Curtis School Annual Report & Magazine 2021-22

Annual Report 2021-2022

Contents 4

Letter From the Board Chair

5

Board of Trustees Report

10

School Finances 2021-2022

13

Letter from the Parents Association President

14

Parents Association Report

16

Curtis Rocks On Fair

18

Curtis Goes Pop!

20

Sixth Grade Class of 2022

22

Matriculation of the Class of 2016

24

Curtis Fund Leadership

26

Report on Philanthropy

38

Milestones of Service

39

Ways to Give

Curtis School 15871 Mulholland Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049 (310) 476-1251 Publications@CurtisSchool.org

On the Cover At Curtis School, each lesson, exploration, and experience begins with the child.

We ask, "What do they need to feel a true and lasting connection to their learning?" as we strive to make learning forever joyful.

Red, White, or Blue—which team will win? A time-honored tradition, Superstars Day is an afternoon of friendly competition for students in all grades who vie for points in sack races, tugs of war, watermelon eating contests, and more!

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 4

Letter from the Chair of the Board of Trustees Dear Curtis Community, On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to thank all Curtis families, past and current, as well as our amazing faculty and staff for the strong support that made the 2021-22 Curtis Fund and school year a great success. In addition, I want to thank the Parents Association for the countless ways it has helped create a supportive and inviting community during a year of continuing uncertainty caused by the COVID pandemic. The Parents Association, under the leadership of President Katherine Meyer and in partnership with the administration, was remarkable in its commitment to sustain the Curtis spirit, turning every challenge into opportunities for Curtis to shine. Thank you, Katherine, for your leadership and friendship. They say it takes a community, and I‘m proud to say ours has stayed strong and supportive to provide our students with the most robust education possible.

At the end of the school year, we bid farewell to one long-standing trustee, Vanessa Keith Garcia, who has dedicated incredible amounts of time and effort to Curtis. Vanessa served for five years and brought her expertise, grace, and collaborative and strategic spirit to this board. She was most recently the board‘s Executive Committee First Vice Chair and a Co-Chair of the Committee on Trustees. She was formerly Executive Committee Secretary and served on the Strategic Planning and Buildings & Grounds Committees. Throughout her tenure, Vanessa has been a respected thought leader in the board‘s work. We thank Vanessa for her dedication to Curtis School and know that she and her family will remain close to Curtis in the future.

The Friedman Family (l-r): Rob (with pup Jules), Jolie ‘20,

Please join me in extending a warm welcome to our new board Brooke ‘18, and Shari. members for the 2022-23 school year: Karla Diaz Sayles and Harshith Ramesh. Their input in our Buildings & Grounds, Strategic Alignment, and Finance Committees has already proved invaluable, and we are fortunate to welcome them to our board. I encourage you to read about them in the pages that follow.

As I reflect on the past year, I couldn‘t be prouder of how Curtis has distinguished itself in delivering on all things for our kids. Under Dr. Ratnesar‘s leadership, our students have had a best-in-class education with thoughtful, adaptive pedagogy, and an eye towards future expansion of programs, facilities, and opportunities for growth.

It is my honor and privilege to serve as Board Chair and to work alongside Dr. Ratnesar and our extraordinarily dedicated and thoughtful board. I am forever thankful for all that this amazing school has meant to me and my family.

Go Cougars!

Rob Friedman Chair, Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees 2021-2022 Rob Friedman, Chair Vanessa Keith Garcia, First Vice Chair Tracy Minker ‘88, Second Vice Chair Steve Chang, Treasurer Dilip Bhavnani, Secretary Erikson Albrecht Kavitha Bhatia Ryan Boccuzzi Dana Coleman Elizabeth English Jim Miller ‘90 Kevin Newman ‘83 Allan Schweitzer ‘79 Craig Varnen Leslie Vermut Jon Wimbish Thea Wolf Rachel Yang

2022-2023 Rob Friedman, Chair Craig Varnen, First Vice Chair Tracy Minker ‘88, Second Vice Chair Allan Schweitzer ‘79, Treasurer Thea Wolf, Secretary Erikson Albrecht Kavitha Bhatia Dilip Bhavnani Ryan Boccuzzi Steve Chang Dana Coleman Elizabeth English Jim Miller ‘90 Kevin Newman ‘83 Harshith Ramesh Karla Diaz Sayles Leslie Vermut Jon Wimbish Rachel Yang

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 6

Board Committees 2021-2022 Executive Committee Rob Friedman, Chair Vanessa Keith Garcia, First Vice Chair Tracy Minker ‘88, Second Vice Chair Steve Chang, Treasurer Dilip Bhavnani, Secretary Advancement Committee Dilip Bhavnani, Co-Chair Thea Wolf, Co-Chair Rob Friedman, Ex officio Jim Miller ‘90 Tracy Minker ‘88 Allan Schweitzer ‘79 Leslie Vermut Rachel Yang Curtis Estes, Non-Trustee Member Shane Fermelia ‘84, Non-Trustee Member Elena Gimbel, Curtis Fund Participation Co-Chair Monica Johnson, Curtis Fund Participation Co-Chair Monica Kirchner, Non-Trustee Member Jeff Reynolds, Non-Trustee Member Meera Ratnesar, Head of School Corinne Schulman, Director of Advancement

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 7

Audit Committee Craig Varnen, Chair Rob Friedman, Ex officio Rachel Yang Sarah Wetzstein, Non-Trustee Member Buildings & Grounds Committee Allan Schweitzer ‘79, Chair Rob Friedman, Ex officio Erikson Albrecht Steve Chang Jon Wimbish Rachel Yang Harshith Ramesh, Non-Trustee Member Karla Diaz Sayles, Non-Trustee Member Jeff Albert, Director of Facilities Meera Ratnesar, Head of School Dan Rothbauer, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Tinsley, Chief Operating Officer Committee on Trustees Dilip Bhavnani, Co-Chair Vanessa Keith Garcia, Co-Chair Rob Friedman, Ex officio Kavitha Bhatia Dana Coleman Jim Miller ‘90 Tracy Minker ‘88 Allan Schweitzer ‘79 Craig Varnen Finance Committee Steve Chang, Co-Chair Allan Schweitzer ‘79, Co-Chair Rob Friedman, Ex officio Kevin Newman ‘83 Leslie Vermut Howard Cheng, Non-Trustee Member Ann Kono, Non-Trustee Member Chris Lau, Non-Trustee Member Harshith Ramesh, Non-Trustee Member Noah Shore, Non-Trustee Member Kate Fox, Director of Accounting Meera Ratnesar, Head of School Dan Rothbauer, Chief Financial Officer

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Erikson Albrecht, Co-Chair Dana Coleman, Co-Chair Rob Friedman, Ex officio Ryan Boccuzzi Kevin Newman ‘83 Thea Wolf David Hilton, Non-Trustee Member David Yang, Non-Trustee Member Earleen Kennedy, School Counselor & Community Liaison for DEI Janet Lee, Director of Equity, Curriculum & Instruction Meera Ratnesar, Head of School Sarah Tinsley, Chief Operating Officer Strategic Alignment Committee Kavitha Bhatia, Co-Chair Kevin Newman ‘83, Co-Chair Rob Friedman, Ex officio Erikson Albrecht Ryan Boccuzzi Elizabeth English Vanessa Keith Garcia Tracy Minker ‘88 Jon Wimbish Karoline Hilu, Non-Trustee Member Monica Kirchner, Non-Trustee Member Karla Diaz Sayles, Non-Trustee Member Tessa McKeown, Director of Lower Elementary Mimi Petrie, Director of Admissions Meera Ratnesar, Head of School Master Planning Sub-Committee (Buildings & Grounds) Allan Schweitzer ‘79, Chair Rob Friedman, Ex officio Ryan Boccuzzi Elizabeth English Craig Varnen Leslie Vermut Jerry Neuman, Non-Trustee Member Karla Diaz Sayles, Non-Trustee Member Meera Ratnesar, Head of School Dan Rothbauer, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Tinsley, Chief Operating Officer

For the 2022-23 year, we are excited and fortunate to welcome two new members to our Board of Trustees. Harshith Ramesh and Karla Diaz Sayles bring a wealth of diverse talents and experience to add to an already outstanding board, and we are grateful for their willingness to serve.

Harshith Ramesh Harshith Ramesh is a Curtis parent who brings extensive top-level executive business experience in finance, planning, and development to the Board of Trustees. He has already been serving Curtis well as a contributor on the Board’s Finance Committee and the Building & Grounds Committee since 2020-21.

Harshith is Co-CEO at Episource, a leading healthcare services and technology company that specializes in data analytics for the nation’s largest health plans. Since 2011, Harshith has overseen the growth of Episource from fewer than 100 to more than 5,000 employees globally. In addition to leading the company’s overall strategy, Ramesh has direct responsibility for finance, global operations, technology, and new product development.

Prior to Episource, Harshith was at Moelis & Company, a global independent investment bank, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and restructurings. He has also held positions at AOL, Bear Stearns & Co., and Copal Partners (now Moody’s Analytics).

Harshith earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Tulane University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Harshith and his wife, Amita, are the parents of Curtis students Milan ’23 and Misha ’26, and Mihir (Brentwood Sunshine Preschool).

Karla Diaz Sayles Karla Diaz Sayles is a seasoned government affairs executive with expertise in public policy, legislative advocacy, community engagement strategy, coalition building, and innovative problem solving at all levels of government. She serves as Director of Public Affairs at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

Karla previously worked for L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas as Health Deputy, in which capacity she helped open a new Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital in South L.A., launched 13 school-based health centers, and led the early childhood portfolio. Karla previously managed public affairs campaigns for land-use, transportation, and political campaign clients.

A passionate volunteer, Karla serves on the Board of Zocalo Public Square, on the research and operations committees for FilmLA, and on Northwestern University’s Alumni Admissions Council. She also advises WBD’s Latinx employee group. Karla served as President of the Junior League of Los Angeles from 2018 to 2019 and joined the Junior League Board in 2012. Karla has served on the L.A. County Workforce Development Commission and on the L.A. Trust for Children’s Health Board.

She has chaired several of her Marlborough School reunions and served as Class Agent. At Curtis, Karla has served on the Board of Trustees’ Strategic Alignment and Building & Grounds Committees since 2020 and has been an active member of the Parents Association, volunteering on a variety of committees.

Karla holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, International Studies and Spanish Literature from Northwestern University. She and her husband, Matt Sayles ’94, are proud parents to two Curtis Cougars, Matthew ’26 and Hunter ’28.

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 9

Introducing Curtis Schoolʼs New Board Members

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 10

School Finances Operating Budget for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022

0.8%

OPERATING INCOME Tuition, Fees & Other Investment Income1 Total Operating Income

Restricted/Draw

1.1%

$16,886,000

89.5%

$10,000

0.1%

0.1%

Net Parents Association Fundraising

Investment Income

8.5%

Unrestricted Gifts

$16,896,000

GIFTS, CONTRIBUTIONS & DRAWS $1,600,000

8.5%

Restricted Funds/Endowment Draw

$160,000

0.8%

Net Parents Association Fundraising

$200,000

1.1%

Unrestricted2

Total Contributions Total Revenue

89.5%

Tuition, Fees & Other

$1,960,000 OPERATING INCOME, GIFTS & CONTRIBUTIONS

$18,856,000

OPERATING EXPENSE3 Salaries, Benefits & Educational Programs Facilities/COVID-19 Expenditures

8.8%

General Administration

$13,465,000

70.4%

$1,836,000

9.6%

General Administration

$1,675,000

8.8%

Financial Aid

$2,150,000

11.2%

Total Expenditures

$19,126,000

Financial figures in this report reflect the Board-approved 2021-22 school year revised budget.

Investment Income plan reflects bank interest only estimate. Curtis School‘s operating budget does not include investment fund (endowment) growth or interest estimates.

1

Unrestricted Gifts reflects Annual Fund goal.

2

Operating Expense includes fixed-asset purchases and excludes depreciation. Facilities includes planned PPRSM funding. Financial Aid includes tuition remission.

3

As of 6/30/2022

9.6%

Facilities

11.2%

Financial Aid

70.4%

Salaries, Benefits & Educational Programs

OPERATING EXPENSE

PA Leadership 2021-22 (l-r): Assistant Treasurer Christine De La Hoz, 3rd VP Jennifer Hilton, 1st VP Sharon Eshaghoff, Recording Secretary Alli Katz, Treasurer Sue Tran, President Katherine Meyer, Fundraising, Marketing & Website Manager Kristin Campbell, 5th VP Courtney Mack, Corresponding Secretary Stacey Fish, 2nd VP Sherri Martin, Past President Monica Kirchner, and 4th VP Amita Ramesh.

Middle left: Ellie ’27 and Katherine Meyer, with Book Spree Chairs Lisa Beaubaire, Melissa Bretz, Golnaz Saedi-Paya, Jenn Chiarelli, Alli Katz, and Amita Ramesh.

Middle right: 2021 Fair Chairs Carrie Scotti, Courtney Weiss, Sanaz Tavakoli, Sara Ross, and Desiree Neman.

Bottom left: Grandparents Day parent volunteers Courtney Mack, Danyel Lau, Sanaz Tavakoli, Desiree Neman, Jennifer Hillman, Amita Ramesh, Marla Raminfar and Stephanie Poursalimi.

Bottom right: Seda Bayrak helped DK students add handprints to the artwork auctioned off at the Curtis Celebrates! fundraiser.

Dear Curtis Community, “Wow” is all I can say about this unbelievable year. Coming out of a year of social distancing and many Zooms in 2020-21, we really didn‘t know what to expect at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. The new hybrid version of life (part virtual, part in-person) was difficult to navigate, but when it came to supporting and connecting, our entire Curtis community jumped in wholeheartedly.

As plans were made, re-made, and ultimately finalized, you all patiently accepted the changes and offered help. When we imagined new events and ways to volunteer, each and every one of you rolled with the variations, happily showed up, leaned in, and supported our beloved school. I am thrilled with the strides we have made together this past year.

We reconnected even further despite the continuing pandemic and bonded through the mutual love for our students and our incredible school. We couldn‘t have a more thoughtful, engaged, and caring community. And, no words can communicate my gratitude for you all.

The Meyer Family (l-r): Tanner '23, Ellie '27, Andrew, Karsten '26 and Katherine.

The past school year was full of unbelievable accomplishments that couldn‘t, and wouldn‘t, have happened without our incredible Curtis parent and guardian volunteers. The year‘s highlights included bringing back some of Curtis‘s honored traditions in a safe and thoughtful way. Our ever popular Curtis Fair “Rocked On,” and it was wonderful to see so many of our families at our Party Book parties, Curtis Cares Day of community service, Book Spree events, and International Lunch Day celebration. Our annual fundraiser, Curtis Celebrates!, was a smashing success in turn-out and, importantly, raised money for the school‘s Financial Aid Fund. Bringing back all of these events was a colossal feat, and it was due to our parent volunteers as well as a strong faculty, staff, and administration partnership, that we were able to exceed every one of our goals.

As I reflect on the year, I am overwhelmed with appreciation and gratitude. It was an honor to serve as president of the Parents Association alongside our incredible Curtis community. Thank you for your partnership and support!

Lots of love,

Katherine Meyer Parents Association President 2021-22

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 13

Reconnection and Return with the Strength of Our Community

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 14

Parents Association Board 2021-2022 The Parents Association once again showed its resiliency and strength as it worked with the school to relaunch in-person programs and events after a year of some pause and lots of being “together apart.”

The dedication and love from our parent and guardian community restored our spirits and filled us with precious memories from the Curtis Rocks On Fair, to Curtis Goes POP!, Buds and Seedlings, Book Spree, and everything else that the PA does for our community. We are deeply grateful to our parent volunteers for partnering with Curtis to make our school the special place that it is.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Katherine Meyer, President Sharon Eshaghoff, 1st Vice President – Communications Sherri Martin, 2nd Vice President – Admissions Liaison Jennifer Hilton, 3rd Vice President – Fundraising Amita Ramesh, 4th Vice President – Community Courtney Mack, 5th Vice President – Enrichment Sue Tran, Treasurer Alli Katz, Recording Secretary Stacey Fish, Corresponding Secretary Monica Kirchner, Past President 1ST VP COMMITTEES - COMMUNICATIONS Grade Representatives Stacey Fish, Developmental Kindergarten Karla Diaz Sayles, Kindergarten Yelena Vayner, 1st Grade Karen Frankel, 2nd Grade Salimah Shamji, 3rd Grade Jennifer Hillman, 4th Grade Betsy Miller, 5th Grade Randie Kleinman, 6th Grade Susan Lynch, 6th Grade Zaheeda Rahemtulla, 6th Grade Daniela Sheahan, 6th Grade Lost & Found Beverly Galashan Daniela Sheahan Practically New Uniforms Rachel Kirenga Danielle Molina 2ND VP COMMITTEES – ADMISSIONS LIAISON New Parent Liaisons Carly Church, Developmental Kindergarten Erin Creznic, Developmental Kindergarten Dana Federman, Developmental Kindergarten Stacey Fish, Developmental Kindergarten Beverly Galashan, Developmental Kindergarten Ali Weinberger, Developmental Kindergarten

Brian Bumbery, Kindergarten Lee Chu, Kindergarten Lara Dolecek, Kindergarten Jaya Hathaway, Kindergarten Jackie Marciano, Kindergarten Meredith Rettinger-Silver, Kindergarten Dianna Sternberg, Kindergarten Marla Raminfar, 1st Grade Orly Tabibi, 1st Grade Danielle Molina, 2nd Grade Seema Stewart, 2nd Grade Rakhee Alston, 3rd Grade Gillian Heckendorf, 4th Grade Makala Williams-Singleton, 4th Grade Julie Torres, 5th Grade Jennifer Cole, 6th Grade 3RD VP COMMITTEES - FUNDRAISING Assistant Treasurer Christine De La Hoz Boutique Michelle Etebar Karen Frankel Carolyn Huang Marla Raminfar Cougar Wear Clare Apelian Jackie Harman Danyel Lau Wendy Luan Michelle McGruder Renee Yang Curtis Celebrates! 2022 Seda Bayrak Leena Fakhri Stacey Fish Katie Gebhard Courtney Mack Karla Diaz Sayles Jennifer Smiley

Curtis Spirit 2020-21 Annabelle Apley Courtney Glickman Weiss Gillian Heckendorf Carrie Scotti Fundraising, Website & Marketing Manager Kristin Campbell Fundraising Members-at-Large Elsie Mendoza Patricia Weg Party Book Ariane Klein Jill Peters April Topp Christine Zenjiryan 4TH VP COMMITTEES - COMMUNITY

Seema Stewart Christine Zenjiryan Seedlings Natalie Javaheri Danyel Lau Yasmine Maghami Rayna Marz Orly Tabibi STANDING COMMITTEES Historian Jean Getson Hot Lunch Alexis Alban Orly Tabibi International Lunch Day Julia Chang Jackie Kim Rachel Kirenga Jin Sun Lee Caroline Michel Erin Novak Seema Stewart Christine Zenjiryan

Book Spree Lisa Beaubaire Melissa Bretz Jennifer Chiarelli Alli Katz Golnaz Saedi-Paya Julie Torres

Library Chairs Kelly Gafni Laura Zahrawi

5TH VP COMMITTEES - ENRICHMENT

PA Past Presidents Heather Bath Susan Lynch

Buds Sapna Abrol Rose Hubbard Michelle McGruder Foujan Neman Sakhai Shana Zarcufsky Curtis Cares Community Service Day Julia Chang Kelly Gafni Erin Novak Renee Yang Families Helping Families Karen Frankel Danyel Lau Meredith Rettinger-Silver Seema Stewart Ali Weinberger Cultural Celebrations Leena Fakhri Rose Hubbard Cara Sands Dianna Sternberg

PA Members-at-Large Annabelle Apley Makala Williams-Singleton

Steam Maker Day Jackie Kim Rachel Kirenga Jin Sun Lee Caroline Michel Danielle Molina Treasury Committee Kristi Estes, Chair Ines Cho Sheila Lawrence John Peters Julie Quinn Ali Weinberger NOMINATING COMMITTEE Monica Kirchner Chair Heather Bath Amorette Brooms Carly Church Carolyn Huang Alli Katz Sherri Martin

Elsie Mendoza Marla Raminfar Hannah Yang ROOM PARENTS Developmental Kindergarten Beverly Galashan Sue Tran Kindergarten Melissa Barshop Jennifer Cole Courtney Fennimore Anna Gross Jaya Hathaway Dianna Sternberg 1st Grade Lada Engchawadechasilp Ann Kono Danyel Lau Rebecca Mall Deepti Patel Jill Peters 2nd Grade Annabelle Apley Seda Bayrak Britt Levine Natasha McCaffrey Seema Stewart Tracee Williams 3rd Grade Jackie Marciano Elsie Mendoza Desiree Neman Laura Schumer Daniela Sheahan Kathy Simonian Kiera Strain Sanaz Tavakoli 4th Grade Alexis Arinsburg Heather Ezer Roya Ghafouri Jaclyn Golditch Marla Raminfar Casondra Ruga Gillian Sheldon Jenny Smiley 5th Grade Tracy Akselrud Kristin Campbell Naomi Gloege Earleen Kennedy Ariane Klein Sheila Lawrence Yasmine Maghami Golnaz Saedi-Paya

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 15

Curtis Fair 2021-22 Courtney Glickman Weiss Desiree Neman Sara Ross Carrie Scotti Sanaz Tavakoli

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 16

FAIR FAI FA AIR AR AI I 2021 SPONSORS Thank yo you to all families and friends of the school who sponsored the amazing Curtis Rocks On 2021 Fair. Fair is one sponsore of the mo most loved of Curtis traditions, and the Curtis Rocks On Fair w was especially important to our community after a year of being apart and unable to host the Fair in 2020 due to th the COVID-19 pandemic. Our families relished all the traditional trimmings of Fair including rides, games, prizes, tradition and the m many culinary treats that make the day so special.

Most of a all, Curtis Rocks On underscored the power of our community, how our relationships buoy us, and how much it commun means to us to be together on our school campus.

Event Sponsors The Abrol Family Th il The Alb Alban F Family The Alston Family The Apelian Family The Aspen Family The Bass Family The Beizai Family The Beker Family The Borman Family The Braiman Family The Branscome Family The Bumbery-Lazarus Family The Buss Family The Castro/Johnson Family Benjamin Cho & Sofia Lee The Choi Family Adam Cohen's Family The Cole Family The Condie Family The Copeland Family Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP The Cue Gonzalez Family The Cutler Family The Daneshgar Family The Daws-Pecano Family The De La Hoz Family The de Neufville Family The Ellenbogen Family The Eshaghoff Family/Cal Properties The Estes Family The Etebar Family The Ezer Family The Ezor Family The Fakhri Family

The Faulha Faulhaber Family The Feiner Family The Fennim Fennimore Family The Fish Fa Family The Fox Family The Gitkin Family The Glennon Family The Gold Family The Heckenberg Family/ Heckenberg Realty The Hilton Family The Holmes Family The Hu Family The Jasper Family Isabella Javaheri & Family The Johnson Family The Josephson Family The Katz Family The Keshavarzi Family The Kestenbaum Family The Kim Family The Kirchner Family The Koo Family The Lasman Family The Lau Family The Laxer Family The Lee/Chu Family The Ted Lee Family The Liebman Family The Mack Family The Mall/Miller Family The Manuel Family The Marciano Family The Malia, Mia, Milo Martin Family The McCormack Family The Meidel Family

The Meyer Family The Middleton Family The Milner Family The Noecker-Robert Family The Novak Family The Nyarwaya Family The Palumbo Family The Park Family The Pozarny Family The Press Family The Rahemtulla Family The Ramesh Family The Rivera Family The Ro Family The Ryoo/Shelton Family The Saadat Family The Schwartzman Family The Scotti Family Iva & Vishal Shah The Shorland Family The Silver Family The Smiley Family The Sternberg Family The Swidler Family The Tafreshi Family The Tu Family Tania & Daniel Verdugo The von Furstenberg Family The Wiczyk Family The Wineburgh Family The Yang Family The Liang & Rainie Yang Family The Yari Family Jennifer Yen/Purlisse The Zahrawi Family The Zarcufsky Family

Curtis Celebrates!

2022 Curtis Goes POP!, held at the Skirball on March 5th, was a triumphant return to the Parents Association’s traditional in-person spring fundraiser. The success of the pop-art themed evening dedicated to celebrating our community and supporting the Curtis Financial Aid Fund was owed to the creativity and hard work of our parent volunteers and was made possible through the generosity of many family and corporate sponsors.

EVENT SPONSORS The Alban Family The Albrecht Family The Alston Family Bacardi Limited The Bath-Reynolds Family The Cha Family Howard & Lada Cheng The Choi Family Jennifer & Marshall Cole Cox, Castle, & Nicholson LLP The Dantzler Family The De La Hoz Family Larry & Prachi Dumas The Ellenbogen Family Elizabeth English & Leigh Williams The Esmaili Family The Etebar Family The Fakhri Family Dr. Michael & Rebecca Feiz The Fennimore Family Stacey & Mardy Fish The Foley Family Karen & Eli Frankel The Glennon Family The Gross Family The Harman Family Tim Heckendorf & Gillian Sheldon Heckendorf The Hill Family The Hilton Family Dr. Cassie & Mr. Rob Holmes Dr. Susanna Tran & Charles Hsieh Carolyn & Danny Huang The Shira Josephson Family The Katz Family The Kennedy Family

Eugene Kim & Jin Lee Familly The Kirchner Family The Kolbrenner Family The Lau Family The Martin Family The McGruder Family Blake Meidel & The Meidel Family The Meyer Family The Middleton Family Jason & Samantha Milner Nemecek & Cole Law Firm Robert & Syldy Nida The Novak Family The Nyarwaya Family One Digital The O'Neal Family The Paya Family The Portley Family The Preventza-Sarris Family Purlisse Nav & Zaheeda Rahemtulla The Ramesh Family Arash & Marla Raminfar The Rogers Family Foujan & Isaac Sakhai The Sanders Family The Sayles Family Elizabeth & David Schwartzman The Sheahan Family The Singleton-Williams Family Jenny & Ryan Smiley Solalba The Stewart Family Susie Cakes Ali & Alex Weinberger The Williams Family The Wineburgh Family Yensa

TEXT-TO-GIVE DONORS Anonymous The Abrol Family The Alban Family Meghann & Howard Altman The Apley Family The Bath-Reynolds Family Seda & Aykut Bayrak The Beizai Family The Bhatia Family The Bhavnani Family Arun Bohra & Ashita Shah The Braiman Family The Buss Family The Campbell Family Steve & Julia Chang Drs. Danielle & Todd Cohen The Cole Family Dr. Lara Dolecek & Dr. Tyson Condie The Copeland Family The Cutler Family Khalief & Henry Dantzler The Daws-Pecano Family The de la Lama Family Larry & Prachi Dumas The Ellenbogen Family The Esmaili Family Curtis & Kristi Estes The Ewald Family The Farasat Family Angela & Daniel Feiner Courtney & Thomas Fennimore Louis Fermelia & Shane McCoy Fermelia Sarina & Angelo Fierro Sheila Lawrence & Breen Frazier Rob & Shari Friedman The Fujikawa-Kwon Family The Galashan Family The Gitkin Family Lisa & Mark Goh David & Anna Gross Jordan & Jaya Hathaway Ginger Healy Cara Sands & James Heckenberg Jason & Rebecca Hild Jennifer & David Hillman The Hilton Family The Huang Family Nadia & Joshua Javaheri Monica & Cory Johnson Ciara Castro & Gabriel Johnson Brooke & Barry Josephson Earleen Kennedy

David & Jennie Kim Drs. Jin Sun Lee & Eugene K. Kim Monica & Jon Kirchner Randie & Alan Kleinman Loryn & Adam Kolbrenner Tiffany & Bennett Koo The Kreymer Family Lee Chu & Jongmin Lee The Liebman Family Orell Lumpkin & Amorette Brooms Dr. William Mack & Mrs. Courtney Mack The Marciano Family The Matus Family Natasha & Tim McCaffrey Travlin & Nicole McCormack Sandra McGarry Tessa & Joseph McKeown Nancy & Greg Meidel The Mendoza Family Katherine & Andrew Meyer Rebecca Mall & John Miller Jason & Samantha Milner The Molina Family Candice & Daniel Naysan David & Lisa Neman The Noecker-Robert Family The Palumbo Family Mili Patel & Srinivas Panguluri Deepti & Pank Patel The Paya Family Jill & John Peters Mimi & Don Petrie The Poursalimi Family The Pozarny Family Meera Ratnesar & John Querio Zaheeda & Nav Rahemtulla Harshith & Amita Ramesh Arash & Marla Raminfar The Rasouli Family The Resnikoff Family Julia & Ian Richter The Rivera Family Lauren & Bradley Ross Isaac Sakhai & Foujan Neman Sakhai The Sarris Preventza Family Kyoko Sasaki The Sayles Family The Schackne Family Corinne & Jory Schulman Elizabeth & David Schwartzman Allan & Lily Schweitzer Iva & Vishal Shah Amy & Adam Siegel The Silver Family The Slootweg Family

The Smiley Family Dianna & Justin Sternberg Satara, Seema & de Winter Stewart The Tanner Family The Tao Family The Topp Family Patricia & Adam Weg The Weidenbaum Family Ali & Alex Weinberger The Wineburgh Family Eric & Elizabeth Witt Thea & Jay Wolf Eric & Hannah Yang Dr. Rachel Yang & Mr. Don Ho Erin & Shawn Yari Jennifer Yen & David Bell The Zahiri Family Laura & Mo Zahrawi

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 19

We are grateful for the generosity of all who responded during the event to a special request for direct support for the Curtis Financial Aid Fund. These gifts help ensure the school’s ability to offer admission and provide continuing support to students who would otherwise not be able to attend Curtis.

Secondary School Outplacement

The Archer School For Girls

2

Berkeley Hall School

2

Brentwood School

11

The Buckley School

9

Campbell Hall

3

Chaminade College Preparatory

1

These important relationships, and knowing our

Emerson Middle School

1

students as individuals, are instrumental in our ability

Episcopal Academy (Pennsylvania)

1

Geffen Academy at UCLA

1

regarded by the admissions offices of secondary

Harvard-Westlake School

20

schools to which our families typically apply, and they

Marlborough School

3

Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic School

1

Viewpoint School

2

Windward School

5

Curtis teachers, administrators, and staff maintain a close partnership with our students and families.

to support our graduating families during middle school outplacement. Curtis students are highly

are admitted to among the most respected schools in Los Angeles and beyond. We congratulate the Class of 2022 and wish our graduates every success as they continue their educational journeys.

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 21

Sixth Grade Class Of 2022 Sixth Grade Awards

ACADEMIC AWARD

CONTRIBUTION AWARD

This award recognizes the student who has continually displayed outstanding effort and achievement in all subject areas of academic work.

Selected by the faculty and presented by Dr. Meera Ratnesar.

This award recognizes the student who has continually contributed to the betterment of Curtis School and the student body. Selected by the faculty and presented by Dr. Meera Ratnesar.

Roselyn Chen Lukas Magna

THREE-RULE AWARD This award recognizes the student who exemplifies the school motto of kindness, honesty, and respect for oneself and others. Selected by the faculty and presented by Dr. Meera Ratnesar.

London Pecano Fernando Rivera

Blake Meidel Saira Rahemtulla

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AWARD The 6th grade students were asked to reflect on their time at Curtis and to identify two students who, through their actions, consistently inspired them to become better people.

Selected by the 6th grade class and presented by the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Rob Friedman.

Christian Estes Tessa Wollaeger

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 22

Matriculation of the Curtis Alumni High School Graduates of 2022

Sixth Grade Class Of 2016 Congratulations to our alumni who graduated from high school in 2022. We are confident that each of these remarkable individuals will continue to pursue their educations with passion and purpose and will use their knowledge, talents, and compassionate hearts to bring about change and positivity with an understanding of their responsibility to the greater good.

Jeremy Kaltman • Indiana University, Bloomington

Stephanie Alvarado • Brown University

Madison Kim • University of Chicago

Tyler Asher • Wesleyan University

Cooper Klein • Vanderbilt University

Tessa Augsberger • Dartmouth College

Camille Kosich • University of Colorado, Boulder

Ariana Azarbal • Brown University

Ava Kramer • Los Angeles Pierce College

Chad Bacon • Southern Methodist University

Larysa Kravec • Miami University

Aidan Broder • University of Wisconsin, Madison

Michael Lapin • University of Michigan

John Codding • Bucknell University

Ayva Magna • Pomona College

Keira Cook • Pace University

Harry Malins • Vassar College

Bo Davis • Southern Methodist University

Walker McGinley • Bates College

Quincey Dern • Vassar College

Sarah Mittleman • Kenyon College

Tessa Dillman • New York University,

Julia Morgan • Purdue University

Tisch School of the Arts

Jonathan Nehorai • University of Southern California

Matthew Edwards • Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Oliver Pozil • University of California, Los Angeles

David Eick • University of California, Berkeley

Daniele Quartararo • Belmont University

Riley Eisenstein • University of Colorado, Boulder

Owen Reilly • Bucknell University

Cate Elson • University of Virginia

Tiffany Repovich • Southern Methodist University

Chloe Fidler • George Washington University

Ethan Rose • University of Michigan,

Avery Fincher • University of Southern California

College of Engineering

Ty Gatins • Vassar College

Mia Rosenberg • University of Texas at Austin

Eli Glazer • University of Pennsylvania

Joshua Sassower • California Institute of the Arts

Andrew Goetz • Middlebury College

Amelia Scharff • University of Pennsylvania

Ryan Gordon • Southern Methodist University

Andrew Seol • Cornell University

Jasper Gough • Colgate University

Tye Shabani • New York University

Ralph Harrison III • University of Chicago

Alexander Shane • Johns Hopkins University

Elodie Hekimian-Brogan • The Hobart and

Helen Sidon • University of Michigan

William Smith Colleges

Rachel Tan-Goldhammer • George Washington University

Shanti Hinkin • Wesleyan University

Cole Tannenbaum • University of Arizona

Joy Ho • Harvard University

Emma Valle • University of Pennsylvania

Chloe Hopkins • University of Michigan

Ava Wasserstein • Tulane University

Joshua Hsu • Loyola Marymount University

Jackson Watts • Syracuse University

Morgan Humbert • University of Wisconsin, Madison

Georgie Weinstock • The Hobart and

Benjamin Jacoby • American University

William Smith Colleges

Caroline Jacoby • Colby College

Isabella Welsh • University of Pennsylvania

Luca Kalischer-Stork • Cornell SC Johnson College

Hudson Wesley • Texas Christian University

of Business, Dyson School

Camryn Williams • Smith College

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 23

Harrison Altschul • Boston College

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 24

Curtis Fund Leadership Our Curtis community of parents, grandparents, alumni and their parents, faculty, staff, and foundations contributed generously this past year in support of our school‘s mission. We exceeded our budgeted goal and are deeply grateful for the collective efforts and close partnership of the Advancement Committee, parent volunteers, and Advancement staff who worked with exceptional purpose, vision, and energy to ensure the success of the 2021-22 Curtis Fund campaign.

Advancement Committee

Curtis Fund Grade Ambassadors

Dilip Bhavnani, Co-Chair Thea Wolf, Co-Chair

Elana Gimbel, Co-Chair Monica Johnson, Co-Chair

Curtis Estes Shane Fermelia ‘84 Rob Friedman, Ex officio Monica Kirchner Jim Miller ‘90 Tracy Minker ‘88 Meera Ratnesar, Head of School Jeff Reynolds Corinne Schulman, Director of Advancement Allan Schweitzer ‘79 Leslie Vermut Rachel Yang

Developmental Kindergarten Mardy Fish Stacey Fish Beverly Galashan Charles Hsieh Sue Tran

Advancement Office Support Sandra McGarry, Advancement Manager

Kindergarten Jaclyn Golditch Jaya Hathaway Stephanie Lee-Felker Courtney Mack Karla Diaz Sayles Matt Sayles ‘94 Dianna Sternberg 1st Grade Carolyn Huang Danyel Lau Kathy Laxer Rebecca Mall Cara Sands Heckenberg 2nd Grade Seda Bayrak Jason Hild Rebecca Hild Jonathan Levine ‘88 David Press Laura Zahrawi

3rd Grade Jana Augsberger Jessie Ezor David Hilton Randie Kleinman Amanda Miller 4th Grade Meg Resnikoff Casondra Ruga Jenny Smiley 5th Grade Melissa Bretz Naomi Gloege Alli Katz Yasmine Maghami 6th Grade Sharon Eshaghoff Nancy Meidel Elsie Mendoza

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 26

Report On Philanthropy We are deeply grateful for the financial support provided by our school community in 2021-22. The generosity of our donors enables the school to provide the joyful and exceptional experience for students that is the hallmark of a Curtis education.

Curtis Fund

The Curtis Parents Association ø The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation ^ø Alex von Furstenberg & Alison Kay ^ø Windsong Trust ø

FOUNDER CIRCLE ($50,000-$99,999)

Louis & Fenfang Hsieh Allan ‘79 & Lily Schweitzer Thea & Jay Wolf ^ø

BENEFACTOR CIRCLE ($25,000-$49,999)

The Ahmanson Foundation ø Roy & Janet Choi ^ The Galashan Family ^ The Patel Family Charitable Fund Zaheeda & Nav Rahemtulla ^ Tania & Daniel Verdugo Leslie Vermut & Tom Weinberger ^

HEAD OF SCHOOL CIRCLE ($10,000-$24,999) Anonymous (2) Amy & Adam Bass ^ The Bhatia Family ^ The Bhavnani Family ^ The Blencowe Family The Borman Family ^

^

increased their gift to Curtis School in 2021-22

ø

made a gift to the Financial Aid Fund in 2021-22

ø

The Curtis Fund is vital to the school‘s financial strength. Gifts to the Curtis Fund provide support for nearly every area of school operations, including educational programs, salaries and benefits, financial aid for students, and maintenance and improvement of the campus and facilities. Importantly, gifts to the Curtis Fund also enable the school to take advantage of new opportunities in all areas of programming and operations, as they may arise.

VISIONARY CIRCLE ($100,000+)

We give special thanks to these donors who

The Bumbery-Lazarus Family ^ The Buss Family The Cha Family Steve & Julia Chang Howard & Lada Cheng Julie Jang & Jack Choi Dr. Lawrence and Jane Z. Cohen ^ Alex & Jenny Cole ^ The Corrigan Family ^ The Daws-Pecano Family Allison & John de Neufville Disney Cybergrants Michael Dreyer Epic Games Curtis & Kristi Estes Bob & Michelle Etebar Michael & Heather Ezer The Fakhri Family Angela & Daniel Feiner ^ Courtney & Thomas Fennimore Louis Fermelia & Shane McCoy Fermelia ‘84 ^ Karen & Eli Frankel ^ Rob & Shari Friedman The Gitkin Family Chloe & Jonathan Gray Jordan & Jaya Hathaway ^ The Hideaway Entertainment Dr. Rachel Yang & Mr. Don Ho Huiqing Hu & Dr. Fan Dong ^ The Huttenlocher Family Brooke & Barry Josephson ^ Jessica Kavanaugh

pledged $100,000 or more to the Financial Aid Fund ‘Above and Beyond’ their Curtis Fund gift

Ryan Kavanaugh ‘87 Kissick Family Foundation Randie & Alan Kleinman Erin Estrada & Ron Laffitte Danyel & Chris Lau Kathy & Kevin Laxer ^ Lee Chu & Jongmin Lee ^ Nancy & Greg Meidel The Mendoza Family ^ Carl & Kirstin Meyer Betsy & Jim ‘90 Miller Jason & Samantha Milner ^ Tracy ‘88 & Scott Minker The John G. Morris Family Palmer Murray Ann & Greg Myer Rachel & Ryan Ogulnick ^ The Otis Booth Foundation Chris & Diana Pickett The Poursalimi Family ^ Meera Ratnesar & John Querio Amina & Aziz Rahimtoola Harshith & Amita Ramesh ^ Raymond James ^ The Resnikoff Family ^ The Rogers Family The Ross Family ^ Casondra & Dylan Ruga ^ Elizabeth & David Schwartzman Jennifer Shore Noah Shore The Shuwarger Family ^ Jim & Stephanie Sokolove ^

COUGAR CIRCLE ($5,000-$9,999)

Anonymous (2) The Abrol Family ^ Meghann & Howard Altman Apple, Inc. Vinod & Nirmila Assomull The Bath-Reynolds Family ^ Seda & Aykut Bayrak The Beker Family ^ Linda Guerrero & Brett Berkowitz ^ The Boeing Company ^ Chesler McCaffrey LLP The Cue Gonzalez Family The Edmonds Family Rachel & John Edwards The Esmaili Family ^ Expedia Group Gregory & Jessie Ezor ^ Katelyn Rader Fisher ‘96 The Foley Family John & Sandra Fox The Fujikawa-Kwon Family The Glennon Family Yanka Burgos & Brad Gluckstein Todd & Jaclyn Golditch ^ Cara Sands & James Heckenberg ^ Dr. Cassie & Mr. Rob Holmes Lina & Jeff Jasper Natalie & Benjamin Javaheri The Jivrajka Family Foundation Monica & Cory Johnson ^ Ciara Castro & Gabriel Johnson The Keshavarzi Family Mark & Amy Kestenbaum David & Jennie Kim Monica & Jon Kirchner Matt ‘91 & Ariane Klein ^ Mr. & Mrs. Sean Kono ^ Dr. William Mack & Mrs. Courtney Mack ^

Mark & Nicole Manuel Marvin & Betty Danto Family Foundation Rayna & Brandon Marz Natasha & Tim McCaffrey Katherine & Andrew Meyer ^ Carolin & Kia Michel ^ Andrew & Amanda Miller ^ Ellie & Amir Mossanen Mr. & Mrs. Page Nazarian The Noecker-Robert Family ^ Northwestern Mutual Foundation The Novak Family Tayler & David Park ^ The Paya Family ^ Jill & John Peters The Rasouli Family Drs. Monica & Jisun Ryoo Brad Schwartz & Karen Weiss Samantha & Jonathan Seltzer The Sharma Family ^ Matthew & Daniela Sheahan Amy & Adam Siegel Kathryn & Eddy Simonian The Sugimoto Family Uneek The Watson Family ^ The Weidenbaum Family (Haley ‘99) The Wineburgh Family ^ Eric & Hannah Yang

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE ($3,000-$4,999)

Anonymous AIG The Begland Family The Beizai Family Arun Bohra & Ashita Shah ^ Dillon ‘97 & Katie Burroughs Shirley Che & Vincent Chen Susie & Timothy Cheng DaeJin Cho & SaeHae Lee Jared Cohen ‘88 Dr. Lara Dolecek & Dr. Tyson Condie Gina Cook Lisa Hamilton Daly & Stephen Daly ^ The Ellenbogen Family Sharon & Chad Eshaghoff The Federman Family The Felker Family The Fish Family ^ Laurie & Chris Harbert & Family ^ Jacqueline & Daniel Harman

Lylle Breier & Andrew Henderson ^ The Hilu Family ^ Nadia & Joshua Javaheri ^ Jewish Community Foundation Los Angeles ^ Ashley & David Josephson Joshua J. Fine Jewelry ^ The Kahm Family Alli & Austin Katz ^ Drs. Jin Sun Lee & Eugene K. Kim ^ Young & Jackie Kim Loryn & Adam Kolbrenner The Kreymer Family The Sofia Lee Family Ted & Jung Lee ^ Dr. Yasmine Fattahi Maghami & Steve Maghami ^ The Matus Family The McFerran Family The McGruder Family ^ Rebecca Mall & John Miller ^ Carlye & Michael Morgan David & Lisa Neman Desiree & Kiarash Neman Robert & Syldy Nida Cleveland O‘Neal & Maisha Pajardo-O‘Neal Jonathan & Nilou Raiman ^ Arash & Marla Raminfar ^ The Sarris Preventza Family ^ Iva & Vishal Shah The Silver Family Dianna & Justin Sternberg ^ Sarah Mlynowski & Todd Swidler ^ The Tanner Family The Tao Family The Topp Family ^ø Chelsea & Mark Vahradian The VanDeBogart Family (Melissa ‘92) Ali & Alex Weinberger Sarah & Mark Wetzstein The Zahiri Family ^ Laura & Mo Zahrawi ^

ASSOCIATES ($1,500-$2,999) The Alban Family The Alston Family ^ The Azarbal Family Samantha Billett Rosenblum ‘97 Stacy ‘83 & Uri Blackman ø Ryan Boccuzzi Melissa Bretz ^ The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation ^

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 27

Jiwon & Steven Song Satara, Seema & de Winter Stewart ^ Nicholas & Alison Temple The Tomsic Family ^ The Tu Family The Varnen Family ^ Joanne Danto & Arnold Weingarden David & Renee Yang The Liang & Rainie Yang Family ^ Jennifer Yen & David Bell ^

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 28

Curtis Fund The Codding Family The Cole Family (Marshall ‘96) ^ The Daneshgar Family Christine & Oliver De La Hoz ^ Larry & Prachi Dumas Earl B. Gilmore Foundation ^ The Farasat Family Karen & Scott Faulhaber Dr. Michael & Ms. Rebecca Feiz Michelle T. Vannoy & Steven Foonberg Sheila Lawrence & Breen Frazier Cody & Jeffrey Fuhrman Robert & Susan Fuhrman The Gafni Family (Adam ‘89) ^ Elana & Jon Gimbel Naomi & Cameron Gloege ^ Joann & Terry Gloege David ‘90 & Anna Gross ^ The Gubin Family (Morgan ‘91) ^ Hallmark Corporate Foundation Jennifer & David Hillman ^ The Hilton Family ^ Diane & Henry Hilty ^ Katie & Phil Holthouse Dr. Susanna Tran & Mr. Charles Hsieh ^ The Huang Family The Jazaeri Family The Jiang Family ^

The Kapsos/Fernandez Family ^ The Kilstein Family Joyce & Ryan Komori The Liebman Family Esther & Mark Magna Susan & Jay Mall ^ The Marciano Family ^ Travlin & Nicole McCormack The Mehta Family Microsoft Corporation Joan & Wayne Miller Kiyoe & Nori Minakami ^ Candice & Daniel Naysan Dr. Kevin Newman ‘83 & Dr. Amy Weimer Linda & Vincent Nicoletta ^ The Palumbo Family Mili Patel & Srinivas Panguluri Pioneer Broach Company The Pozarny Family Samantha Rankine-Wilson Raymer Capital ^ Julia ‘94 & Ian Richter ^ Peggy Saferstein ^ Charlene & Victor Sands The Schackne Family ^ Corinne & Jory Schulman The Scotti Family The Seib Family The Shamji Family The Slootweg Family The Smiley Family The Soboroff Family ø The Tafreshi Family Brent Tasugi ‘93 Sanaz & Shawn Tavakoli ^ Weingart Foundation ø The Weiss Family (Jeff ‘89) Roee & Melissa Wiczyk Jane & Tien T. Yang The Zenjiryan Family ^

FRIENDS (TO $1,499)

Anonymous (10) The Akselrud Family Gillian & Jeffrey Albert Revs. Janet & William Albrecht AmazonSmile Foundation The Anand Family ^ The Apelian Family The Apley Family ^ Alexis & Eric Arinsburg Maniya Arnold-Brownlee ‘20

Misha & Navin Assomull The Olivia Atterberry ‘20 Family The Augsberger Family Alexandra Baeurle Sarah Ballas ‘03 Drew Beckmeyer ^ Jordan Bender ‘02 ^ The Bendikson Family Gail & Neil Berlant The Biscotti Family Adam Blackman ‘15 ø Jennifer Weiss & Jay Blecker Brian Border ‘85 The Braiman Family Autumn Brannon The Branscome Family ^ Jeff & Mary Bretz ^ Susan Burnap Janneck ‘66 The Campbell Family ^ Marion & William Campbell Jennifer Cansick ^ Trina Capka Jesse Cardenas Jill ‘85 & David Carmel ø Devon Carmel ‘15 ø Mr. & Mrs. Barry Cayton ø Derek Cayton ‘15 ø Kelly Champ The Chang Family Mark & Christine Chapman Alexandra Chavez ‘15 ø Alexandra & Bruce Chistolini Katherine Holmes-Chuba & Dan Chuba Sue Chung Jordan & Carly Church Debra & Andrew Cohen Drs. Danielle & Todd ‘91 Cohen ^ Joan & Ken Cohn Dana Coleman The Collin Family Stacy Colwell Alex Conrad Kendal Copeland Anne-Marie Cordingly ‘77 ^ George & Sandy Creznic ^ The Cutler Family The Cutter Family ø Louise Cutter ‘15 ø The Daneshrad Family ø Bennett Daneshrad ‘15 ø Marisol Delahoussaye The de la Lama Family

Macy & Daniel Lai Jagger Lambert ‘15 ø Scott & Alexandra Lambert ø Michele & Daniel Lasman London Laxer ‘20 Sydney Laxer ‘21 Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Lebovic Janet Lee Donielle Lemone-Bulmer Katherine Lenis ^ Carole & Arthur Levine ^ Jonathan ‘88 & Britt Levine ^

Steven & Cynthia Levine & Family Gary & Denae Liebman Sara Klevens MD & Joseph Loewenbein MD The Low Family Sally Loyd ^ The Luan/Lu Family Margaux Lushing ‘96 Patrick Lynch The Ma Family Tom & Ashley Ma ^ Deena & Bill Mack Kristen Magner Katalin & Enrique Mannheim Ripsi Margaryan Chris Matthews Raylene Mayer Sandra McGarry ^ Elisabeth & Justin McInnes

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 29

Kevin Demoff ‘89 & Claire Demoff ‘19 Alden Detmer ‘19 Shelly & Mark Detmer Mila Detmer ‘21 Dr. Ramani Durvasula, Maya ‘12 & Shanti ‘16 Hinkin ^ Elizabeth English Patricia & Ramon Escolin Gideon Evans ‘19 Harper Evans ‘21 The Ewald Family Janet Farrant Gregory Favre Gina & Jeff Favre ^ Angela & Mark Favreau Judie Fenton Francisco Fernandez Kevin Figueroa ^ Karly Fontaine Michael Fourticq ‘15 ø Mike ‘82 & Teresa Fourticq ø Kate Fox Fox Corporation ^ David E. Frank & Susan Dickinson The Gabel Family Jennifer & Robert ‘84 Galperson Jeffery Garcia & Vanessa Keith Garcia Alison Gardner The Gatins Family DeLynn Geiger David & Jean Getson Teresa Beaudet & Gerald Giamportone Marcia & Steve Gilliland Andrew Gindy ‘01 Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Glennon Lisa & Mark Goh Laura & Richard Gold Carol & Neil Goldberg The Gordon Family ø

Grace Gordon ‘15 ø Eric Graffer Annie Grimes Allison Gross ‘00 Caroline Gross ‘02 Nancy & William Gubin Andrew Gussman ‘15 ø Deena & David Gussman ø Mark Gutierrez ^ Dede & Tom Haglund ^ Jim & Nini Halkett ^ Ginger Healy ‘97 ^ Jack Healy ‘04 Janna & Neil Healy ^ The Heckendorf Family ^ Linda Heckendorf Anne & Jose Henriquez Mari & Eladio Hernandez The Hietala Family Jason & Rebecca Hild The Hill Family The Hilton Family Andrew Hilton ‘20 Brian Hollis Christopher Holthouse ‘05 Soo Hong Kathryn Welch Howe & Con Howe ^ Chris Hruby The Hubbard Family (Rose ‘99) Karen & David Hubbard Karen Ivy The Jacoby Family (Allison ‘83) The James Family ^ Art & Mel Johnson Nancy & Richard Katz ^ Elizabeth Kaufman ‘98 Lynne & Ron Kaufman Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors Foundation Laurie & Paul Kelson Peter ‘88, Ana & Bill Kenah The Kettner-Solomon Family ^ Amanda ‘85 & Jeff Kolodny KPMG Gives c/o Bergen County United Way Emily (Loze) Kreshek ‘80 & Howard Kreshek Janie Kreshek ‘12 Katie Kreshek ‘10 Daniel Kromolowski ‘99 Jerzy Kromolowski & Mary Olson-Kromolowski

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 30

Curtis Fund Katherine McKenna The McKnight Family Max Mednik ‘96 The Middleton Family ^ Andy Miller ‘65 Carol & Richard Minker The Molina Family

Patty & Charles Molinari Barbara Moran Max Moray ‘04 Kathy & Michael Moray Samantha Moray ‘01 Sandra Naftzger ‘72 Joe Navarro ^ Jonathan Nehorai ‘16 Julia Nehorai ‘19 Lauren Nehorai ‘14 Susan Nihiser The Noble-Creznic Family Tracy North Mark & Kasey Nott ø Tanner Nott ‘15 ø Daniel Novikov ‘15 ø Rachel Kirenga & Zuba Nyarwaya Samantha O‘Gorman Deepti & Pank Patel Greg Patterson ^ Katherine Patterson ^ Angela Pennington ‘87 Mimi & Don Petrie The Portley Family Michele & Lance Pozarny The Press Family

Elizabeth Rahi ^ Timothy Rancont The Reiner Family Sarah H. Richardson The Rivera Family The Ro Family ^ Gale Robitshek Lauren & Bradley Ross ^ Dane Dauphine & R. Rothbauer ^ The Rudoy Family Kent ‘75 & Christine Russell Shohreh Saedi ^ The Sanders Family Kyoko Sasaki The Sayles Family (Matthew ‘94) ^ Deborah & Thomas Sayles Valerie Sayles The Schumer Family Asher Schwartz ‘15 Christine Burton Schwartz & Donald Schwartz Levi Schwartz ‘20 Noa Schwartz ‘12 Deborah Seidner Adam & Kathy Shane Karin Sheldon ^ Stacy Shirk ‘03 ^ Terra Shirvanian ^ The Shore Family ø Ava Shore ‘15 ø Alexis & Stephen Shuster ^ Mary Sidell ^ Olivia Siegels-Bitetti Molly & Justin Simms Susan & Michael Smith Loren Sobul Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. Frank Stork & Katrin Kalischer-Stork Susie & Rick Sukov Kristen Sullivan ø Liam Sullivan ‘15 ø The Tabibi Family Pina Tararo ^ Kathy & Kinji Tasugi Jackie Taylor The Tehranchi Family Alex Thibiant ‘15 ø Michele & Patrick Thibiant ø The Torres Family ^ Brian & Laurey Treiger ø Jackson Treiger ‘15 ø Meryl & Michael Tuchin ø Wilbert Umana Norm & Lorraine Varnen

Effie Wallen Ashley Warne ‘96 WarnerMedia Candace & Barry Weisz Griffin Whitney ‘87 & Dana Miller Vicki & William Whitney Amy Wiggins ^ Ashley Williams Joel & Veronica Williams Leronda Williams Jon Wimbish & Amanda Angle ^ø The Kimball Winans ‘10 Family Adele Wineburgh ^ Susan Woolley Xperi Amelia Zaldivar Cliff Zimmerman ‘03 Doug & Lucie Zimmerman

Gift in Honor of All Teachers, Administrators, and Staff at Curtis

Gift in Honor of Hunter ‘28 & Matthew ‘26 Sayles

Gift in Honor of Quinn Albrecht ‘24

Valerie Sayles

Gift in Honor of Sean ‘26 & Gigi ‘27 Berumen, Ginger Healy ‘97 & Jack Healy ‘04

Gift in Honor of Ida Ryoo Shelton ‘21, Ann Chon Shelton ‘23 & Winthrop H. Shelton ‘25

The Heckendorf Family

Revs. Janet & William Albrecht

Janna & Neil Healy

Gift in Honor of Sloane W. Faulhaber ‘23

Deborah & Thomas Sayles

Gift in Honor of Hunter ‘28 & Matthew ‘26 Sayles

Drs. Monica & Jisun Ryoo

Gift in Honor of Debbie Taus-Kahn

Barbara Moran

The Kettner-Solomon Family

Gift in Memory of Beatrice H. Favre

Gift in Honor of Paul S. Viviano, CEO, Children‘s Hospital Los Angeles

Gregory Favre

Gift in Honor of Eden Fuhrman ‘29

Cody & Jeffrey Furhman

Gift in Honor of Shira Josephson ‘22 DeLynn Geiger

Gift in Honor of Harbhajan Kamal

Satara, Seema & de Winter Stewart

Gift in Honor of Walker Katz ‘22 & Presley Katz ‘23

Alli & Austin Katz

Gift in Honor of Harrison ‘26, Jonathan ‘88 & Allison ‘83 Levine

Carole & Arthur Levine

Gift in Honor of Chase Matus ‘29 Joan & Ken Cohn

Gift in Honor of Lola ‘27 & Levi ‘27 Miller

Susan & Jay Mall

Gift in Honor of Ainsley Minker ‘24

Carol & Richard Minker

Gift in Honor of Malia Panguluri ‘28

The Patel Family Charitable Fund

Gift in Honor of Calvin Portley III ‘23

The Hilton Family

Nancy & Greg Meidel

Gift in Honor of Elina & Sam Wineburgh

Adele Wineburgh

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 31

Honorary & Memorial Gifts

Donors By Constituency

c

We gratefully acknowledge these donors for their record of sustained giving to the Curtis Fund for five or more consecutive years.

Parents & Guardians Anonymous (3) The Abrol Family The Akselrud Family The Alban Family The Alston Family Meghann & Howard Altman The Anand Family The Apelian Family The Apley Family c Alexis & Eric Arinsburg Misha & Navin Assomull c The Augsberger Family c The Azarbal Family c Amy & Adam Bass The Bath-Reynolds Family c Seda & Aykut Bayrak The Begland Family The Beizai Family The Beker Family Linda Guerrero & Brett Berkowitz The Bhatia Family c The Bhavnani Family c The Biscotti Family Stacy ‘83 & Uri Blackman c Jennifer Weiss & Jay Blecker c The Blencowe Family Arun Bohra & Ashita Shah The Borman Family The Braiman Family The Branscome Family Melissa Bretz c The Bumbery-Lazarus Family The Buss Family The Campbell Family c The Cha Family Steve & Julia Chang c Shirley Che & Vincent Chen Howard & Lada Cheng DaeJin Cho & SaeHae Lee c Julie Jang & Jack Choi Jordan & Carly Church c Drs. Danielle & Todd ‘91 Cohen

The Cole Family (Marshall ‘96) Alex & Jenny Cole c The Collin Family Dr. Lara Dolecek & Dr. Tyson Condie Alex Conrad c Gina Cook The Corrigan Family The Cue Gonzalez Family c The Cutler Family c Lisa Hamilton Daly & Stephen Daly c The Daneshgar Family The Daws-Pecano Family c Marisol Delahoussaye Christine & Oliver De La Hoz The de la Lama Family Allison & John de Neufville Larry & Prachi Dumas The Edmonds Family The Ellenbogen Family Sharon & Chad Eshaghoff c The Esmaili Family c Curtis & Kristi Estes c Bob & Michelle Etebar c The Ewald Family Michael & Heather Ezer c Gregory & Jessie Ezor c The Fakhri Family c The Farasat Family Karen & Scott Faulhaber Gina & Jeff Favre c Angela & Mark Favreau c The Federman Family c Angela & Daniel Feiner Dr. Michael & Ms. Rebecca Feiz The Felker Family Courtney & Thomas Fennimore Louis Fermelia & Shane McCoy Fermelia ‘84 c The Fish Family The Foley Family c Michelle T. Vannoy & Steven Foonberg John & Sandra Fox c Karen & Eli Frankel c Sheila Lawrence & Breen Frazier c Cody & Jeffrey Fuhrman The Fujikawa-Kwon Family The Gabel Family

The Gafni Family (Adam ‘89) c The Galashan Family c David & Jean Getson Elana & Jon Gimbel The Gitkin Family The Glennon Family c Naomi & Cameron Gloege c Yanka Burgos & Brad Gluckstein Lisa & Mark Goh Todd & Jaclyn Golditch c Chloe & Jonathan Gray David ‘90 & Anna Gross c The Gubin Family (Morgan ‘91) Jacqueline & Daniel Harman Jordan & Jaya Hathaway Ginger Healy ‘97 c Cara Sands & James Heckenberg The Heckendorf Family c Lylle Breier & Andrew Henderson c The Hietala Family Jason & Rebecca Hild The Hill Family Jennifer & David Hillman c The Hilton Family c The Hilu Family Dr. Cassie & Mr. Rob Holmes c Dr. Susanna Tran & Mr. Charles Hsieh c Louis & Fenfang Hsieh Huiqing Hu & Dr. Fan Dong c The Huang Family c The Hubbard Family (Rose ‘99) The Huttenlocher Family The James Family Lina & Jeff Jasper Natalie & Benjamin Javaheri Nadia & Joshua Javaheri The Jazaeri Family c The Jiang Family Monica & Cory Johnson Ciara Castro & Gabriel Johnson Brooke & Barry Josephson c Ashley & David Josephson c The Kahm Family The Kapsos/Fernandez Family Alli & Austin Katz c Jessica Kavanaugh Ryan Kavanaugh ‘87 The Keshavarzi Family

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 34

Mark & Amy Kestenbaum The Kilstein Family David & Jennie Kim c Drs. Jin Sun Lee & Eugene K. Kim Young & Jackie Kim Monica & Jon Kirchner c Matt ‘91 & Ariane Klein c Randie & Alan Kleinman c Loryn & Adam Kolbrenner Joyce & Ryan Komori Mr. & Mrs. Sean Kono c The Kreymer Family Erin Estrada & Ron Laffitte Michele & Daniel Lasman c Danyel & Chris Lau Kathy & Kevin Laxer Lee Chu & Jongmin Lee The Sofia Lee Family Ted & Jung Lee Jonathan ‘88 & Britt Levine c The Liebman Family Sara Klevens MD & Joseph Loewenbein MD c The Luan/Lu Family The Ma Family c Tom & Ashley Ma c Dr. William Mack & Mrs. Courtney Mack c Dr. Yasmine Fattahi Maghami & Steve Maghami c Esther & Mark Magna c Mark & Nicole Manuel c The Marciano Family Rayna & Brandon Marz c Chris Matthews c The Matus Family Natasha & Tim McCaffrey Travlin & Nicole McCormack c The McFerran Family The McGruder Family Elisabeth & Justin McInnes Max Mednik ‘96 c The Mehta Family Nancy & Greg Meidel c The Mendoza Family c Katherine & Andrew Meyer c Carolin & Kia Michel The Middleton Family Andrew & Amanda Miller c Betsy & Jim ‘90 Miller c Rebecca Mall & John Miller Jason & Samantha Milner c Tracy ‘88 & Scott Minker c The Molina Family

Carlye & Michael Morgan c The John G. Morris Family Ellie & Amir Mossanen Candice & Daniel Naysan Mr. & Mrs. Page Nazarian c David & Lisa Neman c Desiree & Kiarash Neman c Linda & Vincent Nicoletta Robert & Syldy Nida The Noble-Creznic Family The Noecker-Robert Family The Novak Family c Rachel Kirenga & Zuba Nyarwaya c Rachel & Ryan Ogulnick Cleveland O‘Neal & Maisha Pajardo-O‘Neal c The Palumbo Family c Mili Patel & Srinivas Panguluri Tayler & David Park c Deepti & Pank Patel The Paya Family c Jill & John Peters Chris & Diana Pickett The Portley Family The Poursalimi Family c The Pozarny Family The Press Family Zaheeda & Nav Rahemtulla c Amina & Aziz Rahimtoola Jonathan & Nilou Raiman Harshith & Amita Ramesh c Arash & Marla Raminfar Samantha Rankine-Wilson The Rasouli Family The Resnikoff Family c Julia ‘94 & Ian Richter The Rivera Family The Ro Family c The Rogers Family The Ross Family c Lauren & Bradley Ross The Rudoy Family c Casondra & Dylan Ruga c The Sanders Family The Sarris Preventza Family c The Sayles Family (Matthew ‘94) The Schackne Family c The Schumer Family c Brad Schwartz & Karen Weiss c Elizabeth & David Schwartzman Allan ‘79 & Lily Schweitzer c The Scotti Family The Seib Family Samantha & Jonathan Seltzer

Iva & Vishal Shah The Shamji Family c The Sharma Family c Matthew & Daniela Sheahan c Jennifer Shore c Noah Shore c Alexis & Stephen Shuster c Amy & Adam Siegel The Silver Family Molly & Justin Simms c Kathryn & Eddy Simonian c The Slootweg Family c The Smiley Family c Dianna & Justin Sternberg Satara, Seema & de Winter Stewart Frank Stork & Katrin Kalischer-Stork c The Sugimoto Family c Sarah Mlynowski & Todd Swidler The Tabibi Family The Tafreshi Family The Tanner Family The Tao Family Sanaz & Shawn Tavakoli The Tehranchi Family c Nicholas & Alison Temple The Tomsic Family The Topp Family c The Torres Family c The Tu Family Chelsea & Mark Vahradian c The VanDeBogart Family (Melissa ‘92) c The Varnen Family c Tania & Daniel Verdugo Alex von Furstenberg & Alison Kay c The Watson Family c The Weidenbaum Family (Haley ‘99) Ali & Alex Weinberger The Weiss Family (Jeff ‘89) c Sarah & Mark Wetzstein c Roee & Melissa Wiczyk c Joel & Veronica Williams c The Wineburgh Family Thea & Jay Wolf c David & Renee Yang c Eric & Hannah Yang The Liang & Rainie Yang Family Jennifer Yen & David Bell The Zahiri Family c Laura & Mo Zahrawi The Zenjiryan Family

Anonymous Maniya Arnold-Brownlee ‘20 Sarah Ballas ‘03 c Jordan Bender ‘02 c Samantha Billett Rosenblum ‘97 c Adam Blackman ‘15 c Stacy ‘83 & Uri Blackman Brian Border ‘85 Susan Burnap Janneck ‘66 Dillon ‘97 & Katie Burroughs Devon Carmel ‘15 c Jill ‘85 & David Carmel Derek Cayton ‘15 c Alexandra Chavez ‘15 c Jared Cohen ‘88 c Drs. Danielle & Todd ‘91 Cohen The Cole Family (Marshall ‘96) Anne-Marie Cordingly ‘77 c Louise Cutter ‘15 c Bennett Daneshrad ‘15 c Kevin Demoff ‘89 & Claire Demoff ‘19 c Alden Detmer ‘19 Mila Detmer ‘21 Gideon Evans ‘19 Harper Evans ‘21 Louis Fermelia & Shane McCoy Fermelia ‘84 Katelyn Rader Fisher ‘96 Michael Fourticq ‘15 c Mike ‘82 & Teresa Fourticq c The Gafni Family (Adam ‘89) c Jennifer & Robert ‘84 Galperson c Andrew Gindy ‘01 Grace Gordon ‘15 c Allison Gross ‘00 Caroline Gross ‘02 David ‘90 & Anna Gross c The Gubin Family (Morgan ‘91) Andrew Gussman ‘15 c Ginger Healy ‘97 c Jack Healy ‘04 c Andrew Hilton ‘20 Maya Hinkin ‘12 Shanti Hinkin ‘16 Christopher Holthouse ‘05 The Hubbard Family (Rose ‘99) The Jacoby Family (Allison ‘83) Elizabeth Kaufman ‘98 Ryan Kavanaugh ‘87 Matt ‘91 & Ariane Klein c Amanda ‘85 & Jeff Kolodny c

Emily (Loze) Kreshek ‘80 & Howard Kreshek Janie Kreshek ‘12 c Katie Kreshek ‘10 c Daniel Kromolowski ‘99 c Jagger Lambert ‘15 c London Laxer ‘20 Sydney Laxer ‘21 Jonathan ‘88 & Britt Levine c Margaux Lushing ‘96 Max Mednik ‘96 c Andy Miller ‘65 Betsy & Jim ‘90 Miller c Tracy ‘88 & Scott Minker c Max Moray ‘04 c Samantha Moray ‘01 Sandra Naftzger ‘72 Jonathan Nehorai ‘16 c Julia Nehorai ‘19 Lauren Nehorai ‘14 c Dr. Kevin Newman ‘83 & Dr. Amy Weimer Tanner Nott ‘15 c Daniel Novikov ‘15 c Angela Pennington ‘87 c Julia ‘94 & Ian Richter Kent ‘75 & Christine Russell c The Sayles Family (Matthew ‘94) Asher Schwartz ‘15 Levi Schwartz ‘20 Noa Schwartz ‘12 Allan ‘79 & Lily Schweitzer c Stacy Shirk ‘03 Ava Shore ‘15 c Liam Sullivan ‘15 c Brent Tasugi ‘93 Alex Thibiant ‘15 c Jackson Treiger ‘15 c The VanDeBogart Family (Melissa ‘92) c Ashley Warne ‘96 The Weidenbaum Family (Haley ‘99) The Weiss Family (Jeff ‘89) c Griffin Whitney ‘87 & Dana Miller c Cliff Zimmerman ‘03

Parents Of Alumni Anonymous (6) Gillian & Jeffrey Albert c The Olivia Atterberry ‘20 Family The Bendikson Family c Gail & Neil Berlant c

Susan Burnap Janneck ‘66 Jill ‘85 & David Carmel c Mr. & Mrs. Barry Cayton c The Chang Family c Mark & Christine Chapman Alexandra & Bruce Chistolini c Roy & Janet Choi c Katherine Holmes-Chuba & Dan Chuba c The Codding Family Debra & Andrew Cohen c Dr. Lawrence and Jane Z. Cohen c The Cutter Family c The Daneshrad Family c Kevin Demoff ‘89 & Claire Demoff ‘19 c Shelly & Mark Detmer c Michael Dreyer c Dr. Ramani Durvasula, Maya ‘12 & Shanti ‘16 Hinkin c Rachel & John Edwards c Mike ‘82 & Teresa Fourticq c David E. Frank & Susan Dickinson c Rob & Shari Friedman c Jeffery Garcia & Vanessa Keith Garcia c Alison Gardner The Gatins Family c Joann & Terry Gloege c Carol & Neil Goldberg The Gordon Family c Nancy & William Gubin Deena & David Gussman c Dede & Tom Haglund c Jim & Nini Halkett Laurie & Chris Harbert & Family c Janna & Neil Healy c Diane & Henry Hilty c Dr. Rachel Yang & Mr. Don Ho c Katie & Phil Holthouse c Kathryn Welch Howe & Con Howe Karen Ivy c The Jacoby Family (Allison ‘83) Lynne & Ron Kaufman Laurie & Paul Kelson Peter ‘88, Ana, & Bill Kenah The Kettner-Solomon Family Kissick Family Foundation c Amanda ‘85 & Jeff Kolodny c Emily (Loze) Kreshek ‘80 & Howard Kreshek c Jerzy Kromolowski & Mary Olson-Kromolowski Scott & Alexandra Lambert c

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 35

Alumni

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 36

Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Lebovic Carole & Arthur Levine Steven & Cynthia Levine & Family The Low Family c The McKnight Family Carl & Kirstin Meyer c Andy Miller ‘65 Kathy & Michael Moray c Ann & Greg Myer c Mark & Kasey Nott c Mimi & Don Petrie c The Reiner Family c Peggy Saferstein Kyoko Sasaki c Deborah & Thomas Sayles Valerie Sayles Adam & Kathy Shane The Shore Family c The Shuwarger Family Mary Sidell c The Soboroff Family Loren Sobul c Jiwon & Steven Song c Susie & Rick Sukov Kristen Sullivan c Kathy & Kinji Tasugi c Michele & Patrick Thibiant c Brian & Laurey Treiger c Meryl & Michael Tuchin c Vicki & William Whitney Jon Wimbish & Amanda Angle c The Kimball Winans ‘10 Family Doug & Lucie Zimmerman c

Grandparents Revs. Janet & William Albrecht Vinod & Nirmila Assomull c Jeff & Mary Bretz c Marion & William Campbell Susie & Timothy Cheng The Codding Family Dr. Lawrence and Jane Z. Cohen c Joan & Ken Cohn George & Sandy Creznic Janet Farrant Gregory Favre Judie Fenton c Robert & Susan Fuhrman DeLynn Geiger Teresa Beaudet & Gerald Giamportone c Marcia & Steve Gilliland Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Glennon

Joann & Terry Gloege c Laura & Richard Gold c Carol & Neil Goldberg Nancy & William Gubin Janna & Neil Healy c Linda Heckendorf The Hilton Family Karen & David Hubbard The Jivrajka Family Foundation Art & Mel Johnson Nancy & Richard Katz c Macy & Daniel Lai Carole & Arthur Levine Gary & Denae Liebman Deena & Bill Mack c Susan & Jay Mall Katalin & Enrique Mannheim Joan & Wayne Miller Kiyoe & Nori Minakami Carol & Richard Minker c Barbara Moran Ann & Greg Myer c Bharat Patel Mimi & Don Petrie c Michele & Lance Pozarny Sarah H. Richardson c Drs. Monica & Jisun Ryoo c Shohreh Saedi Peggy Saferstein Charlene & Victor Sands Deborah & Thomas Sayles Valerie Sayles Christine Burton Schwartz & Donald Schwartz c Karin Sheldon Susan & Michael Smith Jim & Stephanie Sokolove Susie & Rick Sukov Norm & Lorraine Varnen c Effie Wallen Leslie Vermut & Tom Weinberger Joanne Danto & Arnold Weingarden c Candace & Barry Weisz Vicki & William Whitney Adele Wineburgh Jane & Tien T. Yang c

Employees Anonymous Gillian & Jeffrey Albert c Alexandra Baeurle Sarah Ballas ‘03 c

Drew Beckmeyer c Autumn Brannon c Jennifer Cansick Jesse Cardenas Kelly Champ Alexandra & Bruce Chistolini c Sue Chung c Debra & Andrew Cohen c Stacy Colwell Kendal Copeland Patricia & Ramon Escolin Gina & Jeff Favre c Angela & Mark Favreau c Francisco Fernandez Kevin Figueroa Karly Fontaine Kate Fox c David E. Frank & Susan Dickinson c Eric Graffer Annie Grimes c Mark Gutierrez c Dede Haglund c Ginger Healy ‘97 c Anne & Jose Henriquez c Mari & Eladio Hernandez c Brian Hollis Soo Hong Chris Hruby c The Hubbard Family (Rose ‘99) Karen Ivy c Janet Lee Donielle Lemone-Bulmer Katherine Lenis Sally Loyd c Patrick Lynch Tom & Ashley Ma Kristen Magner Ripsi Margaryan Raylene Mayer c Sandra McGarry c Elisabeth & Justin McInnes Katherine McKenna c Patty & Charles Molinari c Joe Navarro Susan Nihiser c Tracy North c Samantha O‘Gorman Greg Patterson c Katherine Patterson Mimi & Don Petrie c Elizabeth Rahi Timothy Rancont Meera Ratnesar & John Querio c Gale Robitshek c

Foundations & Corporations Anonymous (2) The Ahmanson Foundation c AIG AmazonSmile Foundation American Endowment Foundation Apple, Inc. The Bank of America Foundation c The Benevity Community Impact Fund c The Boeing Company c The Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation CESE Charities Aid Foundation of America Chesler McCaffrey LLP Curtis Parents Association c The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation Disney Cybergrants Earl B. Gilmore Foundation c Epic Games Expedia Group Fidelity Charitable Gift c The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies Fox Corporation Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund Hallmark Corporate Foundation The Haverford Trust Company The Hideaway Entertainment Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund Jewish Community Foundation Los Angeles Joshua J. Fine Jewelry

Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors Foundation Kissick Family Foundation KPMG Gives c/o Bergen County United Way Marvin & Betty Danto Family Foundation Merrill Lynch Microsoft Corporation Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust, Inc. National Christian Foundation National Philanthropic Trust Northwestern Mutual Foundation c The Otis Booth Foundation Pioneer Broach Company Raymer Capital Raymond James Schwab Charitable Fund c Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. Uneek Vanguard Charitable WarnerMedia Weingart Foundation Windsong Trust Xperi *Some employers match gifts made by our donors, doubling their impact. This list includes organizations that made matching gifts to the Curtis Fund in 2021-22.

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 37

Kyoko Sasaki c Corinne & Jory Schulman c Deborah Seidner c Terra Shirvanian c Olivia Siegels-Bitetti Molly & Justin Simms c Loren Sobul c Pina Tararo Jackie Taylor Wilbert Umana Amy Wiggins c Ashley Williams c Leronda Williams c Susan Woolley c Amelia Zaldivar

Curtis Annual Report 2021-22 | 38

Celebrating Milestones of Service This year Curtis honored 15 members of its faculty and staff who have enriched our learning community through their long dedication and many contributions to our school, students, and families. We are grateful for the work they do to sustain an equitable, inclusive, and joyful learning environment that enables all students to reach their highest potential.

Top row (l-r): Zelisha Zigler, Sue Chung, Manny Henriquez, Ginger Healy, Alex Chistolini, Ashley Ma, Khalief Dantzler.

Bottom row (l-r): Terra Shirvanian, Sandra McGarry, Natalie Srabian, Maritza Williams, Angela Favreau, Autumn Brannon, Chris Hruby.

35 Years Alex Chistolini 30 Years Steve Hall 20 Years José “Manny” Henriquez

15 Years Ginger Healy Chris Hruby Natalie Srabian 10 Years Autumn Brannon

5 Years Sue Chung Khalief “Nurse K” Dantzler Angela Favreau Ashley Ma Sandra McGarry Terra Shirvanian Maritza Williams Zelisha Zigler

Ways to Give Thank you for your investment in Curtis. With our gratitude, please consider different options to make a contribution. You may make a one-time gift or a recurring gift (pledge) that gives you the option to spread payment over the year. Your employer may match your gift, doubling its impact. We welcome gifts of appreciated securities, or you may wish to include Curtis in your estate plan. Please visit the school website at www.curtisschool.org/support-curtis/ways-to-give for details and giving forms. If you have questions or need additional help, please call the Advancement Office at (310) 889-3740.

Legacy Society Remembering Curtis in your estate plan is a meaningful way to ensure Curtis School‘s ability to continue to fulfill its educational mission into the future. Please let the Advancement Office know if you have included or are thinking about including Curtis in your estate plan. We would like to recognize your generosity and your participation in the Legacy Society.

Annual Report 2021-22 The Annual Report gratefully acknowledges gifts received in the fiscal year July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the listings and other information in this publication. If, however, an error or omission has been made, please accept our apology and contact Corinne Schulman, Director of Advancement, at cschulman@curtisschool.org.

Magazine 2022

BELONGING

Contents 5

From the Head of School

6

Perspectives: Educating in Allyship

8

Cultivating Belonging

10

Curtis Athletics: Growing With Consistency

12

Curtis Cares Day of Service

14

International Lunch Day Is Back!

16

Educational Travel Fellowship 2022

20

Tiny House Project

22

Student Voices: The Power of Words

24

Farewell to Our Retiring Faculty & Staff

27

Celebrating 134 Years of Service

28

Alumni Year In Review

On the Cover Curtis School 15871 Mulholland Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049 (310) 476-1251 Publications@CurtisSchool.org

STEAM Maker Day 2022 was designed to create an all-day, immersive, interactive experience for students that highlighted ongoing work and exploration in art, science, and technology. Students were exhilarated by the dizzying array of projects and the opportunity to experiment with new materials and techniques, including light painting, in a free-form format.

Dear Curtis Families, At the beginning of each school year, I set a theme or an intention with our entire faculty and staff. The theme becomes something that we thread through meetings and in our work as a community of educators.

In 2021-22, I asked our faculty and staff to look at all that we do through two lenses.

The first is the lens of belonging: how do we make sure every community member feels that they belong at Curtis? How do we make the culture of Curtis explicit and inclusive so that each child feels that they belong here and that their families belong?

The second lens I asked our faculty to look through is that of purpose.

One of our core Curtis values is to live a life of purpose. So we asked ourselves, how can we, as Curtis faculty and staff, be more intentional and purposeful in what we do, and how do we model for our students to be purposeful friends, students, and citizens?

These two points of focus, living with purpose and belonging, might seem disconnected. But if you think about it, when you feel that you belong to a cause, a mission, or a community, like our Curtis community for our students, then you feel you are living with purpose.

In fall of the last school year, we reconnected with an old familiar friend, Fred Rogers, by reading the book When You Wonder, You’re Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids, by Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski. The authors joined our community virtually in several events for faculty/staff, parents/guardians, and grandparents, and talked about Fred Rogers’ tools for learning. They noted, “These tools—curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and more—cost next to nothing to develop, and they hinge on the very things that make life worthwhile: self-acceptance; close, loving relationships; and a deep regard for one’s neighbor.” Fred Rogers’ television show, while simple in nature, was incredibly forward-thinking and well ahead of its time in terms of what we now know about child development, education, inclusion, and belonging. Mister Rogers and his neighborhood friends endeavored to make children feel that they belonged and consistently reminded them that their purpose was simply to be a good neighbor.

The work of Fred Rogers is a wonderful reminder and affirmation of all the ways we strive to provide for our students and their families. The school’s partnership with the generous volunteerism of our Parents Association, along with our deeply dedicated and caring faculty and staff, provides meaningful learning opportunities for our students and nurtures empathetic relationships. In the pages ahead, you will see how Curtis is thriving in its work to provide a place of belonging for its students and families and to nurture in the young people in our care the sense of purpose that will make them good neighbors who are prepared to make the world a better place.

With gratitude for the good neighbors of Curtis School,

Dr. Meera Ratnesar Head of School

Curtis Magazine Fall 2022 | 5

From the Head of School

Perspectives

Educating in Allyship for AAPI Representation Last year, our children separately faced incidents of microaggression. As parents, it was hard to helplessly watch our children confront anti-Asian racism, and we were connected through a mutual friend who brought us together to process this shared experience. Bonding with each other enabled us to navigate our emotions and channel them into something actionable.

Curtis’s Parents Group on Inclusivity (PGI) has been an incredible outlet and sounding board for us. PGI has created a safe space that enables individuals to share their experiences and ideas and to support one other. Learning from each other’s stories helps us, as parents, broaden our perspectives, build connections, and create allyship, resulting in an even stronger community.

Against the backdrop of anti-Asian sentiment related to pandemic scapegoating, we decided to make lemonade out of lemons. Together, over the last year, we created TeachAAPI, a nonprofit organization that aims to increase representation of important Asian American Pacific Islander history and stories in the curriculum of K-12 schools across the U.S. We have begun this work in Los Angeles but have plans to go nationwide. Currently, 11 schools in Southern California, both public and private, have signed on to be our founding partner schools.

For TeachAAPI, this thriving community, together with the Parents Association’s leadership, was instrumental in helping us expand AAPI History Month programming even further last May. The Curtis administration has played an important role in bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion to life and creating a strong sense of belonging. This past year, a number of parents had a desire to create a Curtis AAPI affinity group. We experienced support every step of the way and can’t wait to partner with both the school and the Parents Association’s leadership to drive connectivity between this group and the broader Curtis community.

The mission of TeachAAPI is to redefine for future generations what it means to be AAPI, through the power of education. By enhancing appreciation and understanding of the role of AAPI in U.S. history, we believe that micro and macro aggressions can be reduced and hopefully eliminated. By enabling AAPI children to be seen as peers and equal members of American society, we will reduce the incidence of insensitive and naive comments and actions.

Education that is designed to eliminate prejudice is important for all children, not just AAPI children, so that we can raise enlightened and empathetic members of an ever diversifying country and world.

We feel fortunate that we have been supported and embraced by Curtis and its community from day one. The mission and values of TeachAAPI align with those of Curtis, with its focus on creating a sound mind in a sound body, governed by a compassionate heart. Curtis’s priority of nurturing the whole child is paramount to the ability of our students to thrive as their most authentic selves. As parents, we believe that when a child can be fully represented and proud, they feel safe and valued—they can attain to their highest ability and are able to share their greatest hopes and dreams.

In the classroom, we have witnessed incremental, but tangible, growth of discussion about AAPI history.

Our own children, who range from 1st through 6th grade, have all spoken about specific AAPI figures they’ve studied in many of their classes. To see them learn about our culture and the contributions of AAPI people through many areas of the curriculum—language arts, social studies, art, and music—is incredible. One notable example this year included the story of an allyship between the Jewish community in Austria and a Chinese diplomat based in Vienna during WWII, who worked to secure visas to help thousands of Jewish people escape Nazioccupied Austria. Sharing these often untold stories has a powerful and lasting impact.

A vibrant, supportive school that values diversity, creates opportunities for multi-dimensional stories, and embraces belonging is one that our families are blessed to be a part of. We are grateful for this open and inclusive community.

“AS PARENTS, WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN A CHILD CAN BE FULLY REPRESENTED AND PROUD, THEY FEEL SAFE AND VALUED— THEY CAN ATTAIN TO THEIR HIGHEST ABILITY AND ARE ABLE TO SHARE THEIR GREATEST HOPES AND DREAMS.”

The Yang family (l-r): Dominic, David, Renee, Rylen, and pup Milo.

The Kono family (l-r): Sean, Blake, Ann, and Kyle.

About the Authors Ann Kono is the second of five children born to immigrant parents from Hong Kong. Ann grew up living with or near all of her grandparents, who provided a rich connection to her Chinese heritage. Through this special bond, she learned about her family’s history and origin story and developed a strong work ethic. Her husband Sean’s experience as a first-generation Japanese American immigrant has helped add texture to the Kono family story. Ann and Sean have two boys, Kyle ’24 and Blake ’27, who both thrive in the Curtis community. The Konos feel privileged to be part of a school that has provided engagement and connection for the entire family.

Renee Yang was born and raised in Hong Kong in a culture that embraced both the East and West. Her parents encouraged her to try new things and explore from a young age, so she recognized early on the value of learning as part of life’s journey.

Renee and her husband, David, a second-generation Chinese American born and raised in L.A., share core values of the importance of family and hard work. They are parents to two active boys, Dominic ’22 and Rylen ’25. Seeing their sons grow in confidence, tenacity, and a love of learning during their Curtis years has been a joy for the Yangs.

Curtis Magazine Fall 2022 | 8

Cultivating Belonging

By Janet Lee, Director of Equity, Curriculum, and Instruction; Earleen Kennedy, School Counselor and Community Liaison for DEI; and Dr. Meera Ratnesar, Head of School

Belonging is essential to the ability of students to thrive in school. When individuals feel they belong to a group or community, they feel safe, supported, and valued in the expression of who they are and what they care about. They feel that the pathways to success are as open to them as they are to others.

For some time, Curtis School has been growing and expanding its efforts in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Through our anti-bias curriculum, faculty and staff professional development, parent education speakers, Parents Group on Inclusivity, and 5th and 6th grade Breaking Bread discussions group, our community has engaged in a number of conversations around inclusion and belonging, all in service of our children.

Anti-Bias Curriculum

Members of the Anti-Bias Task Force began the school year by conducting an audit of all classroom libraries. Teachers combed through every book on their shelves to check the visuals, storylines, and authors to eliminate any works that held damaging representations of certain groups and to ensure that our classroom libraries reflect not only the identities of our students but also diverse perspectives. One of the goals of this audit was to provide what Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop called “mirrors and windows” in our students’ books. Seeing themselves mirrored in the books that are available to them in their homerooms and the library helps our students feel seen and included. In addition, Curtis invested in the expansion of classroom libraries to include many more titles that act as “windows” for our students to learn about cultures and experiences of people different than themselves.

The task force worked hard throughout the year to articulate anti-bias instructional goals, lessons, and corresponding learning outcomes in each of the grade levels. We sought to plan our lessons with intentionality, look for places to invite families and others into the conversation to build a sense of belonging, identify gaps and overlap, and find ways to integrate learning across disciplines. Towards the latter half of the school year, our teachers engaged

in peer observations, sitting in on lessons to look for inspiration and ways to make our anti-bias learning outcomes crystal clear.

In all of these efforts to plan our conversations about identity and diversity with intentionality, we hope to create a culturally responsive learning environment where students are empowered to be their authentic selves and are equipped with language and knowledge to navigate difference.

Faculty and Staff Professional Development

In addition to intentional instructional planning, faculty participated in a series of DEI division meetings, during which we engaged in reflective practice about how we can individually and collectively create an environment at Curtis where all children and families feel a sense of belonging. In these conversations, based on the work of Liza Talusan, Elena Aguilar, and Tamisha Williams, we asked our faculty to examine their own identity, beliefs, and practices. We started by introducing the courageous conversations protocol, digging into how we can each stay engaged and work through discomfort. Next, we explored aspects of our own identities that help inform how we show up in our classrooms and work environments. We examined where we were based on our identity markers in proximity to power and reflected on how we can use our positionalities for the benefit of the children and families whom we serve. We took a good hard look at how inequities present in schools and considered what practices we can start, stop, change, or continue. The goal of these DEI division meetings was to create a sense of accountability for our faculty and staff to minimize and eliminate harm for the students in our charge and to reflect on ways to create the conditions for optimal learning.

Pulse Survey on Belonging

The Board of Trustees' Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is charged with the task of evaluating and holding our institution accountable for its efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion. The board’s DEI Committee worked hard to find a way for the

In the spring, we asked our students, parents, faculty, and staff to participate in the first of Curtis’s belonging surveys. Our goal is to conduct these periodically throughout a school year so that we can track trends, find emerging patterns, and also celebrate areas of measured growth. Students in grades 4-6 completed a survey similar in purpose but designed to be ageappropriate. The responses to these surveys are important in identifying the shared responsibility that we all have to enhance the culture of belonging in our community.

Parent Education and Student Programming

In May, we celebrated Asian American Pacific Islander History Month by welcoming award-winning writer Paula Yoo to our campus to speak with parents about the model minority myth and to students about the importance of representation. Paula shared stories of her youth and how she learned to cope and thrive as an Asian American to become an accomplished author, writer, and content creator. By listening to Paula together, the children in each of the Lower

and Upper Divisions learned about how we can be better friends to each other and that prejudices and stereotypes do not serve us.

In the same month, our student discussion group Breaking Bread and our Parents Group on Inclusivity came together for a meaningful conversation and joint opportunity to deepen our work in DEI. Both students and parents reflected on the feelings experienced when activated by challenging conversations or actions and some of the barriers that can get in the way of "speaking up." Parents and students offered one another words of advice and encouragement in hopes of helping to find ways to push past the discomfort in order to create a kinder and more inclusive community. Bridging the groups for a joint session was a special opportunity to deepen the home-school connection and cultivate an inclusive approach to community building.

From classroom library audits, to a survey to measure people’s sense of belonging, to discussion groups about speaking up and taking action against bias, our Curtis community has worked to critically reflect on the various aspects of our school culture and ways they can be shifted to support the social-emotional needs of our learners. Our DEI efforts will continue to examine practices and structures to ensure that they serve the pursuit of belonging for all our students and families.

Curtis Magazine Fall 2022 | 9

school to measure the feeling of belonging amongst community members through a pulse survey.

Modeled after similar efforts by Harvard University, Curtis’s pulse survey was designed to reveal a broad and general sense of how those who are members of a school community feel about inclusion and belonging.

Curtis Athletics: Growin Growing ng With C onsist tenc cy Consistency

I have been fortunate to be a member of the Curtis Physical Education Department for the past 35 years.

There have been many changes in the P.E. and athletics program in that time, and to observe the growth of our program from its early beginnings to the present day has been inspiring. Despite changes, so much has remained constant. We continue to have 100% participation of Upper Elementary students (grades 4-6) on our athletics teams, and the experience in competitive sports is something that generations of Curtis students look back on with pride and nostalgia.

What has changed over time is the range of options and opportunities we provide for our elementary-aged children.

Prior to my arrival, the after-school sports program was offered only to boys. In 1987, my mentor and then Curtis Athletic Director, David Pappin, hired me to expand the department as he was eager to include girls teams in competitive athletics. We have not looked back since.

We aspire to support each child to reach their fullest potential and to explore their interests and passions.

Importantly, we seek to ensure that all students feel they are included and that they belong in our athletics program, both through the offerings we provide and in the way teams are structured.

Our flag football and baseball teams, which in the past were offered only to boys, are now open to all Upper Elementary students. Our swim team began as a 7th and 8th grade sport when Curtis had a middle school. Later, it was an extra-curricular fall option for Upper Elementary students. Beginning last year, we added swim team as a fall curriculum option open to all students in grades 4-6.

“WE SEEK TO ENSURE THAT ALL STUDENTS FEEL THEY ARE INCLUDED AND THAT THEY BELONG IN OUR ATHLETICS PROGRAM, BOTH THROUGH THE OFFERINGS WE PROVIDE AND IN THE WAY TEAMS ARE STRUCTURED.”

The team is a popular choice that averages 45-60 students per year. In spring of the last school year, we also fielded our first-ever 6th grade boys volleyball team. (Alumni of our former junior high school program may remember boys volleyball as a 7th and 8th grade option.)

What remains constant is the alignment of the physical education and sports program with the school’s mission to develop, in every child, a sound mind in a sound body, governed by a compassionate heart. We do much more than develop sound bodies through sports. Our competitive sports program begins in the 4th grade and affords us the opportunity to teach sportsmanship and team roles working in cooperation, as well as life lessons related to values such as responsibility, respect, discipline, leadership, self-control, courage, and determination.

Our coaches are teachers first. We want the experience of representing Curtis on the playing fields to mean more than just “scoring a touchdown” or “winning a game.”

Being placed on a team, making or missing the winning shot, a call not going your way, winning or losing a close game, and how to persevere when positive or negative things happen throughout the contest—all of these experiences transfer to so many aspects of life.

Most meaningful to me is hearing from graduating 6th grade families who tell me how much the athletic program meant to their child who had never before participated in athletics and never wanted to play a sport. The value of representing one’s school, the feeling of team camaraderie, and learning to take risks outside of their comfort zone made Curtis sports one of the highlights of their entire Curtis School experience. Those testaments and take-aways are the signposts that the Curtis athletics program is successfully living out the Curtis mission and building the habits of mind and body that prepare our graduates for their futures.

Curtis Magazine Fall 2022 | 11

By Alex Chistolini, Director of Athletics

Curtis Magazine Fall 2022 | 12

On Curtis Cares Day, hundreds of Curtis parents and guardians, students, extended family members and family friends, teachers and staff showed up to participate in projects that help others.

This annual day of service benefits non-profit organizations that assist underserved individuals and families and includes the long-running Curtis Parents Association-spearheaded Families Helping Families (One Voice) project.

THIS YEAR WE • Packed boxes & baskets with supplies needed

by One Voice families • Fashioned dog toys for No Kill LA • Painted birdhouses to beautify our campus • Assembled toiletry kits for UNICEF • Replanted the Curtis Butterfly Garden • Decorated Mason jars for Belmont Seniors • Collected E-Waste to benefit the Saban Clinic • Created bookmarks and sorted books for the 2nd Grade Book Drive • Raised money from a 6th Grade Lemonade & Cookie stand to donate to LA Family Housing

Thank you to the Parents Association for leading this big effort that models for our students the importance of purpose.

Curtis Cares Day Live with Purpose: In all we do, a Curtis education strives to provide students with the skills, tools, and sense of purpose they need to be good people.

Sharing Our Cultures

International Lunch Day 2022

2022 saw the return of International Lunch Day, when our families share favorite dishes reflecting their heritages to create a "global banquet" for our school community. Tables representing regions of the world across all continents were decorated with emblems and artifacts from a variety of cultures and laden with dishes both familiar and new. This festival of sights, aromas, and tastes is one time among many throughout the year when we celebrate and are grateful for the rich diversity of our community.

Curtis Magazine Fall 2022 | 16

Curtis Educational Travel Fellowship Program

Studying creativity at Tate Modern

"EXPLORATION IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT IS AN AVENUE TO UNDERSTANDING OUR IDENTITY. AND CREATIVITY IS VALUABLE BECAUSE IT IS A 'UNIQUE ENDOWMENT' WE ARE ALL BORN WITH."

The Educational Travel Fellowship Program offers our teachers a unique opportunity to engage in fieldwork, conduct research, and collaborate with educators and organizations anywhere in the world. These experiences enrich our learning community by creating new perspectives, promoting crosscultural competency, and fostering global thinking in our classrooms.

The art of set design: The Making of Harry Potter, at Warner Bros. Studio, London Digging into the past with Earthwatch

Poggio del Molino archaeological site

Kendal Copeland, Library & Digital Media Specialist During a professional development day in 2021, faculty and staff had the wonderful experience of hearing from Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski, authors of When You Wonder, You’re Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids.

The book reveals what Fred Rogers called the “tools for learning.” These include skills and mindsets that promote self-acceptance, loving communities, and a deep regard for one’s neighbor. When You Wonder, You’re Learning reinforced for me the important role educators have in fostering essential learning tools such as curiosity, exploration, and creativity.

With a grant from the Curtis Educational Travel Fellowship program, I sought to design an experience that would teach me to better champion these tools as a librarian.

My first adventure was an archaeological dig with Earthwatch in Piombino, a region of Tuscany, Italy. The excavation endeavors to discover the history of the people who inhabited the settlement of Poggio del Molino during the Roman Age by revealing the site in its entirety, understanding its function, and reconstructing its architecture throughout its various historical stages. Working on the dig reinforced for me the values of curiosity and exploration in research.

Oil lamp, 4th-7th century

Curiosity is important to the learning process, because a curious brain is excited about answers and welcomes the journey to uncovering those answers. The prospect of uncovering history sparked my curiosity and motivated me to put in the required physical hard work of excavation, which was the tool of exploration in this case. Exploration is an avenue to understanding our identities. Exploration helps students develop a strong sense of self by allowing them to investigate topics, objects, scenarios, and more that interest them.

My archaeological dig experience will enhance my teaching of research skills. I will implement more wonder about the world by teaching students how they can discover different ways to answer their questions. I will emphasize how asking questions can lead to new thoughts and ideas. Additionally, I will cultivate lessons that will help students to better connect with the past, think beyond the text, and ponder big ideas. Research, like digging, is a process that takes time, but the finished product is something to be proud of.

The second half of my trip was dedicated to the study of creativity. Authors Behr and Rydzewski highlight research that reveals that as we age, we lose our creativity. This shift is due to the fact that academics are usually emphasized more than creative thinking. But recent studies show that as our world evolves, creative kids become more mindful and successful adults. Therefore, I sought to discover how I can create an environment in the library that fosters creativity.

I explored several British museums, where I witnessed how creativity is the conduit for the artist to express externally, in tangible form, what we, as humans, feel internally. At the Tate Modern gallery of contemporary art, I viewed an exhibition titled “A Year in Art: Australia 1992.” This installation featured paintings, sculptures, and still photos created by Australian artists that make visible the impact of colonization on indigenous peoples.

At the Natural History Museum, I observed the effect of breakthrough creativity in the form of problemsolving, out-of-the-box thinking, and bold ideas. One of the out-of-the-box thinkers the museum featured was Dorothea Bate, a paleontologist and pioneer of archaeozoology, who fought for women’s rights in science. Her decades of discoveries in the Mediterranean and Near East comprise a significant scientific legacy that is still relevant. Another bold thinker was William Smith, the first person to map the geology of an entire nation. These explorations reinforced for me the notion that creativity and abstract thinking have become essential skills for our future society and greatly enhanced my understanding of how better to foster creativity in my library lessons and programming.

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Fostering Curiosity, Exploration, and Creativity

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Education Systems in Finland, Sweden, and Estonia

By Kat Patterson, Kindergarten Teacher I’ve been intrigued by Finland’s approach to education for the past few years. So, having the opportunity to explore the Finnish education system with a grant from the Curtis Educational Travel Fellowship was a dream come true! During the summer of 2022, I traveled to Sweden, Estonia, and Finland, with a group of educators led by Global Education Allies, to take a closer look at education in these countries.

Finland’s education system is known for its high levels of trust and equity, lack of standardized tests, long outdoor recess, minimal homework, shorter school days, and little performance pressure. The Finnish school system has been in the limelight since the first results of the PISA surveys (Programme for International Student Assessment) put Finland at or near the top in reading, math, and science. According to the World Happiness Report, Finland has ranked as the happiest country for the past five years! It’s no surprise, then, that Finland’s neighbors have adopted some of its educational practices.

I began my travels on the cluster of islands that make up Stockholm and immediately started exploring. Some of my favorite sights in Sweden were the Vasa Museum, the Photography Museum, and the Nordic Museum. As I adventured around Old Town, a teacher shared her insights into the Swedish education system. We discussed the importance of social and emotional learning. She expressed, “Sometimes schools are shaped like a square, but not all students fit into that square. Sometimes, they are shaped more like a heart. It is important to design lessons that engage all shapes and sizes. All students need access to the world of education.”

Next, I boarded an overnight ferry and crossed the Baltic Sea, arriving in the charming port city of Tallinn, Estonia. I took a walking tour of Old Town, visited the E-Estonia showroom for a briefing on digital culture, strolled through Kadriorg park gardens, and toured the KGB museum. The highlight of my trip to Estonia was visiting two schools and connecting with local teachers. I heard from educators about day-to-day school life, the different needs of their students, the impact of COVID in the classroom, digital school in practice, and teacher well-being.

My final stop was Finland, where I was excited to observe the country’s innovative educational system in practice. In Helsinki, I toured a university, a vocational school, a nature center, a high school, a middle school, and two elementary schools. I discussed the following topics with local teachers: the building blocks of a great participatory learning experience, “no dead ends,” lifelong learning initiatives, teacher training, teacher autonomy, a culture of trust, special education, arts and skills in the classroom, language and global awareness, phenomenon-based learning and whole child learning, and nature in the classroom.

By far the best part about this trip was connecting with other educators from around the globe. I built lasting relationships with U.S. teachers I traveled alongside and local teachers who served as tour guides and shared their perspectives on both the strengths and challenges of their native school systems.

Finland is known for embracing a lifelong learning mentality. This is a topic near to my heart and a reason I feel so at home at Curtis. I find Curtis embracing this same mentality. Providing teachers with opportunities to seek new experiences and perspectives strengthens a lifelong learning mentality. Perhaps the most important lesson I learned on this adventure is the impact that access to education can have on a person, school, city, country, community, and ultimately, our world. I look forward to integrating more nature into my classroom, prioritizing the basics over the volume of material covered in class, and engaging in continuing self-reflection about my role and practice as an educator.

An elementary school in Hyvinkää abuts a forest, where students learn to care for the environment A cozy room for storytelling moments and children’s events in Oodi Library, Helsinki

This Oodi Library installation reminds us of the universal right to access information On the shores of the Baltic Sea, near Kadriorg park, in Tallinn, Estonia

“SOMETIMES SCHOOLS ARE SHAPED LIKE A SQUARE, BUT NOT ALL STUDENTS FIT INTO THAT SQUARE. SOMETIMES, THEY ARE SHAPED MORE LIKE A HEART."

Vasa (“ship”), a restored 17th century wooden warship, Vasa Museum, Stockholm

View of the Djurgården “museum island” from the Skansen open-air museum, Stockholm

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Tiny House Project Packs Outsized Learning

By Drew Beckmeyer, Art Teacher (Grades 4-6) Imagine you have a budget of $90,000 to build a house from 150 to 400 square feet in area. Now, taking into consideration the costs attendant to the chosen location, including purchasing a vacant piece of land, design and build to scale a model of your house. The Tiny House Project sounds simple enough, but actually, it is a months-long, multilayered learning experience for 6th grade visual arts students involving extensive foundational research and planning. On the journey to building their tiny houses, students learn about the following: basic budgeting and understanding of costs; sustainability, resources and waste; using scale to design and plan a structure; the basic elements of a structure; interior design; simple building techniques; and using tools for construction.

To better understand the concept of the tiny house, students watched videos of people who had built their own tiny house. From those stories, they got a sense of how a tiny house solves a lot of problems for people who don’t necessarily have a lot of resources or who are trying to minimize their environmental impact.

I really wanted to elevate the project from the idea that ‘we’re building a dollhouse’ and to ground it as much in reality as possible. So, we started at the beginning. I gave the kids an imaginary $90,000 budget, four locations across the U.S. where they could buy property, and access to Zillow to “purchase” their property. This part of the project was unexpectedly exciting. Some kids got really into looking for the most idyllic place to live. Some wanted the cheapest. Others teamed up to buy more expensive pieces of land that they would then split up. Some found really great deals in the desert, and I allowed them to sell back portions to me at cost, as long as each student retained at least half an acre.

The houses needed to be off-grid and each location had differing costs for basic needs, like water, power, heat, septic system, etc. In making the decision about where and what to purchase, students had to reserve enough money to build their house. This required planning ahead. I gave them a list of items they had

to include in the house, and we also broke down some costs of customizing their spaces. If a student wanted something that wasn’t on the list, they could research the cost of that item and incorporate it into their budget.

And then we moved on to the blueprints. Any money left over after land, utilities, and customization determined the square footage of the tiny house. We used a cost of $100 per square foot. So, a student with a balance of $30,000, could build a 300-squarefoot home. From that calculation, using a half-inch grid, students started designing their interior space.

Right off the bat, there was some funny business.

Some students tried to convince me they could save space because they were fine sleeping on a 2’x2’ bed, or that they could put a table in front of a door, because they could just push it out of the way when they needed to go in or out of the room. So we made a minimum-size database for furnishings and other items on the required list to keep everyone grounded in real-world space. That was the point at which it hit some of them how small a couple of hundred square feet really is.

To build their models, students primarily used balsa or bass wood, saws, and glue. In general, I’m averse to templates, kits, and premade pieces. An essential part of this curriculum is learning how to break down raw materials into something usable, not just assemble parts that have been made to fit perfectly together by someone else. This approach often leads to issues of how to conserve materials. All of our wood came in nice, clean 3-foot strips, and we ended up making scrap bins. For about a month, while we were building, my mantra was, “Please do not take a long piece to cut off a tiny piece—look in the scrap bins!”

To begin construction, we discussed why nearly all tiny houses have raised foundations and the benefits of building off the ground. After transferring the blueprints to the base board, we started building up, first with vertical posts and then horizontal beams.

Students used levels and squares with varying

Right and below: Students used balsa and bass wood, saws, and glue to create scale models. Scrap bins helped them practice conserving materials.

MINIMAL SIZE DATABASE (sq. ft.) success. Roofs were fun: students had to choose a shape based on the geographic location of their house. In coldclimate areas, roofs needed to be steeper depending on the average snowfall for their location. Most students who built in the desert opted for flat roofs.

Once the main structures were finished, students began putting in walls, windows, stairs, and ladders. Many took their design even further, making tiny bookshelves and countertops, clay toilets and sinks, outdoor fireplaces, and hidden storage areas. They also had the option to install mini solar panels that they wired to LED lights. One student built a circuit that also powered a ceiling fan.

Another spent almost half of her budget on a basement. I love little moments like that where a pretend basement is that important to someone.

In a lot of the projects that the students do in visual art, the end result is almost the least important part.

Sometimes a confusing mess comes home, but the process that parents don’t get to see is really the significant part. The tiny house project is one for which most of the results actually looked pretty cool, but all the behind-the-scenes thinking and work that the students did is what they will take away and build on in new ways.

Add-ons SECOND STORY: double your square footage HALF SECOND STORY: add ½ of your square footage Balcony = 5x8 Porch = 7x10 Garage = 10x15 Shed = 8x10

Purchases Bed = 4x7 Couch = 3x4 Oven = 3x3 Shower = 3x3 Bathtub = 3x5 Table = 2x2 Fridge = 3x3 Mini Fridge = 2x2

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STUDENT VOICES The Power of Words

By Maia Blackman ’22 It was March 11, 2020, when I had to pack up my materials because of a virus that might force us into lockdown. I thought it was a hassle, because I expected that I would just return them after the weekend.

Instead, I didn’t go back to school for a year after that. In that year, it wasn’t only my education that changed, but people’s attitudes. AntiAsian hate crimes increased by 339%. It started with “China virus” and “kungflu,” but eighty years ago, the prejudices were “big nose” and “greedy.” These are the kinds of words that led to a sixty-seven-year-old Asian woman being assaulted on the street or 6 million dead.

My last year at Curtis explored enlightening and essential content. We read about the disgusting actions during the Holocaust and learned how crucial education is so we don’t repeat the past. To further this journey, we also visited the Museum of Tolerance. The Museum of Tolerance included a devastating diorama of Auschwitz-Birkenau, one of the most famous death camps. It appeared very cloudy, but it wasn’t clouds, it was ash. It was ash from the thousands of bodies the Nazis were burning daily. There could have been another person at the museum with me that day if some of that ash wasn’t there, maybe more. The Holocaust isn’t just a thing of the past, and we can’t forget it. It started with words, much like the ones directed towards Asian people during COVID-19. The words grow into intrusive thoughts and eventually actions, but we have to remember to stay strong together as a group.

Joined together, we must resist the bad, even if our actions could harm us. During the Holocaust, some spectacular people did resist the bad and were declared Righteous Among the Nations. We did a research project about these awe-inspiring people, and it taught me another lesson: It’s worth it. The one action you could take to save another life is worth it. No matter the repercussions or consequences of your actions, there is nothing in this world that can compare to saving another human being. It’s important to remember that the Holocaust also happened because of the people who did nothing. We are constantly reminded that neutrality only encourages the persecutor, not the victim, so it’s essential to stand up for each other.

Another extraordinary opportunity we had during the Museum of Tolerance trip was hearing from a Holocaust survivor. Angelina was a teenager when her family was deported to a concentration camp. She and her sister were separated from their parents on that journey and never saw them again. They were transported to several camps within the next three years, but a spark of hope and determination was flickering in those years. The sisters encountered three other girls at the beginning of their brutal imprisonment and they stayed together the whole time; they weren’t alone. Those women survived because of their hope for the future and sheer persistence. Anne Frank once wrote, “In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart.”

She wrote this while she was forced into hiding because people were actively trying to murder her for her religious beliefs.

We owe it to the fifteen-year-old girl, who died thinking people were still good at heart while living through humanity’s lowest point, to be our best. We have to be the people that Anne Frank and Angelina found hope in, the people who future generations can look back on and say that we terminated the irrational hate and prejudice around us. We can never let our biases blind us from truly evil incidents again, and we must stop the words before they grow into much more.

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Retirements

In June, we said "goodbye" to three cherished members of our faculty and staff who have served Curtis long and well. We are so very grateful for their many contributions and steadfast devotion to our students and school. They will be missed by us all.

Patty Molinari Patty Molinari, a long-serving member of the administrative staff, retired at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Mrs. Molinari has been the school’s registrar and assistant to the director of admissions for the past 19 years. While her day-to-day work was mostly behind the scenes, she was known to all from her dependable presence at morning carpool. Each day, she stood at the head of the “blacktop” drop-off line of cars, warmly greeting arriving students and their parents, helping children out of cars and into backpacks, and generally delighting everyone with her perennially cheerful smile and a seemingly endless supply of brightly-colored gloves and playful novelty hats. (She had a hat for every holiday, and you knew it was Thanksgiving time when she wore the one with the silly turkey on top.)

Patty humbly referred to herself a "paper pusher," but really, her work was essential to many facets of the school’s operations, and her steely work ethic made the Admissions Office hum with efficiency. Over the years, Patty maintained applicant files for thousands of candidate families. She prepared enrollment contracts and was the force behind the scenes in inputting the school schedule and enrolling almost 500 students into their appropriate classes in the school’s student information/academic management system each year.

With all that she had to do and that she accomplished, Patty was never too busy to help a colleague or any student or family who had a question, need, or problem—and she always did so with a ready smile. Her approach to work put into daily practice the quote she so aptly borrowed from “Mary Poppins” that appeared under her Curtis email signature block: “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun!” Indeed, Mimi Petrie, Director of Admissions, says, “Never have I asked her to do something when she hasn’t replied, ‘Sure, I can do that.’ Everyone knows that if you need help with anything, Patty is your gal.”

Mrs. Molinari’s positivity, dedication, and professionalism were remarkable and were prized by her colleagues.

Mrs. Petrie says, “I will remember her for her loyalty and commitment to making us the best admissions team we could be. At the end of each day, Patty and I would often say, ‘It’s time to go home. We’ve had all the fun we can have today.’”

Speaking of Patty, Dr. Ratnesar says, “We are so deeply appreciative of all the school spirit and cheerleading she provided our newest Cougars to our oldest Cougars. When not in carpool with her wonderfully colorful gloves and hats to make sure kids started their day off with a smile, she was assisting Mimi and our admissions process, tutoring students, and staying connected to many alumni. She embodied being a Curtis Cougar and for that we are so grateful.”

Patty (a native of Massachusetts) and her husband, Charlie, plan to move back to the East Coast to be closer to family. While she looks forward to living nearer to her two adult daughters, she admits, “I'm going to miss everything about Curtis. I'll miss seeing the kids every day and, of course, all of the friends that I have made here. It really is going to be hard to say goodbye to everyone.”

We thank Patty for her long and exemplary service to Curtis. We at Curtis miss her daily presence on campus and wish her every future happiness.

Susan Woolley After two decades of dedication to our school and students, 4th Grade Teacher Susan Woolley retired at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Ms. Woolley began her time at Curtis in May 2003, and 2022 marked the beginning of her 20th year at our school and 43 years overall as a teacher. Ms. Woolley has been a 4th grade teacher for her entire career at Curtis, and this specialization has enriched our program with the unique perspective, understanding of children of that age, and curricular expertise that come from an educator’s extensive experience teaching one grade over a long period of time.

Ms. Woolley loved teaching 4th graders and watching them grow in independence and intellectually. Fourth grade is a time when our students learn how to do research, take notes, and exercise their intellectual reasoning, and she has fostered these foundational learning skills in some 400 Curtis students over the years. She says, “I love seeing the lights turn on as a child understands a concept that they have been struggling with,” and her commitment to our children is evident from the many former students who return to share their accomplishments and gratitude for her many years after they have graduated. Says 4th grade teaching colleague Karen Ivy, “Her students adore her! I have witnessed children who have tentatively crossed the threshold of her classroom on the first day of school, not knowing what to expect. Months later, they emerge as confident, happy, caring people who know that they are well prepared to take on anything that 5th grade and/or life throws their way.”

Beyond the classroom, Ms. Woolley served on both the Math and Social Studies Depth of Study teams that yielded Curtis Goals for Learning and launched the Singapore Math curriculum. She was designated as a team co-leader for a chapter of the school’s self-study for the recent CAIS-WASC (California Association of Independent Schools and Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation review. Ms. Woolley also served as a faculty representative on the school’s branding committee. She helped guide the 4th Grade overnight Sacramento Trip every year and created a popular gold prospecting experience for 4th grade on campus to tie into their curriculum on California history.

Reflecting on coming to Curtis, Ms. Woolley says, “It was the best choice I could have made. I felt moved to heaven.”

What she will miss most are the children. She says, “I have loved seeing them grow into citizens, their unconditional love, and their joy.”

Ms. Woolley has touched the lives of so many Curtis colleagues. Karen Ivy says, “Do I share about how creative Susan is, or how she has a wonderful sense of humor? Or should I start off by telling you that she loves and supports her students with a fierce passion?” And Ginger Healy, director of grades 3-5, observes, “Susan guides her students through the learning process by showing them she believes in their ability to ‘fly’ independently. Through her humor and thoughtful approach, she has taught numerous fourth graders to believe in themselves by demonstrating confidence in them.” Dr. Ratnesar reflects, “Over my seven years of working with her, I have witnessed with great appreciation the depth of her kindness and compassion for others. Underneath her stern teaching voice is a heart so big, so caring, and so filled with love for children.”

We will miss Ms. Woolley, but know that the care she showed her students and her teaching are a legacy that continue to positively impact the educational and life journeys of the many young people she taught.

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Susan Nihiser A constant in the 1st grade team and a beloved colleague, Sue Nihiser retired from teaching and Curtis at the end of June 2022.

For 27 years, she was been a beacon of love, positivity, and enthusiasm for her students and our community.

A born teacher, Mrs. Nihiser recognized her calling early in life and never looked back. Over the course of her 51 years as an educator, she has taught some 1,300 children between Curtis and an almost equally long career teaching in Illinois. Her skill as an educator and her deep caring for her students enabled them to thrive in the classroom and set them up for continued academic success and positive social-emotional development.

Mrs. Nihiser taught only 1st grade and in the same classroom during her entire time at Curtis. First graders are at an age that she absolutely loves. Mrs. Nihiser says, “They’re so excited about the world. They want to learn everything, and they want to tell you about what they know. And I want to know about them too … what cartoons they watch, where they go, and what they see. I’m going to miss that.”

During her time at Curtis, Mrs. Nihiser contributed her expertise on committees and task forces too numerous to list. Most recently, she was a member of the Anti-Bias Task Force, the Feedback and Assessment Task Force, and the Math and Reading Depth of Study groups. For many years, she partnered with now-retired Kindergarten Teacher Terri Morell and Educational Technology Integration Specialist Loren Sobul to offer a summer program on the campus called Learning Adventures. She has been an active participant in Curtis life outside of school hours as well. She worked at the Curtis Fair every year and always delighted her former students by attending our annual Senior Send-offs.

Mrs. Nihiser has been a role model of Curtis values and a generous mentor to the many assistant and associate teachers who served alongside her throughout the years and who have become lead teachers in their own right.

One of these, Jenne Cansick, now a 1st Grade Teacher at Curtis, remarks, “It was so wonderful to be welcomed into the Curtis community by Mrs. Nihiser. Her energy and laugh are infectious!” Longtime 1st Grade Teacher Ashley Williams notes, “Sue Nihiser (affectionately known to her team as ‘Susie Q’) is a bright ray of sunshine. Her sweet smile, adorable giggle and ever-present optimism help her colleagues get through each day.” First Grade Teacher Chris Hruby remarks, “Susie consistently brought her full energy to Curtis each day. She walked with a pep in her step and volume in her voice. Susie was always making us laugh with her bubbly sense of humor.”

Mrs. Nihiser’s generous spirit is reflected in all she did. Dr. Ratnesar says, “I am personally grateful that Sue postponed her retirement for a year so that she could help see the school transition out of remote learning and also help guide and counsel the school’s transition to the co-lead teaching structure in 1st and 2nd grades.”

Dr. Ratnesar reflects, “This is just one of the many ways in which Sue gave of herself to our school, whether it was in deep care for the teaching and learning of her 1st graders or in how she supported and mentored so many colleagues and teachers either new to Curtis or new to teaching all together.” Summing up what so many colleagues and Curtis families have felt, Dr. Ratnesar notes, “Most importantly, she consistently, and with abundance, modeled deep care and love for the children.”

We are grateful for Mrs. Nihiser’s presence in the lives of so many Curtis students, families, and colleagues. She will always be part of our Curtis Family.

134 Combined Years of Service Honoring Our Faculty and Staff Who Have Retired from 2020-2022 Patty Molinari, 19 years (2003-2022) Sue Nihiser, 27 years (1995-2022) Susan Woolley, 19 years (2003-2022) Terri Morell, 38 years (1983-2021) Dr. Linda Schaffer, 11 years (2010-2021) Jimmy Worth, 20 years (2000-2020) The Curtis community came together to honor six longserving and treasured members of the faculty and staff who retired during the past two years. After 2019, the pandemic put a hold on our tradition of celebrating our retiring educators and staff, but, on June 11, 2022, we were once again able to come together to acknowledge our gratitude to Patty Molinari, Sue Nihiser, Terri Morell, Dr. Linda Schaffer, Susan Woolley, and Jimmy Worth for all they have contributed to our school, students, and families. The program celebrating these singular individuals included heartwarming tributes by the following: Director of Grades 3-5 Ginger Healy ’97 for Dr. Schaffer; Patricia Weg ’94 for her Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Morell; Mimi Petrie for her admissions colleague, Mrs. Molinari; 4th Grade Teacher Karen Ivy for her 4th grade teaching colleague Ms. Woolley; bassoonist at the event Max Meyer '20 for his former teacher Mr. Worth; and 1st Grade Teachers Chris Hruby and Ashley Williams for their teaching colleague, Mrs. Nihiser. We are deeply grateful to our dedicated retiring faculty and staff, who gave so much of themselves to educate and prepare Curtis students for their futures. They will always be a part of the Curtis story and will remain in our thoughts and hearts forever.

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Celebrating

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Alumni Year In Review The powerhouse leadership team of the Alumni Council, President Jared Cohen ’88, Vice President Patricia Petrie Weg ’94, and Secretary Ashley Warne ’96, led Curtis School’s alumni program through a successful year of events and community. The best news was that our alumni were able to be back in person on campus in 2021-22!

In the fall, an all-class-years Alumni Night both honored the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021, our newest alumni, and gave all alumni an opportunity to return to Curtis for an evening of celebration and fellowship against a backdrop of music and food trucks.

Leaning into our success in connecting virtually with our community during the pandemic, we continued to build engagement through Alumni Cougar Conversations on Zoom. In the spring, we hosted a panel discussion on the topic of sports, moderated

by Director of Athletics Alex Chistolini and Director of Facilities “Coach” Jeff Albert. We were immensely honored to have Courtney Corrin ’10, Kevin Demoff ’89, and Teddy Werner ’88 as our guest speakers. Kevin Demoff, Chief Operating Officer, LA Rams, and Teddy Werner, Sr. Advisor, Strategy and Growth for Fenway Sports Marketing, discussed their organizations’ challenges and opportunities, and how their passion for sports influenced their careers. Courtney Corrin, a former star college athlete, spoke about her experience competing for USC in both track & field and soccer and her current role as Director of Recruiting, USC Track &

Field. All of them shared their experiences in the Curtis sports program and some humorous anecdotes from their days as Curtis students.

Also in the spring, we were able to resume one of our newer traditions, the 6th Grade Alumni Event.

In addition to writing letters to themselves that will be returned to them when they come back to us for Senior Send-off in six years, the 6th graders heard from a panel of young alumni about the transition to middle school. We are so grateful to Oliver Copeland (Curtis ’20; Buckley ’26), Jolie Friedman (Curtis ’20, Brentwood ’26), Lila Owens (Curtis ’21, Windward ’27), and Franklin Wimbish (Curtis ’19, Harvard-Westlake ’25), who were our speakers on the panel this year.

The Alumni Council was proud to announce two winners of the 2022 Alumni Council Community Service Award. At the 6th Grade Alumni Event, Council member Allison Jacoby ’83 spoke about Curtis School’s role in nurturing our students’ compassionate hearts and presented checks in the amount of $500 each to Kristina Megerdichian ’17 and Emma Wollaeger ’19 to be used to benefit the non-profits they work with: Build Your World (Emma) and School on Wheels (Kristina).

Vetea Mahony ’16 and Ariana Azarbal ’16 returned to address our community at Sports Night and spoke about their journeys as student-athletes at Curtis and the impact of those experiences on their middle and high school sports careers. Both of these amazing alumni, coincidentally, were recipients of the 5th Grade Decathlon Award at Dads Day (now Sports Night) in 2015.

We closed out the year with a rollicking Legacy Breakfast for alumni parents and their children who are current Curtis students, a spirited reunion of the Class of 2016 at their Senior Send-off, and a joyful pin ceremony for 6th graders on the cusp of their graduation, with Patricia Weg ’94 serving as keynote speaker.

Alumni Council Representative Allison Jacoby ’83 (center) presented checks to Kristina Megerdichian ’17 (left) and Emma Wollaeger ’19 (right), winners of the 2022 AC Community Service Award, at 6th Grade Alumni Night in May.

As we look forward to another year of reconnection and making Cougar memories, we wish to introduce Melissa Malone, Curtis’s new Special Events and Alumni Relations Sr. Manager. Melissa brings a wealth of experience in event planning, fundraising, and constituent relations to her role. She welcomes all alumni and their families to stay connected with Curtis and to reach out to her for opportunities to be involved with the school.

Community Service Grant NEWS Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Alumni Council Community Service Grant!

Kristina Megerdichian (Curtis ’17, Marlborough ’23) first began working with School on Wheels, a non-profit organization that provides tutoring to unhoused children, as a student at Curtis. Although she was too young to be a tutor at that time, she says, “I felt a strong connection with the organization because they gave children an opportunity to learn and grow as students, which is exactly what Curtis helped me do.” While at Curtis, Kristina hosted a drive for School on Wheels to collect school supplies to be donated to unhoused children throughout Los Angeles. After turning 15, she began to tutor students as well. Kristina’s grant will be used to provide students served by School on Wheels with new backpacks and school supplies, including iPads and Kindles. Kristina says, “I am very grateful to Curtis for showing me the importance of community outreach and for teaching me how to make a positive impact on those less fortunate.”

Emma Wollaeger (Curtis ’19, Marlborough ’25) will donate her grant award to Build Your World, a student-run non-profit that strives to empower and inspire kids in STEM through a variety of programs, such as engineering classes and tutoring. Emma has worked with Build Your World as both the head of tutoring operations and a tutor. She matches volunteers with students and ensures that tutoring sessions are continuing for students. She says, “Build Your World is important to me because it allows me and many others to get involved with their community by sharing their knowledge. Moreover, it allows the volunteers to gain a deeper knowledge of subjects that seem simple or that were learned a long time ago.” The tutoring is cost-free because sessions take place online and all the tutors are volunteers.

However, materials for engineering and coding classes are needed to reinforce learning through hands-on challenges. These expenses have been carried by the volunteers, and the grant money will be used to defray those costs.

Applauding All Community Service Grant Finalists The Alumni Council is grateful to all the young alumni who participated in the grant application program for stewarding Curtis’s mission of a compassionate heart within the Los Angeles community and wider world.

Jordan Estes ’17 This Little Light Africa Mission: “Spreading the Gospel through practical and life-giving support by partnering with proven, African-led organizations on the ground in Nigeria and throughout Africa, so as to empower their fellow Africans, improve their communities and better the world around them.”

Brooke Friedman ’18 Clothes with Care (founded by Brooke and Jolie ’20 Friedman) Mission: “To personalize the experience of receiving donated clothing by curating clothing selections and packaging them nicely to help teenage girls feel like they fit in, belong, and boost their self-esteem. All girls, regardless of socioeconomic status, deserve to experience that special feeling of unpackaging a new outfit or two, something almost everyone we know takes for granted.”

Avery Gough ’18 The XX Fund Mission: “The XX Fund is a woman’s giving circle established in 2014 to address the needs of women and girls in Los Angeles and is committed to bringing about lasting social change. The XX Fund makes annual grants to nonprofit organizations that enable women and girls to reach their potential, strive for economic justice and live free of discrimination and violence.”

Addison Jean ’19 Union Station Homeless Services Mission: “We work to end homelessness through housing solutions, supportive services, and connection to community. We advocate for equitable and just systems that ensure all individuals and families will have a safe place they can call home.”

A special thank you to Shana Zarcufsky ’85 for her gift in support of this program.

Celebrating Our Alumni!

Legacy Breakfast The Legacy Breakfast is a special treat that our alumni parents and their children who are current Curtis students look forward to each sharing each spring. This year, 30 children who are enrolled in school attended with their alumni parent, making this one of our biggest Legacy Breakfasts ever!

Sports Night Speakers A highlight of Sports Night is hearing the inspiring stories of Curtis alumni who are now high school student-athletes. This year’s guest speakers, Ariana Azarbal ’16 (left) and Vetea Mahony ’16 (right), reconnected with Sports Night host and Director of Athletics, Coach Alex Chistolini.

Plan or Join in Curtis Alumni Events If you have ideas for an event or would like to help organize one, please contact the Alumni Office.

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Young Alumni Panel

Pin Ceremony Young Alumni Panel moderated by Ashley Ma, Director of 6th Grade and Secondary School Outplacement: ( l-r) Mrs. Ma, Franklin Wimbish ’19, Oliver Copeland ’20, Jolie Friedman ’20, and Lila Owens ’21.

Patricia Weg ’94, keynote speaker, congratulated and cheered on our 6th graders at this new tradition that began in 2021.

Left to right: Ashley Warne '96, Marshall Cole '96, Dr. Meera Ratnesar, and Jared Cohen '88 welcomed alumni from all years to campus for Alumni Night in November 2021.

Cougar Conversations Guest speakers (l-r): Courtney Corrin ’10, Kevin Demoff ’89, and Teddy Werner ’88. We continued our virtual program of Cougar Conversations with a panel of alumni who shared personal insights about their careers in the fields of college and professional sports.

Alumni Class Notes

1950s William Sprague ’59 shares, “Life work… I enjoyed finance and was self-taught. Slowly learned to build a portfolio and where I am today. Left California for Texas for quality of life and open spaces. I have two kitties as my companions. Am ‘Grandpa’ to local family kids. From Curtis and Mr. Bill Badham, a.k.a. Baddy, I learned to swim and am now teaching the grandkids to swim. Rebuilt my hose garden ... enjoying being retired.”

rooms, a yard, and maybe soon a dog (we'll see). While we miss the spontaneity that the big city afforded, and definitely the food scene, my wife, Lauren, and I are loving the additional space of our house, especially since our jobs are still partially remote. For the last 15 years, I've worked in private equity with a focus on infrastructure and transportation/logistics, with stops at the Carlyle Group, Oaktree Capital, and most recently AMP Capital.

I just accepted a new job with a PE firm based in Miami, FL and will be commuting back and forth to NYC for the next year before we relocate.

Lauren works in real estate and is a broker at Compass. She started her career in fashion, having worked in a number of executive roles at Ralph Lauren, Kate Spade, Club Monaco, and True Religion. We'd love the opportunity to connect with Curtis alums who live in the NYC/Miami areas!”

Guy Smith & Hilary Feybush

1980s Jessica (Sukov) Orenstein ’86 writes, “My family (1 husband, 1 daughter, 3 dogs, and 2 guinea pigs) just wrapped up our second full year of East Coast life. We are loving the slow pace, the beautiful magic of the seasons, and the lack of traffic! I am currently entering my 25th (gulp!) year of teaching and love it just as much as I did when I started. I get a good laugh when my students ask me about what life was like in the 80's, 90's, or when they ask me how I survived growing up without a cell phone. Hope everyone is healthy and well!”

1990s Brent Tasugi ’93 shares, “After 17 years living in NYC, we moved out to the suburbs. We relocated to Westchester County, NY, and we're currently getting to know our new neighborhood. My two daughters, Ava, 6, and Quinn, 4, are making friends and are adjusting well to their respective schools. They love having their own

Guy Smith ’94 Former Curtis parent Kathy Smith announced the engagement of her son, Guy Smith, to Hilary Feybush. Guy is the son of the late Guy Smith Sr., and is a digital advertising and data privacy attorney with his own law firm. Hilary is also an attorney, who serves as VP of Employment and Labor at Skydance Media. The couple plans to be married in the summer of 2023.

2000s Alex Hofbauer ’00 will marry his fiancée, Dr. Emily Switzer, in October 2022.

Alex Hofbauer & Dr. Emily Switzer

Bianca Berzner Lenga ’01 has a master's in clinical psychology and is a psychotherapist based in Los Angeles. For many years, she worked with compassion and patience, both in school and home settings, as a Child Behavior Specialist for children with developmental delays and disorders.

As a psychotherapist, Bianca continues to work with children, families, and individual adults in her practice through a developmental, humanistic lens. Bianca enjoys journeying with her clients on their paths toward selfawareness, self-compassion, and joy by providing them with liberating and lifechanging tools. She has a background in teaching art to children, is a certified yoga instructor, and is a proud alum of Curtis, Crossroads, USC, and Bianca Berzner Lenga Antioch. Bianca is passionate about traveling and cooking with her husband, spending time with her family, cuddling her three Yorkies, Gigi, Zoey & Harley, and is expecting her first child October, 2022.

*Alumni are identified by their 6th Grade class year regardless of which year they graduated or left Curtis.

Laura Ponchick ’01 is getting married this fall to Kyle Bellinger and says it’s “all thanks to our mutual friend and fellow Curtis classmate Daisy Hamilton!”

Two of her bridesmaids include Curtis classmates Natasha Phillips and Ashley Arnold. Adding to the excitement, Ashley Arnold is engaged to Laura's older brother, also a Curtis alum, Jeff Ponchick ’99. Laura says, “Thanks, Curtis, for being such an integral part of our lives!” Laura has been working for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health throughout the pandemic in COVID-19 outbreak management and is proud to have contributed to improving health outcomes and ensuring access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Samy & Ben Gelfand

Taylor Geisler & daughter Kenzie

Samy (Harbert) Gelfand ’07 married her high school sweetheart, Ben Gelfand, on June 11, 2022. Her Curtis friends Molly King ’07 and Alexa Gores ’07 were bridesmaids.

2010s

Taylor Geisler ’02 shares that she currently still resides in sunny Southern California and is the proud owner of Thirty One Petal (www.thirtyonepetal. com), a business specializing in organic floral design for weddings, events, and television. Taylor recently expanded her business and started sister

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Laura Ponchick & Kyle Bellinger

company Thirty One Party, offering luxury balloon installations, event styling, and backdrops. In fact, you might see Taylor at Curtis, creating a balloon installation or hand-delivering flowers for one of the school’s many events. Taylor writes, "When I’m not busy with flowers + balloons, I’m with my beautiful daughter, Kenzie, who is either surfing or traveling with her cheer team. I feel so thankful to have a body that works and the energy to wake up most days and get after whatever I need to. I am constantly thanking God for the grace He continues to pour over my life.”

Chelsea Wilck ’12 writes, “In 2021, I graduated from Belmont University after majoring in music business with an emphasis in music production.

During the end of my time there, I spent six months working at Blackbird Studio in Nashville and learned so much about audio engineering. It was a life-changing experience. Now, I work at a rock artist management company called In De Goot Entertainment, where I'm learning more about the business side of the industry and leaning towards the area of A&R. While I work in management during the day, I also

Chelsea Wilck

write and produce music for myself and friends. I'm very fortunate to be able to perform at venues around Nashville and have even released a few songs on streaming services, which is something that I did not think I'd ever have confidence to do! Also, I wouldn't be a true Nashville artist if I didn't bartend, which I do at Standard Proof Whiskey Co., an award-winning local distillery and cocktail bar. Living in Nashville has been so wonderful and something I dreamed of doing back when I was at Curtis. So reflecting on all this now is mind-boggling. Even though I left California as soon as I graduated from Curtis, I've managed to still be such great friends with a handful of my classmates to this day, which I am truly grateful for, because I know these are lifetime friendships! It is absolutely wild to think about the fact that I graduated Curtis a decade ago, and I am filled with so much gratitude knowing how much it has shaped me into who I am today.”

Gia Kokotakis ’14 writes, “I am a junior at Georgetown University studying government, French, and Jewish civilization, with a specialty in domestic counterterrorism. As a recipient of Georgetown University's Summer 2022 Kalorama Fellowship Award, I spent the summer working on an independent research project to study ideological connections made between militant antigovernment extremists and QAnon believers in conjunction with the events of January 6th. I am very excited to

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Jade Coleridge

pursue this research and make my first contribution to the academic field of domestic counterterrorism.”

Brock Getson ’18 shares, “My journey at Harvard Westlake has sadly ended sooner than expected, though I am excited to play for one of the top high school lacrosse teams in the country at Lawrenceville School begining this fall. I will miss my friends and family in California very much.”

Neleh Kay ’17 shares, “At age three, I began the fascinating sport of rhythmic gymnastics and since then it has consumed my life in both good and challenging ways. At ten, I made my first of seven national elite squad camps, and a couple of years later, I qualified for level-ten elite. I am so fortunate to have had such understanding teachers and advisors at both Curtis and HarvardWestlake, allowing me to excel at my passion without having to sacrifice my education. This summer, I made the USA National Team, ranking 11th in the country. Through this sport I’ve learned so many invaluable life lessons, one of which being the art of ‘going through and not around,’ something I apply to my academic endeavors as well as gymnastics.”

Neleh Kay

Jade Coleridge ’19 is a 10th grader at Marlborough School. She writes, “Definitely a large change from going to Curtis, a co-ed school, but I love it!

I have continued to be friends with Maple Mand ’19 outside of school, as well as many Curtis classmates who also attend Marlborough, such as Simone Schwarz ’19 and Emma Wollaeger ’19. I am an editor for the UltraViolet, our school newspaper, and am a Model U.N. delegate. Last May, I performed in the middle school play as the Prologue, in ‘The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet.’ I suppose that the ‘Canals of Venice’ play in 6th grade really did inspire me! I just finished my role as middle school president, which allowed me to accomplish many of my goals, including hosting a Spoken Word Poetry event during Black History Month (February), from which Marlborough students could continue to learn through this art form about the struggle and strife of African Americans throughout time. I'm excited to begin my role as 10th grade class president this year, and I hope to host the very first Marlborough homecoming! Thank you, Curtis. I love and miss you!”

2020s Olivia Atterberry ’20 took a course in Emergency Medicine at UCLA during the summer. She is excited to be entering 9th grade at Windward School this fall.

Kara Jazaeri ’21 says, “Even though I knew my time at Curtis had to come to an end sometime, it is still so hard for me to believe that I am now an alum! Curtis was (and still is!) my home

away from home. I am now attending Marlborough School, and I could not be more incredibly happy! I was elected student body Environmental Representative on Student Council this past year, and I have been elected student body President on Student Council for the upcoming school year.

I also founded a club that has the mission of starting small businesses to raise money for charity. Not only that, but I made sure I continued to water the seeds that I planted during my time at Curtis. After being on the robotics team at Curtis, I did a robotics elective at Marlborough, and after being on the debate team at Curtis, I joined the debate team at Marlborough. Curtis, you truly helped me discover a variety of things I am passionate about.

You also prepared me so well for heavier workloads, that the transition from elementary to middle school was a piece of cake! The teachers, the community, and the life-long friendships I made there will always have a special place in my heart.”

Curtis 2022 Flag Football, Saira, front row, center

Saira Rahemtulla ’22 writes, “I turned 13 on June 20th and spent it with friends and cousins. Then my family took a trip to Hawaii. My flag football team won the championship.”

Right: Our annual Send-off of Curtis alumni who are graduating from high school offers a chance to reconnect with teachers and classmates before heading off to college. We had a huge turnout of students (and their parents) anxious to be back at Curtis. Alumni enjoyed hugs, photos, the 6th Grade video, and reliving memories of their childhood days on campus!

Class of 2016 Senior Send-Off!

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Magazine & Annual Report 2021-22 Contributors Drew Beckmeyer Maia Blackman ’22 Alex Chistolini Kendal Copeland Rob Friedman Dede Haglund Jennifer Hilton Brian Hollis Earleen Kennedy Ann Kono Janet Lee Melissa Malone Sandra McGarry Katherine Meyer Kat Patterson Mimi Petrie Dr. Meera Ratnesar Corinne Schulman Alexis Shuster Renee Yang Photography Drew Beckmeyer Issac Castro Kendal Copeland Dede Haglund Lauder Photography Michel Lim Moloshok Photography Kat Patterson Design + Illustration SMOG Design, Inc. Jeri Heiden Ryan Corey Printing Colornet Press Curtis School 15871 Mulholland Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049 publications@curtisschool.org

Mission To develop, in every child, a sound mind in a sound body, governed by a compassionate heart.

Vision By pioneering programs that inspire engaged, healthy, and empathetic young learners to embrace the next phases of their education and lives with joy, confidence, and purpose, Curtis School sets the standard for elementary education in the Greater Los Angeles area and beyond.

Purpose Our graduates are dexterous learners: they have learned how to learn and are intellectually curious, agile, and inspired to be problem seekers as well as problem solvers.

Our graduates have healthy, sustainable habits of body and mind: they understand that the mind and body connect and take responsibility for living healthy lives.

Our graduates know and understand the impact of their own character on others: they are aware of their feelings, regulate their actions, and empathize with others.

Our graduates have purpose beyond themselves: they recognize how their contributions can bring about change and positivity, and understand their responsibility to the greater good.

Values Educate in balance Equal emphasis of academic, physical, social-emotional, and character education is the guiding principle that defines a Curtis education.

Improve, always The Curtis community has a growth mindset which is modeled by faculty and staff who dedicate themselves to the best practices in their craft.

Roam freely Curtis children have space to learn and play on their campus and feel safe and secure.

Embrace diversity Children learn best, and flourish most, when they encounter perspectives, people, backgrounds, and experiences other than their own. Diversity, equity, and inclusion speak to our highest ideals for a just society.

Cherish childhood Childhood is brief and precious, a time of limitless potential and essential development. It is also a time to be savored for its own wonders, as it will not come again. A Curtis education honors these truths.

Curtis is committed to caring for the environment. This publication uses paper from responsible sources and soy-based inks.

Live with purpose In all we do, a Curtis education strives to provide students with the skills, tools, and sense of purpose they need to be good people.

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