Ravenscroftspring2014

SPRING 2014 | VOL. XVII. NO. 1

magazine

ALUMNI TO WATCH

YOUNG BUSINESS OWNERS EXCEL

INSIDE: Innovative Learning On Campus | Alumni Chan Namgong ’03 and Tiffany Needham ’01 | Technology Takes Ravens Around the World

Answer: This sculpture was made by artist Clyde Jones.

It is located in the grassy area near Winston Library.

BIRD’S

Do you know where this is on campus?

eye view

magazine

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FEATURES 8 Academic Excellence

Stellar Learning: Innovations Throughout Campus

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Creative Leadership

Fashion Foot Forward: Chan Namgong ’03

14 Global Citizenship

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DEPARTMENTS 2 Vision & Voice

Developing Tomorrow’s Citizen Leaders Doreen Kelly, Head of School

4 Notes from the Nest

News and updates from the Ravenscroft community

Brewing Up Business: Tiffany Needham ’01

22 Student Showcase

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Innovation & Technology

Tech Talk: Technology Takes Ravens to Zimbabwe and Beyond

24 Center Stage

“The Peacemaker” poem by Maddy Ringenbach ’16

20 Lead From Here in Action

26 Game Day

Students learn to Lead Self, Lead with Others, and Change Their World

Ravenscroft magazine is published three times a year by the Communications Office. Any suggestions or comments should be directed to 919-847-0900, ext. 2312 or webmaster@ravenscroft.org.

Design by M Creative | Photography by Susan Washburn, Allie Wilson, Cindy Fordham, and Chris Watters | Written by Susan Washburn, Matt Taylor, and Allie Wilson, Communications staff

String students achieve awards, honors Athletic Trainer Katie Mann ’03

28 Alumni News 30 Class Notes 46 Ravenscroft Rewind

An era gone by

VISION

& voice

Developing Tomorrow’s Citizen Leaders Doreen Kelly, Head of School

DEAR RAVENSCROFT COMMUNITY: Our Lead From Here work at Ravenscroft is a function of tremendous ambition.

We want to change the way that we educate our children so they are prepared with the 21st century skills that leaders across many different industries say are lacking in today’s employees. This goes

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beyond intelligence to include qualities like resilience and growth-mindedness, an understanding of the importance of collaboration and cultural inclusivity, and the ability to articulate a vision and see it through to completion.

We are looking to the future with the Citizen Leader Framework, but none of this would be possible without a strong foundation already in place. One need only look at alumni like Chan Namgong ’03 and Tiffany Needham ’01, both of whom are profiled in this issue of Ravenscroft magazine, to understand that we have a track record of producing innovators and leaders. We are rooted in academic excellence.

This bold endeavor also could not succeed without strong faculty members who are strategic and adaptive themselves. Our feature story brings to life current examples of academic excellence in all three of our divisions. You can read about how students and faculty at different grade levels are working together to embrace challenges

and think beyond their boundaries.

Meanwhile, our strings students are perfecting their craft and earning accolades. We are growing through our teaching.

The strength of our community is essential to our Lead From Here work.

We are fortunate to have an equally strong partner in the Center for Creative Leadership. We are sharing our expertise in education and child development with them, and in return they are sharing their leadership expertise with us. Learn more about some members of the CCL team in the pages that follow. Together, we are embracing possibility.

Enjoy this edition of Ravenscroft magazine. I hope it inspires you as much as it inspires me.

Sincerely,

Doreen C. Kelly Head of School

Lead From Here RAVENSCROFT IS ENGAGED IN A FIRSTOF-ITS-KIND partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), a topranked, global provider of executive education that focuses exclusively on leadership education and research. The partnership combines CCL’s leadership experience with the educational and developmental expertise of Ravenscroft’s faculty. But how did it come to be?

The Ravenscroft-CCL partnership began in 2011 with a collaborative discovery process designed to better understand the School’s definition of leadership, as well as the strengths, challenges and opportunities of the School’s leadership culture. The research methods utilized as part of this process included a parent survey as well as interviews and focus groups with students, faculty, parents, administrators, and board members.

This research confirmed that Ravenscroft has incredible assets that could be leveraged in a leadership initiative. These assets included existing leadership opportunities for students, engaged parents and staff, board and administrative support, and a close-knit community where students can learn and grow in a safe environment.

Given these factors, Ravenscroft engaged CCL to begin a leadership and citizenship awareness and training program for students, faculty, and staff. The pro-

gram has already had a tremendous impact, and the School is working to endow the initiative so that all future students will benefit from it.

Several days a week, CCL trainers Chris Ward and Marin Burton are on campus facilitating leadership and citizenship training. They have become familiar and welcome faces at Ravenscroft.

CHRIS WARD serves as the Leadership Beyond Boundaries (LBB) Project Director for Ravenscroft, assisting in the development of the Lead From Here initiative.

He has worked as an educator, supervisor, and developmental coach in higher education and non-profit organizations, and founded a coaching and consulting practice before joining CCL. Chris also serves as a feedback and executive coach for CCL’s leadership development programs. He is certified in CCL’s leadership assessment suite and completed the Center’s coach training program.

Chris received a master’s degree in counseling at Pittsburg State University, and conducted three years of post-master’s study at the University of North Carolina

at Greensboro. He received his bachelor’s in English (creative writing) from Kansas State University.

MARIN BURTON is a Master Trainer and Design Specialist for CCL within the Leadership Beyond Boundaries Division.

She specializes in leadership program development, design, and experiential training and facilitation. As a trainer, Marin draws from her community, business, and academic acumen and offers a dynamic, learner-centered experience. In her facilitation role, she brings energy and intentional focus to training and development in experiential and engaged teaching methodologies, as well as focus on leadership development for individuals and groups.

In her 16 years as an experiential educator, Marin has worked with a variety of organizations including schools, colleges, corporations, and nonprofit organizations.

She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on the theory, philosophy, and practice of experiential education. Marin has also developed facilitator training programs for student and professional educators.

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NOTES

from the nest

NAIS President Credits Ravenscroft in January Blog Post NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (NAIS) President John Chubb celebrated Ravenscroft’s efforts to understand and compete in a changing marketplace in his Jan. 16 blog post, “Research and Ravenscroft.” He credited Head of School Doreen Kelly as being “a bold leader, dedicated to her school’s mission, unafraid to ask the tough questions and to take the sometimes tough measures necessary to fulfill it.”

“Ravenscroft has lessons to teach all of us. The school also has lessons to learn, which is one of the reasons that Doreen and Leonard [Johnson, Assistant Head of School for Business & Finance] , and other school leaders ... chose to meet with our team of researchers,” Chubb wrote. “Independent schools face common challenges and opportunities. Research can help us learn from one another and from schools of all kinds.”

Volunteers Honored with RAC Service Awards During the boys varsity basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 25, the Ravens Athletic Club presented the group’s awards for extraordinary service to three deserving volunteers: Tom Slater, Vicki Detweiler, Vicki Detweiler, Tom Slater, and Susan Burnette receive and Susan Burnette.

RAC service awards Tom Slater has been serving our community as the “The Voice of Ravens” since Sept. 1995. He works behind the scenes in the press box or alongside the court to announce athletic events for Ravenscroft.

Vicki Detweiler has volunteered at Ravenscroft for the past 12 years. Vicky has assisted with the Ravenscroft Golf Classic, state basketball tournaments, kickball tournaments, the Special Olympics, Spirit Committee, Fan Night, Homecoming, and the Soccer Invitational and has been a constant presence in concessions. She is the only parent volunteer awarded a varsity letter for service in the Athletic Club.

Susan Burnette is the epitome of Ravenscroft Athletic Club service award. She served before the athletic club was actually established. While her three children, Liz Burnette Gibbons ’96, Jud Burnette ’93, and Chad Burnette ’89, were at Ravenscroft, Susan supported the soccer games for almost a decade. She organized the volunteer components of the Soccer Invitational for years, making athletes and their families feel welcome to our campus.

LOWER SCHOOL WELCOMES GRANDPARENTS AND SPECIAL FRIENDS The Lower School welcomed grandparents and other special friends for a day of musical performances and classroom visits on Nov. 26.

As the Lower School orchestra played a prelude, guests and students entered the main arena and were welcomed by Head of Lower School Payton Hobbs.

Logan Gillespie ’25, who was Head of Lower School for the day, led the Pledge of Allegiance and Riley Lawton ’25 read the opening prayer.

Students from all grades presented special songs and poems. Christina Oelhafen ’21 read the meaning of Thanksgiving, and Dylan Clark ’24 and Anna Haywood ’24 recited “The Pilgrims Came.” Lana DuBose, kindergarten instructor, read the closing prayer. Grandparents and special friends then enjoyed visiting classrooms and meeting teachers before the beginning of the Thanksgiving break.

FORTY FAMILIES SHARE CULTURE AT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL The Third Annual International Festival was held Wednesday, April 2, in the Lower School gym. Thirty countries were represented by 40 Ravenscroft families.

The entire community enjoyed learning about the culture, customs, food, dance and music of Korea, Peru, Russia, Philippines, Sweden, India, Zambia and dozens more. Families from these countries shared stories of their heritage, children wore colorful native clothing, and everyone sampled the many foods prepared.

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Lower School students perform for Grandparents and Special Friends

Hicks ’15 Wins State Wrestling Championship; Ravens Place Sixth Overall

KAITLIN RAMSDEN ’18, CLAIRE FUSCOE ’14, CHLOE MIKLES ’16, and MADELINE HIGH ’17 hold up the State Championship award

VARSITY GIRLS SWIMMING REPEATS AS 3A NCISAA STATE CHAMPIONS The Ravenscroft girls’ swim team won the 2014 North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association 3A State Championship on Feb. 4 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center defending their 2013 title with depth that outlasted a rebuilt and recharged Charlotte Latin squad that finished third at states last season. This was the girls’ fourth title since 2006. The boys’ swim team finished 13th, an improvement over their 15th place finish in 2013.

Coach Greg Warren was pleased with his girls’ efforts: “I felt pretty confident going in that we could compete well. I knew it was going to be a little tight between us and (Charlotte) Latin, but I thought it would be a closer meet. Our girls swam really well.” Well enough that the Ravens improved on last season’s 292 point total by 17 points finishing with a team-high 309 points, 52 points better than Charlotte Latin (257).

Garrett Hicks ’15 became Ravenscroft’s first state wrestling champion in 11 years with his victory in the 184-pound weight class of the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA) tournament Saturday, Feb. 15. Ravenscroft finished sixth overall in the 16-team NCISAA tournament, one week after winning the TISAC tournament.

Wes Stroud ’15 finished second in the 115-pound weight class for the Ravens to cap a season that saw him tie the School’s junior class win record. Teammate Blake Sanders ’16 earned a bronze medal by winning the 122-pound consolation finals and Bradley Conley ’16 finished fourth in the 134-pound weight class.

Ian Conley ’17, a semifinalist, established a freshman win record with 21 victories on the season.

Joyner ’80 Inducted into Fine Arts Hall of Fame Opera Singer Bill Joyner ‘80 was inducted into the Alumni Fine Arts Hall of Fame during the Upper School concert on Dec. 9. Family, friends and former teachers were in attendance.

Joyner, the first to receive this award, earned a master’s degree from the Juilliard School, and a bachelor’s degree from the Catholic University of America; he also studied at the College of William and Mary.

He has been singing opera professionally since 1985.

“Charlie Burt was my choir teacher for four years, and he was fabulous, not only in terms of vocal technique but also in terms of repertoire — my first performances of classical music were as a member of his choir. Jim Powers

was my choir teacher for three years, and he and I had many conversations about what being a professional singer really meant. And Joe Sam Routh also helped me discover my passion for performing.”

He also cites teachers Bruce Miller, Valencia Willoughby (Siff), Joan Battle, Bill Holleman, and Sylvia White as being especially influential.

Joyner was named a Distinguished Alumni in 2000.

He has returned to Ravenscroft regularly to speak with students about his field and most recently attended a reception in his honor following his performance in JOYNER ’80 accepts his induction the opera Carmen. into the Fine Arts Hall of Fame

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NOTES

from the nest

Head of School Doreen Kelly Talks Leadership on Radio Program Ravenscroft Head of School Doreen Kelly addressed topics including teaching students about leadership, the value of skillful faculty members, and the importance of communicating effectively with various constituencies during her Feb. 6 appearance on Be Compelling Now radio.

“My message for young people today is that everyone — every child, no matter where you come from — has the opportunity to exercise citizen leadership, to be a good citizen. I think in being a good citizen you have the opportunity to be a good leader,” Kelly said. “For us here at Ravenscroft, it’s not about the title. It’s about living our mission. It’s about learning to lead yourself, learning to lead with others, and then opening your potential to change the world.”

The Be Compelling Now radio program is hosted by John Lowe, a Triangle-based speaker, presentations & messaging consultant. Other guests on the program have included Dr. Nido Qubein, President of High Point University; Broadway performer J. Mark McVey; Jim Thompson, Executive Director of the Association of Executives of North Carolina; Rufus Edmisten, past Attorney General and Secretary of State for North Carolina; Ray Carey, CEO of NeoNova; Dr. Kevin Snyder, author of Think Differently; and Scott Eblin, President of The Eblin Group.

KITTELBERGER ’14 presents the check to the NC Children’s Hospital

Kittelberger ’14 Raises $15K for UNC Hospital Jessica Kittelberger ’14 organized a golf tournament, Golf for Promise, to benefit UNC Hospital. She raised $15,000, for a total of more than $40,000 in the past four years.

She presented the check during the N.C. Children’s Promise annual radiothon. She has been a patient of the hospital for many years and raised the money through personal donations, sponsors, and participants in the tournament.

Students Inducted into National Honor Society

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS TEAMS WIN DISTRICT, REGIONAL COMPETITIONS The Middle School Battle of the Books team won the District Competition for independent schools on March 27. The team beat the nearest competition by 10 points. These students read and studied 26 books on top of their academic coursework. They placed third in the regional competition.

The Lower School Battle of the Books team won their district competition in March, and went on to capture the regional finals in April, winning by 28 points.

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Ravenscroft inducted 31 Upper School students into the National Honor Society at a ceremony held March 13.

Head of Upper School Peter Bogue opened up the ceremony, and current NHS members tapped the new members, inviting them to the stage for the ceremony. The NHS Yearly Report given by Sara Brown ’14 and Kathryn Anne Robinson ’14 was followed by the reading of the Honor Society characteristics: character, scholarship, leadership, and service. Upper School instructor Mrs. Cathy Hairr presented the new members, Shannon Strong ’14 led the pledge, and Emily Ratliff ’14 introduced Mrs. Ann Carroll, Upper School mathematics teacher, as the program speaker who charged the inductees and all students to live with a purpose, try new things, and take responsibility for their actions both presently and in the future. Head of School Doreen Kelly gave the closing remarks.

Cokie Roberts Speaks to Lower School Cokie Roberts, award-winning journalist and author, spent time with Lower School students on Feb. 10 to discuss the important roles of women in history.

Roberts, introduced by her grandchildren, shared some of her favorite stories from her newly published children’s book, “Founding Mothers: Remembering The Ladies.”

The wives of revolutionaries such as Martha Washington and Dolley Payne Madison and their contributions to the founding of America were discussed. “Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies” is a children’s version of “Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation” published in 2004.

Cokie Roberts speaks to Lower School students

BELL ’14 NAMED MOREHEAD-CAIN SCHOLAR Mary Grady Bell ’14 has been selected as a Morehead-Cain Scholar, Ravenscroft’s first Morehead-Cain recipient since 2002.

The Morehead-Cain Scholarship is one of the most prestigious merit scholars programs in the country. It covers the cost of four years of undergraduate study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as a distinctive program of summer enrichment programs.

Morehead-Cain Scholars are chosen on the basis of leadership, academic achievement, moral force of character and physical vigor.

Bell has been a student at Ravenscroft since kindergarten. She has won a series of academic awards including the Ravenscroft Scholar Award, Cum Laude Society, National Merit Commended Student, National Honor Society, Phi Beta Kappa Writing Contest Winner, and AP Scholar with Honor.

She has been involved in both fine arts and athletics. She won a Strings Award for outstanding progress and was named to the Eastern Region All-State Orchestra and Tri-M Music Honor Society. She has competed for the varsity cross country team and the varsity track team and been a member of the Student Athlete Leadership Program.

She has served the school as a Student Government Association member throughout her time at the Upper School, working as class vice president, class secretary/treasurer, and SGA secretary. She has also been involved with Key Club, Hood to Coast relay race, the Environmental Conservation Organization (ECO), Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Global Ravens, Ravenguides, and Running Club.

RED Auction The Parents’ Association hosted 350 school supporters at the RenaissanceNorth Hills on Saturday, Feb. 1 for the 2014 RED (Ravenscroft Enjoy Donate) Auction.

The Auction raised $165,000. The Parents’ Association is gifting the School with over $45,000 for technology updates and media lab enhancements raised from the Fund A Need. The remainder of the proceeds will go towards the Parents’ Association Endowment. A huge thank you to the chairs of this event: Victoria Bell, Sherry Corkum, Kathy Pretzer, and Leslie Roth!

Ravenscroft’s RED Auction committee members were Nicole Kerner, Jen Wickline, Bobbie Jean Weiler, Genevieve Francis, Almaree Gordon, Tracy Davidian, Michelle Simms, Jennifer Augusti, Anita Wells, Kathy Pretzer, Amber Brown, Leslie Roth, Victoria Bell, (auctioneer Ben Farrell), Debbie Tascher, and Sherry Corkum.

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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Stellar LEARNING

Engaged learning taking place across our campus and beyond 8

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OW DO WE BEST PREPARE OUR CHILDREN for a world we cannot yet see? Ravenscroft faculty members are adopting innovative approaches inside and outside the classroom to live out the School’s mission in a vibrant, relevant way and to best position students for success in a world that is changing rapidly.

Thanks to a sturdy foundation of academic excellence that dates back more than 150 years, Ravenscroft is able to pursue unique instructional avenues that help shape 21st century learners into 21st century leaders, ready to succeed in a complex and interdependent world.

Our baseline of academic excellence has not changed over time. However, the ways that our faculty teach and the manner in which our students learn have changed. This means not only adapting the way we teach traditional subjects like math, science, history, language and composition, but also accepting and embracing our role as teachers of good citizenship and of ethical leadership.

Whether it is developing digital portfolios in the Lower School, offering a math lab that empowers Middle School students to refine essential skills, or engaging Upper School students in independent scientific research, faculty are demonstrating that academic excellence is dynamic rather than static at Ravenscroft.

Lower SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE CREATING DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS Remember all the art projects and essays that your parents kept from your classes? Perhaps they are stored in a dusty attic somewhere, or maybe they were lost or tossed out years ago.

Fifth-grade students at Ravenscroft will always have access to the school work they are doing now and that they will do in the future thanks to a pilot program that has them creating personal digital portfolios known as “My Raven Portfolio.” The portfolios reside as a Google Site, accessible through the Internet from any computer. Teachers and students choose the assignments or projects they wish to share on the pages of their digital portfolio, and in the process, reflect and direct their own learning, along with becoming site publishers, site editors, and site managers.

My Raven Portfolio is designed to be a personal and collaborative learning space for members of the Ravenscroft community.

The digital portfolio is used to support individual learning plans and provide students with the ability to direct their own learning, share their learning with others, and ultimately reach their full potential as citizen leaders in the Ravenscroft community and beyond.

Head of Lower School Payton Hobbs challenged her colleagues to think differently about the future of teaching and learning. She created a partnership with an educational design firm called 2 Revolutions and Ravenscroft’s Chief Technology Officer Jason Ramsden to introduce this concept to fifth-grade students, anticipating that its success would lead to its introduction in other divisions.

Project leaders were Cindy Fordham, instructional technology specialist; Rhonda Zayas-Palmer, Lower School librarian; Kathleen Christopher, academic computing coordinator; Sue Whitehouse, teaching assistant; and fifth-grade teachers John Fiedler, Cara Dancy-Jones, Rachel Newton, and Barbara Paul.

“Once we had established the objectives for the project, we chose a beta group of students — two from each of the four fifth-grade classes,” said Fordham. “We discussed the purpose of a digital portfolio, showed examples, set each student up with

A page from the portfolio of EMMA BAKER ’21. Scan this QR code to view several student digital portfolios.

their Google site using Hapara Teacher Dashboard, and showed the students how easy it was to access their portfolios. Using Chromebooks as well as desktop computers, students set up their Purpose page, their About Me page, a Reflection and Goal Setting page, a Citizen Leader page, and “synced” their class assignments from Google Drive to their personal Learning page.”

The eight “beta” students eventually became the teacher leaders and helped their classmates develop their own portfolios, and all fifth-grade students continue to edit their work, manage their pages, and collaborate with teachers for a more individualized approach to learning. As they mature and their skill levels increase, they can update and extend their previous work and readily see their academic growth.

Teaching students to have control over their own web presence empowers them and provides them with a better understanding of the digital world and the possible consequences of its misuse.

Administrators and faculty members involved in this project are proud and excited about what they and their students have accomplished. They will continue to perfect the process with next year’s fifth graders, building a virtual library of student digital portfolios.

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TEST STUDENTS FOR THE FIRST

DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS Spring 2014

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Middle SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE IMPROVING MATH SKILLS THROUGH CLASSROOM TUTORING

meant to replace after-school tutorial; rather, it is an additional opportunity for students to seek help,” Spainhour said.

Cole Hudson ’18 often uses the math lab. “Math lab helps me better understand topics and skills. I usually attend before a test so I can get extra practice and make sure I understand all concepts that will be covered,” Hudson said. “Mrs. Spainhour always explains the topics in an easy, understandable way.”

Another enthusiastic participant is Astrid Barth ’18, who says, “It’s great for clarifying or just learning little easy shortcuts and tricks and for preparing for tests,” she continued. “Sometimes I am doing my homework and I’ll approach a problem I don’t understand and decide to skip it and show up in math lab. Mrs. Spainhour explains it, and I can finish my homework.

My grades have improved tremendously compared to last year when math lab did not exist.”

College students quickly learn where to go when they have questions about class work. University tutorial centers offer help in writing, math, various sciences, foreign languages, and many other subjects. Faculty members and teaching assistants are available, free of charge in most cases, to answer questions and provide useful resources.

Could that model work at Ravenscroft? That is the question that Elisabeth Dempster ’83, mother of Jack ’15 and Kate ’18, asked. As a faculty lecturer at N.C. State, she teaches freshman calculus and understands the value of math “labs” and suggested the idea last year for Middle School students.

“I’ve seen how important it is for students to learn from people other than their classroom teacher, whether that is another teacher or an older student. I have a teaching assistant who works with my students, and that different voice often helps them understand a concept,” Dempster ’83 said. “I really appreciate the math lab for Middle School students because it puts the responsibility on the student to seek help. In a classroom setting, students are often so busy trying to take notes and listen to the lecture that they aren’t really able to comprehend the material. The math lab provides that time and one-on-one teaching.”

The concept had been tried in the past at the Upper School but was discontinued because of scheduling issues. However, Head of Middle School Denise Colpitts was open to piloting the program this year, and asked Melissa Spainhour, Middle School math department co-chair and science instructor, to open a math lab every lunch period for Middle School students.

“Melissa has taught all levels of Middle School math as well as science, so she was the perfect choice for this pilot program,” Colpitts said. “This is an opportunity for students to drop in, stay as long as they would like, get specific help with a math concept, study for a test, or do homework. It’s been a successful program to date.”

Spainhour asks students to fill out forms in advance so she can prepare study guides and practice examples for them.

Teachers may also fill out a form for a student, detailing specific math concepts they’d like her to address.

“Students usually come in pairs or small groups and eat their lunch while they work. It’s casual, and they can stay as long as they want. Math lab is not Alexis Murphy ’18 grabs lunch and math help

90+ NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN HELPED IN

THE MATH LAB

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Upper SCHOOL

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View the poster for the NASA Project

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NASA PROJECT, METEOR SEARCH FUEL UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN SCIENCE Four Ravenscroft Upper School students will have a unique entry on their respective academic transcripts that reads “NASA Independent Research Project” thanks to their work with Mike Murphy, an Upper School astronomy and physics instructor.

Olivia Aschman ’15, Robin Kikuchi ’15, Jonathan Prather ’15, and Lee Whitely ’15 participated with Murphy in the NASA/ IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program this past fall. The students discovered 10 young stellar objects (stars undergoing formation) as part of their research, the results of which they presented before professional astronomers during the American Astronomical Society meeting in early January.

“Our students did super. I knew they were going to be challenged with the data and all of the analysis that was going to be done,” Murphy said. “We worked together and compared results.

It was a collaboration, so we were all very collegial. It was a lot like working with grad students.”

The project is consistent with Murphy’s desire to have all of his students conduct real-life research and to contribute to science.

He has provided opportunities to do both over the course of the 2013-2014 academic year, first in the solar system course he teaches in the fall and then in the stellar and galactic course that is offered in the spring. The 2013-2014 school year has proved to be a particularly productive “year of discovery,” as he calls it.

Students from both sections of his solar system course worked in teams of three this past fall to search for asteroids as part of Project IASC, the International Astronomical Search Collaboration. It is the third year that Ravenscroft has participated in the project, which identifies asteroids, comets, or other objects that are potential threats to earth.

During a five-week search campaign in October and November, Murphy’s students detected 23 asteroids that had never been seen before. The project took on heightened meaning in the wake of the meteorite that fell to earth outside the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia in February 2013.

For the NASA project, Murphy and the four students utilized data from an infrared telescope to study the formation of new stars. The students were selected after an application process that included a review of their grades, letters of recommendation, and personal interviews.The group took a weeklong trip to California Institute of Technology (Caltech) last summer to work with Dr. Luisa Rebull, a research scientist from the Spitzer Science Center.

Murphy, who wanted the students to understand that astronomers are regular people, prepared his inquisitive quartet for the trip with a series of projects of increasing difficulty. He says the group made a positive impression at Caltech, demonstrating enthusiasm and an ability to complete tasks promptly.

The Ravenscroft researchers started their NASA work with 7,000 sources that were potential stars. They ran those sources through an algorithm that identifies specific characteristics that

JONATHAN PRATHER ’15, ROBIN KIKUCHI ’15, Mike Murphy, OLIVIA ASCHMAN ’15, and LEE WHITELY ’15, and pose in front of the Millikin Library at Caltech

are consistent with a star undergoing formation. The process left them with 115 candidates for new stars. Next, they reviewed existing research literature for the part of the sky they were investigating, which revealed how many of the 115 star candidates were already known. From this group, they discovered the 10 new stars.

In addition to providing a notable entry on their academic transcripts, Murphy explains that these hands-on projects offer students valuable lessons about the practice of research, including the uncertainty of data and occasional imprecision of research instrumentation.

Murphy, who has his own observatory, says his interest in astronomy began in elementary school when his father returned from a naval deployment with a telescope as a gift for him. He minored in astronomy at the University of Virginia and later earned a master’s degree in the subject after completing six years of service as a U.S. Navy officer, an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina, and a career in investment banking.

A full year spent in Murphy’s courses takes students into the solar system and beyond. However, his preferred outcome is about more than his personal passion.

“I’m not trying to build astronomers,” Murphy said. “I’m just trying to develop an interest in science.” R

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NUMBER OF STARS RAVENSCROFT STUDENTS

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CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

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FASHION FOOT FORWARD CHAN NAMGONG ’03 PHOTOS BY ALLIE WILSON

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HAN NAMGONG ’03 started down the path to entre-

preneurship while at Ravenscroft.

As a senior, Namgong created the Business Club, which met periodically at lunch to learn about the world of business, often from guest speakers. Red Hat CEO Bob Young was the group’s first speaker. He was followed by the likes of David Johnson of Johnson Automotive and Van Eure from Angus Barn.

“I thank my parents often for realizing the value of a Ravenscroft education and providing that for me and for my brother,” said Namgong, who owns bevello, a women’s clothing, gift, and accessory company headquartered in Raleigh with 24 locations.

“You don’t realize that value, I think, until after you graduate from college and are in business. The network of people you meet at Ravenscroft is such a valuable resource, and the education and experiences I had there certainly helped me to become a business owner,” he said.

Chan’s family moved to the United States from Korea in 2000, when he was 15. After a brief interlude in Fayetteville, they settled in Raleigh. He and his older brother enrolled at Ravenscroft the following year.

“I was appreciative of the opportunity to study at Ravenscroft and was determined to do well academically. I remember wanting to take AP American History in my junior year and Mr. [Bruce] Miller [Upper School Director] and Mr. [Bill] Pruden [Director of Studies] advising me against that because my English was not that good at the time,” he said. “I took the class, and it was very hard, but I studied very hard and got an A.” Setting his sights on a difficult task and excelling in its accomplishment became a habit for Namgong.

As a freshman at N.C. State (he later transferred to UNCChapel Hill), Namgong took an entrepreneurship course. One assignment entailed interviewing business leaders, so he arranged to interview Young and Eure. He needed one more leader and remembered David Johnson, but he thought Johnson would not remember him from Ravenscroft.

“I gathered the courage to call him and was granted the interview. We talked for three hours,” he said.

The interview was the beginning of a long mentorship and friendship between the two men. Namgong interned every summer for Johnson and after college worked as his right-handman, learning every aspect of running a business.

“David welcomed me into his family and his business. His sons, Carl ’10 and Chase ’14, are like brothers to me, and in fact are a part of my upcoming wedding ceremony,” Namgong said.

“To watch this young man grow and develop has truly been one of the highlights of my life. As a businessman, as a person, Chan is a gentleman of the first order. My entire family is proud and fortunate to have him as such an important part of our lives,” Johnson said.

“THE NETWORK OF PEOPLE YOU MEET AT RAVENSCROFT IS SUCH A VALUABLE RESOURCE, AND THE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCES I HAD THERE CERTAINLY HELPED ME TO BECOME A BUSINESS OWNER.” Namgong was very involved in the entrepreneur community at UNC-Chapel Hill, becoming the president of the Carolina Challenge business start-up competition during his senior year.

Namgong knew he wanted to own his own business. He developed a business plan for a men’s clothing store, decided a women’s store would be more lucrative, and started first as an online store in October 2008.

“Online stores are easy to set up, but it’s very hard for customers to find you amidst all the competition,” Namgong said.

He opened bevello in Cameron Village in July 2009. He later outgrew that space and moved across the street within the same shopping center. He says that he was very naive to think he could succeed during such a bad economic time, but that naivete has been rewarded.

Namgong owns 24 stores from Wilmington, N.C. to Austin, Texas. He’s already scouted out another 30 locations and is waiting for space to be available.

Is there a secret to his success?

He recommends students interested in owning a business find a mentor, expose themselves to a variety of experiences in college, and not be afraid to fail and try again.

“It’s very important to follow our passion, not the money. The money is a byproduct,” says Namgong. R Spring 2014

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GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

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PHOTOS BY JIEUN LEE

BREWING

UP

BUSINESS ham ’0A1 d e e N y n ORE Tiffa S OU T H K ENTREPR

E N EU R IN

“I WAS DEFINITELY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE at first in Seoul,” said Tiffany Needham ’01.

“I came to visit my parents, thinking I’d stay for a while and then go back to New York. But, I stayed, and I have a full, interesting life here now.”

Needham’s mother is Korean, and her parents live in Korea on a military assignment. She doesn’t speak the language fluently, but, along with her boyfriend Erik Moynihan, a Canadian expatriate, has established a small but growing business.

“The social rules I grew up with don’t apply here. I don’t have the usual pressure to graduate from college, get married and have children. I’m free to explore my interests,” she said.

And, her interests were varied. For the first few years, Needham taught English part time, primarily to adult learners. She met Erik, who was also teaching English. Together, over the past five years, they have dabbled in several ventures — an online magazine and a TV show about living abroad, a website that offered the lesson plans they’d developed for their students, a quality men’s clothing store, and a craft brewery.

Some of the ventures failed, some enjoyed moderate success but ended, and some have been economically successful as well as life-enriching.

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Their business ventures all seemed to gather momentum at about the same time, forcing them to leave their teaching positions to focus on turning their hobbies into businesses.

“The longer we lived in Seoul and the more business ideas we tried, the smarter we became about the culture and what the people wanted,” said Needham.

The couple had enjoyed craft beers in the United States, and could find nothing similar in Seoul.

“There are two main breweries in Korea and they both make a very light lager,” Needham explained. “So, we took a home-brewing class and bought a kit. We actually bought the wrong kit — instead of a beginner’s extract kit we bought an all-grain kit. So, it was a bit more difficult, but we had beginner’s luck and brewed a goodtasting brown ale!”

Friends enjoyed the beer as well, and began to ask the couple to bring it to parties, and even to sell it to them. Realizing that this hobby fulfilled a market need and could be successful, the couple bought more equipment and explored working with larger brewers who had distribution licenses. Magpie Brewery was born.

They renovated their store front brewing space to the Brew Shop, and opened a casual, rustic bar called Magpie Basement. The brewing is now done at a commercial brewery under the close supervision of the four co-owners of Magpie Brewing Company.

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Magpie Brewing developed quickly into a successful business.

“We have added staff, and besides selling our beer at our store and bar, it is available at 16 bars in the area and we have a waiting list of 30 or more who want to carry it,” she said.

“We are also finding that our customer base is changing. It’s not just our neighbors anymore. People are coming from all areas of Seoul. In Korea, people primarily drink Soju, a distilled liquor similar to vodka. There are also basic beers that are popular, but wine is something you would order only in a very nice restaurant. The interest in craft beers is very high now,” Needham explained.

The couple is recognized not only for their craft beers, but also became local celebrities through their television series on a local station. “It’s similar to a local PBS channel,” said Needham. “We interviewed other expatriates about their lives in Seoul. We really enjoyed it, and although we won’t be doing a second season, we are hoping to do another show that is focused on craft beers.” The clothing store that Erik and friends started is also doing well. “Erik started Decade at the same time as Magpie was taking off. Beer was easier to sell than clothing, so he focused on getting Magpie off the ground, while maintaining Decade as a small shop. But, now he and his co-owners have other investors and are able to add a second location. The concept of Decade is quality clothes that, if properly cared for, should last at least 10 years. The store offers European and North American

“

I REACH BACK AND MODEL THE STRENGTH AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS OF MY ENGLISH TEACHER, MRS. BEINEKE, AND MY GYM TEACHER, MRS. FOWLER.

clothing of high quality. For people in their 20s and 30s the idea of investing in classic, long-lasting clothing is new to this region. Young people mainly buy what’s new or trendy,” she said.

“When I think back on my years at Ravenscroft, I realize that I can attribute some of my success as a businesswoman to opportunities I had there and to people who influenced me.

“I played soccer for a few years and ran track for a year, which I’m sure taught me about teamwork and being committed to a common goal. But the freedom I had to participate in different extracurricular activities really broadened my horizons and gave me the skills to work with different people. I was in Key Club and on the yearbook staff, and other clubs. I was able to really think, ‘what experience do I want to have’ and then have it,” she said.

“And now that I am a boss — a female business owner in a different country, I reach back and model the strength and leadership skills of my English teacher, Mrs. [Sharon] Beineke, and my gym teacher, Mrs. [Cherie] Fowler.”

“Mrs. Beineke was an absolute lady. She was always so put-together and really paid attention to every detail. She knew how to carry herself, and I’m trying to do the same. And, she had high expectations for us, always pushing us to act our best,” she said. R

”

Erik Moynihan, owner of Decade clothing store in Seoul

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INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

TECH TALK Technology Takes Ravens to Zimbabwe and Beyond

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D

R. PETER H. KILMARX, director of the U.S. Center for Disease Control in Zimbabwe, peered into Ravenscroft’s Library & Technology Center from Zimbabwe to talk with eighth-grade students via Skype.

Kilmarx’s animated face filled the computer screen as he greeted students and asked, “Can everyone see and hear me?”

It wasn’t so long ago that talking with someone a continent away proved to be a difficult task, and viewing a live image of them was out of the question. Now, thanks to various technologies, opportunities abound for Ravenscroft students to connect with people all over the globe.

The Middle School is embracing technology not only to help students complete assignments and conduct research, but also to facilitate interactions with professionals in various fields who can help them learn how to better change their

“

world. The eighth grade Ravens in Action speaker series and its related activities use new technologies as a catalyst for intellectual conversations that provide students with a global perspective. Ravens in Action has focused recently on the issues of hunger, poverty, health, energy and the environment.

Kilmarx spoke to students in January about his role in combating infectious diseases and how they, as global citizens, can help in the effort to decrease outbreaks. Students viewed his PowerPoint presentation while he described his work with the CDC and the Peace Corps in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He spoke of diagnosing ebola and malaria outbreaks and how the organization has significantly controlled these outbreaks over the years through modern medicine and technology.

“I greatly enjoyed talking to the students in January via Skype. It was a lot of fun and the technology served us well.

Their questions and insights were excellent and very interesting for me to hear,” Kilmarx said. “The interaction with the students and the use of modern technology left me feeling very energized and hopeful about the future.”

Middle School Instructor Wes Brown explained that the Kilmarx talk was consistent with the purpose of the Ravens in Action speaker series.

“One of the goals of the Ravens in Action Speaker Series is to give students the opportunity to hear from experts in the field of various global

issues,” Brown said. “Kilmarx’s position and experience fit this criteria, and certainly allowed students to see how researchers are working to gain a better underThe interaction with the students standing of various diseases that are impacting people in the developing world.” and the use of modern technology Students have also had opportunities to interact with speakers directly connected to Ravenscroft. Dr. Kevin Campbell, a Ravenscroft left me feeling very energized and parent, came to campus in January to discuss the importance of healthy hopeful about the future.” choices and the positive impact of general medical information being shared through modern technology and social media, expanding the audience for general health information.

“This exposure allowed students to see the various capacities in which social (above) FRANCES MARGARET GEHRKE ’18, BELLA media could be used,” said Brown. “It also showed them that people value what eighthCHURCH ’18 and PELL WILLIAMSON ’18 at the graders think and they can make a difference in their world.”

Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant trip.

Earline Middleton, vice president of Agency Services at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, spoke to students in October about hunger and malnutrition and the need for protein-rich food items in the food bank. Students kicked off their food drive in October and learned about world hunger throughout the month.

Middleton’s presentation provided a better understanding of where their donated food was going and how their donations affect the community. Some students also toured the food bank and worked in the organization’s warehouse. In February, students visited the UNC Energy Labs and Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant in New Hill, N.C., as they researched energy and the environment.

The monthly global themes are a new element of the eighth-grade curriculum, and advisory activities have also focused on the monthly themes. The series kicked off in September with an introduction to global issues, during which Brown presented the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to students.

In March, students chose a topic they have learned about this year and started collaborating in small groups to provide possible solutions. The students will present their findings during April’s Forum Day, which serves as the capstone of the program.

“Technology has expanded our ability as educators to reach students and to give them mission-aligned experiences that will prepare them to thrive in a complex and interdependent world,” said Brown. R Spring 2014

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Lead from Here

in Action 1

2 1. Lower School students changed their world by growing vegetables to donate to a local fresh food bank.

2. A bulletin board in Middle School is a clear

3

reminder of Lead From Here goals.

3 and 8. Fourth-grade students engaged in an experiential learning activity to help them understand and practice the Citizen Leadership Framework competency: Visionary. The task was to divide a shape, using only a few straight lines. Students had to “see� the solution by imagining the shape three dimensionally.

4. Ninth-grade students involved in a Lead From Here retreat try to transport a ball from a starting line to a metal canister by keeping the ball balanced on a metal ring suspended by a series of strings. The activity helped them understand the importance of Leading Self and Leading Others to accomplish goals.

4

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5 6

7

8 5 and 9. Middle School students identified ways they had Led Self, Led with Others, and Changed Their World in the past year.

6 and 7. Tenth-grade students explored the Citizen Leadership Framework competency: Culturally Inclusive. They experienced a simulation of the division of world resources, comparing population size to resources, and discussed implications for global leadership and citizenship.

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STUDENT

showcase

THE

Peacemaker

By Maddy Ringenbach ’16

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T his

poem is to D octor M artin L uther K ing J r .

T he man who gave A merica a reason T o fight N ot a war W ith guns and bombs and tanks B ut to fight the war W here the rewards are higher B ut the costs are greater

The war that is fought with a pen and paper A war that is fought with words A war that has the reasoning of equality The weapons of choice are words Words that take form like a gun And the victim waits to feel the punch of a few simple words A punch that stings more like a bullet Words with a punch that kills but never shows This poem is to the man who did not start the war But instead the man who simply showed that These words The words that were being used As guns and bullets and bombs And turn them into a peace offering This poem is meant to ask the questions That only the man himself The peacemaker MLK Can answer

With their dogs How did you keep your courage As you sat in the cell that those cops threw you in Simply for standing up for the rights of people

4) Was there ever a time You felt like giving up?

Where you simply felt like Stopping To stop giving these speeches To stop telling people things And then watching them getting hurt For following your advice Was there ever a time Where you looked in the mirror And said that you couldn’t Do it anymore?

You couldn’t take the pain The pain of watched these people Who were treated unfairly For simply accepting something they couldn’t change

5) How deep were the wounds you Inflicted on your soul before You decided to fight for the rights For the mistreated in America?

How long did it take Before you stopped caring About society’s punishments And started to fight this ongoing war For equality?

How deep did your wounds run From all those shots you took To yourself before you stepped up To the plate as our general In this war Dear MLK I just wanted to say thank you And I know you will never be Able to hear this poem Not just because the assassin Took your life too quickly But if he hadn’t Maybe you would be here to Hear this Since you turn 85 On January 15th in 2014 Dear MLK I’m sorry that someone Felt the need to take your life All too quickly I’m sorry that you couldn’t see The outcome of this Ongoing war

1) How do you gather the courage

To stand in front of the mass Of people who look to your speeches As a soldier looks to a survival kit Give to him by his commanding officer How did you find the courage to speak the words In such a way as to not rally the troops As some men that held your equal power Over the people But instead show them that peace And love will give the people what they want Equality

2) Did you know? Did you know that that day He was standing there Waiting for you to stand at the perfect angle?

Did you know that that sniper was standing there Taking aim to shoot the very weapon The weapon that gave you the power to rally These people to fight for what they wanted But not to fight with fists and guns But to fight with peace and simply Protest and boycott

3) How did you keep your courage As you watched your brothers and sisters Be sprayed with the hoses Of those firemen

How did you keep your courage As you watched your brothers and sisters Be attacked by others and by the policemen

{

Watch a video of Maddy Ringenbauch reciting her poem.

}

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CENTER

stage

Instrument of Beauty

BENYA WILFRET ’25 practices under the direction of AMBER HITCHCOCK

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

THE CONCEPT IS SIMPLE: a string vibrates over the holes in the body of the curved wooden instrument, and a sound is emitted. The length, thickness, and tension of the strings determines the tone. Fingers pressed down upon the strings, and the angle and pressure of the bow pulled and pushed across those strings alters the sound.

This technical explanation, however, cannot begin to explain the art and magic of the violin and other string instruments.

Ravenscroft kindergarten students all have the opportunity to feel that magic by creating sounds, and then simple tunes, from the violins placed lovingly in their small hands by Lower School Strings Instructor Amber Hitchcock.

Hitchcock teaches all of the Lower School group strings, is the conductor of the Lower School Orchestra, and teaches in the private lessons program. She has a Bachelor of Music Education degree from DePauw University and a Master of Music degree from Concordia University, Wis. It is in her classroom that it begins — where the award-winning members

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of Ravenscroft’s string ensembles first understand the power and beauty of musician and instrument.

From that initiation, student talent is nurtured by a dedicated team of private lessons teachers: Jake Wenger, Anne Leyland, Sandy Schwarcz, and Marshall Johnson. They collaborate with Pamela Kelly, private lessons instructor and string ensembles director, to mold these young people into better musicians, and often better students. The rigor of practice aimed at necessary symphonic perfection teaches a bevy of lessons in time management, perseverance, leadership, and collaboration.

On a recent spring day, Kelly stands before her seventh- and eighth-grade

strings class, which is preparing for a competition. She tells them they have 30 seconds to scan their respective parts before class begins.

As they practice Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, Kelly chooses the perfect analogy to describe the music’s rhythm.

“Think of it like a roller coaster ride,” she says.

The day’s first run-through sounds nearly flawless to the untrained ear, but Kelly stops mid-piece not only to give tips to individual students, but also to seek feedback from the class. She gently corrects one student’s posture, reminding him to sit properly with “competition feet.”

Not quite satisfied with the class’

(left to right) PAMELA KELLY; Ravenscroft String Symphony at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center; jazz violinist Christian Howes

progress, Kelly invokes another analogy — this time a relay race — to explain how each section of instruments must be ready to enter the piece at precisely the right time.

Kelly’s words resonate with her students, and after successfully practicing Bach’s concerto, the class moves on to their second competition piece.

Kelly joined the fine arts faculty at Ravenscroft after an extensive search to fill the position upon the retirement of strings instructor Marilyn Budrow and her husband, Jack, who was an artist in residence and bass instructor. The Budrows had been synonymous with Ravenscroft strings for many years before their retirement in May 2011.

Fine Arts Director Dr. David McChesney commented that under the direction of the Budrows, the program grew and student musicians excelled.

“We were all saddened to see Jack and Marilyn leave Ravenscroft, but their legacy remains through their students, and through the Jack and Marilyn Budrow Endowment for the Fine Arts. They contributed so much to our program, and now strings students will continue to benefit from guest clinicians and educational programs funded by the endowment,” he said.

“The School is fortunate to have Mrs. Kelly, an extraordinary musician and educator, to lead our string program,” added McChesney.

Kelly attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar, where she earned a bachelor of music degree with honors in

violin and a master’s of music degree in violin. She founded the Suzuki Program at Meredith College in 1983 and directed it until 1990, when she began teaching at Campbell University.

Her students at Ravenscroft have achieved considerable success under her leadership.

In February, nine Upper School Strings students represented Ravenscroft at the 2014 Eastern Regional Orchestra Concert, held at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham. The concert was the culminating event for a three-day musical clinic and featured performances by the All-State Symphony Orchestra and the All-State Stringed Orchestra. The 230 students who participated were selected by audition from public, private, and home schools in the eastern half of North Carolina.

Ravenscroft String Symphony was also selected, along with the band and concert choir, to perform this spring at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City as part of the National Band & Orchestra Festival and National Festival Chorus.

Kelly and her students were honored to perform in such a world-class concert hall with such a legacy of greatness.

Another recent highlight was a performance on campus by Yamaha Artist and Jazz Violinist Christian Howes. At Kelly’s suggestion, funds from the Johnson Endowment for Music, established 2004 by Bill and Sally Johnson, were used to welcome him to campus in April.

He performed with the Ravenscroft Up-

“The School is fortunate to have Mrs. Kelly, an extraordinary musician and educator, to lead our strings program.”

per School Jazz and String Symphony, and conducted sessions on improvisation with the entire string program, fourth through 12th grade, the Middle and Upper School choirs, and the Jazz Ensemble during their class periods.

The journey from that kindergarten violin lesson to a Lincoln Center performance is years long, but rewarding beyond measure to Ravenscroft’s student musicians and their exceptional instructors. R Spring 2014

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GAME

day

So Much More than an Ankle Wrap Katie Mann ’03

An injury is not something a student athlete normally attributes to the beginning of a lifelong passion and career. An unfortunate mishap, a hurt ankle in middle school, landed KATIE MANN ‘03 in Coach Michelle Piette’s training room several years ago. “It was the first time I saw training happen,” Mann remembers. “I had my foot in an ice bucket, and I was looking around thinking, ‘I like this. I could do this.’”

Fast forward to the present day and you will find Mann has been an athletic trainer at Charlotte Country Day School for the past seven years. She attributes her first moments in Coach Piette’s training room as the start of her journey toward a career in athletic training.

Mann’s freshman year, she continued with soccer and joined the cheerleading team as well; however, she was still curious about the other side of the field. “I was able to get into the athletic training room and observe and learn

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from coach,” said Mann. Coach Piette nudged her towards taking a different direction for the next year to work with the football team as an athletic trainer.

“She basically said to me, ‘I can’t tell you to stop cheering, but you should stop cheering and work with me.’”

By sophomore year, Mann was in the sports medicine class and thriving.

She combined her love of sports and her interest in nursing, which turned out to be a lasting fit.

“I learned to tape an ankle my fresh-

man year of high school and haven’t changed how I’ve done it since. I always give Coach Piette credit.”

Upon graduating from Ravenscroft, Mann attended Wingate University’s athletics training program. In addition to her experience at Ravenscroft, she worked with Wingate’s football and men’s soccer teams and interned with the Charlotte Checkers, a minor league hockey team. She began covering practices and home games for the Checkers and was the first athletic training

student from the program to travel with the team to some away games. This was her first experience with more gruesome injuries. She worked with the team physicians stitching lacerations and even taking sutures out.

“My favorite injury was a shoulder dislocation that occurred from a fight during a game,” Mann remembers.

The athlete required surgery, and she was able to be part of his rehabilitation process. When it happened, “he skated off the ice and said ‘I’m pretty sure my shoulder is out of socket, but I definitely won that fight, eh?’”

“I was already ahead of the bend (at Wingate),” said Mann, “I had already learned how to tape an ankle. I felt prepared and enjoyed it ... since it was a small school setting.”

Mann is now an athletic trainer at Charlotte Country Day School, a college preparatory private school in Charlotte, N.C. Having been in contact with other schools’ trainers through games at Ravenscroft, she met Stephanie Miller from Charlotte Country Day and continued that connection through her time at Wingate University.

“Stephanie called me, knowing what I could do while at Ravenscroft, and said I had a job a Country Day coming out

of college,” said Mann. “We had lunch one day and she told me I would start in August (2007). I couldn’t say no; I like the high school setting.”

Mann is currently finishing up her seventh year at Charlotte Country Day. “I enjoy very much working here.

Things are constantly evolving, and that’s why I love athletics and sports medicine ... you never know what’s going to happen,” she said. “Country Day has been a really great place, and I’ve become involved in a lot around campus and even outside of athletics.”

Although her “typical day” is exactly the opposite of the phrase, Mann’s facets include following up with parents and doctors about any athlete injuries that are new or ongoing. She works with some of these athletes in rehab during lunch periods or study hall. They gear up for practices and games, which involves taping and setting up the fields with equipment. She says they are prepared for anything that could happen in a day.

“Then we clean up, hopefully not sending anyone to get x-rays, and head home to start the process all over again the next day,” Mann said.

In the future, she would love to get “front office” experience staying within the role of athletics. She is already

involved in many aspects of Country Day athletics including alumni events, senior recognition, and generating hype for events. Graduate school is a possibility for a future sports administration or management route.

“I learned to tape an ankle my freshman year of high school and haven’t changed how I’ve done it since.

I always give Coach Piette credit.”

“Somewhere down the line, when I decide to get ‘off the fields,’ I would love to stay involved in athletics, but from an administrative role instead of a medical role,” she said.

“I enjoy helping others, and when you see a kid get back on the field, it’s very gratifying that we can do that. It’s great.” R

KATIE MANN ‘03 accompanied the Charlotte Country Day varsity boys’ soccer team to London for preseason games against local teams and a tour of the city.

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ALUMNI

news briefs

Ravenscroft Alums Take National Stage in College Bowl Games FOUR RAVENSCROFT ALUMNI SHOWCASED THEIR SKILLS before national television audiences during college football’s bowl season this past December and January with each player’s team returning home victorious.

Former Ravens athletes Phillip Fajgenbaum ’09 (Clemson), Hayden Maples ’09 (U.S. Naval Academy), Connor Gonet ’11 (UNC), and Conor Fry ’12 (UNC) appeared in the FedEx Orange Bowl, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, and the Belk Bowl, respectively.

“We’re extremely proud of our alums playing in bowl games and representing their respective schools,” Director of Athletics Ned Gonet said.

“Each of these young men played a significant role in our program while they were at Ravenscroft. They have continued to represent themselves, their families, and the School at a very CONOR FRY ’12, UNC high level.”

Fajgenbaum is a graduate student at Clemson University and serves as a long snapper for the football team. He is a two-time ACC Academic PHILLIP FAJGENBAUM ’09, Clemson Honor Roll member. Maples is a wide receiver for the Navy football team and saw game action in the team’s 24-6 victory against Middle Tennessee State University in the Armed Forces Bowl. Gonet and Fry both played for the University of North Carolina in the Belk Bowl. Both players saw game action as UNC defeated Cincinnati by a score of 39-17. Gonet is a member of UNC’s special teams unit and recorded two solo tackles in the bowl game. Fry serves as a deep snapper on Tar Heel kicks.

CONNOR GONET ’11, UNC

HAYDEN MAPLES ’09 (right), U.S. Naval Academy

Photos are provided courtesy of each player’s respective school.

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Davis ’01 and Taylor ’99 Earn Alumni Sports Hall of Fame Induction On Jan. 24, Corwin Davis ’01 and Attiya “Titi” Taylor ’99 were inducted into the Ravenscroft Alumni Sports Hall of Fame.

Davis holds the second all-time scoring record in basketball — surpassed only by former Duke standout Ryan Kelly ’09.

He holds the record for most steals and has the highest team average in a season. Davis holds the record for most 3-point goals, is second all-time in assists (Marc Campbell), and second in all-time field goal percentage (Ryan Kelly). After graduation, he played basketball at Appalachian State.

Taylor became a member of the Ravenscroft varsity basketball team as a freshman and was instrumental in the team’s championship win that year. After graduation, Titi attended Appalachian State, transferring to Shaw University in her sophomore year where she was a member of the women’s basketball team.

ATTITYA “TITI” TAYLOR ’99 and CORWIN DAVIS ’01

Wendy Bounds ’89 Honored with Distinguished Alumni Award

WENDY BOUNDS ‘89, with her 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award plaque

Wendy Bounds ’89 returned to Ravenscroft on April 4 to be honored as the 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. Her parents, former teachers and classmates applauded her for her remarkable career as a Wall Street Journal editor, non-fiction author, and video producer with Consumer Reports.

Bounds thanked each of her teachers, Sharon Beineke, Angela Connor, Marcia Jones, Ann Majors Smith ’80, and Bruce Miller, for the education they provided her, and for their patience with her over the years.

Established in 1989, the Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest award presented by the Ravenscroft School Alumni Association. It is given annually to recognize distinguished service and loyalty to Ravenscroft School and/or outstanding professional, civic, and personal accomplishments.

Following the presentation, Head of School Doreen Kelly led a panel discussion with Krissi Fajgenbaum ’11, Boz Zellinger ’99, Wendy Bounds ’89, John Parham ’84, and Emi Myers ’15. The discussion centered on questions related to Ravenscroft’s Lead From Here initiative.

ALUMNI PROFILE: ALLI ROGERS ’12

’70s Decade Reunion Rocks Connecting on Facebook just can’t hold a candle to a rocking Ravenscroft reunion at Southland Ballroom on Jan. 25. It was a night to remember and certainly one to talk about. Close to 200 alumni from the ’70s decade had a fabulous, fun night reconnecting and dancing ’til dawn (almost) to the music of Mother’s Finest.

A big thank you goes out to the planning committee: Fairley Bell Cook ’77, Vic Bell ’74, Bill Moss ’74, Ann Norris O’Neal ’78, Margaret Mahood Mills ’76, Nat Walker ’78, Allen Massey ’79, Allison Gilbert Holmes ’79, Cathy Edwards Lull ’79, George Smith ’78, Mary Catherine Kennedy Sigmon ’76, Marsha McNamara ’76, and Dean Shavlik ’80. Also, thank you to the sponsors for helping to make the event a success: Vic ’74 and Mary Grady Koonce Bell ’81, Laura and McNair Bell ’83, Dan and Fairley Bell Cook ’77, Carolyn and Earl Johnson III ’77, David and Holly Pugh Johnson ’78, Andy and Catherine Edwards Lull ’79, Lorie ’84 and Allen Massey ’79, Marion Winston ’76, Tracy and Bob Winston ’80, Jenny and Charles Winston ’78, Robin and Charles Zevenhuizen ’77, Southland Ballroom - Howard Moye, and Christine Reddin for the invitation design.

She may be only a sophomore in college, but Alli Rogers ’12 is someone to get to know. Her learning journey and personal growth has been nurtured by teachers who recognized her potential and helped her think beyond the boundaries of traditional education.

Rogers has already chosen a career and is making rapid progress toward her goal.

She is a guitarist and knew her life would involve music in ALLI ROGERS ’12 in Nomatic Studio some form. Her guitar instructor encouraged her to record her original music. Then, she took Bill Chissoe’s computer science class and a custom-designed senior independent study and realized she enjoyed the behind-the-scenes process as much as writing and performing music.

UNC-Asheville is the perfect school for Rogers, she said. “Robert Moog, who invented the Moog synthesizer, was a professor here for a while, and we have the amazing Moog recording studio on campus.”

Another big advantage to school in Asheville is the fact that Michael Hynes is a resident and has moved his studio there from Nashville. Hynes, a well-known mastering engineer, has been in the business for more than 20 years. He does what Rogers aspires to do.

“So I spend a lot of time in his studio, Nomatic Studio, now.

I get to sit in on sessions when he produces, and I keep a notebook of all the tips I’m learning,” she said. “He masters albums of all genres, making all the final tweaks before they are released. It’s truly amazing.

“I’m really grateful that my teachers took the time to know me and my interests and to encourage me to pursue my dream,” said Rogers.

(left to right) Bethanne Gibbons, TOM GIBBONS ’79, CATHY EDWARDS LULL ’79, LISA PHILLIPS PERKINSON ’79, ALLISON GILBERT HOLMES ’79, and Kelicia Rice (wife of TOM RICE ’79).

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CLASS

notes

BIRTHS 4

1

3

2

9

5

6

8 1. STEPHENIE BUTLER KOVAC ’92, daughter Carrington Kovac, Nov. 20, 2013

7

11

2. JIMMY GOODMON ’95,

son Walker Lyons Goodmon, Oct. 27, 2013

12

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10 6. ANN FORSYTH ENGLISH ’98, son Rowan Graham English, Sept. 29, 2013 7. AJ BOARD ’00, daughter Anna Jane Board, Oct. 20, 2013

8. CHESTER ALLEN ’01, daughter Lillian Elizabeth Allen “Lil,” Oct. 29, 2013

9. CLAY BRYANT ’01, daughter Hannah Bryant, Oct. 9, 2013

3. REED DAVIS ’96, son Samuel Brady Davis,

10. STEPHEN WOHLERS ’01, son William

May 2013

Wohlers, April 27, 2013

4. ROY HYKAL ’97, daughter Olivia, Nov. 30,

11. TREY LEWIS ’03, son Elijah David Lewis,

2013

Dec. 1, 2013

5. LIZ ROGERS BIGGERSTAFF ’98, son Augustus Sefton Biggerstaff, Aug. 31, 2013

12. ALLISON HODGES WESTMORELAND ’03, daughter Grady Burden Westmoreland, Nov. 26, 2013

FORMER FACULTY & STAFF PEGGY BAYNARD, former athletic department as-

Dream Coat. The tour is from January through April of 2014, and will be at DPAC in Durham May 13-18. We are planning on attending!

sistant, passed away Dec. 9, 2013. Our sympathies to BRYAN BAYNARD ’88 and STEPHEN BAYNARD ’86.

ADRIAN WILSON has relocated back to Durham and

SALLY RUNK BADGER, former teacher, passed away March 10, 2014. Our sympathies to THOMAS

BADGER ’86.

TUCKER STREET If you want to learn more about the Pen Pal program or become a Pen Pal, contact TAMMY HAYWOOD, Director of Alumni Giving and Activities, at thaywood@ravenscroft.org or 919-847-0900.

DR. P.G. FOX ’40, Duke Raleigh’s chief medical officer emeritus, received the Midtown Alliance Legends Award on June 25. Our sympathies to the family on his Feb. 22 passing.

1973

Ted Salisbury tedsalisbury@hotmail.com

1974

Lynn Wall McKinney lynnwmck@bellsouth.net

1975

Cindy Poole cindy@cindypoole.com

CATHY CHRISTIAN DOLAN writes: “Our oldest son,

his daughter is in NYC pursuing a career in acting.

MARCUS PURDIE ’06 October 3, 2013

SHELLY COLE MORGAN also has a new addition to their family, her first grandchild! Sadie Cole Boulware was born July 29, 2013 to Ashleigh, Shelly’s oldest daughter, and her husband Gabe. Shelly’s youngest daughter, Patsy, just bought her first home and is a fourth-grade teacher. Shelly is starting her 23rd year with Aflac.

JON LOWRY ’79 November 18, 2013

DR. P.G. FOX ’40 February 22, 2014

CINDY POOLE ROBERTS writes: “In Feb. 2013, I married David Roberts, a retired Federal lobbyist for CP&L/Progress Energy. He has three married children: Sarah, Ellis, and John. Our first grandchild was born to Sarah and her husband, David Birchfield, in June 2013, in Los Angeles!

My daughter, Alex, is a sophomore at N.C. State, and son, Dash, is working at Big Sky Resort in Montana and loving the skiing! I am still with Fonville Morisey Realty and completed my year as president of the Rotary Club of Raleigh. We will celebrate our 100th anniversary Aug. 1, 2014, with a large celebration downtown and a large monetary gift to the new Wake Smiles Clinic at The Salvation Army Center of Hope. I lost my dad, Frank Poole, in July to cancer at the age of 90, but it was great to hear from all his old patients (he was a pediatrician) as to how special he was to them.”

DR. P.G. FOX ‘40 receiving the Midtown Legends Award

I am saddened to report that JOE BULLARD tragically lost his 20-year-old son in Nov. 2013. Many Ravens rallied to his aid, which is what makes our Ravenscroft family so special.

Franklin, graduated from Wake Forest University in May. He is working in institutional equities in Atlanta, Ga. Christian is a junior at Appalachian State studying building sciences and Ada is in 11th grade and on the college hunt!”

I urge our class to connect on our Class of ’75 Facebook page so that we can stay informed of events with the families of our classmates.

I just finished my Master Gardener in Georgia and have loved it! I continue to volunteer a lot and I am a little worried what I will be doing when we become empty nesters. Frank is staying really busy with his company but still finds time for golf and fishing and his newest hobby, raising honey bees!”

Mary Catherine Kennedy Sigmon

1976

MCKS@KennedyOfficeSupply.com

Our sympathy goes out to Laura and Eddie Brandle. Their daughter, Lindsay Erin Brandle, passed away on March 22.

ELLEN HORTON JONES writes: “The Horton family has been blessed with our first great-niece, born in Oct. 2013. She is absolutely beautiful — Ella Katherine Zimmerman. AND after losing two of my siamese cats this past year within a 1 1/2 month period, I have a new kitten — Davies.”

1977

TIM SCHEFFLER’s daughter, Leigh, has landed a na-

Leif Petterson

tional Broadway tour in Joseph and the Technicolor

In Memory

SHELLY COLE MORGAN’S ’75 granddaughter, Sadie

Terry Wallace Chambliss terry.chambliss@duke.edu

1978

Leif.peterson@me.com Spring 2014

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notes 1979

Allison Gilbert Holmes allisonholmes@nc.rr.com

I had the opportunity to go see the finals for the 3A Girls Soccer game for 2013 at N.C. State. It was Cardinal Gibbons against St. Stephens (out of Hickory). TOM GIBBONS’ daughter, Christina, was playing. Cardinal Gibbons won 3 to 1. Christina scored two of the three scores. She also was named the MVP of the game. Tom is too humble to let anyone know this so I wanted to let our class know this. She played awesome! She appears to have no fears and goes after the ball with incredible speed.

Congrats to Tom and Beth Anne.

LAURA HEAD LAMBERT writes that she has her three nieces for their fourth year of surf camp. She teaches them to surf. She says they are having a blast.

WILLIAM PARRISH was awarded his Masters of Education in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education during the May 10, 2013, graduating exercise at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. William is entering his 12th year as the director of the Elliott University Center on the campus of UNCG. CATHY EDWARDS LULL let me know that her husband, Andy has retired from the Raleigh Police force in July. Her daughter, Jordan, has been in Uganda doing medical mission work and comes home the end of July. Her son, Josh is attending N.C. State.

MARGIE JOHNSON SPRINGER has her line of clothing up and ready to sell. You can check it out at www. kenzania.com. The name of her company is Kenzania LLC. It is beautiful shirts, skirts, accessories, and bags all made in Africa. Good luck Margie!

HOLDEN RICHARDS wrote that the city of Raleigh’s Arts Commission has purchased two of his photographs for their permanent collection. Holden just had a showing in Raleigh with some of his photography. Congrats Holden.

Condolences go out to SARAH OLSON on the death of her mother and sister.

STEPHEN GUPTON writes that his ad agency, DMW Direct has a new commercial that is airing in the Midwest. Stephen came up with the concept and co-wrote it. The commercial: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Q-guRmvnN8Q&feature=c4-overviewvl&list=PLctMmkPhLHRPzN2K_aQlCKlTivH27KPki. The blog: www.nogreenbananas.net.

BRETT HIGHTOWER submitted to the N.C. State Fair Art Competition. I think this is his second time with a painting at the fair.

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MONIQUE DERBY met ANNE STAUDHAMMER for dinner near Dulles airport. Anne was in from Los Angeles for a conference in D.C. They had a great time catching up, and Monique’s husband, Mark, finally got to meet her. They hope to meet Anne’s husband soon to complete the circle. They also caught a quick lunch with SCOTT LUIHN and his wife, Karen, when they met them in Front Royal, Va. Scott and Karen were travelling the Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive so Scott could do some photography.

TUCKER GADDY FOGARTY wrote that her daughter, Margaret Tucker Fogarty, was a First Team All American, First Team All State, and First Team All League Lacrosse player/team captain for the St. Stephen and St. Agnes School (Alexandria, Va.) girls varsity lacrosse team that was both State Champions and league champions all four years that she played. SSSAS was 27-1 and ranked #3 in the nation in 2013. She was also First Team All State and all league for the league champion SSSAS field hockey team. She is now playing as a freshman for James Madison University women’s varsity lacrosse team.

ANITA DANIEL KRAYNIK and her husband, John, just celebrated their 10th anniversary this spring.

Anita is in her 15th year of working part time from home doing accounting work for a business in Charlotte. She loves her work because she can work in her tennis clothes and then head out to play.

She plays on two teams and enjoys the competition and the camaraderie. Anita had knee surgery last year to repair a torn meniscus… not sure how long it will be until she has to take up golf and/or bridge! Her husband, John, continues to work for BB&T, his 28th year. She says that he is starting to talk retirement, an idea that Anita says that she is discouraging. Her oldest, Sarah, graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill this spring with a BS in Public Health and Nutrition. Sarah is living in Atlanta working for a cardiologist and trying to decide on her next step, med school, etc. Thus the reason that John can’t retire. Sarah is loving life, living with two other girls in an apartment in Buckhead. Anita says that she remembers her first rental place after college with BETH THOMAS TRIPP. Anita’s son, John, is a sophomore at the University of Georgia. He is an SAE. John is studying and playing hard… the best way to go through college. Her first parents’ weekend last year was quite an experience… the SEC takes their football very seriously and the tailgating also. Her youngest son, David, is a junior at Charlotte Country Day. He loves football and lacrosse and does very well academically also. They are starting the college process with him now. She can see the empty nest on the horizon, and it is kind of scary and exciting. Her parents are still in Raleigh, although they did move from the Six Forks Road house. Anita’s mother is in poor health and Anita tries to get there to see her every couple

of weeks. Her brother, GENE DANIEL ’82, and his wife, Hadley, are in Clinton with their three kids. Anita says, “The one good thing about my mom’s poor health, is that she has spent more time with them in the past year than before.”

If you aren’t getting an email from me each month, then I don’t have your email. I send out a birthday notice for everyone with a birthday that month.

My email is allisonholmes@nc.rr.com. Thanks.

1980

Kate Kenney Kgcgcg@aol.com

BILL JOYNER writes: “ I spent most of the summer of 2013 at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in England, understudying and then performing the role of Bacchus in Richard Strauss’s “Ariadne auf Naxos.” I have just returned from Monaco, where I sang the role of Froh in Richard Wagner’s “Das Rheingold.” My family and I still live in Ridgefield, Conn. The nest is empty, however: My older daughter is a freshman at the University of Oklahoma (majoring in musical theater); my younger daughter (a violinist) attends the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, outside of Boston. On Dec. 9, I was inducted as the first member of the Ravenscroft Fine Arts Hall of Fame. I am very humbled by this honor, and I give Ravenscroft a tremendous amount of credit for supporting the arts in so many ways that have made it possible for me to have a career as an opera singer.”

1981

Madeline Gilbert madgilbert1963@yahoo.com

Well, we all survived turning 50. ASHLEY BENSON HAIGLER writes: “All are officially 50! In his typical style, HARVEY celebrated by competing in the Raleigh Ironman alongside his buddy BILL LITTLE! Both finished in admirable time! Bill and Susan joined us, as did JEFF JAREMA and his wife, Lisa, for a driveway pig pickin’ in honor of Harvey’s 50th! Our daughter is 12 years old and is in 7th grade at St. David’s and a member of Triangle Rock Club, where she is an award winning climber!”

HAYWOOD HARDIN writes that his daughter, Helen, is a freshman at the University of Alabama this Fall and loves it. Roll Tide! Haywood turned 50 in January and his wife treated him to a nice weekend in Chapel Hill with a Saturday basketball game at the Smith Center followed by an awesome dinner at the Angus Barn with his parents and his sister and her husband. Haywood also writes: “The Heels won, and the steak was medium rare! Great weekend! Can’t wait for next year when my wife turns 50!”

KELLY WORTH MITCHELL ran in the ING New York Marathon. While BILL LITTLE swam in Swim the Loop

in Wrightsville Beach which is a 3.5-mile swim and then two weeks later ran a 50-mile run.

Lots of our classmates have kids going off to college this year. KELLIE JO FALK’s son Hudson is off to the University of Colorado in Boulder, which Kellie thinks is too far, but is beautiful out there. I emailed her during the floods in Boulder; Hudson’s dorm was on high ground, so he was fine and loving having classes canceled. TARA BURCH SHAW’s daughter, Lauren, is going to North Texas. WILLIAM ALLEN’s daughter, Avery, is going to Clemson. MARY DUKE SAUNDERS GRUBB’s son, Will is off to Northwestern University.

Will plays jazz music on the saxophone. He got to play in the Senior Recognition Concert at school and in Jazz and Java. HARRIET ASHBY BOND’s daughter, Ashby, is a freshman at College of Charleston. Both of her sons are at Christ School. Jack is a senior and Robert is a sophomore. GIGI JOHNSON’s daughter Gina is a freshman at N.C. State. ANNE NELSON BONEY’s son Bo is a sophomore at UNCC, and MARY HUNTER MARTIN’s son Sam is a sophomore at Wake Forest.

BILL JOYNER ‘80 accepts his award from Fine Arts Director DAVID MCCHESNEY and STUART PRESNELL ‘02, Alumni Council member

WILLIAM ALLEN’s son Wade is still in high school and is the spitting image of William as TARA BURCH SHAW’s daughter is the spitting image of her. Seems to be a lot of mini me’s out there.

TARA BURCH SHAW’s son was recently promoted to Senior Airman. NANCY CHRISTIAN’s daughter is licensed as a State EMC in New Jersey.

This summer, Angie Dement was in the Bahamas, swimming with the dolphins. MARY DUKE SAUNDER GRUBB, SALLIE HARRIS GLOVER, and BARBIE JONES SABO went back to Camp Merri Woods for a 30th reunion and canoed down the Tuckaseegee River. TARA BURCH

SHAW, JENNIFER GOODMAN CONKWRIGHT, BETH LYON MURRAY, CINDI HOLDING, BETSY BARRINGER HOAGLUND, AND MICHELLE (MISSY) COLLINS KARAFFA went to Jamaica to celebrate their 50th birthdays. Michelle and her family live in Phoenix, Ariz. JENNIFER (JENNY) GOODMAN COCKWRIGHT walked in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Charlotte this fall.

Condolences go to KIM MCCALL WHITLEY and her family on the death of her husband, Andy Whitley.

After more than 14 years as a fabric sales rep at Jerry Pair, I, MADELINE GILBERT, left to go work for Jim Thompson, one of our fabric lines, who started their own showroom. It’s the same position and same territory and the same co-managers and two former coworkers. Easiest job interview and first day of work, when you already know most of the employees.

BILL LITTLE has changed positions from an ER nurse to an FNP. Keep sending me your news. You can email me at madgilbert1963@yahoo.com or friend me on Facebook.

Spring 2014

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notes 1982

1986

William Gaither wmgaither@msn.com

MIKE SHERRER ’82, interior designer at Village Design Group, was featured recently in the News & Observer. He offered 10 Design Tips, including “Don’t be afraid to mix old and new. Once you have them together in a room, you may be able to tell what’s old and what’s new, but they’ll blend together and provide a great bit of nostalgia.”

TOM (T.J.) ABRAHAMS’ ’89 book “Allegiance”

1983

Caroline Day Plummer Carolinedayplummer@gmail.com

1984

John Parham john.parham@axa-advisors.com

1985

Holly Parker Preston Jepreston@mindspring.com

Class Agent needed! If you are interested in serving, please email TAMMY HAYWOOD, Director of Alumni Giving and Activities at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

LYN FAIRCHILD HAWKS writes: ”Things are going well here. I saw CAROLINE WIGGS CATE and AMY HENNIGSEN HEIMEL at my book trailer premiere in November. I released a trailer for “How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought” and after its premiere at Flyleaf Books of Chapel Hill, it’s now on “world tour” of blogs. http://lynhawks.com/ video-gallery/ I’ve had a wonderful fall with signings at Purple Crow Books and McIntyre’s Books.

I’m working on my second novel in the Gifted, Weird, Wise Girls series.

KRISTINA BLASS writes: “We had a little boy — Joshua Eduard Blass — on July 31, 2012. His sister Louisa von Steinruck (attended Ravenscroft K-1st and is now in eighth grade) is an amazing big sister.

We live in Atlanta, Ga.

1987

Gerry Jacobs Gerryjacobs1969@gmail.com

SONYA SMITH BEACHAM ‘89 on Safari

ICE SCULPTOR Todd Dawson ’90 TODD DAWSON ’90 competed for the first time in the 2014 World Ice Art Championship in Alaska. His team took second place with the sculpture entitled “Soul of the Moon.” Dawson, a profesional ice sculptor, works with Ice Creations, in Raleigh, N.C. He and his wife, Dawn, have been married 20 years and have two chldren, Wrenn and Grady. To learn more about the competition and view photos, visit www.icealaska.com.

SANNA BRYANT ’91 at the Eiffel Tower

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1988

Cathy Myers Carlino ccarlino@carolina.rr.com

ANNA DUNN FONVILLE writes: “It’s hard to believe I have twins (West and Vaden in 10th grade) who got their licenses in December. I am so proud of them and their hard work at Ravenscroft. They are the greatest joys in my life. I enjoyed my two-week trip to India in October on a mission trip with FCA International.

I am thankful Ravenscroft offers FCA and Focus to its students.”

1989

Amy Copeland Petitfils and Sonya Smith Beacham acpetitfils@yahoo.com sbeacham@cfcc.edu

HAPPY OLMSTEAD JONES has moved back to North Carolina after 24 years! She and her husband, Jeff, have settled in Wilmington. Happy is teaching art at a local school and hopes to reconnect with some N.C. friends now that she is back in N.C.

TOM (T.J.) ABRAHAMS has signed a two-book publishing deal with Nashville/NYC based publisher Post Hill Press. They purchased the rights to his first political novel, “Sedition,” and re-released a newly edited version of it as an eBook and will release it in hardcover in January along with his new book “Allegiance.” It’s also a political thriller and will be available as an eBook and in hard cover. If that was not exciting enough, the publisher also has an option for his third novel, which he hopes to have on shelves in late 2014. It’s a sequel to “Allegiance.” There’s more information at tomabrahamsbooks.com and posthillpress.com. As far as his day job is concerned, T.J. is still reporting and anchoring at KTRK-TV in Houston, and just celebrated 14 years at the ABCowned station.

1990

Kristin Snyder Kash Kkash@houseofkash.com

TODD DAWSON took second place in the World Ice Art Championship in Alaska. Read more and see photos on page 34.

1991

Class Agent needed! If you are interested in serving, please email TAMMY HAYWOOD, Director of Alumni Giving and Activities at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

SANNA BRYANT writes: ”I continue to live in Atlanta

ship consulting firm where I recently celebrated my ninth anniversary! On the personal side, as a 40th birthday present to myself, I took my first trip overseas to Paris and had a wonderful time. Hope that everyone is doing well!”

1992

Stephenie Butler Kovac Stephanie.butler@bcafreeedom.com

Please Facebook message me or email me. Pictures encouraged! I hope to hear from more folks next time. I realize with Facebook sending in Class Notes is no longer necessary for some people. However, there are many in our class who are not on Facebook and the Ravenscroft magazine is a great way for everyone to “catch up.”

STEPHENIE BUTLER KOVAC: Hope everyone in the Class of ’92 is doing well. I don’t hear from many of you anymore; I guess people are busy with life. I know I have been. 2013 brought a couple of big changes for me. In September, Brent and I finally tied the knot after nearly 15 years together in a small ceremony in Sigel, Pa. On Nov. 20, 2013 at 1:22 p.m. we had a beautiful baby girl, Carrington Argo Kovac. She weighed in at 7 pounds 5 ounces and she wouldn’t really cooperate for the length measurement — either 18 or 19 inches. We are loving getting to know her — she is a blessing!

ELLEN APPLE BEAVER ’94 and family (see page 37)

Children of MARILYN JORDAN ‘94 (see page 37)

ZACH ASHTON writes: “Our big news is that we moved to the Nashville area (Tenn. not N.C.!) about four months ago. Came here on business and the family and I fell in love with the place. We are looking forward to getting to know our new surroundings, but will definitely miss Raleigh. Coincidentally, CHAD HOSKINS ’95 lives near me and we ran into each other with our kids at a Pumpkin Patch/Farm back in October. I’m still flying back to Raleigh every three weeks and working with the same folks — iPads, smartphones and laptops make the transition easier.

JENNY STOKES writes: “After a brief time in Raleigh with AnGeL Ministries coordinating arena events, I have begun a job at Salem College as Director of Alumnae Relations! I am thrilled to be here and to be back in Winston-Salem.”

REBA NEMETH SCHARFF writes: “We’ve had a busy year!

Our son, Noah, started first grade. We went on a family trip to Disney this fall (his first!). We adopted a cat who showed up in our backyard one day. She’s an awesome addition to the family. My husband, Jesse, and I started our own law practice, Scharff Law Firm, PLLC specializing in criminal defense in August 2013 and have been busy with that. Life is full!”

and work within the Healthcare Services Practice at Spencer Stuart, a global executive search and leaderSpring 2014

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notes

WEDDINGS

1

2

3

4

5

6

7 1. CINDY POOLE ’75 married David Roberts in Feb. 2013

2. ELLEN MANN ’98 married Patrick

8

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5. WHIT BROWN ’06 married Ann Brooks Skinner on Oct. 19, 2013

O’Connor on Sept. 14, 2013

6. MARY GLENN CRUMPLER ’06 married Will Coleman on July 6, 2013

3. KATHERINE PFOHL ’00 married Manny Gerard Tejano on June 15, 2013

7. COURTNEY NEWCOMBE ’07 and GATES ALDRIDGE ’07 were married on Sept. 7, 2013

4. ABBIE WAGONER ’03 married Courtland Meyers on Nov. 1, 2013

8. SARAH HYDE ’08 and STEVEN BENEDICT ’08 married in Sept. 2013

1993

Penny Abrahams Rogers pennyrogers@gmail.com

Well, despite my desperate pleas, via email and Facebook, I didn’t receive any updates from our class this time. I hope I will hear from some of you next time!

Our family has been settled in Tampa since July and we love it here! I’ve enjoyed the new challenge of serving as the Director of Admissions & Marketing at Academy at the Lakes, and my husband, Jack, is working remotely as a Global Marketing Manager for Novozymes. In November we took a belated 15-year anniversary whirlwind tour of Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Cesky Krumlov, and Prague.

Our favorite city was definitely Budapest — what a gorgeous place with friendly people and delicious food, too! Jack,13, and Julianna,11, are in 7th and 5th grades at Academy. Jack’s involved in chess club, competitive robotics, band, soccer, and basketball.

Julianna is immersed in the arts — piano, trumpet, choir, and will be in the school musical. We’re only an hour from Disney so if you visit, let me know. I would love to catch up!

1994

Tim Johnson tej916@gmail.com

After almost 20 years completely off the grid I’m back — as the new Class Agent ! My wife Hadley and I live in San Francisco with our 2-year old, Lucy. We both work in sales and headed west about 7 years ago after living in Atlanta for several years.

After chance run-ins with KATHY CAMPBELL CALHOUN ’95 and BRIAN LEDYARD ’97 I got the itch to get back in the mix with Ravenscroft. Thanks to everyone who sent in updates — to the rest of you....I will find you and I WILL pester you! Please, whatever your life situation is I would love to connect. If you’re a successful doctor/lawyer/socialite/dancer/ juggler — please send me an email. If you’re just a regular taxpayer like me — please tell me that too.

(Disclaimer: apologies to anyone I was obnoxious to back in the 90s, especially any former teachers, coaches, parents)

WILLIAM WILKINS is living in Raleigh with his son, Ezra, and daughter, Mary-Brooks, and running a workplace wellness and health promotion business.

ASHLEY BUTLER CRUTCHFIELD writes: “Tim, thanks for connecting us again! Life in Raleigh is a blessing for us. We live near family, great friends, and have wonderful neighbors. Our kids are 11, 10 and 8 years old and an absolute blast to be around. I work with recent college graduates, a program called The Raleigh Fellows, which brings so much joy into our life. We truly are thankful as we look back on 2013.

Are we really approaching our 20th reunion?!”

ANN BRADSHAW writes: “Hi Everyone, I am back in Raleigh again as some folks know, married and living in North Ridge working for American Express.

Looking forward to helping plan a potential future reunion!”

ELLEN APPLE BEAVER writes: “Hi Everyone! Loved seeing KATE YOUNG LEE and SHAWN MORRISON on a recent visit to Richmond. I also can’t get over how great it is to have my kids in school with my fellow classmates’ kids! (CHRISSIE YOUNG and BRANDIE STALLINGS) KATE YOUNG LEE writes: “My husband Matt and I are living in Richmond with our two kids. I’m working at a craft brewery here in Richmond called Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Matt is working as a chef.

I was the assistant brewmaster at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Williamsburg and it was great to see ELLEN APPLE and SHAWN MORRISON recently. We also enjoy having my folks and sister Nina close by as well.

JIMMY GOODMON ’95, with son Walker Lyons Goodmon, Oct. 27, 2013

MARILYN JORDAN YOUNG writes: “My husband MATT YOUNG ’93 and I are still in Raleigh and life is treating us well. I am still in private practice as a therapist but spend most of my time raising our three kids — Tucker, 8, Hannah, 6, and Virginia, 2.

KATIE BARR PERRY is still loving life in Charlottesville with her husband and five kids. She is now dabbling in stationery work, check her out at: www.tuckedletterpress.com.

1995

Henry and Roy Hamilton — sons of ELIZABETH WARREN HAMILTON ‘97 (see page 38)

Matt Cantando mattcantando@msn.com

1996

Katy Geil Smyth katygeil@hotmail.com

REED DAVIS and his wife Valerie welcomed their second child, Brady Samuel Davis, in May. See photo in BIRTHS.

MELISSA SUTTON’s new business, Plum Collective, was accepted on to 1stdibs.com, an online gallery for dealers all over the world selling antiques, midcentury design, art, etc. No one from the Raleigh area has ever been accepted. She is also moving to Charleston in January to settle the business there.

KATE HILBERT ’97 AND KELLY VANNORTWICK ’97 bumped into each other at an art show. (see page 38)

KATE SWANN is planning to visit the USA in April, her first time back since she left freshman year, 21 years ago. She does not have a firm itinerary yet, but Raleigh is definitely on the list and she would love to catch up with anyone from Ravenscroft while she is here! She will let us know once her plans are set!

Spring 2014

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notes If you have not made your donation to the Annual Fund yet, please consider making a gift today. Our goal is to reach 100% class participation, so even if you can only give $20, you are helping us get there!

Donate now via www.ravenscroft.org/giving.

1997

Elizabeth Warren Hamilton Crofters ‘98 at ELLEN MANN’S ’98 wedding

Ecarver22@nc.rr.com

Hello Everyone! So much exciting is happening with our class! As you can probably guess, I am still in Raleigh with my family. My husband, Shannon, and I have two boys, a 3-year-old, Henry, and a 10-month-old, Roy. I still work at Deloitte as a Senior Manager.

KATIE HILBERT recently enjoyed going to an art show where KELLY VAN NORTWICK had her paintings Paul and PHILLIP SIMSON ’00

inspired by sealife. Katie was lucky enough to get one of Kelly’s prints. Katie still lives in Greensboro working as a freelance photographer and recently ran her fourth half marathon. She is training for her fifth one in January at Disney. Katie’s new email is: Khilbert18@gmail.com.

GINNY HOWELL PAYNE and her husband, Andrew, moved to Terre Haute, Ind. in July of this year where Andrew is teaching at (ISU) Indiana State University as the Chair of the Built Environment.

DAVID RAKOWSKI ‘01 and Queen and Tobi

ROY HYKAL and his family are living in Dallas, Texas where Roy works for Frito-Lay. Roy and his wife, Carmen, welcomed baby Olivia on Nov. 30. Rafi is the proud older brother. See photo in BIRTHS.

1998

Ellen Mann

Samuel Maddox, son of MEAGAN MATT MADDOX ‘01

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ber 14 with two “honorary” Ravenscroft bridesmaids — LIZ ROGERS BIGGERSTAFF and ANNE FORSYTH ENGLISH — who couldn’t be there in person due to the aforementioned baby updates! Her sister, KATHERINE MANN ’03 served as Maid of Honor and brother, ALSTON MANN ’01, served as a groomsman.

They had an amazing time celebrating with family and friends, including many Ravenscroft folks:

MICHAEL ANDERSON, JANIE SMITH BROOKS, KATIE HUNTER CECIL, KATE SKVARLA CUTSHALL, MIKE NOEL, CHRIS HAMRICK, CHRIS DRUMMOND, KYLE BRADDY, SYDNEY WHITE LEWIS, ALISON BOARD FORD, ANNA WHITE HOSEA, JOSH OTTO, DOUG BRITT, TRIP LUMPKIN, ROB WRIGHT, JEFF WALKER ’97, and ROBERT TAYLOR ’97.

She photo in WEDDINGS.

ADRIENNE PERRY is almost done with her first semester of nursing school at Wake Tech and is LOVING it, especially clinicals on the orthopedic floor at Rex!

ROBERT SEATER welcomed his second child, Alexander, in June. His wife Jessica, daughter Rebecca, and elderly cat welcomed home the new addition to the family!

MIKE NOEL and his fiancée, Stephanie, live on a 150-acre farm in their Yurt on the Tar River in Granville County. Mike writes that “Stephanie is the farmer of the couple. She grows cut flowers and produce and raises cows, sheep, and chickens. She has appointed me to the position of Director of Carpentry… I chop wood and build structures in my free time.”

Hope everyone had a happy holiday season and is enjoying 2014! Please keep sending us the great updates!

Ellen.b.mann@gmail.com

1999

SHANNON DOOLEY one of our alumni bloggers from

allisonkathleenstewart@gmail.com

last year — was recognized on the ASTD list of One to Watch. ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) is the world’s largest association dedicated to the training and development profession.

ANNE FORSYTH ENGLISH and her husband, Jonathan, welcomed their second child, Rowan Graham English, on Sept. 29 in Hong Kong. Big brother Grayer is enjoying the new addition to the family!

See photo in BIRTHS.

Wohlers family in Hawaii — MELISSA WOHLERS ‘08 and MICHAEL WOHLERS ‘13

ELLEN MANN married Patrick O’Connor on Septem-

Patrick and ELIZABETH ROGERS BIGGERSTAFF welcomed their third child, Augustus Sefton Biggerstaff — “Gus” — on August 31 who weighed in at 9 pounds, 12 ounces. Big brothers Jacob and Finn are loving their new baby brother! See photo in BIRTHS.

Allison Drummond Stewart Let us join in on a big congratulations to CHARLOTTE FRANCES FLOYD. She has written and published her debut novel, Deception by C.F.A. Floyd. The book can now be found on Amazon and Kindle or if you would like a signed copy contact her at www. cfafloyd.com.

BOZ ZELLINGER is running for Wake County District Attorney.

2000

Melissa Warren Dougher Mbrady23@nc.rr.com

Congratulations to CARLY APPLE, who married Jonathan Frederick on May 4.

PHILLIP SIMSON and his father, Paul, won the 2013 Carolinas Father-Son Golf Championship in July in Pinehurst. He’s also continuing in the promotional products and corporate apparel business, and has started a new company, Spyglass Promotions.

SUMMER KNOWLES is presently a CBS TV4 Miami news reporter and fill-in anchor. She reports during the week and is presently anchoring the Saturday 6, 7, and 11 p.m. newscasts. She is having a ball in sunny Miami.

KATHERINE PFOHL married Manny Gerard Tejano on June 15, 2013 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Raleigh, followed by a reception at North Ridge Country Club. Ravens in the wedding party were

ELISABETH PFOHL SASSER ’94, MARY BETH GRIMLEY PRIEUR, and CATHERINE CLIFFORD. JULIE GRIMLEY ’04, PHILLIP SIMSON, and his wife, Laura, were also in attendance. Katherine and Manny honeymooned in Bali and currently work and reside in Raleigh. See photo in WEDDINGS. Congratulations to A.J. BOARD and his wife, Jen, who gave birth to a daughter, Anna Jane Board.

See photo in BIRTHS.

2001

Jaclyn White Morgan

MEAGAN MATT MADDOX recently accepted a sales position with Raleigh Radiology. Her son Samuel celebrated his first birthday on Oct.18.

JENNIFER HOWARD WOHLERS writes: “STEPHEN WOHLERS and I have moved to Pleasant Prairie, Wis. We welcomed our first son, William, on April 27, and are enjoying every aspect of being parents.

(See photo in BIRTHS). Stephen is an attorney at Zion Solutions Nuclear Plant, where he is working to decommission the plant. I am an associate dentist at Racine Dental Group in Racine, Wis. SCOTT HERMANN and his wife, Joy, live in Wheaton, Ill., which is about an hour and a half south of us. We have enjoyed hanging out with them and touring the area. We are enjoying the cooler summer weather, but are not as excited about the cold, upcoming winter. Since William’s birth, we have been very busy traveling to see family and friends.

When William was 6 weeks old, we went to Raleigh for Stephen’s brother, MICHAEL WOHLERS ’13, graduation before traveling to Hawaii with Stephen’s family. While in Raleigh, we saw several family and friends, including JOHN SCOTT, his wife Prudence, and their daughter Harper. It was great to be back in our home town for a few days. Then it was off to Hawaii, which was an incredible vacation. Luckily, the time change was not an issue for us since we had a newborn! We have since been back to N.C. numerous times to visit friends and family.

jaclyn.w.morgan@gmail.com

CHESTER ALLEN and his wife MA welcomed their first daughter, Lillian Elizabeth, on Oct. 29. She is healthy and beautiful! See photo in BIRTHS.

RACHEL BORNER writes: My husband and I moved into our custom-built home in Fort Mill, S.C. with our two children this May. I recently started working for a natural based body-contouring line called “It Works Global!” We are best know for the Ultimate Body Applicator that tightens, tones and firms any body part by detoxing the area. Ravenscroft Alumni will receive special offers when they contact me. I can be reached through my website: http://rachelboerner.myitworks.com. *Click contact and mention Ravenscroft!!

CLAY BRYANT and his wife, Miranda, welcomed their second child, Hannah, on Oct. 9. Clay says their two-year-old son Cody loves his sister and gives her lots of hugs. See photo in BIRTHS. In September, DAVID RAKOWSKI became the proud owner of two APHA registered Paint horses. The mare “Queen” is 13 and the gelding “Tobi” is 7.

He keeps them at a farm in Raleigh. He says they are the first two of hopefully many more!

Since moving, we have had more visitors in Wisconsin than we did while we lived in Charlotte.

We joked, all we had to do was move to get people to visit us! CHERIE FOWLER and her husband Tom stopped by for dinner during their travels to visit Tom’s family and friends. It was so great to see them and remember old times. Tom was born and raised in the area, so he was able to recommend lots of great places for us to visit. CHRIS YOUNG and DAVID YOUNG both stopped by on separate occasions during their travels for work.

CARLY APPLE ’00 with JENA WITTKAMP HOWARD ’00, HEATH WILLIAMS ’00, and ELLEN APPLE BEAVER ’94

CHERIE FOWLER with JENNIFER HOWARD WOHLERS ’01 and son William

LAUREN PLICHTA has accepted a position as senior campaign manager of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Man and Woman of the Year campaign. She says this is “truly my dream job.”

2002

JOHN SCOTT ‘01 and family with STEPHEN WOHLERS ‘01 and JENNIFER HOWARD WOHLERS ‘01 and family

Kristen Anderson Hudson and Stacey Ingram Carothers kristenanderson@gmail.com, stacey219@gmail.com

GUY CRAWFORD writes: “ I am currently on my third year at Highland Children’s Center working with the Toddlers through fifth grade. I love teaching and getting paid to have fun with them every single day!”

Congratulations to CHAPMAN HOPKINS and his wife, Ashley, on the birth of their daughter Lily Crafton Hopkins.

Spring 2014

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notes Congratulations to KRISTEN ANDERSON HUDSON and her husband, Aaron, on the birth of their son William Matthew Hudson.

Congratulations to MOSS WITHERS and his wife, Kendall, on the birth of their second daughter Hensley Elms Withers.

RACHEL GARRISON is living and working in Beverly ANNA CLAIRE MURNICK ’03, CALLIE ALLEN LOWE ’03, SAMANTHA BARNETT EVANS ’03, and ALLISON HODGES WESTMORELAND ’03

Hills, Calif., doing finance for a talent agency that represents producers, cinematographers and production designers. She loves it! When she isn’t working, she spends most of her time at the beach, hiking or doing anything outside. She also gets up to San Francisco pretty often to visit her sister JILL

GARRISON ’05.

After 10 months in Finland and Sweden, LOGAN ROISE moved back to North Carolina for a short time before relocating to Boston to take a position with Hancock Timber Resource Group working on international timberland investments.

TREY LEWIS ’03 and family

2003

Anna Claire Murnick acmurnick@gmail.com

Congrats to ABBIE WAGONER on her marriage to Courtland Meyers on Nov. 1, 2013. Cortland and I eloped to Puerto Vallarta and were married on Nov. 1.

See photo in WEDDINGS.

ALEX FLOYD ’04, GRETCHEN PRESNELL ’04, JOYCE POPE ’04 and SAM BASS ’04

These days, ABBIE balances between being a personal chef in Palm Springs and being the Food and Beverage Director for the Hollywood Fringe Festivalwhich is a large, open-access performing arts festival that takes place in Los Angeles every June.

CAROLYN ASHDOWN writes: “I am still teaching and coaching basketball at White Oak High school in Jacksonville, N.C. I just moved into a cute old house on the water in downtown Swansboro. I also work part time at a restaurant in downtown Swansboro and a couple months ago ran into DANA and MATT WIMSATT! Glad to be able to keep in touch with some fellow Crofters.

ALLISON WESTMORELAND HODGES gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Grady Burden Westmoreland on Nov. 26, 2013.

RYAN KELLY ‘09 with WALKER MANGUM ‘08 and DAVE MONACO family in Dallas after a Lakers game.

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WILLIAM MOSS and his wife, Chailee, moved to Columbus, Ohio during the summer of 2013, where Chailee started a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. William now works with the law firm of Dinsmore & Shohl in Columbus, where he and Chailee live with their dog Perry.

AMF co-founder & board chair, DAVID FAJGENBAUM, was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Colorado at their Commencement Ceremony Friday, Dec. 20, 2013. He received this award for his exceptional contributions to the nation. Fajgenbaum’s research and advocacy efforts have brought national attention to the issue of college students dealing with grief. He also is a tireless advocate for brain cancer research, rare disease research and college students’ bereavement.

We had our 10-year reunion on Sept. 21 at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Allen, parents of CALLIE ALLEN LOWE ’03 and CELESTE ALLEN CHAPMAN ’06. It was a great event with Craig Thompson of Old Habits and barbeque from Barbeque Lodge.

Special thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Allen for opening their home to us for this event and SCOTT MANNING,

ALLISON HODGES WESTMORELAND, GRETCHEN PRESNELL ’04, and JOYCE POPE ’04 for helping plan this event.

Hopefully I’ll see most of you before our 20-year reunion! Don’t forget to join our Facebook group Ravenscroft Class of 2003 if you are not already a member.

2004

Gretchen Presnell, Ashley Board, and Keith Strombotne gcpresnell@gmail.com ashleyboard@gmail.com ks@thecommunintycloud.com

We had our 10-year reunion on Sept. 21 at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Robert Allen, parents of CALLIE ALLEN LOWE ’03 and CELESTE ALLEN CHAPMAN ’06. It was a great event with Craig Thompson of Old Habits and Barbeque from Barbeque Lodge.

Special thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Allen for opening their home to us for this event and ANNA CLAIRE

MURNICK ’03, SCOTT MANNING ’03, ALLISON HODGES WESTMORELAND, GRETCHEN PRESNELL, and JOYCE POPE for helping plan this event.

MALLORY BROOKS STORUS writes: “I graduated from law school in May 2013 from the American University Washington College of Law, and found out in November that I passed the Maryland bar. I will be sworn in on December 19, and I’m currently working as a law clerk for a Judge in Annapolis, Md.

2005

Jessie Hale Tesh Jessie.tesh@gmail.com

AKEIA BLUE writes: “I’m living in Maryland now.

Working at a law office and in school at George Washington for a second master’s degree.”

2006

2010

celeste.allen22@gmail.com

salmonesenc@appstate.edu tarheel2006@gmail.com ccbern@umich.edu

Celeste Allen Chapman

2007

Natalie Salmonese, Tyson Pressell, and Chase Bernhardt

Rob Byrd

CAROLINE WILLAUER writes: “I’ll be studying in Paris

robertbyrd@gmail.com

for spring 2014 and would welcome seeing anyone else who is in Europe! Eric Scheier, Karen Miller, Steven Lim and I got brunch recently here in D.C. and it’s been great to catch up after a few years in school.”

COURTNEY NEWCOMBE and GATES ALDRIDGE were married on Sept. 7, 2013, in Wilmington, N.C. It was such a beautiful wedding! Pictured with them are: Ravenscroft alums BLAIR CROSS, STEPHANIE HALE NORRIS, LAUREN KAHN, ALLISON NEWCOMBE, and CAROLINE REKUC. See photo in WEDDINGS.

PAM AUSTIN lives in Raleigh and teaches sixth grade

NATALIE SALMONESE writes: “I am enjoying work at Newell-Rubbermaid and life after college in Charlotte, N.C.”

Language Arts at Carnage Middle School.

2011

2008

Jpb693@gmail.com zakihaidary@gmail.com alliewithers@gmail.com

tfr813@aol.com lauren.e.miller@vanderbilt.edu ccs32@duke.edu

BAKER MILLS was recently elected Commander

Taylor Rankin, Lauren Miller, and Casey Stevenson

VIRAJ DOSHI graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2012 with degrees in Political Science and Spanish. From there, he worked on President Obama’s campaign in Iowa for a few months. After that, he went to Bogota, Colombia on a Fulbright Grant to analyze an education model and its impact on political participation. After Colombia, he moved to India for three months to run a campaign focused on putting women into voting blocs for Delhi Assembly Elections. And recently, he moved to Washington, D.C. to take a job at a consulting firm called 270 Strategies.

SARA HYDE and STEVEN BENEDICT were married on Sept.14, 2013 at St. Raphael Catholic Church. The best man was MICHAEL BENEDICT ’05 and the maid of honor was KATHERINE HYDE ’06. Other members of the wedding party included CHRISTINE BENEDICT ’06, MACKENZIE WILLOW-JOHNSON, and former students KEVIN HYDE ’12 and LESLIE WIESING. After enjoying a honeymoon in St. Lucia, the couple is now living in Charlotte, NC.

2009

Kathryn Fogartie, Jack Greenberg, and Sallie King Katfogartie@gmail.com jack.d.greenberg@gmail.com shking@email.unc.edu

RYAN KELLY, an NBA player with the Los Angeles Lakers, enjoyed an after-game visit with WALKER MANGUM ’08 and DAVE MONACO, former Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs, his wife Mollie, and their children T.C., Robert and Sam.

BENEDICT ’08 wedding party

Patrick Bailey, Zaki Haidary, and Allie Withers BENEDICT ’08 wedding

(president) of the Delta chapter of Sigma Nu at the University of South Carolina. He was also on campus in October to talk with current third graders about his volunteer activities with the Durham Highway Fire Department.

WILL HAYMAN supports the UNC Tar Heels football team through his internship in the UNC Athletic Office. He also lived in Spain from Jan. 2013 to Aug. 2013 and spent a week in December in Nicaragua as an interpreter for the UNC-CH baseball team.

SEAN KELLY was featured in this N&O article: blogs.newsobserver.com/dukenow/dukes-andredawkins-and-sean-kelly-use-his-year-away-frombasketball-to-build-close-bond

2012

BAKER MILLS ’11 spoke to third graders

Angelika Barth, Jordan Jeter, and Lewis Stocks agbarth@ncsu.edu jjeter@elon.edu hstocks@ncsu.edu

QUINN BILLERMAN was the Offensive MVP of the El Toro Bowl.

COREY GARRITY is still loving life in Chicago. He is a Resident Assistant; Stars Peer Mentor, which means he is a resource and mentor for two first generation students at Concordia; and a Student Ambassador (give tours of Concordia to prospective students.

He recently changed his major to Social Work while in the Pre-Seminary Program and double minoring in Theology and Service Leadership.

WILL HAYMAN ‘11 enjoys his internship with UNC Athlethic Office

Spring 2014

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notes GARRETT BIRD recently wrapped up his second

CAMERON LITCHER pledged Sigma Sigma Sigma

season playing football at Carnegie Mellon.

sorority at High Point University.

BRAD EHILEGBU is enjoying his sophomore year at Randolph College. He spends a good portion of his time playing intramural squash and intramural cricket.

NATE MCDOUGAL traveled to Cappadocia and Istanbul in Turkey with the Moore School of Business at USC to explore the connection of an ever expanding market economy between Europe and Asia.

WINSTON HOLLOWAY is doing well during his sopho-

WILL MUELLER applied to the business school at

more year at Davidson and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He is social chair of the Black Student Coalition and is also a writer for the Davidsonian newspaper.

UNC and declared an environmental science as his second major this semester.

AMANDA LAMPURI is the club track president and has

SCOTT GOLDCOTT was recently initiated into Sigma

attained a higher council position within Kappa Delta sorority at East Carolina University.

Nu Fraternity at the University of South Carolina.

CATHERINE GREEN is a Business and Marketing Major at East Carolina University and was recently elected to be Vice President of New Member education for Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.

LEXY BADER is enjoying Boston College.

ANN BARNETT is spending her time at UNC by being involved in both her sorority as well as being Young Life leader at Riverside High School.

ANGELIKA BARTH’s major highlights this semester include designing for Couture for a Cause and pledging Phi Psi, a professional textiles business fraternity.

LAURA BEACHAM is enjoying Clemson University and has been offered a position in BMW’s co-op program in their testing department in Greenville, S.C., beginning in the 2014 spring semester.

MELISSA FUNSTEN, a midfielder for the Davidson Wildcats field hockey team, was selected to the NorPac East All-Conference Team. In her second season with the Wildcats, Funsten is the team leader in goals with nine. She has also recorded a pair of assists for a team-high 16 points and successfully converted a penalty stroke this season. Funsten had a goal and an assist in a crucial overtime victory vs. NorPac foe Appalachian State earlier this year and recorded a hat trick in a 4-3 overtime win vs.

Vermont in September.

RACHEL LANDERS is still having a blast at Virginia Tech and is looking forward to traveling to Honduras over Winter Break for a 10-day service trip.

MISSY ROBERSON is now the Vice President of the club volleyball team at the University of Wyoming.

FORREST PEED has starting playing club baseball at East Carolina University.

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MATT MCDOWELL joined the Delta Upsilon Fraternity at Colgate University and placed second in the patriot league for football. Matt is also planning on declaring a biology major next semester.

HANNAH LEAHY is in the Honors College at North Carolina State University and is the Vice President of Finance for Pi Beta Phi sorority at N.C. State as well.

As sophomore year at Mount Holyoke College rolls along, CATHLEEN PRUDEN has declared as a Psychology and Education major with licensure in early childhood education. Classes and swimming are going really well, and after being named NEWMAC Rookie of the Year last winter, Cathleen is working to help the Lyons swim team move up even higher in the conference standings this season.

After seeing more snow last winter than in her entire 18 years in Raleigh, she is ready for another New England winter.

CAROLINE MASON has been working as Derek Blasberg’s assistant where they are working on a book with a magazine. She also threw Karlie Kloss’ 21st birthday party, and was the assistant stylist for Justin Timberlake’s Mirrors music video which won the VMA for best music video of the year and has a few editorials out now with Vanessa Hudgens, Kendrick Lamar, and Jenna Malone from the hunger games. She also has finally gotten her little brother to let her take him shopping.

JANELLE PRATHER has transferred from Santa Clara University to the UNC-Chapel Hill.

MICHAEL RIM is studying business administration and looking to minor in nonprofit studies. He spends a lot of time with the kids at his church and will be working at his dad’s store next semester.

TORIN SACCOCCIO is involved with Yole! Africa. and pledged a business fraternity this semester (Alpha Kappa Psi). He plays intramural soccer.

REID SCALES is treasurer for UNC heelraisers, an organization that raises private funding for the university.

PAIGE SCHAFER is enjoying her second year at UNC and is involved in Marketing Club.

LEWIS STOCKS is Vice president of the Finance Club in the college of management, serves on the fundraising committee for the Alexander Hamilton Scholar’s program, and is still an Ambassador of the College of Management. He plans to study abroad at an International business school in Florence this summer.

PARKER TROUTMAN is Vice president of Pi Kappa Phi, is Interfraternity Council Greek Ambassador, and joined the University of Alabama chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society.

CONNER TUNG is a marketing major with a Chinese minor. He completed an internship in Amsterdam for a medical device company in their marketing division, and plans to study abroad next year in Hong Kong.

ALEXIS VAN VENROOY has declared geology as a major.

She is involved in the Bryn Mawr dance department outreach program that performs at local elementary schools.

MATT WYCKOFF transferred to Virginia Tech and has

JAMAL CARSON says LSU is wonderful. He’s still shocked at how large LSU’s campus is and is undecided on his major. He enjoys waking up and being able to watch the sunrise over the glistening campus lake before class. He also likes that his residence hall is where everything happens: Movie night, videogame tournaments, New Orleans Saints watching parties, and more. The food in Louisiana is, as expected, delicious! So much is going on at LSU and Jamal is just holding on for the spontaneous ride.

CHASE DUNCAN is doing well at Virginia Tech. He spent last summer as a counselor at Camp Rockmont and is now a cadet in the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech and in Army ROTC. Corps and an engineering major keep Chase very busy. His best experiences in college include bonding with his Corps training company and attending Hokie football games.

ELISABETH SCHRICKER is enjoying her time at Dartmouth. She participates in Physics Society, gospel choir, and a dance troupe. As Vice President of the class, she has been kept busy organizing events like Homecoming and class trips.

JULIA LAIRD is successfully teaching choir to an underprivileged lower school in Tempe, Ariz. while majoring in Vocal Performance and minoring in Astrophysics at Arizona State University.

CAMERON CASTLEBERRY scored the first goal of her UNC Women’s Soccer career playing against Duke University on Oct. 31, contributing to a 3-0 Tar Heel victory in the last game of the regular season.

been really enjoying it. He is on the club tennis team and is ledging Phi Sigma Kappa. He will be involved in planning The Big Event, a school wide day of community service in the spring.

ANDREW WIEHE loves Wake Forest. He is a member

2013

of the band, orchestra, pit orchestra, brass quintet, and the wakeboard team. In addition, Andrew was a founding member of the Wake Forest BBQ Society.

Emily Bedsole, Bryant Dowd, Thomas Sigmon ebedsole2@gmail.com bdowd1@nc.rr.com thomasigmon@gmail.com

JAMES TURNER is enjoying the University of South

WILL BAREFOOT was busy playing football this past fall and studying at Davidson College.

SHAKIM MCKEITHAN is an associate member of Delta

KYLA BABSON is loving Duke University, where she is a member of the triathlon club and an intramural soccer team. She is currently working to get involved in research in a cellular biology or biomedical engineering. She is planning to be premed and is considering majors in the science field.

MAX SMINKEY is fitting in well at Northeastern. His engineering major keeps him busy for much of the time, but he also plays on an intramural soccer team, is working on a community service project for the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, and is in the process of joining Beta Gamma Epsilon, Northeastern’s engineering fraternity.

Carolina along with his pledgeship with the South Carolina Delta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Chi fraternity at East Carolina University and a member on the Executive Board of Jr. IFC. He also performs stand up comedy three times a week.

DREW GAGNON is loving East Carolina University.

She says that the people are great! She is a new member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority with fellow Ravenscroft Class of 2013 graduates Rachel Wakeford, Elle Stumpo, and Taylor Letts. Drew is thrilled to continue to have her best friends by her side while making new ones!

CHRIS BOERICKE says that college is going great at Elon. He is part of the club ultimate frisbee team as well as several intramural teams. Chris has also joined a stock club and a micro finance club.

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notes CAROLINE SCALES is a member of Seahawks Adventures at UNCW, the outdoor sports club. She has been rock climbing, surfing, and paddleboarding.

She is so glad she joined!

DANIELLE GIVEN has been very busy being a plebe at the Naval Academy since June. She is involved in a service club, volunteers at a local elementary school, and participates in mountaineering club and Japanese-American club. Over the summer, Dani chose to join the boxing team, and she loves it! She was also voted to represent her company in the Naval Academy Honor Congress.

MARIANELA DE ORO returned to Argentina in June and started college soon after. She is very excited for summer, which starts in December!

AVERI GAINES is very busy at Haverford College. She really likes her lacrosse team and is looking forward to the upcoming season. Although Haverford is

incredibly challenging, she is very happy and has figured out how to balance everything.

KOFIE YEBOAH is doing well at the University of Maryland. Kofie is a member of the stand-up comedy group Off the Wall, and performs regularly.

ABBY QUIRK-ROYAL is happy at Centre College. She is involved with “Vantage Point,” the school’s literary magazine.

ALEX COOLEY writes for Yale’s undergraduate political magazine and enjoys volunteering in the New Haven community.

SHELBY MAJOR is a new member of Chi Omega sorority and is studying international relations at NCSU. SYDNEY ALLAIN-STOCKTON was recently chosen to be a part of the Georgetown Admissions Ambassador Program’s Leadership Team.

’70s DECADE REUNION

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FAIRLEY BELL COOK ‘77, GINNY JOHNSON ‘77, and DIANE GUPTON BECTON ‘77

ANN NORRIS O’NEAL ’78, GINNY JOHNSON ’77, and SALLY KING CHAPPELOW ’79

BOB WINSTON ’80, Wil O’ Neal, and ALLEN MASSEY ’79

The Mother’s Finest band kept the crowd on its feet

Tommy Murray, BETH LYON MURRAY ’81, and ALLISON GILBERT HOLMES ’79

Beth and GEORGE SMITH ’78

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LLOYD MALLISON’s college experience at Emerson College has been completely fantastic. Lloyd has been hired as on screen talent for two of Emerson’s award winning TV shows (shout out to Helen Velk and Online News) and is running to be a freshman host of Emerson’s Evvy’s awards show. He says that the city of Boston is amazing and that he loves living on the 11th floor of an apartment building overlooking the Boston Commons. He hopes that everyone back at Ravenscroft is doing well and that he is looking forward to coming back and visiting soon!

MEGHAN MCALLISTER is doing great at DePaul! She absolutely loves exploring the city of Chicago. She has decided to major in PR and Advertising with minors in journalism and marketing. Meghan is very involved in Colleges Against Cancer, and has created a fashion club and blog called Designed by DePaul.

MATTHEW QUESENBERRY says that Ravenscroft prepared him well for N.C. State. He is doing well in all of his classes, and is a pledge at Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. Matthew wishes the best of luck to the boys and girls basketball teams this winter. Go Ravens!

SAVANNAH MILLER is having a wonderful time at Gettysburg College. Savannah has enjoyed being a part

of the exciting 150th anniversary of the Civil War battle and the Gettysburg address. She is currently taking a year-long Phage Biology class where she is gaining great experience in lab techniques, and is considering a major in Biology. Outside of the classroom, she participates in theater, poetry, biology, and chemistry club.

RACHEL WAKEFORD is loving East Carolina and has really enjoyed getting involved with her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. She looks forward to continuing her education as a nursing major and meeting new people along the way!

MARGARET EDWARDS is happy at UNCW. Track is going well for her, and she has started preparing for indoor track, which begins in January. Margaret also participates in FCA.

UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS LEGACY LUNCH

for current legacy families

May 2

ALUMNI NETWORKING MEET UP TBD

TUCKER STREET PEN PAL BREAKFAST

with Mrs. Simpson’s fourth grade

May 29

ALUMNI SENIOR DINNER

North Ridge Country Club

June 3

BRYANT DOWD loves Washington and Lee, and is having a blast although studying hard. He was recently selected as a member of The Venture Club, in which he will work on real-world consulting projects, such as business plans and market analyses, for entrepreneurial firms. He is also on the Club Lacrosse team and involved with various other clubs.

Is Ravenscroft in your will?

The Josiah Ogden Watson Society THE JOSIAH OGDEN WATSON SOCIETY was established to honor and recognize those individuals who have included Ravenscroft in their estate plans.

These individuals have made bequests, established trusts, or given insurance policies to the school. The Society is named in honor of Ravenscroft’s original benefactor whose bequest formed the origins of the school we know today. For assistance in establishing a new gift or adding to an existing plan, please contact Anna Hosea, Director of Development, at 919-847-0900 or ahosea@ravenscroft.org.

Spring 2014

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RAVENSCROFT

rewind

BOYS OF SUMMER 1985 The boys varsity baseball team of 1985 finished the year with an impressive 15-3 record, capturing both the regular season and postseason tournament championships, defeating Cardinal Gibbons for the third time during the season by an 8-1 score in the finale. (front row) GERRY JACOBS ’87, MARK TEMPLETON ’86, SHAWN BLOCH ’85, SCOTT TEMPLETON ’87, WILLIAM SMITH ’83, MIKE MULLIS ’88, and MIKE GREGORY ’87 (back row) WILL YORK ’85, MIKE THOMPSON ’86, PRESTON MILLER ’85, JONATHAN HUFF ’88, STEPHEN STEPHENSON ’85, COACH NED GONET, CHIP BROUGHTON ’85, TREY BAGLEY ’87, TREVOR HORNICK ’86, and Athletic Trainer MICHELLE PIETTE

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R avenscroft magazine

RICH ’96 and KATIE PRESSEL GILLESPIE ’95 with their children BENNETT ’23, Susanna, LOGAN ’25, and Joseph

CELEBRATING OUR LEGACY – GENERATION TO GENERATION Share your Ravenscroft experience with your children.

Alumni enrolling their children for Fall 2014 will not pay the new family fee, and two new alumni scholarships are available. Find out how your children can join the 10% of our students who are children of alumni.

Contact MARGARET MAHOOD MILLS ’76, Director of Admissions, at 919-848-6470 or admissions@ravenscroft.org.

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OUR MISSION

The Ravenscroft community, guided by our legacy of excellence, nurtures individual potential and prepares students to thrive in a complex and interdependent world.

KYLE WILLIAMS ’14

Impressionist style, acrylic on canvas painting