Ravenscroft magazine - Summer 2014 Edition

SUMMER 2014 | VOL. XVII. NO. 2

magazine

Students Travel to Zambia

INSIDE: Graduation 2014 | Middle Schoolers Experience the Civil Rights Movement | Alumni Work on Supercomputers

Answer: This is a section of the stainless steel Character Tree, created by local artist Jeff Hurr, that is located in front of the Fine Arts Center.

Do you know where this is on campus?

Discovering the hidden details on campus

BIRD’S EYE VIEW

magazine

8

12

16

20

FEATURES 8 Global Citizenship

9 Suitcases: A Student Trip to Zambia

12

Academic Excellence

The Class of 2014 Graduates

16 Creative Leadership

Middle Schoolers Explore Local History

20 Innovation & Technology

The Need for Speed: George Todd Gamblin, Ph.D. ’98 and the Sequoia Supercomputer

DEPARTMENTS 2 Vision & Voice

4 Notes from the Nest

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 Allie Wilson, Susan Washburn, and Chris Watters | Written by Matt Taylor and Allie Wilson, Communications staff

News and updates from the Ravenscroft community

22 Student Showcase

“The Infamous Victory Over the Sigh” An Essay by Christina Potter ’14

24 Center Stage

Our New Strength, Our New Thought Doreen Kelly, Head of School

Jenks Miller ’00 and Mount Moriah

26 Game Day Ryan Kelly ’09 and the L.A. Lakers

28 Class Notes 44 Ravenscroft Rewind

An era gone by

VISION & VOICE A message from our Head of School

Our New Strength, Our New Thought Doreen Kelly, Head of School

DEAR RAVENSCROFT COMMUNITY: The beginning of the school year brings with it the promise of a new day. I am reminded of Eleanor Roosevelt’s words, “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” This new day at Ravenscroft brings the public launch of our Lead From Here movement, which you’ll see reflected in banners around campus, in our advertising, and in many other forms of communication. Lead From Here is our new strength, our new thought.

2

Ravenscroft magazine

Lead From Here is a gamechanging effort. We are confident about what it will do for the Ravenscroft community, for the field of education, and for the world. It will serve as a model for other schools on how to produce adaptive, resilient graduates who possess the necessary confidence and vision to address the needs of a complex society. We cannot be certain which specific problems our children will face many years from now; however, we know they will be prepared to address any challenges that they and their fellow citizens face.

We have formalized a 10-year agreement with the Center for Creative Leadership, which is a top five provider of executive education worldwide. It is not by chance that CCL partnered with Ravenscroft to create its first research and innovation incubator with a prekindergarten through grade 12 school. Our proud history of academic excellence put us in this position to innovate. It is a unique collaboration that combines our expertise in education and child development with CCL’s expertise in leadership development.

As we step forward boldly and define what a 21st century education must look like, we can draw inspiration not only from Mrs. Roosevelt’s words, but also from her example. She embodied many of the competencies that we have infused into our curriculum though the Citizen Leader Framework. She was, among many other fine qualities, resilient, culturally inclusive, communicative, visionary, and strategic. Her own private school education built upon her inherent wisdom and cultivated in her the qualities that empowered her to become a strong citizen leader. The world benefitted from her wisdom and compassion.

Lead From Here will ensure that the world benefits from our children’s wisdom and compassion. Welcome to our new day.

Sincerely,

Doreen C. Kelly Head of School

Summer Training Enhances Lead From Here Efforts TWENTY-EIGHT MEMBERS OF THE RAVENSCROFT COMMUNITY traveled to the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in Greensboro, N.C., this past June for training in concepts and principles related to the School’s Lead From Here movement. It is the third consecutive year that Ravenscroft has sent faculty and staff to CCL’s Greensboro campus. Lower School Physical Education Department Chair David Myers was among this year’s attendees. He offers his reflections on the experience below.

“Leadership is not so much about technique and methods as it is about opening the heart.

Leadership is about Dave Myers inspiration of oneself and of others. Great leadership is about human experiences, not processes. Leadership is not a formula or a program. It is a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the hearts of others. It is an attitude, not a routine.”

This anonymous quote speaks to the essence of our Lead From Here movement at Ravenscroft. I often refer back to these words as a reminder of the leadership potential within us all. We all have the ability to lead in some fashion, whether by making good decisions, holding ourselves accountable, or by simply doing the right thing.

Recently, I had the opportunity to join 27 other Ravenscroft faculty, staff, and administrators for an extensive, two-day Lead From Here training at the Center for Creative Leadership’s campus in Greensboro, N.C. Under the guidance of CCL staff members Chris Ward and Marin Burton, our minds and attitudes toward leadership were challenged, nurtured and brought to a new level of awareness through myriad activities, group challenges and conversations.

I have been immersed in the experiential education and adventure challenge models of leadership in classes in our physical education department for the past several years. I therefore felt I had a pretty good handle on the core elements of the Citizen Leader Framework of Leading Self, Leading With Others, and Changing Your World. Little did I know that I was just scratching the surface of these important concepts.

The scope of our abilities to lead, to facilitate, and to problem solve as individuals or in a group setting were enhanced throughout the training. We were presented with activities designed to stretch our minds, allowing us to effectively collaborate and find solutions to a number of challenges. Each activity tested our abilities to communicate effectively in different settings.

Throughout the training, we had opportunities to explore “Wisdom Explorer” cards that featured different motivational quotes or sayings. One that caught my attention immediately made me think of how important it is going to be to approach the Lead from

“We all have the ability to lead in some fashion.”

Here movement with an open mind and at a pace that is comfortable for each individual. The card read as follows: “It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement.”

It became very clear through our group and one-on-one conversations that there are varying levels of comfort with how we should approach each step of the process. This, to me, is the most intriguing and exciting part of the movement, seeing how each person responds to situations and opportunities to lead and make a difference, no matter how small or inconsequential they may seem.

At the conclusion of the training, all members of the group had an opportunity to express what the experience meant to them and share their hopes for the future of the movement. Based on the emotional and passionate responses, it was clear that there is a strong core of Ravenscroft faculty and staff who are dedicated to infusing the leadership framework of this groundbreaking initiative throughout the School community and beyond.

—Dave Myers

Summer 2014

3

NOTES FROM THE NEST News from around the Raven campus

Ravenscroft Wins Prestige Cup for Boys and Girls Athletics RAVENSCROFT HAS BEEN NAMED the winner of the 20132014 Prestige Cup for both boys and girls athletics by the Triangle Independent Schools Athletic Conference (TISAC).

The girls program finished first in the Prestige Cup standings with 48 points while the boys program tied Cary Academy for first place with 35.5 points.

This is the first time since 2009-2010 that both the boys and girls programs have won the Prestige Cup. It is the second

straight year that Ravenscroft has won the boys Prestige Cup. Ravenscroft last won the girls Prestige Cup during the 20112012 school year, which was their third straight year doing so.

The Prestige Cup is awarded at the conclusion of each school year to TISAC schools in honor of the boys and girls programs that accumulate the most points through varsity team results. Points are awarded based on regular season standings throughout the school year.

English Bernhardt ’14 Wins “Best Performance in an Ensemble” English Bernhardt ’14 received the “Best Performance in an Ensemble” award during the 2014 National High School Musical Theater Awards on June 30 at Broadway’s Minskoff Theater.

The Broadway-focused talent showcase featured performances by 56 participants and solos by select finalists.

The performance followed five days of rehearsals and private coaching with faculty at the New Studio on Broadway, NYU Tisch School of the Arts Department of Drama and English Bernhardt ‘14 receives her award other professionals.

More than 1,500 high schools and 60,000 students participated in the annual event. Student performers qualified to compete in the national program by winning top honors at 28 regional high school musical awards competitions presented by Broadway League member performing arts centers.

Bernhardt advanced to the National High School Musical Theater Awards after being named the Triangle Rising Star Best Actress on June 2.

FOUR RAVENS WIN STATE TITLES AS BOYS AND GIRLS TRACK TEAMS FINISH SECOND Four Ravenscroft team members won individual state titles to propel the Ravens boys and girls track teams to second-place finishes in the NCISAA 3A track and field championships for the second consecutive year. Ravenscroft hosted the NCISAA championship meet on May 16 and May 17.

Ryen Frazier ’15 won both the girls 1600-meter run (5:09.39) and the 3200-meter run (11:00.38) and finished second in the 800-meter run.

Teammate Kathleen Brandes ’15 won the girls pole vault for the second year in a row with a state-record height of 10-09.

On the boys side, Alex Nesvisky ’14 won the shot put (51-01.5) and Garrett Anderson ’14 won pole vault (14-00).

NEVARMORE EARNS NCSMA AWARDS The North Carolina Scholastic Media Association has announced its 2014 NCSMA Awards for school publications. The Nevarmore received the following recognition: Overall Publication Awards: Honor Rating, Honorable Mention Editorial Section Award, and Honorable Mention Features Section Award. In the Individual Awards, the publication was awarded 1st Place Editorial Cartoon: Austin Morin ‘15; 2nd Place Front Page Design: Haley Gardner ‘15; 3rd Place Editorial General Column: Emi Myers ’15; 3rd Place Editorial: Emi Myers ‘15, Stephanie Wiehe ‘15, Austin Morin ‘15, and Casey Harris ‘15; and Honorable Mention Graphics: Gina Patalano ‘14 and Haley Gardner ‘15.

4

Ravenscroft magazine

Ravens Honor Military at Memorial Day Flag Raising

Fifth-graders perform at closing exercises

FIFTH-GRADERS SHARE MEMORIES OF LOWER SCHOOL Ravenscroft’s fifth-grade students proudly received their certificates marking the end of their Lower School years and their move to the Middle School during a ceremony on June 6.

After a piano prelude by Nabeel Sabu ’21, the students proceeded into the A.E. Finley Activity Center to music played by the Lower School Orchestra. Phoebe Ellison ’21 read the invocation and Head of Lower School Payton Hobbs welcomed the students, faculty and family members.

Several fifth-grade students shared their memories of Lower School, with each student reflecting on memories from a different grade level, to the laughter and applause of the audience.

Ravenscroft gathered early on May 23 to honor all members of the military and to remember our fallen soldiers. Alumnus and veteran Marine Capt. Christopher Young ’01 shared his personal story during the ceremony and reflected on the service of a friend who died in action.

“In my opinion, what makes Memorial Day so special is the great freedoms we share and the extent to which our fallen heroes have sacrificed to preserve those freedoms,” Young said. “I think it is important to appreciate these freedoms and the sacrifices behind them.”

Young then recounted the story of Capt. Brandon Aaron Barrett, who died while the two were serving together in Afghanistan. Young celebrated Barrett’s leadership qualities and his sacrifice.

“I hope we keep in mind these heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice, but also honor their memories by using our freedoms to pursue and accomplish our dreams,” Young said.

Ravenscroft Hosts 19th Ravenscroft Golf Classic The 19th Ravenscroft Golf Classic was a great success with more than 160 golfers, including 29 alumni. The 2013 and 2014 Golf Tournaments raised more than $48,000 to support Ravenscroft student-athletes.

Sunny skies greeted golfers this year

Summer 2014

5

NOTES FROM THE NEST

SPEAKERS PROVIDE HUMOR, INSIGHT DURING CLASS OF 2014 COMMENCEMENT Nadira Angelina Hira advised the Class of 2014 to Google less and to build their intuition more during Ravenscroft’s Commencement Exercises on the Upper School Campus Green on June 6.

“All those doubts folks have about you, about us, come down to one fear,” Hira said. “They are so afraid you are going to stop thinking for yourselves that you lose that inherent human quality of deep thought and discernment.”

Valedictorian Jessica Kittelberger ’14, a Ravenscroft lifer, shared fond memories from throughout her experience at the School.

She left out the details of her Middle School years, which she humorously described as an awkward time that everyone would like to forget. Senior class speaker Josh McCoy ’14 added to the humor with his own version of “Thank You Notes” inspired by “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, members of the Class of 2014 replaced the mortarboards they tossed in the air with hats from Gina Patalano ‘14 deiivers a rose to thank her mother during the ceremony. the respective colleges and universities where they will matriculate in the fall. Of the 112 graduates, 57 percent will attend North Carolina’s highly regarded colleges and universities, while 43 percent selected institutions of higher learning beyond the state’s borders.

Parents’ Association Holds Successful Book Fair The 2014 Ravenscroft Book Fair was held April 28 to May 2. It was a tremendous success thanks to our many volunteers. Students and parents were able to purchase old favorites and new discoveries, order required summer reading books, visit with authors, and find the perfect gifts for Mother’s Day and graduations.

The Library Gift Program provided great new resources for our libraries by offering parents the opportunity to purchase books in honor teachers, coaches and graduates.

Eighth-Grade Graduates Lauded for Leadership and Service Head of Middle School Denise Colpitts encouraged the Class of 2018, a group she described as energetic and spirited, social and supportive of each other, to “Go and change your world” during Eighth-Grade Closing Ceremonies at Ravenscroft on June 5.

“You have the power within you to make a difference by the way you lead self and lead with others,” Colpitts said. “You have the power to change your world by doing small things. We do expect that you’ll do great things some day, but you can start by doing small things, by showing support to people you know and to people you don’t know.”

Colpitts drew upon her roots as an English teacher and used the the book “The Power of Nice” by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval to guide her remarks. She urged students to embrace the power of nice and unleash its potential, one smile at a time.

6

Ravenscroft magazine

The Book Fair had something for everyone

Faculty Engage in Professional Development Activities With graduation caps having been tossed and students home for the summer, Ravenscroft faculty members set about working on their own professional growth during an intense, three-day professional development program in June that included year-end wrap ups and curriculum With students gone, faculty focused on their own learning workshops. and learning that will benefit all students. Upper School Departments engaged in various efforts individually over faculty focused on technology training. They held a series of several hours. These efforts included designing curriculum Veracross workshops and learned about using Dashboard in for next year, as well as collaborating on coursework, grading the classroom. practices and assessment.

The specific professional development activities focused Middle School faculty spent three days in PBL 101, a on research-based changes in the structure and practices of Project-Based Learning workshop facilitated by the Buck writing workshop. Each grade level investigated horizontal Institute of Education. Lower School faculty spent two days and vertical alignment of performance assessments, learning “unpacking” the new Units of Study in Opinion, Informaprogressions, student checklists, rubrics, and leveled writing tion, and Narrative Writing with Pattie Wright, a consultant from Teachers College. Ravenscroft teachers collaborated with exemplars. In addition, teachers examined the ways the three genres of writing align with and support the Lead from Here teachers from Duke School and Durham Academy throughout the training, thereby establishing a partnership for sharing framework.

Faculty Awarded Summer Grants to Ravenscroft Excellence in Teaching Institute Thanks to the generous endowments created by the Maynard Family, the Lichtin Family, and the Board of Trustees, Ravenscroft is able to offer its sixth Ravenscroft Excellence in Teaching Summer Institute. Faculty were invited to apply for grants to support projects that advance strategic initiatives in the following areas: 1) Leadership and Citizenship 2) Educational Excellence and Programmatic Distinction The Grants Committee reviewed proposals for the 2014 Ravenscroft Excellence in Teaching Institute, and was able to support 25 summer grant proposals. R

RYEN FRAZIER ’15 WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP Ryen Frazier ’15 won the national championship in the girls mile run at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor 2014 in Greensboro, N.C., on Sunday, June 15. Frazier ran a 4:46.39 in the mile after placing fourth in the two-mile run on Saturday and ninth in the 5000-meter run on Friday.

“I really didn’t know how it was going to end, but I knew I had something more,” Frazier told the website LetsRun.com. “I just tried to seek that in that moment and go with it.”

Summer 2014

7

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

by Tate Replogle ’14 Originally published in Ravenscroft’s student-written publication, Nevarmore 8

Ravenscroft magazine

PHOTOS BY LUCAS KATES AND JESSIE LUTZ ‘14

Waking up at 3 a.m. to get to the airport on time was not something I was looking forward to; however, when I got there, it dawned on me that I was traveling to South Africa! I was one of seven students and two faculty members excited to explore and learn about the people and places of this country.

fter more than 24 hours of travel, we finally landed in Livingstone, which is in the Southern Province of Zambia and until 2012 was the capital. As we checked into our lodge the friendly nature of those who welcomed us was overwhelming; with the exception of an unexpected group of monkeys that chased us around a bit.

On our first full day, we toured one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls. It is roughly twice the height of North America’s Niagara Falls. As we navigated the trail, the amazing waterfall was always in sight. The sheer size was breathtaking. When viewing the falls, we witnessed not only a rainbow, but also a double rainbow.

By the end of the tour we were completely drenched from the spray coming from the falls. The spray from the falls typically rises to a height of more than 1,300 feet, and sometimes even twice as high, and it is visible from up to 30 miles away. It was simply a majestic site to see.

The next day, we went out driving on a narrow dirt path to get to the Siandunda School with nine suitcases filled with school supplies to be distributed to the students. These suitcases had been packed in Raleigh with the help of the organization Pack for a Purpose. After an hour of weaving through country roads, we finally arrived at the remote school. There, we were greeted with a warm welcome as the whole village sang a lovely welcome song to us.

Summer 2014

9

Then, the celebration commenced. They all gathered around a tree while the elders spoke and greeted us with a traditional Zambian welcome. The locals also sang and danced to welcome us to their village. Every villager made his or her way up to us and shook each one of our hands following which we unpacked the donated items and distributed them. The children eagerly lined up and fought to look through the windows at all the new toys and school supplies. Children clutched new pencils and plush animals as they grinned from ear to ear.

After the supplies were distributed, it was time for fun! We danced, kicked the soccer ball, played hand games, and had a fantastic time running around with all of the children. They loved to have their pictures taken and enjoyed seeing their images on our phones. Many have never seen their own reflection since mirrors are few and far between.

One cute eight-year-old girl stayed with me the whole time and hardly let go of my hand. She stole my heart, and I never wanted to leave her that day. We had yet another group celebration at the end of the day, but this time we all came together! The villagers sang and danced again only now they felt more comfortable with us as they did not hesitate to grab our hands and invited a few of us to dance with them.

Seniors Rachel Hianik, Jessie Lutz, and Kristen McCarthy were the first ones to be selected to dance in the middle of the circle with some of the villagers. When they headed back to their seats, David Kates, Director of International Education, was chosen to dance. When he sat back down, I thought that it was over. But I was wrong. I saw one of the lady villagers go

around our semicircle, and when she got to me, she held out her hand and I knew that I had to take it and go in the middle of the circle.

Now, I am not the most outgoing and by no means a great dancer, and no one has ever called me a “let loose� type of person.

It was very awkward trying to dance in front of everyone. I felt myself blushing with embarrassment many times until I set eyes on this little girl, she could not have been older than five, and she was making her way through the crowd of villagers to me. When she got to the middle of the circle, she took my hands and started to dance with me. I was so blessed to have her to dance with, and I no longer felt I was the center of attention.

I stopped worrying about looking silly for trying to dance. I was having so much fun that I barely noticed that everyone was getting up to dance as well; I was part of something bigger than myself. Leaving was so heartbreaking, I met so many wonderful people that I felt a connection with and had a hard time leaving them behind.

With the Livingstone adventure behind us, we packed up for a plane ride to the capital city, Lusaka, to visit Kasisi Orphanage, and then we hopped onto another plane to Mfuwe. The plane was so small, and honestly, I was a little nervous flying on it. We went to a really nice lodge to eat lunch and saw a giraffe and an ostrich walking on the road—typical Zambia. We had the oncein-a-lifetime experience of petting a domestic cheetah outside of the lodge.

After having a group photo with the cheetah, we headed over to Kasisi Orphanage to tour and play with the kids. While on the tour, one of the nuns showed us the special room that housed the

The children eagerly lined up and fought to look through the windows at all the new toys and school supplies. Children clutched new pencils and plush animals as they grinned from ear to ear.

10

R avenscroft magazine

(opposite left) TATE REPLOGLE ’14 and SOPHIE EL-GAMAL ’17 with students at Uyoba School; (middle) a student enjoys new school supplies; (above) the students loved to have their pictures taken with their artwork

I stopped worrying about looking silly for trying to dance. I was having so much fun that I barely noticed that everyone was getting up to dance as well; I was part of something bigger than myself.

HIV positive babies. It was one of the saddest sights that I have ever seen. But then, we went into a courtyard area and played with the toddlers. When you sat down, they would plop down in your lap to play with you.

A class of first graders came by and all they wanted to do was to hug you and to be picked up. One of the little boys was trying to jump up and climb into my arms so that he could be held.

They all would ask me what my name was. After I told it to them, they would repeat it over and over again. They were all adorable, sweet, and the most well-behaved kids that I have ever met. We left the orphanage a few backpacks full of supplies and then had to leave to catch our next plane to Mfuwe.

We checked into the Marula Lodge, where we would be staying the rest of the time in Zambia. At this lodge, we saw all kinds of animals walking around and we had to be informed about what to do and what not to do in order to coexist with the wild animals that roam around freely. From our room, Rachel Hianik ’14, Sophie El-Gamal ’17, Rebecca Powell ’14, Kristen McCarthy ’14, and Jessie Lutz ’14, had the wonderful experience of watching a hippo eating at night outside of our window.

The next two days, we went to the nearby school, Uyoba School, to help teach English to the third and fourth graders.

We brought them school supplies as well and props to act out the book “The Cat in the Hat” by Dr. Seuss. All of the kids enjoyed the play that we put on. They especially loved when Sophie and Kristen played the roles of “Thing One and Thing Two.” My favorite part was playing with the kids after their English lesson was over. They would all try to grab our hands, fingers, or arms to be with us. We learned some of their games, and we taught them some of ours, like “Duck, Duck, Goose.”

On the last leg of the trip, we all woke up at 5 a.m. to head out for a safari ride. We rode in an open Range Rover with three high rows of seats. We saw so many cool animals, like zebras, warthogs, fascinating birds, crocodiles, monkeys, impalas, and a water buck. Though, I have to say that the nighttime safari ride was the best. On that ride, we saw elephants, giraffes, hippos, the rare wild dog, lion cubs, and a mother leopard and her two cubs.

There were a few times when the animals were so close to the vehicle that it seemed like you could touch them. Looking at the stars from the Range Rover at night was breathtaking. There were so many in the sky, not like what you see in the city.

It was eventually time for us to leave and head home. I was not looking forward to the long plane ride back, and I did not want to leave. Both of the lodges were very accommodating, complete with mosquito nets and surprisingly, modern bathrooms. All the people were so nice and I felt so safe there. This whole experience was amazing and I will never forget it. R

Summer 2014

11

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

O AR

RAVENS S FROM THE NEST 12

R avenscroft magazine

BUILD YOUR INTUITION

N

ADIRA ANGELINA HIRA

advised the Class of 2014 to Google less and to build their intuition more during Ravenscroft’s Commencement Exercises on the Upper School Campus Green on June 6.

“All those doubts folks have about you, about us, come down to one fear,” Hira said. “They are so afraid you are going to stop thinking for yourselves that you lose that inherent human quality of deep thought and discernment.”

The award-winning journalist and author shared examples from her own experience when she chose seemingly less promising pursuits over more assured options, often against her mother’s wishes, because they felt right to her.

“Nothing will or should ever replace our good, oldfashioned, hard-earned human intuition,” she said. “That’s what you need to succeed in any situation life might send at you over all the adventures to come, and you learn it by pushing yourselves into those very realms of risk and uncertainty from which the Googleverse seeks to protect you.”

LEFT Andrea Gilliard ’14 poses with her mother during the commencement ceremony.

BELOW Seniors celebrate the official marking of graduation as they toss their caps.

ABOUT THE CLASS OF 2014 THE RAVENSCROFT CLASS OF 2014 embodies the School’s mission to nurture individual potential and prepare to students to thrive in a complex and interdependent world.

Described by their senior class advisors as the most supportive and caring group they have seen, the class consists of 112 unique individuals with their own unique talents, ideas and aspirations.

One is a Morehead-Cain Scholar.

Another is the Triangle Rising Star Best Actress who commanded the stage in the School’s fall musical “Meet Me in St. Louis” alongside a Triangle Rising Star Best Actor finalist.

There’s an amateur pastry chef, a long-range rifle competitor, and many volunteers whose total of more than 17,500 community service hours included efforts on behalf of groups including the American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Warmth for Wake.

Said one advisor: “They realize academics shouldn’t be their whole life, that there should be other aspects to it. They are more well-balanced at a younger age.”

Meanwhile, the Class of 2014 has helped lay the foundation for Ravenscroft’s Lead From Here movement, a pioneering effort between the School and the Center for Creative Leadership, one of the top five global providers of executive education. Lead From Here represents a transformative educational model for education at Ravenscroft and beyond. The Class of 2014’s involvement with Lead From Here is one of many ways that they will change their world.

Learn more about the senior class at www.ravenscroft.org/ classof2014.

Summer 2014

13

{ 14

Scan this code with a QR Code Reader on your phone to watch a video featuring Senior Class Reflections.

R avenscroft magazine

}

SENIOR CLASS SPEAKER JOSH MCCOY

VALEDICTORIAN JESSICA KITTELBERGER

AFTER TAKING A GRADUATION SELFIE, Senior Class Speaker Josh McCoy borrowed a bit from “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and entertained graduation attendees with the following “Thank You Notes” during his speech.

Thank You, Mr. Billerman, for imparting your wisdom on us and teaching us how to be more responsible citizens.

None of us will ever feel safe eating in a hallway again.

Thank You, Upper School dress code, for telling us what to wear to school every day. After 10 years of Lower and Middle School, it’s about time our moms got a break.

Thank You, off-campus lunch, for letting us get food from places like Chipotle, Whole Foods and Penn Station any day of the week we wanted. Next year is looking good for the juniors, though, as they will be saving a lot of money.

Thank you, Mr. Flinn, for teaching us Emerson, Fitzgerald, and Twain. You asked us for a thank you in your speech at the Alumni Dinner, so you’re welcome.

Thank you, college applications, for giving students the best chance possible of getting into the school of their dreams. And at the same time crushing our dreams when we realize that if college is half as hard as the application we’ll all flunk out by second semester.

And thank you, Jimmy Fallon, for being a fantastic host of “The Tonight Show” and having hilarious segments on Fridays called “Thank You Notes” and making it that much easier for me to write this speech.

CLASS OF 2014 VALEDICTORIAN Jessica Kittelberger will attend Dartmouth College, where she will compete as a member of the golf team. She plans to go into environmental law. Her academic awards including being an AP Scholar with distinction as well as a member of the Cum Laude Society, National Honor Society, and the Latin National Honor Society. She was Lead Marshal as a junior and received the Ravenscroft Outstanding Student Award.

In addition to her academic accomplishments, Kittelberger participated fully in the life of the School through athletics, fine arts and community service.

A co-captain of the varsity girls golf team, she received multiple awards during her four years on the team including MVP, All-State honors, All-Conference honors, conference and state Player of the Year, and the Coaches Award. She won the conference championship and was a state championship medalist.

She was named to the North Carolina Central District and All-State Band and participated in Ravenscroft’s percussion ensemble. She was a member of Ravenscroft’s Environmental Conservation Organization, the Student-Athlete Leadership Training Program, and the School Band Council.

A former rheumatoid arthritis patient at UNC Children’s Hospital for six years, Kittelberger started Golf For Promise, a one-day tournament, in 2010. It has become an annual fundraising tournament for N.C. Children’s Promise. In total, she has raised more than $40,000. R

IN MEMORIAM: JT TAYLOR JOHNATHON GREGORY “JT” TAYLOR ’14 died in a single vehicle accident June 28, 2014.

The school held a community gathering on June 30 and hosted a celebration of JT’s life on July 8. Learn more at www.ravenscroft.org/jttaylor.

“To my family and friends, I thank each and every one of you for the support during my educational journey. ‘There’s something unpredictable but in the end it’s right, I definitely had the time of my life!’” — JT TAYLOR’S GRADUATION “THANK YOU” NOTE

Summer 2014

15

CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

16

R avenscroft magazine

BY ALLIE WILSON

MIDDLE SCHOOLERS EXPERIENCE RIVING THROUGH DOWNTOWN RALEIGH, reminders abound of the rich history upon which the city was built. However, the historic placards, buildings and monuments are often glanced over without a second thought. This past April, sixth-graders at Ravenscroft had an opportunity to consider the city’s past more deeply thanks to the Middle School history department.

Cori Greer Banks, chair of the department, and her colleagues wanted to provide sixth-grade students with an experiential field trip in their own city that was meaningful and that inspired active learning. Raleigh’s connection to the Civil Rights movement made it an appropriate location for the interactive experience, which they first carried out during the 2012-2013 school year.

“What I love about this department is we are teaching an active form of history. By presenting a problem-based approach to history, kids are given a puzzle that can only be solved through careful observation, analysis and attention to detail,” Greer Banks said. “Kids also come to the realization that history has not solved every problem. In fact, it has created more problems that these student leaders will need to solve.”

In the trip’s first year, students spent the entire day off campus while riding on the Trolley Tour with Olde South Trolley Company. With the company having gone out of business, Banks had to be adaptive and structure this year’s trip with two less trolleys in the mix. Students were divided into two groups that went off campus, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

“While one set of students were off on the trolleys, the other set participated in a series of fun activities dedicated to the civil rights movement,” she said. “I was a bit nervous how everything would turn out, but the day exceeded my expectations.”

Students made their own “field logs” for the day.

They described significant locations throughout the trip and sketched their favorite stops along the way.

“WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS DEPARTMENT IS WE ARE TEACHING AN ACTIVE FORM OF HISTORY. BY PRESENTING A PROBLEM-BASED APPROACH TO HISTORY, KIDS ARE GIVEN A PUZZLE THAT CAN ONLY BE SOLVED THROUGH CAREFUL OBSERVATION, ANALYSIS AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visits North Carolina.

He delivers speeches in Raleigh and Greensboro.

Summer 2014

17

The experience began with a discussion that prepared the students to ask themselves and each other substantive questions.

“Do you think racism is over?”

“What do you think it means to be an active citizen. Why is it important?”

They were also queried about which civil rights issues need to be solved currently. With these major issues in mind, they set out to learn about Raleigh’s involvement and role during this time period.

Riding through downtown Raleigh, students observed important landmarks such as the Mordecai House, Oakwood Cemetery and the Pope House Museum, where they stopped and explored inside.

(left) Students learn about Raleigh’s rich Civil Rights history on the trolley tour.

(middle) After listening to protest songs, the groups work together to create their own.

(right) At the Pope House Museum browsing through some of Dr. Pope’s belongings.

“HISTORY DOES NOT EXIST IN A TEXTBOOK, AND IT TRULY DIES WHEN ALL A TEACHER DOES IS REQUIRE STUDENTS TO MEMORIZE FACTS FOR A TEST.”

After the Pope House Museum, the groups visited the City of Raleigh Museum, where they listened to protest songs and reviewed their significance. The students were then provided the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity by penning their own protest songs and chants and performing them for each other.

“History does not exist in a textbook, and it truly dies when all a teacher does is require students to memorize facts for a test,” Greer Banks said. “Today’s students are savvier than we were. Kids want to know, ‘Why do I need to learn this?’ ‘Why is this important?’”

After touring the city, students were asked to decide how they would further the work of civil rights activists and other Americans. They each designed a memorial to honor those involved in the Civil Rights Movement and had to explain where they would place it in Raleigh and why they chose that area.

“This is a true interdisciplinary unit where students study this era from all sides,” Greer Banks said. “It is really neat to see students’ passion unlocked and to witness the digestion of a wealth of information and creativity.”

Greer Banks was awarded the Parents’ Association Distinguished Faculty Award for the 2013-2014 school year. She will teach Eighth Grade World History this year. R

18

R avenscroft magazine

{

Scan the code to watch a video of the students on part of their Civil Rights Day.

}

FEBRUARY 1

Four students from Greensboro enter a local Woolworth’s department store and sit down at a lunch counter in an area reserved for whites. They return, along with other students and a few whites, to protest day after day for five months until Woolworth’s agrees to serve black customers at its lunch counters. Others use similar tactics in cities across the country.

APRIL 17

Ella Baker, a civil rights organizer, gathers a group of student activists to discuss strategies for ending segregation in Raleigh. The group founds the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Summer 2014

19

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

THE NEED FOR George Todd Gamblin, Ph.D. ’98

20

R avenscroft magazine

BY JASON RAMSDEN RAVENSCROFT CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

S

PEED IS SIMPLE TO CONTEXTUALIZE IN SPORTS.

will continue to run fast on future exascale machines, which How quickly a person sprints, bikes, runs or swims are more than 1,000 times faster than Sequoia. Unlike the is easily measured against state, national and world apps on your mobile phone, which typically use only a single records. Results are compared, and efforts are made to be more processor, simulations on Sequoia need to use all of its 1.5 efficient and therefore faster. For example, Brazil’s Cesar Cielo million processors simultaneously. Imagine giving a million Filho holds the world record in the 50-meter freestyle with workers very specific instructions on how to build a skya time of 20.91 seconds. All long course sprint freestylers scraper together without stepping on each other’s toes, and you have a rough idea of what this takes. Gamblin builds measure themselves against that mark.

Todd Gamblin ’98 understands how quick Filho’s models of simulations, and he uses the models to underrecord is, as he was a competitive year-round swimmer for stand whether the code will continue to work well on future the Tarheel Aqua Racers (TAR) in Raleigh and the North supercomputers. Think improving aerodynamics for cyclists — it’s essentially the same concept of going faster more Carolina Aquatic Club (NCAC) in Chapel Hill. He was efficiently and effectively. a member of Ravenscroft’s ’95, ’97, and ’98 NCI“These new models will provide scientific SAA boys state swimming championship teams, programmers with insights that allow them and he swam backstroke on a dominant men’s to quickly optimize their code, so that their swim team at Williams College. But measurapplications can use the full power of suing speed in the water is no longer front and percomputers,” Gamblin said. “More and center in Gamblin’s life. more, computer simulations are an integral These days, Gamblin’s measure of fast has part of scientific discovery.” more to do with supercomputers like Sequoia, Gamblin’s research is vital for the High housed at Lawrence Livermore National LaboPerformance Computing community. Exascale ratory (LLNL) in Livermore, Calif., where he is a machines are due to appear by 2020, and without computer scientist in the Center for Applied Scientific work like his, scientists may not be able to use them Computing. On machines like these, the number of to make better predictions. calculations, or FLOPs (Floating point OperaHis recent research project, “Statistical tions) is what matters. A single FLOP is like In one hour, Sequoia Methods for Exascale Performance Modadding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividcan perform the same eling,” which proposes to build statistical ing two numbers on your pocket calculator. calculations that it would take models of complex exascale simulations, Sequoia is a petascale machine — it can do 6.7 billion people with hand was funded by the U.S. Department of 20 petaflops, or 20 x 1015 operations per calculators 320 years of non- Energy’s Early Career Research Program. second. To put this in perspective, if you stop work to complete.* The Early Career program funds young could add two numbers every second, it would scientists who are within 10 years of receiving take you 10 million years to finish what Sequoia their doctorate. The grant program has a 5 percan do in one minute. cent acceptance rate. Gamblin’s proposal was one of The applications that run on Sequoia need this kind of speed to make predictions about incredibly complex 38 selected from more than 750 submissions. He will receive science and engineering problems. Sequoia has been used to $2.5 million over five years to continue his work.

The research grant, while prestigious, is one of six that study earthquakes, climate change, more efficient engines, new energy sources, and the reliability of the nation’s nuclear Gamblin and his collaborators have received over the past weapons. Simulations also support LLNL’s National Ignition four years. His research funding now totals close to $10.5 Facility, a gigantic research machine that’s been in the news million. Nevertheless, he remains humble about his work.

“I’m very lucky to have funding to build a team to work recently for bringing us closer to commercial fusion energy.

For simulations, more speed means more detailed physics, on interesting problems,” Gamblin said. “I hope our work is able to keep the nation’s simulations running fast, as better more predictive power, and more scientific understanding.

Gamblin’s research focuses on ensuring that simulations energy science is incredibly important for our future.” R

* BBC News, “IBM supercomputer overtakes Fujitsu as world’s fatest” 18 June 2012 Summer 2014

21

STUDENT SHOWCASE Highligthing exceptional student work

The Infamous Victory Over the Sigh AN ESSAY By Christina Potter ’14

The following essay was written as a final in-class reflection for AP English Literature & Composition, taught by Upper School English Department Chair Marcia Jones. See more student work at www.ravenscroft.org/showcase.

S

IGH. Unlike sports coaches and

teachers, mothers have their own unique way of conveying disappointment. Sports coaches will scream, disgusting spittle flying from their lips as they force you into some sort of physical torture like doing sprints. Teachers will give you the classic frown, the corners of their lips pulling down so far you wonder if these corners will extend past their face and droop onto the floor. However, mothers are the queens of the art of disappointment. My own will sigh and walk away saying something like, “Do whatever you want.” From there, guilt corrodes your soul until you give into the matriarch’s demands. Doubt floods

22

R avenscroft magazine

your neurons. “Is this battle really worth fighting for?” you wonder. “My mother does everything for me, can I really ask this of her as well? I should just let her have it. I owe her anyway.”

The mother’s way has always been a one minute, foolproof take­down of any and all adolescent resistance.

This time, the bone of contention happened to be which radio station we would listen to on the way to our destination. My mother, the driver, was an avid listener of NPR and classical, ­ nothing I am against, of course, ­but over time, a change of station is needed in my opinion. I am a rabid fan of alternative rock and indie rock. The music of 95.3 FM is food for my soul.

My mother’s opinion on this station wavers between extreme annoyance and forced contentment. I was determined to get my way this time, so I turned the magic dial to 95.3.

Then, it happened: the sigh.

Pangs of conscience wracked my heart so I could feel it bleeding out from self-reproach. The damage slowly leaked into my body cavity, burning my organs from the inside. I could feel my fingers twitching to turn the radio station back to classical to end the torture. My mother was winning. Yet deep down inside me, a wave of defiance rose up in me. I had held an ace up my sleeve for the last 17 years, and now was finally my time to use it.

“Just think, Mom. You only have a few more months to listen to this music with me. After that, I’ll be gone.”

My mother’s composure slipped up as her sure victory crumbled. She paled

Graduation will be the perfect end to an exciting four years.

Will I cry? Probably.

Will my mom cry?

Definitely. slightly. The weight of sadness at losing her youngest child caused her to slouch slightly over the steering wheel. “Oh,” she squeaked. She turned up the volume slightly so 95.3 echoed throughout the cabin of the beat­-up minivan.

A small part of me wanted to crow with victory. I had found the winning hand to beat all arguments, yet my own argument rang through my consciousness. I was really leaving.

I wouldn’t be riding in the minivan with my mom anymore. I was really moving to Boston. Why am I moving to Boston? Why did I have to choose a university so far away from my dear mother, the last woman standing in a house of a mother and two children.

What was wrong with me?

My internal struggle poured out into the minivan, my lips smiling to soften the blow of the truth. “Mom, I’m going to graduate, and then I’m going to move away. Then, I’m only going to see you, like, twice a year.”

“Stop or I’m going to start crying!” my mom mock glared at me, her eyes already a bit shinier than usual.

“I know! And you’re going to cry at graduation! Then, if you cry, I’m going to cry!”

“I already changed the radio station for you,” my mom grumbled. She saw my disquieted posture and smiled gently. She squeezed my hand for a moment. “Please, you’re going to have so much fun in college.”

My internal rant cut off. Graduation was getting closer and closer as was leaving for college. I was 17 and still clinging to my mother’s skirts. Still, I knew, deep down, that my mom was right as per usual. I was going to love college and graduation wouldn’t so much be the end of an era but the beginning of a new one.

Since the infamous radio station victory, I’ve gotten closer and closer to the big day. My mom and I are both very excited about my decision to go to Northeastern University. My high school career has seemed eons long rather than just a mere four years at Ravenscroft. I have gone through three sports seasons, two boyfriends, a court battle, prom, a half marathon, and so many inspiring teachers and friends. Graduation will be the perfect end to an exciting four years. Will I cry? Probably. Will my mom cry? Definitely. Will I not get to see her very often while I’m in college?

Unfortunately, yes.

But something tells me we’ll both be just fine.

As long as she doesn’t convert my room to a den or an office or something because that is not okay. I turn my head over my shoulder to the amazing woman who has raised me.

“You won’t mess with my room while I’m gone, right?” I ask.

Her eyes twinkle mischievously in reply. Her blonde hair, just like mine, swishes as she climbs the stairs to her office. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Fine,” I sigh, smiling. “Do whatever you want.” R

CHRISTINA POTTER ‘14 at graduation

Summer 2014

23

CENTER STAGE Students and alumni excelling in the arts

Channeling the Muse Jenks Miller ’00

JENKS MILLER ’00 (left) with Mount Moriah

Photo by Andrew Synowiez Article by Karen Taylor

It’s impossible to categorize the music of Jenks Miller ’00. There’s such a range of sound in his work that he regularly records and performs as three distinct entities. It’s a bit easier to characterize the musician Miller has become since he first took up violin at Ravenscroft’s Lower School. Music critics have called him “meticulous,” “experimental,” and “prolific.”

And he’s just getting started.

M

ILLER, 30, WHO LIVES IN CHAPEL HILL, has released 15

full-length albums since 2004, putting him, as Grayson Currin wrote in Indy Week last year, “among the most productive musicians recording not only in the Triangle but in all of independent music.”

As Miller sees it, his catalog is the natural result of a creative drive whose prodigious output is matched only by its genre-defying scope.

24

R avenscroft magazine

“I feel like all this stuff is already inside, so it’s just a matter of accessing it over time, fleshing out some kind of whole vision,” he said. “The stuff that’s very aggressive or dark usually ends up on a Horseback record. The stuff that’s more listener-friendly gets introduced during Mount Moriah rehearsals.”

Horseback, Miller’s metal-band persona, is known for what Spin magazine in 2012 described as “grisly textures and endless looping rhythms,” a mix of noise,

metal, and blues that drones and disrupts with equal ferocity. As a solo artist, he has explored everything from electronics to folk-rock, blending his skillful guitar work with repetitive background sounds, including a field recording of the rushing water of the Haw River.

With his most recent project, Mount Moriah, he offers up something entirely different. Collaborating with singer/ guitarist Heather McEntire and bassist Casey Toll, Miller brings his eclectic

muse to the alt-country genre, pushing against the boundaries of tradition to create a sound that is elegant and restrained.

He appreciates the differences in these outlets — both in the process and the product.

“I work faster on my own since there’s not as much negotiation or compromise involved. But the tradeoff is that working with a band allows one to achieve a kind of synergy that’s only present in live performance,” Miller said.

“Something unique happens when two or more instrumental voices exist simultaneously, something that’s not captured on a sheet of music or in overdubbing.

That interaction is what fuels the best jazz recordings, but it’s true of any sort of music.”

and songwriting, as quickly.”

It was in ninth grade, when Miller started playing guitar, that music became a bigger part of his life.

“Soon after picking up the guitar, I formed a rock band with some friends.

That band stayed together throughout high school and served as my main social outlet,” he said. “That was the beginning of my desire to have music be a significant part of my identity.”

Another critical piece to Miller’s development as a musician was his summer at Governor’s School, a residential program for North Carolina’s gifted high school students.

FOUNDATIONAL SPRINGBOARD Miller’s reference to jazz is another indication of the expansiveness of his musical interests, the foundations of which go all the way back to his childhood.

“I had taken piano lessons as a kid, played violin as part of Ravenscroft’s Lower School music program, and played concert bass with Ravenscroft’s Middle School orchestra from sixth to eighth grade,” he said. “By the time I was ready to dig into the creative aspects of music-making, I had already covered most of the basics on other instruments.”

Marilyn Budrow, who with her husband, Jack, taught Ravenscroft’s Middle and Upper School strings program, remembers Miller as “an inquisitive musician. He was talented and seemed to find his niche when he switched from violin to bass,” she said. “I think his early study at Ravenscroft was his foundational springboard that launched him into his pursuit of a passion for music.”

Miller echoed that sentiment.

“Music is a language, and like any language it’s much easier to learn when you’re young,” he said. “Without early music instruction, I would have struggled with the basics of the guitar and probably wouldn’t have been able to find its more advanced applications, like composition

“Governor’s School exposes students to ideas that are current, raw and powerful — ideas that shape the architecture of our culture rather than serving as its foundation,” he said, noting that its 20th-century focus complemented the traditional curriculum at Ravenscroft.

“The sense that I could access new ideas in the present, rather than simply referencing the remote past, was very important to me. I don’t think I could have considered myself an artist without this revelation.”

DEVOTED TO A PRACTICE Immersing himself in new ideas and challenges as an undergraduate at UNCChapel Hill, Miller continued to explore

“Music is a language, and like any language it’s much easier to learn when you’re young.” music, releasing his first Horseback album in 2004. He has since gained recognition through frequent releases and powerful live performances, including multiple appearances at Raleigh’s Hopscotch festival.

He has also developed a disciplined approach to songwriting and recording.

“My musical interest as a whole is devoted to what is really a practice, something I can focus my attention on daily and thereby provide structure to a chaotic and whimsical creative process,” he said. “I force myself to sit and work on something nearly every day, even if I don’t know what it may look like when it’s time to quit. I maintain a few different outlets because every day is different, and I don’t like feeling the need to edit out all the stuff that doesn’t conform to one project’s boundaries or identity.”

Bandmate Casey Toll described Miller’s creative process as “both regimented and personal. He writes and records regularly alone at his home studio.

He works as hard on music and writing as his prolific output over the past few years would suggest.”

“The other quality that shapes his musicianship,” he added, “is his openness to varied styles and genres. Jenks is the only musician I know who is so knowledgeable about avant-garde, classical, jazz, heavy metal, classic rock and country.”

“I try not to think too much about genres,” he said, “either in my listening habits or in my own work as a musician.” R

Summer 2014

25

GAME DAY Students and alumni who are outstanding athletes

The Lake Show Ryan Kelly ’09

RYAN KELLY ’09 while at Ravenscroft and now playing for the L.A. Lakers

Ryan Kelly ’09 started his professional basketball career with a non-guaranteed contract that left him vulnerable to being cut at any time. Facing injury and uncertainty after being selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2013 NBA draft, he earned a regular spot in the team’s rotation and had his contract fully guaranteed in early January. He averaged eight points and nearly four rebounds per game during a successful rookie campaign.

K

ELLY MET THE VARIOUS CHALLENGES he faced by falling back

on what he knows best: hard work.

“That’s kind of how I approached the whole season was knowing that today or tomorrow could be my last day so I had to work my hardest and perform at a high level,” Kelly said. “It was an awesome year in that I got some opportunity, especially for somebody who

26

R avenscroft magazine

was a second round pick and coming off an injury. Despite the Lakers having a tough year wins wise, it gave me an opportunity to get a lot of playing time, which is not an easy task.”

He scored his first NBA basket, a three-pointer, on Nov. 5, 2013, against the Dallas Mavericks and finished the game a perfect one-for-one from the floor.

He earned his first NBA start on

Jan. 19, scoring 17 points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out two assists and making two steals in a 112-106 Lakers victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Two games later he and the Lakers faced Lebron James and the defending champion Miami Heat. Kelly came off the bench in a nationally televised game versus the Heat on Christmas Day; he was a starter the second time around.

Competing against the game’s greatest players, like James and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, proved memorable.

“The first thing I felt was that my dream was coming true. Those are guys I’ve been watching and trying to take little things from their games for years,” Kelly said. “Then you’re standing right in front of them trying to guard them, or they’re trying to guard you. It’s special in that one moment and then you realize it doesn’t really matter because you have to perform.”

Beyond meeting the game’s physical demands, Kelly identifies mental toughness as a characteristic that helped him survive rookie life in the NBA. He had to adapt to playing more than twice as many games in a season as he did during his college career at Duke, including extended road trips that sometimes proved lonely. Catching up with family and friends on the road helped combat the loneliness.

“It’s very different, but it’s really fun.

I’ve gotten to see a lot of new places, played against some great players, and the bottom line is I’m doing do what I

love to do,” Kelly said. “It’s a game and I’m having fun, but it’s my living.”

Kelly credits Ravenscroft Head Basketball Coach Kevin Billerman with nurturing his NBA dream from an early age and building upon the strong work ethic instilled in him by his parents, Head of School Doreen Kelly and Upper School Instructor Chris Kelly.

“Coach Billerman was always telling me I’m going to play at the highest level of basketball and I always believed him,” Kelly said. “At the time, that was always my dream to play in the NBA. I had great people around me, like Coach Billerman and his entire coaching staff and my dad and my mom, continuing to push me to grow.”

As his game has grown on the court, his relationship with Lindsay Cowher ’09 has grown off of it. The two high school basketball stars started dating at Ravenscroft, persevered through the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship during college, and now, Kelly said, “we’re in a pretty awesome place.” The couple married on Aug. 2.

Kelly signed a two-year contract with the Lakers in July. Moving for-

“Coach Billerman was always telling me I’m going to play at the highest level of basketball, and I always believed him.” ward, he will seek to continue improving as an NBA player and prove wrong those who left him off the league’s All-Rookie Team. He’ll do it the same way he’s always done.

“I’m very much a product of the hard work I put into everything. God gave me some height, but other than that he didn’t give me many other traits that a great basketball player has,” Kelly said. “I’ve never been the strongest guy on the floor, I’ve never been the quickest guy, I’ve never been the fastest guy, so everything I’ve gotten has been through hard work and discipline.” R

Kelly’s Senior Night at Ravenscroft. “I had great people around me ... continuing to push me to grow,” he said.

Summer 2014

27

CLASS NOTES Catching up with our alumni

BIRTHS 2

1 1. Katy Geil Smyth ‘96, son William “Bo” Bowles Smyth, May 8

2. Nathan Wittkamp ‘97, son Barrett Edward Wittkamp, April 25

3. MELISSA WARREN DOUGHER ’00, daughter Emily Casper, April 7

3

LOWER SCHOOL HAS BREAKFAST WITH TUCKER STREET PEN PALS DENISE SIMPSON’s fourth-grade students

enjoyed breakfast with their Tucker Street Alumni pen pals on May 29. Simpson’s classes have been pen pals with Tucker Street Alumni for years. They write letters during the year and then get to meet each other at the Pen Pal Breakfast held in May.

28

R avenscroft magazine

TUCKER STREET

1977

Once again, Tucker Street alumni were Pen Pals with Mrs. Denise Simpson’s fourth-grade class and enjoyed a breakfast together on May 29 in the Winston Library. Pen Pals included:

terry.chambliss@duke.edu

George Edwards, Ginger Doughton Finley, Kate Johnson Fonville, Sarah Wesley Fox, Martin Green, Alfred Hamilton, Annie Lee McLeod Hansen, Nancy Haywood, Libby Holding, Phyllis Cannon Howell, Sen. Neal Hunt, Marriott Procter Little, Belle Long, Dan McAllister, Ihrie Pou O’Bryant, Shirley Fox Phillips, Haywood Poole, Bill Rand, Polly Starbuck Robertson, Lillian Pou Stroupe, Buzzie Sturgess, and Smedes York.

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. We are expanding the Pen Pal program to include all fourth-grade classes, so we need 60 more Pen Pals!

Frances Cooper Pou Carr passed away in November. Sympathy goes out to her sister, Ihrie Pou O’Bryant and Lillian Stroupe.

1973

Ted Salisbury tedsalisbury@hotmail.com

1974

Terry Wallace Chambliss Sympathy goes out to Terry Chambliss on the death of her mother.

1978

Leif Petterson Sympathy to Andree Corbin Vetrano on the death of her mother who passed away in May.

cindy@cindypoole.com

1976

Mary Catherine Kennedy Sigmon MCKS@KennedyOfficeSupply.com

Sympathy to Kathy Purser Lockhart on the death of her father.

April 12, 2014

Johnathon Gregory Taylor ’14 June 28, 2014

allisonholmes@nc.rr.com

Lisa Brown Glenn’s son, Gates Aldridge ‘07, got married this fall in Wilmington. He married Courtney Newcombe ‘07, a girl he has known since he was 15 at Ravenscroft. The newlyweds will live in Raleigh.

Lisa has a new job as the business development manager for Stonegate Mortgage Company. Her territory is all of North Carolina.

Lee Quinn’s son, Trey Quinn, got married this August 2013 to Stephanie Hamstead. After their honeymoon, they are living in Greenville, N.C.

The ‘70s decade party was fabulous! Mother’s Finest didn’t disappoint. I had such a great time seeing everyone there. The following people were there from our class: Cathy Edwards Lull, Skipper Day, Tucker

Cindy Poole

Lauren Dilthey Sink ’85

Allison Gilbert Holmes

40th Class Reunion Time! Mark your calendar for May 2, 2015! If you would like to serve on the planning committee, contact your class agent or Tammy Haywood at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

Sympathy goes out to Dorothy Wallace on the death of her mother.

November 17, 2013

1979

1975

lynnwmck@bellsouth.net

Frances Cooper Pou Carr ’71

Leif.peterson@me.com

Julia Wishy Gough’s mother, Barbara, was mentioned in the new Raleigh magazine, Walter. There was an article on living in Historic Oakwood and Julia’s mother was quoted. Mrs. Wishy said that Oakwood was very blighted in 1974, when she moved there, but Mrs. Wishy didn’t see that. She said that all she just saw the fabulous architecture and was totally taken with that. This article is in the December/ January edition.

Lynn Wall McKinney

In Memorium

Gaddy Fogarty, Worth Harris, Tom Gibbons, Allen Massey, Shahab Isfahani, Chuck Duncan, Margie Johnson Springer, Lisa Brown Glenn, Anita Daniel Kraynik, Sharon Hartzog Craig, Dianne Jones Hyneman, Lisa Phillips Perkinson, Johnny Lyon, Tom Rice, Sally King Chappelow, George Andrews, Bolton Boney, Dean Shavlik, Billy Simpson and me, Allison Holmes.

Worth Harris is back to competitive sailing these days. He was just in Key West, Fla. the day before the ‘70s decade party.

Allen Massey and his wife, Lori, are enjoying their empty nest. They went skiing in Colorado for a few months.

Summer 2014

29

CLASS NOTES

Lisa Phillips Perkinson is raising chickens in Greenville, S.C. She is also enjoying an empty nest.

Shahab Isfahani said that he has gotten a major Hollywood studio to add to his customers in his company, Resolute Limousine. Way to go Shahab!

Elizabeth Davis Treanor is doing well and living in Naples, Fla. with her husband, Gregor, and two sons John, 21, and Robert, 19.

Valli Corbin on the death of her mother, who passed away in May. In January, the ‘70s classes had a decade reunion featuring Mother’s Finest playing. They invited the early ’80s classes. From the class of ‘81, the following came and had a wonderful time: Mary Grady Koonce Bell and Vic; Beth Lyon Murray and her husband, James

Joyner; Dan Morrison; Gigi Johnson; Candice Norris Greene; and Scott and Sylvia Jurgenson.

All who went had a great time.

I recently took a segway tour with Triangle Glides in Raleigh. You won’t believe who my tour guide was — the one and only Bruce Miller. He did a great job and I highly recommend these guys. You might be lucky enough to have Bruce as your tour guide like we did.

Sympathy to Sally Smith on the death of her father, who passed away in June and to John Hogan, whose father passed away in May. We have our 35th reunion coming up this fall on Nov. 1. It will be at my house and I hope that you all will come. It will be fun, and it is always great to see all of our classmates. Our committee has been hard at work so please come out and support us and our class.

1980 35th Class Reunion Time! Mark your calendar for May 2, 2015! If you would like to serve on the planning committee, contact your class agent or Tammy Haywood at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

Kate Kenney Kgcgcg@aol.com

Bill Joyner writes, “Beginning this August, I will spend the 2014-2015 academic year as visiting assistant professor of voice in the University of North Texas College of Music. I will teach voice to graduate and undergraduate students, as well as a course on French lyric diction. The website for the UNT College of Music is music.unt.edu. I am very excited about this coming year!”

Sympathy to Lucy Corbin on the death of her mother who passed away in May.

1981

Madeline Gilbert madgilbert1963@yahoo.com

Sympathy goes out to Kellie Falk on the death of her father, David, who passed away on April 14 and to

30

R avenscroft magazine

Congratulations goes to Scott Jurgensen and Sylvia on their marriage the day before Thanksgiving. Scott and Cathy’s oldest daughter, Ginny, is working in the front office of the Denver Broncos. Congrats go to Scott and Cathy’s son Anderson who has joined the Marines.

I had drinks with Mary Grady Koonce Bell this past spring. It was great catching up with her. We talked a lot about her daughter Mary Grady Bell ‘14, who is one of this year’s Morehead Cain scholarship recipients to the University of North Carolina. Young Mary Grady and 11 other students at Ravenscroft ran the Hood to Coast relay race in Oregon. They raised $50,000 for the American Society of Cancer and completed the course in 27 hours and 37 minutes. Mary Grady and Vic did not go and watch this hard relay race.

Harriet Ashby Bond’s son, Jack, just graduated from Christ School and will be attending Clemson this fall.

Her youngest is still at Christ School.

Nancy Christian’s youngest, Carson, will be going to Elon University. Nancy is now working for Jonathan Adler.

Mary Duke Saunders Grubb’s daughter, Sarah, is going to the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.

Nina Anderson Cheney’s daughter won the Gold Eagle, the highest academic honor at Woodward Academy in Atlanta. Nina’s mother recently received an honorary doctorate.

Kim McCall Whitley is working at Meredith College on their capital campaign.

Jay Hardison writes that he and his family have been in Darien, Conn. for 22 years and love it. His daughter is a freshman at Boston University and plays lacrosse, his son is a freshman in high school and plays football and lacrosse.

There was a great article in the Eastern Wake News about Susan and Bill Little and that they are multisport race enthusiasts. It was a great article about both of them. Then to continue on this theme, Bill posted

everything that he did during his 50th year. Here are some of the highlights: bought a red convertible Mini Cooper (I guess to remind him that really he’s middle aged, not a 20-year-old anymore); bungee jumped and mountain biked in Costa Rica; ran in his first ultra marathon, the Ironman in Cozumel; and swam the loop — a 3.5-mile open water swim. One of the most noted races was the Umstead 100 Endurance Run. Kelly Worth Mitchell ran one of the legs with him as a pacer and helped keep his mind from thinking about the race by catching up with each other. Way to go Bill and Kelly.

Beth Lyon Murray and Tara Burch Shaw surprised Betsy Barringer Hoaglund this past fall for her 50th birthday celebration.

Well, we all know that Louis Wooten is a successful attorney, but some of you may not know that one Saturday in the summer, he and some friends made bread and butter pickles, which are amazing. I’m thinking you should quit your day job Louis and make pickles a fulltime business!

Finally, condolences go to Haywood Hardin and his sister Olivia Hardin Pettifer for the recent loss of their father.

Olivia posted some great pictures of Haywood and his dad hunting. Thanks for sharing those Olivia.

I switched jobs in October to help one of my manufacturers, Jim Thompson Thai Silk, start their first showroom in the U.S. I have been showing the line for 15 years and many of my co-workers I had already worked with. I still cover NC/SC Interior Designers and I’m having a blast. I’m really glad that I came to work for Jim Thompson, not to mention, they by far make my favorite fabrics.

My nephews are now 15 and driving with a learner’s permit. Since I was a passenger with Allison Gilbert Holmes ‘79 when she was 15 and it’s still fresh in my mind, I think that I might pass on riding with my nephews! James is working on his Eagle Scout and Stuart is one of the elite runners on the Broughton cross-country team. They are both growing up too fast.

I’d love to hear from you, email me or friend me on Facebook or Linkedin to keep me up with your news. madgilbert1963@yahoo.com

1982

William Gaither wmgaither@msn.com

1983

Caroline Day Plummer Carolinedayplummer@gmail.com

1984

John Parham john@legacyws.com

1985 30th Class Reunion Time! Mark your calendar for May 2, 2015! If you would like to serve on the planning committee, contact your class agent or Tammy Haywood at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

Holly Parker Preston

DENE DAWSON ‘85 and CHRIS HAGA ‘85 at the BMW Off-Road Motorcycle School in Spartanburg, S.C.

Jepreston@mindspring.com

Mike Ellison writes: “I married Jennifer Green on May 31 in Charleston, S.C. I am still living in Alexandria and have launched my own consulting firm, StrategyRED, doing major gift fundraising for nonprofits, political candidates, political parties, political issues, and PACs.” Dene Dawson and Chris Haga spent two days at the BMW Off-Road Motorcycle School in Spartanburg, S.C., learning to do off-road adventure riding on the new BMW Dual Sport bikes. It was a blast, especially in three inches of rain. Lets face it, at 47 years old, how often do you get to really “play in the mud!”

1986

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

KRISTINA KALNIN BLASS ‘86 and family

Kristina Kalnin Blass writes that she and husband, Dr. Mitchell Blass, live in Atlanta. Their daughter, Louisa, celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on April 6, 2013. She also sent in a photo of their family including their son, Joshua Eduard Blass.

1987

Gerry Jacobs Gerryjacobs1969@gmail.com

Bill Olmstead is still working for Maersk in Europe and raising two adorable boys with his wife, Dina.

They’ll be moving from Genoa, Italy to Madrid, Spain this summer.

1988

Cathy Myers Carlino ccarlino@carolina.rr.com

Mike Mullis notes that there is nothing much new to

LOUISE BLASS, daughter of KRISTINA KALNIN BLASS ‘86 at her Bat Mitzvah

report in Greenville, S.C. In addition to his regular job, he is a taxi to his 14- and 10-year-old sons from Summer 2014

31

CLASS NOTES

game to game. Brendan, his oldest, just finished his first year of JV Baseball then headed right into Babe Ruth and travel ball. The family is going to Florida this summer for vacation when they get a break in the action.

Kimberly Brady-Gillaspie reports that the Gillaspie’s

CHRISTI JONES DUDEK ’90 with her sons

are very blessed. Their daughter Kolby is getting baptized on June 8. Kim is working with my husband’s company now! Take care and God bless to all my fellow “Crofters”!

Cathy wishes everyone a terrific summer. She is looking forward to a week’s vacation in Montana including time in Yellowstone National Park and then a week at Ocean Isle in July with the entire Myers family (Debbie ‘89 and Doug ‘92).

1989

Amy Copeland Petitfils and Sonya Smith Beacham acpetitfils@yahoo.com sbeacham@cfcc.edu KEVIN GALLAGHER ’90

Happy Olmstead and her husband, Jeff, bought a

Crystal Jones Wilson and Rod Wilson, (they count as one update), are doing great. They have been living in the area for some time, but just relocated to Switzerland a few months ago. I got the opportunity to play tennis with her a few times before she moved.

We had a blast.

Elizabeth Shick lives in Denver, Colo., and by all ac-

Alison Mackie Hurst’s son, James, graduated from St.

Jennifer Wall Beard has lived in charming Charles-

25th Class Reunion Time! Mark your calendar for May 2, 2015! If you would like to serve on the planning committee, contact your class agent or Tammy Haywood at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

Kristin Snyder Kash Kkash@houseofkash.com

Welcome to the newest installment of 1990 class notes. Exciting news! I have created a class of 1990 Facebook group, and 33 of you have joined the group. This means two things. First, my plea for class notes is not falling on deaf ears and two, those who received the request know that I will be happy to provide an update on their behalf should they prefer to ignore my request.

So this is it. I will do my best to keep this factual but reserve the right to share my own personal views should I feel they are relevant. (Just a little perk of never receiving those TPS reports/updates for 20 years now.)

R avenscroft magazine

Gena Wilkes Farris is still living in Raleigh with her husband, Jeff, and her precious mini Gena, named Haydon (cute as pie). She continues her work as a speech therapist, and if you saw her, you might think she is still in her 20s.

counts, via Facebook, makes the rest of us look lazy.

From biking to skiing and fitting in her career as Elizabeth Shick, DDS, I don’t know how she does it. And did I mention she has kids? Two of them— a handsome boy and pretty little girl!

1990

32

Tamara Hicks Joyner lives in Knightdale with her husband, Ryan, and her two spunky precious little girls, Roxy and Bella. They both attend Ravenscroft and keep Tamara busy!

marsh view house in Wilmington and welcome visitors. They have been enjoying decorating, getting to know their new neighbors and town, and exploring the state.

David’s and received the President’s Scholarship and the Good Man Award from Hampden-Sydney, the school he will be attending in the fall.

MICHAEL GALLAGHER ‘90

Christi Jones Dudek lives in Franklinton, N.C. with her husband, Eric, and her two adorable sons, Jax and Colt. They are quite the handful, and she handles them with one hand tied behind her back.

ton, S.C. for the past 13 years. Quincy is 9, and Maggie is 7. Both kids are avid swimmers, and Jennifer and husband Michael, married 11 years ago, still love the beach.

Thom Dunn is living in Raleigh. He has been DJing and producing music events for many years—from house parties to special DJ festivals to major nightclubs. Thom has performed for almost every type of crowd. He enjoys running into former classmates including Christine Stevenson Kinney, Todd Dawson, and Amy Myrick Miller. Thom also enjoys sailing and camping in his free time.

Trisha Connors Barto writes: “Hello All! After it seems we have been touring the country and living in Texas, Colorado and California over the past several years, we are now in upstate New York and hope to stay put for a while. We made it through a brutal winter and are loving the summer weather. Our three girls keep us busy and laughing a lot! MacKinley is 9, Morgan is 6 and Taylor is 3. Love hearing what everyone is up to!”

Kevin Rose is living in Charlotte with his wife, Claire. Per his Facebook posts, he goes on some fabulous trips and has great times with his brother, Chris, skiing, watching baseball and sharing a beer or two.

Kevin Gallagher is living in Louisville, Ky., and is married to his bride, Grace, and has two cute as pie boys, Penn and Reed. They are very active and apparently love to keep things fresh with constant home remodels — three in five years.

Michael Gallagher is an orthopedic surgeon in Boulder, Colo., and is married to Melissa, with two beautiful kids, Reese, 6, and Owen, 7. He is a rockstar in my book clearly becoming the class of 1990’s most in shape and active alumni. He runs marathons, including the Boston, and most recently finished an Ironman in 10:48:00. Congrats!

Russell DeMent writes: “Living in Raleigh and continuing to practice law as a partner/owner at DeMent Askew. Emma is a rising junior at the Croft. She cheers and plays softball. Weldon is a rising freshman and wrestles as well as enjoys fishing and hunting. Carey is 2 and learning to swim.”

Todd Dawson is living in Garner with his beautiful wife. He owns and runs Ice Occasions. If you haven’t seen his work, you are missing out. He creates the most elaborate and beautiful ice sculptures. He even made an ice sculpture news desk for WRAL-TV this past winter. He creates masterpieces all over the state and country. Look for their Facebook page, Ice Occasions on N.C., to see his work.

As for me, Kristin Kash, I continue to strive to live in blissful chaos and have developed a knack for managing it all. It may not be pretty, but I am getting the hang of it. I left WRAL.com after 12 years to help care for my mom who has Alzheimer’s. We have since moved her to a fabulous memory care facility in Raleigh. She is happy and safe, which is a blessing. After sorting through her house, it is finally on the market. Whew. I have to say, mom saved it all, so I had a blast discovering my high school days from the viewpoint of a grown adult. Great time and hysterical photos. I started art classes and continue to seek a molecule of my father’s painting talent.

I also have taken to tennis, which ironically has brought me face to face with Crystal Wilson and Kim Curless and, of course, Dr. Fajgenbaum, too. My wonderful husband, Greg, and son, Mason, 7, keep me laughing and very busy. Jack and Blue (lab brothers) are getting older but never miss a family moment.

1991

Class Agent needed! If you are interested in serving, please email Tammy Haywood, director of alumni giving and activities at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

1992

Stephenie Butler Kovac

Thank you to those who took the time to contribute class notes. It makes my job much easier when I have information to report. My second term serving on the Alumni Council has ended. I have really enjoyed the past four years on council and reconnecting with Ravenscroft. The School has changed so much but stayed the same in many ways. If you are local and are interested in serving on the Alumni Council, contact Tammy Haywood.

My life has been pretty hectic over the past year.

I got married, had a baby and moved. Needless to say, the long weekend that I spent with my parents, Brent and Carrington, at Kiawah Island over Memorial Weekend was much needed! See the photo of Carrington.

Leigha Privette Anderson writes: “My husband,

Children of RUSSELL DEMENT ’90

Dennis, our girls, Riley and Harper, and I recently enjoyed a magical Disney Cruise vacation to the Western Caribbean. We had a wonderful time.”

Scott Bovelsky writes: “I am still in Delaware working as an ObGyn. For my 40th birthday I got eyeglasses. :) I took a trip with the family to Ireland, England and Scotland. I have attached a photo of me at the Guinness factory learning to pour the perfect pint.” (p. 35)

Heather Firth Friedman writes: “The news from Maryland is that my husband, Darrin, and his business partner, started their own real estate brokerage last year, and although I’m not officially on the payroll, I am very involved with the company, as I have become both the copy editor and the voiceover talent for the very cool Washington, D.C. neighborhood videos that the company produces and posts on their website. Visit rlathome/home/ neighborhood-profiles.com to check them out. I am also working part-time from home as a medical editor, specializing in manuscripts written by nonnative English speakers. Otherwise I am enjoying being home with my two kids, Maggie, 11, and Sam, 6. Our big thrill this spring was that we finally got to take our first child-free vacation in over a decade, spending time in Key West while my mother enjoyed hanging out with her grandkids.”

KRISTIN KASH’s ’90 son, Mason, and husband, Greg

Reba Nemath Scharff writes: “Avery Grace Scharff was born Feb. 4, 2014, and is the sweetest girl ever!

Noah finished first grade (gulp!) and is the best big brother there is! Owning our own firm is going well, and the flexibility with the baby has been such a blessing.”

1993

Riley and Harper, daughters of LEIGHA PRIVETTE ANDERSON ‘92

Penny Abrahams Rogers pennyrogers@gmail.com

Stephanie.butler@bcafreeedom.com

Summer 2014

33

CLASS NOTES

WEDDINGS

2

1

4 1. Doug Britt ‘98 married Alice FortuneGreeley on May 17 2. David Fajgenbaum ‘03 married Caitlin Prazenica ’06 on May 24 3. Gretchen Presnell ‘04 married John Hyde on Nov. 23, 2013

4. Lauren-Kelly Devine ‘07 married Robertson Greenbacker on Dec. 31, 2013

34

R avenscroft magazine

3

1994

Tim Johnson tej916@gmail.com

1995 20th Class Reunion Time! Mark your calendar for May 2, 2015! If you would like to serve on the planning committee, contact your class agent or Tammy Haywood at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

Matt Cantando mattcantando@msn.com

1996

Katy Geil Smyth katygeil@hotmail.com

ence (for middle schools) to this year finishing second with five conference winners. Not bad for a middle school that has 300 students competing against other Durham middle schools with 1,000 or more students. Thomas notes, DSA had two All Conference wrestlers, nine Regional Qualifiers with two State Qualifiers. His wife, Sarah, works for Food Lion as a safety specialist. He says, “My two boys, Oliver and Candon are growing up fast. Since they are getting older, they are spending more and more time on the wrestling mat learning to wrestle themselves. However, Thomas’ house was divided when DSA wrestled Ravenscroft. He says one of my sons cheered my team on while the other cheered for Ravenscroft since their grandpa is the assistant coach for the Ravens.”

1998

Ellen Mann Ellen.b.mann@gmail.com

For Smyth family news, we welcomed William Bowles Smyth, “Bo,” born May 8, 2014, and have a proud big brother Rocky, 2 1/2.

Congratulations to Dr. Rich Gillespie who received the Occoneechee Council-Boy Scouts of America 2014 Distinguished Medical Professional Award!

Amanda Bucci writes: “I am still a child and family therapist in Asheville. Our twin boys (Ethan and Oliver) are one now and Sam, 5, goes to kindergarten in the fall, and Max, 7, is an awesome leader of the pack.”

1997

Elizabeth Warren Hamilton

Congrats to Doug Britt ‘98 who married Alice Fortune-Greeley on May 17!

1999

Allison Drummond Stewart allisonkathleenstewart@gmail.com

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.

Ecarver22@nc.rr.com

2000

Nathan Wittkamp and his wife welcomed a son, Bar-

15th Class Reunion Time! Mark your calendar for May

rett Edward Wittkamp, who was born on April 25.

2, 2015! If you would like to serve on the planning committee, contact your class agent or Tammy Haywood at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

Jennifer Merrill Warne and her husband, Kevin, have moved from Baltimore to North Potomac, Md., where Jenn has started a new career in hospital administration. She is currently the manager of administration in the president’s office at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington D.C. Kevin is starting his third season as the head men’s lacrosse coach at Georgetown University. Their daughter Campbell is now 2 years old.

Thomas Durham and his family moved back to Raleigh from New Bern in September. Thomas now works at Durham School of the Arts running their wrestling program. He ran their middle school and high school programs. After one season, the middle school team did a complete 180 from last year when they finished last in the Durham Athletic Confer-

SCOTT BOVELSKY ’92 at the Guinness factory

Carrington, daughter of STEPHENIE BUTLER KOVAC ‘92

Melissa Warren Dougher melissawdougher@gmail.com

Diana Schofield accepted a faculty appointment and started working in the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD) and Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va. In February, she spent a week in Japan to travel and watch her boyfriend run the 2014 Tokyo marathon. She looks forward to seeing Jena Howard and Carly Apple this summer!

Matt Jones started a new job working with John Parham ’84 at AXA Advisors in Raleigh.

Summer 2014

35

CLASS NOTES

Stephen Smith’s work as a photographer and rancher

Drew Hargrove graduated this spring from UNC

on the Chico Basin Ranch in Colorado was featured on the Conde Nast Traveler website. Check out his Instagram site — he works under iamstephensmith.

Law School.

2002

Kristen Anderson Hudson and Stacey Ingram Carothers

2001

kristenanderson@gmail.com stacey219@gmail.com

Jaclyn White Morgan jaclyn.w.morgan@gmail.com

Rachel Stockburger Boerner writes: “I started working as an independent distributor for It Works Global in September of 2013. I have since been promoted six times and am working on my seventh promotion! The company is best know for the Ultimate Body Applicator, aka the “skinny wrap!”

Results are cumulative and lasting! Not water weight!! I love what I’m doing and know that I am changing lives! Now my children even participate.

Jackson, 5, always asks when we are having a wrap party and Emily, 2, constantly asks people if they want a coupon for a body wrap! We are taking trips to Disney and Mexico as well as other traveling...

All paid for with my “side business!” Couldn’t be happier!”

Nathan Dnistran just graduated from business school at Duke and will be moving to San Francisco to work for Goldman Sachs.

Todd Duncan and his wife, Emily, welcomed their third daughter, Maggie, on April 1. Big sisters Molly, 4, and Natalie, 2, are thrilled to have a new baby in the house. The Duncans live in Mooresville, N.C.

2003

Anna Claire Murnick acmurnick@gmail.com

David Fajgenbaum married Caitlin Prazenica ‘06 on May 24 in Philadelphia, Pa. Many Ravens were in attendance including: Ben Chesson, best man;

Katherine Mann, Scott Manning, Max Grossman, Gena Fajgenbaum Combs ‘98, Lisa Fajgenbaum ‘96, Philip Fajgenbaum ‘09, and Krissy Fajgenbaum ‘11.

Fanny Slater, one of five finalists in the “Rachael Ray Great American Cookbook Competition” aired nationally on ABC, was named the contest winner on the May 19 “Rachael Ray Show.” As the winner, Fanny wins a cookbook contract with Rachael Ray Books, a GE Kitchen Suite, an appearance on the Rachael Ray show and a feature in “Every Day with Rachael Ray” magazine. Her cookbook concept, “Tastes Like Childhood,” was to create a modern version of favorite childhood foods that she often cooked with her father.

Scott Forsyth writes: “I have one year of Emergency Medicine residency left at UNC, and then I’ll be

MARINE CAPT. Christopher Young ’01 SPEAKS AT RAVENSCROFT’S MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY The Ravenscroft community gathered early on May 23 to honor all members of the military and to remember our fallen soldiers.

Alumnus and veteran Marine Capt. Christopher Young ’01 shared his personal story during the ceremony and reflected on the service of a friend who died in action.

“In my opinion, what makes Memorial Day so special is the great freedoms we share and the extent to which our fallen heroes have sacrificed to preserve those freedoms,” Young said. “I think it is important to appreciate these freedoms and the sacrifices behind them.”

36

R avenscroft magazine

moving to Columbia, S.C. where I’ll (finally!) start my first job as an ER doctor.

2004

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

Elizabeth Eglar Stephens writes: “My husband Jeff and I purchased our first home in North Raleigh on March 3 and were married at The Sutherland in Wake Forest on May 9.”

Rob Mineo writes: “I’m heading to Cornell to start MBA school in August.”

Gretchen Presnell married John Hyde on Nov. 23, 2013 in Raleigh. Gretchen is the director of annual giving for Camp Sea Gull and Camp Seafarer.

Kevin Stevenson writes: “I am still living in Arizona and have recently been named the general manager of the brand new professional soccer team in Arizona called Arizona United Soccer Club. I was helping Kyle Eng (owner of Arrowhead Advertising in Phoenix) launch the sports marketing division of his agency and through many discussions, the USL Pro (which is the league we play in — it is the league right below Major League Soccer) decided to offer Kyle the rights to purchase the team here in Arizona.”

Taylor Greene writes: “My wife and I have moved back to Raleigh and we have a little girl named Lillie Eden Greene who is 15 months old. Zoey and I celebrated our second anniversary at Myrtle Beach.”

2005 10th Class Reunion Time! Mark your calendar for May 2, 2015! If you would like to serve on the planning committee, contact your class agent or Tammy Haywood at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

Jessie Hale Tesh Jessie.tesh@gmail.com

Crofters at LAUREN KELLY DIVINE’S ’07 wedding, bottom row from left: BROOKE HOLLIDAY ’07, STEPHANIE HALE NORRIS ’07, LAUREN-KELLY DEVINE GREENBACKER ’07, KATIE KAPP MUTO ‘07, LIZZY SIMMONS ‘07, and ELISE DORSETT ‘06

Briana Mahoney writes: “I just took a new position as a primary therapist at Third Way Center here in Denver. We work with adolescents in the correctional and foster care system who have backgrounds in trauma and abuse. Keeps me on my toes!”

2006

Celeste Allen Chapman celeste.allen22@gmail.com

David Fajgenbaum married Caitlin Prazenica ‘06 on May 24 in Philadelphia, Pa. Many Ravens were in attendance including: Ben Chesson ‘03, best man;

Katherine Mann ‘03, Scott Manning ‘03, Max Grossman ‘03, Gena Fajgenbaum Combs ‘98, Lisa Fajgenbaum ‘96, Phillip Fajgenbaum ‘09, and Krissy Fajgenbaum ‘11.

Fanny Slater ’03 WINS RACHAEL RAY’S GREAT AMERICAN COOKBOOK COMPETITION Ravenscroft alumna and Wilmington, N.C. caterer Fanny Slater ’03, one of five finalists in the Rachael Ray Great American Cookbook Competition aired nationally on ABC, was named the contest winner on the May 19 Rachael Ray Show.

The finalists competed each week in the kitchen, until the winner was announced. All five finalists received an all-inclusive trip to Cancun, Mexico, Rachael’s cookware, bakeware and tableware, and a webisode on RachaelRayShow.com.

As the winner, Slater wins a cookbook contract with Rachael Ray Books, a GE Kitchen Suite, an appearance on the Rachael Ray show and a feature in “Every Day with Rachael Ray” magazine.

Her cookbook concept, “Tastes Like Childhood,” was to create a modern version of favorite childhood foods that she often cooked with her father.

Summer 2014

37

CLASS NOTES

Caroline Murphy Turco is musical directing for a theatre in Virginia and has a very successful private voice studio. She wishes she had more time to spend on her opera and with her adorable dog, Hercules!

WRAL recently recruited David O’Neal (formerly known as Davey) to launch WRAL’s new digital brand: CBC Digital Elements. He has been account executive of the month for the entire spring, leads his team in total billing and also total accounts closed since the inception of our division in August.

David is thriving in his new role — and WRAL is certainly very lucky to have him!

2007

Rob Byrd robertbyrd@gmail.com

Lauren-Kelly Devine ‘07 married Robertson Greenbacker on Dec. 31, 2013, in Chapel Hill. The Greenbackers now live in Washington, D.C.

2008

Taylor Rankin, Lauren Miller, and Casey Stevenson tfr813@aol.com lauren.e.miller@vanderbilt.edu ccs32@duke.edu

Casey Stevenson writes: “After two years of working full time with Duke basketball, I decided to pursue a position working for the athletic director, Dr. Kevin White. This position gives me a more administrative perspective on college athletics, specifically at Duke University. On another note, I’ve been living in Durham with fellow Raven and great friend, Mark Gozzo, for almost a year now. We are planning on making a move to Raleigh this summer.”

Lauren Miller writes: “I’m still loving and living in Nashville, Tenn. I graduated from Vanderbilt Peabody College in May with a master’s of education (M.Ed) and will start teaching ninth-grade English at Fred J. Page High School in Franklin, Tenn.”

Gavin Dawson writes: “After spending five wonderful years in college playing soccer at both the University of Denver and UNC-Charlotte, I am back in the Triangle area working for a pharmaceutical company called United Therapeutics. I am currently a global data operations associate and loving every bit of it. I am currently studying for the GRE and will be looking at attending grad school next year for a master’s in clinical informatics.”

Jack Manley writes: “I’m still living in the New York area after finishing up NYU and happy to report that the filmmaking dream is still alive and well.

During the day, I work as a VOD operations associ-

38

R avenscroft magazine

ate for InDemand, the On Demand provider for the major cable networks in the United States, which has proven to be an extremely rewarding experience.

So, if you ever order a movie on demand and see any info about the plot, actors, etc. that is incorrect, it’s probably my fault! In my spare time, I have been freelancing as a writer/editor and producer on a number of short films, screenplays, academic essays, and short stories.”

Kevin Bratcher writes: “I finished up grad school at Tulane in May and started working for Agropecuaria del sol Foods running business operations for a couple of commercial farms in rural Bolivia and one on the coast of Peru. We grow a lot of the foods and products that Whole Foods sells in their stores.

Other than that, I still live in New Orleans.”

Lucy Turner writes: “I’m living and working in Boston, Mass. after finishing my master of Music degree in violin performance at Boston University last month. I’m making my living in music as a performer, teacher, and sales consultant at Carriage House Violins, which is one of the biggest shops on the east coast. I’m happy that even my ‘day job’ involves playing violin and working with some really awesome antique and new instruments. I love living in New England and am looking forward to relocating across the river to Cambridge in August. Fellow ’08-er Claire Monaghan also moved up to Boston recently, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to hang out and catch up with her.”

David Markus writes: “I’m currently living in Washington and working in downtown Seattle. I moved here last year with my husband, Alex, who is a lieutenant on a ballistic missile submarine. I am currently working at an architecture firm called Callison doing 3D visualization and rendering. So far I’ve mainly been working on large-scale projects in the Middle East and China, usually malls and mixed-use towers. A pedestrian bridge I helped design is set to be built in Shanghai in the next few years.”

Emily Collawn writes: “After graduating from South Carolina and working for a year and a half at Gibbs & Soell Business Communications in Raleigh, I made the move to New York City last November. I now work at MWW Group in consumer (travel and retail) public relations, live on the Upper East Side and have enjoyed hanging out with Katie Mangano!”

Stahler McKinney writes: “I’m currently living in Charlotte working for The Vanguard Group as a client relationship management specialist. I’ve been here for about 14 months, and I’m currently prepping for the GMAT at the end of the summer.”

Anna Hunter writes: “I graduated this spring from N.C. State with my master’s of public administra-

tion with a specialization in criminal justice administration. I am a true Wolfpacker now! I’m looking in the nonprofit sector and local government.

Currently being a nanny for my nephew in Winston. Woohoo for finally being an aunt!! (x3).

Rush Dorsett writes: “I loved living in St Louis for a year after WashU and working for a music nonprofit doing teaching and administrative work, as well as getting involved in some side singing/collaborative projects. I am currently on an adventure in Secastilla, Spain, where I’m living with a family for a home stay program. I am learning about farming, making wine, and practicing Spanish. Next, I go to Italy to help out with running the Spoleto program.

(I’m sure some of you remember being there).”

Melissa Wohlers writes: “In January, I started an accelerated nursing program in Arlington, right outside D.C. — almost half way done! Have not had much free time, but will graduate this next May.”

Ryan Sandman writes: “Since graduating from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in December 2012, I took some grad classes in the spring at Cornell and Ithaca College. I then heard about a grad program at American University in D.C. called the Graduate Gateway Program that involves two grad classes and an internship. I did a journalism track in the fall and a business track that ended in the beginning of May and decided to stay in D.C. to look for a job. I just started a summer internship at Hillel International in their advancement department.”

Joseph Cline writes: “After graduating from Davidson, I started medical school at UNC. I’m about a week away from starting my third year and am looking to go into surgery.”

Congrats to John Melvin who married Emily Hayworth on May 10, 2014.

Rhett Detweiler writes: “After taking some time to

Kathryn Fogartie, Jack Greenberg, and Sallie King

pursue my passion in music with my band KONG!, I have found myself wrapping up a business management degree at East Carolina. Having worked extensively with Marriott, paired with my years playing shows, recording, and being able to travel, I have developed somewhat of a business mindset and I love what I have been accomplishing at ECU. Once I have wrapped things up here in Greenville at the beginning of next year, I will be transferring into a more stable position hopefully in sales. I have had some great interviews with companies primarily around the Raleigh area, but as I know it is a big world out there so I am open to various opportunities. The next year will be very revealing and I could not be more excited.”

Anita Irbe writes: “I finished King’s College in London three years ago. It was great living in England for four years. A little more than a year ago I moved back to Riga, Latvia. I’ve been working in the fashion industry since graduating from high school.

Over the past year I’ve been working on several cool projects with local brands and designers.”

Clay Winter writes: “I have loved living in Atlanta for the past six years where I obtained my degree in finance and economics from Emory University. After this I decided to stay in ATL for now working as an equities analyst for JP Turner, a mid-market investment firm dealing in wealth management, private equity, and some venture capital. I mostly deal with buy-side industrial equities and am really starting to love what I’m doing, besides the 80- to 100-hr. work weeks. I am currently working toward obtaining my CFA and have plans to relocate to New York and transfer over into mergers and acquisitions or hostile takeovers.”

2009

Katfogartie@gmail.com jack.d.greenberg@gmail.com shking@email.unc.edu

Bo Andrews played a key role in Georgia Tech winning the ACC Championship in golf.

BO ANDREWS ’09 and his father, ANDY ANDREWS ‘77, holding the ACC Golf Championship trophy

Lillie Troxler was named to Clemson’s Dean’s List for the fall 2013 semester.

2010 5th Class Reunion Time! Mark your calendar for May 2, 2015! If you would like to serve on the planning committee, contact your class agent or Tammy Haywood at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

Natalie Salmonese, Tyson Pressell, and Chase Bernhardt salmonesenc@appstate.edu tarheel2006@gmail.com ccbern@umich.edu

Mike Ehilegbu ‘10 hits his 1000th point in his career at Randolph College. See story at: www. randolphwildcats.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/ releases/140205ehc#.UvOqyjwiWa8.email

Tyson Presnell was the Ravenscroft Baccalaureate speaker this year and is the Camp 3 head counselor at Camp Sea Gull.

Summer 2014

39

CLASS NOTES

2011

business shop via www.etsy.com/shop/angelikagale ($1.00 from each purchase is donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern N.C.). She is looking forward to interning for Roxy’s design team in Southern California this summer.

Patrick Bailey, Zaki Haidary, and Allie Withers Jpb693@gmail.com zakihaidary@gmail.com alliewithers@gmail.com

Austin Hill writes: “I’ve finished 190 flights and got certified to do aerobatics in the gliders at the USAF Academy airfield, and I flew solo in a single engine propeller plane for my powered flight class.”

Katie Krattenmaker writes: “I am in Argentina for two months doing volunteer dental work. And I also received the Worster Award for my research in the UC CEIN.” Will Hayman is interning with Sen. Kay Hagan’s office in D.C. this summer.

2012

Laura Beacham accepted a cooperative education role and has been working full time at BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg, S.C., as an industrial engineer. She is looking forward to continuing her work at BMW this coming fall.

Quinn Billerman is transferring and will be playing football at North Carolina Central University. The Sporting News has named him the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year in its college football preview magazine. Billerman enters his first season with the Eagles after breaking passing records at Ravenscroft and New Mexico Military Institute.

Angelika Barth, Jordan Jeter, and Lewis Stocks

Garrett Bird is involved in varsity football, club la-

agbarth@ncsu.edu jjeter@elon.edu hstocks@ncsu.edu

crosse, and American Society of Civil Engineers and will be interning for Brasfield & Gorrie, General Contractors this summer.

Ann Barnett declared a sociology major, took on new

Alex Bowen is studying abroad in Prague this summer for a six-week program through the business school at North Carolina State University with his two fraternity brothers.

leadership roles in her sorority, and is continuing in high school ministry. This summer, she is returning to Camp Illahee for the 12th time.

Angelika Barth was a featured eco-designer in Redress Raleigh, is an active member in Phi Psi and TATM student advisory board, and enjoys working on her

This summer Caroline Browning is studying abroad in Germany with the Poole College of Management via North Carolina State University.

Quinn Billerman ’12 NAMED MEAC NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR Ravenscroft fans who want to watch former Ravens quarterback Quinn Billerman ’12 in action on the football field again won’t have to travel very far this fall.

And if projections hold, they’ll enjoy what they see.

Billerman will begin play at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) during the 2014 season after a record-breaking career at New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI). He has been named the MidEastern Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year by The Sporting News after breaking passing records at NMMI. Billerman established new single-season records at NMMI in 2013 with 2,962 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns and led the Broncos to an 8-4 overall record. He was named Offensive MVP of the El Toro Bowl by completing 21 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Arizona Western. He was honored as the football team’s Most Valuable Player following the 2013 season as well as the school’s Athlete of the Year.

“I think the biggest quality that Quinn brought to the team was his leadership. He had everybody’s respect on the team. Everybody respected his work ethic, his dedication to his craft,” NMMI Head Football Coach Joe Forchtner said. “Quinn’s going to be a tough one to replace.”

40

R avenscroft magazine

Sydney Bullock is studying social work with an art mi-

Sarah Fritsch continues to love UNC but is excited to

nor for fun. She is part of a co-ed community service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, and her favorite service project is a local food pantry, Hope Distributed.

Sydney is also part of the student-run radio station, WXJM, and dj’s a weekly folk show. In June, she starts a volunteer internship for a summer camp with kids at Passage Home and will be working part-time.

study abroad next semester on a program through UVA called Semester at Sea.

Matt Colwell had a great past semester and continues to be an active member in his fraternity. This summer Matt is working and landscaping for a friend’s father’s business.

Mitchell Cook was recently elected to the NCSU Student Senate as a representative from the Poole College of Management for the upcoming academic year. This past year, he served as the co-recruitment chairman for the Sigma Pi Fraternity and continues to be an active member. He is currently studying abroad in Germany at Reutlingen University’s European School of Business. Mitchell will be majoring in accounting and plans on staying active in Student Government.

Max Dearinger continues to be an active part of his fraternity as well as a room leader. This summer, Max will be interning for McClellan Industry as a mechanical engineer.

Elizabeth Diehl is currently a double major in English and education with minors in Japanese and art. This past semester she earned a 4.0, and just completed a summer course in landscape painting. The rest of the summer she will spend with family while completing a training program to be a writing fellow in the fall.

Bennett Dotson spent his past semester as the head manager for the VMI basketball team and assistant prosecutor on the VMI Honor Court while completing classes.

Perry Dubow is preparing to do research and data collection on Supreme Court cases for a Davidson political science professor. Next semester, she will be attending University of Cape Town in South Africa for a study abroad experience.

Mike Hutter is a counselor at Camp Sea Gull this summer.

Brad Ehilegbu declared a business major and is working toward an internship for the rest of the summer.

Tyler Fergusson was a participant in the freezing cold May Dip and secured his double major for the upcoming years. Over the summer he is hoping to intern for a law firm in Vancouver and will be enjoying time spent with family.

Corey Garrity is working toward completing a social work degree to pursue his dream to work in the ministry while maintaining his responsibilities as a student ambassador and resident adviser. This summer, Corey is volunteering at the Illinois homeless shelter at Concordio Service learn.

Scott Goldcott notes his past semester went “swell” at USC, loving his first year at the school and is looking forward to working a part-time job this summer painting houses in Columbia.

Lauren Grady declared an Advertising major in the journalism school and became a Young Life leader at Trinity in Durham. She is looking forward to spending the summer in Chapel Hill working at MaxPoint, a digital ad company.

Catherine Green is the new member coordinator for her sorority Zeta Tau Alpha and is on the selection committee for ECU’s Panhellenic Women of the Month and is majoring in marketing and business.

Hayden Gridley continued to work toward his econ and spanish majors with an entrepreneurship minor.

His hobbies included practicing with the varsity womens soccer team, as well as being treasurer for his club soccer team. Through the ‘Sports administration UNC internship program: innovation squad’ Hayden is working for a clean water company in Africa for the duration of the summer.

Emily High is enjoying the College of Charleston with a comm major and hospitality and tourism management minor. This summer, Emily is currently a marketing intern for a catering company.

Caroline Hirl became the fundraising chair in her sorority for literacy foundation and raised $2,000 for cookout Pi Beta Phi. Winston Holloway is working this summer at the North Carolina Association of Community Development Corporations as well as at the Media Sales Institute on Howard University’s campus while taking summer courses.

Molly Hull has declared a sociology and medical humanities minor while holding two positions in her sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha, as publicity chair and corresponding secretary.

Kyle Kittelberger had a terrific sophomore year making new connections and taking some fantastic courses. He is staying in New Hampshire for the summer working with a biology professor continuing a research project from the past spring.

Summer 2014

41

CLASS NOTES

Josh Silver just declared his major as religious studies and is currently creating an academic journal of religion on campus. He was also just elected treasurer of his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi. Morgan Stafford is a chemistry major at Georgetown and is currently participating in a study abroad health science internship in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

KOFIE YEBOAH’s ’13 sports blog

Chad Stanback will soon be entering his junior year at North Carolina A & T. Chad is majoring in engineering, and is currently taking part in an internship with General Electric in Wilmington, N.C. Lewis Stocks is currently studying abroad in Florence, Italy, and this past spring became the president of the N.C. State Finance Club. Also, sympathy to Lewis on the death of his father, Dr. L. H. Stocks, who passed away May 23.

Jordan Jeter will be studying abroad in London, England in the fall.

Tracy Winston recently returned from Turkey with her Islamic studies professor. She will also be in China for six weeks studying traditional Chinese medicine as well as Mandarin Congratulations to Quinn Billerman (pg. 40) on being named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year by the Sporting News! Read more: http://bit.ly/rsat062414.

2013

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

Sarah Pupa joined the honors fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi. Also, when Sarah arrived at Carolina, she was selected to be on the Outreach Committee for UNC’s Dance Marathon, whose mission is to overcome childhood illness by providing major support for N.C. Children’s Hospital. Her committee has organized mini-marathons at elementary schools and spent afternoons with the children who are patients in the Pediatric Playroom.

Bryant Dowd was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma national honor society and also pledged the Phi Delta Theta fraternity during his first year at Washington and Lee. He is studying business management and working in Charleston, S.C. for the summer.

Jamal Carson decided to become an English major with a concentration in creative writing. He absolutely loves LSU!

42

R avenscroft magazine

Abby Quirk-Royal is on staff for her college’s literary magazine, Vantage Point, and a part of the Queers and Allies organization. She’s also double majoring in English and math. She will be traveling abroad in Greece next January.

Julia Laird completed two semesters at Arizona State on the Academic Dean’s List, joined Phi Sigma Pi Honors Fraternity and was elected on the executive board, premiered an ASU Music Composition student’s vocal piece, and helped organize the annual SpaceVision Convention held this past year in Tempe, Ariz.

Margaret Edwards won high jump in the CAA conference track meet and is working at Camp Seafarer this summer.

Kyla Babson was initiated into Chi Omega. She did tech work for the musical group at Duke, Hoof ‘n’ Horn. She has not declared a major, but is leaning towards psychology, public policy, global health, or computer science.

Alfre Wimberley is currently in Charleston, S.C. doing research with NOAA and the S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources on marine toxicology with estuarine shrimp for the summer. She declared an environmental science major and a chemistry minor with an energy and sustainability concentration. In the fall, she will be working with a former professor on hydroelectric research on campus.

Arash Kasebi declared his major in paper and pulp science engineering and will soon double major in chemical engineering. This summer he joined Bay Leaf Fire Department and is currently training to become a volunteer firefighter.

Thomas Sigmon changed his major from engineering to marketing and is a brother of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. He plans to join the Student Alumni Council in the upcoming year and is working at Wake Stone Corporation this summer.

Patrick Monaghan transferred from George Mason to UNC-Charlotte. He declared marketing and Spanish majors and is hoping to study abroad in the next year or two. He is also involved with the American Marketing Association.

Meghan McAllister was recently initiated into Phi Mu, a brand new sorority on DePaul’s campus.

She landed the PR Chair position for her chapter.

Follow Kofie Yeboah’s blog http://theleftbench.com/ category/kofie-yeboah/ Congrats to Callie Mangum on making the Dean’s List at the University of Iowa for the spring semester. Callie is an English major.

RAVENSCROFT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION STRATEGIC PLAN 1. Foster meaningful connections between alumni and Ravenscroft through participation and involvemnet in local and regional events and programs.

2. Enhance communications to alumni and to the greater community to celebrate alumni.

3. Encourage alumni as key partners in sustaining and improving the fiscal health of Ravenscroft through both philanthropy and admissions.

4. Exemplify the ethos of leadership and citizenship by continuing the legacy of leading and serving throughout the world.

{

}

Scan the QR code to view our Strategic Plan document.

WAYS TO VOLUNTEER WITH THE RAVENSCROFT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Pen Pal Program Class Agent Class Annual Fund Coordinator Career Week MeetUp Committee Networking Committee Reunion Committee Search and Rescue Committee 5K Run Committee Alumni Blogger Alumni Council Alumni Senior Dinner Homecoming Committee Annual Fund Volunteer

PARENTS OF ALUMNI INAUGURAL EVENT

CATCH UP WITH OLD FRIENDS FROM THE ’CROFT! You asked for it — you got it! An event just for parents of alumni! Following our 150th anniversary in 2012-2013, many parents of alumni asked for opportunities to catch up with other former parents from their days at the ‘Croft. We listened and are hosting the first-ever event — just for you! Remember the New Parent Barbecue you attended at Pugh Pond?

We are bringing it full circle and, with the generosity of Doc and Fran Pugh, are holding this event at Pugh Pond. There is no charge for this event, so please come enjoy good food, fun, and fellowship as you catch up with dear friends.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 6–8 P.M. | PUGH POND RSVP to Stephanie Money, Director of Special Events and Constituent Relations, at smoney@ravenscroft.org or (919) 847-0900.

Summer 2014

43

RAVENSCROFT REWIND A look back in time in Ravens history

Class of 1985

Class of 2014

44

R avenscroft magazine

HOMECOMING WEEKEND OCTOBER 10-11, 2014 JOIN YOUR FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE RAVENSCROFT COMMUNITY IN CELEBRATING HOMECOMING 2014 ON FRIDAY, OCT. 10.

THE INAUGURAL LEAD FROM HERE 5K WILL BE HELD THE FOLLOWING DAY ON THE RAVENSCROFT CROSS COUNTRY COURSE. Homecoming Dinner 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the Campus Green Varsity Football vs. Wake Christian 7:30 p.m. at Stefanou Field For more information, contact Stephanie Money, director of special events and constituent relations, at smoney@ravenscroft.org.

Inaugural Lead From Here 5K Oct. 11 at 11 a.m., Ravenscroft Cross Country Course For more information, contact Tammy Haywood, director of alumni giving and activities, at thaywood@ravenscroft.org.

Non-Profit Org US Postage PAID Raleigh, NC Permit No. 9

7409 Falls of Neuse Road Raleigh, NC 27615 Return Service Requested

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.