GPS Magazine | Summer 2015

Girls Preparatory School Summer 2015

RETHINKING the Purpose of COMMUNITY SERVICE

Remembering our own Teachers, advisors, Coaches

I’m not sure that any teacher or administrator can work at a school without reflecting on his or her own educational experiences.

Remembering our own teachers, advisors, or coaches, we compare the present to our past and grow from that comparison.

In that same way, I began my doctoral dissertation with a look back at my volunteer work at Gilpin Court in the summers between my years at the Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia. As a counselor at a summer day camp for impoverished children living in a public housing community, I had my first exposure to short-term service. The camp was filling a need — providing enhanced educational opportunities — with students like me as resources. Not until much later did I realize that I received as much as I gave during those summer months.

My dissertation looks at three private colleges that structured volunteer programs in a way that ideally would lead to what I call “solidarity,” or a place where volunteers reach a sense that “the community’s problems

Dr. Autumn A. Graves Head of School

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2014-15 Christine Benz Smith, Ph.D. ’72, Chair Lisa D. Reynolds Shanahan ’83, Vice-Chair

are everyone’s.”

The jump from volunteerism to solidarity doesn’t take place quickly.

Rather, I found in my research that there are two other steps along the way: civic engagement that involves a long-term sharing of resources, and democratic engagement in which students take leadership roles and begin to advocate for solutions.

Claire Hunt McVay ’87, Secretary

Several stories within these pages tell of alumnae or current GPS

Bradley B. (Brad) Cobb, Treasurer

partnerships that are at the beginning stage of that continuum, in a

Danna Bailey ’89

sustained relationship with a community non-profit. My dream would

Kerri Martin Bartlett ’75

be for our Partnerships in Community Council and the school to have

Betsy Battle ’72 Betsy Blunt Brown ’92 Blair Bennington Cannon ’93

a more reciprocal engagement with the organizations we now serve, to use our gifts and talents in the Chattanooga community, to develop

Marilyn Sherman Center ’58

habits of social responsibility, and to collaborate to solve community

The Honorable Marie Williams Cleary ’70

problems. I believe we should start locally before acting globally.

Anita D. Davenport ’77 Elizabeth Bright Graham ’77 Dr. Autumn A. Graves, Head of School Holly Lynch Harwell ’84 Jody Jackson Jane Kline Nathan Carter Newbold, IV

Chattanooga can be our classroom in addition to our backyard. In the past, much of our community service created initial relationships that could lead to long-term collaboration (Habitat for Humanity), but did not create a “deep sustainable relationship with community residents.”

As I wrote in my dissertation:

John Spann, D.D.S.

If private K-12 schools used their independence from government

Rebecca Stimson, Ph.D. ’73

oversight to create innovative, interdisciplinary curricula that was

Mary P. Tanner, Ph.D.

in partnership with community leaders, I think a higher level of

Rob Taylor Mary Moncure Watson ’74

educational and moral development outcomes would emerge.

Thad Whitfield

The stories within this issue point to our efforts to reach that higher level

Randy Wilson

of sustained commitment to creating positive change and filling needs

Margaret Wheland Cate ’49, Ex-Officio

in our community.

GIRLS P R E PA R AT O RY SCHOOL HEAD OF SCHOOL Dr. Autumn A. Graves Assistant Head, Retired 2015 Jessica Good Assistant Head Middle SCHOOL Principal Elaine Milazzo UPPER SCHOOL Principal Dr. Margaret Downs-Gamble Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Thompson Director of Admission Debbie B. Young ’79 Director of Development & External Relations Christa Mannarino Director of IT Daniel Millbank DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING Bilda Small

EDITORIAL STAFF GENERAL EDITOR Anne N. Exum Writers Kathleen Casey Anne N. Exum Katy Mena-Berkley ’99 Liz Willis ’07 Photographers Anne N. Exum Linda Mines Lifetouch Photography Amy Walters Gina Wells DESIGN Skrypton Communications

Table of Contents

Summer 2015 Vol 28, No. 2

GPS: The Magazine Girls Preparatory School

FEATURES 2

Public Purpose For Private Schools: Service and Leadership by GPS Students and Alumnae Are Bringing Value to Their Community.

4

Kelsey Ensign ’11

6

Partnerships In Community

10

Alumnae Leaders In Chattanooga

14 Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy 18 Honoring GPS Retirees

20 College Admission Report

Inside Back Cover

Mai Bell Hurley receives Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award

DEPARTMENTS 24 May Day 26 Commencement 28

Athletics

30 School News 33 Class Awards 34 Alumnae Weekend 36 Alumnae News

Copyright © 2015 Girls Preparatory School.

All rights reserved.

42 Births 44 Weddings

GPS Magazine is published by Girls Preparatory School 205 Island Avenue | PO Box 4736 Chattanooga, TN 37405 Office 423-634-7600 gps.edu

Girls Preparatory School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in any of its policies, practices or procedures.

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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AN E v o l u t i o n f r o m C h a r i t a b l e W o r k s t o C o m m u n i t y

Rachel Raisin ’16 is the youngest member of the Habitat for Humanity Family Selection Committee.

The PUBLIC PURPOSE of PRIVATE SCHOOLS For decades GPS has emphasized the importance of community service as an integral part of the comprehensive education of future leaders. Who can question the value of girls building homes for Habitat for Humanity, tutoring students at local schools, or cooking meals at the Ronald McDonald House?

Students who at an early age learn to give back can develop humanitarian values

and a global consciousness that will continue for life. But what if the energy, vigor, and fresh thinking that are common attributes of GPS girls could be leveraged further to bring more value to community non-profits and charitable agencies while giving the participants higher levels of learning? What if one-off activities on behalf of non-profits could be transformed into programs focused on more sustainable, long-term relationships?

Forward-thinking schools are taking a fresh look at the “public purpose” of independent schools, and how the model of community service can evolve to something more.

STAGES OF PARTNERSHIP Volunteerism to solidarity

Challenging Assumptions Head of School Autumn Graves, who studied this subject in depth when writing her doctoral dissertation, “The Public Purpose of Private Schools,” is guiding GPS to new levels of active citizenship and engagement within the community.

STAGE ONE

STAGE TWO

Volunteerism

Civic Engagement

Short-term charity or service that fills a need with students as resources.

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GPS: The Magazine | Summer 2015

Long-term sharing of resources with students taking a leadership role.

Change Agent

“If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning, I’d hammer in the evening, all over this land...”

Words and music

by Lee Hays and Pete Seeger

“The public purpose of private schools is successful when we create or enhance relationships with community partners and engage at a level well beyond individual acts of volunteerism and community service,” she says. “As Dr. James Comer of the Yale Child Study Center likes to say, ‘No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.’

“GPS is committed to providing those meaningful, long-term relationships.

Our current program of long-term support for Habitat for Humanity is one example of this,” Dr. Graves says. “We not only have girls hammering nails, we have the first teen to ever serve on Habitat’s selection committee. She is learning about community-wide issues, bringing knowledge back to GPS, and offering her own fresh young ideas to the committee.”

A Public Purpose Manifesto One of the early calls for independent schools to take “public purpose” action

Creating Positive Change Learning how to participate in creating positive change within the community will be the focus of an elective course in community action and social entrepreneurship offered this fall by GPS and McCallie. With a grant from the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), faculty members Linda Mines and Sumner McCallie have developed a curriculum with the following goals: • Teach students a range of methods of studying their community, its historical context, its current challenges, and competing visions for progress; • Reveal the range and complexity of challenges faced by Chattanooga; • Engage students personally with the individuals and institutions (governmental and non-profit) prominent in attempting to meet community needs by studying their perspectives, their approaches, and their results; and • Expose students to the inner workings of non-profit management: leadership, mission development, fundraising, daily logistics, board role and involvement.

came in 2000 from Al Adams, who at the time was headmaster of a progressive California school. Adams called on more independent schools to become deeply engaged in their communities.

“Independent schools, by virtue of their non-taxable status, operate at the pleasure of the public,” Adams wrote. “They, therefore, have both the opportunity and the obligation to develop models that contribute to the improvement of American education and to extend the use of their insights, energy, and resources beyond their campus walls.”

GPS, in its ongoing commitment to the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA), has opened just such a thoroughfare of shared resources and collaborative exchange. (See page 14.)

For example, when GPS girls apply for the highly coveted Tucker Fellows Program, a study of the Tennessee River and the issues impacting the local watershed, several girls from CGLA are accepted for the introductory summer

STAGE THREE

STAGE Four

Democratic Engagement

Solidarity

Volunteer partners learn to advocate for change and co-create new solutions to a problem.

session. In many cases, the students learn, and kayak, side-by-side on a river of mutual discovery. Al Adams writes of this type of thoughtful partnership, “the more collaboration, the more synergy; the more synergy, the more powerful [and] expansive the outcomes.”

Measuring Outcomes How can independent schools measure the progress they have made in providing service to the community and determine whether the outcomes are desirable? In her dissertation, Dr. Graves illustrates the progress in four stages, migrating from Volunteerism to Solidarity. (See below.)

“We will also measure our success by whether our girls, and the students they interact with, adopt public service as a habit, as a way of life,” Dr. Graves says.

“Our role as educators is to provide as many opportunities as we can for girls to make these meaningful connections that have a long-term impact, starting within the Chattanooga community.” n

Those involved in the partnership have the sense that the community’s problems are everyone’s to solve.

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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Redefining Service as Community Building

from Volunteer

to Community Builder

Kelsey Ensign ’11 believes in being not only a volunteer but also an advocate for the community.

Participating in community service in high school was incredibly valuable. I have taken my GPS lessons with me to college, and I’m sure I will continue to lean on them in the future.

GPS is trying to redefine service as community building. What does the term “Public Purpose of Private Education” mean to you?

I think that it is great to redefine service as community building. Service can be a very limiting term, either focusing on the benefits of being a volunteer or the charity being received by others. I think community building involves a lot more, a recognition of the mutually beneficial relationship between server and served. At the University of Richmond, we used “civic engagement,” more of an umbrella term that encompasses social justice, politics, and volunteering.

In terms of the public purpose of private education, I think that means an active acknowledgement of the opportunities and resources schools like GPS have. Having a public purpose requires using that position to make the community you are a part of better by serving as a partner and advocate in the community.

At the end of the day, cities like Chattanooga will be much stronger when people like GPS girls are working to make their cities and towns better. And GPS girls will gain invaluable experience as leaders in community building.

You initiated service learning opportunities at GPS without waiting for someone else to make a suggestion. What motivated you to be involved in community service?

I think it was mainly the people I was surrounded by that served as large motivators.

Teachers, my sisters, and a lot of my close friends helped to broaden my view to the larger world outside of GPS. I had a lot of people in my life who encouraged me to do something about it, which in high school meant being involved in community service and activism. It was then that I first began to understand what being a servant-leader could mean — realizing the importance of serving while raising awareness about the inequities you encounter. And to me, that time participating in community service in high school was incredibly valuable. I have taken my GPS lessons with me to college, and I’m sure I will continue to lean on them in the future.

What involvement have you had in college to develop partnerships or collaborate with others in service work?

I am very lucky that I got to go to a university that was intentional in the ways it got students involved in work in the community. I worked in the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement as part of a student team. It was a nice way for me to be surrounded by people who were passionate about civic engagement and social justice.

We each had our own tasks, and mine was leading an issue coalition called Students for Educational Equality. I planned events to raise awareness about educational disparities, particularly along racial and class lines, for University of Richmond students who were 4

GPS: The Magazine | Summer 2015

Kelsey Ensign graduated from the University of Richmond in May, receiving a degree in history and secondary education. As a student at GPS, she was president of Amnesty International and co-chair of Habitat for Humanity. She spent many volunteer hours at Ronald McDonald House, Room in the Inn, Chambliss Center for Children, Habitat, and the Community Kitchen. Now with a decade of community service experience, she will join the Teach for America program in the fall. volunteering in public school settings. I also volunteered in a mentoring program, Youth Life Foundation of Richmond, where I tutored elementary and middle school age students. That volunteer work made the work I did on campus much more meaningful as on a daily basis I saw gaps in educational opportunities and achievement.

One thing that made my service in college different from high school was a very critical approach to civic engagement, one in which students who wanted to get involved as much as possible were asked to think about the opportunities they had been afforded in their lives. We were then encouraged to apply the lessons learned to other aspects of our lives, such as classes and future career choices. I think that is an approach to service that could be considered at GPS as well.

How do you hope to continue your passion for serving others?

For the next two years I will be teaching secondary social studies with Teach for America. I’m hoping to combine my love for history (which started at GPS) with my passion for social justice. I think disparities in K-12 education are one of the primary civil rights issues of the day, and I’m hoping to be part of a movement that works toward equal educational opportunities for all children. I’ve been thinking about going back to get my Ph.D. in American history, as I’ve seen great people do a lot of meaningful things in academia. n

KELSEY ENSIGN With Her Sisters KaRalee ’09 and KAYCEE ’12 Karalee Ensign ’09, left, graduated from the University of Southern California in 2013 and is working in music management in Los Angeles.

She has been a volunteer tutor in that city’s public schools.

Kaycee Ensign ’12, right, will graduate from the University of Virginia next year. She runs a volunteer program that connects UVA students to The Haven, a homeless shelter in Charlottesville, and she volunteers there herself. She also is the president of the UVA chapter of UNICEF and this summer is interning with the Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

As a student at the University of Richmond, Kelsey Ensign ’11 was a tutor and mentor with the Youth Life Foundation of Richmond and met weekly with Amia, an elementary age student at the nonprofit center that serves low-income children. (Photo courtesy of Briget Ganske for University of Richmond)

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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P a rt n e r s h i p s i n C o m m u n i t y

A new Direc

By Anne N. Exum, Director of Publications

Partnerships in Community updates the former GPS model of community service

Six years before the Welfare Club was established in 1948 to raise money for charities, the GPS student body made socks to include in care packages for soldiers and raised $300,000 in war bonds to purchase military jeeps.

Over 65 years later, the name changes — from Welfare Club to Robin Hood to Community Service Council to Partnerships in Community (PIC) — may provide a good clue to a shift in thinking at GPS. Where students in years past raised money through Civilian Days and Robin Hood bake sales — and making socks — the emphasis this past year has been decidedly different.

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GPS: The Magazine | Summer 2015

Members of the 2014-15 PIC Council who had the “tools” to work in and influence the Chattanooga community included, first row from left, Pierson Brown ’18, Ellie Swann ’19, Ragan Foley ’15, Isabelle Torrence ’20, and Olivia Combs ’19. On the second row are Delaney Swann ’17, Mimi Vance ’17, Rachel Raisin ’16, Ariana Whatley ’20, and Mackenzie Hobbs ’15. In back are Nikki Goldbach ’18, Hannah Faith Greene ’16, and Haley Richardson ’15.

tion

Mackenzie Hobbs ’15 ran for president of the Community Service Council in April 2014, knowing the title of the organization she would lead would be different, but not quite sure about the changed philosophy. The primary objective of newly named Partnerships in the Community is to prepare GPS students to be engaged members, and leaders, of their current and future communities. As a result, this year has been one with less adult involvement (except for transportation), says Mackenzie, and more student-led participation. “We’ve moved away from raising money and moved toward performing acts of service,” she says.

Whether tutoring or reading with young children, hammering for Habitat, or being part of a city government committee dealing with the history of the Walnut Street Bridge, GPS girls, says Mackenzie, “are realizing that sharing our time is the most precious thing, along with forming relationships.”

Sustained Commitments Linda Mines, faculty advisor to PIC, says that she and retired Upper School Principal Jessica Good spent the summer of 2014 exploring 15 community agencies and non-profits, and they narrowed the list to four that would offer opportunities for volunteering and allow GPS students to go beyond basic service into the realm of service leadership. “We don’t enter into a volunteer commitment unless we believe that

commitment can be sustained,” Linda says. “Service leadership,” she believes, “is a powerful force that occurs when students discover their heart to serve, answer the call to lead, and exercise the courage to engage in improving our community.” PIC’s mission can be described as “teaching leadership and improving the community simultaneously.”

The organization that GPS has served the longest is Habitat for Humanity, and partnering with McCallie, the two schools have built 16 homes. Incoming PIC president Rachel Raisin, who is the youngest member of the Habitat Family Selection Committee, would love for juniors and seniors to build a home to completion, meet the family for whom it is being built, and then invite them to speak at GPS about the process they undertook to be a Habitat family and their commitment as homeowners.

Expanding that idea further, she and Mackenzie envision the former Robin Hood week of crafts and sales becoming a week in which representatives from the agencies served by GPS would be on campus to educate the student body. “We would keep the idea of Robin Hood but change the participation from raising money in daily pizza sales to a series of Lunchtime Learning opportunities,” says Rachel.

— continued on page 8

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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P a rt n e r s h i p s i n C o m m u n i t y

Hannah Faith Greene shares a snack with a child enrolled at a Glenwood Learning Adventure Day.

Establishing Partnerships In addition to building a partnership with Habitat, the faculty and students made the most impact this past year, believes Linda, at East Side Elementary School, a public school that serves a growing Hispanic population. Not only did GPS girls work one-on-one with the children after school, several GPS-connected adults created an evening program for the parents to answer their questions about the legal system, gaining drivers’ licenses, and accessing services. Former GPS parents Pam Fleenor and Robin Miller were joined by Judge Marie Williams ’70 in leading the first meeting.

Whether tutoring or reading with young children, hammering for Habitat, or being part of a city government committee dealing with the history of the Walnut Street Bridge, GPS girls are realizing that sharing our time is the most precious thing, along with forming relationships.

— Mackenzie Hobbs ’15

Another partnership is developing at Northside Neighborhood House, where a number of GPS students serve as tutors.

Groups of girls have also enjoyed playing with and reading with the children at the Chambliss Center for Children and assisting in other events there. Although these four schools and non-profits are under the PIC umbrella, more community service is ongoing through advisories, and there are opportunities for expanded partnerships there as well.

Meals are cooked at Ronald McDonald House, collection drives gather books for the Veterans Clinic, and children’s faces are painted at Glenwood Learning Adventure Days.

Setting Goals As GPS moves from raising money to performing acts of service in partnership

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GPS: The Magazine | Summer 2015

Hope Newberry ’16, left, joined Rachel Raisin and other GPS and McCallie students at a Habitat build.

with non-profits, the new PIC president has a few goals for this next year: • Start a Middle School Community Service Club that could partner with an agency such as Make-a-Wish.

• Sponsor a Service Fair so that the community organizations that GPS partners with can set up booths and market their agencies.

• Incorporate Mission Remission, currently a one-day fundraising walk, into the rest of the school year.

“I think that most girls want to serve but don’t think they have the time,” says Rachel. “Community Service is really my afterschool activity (instead of theatre or athletics).” In order to involve more girls, Rachel reached out to students who ran to be a PIC class representative but weren’t elected. “I want to give them opportunities to be additional PIC leaders of their class. We can use all the help we can get!”

Both Mackenzie and Rachel want every girl at GPS to find something in community service that she loves. “Find that organization and you’ll find your passion,” says Rachel, who last year ran a week long summer camp for 9 to 12 year old girls in her hometown of Dalton, Georgia. She organized the week around community service to the elderly (gift baskets), animals (bird feeders), the environment, and education (bookmarks for Kids Day at the library).

“Girls learn the most from forming partnerships, getting to know the organization, understanding the needs, and solving problems,” says Linda Mines, an active volunteer herself and past president of Chattanooga’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity. “What better laboratory to teach citizenship, leadership, or even financial literacy than within your community and in Board and committee memberships?”

Service leadership is a powerful force that occurs when students discover their heart to serve, answer the call to lead, and exercise the courage to engage.

— Linda Mines, faculty advisor to PIC She hopes that in five years every student and faculty member has a service experience and that 25% have moved from volunteerism into civic and democratic engagement, becoming leaders in community organizations and having learned how to speak, write, and rally people to a cause. n

Students Take Leadership Roles For Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Initiative: • Samantha Sell ’16 serves on the Women in Politics committee, coordinating participation in August’s commemoration of the anniversary of women’s suffrage.

• Lucy St. Charles ’16 serves on the Financial Empowerment committee, working to create a series of workshops for 11th and 12th grade students.

• Tatiana Poggi ’18 serves on the Women Mentoring Women committee on the creation of a mentoring program for high school students.

For other government or nonprofit agencies: • Kate McVay ’17 and Katie Brandao ’17 on Board Committees for the Chambliss Center for Children • Rachel Raisin ’16 on the Family Selection Committee for Habitat for Humanity • Caroline West ’16, Nia Sanders ’15, and Katie Brandao ’17 on the Mayor’s Youth Council • Angel Sims ’16 and Najia Humayun ’15 on the Walnut Street Bridge Committee • Mimi Vance ’17 and Samantha Jackson ’17 as ‘junior’ Board members at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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L e a d i n g t h e C h a tt a n o o g a C o m m u n i t y t h r o u g h S e r v i c e

A Sisterhood of Service Two GPS alumnae are nurturing a stronger community

By Katy Mena-Berkley ’99

The feminist nature of Jane Austen novels is a topic of discussion in many ninth grade GPS English classes.

Some view Austen’s work as a step forward for women, an indication that the fairer sex was on the move, destined for futures of leadership, realizing how they themselves could enhance the world around them.

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GPS: The Magazine | Summer 2015

The world of Chattanooga will certainly be

enhanced this next year as GPS alums Rowena Lee Belcher ’73 and Lesley Stiles Scearce ’96 embrace opportunities to lead the Chattanooga community through service.

This summer, both women are taking on new leadership roles with established local nonprofit organizations.

In June, Belcher was inducted as the new President of the Chattanooga Rotary Club, only the second woman in the downtown club’s 102-year history; in August, Scearce assumes the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Way of Greater Chattanooga.

Each woman’s path was paved with years of hard work, dedication, and unwavering vision to nurture a stronger community by empowering individuals to live up to their fullest potential.

From TVA to the Rotary After graduating from GPS, Belcher attended the University of Georgia, where she majored in economics and minored in French.

“My dad always encouraged me to go into accounting, but economics seemed like a much more creative way of handling numbers,” says Belcher, whose passion for figures inspired her to create an economics club at UGA and tutor

other students in statistics during her free time. “Giving back is a wonderful vehicle for self-discovery. You can hone passions and talents you may not even realize you possess.”

After graduating from college, Belcher relocated to her hometown to take a position as an economist with the Tennessee Valley Authority. But during the 30 years that she spent working for the largest public power provider in the nation, she explored much more than her talent for working with numbers.

At the age of 30, Belcher took a leave of absence from TVA to attend the Academy of Military Science. What began as a six-week course of study turned into a 10-year part-time career with the organization, where Belcher served as a Business Officer and Electronics Officer, and was eventually promoted to the position of Captain.

“I am so grateful to have had a life filled with adventure,” says Belcher. “The opportunity to do something new and different has been abundant and critical to my happiness and professional growth as a woman committed to my career, my family, and civic service.”

Giving back is a wonderful vehicle for self-discovery. You can hone passions and talents you may not even realize you possess.

— Rowena Lee Belcher ’73

Continuing her tendency toward uncharted territory, Belcher spent her last 10 years of employment with TVA, leading the Human Resources staff and heading a department dedicated to an area with which she had no previous experience.

“My participation in HR was recommended by the Chief Operating Officer at TVA,” says Belcher, recalling the request that she initially met with a certain sense of trepidation. “I told them that I didn’t know anything about Human Resources, which was — continued on page 12

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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L e a d i n g t h e C h a tt a n o o g a C o m m u n i t y t h r o u g h S e r v i c e

countered by, ‘We need a new way of thinking and doing business.’”

Identify your sparks, and then humbly and boldly go play your part in our community’s story.

— Lesley Stiles Scearce ’96

The instincts of the powers that be proved to be correct, as Belcher successfully performed her final responsibilities with TVA, all the while moonlighting as mom to her sons, Beau and Taylor, and as a civil servant with the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and the Chattanooga Rotary Club.

“I was asked to join the Rotary in 2000, and at that time, fewer than 10 of the 300-plus members were women,” says Belcher. “Today, women make up almost 20 percent of the organization, and I truly believe it is because of our natural ability to lead, assess the needs of others, and meet those needs through service.”

A Heart for Non-Profits Scearce recalls her parents’ reaction to her declaration of a major at the University of Richmond as quizzical to say the least.

“I told them I wanted to study leadership, and they were envisioning me standing on the side of the road holding up a ‘Will Lead for Food’ sign,” says Scearce, who earned her bachelor’s degree from the college’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies in 2000. “But they trusted me to make my own decisions and take my own risks, and I’m so glad that I did. The Jepson School opened my eyes to issues of social justice and allowed us to practice our skills in real-life settings.”

Rowena Belcher President Rotary Club of Chattanooga

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Favorite community service activity Being on the “frontline” of any service project — getting dirty, sweaty and exhausted.

GPS: The Magazine | Summer 2015

Who inspires you? (famous or nonfamous; local or global) Mma Ramotswe, the fictional Botswanan detective who always reminds us of finding the goodness of life.

Scearce said that by her senior year at the university, she knew she wanted to lead nonprofit organizations.

She worked with a Virginia-based organization before moving back to Chattanooga, where she launched a 14-year career with On Point.

Originally designed to promote abstinence among youth, the message of the organization morphed under Scearce’s leadership.

After serving as a teacher for the On Point: Direction for Life program, Scearce was appointed as Executive Director at the age of 24 and dedicated her career to inspiring young people to imagine and create amazing lives for themselves.

“I have significant gratitude for the support I was given and the sacrifices made for me to learn, grow, and flourish,” says Scearce. “A life filled with thankfulness naturally spills over into service for others, and I felt so inspired to share what was given to me with the impoverished youth of our community. When connected with family, mentors, and teachers, they will give back in extraordinary ways.”

While working for On Point, Scearce enhanced her on-the-job education by earning her master’s in public administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The experience was one that introduced her to

Favorite book Go Dog Go

Favorite area tourist attraction Our natural elements

GPS spot (indoors or out) that brings back a good memory The parking lot — it covers the tennis courts I used to have to try to play tennis on every fall for six years!

other community leaders and opened her eyes to the array of opportunities for service in the city.

“I vividly recall studying the decline in civil society and the fact that our communities, families, and children are becoming more disconnected and alone,” says Scearce. “Using root-driven strategies to solve this issue was at the heart of my work with On Point and is a skill I carry with me to the United Way to ensure our children, families, and community are connected and thriving.”

Leading Together In August, Belcher and Scearce will have the unique opportunity to demonstrate their shared commitment to collaboration and partnership when the Chattanooga Downtown Rotary Club joins with the Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga to host the United Way of Greater Chattanooga’s campaign kickoff event. Proceeds from the event will benefit local education, stability, and support, highlighting the mission of these GPS alums to effect positive change.

“Giving back is not about what you are able to do. Instead, find out what you were made to do and go do it. What makes you bound out of bed in the morning?” says Scearce. “Identify your sparks, and then humbly and boldly go play your part in our community’s story. Some parts are leading roles and some are supporting, but they are all equally important. So play your part, and play it well.” n

Lesley Scearce President and CEO United Way of Greater Chattanooga

Favorite community service activity Mentoring, especially middle school age girls.

GPS Alum named Executive Director of Hunter Museum Past this issue’s deadline, Virginia Anne Summitt Sharber ’77 was named Executive Director of the Hunter Museum of American Art and joins Rowena Belcher and Lesley Scearce in our city’s leadership roles. Virginia Anne has been actively involved with Chattanooga arts organizations for a number of years, chairing the ArtsBuild (then Allied Arts) board, the Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute, and the Chattanooga Public Art Committee. GPS is proud of these alumnae leaders!

Who inspires you? (famous or nonfamous; local or global) My parents. They enjoy life. They are active, fun loving, wise, and serve all around them.

Favorite book The Bible

Favorite area tourist attraction The Riverwalk. Our family rides bikes all around the riverfront.

GPS spot (indoors or out) that brings back a good memory The Natatorium (pool). GPS swimming gave me friendships, confidence and work ethic and led to collegiate swimming at the University of Richmond.

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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G P S a n d C h a tt a n o o g a G i r l s L e a d e r s h i p A c a d e m y

Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy A public charter school, Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy opened in 2009 for underserved girls in grades 6 to 12. With an accelerated and integrated remediation approach to learning, the college preparatory curriculum is centered on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM).

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GPS: The Magazine | Summer 2015

G i r l P o w e r at i t s B e s t !

Across

the River

By Liz Willis ’07 CGLA Development Assistant

I began working at Chattanooga

Girls Leadership Academy in September of 2014. The Tennessee air was still thick with summer, and I remember turning up the car’s air conditioning as I drove down Martin Luther King Boulevard, anxiously awaiting what the day had in store.

As a graduate of the GPS Class of 2007, I had mixed emotions about embarking on this new journey. I was uncertain of how I felt about returning to an allgirls’ environment, but I was simultaneously excited.

This, of course, had nothing to do with any particular aversion to single-sex education but rather an apprehension of my role within it. In fact, I loved my tenure as a student, but then again I wasn’t an educator, nor did I have the slightest clue how to interact with preteens and teenagers, some more than a decade my junior. That morning as I continued on to Bailey Avenue, however, a beautiful cascade of girls clothed in turquoise, brown, beige, and orange spilled into the streets; coloring the early morning light with hues of laughter, joy, and excitement. I couldn’t help but smile.

Now nearly eight months later, my heart has been changed in ways that I had previously not imagined, and I am proud to say that I am a member of the CGLA Mustang family.

An Accessible Enriching Education Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA) was born out of the vision of GPS alumna Dr. Sue Anne Wells ’71 and co-founder Maxine Bailey in 2006.

They posed two simple but powerful questions to one another: “What could happen if we provide girls with an enriching, single-gender learning environment during and beyond the school day? What if we started an allgirls’ school accessible to educationally underserved girls?”

Their question was a radical one in the face of a divided economic climate, where Hamilton County alone has a poverty rate that rivals 90% of the United States’. Of the demographic that falls below the poverty line in Chattanooga, the overwhelming majority are Hispanic (42.4%) and African

What could happen if we provide girls with an enriching, single-gender learning environment during and beyond the school day?

While the call-toaction to uplift these young women has gained momentum, the unification efforts of both GPS and CGLA are still in the early stages of development.

­— continued on page 14

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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G P S a n d C h a tt a n o o g a G i r l s L e a d e r s h i p A c a d e m y

Alums serving as volunteers and advocates In the photo, right, are four individuals with GPS ties who support CGLA. They are, from left, Kelly Spencer ’06, Katie Smith King ’97, Liz Willis ’07, and Bess Steverson.

Other alums who serve as volunteers and advocates include: • Katie Smith King ’97, Senior Counsel Member at EPB, has helped spearhead CGLA’s latest EMPOWER mentoring program to connect adolescent girls and boys with professional mentors throughout the city.

• Virginia Anne Sharber ’77, Executive Director at the Hunter Museum of American Art, has faithfully served on CGLA’s Board and Advocacy Committee since the school began.

• Kelly Spencer ’06, Director of Marketing at CapitalMark Bank, served on CGLA’s marketing committee for the school’s sixth annual fundraising luncheon, Odyssey.

• Mary Stewart Glendenning Lewis ’88, Regional Director of External and Legislative Affairs at AT&T, has served on the YWLAF board, development, and STEAM committees since 2011.

• Phoebe Smith Mount ’02 has been teaching sixth grade science at CGLA since 2011. Her students’ test scores currently outpace the Tennessee state average by 21%.

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American (38.3%). And the group that runs the highest risk for succumbing to this vicious cycle of poverty? Women.

Although the odds were stacked against them, Wells and Bailey set out to change the cultural landscape.

Armed with passion and determination, Wells and Bailey first formed the Young Women’s Leadership Academy Foundation (YWLAF) as a monetary sponsor and fundraising conduit for CGLA. Then in July of 2009, after three years of meticulous planning and research, CGLA opened its doors to 75 new students in the historic James A. Henry school building, becoming the first single-gender charter school in the state of Tennessee.

A Cutting-Edge Model Expansion necessitated a larger campus to house a growing student population, so during the 2011-2012 school year, CGLA made the transition to the former Tennessee Temple Academy building to accommodate the school’s growth. Although the charter initially experienced setbacks, CGLA has subsequently redefined the blueprint to academic success. Accolade after

accolade pours in from local, state, and national leaders. Community advocates herald the school’s education model as cutting-edge, revolutionary, and radically innovative. From 6% proficient to over 60% in Algebra I, from rising TCAP scores to expansive student achievements, CGLA has now been recognized as a Reward School by the Tennessee Department of Education for two consecutive years (2013 &2014) and is one of only ten schools in Hamilton County to receive SACS accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

How could a school that had been struggling to survive in 2011 be able to drastically reinvent itself and transform into an educational powerhouse in just under two years? The secret, as Dr. Elaine Swafford, CGLA’s Executive Director, says, “isn’t a silver bullet, it’s just hard work.” Aside from tutoring programs and small classroom learning environments, CGLA has sought to create meaningful community partnerships with businesses and individuals who are devoted to improving Chattanooga’s education system.

Many GPS constituents and alums are volunteers and advocates. (See list, left.)

Then there are the women who, because of their years as employees of GPS, will always be connected with my alma mater. Rickie Pierce, former GPS Associate Head and Upper School Principal, has tirelessly dedicated her time and energy to serve on both CGLA’s and YWLAF’s boards and CGLA’s academic review committee and is now the official record keeper of CGLA’s archives. And Bess Steverson, current Director of Advancement and Fund Development for YWLAF and former Director of Annual Giving at GPS, has helped champion CGLA to advocates in the community.

Accomplishing More Together GPS and CGLA partnerships also extend beyond individual contributions to school-wide and community events that involve both GPS and CGLA students. These recently included a CGLA-initiated dinner and etiquette class and a lacrosse clinic involving the two schools’ players and coaches.

Two CGLA students participated in

the 24-hour Generator during GPS’s groundbreaking Mad, Bad, and Dangerous initiative to motivate girls and young women to explore entrepreneurial careers. These students engaged with other girls from area public and independent schools to learn the essentials of taking an idea from brainstorming to a pitch to potential investors to funding.

Another partnership between the schools involves the Tucker Fellows Program, a study of the Tennessee River and water conservation led by GPS science teacher Katye Adams Couch ’92. For two years, students from CGLA have joined the GPS Fellows to be part of the week long summer experience that is a prelude to the GPS program.

This summer’s program started with a kayak tour of the River Gorge followed by a sleepover at the Pot Point Cabin, where they learned about the history of the river from Patrice Hobbs Glass ’88 and the importance of forest health to the watershed’s biodiversity from Rick Huffnes of the Tennessee River Gorge

Trust. Other stops during the week took the girls to Raccoon Mountain, the Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. Being part of a fish collection at South Chickamauga Creek and paddle boarding at Waconda Bay were likely new experiences for all!

While the call-to-action to uplift these young women has gained momentum, the unification efforts of both GPS and CGLA are still in the early stages of development. It is now up to the collective community of partners, advocates, and alumnae networks to continue to promote these positive interactions that so deeply and powerfully impact our students and inspire the next generation of leaders.

These GPS alumnae, coaches, and current students are participants in making Chattanooga a more educationally robust environment for all its girls. By rallying beside one another, they learn together and make big changes happen. n

PHOTOS Page 14 — A row of kayakers from GPS and CGLA prepare for a trip down the Tennessee River Gorge.

Page 15 — CGLA students join GPS Tucker Fellows on a river exploration led by Outdoor Chattanooga.

Left — The best thing to do at the end of a sweltering day? Jump into the coolness of the river.

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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R e t i r e e s h o n o r e d f o r r a n g e o f C o n tr i b u t i o n s

Four Women

Jessica Good

Betty Jo Horton

Betty Michaels

who made their mark Jessica Good

By Linda Mines, History Department Chair If Girls Preparatory School is a family, then Jessica Good is the independent sister who strained against the conventional to blaze a trail for those of us who have followed along her path.

Long before educational institutions began using ‘strong voice’ as a descriptor for young leaders, Jessica challenged societal expectations for young, educated, Southern women. Alumnae easily recall probing discussions focused on Jane Eyre’s unconventional choices, Elizabeth Bennett’s assertions of her own worth and Shakespeare’s portrayals of misguided kings. From The Once and Future King to All the King’s Men, Jessica

Critical thinking skills garner a mention in most lesson plans today, but Jessica Good always challenged young women to “show me; don’t tell me.” used great novels to plumb the depths of humanity and humanity’s inhumanity. What virtues guided Arthur to his Camelot in contrast to the demons that drove Willie Stark to corruption and death? Jessica, the English teacher, was

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GPS: The Magazine | Summer 2015

a gifted guide in the search for answers that had value in relationship to the text AND to life. Critical thinking skills garner a mention in most lesson plans today, but Jessica Good always challenged young women to “show me; don’t tell me.” There were seldom questions in her classroom that could be easily answered.

After sharing classes and classrooms, goals and objectives, passions and frustrations, I know what the GPS family and I will miss. We’ll miss her often-contradictory stances. She pushed for academic rigor and excellence while nurturing students whose paths required individualized instruction and additional emotional support. As English department chair, she applauded the classics while encouraging the use of contemporary novels and global tomes. A former athlete and coach, she never lost sight of the value of teamwork, yet she also knew that life’s most difficult decisions are individual choices. It was important that “her girls” know how to weigh the factors, evaluate alternative solutions, choose the best option, and then work to solve the problem.

We will miss Jessica Good’s commitment to young women. She always argued that each individual is an important part of the GPS family fabric, and she lived her GPS life reinforcing that belief.

Betty Jo Horton

By Debbie Glasscock, Middle School Dean of Students When Betty Jo Horton came to GPS in January 1983, Rita Wilson, then head of the Math Department, put her to work preparing girls for math contests. For their first outing, they took a van with 12 girls. They lost in all categories.

Betty Jo analyzed the contest problems and planned strategies for the girls to practice. As the math contest club grew, they needed a full-sized bus in which to travel. They would leave town before dawn, but the lights of the bus would be on while the girls worked on problems.

One year, the girls took first place in every category and brought home several individual trophies. Betty Jo told the bus driver he would need to add air to the tires due to all that extra weight!

With her ability to teach such an abstract subject to her young students, she was unsurpassed.

During Betty Jo’s first 25 years at GPS, the SAT math average scores increased every year. The main component of the SAT at the time was Algebra I, and Betty Jo was the teacher. With her ability to teach such an abstract subject to her young students, she was unsurpassed.

Suzanne Smartt

On a bulletin board outside of her classroom, she put every newspaper article she found about her students and colleagues. In her quiet way, Betty Jo had her finger on the pulse of GPS, and that bulletin board was her way of showing the pride she felt in her school.

It was our community news source, and it felt nice to be noticed.

It is Betty Jo’s quiet, caring touch that will be missed. That she cared for us all is undeniable. She proved it by being there, ALWAYS being there, urging us on, believing in us, pushing us to be our best in every aspect of our lives at GPS. She was always looking forward, looking for ways to positively impact her students’ lives. Betty Jo Horton is, and was, a teacher’s teacher.

Peggy Michaels

By Rebecca Davenport, Learning Center Specialist

WOW! If you’ve ever had a conversation with Peggy Michaels, you know that this is a word that is on the tip of her tongue. Peggy is “WOWd” by her students: the ones that win state championships, the ones who give 100% effort because that is part of their character, the 6th grader who offers to put away the SHAPE equipment, and the tennis star that volunteers to demonstrate a proper forehand to her class. What has made Peggy so special to so many girls throughout the years?

Could it be because her perspective is different from that of other adults?

Since multiple sclerosis restricted the movement of her legs, she rides her motorized scooter through the halls of GPS. Perhaps at this vantage point she sees what other adults miss. She notices the girl who looks a little lost, and she sees the girl who is walking outside of the crowd. Peggy drives up next to both offering her huge smile and the encouragement of a seasoned and gentle coach.

She notices the girl who looks a little lost, and she sees the girl who is walking outside of the crowd.

As the captain of the cheerleaders at Tennessee Tech, she bounced her way into the hearts of her teammates and fellow Golden Eagles. Peggy continued to be a cheerleader, but this time for all of her students. As the sponsor of our GyPsieS, Peggy has shown the captains the importance of “cheering” for every student group on campus. The week of the orchestra concert, the GyPsieS sign reminded us that, “Without Music…life would be flat!”

After 26 years in GPS classrooms, teaching her unique SHAPE program in PE classes or guiding the curriculum for the eighth grade Changes and Choices class, Peggy has now enrolled in her own Changes and Choices class.

She is equipped for this journey; we cannot wait to see the lesson plan for the next season of her life.

Suzanne Smartt

By Jenise Gordon, Upper School Dean of Students, and Amy Piper, English faculty I first met Suzanne Smartt when I was seventeen. I was one among hundreds at the American Legion’s week-long Volunteer Girls State as she taught

information about city government. It wasn’t so much that the information was enthralling—she was enthralling.

She influenced my decision to become a teacher, and I still aspire to be like Suzanne Smartt.

“Teacher,” Suzanne often says, “is one who stands beside.” Not in front of, not above…beside. Suzanne has taught courses from American History and Government to Graphic Design and Theater. While she is skilled in imparting content, that is not what made her a great teacher. It wasn’t her skill in directing novice actors to stage productions of professional caliber, though she did. Nor was it the candy cauldron which she filled monthly. Suzanne Smartt is a beloved teacher because the girls know that she loves them deeply and unconditionally.

In a recent tribute to celebrate Suzanne’s 50th year at Girls State, I had the opportunity to say a few words. “Many of us come to this program to ‘present our most precious selves to each other.’ I’ve had the privilege of knowing Suzanne as a Girls Stater, friend and colleague.

She brings her best self every day.” GPS students have reaped the benefit of Suzanne’s best.

Suzanne Smartt is a beloved teacher because the girls know that she loves them deeply and unconditionally.

Though she is leaving the classroom, the love, talent, and devotion Suzanne Smartt brought to Girls Preparatory School is the legacy she leaves, and a celebration of that legacy will be held during the upcoming school year. Her presence will reverberate through our halls for years to come. She continues to “stand beside” each girl she taught, each faculty member she mentored. For those of us that have had the opportunity to know her, we consider ourselves “blessed and bound!” n No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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College Admission and its challenges

Highly personalized support helps GPS grads find the right match.

College Admission:

What’s Trending?

Competition from a global applicant pool

Increase of applicants due to the Common Application

Importance of Demonstrated Interest

Emphasis on diversity

Focus on test scores

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GPS: The Magazine | Summer 2015

”

74 girls will attend 43 different colleges and universities in 16 states, the District of Columbia and one foreign country.

74% in the Southeast 36% attending in-state 64% attending out-of-state 50% attending public colleges and universities 50% attending private colleges and universities 2 taking a gap year 10 participating in athletics in college 369 total applications filed 60% accepted merit, athletic, talent or lottery scholarships

Daunting, overwhelming, intimidating — these words are often associated with the college selection and application process. But for GPS girls, the partnership and relationship formed with the college guidance office transform the experience into three different words: individualized, purposeful, and strategic.

The College Journey The process begins freshman year with small group introductory meetings focused on the student, not the college. During her sophomore year, the student is encouraged to evaluate her own personal story as it relates to academics and extracurricular choices and to ensure her direction aligns with future aspirations. She is then assigned a counselor for the next two years of the process. As a junior she meets individually with the college counseling staff and, with her peers, in seven classes where they fine-tune what will

be her approach to the college search.

Increased individual attention from her counselor, applications, scholarship opportunities, and preparation for the high school-to-college transition fill her senior year.

Parent Partnerships While counselors work one-on-one with seniors to explore college options, parents are, of course, also a part of the college admission equation. In addition to a counselor’s initial interview with a family, some of which take place before the senior year officially begins, there are other opportunities for moms and dads to feel a part of the process: • Parent nights provide opportunities for Q&As and parent networking.

• College fairs at GPS and McCallie provide access to more than 125 college and university admission counselors on campus.

The mission of the College Guidance Office at GPS is to encourage students to consider appropriate and challenging college options over a broad geographic area, with the ultimate goal of finding a college that best meets their academic, social, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

­— continued on page 22

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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College Admission and its challenges

What Our Parents are saying

“Thank you for being so much more than her college

Where will the Class of 2015 be this fall?

• Evening programs are devoted to information about financial aid and athletic scholarships.

• Parents also receive quarterly or monthly newsletters with information about test prep, financial aid, college visits, and summer opportunities.

Alabama-Birmingham, University of American University Asbury University Auburn University Birmingham Southern College Brigham Young University Brown University Cornell University Davidson College Dickinson College Drexel University Emerson College Evansville, University of Florida Southern College Georgia State University Georgia Tech Georgia, University of Harding University Harvard University High Point University Kennesaw State University Marymount Manhattan College Maryville College Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mercer University Mississippi State University Mississippi, University of Missouri, University of Pittsburgh, University of Samford University Savannah College of Art & Design Sewanee: The University of the South Shorter University Southern Adventist University Tennessee Tech Tennessee Chattanooga, University of Tennessee Knoxville, University of Texas Christian University Transylvania University Tusculum College Universidad de Navarra (Spain) Vanderbilt University Wake Forest University Washington University in St. Louis

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counselor. Thank you for being her support system, her friend, her advisor and her confidante.

”

Ready to Compete Through the strong relationships built throughout the Upper School years, the student, parents, and college counselors approach the college selection process with a personalized strategy. That’s crucial since in the current college environment, our students face certain challenging realities. Competition for placement in U.S. colleges and universities is increasing fueled by a variety of trends: • Students are competing against a more global applicant pool. The number of international students studying in the United States is at an all-time high, and the likelihood is that those numbers will only increase.

• The Common Application — one application that can be sent to over 500 colleges and universities — makes it easy for students to apply to five, ten, even 20 schools, making the applicant pool larger and making it more challenging to stand out in the sea of applications.

• There is no magic formula (GPA + extracurriculars + test scores) for college acceptance. As colleges try to shape a freshman class with gender and geographic balance along with diverse interests and talents, the process has become more competitive.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are over 36,000 high schools in the United States. That means

36,000 valedictorians, student council presidents, and yearbook editors.

Think about how many soccer players, oboists, Spanish majors, or entrepreneurs there are in that number. How many high school students are the first in their families to attend college, and how many of those graduates are girls?

To our students’ credit, when we checked our admission rates with almost every college to which our students applied, our admit rate was higher than the university’s average.

Colleges and universities across the U.S. recognize that GPS girls are well-prepared for college, and the statistics consistently illustrate that our students are admitted at a higher average.

For example, Brown University’s admit rate this year was 8.5, but 50% of the GPS girls who applied were admitted. The same holds true at the University of Georgia: UGA’s admit rate was approximately 52%, yet 67% of our students were admitted.

Whereas UNC Chapel Hill had a 18% admit rate for out-of-state students, the GPS admit rate was 40%.

Strategies for Success Our college guidance counselors visited with over 150 college representatives this past year to advocate for our girls and ensure that schools understand the unique value of a GPS

“From writing letters to calling

people on our daughter’s behalf, thank you for all your support through the college application process.

”

Our graduates regularly let us know how well prepared they are for college. Last fall, one girl emailed to say, “In a psychology class, we had to explain three topics, respond to class discussions, and ask two critical questions per chapter. I received a 104 on this assignment, and because of the quality of my work, my teacher showed it to the entire lecture of 275 people.”

Despite a challenging environment, GPS students continue to excel, showing the value of a supportive network, strong planning, exceptional academics, confidence, and determination. Year in and year out, our girls are accepted at 80% of the colleges to which they apply and are attending universities across the United States and abroad. Additionally, over 60% of each graduating class receives merit or talent-based scholarships.

What’s trending at GPS? Success, opportunity, and possibilities in the college search process!

(AE) n

College admission experts Claudia Goldbach, left, and Susan McCarter.

COLLEGE TOURS

education. In addition, they share the following advice with students and parents: • Expand the Search — With these new realities, it is more important than ever that students and parents consider schools beyond the familiar. This could mean researching schools in different geographical regions, small private colleges, or schools focused on a girl’s stated interest such as international studies or engineering.

• Demonstrate Interest — Colleges have only so many seats available, and in order to manage their enrollment, they often consider whether a student has actually shown strong interest in their institution, thus increasing the odds she will enroll once accepted. Many schools consider Demonstrated Interest (DI) in the admissions process, and GPS girls are counseled on how to appropriately show interest through campus visits, hand-written thank-you notes, and essay responses.

Our college counselors stay busy, meeting with students and parents, writing recommendations, and coaching families on the application process. Another important part of their role is developing relationships with colleges and universities across the country, ensuring they understand the value of a GPS education.

Here are just some of the campuses our counselors have toured in the past few years: Bowdoin College Brown University Butler University Claremont McKenna College Colgate University Dickinson College Emory University Fordham University Furman University Lafayette College Lehigh University Northwestern University Occidental College Sewanee: The University of the South Southern Methodist University Texas Christian University University of Chicago University of Georgia University of Notre Dame University of San Francisco Whitman College

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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MAY DAY — a c o n s t a n t i n e v e r - c h a n g i n g l i v e s 2

A Day of

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Tradition

and Fun

Now-Retired Upper School Principal Jessica Good stepped to the podium

at the side of the Rotunda promptly at 2 p.m. to open May Day, and before introducing the girls, she reflected on the significance of the tradition to the graduating seniors. The ritual, she said, “is an event that has become a constant in their ever-changing lives.” And, she added, it’s “a day that is simply fun!”

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Presiding over the day was May Queen Mackenzie Hobbs, Partnership in Community president and softball catcher. Joining her on the court were other leaders and athletes: Lindsay Rufolo, Maid of Honor; Angela Bonds, Abby Jansen, Nia Sanders, and Katherine Ward.

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1 Abbey Anderson starts the walk down the sidewalk.

2 Hannah Thel, Nia Sanders, Ragan Foley, and Maddie Logan pose for photos after the event.

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3 Kristen Myers, left, and Analisa Stratienko, chair of the May Day committee, lead the promenade.

4 Ayda Fisher 5 Lexi Taliaferro, Eliza Lebovitz, and Cami Shands show off their vibrantly colored bouquets.

6 Patricia Royo 7 Tenth and eleventh graders dance to the music of “Hand Jive” from the Broadway musical Grease.

8 The May Court: Queen Mackenzie Hobbs, and clockwise left Maid of Honor Lindsay Rufolo, Angela Bonds, Nia Sanders, Katherine Ward, and Abby Jansen.

9 Lynnielle Mays 10 Caroline Spann poses with her mother Stacey and sister, Corinne, who will be celebrating her own May Day in 2018.

11 Dancers at the blue May Pole hold up the ribbons for the Queen to walk underneath.

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No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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Gr a d u a t e s e n c o u r a g e d t o C a rr y o n t h e s p i r i t o f t h e F o u n

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Commencement Encouraging the graduates to “carry on the spirit of the Founders — women who had the confidence, energy, and intelligence to ditch expectations,” Dr. Autumn Graves shared her first GPS graduation with the Class of 2015.

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Among those to whom she paid tribute were the teachers who, she said, “have provided ‘aha’ moments to the seniors,” the retiring faculty, and the legacy graduates.

1 Anjali Chandra (co-valedictorian) who will attend Harvard, spoke about GPS, and her personal Global Positioning System.

2 Savannah Williams, who reprised her Chapel Talk, will attend The University of the South. She is on the left with friends Reagan Williams and Katie West, who will attend the University of Tennessee, Williams in Chattanooga and West in Knoxville.

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3 Nia Sanders, recipient of the Founders Award, will attend Brown University. She is pictured with her mother, Julie, a loyal GPS volunteer and Terpsichord mom.

4 Dr. Graves and Board Chair Dr. Chris Smith ’72 led the faculty through two lines of seniors who applauded the faculty’s talents and dedication.

5 April Forsthoffer, left, received the Barbara Johnson Prickett Award and will attend Drexel University. She is pictured with Hannah Geerlings and Alex George, who will attend Tennessee Tech and Asbury University, respectively.

6 Gloria Yan, left, and Meg Winchester will attend Cornell University and Samford University, respectively.

7 Emily Maley, recipient of the Laura Handly Award, will attend Texas Christian University.

8 Ellie Haskins received the Faculty Award from Dr. Graves. She will attend Texas Christian University.

9 Hira Munir, left, delivered the closing prayer. She will attend the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Also pictured are Anina Mu and Najia Humayun, who will both attend Georgia Tech.

10 Rachel Hudson, left, and Katie McDougal, recipient of the Patsy Williams Scott Service Award, will attend the University of the South and Georgia State University.

11 Abby Jansen, recipient of the Mary Hannah Tucker Award, will attend Southern Adventist University. Salutatorian Ragan Foley, right, was honored with the Pete Wood Award. She will attend the University of Georgia Honors Program.

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12 PE Dept. Chair Peggy Michaels was surrounded with love by the Welborn sisters. From left are Margaret Welborn Lowery ’10, Libby Welborn ’18, and Anne Miller Welborn. Anne received the Jane Henegar Award and will attend Wake Forest University.

13 From left are Taylor Battle, Samantha Becknell, Chelsea Berghorn, and Courtney Bladen. They will attend Tusculum College, University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Florida Southern College, and University of Alabama Birmingham.

14 Hannah Thel (co-valedictorian) will be at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall and described a GPS education as “a rare gift.”

15 Lindsay Rufolo, left, received the Roberta Moore Award and will attend Davidson College. Carly Bourne will attend UTK. 16 Showing off their GPS diplomas are Elizabeth Grace Riddle, Abbey Anderson, Brittany Davis, and Maggie Ingvalson. Riddle, Anderson, and Ingvalson will attend UTK; Davis will attend High Point University.

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No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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At h l e t i c s

Season Accomplishments For the first time in six years, the GPS swim team cracked the top three at the state championship meet. The third-place Bruisers were just 16 points away from second place. Four swimmers — Susanna LaRochelle, April Forsthoffer, Anna Ward, and Kristen Myers — made All-American. Seven swimmers and one diver contributed points for the team, and six team records were broken.

“We have not set this many records since 1996,” says Coach John Woods. “This was the fastest State Championship ever.”

“We fielded an extremely young team this year,” says Coach Susan Crownover of her softball team that nevertheless had a runner-up finish at the state tournament. Pictured are the softball seniors. “After losing the first game at the state tournament, the girls showed great character and grit by fighting their way back to the championship game and finishing second. Named to All-Region were Taylor Battle, Hannah Kincer, Haley Smith, and Shelby Walters.

The crew team began the season with a sweep against Westminster and then second place finishes at the Tennessee Sprint Series Championship. The team swept Baylor for a 6th consecutive Carney Cup, and at the Mid-South Scholastic Championships, GPS won three races and the all-points trophy. The season ended with the Southeast Regional Championships, where GPS was the only girls’ scholastic team to earn a medal. “Our results were some of the best we’ve had in the last six years,” says Coach Anders Swanson.

GPS lacrosse celebrated the program’s 10th anniversary, led this year by a senior class with six seniors earning All-Region Honors: Savannah Williams, Lindsay Rufolo, Grace Sanford, Alex George, Anna Claire Pierce, and Carly Bourne. Both Williams and Rufolo were recognized at the state level, making the second team All-State. “Looking ahead, we have 17 rising sophomores who are committed to the development of their skills,” says Coach Caroline Carlin.

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Seven girls qualified for the state track meet, with Rachel Hudson finishing fourth in the discus and eighth grader Emily Morrison claiming eighth in the long jump. The 4 x 800 relay team consisting of Madison Watson, Kate McVay, Scottie Sandlin, and Carley Braman took sixth.

“With this team losing only three seniors, the future looks very bright for next year,” says Coach Stacey Hill.

More Athletic News • While the basketball season did not end with the crowning of a Bruiser state championship, it could have very well been the story of Hoosiers had injuries not so plagued the team. Nonetheless, the Bruisers defeated rivals Baylor, Father Ryan, and John Paul II in region play, but lost to eventual state champion Brentwood by mere points. A solid core of seniors will be missed, including Rachel Hudson, Kara Ware, and Reagan Williams.

• A record ten girls will be participating in collegiate athletics this fall: Taylor Battle, softball (Tusculum); Carter Dickinson, cross country (Maryville); April Forsthoffer, swimming (Drexel); Alex George, lacrosse (Asbury); Mackenzie Hobbs, softball (Sewanee); Chelsea Jackson, cheerleading (UTK); Kristen Myers, swimming (Evansville); Lindsay Rufolo, lacrosse (Davidson); Madison Watson, cross country (UTC); and Savannah Williams, lacrosse (Sewanee).

• The Middle School swim team competed in the Southeastern Middle School Championships in mid-January and came home with their sixth consecutive championship title. Their tally of 354 outpaced the second place team by 70 points. Six girls earned first-place wins, and three events set meet records. The winning 200 medley relay team’s time would have placed 9th at the Tennessee State High School championships in 2014.

• At the middle school Regional Golf Invitational, GPS had two top-ten finishers. With a nine-hole score of 53, Gracie Spence took the fifthplace medal. Fellow seventh grader Darby Curvin finished seventh out of fifteen with a 55. The team was coached by Jenny Bullard and Rob Riddle.

The tennis team ended their season losing a close semifinal battle with Hutchison but celebrated with Maddox Bandy and Jenna Thorstenson, pictured, who won the TSSAA Individual State Doubles Championship! “The girls had a great attitude with a frequently changing order, and our young team (seven freshmen and one eighth grader joined the older girls) worked consistently hard all year and made outstanding improvement,” says Coach Sue Bartlett. Senior Jennie McBrayer was the team’s MVP with an impressive 16-4 record at no. 2 singles.

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West Goes to Washington Girls Nation…Here she comes!

Rising senior Caroline West was selected at this summer’s Volunteer Girls State to attend the 2015 Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. as a Senator from Tennessee. In addition to West’s election, each of the other four GPS girls attending the program were also elected to an office — City Mayors, City Councilwoman, Party Delegate — in recognition of their leadership qualities. From left are Rachel Raisin, Mary Charlotte Smalley, who attended Georgia Girls State; Alyson Parris, Mary Melissa Manuel, Ragan Foley ’15, a Girls State alumna/volunteer; Allyce Buniak, and West.

Eight Inducted into Cum Laude Is it just a coincidence that Cum Laude was founded in 1906, the same year that Girls Preparatory School was born?

Induction into Cum Laude at GPS is one of the highest honors a girl can achieve, and this year eight seniors were recognized for challenging themselves and achieving high academic success. From left, Hannah Geerlings, Nia Sanders, April Forsthoffer, Ragan Foley, Anna Claire Pierce, Hannah Thel, Anjali Chandra, and Najia Humayun were celebrated by the faculty and student body.

The students were introduced by faculty members asked to capture the girls’ uniqueness, teachers with whom each girl had developed a bond: Keith Sanders, Linda Mines, Diane Walker, Callie Hamilton, Jennifer Williams, Caroline Carlin, Laurel Zahrobsky, and Katy Berotti. They quoted Irish writers James Joyce and Dylan Thomas, poets William Wordsworth and Maya Angelou, novelist George Orwell and fabulist Aesop to describe the young women as scholars, humanitarians, avid readers, and activists…or, in the words of one faculty member, “women to watch.”

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This is the fifth time in six years that a Bruiser has been chosen for a top Girls State honor. Nisha Boyington ’11 attended Girls Nation in 2010. Sarah Shaw ’12, was elected Governor in 2011. Emma McCallie ’13 represented GPS and the Volunteer Girls State as one of two Girls Nation Senators in 2012, and Emily You ’14 was elected Governor in 2013. Other GPS/Girls State volunteers at this summer’s session were Kate Commander ’04, Laura Laughlin ’10, and Mary Chandler Gwin ’14.

STEM Success Continues For the fifth consecutive year, GPS received the senior division award plaque for most first, second, and/or third place entries at the annual Chattanooga Regional Science & Engineering Fair. Christina Love, second from left on the front row, was a multipleaward winner and invited to compete in the 2015 ISWEEEP Olympiad in Houston, Texas, this past May, at which she won a bronze medal and a $2,000 scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin. Senior Division winners include, first row from left, Anna Ward, Christiana Love, Lucy Newbold, and Sarah McDougal; second row, Lauren Milner, Tia Kemp, Isabella Cornea, Rebecca Torrence, Morgan Pels, and Lily Everett; and third row, Kate McVay, Delaney Swann, Lori Baxter, and Iman Ali. Many Middle School students captured category awards in the Junior Division as well.

GPS & McCallie students star in Legally Blonde With a canine character named Bruiser, the musical Legally Blonde seemed a perfect fit for the Frierson Theatre stage. Students from GPS and McCallie starred in the Tonynominated Broadway production. Junior Allyce Buniak played Elle Woods, a girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back the affections of her ex-boyfriend. The production was directed by Catherine Bolden and produced by Suzanne Smartt.

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Outstanding Teachers Jill Pala Pieritz ’97 and Amy Gray Piper were honored on Class Day with Upper School and Middle School Teacher of the Year recognition. Jill is the chair of the Computer Science Department, teaches a variety of computer and engineering classes, and is the advisor for the yearbook. Amy teaches eighth grade English, advises the Mock Trial and Model UN clubs, and assisted with the spring musical.

The Art of May Day Plein air artist Liz Lindstrom, left, captured the beauty of May Day 2015 as the event was unfolding. After the deadline for bidding on the painting ended, the family of Katie West ’15, center, was the proud owner. At right is Head of School Dr. Autumn Graves. Funds raised in the bidding and in the sale of limited edition prints were designated for the Annual Fund, Financial Aid.

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CLASS DAY AWA R D WINNE R S

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1 Sixth grade awards went to Sydney Morris, Margaret Wheland Cate Award; and Astha Sinha, Joan Haley Frierson Award.

2 Seventh grade award recipients were Meg Priest, Thedford Award; and Jadyn Matthews, Ruth Schmidt Award.

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3 Eighth grade award winners were Maddie Humble, Janet Jackson Award; and Olivia Combs, DAR Award.

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4 Freshman award winners included, from left, Mary Ellis Bratcher, Mary Alice Hood Chambers Award; Annsleigh Jones, Marilyn Sherman Center Award; Hannah Prescott, Frances Wheeler Scholarship; Meher Memon, Freshman Cup; and AshleyRose Lynn, Dora Maclellan Brown Award.

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5 Sophomore recipients of awards were, from left, Hannah Brotton, Lisa Blake Scholarship; Tia Kemp, Dorris Chapin Wells Award; Anna Shaw, Sophomore Bracelet; and Iman Ali, Duffy-Jarnagin Scholarship.

6 Junior class award winners were, seated from left, Alyson Parris, Palmer Griffin Award; Zoe Rustand, Senior Scholarship; and Story DeWeese, the Christian Bryant Award. Standing are Mary Lyddon Thatcher and Ayushi Sinha, co-recipients of the Grace McCallie Scholarship. Thatcher also won the Battle Award.

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7 Senior class honorees included Rachel Hudson, Counts Technology Award; Mackenzie Hobbs, DAR Award; and Mary Lillian Tessman, Mildred Peters Award.

8 Additional athletic awards went to junior Susanna LaRochelle, Sarah Burns Award; sophomore Lucy Newbold, the Elizabeth Collier Farmer Award; and junior Nikki Backus, the Laura Holt Outstanding Athlete Award.

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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Alumnae Weekend 2015

Be Heard

With a theme of “Be Heard,” alumnae from near and far came to celebrate and share their voices during the events of Alumnae Weekend.

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The celebrations began with an awards luncheon on Friday and continued that evening at an All-Alumnae party at the Founders House.

Saturday offered an opportunity to record alumnae memories and attend master classes on topics ranging from college trends and how girls learn to adventure narratives and cyber security. Before the All-Alumnae Lunch, GPS honored the three new Faculty Emeriti.

1 Accepting the Distinguished Alumna Award in memory of Glynn deVon Key ’82 were family members Chandler Key ’13, Cheryl Key, Calyn Key ’13, Charles Key Jr., Ruby Key, Kyndall Key, and Donna Brown.

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2 Author and illustrator Elisabeth Pearson Waugaman ’65, pictured with her husband Rick, accepted the Margaret Rawlings Lupton Award of Excellence.

3 Softball star Jackie McClain Freelend ’00 was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Standing in front are GPS Coach Susan Crownover, Jackie and her daughter McClain, Tot McClain and Brenda O’Neal. Standing behind them are Jack McClain, David McClain, Lynda McClain, and Cynde Herren.

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4 Susan Taylor Cobb ’90, All-American soccer player, joined the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Pictured in the center, Susan was joined by her family: husband Peter and children Sarah, Taylor, and Alexander, from left. Susan, nominated by her former coach, Carol Killebrew ’79, said her coach and mentor’s influence “encouraged me to be the best vision of myself.”

5 Peggy Michaels, Betty Jo Horton, and Jessica Good, seated from left, were inducted as Faculty Emeriti for their exemplary teaching, professional accomplishments, and service to GPS. Among those speaking on their behalf were daughters Kingsley Michaels Bennett ’94, Meg Michaels Word ’91, Carolyn Horton ’91, Brooke Good Bowles ’92, and Kelly Good McDougal ’91.

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6 The Class of 1965 had a fabulous time at their 50th Reunion. Chairmen Dottie Goree Brock, Anne Caldwell Ramsey, and Taylor Manson Watson encouraged over 40 classmates to attend the events at the school and the class party at the Mountain City Club. Reunion Chairs Carol Green Rippetto and Betsy Cotter McGroaty made connections with their classmates throughout the year to raise funds to celebrate their reunion. At press time, they were working hard to raise the last few hundred dollars to meet their $65,000 goal.

7 Alice Smith Harris ’03, Judy Evans Rowland ’57, and Chris Benz Smith ’72, Chair of the GPS Board of Trustees, visited with others at the All-Alumnae party.

8 Members of the Class of 2005 enjoyed some time with Autumn Graves at the Founders House All-Alumnae party. From left are Cathryn McGill, Betsy Burnett, Dr. Graves, Haleigh Sherbak, Lauren Rogers Cavitt, and Cody Simpson.

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9 Back for their 65th reunion were Barbara Neidhardt Moore, Patti Coxey Gross, and Connie Crumbliss Farrar.

10 Former faculty member Carolyn Chandler, center, who was back on campus to honor Jessica Good as a Faculty Emeriti, is the Head of School at Metairie Park Country Day School in New Orleans. She caught up with former students from the Class of 1995: Ellie McGinness Tiller, Anne Morrow Chamberlain Frazier, Rives Moore Hotra, and Kate Caldwell Nevin.

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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ALUMNAE NEWS

KEEPING CONNECTED

Janet West Batanghari ’84 and Holly Huckaba Brock ’87 accidently bumped into each other in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Thanks for your emails full of news and photos. Thanks as well for sending GPS your updates via Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Keep us connected to your moves, careers, travels, and accomplishments by emailing Katherine Betts at kbetts@gps.edu or Anne Exum at aexum@ gps.edu.

Remember that photos should be as high a resolution as possible, and please provide the name of the professional photographer if a caption credit is needed. Please note that large group wedding photos are no longer being accepted.

’70s Dr. Laurel H. Carney ’79 was awarded the 2015 William and Christine Hartmann Prize in Auditory Neuroscience by the Acoustical Society of America at the international scientific society’s annual meeting. The prize recognizes and honors research that links auditory physiology with auditory perception or behavior in humans or other animals.

Dr. Carney is a professor at the University of Rochester in the departments of biomedical engineering, neurobiology and anatomy, and electrical and computer engineering. The goals of her research program are to understand how the brain hears, particularly in noisy environments; why relatively small amounts of hearing loss cause significant problems, and why background noise is so problematic for those with hearing loss.

’80s & ’90s Janet West Batanghari ’84, who lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, attended a Bible study in March and ran into Holly Huckaba Brock ’87, who was in the country for several months. As Janet says, “Who knows when you’re going to run into a GPS alum?”

Congratulations to Meg Glass Bandy ’87, who was inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame. Meg is the assistant tennis coach for GPS.

At the Moth Ball, pictured from left are Lee Cureton ’91, Risa Callaway Miller ’90, Laurel Moore Zahrobsky ’90, and Connie Reddan Miller ’91. Laurel and Connie fit into their May Day dresses!

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Four GPS alums — Lee Cureton ’91, Risa Callaway Miller ’90, Laurel Moore Zahrobsky ’90, and Connie Reddan Miller ’91 — met up at the annual Moth Ball in Chattanooga, an event for women, about women, to benefit women. This year’s event, which benefited the Children’s Advocacy Center, invited women to “dust off their wedding, prom, or bridesmaid dress to support a non-profit that benefits women.”

’90s John (6) and Ellie (4) Moore celebrated their birthdays in a very special way this past April. Deciding to forego birthday presents, the children asked that gifts from their party held at Siskin Children’s Hospital be given in memory of their friends Reagan and Jax Cohen, children of Rachel Monroe Cohen. Their mom, Fannie Petros Moore, and Rachel are members of the GPS Class of 1996 and have stayed close through the years, sharing that closeness with their children. In May, John and Ellie presented gifts totaling over $1,000 to Dr. Autumn Graves to support the Reagan and Jax Cohen Scholarship at GPS. The scholarship will support students qualifying for need-based financial aid.

’00s Erika Johnson ’00 whose wedding is announced in the Weddings page of the magazine, graduated with honors from the University of Alabama Birmingham with her Family Nurse Practitioners degree and has taken a position with CVS Caremark in Atlanta as one of their providers.

After receiving a special request from Ruchi Vora Kejriwal ’02 for the last issue of the GPS magazine, we put one in the mail to her in India and heard back about her new entrepreneurial venture. Ruchi has launched a new clothing line of her designs and is on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy. The beautiful Indian-inspired fabrics and designs have been worn by some of her classmates at weddings and other events. Check out Pink by Ruchi at www.pinkbyruchi.com Alice Smith ‘03 has held several positions at Episcopal School of Knoxville — assistant teacher, coach, Development Office Associate, and Director of Special Events. Now the school is tapping her talents as the new Director of Admissions. ESK noted her “strategic thinking skills, warmth, and knowledge of the school’s academic program” in recommending her for the new endeavor.

In an article in Tennessee Alumnus, a magazine for alumni at all UT campuses and institutes, written by Elizabeth Davis ’92, one of several profiles features Lisa Swafford Vanderwall ’03. After receiving her bachelor’s in nursing from UT Knoxville and her master’s from the Chattanooga campus, Lisa went on to add more initials after her name: advanced practice nurse (APN) and certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA). Now a nurse anesthetist who sees all age ranges of patients, she told Elizabeth Davis that she also spends time teaching nursing students from several programs and said, “I get to explain why I love what I do.”

John and Ellie Moore asked that gifts from their birthday party be given in memory of their friends Reagan and Jax Cohen, children of Rachel Monroe Cohen ’96.

They are pictured here with their mom, Fannie Petros Moore ’96, and Dr. Graves.

Lisa Swafford Vanderwall ’03, has become an advanced practice nurse (APN) and certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA).

(Photo credit to Adam Brimer/The University of Tennessee)

Anna Holt Danau ’04 stopped by GPS before she and her husband left for at least three years in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), Vietnam, where he will be COO of an edutainment theme park and she will work as an independent defense consultant.

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ALUMNAE NEWS

’00s — continued Some of Coach John Woods’ former swimmers had a reunion and pre-race dinner on Saturday, May 16, prior to the Sunbelt Bakery Ironman 70.3 held in Chattanooga the next day. Not all participated in the triathlon, but those who trained and completed the 1.2 mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13.1 run along the beautiful Tennessee Riverwalk were Kendall Jacobs ’04, Keelee Wrenn ’04, Annie Loveless ’02, Joy Vetter Kaeser ’99, Emily Pala Bandeen ’98, and Karah Nazor ’95 (not in photo). Pictured at the Woods’ riverfront home are, in front, Jacobs and Kaeser. Standing are Beth Summerlin Harper ’98, Bandeen, Katie Jacobs Sallee ’01, Wrenn, Loveless, Emily Woods Schultz ’96, John Woods, Katherine Dann Ogden ’02, and Amy Vetter Hinds ’02. The alumnae participating in the triathlon had training T-shirts with the message Bruiser Strong, #TriLikeAGirl.

Triathlon participants trained and completed the 1.2 mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13.1 run along the Tennessee Riverwalk.

GPS caught up with Stacy Farrar ’05, or maybe Stacy caught up with GPS, during Alumnae Weekend. Stacy is off to what she calls her “next adventure,” a posting as a United States Liaison Officer to the Australian Department of Defense. The dual-hatted position “down under” is one in which she will pull from her educational background in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as an analyst embedded within Australia’s geospatial division, as well as advance the two countries’ international sharing agreements as a liaison with the U.S. Embassy.

“I’ll be the first to say that my time at GPS has had direct implications on my career path,” says Stacy. “My confidence in public speaking, my inclination to think critically about issues at hand, and even the earliest onset of my interest in international policy all originated within those classrooms. I already sing GPS’s praises from coast to coast, and I am happy to now expand that horizon!”

Jo Beth Richards Voges ’06 has expanded her creativity with the January launch of a line of handmade leather goods on Etsy. Check out her shop at www.etsy.com/ shop/JEVoges

Maggie Johnston ’09

Kathleen Ellison ’07 graduated from Quillen College of Medicine this past spring and will spend the next year in Chattanooga as a resident in internal medicine at Erlanger Hospital. After one year in her hometown, Kathleen will spend three years at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., in the hospital’s dermatology residency program.

A local television station in Pittsburgh, PA, ran a feature story about a group research project at Carnegie Mellon University. Among the graduate students in the feature was Kirstin Early ’08, who is working on her Ph.D. The team is developing an app designed to help renters estimate utility bills.

This photo of Maggie Johnston ’09 was taken during an international exchange program in Brazil. Maggie’s route to the South American country started at the University of Georgia, where she graduated

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cum laude with a major in sociology and a minor in Portuguese language. She was one of 12 members of the inaugural cohort of the Portuguese Flagship program that spent one year in Brazil studying the language and culture at a public university and in an internship as the programming coordinator and resident English language expert/translator for an assisted living facility in what she remembers as “the idyllic island-city of Florianopolis.”

Maggie returned to Chattanooga to pursue prerequisite classes for a master’s degree in speech language pathology. Recently she was offered a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to South Korea for an English teaching assistantship. Maggie says her 13 months overseas will be just another educational stepping stone toward her ultimate goal to work as an SLP with immigrant communities and English language learners.

Natalie Berg ’09 graduated from the University of Kansas with a master’s degree in interior architecture and product design.

She is currently working in Kansas City as a designer at HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm.

’10s Prior to the Women’s College World Series, UTSports.com ran a profile on Tory Lewis ’10, who left the sport of softball after her junior year due to multiple injuries. Working in the sports medicine field after receiving her undergraduate degree, she was wooed back to the sport this past spring to play out her additional year of eligibility. As the article says, “Lewis has set career highs in nearly every offensive category, including a .333 batting average,” including 23 runs, “more than her first three seasons combined.” Unfortunately for the post-grad leader on the field, her team’s loss to Auburn in the WCWS ended the season.

Brandi Berghorn ’11 hopes to be Dr. Berghorn in six years. She graduated magna cum laude in May from Maryville College with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. She has received Georgia Tech’s Presidential Fellowship to study cognition and brain sciences in graduate school through her doctoral study. “GPS put me way ahead of my classmates in college,” says Brandi, who was a four-year cheerleader at Maryville and worked building sets and sewing costumes for the theatre program.

Graduating from Indiana University this past May, Nisha Boyington ’11 received the Outstanding Senior Award for the entire Panhellenic and has moved to Chicago to work for REVEEL, a mobile-first startup that will offer consumers a “location-constrained content.”

Bronte Goodhue ’11 Bronte Goodhue ’11 racked up more than tennis awards during her four years at Sewanee. In addition to being named the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Woman of the Year — the highest honor for a scholar-athlete — Bronte graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and was the 2015 valedictorian at the University of the South. With a degree in economics (honors) and a double minor in math and Spanish, she heads to New York City for work this fall.

Bronte received three consecutive league Player of the Year awards, the sole scholar-athlete in SAA history to be so honored and was the 2015 Sewanee Female Athlete of the Year. The Sewanee tennis team was in the top-20 in national rankings during her four years there, and she received AllAmerican status multiple years in singles and doubles. In 2014, she received the ITA Regional Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship and Leadership Award. The 2011 GPS salutatorian led the Bruisers to the state tennis team title as a senior.

Morgan Elliott ’11 graduated from St. Louis University in May with a degree in biomedical engineering. She has an impressive resume that will follow her through a NASA internship in the Cardiovascular Laboratory at Johnson Space Center over the summer and to her pursuit of a doctorate at Johns Hopkins University in the fall. In the spring prior to her graduation, Morgan was selected for the 2015 Oliver L. Parks award for her academic excellence, leadership, and service; was a recipient

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ALUMNAE NEWS

’10s — continued Katie Cooper Cokberkit ’07 and her GPS “Rat” and cousin Becky Gardner ’13

of the Spirit of Billiken senior award, and received the Outstanding Senior Design Project award for a myoelectric prosthetic hand. She was awarded the Johns Hopkins University Scholarship and Graduate Research Assistantship. While at SLU, Morgan founded the Disability Services Club, was a Goldwater Scholar, served as vice president of the National Biomedical Engineering Honor Society, and was a research assistant at SLU’s School of Medicine Transplant Division.

In March, Morgan Lane ’12 became the first Covenant College softball player in history to be selected as the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association National Hitter of the Week.

Katie Cooper Cokberkit ’07 and her GPS “Rat” and cousin Becky Gardner ’13 joined forces as a catering team in January for a dinner in Chattanooga fostering global engagement. Becky is in the Elliott School of International Relations at George Washington University and left in February for study in Chile. Katie graduated from University of California Davis with a degree in international agricultural development and lives in Turkey. “Both women are great chefs and are living interesting international lives,” says Katie’s proud mom, Eleanor McCallie Cooper ’64.

A family affair May Day is truly a family affair for some seniors and their GPS family legacy members. From the left on the front row are Anne Miller Welborn and her grandmother, Irene Jewell Welborn ’51; Risa Callaway Miller ’90 and daughter Lexie King; Carter Dickinson with her mother, Tennyson Rhodes Dickinson ’76, and grandmother, Adrienne White Rhodes ’50. On the second row are Anna Claire Pierce and her mother, Laura Williams Pierce ’85; Brittany Williams ’04 and niece Savannah Williams; Maggie Ingvalson and her mother, Katy Reynolds Ingvalson ’83; and Wendy Wehrmann Taliaferro ’60 and granddaughter Lexi Taliaferro. On the back row are Mary Lillian Tessmann, her grandmother, Alex Mott Hirsch ’58, and mother, Ellen Hirsch Tessmann ’85; and Hannah McGuire Logan ’92 and daughter Maddie Logan.

In Memoriam

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Rosa Miller Barnes ’32

Elizabeth “Buffy” Soyars Lowe ’56

Lillian Magill Barnett ’33

Nancy Brown Hutcheson ’57

Alice Raht Howell ’38

Carol Dietzen Stein ’57

Anne Hall ’44

Mary “Tina” Comolli Oxford ’62

Mary Ann Neale ’51

Susan Belle Grant ’65

Peggy Morin Franck ’55

Elaine Fleissner ’69

Sally Hunt Roberts ’56

Martha Cooley Krabbendam ’78

S av e t h e D at e

s Join us

Reconnect with your school, your classmates, and your community

Alumnae Weekend 2016 April 8 — 9, 2016

Reunion classes will be all those ending in a “6” or a “1,” but EVERY graduate is invited to the All-Alumnae party on Friday, April 8.

Hope to see you there!

Honoring our Alums d Help us honor the outstanding women of the GPS alumnae community.

Send us your nominations for: • The Distinguished Alumna Award is given to the GPS graduate considered to be the most deserving, taking these three criteria into account: service to the home, church, and community; professional achievements; and commitment to GPS. • The Margaret Rawlings Lupton Award of Excellence was established in 1989 and honors graduates who have made a significant impact in their communities in professional and/or voluntary endeavors.

• The GPS Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 2003 to honor chosen alumnae athletes and former coaches for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the GPS athletic program.

Nomination forms, available at gps.edu, can be submitted to kbetts@gps.edu or mailed to Katherine Betts Girls Preparatory School | 205 Island Avenue Chattanooga, Tennessee 37405 The deadline for nominations is

September 15, 2015.

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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BI R T HS

1995 Courtney Bryant Swafford a daughter, Sadie Grace

2005 Nancy Henry Eriksen a daughter, Mary McAlea

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1996 Jennifer Torrence Vacek Rachel Monroe Cohen a son, Ramsey Webb a son, Boden Jax 2007 Natalie Wallace Perdomo Katie Cooper Cokberkit a daughter, Mary Adelaide a daughter, Leotie Ayla 1997 Kate Bailey Corum twins, son William and daughter Harper 1998 Bethany Bowman Rittenberry a daughter, Katherine Isabel

CAPTIONS 1 Anna Katherine is the daughter of Stephanie Vineyard Lewandowski ’02.

May Burns Burke a son, Anderson Thomas

2 A quizzical look from Katherine Isabel, daughter of Bethany Bowman Rittenberry ’98.

1999 Beth Kent Wingfield a son, Hunter Salt

3 A bundle of pink, Lillian is the daughter of Conlee Cooper Butler ’04.

2000 Sheeka Patel Gupta a daughter, Simran

4 Jon Rivers is the son of Diane Johnson Laughter ’03.

2001 Becky Lind Brooks a son, James Dailey

5 Ramsey Webb is the son of Jennifer Torrance Vacek ’05.

6 Jett is the son of Anne-Marie Wheelock Jolley ’02.

2002 7 Laura Burns Crahan a daughter, Madelyn Grace 8 Stephanie Vineyard Lewandowski a daughter, Anna Katherine

David James is the son of Katherine Crews Pittman ’04.

Mary McAlea, the daughter of Nancy Henry Eriksen ’05, will soon by a year old.

Kim Whitaker Morris 9 Meredith Whitaker Kinney ’00 a son, William “Hardin” and her husband with their daughter, McKay Peyton.

2003 Katie Estes Taylor a son, Henry Price

Heather Harrison O’Brien a daughter, Caroline Camden Diane Johnson Laughter a son, Jon Rivers Blaes Schmissrauter Green a son, John Wilder Shelley Schmissrauter Kay a son, Grayson Everett 2004 Katherine Crews Pittman a son, David James Leanne Gross Brackin a son, James Roger Caitlin Gordon Owens a daughter, Chensey

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10 Natalie Wallace Perdomo ’96 sent in this photo of her two daughters, baby Mary Adelaide “Ada” and big sister Millie.

11 Pretty in pink is Sadie Grace, daughter of Courtney Bryant Swafford ’95.

12 Simran is the daughter of Sheeka Patel Gupta ’00.

13 Sporting his Bruiser Baby bib is Anderson Burke, the son of May Burns Burke ’98.

14 Hank, Wilder, Teddy, and Kent offer their laps and love to infant brother Hunter Salt, newest son of Beth Kent Wingfield ’99.

15 Madelyn Grace is the daughter of Laura Burns Crahan ’02.

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Weddings

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1965 Dorothy Gager / Barbara Short 1990 Heather Lynn Riley / Christopher Roberts Perrino 1997 Jill Pala / Nathan Pieritz 2000 Erica Johnson / Jung Hyan Kang Mandy Schwartz / Grady Phillips 2003 Mary Martha Bullard / Nathan McDaniel Alice Smith / James Adams Harris 2007 Jennifer Laughlin / Thomas Sanders Carolyn Vineyard / John Ritchie 2008 Lauren Elizabeth Starnes / Cole Glasgow

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Captions 1 Carolyn Vineyard ’05 married John Ritchie last summer. GPS alumnae in her wedding, included, from left, Ashleigh Ellison ’05, Stephanie Vineyard Lewandowski ’02, and Megan Grant ’05.

2 Amelia Island was the setting for the marriage of Heather Lynn Riley ’90 and Christopher Robert Perrino last September. (Photo courtesy of Robert Max Photography) 3 Jill Pala ’97 didn’t look outside the family to find bridesmaids for her recent marriage to Nathan Pieritz. Karen Pala ’05 is on the left, and Susan Pala ’01 is on the right. Jill’s dress was designed by Madison Waldrop ’14.

4 Disney World was the setting for the marriage of Grace Robinette ’07 to Ian Carruthers. GPS alumnae in the wedding party included Ashley Babb ’07, Lindsey Gruwell Headrick ’07, and Cady Jones Welch ’08.

Just a reminder that wedding photos are limited to the bride and groom or a group photo with bride and a few (3-4) alumnae attendants. Larger group photos will be shared in the digital Alumnae Newsletters.

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A l u m R e c e i v e s R u t h H o l m b e r g Art s l e a d e r s h i p a w a r d

Hurley Honored for Arts Leadership

Her vision advanced the cultural life of Chattanooga

An impressive pair then and now, Ruth Holmberg and Mai Bell Hurley are pictured during their years together on the GPS Board of Trustees.

Longtime Chattanooga community leader Mai Bell Conley Hurley ’46 was honored in March as the first recipient of the 2015 Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award, presented by ArtsBuild (formerly Allied Arts).

According to ArtsBuild, the award recognizes “an individual who has made significant contributions to the arts in Chattanooga and is actively engaged in the cultural life of our community.”

During a ceremony at the Hunter Museum of Art, the influential GPS alumna was presented with the award before community guests, family, and friends, including GPS Fine Arts Department Head Cathie Ault Kasch ’72. “Mai Bell is the perfect inaugural recipient for the Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Award,” says Cathie. “Both these women have been pioneers in what is now a nationally recognized arts community. It was a delight to see them together and hear stories about the

early days of shaping the city into the thriving, innovative one it is today.”

A former chair of the GPS Board of Trustees, Mai Bell received the school’s Distinguished Alumna Award in 1978 in recognition of her accomplishments.

She has continued to add to an impressive list of community leadership.

Mai Bell was a founding member of the Chattanooga Arts Council, chaired the statewide Tennessee Arts Commission, and was an active member of the Adult Education Council (now Southern Lit Alliance). She was chair of the Chattanooga Symphony Guild and is still a member of the executive committee.

The first woman elected to the Chattanooga City Council, she headed Chattanooga Venture, chairing the capital campaign for the Tennessee Aquarium. Her work and support also led to the creation of the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and to the renovation

of the Tivoli Theatre. Currently, she is active in fundraising for the Chattanooga History Center.

Paying tribute to Ruth Holmberg, also a former GPS Board member, Mai Bell said it was an honor to receive the award named for her longtime friend.

“I followed her footsteps all along the way,” she told the audience.

“The arts are the vision and they are the reality,” she said. “We wouldn’t be a civilized place without them.” n

The 2015-16 Annual Campaign will once again include an opportunity for you to direct your gift to one or more areas in the Annual Giving Family of Funds. One of those is for Arts & Humanities, supporting students in fine arts, dance, theatre productions, music, and the humanities. If you wish to speak to someone at GPS about a gift to the Annual Fund, call David Cope at 423-634-7616.

No Limits. Prepared for Life.

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G irls P reparatory S chool 205 Island Avenue Chattanooga, TN 37405

ALUMS Mark your calendars

for these three upcoming events. At gatherings for area alumnae, you’ll have the chance to mingle with other alums and hear from Dr. Autumn Graves about her first year at GPS and her excitement about the school’s future.

Birmingham, AL - Area Alumnae Gathering Thursday, September 17, 2015 Nashville, TN - Area Alumnae Gathering Tuesday, September 29, 2015 Houston, TX - Area Alumnae Gathering Wednesday, February 3, 2016

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