T H E P A T H
www.epiphanyglobalschool.org
Assistant
Sandra Haddock
Director of Admissions
Molly Ostmann
Director of Athletics
Matt James
Director of College Counseling
Natasha Arbelo-Fredericks
Director of Development
Julia Connolly
Director of Finance
Nancy Coughlin
Director of Lower School
Calah Ronzheimer
Director of Marketing
Matt McCotter
Director of Middle School
Dr. Morgan James
Director of Spiritual Life
Jessica Longshore
Director of Upper School
Ryan Seeger Director of Technology
Shane Sparks
David Wang Head of School
A New Bern Tradition and an Epiphany Landmark
By: Jodi Tomboulian
The New Bern statues began in the early 2000's as a public art project to celebrate New Bern’s heritage and wildlife. A bear was selected to represent New Bern, since New Bern is named for the Swiss city of Bern and the word “Bern” is the old Germanic word for bear. The bear statues are made of fiberglass and found throughout the New Bern area. Each bear was painted to reflect its sponsor
and painted by local artists.
The Epiphany School, now The Epiphany School of Global Studies, named its bear “Wise Bear,” which shows the connection between the school’s name and the Feast of Epiphany - the celebration of the Wise Men’s arrival to visit the Christ Child. The gift the Wise Bear holds not only symbolizes the gifts the Wise Men brought to the
Christ child, but also the gifts for life’s journey that The Epiphany School helps develop for its students. Wise Bear resides in front of Founders Hall on the Henderson Avenue campus.
Wise Bear is a work of art designed and painted by faculty, administrators, and students. Art teachers Laura Karmi and Jodi Tomboulian spearheaded the Wise Bear project. Students were given handouts with outlines of the bear (front and back) to draw their ideas for integration into the bear’s design The Upper School art class took field trips to Mrs Tomboulian’s studio, located in the historic Hawkins Grocery Store in Riverside, where they helped paint designs on the bear. Administrators also visited the site to leave their mark on the bear. Both Laura Karmi and Jodi Tomboulian worked together on the final design and did the bulk of the painting on Wise Bear.
The unique coloration of Wise Bear symbolized a graduation gown, and the face of the bear resembles a Bernese Mountain Dog (Mrs. Tomboulian’s dog, “Bear,” posed for this portrait!), representing New Bern’s ties to Bern, Switzerland, where the Bernese Mountain Dog originated.
Everything on Wise Bear has significance and was carefully planned. The orange backpack, which is prominently displayed on Wise Bear’s back, hails to then Head of School, Tom McLaughlin’s orange backpack, which he frequently packed full of visuals and props used to illustrate lessons during
during his Chapel Services. Various items significant to Epiphany are shown spilling out of the orange backpack. There is a leather Bible (modeled after the hand-tooled leather Bible by Mrs. Tomboulian) representing the core values and faith that encompass the school Lacrosse sticks represents sports (Epiphany used to have a lacrosse team) and paint brushes, an artist’s palette, dance shoes, and musical notes represent the arts
The front of Wise Bear has a gold path that mimics the Epiphany logo, which symbolizes the journey of the wise men ending at the star of Bethlehem and also the Epiphany student’s life’s journey. The gift basket that Wise Bear holds represents the “gifts for the journey” that Epiphany students uncover during their time at Epiphany.
Wise Bear wears a graduation robe with a stole that highlights Epiphany’s role in shaping its graduates through travel opportunities, academics, and athletics. On the right side of the stole, the unique gift of travel Epiphany provides is represented by paintings of international destinations such as France, Central America, and China. Athletics is highlighted above this through paintings of a swimmer, athletic equipment, and the FalconEpiphany’s mascot. The arts are highlighted on the left side of the stole, with paintings depicting more of the arts at Epiphany: drama (comedy & tragedy masks) and music (piano keys).
Near the bottom of each side of the stole are bands painted with the words showing the core values of the school: Respect, Responsibility, Service, and Integrity.
Joy in... Joy in...
Ben Copland, ‘25-’26 Epiphany sophomore and musicaficionado,composedthefollowingpiano piececalled"Fervor."Itisarepresentationofthe feeling of passion that people get sometimes, especially when they find something they want to do in life and care deeply about. Click below tolisten!
Campus Scenes
Traditions, fun, and joy continue on both of Epiphany’s campuses!
The Epiphany Gala and Auction was a roarin’ success!
Grade 8 in Wasthington, D C
Feast of Epiphany kings
Drama Production of Little Women
Trent Campus in the snow!
Mr Wang on WCTI, News 12 sharing the Joy of Epiphany Spring musicals and concerts were a great success on both campuses!
World Champion jump rope team members visited the Epiphany Lower School to show our students the “ropes ”
Are you Smarter Than a 5 Grader? th
Closing out the year with Community Day at Camp Seafarer
Math Competition Team placed Third at ECU.
Go Falcons! Congratulations!
Epiphany Varsity Girls Swim Team finished as NCISAA DivisionIII back-to-back State Champions and Coastal Plains Independent Conference Champions. Varsity Boys finished as both state and conference runners-up!
Varsity Falcon Cheer competed in the CCA Cheer Nationals and won Grand National Champion in the Varsity No Music division and National Champion in the Small Varsity No Music Non-tumbling division. First place was also awarded for the Senior Trios division, and Carly won National Champion for the Jump Off Competition.
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Throughout the 2025-2026 school year, Epiphany students had the opportunity to travel to many places all over the world, including Costa Rica, Peru, Italy, Yellowstone NationalPark,andevenJapanthisJuly!
Epiphany held its first alumni basketball game prior to the third annual alumni reunion this past December. The basketball game, coordinated by alumni Joe Chrise '20, was a success. We look forward to continuing this event and making it a bigger annual tradition!
Epiphany’s third-annual reunion was held in the evening of Saturday, December 27, on Epiphany’s Trent Campus. We loved seeing those who were able to make it. Watch your email and Epiphany’s social media for details about this year’s event.
The Class of 2016 held a special 10-year reunion in May. The event was organized by Nate Polo. Alumni visited for the morning chapel, followed by a social held at Brewery 99. It was an evening filled with laughter, stories, and the joy of reconnecting.
CLASS OF 2016
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Earlier this year, alumna Ashton Smith '17 came back for a special chapel message on the Trent Campus, reflecting on her time in the Peace Corps. Ashton spent 27 months serving in the Philippines in coastal resource management. Her message reflects on her service and the impact of Filipino culture on herlifetoday.Checkitoutbelow!
s a young boy living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, working on the water has always been a dream of mine. I would base my school projects on becoming a captain of a sportfishing boat and working around boats in general. My experience with boats while living in Pennsylvania was very little. The closest ocean was three hours away in Ocean City, New Jersey, where I would go on an “offshore” charter fishing trip aboard a head boat. Additionally, my family would go to Hatteras Island for vacations, where we would go on inshore charter fishing trips, and my grandparents owned a boat on the Northern Chesapeake Other than that, my only other experience was going on work trips with my father, who owns a business installing foam boat flooring called SeaDek I was not on the water much, but the highlight of my year was
always being on the water. Once I moved here to New Bern, everything changed.
When I moved to North Carolina, I was stoked to hear that Morehead City, a major offshore fishing destination and home of multiple billfish tournaments such as the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, was going to be right down the road from us. What I did not know, however, was how difficult it was going to be to get into the fishing industry as a teenager who had just moved from Pennsylvania and knew very, very little about how to fish, having never been offshore fishing before.
Moving also meant transitioning into a new school I moved to Epiphany in 2019, going into my sophomore year of
high school. I quickly fell into a friend group, and everything was going well, but one thing lingered in my head for years: "What can I do for my senior project?" The senior capstone project is a very important part of every student's time at Epiphany. Epiphany's capstone is meant to push you out of your comfort zone to pursue new opportunities or expand your knowledge of a topic you are passionate about. Some people in my class decided to work on their cars, whether it was rebuilding an engine or doing bodywork. Others decided to make and produce music, or decided to take this opportunity to do an internship of some sort For my project, I decided I wanted to learn how to be a mate on a sportfishing boat
This idea was ambitious, knowing how difficult it is to get into the sportfishing industry Through my father, who recently installed SeaDek on a sportfishing boat and became friends with the owner, I found my "in." I introduced myself to the owner of the April Mae, a 65-foot Hatteras sportfishing boat, and explained my idea and requirements for my senior capstone project. Regardless of my lack of experience in the sportfishing world, his reply was, "We have a charter this weekend. Why don't you come out with us and we can see where things go?" This chance was the beginning of something great - my foot was in the door!
My first trip was a little shaky. I found out I got seasick (thankfully, I do not anymore), but we still had a decent day.
We caught a couple of Wahoo, some Mahi, and a Sailfish. Even though I got sick, I was hooked! Luckily, I was asked to come back on the next trip! The next trip was the following weekend, and I was a lot more prepared. I learned about the benefits of seasickness patches, and after putting those on, I was good to go! I got a lot more involved and learned a TON of fishing techniques. I learned how to properly rig bait on a hook to make it “swim” better, how to set lines with outriggers so they do not get tangled, how to dehook a fish with a mouth full of teeth, how to set a planer, and much more The more I went on fishing trips, the more and more I learned It got to a point where I was getting invited to maintenance days Here, I learned there is more to working on a boat than just fishing I learned how to do oil changes on big diesel engines, how to replace Racor fuel filters and water separators, how to properly clean a big boat, and so on It made for a great senior project
I learned a lot, not just about fishing, but about myself as well. I learned that I love to catch fish. I enjoy the pursuit of looking for fish, being on the edge of your seat, and being ready to jump up at a moment's notice whenever there is a bite. I enjoy being out in the ocean, where the water is a deep blue and where nothingness is actually gorgeous. I enjoy watching the sunrise every morning when I go out. Through this experience, I thought maybe this could be a career or side job.
The senior project was there and gone, but the story did not stop there Before the summer season, I was asked if I wanted to be a part of the team as a second mate. Without hesitation, I agreed It would definitely be a fun summer job. During the summer of 2022, I got a lot of experience in billfishing, a style of fishing that I had never done at the time, where we target blue marlin. We fished in about 10 tournaments that summer, including both the Big Rock locally and the White Marlin Open in Maryland Both are major tournaments along the East Coast. During this summer, I saw my first blue marlin, and that was the start of a new passion for me. I really enjoy the "tournament grind," as people in the industry call it. Yes, it is long hours, a lot of early mornings (3:00 wake-up time!), and a lot of preparation, but the anticipation and excitement of going out to catch a big blue marlin really get the adrenaline going. I will admit it is a lot of waiting, but when you get that bite, seeing a fish larger than you jumping and doing flips out of the water makes it all worth it. It is pretty surreal
to see in person! Just imagine a blue marlin of 300-plus pounds brought along the side of the boat (and that is on the smaller side!). There is just something about knowing that I am handling an apex predator of the deep blue that brings me joy and has become pretty addictive.
When I went to college, the owner kept my position for me whenever I would come back home. I would work with them over the summer, charter fishing and tournament fishing, and during the winter break, I would commercial fish for bluefin tuna. I learned many different styles of fishing, from trolling for mahi, wahoo, tuna, and billfish to various forms of bottom fishing and swordfishing.
After graduating from college, I came back and turned my passion into a career of sorts. I did not want to fish as a full-time job, as I wanted to work with my father installing SeaDek on boats,
but as a part-time job. I decided to get my USCG 6-PAK, or captain's license, so that I could one day become a captain. On weeks we are fishing, I usually work four 10-hour days, so I get my 40 hours in a week working for SeaDek, and I usually fish at least one day a week.
This story brings me to today. My name is now finally getting around to where other boats are starting to ask me to mate/captain for them. Currently, I am working for the same boat that I started on six years ago, the April Mae, a 1997 65-foot Hatteras Sportfish. I also just got my first job as a captain of a 28-foot Regulator. I have caught many fish in my time as a mate, including blue and white marlin, sailfish, swordfish, tuna, wahoo, and mahi, just to name a few
I also have many great memories such as winning the wahoo division of Big Rock Kids, traveling up to Ocean City, Maryland, for tournaments, and catching enormous fish like an 800pound tuna and a 500-pound marlin. I have also gathered some scary stories such as getting struck by lightning, losing all power, and being stranded out at sea for a day and a half.
My dream is to eventually own my own boat and have full and half-day fishing charters so that I can share this wonderful, exhilarating experience with others and maybe spark the same passion I have in others. It is crazy to think that all of this started all because of a senior capstone project at Epiphany
W h e r e i n t h e
W o r l d i s F r e d d y
F a l c o n ?
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15.Bo ‘32, Kenny ‘33, Lucy ‘35 in Italy at the Winter Olympics
16Weston ‘31 and Sloane ‘33 in Poros, Greece
17 Mrs Ostmann diving in Grenada
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Tucker Newton ‘25, now a student at High Point University, goes viral during the NCAA’s March Madness tournament for his cowbell performancewithHPU’sband.Truetohisglobal Epiphany roots, he traveled straight from the tournament in Portland, Oregon, to London, England, for the Student Global Leadership Conference to study historical and modern leadershipasaSiegfriedLeadershipFellow.
ass o
f 2026
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To the Class of 2026 and to the alumni and to friends of The Epiphany School of Global Studies:
May you always find joy in the journey, remembering the love of God as it shines through you to your neighbor. Joy lives in the communitiesinwhichyousurroundyourselves, the faith with which you serve others, and the never-ending education of life. Go forth carrying Epiphany’s values of respect, responsibility, service, and integrity, as you uncoveryourmanyGod-givengiftsthroughout yourlife.
Here’stothen
Board of Trustees
Dan Murphy - Chair
Cathy Sparks
Isa Gratacos
Ken Gray
McKenzie Hall
Kate Horney
John Hawkins
Peter Moeller
Joe Osenni
Reid Parker
Beth Walker
On the Cover:
Lower School Students at Camp Seafarer for Community Day
The Path
The Epiphany School of Global Studies Magazine
Published twice each year
Editor: Molly Ostmann
Contributors:
Jodi Tomboulian - Staff
Ben Copland - Sophomore
Ashton Smith ‘17
Matt Connolly ‘22
Artwork by Emma Singleton ‘27