Summer 2020 Magazine

INDIAN SPRINGS A M AG A Z I N E F O R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S O F I N D I A N S P R I N G S S C H O O L

SUMMER 2020

Healthcare

HEROES

During the COVID-19 pandemic and always, we salute the members of our community who have dedicated their lives to serving others as healthcare providers.

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DISTANCE LEARNING

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INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY

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ALUMNI AWARDS

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INDIAN SPRINGS MAGAZINE

INTERIM HEAD OF SCHOOL

MISSION STATEMENT Guided by our motto, Learning through Living,

DONALD C. NORTH

Indian Springs School fosters a love of learning and creativity, a sense of integrity and moral courage, and an ethic of participatory citizenship with respect for individuality and independent thought.

HEAD OF SCHOOL

SCOTT G. SCHAMBERGER

EDITOR

ACADEMICS

Rachel Wallace Preskitt

Dr. Jonathan Gray

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

ADMISSION

Christine Copeland

Ellen S. Padgett

ADVANCEMENT AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

CONTRIBUTORS

James Simon

Margaret Blackerby ’14

ATHLETICS

Dr. Bob Cooper

Greg Van Horn

Kathryn D’Arcy

COLLEGE ADVISING

Amelia Johnson

Starr Drum ’02

COMMUNICATIONS

Rachel Wallace Preskitt

Kate Hawley ’09

FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

Dr. Tanya Hyatt

Tanya Yeager

Kelly Jacobs

FACULTY

Dr. Tanya Hyatt

James Simon

RESIDENTIAL LIFE

Amanda Griffin

STRATEGY AND SPECIAL PROJECTS

Lauren Wainwright ’88 STUDENT LIFE

William Blackerby ’05

BOARD OF GOVERNORS 2019-2020

Alan Engel ’73 Robert Aland ’80 Janet Perry Book Myla Calhoun

Ellen McElroy ’78 Catherine McLean Randall Minor ’99 Eli Phillips Scott Pulliam ’85 Lia Rushton

PHOTOGRAPHY DISCLOSER

All photos appearing in this issue of Indian Springs Magazine were captured before COVID-19 reached the United States, or using best practices for social distancing.

RECENT AWARD

Hanson Slaughter ’90

The Winter 2019 issue of Indian Springs Magazine received a Bronze Circle of Excellence Award in the category of “Design” from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

Braxton Goodrich ’93

Elizabeth Goodrich

INDIAN SPRINGS SCHOOL

Kyung Han ’85

Ex Officio, Parents

Ben Hunt ’82

Association

Leo Kayser, III ’62

Callen Bair Thistle ’01

Jimmy Lewis ’75

Ex Officio, AlumnI Council

Joe Farley ’81 Jerolyn Ferrari Clara Chung Fleisig

John Simmons ’65

publishes Indian Springs magazine twice a year, in fall/winter and spring/summer. Printed by Craftsman Printing, Birmingham, Alabama.

CLASS NOTES

classnotes@indiansprings.org ADDRESS UPDATES

addressupdates@indiansprings.org At Indian Springs School, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint. If you would prefer to receive Indian Springs magazine or other school communications electronically, please let us know via email at indiansprings@indiansprings.org.

©2020 Indian Springs School. All rights reserved.

190 Woodward Drive, Indian Springs, AL 35124 Phone: 205.988.3350 | Website: www.indiansprings.org

NOTICE OF NONDISCIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS Indian Springs School, an independent school nationally recognized as a leader in boarding and day

education for grades 8-12, serves a talented and diverse student body and offers its admission to qualified students regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Located in Indian Springs, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, the school does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

INDI A N {CONTENTS}

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COVER STORY

SPR INGS

SUMMER 2020

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VOLUME EIGHTEEN, ISSUE TWO

Our Healthcare Heroes

During the COVID-19 pandemic and always, Indian Springs School salutes the members of our community who have dedicated their lives to serving others as healthcare providers. In our cover story, read thoughts and reflections from over 30 doctors, nurses, therapists, and educators on the current pandemic, working in the healthcare field, and more.

F E AT U R E D

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Indian Springs students and faculty embraced the opportunities presented with distance learning, finding innovative ways to connect with and support one another.

Inspired by the teachings of founding director Louis “Doc” Armstrong, Intellectual Curiosity is one of our Core Values and is alive more than ever at Indian Springs.

Read reflections from the Class of 2020 on their experiences at Indian Springs, and see how our faculty celebrated them in lieu of traditional festivities.

Meet Outstanding Alum J.W. Carpenter ’97, Director of the Birmingham Education Foundation, and learn about his goals for the future of education.

Meet Young Alum on the Rise Julia Fawal ’10 and learn about her work as the Social Media Director for Global Citizen, a nonprofit dedicated to ending poverty.

Distance Learning

IN EVERY ISSUE

Intellectual Curiosity The Class of 2020

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WELCOME LETTERS

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CAMPUS NEWS

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J.W. Carpenter ’97

NOTEWORTHY

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Julia Fawal ’10

CAMPUS NEWS

Welcome!

FROM BOARD CHAIR

ALAN ENGEL

Summer 2020

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am writing to you two weeks after a May graduation ceremony that did not happen—an event that everyone in our community anxiously anticipates every year. Students did not walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. The Choir did not sing. Awards were not presented, and parents could not bask in joyful pride as their students’ names were announced. But in the midst of the global pandemic, Indian Springs did indeed graduate the wonderful Class of 2020—an incredible cohort of students, artists, athletes, and community leaders.

We are very proud of this talented senior class, whose journey through the Indian Springs experience was not without some potholes. Their resilience, grace, and determination are remarkable.

With graduation rescheduled for an evening in late July, we are still hopeful that this class and their families will enjoy a fitting culmination to their time at Indian Springs.

On March 13, all students were attending class and participating in extracurricular activities. One day later, all on-campus activities were suspended, and the transition to distance learning had to be made post-haste. Interim Head of School Don North and his administrative team made this transition happen in two short weeks. I’m not sure how this was accomplished, but to paraphrase Mr. Churchill, never in the history of Indian

Springs, has so much been owed to so few.

We as a community are also now just at the very beginning of what will be an intentional and long-term conversation about equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The murder of George Floyd has sparked outrage throughout the country, and we at Indian Springs are outraged as well. The values that we hold dear as a community are threatened, and we must respond.

Words are simply not enough; we need to take clear and thoughtful action to ensure that “justice for all” lives here at Indian Springs. New initiatives to take the first steps towards this goal will soon be announced as will ways in which you can participate in support.

Please join me in expressing our deep appreciation to Don North. When Don arrived on campus, his calming yet decisive demeanor brought a level of confidence and trust to our faculty, students, administrators, parents, and alumni. Don embraced Indian Springs, and our community embraced Don and his wife, Mary. With the suspension of classes and the shift to distance learning, Don’s year at Indian Springs was not easy, but he has been unflappable through the difficulties. Even in Don’s final weeks at Indian Springs, he has been overseeing our planned re-entry to campus, classes, and extracurricular activities. We are indeed incredibly fortunate to have had Don North at the

helm in the last twelve months.

Soon we will welcome to campus our new Head of School, Scott Schamberger, his wife, Tracy, and their two children.

Scott comes to us after a successful tenure as Assistant Headmaster at the Woodberry Forest School in northern Virginia and has already been deeply involved in the transition and re-entry planning.

During these unprecedented times, the Indian Springs Board of Governors has been incredibly supportive of the administration and faculty. In spite of the demands this pandemic has imposed on everyone, our Board members have always answered the call with their time and resources. Thank you.

I also want to thank each of you as passionate and dedicated members of the Indian Springs community. The cohesion around and passion for our school is truly remarkable. When we emerge from these difficult times, we will find that Indian Springs is just as strong and resilient as our spectacular Class of 2020!

Best wishes and please stay safe and stay healthy.

ALAN ENGEL ’73

P ’03, ’12 Chair, Board of Governors Indian Springs School

DON NORTH

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write this letter in the middle of June, and I will begin with brief comments about the two shocks that the United States has experienced in the past few months and in the past few weeks: the arrival and devastating spread of COVID-19 and the choking death of George Floyd by a former member of the Minneapolis Police Department.

COVID-19 closed the campus and sent Indian Springs to distance learning in mid-March. In the beginning, we all hoped that after a few weeks’ delay we would be able to finish the year on campus, but that was not to be. The losses felt by our students, especially the Class of 2020, were significant: final performances and exhibits, athletic accomplishments, and the traditional senior class celebrations.

One certain highlight of this time away was the Choir’s virtual performance of the traditional Indian Springs Graduation song, “Homeward Bound,” directed by Director of Choral Music Andrew Dibble and skillfully edited by Rachel Wallace Preskitt and Emanual Ellinas. If you have not viewed the performance, I encourage you to find it on the Indian Springs website or YouTube channel, and as you view it, pay particular attention to the eyes of the singers.

With respect to the distance learning itself, it was a quick pivot for our faculty and our students, and I am immensely proud of them for the diligence and commitment they demonstrated during these weeks. I am grateful also to Indian Springs parents who helped their children negotiate a new and sometimes daunting regimen.

The choking death of George Floyd, captured on cellphone video and shown repeatedly on television, was devoid of humanity: shocking in its relentless and casual brutality, shocking in the absence of compassion or human connection, and yet, not shocking against the backdrop of the current and historical violence against Black people by some police officers and by others who thought they were police.

The letter I wrote to the Indian Springs community about the death of George Floyd (which is available on the school’s website) elicited a range of responses from the school community. Some thought the letter did not provide sufficient emphasis on the importance of law and order. Some thought the letter seemed about right.

Others, including a number of young alumni, felt the letter rang hollow in its affirmation of the school’s values, lacked a sufficiently strong condemnation of racial injustice everywhere, and provided too little information about the school’s plans to teach students the historical and current impacts of racism more purposefully in the new school year.

Indian Springs condemns racism in all its forms, and in addition, strongly desires that all students feel welcome, respected, and safe on campus. I know that incoming Head of School Scott Schamberger is committed to achieving these goals. In the coming months, the school will begin to develop plans to educate itself and its students more effectively about historical and current racial injustice and will also seek to understand better how to ensure that all students feel welcome, respected, and safe

DON NORTH Interim Head of School, Indian Springs School

Indian Springs

FROM INTERIM HEAD OF SCHOOL

on campus. You will hear from the school on these issues in the coming months.

I will turn now to closing points. The first is to commend this edition of Indian Springs Magazine to you. A major focus of this edition is to shine a light on some of the Indian Springs alumni who are fully and heroically engaged in the fight against COVID-19. This is the greatest challenge our country has faced since World War II. The loss of health, economic productivity, and life itself has already been enormous, and the end is not yet in sight. With you, I salute these Indian Springs alumni working with such great diligence and commitment to keep people safe and healthy. I know you will enjoy learning about their efforts.

The second is to thank and express my appreciation to the Class of 2020 for the leadership, character, and commitment to the school that they have demonstrated throughout the school year, including the final weeks when the school was engaged in distance learning. Mayors John David Haws ’20 in the fall and John Slaughter ’20 in the spring consistently called upon Indian Springs students to become their best, to live the values of the school, and to contribute positively to the work and life of the school. So did the Commissioners and other seniors in their respective realms of interest.

Finally, I want to salute the faculty and staff of Indian Springs for their devotion to their students and Board of Governors Chair Alan Engel and his colleagues on the Board for their tireless work in guiding the school ever forward.

All in all, it has been a very good year for Indian Springs, and I have enjoyed my work here greatly.

All best wishes.

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CAMPUS NEWS

GETTING TO KNOW

The Schambergers We were excited to welcome new Head of School Scott Schamberger, his wife Tracy, and their two children Mackenzie and Caleb, to our campus back in late June. As we look ahead

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Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

A: I was raised in Maryland, about 40 minutes from Washington, D.C. My mother still lives in my childhood home and I enjoy spending time there with my own children. My mother is Australian and met my father while she was in the States working for the Australian Embassy.

I’m fortunate to be a dual citizen. Growing up, I would spend a number of summers visiting my grandparents and extended family in Australia.

Although I don’t get back often as an adult, I’m looking forward to taking my children in the coming years so they can experience their Australian heritage. Hopefully, that will include some scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef, as diving is one of my hobbies. I’m a certified scuba instructor and spent many years teaching diving at a couple of universities in Atlanta. Ironically, I would make the trip over to Pelham, Alabama several times a year to conduct training dives in the rock quarry here.

Before making my way to Emory University, I attended a large public high school. I actually enrolled at Emory sight unseen. I was a first generation college student and didn’t really understand the intricacies of a college search process. I feel so fortunate to have landed at Emory for a number of reasons—not the least of which is that is where I met my wife, Tracy. After working in the admission office at my alma mater, I made the switch to the independent school world, first serving at a K–12 day school in Huntsville, Alabama, and later at an all-boys boarding school in Virginia.

Along the way, I continued to pursue my own education, earning an M.Ed. in educational ad-

ministration and policy from the University of Georgia and completing the coursework for my Ph.D. in educational policy studies: social foundation of education at Georgia State University. Tracy and I have two children, Mackenzie and Caleb, and two dogs, a Great Dane and a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Q: When did you decide to pursue a career in education?

A: Although I was a good student growing up, I don’t think I was necessarily challenged to be a learner until I got to college. It was there that I realized other students were better prepared than I was, and I learned to love learning. Up to that point, I think I went through the motions of what was expected of me and that translated into good grades. This transformation is what made me fall in love with the educational world. I jumped at the opportunity to return to Emory for a joint position in the admission office and residential life office. After graduation, I had actually been conducting genetic research at the National Institutes of Health, but ended up following a different path. As my role expended in college admissions, I was fortunate to visit great schools across the country and witness just how transformative of an experience they provided for students. I think the compounding effect of those visits sparked my desire to be part of such a community.

Q: What was your first impression of Indian Springs School?

A: Early in my career, I visited Indian Springs on a recruiting trip. I recall being struck by the community and the students. They appeared to

have a much better sense of self than I did when I was in high school or even in college. This experience helped connect the dots on why I felt that many of my peers in college were so much better prepared than I had been for the rigors of college.

Over twenty years, I have had various points of intersection with Indian Springs and have always been impressed with the students and faculty.

Q: What ideas and leadership qualities do you hope to bring to Indian Springs?

A: Indian Springs has a strong and unique culture that allows students to be themselves and challenges them to pursue passions and discover new interests. I hope to do all I can to nurture that culture and continue to provide a forward-looking and relevant educational experience for future generations of Indian Springs students. I’ve had a couple of close mentors in my career, and the qualities that I have come to respect most include transparency, humility, empathy, and a sense of purpose. Those are important qualities I intend to remain focused on, but above all, I hope to model lifelong learning for our school community.

Q: How do you and your family feel about living in Birmingham?

A: We are looking forward to investing ourselves at Indian Springs and in the broader Birmingham community. After living in a small town in rural Virginia, we are excited about all that we will have access to in Birmingham. I’ve been particularly impressed with the growth and development of the city. It’s energizing to think about the educational opportunities that Birmingham provides beyond our beautiful campus.

Photo by Carrie Coleman

Summer 2020

to the 2020–2021 school year, get to know Scott in this Q&A by James Simon.

“Indian Springs has a strong and unique culture that allows students to be themselves and challenges them to pursue passions and discover new interests. I hope to do all I can to nurture that culture.”

—SCOTT SCHAMBERGER, HEAD OF SCHOOL

Indian Springs

Caleb, Tracy, Scott, and Mackenzie Schamberger

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CAMPUS NEWS

D I S TA N C E L E A R N I N G

Learning through From a Distance

Summer 2020

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n the education business, every academic year comes with its own surprises and adjustments. Most of us, however, have not experienced anything quite like 2020. Of all of the possible scenarios that could shift the focus of a school year, a global pandemic seemed far-fetched—maybe even impossible. But when COVID-19 started moving toward the U.S., it became clear that we were going to need to make some significant adjustments here at Indian Springs.

Many people have heard me credit our participation in the Malone Schools Online Network for our preparation this spring. The Malone courses we offer have changed the landscape of education, and as a member of this consortium, we have been on the cutting edge of not only technology but also pedagogy! We quickly took all that we knew from our blended Malone courses, which use a combination of synchronous (live, virtual) classes along with asynchronous (not live, still virtual) work outside of class, to find meaningful ways to engage our students with content through the end of the school year.

After we announced our school closure on

From Dr. Tanya Hyatt Dean of Academics 2019–2020 Dean of Faculty 2020–2021 Science Department

March 15, we scheduled a faculty meeting for Monday morning via Google Meet; the first order of business was getting everyone on video conferencing. Our faculty is always willing to jump in and try something new, but moving them all toward online classes in a 24-hour period seemed a bit daunting. What I saw Monday morning, however, reminded me that I am surrounded by lifelong learners—just like our students, and just like me. That week, and for the following weeks, this faculty worked harder than I’ve ever seen them work to deliver the best possible experience to our students.

We had chemistry teachers recording labs to share with students, art classes shifting to completely digital (and also completely relevant) formats, math teachers creating videos to help students learn how to work problems, more virtual labs than I ever knew existed, digital recordings, student-created podcasts, and so many other fun, educational avenues! Faculty are exhausted, and students still may not have caught their collective breath yet, but there was more Learning through Living happening in the last quarter of the school year than I have ever witnessed at one time.”

Indian Springs

Illustration by Emma Osterman ’21

Living...

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CAMPUS NEWS

D I S TA N C E L E A R N I N G

DISTANCE LEARNING

BY THE NUMBERS Between March 15 and May 15, Indian Springs counted:

4,896 1,240,700 79,353 3,461 VIRTUAL MEETINGS

VIRTUAL MEETING MINUTES

Summer 2020

VIRTUAL MEETING PARTICIPANTS

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HOURS OF CLASS RECORDINGS

READ MORE about our distance learning program at www.indiansprings.org/distancelearning.

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1 8 7 5 6 1 Students in Mr. Dane Peterson’s theater arts classes gather for a virtual celebration of their favorite moments from the school year. 2 Mr. William Belser ’80 teaches students in his Introduction to Computer Programming class (photo captured by Adrienne Belser ’22). 3 Students in a 3D Design class taught by Mr. Clay Colvin ’95 review an architectural design created by Yuji Nakano ’23 in the computer program “SketchUp.” 4 Students in a 2D Design class taught by Mr. Clay Colvin ’95 create a “mural” in

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real-time by piecing together up-close images of their faces.

5 Leah Velasco ’23 connects with classmates from her hammock at home. 6 Commissioner of Education Labdhi Mehta ’20 attends a Multivariable Calculus class taught by Dr. Jon Gray. 7 Victoria Kindall ’21 attends an AP English Language and Composition class taught by Mr. Cal Woodruff. 8 Students in Ms. Rebecca Clark’s Algebra II class celebrate the final day of the school year with a fun photo showing off their math backgrounds.

Thank You, Teachers!

“We are so grateful that Indian Springs has created a robust distance learning program. During such an isolating time, the interactive classes allow Leah to remain engaged in her school community. The class schedule provides a much-needed structure and injects normalcy into the chaos. And from the sounds coming from her room, Leah is enjoying, laughing, and definitely Learning through Living. I send huge thanks to the teachers and staff who have really provided an inspired learning atmosphere under the most trying circumstances.”

Indian Springs

FROM ANNA CLARK VELASCO ’88, PARENT OF LEAH VELASCO ’23:

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D I S TA N C E L E A R N I N G

Adapting Tradition

In the school’s transition to distance learning, Indian Springs students found innovative ways to connect with and support one another, and to adapt and continue important traditions such as Development Day, Town Meeting, and even “Scav Hunt” (established 2014).

DEVELOPMENT DAY

By Margaret Blackerby ’14

Summer 2020

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evelopment Day at Indian Springs exemplifies the community’s commitment to volunteer service and participatory citizenship. The coordination of the biannual day of service is a huge undertaking for the Commissioners of Citizenship (COCs) every semester, but COCs Paul Weir ’21 and Eleanor Lee ’21 faced the added challenge of planning Development Day in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the school’s decision to continue virtual classes for the remainder of the school year, the COCs shifted their efforts from an on-campus gathering to Distance Development Day with virtual guest speakers and remote projects in order to maintain the spirit of the event. The faculty and staff compiled a list of at-home project ideas and resources, which served as the inspiration for such projects as sewing masks for frontline workers, recording storytime for school children, and picking up trash in their neighborhoods.

Speakers Dr. Julian Maha and Dr. Jesanna Cooper ’94 both emphasized empathy and service as integral to building community during these challenging times. Maha and his wife, Dr. Michele Kong, founded KultureCity in 2014 to create sensory-inclusive environments to help individuals with autism feel comfortable in public spaces. He spoke of the isolation that people with “invisible” disabilities experience because dominant culture places a fundamental stigma on their behavior if it differs from the “norm.” When asked how Indian Springs students can contribute to causes like KultureCity, Maha asserted that this period of social distancing is the perfect opportunity to learn from and empathize with the isolation of invisible disabilities. He offered a call to action to the audience to “take this opportunity to learn about sensory needs, and next time you hear someone or see someone having a difficult time, use the knowledge you have garnered during this time and reach out to them.”

Cooper, an OB/GYN at Princeton Baptist Medical Center, attributes her empowerment to advocate for change to the support she received from the Indian Springs community, particularly from classmates and alumni. Indian Springs taught her to dig deeper to understand the obstacles facing her patients and “figure out why these obstacles exist and how to remove them,” as evidenced by her advocacy for mothers’ health through breastfeeding and support groups.

Speaking on how Indian Springs continues to inspire her work, she shared, “The definition of my community just continues to expand, but the lessons we learned at Indian Springs will always apply.”

MATTHEW DALE ’20

LAURA SOVACOOL ’20

NORAH ROLLER ’23

SCAV HUNT TOWN MEETING

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n place of our weekly Town Meeting, spring semester Mayor John Slaughter ’20 (left) recorded uplifting video messages to share with students, faculty, and staff. His messages reminded students to stay focused on their studies, recognize the efforts of their teachers, always keep a sense of humor, and embrace the opportunities presented with distance learning. Find the first installment of the series on the Indian Springs website or YouTube channel.

Indian Springs

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ndian Springs’ Student Government brought 19 teams of students and faculty together virtually by challenging their creativity in an online “scavenger hunt.” Compiled and scored by a 12-member* committee, the hunt included 100 unique tasks that team members could complete from home while maintaining safe physical distancing. Examples include recreating famous paintings using Photoshop, reenacting scenes from film and television, writing and performing music, and recording tutorial videos. Team Galhz (Lexi Hodson ’20, Alice Goff ’20, Grace McCarty ’20, Hayden Schell ’22, and Zola Thompson ’22) and Team Stanford Rejects (Hendrik Dahlmeier ’20, Julia Goldberg ’20, Luke Hillegass ’20, Harshil Mehta ’22, Labdhi Mehta ’20, and Ben Standaert ’20) tied for first place.

Student Government made a generous donation of $250 to the World Health Organization COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in honor of the winning teams. * Virginia Slaughter ’22 (Visionary), John Slaughter ’20, Madi Baay ’22, Caroline Bates ’22, Dede Driscoll ’20, Evan Dunbar ’20, Victoria Kindall ’21, Eleanor Lee ’21, Krystal Li ’22, Simon Ma ’22, Jack Walley ’20, and Hudson Wang ’22.

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Summer 2020

CAMPUS NEWS

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INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY

ONE OF OUR CORE VALUES

Intellectual Curiosity “The central aim of education is to stimulate and keep alive the intellectual curiosity of the learner.

The heart of our program to improve teaching and learning is the idea that teachers keep their own intellectual curiosity alive by carrying out carefully planned adventures in the classroom. The classroom should foster creative thinking, the development of problem-solving skills, the development of an attitude among youth which induces a love of learning, and the growth of ability on the part of learners to carry forward independent study.”

—Excerpt from “Adventures in Teaching and Learning” written in 1965 by Louis “Doc” Armstrong, Founding Director of Indian Springs School

BY R AC H E L WA L L AC E P R E S K I T T I L L U S T R AT I O N BY E M M A O S T E R M A N ’ 2 1

Indian Springs

Over the next several pages, read stories of, by, and for the learners who are keeping intellectual curiosity alive at Indian Springs.

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CAMPUS NEWS

INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY

From Kelly Jacobs

PARENT, KADIE ’19, LILLIAN ’23, HENRY ’23 CHAIR, HISTORY DEPARTMENT CO-CHAIR, ACADEMICS COMMITTEE

Summer 2020

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ntellectual curiosity is how I ended up at Indian Springs. When I made the decision to leave my doctoral program and start my teaching career, I did so because Indian Springs offered the freedom to craft my course content and to change and refine it as I learned new things. This remains one of the best parts of teaching here.

I just knew that this would be a place where I could continue my studies on nationalism and imagined communities; on race, gender, class, and intersectional identities; on religious history and the stories we tell in our search for truth and meaning.

And I was right. Indian Springs is exactly that sort of place.

But as it turns out, I wasn’t just learning about these topics. I became part of a living, breathing experiment in them. We all have. At Indian Springs, we get to live and work in a collaborative leadership system. This leadership model has many variations, but ours is rooted in the ideas of Dewey—more specifically, Dewey’s vision of democracy as a social intelligence that promotes respect for the worth and dignity of the individual, commitment to collaborative action and experimental inquiry, and faith in the possibility of positive change.

Indian Springs nudges us to investigate where change is needed and develop within ourselves the skills needed to facilitate that change. We are then encouraged to put those changes into practice. This happens in countless ways—large and small—every day of every school year and is another wonderful part of teaching here.

I recently went back to school, which has been terrifying and hard and amazing. I’m studying educational leadership this time around, and I love (almost) everything about it. (Full disclosure: “love” isn’t the best word to describe my feelings about studying statistics, but I digress.) I love the instructors, readings, discussions, lectures, and most of the assignments. I especially love my classmates. We are organized into cohorts—groups of talented, curious people who push and support each other through the program and beyond.

“Cohort” is the perfect word for our Indian Springs learning community. Every day, my colleagues push and support me. In committee meetings, we think big about people, policies, and problems. In department meetings, we wrestle

through the “what if ” questions. In grade-level meetings, we research and ponder in ongoing and never-ending self-reflection.

I’m writing this during the first full week after classes have ended. This week already, I’ve had conversations about planning for next year with no fewer than thirteen colleagues. My cohort is how I learn about things like the latest research in language acquisition, memory/recall strategies, and brain development. Our book study group (organized by mathematics teacher Wendy Gray) has already started our summer book, an in-depth look at the research on distance learning. (Don’t tell Mrs. Gray, but I’m a little behind on my readings!)

My students are a big part of this cohort of learning. They teach me something new every day.

I often say that if your job doesn’t allow you to teach the Crusades to a room full of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, other, none, and all-of-the-above students, then I just don’t know how you even get up and go to work every day.

I worried distance learning would squash this sense of collaboration, but based on the history memes and articles students have been sending me for the past few months, I don’t think it has. After all, these students turned formal research papers into group project podcasts for a competition on National Public Radio (NPR). Over Zoom. In the middle of a pandemic.

For their final project, I asked them to design a presidential campaign for any individual we studied this year, and I got programs like Cyrus the Great’s version of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Solon’s plan to expand Medicaid: “Solon-o-care.” They came up with slogans like “Die from Disease or Vote Pericles” and “Vote Moses 2020: He won’t let any obstacle stand in our way!” Their proposals for Cabinet appointments included Hippocrates (“Doing no harm since 460 BCE”) for Health and Human Services, while Confucius and Socrates tied for Secretary of Education. And one particularly creative student realized I didn’t technically specify that a candidate had to be human, so she nominated Ra, the Egyptian sun god, for Secretary of Energy in a bold platform centered on sustainability.

This kind of creativity and curiosity pops up everywhere at Indian Springs. I remember watching my oldest child a few years ago when Cal Wood-

ruff assigned an “either-or” essay in AP English Language and Composition. Kadie pondered and stewed and wrote and deleted for days, determined to find a way to argue “I’m not qualified to decide” without taking an intellectually lazy way out. (By the way, Mr. Woodruff praised her ingenuity, and she beams about it to this day.)

My twins, Henry and Lillian, just finished ninth grade. Lillian kicked Henry out of a quarantine Zoom study group the week of finals because she felt he wasn’t prepared enough. Henry spent hours on his biology project because he couldn’t find all the images he wanted to explain how COVID-19 impacts lung tissue, so he designed and drew all the images himself and then used stop-motion animation to illustrate it.

All three of my children were in Latin I class together at one point. The three of them were the Jacobs Quartet (yes, you read that right) for all group activities. They had a team handshake and cheer and everything. I actually felt sorry for their teacher, William Blackerby, until I realized they were learning how to collaborate (i.e. plot against me) in Latin.

So, with everything going on in our world, what will intellectual curiosity look like next year? No one knows for sure. But Indian Springs has, of course, prepared us well for whatever swerves we have to make. We respect the worth and dignity of the individual. We are committed to collaborative action and experimental inquiry. We have faith in the possibility of positive change.

We are part of a strong cohort of intellectually curious individuals seeking to live well with the process of change, and that is, without a doubt, the very best part of teaching here.”

ince he was a ninth-grader, rising senior Hooper Markert ’21 has dedicated his time outside of class to work in a research laboratory at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His first couple of years were spent washing dishes and running errands. But after earning the confidence of a mentor at Children’s of Alabama, his last year has been spent discovering a potential therapy for hepatoblastoma—a liver cancer usually seen in infants.

“Over the years, she has given me more and more responsibility,” Hooper says of his mentor, Dr. Elizabeth Beirle, Surgical Director of the Hepatobiliary Clinic. “At the beginning of last summer, she told me I was ready to start doing something important.”

Recognizing Hooper’s tenacity and enthusiasm for solving problems, Dr. Beirle assigned him a project exploring the possibility that the kinase inhibitor PIM447 (in clinical trials for the treatment of myeloma) could be used to fight the growth and spread of hepatoblastoma. Hooper’s research quickly revealed that the drug was effective, so Dr. Beirle encouraged him to compile the data and submit an abstract to the Academic Surgical Congress.

“Our abstract was accepted, and I was given the opportunity to present in Orlando last November,” says Hooper, who was the only high school student invited to speak at the conference. “Sharing my research with a room full of 40 surgeons—all specializing in pediatric oncology—was wild. I got used to explaining everything in layman’s terms, so it took a lot of preparation to get specific with them. I had to really know my stuff.”

As a student at Indian Springs, Hooper also entered his research in the 2020 Central Alabama Regional Science Fair, where he won first place in the category of Medicine and Health Sciences and was selected to advance to the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in California.

(The 2020 international fair was canceled due to COVID-19, but Hooper is hopeful he will be invited to participate in next year’s competition.)

“There are so many parallels between my work in the laboratory and my classes at Indian Springs, especially AP Biology,” says Hooper. “Science has always been my favorite subject in school, and Indian Springs has allowed me to run with it. The community is so pro-curiosity and pro-learning, and that’s one thing that’s really inspired me.”

Hooper’s father, Dr. James Markert, is the chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. Dr. Markert’s research is focused on novel therapies for the treatment of malignant glioma, a type of brain tumor. Hooper knew from a young age that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. For the two of them, curing cancer is a frequent topic of conversation around the family dinner table.

“Probably my favorite part of the whole process is learning through trial and error, and figuring out how we can make it better with each round of tests,” says Hooper. “I’m very organized. If you give me a problem, I won’t stop until I find a solution.”

Entering his senior year at Indian Springs, Hooper looks forward to playing on the varsity basketball team, serving in Student Government as a Commissioner of Education, and taking science electives in Anatomy and Physiology and Infectious Disease.

His research will advance to mouse clinical trials this summer.

Hooper Markert ’21 at the Central Alabama Regional Science Fair

FROM OUR HEALTHCARE HEROES When Hooper graduates next year, he will be joining over 300 Indian Springs alumni who are currently working in the field of healthcare. You will hear from many of these “Healthcare Heroes” in our cover story beginning on page 30, but here’s what a few of them had to say about the ways Indian Springs nurtured their intellectual curiosity: “I had several fantastic teachers who nurtured my love of science and fostered my intellectual curiosity. That curiosity has led me to become an academic dermatologist with multiple, ongoing research projects to help improve our care of skin cancer.” —Dr. Todd Cartee ’95 “Indian Springs taught me the joy of learning. It helped to hone my inquisitive instincts. I am always learning from my patients and medical science.” —Dr. Adrienne Carter ’94 “Indian Springs taught me how to engage in learning, and instilled in me a love of learning. Continuous learning is a big part of being a physician.” —Dr. Charles Goldfarb ’88

Indian Springs

Photos by Quez Shipman and Chris Tetzlaff

Hooper Markert ’21 S

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CAMPUS NEWS

INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY

Simon Ma ’22, Catherine Kung ’22, and Jack Yan ’21 at the Alabama Junior Academy of Science Regional Paper Reading Contest.

Summer 2020

Catherine Kung ’22 O

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ver the past couple of years, rising junior Catherine Kung ’22 has been quietly engineering an artificial skin with multisensory capabilities. The project, which began as a research paper for her ninth-grade biology class, won first place overall at this year’s Alabama Junior Academy of Science State Paper Reading Competition and second place in the category of Engineering at the 2020 Central Alabama Regional Science Fair.

Catherine’s artificial skin is made of pectin, a natural substance found in fruits and vegetables. She has developed a process to jellify and dry the pectin into a flexible, dermatoid surface, and found that adding heat or pressure creates a responsive electrical current which can be measured using copper wiring and metallic microbeads.

“I’ve always been interested in medical issues and finding ways to help those with diseases,” says Catherine, whose research interests also span the treatment of diabetes and degenerative brain diseases. “I start by looking for issues with current technologies and then try to come up with ways to improve or do things differently.”

As a child, Catherine was naturally curious about her father’s work in computer and electrical engineering and learned early on how to disassemble and analyze complex concepts. When it came time to choose a high school, Catherine and her father were worried they wouldn’t be able to find a curriculum that was stimulating enough.

“When I came to Indian Springs, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had the opportunity to choose classes that were interesting to me, and that the school made sure I could be intellectually challenged,” says Catherine. “The curriculum allows students to pursue topics they are passionate about while still having high academic expectations.”

Catherine also appreciates Indian Springs’ Andy Abroms Memorial Scholarship Fund, which allowed her to attend the Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience at Stanford University last summer and to return for pre-collegiate studies this summer.

“We’re very fortunate to have opportunities to be intellectually curious both on and off-campus,” says Catherine. “I’ve been able to participate in so many events and competitions, and I’ve learned so much from other students and professionals.”

Entering her junior year at Indian Springs, Catherine looks forward to continuing her research on the development of a multisensory, artificial skin.

CATHERINE’S THOUGHTS ON INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY “To me, intellectual curiosity is one of the defining features of humanity and distinguishes us from other creatures and robots. Intellectual curiosity is something we all have that inspires a genuine interest in learning and understanding the world around us. It makes us realize just how little we know about our world, but also motivates us to learn as much as possible.

Someone who actively exercises intellectual curiosity is someone who constantly questions established knowledge, and who isn’t satisfied by the mere basics and shallow facts. There’s a desire to learn more, delve beneath the surface, and truly understand the things around us. When obstacles arise, the intellectually curious are the people who are capable of solving these problems by being flexible and open-minded.

A current example is how little we know about a virus—something microscopically small that has disrupted the entire world and our way of life.

Fortunately, there are intellectually curious scientists and doctors worldwide who are working day and night to help those in need and to find a way to restore our normal life.

The immense progress and innovation that we have made in science and technology (and other fields, of course) have been driven by intellectual curiosity. But it isn’t a simple and static gift. Intellectual curiosity needs to be nurtured and developed throughout one’s life.”

Alongside Catherine, Simon Ma ’22 and Jack Yan ’21 also presented their research at the Alabama Junior Academy of Science Regional Paper Reading Contest.

Simon has been researching the Human Protein Atlas— a Swedish-based program dedicated to mapping all human proteins in cells, tissues, and organs using innovative technologies. Simon drew on his knowledge in math and computer science to improve the network’s ability to analyze patterns in the model by adding a global average pooling layer, which minimizes error by reducing the total number of parameters in the model.

Jack has been researching ways to improve the movement and usability of prosthetic limbs by mimicking human joints, bones, and muscles. Jack designed a 20part mechanical hand, printed it in resin using a 3D printer, and added potentiometers to create movement. The hand is controlled by an Arduino board which allows the user to change the angles of the fingers. In tests, Jack’s hand has been able to successfully grasp lager objects. He received an honorable mention award in the 2020 Central Alabama Regional Science Fair.

Science Fair

In addition to Hooper, Catherine, and Jack, Janina Wu ’21 and Amitis Moradkhani ’22 received awards in the 2020 Central Alabama Regional Science Fair. Janina won second place in the category of Biology for her project entitled “Dietary Sugars, Bacterial Colonization, and the Behavior of Fruit Flies.” Amitis won third place in the category of Environmental and Earth Science for her project entitled “Enhanced Dye Filtration by Copper-Metal Organic Framework Nanofiltration Membranes.”

Amitis also received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Stockholm Junior Water Prize/ Stockholm International Water Institute, which initiates research, manages projects, and carries out investigations on a wide range of water-related issues.

Science Olympiad

The Indian Springs Science Olympiad Team was established in 2018 with six students. Sponsored by students Julia Goldberg ’20 and Rebecca House ’20 and chemistry teacher Chris Tetzlaff, the team competed in the University of Alabama regional tournament this year with 30 students in 19 of the 23 categories offered. Nine pairs of Indian Springs students received first, second, and third place awards: Carina Lim ’21 & Binta Diallo ’21 1st place, Designer Genes Frank Zhao ’22 & Jiaying Liu ’21 1st place, Dynamic Planet Cynthia Li ’23 & Angela Yang ’22 1st place, Fossils Katelin Zhang ’22 & Hudson Wang ’22 1st place, Machines Anna McCormack ’22 & Carina Lim ’21 2nd place, Anatomy & Physiology Lara Harfner ’22 & Jack Yan ’21 2nd place, Circuit Lab Jiaying Liu ’21 & Harshil Mehta ’22 2nd place, Water Quality Labdhi Mehta ’20 & Julia Goldberg ’20 3rd place, Chem Lab Parker Schell ’20 & Hooper Markert ’21 3rd place, Write It Do It

TOP: Janina Wu ’21, Hooper Markert ’21, Jack Yan ’21, Harshil Mehta ’22, Cynthia Li ’23, Labdhi and Catherine Kung ’22 at the Central Alabama Regional Science Dr.Mehta Tanya’20, Hyatt Fair. BOTTOM: The Indian Springs Science Olympiad Team at the regional tournament.

Indian Springs

Photos by Chris Tetzlaff

Simon Ma ’22 & Jack Yan ’21

HIGH MARKS

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CAMPUS NEWS

INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY

Jack Walley ’20 (left) and Dylan Le ’20 cultivate colonies of blue oyster mushrooms in the school greenhouse using inexpensive, five-gallon buckets.

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From independent studies and Advanced Placement courses to Student Government and extracurricular clubs, recent graduate Jack Walley ’20 embraced every opportunity at Indian Springs to pursue his interests and learn through experience.

Like many students before him, Jack especially enjoyed working in the Fertile Minds Learning Garden with longtime biology teacher Bob Pollard. Days spent in the sun harvesting organic fruits and vegetables inspired Jack to pursue a career in agricultural education, and he looks forward to beginning classes at Auburn University this fall.

Reflecting on his senior year at Indian Springs, Jack says there were two projects that really captured his curiosity. The first was an experiment in sustainable agriculture with classmate Dylan Le ’20 (who was featured in the Winter 2019 issue of Indian Springs Magazine) and the Indian Springs Culinary Research Club.

Jack and Dylan set out to grow mushrooms from scratch with a long-term goal of creating a renewable food source for the Indian Springs dining hall. The duo chose to cultivate a “blue oyster” variety (named for its briny flavor), which is native to Alabama and can colonize quickly and produce excellent crop yield in a minimal land area.

To begin growing their colonies, Jack and Dylan used inexpensive, five-gallon buckets filled with sterilized wood chips and grain spawn purchased online. Jack says he was interested in growing food “in a medium commonly regarded as waste.” After just one week in the school greenhouse, the buckets sprouted hundreds of delicious blooms and were enjoyed for a short time before Indian Springs’ campus had to close for the semester.

The second project, rather different than the first, was an assignment for English teacher Cal Woodruff in Major Authors: Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Jack was fascinated with the main character in Hemingway’s short story “Up in Michigan,” and wrote a paper discussing the character’s ambiguous racial background and how it could affect a reader’s interpretation of the story. To establish a convincing argument, Jack says he had to “contextualize with outside sources regarding race in Michigan in the early 19th century.”

“Every class I took at Indian Springs offered a unique set of challenges,” says Jack. “To be successful, I had to take those challenges in stride, and that has ultimately made me a more creative and curious individual. In my classes with Mr. Woodruff, he encouraged us to use “ideas to think with” as a means of understanding complex texts. I find that applying that same logic to different facets of my life yields interesting results.”

Entering college, Jack looks forward to continuing his research in sustainable agriculture and finding new ideas and inspiration through the people he will meet.

Jack is one of 74 graduates in the Class of 2020. You will hear from several of these graduates beginning on page 44, but here’s what a couple of them had to say about the opportunities Indian Springs provides its students to explore their intellectual curiosities: “My favorite thing about Indian Springs is the freedom students have in selecting their course load. Having the ability to select classes I was interested in solidified my future career interests and helped me grow in the academic areas I wanted to pursue.” —Rebecca House ’20, Auburn University

“My favorite thing about Indian Springs was my ability to choose my classes since the ninth grade. The freedom of choice allowed me to spend more time on the subjects I loved. There are so many different electives every year, and it’s a shame you can’t take them all.” —Dylan Le ’20, Rensselear Polytechnic Institute

Photos by Rachel Wallace Preskitt and Mac Obradovic

Summer 2020

Jack Walley ’20

FROM THE CLASS OF 2020

HIGH MARKS

Presidential Scholars

Labdhi Mehta ’20 and Ben Standaert ’20 were selected as candidates for the 2020 United States Presidential Scholars Program, which seeks to recognize some of the country’s most distinguished graduating seniors. Candidates are selected based on their ACT or SAT scores or by nomination by a Chief State School Officer. Approximately 130 students from Alabama and 4,000 students nationwide were selected as candidates in 2020.

Math Team

The Indian Springs Math Team, sponsored by Dean of Academics Dr. Jon Gray, won first place in their division (all schools with less than 950 students in grades 10–12) at the 2020 Vestavia Hills High School Math Tournament. Team members include Evan Dunbar ’20, Gio Garza ’20, Brian He ’23, Catherine Kung ’22, Cynthia Li ’23, Krystal Li ’22, Sherry Li ’23, Harshil Mehta ’22, Labdhi Mehta ’20, Yusuf Ozaydin ’24, Aeacus Sheng ’21, Jack Swanner ’21, Steven Tang ’21, Walter Wang ’24, and Angela Yang ’22.

Ben Standaert ’20 was named a 2020 National Merit Scholar and received a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. He will attend Washington University this fall. Labdhi Mehta ’20 received a College-Sponsored National Merit Scholarship from Emory University. In addition to Ben and Labdhi, five other Indian Springs students were named National Merit Finalists: Hunter Crawford ’20, Evan Dunbar ’20, John David Haws ’20, Jocelyn Lyu ’20, and John Slaughter ’20. They are among 16,000 Finalists nationwide (representing less than 1 percent of all graduating seniors) who were selected based on their achievements on the 2018 PSAT/NMSQT, high SAT scores, strong academic performance, participation in school and community activities, and leadership abilities.

Physics Team

Dragon Chen ’21, Gio Garza ’20, Aeacus Sheng ’21, and Bruce Zhang ’20 won second place in the private school division at the 2020 University of Alabama High School Physics Contest. Steven Tang ’21 received the ninth-highest score in the individual portion of the competition and the highest overall score for a first-time competitor.

Indian Springs

National Merit Scholars

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CAMPUS NEWS

INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY

Julia Goldberg ’20 on her 2019 study abroad trip to Israel

Summer 2020

Julia Goldberg ’20 D

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uring her junior and senior years at Indian Springs, Julia Goldberg ’20 pursued an independent study in translating the Book of Jonah from biblical Hebrew to Latin and then comparing her translation to that of the Vulgate (the Catholic Bible translated by St. Jerome). At the conclusion of her project, overseen by Latin teacher William Blackerby ’05, Julia wrote a paper justifying the changes she proposes to make to Jerome’s translation.

“I really love studying and analyzing the structure of language,” says Julia, whose coursework at Indian Springs allowed her to explore Latin, Spanish, Arabic, and Greek. “I also love studying religion and the Bible because I find it fascinating from an academic standpoint. Through my independent study, I was encouraged to challenge my interpretation of not only biblical texts but also the interpretation of historically great scholars.”

Julia says her inspiration for the project came simply from her ambition to learn more about the topics that interest her.

She will continue her research this fall at List College, where she will be required to earn a degree from both Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

She plans to major in either Classics or Linguistics at Columbia, and the Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretation at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Julia’s experiences as a student at Indian Springs prepared her to embrace all the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Julia was an Abroms Scholar, attending the Ramah Israel Seminar, and a Senior Scholar, serving as a leader in the dorms. She headed the school’s award-winning Speech and Debate, Mock Trial, and Science Olympiad Teams, and was a member of the Youth Legislature Team and the Jew Crew cultural club. With her independent study as an example, Julia also maximized her academic course load.

“I have always loved learning,” says Julia. “I found myself wanting to take more courses than could fit in my schedule.

Luckily, I was somehow able to take ten courses per semester for multiple semesters, despite the fact that there are only seven periods in a semester. I was able to do this because I expressed an interest in wanting to learn more and because I attended a school that does not just claim to encourage learning, but will actually go out of its way to allow students to learn more than what is necessary in order to graduate.”

Julia adds: “Even after all of that, there are still many courses that I wish I could have taken, so I can only imagine how I would feel if Indian Springs did not support students in their endeavors. To preach fostering a love of learning would mean nothing without supporting the students in taking on new areas of study.”

JULIA’S THOUGHTS ON INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY “Intellectual curiosity is something that everyone has. That moment when something piques your curiosity and you just want to ask questions and learn more—that is intellectual curiosity. The only way that it differs between individuals is that some people choose to act on it while others choose to remain curious without ever putting in the effort to obtain answers. Indian Springs encourages students to act on their intellectual curiosity rather than letting their academic questions go unanswered.”

HIGH MARKS

Youth Legislature The Indian Springs Youth Legislature Team received numerous honors at the 2020 Alabama YMCA Youth Legislature Conference. Luke Hillegass ’20 and Joseph Katz ’22 received the award for “Best Senate Bill,” and Will Miller ’21 and Hudson Wang ’22 for “Best House Bill.” Julia Goldberg ’20 qualified to attend the 2020 YMCA Youth Conference on National Affairs and was nominated for a leadership award.

Jordyn Hudson ’21 served as Head Lobbyist and was also nominated for a leadership award.

Speech & Debate

Junior United Nations Indian Springs’ Junior United Nations Assembly of Alabama (JUNA) Team finished the 2020 annual conference with the third-highest resolution score and an honorable mention award for “Outstanding Nation.” The team (Willa Rose Akins ’24, BB Butler ’24, Mays Dunbar ’24, Adan Padilla ’24, and Eve Socolof ’24) chose to represent the country Honduras, where pollution has resulted in a lack of safe water for over half a million citizens. Their proposed solution included the implementation of a volunteer-run water treatment facility and programming to teach best practices for the prevention of pollution.

The resolution passed review by the Environmental Committee and then by the General Assembly, from whom they received a final vote of 40 “For” and 2 “Against.” The team is sponsored by students Clara Rominger ’21 and Chloe Williams ’23 and Spanish teacher Weslie Wald.

TOP: Jordyn Hudson ’21, Luke Hillegass ’20, and Julia Goldberg ’20. MIDDLE: Julia Goldberg ’20 and Grace Brown ’21. BOTTOM, TOP ROW: Kennedy Tyson

’22, Adrienne Belser ’22, Victoria Kindall ’21, Olivia Honeycutt ’22, Chloe Williams ’23, Carlton Wallwork ’23, Gibson Goodrich ’23, and Clara Rominger ’21.

BOTTOM ROW: BB Butler ’24, Willa Rose Akins ’24, Eve Socolof ’24, and Mays Dunbar ’24.

Indian Springs

Photos by Julia Goldberg, Rachel Wallace Preskitt, Chris Tezlaff, and Weslie Wald

In the 2019–2020 school year, Julia Goldberg ’20 and Grace Brown ’21 received numerous awards in local speech and debate tournaments. Julia’s most notable awards include first place in Poetry at both the Betty Gunn Invitational and the Hoover Buc Classic.

Grace’s most notable awards include third place in Impromptu Speaking at the Betty Gunn Invitational and third place in Lincoln Douglas Debate at the Hoover Buc Classic. Grace also competed in the state tournament, earning awards for fourth place in After Dinner Speaking, seventh place in Original Oratory, and eighth place in Impromptu Speaking.

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ARTS

CAMPUS NEWS

SCHOLASTIC AWARDS

PUBLISHED AUTHORS

Eighteen Indian Springs students were recognized in the 2020 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (Southeast Region-atLarge). Our Silver and Gold Key winners include: Kimely Li ’22 Photography

Laura Sovacool ’20 Ceramics

Molly Frohsin ’20 Personal Essay

Nicol Mai ’22 Photography

Emma Wang ’20 Writing Portfolio

Julia Goldberg ’20 Personal Essay

Hooper Markert ’21 Photography

Jack Yan ’21 Short Story

Nancy Hu ’22 Personal Essay

Sofia Monteleone ’22 Poetry

Stephen Zheng ’21 Photography

Tatum Kelley ’23 Flash Fiction

Deven Patel ’20 Poetry

Summer 2020

Visit www.indiansprings.org/scholasticawards to see the full list of winners.

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TOP ROW: Kimely Li ’22, Lara Harfner ’22, Jessie Riha ’20, Nicol Mai ’22, Jack Yan ’21, Nancy

Hu ’22, Eleanor Lee ’21, Hooper Markert ’21, Emma Wang ’20, Molly Frohsin ’20, and Stephen Zheng ’21. BOTTOM ROW: Julia Goldberg ’20, Sabra Rogers ’20, Sofia Monteleone ’22, Tatum Kelly ’23, and Drew Fetterolf ’21.

Joseph Katz ’22 entered the 2020 New York Times student letter-writing competition and was one of only seven selected for publication in print and online. At the time of publication, Joseph was taking English Department Chair James Griffin’s Critical Reading and Analytical Writing class. As a homework assignment, Mr. Griffin challenged his students to choose a recent New York Times article, craft a letter to the editor, and enter it in the competition. Joseph responded to a February 6 Op-Ed entitled “Stop Blaming History for Your All-White, All-Male Movie.”

History teacher Dr. Colin Davis published a new book in December. Entitled “Contested and Dangerous Seas: North Atlantic Fisherman, Their Wives, Unions, and the Politics of Exclusion,” the book details Dr. Davis’s research on the hardships faced

by New England and British fishermen in the 1960s and 70s. It is his sixth book on transnational labor history. His other works have explored the lives of dockworkers, railroad workers, and Alabama coal miners.

Next summer, Dr. Davis will study the history of ocean liners on a fellowship at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. “Contested and Dangerous Seas” is available for purchase online at amazon. com and barnesandnoble.com.

Photos by Rachel Wallace Preskitt

Drew Fetterolf ’21 Photography

VIRTUAL ART SHOW The Indian Springs Art Department hosted a virtual show this year in lieu of our traditional, end-of-year exhibition in Town Hall.

Visit www.indiansprings.org/art to see nearly 200 works of student art and photography created during the 2019–2020 school year.

Emma Osterman ’21

Linda Sun ’22

ABOUT THE ARTIST

EMMA OSTERMAN ’21

4

Kimely Li ’22

5

Anne Maison Barbaree Tasker ’23

7

Finn Schallenberg ’20

Adrienne Belser ’22

6 8

Bryce Trible ’20

The illustrations on pages 6 and 12 of this issue were created by Emma Osterman ’21 from her home in Tullinge, Sweden. Emma was one of two ASSIST Scholars who joined us for the 2019–2020 school year. During her short time at Indian Springs, Emma inspired countless members of our community with her creativity, talent, and passion for making art. We will miss her next school year, but are now proud to call her an Indian Springs alum and hope to see more of her work in the future. In Emma’s honor, we have made a donation to the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Emma is a cancer survivor and wanted the earnings from her work to support research for a cure.

Indian Springs

1 3 2

Haden Embry ’20

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CAMPUS NEWS

ARTS

THEATRE THE TEMPEST Performed March 13, 2020 Written by William Shakespeare Directed by Dane Peterson

THE CAST

Lily Geisen ’21 as Prospero Alex McFadden ’20 as Miranda Catherine Edwards ’21 as Ariel Nancy Hu ’22 as Caliban John David Haws ’20 as Ferdinand Olivia Pope ’21 as Alonso Joey Zhu ’22 as Antonio Sherry Li ’23 as Sebastian Emma Peng ’22 as Gonzalo Trey Atkins ’20 as Adrian Linda Sun ’22 as Francisco Carter Dunaway ’22 as Trinculo Angela Yang ’22 as Stephano Santiago He ’23 as Boatswain

THE CREW

Summer 2020

Watch the full show at

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www.youtube.com/experiencesprings.

See more photos at

www.indiansprings.org/thetempest.

Photos by Rachel Wallace Preskitt

Caleb Harris ’21, Stage Manager Sofia Monteleone ’22, Stage Manager Sasha Bai ’23, Assistant Stage Manager Santiago He ’23, Assistant Stage Manager Molly Frohsin ’20, Assistant Stage Manager Ember Szaflarski ’23, Light/Sound Technician Stephen Zheng ’21, Light/Sound Technician Addy Miller ’22, Head Costumer Binta Diallo ’21, Costumer Nolan Dunsmore ’23, Costumer

SENIOR REFLECTIONS Director of Theatre Arts Dane Peterson hosted a virtual banquet in May for all Indian Springs students who were involved in theater productions during the 2019–2020 school year.

During the banquet (costumes optional), students reminisced on their favorite moments spent with classmates and friends behind the scenes and on stage. Our graduating seniors reflected on their growth as artists and individuals during their time in the theater program:

“As I became more involved in productions at Indian Springs, my reputation as an artist grew. If I were to give any advice to any of you, it would be to do everything you can in order to create a company culture of love and kindness. These can easily be taken for granted, but when you’re surrounded by people who exhibit them, it’s the best feeling in the world. I loved being on stage with all of you. Thank you so much for making my experience memorable.”

“Theater has been such a crucial part of my Indian Springs experience. Each show I’ve done is a landmark in my time here, and in my growth as a person and a student. I really don’t know who I would be without having been in all these shows with all of you.”

—John David Haws ’20, Yale University

Indian Springs

—Alex McFadden ’20, The University of the Arts

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CAMPUS NEWS

ARTS

CHOIR The Indian Springs Concert Choir toured the Washington, D.C. area in late February, performing at Franciscan Monastery, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and the Second Presbyterian Church of Baltimore. The Choir’s itinerary included a tour of the Capitol Building hosted by the staff of Indian Springs alum and Congresswoman Elaine Luria ’93 and visits to the Smithsonian Museum, International Spy Museum, and Harbor’s National Aquarium.

Summer 2020

VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE

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In early May, forty-five Indian Springs students, parents, and alumni sang in a virtual performance of “Homeward Bound,” directed by Andrew Dibble and edited by Emanual Ellinas and Rachel Wallace Preskitt.

In recent years, “Homeward Bound” has become a tradition for the Choir to perform at its annual Homecoming Concert and during Indian Springs’ graduation ceremony. The virtual performance was dedicated to the Class of 2020. Watch it at www.indiansprings.org/ choir or youtube.com/experiencesprings.

Photos by Rachel Wallace Preskitt and Zoeica Images

Under the direction of Andrew Dibble, the Indian Springs Concert Choir performs at Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C. on February 20. This concert followed our D.C.-area alumni gathering. See photos from the gathering on page 57.

STUDENT CONCERT Established over 45 years ago, Student Concert is a beloved Indian Springs tradition that continues today. Nearly 50 students performed in this year’s event, hosted in early March by Commissioners of Recreation Simon Ma ’22 and Hudson Wang ’22.

EVAN DUNBAR ’20

JACQUELINE FERRARI ’20 MADDISON CHESSMAN ’21 KAYSEN FORD ’21 AND NATE STREET ’24

HADEN EMBRY ’20 AND MARLEIGH HILL ’20

JACQUELINE FERRARI ’20

PAUL WEIR ’21

SENIOR REFLECTIONS

“My favorite experience at Indian Springs has been singing in the Choir.”

—Shauna Moore ’20, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

“I am really grateful for the opportunities Indian Springs has given me to pursue music. It’s been inR E A D

M O R E

F R O M

T H E

credible to learn from and work with Mr. Ellinas and Mr. Dibble.” —Haden Embry ’20, Wesleyan University “My favorite experience at Indian Springs has been the Contemporary Music program. It has given me so many unique opportunities. I have learned a lot about myself through the program and have had so much fun sharing the experience with some of my closest friends.” —Marleigh Hill ’20, University of Colorado

C L A S S

O F

2 0 2 0

O N

PAG E

4 4 .

Indian Springs

“My favorite experience at Indian Springs was going to Scotland with the Chamber Choir after my sophomore year.” —Ashton Dudley ’20, Tufts University

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CAMPUS NEWS

AT H L E T I C S

GO SPRINGS! RANKED

No. 1

in the State

THE 2019–2020 MEN’S SOCCER TEAM

SPRING SPORTS

RANKED

No. 1

A s a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, the spring 2020 Alabama high school athletic season came to an early close in mid-March.

Indian Springs’ teams only had the opportunity to play a few games each, but still earned several victories and awards. We salute all of our dedicated spring athletes—especially those in the Class of 2020.

Summer 2020

MEN’S SOCCER

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The Men’s Soccer Team won first place in the LakeShore Shootout (Silver Division) to finish the season ranked No. 1 in the state for 4A-5A schools. Team leader James Tozzi ’20 was named to the All-State, All-Metro, and All-County First Teams. Jackson Nabors ’22 was named to the All-State, All-Metro, and All-County Second Teams. Nate Tozzi ’22 was named to the All-Metro and All-County Second Teams and as an All-State Honorable Mention.

Riley Alexander ’21 and Matthew Dale ’20 were named All-Metro and All-County Honorable Mentions. Seppe Giattina ’21 was named an AllCounty Honorable Mention.

On March 9, Indian Springs Men’s Soccer Team member Matthew Dale ’20 signed a letter of intent to play Division III Soccer at Birmingham-Southern College.

RYAN ALDAHER ’20, COACH BOO MASON, AND PEYTON MILLER ’20

WOMEN’S TENNIS Tennis player Peyton Miller ’20 finished her career at Indian Springs ranked as the No. 1 tennis player in the state, according to tennisrecruiting.net. Peyton took first place in No. 1 singles at the 2018 1A-3A state championship and second place in No. 1 singles at the 2019 4A-5A state championship. Although she didn’t get to compete in the 2020 championship, Peyton was named a regional winner in the 2020 Bryant-Jordan Student Athlete Scholarship Program.

Photos by Matthew Dale, Rachel Wallace Preskitt, and Teresa Underwood

in the State

WOMEN’S SOCCER The Women’s Soccer Team, under the direction of new coach Justin Pino, claimed two major victories on the home field. Team member Grace McCarty ’20 was named to the All-Metro First Team.

Virginia Hunt ’21 was named to the All-Metro and All-County Second Teams. Scout Carruthers ’20 and Olivia Honeycutt ’22 were named to the All-Metro Second Team.

Rachel Simms ’21 was named TopSoccer Coach of the Year by the Alabama Soccer Association. TopSoccer is a special program for children with disabilities.

FALL SPORTS MEN’S SWIMMING Indian Springs swimmer Mark Underwood ’23 claimed a silver medal in the 200-Meter Individual Medley and a bronze medal in the 100-Meter Breaststroke at the 2019 state swim and dive meet in mid-December.

THE 2019–2020 WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM

CLASS OF 2020 SPRING ATHLETES MEN’S SOCCER Matthew Dale Carson DeSocio Noah Maloy Anton Maninang Hampton Terrell James Tozzi

WOMEN’S SOCCER Scout Carruthers Ashton Dudley Catherine Goodrich Grace McCarty Sophie Reiff

BASEBALL

BASEBALL

Indian Springs pitcher and third baseman Max Yeager ’21 was named to AL.com’s All-State Baseball “Terrific 20” in 4A.

MARK UNDERWOOD ’23

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The Indian Springs Women’s Basketball Team posted an 8–10 record for the 2019–2020 season, the team’s best in over ten years. Team member Chloe Williams ’23 was named to the 4A Area 8 All-Tournament Team.

CHLOE WILLIAMS ’23

Benedikt Heine Alek Ledvina Miles Robinson Parker Schell Ethan Thomas Bryce Trible

SOFTBALL Catherine Baker Frances Carraway Elizabeth DePalma Haden Embry Marleigh Hill Jocelyn Lyu MaryElla Woolf

MEN’S TENNIS Ryan Aldaher Deven Patel John Slaughter

WOMEN’S TENNIS

MAX YEAGER ’21 AND HIS FATHER, COACH SCOTT YEAGER

Indian Springs

Jacqueline Ferrari Avary Lanier Peyton Miller

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Honoring Our Healthcare

HEROES FOREWORD BY LONGTIME FACULTY MEMBER DR. BOB COOPER

“IT IS NOT EASY TO BECOME OR BE A PHYSICIAN.

Summer 2020

My daughter Jesanna ’94 and my daughter-in-law Monika are both physicians and I have had a ringside seat observing what they went through to become doctors. It was not easy. And yet the demands of practicing medicine could actually be greater. I would like to think that the Indian Springs experience is at least partially responsible for the fact that so many of our graduates have become successful physicians.

The first hurdle for becoming a doctor is to be accepted by a medical school. The competition is stiff and to be successful one must be smart, possess excellent academic skills, and a strong work ethic. In the case of Jesanna, I would credit her parents with the smartness component, but I think that Jesanna’s strong academic skills and her work ethic owe a lot to her Indian Springs experience. These same skills were the key to getting her through medical school and into the OB/GYN residency of her choice. Monika, not an Indian Springs grad, had an Indian Springs experience when she was accepted into the radiology residency program at Washington University’s Mallinckrodt Institute, arguably the most prestigious radiology program in the world. Of the small cadre of her fellow residents, two were Indian Springs grads: Lauren Kim ’94 and Sanjiv Bajaj ’98. I think

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that says a lot about an Indian Springs education.

There are other qualities, besides academic accomplishments, that I believe are needed to be an outstanding doctor. One obvious quality is kindness.

A good doctor should hopefully be genuinely concerned about a patient’s wellbeing. I would like to think that Indian Springs offers an environment that is conducive to producing caring graduates. The School has always been committed to respecting the dignity and worth of the individual. I know that my daughter’s battles–and they have been battles–to encourage breastfeeding, support midwifery, and empower women in the area of reproduction have come out of a set of values consistent with what we encourage at Indian Springs.

Finally, a caring doctor must be brave. We hear about heroic health workers defying the dangers of coronavirus to tend to their patients, but while this is impressive, I am thinking more about the responsibility for a patient’s health, and perhaps that patient’s life.

If Monika misreads a piece of film, the results can be catastrophic. If Jesanna is guilty of a misdiagnosis or her knife slips during surgery, the results can be catastrophic. I don’t know if Indian Springs can take any credit for instilling courage in its graduates, but I salute those who accept this challenge.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic and always, Indian Springs School salutes the members of our community who have dedicated their lives to serving others as healthcare providers. Over the next several pages, read thoughts and reflections from over 30 doctors, nurses, therapists, and educators on the current pandemic, working in the healthcare field, and more.

COMPILED BY RACHEL WALLACE PRESKITT

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Indian Springs

What challenges have you faced during the COVID-19

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pandemic?

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“Currently, I practice internal medicine in an underserved area in Dallas, Texas. I provide primary care to uninsured and underinsured residents of Dallas County. The zip code my clinic is located in is classified as a food desert, and health disparities are in abundance.

It is the same population that has been hardest hit during the pandemic. Multiple generations living under one roof, and many laid off. Those who are essential workers are on the front lines and are at high risk. To continue to meet the basic needs and provide healthcare to such a vulnerable population has been difficult. As a wife, mother of three, and primary care provider, I have also struggled to balance caring for my patients and keeping my family safe. Each day I come home, strip down in the garage, and immediately go to the shower. Explaining to my children as I hurry by why they can’t hug Mommy just yet—that has been hard. It tugs on your heart day after day and you pay an emotional price.”

—Dr. Ericka Walker Williams ’95

“I practice obstetrics and gynecology in the western suburbs of Pennsylvania. In the earlier days, New York City had stopped letting husbands come into the hospital when their wives went into labor. This was quickly corrected, but in the interim, we had a lot of women wanting to transfer to our practices. We could not take them because they were coming from New York City and testing was extremely limited. The hospital had to think of the larger impact letting in potential carriers could have. It was very difficult to say no. We all empathized. I made exceptions for a few women who were self-quarantining and not close to delivery. This problem quickly resolved when New York City started letting spouses accompany their wives. The other challenge was managing my coworkers’ anxiety until I realized it wasn’t mine to manage.”

—Dr. Radhika Prasad Kakarla ’91

“My biggest challenge has been trying to make my patients feel at ease with the unknown. I do this all the time, but at least with most of the medical issues coming through my door, I have some kind of answer. With COVID-19, patients are looking to me for guidance. The only advice I can offer them at this point is reassurance in what they can control. I emphasize building up the immune system to the best of their ability by doing things such as getting proper rest, working on relaxation techniques, making proper food choices, and getting outside and allowing your immune system to have its own workout. This is something we have always advocated, even before the pandemic. This pandemic is not going away soon, and we are going to have to think outside of the box to help one another.”

—Dr. Aye Unnoppet ’88

“As Physician-in-Chief at Massachusetts General Hospital, I have been at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic. All of our doctors, nurses, trainees, and staff have been called into action, and for many of us, our focuses have quickly shifted from our regular day-to-day responsibilities to care for those with this novel coronavirus.

Working with our hospital leadership to identify needs and allocate resources, the Department of Medicine has done an absolutely incredible job answering this unbelievable challenge.

It has been a hard few months, but we will get through this because we will do it together.”

—Dr. Katrina Armstrong Randall ’82

—Dr. Tom-Meka Archinard P ’21

—Dr. Sarah Abroms Kunin ’04

“As an epidemiologist, I get a lot of questions from family and friends. While not on the frontlines as our doctors and nurses whom I truly admire, trying to understand this virus and the dynamic of the pandemic has been very challenging and frustrating. Data is pouring in by the day from all over the world, and the dynamics of the infection and the disease outcome are also changing by the day.

Being in public health, our priority is preventing infections and figuring out what the best practices are and how to convey them to friends, family, and the general public. It has not been easy since it is a drastic change in our daily behaviors that we all have to go through and now get accustomed to.”

—Dr. Sadeep Shrestha P ’22, ’23

“My immediate challenge was caring for patients while protecting my family. As a radiologist, I’ve been fortunate enough to work from home, but that has posed its own set of challenges. With three elderly parents, a pregnant wife, and two young kids, our hands have been full.”

—Dr. Sanjiv Bajaj ’98

“The financial impact. Like most hospitals around the country, we are losing millions of dollars from the COVID-19 outbreak. Patients are staying at home, even when they should be seeing a doctor or coming to the hospital. That impact, as well as our organization stopping elective surgeries, has had a significant impact on our bottom line. Reducing salaries and furloughing employees has been very difficult. These are people who are committed to patient care and to the organization. It is very difficult to make those decisions, but we have to make them to sustain the organization.” —Dr. Erik Summers ’87

“Non-emergency cases have been on hold for about six weeks. We have been doing nothing on the elective surgery schedule which dropped our practice revenue by 90 percent. With government loan support, we have continued to pay all of our employees. In mid-May, we started back with elective surgery and are trying desperately to catch up as well as handle the new patients coming to the office. The last two months have been interesting, to say the least.”

—Dr. Thomas Boshell ’81

Indian Springs

“One of the greatest challenges is being completely concealed in personal protection equipment. It places a barrier between you and the patient, making it more difficult to connect. It makes me and probably also the patient acutely aware that they can be infected with a virus that has the potential to cause real sickness and even loss of life. Another challenge is not being able to allow the family to be there at critical moments of care, not just for COVID-19 patients, but for all patients.

I had a patient who was actively having a heart attack and needed to be transferred.

The family was in the parking lot but could not be allowed to come inside. I have also had heartbreaking moments when a patient has died and the family could not be there in the final moments.”

“I had a baby in the middle of this pandemic. Luckily, my husband was allowed to come to the hospital with me. We had to wear masks in the hospital while I was in labor. All the staff had on masks. None of my family got to visit while we were in the hospital. Grandparents and other relatives have had to stay away even since we’ve been home, which has been hard.”

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How has your work changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?

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“As an infectious disease physician practicing at both Grandview and Brookwood Medical Centers, I have been quite involved in the development of policies and procedures pertaining to various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have worked closely with hospital administrators, physician colleagues, nursing staff, infection control and employee health personnel, and pharmacy in developing guidelines related to the use of personal protective equipment, management of exposed and infected healthcare workers, and treatment of COVID-19. I have also fielded calls from many individuals seeking advice related to their personal activity and experience and from institutions seeking advice regarding their operations and activities during these challenging times.”

—Dr. William Lapidus P ’12, ’13, ’21

“My practice has sure felt different since the COVID-19 pandemic. While we always practice universal precautions and utilize personal protective equipment, there is a significant level of added stress when all of a sudden your job is high-risk for contaminating yourself with a deadly disease or bringing it home to your family. I have been very thankful that my community at Grand Junction, Colorado has not had a bad outbreak. I watch the doctors and nurses in New York City and hear their stories, and my heart goes out to them. They are truly performing battlefield medicine, which most of us in medicine did not anticipate.”

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—Dr. Tamara Kahn Rice ’84

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“Everything about our work has changed. I am an orthopedic surgeon specializing in the hand and upper extremity. Prior to COVID-19, my days were spent treating patients in the clinic and the operating room or engaged in research. My clinic volume and surgical volume have both decreased dramatically. However, my administrative work in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Washington University has been very busy. Initially, there was a huge amount of effort around logistical planning for patient and staff safety, and now we are working on plans for emergence from the limitations previously placed on patient care. I have not yet been redeployed to help with COVID patient care in our hospital. That could happen, especially if a second wave of COVID hits.”

—Dr. Charles Goldfarb ’88

“Working in a pediatric hospital in New York, we’ve seen a lot of changes during the pandemic. As the largest children’s hospital in the city, we started by taking pediatric patients from other hospitals so that they could open more space for adults. As the pandemic progressed, we started seeing adult patients as well, which was a big change because I hadn’t treated adults for three years.”

Summer 2020

—Dr. Claire Abraham ’08

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“Since the first reported community transmission of COVID-19, my role has simply been to keep my family of patients and coworkers safe and sane. With respect to safety, we had only one instrument: isolation. Within a week, our organization facilitated a transition from office medicine to telemedicine so that my patients could still see me without fearing the consequences of a face-to-face visit. With respect to sanity, my virtual presence and accessibility may be more important than anything I say or prescribe. Listening is powerful. So far, my patients have been blessed. There have been no virtual funerals. A few have become ill and recovered at home.

One has been hospitalized and recovered after a week that was terrifying for all of us. One has donated convalescent plasma that was shipped to Baltimore and may have helped four ventilator patients recover.” —Dr. Bruce Richards ’73

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“Despite the very real and significant stress this has placed on everyone, I have found that a lot of my patients have been getting back to what is important. Even though it has been difficult to work with their children and significant others in the home, they are embracing and enjoying the time with one another. New routines have been set, and people are finding a new balance. I celebrate that. The other thing I am happy to see is that my non-traditional, lifestyle medicine is making headlines in a positive way. We are going to need a blend of this and traditional medicine to fight COVID-19.” —Dr. Aye Unnoppet ’88

“The main success I have celebrated thus far has been the relatively rapid control of community viral spread and its adverse consequences in the Birmingham metropolitan area due to the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s informed coordinated response. The implications of uncontrolled viral spread would have been extremely dire. The effects of social distancing, personal hygiene, sanitation, stay-at-home policies, and cancellation of large gatherings cannot be over-emphasized, despite the unfortunate loss of lives, especially among the elderly with a disproportionate African-American bias and major financial implications throughout the state.” —Dr. Eroboghene Ubogu P ’21, ’23

What successes have you celebrated during the COVID-19 pandemic?

“As a member of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Palliative and Supportive Care, I lead the community-based palliative care program, which provides supportive care for people with serious illnesses and their families. Every time we have been able to connect family and their loved ones at a time of fear and stress has been a tremendous success. I am so grateful to all the bedside nurses, administrators, and surgical staff who have gone above and beyond to provide comfort and connection.”

—Dr. Susan Dixon McCammon ’85

“One silver lining in the COVID-19 cloud is that many restrictions on telehealth, particularly teletherapy and telepsychiatry, have been lifted. My team began offering inpatient virtual support groups for women in postpartum soon after the COVID-19 crisis began.

Helping them navigate this new normal and teaching them stress management and coping skills has been very satisfying.”

—Dr. Eynav Elgavish Accortt ’94

“I’ve participated in several projects and working groups related to COVID-19, and while all of these are work-inprogress, it has been an honor to be part of these committees and to exchange ideas to understand the new virus.

However, there are times when I was able to take some time off and reflect on the hectic lifestyle we as a family had before the pandemic. We’ve been able to talk to each other more and spend some quality time together, and that has been the most successful celebration for me.” —Dr. Sadeep Shrestha P ’22, ’23

Indian Springs

“I think the challenges all are facing have afforded opportunities to recalibrate, reassess priorities, and celebrate even the smallest blessings. It certainly has for me with regard to my own family, my social and professional circle of friends, and my colleagues. I appreciate the opportunity to be present with my kids more and witness their daily growth. I appreciate the support network I have and in turn, hope that I am providing to my staff. I celebrate the feel-good moments when I hear about patients recovering after prolonged intensive care stays and feel gratified by verbal tokens of appreciation from patients and even strangers I cross paths with.” —Dr. Yvonne Huang ’93

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What has been your most challenging moment working in healthcare?

“I was deployed to New York City twice after September 11. The first time, I worked at a burn center. Every time I left the unit, the missing posters covered every wall in the hospital. I knew that most would never be found. The second deployment was to Ground Zero. The workers would not leave. This was their duty to the city. I cared for a steelworker with a second-degree burn on his arm. He came to see me twice a day for wound care so he could go back.

Some people came for medical care like breathing treatments.

Others simply came to sit, to be safe for a few minutes.”

—Sarah Seiler ’89

“I had a very hard year when I was an intern working over 60 hours a week. I was commuting an hour each way, with a 1-year-old at home, to the Cincinnati VA Hospital to work with veterans. It was my first experience with trauma work, and I had some incredibly difficult post-traumatic stress disorder cases.

That year taught me so much that it’s hard to think of it in a bad light. But it was very challenging both personally and professionally.”

—Dr. Eynav Elgavish Accortt ’94

“About two years ago, I took on a leadership role in a national medical organization to fight healthcare burnout. I put my heart into it, and after a year of work, the project didn’t get refunded. I was crushed.

But only a few days after closing the project, the big picture of burnout hit me personally. I got one of the hardest phone calls I’ve ever had: a medical student who I closely mentored committed suicide just before Thanksgiving. I have never felt as helpless as I did at that moment. It’s been several months now, but I still struggle to come to terms with her loss.”

“The most challenging moment for me was when I went from being a doctor to being a patient. I am a breast cancer survivor.

I have experienced what it feels like to be on the other side of surgery, medication, treatments, chemotherapy, and hearing bad news. However, I think in the end, it has made me a better doctor.”

—Dr. Tom-Meka Archinard P ’21

“When I learned about the death of a colleague in Italy. She continued to provide care despite not having appropriate personal protective gear and paid the ultimate price.”

—Dr. Marjorie Lee White ’88

Summer 2020

—Dr. Ajanta Patel ’01

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“I was an emergency nurse, serving as a supervising nurse for much of my career.

When people ask me what was the hardest part of my job, they usually expect me to describe caring for a patient with a horrible injury or devastating illness. I have seen extreme cases of both, but the most agonizing times I have had in my work have been when we were overflowing with patients. It was not being busy in itself or having to be creative in finding places or assigning patients among the already busy nurses we had. It was not taking new patients myself because I was supposed to be focused on managing the whole department rather than direct patient care. The hardest part of my job was simply in knowing what I had to do and wanting to deliver high-quality care, but not being able to do more than the necessary basics because things were so crazy and I didn’t have time.”

—Gordon Rogers ’66

—Dr. William Lapidus P ’12, ’13, ’21

“My proudest moments have been celebrating the recovery of my patients who have suffered through their COVID-19 infections. I have a lot of medical professionals in my practice, and it is great to hear their stories and help them through this period.”

—Dr. Midori Nishida ’92

—Dr. Adrienne James Carter ’94

What has been your proudest moment working in healthcare?

—Dr. Chauncey Thuss ’74 P ’09

—Dr. Charles Goldfarb ’88

—Dr. Tom-Meka Archinard P ’21

“There is no single moment, but every success of my students makes me very proud.

It makes me feel that I was able to make a difference in somebody’s life, such that they will make a difference.” —Dr. Sadeep Shrestha P ’22, ’23

Indian Springs

“Certainly those moments when a patient’s condition is improving, when they are finally up and ambulating or going home after a significant, protracted illness. There’s no better medicine for this doctor than a patient’s smile or a hug—the latter I must regrettably do without during these COVID-19 times.”

“When patients go through difficult times, whether they are given a grave diagnosis, experience a huge loss, or another trauma, I am in a unique position to be able to offer them help, to give them hope and empowerment. I have had a few patients tell me, ‘I was in such a bad place, and you have saved my life.’ It is such an honor to have that experience. Even if I could only make such a difference in one person, it makes all the challenge and strife I go through in my work worthwhile.”

“There is nothing more satisfying than to have a patient or a family member of a patient see you and know that you gave them hope or comfort at a difficult time. I remember meeting a woman who had brought her young child in to be seen. She saw me and immediately told her daughter, ‘This is Dr. Archinard!

She is amazing. She was there when your grandmother passed in the hospital and when you were born in the hospital elevator.’ She immediately embraced me and although I was initially shocked, I will always remember that moment when the work I had done was meaningful and came full circle.”

“Receiving my medical degree with my parents and soon-to-be wife, Jill, present. But after that, it would be receiving the personal protective equipment that my oldest son, Ben Thuss ’09, who wanted to contribute to the COVID-19 battle, sent to our clinics. Ben bought two 3D printers, joined a group of people with the same desire to help, and used them to print our face shields as well as some for his aunt’s surgical floor in England and other clinics, hospitals, and even Auburn University.”

“My proudest moments are patient success stories. I am fortunate to work in a major academic center and have two unique aspects to my clinical practice: the care of children born with unusual conditions affecting the upper extremities and the care of athletes. The two very different populations provide examples of great results, which are quite rewarding.

One of the unusual surgeries for me was the reconstructive surgery for a child from Central America who was born with three arms. We were able to merge two of the arms to create a functional single arm. On the athletic side, getting professional and collegiate athletes back to their sports is both fun and rewarding.”

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“I recollect my parents advised me to become a doctor since I was about eight years old growing up in Lagos, Nigeria.

I recollect being scientifically curious and would frequently plant peanut seeds and watch the germination process.

I remember telling my parents I wanted to become a farmer so I could help people. A few months later, a family friend who was a physician advised me that I could help a lot of people by becoming a doctor due to my academic aptitude and natural curiosity. I was still unsure until I got admission to medical school in London, the United Kingdom in 1993. I told myself that admission into medical school as an international student, with a less than five percent chance, would be the sign that medicine was my true future vocation.”—Dr. Eroboghene Ubogu P ’21, ’23

“I practice general internal medicine in my hometown of Talladega, Alabama. I decided to do this because I always wanted to work with my father, who started an internal medicine practice in 1976. He and I worked together until he retired four years ago. I have the pleasure of helping people that I have known all of my life. I have also found real joy in coming to know others in my community that I did not know.”

—Dr. Anne Davis P ’23

Why did you decide to pursue a career in healthcare?

“Being a doctor always seemed like the coolest job in the world, and I had been volunteering at children’s hospitals since my freshman year of high school. I became more serious about the idea in college when I found that I really enjoyed my human biology classes. The balance of interacting with patients and their families with the actual medicine and physiology seemed like a perfect balance of academics and practical applications.” —Dr. Claire Abraham ’08

“As a child, I always knew I wanted to be a physician. I wanted to walk in my father’s footsteps. His road, however, was not easy. He grew up in Birmingham during the segregation era and had to overcome so many obstacles to get where he is today. He helped to integrate one of his schools and ultimately went on to become one of the first AfricanAmerican otolaryngologists in the state of Alabama. He instilled in me hard work and determination, and that has fostered who I am today in medicine.” —Dr. Ericka Walker Williams ’95

“I had never thought of becoming a nurse until one day I was talking with my aunt who was a nurse about what I wanted to study in college. I told her that I really liked the sciences but that I didn’t want to work in a lab doing research that no one would hear about or appreciate during my lifetime. She said I should consider nursing, which is scientific and evidence-based but the fruits of which are visible every day.”

Summer 2020

—Gordon Rogers ’66

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“I decided to pursue a career in healthcare while in high school. I felt that it was a perfect marriage of science and ministry. I was born in Cooper Green Hospital, and I always had a desire to go back and serve the uninsured and under-insured patients of Jefferson County. I was blessed to be able to realize my dream and provide quality primary care for the patients there for over eight years before transitioning my practice to the University of Alabama at Birmingham.” —Dr. Adrienne James Carter ’94

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“My experience at Indian Springs was transformative, and what I learned from the faculty was foundational to who I am today and my career. From Bob Cooper: a love of learning and self-confidence. I remember one conversation during which he told me that I needed to believe that I was ‘as smart as the boys’ in my class. From Mac Fleming: the joy and fulfillment of teaching. I am still trying to emulate his respectful, engaging teaching style. From Robert Stegner: the importance of integrity, precision, and clarity in writing. From Mac LaCasse: a fascination with science. And from Helen Payne: the importance of generosity and kindness in teaching and a curiosity about and admiration for other cultures.” —Dr. Jessica Spira Kahn ’82 “At Indian Springs, I was part of a community that valued finding common ground between those with different cultures, experiences, beliefs, and dispositions. Compassion and kindness were just as important as intellectual curiosity. What I loved about Indian Springs then, I love about medicine now. While obvious differences exist, the two communities are more similar in spirit than I would have thought before starting medical school.” —Dr. Tullia Rushton ’09 “I had several fantastic teachers and mentors who challenged me and encouraged me to become the best version of myself. They nurtured my love of science and the scientific method and fostered my intellectual curiosity. That curiosity has led me to become an academic dermatologist with multiple, ongoing research projects to help improve our care of skin cancer. I often think of Dr. Cooper when preparing a lecture for medical students or dermatology residents.” —Dr. Todd Cartee ’95 “I chose to become a doctor for many reasons. Upon reflection, one strong element was the connection I developed at Indian Springs as a boarding student to a sense of community and the effect I can have on it. Empathy, self-awareness, and collaboration were celebrated at Indian Springs and jump-started my migration into the healing profession.” —Dr. Robert Maulitz ’64

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“Indian Springs helped to shape me into the person I am today. It did not influence my career choice, but it has influenced how I want to practice medicine. Indian Springs taught me how to think outside the box and not just accept what it is. It helped stoke the fire that made me want to make things better.” —Dr. Radhika Prasad Kakarla ’91 “The academics were outstanding at Indian Springs, and I learned how to study in an efficient manner. However, most importantly, Indian Springs fostered a great sense of community. The community aspect of healthcare is so important.” —Dr. Anil Nanda ’92

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“Indian Springs fed my need to be challenged and to look further and deeper. I can still recite the beginning of Dr. Cooper’s essay question: ‘what are the social, economic, and political ramifications of…?’ This always reminds me that everything is far more complex than it first appears. Being exposed to so many ideas helped me question what else could be there.” —Sarah Seiler ’89 “My Indian Springs experience taught me to be a critical thinker and a leader who can use my voice and actions to affect change and leadership, not only in my clinic but also in various regional and national oncology groups that I participate in. At Indian Springs, I also learned to empathize with others in need.” —Dr. Sara Kim ’89

How did your experience at Indian Springs shape your career decisions?

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“Medicine remains a wonderful career path. An opportunity to help people, to indulge your curiosity and creativity, and to involve yourself in a lifetime of learning.

Now more than ever, during this pandemic, we realize also the courage and dedication of our front line health care workers.

I admire them. But I would recommend not pigeon-holing yourself into college too early.

Study a broad range of subjects. Immerse yourself in art, history, and language. Volunteer. Travel. Modern medical schools love well-rounded candidates who have a lot of different experiences to share. Don’t go to university with blinders on, but keep an open mind. Your passions may evolve and change.

You never know what direction they may take you, but rest assured, Indian Springs has provided you with an excellent foundation to build on.”

Summer 2020

—Dr. Todd Cartee ’95

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What advice would you give to Indian Springs students who want to pursue careers in healthcare?

“Expect the unexpected, and overcome the obstacles. Follow the process of Learning through Living because there will be many challenges—from getting admitted to medical school, to residencies that seem to sap every fiber of your being, to maintaining a practice. If healthcare is your passion, if you love the intricacies and the machinery of the human body and marvel at life in general, then healthcare can reward you in ways you cannot begin to imagine.”

—Dr. Chauncey Thuss ’74 P ’09

“Connect with healthcare professionals, and inquire about their daily work. Volunteer at a local hospital or clinic to engage with patients and other staff.

Shadow a provider in the office or operating room. If you are more scientifically inclined, seek out research opportunities or summer internships that allow you to work in a lab.

All of these activities should help to give you a better idea about your level of interest.”

—Dr. Lyndon Lee ’98

“It is a very rewarding experience. Indian Springs has prepared you well. You don’t have to be a science major if you don’t want to. You can have a small practice with a simple lifestyle, or you can go big, change the world, and invent a vaccine to prevent the next scary disease.”

—Dr. Tamara Kahn Rice ’84

“Try to get exposure to lots of different types of medical jobs, and make sure it’s something you really want to do. It’s a tough road to get there, and knowing you really want the end goal of being a doctor or some type of practitioner will help you stay motivated when your schooling and training get hard.” —Dr. Sarah Abroms Kunin ’04

“Go for it! Medicine is equal parts rewarding, engaging, exhausting, and humbling. The hours and hours spent studying in the library, taking exams, and filling out applications is absolutely worthwhile.

I love my job and would never consider doing anything else.”

—Dr. Tullia Rushton ’09

“Talk to as many people as you can who are involved in healthcare.

Think broadly about all the various roles within the field. There are many, many ways to be part of promoting health. Examine your motives. Know that you can continuously reinvent yourself within the healthcare field. It is incredibly rewarding but at times like these, really tough.”

—Dr. Marjorie Lee White ’88

—Dr. Sanjiv Bajaj ’98

“Uphold the Indian Springs values of critical thinking, prudence, discernment, the scientific method, the relative merits of rationalism, empiricism, skepticism, and excellent expository prose. Read. Think.

Write. Act.”

“What Indian Springs can do is focus on the aftermath of the pandemic. Many people in Alabama who will never get COVID-19 will need help. The economic impact is going to be huge, and many people are going to struggle. Find those people, and make a difference.”

—Dr. Eric Summers ’87

“Obviously we are in unprecedented times, facing challenges in how we live our daily lives and do so safely.

Difficult decisions are constantly being made and re-evaluated—on individual, organizational, and societal levels. One of the greatest things we can do is very simple and is embodied in Indian Springs motto:

“What students should and can do to help during the COVID-19 pandemic are the following: think critically; follow the science and logic; resist the easy, expedient, and political voices; and participate in any debate in an informed way.” —Dr. Robert Maulitz ’64

“Help each other out, as well as the community, in any way you can. Listen to the advice of your healthcare providers and healthcare community leaders. Even by just adhering to the recommended social distancing, you can help save lives.”

—Dr. Anil Nanda ’92

Learning through Living.

Remember our basic human connections.

Be patient and support each other, those less fortunate, and the essential workers helping us get through these times.”

—Dr. Susan Dixon McCammon ’85

—Dr. Yvonne Huang ’93

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What can the Indian Springs community do to help during the COVID-19 pandemic?

“The Indian Springs community can help during this pandemic by showing kindness to others in their dayto-day interactions. We are all facing our own challenges during this pandemic, and showing grace and kindness to others is infectious.”

—Dr. Sara Kim ’89

“I think the Indian Springs community is at a unique position in history to observe and record their experiences in this pandemic.

I just finished reading a book on the 1918 Pandemic, and I was surprised that this was something I had never heard about in school.

Reflections of this time will become important for our future collective memories.”

—Dr. Anne Davis P ’23

Indian Springs

“Continue to produce the types of leaders who can craft responses to crises in the future.

We need more bright minds applying themselves to problems using all disciplines.”

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Contributors to this Story Include: Dr. Claire Abraham ’08

Dr. Anne Davis P ’23

Third-Year Resident in Pediatrics, Columbia University

Internal Medicine Specialist, Primary Care Physician

New York City, New York Dr. Eynav Elgavish Accortt ’94

Director of the Reproductive Psychology Program, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Clinical Psychologist and Research Scientist, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Los Angeles, California Dr. Tom-Meka Archinard P ’21

Associate Director, Freestanding Emergency Department of Gardendale Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama “As devastating as this pandemic has been for everyone, including those of us who are healthcare workers, researchers, and medical educators, there have been so many silver linings. In addition to the lessons learned that we’ll be incorporating into our work moving forward, I’m deeply grateful to be part of an organization that is on the front lines of caring for patients during a pandemic and whose leadership is working tirelessly to support healthcare workers and other employees to make sure we are safe and that our concerns are heard. It has been a privilege to witness how the leaders I work with have approached every challenge with thoughtfulness, care, and compassion. They have been role models for me in terms of their resilience, graciousness, kindness, and patience.

Finally, I’ve been inspired by my colleagues’ courage, selflessness, flexibility, and deep concern and commitment to our patients, often prioritizing the needs of the patients over their own.”

—Dr. Jessica Spira Kahn ’82

Dr. Sanjiv Bajaj ’98

Clinical Assistant Professor of Radiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham Assistant Professor of Radiology, Birmingham VA Medical Center

Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. Thomas Boshell ’81 P ’13

Surgeon, Surgical Associates of South Alabama

Brewton, Alabama

Dr. Todd Cartee ’95

Director, Micrographic Surgery and Dermatologic Oncology Fellowship, Penn State Health Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Pennsylvania State University

Summer 2020

Hershey, Pennsylvania

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Dr. Adrienne James Carter ’94

The thoughts and reflections printed in this story are only a portion of those submitted by these contributors. Please visit www.indiansprings.org/healthcareheroes to read more.

Associate Professor of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

Talladega, Alabama

Dr. Charles Goldfarb ’88

Executive Vice-Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University

St. Louis, Missouri

Dr. Yvonne Huang ’93

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Dr. Jessica Spira Kahn ’82

Director and Rauh Chair of the Division of Adolescent and Transition Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Associate Chair of Academic Affairs and Career Development, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Professor of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati President, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine

Cincinnati, Ohio

Dr. Radhika Prasad Kakarla ’91

Obstetrician-Gynecologist, Mainline OB/GYN, Axia Women’s Health

Wayne, Pennsylvania

Dr. Sara Kim ’89

Medical Director of Radiation Oncology, Adventist Health Glendale

Glendale, California

Dr. Sarah Abroms Kunin ’04

Internal Medicine Physician, Grandview Medical Group Homewood

Homewood, Alabama

Dr. William Lapidus P ’12, ’13, ’21

Baptist Medical Center Associate Professor of Hospital Medicine, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Infectious Diseases Specialist, Grandview Medical Center, Brookwood Medical Center

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. Chauncey Thuss ’74 P ’09

Dr. Lyndon Lee ’98

Ophthalmologist, Solinsky EyeCare

West Hartford, Connecticut Dr. Robert Maulitz ’64

Senior Staff Physician, National Jewish Hospital

Denver, Colorado

Dr. Susan Dixon McCammon ’85

Professor of Otolaryngology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham Assistant Director, Community-Based Palliative Care, The University of Alabama Center for Palliative and Supportive Care

Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. Midori Nishida ’92

Naturopathic Doctor, Director, and Founder, The Essence: Naturopathic Medical and Healing Center

Los Angeles, California

Dr. Anil Nanda ’92

Physician, Asthma and Allergy Center Lewisville and Flower Mound, Texas Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Massachusetts General Hospital Professor of Clinical Medicine, Harvard University

Boston, Massachusetts

Dr. Bruce Richards ’73

Internist, Ascension/Saint Thomas Medical Partners

Nashville, Tennessee

Dr. Tamara Kahn Rice ’84

Anesthesiologist, Community Hospital

Grand Junction, Colorado Gordon Rogers ’66

Retired Clinical Supervisor, University of Missouri Hospital

Columbia, Missouri

Dr. Tullia Rushton ’09

Second-Year Resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama Sarah Seiler ’89

Chief Clinical Officer, LifeShare Carolinas

Charlotte, North Carolina Dr. Sadeep Shrestha P ’22, ’23

Associate Professor of Epidemiology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Medical Director, Ascension/St. Vincent’s Occupational Health Clinic

Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. Eroboghene Ubogu P ’21, ’23

Director of the Division of Neuromuscular Disease, The University of Alabama at Birmingham Professor of Neurology, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. Aye Unnoppet ’88

Functional Medicine and Family Medicine Doctor

Alabaster, Alabama

Dr. Marjorie Lee White ’88

Professor of Pediatrics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham Vice President of Clinical Simulation, The University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System Assistant Dean for Clinical Simulation, The University of Alabama at Birmingham Director, Office of Interprofessional Simulation for Innovative Clinical Practice, Center for Interprofessional Education and Simulation

Birmingham, Alabama

Dallas, Texas

Birmingham, Alabama

Dr. Ajanta Patel ’01

Dr. Erik Summers ’87

Dr. Ericka Walker Williams ’95

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago

Chief Medical Officer, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Vice-Chair of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest

Dallas, Texas

Chicago, Illinois

Dr. Katrina Armstrong Randall ’82

Physician-in-Chief, Massachusetts General Hospital Chair, Department of Medicine,

Thank You, Indian Springs Healthcare Heroes

Internal Medicine and Rheumatology Doctor Parkland Health and Hospital System

“Our team has become closer than ever. There is a real understanding that the work we do is very important. The country is celebrating the sacrifices we are making by walking into the unknown and separating ourselves from our own family to keep them safe. I think I am just doing my job, but it feels amazing that we are seen as heroes. We all have a sense of pride as a result of the support we are receiving.”

—Dr. Tom-Meka Archinard P ’21

ALUMNI & FRIENDS

CLASS OF 2020

CELEBRATING OUR NEWEST GRADUATES

Summer 2020

Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

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Ryan Aldaher Jon Arora Trey Atkins Catherine Baker Catherine Belser River Cardwell Frances Carraway Scout Carruthers Sophia Cheng Hunter Crawford Hendrik Dahlmeier Matthew Dale Cate Dawson Elizabeth DePalma Carson DeSocio

Dede Driscoll Ashton Dudley Evan Dunbar Haden Embry Jacqueline Ferrari Molly Frohsin Gio Garza Alice Goff Julia Goldberg Catherine Goodrich Virginia Gray Andrew Hall John David Haws Benedikt Heine Marleigh Hill

Luke Hillegass Lexi Hodson Rebecca House Izzy Hutchinson Mike Jiang Avary Lanier Dylan Le Alek Ledvina Jeffrey Lu Jocelyn Lyu Mac Maharrey Noah Maloy Anton Maninang Ben Mathis Grace McCarty

Alex McFadden Aidan MeadorWoodruff Labdhi Mehta Peyton Miller Shauna Moore Deven Patel Daniel Perkins Sophie Reiff Jessie Riha Miles Robinson Sabra Rogers Finn Schallenberg Parker Schell John Slaughter

Laura Sovacool Ben Standaert Ryan Standaert Forrest Terrell Hampton Terrell Ethan Thomas Maxime Thompson Jim Tozzi Bryce Trible Jack Walley Emma Wang MaryElla Woolf Lesley Xu Ariana Young Bruce Zhang

Visit www.indiansprings.org/collegeadvising to see a matriculation list for the Class of 2020.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT INDIAN SPRINGS?

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU LEARNED AT INDIAN SPRINGS?

“My favorite thing about Indian Springs has been the people. Over the years, I’ve become friends with fellow classmates and teachers.

I’ve deeply enjoyed being around them and learning from their diverse backgrounds and personalities. Many times, I’ve heard alums say that Indian Springs is about the community, not the physical location or the buildings.

In my own reflections during quarantine, those words have resonated with me greatly. Combined with excellent academic opportunities and the beautiful campus, the people at Indian Springs have made my last five years transformative and unforgettable.” —Luke Hillegass ’20, Georgetown University

“The greatest thing I bring with me from my time at Indian Springs is confidence. If you take me before I attended Indian Springs and after, you will notice that this is the greatest difference. I have stepped out of my comfort zone many times at Indian Springs, whether it be talking at Town Meeting, acting as an insecure banker in the one-acts, singing in the choir for three years, performing at student concert (although it was only once), and most of all, being exposed to the great range of personalities I have found on campus. Seeing self-belief and courage in others has, in turn, given me confidence— confidence in my abilities and ideas, in the communities I belong to, and in the goodness of those around me.”

—John Slaughter ’20, Princeton University

“My favorite part of Indian Springs is the community. Coming from a small private school and not being close with many of my fellow classmates that were going to Indian Springs, I was worried that I would have trouble fitting in. From the moment I stepped onto campus, I felt welcomed. Participating in clubs and extracurriculars at Indian Springs is easy because the school and the community that it cultivates is so inviting. I am so sad to be leaving Indian Springs, but I can’t wait to visit as an alum.” —Catherine Baker ’20, Emory University “My favorite experiences have all been exploring campus and enjoying its natural beauty. Finding the spring at the top of the lake, searching for caves on campus, the many times I have been swimming outside of Lake Day, and just working in the garden have given me a great appreciation for the world around me. Learning is important, but the campus is not rivaled by any other school.”

—Evan Dunbar ’20, Rice University “My favorite thing about Indian Springs is how supportive the community is. From the faculty to my classmates, everyone at Indian Springs is incredibly supportive. I remember how friendly the teachers are. Even teachers who never taught me remember me and offer me help. They also continue to care about me even during this special time when we are thousands of miles apart. It’s hard to put into words, but in short, I think my time at Indian Springs will have a lifelong impact on me and who I’ll become.” —Jocelyn Lyu ’20, Wellesley College

“The most important thing I learned at Indian Springs was that if I really put my mind to it, I can accomplish amazing things that I never would have believed myself capable of.”

—Dede Driscoll ’20, Hamilton College

“As a boarding student, one of the most important things I learned at Indian Springs was how to work with other people and negotiate differences. It’s an essential skill to have.”

—Jacqueline Ferrari ’20, Pepperdine University

“The most important thing I learned at Indian Springs is that the strongest bonds are built through struggle. As a class, fostering our own sense of stability amidst administration changes, learning alongside new teachers, and building each other up after so much was taken from us by the virus has, in a way, brought us closer (although we are literally speaking, quite far apart right now). Indian Springs has given me the confidence to choose to take challenges like these head-on, knowing I am never alone.”

—Peyton Miller ’20, University of Mississippi “The most important thing I learned at Indian Springs was how to be a lifelong learner.

There is always something new and exciting to explore anywhere, anytime. Indian Springs taught me knowledge is limitless; it’s all about looking differently at what you know and asking the right questions to discover the unknowns.”

—Labdhi Mehta ’20, Emory University

Visit www.indiansprings.org/seniorreflections to read more from the Class of 2020.

Indian Springs

“My favorite thing about Indian Springs is how connected to nature it is. Being outside and walking through wooded areas, especially when it’s warm out, is something that I cherish deeply, and is something that I currently miss doing while in quarantine. Indian Springs is definitely the best place for that.” —Cate Dawson ’20, Savannah College of Art and Design

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

CLASS OF 2020

Surprise!

As COVID-19 swept the world, Indian Springs’ graduating seniors lost out on the opportunity to spend the final weeks of their time as students together on campus.

Our faculty and staff rose to support them as they coped with the changes, and worked with them and their families to ensure important traditions could still be honored. Senior Banquet and Graduation are rescheduled for the end of July; we look forward to sharing photos from these long-awaited events in the Winter 2020 issue of Indian Springs Magazine. In the meantime, we have connected with our seniors through a series of fun and heartfelt surprises:

Virginia Gray ’20

SURPRISE #1: (Above and left) Personalized yard signs, delivered by members of the faculty and staff

Ethan Thomas ’20

Summer 2020

Catherine Goodrich ’20

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Alex McFadden ’20

Shauna Moore ’20

SURPRISE #2: (Above and left) Operation Swan Drop—an elaborate “reverse senior prank” which involved inflating giant swans and loading them onto trucks for delivery to each senior’s yard

SURPRISE #3:

A video message from Indian Springs alum and bestselling author John Green ’95 (watch at youtube.com/experiencesprings)

SURPRISE #4:

(Right) Care packages filled with Indian Springs keepsakes, cookies baked in the dining hall, and hand-written notes from faculty members

SURPRISE #5:

(Below) A social-distancing, drive-through celebration on campus

Jacqueline Ferrari ’20

Frances Carraway ’20

Matthew Dale ’20

Evan Dunbar ’20

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @experiencesprings to see more photos!

Indian Springs

Ariana Young ’20

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

SUPPORT SPRINGS

Thank You! All of us at Indian Springs School thank YOU for supporting our students, faculty, and staff. Nearly 800 alumni, parents, and friends of Indian Springs gave nearly 1,400 gifts supporting the Annual Fund, Emergency Financial Aid Fund, capital projects, and numerous other priorities.

Thank you as well to our volunteers from the Parents Association, Alumni Council, faculty and staff, and Board of Governors.

This year more than ever, your support made a difference.

We look forward to recognizing all donors who gave between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020 in the Winter 2020 issue of Indian Springs Magazine.

Summer 2020

To learn more about supporting Indian Springs, please visit www.indiansprings.org/give.

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A HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Our 2019–2020 Host Families *The Family of Blue Ammon ’23 *The Family of Nora Barton ’23 The Family of Christopher Bradley ’22 The Family of Maddison Chessman ’21 The Family of Lucy Craig ’23 The Family of Thomas French ’22 The Family of Bella Garza ’23 and Gio Garza ’20 The Family of Lily Geisen ’21

The Family of Seppe Giattina ’21 The Family of Laurel Impello ’23 and Sawyer Impello ’21 *The Family of Joseph Katz ’22 *The Family of Catherine Kung ’22 The Family of Eleanor Lee ’21 The Family of Addy Miller ’22 and Peyton Miller ’20 The Family of Will Miller ’21 The Family of Richard Monk ’23 The Family of Elise Picard ’23

The Family of Ben Rothman ’23 The Family of Charlie Rueve ’21 The Family of Jack Swanner ’21 The Family of Lucy Woodke ’19 The Family of Janina Wu ’21 The Family of Enoch Xiao ’23 and Ethan Xiao ’23 The Family of Nyssa Youhn ’21 *Indicates families who hosted multiple boarding students.

Indian Springs

Thank you to the generous Indian Springs families who provided our boarding students a home away from home for Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break! We are especially grateful to those families who continued to host through the transition to distance learning, long after Spring Break had ended—and for some students, long after the school year had ended.

Their hospitality, kindness, and support during an especially challenging time will forever be appreciated by our boarding students, their families, and our Residential Life staff.

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

S P OT L I G H T

MEET 2020 OUTSTANDING ALUM OF THE YEAR J.W. CARPENTER ’97

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LEFT: J.W. speaks at a family

game night hosted by the Birmingham Education Foundation to raise money for scholarships for Birmingham City School students.

RIGHT: In December 2018, Commissioners of Protection John Slaughter ’20 and Ariana Young ’20 welcomed J.W. as a guest speaker for Indian Springs’ second annual Diversity Day. The theme of the program was “encouraging civic involvement through education.”

“It is amazing to me that even if Indian Springs alums are all over the world, they still want to help their fellow alums and have a deep affection for Birmingham and the work we are doing here.

It is a great network to be part of, personally and professionally.”

—J.W. CARPENTER ’97

do anything, and every time they get a great opportunity, they shine. Unfortunately, for myriad reasons including the legacy of slavery, forced labor, and segregation, to low standards, inadequate funding, and lack of innovation in the present, our students don’t get all of the opportunities they deserve, and certainly fewer opportunities than I enjoyed at Indian Springs.

At Ed, we want students to graduate on the path to college, career, and life readiness by building a diverse network of people and organizations who want to collaborate to expand opportunities for them. That takes the form of career access, college access, executive skill-building, paid internships, five years of support after high school, and any number of other needs that surface. We have seen so many of those needs

bubble up during COVID-19 and have helped students with everything from transportation home from college, to short-term funding for those impacted financially, to helping high school seniors sort out big decisions around college. It is hard to spend time around our students in Birmingham and not be optimistic, but we have to see major disruption in how we approach education if we want to see rapidly changing results. In the meantime, we are focused on supporting our kids, families, and school district to get through this unexpected disruption caused by the pandemic, but we have our eye on the long-term as well to make sure we have quality schools, a robust educator talent pipeline, policies that include community input, and massive community engagement so we are meeting the needs of students and families on the ground all the time.

Q: What were some of the experiences you had at Indian Springs that shaped who you are today?

A: I started at Indian Springs in ninth grade. I came from a highly regarded school in New Jersey, but in no way was I ready for Indian Springs. The expectations were higher, and the freedom greater, which was not the best mix for an undisciplined teenager like myself. While the adjustment was tough, the experience changed my life. It is still the smartest, most creative group of people I have ever been around. It was a place where trying was cool. They all pushed me to work harder and make better, more thoughtful arguments. They still do from afar. I learned about how to take a project from idea to actuality and how to work

Photos by the Birmingham Educational Foundation and Rachel Wallace Preskitt

Summer 2020

T

he Indian Springs Alumni Council has named J.W. Carpenter ’97 the 2020 Outstanding Alum of the Year. J.W. has served students and their families in the Birmingham City School System as Director of the Birmingham Education Foundation (Ed) since 2013. Prior to his work with Ed, he served as the founding Executive Director at Teach For America Alabama. Starr Drum ’02 asked J.W. about his career and goals for the future of education in Birmingham.

Q: Tell us about your journey after graduating from Indian Springs and how you ended up back in Birmingham as the Executive Director of the Birmingham Education Foundation.

A: There were a few key moments. The first was attending Boston College. The Jesuits communicated clearly that the purpose of education was to go out there and make a difference in the world, and they lived it out by facilitating a variety of service opportunities throughout my four years, including three years working at a homeless shelter run entirely by formerly homeless men and two spring break service trips to Appalachia.

After graduation from Boston College, I taught high school math and English in rural Arkansas with Teach For America (TFA) and saw firsthand both the potential of my students and the lack of opportunities they had to demonstrate it. After teaching, I attended law school and returned to Alabama to practice law. While practicing, I met four incredible guys in Hale County who were trying to bring Teach For America to Alabama.

I helped a very small amount by telling my story to a variety of audiences and in the process grew reconnected to TFA and learned a lot about the massive opportunity gaps that many students in Alabama were experiencing. I decided to change the course of my career, and thanks to significant support and sacrifice from my wife, Becky, I was able to become the inaugural Executive Director at TFA in Alabama. Nearly four years and one child later, I found an opportunity to have a greater impact on Birmingham and travel a lot less, so I moved to the Birmingham Education Foundation (Ed), where I’ve been for the last six and a half years.

Q: Tell us about your work at Ed and some of your goals for its future and the future of education in Birmingham City Schools.

A: Our 22,000 kids in the Birmingham City Schools have limitless potential. They can

collaboratively with people (and how not to). The two most important lessons that I took away were probably the following: First, you are going to fail. A lot. Often. Especially if you are trying new things. Don’t be afraid of it. Second, be happy for other people. At Indian Springs, there is always someone doing something great. It is really easy to let yourself be jealous or competitive. It is much better to cheer on and support your friends.

Q: Tell us about your connections or involvement with fellow Indian Springs alumni and/or the Indian Springs community since you graduated.

A: A few weeks ago, we had a Birmingham City School student get into a top university with a very generous financial package. Unfortunately, as is the case with many students from low-income backgrounds, he needed to see what all of the universities had to offer before making a choice because money is such a huge factor. The deadline to accept the offer, though, was before he would

know everything. So, I called up Indian Springs alum Danny Markstein ’92, who has ties to this university, and despite being awfully busy himself, he immediately agrees to help, jumping on the phone with the relevant parties and shooting an email off to the university advocating for the student for no other reason than I asked him to do it. Indian Springs alums are a constant in my life, whether it’s Annie Damsky ’98 volunteering at one of our events, or Stephen Cockrell ’02 and Miho Kubagawa ’03 helping me understand the education trends at a national level, or the work the Goodrich family does to support innovation throughout Birmingham, or close friends Kent ’03 and Andrea Haines ’03, and Randall Minor ’99 and Emily Levine ’01 always doing whatever they can to help our students. When my mother passed away in September, Craig, Ben, William, Laura, Johnny, and so many others who began pushing me to be better back in 1993 were right back by my side, some flying in from all over the

We welcome your nominations!

Visit www.indiansprings.org/ alumni to nominate an alum for our next Outstanding Alum of the Year or Young Alum on the Rise Award! The Outstanding Alum of the Year Award honors Indian Springs graduates who have made outstanding contributions to their fields and/or communities. The Young Alum on the Rise Award recognizes accomplished individuals who have graduated from Indian Springs in the past 15 years and who have made interesting and/or significant contributions to society during that time.

Indian Springs

country to do so. It is amazing to me that even if Indian Springs alums are all over the world, they still want to help their fellow alums and have a deep affection for Birmingham and the work we are doing here. It is a great network to be part of, personally and professionally.

Q: What advice would you offer to current Indian Springs students?

A: Let me begin by disabusing you of the notion that I deserve this award or that I followed any of this advice when I was at Indian Springs. I don’t and I didn’t, which means even if current Indian Springs students ignore this, they can still one day be the Alum of the Year.

First, get involved in your local community in whatever way makes sense to you. One of the great things I see at Indian Springs now that I do not think was as true as when I attended is how connected students are to Birmingham.

Second, embrace your friends. The friendships you make at Indian Springs will be what you remember most and what will matter most in the long run. Ask people questions. Most people do not, and they miss opportunities to learn and connect and grow. Finally, recognize the extraordinary privilege you have at Indian Springs. It is changing your life. So many people I know would kill to have the kind of education you are getting, and many move heaven and earth to make it happen for their kids. It is easy in the day-to-day to take it for granted. I did. You will do better to appreciate it and figure out how this unique opportunity can help you make a difference in the world. —Starr Drum ’02

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

LASTING TIES

ALUMNI GATHERING

Holiday Party

December 26, 2019 1. James Scott ’75, Carolyn Nemeth ’78 2. Benjamin Kitchens ’13, Georgia Murray, Virginia Barr ’12.

3. Georgette Hanks ’80, Karen DeLaine

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2

3

4

4. Phil Cook ’62, Sid Smyer ’70 5. Ambria Hardy ’13, Carter Long-Glanton ’10, Julia Pearce’ 11, Sydney Dean ’11 6. Ryan Henderson ’07, Kirby Pool

Henderson ’07 7. Margaret Blackerby ’14, Hill Balliet ’14, Jack O’Malley ’14 8. Anna Tsui, Justin Ovson ’01, Nirmal Roy ’02 9. Alexee Deep Conroy ’96, Matthew Conroy, and their children

Summer 2020

10. Chloe Yeager ’16, Priscilla Jones ’15, Sebastian Black ’15, Liz Jones ’18, Tate Shuttlesworth ’18

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5

Photos by Joseph De Sciose

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10

Indian Springs

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S P OT L I G H T

Summer 2020

MEET 2020 YOUNG ALUM ON THE RISE JULIA FAWAL ’10

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Q: Since graduating from Indian Springs, you have navigated the ever-changing world of journalism and the intersection of journalism and technology. Tell us about how and when you became interested in your field.

A: I was very lucky to know early on what I wanted to do career-wise. I loved writing even as a kid, but I was around 12 when I decided I wanted to do it professionally (a decision made almost exclusively because I was really into writing Harry Potter fanfiction at the time). I had a clear plan for post-Indian Springs life: I’d write for my college newspaper, get a journalism internship in New York, and then move to New York City

The Indian Springs Alumni Council has named Julia Fawal ’10 the 2020 Young Alum on the Rise. Julia earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Rhodes College and then moved to New York to pursue a career in media.

She currently serves as the Social Media Director at Global Citizen and previously worked at TED Conferences and Woman’s Day magazine. Kate Hawley ’09 asked Julia about her career and time at Indian Springs.

to work at a magazine. And I did those things, but after working for a couple years, I began questioning if it was truly what I wanted longterm. Plus, the instability of the industry started making me nervous. Jobs in print journalism were dwindling, and I kept getting rejected for digital media roles because I didn’t have enough online writing experience. When I came across a position on TED’s social media team, I thought it would be a good place to gain some experience for a year or two, and then I’d go back to working at a magazine. But after a week at TED, I never looked back. I initially had a pretty narrow view about what it meant to work in social media, but I

quickly realized how wrong I was. My role at TED was a hodgepodge of different things that included everything from social media strategy to content creation to partnerships. While I wouldn’t describe the work as “journalism,” it definitely had some journalistic components. A key part of the job was to figure out creative ways to break down complex ideas or tell stories compelling enough to compete with the billions of other things demanding people’s attention online. So on any given day, that meant interviewing TED speakers for articles or videos, editing scripts, conducting and producing live interviews, and more. It also meant learning the ins and outs of social media strategy, including how to develop a unique brand voice, cover live events, and use data-driven insights to grow and engage a digital audience. It was a dream job for me in so many ways, but after four years I was ready for a change. I had a brief stint as a freelance consultant helping other companies develop their own editorial and social media strategies, and then I got a job in March as the Social Media Director for Global Citizen, a nonprofit that organizes collective action for issues like extreme poverty, climate change, inequality, and global health (which is our priority now more than ever). While I don’t always love being on the internet 24/7— and I am absolutely conscious of the harm social media platforms can and do cause—I’m grateful I stumbled upon an industry that keeps me on my toes and lets me blend my love of writing and tech.

Q: Tell us about some experiences from your time at Indian Springs that shaped who you are today.

A: I have to start off by talking about Melanie Kieve, who was the Assistant Director of Development in the Communications Office when I was a student. I met her at a Student Government event, and when I mentioned I was interested in journalism, she immediately offered to help. She let me shadow her in the Indian Springs Communications Office and then created an entire journalism elective course for me to take my senior year. That class gave me so much foundational experience, and it verified that I wanted to keep writing professionally. Melanie really took the time

Photo provided by Julia Fawal ’10

ALUMNI & FRIENDS

“I lead the social media team and oversee strategy and social content production across all of Global Citizen’s channels, and the pandemic has thrown us into overdrive. As a company, we’re currently focused on developing policy campaigns and producing broadcast shows to support global funding for COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccines.” —JULIA FAWAL ’10

POSTHUMOUS AWARD

FRANK SAMFORD ’62 Earlier this spring, Alumni Council President Callen Thistle ’01 announced that the Council conferred the posthumous status of Outstanding Alum of the Year to Frank Samford ’62. In the last issue of Indian Springs Magazine, we relayed the sad news of Frank’s untimely passing in December. His many years of service to Indian Springs as a board member and fundraiser were appreciated by the entire community and he is missed by his classmates and friends.

“Frank embodied Indian Springs’ core values, as expressed in its philosophy of Learning through Living,” Callen said. “We are proud to have shared with him the distinction of being an Indian Springs alum and honored to present this award to him posthumously.”

In the wake of learning of this most recent honor for Frank, we asked his wife Sharon and son Paul Samford ’90 for some thoughts. Sharon relayed, “From the very first days of knowing Sam—he was always ‘Sam’ to me, a real upgrade from ‘Sammy,’ the name he was introduced to me by—I had heard tales of an idyllic place populated by people he would have chosen for friends under any circumstances and presided over by a wise and kindly man named ‘Doc.’ He didn’t even mention the lake, the swan, and the woods because it was always about the relationships for him. I was lucky enough to see it all for myself, so I could picture the stories and the people I would hear about through the years. Of all the lucky things in his life, his years at Indian Springs were always at the top of his list. He knew it was a huge privilege, and he never took it for granted. He felt that he had been shaped

by Indian Springs, that he had learned to think critically there. He had made friendships that would last a lifetime. Many of them became my friends too and were there for me in person when we had to say goodbye to him. He loved the time he spent on the Board, even though it meant driving back and forth between Atlanta and Birmingham. He was honored to be able to give back to a place he felt had given so much to him. He would have been embarrassed to be getting an award for something he did so gladly, but I know he earned it and I am delighted and proud.”

From Paul: “When I arrived at Indian Springs, I had already been prepared for an incredible experience by my father. He explained to me that this was a school unlike any other in the world. Not only would I be challenged by brilliant teachers and students, but I would also have to face the challenge of incredible freedom. Dad explained that I would have to make the decision to do the work or wake up and attend classes. If I was going to succeed at Indian Springs, I would have to learn to love and desire to learn. This, Dad explained, was the greatest gift that Indian Springs had given him, and his love and appreciation for Indian Springs seemed to grow yearly. He continued to make the treacherous Atlanta to Indian Springs drive to attend every board meeting and reunion. As he got older, he relished spending time with staff members like Dr. Cooper and Dr. LaCasse. Together, they would form an All-Star Trivia team that would decimate the local bars. Anyone that ever met my father was impressed with his intellect. I think Dad would have given all the credit to his favorite place on earth: Indian Springs.” —James Simon

Indian Springs

to mentor me, and I’ll always remember that. Another experience that stuck with me was Dr. Cooper’s AP History assignment to “find the hidden bias” in an article. I loved that assignment. It forced me to think more critically about the media, and it made me conscious of bias in my own writing. Those are just two of so many examples, but overall Indian Springs really gave me the freedom to take risks and explore what I was interested in, and that had a huge impact on me.

Q: Do you still have connections or involvement with fellow Springs alumni and/or the Indian Springs community?

A: A lot of people I meet now are surprised to hear that I actually still like the people I went to high school with. Some of my best friends are from Indian Springs. When I graduated 10 years ago, I was terrified that I’d lose those connections, but many have become even stronger despite rarely seeing each other in person anymore. Plus, not to be a Facebook evangelist, but social media makes it so much easier to stay in touch with both alumni and faculty as the years go on.

Q: What are you currently working on and what’s next for you?

A: “What’s next?” feels like such a wild question right now because COVID-19 has essentially put all plans on pause. Like everyone else, I’ve been forced to try this whole “living day-by-day” thing, and it’s growing on me. I also started my job at Global Citizen recently, so that’s keeping me incredibly busy. I lead the social media team and oversee strategy and social content production across all of Global Citizen’s channels, and the pandemic has thrown us into overdrive. As a company, we’re currently focused on developing policy campaigns and producing broadcast shows to support global funding for COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccines. There’s a strong sense of urgency, and it’s definitely challenging at times—but challenging in a good way.

Given the current situation, I’m simply grateful to even have a job right now, let alone work at a place that’s making an impact. I’ve never been great at predicting what’s next for me career-wise, but at the moment I feel like I’m in exactly the right spot.

Q: What advice would you offer to current Indian Springs students?

A: Throw stuff against the wall and see what sticks. There’s often so much pressure in high school to have a bunch of hobbies/ extracurriculars or find that “thing” you excel in, but I think that finding environments you excel in matters, too. Maybe you feel most fulfilled and engaged doing activities that scare you, or being the person working behind the scenes, or debating in front of a group. Notice those moments and take mental notes. That info can reveal a lot about what you want down the line, so just be curious about yourself, try out different situations, and see where it takes you. —Kate Hawley ’09

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LASTING TIES

ALUMNI GATHERING

New York February 13, 2020

1. Amanda Key ’95, Myla Calhoun, Catherine McLean, Kayser Strauss ’96 2. Mona Singh ’85, Kyung Han ’85,

Hanson Slaughter ’90 3. Alan Engel ’73, Rene Simmons,

John Simmons ’65 4. Mike Goodrich ’90, Elizabeth Goodrich, Scott Pulliam ’85 5. Adam Trodd ’08, James Lee ’07,

William Hawley ’08, Sarah Nelson, Mia Karle ’19 6. Patrick Bradley ’01, Lisa Engel,

Stacy Pulliam, Sara Kim ’03

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5

3

4

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Photos by Rossa Cole and Zoeica Images

Summer 2020

2

ALUMNI GATHERING

Washington, D.C. February 20, 2020

1. Jim Mustin ’60, William Gamble ’03

Virtual Class Reunions April 25, 2020

2. Khadija Jahfiya ’11,

Frank Morring ’68, Jerry Kennedy ’66, Maura Kennedy, Jo Tartt ’60 3. Don North, Jenny Morgan ’96, Ruth Fitts ’96, Glen Howard ’67

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Class of 1990

Class of 1985

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Class of 1960

Indian Springs

Class of 1970

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

N OT E WO R T H Y

CLASS OF 1959 Steve Coleman ’59 was awarded a Silver Medal in Science Fiction for Andre’s Reboot: Striving to Save Humanity in the 24th Annual Independent Publisher Book Awards contest. The “IPPY” Awards, launched in 1996, are designed to bring increased recognition to the titles published by independent authors and publishers.

CLASS OF 1967 John Tanner ’67 retired from the active practice of law after 36 years with the Justice Department and eight years of part-time solo practice. He now serves as the Principle Assistant Nanny for his grandchildren Ell (3) and Lily (9 months) who live nearby in Washington, D.C. He also writes “John Tanner’s Barbecue Blog,” which covers all types of food as he and his wife travel around the U.S., Europe, and the Caribbean.

The blog often highlights fellow Indian Springs alumni.

CLASS OF 1972 Dr. Pat Alford ’72 was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Alabama in Romance Languages in December 2019. The title of his dissertation is Han’gŭlization and Romanization: Two Models of Script Change. He and his wife, Aghdas, also welcomed their fourth and fifth grandchildren into the family.

CLASS OF 1979 Bailey Jones ’79 was featured on the cover of the Spring 2020 issue of Auburn Magazine for his work with the award-winning Sundilla Concert Series.

In addition to running the concert series, he is the Executive Producer of The Sundilla Radio Hour and booked the performers for the first Opelika Songwriters Festival held in 2019. One of those performers was Sam Pointer ’81.

Summer 2020

CLASS OF 1984

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Kazuo Moriya ’84 started a new job at Honda Trading America in January 2020 as the senior account representative for die and machinery after working for a tier 1 supplier to Honda, Toyota, and Nissan as project manager for nearly 10 years. His oldest son, Kiam, graduated from Indian Springs in 2019, and his younger son, Aiden ’25, starts 8th grade this fall.

CLASS OF 1985 Kelly Bodnar Battles ’85 and her

husband Brett live in the Bay Area where she is the CFO of Quora. Her children are thriving as a sophomore in college (Grace) and a freshman in high school (Weston). She recently binge-watched Looking for Alaska on Hulu and enjoyed reminiscing about her wonderful time at Indian Springs.

Barry Tobias ’98 and his wife, Talia, welcomed their second son Julian Kyr into the family on Barry’s father’s birthday in September 2019. Their older son Remy loves his new role as big brother. At NASA, Barry leads the life support and thermal systems flight control team for the Artemis moon missions.

Dr. David Garcia ’85 and his wife, Dr. Elizabeth Garcia, live in the Pacific Northwest and are enjoying their “empty nest.” He is a Professor of Hematology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

CLASS OF 2000

CLASS OF 1988 Hanelle Culpepper ’88 directed the first two episodes of Star Trek: Picard, which premiered in January on CBS All Access.

She is the first woman to direct the pilot episode of a Star Trek series in the franchise’s 53-year history.

Nicole Berland ’00 received the SUTASA, the award from the University of North Carolina Student Undergraduate Teaching and Staff Awards Committee. This award recognizes her excellence among all of her peers throughout the whole university as an incredible teacher and mentor.

CLASS OF 2001 Sipiwe Moyo ’01 welcomed her second child, Simone Luyanda Moyo, on February 4, 2020 in New York City.

CLASS OF 1990

CLASS OF 2007

Sarah Frazier ’90 left Berg and Androphy where she practiced law for fifteen years to start her own firm in October 2019. Her practice continues to include civil and criminal litigation with an emphasis on representing whistleblowers under the False Claims Act. She is located in Houston, Texas.

Haley Morris ’07 married Koal McMillan on October 12, 2019. She recently became a National Board Certified Teacher in the area of Exceptional Needs.

CLASS OF 1992 Jeff Gale ’92 and his family took a sabbatical to spend six months of 2019 in South America, splitting their time between Ecuador and Argentina, where they faced considerable challenges, saw incredible sights, and learned valuable lessons. They have returned to Birmingham, and their oldest child, Julia ’25, will enter 8th grade at Springs in the fall.

CLASS OF 1995 John Lockett ’95 left the partnership at Morris, Manning & Martin LLP to form his own law firm, The Lockett Law Firm LLC, in Atlanta, Georgia. His boutique firm specializes in business litigation. He lives in the Buckhead area of Atlanta with his wife Erin, and three children: Jack (10), Catherine (9), and Luke (3).

CLASS OF 1998 Kevin Tavakoli ’98 and his wife, Jane, welcomed their daughter Emily Hannah Tavakoli into the family in January 2019.

Early signs show she has her mom’s intelligence and her dad’s volume.

Emily’s grandparents are thrilled.

Kirby Pool ’07 and Ryan Henderson ’07 were married on September 28, 2019 at St. Mary’s on the Highlands Episcopal Church in Birmingham, Alabama, followed by a reception at B&A Warehouse, where the Class of 2007 held their senior banquet. The wedding party included Indian Springs alumni Ben Guion ’08, Shan Nazeer ’08, and Sefan Nazeer ’08.

CLASS OF 2010 Awbrey Golden Saxon ’10 married Ross Saxon on October 5, 2019 in Birmingham, Alabama. In attendance were Maggie Aland ’10, Lael Groover ’10, Kevin Lee ’10, Keith Marson ’10, Emma Harms O’Neal ’10, Everett Smith ’10, and Foster Smith ’12.

CLASS OF 2011 William Rushton ’11 is currently in his third year at the Charles Cecil Studios in Florence, Italy, where he studies portraiture using the sight-size method of drawing and painting. This type of training, which strives to emulate the technique of great artists such as Titian, Velasquez, and Sargent, facilitates observation and selection. Portraits are drawn mostly life-size and always from life, without recourse to photography or artificial lighting. Repeatedly viewing the subject and its representation at a continued on page 60

Class notes edited by Margaret Blackerby ’14

PAT ALFORD ’72

SARAH FRAZIER ’90

JEFF GALE ’92

KEVIN TAVAKOLI ’98

BARRY TOBIAS ’98

AWBREY SAXON ’10

KAZUO MORIYA ’84

JOHN LOCKETT ’95

SIPIWE MOYO ’01

KIRBY POOL ’07

Indian Springs

STEVE COLEMAN ’59

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

N OT E WO R T H Y

distance, the artist moves forward only to add or make adjustments to the paper or canvas. Consequently, the portraits-in charcoal, pastel, or oils-bear a notable likeness to the models themselves and, while somewhat impressionistic at close range, gain clarity and strength when viewed from afar.

and empowerment in Sewanee and beyond.

CLASS OF 2012

IN MEMORIAM

Virginia Barr ’12 was a member of the Ensemble in the Virginia Samford Theatre production of Cabaret, directed by Indian Springs Director of Theatre Arts Dane Peterson.

WILLIAM RUSHTON ’11

Maranda Berry ’12 married Jack Buttrey on January 18, 2020 at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Indian Springs, Alabama.

The wedding party included Indian Springs alumni Sydney Lash ’12 (Maid of Honor), Samantha Adams ’12 (bridesmaid), and Riley Berry ’19 (groomsman) and current students Dana and Delana Berry ’24 (junior bridesmaids). In attendance were Will Blach ’12, Amory Strange ’12, and Chloe Yeager ’16.

CLASS OF 2013 Joshua Copeland ’13 was awarded his Master of Community Planning from Auburn University in May, 2020.

CLASS OF 2014 Margaret Blackerby ’14 accepted a position at Indian Springs as the Admission and Communications Coordinator in January 2020. She also launched a creative project on Instagram called “Margaret BOOKerby” where she posts book reviews and recommendations to encourage her audience to reconnect with reading.

MARANDA BERRY ’12

Nikhi Singh ’14 began the M.D./MBA Program at UAB School of Medicine in July 2019.

Tess Walker ’14 moved to San Diego, California to pursue her Master’s in Psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience at San Diego State University.

She expects to graduate next May with the hopes of pursuing her Ph.D. after. Her favorite things about San Diego are living next to the ocean and eating fish tacos.

Summer 2020

CLASS OF 2017

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MAX KAPLOW ’17

Hayden Dunbar ’17 will serve as the Co-Director of the Bairnwick Women’s Center at Sewanee: The University of the South for the 2020–2021 academic year. ‌The Women’s Center is the home to a student-led movement actively promoting equality and social justice through education, support,

Max Klapow ’17 received the Truman Scholarship, the premier graduate fellowship for students pursuing careers as public service leaders. He is a rising senior at Washington University, studying psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy.

ALUMNI Wilmer Smith Poynor, III ’56 passed away on January 2, 2020. He graduated from the University of Alabama and served in the U.S. Army Reserve Quartermaster Corps, from which he was discharged as a First Lieutenant.

He joined New York Life Insurance Company in 1961 and served clients for 52 years. He was President of the Birmingham Life Underwriting Association and Birmingham Estate Planning Council. A member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, he served the Birmingham, Alabama community with roles in numerous charitable organizations and was Treasurer of the Monday Morning Quarterback Club for 30 years. He is survived by his wife of 61 years Carol; daughter Helen (Reaves); sons Wilmer Poynor IV ’80 (Elizabeth) and Ham (Kim); and eight grandchildren.

Sam H. Moorer, Jr., M.D. ’59 passed away on February 27, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. He was a beloved father, husband, brother, uncle, and pediatrician devoted to taking care of the community’s most vulnerable children. He led a life well lived and will be missed.

Jerry L. Coffey ’60 passed away on December 30, 2018 in Winchester, Virginia. He received a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. from George Washington University. He was the senior mathematical statistician in the Office of Management and Budget, then served as the chairman of the House committee on regulatory reform. As a consultant, he wrote a foundational report in a case before the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia, did pro bono work for an inter-agency committee analyzing river flooding, and served on the Board of the American Statistical Association. He enjoyed singing and playing soccer at Indian Springs. He is survived by his wife of 51 years Gretchen; daughter Laurel; and son Jay. John Percy Oliver ’60 passed away on March 10, 2020 in Smyrna, Georgia. He was a third-generation lawyer, born and raised in Dadeville, Alabama, where he practiced law for over 50 years after graduating from the University of Alabama School of Law. He also followed in his ancestors’ footsteps as the Dadeville City Judge. He attended Birmingham Southern College and was a member of Alpha

Class notes edited by Margaret Blackerby ’14

James Frank Curry ’63 passed away on December 21, 2019. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at Vanderbilt University. After retiring from First Commercial Bank, Frank joined The Woodlawn Foundation. He was a member of the Country Club of Birmingham and Mountain Brook Baptist Church and enjoyed hunting, fishing, playing golf. He treasured his family, friends, dogs, and friendships with the Smiling Mallards Society. He is survived by his wife of 46 years Greer; daughter Myers (Wesley); grandchildren Blakely and Curry; sister Hill (Andre); brothers-in-law David (Beverly) and Brooks (Brenda); and several beloved nieces and nephews.

Gene Ramsey Smitherman ’66 passed away on January 22, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Vanderbilt University and later earned a law degree from the University of Alabama and a Masters of Divinity from the University of the South School of Theology. He served as Counsel to the University of Alabama at Birmingham before moving to Chattanooga to become a partner at Chambliss Law. He became an Episcopal priest in 1997 and served as Rector of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Kingsport, Tennessee and Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Chattanooga. He was a music lover and airplane enthusiast. He is survived by his wife of 48 years Suzanne; his children Matthew (Jen), Caroline (Patrick), and Eleanor (Brandon); and many siblings and grandchildren.

Martin Blackwell Stringfellow ’69 passed away on December 20, 2019. He was a lifetime entrepreneur, having built and led Martin B. Stringfellow Associates, a worldrenowned FF&E contractor responsible for furnishing thousands of hotels. He was revered in his industry for his honest, ethical approach to business, and as in his family life, he was beloved by all who knew him in the field. He is survived by his wife and the love of his life Lisa Hunnicutt; his sons West and Matt (Pineapple); his grandchildren Leah and Chaplin; his siblings Joy (Larry), Tynes, and Jack; and his mother Jane.

Stacey Winks Hurn ’83 passed away on

February 29, 2020. She is survived by her loving husband Ben; her two sons Joshua and Elijah; her grandson Wilder; her father John; her mother Rita; and her brother Jay Winks ’86.

Dustin Michael Osborn ’98 passed away on December 24, 2019. While a student at Indian Springs, he was a fixture on the school’s soccer and golf teams. He attended UAB and later worked with AT&T throughout Mobile and Baldwin counties, calling Daphne home for the latter part of his life. He enjoyed good wings, barbecue, and Alabama football, but his greatest passion was golf. Dustin is survived by his mother Tammy; father Mike Osborn ’77 (Leta); grandmothers Carol and Mildred; brother Christopher Osborn ’01; sister Maegan (Drew); nephew Kenneth; and many cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.

Hannah “Honor” Lucienne Loeb ’15 passed away on April 14, 2020 in Montgomery, Alabama. Honor attended Saint James School in Montgomery then transferred to Indian Springs in the 11th grade. She enrolled at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY before transferring to Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY where she was studying English and Creative Writing. She planned to attend graduate school for library science with a dual degree in law. She is preceded in death by her great-grandmother Clara; grandparents James and Joan; and her aunt Helen. She is survived by her parents Jamie and Carol; her sisters Sarah Claire and Catherine; her grandparents Betty, Roger, and Paul and Loretta; and many aunts and uncles.

FAMILY & FRIENDS SARAH BRADFORD May 7, 2020 Mother of current faculty member Jonathan Horn ’75; grandmother of Julia Horn ’11 and Kettler Horn ’14 BRIAN PATRICK CALDWELL January 6, 2020 Father of River Caldwell ’20 THOMAS CONRAD CALDWELL November 14, 2019 Father of Thomas Caldwell ’73 ELLEN DEROBBIO April 23, 2020 Mother of board member Lia Rushton; mother-in-law of William Rushton ’74; grandmother of Tullia Rushton ’09 and William Rushton ’11 JEFFREY VERNON DRAKE January 18, 2020 Father of Jacob Drake ’18

HARLAN HOBART GROOMS, JR. April 25, 2020 Father of Hobart Grooms III ’74 MURRAY BERRY JOHNSTON April 15, 2020 Wife of Gilbert Johnston ’63; mother of Gilbert Johnson ’96 and Sommerville Johnston ’99; sister of Keehn Berry ’71; sister-in-law of Merrill Johnston ’65 and Mark Myatt ’55; aunt of Mary Katherine Myatt ’86, Rachel Berry ’02, Luke Strange ’03, and Keehn Strange ’08; and granddaughter of founding board member Keehn Berry, appointed by Harvey Woodward.

JOAN BYCK LOEB February 15, 2020 Grandmother of Hannah Loeb ’15 JERRY LORANT January 24, 2020 Father of Charles Lorant ’75; grandfather of Demi Lorant ’06 and Charlene Incarnate ’07 ROY LEE MARTIN August 27, 2019 Father of Brandy Martin ’92 MARTIN KERSHAW PAYNE November 21, 2019 Husband of former faculty member Helen Payne; father of Michael Payne ’84 and Laura Payne Martinez ’86 JAMES LEON PEARCE October 4, 2019 Grandfather of Mary Pearce ’11 WILLIAM GEORGE SCHAMBERGER, JR. February 10, 2020 Father of Head of School Scott Schamberger DAN TRAWICK May 16, 2020 Brother-in-law of board member Joe Farley ’81; uncle of Mac Farley ’14 and Virginia Farley ’16 RHETT PRINGLE WALKER November 16, 2019 Father of Rhett Walker ’83 and Joel Walker ’87; grandfather of Aurelie Walker ’23

CALL FOR ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

Did you recently reach a milestone in your career, get married, or welcome a child into your family? We want to celebrate you in the upcoming issue of Indian Springs Magazine! Please submit your class notes to classnotes@indiansprings.org now.

Indian Springs

Tau Omega fraternity. He served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher at First Baptist Church; was a member of the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association and Project Pride: Tallapoosa County School System; and loved sailing, fishing, hunting, and Alabama football. He is survived by his wife of 54 years Melissa; son David; daughter Leslie; grandson Jack; and sisters, nieces, and nephews.

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

LASTING TIES

This year, four of Indian Springs’ alumni faculty members are celebrating milestone class reunions: 45 years, 40 years, 25 years, and 15 years.

Read their reflections on being a part of the Indian Springs community as students, alumni, and now as award-winning educators.

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“While I was a student, if anyone had said that I would be back here 40 years later teaching, it would not have been just me that would have laughed.

Not because I did not love Indian Springs, but because I was not a very outstanding student. I eventually found things that interested me and in pursuing them, I always kept that ‘Springsian’ ideal scholar as my guide.

So being invited back to teach programming, data skills, and electronics in a place that I loved was an unbelievable opportunity. The first day back on campus, I felt like a freshman again. While many buildings were new, some of the faces were still familiar. Mr. Fleming passed me in the breezeway on the first day and said: ‘Belser, nice to see you again.’ It sound-

ed so natural, almost as if I had never left. Mr. Lantrip would tell a joke at breakfast: ‘that’s a little humor there, Belser’—to which the correct response, of course, was ‘very little.’

But beyond the wonderful genialities that were still here, the immutable characteristic of Indian Springs—the feeling that the whole community is on your side—was still pervasive. Everyone wants you to succeed, and your success is theirs to enjoy along with you.

When I was younger, this may have been harder to see, but living and learning thankfully brings insight. Along with teaching the four Rs—Recursion, Robots, Regression, and Recursion—I as a teaching alumnus am one of the caretakers of the Indian Springs ethos.

I reach back 40 years and

to learn from our colleagues and our students.

As a student, I was not only lucky enough to be surrounded by schoolmates who were a lot smarter than me, but I also had superb adult teachers.

What the faculty members who taught us seemed to have in common, besides being experts in their fields, was a kind of generosity born of a desire to see us grow as individuals and become empowered by our experiences here. They never treated us like children. We were adolescents, meaning that we were becoming adults, who were moving forward and making all kinds

remember my time here—my lake days, Cooper rewrites, student concerts, graduation— and it makes it easier to put yourself in the student’s mindset, to remember how very important in a student’s life even the seemingly small events can be. Having been on both sides of the Indian Springs dynamic, you have a unique understanding of what the unconditional support of this community looks like. It makes it easier for me to discern if a student knows that they are getting that support, or could use more guidance on how to tap into it.”

William Belser ’80 Chair, Computer Science and Engineering Department Joined Faculty in 2015

of connections, sometimes by way of making all kinds of mistakes. Therein lay a large part of the generosity: we had permission to err, yet with the proviso that we learned from having strayed from the mark, and got back on the path.

That, to me, is the essence of Discere Vivendo (Learning

through Living).

These, I believe, are just some of the precious attributes that continue to define our school community culture. Let’s hope we never lose them!”

Dr. Jonathan Horn ’75 Modern and Classical Language Department Joined Faculty in 1984

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Photos by Quez Shipman

Summer 2020

45

“When I came to Indian Springs, I didn’t know how to learn, much less how to be in charge of my own education, or even advocate for myself. These are skills I picked up along the way, mainly from observing and listening to my peers.

I don’t think it was until I joined the faculty in 1984 that I truly understood that we are all teachers here at school. The students engage with one another in a constant loop of teaching and learning, much of which happens outside the classroom. It is also true that the adults here are students as well. We are very fortunate indeed to be able

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tioning and turning things over to consider what is important and what is absurd, and finding that sometimes they are both.

This impacts my practice as an artist and a teacher, and I am grateful that the school cultivated that in me while I was a student. Indian Springs is also a space where everyone can safely be themselves. It is one of the most treasured elements of its DNA, and I do my best to help that part of the culture grow.

In the past five years, one of my children started at Indian Springs and our family lived on campus for over two years. My kids have had chances to share meals and converse with students from around the globe, as well as the other faculty and their families. They are constantly learning how to better listen and think and discuss ideas through their membership in the community.

I am sad for the seniors whose final months of their Indian Springs experience did

not go as they had anticipated, and I applaud their leadership and creativity in the midst of the adjustments that had to be made. I would also like to celebrate the past 25 years with my classmates from the class of 1995, despite our inability to physically reunite.

I enjoy running into Indian Springs alumni at events and am always proud of those we celebrate as alumni of the year. Presentations like those given by J.W. Carpenter ’97 and Jessana Cooper ’94 via Zoom this year show current students how school values can be carried with them into the future. I am glad to get to work directly with the students, faculty, and staff that continue to make Indian Springs such a special place.”

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Clay Colvin ’95 Chair, Visual Arts Department Joined Faculty in 2015

“In 2016, the opportunity to become the Latin teacher at Indian Springs presented itself. I had been working with young people for several years at that point in my career, and the prospect of working with the kinds of young people Indian Springs attracts—smart, clever, benignly mischievous, deeply caring—meant I had to apply, despite the fact I had no formal background in education and hadn’t used my degree in classical languages in years. A day’s worth of interviews and a demo class later, I was offered the job. That’s when the panic set in. Who was I to take on the lionized role of a faculty member at Indian Springs?

So much about Indian

Springs has changed in the 15 years since I graduated, but so much of what’s valuable about the place has stayed the same. We have incredibly bright students who are curious about the world and their place in it.

They seek out academic challenges. They confront injustice. They push back and ask hard questions.

They sing their hearts out.

They take risks. They want to lead and make their communities better places.

What makes being an alum and faculty member so great is that the descriptions above apply equally to today’s Indian Springs students and to my classmates. As an alum, I feel a sense of kinship with my students. Some of their

teachers also taught me! I hope this kinship makes me approachable as a teacher and encourages my students to take intellectual risks. For my part, it allows me to make mistakes and learn from my students.

So, who was I to take on the lionized role of a faculty member at Indian Springs?

Just a person, a student, a teacher, Learning through Living with extraordinary people.”

William Blackerby ’05 Dean of Students; Modern and Classical Language Department Joined Faculty in 2016

Indian Springs

“I was working in my art studio in 2015 when I was asked to come to Indian Springs to speak about my paintings.

That conversation started the sequence of events that led me back to the old ceramics room that is now my office.

It reminds me of a Talking Heads song. I am grateful to find myself a participatory citizen of the Indian Springs community again.

My first year back was sometimes surreal in the echoes of the past, like the smells of the dining hall and the rhythm and sounds of students moving between classes. In the middle of that familiarity, I remember feeling very new to the school again—like an 8th-grader.

Many things are the same; most of the kids continue to embrace Learning through Living.

Things have also changed, largely for the better.

Indian Springs has a culture of striving for excellence. Part of that striving involves ques-

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ALUMNI & FRIENDS

LASTING TIES

THANK YOU TO 2019–2020 INTERIM HEAD OF SCHOOL DON NORTH!

“It takes a skilled and experienced administrator-educator—actually, it takes an extraordinary person all around—to serve as an effective interim head, particularly at a school as distinctive as Indian Springs. We got all of that and much more in Don North. Indian Springs has benefited enormously from his wisdom, know-how, kindness, and good humor, and we have learned more about ourselves in the process. The entire Indian Springs community offers its warmest thanks to Don and his wife, Mary, for decamping to Alabama, braving a pandemic, and preparing us more surefootedly for our next chapter.”

Summer 2020

— Lia Rushton P ’09, ’11, Chair of the Interim and Permanent Head Search Committees

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ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Interim Head of School Don North; With his wife, Mary, at Harvest Market 2019; With Leo Kayser

’62 and Alan Engel ’73 at the 2020 New York City Alumni Gathering; Speaking at a reception in Fall 2019; With John Simmons ’65 at a reception in Fall 2019

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