The Bridge: Winter 2016-17

THE BRIDGE A P U B L I C AT I O N O F P H O E N I X C O U N T R Y DAY S C H O O L

Winter 2016/17

THE BRIDGE Phoenix Country Day School, Winter 2016/17

Andrew Rodin Head of School Roz Bolger Abero ’89 Assistant Head of School for External Affairs Katie Charles Director of Annual Giving & Stewardship Leslie Kornreich Feldman ‘99 Director of Alumni Relations C. Ryan Joyce Director of Advancement Tina Pitts Advancement Coordinator Lydia Rodin Advancement Events Coordinator and The Bridge Editor Largo Photography Feature Photography Other photography: PCDS students, faculty, and staff For more timely coverage, The Bridge will now be published twice a calendar year—winter and summer. A separate Annual Report on Philanthropy will also be sent each fall.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please email The Bridge at communications@pcds.org.

We were very careful in preparing our 2015-16 Annual Fund donor list. However, some errors or omissions in the Annual Report on Philanthropy occurred, for which we extend our sincere apologies: Leadership Circle ($1,000+), Molly & Nick DeFilippis; Community Circle (up to $999), Alison & Adam Lewkowitz ‘02, Blake Lewkowitz ‘07, Jennifer Lewkowitz Abelson ’04 & Ben Abelson. © 2017 Phoenix Country Day School.

All rights reserved.

This Page: Eesha Narwani ‘21 and Ben Richardson ‘21 in the new Shin Center for Art, Science & Innovation

Contents ON THE COVER

7

2016 AIA Boys’ Swim & Dive State Champions: Many boys on the cover also earned individual state medals.

Girls’ Swim & Dive members, as shown in photo, medaled at state. Swimmers were led by coaches Mike and Ken Maczuga and Jake Pruett. Divers were led by coach Kristin Pruett.

Read about the Dady Aquatic & Tennis Center on page 10.

Inside this Issue: 2

Message from the Head of School and President of the Board of Trustees

24 Message from the

Alumni Board President

3

Meet the Trustees

25 2016 Alumnus of the Year

4

Looking Inward

26 College Destinations

6

PCDS Special Event

7

In Memory of a Visionary

28 Following the Path of

a Recent Graduate

8

Speaker Series

9

PCDS: Our Home

12

THRIVE Update

29 2016 Eagle Athletes Soar 30 Athletic Hall of Fame 33 Alumni Couples 38 Alumni Events

14 Philanthrophy

40 Real World: Summer 2016

16

Eagles by the Numbers

18

Familiar Faces in New Places

20 Faculty Awards 22 Faculty News and Notes

42 Class Notes 51

Alumni Spotlight

52 Save the Date: PCDS Masters’

Lecture Series

PCDS MISSION PCDS prepares promising students to become responsible leaders and lifelong learners through an education that emphasizes intellectual engagement, independence, collaboration, creativity, and integrity.

WINTER 2016/17 | 1

MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL AND PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD

W

Welcome Home

ith the change of seasons there’s a palpable sense of optimism on campus. In addition to the sublime weather, the continued improvement of our facilities has captured the spotlight. In September, construction crews were able to put the final touches on the new Shin Center for Art, Science & Innovation—the third of four THRIVE campaign projects. From the cutting edge labs and studios to the inspirational gathering spaces to the freshly landscaped Noyes Courtyard out front, the Shin Center is already being utilized by a record number of students, who have all chimed in with positive reviews.

Another reason for our sunny outlook is the infusion of new talent into our faculty and staff. Bolstering what’s already seen as the strongest collection of teachers in the Valley, the arrival of new teachers from near and far has dramatically impacted the way we deliver our program.

Best of all, we enjoy the healthy bustle of more than 750 students, who work this campus like bees in a hive. The smiles on their faces tell the stories of their uplifting experiences.

We feel incredibly fortunate to be part of such a dynamic setting and look forward to remaining engaged with our community. Indeed, it takes a village to push our School forward. But the results can be striking.

Best to all of you.

Andrew M. Rodin P ’19, ’19, ’25 Head of School Gay Firestone Wray Chair for Leadership

Taylor Burke P ‘22, ‘23, ‘25 President, Board of Trustees

COMMON GROUND The best leadership comes from a strong partnership, and partnerships are about finding common ground.

PCDS is so fortunate to have dynamic leadership in our Head of School, Andrew Rodin, and President of the Board, Taylor Burke.

Andy and Piglet

Here are a few interests you might not have known that they share: • A love of country music: Andy gravitates to Montgomery Gentry, while Taylor likes Eric Church.

• A fondness for hockey: Both are big Arizona Coyotes fans.

• An affinity for furry pets: Andy is owner of English bulldog Piglet; Taylor has two labradoodles named Ziggy and Teddy.

• A strong sense of family: Each has a loving wife and three active kids.

Taylor, Ziggy, and Teddy

2 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

Meet the Trustees

Top row, left to right: Lou Werner ‘87, Tracy Brennan, Nicholas S. Firestone ‘84, Tim Louis ‘81, Adam Goodman, David Lewis. Middle row: Andrew Rodin*, Charlene Whitfill, Charlie W. Shields, Paulette Dodson, Michelle Hosmar, Jordan Rose. Bottom row: Augustine Gomez ‘99*, Tracy Schwimmer, Taylor Burke, Molly DeFilippis*, Margaux Rosen, Donna Johnson. Not pictured: Don Dady * ex officio

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Taylor Burke President Charlene Whitfill Executive Vice President Trusteeship Paulette Dodson Vice President Audit Michelle Hosmar Vice President Facilities Planning

Tracy Brennan Don Dady Nicholas S. Firestone ‘84 Adam Goodman David Lewis Tim Louis ‘81 Jordan Rose Margaux Rosen Tracy Schwimmer Lou Werner ‘87

Donna Johnson Vice President Advancement

Ex officio: Andrew Rodin Head of School

David Lewis Vice President Finance/Operations

Augustine Gomez ‘99 President, Alumni Association Board

Charles W. Shields Vice President Finance/Investments

Molly DeFilippis President, Parents’ Association

Advisory Trustees: Beverly Bradway Ax Susan J. Bansak Daniel J. Donahoe III Bennett Dorrance Susan Garrity Samuel Garvin Donald R. Loback Nan P. Miller Jahm Najafi Ellie B. Nolan Frederick M. Pakis Nicholas J. Sakellariadis ‘69 Jonah Shacknai Shoshana B. Tancer Garth Wieger Gay F. Wray

Welcome, Lou Werner ‘87

Lou brings to the Board a passion for his children and doing all he can to ensure they—and, by extension, the rest of their peers and those entrusted with their care and guidance—are afforded every opportunity to succeed.

Lou tells us, “I believe in building for the next generation what the previous generation built for us.”

WINTER 2016/17 | 3

Looking Inward

Every 10 years, independent schools undergo a Self-Study process for re-accreditation.

Please read to find out more about our current Self-Study.

The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) is a non-profit voluntary membership association of independent schools. The purpose of ISAS is to promote the highest professional and ethical standards of educational excellence for independent schools in the region and to recognize by formal ongoing accreditation those schools which demonstrate adherence to Association standards. The accreditation process is designed to achieve the dual purpose of accountability and school improvement. The Association was founded in 1955, and includes schools located in Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. PCDS has been accredited by ISAS since 1997.

To maintain accreditation, every ten years schools must engage in a Self-Study. PCDS started its most recent SelfStudy process in the fall of 2015. This process afforded the School the opportunity to reflect on its mission, its efforts to fulfill the mission, its strengths, and areas which call for improvement. The Self-Study involved a broad cross section of the School’s constituents (faculty, administrators, Trustees, parents, students, and alumni) and led to exploration of ways to improve the School’s program and operations. A Documentation of Adherence to Standards report was completed as part of the Self-Study to demonstrate the School’s compliance with ISAS standards. This report consisted of narrative responses and explanations, school data and 4 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

statistics, and copies of documents and requested school policies, handbooks, and publications. The Self-Study process culminated with an Accreditation Visit in September 2016, during which the credibility of the School’s work was validated by the observations of the ISAS Visiting Committee. At the end of the visit, the School was provided with feedback consisting of commendations and recommendations detailed in the Report of the Visiting Committee.

The complete Self-Study process—from the selection of contributors to discussion around relevant topics to the actual writing of the document—took more than a full school year.

Embedded in all responses are the voices and opinions of a wide range of contributors—through all three divisions, administration, staff, Trustees, parents, and alumni. Input was largely collected through extensive conversations at the committee level, but it was encouraged—and, in most cases, affirmed—by careful surveying of PCDS constituent groups, which was initiated in September of 2015. Through a coordinated effort among a wide variety of teachers, administrators, and community members, the 2015-16 SelfStudy report highlights much of the progress that has been made at PCDS in recent years. From constituent surveys to subcommittee reports, there are major indicators that PCDS is pointed in a positive direction, led by capable educators serving a vibrant community.

As the culminating step in the Self-Study process, the PCDS community hosted an eighteen-member ISAS Visiting Committee on campus at the end of September. The Committee was comprised of educators from across the Southwest, as well as ISAS officials. The Committee’s visit was intense yet extremely positive. The growth that PCDS has experienced since the last ISAS site visit has been vast, and the ISAS Committee quickly recognized what an amazing school PCDS is today. On the final day of the visit, Dave Monaco, ISAS Team Chair, communicated to the faculty and staff the following initial commendations, with a formal report forthcoming. The ISAS Team commended PCDS on the following: 1. Authentic community 2. Magnificent facility 3. Talented, growth-oriented professionals 4. Rich academic program 5. Intentional thinking regarding diversity 6. Aligned, energizing leadership The purpose of the Self-Study process is to reflect on and continue the School’s improvement on our path to greatness,

so the ISAS Team also provided recommendations in areas which the School might focus its future efforts to achieve its goals. The specific recommendations provided were in the areas of: 1. Vision alignment via communication and role clarity 2. A holistic approach to student wellness 3. Faculty growth and evaluation 4. Curriculum articulation 5. Diversity 6. Technology plan The ISAS Visiting Team will present its formal report to the ISAS Standards Committee for consideration at their April 7, 2017 Board meeting, and the final determination of accreditation will be made official and public shortly thereafter. The School looks forward to the opportunity to use observations and recommendations from the visit as a springboard for continued success in the PCDS community and beyond.

PCDS appreciates the time and effort given by the ISAS Visiting Committee, as well as all community constituents, on the invaluable work of achieving its vision. n

National Association of Independent Schools PCDS is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), which sets forth guidelines for independent school governing boards.

Principles of Good Practice for Boards The board is the guardian of the school’s mission.

It is the board’s responsibility to ensure that the mission is relevant and vital to the community it serves and to monitor the success of the school in fulfilling its mission.

The following Principles of Good Practice are set forth to provide a common perspective on the responsibilities of independent school boards. The board and the head work in partnership in fulfilling these principles.

1. The board adopts a clear statement of the school’s mission, vision, and strategic goals and establishes policies and plans consistent with this statement.

2. The board reviews and maintains appropriate bylaws that conform to legal requirements, including duties of loyalty, obedience, and care.

3. The board assures that the school and the board operate in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, minimizing exposure to legal action. The board

creates a conflict of interest policy that is reviewed with, and signed by, individual trustees annually.

4. The board accepts accountability for both the financial stability and the financial future of the institution, engaging in strategic financial planning, assuming primary responsibility for the preservation of capital assets and endowments, overseeing operating budgets, and participating actively in fund raising.

5. The board selects, supports, nurtures, evaluates, and sets appropriate compensation for the head of school.

6. The board recognizes that its primary work and focus are long-range and strategic.

7. The board undertakes formal strategic planning on a periodic basis, sets annual goals related to the plan, and conducts annual written evaluations for the school, the head of school, and the board itself.

8. The board keeps full and accurate records of its meetings, committees, and policies and

communicates its decisions widely, while keeping its deliberations confidential.

9. Board composition reflects the strategic expertise, resources, and perspectives (past, present, future) needed to achieve the mission and strategic objectives of the school.

10. The board works to ensure all its members are actively involved in the work of the board and its committees.

11. As the leader of the school community, the board engages proactively with the head of school in cultivating and maintaining good relations with school constituents as well as the broader community and exhibits best practices relevant to equity and justice.

12. The board is committed to a program of professional development that includes annual new trustee orientation, ongoing trustee education and evaluation, and board leadership succession planning.

WINTER 2016/17 | 5

PCDS SPECIAL EVENT

PCDS Celebrates Esteemed Trailblazer Establishing the Gay Firestone Wray Chair for Leadership

On November 14, 2016, PCDS celebrated one of Arizona’s and PCDS’s finest leaders, Gay Firestone Wray P ’77, ‘80, ‘84. For over 50 years, the Firestone family has been instrumental in shaping our image, shifting our culture, and establishing a philanthropic community at PCDS. Generations of Firestones have attended Phoenix Country Day School, and there has been one constant since the beginning: the family matriarch, Gay Firestone Wray. Former Parents’ Association President, former President of the PCDS Board of Trustees, current Advisory Trustee, and long-time advocate for our School, Gay was one of the early visionaries who set about creating a school in the Southwest that would rival the great schools around the country.

During the tribute, amidst twinkling lights in the Noyes Courtyard, an illustrious group of former Trustees and longtime friends of the School gathered to celebrate Gay’s legacy—among them former Headmaster Robert Peirce, former Ambassador to Finland Barbara Barrett, and retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. During the event, Gay learned to her surprise (and, we hope, delight) that due to the generosity of the Roger S. Firestone Foundation over the decades, the Head of School at PCDS will forever be the holder of the The Gay Firestone Wray Chair for Leadership.

Gay Firestone Wray epitomizes our School’s rich history and bright future, and we are thrilled to honor her decades of commitment and service to Phoenix Country Day School. n

From left: Gay with current advisory trustee Susan Bansak; Firestone family members who are PCDS alumni with Gay Wray: Tim Wray ‘84, Sally Semegen ‘02, Maryanne Wray ‘77, Gay Wray, Laurie Wray ‘80, Mark Semegen ‘04, Nick Firestone ‘84; Gay hugging former board member and parent, retired Justice O’Connor; Gay at the podium addressing the audience

6 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

In Memory of a Visionary PCDS and the Arizona community lost one of our greats when Dr. Herbert J. “Tim” Louis passed away at the age of 87, on February 16, 2016.

programs, providing a strong financial basis for the future.

While we are proud to have a healthy endowment given our age and size, we are working to continue Dr. Louis’s legacy by continuing to grow the endowment, with a goal of getting from $18 million to $30 million over the next decade.

Dr. Tim Louis and his wife, Julie, moved to Phoenix in 1961—the same year PCDS was founded —to begin his professional career in orthopedics. Three of their six children were among the first students to attend PCDS. A graduate of Deerfield Academy, Williams College, and Northwestern University Medical School, Dr. Louis understood what it took to create a truly great educational institution, and he served as a Trustee through some of our earliest years and as President of the Board from 1970–1974.

In addition to providing formative leadership to the School, Dr. Louis’s foresight led him to seed the PCDS endowment with a gift of $316,000 in 1969. The impact of this gift of endowment was exponential, laying the foundation that now allows PCDS to stand out, in part due to sound financial stability.

Dr. Louis knew that a strong endowment was fundamental to PCDS’s ability to achieve our educational potential.

“ Dad knew, from his experience with schools like Deerfield and Williams, that one of the benefits of an endowment was that it helped carry great schools through lean times and allowed for long term vision. That’s why he pushed for and seeded the PCDS endowment back in 1969.”

Dr. Louis was the great-grandson of Samuel Curtis Johnson, the founder of SC Johnson & Son. In addition to his groundbreaking role in shaping Phoenix Country Day School, Dr. Louis helped establish Phoenix Children’s Hospital, serving on its board since its inception. He was also a passionate and active member of The Phoenix Thunderbirds.

Dr. Louis is survived by his wife, Julie, their six children, 22 grandchildren, and nine greatgrandchildren. His PCDS legacy was passed down through the family tree; his children Steve ‘80, Carrie ‘77, and Tim ‘81 attended PCDS; Tim and Carrie are current PCDS parents; Tim Louis ‘81, son and current PCDS Trustee Tim serves as a PCDS Trustee; Endowment funds essentially and Dr. Louis’s grandchildren function as the School’s savings Clark ‘22, Curt ‘17, Maddie ‘14, and Louis ‘20 are all proud account for the future. Funds remain intact as the School PCDS Eagles. spends a percentage of the interest income. The income Dr. Louis’s wisdom, compassion, and generosity were simply from our endowment helps to keep tuition increases low, and unparalleled, and we remain grateful for his legacy. n gifts to the endowment ensure the continued quality of our WINTER 2016/17 | 7

SPEAKER SERIES

Inaugural Headmaster’s Speaker Series

A father of a former Trustee and grandfather of a recent graduate, Allan H. “Bud” Selig shared his wisdom with current students, alumni, and faculty.

In February 2016, Commissioner Emeritus of Major League Baseball Allan H. “Bud” Selig (grandfather of Natalie Prieb ‘16) kicked off the inaugural Headmaster’s Speakers Series at PCDS with a fireside chat between he and Head of School Andrew Rodin. Long-time Upper School teachers Lance Coon and Matt Guthrie opened the evening with a playful baseball introduction. A personal and professional discussion between Head of School Rodin and Commissioner Emeritus Selig followed, and the evening concluded with questions from the audience. In attendance were alumni, former PCDS parents and grandparents, as well as faculty and staff. Mr. Selig also spent the day speaking to the PCDS Middle and Upper Schools students about his career and the ever-evolving world of baseball. n 8 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

Commissioner Emeritus Selig with PCDS Alumni (large photo above) and with Upper School students (lower right)

PCDS: Our Home Be it on walks through campus with former parents and Trustees, visits with our alumni, or touring a prospective family on campus for the first time, we are incredibly proud of our past, our present, and our future.

I

n a recent walk through campus with former PCDS parent and member of the Board of Trustees Bernie Rethore (P ‘96, ‘97, ‘99, ‘01 and G ‘13, ‘16, ‘21), we were reminded once again just how fortunate we are to have been led by giants for so many generations—and how that legacy continues today. As we crossed the Daley Bridge and headed toward the Noyes Courtyard, Bernie remarked as to how pleased he was with the new Shin Center for Art, Science & Innovation. He went on to tell us how back in the 1990s, Trustees had named the pre-existing building after former headmistress Margaret Madden, and how thrilled he was to see that we had continued to acknowledge her work, and the past generosity of so many others, with a plaque outside the new facility for all of our students to see as they enter.

WINTER 2016/17 | 9

Left to right: Jean Kilker ‘65, Erika Brown ‘66, Libbie Gibson ‘65, Terry Thompson ’65 holding the original sign for the former Dutcher Science Building on the spot where it stood during their years as PCDS students; Recognition plaque at the Dady Aquatic and Tennis Center honoring those who built the original Aquacenter

The THRIVE Campaign momentum continues to build on the successes of our past as we pave a bold, innovative future.

This past September, the much-anticipated Shin Center for Art, Science & Innovation opened to great fanfare. This stateof-the-art facility, which serves our Middle and Upper School, allows our students to experience a collaborative, collegelevel facility that features a specialty wet lab, huddle rooms for breakout groups, flexible science labs and arts classrooms, a sound lab with a recording studio and green screen, robotics testing space, and comfortable spaces for students to gather and study or simply hang out. This new facility has been inspiring to everyone, providing our teachers with an opportunity to shape their courses in new and exciting ways.

This spring, we anticipate putting shovels in the ground for the fourth and final project of the Campaign, our new Welcome Center­—a contemporary administrative home for several offices on campus, including Head of School, Admissions, Advancement, and Alumni Relations. We look forward to sharing more about this exciting culminating project in the summer edition of The Bridge.

It’s hard to believe it was just over two years ago that we kicked off the Campaign with a flash of fireworks at Blue + Gold Day 2014. Thanks to over 150 donors to date who have joined this effort—far more supporters than in any previous campaign—we are inching closer to the finish line. It has been a joy to see the impact that the first three Campaign projects have had on our campus thus far.

10 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

The Dady Aquatic & Tennis Center Since opening in August of 2014, the pool has seen numerous proof points: • Aquatic engineering created a faster pool, which has led our Upper School teams to set numerous meet and school records • AIA Boys’ State Swim & Dive Championship—the first in PCDS history (see cover photo) • Increased participation in Middle and Upper School swim & dive teams • Ability to run a bigger and better Lower School Swim Exhibition • More advanced PE classes for teaching and recreation • Strong community partnership with Phoenix Swim Club

Left to right: Middle School students running through the Walk of Champions; Mr. Majeski with a Lower School class in the Alumni Gym; Ms. Flores conducting a chemistry class in the Shin Center

Najafi Gymnasium and Garvin Family Walk of Champions The addition of a second gymnasium, the Najafi Gymnasium, has also brought great improvements to the School: • We can accommodate more students and teams in the athletic program, make fewer cuts, and schedule more games • Practices now end by 6:30 p.m., so that students can be home for dinner with their families; when all teams shared the court space of one gym, students would often practice until 8:45 p.m.

• Updated technology allows for filming and review of game footage to Upper School basketball players • The School can now run larger tournaments that attract bigger schools and stronger competition • We can finally fit our entire School comfortably into the gymnasium In addition to building the Najafi Gymnasium, we have fully renovated the original gym, now called the Alumni Gymnasium, and both state-of-the-art facilities see Lower, Middle, and Upper School students in them each day.

What’s more, the addition of the new Garvin Family Walk of Champions between the two gymnasiums has provided an impressive and welcoming entrance to the south end of campus and the perfect location for our Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame award ceremony, right next to the Hall of Fame trophy case. Our School has a rich athletic history, and we are proud to highlight alumni memorabilia in this bustling thoroughfare.

We are also proud to display trophies and plaques awarded for more recent athletic and academic achievements.

Shin Center for Art, Science & Innovation • We can say “yes!” to more independent studies, as students now have dedicated space to conduct their own research • Faculty are crossing over subject specialties and designing courses together to allow students to solve real problems using a multi-disciplinary approach • Huddle spaces with comfortable furniture and writable surfaces provide areas for students to collaborate, be creative, and rejuvenate • The flexibility of each space allows for more opportunities and offerings; for example, a classroom set-up can easily be converted from an anatomy dissection lab to a roundtable psychology discussion

The Shepard Welcome Center Our final project, the Shepard Welcome Center, will provide us with a dedicated space for our Head of School and the offices of Admissions, Advancement, and Alumni Relations to work in a cohesive manner. Further, a beautiful front entrance to the Stanford Drive side of School will now create an impression in the same way the 40th Street side of campus does, where the Garvin Family Walk of Champions greets visitors.

The THRIVE Campaign has not only brought tremendous and badly needed facilities to the School; it has enhanced the spirit and energy of the campus, inviting the entire community to be a part of something truly special. We anticipate the Campaign closing in 2017, and welcome conversations with anyone who would like to join this successful effort that is building on PCDS’s vibrant history.

Just as our founders and the visionaries who championed the School through its first decades did, we continue to THRIVE in all that we do, all that we teach, and all that we build. n WINTER 2016/17 | 11

T O G I V E , C A L L 6 0 2 .9 5 5 . 8 2 0 0 O R G O T O P C D S .O R G / T H R I V E

NAJAFI GYMNASIUM & GARVIN FAMILY WALK OF CHAMPIONS — $7M — OPENED OCTOBER 2015 Expanded gymnasium, new locker rooms, event space, and tribute wall to athletes

DADY AQUATIC & TENNIS CENTER — $8.5M OPENED AUGUST 2014

SHIN CENTER FOR ART, SCIENCE & INNOVATION $4M — OPENED AUGUST 2016

Features an Olympic-sized competition pool, a smaller teaching pool, and new tennis courts

Updated science labs, maker spaces, and art rooms create a hub of innovation for Middle and Upper School students

JANUARY 2014 LEADERSHIP PHASE

$0

$2M

OCTOBER 2014 PUBLIC LAUNCH AT BLUE & GOLD

$4M

$6M

$8M

$10M

COMPREHENSIVE THE LARGEST

12 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

$12

NAME YOUR LEGACY NA M I N G O P P O RT U N I T I E S I N C LU D E :

SHEPARD WELCOME CENTER — $3-4M COMING 2017

SCOREB OARDS

Will provide a new home for several offices as well as a new welcome center and alumni mentoring suite

BLEACHERS

POOL LANES

T E N N I S C O U RT S OFFICE SUITES O U T D O O R S PA C E S SCHOLARSHIPS

ENDOWMENT — ONGOING

FA C U LT Y C H A I R S

The endowment ensures the School’s financial strength for years to come

For a full list of naming opportunities visit pcds.org/THRIVE

MANY THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE HELPED US REACH OVER $22.1M IN PLEDGES AS OF DECEMBER 2016

2M

$14M

$16M

$18M

$20M

$22M

$24M

C A M PA I G N I N S C H O O L H ISTORY

WINTER 2016/17 | 13

PHILANTHROPHY

Annual Fund

The Annual Fund provides vital resources that bridge the gap between tuition and the actual cost of a Phoenix Country Day School education.

Just as other independent schools do, PCDS relies on gifts to the Annual Fund to maintain our standards of excellence.

A Gift, No Matter the Size, Makes an Impact The success of the Annual Fund has a direct impact on the quality of a PCDS education with contributions touching every aspect of the School, including: • Faculty Enrichment

• Need-based Scholarships

• Technology Upgrades

• Athletics

• Arts Programs

• Extracurricular Activities

Why is Participation Important?

A community that has a high participation rate in the Annual Fund, regardless of the dollars raised, is one where community is strong. Participation is also important for our national rankings, and it helps us to secure outside funding.

Everyone can participate. And we hope you do.

Growth of Participation

60%

• Off-campus Experiences • Campus Safety Each year, we ask families, grandparents, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of PCDS to make a meaningful, tax-deductible contribution to the Annual Fund.

70%

100% 75%

80%

O A

27%

L 2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

THE ANNUAL FUND IMPACT

8:1

98%

67%

75+

Average student-to-faculty ratio. Thanks to the Annual Fund, PCDS provides small class sizes that lead to more individual attention for each student.

Percentage of Middle and Upper School students involved in extracurricular activities offered because of the Annual Fund.

Percentage of teachers with masters degrees or higher.

The Annual Fund helps attract top educators from around the world.

Number of guest speakers and cultural enrichment opportunities available for our students throughout the school year because of the Annual Fund.

DEADLINE FOR ANNUAL FUND PARTICIPATION IS JUNE 30, 2017 14 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

G

2016-17

Tax Credit

Your 2016 Tax Credit will make a real difference to PCDS students with financial need.

How it Works There are two Arizona Private School Tax Credit Programs that help fund PCDS financial aid scholarships.

Individual Program: • Redirect a portion of personal Arizona tax liability in support of PCDS students with financial need.

• Participants, in turn, receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against their Arizona income taxes.

• There is a maximum amount: $2,173 (married filing jointly) and $1,087 (individuals).

Corporate Program: • Any Arizona “C” or “S” corporation can redirect its corporate tax obligation to PCDS to help fund needbased scholarships.

• Corporations, in turn, receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against their AZ income taxes.

• There is no maximum contribution amount—just a minimum of $5,000 per company.

Learn more at www.pcds.org/taxcredit Each year, PCDS provides over 150 scholarships.

• Nearly 1 in 4 students at PCDS receives a need-based financial aid scholarship.

• PCDS supports each scholarship recipient’s entire PCDS career.

DEADLINE FOR TAX CREDIT PARTICIPATION IS APRIL 15, 2017 WINTER 2016/17 | 15

RECAP

Eagle Accomplishments By the Numbers

DRAMA PROGRAM

MUSIC PROGRAM

Productions: Sound of Music and Lady Dracula

Superior with Distinction rating at the Arizona Band and Orchestra Director’s Association (ABODA) Jazz Festival

Student Cast Members

Superior rating at the ABODA Orchestra Festival

Student Musicians

SPEECH & DEBATE

Student Crew

Team members make up the Middle and Upper School Speech & Debate Teams

2

64 6

10 2

Student Poster Designers

1

100+ 23

22

National Finalists between Upper and Middle School students in the past four years

2

Top 20 National ranking for the Upper School team

2

#1 National ranking for the Middle School team

Student Stagecrafters Gammage Best Lead Nominations Gammage Best Supporting Nominations

1

Gammage Best Vocalist Nomination

From left: The cast of Lady Dracula; Jazz Band

16 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

1

1 1

ROBOTICS

2

Robotics teams earned a slot to compete in the Arizona State First Lego League Tournament ATHLETICS

6

State Silver Medals

7

State Bronze Medals

1

3

All Division Player of the Year

1

All Sectional Player of the Year

1

The Arizona Republic Division 1st Team Player

18

Top 20 State-Ranked Golfer

8

State Diving Champions

1

1st Team All Division Players

2

Honorable Mention All-Division Players

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS FOR A TEAM SPORT

1st Team All-Sectional Players

New PCDS Athletic Records

2nd Team All-Sectional Players

State Gold Medals

Honorable Mention All-Sectional Players

Section Coaches of the Year State Championship State Championship Runner-up State Playoff Teams Small School Championships Section Championship Section Championship Runner-up

12 3

2 1 1

3

6 6

10 11

16

From left: Middle School Speech & Debate team—National Champions; Upper School Speech & Debate team who ranked in the Top 20 nationally

WINTER 2016/17 | 17

FACULTY NEWS

Familiar Faces in New Places

New roles for three well-known PCDS faculty: Roz Bolger Abero ‘89, Patrick McHonett, and Dr. Becky Allison Roz Bolger Abero ’89 Assistant Head of School for External Affairs B.A., Emory University M.B.A., Goizueta Business School at Emory University “ I’ve heard about loving a job so much that it doesn’t feel like work, but I didn’t know it was actually possible until coming back ‘home’ to PCDS. I am grateful every day to be a part of this incredibly special place.”

In January of 2014, Mrs. Abero returned to her alma mater to help spearhead the School’s largest comprehensive campaign, to help guide alumni relations, and to assist our School in its overall forward movement. Because her vision has been so valuable to the PCDS community over the past two years, Mrs. Abero has taken on a dual role this year—in addition to her role in the Advancement Office, Mrs. Abero can also now be found in the Admissions Office. Her quick wit, warm disposition, and engaging personality are a nice compliment to our

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already powerful admissions team, and this new role overseeing both Advancement and Admissions emulates a leadership role seen at many of the nation’s best independent schools.

Patrick McHonett Associate Head of School B.A., Claremont McKenna College M.Ed., Arizona State University Mr. McHonett’s tenth year at PCDS has him spreading his Eagle wings from Director of Admissions and Marketing to Associate Head of School—a role which has him leading the College Counseling Office, continuing our School’s marketing, and diving into some curricular work. Ironically, the college counseling office is where Mr. McHonett first got his start at PCDS back in 2007, after having worked as an Assistant Dean of Admission at Claremont McKenna College. Mr. McHonett’s versatile talents often shine when advocating for our seniors,

promoting our School brand, and educating others about our School’s engaging curriculum. PCDS is fortunate to have Mr. McHonett as a part of our administrative backbone.

is often seen helping younger Upper School students map out a meaningful path for themselves—using the tools they are developing at PCDS—beyond high school.

On a typical day, Mr. McHonett can be found assisting students on their college essays in the quad and welcoming colleges and universities to campus for presentations. He is often on the phone with colleges, universities, newspapers and other media outlets, promoting PCDS so that our School continues to be recognized for our greatness in Arizona and beyond. He

“ I ’m thrilled for this new opportunity to represent our seniors, our curriculum, and our School brand to colleges and the community at large. We have the best kids—each with their own aspirations for life beyond PCDS—and I am excited to advocate for them and our School.”

Dr. Becky Allison College Counseling and Student Support B.A., Wellesley College; B.A., M.A., University of California Berkeley; PhD, Arizona State University

Andrew M. Rodin Headmaster 2 April 2016

This letter is not to announce that Dr. Allison is retiring. It’s not even to say that she’s leaving Phoenix Country Day School.

It is, however, to let everyone know that at the conclusion of this year, “Doc A” will

be hanging up her copy of The Odyssey, shelving her PUGS practice sheets, laying to rest all

forms of margin notes, and putting out to pasture her daily 6-­‐point quizzes. After 21 years of impeccably preparing our students to find success in their college coursework and through life, Dr. Allison is eager to start a new chapter at PCDS.

She will still roll in every day in her “new” 1989 station wagon. She will still drag

through the quad her cart and bottle crate full of files. She will still give her heart and soul to every student with whom she works. And, much to both her Headmaster’s and her husband’s chagrin, she will still likely amble back home long after the sun has set.

Each day in this new iteration, Dr. Allison will dedicate herself to tackling the

academic challenges of the students who need her most, providing direct assistance with

their essay-­‐writing and general organization. She will also bolster the efforts of the college counseling office, guiding our 12th-­‐grade applicants through their essays and related documents.

Certainly, we will miss Dr. Allison’s unparalleled excellence in the classroom. But

we are incredibly fortunate to be able to retain her services for at least a while longer.

Left: Andrew Rodin’s official letter (2016) announcing Dr. Allison’s retirement from the classroom. Right: Mr. Rodin’s playful rendition of Dr. Allison’s typical editing

“I loved teaching ninth-graders, and now I love my new role in college counseling and student support. Working with individual students, and learning about their hopes and dreams and challenges, has been a tremendously rewarding experience.” Dr. Becky Allison WINTER 2016/17 | 19

FACULTY AWARDS

Yellot Faculty Grants Faculty research aimed at further engaging students

The Yellott Faculty Grants Memorial Endowment—which honors the memory of former Headmaster John I. Yellott—supports summer research to enhance teaching in the classroom. Our current focus asks faculty to explicitly address how their efforts will foster student engagement, in alignment with the curricular goals articulated in the School’s most updated Strategic Plan.

Last year’s awardees (2015-16) are busy integrating their work in their classrooms: Sue Mazzolini: Engineering Design I and II. Ms. Mazzolini has brought an engineering sequence to the Upper School that is laboratory and project based. Students design programs to accomplish a specific task, including creating an audio equalizer, a digital oscilloscope, or a game for students to practice trigonometry facts. In addition, students have enjoyed programming Lego robots. All of these activities focus directly on enhancing student engagement in a very high level way.

Robin Anderson: Enhancing the Upper School Classics Curriculum. The aim of Ms. Anderson’s project was to conduct research to facilitate expansion and enhancement of our Upper School language course offerings, with the overall goal of increasing student interest and engagement. The first two offerings were: A Survey of the Origins of Medicine (Greek and Roman) and The Connection Between Magic, Mystery, and Spirituality: Occultism in the Ancient World. Classes focus on student research, and independent work that requires students to fully use the target language.

Shaun Ducusin and Heather Arguello: Project Based Learning (PBL) for Fourth Graders. Our fourth grade team developed a unit of cross-curricular study to maximize student engagement through hands-on learning. They dove into research showing that problem-solving and critical thinking skills are strongly promoted through PBL. Their initial experiences confirmed that the PBL approach helps students apply what they learn in real-life situations and promotes retention of content and a deep understanding of what is being learned.

Dave Martin: Global Terrorism. Mr. Martin conducted research to provide the foundation for this new Upper School elective. The course dovetails with the PCDS mission to develop “a curriculum that responds to the diverse and rapidly changing world.” The course provides students with a highly developed and refined understanding of global terrorism in the 20th and 21st centuries, so that they emerge capable of conducting informed discussions that reflect high-level understanding of this complex topic.

Mr. Martin shared some of his course content with our alumni in the Spring of 2016 in a three-part Masters’ Speaker Series.

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This current school year (2016-17), four applications were awarded funding, and those awardees are currently weaving their research into their classroom teachings: Ann Duffy: Project Based Curriculum for Upper School Chemistry. Dr. Duffy is developing an integrated project based curriculum for tenth grade chemistry, one that will focus on data driven, real world applications. While there will be significant individual responsibility in the course, projects will also have a notable collaborative component. By integrating chemistry content, data analysis including application to historical case studies, online data generating simulations, and laboratory investigations, students will gain ample experiences that are typical of real bench chemistry.

Kelly Butler, Julie Larrea, Sarah Gaumer, Debra Wood, Kristin Pruett, Jim Waller: A Multi-Skill Approach to Grading in the Sixth Grade. This faculty team is developing a grading system that identifies and clearly communicates a number of core constructs that are being nurtured in the sixth grade, including study skills, community, and character. By using relevant and clear evaluations, with opportunities for remediation and mentorship, the full potential of students will be fostered, as they will be challenged to push themselves to pursue growth reflective of their personal best.

Kate Halsey: Real World Class Sessions for Parents of Ninth Graders. Our Real World course is designed to help ninth graders manage the many complexities of being an adolescent student. Ms. Halsey extends the focus to parents via psychoeducational sessions, which will give them an opportunity to participate in the same activities as their children, initiate similar discussion, and work together with fellow parents.

Through this experience, parents and children can have a joint platform to manage socio-emotional challenges, which will ultimately help our students retain and grow their love of learning, while negotiating the inherent stress of adolescence.

Alli Booth: Philosophy of Belief: New Upper School Course. Student engagement is promoted by identifying areas for course development in our curriculum that will encourage students to bring their own ideas to the classroom. Ms. Booth has developed a seminar-style class in which students will have an opportunity to learn about world religions, themselves, and each other. Deep exploration, using discussion centered on primary sources, will help students develop their ability to speak about and ask questions regarding religions in a productive and respectful way, while promoting both their reflective and expressive skills.

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FACULTY NEWS AND NOTES

Faculty News This past May, Assistant Head of School Roz Abero ’89 and Director of Advancement C. Ryan Joyce had lunch at The Capital Grille with PCDS Founder, Mae Sue Talley. Mrs. Talley has remained close to our School and was thrilled to hear about the many capital improvements and, most importantly, that her vision of becoming “one of the top schools in the nation” is now a reality! Thank you, Mae Sue, for being our guiding light for more than 55 years!

In April 2016, PCDS welcomed back to campus former Head of School Galen Brewster. Galen had been traveling through Arizona and wanted to stop by. A lunch was thrown in his honor with a collection of his closest PCDS connections. The lunch was followed by a comprehensive campus tour, as well as a a wine and cheese gathering of faculty and staff in the Garvin Family Walk of Champions. “Thank you for the lunch reception, the tour, and a chance to see some faculty one more time. You all have done an amazing job putting PCDS in order for the future. The ideas for advancing the curriculum to a new level are right on target for what is best as an integrated base of knowledge in the world they will be experiencing. And those new facilities are so impressive! Thank you for showing me around and for giving me so much time and personal attention,” stated Brewster.

Upper School Math teacher and Speech & Debate Coach Nick Klemp and Assistant Speech & Debate Coach Michelle Hill received their first diamonds this year from the National Speech and Debate Association. Mr. Klemp earned his in June, and Ms. Hill in September.

Diamond Coach Awards reflect excellence and longevity in the activity.

Coaches receive one point for every ten merit points earned by their students. Coaches then earn Association membership and advanced standing at the same milestones as students, until they earn 1,000 points and the Donus D. Roberts Quad Ruby Coach Award.

Early in the school year over lunch, Middle School Innovation and Technology teacher Brett Girod stopped in his tracks in Burch Hall when he caught a glimpse of someone he thought he knew from over 12 years ago. The hair on this individual appeared more silver than he had remembered, but lo and behold, when he got a closer look, he realized it was his Mandarin teacher from ASU—our very own US Mandarin teacher Patty Pang. He and Ms. Pang had also traveled to China together for three months on an ASU student trip.

Middle School English teacher Chris Eriksen took to the Phoenix Theater stage as Billy’s Dad during the winter production of Billy Elliot. “Through Eriksen’s expert facial expressions we see the suffering he endures from the strike as well as the confusion he has when he (Billy’s father) discovers Billy has taken up dance classes. But he also expertly shows the changes his character goes through once he realizes how important dancing is to Billy. The joy he evokes during the number “Electricity” when his character sees what his son is capable of is one of the most emotionally stirring, heartbreaking, and inspiring moments I’ve seen on stage all year,” stated Gil Benbrook in his production critique.

Upper School History teacher Dave Martin was chosen to be on the ISAS visiting team at Ursuline Academy in Dallas in January 2017. Along with another US faculty member, Dave will also be leading a once-in-a-lifetime student trip to Cambodia and Vietnam during PCDS spring break 2017.

On October 27, Head of School Andy Rodin and Director of Advancement C. Ryan Joyce visited with Chris Walker ’65 at his home in Bel Air, CA. Chris continues to be a great conduit for our PCDS students who express interest in Claremont McKenna College where Chris has been a trustee for over 20 years. Mr. Walker hosted our Los Angeles alumni reception at his home in January 2017.

From left: Roz Abero and C. Ryan Joyce with Mae Sue Talley; Former faculty member Paul Schweikher and former Head of School Galen Brewster with current faculty Bob Kosower; Upper School teachers Patty Pang (lower left) and Brett Girod (blue shirt and hat) in China; Chris Eriksen as Billy’s Dad; Andy Rodin and Chris Walker

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FACULTY BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS

Turk Nico Grabski was born on September 19, 2015 to Head of US Lisa Culbertson and Eric Grabski.

Cooper Sheridan was born on May 5, 2016 to LS teacher Jaime Sheridan and her husband, Terrance.

Cooper joins Brady, age 6; and Logan, age 9.

Jack Harrison was born on August 30, 2016 to Associate Head of School Patrick McHonett; his wife, Jessica; and sister Charlotte, age 3.

Van was born on October 8, 2016 to MS Innovation and Technology teacher Brett Girod and his wife, E.V. Van joins siblings Guy, age 5, and Ruby, age 3.

Hattie Louise Hill was born on November 11, 2016 to US Faculty and Speech & Debate Coach Nick Klemp and his wife, US Assistant Speech & Debate Coach Michelle Hill.

UCLA FEATURES ART TEACHER LAUREN STROHACKER’S ANIMAL LAND The Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS) at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability invited Upper School Art teacher Lauren Strohacker to display her collaborative project Animal Land on campus. She also participated in the panel discussion “Public Art and Visual Narrative” during the 3-day symposium “Earth Now: Earth 2050.”

Animal Land is a visual metaphor for wildlife in the Anthropocene era, an unfolding narrative that wavers between displacement, reintroduction and loss.

Lauren Strohacker and fellow artist Kendra Sollars reimagine traditional wildlife encounters in a contemporary format— through technology in an urban space with human inhabitants. Indoor and outdoor video projections generate synthetic animals, native to each geographical location, that are completely decontextualized. Void of natural environment, sound, and color, they are activated and influenced by the built environment and human interaction.

Strohacker and Sollars are responding to the current and rapid loss of biodiversity and investigating a future where genuine interactions between humans and non-human animals may not exist. “ Strohacker and Sollars’s collaboration is meant to confront in any number of registers, be they aesthetic, socio-political, environmental, etc. The Animal Land project makes Strohacker and Sollars two of our best pictorial historians of animal presence, as well as the present contradictions of our mutually shared life-world.” — Grant Vetter, The Arts Beacon

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MESSAGE FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT Dear Fellow Eagles, 2015-16 was one of the most exciting years in PCDS Alumni history, beginning with our successful events. This past year, PCDS alumni continued to break attendance records. We held events in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York, and Los Angeles.

There were also three major local events: Blue & Gold Day, the annual Holiday Party, and Bridge-the-Gap. Earlier in the evening of Bridge-the-Gap, alumni were inducted into the PCDS Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year was presented to Christopher Walker ’65. Congratulations, Chris!

ALUMNI BOARD Augustine H. Gomez ‘99 President Carolina Lopez ‘82 Vice President Tiffany Westlie Pondelik ‘00 Secretary Greg Haus ‘79 Nicole Blaustein Spracale ‘87 Clarissa Simek Robinson ‘88 Sarah Vieh Dworkin ‘98 Aylin Tashman Kim ‘99 Gilbert Armenta ‘00 Ali Hicks LeClair ‘01 Elizabeth Reahard Oviedo ‘04 Alex Ashby ‘05 Bryan McLaren ‘05 Ben McRae ‘07 Caitlin Wilenchik ‘08 Eric Fram ‘09 Sophia Boyer ‘10 Adam Sidi ‘14 Calvin Hamilton ‘17 Mina Rodriguez ‘17

This past spring, we also held the first annual Alumni Masters’ Lecture Series featuring our beloved history teacher Dave Martin. His riveting three-part series on Global Terrorism gave all attendees, both in person and over the internet, an insightful look into a topic constantly flooding headlines. The 2017 Masters’ Lecture Series will feature another pillar of our community, English teacher Lance Coon (see page 52 for more information). Please stay tuned for forthcoming details. We look forward to your participation regardless of where you live.

We also added new members to the Alumni Board this year: Gilbert Armenta ’00, Greg Haus ’79, and Ali Hicks LeClair ’01. We are excited to continue growing the Board with more members who will bring new energy and fresh ideas. Welcome Gilbert, Greg, and Ali. Finally, last year we announced the launch of PCDS:Connect, our very own alumni mentorship program. We are pleased to report that we already have over 100 mentors and mentees registered. If you are actively seeking a mentor or are interested in mentoring, please visit www.pcds.org/alumnimentorship for more information. We encourage you to get involved in PCDS:Connect and help us create a robust and active Alumni mentoring network for fellow Eagles seeking mentoring or for those who are looking to pay it forward.

As always, it is an honor to serve as your Alumni Board President. We have so many opportunities for you to reconnect with your former classmates—please join us. I always look forward to seeing new faces, and I hope to see you on campus or catch up with you at an event soon! Go Eagles!

Sincerely,

Augustine H. Gomez ‘99

Alumni Board, from left: Greg Haus, Tiffany Pondelik, Bryan McLaren, Augustine Gomez, Gilbert Armenta, Carolina Lopez, Elizabeth Oviedo, Sarah Dworkin, Ali LeClair, Calvin Hamilton, Mina Rodriguez

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CLAIM TO

FAME

2016 Alumnus of the Year:

Christopher Walker ‘65

Former Trustee Ken Allison and Head of School Andrew Rodin presenting Chris Walker ’65 with the honor of 2016 Outstanding Alumnus of the Year.

During the 2016 Alumni Spring Weekend, we honored Christopher V. Walker ‘65 as the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. Mr. Walker, a member of the School’s very first graduating class, praised his fellow trailblazing members of the Class of 1965 in his acceptance speech. Following his time at PCDS, Chris distinguished himself at Claremont McKenna College and Georgetown University before embarking on a highly successful career in private equity and international finance, which included his role as a founding partner of Leonard Green and Partners, a Los Angeles-based

private merchant bank. Chris is a dedicated advocate of the arts, having served in leadership roles at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Los Angeles Opera; and the Trustee Council of the National Gallery of Art. Chris has also dedicated over twenty years as member of the Board of Trustees of Claremont McKenna College. In 2015, Chris was inducted into the PCDS Athletic Hall of Fame along with his fellow student athletes from 1965. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Chris. We are so lucky to call you one of our own! n WINTER 2016/17 | 25

COLLEGE DESTINATIONS 2016

Congratulations to the PCDS Class of 2016!

Iya Agha ASU, Barrett, The Honors College

Samuel Christopher Garvin Claremont McKenna College

Rosy Icela Martinez St. Mary’s University of San Antonio

Isabella Theresa Aguilera St. Bonaventure University

Jillian Hannah Gilburne Northwestern University

Justice Sky McGee University of San Diego

Sophie Elena Arregoces ASU, Barrett, The Honors College

Jason Benjamin Greenfield Amherst College

Theodore Harrison McNally Williams College

Jacob Tyler Bain Claremont McKenna College

Andreea Mae Hauser Embry-­Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott

Arra Gregory Melikian New York University

Mala Bansal Duke University Daniel Ahad Bashir Harvey Mudd College Ari Bradshaw Vanderbilt University Leah Samantha Chanen Brandeis University Caroline E. Cohen Emory University

Claire Adrienne Hayden Drew University Andrew Jason Hosmar Claremont McKenna College Sarah Humphrey University of San Diego Gwyneth Hutchinson University of California, Berkeley Jack Jiang Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne

Amara Delaney Miller ASU, Barrett, The Honors College Elle Marie Miraglia University of California, Los Angeles Yash Suraj Muley Carleton College Gabriel Christopher Murray University of San Diego Alexa Sophia Nino ASU, Barrett, The Honors College

Jamie Elyse Cohen Duke University

Kira Celeste Kirby The University of Texas, Austin

Sebastian Adrian Olea Babson College

Natalie L. Cohen Tulane University

Raagini Reddy Kothur Scripps College

Boden Dean Peterson Chapman University

Natalie Elena Cooper University of San Diego

Sarah Ann Kyllo University of Oregon

Natalie Marie Prieb The George Washington University

Michael Cole Dady Boston College

Benjamin Daniel Lee Harvard University

Bernard Liam Rethore University of Pittsburgh

Sarah Catherine Dailey Kenyon College

Philip Aylsworth Lewis Dartmouth College

Ellie Reynoso Phoenix College

Nathan Patrick Derueda Santa Clara University

Josh Steven Lindley Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Robert Rezvani ASU, Barrett, The Honors College

Tara Anne Dugel Columbia University

Oliver Westphal Marsden Tufts University

Michael Joseph Rohacz Belmont University

Andrew Curtis Ekmark Stanford University

Claire Katherine Schmidt Martin Boston University

Matthew Jacob Rosenthal Southern Methodist University

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Sofia Shah Arizona State University

Avery Sly Boston University

Gabriela Grau Walton Georgetown University

Anita Sheih Brown University

Luis Ariel Tano American University

Carissa Diane Wang University of San Diego

Jessica J. Sherman ASU, Barrett, The Honors College

Nicole Dawson Thumma Massachusetts Institute of Technology

William S. Weiss ASU, Barrett, The Honors College

Tiana Rae Siragusa ASU, Barrett, The Honors College

Rebecca Jean Troche Savannah College of Art and Design

Matthew Charles Winter DigiPen Institute of Technology

PCDS LIFERS: CLASS OF 2016 These students attended Phoenix Country Day School from pre-k or kindergarten through their senior year.

Back row, left to right: Liam Rethore, Andrew Ekmark, Sam Garvin, Jake Bain, Drew Hosmar, Jillian Gilburne. Middle row: Tara Dugel, Carissa Wang, Kira Kirby, Natalie Cooper. Front row: Jessica Sherman, Sophie Arregoces, Tiana Siragusa

“Having been raised as an Eagle, I know that I am part of a PCDS family made up of individuals who will support me as I support them. Being a lifer means seeing the School evolve over the course of 14 years and helping to guide it along its way.

Being a lifer meant that even at School, I was always really at home. In short, lifers are lifers for life!”

Jillian Gilburne ’16; Northwestern University ‘20

“My time at PCDS imbued me with a strong work ethic that I am currently using to my advantage in college. Growing up with a PCDS education prepared me for the rigorous mechanical engineering curriculum I am now undertaking.”

Liam Rethore ’16; University of Pittsburgh ‘20 WINTER 2016/17 | 27

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Following the Path of a Recent Graduate

In this issue, student reporter Blake Brennan ‘19 catches up with recent graduate, Benjamin Lee ‘16.

Benjamin Lee is a member of the PCDS class of 2016 who is currently studying at Harvard University. Ben tells us that his main desire to pursue knowledge comes from his innate curiosities. Having always been an inquisitive student, Ben constantly asks questions and searches for answers. When he is unable to find an answer quickly, Ben will stop at nothing to find it.

topic that earned him first place in the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair.

During the summer before his sophomore year of high school, Ben’s father was training to be a pilot. One day he found it was too hot for the airplane to take off, and therefore he couldn’t fly that day. Ben found himself faced with an intriguing question of why birds can fly in the intense summer heat and planes cannot? His father didn’t seem to have an explanation.

Ben searched everywhere for an answer to his question but couldn’t find one, so he took matters into his own hands.

After analyzing over 300,000 frames of footage of birds taking off, Ben had found his answer: birds flap their wings faster in hotter temperatures, making the air around them less dense. It took him nearly a year to find his answer, but his curiosity and tenacity sparked a project on the

Through another of his independent studies, Ben was able to engineer a biotechnology startup. This effort led to a summer job doing biodefense research for the federal government, using computers to detect genetic engineering in bacteria.

While at PCDS, Ben pursued lots of his own research. By using the independent study program at PCDS, he learned how to put messages into DNA, and even built a virtual supercomputer in order to discover better ways to treat liver cancer using viruses.

Ben is further fascinated by bioinformatics—a field that draws from math, computer science, biology, and statistics.

As a result, it is not surprising that at Harvard University, he plans to study computer science as well as molecular and cellular biology.

After researching and discovering so much in his four years in the PCDS Upper School, Ben Lee is bound to accomplish great things at Harvard University and beyond. n

Through the independent study program at PCDS, Ben built a virtual supercomputer to discover better ways to treat liver cancer and engineered a biotechnology startup.

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2016 Eagle Athletes Soar

Ten graduates from the Class of 2016 will continue playing their sport at the NCAA level.

Back row, left to right:

Front row, left to right:

Drew Hosmar, soccer, Claremont McKenna College Andrew Ekmark, basketball, Stanford University Jake Bain, swim, Claremont McKenna College Oliver Marsden, swim, Tufts University Sam Garvin, basketball, Claremont McKenna College Yash Muley, baseball, Carleton College

Claire Hayden, fencing, Drew University Tara Dugel, squash, Columbia University Izzy Aguilera, dive, St. Bonaventure University Avery Sly, sailing, Boston University

WINTER 2016/17 | 29

PCDS Athletic Hall of Fame Nothing but Love for our 2016 Inductees The eighth annual PCDS Athletic Hall of Fame Induction honored three outstanding individual players, a longtime coach, and tennis teams that brought great recognition to our School.

JEFF ROLLINGS ‘81 Excerpts from Associate Athletic Director Bob Kosower’s remarks as he inducted Jeff Rollings into the PCDS Athletic Hall of Fame: Jeff Rollings ‘81 left his mark on PCDS baseball and put our program on the map in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During his playing days, The Arizona Republic wrote a number of articles about Jeff. One read: “Small school hero, Phoenix Country Day star has developed big time pitches.” In the article, Jeff was asked, “Wouldn’t you rather be going to a large school?” He responded, “I would rather be where I am because I want to go to law school. Country Day is a great school for preparing and gaining admittance into a school like Cornell.” And to law school he ultimately went!

Associate Athletic Director Bob Kosower recalled, “In my years of coaching baseball at Country Day, I have never seen a player that dominated a game like Jeff did. When he took the field, he was truly in command, pitching, hitting, and fielding. In Jeff’s senior year he hit over .500 and pitched two no hitters! Jeff led us to the state championship at Scottsdale Stadium as we defeated our arch rival at that time, the Judson School.” At PCDS, Jeff was a two-time most valuable player, 1981 Arizona Independent Athletic Association (AIAA) player of the year, and a two-time AIAA all state player. In 2011,

Athletic Director Shane Lewis, Jeff Rollings ‘81, Head of School Andrew Rodin and Associate Athletic Director Bob Kosower

30 | PCDS THE BRIDGE 30

Jeff’s 1981 state championship baseball team was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Since PCDS, Jeff played baseball at and graduated from Cornell, and then went to law school at Indiana University. He has practiced law for 28 years and currently lives in Norwalk, Connecticut. He has played in hockey, basketball, and softball leagues and is currently coaching his wife’s softball team. We would not want to take that team on!

ANNE ALLISON ‘96 Excerpts from former softball Coach Paul Schweikher’s introduction as he inducted Anne Allison ’96 into the PCDS Athletic Hall of Fame: “ Anne Allison ’96 is one of the most prolific female athletes in PCDS history. She led our athletic department by excelling in swimming, basketball, and softball. Anne did it all. In close games, the coaching staff and her teammates always looked to Anne as the go-to person. She was truly a leader. Bob Kosower was her basketball coach, and calls Anne ‘the best female three-point shooter in his 38 years at PCDS’. Personal success, however, always took second billing. When asked about her success, Anne replied ‘what I achieve is only relative to what the team achieves.’ She went on to say, ‘I would rather dish out 10 assists and go 20-0 than score 40 a game and never win.’ She was an unselfish team player to the core.”

Anne Allison ‘96 congratulated by Coach Paul Schweikher

A school paper article written in 1996 depicts how our community felt about her. It was titled Anne Allison: A PCDS Legend. The article says what we already know. Anne is a remarkable person, and a great role model. When asked how she managed her time with sports and academics, Anne replied: “It takes a lot of hard work, but anything is possible if you put your heart into it.” In Anne’s four years at PCDS, she won three MVP awards and was named the School’s most outstanding athlete. She was selected by the metro region for all region awards in basketball and softball and was also selected for all state honors in basketball.

Today, Anne lives in Berkeley, California with her wife and young son, and works at Mills College in Oakland as the academic coordinator for A/V media services. Besides sports, Anne loves music, has a weekly radio show, and is a DJ at a few local events each year. Her favorite sports are hiking, biking, swimming, and snow boarding.

ADAM SPIEGEL ‘92 As he began his induction of Adam Spiegel ’92 into the Athletic Hall of Fame, Associate Athletic Director Bob Kosower remarked, “Adam was one of those outstanding athletes that made you proud that he represented PCDS. Character, class, trustworthiness, responsibility, fairness, and sportsmanship are all terms that depict Adam Spiegel. Adam played with skill, heart, determination and that desire to never give up and to be the best that he could be.”

Adam was a three-sport athlete. He played four years of soccer, basketball, and baseball. During those years he was selected five times as a most valuable player. He also received all-region and all-state recognition. He won the coveted PCDS Eagle Award and was selected as the School’s most outstanding athlete.

Athletic Director Shane Lewis, Associate Athletic Director Bob Kosower, Adam Spiegel ‘92, and Head of School Andrew Rodin

Since PCDS, Adam graduated from Yale, and went on to Washington D.C. to work at the Advisory Board—a research, technology and consulting firm that works in health care and higher education. After working there for a few years, Adam went to the Wharton School for his MBA. From there, he returned to Washington D.C. and the Advisory Board and now is the chief revenue officer for the company. Adam still has an interest in athletics and now coaches his daughter’s soccer team.

COACH ANDY KILTZ Many times coaches do not get the credit that they deserve.

The head coach of a team is responsible for many things.

They must remain disciplined, in control, and do the little things that really make the difference for their team. Andy Kiltz embraced these characteristics wholeheartedly. In 1999, Bob Kosower hired Andy Kiltz as the girls’ basketball coach.

Our School expected big things from Andy—and he delivered!

Andy led the varsity girls’ basketball team to the 2000 state championship. His top player, Courtney Lewis, was first team all-state, The Arizona Republic player of the year, and one of the first athletes to be inducted into the PCDS Athletic Hall of Fame. Andy’s additional accolades include: • Three metro region championships, including the 2005 upset of #1 ranked Scottsdale Christian • Four state tournament appearances • The Arizona Republic Coach of the Year • Twice selected as the metro region Coach of the Year • Arizona Coaches Association Coach of the Year Coach Kiltz truly cared for and made a difference in the lives of his players, and we were delighted to honor him this year.

Coach Andy Kiltz with his former basketball player, Courtney Lewis ‘00

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Athletic Hall of Fame—Continued 1979-1982 TENNIS PLAYERS: Amy Abraham Bacal George Baker (Coach) Jennifer Beardsley Kent Berk Mike Bernstein Cathy Best Gordon Nancy Best Johnston Laurie Bienstock Bill Bollinger Holly Brown-Burns Julie Burgess Sullivan* Malcolm Clendenin* Fran Cole Toro Liz Dashnaw Robert Dees* Andy Dreyfuss Evan Dreyfuss Sabrina Espinoza Havard Jimmy Friend Greg Grant Eric Hagstrom Katy Ligon Carolina Lopez Krista Magnusson Martin Sean McElheny Lesley Micuda Jeff Miller Greg Nelson Sue Pitre Bushor Karen Polite Sullivan Robert Ranucci Beth Richey Jim Rigberg Leora Romney Roz Romney Laurence Schreiber Wendy Scurr Rodriguez Eddie Shanken Bob Simonds Ellen Smith Brennan Stacy Stone Patti Valenti Breedlove Tina Walters Angle Farley Weiss Jeff Weiss Mark Weiss * In memoriam

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1979-1982 STATE CHAMPION TENNIS TEAMS Rather than inducting a single team into this year’s Hall of Fame, we honored four consecutive years of state championship tennis teams who played from 1979-1982.

The inductees were joined by their former coach, George Baker, who flew in from Hawaii for the occasion.

As a result of his induction into the Hall of Fame as a 1979-1982 tennis player, Jim Friend ’82 shared the following: “ From a poor memory, scanning nearly 35 years, a few things come to the forefront. From 1979-1982—the four years I was in high school at PCDS—tennis was a rising sport. But, at a small private school in Paradise Valley, Arizona focused on academics and the liberal arts, athletics was not necessarily a focal point. For the Weiss family, with three brothers all one year apart in age, tennis was an everyday occurrence, and the same was true for me. Regionally, the four of us had been competing against each other for many years by the time we got to Upper School. We all trained after school, on weekends, and some of us traveled and competed nationally. In 1979, the “perfect storm” came together when all four of us, along with many other students who loved the game, found ourselves on the same school team. I don’t remember the choice to play being a difficult one.

I remember thinking that playing for the School with my competitors, instead of against my competitors, sounded like a good change!

Four years later, PCDS tennis had four state team championships and several individual state championships. With a continued commitment to excellence and the attention to alumni relations, PCDS has reached back to antiquity and pulled us out of the past, for what, I hope, stands as a symbol for future Eagle tennis champions.” n

Associate Athletic Director Bob Kosower, Jim Friend ‘82, Wendy Scurr Rodriguez ‘83, Coach George Baker, Mark Weiss ‘83, Amy Abraham Bacal ‘80, Carolina Lopez ‘82, Jeff Miller ‘80, Sabrina Espinoza ‘83, Head of School Andrew Rodin

First comes love, then comes marriage, then come…future Eagles!

From awkward first sightings in the Upper School quad to later-in-life reunions, here are 10 of the partnerships, engagements, and marriages that are rooted in Phoenix Country Day School bonds.

Cathy Tancer Lewkowitz ’79 & Herman Lewkowitz ‘79 Cathy shared, “We graduated in 1979. I attended for 10 years, starting in third grade. Herman came to PCDS our junior year and he was the new kid. We hadn’t had a new student since fifth grade. The first day of school there was an assembly, and they introduced all the new students. I went home and told my mother that there was a new Jewish boy and his name was Herman, and I was going to marry him. We started dating a week later.“ “Our first date was an ASU football game on September 10, 1977, but I think there was a party before that date where we started talking. We have been together ever since, which is crazy! On our first date to the game, Herman picked me up in a red convertible. He asked if I wanted a bandana for my hair. I just started laughing. He said that his mom told him that most girls would want to protect their hair. The funny thing about the date was that I actually lost one of my contacts while driving in the car. I can’t really remember much of the game but we never stopped dating.” Herman shared, “My favorite memories of PCDS were and are centered around her, including when we were voted prom king and queen.”

Cathy and Herman have been married for 35 years, plus the four years they dated before they got married, totaling nearly 40 years together. They have three children, Adam, Jennifer, and Blake who were all lifers at PCDS. Their oldest was in the inaugural pre-k class in 1988-89.

Dyann Fisher Bolin ‘83 & Erik Bolin ‘83 Dyann was a lifer who attended PCDS from 1970-1983 and Erik matriculated for Upper School. Dyann recalls, “We met at an algebra summer school class in seventh grade.

On the first day of class when Mrs. Jensen called roll, Erik did not answer. When she called his name a second time, he popped out of a cardboard treasure chest along the back of the room and yelled, ‘I’m here!’—what a goofy boy!”

Erik doesn’t specifically remember a first date, but “we went to a lot of parties,” he said. “One particular party was special.” Dyann shared that she went to that party because “I knew he would be there. There were lots of sparks between us. He had to go home early but called me at the party to talk more, and I couldn’t wait to see him at school on Monday morning.” Erik and Dyann both fondly recall the close-knit student body during the 80’s as well as the Upper School mule pack trip through New Horizons.

“We dated in high school, then went our separate ways when it was time to leave for college. We kept in touch through emails and occasional phone calls. When our relationships with others ended at about the same time in 2008, we got together for lunch and have been together ever since. We were married in Hawaii in 2012.”

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John Morey ’85 & Sally Pechstein ‘86 John attended PCDS from 1980-85, and Sally was at PCDS from 1981-84.

“We hardly knew each other at PCDS and didn’t run in the same circles those years,” explained John. “Sally came back to visit Arizona and to go to her prom in May of 1986 when I was the date of one of her good friends, though still no connection was made. So close and yet so far…”

Sally remembers John goofing around in Madame Jacque’s office—she was their French teacher and his faculty advisor. Sally thought John was kind of nerdy. As John puts it, “Sally was dating upper classmen, and I was playing Dungeons and Dragons”.

According to John and Sally, “We connected on Facebook several years ago when there was a lot of communication and connecting with old friends for a PCDS reunion. Sally didn’t end up going to that reunion, however somehow we ended up as Facebook ‘friends’. In 2015, Sally reached out to John via Facebook in a message Sally’s sister verifies, ‘was NOT flirty’. Nor was his initial response.

However, this started a really sweet correspondence, which at first included lots of memories of PCDS, our classmates, teachers and experiences.

After three short days of corresponding in December 2015, we decided that John would come to Maui (12 days later!) to spend Christmas, as neither of us had plans for the holidays. We were both intrigued with each other and this reconnection and decided to take a huge leap of faith. We texted and spoke by phone incessantly for this short period (no Skype or FaceTime!). We call our first date ‘the most amazing (10-day) first date ever.’ John moved to Maui in November where he now telecommutes full-time. We hope to eventually spend at least half the year in our new home in Flagstaff.

Our first date at PCDS was coming back for Sally’s 30th reunion in April 2016 as a couple. It was wonderful and a bit surreal!”

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Daniel Durchslag ’89 & Kristen Brook ‘95 Daniel Durchslag, class of 1989, began at PCDS in third grade and Kristen Brook, class of 1995, began at PCDS in second grade in 1983. We were too far apart in age to know each other well, but Daniel’s younger brother Brad, a PCDS-lifer, was in Kristen’s class.

Brad and Kristen actually both attended Trinity University in San Antonio and Daniel (in law school at the time) helped take Kristen to college with the Durchslag and Brook families.

In early 2011, Kristen returned to Phoenix (from Tucson) and was living in the Biltmore. Daniel’s mom Ruthie (a long-time PCDS fixture) who was also living in the Biltmore, ran into Kristen and suggested that Kristen and Daniel get together. Ruthie did well as a matchmaker. Daniel and Kristen’s first date was March 5, 2011, and they married in Maui in June 2013.

“In classic yours, mine and ours fashion, we have five wonderful kids—Kyle (17), Lainey (15), Kyra (9), Jason (6) and Dylan (2).”

“Our favorite PCDS memories definitely include the teachers, and we discuss them often. We have had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Cook at his gallery showings, Mr. Schweikher as he has met with our son about his college search, Mr. Coon around the Arcadia neighborhood, Messrs. Coon, Kosower, and Martin and Ms. Johnson on our visits back to campus, and Mrs. Cone on Facebook. They have all significantly impacted and shaped our lives.”

Stephanie Vithoulkas Hackett ’91 & Jason C. Hackett ‘88 Stephanie attended PCDS in eighth and ninth grade, then went to boarding school at Andover. Jason attended PCDS from fifth grade through high school and graduated in 1988. Steph recalls that she was a freshman when Jason was a senior, so “we knew of each other but didn’t hang out. I thought he was ‘hot’, but he had a serious girlfriend and would never have dated a puny freshman!”

Jason shared that “Steph was a varsity cheerleader, and though she doesn’t believe me, I remember seeing her at the top of the pyramid when she cheered at basketball games thinking she was ‘cute,’ albeit very young looking.

I lucked out. She’s still young-looking.” Years after we left PCDS, we officially met at a party when we were both home for Thanksgiving in 1993. Our mutual friends, Rick Daley and Hugh Daley, introduced us at a party thrown by their brother Tim Daley (the Daley Bridge was named in their mother’s honor), Jason’s brother Ian Hackett and their buddy Bennett Dorrance. Although Steph attended Wellesley College, she was spending her junior year on exchange at Williams College, and Jason happened to be living in Albany, New York, just an hour away. They started dating in Williamstown, Massachusetts in January 1994, and were married in March 2001.

Steph and Jason have four children, three of whom are at PCDS: Emme Kate (13) is in seventh grade, Kather (11) is in fifth grade and Rainey (9) is in third grade. “Our threeyear-old daughter, Thea, looks forward to attending PCDS with her older brother and sisters. She is already well known around campus and seems to be a mascot among the Lower and Middle Schools, even appearing as a tiny eaglet at big games!”

Steph and Jason both have treasured memories from their times as PCDS students. Steph recalled, “I remember my mom pulling up in front of Burch Hall on my first day at PCDS and the head of Middle School, Mr. Baker, greeted me at the car and introduced me to my first friend at PCDS and still-dear friend, Danielle Gordon Schlichter.

That day, I made another lifelong friend, Courtney Cooper Mathy, and now our children are good friends. I remember being such a young girl who never would have imagined that her future husband was sitting right there in the Upper School quad, and that we would have four children who would one day be walking these same paths. For us, PCDS is more than an education for life; it has shaped our lives in ways we never dreamed.”

Emme Kate, Stephanie, Thea, Kather, Rainey, and Jason

“ For us, PCDS is more than an education for life; it has shaped our lives in ways we never dreamed.”

Stephanie Hackett

Jason “remember[s] the growing bond of four families—the Hacketts, the Daleys, the Dorrances and the Torreys—a motley crew of varying ages that spanned Lower, Middle and Upper Schools, who still remain close to this day. I remember ‘La Pluma Roja’, Señor Bruning’s infamous red pen.

When he pulled it from his pocket, someone was in trouble.

I remember Mr. Raymond’s ease at explaining geometry. To this day, I have never had to solve a geometry problem, but I could if I needed to. I remember getting a harsh lesson on the finer points of abstract expressionism when I dared to tell Mr. Cook that a Jackson Pollock painting reminded me of something a mere child could do. I remember sitting in the new gym, which is now the old gym, rooting for our high school basketball team (and noticing a certain cheerleader) in what would become the very same spot I now root for my daughter’s basketball team. I remember our championship Eagles soccer team, tough and talented, and bound by brotherhood—Morris and David Friedman, Kris and Dino Stathakis, Hugh and Tim Daley, my brother Ian and me.

Like hell if we were getting beat. I remember the quad bustling with laughter and pranks and optimism, and also an underlying nervousness of what lay beyond the safe walls of PCDS. Only later did I realize that I never left PCDS; PCDS came with me and remains with me to this day.”

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Lance Coon & Judy Mitchell Judy began teaching at PCDS in 1979; Lance arrived in August 1982. When Lance came for an interview in April 1982, he met Judy briefly in the faculty lounge that day. Little did he know that her divorce was final the same day in Ohio, so she had little interest in meeting some guy from Columbus and behaved rather coolly. After Lance left the room for his next interview, thensecond-grade teacher Erna Pitts said, “Judy, you were rude to that man.” Four months later, Lance moved to Phoenix to begin teaching at PCDS (Judy’s son Brian Hoblitt began attending PCDS in third grade the same day Lance started teaching). He was told that a good way to meet people was to attend happy hour at the North Bank restaurant, located on the current site of Chelsea’s Kitchen on 40th St. On Friday of the first week of school, Judy and Lance met again at a happy hour, struck up a conversation, and hit it off much better. Judy invited Lance to have dinner with her at one of her favorite restaurants, took him for a birthday dinner the following week, and they began seeing each other regularly after that.

After dating for six or seven months, they moved in together but kept the relationship low-profile so as not to draw too much attention. For the faculty directory the following fall, Lance listed a PO box as his home address, but registrar Donna Rankin published the directory listing the same address for both of us. “When we complained to her that we were trying to stay a little under the radar, her reply was ‘Trust me. It’s better this way’.” They were married in April 1984 in the backyard of a fellow teacher, Ramil Biggs, and have been married for 32 years. Together, they have attended hundreds of PCDS sporting events and always enjoyed seeing our student athletes perform. “We’ve been able to watch PCDS develop new traditions from Senior Speeches to First Friday.

We have been fans of the theater and music programs, and between us have chaperoned performing arts trips to New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, and Edinburgh. Class trips to Catalina Island and Kernville have given us both many campfire memories. Alumni events and social media allow us to stay connected to several hundred former students, all of whom we feel privileged to have as a part of our lives.”

Devon Loback Klinefelter ‘98 & Ryan Klinefelter ‘98 Devon attended PCDS from fifthtwelth grades and Ryan attended from kindergarten-eighth grade.

They “dated” in seventh and eighth grades, with their first date being an “awkward” Middle School dance.

Devon recalls that “Ryan was very shy and an amazing athlete.” Ryan remembers that Devon “liked to play the clarinet and was quiet and had a fun family.” Their favorite PCDS memories include morning meetings in Burch Hall, getting in trouble with Mr. Crabb, Track and Field Day, Middle School dances, English class with Mr. Coon, and varsity basketball.

Devon and Ryan were reintroduced by a mutual friend right after college and have now been a couple for 14 years (10 of them married). They live in San Francisco with their two lovely kids—son Porter (4) and daughter Palmer (2).

36 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

Caitlin Burke ‘02 & Ted Blosser ‘02 Caitlin attended PCDS from pre-k through eighth grade and Ted came for Upper School, graduating in 2002. “Fun fact: Between the two of us we have a complete set of PCDS yearbooks—pre-k through senior year!” While Caitlin and Ted never overlapped at PCDS, they had heard of each other through friends but did not meet until after college. “We briefly met while home for Thanksgiving in Phoenix shortly after college, but actually got to know each other at the PCDS alumni reunion in Los Angeles in March 2008, since we were both living in Los Angeles at the time.”

Some of their favorite PCDS memories include, for Caitlin, the eighth grade class trip to CIMI. “I think we sang ‘Lean on Me’ a couple hundred times on this trip, but there was a lot of great class bonding. It was the capstone of my time at PCDS.” Ted fondly recalls playing varsity soccer his senior year with great friends like Zach Israel, Gabriel Bruffy-Holmes, Brian Yee, Garrett Wieger, Eric Hirvela, Jason Platt, and David Tiro.

Caitlin and Ted have now been a couple for eight years and married for four years. They live in Northern California and have a young daughter, Waverley.

Kim Cotton Bojalad ‘93 & Jim Bojalad ‘93 Kim and Jim both entered PCDS in the eighth grade and graduated together in 1993. They had the same group of friends, started dating in the eighth grade, and they attended all four proms together. Kim’s first impression of Jimmy was that “he was an interesting character. He was very friendly and outgoing. Our first exchange was Jimmy asking me if I liked his ‘cool, tie-dyed shirt’ to which I responded, ‘No, not really.’ Despite my brutal honesty, we became great friends.” Jim recalls that his first impression of Kim was that “she was quiet and different than everyone else. Oh, and she had big hair. I was curious.”

“Our first date was a double date. It was your typical, uncomfortable first date.

We went to dinner at Ed Debevic’s and went to the Town and Country movie theater to see a movie.” With regard to their PCDS memories, they most fondly recall “a basketball game against Northwest Community Christian. TJ Demark made a full court buzzer beater to win the game. It was amazing!”

Danielle Skloven ‘05 & David Krumwiede ’05 Danielle and David met in fourth grade. They were on the swim team in Upper School but did not date until they attended USC. They married in October 2014. David is currently finishing his PhD in Nuclear Physics at UC Berkeley, and Danielle is a veterinary student at UC Davis.

Kim and Jim now have two wonderful kids. Their daughter, Abby, is ten years old and son Will is seven years old. They both attend Sewickley Academy, where they live in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

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Eagles Gathering Near…

In April 2016, we welcomed many alumni back to campus for Alumni Spring Weekend. In addition to honoring alumni commemorating their reunions from classes ending in 1 and 6, attendees enjoyed a cocktail reception, an alumni soccer game, campus tours, and our gorgeous Bridge-the-Gap celebration. The Blue & Gold Alumni Tent also returned for a third year! In Fall 2016, lively regional alumni gatherings were held in New York City, Seattle and Portland, and in January 2017 gatherings were held in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Reunion 2016

If you have not done so already, please make sure to: • “Friend” the PCDS Alum Facebook page • Ensure that your contact information is up to date via www.pcds.org/alumniupdate. We want to keep you in the alumni loop!

Charles de Trenck ‘81, Jo Bennett, Jeff Rollings ‘81 and Philip Steiner ‘81

Bridge-the-Gap

Blue and Gold

Alumni representing classes from the late 80s at Bridge-the-Gap 2016

Daniel Durchslag ‘89, Kristen Brook ‘95, Gregory Lehmann ‘91 and Jessica Lehmann at Blue and Gold 2016

Eric Felten ‘82 providing musical entertainment at Bridge-the-Gap

Sasha Pasulka ‘00 and Kate Vieh ‘01 in the Blue & Gold Alumni Tent

38 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

…and Far! New York City

New York City Alumni Gathering 2016

Seattle

The 2016 Golden Circle Inductees In June 2016, we held our second Golden Circle induction.

The Golden Circle is an honorary group comprised of all classes who have celebrated their 50th reunions. In June, the members of the graduating classes of 1965 and 1966 were honored as new and returning inductees. Clad in gold robes, Golden Circle members crossed the Daley Bridge with the graduating class and sat in the VIP section. During the ceremony, Golden Circle members were invited to stand and be recognized. Once inducted into the Golden Circle, members have an open invitation to return every year to welcome new inductees and to march during graduation, reminding our current families and all others in attendance that PCDS enjoys a truly rich history. We look forward to seeing members of the classes of 1967, 1966, and 1965 donning their gold robes in June 2017!

Seattle-area alumni at the November 2016 Alumni Gathering, featuring Conductor and Composer Dr. Robert Duisberg ‘69

Portland

Portland alumni at their 2016 gathering

Members of the 2016 Golden Circle cross the Daley Bridge: Libbie Gibson ‘65, Terry Thompson ’65, Jean Kilker ‘65, Erika Brown ‘66

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Real World: Summer 2016 Young alumni apply their knowledge to the working world.

In this edition of The Bridge, we are delighted to highlight the 2016 summer achievements of some of our youngest alumni.

Here are just a few examples: Henry Roden ’13 is currently a senior at the University of Arizona with a double major in Finance and Management Information Systems. This past summer, he interned at a middle market investment bank called Greene Holcomb Fisher, which specializes in mergers and acquisitions of family owned companies across the country. His internship allowed him to work between the firm’s Phoenix and Minneapolis offices where he spent time on a number of interesting projects.

Henry shared, “It was a great experience and I hope to stay in the field of investment banking when I graduate next May!” Garron Rodgers ’13, a senior at Chapman University, spent twelve weeks as an intern with Cirque du Soleil, the worldfamous live-entertainment company. Garron’s internship was within the Las Vegas-based Resident Shows Division in the Technical Show Support Department. He explained, “Our department provides support and training for all the back-end systems that assist the operations and technical management of all seven resident shows in Las Vegas and one resident show in Orlando, Florida. It was amazing to be a part of the hard-working and talented teams that labor day-and-night to ensure the shows run smoothly for their 400+ performances each year. I had the opportunity to work on each show throughout the day and also shadow the technicians in the

Henry Roden ‘13

40 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

evenings during the shows themselves. Some of my additional responsibilities included organizing and archiving the thousands of technical drawings for the shows, assisting with interactive corporate experiences, supporting the warehouse operations, and overseeing the use of the tradeshow and conference exhibits. Each of these opportunities allowed me to reinforce my own skills of collaborating, communicating effectively, and motivating those around me. The inspiring atmosphere of Cirque du Soleil helped me fortify my career path and set goals for my exciting future in the entertainment industry.”

Bryeson Rodgers ’15, a Chemical and Biological Engineering major at Princeton University, spent the summer as an intern for the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Mayo Clinic Arizona. “I spent most of my time observing mainly cardiothoracic cases in the OR. When I wasn’t in the OR, I was shadowing two physicians through the clinic and their hospital rounds. I was also drafting two case-report research articles that are still in the works. It was an amazing summer!”

Sydney Portigal ’14 spent her summer interning for Arizona Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema. Sydney, a junior at Emory University, assisted with constituent casework and correspondence, and helped the congresswoman run her monthly “Kyrsten in your Community”. Sydney shared that “Through my internship, I learned a lot about veterans (Kyrsten does a lot for them) and a lot about politics especially in this fascinating election cycle!”

Garron Rodgers ‘13 at his Cirque du Soleil internship

Sydney Portigal ‘14, second from left, at her internship in the office of Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema

Sarah Petrides ’15, Sebastian Olea ‘16, Jorge Manzanares ‘15, Natalie Cohen ‘16, Rosie Martinez ‘16, Paulina Moreno ‘15, Amelia Montooth ‘15, and PJ Noghrehchi ’14—some of our young alumni who worked at the PCDS Summer Program

Philip Rody ‘13 is now a fourth year undergraduate student at Northern Arizona University studying Anthropology and Spanish. Over the summer, he worked at the NAU Center for International Education, helping international students and scholars maintain their immigration status and adjust to the United States. He is currently spending the fall semester at a university in Ecuador, where he was one of four students chosen to participate in a student-faculty research program.

He hopes to pursue a law degree after graduation.

number of other young alumni who worked on campus in a variety of capacities. Matt Tibi ‘09 (Vassar College) taught one class of Introductory Latin and one class of Introduction to Theatre, while our Technology department had the pleasure of having Carlos Alvarado ’15 (ASU) and Joshua Munoz ‘15 (UA) working with them. Stefan Youngs, a PCDS Information Technology Specialist, said, “We have such a high volume of work to accomplish in a short period of time, so those guys were really essential to us!” We are also so appreciative of the many alumni who came back home to serve as PCDS Summer Program Counselors. Upon reflecting on her experience, Natalie Cohen ’16 (Tulane University) shared, “Working at PCDS summer camp as a lifeguard was a great experience. I not only learned the value of hard work but also met some amazing kids that always put a smile on my face.” Leila Noghrehchi ’13 (UA) said that she “absolutely loved working as the camp nurse for the PCDS Summer Program this past summer. The BAND-AIDs and bee stings allowed me to practice with children, which isn’t common work as a University EMT. It was nice being surrounded by faculty and staff that love the program just as much as the kids do.” Leila, Natalie and the rest of their fellow alumni staff served as role models for the hundreds of young participants who explored and engaged with us in June and July. We hope to see you all again this coming summer! n

Fallon Leyba ‘15 and Eva Reynoso ’15, both at Arizona State University, co-taught a PCDS Project Excellence class involving self-exploration through different art mediums. Fallon explained that through their two-week class, “skills in communication, introspection, and studio art were taught to a small class of fourth- through ninth-graders. This year marked a new beginning for the PE program in which the focus was turned to preparing students for an academic career at PCDS or a similar academic environment. As a result, our main goal was to help the students be more comfortable in their own skin to better ensure a smoother transition into whatever environment they chose, whether it be PCDS or another school. Sure enough, many Project Excellence students have joined the PCDS fold for the 2016-2017 academic year.”

In addition to Fallon and Eva’s summer work with Project Excellence, we were also delighted to welcome back a

HOW WILL YOU MAKE AN IMPACT ON A FELLOW EAGLE?

BECOME AN ALUMNI MENTOR (or, connect with one!)

LEARN MORE: WWW.PCDS.ORG/ALUMNIMENTORSHIP

WINTER 2016/17 | 41

Here’s what some of our other alumni have been up to…

1971 Donna Kinney reports that the Class of 1971 annual gatherings are alive and strong!

Greg Haus owns an office machine and IT company called Document Solutions of the Valley and recently went on a cruise to Central America with his and brother Jeff‘s ’78 families. Greg made a goal of visiting 100 countries in the next 10 years. He has 72 more to go.

1982 Carolina Lopez-Garcia and her family spent the 2016 summer in Bolivia.

Here, she and her daughter, Sophia Kirkland ‘18, stand at a leading archaelogical site, situated at the highest elevation in the world.

Cathy and Herman Lewkowitz have been enjoying time with their precious grandchildren!

Seated: Art Pearce, Barbi Crisp, Mark Nemschoff, Lauri Gardner, Roy Gardner, David McCaleb, Jim Restin, Martha French Roberts. Standing: Donna Lenherr Kinney, Susan Scoon, Jeff Scoon, Bill Taber, Julie Newell

1979 Ginger Moshofsky shared, “I am currently working in Alumni and Parent Programs at my alma mater, Lewis & Clark College and absolutely love living in Portland. I have two daughters, one is gainfully employed and the other is a senior at Smith College in Northampton, MA. My husband, John, and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary next July.“

1983 From Left to Right: Jonah Lewkowitz, Gabi Abelson, Mina Lewkowitz, Eliana Abelson, and Sam Abelson—children of Alison and Adam Lewkowitz ‘02 and Ben and Jennifer Abelson ’04. Pictured with their grandparents Cathy ’79 and Herman Lewkowitz ’79.

1981 Charles de Trenck is “in year two of our kid at PCDS who is now in the Middle School. After-school activities are really fun. Speech & Debate is awesome.”

Save the Date for Reunion 2017!

April 28 & 29, 2017. Visit www.pcds.org/alumni for more details.

Wendy Scurr Rodriguez wrote, “I am currently working as a Client Service Associate for a Wealth Management Firm supporting three financial advisors in Scottsdale. My daughter and I live in Mesa, she is a sophomore at Dobson and active in their orchestra program playing the violin. My son moved to Florida last year after spending time abroad. My parents recently moved to Prescott, so we plan to visit there to escape the heat. I enjoy visiting campus whenever I get the chance.”

Herb Stratford is currently directing a feature-length documentary entitled Gustav Stickley: American Craftsman.

He is also the programmer/director of Film Fest Tucson, which took place in October.

We collect many Class Notes each year and cannot guarantee that all submissions will be printed. Class Notes are written in an individual’s own words.

42 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

1984

1988

1991

Elizabeth Kosloff hiked Mount Kilimanjaro! She’s pictured here on the left at the summit.

Meredith Hofer has accepted a sales executive position with Give Something Back Office Supplies (GSB). She writes, “I am responsible for developing the Phoenix markets with our amazing products such as office, janitorial, and backroom supplies, as well as office furniture. What sets us apart is that GSB is passionate about donating a portion of their proceeds back to nonprofits. We have donated over six million dollars back to nonprofit organizations to date, and we are ready to expand and donate in more than one region. With every purchase at GSB, you are giving back to the community.

Contact me for more information at: mhofer@givesomethingback.com.”

Ethan Gunning loves living in Oakland, CA with his wife, Cecilia, and their 7-year-old daughter, Marina. He was recently promoted to SVP, Executive Creative Director at Jack Morton Worldwide. He thinks it is the best job he has had yet. He gets to spend all day working with a talented team that comes up with extraordinary marketing ideas for brands like T-Mobile, Google, Samsung, Heineken, and Facebook.

1985 Tina Critchfield writes “On 10.10.10, I formed a backpack company for kids called MadPax. MadPax 3D inspired packs for kids of all ages! We rock packs that are two pounds funk, a hit of punk with a dash of double dare. MadPax are distributed in 19 countries around the world. What an absolute treat to see them on the PCDS campus! Expect Packarazzi!”

1989 Kerstan Lincoln Ruffer reports that she, Daryl Sparks Prietto ‘89, and Lisa Lincoln Glokler ‘89 reunited this year in Oregon!

1986 In September 2016, David Dodge’s company, CodaKid, was featured on the front page of The Arizona Republic’s “AZ Economy” section. CodaKid teaches children coding and game design.

Kerr Lordygan has been working for Rotten Tomatoes as an Associate TV Editor and also as a voiceover actor for national and entertainment news videos. He left his position as President of Eclectic Company Theatre in North Hollywood and has since joined the acclaimed Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood and is currently performing there.

1994 Karen Nikoloudakis accepted the position as National Director of Philanthropy with Childhelp—the largest national organization dedicated to the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse and neglect. “I’m getting married in November 2016 to my love J. Kip Thomas. We have a 2-1/2 year old daughter Brooklyn Rose and are expecting her little brother before the end of the year. Life is good!”

1996

Kerstan Lincoln Ruffer ‘89, Daryl Sparks Prietto ‘89, and Lisa Lincoln Glokler ‘89.

After more than 20 years in San Francisco, Dave Jarrat headed south to Venice, CA with his wife Lara. Thanks to the joys of the virtual workplace, he remains on the leadership team at InsideTrack, an organization dedicated to increasing access and success in post-secondary education.

Christie Pell Neal and her husband, Chris, welcomed a baby boy in December 2016.

Christine Sturman Zamora lives in Los Angeles and is currently a Project Manager at Nestle USA, where she has worked for the past 16 years. She and her husband, Joey, had their first child, Lucia Claire Zamora, October 18, 2015.

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1997

1999

Kristin Abbate Goldberg is a clinical psychologist specializing in AnimalAssisted Therapy at the Melmed Center. She is also President of Woof Haven, Animal Rescue and Sanctuary.

Woof Haven is a 501 (c)(3) dedicated to saving the lives of stray, abandoned, or otherwise vulnerable dogs. Woof Haven helps dogs in need by providing each with proper vetting, nutrition, and a safe, comfortable, loving environment until they are appropriately placed in a foster or forever home. To donate or help, visit www.woofhaven. org or follow us on Facebook.

Margot LaNoue started a new job as the Events Coordinator for several Garden Communities residences located in La Jolla. “It’s awesome! I’ve never had so much fun at work,” she says.

Nancy Perla Michaelis lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband, Matt, and their two kids Margaret, 4, and Henry, 3. She’s a homemaker and an active volunteer in the community. The family still spends their summers in Cape Cod—a remnant of their former east coast life—and dearly misses Phoenix…especially during dreary midwestern winters!

1998

44 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

Leslie Kornreich Feldman and her husband, Andrew, proudly welcomed their daughter, Olivia Sloane, on December 28, 2015. Big sister, Tyler, is enamored with her new role!

Elizabeth Perla Picciotta wrote, “My husband Paul and I got married this June, and I am now officially Elizabeth Picciotta. The wedding was in Cape Cod, and I am happy to report that PCDS was represented by class of 2000 members Glen Goodman and Rob Hoxie, as well as my sister Nancy Perla Michaelis ‘97 and Alison Pulaski Carter ‘97.

Sasha Pasulka is a product marketing executive at Tableau. In the fall of 2016, she took a leave of absence to work full-time on the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Tyler and Olivia Feldman, daughters of Andrew and Leslie Feldman ‘99, with their four-legged sister, Phyllis.

2000 Gilbert Armenta reports, “We were proud to have our youngest son, Nicholas, start sixth grade at PCDS this year.”

Tiffany Westlie Pondelik and her husband welcomed a baby girl, Heidi Grace, on October 2, 2015. Her older daughter, Cassie, started PCDS this year in pre-k.

2001 In July, Kimberly Ruht joined the Energy Law and Utility Regulation practice group at Osborn Maledon, P.A. Jessica Skloven and Ben Heuer were married on September 13, 2016.

Brian Snyder was made Partner at his law firm. While he will continue to focus on representing those families affected by medical malpractice, he is also starting the firm’s Trucking Accident Litigation division. Brian’s young daughter, Mia, can now throw a ball farther than Jeff Sand ‘01.

Erin Beresini is an online staff writer and Fit List Columnist for Outside Magazine.

Katie Thompson writes, “I graduated from physician assistant school with a master’s degree in health sciences.

I will be working in the Emergency Room in downtown Los Angeles!”

2002 Martin Naradikian shared, “I am glad to be back west after defending my dissertation in Immunology at Penn. I am currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation in San Diego. I am investigating novel cancer therapies that involve reinvigorating the immune system.”

2003 Rachel Wagner writes, “My husband (Eric Wagner) and I had our first child, Eliza Sadie, on December 25, 2015 in Los Angeles. We are enjoying life as a family of three!”

Carlos Angel Saldana shared, “This fall I began my fourth year as an elementary school teacher. I returned to school for my certification and MSEd, which I received in December 2014.

I have taught kindergarten Dual Language for two years in Waukegan, IL. This past fall, I began my new position as a Two-way Dual Language teacher for second grade!”

Sophie Epstein is living in Oakland, CA, and working in Training and Development at Sephora’s corporate office in San Francisco.

“My daughter, Lily, started kindergarten at PCDS this year. As an alumna, I am excited to have her be a student there.

Also, I am in school to be a nurse,” writes Ashley Humes Mcdonough.

Alexa Binns lives on a walkable street in Venice, CA, surrounded by yoga studios, coffee shops, and Silicon Beach start-ups. She recently launched her own business, helping innovative sociallyconscious entrepreneurs get new consumer products into Target.

2004 From Elizabeth Smith: “2016 was an exciting year for me. In January, I received my black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Renzo Gracie, after more than a decade of practice. It was incredibly humbling and overwhelming! On the career front, I left American Express to pursue my passion in wine. After an amazing 10 weeks at the International Culinary Center, I passed my Court of Master Sommeliers certified exam in September. I am now a wine consultant at Astor Wines & Spirits. Come by and see me any time!”

Lily McDonough, daughter of Ashley McDonough, crossing the Daley Bridge with her senior buddies on First Friday.

In May 2016, Elizabeth Oviedo graduated from the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU with her MBA and started working at Symmetry Software as Chief Strategy Officer. She and her husband, Nick, welcomed their first baby in October.

Claire Brandon received her PhD in the History of Art and Archaeology from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University in May 2016, with a speciality in modern and contemporary art and a minor specialization in Islamic art.

She is currently living in Madrid, Spain and is guest curator at the Asia Society Hong Kong for the 2016 exhibition Shahzia Sikander: Apparatus of Power for which she is editor of the catalogue published this past summer by the Asia Society.

WINTER 2016/17 | 45

2005

2006

Bryan McLaren is the Chairman and CEO of Zoned Properties, a strategic real estate development firm based in Scottsdale. He has continued to be an active competitor in triathlons and is a proud member of the PCDS Alumni Board. Go Eagles!

John Schupbach writes, “In May, I finished my first year of the MBA program at Harvard Business School and spent this past summer working between New Delhi—on Squalor to Scholar— and Shanghai—on a start-up to extend high-quality health care and telemedicine access across mainland China.

I will graduate from HBS in May and return immediately to Mayo Clinic to resume my third and fourth year clinical rotations in Rochester, Minnesota. Both programs have been extraordinary.

Squalor to Scholar continues to thrive and grow. Please visit www.squalortoscholar.org to sign up for our newsletter and learn more about how we’re building the pieces to revolutionize education around the world. PCDS continues to be a familial network for me, and I cannot thank the community enough for your support since first arriving in eighth grade. If any of you find yourself in Boston, come swing by and visit!”

Justin Abbate was hired as the Business Development Project Manager at Moses, Inc. He will collaborate with the agency senior management to set goals and strategies to build the agency brand and awareness among new clients, as well as to identify clients in their targeted areas of expertise.

Danielle Skloven began veterinary school at UC Davis. Her husband, David Krumwiede ’05, is currently finishing his PhD at Cal Berkeley.

Danielle Skloven ’05, at her White Coat Ceremony at UC Davis Veterinary School pictured with her husband, David Krumwiede ’05 and her parents.

Alex Ashby completed his full-time MBA program at the MIT Sloan School of Management in June and moved back to Manhattan in July. He started a new role in product development at investment management firm Global X Funds, and looks forward to meeting up with PCDS alumni in the NYC area!

46 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

John Tierney is in his second year of a general surgery residency at Rush University Medical Center and Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He recently got engaged to Gina Camarata, a fellow Golden Domer from Notre Dame, and is planning to get married in July 2017.

2007 Ben McRae currently resides in Scottsdale and is going on his fourth year as a member of the PCDS Alumni Board.

Ben currently works as the Marketing Manager for his family owned real estate investment firm, the McRae Group of Companies. Ben was also recently elected as Vice President of Events for a local charity organization, the Scottsdale 20/30 Club, which helps raise money for local children’s charities, and was also featured in a recent Wall Street Journal article about the resurgence of bocce ball!

John Schupbach ‘06, featured on the cover of Mayo Clinic Magazine.

Have you registered to be a mentee or a mentor with PCDS:Connect?

Log on to pcds.org/alumnimentorship to learn more.

2008 Abigail Abraham married Robert Jones on November 7, 2015. Several PCDS alumni were in attendance.

Interested in coordinating a PCDS alumni gathering in your city?

If so, contact alumni@pcds.org to receive more information.

2009

Left to Right/ Laura Bodell ‘08, Abigail Abraham ‘08 and Alexa Cohn ‘08.

Jessica Ornstein recently finished producing Airplane Mode, a feature length film starring over 30 of the top social media influencers in the world with a collective following of over 300 million.

Kaylie Marsh reports, “I’m the Executive Director at Swift Youth Foundation, a Phoenix-based nonprofit that fosters positive mentor relationships between at-risk youth and college-bound teens through fun and enriching overnight camps and after school and weekend programs. I also got married at the end of October.”

Piper Gustafson writes, “I have been living in Cleveland, OH since 2013 and working for University Tees, a custom apparel company focused on the collegiate market; I am currently the Director of National Sales. I also married my fiance, Jared Youtzy, on October 15th, 2016, in downtown Cleveland!”

Zinnia Daas is currently in her third year of medical school at Midwestern University and recently started clinical rotations. Last year, she was the financial officer for her school, helping to manage and distribute academic scholarships. “I also created a new scholarship for medical students called ‘Promoting Cultural Competency in Healthcare,’” she writes, which was later published in the national American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians magazine The Pulse. Zinnia shared, “I feel like I’m in a good place and heading towards the direction of pursing my dream of becoming a doctor, and I couldn’t have done it without the foundation that PCDS provided.”

Natalie Swinford headed to Kenya this fall to study biological anthropology and work on some research in the Turkana Basin.

From Nicole Swinford: “I’m currently living in London where I am getting my MA in Historical Research, and my third book came out this past summer —so super excited about that!”

Ben Murphy won a Graduate Research Fellowship Award. He is studying geophysics at Oregon State University.

Alex Van Horssen moved from Los Angeles to Charlottesville, Virginia to attend Darden Business School. She is currently busy with recruiting and class work but is looking forward to studying in Tokyo this spring.

WINTER 2016/17 | 47

2010 Sophie LaBelle shared, “My new husband, Benjamin Kryder, and I moved to Chicago in June and got married in August! I have also recently started my first year of graduate school at the Illinois College of Optometry. I hopefully will receive an OD degree in 2020.”

Wedding of Sophie LaBelle ‘10 and Benjamin Kryder. Fellow ‘10 alumni in attendance included Laura Moraes, Dylan Kaminsky, Maude LaBelle, Austin Ingersoll, Hannah Keogh, Sophie LaBelle, Madeleine Evans, Sophia Boyer, Diana Schron and Kevin Crain

Michael Perry is still an Army Infantry Officer stationed at Fort Campbell, just north of Nashville, TN. He recently completed his year-long assignment leading a rifle platoon in the Band of Brothers (Easy Company, 2-506 Infantry Battalion) of the 101st Airborne Division and “was fortunate enough to con my way into a rare second year of platoon leader time in Whiskey Company, a sister company in the same battalion, where I assumed responsibility in July.” He plans on trying to continue to lead Soldiers at the platoon level, putting off his inevitable staff time, for as long as humanly possible.

He is currently forward deployed with his new platoon to Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terrorism and is looking forward to returning home in the spring or summer of 2017.

48 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

Margaret Liu graduated Summa Cum Laude from Barrett, The Honors College at ASU with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences in 2014. She is a medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix.

Zachary McVay has been working as a private tutor and instructor to Latin students around the valley, including PCDS, at the recommendation of Ms. Anderson. As of this year, he has joined the faculty of BASIS Chandler to teach fifth and sixth grade Latin. In addition, he was just recently introduced to the Hunger Games and Game of Thrones, and has moved far, far away to dwell beside a cotton field in Chandler.

From Maude LaBelle, “I graduated from Arizona State University with a B.S. in Communications in December 2014 and still reside in Tempe, AZ. I am currently a Senior Program Coordinator at the American Lung Association in Arizona. I work on the Arizona Smoke-Free Living team which assists multi-family housing communities in Arizona to adopt no-smoking rules in an effort to protect the health of residents and staff.”

Sarah Bauer is currently in her last year of law school at the University of Arizona.

Diana Schron completed her first year at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine.

Diamond Troutman was a featured entrepreneur in the May 2016 issue of Arizona Foothills Magazine. Diamond is an internationally published trilingual Content Producer, currently coordinating social media marketing at Original ChopShop Co. Check out her website and blog at: www.pariselsewhere.com.

2011 Ryan Dougherty is currently a Ph.D. student working on combinatoricsrelated problems, including network reliability, covering arrays, and complexity theory. He has also been teaching various classes including an introduction to engineering, and algorithmic problem solving.

Are you getting married locally and want the PCDS Eagle to show up?

Contact alumni@pcds.org so we can make it happen!

2012 After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts (with a focus on Scenic Design) and a Minor in Social and Political History, Lindsay Coda designed two operas for Simpson College in Iowa and became the set designer for the new ABC show Downward Dog in Pittsburgh. After wrapping up the 8-episode season, she will become the set designer for the new David Fincher movie Last Flag Flying, which will also be filmed in Pittsburgh. In December 2016/January 2017, she will also be painting the Pittsburgh Opera’s set for Richard the Lionheart.

Slater Katz graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Fashion Institute of Technology and is now a Marketing Coordinator for Tinder in LA. Joe Schornak graduated from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and dual minors in Robotics and Computer Science. He’s now at Worcester Polytechnic Institute aiming to earn a M.S. in Robotics Engineering. His latest project was at Barrow Neurological Institute, where he built a robot to do automated photography of anatomical specimens for digital 3D reconstruction and modeling.

Samantha Kaplan reports that she is currently working in San Francisco at a home healthcare tech firm called ClearCare Online, and she spent time in Hong Kong this past fall to earn some credits through Emory’s abroad program.

2013 Philip Rody is now a fourth year undergraduate student at Northern Arizona University studying anthropology and Spanish. Over the summer, he worked at the NAU Center for International Education, helping international students and scholars maintain their immigration status and adjust to the United States. He spent the fall semester at a university in Ecuador, where he was one of four students chosen to participate in a studentfaculty research program. He hopes to pursue a law degree after graduation.

John Fernandes reports that he is currently attending Grand Canyon University as a part of the inaugural class of the Honors College. He will be graduating in the spring of 2017 with an Honors Bachelors of Arts in Christian Studies and an Honors Bachelors of Science in Psychology. In the fall, he studied abroad at St. Andrews taking divinity classes.

2014 Isabelle Brothers worked in NYC this past summer in design and licensing for fashion designer Nicole Miller. Her work was displayed in the New York Fashion Week SS17 show.

Nic Peterson and PCDS Director of Advancement Ryan Joyce got together for a NY Mets game and dinner on a recent visit to NYC where Nic was interning for the summer at Stock Twits (stocktwits.com). Nic will be taking the first half of his junior year at Washington and Lee to study Mandarin in China.

When Nic returns to W & L, he will be the starting goalie for the lacrosse team.

Moises Lopez received his BA in Linguistics & Portuguese from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Nicole Burke graduated from New York University as a University Honors Scholar and a Dean’s List recipient.

With a major in Chinese and a minor in Business Studies, she has always had a passion for learning about cultures abroad and cultivating her entrepreneurial spirit. She joined Morgan Stanley in June, following her dream to become an analyst in New York City.

A dress that Isabelle Brothers ‘14 worked on for Nicole Miller’s New York Fashion Week show.

WINTER 2016/17 | 49

There are a lot of new buildings on the PCDS campus! Want a tour?

Email alumni@pcds.org to make arrangements!

Sydney Portigal spent her summer as an Outreach intern for Representative Kyrsten Sinema. Through her internship, she assisted with constituent casework and correspondence, and helped the congresswoman run her monthly Kyrsten in your Community.

“Through my internship, I learned a lot about veterans (Kyrsten does a lot for them) and a lot about politics, especially in this fascinating election cycle!”

Morgan Gonzales finished 53rd in the Women’s Golf NCAA Championships in her freshman year at the University of Virginia. “It has been an amazing experience playing collegiate golf and attending such a wonderful university. I am really excited to see what this next year has in store for me academically and athletically,” she shared.

2015 Nihaal Reddy reports that he received his certification as an Emergency Medical Technician. He also spent his summer at an internship with Barrow Neurological Institute in downtown Phoenix, where he undertook research in their Neuroimmunology lab.

Wesley Curci is currently working towards his finance degree at Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona while preparing to declare his minor in Urban and Regional Growth and Development. This past summer, he studied to test and receive his real estate license which he will hang with CBRE when school resumes in Tucson.

Sabrina Whitfill spent her summer as an intern with the International Rescue Committee, where she worked with the Youth Education department. She helped to create programs to empower young refugee girls and assisted with cultural orientation for refugee families.

Anhad Brar wrote, “I’m doing awesome in my second year of college.”

Bryeson Rodgers is pursuing a Chemical and Biological Engineering degree (Bachelor of Science and Engineering), an is pre-med at Princeton University.

Over the summer of 2016, he interned at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale in Cardiothoracic Surgery.

After working as Congressman Paul Gosar’s (R-04) District Staff Assistant—and subsequently being the youngest congressional staffer in Arizona’s Congressional delegation— Lilia Dashevsky left her job last year.

She joined Criterion Public Affairs as their first, and youngest, Associate.

She assists the company’s two coowners in matters related to media and public relations, public affairs and campaign strategies, digital capabilities, and brand positioning. Earlier this year, Lilia was called a “teenage prodigy” by the Arizona Capitol Times, and in June she was nominated for the AZ Capitol Times’ “Rising Star” award.

She attends Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Communications. She is looking forward to continuing her work with Criterion Public Affairs in Arizona. n

Do you have news to share? We are always excited to hear from you. Please send pictures and details about a graduation, a new job, a birth, engagement or marriage announcement, a recent trip, a new hobby, or a visit with another alumnus/a.

Email your news to the Alumni Office at alumni@pcds.org. We look forward to learning what you have been up to!

50 | PCDS THE BRIDGE

Founder of PCDS Alumni Association Visits PCDS Spotlight on Nick Sakellariadis ‘69

O

n March 4, 2016, we were fortunate to welcome the founder of the PCDS Alumni Association and current Advisory Trustee Nick Sakellariadis ’69 back to campus. Nick graciously spent time speaking with our Upper School students about his experience working on Wall Street, and later that night, he headlined an event for alumni, Trustees, and Advisory Trustees at the Paradise Valley home of Lea and Lou Werner ’87.

Nick has had a fascinating trajectory, from being in one of the first graduating classes at PCDS to going to Harvard to ending up on Wall Street, to buying—and running—a minor league franchise, the Dayton Dragons, which has broken records for most consecutive sellouts by a professional sports team, at 17 consecutive years (1,188 games and counting).

The team was voted as one of the Top Ten Hottest Tickets in all of professional sports by Sports Illustrated.

Nick also remembered that during his time at PCDS, there were many financial question marks, but it was clear that we were building one of the great schools in the country. He also echoed a refrain that we hear 50 years later from our alumni: that college—in Nick’s case, Harvard—was “almost easy” compared to PCDS. Nick closed his remarks saying, “PCDS provided a fantastic underpinning for which I am extremely grateful.” PCDS is grateful for you, Nick! n

Below: Assistant Head of School Roz Abero ’89, Head of School Andrew Rodin, Nick Sakellariadis ’69, Director of Advancement Ryan Joyce, and Trustee Lou Werner ’87 at a Spring Training game

During his time with us, Nick reflected on the lessons he learned at “Country Day” that have stayed with him throughout his life, many of which were learned on the athletic fields. Those lessons included humility and the blending of individual effort and teamwork. Nick said, “Nothing was more important in my life and career than the perseverance fostered in the classrooms and on the athletic fields of PCDS.” WINTER 2016/17 | 51

ALUMNI association PRESENTS

PCDS MASTERS’ LECTURE SERIES RSVP FOR OUR 2017 ALUMNI MASTERS’ LECTURE WITH UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER LANCE COON

Mr. Coon will discuss Time’s Arrow, by Martin Amis Wednesday, February 15, 2017 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Arizona time

Available on campus and in real-time online!

Open to alumni and past PCDS parents RSVP at www.pcds.org/alumnilecture

Stay Connected to PCDS! www.facebook.com/ phoenixcountryday

www.pcds.org

www.instagram.com/ phoenix_country_day_school www.twitter.com/ PCDS_Eagles

Alumni: “Friend” PCDS Alum on Facebook, and let us know where you are and what you’re doing!

To learn more about Phoenix Country Day School or to participate and support any of the issues highlighted in this issue of The Bridge, please contact Roz Bolger Abero ’89, Assistant Head of School for External Affairs, or Ryan Joyce, Director of Advancement, at 602.955.8200.

Below: Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (former parent and trustee) with members of the PCDS Middle School and Upper School Speech & Debate teams

Phoenix Country Day School 3901 E. Stanford Dr., Paradise Valley, Arizona 85253

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Phoenix, AZ Permit No. 1213

PARENTS OF ALUMNI: If this magazine is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Alumni Office of his or her new mailing address at alumni@pcds.org. Thank you!

Save the Weekend to Celebrate!

APRIL 28 & 29, 2017

Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Outstanding Alumnus(a) Award Presentation Alumni Weekend 2017 Honoring the Reunion Classes of ‘07, ‘02, ‘97, ‘92, ‘87, ‘82, ‘77 & ‘72 The Fifth Annual Bridge-the-Gap THANK YOU Celebration