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The Anchor, Fall 21

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GRACE-ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL | FALL 2021

SCIENCE IN ACTION

Observing and Exploring the World Around Us

PLUS + NEW SAINTS ON STAFF

ALUMNI UPDATES 2020-21 GIVING REPORT


After carefully designing a controlled experiment to determine which variable will affect the height of lava eruption in a model volcano, Seventh Grader Quinn Bresee observes the results, as Graham Davis keeps an eye on proceedings from beyond eruption range.


IN THIS ISSUE

PAGES

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About the Cover

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL LETTER FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT NEW SAINTS ON STAFF P.A. CONNECTION CAMPUS LIFE SCIENCE IN ACTION BETTER TOGETHER: 2021-22 ANNUAL FUND 2020-21 ANNUAL FUND RECAP & LEAD DONOR PARTY 2020-21 GIVING REPORT IN MEMORIAM GSL’S CLASS OF 2017 SAINTS SUPERLATIVES FROM THE ALUMNI DESK ALUMNI NEWS

Science classes at GSL offer an abundance of hands-on, inquiry-based learning opportunities that pique students’ interest. Second Grader Celia Sanders displays the model rocket she created using recyclables and craft materials in the Lower School Maker Lab, as classmate Hasten Fisher works behind her. In studying motion, air, and weather, students have the chance to learn about the science behind flight — knowledge they'll build on later as they design and engineer projects for GSL’s annual Air & Space Day. Photo by Brandon Dill

Head of School Thor A. Kvande Editor Brenda Berry Managing Editor Marci Woodmansee Copy Editors Sherry Emerson Kate Shelton Photography Kelsey Beagle

Shelly McGuire

Brenda Berry

Jeff White

Brandon Dill

Jan Willis

Kirsten Horton

Marci Woodmansee

Katie Longoria The Anchor is a biannual publication of Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal School. Articles are published at the discretion of the school. Comments and questions should be directed to Marci Woodmansee, Managing Editor and Associate Director of Communications, at mwoodmansee@gslschool.org.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2021 -22

Paul Morris, President

Lauren Taylor, Vice-President Scott Crosby, Secretary Sharon Shipley, Treasurer Ben Barksdale, Assistant Treasurer Liz Keough, Past President Emily Callahan

Lauri Prather

Linda Khumalo

Katrina Sanford

Margaret McLean

Paula Sappington

Luis Orbegoso

Simon Wadsworth

Ruth Patton

Ken Woodmansee

Thor Kvande, Head of School The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher, Rector The Right Reverend Phoebe Roaf, Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee Charlie Pazar, Senior Warden Laura Davis, Parents’ Association President FALL 2021

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LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Thor A. Kvande Dear GSL Families, I am excited to share with you another amazing issue of The Anchor magazine, which offers a closer look at GSL’s outstanding science program. The COVID pandemic has brought medical and scientific research to the forefront of our daily lives in ways we couldn’t have imagined two years ago, and I am pleased to report that at GSL, we are doing everything we can today to inspire the doctors and researchers of tomorrow. With talented teachers and a solid but flexible curriculum, we not only help our students acquire a wealth of scientific knowledge, we also teach our students how to be good scientists. In their science work, our students are learning how to observe, record evidence, think critically, work with data in various forms, and formulate questions and insights based on that data. Walk into a science class at GSL, and the excitement is palpable. Whether in Preschool, Lower School, or Middle School, there is always a lot of energy and focus on the experiment or task, and our students are having fun in the process! Beginning in Preschool, GSL students have the opportunity to explore the world around them both indoors and via our outdoor classroom. Through structured activities, sensory learning, planting, observing, measuring, and more, students are continually exploring and asking questions — the foundation for any good research! In Lower School, our foundation is the FOSS (Full Option Science System) curriculum, which is naturally STEAM-oriented, but with science at its core. Students are engaged in experiments from start to finish. Instead of receiving pre-made materials to work with, they help organize and engineer the set-up of materials and experiments, down to measuring lab materials precisely.

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This type of hands-on learning fosters curiosity and encourages students to develop questions and seek answers, ultimately learning to think as scientists themselves. As students move into Middle School, science at GSL becomes even more lab-centered. Students are regularly introduced to ideas and concepts through doing experiments, which allows them to discover the ideas and scientific principles being taught in a hands-on way. This approach also invites students to pursue some of their ideas and questions that arise from the experiments, and delve deeper into why certain reactions occur, for example. In the lab setting, not everything goes perfectly the first time, and GSL students understand that and develop the ability to learn from both the “successful” and “unsuccessful” experiments. Our young alumni regularly visit GSL after graduating, and over and over again we hear from them that the labs they are doing in high school mirror labs they have done right here at GSL! In other words, they are prepared and equipped to take on the challenges of rigorous high school science courses thanks to the foundation we provide. We can’t wait to see what the young scientists and researchers-to-be of GSL will accomplish in the future.

Thor A. Kvande, Head of School


FALL 2021

LETTER FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT

Paul Morris Dear GSL Community, At our August retreat, the GSL Board of Trustees reaffirmed our Strategic Plan and thereby doubled down on the first goal of that plan: Academic Excellence. GSL will continue to distinguish itself through the strength of the school’s academic program and the academic performance of students. We prepare children to thrive at the most academically competitive high schools, and our students are consistently sought after by these institutions. GSL graduates have a well-earned reputation for being academic and social leaders in high school, college, and beyond, and we are committed to maintaining and enhancing this reputation. One important area of academics at GSL is science. The last couple of years have certainly highlighted the importance of science in today’s world, so it’s appropriate that in this issue of The Anchor, we focus on this subject. Kids are open-minded and curious; they are essentially born scientists. GSL teachers do a masterful job of encouraging our children’s natural curiosity and educating them on the body of knowledge that science has developed. And while it may be hard for us to envision when our children are still very young, junior kindergartners studying butterflies become Lower Schoolers studying trees and photosynthesis, and eventually turn into Middle Schoolers making their own barometers, rockets, and volcanoes in our incredible, fully-equipped laboratories (a rarity at the Middle School level). And THOSE students build on our foundation and have the ability to go very far, indeed! Take Will Taylor '06, for instance — a Luker who went from GSL to MUS and then to Princeton where he earned a degree in physics. In this issue’s Alumni News update, we share the title of his dissertation, as he’s about to finish his Ph.D. in physics at Brown University. Will recently reflected on his learning at GSL and the importance of science instruction, and shared the following thoughts with us:

“ I was interested in science and engineering as early as sixth grade (at that time, I wanted to go to MIT). Math and science classes with Ms. Forsyth, Ms. Gault, Ms. Gulden, and Mr. Phil were great. I think the most important trait to have in science is just a curiosity to understand how things work. Being able to have lab experience, where you can poke and prod and dissect and disassemble things to see what's going on — with some guided instruction to fill in the gaps — goes a long way. I think it's also very important to teach that science is often messy and difficult, and even experts get it wrong, but making mistakes is part of the process and a necessary component of learning.” GSL graduates really say it best, don’t they? Our science program advances the school’s mission to prepare our boys and girls to become creative problem solvers. Academic excellence, in this area and in all our teaching, will remain this school’s primary focus and where we spend the bulk of our energy and resources. Each school day, GSL strives to provide a vigorous academic experience that fosters individual achievement and personal success, and we are so proud of how far our students go from here! Of course, the hard work is done by our excellent teachers and the staff that support them, and the last couple of years have been harder than ever. Please thank our dedicated GSL teachers and staff every chance you get.

Sincerely,

Paul Morris President, Board of Trustees

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New Saints on Staff WE ARE PROUD TO INTRODUCE 14 NEW FACULTY MEMBERS AT GSL THIS YEAR! CHRISTINE ANES Pre-Kindergarten Teacher Hometown: Cairo, Egypt Family: My husband Sam; two wonderful boys - Daniel, 6, and David, 3 (a Terrific Tiger) First Job: Admin Assistant at Hilton Hotels & Resorts Favorite Children’s Book: I Am a Rainbow by Dolly Parton Last Book Read: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Favorite Quote: “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” —William Shakespeare Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: I learned how to plant, and grew peppermint in my backyard. ISABELLE BROWN Associate ACE Director for Lower and Middle School Hometown: Smithville, N.J. Family: My parents, sisters, and dogs all live in New Jersey! First Job: In high school I "performed" as various Disney princesses at children's birthday parties. Favorite Children’s Book: The entire Frog & Toad series! Last Book Read: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Favorite Quote: “All things are so very uncertain, and that's exactly what makes me feel reassured.” —Tove Jansson Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: How to make my own earrings/jewelry Favorite Moment Since Joining GSL: Getting to know all of the kids across so many grade levels! CAROLINE CANON Senior Kindergarten Teacher Hometown: Memphis Family: I have Luker connections! — my mom Tara Smith Johnson ’88 and aunt Tiffany Smith Casey ’91. I also have Bruiser the puppy, Theodore the black cat, Oreo the guinea pig, and Cujo the dog. First Job: After school care counselor at Woodland Presbyterian School Favorite Children’s Book: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin Last Book Read: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling Favorite Quote: “Do or do not. There is no try.” —Yoda Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: How to project my voice through a mask Favorite Moment Since Joining GSL: My mother and my aunt attended SK in the same room I’m teaching in now!

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BETH CLARK Pre-Kindergarten Assistant Teacher Hometown: Memphis Family: 14-year-old daughter Savannah & Ms. Kitty, a tortie cat First Job: Aftercare Teacher Assistant at Cordova Learning Center Favorite Children’s Book: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Last Book Read: The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson Favorite Quote: “You were born with the ability to change someone’s life; don’t ever waste it.” —Dale Partridge Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: Eating al fresco can be good for the soul! Funniest Moment Since Joining GSL: After I explained that dinosaurs are extinct, one of our 3-year-olds exclaimed, “Dinosaurs don’t stink!” Funny how things get lost in translation! KATHERINE CONSOLA 7th/8th Grade Latin and 5th Grade History Teacher Hometown: Sherman Oaks, Calif. Family: Mom, Dad, younger sister Claire, younger brother Robert, and three cats: Korra, Cinders, and Tigger First Job: At an AMC theater in Los Angeles Favorite Children’s Book: Falling Up by Shel Silverstein Last Book Read: A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn Favorite Quote: "Progress is not a straight line." —Dr. An Wang Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: Cross-stitching Favorite Moment Since Joining GSL: My first week of school was magical. It was terrifying and wonderful all at once. I loved meeting my students and getting started as a teacher at GSL. It's been an amazing experience so far! WEST ELLIS 7th Grade History and World Religions Teacher Hometown: Chinle, Ariz. Family: My wife, Jessica Samuel, who attended GSL in 3rd and 4th grade in 1980-81; daughter Esme, 14, who attends Crosstown High; and my in-laws, Tom and Suzie, who stay with us. First Job: Dishwasher at a ski resort Favorite Children’s Book: The Animal Family by Randall Jarrell Last Book Read: The Proud Highway by Hunter S. Thompson Favorite Quote: "Debt is the slavery of the free." —Publilius Syrus Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: How to take apart a car’s motor (still working on the puttingback-together part!) Funniest Moment Since Joining GSL: Being a fly on the wall listening to 7th grade boys is ALWAYS entertaining.


ABBY HENSLEY Senior Kindergarten Assistant Teacher Hometown: Bennington, Vt. Family: Well-loved by my parents, older brother, and little sister! I also have a wonderful Husky named Mako. First Job: Working at a ski resort as a cashier. I actually don’t know how to ski! Favorite Children’s Book: Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown Last Book Read: Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker Favorite Quote: “Never regret anything that made you smile.” —Mark Twain Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: How to bake sweet treats! Dangerously delicious :) Funniest Moment Since Joining GSL: I worked in ACE last year and loved the Talent Show on the last day of school! KAM JOHNSON Pre-Kindergarten Assistant Teacher Hometown: Memphis Family: 10 siblings, 7 cats, and 3 dogs First Job: GSL After School Care Teacher Favorite Children’s Book: Frindle by Andrew Clements Last Book Read: 21st Birthday by James Patterson Favorite Quote: “People assume that time is a strict progression of cause and effect, from a non-linear, non subjective viewpoint. It's more of a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff." —10th Doctor, Doctor Who Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: Renewed love for drawing Funniest Moment Since Joining GSL: Going to the outdoor classroom after it rains means at least one person will end up covered in mud. It’s very messy, but always fun to see. CARMEN NAVARRO Preschool and Lower School Spanish Teacher Hometown: Maracaibo, Venezuela Family: Husband Cesar Aparicio First Job: Summer Camp Teacher Favorite Children’s Book: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Last Book Read: Un Poco de ti (Kamaú tut 1) by A.K. Guardián Favorite Quote: “If you see the wonders of a fairy tale, you can take the future even if you fail.” —Benny & Björn, ABBA Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: How to latch hook Funniest Moment Since Joining GSL: When I first saw some of my students’ faces unmasked, in the cafeteria or outside, they looked completely different than the images I had pictured in my head!

BRITTANY SMITH Little Lukers Assistant Teacher Hometown: St. Louis, Mo. Family: I have a fraternal twin and the cutest little nephew! First Job: I worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant Favorite Children’s Book: Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss Last Book Read: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Favorite Quote: “The greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they’re loved and capable of loving.” —Mr. Rogers Funniest Moment Since Joining GSL: Oh, almost every moment is funny with the Little Lukers! They truly say the sweetest and funniest things daily! ERIKA TORRES Junior Kindergarten Assistant Teacher & Preschool ACE Teacher Hometown: Paterson, N.J. Family: I’ve had the privilege of babysitting for some GSL families that I now consider my family! Favorite Children’s Book: I love Saturdays y domingos by Alma Flor Ada Favorite Quote: “The sun will rise and we will try again.” —Twenty One Pilots Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: How to make different pastries! AMZIE WILLIAMS 6th Grade Bible Teacher Hometown: Oxford, Miss. Family: A German Shepherd named Brooklyn and a cat named Cosmo First Job: Lifeguard Favorite Children’s Book: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Last Book Read: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong Favorite Quote: “The true measure of your character is what you do when nobody's watching.” —Charles Colton Favorite Moment Since Joining GSL: Asking the 6th grade students to build and then destroy their own Towers of Babel in Bible class.

ELLYSE WOOLARD Middle School Math Teacher Hometown: Baton Rouge, La. Family: Husband Austin, twin boys Cade & Aidan, and two dogs, Nash & Riley First Job: Camp Counselor Favorite Children’s Book: Anything by Eric Carle! Last Book Read: His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman Favorite Quote: “Being fully human is not about feeling happy, it’s about feeling everything.” —Glennon Doyle Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: I crocheted and hand-wove a lot of wall hanging art … like a lot. I could decorate every room in my house with one, but luckily I had friends and family who wanted them! Favorite Moment Since Joining GSL: Homecoming Week! I loved seeing all the students get creative with dress-down days, and I can never pass up a good theme/ costume party! ABIGAIL WRIGHT 3rd Grade Teacher Hometown: San Jose, Calif. Family: My husband Michael and our cat Roux First Job: Tennis Coach Favorite Children’s Book: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling Last Book Read: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (highly recommend!) Favorite Quote: “A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.” —Helen Keller Best New Thing You Learned in the Pandemic: How to embroider! Funniest Moment Since Joining GSL: We have an adorable stuffed whale in our classroom. My students decided to name him Nacho, which I thought was hilarious.

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2021-22 P.A. Executive Board, front row: Kelly Martin, Jenn Gibbs, Laura Davis; back row, Anna Blair, Ann Pretzer, Carey Pontius

THE P.A. CONNECTION By Laura Davis

On behalf of the 2021-22 Parents’ Association (P.A.), I would like to give a warm welcome to all of our new GSL families! To our returning Saints families, it is nice to be back on campus with all of you this year! I am honored to serve as President of the P.A. Executive Board this year along with fellow Executive Board officers and parents Ann Pretzer, Treasurer; Anna Blair, Secretary; Kelly Martin, Middle School VP; Jenn Gibbs, Lower School VP; and Carey Pontius, Preschool VP. All GSL parents are valuable members of the Parents’ Association. The purpose of this association is to create a strong parent community that supports the mission of the school and raises money through activities such as Charleston Wrap, Anchor Auction, Trivia Night, and Spirit Wear sales. Additional P.A.-sponsored events that make our school community feel more like a family include Teacher

Appreciation Day, the Father-Daughter Dance, the 8th Grade Italian Dinner, and the Mother-Son Event. I want to thank Mary Evelyn Fore ’91 for her hard work as the 2020-21 P.A. President. Mary Evelyn and last year’s Executive Board faced many unexpected challenges due to the pandemic. But despite obstacles encountered, the P.A. was able to provide $80,000 to purchase teacher wish list items. Items purchased include interactive touchscreen boards in Lower and Middle School, a Flinn Advanced microscope for the science lab, portable seating for a senior kindergarten reading area, handsome new wooden student chairs for the Preschool, and more. (See photos below.) I am excited to report we had record sales of $13,000 at our Back-to-School Spirit Wear sale in August. Future Spirit Wear sales will be announced in the weekly eNews, so please watch for additional opportunities to shop. Our Charleston Wrap fundraiser, which concluded in September, was online this year and earned nearly $20,000. Top

New wooden chairs at the Preschool are both sturdy and comfortable.

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student sellers received gift cards from Novel. And speaking of Novel, an innovative partnership there allowed us to create a new fundraising event. Shopping in store or online Nov. 8-14 and designating GSL helped direct 20% of the store’s total net sales proceeds to our school! Please visit the P.A. webpage under the Student Life tab on the GSL website for a complete list of events, their descriptions and chairs, and how you can help. And read the eNews each week to stay abreast of scheduled events and volunteer needs throughout the year. Our P.A. traditions are very important to us as a school family. We plan to hold as many of these events as possible in a safe way. During this time of uncertainty, it is important that we all support each event and take every opportunity to gather as a community. Thank you for supporting your Parents’ Association. Go, Saints!

Flexible seating enhances a senior kindergarten classroom library area.

Seventh Graders Caroline Byrnes and Martha Mitchell use the Flinn Advanced Microscope to examine slides.


PRESCHOOL

All About the ABCs Junior Kindergarten student Soren Gupta uses leaves, flowers, and sticks to help create letters for the classroom’s nature alphabet. Singing in the Rain Gardening in the Preschool’s outdoor classroom offers a wealth of learning opportunities, and Little Luker Josephine French knows that stomping around in rain boots is lots of fun, too!

CAMPUS LIFE

PRESCHOOL Story Time Early Childhood Librarian Laura Lemly Willis reads to Junior Kindergarten students during their first library visit of the school year. Sitting a Spell Pre-Kindergartners Harper Hinkle, Blythe Bartosch, and Lucy Riederer enjoy the new porch chairs at the Preschool, while Junior Kindergartner Riley Klein peeks out from her classroom. Airplane Splash The Preschool’s outdoor water table is a great place for sensory learning for Little Luker Preston Butts.

Collaborative Play Pre-Kindergartners Carter Johnson and Arlo Lacy use their imagination on the Preschool playground. FALL 2021

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LOWER SCHOOL

First Grade Fashion Uniforms make getting ready in the morning so easy — and sometimes we all coincidentally dress alike! — as seen here with First Graders Josie Burgess, Millie Galphin, Layla Butts, and Anna Sweeney Hannock.

LOWER SCHOOL

Their Two Cents As part of their study of persuasive writing, Third Graders Libby Behnke, Notley Maddox, and Julia Martin wrote letters to Mr. Kvande to share some of their ideas about new initiatives we could implement at GSL. They visited his office to present their letters and try some persuading in person.

A Peek at Middle School Our September Game Day for fourth and fifth graders paired students in some oldschool relay competitions like three-legged, wheelbarrow, and leapfrog races. Faculty members got in on the action, too; it was so much fun! Plus, we had a treat at the end: Fourth Graders Matilda Blair, Davis Hudson, and Jamsie Morris lined up quickly for a post-race MemPop.

Whoosh! Senior Kindergartner Eason Thacker enjoys some time to play at recess — and the big tunnel slide is so much fun!

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Hands-On Learning In addition to teaching duties in SK and first grade, Piper Martin also offered a fun Growing Gardeners course this fall in ACE: Enrichment. Gardeners pictured with her here, are First Graders Alex Gardner and Patrick Jackson.

Books, Books, Books! Second Graders Thomas Barksdale and Miles McCarty get excited about reading during their weekly library visit.


MIDDLE SCHOOL

MIDDLE SCHOOL Connecting the Dots Fifth Graders Beklin Johnson and Callie Sanders enjoyed chalking designs around the Anchor Center during our first-ever participation in International Dot Day, a celebration of creativity and courage based on the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds. Saints in Action Fall sports were back after being canceled last year due to COVID. It was great to see our athletes back on the field in GSL uniforms! Pictured here are eighth grade soccer teammates Sophia Wilson, Maggie Taylor, Brooke Bechtel, Nora Jacobs, and Cat Carney.

Fun in the Lab Seventh Graders Rishon Miller and J.W. Curry display the volcano they built as part of their study of chemical reactions in science.

Problem Solving Middle School Math Teacher Ellyse Woolard helps Sixth Grader Izzy Stuart think through an activity on probability and outcomes.

Leading by Example As per GSL tradition, a new slate of Student Council officers was elected at the beginning of the school year. Our new presidents, Eighth Graders Ava Cohen and Jack Barger, were naturals at their first leadership assignment — reading off the birthdays and announcements during Friday Celebration.

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Seventh Grader Katie Young and Pre-Kindergartner Thomas Bryndziar examine some red wiggler worms the Middle School students raised in habitats and then released at the Preschool.

SCIENCE IN

ACTION

Students inquire, observe, experiment, and discover in the classrooms and labs at GSL By Marci Woodmansee ‘83

If you want to understand what the study of “science” entails, it’s helpful to know that in simple, not-overly-scientific terms, science is described as knowledge of the natural world that is based on facts learned through experiments and observation. So what does that really mean at GSL? Take a quick walk around campus and you’ll see science in action everywhere! Over at the Preschool, science is all about discovery. It’s children watching wide-eyed as a butterfly emerges from a chrysalis in a classroom habitat, or digging up worms in the outdoor classroom, or seeing bubbles pop as they float up toward the sky. For Lower Schoolers, science begins in large part with Joe the Ginkgo, our unofficial school tree, standing tall and proud in front of the Administrative Office. Joe is a magnificent launching point for their study of the seasons and weather, earth materials and insects, animals and nature. And in our well-furnished Middle School laboratory classrooms stocked with beakers and microscopes, science is about analysis and experimentation, from water testing to creating model volcanoes. From our youngest to oldest students, teachers aim to elicit those important “a-ha” moments of discovery, not only when questions are answered, but perhaps even more importantly, when questions are formulated. Inquiring minds help inspire and drive the teaching. And at GSL, we consider creative problem-solving a worthwhile scientific trait to instill in all our students. 10

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Studying monarch caterpillars, from left, Happy Hippos Aydin Ahmad, Arya Bhakta, and Eleanor Hildebrand.

PRESCHOOL

OBSERVING THE WORLD AROUND US At the Preschool, students do science every day in their own large, age-appropriate “laboratory” space — the outdoor classroom. Teachers also incorporate science learning into day-to-day classroom lessons, driven in many cases by student interest. “The big piece is the outdoor classroom — we get out there and explore and do,” says Cynthia Hill, Head of Preschool. “In our Little Lukers classes, they do a big unit on senses, which includes activities like identifying different smells, using our mint plants and herbs in the garden. They play at the water table and talk about weather. They wrap tree trunks in bubble wrap and use their hands to feel and paint on it. It’s sensory learning through play, and play is our business at the Preschool.” Hill also utilizes the Preschool Tinker Lab as an area for science activities. Equipped with a SMARTboard and Hatch Preschool Table, there are opportunities to incorporate science and STEAM activities that can supplement areas of interest and classroom lessons. “We can do classification exercises with sound and color and shapes, on the ‘big board’ — our SMARTboard — which they think is really cool!” Teachers are ever mindful of student interest and listen carefully to their inquiries, which often lead to specific projects. “One good example is caterpillars,” Hill says. “When a junior kindergarten class got interested in caterpillars this year, their teachers bought some for the class to observe. Students were able to watch caterpillars make a chrysalis, and talk about the process of metamorphosis. It was an authentic transformation they could see in real time, and it really came about from teachers building on an interest they heard students discussing.” (See sidebar at right.) “We always strive to be inquiry-based, following closely along with what students are thinking about,” Hill adds. “How else are we to create creative problem solvers if we don’t give them a chance to think and do? Our classroom conversations happen authentically — we pay close attention to our students’ interests and thoughts, and our teachers are experts at building on that.”

STUDYING SOME VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLARS By Kelsey Beagle, Junior Kindergarten Teacher In the Happy Hippos classroom this year, after a few of our junior kindergartners expressed interest in monarch butterflies, we decided to bring some into the classroom to observe. Urban Earth and an online vendor we found supplied us with milkweed plants and monarch caterpillars, and we set our habitat up in the big front window where there is lots of good light and room for observation. During August and September, students watched in amazement as the caterpillars munched leaf after leaf until they were nice and plump! Then they watched the caterpillars find a special spot to attach themselves and hang upside down (“in a j,” as they described it). At that point, the caterpillars began to form their chrysalises. Our students noticed that first, the chrysalises were lime green, before slowly turning black and then clear. Eventually the students spotted wings inside the first chrysalis. Excitement built as they waited and waited, until finally, they saw their first butterfly emerge! It had crumpled-up wings, and I think we were all holding our breath as the butterfly flapped and fully spread and dried its wings so it could fly. We carefully transferred the delicate creature out to Anchor Hill, and after a little hesitation, it flew all around with a class of Hippos behind it cheering, “Bye, butterfly!” Experiences like this are so important in early childhood. Watching a caterpillar the size of a fingernail transform into a fully-grown butterfly was a magical moment for these young children. We raised 14 caterpillars total, and at one point had 10 chrysalises hanging in the habitat. We were able to bring in literacy, art, and math, and talked with students about how butterflies migrate to Mexico, incorporating social studies and exposure to maps into their authentic learning. Science is all around us, and the life cycle of a small butterfly brought so much learning and joy to our classroom! FALL 2021

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LOWER SCHOOL

SCIENCE-FORWARD THINKING In her twice-weekly Lower School Science, Technology, and Innovation Lab classes — that’s iLab for short — teacher Amie Plumley’s number one goal is to keep students excited and curious. Using the standards-based FOSS (Full Option Science System) curriculum as a guide, she incorporates technology and engineering concepts into themed units, taking senior kindergarten through fourth grade students on a journey that begins with getting to know Joe the Ginkgo Tree, and ends with more advanced learning, such as investigating robotics or classifying living organisms.

Plumley has taught for almost 20 years at GSL (the past three years in this new iLab instruction role), and knows quite well that it’s the hands-on, inquiry-based learning that fosters curiosity in her Lower School students. Besides learning and applying science, art, technology, and engineering concepts, her students are also developing skills such as creative problem solving, grit, and collaboration. And she hopes they’re realizing how much of their science learning ties into the non-fiction they’re reading in the classroom or the measuring they’re doing in Everyday Math.

“I like to describe it as a science-forward STEAM lab,” she says. “We don’t teach technology in a vacuum anymore, it’s merged into everything we do — and I incorporate activities and experiences geared toward what I think students will like. For instance, last year we studied the seed cycle of plants, and I had the kids create stop motion videos to illustrate that. This year, our first and second graders will be studying weather and air, and we’re going to do some work with green screens and become meteorologists!”

First and second graders go through a two-year rotation of FOSS science units that include physical science, life science, and earth science. In units on earth materials, balance and motion, and new plants, students may go from studying rocks, to engineering model marble runs, to making thaumatropes, to growing plants. And in their rotation of air and weather, solids and liquids, and insects, they track the weather, study the properties of mixtures, and research their favorite bugs, among other interesting activities.

Senior kindergarten’s science learning begins with their year-long study of a tree, learning to observe changes in the tree and make connections to the world around them. Back in the classroom, they start finding answers to their curiosities about trees, the seasons, weather, and animals through hands-on STEAM-based activities.

Meanwhile third and fourth graders do their own two-year rotation through FOSS, studying sound, simple machines, and the human body one year, and water, electricity and magnetism, and life structures the next.

Second Grader Kaci Harris gets some assistance on a parachute repair.

Amie Plumley and Senior Kindergartner Clayton Roen examine a ginkgo leaf. 12

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Senior Kindergartners Tia Rose Sanford and Naomi Burton draw Joe the Ginkgo and note the tree’s characteristics in their lab journals.


With two classrooms — the Maker Lab and the iLab — Plumley offers students plenty of room for collaborative and experiential learning, although her classes can often be found outdoors, studying Joe in front of the Administrative Office, putting flowers into the ground around the Lower School, or observing the plants in the church’s Scatter Garden. For Plumley, weaving new skills like video production and coding into her science classes just adds to the fun. And helping students make connections between what she’s teaching and what they’ve learned previously, in science and in other subject areas, allows her to reinforce that science is everywhere. She sees Lower School science as the bridge between the maker space/outdoor classroom learning in Preschool, and the more formal, single subject science classes of Middle School. “In Lower School, we build up information in the first weeks of our units, and then we take that and become more project-based, doing things based on what we’ve learned — whether that’s becoming meteorologists or creating our own simple machines,” she says. “I like giving kids chunks of time where they can really plan, and go through an engineering process — to think about what they want to do, tweak a project, see what they’ve learned, and apply it.” The moments Plumley enjoys most? When her students are working through projects and she can see the light bulbs going off as connections are made. “I really enjoy those experiments where they’re doing something and then they’re like, ‘YES! I see what just happened.’ And it all gets more academic as they get older, to create that bridge between Preschool and Middle School.”

SCIENCE WITH A PURPOSE GSL formed a science committee this year to begin looking at teaching across all three divisions and ways to

But, as Plumley is happy to note, while the learning is academic, it’s not high pressure.

ensure continuity and purposefulness

“We aren’t testing spelling here,” she emphasizes. “Thinking is at the forefront. It’s about good ideas. When I ask questions in the classroom, it’s more often, ‘What do you think or see or observe?’ Not always, ‘What do you know?’ There’s that freedom in science to guess and wonder and be curious about things, and to try new things, without any fear of failure.”

School Science Teacher Julie Binder,

in science instruction. Led by Middle the committee is evaluating what she calls cross-cutting concepts — overarching topics that students can be exposed to from a very young age all the way through eighth grade. Take measuring, for example. By helping each other talk about measurement in a more purposeful way, using similar language throughout classrooms, they can better discern what the scope and sequence of measuring should look like in a pre-kindergarten room compared to an eighth grade room. “My goal is to be more purposeful with my instruction this year,” Amie Plumley says. “Instead of asking students to fill a cup of water as I did before,

In this activity in May, then-First Graders Phoebe Owen, Daniela Sacoto, and Emmerson Roberts drew detailed pictures of the flowers they planted around the Circle Drive to help beautify the Lower School.

I’m asking them to measure out 100 milliliters of water. It was neat to watch them work to do that and begin to figure out what a milliliter is.” FALL 2021

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Diet Coke + Mentos = Kaboom! Eighth graders run for it after setting off one of their favorite controlled experiments.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

SERVING UP SCIENCE What makes Middle School science awesome? Hands-on learning, hands down! From fifth grade to eighth, students at GSL receive a lab-centric, inquiry-based educational experience in science that piques their interest early and makes even advanced concepts more relatable. “The first question I get asked when the kids walk in is, ‘Are we doing a lab today?’” Science Teacher Morgan Slatery says with a smile. “And if they see the red trays out, where we organize the lab materials for them, the next question is, ‘Are those for us?!’ It’s like we’re serving up some science!” Science Teacher Julie Binder agrees. “We do all kinds of fun things in science, but we also work hard to strike a balance between making it fun and teaching age-appropriate science concepts. As teachers we spend a great deal of time coming up with cool lab ideas and really making them meaningful.” Students’ introduction to Middle School science begins in fifth grade in Russ Thompson’s classroom, where they study sound and light waves, classify plants, and learn about the earth. “We design lessons so students experience class as an actual scientist, thinking about the material, not just learning terms out of the textbook,” he says. “We start out using the framework of the scientific method. Students become familiar with how to form a hypothesis, test it, and draw conclusions, so they get to think like a scientist, and they also 14

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have the chance to be creative as they do investigations and project-based assignments. There are lots of opportunities to think outside the box.” For sixth grade, Thompson, Slatery, and Binder joined forces this year to teach students in rotations for the first time, with Thompson teaching earth changes, Slatery teaching space, and Binder teaching weather. Their aim is to bring some life to the sixth grade curriculum through increased project-based learning; and by dividing it up, each teacher has the opportunity to really fine-tune the curriculum in their area of emphasis. Things the sixth graders really like include making their own balloon rockets in the space unit and learning about plate tectonics in the earth unit. “There are so many cool handson things we can do, and we get to build lots of models, which is fun,” Thompson says. They also study sound waves and make their own musical instruments in his class. “The only requirement is that they have to be able to play three different notes on their instrument,” he says. “But there are no other parameters to limit their creativity. So they design and build a model and test it out, and if it doesn’t work they go back to the drawing board for redesigning, retooling, and rethinking. It’s a great engineering process.” Sixth graders also enjoy building terrariums to learn about the atmosphere and hydrosphere in the weather unit, studying evaporation and condensation. As they grasp the


concept that toxic emissions from cars and manufacturing plants stay within Earth’s closed system, conversation ensues about the dangers of pollution and the importance of taking care of our world. Activities and concepts get increasingly complex as students advance, with Binder teaching life science to seventh graders and Slatery teaching physical science to eighth graders. Lab work increases in frequency, and students make full use of the well-equipped spaces at GSL. With both lab stations and movable tables in the same area, the transition from experiments to classroom work is seamless. “A Middle School lab like this is a dream,” Slatery says. “In seventh and eighth grades, labs are definitely the heart of our curriculum; everything revolves around conducting experiments.” And letting students begin with a lab exercise rather than a textbook lesson adheres to current best practices in the world of science education, Binder adds. In a recent lesson on homeostasis (the process by which an organism can maintain internal stability while adjusting to changing external conditions), she had students start by doing a lab exercise in which they measured their heart rate after intervals of exercise and rest. “They weren’t sure why they were running around the Anchor Center!” she laughs. “But we collected our data first, and then we talked about it, and it was more meaningful for them to have experienced that on the front end. Then, what I taught about the concept — how blood works as a transport system, and what a negative feedback loop means, and why their heart rate or breathing rate increased — all tied into what they did.” Experiments and activities such as these are a regular part of the classroom routine. In an upcoming unit on bacteria, seventh graders will work their way through the Anchor Center with swabs to collect bacteria that may be lurking on hand rails and door handles. They’ll use their swabs to grow bacteria colonies, and dilute and stain samples they can examine under the new Flinn Advanced Microscope — a recent gift from the Parents’ Association — that magnifies objects 1000x. “This lab always leads to inquiry and learning about antibiotics, why they work on bacterial infections but not viruses,” Binder says. “We’ll talk about vaccines and diseases and acronyms that have been in the news, like SARS or COVID-19.”

Sometimes connections can also be made that lead to learning across grade levels. One such activity this fall involved creating habitats for red wiggler worms. Seventh graders carefully watered and fed worms in jars of soil and hoped for signs of reproduction, watching for baby worms to emerge from cocoons. Their work ultimately led to a collaboration with the pre-kindergarten students, when they visited Preschool to release their worms into the outdoor classroom’s garden beds. In eighth grade, students turn to chemistry, Slatery’s favorite subject. Exploring the chemical reactions of food has been her signature addition to the curriculum. The pancake lab is one of students’ favorites, in which they consider endothermic vs. exothermic reactions, learn why you can smell food, and study the Maillard reaction that gives browned food its flavor. They also talk about states of matter in making ice cream, and learn about supersaturated solutions when they make rock candy. “I’ve made this a huge part of the curriculum,” she says. “Who doesn't like talking about food?” Their studies also include in-depth work on the composition of an atom, and learning how to balance a chemical equation, topics they will tackle in greater detail in high school. Then eighth graders move into physics and ultimately build Rube Goldberg machines, a final project encompassing all they’ve studied in terms of motion and forces. “Throughout most of Middle School science, we do awesome labs and activities all the time. It’s a lot!” Slatery admits. “But I wouldn’t want it any other way. I’d rather teach around a lab than a Powerpoint, so students can be part of the experience. And as we work to make sixth grade more project-based, it’s a good lead-in to the higher level lab work and concepts we introduce to our seventh and eighth graders. “Alumni frequently return and tell us they are seeing what we’ve done here when they get to high school, or they’re doing some of the same labs,” Slatery adds. “I feel confident we’re ahead of the game!”

Eighth Graders Amelia Simpson and Seraphine Saghafi (front) and Michael Davis and Chloe Harris (back) learn that temperature affects illumination in a chemical reaction.

On Mad Scientist Day, Seventh Graders Eddie Ferguson and Stephan Binder observe how frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) sublimates directly into a gas at room temperature. FALL 2021

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Eighth Graders Dariush Zafer, Jack Barger, and Carter Wyatt put their food chemistry knowledge to work as they monitor batter consistency in the annual pancake lab. Bragging rights were on the line for fluffiest pancakes. Students were very focused at their stations, allowing Albert Einstein a perfect photobomb!

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Back row: Jenn Gibbs, Ryan Gibbs, Schorr Behnke, Kathleen Behnke, Harper Behnke '22 Front row: Cameron Gibbs '26, Brennan Gibbs '28, Libby Behnke '27, Louise Behnke '27

BETTER

TOGETHER @GSL by Brenda Berry

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2021-22 ANNUAL FUND Peanut butter and jelly. Salt and pepper. Sugar and spice. While fine and unique on their own, many would agree that, together, these things are better. Better Together, the theme for the 2021-22 school year annual fund, speaks to the strength of Grace-St. Luke’s. It represents our joint commitment to remaining strong and united through a pandemic and supporting each other in ways we never imagined possible or necessary. Leading the effort of this year’s annual fund are two GSL families: Kathleen & Schorr Behnke and Jenn & Ryan Gibbs. After chairing the 2020-21 Giving with Grace Annual Fund, the Behnkes expressed interest in remaining involved with the annual fund for another year. The selfless gesture was perfectly timed, as plans were underway to identify two families to co-chair this year’s annual fund, an effort that historically has been led by just one family each year.


Jenn & Ryan Gibbs were asked to serve as co-chairs and, thankfully, they graciously agreed to take on this role. “We are honored that Jenn and Ryan agreed to co-chair the annual fund with us,” Kathleen said. “They are a special family and GSL is lucky to have them. Clearly they want GSL to be the best place it can be, and that is exactly who we want to stand alongside. We, as a community, can only do and be better if we work together.”

MEET THE CHAIRS

Jenn shared a similar sentiment. “We are thrilled to partner with the Behnkes as co-chairs,” she said. “We have so much respect for their family and how they have continued to support our school in many ways. We all share the same commitment to supporting and helping everyone at GSL recognize the power of what our community can accomplish together. “

Native Memphian Kathleen met Schorr (originally from St. Louis) when both were attending Colgate University for undergraduate degrees. After living in New York City, San Francisco, and Denver, the couple chose to settle down in Memphis, where Kathleen pursued nursing and Schorr medical school at University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Today, Kathleen works as a nurse practitioner for the Engbretson Center for Women, and Schorr is a pediatric radiologist with Memphis Radiological PC, which provides radiology services to Methodist Healthcare.

Better Together is a reminder to our community that GSL depends on each member to strengthen our school. It’s also a reminder that giving to our school, which comes in many forms, is what will help GSL continue to succeed — and the more people who are involved, the better. “We hope everyone connected to the GSL community will continue advocating for — and investing in — GSL as the school prepares the next generation of thinkers, creators and doers,” said Schorr. “Together, our community’s support of Grace-St. Luke’s will ensure that we are providing a strong academic and social-emotional foundation for our children.” Grace-St. Luke’s is celebrating its 74th year and would not be where it is today without our loyal, generous community — and that support is needed now more than ever. The co-chairs will help GSL reach its $350,000 annual fund goal this year and feel confident that we will get there as long as we join together. “Our school is known for its unique, welcoming, inclusive community,” Ryan said. “We continue to invest in GSL because of the many gifts it has provided for our family: this incredible community, steadiness during an uncertain time, and a genuine love of learning for our boys. We hope that everyone will join us in supporting GSL, our deserving students, and our dedicated faculty and staff with a gift to the annual fund.” GSL relies on donations to enhance students’ experiences, including the academic program and extracurricular activities. When you give to GSL, you are doing more than providing a gift to the school. You are investing in YOUR community, a place where students, parents, grandparents, faculty/staff, alumni, and friends are proud to call themselves Lukers for Life.

Sweet and sour. Yin and yang. The pairings go on and on. And here at GSL, we have our own perfect pairing to add to this list: The GSL community and you.

$350,000

2021-22 Fundraising Goal

Kathleen and Schorr Behnke, parents to Harper ’22 and twins Libby ’27 and Louise ’27, have been GSL parents since 2011.

The Behnke family enjoys traveling and a variety of outdoor activities, including skiing, hiking, camping, and fly fishing. The couple actively support local organizations such as Church Health, Levitt Shell, Overton Park Conservancy, and New Ballet Ensemble. Kathleen has been a member of the Le Bonheur Club for more than 11 years, and Schorr currently serves on the MetroCare Board and the Methodist Healthcare Foundation Board. Jenn and Ryan Gibbs are parents to sons Cameron ’26 and Brennan ’28 and have been GSL parents since 2014. Originally from just outside Philadelphia, high school sweethearts Jenn and Ryan lived in Washington, D.C., for six years before choosing Memphis in 2012 as their home. Jenn attended University of Delaware for her undergraduate degree, then earned a Master’s in Education degree from West Chester University in secondary school counseling. While in D.C., she worked as a school counselor for the area’s independent schools. Ryan obtained his undergraduate degree from — and played college soccer at — University of Virginia. He then earned his J.D. and M.B.A. from Villanova University. Today, he is a partner at Gerber Taylor in Memphis. The Gibbs family loves to travel and explore new places. They also enjoy playing and watching sports, especially soccer. Jenn and Ryan are active members of Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and are involved with many local organizations, including MIFA, Dorothy Day House, and ArtsMemphis. Ryan served on GSL’s Board of Trustees from 2015-2021. He is currently the chair of the KIPP Memphis Board of Trustees. Jenn has served the GSL community for years and has held a variety of roles with our Parents’ Association, including room parent, spirit wear chair, and her current role, Lower School Vice President.

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LEAD DONOR PARTY CELEBRATES TWO YEARS OF GIVING By Brenda Berry That special je ne sais quoi feel of the GSL community was back in full swing this summer as donors gathered in the Anchor Center for the lead donor party on August 20. With the pandemic forcing the cancellation of the 2020 event, this year’s party was welcomed back with open arms, and the joyful atmosphere was a palpable reminder of just how important community is to our school. Even with masks and social distancing in place, guests were thrilled to be back together on campus after more than a year apart due to the pandemic. This annual event celebrates lead donors, which includes anyone who has given a gift of $500 or more per school year to GSL. The 2021 party went a step further, celebrating lead donors from the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, as well as all donors who supported the renovated Lemaster Playground. The 2019-20 Thanks to You Annual Fund had a successful year of fundraising led by chairs Meg & Scott Crosby, amid COVID entering the picture midyear. The generosity of the GSL community continued in the 2020-21 school year, as Kathleen & Schorr Behnke led the Giving with Grace Annual Fund, bringing in more than $360,000 for Grace-St. Luke’s. (Read more about this year’s Better Together Annual Fund and how the Behnkes will remain involved on page 16!) The lead donor party was catered by GSL family-owned Fuel Catering, and MemPops was on hand with special adult “poptails” that were enjoyed by all. Good food, GSL family, and gobs of fun made for the perfect gathering. Thank you to everyone who generously supports Grace-St. Luke’s!

1 Mary & Paul Morris 2 Terry & Elaine Kerr 3 Jennifer & Darin Isom 4 Henry Grosvenor ’83 & wife Heather

5 Bob Langston,

Margaret McLean, Laurie Langston

6 Scott Crosby, Thor Kvande

7 Jack & Savannah

Cantrell, Meghan & Ben Barksdale

8 Marci Woodmansee ’83,

A LOOK AT WHO GAVE TO THE 2020-21 Giving With Grace Annual Fund

Cynthia Hill

9 Jeff Emerson,

Marilyn Kidd, and G.W. Sorrells

10 Christy & John Sharp, Thor Kvande

11 Amanda & Cliff Wilson 12 Ellen Hendry,

Brenda Berry, Marti McCloud, and Andrea & Rick Kohlhof

13 Lauren & Justin Taylor 14 Kelly & Eric Martin 15 K evin & Liz Keough

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2020-21 Grace-St. Luke’s Giving Report This report reflects total cumulative gifts made by donors to Grace-St. Luke’s from August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2021. Any payments received after July 31, 2021 will be acknowledged in the 2021-22 Giving Report. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this listing. If any errors or omissions are discovered, please email Director of Advancement Brenda Berry at bberry@gslschool.org. Our sincere appreciation is extended to the following donors: BISHOP’S ALLIANCE A gift of $5,000 or more

Tom & Susan Stephenson In honor of our alumni children: Tommy Stephenson, Katie Dr. & Mrs. Schorr Behnke Stephenson McDermott, Jason & Emily Callahan and Meg Stephenson Burress Allison & Andy Cates Christian Community Foundation of Lauren & Justin Taylor Memphis and the Mid-South, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. William A. Watts Community Foundation of HEADMASTER’S GUILD Greater Memphis A gift of $1,000-$2,499 Doug & Kristen Duncan Anonymous In honor of the faculty and staff Scott & Ashley Adams of GSL Tommy & Susan Adams Fidelity Charitable Giving Tom & Thaler Beasley Kirby & Glenn Floyd Rusty & Jamie Bell Lucia Gilliland In honor of Kelsey Beagle In memory of James S. Gilliland Gail & Eric Berntson Patrick & Jodie Gilmore Melanee Hannock & Teresa Sweeney Alex & Jenay Boggs Ms. Wight F. Boggs Drs. James & Ann Jarratt Drs. Brian & Lucy Bruijn Mr. & Mrs. Thor Kvande In honor of Mr. Robert & Jim & Lisa Maddox Mrs. Lu Bucci Mr. Scott & Dr. Shannon Malone The Canale Foundation Margaret & Alec McLean Jack & Savannah Cantrell Andrew & Amina Portelli Clarice W. Cox Raymond James Charitable Jeff & Sherry Emerson Melanie & Doug Schrank Kathy & Ted Ferguson In honor of the outstanding First Horizon Foundation teachers who helped shape Colton, Isabel, Oakley, and Vivian Richard & Pam Flynt In honor of Aideen and Schwab Charitable Giving Delta Flynt Mr. & Mrs. R. Andrew Taylor Mr. Robert Goff Mrs. Ann Vining In honor of my two grandchildren, Emmel & Amy Golden Mr. & Mrs. W. Henry Grosvenor Iris and Elaine Vining Hetta & Jesse Heath Kristen & Richard Vining In honor of Beau Grosvenor TRUSTEE’S CIRCLE Dr. & Mrs. Henry Herrod, III A gift of $2,500-$4,999 In honor of the Behnke girls Louis Hettinger Mr. & Mrs. Robert N. Adrian, Jr. Hyde Family Foundation Archer Custom Builders, Inc. Dr. & Mrs. Tim Jancelewicz Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Barksdale Mrs. Marilyn C. Kidd Jarad & Jared Braddy-Haney Kroger Cindy & Kevin Brewer Jeni & Jamie Linkous Dr. & Mrs. Bill Burgess In honor of the GSL faculty Meg & Scott Crosby and staff Mr. & Mrs. Hugh C. Fraser Mr. Dickson & Dr. Julie Logan Ryan & Jennifer Gibbs In honor of Grayson Logan Mr. & Mrs. William P. Halliday, III The Martin Family Amanda & Stanley Johnson Michelle & Donald McClure In honor of Charlie Johnson Karen Y. McLaren Liz & Kevin Keough John & Robbie McQuiston The Mixon Family Medtronic Mary & Paul Morris Jim & Becky Mercer Mr. & Mrs. Luis Orbegoso Mr. & Mrs. S. Eliot Morris Drs. Ruth & Kurt Patton David & Julie Nanney Julie & David Richardson Erick B. New Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Rowland Lauri & David Prather Sharon & Joshua Shipley

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Stephen & Harriet Roberts In honor of Kimberly & Jeff White Lauren & Eddie Robinson Robert H. Schuyler Mr. & Mrs. Martin Shannon Bob & Libby Shannon John & Christy Sharp Elaine & Brixey Shelton In honor of Jordyn Shelton Glenda & Gary Shorb In honor of Jack and Will Hagerman William H. Smythe, III In memory of Katherine Hinds Smythe Sara & John Thatcher In honor of Jack Thatcher Drs. Arzu Onar-Thomas & Fridtjof Thomas In honor of the wonderful teachers and staff of GSL school James D. Thompson Col., Ret. In honor of Henry and Marin Thompson and in memory of Lydia Anne Thompson Vanguard Mr. Ed C. Vining Mr. & Mrs. Simon Wadsworth Kristie & Bill Warner In honor of Chloe and Claire Warner Ashley & Casey West William & Carole West In honor of William and Mary James Morris Larry White In honor of Kimbie & Jeff White Mr. & Mrs. Bruce E. Williams In honor of Jenny Evanko, Carrie Galphin, Amanda Meyer, and Juan Roncal Kent & Kay Schaffer Wills In memory of William Dunavant Mask, III Gib & Nancy Wilson In honor of Collin Buckner YourCause Corporate Giving Partners ORDER OF THE ANCHOR A gift of $750-$999 Brenda & Jason Berry Debbie Callahan In memory of Lisa Lassandrello Mr. & Mrs. Charles Ciaramitaro Debbie & Jim Flaherty The Fundo Family Frontstream Connect

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Langston In memory of Dr. Jeff Scrugham Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas J. Maurette Jimmy & Jan McElroy In honor of Clara and Anna Hutsell The Reverend Ollie V. Rencher Lee & Brian Schaffler In honor of Diane Glueck Ms. Tanja L. Thompson Clifton & Amanda Wilson ’47 SOCIETY A gift of $500-$749 Eric Barnes Matt & Jodi Barron Mr. & Mrs. Chris Beagle Kappi & Tom Beazley In honor of Christopher and Nicholas McGlasson Mr. & Mrs. Sam Buckner The Rev. & Mrs. Noah Campbell Alex & Lyndal Canale Ron & Jan Coleman Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta Jim Curry Megan & Steele Ford In honor of Debbie Callahan and Kimberly White Mary Evelyn & Dan Fore In honor of Evelyn Stevens Mr. & Mrs. C. Bradford Foster, III In honor of Foster and Joseph Gettys Mr. & Mrs. Tim Frizzell Mr. & Mrs. Paxton Griffin Jennifer Hagerman Paul Hagerman David Hanson & Christina Ross In honor of all the 5th grade teachers Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Harris In honor of Jackson and Rowan Halpern Ellen & Ian Hendry Joe & Ann Henry In honor of Lucy Cothern Cynthia Burnett Hill Joy & James Hoffman Mr. & Mrs. Derek Horton In honor of Cash Horton Mr. & Mrs. John I. Houseal, III In honor of Foster and Sarah Jordan Houseal Amy Amonette Huber Darin & Jennifer Isom Kenny & Margaret Jabbour Judith O. Johnson In memory of J. Kimbrough Johnson


Dr. Lisa Kennedy Terry & Elaine Kerr Rick & Andrea Kohlhof Casey & Joanna Laizure Tom Leitzell & Heather Conklin Marti & Doug McCloud Logan & Simone Meeks Kelley & Matt Morice Mr. & Mrs. Charles F. Morrow Marge Palazzolo In honor of Jennifer Palazzolo Brunson and Natalie Brunson Sophie & Mat Parker Drs. Stephen Pishko & Whitney Sanders Dr. & Mrs. W. Winslow Schrank Kate & James Shelton Dr. & Mrs. G.W. Sorrells, III Baylor & Howard Stovall Traci & Mark Strickland Vulcan Materials Company Dr. Benton M. Wheeler & Dr. Aimee M. Christian In honor of Jennifer Atkins Marci & Ken Woodmansee In memory of Dennis Cain, Roger L. Deshaies, Lisa Lassandrello, and Norman S. Woodmansee Scott & Courtney Woodmansee Anna Kathryn & Hank Word Harriet & Alan Word SAINTS’ CHAIN A gift of $250-$499 Anonymous Ernest C. Behnke In honor of Harper, Libby, and Louise Behnke The Benevity Community Impact Fund Linda & Dan Breen In honor of Jake Breen Laura Bresee Phineas Bresee Tom & Karen Buckner In honor of Anne and Jack Buckner Katherine & Stephen Bush Jimmy & Judy Butler Bill & Jamie Callahan In honor of Debbie Callahan Janie Carloss In honor of Lillian Hardison Blas & Georganne Catalani In honor of Dr. & Mrs. Blas S. Catalani, III Chirag & Mandy Chauhan Kacey Hickey Davies & Brian Davies In honor of Sidney & David Hickey Phil & Nana Dowdle Drs. Alex & Trudy Dunlap Mr. John T. Fisher In honor of Ms. Chimmy Mr. & Mrs. Mark Gilbertson Mr. & Mrs. Ronald R. Hawkins Pete & Alice Hirschey Arleen Hill & Michael Howard

Joseph Howard Mr. & Mrs. C. Stanley Johnson, Jr. In honor of Charlie Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Ernest Kelly In honor of Max Grove Rev. Raymond M. Kvande In honor of Thor, Dawn, Claire, and Thomas & in memory of Carol Anderson Kvande Amy & Jae Lee Ms. Lauriann Lines In honor of James and Andy Balk Dr. & Mrs. Ernest B. Lowe In honor of Campbell Lowe Peggy & Don McClure, Jr. In honor of the faculty and staff of GSL Shelly McGuire Martin & Carole Michael In honor of Charlie Johnson Katherine & Andrew Mickelson Jane Morris In honor of Courtland and Alison Morris Charles & Rita Nanney Ms. Susan H. Pfau Sara & Bruce Ralston Carol & Greer Richardson In honor of Lockard Richardson Drew & Jenny Rixon Royal Bank of Canada Jay & Karen Saenz Paula & Donnie Sappington Nancy C. Simpson Molly & Russell Smith Nan & Gilbert P. Smith In honor of Mary Clara Smith John & Evelyn Stevens In honor of Evie Fore’s 8th grade graduation Mr. & Mrs. Bruce C. Taylor Russ Thompson William & Nan Thompson In honor of Ana Thompson Dr. Jennifer M. Vest In honor of GSL faculty and staff Mr. & Mrs. William C. Warner Mr. & Mrs. Charles Williams, III Drs. Chris Wood & Christa George Elizabeth Wofford Woodard LUKE’S LEGION A gift of $100-$249 Anonymous AmazonSmile Foundation Richard & Becky Avant In honor of Rebecca Louis Avant Tom & Sue Balk In honor of James and Andrew Balk Janet & Henry Bartosch In honor of Colette and Blythe Bartosch Dr. Allen O. Battle, III In memory of Barry Creson Kelsey Beagle Mr. & Mrs. Tyler Benitone Sara & Bob Berendt Julie & Ken Binder Anna & Angus Blair Ginny & Mel Bresee

Bryan Callahan Amy Carney Joe Carney Ms. Frances E. Cates In memory of George Cates Mr. Stephen M. Cates In memory of George Cates Mr. & Mrs. Baji S. Chahal Mr. Mark Compton & Ms. Maria Smith Chris & Jennifer Cothern Ms. Lyndia Crawford Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Danner, Jr. In honor of Palmer and Betsy Halliday Ellen Daugherty & Jeff Jackson Mary Kay Davis In honor of Maren Lamanna Tina & Walter Edge Tom & Sara Federico Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Galphin Jacque & Stacy Gardner John Gary & Kelly Rayne Mrs. Tina Gault Jerry & Elizabeth Gilless Nancy & Sonny Golden In honor of Billy Golden Dr. & Mrs. Ramesh C. Gupta Tom & Jean Marie Harrison In honor of Cate Ciaramitaro Beth & Doug Heintz In honor of Wesley Whitaker Sidney & David Hickey Andy & Ashley High Ken & Vivian Jones Les & Leah Jones In memory of Tom Cates Mrs. Peggy Jones Tony Katras In honor of Clara and Hannah Katras Lauren Kenworthy Tricia & Chuck Kerwin In honor of Ross Kerwin Mallory Key Nathaniel & Deborah Kirtman Mr. & Mrs. Jack G. Knight John & Charleen Lawrence Ariel LaShaun Laws In memory of my beautiful mom, Gail Laws Terry & Lucy Leitzell In honor of Calvin J. Leitzell Allan & Kathleen Lips In honor of Ellie and Thomas Barksdale Emily Lovings In honor of Andrew and Kate Pishko John Markham & Stephanie Riggs Mr. Anthony F. Marr Brondelyn V. McGee Rev. Chuck & Jeanne McMillen In memory of David Boots, GSL Class of 1976 Michael & Diana Mickelson Mr. & Mrs. Zachary Moore Barry & Janet Musick In memory of Steve Keltner

Drs. Brent Orr & Julie Markham In honor of the wonderful faculty and staff of GSL Drs. Donna & Landon Pendergrass Philip & Carey Pontius Stuart & Jenny Pratt In honor of Señora Morrison Zach & Ann Pretzer Rob & Katie Ratton Ms. Leslie J. Reddick Holly & Mark Renken Daniel & Katherine Riederer In honor of Will and Lucy Riederer Becky Robinson Mr. Juan Roncal Katrina & Tony Sanford Gary & Rosalind Scott In honor of Marin and Henry Thompson Donnie & Mary Margaret Snow Streater Spencer In honor of Johnny Collier Mr. & Mrs. James G. Stranch, III In honor of Victoria and Wilkes Stranch Margaret Strickland Denise & Sledge Taylor In honor of the Advancement team Roland Taylor Mr. & Mrs. Kelly Truitt Elizabeth Tual Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Walton In memory of Mr. Benard Stevens Lyle Wardlaw & John Weeden In honor of Dr. Lee & Mary Linda Wardlaw Tia Watkins Bill & Cathy Whitaker Frances H. Williams Mr. & Mrs. Jan Willis In honor of Layne Wilson Dr. George & Millie Wood In honor of Zoe Wood GSL SAINT A gift of $1-$99 Liz Awsumb Benjamin Brewer Carol Buchman Austin & Meg Burress Joe & Vickie Clark Lisa & Lenny Cohen In honor of Ava Cohen Mr. Alexander G. Conaway, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. George Connor In honor of the Playful Pup room Kynis P. Douglas In honor of Kylie J. Jackson, Class of 2019 George & Karen Early Mr. Eric Elms Dennis Elrod & Leigh Ann Blakely In memory of Enyeart Arnold Jenny Evanko Eddie Feild Harry Feild Lyn Forsyth Mr. & Mrs. William Franklin Laura Greer FALL 2021

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Mr. Will Haltom Anden Hamilton Andrew Harris Mr. Tai Huang & Mrs. Bor-Jlin Mao Ms. Kylie J. Jackson Abby Knight Catherine Knight Jackson Knight Anna Mercedes Lachica Emilio Lachica Drs. Roberto Lachica & Judith Ruiz Russell & Sandra Langley In honor of Sam and Norah Shipley Felicity Letsou Katie Longoria Susan & Drew Mascolino Cecily & Peter McLean In honor of Virginia and Campbell McLean Angela Merideth The Merrell Family Allison Musick Mary E. Nowak The Plumley Family Gretchen Riem Shelby & Drew Roberts Bill & Penny Roen In honor of Clayton Roen Charles P. Rowland Jordan Upton Schieffler Amy G. Starks In honor of Sophia Irene Starks Stepherson's Food Stores/ Superlo Foods Harmony Swenson Doug & Karen Weissinger In honor of Wynn Weissinger Caroline & Bill Willson In honor of Annie Chisholm, Mimmie Fisher, and Hayley Manuel

Andrew Harris ’18 Anna Harwood ’10 John Houseal ’91 Amy Amonette Huber ’81 Will Hudson ’92 Kenny Jabbour '79 Kylie Jackson ’19 Stanley Johnson ’92 Ken Jones ’82 Abby Knight ’09 Catherine Knight ’07 Jackson Knight ’05 Anna Mercedes Lachica ’15 Emilio Lachica ’17 Ariel LaShaun Laws ’03 Anthony F. Marr ’78 Eric Martin ’84 Kelly Gault Martin ’92 Donald McClure ’02 Jeanne Myrick McMillen ’76 Mat Parker ’84 Susan H. Pfau ’76 Philip Pontius ’99 Ann Frizzell Pretzer ’94 Charles Rowland ’20 Brian Schaffler ’83 Robert H. Schuyler ’76 Jordan Upton Schieffler ’08 Libby Shannon ’65 Martin Shannon ’95 Justin Taylor ’92 Kelly Truitt ’79 Elizabeth Tual ’00 Lyle Wardlaw ’89 William A. Watts ’80 Charles L. Williams ’89 Kay Schaffer Wills ’78 Kent Wills ’78 Elizabeth Wofford Woodard ’76 Ken Woodmansee ’81 Marci Deshaies Woodmansee ’83 Scott Woodmansee ’79

THE BULLET CLUB GSL Alumni Donors

GIVING BY CLASS OF 2021 Matt & Jodi Barron Mr. & Mrs. Chris Beagle Gail & Eric Berntson Cindy & Kevin Brewer Katherine & Stephen Bush Kirby & Glenn Floyd Megan & Steele Ford Mary Evelyn & Dan Fore Mr. & Mrs. Mark Gilbertson Jennifer Hagerman Paul Hagerman Mr. & Mrs. William P. Halliday, III Mr. & Mrs. John I. Houseal, III Drs. Roberto Lachica & Judith Ruiz Jeni & Jamie Linkous Mr. Scott & Dr. Shannon Malone Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas J. Maurette Margaret & Alec McLean Kelley & Matt Morice Jay & Karen Saenz Lee & Brian Schaffler Kristen & Richard Vining Ashley & Casey West

Blake Anderson ’06 Allen O. Battle ’79 Alex Boggs ’02 Benjamin Brewer ’20 Miles Bryant ’03 April Buffington ’86 Meg Stephenson Burress ’05 Katherine McQuiston Bush ’90 Bill Callahan ’99 Bryan Callahan ’01 Alex Canale ’95 Frances Cates ’17 Stephen Cates ’17 Alexander Conaway ’00 Kacey Hickey Davies ’86 Eric Elms ’88 Eddie Feild ’15 Harry Feild ’20 Mary Evelyn Stevens Fore ’91 Kendall Jones Franklin ’04 Tim Frizzell ’96 John Gary ’79 Laura Rowe Greer ’76 Annie Gerber Griffin ’98 Henry Grosvenor ’83 Will Haltom ’00

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GIVING BY CLASS OF 2022 Anonymous Dr. & Mrs. Schorr Behnke

Joe Carney Amy Carney Mr. & Mrs. Charles Ciaramitaro Joe & Vickie Clark Meg & Scott Crosby Mr. & Mrs. William P. Halliday, III Katherine & Andrew Mickelson Mr. & Mrs. Luis Orbegoso Drs. Ruth & Kurt Patton The Plumley Family Lauren & Justin Taylor Ms. Tanja L. Thompson GIVING BY CLASS OF 2023 Matt & Jodi Barron Julie & Ken Binder Phineas Bresee Laura Bresee Jim Curry Kathy & Ted Ferguson Mary Evelyn & Dan Fore Joy & James Hoffman Tom Leitzell & Heather Conklin Marti & Doug McCloud David & Julie Nanney Julie & David Richardson Kristen & Richard Vining GIVING BY CLASS OF 2024 Mr. & Mrs. Tyler Benitone Jason & Emily Callahan Chirag & Mandy Chauhan Ellen Daugherty & Jeff Jackson David Hanson & Christina Ross Mr. & Mrs. John I. Houseal, III The Martin Family Margaret & Alec McLean The Merrell Family The Mixon Family Mary & Paul Morris Mr. & Mrs. S. Eliot Morris Drs. Arzu Onar-Thomas & Fridtjof Thomas Mr. & Mrs. Luis Orbegoso Tony & Katrina Sanford Scott & Courtney Woodmansee Anna Kathryn & Hank Word GIVING BY CLASS OF 2025 Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Barksdale Mr. & Mrs. Tyler Benitone Kirby & Glenn Floyd Mary Evelyn & Dan Fore The Fundo Family Jennifer Hagerman Paul Hagerman Hayley & Will Hudson Mr. & Mrs. C. Stanley Johnson, III Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Keough Mr. Scott & Dr. Shannon Malone Drew & Jenny Rixon Melanie & Doug Schrank Sharon & Joshua Shipley Molly & Russell Smith Lauren & Justin Taylor Ashley & Casey West GIVING BY CLASS OF 2026 Phineas Bresee Laura Bresee Chirag & Mandy Chauhan

Mr. Thomas Fan & Mrs. Monica Pham Mr. & Mrs. Brian D. Fisher Ryan & Jennifer Gibbs Arleen Hill & Michael Howard Hayley & Will Hudson Casey & Joanna Laizure Mr. & Mrs. S. Eliot Morris Mr. & Mrs. William A. Watts GIVING BY CLASS OF 2027 Tom & Thaler Beasley Dr. & Mrs. Schorr Behnke Jason & Emily Callahan Kirby & Glenn Floyd The Fundo Family Mr. & Mrs. W. Henry Grosvenor Hayley & Will Hudson Mr. Dickson & Dr. Julie Logan The Martin Family Logan & Simone Meeks Drew & Jenny Rixon Melanie & Doug Schrank Mr. & Mrs. Martin Shannon Molly & Russell Smith Sara & John Thatcher GIVING BY CLASS OF 2028 Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Barksdale Tom & Thaler Beasley Alex & Lyndal Canale Tom & Sara Federico Mr. & Mrs. Brian D. Fisher Ryan & Jennifer Gibbs Joy & James Hoffman Mary & Paul Morris Kate & James Shelton Sharon & Joshua Shipley GIVING BY CLASS OF 2029 Mr. & Mrs. Sam Buckner Ellen Daugherty & Jeff Jackson Mr. & Mrs. Brian D. Fisher Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Galphin Mr. & Mrs. Mark Gilbertson Melanee Hannock & Teresa Sweeney The Merrell Family Drs. Stephen Pishko & Whitney Sanders Philip & Carey Pontius Andrew & Amina Portelli Melanie & Doug Schrank Donnie & Mary Margaret Snow GIVING BY CLASS OF 2030 Jerry & Elizabeth Gilless Tony & Katrina Sanford GIVING BY CLASS OF 2031 Mr. & Mrs. Sam Buckner Emmel & Amy Golden Sophie & Mat Parker Melanie & Doug Schrank GIVING BY CLASS OF 2032 Mr. & Mrs. Derek Horton Drs. Stephen Pishko & Whitney Sanders


GIFTS-IN-KIND Dr. & Mrs. Kaleb Brown Jeff & Sherry Emerson Mr. Thomas Fan & Mrs. Monica Pham Jerry & Elizabeth Gilless Hayley & Will Hudson OTHER GIFTS AmazonSmile Foundation Archer Custom Builders, Inc. The Benevity Community Impact Fund The Canale Foundation Christian Community Foundation of Memphis and the Mid-South, Inc. Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta Community Foundation of Greater Memphis Fidelity Charitable Giving First Horizon Foundation Frontstream Connect Hyde Family Foundation Kroger Medtronic Raymond James Charitable Red Door Wealth Management Royal Bank of Canada Schwab Charitable Giving Stepherson's Food Stores/ Superlo Foods Vanguard Vulcan Materials Company YourCause Corporate Giving Partners RESTRICTED GIFTS Cindy & Kevin Brewer Kirby & Glenn Floyd Mr. & Mrs. C. Bradford Foster, III Mr. & Mrs. W. Henry Grosvenor Joseph Howard Michael Howard & Arleen Hill Jim & Lisa Maddox Shelly McGuire Mr. & Mrs. Michael E. Rowland Lee & Brian Schaffler Mr. & Mrs. R. Andrew Taylor Mr. & Mrs. Jan Willis LEMASTER PLAYGROUND DONORS Margaret & Alec McLean Mr. & Mrs. Martin Shannon SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUND Allison & Andy Cates Mr. & Mrs. Hugh C. Fraser HONORARIUM AND MEMORIAL GIFTS Brenda & Jason Berry In honor of Kathleen & Schorr Behnke In honor of Meg & Scott Crosby Phineas Bresee In memory of George Mayol Debbie Callahan In honor of Mrs. Valerie Valk Jeff & Sherry Emerson In memory of Ann Cogswell Caldwell

Melanee Hannock & Teresa Sweeney In honor of the teachers of GSL Arleen Hill & Michael Howard In honor of Mr. Willis Mrs. Marilyn C. Kidd In memory of Brian D. Kellett In memory of Gladys Q. Griffin In memory of Kellie E. Kellett Jim & Lisa Maddox In honor of Patti Joyner Sara Ralston In honor of my room parents Mr. & Mrs. Kelly Truitt In memory of Gladys Griffin Jane Williams In honor of my room parents, Trinh Johnson and J.B. Wilkinson In memory of Matthew Goodfellow Brenda & Jason Berry Jeff & Sherry Emerson Mrs. Marilyn C. Kidd In memory of Archer Hammond and Lillian Mae McDonald Brenda & Jason Berry Debbie Callahan Jeff & Sherry Emerson Mr. & Mrs. Thor Kvande Kate & James Shelton In memory of Elliott Bryant Blake Anderson Pat & Newton Anderson Ms. Wight F. Boggs John & Dawn Brenner Miles Bryant Dr. April Buffington Debbie Callahan Chris & Martha Freitag Carpenter Michael & Carolyn Dibbert Donna & Andy Duck Jeff & Sherry Emerson Anna Harwood Mrs. Sarah Henry Karen & John H. Johnson Mrs. Marilyn C. Kidd Mr. & Mrs. Thor Kvande The Magruder Family Janet & Jamie McGehee Phillip & Sabrina Para Melissa & Trent Pierce John & Trish Pontius Patricia Hayne Rainey Mr. & Mrs. David L. Rains Red Door Wealth Management Mr. & Mrs. Richard Shannon Margaret Shaul Joanne Smith Mr. John Stewart Charles & Brooke Tappan Mr. & Mrs. Bill Taylor Denise & Sledge Taylor Mitchell, Walker, & Lynn Thompson Dr. & Mrs. Paul Warrington Kent & Kay Schaffer Wills

IN MEMORIAM

Amanda Hudson Adams ’94 January 26, 1979 - July 7, 2021

Amanda Adams, 42, of Germantown, Tenn., passed away on July 7. She was preceded in death by her father, John Allen Hudson, Jr. She is survived by her husband of 11 years, Brent Adams, daughter Katelyn Adams, mother Brenda Hudson, brother Will Hudson ’92 (Hayley), nephews John Hudson ’25 and Davis Hudson ’26, and niece Farrah Lou Hudson ’27.

John Michael Rauscher ’90 January 2, 1975 - August 31, 2021

John Michael Rauscher, 46, of Memphis, passed away surrounded by family on August 31. He is survived by Natalie, his wife of 18 years; daughters Maryn (17) and Hayes (14); sister Lauren ’86; and a legion of friends. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, his father Mike Rauscher, and his mother Melinda Rauscher, who began substitute teaching at GSL in 1992 and then taught kindergarten here full-time from 1994 to 2001. John graduated from Christian Brothers High School and earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Mississippi where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Everyone who met John loved him, and he will be remembered by all for his smile and infectious laugh. He loved his Rebels football, music of all kinds — but especially Widespread Panic — “purple time” sunrises and sunsets, being in the woods, his friends, and most of all, his family.

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Congratulations,

Class of 2017! We are so proud of GSL’s Class of 2017! We wish them all the best in their next adventures.

We were delighted to welcome members of GSL’s Class of 2017 back to campus in August for a College Sendoff Lunch. Pictured front row, from left: Eva Claire White, Abby Fogerty, Mary Gara Nix, Sophie Mansour, Madeleine Hays, Macy Pisahl, Grace Goodfellow, Georgia Brown, Julia Comes, Lauren Stephens, Maxine Engel, and Grace Garrett; back row, Joseph Barnes, Stephen Cates, Reese McMullen, Cooper Hough, Emilio Lachica, Chip Eason, Max White, Miller Pisahl, Holden Brown, Paul Jones, Gray Nix, and Leo Campbell.

Joseph Barnes, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Mason Love, George Mason University

Katie Bennett, University of Utah

Sophie Mansour, Indiana University

Georgia Brown, The University of Mississippi

Reese McMullen, University of Pennsylvania

Holden Brown, University of Arkansas

Gray Nix, Trinity University

Leo Campbell, University of Oklahoma

Mary Gara Nix, Southwestern University

Frances Cates, University of Texas at Austin

Macy Pisahl, University of Arkansas

Stephen Cates, Texas Christian University

Miller Pisahl, University of Arkansas

Hood Cochrane, undecided

Avery Schaffer, Texas Christian University

Julia Comes, University of Arkansas

Colin Scifres, Scotland Prep (Scotland, Pa.)

Chip Eason, University of Alabama

George Sentilles, Southwest Tennessee Community College

Maxine Engel, George Washington University

Vivi Sharp, Rhodes College

Thomas Fisher, University of Montana

Lauren Stephens, The University of Mississippi

Abby Fogerty, Michigan State University

Dempsey Terhune, University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Grace Garrett, University of Oregon

Emma Throndson, The University of Mississippi

Grace Goodfellow, University of Arkansas

Easton Waddell, Forman School (Litchfield, Conn.)

Madeleine Hays, University of Georgia

Eve West, Chapman University

Griffin Hood, University of Denver

Eva Claire White, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Cooper Hough, Wake Forest University

Max White, Sewanee: The University of the South

Paul Jones, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Elliott Wilson, Oxford High School (Oxford, Miss.)

Emilio Lachica, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sam Lakey, University of Colorado Boulder 26

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SAINTS SUPERLATIVES SUPERSTAR STUDENTS Isia Morin '22 and Jack Barger '22 won the Fall Spirit Award.

The 7/8 Volleyball team, coached by alumnae Meg Burress '05 and Margo Huber '13, went undefeated for the season and won the Shelby League Division A Championship in September. Pictured here are Coach Burress, Caroline Byrnes ’23, Betsy Halliday ’22, Marin Thompson ’22, Ava Cohen ’22, Eliza Roberts ’23, Martha Mitchell ’23, Stella Dyer ’23, Bella McAdams ’23, Skylah Gregory ’22, Margaret Fore ’23, and Coach Huber. In October the following Middle School students were honored with Thespian Awards for Twelfth Night: Elizabeth Thompson ’24, Joan Terhune ’23, Lucy Cothern ’23, Tate Robertson ’22, and Aiden Orr ’22.

FANTASTIC FACULTY

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NEW BABY SAINTS!

In May, Middle School Art Teacher Lee Schaffler completed her MAT degree in art education at the University of Memphis.

Director of Auxiliary Programs Amy Lee and husband Jae welcomed a baby girl, Mei Lynn Lee, on June 3.

Head of Preschool Cynthia Burnett Hill married Antonio Hill in Gulf Shores, Ala., on July 23. She’s pictured here with Antonio and her son, Timothy Burnett (left).

First Grade Teacher Mallory Key and husband Andrew welcomed a baby girl, Josephine Scott Key, on October 6.


ALUMNI DESK

FROM THE ALUMNI DESK

Alumni Association Board Members Sisco Larson ’03, co-chair Chad Cunningham ’01, co-chair Ross Larson ’05, Kendall Franklin ’04, Travis Nauert ’06, and Alex Boggs ’02 met in June to begin planning for this year’s alumni events.

Hello, Saints Alumni! We are delighted to submit this update from your Alumni Association Board, which gathered this summer for its first organizational meeting since before COVID. The primary task included proposing a slate of new members to add to the current Board roster of Alex Boggs ’02, Chad Cunningham ’01, Holly Hawkins Clark ’87, Herb Cochrane ’81, Kendall Jones Franklin ’04, John Gary ’80, Mitch Graves ’79, John Houseal ’91, Ross Larson ’05, Sisco Larson ’03, Will Maddox ’00, Emily Young Morgan ’04, Travis Nauert ’06, Billy Schaffer ’84, Virginia Sharp ’85, Matt Sights ’01, and Andrew K. Taylor ’99. We are pleased to announce that the following Lukers have agreed to join the Board: Ellen Wills Ball ’06, Mitchell Bennett ’08, Cal Edge ’10, Mark Griffin ’98, Mark Hampton ’07, Abby Huber ’10, Katie Stephenson McDermott ’03, Brian Schaffler ’84, Claire Sentilles ’11, Audrey Webster ’05, Kay Wills ’78, and Scott Woodmansee ’79. This fall we held an Alumni Meet & Greet in October at Tamboli’s Pasta & Pizza! Miles Tamboli, restaurant owner and GSL ’03 alumnus, served as host as we enjoyed great food items from his menu and had fun catching up with fellow alumni. Now we begin planning for a really exciting event — the All-Class Alumni Reunion — which will be held in August 2022 in conjunction with the celebration of GSL’s 75th anniversary! Date and details to be announced. Count on it being a super Saints celebration, and please be on the lookout for more information in coming months! In the meantime, we trust that you will keep GSL in your thoughts and prayers as the search continues for our next Head of School. And please stay in touch! Following GSL on social media is an easy way to do that — we have a presence on Facebook (both a school page AND an alumni association page) as well as feeds on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Please share, follow, and like us there! If you want to be more directly involved, please also know that GSL welcomes alumni interested in coaching Middle School sports teams, and alumni are also encouraged to apply for teaching and After School Care positions. To volunteer for coaching, email rkohlhof@gslschool.org. To submit a resume, visit the website at: www.gslschool.org/about-gsl/employment/. Because after all, we’re Lukers for Life, right?! We appreciate your continued support, and we look forward to seeing everyone together again, in person, very soon! GO, SAINTS!!! FALL 2021

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LUKERS FOR LIFE ALUMNI NEWS ’50s Global agriculturalist Dr. Cary Fowler, a 1971 graduate of Rhodes College, is chair of the Rhodes College Board of Trustees and co-chair of the Rhodes Presidential Search Committee. Fowler visited GSL in 2012 (see photo) to talk about his work with the Global Crop Diversity Trust, which he then guided as executive director. He attended GSL through fourth grade in the mid-’50s when the school was just getting established.

Victory Team, which helps the sports office provide assorted services to home game attendees. Brian Schaffler is the CEO of Etarios HVAC in Memphis and served as coach of GSL’s tennis team this spring. His wife Lee is the Middle School art teacher at GSL and their children are GSL graduates (Gus ’19 and Lanie ’21).

to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Intellectual Property Law and Litigation) for 2021. Middle School Performing Art Teacher Leslie Reddick spotted real estate agent Selden Tual on an episode of HGTV’s House Hunters in April. “It was so cool seeing a Luker on TV!” she said.

Elizabeth Whitlock Haynes lives in Memphis with her husband Geoffrey. She is the sales representative for Big Machine Distillery in the West Tennessee area.

’81 Steve McHugh married Myra Gammon at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on October 2.

’83 Art Williams lives in Cincinnati with his wife Alaine. He is a general surgeon for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and has been practicing for 27 years. He took up writing as a hobby and has published his first novel, The Surgeon’s Obol.

’84 Jim Pidgeon lives in Walker, La., and has worked recently as a West Texas television news assignments/producer and as a fundraiser for various area nonprofits, including an Alzheimer’s care center, World Changers, and the Girl Scouts of Central Texas. He is currently enjoying being on the first LSU 30

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’85

’99

Brian Mallory is owner and operator of The Mallory Firm, which provides real estate brokerage, appraisal, and property tax appeal services. He has been in real estate for two decades and was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors. He and his wife Michele have two high school aged sons, Luke and Henry.

Bill Callahan received his MBA from Columbia University in May 2021. He and his wife Jamie live in Morristown, N.J., and welcomed a daughter, Carly, last December. Bill is an investment strategist for Schroder Investment Management.

Mike Parker wed Lauren Fererra on September 25 in New Orleans. The couple resides in Memphis. Lew Wardlaw (father of Jack ’18) married Tanja Thompson (mother of Kai ’19 and Ana ’22) on September 25.

’98 Scott Douglass is a shareholder at Patterson Intellectual Property Law in Nashville and was named

’01 Bryan Callahan joined his brother in completing an MBA at Columbia University in May. He married Eden Jacob on October 29 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and is working as the regional director, asset owners for London Stock Exchange Group.

Daniel Williams and his wife Brittany welcomed a baby, Hudson Clark, on April 26.

’02 Jerry Stamson lives in St. Louis with his wife Tiffany and son Jaxon.

’03 Price Peacock (pictured right) was recently promoted to senior manager, global employment brand at VMware, an enterprise software company headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., that powers the world’s digital infrastructure.


Miles Tamboli hosted a GSL alumni party in October at his restaurant, Tamboli’s Pasta & Pizza, in Midtown Memphis. Ian Thomas has been busy at GSL this year, helping coach some Middle School teams and substitute teaching in everything from English to P.E. We got a quick photo of him in Mrs. White’s room with the mosaic he created during his own 8th grade Latin class!

’06 McEwen Edwards married David Blaylock on May 1 in Athens, Ga. The couple resides in Douglasville, Ga. This semester Will Taylor is finishing up his doctoral dissertation, titled “Neutron Calibrations and Activation Signals in Low-Background Liquid Xenon Dark Matter Detectors,” and will soon receive his Ph.D. in physics from Brown University. Ellen Wills married John Ball at Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on May 22. She and her bridesmaids took a few moments to shoot hoops in the Saints Gym before the ceremony. (Once a Luker, always a Luker!)

Tucker Carr and his wife Audsley welcomed a baby girl, Ruth Patricia, on February 15.

’05 Caroline Berry lives in New Orleans and is a worldwide account executive for FedEx Services. Audrey Webster lives in Memphis and is a treasury management officer for First Horizon.

Maverick Kohlhof competed in the Ironman 70.3 at Shelby Farms on October 2 with a finishing time of 5:40:24 (19 out of 90 in his age group!).

Maya Todd, wrote a piece for Lausanne’s magazine about her role as team manager and social media creator for the women’s soccer team at the University of Memphis.

’04

’08 Webb Emerson (with wife Kelsey and pup Tiger) moved to Jackson, Miss., in June. Webb is the construction manager for Wier Boerner Allin Architecture. Kelsey is an RN at University of Mississippi Medical Center.

ALUMNI NEWS

in economics and German literature. He began working at Whole Foods Market in Memphis in June 2019; in March 2020, he moved to New York City to work at the Whole Foods Wine Store and learn the wine industry. He hopes to be promoted to a buyer position soon.

’12 Henry Guinn spent the summer on Vancouver Island protecting the old-growth watershed called Fairy Creek. For more information about this initiative, visit laststandforforests.com.

Aynsley Hartney graduated summa cum laude from Clemson University in December 2020 with a bachelor of science in bioengineering and minors in global politics and biological sciences, with both general and departmental honors. She received her white coat upon starting medical school in August 2021 at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wis.

’10 Joseph Elrod (pictured here with his parents) graduated from the University of Tennessee in December 2018 with a dual degree FALL 2021

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LUKERS FOR LIFE ALUMNI NEWS Continued

’13 Elizabeth Elrod graduated cum laude from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree in interior architecture and a minor in industrial design. She received the Faculty Award for Design Merit. She interned for a small construction company in Memphis this past summer, gaining experience in the construction side of a build environment — working on designs for several local renovation projects and even working concrete on a jobsite. Elizabeth also developed the company’s first website before leaving for graduate school. In August, she returned for the +2 part of UTK's 4+2 program to begin working on her master’s degree in architecture.

Emma Brandon graduated with a bachelor of science in nursing from East Tennessee State University this summer. She served as president of her cohort all five semesters of nursing school while also working as a nursing assistant on a COVID-19 critical care/ intensive care unit. She is continuing her work on the front lines as a full time critical care nurse in the ICU in Knoxville, Tenn. 32

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Meredith Hood is teaching sixth grade reading at Explore Upper School, a charter school in Brooklyn, N.Y., in her first year with Teach for America.

Morehead-Cain Scholar Francie Sentilles has been awarded a grant from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to conduct a selfdesigned project in Bahia, Brazil. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May and plans to research adaptation strategies deployed by artisanal fishing communities following the 2019 oil spill in northeastern Brazil and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Carter Stovall graduated from Cornell University and started her new job this summer at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center in cancer research.

After graduating from the University of North Alabama in May, Lily Touchstone accepted a job at Methodist LeBonheur Germantown Hospital in the emergency department.

Emma White is a senior theatre major at RandolphMacon College. She is starring in a studentdirected, solo performance of the British play 4.48 Psychosis. The piece is part of a theater research project that culminated in full-scale performances in October. The production incorporates recorded video elements that are broadcast over 1990s-era CRT televisions within the performance space to create an immersive experience that combines technology and live performance.

’14 Connor Anderson will graduate in May 2022 from Mississippi State with a degree in information technology services. He is in his fourth year in the Famous Maroon Band playing the clarinet. After graduation, Connor plans to pursue his master’s degree in instructional technology.

Caroline Ciaramitaro will graduate in May 2022 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar. She has accepted a position with True Ventures as a venture analyst and will be moving to San Francisco after graduation. Savannah Hall interned this year for U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and will graduate summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in December. She will start law school in 2022.

’17 Hallie Anderson graduated from St. Mary’s Episcopal School and was awarded the Hazlehurst Gold Cross Award, the highest award St. Mary's can bestow on a graduate. She is attending Butler University studying strategic communications.

Frances Cates received the Anne Rooks Hampton Tri-Athlete Award, the Scholar-Athlete Award, and the Leadership Award for Varsity Track at Hutchison this spring.


Leo Campbell was a National Merit Finalist at MUS and is now enrolled in the Oklahoma University Honors College and Christopher C. Gibbs School of Architecture. He’s pictured here at graduation with brother Felix ’18.

year, and currently serves as a prefect within his dorm and as a student ambassador.

Carter Strickland served as assistant director of GSL’s SummerFest 2021 for the third year. A senior at CBHS, he is chief captain of CBHS Theatre, serves as leader of the Student Ambassadors for the school’s admissions department, and is an appointed member of the Brothers Leadership Council.

ALUMNI NEWS Ella Woodmansee received the 110% Award for varsity track during Hutchison’s spring athletics awards.

’20 Saylor Waddell is in her sophomore year at The Taft School in Watertown, Conn.

Maxine Engel received the Marjorie Hudson Wright Senior Award during Hutchison’s spring athletics ceremony.

Grace Goodfellow and Madeleine Hays at St. Mary’s Episcopal School graduation in May.

The weekend before heading off to college at Sewanee, Max White ran into former Saints faculty member John Stewart. They caught up on news at MUS (Mr. Stewart is a ’78 graduate) and reminisced about Bible class and other funny memories from GSL.

’21 ’19 After two great years at CBHS, Bruce Taylor now attends Portsmouth Abbey School in Portsmouth, R.I. His father is an alumnus of the boarding school.

Newly-graduated GSL alums enjoyed their first ninth grade competition at a Hutchison vs. St. Mary's JV soccer game in September. From left, Virginia McLean, Sara Kate Ratton, Virginia Unglesby, Evie Fore, Ella Riley, Violet Renken, Anna Haley, Haley Floyd.

’18 St. Mary’s students Ava Vining, Ellie Smith, Lilly Linkous, and Merrill Ford helped decorate for their younger sisters’ FatherDaughter Dance in April.

Hutchison’s College T-Shirt Day this spring: Macy Pisahl, Emma Throndsen, Sophie Mansour, Maxine Engel, Frances Cates. Easton Waddell is finishing up his senior year at Forman School in Litchfield, Conn. He rows crew for the Lions, is on the honor roll, won a school music award last *Alumni are listed by the year of the class with which they would have graduated from GSL, even if they left before their final year.

Katelyn Nichols ’05 married Michael Barzizza on April 18 at Mint Springs Farm. A member of GSL’s Thespian Society, she remained close with Middle School Performing Arts Teacher Leslie Reddick; Reddick and her son, Ian Reddick ’10, were guests at Katelyn’s wedding. Katelyn has her own production company and does voiceover work and teaches acting through Skype. She and her husband live in New York City. FALL 2021

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Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School 246 S. Belvedere Blvd. Memphis, TN 38104 gslschool.org

Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 927 Memphis, TN

Science education begins early at GSL with observation of the natural world around us. Pre-Kindergartner David Goubran displays a worm he found in the garden beds of the Preschool’s outdoor classroom.


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