The Magazine of Episcopal - Fall 2015

THE MAG A Z INE OF EP ISCOPA L Fa l l 2 0 1 5 | 5 0 t h An n i vers a r y Ed i t i on E P IS COPAL S C H OO L O F JACKS O NV IL L E

4455 Atlantic Boulevard Jacksonville, Florida 32207 www.esj.org

Front cover image: The dedication of the School on October 13, 1967. Left to right: The Right Reverend Hamilton West, Bishop of Florida; Father Ray White (the School’s first Assistant Chaplain); The Very Reverend Robert Parks (Founder, Dean of St. John’s Cathedral); Horton Reed (the School’s first headmaster) and Lucius Buck (Founder).

T H E M AG A Z I N E O F E P I S CO PA L S C H O O L O F JAC KS O N V I L L E

EPISCOPAL FA L L 2 0 1 5

Puzzle Solution

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FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

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H I S T O R Y O F E P I S C O PA L

DOWN: 1. Annual Christmas concert venue CAMPUS NEWS 2. _______ Courtyard 3. Cookies, two words 4. Served as head of school twice AD VAofNthe C I Ntwin G Ehalls P I Sbuild C O PA 5. Name of one in L2011 6. First fine arts performance in Munnerlyn, two words ACROSS: ALUM N I first NEW S 7. Munnerlyn’s son’s name 1. The Buck Center was known as the 8. English teacher Billy 2. First headmaster’s first name 9. Fiery Drama Teacher 3. Physics TheTeacher mission of Episcopal School of Jacksonville is to provide a superior college-pre10. Commencement F R O M T Hsite, E Etwo D I Twords OR 4. First name of man for whom Buck Center built paratory education in an environment marked by high expectation, Christian nur11. ________ Dossal 5. Annual Fundraiser ture, and social diversity.

12. School color 6. 50th slogan, three words 13. Beloved tree 7. State Park for Freshmen Trip 14. _____ Mass, 1970s Through balanced program of academics, arts and athletics, Episcopal’s faculty 8. Adorns BarnettaGarden 15.

Current Board instill in each student intellectual growth, character development,Chair respon9. Greenseeks span,to two words 16. 1920s day on Campus 10. Battle of the sible leadership, and a commitment to community service.

17. episcopal mascot 11. Last name of PGA tour golf grad 18. Our dear Dale 12. Boathouse name Original student body, 1967.

13. Alumni fall event 14. First name of pipe smoking chaplain 15. Aquatic Center donor

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Turning 50 “The Big 50.” That is the term so many of my friends used to describe the foray into my 50th year of life when I was still Headmaster of Virginia Episcopal School in 1990. I remember laughing at my two older brothers when they each turned 50 years earlier… forgetting, of course, that it would probably happen to me! And then, all of a sudden, it did happen...I reached the half-century mark. It was probably because my work life revolved around hundreds of adolescents, but I sure didn’t feel any different. There were, of course, some humorous birthday cards that arrived on my desk, along with a dozen black roses sent to me by two trustees who were University of North Carolina graduates.

The main acknowledgement of my turning 50, however, was provided by Gail and our children, who took small black stick-on circles, wrote 50 (in white) on each of them, and then proceeded to place them everywhere in my office. For years I kept opening books or lifting up objects in the office to find a black 50 stuck somewhere. It was both clever and annoying, but we have always been a family with a great sense of humor!

Fifty years in a person’s life is a memorable period of time. Most of us will accomplish much, professionally and personally, if we are lucky enough to have 50 years. Think back, what were you doing 50 years ago when Episcopal was founded? Where were you working? Or were you in school?

Were you married? Were you a student at Episcopal? In the same way that your life has taken you on unforeseen paths, could you possibly have had any idea that Episcopal would be so successful in 2015-2016? Or that this place would have had such an impact on all our lives? The first few questions you could probably answer; the last two….not so much!

It is not an easy thing for me to put into perspective what ESJ has meant to me and to my family for 15 of the past 19 years. As I enter my final year of heading the School, I do understand how blessed I have been to work with this entire community. I will have more to say about that in the future.

For the moment, however, the most important thing I wish to reiterate during the beginning of our 50th Anniversary Celebration is how joyful we should feel about Episcopal. There is so much this community has provided us that it is essential to be reflective and grateful!

What I hope that each of us will do over the next school year is to give thanks, especially for two things in particular. First we should be thankful for those Founders who had the vision and courage and grit to start Episcopal despite the challenges they faced. Second, we should be grateful for those trustees, alumni, faculty and parents who have kept us steady on-course for these 50 years and who have recreated what makes us unique year after year after year.

It has not always been an easy ride, but we have persevered and it is time to rejoice in our accomplishments. It is also appropriate to be reflective of what we might have done better, to look at where we want to go, and to ensure that we stay on the right path…the same one our Founders forged.

From the Head of School

Above all, let’s be certain that Episcopal will be in a great position to celebrate our 100th birthday in 2066! Now that would something for which to be really be thankful!

C H A R L E S F. Z I M M E R

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Episcopal Celebrates

50Years

Fifty years – a truly golden anniversary for our School – allows us all to recognize the many accomplishments of our alumni, and all that our current and former faculty and staff have continued to contribute to our community.

This school year, beginning in August, will be a year of celebration. Special events in fine arts, activities and events, t-shirts, a 50th anniversary logo, a history book, a Gala Celebration and many opportunities to reminisce and share old photographs will set the tone for this 2015-2016 school year. We invite you to participate in our events and share with us your memories and photos.

Episcopal has always been about community – and we have 50 wonderful years of community to commemorate during this year of celebration!

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The Breakfast Club, 1984.

1970:

First Commencement is held in the Buck Center at 8 p.m, a formal affair.

The Mitchell Mass chapel service is so popular members of the greater community come to Episcopal.

Ho Angeles Staff, 1973.

Little Mary Sunshine was performed in 1976.

1966:

The “Purple Book” is published.

1967:

The site of the School is dedicated in January by the Great Oak, and the School opens in September of 1967 with 265 students under the direction of Headmaster Horton Reed. A formal dedication is in October on the Flag Plaza.

Duval County Brain Brawl Champions, 1986-1987.

1976-1977:

Episcopal’s boys swim team was named the national champion by Swimming World magazine.

Eagle mascot, 1970.

Girl Scouts was offered as a student club in 1970.

1983:

Mortgage burning ceremony to celebrate the settling of all bank loans.

1986:

Semmes Athletic Center completed.

Episopal’s first Commencement Ceremony, 1970.

Football game being played in 1973 during daylight hours before the lights were installed on McCormick Field.

The District Champion Water Polo team, 1980 yearbook photo.

Seniors on the Acosta House porch, 1987.

Powder Puff football 2005, Seniors win over Juniors 14-6.

Eagle Rampage 1991.

Prepping for Peter Pan.

1992-1993:

Mary Packer Cummings

Episcopal adds sixth grade.

1996: First Alumni legacy graduating class.

1999: 25th Anniversary Celebration, 1991.

First incoming sixth graders graduate.

2004:

Munnerlyn Theatre and Walton Boathouse completed. Peter Pan is the first performance in the Munnerlyn, students ‘fly’ across the stage.

In 1966 the Articles of Indoctrination were written, the “Purple Book” was published, and the school was named Jacksonville Episcopal High School. On September 5, 1967, the School opened its doors with 25 teachers and 265 students in the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth grades. At a buildings dedication ceremony on October 13, 1967, students, faculty, and parents sang the hymn “The Church’s One Foundation.”

Approximately 750 people attended as The Right Reverend Hamilton West, Bishop of Florida, blessed the School’s first three buildings.

Now, a half-century later, we begin to celebrate the School’s 50th Anniversary.

Faculty and Students Reminisce About 50 Years at Episcopal Victoria Register Freeman 1973-2003

The Magazine of Episcopal reached out to teachers and students from different decades about their Episcopal experience and what their time on campus has meant to them. Here, they share their stories.

Bert Harrell

1998- P R E S E N T

During my 30 years at Episcopal I spent at least a few minutes every day on the riverbank, watching the St. Johns River swiftly flow north under the great arch of the Hart Bridge. In retrospect, I think the river helped me remember that life’s currents are strong. Events happen and are replaced by the next event. Like the river, the academic world moves fast. Balance is essential.

I think I learned the essential nature of spiritual, intellectual, artistic, and physical balance by playing so many roles on campus: English teacher, reading specialist, form advisor, dean, marketing speaker, curriculum creator, Cape Canaveral chaperone, Yearling Day organizer, Easter Egg Hunt creator, to name a few. Whenever I felt like I was in danger of drowning in a raging river of activities and details, I was always thrown a lifeline by a colleague, an administrator, a chaplain, or a student.

For me, Episcopal was family in the best sense of the word.

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In 1990-91 the unique feature [of Episcopal] was a natural blend of academic freedom and unity of purpose, not an easy blend to achieve or maintain—a function of grace!

Diverse teacher personalities shaped our approach to our students. From Bill Valentine’s illuminated literary discourse and animated intensity, to John Iorii’s brilliant Holocaust course taught in his museum of a classroom, to Ted Pina’s bringing Chubby Checker live to play for the prom, it was an atmosphere of unspoken acceptance of each other in which differences, however odd, were assumed to be virtues. Victoria Register Freeman’s creativity embodied radical freedom that also pushed the bar of excellence ever higher. No one ever had to say, “It’s about the kids!” It never occurred to us that it could be otherwise. Dale Regan was Associate Head; she kept us steady even when uncertainties tried to crowd us from time to time. As I look back over 25 years, I think, “Halcyon days!” From 1998 to the present we’ve seen changes! We’re larger now; facilities have evolved dramatically. The wider civil culture presses us to conform to its decaying vision of education. Our response includes developing the Harkness philosophy in our School (I write from a dorm desk at Phillips Exeter as I begin a full week of Harkness training). Since 1998 we have embraced technology integration in stages, learning that it is a tool that helps us, but also learning there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction driven by passion for thinking and learning in both breadth and depth.

Cathy Kanaday just now reminded me, “Old school is new school!” Individual student engaging individual teacher and that delicate blend of academic freedom and unity of purpose persevere: halcyon days!

Roberta “Bobbie” Mercier 1 9 7 2 - 2 0 0 1 When I first arrived at Episcopal in 1973, I was a young Navy wife who knew no one in Jacksonville, whose family was a fourhour plane ride away and whose husband had just been deployed for a seven-month cruise. My school day started with 8:00 homeroom devotions and a study hall in the Commons for Form I-III students. By 4:15, when the school day ended, I was totally exhausted from having taught five classes of French, coached “Form II” girls’ field hockey (me?!) and met with the French Club. Despite the fatigue, I was extremely happy and realized that Episcopal was a very special place where I knew I wanted to be.

I was surrounded by caring, highly qualified, dedicated faculty and bright, talented, spirited students whose loving parents wanted the very best for them. The Episcopal community was really “a family,” where quality education, love, respect for others, and spiritual enrichment thrived.

Through the 27 years that I taught at Episcopal, there were many changes: headmasters came and went; “Forms” became “grades;” “Central Subjects” and moveable walls in the G-Building became obsolete; new buildings were constructed; the Middle School and sixth grades were added; the school day was shortened; boys no longer wore jackets and ties; the School changed its name; the “Commons” became “the Buck Center.” But the core elements that make Episcopal what it has always been for me are still there today: quality education, family, love and respect for others, spiritual enrichment, and a nurturing environment.

Candy Oberdorfer Edwards ’70 1986- P R E S E N T My husband, Mike, and I are members of the Episcopal Class of 1970, the first graduating class.

Seven years later, Mel Hazen, the then-Math Department Chair, asked me to return to Episcopal as a member of the math department. I can honestly say that the majority of my life has been centered at Episcopal: as a student, a parent, and a member of the faculty. It is home.

Episcopal is a very special place. The relationships and bonds between the students and the faculty, forged through hard work, challenges, and successes, create a true learning experience for all. Friendships, based on mutual respect and understanding, blossom and endure between generations. I frequently receive emails, letters, and phone calls from former students who need help with their college math classes. More frequently, they are reaching out to share their successes and experience. These lasting connections are cultivated by the unique loving environment that is Episcopal. In my classroom is a collection of stuffed animal giraffes and giraffe accessories that have been given to me by students. There are at least 25 of them, and all of them are linked to special memories. Many of them were given to me by my AP Calculus BC class when we moved into the classroom in Lastinger Hall. All of them are gifts of thoughtfulness and represent the special connections endemic to ESJ.

It is for those reasons that my husband so lovingly established a scholarship in my name when I retired in 2001. We both so value the education and opportunities that Episcopal affords; we want to help deserving students enjoy the Episcopal experience long after we are gone.

Much has changed since the early years of the School. The campus and student body have grown; the daily schedule has changed; the dress code has certainly changed. The School’s underlying values and interpersonal strengths stand firm.

Our students are offered a challenging and well-rounded college-preparatory curriculum. They are valued as individuals, encouraged to strengthen their natural talents, and to explore and learn in all disciplines.

Episcopal is truly a wonderful educational institution; it’s been “home” and “family” for me. I value my friendship with so many alumni, their parents, French Exchange families and my former colleagues. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life to have been affiliated with the School. Happy Birthday, Episcopal!

May you enjoy many, many more decades of success and continue to prosper!

Many of my most cherished memories are as a parent watching my own children negotiate the path of middle and high school as ESJ students. Our family remains closely connected to our German exchange student, who lived with us for a year. Episcopal has certainly prepared my entire family to find academic success in college and graduate programs.

More important, it has been a community of strength that has shaped our entire lives.

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William N. Valentine

Congratulations are certainly in order on the occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the founding of ESJ. Three years ago I retired from teaching after a 43-year career, so I have witnessed most of the first half century of the School’s existence.

I was 27 years old when I arrived after graduate school at Indiana University and quickly learned that I had significant limitations to my versatility. The philosophy at the time involved the notion that all the teaching faculty were to coach athletics. I was assigned in some kind of low-level capacity to coach football. This didn’t work out, because I knew that the ball is inflated and not stuffed and little more.

That I should be the girls’ archery coach seemed to be a simple solution to the dilemma, and they provided me with a general rules pamphlet to read before assuming my duties as Coach Billy the next day. Morning came, and the girls and I were in place, firing our arrows at a target out by the Great Oak, the stray missiles missing by quite a large number of feet the boys track team, which was passing at a distance in the background. Even though the pamphlet said nothing about a danger to passing track teams, I was removed from the archery program and from athletics in general and made an exception to the all-faculty-shall-coach rule.

Fortunately, I was qualified to teach Latin, Greek, and Russian—all three of which at that time were offered—so I didn’t have to join the ranks of the unemployed. Later, when Greek and Russian were dropped from the curriculum, I took some courses in English and became an English teacher. I say

Margie Stevens In the summer of 1976, summer camp was in full swing, and my first Episcopal memory is being in the Buck Student Center, seeing Father George Young dressed in his white robe, shorts, long socks, and tennis shoes, holding Chapel with the young campers. With only one year of teaching under my belt, I joined a very strong math faculty in the fall of ’76, and honestly, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I had no idea at the time that I would be writing this article almost 40 years later! Early on in my Episcopal career, Dennis Shortelle, former Episcopal history teacher and basketball coach, looked me in the eye and said, “Stevens,

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1969-2012

“teacher,” but one summer during the ’70s Richard Powell, head of the history department, and I were hired to do maintenance work to supplement our incomes. We painted lockers and classrooms; on certain days we were asked to give directions and answer the questions of parents who were bringing their kids in for the interviews involved in the admission process. Powell and I were kinda scuzzy lookin’, covered as we were with paint and the dirt of our labor, and we answered all parental inquiries in a heavy country Southern drawl, taking care that our verbs did not agree with their subjects. When the academic year began that fall, a couple of concerned parents marveled at the uncanny resemblance of the campus painters of last summer to their kids’ teachers. Again, versatility!

Those first years of the School were kind of Wild-West loosey-goosey, but a lot of it came from the revolutionary culture of the Vietnam era. The School subsequently weathered some stormy times, and I’m making a very long story short when I say that it started to get its act together with the advent of Al Cash’s headmastership, which was very much reinforced by Dale Regan as assistant head. Charley Zimmer’s superb leadership as an educator and as a personal friend made my life teaching English and Latin a truly joyful experience, which continued to be the case under the fine leadership of Dale Regan. I retired after her tragic death. It was the right time.

The School supported me when times were hard and I was down. I am so very grateful. And I look forward to as much of another prosperous half century of growth and life for this wonderful institution as I am privileged to witness, and beyond.

1976- P R E S E N T you’re a lifer.” I really thought he was crazy at the time, but he was correct!

As a member of the faculty, I love that we have the freedom to incorporate new topics into our curriculum without jumping through a bunch of hoops. I now teach Computer Science and feel the more we know about how technology works, the more we understand its importance and how we can make the most of its use.

What makes Episcopal so special? If you ask any member of the Episcopal

community, it won’t be long before you hear about the “family atmosphere.” Not only are we preparing young adults for life beyond school, but we also do it in a caring way, teaching and living Christian values along the way. When a student is struggling, a parent responds to your phone call or email, and a plan is put in motion with the support of the student’s teachers and the ESJ administration. At Episcopal, we affect every student’s life, and that is what has kept me here for almost 40 years.

Sam Moss

1967-1984

The day that Episcopal opened was one of the most exciting days of my life! There I was—an enthusiastic, perhaps naïve, fresh-faced 21-yearold recent Sewanee grad—coming together with other teachers from around the country and with students from all over the Jacksonville area to be part of a brand-new school! For those of us who were there that first day, perhaps nothing since has ever quite equaled the excitement we felt on that morning.

From all backgrounds we were coming together to define something new— not just a new school, but a new kind of school—a true Episcopal Church school in the finest sense, and one that welcomed students of all faiths.

In a sense, during my fifteen years at Episcopal, the School and I grew up together—from infancy to maturity— for me as a teacher, and for the School as an institution. Together we went through our periods of “infancy,” our “terrible two’s,” and our awkward “teenage” years, and we finally achieved maturity as teachers and as a school. I learned what it meant to be an adult, to be a teacher, to be responsible for young people. This School had to define itself in ways great and small—from deciding on a name for the athletic teams (the students thought “The Episcopal Trolls” would be a great name since we were under the bridge—but, alas, the administration thought that it lacked dignity, so we became “The Episcopal Eagles” instead)—to deciding the appropriate role of prayer and weekly Eucharist for a multi-faith student body.

Perhaps more than anything else, though, what was unique and special for me from that first day throughout my 15 years there was the close bond between students and faculty. Maybe

that just came from the sense that we were all doing something new together—a common adventure. Or maybe as students and teachers we were just by nature an adventurous sort to begin with to put our faith in this new venture. For whatever reason, I can say that I have never since experienced those kinds of close friendships between and among students and teachers. I’ve never seen a student body and faculty who treated each other with greater respect—a respect that included helping the students develop their strong leadership skills and then giving them the real opportunity to lead—even including a student representative to the Board of Trustees. Now, 50 years later, those close friendships that I had with students and teachers then remain as strong as ever.

very youthful-looking first-year teacher.

Notes for Harold were delivered to classrooms, comments written on him, grades entered, and his name appeared in the bulletin and on the absentee list. Even the headmaster got in on the act and called the young teacher in ask why he had not been giving more attention to his poor advisee Harold, who obviously had a great many issues.

What pranksters we were! That young teacher, who was then, and to this day remains, one of my very closest friends, left teaching shortly thereafter for a different career. He recently retired as a deputy director of the CIA. I’ve often wondered if Harold Stridewight was the secret inspiration for that career!

And lest it appear that everything that went on in those early years was always serious and purposeful, let it not be said that we lacked a sense of humor. One of my most vivid memories is of students and faculty together conspiring to create an imaginary student named Harold Stridewright and assigning him as an advisee to a

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Emily Christofoli

C. Melville Hazen

1968 - 2 0 0 5

I arrived in Chicago on a cold January morning in 1967 after the worst blizzard in history. I made my way from Union Station after riding the PRR General from 6:01 a.m. to 8:45 a.m., arriving at the Palmer House Hotel for an interview with the School’s first headmaster, Mr. Reed. I returned to Lima, Ohio, that evening.

In February 1968, I learned from a friend that there was a Spanish teaching position at Episcopal High School for the following fall. Between campus interviews, they gave me a breather to chat about the School with Hallie Godwin, the registrar. She almost glowed as she informed me that Episcopal High School was a most special place and that I would love working here! I have never forgotten her words and how they came to be true for me.

The fall of 1968 was the second year the School had students.

Horton Reed, the Headmaster, used to brag that he ran a day school on a boarding school schedule. Academics filled the day. PE classes were always at the end of the day. Eventually, they figured out that this was not the best use of facilities and gradually changed to PE throughout the day.

The heart of the School was its affiliation with St. John’s Cathedral, the Episcopal Church, and the weekly chapel services. The original music for the Rock Mass, based on the current Prayer Book at the time, was an experience! You would feel the beat of the drums and the distinctive music for the rest of the day. This was a real change for the comfortable, sedate Episcopalians (who still clung to the 1929 Prayer Book) at the time, but they warmed to it. It recruited students to the School as nothing else could.

The students that I taught over the years made all the other faculty requirements for excellence worthwhile. They were always wonderful; there was always energy between the teacher and the learner. They were carefully selected and eager to learn—a very hybrid group. The entire faculty became invested in the students’ lives and academic success.

At first, managing the teaching schedule, combined with maintaining the School’s high standards, was daunting! Once I began interacting with the students, I could see the how the whole vision of the School was working. I discovered I had a knack for dealing with young people this age. I found I loved teaching; the students were excellent! I had the freedom in the classroom to be creative or go into depth on a topic if I wanted.

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Mid-way through my career, I was tapped to become a college guidance counselor. That was like the icing on the cake for me! Was it possible to love a job more? I was able to help my students evolve in deciding where they would attend college.

Each placement represented a genuine pay-off for the faculty and a source of pride in the work they had done.

I rejoice that I transferred my love of Episcopal to my daughters, Allison and Vanessa. They literally grew up on campus. It has meant much to me that they could experience the academic challenges and loving support of this phenomenal School as they developed. Certainly Episcopal was where I found my love of teaching, my career. It is where I entrusted my children’s education. It always has been and will always remain a very special place for me!

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That Friday morning brought me a message to call Jacksonville! It was below zero, with six inches of snow on the ground and a stiff winter wind. Mr. Reed told me it was 70 degrees in Florida. The following Monday I called back and accepted a position as part of the original faculty of Episcopal.

My colleagues have shared their feelings about E.H.S. and what it has meant to them. I want to share some things that happened— some serious and others not so serious:

The Chapel service when my parents renewed their marriage vows on their 50th anniversary.

The baptism of Ned and Karen Becker’s second child.

The challenge of teaching Russian the first year.

The day Alex Baxley calmly got up and erased a geometry proof that I hadn’t even finished! (She got a standing ovation.)

I learned the “Williams Principle” for solving a trigonometric identity: “Just erase it and start over.”

Chris Hall describing the “load” of triangles in a geometry problem.

The day that the floor of M-12 shook as Seth O’Connell found himself sprawled on the floor under his desk.

THE basketball score for all ages: 64-63. Take that, you Bulldogs.

The night the sprinklers came on during a football game.

STUDENTS

Doug McCain ’7 7 Probably the single thing that still sticks out in my mind the most is my graduation, because my dad, then Cdr. John McCain, now Senator McCain, was the Commencement speaker. If I remember correctly, the speech was about honor, more specifically about how dishonorable most of the participants in the relatively recent Watergate scandal were. What I think is important about that speech is that my dad was extremely nervous about giving it. He worked on it for more than a week, because he was very worried about blowing it and embarrassing me.

Another anecdote I remember is my tenth-grade English teacher, Marta Pauly, telling us how she used to have trouble remaining awake in her school classes because she was staying up late at night learning English when she first came to the United States from Cuba.

A big part of what makes Episcopal

unique is the location and the grounds.

The beautiful site on the St. Johns River contributed to the wonderful learning environment. I also think the size of the School was very important. My class, 1977, had a little more than a hundred people—small enough so that, for the most part, you knew almost everyone, yet big enough that we could push each other a little in academics and athletics.

I have many fond memories of social events with my classmates both on campus and off.

Finally, I think that the Christian orientation certainly played a role for me. I was an acolyte for the Wednesday Chapel services the entire time I was there, but I also felt there was ample room for those of other denominations to feel comfortable.

After graduating from Episcopal, Doug earned a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia. He then joined the Navy and flew the A6 intruder for nearly seven years. For the past 25 years, he has been a pilot for American Airlines and is presently an Airbus 321 Captain making transcontinental flights out of JFK airport. His daughter Caroline graduated from the University of North Carolina, and his son Shepp is a fourthyear at the University of Virginia. He and his wife, Ashley, live in Virginia Beach, Va.

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Benjamin Peeler, M.D., ’8 2 disappointment in Mrs. Edwards’ eyes when she handed back my pre-calculus tests.

Some of my favorite memories are from playing baseball and making the long bus rides to and from the various remote locales such as Hilliard, Baldwin, and West Nassau. Coach Thornhill renamed me “Flounder” (The Great Floundino) only months before Animal House hit the theater; he brought a calendar to practice and used it to record how long it took me to run the bases. And no one from my era has a Coach Bobby Lee Hicks mannerism or quote too far from immediate recall. On the baseball team, I was the pitcher—the guy with the ball—and you can draw a direct line from that experience to my professional life.

Episcopal provided an excellent foundation for academic achievement, despite my resistance to that concept at the time. My Episcopal experience gave me confidence so that when I did begin to exert myself academically, I had the discipline and skills to compete at the highest level. I learned a skill set that became important to achieving my goals in college and in medical school. I benefited from an environment that provided me with expectations and support, and surrounded me with bright people.

Episcopal provided a rigorous academic environment that was very personalized because of its smaller size and close-knit environment, and that benefited me. The close-knit experience was and is unique.

The faculty was clearly interested in our wellbeing. I remember distinctly the passion of the faculty for the subject matter, from Mr. Powell’s daily “Josip Tito Updates” to Mr. Valentine’s Shakespeare reenactments. I can still clearly see the

Importantly, Episcopal is where I really got to know the girl I eventually married (Shelley Walthour Peeler ’82).

Ben played baseball for one year at Catawba College, and then graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Wake Forest University. He earned his M.D. from Vanderbilt University and is now chief surgeon in Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgery at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, N.C. He also serves as Director of the Congenital Heart Center and Chair of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute. He is Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery for the Carolinas Healthcare System and was previously an associate professor of surgery at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Erika Fields Marshall,

’97

Episcopal is where I learned teamwork. I ran track seventh through twelfth grades, and the many road trips with Coach Hunt and all of my teammates made a lasting impression on me. We won the state championship in the 4 x 100 relay; our names are still on the champions’ board at Episcopal. I also ran the 100M and the 200M. The faculty’s investment in our education was really special. Many of my teachers—Mrs. Zeiner, Ms. Stevens, Mrs. Edwards, Mrs. Colby, to name a few—made a difference in what I thought was possible for me. In my work now, I am involved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and I see a lot of what is going on in schools, and I don’t often see the level of investment in students on a personal level that Episcopal teachers have.

I work in a very male-dominated field, and the confidence that Episcopal gave me has been vital. Recently I was the keynote speaker at a women’s luncheon, and I mentioned this specifically. Episcopal helped me shape my sense of myself.

I also appreciated that Episcopal had a spiritual base. I grew up Baptist, but I always felt comfortable at the weekly Chapel services. The spiritual foundation promoted genuine caring, and in this day and time, that’s important.

Erika received her B.S. from Spelman College and her M S. from The Johns Hopkins University. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®). She currently serves as the Program Director and Site General Manager for Lockheed Martin in Palm Beach, FL. In this capacity, she is responsible for a ~$500M portfolio that includes the Remote Minehunting System (RMS) and manned submersibles programs. As the site general manager, Erika is responsible for facilities, planning, staffing, and program execution for over 400 employees at two locations in Florida’s Palm Beach County, specifically, in Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach. She and her husband Darryl live in Palm Beach.

Hillary Liles Almond,

’90

It is funny to think that I have been “away” from EHS for over 25 years. We all were so blessed to be given the education that the School offered, with such a loving Christian atmosphere where the teachers encouraged you to thrive—not just go through the motions. I still sometimes think of Father George when I smell a cigar. Sports was always front and center for me (softball, cross country, track, soccer, you name it), anything to get out of PE! I have such fond memories of my high-school days: sitting on the lawn by the lake catching up with friends or homework, as a seventh grader, in the last week of school walking in to find the courtyard filled with sand, beach chairs, and umbrellas while the seniors soaked up Senior Day. I thought my Senior Day would never come! I remember Mrs. Buford trying to explain what a Ctenophore was while flapping her hands at her side to show how they move, or just hanging out in the courtyard with everyone during free periods. If you asked me what has changed since 1990, probably not much. As my sister once told me, “Nothing changes in history but fashion and technology.” These kids are the same fabulous kids going through the same experiences we did; we just had bigger hair. My only advice to kids these days is to be kind to all of your classmates. In ten years, no one will care who was a cheerleader, jock, computer geek or bookworm. We all grow up and grow out of that mentality. You will always keep the friends you now have, but you may be surprised by who you become close with as you get older.

Hillary is president and, with her husband, co-owner of Almond Engineering, P.A., a civil engineering firm in Jacksonville.

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Sofia Chabolla,

’10

As it would be for any graduate, it is hard to capture seven years in one anecdote. How can I possibly narrow down my time playing on the volleyball court, rowing at the Walton Boathouse, being involved in the arts, and visiting the Dominican Republic, as well as sharing many wonderful friendships with classmates and teachers? I do feel, though, that the Freshman Orientation Adventure (formerly the Eighth Grade Trip) captures the essence of the collaborative, supportive, and caring Episcopal community. I went on the trip four times, and my senior year it poured with rain every day. Of course.

I initially felt devastated. But to see the ninth graders, other counselors, and teachers come together in support and friendship, despite our changes in plans, was incredible. In the end, the impromptu massive Slip n’ Slide we made with the extra Squirrels’ Nest tarp was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I remember racing down the slide (and losing) to our ceramics teacher, Mr. Kirk. It’s been over five years, but I still want a rematch. It is hard to believe my class will already be celebrating our five-year reunion this fall. While new buildings, uniforms, the change of name to ESJ, and the loss of our beloved Head of School and Great Oak have each changed and impacted our School to different degrees, I believe that the spirit of the Episcopal community has continued to become stronger. I am proud to be part of the Episcopal family as we go into our 50th year. I look forward to celebrating our legacy, as well as many wonderful years to come.

Sofia, a graduate of the College of William & Mary, Class of 2014, currently serves as the Assistant Dean of Admission at her alma mater, which is located in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Billy Cerveny,

’87

I deeply appreciate the way Episcopal embraced the arts, sports, and academics.

I left my time there with a deep love of all three. Looking back, I realize how unique that is for a high-school experience. For example, November 1 was the first day of soccer season when I was a student at Episcopal. This marked the beginning of try-outs (always stressful) and months of playing together as a team. To this day, every time November 1 pops up on my calendar, I have a Pavlovian response of excitement and mild nervousness. I loved being a part of that team. What made Episcopal unique was the depth of the relationships I built during my time there. Some of my favorite memories, in addition to soccer, revolve around the hours I spent sitting with my friends in the courtyard outside the Sikes Theatre. This is where we studied, laughed, argued, and built friendships. For all the gifts Episcopal gave me (and they were many), it was the relationships that shaped me most

Jack Stephens,

’13

As I try to understand the scope of what Episcopal did for me, I am at a loss for words—so I will use the words of Cornel West, a professor of religion at Princeton University. West often says that the world needs more of “the real stuff of life.” I think that that is exactly what Episcopal provided for me, for us. In a world consumed and controlled by the superficial, the shallow, and the strictly physical aspects of life, Episcopal unapologetically refuses to succumb.

Episcopal relentlessly forces us to acknowledge and embrace “the real stuff of life.” You can see this in the power of a dance concert, or a district championship, or the tired smile of a teacher at 7:30 in the morning. You can see it in the cast of a show grinding through the script one last time at 10 p.m. on a Saturday. But most significantly, you can see true love, the type of love that was evident in the faces of the Senior Class of 2012 as they greeted the underclassmen arriving at School, following the events of March 6. You could see that love in the defiant face of Marta Pauly as she read Cecil Day-Lewis’s words “love is proved in the letting go’” one year later on March 6, 2013. You can see that love anytime, anywhere, and that love is what I believe makes Episcopal significant, unique, and “real.”

Episcopal refused to shy away from what West calls “the raw, the funky, the stanky, and the real stuff of life.” That is my Episcopal, that is our Episcopal, and that is a beautiful Episcopal.

Jack is enrolled at the University of Florida, where he is studying political science and history.

Billy currently serves as Pastor at Midtown Fellowship Church in Nashville, TN. He attended Trinity College in Hartford, where he majored in philosophy, was president of St. Elmo fraternity, and served as a member of the Student Government Association. He earned his Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary.

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THEN Department Head Proposed Salary in 1967: $7,000 to $8,000 Enrollment in 1967: 265 Tuition in 1967: $815 Original Languages: Spanish, French, German, Russian, Latin and Greek 1968 – Chapel on Wednesdays in the Alumni Gym Commencement in the Buck Center 1970 Sports offered in 1968-1969- football, soccer, basketball and tennis Curriculum included: Core Subjects Lunch: Cold Lunch plates in Alumni Gym and meal tickets Dress: Boys, coat and tie

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N OW Enrollment in 2015: 880 2015-2016 World Languages Department offerings: Spanish, French, Latin and Chinese 2015: Chapel on Wednesdays in the Munnerlyn Center Commencement on the Acosta House Porch Sports offered in 2015-2016 – Episcopal fields more than 60 different teams Curriculum includes: Harkness and iPads Lunch: Half baked cookies in Buck Student Center and student ID charge accounts Now: Uniforms, no jacket on Chapel days

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1970-2015

John Duncan, M.D. is board-certified in Pediatrics and in Pediatric Endocrinology.

He has practiced for more than 25 years and specializes in metabolic diseases, endocrine problems and diabetes in children. He has lived in the Melbourne area since the 1980s. At Holmes Regional Medical Center, he remains the Pediatric Diabetes Consultant to the hospital’s nationally-recognized Diabetes Center. Part of his office practice includes provision of Pediatric Endocrine Consultative Services to the Florida Children’s Medical Services system, a role he began while still an assistant professor at the University of South Florida in 1982. This system provides

Q&A with Dr. John Duncan ’70 A M E M B E R O F E P I S C O PA L’ S F I R S T G R A D U AT I N G C L A S S

care for children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions. These clinics are located in three Space Coast communities – Rockledge, Palm Bay and Ft. Pierce. Since education is a significant component of an endocrinologist’s role in the care of patients, Dr. Duncan provides educational lectures or group discussions for physicians, nurses, allied healthcare personnel, schools and parent groups.

Many of his endocrine topics derive from the areas of research, which he continues as part of the practice.

O U R F O U N D E R S W E R E M O R E T H A N FA R S I G H T E D. T H E Y P U T T O G E T H E R T H I S I N C R E D I B L E O P P O R T U N I T Y T H AT F I N E - T U N E D Y O U A N D P R E PA R E D Y O U F O R L I F E .

– D R . J O H N D U N C A N ’70

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What is your favorite memory of being a student at Episcopal?

Being a “senior” for three consecutive years. That was fun.

What was your favorite musical group at the time?

The Association, Beatles and Beach Boys.

What did you do for fun on weekends while you were a student?

The most educational and fun thing were the school-sponsored trips into the inner city of Jacksonville to work with and talk with the homeless, drug-addicted and other less fortunate to learn about our world (it was the “sixties” when cultural awareness was replacing the attitudes prevailing in the late 1940’s and 1950’s). That stuck with me my whole life, the jaunts to the inner city and how fortunate we were to go to Episcopal. (It is why I serve others less fortunate through my medical practice today.) There were also inter scholastic sports on some weekends.

What was the most advanced technology the school had for you?

Mr. Hazen’s home-made basketball scoreboard!

What did you wear to school?

Jacket and tie – every day for all three years.

What was your least favorite thing about Episcopal at the time?

Pressure. As the first class WE were regularly reminded of the precedent we were expected to set for all following classes, which was very significant since public high schools in Jacksonville, except Wolfson, new at that time, had been disaccredited at that time so their diplomas would not get a person into colleges!

What was the most valuable lesson you learned at Episcopal?

Study skills and methods. There was also such a sense of “we’re in this together.” We had to set up the chairs for chapel [the Alumni gym used to be the cafeteria, gym, and chapel], and then take them down to set up for lunch, and then take that down to set up for gym – everyone did their part and pitched in. It’s just what you did.

When you think of Episcopal, what is the first word that comes to mind?

Success in a Christian Way. What do you hope for Episcopal for its next 50 years?

To maintain a focus on well-rounded education that prepares the student to improve the world into which he or she will go.

Q&A with Collin Walker A M E M B E R O F E P I S C O PA L’ S M O S T R E C E N T G R A D U AT I N G C L A S S What is your favorite memory of being a student at Episcopal?

Being nominated as senior speaker and being able to give a speech at graduation was by far my favorite memory of being an Episcopal student. It was the perfect way to sum up my entire time at the School.

What did you do for fun on weekends while you were a student?

I worked a lot (yes, I would that consider fun!). I also loved to surf and spend time at the beach.

What was your favorite musical group?

Over my time at Episcopal, I listened to a TON of music. Everything from classical to techno. My taste in music is pretty vast…it is hard to say a single group!

What was the most advanced technology the school had for you?

Technology was everywhere!! I think we might have been one of the last classes to not have to have iPads. Pretty much all the younger kids had all their textbooks on the iPad. Most of my teachers were phasing out of the textbook era as well.

What did you wear to school?

Not much choice there…khaki or black pants and one of the four colors in the ESJ polo. Coolest thing I got to wear was the crazy patterned socks…the pants covered them up but I knew they were there.

What was your least favorite thing about Episcopal?

It was pretty much the same routine every day. Some people like that, but I always wanted to have a bit more variety in my day (especially my senior year!).

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What will Episcopal be like in the next 50 years?

What was the most valuable lesson you learned at Episcopal?

I learned that there’s no reason to be timid or hesitant when addressing those older than you. All the faculty members at Episcopal were extremely approachable and loving, so I really learned how to communicate effectively with my peers and adults.

When you think of Episcopal, what is the first word that comes to mind?

Devotion.

What do you hope for Episcopal for its next 50 years?

I hope that the school continues to grow and innovate!

Collin is currently attending his first semester at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

A L L T H E FA C U LT Y M E M B E R S AT E P S I C O PA L W E R E E X T R E M E LY A P P R O A C H A B L E A N D L O V I N G , S O I R E A L LY L E A R N E D H O W T O C O M M U N I C AT E E F F E C T I V E LY W I T H M Y P E E R S A N D A D U LT S .

h c a e t l l i w s s a l c y I think technolog a younger age and t a g n i m m a r g o pr e h t t a y t i s r e v i d there will be morew live oak will be e n e h t d n a l o o h sc a great oak. ’19 d a e h e r o o M e k – Ja

– C O L L I N WA L K E R ’15

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Some class [offerings] may change and campus may change but it will still be the same caring and loving environment.

- Xander Magevney ’19

In 50 years I see Episcopal as the leading school not only in academics, arts and spiritual guidance, but also in athletics and overall diversity. The one aspect that will always remain in the heart of our school is the family Episcopal offers.

- Anisa Vashi ’17 30

I think there will be foreign language immersion classes in core subjects.

- Libby Kellmanson ’19 Episcopal will have the best educated and most athletic and hardworking kids. The facilities will be the best in Florida and the teachers will be the best in the county!

- Michael Hodges ’19

I believe Episcopal will grow in size drastically.

With all of the improvements being made around campus, more students will want to attend here…the traditions and small class sizes which create the family atmosphere will stay the same.

– Laurel Lee ’16 More than anything in the next 50 years, I hope that our new oak will grow with the school and become as memorable as the one before it.

– Carter Cook ’16 There will be a covered walk way to the Munnerlyn.

- Jessica Hogan ’19

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From the 50th Anniversary Committee Chair Every family has traditions. Frequently these family traditions are an opportunity to remember important events in our past, to celebrate the things that are important to us. Family traditions impact families in many ways: they strengthen our identity, connect generations, help to instill our values, and build new memories to be shared as we rejoice together.

Episcopal School of Jacksonville has a large extended family – our current students, alumni, faculty and staff past and present, parents and grandparents past and present, and the many other friends who have joined the Episcopal family over the years. Like all families, we too have developed traditions.

Languages will be taught at a younger age and technology will be more advanced.

This year the ESJ family has the opportunity to celebrate a very important time in our past – the founding of this institution fifty years ago. In 1965 ESJ was just a dream as discussion began about an Episcopal high school that would “develop doers of good and leaders of men.” In 1966 that dream became a reality as the School was incorporated and construction was underway.

In 50 years we have grown into an institution where excellence is the standard. We balance academics, arts, and athletics. High expectations are met in an atmosphere where Christian values are nurtured and diversity is appreciated.

- Maia Wells ’19

We hope that you will take time this year to reflect on your experiences as members of the ESJ family. Join us to honor our past, celebrate our present, and strengthen our future. A group of alumni, parents, faculty, and staff is busy planning a variety of activities to celebrate the 50th.

Whether it is 25, 50 or 75 years from now, Episcopal will never lose its communal goal of striving for excellence…No matter what changes in the next 50 years, I firmly believe Episcopal will always offer the top notch experience and opportunities that it has since its creation.

I have no idea what Episcopal will be like in 50 years, but I hope it won’t be that different from what it is right now.

I hope the teachers are still caring and the community is still a family.

– Dinah Stephens ‘16

A book chronicling our 50-year history will be available for purchase this fall – enjoy a walk through time. Come for Grandparents’ Day in October and share with your grandchildren what was happening in your life 50 years ago. Join us for a special Founders’ Chapel in March. Plan to be on campus for the 50th Anniversary Fine Arts Show in April. Mark your calendar for the April 30 celebration gala that will be talked about for the next 50 years. Join us to celebrate the events and people that have been important to ESJ as together we build new family traditions.

- Davis Cury ‘17

Jill Langford Dame ’74

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Jill Langford Dame ’74 Parent of Brooks and Darby Dame, Class of 2012 50th Anniversary Committee Chair

50th Anniversary Committee: Clare Berry ’73, P’05 Skip Booth ’74, P’11 Jeff Bryan ’89, P’21 Charles Chunn ’89 Sally Maguire Deming, faculty Sherry Hieb ’80, P ’13 Anne-Marie Hulsey ’95, P ’16, ’18 Heather Johnson ’90, staff Missy Ketchum, P’16, ’20, staff Wendy LaPrade ’76, P ’04, ’07 Julie McQuiddy, P ’16, ’18, ‘20 Jim Moseley ’80, P ’20, ’21 Meg Sacks, staff Pamela Steitz, parent, P ’15, ’17, ’20 Robin Virtue, P ’13, ’15 Jennifer Windley, staff

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Read the history of our School in True to the Dream Save The Dates AUGUST 29, 2015

OCTOBER 23, 2015

APRIL 28-29, 2016

50 TH A N N I V E R S A R Y F I N E A R T S FA C U LT Y A N D F R I E N D S

HOMECOMING

50 TH A N N I V E R S A R Y F I N E A R T S SHOW

The 50TH anniversary year will open with an artistic showcase presented

by Episcopal’s current and former Fine Arts faculty, plus a few of their friends including alumni. You won’t want to miss this evening of acting, dancing, singing, and music performed by the talented artists who teach our students!

NOVEMBER 16, 2015 GOLF & TENNIS TOURNAMENT

What were our grandparents doing 50 years ago? Students and their grandparents will share a morning and lunch on campus together.

The 50TH Anniversary Golf & Tennis Tournament will be held at San Jose Country Club. Episcopal parent Tamara Bogan chairs the Tennis Tournament and alumnus and parent Niels Murphy ’88 chairs the Golf Tournament in a funfilled day of sportsmanship in support of Episcopal.

NOVEMBER 19, 20, 21

MARCH 15, 2016

OCTOBER 9, 2015 G R A N D PA R E N T S ’ D AY

FINE ARTS PRESENTS GODSPELL Upper School performing artists will present the musical Godspell. This musical was one of the very first Episcopal theatre productions and has been performed nearly every decade of the School’s existence. The musical embodies ESJ’s Christian and artistic commitments as it presents the Gospel of Matthew in a modern context.

Godspell cast members from previous Episcopal productions are especially encouraged to attend.

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Alumni and their families are invited back to campus for a barbecue behind the Advancement House before the Eagles take the field for the annual Homecoming football game.

F O U N D E R S ’ D AY C H A P E L O N REGAN PLAZA

Founders’ Day Chapel will be held on the Dale D. Regan Plaza. In addition to worship, music and the induction of Honorary Trustees and Trustees Emeriti, this 50TH Anniversary Founders’ Day event will feature remarks by Sherry Magill, Executive Director of the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Jessie Ball duPont was the School’s original benefactor and helped fund Episcopal during its planning and early years.

Students in all of the honors fine arts classes will present artwork and performances showcasing their training and talent. This celebration of what we do best will include students from all of the honors level visual and performing arts.

APRIL 29, 2016 R E U N I O N C L A S S PA R T Y

Episcopal classes ending in 6 and 1 will celebrate quinquennial reunions at the Walton Boathouse on Friday evening. All alumni are encouraged to celebrate with the entire School community at the Gala the next evening.

APRIL 30, 2016 50 TH A N N I V E R S A R Y G A L A

The culminating celebration of the 50TH year will be a formal event under tents by the St. Johns River on the Munnerlyn campus. All are welcome and encouraged to attend this momentous occasion to mark the close of 50 years of Episcopal.

MAY 9, 2016 ALUMNI HALL OF HONOR INDUCTION

Episcopal will inaugurate an Alumni Hall of Honor with a ceremony to induct the first members. Alumni who have distinguished themselves in the Arts, Athletics, Service and Business will be honored.

Commencement May 21, 2016

Available Late Fall 2015 The 50th anniversary book honors Episcopal’s history with pictures and a detailed narrative of the School’s first 50 years of excellence. Photography spans the decades and features the beautiful campus and student life. The book tells the story of the vision of the School’s Founders, their dedication to ensuring its success, and how Episcopal has flourished ever since. From 1966 until 2016, the book is a celebration of what makes Episcopal School of Jacksonville unique.

Books may be purchased from the Episcopal Campus Store.

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A

Gala Celebration

April 30, 2016

Episcopal will celebrate the culmination of its 50th Anniversary year with a grand finale, the 50th Anniversary Gala. We look forward to welcoming Episcopal’s alumni, faculty, families and friends to this beautiful campus to honor those who joined in the journey of our first fifty years and excitedly anticipate the road ahead for the next fifty. Event chairs and Episcopal parents Julie McQuiddy and Pamela Steitz, joined by a spectacular committee, are planning a formal event that will certainly not want to be missed. Cocktails, dinner, silent auction items and a few surprises are planned for this remarkable milestone event. Please make sure to save the date for this featured culmination of the 50th anniversary.

More information will be available on Episcopal’s website throughout the year.

Invitations to follow.

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Past Celebrations

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Puzzle Your Way Through Episcopal’s 50 Years

Submit your photo and memory online!

5.

2.

4.

3.

1.

2.

7.

8.

6.

3.

9.

4.

10.

5.

11.

12.

9.

6.

8.

7.

9.

13.

10.

11.

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17.

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18.

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ACROSS: 1. The Buck Center was known as the 2. First headmaster’s first name 3. Physics Teacher 4. First name of man for whom Buck Center built 5. Annual Fundraiser 6. 50th slogan, three words 7. State Park for Freshmen Trip 8. Adorns Barnett Garden 9. Green span, two words 10. Battle of the 11. Last name of PGA tour golf grad 12. Boathouse name 13. Alumni fall event 14. First name of pipe smoking chaplain 15. Aquatic Center donor

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16.

DOWN: 1. Annual Christmas concert venue 2. _______ Courtyard 3. Cookies, two words 4. Served as head of school twice 5. Name of one of the twin halls build in 2011 6. First fine arts performance in Munnerlyn, two words 7. Munnerlyn’s son’s first name 8. English teacher Billy 9. Fiery Drama Teacher 10. Commencement site, two words 11. ________ Dossal 12. School color 13. Beloved tree 14. _____ Mass, 1970s 15. Current Board Chair 16. 1920s day on Campus 17. episcopal mascot 18. Our dear Dale

Lasting friendships and beloved memories were made during Episcopal’s first 50 years. We want to hear your stories! Alumni, current parents and students, current and former faculty and staff – send us your great Episcopal experience!

Our 50th anniversary celebration has officially begun, and we’re collecting memories for the ESJ blog, website, magazine and Facebook.

Submit your photo and memory online here: http://www.esj.org/alumni/share-your-memories

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Adam S. Greene Named Episcopal’s Next Head of School

Adam’s experience in education, finance, and his commitment to faith-based learning will be great benefits to ESJ in the coming years. His educational philosophy – to focus on the whole student – aligns perfectly with our own dedication to a balanced educational program at Episcopal. Further, Adam embodies beliefs we know to be at the core of our community: servant-leadership, a desire for excellence in the classroom, and the importance of life-long spiritual development.

During his six years at EHS in Houston, Adam worked on the strategic and operational activities of the school. He was also responsible for the spiritual life of the school, which includes more than 680 students and 150 faculty and staff. He oversaw academic programming, taught theology, provided pastoral care, and led community service and outreach programs. Adam also served as an active member of EHS’s Board of Trustees committees for Finance, Strategic Planning, Risk Management and the school’s 2014 capital campaign.

As a graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall, Adam is very familiar with excellence in college preparatory school education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Vanderbilt University in 1986, and earned his masters of divinity from Yale Divinity School in 2009. Adam was ordained as an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Atlanta in 2009. Prior to joining EHS and attending divinity school, Adam worked for more than 20 years in global investment banking and finance at firms all over the world, including Citicorp, ABN Amro Bank and Wachovia, among others. He is a successful, proven leader in this field, and has managed and developed large, culturally diverse, high achieving, multinational teams while focusing on performance, collaboration, talent development, teaching and mentoring.

“Adam’s outstanding strategic leadership experience, academic accomplishments, devotion to his faith and sophisticated financial expertise, as well as his educational perspective, stood out to us from the beginning. Adam personifies what we know makes Episcopal unique, and he has the insightful vision and talent to execute what the School needs as we look toward an exciting future,” said Robert M. Clements, Chair of the Board of Trustees.

During the 2015-2016 school year, Adam will have the opportunity to work with Charley Zimmer and other administrators to fully familiarize himself with the Episcopal community and culture ahead of his July 1, 2016 start.

We would like to thank all of you who have been of great assistance as we began this very important search. Your participation, engagement and input during the last few months were essential to this very rigorous process. Your contributions to our search helped us to bring to Episcopal an exceptional leader who we know will live our mission and lead the way as we embark on our next 50 years.

We look forward to welcoming Adam, his wife Martha, and their daughter Knox, to our campus and the Episcopal community in the coming months.

Dear Episcopal Community: The Board of Trustees has named Adam S. Greene as Episcopal’s next Head of School. Adam was selected after a rigorous search and interview process led by our search firm, Carney, Sandoe & Associates, and the Head of School Search Committee for the Board of Trustees, led by Dori Walton and David Hodges ’90.

We are delighted that Adam, who currently serves as the Dean of Spiritual Life at Episcopal High School in Houston, Texas, has accepted this position. At EHS in Houston Adam is a senior administrator, leading one of its four core “pillars” of emphasis and reporting to the Head of School.

Adam will succeed Charley Zimmer on July 1, 2016. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year, we will also honor and thank Charley for his long dedication and love for our School. We are forever grateful for Charley’s extraordinary contributions to our community and deeply thankful for his strong and gracious leadership.

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Sincerely, Dori Walton,

David Hodges ’90,

Rob Clements,

Co-Chair Head of School Search Committee

Co-Chair Head of School Search Committee

Chair of the Board of Trustees

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ESJ Director of Scientific Research Marion Zeiner Named Florida State Finalist for Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is awarded annually to outstanding K-12 science and mathematics teachers from across the country. The winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators following an initial selection process done at the state level.

Mrs. Zeiner has been named one of four finalists for the state of Florida.

Marion Zeiner, Episcopal’s Director of Scientific Research, has been named a state finalist for one of the highest teaching honors in the country – the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

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“There is nothing static about Marion’s approach to teaching, and it is a quality that I know to be the strongest predictor of success in a teacher. Her students can sense this, and whether in a chemistry lesson or a science research lab, Marion is a master at making students reach,” said Charles F. Zimmer, Episcopal’s Head of School. “Despite the accolades she has rightfully earned as a teacher and despite the hundreds of students who

have won, in turn, their own accolades under her tutelage, Marion remains as hungry for knowledge and know-how as a novice teacher. She is doing the work she was made to do, with a joy and commitment that can only come from a person whose life’s work is completely aligned with her intellect, talents, and carefully developed skills.”

Mrs. Zeiner has taught science at Episcopal since 1988 and served as the department chair from 1999-2009. In 2009 she was named Director of Scientific Research for the School, and she currently teaches Honors Science Seminar for students doing independent science research; Honors Chemistry and Chemistry. She is also the coordinator of the Episcopal science fair and the School’s annual Freshmen Orientation Adventure in Unicoi State Park, Georgia.

Mrs. Zeiner has taught numerous high school science fair award winners from the 1980s through this year and her students have won at the regional, state, national and international levels for their long term and sophisticated science research projects. She is currently the director of the Northeast Florida Regional Science and Engineering Fair, and has served on numerous capacities on curriculum, advisory council, and planning committees for organizations in her field. She has also presented at the International Science and Engineering Fair and for the Florida Council for Independent Schools many times on curriculum and science education. She is also a recipient of national teacher awards from IEEE and the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.

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Class of 2015

Class of 2015

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Congratulations, Class of 2015!

SENIORS WERE ACCEPTED INTO THE FOLLOWING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: American University Andrew College Auburn University Averett University Barry University Bates College Baylor University Belmont University Birmingham-Southern College Boston College Boston University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University California State University, Fullerton Carnegie Mellon University

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Case Western Reserve University Centre College Clemson University College of Charleston Colorado School of Mines Columbia College Chicago Columbia University Cornell University Davidson College Dickinson College Drexel University Duke University Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Fairfield University

Flagler College Florida Atlantic University Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Institute of Technology Florida Southern College Florida State University Fordham University Furman University George Mason University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Southern University Gettysburg College Greensboro College Hampden-Sydney College

Hendrix College High Point University Hobart and William Smith Colleges Ithaca College Jacksonville University James Madison University Lehigh University Liberty University Louisiana State University Loyola University Maryland Loyola University New Orleans Lynchburg College Manhattan College Massachusetts Institute of Technology Methodist University Miami University, Oxford Millsaps College Mississippi State University New College of Florida Northeastern University Northwestern University Nova Southeastern University Oglethorpe University Pace University, New York City Pennsylvania State University, University Park Pepperdine University Pratt Institute Princeton University Queens University of Charlotte Rhodes College Roanoke College Rollins College Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Saint Joseph’s University Samford University Savannah College of Art and Design School of the Art Institute of Chicago Sewanee: The University of the South Southeastern University Southern Methodist University Stetson University Texas Christian University The George Washington University The Ohio State University The University of Alabama The University of Arizona The University of Georgia The University of Iowa The University of Tampa Tulane University United States Military Academy United States Naval Academy University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego

University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz University of Central Florida University of Colorado at Boulder University of Connecticut University of Dayton University of Denver University of Florida University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Kansas University of Mary Washington University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Miami University of Mississippi University of New Hampshire University of North Carolina University of North Carolina at Asheville University of North Florida University of Notre Dame University of Pittsburgh University of San Diego University of San Francisco University of South Carolina University of South Florida, Tampa University of Southern California University of Tennessee University of Tennessee, Chattanooga University of Utah University of Vermont University of Virginia University of Washington University of Wisconsin, Madison Utah State University Vanderbilt University Villanova University Virginia Tech Wake Forest University Washington and Lee University Washington College Washington University in St. Louis Wheaton College IL Winthrop University Wofford College

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Spring Fine Arts Fine Arts students this spring participated in the Spring Band Concert, showcased their work during a special Fine Arts Chapel, and sang in the the Spring Choral Concert, Return to the Forbidden Planet.

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Spring Sports 2015 50

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Paige McGee

HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

Episcopal Teachers Pursue Professional Development Opportunities Learning permeates our lives from our waking to our resting. The opportunities afforded us by interacting with peers, elders, students, teachers, coaches, administrators, and clergy enrich our daily lives and provide insight that springs from experience and even innocence. Knowledge abounds through these educational opportunities and cultivates the yearning to be lifelong learners. An awareness of future interest may not be apparent at a young age or at the time of disclosure, yet those seeds are sowed. The role of the educator is one of farmer: to scatter the seeds of wisdom and curiosity in the fertile minds of our students. As time passes and maturity occurs, those seeds begin to bear fruit.

The years spent in the classroom and administration at San Jose Episcopal Day School reminded me that Episcopal schools were founded on the premise of providing an excellent education based upon faith, wherein all human beings are respected. All students are welcomed into Episcopal schools regardless of faith or background; high academic expectations, coupled with support, enable students to achieve academic success. That spirit encircles all students, especially those of middle-school age as they are defining their identity.

“LEARNING P E R M E AT E S O U R L I V E S .”

When I became a professional educator, my personal learning journey ushered me back to my elementary roots.

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Reflecting on my own years in middle school, I often wondered whether I was fitting in, whether I was liked by my peers, and who was I shaping up to be—questions that many teens ask themselves at this stage of life. Middle School at Episcopal allows students to thrive in a school within a larger community. Our students benefit from the leadership of the Upper

School students in the classroom, on the field, and in the hallways, yet they are able to maintain those qualities that endear them to us in their youth.

Adolescence may hold precarious opportunities and challenges, yet how we choose to respond to those situations contributes to how one defines oneself.

A strong support system comprised of family, teachers, administrators, and friends rooted in Christian values aids in sustaining one’s compass pointing due north, morally on target.

Today, our children are learning to navigate communication and interactions with others both digitally and face-toface. Balancing their real and virtual worlds, along with the demands of academics and extracurricular activities, exemplifies the trials they face in all facets of their lives. Working together in the best interest of the students— our common goal—will sustain us throughout our journey together. I am eager to begin working with the faculty, students, and Middle School families at Episcopal.

Episcopal teachers this year experienced a wide variety of professional development opportunities, including AP Conferences in Physics, Biology, History, Government, and Art (Lew Ritter, Sally Russo, Alex Nichols, Charlie Phillips, Jen Zebouni ’06 and Becca Hoadley, respectively); a prestigious conference in Theology on the topic of poverty at Notre Dame (Bert Harrell and Andrew Deskins); and a number of artistic endeavors in Chicago, New York, and St. Louis (Katie McCaughan, Megan Elsila, and Mark Zimmerman.) Episcopal also supports several teachers who are pursuing advanced degrees.

This year Episcopal’s International Program has also expanded to offer new trips to The United Kingdom (Chantal Windham and Pat Crandall) and China (Jenny Dulaney and Andrew Davies). Future plans include trips to Ancient Rome in 2016 and a science-focused trip to Costa Rica in 2017. These programs are all teacher-designed

under Chantal Windham’s direction, and they align with curricular goals in the core academic disciplines.

ESJ has continued its Harkness initiative, which began in 2014, by inviting international educator Nita Pettigrew to observe, train, and evaluate teachers from the English, History and Theology Departments.

Much of this three-day training took place while Nita herself conducted Harkness classes with Episcopal students, allowing teachers to observe and later discuss what they observed. Harkness training also continued this summer, when three teachers (Cathy Kanaday, Bert Harrell, Kate Wallis) attended the Philips Exeter Humanities Summer Institute, a five-day intensive working conference designed to explore the use of student-centered, discussion-based education. In turn, these trained teachers will conduct workshops this fall, primarily for the English and History Departments.

faculty members Kelby Siddons ’06 and Mark Zimmerman. Established in 2000 with a generous gift from Delores and Allen Lastinger, the Lastinger Summer Scholar Fellowship encourages teachers to seek summer professional development opportunities that will have a significant, meaningful impact on their academic and intellectual lives and consequently on the lives of their students. These opportunities may include travel, study abroad, and unique academic experiences that are not part of any ongoing degree program.

This year’s Lastinger Summer Scholar recipients are Fine Arts

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Great Oak Dedication Great Oak DOnation

Davis Award Given to Susan Bardin and Cathy Kanaday

At the end-of-the-year faculty celebration in May, the Davis Award for Excellence in Teaching was given to Middle School computer science teacher Susan Bardin and Upper School English teacher Cathy Kanaday.

Head of School Charley Zimmer described Susan as “a hidden gem of Episcopal who handles all her roles with a cool, calm, and collected attitude. She nurtures her students and helps them become the best that they can be.”

In describing Cathy, Charley said that she is as “serious about teaching as she is whimsical and witty. She takes risks and ventures into new territory, always keeping the best interests of her students as her focus.”

Criteria for the Davis Awards, given to inspire all Episcopal teachers to pursue uncompromising excellence and caring in the classroom, includes the following: “To recognize and reward teachers who personify quality in their teaching and in their influence on student learning or who consistently and unselfishly go above and beyond normal expectation of time, energy, and devotion in working with students. The award is also given to faculty who have the rare ability to motivate students to higher and higher levels of achievement, and faculty who have consistently made use of opportunities for continuing education to improve themselves professionally.”

The Davis Awards were established by Dan and Mary Lou Davis.

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Rick and Patty Jones Donate C. Ford Riley Painting of Great Oak Head of School Charles F. Zimmer with C. Ford Riley and Patty and Rick Jones.

This spring, longtime Episcopal supporters Patty and Rick Jones generously donated C. Ford Riley’s beautiful oil painting of The Great Oak to the School. Suffering from irreversible rot and decay, the tree was no longer safe, so it had to be removed from the campus in late December.

In December, before the scheduled removal, an Episcopal parent invited Ford Riley to campus to view the tree.

Although he had been to Episcopal many times during his high-school days, he had not seen The Great Oak in decades. Touched by the tree’s beauty, its history, and the recent dedication of The Great Oak Plaza in memory of Dale Regan, he was inspired to memorialize it by creating the painting that now belongs to the School, thanks to the Joneses’ generosity. Ford also donated the first-ever giclee reproduction of The Great Oak painting to Episcopal for the School’s annual fundraiser, Celebration. Like the original, the reproduction measures 36” X 48.” Beautifully framed

by Stellers Gallery of San Marco, it is signed by Ford.

Commenting on the Joneses’ gift, Head of School Charley Zimmer said, “The School is deeply thankful for Rick and Patty’s generous donation of the painting. Their love of Episcopal continues to be manifested in their dedicated

support of our mission and values. The painting will be hung in the Munnerlyn Center for Worship and Fine Arts, and this prominent display will ensure that no student at Episcopal ever forgets the beautiful tree that once stood on our campus, or the many years it was an integral part of our daily life at the School.”

When it was founded in 1966, Episcopal was originally designed around The Great Oak. Estimated to have been more than 200 years old, the tree stood at the center of what eventually became the Dale D. Regan Plaza, a wooden deck built to protect the tree and named in memory of Episcopal’s beloved former Head of School.

Rick and Patty Jones joined the Episcopal community as the parents of three students, Richard ’01, Katie ’04, and Matt ’05, all of whom are Episcopal graduates. Rich is married to Episcopal alum Susan McArthur Jones ’05. Rick Jones has served two terms on the Board of Trustees, including three years as Chairman, and most recently he chaired a Search Committee formed to hire a new Head of School.

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Capital Campaign

G E T I N V O LV E D !

If you’d like to get involved in the campaign or want to know more, please contact Missy Ketchum, Director of Advancement at ketchumm@esj.org.

Lead the Way: The 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign for Episcopal School of Jacksonville is making headway on campus. The new FieldTurf is installed and ready for fall football season. Engineering on the Knight Campus is complete, and land-clearing has begun. The Jacob F. Bryan III Library will evolve during the coming year according to its comprehensive improvement plan. And our endowment has grown substantively as supporters invest in the future of Episcopal.

Lead the Way is an ambitious campaign—the largest ever in the history of the School—and it will prepare us for our next 50 years. Despite the building projects on campus, Episcopal is still in the “silent” – or beginning phase – of the campaign. Careful thought and consideration has gone into an overall campaign timeline for fundraising and project development. The timeline takes into account both the needs of the School and the School’s ability to raise necessary resources.

As gifts are made to the campaign, Episcopal community members will see other signs of progress. The School looks forward to scheduling additional projects once the funds have been raised to complete them.

Even as projects get underway, the campaign won’t go public or “live” until sufficient gifts and pledges totaling a Board-specified amount have been received, in order to ensure the campaign’s success. The “public” phase of the campaign is planned for later in the 2015-2016 school year.

In the meantime, watch for opportunities to learn more about the campaign on our campaign website, www.esjleadtheway.org.

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TS: The 6th grade through 12th grade years build a foundation for the rest of life. As parents, we viewed Episcopal as an investment that provided added insurance. Any sacrifice that we made to send them here was worth it to us.

TME What was happening at the School when you joined the Board of Trustees?

TS: I chaired the Search Committee that brought Charley Zimmer to Episcopal. In terms of leadership, we were at a real fork in the road. We were looking for someone who could bring people together and inspire them, and Charley was ideal.

BS: Charley and Gail were a real team. Having come from a boarding school where it’s customary for the spouse of the head of school to be involved, Gail really elevated the fine arts program’s stature and importance by being its champion.

TME: What are some of your fond memories of your time as Episcopal parents?

BS: Sitting in bleachers! Brad played football for each of his six years as a student, and Jarrod played junior varsity football. At one point we were going to four football games a week if you counted the college and pro games on the weekends. Jarrod also played varsity basketball. The friendships we made watching our boys play were incredibly meaningful and have lasted to this day.

TS: We rode “parent buses” to away games at Fr. Lopez, Lake Highland Prep and Benjamin. Our circle of friends grew and we had some great times.

TME: What are your sons doing now?

The 50 by Fifty Society was established in appreciation of supporters whose lifetime giving to Episcopal is or will be $50,000 or more by the end of the School’s 50th Anniversary in 2015-2016. Episcopal is grateful for the dedication of these members whose faithful commitment sustained the vision of the School’s Founders and continues to ensure its future.

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Tim and Beverly Sleeth The Magazine of Episcopal: When you look back, what do you consider to be the difference-makers about Episcopal?

Beverly Sleeth: The years between your children’s 6th and 12th grade years are a gradual letting go of your children. We were so relieved that the coaches, teachers and administrators that we turning them over to were such responsible, positive and nurturing people who had great values.

Tim Sleeth: The adults here were mentors, but they also built relationships with our kids that made them feel valued. There were high expectations that our boys thrived under, but there was also a kind of friendship that helped them grow.

BS: Having been a teacher at an Episcopal elementary school, I saw firsthand the difference that spiritual development added to education. There were other options for our sons’ education that offered academics or athletics, but I believed that a continuation of their spiritual development during their teenage years was important.

BS: Brad graduated from Vanderbilt University and Jarrod graduated from Clemson University. The transition to college from Episcopal was very smooth for both of them. Brad is now in dental school at the University of Florida. He and his wife have two children. Jarrod works for Union Pacific Railroad in Independence, KS. He is married and has one child.

TME: Thank you for your long history of service and dedication to Episcopal!

BS: Although we got involved at Episcopal in the 1990s, we’d known about the School since we moved to Jacksonville in 1977. Some of the first people we met had been Founders at the School.

So the relationship goes way back.

TS: Our youngest son graduated in 1997, but I stayed on the Board until 2004. I never groaned about coming to a meeting out here; it was very rewarding work that I enjoyed. Episcopal is a special place.

Tim and Beverly Sleeth are the parents of two Episcopal alumni: Brad ’97 and Jarrod ’00. Tim served on the Board of Trustees from 1996-2004; Beverly was active in Boosters as a team parent for many years and served on several Celebration committees; she chaired the event in 1997. Tim is an attorney with Smith, Hulsey & Busey. Beverly, a former teacher and administrator at St. Mark’s Episcopal Day School, now works as a realtor with Fred Miller Group.

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Corporate Partners

Platinum Partner

Corporate Partners

Bronze Partners

We take care of it.

Gold Partners

Business Partners

Silver Partners

Sponsor Partners

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I write this with a humble heart. Episcopal School of Jacksonville gave so much to us through our years as students, and we, the Alumni Board, are honored to be able to give back. This year is especially important because we begin our celebration of 50 years of preparing students for the world before them. You will notice throughout the year that everything we do will have an emphasis on 50 years, and we will be engaging and celebrating our alumni now more than ever before.

Alumni have long had a strong presence both on and off campus; in the past few years, however, the Alumni Association and Board have been concentrating on refining our focus and connecting our alumni through events and services that bring value to our lives now, because of our time at Episcopal.

This past spring, we held our inaugural Classes Without Quizzes night, when alumni were invited back to campus to participate in enrichment classes taught by current and former faculty members. A post-event survey revealed that “a great time was had by all who attended,” and we look forward to hosting the event again next year. The Alumni Association also hosts networking events at Jacksonville-area alumni-owned businesses such as Royal Palm, Intuition, Underbelly, and Aardwolf.

Last August, in an effort to engage our youngest alumni, we began our annual Send-Off, our official welcoming of the most recent graduating class into the Alumni Association. This year’s event, on August 4th at Moxie Kitchen & Cocktails, included the Class of 2015, as well as faculty and staff. On August 6th at Sweet Pete’s, the Alumni Association hosted an inaugural Year Out Hang Out event for the Class of 2014 to reconnect and reminisce.

We are proud to share success stories about Career Launcher, an Episcopal resource for alumni transitioning from college to career. The goal of this program is to help alumni early in their careers by providing opportunities and resources exclusively to Episcopal alumni. In addition to connecting young alumni with older alumni who are already established in the workforce, Career Launcher provides guidelines to help our young alumni build their professional lives. This summer, seven college-age Episcopal alumni participated in internship opportunities via Career Launcher, and their stories are detailed in the coming pages. Helping college-age Episcopal alumni gain real-world experience is yet another way that the value of our Episcopal education surpasses our time on campus.

Alumni Board Welcomes New President A N N E - M A R I E F O R B E S H U L S E Y ’95

Finally, our Alumni Directory, an online database searchable by industry, profession, and location, is now up and running, providing additional connectivity for our fellow alumni. If you have not updated the Alumni Office with your information, please do so; you are important to us, and we want to welcome you “home.” If you have an idea for an alumni- owned business or fun networking ideas—or if you simply wish to share your updates—please send them to alumni@esj.org. We love hearing from you!

Please be sure to mark your calendar for Homecoming 2015 on October 23. We expect a greater turnout than ever and have some special plans to celebrate our 50 years. In addition, make plans to attend the 50th Anniversary Celebration Gala on April 30, 2016, to celebrate our School.

See you on campus!

Anne-Marie Forbes Hulsey ’95

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The Alumnus of the Year Award is given to an alum who has consistently provided exemplary service to Episcopal by enhancing the mission, success, stature, and well-being of the School. This year’s recipient is David Hodges, Class of 1990.

David has contributed to the School in various essential ways to ensure its success. He has served on the Alumni Board, the Reunion Weekend committee, and the Episcopal Fund committee, among others, in addition to participating in phonathons and volunteering as a Career Day speaker. In addition, he currently serves in the following capacities:

• As a member of Episcopal’s Board of Trustees, where he has served

as a member of the Executive Committee

• As the Chair of the Advancement Committee

• As a Core Committee Member for Episcopal’s Lead the Way

Capital Campaign

• As Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees’ Head of School Search

Committee David and his family also generously support Episcopal and are members of the following organizations:

• The Mary Packer Cummings Society

• The 50 by 50 Society

• The 1966 Society

• The Great Oak Society

David Hodges ’90 Named Alumnus of the Year

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Each year, David also supports the Celebration and Bash events by donating and attending, and he has served on the Golf and Tennis Tournament Committee.

As outgoing Alumni Board President Alex Graham ’00 says of David, “More than all of his contributions combined, it is a pleasure to work with him. His leadership and contributions to the School as a student, an alumnus and a parent have gone above and beyond.”

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“Interning at The Connect Agency has been a great and new experience for me. I’ve had the opportunity to intern at larger marketing firms, so working in an office where everyone is simply in the same room has provided a welcoming and fun environment to learn. My favorite part has been the hands-on experience with projects, as well as the brainstorming sessions with the team. I hope to translate the innovative and creative thinking that I’ve developed from The Connect Agency into my job search this next year!”

Summer Interns Share Their Stories “My internship with Scott McCrae Automotive Group has been one of the most enlightening experiences of my life. I’ve learned how much hard work it takes to earn a living and also some very specific skills like the value of good customer service, positive attitude, and persistence.

Getting this experience at such an early age is a blessing. I know that having this job on my resume will be extremely helpful for future employment opportunities when I graduate from college. I’d like to thank Alex Graham and everyone I’m working with for their support.”

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to work in the Episcopal Athletic Office as their summer intern. It was a great experience and interesting to see all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to help make things run smoothly. I am interested in pursuing a sports-related business career, so it truly was a great fit for me. I will be sure to take the communication and organizational skills that I improved with me back to Washington & Lee and beyond.”

—Cole Wilbur ’14, interning for the Episcopal Athletics Office with alumnus Andy Kidd ’99, Athletic Director

“My internship this summer is in marketing and administration. This has been a great opportunity to learn how to work with different people, which is important in whatever career one goes into. In addition, I have been able to continue to develop my writing and communication skills through this opportunity. I have enjoyed working with Clare Berry immensely and look forward to the rest of the summer.”

—Jacqueline Schultz ’12, interning at Berry & Co. Real Estate with Clare Gebert Berry ’73

—Joseph Steilberg ’14, interning at Scott-McRae Automotive Group with Alex Graham ’00 “This summer I had a social media and marketing internship with Berkshire Hathaway. I learned that there are so many more steps to marketing than I had anticipated, and that it is an ongoing process. It was great simply to absorb the experience of a working in an environment with so many driven individuals. I enjoyed getting the opportunity to bring a portion of a business into a realm of social media it had not been exposed to and get to see first-hand the results and feedback.”

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—Megan Dempsey ’14, interning at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices with Allison Steilberg, parent of Joe Steilberg ’14

—Jenny Steel ’12, interning at The Connect Agency, with John Ream ’96 “My responsibilities as a Database Research Intern for Episcopal’s Alumni Office include updating the Alumni Directory by reaching out to alumni and confirming their contact information.

I initially thought my responsibilities would be cut and dried, just entering data, but I was significantly wrong. I get to use skills I have developed as an engineering major to learn how to operate the database software efficiently, stay organized, solve problems that arise when gathering information, and figure out the best approach to gathering the missing information. I love knowing that every person I reach out to has walked the same halls as I did when I was a student at Episcopal, and many share the same enthusiasm as I do about the School!”

—Steven Matos-Torres ’12, interning for the Episcopal Advancement Office with Heather Newman Johnson ’90, Director of Alumni Programs

Career Launcher a resource for alumni transitioning from college to career. The goal of this program is to help alumni early in their careers by providing opportunities and resources exclusively to Episcopal alumni. In addition to connecting young alumni with alumni who are already established in the workforce, Career Launcher also provides guidelines to help our young alumni build their professional lives.The Career Launcher program is yet another way in which Episcopal’s Alumni Association lives our motto: Students for a Short Time…Alumni for a lifetime.

“Working at Micro-Ant has been an incredible opportunity; I have learned more than I could have imagined about antenna theory and manufacturing.

Finding an internship in electrical engineering after my first year at Duke was very competitive; however, I am so thankful for Episcopal’s vision for Alumni Connect and Mark Hutto’s willingness to bring me on board.

I love the flexibility to work with all the branches of Micro-Ant and the collaborative environment, which makes me feel like the work I am doing contributes to the company in a positive light. They have entrusted me with projects ranging from software development to antenna prototyping, so I am beyond blessed to be in a position where an intern is given responsibilities. As I move into my sophomore year, all of the employees’ passion and dedication for their work has motivated me to work towards a career in something that I truly enjoy.”

—Edwin Bodge ’14, interning at Micro-Ant with Mark Hutto, husband of Frances Poitevent Hutto ’88

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LANSE SCRIVEN ’80 and MIKE TANNER ’71 both serve on the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar, and FRANCINE ANDIA WALKER ’77 is the Bar’s Director of Public Information and Bar Services. Lanse is an attorney in Tampa; Mike is an attorney in Jacksonville. Francine, who staffs the board’s Communications Committee, works in the organization’s headquarters in Tallahassee. The three see each other frequently at Bar meetings and events.

COURTENAY MCCORMICK FAIN ’87 joined the Charleston Promise Neighborhood team as Director of Development and Marketing; she is responsible for developing and implementing fundraising strategies and building a solid fundraising infrastructure to support CPN’s program work.

Courtenay is an alumna of Georgetown University, loves the outdoors, and enjoys being a wife and the mom of a precocious five-year old.

Before establishing his wildly successful food truck, and now his brick-andmortar space, Corner Taco in Jacksonville,

CHRISTOPHER DICKERSON ’90 completed the prestigious Chef’s Apprenticeship program at The Cloister at Sea Island.

On June 19-21 he returned to Sea Island

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with the gorgeous Corner Taco Airstream food truck as part of the Southern Grown Festival, which celebrates the South’s impressive food and music culture. In addition to Corner Taco’s being selected to participate in the Southern Grown Festival, Christopher’s “semi-swanky street food” has also been highlighted at Music to Your Mouth festival at The Inn at Palmetto Bluff for the past two years. He says, “I was honored to have been part of the inaugural Southern Grown festival. The folks at Sea Island put on an elegant and understated event and were extremely gracious hosts. We served tacos with Dijon Buttermilk Fried Chicken, along with a homemade Datil Pepper Sriracha Sauce.”

MARIE FRIEDMANN MARQUARDT ’90, a college professor, lives with her husband, four kids, a dog, and a bearded dragon in a very busy household in Decatur, Georgia. Dream Things True is her first book of Young Adult fiction, and it was inspired by her work with Mexican immigrants in Georgia. Since the late 1990s, she has been doing research and advocacy with immigrants from Mexico, and has witnessed—on both sides of the border—the effects of a broken immigration system. She is currently honored to be working with an amazing group of volunteers to run El Refugio, a non-profit that offers temporary lodging and support to the loved ones of detained immigrants. As part of this work, she visits regularly with detained immigrants at one of the largest detention centers in the United States, which happens to be in southwest Georgia. Marie and her team assist them as they prepare for deportation.

Her work is heartbreaking, but it also reminds her every day that love is more powerful than fear. Marie also coauthored Living “Illegal”: The Human Face of Unauthorized Immigration, a book published in 2011.

DEENA BATEH WALLACE ’00 and JOHN WALLACE ’00 welcomed son

John Mack “Jack” Wallace “ on February 28 at 2:51 AM. Big Sister Grace is thrilled to have a little brother!

CHARLOTTE HENNING LAFOREST ’02 and her husband, Eric, welcomed son John August LaForest on May 19.

The baby weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz and was 21 inches long at birth. Charlotte has just finished the second of three years at Yale’s Berkeley Divinity School. The family lives on campus at the LoomisChaffee School, where Eric teaches in the history department.

JACKIE MITCHELL HARDEN ’03 and her husband, Andrew, reside in Atlanta, where Jackie is a second-grade teacher.

MOLLY DAVIS FOUKAL ’06 married Nicholas Foukal on March 7 in Jacksonville.

The two met at Dartmouth, where they were both members of the rowing teams. The couple will live in Durham, NC, where they have two more years left in their Ph.D. programs; Molly’s is in clinical psychology and Nicholas’s is in physical oceanography.

JAMES POINDEXTER ’07 has joined Delegal Law Offices, P.A., as an associate attorney, after working as a law clerk for attorney Tad Delegal for more than three years. James will assist the firm with professional license defense; public and private employment litigation; and non-compete, employment, and severance agreements, as well as public/ private whistle blower claims. James graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law in December 2014, passed the February 2015 Florida Bar Exam, and was sworn in as a member of the Florida Bar Association in April 2015. In addition

to receiving a J.D., he also earned an MBA from Jacksonville University, where he was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Society.

LIZ WIKSTROM ’07 returned to the Episcopal Munnerlyn Center to expand the Talking Wall mural in the backstage corridor. The mural is a hand-lettered anthology of encouraging quotes from Fine Arts faculty members, intended to be seen just before students walk onto the stage. Liz first painted the wall in 2010, after enrolling at the Rhode Island School of Design. She has been freelance illustrating from Providence and has just received a grant from the RI State Council for the Arts. She is moving to Madison, Wisconsin, for immersion in plein-air painting and journalistic drawing. Her website is lizwikstrom.com LEILA NABIZADEH ’09, who was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, traveled to Malaysia for ten months to teach English.

KAYE-ALESE GREEN ’10 graduated from UCF in 2013, while serving as a member of the UCF President’s Leadership Council, attending Burnett Honors College, and being a LEAD Scholar. She was also Co-Captain of the UCF Volleyball Team, was selected as American Athletic Conference (AAC) second team, and named to the AAC Academic Honor Roll for two years. She was also awarded the university’s highest honor, Order of Pegasus, in March 2014. Kaye-Alese will continue her master’s program in 2015 and has also been nominated for the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year award.

The 2015 winner will be announced at the annual award ceremony on October 18 in Indianapolis. Green is the only volleyball player representing the AAC for 2014-15.

ABBY HADDOCK ’10 is employed at the Dolphin Research Center in the

organization’s education department in Grassy Key, just north of Marathon Key in Florida.

SARA GRACE LEWIS ’10 is currently working for State Traditions men’s apparel brand as Assistant Wholesale Director.

PAIGE SHIRLEY ’10 enjoys living in Hawaii, where she’s an Air Force second lieutenant.

Having graduated from the Air Force Academy in May 2014, she has often been featured in the publication Vaulter for her superb pole vaulting and academic achievements.

MANNY FERNANDEZ ’11 graduated from Loyola University Chicago in May 2015 with a BS in biology— Molecular Biology Emphasis—and a BA in philosophy. As a senior, he undertook two research projects, one in molecular biology, where he cloned a gene associated with Crohn’s disease and colorectal cancer into an expression vector that enables protein isolation, and the other in philosophy, specifically, bioethics, where he presented and wrote a research paper on communityinformed consent in infectious disease research. Manny graduated Cum Laude and as a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, an honor society for all Jesuit colleges and universities. It inducts members who have demonstrated academic acumen by being in the top 15% of their class and have demonstrated a commitment to service and Jesuit Catholic values.

JUSTIN KULMAN ’11, Belmont Abbey basketball team senior guard, is one of 10 student-athletes and one of just

five from the NCAA Division II, III, and NAIA ranks to be named to the Allstate National Association of Basketball Coaches Good Works Team. This award honors college basketball players for their impressive commitment to giving back to their communities and positively impacting the lives of those around them. JJ has been a dean’s list student during each of his semesters at Belmont Abbey, where he was a Thomas More Scholar and a member of the Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He also earned the Father Raphael Bridge Academic Award, which is presented annually to the Belmont Abbey College student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average.

In addition, he won the basketball program’s Excellence and Virtue Award.

Class Notes

Class Notes

GINA FRAZIER POLCYN ’76 recently started Deva for Good (http://www. devaindustries.com/DevaForGood.asp), which is focused on student/ business collaborations that make education more engaging through fun, practical applications for classroom concepts.

CARL SCHIFANELLA ’11 was named a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi at the University of Tampa. Each inductee is elected into membership for his or her outstanding achievements, must be ranked at the top of the class, and must demonstrate high ethical standards and integrity. He will graduate in 2015 with a bachelor of science in finance and a minor in economics. Carl is also a member of Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society and has been a dean’s list honoree for eight terms. In July, he will begin working at Ballast Point Ventures as a private equity analyst.

PAGE HADDOCK ’12 is enrolled at Tulane University and is a member of the ROTC, which marched in two of the Garden District Mardi Gras parades this year.

JULIA ROGERS ’12 is working on a double major in ACS Chemistry and Biotechnology at Tufts University, where she was recently named a

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Class Notes

Beckman Scholar. The Program provides scholarships that advance the education, research training, and professional development of selected students in the chemical and biological sciences. It also offers sustained, in-depth undergraduate research experiences and comprehensive faculty mentoring that are unique in scope, content, and level among scholarship awards. Julia is interested in elucidating the chemical principles essential to understanding the structure and function of biological molecules with computational modeling and simulation.

Planning to continue research in computational chemistry while working toward a PhD, she ultimately aspires to conduct research at the interface of chemistry and biology with the potential to impact the ways in which we utilize biotechnology and treat disease.

RILEY JAE SLAY ‘12, a rising senior at Florida State University, is Tallahassee’s newest radio personality.

Riley interned for Red Hills Broadcasting during her junior year and was subsequently hired by the company to work as an on-air personality and handle live promotions. Riley was recently promoted to be the weekend voice for Hot 104.9, Tallahassee’s highest-rated Top 40 radio station. Riley is double majoring in hospitality management and media communication studies at FSU and will graduate with honors in April.

She plans to attend graduate school at FSU while continuing to be a presence on Tallahassee’s airwaves.

ANTHWAN BATTLE ’13 completed his junior year at UNF, where he has been working as a Resident Assistant for the past year. The Department of Housing and Residence Life recently awarded him the 2014-2015 Community Builder of the Year award for his outstanding achievements in student growth and community development.

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DELANEY RICKEY ’13 led Florida Atlantic University to a series victory over the University of Texas-San Antonio as she went 3-for-6 (.500), with two walks and three singles. Delaney registered a .667 on-base percentage, reaching safety at least once in all three games of the series. She currently has the thirdhighest batting average on the squad at .346, and she was named FAU’s player of the week for her achievements.

Congratulations, Delaney!

THOMAS VINYARD ’14, BRENDAN WINTER’14, ALEX SCHUMACHER ’14, AND COLE GRAHAM ’14 recently returned from a trip to Peru. They hiked in the Andes Mountains and explored Inca Empire ruins. They traveled with nothing but backpacks and stayed in hostels while exploring the country.

predicting whom the party out of power in the White House will nominate to run for president of the United States.

From the Editor Our most valuable commodity in this life is time. Time waits for no one, cannot be bought, and once spent is gone forever. Time also heals what reason cannot; it restores, builds, and most importantly, allows for growth.

Fifty years may be seen as a long time, or a brief time. At Episcopal, I think we may consider it as a long time – so much has been accomplished on this campus in 50 years that it seems unreflective of what a calendar should be able to contain.

LINDSAY LIBERA ’14 was accepted into Gators of Tomorrow, which recognizes the top 25 freshmen at the University of Florida seeking to make major accomplishments both on campus and in the community.

COLE WILBUR ’14 was named to the Dean’s List for his first semester at Washington & Lee University. He has joined Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and plays on the club golf team. He is also involved in Mock Convention, which is a simulated presidential nominating convention held every four years by the students at Washington & Lee, with the goal of

Just think – 50 years ago, there was nothing here but trees and grass and an overgrown pond and a giant oak tree. Fifty years ago there were no sounds of voices from the sports fields, no singing from the Munnerlyn, no bells ringing at the change of classes.

Fifty years ago there was only an idea.

a college-quality boathouse. Those are only the visible accomplishments.

Beyond the physical structures which have created our beautiful campus, and even beyond the classes, games, performances, chapel services and activities that take place here almost daily, 50 years has created a community.

While perhaps the Founders were perceptive enough to know that their brilliant vision for this school would create a community like the one that stands today, I don’t think they could ever have known the reach of their vision.

And it is for that we are thankful, on this important and joyful anniversary 50 years later.

And in 50 years we have gone from more than 200 students to more than 800, from a wooden sign to brick and permanence, from a “cafe-gym-a-torium-urch” to a beautiful fine arts building, chapel, gymnasium, Parks and Lastinger Halls, Regan Plaza and

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2 0 1 4-2 015 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Claudia Saenz Amlie ’87 James F. Bailey Clare Berry ’73 Patricia Blanchard Beverly Bonaparte Edward E. Burr Stephen D. Busey Jacqueline J. Busse Robert M. Clements (Chairman) Angela Corey Jill Langford Dame ’74 Troy M. Davis ’93 William M. Easton John Falconetti ’85 David C. Hodges, Jr. ’90 Susan M. Jangro (Secretary) Brian King The Very Reverend Katherine B. Moorehead (Vice-Chairman) Niels P. Murphy ’88 Helen C. Rowan (Treasurer) Sally Haskell Singletary ’86 William N. Steitz III Carl E. Stoudemire III ’75 Stephen M. Suddath ’73 Theodora D. Walton Mark Young The Right Reverend Samuel John Howard, Bishop of Florida, Ex-Officio Anne-Marie Forbes Hulsey ‘95, Alumni Board President/Ex-Officio

The Reverend Dr. Robert R. Parks † Gert H. W. Schmidt † The Honorable Gerald B. Tjoflat Elizabeth Walton † William H. Walton, Jr. † Mary Winston † James H. Winston † Deceased

TRUSTEES EMERITI

ALUMNI BOARD OFFICERS

William B. Bond Peggy P. Bryan J. F. Bryan IV John W. Donahoo, Jr. David W. Foerster Henry H. Graham, Jr. † Joan E. Haskell Preston Haskell Mark Hulsey † Delores T. Lastinger Allen L. Lastinger Hugh M. Magevney III J. T. McCormick † Walter A. McRae, Jr. † John A. Mitchell III Jane S. Munnerlyn † W. Wilson Munnerlyn †

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Puzzle Solution

HONORARY TRUSTEES

William B. Barnett E. Bruce Bower The Right Reverend Frank S. Cerveny Maxwell K. Dickinson Thomas M. Donahoo, Sr. J. Dix Druce, Jr. Ross T. Krueger Thad L. McNulty Joan W. Newton Marian B. Poitevent The Very Reverend Gustave J. Weltsek, Jr. Katharine K. Zambetti

F O U N D AT I O N B O A R D

John A. Delaney Richard H. Jones Stephen D. Moore Kenneth D. Sweder (Chairman) Robert M. Clements, Ex-Officio Charles F. Zimmer, Ex-Officio

Anne-Marie Forbes Hulsey ’95 President Charles Chunn ’98 President-Elect Rushton Haskell Callaghan ’82 Vice President of Membership Baker Berg ’94 & Kerri Cannon Napoleon ’94 Vice Presidents of The Episcopal Fund Cris Scott Tennant ’82 Secretary Francis Poitenet Hutto ’88 Chaplain Johnny Simmons ’06 Eagle Society Chair

ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS AT L A R G E

Heather Halliburton Douglas ’94 Meredith Wachtel Hines ’90 Katherine O’Quinn Huddleston ’03 Tiffany Kidd Post ’96 Mark LaBorde ’84 Heather Rainey Moseley ’88 Heather Kenyon Oakley ’83 Kelly Pietan ’88 John Ream ’96 David Smith ’01 Sis Van Cleve-Miller ’82 Deena Bateh Wallace ’00 Erin Wolfson ’01 Randy Wyse ’82

EDITOR

Meg Scheu Sacks

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

Emily Okie

COPY EDITOR

Karen Kelly Becker

CONTRIBUTORS Glenda Feliciano, Heather Newman Johnson ‘90, Missy Ketchum and Jennifer Windley PHOTOGRAPHY

Laura Evans and Brandon Westerman ’99

DOWN: 1. Annual Christmas concert venue 2. _______ Courtyard 3. Cookies, two words 4. Served as head of school twice 5. Name of one of the twin halls build in 2011 6. First fine arts performance in Munnerlyn, two words ACROSS: 7. Munnerlyn’s son’s first name 1. The Buck Center was known as the 8. English teacher Billy 2. First headmaster’s first name 9. Fiery Drama Teacher 3. Physics TheTeacher mission of Episcopal School of Jacksonville is to provide a superior college-pre10. Commencement site, two words 4. First name of man for whom Buck Center built paratory education in an environment marked by high expectation, Christian 11. ________ Dossal nur5. Annual Fundraiser ture, and social diversity.

12. School color 6. 50th slogan, three words 13. Beloved tree 7. State Park for Freshmen Trip 14. _____ Mass, 1970s Through a balanced program of academics, arts and athletics, Episcopal’s faculty 8. Adorns Barnett Garden 15.

Current Board instill in each student intellectual growth, character development,Chair respon9. Greenseeks span,to two words 16. 1920s day on Campus 10. Battle of the sible leadership, and a commitment to community service.

17. episcopal mascot 11. Last name of PGA tour golf grad 18. Our dear Dale 12. Boathouse name 13. Alumni fall event 14. First name of pipe smoking chaplain 15. Aquatic Center donor

THE MAG A Z INE OF EP ISCOPA L Fa l l 2 0 1 5 | 5 0 t h An n i vers a r y Ed i t i on E P IS COPAL S C H OO L O F JACKS O NV IL L E

4455 Atlantic Boulevard Jacksonville, Florida 32207 www.esj.org

Front cover image: The dedication of the School on October 13, 1967. Left to right: The Right Reverend Hamilton West, Bishop of Florida; Father Ray White (the School’s first Assistant Chaplain); The Very Reverend Robert Parks (Founder, Dean of St. John’s Cathedral); Horton Reed (the School’s first headmaster) and Lucius Buck (Founder).

T H E M AG A Z I N E O F E P I S CO PA L S C H O O L O F JAC KS O N V I L L E

EPISCOPAL FA L L 2 0 1 5