Alumni Awards

Kim Donaldson ’12 was an exceptional academic, athlete and community member during her time at FVS, earning both the Eleanor W. Emery Award and the Heb Newman Award. She lettered in volleyball and basketball all four years at FVS, and was an all-state athlete in volleyball. She also lettered in lacrosse for three years. After graduating from FVS, Kim attended Colby College in Maine, where she played NCAA Division III volleyball for four years and earned honors from the New England Small College Athletic Conference. During the final semester of her senior year, she learned shotput and won the New England Small College Athletic Conference outdoor title in the sport. After graduating from Colby, Kim qualified to try out for the U.S. Olympic Bobsled team, but due to an injury, was unable to complete the try-out. Jimmy Patten ’89 played soccer, hockey and lacrosse all four years of his Fountain Valley career. He received the Defenseman of the Year Award for Hockey in 1989, as well as the Varsity Award as best male athlete. He and his brother, Dan, were also members of the 1987 lacrosse team, which was inducted to the Hall of Fame this year. Jimmy went on to play club lacrosse and hockey in college. He later played in an adult lacrosse league in Portland, Oregon, and organized a youth lacrosse league in the Portland area.

Dan Patten ’87 played soccer, hockey and lacrosse during his time at FVS, and was captain of the 1986 varsity soccer team. In 1987, Dan won both the Don Kardok Coach’s Award and the Varsity Award as best male athlete. Dan earned 10.5 athletic letters at FVS: four for hockey, three for soccer, three for lacrosse, and half a letter for managing the soccer team. He also received two MVP awards in 1986: the Ballard L. Peabody Award for MVP Soccer Senior of the Year and the MVP for Varsity Lacrosse. Dan played in the Lacrosse State Finals in 1986 and 1987, and was the Division 2 LAX Faceoff Leader both years. Post-FVS, Dan played coed soccer at the University of Colorado and also joined an all-male club team, leading a fundraising campaign to hire coaches for the team.

The 1987 Boys Varsity Lacrosse Team is still remembered today for its incredible, consistent excellence throughout the entire season. The team went 11-0 during the regular season, which earned it a competitive slot in the state finals. The team finished second in the finals, and the entire starting lineup of 10 players was voted All-State. Three of the starting players were also All-American honorable mentions. Team members included Coach Rob Kay, Vitus Bering ’87, Arroll Borden ’89, Phil Crowder ’88, Mercer Borden ’87, Ben Dempsey ’87, Colin Duchin ’89, Arnaud Dumont ’87, Jim Ferguson ’88, Tom Kang ’87, Bill Kipp ’88, Steve Mason ’87, Burt McLucas ’87, Danny Patten ’87, Jimmy Patten ’89, Doug Patterson ’88, Mark Sather ’88, Eric Smith ’87, Glenn Sugden ’87, Courtney Touw ’87, Jose Trujillo ’87 and Scott Woodward ’87. The team was managed by Paige Bray ’87 and Sarah Fricke ’87.

Alanna Erickson ’12 was an incredible allaround athlete at FVS and was particularly well known for her talent as a competitive swimmer. To this day, Alanna holds School pool records for six Individual events and two relays. She was captain of the varsity swim team for two years, and also placed ninth in the 50-yard freestyle at the 4A State Championship in 2010. Alanna participated in Outdoor Education for four years and served as captain for two years. Her senior year, she received the Anderson Award for Outdoor Education as well as the Varsity Award for best female athlete. After graduating from FVS, Alanna swam for the Colorado School of Mines in NCAA Division II for two years.

Cameron Powers ’63, who passed away in early 2022, was a renowned musician whose lifelong work encompassed three of his greatest passions: music, travel and bringing people together. Cameron studied Quechua, the language of the Incas, in college, and after traveling to Peru, began his career as a musician. He studied with numerous musicians he met on his travels in Peru, Greece, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco, eventually developing a particular affinity for Middle Eastern music. After the events of 9/11, Cameron and his partner, Kristina, founded the nonprofit organization Musical Ambassadors of Peace. Over the past 20 years, the organization has trained and funded numerous musical ambassadors who travel the world to build cross-cultural bridges, honor and preserve indigenous musical traditions, and help heal people traumatized by war. Matthew Higginbotham ’82 developed his love of art at Fountain Valley School, where he took Hunter Frost’s photography class and submitted a film for the 1981 Film Festival. After graduating from Knox College in Illinois, Matthew had a brief stint as a teacher before starting a pottery business. He later segued into painting, producing gorgeous landscapes of the vistas around his Santa Fe home and studio. Matthew has been featured in two books: “Art of the National Parks” and “Art Journey New Mexico,” and his work has also been published in Southwest Art, Santa Fean, American Art Collector, New Mexico Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, Focus Magazine and Nature Works. He’s been featured in numerous galleries and in over 30 selected exhibitions, winning best of show in 2010 and 2013 at the Nature Works show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and first place in the 1983 Colorado Color Image Competition in Colorado Springs.

The Distinguished Casa Serena Society Member Award recognizes dedicated and significant leadership in giving to the School. This year’s recipient, Wally Rowe ’49, has been heavily involved in the Fountain Valley community for nearly 80 years. After graduating from FVS, Wally earned a master’s degree in teaching from Harvard University. From 1956-79, he taught at The Gunnery school in Connecticut, where he led the English Department and was honored with the Wallace Rowe III Chair in Critical Expression. Wally also taught in Lebanon, England and Singapore, but throughout his journeys, he remained close to Fountain Valley. He has been a longtime, loyal donor and is a member of the Casa Serena Society, the 1930 Society and the Elizabeth Sage Hare Society. He has a particular skill for connecting with fellow alumni and is arguably one of the School’s best fundraisers. Wally also served on the FVS Board of Trustees, and was the 2013 Elizabeth Froelicher Smith Distinguished Service Award recipient and the 1985 Robert S. Thompson Class Agent of the Year. The Young Alumni Award is given to outstanding alumni who have graduated in the past five to 20 years and are now leading the way in their communities. This year’s recipient, Addie Green ’06, majored in environmental studies at Washington University in Saint Louis, and completed her master’s in education, leadership and emerging technology at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in 2015. Addie worked with the FVS Admissions Department for three years, and has been an art teacher for the past nine years. She’s a sensational artist who has been published in several illustration annuals, including Communication Arts, 3x3, Creative Quarterly and American Illustration. She has also been part of the Western Immersion Program for 11 years—one year as a student and 10 years as teaching faculty. In addition, Addie is one of the FVS swim team coaches, and has completed the Alcatraz swim with the team three times. The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes extraordinary achievements that exemplify the principles and values of FVS in a profession or avocation, or for direct service to the local, national or international community. This year’s recipient, Jolene Lane ’79, earned a master’s of education from Harvard University and is currently completing her doctoral dissertation in adult learning and leadership at Columbia University. Jolene has built a career in education promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and is the president and founder of Equity Lane LLC. This consulting firm in Akron, Ohio, focuses on DEI and accessibility strategy for leaders in the corporate, education and nonprofit sectors. Throughout her career, Jolene has also been a consistent presence in the FVS community. She served on the Board of Trustees from 1985-94 and 2006-22, and was the 1996 Unity Day keynote speaker, the 2005 recipient of the Living the Mission Award and the 2009 FVS Commencement speaker.

The Lewis Perry Jr. Alumni Award is presented to the alumnus or alumna who has provided conspicuous leadership in supporting FVS the preceding year. This year’s recipient, Greg Osborne ’81, has been a longtime leader in the Fountain Valley community. He’s a Class Agent, an active member of the Casa Serena Society and the 2014 recipient of the Elizabeth Froelicher Smith Distinguished Service Award. Greg served on the FVS Finance Committee and was a Board of Trustees member from 2006-14, vice president of the Board from 2009-10 and Board president from 2010-14. He joined the Board again in 2018, and headed the Fountain Valley Head of School Search Committee in 2021-22. Greg’s tireless work and leadership made all the difference as we sought the perfect fit to take up the mantle of the next head of our great School. The Elizabeth Froelicher Smith Distinguished Service Award is presented for exceptionally meritorious service to Fountain Valley School. This year’s honorees are two long-standing and deeply loved Fountain Valley educators who are both retiring: Rob Gilbert and Rob Gustke.

Rob Gilbert arrived at FVS in 1993 as the principal AP U.S. history teacher. Over the last decade, he’s advanced up the AP hierarchical ranks as a reader, table leader and one of the critical decision-makers in determining whether an AP test answer is adequate. During his tenure at FVS, Rob has also taught several senior electives, including American environmentalism. He’s been heavily involved in the Outdoor Education program, and helped develop and transform the FVS climbing program. The climbing team has won the State Finals on multiple occasions, including this past spring. Rob was also the co-director of Interim before FVS had a computer program to sort students into trip groups, and would masterfully handle every student’s request by hand. But among Rob’s myriad accomplishments, the most impressive has to be his winning streak at the annual Stupid Night Out Spam-eating contest, which continued for several years. Rob Gustke began his tenure at FVS in 1990 as a member of the Science Department. His bread-and-butter non-elective class has always been biology, but because Rob is extremely creative, he’s developed some signature senior electives that are deeply loved—in particular, his Colorado natural history class, in which he takes students into the plains to identify and collect bugs for their infamous bug box projects. A passionate butterfly enthusiast, Rob also spearheaded the construction of the butterfly garden outside his classroom. Rob came to FVS with major-league mountaineering experience, including nearly reaching the summit of Mt. Everest multiple times, so it’s no surprise that he quickly became the director of the Outdoor Ed program, working closely with Rob Gilbert. Rob was also the designer and implementer of the Western Immersion Program, and serves as a coach for the FVS swimming programs.

Over half of our newly enrolled families found us through our current families. Be part of this proud movement by sharing FVS with your friends, family, coworkers and community members. Let them know they can call the admission office to schedule a tour, set up a Zoom meeting and join one of our virtual events in the coming months! Contact admission@fvs.edu.