spring 2012
THE INTERIM TERM EXPERIENCE: LOOKING BEYOND
FROM THE HEADMASTER
The Interim Term Experience affords our students the opportunity to learn a wide range of important lessons and insights, many of which will drive their thinking about their own careers in the future. Interim Term also offers students language home stays each year (one in France and one in a Spanish-speaking country). This year I had the privilege of speaking with the students before they left for their home stay in Argentina. Many had traveled abroad previously and knew from experience the value of spending time overseas, but none had experienced living with a family that spoke only Spanish, taking Spanish classes in the morning, and traveling in the afternoon to historical and cultural sites. They were eager and excited to get started. I heard from the parents of several of those students when they returned and heard many good stories about their increased fluency in Spanish, the valuable learning Headmaster Don North meets with Matthew Orr ’12 and Skylar Pinchal ’12 to experience of living with a family, and learning about a different discuss their remarkable Career Development experiences during Interim Term. culture that spoke the language they were learning. Our students For over 40 years Interim Term has been a unique feature of on the French home stay had equally valuable experiences. the Upper School experience, providing students extraordinary There is also a cultural travel trip offered each year during opportunities to travel, to engage in sustained community service Interim Term. The always popular trip to China takes place work, to take special interest classes, and, for seniors, to experience biennially. On the intervening years Interim Term trips have gone Career Development internships. In its earliest days Interim Term to Spain (this year), Italy, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe. was a six-week program. Over time, however, the Upper School Back on campus students choose from a wide selection of faculty recognized that six weeks was too much time to take away special interest courses. Among those offered in recent years are from the regular curriculum, and Interim Term settled into its Modern Religions, Getting to Know Houston, Sports and the Law, current three weeks. Shakespeare, Forensic Medicine (aka I hear often from current parents that “CSI-Kinkaid”), Robotics, Community “I hear often from current they would like to be a Kinkaid student Service, and many others. parents that they would like during Interim Term! We also hear often I have often said that if a principal to be a Kinkaid student during from alumni how much they value their or headmaster addressed the Upper experiences during Interim Term and, for School faculty of a nationally regarded Interim Term! We also hear many, how impactful those experiences independent school now, stating that often from alumni how much have been on their adult lives, especially beginning next year the school would the Career Development internships. they value their experiences carve three weeks out of all academic I spoke with a number of seniors this courses (including Honors and Advanced during Interim Term and, for year, during or after their internships, Placement) for a different kind of student many, how impactful those and I heard great stories. One afternoon experience, but, oh by the way, the school during Interim Term I ran into one senior still expected the faculty and students to experiences have been on their on her way to basketball practice, and adult lives, especially the Career generate top test scores in Achievement she was gushing. “Oh my gosh, Mr. North, and Advanced Placement exams, the Development internships.” I watched brain surgery today. I was in faculty would revolt. the operating room, and I watched it all!” That our students and faculty are able Another, who was doing an internship with a judge, told me about to take this three-week time out of the regular curriculum to being in the courtroom during the murder trial of a young man provide students different and valuable experiences, and yet still just a year older than he was. “It was eye-opening and somewhat produce top scores on the year-end standardized tests, reflects scary,” he told me. A third student reported that her Career the very high quality of teaching and learning that take place at Development experience was enormously powerful and has shown Kinkaid every day. her the path she wants to follow professionally. A fourth, whose Interim Term continues to be a unique and uniquely valuable internship took place in New York City, said she didn’t realize how experience for our students in the Upper School. I encourage you long and how hard people worked and how much pride they took to look through the section in this edition of the Kinkaid magazine in doing their jobs well. on Interim Term. You will be impressed. I could tell you more, but you get the idea. Career Development
Contents Around Campus
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Cum Laude Society
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Fine Arts Awards & Performances
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Athletics
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Feature: The Interim Term Experience: Looking Beyond 19 21 22
INTERNATIONAL FAIR
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The Internships International Travel On-Campus Courses
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY PROJECT
Staff Spotlight
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Photo Gallery
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Alumni News
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Yasi Khosrowshahi
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Alumni Spotlight: Jason Creech ’96 Alumni Spotlight: Kavita Rao ’01
Emily Robinson ’13 and father Dan Robinson International Trip: Argentina
FEATURE: THE INTERIM TERM EXPERIENCE
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ON THE COVER
Ben Tucker ’15 and Mary Grace Grieco ’12 Photo courtesy of David Shutts '74
AUCTION 2012 UPDATES
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thodist Hospital Internship: The Me Thomas Coverdale , ’12 John Ormiston ’12 son ’12, Anna Ciara Ma On-Cam pus Cou rs A Study of Muse e: World In a Bo ums x:
THE KINKAID MAGAZINE IS A PUBLICATION OF THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE OF THE KINKAID SCHOOL Tom Moore Director of Advancement tom.moore@kinkaid.org
Emily Wynne Bolin '82 Annual Fund Manager emily.bolin@kinkaid.org
Cindy Van Keppel Advancement Assistant cindy.vankeppel@kinkaid.org
Jennifer Pardee Major Gifts Manager jen.pardee@kinkaid.org
Georgia Piazza Special Events and Electronic Communications Manager georgia.piazza@kinkaid.org
Marylu Rodriguez Publications Manager marylu.rodriguez@kinkaid.org
Andrea Ibarra Gift Records Manager andrea.ibarra@kinkaid.org
Leslie Roemer Labanowski '02 Alumni Activities Manager leslie.labanowski@kinkaid.org
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Campus Digest FACULTY & STAFF HONORS Middle School Dean Chelsea Collins was selected for the 2012-2013 cohort in the National Association of Independent Schools’ Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads. This yearlong fellowship is unique within the independent school community and among the best leadership development programs in the country. Mrs. Collins also was asked to serve as co-chair of the planning committee for the 2012 NAIS Annual People of Color Conference, which takes place in Houston in December.
Upper School English teacher Christa Forster has had her art criticism essay included in a collection, The New Earthwork: Art, Action, Agency, published by International Sculpture Center.
Upper School Latin teacher James Houlihan has had several poems accepted for publication: “The Book of J,” a series of poems, in the journal moira; “Lo ferm voler,” a creative translation of Arnaut Daniel, in the journal Ezra, and “ad Catullum,” a Latin poem in Sapphic stanzas, in the journal Monkeybicycle.
Kate Hickman ’16 is serving as the National Patient Ambassador for Shriners Hospital for Children this year. One of her activities was to be in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. She rode on the Shriners Hospital for Children float then went to the Rose Bowl to see Wisconsin and Oregon play.
Director of Dance Krissy Richmond was featured in the November issue of Prime Living magazine for her work with people with Parkinson’s disease. Chief Technology Officer Larry Kahn led a “conversation” at the Educon conference in Philadelphia, in January. Also that month he made a presentation at the Independent Curriculum Group Conference at St. Stephen’s School in Austin, “Personal Learning Networks and the Future of Learning.” Director of Libraries Dorian Myers, has been accepted for the highly-competitive Texas Accelerated Library Leaders Institute, more popularly known as the TALL Texans Leadership Institute, to be held in June.
STUDENT HONORS On October 19th Kinkaid hosted a TEDxYouthday event and Madison Calicchia ’14, Camiel Duytschaever ’12 and Lou Posada ’12 shared big ideas by giving TEDx talks. This event can be viewed at http:// tedxyouth@ISASKinkaid.blogspot.com.
Raiya Goodman ’18 was invited to speak at the Annual Conference of the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas, which is a program designed to help students become more proficient in math. She was asked to speak by Dr. Alex Khachatryan, former Kinkaid parent and Founder, President and CEO of Reasoning Minds, Inc. Over the Christmas break Greg Martinez ’12 traveled to Miami’s Biscayne Bay to participate in the Orange Bowl International Youth Regatta. Over 550 sailors from around world competed in what has become the largest youth regatta in North America. Greg
showed he was in complete control of the course with a commanding seven bullets (1st place) and a total of 12 points to win the Laser Full Rig class by 18 points. Ford Childress ’12 won the "Ford Tough Player of the Year" for the entire state of Texas. On top of this honor, he has been selected as “Private School Player of the Year” for Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine. Sabrina Bajwa ’17 received the "Award for High Honors" from John Hopkins University, for being among the highest scoring participants on the 2011 ACT test. David Liang ’18 was awarded a membership in the American MENSA group, the high IQ society. Connie Ma ’12 was honored with first place by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) for the Good Citizens Essay contest. She earned this honor based both on a timed essay and the service she has done for our school and the community. Jay Reynolds ’12 and Millie Nishikawa ’12 have been recognized by the US Presidential Scholars Program. The Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors. Application is by invitation only. SCHOOL HONORS For the second year in a row, the Middle School Kinkaidian has been selected as a National Sample by the yearbook publisher, BalfourTaylor.
"YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE" AWARD WINNERS: You Make A Difference, formally Who's Who, is a group of well-rounded students selected by the faculty of the Upper School Those nominated for this honor must display excellence in some, if not all, of the following areas: Academics, Athletics, Arts and other extracurricular activities. These students must also have leadership qualities and reflect in their attitudes, conduct, and character, the highest ideals of the school.
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Nicholas Ho ’15
Jake Pardee ’13
Anna Kwak ’12
Michael Sands ’15
Emily Robinson ’13
Kate McMillian ’12
Ray Brown ’14
Zach Rosenthal ’13
Jinal Mehta ’12
Arin Drtil ’14
Sam Sands ’13
Vinita Popat ’12
Lizzy McGee ’14
Anna Wittenmyer ’13
Lou Posada ’12
Dylan Rosenfield ’14
William Belt ’12
Duncan Robinson ’12
Katherine Drews ’13
Rachel Feig ’12
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International Fair 2012
2012 INTERNATIONAL FAIR LEADERSHIP Chairs Camille Scott Nicole Gibson Ireland - Country Chairs Jackie Richey Becky Pivec Stacy Head – Assistant Chair Katherine Jones – Assistant Chair Kenya - Chairs Heather Consoli Melissa Massey Joanna Raynes – Assistant Chair Wendy Nockolds – Assistant Chair Assembly Chairs Debbie Roff Gina Lamme Curriculum Chairs Miriam Meyers Denise Moseley Decorations Carolina Malonson Marlee Sikes Hospitality Chairs Stephanie Hamilton Allison Lewitton Parade Chairs Marie Louise Kinder Student Performance Chairs Ellen Brooks
Thank you to International Fair Chairs Camille Scott and Nicole Gibson and their team of dedicated parent volunteers who magically transformed two lower school classrooms into Ireland and Kenya for four days in February. Parents and teachers worked together to tie in classroom projects with the Fair, which provides lower school students the opportunity to learn about other countries and cultures. And a special thank you to the donors listed below: MAJOR DONORS 20/20 Exhibits Africa Safari Dolly Ajumobi Cornelius Nurseries Rev. Kaburu Ephapharus Susan Gallagher Professor Edward Kelleher/ William J. Flynn Center for Irish Studies, University of St. Thomas
Kati Ozanic-Lemberger and Yolle Lemberger with Yakwerks, LLC Rice Epicurean Market Rohe & Wright Builders/ Chad Muir Peter and Sara Tropoli/Luby’s/ Fuddruckers Restaurants The Horlock Family
MID-LEVEL DONORS Elizabeth Moore Arnold Chad Clay The Will Davis Family The Fein Family The Finkelstein Family Mr. and Mrs. Earl Hankamer, III Mr. and Mrs. John Massey The Harry Masterson Family The McCeney Family Brooke and Corby Robertson
Volunteer Chairs Anissa Paddock Amy Johnson
Mrs. and Mrs. Corbin Robertson, Jr. The Silverstein Family/ Pecan Creek Grille The Schuenemann Family Deborah & Jimmy Straughan The Susman Family The Swanson Family The Wagnon Family The Wheless Family WhichWich
Special Thanks to Krista Babine Carol Baumgarth The Kinkaid Facilities Crew The Kinkaid Lower School Faculty Yasi Khosrowshahi Maria Lacy McTeggart School of Irish Dance Christine Mungai Rose Munuve Patti Patyk Jonathan Schroeder 3
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New Lower School Health Center Opens Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Lower School Principal Krista Babine, Director of Health Services Bonnie Hetrick and the Kinkaid community, scraped knees from recess, bloody noses and other lower school student health needs are able to have nursing care onsite through the Lower School Health Center. The Center, which began treating lower school students, faculty and staff, opened last fall and already has produced great results. Prior to having this Center, Lower School Registrar Yasi Khosrowshahi handled minor health concerns. Other cases required having a teacher or staff member escort a student to the Health Center in the Center for Student Life, Fine Arts and Administration, or in emergen-
cies, a nurse had to be called to come over to the Lower School. After making the budget work with assistance from the Business Office staff, Mrs. Babine considered location. She shares "I felt that it was absolutely necessary that the Center be located in an area that is familiar to our students and what better place than a conference room inside the main office." Three RNs rotate in staffing the Center. Nurse Diane Roberts who joined the team in April 2011 is the most recent addition to the nursing staff." Diane has been a strong advocate for the Lower School Center. She has brought much experience in school nursing to Kinkaid and even more enthusiasm for creating the Lower School Health Center. Working
with our students is a pure joy for her," Nurse Bonnie adds. The direct line to the Lower School Center, which operates between 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., is 713-243-6354.
Nurse Diane Roberts, Director of Health Services Bonnie Hetrick, Lower School Principal Krista Babine and Nurse Mary Ellen Taylor
KINKAID DEBATE BRIEFS
GONZAGA UNIVERSITY
Members of the Kinkaid Upper School debate team have had a very successful season. The following are briefs from just a few of their many competitions.
Gonzaga hosted one of the most competitive tournaments in the Pacific Northwest and the only regional tournament sanctioned by the Tournament of Champions, sponsored by the University of Kentucky. 11 states were represented.
LEXINGTON HS
MBA is unique in that schools are only allowed to send their best policy debate team. Schools from over 20 different states sent their top team to compete. It is a qualifier for the Tournament of Champions (TOC).
Lexington HS is a Tournament of Champions qualifier at the quarterfinal level. A total of 86 schools from 20+ states were represented.
Policy Debate
Zach Rosenthal ’13 and Ben Mitchell ’13 placed in the top eight teams by reaching the quarterfinals. In the octo-finals, Ben and Zach bested the top debaters from the Woodward Academy (Atlanta). In preliminary rounds, they had quality wins against the best from Westminster (Atlanta), Barstow (Kansas), Berkley Prep (Florida), and more. Zach was also awarded the 4th overall speaker of the tournament (out of 100s of students).
WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL
Lincoln-Douglas
Policy Debate
Lincoln-Douglas
Policy Debate
John Lewis ’13: Placed third Rizwan Popatia ’13 : Top 32 John & Rizwan are eligible for the Texas Forensics Association State Tournament to be held later this year. George Randt ’13 and Rikki Bleiweiss ’15: placed in the top 16 (octo-finals)
Ben Mitchell ’13 and Zach Rosenthal ’13 placed in the top eight, losing a close quarterfinals round to Johns Creek HS (Atlanta) Ali Jamal ’15 and Amber Chen ’14 reached the top 32.
JERSEY VILLAGE HS Jersey Village High School was the last tournament of the "regular season" as it was the last chance for students to qualify for the Texas Forensics Association State Tournament. Kinkaid competed against 36 schools from throughout the region. Policy Debate
Westfield draws the best local schools and it is considered a strong regional tournament. A total of 35 schools from throughout the Houston area attended the tournament.
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Policy Debate
MONTGOMERY BELL ACADEMY (MBA)
Reece Rosenthal ’15, Ravi Inamdar ’15, George Randt ’13 and Rikki Bleiweiss ’15 placed in the final round by having quality wins against the best from Bellaire HS, Dulles HS, Eastwood HS, and Houston Academy of International Studies.
Lincoln-Douglas
Tyler Gamble ’15 also fully qualified for the TFA state tournament by reaching the double-octofinals (top 32).
Public Forum
Roma Patel ’14 and Alina Valera ’14 placed in the top 16 (octofinals), and they barely missed qualifying for state. They had 7 of the 10 points necessary for qualification, an impressive feat for two students in their first year of debate.
Amber Chen ’14 and Ali Jamal ’15, placed in the quarterfinals (top eight) of the tournament. Unfortunately, they lost a close debate to Gresham-Barlow HS (Oregon). Ali Jamal was awarded the fifth overall speaker of the tournament.
TEXAS FORENSICS ASSOCIATION (TFA) 2012 STATE TOURNAMENT The TFA State tournament is open to all schools throughout the state of Texas, both public and private, and Texas is widely considered to be one of the most competitive states in the country. There were over 200 schools in attendance representing the vast geographic landscape of the state. This year, our team was Texas Debate Champs! Policy Debate
Ben Mitchell ’13 and Zach Rosenthal ’13 officially became champions of the State of Texas. Ravi Inamdar ’15 and Reece Rosenthal ’15 placed in the top 16. Zach Rosenthal ’13 was awarded the top overall speaker award out of 260 individual students.
LincolnDouglas
John Lewis ’13 reached the quarterfinals (top 8) Rizwan Popatia ’13 also reached the elimination rounds. He lost a close double-octofinal debate (top 32) to the top LD debater from Greenhill
DEBATE ALUM CONTINUES TO EXCEL
Nick Miller ’05 currently coaches debate at Emory University. In January, he was asked by the Associated Press to provide expert commentary on the Republican debates. To see a video of the coverage, please visit: http://bit.ly/wuH0Zt.
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Lower School Helps Kids' Meals Feed the Hungry Contributed by LS Reading Specialist, KOCI Kids sponsor Pat Cavanagh
The mission of Kids' Meals, Inc. is to end hunger among children by delivering nutritious meals to the doors of children in need, free of cost, year-round. In 2011, Kids' Meals delivered over 390,000 lunches to 1400 pre-school aged children with a staff of eight and with the help of over 5,300 volunteers! With that many sandwiches to make and lunches to assemble, Executive Director Ruth Burrell was delighted when Lower School Principal Krista Babine committed the Lower School to actively participate in helping Kids’ Meals. In the fall of 2011, the entire fourth grade spent a morning at Kids’ Meals making over 800 sandwiches, decorating hundreds of brown bags, and assembling hundreds of lunches for delivery. In October KOCI Kids and fourth grade teamed up for a pencil and eraser sale, raising $780 for Kids’ Meals. In November, Kinkaid’s third grade Boy Scouts sponsored a coat and hoodie drive, and at Lower School’s December 2nd assembly, Mrs. Burrell was presented with a check and eight massive boxes filled with warm clothes for Houston’s needy families. When Mrs. Babine learned that drivers were needed for one of the Kids’ Meals five daily delivery routes, she knew that the Kinkaid community would come together to fill that need. Contacting Lower School parents Beth Robison and Jill Holstead, Mrs. Babine asked if they could find drivers to cover one route every Tuesday morning through May. Within days, the calendar was filled! The volunteer driver for the day meets the Kids’ Meals van at 9:30 a.m. Lunches are transferred and the route begins in Houston’s Second Ward. Weaving up and down several streets, the driver honks at specific homes and seconds later, someone emerges to accept the lunch(es) for the day. On two occasions, Krista Babine and lower school teachers Cindy Stanley, Lisa Curry, Pat Cavanagh and Mary Margaret Greer have each spent a Tuesday morning driving the route. Kids’ Meals and Kinkaid Lower School---ending hunger in Houston one child at a time.
KOCI KIDS RECEIVE SPECIAL FLAG Navy personnel in Afghanistan, under the direction of, Lt. Col. Forrest Lehr (Katy HS, Naval Academy), a group to which KOCI Kids have been corresponding with since September 2011, recently sent a special gift. KOCI Kids received a flag which was flown over the headquarters of Joint Provincial Reconstruction Team FOB in Sharana, Afghanistan, during operation Enduring Freedom. The flag is in a wooden box with an engraved plaque with KOCI Kids on it. The KOCI Kids were thrilled to recieve this wonderful keepsake. 5
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Habitat for Humanity Project The Upper School Habitat for Humanity Steering Committee, made up of 28 juniors and seniors, built Kinkaid’s third Habitat for Humanity house this year. Habitat for Humanity requires that an organization seeking to build a Habitat house come up with the funding for the land and materials ($65,000). The 2010 Auction funded $20,000 of this amount and Kinkaid students and parents contributed the rest. This year’s Habitat house was built in northeast Houston, under the direction of faculty member Dr. Jamie Lee. There were full and enthusiastic work crews on site each build day consisting of students, faculty and staff, and parents. Among them were Headmaster Don North and Upper School Principal Patrick Loach. The weather was glorious, and the work crews accomplished a lot. The Kinkaid Magazine will report on the formal dedication of the Habitat house which will occur later this spring.
"I really loved working on the Habitat project! I feel like we had a visible impact on the community. It was a great opportunity to help plan the project, and it was cool to see everything come together." -Jordan Crawford ’13
PHOTOS COURTESTY OF EMILY ROBINSON ’13
"One the most meaningful experiences that I had working on the Habitat for Humanity house was getting to meet the family and especially their little girl, Brianna. I also really enjoyed seeing how excited my classmates were to come work each day. Every build day we got more and more excited about building a house for such a special family." -Emily Robinson ’13
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Middle School Science Night Contributed by Middle School Science Teacher Shari Hiltbrand In a reinvention of the Science Fair, the Middle School Science Department hosted Science Night on February 21. The event gave students the opportunity to showcase the projects that they have been working on in their science classes in fifth through eighth grades. Sixth and eighth grade students worked hard on their poster displays and discussed their science projects. Seventh graders presented their Bayou Projects and fifth graders hosted a "makeit-take-it," where students enjoyed making a wave in a bottle and slime. Fifth graders showed off their compost bins and the information they have been collecting during the school year. There was a great energy to the event and tremendous interaction between students and their parents as they participated in all parts of Science Night. Upper School Science teachers assisted in the making of the slime and waves as well as talking to students about their projects. A special thank you to the Middle School Science team including: Jeff Gessel, Shari Hiltbrand, Dara McLurkin, Laura Sinclair, Barry Spiers, Katie Wagner and Jessica ZenkerNasseri for a fantastic event!
Upper School Deans Host Mock College Application Workshop Contributed by Head Upper School Dean Robin Doran Every year Kinkaid juniors, along with their parents, have the unique opportunity to get an inside perspective of how the college admission process works. On January 25, eleven college admission officers from schools across the country, including the University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas, Rice University and others, came to Kinkaid to lead a case study program. Parents and students divided into small groups, and they were asked to review four applications to a fictional university. After reviewing transcripts, test scores, resumes, essays, interview notes and letters of recommendation, each group had to vote to admit one student, deny two students and offer the fourth a place on the waitlist. Anita Gaylor, mother of Mollie ’13, Sophie ’15 and Graham ’10 wrote, “The mock admission program was a very instructional and effective way to educate us and our kids about this whole process. It led to lively and animated discussions within the parent and student groups.” Going through the process that admission offices across the country go through each year gave our students and their parents invaluable information about the college process they are about to begin.
“The mock admission program was a very instructional and effective way to educate us and our kids about this whole process. It led to lively and animated discussions within the parent and student groups.” - Anita Gaylor, mother of Mollie ’13, Sophie ’15 and Graham ’10
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Model United Nations Conference The Kinkaid Model UN team attended the 18th annual Central Texas Model United Nations Conference (CTMUN) at the University of Texas January 13-15. Thirty-eight high schools attended this year, and it was the largest conference in the history of CTMUN. Four of our 18 participants were recognized and awarded in their committees.
friends while learning the most about the United Nations and its origins. –Vinita Popat ’12
Vinita Popat ’12 received "Best Judge" for her role as an International Court Justice representing Brazil. Sam Sands ’13 received "Outstanding Delegate" for his role as Cardinal Dominic DeCoco in the Papal States committee. Jinal Mehta ’12 received "Honorable Mention" for her role as Hugo de Gumbach in the Knights Templar committee. Jenni Lu ’12 received a "Commended" award for her role as an International Court Justice representing Belgium.
CTMUN this year was great! I had a blast in my committee. The topics and crises were really interesting and fun. Of course, getting to hang out with friends around the UT campus was a lot of fun as well. I really look forward to going back next year! –Sam Sands ’13
STUDENT REFLECTIONS CTMUN was probably my favorite conference because of the length. I really enjoy the small special committees that this conference offers, because they allow me to try something new while only having a few delegates to debate with. This is the conference where I have made the most
CTMUN was tons of fun this year! It was great being in the ICJ for the second year in a row, especially when I get to experience being an agent and a judge! Anyone who didn't go this year should definitely consider going next year! –Jenni Lu ’12
The CTMUN conference was one of my favorites because the students really worked together to come up with a solution for the issues. Usually people bicker constantly and it's hard to come up with a solution. I'm so glad we came up with real, viable solutions during my last MUN conference! –Atara Muhammad ’12 This year I represented Brazil in the Security Council at CTMUN. It was extremely intense with a lot of debating going on. It was a ton of fun and really competitive. –Allison Schuette ’12
Houston Area Model United Nations Eleven Kinkaid students took part in the Houston Area Model United Nations (HAMUN) Thirty-Seventh Conference on February 9th and 10th. Liz Studlick ’12 won the Outstanding Delegate Award representing Niger in the Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC) and Priya Afzalpurkar ’13 won the Honorable Mention Award representing Niger in the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP).
Moms & Dads of Grads Social
Sheri Fleishman, Susie Golding, Jamie Barrerre
Janet & Chris Burkard
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On February 15, parents whose last child had graduated from Kinkaid gathered for the Moms & Dads of Grads Social. Over 150 parents filled The Commons for an evening of reconnecting, where they also had an opportunity to ask questions about Tomorrow's Promise.
Ronnie & Jean Ladin, Bebe & John Falik
Rex & Adrian Ross, Phyllis Selber
Gail Wood, Tom Moore
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Author of The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien Visits Kinkaid Contributed by Warren Rawson, Upper School English Teacher Author Tim O’Brien came to visit the Upper School students during their morning assembly on February 23. Mr. O’Brien spent the morning sharing insight on his book and the life of a solider. Mr. O'Brien's visit began at a breakfast with select students, at which he discussed the writing process, stressing the importance of revision and the role of fiction in our everyday lives. He concluded the day at a question and answer session where, among many other things, he spoke about the origins of The Things They Carried and the many effects the book has had on his readers. He also discussed why he found the book relevant to high school students and to the world we now live in. Mr. O’Brien’s visit was a grand opportunity for our students since every sophomore reads The Things They Carried, and several of juniors and seniors also read Going After Cacciato and In the Lake of the Woods. Mr. O'Brien also visited Kinkaid eight years ago, and we were pleased to have him return.
English Department Chair Kate Lambert, Tim O'Brien, Upper School English Teacher Warren Rawson
STUDENT REFLECTIONS Karen Brownman ’13 It is unusual to see a grown man be so passionate as to tear up during a speech. He was honest and candid much like his books and he made me think a lot about different perspectives. I liked when he talked about how everyone is fighting their own war because that idea unites us as a people. Andrew Das '12 In my fourteen years at Kinkaid, I had never experienced a speaker as emotional and authentic as Mr. O'Brien. His words oozed with such passion and his sentences evoked such emotion, I found that my empathy gradually grew as his speech progressed. Mollie Gaylor '13 After reading The Things They Carried, it was a great pleasure being able to hear the story in person. I could hear his writing in his speech during the assembly, and it made me excited to read his next book in our English class. Hunter Hartwell ’13 It was very interesting having
Tim O'Brien speak at Kinkaid. Since we spent considerable time reading and analyzing his book The Things They Carried in our sophomore English classes, it was great to hear about his views on the book. Aside from the book, it was also very interesting to hear him speak about his past experiences in the war and how they affected him.
O'Brien. I read Going After Cacciato this year and The Things They Carried last year, both authored by O'Brien. The thing that stuck out the most to me was how passionate he was about his writing, and how emotionally connected he was to all of his books. O'Brien's visit to Kinkaid was a smashing success, and I look forward to finishing Going After Cacciato.
Rachel Konig ’13 I went to the breakfast with Tim O'Brien and was pleasantly surprised. I expected everyone to just be standing around awkwardly holding their plates, but instead we sat in a big rectangle and had the chance to ask Mr. O'Brien questions. The discussion was not focused on the Vietnam aspect of The Things They Carried, but on the writing itself. Mr. O'Brien's answers were humorous as well as interesting and I learned about his method of editing and revising. His methods will definitely help me grow as a writer!
Lauren Rosen '13 I was lucky to be able to have breakfast with Tim O'Brien on the day of his visit. I loved and was taken aback by his candor. He spoke to us extremely honestly about his experience in Vietnam, his life as an author, and all his current success. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of what is and isn't truly true, both in literature and in life. He argued that a true story can be anything that conveys the true feelings of those involved in the events. This idea, prominently discussed in The Things They Carried, has really stayed with me since Mr. O'Brien's visit, along with the other numerous powerful messages he delivered
Greg Labanowski ’13 I thoroughly enjoyed attending breakfast with author Tim
to us. He also described some deeply emotional experiences from Vietnam, and effectively touched everyone in the Upper School at assembly. He was undoubtedly one of my favorite speakers I have heard in my 11 years at Kinkaid, and I hope he will return in the near future. Zach Rosenthal '13 Listening to Tim O'Brien's speech made me question what I know to be "true" in the world. When faced with the question of what is true in his novel, The Things They Carried, O'Brien responded by saying that while the majority of it isn't "true," nothing is ever fully "true." News stories are riddled with bias; selective exclusion of data ensures that even though reporters sometimes tell a partially true story, the fact that they chose to exclude certain data ensures that the truth will never be fully represented. Maybe next time I'll think twice before believing what my teachers tell me.
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CUM LAUDE SOCIETY
Cum Laude Society On February 6, 27 seniors were inducted into the John H. Cooper Chapter of the Cum Laude Society during an Upper School Assembly and were further honored at a dinner hosted by the School in the Kinkaid Theatre Lobby that evening. In addition to their outstanding performance in the classroom, these students have exhibited good character, honor and integrity in all aspects of their school life. The following are excerpts from the speeches delivered at the assembly and dinner.
GEORGE KHACHATRYAN ’03 It is my understanding that in such speeches, one is supposed to give some kind of advice which is very broad and directly applicable to the listeners’ future lives. Now, I’m hardly qualified to give such advice; first of all, as far as I’m aware, I’ve only led but one life, and second, its duration so far has been rather a small fraction of the typical full duration of such things. Nevertheless, having been set such a goal, I gave it my even best and came up with some points of general advice. To make sure the advice was good, I ran it by a few of my friends. I learned that day that I have very critical friends. And – perhaps more to the point – that all of the recommendations I had come up with were irredeemably flawed. … And so, I’d like to preface this speech with a disclaimer: while I will be giving some advice, please don’t take it too seriously. As the saying goes, I’m selling this advice for what I bought it for. Which is nothing. And, as I’m sure you know, you get what you pay for. Therefore, instead of saying what you should do, I’d like to describe one particular approach to life that I’ve taken and which has led me to some measure of satisfaction and fulfillment. We could title this speech, “One Approach to Living an Exciting Life.” What do I mean by an exciting life, and why might it be worth pursuing? I don’t mean a life full of exciting, disconnected installments. To me, an exciting life is one that requires great effort and which builds on itself, taking you on a long, cohesive, unpredictable journey. Now this sort of life isn’t for everyone, but it is something I aspired to from childhood. Perhaps one reason for this has been the memory of my grandfather, who was born and died in a country that no longer exists, the Soviet Union. When my grandfather was in college, his father was arrested and sent to the Gulag in the course of the Stalinist repressions, a program of arbitrary arrests and summary executions that, over the course of several 10
"To me, an exciting life is one that requires great effort and which builds on itself, taking you on a long, cohesive, unpredictable journey." - George Khachatryan ’03, Cum Laude decades, claimed the lives of millions. My grandfather was summoned to the office of the university president and asked to sign a piece of paper disowning his father. He refused and was expelled from the university. He found himself without a means of support; his father was in prison, and – as the son of a confirmed enemy of the people – he couldn’t get a job. Normally, someone in such a situation would have no choice but to eke out a living, dependent for the foreseeable future on the charity of friends and distant relatives. But this was not a life that my grandfather wanted for himself, and so he went to the headquarters of the NKVD, the precursor of the KGB and the agency responsible for carrying out the mass repressions. Walking into this building – a building that people would go several blocks out of their way to avoid on their daily commutes – he asked to speak with an agent and was ushered into the office of an NKVD major. My grandfather recounted his story and told the major, “Arrest me. You’ve arrested my father; I can’t get a job. If I’m a criminal, arrest me.” The major phoned the university president and quoted a line from Lenin: “The son is not responsible for the crimes of the father.” The terrified president immediately reinstated my
grandfather, who went on to graduate, fight in World War II (during the course of which he was declared officially dead on no fewer than three separate occasions), and become a respected physicist and one of the Soviet Union’s first environmentalists. I never really knew my grandfather, who died when I was three years old. But I grew up with his approach to life held up as an ideal, and his life was certainly an exciting one. He refused to go along with scripted outcomes that didn’t fit his plans, overcame enormous obstacles to achieve his goals, and in the end, against all odds, produced things of value to himself and others. And while it is unlikely that in today’s world, any of us would have to face the kind of adversity that he did, we can still – if we so choose – take the same approach that he did, trying to make more of the hand we’ve been dealt than convention would suppose possible. … Everyone can lead an exciting life – it is only a question of desire and determination. So, for those who do desire an exciting life, I’m pleased to present my patented, completely original 3 Step Plan (which Offers One Approach) to an Exiting Life. … Step 1: Take risks. You can’t expect to be surprised if you don’t take risks. And the bigger the risk, the bigger the surprise. For example, you will soon (in fact, sooner than you might think) need to make a decision concerning what industry you will enter. There exist many interesting, worthwhile, established industries and professions, and with the excellent education you have gotten at Kinkaid, you’ll have no problems entering any one of them if only you desire it. … But don’t expect it to be particularly exciting when – for all intents and purposes – you know your entire career trajectory ahead of time. If you want excitement, you might want to consider going into an emerging industry, perhaps into a job type or profession that doesn’t even exist yet.... For example, I work for Reasoning Mind, a non-profit that develops online learning systems for math and trains teachers to use these systems in their classrooms. This entire field is still in its infancy, and no one can say with certainty where it will be 10 years from today. In 1913, Thomas Edison predicted that motion pictures would revolutionize edu-
CUM LAUDE SOCIETY cation; they didn’t.…The uncertainty of it all – along with the ability to contribute as an individual to what might become a big collective transformation – makes it an incredibly exciting experience. If what you want is real excitement, I’d recommend seeking something out along similar lines. Step 2: Set big goals that are important to others. By this, I mean setting goals that would benefit a large number of people in a way they care about. … Why is setting contribution goals such an important ingredient in leading an exciting life? There’s a number of reasons. First, big goals require the efforts of many people, and you’ll only have that if your goals matter to others. Second, it’s much easier to get excited about what you do if other people find it exciting and valuable, too. We are, after all, social animals. And third, contributing is a much more psychologically satisfying goal to finally achieve; as strange as this may sound, it’s a bigger and more satisfying prize to strive for than recognition. ... Step 3: Work hard and purposefully. I remember an explanation that Mr. Angerstein offered to me for why not all of the incredibly musically talented students he’s worked with have gone on to the All-State band. As Mr. Angerstein put it, achieving that requires something more than talent: it requires working past the point of comfort. That phrase has stuck with me constantly, and I’ve had many occasions to confirm that one can only accomplish big things by consistently working past the point of comfort.... But it’s not enough to work hard. You also need to work with purpose, sometimes eliminating activities that don’t lead to your goals. You won’t accomplish those goals unless you put a very great deal of work into them, and that means not putting work into competing interests. This is logical enough, but many people don’t realize the full implications. … In conclusion, I’d like to congratulate the Cum Laude inductees on their hard work and well-deserved honor. And, for those of you who do crave genuine, fulfilling excitement, I hope that these comments have been of interest and at least some value to you. To all of you, I wish you the best of luck in turning your excellence and accomplishment into fulfillment, however it is you’ll choose to seek it.
HARRISON GATLIN '12 Half a score and four years ago, I set foot on the Kinkaid campus for the first time. That was 1998 and back then, we learned in science class that mixing blue and yellow paint makes green. This year in Chemistry we learned that mixing dioxyl chloride with diaminohexane makes nylon
"I'm really looking forward to the day when I pick up a New York Times and see one of your faces gazing back at me from the front page." - Harrison Gatlin '12 through condensation polymerization. Still I rarely stop to think about how far we've come. When I first heard our grade called the Class of 2012, that meant absolutely nothing to me. The year 2012 was just a year way off in the distant future that I couldn't comprehend ever reaching. And now we've actually made it. The year is finally a reality and I think we're all just starting to grasp the idea that high school's coming to a close. That idea brings mixed feelings. Surely everyone here is excited to venture off to college and experience a dynamic change to their lives, but there's a certain wistfulness that accompanies that feeling. I think it's the knowledge that our time at Kinkaid must come to an end. … This is Kinkaid, one of the most rigorous schools in the country, and you all rose to the top. That speaks volumes about your intelligence, your work ethic, and your ambition, all qualities that are going to lead each of you to do incredible things in the future. I'm really looking forward to the day when I pick up a New York Times and see one of your faces gazing back at me from the front page. I can't imagine yet what the headline under the photo will read, but that's what excites me the most — it could be anything! I really hope it reads: Millie Angel Nishikawa wins the Nobel Prize for her research into music's affect on the brain. Now, I really liked what George Khachatryan ’03 said in assembly this morning about how to approach the future and more specifically, college. He said that getting into a good college should not be the ultimate goal of high school but rather an intermediary goal. I think that George saw through the mentality that seems to be
so prevalent around the school that we are only here to get into a prestigious college. That shouldn't be the way it is; and if you approach things that way, I would advise you in the same way that he did, to take a step back and look at life from a broader perspective. If you are going to high school only to get into a good college, are you going to college just to get a good job? And is your idea of a good job a highpaying one? ... Before I finish I want to share with you a quote from someone whom I really admire. That man is the great writer William Faulkner and this quote is from his Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech in Stockholm in 1949. He said, "I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance." … Faulkner had so much confidence in humanity that he said man will prevail. He saw the same potential in every person that I see in all of you. So I guess what I want to say is use that compassion and endurance, make sacrifices and realize your potential so that you may all prevail. You all are the best that Kinkaid has to offer and I am incredibly honored to be here with you.
DR. LARRY KWAK I’m proud to be here tonight, as a parent, an admirer of the Kinkaid School, and as a physician and scientist, so I hope you’ll hear all three perspectives represented in my remarks. First, I want to tell you about what I think are going to be some major developments in my field of cancer research. Many of you are too young to remember when President Nixon declared war on cancer in 1971 (students and even some parents). Since that time, we have made significant strides in the fight, and the rates of cancer death continue to decline, in large part due to smoking cessation and other lifestyle changes. Nevertheless, over 40% of Americans will have a diagnosis of cancer sometime during their lifetime, and almost all will have a family member afflicted with cancer or know someone who is, so there is still much work to be done. … What you may not be aware of are the stories behind their development. What they have in common is that even though you are hearing about them now, they all took a lot longer to get to this point of success. I want to share with you some of the success factors – sort of eureka moments over this 20 year span that gave us the necessary insights to figure out why the vaccines didn’t work at first and how to overcome these obstacles: 11
CUM LAUDE SOCIETY Success factor #1. We had to figure out the question that you’ve probably already thought of; i.e, why doesn’t the immune system recognize cancer in the first place and eliminate it before it starts? They can evade the immune system using several tricks, including shedding the protein which is the target of the vaccine from its surface, or release of factors that can disrupt immune cells. Success factor #2. In contrast with standard chemotherapy, which traditionally was tested for its ability to shrink visible cancer masses, vaccines, when first tested in this clinical setting, failed to show any real effectiveness. Rather, going back to the drawing board and testing in mice, we observed that the most effective setting for vaccines was against a minimal cancer burden. In other words, when we combined chemotherapy, first to shrink 90% of the cancer, then gave the vaccine to mop up the remaining microscopic cancer cells, most of the mice were cured. In the case of lymphomas we have a situation where chemotherapy can effectively eliminate most of the cancer (remission), but microscopic cancer cells remain, almost always causing the cancer to come back. When this principle was applied to lymphoma patients, and we combined chemotherapy with the vaccine, the length of their prolonged remissions was on average doubled, compared with chemotherapy alone, with some patients staying in remission for 15 years after receiving the vaccine. So, why did I want to share these details with you? It’s partially that I love my work (my family knows that after 20 years I still wake up excited every morning thinking that today could be a day when we make a key discovery that could have an impact for cancer patients), but mostly because there are some success factors for life that may be of value to you as you get ready to begin the next important phase of your lives. Advice #1: Be willing to persevere. There is a lot of wisdom in the adage that success is a marathon, not a sprint. The first ingre-
"I recall the advice my own mother gave me when I left home for college … that if I ever had doubts about what was the right thing to do in a given situation, simply think about what my mother would say." - Dr. Larry Kwak, father of Anna Kwak ’12 dient you will need to persevere is the willingness to dig deeper, beneath the surface, as we did to figure out why cancer vaccines didn’t work initially. I was a great admirer of Mr. Germann, from looking over the shoulders of Anna Kwak ’12, and two of her older brothers, as they dissected their AP US History homework, I could see how he constantly challenged his students to dig deeper. Your reward was an occasional novel insight – perhaps their own eureka moment- such as realizing that the characteristics of a great leader are remarkably timeless; e.g., that the North Vietnamese general Vo Nguyen shared several leadership traits with George Washington, allowing each to defeat the superpowers of their times (and I know this, because I read it in Anna’s research paper). ... Advice #2: Seek out the advice of wise mentors. I’ve already cited Mr. Germann as an example of a special teacher who was a mentor to several of you. As you embark on your university education, your profes-
sors will continue to be a rich source of mentorship and counsel- hope you take full advantage. For others, you will find willing mentors among professionals in the community. For me, it was an internship experience working in a medical laboratory just after high school that was most influential. My mentor, a pathologist, would … show me sections of real human tissues under the microscope many of which contained cancer, and he pointed out the physical location of normal cells in the cancer microenvironment. He challenged me to wonder what they were doing there. That exposure sparked my interest in the idea of harnessing the immune system to fight cancer, which I am pursuing to this day. Finally, I can’t resist reminding you to rely on your parents. Your parents will continue to be a source of wisdom for all of you, because they have both knowledge and the experience that goes with the knowledge. I recall the advice my own mother gave me when I left home for college … that if I ever had doubts about what was the right thing to do in a given situation, simply think about what my mother would say. Advice #3: Consider nurturing your spiritual faith. About 10 years ago, a patient told me that I was an instrument of God. I embraced that calling, and it has really motivated me to persevere, even when we had identified the obstacles but didn’t know how to overcome them. You may be interested to know that more scientists are coming to the conclusion that science can actually support faith. … So whatever your faith background is, especially as you go off to college where many of you will question the meaning of life, keep an open mind and know that your faith can enable you to overcome many obstacles and challenges. In closing, as you get ready to go off to college next Fall, know that Kinkaid has equipped you well to rise to meet new challenges, and I, along with all the parents, wish you all the best.
CUM LAUDE SOCIETY CLASS OF 2012 Katherine Imani Lorraine Barnes
Emily Claire Gemp
Katherine Graham McMillan
Sheridan Leigh Schulte
Allison Ann Bolin
Parker Keegan Haynes
Jinal Jainesh Mehta
Walker Jack Spier
Madeline Margaret Brown
Colter James Illich
Millie Angel Nishikawa
Elizabeth Sydney Studlick
Andrew Zachary Das
Claire Elizabeth Jacobson
John Andrew Ormiston
Sarah Elizabeth Tucker
Rachel Therese Feig
Anna Hochung Kwak
Elena Marie Portz
Sophia Lyon Weber
Nicole Elizabeth Frishberg
Jennifer Hua-Ting Lu
Stephanie Ann Roff
Andrew Scott Winters
Harrison Cole Gatlin
Connie Cheng Ma
Adam Joseph Joachim Rubinsky
See group photo on inside back cover. Photo by David Shutts '74.
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FINE ARTS
Fine Arts Awards & Performances
PHOTOS COURTESTY OF ANDREA IBARRA
MIDDLE SCHOOL: ZOMBIE PROM
REGIONAL SCHOLASTIC WRITING AWARDS Honorable Mention: Katie Wallis ’15 Julia Camp ’14 Dylan Rosenfield ’14 Brenda Ruiz ’14 Mirel Baysal ’13 Annie Roff ’13 Silver Key: Allison Dyer ’15 Nina Kalluri ’15 Julia Camp ’14 Trevin Kurtanich ’14 Roma Patel ’14 - 2 keys Suriya Sharma ’14 - 2 keys Sophia Skelly ’14 - 2 keys Daniel Weiner ’14 Andi Jo ’13 Harrison Gatlin ’12 Elizabeth Studlick ’12 Gold Key: These works go on to be judged in the national competition Dahlgren Baker ’13 - 2 keys Mirel Baysal ’13 Andi Jo ’13 Harrison Gatlin ’12
Senior Portfolios: (eight works, up to 50 pages) earning the Silver Key: Jinal Mehta ’12 Elizabeth Studlick ’12
Tory Smith ’14 Printmaking/Engraving
Savannah Friedkin ’13 - 4th Place Color Photojournalism
Victoria Wang ’13 Printmaking/ Collograph
Bianca Kaushal ’13- 4th Place Color Open
THE VISUAL ART SCHOLASTIC EVENT (VASE), sponsored by the Texas Art Education Association, is the only art event of its kind in the nation. Students from both public and private schools are interviewed by a certified juror who evaluates their work based on a standard based rubric and their understanding of the art processes involved in the development of their artwork. The following students' performances and art works attained the highest ranking possible - Superior.
Camiel Duytschaever ’12 Photography
Sam Rogers ’12 - 3rd Place Color Sports
Kate Mc Millan ’12 Drawing
Walker Spier ’12 - 3rd Place B/W Commercial
Elena Portz ’12 Sculpture
2012 CLEAR LAKE SYMPHONY YOUTH CONCERTO COMPETITION Nathan Lo ’14, co-winner
Alana Rubinsky ’15 Printmaking /Intaglio Julia Diamonon ’14 Printmaking/Intaglio
Artworks by Julia Diamonon ’14, Kate McMillan ’12 and Victoria Wang ’13 were also selected by jurors for the State VASE Event. 30TH ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL PHOTO SHOOT-OUT SPONSORED BY TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-COMMERCE:
ANNUAL TURKISH LANGUAGE OLYMPIAD ART COMPETITION Halle Brazda '16 - Silver Place Award winner of 6th
Nate Freeman ’14 - 2nd Place Color Landscape Anshul Palavajjhala ’14 - 4th Place B/W Commercial 13
PHOTOS COURTESTY OF CRISTI HARVEY
PHOTOS COURTESTY OF JOHN HENRY CHILDS
FINE ARTS ACTING COMPANY: THE ILLUSION
UPPER SCHOOL MUSICAL: FOOTLOOSE
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SEASON STATS & SUMMARY
ATHLETICS
TEAM RANK: Second in SPC Division I ALL SPC: Mia Fredricks, Anna Wittenmyer, Rachel Feig & Aisha Matin
SWIMMING
This young group is sure to take on new leadership roles on and off the field in the near future. The Freshman class dons talent and grit. Allison Dyer, Natalie Geisler, Emma Eggleston, Nikki Ereli and Ana Matamoros brought a hardworking style that fit in nicely with the core group. Working towards a common goal these young ladies headed into the SPC weekend 5-2, the third seed in south zone. They made program history by defeating the Hockaday Daisies and headed to the finals after handing All Saints a loss in the second round. The hard fought championship match was lost on a penalty kick but these remarkable young ladies did the unexpected. They rose to the challenge of every competition, finishing as Division I Runner-up with an overall record of 11-5-2. Congratulations!
WRESTLING
The Varsity Girls Soccer team took on the 2011-2012 season with fierce determination to vie for the elusive Southwest Preparatory Conference Division I title. The Falcons knew that they would need to rely upon the leadership qualities of seniors, Meagan Zwahlen and tri-captains Rachel Feig, Mia Fredricks and Anna Kwak. These young ladies brought maturity and experience to the very young team. Feig and Kwak helped yield a fierce attack this season while Zwahlen and Fredricks stifled many attempts by other teams to put numbers on the board. Anna Wittenmyer, Carolyn Dyer, Rienzi Reckling and Gayle Bono made up a very talented junior class, responsible for tallying numerous goals and assists this season. Sophomores Julia Camp, Drewe Molin, Addy Reckling, Aisha Matin, Sophia Skelly and Aria Pearlman-Morales covered all areas of the playing field.
CONFERENCE RECORD: 7-3
SEASON STATS & SUMMARY
SEASON STATS & SUMMARY
OVER-ALL RECORD: 8-3
OVER-ALL RECORD: 0-2
CONFERENCE RECORD: 2-1
SPC TEAM RANK: Girls-Eighth, Boys-Eleventh
TEAM RANK : Third
INVITATIONALS: John Cooper: Girls-Sixth, Boys-Sixth; HAPPI City Champs: Girls-Seventh, Boys-Fourth
ALL SPC: James Wooten, Sam Sands, Alexander Ghadially, Casey Cowan & Parker Haynes The Wrestling Team had another amazing season this year. The way our boys competed this year is proof that all of their hard work has finally paid off. We started the season placing second in the Gator Roll Invitational which was our first team placing in a tournament in eight years. We also finished in second at the St Thomas Invitational and third at SPC. The vast majority of our wrestlers placed in at least one tournament and many of them placed in every tournament. Our three graduating seniors, Alexander Ghadially, Sam Eggleston, and Parker Haynes will be sorely missed. They had a combined 236 career wins, most of them by pins. However, the future is bright as we have a large contingent of young wrestlers returning. Two of our state placers, James Wooten and Casey Cowan, are only sophomores, and freshman Joey Mannetti placed in every single tournament this season, which is a very impressive accomplishment. Also, sophomore Ben Krantz and Juniors Keenan Barazi, David Kreston and David Dennenberg had extremely successful seasons. The wrestling team has everything in place to step up and be a strong competitor for Kinkaid’s first ever SPC Championship next season.
Photos courtesy of David Shutts '74
This year's Girls and Boys Co-Ed Swim Team had no team wins at regular season swim meets, but the swimmers brought home first place wins throughout the year. Reed Hash ’12 won the 100 Fly at almost every meet, including the HAPPI City Championships. Other first place winners during the season were David Tate Foor ’13 (50 Free), Trevin Kurtanich ’14 (100 Back) and Arin Drtil ’14 (500 Free). For the girls, Sarah Jane Gage ’15 was the girls top scorer winning top honors in the 200 Free and 500 Free. Emily David ’14 also led her events (100 Free, 100 Back). Sara Jane Gage lead the team in individual points placing sixth in the 500 Free and seventh in the 200 Free. All three Girls’ relays placed in the top eight bringing in valuable points. The Girls 200 Medley Relay with Claire Pollock ’15, Ellen Thanheiser ’13, Megan Friedman ’14 and Connie Ma ’12 came in eighth. The Girls 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relays with Connie Ma, Sara Jane Gage, Emily David and Yujing Zhu ’13 swam to fifth and fourth place finishes. Presley Wilson ’14 completed her diving season moving up from last year’s seventh place finish into sixth place this year. The Boys 200 Free and 400 Free Relays with Reed Hash, David Tate Foor, Arin Drtil and Trevin Kurtanich swam to seventh and fifth place finishes. The team will lose five seniors this year: Reed Hash, Connie Ma, AnnaCatherine Wilson, Jinal Mehta and Lou Posada (Manager). This year we saw the strongest “walk-on” swimmers we have ever had. If we have the same number of kids with undiscovered talent show up next year, the depth of the team will help us win the swim meets.
Winter Sports Wrap-up
GIRLS SOCCER
OVER-ALL RECORD: 11-5-2
FUTURE FALCONS In October 2011, Michael G. Smith ’17 retained his USTA Super Champ tennis status in Texas. In USTA Super Champ B12, Michael ranked 22 in the Super Standing List (Oct) out of 71 eligible players. He is now playing in Super Champ B14. Maggie Wallis ’17, Caleigh Doran ’18 and Mary Grace Sullivan ’18 were all selected in the 1999 Pool of the Olympic Development Program (ODP) for South Texas Soccer. Halle Brazda '16 achieved CHAMPIONSHIP Division United States Tennis Association Girls 14 Singles after winning January ZAT (Zone Advancement Tournament). Jordan Jafarnia ’19, Lily Gunn ’19 and Edward Chamblee ’18 completed the Aramco Houston Half Marathon on Sunday, January 15th. Jenny Miller ’16 was selected for the 16 and Under Girls Basketball Team to represent Houston as the home team for the 2012 JCC Maccabi Games & Arts Fest on August 5-10.
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ATHLETICS
SEASON STATS & SUMMARY
Sydney Friday ’09, a junior pitcher on Trinity University's softball team, is off to a great start in leading the Tigers to three wins in their first four games. Twice she has been selected as the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week. Matthew Reckling ’08, a senior at Rice University, won two of his first three starts this year compiling an impressive 0.82 ERA.
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CONFERENCE RECORD: 4-1-2 TEAM RANK: Eighth in SPC Division I ALL SPC: Marcus Giannini & Tom Chapman
’13, Tommy McAulley ’13, Christian Juarez ’13, Lucas Cooper ’14 and Robert Reinbolt ’14 will fight for starting positions next year. In the midfield, returning starters, Mustafa Sohail ’13, Harris Green ’13, Will Hollo ’13 and Bennett Notestine ’13 will be challenged by Ben Mitchell ’13, Benji Thomas ’13 and Jacob Thomas ’13 for playing time. At the front, Jared Lapidus, Enrico Silva and Win Reynolds’13 will look to spearhead the Falcon offense. Outgoing seniors include Jay Reynolds, Marcus Giannini, Jonah Roettele, Santiago Leon and Colter Illich. Kinkaid will also have a handful of talented JV players looking to make the varsity squad.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Ashok Narayana ’11, a freshman at Columbia University, is having a successful initial year of collegiate tennis. He won singles and doubles matches against Virginia Tech, Fordham, Marist, George Washington, and Cleveland State. One of the highlights occurred when Ashok and his doubles partner defeated a Cornell team, ranked 35th nationally, in the first round of the ECAC tournament.
The Falcons eighth place finish at SPC was not a good indicator of how well Kinkaid played this season. Finishing with an 11-5-2 record, Kinkaid played with heart and determination throughout the 2011-12 season. Team captains Tom Chapman, Marcus Giannini, Colter Illich and Jay Reynolds led the Falcons to victory in the St. Mary’s Hall tournament for the second year in a row. Jared Lapidus led the team in goals, while Enrico Silva was the assist leader. The highlights on the year include a decisive 4-0 win over John Cooper as well as beating cross-town rival St. John’s. Kinkaid returns 17 players for next year’s campaign while only graduating five. On the defensive end of the field, Declan Mawer
BOYS BASKETBALL
FALCON WATCH
BOYS SOCCER
OVER-ALL RECORD: 11-5-2
SEASON STATS & SUMMARY
SEASON STATS & SUMMARY
OVER-ALL RECORD: 22-9
OVER-ALL RECORD: 31-3
CONFERENCE RECORD: 6-1
CONFERENCE RECORD: 7-0 (First in South Zone)
TEAM RANK: Second in SPC Division I
TEAM RANK: First in SPC Division I
ALL SPC: Jeff Roberson & Thomas Dillon
ALL SPC: Carly Gray, Lashann Higgs & Brecca Thomas
The Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team had one of its finest seasons in over a decade. A talented group of younger players mixed with the leadership and experience of four seniors combined for 22 wins and 9 losses, and a 2nd place finish in SPC. A strong preconference schedule included several wins over large public schools such as Pearland High School, Madison High School and Brazosport High School, as well as highly ranked private school St. Thomas. The most well rounded victory of the year occurred against rival St. Johns in the conference counter game at St. John’s. The team finished with a 6-1 South Zone record and entered the SPC Division I tournament as the #2 seed. The team beat Dallas Greenhill and Austin St. Andrew’s to advance to the SPC championship game. St. John’s used a 13-2 second half run to pull away from the Falcons in the championship game and won by 10, 70-60. Seniors Duncan Robinson, John Ormiston, Campbell Cravens and William Belt each contributed in their own way to the successful SPC run this year. Along with Sophomores Jeff Roberson, Thomas Dillon, Stephen O’Suji and Mavin Saunders, and Juniors Larry Wilkins, Bryson King and Hutch Oelman, the group combined experience with talent to put together a fantastic season.
HONORABLE MENTION: Kate McMillan, Allison Bolin & Maddie Holmes The Girls' Varsity basketball team ended a magical season with an SPC title. During their run they recorded the first 30-win season in Kinkaid girls basketball history. Their average margin of victory this year was 26 points. They ended the season ranked #3 in TABC Texas Private school rankings. This unparalleled success can be attributed to a great combination of experience and talent. Kinkaid had six upperclassmen: Allison Bolin ’12, Katie Dowdell ’12, Carly Gray ’12, Maddie Holmes ’13, Kate McMillan ’12 and Sarah Tucker ’12. This group provided a great backdrop of leadership, hard work and discipline. Kinkaid had six underclassmen Frances Andrews ’15, Lashann Higgs ’15, Cynthia Ormiston ’14, Raevyn Rogers ’14, Tyjae Scales ’15 and Brecca Thomas ’14 who brought energy, athleticism and depth to the team. Thomas and Higgs partnered to create one of the best backcourts in Houston. Thomas had a great sophomore season averaging 17 ppg, 4 spg, and 4 apg. She had three games scoring over 30 points and was the floor general for the Falcon’s high-scoring, fast-breaking attack. Higgs had an unprecedented freshman season averaging 19.7 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 5.1 spg and 5.4 apg. She had five triple doubles and impacted the game on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. The five seniors, Bolin, Dowdell, Gray, McMillan, and Tucker have been instrumental in the Kinkaid’s success the last four seasons. Their impressive team statistics include: 26-2 South Zone record in the last four years, SPC Championship (2012), SPC second place (2011), 3 South Zone Championships, and a four year cumulative record of 89 wins and 35 losses. The Falcons’ dream season ended by beating St. John’s for the SPC Championship. FALCON PRIDE RUNS DEEP!
TOMORROW'S PROMISE
Tomorrow’s Promise: The Capital Campaign for Kinkaid’s Future continues to make great progress toward our $25,000,000 goal. We have raised $18 millionfrom just over 200 donors as of March 5th. We are thrilled with the positive response and are so grateful for the commitments we’ve received so far. We continue to reach out to more individuals and families to participate in this historic event for our School, the purchase of the 24.6 acre Milby property to the west of campus. Visit our website to view the campaign video and to get more information about how you can be part of the Promise. Visit www.kinkaid.org/tomorrowspromise or call Director of Advancement Tom Moore at 713-243-5045 for more information.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING TOMORROW’S PROMISE CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEERS: Cynthia Adkins Marshall Adkins Roni and Doug Atnipp Gayleen and Mark Breeding Will Britt Bill Campbell Tim Detmering Marcy and Robert Duncan Stephen Dyer Tommy Ford Ed Frank Carol and Jim Frankel George Gibson Joe Hafner* Sally and David Harvin Webb Jennings Rolanette and Berdon Lawrence* Drew Masterson Sheila and Tad Mayfield* Jay Mehta
Paula and Hal Mentz Palmer Moldawer Bill Montgomery Don North* Andy Priest Corby Robertson Jr.* Andrew Roff Andrew Segal Mary Eliza and Park Shaper Tom Simmons* Abbott Sprague Doug Swanson Jr. Suzi and Doug Swanson Brian Thurman Beth and Schuyler Tilney Malcolm Waddell AnnaLee Waite Greg Whalley
FULFILLING THE PROMISE Goal: $25 Million
Raised: 72%
Check our website for future updates!
* Steering Committee members
Seniors to Continue Their Athletic Careers TWO SENIOR BOYS SIGN FOR BASEBALL Congratulations to Duncan Robinson ’12 and Michael Levine ’12 who will continue their baseball careers in college. On February 1st Duncan, a right-handed pitcher, officially committed to playing baseball at Dartmouth College, and Michael, a catcher, committed to play at The University of Richmond. They are expected to be key contibutors to this year's Falcon baseball team.
Mike with his parents Ilene and Mark and his brother David
WHITE HEADS WEST Duncan with his parents Debbie and Rocky Robinson
Congratulations to Caroline White ’12 who will continue her tennis career at Trinity University in San Antonio. 17
THE INTERIM TERM EXPERIENCE: LOOKING BEYOND
For 41 years, Upper School students have had the unique opportunity to experience our School’s Interim Term program. The primary purpose of the Interim Term curriculum, which runs during the first three school weeks in January, is enrichment through experience, affording students the capability to study in areas and situations unavailable during the regular school year. Our Upper School Faculty puts much thought into crafting a variety of course offerings and programs involving subjects not offered elsewhere. Most importantly, students are encouraged to explore new fields of study and develop new academic interests during this time. This is a grand opportunity for students to look past the Kinkaid walls and truly experience what the world has in store for them. Whether students participate in the internship program, international travel or experience the distinctive courses offered on campus, they all return to their normal Kinkaid routine having learned something new about their career choice or even themselves. The learning experience is not only well suited for our students, but Interim Term also offers faculty the chance to be renewed by teaching courses outside their discipline. For example, Upper School Mathematics teacher Michael Vischak was able to teach a course on playing bridge and interact with his students on a different level. Modeled after collegiate programs, Interim Term was co-founded by former teacher and Upper School Principal Barry Moss and former Business Manager Bill McKinley in 1971. Alumni often say that their Interim Term experience was a major factor in shaping their personal development, in making their choice of college to attend and in determining their career path. 18
US Math Teacher Michael Vischak talks to seniors about their Interim Term experience during the Senior Welcome Back Breakfast on January 26.
THE INTERNSHIPS "Science now confirms that students learn best in meaningful relationships with adult mentors who make lessons relevant and interactive. In January, Kinkaid seniors confirmed these tenets as 130 interns moved into the marketplace, having strategically planned for appropriate internships in areas of personal interest and aptitude. Seniors learned about the world they will enter; perhaps even more important, they learned about themselves." - Judy Muir, Director of Career Development Internships Mrs. Muir, also a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University, helps teach Educational Neuroscience each Tuesday at The Graduate School of Education
Emily Gemp ’12 Interior Design Firm, New York City The first day I cried about my commute and the fact that I Emily getting dropped off was all alone, but by her mother in NYC then I realized this independence was exactly what I needed. Learning the subway, making mistakes – taking the wrong train, finding solutions - all were things I really needed to do. It was an adventure. I learned that work is not always fun, that a job can even be scary sometimes. But I learned a lot about myself and what taking a risk is all about. My internship was amazing. I learned about the challenges of starting up a small business. But I learned even more about the satisfaction of getting out of my comfort zone and tackling a new environment. Clay Harrell ’12 Hilcorp Energy Company I learned about what multiple natural phenomena make drilling a reservoir optimal, about the appearance of salt domes and their effect, the advantages of sidewall coring, and the difficulty with directional drilling. Wilson Jeckovich ’12 Goldston Oil Corp Before my internship, I thought that you poked a hole in the ground and up came the oil. I discovered the process for finding oil and natural gas was far more complicated. Marshall Markham ’12 Criminal District Courts I saw plea deals ranging from stealing lingerie at Walmart to identity theft and trials ranging from juvenile misdemeanors to capital murders. Mike Mayfield ’12 Walter Oil & Gas Before this internship, I wanted to be a petroleum engineer because I thought
it would be fun – like being a modern day treasure hunter. Afterwards, I realized that understanding the energy industry was a moral responsibility for me to help the United States economy become more stable by being less dependent on foreign energy. Kate McMillan ’12 Studio RED Architects I dug into SketchUp and AutoCAD, learning keyboard shortcuts and new commands as quickly as possible so I could transfer designs onto SketchUp. I realized that architecture will be a perfect match for me. Caroline Montgomery ’12 Museum of Natural Science I was entranced standing under something that was hundreds of millions of years older than I was. I was touching these dinosaurs with my own two hands. On my first day I was asked to climb into the T-Rex exhibit and glue a number to its foot – this task represented far more to me than “keeping all the artifacts in order.” John Ormiston ’12 The Methodist Hospital I peered at the carefully arranged array of tools and materials on the table before me, wondering how so many different items are required for just one surgery. Minutes later I watched the scalpel trace a thin line down the patient’s sternum. After a few deft maneuvers by the surgeon, I gazed upon the beating heart of another human being. Observing open-heart surgery for the first time was definitely one of the most mem-
orable things I have done in my life.With every procedure I watched, I was constantly blown away by the miracle of modern medicine and how it is possible to open a human being up like the hood of a car to make repairs. Matthew Orr ’12 Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University When I reviewed the fascinating projects I was working on about global issues, my dad wanted to be me. He could not wait to come home each day to hear about what I had learned. Skylar Pinchal ’12 The Fay School I've discovered that when a place feels nurturing, safe, and supportive, it's the perfect environment for learning. I believe that reassurance is what makes students strive to be their best. I think devoting your time to working with children is a selfless job. It’s making your life all about making other lives stand out and grow. Lou Posada ’12 Baylor College of Medicine I have done a wide variety of tasks: “splitting cells;” running DNA gel electrophoresis; working with plasmid DNA - cutting out a length of base pairs of nucleotides, which make up a protein that causes cancer, replacing it with an insert that would insure that the sequence of nucleotides which made that protein would stop replicating. Sheridan Schulte ’12 Texas Children's Hospital I read Comprehensive Surgical Management of Congenital Heart Disease to learn about basic heart anatomy so I could understand 19
what normally happens before beginning to tackle complex defects and their surgical repairs. Whenever I read or heard a new vocabulary word, I looked it up on Wikipedia so I could understand the surgeries I was lucky enough to see each day. I learned about deoxygenated blood flow, the superior and inferior vena cavas, tricuspid valves, pulmonary artery, mitral valve, arterial switch procedure to correct a dextrotransposition of the great arteries, and Tetralogy of Fallot – another congenital disase. The first day in the operating room I was clueless, but with the help of this textbook, I began to understand and be in awe of the daily procedures and the remarkable medical team that performed these life-saving surgeries. Alexis Siegel ’12, Untitled Entertainment, Los Angeles While I sorted through piles of fan mail and lifted shipments of soda cans, I also learned the factors that go into a truly incredible script, how to create an acting reel, and how to read character breakdowns. I now know how certain actions translate on camera. I also made valuable friendships, mastered how to load a stapler, and how to fix a printer. I had a wonderful experience, translating this industry to meet my future goals. Henry Waite ’12, Rohe & Wright Custom Home Builders I learned that staying informed leads to sound business decisions so I started each day reading The Wall Street Journal, that cooperation within an industry is vital for success, that innovation distinguishes projects, that working as a team matters to employers, and that the business world is a tough place to survive. Most importantly, I learned that one must honor his word and be trustworthy. Stewart Wombwell ’12, Lime Rock Partners Before I even go into what I did the last three weeks, I just want to say that I think this is one of the most unique and rewarding experiences that Kinkaid has to offer.
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Career Development Internship Program 2012 ARTS / ENTERTAINMENT Alley Theatre John Cheesman Bouncing Pixel Patrick Roberts Casting Director Nikole Vallins* Catherine Frank HITS Theatre Sarah May Thomas Main Street Theatre Stephanie Tillison Museum of Natural Science Caroline Montgomery Allison Schuette Untitled Entertainment* Alexis Siegel BUSINESS / INVESTMENT Avalon Advisors Robert Lartigue Avela Corporation* Wells Johnson BP/Trading Madison Wood Brennan’s French Restaurant Atara Muhammad Will Wilde Crosswell Greenwood Peter Kokernot Fincastle Farm, Equestrian VL Kanaly Intermarine* Forbes Dumas Legacy Asset Mgmt Mike Levine Simmons & Company Blake Odom Spy Monster, Exhibition Jarod Becker Sunset House, Diving* Andres Pineda Tudor Pickering Holt Will Fullenweider UBS Claire Jacobson Andrew Rubenstein COMMUNITY SERVICE Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Stephanie Roff FEED Projects* Clemmie Pierce Habitat for Humanity Liz Studlick Planned Parenthood* Anna Nichols POLITICS Baker Inst. for Public Policy Matthew Orr Rep. John Culberson Jakob Bressler * Out-of-town internships
ENGINEERING / ARCH Abercrombie Builders Colter Illich Concept Engineers Ryan Fondren Adam Rubinsky Crew Land Research, Ltd Keller Towns Crown Castle, Telecomm Andrew Winters Enterprise Oil & Gas Stuart Monteith Frankel Building Group Jonah Roettele Goldston Oil Corporation Wilson Jeckovich Gordon Partners Austin Tucker Haynes Whaley John Adkins Andrew Blaney Hilcorp Energy Company Clay Harrell Lime Rock Partners Stewart Wombwell McCombs Energy Sam Eggleston Plains Exploration Edward Banner Rice Univ, Computer Engr Parker Haynes Rohe & Wright Builders Henry Waite Saxet Petroleum Matthew Moldawer Sterling Group, Hydro Chem Jack Reid Studio RED Architects Kate McMillan TEXLA Energy Mgmt Blake Masterson Urban Craft Jay Reynolds Walter Oil & Gas Corporation Andrew Campbell Santi Leon Mike Mayfield Ziegler Cooper Architects Camiel Duytschaever EDUCATION The Fay School Skylar Pinchal Caroline White First Steps Montessori Katherine Sullivan Houston Tennis Academy Ryan McElvenny Kinkaid, Band Ramille Law Yellowstone Academy Maggie Bremer
LAW Bracewell Giuliani* Maddy Gould Gardere Wynne Sewell Reed Hash Rusty Hardin & Assoc Duncan Robinson Jamail & Kolius Joe Jamail Judge Pam Derbyshire Judge Sherman Ross Judge Jay Karahan William Belt Andrew Das Henry Fitzpatrick Philmon Keleta Marshall Markham Sadi Moradi Surina Odhav Vinita Popat Judge Michael McSpadden Melysa Barth Federal Judge Lee Rosenthal Jinal Mehta Vinson & Elkins Jake Stubblefield COMMUNICATIONS Behrman Communications* Lizzie Ford Niki Frishberg Belle of the Ball Katherine Barnes Alexis Roberts Birchbox PR* Kirby Gilbert Bright Sky Publishing Harrison Gatlin CBS* Mary Grace Grieco Channel 2-TV, Newsroom Carly Gray Dancie Perugini Ware PR Mia Fredricks Fogarty & Klein PR/Adv Katherine Heyne Joy Kids Downtown Caroline Friend KPFT-FM Public Radio Marcus Giannini La Force + Stephens PR* Emily Lahourcade Lisa Freede, Marketing Wesley Patt MAO Public Relations* Hannah Fred PAPERCITY Magazine Dana Barnes Franz Céspedes Sport Talk Radio 1560 Campbell Cravens Rachel Feig SEVENTEEN Magazine* AnnaCatherine Wilson
VOGUE Magazine* Samantha Kirshon MEDICINE Dr. C. Cassidy (ER, Ben Taub) Alexis Hart Dr. Bob Baldwin (Cardio) Dillon Briscoe Vivek Mehta Dr. Bonnie Baldwin (Plastic) Madeline Brown Dr. S. Drtil (Anesthesiology) Connie Ma Dr. D. Eagleman (Neuro) Jenni Lu Dr. J. Edmond (Ophthalmol) Erin Bleiweiss Elena Portz Dr. A. Foster (Gene Therapy) Lou Posada Dr. C. Fraser (Ped. Cardio) Anna Kwak Sheridan Schulte Sarah Tucker Dr. J. Friedman (Plastic) Sam Rogers Walker Spier Dr. B. Kirshon (Ob/Gyn) Meagan Zwahlen Dr. G. Lawrie (Cardio) Thomas Coverdale Anna Ciara Mason John Ormiston Dr. Y. Nowzardan (Surgery) Alexander Ghadially Dr. W. Rosenberg (Surgery) Allison Bolin Simon Redko Dr. D. Rosenfield (Neuro) Nathaniel Finger Texas Children’s Hospital Sophie Weber TIRR Foundation Katie Dowdell Dr. C-F Wei (Cardio) Millie Nishikawa FASHION / DESIGN AEFFE Showroom* Kate Beeler Amy Lau Interior Design* Emily Gemp Brides & Maids* Annie Stephens Bunny Williams Interiors* Emmy Sprague Helen Perry Image Consult Rachel Ishmael House of Dior* Anabelle Reade Marc by Marc Jacobs* Maddy Kelly
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL The Interim Term program offers special travel oportunities, usually two touring trips and a homestay program. The travel program is open to students at all levels of Upper School, and financial support is available for qualified students. Interim Term Director Tom Wey says, "How else can we understand the world around us, our place in it, and even know our own country until we travel internationally? Our Kinkaid students are truly fortunate to have this opportunity."
SPAIN
An Ekphrastic poem written by John Pederson ’15 after being inspired by Pablo Picasso's painting, Guernica.
I have visited Spain on several occasions, but I must say that having a very knowledgeable tour guide made the experience even more rewarding. We visited a total of 10 magnificent cities in 14 days from cathedrals, to museums, to monuments that date back to the Roman Empire. We were able to see history come alive as we toured the World Heritage Sites that abound in Spain. Our students, as well as the chaperones, Yolanda Soliz, Ken Conner and I were treated to an amazing and unforgettable experience. -Esteban Longoria, Upper School Spanish Teacher
Shattered Existence A woman holds a candle to an extinguished world. Her silent witness, mouth agape, Beholds a scene beyond her belief. As shell-shocked beasts, unhampered by boundaries, Roam among shattered buildings and bodies, her comprehension struggles and blurs. Franco, Hitler – unknown names to her. As unknown to her as the horse’s reaction to being gored, or the blinding shells scathing an already burning town. Greed? Territory? The woman frantically grabs At straws that never existed. Reasons that could never justify That one woman’s grief, wandering In the shattered remains of her existence.
Our students strolled to the Mosque of Córdoba, the third largest mosque in the world. This mosque is large enough to fit 10,000 people and it is the only mosque to have a cathedral inside.
Argentina Students visited the Malba Museum of Modern Art, where they had a quick tour and learned about various paintings from artists like Diego Rivera.
Students toured in the neighborhood of La Boca, which is famous for the colorful buildings that the immigrants painted with the paint that was used for the ships. The group passed by the Obelisk, which is a monument that was built on the exact location where the Argentine flag was raised for the first time.
Taylor Daniel ’14, Ray Brown ’14, Caroline Talbert ’14, Sophie Gaylor ’15, Lauren Rae ’15 and Jenny Howie ’15 smiling after a fun culinary experience cooking the traditional Spanish paella.
Twelve Upper School students in Spanish III and above enjoyed full immerison into the culture of Argentina in January. Each student was placed with a host family in Buenos Aires and enjoyed a real family experience. During the week they attended morning classes which covered a variety of subjects and a lot of fun and interaction with the two teachers. After lunch and a siesta, they were off on an afternoon excursion. They enjoyed a day on the Tigre River Delta, an excursion across el Rio de La Plata to Colonia, Uruguay, and the favorite destination: a weekend in Las Pampas at the Estancia La Juanita. As always, nobody wanted to come home. Their Spanish teachers are all remarking what better Spanish students they have become. Without exception, all are looking forward to returning to this great country, for further study in college, or to visit their wonderful familias! -Nancy Eason, Upper School Spanish Teacher 21
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Spotlight on
Yasi Khosrowshahi As Lower School students skip down the halls, there is a faculty or staff member closely following their tiny footsteps, eager to partake in the next school day adventure! Yasi Khosrowshahi has the opportunity to live this reality everyday as the Lower School Registrar. She is not only on the frontline of student interaction, but she handles the scheduling and coordinating of the Lower School calendar, answers parent questions and up until this year, she even took on the responsibility of being the school’s unofficial nurse. While she multi-tasks all of her duties, she has the luxury of staying grounded, thanks to the students. Yasi shares, “It's so great to be surrounded by kids, they really ground you and make you realize what's important in life and force you to step back and slow down.
"It's so great to be surrounded by kids, they really ground you and make you realize what's important in life and force you to step back and slow down. It’s great to have a student walk in to the office wide-eyed and excited to announce they’ve lost their first tooth." — Yasi Khosrowshahi
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It’s great to have a student walk in to the office wide-eyed and excited to announce they’ve lost their first tooth. ” Yasi came to Kinkaid in November 2007 after hearing about the position from a previous colleague, Lower School Mrs. Krista Babine, who suggested she apply. From the time she first came in to interview, Yasi was in awe of the campus and impressed by the School’s sense of community. Principal Babine shares, "Yasi has a rare blend of intelligence and is held in high regard in the Lower School. She has this gift in relating to people and understanding their emotions and reacting to them appropriately. She can help a child in need while on the phone with a parent, and at the same she will be responding to faculty emails and answering my questions; and she does it all with a smile!" Outside of Kinkaid, Yasi lives adventures of her own with her family. She has been married for 18 years to her husband Amir, and they have two daughters. Roya, 15, is a ninth grader at Memorial High School, and Tina ,13, is in seventh grade at Memorial Middle School. While they both keep mom busy with their schedules, Yasi reveals, “I was always afraid of the teenage years, but I have to say I love this stage of their lives and have really enjoyed seeing them change and grow.” Yasi was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to Cannes, France for a year in 1980 after the Iranian revolution. She moved to Houston in 1981 and has remained here ever since.
PHOTO GALLERY
5TH GRADE GRANDPARENT'S DAY
Will Jacobe ’19, Katherine Jacobe ’19, Grandmother Sibyl Jacobe, Laine Jacobe ’19, Grandfather Ronald Jacobe, Jake Jacobe ’19
Grandfather Alan Warren, Grandfather Mike Cone, parent Chris Cone, Grandmother Joanne Cone, parent Susie Cone, Grandmother Nan Warren, Caroline Cone ’19
Grandfather Bill Le, Allison Le ’19, parent Cindy Le
Grandfather Mitchell Smith, Nicholas Cox ’19, Grandmother Fran Fauntleroy, parent Shelly Cox
2012 Kinkaid Summer School June 4 - June 29 • Summer courses and camps will be held June 4 through June 29. • Arts/Academics/Athletics programs are offered to non-Kinkaid and Kinkaid students, PreK through 12th grade. • One, two, three or four week programs are available. Parents Mark and Gayleen Breeding, Grace Breeding ’19, Grandfather Gene Boriskie
• Registration begins March 23 at noon. • Download a brochure and register at kinkaid.org/summer. • For more information, please call 713.782.1640.
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PHOTO GALLERY
GEORGE WASHINGTON VISITS THE 5TH GRADERS
To commemorate George Washington's 280th birthday, a special visitor came to the Kaymen Library on February 22. Mr. Washington himself shared stories of his life and triumph as President with our fifth graders.
AUTHOR KATHRYN OTOSHI VISITS THE LOWER SCHOOL
Notable author Kathryn Otoshi visited the Lower School on February 28 and shared her writing secrets behind her popular books including One, Zero, What Emily Saw and more.
LOWER SCHOOL GO TEXAN ASSEMBLY
The Lower School, including Mrs. Eggleston's Pre-Kindergarten class, kicked off Go Texan Day on January 24 by dressing up in their boots and hats.
8TH GRADE ROCKET LAUNCH
Rebecca Roff ’16 and Alexandra Szeto-Joe ’16 participated in the eighth grade rocket launch on March 1.
CHILDREN'S THEATER
Stewart Wombwell ’12 poses with students from Yellowstone Academy after The Children Theater's performance of Aseop's Fables.
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Emmy Sprague ’12 played the "Hare" in the Children's Theater performance of Aesop's (Oh, So Slightly) Updated Fables at Pugh Elementary. Students also taught a creative drama class after the production.
ALUMNI NEWS
Class Notes & Alumni News
Identify those pictured and be eligible to win a special prize from the Alumni Office. Send your entry to alumni@kinkaid.org by April 10, 2012.
1958
1959
Four years ago our class had the celebration of our 50 year reunion, and now this year we have the shock of celebrating 50th reunions at our Colleges and Universities. Having been the first graduating class from the Memorial location of Kinkaid we have seen the many physical changes of the campus, but so many traditions remain that were there long before our class graduated. Our campus is second to none in the country, and our administration, teachers, and students work hard every day to keep our reputation of excellence alive. The friends that we made so many years ago at Kinkaid are still some of our best friends 60 years later, and for that we are truly blessed. Many of us have had the pleasure of having our children and grandchildren receive the exceptional Kinkaid education, and now some of us have grandchildren in college, or soon to be going to college. Without mentioning specific people in our class, I just want to acknowledge for our class as a whole the appreciation that we feel for what Kinkaid has meant to us for more than half a century. We may have aged, but the memories are young and fresh in our hearts and minds. Fifty Plus Years in the rearview mirror, Linda Denison
Classmates,
Linda Beeley Denison Houston, Texas lindabdenison@comcast.net
John Hagerman The Woodlands, Texas johndhagerman@hotmail.com
Linda and I are so proud and grateful of our son, Lt. Clayton R. Hagerman, United States Navy, who was assigned to Special Operations for a year in Afghanistan and returned safely in February to reside in Houston with his wife. He plans to stay in the reserves while working in Houston. Clayton is helping to organize the Warrior Cup Invitational, a ProAm Golf Tournament benefiting soldier suicide prevention initiatives plus benefiting families of service members killed in action. He will be exploring his own long-term post military career options. Billy Hopkins sails every week on his boat on Galveston Bay, and if you would like to go for an afternoon sail, call him to see if he has space available. If you have any updates please email me at johndhagerman@ hotmail.com.
1962
Adrian Turner Ross Houston, Texas adrian@rexross.com Dear Class of 1962, This edition of our Spring Class
notes will be pretty sparse, so if you really want to get the scoop on your fellow classmates, you will need to come to our 50th reunion the weekend of April 13th and 14th. By now you surely know that events will take place at the school on Friday evening and Saturday lunchtime for all of the reunion classes. Saturday night the class of 1962 will gather at the Ross home, for drinks, Mexican food and catching up. Please note that part of the happenings at Kinkaid on Friday night will be the presentation of the 2012 “Distinguished Alumni Awards”. Dr. Bill Blattner will be the recipient of one of the three awards. He will also be introduced at the ceremony by classmate Chip Stanberry. Please come to support Bill. In addition you are sure to be mesmerized by the list of his medical accomplishments. If you have any questions about Reunion weekend or if somehow your invitation has been mislaid, please e-mail me, or call the Alumni Office at the school. We already have a good group committed to be here—and we want you to be part of the fun. I hope to see you in April, Adrian Turner Ross
1963
Calanne Koenig Choate Pearland, Texas mayamom@hotmail.com Hello, Class of 1963! I hope all of you are well and happy. It is finally spring, after a hot, dry winter in Houston. Thank goodness we have had a little rain recently. I am ready to move on! This spring finds my hubby John and me getting ready to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Remember that I was probably the last one to get married in our class, thus the “only” 40 years! We plan to renew our vows and our kids will honor us after with a reception to celebrate! As I think about our reunion next year, I want to start finding lost classmates so they may be included in our plans, if they so desire. If you know the email of someone who is not included in our class bulk email, please send it to me, so I may correspond with them. Thanks! Now for more news… Art Beane writes that his two Schaghticoke, New York grandsons
will be step-cousins to Elsie Rose, who will be born in Stuttgart, Germany in April. Art and his wife Margaret have been together 18 years. Congrats, you two! He says their combined families can field a baseball team! (Astros?!?) The kids are all good ones…nobody in jail, etc.!! Art’s eldest son Matthew (38) is a second year Ph.D. student at MIT in robotics! Awesome! Art looks forward to our 2013 reunion and hopes his Stinson Walker can sustain him on the walk to Houston. Good luck, Art! Lana Lee Cureton writes that her hubby Chip will receive the Distinguished Honorary Alumnus Award at Reunion Weekend in April! Chip worked very hard in helping Kinkaid acquire an adjacent 24.6acre parcel of land for the future expansion. Congrats, Chip! Lana adds that Chip and their son Peter ’92 will attend Peter’s 20th KHS reunion together. Also attending will be Peter’s wife Amy and grandkids Dean (seven) and Anna (five) who live in New York City with their parents. Thanks, Lana for this great news! You must be so proud! Bob Morse writes that he has retired from teaching Physics for 44 years at St Albans School in Washington D.C. He has spent some time recently in Houston on family business but did not have an opportunity to visit Kinkaid. He adds that cleaning out his school physics lab was a real chore. He says “hello” to Dick Fisher if he reads this! Bob has three grown kids who are in the Boston area. He has some writing projects lined up for the first part of his retirement, as well as a large “to do” list! He will see those of us who can still walk in 2013! Thanks Bob! Well, that is about all I have for you right now. I hope that many of you will attend our reunion next year. It will be fun to share experiences and remember when we were young! God bless all of you! Calanne
1964
Claire Andreae Murray Silver Springs, Maryland Claire.murray@verizon.net What a winter of unmitigated content; eastern seaboard, February, 65 degrees. Then there
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ALUMNI NEWS KINKAID ALUMNI EVENT | 12.23.11
KYPO Holiday Party: Kenneally's Irish Pub
is the matter of relentless political debates, superpacs and mystifying declarations of contradictory views and “evolving” positions as well as the inevitable talking heads’ analysis of every blaringly inept faux pas. Speaking of politicking and debauchery, my honey and I are packing as I speak to descend upon the City of New Orleans for a week of reverie, hedonistically plundering the bayous and eateries for gastronomic and musical delights.
Catherine Goble '99, Brittany Phillips Faulk '99, Traci Thompson '00, Michel Miller '00
Not to be out done, Cindy Bambeck Smith and her husband Steve hit the high seas once again, “We just returned from a great trip: five days in Peru (two at Machu Picchu) and then eight days on a catamaran in the Galapagos Islands. We went with five couples (all friends) from the Houston area. It just may be my favorite adventure ever”. Let’s see who can top that!! Maybe our up and coming 50th Reunion come this time in 2014. Save the date and all your pennies for the stellar bash. In the interim fill in the gaps and gaffs of the intervening years....
Stephen Reckling ’06, Charles Simmons '05, Taylor Brown '06
Laura Sheedy '01, Mollie Schal '01, Cabell Walker '01
Tobin O'Donnell '98, Philip Mullet, L.B. Roemer '98, Christopher Leavitt '98
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1965
Tami Fox Brau Austin, Texas tazmazan@gmail.com Spring is upon us and lots of things are happening for our class. We are celebrating our 65th birthdays this Spring with a Medicare Birthday Bash. Hope to see you all there. Georgia Hinkle Akers is lending her great party planning skills to the event which means we can all look forward to a great celebration. Georgia was the force behind our 45th Reunion Dinner, so we are in good hands. Unfortunately, Ruddy Cravens, our class thespian, will be on stage that night and miss our party. Rick Horsey and his wife are having a great stay in Italy. Rick writes, “We are in the land of castles and vino, and we have been experiencing both frequently.” They are in Codroipo, which is about an hour and a half northeast of Venice. They spent Christmas in Salzburg, Austria and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner in the castle above the town. After strolling through the Christmas market in the old town, they sipped on Gluhwein, a hotspiced red wine. Rick’s job takes him to some incredible international destinations. I can’t wait to hear
where they go next. Rod Everett spent this winter “up to his eyeballs in alligators” getting everything ready for the Cutter Races sponsored by the Shrine Club of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It’s a huge charity event and one of Rod’s pet projects that he works on every year. Roy Flukinger, Senior Research Curator at the Ransom Center at the University of Texas, received some outstanding news. His book, The Gernsheim Collection, which chronicles the Center’s premier photography collection, received an Alfred H. Barr Jr. Award. The award recognizes a distinguished catalogue in the area of art history. This award makes Roy a double winner. He also received the 2010 Kinkaid Distinguished Alumnus Award. Susan Davis Johnson made a quick trip from California to Texas where her chocolate company, Xan, was part of the Central Market Chocolate Fest. Susan and Xan chocolatier did a whirlwind state tour of six Central Markets in four days. While in Houston, Susan took time to stop by Kinkaid to celebrate Grandparents’ Day with her granddaughter’s fifth grade class and ran into classmate Matt Pasternak who had a grandchild in the same class. Susan also visited her grandson’s third grade class where it was chocolate month. Needless to say, Susan and her chocolatier were very popular. Susan reports, “The kids have been studying MacBeth all year. The upper school is doing the play (brings back fond memories of our senior year).” Susan’s note about Shakespeare and Kinkaid brings us back to Ruddy who cannot make our Medicare Birthday Bash. He writes “I’ll be pretending to be someone else that night.” Seems our class party coincides with the opening weekend of a production of Richard III at the Main Street Theater. The production is going on to Prague in June. Ruddy did the same thing last year with King Lear and fell in love with the city. After a brief email exchange among our class members, we came to a decision. If Ruddy can’t come see us, we will go see him. So on the Friday night before our Birthday Bash, we are going as a group to watch our favorite actor perform. I received a lovely note from Anna Horton expressing her
ALUMNI NEWS appreciation for everyone’s kindness when her husband and our classmate George Horton passed away last year. Several classmates sent amazing stories of their friendships with George including Sperry Hunt’s wonderful recollections of their time together in Sherwood Forest. Milton Howe came and shared his memories of their childhood. I recently saw Greg Frazer whose marvelous sense of humor is still going strong. Greg is an Austin criminal attorney. His practice, aptly named Frazer and Frazer, is a father and son firm. I have been trading voicemail messages with Jonathan Phillips who lives in Clear Lake. I hope to catch up with him soon. Not much news from me, Tami Fox Brau. I am trying to stay one step ahead of my four-yearold grandson, who lives nearby. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our Birthday Bash and can’t wait to see Ruddy on stage.
1967
Steve Adger Houston, Texas sadger@yahoo.com Come join us for Reunion Weekend! We have made arrangements to have a “semi private” area roped off at Goode’s Armadillo Palace (5015 Kirby Drive) at 7:00 p.m on Saturday, April 14th. We will have a cash bar and food and appetizers. It should be great fun.
1970
Malcolm Waddell Houston, Texas mwaddell@waddellinvestments.com So much news, so little time to get it all together. It’s Friday night (deadline day), I’m at our condo down in Galveston. In July, we purchased our second home away from home, and Suzanne and I are now IBC’s – Islanders By Choice. If we’re in town, we come down here with friends or on our own to unwind from what is usually a busy (good busy) week at her dermatology practice. This is our 15th year in business, and we love working together. We have a great team, and we’re still growing. I’ve never worked in one place this long! With the spring of 2012 at hand, many of us are turning 60, and I asked you to share your thoughts on reaching this milestone birthday.
I will share some in this issue, but I gave you so little time to respond, I’ve decided to give more time to reflect (or slow down long enough to reflect). I will then compile all our responses and send it separately to just our class by email or snail mail. Irene Moody Riviere, as usual, was one of my first responders. Irene shares, “All my dreams have come true! We are presently awaiting (any second now) the birth of our third grandson, Colton Drew Riviere. We are also looking forward to our son Ryan getting married on May 12th, four days before my 60th B-day. And last but not least, my love of my life, Rob, and I will celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary on June 19th. As these happy times approach, I realize how truly blessed I am. So happy 60th birthday, everyone; I hope your dreams have or will come true! Love to all.” Bill Blomdahl was also quick to write in, “This is a big year for Nancy and me. Nancy turns 55 in April, we celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary in June, and I turn 60 in August. Wow, I cannot believe all of that! Time flies doesn’t it? We plan to celebrate our wedding anniversary in the wine country of Napa, CA, and then we are headed to South Africa for a 15-day plains game safari for my birthday! As you know, I love to hunt and have always wanted to go there, so this is the year we have made plans. I will let you know how it goes. Kids are all good and living and working in Houston.” Carla Wilkerson O’Brien was our first out-of-state classmate (NM) to provide news and answering my question about how her family was doing, starting with her daughter, “Gracie is on cruise control being a sophomore in high school. She is going to Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England with the People to People Ambassador Program during June and part of July. We are excited about that. Ray and I have a casket showroom here, but it has turned out to be mainly a storage area for the caskets until they get delivered to the funeral homes. We supply seven homes at this time and deliver all the way to Hobbs and points in between. Life in Ruidoso is good, and we enjoy mountain living.” Phil Salvador updates us on live in the Middle East, “We are all well here and very busy. My two-year work contract with Qatar Petroleum expires in April, and I have received an offer to extend it. I had hoped
KINKAID ALUMNI EVENT | 01.24.12
Austin: Z'Tejas
Ben Messier '06, Warren Knull '02, William Doggett '05, Jeb Golinkin '06, Will Thanheiser '05, Megan Altman '06, John Bell '04, Leslie Roemer Labanowski '02, Johnny Sutton ’79
Leslie Ratz Easterling '91, Ashley Withers
Will Withers '92, Holt Dunlop ’92
Will Thanheiser '05, Sarah Deal Frankenfeld '78, Bob Roberts '77, Cary Young Fyfe '77
Marlene Van Eman Genitempo '56, James Hughes '56, Darden Lloyd Deviney '56
Ben Messier '06, Jeb Golinkin '06, John Bell '04
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ALUMNI NEWS KINKAID ALUMNI EVENT | 02.06.12
San Francisco: Epic Roasthouse
And from the boomtown of Midland, Texas, Betsy Mickley Sheets checked in with very ‘moving’ news and a new love for the Land of Enchantment. “I retired this past summer! I am well into 60. Don’t feel it! I sold my home in Brownsville along with everything else and have moved to Midland. Why Midland? My sister Terry and her family live there, and I wanted something new! I am spending a lot of time in New Mexico. (Let you figure out why!) So it’s closer. My boys are both in San Antonio, and I didn’t want to be in there way and let them establish their lives without Mother in the way. I don’t want them to feel like they have to take care of me yet! I am substitute teaching when I feel like it and need extra money. So here I am. I am kind of starting a new life! So far, so good!”
David Lyman '99, Cathryn Lyman
Colby Moore '90, Kathleen Much, Stanley Peters '59, Director of Advancement Tom Moore
Lisa Latour '90, Colby Moore '90, Katina Johnson '91
ove id L a k Kin ories St
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for a two-year extension, and one ending in a July, not April (for kids’ school reasons), but the offer is for one more year, to next April. I will probably be accepting it.”
Did you and your spouse meet while you were both students at Kinkaid? We want to hear from you! Please share your story and photos with Publications Manager Marylu Rodriguez at 713.243.5047 or email marylu.rodriguez@kinkaid.org.
Sam Collins was literally in the air when typing his note on his iPhone. Sam shares, “I’m on a flight to Vegas as I write this, a 60th birthday celebration surprise by my wife Andi. We’re sharing with another couple who are longtime close friends. My birthday was actually February 16, and though I had requested nocelebrations, I was told that just wasn’t in the cards. Yes, I’m 60, but so lucky to have made it this far – many have not. The road ahead is much shorter, but as it’s been said, ’It’s the journey not the destination that counts.’ To all, here’s to the rest of the journey.” Cathy Austin Wyatt and I ran into each other at Mr. K’s, THE watch repair guy in the Rice Village area. She’s one of the young ‘uns in our class, but she had some thoughts on nearing 60 and some great news. “I’m convinced time really does speed up the older you get. The last 10 years have gone by quickly, and I’m thinking that means the next then will fly by even faster. So I’m just trying to appreciate life right now. Friends have always been one of the most important things to me, and that is still true. Being open to change and not limiting my thinking are also important, and it’s still important to have things to look forward to. So even though I thought I did not need to be married again, I’m now engaged. And just as everything at our age is kind of different than it was in the past, I’m determined that ‘different’ can mean ‘better’. May we all be much
happier and more enlightened in our 60’s than we were in the 1960’s.” Congratulations on your engagement, Cathy! And while we’re on the subject of marriage, I got this email from Neal Anderson on February 7: “For those of you who don’t believe in miracles, at 10:30 this morning, Judge Bill Harmon joined Neal Bruce Anderson and Elaine Minor Maxson in the bonds of holy matrimony. Elaine said, ‘It’s only fitting I got married in a Criminal Courthouse.’ My best to all our friends!” And as promised a little more detail on the Browne Baker and Robin Bradley wedding back in late September. There was a party hosted by Tio Suman and wife Anne in their lovely new home for the lucky couple. The next night we celebrated at Browne’s and Robin’s reception at Cohen House on the Rice campus. They had been married at Rice earlier in the day. Ed Little served as best man, giving up an Aggie home game, which showed you what a BIG occasion this was! The guest list was full of Class of 1970’ers, including Ron Bernell, Cary Gates, Tom Hale, Larry Jacobs, Tio Suman, Galen Younger, Martha Adger Magit, Lynne Barlow Bentsen (both of whom as you all know we have adopted into our class), and I’m sure more that my soon-to-be 60 year old brain has temporarily forgotten. All were there with their lovely wives, husbands and dates. Browne and Robin seemed so happy, and to attest to that, I have barely heard a peep out of Browne since the big day! He did write when Alan Gerger, Ron, Larry and I were putting a video together for Selby Schwend’s 60th birthday event. So I know he’s alive. Personally, I can’t wait to go to dinner with these newlyweds and get a chance to know Robin better, but Browne is definitely a lucky man! Trey Lander checked in for the first time in a while. He shared, “Things are good with the Lander clan. Daughter Lizzie is engaged and getting married in August in the mountains of the Sierra Nevadas in California where they live-- Mammoth Lakes. Son John is currently in Bangkok. He keeps telling me he can run his Internet business from anywhere, but we’re ready for him to get back to the States. Hopefully, when he gets here for Lizzie’s wedding, he’ll stay. Son Houston is living with us right now, which has been great – free babysitting for my puppy dog.
ALUMNI NEWS Daughter Angele lives in Aspen and is doing great, as well. And, lastly, Vickie is still puttin’ up with me. Gracie, our golden retriever, pretty much rules our lives. We’re spending most weekends, making them long weekends, in the “country” tending to our ‘animals’ – moo cows, goats, donkeys and exotic deer. The gal that cuts my hair has managed to eliminate every dark strand that I had, but as the saying goes, ‘It may be turning grey, but it ain’t turnin’ loose!’ I see the newlywed (Neal) almost every day since he’s in our building. I think you forwarded some of the email that was flying across the web reacting to his marriage announcement. My favorite was the picture that Mike Robinson sent the next day of the giant iceberg with the caption: ‘A picture of hell, yesterday’.” Bob Frachtman had lots of family news: “Wife Sherrie will be the incoming chair for the AntiDefamation League’s Austin Council. This group pioneered ’No Place for Hate’ in schools. It is a huge international organization, and the leadership was unanimous in wanting Sherrie to lead for the next two years. Son Julian is cofounder of a company that does internet marketing and e-commerce browser plug-ins. I have no idea about what I just typed! His company just raised a lot of money from a Houston investor, and they are growing rapidly. His education at Washington University in St. Louis appears to be paying off. Other son Brandon is in his senior year at University of Denver, majoring in Real Estate and Construction Management. He likes the financial end. I’m helping him with some leads for post-graduation employment, hopefully followed by an MBA. Daughter Adrienne is a sophomore at Wash U majoring in Philosophy/Neuroscience, Psychology and Spanish, with a minor in Speech and Hearing. She wants to do a semester abroad in Edinburgh next fall. As for me, in November I ran my first marathon, the New York Marathon, with our former classmate Jim Sud and two other friends. More recently I completed a half marathon here in Austin. The Chicago Marathon is looming in October. Is anyone else from our class doing marathons currently, or am I the only crazy one?” Janet Lee Cohen also had family news. She writes, “We’re great. The [grand]babies are 18 months old and thriving. All of our daughters are coming this weekend for a Mother/ Daughter trip to a health spa for my 60th, which I survived. Rick and I
are planning a trip to New Zealand in March for our joint 60th (his is in a few months), and in June, we’re taking ANOTHER birthday trip with another couple who are ALSO turning 60 this year. We’re going to Scandinavia. Whew, I’m exhausted just thinking about it all.” I had lunch this past November in Washington D.C. with J.J. Finkelstein who is once again President and CEO of RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals. We covered so many topics during our lunch. J.J. showed me so many wonderful vacation pictures of him, his wife Linda and his two beautiful daughters. Because my mind ain’t what it used to be, he also updated me by email on his children’s lives saying, “First daughter Laura is finishing up her Ph.D. in counseling psychology at University of Denver while second daughter Emily is the 5th employee and Program Manager at Everfi, Inc., the leading education technology platform to teach, assess, and certify students in financial literacy, student loan management, digital literacy and substance abuse in DC.” J.J. also provided one of the touching tributes for last issue’s column dedicated to Randy Hankamer. Along with that tribute, J.J. provided a copy of the team photo of the 1965 middle school football team, seen here. Galen Younger, a member of that team, shared a remembrance of his days on the gridiron with Randy that I missed last issue. Galen wrote, “I remember well Coach Hanagriff yelling at me in the cage... especially enjoying seeing me getting smashed by Randy during blocking practice. Randy could have played many positions, but his running game along with Gene Hovey RIP was just tremendous.” Brian Atlas and wife Cindy were at the Austin Celebration for Randy in November. Next day Brian sent in his latest news: “Cindy and I are enjoying our lives living on Lake Travis. Our second daughter Julie Atlas Taylor and her husband Jeremy had a new baby girl. Her name is Anna Dillon Taylor. This is Julie’s first child. Back on June 4th, our oldest daughter Kimberly Atlas Harrington and her husband Zac had their second daughter, Hazel Rene Harrington.That makes three daughters and three granddaughters. Kimberly’s first child, four-year-old Faye, is named after my living grandmother Faye Tucker, who is 104. They are a century apart. All of our kids live in Houston.” Suzanne and I also made a
KINKAID ALUMNI EVENT | 02.07.12
Los Angeles: Cecconi's West Hollywood
Damian Horan '99, Emily Horan, Ran Jones '98, Cristina Jones
Betsy Rosenberg '05, Kate Whaling ’06, Lexi Sakowitz '07
Linda Gardner '02, Colin Sabin '01, Hayley Dickson '01
Alyson Weaver '01, Kavita Rao '01, Brittany O'Connor
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ALUMNI NEWS business trip to the Napa Valley where we had hoped to meet up with Valley vintner Spencer Clark. When I called in advance of our trip to the Amizetta Vineyards in St. Helena, I learned from one of his sons that Spencer and wife Amizetta were wintering in Florida. I contacted Spencer when we actually arrived in Napa and sent him an email. He informed me that he was still in FL and graciously offered us a tour and tasting at his 40-acre vineyard as his son had done on my earlier call. Spencer is doing great and his sons, Perry Clark (President). Spencer Clark Jr. (Vineyards) and Edward Clark (Winemaker) are running the show in his absence. Spencer is still a great musician. You can check out all his music on his website: www. spencerclarkmusic.com/fr_home. cfm. His latest songs are very good, and the free download cut, “Love’s Come In”, off his latest album Voices caught my fancy and is now in my iTunes! I got a last minute note from Tomoko Masuzawa. She is a University of Michigan teacher and researcher who is on the road and shares, “I’m writing this from Tokyo. I’m here for a few days, mainly to
check on my widowed mother, who has been in a care facility, and also to clean out her empty flat. Hard work, but I know I’m not alone in this situation. As for myself, I’m in good health and good spirit. Last year I had a fabulous year at the Institute for Advanced Study (the original one, in Princeton, NJ), and now I’m back to teaching for two years, before I get to take another research leave in 20132014, thanks to the Guggenheim Foundation. I’m finishing two book projects, and another one is underway, which I hope to wrap up by the end of that fellowship tenure. I was slow in marrying, but this, too, is already in the 23rd year. We got married most economically in a ‘country courthouse and jail’, and we chose the bicentennial of the Bastille Day (7/14/1989) so that we might remember the anniversary better; but we still ‘forget’ to do anything special. This past year, however, we found ourselves in Istanbul, but just because friends of ours chose to get married on the very day on an island off that fabulous city. My step-daughter is 30 years old, living in Washington, DC, duly employed at DNC.”
December lunch bunch gathering at Ouisie’s Table honoring recently retired history teacher and department chair John Germann. This event could just as well shown up in the Class of 1969’s column because so many of the attendees who showed up were from that class which was the first class Mr. Germann taught upon his arrival at Kinkaid in 1968. We had a great time and John was moved by the fact that so many of his early pupils cared enough to attend this holiday event. Along with Mr. G, attendees from the Classes of 1969 and 1970 were Martha Adger Magit, Lynne Barlow Bentsen, Ron Bernell, Mark Bing, Rick Frachtman, Alan Gerger, Larry Jacobs, Kenny Meyer, Mary Lou Peckham Cozean, Mike Robinson, Welcome Wilson and me. It was like a mini-reenactment of the 40th reunion. Well, the witching hour draws near and so does my deadline. Thanks to all for your notes. Congratulations to Browne, Cathy and Neal. And look for “Reflections on Turning 60” in your inbox or mailbox soon. Happy birthday to all my fellow classmates!
1972
Class Correspondent Needed. Hard to imagine it has been 40 years, but then who’s counting? We will start the celebration of this passage of time with a casual Friday night dinner. The party Saturday night will be at the home of and Michael and Nina O’Leary Zilkha in River Oaks with dinner, band, and swing dancing (including instructors, as required). Details will follow at a later date.
1977
Lucy Barrow Houston, Texas lhbarrow@gmail.com 35 years . . . But who’s counting? Come join your cool and happening classmates from the class of ’77 at Bob and Bonnie Baldwin’s gorgeous home (3325 Chevy Chase) at 7:00 p.m. Please contact Giggy Martin Thanheiser at gthanheiser@ comcast.net for more details. Cost: $65 per person.
I want to close with news of a
KINKAID ALUMNI EVENT | 01.02.12
Alumni vs Varsity Sports Night Over 30 alumni from the classes of 1974 - 2011 came back to take on the Kinkaid Varsity Basketball and Soccer Teams. It was a great night with lots of energy and entertainment! To check out more pictures from the event please go to www.kinkaid.org/alumni.
Varsity Girls Basketball with Alumni
Varsity Girls and Boys Soccer with Alumni
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Varsity Boys Basketball with Alumni
ALUMNI NEWS
1979
Steven Arnold Houston, Texas sda@3lmc.com Evans Attwell Houston, Texas eattwell@gmail.com Alice Berry Houston, Texas missformicadinette@yahoo.com The big news these past few months in our class was the visit of our classmate from down under, Trevor Jack, to Texas in December. Trevor kicked off his Texas tour in Austin at a shindig hosted by Johnny Sutton and attended by selected classmates who wish to remain anonymous due to the volume of alcohol consumed :-) (Class Correspondent’s note: The real story is that this class correspondent submitted these notes at the last minute and did not have time to determine Austin attendees. We would welcome Austin attendees to identify themselves and send photos for inclusion in the next issue of the alumni magazine). Trevor ended his Texas tour at a blowout celebration at Cyclone Anaya’s in Houston. Attendees (all of whom looked great) included Jim Snoddy, Bin Halverson, Chip Gordon, Ted Erck, Ellen Weingarten Wagnon, Alice Berry, Billy Byrd, Heather Mackay Tripodo, Kevin Lewis, Johnny Sutton and a special appearance by Sara Goettsche from the Class of 1980. Other than shorter hair and a few less pounds, Trevor has not changed a bit. Trevor regaled the Houston attendees with many stories of his Crocodile Dundeelike activities and exploits over the last 30+ years in Australia. Many stories were also told of Trevor’s introduction to American football during his time with us and his accomplishments on the gridiron. We were also reminded of what a renaissance man Trevor was during our senior year as he was the only student in our class that we can remember who played football and acted in several plays. The only other tidbits and sight’ems this Class Correspondent has under deadline pressure is seeing John Rutherford on his way to a meeting in Three Allen Center, Charles Cooper power lunching at Ouisie’s (where else?), and one of our other Class Correspondents
doing his best John Travolta / Barry Gibb imitation at the recent Texas Children’s Cancer Center Disco Legends event.
1980
Marcela Chavez Houston, Texas 2marcela@email.com Shelley Osborne and Mark Vester were married last summer in Austin. They now share four wonderful children; Corey (nine) and Jack Vester (12) and Blake (25) and Paige Allen (22). Shelley and Mark have a very busy and active household. They enjoy the fact that the older girls adore the younger girls. Congratulations Shelley and Mark! Mike Ereli and his family are still managing to keep their head above water even though it’s been a busy Fall/Winter. Mike’s daughter Nikki is a freshman at Kinkaid this year and played varsity field hockey and soccer. Between classes, games, practices, team dinners, and the “I forgot my book in my locker”, Mike is driving to Kinkaid more now than the years he was there as a student. Tommy, his son, is also at Kinkaid in the seventh grade. I know in spite of spending an inordinate amount of time in front of the Xbox, Wii, and every product Apple makes, he has managed to be on the high honor roll and become a pretty good tennis player. Mike is still spending a lot of time training and racing with an amateur cycling team, Toyota/ GCCA. Last year, he convinced another classmate, Ned Barnett, to join their team. He competed in the Leadville Trail 100 last year, probably the toughest single day off-road event in the world, and is already training for this year’s edition in August. Mike ended 2011 with two state championship medals, one on the track and the other on the mountain bike. This year, he was moved up to the 50+ category, and was able to get two wins in his first two road races. Congratulations to our mighty Falcon. He is looking forward to some more podium finishes now that he doesn’t have to compete against those youngsters. Mike’s highlight of a very restful, staycation in Houston over the past Christmas break was having dinner with his old friend Dan Seely and his family. They were in town from the Seattle area and they were able to catch up after many years of not seeing one another. It still amazes Mike how none of us have changed!
KINKAID ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Jason Creech ’96 TELL US ABOUT YOUR CURRENT EVENTS (FAMILY, HOBBIES, ETC).: I live in San Francisco where I love running my business, Five Mountains, an organic tea company. You really get to experience the best of both worlds: on the one hand, you're negotiating with tea plantations in a foreign land who have been in the global tea trade for hundreds of years, and on the other, you get to experience the classic American entrepreneurial thrill of making the deal with some of the country's most prestigious fine dining establishments. It's pretty unique. WHAT IMPACTED YOU THE MOST DURING YOUR INTERIM TERM EXPERIENCE AT KINKAID? Interim Term for me was somewhat unconventional. While my friends were mostly all preparing for their exciting travel experiences, I found myself preparing for something very different, and nevertheless, just as impactful and unforgettable. Interim Term just so happened to overlap with the most critical period for serious competitors on the wrestling team. As we moved towards the end of the season and the State Championship qualifying tournaments grew closer, this time was the last opportunity to polish your technique, achieve optimum conditioning, and sharpen your mental edge. Coach Steve Leisz worked tirelessly with me one on one every morning before class, every afternoon, and throughout every weekend, continuously pushing me to believe I could be a real Texas State wrestling contender. Without his persistence and sincere dedication and without the crucial Interim Term preparation period, I would not have achieved the All-State title I did during my senior year at Kinkaid which was a very significant factor in my development and which continues to be a source of confidence and motivation for me in what I do today. HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP YOUR EXPERIENCES OF STUDYING BUDDHISM AT DUKE UNIVERSITY AND LATER TRAINING TO BECOME A BUDDHIST MONK? While studying economics as an undergrad at Duke, I developed a recreational interest in eastern philosophy and spirituality. I soon had a unique opportunity to take a semester off and live in a rural village in the mountains of South Korea, helping to build a Buddhist monastery, and I decided to pursue it. I never intended to stay for longer than a few months, but after living and working with the monks there and gradually embracing their simple lifestyle, I realized that there was a whole world out there of a possible life I had never fathomed. I knew that I had only touched the edge of what could be and that if I returned to Duke at that point, I would have always wondered what it was I never embraced. Long story short, I became a monk. After five years (during which by the way, my taste for excellent authentic Asian tea flourished), I returned to Duke and finished my degree, although this time around, my economics major was replaced with philosophy and my fraternity house social scene with intellectual cafe conversation. I feel extremely lucky to have had these two very different experiences which together uniquely landed me where I am now, an organic tea importer and entrepreneur in San Francisco, CA. IF YOU HAD A BLOG, WHAT WOULD YOU WRITE ABOUT? I would have to say, tea. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING? The Entrepreneurial Effect and Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings 33
ALUMNI NEWS Emily Tuttle Wilde is happy to report that she has retired from Sterling Associates and will be spending more time with family, friends, yellow labs and self (she needs to hit the gym to get in shape to be a kayak escort for her husband, Carlton, as he will participate in a marathon open water swim in the Florida Keys this summer). Her eldest son, Carlton, is a first year law student at South Texas College of Law. Daughter, Lee is at Ole Miss pursuing her BFA in printmaking. Her youngest, William, will graduate from Kinkaid in May and plans on attending Ole Miss in the Fall - hotty toddy x three for the Wilde family! Mark Franzen checked in from Austin a few months ago. He says he is living the married life with his wonderful seven-year-old son Dylan. Mark is still in the painting business. In his spare time, he enjoys playing the guitar and surfing. Anne Elise Mumford Matthews says she loves living in Princeton for several reasons. “Despite rumors to the contrary, central New Jersey is gorgeous and actually much more rural than one would think. Princeton is my husband Greg’s hometown and my children attend the school he went to, which is about the same size and dynamic as Kinkaid. Greg works in Manhattan and though his commute is about an hour each way, being out here allows us to be able to take
advantage of all that both NYC and Philadelphia have to offer”. Their daughters Mimi and Hailey are 15 and 13, and their son Easton is nine so life is busy for the Matthews. Anne Elise also mentioned that she planned to visit Molly Goodyear and her family in Sun Valley, Idaho. Their children are about the same age and everyone enjoys skiing. Bobby Fox sent his 2011 update from Knoxville, Tennessee. He shares that he and his wife Cindy managed to slip away last June for a long weekend together to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary! They enjoyed riding segways and visiting a winery without the kids. Nevertheless, as most parents, Bobby and Cindy remain quite active with their kids between sports and music. Their oldest, Zach, is now a junior in high school, playing right wind on the school’s ice hockey team. Although he plays the violin, Zach’s true passion is the fiddle. Eli, the youngest (12) is also involved in ice hockey, traveling to Nashville and Atlanta to compete. He scored one of the winning goals in the Labor Day Tournament. The instrument of choice for Eli is the banjo. From the photos received, the Fox family and their two dogs seem to be celebrating life to the fullest in the “Appalachia” region. Kelly Collins-Cunningham and her husband Ken ’77 have been living in Sedona, Arizona contemplating whether to relocate to Scottsdale
in search of better schools for their son (14) who begins high school next year. Kelly returned to school to complete her Masters degree in Education and is in her third year of teaching fifth grade. “These kids”, she wrote, “have helped me appreciate so many kids I went to school with and I can see so many of the same personalities: the know-it-alls, the bookworms, the tattlers, the teacher’s pets, the quiet sweet ones, the slackers. The more kids change, the more they stay the same.” Above all, Kelly mentioned missing Texas and would like to move back. She has fond memories of our classmates. In closing, I would like to encourage all of you in our class to join the Facebook group site listed as “Kinkaid Class of 1980” which was created and now administered by Tom Dunlap. It has become quite useful in uniting many of us at a moment’s notice.
here and I really hope that everyone can make it! So, let’s get a little nostalgic for a minute and take a look at what a difference 30 years can make… THEN - When we graduated the #1 song was “I love Rock n Roll” by Joan Jett. NOW – The #1 song right now is “Part of Me” by Katy Perry. THEN – Best Picture was Ghandi (although the #1 movie at the box office was ET) NOW – Best Picture was The Artist. THEN – Avg. price of a movie $2.94. NOW – Avg. price of a movie $9.00. THEN – Avg. price of a concert was $20. NOW – Avg. price of a concert now is $47.
Thanks to everyone that was able to correspond in spite of such short notice. Best wishes to all for the remainder of 2012 – Leap Year!
THEN - Atari introduced the home version of Pac Man. NOW - Kids play video games with 3-D graphics and real story lines.
Marcela
THEN - HBO was introduced as a new cable channel. NOW - Well, let’s just say HBO is not the only cable channel anymore.
1982
Maria Semander Crawford Redondo Beach, California msemander@yahoo.com Class of 1982, it’s time to Reunite! Yes, our 30 year reunion is almost
THEN - John Belushi found dead from drug overdose. NOW – Whitney Houston found dead from suspected drug overdose.
K I N K A I D ALUMS AROUND THE TOWN
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Girls' Night Out! Bottom Row: JoAnna Trey Boyd '04, Will Thanheiser '05, Tyler Scully Semander Nicolaou '84, Michelle Rogers Rogers '04, Ronald Pipkins '04 and Blake Mackay ’05 at '82, Melisa Billingsley Herring '82; Standing: Kenneally's Irish Pub in Houston Maria Semander Crawford '82, Melissa O'Toole Smith '82, Nancy Keely Davis '85, Cathy Davis Bell '82
Courtnay Tartt Elias hosted a holiday gettogether for the "Gals of '84": Amanda Justice Robertson, Sonya Baker Lloveras, Anne Chmielewski Kushwaha, Mallory McKay Callaway, Shayna Goldstein Melcher, Ms. Laigle, Brigitte Burke, Shephanie Kendrick Morris, Claire Cummins Lorenz, Courtnay Tartt Elias
The Class of 1980, Spring 2011
Allison Poarch '03 and Brooke Bagby '02 at Kenneally's Irish Pub in Houston
The Class of 1980 at their 30th Class Reunion
ALUMNI NEWS THEN - “call waiting” & “caller id” became popular, making it easier to reach someone. NOW – We have texting, email, facebook, Twitter, cell phones, IMing, …. (The first time my son heard a busy signal bc his friends phone wasn’t working, he said “Mom, what is that noise?!”) THEN - President Reagan declared his “War On Drugs”. NOW – California is trying to legalize marijuana. THEN - Valley Girls take the year by storm and provides a language all its own. NOW – My bff said “omg, rotflol!” THEN – We took a typing class that utilized all 10 fingers. NOW - Texting requires two fast thumbs. THEN – Best 6th Grade History Teacher – Ms. Cooney NOW – Best 6th Grade History Teacher – Ms. Cooney Well, at least some things are still the same!!! Come see Ms. Cooney and some of your other favorite teachers during Reunion Weekend! There is an Alumni Family and Faculty Favorites Picnic on Saturday, April 14 at 11:30am. Then the party will continue that night at Michelle Rogers Rogers’ house. If you need information, please email me msemander@yahoo. com. See you in April! Maria Semander Crawford
1987
Ashley Brunson Clark Houston, Texas Ashclark2003@yahoo.com Drew Shirley Round Rock, Texas drewshirley@alumni.duke.edu The eighties were full of big hair, loud music and fast times! Please come celebrate 25 years with a BIG TIME and food from Sylvia’s Taco Truck at the home of Tracy and John Young (5468 Holly Springs 77056) at 7:30 p.m. For questions contact Ashley Brunson Clark at ashclark2003@yahoo.com. Cost: $60 per person.
1988
John Semander Los Angeles, California cperiod@hotmail.com
KINKAID ALUMNI EVENT | 02.24.12
Dallas: Nick & Sam's Grill
Well, it was bound to happen. You can’t twist people’s words every which way but right and not expect to libel somebody out there eventually. But hey... I’m sure an aggressive lawsuit will be no problem for my cut-rate legal-zoom online defense team. Which is why I would like to immediately extend any and all apologies to Paul Daily and his lovely wife Courtney Domercq ‘94, who it turns out really were engaged to be married last year. You can imagine my surprise when I learned that this happy news was in fact true after being reported in the same breath as Alan Luther’s liberal shaved ice stand and Ben Kinney’s alternative line of pillow pets.
Ban Bywaters, Kathleen Hazelhurst Bywaters '69, Headmaster Don North, Mary Weir ’64
(Although the bigger question now is whether to assume those reports to be true as well???) Regardless, I think it goes without saying that I need to retract my previous endorsement of Thomas Halverson as successor to these updates. The man simply can’t be trusted.
Claudia Bianchi '02, Leslie Roemer Labanowski '02
Anna Rogers '05, Abigail Smith '05
Apparently neither can the Alumni Portal, which tragically malfunctioned during Phase II and meshed Jennifer Phillips (now Potter), Juliet Evans (once Peterson), Jill Peterson (still Peterson) and Nick Phillips (no relation to Jennifer) into one indistinguishable (and hitherto nonexistent) classmate named “Juliet Phillips.” Therefore, the Kinkaid Maintenance Department advises all to please use caution when entering the portal from now on, as clean-up was a bit messy.
Lisa Frankel '04, Josh Nichols '99, Lee LaGrasse Nichols '00, Murphey Harmon Sears '00, Jeffrey Sears
And here I thought the biggest scandal would be the “bridesmaid thongs” that Samantha Schnee mentioned. Heck... that didn’t even hit the radar! At least not yet.
1991
Lane Alexander Pearland, Texas lanealexander@yahoo.com Spring is here and I hope that all is well for the Class of 1991! Leslie and I are adjusting to life with a two
Christopher Cunningham '96, Claudia Bianchi '02, Nancy Franklin Verly '02, Thomas Verly
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ALUMNI NEWS KINKAID ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Kavita Rao ’01 TELL US ABOUT YOUR CURRENT EVENTS (FAMILY, HOBBIES, ETC). Los Angeles has been my home since I left the Kinkiad. After graduating with a double major in Communications and Dance from Champan University, I worked in the field of entertainment PR for a few years. After producing a celebrity dance charity event, I realized that my passion in dance was too strong not to pursue. I quit my job the next week, signed with a talent agency and started to work in the crazy world of entertainment. Six years later: I have started two dance entertainment companies, performed with major artists, danced on national television shows, choreographed for awards shows, and traveled worldwide choreographing and teaching. I am off to the Caribbean and Israel in the next few months to choreograph. Outside of work, I am creative with my time off going to comedy shows, hiking, spending time with friends. IF YOU COULD GIVE A "SHOUT OUT" TO YOUR FORMER TEACHERS OR CLASSMATES, WHO WOULD THAT BE AND BRIEFLY WHY? So many teachers and students at Kinkaid left an unforgettable impression. My love of history came from Mr. Germann’s history class, which also made any college test a breeze. Dr. Scott’s English class pushed us to think outside of the box, and Ms. Beverly Williams and Mr. Keith Cross, my dance teachers, have really helped shape my career into what it is today. My relationship with my peers is as if we never parted. I have been a bridesmaid and maid of honor at my fellow classmates weddings and continue to keep up relations with my Kinkiadians. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER THE MOST FROM YOUR INTERIM TERM EXPERIENCE AT KINKAID? Lucky enough to take three different trips, I have so many great memories. Each trip - China, South Africa, and British Isles was so unique with so many stories. I have yet to have a travel experience like the ones from Interim Term. Memories: meeting Nelson Mendela's prison mate, petting a baby cheetah, being chased by monkeys, dancing in ancient churches, being given an authentic Zulu name by the tribe leader himself, buying way too many Swaziland candles for my family, walking through Tiememen Square, attending a real Chinese wedding in a small village, and having Alyson Wear as my roommate for all three trips. Everyday I learned something new and experienced something I will always treasure. WHAT IMPACT DID DANCING AT KINKAID HAVE ON YOUR CAREER? Both Mr. Keith Cross and Ms. Beverly Williams were incredibly supportive and encouraging. I remember Ms. Williams helping me tape my college audition tapes and Mr. Cross giving me advice on the reality of a dance career along with pushing me as a dancer and an artist. Kinkaid was also the first place I choreographed on other dancers, and if I had not had that extremely positive response and feedback from my teachers and peers, I may not have realized my potential as a choreographer. Dance at Kinkaid went far beyond classes, learning choreography and performing in shows; I was put into leadership roles such as principle dancer, arts board chair and teaching middle schoolers how to dance. COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BOLLYWOOD FUSION DANCE STUDIO, KARMAGRAPHY AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO TO CREATE IT? Karmagraphy, a Bollywood fusion dance company, came into fruition almost three years ago after I had danced for numerous companies and saw the opportunity to do something unique. I met my business partner, Sapna Rohra at an audition and soon after we started choreographing together. Our goal is to combine eastern and western dance styles in a way that will bring a unique view on Indian culture to a western audience. Thanks to my background in PR, marketing and business, being an entrepreneur came naturally. Karmagraphy performs all over the US and worldwide for private and public shows, artists, charity events, music videos, television and film. We also teach classes all over LA. My love for travel has been fulfilled by my work taking me to places such as Guam, Israel, India, to name a few. COULD YOU NAME A FEW OF YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS ON YOUR IPOD? I love all genres of music and of course dance to them all. Some favorites include - Robyn, Jason Maraz, Bruno Mars, Janet and Michael Jackson, and Skrillex. 36
month old as our son Jacob keeps us smiling. Sister Haley enjoyed her first “Go Texan” day and trip to the Rodeo with her Pre-K class at Kinkaid. It’s been a busy start to the year and we’re looking forward to Spring Break. Bronwyn Charlton writes in that “Life has been very busy. Olivia is turning five and will start Kindergarten in the fall and Graydon is two (and headed to school as well). We opened SeedlingsGroup in LA and I’ll be there over Spring Break, finally getting a chance to see Heather Funston -- can’t wait! Excited (already) that Daisley and her family will stay with us this July. Time seems like it is passing too quickly these days. Hopefully at some point I’ll make it back to Houston for a visit and see old friends; been way too long.”
1992
Jennifer Wilson Brown Houston, Texas jenniferwilsonbrown@yahoo.com Billy Forney Houston, Texas Bforney3@mccombsenergy.com Amy Stuyck Watson Houston, Texas amyswatson@hotmail.com Let’s toast to 20 years! Please join your classmates for a celebration at the home of Molly and Samy Khalil (2401 Bellefontaine Street) at 7:00 p.m. Bring your significant other and let’s catch up over dinner and cocktails. We hope to see everyone there! For more information contact Molly Moore Khalil at mollymoorekhalil@ gmail.com or Amy Stuyck Watson at amyswatson@hotmail.com. Cost: $65 per person.
1993
Courtney Dreyer Beauchamp San Antonio, Texas courtbeauch@gmail.com Wendie Seale Childress Houston, Texas wchildress@yettercoleman.com Ashley Morgan Hanna Houston, Texas ashleymhanna@gmail.com After marrying Clark Hillegeist (Stratford ‘92), Shannon Gregg enjoyed a beautiful honeymoon in Costa Rica and is looking forward to settling back in at home and launching a new treat truck, Sweet Stop, with her business partner, Lee Ann Ashburn. They plan to carry cookies, brownies, lemon bars and cupcakes. Look for the truck at a curbside near you later this year! Katina Dale Mathews writes that her daughter Anna is now in first grade, son Constantine in kindergarten and son Jonathan in preschool. She says that this year has been nice in that all the kids are at the same school, so she is so grateful for the one drop-off in the mornings! She is staying busy with school and community volunteer projects and keeping up with three young kids. Kathryn Thompson Maxwell reports the good news that her daughter Parker was born in September. Her son Tommy (three) is a great big brother. The Maxwells are temporarily living in Tampa while Kathryn’s husband Tom works for the Republican National Convention. They are enjoying the weather; definitely different from a DC winter! Victoria Windham Wind and her
We want your news!
New Job? Newly Wed? New Baby? Share your latest updates by writing to your class correspondant or emailing alumni@kinkaid.org.
ALUMNI NEWS husband Martin still live in Frisco, Texas. Their three-year old son Trip started pre-school last fall at St. Philip’s Episcopal and is loving it! He says that Lightning McQueen and his teacher are his best friends. Victoria is a Digital Strategy Consultant with Acquity Group, a digital marketing and web technology company, and she travels quite a bit for her work. Although hectic, the travel provides her the opportunity to have dinner with long-time friends like Mimi Chmielewski Henderson in Seattle. Kwesi and Briton, you’re next! The pure delight of her spring was standing up for Shannon Gregg at her wedding to Craig Hillegeist on February 25. What a joyful occasion it was! And a great mini-reunion of Kinkaid friends! As for us, Courtney Dreyer Beauchamp still lives in San Antonio with her husband, John, and their daughters, Emily (six) and Grace (four). She continues to work on her market called Garage of Goods and started a sandwich business in February called Good Grain Sandwiches. She is enjoying creating things she can’t find in San Antonio and now that her girls are older, she is enjoying motherhood more as well! Less crying, more conversations! Ashley Morgan Hanna is enjoying spending time with her two children, William (two and a half) and Catherine (one and a half). She also she started her own law firm doing corporate transactional work, so look her up if you need any legal help! It is hard to believe that our 20-year reunion is next year! Be sure that your contact information is up to date with Kinkaid so we can keep you informed of all the activities!
1998
Amy Parker Houston, Texas amyelizabethparker@gmail.com Peter Pettigrew got married to Calia Alvarado on June 11th. It was a cultured event surrounded by 17th century wood panels from a French castle filled with a funk band, dragon dancers, and mariachis (staring Cali’s grandmother, father, and the vaunted Kinkaidian, Travis Walne - minus his custom made mariachi suit). In addition, Peter started the MBA program at Rice and is still working full time at Black Stone Minerals. While at Rice, he had the pleasure of helping put on the Rice Energy Finance Summit. This was also an art-filled year, as he and Cali became members of the Menil Contemporaries, CAMH Studios, and the Young Professionals Committee for the Contemporary Art Fair. In short, 2011 has been one of the best years of his life.
HUSTON GUEST SPEAKER Alumni gathered on February 1st to hear Dr. J. Dennis Huston's presentation of "The Language of Film". Dr. Huston drew from films as different as Thelma and Louise, Shane, Romeo and Juliet, Some Like It Hot, The Third Man, The Graduate, and Tootsie. He spoke about the way directors use the many elements of film to convey meaning. In particular, he explained how costumes, camera angles, focus, cutting, lighting, and color suggest thematic meaning - often at a subconscious level. His talk was very timely as it gave a new appreciation of what makes a film an Oscar winner. To be a Falconflix Fan and watch the entertaining presentation, please go to www.kinkaid.org/alumni.
2002
Ariana Nizza Chapman Houston, Texas ariananizzachapman@gmail.com Ted Sangalis New York, New York tsangalis@gmail.com Houston, we have a problem: it’s been a decade since we last partied together. So shine up your boots, and let’s relive the glory days with fajitas and ‘ritas at Blanco’s starting at 8:00 p.m. (3406 West Alabama). Get ready to get your Texas-’02Step on! Contact Liz Mims Bender at lizmimsbender@gmail.com or Geer Blalock at geer.blalock@ gmail.com for questions. Cost: $45 per person.
Joy Yeager ’85, Upper School Counseling Psychologist Laura LomaxBream, Doug Yeager
1997
Elizabeth Arnold Dennis New York, New York elizabeth.dennis@morganstanley. com
Richard Domercq ’62, Mathilde Leary, Nicole Domercq Zarr ’87, Courtney Domercq Daily ’94
Daniel E. Jenkins, IV Houston, Texas danieljenkinsiv@gmail.com Join the class of 1997 to celebrate a great 15 years! Classmates will meet at Erin Taylor Maggi’s home in Memorial (9030 Sandringham) from 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. for a fabulous cocktail buffet, open bar and fun! Contact Christina Wilson Altenau at christina.altenau@ gmail.com with questions. Cost: $50 per person.
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MILESTONES ALUMNI MARRIAGES Courtney Domercq ’94 & Paul Daily ’88 December 31, 2011
Annie Weathers ‘02 & Chris Long February 4, 2012
Ali West ’02 & Pearson Montgomery March 10, 2012
Julia Atnipp ’05 & Adam Stellar January 7, 2012
Neal Anderson ’80 & Elaine Maxson February 7, 2012
David Leonard ’04 & Kelly Hunsaker January 28, 2012
Shannon Gregg ’93 & Clark Hillegeist February 25, 2012
LITTLE FALCONS Amir and Lisa Tapick Ansari ’96, a son, Jordan Reza Ansari, September 6, 2011. Brooke and Jeff Zarr ’95, a daughter, Annie Elizabeth Zarr, December 12, 2011. Travis and Brittany Hansen Cassin ’00, a son, Charles Thomas Cassin “Charlie,” December 16, 2011.
Baron Smith Factor, son of Bethany '97 and Canaan '96
Steven and Melissa Kariel Wolfson ’02, a daughter, Brooke Sophie Wolfson, January 9, 2012.
Marshall and Nellie Hoppe Reed ’04, a daughter, Kaylee Hoppe Reed, January 20, 2012.
Stephen and Ashley Springmeyer Jones ’04, a son, Stephen “Lawson” Jones Jr., February 19, 2012.
Steve and Leann Rountree Marcie ’96, a son, Luke Rountree Marcie, January 9, 2012.
Bill and Caroline Forney Helander ’97, a son, William Dunaway Helander Jr., January 21, 2012.
Deborah and John McInnes ’98, a daughter, Mollie Rebekah McInnes, February 25, 2012.
Canaan ’96 and Bethany Boyd Factor ’97, a son, Baron Smith Factor, February 10, 2012.
Allison and Philip Wise ’96, a son, Burke Bernard Wise, March 2, 2012.
LB & Reid Springmeyer ’02, a daughter, Riley Ruth Springmeyer, January 10, 2012. Les and Shannon Feste Werme ’00, a daughter, Anna Mae Werme, January 10, 2012.
IN MEMORIAM SCOTT SEARS ’62 passed away peacefully at his home in Warrensville, N.C. on December 31st after a long and courageous battle with Multiple Systems Atrophy. He graduated from The Kinkaid School in Houston and was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy in the summer of 1962. He graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1966 with bachelor of science degrees in physics and economics. He completed Naval Submarine School in 1966 in Groton and subsequently served aboard the USS Barbel as supply officer and USS Gudgeon as communicator. From 1970 to 1971, he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Burke Scholar and graduated with a master of science degree in electrical engineering as well as a professional engineering degree in electrical engineering. After a long, decorated career in the navy he retired to Ashe County, N.C. Admiral Sears was active in many community organizations, including serving on the county and regional library boards, the Blue Ridge Electric Membership Advisory Committee, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, and was a founding member of the Ashe County Frescoes Foundation where he was a past president. Scott received Kinkaid's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2007.
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Charles Thomas Cassin, son of Brittany '00 and Thomas
Anna Mae Werme, daughter of Shannon '00 and Les
The Kinkaid Community is invited to The Distinguished Alumni Awards Program and Reception ~ Honoring ~ Distinguished Honorary Alumnus Stewart “Chip” Cureton Jr. Community Leader and Managing Director, GulfStar Group Distinguished Young Alumnus Eric Ladin ’97 TV and Movie Actor including shows such as Mad Men, Big Love and The Killing Distinguished Alumnus Dr. William Blattner ’62 Professor and Associate Director, Institute of Human Virologyat the University of Maryland Friday, April 13, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. The Brown Auditorium Light hors d’oeuvres and drinks are generously provided by the Kinkaid Alumni Association. Please RSVP by April 6th to alumni@kinkaid.org or 713.243.5057.
ALUMNI ALUMNIBOARD NEWS
New Alumni Board Members Thank you to Alumni Board President, Mark Sikes '87, for a great 2011 - 2012 term. Alumni Board Members Welcome Wilson Jr. '69 and Christa Hawkins Hash '79 complete their service in May. Adam Altsuler '92, Mark Breeding '74, Erin Jones Brown '96, Brian McMackin '93, Hattie Parker 93 and Joy Archer Yeager '85 will stay on to serve one more three year term and Stephen Dyer '85 will become the new President in May. Their dedication and service to Kinkaid's alumni are greatly appreciated. The following alumni have been elected to take the vacated positions:
MARSHALL ADKINS '80 graduated from Kinkaid in 1980, Marshall went on to get a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 1984 and a Masters in Business Administration from U.T. in 1989. He is currently the Managing Director of Energy Research at Raymond James. Prior to joining Raymond James in 1995, he spent eight years in the oilfield services industry as a corporate financial analyst, sales manager, and engineer. Marshall is married to Kim Grant Adkins and has three boys that are currently attending Kinkaid: Grant ’13, Danny ’14, and Jimmy ’21. In his rare moments of free time when he is not coaching or attending the boys sporting events at Kinkaid, he spends time working at his farm where he raises grapes, bees and three boys. SCOTT ANDERSON '76 started Kinkaid in third grade and graduated in 1976. He attended the University of Texas and graduated with a Petroleum Engineering Degree in 1980. Scott started working at Anderson Oil after graduation and opened and ran an Appalachain Basin office in Lexington, Kentucky from 1981 - 1985. He moved back to Houston and continues to co-manage all Anderson Oil assets with his brothers and mother. Scott married Diana Darmstadter in 1987 and they have two children, Scott Jr. (Scooter) '10 and Eleanor (Ellye) '13.
KINKAID RETIRED FACULTY: LET'S HEAR FROM YOU! "Whenever I talk with alumni, I always am asked great questions about how their favorite teachers are doing," says Alumni Activities Manager Leslie Roemer Labanowski '02. We would like to share this information through a regular feature in the magazine. We invite retired Kinkaid faculty members to submit news on recent updates in their lives to Publications Manager Marylu Rodriguez at marylu.rodriguez@kinkaid.org.
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AUCTION 2013
Under the sparkling gaze of Rat Packers Dean Martin and Old Blue Eyes himself, Kinkaid Auction 2013 got off to a high flying start on Wednesday, March 7 with a kick-off party hosted by Karen and Harry Susman. The theme of Lucky 13 – The Kinkaid Auction – Roll With It was unveiled by auction co-chairs Kelly Broesche, Gina Lamme and Ellen Wagnon, who invite and encourage the entire Kinkaid community to join them for a night of Vegas as it was, and Auction as it should be. Nearly 50 volunteer committee chairs were on hand to hear the first details about what promises to be a night to remember. Don’t miss your chance to get in the high-rolling, fun-loving spirit of this only-once-every-three years event by supporting the Auction through donations, volunteer time and participation. Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 23, 2013! For further information, contact Georgia Ellis Piazza at 713-243-5078 or email georgia.piazza@kinkaid.org.
AUCTION 2013 - KICK-OFF CELEBRATION |
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03.07.12
Andrew Zachary Das, Emily Claire Gemp, Allison Ann Bolin and Parker Keegan Haynes Fourth Row: Colter James Illich, Andrew Scott Winters, Stephanie Ann Roff, John Andrew Ormiston, Sarah Elizabeth Tucker and Walker Jack Spier
Barnes, Sophia Lyon Weber, Jennifer Hua-Ting Lu, Millie Angel Nishikawa and
Katherine Graham McMillan
Second Row: Elena Marie Portz, Sheridan Leigh Schulte, Harrison Cole Gatlin,
Nicole Elizabeth Frishberg
Madeline Margaret Brown, Elizabeth Sydney Studlick, Anna Hochung Kwak and
Third Row: Connie Cheng Ma, Adam Joseph Joachim Rubinsky, Rachel Therese Feig,
Front Row: Jinal Jainesh Mehta, Claire Elizabeth Jacobson, Katherine Imani Lorraine
2012 Cum Laude Society
NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 3375 HOUSTON, TEXAS
The Kinkaid School 201 Kinkaid School Drive Houston, Texas 77024 713-782-1640 alumni@kinkaid.org
Parents or Alumni: If this publication is addressed to your child who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Alumni Office of the new permanent mailing address.
1962 • 1967 • 1972 • 1977 • 1982 • 1987 • 1992 • 1997 • 2002
WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS RECONNECT WITH CLASSMATES!
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Distinguished Alumni Awards Program & Reception
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Friday, April 13, 2012
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Open to entire Kinkaid Community
Reunion Class Parties
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Alumni Family & Faculty Favorites Picnic 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Student Center
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Saturday, April 14, 2012
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7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
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See Reunion Invite for details
APRIL 13-14, 2012 For more information, please visit kinkaid.org/reunionweekend