Postscripts 2020

Postscripts 2020

MAYFIELD SENIOR SCHOOL of the Holy Child Jesus

Statement of Philosophy

Mayfield Senior School of the Holy Child Jesus is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for young women sponsored by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. The school is committed to academic excellence within the context of Christian values. Mayfield’s philosophy is rooted in the belief that knowledge is best gained in an atmosphere of disciplined thought, personal concern and religious awareness. Mayfield fosters each student’s intellectual, spiritual, artistic, emotional and physical gifts, thereby enabling each to make a meaningful contribution to society. Mayfield also challenges each student to reach beyond herself and render service to others.

ON THE COVER

EDITOR

DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Celebrating the centennial of Strub Hall in the age of COVID-19—six feet apart.

Lauren Marks ’98

Caroline Halili ’86

Kimberly Gomez Cassandra Gonzales Melissa Kobe

Director of Communications

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

Our Mayfield With the centennial of Strub Hall, we knew we’d be thinking about “home” a lot this year. In spite of its imposing facade, this beloved building has been described by generations of students and alums as their second home. But the dramatic events of this spring that affected the entire world quickly forced our students and teachers into remote learning and away from our campus.

Now we’ve come to think about “home” in new ways. Home can allow transformative journeys without leaving a single room. Home can adapt with technology, collapsing the distance between people and places in arenas we never anticipated. Home can be expansive and inclusive, embracing new ways to champion, support and empower everyone.

There has been a palpable longing inside our community to return to our Bellefontaine home. But we’ve also learned that, even when we are physically apart, our community remains strong. Home is both a place, and something bigger than that place. Our Mayfield home is a port to launch from, a set of sensibilities that shape our experiences in everything we do and everywhere we go, ultimately making us more at home in the world.

Table of Contents 5

Message from the Head of School

30

6

Message from the Board of Trustees Chair

31 STRUB HALL CENTENNIAL 45 Financial Year in Review 2019-20

7

Meeting “the wants of the age”

Thankful for our blessings

Meet Our Honorary and New Trustees

Mayfield Moments

Always together in spirit

10

The Science of Educating Engineers

49

Congratulations to the Class of 2020

15

A Faith-Filled Approach to Justice

54

Alumnae Updates

22

Remote Learning Revolution

56

Alumnae in Action

26

Artists Work #TogetherApart

58

Class Notes

28

A Memorable Year in Cubs Athletics

66

In Memoriam

Building a new STEM sisterhood

Practicing “a love full of action”

Keeping the Holy Child connection alive

Challenges spark creativity

Steve Bergen’s “Top 3” moments

Reimagining senior traditions

Celebrations, kudos and news

Taking “Actions Not Words” into the world

Meage fom the Head of School

Halle Villalobos ’20 and Head of School Kate Morin share a socially-distanced moment of celebration in front of Strub Hall.

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POSTSCRIPTS 2020

how mayfield “MEETS the wants of the age”

I rely heavily on our founder, Cornelia Connelly, for inspiration on a daily basis, but never more so than over the past few months. Cornelia’s beautiful and progressive Holy Child mission for her Society and her schools speaks so clearly to us even now, almost 200 years after she began her work of love and faith. Striving always to “meet the wants of the age,” Cornelia embraced change and challenge. She used her own suffering, disappointment and trials to learn, grow and develop, and she urges us to do the same.

Since its founding in 1931, many people have helped Mayfield to “meet the wants of the age.”

This year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of our beautiful home at 500 Bellefontaine, and we remembered with great gratitude the generosity of the Strub Family, which allowed our school to expand and flourish. We celebrated their gift throughout the school year with a series of joy-filled events, culminating in our very successful Rhapsody in Red benefit at which we honored the Strub family, and especially Sr. Elizabeth Strub, SHCJ, who has dedicated her life to service and faith.

Over the past few years—thanks to our amazing faculty—we have also been working to “meet the wants of the age” in our academic programming across the disciplines, including STEM. After reenvisioning our curriculum and expanding our STEM offerings, Mayfield Senior School students now have, more than ever before, the opportunity to delve more deeply and broadly into advanced science and math classes, and are excelling at a national level.

Our extra- and co-curricular offerings as well as professional development initiatives have also grown to include an important focus on justice, diversity, equity and inclusion (JDEI).

Thanks to the help of courageous alums and other members of our community, we have been examining our practices and reflecting on how we can more fully live Holy Child Goal 4 and create a school environment that is more nurturing, sensitive and respectful.

Finally, as we were forced to close our campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our entire community rose to “meet the wants of the age” with creativity and innovation. Our faculty continued to teach with enthusiasm and dedication, our students continued to learn with energy and engagement, and our parents and benefactors continued to support our entire community with generosity and love.

Thanks to the amazing vision of many—especially Assistant Head of School for Academics Toi Treister ’82—we were also able to “meet the wants of the age” by transforming our beautiful senior-year traditions so that we could all stay safe and healthy. Graduation, in particular, was so special. I cherish the memory of each and every one of our 77 individual ceremonies—a beautiful tribute to the amazing Class of 2020.

As Cornelia Connelly said: “This is the time to ask for great things: faith, zeal, generosity, humility, charity.” We humbly ask for the continued health and safety of our community as well as the wisdom and courage to keep moving forward, remembering that “it is not sufficient to have begun well; you must also persevere with courage and finish with resolution.”

ADMINISTRATION 2019-20 Head of School Kate Morin Assistant Head of School for Academics Toi Webster Treister ’82 Associate Head of School for Strategic Initiatives Angela Howell ’76 Director of Admissions Merilisa Ramirez Director of Athletics Steven Bergen Director of Communications Lauren Marks ’98 Director of Development Lela Diaz Director of Facilities Connie Peters Director of Finance Cynthia Riegsecker

With Love and Gratitude,

Kate Morin

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

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Meage fom the Board of Trustees Chair

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2019-20 Chair Kelly Nelson Nakasone ’93 Vice Chair & Treasurer Robert Neithart Secretary Jessica Korzenecki Representative for the Society of the Holy Child Jesus Sr. Sheila McNiff ’56, SHCJ Michael Alvarez Brent Callinicos Ferari Domingo-Vu John Hotchkis Mark Ladd William Lewis James Lo Coco May Low Michael Maddigan James Muenzer Rev. Wayne R. Negrete, SJ Erika Randall Ana Raptis Carrie Fogliani Richards ’93 Shadi Sanbar Chelisa Vagim Richard Vargas Ex Officio Member of the Board of Trustees Kate Morin Head of School

As a Mayfield Senior School alumna and now a parent, too, it is a great honor to serve as Chair of the Board of Trustees. I see a school with an incredibly strong foundation, rich in history and success to build upon into a future filled with unlimited potential. Although hope and optimism may be dampened by the unprecedented challenges we’ve been facing, I have found that, in this time of crisis, we can see Mayfield’s greatest blessings even more clearly.

Our incredible leadership, faculty and staff are at the top of that list. We are lucky to have a leader like Kate Morin as our Head of School. Her positivity, resilience and calm in a crisis have been more evident than ever this year as she has kept our community united and provided the best education possible in the face of COVID-19. We are blessed to have Kate’s radiating warmth; her obvious passion for the students and their wellbeing is at the forefront of her every move.

Likewise, our highly experienced and engaged trustees have been hard at work in the stewardship of our school, focused on our mission, financial sustainability and forward-looking strategic plans. We have accomplished so much together, and I want to thank our Board for rising to the occasion throughout this pandemic. I’m inspired by this team’s dedication and our ability to make decisions together that further our legacy.

I would like to highlight some of our current Board initiatives: • The Board quickly established a COVID-19 Tuition Relief Fund to help families who have been financially impacted by the pandemic. I am happy to report that we have maintained full enrollment, keeping our community stronger together.

• Over the past year, we have been working on a Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategic initiative as part of our Holy Child Mission Effectiveness goals. We are grateful for the insights from our Mayfield community and we are in the process of developing a Board Diversity Statement and an action plan for change.

• One of the Board’s greatest endeavors is the Strub Hall Master Plan, which will restore our spectacular 100-year-old home to meet 21st-century learning, safety and efficiency standards, while preserving her timeless character and beauty. Our Master Planning Task Force, led by trustee Jim Muenzer, parent Willy Marsh and former trustee Anneke Osterkamp Greco ’99, has dedicated immense brainpower and expertise to this effort, and we are nearly ready to launch the Master Plan. If you see these champions, please thank them for their tireless efforts.

This year, as I officially become a Mayfield parent, my perspective of this beloved school only continues to deepen. My daughter, Penelope ’24, starts as a ninth grader this fall, and I see her future as full of opportunities. Mayfield alums agree that there is something special we take away from our time at 500 Bellefontaine. I’ve heard it best explained as confidence and a “can do” spirit. With this devastating pandemic and the historic movement for social justice playing inextricable parts in their high school experiences, I believe that today’s Mayfield student body is destined to become the most thoughtful, just and resilient group of young women this school has ever seen. I am grateful to bear witness to their inspiring journeys.

God Bless,

Key Nelson Nakasone ’93 6

POSTSCRIPTS 2020

Mayfield honors former trustees for their “Actions Not Words” service For the first time since 2012, Mayfield Senior School inducted a group of former Board members as Honorary Trustees for their exceptional service to our community. We offer our deepest gratitude to these special friends of Mayfield, who have each truly made a difference in our school’s history.

This group of past trustees returned to 500 Bellefontaine in January 2020 for our annual Board of Trustees Epiphany Mass, which was celebrated by Msgr.

Clem Connolly.

Honorary Trusts

inducted in January 2020 Marla Alders (Kate ’13)

Trustee 2010-17 • Chair 2014-17

Dan Banis (Brittany ’08, Lauren ’12)

Trustee 2007-13 • Chair 2009-12 Front row: Marla Alders, Msgr. Clem Connolly, Dr. Terre Osterkamp, Dan Banis; Back row: Joe Eisele, Ed Roohan, Kevin Slattery (Not pictured: Victoria Howell Fuster de la Riva ’69, Peter Tamny, Raymond Walsh)

Msgr. Clement Connolly Trustee 2005-11

Joe Eisele (Alexandra ’14)

Trustee 2013-19 • Chair 2017-19

Victoria Howell Fuster de la Riva ’69 Trustee 1988-91 • Chair 1990-91

Dr. Terre Osterkamp (Emily ’06)

Trustee 1999-2006 • Chair 2004-06

Ed Roohan (Mary Kate ’08, Sheila ’14)

Trustee 2008-14 • Chair 2012-14

Kevin Slattery (Jillian ’00)

Sr. Sheila McNiff ’56, SHCJ, Sr. Susan Slater, SHCJ, Sr. France White, SHCJ and Sr. Ann Durst, SHCJ

As has been the tradition since the founding of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, all Holy Child Sisters renew their vows each year at the Feast of the Epiphany. Our current and past Board members witness this special recommitment ceremony at a Mass with the Sisters every January.

Trustee 1997-2005 and 2011–17 Chair 2001-04

Peter Tamny (Kim ’85)

Trustee 1985-94 • Chair 1987-90

Raymond Walsh (Samantha ’98)

Trustee 1995-2000 • Chair 1999-2000

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

7

New Trustees Brent Callinicos is a trained CPA and experienced financial and technology executive.

He has worked as COO and CFO of Virgin Hyperloop One, CFO of Uber Technologies, and VP, Treasurer and Chief Accountant at Google, as well as in a variety of senior roles at Microsoft.

Brent’s expansive board experience spans public and private companies as well as academic institutions, so it should come as no surprise that he has been an indispensable member of the Finance Committee.

His daughter, Alexi ’21, proved herself a talented musician at an early age, and Mayfield’s Vocal Conservatory was one of the deciding factors in choosing a high school for her. Brent notes the warmth that he and his wife, Julie, have felt inside the Mayfield community, praises the school for its commitment to academic excellence, and has been impressed by the dedication of its board members.

Ferari Domingo-Vu is the co-founder and managing partner of Domingo, Elias, & Vu

APLC, alongside her husband and business partner, Kim Vu. The firm has offices in downtown L.A., Orange County and Northern California. Ferari has expertise in employment litigation and workers’ compensation defense, and brings her considerable legal acumen to Mayfield’s Committee on Trustees and Risk Management Committee. Despite her far-reaching professional responsibilities, she has made time to volunteer as a room mom each year that her daughters, Anastasia ’20 and Kristina ’21, have been at Mayfield.

Ferari graduated from the University of California, Riverside, with a B.S. in environmental science and earned her law degree from Western State University College of Law. What inspires Ferari the most about Mayfield is the “what you see is what you get” aspect. “There is nothing scripted or made-up,” she says. “The excitement and glow that you see in our students and faculty is really what sets Mayfield apart.”

Jane Collins Hawley ’86 has Mayfield Senior School in her bones. She attended

with her three sisters, Katie ’83, Anne ’84 and Margi ’87, and her second cousins, Mimi Collins Stolpe ’83 and Carolyn Collins Mansour ’85. Her aunts, Peggie Collins Ehrbar ’63 and Mary Ann Collins Pollaro ’69, are also Mayfield alumnae. Her two sons, Henry and Nolan, both graduated from Loyola High School, in 2016 and 2018, respectively, where she worked as Mothers’ Guild President and ex officio Board member, and gained a keen understanding of the challenges unique to high schools. Although Jane’s daughter, Caroline, had every intention of attending Mayfield too, Jane’s husband George’s job moved to the Westside, and Caroline is a proud graduate of Marymount High School’s Class of 2019.

As a member of Mayfield’s Advancement Committee, Jane sees one of her greatest assets as being able to understand the Mayfield experience from many perspectives. A graduate of Santa Clara University, Jane worked in post-production for several studios, including Disney, Sony and Warner Bros. With three college-aged children, Jane has remained service-oriented, currently serving as a Board member for the Lupus Foundation and the Christ Child Society of Pasadena.

She appreciates Mayfield’s “whole child” approach, and enjoys the way girls discover their own talents while also celebrating the gifts of their peers.

“I hope that Mayfield is providing an amazing education for girls for the next 100 years.”

— BRENT CALLINICOS

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POSTSCRIPTS 2020

James Muenzer We welcome James Muenzer back to Mayfield for his second tour on the

Board—his daughters, Frances ’05 and Marni ’09, graduated over a decade ago. Jim received his B.S. in civil engineering from Santa Clara University, his Master’s at Stanford University, and his MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He has overseen highprofile construction management projects for some of the most iconic buildings in Los Angeles: the Hammer Museum, MOCA, Kidspace Museum, Southwest Museum, Caltech and ArtCenter College of Design. He’s also undertaken seismic retrofitting for major museum and university campus buildings and been part of historic Frank Lloyd Wright residential restorations. As we celebrate the 100-year anniversary of our beloved Strub Hall, we are immensely grateful to have his keen expertise on the Building and Grounds Committee and the Strub Hall Master Planning Task Force.

James and his wife, Kim, fondly recall that what struck them most about Mayfield when their daughters were choosing a high school was the way it fostered independent thought in its students.

And his family wouldn’t have it any other way!

Erika Randall was introduced to Holy Child Schools in Potomac, Maryland, where she grew

up. When she and her husband, Kevin, moved to Pasadena, they were delighted to find two Holy Child schools nearby. Their son, Carter, is currently an eighth grader at Mayfield Junior School, and daughter Tara ’22 is about to begin her junior year at Mayfield Senior School. Erika remembers attending a meeting in Strub Hall nearly 17 years ago with her infant daughter in tow. She was impressed by the grandeur, while baby Tara immediately dropped off to sleep. Erika jokes, “It clearly felt like home to her, even back then.”

Erika received her B.A. in psychology from James Madison University and her Master’s in education from Harvard, and has worked in higher education for decades, with a focus on service-learning pedagogy. Having served as the Chair of the Annual Giving and Mission Committee at Mayfield Junior School, Erika is a natural fit on our Committees on Mission and Trustees. Her Catholic faith inspires her to strive for justice and compassion and drives her volunteerism at organizations including Holy Family Catholic Church, the National Charity League and Union Station Homeless Services.

Carrie Fogliani Richards ’93 After graduating from Mayfield, Carrie Fogliani

Richards ’93 went on to earn her B.A. from the University of Chicago, her J.D. from Loyola Law School and her Master’s in health law from St. Louis University. She currently serves as President at the health care law firm GeneralCounselWest. Carrie has served as legal counsel to hospitals and pharmaceutical companies for almost 20 years, providing legal advice on a wide range of health care issues, including corporate compliance, ethics and regulatory matters, making her an invaluable member of the Mission and Risk Management Committees at Mayfield.

Carrie was also honored with the La Mancha award for her volunteer work at Casa Cornelia Law Center, a Holy Child ministry in San Diego that provides pro bono legal services with a focus on immigration. She says that the mentorship of Sr. Barbara Mullen, SHCJ, who served at Mayfield for over 25 years, helped shape the course of her life. “Her relentless dedication to her students and to pushing them towards the achievement of their ultimate goal and purpose in life was infectious.”

Carrie hopes that, by dedicating her time on the Board, she will share the legacy of Holy Child education with current and future Mayfield students. When she isn’t training for a triathlon, Carrie enjoys cooking, baking and spending time with her husband, Thaddeus, and three children: Shane, 9, Thaddeus Jr., 7, and Chiara, 6.

Richard Vargas brings more than 30 years of higher education admissions and development

experience to his service at Mayfield. Richard currently serves as Senior Executive Director for Academic Initiatives in the University Advancement office at USC, where he has held a variety of senior roles since 2001. A seasoned fundraiser and administrator, Richard has generously shared his wealth of expertise with our Advancement, Communications and Admissions Committees since his daughter, Emily ’22, began as a freshman at Mayfield.

Although the family was drawn to the school for its sense of community and tradition, Richard also sees Mayfield as “a 21st-century launchpad” that prepares young women to “go forth and change the world for the better.” Richard and his wife, Cynthia, are active members of Holy Family Parish in South Pasadena and are both alumni of USC, where their son, Ryan, is currently a student. Richard is a keen gardener and golfer, and, of course, a dedicated Trojan.

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

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Resequencing

the DNA

of our science curriculum

Freshmen find their feet in the physics lab and build a new STEM sisterhood.

Over the past four years, Mayfield has supercharged our science curriculum to spark curiosity and build confidence from day one. Today, more students are taking advanced science courses than ever before, and members of the Class of 2020—our inaugural “Physics First” cohort—are seriously pursuing STEM study and careers.

W

hen Head of School Kate Morin arrived in 2015, Mayfield graduates had long been succeeding in male-dominated STEM fields, from pediatrics to rocket science, but she knew there was more work to do. The persistent gender gap in fields like engineering and computer science has barely budged for decades. Mrs. Morin sensed an opportunity—and an expectation—to do more to move the needle. Shoring up STEM infrastructure “felt more like a mandate from society,” she said. “We absolutely have to have more women as computer scientists and engineers and physicists.”

First things first: The laws of physics ignite curiosity

“We absolutely have to have more women as computer scientists and engineers and physicists.”

— KATE MORIN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

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POSTSCRIPTS 2020

Step one of the science curriculum shake-up was boosting the graduation requirement. All Mayfield students are now required to take three years of science instead of two, although the majority take four years, plus electives.

Next, in what was a seismic instructional shift, Mayfield turned the sequence of science classes on its head. Traditionally, high school students

take biology as an introductory subject and work their way up to physics. And this was how it was at Mayfield, too.

Until 2015, qualified freshmen took a full year of biology, and all other ninth graders started with a single semester of basic lab skills. But this didn’t compute for Mrs. Morin, who wanted to ignite interest early on and “help all freshmen learn how to be science students and help them engage in actually thinking about themselves as scientists.”

A trove of recent research on science education contends that a better sequence for 21st-century high school science classes is physics first, then chemistry, then biology—known in science pedagogy circles as a “Physics First” or “PCB” curriculum. “When you want skills to build on each other, it’s best to start with the most concrete,” Mrs. Morin said. And what’s more concrete than forces, friction, and gravity? Physics teacher Tanya Melby explained how tapping into the most tangible aspects of science stimulates young minds: “Physics is not just in the classroom, it is all around us. We can find it in sports, music, and even in our own body.”

STEM SISTERHOOD In 2016, we threw the doors of our labs wide open to all incoming Mayfield students, budding scientists and STEM novices alike. Every single ninth grader in the graduating Class of 2020 took labbased conceptual physics, which breaks down dauntingly abstract concepts like matter and momentum into variables they can measure. Students learn to hypothesize, deduce, extrapolate—and above all, collaborate—to draw scientific conclusions. This full-year freshman lab immersion unit is designed to cultivate wonder and bolster confidence, laying a solid foundation for both interest and success in upper level science courses.

And indeed, for many Mayfield students it has done exactly that.

“I found a love for science I never really had in middle school,” said Brianna Perez ’20. “Physics was really the subject that could answer my questions about the world around me. I was so fascinated by it.” This early hands-on exposure to science served as something of an academic rudder for Brianna, who went on to study AP Physics and now plans to major in civil engineering at California Polytechnic University, Pomona.

STEM scaffolding builds a framework for success The next phase of Mayfield’s STEM retrofit paved new pathways for every student to test her limits. First-time learners can discover new academic interests and high-achieving STEM students can unlock their potential in the classroom and beyond, with a slew of new AP courses including AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, and AP Physics, and extracurriculars like robotics and national math competitions (see page 13).

There’s a STEM path for everyone.

Incoming freshmen can now sign up for summer skill-boosting sessions in geometry and algebra before they start ninth grade, and for-credit summer courses in chemistry and biology enable rising sophomore and junior students to accelerate their paths toward advanced science courses as upperclassmen.

For some students, having more STEM options allows them to discover new academic aspirations. “Over the years, the classes I took at Mayfield shaped my interests,” said Solunna Nwankwo ’20. “I entered in freshman year wanting to be a doctor, and now I’m pursuing a degree in

engineering.” This fall, Solunna heads to the University of Pennsylvania to study computer engineering.

For others, the new curriculum dissolved their preconceptions and propelled them along a completely unexpected trajectory. “When I came to Mayfield, I had never thought of myself as a STEM person,” said Paloma Torres ’20. After being told at a young age by her teachers that she would “never be good at math,” Paloma ended up taking what is widely considered the most challenging high school math course—AP Calculus BC. “Mayfield never made anything seem out of my reach, and I’m very grateful for that,” Paloma said.

Brianna, a talented visual artist and future engineer, also reaped rewards by going “out of her comfort zone” and taking AP Computer Science. “I grew to really enjoy coding and the interesting logic needed to code certain functions,” she said. “I had a lot of fun thinking of new ways my code can help common life.”

This group of grads has forged a new kind “STEM sisterhood” at Mayfield—girls with a wide variety of interests and strengths who may have never considered themselves as the stereotypical STEM student, but are succeeding in these academic arenas at the highest level. But it certainly doesn’t define them.

Paloma, winner of Mayfield’s fouryear English award, put it well: “I’m not a STEM person or a humanities person.

I simply have many different interests across multiple fields that I’ve learned to intersect beautifully to encompass all of my different passions.”

Students soar with uplifting teachers and mentors In a 2017 Postscripts recap of the thennew “Physics First” curriculum, we meet Halle Villalobos ’20 and her ninth-grade classmates as they tackle their first attempts at scientific measurement and calculation. Four years later, with a full complement of AP and honors science and math courses under her belt, Halle’s on her way to UCLA to pursue a degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology on the pre-med track.

Halle said she “absolutely loved” taking STEM courses at Mayfield, mainly because of her teachers’ “passion and dedication to their students.”

500% Increase in AP Science enrollment (2016-2020)

120%

Increase in overall AP STEM enrollment (2016-2020)

10

New STEM courses (since 2016)

NEW STEM COURSES SINCE 2016 • Advanced

Geometry & Physiology • Honors Calculus • AP Chemistry • AP Computer Science • Conceptual Physics • Engineering Design & Analysis • AP Physics • Sports Medicine: Anatomy & Kinesiology • AP Statistics • Anatomy

continues on page 12 2020 POSTSCRIPTS

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continued from page 11

She’s not alone. “With every science course I took, I found myself being inspired by the incredible teachers who are passionate about their subject and challenged me in new ways,” said Agnese Sanavio ’20, who’s off to UC Berkeley as a mechanical engineering major.

And Cameron Gomez ’20, who is heading to USC this fall to study electrical and computer engineering, said her Mayfield mentors guided her way. “I definitely have received great advice from the science and math departments—people who understood where I wanted to go in the STEM world, and helped lead me on the right path to get there.”

So far, so good. What’s next?

Four years in, our reimagined science solution is bubbling along nicely, with more Mayfield students embracing the opportunity to explore the workings of our natural and physical world than ever before. Between 2016 and 2020, enrollment in AP STEM courses more than doubled, and enrollment in AP science classes exploded sixfold. With the addition of popular Sports Medicine and Anatomy & Physiology courses, overall science department enrollment has soared to an all-time high and now almost 30% of Mayfield students take advanced STEM courses.

Next year, a group of pioneering students will forge new STEM frontiers at Mayfield in an elective lab called Engineering Design and Analysis, where they’ll take on design challenges in mechanical, chemical, civil, electrical, and aerospace engineering.

As our Class of 2020 grads leave the gates of 500 Bellefontaine to pursue medicine, biosciences and engineering at schools like Penn, UC Berkeley, USC and UCLA, there’s every reason to have faith in these STEM sisters as the architects of our future.

“These students have confidence and optimism and enthusiasm,” said Math Department Chair Melissa Tighe, who also serves as Mayfield’s Director of Innovation and Community Partnerships. “They are dedicated to finding solutions for humanity and now they can channel that energy into being part of the solution.”

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POSTSCRIPTS 2020

CONTACTLESS HIGH FIVE: Berkeley-bound grads Paloma Torres ’20 and Agnese Sanavio ’20 agree that a “growth mindset”—and the support of math teacher Melissa Tighe—rewired their minds for success.

“I THINK I CAN”: Rewiring for resilience Math Department Chair Melissa Tighe is Mayfield’s “growth mindset” guru. A longtime proponent of the tenets of Carol Dweck’s 2006 book, Mindset, she has seen Dweck’s research play out countless times in the classroom and beyond. When students stop believing talent is innate and unchangeable, they’re able to reframe their “I’m no good at this” self-talk into “I can work on this” affirmations. These two Class of 2020 Cubs (and soon-to-be Golden Bears) said the “growth mindset” concept has helped rewire their brains for success, in math and in life.

“On the first day of calculus, Mrs. Tighe put slips of paper on our desks.

She told us to read the slips of paper, all of which read a different driving direction. Mine read, ‘Make a left turn.’ She asked us what we felt when we read the instructions and we replied, ‘Nothing.’ Then she told us: ‘That is exactly how you should feel when you fail. All it is doing is pointing you in a new direction to become better.’ This memory will stay with me for the rest of my life. I’ve applied it many times in my life not only in math, but in all areas.” — PALOMA TORRES ’20 “I wasn’t initially accepted into PreCalculus but, knowing I wanted to pursue engineering, Mrs. Tighe eventually agreed to approve me. So my junior year was entirely about learning to have a growth mindset. I struggled at times, but I didn’t let a few bad grades define my potential like I once had. I also joined the robotics team. These two daunting things quickly became things I loved doing, and by the end of junior year, I was able to see substantial growth. Mrs. Tighe’s class and her frequent life lessons are part of the reason I’m confident and excited for what college will bring.” — AGNESE SANAVIO ’20

STEM SISTERHOOD

Students embrace STEM sisterhood Alum mentor helps students shift their applied math skills

T

his was a banner year for Mayfield in the annual MathWorks Math Modeling (M3) Challenge, an advanced math problem-solving competition that attracts more than 3,500 of the country’s top STEM students. For the first time, both Mayfield teams were among the top 15% to advance to the second round of judging. The new variable in this year’s equation? Online mentoring from alumna Elizabeth Dimen ’16, an applied math and economics major at Brown University, who competed on Mayfield’s inaugural M3 team in 2016.

Last fall, Mayfield’s two teams (who were way ahead of the curve on remote learning, as it turned out) sat down with Elizabeth over several extended video sessions on statistics, probability and math notation. Team leader Fiona Pan ’20 said that Elizabeth’s guidance was a game changer for the students. “We learned, how do we think of a problem— like top-down, bottom-up? Do we think of it more economically?” said Fiona, a second-time M3 competitor. “She really helped us find a concrete approach.”

Elizabeth, who credits the M3 competition with helping guide her to her course of study at Brown, was happy to help. “It’s really rewarding for me to pass on what I have learned,” she said.

The recent college grad was particularly impressed by the natural collaboration she saw among the Mayfield students: ”I don’t think you could get that at another school where you just pull out five students and they already are able to communicate well,” she said. “I

Decades of academic research suggests that girls work better together. The success of these Mayfield STEM teams is our proof.

into top gear

Elizabeth Dimen ’16 returned to 500 Bellefontaine (virtually!) to mentor M3 team members Frances Burton ’21, Cameron Gomez ’20, Maggie Kiechler ’20, Sophia Labrador ’21, Ysabelle Magat ’21, Amanda Mar ’20, Megan Moffat ’20, Solunna Nwankwo ’20, Fiona Pan ’20, Alex Thomson ’20, Halle Villalobos ’20 and Yalda Zadeh ’20.

always felt like everybody was bringing something to the table in their own way.”

The M3 competition is intense.

Teams are tasked with tackling a realworld problem that’s revealed only on the morning of the competition. This year, it was converting the nation’s 1.7 million big rigs from diesel to electric power. Students then collaborate over a marathon 14-hour session to produce a 20-page paper that outlines a solution.

The pressure-cooker environment is designed to mimic the complex and high-stakes situations that professional mathematicians often face.

This advanced set of problem solving skills—which combines math knowledge, critical thinking, research, design,

writing and, above all, teamwork—“has never been more relevant to the world around us than at this moment,” said Math Department Chair Melissa Tighe.

“Our current global [COVID-19] crisis highlights the importance of having professionals skilled in being able to make timely recommendations, based on sound data and analysis, in a rapidly changing environment.”

“I always felt like everybody was bringing something to the table in their own way.”

— ELIZABETH DIMEN ’16

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Robotics students get down to

nuts and bolts with

JPL engineers

Robotics team members presented their prototypes to a panel of JPL engineers.

A

group of STEM enthusiasts gathered in a Mayfield science lab to discuss progress on an ongoing team project.

Some were teenage girls getting ready for their first robotics competition of the year. Others were veteran aerospace, mechanical and software engineers who have sent robots to space. But that night, they were peers discussing drivetrains, cascading lifts and claws—engineer to engineer.

Now in its third year at Mayfield, the Girl Scouts-sponsored robotics lab in the Hayden Turner Center is home to two FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams, the Javabots and the Rock N’ Roll Robots.

In the fall of 2019, these two groups of young engineers, made up of Mayfield students and girls from other local area schools, were determined to make it to the annual FTC World Championships.

So when they had the chance to present their preliminary robot designs to a room of JPL engineers, including many Mars Rover alums and Mars 2020 Rover team members, they weren’t looking for a pat on the back. They were there for nittygritty mechanical shop talk with some of the nation’s preeminent engineers.

They’d been working on their preliminary robot designs since August and wanted expert input on things like wheel compliance (aka squishiness), deployment mechanisms and stress analysis. It all really came down to one question, said Javabots member Agnese

Sanavio ’20: “How can I make this robot better—faster, stronger, lighter?”

So, after identifying their favorite Girl Scout cookies (frozen Thin Mints, anyone?) the (mostly female) review panel got down to business. First, the students explained the setup for this year’s FTC Challenge, called “Skystone,” which tasked teams with engineering a robot that can quickly and efficiently collect giant plastic “stones” and build them into stacks. Both Mayfield-based teams told the JPL reviewers that they wanted their robots to be “very robust and structurally sound,” while minimizing size, weight and failure potential.

Students then presented early versions of their designs and the JPL engineers peppered them with detailed questions about their robot’s structural integrity and reliability. The feedback from the JPL engineers was a huge boon, Agnese said, because “they helped us identify weaknesses in our mechanisms we had not considered before and ways we could work to fix these problems.”

The best part? Students got “a great glimpse into what engineers do on a day-to-day basis,” Agnese said. As it turns out, it’s pretty close to what these students do in their Mayfield robotics lab—collaborate, iterate and get creative with problem-solving, all while mastering new technical skills and meeting deadlines.

The Javabots were recognized as a “model” FIRST Tech Challenge team.

Mayfield-based Javabots praised as a “model” robotics team Congratulations to our two Mayfield-based Girl Scouts robotics teams, the Javabots and the Rock N’ Roll Robots, who both scored big at the final league tournament of this year’s truncated FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics season. The Javabots brought home the Inspire Award for being “a model FIRST team,” the highest honor in FTC competitions, and were also runners up for the Innovate Award, which recognizes ingenuity, creativity and inventiveness.

The Rock N’ Roll Robots finished the meet in third place and took runner-up honors for the Motivate Award for team building, spirit and enthusiasm. Congratulations to Javabots members Emma Franco ’22, Agnese Sanavio ’20, Kayla Tan ’22 and Grace Vipipan ’21, and Rock N’ Roll Robots members Ashley Dalisay ’22, Rebecca Lara ’21 and Caroline Squire ’23.

STEM students 3D print physician-approved PPE for health care heroes Mayfield students and alums harnessed their engineering know-how to produce hundreds of face masks and shields for health care heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. Robotics team member Caroline Squire ’23 was inspired by Mayfield’s “Actions Not Words” motto to join the grassroots 3D printing project. “At Mayfield, we are taught to not say you are going to do something, but to

just go and do it,” Caroline said. With the help of USCbound senior Cameron Gomez ’20 (pictured on page 18), alums Elizabeth Nail ’18, Annie Tighe ’19 and Katherine Tighe ’16 (see page 65), and several of Caroline’s Girl Scouts robotics teammates, the Mayfield STEM community rallied to deliver much-needed protective gear to workers at Keck Medicine of USC.

Caroline Squire ’23 and other STEM students and alums generated medical-grade face masks on their 3D printers.

FAITH & JUSTICE

Justice is

love in action “Give me, O Lord, a love full of action.”

— CORNELIA CONNELLY

For many, the word justice is synonymous with law. But to get to the heart of why it’s so important for students to learn this cardinal virtue through “Actions Not Words,” we must go deeper.

Our theology teachers all distilled the concept of justice down to the same essential Biblical truth: “We are all made in God’s image and likeness—called to recognize the Divine in one another,” as Department Chair Nora Warren explained. Teacher Ron Castelo spelled out what this means for our Holy Child community: “We must ensure that God’s plan for His creation is actualized, including the dignity and freedom of all human beings.”

In their theology classes, students are learning to embody justice through what our founder, Cornelia Connelly, called “a love full of action”—by serving, supporting and standing up for others. And if this is challenging, all the better, says Head of School Kate Morin.

At the beginning of the school year, Mrs. Morin called on students to “do something scary every day.” Because, she said, facing difficulties “builds the muscle of courage. The muscle of empathy.

The muscle of love.”

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Service learning program

translates theology lessons into

“a love full of action” I

t’s 7:00 a.m., and a group of 16-yearolds in distinctive red Mayfield aprons and hairnets are at work in the kitchen at Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena. Their classmates move through the dining room, serving meals, bussing tables and chatting with guests. This is 11th-grade theology class.

In any given week, dozens of Mayfield students are working in the community as teenage epitomes of our “Actions Not Words” motto. Some serve breakfast to people living in poverty, some work on art projects with intellectually disabled kids, and others make time to talk with local nursing home residents. Some even add more before-school, free-block

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and weekend service sessions to their calendars.

This renewed commitment to regular, in-person service has been steadily ramping up over the past few years. And it begins before students even step into the classroom. In 2016, Head of School Kate Morin introduced a freshman service activity that immerses our newest Cubs in the central Holy Child tenet of action-based love. Our incoming ninth graders spend a morning at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, where they typically pack around 1,800 bags of food in just a few hours.

Mrs. Morin’s intentional roll-out of a new integrated service learning

Mayfield students are getting up early, working through their free blocks, and giving from the heart to serve those who need it most. curriculum is designed not only to cultivate compassion, but also to build confidence. “Service, when it’s hard, teaches you that you can do hard stuff,” she said. Embedding these opportunities into the curriculum synthesizes theological theory, Catholic social teachings, and justice, diversity, equity and inclusion issues into a transformational, hands-on learning experience.

“Service to others helps students learn experientially about themselves, their communities and society,” said Director of Campus Ministry Teri Gonzales. “In this way, they are able to search and find meaning and purpose.”

FAITH & JUSTICE The new three-phase service learning program, which was piloted last year, allows students to prepare, serve and reflect together as a class so they are able to grasp the needs of the vulnerable in our community—and the need to take action—with open hearts and minds. In the classroom, theology teachers help students understand who they will be serving, why these people need support, and what the challenges might be.

They look at how service fits into the context of what we believe, from our Holy Child values and goals to traditional sources, like scripture.

Theology Department Chair Nora Warren starts with the basics: the Book of Genesis, and what she calls the “triple truths of the creation stories”— all that God has created is good; we are interdependent and made for relationship; we are called to be stewards of the earth.

Then, as students and their teachers work alongside each other, the personto-person connections they develop help break down biases and reinforce the grade-specific themes they’re studying in their theology classrooms. Freshmen focus on compassion through their work with developmentally disabled children at Villa Esperanza. Tenth-graders work on empathy as they befriend the residents at places like Scholl Canyon Retirement Center. Junior students explore the concept of mercy by serving people experiencing homelessness and poverty at the St. Francis Center and Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena.

And 12th-graders celebrate hope as they discover ways to use their strengths and passions to support causes that feel especially meaningful to them. In this way, they can carry this commitment far beyond their graduation.

“Our hope is that students will understand social justice today as the result of our collective vision and work toward restoring that sense of interconnectedness, harmony, love, and peace to the world that God intends for us all,” said Mrs. Warren.

Afterwards, students examine their experiences by talking them through in class, writing personal reflections and sometimes making videos. Challenge is built into the program, but so is the ability to express discomfort, and analyze it with humility and determination.

“One man came to our table and he seemed tall and intimidating,” said Michaela Sinclair ’21, after an early visit to the St. Francis Center. “But when he

reached our table he turned and said ‘But first, coffee!’ with a smile on his face.”

Carol Fitzsimmons, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry, says that this idea of “relationality,” which she describes as “less ‘I’ and more ‘us,’ ” is the foundation of Mayfield’s expanded service learning initiative. “Instead of students ‘othering’ those around them, they get into the forever habit of seeing themselves in relationship to other members of this human family,” Ms. Fitzsimmons said.

“When any small action is done with intention and love, it is more powerful than a bigger action done with no love.” — MEGAN SPENSIERO ’21 Although all service can enrich the human spirit, the “see, judge, act” model, also known as the “pastoral spiral,” gives young minds the blueprint to embrace something new and difficult, and to discover something important about themselves and the world in the process. It helps build self-esteem with a well-earned sense of integrity. It makes growth inevitable.

As one junior student concluded, “Service reminds us that the privileged and less fortunate do not live in two different worlds. Service reminds us that we are all human, all one family, and all here, in this one world, to help one another.”

THE seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching

As a Catholic community, we draw on these tenets, and our Holy Child Goals, in living out our “Actions Not Words” motto.

Life and Dignity of the Human Person Human life is sacred and the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society.

Call to Family, Community and Participation How we organize our society directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community.

Rights and Responsibilities A healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met.

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable Our tradition instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.

The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation.

Solidarity Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace.

Care for God’s Creation We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation.

Adapted from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching.”

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Embracing diversity as a sacred gift Mayfield’s student-led Campus Ministry Council set a courageous course for the year with their opening theme, “Diversity in our Gifts,” which led us to embrace the wide range of faith traditions that enrich our community. At our first Mass of the year, Fr. Rob Scholla, S.J., a longtime Mayfield friend, explained the sacredness inherent in our differences: “Each and every one of you are God’s unique word spoken only once.”

We were honored to welcome Rabbi Anne Brener from the Academy for Jewish Religion California, Imam Asim Buyuksoy from the Islamic Center of Southern California and Fr. Marcos Gonzalez from St. Andrew Parish in Pasadena as our guides for Mayfield’s first-ever interfaith Thanksgiving prayer service. After student readings from the Torah, the Gospel and the Qur’an, our three guests reflected on our common humanity—a sentiment that was expressed so beautifully in our students’ call to prayer: “Let us honor and celebrate the diversity in our faith journeys and seek the Light and Love that is universal for all.” Amen.

“Mayfield is a very special place indeed, a community in which each is precious, and honored, and loved.’’

— FR. ROB SCHOLLA, S.J. DIRECTOR OF THE CATHOLIC STUDIES PROGRAM, SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY

We lifted our hands, voices and hearts to “Celebrate Life!” at this year’s All Saints Day Mass and Día de los Muertos remembrance, guided by Fr. Jim Bevacqua from Holy Family Glendale. Thank you to our Latinas Unidas club for lovingly preparing two traditional ofrendas to honor our community’s deceased loved ones.

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#ActionsNotWords service from home Homebound students found creative ways to use their gifts to help others during the COVID-19 crisis.

Cameron Gomez ’20 and other STEM students used their 3D printers to make hospital-grade face masks and shields at home. See page 14.

Freshman students wrote heartfelt letters to essential workers in the Mayfield community.

National Arts Honor Council member Melanie Ahn ’21 created handlettered notes of hope and gratitude.

Karissa Ho ’21 and her family delivered a donated shipment of 30,000 surgical masks to L.A. hospitals as a way to “give back to the people who are putting themselves at risk every day for the good of others.”

FAITH & JUSTICE

Sophomores collaborated on a “class code” to serve as their foundation for addressing injustice.

Theology students build a “muscle memory for justice” Guided by their values and empowered by techniques they learned in class, these 10th-graders find their voices as advocates and allies. How? By following our founder, Cornelia Connelly’s, advice to “practice virtue little by little, in act after act.”

A

ll over campus, these sophomore students are calling each other out on bad behavior. Again and again, they challenge their peers for being disrespectful, thoughtless and mean.

“How would you feel if you were in her position?”

“I don’t think that was really cool of you.”

“Why can’t you accept people for who they are or leave?”

Spoiler alert: These are fictional scenes from student-produced “What Would You Do?” segments, their versions of the long-running hidden camera TV show that puts people in ethical dilemmas.

These students might be playing a role—and, in some cases, really hamming it up as the villain or the heroine—but sophomore theology teacher Michelle Gergen believes that

the act of saying these things out loud, face to face, helps them build the commitment, conviction and confidence to speak up for injustice.

As part of a year-long focus on Holy Child Goal 5, which asks our school community to foster “trust and reverence for the dignity and uniqueness of each person,” Ms. Gergen collaborated with Sarah Briuer Boland, Mayfield’s Co-Director of Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, to create an integrated, hands-on lesson that mined real-life situations to help students activate their empathy. In short: to help students develop a “muscle memory for justice.”

Ms. Gergen tasked her students to come up with “micro-moments” they might encounter and then practice standing up for others. continues on page 20

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19

Sophomore theology students’ “What Would You Do” videos helped them learn to advocate for others with “Actions Not Words.”

continued from page 19

They invented scenarios that felt real to them, like overhearing someone insult a student who doesn’t have money for lunch, noticing students making fun of a classmate for talking to herself, or encountering unfair classroom favoritism. They’re learning to recognize micro-aggressions fueled by discriminatory thinking, privilege, and implicit bias—and to tackle these uncomfortable situations with integrity.

They’ve been working toward this since their first theology class in the fall, when they began by devising a “class code”—a shared set of values they stood for, like loyalty and respect, that would provide the ballast to help

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navigate confrontation and keep them accountable. Students distilled their Class of 2022 beliefs in a series of classroom brainstorming sessions, and pulled from other ethical frameworks including the Holy Child goals, the Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments.

“I’ve been in a scenario where someone has been disrespectful to someone else and I just told them, ‘That’s not right. It’s not what you should be doing.’ ” — ALEXA VALENZUELA ’22

“We want students to have a solid foundation of what they stand for,” Ms. Gergen said, before they encounter much more prickly challenges, things that might feel “incongruent with what they believe they’re trying to be.”

This video project was the final step in empowering students to act as advocates for those who need their help.

So did the lesson work? Ms. Gergen recounts an inspiring example of one student putting what she’d learned into action (see page 21), and other students agree that building this “muscle memory” has empowered them to speak up off-camera.

“I think it really helped me,” said Alexa Valenzuela ’22. “There’s been many cases where before I think I was just scared of what was going to happen or what they would think of me.”

But she’s learned to take action. “I’ve been in a scenario where someone has been disrespectful to someone else and I just told them, ‘That’s not right. It’s not what you should be doing,’ ” Alexa said. “I’ve definitely been able to stand up more for my community and for those marginalized.”

Emily Vargas ’22 said that this year’s theology classwork has helped her and her classmates become aware of injustice, large and small, and use their voices to be part of the solution. “It has really opened our eyes to a lot of things that happen, especially now, in terms of all the political unrest that’s going on,” Emily said. “So many of my classmates are so vocal about it, and I think it’s so great—whether it’s through social media or protesting, donating, signing petitions—that we all really stood up for what’s going on in the world right now. And I think a lot of that is due to Ms. Gergen teaching us how to be powerful people to help those who are being hurt in the world.”

FAITH & JUSTICE

Q&A with Michelle Gergen We talked with Michelle Gergen about the genesis of the “What Would You Do?” project, which sits at the intersection of theological concepts, Catholic social teachings and Mayfield’s ongoing effort to weave justice and diversity education into every corner of the curriculum.

How does this class project empower students to become “Actions Not Words” advocates for justice?

Well, I think it echoes what Gandhi and Martin Luther King said: that you don’t become this, you have to practice this. You have to create your own “muscle memory” to be able to know how to do it in a situation. You can’t expect that at the moment of crisis, that we’re going to instinctively know how to do it, if we haven’t practiced it in our mind. And so the fact that we talk about it and say, well, “What would you do?” reinforces that even more.

Why did you have students create a “class code” as the foundation for this lesson?

If we believe in creation—that we’re all born in the image and likeness of God—we believe that everybody deserves dignity and respect, then we have to treat everybody like that. I wanted students to see an alignment between how they behave and what their values are. At 16 years old, there are things that you can’t do, but you’re not without opportunities to be able to act the way you believe. How do we behave in ways that say we value others and that everybody deserves dignity and respect?

And so, as we built their personal code, I asked them: As the Class of 2022, how do you want to be known as a group? Do I call out my friend on the fact that she said something mean to a freshman? If you stepped in front of somebody in the lunch line? If you ate somebody else’s lunch? When we talked about the code it was always talking about how that reflects their own personal choices, and then we talked about where codes come from: the Beatitudes, The Ten Commandments, Gandhi’s Seven Social Sins, Native American codes, Mayfield’s Holy Child goals and values—we use all of those as the markers to help determine our whole list.

Were any students able to put this lesson into action outside the classroom? Did you hear of any real-life outcomes?

The best outcome actually! I had a student who told me, “My mom and I went into a Chinese restaurant that we frequent.

The waitress came in, who did not know English, and she was trying to help this couple who came in. This woman was being very rude and said, ‘I suppose it’s going to be slow because she doesn’t even know English.’ I turned around to her and said…

‘They work very hard and she’ll be able to help you, but we shouldn’t speak like that about somebody else.’ ” That woman, an older woman... shut down. She stopped. And [the student]

“We really want our students, in our curriculum, to work on understanding that they can be part of... changing the way we do things.”

— MICHELLE GERGEN, THEOLOGY TEACHER

said to me: “I realized I could do this. I could say this.” She told the whole class and said, “I wouldn’t have known how to do that before we talked about it.”

She found out how to be the ally and how to speak up for somebody. And that’s one of the things I am most gratified with in having these micro-moments that we talked about, that they learned language that they can use on how to be a safe 16-yearold [ally or advocate].

This idea of advocacy and allyship feels particularly relevant right now. How do theology and Catholic social justice teachings help students process injustice?

In theology, we’re looking at sin, and you don’t want sin to be “Thou shalt not.” We talked about sin as “the absence of goodness”—when we erase the goodness out of what we do, and our interactions, and what we think. And so when we talk about that, we talk about “social sin,” which is systemic racism, that privilege that goes into that “absence of goodness” that is systemic across our culture and our times in our institutions and organizations. And so we had a chance to talk about that.

We cannot ignore what’s happening in our world right now.

We are called as people of faith to stand with the marginalized and the outsiders, with the people who are being disrespected.

And if we live within the bubble that doesn’t allow us to talk about such things, then we’re losing the very call that we have.

So how do we do that? How do we keep the talk about faith and social justice and prayer, and being in communion with others and community with others? How do we talk about that and then bring in the outside world, because it’s happening all around us, and we’re called to recognize it. How do we become advocates and allies and work for systemic change?

That’s another part of justice and service. We really want our students, in our curriculum, to work on understanding that they can be part of the change, you know, changing the way we do things.

This is Michelle Gergen’s 40th year in Catholic education and her 10th year at Mayfield Senior School. She continues to be delighted by the grace-filled spirits and enquiring, challenging minds of the young women she works with—“They will surely change the world,” she says.

Ms. Gergen earned her B.A. in English and her M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Mount St. Mary’s College, and also holds a Certificate in Catholic School Leadership from Loyola Marymount University.

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Cheerful, responsible, flexible, hopeful, conscientious, resilient.

This is how Mayfield teachers described their students during our trialby-fire immersion in remote learning. And, as consummate role models of our “Actions Not Words� motto, Mayfield teachers also embraced this unexpected educational adventure with positivity and resolve.

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How Holy Child teaching

keeps the human connection alive in virtual classrooms

REMOTE LEARNING

As part of a unit on the Cold War, these sophomore history students heard first-hand experiences from Ana Velasco, Technical Director Phillip Velasco’s mom, who immigrated to California from Cuba in the early 1960s. Before their online meeting, students “really took to the challenge of doing their reading and research,” said Ms. Garcez.

W

hen Cornelia Connelly asked Holy Child educators to “meet the wants of the age,” she could never have imagined the kind of classes our students attended this year. Students and teachers logged into virtual classrooms from their bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens. They wore their sweats, brought their pets, and exchanged smiles and words of encouragement on their laptop screens.

For teachers, the transition to “working from home” wasn’t as simple as firing up a Google Meet session and plowing through business-as-usual classwork. There was a lot of creative teaching and learning going on, and it was all based on the relationship of mutual trust and respect that Holy Child teachers work to build with each of their students.

Although they regularly incorporate educational technology into their coursework, many were nervous about taking their lessons completely online.

Teachers had just over a week to come up with a robust remote lesson plan for their students and then hit the ground running in their virtual classrooms.

“If you’d asked me in September, ‘How about teaching your class online?’ I’d

have said, ‘Are you kidding me?’, ” said world history teacher Sr. Pegeen Connolly, SCRH. After two months of 100% web-based instruction, Sr. Pegeen is proud of her own adaptability, which was inspired in part by the conscientious, cheerful attitudes of her ninth-grade students.

Despite minor tech mishaps, like accidentally muted microphones or split-screen snafus, our teachers learned—very quickly—how to translate the Holy Child educational philosophy into a virtual classroom setting. They did singalongs, moderated online group discussions, and used Flipgrid, Nearpod and Jamboard to create interactive experiences. “It was an opportunity, which was exciting, to explore different ways of learning,” said theology teacher Ron Castelo.

For the first week, in a bid to maintain a semblance of instructional continuity, students continued with their regular school-day schedule on screen. But soon, WiFi woes, screen fatigue, and social isolation began to take their toll.

Something had to change. The schedule was quickly reinvented to address the concerns of Mayfield students, parents and teachers. Being in a Holy Child

School “helped us to pivot and to be open and flexible,” said Dean of Faculty and AP Government teacher Tina Zapata.

“We really put the students’ needs first and met them where they were.”

The revised four-day schedule included shorter, 60-minute classes, longer breaks between blocks and “Wellness Wednesday,” a completely offline day that was a huge hit with both teachers and students. Students used the midweek screen-free day to recharge and catch up on homework and assignments.

But it’s difficult to mirror the energy of a Mayfield classroom online. “It’s just not the same when we can’t be in the same room,” said math teacher Annie Pontrelli, who found talking to an on-screen grid of faces “quite lonely.” Social studies teacher Anne Hartfield ’77 agreed that she’s also looking forward to resuming lively in-class conversations with her students. “I’ve missed the chattiness and the classroom energy,” Dr. Hartfield said, a sentiment echoed by math instructor Emily Baratta Goodell ’99, who said she now appreciates the deeply collaborative nature of her regular “interactive, student-led” geometry classroom even more. continues on page 24

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continued from page 23

“There are things one sees live that you simply can’t see online, and relationships that form in person that don’t form remotely,” explained Sr. Pegeen. “Those observations and relationships make teaching more effective and meaningful.”

Students wholeheartedly agree. “I think such a big part of the Mayfield educational experience is the spirit of collaboration, communication and community, but that spirit is kind of lost over a Google Meet call,” said Karissa Ho ’21.

So, Mayfield teachers have found solutions. As they pursued new ways to share their curriculum, teachers became students again, too. After an initial educational technology boot camp, where they learned step-by-step ways to maximize tech tools in their new online classrooms, many faculty members spent their spring break taking webinars and looking for online activities to boost interaction and keep the sense of connection alive in their virtual classes.

Creative workarounds Math Department Chair Melissa Tighe found that online breakout rooms, where students could engage in small group work like they would in class, were a game changer. “Students want to bond and work with each other,” Mrs. Tighe said. “And this also

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promotes having students work with different people than the ones they may have limited themselves to.” And Mr. Castelo was impressed by his students’ enthusiastic participation in online discussion boards, an activity he plans to weave into class even when oncampus learning eventually resumes.

English teacher Julie Sanchez Brehove ’11 encouraged her ninthgrade students—and their pets—to commemorate the first day of remote learning with an attendance selfie, and she was gratified by the results. “We had a lot of animal friends, and we even had some screen collaboration between some of the students,” Mrs. Brehove said.

“They’re still fostering community, even from afar!”

For many teachers, lesson pacing was another puzzle to solve in their transition to a remote classroom. “It took a bit of thought and trial-and-error to work out how to get to the essentials so that the students learned what they needed to but also weren’t exhausted,” Sr. Pegeen said. Dr. Hartfield, who teaches AP U.S. History, had to streamline her curriculum, which she said meant “letting go of some of the course content and thinking about what lessons were really important.”

Ms. Pontrelli agreed, saying, “I’ve definitely had to restrategize and reprioritize.”

Although Ms. Pontrelli said she missed her students, she did notice that

self-paced study had a silver lining: building independent learners. She’s seen many students become more assertive and more self-motivated during their months of remote learning, and, “In the long run, these are traits which will help them persevere when things get tough,” she said.

Students have also taken the initiative to support each other in forums like impromptu peer tutoring groups. “We made group chats and we would just be like, ‘Does anyone need help?’, ” said Alexa Valenzuela ’22. “We all knew we were in this together, and we still are all in this.”

Some teachers took advantage of the flexible class schedule to make oneon-one meetings a priority. Ms. Pham actually found more time to shepherd each of her English students through the writing process, going back and forth over drafts together via video call. “This is difficult to facilitate during the hectic school day of a regular year,” she said.

“It was such a gift to be able to work so closely with students, especially in a time that otherwise felt very distant for all of us.”

There were creative workarounds, too, for subjects that just don’t translate well online, especially those that usually meet in the lab or the studio. Chemistry students improvised an at-home pH test with domestic staples like NaCl and H2O (aka salt and water), the fine arts department shipped care packages to visual arts students so they had studio tools at their fingertips, and performing arts students produced many quarantine video collaborations (see page 27).

A few teachers were even able to use the pandemic as a touchstone for their coursework. Suddenly, previously

REMOTE LEARNING theoretical concepts had real-world relevance. For example, Mrs. Tighe said the ubiquitous charts predicting the spread of the coronavirus “certainly illustrate the tools we teach in calculus for advanced graphical and data analysis.”

And sophomore English students were able to inject new insight into their analysis of Lisa See’s historical novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which partly takes place during the typhoid epidemic in 19th-century China. “It was illuminating to read this chapter with the eyes of someone who has lived through a pandemic herself,” said Ms. Pham.

Confronting life-and-death issues in their day-to-day lives, Mr. Castelo said, also prompted some students to delve into deeper dimensions of learning. “Students were forced to ask the big questions in life—the essential questions in theology,” he said.

Resuming with resilience The 2020-21 school year will continue with the modified four-day schedule. In a recent online survey, many Mayfield students said that they enjoyed the flexibility of online classes and the ability to work at their own pace, and more than half the students who responded reported that their wellbeing—including sleep, exercise and eating habits—had improved during their time at home. But the vast majority of the student body said that being separated from their friends and teachers has been the toughest trial.

We’re all looking forward to hallway hellos, hugs and high-fives one day—but in the meantime, Mayfield faculty will continue to find innovative online ways to leverage the deep human connections that are the foundations of Holy Child education.

“Nothing is a perfect substitute for in-person learning, but the final two months of school this year were a time of remarkable growth for our entire community, both academically and personally,” said Ms. Pham.

Mrs. Goodell had this message for Mayfield parents: “Thank you for raising such independent, resilient daughters!”

A group of junior students met with Libby Browne from the University of Rochester’s admissions office via Zoom.

An imaginary university, a virtual platform and real-life opportunities “T he college application process is a nerve-racking journey, and this is a fact,” said Melanie Ahn ’21. Enter the Mayfield College Counseling Department’s annual Case Studies program, which helps ease college app anxiety by giving students an inside look into the admissions process. At this annual hands-on event, students play the role of college admissions officers for a night. “It’s a great exercise for the girls to see how an application can be perceived by others,” said Co-Director of College Counseling Lynn Maloney.

This year, with statewide “safer at home” restrictions in effect, Ms. Maloney and fellow Co-Director of College Counseling Samantha Pieper moved quickly to translate this popular event into an online format for the first time. Students worked alongside 23 professional college admissions staff from universities across the country, including USC, UCLA, Purdue and Chapman, in small Zoom meeting rooms to evaluate applications from three imaginary students to the fictional Plymouth Shores University.

The role play is highly collaborative, and although moderators occasionally share general tips and advice, students are treated as fellow members of the “Plymouth Shores” admissions team. By the end of the hour, every group has to decide which student to accept, which to waitlist, and which to deny.

Students assessed each application, including GPA, APs and extracurriculars, even delving into disciplinary action records. Their deepest dive, though, was evaluating the fictional applicants’ essays. “This is really the one time that you have the opportunity... to tell us about yourself, however you want,” said Caitlyn Latta, Senior Assistant Director of Admission at Denison University.

Our Class of 2021 students are concerned about how they will fare with the unique challenges created by COVID-19. But this conversation with a person who actually reads applications for a living was a revelation for many students.

“One of my biggest worries was not understanding how all of the factors of my application would truly weigh into the admissions process,” said Giulia Moschella ’21. “This exercise definitely helped.”

Ms. Maloney said that most students feel much more confident after the event—a key goal of the program. “They see that they don’t have to be perfect; they can be themselves,” she said.

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Challenges are the catalyst for creativity

as artists find new forms of expression and collaboration The show must go on— with smaller audiences and hand sanitizer Students at schools and colleges across the country were lamenting cancelled productions and the shows they’d never get to share with an audience. But Head of School Kate Morin was adamant that the student artists in Mayfield’s spring production of Oliver! would still take the stage in March. “As long as we could have performances in a safe, controlled environment, we decided these girls absolutely deserved a chance to see the fruits of their labor,” said Mrs. Morin.

By capping ticket sales and creating physically-distanced seating plans, three of the four scheduled performances went ahead. “Safety was our number one priority as we did everything in our power to let our students shine,” said Mrs Morin. Director Maryanne Householder was proud of her students for bouncing back after a stressful week of uncertainty, not knowing if they’d be able to perform at all.

The cast and crew of Oliver! were grateful to perform before COVID-19 health risks completely shut down school campuses.

“I’m even more impressed with how we went from a rocky tech week to an unbelievably amazing opening night,” said Ms. Householder.

And Mayfield’s theatre, vocal and instrumental Conservatory students certainly didn’t take a moment of their

time on the Pike Auditorium stage for granted. “Our entire cast and crew were thrilled and very appreciative,” said Audrey Bland ’20, who played Fagin.

“We hope the musical brought some joy to our Mayfield community during these difficult times.”

Together apart. Part of the joy of being an

artist at Mayfield is the communal creative experience that students get when they work with their friends in the studio and on the stage. This year, teachers found new ways to inspire their students as solo creators, using technology to bring them together to collaborate and to showcase their work. Visual arts teacher Cassandra Gonzales built an interactive gallery walk-through experience at bit.ly/TogetherApart-Exhibition, where visitors can “stroll” past a variety of artwork including painting, embroidery, contour drawings, collage, watercolors and photojournalism. This foray into online art was capped by the end-of-year Virtual Fine Arts Festival, an entirely online springtime extravaganza that featured work from every Mayfield visual and performing artist and creative writer. Dive into this immersive arts experience at bit.ly/artsfest-2020.

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ARTS

Mayfield musicians keep the beat at home Mayfield’s award-winning Women’s Ensemble has always embraced creative challenges, but making music remotely was a new feather in their choral caps. To build their virtual choir, students had to record solo tracks from their bedrooms, without the conducting cues they’re used to getting in the music studio. “Not having our conductor or accompanist made us focus on our counting a lot more,” said Sophia Paz ’20, and on “the musicality of each piece.”

Alyssa Atienza ’22, a self-taught editor who worked behind the scenes to blend the individual recordings into a finished video, said she learned more than new software skills—the project also improved her grasp of rhythm, meter and tempo. And, watching the final version of the group’s heartfelt rendition of Randy Newman’s “When She Loved Me,” she said, felt “almost like we were in a performance.”

Our instrumentalists conquered similar challenges to create their onscreen musical mash-ups. Playing solo made it difficult to stay in tune but, after weeks of COVID quarantine, students were excited to make music together any way they could. “It’s definitely a privilege to work with my peers, even if we’re apart,” said guitarist Karissa Ho ’21. The group decided to record the high-energy Journey anthem “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” because, Karissa said, it had “the kind of optimistic and bold energy that we felt the Mayfield community could use.”

And they were right—these virtual video concerts were a much-needed morale boost for Mayfield musicians and audiences alike. As singer Agueda Berlot ’20 put it, “Despite being miles and screens apart from my friends and classmates, it’s doing things like this that make me grateful for being a part of this community.”

Photography by first principles Photography teacher Paul Tzanetopoulos and his students collaborated on a unique project in honor of Strub Hall’s centennial—taking a photo of our 100-year-old building with a 100-year-old camera. (See the photo on page 36.) We asked Mr. T to walk us through the process.

What was the general idea behind the project?

The lesson basically was to use photo logic and figure out how we could take this picture.

It made sense, but I hadn’t ever tried it.

Did you have to buy 100-year-old film?

We had to make film. The negative film is what doesn’t exist anymore, but you can still buy paper sheet film. So we took the negatives with a paper negative, one for the sky and one for the building, and then we reversed these digitally in Photoshop and combined them.

Can you explain the process?

It was a little bit of a mental exercise for the girls to figure, okay, everything in photography is about reversal. So if we take a snap, what are we going to end up with? Of course it was going to be a negative, but the negative was going to be on paper and not transparent film.

The Instrumental Conservatory’s recording of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” helped kick off the summer vacation.

Reframing art. Mayfield

dancers brought famous canvas characters to life at the Dance Conservatory’s “A Night at the Museum” concert, as they transformed into live Degas ballerinas and real-life Rosie the Riveters on stage.

How did you even find a 100-year-old camera?

And how did you make it work?

I have a camera collection in my studio—50, maybe 60, cameras. I use the older cameras as demonstrations, because cameras had all the same functions literally over a hundred years ago as the cameras do today. Physics are physics, optics are optics— they do not change. So it’s really nice to be able to show a turn-of-the-century camera having the same numbers and f-stops and everything that’s in our digital cameras right now.

It takes you back to the actual fundamentals.

How did the girls feel about this grand experiment?

They were very jazzed to see the finished thing.

Everybody had a hand in this. I tried not to do too much ahead of the class so I could stay honest to the process—I tested just enough stuff so it wasn’t leading them into failure. It was about a bunch of experimenting.

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Hoops highlight. In an epic (and highly entertaining!) showdown, our Cubs Varsity basketballers beat Mayfield’s newest team, the Faculty & Staff All Stars, 23-12.

College kudos. Huge cheers for these two Cubs, who will continue their athletic careers at the college level! Evy Favretto ’20 will play volleyball at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and Taylin Yankovich ’20 will play softball at George Washington University in D.C.

Win-win. A capacity crowd packed the Cubs Cave for our third annual Dig Pink volleyball fundraiser versus FSHA, which raised more than $3,000 for the Cancer Support Community Pasadena. The gym was packed to the rafters with fans decked out in breast cancer awareness pink and Mayfield red— and bursting with Cub Spirit! Our JV team (pictured) defeated the Tologs 2-0.

Riding high. Mayfield equestrians won two of this year’s top awards in the Interscholastic Equestrian League Varsity Jumper class: Helena Horton ’22 (right) was 2019-20 Reserve Champion, and Hannah Attar ’21 took fourth place.

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CUBS ATHLETICS

Unforgettable moments

I

from an unusual year

t was a year of oddities, and Mayfield’s athletic program was no exception. The spring season started off promisingly, with track and field poised to win their sixth consecutive league title, swim and dive positioned to claim their first league title in seven years, and softball aiming to secure their second title in three years. All that came to a halt when the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) canceled the season in early April. Despite the sports year being cut short, there was no shortage of great moments in Cubs athletics. Continuing our “tradition” that we began last year, I’ve listed my top three from 2019-20.

While it was hard to say goodbye to the Class of 2020 so abruptly, the future looks very bright for Cubs athletics. We look forward to seeing you out at a game, meet or match in 2020-21.

Go Cubs!

Steve Bergen Athletic Director

“Despite the sports year being cut short, there was no shortage of great moments in Cubs athletics.”

— STEVE BERGEN

At the end of an up-and-down season beset by injuries, the Varsity basketball team hosted Rio Hondo Prep on Senior Night in February 2020. The CIF #4-ranked Kares had defeated the team by 20 points just a couple of weeks earlier, and the Cubs were simply playing for pride to honor our four graduating seniors (pictured above). Led by the stellar play of Jessie Zovak ’20 (bottom right), the Cubs battled throughout and eventually took the lead in the third quarter. Clutch shooting in the final quarter gave the Cubs a thrilling 46-43 upset victory, ending the season on a high note.

Mayfield and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy enjoy a healthy athletic rivalry, but few wins have been more exciting than this memorable early-season tennis match-up in September 2019. The Varsity team traveled to take on FSHA and, heading into the final match of the day, Mayfield led the Tologs 9-8. Then our number three player, Sammi Kennedy ’20, fell ill. Michelle Cheng ’22 stepped in as a replacement and stepped up her game. Cheng battled her Tolog opponent in a gutsy performance and won the match 6-4, sealing a 10-8 victory for the Cubs.

In what has become a career of top moments, runner Audrey Suarez ’21 was once again truly dominant in 2019-20. In late November 2019, she led the Cubs Varsity cross country team into the CIF Finals at the three-mile Riverside course. The defending state champion proved she was still the runner to beat.

Audrey took the lead early and outpaced the competition to win her first CIF division championship in a time of 17:24.7. A week later, she guided the Cubs to a sixth-place team finish at the state championships—the Cubs’ sixth consecutive top-10 finish. Despite their abbreviated spring track and field season, Audrey and her fellow distance runners gave the Mayfield community inspiring performances to remember throughout the year.

Photo by Chuck Utash 2020 POSTSCRIPTS

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Our joyful mayfield spirit is always in our hearts...

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Remembering some joyful pre-pandemic moments: 1 Cub spirit rolls along at the winter pep rally 2 A Big Sister ready to meet her Little Sister 3 The thrill of being back at Bellefontaine for the first day of school 4 Sharing a love for art in the studio 5 Students strike a pose at the third annual Class Dance-Off 6 Battling it out on Red and White Day

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...WHEREVER where we are.

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strub hall centennial

Our Mayfield Home

“Dear Lord, we thank you for the blessing of this beautiful campus, this beautiful house that we call home. We thank you for allowing us to serve your mission here in this place of beauty and in this place of history.”

Our Mayfield Home

— KATE MORIN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

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There’s no place like This spectacular marble- and mahogany-filled mansion might seem imposing, but as soon as you walk through that distinctive front door, you feel the warm embrace of a well-loved family home. Yes, it’s a museum-worthy historic building, but instead of roped-off exhibits and recorded audio tours, it’s filled with the daily buzz of teenagers who learn and laugh here, and infuse these rooms with joy. And we have the Strub family to thank for this precious hub of Holy Child education.

home.

Just over a century ago, construction of the original “Marshallia” estate was interrupted by history in the making—the deadliest war the world had known and a crippling global pandemic. Now, as we hurtle through the once-in-a-lifetime challenges of 2020, it’s been many months since we’ve hugged our friends in our beloved Strub Hall. As we honor the heritage of this beautiful building, we’re united by one fervent wish—we can’t wait to get back home.

Here’s to the next 100 years!

“...the costliest home in the West.”

— PASADENA NEWSPAPER, DECEMBER 1919

Marshallia was the no-expense-spared home of E.J. Marshall, “the last of the great cattle barons.”

Designed for oil, cattle and banking magnate E.J. Marshall by Frederick L. Roehrig (“the wealthy man’s architect of choice”), the Beaux-Arts mansion was the height of early 20th-century luxury. Visitors to the Marshall home entered from Grand Avenue and drove up a winding gravel drive, past terraced lawns and gardens to the impressive Italianate home. The 20,862-square-foot house was decked out with Siena marble floors, mahogany paneling, oak parquet and carved marble fireplaces throughout. Building began in 1914, but construction delays caused by World War I meant that the Marshalls didn’t move in until December 1919.

MARSHALLIA FACTS, FIGURES & FEATURES • Land cost: $87,000 (approx. $1.3 M today) • Construction cost: $440,000 (approx. $6.5 M today) • 30 rooms (including 8 bathrooms) • 15 staff, plus 7 gardeners

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• Natatorium (indoor pool) • Mod cons: state-of-the-art refrigeration system, in-wall vacuum system, elevator • Built-in player organ • Underground bank vault

A proud hunter and adventurer, John Eagle’s African safari “trophies” were displayed throughout the house.

John Eagle and his brother, Charles, established J.H. and C.K. Eagle Silk, a Pennsylvania-based business that boasted the largest textile manufacturing building in the U.S. After Eagle retired in 1922, he and his family moved West. They bought the Marshall property in 1925 and called Bellefontaine home for many years. Although John and his wife, Elizabeth, had no children of their own, they raised their two nieces at their Pasadena home. Eagle left the property to Caltech in his will, and it remained vacant for years.

Our Mayfield Home

Our beloved Strub Hall turns 100!

We honor Dr. Charles and Vera Strub for their generous, transformational gift of our Bellefontaine campus. The Strubs first identified the property as a potential Holy Child high school campus in March 1947.

After three years of zoning and property battles —and countless prayers from the Mayfield community—Mayfield Senior School opened in the fall of 1950 with 69 students.

strub hall centennial

Archbishop McIntyre blessed and dedicated the new Mayfield campus in December 1950.

For the past 70 years, our Holy Child community has called this beloved building home. We can’t imagine making Mayfield memories anywhere but here!

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Take a tour of the original marshall

home

As you browse through these familiar rooms, please take a moment to say a prayer of thanks for the Mayfield Senior School community’s thoughtful stewardship of this beautiful building over the past 70 years. Some rooms remain virtually unchanged since Mayfield’s doors opened in 1950, while others have been completely transformed to serve our students’ needs—but our Mayfield family has worked assiduously to preserve the irreplaceable elements that make Strub Hall such a remarkable place to learn and grow.

The Grand Entry of Strub Hall seamlessly melds American and European elements—much like the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. The front door opens into a grand foyer of Italian marble, which features an enormous, hand-carved English oak staircase. The alabaster windows above the staircase landing are attributed to Tiffany in New York.

Our warm and inviting Living Room is instantly recognizable a century later!

The 1,100-square-foot room features a Siena marble fireplace, oak herringbone parquet floors and a player organ, which entertained guests at soirées in the 1920s and 1930s.

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Our Mayfield Home

Soon after Mayfield’s Bellefontaine Street campus opened in 1950, the oakpaneled dining room overlooking the west terrace was transformed into a chapel, with stained glass windows by Stitch American Glass. The door on the east side of the room originally led to the kitchen and butler’s pantry, now our Sacristy.

strub hall centennial

The Marshalls’ “Natatorium”—an almost unheard-of luxury in 1919—boasted a 16-foot by 32- foot indoor swimming pool with “his and hers” restrooms and changing rooms.

Mayfield students enjoyed the pool until the early 1970s, when the area was converted into a library, before being transformed again in the 1980s into a much-needed Art Studio.

The original reading room actually served as Mayfield’s school library in the 1950s, and is now a lively meeting and gathering space known as the Conference Room. This spacious ground-floor room features French mahogany cabinetry, oak herringbone parquet floors and a Siena marble fireplace.

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Artists look to

Strub Hall for inspiration

Our Beaux-Arts building—one of the few remaining early 20th-century-era mansions in Pasadena—has inspired countless artists to capture its elegant facade and its warm, mahogany-filled interiors on canvas and film. She’s still an in-demand subject, even in her 100th year! Below are some recent examples of Strub Hall’s role as architectural muse.

2D TIME TRAVEL

To commemorate the centennial of Strub Hall, Paul Tzanetopoulos (aka Mr. T) and his photography students embarked on an ambitious project—to take a photo of the 100-year-old building with a 100-year-old camera. The final result was a spectral and aweinspiring image that looks very much like those in the Mayfield archives. Mr. T’s class generously donated a framed print as a silent auction item for our Rhapsody in Red gala. (Learn more about the fascinating photographic process on page 27.)

PROFESSIONAL PORTRAITS We’re especially grateful to two renowned artists for sharing their talents to help us celebrate our Strub Hall home this year.

Longtime Mayfield friend Miller Fong (grandfather of Brynn Evans ’13, Catherine Evans ’15 and Anne Evans ’18), a noted architect, designer and USC faculty member, sketched the masterful rendering that graces our commemorative wine glasses on his iPad in just 15 minutes! And acclaimed painter and Mayfield dad Kenton Nelson (Camilla ’21) created the streamlined silhouette that appears on all our official centennial publications. Bravo and thank you both!

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“PAINT OUT” EN PLEIN AIR

What a way to celebrate your 100th birthday —having your portrait painted by some of California’s finest plein air artists! A group of local painters, including past parents Darryl Yee (Rebecca ’07) and Kathy Dooling ’63 (Bridget ’96 and Katie ’00), joined us for a “paint out” in October to capture our beloved Strub Hall in the incomparable SoCal sunlight.

Our Mayfield Home

Uncovering Strub Hall’s “herstory” Student historians want to know more about the women who made their home at 500 Bellefontaine.

The Mayfield History Club meets in Gracemere House on campus, a modern structure that was built decades after E.J. Marshall’s home was completed in 1919.

Club members are trained docents who enjoy sharing Strub Hall tidbits, like the fact that this silk tapestry was donated to the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus in 1950 by former resident Elizabeth Keyes Eagle.

hen it was completed in 1919, E.J. Marshall’s lavish 30room mansion was heralded by local newspapers as one of the most magnificent houses in the West. Almost exactly 100 years later, 11 teenage girls—who had all spent the morning in Mr. Marshall’s former residence—file in and find their seats for the first meeting of the Mayfield History Club for 2019.

President Drew Valentino ’22 calls the meeting to order and introduces their advisor, Angela Howell ’76, Associate Head of School for Strategic Initiatives.

The students spend a few minutes reflecting on their first impressions of Strub Hall: “Majestic.” “Surprising.”

“Historical.” “I was in awe.” Drew says it was surreal to be surrounded by students on their way to classes, while she felt a barely contained sense of “amazement that this is an actual school.” She explains with a laugh that it was so beautiful that she almost imagined that “angels might sing.”

Despite their impressions of grandeur, it is impossible not to notice how often the word “home” appears in the exact same conversation. A jumble of voices concur, saying, “I definitely felt almost at home in the living room, straight away,” and “I like how homey the classrooms are, and there’s fireplaces... I don’t really feel like I’m at school.” This remains one of Mayfield’s most endearing charms and why so many students and graduates consider Strub Hall their second home.

In the early 20th century, this wealthy enclave, known as Millionaires’ Row, was inhabited by men that history would remember—the Busch family (as in Anheuser-Busch), the Wrigleys (yes, the chewing gum) and silk merchant John Eagle, who bought Marshall’s home on Bellefontaine and lived there until 1942.

But Mayfield History Club members, who only know Strub Hall as a hub of female excellence, creativity and leadership for 70 years, want to explore “the women of the house,” like Sallie Marshall and Elizabeth Keyes Eagle, who lived at 500 Bellefontaine for almost 20 years, and “enlighten people” on their journeys. Although their husbands are immortalized in biographies, precious little information remains on record about these women. “Herstory” is almost always harder to find. But these young women are looking.

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strub hall centennial

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Gathering in gratitude for our Strub

Hall

HOME

The Mayfield community loves a party—especially one for a good cause! We’re grateful to everyone who joined us throughout this year of centennial celebrations in gratitude for our beloved Bellefontaine Street home.

Our banner event, the elegant 1920s-era Rhapsody in Red gala honoring the Strub family, turned out to be an extraordinary blessing of fellowship, a final chance to revel in each other’s company before the coronavirus pandemic separated us for months of lockdown. We offer a huge, heartfelt thank you to Angela Howell ’76, Associate Head of School for Strategic Initiatives, for being the creative force behind these joyful gatherings and to trustee Chelisa Vagim (Georgia ’18), who chaired the Board’s 100th Anniversary Committee.

We’re so grateful to all the Mayfield fans who came out to see Strub Hall’s star turn in Elvis Presley’s final movie, Change of Habit, co-starring Mary Tyler Moore. Memphis-based Elvis historian and Graceland guide Mary Clark introduced the 1969 drama, which was filmed on location at 500 Bellefontaine.

Alumnae from the 1960s and 1970s were on hand at our 50th anniversary screening to reminisce and tell fun behind-the-scenes stories—like the one where Elvis bought a new refrigerator for the Holy Child Sisters!

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1 Elvis Presley historian Mary Clark said Strub Hall is the most intact Elvis movie set in existence. 2 Dori Sugiyama and Evelyn Perez Sugiyama (Lauren ’20) 3 Mary Tyler Moore and Elvis Presley on location in the Strub Hall Living Room 4 Maria Newton, Maureen Dinius (Kennedy ’13), Kathleen Clougherty Regan ’64 and Dianna Clougherty (Maureen ’06 and Bernadette ’08) settled in for the 50th anniversary screening of Change of Habit.

Our past parent social group, the Mayfield Guild, got a fascinating glimpse into our hometown history on a visit to the Pasadena Museum of History, where they toured the exhibition called “Starting Anew: Transforming Pasadena 1890-1930.” What a treat to see the Marshall-Eagle Estate (aka Strub Hall) featured as a local architectural landmark!

Parents of Mayfield alumnae from the 1990s-2010s visited the Pasadena Museum of History.

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Our Mayfield Home

It was such a delight to have author and past Mayfield mom Mary Lea Carroll (Glen Mary ’06, Grace ’08 and Rose ’12) join us on All Saints Day for a conversation about her insightful, uplifting and often hilarious book, Saint Everywhere: Travels in Search of the Lady Saints.

Mary Lea shared how a visit to Siena, Italy—where she became fascinated with the story of St. Catherine of Siena—inspired years of international saint-seeking adventures.

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1 Author Mary Lea Carroll took us on a vicarious pilgrimage from the Strub Hall Living Room. 2 Mary Lea signed copies of her book, Saint Everywhere: Travels in Search of the Lady Saints.

3 Alma Narvaez (Andrea ’05 and Paula ’09), Irene Izquierdo Patterson ’83 and Linda Mennis 4 Mimi Collins Stolpe ’83, Kate Morin, Tillie Collins, Carolyn Cota ’06, Cathy Cota and Richard Cota

Mayfield parents, alumnae, past parents and friends of all ages gathered for an afternoon “Tea & Tour” to kick off our Strub Hall 100th anniversary celebrations. Longtime Mayfield teacher Ave DeVanon Bortz ’61—who literally wrote the book on our school’s founding—gave a fascinating presentation that brought the history of our Bellefontaine home to life, and student docents from the Mayfield History Club led factoid-filled tours of the mansion at the heart of our campus.

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strub hall centennial

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1 Marisa Origel ’03 and Debra Origel ’05 revisited the Living Room of Strub Hall. 2 Former faculty member Ave DeVanon Bortz ’61 signed copies of her book, Mayfield: The Early Years, 1931-1950. 3 Mayfield History Club member Gracie Sandman ’22 guided a tour of Strub Hall 4 Monica Schmid, Adriann Grieco Cocker ’93, and Charlene Barone Jackson ’86 with her daughter, Ella, and mom Nancy

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The

Strub Family:

Actions Not Words

a legacy of

This year, as we celebrate the centennial of Strub Hall, we honor the founding family who gave us our beloved Mayfield home—a remarkable place, where we live out Cornelia Connelly’s mission each day. The Strubs’ momentous gift to the Society of the Holy Child Jesus began a bold new chapter in the Mayfield story.

O

ur joyful Holy Child community is the direct result of the generosity of the Strub family—Charles and Vera, and the generations who have followed—who embody our “Actions Not Words” motto.

The Strubs’ children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue the Society of the Holy Child Jesus’s educational legacy as donors, trustees, students—and even as a Holy Child Sister.

Dr. Charles and Vera Strub with Mother Mary Francis, Mayfield Senior School’s first Prefect, in 1947

Dr. Charles Strub was a man of many talents, having been both a successful dentist and baseball team owner in San Francisco, before heading south to establish the Santa Anita Park racetrack in 1934. America’s Best Racing described him as “one of those entrepreneurial businessmen seemingly capable of

The Strub family gathered at Mayfield in March 2020 for the Rhapsody in Red gala, held in their honor.

succeeding in any imaginable enterprise.”

A graduate of Santa Clara University, his Jesuit mentors remained influential in his life, and that connection helped introduce the Strubs to the like-minded Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus. When the Strubs moved to San Marino, their youngest daughter, Elizabeth, entered first grade at the recently established Mayfield School on Euclid Avenue in 1936. The fast friendship the Strubs soon forged with the Holy Child Sisters was to set the course for Mayfield’s future.

By the mid-1940s, the K-12 Mayfield School was rapidly outgrowing its campus. The Strubs answered the Sisters’ prayers with the gift of home.

They earmarked the empty Eagle Estate at 500 Bellefontaine Street as a potential site for a Holy Child school, but faced three years of contentious property and zoning battles. Charles, whose vision and tenacity were legendary, was undeterred.

Mayfield Senior School opened on Dec. 17, 1950, with 69 students.

While her parents felt compelled to help the Sisters secure Mayfield’s future, Elizabeth answered a different Holy Child call—she entered the Society and professed her vows as a nun. She had established a “close bond” with the Sisters during her elementary school years, and identified closely with this Cornelia Connelly sentiment, often quoted by the nuns: “I belong all to God.” The words resonated deeply with a young

Elizabeth, who says, “I had known from my very young years that I belonged all to God.” She returned to Mayfield Senior School in 1956 as Mother Elizabeth Mary to teach English and French.

“I had known from my very young years that I belonged all to God.” — SR. ELIZABETH STRUB, SHCJ

Sr. Elizabeth recalls her years living and teaching at Mayfield with fondness.

She embraced the school’s “tradition of loving joy,” and became Head of School from 1962 to 1966. Sr. Elizabeth even

Sr. Elizabeth Strub, SHCJ and her sister, Virginia Strub Kelly 40

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Our Mayfield Home

THE STRUB FAMILY Charles Strub m. Vera Strub

Sr. Elizabeth Strub, SHCJ with Linda and Liam Mennis

(1884-1958) (1895-1968) Founding donors of Mayfield Senior School Peter Strub (1916-1965)

wrote the formal case for Cornelia Connelly’s sainthood, a massive undertaking which eventually bestowed Connelly with the title “Venerable”—just a step away from full beatification—in 1992. When Sr. Elizabeth reflects on the role the Society of the Holy Child Jesus has played in her life, she says, “I found my home there. And I still do.”

The Strubs’ two sons, Peter and Robert, went into the family business at Santa Anita, but their two older daughters, Mary and Virginia—who married and started their own families— both served in leadership positions at Holy Child Schools.

Like their parents, Mary Strub Crowe and her sister, Virginia Strub Kelly, had a lifelong devotion to supporting Catholic education. Mary served on Mayfield’s Board of Trustees from 1971 to 1991, and was named an Honorary Trustee in 1995.

And Virginia was one of the founding families of Holy Child Academy in Old Westbury, New York.

Virginia’s daughter, Linda Mennis, carries on the Holy Child connection.

As a child, she attended the Holy Child Academy in Old Westbury, and her daughter, Jessica Mennis Viets ’08, graduated from Mayfield.

Linda continued the family tradition of serving on Mayfield’s Board from 2012 to 2018. She and her husband, Liam, are also Holy Child Associates—lay members of the community who are devoted to the Society’s incarnational spirituality.

“There’s so many ways of being Catholic, but I was raised in the charism of Cornelia, and that still touches me,” Linda says. “I wanted to still be connected to that kind of hope and joy.”

Linda continues to embody the boldness and determination that characterized her grandparents, which she describes as, “Think of what you can do, dream big, and go for it.”

This life-affirming ideology lives on through her daughter, Jessica Mennis Viets ’08, who oversees a social impact initiative through Kate Spade, which empowers and supports female artisans in Rwanda. The “Actions Not Words” ethos is alive in this fourth-generation Strub, whose 21st-century style of philanthropic work could not have been imagined by her great-grandparents, but would not have been possible without the seeds they planted.

We celebrate and honor the entire Strub family, not only for the transformative gift of our Bellefontaine campus, but also for their ongoing support, which has made Mayfield into the place we know and love—our forever home.

Mary Strub Crowe (1920-2009)

m. Art Crowe Mayfield Senior School trustee (1971-1991)

Virginia Strub Kelly (1922-2018)

m. Francis E. Kelly, Jr.

Sr. Elizabeth Strub, SCHJ

Mother Elizabeth Mary Mayfield Senior School teacher (1956-62) and Prefect (1962-66)

Linda Kelly Mennis

m. Liam Mennis Mayfield Senior School trustee (2012-18) Francis Elizabeth Christopher John Andrew Charles

Jessica Mennis Viets ’08

strub hall centennial

Longtime trustee Mary Strub Crowe and her husband, Art

Robert Strub (1918-1993)

Jessica Mennis Viets ’08 with Sr. Barbara Mullen, SHCJ

Mayfield’s yearbook staff dedicated the 1960 issue of Crossroads to their beloved English and French teacher, Sr. Elizabeth Strub, SHCJ—then known as Mother Elizabeth Mary.

“To a friend who has won our confidence and esteem by her warmth and humor, who possesses an uncanny talent for brightening her students’ darkest moments with a witty anecdote or a buoyant word of praise, who has manifested on innumerable occasions her genuine and unfailing interest in each and every one of us ... To Mother Elizabeth Mary, we gratefully and lovingly dedicate the 1960 Crossroads.”

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

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RHAPSODY IN RED Swinging into the Roaring ’20s with a once-in-acentury celebration

Our Gatsby-glam gala channeled all the fun and frivolity of the Jazz Age to mark the 100th birthday of our beloved Strub Hall, and to honor the Strub family for their incredible founding gift to Mayfield Senior School—our beautiful Bellefontaine Street campus.

We were thrilled to welcome members of the family to celebrate with us, and were especially delighted to hear from Sr. Elizabeth Strub, SHCJ, daughter of Charles and Vera Strub, and Mayfield’s prefect from 1962 to 1966, via a heartfelt video message. Sr. Liz said she remembers her time at 500 Bellefontaine as “particularly happy years.”

Our spirited community rallied to mark this Mayfield milestone by raising a record $210,000, and the “Paddles for Pike” paddle raise added $70,000 for a long overdue seating update for Pike Auditorium. Thank you to everyone who joined us at the party or supported the event as a sponsor, underwriter, advertiser or auction item donor.

We salute Benefit Chair Candy Renick (Lucie ’22) and her incredible team of “fabulous flappers” for creating such a fun and memorable evening. What a fantastic celebration of the building we call home, and a precious chance to spend time with our Mayfield friends in a pre-pandemic gathering that we’ll cherish for years to come.

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2020 STRUB HALL CENTENNIAL 1920-2020 POSTSCRIPTS 2020

See more event photos and videos at www.mayfieldsenior.org/rhapsody

2020 POSTSCRIPTS CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF PASADENA HISTORY 2020

43

Mayfield welcomes new Director of Development

Lela Diaz

M

ayfield was thrilled when seasoned fundraiser Lela Diaz accepted the role of Director of Development in early 2020, after longtime department head Angela Howell ’76 was promoted to Associate Head of School for Strategic Initiatives. Most recently Vice President for Advancement at Loyola High School, Lela has led fundraising efforts both nationally and globally, working with a variety of organizations including Feeding America, the Nature Conservancy, Education Above All and Access Living. Lela earned her B.A. in international relations from USC and her Master’s Certificate in philanthropy from Loyola University Chicago.

When it comes to the school’s sustainability and future-focused fundraising initiatives, Angela and Lela will work in partnership with Head of School Kate Morin to ensure that Mayfield continues to garner the necessary financial resources to support the school’s needs for generations to come.

“I am thrilled to be joining Kate, Angela and the entire team as we look to continue to push ourselves forward and shape the future of Mayfield Senior School through the incredible support of our generous community,” Lela said.

“A Mayfield education is such a treasure, and I am honored to work on behalf of our students and faculty.”

Lela also brings a personal connection to Mayfield through her alumnae sisters-in-law, Jacqueline DeHoney ’02 and Allison DeHoney Najoan ’04. A fourth-generation native of Southern California, Lela lives in Pasadena with her husband, Colin DeHoney.

Director of Development Lela Diaz is dreaming big for Mayfield.

What was your first experience of Mayfield?

When I met my husband, Colin DeHoney, at USC, his younger sisters [Jacqueline ’02 and Allison ’04] were students at Mayfield.

I went to Mayfield volleyball games and graduations! So I’ve always known Mayfield intimately through them.

How did you get involved in philanthropy and fundraising?

Being very involved in my youth group at church [Our Lady of the Assumption in Ventura] made me realize there was a bigger world out there. Giving back is part of our family’s Catholic faith, very much core to who we are. I was exposed to the nonprofit world at USC, and saw that it required volunteers to rally together to make things happen.

Coming out of college I knew I was going into something that would make the world a better place, whatever that might be. Right after I graduated, I moved to Costa Rica for a service project, very much boots on the ground—digging trenches, teaching classes, serving the homeless, doing whatever was needed. I loved it. I found my passion in helping others and giving back and doing mission-oriented work.

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What made you return to your SoCal roots?

We had been living in Chicago, and I had been advising clients all over the world on large-scale fundraising initiatives. I decided I wanted to work with something I could see the impact of a little closer—to see something a little more tangible from it. I had been working in education on a global scale, so I was attracted to working at a school. The job at Loyola (my husband’s alma mater!) came up and it was just one of those serendipitous things. So we bought a home here in Pasadena, where Colin grew up, and we really love the community.

What brought you to Mayfield?

Through my work at Loyola, I was able to get to know Angela Howell because we shared similar roles at two different institutions.

We would meet and talk and share best practices—we were good collaborators.

Angela was actually the first one to reach out to me to see if I’d be interested in the Director of Development position! Now we are working very closely together as she transfers over many of her duties, and we will be collaborating on some very important fundraising initiatives as we move forward.

Mt

Lela What do you want to accomplish at Mayfield?

I did a program called “Leadership Women” that helps women become leaders and really find themselves in whatever career path that they’re meant to be in. So the idea of working at a place where I could really directly impact that, not only by being a leader on campus, but by raising financial resources to help this institution accomplish its goals, and ultimately help young women?

That is really motivating to me. If we just can create more people like the young women who come out of this school, only good things will come from that!

the

year in review

2019-20

2019-20 Total Revenue | $11,769,575

REVENUE

Other Revenue 2%

Contributions 12%

t h an k yo u to o

Tuition & Fees 86%

876

ur

20 1

9 - 20

Tuition & Fees

$10,199,575

Contributions

$1,370,000

Other Income

$200,000

Total Revenue

20 d o no r s!

2019-20 Total Expenses | $11,561,000

expenses Salaries & Benefits

Fundraising Expenses 2%

Operational & Plant*

Student Programs & Support 7%

Salaries & Benefits 67%

Financial Aid 12%

stu

Scholarship 31%

Faculty 5%

$866,000

Fundraising Expenses

$210,000

$11,561,000

*includes depreciation

fi n a

n c i a l ai d

$1,325,000

Student Programs & Support

d e n ts w h o r e

c ei

Endowment (june 30, 2020) Scholarship

Program 9%

$ 1,408,000

ve

37%

Endowment (June 30,2020) | $10,320,000

$7,752,000

Financial Aid

Total Expenses

Operational & Plant 12%

Unrestricted 55%

$11,769,575

$3,250,000

Program

$900,000

Faculty

$500,000

Unrestricted

Total Endowment

$5,670,000

$10,320,000

Unaudited figures as of July 15, 2020

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

45

In Celebration of

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POSTSCRIPTS 2020

Our Benefactors Annual Donor Party On Sunday, June 9, 2019, benefactors gathered at Mayfield Senior School for our annual Donor Mass and Reception. Head of School Kate Morin shared the successes of the year and reflected on how Holy Child education is enriched by the generosity of our donors, who make the love of learning possible. This annual celebration recognizes donors who have contributed $2,500 or more to the school.

Head’s Circle Dinner On Sunday, September 15, 2019, Kate and Skip Morin welcomed Head’s Circle donors ($10,000+) to their home for a festive dinner. This casual event is an annual favorite for our leadership donors, who enjoy reconnecting (and Kate’s homemade cupcakes!) as they learn more about Mayfield’s current and future vision. Most importantly, it’s Kate’s way of expressing her sincere gratitude to these supporters for making our school a philanthropic priority.

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

47

“Heroes” honor the Class of 2020 Each spring, we ask the Mayfield Senior School community to “Be Our Heroes,” and every year they rally to support our school on this annual day of giving. In this unusual and very challenging year, Ana and George Raptis (Sofie ’17 and Katerina ’20) and Maricel and Tony de Cardenas (Victoria ’20 and Olivia ’22) stepped up with a $20,000 challenge gift in honor of the entire Class of 2020. Thank you Ana, George, Maricel and Tony—we’re beyond grateful for your generosity.

A Family’s Holy Child Tradition

F

or the Hamilton family, Mayfield Senior School is a tradition, passed down for generations. Four of Ann and Rob Hamilton’s six children, Alyce Easton ’88, Robyn Tillman ’89, Denise Hamilton ’93 and Pamela Hamilton Baker ’95, and two of their granddaughters, Hayley Easton ’17 and Bethany Easton ’18, attended Mayfield.

Ann and Rob are ensuring the Mayfield tradition continues for other families with the establishment of the Pamela Hamilton Baker ’95 Scholarship Endowment in honor of their youngest daughter, who passed away in 2019.

Pamela had a divine gift with animals, a flair for design, and found great joy in writing. “I cannot remember a time when Pamela did not have a pencil or pen in her hand,” Rob said. “She was always writing, and she wrote on anything she could get her hands on.”

In recognition of Pamela’s love of the written word, the family has requested that the scholarship recipient shares a love for poetry. “Pamela loved Mayfield, especially her writing class,” said Ann. “Poetry was her passion.”

Ann described her daughter’s distinct unselfishness, a kindness she shared with pets and people in equal measure: “Pamela had a big heart, and she never met anyone she didn’t like. She was kind and generous and did all things with great love.”

One glance around the Hamiltons’ living room confirms the significance of Mayfield to this family’s legacy. Photographs of graduations and fatherdaughter nights are on display. “When my children went to Mayfield, they made lifelong friends, and they’re still very close to this day,” Ann said.

“Mayfield prepared them for their future. People don’t know how rare it is to go to a school like Mayfield.”

Before making this enduring gift to Mayfield, Ann and Rob consulted their family about the scholarship as a way to honor Pamela. Everyone agreed it was a wonderful idea, and the family plans to grow this endowment in the future.

“We wanted to establish an endowment so it could go on as long as it can,” Ann said. “In this environment, it is awfully hard for kids to afford going to the school of their choice. We want to help make it possible.” Ann hopes that Pamela’s spirit of generosity lives on through this gift, and is a blessing to the students who will benefit from it.

To learn more about making a gift to Mayfield Senior School or leaving a legacy, please contact Lela Diaz at lela.diaz@mayfieldsenior.org or (626) 204-1028.

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POSTSCRIPTS 2020

We were especially moved by this deeply personal story Ana shared to explain why her daughter and niece—and all of our graduating seniors—are blessings of light in our world.

“This class is very special. They were brought into our world the year our country was shaken to its core, the year of 9/11. Both Maricel and I were pregnant during the attack and delivered a few months after. That entire class of graduates... brought each of our families immense joy during those dark days, and they bring us immense joy through these troubling times. As babies, they were our most tender gift from God; as graduates, they are tomorrow’s leaders prepared with a Holy Child education and a lot of grit from this COVID experience. God bless each one of them, and God bless each teacher, administrator, and staff member at Mayfield who has cared for them, educated them, and inspired them!”

Cousins Victoria de Cardenas ’20 and Katerina Raptis ’20 celebrated their graduation as a family.

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

49

A singular senior-year experience Lockdown may have kept them apart, but their Mayfield spirit—and hundreds of individual “Actions Not Words” acts of love—brought the Class of 2020 together.

Home-delivered Senior Tea hampers Mayfield faculty and staff fanned out over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond to deliver a tea-for-two care package—including Kate Morin’s homemade cupcakes!—to each family’s home, so senior students and their moms could still share a special “quarantea” celebration together.

Car caravan with faculty and staff cheer squad

What a fun and (literally!) moving tribute to this very special class. Our annual college car decorating day, which is usually a communal laugh-fest in the senior parking lot, was transformed into a jubilant car parade through campus, where students were cheered on by mask-wearing, sociallydistanced faculty and staff.

Cubs spirit kits and moraleboosting messages Mayfield also commemorated this special group of seniors by delivering personalized yard signs and Mayfield felt pennants, as well as more intangible mementos, like the Class of 2020 teacher tribute page, where each senior received a personal note from a faculty member and their “little sister,” and a digital message board, filled to the brim with messages of encouragement from alumnae and other members of our Mayfield family.

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POSTSCRIPTS 2020

CLASS OF 2020 “The Class of 2020 shows us what the future could look like.

It is filled with kindness, openness, understanding, inclusion and respect. It is filled with love.”

— KATE MORIN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

CONGRATULATIONS

Class of 2020!

Marathon commencement celebrations shower the Class of 2020 with love—and air hugs— in 77 separate ceremonies.

In a year of radical change, Mayfield creatively reimagined our cherished rites of passage for graduating seniors, honoring old traditions, while embracing new ways of celebrating milestone moments.

With typical commencement celebrations out of the question for Class of 2020, Mayfield orchestrated individual mini-ceremonies for each of our 77 seniors over the course of five days. The girls wore their white gowns and gloves, carried their red roses and received their Holy Child medallions and diplomas from their families. They even did their own solo versions of the iconic rose petal toss!

Students and their families then sat down together on Sunday, June 7 for a virtual “watch party” of their official commencement video, a 90-minute compilation of each student’s diploma presentation and traditional commencement speeches, including an address by Jessica Mennis Viets ’08 and a blessing from Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. But the beauty of the proceedings didn’t ignore the history being made around this graduating class. Students and their parents arrived on campus wearing face masks as COVID-19 cases continued to increase in Southern California. Some families had to reschedule their celebration sessions as Los Angeles County imposed curfews in the wake of citywide social justice protests. But this class wasn’t disheartened by their senior-year curve balls— they were strengthened and energized.

“Each member of this class has a passion and drive because of Mayfield,” Senior Class President Paloma Torres ’20 said in her commencement speech.

“We were taught ‘Actions Not Words,’ thus we are a class that is globally minded, aware of our responsibility to use the voice and the privilege that we have been blessed with. And with that, we create a better world.”

Head of School Kate Morin said she knew this group of girls would make their mark on Mayfield when she first met them as ninth graders: “In my many long years as an educator, spending most of my waking hours thinking about and delighting in teenagers, I have never been as touched and inspired more than I have been by this group of girls.”

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

51

Marie Michele Campbell

Magnolia Sylvie Katz

University of Oregon

University of California, Santa Barbara

Aja Simone Carlisle

Samantha Hatch Kennedy

Howard University

Gonzaga University

Mayfield Academic Award for Theology Katherine Christina Christensen Seton Hall University

Jenna Danielle Khachatourian§ University of Oregon

Lauren Alissa Clawson§

Mayfield Academic Award for Dance

University of California, Berkeley

Mayfield Academic Award for Spanish

Fatima Khan*§ George Washington University

Vienna Francesca Copado§

Mayfield Award of Merit for Liberal Arts

College of the Holy Cross

Knights of Columbus Pro Deo Et Patria Award Archdiocesan Christian Service Award

Isabel Margaret Kiechler* Santa Clara University

Mayfield Academic Award for Mathematics Carrie Michelle Cuenca Paloma Torres, winner of Mayfield’s highest honor, the Cornelia Connelly Award, with parents Tomas and Michelle Torres and brother Camilo.

Mount Holyoke College

Mia Chiemi Koga*

Mayfield Academic Award for Dance Performance

University of California, San Diego

Victoria Isabel de Cardenas

Catherine Rose Mansour*

Pasadena City College

University of San Diego

(Trojan Transfer Program to USC)

Audrey Nicole Akins University of California, Santa Barbara

Sofia Grace Avila* University of California, Berkeley

Cynthia Violet Ayer Pratt Institute

Daniela Lynnette Bachman Loyola University Chicago

Mayfield Academic Award for Athletics Julianna Bayramyan Glendale Community College

Agueda Isabel Berlot*§ University of California, Davis

Mayfield Academic Award for French Audrey Frances Bland Santa Clara University

Nia Enid Bowdoin* California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo

Madison Rose Brooks* Tulane University

Jordan Maya Brown Lewis & Clark

Rory Caroline Burke* Pasadena City College (Trojan Transfer Program to USC)

Mayfield Academic Award for Theatre Isabela Lucía Cacho-Sousa§ University of Chicago

Emma Sophia Cadena University of California, Santa Cruz

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POSTSCRIPTS 2020

Amanda Wan-Yin Mar Ella Frances DesHotel

University of California, Los Angeles

University of Southern California

Mayfield Academic Award for Mandarin

Mia Rose Dixon

Molly Catherine Marsh

Texas Christian University

University of Oklahoma

Hayley Alexis Eaves

Angela Martinez

Texas Christian University

Mount Saint Mary’s University

Evelyn Maya Favretto

Lily Jensen Mendez*

St. Olaf College

University of Arizona

Abigail Margaret Gagnier

Sofia Amalia Mireles*

University of California, Santa Barbara

University of California, Berkeley

Mayfield Academic Award for Vocal Music

National Hispanic Scholar

Vanessa Andrea Gaona§

Margaret Elizabeth Moffat*§

Baylor University

Northeastern University

Miranda Elle Garcia University of San Francisco

Academic Athlete Award National Merit Commended Scholar National Hispanic Scholar

Harlow Wells Glenn*§

Jadyn Rain Norris Sarno

Furman University

Columbia College Chicago

Cameron Alexis Gomez*

Solunna N. Nwankwo

University of Southern California

University of Pennsylvania

Mayfield Award of Merit for Mathematics and Science Nadia Dominique O’Reilly Abigail Rose Grohs

University of Southern California

Art Center College of Design

Wanqing (Fiona) Pan§ Lucy Williams Howell

University of Southern California

University of Oregon

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Pike Award (Highest Academic Average)

Texas Christian University

National Merit Commended Scholar Mayfield Academic Award for Science

Julia Carole Katz

Brianna Rachel Perez

Texas Christian University

California Polytechnic University, Pomona

Elena R. Jardino

Mayfield Academic Award for Visual Arts

CLASS OF 2020

Wanqing (Fiona) Pan, winner of the Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Pike Award for the highest four-year academic average, with parents Jennifer Ma and Feng Pan.

Ashley Nicole Pinon

Alexandra Shoshana Thomson

University of Oregon

University of Chicago

Gabriella Maggie Pontrelli

Mayfield Academic Award for Instrumental Music Mayfield Academic Award for Latin

University of Colorado, Boulder

Paloma Maria Torres§ Katerina Maria Raptis*§

University of California, Berkeley

Wake Forest University

Southern Methodist University

Cornelia Connelly Award (Mayfield’s Highest Honor) The Mayfield Award Mayfield Academic Award for English Senior Class President

Lauren Darline Robles§

Isabel Mary Valenzuela

Pitzer College

University of California, San Diego

Haley Kaye Reed

National Hispanic Scholar Marina Penelope Rodriguez-Garcia Pitzer College

Sophia Maria Valle-Paz*§ California State University, Northridge

Alexia Gregoria Noura Saigh*§

Mayfield Award of Merit for Fine Arts

University of California, Los Angeles

Mayfield Academic Award for Photography

Halle Hana Villalobos* University of California, Los Angeles

Agnese Ixtlilxochitl Sanavio§ University of California, Berkeley

Anastasia Domingo Vu Boston College

Sarah Catherine Smith§

Mayfield Academic Award for Mathematics

University of Southern California

Emily Jean Murphy Wallace Harrisan Victoria Smyser§ University of Connecticut

Claire Chandler Williamson Southern Methodist University

Emma Isabella Stolpe* Boston College

Brenda Bene Wilmore University of Miami

Lauren Aiko Lina Perez Sugiyama*§

Mayfield Academic Award for Social Science

Saint Louis University

Kaitlin Lanh Thomas

Taylin Rae Yankovich

Steffi Illiana Zavaleta

George Washington University

Marist College

Yalda E. Zadeh

Jessica Rae Zovak

University of California, Los Angeles

Loyola University, Chicago

Loyola University, Chicago

*California Scholarship Federation Sealbearer § National Honor Society Member College decisions as of June 7, 2020

Senior Class President Paloma Torres’s moving commencement speech was shared with the Class of 2020 via video on Sunday, June 7.

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

53

Alumnae Updates A familiar Mayfield face embraces a new role Many of you know Nicole Cosand, who has served the Mayfield community for the past nine years as our Director of Annual Giving and Alumnae Relations. Nicole will now be focusing 100% of her energies on serving Mayfield’s alumnae community as our new Director of Alumnae Engagement.

“I am so thrilled to continue my work at Mayfield,” Nicole said.

“Mayfield’s alumnae welcomed me with open arms nine years ago, and working closely with everyone in Alumnae Council and our community on class reunions, career and service days, networking mixers and so much more, has truly brought me a lot of Mayfield joy!”

If you haven’t already met, Nicole would love to say hello! She welcomes your calls and emails at (626) 799-9121, ext. 226 or nicole. cosand@mayfieldsenior.org.

Kayla Yokoyama Dodge ’07 helped organize the annual alumnae donation effort for the women of South Central LAMP.

Alumnae send warm wishes to the moms of LAMP Each January, Mayfield alumnae collect and donate winter gifts to the moms at South Central LAMP, a special ministry of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. For this year’s “Actions Not Words” effort, alums assembled “winter start-up kits” with top-totoe cold-weather essentials including hats, gloves, socks, rain boots and hand lotion. “Thank you so much for organizing this great gift for the women,” said Diana Pinto, Executive Director of South Central LAMP. “Please pass on our gratitude to everyone!”

Thank you to our Mayfield alumnae and families for your generous donations, and special shout-outs to 2019-20 Alumnae Council President Kayla Yokoyama Dodge ’07 for rallying the troops, to Jessica Harley James ’95 for her beautiful calligraphy on the name tags, and to Irene Izquierdo Patterson ’83 and Carolyn Cota ’06, who joined us at LAMP to share the goodie bags. Stay tuned for more ways to support this Holy Child ministry.

Call for participation on Alum Advisory Board

As Mayfield moves forward with an action-based commitment to anti-racism in all sectors, we would be honored for our alums to participate on our Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alum Advisory Board. Current and future Mayfield students will benefit from your courage, insight and guidance. To get involved, please email Nicole Cosand at nicole.cosand@mayfieldsenior.org.

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POSTSCRIPTS 2020

ALUMNAE UPDATES

The Class of 1966 rocks!

The intrepid and inspiring Class of 1966 has once again made Mayfield history. Their “Actions Not Words” support of our Alumnae Holy Child Scholarship Fund has made them the first class ever to win both Alumnae Giving Award trophies four times— no other class has ever achieved both top giving honors!

This year, they raised over $14,000 for our Holy Child Scholars, with donations from an impressive 75% of their class—that’s more than double the participation of the runner-up class. This spirited group of Mayfield-loving ladies has stayed closely connected to each other and to their alma mater for more than 50 years, and has supported the Holy Child Scholarship Fund since its launch in 1990.

We say a huge thank you to the Class of 1966 for their ongoing support, and a special shout-out to their fearless leader, Annette Carhartt Brandin ’66, for tirelessly rallying her class to give with generous hearts.

Classmate and lifelong friend Candida Genzmer Crowe ’66 calls Annette “the glue that binds the Class of ’66 together” and Anne Kortlander ’66 agrees, adding that Annette “has always been a rock for our class.”

The Class of 1966 celebrated their 50th class reunion in 2016.

(Annette Carhartt Brandin ’66 is in the front row, holding the trophy!)

Go Cubs! Our annual Alumnae Games are always a win-win proposition!

These fun sports match-ups bring current and former Cubs athletes together for a little friendly competition and a huge dose of Mayfield spirit. Thanks to all the alum athletes who played—see you in spring 2021!

It’s a date. It was so great to have our alums home for Mayfield Night Out last year! Things will definitely look a little different (and distanced!) this year, but we hope you’ll host your own Zoom get-togethers on Sept. 3, 2020 to celebrate your Mayfield sisters. Stay tuned—more information to come via email!

College counseling. Huge thanks to the young alums who stopped by 500 Bellefontaine in January 2020 to share their wisdom with our collegebound Cubs. Our students got great advice from Mayfield grads who are doing amazing things—from astrophysics to business tech—at colleges including Yale, Harvard, Loyola Marymount University, Notre Dame, Occidental College, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Chapman and more. We are so proud of you all!

Come together. This year has separated us physically but brought us together in new ways, opening the door for many out-of-town alumnae to join us for Alumnae Council meetings, book club discussions and group workouts. Our virtual alumnae sisterhood is growing, and we hope you’ll join us! Our meetings for 2020-21 are set for Oct. 7, Dec. 10, Feb. 9 and June 16.

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

55

Reena Vishwanath Thomas ’98 says Mayfield cemented her confidence early on

Neuro-oncologist Reena Vishwanath Thomas ’98 also serves as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Stanford’s neurology department.

T

here is a long list of things that make Dr. Reena Vishwanath Thomas ’98 a memorable figure, from her impressive medical and academic accomplishments to the zeal she brings to every endeavor, from motherhood to fitness. But after a conversation with Reena, if you remember nothing else, you will remember her laugh.

It is unrestrained and unforgettable. It’s the kind of laugh that manages to be both irreverent and inclusive, as if to say: The world may have gone crazy, but the two of us are in on the joke.

Reena has long thought about how her high school years may have influenced the neuro-oncology practice and research she does now. “I absolutely attribute my comfort in very male-dominated fields” to her single-sex education. She recalls that her “outspoken nature” and “confidence” were appreciated and nurtured at a critical juncture during her teens. “I definitely think the kind of foundation in who I am, and what I do, comes from Mayfield, for sure.”

After Reena graduated from Mayfield, she headed east—to Cornell in New York for undergrad and Georgetown in Washington, D.C., for medical school— before returning to California to complete her residency at Stanford. Her brother’s experiences with childhood epilepsy ignited her interest in neuroscience early on, and Reena eventually decided to specialize in neuro-oncology. Today, she continues to teach and practice at the

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POSTSCRIPTS 2020

Stanford University School of Medicine.

Her professional trajectory is unusual among her female counterparts. “In academic medicine, you’re both a professor as well as a physician... you often have to do research, publish, write grants, do the academic side of medicine as well, in addition to the clinical side of medicine,” Reena explains. “That’s where there’s a big drop-off... not many women at all enter academic medicine and then stay and ascend the ranks.” Reena shakes her head, her smile a little more rueful.

“That’s where I think the confidence, the ability to communicate effectively... that’s where Mayfield had a significant impact.”

Reena talks about the challenging courses at Mayfield that laid the initial groundwork for pre-med, like physics with Mr. Rush and AP Bio with Ms. Peters.

“I loved Mrs. Tighe... but I used to get in trouble for talking in her class!” Reena cackles. “I’d get my name put up on the board!” And it wasn’t just the classes that felt formational to her. The way she was

“There is something about Mayfield that promotes ambition, self-driven motivation, and a kind of independent spirit.”

— DR. REENA VISHWANATH THOMAS ’98

able to participate in Varsity sports and APs, without having to sacrifice one for the other, was meaningful too. “There is something about Mayfield that promotes ambition, self-driven motivation, and a kind of independent spirit,” says Reena.

Reena, who is also the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Stanford’s neurology department, has a special focus on “recruiting and mentoring folks from underrepresented backgrounds.”

She wants young people to go into the profession clear-eyed about what they are getting into. “I tell anyone that I mentor that going into medicine is not a career

that you do to make money, or reach a stature because of what your family wants you to do.” Reena reflects on what she sees as the core of her profession: “You take a Hippocratic Oath to the health and safety of others—others in front of you, frankly.”

And what is it like to be practicing medicine in the time of COVID-19?

“I personally feel very strongly that medicine is not a job,” says Reena, “it’s a calling.” Reena lives with her husband, Ahmad, and their two sons, James, 8, and Julian, 5. “I explained to my kids and have to remind them that mom has to go to work when everyone else is staying home, and they get it... they grew up knowing that is a big part of who I am.”

Reena’s sister, Anita Vishwanath Fears ’99, is not only a fellow Mayfield alum, but also a fellow medical doctor.

She works on the front lines inside an emergency department in San Bernardino County. Thankfully, amid this health crisis, Anita, Reena, and their families remain healthy.

During this period of “shelter in place” and “safer at home,” Reena says educators should be getting a lot more credit. “The fact they’ve had to change everything to virtual learning in such a short period of time—it’s not easy to do. And also usually having families of their own, kids of their own.” And there is Reena’s smile again—somehow serious, playful, and appreciative, all at the same time.

“Teachers are the true unsung heroes of COVID-19,” she says.

Reena and her sons, James, 8, and Julian, 5, at Mayfield

ALUMNAE IN ACTION

Marina Marmolejo ’13

builds DreamKit to empower homeless youth W

hen Marina Marmolejo ’13 graduated with her Master’s from the Yale School of Public Health with an idea for an app to support young people experiencing homelessness, she had her work cut out for her. Now, young adults can earn DreamKit points by attending community-hosted events like case management meetings, parenting classes and resume-building workshops, and they can use these points to “buy” food, hygiene products or even haircuts. As they build new skills, members can also use their DreamKit profile like a resume to find jobs, housing and mentors. Marina assembled a dedicated team, including youths who have faced homelessness, to build and scale the app, but then COVID-19 hit, and she had to reconsider her entire organizational model.

“It was wild,” says Marina. “It’s so hard because nobody knows how to plan for this.” So DreamKit did a quick pivot, and Marina took its services virtual. “We could no longer rely on other folks doing great work in the community to host DreamKit events. Now we had to create everything internally.”

She and her team posted videos on how to make quick meals, shared stress-coping techniques, and set up a phone hotline. They pioneered new partnerships and worked even harder to make sure the people using the app didn’t fall through the cracks.

And instead of shutting down their project, like many other ventures have done during this pandemic, DreamKit onboarded 19 new summer interns.

At 25 years old, Marina credits Mayfield for helping her hone a sense of purpose at such a young age. “As a teenager, being part of an educational community that emphasizes social justice so much, it’s almost impossible to avoid this type of thinking in your adult life.” She laughs, reflecting on how she used to think the Holy Child pedagogy was shared across most high schools. “I just thought it was normal to have speakers come in and talk about

how they are working with at-risk populations and different career paths you could take.” Finding a direction that was linked to care and community, for Marina, was “a no-brainer.”

But Marina has chosen a cause that many people have a hard time even discussing. “Homeless or not, poverty is just uncomfortable. Poverty is something that makes you feel guilty if you don’t experience it or know how to engage with it.” Marina notes how quickly people want to distance themselves from this discomfort, falling into “easy coping mechanisms to shut it off.”

The approach has to be: “I hear you, I see you, I want to learn from you.”

— MARINA MARMOLEJO ’13

The stories we tell about homelessness are as pervasive as they are pernicious, says Marina. We know the lines like: people are on the street because they made bad choices. Even referring to a population as “homeless” isn’t straightforward, because it doesn’t give an accurate view of the housing challenges that youths really face. There are reasons these young people left their homes: physical abuse, drug use, families who rejected their sexual or gender identity.

Marina prefers the term “unstably housed” because, at any given point, these youths could easily be on the street.

Exclusion and “othering” are ideas that Marina has thought a lot about.

Socioeconomic status wasn’t discussed much at her schools, but Marina remembers her own sense of anxiety growing up in certain unfamiliar spaces.

“You go to people’s houses and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, these multi-milliondollar houses,’ and you don’t have that.”

But when DreamKit eventually moves out of its pilot stage in New Haven, Connecticut, Marina will often

Social justice entrepreneur Marina Marmolejo ’13 said she’s had “no wasted days.”

be the bridge between the population she serves and the people who have the resources to offer financial support. And as she moves between communities, Marina’s work aligns closely with Catholic social justice teachings: When you “recognize those who are being excluded, you have a responsibility to bring them into the circle.”

Marina describes what it looks like to build meaningful experiences of trust, especially when engaging with people who come from different backgrounds.

The approach has to be: “I hear you, I see you, I want to learn from you.” When you realize that the people you’re hoping to help understand their own challenges much more than you do, and you empower them with decision-making agency, the power dynamic can start to shift, Marina says. “It’s a journey.”

In spite of the uncertainties ahead, Marina loves what she does, and knows a lot of people her age are still struggling to find their career path. “I feel really, really lucky,” she says. “One hundred percent I feel like I’ve had no wasted days.”

Marina Marmolejo ’13 also went to Mayfield Junior School, earned her B.A. in Health and Human Sciences from Loyola Marymount University and graduated from the Yale School of Public Health in May 2020 with an MPH. To learn more about DreamKit or to support Marina’s work with homeless youth, go to www.dreamkitapp.com.

(Look closely at the team page and you may recognize another Mayfield alumna—Kaitlyn Maddigan ’17, who’s currently studying at Loyola Marymount University, and works with DreamKit as a Youth Communications Specialist.)

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Class Notes G H 1950s

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Alice Miller Henry-Taylor ’52 “I’ve outdone

myself during these past few months! I digitized my20 photo albums from 19482006! My car upholstery was repaired, the recall taken care of, and a fabulous detail! Plumbing issue handled and my carpets cleaned. Have walked six miles per day—with every phone call, I started walking! Many picnics in local parks, armed with all the cleaning gear and measured distance. I resumed my volunteer work a month ago with people who had been isolated for two months. As we come into what’s being called the ‘new normal,’ I pray that each of us stays healthy and virus-free and, hopefully, the world will at last discover peace.” Juliette Cevola Becker ’56 Ph.D. “I celebrated my 82nd birthday in September 2019. In honor of this new decade that I am in, I have taken my art in a different direction. My recent painting, a self-portrait, really shows how I have changed. I am not really sure what inspired me to go that way, but something inside pushes me to continue exploring new ways of expression.

As I have carried with me every day since I first walked into the main hall of Mayfield in 1952, I have lived by the motto ‘Actions Not Words.’ I hope to be able to continue to create throughout the rest of my life. Turning 80 was a pivotal moment for me. I had just retired from

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private practice that I shared with my husband, Vance, in California. We had made an intentional decision to move to Washington when we retired. So, we sold our home and practice and made the giant move to Gig Harbor, Washington, to start a new adventure. It has not disappointed.

Moving across a few states after 79 years was no easy feat. But we are very happy here. The pace of life is different where we live. People, in general, are friendly and kind. They greet you at stores here and acknowledge you. It had ceased to be that way in Newport. The pace of life had become strained and difficult. While we lived in such beauty, it was marred by the constant urge of others around us to succeed at any cost. Maybe it is because we are now in the winter of our lives, but it seemed too much to tolerate anymore. We miss our friends and family but are content with the choice that we made. It has invigorated our lives. My husband has written a book and is now working on his second. He spent the first two years taking creative writing at the University of Washington. I have become enmeshed in the vast art colony here. I paint almost every day and have tried all different kinds of mediums and methods. It gives me great pleasure and stimulates my brain cells. I have even entered several art shows and contests.

My new friends are all artists. All this to say to you Mayfield alums who followed me, live by the motto. It will serve you well. Mayfield had the most impact on my life than any other school I attended.

It has allowed me to succeed in areas that I never thought possible. It taught me that there is new life constantly being generated deep inside me. All you have to do is reach out and find it and make it your own. Congratulations Class of 2020. You graduated in a historical moment in time. While you were not able to fully experience the traditional Mayfield graduation, it seems every effort was made to give you as close to that experience as it could be. Mayfield always comes through with their traditions. They may seem unimportant

Sr. Suzanne Snyder ’53, SHCJ (1936-2020) Farewell to a joyful friend and compassionate advocate We celebrate the life of alumna, teacher and social worker Sr. Suzanne Snyder ’53, SHCJ, who was a Sister of the Holy Child Jesus for 64 years. Sr. Sue entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus after graduating from Mayfield, and returned to 500 Bellefontaine as an American Literature and World Religions teacher from 1969 to 1973. She also served on Mayfield’s Board of Trustees from 1975 to 1976. A true “Actions Not Words” role model, Sr. Sue’s real passion was working with marginalized people. She spent many years doing prison ministry and pastoral work before founding the Social Service Center of Holy Cross Parish in South Central Los Angeles in 1984. Sr. Sue moved to San Diego in 1999 to continue her work with at-risk children as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. She spent the last four years at the Holy Child Center in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, where she was cherished for her fun-loving and generous spirit. Mayfield has dedicated a garden in Sr. Sue’s honor in Cornelia’s Courtyard, behind Strub Hall.

“May her memory be a blessing—I learned a lot about how to be an activist, ally and social worker from Sister Sue.” — CAITLIN TURNER ROBINSON ’98

now, but as you grow in maturity, you will find they bring you much comfort and confidence. You have challenging times ahead, and your education will be your fortress.” 1

Sheila McNiff, SHCJ ’56 “I was a flower girl for Lorena Jarrett ’45 while in pre-school at

‘little Mayfield.’ The following year, I was a flower girl for Alice Piper Cestari ’46. The graduation was on the stage of the school auditorium. Each graduate had a flower girl who was wearing a long white First Communion dress. I don’t remember if the graduates were wearing the same white dress. Red roses were carried by each young woman, and the class may have had five graduates. We knew all the students at Mayfield in those days— around 90 students in grades K-12! This year, in 2020, I was in awe of the women who were graduating. They carry the hope of the future. Now, they believe that playing an active role in shaping a future full of meaning is essential and our prayer continues that they will be sustained by all of us.”

a child and the difficulties with her husband, Pierce Connelly. I have had (as many people have) experiences of sorrow and loss as she did. But I am grateful for them—they have provided conduits for an understanding of the many people in this world who suffer. I have had the privilege of working with the mentally ill and disadvantaged and trodden-upon people.

‘Actions Not Words’ has become part of me. That is why I’m writing to express my gratitude.” Teresa Kaufman Hall ’63 Wally and I celebrated our 50th Anniversary in 2019! Class of 1966 They’ve done it

again—the indomitable Class of 1966 has won the Class Giving Participation Award trophy for a record 14th time! See page 55 for more details. Sally McFadden Gordon ’67 “Just wanted to bring you up to date with what is going on with me in the hope that my fellow classmates will do the same. I am still living in Napa and, on occasion, run into Paul Moser, my prom date from Loyola High School, who has been a winemaker in the Napa Valley for many years. That being said, I am still happily married to my artist husband, Steve Gordon. His website is

2020 CORNELIAN AWARD Todd Warner Jackson ’57 with student book reviewers from the Cornelia Connelly Center in Manhattan

1960s

Penelope Wright ’61 “I am writing to

comment on the motto ‘Actions Not Words,’ and express my gratitude for attending Mayfield and experiencing the influences of Cornelia Connelly. I was taught by the nuns of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus for grades four through eight at Assumption of the B.V.M. School and grades nine through 12 at Mayfield Senior School. Her example helped form my moral core, which affects my life, experiences and choices to this day. I probably exasperated the nuns many times. In sixth grade I made spitballs to spit at a boy in my class.

The black crepe paper I used turned my mouth green. Sister Philomena washed my mouth out with soap—not a pleasant experience! In 10th grade I took my younger brother’s coonskin cap to school. This was the heyday of Davy Crockett. I don’t know why I took it in. Apparently, I hung it on one of the sconces in the library and forgot about it; it became overly warm from the light bulb and began to smolder during the night and filled the convent with smoke.

My mother received a late-night phone call. I had a serious talk—or listen—the next day with Mother Wilfrid. I was not known for my scholastic or behavioral prowess, but I did receive the Bank of America Future Promise in the Arts award at graduation. I think ‘Actions Not Words’ is shorthand for the works of mercy—visiting the imprisoned, feeding the hungry and so on. I remember the sorrows in her life, for example, losing

Susan “Todd” Warner Jackson ’57 Susan “Todd” Warner Jackson ’57 has spent a lifetime helping young people succeed at school, particularly those who need a guiding hand. After many years as an educator and learning specialist, she became co-director of the “Young Reviewers” program for the Bank Street College of Education’s Children’s Book Committee, where she has volunteered for the past 20 years. This role combines her two favorite things: literature and working with children.

Even in retirement, Todd is eager to share her passion for reading with the next generation. She particularly enjoys recruiting young reviewers for the Bank Street book committee, which evaluates titles for their literary quality and emotional impact. “I like to have a diverse group,” Todd explained. “I’ve worked with a range of ages, and it’s always interesting. Kids really are sensitive readers.”

Todd credits Mayfield as a turning point in her life, although she only attended for two years. After her family relocated from the East Coast, she quickly found her place in the tight-knit class of 25 students, making lasting friendships with women she still stays in contact with. Todd and her best friend, Becky Peters O’Malley ’57, remain close, and Todd recently helped Becky celebrate her 60th wedding anniversary via Zoom.

Currently Todd divides her time between Essex Meadows and New York City, and keeps her Actions Not Words spirit alive by volunteering with the Cornelia Connelly Center in Manhattan, a Holy Child middle school that serves at-risk children. Over the past four years, she has added to their library, arranged literary workshops and author visits, and recruited students as members of her “Young Reviewers” team.

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Sr. Anne Kelley ’65 Sr. Anne Kelley ’65, RGS has devoted the past 50 years to serving and supporting the vulnerable, especially women and children.

When Sr. Anne first met the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, who were then serving teenage girls fleeing abusive homes, she quickly came to a revelation: “The only difference between me and these girls is the opportunities they did not have,” she said. “I had far more than one person should have, and those gifts need to be shared.”

Although Sr. Anne didn’t graduate from Mayfield, she loved everything at the school: the girls, the faculty, the equestrian team, and, most especially, the spirit of “Actions Not Words.”

In 1994, Sr. Anne became Executive Director of Good Shepherd Shelter in Los Angeles, serving mothers and their children experiencing domestic violence. Sr. Anne’s

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Bay Area-based Mayfield alumnae volunteer with Sr. Anne at the Good Shepherd Gracenter in San Francisco.

unflappable determination and unmatched charisma inspired Mayfield students and alumnae to host holiday celebrations for the families at the shelter for more than 20 years, and many Mayfield graduates still reflect on those transformational experiences.

Since 2016, Sr. Anne has been Associate Executive Director at the Good Shepherd Gracenter in San Francisco, an addiction recovery program for women lacking resources. She recently raised $500,000 to expand the program.

Sr. Anne prefers to honor others rather than receive accolades herself, but is pleased to see the emphasis Mayfield places on giving back. “There are so many ways to give and so many people who need their talents, love and generosity. Mayfield teaches this well, models it well and launches it well. That makes me very proud to be a Mayfielder.”

thegordongallery.com. We are feeling a bit guilty about how nice sheltering in place has been for us and how fabulous our garden looks this year. I went back to UC Davis to be certified as a life coach and have been practicing for the last two years. What a great transition from restaurant owner! I am still listening to the same things that my customers came to me about, but now I know what to say to make a difference. Our son, Gabriel, is still in Portland with his lovely girlfriend, and we miss seeing them both.” Pamela McCarroll Thies ’67 “I maintain friendships with many classmates, including Kathy Wickman Setina ’67 and Paige Merrill Baker ’67.

My dear husband, Kent, and I have been married for 44 years and are loving retirement. We have three children and two grandchildren, and all but our daughter Madeline reside in Portland living happy, healthy lives. Madeline lives in San Francisco but visits us frequently.

We still have candlelight family dinners with flowers, something my children remember fondly from childhood. We most recently rode horses in Argentina and then boarded an icebreaker and docked on the Antarctic for 11 days of solitude. We also managed to ride horses on the banks of the Zambezi River, helicopter into Victoria Falls gorge, mountain bike on safari in Botswana and ride around the Cape of Good Hope and up the western cliffs of South Africa. We are lucky indeed! Class of 1969 celebrated their 50th reunion at the home of Wendy Baker Hein ’69 last fall. Kathleen Clary Miller ’69 “It may not have been a lovely luncheon at Fashion Island, where we usually meet, but on July 15, 2020, at noon, Erin Moore ’69 gathered those of us who were able to attend from the Class of 1969 on a Zoom call. Each of us spoke of

our experience with COVID-19: What had we been up to, or not? How did this new world make us feel? The overriding response was ‘grateful.’ Despite the hardships, the loneliness in some cases, the loss of touch from family and friends, the difficulty of working from home in some cases, we all felt gratitude to be well, safe, and with each other on the day.

A couple of us have now survived breast cancer, lost husbands, even faced the death of a classmate—we each revealed the challenges we’ve faced since last we gathered. Seeing the faces we love and trust brought us great joy in a time when joy is not front-page news. Erin moderated, making sure that each person told her story, stories that continue no matter how many years pass, regardless of the circumstances we are living in. We raised a glass to Leslie (Lahua) Hees Engl ’69†, our free-spirited girl, and left our screens feeling a little more hopeful—and a lot more loved.” 2

1980s

Monica Lomenzo ’81 “I hope and pray that

you and yours have not been egregiously impacted by this worldwide pandemic. As the restrictions ease and we all breathe a sigh of cautious relief, I thought this would be the most appropriate time to let you know what is new with me.

Immediately prior to the stay at home orders here in Southern California, I agreed to do some consulting with the artists estate of the former Sister Corita Kent and the Corita Art Center in Hollywood. (www.corita.org) If you are not familiar with the story of Corita Kent, she was an educator, artist and social justice advocate who spent her time teaching at the then Immaculate Heart College and her later years working in Boston. One of her more well-known pieces of artwork is the beloved National Grid Boston Gas Tank commission, the largest copyrighted piece of artwork in the world, and then there is her beautiful LOVE stamp. For the past few months the focus has been on how we, those affiliated with the Corita Art Center, can find and fulfill opportunities to bring forth a collective spirit, shining through messages of love and hope that will be needed as we map a new future and look to heal. Corita and the Immaculate Heart community really captured the Mayfield motto of ‘Actions Not Words,’ sharing a message of peace, hope, love and justice. I am so proud to be part of this,

Remembering longtime Mayfield teacher Gina Pizzo (1924-2019) Here’s an excerpt from a beautiful reflection written by Gina’s son, Robert DeBlasis.

“I started going through my mother’s possessions... when I came across something that really stood out. Among Gina’s personal items were drawers filled with correspondence from many of her ex-students. There were Christmas cards, wedding and birth announcements, letters and many photographs. I was struck by the number of items. There were hundreds.

It reminded me once again how fortunate Gina was in having had the privilege and the opportunity of fulfilling one of her most important and enduring passions, the art of teaching. Teaching enriched her life and that of her students far beyond the typical student-teacher relationship... when it came to being a teacher, my mom was a natural.”

Former faculty member Gina Pizzo taught Spanish, philosophy and psychology at Mayfield from 1968 to 1989.

Some of Sra. Pizzo’s former students shared these very fond memories: “Sra. Pizzo was one of my favorite teachers at Mayfield. Not only did she teach us Spanish, but she taught us about life by telling us stories. She was so warm and truly cared about each one of us.” — JOANIE REBERRY THOMAS ’79

“Mrs. Pizzo was an icon at Mayfield.”

— DAINA PETRONIS KASPUTIS ’80

“Señora was an incredible teacher and a fantastic mentor. She will be missed.”

— LIZ RUSNAK ARIZMENDI ’81

“Sra. Pizzo was one of the very best teachers (read: caring, approachable, demanding but fair, encouraging) throughout my school years.” — PEGGY SMITH ’72

“She was, and continues to be, such an inspiration for a giving life.”

— MARILYN OLIVA ’72

particularly in these tumultuous times.”

Donell Aure Thomas ’83 “Aloha from Maui.

After teaching in SoCal for 20 years I made the move to Maui and found a job teaching. It’s my second year teaching PE and Health at Lahaina Intermediate School. My students took first, second and third place in Maui County in the Aloha PE Project and took third and fourth in the State contest. My first-time competitors placed in the top three in the history of the contest. I also wrote a grant proposal and was awarded an Outride Riding for Focus Specialized Foundation grant for a class set of mountain bikes, plus equipment and training, for my school. Even though I’m a high school/ college teacher by nature, teaching middle school is survivable. I’m just hanging out here on Maui trying to figure out this surfing thing.” 3 Mary Workman Hatton ’85 “I’m excited to begin my new journey as the Director of Development for the Sisters of Social Service in

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A second homecoming

Adriana Ayuso Perez ’02 and Brianna Perez ’20 celebrate Mayfield’s first mother-daughter graduation In a heartwarming scene in the Class of 2020 commencement video, graduate Brianna Perez’s dapper two-year-old brother, Mateo, steals the show as he presents his big sister with her Mayfield diploma. Then Assistant Head of School Toi Webster Treister ’82 appears with a second bouquet of red roses and walks towards Brianna’s mom, Adriana Ayuso Perez ’02. It’s not until Mrs. Treister ties on Adriana’s Holy Child medallion that we realize that this mother of two is finally getting her own Mayfield graduation, 18 years after she finished high school.

Brianna was born just six days before the Class of 2002’s commencement exercises.

It had never really bothered Adriana that she didn’t get to walk. “I never thought that the act of graduation was that important—as long as you got the diploma, that’s all that mattered.” But, she said, watching her daughter walk down the red carpet outside Strub Hall made her realize what she had missed—not the opportunity to revel in her own accomplishments, but rather the chance “to celebrate and thank those who supported [me] throughout that journey.” So, this deferred graduation was an especially poignant experience to share with her dad, Juan, who was “beaming with pride,” and her husband, Edgar Perez, who presented her with her Mayfield diploma.

While raising Brianna with the love and support of her parents, Adriana earned her

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Bachelor’s degree from Cal State LA over a seven-year period. The day she graduated, she accepted a job as an electrical engineer for the City of Los Angeles, where she has worked for the past 11 years. When it came time for Brianna to choose a high school, Adriana says she tried to stay impartial, but describes being back at 500 Bellefontaine for the first time in almost 14 years as an “out-ofbody experience.” Although the campus had changed, she immediately felt at home.

Adriana was quick to share her profound appreciation for former Head of School Jeanne Register, who homeschooled her during the second half of her senior year, but her deepest gratitude is for her classmates: “I would like to take the opportunity to thank the ladies of 2002 for the love and support they showed me. I will never forget the class baby shower that you threw for me, the tons of cute outfits you bought for Brianna, and the visits in the hospital after Brianna was born. Thank you, to each and every one of you. I am forever grateful for the gestures of kindness and support you offered to me during that transitional time in my life.”

As Brianna heads off to Cal Poly Pomona to pursue engineering—just like her mom, stepdad and grandfather—Adriana knows that 500 Bellefontaine will always be the home of unforgettable family memories. “I feel honored and blessed to be a lifetime member of the Mayfield Holy Child community.”

Encino, an order of beloved sisters who champion local and global works of peace, advocate for marginalized people at the grassroots and legislative level, support economic development and community empowerment and provide direct social services to those on the margins of our world. I have been affiliated with the Sisters of Social Service all my life. In fact, it is the order of sisters who ran Holy Family Adoption Agency for many years, from which my brother and I were adopted as babies. I am forever grateful to Sister Bertile SSS, (may she rest in peace), my birth mother (may I be blessed to meet her one day) for knowing of these dedicated and loving sisters, and to my parents, who were supporters of the Sisters all of their married life, and provided me with an incredibly loving, supportive and faith-filled upbringing.”

Charlotte Reid ’86 and her event planning firm Reid-Rodell were featured in a May 21 article in Forbes magazine titled “3 Inspiring Small Business Stories on How To Survive During Covid-19.” In the article, Charlotte talks about having to reinvent her business model to help people celebrate virtually during the pandemic: “As creatives, we have had to dig deeper to provide our clients with creative, warm, and memorable options.” 4 Molly Cameron Burns ’89, Jenny Gorman Patton ’89, Cristina Thais Vittoria ’89, Dori Wagner O’Donnell ’89, Chelsea Ashworth Prekker ’89 and Julie Bitonti Cunningham ’89 enjoyed connecting via

Zoom in April during the pandemic.

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1990s

Jenny Wilson Nieters ’90 became the team

acupuncturist for the San Francisco 49ers in 2019. Jenny is a doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine who uses sports acupuncture for athletic performance and recovery. 6 Gabrielle Porter Taylor ’90 and Simone Porter Johnson ’96 enjoyed the speakeasy at the Mayfield Rhapsody in Red benefit! 7 Reena Vishwanath Thomas ’98 Catch up with Reena in our “Alumnae in Action” profile story on page 56.

Marina Engen Kohler ’99 and husband Jason recently moved to Pasadena by way of San Francisco, where they lived for many years. With a career in museum work, Marina is delighted to be part of The Huntington Library’s advancement team.

In 2019, they welcomed their daughter, Alexandra Sophia Kohler, and celebrated her first birthday this July with family via Zoom! Their hearts are filled with love and joy. 8

2000s

Kathryn Nishibayashi ’01 “I’m getting a

Master’s in Divinity and taking classes at Bloy House, The Episcopal Theological School in Claremont.” Jaime Engler Stoney ’01 and husband BJ welcomed their second daughter, Kate, in December 2019. Big sister Olivia is almost four! 9 Joan Christodoulou ’04 “This last year was quite a busy one — I got married and recently had my first baby, Niki.

I also accepted an Assistant Professor position at Palo Alto University in the psychology department and will be starting in the fall.” 10 Liv Amend Steingart ’04 “My husband, Elliot, and I welcomed our son, Luther Jay Steingart, on October 25, 2019.” 11 Allyson Laurance Velasco ’04 “At least I closed out 2019 happily before going into world quarantine! Almost three years ago, I met Rick Velasco in the customs line in Barcelona airport, while I was living in NYC and he was in Austin. He’s been a blessing since that absolutely random meeting. We spent the next years grabbing time through overlapping EU business travels and splitting weeks in NY, Texas and California. We tied the knot in NYC last November, celebrating with a small group of family and close friends, and followed up with a wedding in December in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

We’ve settled in San Francisco since the new year, and I hope to be able to get to a Mayfield reunion now that I’m back on the West Coast!” 12

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Alumnae Authors Look for these alumnae-penned titles at your favorite real-life or online bookstore!

Marilyn Regan Sachs ’48 Mom Knew Best: If I Didn’t Laugh, I’d Cry

Edie Van Tuyle Gardner ’81 Serving to Your Own & Others’ Penance—Anxiety’s Back Story

Claire Pratte Noland ’74 Evie’s Field Day: More Than One Way to Win

Susan DeLellis Petruccelli ’92 Raised a Warrior – One Woman’s Soccer Odyssey (Winner of the Vikki Orvice Book Prize)

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Katie Symes Summers ’06 married Jonathan Robert Summers on December 14, 2019, in Pasadena—the Mayfield gates may have been open that morning. L-R: Gaby Sapetto Del

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Gesso ’06, Katie McClain ’06, Alexandra Papademetropoulos Brenneck ’06, Becky Dryden Sprinzen ’06, Katie Symes Summers ’06, Sarah Symes ’08, Jacqueline Andrejich Bertole ’06, Ali Miller ’06 and Maureen Clougherty ’06. 13 Katie Brugman ’08

was awarded the 10,000th Ph.D. from Caltech in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at 10 a.m. on June 12, 2020! Her dissertation topic was “Pezo-1 function in Caenorhabditis elegans.” She says Ms. Peters was a huge inspiration, as were all of her Mayfield teachers. 14 Brittany Banis Buckley ’08 married Scott Buckley during a small family gathering on May 9, 2020. “We felt so fortunate to be able to celebrate our marriage in a safe, beautiful manner amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. My sister’s (Lauren Banis Burchill ’12) husband, Scooby, was so thoughtful in his words as he officiated the ceremony, and each of our parents and siblings showered us with blessings, prayers, readings and/ or their own words of what they hope for us and our marriage!” 15 Jeania Ree Moore ’08 “I was ordained as a Deacon in The United Methodist Church, thus finally completing the ordination process in The UMC! I returned briefly to California for the ordination, which was a socially distanced worship service—quite an experience. I am also leaving my job and Washington, D.C., later this summer to move to New Haven, CT, to begin a Ph.D. at Yale in Religious and African American Studies!” 16 Jessica Mennis Viets ’08, the great-granddaughter of Charles and Vera Strub, flew out from NYC for the March 7, 2020 Rhapsody in Red benefit in honor of the Strub family and the 100th anniversary of Strub Hall. Jessica had planned another trip to Pasadena in June to deliver the commencement address for Mayfield’s Class of 2020, but instead recorded a message from her apartment that appeared as part of the virtual ceremony. To hear her message to the Class of 2020, visit www.mayfieldsenior.org/2020. 17 Malissa Balderama ’09 is the Development Assistant at St. Philip the Apostle

School and is pictured here with Mayfield alumnae sisters Katie Clancy ’11 (Kindergarten Teacher’s Associate) and Leah Weidman ’11 (TK through 3rd Librarian) at the St. Philip drivethrough graduation celebration. 18 Haley Hoffman English ’09, her husband, Nick, and daughter, Emily (1), joyfully welcomed George Henry English on May 18, 2020, in Pasadena. 19

2010s

Natalie Ferguson Cross ’10 wed Austin Cross on June 15, 2019. 20 Caley Moffatt Orwin ’10 “2019 was a monumental year,

highlighted by our wedding in August in Pasadena. My husband, Ben Orwin, and I met freshman year at UCLA. Nine years later, we were married at the San Marino Community Church, followed by a reception at The Athenaeum at Caltech. We are now living in the San Francisco Bay Area and I recently joined Athleta as a senior marketing manager. We visit my family in South Pasadena often and hope to go back for the Class of 2010’s 10-year reunion!” 21 Madisyn Spence ’10 moved to Amsterdam in June to work at the Dutch bank ING, leaving her previous position at JPMorgan Chase in NYC. “My fiance, Carlo, and I are really excited about our move to the Netherlands! We’re looking forward to exploring Amsterdam, especially taking our dog, Monty, for walks along the canals.” 22 Marina Marmolejo ’13 Catch up with Marina in our “Alumnae in Action” profile story on page 57. Nevada LaCroix ’15 “I just graduated from UC Berkeley this past May and moved to San Francisco, where I have a job working at a COVID test site at St. Mary’s Cathedral. We see over 500 patients a day and assist in nasopharyngeal swabs. It’s been really exciting and rewarding work!” Maggie Ireland ’16 graduated from Santa Clara University in June with a double major in studio art and communications. 23 Nina Kasputis ’16 graduated from Catholic University with a degree in business management. She started a new job in June at Lockton as an associate account manager. Kathy Aicher ’80 helped Nina get a summer internship there last year. 24

Alison O’Neil ’16 “I am so grateful and

proud to announce that I officially became an alumna of the University of Notre Dame—something that has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. This marked the conclusion of an absolutely incredible four years. During my time at Notre Dame, I was lucky enough to complete two majors and a minor (even after changing my major a quarter of the way through sophomore year!), travel abroad to two different continents, attend two academic conferences and present at one of them, and participate in student journalism and a variety of interesting and engaging campus jobs.

Just as importantly, I got to develop friendships that will last a lifetime: relationships forged by everything from academic collaboration to dorm socials, and strong ties with professors who have mentored and inspired me.

After graduating cum laude with a double major in history and political science, I am excited to announce that I will be moving to Atlanta to teach middle school social studies with Alliance for Catholic Education! I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who made this possible and looking forward to continuing my education with Notre Dame. 25 Katherine Tighe ’16, Elizabeth Nail ’18 and Annie Tighe ’19 have been working over the past few months to print 3D face masks and shields for frontline health care workers at medical facilities including Keck Medicine of USC. All three are mechanical engineering majors—Katherine just graduated from Duke, where Annie is still studying, and Elizabeth is at UCLA, where she also works as a makerspace technician. 26 27 Charlotte Watkins ’16 graduated (virtually!) from USC in May. 28 Alix Winschel ’16 graduated magna cum laude from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in May with a B.A. in cinema studies and a screenwriting minor. 29 Ingrid Yue ’16 graduated cum laude from Loyola Marymount University’s College of Business Administration with a B.B.A. in marketing.

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2020 POSTSCRIPTS

65

In Memoriam

William Caton 1945-2020

Sr. Helen Schwarz, SHCJ 1927-2020

It is with a heavy heart that we share news of the passing of former Board of Trustees member Dr. William Caton.

While accomplished beyond measure in his professional life, the true joy of his life was his family—his beloved wife, Cathy, and their four children and seven grandchildren. Bill served on the Board from 1987 to 1999 while his daughters, Jennifer ’89 and Amy ’99, were at Mayfield, including two terms as Board Chair from 1991 to 1993 and 1996 to 1999. In recognition of his outstanding service to Mayfield, Bill was named an Honorary Trustee in 2000.

Bill’s service to our school extended far beyond the Board meeting rooms. As Chairman of Neurosurgery at Huntington Memorial Hospital for over 20 years, he interceded on behalf of many members of our Mayfield family in times of medical emergency. Stories of Bill’s “Mayfield miracles” are innumerable and are remembered with deepest gratitude.

Bill also took great interest in mentoring the next generation of scientists and doctors. At Mayfield, we called upon him on more than one occasion to meet with a student or alumna to discuss her career opportunities and pathways. In addition, during his tenure as our Board Chair, Bill launched a groundbreaking neuroscience research collaboration between Huntington Memorial Hospital and Caltech, which eventually earned him an Honorary Doctorate.

Husband, father, grandfather, leader, healer, visionary— Bill truly left this world a better place.

We remember Sr. Helen Schwarz, SCHJ with love and gratitude for her devoted service to Mayfield as a teacher, a trustee, and a dear friend. Sr. Helen was an active member of our Mayfield family for almost 30 years before moving to San Diego to join the Casa Cornelia Law Center, a Holy Child immigration law ministry.

Sr. Helen joined the Mayfield community as a teacher in 1974 and called the convent at 500 Bellefontaine home for many years. A champion of Mayfield’s future-focused vision, Sr. Helen served on Mayfield’s Board of Trustees for a total of 23 years—longer than any other Sister of the Holy Child Jesus. Her unparalleled tenure comprised two terms, from 1977 to 1994 and 1996 to 2002, and she was named an Honorary Trustee in 1995.

Sr. Helen entered the Society of the Holy Child Jesus after high school and made her final vows in 1954. She began her teaching ministry in 1957, serving at several Holy Child Schools on both coasts before settling in Pasadena. Beginning in 1977, Sr. Helen also served as the Supervisor of Secondary Schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, a position she held for 18 years.

In 2011, she returned to the East Coast, where she lived in community in Rye, New York, before moving to Holy Child Center in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. We celebrate Sr. Helen’s deep love for her students, her dedication to Mayfield, and her commitment to serving the vulnerable throughout her 72 years of “Actions Not Words” service as a Holy Child Sister.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

66

POSTSCRIPTS 2020

I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

JOHN 11:25

Mark Artukovich, brother of Luci Artukovich ’74,

Clara Heberle, mother of Beth Garcia ’66

Gina Pizzo, former faculty member

Anne McNiff Henke ’51, sister of trustee

Mark Ponzarello, husband of Lisa Freeman

Sr. Sheila McNiff ’56, SHCJ, Susan McNiff Hayes ’55, Mary McNiff Foree ’63 and Ellen McNiff Kovach ’66, and aunt of former trustee Heidi McNiff Johnson ’84

Ponzarello ’90

Blasiar, father of Mary Kay Bachman ’75 and Pamela Smith ’76, and stepfather of Edith Van Tuyle Gardner ’81

Reymundo Hernandez, father of Monique

Sanavio ’20

Maling ’90

Fotini Raptis, grandmother of Sofia Raptis ’17 and

Susan Case Brady ’66

Howard Higholt, husband of Carlisle Wrigley Sullivan Higholt ’57†

Katerina Raptis ’20, and mother-in-law of trustee Ana Raptis

Margaret Duff Hudson ’53

Filomena Reoedica, grandmother of Jacqueline

Toni Ensley ’75, Mandy Voile ’78, Nicole Daze ’82, Anna Dulcich ’84, and cousin of Andrea Zaninovich Bland ’84

Sheila Watson Bartolic ’80 Dusty Blasair, husband of former trustee Jean

Grant Buckle, father of Annie Friedman ’00 and Sarah Holman ’03

Fr. Patrick Cahalan, SJ, former President of

Walter Jorgenson, grandfather of Emily

Loyola High School

Stumm ’98 and father-in-law of Margaret Simonds Jorgensen ’74

Mel Canillo, grandfather of Marcella Laguna ’23

Renee Kidd, mother of Kate Morin, Head of

Ernest Porras, father of Stephanie Bouvet ’94 Roberto Ramos, grandfather of Agnese

Katigbak Macabuhay ’82

Alfred Sanchez, husband of former faculty member Laura Sanchez

Graciela Sanchez, grandmother of Natalia

School

Rodriguez ’21

former faculty member Jennifer Abel ’89 and Amy Polverini ’99

Luis King, grandfather of Julia Katz ’20

Sr. Helen Schwarz, SHCJ, honorary trustee

Pamela King, mother of Kristin Kassabian ’86 and

Sr. Suzanne Snyder ’53, SHCJ

Alfred McClure Clark, Jr., grandfather of Janie

grandmother of Lauren Boyle ’15

Catherine Stancill, mother of Mary Plock ’77 and

Joel Kleinberg, husband of former faculty

Christine Stancill ’80

member Laurie Kleinberg

Dal Swain, father of Andrea Laks ’03

Dahlia Limongelli, grandmother of Katie

Charles Ternan, son of Mary Nally Ternan ’79,

William Caton, honorary trustee and father of

Clark ’09

Thomas Collins, father of Mimi Stolpe ’83 and Carolyn Mansour ’85, and grandfather of Emma Stolpe ’20

Pete Connolly, brother of faculty member Sr.

Limongelli ’21

Evie Weisenberg ’85

brother of Teresa Ternan ’12, grandson of honorary trustee Teresa Bannan Nally ’50, nephew of former trustee Patrick Nally, cousin of Catherine Nally ’08, Annie Pascale ’21, and more than 20 Mayfield graduates from the Bannan family

Clare Collins Marquardt ’65, aunt of Mimi

Jack Thiel, father of Nina Potter ’84, father-in-law

Stolpe ’83 and Carolyn Mansour ’85, and greataunt of Emma Stolpe ’20

of Zayda Coronel Thiel ’87

Verna Mattimore, grandmother of Lauren

Tilton ’67

Pegeen Connolly, SCRH

Nancy Nichols MacPhee ’54

Carmen Corral, mother of Yvette Corral ’95

Eva Majich, mother of Theresa Goodell ’71 and

Sylvia Cota, grandmother of Rachel Cota Hochstetler ’04 and staff member Carolyn Cota ’06, and mother-in-law of staff member Cathy Cota

Michele Crahan, former director of George H. Mayr Foundation

Kezele ’19 and Julia Kezele ’21

Andrew Danni, father of Amy Proctor ’99

Gerald McDevitt, brother of Sr. Eileen McDevitt,

Timothy Dornaus, husband of Pamela Van Hale Mallon-Dornaus ’67

Ronald Dwyer, father of Lisa Atckison-Dwyer ’91 and Katie Scheffey ’95

Leslie “Lehua” Hees Engl ’69 Francisco Garcia, brother of staff member

Lindsay Tilton, daughter of Maureen Lieber Myra Truluck, grandmother of Afton CopelandSpiegel ’23

SHCJ, Director of the Holy Child Network of Schools

John Waferling, father of teacher Katie Waferling

Frank Meza, father of Lorena Meza ’97

John Warling, former faculty member and

Evelyn Morgan, grandmother of Marcella Laguna ’23

Maureen Sweeney Norgaard ’66

husband of Angela Mehren Warling ’76

James N. Wilson, father of Patricia Brugman ’74 and grandfather of Katherine Brugman ’08

Dean Woodman, husband of Jane Baumer

Jose Garcia

Stuart O’Melveny, father of Margaret Alred ’81

Chantal Giddens, mother of Jennifer

Mary Irby O’Reilly ’55

Stephanie Pheasant Woodyard ’59, sister of

Gustafson ’90

Olga Ore Lazo, grandmother of Kimberly Linares

Gay Grace, mother of Nancy Clemo ’96

Feeney ’06

Michelle Angelo ’64, Kristine Miller ’66 and Mary Pat Anderson ’54† and Sandra Garra ’58†

Ann Lobdell Graves ’54 Pamela Hamilton ’95, daughter of past trustee Ann Hamilton, sister of Alyce Easton ’88, Robyn Tillman ’89 and Denise Hamilton’93, and aunt of Haley Easton ’17 and Bethany Easton ’18

Judith Parker ’59 Tamer deLap Peacock ’66

Woodman ’66

William Zimmerman, husband of former trustee Eileen Zimmerman, stepfather of Michelle Eberle Maggard ’83

John Peters, husband of staff member Connie Peters

† deceased

2020 POSTSCRIPTS

67

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A Mayfield Senior School graduate is a woman of... faith, who is grounded in God’s love reverence, who celebrates the uniqueness and dignity of each person, and of creation

justice, who participates compassionately and

responsibly in her local and global communities

intellect, who shares her gifts to create solutions integrity, who leads with confidence balance, who cultivates spiritual, intellectual, emotional, artistic and physical well-being

joy, who embraces life in its entirety.