Delphian Magazine - Issue 134

FORM COMPLETIONS

Listed in order of completion date since last Delphian Magazine

Beginner 1

Cassidy Lindman

Piper Hanson

Calvin Orthmann

Beginner 2

Ella Shoden

Noelle Vannier

Kazuto Nipppagan

Tegan Cahill

Form 1

Olive Pope

Alfie Orthmann

Winter Hepburn

Form 3 Entry

Milo Cahill

Leo Orthmann

Form 3

Trenton Avalos

Form 4 Entry

Sky Jayasinha Gray

Luna Milner

Form 4

Jensen Barnes

OceanLee

Cabebe-Hamilton

Form 5 Entry

Bradley Stauffer

Form 5

Adelaide Kathrein

Upper School

International Entry

Aleksandr Dronov

Herman PlascenciaNavarro

Max Ding

Brian Tang

Form 6 Entry

Nason GrajedaRamirez

Abraham Tori

Avory Shafar

Noam Kalman

Amy Ke

Briana Aden

Leonardo Nahle

Ryoya Hirotsu

Rylee Wells

Nathan Johnston

Doris Huang

Brooklyn Ramlo-Reed

Brunella PlascenciaNavarro

Philip Cha

Alejandro Valdéz Shwetzer

Audrey Bristol

Roby Guajardo

Daniel Swanberg

Dublin Baumgardner

Colin Lundeen

Form 6

Konstantin Dronov

Elliot Adams

Victoria Guajardo

Adaline Wolfe

Oli Beauregard

Sophie Eurell

Isabella Del Francia

Dawn Robinson

David Liu

Elizabeth Kastan

Wanwan Bi

Blythe Kathrein

Olya Sushko

Christopher Lewis

Lucia Rose-Coates

Jackson Paden

Tristan Mathews

Liana Vannier

Jack Garside

Amy Guy

Form 7

Noah Wang

Serena On Tom Kalman

London Whitworth

Rikki Suzuki

Lucas Curry

London Schofield

Elenora Aji

Alex Maddox

John Li

Nathan Cloutier

Ana Julia EscamillaShwetzer

Sam Hu

Ella Feilmeier

Elizabeth Swan

Emiliano Chaparro

134 01 FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL 02

TRIP Student interview

BEND SKI TRIP

ADDRESS

Summary from Trevor Ott 26 LOWER SCHOOL PLAY

Winnie the Pooh 29 MIDDLE & ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PLAY

Alice Through the Looking Glass 34 UPPER SCHOOL PLAY

Footloose 38 CLASS OF 2025 Group photo 40 COMMENCEMENT

With Dr. Eldrin Lewis 46 SENIORS Success stories 58 TRACK STATES Season win

APOLLO LEGACY

An extraordinary planned gift

CHAPEL RENOVATION

Preserving history 70 FUNDRAISER PROJECT

Renovating the infirmary 72 ALUMNI NEWS

HEAD OF SCHOOL Trevor Ott

EDITOR Rebecca Orthmann

STUDENT INTERVIEW COORDINATOR Satori Gailunas

PHOTOGRAPHY Skyler Feilmeier, Brandon Lidgard, Cristofer Maximilian, Jim Cao and Zoe Croman

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DELPHIAN SCHOOL

K-12 Founding Delphi School 20950 SW Rock Creek Rd. Sheridan, OR 97378 800-626-6610 | 503-843-3521 | www.delphian.org

“Competent”

&

“confident”

are two words frequently used to describe a Delphian graduate.

That the Delphian program so uniformly achieves this result is, in fact, remarkable. What is it exactly that brings this about so consistently in our students? Considering all the various aspects of the Delphi Program®, one might as well ask, “Which petal of this flower is it, exactly, that makes it beautiful?” In truth, there is no singular correct answer.

If there is one aspect of the Delphian program, however, that inarguably contributes to the competence and confidence so easily observable in each of our graduates, it is the practical program.

Excerpt from Delphi Program Faculty Training Manual

Upper School Practical

With the introduction of “practical requirements” in the mid-1980s, the authors of the Delphi Program took a stand: not only are students expected to study for application, they are expected to actually apply what they have learned.

Not in the future, but now.

It is in the crucible of practical application that students come to discover how useful, how valuable, how valid information is—and sometimes more importantly, what they are capable of. The lessons learned in practical are lessons learned for life.

Though the practical program has evolved since those early years, it has only been in the direction of greater simplicity and, we hope, greater rewards. - Editors

Goal:

Show students how able they actually are.

Key Purposes:

1. Test information for its validity, workability and value.

2. Turn information into realized knowledge.

3. Balance theory with practical, in-class study with out-of-class experience.

4. Build confidence, competence and certainty.

5. Provide opportunities to create knowledge.

DELPHIAN GRADUATE

Product of D phian Sch l, Oregon

Just as one wouldn’t, or at least shouldn’t, expect to read a book on how to ride a bike and then immediately be competent and confident about actually riding a bike, one wouldn’t, or at least shouldn’t, expect an academic education alone, no matter how good, to produce a markedly different result.

The Delphian Program is not only academic. Students take what they’ve learned in the classroom into the proving ground of the practical program. It is in that crucible, where theory, understanding, and the ability to get a result are tested and refined, that confidence and competence are forged.

As you enjoy the rest of this latest issue of the Delphian, I hope you will keep this brief introduction to the Delphian practical program in mind.

ORGANIZING AN EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY:

A Behind-the-Scenes

Look

at the

Business Seminar Field Trip 2025

The annual ten-day Business Seminar field trip led by Assistant Head of School Mark Siegel has consistently been an enriching experience for Delphian Upper School students. This year, the trip included visits to various businesses in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, California. Each student on the trip had the opportunity to explore a variety of career paths, broadening their perspectives and helping them envision their future goals.

Planning such a trip involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work. Each year Mark enlists a few students to work as his assistants, earning some real-life experience before the trip has even left the hill. This year’s planning and organizing team consisted of Henry Gullo, Luna Jiang, and Lillian Su, each of whom undertook the challenge of helping to organize the trip. They learned many invaluable skills along the way. The following is a behind-the-curtain view

into what planning a trip like this entails from the student assistants’ point of view, highlighting the projects they had to take on, the obstacles they encountered and the tactics they used to overcome them.

Delphian Magazine: What category of required project did assisting on this trip fulfill for your programs?

Henry Gullo: For me, it was three projects: planning and organizing, career interest, and an elective.

Luna Jiang: I counted it as two: planning and organizing and an elective.

Lillian Su: For me, it counted as two as well: one elective and one planning and organizing project.

DM: What are the requirements for a planning and organizing project?

LJ: The requirement is somewhat customizable to the

OPPOSITE FILM SET OF THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS ABOVE STANFORD UNIVERSITY’S B. GERALD CANTOR RODIN SCULPTURE GARDEN BELOW SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL

project. The main thing is to use as much of the information as is helpful to you, that you learned on the Planning and Organization course, in a real-life scenario. For this project, this meant applying the reference from the course on the Be-Do-Have cycle, which essentially involves figuring out what you want to have, determining what you need to do to have it, and then identifying what you need to be to do that.

We wanted to have a successful trip, so we created lists of all the things we needed to do with Mark to have that, and then assumed and/or delegated the roles to the people who could do those things—ourselves, or the other students attending the trip.

DM: What was the timeline and scope of work for this project?

LS: The whole project started with Mark briefing me on what I was going to be doing from the beginning of the project through to the end. Then we figured out tasks and assignments and started having meetings as a group, almost daily, where Mark would assign us new tasks, and we would report on how we were doing on our in-progress tasks.

My first task was to work with Luna to promote the trip and get students to sign up and pay the fees. We made announcements to the student body and spoke with students individually to find out who was interested and convince them to join. We had to keep doing this again and again until we had enough people signed up for the trip.

LJ: Yes, for this first task, Lillian and I asked every single Upper School student if they were interested in the trip. We also made a lot of announcements on the fourth floor including doing a slideshow presentation showing how great the trip was last time we went.

We initially had trouble getting enough people to sign up. I remember we had twenty-six people fully signed up, but we needed to get at least two more. However, we only had two days left. It was a big challenge for us, but we kept promoting and speaking with anyone interested and worked constantly with those people to get them to pay the fee.

We ended up beating our target. We had thirty-three students on the trip, but we couldn’t have done that without a lot of communication with everyone.

HG: My first task was to find hotels in the areas we would be visiting that could accommodate our entire group. Then I helped to book flights for each person attending. Those things were basic.

It became more interesting when we began searching for businesses to meet with during our trip. I was responsible for sending emails and coordinating with the student body to gather any connections they had who might be interested in hosting us. Then Mark would reach out to the contacts, and I would help to fill in the time slots in our agenda for when we would visit them.

I had to estimate the drive time between businesses and map it all out to ensure we could visit all the businesses we planned to see each day within our schedule. Some of the companies were located on opposite sides of the city, so it was my job to try to maximize our time by scheduling every business in one area of the city on the same day

to minimize the amount of time we spent in traffic on the bus. It got complicated, though, when some of the businesses could only accommodate us at certain times on specific days, so I had to work out the details.

Then the timetable with the accurate mileage had to be shared with the bus company so they could provide an estimate of the daily transportation cost and include it in their schedule, so they were ready to pick us up and drop us off each day at each location.

DM: Were there any challenges that came up in the planning or during the trip?

HG: Figuring out the hotel rooming was surprisingly

STUDIO III MARKETING ABOVE

PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM

more complicated than I expected. There was a whole staff approval chain it needed to go through, and it went back and forth multiple times, with each draft requiring more changes, until it was finally all sorted and approved.

On the trip, I didn’t hear of any major rooming issues. Everyone was pretty happy with where they were, so all the back-and-forth coordination and consideration paid off.

LS: For this project, I had to make my first-ever announcement on the fourth floor and talk to everyone to get them signed up. Being an international student, this was intimidating for me at first.

Then Mark assigned Luna and me to calling and making

reservations at restaurants. Since there were going to be almost forty of us, we couldn’t just show up at places. This task was quite challenging for me. It wasn’t scary, like, “Oh, I’m not going to do this,” more like, “Oh, am I actually doing this?”

Throughout my entire time in America, I’ve mostly only been part of the school community. When I first came to Delphian, I couldn’t speak English well enough to make a dinner reservation, and now it was my job to do this for the entire group of forty people going on the trip. I felt like a “real English speaker” calling and talking to American restaurants like that.

LJ: Overall, I thought the trip went well, but like Mark

LEFT

warned us, even with the best planning, there are always things that don’t go as expected, which happened on the trip.

Two specific examples are that one day the bus company got confused and took us to the wrong business, and it took us two hours to drive to the correct place.

Secondly, there was an error in the hotel reservation on the first night despite all our preparation.

But as Mark had also said would happen, all was figured out, and the trip went well.

DM: How do you think this project has helped prepare you for life after Delphian?

HG: I’m so much more confident in organizing and running events or projects. I’m much better at communicating with others and getting things done, and I’m more effective at leading my peers to ensure they’re accomplishing tasks and doing them well.

Additionally, with enough planning and organization, I feel that I can plan and set up almost anything. For example, shortly after returning from the Business Trip, I planned a day trip to see a guest speaker at Linfield University in McMinnville, and I felt very confident in my actions while doing so.

LS: There are so many things I learned from this project. As I said earlier, my communication skills have improved a lot.

Also, I now have a much better idea of what it is going to be like to have a job in the future. I learned that I am able to get big projects done. I pushed myself further on this project than I had ever needed to before, to finish everything, even when it was tiring sometimes. I had to do it anyway and take responsibility for completing the project because it was my project.

LJ: This was my favorite project I’ve done at Delphian so far. I’ve learned so much by working with Mark, both as the small group of Henry, Lillian and me, and as part of the larger group with everyone on the trip.

Also, I have become a lot better at organizing my tasks. I have learned how to plan out the tasks that need to be handled and then figure out and complete the actions needed to handle them efficiently in order to make something happen.

DM: Mark often says that the trip is “life-changing.” How was it life-changing for you?

LS: I would say before I went on the trip, I had a good

JUSTIN MELDAL-JOHNSEN’S RECORDING STUDIO

STUDIO III MARKETING, AND ALUMNUS GABE MARRAZZO

PANELIST OF PROFESSIONALS AT DAVINCI ACADEMY OF SILICON VALLEY

DOORDASH’S CEO TONY XU

STANFORD’S DR. ELDRIN LEWIS

GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY

CSBIO CLEANROOM TOUR

idea of what a visit was going to be like because of my research. I felt I already knew everything there was to know. But then when I was on the trip, I realized that I didn’t know anything.

For example, we visited a law firm and an investment company. So I thought, “Okay, that company practices law and that company handles money.” I knew everything. When we went there, in person, there were so many details I didn’t know. I was able to see parts of both industries that I would or wouldn’t want to do as a job, which I didn’t know before.

HG: The biggest thing I realized was simply recognizing how many different jobs and opportunities there are out there.

I realized that you’re really not locked into anything. There are so many different things you can do if you’re interested.

For example, I want to be a surgeon, and I realized that I’m not sure if repetitive procedures, repeated over and over again without a bigger goal in mind, would be the life for me. I think that I would enjoy it but I also really like working with people.

When we visited the lab that manufactures vaccines, the constant research they conduct to improve their products was fascinating to me. This visit helped me realize that pursuing a career as a surgeon who is also involved in researching new treatments and procedures is more in the direction I want to take my life.

ABOVE JPL “MARS YARD” AND ROVER BELOW STANFORD’S CANTOR ARTS CENTER

Thank you to all the businesses that hosted us:

BAY AREA

DaVinci Academy Parent Professionals

San Jose Chamber of Commerce

Morgan Stanley

DoorDash

Stanford University

Netflix

PeakSpan Capital

CSBio

Equinix

LOS ANGELES

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Extra TV/True Crime

The Young and The Restless Wisner Baum

Derek De Vette

The Acting Center

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Justin Meldal-Johnsen

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Griffith Observatory

Paramount Studios

Studio III Marketing

ABOVE GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY BELOW STANFORD UNIVERSITY’S HOOVER TOWER

F PLANNING, ORGANIZING, SKIING, & SNOWBOARDING

orm 7 students Tai Jefford and Masha Ershova teamed up to strategically plan, organize and execute a memorable three-day ski trip to Bend, OR, where eighty excited Middle and Upper School students skied and snowboarded at the Mt. Bachelor ski resort. This project required Tai and Masha to flex their skills using effective communication, leadership, and creative problem-solving as they navigated the challenges of coordinating such a large event.

Delphian Magazine: How did the planning and organizing of this project tie into your Form 7 programs?

Masha Ershova: On Form 7, students are required to apply the knowledge they gain from the Planning and Organization course [based on the administrative works of L. Ron Hubbard] to plan and organize a large student activity.

Tai Jefford: Part of the requirement is to ensure the project goes well, so not only do you have to write the plan, but you have to carry it out and come up with solutions along the way so the activity happens properly and smoothly.

DM: How does an opportunity to do a project like this come about? Did you volunteer?

ME: We volunteered to do this project last summer and then the Director of Student Activities, Ally, confirmed that we could do it.

DM: Can you walk me through everything you had to do on this project?

TJ: Well, once we were selected, we used what we learned

in the Planning and Organization course to create a detailed plan—called an administrative scale—of how to accomplish the product. The administrative scale was our guide for the rest of the project to keep us on schedule and moving along as planned.

We met with Ally weekly, and then, as the trip drew nearer, we switched to daily meetings to discuss what we had accomplished on the plan and what still needed to be completed each week or day.

A big part of the plan was promoting the trip to Upper and Middle School students and getting them to sign up. The promotion included getting the students and their parents to fill out forms, sign waivers, and pay the trip fee. It included getting details like whether they snowboard or ski, how tall they are, how much they weigh, and all that

sort of stuff. In the end, eighty students participated in the trip, which was more than last year.

Another big part of the project was gathering all the supplies and information. We did a big Costco shopping trip where we purchased all the snacks and small supplies for the cabins and busses. Then, we organized our purchases into crates to be distributed to each location.

We organized housing assignments and collaborated with Ally to determine the assignments for each student and staff member. Once we agreed on the assignments, we had to coordinate with the staff chaperone and student helper assigned to each cabin to get them their cabin information, food money, itinerary, etc.

On the day of the trip, we had to ensure everything went according to plan. We checked that all the supply boxes

OPPOSITE TAI JEFFORD, HENRY GULLO, AND REESE WELLS ABOVE RYLEE WELLS RIGHT

JAMES GAILUNAS AND MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS IN FRONT OF THEIR RENTED CABIN

we packed were loaded onto the correct bus by the student cabin assistants, accounted for every student and staff member, and completed all the necessary preparations to be ready for departure from the school.

DM: Were there any challenges you ran into?

TJ: We rented thirteen cabins, and I reckon that making the housing assignments was one of the hardest, apart from getting students to sign up. It was mentally challenging because you have students who say, “I want to room with these guys,” while someone else says, “I also want to room with those guys.” And then, there are only so many beds in each house, so you’re trying to figure out how to put people with their friends while at the same time making sure they’ll have a bed to sleep in.

Before you know it, you’re just sitting there staring at a spreadsheet for an hour. It eventually started to feel like an integrity point. I had to figure out when to make a change and when to say, “No, I can’t change the assignments around.” And in the end, I heard good things, and I’m pretty confident in saying everyone who went on the trip had fun.

ME: After we had gone through organizing, I was still getting requests to change cabins until the day before we were supposed to leave. After talking it through with Ally, we just had to make a call, talk it through with the students, and let them know the assignments were set and done.

DM: Had you ever executed a real-life plan like this before this project?

TJ: Just before the trip, I started doing the new Groups and Organization courses and created multiple minor administrative scales for something I could complete within a week. Then, I did a massive one for practically the rest of my life using the same planning and organizing technology. Having done those before helped make this trip easier to plan.

ME: I also did the administrative scales required for the course in the classroom, which was helpful. However, on this project, I saw how it was helpful in a much bigger way. This project showed me how everything I studied is useful in a very practical setting. It still took a lot of work, but it was way less work than it would have been if I hadn’t used what I learned about making an administrative scale.

DM: Were there any other challenges you ran into that you had to overcome?

ME: Yes—communicating with people often, staying on top of tasks, and staying focused on actually getting things done.

There were some students I needed to talk to daily about getting their waivers and payments turned in. One student kept responding to me for two weeks, saying, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll do tonight.” Then, the next day, “Yeah, I’ll do tonight.” Then, it was the deadline, and I finally had to sit down with them and walk them through the process. I was like, “Okay, get your phone. Great! Text your parents. Great. Did they answer? No. Okay, then we’ll wait for the answer.” And so it went until the student was fully confirmed and completed all their forms.

TJ: I had a very similar thing. It brought to mind the section in the new Groups and Organization course about handling work. The idea I took from that was that when you have some work that needs to be done, don’t just say, “Okay, I’ll do that tomorrow.” Because tomorrow, you could say the same thing, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” and the work never gets done.

I saw this happening when working with students to help them sign up or get a specific waiver signed. I would go to the student and get them to sign the waiver and get it done now rather than wait. I was going to them first and asking, and they were like, “Oh, yeah, yeah, give it to me. I’ll sign it later,” and then they forgot. But then, I connected this reference and my current problem and figured out how to apply it as a solution, and everything went much faster. My “to-do” list quickly turned into a “done” list. I also use this in other areas of my life, and getting tasks done is so effortless now.

DM: How was studying the theory of planning and organizing in the classroom different from using it in the field?

TJ: I studied so much about planning and organizing in the classroom while I was doing the course. I could tell how the information could theoretically be useful and applied to life. However, having to use it in real life on a big project like this made me see how it works, how it can be helpful in a very real way and how I can use it for any other plans I have in the future.

ME: This project helped me realize that I can technically organize anything in my life—whether a small group or a huge group activity, I have a workable method to organize and plan it out. This project showed me that what I learned isn’t just theory; it’s information I can use and apply in my life to achieve my goals.

DM: What are your plans after you complete your Delphian education?

TJ: I plan to start a business related to the humanities where I can help my community.

With what I’m learning in the classroom and then doing on projects, I have a pretty good idea of how to

use the knowledge to achieve my goals. The Planning and Organization course, in particular, has given me a workable way to break down big projects into the most straightforward steps to achieve my goals.

ME: I mapped out my future after Delphian on a course you do on Form 7 called Looking to the Future, Part 2. Through doing that, I decided that I would also like to open my own business. I haven’t decided what it will be, but I love dancing. I’ve been dancing since I was seven, so I’ve considered opening a dance studio.

SASHA DRONOV, SOPHIE MARVIN, VICKY WU, AND NIKKI MILLER

COREY ORTHMANN AND LOGAN SENE ON THE MOUNTAIN

BRANDON LIDGARD AND AN UPPER SCHOOL BOYS CABIN DINNER

AN UPPER SCHOOL BOYS CABIN DINNER

AN UPPER SCHOOL GIRLS CABIN DINNER

L-R ANNA HILTS, THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION MANAGER AT WVMC, AND SOME OF THE STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PROJECT: YILAN BAI, REGINA ROMERO-BOLAÑOS, SELINA LI, AND ROMEO RAMELLI

PIONEERING PATHS Students Explore Careers in Medicine

Form 7 students Regina RomeroBolaños and Selina Li have taken the required Form 7 career interest apprenticeship project to a new level this year by actively pursuing their interests in the medical field. For their projects, they have not only spent hours interning with hospital professionals at McMinnville’s Willamette Valley Medical Center, but they have also taken on the leadership responsibility of coordinating and organizing internship opportunities for other students to explore career possibilities in the medical field. The following is an interview done with them mid-project.

Delphian Magazine: Could you tell us how you both became involved in this project?

Regina Romero-Bolaños: Last year, apprenticeships were happening at the hospital in McMinnville that I had been involved in, but this year was going to be bigger and more involved to give students more opportunities to explore their interests. The Assistant Head of School, Mark Siegel, whose connections with the McMinnville Chamber of Commerce made this whole project possible, simply announced the project opportunity in the Upper School at the beginning of the school year. I was one of the first students to let him know I was interested, and he said, “Okay, great, you’re running it.”

Selina Li: For me, I had been actively looking for some internship opportunities in the medical field and approached Mark to see if he had any connections. He let me know about this project and said, “Okay, you’re in charge now.” From there, the first step was meeting with the hospital’s business manager to learn more about our responsibilities.

DM: As the project managers, what have been your

responsibilities?

RRB: We first needed to get together a group of students for the project. Because the project was at a hospital, students were required to be at least sixteen, to wear scrubs when they were working, and to sign both a HIPAA agreement form and a contract agreeing to the hospital rules and standards. Finally we had to participate in a hospital orientation and training seminar that we organized here on campus with the hospital’s education coordinator.

SL: Once the students had completed this training process, they needed to select a department in which they would like to do a rotation and coordinate a schedule directly with the hospital’s department head to shadow for two fourhour shifts. So that’s eight hours total for each rotation.

DM: Was it at all intimidating for you and the other students to initiate contact with the hospital’s department heads?

SL: In the Business Seminar that Mark leads, learning how to write professional emails is part of the curriculum. However, Regina and I also collaborated closely with Mark to develop a template for the students to use when reaching out to department heads at the hospital. As part of the training for the students, we emphasized the importance of professionalism in this project to ensure that future students can participate in it after us.

RRB: We worked with the students, reminding them that the people they email at the hospital are taking the time away from helping patients to read our messages. It is the least we can do to keep our messages brief, clear, accurate, and thoroughly proofread before sending.

SL: We also went over basic manners points for being at the hospital, such as not playing with your hair or chewing

on your nails, avoiding casual chit-chat, not being on your phone, maintaining a neat appearance, dressing professionally, etc.

Additionally, once students were signed up for their rotations and had their schedules, we help to arrange transportation from the school to the hospital. Some weeks, students are going in almost every day of the week for different shifts.

DM: Which departments have you done a rotation in so far?

SL: I’ve worked in orthopedics, the lab, and I have surgery and nutrition coming up. Orthopedics was particularly interesting because I had no prior knowledge of how a knee or hip replacement worked. I asked as many questions as I could between patients, and Dr. Thomas was kind and explained things really well to me. I also took tons of notes.

Also, the lab was totally different but also really interesting. I shadowed two lab specialists: one working in hematology and the other in microbiology. They were testing samples from urine, stool, and blood. This happened to be around the same time I was doing the biology course here at Delphian, and I was learning about protein synthesis, so it was cool to be able to understand the language she was using and to be able to ask intelligent questions. I was mistaken for a college student at one point, and they were surprised to learn I’m only in high school.

During my lab rotation, a patient required a blood transfusion, which isn’t a common occurrence at the McMinnville hospital. I was fortunate enough to be able to see this event firsthand. It was fascinating to be present when the Red Cross delivered blood and to witness the entire process from a lab perspective.

RRB: I’ve done a rotation in the cancer center, imaging and radiology, short stay, and medical surgery. At the cancer center, I had the opportunity to meet patients with various types of cancers and attend their appointments with their oncologists. It was very educational for me to see the work the doctors and nurses were doing, as well as the patients’ attitudes— despite what they were going through, they remained positive. That experience has stuck with me and probably will for the rest of my life.

During my other rotations, I had the opportunity to observe various types of imaging procedures, ranging from angiograms to CT scans. I watched a pacemaker battery get replaced in the cardiac cath lab. I was able to see a defibrillator in use when a patient went

STUDENTS REGINA ROMERO-BOLAÑOS AND ROMEO RAMELLI SCRUBBING IN

STUDENT SELINA LI AND HOSPITAL STAFF IN THE MATERNITY WARD

HOSPITAL STAFF AND STUDENTS SELINA LI, ROMEO RAMELLI, AND YILAN BAI IN THE LAB

into cardiac arrest. Overall, my biggest takeaway is learning about the various careers in the field— it’s not just doctors and nurses, and there are so many different educational paths to working in the healthcare field.

DM: What other sorts of skills have you found yourselves needing as the project leaders and on your rotations?

SL: The skills I learned in the communication seminar and in the Planning and Organization course. I also applied what I learned from The Education Handbook for Teens course when helping to talk to students and explain things.

RRB: I’d say the Planning and Organization course for sure—there were so many moving pieces in this project that making an administrative scale and full program with action steps to help get everything organized and done really helped to make it successful.

Additionally, The Study Handbook was helpful because there’s a lot of terminology in medicine. As project leaders, we assigned the students to research the departments they would be interning with before they arrived, so they could understand the language and have some context. We also asked them to bring a notebook and a pencil to write down anything they wanted to review or clarify later. Additionally, the doctors and staff were very easy to talk to. You could ask them, “What does that mean?” and they would explain it to you.

While in the hospital, this helped me not only appear really engaged and interested as I wrote notes, but it also allowed me to add question marks that I could then look up later to clarify any misunderstandings or learn more about a topic in-depth.

DM: How has this experience changed your interest in going into the medical field?

RRB: It’s definitely solidified it!

The amount of work to go into medicine can be a bit daunting for some. This project made me realize that there are many more paths into the medical field than I had previously thought. Thanks to meeting and interviewing professionals about their paths, the whole process became much more comfortable for me.

Also, going in, I wasn’t totally sure if I would like the work. This project reminded me of what I already

knew, which is that I do like being with patients, studying, and I’m not afraid of bodily fluids. I can handle it, and I actually enjoy it.

SL: I’m from China, and the medical system is totally different there from the U.S. I did an internship in China, and so it was really interesting to have this opportunity to experience how things work here as a comparison, because I want to attend college in the United States. Before the project, I was still asking myself questions like, “Do I really want to go into medicine or do I actually like lab work?” I knew I liked chemistry and biology, but didn’t know what lab life would be like. Now that I’ve had a taste, I want to explore more types of labs as well. It has given me insight and more certainty about my career.

DM: Would you say the medical field felt intimidating before this?

SL: Totally. I was so nervous on the first day. I wasn’t raised or born here, and everything was so different. Additionally, this was my first time since arriving in the U.S. where I was truly on my own, without any friends or family around me, in a department with 30 or 50 professionals who were so knowledgeable. I was scared of making a mistake.

All the doctors used to seem intimidating, even though I want to become one. I didn’t know if I should go for a PA, CRNA, MD, or maybe even a PhD. Or maybe nursing school first, then figure things out later? It felt unclear. I was just like, “Study hard, and maybe something will happen someday.”

But then I met the people at the hospital, and they were kind, helpful, and didn’t mind taking their time to explain things. There’s a person named Pearl who works in the lab—she’s Taiwanese like me—and she was like, “Oh my gosh, contact me! I can tell you how I got my job.”

It’s not that the path is shorter or longer; I have more clarity. I understand the steps to success a bit better. So, even if it’s still a long journey, the career I want is real, and achieving it is no longer as scary, confusing, or overwhelming as it used to seem.

RRB: The project helped make everything more real. Like, now it feels possible. We can do it. It’s not just some dream far off in the distance—it’s reachable. I think that was a big part of why Mark wanted us to do this: so we could explore different careers and see that it is possible to get there.

PARENTS WEEKEND

WEEKEND

PEOPLE and IDEAS

An excerpt from the Parents Weekend 2025

Parent Address by Head of School Trevor Ott

Iwill begin by sharing an excerpt from a chapter entitled “Human Progress and the Individual Idea” from the Management and Leadership Handbook, which is based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard and which students study in their senior year.

There are individuals, usually in the fields of the arts and philosophy, who postulate new realities for the social order. Social orders progress or decline in ratio to the number of new realities which are postulated for them.

These postulates are made, usually, singlehandedly by individuals of imagination….

Ideas and not battles mark the forward progress of humankind.

Individuals, and not masses, form the culture of the race.

Humankind goes on from the milestone of one individual to the milestone of the next.

Human history is the track along which individuals, here and there, have been strong or brilliant and have changed the complexion of the road.

This insight can be used to better understand history overall, as well as on a smaller scale, such as that of the school. You may not realize how much you are among the “strong or brilliant individuals” creating the school’s history.

Thinking about this recently, I recalled to my mind a video created by a few of our students, primarily Mikai Karl, in 2014 to launch our fundraising campaign for the Courtyard Renovation Project. It was titled, “Are You a Part of It?”

(video transcript)

“The Delphian School was founded in 1976 by a group of educators and parents concerned about the decline of standards in American education.

“Inspired by the vision of our founding headmaster, a small group of courageous individuals began paving a road to a better education for future generations with the most valuable material they had to hand— their belief that a brighter future and a civilization based in reason would exist at the end of that road.

“But even as we appreciate the group that started it all, we can take for granted what it took to pave the road we now walk so easily: their dream of what could be. Our dream exists because of the contribution, courage, and commitment of individuals like you.

“As a group, we now stand on the strength of three generations—on the goodwill and direct support of alumni, graduates, parents, colleagues, and friends numbering in the many thousands. Our hope is that the road we pave together will lead us to a brighter future—but the future can be ever brighter, and the road we pave need never end.

“Delphian’s future is now. I’m a part of it; are you?”

(end of video transcript)

The message of that video rings true today—you are a part of creating Delphian’s future.

When you participate and contribute, whether through a truly special celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, helping us create a renovated student infirmary or a new student lounge, or by introducing a new family to the school, you shape the track along which we progress, and you change the complexion of the road.

By being part of the team and postulating our future in the various ways you do, you become the milestones by which we both mark and achieve our progress.

We wouldn’t have a group without you, and I point this out because if all you did was send your child here, you played a significant role in helping us create this group.

When considering this year’s address, I felt it was time to revisit and discuss a topic that I last shared ten years ago, when I briefed attendees on the business model of private schools.

Back in 2015, when I first looked into this topic as the new Head of School, I came to the conclusion that the most basic “perceived value” of an education could be described by a simple equation:

full tuition number of students X = School’s Perceived Value (PV)

For any enrolled family, whether paying full tuition or not, this formula worked for me as a concept. Of course, you could replace the concept of “perceived value” with a number in dollars, representing what the school’s operating budget should be, but that isn’t quite the point.

With no other data available, would you perceive the value of a $70,000 per year school to be higher than the value of a $50,000 per year school?

What if the $70,000 per year school had only one student, while the $50,000 per year school had 1,000?

With that data, which school would you perceive to be of greater value?

With these questions in mind, you can see how the data points in the equation are related; admittedly this isn’t a very sophisticated equation, but it was a useful reference point when first looking at Delphian’s business model.

However, Delphian and virtually every independent school in the country discounts tuition for a significant number of their students, immediately making this equation incomplete if not irrelevant.

If one could get a $70,000 education for $40,000, one would not then think of that education as a $40,000 education. One would continue to think of and expect a $70,000 education from that school.

In 2019, the National Association of Independent Schools reported that 60% of private school students nationally were receiving some form of discounted tuition and that the number of full-pay families was in decline. Today, the national average for boarding school tuition is $69,000, and the average aid given is $25,000.

As a business model, this brings about an interesting problem as the model itself creates a deficit in

resources available to deliver both what is promised and what is expected in terms of perceived value.

How can a private school following this model manage to maintain and even increase its perceived value over the decades while simultaneously discounting tuition more, not less, each year?

In looking at this question myself, I found only a single significant answer: endowments. An endowment is an amount of money acquired and invested but never itself spent. As the investment grows, the core investment is protected and only the growth is funneled into the school’s budget. The first role and goal of an endowment is to provide the school with sufficient resources to deliver on its promise to all families enrolled.

A mature endowment makes it possible for all families, whether receiving financial support or not, to receive an education far above and beyond what their tuition dollars alone could possibly achieve. This is the model that all the top schools in the country fall into. It can be seen most clearly at the college level.

School

Columbia (NY) $96,118 $53,000

Stanford

UChicago $92,382 $50,193

US Naval Academy

Harvard

Vanderbilt

$0

$47,074

$43,260 data from a 2016 study done by the Education Data Initiative

The nation’s top colleges are spending two to four times tuition on every student enrolled. This filters all the way down into the high school and grade schools as an expectation.

In 2015, we announced the Founders Endowment and launched our initiative to strengthen the school’s financial position. The endowment held $2 million at that time, and we were tied with four other schools for fourth place out of 182 US-based private schools on BoardingSchoolReview. com. Unfortunately, it was fourth from last. The top school was Phillips Exeter, an East Coast private high school with an endowment exceeding $1 billion.

The endowment itself, really, is a postulated future, one in which the school continues to exist and thrive into the future, secure, and with sufficient resources to successfully pursue its goals.

Today, we have moved up on that list to 61st place, with an endowment that roughly holds $50 million, making it possible for us to pursue aspects of future building that were previously completely out of reach, which is pretty fantastic—2015 postulate achieved!

But what of the next postulate?

While we have made significant progress, the truth is that we are in catch-up mode, as our endowment does not yet replace the budget for the financial aid we provide each year. Last year, we provided $4.8 million in scholarships and financial aid. The endowment yield we added to the budget was $1.65 million. Our actual model looks like this:

Does that help you understand why, despite enormous recent progress, our endowment needs to continue to grow?

Thankfully, the business model Delphian spent the first 40 years pursuing, the model we still pursue today, has provided us a significant competitive advantage in the field of education disrelated to our endowment’s annual draw. It is, in fact, our greatest strength. It would still be our greatest strength, even were our endowment to grow to infinity and beyond.

It is the Study Technology® and educational philosophy of Mr. Hubbard and our curriculum and program, which are designed from the ground up based on that technology and philosophy, which provide us with this enormous competitive advantage. With it, we are doing more with our resources than any other school I’m aware of.

We can illustrate this advantage by reviewing the test scores from a battery of standardized tests our students took this year in comparison to the scores from students at other schools nationwide.

National Average

COMPREHENSION

Non-comprehension is on the left and full comprehension on the right, with the vast majority of students falling somewhere in between. It is sobering to see that such a small percentage of the nation’s students achieve comprehension levels greater than 80% as measured by this test.

READING COMPREHENSION

National Average Delphian School READING

The first thing you may notice is that Delphian’s results do not form a bell curve. One way you might interpret this graph, as I did, is that it demonstrates that a truly revolutionary result has been achieved in education. On the left, you see students entering the Delphian program with varying levels of competency, and on the right, you see them near the completion of their Delphian programs. This year’s testing revealed that Delphian students, on average, across the board, are at least 1.5 grade levels ahead of expectations in all subjects.

And to further illustrate the revolutionary results our students are achieving, the next graph shows just the results from students nearing the end of the Delphian program.

Exceeding all standardized expectations, the Form 7 and 8 students simply maxed out the test in reading, language, math, science, social studies, and English.

FORM 7 AND 8 STUDENTS GRADE MEAN EQUIVALENT

Building on these strengths, what could we accomplish with additional resources? With a mature endowment? With fuel added to an already blazing fire? What are we already doing that we could do even better? What change would come relative to education here on the hill?

Let’s take a moment to stir our imaginations by looking at our published vision, goals, and purposes.

Vision

A civilization based in reason.

Goals:

1. Give young people a challenging educational structure that involves them responsibly and creatively with their environment and spotlights integrity, backbone and professionalism; where they can come to a certainty that their lives and careers are theirs to build; and where they develop the intellectual, ethical and productive tools they will need to build them.

2. Help bring about fundamental change in the field of education.

Purpose:

1. Develop a comprehensive and exemplary K–12 program, including curriculum, graduation requirements and faculty training materials, always striving for higher standards of workability, efficiency and effectiveness.

2. Create and maintain a premier international boarding and day school where every student can thrive and where individuals and delegations— educational, political, philanthropic, etc.—can observe this pursuit of an educational ideal.

3. Establish and maintain an association of schools and educators who share these goals and purposes. Support these educators through licensing and sales

of program elements, materials and other services.

4. Build a growing flood of individuals who can help bring about an improved civilization.

When we think of our endowment goals, it will serve us well to consider the magnitude of this set of vision, goals, and purposes. These are not your typical goals for a private K-12 school, or any school for that matter.

Therefore, postulating an endowment comparable to that of other top schools can only be the first step in a larger plan, because the school’s ultimate goal isn’t simply academic excellence or producing graduates with knowledge, ethics, integrity, and leadership.

It’s a star-high goal, a vision. It’s the creation of a civilization based in reason, which we can only realize one

individual at a time.

The world our children are inheriting demands so much more than knowledge. It demands judgment, courage, and the strength to be in control of one’s life and environment, despite challenges on countless fronts.

As we approach our 50th anniversary, let’s look forward to another 50 years. In doing so, I invite you to ask yourself, “What legacy will I leave?” Through your involvement and support, you have the opportunity to ensure that Delphian’s mission not only endures but also thrives long into the future.

HEAD OF SCHOOL TREVOR OTT AND THE CLASS OF 2025

Lower and Elementary School students captivated the audience with their delightful performance of Winnie the Pooh on Delphian’s Little Theater Stage on Friday, June 6th. The performance was a highlight of the Parents Weekend 2025 festivities, setting a joyful tone for the activities yet to come. The bright colors and whimsical characters brought the classic stories by A. A. Milne to life, filling the theater with laughter and warmth as families gathered to support the young performers.

The performance begins with a reminder that the story comes from the imagination and spirit of play of one Christopher Robin, played by Jude Kathrein. This

An original adaptation of the movie and A. A. Milne’s classic books, by Lower School Head Beth Eurell.

WINNIE

introduction leads the audience to the Hundred Acre Woods where Pooh, played by Valentine Hepburn, is in search of a snack—specifically, a little bit of “hunny” to satisfy a rumbly tummy. Discovering that the cupboards are bare, Pooh embarks on a hunt to find more, joined by her good friend Piglet, played by Annie McFarland.

The duo encounters an adorable group of misleading bumblebees, played by Delphian’s youngest students in the Beginner 1 and 2 classes. The bees sing “The Bee Song” written by Form 7 student Amelie Rappoport, accompanied on the piano by Delphian jazz choir director Dana Libonati. Through their performance, the bees expertly misdirect Pooh to continue her search elsewhere.

WINNIE THE POOH

As the search continues, Pooh and Piglet encounter many classic characters from A. A. Milne’s books, including Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, and Owl. They even come across a lively assemblage of woodland creatures, played by the Form 1 and 2 students, who sing “The Heffalump and Woozle Song.”

In the end, Rabbit, played by Max Silver, decides to share his pot of honey with Pooh. And finally, the entire cast comes together in a lively performance of the “Winnie the Pooh Theme Song,” sending the charmed audience off with a smile.

MUSICAL NUMBERS

“The Bee Song”

Original Song by Amelie Rappoport

Piano Accompaniment by Dana Libonati

Performed by The Bees

“The Heffalump and Woozle Song”

Written by the Sherman Brothers Arrangement and Piano Accompaniment by Dana Libonati

Performed by Woodland Creatures

“Winnie the Pooh Theme Song”

Written by the Sherman Brothers Arrangement and Piano Accompaniment by Dana Libonati

Performed by Full Cast

Winnie the Pooh.....................Valentine Hepburn

Piglet........................................Annie McFarland

Christopher Robin........................Jude Kathrein

Tigger...............................................Luna Milner

Owl.................................................Emrys Savejs

Rabbit.................................................Max Silver

Kanga.......................................Brighton Murphy

Roo...........................................Olivia Orthmann

Eeyore..............................................River Brown

Hawk..................................................Milo Cahill

Hedgehog...........................................Olive Pope

Bunny......................................Melodie Dambrin

Skunk..........................................Leo Orthmann

Mouse......................................Julian Hoonhoud

Deer.................................................Ella Shoden

Fox......................................Cyan Jayasinha Gray

Bobcat.......................................Winter Hepburn

Raccoon............................................Lake Brown

Wolf............................................Alfie Orthmann

Beaver...............................................Ruby Savejs

Bear Cub..................................Adeline Eastman

Bees.........................Tegan Cahill, Piper Hanson, Lucas Hoonhoud, Cassidy Lindman, Kai McFarland, Fox Milner, Kazuto Nipppagan, Calvin Orthmann and Noelle Vannier

CAST CREW

Director..............................................Beth Eurell

Script Adaptation...............................Beth Eurell

Student Assistant...........................Liana Vannier

Set design and painting...................Trish Rouelle and Rebecca Eastmann

Backstage Support..................Brianna Solomon, Naty Romero-Ott, Gemma Burke

Makeup..............Phade Savejs, Brianna Solomon, and Naty Romero-Ott

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Middle and Elementary School performance adapted from the play by James DeVita and based on the classic book Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

The Elementary and Middle School’s comedic production of Alice Through The Looking Glass opened on Saturday, June 7th.

The show opens with Alice, played by Juniper Pope, engaged in a chess game against a tough competitor: her kitten. Suddenly, the White Rabbit, played by Desmond Robinson, appears with a giant looking glass. Not questioning the bizarre turn of events, Alice blissfully steps through the mirror portal into a backward world.

Trying to get her bearings, Alice finds herself on a life-size chess board between the red and white queens, played by Naomi Orion and Sophie Marvin. The queens, eager for a distraction from their long-standing stalemate, encourage Alice to become a queen. To do this, she must complete a journey across the board to the eighth square where she will earn a crown and all the responsibilities that come with it.

Alice’s travels are filled with Lewis Carroll’s trademark nonsensical humor: an imaginative baseball game, a train full of camera-clicking tourists, guest appearances by a trio of opinionated flowers, the tedious Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, sword-fighting knights, and the infamous Humpty Dumpty.

Upon successfully making it to the eighth square, Alice discovers that she too can “believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast” and achieves her goal of becoming a queen. At that, she transforms back into herself: a young girl, wearing a sparkly tiara, playing a make-believe game of chess.

CAST CREW

White Rabbit...............................Desmond Robinson

Alice.......................................................Juniper Pope

Mother.....................................Brooklyn Ramlo-Reed

Red Queen..............................................Naomi Orion

White Queen.......................................Sophie Marvin

Red Pawn..........................................Bradley Stauffer

White Pawn........................................Trenton Avalos

Chess Pieces..........Florence Anderson, Ronan Cahill, Sasha Dronov, and Sky Jayasinha Gray

Daisy........................................................Ashley Aden

Lily................................................................Vicky Wu

Rose........................................................Yuwa Suzuki

Baseball Announcer 1....................Sky Jayasinha Gray

Baseball Announcer 2.........................Archer Sanders

Umpire...................................................Sasha Dronov

Vendor...........................................Florence Anderson

Tweedle Dee.................................................Ava Silver

Tweedle Dum........................................Audrey Bristol

Train Conductor.........................Liam Jayasinha Gray

Ticket Seller............................................Ronan Cahill

Passengers.....Florence Anderson and Sasha Dronov

Humpty Dumpty.................................Luke Robinson

Red Knight..................................OceanLee Hamilton

White Knight............................Clementine Lindman

Director..............................................Beth Eurell

Direction Support.....................Corey Orthmann

Play Adaptation...................................Beth Eurell

Sets....................Trish Rouelle, Corey Orthmann, Brett Horton, and the woodshop class

Props...................................................Beth Eurell

Costume Design................................Joelle Rothe

Technical Assistant.......................Jensen Barnes

Backstage Crew...................................Sofie Totpal

Makeup.....................Melissa Pope and Alice Ott

FOOTLOOSE

riday, June 6, found the Upper School’s rendition of Footloose captivating the audience from the moment the curtain rose. Set against the vibrant backdrop of the 1980s, this production captured a rebellious spirit through its electrifying choreography, infectious music, rapid scene changes, and humorous moments.

The narrative follows Ren, played by Romeo Ramelli, and his mother, portrayed by Satori Gailunas, as they leave the bustling city of Chicago for the quaint town of Bomont, looking for a fresh start. In this conservative community, Ren’s energetic enthusiasm for life clashes with the

town’s customs and he quickly earns a reputation as a troublemaker. He finds himself going head to head with Reverend Moore, played by Elliot Adams, and capturing the attention of Ariel, the reverend’s daughter (played by Ella Feilmeier).

Ren embraces his outsider status, becoming the voice of change against the law that banned dancing. With the help of his good friend Willard, played by Jack Bowling, Ren rallies his fellow students to challenge the law, uniting them in a fight for their rights. The show culminates in a vibrant prom where all of Bomont comes together to cut footloose!

This performance was a mesmerizing blend of humor, drama, and high-energy entertainment, featuring a cast whose powerful vocals and dynamic dancing brought the story to life. The emotionally charged storytelling left the audience inspired to stand up for their beliefs and live life to the fullest!

The Delphian theater department boasts a rich tradition of using the arts to cultivate essential life skills, including communication, teamwork, leadership, and perseverance. Through their theatrical endeavors, students have the unique opportunity to showcase their talents while developing confidence in their abilities.

More than just an entertaining performance, Footloose was a culmination of countless hours of hard work and dedication. The cast and crew were involved in a plethora of vital projects that made this production possible. From perfecting every performance detail onstage to crucial behind-the-scenes roles—such as assistant directing, choreographing, building and painting sets, sourcing and styling costumes, organizing catering, and creating a fabulous 80s hairstyle for each cast member—each student contributed to a truly collaborative project.

This production of Footloose was not only a great show; it was an impressive learning experience that highlighted the power of collaboration and creativity. The passion and commitment of each student involved truly shone through.

CAST

Ren McCormack…………...................……..…....Romeo Ramelli

Ethel McCormack……………..................……….Satori Gailunas

Reverend Shaw Moore..........…..............…...………Elliot Adams

Vi Moore……………………………........................…..Chloe Aden

Ariel Moore………...................……………………..Ella Feilmeier

Lulu Warnicker…………..................……...………...Mila Marvin

Wes Warnicker…………………....................…….…….Tai Jefford

Coach Roger Dunbar…………….....................………Logan Sene

Eleanor Dunbar…………………………....................…..Avery Ott

Rusty……………......................…….…………..Amélie Rappoport

Urleen………………………................................……..Reese Wells

Wendy Jo…………………………......................…….Sophie Eurell

Chuck Cranston……………...............…….…....…...Luke Falkow

Lyle…………………………..............................…...Ari Cummings

Travis………………........................……………...…....Noah Orion

Cop……………….....................………………….Beckett Gailunas

Betty Blast……………..................……………..Victoria Guajardo

Willard Hewitt…………................………….……...Jack Bowling

Principal Harry Clark……..............…....………Nathan Cloutier

Jeter/Boy………….......................…..……….……….Henry Gullo

Bickle……………………….................………...Christopher Lewis Garvin/Boy…………………....................…………Ansel Sessions

Teenage Girls…......................................……..Amy Bianchi and Amelia Peterson

Cowboy Bob………………..........….......…….London Whitworth

Cowgirl………………………………..........................…Lia Adams

Band members…..............................................Abraham Tori and Diego Orion

Chorus…...........................…..Briana Aden, Amélie Beauregard, Elizabeth-Rose Collins, Liv Curry, Olivia Dent, Scarlet Dowswell, Joy Hwang, Leona Margo, Rona Onizuka, Dawn Robinson, Abraham Tori, Avory Shafar, Natalia Stafford, Elizabeth Swan, and Rylee Wells

CREW

Director.................................................................Melissa Agrillo

Director’s Production Assistant......................Scarlet Dowswell

Director’s Assistant....................................................Reese Wells

Acting Coaches......................................................Riley Croman, Andrew Cummings, and Kevin Rose

Music Director………..........................………….Melissa Agrillo

Vocal Coaches….............................................………Craig Bader, Andrew Cummings, Dana Libonati, and Kevin Rose

Chorus Section Leaders….........................................Chloe Aden, Jack Bowling, and Amélie Rappoport

Choreography.............................................................Rylee Wells

Dance Captains…...............................….....Amélie Beauregard, Amy Bianchi, Elizabeth-Rose Collins, and Amelia Peterson

Stage Manager/Props/Costumes................Rebecca Orthmann

Costumes.............................................................Robin Gailunas

Costume Assistant...................................................Evie Bowling

Seamstress.....................................................Rebecca Orthmann

Sound & Effects.....................................................Ethan Bristol

Hair & Makeup Manager................................Emmery Kugler

Hair & Makeup Assistants.........................................Lia Adams, Amélie Beauregard, Elizabeth-Rose Collins, and Natalia Stafford

Poster/Program/Set Design........................Rebecca Orthmann

Set Engineers.........................Brett Horton and James Horton

Set Construction Assistants…….....….Nico Barram, Isaac Liu, Komei Shoji, and Edward Su

Set Painting Manager.........................................Elizabeth Swan

Set Painting Crew..................Chloe Aden, Emiliano Chaparro, Olivia Dent, Scarlet Dowswell, Beckett Gailunas, Christopher Lewis, Chenoa Lopez, Leona Margo, Cato Matsuoka, Rona Onizuka, Noah Orion, Roman Peña, Vadym Pushkin, and Logan Sene

CLASS

OF 2025

COMMENCEMENT with Dr. Eldrin Lewis

Dr. Eldrin Lewis, father of Upper School student Christopher Lewis, is very familiar with the Delphian program. This past year, Dr. Lewis hosted Delphian’s Business Seminar field trip at Stanford University, where he is both a professor and Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Lewis specializes in the care of patients with advanced heart failure. He is an internationally recognized expert on heart failure, heart transplants, and quality of life for heart failure patients.

A fundamental principle of Dr. Lewis’s practice is his belief that there is more to life than death, that cardiovascular care should go beyond helping patients survive to also helping them enjoy the best possible quality of life. He has authored nearly 200 articles that have been published in

peer-reviewed journals. He is on multiple editorial boards for cardiovascular journals. He is an author of professional society clinical practice guidelines and scientific statements from both the American Heart Association and the Food and Drug Administration. He has received numerous honors for his clinical care scholarship and research, and we were honored to have him as our commencement speaker.

The following is an edited transcript from Dr. Lewis’s address. To watch the full commencement recording on YouTube, look for the QR code at the end of this text.

What an extreme honor it is to be here today and to have an opportunity to address these graduates here at commencement. I would also like to acknowledge the Assistant Head of School, Mark Siegel, who personally

invited me to speak here today on behalf of all of you. Thank you.

I have gratitude. I have significant gratitude, not just for the opportunity to present to you today, but also for my life trajectory—just as I’m sure all of the graduates here today are grateful to you in the audience.

I would like to acknowledge the parents, friends, and all of you who came here today from near and far to celebrate this day. I would also like to acknowledge the amazing teachers and staff, people like Corey and Dylan, who have helped my son, Christopher, or as he goes by here, Chris. Just to see him blossom over the two years he has been here, you’d expect that with this amount of growth, he’d have been here for six or seven years, and yet it all started with the summer program two years ago.

When the Business Seminar field trip came to visit Stanford University, I was impressed. I’ve met with many high school students who have come through, as I always want to give back, and I have to say, they were the most professional group I’ve seen. I was quite impressed not only by their professionalism but also by their questions and preparation.

As we travel through life, there are moments that allow us to pause. Years of work, sometimes decades of work, can culminate into an hour and a half, or ninety minutes. This is one of those moments. I expect all of you to cherish this time because these are special times.

because I was frugal—so I would carry each bushel, one by one, to the various clients and wash them off and prepare them and collect the $7 a bushel or $4.50 for a half bushel.

It was talking to family and friends that made me realize I wanted to take care of people, while also pursuing a career in biomedical science. Medicine was a blend, so I knew at an early age that I wanted to go to medical school. Each piece of these experiences formed a part of me.

I remember in the fifth grade, at a parent-teacher conference, apparently (I wasn’t there, but my mom tells the story) she was upset because the teacher said, “He’s doing exceptionally well. He’s making straight A’s, but he daydreams a lot.” She said, “What do you mean?” The teacher answered, “Well, he’s just staring outside.” My mom asked if I was disrupting the class or creating an issue. The teacher responded, “No.” My mom asked how long I was daydreaming. The teacher replied, “Most of the class.” So, my mom said to the teacher, “Well, I think you should probably give him more things to do, and then maybe he’ll stop daydreaming.”

“Delphian doesn’t want you to daydream. They want you to dream.”

This brings me back to the Delphian experience, the fact that the school meets the students where they are. They teach students how to learn, and there’s no strict rubric to say you’re done, so you can daydream. In fact, Delphian doesn’t want you to daydream. They want you to dream—to figure out where you can soar, where you can go the extra mile.

That’s something my parents gave me, but the school system didn’t.

As I stand here today, I can’t help but reminisce about a few decades ago when I found myself at my own graduation in the Mississippi Delta. As I reflect on my childhood, I see how it molded me into who I am today. It includes my parents. My dad, who was a PhD scientist, instilled in me my critical thinking and an interest in biomedical science. My mom, a teacher and a consummate educator who still teaches to this day, taught me how to be a good person and how to be the best that I can be. I also think of my life experiences, the family I was exposed to. The family I lost to heart disease, which prompted me, kind of lit a fire that said, “I want to understand how to manage heart disease.” And more importantly, “how to prevent heart disease.”

But it was also the hard work. I still remember working on Mr. John’s farm, lifting a bushel of potatoes, which are quite heavy, and I wasn’t smart enough to buy a wagon—

I remember a quote that I used when I spoke at my high school graduation. It was a quote from William Henry Hudson. “You can’t fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren.” This has been a mantra for me since high school because if you really want to soar, then you have to prepare to do that. It focused me on the challenges and necessary steps to overcome them. Each landing spot layers possibilities, new horizons, and new challenges.

It took me to Penn State, where I transitioned from a small, safe area to a school of 55,000 people, but I was able to enjoy football, which I loved. This took me to my choice of medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, where my horizon shifted. I knew I wanted to be a doctor, but I didn’t know what kind of doctor I wanted to be. It was then I decided I wanted to help people who would never

meet me—people who would never know the work we’re doing is making a difference.

My residency and fellowship at Boston was where I had to learn to balance my excitement with fear, as I was experiencing a kind of impostor syndrome—that feeling when you’re climbing, then you look back, realize how far you’ve come, and you get a little nervous. That is why you have to stay focused as you climb.

I have done a lot of volunteer work, which has really helped me get to where I am now, as Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine, in my sixth year. We’ve had the opportunity to expand our faculty, broaden our horizons, and continue the long tradition of biomedical science, while also incorporating clinical science and translational science to make a direct impact on the patients who see us.

The anchor of all this was education. It was having the education and fearlessness to move forward. To challenge. To fail. There is an important quote from T.S. Eliot: “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” It’s easy to stay safe, but when you stay safe, it doesn’t allow for innovation. It doesn’t allow for full, true soaring.

To the graduates today: you all have a strong foundation. Congratulations to you and your team!

There’s an African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” And your village is right here. Not only your family and friends, but the teachers too. This village will continue even as you leave and continue to expand. This education has anchored you with how to learn, so now you can learn where there’s uncertainty and where there’s no clear path. So, as you leave the nest at Delphian and embark on adulthood, it’s time to flex your wings. Each of you has a unique journey ahead, shaped by your early years of life. As you embark on your journey, I have a few thoughts I would like to impart.

First, you must realize that you have the capacity, each one of you, to soar as you pursue your destination. At your stage, you’re like a pluripotent stem cell. [noun: A type of cell that can develop into many different types of cells or tissues in the body; incredibly valuable in medical research and testing] We love pluripotent stem cells! We love them because they can differentiate into anything.

You, like a pluripotent stem cell, have the possibility of differentiating into anything you want, but you have to have the right environment, the right ingredients, and then, you have to be willing to allow it to move. Unlike the wren in that first quote I gave you, your starting line does not predict how high you fly. For the wren is never going to be able to soar like an eagle, but you can. You just have

to define what soaring is for you.

Secondly, pursue your happiness. It’s important for you to be true to yourself. Don’t try to be me. Don’t try to be your parents. Don’t try to be your biggest idol. You want to be yourself, and who you can be. Don’t dwell on the past, and do not excessively worry about the future. Focus more of your attention on living fully in the present. Sometimes, that means taking a pause to enjoy the moment, or to calmly provide solace to someone who has just lost a loved one, or to celebrate the victories and celebrations like we have today.

Next, surround yourself with positive people, family,

friends, your inner circle, and your mentors. All of these are really important elements to be successful. They provide your safe haven, your nest, as you learn to fly, as you’re leaving this nest of Delphi, leaving the nest of your family to go explore other things. This provides guidance, breeds confidence, and offers a balm during challenges. Remember that troubles shared can be trouble halved. You don’t have to walk this journey alone.

Find your passion. Do not be afraid to fail and always strive for your personal best. Maya Angelou was once quoted as saying, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.”

Lead with kindness. That’s particularly important for anyone who aspires to a career in medicine. I remember when I went to medical school, I thought you had to be tough and have grit like a drill sergeant in order to be a surgeon or a cardiologist. Then I realized, no, you don’t. Sometimes, I think, the grumpiest people are probably the people who are most afraid. When you’re kind, you open yourself up to vulnerability. You’re opening yourself up to say, “I don’t know that answer, but I’m going to get it.” If you scare people away, everyone’s afraid to ask you. So be the light that pierces the darkness, may it surround you. Help one another achieve instead of pulling people down. Always be a teacher, pulling others up while you’re climbing to your own altitude. You don’t have to wait until

you’re soaring to teach. You can pull up others, as you’ve all done, to teach those who are coming behind you.

The next step is to take care of your body. There’s an Arabic proverb, “A person who has health has hope, and a person who has hope has everything.” The American Heart Association lists eight simple things to live a long and healthy life: eat better, be more active, don’t smoke, get healthy sleep, manage weight, control cholesterol, manage blood sugar, and manage blood pressure.

Why is this important? It’s hard to be successful when you’re not healthy. You have to take care of your body. There’s only one. It’s not like a car where we can buy a new one.

Avoid accumulating health debt. It’s like shopping; if I just keep using a credit card and never have to pay it off, it feels great, right? I say drinks are on me for everybody (non-alcoholic, of course). However, eventually you have to pay the bill, and when you have to pay the bill, as you get older, that bill, that debt, is really high with interest, so pay as you go along. You either pay now or you pay later. So, pause and evaluate your check engine light.

It’s amazing. I remember one time I gave a talk to a group of about 200 men, and I asked them, “How many of you take your car for maintenance, oil changes, tire rotations, and so on when the light comes on?” They all raised their hands. I then asked, “How many of you have a primary care doctor?” The hands were down, and I’m like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Someone from that crowd remarked, “Well, you know, if I don’t feel well, I’ll figure it out.” I said, “Okay, so your car is more important than you?”

don’t forget your hobbies. By doing this, I want you to use your wings to create greater strength, more opportunities, a chance to flex even more, and to soar to places that you never expected.

This allows you to majestically create a legacy for others. Each one of you will become your own matriarch and patriarch of your family. Each of you can be someone who makes an impact on the destinations to follow.

As I conclude, to the graduates of the class of 2025, you are our future. When I graduated, President Ronald Reagan famously challenged the Soviet Union’s leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, to “tear down this wall.” This was the Berlin Wall, separating East and West Germany. The stock market crashed. The World Wide Web didn’t exist. There was no cell phone. There was no social media. The first study was published to improve survival in heart failure. This was in 1987. The world is different now because of the advances made by my generation.

Today, as you prepare to continue your journey, there’s a global crisis. The stock market is struggling. Generative AI is becoming commonplace, and we are a step away from editing genes to cure heart failure; that’s close.

I know that you will take us to places we have never imagined. Each of you will embark on your own journey and fly distances that you could never imagine. Just like I couldn’t have imagined that I would one day be here today, from that country boy in the Mississippi Delta.

Avoid the stumbling blocks of procrastination, pride, and greed. These are all barriers that have been purposefully placed in front of you. There’s a quote by John Wooden: “Talent is God-given, be humble. Fame is man-given, be grateful. Conceit is self-given, be careful.”

Enjoy the journey; each experience creates wisdom. Understanding how you thrive, knowing yourself, is the beginning of all wisdom. Take time to laugh, to cry, to rest. Don’t get too busy to celebrate these special moments, and

All of you should flex your wings fully, bravely, and boldly. Command the wings of an eagle and soar to heights that you’ve never imagined, and that will allow you to create a legacy that makes this world a better place.

Thank you.

If you enjoyed this excerpt, watch the entire 2025 commencement address & ceremony using this QR code.

London Schofield

Amity, Oregon

Here at Delphian, I have learned more than just how to study. I have learned the true uses of information and how, when correctly applied, it can change your life and the people around you. Through each course I did, I not only gained knowledge but also an ability to do something better than I had before.

I never really thought that studying was for me. While I might have done all right in my studies, I never thought I would excel in them or enjoy them. The amount I have been able to apply what I studied here has been astronomical. I have gained character, compassion, confidence, and a love for study.

The Delphian program has helped me to become a person who enjoys learning and can use what I have learned, and will learn, to change the world.

Ella Latch

San Francisco, California

Before I came to Delphian, I had not given much thought to what I wanted from my education. In truth, I did not fully understand the purpose of school. My experiences attending public school in San Francisco had left me with a collection of mixed and unclear ideas. I struggled to find value in what I was being taught because I could not see its

John Li

Shanghai, China

relevance; the information seemed to pass through me without leaving any lasting impression.

All of that changed when I arrived at the Delphian School in 2020. Here, I learned what education actually is, what its purpose is, and what we can truly do with it.

My time at Delphian felt like growing a garden. My first supervisors handed me the shovel, the seeds, and the encouragement to begin. My Form 7 & 8 supervisors stood by, reminding me to water my plants and keep going. Slowly, my empty field turned into a garden full of life. Even when challenges came, when the petals started to fall, the ethics advisor reminded me to stay focused and keep caring for what I had built.

Today, I have not just a garden, but a reflection of everything I have worked towards. It is a reminder that growth requires patience, perseverance, and care and that the work I have done here has prepared me to build and care for even greater things in the future.

I still can’t believe I made it this year. As a tight senior, I’ve thought a lot of times, “Why not drop off and become an early graduate next year?” I am really glad that I persisted and made it this year. Looking back on my journey, this school has taught me a lot of things. I learned better time management, ethics, and leadership through different programs. They were priceless, and I can use them in the future.

The academic program here has shaped who I am today. I still remember beginning here as an international student who was not good at English. I struggled in the International Entry class and extended my vocabulary. In Form 6, I was able to read more books and learn about other subjects. In that form, I polished my skills and was ready for harder challenges. In Form 7, I got to choose courses and learn things that I was interested

in. In Form 8, I learned some subjects that will help me in different aspects of my life—for example, marriage, religion, and health. Every form challenged me in different ways.

Outside of academics, this school also provided me with a lot of opportunities to explore my interests. I was interested in art, and I’ve tried a lot of different art courses, like ceramics, photography, and digital art. After a lot of attempts, I found out that origami was my favorite, and I devoted myself to it during my spare time. I also joined the school basketball team for four years and had a lot of fun being part of the team and participating in games against other schools.

I am proud to be a Delphian graduate, and I am ready to step forward into what’s next.

Memo Cervantes

Mexico City, Mexico

At Delphian, I learned many values such as leadership, integrity, knowledge, responsibility, and ethics.

Since the first day I stepped foot in the school my first summer, I knew I wanted to experience everything that the school was able to give. I went from being a kid that despised school to a kid that wanted to learn more. How is

Noah Wang

Beijing, China

that possible? Well, Delphian was able to help me with that. But it is not only from the academic point of view that my viewpoint changed, but from all sorts of perspectives.

While at Delphian, I went from being on the bench in Middle School soccer to being a Soccer All League MVP. I went from not touching a basketball at all in my life to being the most valuable defensive player on the varsity team. I went from barely knowing English and not knowing any grammar rules to being able to write thousands of words in an essay.

Delphian doesn’t only teach you what you need to learn, but helps you find what you want to learn and pushes you to learn more every day. Delphian is more than just a school. It is a place where goals and targets get done. I appreciate everything Delphian has done for me.

After spending seven years at Delphian, I believe I can call this place my home. The things I learned in this school are mostly academics, but they changed my whole personality.

When I first arrived at Delphian, I didn’t care much about following the rules and being responsible, and I was arrogant. I thought graduation could be done without real changes and effort, but I was wrong. I stumbled, and I found myself in a lot of trouble.

It was not until a year ago that I finally found my responsibility and honesty level was so low that I wasn’t capable of running my life at all. All of a sudden, graduating seemed impossible for me, and I couldn’t see any workable solutions.

I fell into a deep cave, but Delphian handed me a shovel to dig myself

out. I learned all the tools to become a better, more capable person, and I finally started using them. I learned how important it is to be honest, and I learned that life could be much easier with people trusting me. With ethics, leadership, integrity, and knowledge, I’m now ready to be a leader in society. I’m glad that I have a lot of people around me who offer their unconditional love and help, and every one of them makes Delphian a special place.

I want to thank Delphian for everything. I spent the best seven years of my life in this place, and they have been the most beautiful days. Now I’ve finally met my goal of graduation, and I’m ready for the next chapter of my life.

Alex Maddox

Nashville, Tennessee

Growing up, I was taught all the basic necessities like looking people in the eyes, keeping my elbows off the table, saying “yes, sir” and “yes, ma’am,” and not having a dead-fish handshake. These are all small lessons and some would even consider them rather unimportant, but to me, it seems that life gives us these small lessons and it is up to us how important we make them.

I have heard many different analogies given to life, but one that has resonated with me the most is that life is an apple tree, and apple trees don’t pick themselves. Life provides you with the experiences, but what

you learn and take from them is up to you.

Before Delphian, I decided to reject the path that my parents had led me towards and went down a bad path instead. But each of those experiences and setbacks taught me lessons and guided me towards realizing that I could and should change.

After changing more than I thought I could, I somehow changed even more while at this wonderful school. I learned to love wisdom and thought, and I gained skills and values that have prepared me for everything that is to come.

Now, who I am today isn’t the ant on the ground or the elk in the field. I am not even an apple picker floating through life’s experiences. I am an apple eater. I consume life’s experiences and learn from their lessons, giving me an invaluable, joyful outlook towards life and its continuation, and it is thanks to Delphian and its wonderful program that I am able to do this.

Na (Elenora) Aji

Inner Mongolia, China

My journey has been full of unforgettable experiences and lessons. I stepped out of my comfort zone and overcame obstacles. I’ve made memories with friends that I’ll carry with me forever—laughing in dorm rooms, sharing snacks, and staying up late talking about the future. These moments became a foundation of support that reminded me I was never alone.

However, there were also challenges— challenges that changed me. One of the biggest was learning what it really means to understand something. I had always been a top student in China, relying on memorization to succeed. But when I entered a proficiencybased program, I learned that memorization wasn’t enough. After struggling with low scores, I realized that true learning comes from comprehension, from taking initiative, and from managing my time wisely.

I began to slow down. I read more deeply, asked more questions, and took the time to understand—not just finish—my work. I received help from teachers and gradually learned to focus on quality instead of speed. This shift changed not only how I studied, but how I lived.

That growth extended beyond academics. As a student council member, I learned that leadership means more than responsibility—it means supporting others. When a teammate was struggling, I didn’t just tell them to keep going; I found ways to help. I started to understand that strong leadership includes empathy and patience.

Looking back, this journey taught me how to confront difficulties, value both process and outcome, and lead with both strength and care. I’m leaving this mountain with more than memories—I’m taking with me the courage to face what’s next, the tools to keep growing, and the belief that true success is built from within.

Serena On

Sacramento, California

I grew up with an unethical background where others regularly suggested using harmful poisons. This was a “normal” part of my life until I showed up to the Delphian School.

At Delphian, I learned how to understand my studies thoroughly and actually care about education. Getting this deeper layer of understanding was a major turning point in my knowledge and education.

Diving deeper into my education enhances my inherent qualities and skills I hold. Every time I learn more about the world, I learn something new about myself. This approach to knowledge sat well with me, and I started to see meaning and beauty in life.

This new viewpoint in life closed doors of assumptions or negativity and opened gates to happiness, wealth, and success. I truly embraced this craving for understanding and never ran out of knowledge to learn.

I started to consistently accomplish my goals, solve my problems, and become happier just by taking my education seriously. I really didn’t know that learning about the world around me could do so much good in my life.

I hold my journey in learning closely to me since it has benefitted my life in so many ways. Expanding knowledge for application is a recipe to success.

London Whitworth

Orange

County, California

On and on we went, with the end nowhere in sight. “Do not stop till we get to the top. Do not stop till we get to the top,” my seven-yearold sister and I, only four, chanted as we hiked up a trail with our dad.

This short story contains the true Delphian experience: hard work, dedication, and persistence. Even when the end feels infinitely far away, you just have to keep pushing; don’t stop.

But there’s more to the hike, there’s more to Delphian, than just this. The abilities you gain are unparalleled; the adventures you go on and the fun you have, you can’t find anywhere else. Since I first came to Delphian nine years ago, I’ve tried to do every activity I could, to improve myself in all areas and to have the most fun possible. But at some point in Upper School, I realized I wasn’t working hard enough in my studies. I had gone from being very ahead to very behind. I wasn’t

progressing quickly in my courses and my reading was miles behind where it should have been.

Not until this year, and especially on Form 8, did I make the change that I wanted. I didn’t have the option of letting my studies get further away, so I started to truly confront them. I spent countless hours working on the fourth floor and getting everything done in time.

My biggest obstacle since middle school has been reading. I disliked it, I was slow, and I started to feel it was hopeless. But again, I learned the importance of confront. I pushed and read more this year than I have in the past three years combined. And by the end of it, I started to find joy in reading.

At times, Delphian might seem like too much. It’s too much work. Too many books. But if you stick to it through the end, you’ll find the real Delphi Magic.

Grace Suplee

Los Angeles, California

I spent a lot of time in the Advanced Art class last year thinking about the difference between house and home. I made sculptures, sketches, and a portfolio on these two ideas. To me, a house is cold, neat, and uninviting. A home, however, is warm, colorful, and inviting. You survive in a house, but flourish in a home.

I’m proud to say that Delphian has been my home for the past five years. It feels like all of my other educational experiences have simply been houses. Teachers at other schools are focused on your ability to memorize and get straight A’s. At Delphian, I was able to fail, flourish, and learn all in a safe, warm, inviting environment. I learned how to effect positive change in any area of my life by using purpose, intention, and by applying what I’ve learned in my courses. There is nothing like a Delphian education.

The student council program and the summer internship played large roles in my ability to flourish at this school. I’ve held five different leadership positions that all challenged

me and helped me grow as a leader and human. My final position on the student council, as Vice President, taught me how to truly care for and help the people around me. I know that I can go into any area of the world or of my life and help the people in it.

Delphian has helped me grow into a person that I am proud of. I am confident in my ability to lead, learn, and help others around me; this is something that I never thought was possible.

I am sad to be leaving my home, but excited for the one that I can build for myself, using the tools I’ve gotten from this beautiful place.

Elissa Hamilton Hansen

Sheridan, Oregon

Throughout my time at Delphian, I loved doing math and science, and I would spend almost all of my free time reading. However, I never wanted to put in any effort for things I didn’t want to do. I saw no need to leave my comfort zone, and I often felt that things I didn’t like were pointless.

I’ve grown a lot since then. Starting on Form 6, I was forced to truly step out of my comfort zone. Several courses

Cupertino, California

pushed me into working and cooperating with others, even if I didn’t want to. The practical program truly pushed me into uncomfortable territory, as I now had to actually apply things I’d learned to reallife situations with actual consequences. This only increased in Form 7 and 8. These forms forced me to look at what I didn’t want to do and do it anyway.

I eventually discovered two things. First, those things I didn’t want to do actually did have value in my life, and I would need the skills they provided to succeed in life. Second, that I could actually do these things and do them well if I actually applied myself. These two realizations changed my mindset and drastically increased my willingness to try new things.

Looking back at my Delphian journey, I can see just how much I’ve grown. I first came to Delphian as a shy little girl determined to stay in her bubble. I stand before you now as a confident woman who knows she can do more. I know that my journey has only just begun. As much as I’ve grown at Delphian, there is still so much more to learn, so much more to try, and so much more room to grow. I am finally ready to step into my life and create my future.

Delphian has been an amazing and eye-opening experience for me. I came to this school five years ago as a different person. I wasn’t as brave, or as smart, or as eager to learn as I am now. Being here has shown me how good accomplishment can feel and how much knowledge and beauty there is in the world.

The first thing that Delphian showed me was how much there is to learn. I read more books than ever before and had to work hard to achieve things in courses. I never realized how vast the world is, and how many perspectives there are on life, until I read literature here. I also did projects I would have never dreamed of doing like painting the sets for a play or organizing a community service event for over 100 students. The academic and practical programs showed me the beauty in life.

However, no one grows without a little bit of discomfort. I also very much struggled at times. Being here meant facing my flaws and working to overcome my weaknesses. I would procrastinate at times or choose to take the easy way out.

Thankfully, the Delphian program did not allow me to continue this way. The tough projects I took on pushed me to work hard and give my all to things. I had always thought that I should try to avoid hard work. However, being here showed me that working hard towards goals makes me happy.

All in all, Delphian changed my life for the better. Being here has been a gift, and I am ready to take my knowledge and abilities out into the world.

Katja de Vries

Rikki Suzuki

Growing up in Japan, I was taught to follow the policy, not ask questions, and do what everyone else was doing. It wasn’t the right thing to be different from others. So, I followed the system, thinking that was the only way to succeed.

Everything changed when I moved to America. I didn’t speak English. I didn’t understand the culture. And I definitely didn’t understand the people around me. I felt lost, even doing simple things like asking where the bathroom was or eating with people I didn’t know. I wanted to avoid people, and for a while, I did.

However, one day, I made a choice. Instead of avoiding the challenges, I started confronting them. Slowly, I began to push myself to speak more, to ask for help, to try even when I was scared.

The more I learned, the more I realized something important:

Tokyo, Japan I am capable. I became one who does not just follow instructions. I can think, create, and choose my own path.

With what I learned in Delphian, I know my capabilities. Now, as I step into the next chapter of my life, I won’t be a robot anymore. I will keep choosing the right path for me that leads me to something meaningful.

Tom Kalman

Earlier in my life, I wondered what importance the things around me had. I wondered why they were there and if they mattered. One should shift their point of view to see things for what they are and to see their true importance. I learned to do that as I progressed through the program. I learned to see the beauty in life and I learned to utilize the worst things to make them better. In my time here, I went through many experiences that helped me shift my point of view.

I was able to travel alone to New York for an architecture apprenticeship, and I observed as each person made decisions to make their lives turn out differently. In my program, I couldn’t finish anything unless I was the one who gave it the final push. I met different people who became important to me because I decided to talk to them and turn to them for things. I also completed the Delphian program by using each part to achieve my goals for my future career in architecture.

With every new viewpoint comes a new idea, and with new ideas come new achievements. I learned to look, and I learned to achieve. I now look at everything as a part of my life and as a means to accomplish my goals, whether intelligent or emotional. A stranger in a country far away can change my life, but I am the one who decides to go to that country. I am ready to shape my world.

Ana Julia Escamilla Shwetzer

Coahuila, Mexico

What separates the good from the great? Some may say greatness is defined by achievements, talent, or rank, but I believe what separates the good from the great is the details. Through the middle of my journey at Delphian, I realized that I could be good, but what was needed and expected from me was greatness. I needed to perfect the details. As an artist, when perfecting a painting, you have to take a step back and look from afar. However, I couldn’t just look; I had to see. The question was, could I transform myself to achieve greatness?

One of the first things I saw with clarity about Delphian was that achieving your goals was a choice. That is the beauty of the Delphian

experience: you have the ability to choose. Bit by bit, Delphian gives you freedom and opportunity to fail. And I did. However, as many times as I failed, there was always a hand that reached out to help me. I thought that hand was meant to pull me out. Instead, to my surprise, the hand gave me a shovel. I had to learn to dig myself out.

Throughout my journey, I noticed a transformation. Since these changes were small at first, they seemed insignificant. These beautiful little moments are done quietly, and like the best things in life, they happen unexpectedly. One of the most important things Delphian has taught me is that when you find the details, you have the chance to become good.

When you see the beauty in them and perfect them, you become great.

Now my life lies ahead of me, but rather than being a road with a set path, it’s an ocean—no clear path, but with a plan. I’m not sure of the wind or the size of the waves, but I’m sure of my skills to navigate. The woman who stands before you today is a product of the Delphian experience— an experience that taught her to seek discomfort, pay attention to the beauty in the details, and to have a hunger not only for knowledge but for life. Over the last six years, this school has shown me something truly valuable. Greatness isn’t handed to you. You must earn it, one detail at a time.

Sam Hu

Dongyang, China

As I was writing this success story, my phone alarms rang twice. That is the time I realized that I had so many alarms on my phone. To be more specific, I had nineteen alarms from 7am to 11pm. This represents the busy but happy life I had this year.

It was a wonderful experience. I woke up early in the morning and stayed up late into the night just to study. I never worked this hard before, but Delphian actually helped me gain the ability to study hard voluntarily.

To be honest, it was not easy to do, and I didn’t always like it. I used different excuses to leave just because I didn’t want to study. I wanted to play on my phone or watch videos instead of studying. As the deadline came closer, I finally realized that I had to work hard. That led to my success this year.

There’s only one thing that kept me doing it, which was persistence. This persistence didn’t only mean working hard every night. Persistence is having the courage to confront no matter how hard something is, no matter how complex things are. You just do it. It is being generous towards things you dislike. Loving those things you hate. It is keeping going no matter what you have to sacrifice. It is the ability to never give up no matter how far behind you are, no matter how much trouble you run into.

Finally, I want to appreciate myself. It’s wonderful that I made it through this year.

Lucas Curry

Arcadia, California

Graduate with Honors

Throughout my life I have battled with the idea of being ordinary. I didn’t want to be ordinary; I wanted to make an impact, change something. I would compare myself to others, expecting them to have the answers or know something I didn’t.

There were some things I accepted that I wasn’t good at. I thought I couldn’t change these things, that there was no way to improve. I found that this was a stubborn mindset and that I needed to adjust my viewpoint to become good at anything.

My greatest enemy had been myself. By deciding I wasn’t good at something, it was me who had stopped myself from reaching my goals, from working hard. Over the course of a couple years, I learned to be the master of my mind, not letting my mind control what I was able to do. By mastering my mind, my potential was endless. When I was at my worst and I had nothing left to give or something seemed impossible, I discovered I still had more. My limitations were self-induced and I could achieve the impossible.

I set high goals for myself but this time I chose not to limit myself. I wasn’t going to quit; I was going to persevere no matter what. I had an immense goal that I wanted to achieve. My goal was to complete the honors project. This

was a far greater challenge than I had ever considered possible. I coached three different sports teams and led two of them as a head coach. This project helped me find my passion, coaching, and challenged me in more ways than I fathomed possible.

But above all this, this project taught me perseverance and to never lose sight of what you believe in. There were so many opportunities when I could have walked away or abandoned the project. My biggest win is that I didn’t lose sight of my goal and persevered even in the toughest and worst of situations. I found a way to keep going despite my failures and mistakes. My mind takes a back seat as I control my destiny.

A SEASON TO REMEMBER

TDelphian Athletes Shine at State Championship, Achieving Record-Breaking Feats

he atmosphere was humming with energy as the Delphian community gathered in Eugene at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field stadium to support our outstanding athletes at the OSAA 2A state track meet.

At this thrilling event, Oli Beauregard received the Athlete of the Meet award from Peter Weber, the Executive Director of the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA). Furthermore, the team’s head coach, Brandon Lidgard, was honored with the 2A Boys Track and Field Coach of the Year award for the 2024-2025 season.

REMEMBER

LEFT BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ TEAM ABOVE RIGHT LILY OLIVARES BELOW LIV CURRY

Girls’ Team: A Historic Finish

The girls’ team showcased their talent and determination, finishing 7th, which was a tie for best-ever overall placement in our girls’ program history. However, this year’s team amassed even more points than the previous team did to earn that 7th place spot!

The highlight of the girls’ events was junior Liv Curry, who leaped her way to victory by earning the championship title in the high jump. For each height, an athlete is allowed up to three attempts to clear the bar. In an impressive display of focus and skill, Liv didn’t miss a single jump on her way to the championship!

Results from the girls’ team:

Track

400m - 6th place - 1:00.36 minutes - Avery Ott*†

100m hurdles - 3rd place - 16.04 seconds - Lily Olivares*†

100m hurdles - 8th place - 17.35 seconds - Liv Curry

300m hurdles - 2nd place - 45.60 seconds - Lily Olivares*†

300m hurdles - 8th place - 48.84 seconds - Liv Curry*

4x100 relay - 5th place - 51.64 seconds - Piper Gibson, Avery Ott, Sophie Eurell, and Lily Olivares

4x400 relay - 2nd place - 4:07.45 minutes - Liv Curry, Regina Romero-Bolaños, Lily Olivares, and Avery Ott†

Field

High jump - 1st place - 1.54m - Liv Curry

Javelin throw - 10th place - 30.06m - Amelia Peterson

Triple jump - 11th place - 9.38m - Amy Guy

*Personal Record †School Record

ABOVE OLI BEAUREGARD

ABOVE BOYS’ TEAM BELOW COACHES LUCAS CURRY, BRANDON LIDGARD, AND TOM SAVEJS

ABOVE CATO MATSUOKA BELOW NATHAN CLOUTIER AND ALEX MADDOX

Boys’ Team: Back-to-Back Champions

The boys’ team delivered a spectacular performance, claiming their second consecutive state championship!

Leading the charge was sophomore Oli Beauregard, who took home titles in both the 100m and 110m hurdles while securing a second place finish in the 300m hurdles. The boys’ 4x100m relay team—Greyson, Cato, Alex, and Oli—not only won the event but shattered the previous state meet record, finishing a full second faster with the blistering time of 42.53 seconds—a truly remarkable feat.

Ending the meet on a high note, the boys’ 4x400m relay team—comprised of Vlad, Mark, Nathan, and Alex— claimed victory in an epic comeback that thrilled the crowd and displayed the resilience of Delphian athletes.

Results from the boys’ team:

Track

100m- 1st place - 10.94 seconds - Oli Beauregard*†

100m - 3rd place - 11.09 seconds - Cato Matsuoka*

100m - 9th place - 11.63 seconds - Greyson McLean

ABOVE OLI BEAUREGARD AND PETER WEBER LEFT HEAD COACH BRANDON LIDGARD

200m - 3rd place - 22.75 seconds - Cato Matsuoka*

800m - 4th place - 2:01.82 minutes - Nathan Cloutier*

1500m - 3rd place - 4:12.87 minutes - Boston Brown*†

3000m - 2nd place - 9:02.51 minutes - Boston Brown*†

110m hurdles - 1st place - 14.88 seconds - Oli Beauregard

300m hurdles - 2nd place - 39.09 seconds - Oli Beauregard

4x100m relay - 1st place - 42.53 seconds - Greyson McLean, Cato Matsuoka, Alex Maddox, and Oli Beauregard†

4x400 relay - 1st place - 3:29.76 minutes - Vlad Bunchuk, Mark deVries, Nathan Cloutier, and Alex Maddox

Field

Long jump - 6th place - 6.01m - Greyson McLean

Long jump - 11th place - 5.75m - Mark deVries

Triple jump - 7th place - 12.00m - Mark deVries

Javelin throw - 9th place - 41.79m - Henry Gullo

Javelin throw - 10th place - 41.10m - Alex Maddox

*Personal Record †School Record

A LEGACY OF GENEROSITY APOLLO Legacy Society

One Couple’s Generosity Has Transformed Educational Opportunities for Countless Future Generations

For nearly as long as there has been a Delphian School, Geoffrey and Susana Hegeman have been supporters. Though they never had children of their own to enroll at Delphian, they passionately believed in the school’s vision and its future.

Over the years, they quietly sponsored five students—young and bright individuals who might never have had the opportunity to receive a Delphian education without their support.

When Geoffrey passed away last year, we were profoundly moved to receive an extraordinary planned gift--a legacy of $11.4 million towards the future of the school. This gift, set in motion decades ago by Geoffrey and Susana, is a testament to the idea that one life, lived with intention, can change the course of many.

This legacy has allowed us to restore our chapel, ensuring it continues to serve as a performing arts venue for many years to come (details on page 64), and has provided the financial support to make some urgently needed repairs and upgrades to Larson Hall.

Their gift will help ensure that creativity and reason continue to flourish side by side for generations to come.

In honor of families like the Hegemans, and to make it possible for others to create their lasting impact, the Development Office has established the Apollo Legacy Society for those who would like to make Delphian part of their future plans through a will, trust, retirement account, life insurance policy, or another form of planned giving.

During Parents Weekend this year, we were honored to announce that Jennifer Anderson, a dedicated parent of three Delphian alumni—Maxine, Maisee, and Mila—a steadfast donor, and a longtime supporter of Delphian’s mission, has graciously agreed to chair the Apollo Legacy Society.

She has taken up this torch as it was dear to her late husband, Steve Anderson, a Delphian alumnus from the class of 1987 and former Board Chair. As leader of the Apollo Legacy Society, Jennifer will help to ensure that Delphian’s future not only endures but thrives long into the future.

Thanks to Jennifer’s efforts, the Apollo Legacy Society now has forty-two supporters—dedicated individuals who have committed to including Delphian in their future giving plans.

If you would like to learn more about the Apollo Legacy Society or are interested in taking the next steps toward leaving your legacy, please contact Jennifer Anderson at jen@andersonfamily.net or the Development Office at Development@delphian.org.

HEAD OF SCHOOL TREVOR OTT ANNOUNCING JENNIFER ANDERSON AS THE APOLLO LEGACY SOCIETY CHAIR AT THE PARENTS WEEKEND HEAD OF SCHOOL ADDRESS

PRESERVING HISTORY

Delphian’s RenovationChapel

In 1932, Delphian’s building was constructed by Oregon’s Novitiate of St. Francis Xavier. Two years later, they added the beautiful, threestory chapel. It features seventeen large, handpainted stained glass windows, which were built in the traditional way--each individual piece of glass is held together by lead strips called casings.

Since the Delphian School purchased the building in 1974, the chapel has become a treasured performing arts space known for its breathtaking aesthetics and inspiring acoustic qualities.

The chapel is now almost a hundred years old, and has been affected by both gravity and the weather. Thus, with great excitement, we launched a project of extensive restorations and upgrades in March 2025.

The project includes improvements in every corner, from adding technical performance equipment and lighting to repairing the ceiling beams, replacing the flooring, and restoring each stained glass window to its original splendor.

Time, Gravity and Weather

This chapel restoration was made possible by a bequest from Delphian supporters Geoffrey and Susana Hegeman, passionate advocates of the Delphian School and its role in effective education. We are very grateful for their support.

Due to the sheer size of the windows, they will be restored in stages, with just a few repaired at a time. As the project progresses, we encourage visitors to look past the scaffolding and dust and continue to tour and enjoy

the chapel, knowing it is getting the care and attention that the beautiful space deserves as it prepares for the next century of its life.

1.

2. Window Restoration Process

Document, label, photograph, and remove each window from its frame before packaging and shipping to the Willet Hauser stained glass restoration studio in Minnesota.

Map out and capture all the details with tracings, photographs, and charcoal rubbings in the studio. These documents will ultimately serve as the reassembly guide.

Restore and reassemble each window with new lead, using original materials wherever possible and replacing broken pieces as needed.

Return and install the restored windows into their original frames and add clear exterior storm windows to protect the stained glass from the weather in the future. Additionally, we will install exterior lights to illuminate the colored panes during evening performances.

Did you know?

The ceiling beams, which feature continuous oil stenciling on both sides, have suffered water damage due to leaks. They will be refinished as part of the restoration process, and the stencil work will be repainted.

The decorative floral shapes lining the ceiling, called “corbels,” were initially painted in great detail. The chapel corbels will be painted and restored to their original beauty as part of the restoration.

The building and chapel did not have bricks for their first twenty-one years. The exterior of the building looked this way until 1955, when the face was redesigned and the bricks were added.

Some lights have already been installed to illuminate the apse windows for evening performances. Above are two different evening performances, one with the lights off and one with the lights on.

Grammy award-winning musician Chick Corea recorded his third solo piano album, Delphi I, released in 1979, in Delphian’s chapel.

The chapel blueprints were designed and drawn by hand with intricate details.

TRANSFORMING COMFORT

OComing Soon: Exciting Upgrades to Our Infirmary and Medical Liaison Office

Over the past decade, our campus has undergone significant transformations with beautiful upgrades and renovations, including the Lower School, science lab, gym, track, dorm bathrooms, administrative offices, art gallery, Rec Room, Little Theater, and more. With so many improvements, you may be curiously wondering, “What is next?”

If you have visited the campus in the past couple of months, you may have noticed the current construction of a new student lounge located on the first floor of the west end of the building, as well as the chapel restoration (chapel details on page 64). With these upgrades fully funded and in progress, we launched fundraising efforts during Parents Weekend to renovate the infirmary and medical liaison office.

As many alumni will recall and can attest, the infirmary is a familiar place tucked away in a quiet corner of the school that students rely upon when they’re not feeling well, whether it’s a scraped knee, a scratchy throat, or a fever. This space is one of the many aspects of the school that makes Delphian feel like a home away from home, especially for boarding students whose parents are miles away.

After decades of use, it’s time to take it down to the studs and rebuild it with updated amenities and even more comforting touches to help every student feel at home while recovering.

The updated infirmary will be a beautifully modern and cozy space that will include two additional bathrooms, an expanded kitchenette, a private screening and treatment area, and in-house laundry facilities. These improvements will enable students to rest and recover quickly, allowing

INFIRMARY ROOM

INFIRMARY ROOM

them to return to the many activities and opportunities offered at Delphian.

The goal is to raise $1 million over the coming months, with hopes of starting renovations as early as the 2026 school year. Thanks to the generous support of guests at Parents Weekend, the project is off to a fantastic start, having already raised $600,000 in donations and pledges towards the overall goal.

Our next fundraising event will take place during our annual Alumni Weekend, where we hope to make significant progress toward reaching our target.

For more information on how to contribute and to explore other giving opportunities, please feel free to email us at Development@delphian.org or scan this QR code.

INFIRMARY ROOM

INFIRMARY ROOM

Enhanced Privacy

Private en-suite bathrooms for each room, a new screening room, and improved soundproofing in infirmary rooms for a more peaceful environment

Refreshed & Cozy Aesthetic

Updated furniture and fixtures, flexible lighting, and a warm, nurturing aesthetic to create the optimal rest-and-recharge environment

Modern Fixtures & Amenities

Hands-free sink fixtures, in-house laundry unit, upgraded kitchen amenities, and smart storage systems for first aid and medical supplies

^^ To Staff Apartment ^^

vv East Wing Exit vv

AI GENERATED IMAGE

ALUMNI NEWS

Congratulations to alumnus Michael Broughton (2010) on his graduation from Western Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, concentrating in Operations Management and minoring in Business Analytics. Michael graduated cum laude and was honored to receive the Outstanding Graduate Award—an honor given to just one senior in each major.

Congratulations to alumnus Charley Guo (2021) on his graduation from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a focus in Public Relations, and to alumna Isabella Yang (2021) on her graduation from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology and Ecology.

Congratulations to alumnus Owen Rappoport (2021) on his graduation from Gonzaga University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Congratulations to alumna Raina Schofield (2021) on her graduation from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies with a focus in film & media.

Congratulations to alumna Emma Aaron (2020) on earning her Master of Business Administration from Western Governors University.

Congratulations to alumnus Santino Marrazzo (2021) on his graduation from Pepperdine University with a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Administration.

Congratulations to alumna Lindsay Wright (Price, 2014) on graduating summa cum laude from California State University at Chico with a degree in biological sciences and receiving the President’s Academic Excellence Award and Honors in Biology.

Additional congratulations are in order, as during her college studies, she gave birth to her daughter Audrey Jane.

Congratulations to alumna Haleigh Simington (2021) on her graduation from UCLA with a degree in Linguistics & Computer Science.

Congratulations to alumnus Andrew Chiu (2015) on his graduation from the University of the Pacific with a Master of Arts in Music Therapy.

Congratulations to alumna Amanda Bunselmeier (Oliver, 2009) and her fiancé Matt on the birth of their son Haze Charles on October 23, 2024, in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Congratulations to alumna Kelly Hepburn (Kertchem, 2001) and Stirling Hepburn on the birth of their son John Malcolm Hepburn, who was born April 15, 2025, and welcomed home by big sisters Valentine and Winter in Newberg, Oregon.

Congratulations to alumna Kristel Cecala (Erlich, 2011) and Joe Cecala on the birth of their daughter Aria Rosabella Cecala, who was born February 10, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois.

Congratulations to alumna Maddie Nahas (Pfeiffer) and Tyler Nahas on the birth of their daughter Chloe Jean on March 20th, 2025, in Woodstock, Georgia.

Congratulations to alumna Lindsey Schnell (Reckis, 2001) a writer on the Disney Animated TV Show, Hailey’s On It. The show was nominated for two Emmys, one of which was for “Outstanding Writing for a Children’s or Young Teen Animated Series.” The show premiered on Disney+ on June 8th, 2023, and the finale aired in May 2024. Pictured above is Lindsey attending the Children and Family Emmys ceremony on March 15th in Los Angeles.

We love to hear from our alumni! Let us know what you are up to. Email our editor at magazine@delphian.org or message us on social media to be published in the next issue.