CLASS NOTES
SARA BARSS ’98 with baby Austin.
at 13.5 Wine Bar in Hampden. The chef at 13.5 Wine Bar, Kate Erwin ‘99, requested their artwork after Erin Hall took down her awesome group show. If there are any fellow alumni who would be interested in hanging their artwork at 13.5, get in touch with Janine! She still works at MICA in the Graduate Admission Office and enjoys working with prospective graduate students. Speaking of Hampden, Maggie Beetz and her husband Jesse Whyte are about to celebrate one year as homeowners in the Hampden neighborhood! Maggie is currently working as the publications manager at Center Stage. We have received this personal invitation from Maggie saying, “I encourage everyone to come see amazing plays!” Brett Gordon reports, “Last October, I got engaged to Amanda Joy Adeleye, who is a resident physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital. We met the oldfashioned way … through friends of friends of friends at a party. The wedding is set for July 2014 at the Prospect Park Boathouse in Brooklyn. Ed Van Wesep will be one of the groomsmen.” Ed also wrote in with another career development. In July, he will be leaving his position as associate professor of finance at Vanderbilt University for the same title at the University of Colorado- Boulder. He says, “Nashville is a cool town, but it’s time to take skiing more seriously.” Alicia Atkinson tells us that her past year has been a blend of the old and the new. Alicia continues to work for Whittier Friends School but has tried out some new experiences this year. “My class entered the creativity competition ‘Odyssey of the Mind,’ and in true
Quaker tradition, we focused on teamwork instead of winning. The older students are connecting with Friends schools and Quaker meetings around the country, from San Francisco Friends to Friends School of Baltimore. You might have seen us sneaking around campus on the Sunday before Easter, as we attended meeting for worship at Stony Run on our East Coast Heritage trip. It’s exciting to introduce the Friends I teach to the Friends where I was the student.” What a neat bridge to make! Alicia goes on the say, “My personal life has also been filled with changes. My divorce became final, and my partner Ryan and I became domestic partners (albeit it’s only official through his work since we do not qualify for a domestic partnership in California). My son Bishop and I have been taking California by storm, experiencing all it has to offer. This includes ice skating, Disneyland, the zoo, museums, rock climbing, oyster bars, hiking, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, the beach, the mountains, and so much more. We are also discovering what other states have to offer with trips to Maryland, Alaska and Colorado. I haven’t gotten a chance to take him out of the country yet, but I hope that is coming up in late 2014 or in 2015!” We will look forward to that update — and pictures! — a few issues from now. Lee Watkins has had a very eventful year. Lee is an evaluation technician at Discovery Channel in Silver Spring. He and his wife Diana, an associate grant writer at Centronia School, moved with their son Noah, 5, to a new condo in Columbia Heights, D.C. “Early in the summer of 2013, we found out that Diana was pregnant, and she
JAMES HARLOW ’98 with son Russell.
MATT KAHN ‘98’s son Wesley.
delivered a girl, Maya Watkins, naturally, on Christmas Eve!” says Lee. “Maya and Noah are now doing well, and I returned to work in early March after a monthlong paternity leave, following Diana’s leave. Noah is currently entered into the D.C. Public Charter School lottery for a number of well-ranked local schools for kindergarten. In other news, my younger brother Derek married his long time girlfriend Natalie Ogilvie this past summer in Dewey Beach, Del.” Thank you for sharing your update with us, Lee, and congratulations on all the happy news! And now, following Lee’s lead, we have several more baby announcements — all boys! Russell James Harlow was born to James Harlow and his wife Katie and on Feb. 27, 2013. A year and one day later, Sara Barss and her husband Chris Christie had their first baby, a son named Austin Peter Barss Christie. Austin was born on Feb. 28, 2014, weighing in at just under 8 pounds. The little guy was impressively prompt, arriving only five hours after his due date! Another happy first: Alison Birch and her husband Brian Winsor welcomed their first baby, a boy named Ronan Brian Winsor-Birch, on Oct. 30, 2013. Amanda Lower Bakaian and her husband Justin have some great
news to share as well. On Oct. 10, 2013, the Bakaian family welcomed baby number 2, Sebastian Goheen Bakaian. Baby Sebastian joins big brother Harrison Bruce Bakaian, 2. They had a great snowy first winter as a family of four. Finally, just in the nick of time to make it into this issue of Collection (which was, of course, their goal), Shai and Liz Lauren Lauros and their son Reuben, 3, welcomed Micah Asher on March 11, 2014 in Brooklyn. In my own news, we Forresters are thoroughly enjoying life as a family of four. I get such a kick out of seeing our two boys growing and bonding together. Silas, 3, is a very loving and doting older brother. Just a few months shy of his first birthday, Gideon continues to earn his title as the smiliest baby we have ever known. Like most parents, we are endlessly enamored with their individual phases of development and in particular, we have found toddler language acquisition to be a real trip! As always, many thanks to everyone who took the time to reach out and stay in touch. The Class of 1998 is an awesome group, and each update is a welcome reminder of the great people whom it comprises.
ALICIA ATKINSON’S ’98 son Bishop gives rock climbing a try.
BRETT GORDON ’98 with fiancée Amanda Adeleye.
FRIENDS SCHOOL |
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