economic independence. This is very living. Mike celebrated his 30th anniverrewarding work.” sary at Textron Systems in January, and I’m still doing PR from home – some Pam McMurray Foote’s son, Kevin, just things never change. We’re looking forcompleted his freshman year at UCal ward to a week on the Cape in late June. Berkeley. “I flew out to help him move from his dorm to an apartment, and we Lynne Aronson, Billy, and their family; both headed back to Massachusetts on her sister, Laurie Aronson Starr, ’74, and Sat. He loves Cal (although he is find- her family; Cris Aronson, ’69, and her ing the electrical engineering/computer family; and Joanie and Bob (Lynne’s science program very challenging), and dad) were all in Greensboro for the was named assistant photo editor of The Bat Mitzvah of Andy’s oldest daughter. Daily Cal for the upcoming fall term. It’s When Lynne returned home she had nice to have him back home for awhile – an art show. Cris and Lynne are taking he’ll be returning to Brooks School as a off to celebrate her birthday in Europe.

The Class of 1971 celebrated our 40th reunion. It was extraordinary. Eighteen out of thirty-six women attended all or part of the weekend, arriving from Hawaii, Minnesota, Florida, New York, Vermont, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania to join the Columbus “homies”. There were surprise visits from Alana (Mendel) Furman, ’05, Georgia Ruch, ’05, and partners/spouses of Amy Morse, Leslie Sawyer and Marcia Smith.


Class News

The Class of 1971 Graduation. Front row: Nancy Pace, Janis Block, Amy Morse, Megan Braley, Peggy Burt, Paige Minister, Elaine Gallagher, Sherrie Zand, Marcia Smith, Sharon Fields, Mary Jane Evans, Kathy Stephenson, Leslie Sawyer. 2nd row: Sandra Mendel, Lisa Miller, Sophie DeVennish, Stephanie Buttle, Corinne Klages, Teri Gockenbach, Carol Elyse Slife, Sally Carmichael, Susanne DeVennish, Mary Ten Eyck Taylor, Connor Strauss, Roberta Ruch. 3rd row: Jan Boles, Nancy Jacobs, Elizabeth Rose, Penny Quillin, Brooke Ketner, Cynthia Lape, Lesley Brown, Holly Wilson, Martha Livingston, Caroline Donnan, Janet Miller. Class of 1971 Survivors from the 1971 TopKnot.

soon. Cathy Stephenson writes that she travels a great deal working in commercial real estate - Chicago based. Holly Wilson Whitcomb is still writing books and teaching/ministering. Mary Ten Eyck Taylor practices law, as does Lesley Brown Schless. Lesley sent in regards to all. After Caroline Donnan spent endless hours in Newark and Vermont airports making friends and sending constant texts, we thought it only fair to have her come to a ladies’ lunch at Rocky Fork Country Club on Friday with Connor

Strauss, Nancy Pace (our ALUMNA AWARD WINNER) and Sandra Mendel Furman. Paige Minister Yates, our hostess, was also delayed by the windy skies and we ate without her. Paige, no doubt, made good use of her time making bigger and more exciting real estate deals in her Boston area. She also owns a drop-dead, beautiful store, selling tiles-ceramic, glass, and mosaic. Friday evening we gathered at Lisa Miller Westwater’s with food for an army as well as Rubino’s pizza. We shared stories about our surprises in life, our strategies and resources we used when necessary, and the experiences that reinforced or changed who we are and have become. Lisa’s home also served as the boutique bed and breakfast for some of the class. We found out Martha Livingston was busy still in hospital administration

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 46

(now in Chillicothe), Leslie Sawyer in policy-state government; Megan Braley Smith still has her black belt and supervises staff at the Bexley Public Library. Lisa runs Westwater Supply (and she is sporting an engagement ring). Marcia Smith owns a yoga studio and runs a community garden. Sophie DeVennish Sisler is planning a fall wedding but still has time for golf. She made a big move this past year-now she lives on the Jersey shore, but not near Snookie! Suzie DeVennish Burke is retired from teaching and enjoys her children and husband. Connor Strauss stopped world traveling (Hong Kong, Israel, Qatar) to work in D.C. for a gigantic government contractor. Caroline Donnan retired from Middlebury College doing admissions and went to work in policy for the state of Vermont. Several women are proud and enthusiastic grandmothers. The alumnae luncheon honored Dr. Nancy Pace - a world-class humanitarian. Nancy works in the slums of Asia and Africa delivering humanitarian aid


through medical clinics, feeding of the AIDS widows and orphans, delivering clothing and glasses, and building schools. On Saturday afternoon, we honored the memory of Bobbie Ann Ruch at the Franklin Park Conservatory. Our group was joined by Marty Richards, Development Head, Karen Fiorile, Board Chair, and Georgia Ruch, ’05. Bobbie supported a multitude of organizations with everything from writing a check to sweeping the floor, all the while raising a daughter and building a large, successful business.

Sunday was an impromptu brunch at Lisa Miller Westwater’s and then off to The Columbus Academy where Lisa sponsored a reception for our class and the Class of 1971-Academy. Tom Hadley, Mike Crane and Ted Coons were the hardy souls who accepted the invite. Connor and Caroline had to leave before the show. The remaining crew - Sandra, Lisa, Nancy, Sophie and Paige thoroughly enjoyed William Westwater (Lisa’s baby) in the starring role of Professor Harold Hill. Sunday night stragglers Sophie, Paige, Sandra and Nancy enjoyed sushi. Nancy was skeptical as to how it would possibly compare to Hawaiian fish but it received a B+. Lisa was entertaining the entire cast and crew of The Music Man and couldn’t join us. Sophie got to brag about her Paul Newman eye contact and her brush with Joanne Woodward. Sandra had nothing to compare to that story so she instead let her dog run wild on the wet ground and jump on Sophie. Nancy was the featured speaker at the Columbus Rotary Club on Monday at noon. She inspired the group with her stories of her work in Asia and Africa. The Rotarians were so moved by her presentation that a number of them offered

Isabelle Zsoldos, ’74, in February 2011 at the Castle Hill in Buda, Budapest, overlooking the Parliament.

spontaneous donations to advance the work she is doing. GO NANCY! The dominant emotion of the weekend was joy; joy that we cared enough to listen, embrace, remember, convene, and celebrate, laugh, and appreciate. We all said that we are people we want to keep in our lives for as long as we can. We feel gratitude for the feeling of having each other, the feeling that despite and because of our differences, our quirks, and the rich variety of our experiences, we are part of each other and we are grateful for the love of our time together. We are humbled that we so generously embrace each other, established friends and new relationships blossoming, we so generously accept each other. We are each other’s history. We, and CSG, gave each other the tools needed for whatever we faced, and will face. We are each other’s stories. Our sense of self, our sense of directions, and our sense of who we want to still become came from each other, as well as our school and our families. Forte et Gratum.

1972 Caroline Farrar Orrick, Class Representative linieo@sbcglobal.net 3818 1/2 Huntington Street NW Washington, DC 20015 202.525.5090 Caroline Farrar Orrick’s oldest daughter, Sarah, is going to Berkeley law school next fall and she is excited to be in the Bay Area again. They visited their middle daughter in South Africa in March for two weeks. Katherine is working on the Karwonge Game Reserve in the Limpopo region doing conservation biology research and training volunteers to help out. She is a qualified Game Guide and impressed them with animal sightings and facts!!! She and Caroline both rode an ostrich!!! Not one of their more elegant moments; but it was a LOT of fun!!! Their youngest, Libby, just finished up her sophomore year and has a summer job at the Univ. of Puget Sound!! Her latest recreational activity: skydiving... aghghgh! Bill and Caroline continue to love Washington, D.C; spring has been beautiful. She had a wonderful visit with her cousin Toni Seymour, ’59, in Philadelphia; the highlight being a tour of the not-quite-finished Barnes Museum!!!

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 47

Class News

Saturday night Sophie DeVennish Sisler, Teri Gockenbach, and Suzie DeVennish Burke went off to family; Amy Morse (who is after retirement in a career related to mathematics systems and educational design planning to get a MSW at Smith College!) and her partner Lily went off to Amy’s childhood babysitter’s; Cynthia Lape Bellof went off to husband and grandchildren; Marcia Smith was home resting her broken/sprained ankles (quite a disability for a Yoga Master!). The rest of us went to Giussepe’s for dinner. Sharee Zand travels often to Geneva, Switzerland to care for her father. Peggy Burt Haire works in Evansville schools and started a web-based collectibles business. The others attending- Martha Livingston, Sandra Mendel Furman, Megan Braley Smith, Nancy Pace, Paige Minister Yates, Connor Strauss, Leslie Sawyer, and Caroline Donnan - had a great time catching up. Afterward there

was a walk (except for Leslie who was chauffeured) to Graeter’s and Jeni’s for Columbus’ finest ice cream for dessert. Lisa was watching her son star in The Music Man at The Columbus Academy.


Class News

The Class of 1976, left, and Class of 1981, right, riding the bus to their Commencement ceremonies.

As of this year Kristen Backus is a 15year cancer survivor, so she would say that is pretty significant. She is living and working in central Florida and has been there for 17 years. Aside from work, she has two 4-legged children (dogs) that keep her busy, as well as working in her yard. This past winter her mom came down to escape the Ohio winter and they went and had lunch with Mrs. Howland in Ft Myers. It was a wonderful visit.

1974 Muffy Hamilton Parsons, Class Representative Isabelle Zsoldos was in Budapest from January through early April, where she was working with the U.S. Embassy as Acting Cultural Affairs Attache on a temporary assignment. She was excited about this opportunity as a professional one, and it also gave her the chance to explore her roots, as she is of Hungarian descent. During her time there, she undertook a variety of activities, including managing cultural activities designed to promote mutual understanding and appreciation of U.S. culture, working on exchange programs, and promoting special themed cultural months. In February, she managed the visit of AfricanAmerican actress Jurnee Smollett, who came to Budapest on a Speaker’s program for Black History Month. She then returned to her position in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of International Visitors.

1978

1981

Kate Estabrook Schoedinger, Class Representative

Jenny Corotis Barnes, Class Representative jenny.barnes@osumc.edu 1925 Concord Road, Columbus, OH 43212 614.488.8481

Deirdre Ferris has gotten back in touch with CSG, and reports that after graduating from Carleton College, she started a career in Information Technology (after getting a B.A. in English Literature!). She is now a Sr. IT Program/Project Manager at a privately held Travel and Hospitality company called Carlson in Minneapolis. Kate Estabrook Schoedinger has joined the SCUBA ranks of her husband, daughter, and son as a newly certified SCUBA diver! What a thrill it was for them to dive together in Grand Cayman! She spent time with Marcia Fidler Estabrook, ‘42 for the wedding of Marcia’s granddaughter, Mallory Kate Estabrook, on May 7, 2011.

1979 Margaret Cunningham Basiliadis, Class Representative Caroline Denbow Smallwood is extremely busy as Chief Financial Officer at her law firm. Carolyn says her daughter, Diana, had only one year at CSG before they moved to California. All the same, Carolyn and her daughter have many discussions about CSG and how much they both miss it!

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 48

Susan Dawson-Cook’s daughter, Marion, graduated from Canyon del Oro High School and will attend University of Oregon next fall; her step-daughter, Lisa, is getting married; her mom moved to Tucson (yippee); and her first fitness DVD, Personal Best Stretch: Move Better Than Ever was released in March. It has been a great year so far! She still competes in swimming with U.S. Masters Swimming, an organization of 18-to 90something swimmers who love the water and hanging out together. In the most recent national championship at Kino Aquatics Center in Mesa, she got five best times and placed 6th in the nation in 50 breast, 8th in 200 breast, and 9th in 100 breast. She works as a personal trainer/ group exercise instructor at the Miraval Arizona Resort and Spa and SaddleBrooke. She is also a freelance writer and editor and works for a variety of magazines, educating people on health and fitness topics and competitive sports. She welcomes calls from classmates visiting the Tucson area and can be reached at 520-572-0388.


30th Reunion This year a small but mighty group represented the Class of ‘81 at their 30th reunion, but the spirit of many of their missing classmates was expressed on FACEBOOK! Yes, we started a “group” and a good number of classmates are now connected on a daily basis.

The Class of 1981 at Graduation, Front row: Marla Krupman, Laura Chu, Lori Bornstein, Kathy Fulmer, Mary Shepard, Diane Lore, Elizabeth Wright, Marisia Weddington, Laura Salomons, Heidi Nelson, Kathleen Larrimer. 2nd row: Sue Dawson, Barb Kanninen, Ronda Mankamyer, Michele Katz, Beth Williams, Emily Reidenbach, Suzy Havens, Alyson Leeman, Stephanie Halliday, Kim Henke, Sue Allen. 3rd row: Ellen Efsic, Kathi Kontras, Kathe Lach, Jennifer Brown, Julie Solomon, Shuryl Sutherland, Dawn Echols, Jenny Corotis, Wendy Campbell, Manette Watson. 4th row: Becky DeGraaf, Shelagh Connor, Roberta Knoderer, Cheryl Cates, Anne Melvin, Marigene Malone, Mallory Hurd, Monica Sehring, Tracey Warren. Class of 1981 30 years later, Seated: Mallory Hurd Hrabcak, Jenny Corotis Barnes, Monica Sehring Shifley. Standing: Kathy Fulmer Waller, Marla Krupman, Kathleen Lach, Alyson Leeman.

1983 Bridget Hart, Class Representative info@bridget-hart.com 9653 W. 89th Circle Westminster, CO 80021 303.420.7884 Allison Bloch Gold and Cathy Jones Williard met for dinner in Chicago in January and had a great time catching up! Jane Johnson sends news that she’s looking forward to taking a vacation to Myrtle Beach this July to watch her goddaughter dance in a national competition.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 49

Class News

While the following classmates were able to make it to Columbus for a dinner gathering at Lindey’s in German Village – Cheryl Cates Carter, Jenny Corotis Barnes, Kathy Fulmer Waller, Mallory Hurd Hrabcak, Marla Krupman, Kathleen Lach, Alyson Leeman, and Monica Sehring Shifley – an even longer list of classmates tried to make it, but simply could not work around the date. They sent in their regrets, asked for photos to be posted online, and shared thoughts on Facebook: Lori Bornstein Linskey, Jenny Brown Cohen, Laura Chu Stokes, Shelagh Connor Shapiro, Susan Dawson Cook, Dawn Echols van Hoegaerden, Ellen Efsic, Diane Lore, Ronda Mankamyer McIntyre, Marigene Malone Dolven, Barb Kanninen, Michelle Katz Grey, Bobi Knoderer Mansour, Anne Melvin, Emily Reidenbach Jorgenson, Manette Watson Sykes, Beth Welsh Heer, and Beth Williams McCabe. An informal poll was taken on Facebook and we’d like our class gift be given in Tracey Warren-Spears’ memory and directed to the Charles Wong Scholarship Fund. Here’s hoping we will have greater contact with each other in the coming years with mini-reunions and a stronger turn out for the formal CSG reunion in ‘16!


Class News

in touch with us on Facebook – join the community on the CSG page, or ‘friend’ me, your class rep, on my personal page! Your Class Rep, Bridget Hart, has been busy cooking her fingers to the bone. The personal chef business is going well – she was featured in a recent issue of Denver’s 303 Magazine, and in addition to working with her regular clients, she has been lucky to be hired on to several great projects in Aspen and Denver. She recently returned from cooking for the crew and athletes on a film shoot in Snowmass Village for an upcoming extreme snowboarding movie. Most of all, she’s looking forward to celebrating her second wedding anniversary with husband Ken this summer!

Cathy Jones Williard and Allison Bloch Gold, Class of 1983.

Boomee Hahn Danenberg, ’86, and her son Cody

From all accounts, the Class of ’83 has been keeping busy! We’d love to hear from more classmates – where you are, what you’re up to – doesn’t have to be big news, just check in to let us know what you’re up to…inquiring minds want to know! A quick reminder to please keep your contact info up to date! We’ve gotten some emails back, so if you’ve got a new one, please let us know. You can also get

Cathy Jones Williard reports that son Chris is done with freshman year at College of Charleston and loving it. She is gearing up with Coleen Duffy, ’84, to head up the CSG Alumnae Board next year- she says that it will be a great year! Cathy got caught up with classmate, Lisa Rahe Taylor, this spring as they both volunteer their talents fundraising for The Childhood League Center’s big event ‘Merry Go Round’ in Columbus.

I heard from Lisa Mueller Greene - she and her family continue to keep busy in Connecticut. They traveled to New Mexico for April break and enjoyed the national parks, horseback riding, the sights, and the food! This summer, daughter Alison (12) is going to a 2-week ballet intensive at The Nutmeg Conservatory in Torrington, CT. Jackie (10) is looking forward to a week at zoo camp in Columbus with her cousin, Garrett, Julie Mueller’s, ’74, son. They are also excited about Julie’s daughter Natalie’s high school graduation and visiting her at the University of Virginia next fall.

Jenna Ewart DenBleyker says she’s still adjusting to life with 5 kids under the age of 10. She’s busy with homeschooling, boy scouts, gymnastics, Spanish preschool, and work. Her Family Medicine practice has been busy – she says she’s only there 2 days a week so her schedule fills up fast. Jenna reports that her 7 year old daughter, Ellie, just mastered a “roundoff-5 backhandsprings” in gymnastics and is amazing! Her 4th grader, Spencer, just finished PreAlgebra; she calls him “a math geek like his momma”. Jenna says her new addiction is Zumba... she says she absolutely loves it. Jenna says she’s looking forward to lots of hiking and camping this summer in Salt Lake City, but her biggest wish would be a trip to Guatemala to pick up their 3rd daughter!

1986

Betsy Carlin was just in Columbus where she ran the Capital City Half Marathon with her brother, Ted, and cousin, Kate Carlin Giller, ’87. She says while there she was able to visit with Courtney Rice Bosca and Lucy Ackley.

Wow! It is hard to believe that 25 years have gone by so quickly. The buildings may have changed, teachers may have changed, but the Class of 1986 remains the same bright, beautiful, and headstrong group of talented women.

Courtney Rice Bosca sends news that son Mario played on Columbus Academy’s middle school lacrosse team. This

On Friday night, the class kicked off the weekend celebration with an intimate gathering at House Wines in Old Worthington. The relaxed and peace-

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 50

was the first year they had a team and they won the state title! She’s handling social media for the family business, Bosca Accessories, now so she says ‘please join the Bosca Accessories page on Facebook’. She reports that she had lens implants and foot surgery this winter, and is now all fixed up! She says she had a fun visit with Betsy Carlin when Betsy was in Columbus, and that she sees Lucy Ackley when Courtney’s husband’s band plays out. Courtney says her family will spend summer in Harbor Springs.

Louise Davidson-Schmich, Class Representative davidson@miami.edu 6840 SW 64 COURT, South Miami, FL 33143 (305) 284-2143 Megan Dix Sloat writes that she and her husband, Matt, welcomed their third daughter, Madeline Grace Sloat, on January 31, 2011. She was 8 weeks premature and weighed 3 lbs. 10 oz., but she came home from the NICU in early March and is doing great. They are excited to have her at home.

25th Reunion


Class of 1986 25 years later. Seated: Suzy Cho Helgaas, Teri Walton Baker, Kelli Reavling-Cobb, Jen Bibart Dunsizer, Megan Wolfe, Rosemary Klecker. Standing: Ruth Milligan, Louise Davidson-Schmich, Susy Smith Grant, Michele Weinberger Glasser, Anne Robinson Albers, Rachel Brown, Katy Foley Coffey, Cathy Feibel Kauffman, Jennifer Bally Solodar, Jennifer Lach, Peri Altan, Juliet Zelkowitz McCarthy.

Seated on floor: Suzie Cho Helgaas. Middle Row: Louise Davidson-Schmich, Anne Robinson Albers, Lena Miller Keaton, Kelli Reavling-Cobb, Jennifer Lach, Lisa Baird Panos, Jennifer Bally Solodar, Anne Eckhart, Rosemary Klecker. Back Row: Michele Weinberger Glasser, Susy Smith Grant, Cathy Feibel Kauffman, Ruth Milligan, Katy Foley Coffey, Peri Altan, Rachel Brown.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 51

Class News

The Class of 1986 at Graduation, Front row: Nicole Korda, Michele Weinberger, Hilary Keates, Rachel Brown, Lesley Duggan, Catherine Feibel, Susie Choe, Sandra Kim, Melissa Doll, Kathleen Sullivan, Boo Mee Hahn, Shael Brachman, Mangala Jagadeesh, Lena Miller, Kifi Haque. 2nd row: Catherine Rogovin, Lisa Baird, Holly Wilkinson, Liza Kessler, Anne Eckhart, Stephanie Kakos, Suzin Cho, Juliet Zelkowitz, Vandita Malviya, Rosemary Klecker, Jennifer Lach, Dionne Thompson. 3rd row: Jennifer Bally, Rebecca Lundquist, Cynthia Cummins, Kelli Reavling, Rebecca Morosky, Sarah Crompton, Elizabeth Garland, Anne Robinson, Anne Weisenburger, Priya Shanker, Emily Wright, Judy Roh. 4th row: Melanie Battle, Meredith Roller, Amanda Damarin, Susan Smith, Louise Davidson, Peri Altan, Katherine Allen, Teri Walton, Andrea Vickery. Back row: Anne Sellers, Megan Dix, Rachel Faerber, Ruth Milligan, Ann Light, Alicia Binning, Kelly Warner, Kathleen Foley, Jennifer Bibart.


Class News

of the Silhouette, while Rachel modeled a “Cathy (Feibel) loves Randy (Schoedinger)” t-shirt, 1980s vintage. The hugs and laughs flowed throughout the evening and into the wee hours of the night, reminding us of all of the good things we experienced through our shared journey at CSG.

The wedding of Sarah Windels Ziegler, ’87, and Dan Kay in Palm Beach, Florida on January 22, 2011. Left to Right: Christy Schoedinger Rosenthal, ’87, Sally Ross Soter, ’59, Charlotte Power Kessler, ’61, Marcia Ross Blackburn, ’61, Holly Williams Driggs, ’88, Sarah Ziegler Kay, ’87, Katie Kessler Chatas, ’84, Jane Kessler Lennox, ’88, Tessa Ziegler, ’20, Zoe Ziegler, ’17, Jane Arthur Roslovic, ’80, Corde Westwater Robinson, ’65, Kate Carlin Giller, ’87, and Liza Kessler, ’86.

ful atmosphere was a perfect setting for classmates to spend quality time catching up with each other. In attendance were Juliet Zelkowitz McCarthy all the way from Las Vegas, Louise DavidsonSchmich from Miami, and from the Columbus area Jenny Bibart Dunsizer, Katy Foley Coffey, Rosemary Klecker, Kelli Reavling-Cobb, Megan Wolfe, and Emily Wright Arnold. A good time was had by all and we even managed to stay up late enough to hear the last call for drinks!

That afternoon, the sun came out after days of clouds and rain. Several classmates, spouses, and their children gathered at the Whetstone Park of Roses for some outdoor fun in the sun. Those attending included Peri Altan, Suzie Cho Helgaas, Rosemary Klecker, Ruth Milligan, Michele Weinberger Glasser, Juliet Zelkowitz McCarthy and Anne Robinson Albers. The kids played baseball, Frisbee, and tag, while some made garlands of dandelions, then feasted on cookies and lemonade.

The Class of 1986 had a phenomenal turnout at the Alumnae Luncheon in honor of their 25th Reunion. Attendees included Teri Walton Baker, Jennifer Bally Solodar, Cathy Feibel Kauffman, Suzin Cho Helgaas, Peri Altan, Michele Weinberger Glasser, Kelli ReavlingCobb, Susy Smith Grant, Jennifer Lach, Ruth Milligan, Katy Foley Coffey, Louise Davidson-Schmich, Jennifer Bibart Dunsizer, Megan Wolfe, Rachel Brown, Anne Robinson Albers, and Juliet Zelkowitz McCarthy. We were amazed to see Eric Shinn still taking pictures at CSG and looking much the same as ever. Mrs. Altan, Doc Hall, and Dr. Rogers were also in attendance and looking well. May we all age as gracefully! The class was proud to present an unrestricted gift of $11,445 to the school and was one of the top classes in this regard.

That evening, the class enjoyed a delicious meal catered by Spagio at the home of Lisa Baird Panos - the high point of the reunion! Guests at Lisa’s included Anne Eckhart, Jennifer Lach, Cathy Feibel Kauffman, Rachel Brown, Jennifer Bally Solodar, Susy Smith Grant and her husband, Steve, Louise Davidson-Schmich and her husband, Michael, Suzin Cho Helgaas and her husband, Bernt, Michele Weinberger Glasser and her husband, Danny, Peri Altan, Kelli Reavling-Cobb, and Lena Miller Keaton. Lisa’s home was the perfect, intimate setting for an evening of laughter and remembrances. Photos from the CSG years transported us all back to the 1980s. Cathy Feibel Kauffman added to the experience by sharing her journal from 6th grade as well as a 1985 issue

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 52

We truly wished that all of our classmates could have joined us in celebrating 25 years - this was one of the best reunion weekends ever! But in the meantime, please keep in touch through Louise Davidson-Schmich or through our “CSG Class of 1986” Facebook group. With all of the good times that we have shared over this weekend, it will be exciting to see what the next 5 years have in store! Hope to see everyone again in 2016!

1988 Sarah Hamilton Shook, Class Representative Tamara Kaplan-Pilblad has been working as an attorney in New York City. Her daughter, Lily Pilblad, was a featured young actress on the Fox program Fringe until 2011. She is now on Lightsout on FOX, where she plays the youngest of three sisters whose father is trying to regain the heavyweight championship. The last episode was April 5th. Alyson Neugebauer Mandel is living in Philadelphia with husband, Greg, and their two children—Evelyn, 10, and Isaac, 7.

1991 Amy Cherup Curley, Class Representative acurley612@yahoo.com 8069 Woodgrove Road, Jacksonville, FL 32256 904-403-7316 Amy Cherup Curley and her family are busy in Jacksonville. Amy spends her time on the tennis court or volunteering at the girls’ school. Madeline (age 11) and Emma (age 8) are busy with school, dance, and soccer. Both girls are on a traveling competitive dance team that has received high honors this year.


1993

Liz Zimmerman Donaldson, Class Representative ezdonaldson@gmail.com 116 Preston Road, Columbus, OH 43209 614-824-1010

Julia Smith Buckner, Class Representative julie.buckner@hotmail.com

Lisa Yacso says hello to classmates and has a new email address: lisa.yacso@ gmail.com.

Courtney Feuer, and her wife, Kris Himebaugh, welcomed their twins, Leona Rose and Byron Edward, on July 18, 2010. The twins arrived a bit early, but are now very happy and active. Courtney and Kris are truly enjoying motherhood!

20 years later: Amy Cherup Curley, Mara Bell Mancini-Lander, Sarah Hall, Ann Bancroft, Aisha Edwards Tackett

Tiffany Thompson Taber and her husband, Dr. Brooks Taber, recently had their second child, another boy, named Henry. They still reside in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 53

Class News

1992

Members of the Class of 1991 at graduation. Left to right, front row, are Jennifer Wu, Becky Schuller, Jennifer Briones, Marjorie Sanford, Joiwind Wasserman-Williams, Katherine Wolfe, Jennifer Wilkins, Kimberly Lowe, Mara Bell Mancini, Sarah E. Hall, and Cortnee Weston. Second row: Ann Bancroft, Masarath Haque, Lynn Daubenspeck, Erin Nash, Cybil Bean, Jordana Gilman, Esther Velo, Joan Boston, Jennifer Salyer, and Teresa Sanfelippo. Third row: Bernadette Beckman and Renee Robinson. Fourth row: Amie Gerhardt, Sarah L. Hall, Breanna Metzger, Nathalie Amiot, Audra Phillips, Raakhee Bansal, Alissa Hadley, Aisha Edwards, Ann Laugherty, Amy Cherup, Heidi Ruben, and Michelle Congbalay. Fifth row: Nika Lee, Julie Hill, Jennifer Proto, Angela Povoli, Lisa Gerald, Beth Hamilton, Heather Hazlett, Jennifer Glos, Laura Tabacca, Anmol Satiani, and Diana Durley.


Class News

Left: Courtney Feuer ’93, and her wife, Kris Himebaugh, with their twins, Leona Rose and Byron Edward. Right: Christina Brown Ellis, ’96 and Sam Ellis, CA ’94.

Left: Christina Brown Ellis’ wedding left to right, Sarah Sofia Knepp, '96, Elizabeth Brown Chan, ’92, Christina Brown Ellis, '96, Sara Singer, ’96 and Renay Ricart, ’96. Right: Home for the holidays left to right, Sarah Sofia Knepp, Sara Singer, Melissa Seidel Bedolla, Molly Schirner Fortune, & Christina Brown Ellis, all Class of 1996.

1995 Class Representative Position Available Melissa Huffman has moved back to Ohio. She worked on Governor Kasich’s campaign and accepted a position with Strategic Public Partners as their Vice President of Public Affairs.

Shani Horsley Meacham was promoted to the Director of the Achieving Independence Center, Independent Living Program in Philadelphia for older foster children, ages 16 to 21. Her email is 4shani@gmail.com.

MA. Their new address is 9 Windham Circle, Canton, MA 02021. In April, the whole family attended Keely McDonald’s lacrosse game against Penn. Keely and Anne are about 30 minutes away from each other now!

1996

Sarah Sofia Knepp and her husband Adam are enjoying the warm weather in Charlotte.

Ashandra McLymont was a finalist recognized by the Nationwide On Your Side Volunteer Network. She is the cofounder of the non-profit, Kya’s Krusade, which provides support, education, and assistance for children with physical disabilities.

Sarah Sofia Knepp, Class Representative sofia_sarah@hotmail.com 5801 Wedgewood Drive Charlotte, NC 28210

Lyndsey Fish Gelhaus is working on photography in her spare time. See her work at: www.LMGphotography.smugmug.com.

Anne Currier Michaels has moved to Boston! Her husband, Adam, took a job at Reebok and they now live in Canton,

Julie Holinga is joining Ohio Gastroenterology Group in Columbus in July.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 54

15th Reunion The Class of ’96 mamboed Italiano at Buca di Beppo located in the heart of the Arena District. Between gluttonous pasta, chicken dishes, and wine, Molly Schirner Fortune, Sarah Plesich, Katy Potts, JoVonna Moxley, Katherine Kakis Graham, Joanne Strasser, Chris Brown Ellis, Melissa Seidel Bedolla, and Sarah Sofia Knepp indulged in hilarious con-


Members of the Class of 1996 at graduation, Left to Right, 1st row: Tai Pimputkar, Melissa Seidel, Julie Robbins, Babette Witkind Davis, Allison Robbins, Sarah Sofia, JoVonna Moxley, Racy Ham, Tenning Maa, Anna Tsay, and Valerie Merrell. 2nd row: Lauren Kane, Karen Lui, Megan Kuhnsman, Elizabeth Kelsik, Rachel Rosenblum, Melanie Schaeffer, Dawn Beaver, Elizabeth Ratliff, Christina Rouse, Joanne Strasser, and Traci Dodderer. 3rd Row: Julia Corrodi, Molly Schirner, Mikeya Bridges, Gay Heit, Maureen Norton, Emily Shaw, Soraya Rofagha, Jessica Whitlock, Kathryn Potts, and Jamela Debelak. 4th row: Jennifer Henretty, Beatrice Schulkers, Sarah Paschall, Michelle Pizzurro, Sharon Sullivan, Stephanie Tuinstra, Dea Riley, Ann Maxfield, Valerie Nafzger, Clare Buckley, and Maria Celebrezze. 5th row: Julie Holinga, Shamitha Ferris, Katie Hollenbaugh, Alison Blosser, Lindsay Snyder, Katherine Kakis, Keely McDonald, Anne Currier, Christina Brown, and Renay Ricart. Back row: Jessica Goldman, Sara Singer, Sarah Plesich, Kristin Kakos, Marissa Kantor, Katherine Moss, Ruth Ann Vleugels, Elisa Rogers, Caroline Krabach, and Heather Luke.

Class News

Members of Class of 1996 15 years later, Seated: Christina Brown Ellis, Sarah Sofia Knepp, Katherine Kakis Graham. Standing: Melissa Seidel Bedolla, Molly Schirner Fortune, Katy Potts, Joanne Strasser, Jovanna Moxley.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 55


Class News

versation, reminiscing over everything from Mr. O’Grady’s, “War is hell!” to our infamous senior skip day. We toasted with pride to being the first (and probably only) class to have ever been given a Saturday School. Our group was small, but our laughter plentiful, and we’re all looking forward to the next big reunion.

1997 Julie Ferber Zuckerman, Class Representative juliezuckerman@gmail.com Stacy Wolery Marcus writes regarding Maggie Gall’s, ’06, brother, Reilly, who suffered a severe brain injury as a result of an accident on their ranch in Colorado. Reilly is in the Denver Children’s Hospital. The “Rally for Reilly” was on Sunday, May 22, 2011 at the Columbus Maennerchor. There is a link to the Facebook page for the event on Stacy’s Facebook profile. Emily Bartz Costello and her husband, Nick, joyfully welcomed their daughter, Anne Catherine “Annie”, on December 12, 2010. She took them by surprise arriving three weeks early and breech, but was and is very healthy and brings so much joy to their family.

1999 Amy Westwater Sullivan, Class Representative afw.sullivan@gmail.com Kate Livingston is now a PhD student in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Ohio State and does work in the areas of feminist theory, reproductive rights, and family politics. Her latest research examines the contemporary political debate in Ohio on access for adopted adults to their original birth certificates, focusing on the impact of abortion politics on adoption legislation. In 2010, Kate completed her MA in Women’s Studies at the University of Cincinnati where she taught Introduction to Women’s Studies and was awarded the department’s annual award for outstanding graduate student for her MA project, a feminist genealogy of adoption politics in Ohio. Kate volunteers as a higher education mentor for foster care youth and facilitates the Ohio Birth Parent Discussion Group, the only support group in central

and southern Ohio for men and women who have placed children for adoption. She encourages anyone in search of pre- or post-adoption education and resources to contact her at katelivingston@gmail.com. Kate currently teaches WGSS 110: Gender, Sex and Power and invites all CSG grads at OSU to take her course! Kristen Bays Glover and her husband, Wes, just had their first child on December 29, 2010. Alexander Loik is named after Kristen’s grandfather. It was a very difficult pregnancy but it was good to have the support of her family. Her sister, Kelly Bays Starnes, ’01, has moved back to Ohio with her son, Laeric. It’s great to have her advice. Also Kristen Howard-Smith, ’97, has come to visit. Kristen Bays Glover is working on a career change. She’s been working as a veterinary technician for over 7 years but is trying to get into nursing school. She would love it if anyone is in the area and would like to get together and catch up to please give her a call.

2000 Erica Reaves, Class Representative Victoria Davis is happy to report that she’ll be starting at Harvard Business School in the fall as a member of the MBA Class of 2013. She and husband, Chris Glasnapp, are still keeping busy designing and building satellites at Orbital Sciences in Virginia. Victoria is also looking forward to beginning her term as President of the CSG National Alumnae Council. She has enjoyed being a member of the NAC since 2006. Mollie Bennett and Marc Jason Warshaw will be married in July in Boca Raton, Florida. Elizabeth Seidler recently moved to Atlanta to start her dermatology residency at Emory University Hospital. Liz Reynolds is excited to be receiving her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, following the completion of her clinical internship at Brown University. She has accepted a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins, in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, which she will start in mid-July.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 56

Liz Wheeler is having a blast teaching acting and dance with Catco/Phoenix’s Acting Up summer programs, and giving private lessons. Since June, she has starred in Catco’s production of Evil Dead, The Musical. Liz played Annie, and especially loved this project because of the talented cast and hilarious script! Lindsay Saxe will be finishing up a twoyear clerkship with the Hon. Steven D. Merryday at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa in August. She plans to take a short break, before starting her new position, to visit with her sister, Bryn Saxe ’99, while Bryn is back in the U.S. for a few weeks. Following her break, Lindsay will be starting as an associate in the commercial litigation group at the Tampa office of Quarles & Brady, LLP, a Milwaukee-based law firm.

2001 Ashley Love, Class Representative ashleylatrice@gmail.com Claire Murnane graduated from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business MBA Program in June 2011. She will be pursuing a career in brand management with the Scotts MiracleGro Company. Claire is joining the CSG Alumnae Board this year as a Galleria Co-Chair and would love to get CSG classmates and friends, near and far, involved with this fun fundraiser!

10th Reunion The Class of 2001 had a wonderful weekend commemorating their 10th Reunion! Ashley Love was eagerly joined by Renee Ransbottom, Janis Penn Bond, Anne Marie Christman, Rebecca Stephens, Katie Logan, Kristen Orlando Ricordati, Natalia Rivera Formen, Amy Trumbull Rowlette, and Claire Murnane for a great kick-off reception and wonderful luncheon! After Friday’s reception at CSG the group met up with fellow unicorns, Gina Casagrande and Jamie Goldach for dinner at Rusty Bucket and were lucky enough to run into Mrs. Ryan who stopped by Saturday to show them scrapbooks of their days in English class! Saturday’s lunch was full of surprises as 2001ers were able to catch up with Ms. Leonard, Dr. Rogers, and


Mr. O’Grady! The weekend ended with brunch at FirstWatch, where Ashley Love and her daughter, Chloe, caught up with Amy Trumbull Rowlette and her son, Bobby, Claire Murnane, Katie Logan, and Renee Ransbottom! Reunion weekend for the Class of 2001 was surely one to remember and we owe many thanks to CSG and the wonderful Development Team! Many of the questions asked were “Did you think you would/wouldn’t be married with/without children?” “Where do you see yourself 10 MORE years from now?” and “Aren’t you glad we went to CSG!!?”

2002 Lauren Yen, Class Representative lyen@spenceschool.org Mandy Varley is officially an MBA now. The job market in England is about as rough as they say. She was working for an organization that promotes a voluntary working agreement between the government and not-for-profit sector as a ‘Community Engagement Consultant’. (Fancy title, huh? She made it up herself.) She was doing some conference events to enhance brand recognition and build relationships. But now she’s the Marketing and Events Coordinator

Class News

The Class of 2001 at graduation, Left to Right, 1st row: Patricia Castro-Vega, Angelique Zeune, Sarah Jacobson, Charlene Adzima, Amy Trumbull, Claire Murnane, Kristen Beavers, Sarah Cooperman, Cristan Edwards, Adrienne Gerken, Karan Persons, and Gina Casagrande. 2nd row: Ingrid Grove, Lili Peng, Alexandria Lloyd, Janis Penn, Sita Saar, Katie Parks, Katie Huss, Anusha Venkataraman, Jamie Goldach, and Angela Lipscomb. 3rd row: Leah Schottenstein, Pearl Chan, Ann Westwater, Anna Leist, JoAnna Fu, Elizabeth Piazza, Kelly Bays, Natalia Rivera, Nora Wightman, and Lindsay Stewart. 4th row: Renee Ransbottom, Millie Harris, Katie Logan, Whitney Link, Rachael Voyles, Nana Massie, Ashley Love, Desiree Jones, and Claire Kelley. 5th row: Kate Baughman, Caitlin McKay, Hannah Hill, Ann-Marie Christman, Rebecca Stephens, Tammy Howard, Anne Morelli, Sarah Mendelsohn, and Wynne Campbell. 6th row: Christy Beall, Jess Bennett, Ashley Nowak, Melissa Ryckman, Lisa Shaw, Catherine Mendel, Alexe Berner, Courtney MacDonald, and Kristen Orlando. Class of 2001 10 years later, Seated: Natalia Rivera Formen, Claire Murnane, Amy Trumbull Rowlette, Ann-Marie Christman. Standing: Janis Penn Bond, Kristen Orlando Ricordati, Ashley Love, Renee Ransbottom, Katie Logan, Rebecca Stephens. Class of 2001 Swim team members. Class of 2001 Tae Kwan Do members.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 57


Class News

2003

2004

Jackie Massie Jaroncyk, Class Representative jackiejaroncyk@yahoo.com

Emily Kasler, Class Representative

Emily Plocki is graduating from Georgetown Law Center in May with her Master of Law (LL.M) in Taxation and Certificate in Estate Planning. She has accepted a position as an associate with the Washington, D.C. office of Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan and is looking forward to beginning her legal career in the nation’s capital! Emily is also the maid of honor in her best friend and CSG classmate, Alexis Zeune’s July 2011 wedding! Alexis is a gorgeous bride and Emily is elated to be a part of the wedding! Emily would love it if there are any CSG gals touring or visiting the DC area to make sure and contact her! David and Wendy Fahey Currier, ’02

for the National Council of Voluntary Organizations! Basically it’s a group that looks out for all charities in England and provides sector research/insights and discounts to charitable organizations. She’ll be putting together a product mix to hopefully increase revenue - at least that’s the goal! The best news is it actually uses her MBA. Life other than that is good. She’s signed up to run a 10K for breast cancer and is exploring the possibilities of these ballet/pilates/aerobics classes. Hasn’t gone yet, but it’s on the To-Do list! She also should have an article based on her dissertation being published soon onto a charity communications website in England. Liza Young graduated from OSU Medical School in June and is in family practice in Ashville, NC. Leah Steiner Suter is living up in snowy Brattleboro, VT, and completing the oncampus phase of her master’s degree in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management at the SIT Graduate Institute. After SIT, she plans to serve her eighth summer at the Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, MN, before embarking on the final practicum phase of the program. Once she’s figured out where that will be (somewhere in New England/southern India ???), there will be a new update in Forte et Gratum! Well wishes to all of you in your adventures!

Karen Levin was recently accepted to the Business School at Columbia and will be moving to New York to begin working on her MBA this fall. Leslie Hill and James Daniel Whitfield are to be married on Saturday, August 6, 2011 at Jefferson Country Club. Pastor Howard Washington of Second Baptist Church will officiate the nuptials. She completed her undergraduate degree at Wellesley College in 2007 and earned a Masters Degree in International Studies in June of 2010 from Ohio University. She is currently working in Boston. Leslie is the daughter of Zachary and Joan Hill, Director of Lower School at CSG. James Whitfield completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry and mathematics at Morehouse College, earned his Master’s Degree in Chemistry from Harvard University in June of 2009 and will receive his Doctorate in Chemistry from Harvard University in June. Dr. James Whitfield will begin work at Georgia Tech as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Chemistry and Physics Department. The couple will reside in Atlanta, Georgia.

Simi Botic is graduating from DePaul University College of Law in May and will be moving back to Columbus to work at Dinsmore & Shohl in September.

On May 27th, 2011, Erin Steele received her Juris Doctorate from Rutgers School of Law - Newark. Upon Graduation, she began work as an Executive Search Consultant with Lucas Group in their Human Resources practice area.

Lindsey Innes is heading to Boston this fall to begin a Masters in Education Program at Harvard called Mind, Brain, and Education. Before she begins the program, Lindsey is taking a road trip across the country in July!

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 58

Meredith Coen is still living in Miami, FL, and working for the University of Miami. In August, she transferred from the Music Admission Office to the Office of Undergraduate Admission as an Assistant Director of Admission. In January, she was offered the Midwest territory and traveled home to Columbus for the Columbus Independent Schools Visit Program as a representative for the University of Miami. She was able to visit CSG and see all of her wonderful teachers as part of her visit. She recently coordinated a shadowing program for accepted students called Cane 4 A Day, and Emily Lau, ’10, a current student at UM, volunteered to be part of the program! She hopes her classmates are doing well and sends love and sunshine their way. Let her know if you are living in the Midwest, she would love to see you during her fall recruitment travels!

Elizabeth Meyer continues to live in D.C. while attending Washington College of Law. This summer Beth will travel to Chile to study and work with Chile’s Department of Women. This fall, Emily Wightman will begin Capital University’s Intervention Specialist licensure program. Emily enjoyed her past three years as a special needs preschool teacher at Helping Hands Center, but is looking forward to a new challenge! Emily is hoping to continue her work with children (and earn some extra money) by babysitting in her free time. If you are in the Columbus area and in need of a babysitter with plenty of experience, please feel free to contact Emily at emilywightman@gmail.com.

Emily Kasler has finished her second year of law school at Capital. This summer,


she will continue clerking for Crabbe Brown & James and in the fall will begin an externship with Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor. Emily is joining the CSG Alumnae Board this coming year as a Galleria Co-ChairElect.

2005 Allison Ansari, Class Representative allison.ansari@gmail.com 839 Post Street, Apt. 302 San Francisco, CA 94109 614-439-5513 Rebecca Kastan joined U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi’s office as a legislative correspondent. Meghan Hill submitted her applications to nurse anesthesia school and hopes to start at a program in Philadelphia next January. She has loved living in North Carolina and being a nurse at Duke, but is ready to move back to a big city and start the next chapter in her career! Her boyfriend, Mike, and their yellow lab, Molly, will be moving as well!

Rebecca Morton has been nannying in Boston this year after a year of tutoring and coaching at a charter middle school. In August, she will be attending Washington University Law School in St. Louis. Before she moves cross country, she will be doing the Mooseman Olym-

Top, Class of 2004: Samantha Talbert Smith married Michael Smith on September 18, 2010, in Columbus. Left to Right at the wedding: Colleen Connor, Emily Burns, Samantha, Erin Nickell Clouse, and Elizabeth Fenner. Class of 2004 holiday get together: Top, left to right: Ali Lehman, Lacey Greenwalt, Adrienne Berner, Emily Wightman, Elizabeth Fiorile, Emily Kasler. Bottom row: Lindsey Innes, Carey Rabold, Meredith Coen.

pic distance triathlon in New Hampshire to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on June 4th! She is working to raise at least $2700 to participate in the .9 mi swim, 27.25 mi. bike, and 6.2 mi run. Amy Fanning is in her second year in physical therapy school at Washington University in St. Louis and has one more year to go! She just completed her first half marathon in St. Louis, and

is so excited to have done it! She loves living in St. Louis and can’t wait for the summer to go on her next clinical rounds in Columbus, then in St. Petersburg, FL. JM Hodge is in her eighth month of serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Azerbaijan. She is teaching English and living in the small northern town of Shabran. She wishes everyone in the CSG community well. See you in 2013!

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 59

Class News

Ann Kelley graduated with a MS in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan this spring. For her Masters Project, she worked with the Salish and Kootenai tribes of Montana and researched trail planning and development on American Indian reservations. She is moving to Boston for the summer to work at Drumlin Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary. She is looking for a job teaching Biology at a private school for the fall; if not, she is planning to get her MAT in Secondary Science Education. Ann hopes that if she goes back to school she will be able to sit at the popular table with “teachies” like Dr. Doden, Mr. Paine and Dr. Leahy, and learn skills like how to ride the elevator and scare students. Ann would like to say congratulations to her younger sister, Julia Kelley, ’11, on graduating this year from CSG!


Class News

Kerry King graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BA in Political Science in History last spring. In the fall she took a six-week long road trip from Ohio to California and back, having the opportunity to visit Kristen Albers, Allison Ansari, and Taylor Pospichel along the way. In March, she moved to New York City and has since found an apartment in Brooklyn and a job as an executive assistant to the cofounder and chairman of a digital strategy firm in Soho called Undercurrent. She is enjoying being reunited with Alice Stevens and everything about life in the Big Apple.

Class of 2006 at Graduation. Row 1: Katy Dain, Alexandra Royder, Colleen Heffernan, Megan Kauffman, Alexis Hutta, Elsa Smith, Karina Roytman, Wenchen Zhao, Rebecca Greenberger, Tho Nguyen. Row 2: Katherine Lin, Lindsey Mills, Kristen Simmons, Brittny Justice, Jill Hubbuch, Brittnee Adjoua. Row 3: Rachel Randall, Lauren Terry, Soraya Ma’ani, Jenee Gaskin, Tally Wolff, Betsy Greenbaum, Ashley Todaro, Lauren Keny, Anna Johnston. Row 4: Jacquelyn Guy, Lisa Dutton, Christine Skobrak, Frances Lazarus, Nichole Garber, Katelyn Ashbaugh, Margaret Connor, Maura Weisenbach, Quiera Lige, Alexandra Crall, Row 5: Meera Mani, Charlotte Gerlach, Heather O’Connell, Mallory Halley, Lauren Powers, Emilee Deutchman, Nicole Novembre, Lexie Neuhoff, Maggie Gall, Jillian Weisenbach, Allegra Angelini. Row 6: Jennifer Redman, Molly Zielenbach, Elizabeth Lewis, Jeanne Durell, Paige Jones, Banan Al-Akhras, Charity Fluharty, Samantha Moffett, Robin Schaffer, Parker Havens, Emily Green, Marielle Perrault. Class of 2006 after 5 years. Seated: Jenee Gaskin, Quiera Lige, Banan Al-Akhras. Standing: Maura Weisenbach, Christine Skobrak, Brittnee Adjoua, Mallory Halley, Kristen Simmons, Maggie Connor, Ali Crall, Charity Fluharty.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 60

Alice Stevens studied graphic design at Parsons, The New School for Design, and graduated in December 2010. Since graduation, Alice has worked freelance for many clients, including a substantive stint at Bergdorf Goodman. She just began her first full-time position with The Knot magazine. The hours can be long as the deadlines draw near, but she enjoys it immensely. Look for her name in the fall 2011 masthead!


2006 Meera Mani, Class Representative mani.15@osu.edu 4619 Beecher Court New Albany, OH 43054

5th Reunion

2008 Caitlin Allen, Class Representative caallen@davidson.edu 614.554.5298

Alyssa Ashbaugh, as part of Wittenberg’s Field Hockey Team, made the National Field Hockey Coaches Associations 2010 Gladiator by SGI / NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad. The National Academic Squad recognizes those student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher through the first semester of the 2010-11 academic year. Alyssa writes: “The past few months have been a roller coaster for me. When I got back from winter break I went through recruitment and I took over my new position for my sorority, Sigma Kappa, as Vice President of Membership, and have been working hard planning our recruitment efforts for 2012. For anyone who knows Greek life, I got two grand-littles and we love hanging out as a “Fishin” Family. I was accepted into the Greek Honor Society, Order of Omega, and was selected to the 2011 NFHCA National Academic Squad for my work in the classroom during the past Field Hockey season. I began working with our advancement office as a Tiger Club Intern, working with athletic teams on fundraising ideas and schedules. I spent my spring break in St. Louis, MO, with a teammate and enjoyed seeing Sara Winters, Class Representative the sights. I am wrapping up my junior winterssa@gmail.com year and beginning my planning for all 614-397-5862 the work I will be doing my senior year. As a dual major in Elementary EducaHannah Scheckelhoff, as part of Wit- tion and Special Education my teaching tenberg’s Field Hockey Team, made the encompasses a wide range of students National Field Hockey Coaches Asso- which I have fallen in love with each ciations 2010 Gladiator by SGI / NFHCA time I am in the classroom. My WomDivision III National Academic Squad. en’s Studies minor is also helping in my The National Academic Squad recog- understanding of women’s rights and nizes those student-athletes who have current political issues. I have completed achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or my student teaching interviews and my higher through the first semester of the application to student teach, and anx2010-11 academic year. Hannah has also iously await for November to come so I been selected for induction into Chi know where I will be student teaching. Alpha Sigma, a National College Athlete As for Wittenberg, I love it and encourHonor Society that recognizes student- age anyone wanting to stay close to home athletes for their ability to excel in both to visit. If you would like, you can email academics and athletics. Nominees must me at s12.aashbaugh@wittenberg and I

2007

would love to have lunch with you and your families when you visit.” At the end of April, Alyssa was in a triathlon with two of her sorority sisters. She ran the 3.1 mile running leg. She also has been selected, along with Lindsay Hanners, for induction into Chi Alpha Sigma, a National College Athlete Honor Society that recognizes student-athletes for their ability to excel in both academics and athletics. Nominees must have at least a 3.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale, have earned at least one varsity letter, and have achieved junior or senior academic status. Katie Sentz writes that she enjoyed spring break in California. She was accepted into the Disney College program and will be in Orlando from August to January. Other than that she is on the hunt for a job this summer. She hopes everyone is doing well! Amy Thomson went on Semester at Sea, a study abroad program where you sail around the world taking classes on a ship, this past spring. Her favorite stops were Ghana, India, and China, and she would love to return to any of them. Japan was removed from her itinerary, due to the recent tragedy, and it’s a good thing because the second earthquake hit during the time that she would have been visiting the country. All in all, it was an amazing study abroad experience and she would recommend it to all students looking to study abroad and learn about globalization and world cultures. Semester at Sea is affiliated with the University of Virginia. Caitlin Allen had a great fall semester in Kenya and Tanzania and also enjoyed her spring semester back at Davidson. She can’t believe she only has one year left. Next year, she will continue to work in the admission office as a Senior Admission Fellow, coordinating the tour guide program. She is also the Senior Class Gift Chair and will be working with Laura Arnold, ’10, to put on another successful Dinner at Davidson Silent Auction, which raised over $20,000 last year. This summer, she looks forward to working with Overland, co-leading service trips for kids from eighth to twelfth grade in New Mexico. She looks forward to a fun summer and a busy and exciting senior year at Davidson!

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 61

Class News

The Class of 2006 celebrated their 5th Reunion in April. Although we are living all over the world, there were still a few girls who were able to make it to the festivities. The few that did make it back to Columbus for the cocktail party on Friday night had a great time catching up and learning about each other’s endeavors since graduating. The luncheon on Saturday afternoon was a great opportunity for us to see teachers and staff who influenced our careers, and to meet the graduating Class of 2011. Those who were able to make our reunion were Banan Al-Akhras, Brittnee Adjoua, Katelyn Ashbaugh, Maggie Connor, Ali Crall, Charity Fluharty, Jenee Gaskin, Mallory Halley, Colleen Heffernan, Paige Jones, Lauren Keny, Quiera Lige, Kristen Simmons, Christine Skobrak, Sarah Spencer, and Maura Weisenbach. All in all, it was great getting to see the girls who were able to make it to Alumnae Weekend, and I hope everyone who was not able to make it is doing well and that we will be able to see each other in a few years at our next reunion!

have at least a 3.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale, have earned at least one varsity letter, and have achieved junior or senior academic status.


2009

Faculty/Staff

Class News

Katie Pickworth, Class Representative Debbie Charna and her Form III reading club have been selected by the International Reading Association’s Literacy and Social Responsibility Special Interest Group as a first place winner for 2011! This award opens an opportunity for Debbie and her students to talk about how reading and caring for the environment helps to serve others, beyond the borders of CSG. Debbie has been working with a group of students for the past three years on a project that focuses on raising awareness of the dangers of pollution on marine life, specifically the life of the albatross. The in-school collaboration with Felicity Steele, Martha Shaw, and Jenny Morgan was part of the overall initiative. Debbie and her Form III students have forged partnerships with environmentalist and CSG partner, Ron Hirschi, as well as many others.

Laura Raines is loving the University of Michigan. She was elected to the executive council of her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, holding the position of Vice President Public Relations/Historian. She also went to a conference in Washington D.C. and got a chance to meet up with Sally Hauser, ’10, Kaelyn Thomas, and Olivia Nesbit. It was great to spend time getting to see the girls in their college environments. She is looking forward to being back in Columbus and seeing everyone this summer! Sarah Auld will be studying abroad in Paros Island, Greece this summer. She also recently found out that she will be graduating a semester early, in December of 2012.

2010

Leonie Turack became a United States citizen on April 5, 2011!

Sloane Williams, Class Representative slwill10@bu.edu Box 1915 277 Babcock Street, Boston, MA 02215 614.282.0757

Hyerae (Erica) Kang writes, “The biggest & nicest thing that happened to me after CSG graduation is that I will be graduating by the end of next summer from OSU!!!!! And hopefully get accepted to dental school!"

Leonie Turack with her Citizenship Certificate. Coach Turack with Junior Bridget Lorenz on Dress Like a Teacher Day during Spirit Week. Below, Left to right: Felicity Steele, Debbie Charna, Martha Shaw and the Form III students with their First Place Award from the International Reading Association's Literacy and Social Responsibility Special Interest Group.

Maya Zinkow will be the Community Programming Representative on Barnard’s Student Government Association for the 2011-2012 academic year. She will also be co-coordinating her a cappella group’s international spring break trip. She is excited for these new opportunities and for another exciting semester at Barnard and in New York City!

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 62


Cleo Roberts Backus wih Martha Shaw, CSG Librarian, when she was honored for her dedicated service at the end of the year Faculty/Staff Luncheon.

Cleo Roberts Backus was recognized at our end of the year staff/faculty luncheon for her dedicated service to our school. Perry Rogers, History Department Chair, knows Cleo well. “She worked at CSG for 25 years. She remembers every student and teacher’s names. She can alphabetize six books at once while putting another two away on the shelf.” Linda Swarlis, Director of Information Systems and Library Services, knows Cleo very well. “Oh, she can suffer from a hurt leg and console herself by sewing herself a new wrap skirt which she wears to volunteer in the library the very next day.”

Julie Biswas was awarded the Dorothy Sehring Award for Excellence in Teaching This award is given to one outstanding teacher each year at Columbus School for Girls. Julie came to CSG in 1998, and from her first day here has set high expectations and encouraged each student to do her best and to achieve more than she ever thought possible. Her comments to parents about the girls are always thoughtful and informative, and she makes herself available to the girls at all times. Julie was the leader in the development of Cynthia’s Woods, our 100-acre outdoor educational facility, for all ages at Columbus School for Girls. Julie applied for and received a grant from AEP to develop the energy bike and for the past two years her team of middle and upper school girls has won top awards for their efforts. For the past three years she has

Julie’s classroom is an exciting place to be because of her creativity and enthusiasm. Moreover, Julie is an innovator: her use of technology is a model for all of us and her use of science materials is astonishingly innovative. In short, Julie is a model teacher, a lifelong learner, flexible and even-tempered with her students and colleagues. She fulfills all the criteria for the Dorothy Sehring Award for Excellence in Teaching. Congratulations, Julie! Joan Hill, Director of Lower School, has accepted the position of Head of School at the Lamplighter School in Dallas, Texas. Although we have all known that Joan Science teacher, Julie Biswas, recipient of the Dorothy Sehring Award for Excellence in Teaching, with Izzy Zox, Form VIII.

Mary Ann Leonard, Upper School Science teacher and Interim Director of Upper School, knows Cleo well. “Cleo, oh she taught a lot of subjects. She taught nutrition, typing, health and ended up being Susan Altan’s right hand woman in the library. Why, just two days ago, she came in to volunteer. She put a whole cart of books away, and then went home to get her sewing done for her hospital volunteer work.” Cleo remembers many Heads of School: Mr. Chapman, Dr. Hayot, Dr. Cooper and Mrs. Lee. She didn’t stop working until she was 80, and has been retired for 17 years. She comes to our yearly staff/faculty breakfast or luncheon and continues to volunteer frequently in the library.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 63

Class News

Susan Powell, Program for Young Children teacher, knows Cleo. “Yes, I know her. She can give the recipe for chicken salad out of the corner of her mouth while teaching a student to tie her shoes with the other corner of her mouth and get home to make 4 pints of raspberry jam, from scratch!”

Cleo, darling of the library, we thank you for your dedication to CSG!

been the co-leader for Student Council. She plans and executes the much anticipated Form VIII trip to Washington, D.C. and helps organize the Form VIII annual holiday tea. This past year she stepped up and agreed to add teaching science to Form V to her duties, and together with Michael Burton developed a new science curriculum for Forms IV and V. Julie is also the person in charge of first semester bus duty and has been for 10 years; this in itself deserves a special award!


Class News

possesses all the talents and qualities that would make her a terrific Head, the reality of her departure comes as a great loss for CSG. Joan’s 14 years at CSG – 11 of them as Director of Lower School -- were a gift. She played an important role in preparing CSG to enter the 21st century vigorously, and presided over curriculum revisions and procedural changes that will be integral to CSG for years to come. It is a testament to her vision and leadership that she will leave her division in admirable shape in every respect. She has nurtured and encouraged the faculty, as well as the students, in order to provide the strongest possible foundation for the future. She saw to it that Spanish instruction began in Form I; she supported the implementation of the elementary Lego Robotics program and the Presto Strings program so that students in Forms III-V had a chance to play the violin, viola or cello, which has started many of our students on an orchestral path. Under her leadership, the Lower School continued math and literacy enrichment and support in order to differentiate instruction. Lower School is a dynamic and interesting place to be as a result of her endeavors. She combines managerial expertise with knowledge of pedagogy, and runs her division happily and smoothly. All of us who work with her, faculty and parents, are grateful for her leadership and service.

During senior exit interviews with our Head of School, dozens of girls mentioned their memories of Lower School and the impact Joan had on them. Many girls mentioned how Joan knows every students name on their first day at CSG and always made them feel important and loved. As Joan departs, Betsy Gugle, our current Director of Admission, will take over as Director of Lower School on an interim basis. Jodie Moriarty, the Assistant Director of Admission, will run the Admission Office with the assistance of Christie Stover, Director of the Program for Young Children, and Carolyn White, Upper School Latin teacher, who have been active in every aspect of the admission process. We wish Joan well in her new position as Head of School in Texas and will have many fond memories of her time in the Lower School. Jemma Giddings joined us as Director of the Upper School, effective July 1, 2011. Ms. Giddings has all the qualities that seemed essential to everyone: experience, vision, stability, sense of humor, enthusiasm, and wisdom. Of course, what makes her stand out is her passion for single gender education. Ms. Giddings also has particular expertise in the fields of curriculum development, technology, math, and faculty development and evaluation. Her knowledge in these areas will be invaluable to CSG at this point in our curriculum study.

Jemma Giddings, Director of Upper School.

Ms. Giddings was the Associate Head of the Atlanta Girls’ School in Atlanta, Georgia, and previously the Head of the Middle School there. Prior to that she taught all levels of math in South Gwinnett High School in Atlanta and was a Student Teacher Supervisor and Research Assistant at the University of Georgia. Her list of presentations and publications and her awards and honors are exciting and impressive, and she has served on several community boards. As her references have pointed out, she “has a deep understanding of all-girls education and the needs and desires of students, parents and faculty.” “She is a thoughtful listener and an imaginative problem-solver.” “She is brilliant, but never overbearing.” These are just a few of the positive remarks that were made – her references were full of delightful examples of Ms. Giddings work with families and faculty. Ms. Giddings is married to Joseph Thomas Giddings (Joe) and they have a five-year old daughter, Madeline. Mr. Giddings is a musician and is looking forward to getting to know the music community in Columbus. The entire family is excited about their move, since they also have family in Ohio.

Joan Hill says a final farewell with her Lower School faculty members.

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 64


M I L E S T O N E S WITH CONGRATULATIONS

We celebrate the joyous occasions of Columbus School for Girls Alumnae.

Births Shael Brachman, ’86, and Mohan Thanikachalam On the birth of their daughter Deah Thanikachalam January 24, 2011 Matt and Megan Dix Sloat, ’86 On the birth of their daughter Madeline Grace Sloat January 31, 2011 Brooks and Tiffany Thompson Taber, ’92 On the birth of their son Henry Taber Courtney Feuer, ’93, and Kris Himebaugh On the birth of their twins Leona Rose and Byron Edward July 18, 2010

Rene and Melissa Seidel Bedolla, ’96 On the birth of their daughter Phoebe Amelia Bedolla March 18, 2011 Mike and Robin Ackley Hochanadel, ’96 On the birth of their son Heath Alan Hochanadel June 23, 2010 Nick and Emily Bartz Costello, ’97 On the birth of their daughter Anne Catherine “Annie” Costello December 12, 2010 Wes and Kristen Bays Glover, ’99 On the birth of their son Alexander Loik Glover December 29, 2010

Condolences To

Christina Brown, ’96 On her Marriage to Sam Ellis January 15, 2011

Patty Nealon Forster, ’51 On the death of her husband F. William Forster, February 22, 2011 Patty: 153 Mermie Road, Pirates Cove Hardin, KY 42048-9421

Sarah Windels Ziegler, ’87 on her marriage to Dan Kay January 22, 2011

WITH SYMPATHY We acknowledge the loss of members and friends of the Columbus School for Girls family and extend our deepest sympathy. Condolences may be sent to the relatives listed.

In Memoriam Alumnae

Minnie Cobey Gallman, ’65 and Susanne Cobey Friedman, ’69 On the death of their mother Hortense Kohn Cobey, May 5, 2011 Minnie: 6744 Baron Road McLean, VA 22101 Susanne: 229 Tucker Drive Worthington, OH 43085

Mary Jane Madden Scott, ’33 April 21, 2011 Daughter, Sheila Zeune: 479 S. Township Road, Pataskala, OH 43062 Frances Rising Guenther, ’40 August 2, 2009 Daughter, Karen Guenther: 453 Winding Wood Way, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Julia Gardiner Hadley, ’43 May 24, 2011 Son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Lee Ann Hadley Granddaughters, Laura Hadley, ’11, and Madeline Hadley, ’13: 90 N. Columbia Ave., Columbus, OH 43209 Sarah Hamilton Douce Elliott, ’44 May 1, 2011 Ann Vlerebome Sorenson, ’49 April 8, 2011 Anne Field Campbell, ’79 August 23, 2010 Sister, Dana Field Foster, ’74: 237 Whipple Road, Kittery, ME 03904 Beth Conrad Ebersbach, ’90 April 7, 2011 Mother, Anne Tudor-Conrad: 9351 Summit Road, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 Father, Jerry B. Conrad: 657 Vista Drive, Gahanna, OH 43230

Diana Clatworthy Morgan, ’62 and Susan Clatworthy, ’69 On the death of their mother Rovena Conn Jordan January 13, 2011 Diana: 1025 Yorkshire Drive Marion, OH 43302 Susan: 515 E. 89th St., Apt. 4C New York, NY 10028-7843

Shari McCaskill Lamar, ’85 On the death of her son Kai Steven Lamar, May 4, 2011 Shari: 470 Heatherhill Road Columbus, OH 43213

Class News

Ryan and Kristin Stephens Stults, ’95 On the birth of their daughter Sara Violet Stults March 1, 2011

Marriages

Anne Barren Petit, ’84 and Mary Lee Barren Sprung, ’88 On the death of their brother Mark Barren, June 9, 2011 Anne: 1389 Jefferson Ave., Akron, OH 44313 Mary Lee: 243 W. New England Ave. Worthington, OH 43085 Cecilia Livesey Freedman, ’96 On the death of her mother Diana Livesey, March 6, 2011 Cecilia: 200 W. 90th St., Apt. 2 New York, NY 10024 Stacey Fenimore, ’03 On the death of her mother Barbara Fenimore, April 23, 2011 Stacey: 1520 Belvoir Blvd. Columbus, OH 43228

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 65


Commencement 2011: Sixty-two young women received their

diplomas June 9 during graduation ceremonies at Columbus School for Girls.

Class News

Student Council President, Samantha Wobst, addressed her fellow classmates and guests by saying she and her classmates have anticipated the chance to take their places in the seats under the big white tent for a long time. “Today our diplomas not only signify our master of British literature and chemistry, but they serve as a testament to the women we have become. All of my classmates are interesting and engaging people. They are confident and strong-willed and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the years to come.” Commencement speaker Brittany Westbrook, CSG Class of 1998, was also the Student Council President. Westbrook focused her speech around a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Westbrook told the graduates that their greatest challenge now is believing in the beauty of their dreams. A special Thank You to the Class

of 2010 for donating the new electronic organ used at Commencement this year!

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 66


Class News www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 67


The 62 members of the Class of 2011 received over $5 million in merit scholarship offers.

Conkle, Morgan Ashley The Ohio State University

Kelley, Keyana Mariah The Ohio State University

Sanders, Tarayn Sydney Hofstra University

Cooper, Letty Beth Elon University

Keys, Judith Naomi University of New Haven

Simmons, Elizabeth Ashley Ohio Wesleyan University

Accountius, Sarah Ashley Ohio Wesleyan University

Crockett, Lindsay Michelle Boston University

LaFollette, Taylor Davis The Ohio State University

Sims, Taylor Alexis The Ohio State University

Ackerman, MonĂŠ The College of Wooster

DeLong, Jennifer Ann Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Lint, Taylor Elizabeth Cornell University

Skoulis, Anne Katherine DePaul University

Lutter, Mary Catherine John Carroll University

Small, Enriqueta Marie Wittenberg University

Matzenbach, Ashley Marie John Carroll University

Srikanth, Meghna Case Western Reserve University

McGregor, Emma Helen University of Michigan

Staravecka, Laura Fordham University

Muigai, Mary Wangare Emory University

Stearns, Lucy Skylar The Ohio State University

Murray, Megan Elizabeth University of Richmond

Taylor, Frances Hazelwood DePaul University

Newland, Jane Margaret The Ohio State University

Valentine, Danielle Erin The Ohio State University

O’Donnell, Bridget Ann Bucknell University

Vargo, Veronica Lynn Sewanee: The University of the South

Pappa, Rachael Therese Xavier University

Volpe, Gina Marie The Ohio State University

Purdum, Abigail Mary Miami University, Oxford

Vutech, Anna Elizabeth Miami University, Oxford

Rao, Priya Kiron The Ohio State University

Wobst, Samantha Nicole Davidson College

Rhodes, Mariah Lynne University of Kentucky

Young, Megan Joy New York University

Richardson, Leah Beth University of Kentucky

Young, Rachel Louise Ohio University

Allen, Alexandra Gloeckner Xavier University Allison-Ramey, Samantha Leigh McDaniel College Augostini, Lauren Lee Alma College Bainbridge, Erin Margaret The Ohio State University Bertacchi, Breanna Rose The College of Wooster Blauer, Julia Elizabeth Miami University, Oxford Bowen, Grace Elizabeth The Ohio State University Brill, Audrey Lynn The Ohio State University Brown, Berkley Elizabeth The College of Wooster Caldwell, Imani Nicole Ohio University Canale, Ellen Elizabeth University of Kentucky Carlson, Katelyn Marie Angelo DePaul University

Garrison, Sarah Purcell Ohio University Gladfelter, Jessica Anne Roanoke College Groeber, Lucy Marie Savannah College of Art and Design Hadley, Laura Elizabeth University of Kentucky Haenszel, Ellen Elizabeth Miami University, Oxford Hester, Caitlin Elizabeth Denison University Hilbrands, Greta Jayne Allegheny College Hornyak, Leah Terese Miami University, Oxford Irwin, Elizabeth Grace University of Richmond Isaac, Helen Hazelwood New York University Kaltenecker, Therese Marie Northwestern University Kelley, Julia Marie Colorado College

columbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 68


Commencement Speaker: Brittany Westbrook The commencement speaker was Brittany Westbrook, CSG Class of 1998. Brittany is a former television news reporter and anchor, and currently is the Public Affairs Manager at the Central Ohio Workforce Investment Corporation. Westbrook was the Student Council president for her class in 1998 and knew the excitement the Class of 2011 had inside them. She focused her speech around a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Westbrook told the graduates that their greatest challenge now is believing in the beauty of their dreams. Westbrook gave the graduating seniors five points to live by. Each point was explained with personal life stories, wit, and emotion: #1 The only person you can control is you. #2 You train people how to treat you. #3 Your life is your story and it’s not about you. #4 Dogs don’t bark at parked cars, they only bark if you’re moving. #5 Possess your power.

When Westbrook finshed her words of wisdom with her five points, she asked the Class of 2011 to stand up, raise their right hands, and repeat the following: I, (name) promise to possess my power. I promise to believe in the beauty of my dreams. I promise not to waste my time trying control others, but to dedicate my time to nurturing the "me" that I can control. I promise to train people how to treat me, by treating them with the love and respect I believe we all deserve. I promise to write a successful life story full of ups and downs, and to tell that story to the people who need it most. I promise that when I hear the dogs barking, I won’t stop, but keep moving in the direction of my dreams. I promise to do these things not because I am a CSG graduate, not because I am my parents’ child, not because I am what the world deems a success, but because I am me... And no one else in this world, possesses my unique power! Westbrook finished her speech by telling the students the following. “When I gave the graduation speech as Student Council president in 1998, I asked my classmates that someone become famous so that I could say I knew them when. Today I won’t ask you for fame, but I will ask you for something that may take you there. Today, I ask you to possess your power, and with that, Class of 2011, you will have some amazing life stories to tell. They will be full of beautiful dreams and fueled by your self-belief in the possibilities. While we all can’t wait to hear your story, I hope you take your time and delight in the ups and downs of writing it!”

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 69


LANDMARK: Breaking Ground

1

2

6

4

3

5

6 7

8 9

10

11

Over 200 people celebrated the groundbreaking of CSG’s Landmark Project and the kick-off of the Landmark Campaign on Friday, June 10, 2011. Liza Lee, Head of School, said the project “reflects the same adherence to the commitment of founders Miss Scott and Miss Kelley, to educational excellence for girls. Our school remains one of the most vigorous and progressive in the Midwest. CSG provides all that we can imagine for the intellectual development, the health and well-being, and the artistic lives of our students…the Wellness and Athletics Complex and Performing Arts Center will put us in the forefront of educational change and open possibilities for the future that are only dreams in the present.” For more information, please visit www.columbusschoolforgirls.org and click on the Landmark Project button. 1. Landmark Building Project, view from Drexel Avenue 2. Bernie Ostrowski, Chair,

Facilities Committee, Liza Lee, Head of School, Susan Tomasky, Chair, Board of Trustees 3. The festivities included a song written specifically for the event by Jenny Morgan that was performed by Morgan and students in CSG’s Program for Young Children along with several Upper School students 4-5. 2011 Seniors signed rocks that will go into the foundation of the new Wellness and Athletics Complex, symbolizing the ways in which this building reflects the past, honors the present, and embraces the future 6. Sarah Ziegler Kay, ’87, Chair, Landmark Campaign and Christy Rosenthal, Director of Development and External Relations 7. Faculty member, Vince Maite, and his daughter, Charlotte 8. Glenda Harrison, Chair, Landmark Groundbreaking Committee, Beth Crane, Co-Chair, Landmark School Community Campaign Committee, Katie Chatas, Co-Chair, Landmark School Community Campaign Committee, Brian Tierney, Vice Chair, Landmark Campaign, Sarah Ziegler Kay, ’87, Chair, Landmark Campaign, and Kim Rice Wilson, ’80, Chair, Landmark Communications Committee 9. Liz Donaldson, Landmark Communications Committee, Mia Donaldson, Class of 2024, Liza Lee, Head of School, Audra York, Class of 2012 10. Mary Lorenz, CSG Communications Office, her husband Tom Lorenz, and CSG’s Food Service Director, Vanessa Winegardner 11. Jamie Taylor, Marilyn Vutech, Chair, Upper School Landmark School Community Campaign Committee, Liz Taylor, Upper School Landmark School Community Camcolumbus school for girls Forte et Gratum Summer 2011 paign Committee 70


ART

ANTIQUES Unique Experiences

Travel Packages JEWELRY

Sponsored by the Alumnae Association and the National Alumnae Council

Auction begins February 7, 2012 Lisa Sugar Gitz, ‘79 Galleria Co-Chair lisagitz@gmail.com Claire Murnane, ‘01 Galleria Co-Chair murnancec@gmail.com

An Online Auction Benefiting Columbus School For Girls Donations are being accepted for our international online auction. A great painting. A unique vase. A week at your vacation home. Tickets to a special event. An antique desk... Let your imagination guide you! You can donate items in the following ways: • Drop off, mail or email your items to the school • Click on GALLERIA ONLINE AUCTION on our website www.columbusschoolforgirls.org • Click on DONATE ITEMS on the auction website www.csg.cmarket.com

ALL PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT CSG CLASSROOM LEARNING.

S TEM W! I N TIO ED NO C AU EPT C AC

COLUMBUS SCHOOL FOR GIRLS / ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN 2010–2011

One Click Makes All the Difference. Visit our secure web site at www. ColumbusSchoolforGirls.org Congratulations to the CSG Faculty and Staff, and to Parents of Form IV students, for reaching 100% participation in Annual Giving. THANK YOU to everyone in the CSG community who contributed to Annual Giving 2010-2011. Your continued support is deeply appreciated.

www.columbusschoolforgirls.org 71


Columbus School for Girls 56 S. Columbia Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43209 www.columbusschoolforgirls.org

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

COLUMBUS, OH PERMIT NO. 153

Save the date for Jubilee! October 13-15 Preview Party

Jubilee weekend kicks off Thursday evening with a school-wide celebration. Enjoy fabulous food, cocktails, great music, a silent auction and a student art auction - all while shopping Jubilee’s specialty boutiques.

Marketplace

Unique shopping from national and international vendors. 100 percent of Jubilee's proceeds benefit the CSG Scholars Fund, providing financial assistance to 27 percent of the student body.

Thank you

We celebrate the following corporate sponsors of the CSG Scholars Fund!

Shopping for Scholarships


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.