Pinpoints Spring 2024

A PUBLICATION OF THE LEXINGTON SCHOOL

there’s The Lexington School

Last August at our opening faculty meeting, each staff member was greeted as they arrived at orientation with a Dream Box. Our theme this year at TLS has been all about DREAMS.

Working in an elementary school, it is easy to see dreams unfold. Parents have big dreams every day when they drop off their children in carline, and students spend their days working to grow and fulfill their own dreams. The Dream Makers themselves are the essential but sometimes overlooked sewers of dream fulfillment – those individuals who have dedicated their lives to help make other people’s dreams come true, our staff.

The stories of the alumni featured in this edition ahead of you began with TLS staff who took a thread of a dream and helped students fashion the quilt, one square at a time. In the day-to-day, it is sometimes hard to see what patterns may unfold, but each stitch, each square of an experience, is set intentionally to allow our students to build those dreams.

Every morning, as our youngest students, the Acorns, cruise through the halls, they poke their heads into my office to say hello to me and the school dog, Finnegan. “What ya’ doing, Ms. Mac?” “Writing an email,” I may answer. “We will help!” and they surround me with curiosity for what I am doing as they bang on my keyboard, knowing they are helping get the job done.

Later, being the line leader in kindergarten builds self-confidence, and standing on stage for Heritage Day teaches empathy. Losing an important lacrosse game builds resilience, while setting up a belay in Zion National Park shows teamwork. Stitch by stitch, experience by experience, our Dream Makers help students realize their dreams of today and open possibilities for the dreams that will unfold in the future.

I would love to hear about how someone at TLS helped you reach your dreams. Drop me a line at umaccarthy@thelexingtonschool.org or, better yet, swing by for a visit. We would love to see you here at 1050 Lane Allen Road.

Una MacCarthy

Head of School | HEAD LINES |

Ms. MacCarthy gets some IT help from Jackson and Louisa, both in the Acorns class.

“Somewhere over the rainbow Skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true....”

Editor

Lucy J. McKinstry ’66

Copy Editor Ann Eames

Design

Steve Parker Design

Photography Caitlin Hall

Greg Robinson

Cover photo: Where There Are Dreams! Avid

Gunnar Gumm,

dream in books. Photo by Caitlin Hall.

WHERE THERE ARE DREAMS

there’s a spirit to explore

Kindergartners and Montessori IIIs dream big! They set their dreams to a tender yet robust song, thanks to Martha Anderson, preschool music teacher.

Inspired by Una MacCarthy’s welcoming and uplifting words on the importance of dreams and nurturing dreams at the academic year’s inaugural faculty meeting, Mrs. Anderson instantly dreamt of lyrics for her young students’ music curriculum. She says, “I composed the song ‘Dreams’ to show dreams are not concrete. In dreams you wonder, you think, you explore ideas.”

Teaching Lexington School history as well as music, Mrs. Anderson tells the children the story of how the school began in 1959 as a dream of Josephine Abercrombie, our founder. Dreams take form in different ways, “up in the air” and “everywhere.”

Mrs. Anderson asks, “Can you see the dream?” and explains that Ms. Abercrombie could clearly see –within her heart as well as with her eyes – her dream of our school, take shape.

Knowing her audience well, Mrs. Anderson delights in the engaging classroom conversations that spring from her questions, “Can you hear the dream? Can

you feel the dream?” It’s no surprise when, at home, the students ask these same questions of Mom, Dad, siblings, other relatives, and friends.

“Can you make your dream come true?” Her Preschoolers learn, certainly, you can! Ms. Abercrombie made our grand school a dream come true, and we each continue to benefit from her dream.

Mrs. Anderson describes how TLS was a much, much smaller school when she began to teach here in 1975. Ms. Abercrombie’s life-changing dream has encouraged fabulous dreams of many others in the Lexington School family, dreams to include the middle school wing, fine arts wing, the new Lower School, the expanded library, the entire ONE School campaign, and more. Mrs. Anderson smiles as she acknowledges, “Our visionary dreams – and the tangible results – are amazing to these young children, who simply cannot imagine all of that before we talk about it.”

The students pick up the “Dreams” melody quickly. With enthusiasm, they then add movements to choreograph it. When they discuss what else could be important additions, favorite instruments such as

triangles, xylophones, chime trees, and chime bars find a place. One student says, “I think we should have clouds that we hold, and on the clouds, we can say ‘Dreams.’” A classmate jumps in with eagerness: “Yes! Let’s connect some of the clouds with a rainbow as each of our dreams come true.”

Mrs. Anderson points out, “When the children have new ideas and dreams about how our song can

be performed, we are adding layers to what is a very simple, lovely piece. I love it when they can hardly contain themselves and say, ‘Oh, Mrs. Anderson, let’s try this! What about that?’” As a realization of some of her own dreams, she continues, “It is a privilege to compose. It is wonderful to write music and have students perform it. That’s the icing on the cake.”

For Spring Sing 2024, kindergarten and Montessori III classes will sing “Dreams,” composed for them by Mrs. Anderson, who inspires Eleanor, Henry, and Addie to sweetest of dreams.

WHERE THERE ARE DREAMS

there’s an innovative idea

FAIR PLAY N THE PITCH

In the years before women’s athletic opportunities blossomed, physical education teacher Roberta Owen (H’00) showed she was a strong proponent of girls playing sports. She encouraged athletics as a means to keep active by teaching soccer, basketball, dodgeball, and field hockey at The Lexington School.

IN THE SPRING OF 1966, HEADMASTER NORTON G. PRITCHETT JR. (H’81) HIRED MRS.

OWEN

TO TEACH

AT THE LEXINGTON SCHOOL. Mrs. Owen retired in 1998, and during that time she touched thousands of lives in between and afterward. She is still touching and improving lives today.

Inset: At Graduation 2000, John Gilbert ’00, class president, presents Mrs. Owen the Honorary Alumna award, as Headmaster John Fixx looks on, with Alex Boone ’75, President of the Board of Trustees, seated.

She often gathered Middle Schoolers to play coed soccer, which, as Esther Fallon Breeding ’77 remembers, “was a new thing for us. It gave us a sense of pride and courage that we could compete with the boys on the field as much as we wanted. It helped grow our ability to forge new paths for women in a time when Title 9 didn’t exist.”

Gina DeAngelis ’78 says, “What was fantastic about Mrs. Owen is that she helped us grow up. I feel safe to take risks now because she was there for me then. She wasn’t one ever to say anything negative. It was all positive. ‘Do it like this. … Well, if you want to do that, okay! Just do it. You can do it!’ It wasn’t about our amazing ability, or if you were a girl or boy. For me, it was a big part of my life lesson. Mrs. Owen was there on the soccer field with us, rallying behind our coed teams. She had us out on the front lines, working with guys twice our size.”

Until 1972, girls basketball games, from third grade through college, were played only half-court, three-onthree, and girls could dribble the ball only twice. Mrs. Owen remembers when “they threw out all the rules. The

boys’ rules became the girls’ rules, and everyone played full court.”

In 1976, Mrs. Owen decided with Sayre School to form a central Kentucky girls basketball league since the boys already had one. Parochial schools and two Frankfort schools joined.

Relationships between TLS coaches, teachers, and families have been strong from the beginning. Early on, the faculty was hired to teach and to coach a sport. Mrs. Owen remembers, “Dr. John Fox, Spanish and history teacher, was an excellent basketball coach. Tom Billups, science teacher, was great at track and soccer. As TLS soccer and basketball programs grew, parents stepped in as coaches. Eventually, connections continued as alumni who had played in high school, at UK, or Transylvania returned to coach.”

Mr. Billups and Mrs. Owen were part of Lexington Youth Soccer Association at the very beginning. TLS was the only school in LYSA, because Vernon Hatton (H’81) and Mrs. Owen had taught soccer in PE classes. “TLSers knew how to play; they knew the rules and positions. They knew you could only use your feet or body, no hands.”

Breaking the Grass Ceiling

A fond memory for both Mrs. Owen and Mrs. Breeding begins with Mrs. Owen: “It was LYSA’s first-year tournament final at Shillito Park, November, 1976. It was very cold, there was a big crowd, and our coed team was well represented by seventh, eighth, and ninth grades.” Stuart Owen ’79, Mrs. Owen’s son, can’t forget: “It snowed during that game! Also, we were tied during regulation, and we beat the Pacers in a shoot-out.

Lisa

Will Bennett ’79.

Todd

Chris Nieto ’77 was a superstar that day, and could probably have played on the U.S. National team.”

Mrs. Breeding adds, “The Lexington Youth Soccer Association was just beginning, and we were the number one coed team. Roberta was our coach. Our middle school team competed as The Lexington School Lexington Youth Soccer Team, and the opposing team was all boys. They had invited TV stations to cover the big victory; they ‘knew’ they were going to beat TLS. We were a smaller team, and we had a bunch of girls. They were teasing and laughing at us.” Mrs. Owen says, “The Pacers were all boys, who were very good. We looked like a bunch of rag tags, wearing sweatshirts, mostly green and gray. They wore blue jerseys, all decked out. They had a mascot, a dog that came to the game in a car, bumper-to-bumper, in a line of supporters.” Mrs. Breeding says, “After some impressive play on the field, however, we upset them and won the trophy for the Soccer League that year. The television cameras were rolling.” Mrs. Owen recalls, “Our kids who were there remember that game! On the coed team, our boys accepted the girls, and that was a strong point. The boys respected the girls and helped them gain equal playing time.” Mrs. Breeding gives total credit to Mrs. Owen, “not just for that sweet success, but for the realization of countless dreams of countless girls and women.”

Mrs. Breeding went on to high school and joined the Lexington Catholic boys team since the school didn’t have girls soccer. “I sat on the bench the entire year, but they let me try, and a few of my girlfriends did too.” The following year when her sister Dr. Alma Fallon Ferrier ’78 joined her in high school, they and a group of girls asked their art teacher to sponsor a team for them. Thus began the Lexington Catholic girls soccer club. They competed against Sayre, the only other Lexington girls team, and traveled to a few Louisville Catholic girls’ schools. After the Fallon sisters graduated, their fledgling soccer team turned varsity. Again, Mrs. Breeding gives the credit to Mrs. Owen.

A Matter of Time

At Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, the story repeated for Mrs. Breeding and Dr. Ferrier. The college had a novice girls soccer club, and the sisters took the ball and ran with it. It was a matter of time until they again asked their teacher (Spanish, this time) to sponsor them. As they transformed the team into an indoor and outdoor league, it quickly became a family affair, and Dr. and Mrs. Edward Fallon were enthusiastic program supporters. No surprise, two years after the Fallons graduated, their team also went varsity. Saint Mary’s women’s soccer thrives now. Mrs. Breeding says, “This team would not have started without

Coed Soccer Team, 1977: Front Row: Sheila Owen ’79, Thomas Shine ’79, Gina DeAngelis ’78, Michelle Kingsley ’79, Chris Nieto ’77, Michael Hoke ’77,

Gormley ’79, Stuart Owen ’79,

Geddes ’79,

Back Row: Roberta Owen, Alma Fallon ’78, Robert DeAngelis ’77, Jon Wellinghurst ’78, Jeff Darsie ’78, Jim Gormley ’77, Terry Hatton ’77, George Wallace ’79, Pat Madden ’79, David Schindler ’79, Esther Fallon ’77, Sarah McClellan ’77

Coed team, inaugural winner of the Lexington Youth Soccer Association (LYSA) Championship, 1976 Front Row: Michael Hoke ’77, Hence Bennett ’77. Middle Row: Esther Fallon ’77, Alma Fallon ’78, Jon Wellinghurst ’78, Robert DeAngelis ’77, Chris Nieto ’77, Cam Schaeffer ’77, Terry Hatton ’77 Back Row: Mrs. Owen, Jim Gormley ’77, Sheila Owen ’79, Sarah McClellan ’77, Nancy Padgett ’77, Stuart Owen ’79, Gina DeAngelis ’78, Dana Edger ’77, Jeff Darsie ’78, Mr. Billups

Roberta Owen’s planting the seed so many years before. From her, I know women can do whatever we want. We can compete with men on coed teams, not only on the soccer field, but in the classroom, the board room, and wherever.”

When Mrs. Breeding moved back to Lexington, she and Dr. Ferrier thought, “Let’s keep this going.” They began a University of Kentucky women’s club team followed by a women’s graduate student Soccer League which participated in the Bluegrass State Games.

As providence would have it, Mrs. Breeding is a longtime teacher of Religion at Lexington Catholic, where soccer coach Terry Quigley is one of the winningest women’s soccer coaches in Kentucky. Once more, Mrs. Owen receives the credit, as Mrs. Breeding says, “Mrs. Owen’s legacy continues because of that.”

In-Bound for Glory

Throughout her career as teacher, coach, and athletic director, Mrs. Owen not only engaged the coaching services of University of Kentucky all-star Vernon Hatton, in addition to Spanish, history, and science teachers. She also called on a girls basketball coach dear to her heart, her husband, Harry Owen. That year he worked with Elizabeth Graves ’85 and Jennifer Smith Erickson ’85, two really good guards. They were competitive and liked to learn new things, especially regarding basketball. During one practice, Mrs. Owen says, “My husband [Harry Owen] taught them a kind of trick inbounds play that could be used if you were having difficulty getting the ball inbounds. The play was for Jennifer to take the ball out of bounds when the referee handed the ball to her. Elizabeth would then get in place, also out of bounds, about 15 or 20 feet away. Jennifer would throw the ball to her going inbounds quickly, as Elizabeth threw it back to her. Jennifer would dribble down the floor and make the basket.” The play was designed to take the other team off guard because two people were unexpectedly out of bounds.

So, the refs went off by themselves, discussed it, came back, and called it a valid play. As the game went on, we ended up losing by only four or five points. We were in the game right to the very end. After the game was over, some Mary Queen parents came over to me and said, ‘That was some really good coaching.’ But what makes it even sweeter? This past year, UK had this same play against them, and they stood there, dumbfounded too. This play was played against Kentucky at that level! Jennifer and Elizabeth both loved to learn. They were competitive and ready to do about anything, and it worked beautifully that day. And for the other team’s parents to come up afterwards and congratulate us, that was really special for me.”

Mrs. Owen believes one of the reasons The Lexington School is such a great place is that “the parents generously give their time and their interest. The tennis program benefited from families who built the three tennis courts where the first little Kentucky Derby race was run in 1979. The soccer program benefited from the family who brought in dirt and leveled the three soccer fields, bringing them to regulation standards. That goes across every area, not just athletics. Parents see a need somewhere, anywhere in the school, and jump in.”

Ms. DeAngelis, now an administrative law judge for the State of California, continues to be physically active. Today she says she does “whatever outdoor activity I feel drawn to. That goes back to the fact that Mrs. Owen was there on the field with us. The Lexington School was a supportive setting that encouraged me always to be the best me, helping me become the best person I could be. The Lexington School has made a big, big, big difference in my life, and Mrs. Owen has made a huge difference in my life.”

Mrs. Owen recalls, “We were playing Mary Queen. They were, player-for-player, better than we were, but we were in the hunt and playing very well. The game was nip and tuck. I called Harry’s in-bound play, and it was successful. We scored.

The nearest Mary Queen coach went ballistic and said it was illegal. We had two referees who were young twin brothers, either high school seniors or in college, and they were qualified, serious referees. They had a perplexed look. The opposing coach was telling them it was illegal, so I listened to him rant and rave, and I said, ‘There’s nothing illegal about this play. Think about it.’

Mrs. Breeding sums it up: “If it weren’t for Roberta Owen’s getting us started, we would not have had the courage to explore any of these opportunities. Mrs. Owen has carried us all the way from The Lexington School, to Lexington Catholic, to Saint Mary’s Notre Dame, then back to UK and the Bluegrass State Games.”

Always the athlete herself, Mrs. Owen says, “I loved tennis. I enjoyed playing with my kids, Sheila Owen McIntosh ’79 and Stuart Owen ’79. They both played basketball and my husband did too. I liked hiking and getting out, being outdoors. We’ve had a place at Kentucky Lake for 58 years. That was all water sports. I love water sports. I rode a Sea-Doo this last summer!

“What I’m proudest of is that we took those bright children, and gave them a solid athletic program. I think that was admirable and it was fun. It broadened their horizons as well as those in the faculty.”

Girls huddle at the St. Camillus game in Corbin.

WHERE THERE ARE DREAMS

there’s a commitment to finish

In Perth, Australia, Ms. Jamieson makes the heart sign as she goes the distance in the World Marathon Challenge.

go distance the

Most

people haven’t even dreamed of the experiences Jill Jamieson ’81 has had or the accomplishments she has attained.

With her Bachelor of Science of Foreign Service from Georgetown University and her Master of Arts of Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, she is a CEO and globally recognized leader in infrastructure finance.

In memory of her father, through practically unimaginable physical feats, she is also a major fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Jill Jamieson knows she is the same person now that she was throughout her Lexington School years, saying, “We age, we mature, we gain wisdom, but we’re the same souls we were as children when we are adults. I have fond memories of The Lexington School, being in a comfortable environment that was conducive to letting you learn. There was always this sense that it’s okay if you stumble. Then you’re

going to learn from that and go forward. That was an important lesson. I don’t have a fear of failure. I’ve done these kinds of outrageous things, climbing mountains, swimming in the ocean, whatever it might be. If I fail, I don’t consider it failure because it is part of a learning process, and that isn’t failure. I put myself into situations where I don’t know if I’ll be successful or not, but I have good fundamental skills and confidence. I can figure things out. It goes back to TLS in great part and the solid, based education I had. I owe it all to those who have helped me get where I am. I’m very grateful.”

She gives specific accolades and thanks. Mary Lee Nichols (H’99) “was my English teacher who taught me communication skills, which have served me very well. There was also Señor John Fox, who taught me Spanish, my first foreign language. I was very bad at it, but it planted seeds in my head that enabled me over the years to be able to pick up languages quite quickly. I now speak about a dozen languages, and, ironically, Spanish was my primary language for ten years. Coach Roberta Owen (H’00) was amazingly supportive and pushed us into new areas, to explore new talents. I remember doing gymnastics; I had no skills at all. I could do any other sport, but don’t put

“We Are Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On.” *

me on a balance beam! The Lexington School was a positive, conducive environment for learning and for growth. I think back on it with nothing but good thoughts.”

From those teetering times on the balance beam, Ms. Jamieson has found her balance throughout the world, somewhere “between bravery and insanity,” as she says with a chuckle.

With her father’s inspiration, her World Marathon Challenge (7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days) raised money and awareness for Alzheimer’s. The first leg in Antarctica, she also ran in Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Madrid, Spain; Fortaleza, Brazil; and Miami, Florida. “I finished the last marathon on my father’s birthday. Poetic, in a sense,” she says. Completing the Challenge “was an extraordinary experience, feeling half-dead but never more alive at the same time.”

Her humility shines forth, as she describes herself, “I’m an average, somewhat weathered human doing the best she can.”

Jill Jamieson’s North Star has not changed since her time at The Lexington School.

* Prospero speaks this in The Tempest, Act IV. For the last two years, TLS eighth graders have celebrated Tempest Day with grand performances of the play.

&Q

Awith Jill Jamieson ’81

What are you doing now? I am the CEO of a boutique professional services firm based in Washington, D.C., that advises federal, state, and local governmental and public authorities in the U.S. and across the globe on the financing and delivery of complex infrastructure projects – airports, roads, bridges, water treatment and supply, energy, etc. Our clients include everyone from the White House and the Army Corps of Engineers to state level Departments of Transportation, utilities, and even rural irrigation districts and Indian tribes. We also work with the State Department, USAID, and other International Financial Institutions in supporting international economic development across the globe. It’s incredibly rewarding, melding a lifetime of experience in diplomacy, finance, and law.

Outside of work, I am an enthusiastic, albeit quite average, endurance athlete who is constantly curious about what is possible. I’ve run more marathons and ultramarathons than I can count, including recently becoming one of very few to have ever completed the World Marathon Challenge (7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days). I’ve run multiple marathons in Antarctica at -50° and will soon attempt my first 100-mile ultra in the Arizona desert. This year, I will also attempt my first intercontinental swim, from Asia to Europe … and then back, with the Bosphorus Crossing and then the Hellespont/ Dardanelles Straight. I’m building credentials so the Chilean government will allow me to attempt a swim from Chile to Antarctica, across the Drake Passage. I am also racing a number of triathlons this year,

including Escape from Alcatraz, and am in training to climb Mt. Vinson, Antarctica’s highest peak. There is always another rung in the ladder. I use all these events to raise money for and awareness about Alzheimer’s.

What is the most important work you do?

Impossible to choose. If I don’t find meaning in what I’m doing, I simply find something else to do. I intentionally try to live a purpose-filled life.

What has motivated you, and does that still motivate you now, or does something else?

If I look back on my entire life, there is one single consistent driving force: curiosity. Even though I’ve lived and worked across the globe and had the most extraordinary string of mind-boggling adventures –from advising presidents and kings to being caught up in civil wars and from helping birth a new nation, Kosovo, to studying meditation in an ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas – I remain ever curious and always interested in learning and growing. This is also why I push myself with my endurance activities: if you don’t stretch yourself, you never know how far you can reach. Growth and insight are born outside of one’s comfort zone.

What is your global view, your world view?

I’ve sat in meetings with individuals tried and convicted at the Hague for war crimes. I’ve been caught up in crossfires of civil unrest. I’ve seen death, hunger, and sadness. That said, my global view is optimistic because, from what I’ve seen on this planet, the light outshines the darkness. I use the darkness in the world to motivate me to do more to help others. I’m fueled by gratitude for all I’ve been given and all I have and recommit myself every day to trying to make the world a little better. It may be a somewhat quixotic approach to life, but I’d rather be delusional than defeated and depressed.

Have your principles changed or grown as you’ve gained more life experience? I’m not sure. While I am constantly evolving and changing, my fundamental principles have not really drifted too far over the years. My current compass point is remarkably consistent with my compass point as a child. I just have more wisdom now, so I have a deeper understanding of my guiding principles and how to act accordingly.

How are you impacting your corner of the world? Impossible to say. My only hope is that I leave my corner of the world a better place than how I found it and that I somehow inspire others to shine their own light.

How are you successful, and how do you define success? I define success as delivering on your broader sense of purpose. It’s not fame or fortune, but an inner peace and sense of profound satisfaction that come when you realize that you are on the right path. You know you’ve found success when you can no longer distinguish between work and play, and that’s where I find myself these days.

NOT YOUR RUN-OF-THEMILL Q&A ANSWERS

Left: In Capetown, South Africa, Ms. Jamieson gives the triumphant medal bite.

WHERE THERE ARE DREAMS

there’s a desire to go beyond

the POWER of POTENTIAL

It was only a hint, but The Lexington School family got a glimpse of it in 1984. Stephen Chan ’88, new to TLS in the sixth-grade advisor group of Kenneth Lightell, was chosen TLS Citizen of the Month.

That was just the beginning.

Dr. Chan holds both an M.D. and Ph.D. and speaks from his office at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he is the Vitalant Chair in Vascular Medicine, Professor of Medicine with tenure, and Director of the Vascular Medicine Institute – a research institute of 40 labs making discoveries across heart, lung, and blood diseases.

In these roles, Dr. Chan is on a path to achieve his dreams, a path that has been 40+ years in the making. He is a physician-scientist –meaning that he is both a practicing cardiologist and an active scientist. To accomplish this, after graduating high school, Dr. Chan completed 17 years of schooling and training at high-profile institutions, MIT; the University of California, San Francisco; Harvard Medical School; the Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and the Massachusetts General Hospital, among others.

He has done so to accomplish two lifelong dreams. As a scientist, he is driven to unlock the mysteries of how molecules in our bodies cause heart and lung disease. As a clinician, he strives to design more effective therapies based on his discoveries and to ensure that his work can benefit his patients when they need it the most.

Dr. Chan says, “It took a long time to get here, with personal sacrifice and with many nights of a lot less sleep than I would have preferred.” He reflects, “But being both a scientist and physician is so meaningful to me personally, and I credit my family and my parents especially for inspiring me and supporting me fully in the process. Making discoveries satisfies a deep-seated desire of mine to explore the unknown. Caring for patients,

who come from all facets of our community, offers something more human – a privilege to serve my neighbors at the most vulnerable times of their lives.”

Dr. Chan gives credit, too, when he says, “The Lexington School years were very formative for me. My teachers were memorable because they not only taught us the subject matter well, but more importantly taught resilience – how to approach challenges and how to overcome them.” He is impressed with TLS’s motto, “We Teach Courage,” and emphasizes, “This was not the official motto when I was a student, but it certainly is what TLS represented to me. It taught me to take on opportunities I wouldn’t otherwise have pursued if left to my own devices. TLS pushed me, offered me support, but did not sugarcoat the challenges ahead – it’s going to be hard, but this is something you should do, and we know that you will do well with that.”

Above: Mr. Kenneth Lightell’s 1984 sixth-grade advisor group: Front Row: Bleik Pickett, Stephen Chan, Jim Cunningham, Dennis McCardle, Matthew Purdom, Oliver Bingcang. Back Row: Laura Kelley, Lisa Scully Stein, Anne Kenan, Melanie Smith Leach, Kerry Allen Mayorga.

Left: The Citizen of the Month hat was presented to Stephen Chan by Ms. Stith, his sixth grade English teacher.

In 2022, Dr. Chan mentors one of his student trainees in experimental research in his laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

He emphasizes, “There are so many teachers who did this for me at TLS: Mrs. (Ann) Eames, Mrs. (Isabel) Kasperbauer, and Dr. (John) Fox all advocated for me. Mrs. Betty Cox was certainly memorable [in math competitions in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades]. Math was complicated for me, challenging and difficult, but Mrs. Cox encouraged me to go beyond my perceived limits.” Dr. Chan offers an especially poignant memory, “Our team’s goal was to win the State Math Bowl competition, but we lost in the final round and were very disappointed. Mrs. Cox was like the TV coach Ted Lasso in that key moment. She told us, ‘You didn’t reach your goal, but that doesn’t mean you failed.’

That perspective stuck with me. In my line of work, we often get rejected, over and over again. But, it doesn’t mean that we, ourselves, are failures. And that gives us courage to try again.”

Another standout teacher was Mr. Lightell. “He was instrumental, too. He was my math teacher, but he taught me how to prioritize other aspects of my life – for example, how to merge athletics with academic interests. How can you balance those and organize yourself with

family and personal goals? I remember thinking that these conversations were a bit odd, because they were not at all about math! But, now I realize that he was teaching me about one of our most precious commodities – time – and how we make the most of it.”

In addition to being a physician and a scientist, Dr. Chan is a leader of an institute of scientists and investigators from vastly different fields but who work together to make shared discoveries. He adds, “We’re trying to mobilize the institute to do things that each individual investigator could not do on his or her own. It’s exciting to build something bigger than ourselves.”

He is also motivated by an important humanitarian principle, as he states, “I believe that every person in the world deserves a chance to be healthy. Based on some of my early experiences in caring for impoverished communities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2005, I founded a nonprofit organization called the Addis Clinic (www.addisclinic.org) where we now offer roughly 2,000 remote telemedicine consultations per year to people in areas of East Africa where there’s little access to healthcare. Our physicians here in the U.S. offer the ability to examine cases from afar and to help in determining the ailments at hand. We then form a clinical management plan with our partners on the ground in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, implement those plans, and hopefully make a positive difference.”

Dr. Chan’s Lexington School letter was awarded for participation in the 1986-1987 eighthgrade Math Bowl season.

At home, Dr. Chan says, “My wife Sol and I are proud of our three boys – Zachary, 15; Isaac, 13; and Calvin, 6. Though there are many things going on at work, Sol and I 100% agree that family comes first, that we do what’s needed for our family to thrive, and that we also teach courage to make the most of the opportunities in our lives together.”

The TLS Citizen of the Month back in 1984 couldn’t have dreamed of his life’s path 40 years down the road.

Dr. Chan and his family on vacation in 2023:

Back Row: Sol and Stephen Chan

Front Row: Calvin, Isaac, Zachary

AT JUST THE WRITE TIME

At home with books, even at school, Jamie Nicholson ’94 got his first taste of library time and research assignments during Mrs. Pat Kline’s third grade. Though neither student nor teacher could read the future, the experience served as strong foundation for a life enriched by a devotion to, and a love of, books.

In reviewing his biblio-journey, begun at The Lexington School, Mr. Nicholson gives credit to Mrs. Kline, his language arts teachers, and a good number of fellow alumni who have become authors. He considers all were inspirations. He says the fact that his mom knows Philip Howard ’63 “was pretty cool to me. I was impressed she knew somebody who could write a book.”

Recalling fifth grade language arts with Mrs. Jenny Davis [O’Neill], he admits, “It didn’t quite compute that the person at the desk in front of the room was also a writer, but I know I was influenced. Ms. Davis was one of a very small number of authors I knew personally before I got to college. In hindsight, I think she had an impact on me by serving as an example of how grown-ups could have multiple facets to their professional and artistic lives. It was probably something of a revelation that someone wasn’t completely defined by their profession – that someone didn’t have to be ‘just’ a firefighter, or a banker, or a plumber.

“Sitting in eighth grade English class dreaming about becoming a writer would have been a foreign concept,” Mr. Nicholson is quick to confess. “From my perspective then, writers were something different. The people, the books, and the shelves they came from were from some other galaxy. The idea

WHERE THERE ARE DREAMS

there’s a growing confidence

of writing a physical book was not on my radar, as even a remote possibility. That was for other people from Planet Author or wherever.”

Mr. Nicholson always liked it when teachers read out loud. Too, he liked his own creative voice, the creative aspect of writing and assignments, being able to put ideas and words on a page. Harking back to Mrs. Kline’s wise and thoughtful direction, he liked the research, the chance to discover something on his own, reflecting, “I liked being pointed in the right direction and being left to figure things out. I had a lot of opportunities to do that.”

Dreams come along sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later.

In graduate school, his advisor, reading a just-written paper, said, “This is going to be a book, you know.” He didn’t believe her. He thought to himself, “Let’s just get the degree finished first.” The piece he’d written became the seed of his dissertation, “A Cultural History of the Kentucky Derby,” explaining why the Derby became an

Mr. Nicholson works at home, in the house built by and occupied by Josephine Abercrombie (H’00), founder of The Lexington School. Photo by Boone Nicholson, fourth grade.

important piece of Americana. It also became his first book, The Kentucky Derby: How the Run for the Roses Became America’s Premier Sporting Event.

His books that follow take up a good amount of shelf space of their own and are not from Planet Author at all. They each make fine reading: Never Say Die: A Kentucky Colt, the Epsom Derby, and the Rise of the Modern Thoroughbred Industry; The Notorious John Morrissey: How a Bare-Knuckle Brawler Became a Congressman and Founded Saratoga Racecourse; Racing for America: The Horse Race of the Century and the Redemption of a Sport; and 1968: A Pivotal Moment in American Sports.

Another arm of the author’s reach is Mr. Nicholson’s position as editor of Horses in History, a book series for the University Press of Kentucky.

As shown by the titles of his own writings, he is the perfect match for the office. Initiated in 2013, the program plans to release its 13th book this year. Mr. Nicholson says, with

his signature humility, “I get as much fulfillment and pride and sense of accomplishment from seeing somebody else’s project come to fruition, largely from the sidelines, but with some input. I’ve enjoyed seeing this series develop, and I get to see a book come to life, but don’t have to type all the words.”

As series editor, Mr. Nicholson wears different hats. He identifies writers and projects for the series and for the University Press of Kentucky. Depending on the state of the manuscript or the project, he evaluates the manuscript or the book proposal to offer improvements. Going through various phases, reviews, and reports back-and-forth with the author, Mr. Nicholson helps launch a book developed from, in some cases, a vague idea into a tangible product that is a meaningful contribution.

Taking an overview, Mr. Nicholson says, “I’m proud of the authors we’ve worked with and the work we’ve done together. Any contribution I’ve made to the series, I can see it, and it’s fun to watch. I can do more in this capacity than I can by just writing one book at a time. The series reaches audiences and readers in a way that, as an individual writer, I cannot. I get to see several books a year, or every couple of years, spread their wings, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment in that.”

There is accomplishment, too, in Mr. Nicholson’s teaching history classes at Bluegrass Community &

Mr. Nicholson, shown in his seventh-grade yearbook photo, still regularly meets several of his Class of 1994 friends, including Zack Bray, Mark Hoffman, Walt Robertson, and Trip Sweeney, for lunch in Lexington.

Technical College – U.S. History Survey, both before and after the Civil War as well as Kentucky history. Several years ago, he’d begun teaching within the UK history department, and at the Honors College. At BCTC, he feels a different kind of reward, in working with students at various stages of their educational journeys. In his classroom, there are different kinds of students with different goals, from different backgrounds: working single mothers to high school dual-credit students, to people who need a certification in a particular field, an Advanced Manufacturing Technician certification, for instance. It’s a challenge to figure out the trajectory, the right pitch. Mr. Nicholson tries to meet less experienced students where they are while keeping discussions invigorating for the more advanced. He finds that, “Being in a classroom full of students with such an assortment of life experiences allows people to learn from each other while they are learning

some history.”

Thinking again of TLS classes from years back, Mr. Nicholson, to no surprise, credits Margaret Cowling ’64 as his introduction to history: “I don’t remember being interested in history before that. I do remember my parents saying, ‘I bet you’ll like history,’ and it turned out that I did. Miss Cowling was a captivating lecturer and, as countless people have said, she can tell a tale and spin a yarn in a way that elementary and middle school students find interesting and pertinent to their lives. I certainly took inspiration and example from her and from her classroom.”

At home with his wife, Maegan Nicholson, and their three children, fourth grader Boone; Lyle, second grade, and Dell in kindergarten, Mr. Nicholson might feel his dreams have come true.

Mr. and Mrs. Nicholson, Boone, Lyle, and Dell celebrate Thanksgiving in New Mexico, visiting some of Mrs. Nicholson’s family.

by Dr. Christiana Scheib ’03

of INTEREST

WhenI was at TLS, I loved learning, reading, and the pursuit of knowledge, but I always felt I wasn’t smart enough to become a scientist. My favorite courses were the science classes: chemistry with Mrs. Herd, anatomy with Ms. Lounsbury, physics with Mr. Hardesty, and fifth grade science with Mrs. Kemmish.

After The Lexington School, I went to Idyllwild Arts Academy, a California boarding school, first to study musical theatre. I’d always been interested in acting, participating in numerous productions at the Lexington Children’s Theatre and TLS productions under Ms. Ward and Mrs. Young. Speech team was my favorite afterschool activity. Martha Prewitt ’03 and I loved working on monologues and competing

at speech tournaments. I switched halfway through to film writing and production. I loved making movies and thought I would “grow up” to make documentary films. I graduated as valedictorian and, to continue this pursuit, I went to NYU, to the Gallatin School of Individualized study, where you make up your own curriculum; you dream your own dreams. While at NYU, I continued to take science classes as electives, but focused on more film production and comedy writing. I was part of the NYU sketch comedy group, HammerkatzNYU, for three years, and after graduation, I worked in New York for various production companies during the day and hung out and performed with my friends at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre at night.

Dr. Scheib participates in a 17th century play adapted by a colleague at the College of St. John’s in Cambridge, England.

After a few years, I felt like I was in a rut. I started to feel like what I was doing wasn’t really what I wanted to be doing with my life. But, it took a life-changing, violent encounter that made me feel tremendously lucky to have survived, to make me address this issue head-on. After that night, I felt almost invincible. I had a complete change of thought. I told myself to stop thinking that I’m not smart enough to be a scientist. I had been increasingly interested in human genetics and how we “became” human. I knew I wanted to study human evolution, so I googled “Human Evolutionary Genetics Master’s Europe,” and one of the first things that came up was Cambridge University’s one-year master’s course in the

WHERE THERE ARE DREAMS there’s an opportunity to evolve

Department of Biological Anthropology. Who wouldn’t want to go to Cambridge?

It was a bit of work to go back and ask people for academic references and put my application together, but I was determined. When I was accepted, I felt so grateful, and I went to Cambridge determined to take advantage of every opportunity. My master’s turned into a Ph.D., and those were the happiest years of my life up until then. My work was on Native American genomic history. Who were the first people in the Americas? Where did they come from? How did they interact with each other over thousands of years? I went on to a postdoc about medieval Cambridge. How did the Black Death affect the genomes and the lives of the town? As a

Clockwise from top, left: In Estonia, Dr. Scheib works in her lab as part of Secrets of Civilisation, a documentary by Impossible Factual Productions. Dr. Scheib celebrates earning her Ph.D. from Cambridge University in a proud family moment with Mom and Dad. Traversing the bog in Estonia, Dr. Scheib takes a break from her lab.

Realizing a dream, Dr. Scheib and her husband, Dorian Gangloff, Associate Professor of Quantum Technologies (University of Cambridge), summit Mount Kilimanjaro.

postdoc, I was recruited to build a new lab in Estonia where I formed a new research group and produced innovative research that led to my winning one of the most prestigious grants in Europe, a European Research Council (ERC) starter grant. The grant allows the recipient to take risks, to try something new, to establish oneself as a world leader in their field. The council focuses on moon-shot ideas, big ideas, things you could hardly dream of before.

Much of what I do now that I have returned to Cambridge includes biological anthropology or molecular archaeology, a mix of humanities and history and science. How can we use DNA, proteins, lipids, biomolecules, things that are very much science-based, to understand history? How do we understand what people ate, how they lived, whom they married? For example, with Neanderthals and early human evolution, that’s prehistory; there’s no history. You can’t read about it. You must gather evidence from bones. For the last decade, I’ve been using ancient genomes and proteins to understand past peoples and diseases. My new grant recognizes that we can now understand historical disease if we can get the genome of the pathogen (for instance, plague). We also can reconstruct where it came from and how it changed. What we can’t do yet, though, is understand the human immune response. We can’t understand the physical reaction to the pathogen. My dream is to improve how we study the human immune system in the past. The project is called Ancient Antibodies, with the goal to retrieve antibodies from skeletons and match them to antigens to understand who was exposed and who wasn’t, and how their immune systems reacted.

I am now a group leader in the Department of Zoology, which is the home of evolutionary biology,

"My dream is to improve how we study

and a fellow at the College of St. John’s in Cambridge, where I also live. The college was founded in 1511 and every day, I look out over the river at a 17th century dormitory, where some of the greatest scholars have lived and worked. Queen Elizabeth I visited the college, and King Charles III went to Trinity, next door, the alma mater of Isaac Newton, whose personal books are in the library.

In eighth grade chemistry, I learned about J.J. Thomson, the British Nobel Laureate in Physics, and his plum pudding model, as well as Ernest Rutherford’s gold foil experiment. All of that happened here in Cambridge, just down the street from where I work now, the original Cavendish Laboratory. James Watson and Francis Crick, renowned for determining the structure of DNA, worked here as well. They used to get beers at The Eagle pub, which now has a plaque outside for tourists. It’s an inspiring environment for someone who loves to learn. The thing that makes Cambridge special is the environment in which serendipitous meetings can happen.

Which reminds me that in 2018, in a rural part of eastern Germany, a town called Jena, I was at a barbeque at my collaborator’s house. One of her postdocs brought her husband, whose family was visiting. As we sat across from them, the woman commented, “We have Linden trees in Kentucky.” I immediately said, “I’m from Kentucky!” We had both lived in Lexington! Her son then said, “Mom taught at The Lexington School.” I said, “Wait, I went to The Lexington School!” and it was Mrs. Sue Miller, my seventh-grade computer instructor. It was a wonderful surprise and I have to say, everyone was in shock at the strange coincidence. If anyone else happens to be visiting London, let me know.

the human immune system in the past."

— Dr. Christiana Scheib ’03

Under the Linden trees in rural eastern Germany, Dr. Scheib serendipitously reconnects with Mrs. Sue Miller, her TLS seventh-grade computer instructor.

work

David McClister photo

WHERE THERE ARE DREAMS there’s a passion to create

kJoining the family business is often a long-held dream for the next generation, following familial footsteps while charting bold, new avenues to enhance the previous.

Such is the case for Walker Montgomery ’13, country music singer who makes his own way now on the Nashville stages and beyond. Walker, with his innate friendliness, wide smile, and outgoing personality, doesn’t drop names. He is the son of Crystal and John Michael Montgomery, popular country music singer, and nephew of Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry country music fame. Walker comes by his interests and inclinations –his dreams – naturally.

Named an Artist-to-Watch by Country Now, Music Mayhem Magazine, Sounds Like Nashville, and The Boot, Walker has lived in Music City for about five years. He adds his own music to the mix. His Lexington School English teachers, especially, are proud that he wrote the words to “Simple Town,” his debut hit. “She Don’t Know” is featured on his 2022 RUST extended play (EP), along with “Out of Nowhere” and “Bad Day to Be a Beer.” Singles from his EP “Work to Do,” the title track, include “Lonely for a Livin’,” “Tired of You,” and “Never Again One More Time.” With impressive statistics, Walker’s songs tally more than 55-million global streams. His latest release, an acoustic version of “Time Stood Still,” was out on January 19, 2024, the day before his father’s birthday, an exceptional present.

Walker writes some of his songs, records them in the studio, and releases them on all the music platforms. Other times, he pitches songs from other artists. Despite the glitter, the hype, and the adoring audiences, mostly, it’s plain, hard work, and plenty

of it, every day and most nights. He has never shied away from work. He knew it coming into the game. He embraces it and named a collection “Work to Do,” which he wrote himself.

He’s the first to admit, “It’s never gonna be easy all the time. There’ve been valleys and mountains. I’ll show you the top of the mountain, and I’ve seen the whole valley and every rock and boulder on the way, up and down.” In speaking of the performances and shows, he emphasizes, “Everybody sees the 1½ hours or so on stage, but they don’t see all that went into it. They don’t see the songwriting. They don’t see the rehearsals. They don’t see the travel, and we travel pretty regularly. We have fun up there on stage, but it takes a whole lot to get there, to put on that performance. There’s the drive [or flight]. There’s a payroll for the band and crew members, the manager, and the tour manager. It’s a business, and sometimes folks don’t think about that. It takes a strong team of people who work hard behind the scenes – everybody doing their job – to make it happen.”

He gives deep, heartfelt thanks to his parents: “Obviously, they’re tremendous influences on my life. They are always there for me, and I know that. They’ve been great supporters through my growing up and through my career, on this journey,

which has been extremely valuable. I also know they would support me with whatever I choose to do.”

It was an unforgettable evening when Walker, in high school, and his dad performed together for the first time, a tender moment filled with pride for both generations. Walker reminisces, “Dad brought me on stage. It was the Kentucky State Fair at Freedom Hall in Louisville. I went up there and we sang, ‘Life’s a Dance’ together. It’s the family song, for lack of better words, and it’s always had a special meaning to us. It’s our family motto.”

Those words were Walker’s eighth-grade yearbook quote in 2013:

“Don’t worry about what you don’t know, Life’s a dance — you learn as you go.” — Dad

Walker’s Grand Ole Opry debut was a celebration for the Montgomery family – Crystal Montgomery, Walker, Madison Montgomery Denning, and John Michael Montgomery. Mettler Media Photo

“Let your feet take you

where your heart wants to go.”

It’s no surprise to TLSers that Walker heaps copious amounts of credit onto his school family, and he beams when he says, “I think everybody knows The Lexington School is a very special place to me. In my line of business, obviously, things I learned in math class or English class I don’t use every day, but I think my greatest strength is social skills. I’m in a very social business, and being able to talk to people and relate to people in all walks of life, wherever they’re from, is extremely important. I credit much of my ability to do that to TLS. The Lexington School is obviously great when it comes to ‘book learning.’ They know that’s not the only aspect of life you’re going to run into. In everyday dealings, whether it’s with business, personal relationships, or whatever, learning strong social skills is my number one thing I’ve carried with me from The Lexington School throughout my life.”

Left to right: As a kindergartner, Walker walks through the new Lower School building just after completion. Walker remains a proud TLS Colt, shown as an eighth grader. Walker Montgomery entertains all ages. Estill Robinson photo

Walker made his contributions at 1050 Lane Allen Road in a variety of ways. Word has it that he held the records for most touchdowns and most baskets made during the 2012-2013 class year.

Friday, December 1, 2023, was a significant date for the Montgomery family, for Walker’s TLS family, and for their many friends and followers: Walker made his Grand Ole Opry debut. With extraordinary, justified pride, John Michael Montgomery and Eddie Montgomery introduced the next-generation Montgomery to the packed and pumped audience, which of course included Crystal Montgomery and Madison Montgomery Denning ’11, Walker’s sister, and Travis Denning, his brother-in-law, both also in “the family business.” Appropriately, “Work to Do” was his lead-off song. The poignancy of that 2023 night – the fact it was a decade from Walker’s TLS graduation year – was not lost on some in the group.

As Walker proclaims with robust enthusiasm, “It’s a night my family and I will cherish for the rest of our lives. God bless country music!”

A Dream Come True.

ATHLETICS

PHILANTHROPY

ONE for the TEAM

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano. In 1959, students of Lexington School Latin classes learned

“A healthy mind in a healthy body.”

Today, TLS physical education continues its strong pairing with academic education in the belief that life skills are honed through athletics as well as academics. Personal bests on the field or court often lead to or accompany perseverance and excellence in the classroom. Leadership development and dream development begin at early ages at The Lexington School, evolve and expand throughout the time on Lane Allen Road, and take more focus in high school and college, into adulthood. Strengthening both the

mental muscle and the physical muscle begins here. Basketball, tennis, and soccer – The Lexington School had three sports when Tom Parlanti came on board in physical education in 1985. With Roberta Owen (H’00) his mentor, he gained invaluable lessons as part of the well-grounded, well-respected athletic program she, Vernon Hatton (H’81), and other colleagues had worked hard to build since her arrival in 1966. With Mrs. Owen’s retirement in 1998, Mr. Parlanti assumed her role as head of the Athletic

Department. By maintaining trusted relationships with other schools and building more, he followed her proven formula to continue TLS’s strong reputation within the community and the state.

Through the decades, Mr. Parlanti has made his lasting mark on The Lexington School Athletic Department. Eventually, Meredith Carrithers McCoun, who has been at TLS since 2004, became co-director of the department. Mr. Parlanti says, “Meredith has been hugely instrumental with all our programs. She has great experience and organizational skills. She quickly became my right hand. I gave programs to her, and she flew with them. We’ve worked together almost two decades.”

Mr. Parlanti declares, “Many of these teams and opportunities we offer were encouraged initially by our TLS families who helped provide the property, infrastructure, and resources to accomplish a great deal. Consequently, we have 27 athletic teams, beginning in Lower School. Another show of support for student-athletes is the hiring of a fulltime athletic trainer. Katie Farmwald came to us through a local orthopedic group. In addition to her ability to work with our athletes in her capacity

as a degreed and certified athletic trainer, Katie has stepped into the role of interim Athletic Director this year. When Meredith and I decided to step down last spring as Co-Directors of Athletics, Katie quickly offered to step in.”

Coach Parlanti’s 1989 soccer team was packed with athleticism and had tremendous team chemistry.

Legendary coach Terry Justice had a great 2004 season, highlighted by a state championship.

Lacrosse:

FIRST TO

THE FIELD

TLS established the first middle school lacrosse team in Kentucky. Mr. Parlanti says, “We were the first team in the state. We really seeded the whole state.”

Coach Tom Parlanti and co-coach Darrin Wald brought the dream of having an archery program to fruition in 2012.

In 1999, lacrosse came to TLS, spearheaded by Tom VanMeter, father of Field VanMeter ’94, Griffin VanMeter ’96, and Will-B VanMeter ’99, along with Mr. VanMeter’s friend Reiley McDonald, a Cornell All-American lacrosse player. Because there were no other teams within the state, Mr. Parlanti established rapport with schools in Cincinnati. He recalls, “We traveled there on weekends the first two years, sometimes playing three games a day, and most times getting beaten. We paid some heavy dues but gained valuable experience with every trip.”

TLS was fortunate to have Terry Justice, originator

Archery: TAKING AIM

of UK’s club lacrosse team, coach the Colts as the sport took off throughout the Bluegrass. Mr. Parlanti says with a smile, “Terry basically blew the top off for us. We were the strength; we were the A game. Everybody emulated us. Terry taught us what we needed to know about coaching and developing the sport locally.” Coach Justice went on to be the now retired and legendary first lacrosse head coach at Transylvania University. A TLS banner reflects four consecutive state championships, 2002 through 2005, under Coach Justice’s leadership.

Developing lacrosse gave Mr. Parlanti confidence and insight to continue considering a broader and more comprehensive athletic program.

The TLS diversity of offerings is beneficial for students who haven’t grown up around athletics or have not yet found a sport they especially enjoy. As with other nascent sports at The Lexington School, parents played an important role when archery came onto the scene. Anne and Dr. Fernando de Castro, parents of Leo ’10, Clara ’12, Luke ’15, Noah ’17, and Max ’23, were especially interested in welcoming that sport, excellent for developing hand-eye coordination and upper-body conditioning, as part of our athletic offerings.

Mr. Parlanti and physical education teacher Darrin Wald both became certified archery instructors. Following Fayette County School’s sanctioning, the sport took off, and TLS toxophilites arose in predawn to attend beforeschool practices. They took to their bows and arrows with great success throughout the area.

Track & Field, Cross Country: BUILT FOR DISTANCE

Becky Reinhold, mother of Lacy Reinhold ’02 and an elite runner with close ties to the University of Kentucky’s track and field and cross-country community, introduced Ben McIntosh to TLS in 2003. Mr. McIntosh, UK’s four-time All-American and winner of Lexington’s Bluegrass 10,000 Fourth of July race from 1993 to 1997, became TLS’s first track coach, with six runners.

Jim Kaiser, another UK All-American who had coached UK at national championships , soon assumed TLS’s coaching role, expanding and enhancing the program. Mr. Parlanti says, “Again, we’re a young program that rose quickly, thanks to the coaching of both McIntosh and Kaiser. For a school our size in the state, we’ve had great accomplishments due to Jim. He systematically developed skill from lower grades up. Many kids who ran here have run in high school and college. He knows what it takes to compete beyond Middle School. It is a gift to have this former collegiate

elite runner coach our elementary and middle school teams.”

It wasn’t long after Coach Kaiser’s arrival that TLS earned the 2010 Girls Cross Country State Championship. Mr. Parlanti recalls, “That was probably the most magical day we’ll have for TLS athletically, to win a State Championship. A statewide sport like cross country is unlike others because you’re competing against all teams at one time. In that race, our girls ran against at least 99 other teams, 700 runners. We won by one point, by .25 of a second! That was the difference.”

During those very prosperous years, Coaches Kaiser and Parlanti also had runners advance to statewide, regional, and national competitions, quite the testament to Coach Kaiser’s preparation and method of training.

TLS XC program continues to develop young runners, many of whom run at the next level, anchoring some of the area’s best teams.

UK All-American Ben McIntosh and assistant coach Parlanti got the best out of the 2003 track team.

Coach Joe Conley and his assistant coaches Quentin McCord, Paul Bailey, Thomas Gregory, and Will Webb lead the Football Colts during their early years.

Football: SOMETHING GREATER THAN THEMSELVES

In the early 1960s, Amos Lawrence, inaugural teacher of fourth grade and The Lexington School’s first football coach, coached football on the field that is now the Middle School. In 2005, TLS picked up the football again and formed a new team.

formed the nucleus of our current program.

On and off TLS’s Webb Field, Coach Conley has always emphasized the deep importance of healthy competition, relationships, and the positive benefit of athletics. He says, “We all work hard together, and we enjoy it. I want our student-athletes to know they are part of something greater than themselves. They are part of the team.”

TLS scored a touchdown in 2012 when Robin and Chad Pennington, Marshall University quarterback and celebrated NFL Jets and Dolphins quarterback for 11 years – and Rhodes Scholar finalist – and their sons moved to town. Cole Pennington ’18, Luke Pennington ’20, and Gage Pennington ’23 were in third grade, first, and KinderKlasse, and it seemed a natural evolution for Chad Pennington to impart his expertise on the Colts’ football field.

Below: Coach Heather Broadbent welcomed Larry Radtke, new fifth-grade teacher and golf enthusiast, to her coaching staff. Anchored by state champion Willa Borough, the Colts golf team enjoyed another successful season.

First, TLS sponsored a young team of elementary players with two UK student coaches and became part of a league at Lexington Catholic. Following this experience, the middle school football program officially began in 2009 under Joe Conley’s leadership. Centered around Will Webb ’11 and Alex Webb ’11, Coach Conley

Golf: IN FULL

Mr. Parlanti points out, “If our kids are going to play at the next level, in high school and college, we need to paint a realistic picture of what it takes. We don’t want them to play football after they leave here and think, ‘I don’t have the skills I need. I’ve never been hit by anybody this big.’ Having guidance from a former NFL quarterback adds another dimension to Colts’ strength.”

SWING

Throughout the years, there had been a good deal of interest in golf, though the sport had never been part of TLS’s roster. Mrs. McCoun and Coach Heather Broadbent, mother of Caroline Broadbent ’25, developed the first TLS team in recent memory, as Mrs. Owen said interest in the sport had peaked and waned during her tenure. Seventh grader Cailyn Rogers ’21, the only girl on the team, was part of their impressive 2019 Kentucky Middle School State Championship fourth-place finish in Louisville.

Volleyball:

LET’S

TALK

NEXT LEVEL TALENT

Three-sport athlete Beth Heimann Hensley, former TLS cross country and track coach, showed her coaching skill on the volleyball court as well. TLS developed a league of comparable teams, scheduled games, and organized and assigned referees. As a result of this program’s growth and the league TLS developed, many TLS volleyball players have played at the next level, some in college.

In 2014, Kathleen Rogers, a UK-recruited, fouryear volleyball standout, became TLS’s coach. Mr. Parlanti says, “That was a match made in heaven. She understood the program. I didn’t want our middle school girls learning to serve underhand when, at the high school level, they couldn’t compete if they served that way. Coach Rogers took our program to another level. We soon became known throughout the area for our strong overhand serve, even at a young level.”

Under Coach Rogers’s tutelage, current coaches Kelly Telech and Grace Newsome became immersed in her coaching process and, upon her retirement from TLS, transitioned into the head coaching position.

Tennis: KEEPING THE FAITH

Tennis was a TLS sport during Mrs. Owen’s time, with coed teams. TLS ninth graders competed well against high schoolers. Mr. Parlanti enjoyed coaching tennis and following players through high school and college. He says, “When rules changed and TLS could only compete against high school teams in preseason, our competitive match scheduling became very difficult. Though the tennis program waned during those years, Anna Merritt coached and got us through those leaner years. Many thanks to her for keeping the faith and helping us hold onto the program.”

Fortunately, a parent with keen interest and deep roots in the sport again came to the rescue. Dr. Yasemin Congleton, wife of John Congleton ’76 and mother of Ela Congleton ’20, became TLS’s coach. Mr. Parlanti remembers, “With the contacts Dr. Congleton had locally, she took over the program and resurrected it. Her presence was a gift. We became a middle school league then, and she nurtured and grew that.” Peter Barr ’96, an exceptional player, and father of Bobby Barr ’28, fourth grade, took over from her.

Scan the code to see other TLS athletes of note, by sport.

Tennis Team, 1988 - 1989

Front Row: Teddy Gay ’89, Alex Bingcang ’89

Kneeling: Ryan Massie ’90

Middle Row: Chad Massie ’89, Karim Chatila ’90 Back Row: Coach Tom Parlanti, Regan McGee ’89, Stephen Chen ’89, Ben Hoffman ’90, and Tyler Lamkin ’90

Coach Beth Hensley and assistant coach Molly Fay led TLS’s inaugural season in middle school volleyball during the 2012-13 school year.

The June Parrish Fellowship ATHLETICS

It’s Brighter Here

June Parrish, wife of Dr. Dave Parrish, mother of Holly Parrish Brown ’82, Wendy Parrish ’84, David Parrish ’88, and Laura Parrish Bray ’94, and mother-in-law of Norman Brown ’82 and Zack Bray ’94, loved both her family and her Lexington School family.

The valedictorian of North Miami (FL) High School and a high school math teacher, Mrs. Parrish understood the life-enhancing importance of education. All of the Parrish children were TLS lifers, Montessori through ninth grade, and Mrs. Parrish knew the school thoroughly. Throughout the decades, she devoted enough volunteer hours – within practically every classroom, for almost every athletic team and extracurricular activity, and for countless board meetings – that she could well have earned her own Lexington School diploma.

As she speaks of The June Parrish Fellowship, Mrs. Brown explains, “Mom truly appreciated all that The Lexington School offered her children and our family – the education, values, and lasting community. Our

family shares TLS memories regularly, and many of the stories center around our teachers. Our recollections are vivid; we remember the learning, and how they made us feel with our classmates and friends. Those were happy times!”

Ms. Wendy Parrish says, “I love that the Fellowship is for the teachers, to help them explore areas they are vitally interested in, so they can bring experiences from other places into the classroom in Kentucky. It would make my mom happy to know she had even a small part of allowing these teachers to have these experiences. It’s nice to have her name and her commitment to the school live on past her.”

Alyce and George Hoskins, parents of Dowell Hoskins ’95 and Chapin Hoskins ’97, are longtime, dear friends of Dr. and Mrs. Parrish and the whole

Parrish family. Mr. Hoskins, who served on the Lexington School board with Mrs. Parrish, says, “With the passing of June Parrish, The Lexington School has lost a great asset. June was on The Lexington School board a number of years and contributed significantly to the great success the school enjoys today. June’s family requested that friends donate in memory of her to The Lexington School. Alyce and I wanted a more continuous celebration of June’s life than just a simple, one-time gift. Therefore, along with input from the Parrish family, we decided a gift that would benefit the faculty on an ongoing basis would be a proper memorial. We decided our gift would be an inspiration to faculty on a yearly basis, and it would improve the faculty’s ability to bring the best education experience to our children.”

Inset:

Top: Front Row: Zack Bray ’94, June Bray, Claire Parrish, Griffin Parrish, David Berzansky, Crawford Brown, Ben Brown, Alec Brown, Mrs. June Parrish. Back Row: Dr. Dave Parrish, David Parrish ’88, Theo Parrish, Wendy Parrish ’84, Laura Parrish Bray ’94, Holly Parrish Brown ’82, Trip Brown, Norman Brown ’82

Dr. and Mrs. Dave Parrish

It’s Brighter Here

The June Parrish Fellowship

CAPITOL

That’s

just what The June Parrish Fellowship has given to The Lexington School’s seven middle school teachers of The Learning Center. It is a transcendent gift.

With tremendous appreciation and no small amount of excitement, Debbie Arbaugh, Tracy Dawahare, Jean Ezell, Courtenay Macaulay, Erin Nuzzo, Courtney Stefanick, and Anna Walsh hopped on the 6:00 A.M. July 9th flight, direct to Washington, D.C., and never looked back.

By acclamation, our nation’s capital was their choice. Washington offered something for every subject they teach – history, science, literature, and math, and most activities are either free or reasonably priced. Mrs. Arbaugh’s sister and brother-in-law live in Alexandria on what had been farmland of Mount Vernon and invited the women to stay with them.

Already a close team, with many working together for numerous years, the travelers emphasize this adventure enabled friendship to go from Good to

Great, a nod to the Jim Collins book, popular TLS faculty-and-staff reading several years back. Referring to How to Be a Lion, this year’s One Book Project, Mrs. Dawahare says, “It was nice for us to see who might be our lion, who stood out, an individual in history we could bring back and discuss with our students. My most profound experience was at the Holocaust Museum, meeting two women survivors who recounted their stories. They’re in their nineties, and volunteer once a week. They are two incredible lions to me.”

Mrs. Ezell, who had not been to Washington before, continues the conversation, saying, “Of the Smithsonian Museums, the Holocaust Museum was my favorite, too, not because you want to be there, but because we need to be there. And our Founding

IDEAS

TLS TLC teachers gather at the visitors’ entrance to The White House. Front Row: Tracy Dawahare, Erin Nuzzo, Debbie Arbaugh. Back Row: Courtney Stefanick, Anna Walsh, Jean Ezell, Courtenay Macaulay

Fathers in general were my lions. The city was built for our country.”

In contrast to Mrs. Ezell’s first-time visit, Mrs. Nuzzo knows Washington well, having lived in Baltimore. It was her particular pleasure, this time, she says, “to experience the city through Jean’s eyes. To see the reaction of someone who has never been there was amazing. Since this is my first year working with the team, though I’ve known most of them since I began teaching here 12 years ago, I got to know them even better. It was a great bonding experience. We don’t get to do that during the school year.”

Mrs. Ezell also points out, “We found, within our own seven, who were leaders in an area that maybe we hadn’t known before. Erin was super at navigating the subway system. She and Tracy did an excellent job

of finding museums and ordering tickets. Anna was a fantastic navigator outside on the streets.”

Mrs. Arbaugh agrees and furthers the thought: “One person would be the leader, another was the math guru, still another would look up where we should definitely go to eat. We each relied on the others – a lot. You can’t realize what a gift this is until you are part of it. We are so very thankful for this wonderful opportunity.” She was greatly moved by visiting Ford’s Theater, where President Lincoln was assassinated, and the Petersen House, next door, where he died the next morning, April 15, 1865. “In the Petersen House, I was fascinated by the books about Lincoln,” she says. “There were over 8,000, though at least 15,000 books have been written about him.”

Congressman Andy Barr ’89 arranged a tour of

ATHLETICS

PHILANTHROPY ALUMNI

With great respect and a nod to the past, “Four stories and seven teachers ago,” the four-story Tower of Books in the Petersen House gift shop was a favorite of the seven TLS teachers.

The Capitol, where Mrs. Stefanick noticed small paw prints set in concrete on the floor. She explains, “There are several speculations about how those mysterious paw prints got there. Some say it was a ghost cat. Then there is a theory it was a president’s cat. Who knows?”

Congressman Barr also scheduled a White House tour, where a high point was the grand piano with five gold-leaf decorations representing musical forms indigenous to America, presented to President Franklin Roosevelt by Theodore Steinway, on behalf of the Steinway family.

The Korean War Memorial was the favorite of Mrs. Macaulay, whose father was a marine and a veteran during the Vietnam War. She says, “I found the memorials and monuments extremely moving, especially seeing them at night. It felt more powerful.” Mrs. Walsh echoes similar thoughts: “My highlight was walking around the monuments at night. There’s something about walking in D.C. and seeing all that history in front of you, standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, looking at the Gettysburg Address on the side. No matter how often you go to Washington, you

At Ford’s Theater, the marker on Abraham

ceated by

states it was the “result of two decades of intermittent work to artistically express the greatness of Lincoln.”

Lincoln’s bronze bust,

Carl Tolpo,

No one has occupied the Presidential Box at Ford’s Theater since April 15, 1865.

In the search for the gravesite of Mrs. Walsh’s ancestor, with only a picture of the section marker and the headstone itself, the group walked through row after row after row until they found it.

Opposite page: Daniel Boone at Cumberland Gap is part of a collection of murals in the Capitol, showing the gradual expansion of the United States.

The Washington Monument was unforgettable! Mrs. Ezell tells of her excitement at being inside the monument. “The elevator stopped twice, and the lights turned off, so we could study the huge pieces of carved artwork on the walls. They were fascinating.”

A collection of stones from each state added to the Monument’s interior interest. Mrs. Walsh says, “Kentucky’s stone is featured in the exhibit since our state has a unique perspective on the Civil War. Arizona’s stone is petrified wood, and Alaska’s is jade. I loved learning that.”

The runner of the group, Mrs. Walsh set her sights on Mount Vernon for a morning run, and, unsurprisingly, found the gates locked at 6:30. She reached her goal though, and completed her circuit when she arrived back home to join her friends for a full itinerary of seeing the sights, logging 35,000

Another path the group took was their successful search in Arlington Cemetery for the gravestone of one of Mrs. Walsh’s ancestors. A Civil War veteran, he enlisted when he was 16, survived the war, and died in Nebraska.

All along the way, photos, naturally, were important to the group. Mrs. Stefanick offers a novel way that worked best for them: “From teaching Middle Schoolers, we know they are photography experts on taking selfies and getting angles just right. So, we would find the nearest teenager to take a picture for us. They got some of our best pictures! It’s fun that a great many of our photos were taken by kids about the age of our students.”

It was a picture-perfect vacation. All thanks go, of course, to The June Parrish Fellowship, to Mrs. Parrish’s family and friends, especially to Alyce and George Hoskins.

Over and over and over again, the teachers continue to speak of the grand opportunity for team building and friendship building, the precious gift of time together outside school. Mrs. Walsh says with tender emotion, “I loved being with my dear friends. It is so nice to rediscover why you like the people you work

Front Row: Jean Ezell, Debbie Arbaugh, Erin Nuzzo Back Row: Courtney Stefanick, Tracy Dawahare, Courtenay Macaulay, Anna Walsh

with so much. I didn’t have to be a wife. I didn’t have to be a mom. I didn’t have to be a teacher. I could just be myself. I appreciate that so very much.” Mrs. Arbaugh agrees with her whole heart, adding, “That is the essence of the gift.”

The Lexington School’s own version of the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades gives thanks that the life and love of Mrs. June Parrish continue vibrantly.

It’s Brighter Here

The June Parrish Fellowship

The June Parrish Fellowship 2024 Recipients

by Amanda Hale

A Rocky Mountain Reading Retreat

Fifth grade teacher Heidi Simons ’03 loves to devour books, particularly ones that she knows will interest her students and inspire their own love of reading. As a full-time teacher and busy mom of two young children, however, finding time to read can be a challenge.

Enter The June Parrish Fellowship. Heidi will use her stipend to take a “reading retreat” where she hopes to devote time to reading new books – ones that will help introduce her students to new stories and windows into new worlds and experiences. This summer, she will pack her bags and head to the mountains. She looks forward to returning home with a curated list of books for her Fall 2024 book clubs and even a few books checked off her own personal reading list!

The Curious Case of Rowland Crocker

Nurse Kristin Beers has been pulling teeth and helping students stay healthy for more than two decades. Outside of The Lexington School, she has been working on building a whole different skill set: genealogy sleuth! Inspired by what she has already discovered about her rich family history, Kristin has long hoped to become full “History Detective,” traveling directly to her family’s places of origin to delve into the roots of her family and her profession.

Traveling to places like Boston, Providence, Plymouth, Newport, Salem, Cape Cod, and the Finger Lakes Region of New York, Kristin hopes to connect to her heritage and learn new stories about her family’s generations past – including distant cousin, Lizzie Borden! Kristin wants to return to her TLS family with stories to share and tips for students, faculty, and staff who want to delve into their own family stories.

World Language Exchange

TLS French teacher Molly Anderson is a big believer in world language studies and international experiences for students. Unsurprisingly, Molly’s fellowship proposal dreamed BIG, envisioning an experience that would help her to bring back future opportunities for Lexington School students through a mutual exchange program with schools in France.

Molly’s fellowship funds visits to potential partner schools in France and establishes relationships with educators there that would lay the foundation for a study abroad exchange. Through the program she envisions, students would explore Paris, stay a week with a host family, and attend school for five days at the partner institution. TLS families would also be recruited to serve as host to guests from our partner schools. Through the fellowship, Molly hopes TLS students and families will become ambassadors in building Lexington School relationships around the globe!

It’s Brighter Here

The June Parrish Fellowship

Dreamin’

To have ten days with artists in Monterey, Carmel Valley, and Big Sur; to refresh one’s creativity; to retreat deep into nature; to work in solitude; then to commune with like-minded artists; to get into your zone again – is that a dream, or what?

Thanks to The June Parrish Fellowship, for lower school art teacher, Sarah Heller, it became a dream come true.

Ms. Heller, profoundly appreciative of the transformative gift, says, “The Fellowship gave me the opportunity to get back into my own art again and to gain new perspective. During the school year, I really don’t have time to do my own work; teaching takes precedence. In California, with the encouragement of my retreat friends, I experimented for the first time in casting resin with natural materials and found objects. I’m now teaching a middle school elective using these

Ms. Heller says, “The June Parrish Fellowship allowed me to recharge creatively.”

techniques developed on my trip in both painting and functional resin art.”

Ms. Heller lived in California as a practicing architect, and she knows, “California is a Mecca for creativity, a place where you meet people from all creative industries, doing creative things.” She loved it and made close friends whom she missed greatly. After a decade apart, some of them, along with new acquaintances, were able to reconnect for this fellowship retreat.

Though the group enjoyed invigorating together times, much of the retreat was self-directed. Ms. Heller says, “I had a backpack, and I would go off on my own. I painted by myself beside a river and developed a series of scenes. Solitude is hugely important to my psyche. I spent most of my time sitting next to water and trying to recreate its flowing lines. I experienced a tidal pool, a mountain pond,

a river, the ocean. I went to all these different places taking long hikes alone, which was meditative. It was deeply restorative to me.”

She points out, “I steer clear of doing the same art over and over again. I came back from California charged up and excited to share new ideas with my kids. Learning new mediums gave me fresh ideas for projects or motivated me to experiment and be playful. I haven’t had that in a very long while.”

The June Parrish Fellowship offers Lexington School teachers a unique opportunity to be themselves and to reconnect with the best of themselves.

As Ms. Heller says, “This was an extraordinary opportunity. It was a gift of love. I don’t know many schools where you can dream this big.”

Left: One of Ms. Heller’s artist friends created this sculpture, which delighted and inspired the group. Below: Nature’s exclamation mark! When Ms. Heller found the rock and saw the feather floating down the river, she turned them into a painting.

Silver Sponsors:

Apiary

Athenian Grill

Ball Homes

Sutherland Chevrolet Inc.

The Lexington Quarry Company

Traditional Bank

Bronze Sponsors:

Banks Veterinary Clinic

Bim Group

Cecil’s Heating & Air Conditioning Inc.

Central Kentucky Endodontics

Clark Distributing Co., Inc.

Clay Ingels Co. LLC

Congleton-Hacker Company

Coughtry Enterprises LLC

Country Boy Brewing

Delk Enterprises

Dentistry for Children

Doctors Wahle & Chalothorn Orthodontics

Gray Construction

Isabel Ladd Interiors

Keeneland

Kentucky Bariatric Institute

Marsh McLennan Agency

McDonald’s

Minner Vines Injury Lawyers

More Than A Bakery

Newman Digital Strategies

Slone Dental

Taft Law

The Allen Company

Wilhite Limited

NEW ALUMNI PARENTS

The Grimes Family

Andrew Grimes ’95, CEO and Founder of Newman Digital Strategies, is a TLS lifer, from prekindergarten opening day in 1984 until his 1995 graduation day. He and his brother, Reed Grimes ’98, who also began in prekindergarten, got to know The Lexington School from one end to the other. Their parents – Nancy Grimes, Life Trustee, devoted former Board of Trustees member and president, and 50th Anniversary co-chair, and Dr. Allen Grimes, co-chair with Mrs. Grimes of Celebration ’91 – did practically as much TLS homework as their sons. It follows suit that Ford ’33 begins his prekindergarten with Mrs. Espinoza and Mrs. Rogers, and that Hattie ’35 is in the Acorns class of Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Kerns. Little sister, Charlotte, will soon follow in familial footsteps.

—FROM ANDREW—

Alison and I are thrilled to have our kids join the TLS family. While there is so much new on campus, the school still feels like home to me. I often find myself pointing out spots to Ford and Hattie where everlasting memories of mine took place years ago. My late mother, a former two-time Board president, would be giddy just watching them walk in and out the same door Reed and I did. It’s an honor to carry on the family tradition and have our kids be blessed with all TLS has to offer. When people ask us why we are sending our children to The Lexington School, my answer is always very simple – it is the best school around. Ford’s and Hattie’s smiles at the end of every day say it all.

Mr. and Mrs. Grimes share a bundle of hugs with Charlotte, Ford, and Hattie.

Family tradition holds strong in the RobinsonCowden-Mayer family. Sarah’s mother Ann Cowden Mayer ’04, grandmother “SaSa” Sarah Robinson Cowden ’78, great aunt Beth Robinson Carroll ’74, uncle Lee Cowden ’06, and cousins Fielden Willmott Swimm ’00 and Emily Willmott ’04 have all shared stories with Sarah from their TLS days. It’s no surprise that Mrs. Mayer often thinks back to her own Lexington School years, from Mrs. Barker’s kindergarten room through graduation, when she walks Sarah ’35 into her Acorns class.

—FROM ANN—

Pearce and I are enjoying every minute of Sarah’s Acorn life. So many memories have surfaced, but there are also so many exciting and special things to experience in the parent role.

The Lexington School laid a wonderful foundation for me, my mother, and my brother, so it is no surprise that Pearce and I decided Sarah would follow in those footsteps early on. We are delighted that the time has finally come, and she has joined the TLS family as an Acorn in Mrs. Kerns and Mrs. Murray’s incredible class. Pearce and I agree that drop-off is one of our favorite things – Sarah’s excitement is palpable, and her wide grin provides even more evidence that she is comfortable, confident, and thriving in her classroom with her wonderful new friends, new experiences, and daily adventures and activities.

The Mayer Family

MATTERS

With Sarah, left, are Mrs. Mayer and “SaSa,” holding cousin Liza, daughter of Sarah’s uncle, Mr. Cowden, right.

CLASS OF 2019 COLLEGE MATRICULATIONS

Willow Abedi ................................................................................... Centre College

Hayden Adams University of Pennsylvania; Wharton College of Business

Reed Applegate University of Miami

Carter Ashmun Tufts University

Meredith Bailey Bluegrass Community and Technical College

Alex Baldecchi ........................................................................ University of Denver

Brayden Bell Eastern Kentucky University

Charlie Camp Purdue University

Lilly Chamblin Toronto Metropolitan University

Gigi Cornett Clemson University

Katherine Croce .................................................................. University of Cincinnati

Margaret Crothers Washington University

Michael Crowe The Ohio State University

Callie Cullins Gap Year; Welding Trade School

Gabby Dahlgren Transylvania University

Mimi DeRossett ........................................................ George Washington University

Thomas Dimakogiannis College of Charleston

Skylar Eads University of North Carolina School of the Arts; BFA Ballet Major

Tyler Erpenbeck Bowling Green State University

Destiny Eversole Wellesley College

Erickson Ferguson ....................................................... Eastern Kentucky University

George Freeman University of Kentucky

Caleigh Given University of Kentucky; STUNT Team

Leah Hale William & Mary

Samantha Harris Transylvania University

Maggie Harrison ................................................................ Northwestern University

Spencer Harston Employed in Utah

Laila Hernandez Cosmetology School

Farwah Hussain University of Houston

Chuck Jefferson Clemson University

Leah Keelen

North Carolina State University

Olivia Kobak Auburn University

Penelope Kwun ................................................................ Colorado State University

Justine Lofwall Northwestern University

Wills Milward University of Kentucky

Amelia Monohan Davidson College

Clay Monohan Washington and Lee University

Jake Nahra ................................................................................ Auburn University

Michelle Ortiz University of Kentucky

Will Partain Lincoln College of Technology; Denver

Lexi Phillips The Ohio State University

Wick Preston Bluegrass Community and Technical College

Maggie Pulliam .................................................................... University of Kentucky

Ben Pund Transylvania University

Teague Roth Centre College

Zoe Schaeffer Georgetown University

Hari Sethuraman University of Michigan

Hudson Sparks ............................................................................... Centre College

Audrey Stack Miami of Ohio

Arden Stone

Transylvania University

Avery Sullivan Liberty University

Mary Esther Thomas Baylor University

Katherine Truitt .................................................................... University of Kentucky

Christain Turner Game Store Manager

Antony Valdes University of Kentucky

Witt Wood Washington and Lee University

Lucy Woodworth Wake Forest University

Buntaro Yoshida ............................................................... Colorado State University

Uma Zimmerman Washington University

September 13 - 14, 2024

Welcome all parents, alumni, grandparents, faculty and friends – past and present!

I serve as the Chief Executive Officer for the Kentucky Primary Care Association, Inc. (KPCA), a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting access to high-quality, equitable, primary health care in Kentucky’s under-resourced communities. KPCA membership includes over 100 community health centers and rural health clinics providing primary care services to over one-million Kentuckians, regardless of their ability to pay. The KPCA is one of 52 federally funded primary care associations charged with improving health outcomes, removing health disparities, and reducing unnecessary healthcare costs. These programs and services are designed to support workforce development and retention, emergency preparedness and disaster response, training and technical assistance, advocacy, and success in valuebased care arrangements. KPCA convenes stakeholders, advises health policymakers, and engages in private/ public partnerships enhancing members’ capacity to care for their patients, providers, and communities. In addition, I serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Kentucky Primary Care Clinically Integrated Network, which contracts with all six Medicaidmanaged care organizations and most Medicare Advantage and commercial insurance plans for the delivery of medical, dental, behavioral care, pharmacy, and social services for about 420,000 patients. In addition to payor contracting, the network supports members through provider credentialing, business operations, health data aggregation, clinical quality, and the creating of shared savings.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our members and their commitment to the health and wellbeing of Kentuckians.

As an aside – sharing my gratitude for TLS here –During our morning drives to The Lexington School, I often think about the meaning of our school’s motto “We Teach Courage.” The study of courage is deeply fascinating and reinforces the practicality and ingenuity of TLS in elevating this single value as paramount to our children’s education. Courage is a state of mind or a choice, not an innate quality like bravery or athleticism or intelligence. We are all capable of being courageous; it is the motivation created by a belief that the outcome to be achieved through action is worth more than the cost of inaction. As indicated by its root word, cœur, the French word for heart, the word’s original meaning is “to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” In other words, courage is a sense of activism in the presence of vulnerability. TLS teaches courage by being a safe place for our children to fail along with providing the supports to develop resilience in failure’s aftermath. I believe our children graduate from TLS as better students, friends, and citizens because they have confidence to self-advocate (ask for help), curiosity to know more (interest in the whys and hows), enthusiasm to share (contribute in a way that adds value to the experience of others), creativity to solution (leverage available resources), and empathy toward others (expand considerations beyond oneself). Because of this, Rob and I are committed to investing in our boys’ education at TLS.

Eli Zimmerman ’99 was recently named Associate Dean for Student Affairs at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He was previously at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. In his new role at Northwestern, Eli will oversee the medical school’s residency application and career advising process, and he will run mentorship, wellness, and support programming for medical students. He is thrilled to be working with students to ensure their success both during medical school and beyond. He is joined in Chicago by his husband, Daniel, and his two dogs, Honey and Louis.

From Molly Nicol Lewis ’97, mother of seventh grader Robert Lewis ’25 and Bruce Lewis ’28, fourth grade:

Dr. Clint Parker ’04 recently received his Ph.D. in Linguistics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. As he says, “This degree is the culmination of many years of (mis)adventures in language, including a high school exchange year in Argentina, study abroad in the Xinjiang Province of China, and a stint as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua.” Before defending his dissertation, Clint was a Fulbright researcher in Tajikistan, where he worked on the documentation and analysis of the endangered Shughni language.

Though he may not have realized it at the time, the seeds of Clint’s love for language were planted during his years at TLS. He considers himself a product of the great TLS grammar sticklers, especially middle school English teachers Ms. Stith and Mrs. Bonzo-Sims, who taught him to “trust the process” of writing, and Spanish teachers Ms. Focke and Ms. Tucker, whose masterful instruction on the notorious preterite and imperfect tenses continues to resonate with him as a language teacher and researcher.

Clint now works as an educator in intercultural communication for the Carrefour de Ressources en Interculturel, a non-profit organization in Montreal, and as a linguistic consultant for Winterlight Labs, a start-up in the field of Natural Language Processing.

Hadley Jennings Wellman arrived on January 30, 2024, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where her mom, Katherine Bandoroff Wellman ’04, is a nurse practitioner in the Cardiac ICU. Dad, Aaron Wellman, and excellent big brother, Walker, 1½, are doing their part – successfully – to ensure Hadley feels welcome. Aunt Isabel Bandoroff ’13 made the trip from Stamford, CT, to add to the happy welcome, and Uncle Conrad Bandoroff ’07 came over from Denali Stud in Paris.

Katherine says the Wellmans are adjusting well as a family of four. She also looks forward to the 20-year reunion this Fall of her Class of 2004.

Conrad and his wife, Claire, enjoy living on the farm, and Conrad continues to run Denali Stud, where Claire is Director of Marketing and Hospitality.

Isabel recently transitioned out of finance policy and works for Golazo, the CBS Sports soccer network. As part of the research team, she provides up-to-date statistics and information for broadcasters and analysts to use during production.

Surrounded by her family, Katherine says, “I think I can speak for all of us in saying we credit The Lexington School for developing a fundamental foundation for our success. We all have lifelong relationships which we cherish from our TLS experience.”

Alex Riggs ’05 (left) and Clint Parker ’04, basketball and soccer teammates at TLS, have stayed in touch over the years. Clint was in Alex’s wedding to Stefani Cleaver in June 2023, and they are pictured here enjoying the fall in Montreal that same year.

On October 14, 2023, Ellie Fogg ’08 and Wiley Hunsaker were married at Good Shepherd Church with the reception at Idle Hour Country Club, which, as she says, “was (in my opinion) the party of the century!” They live in Austin, Texas, where Ellie has lived since graduating from the University of Virginia in 2016. She has worked in Construction Tech for Procore for five years. Wiley, originally from Dallas, graduated from Vanderbilt and is in real estate development.

Ellie reminisces: “I am still joined at the hip with my best friend, Jamie Rosenstein Wittman ’08, even though we don’t physically live in the same place, we talk as if we do. She is basically a sister. Chase Spears Studer ’08 is also one of my closest friends, and she lives just down the road in San Antonio with her beautiful family. Miss Cowling taught history as if it were storytime, and I loved learning from her. To this day, the facts are ingrained in my memory. I also learned centrifugal force from Ms. Kemmish by spinning buckets of water around. Science class with Ms. Zimmerman was great with all of her amazing animals! Crispitos for lunch were the absolute best.”

and Robert Dence ’10, Lexington Catholic High School sweethearts, were married on April 22, 2023, at Harper Hall in downtown Lexington. Robert works for Lifstyl Real Estate, and is a TLS middle school basketball coach. Mariah is the Director of Admissions and Marketing at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School. They love life with their dear dog, Bronx, shown in photo, who attended their wedding day “first look.” One of Robert’s favorite TLS memories is winning the 2010 Parochial League Championship with Harris Qazi ’10, Adil Siddiq ’10, Gates Corman ’10, and Ryan Draper ’10

Mariah

Ellie and Wiley Hunsaker met at a dove shoot in Brownsville, Texas.

Front Row: Amy Kessinger, Shelley Slabaugh, Ruby Kate Gray ’14, Sharon Deller, Delia Kessinger ’13, Lisa Gumm-Gray, Virginia Alford ’30, Carter Gray ’11 and Lauren Gray, Gray Alford ’27, Mary Bruce Gray Alford ’99, Cassandra Gray, Keturah Gray ’94, Carl Gray ’02, Michaela Duzyk, Dennis Duzyk Back Row: Tommy Kessinger, Reid Freeman ’74, Una MacCarthy, Stella Alford ’32, Louie Kessinger ’15, Tommy Slabaugh ’89, Rebekah Gray Henley ’96, Tim Alford

Other Attendees Not Pictured: Bobby Kessinger ’11, Melanie Simpson Conley and Bob Conley, Stephen Gray, John Deller, Katherine and Brian McCarty, Chris and Larry Smith Unable to travel to Maine, but there in heart: Howard Gray, Carol Bertram, Marijo Foster (H’16)

On September 3, 2023, Carter Gray ’11 and Lauren Begley were married in the outdoor chapel on Damariscotta Lake at Camp Kieve in Nobleboro, Maine. Friends, family, faculty, and former parents from The Lexington School were in happy abundance.

ATHLETICS

PHILANTHROPY ALUMNI

FORMER FACULTY

A DEDICATION TO TEACHING THAT

SPEAKS for ITSELF

On September 12, 2023, former faculty members gathered at Palmers in Lexington Green to celebrate and continue their close friendship.

ANN HAYNES:

Having an association with these talented, smart, and fun women for many years is one of the real perks of teaching at TLS! A wonderful group of administrators and scores of amazing students and families round out my 30+ years’ experience at our remarkable school. Having taught for so many years made me keenly aware of the value and joy of learning. Consequently, I now enjoy being “the student” again in classes and a chorus sponsored by OLLI (the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), which I consider my “calisthenics for the mind.” It’s still a pleasure to be with folks who love learning – which brings me full circle, back to my regard for these really awesome colleagues in this photograph!

JAWANNA HERD:

At TLS I loved the freedom to teach in different ways –using songs, art, drama, games, even dance to help kids learn science. I so appreciate our students’ willingness to create new ways to study – from chemical symbols raps (Like Hg drives a mercury – by H.G. himself), to the I Will Survive play (inspired by Donna Summer) that ninth graders wrote and performed about the Krebs cycle in cellular respiration. My colleagues were also my inspiration in sharing new and exciting ways they engaged students and in the way we were supportive of each other’s endeavors. I still teach by taking homeschooled children on field trips, and teaching sign language in Reading Camp for local children. And I take classes myself to learn more about writing and trying out new writing ventures. TLS grows lifelong learners in both students and teachers.

Front Row: Ann Haynes, Lynn Pickles, Janelle Simon, Jenny O’Neill. Back Row: Pam Maley, Jawanna Herd, Isabel Kasperbauer, Kelly Eichhorn Waterbury, Leanne Zimmerman

The Dream Team!

From Summer 2007

Pinpoints:

Fifth grade team; Pam Walker Maley, Jenny Davis O’Neill, Samantha Kemmish Campbell, Lynn Pickles

ISABEL KASPERBAUER:

I am so happy to have met these intelligent, kind, and talented teachers. It is a privilege that few people have the opportunity to experience. I missed them. They were part of my everyday life, a family. I never lost touch with them. In retirement, I have continued painting. It gave me a purpose during the years of solitude. I have a very special place in my heart for my dear students. They have reached out to me via social media and some with visits to my house. My love for all of them is full and complete. I am so proud of them. I am writing from Thailand. I have visited 37 countries and 47 states. TLS was and is my second home.

PAM WALKER MALEY:

My years as part of the TLS community were a long and wonderful experience, both for me and for my children; and there are so many good memories and lasting friendships. But my years as part of the Dream Team with Jenny [Davis O’Neill], Lynn [Pickles], and Samantha [Kemmish Campbell], working together with the extraordinary women in the photo, were the highlight of my career. The kindness and unquestioning support that we shared as we all went through personal and professional challenges, were valuable beyond words. I’m lucky to live in the Lexington community where I frequently have the privilege of seeing and interacting with many of my students, and I cherish the memories of the ones that I don’t see. They were nothing short of a gift that expanded the joy and beauty of my life.

JENNY DAVIS O’NEILL:

I genuinely love each of these women. When I came to TLS in 1983, my only teaching experience had been as a sex educator for the Health Department. With the support and collegiality of my peers at TLS, I was able not only to teach English and Creative Writing, but also to write and publish three novels as Jenny Davis and one more as Jenny O’Neill. The respect of the administration and support of my colleagues made this possible. Also, I came to truly love my students, and I felt that love returned as only children can. I am still in touch with some of them.

LYNN PICKLES:

Teaching is hard, but when you have colleagues like this to share the mission of teaching someone else’s children, life is good. This group of women developed a special camaraderie borne out of respect for the work each of us did, and the humor each of us brought to the task. We were all mothers, so we spoke the same language, understood each other’s burdens, and supported each other in so many ways. We remain friends to this day ... 30+ years later. I feel so privileged to have had them in my life at TLS. I hope our paths continue to cross.

LEANNE ZIMMERMAN:

My first visit to TLS in October of 1993 as a prospective teacher and parent was eye-opening. I found a vibrant, challenging, and welcoming school community. I knew I wanted to teach there and have my children there as students. The decision to become part of that community was life changing! TLS is more than just a school; it’s a supportive village of teachers, students, parents, and lifelong friends. Thirty years later, not a day goes by that I don’t think about or mention The Lexington School. To have two graduates, one of whom now teaches there, Heidi Simons ’03, and to be happily retired and have time to visit as a grandparent of two current students, Adina Simons ’32 and Ezra Simons ’35, truly rewards my decision way back when.

A HAND IN TEACHING

MADAME: HER STUDENTS AND THEIR PUPPETS

How many of Madame Charron’s students can remember their lines from a puppet show or French play after all these years?

Though Nicole Charron – better known as “Madame” – retired three decades ago, she has fond memories of The Lexington School and her students and colleagues. Madame particularly remembers the wonderful times she had with her sixth-grade students preparing the annual French puppet shows. Drawn mainly from the stories of Charles Perrault, the seventeenth-century French author who helped found the genre of the fairy tale with his Mother Goose stories, the puppet shows included “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge” (Little Red Riding Hood), “La Belle au Bois Dormant” (Sleeping Beauty), “Cendrillon” (Cinderella), and “Blanche Neige” (Snow White). Madame is also particularly proud of the puppet show she and her students created based on Serge Prokofiev’s “Pierre et le Loup” (Peter and the Wolf), complete with musical accompaniment. The puppet shows were interdisciplinary projects that gave Madame the opportunity to collaborate,

for example, with art teacher Judy Apple. Mrs. Apple worked with students to create puppets using hair curlers (for the necks), foam balls, papier-mâché, and paint. Then, sewing-handy parents helped create the fabric bodies. Parents also built the puppet theaters: Wilbert A. Whitehead, father of Karen Whitehead ’81, built the initial wooden theater, and, a few years later, Class of 1985 moms (led by Mrs. Zent, mother of Drew Zent ’85) created a bigger theater (for bigger casts) with TLS-green felt and PVC pipes.

The students put on multiple performances for the school, as well as for Lexington’s Alliance Française.

Puppet shows were not the only performances French students put on. Recently, Madame reminisced with colleague Lynn Pickles about another French class story. Queen Elizabeth II was visiting Kentucky, and Bret Jones ’96 [with Tyler Bell Jones ’98, parents of sixth grader B Jones; Jack Jones, fourth grade; Thomas Jones, first grade; and Wende Elizabeth Jones, born April 11, 2023] son of then Governor Brereton Jones, had to choose between meeting Her Majesty and being in the French performance he and his classmates had been working hard to prepare. He chose the French show over Queen Elizabeth!

Madame Nicole Charron, teacher of French from 1975 to 1994, now lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, near her family. She welcomes TLS friends any time.

Top: Blanche-Neige a eu la joie de rendre visite à Madame récemment en Virginie. C’est dommage que les sept nains n’ont pas pu l’accompagner!

Left: Mrs. Marcus; her husband, BK, who took this picture; and their son, Benjamin, 17, are longtime residents of Charlottesville. She holds her Ph.D. in French, and is a senior technical editor and writer and project manager for a consulting firm that specializes in public transportation safety.

by Nathalie Charron Marcus ’86

Emily Barr Richards ’87

The Lexington School offers deep condolences to the family of Emily Barr Richards ’87, who died January 16, 2024, after a courageous battle with cancer. Emily, sister of Andy Barr ’89 and Peter Barr ’96, began TLS in Harriet Collier’s warm and welcoming Kindergarten class, and made lifelong, treasured friendships within the school.

Griggs Powell ’87 says, “Emily was a lot of things, brave, courageous, funny, fearless, but to my classmates and me, she was just Emily. That was her greatest strength, being Emily. Pushing her through the halls of TLS on a small wooden chair with wheels was as normal to our class as all the other mundane activities of all grade school kids. We knew she needed the occasional help with stairs or help with her books and her book bag, but she was just Emily, so we helped when she needed it and moved on. She was so wonderfully different than most people, but to those who knew her well, she was just Emily. Amazing, loving, kind, brave, Emily.”

Gayle Baynham Wolfe ’87 reminisces, “When I think of The Lexington School and my time as a student there, I always think of Emily Barr Richards. And when I think of Emily, I picture her with her characteristic, big smile on her face. She was resilient, stubborn, silly, determined, loving, fun, and a true friend. Most of my memories from TLS involve Emily – Pine Mountain as roommates, arriving at the Spring Dance our ninth-grade year in a limousine, The Peanut Murderer play in Upper School, performing “Mr. Sandman” with our group of friends in the ninth-grade show, our ninth-grade trip to Washington, DC. So many phone calls together and sleepovers. I remember all the years of carpool –from first grade through ninth grade. I have snapshot memories of pushing (racing!) Em’s wheelchair through the halls of TLS, being at the same lunch table with Emily, being at our lockers together.

“Now as an adult, I have more of an understanding of how much Emily endured. That makes her huge smile even more incredible. As a kid though, I had no idea. I knew she needed help with things, and I was happy to help my friend. But I didn’t understand the extent of her hardships. I truly believe that what Emily went through with juvenile arthritis is exactly what made her who she was. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been reading through the goofy things we wrote about in our ninth-grade yearbooks – times and occasions memorialized – and it makes me smile and miss my friend. Emily really was one in a million, and I’m so lucky to have called her a friend.”

Frank Hardesty, Teacher of Science and of Life

by Chris Johnson ’89

I have always credited Frank for being the one who pointed me in my life’s ultimate direction. Frank’s legacy is of a teacher whose influence was as vast as the landscapes he led us to explore. Our adventures with Frank, from Red River Gorge to Colorado, inspired a love for the outdoors that became a lifelong gift. Beyond the classroom, Frank’s counsel extended to advice on fishing, hiking, and the road less traveled. His well-rounded wisdom included secret slot canyons, uncrowded trails, and tips for life on the road.

In class, he was more than a teacher; he was a storyteller, a purveyor of science, and a maestro of humor. His classroom door, a portal to his world of knowledge and wit, stood open during breaks and mornings, where coffee sips were accompanied by warm greetings and clever quips. His lessons weren’t limited to science; they were life lessons, adorned with one-liners and sage advice like “shoot your shot!” and the unforgettable, “Don’t ever put anything smaller than a football in your ear.” Frank set the gold standard for favorite teachers, a litmus test against which all others were measured.

Among the many influences Frank had on my own life, I am most thankful for the trail he blazed for me as a teacher. I poured over his ALL CAPS notes and lessons when I first took over his science class almost two decades ago, and I drew upon my classroom memories and the influence he imparted. To this day, I do my best to emulate his passion, warmth, and teaching methodology. Although I am quite certain I will never equal his quick wit and humor, he has always been and will continue to be my beacon and benchmark as both a teacher and mentor to future generations.

Emily Barr Richards ’87

A good school teaches children to grow academically.

A great school Inspires them to be curious.Empowers them to be courageous.Teaches them to thrive.

THE ANNUAL FUND

please join us

Your gift to the Annual Fund gives every student the tools to thrive!

1050 Lane Allen Road

Lexington, KY 40504-2018

859-278-0501

www.thelexingtonschool.org

Return Service Requested

The Lexington School admits students of any race, religion, color, sex, national, or ethnic origin.

| HISTORICALLY SPEAKING |

April 1996,

the Class of 1996 and their chaperones:

on an

throughout

the way.

In

Frank Hardesty led his ninth-grade geology class

adventure

Carter Caves in Carter County, Kentucky. Roberta Owen (H’00) added her wisdom along

Members of

Front Row: Christopher Manon

Middle Row: Roberta Owen, Peter Barr, Kelsey Nicholson, Trevor McDonald, Griffin VanMeter, Webb Milward, Rebekah Gray, Sean Pohlman, Frank Hardesty

Back Row: William Wood, Alex Cutadean, Shea Burns