2019 St. Andrew's Spring Magazine - 40th Anniversary Edition

2019 SPRING MAGAZINE Editors Richard Coco Blair Kaine Kirsten Petersen Designer Nancy Schwartz Photographers Eric Bickel Richard Coco Freed Spirit Andrea Joseph Photography Donovan Marks Kirsten Petersen Joe Phelan Mark Regan Photography Joseph Sinnott Photography John Troha Photography 2018-2019 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chair Brian Harris Vice Chair Anthony Izzo, III Treasurer Karen Smith Secretary Sandy Horowitz Alfredo Antezana Gail Atwood Rudy Casasola David Cheung Elizabeth Drucker Christopher Dymond Noelle Eder Diane Hastings Parisa Karaahmet ‘87 Mary Beth Kirchner Andrea LaRue Sheila Maith Brian Radecki David Smith Salim Suleman Steven Ward EX-OFFICIO Head of School Robert Kosasky Alumni Council President Larissa Levine ‘06 Parents Association President Christine McCloy Bishop’s Representative John Harmon

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

16 Joanne Beach Remembered

02 A Letter from the

Head of School

died in November at the age of 73. A celebration of her life was held on Lion’s Court.

12 Athletic News

Founding faculty member and former Head of Upper School Joanne Beach Read more about the woman who for decades was the soul of St. Andrew’s.

18 St. Andrew’s at 40

08 School News

52 Alumni Profiles

68 Homecoming

& Reunion 2018 73 Class Notes

From its founding, St. Andrew’s has always been blazing its own trail.

Learn more about the school’s founding, the history of its campus, its commitment to diversity and service learning and catch up with some former teachers.

88 Christina Goldbaum ’10

After graduating from Tufts, Christina Goldbaum chose real-life experience over graduate school. As a result, she covered foreign covert wars, won journalism awards and landed a job at The New York Times. She will speak at Commencement at Washington National Cathedral this June.

Counsel Marc Kaufman

A special thank you to Tricia Bennett, Sofia Naab ‘14, Elizabeth Naab ‘15, Maria Naab ‘18 and Ben Naab ‘20 for their archival and photo scanning contributions.

St. Andrew’s is committed to a diverse and inclusive community with respect to race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, family status, economic circumstance, age, and physical disability in its student body, faculty and staff. Pursuant to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, St. Andrew’s does not discriminate in the administration of admission, financial aid or loan practices, educational or other school-sponsored programs and activities, or in the hiring or terms of employment of faculty and staff, except that the Chaplain shall be a member of the clergy of the Episcopal Church.

SPRING 2019

1

A Letter from Our Head ear Friends, Every year during Opening Chapel at Washington National Cathedral I share with our students the history of St. Andrew’s. Together we imagine our school’s creation in 1978, with 40 new students and nine brave teachers coming together to learn in the basement of Pilgrim Lutheran Church. We remember the school’s early growth, moving to larger campuses and establishing core values and traditions that we still cherish today. We honor the visionary leaders who built our Postoak Campus in the 1990s, securing St. Andrew’s future and enabling the school to thrive.

We celebrate the ongoing transformation of our facilities and our community during the past decade, adding almost 75,000 square feet of new program space during the past five years alone and providing our 620 students and 145 faculty and staff with a level of challenge, support, and opportunities that was previously unimaginable. With the completion of our new Lower School later this year, our community will come together on a Postoak Campus that enshrines our founders’ commitment to each child’s potential in a beautiful and inspiring environment.

Our human-centered progress has been even more transformative. Our founders wrote compellingly about their dreams for a broadly gifted and diverse faculty and student body. Today St. Andrew’s is an international hub for

2

SAES.ORG

research-informed teaching, learning, and leadership, and a destination school for faculty who keep learning and developing their craft for our students’ benefit. Our community’s deep and ever-growing diversity of faith, nationality, race, and economic background has become a catalyst for St. Andrew’s pride and educational excellence.

St. Andrew’s buildings, programs, and people have changed with remarkable energy and harmony during the past 40 years. Throughout our history, the student-centered spirit and creativity conceived by St. Andrew’s founders have been our compass throughout our four decades of ongoing improvement.

More than 2,200 innovative and purposeful Lions have graduated from this challenging, supportive, and inclusive environment. In the following pages, in addition to the school’s history you will read about alumni who are making their mark on the world in diverse fields. To quote former St. Andrew’s chaplain Luther Zeigler, “There is a spirit in this place.” As you will see in this magazine, that spirit stays with our Lions long after I hand them their diplomas.

Faithfully,

Robert Kosasky Head of School

A Letter from the Chair Throughout this school year, we have celebrated St. Andrew’s 40th Anniversary.

Whether it was the hugely successful Gala at Washington National Cathedral, a reflective and grounding St. Andrew’s Night, or a pride-filled gathering of students and alumni at Homecoming and Reunion – members of the St. Andrew’s community have had the opportunity to learn our inspiring history and to see how far the school has come over its 40 years.

But what about the next 40 years? In 2058-2059, when St. Andrew’s celebrates its 80th Anniversary, what will parents, alumni and faculty members (some of whom, I am sure, have already begun working at the school) say about the second 40 years? As Chair of the Board of Trustees, that’s a question my fellow board members and I regularly consider.

At 40 years old, St. Andrew’s is committed to using and creating research in everything it does. From high-quality teaching, to the new Postoak daily schedule, to designing the new classrooms and outdoor learning space for the new Lower School, the school is committed to using research to help guide decisions. It is my hope that 40 years from now, St. Andrew’s not only continues to make that a centerpiece of its mission, but that the school is working harder than ever to spread that mindset to schools around the world.

Over the past five years, St. Andrew’s also increased its commitment to embracing design thinking as a tool in classrooms from preschool through upper school.

Whether it’s searching for a solution to bringing water to D.C.’s homeless or asking how we can build a better birdhouse for our outdoor learning spaces, this iterative, collaborative, empathetic process can only serve to make our students better thinkers for when they leave St. Andrew’s.

And what about the physical footprint of the school? With a new Lower School opening in a few months, and a Student

Center that is just three years old, our students have the facilities they need to succeed. But we must continue to assess those needs regularly to make certain St. Andrew’s students are always in position to grow and thrive in an environment that allows them to have a hand in shaping their own learning.

Most importantly, the people of St. Andrew’s are thriving. Our diverse student body has never been more talented or successful. Our faculty and staff cherish the school’s student-centered mission and embrace its commitment to lifelong professional growth and excellence. St. Andrew’s healthy, supportive culture continues to nurture happiness and success across our community.

What will our school community say in 40 years? Hopefully, that their journey is still just beginning.

“Most importantly, the people of St. Andrew’s are thriving. Our diverse student body has never been more talented or successful.

Our faculty and staff cherish the school’s studentcentered mission and embrace its commitment to lifelong professional growth and excellence.”

Brian Harris Chair, St. Andrew’s Board of Trustees SPRING 2019

3

Happy Birthday, St. Andrew’s!

More than 580 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as 150 faculty and staff, helped kick off the 40th anniversary celebration September 7, 2018 on Brumbaugh Field.

4

SAES.ORG

SPRINGMASCIUCH 2019 5 PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS of St. Andrew’s From a day of service to a Gala at Washington National Cathedral, St. Andrew’s 40th Anniversary year is history in the making.

To kick off the celebration, the Upper School packed 16,000 dry meals and Middle and Intermediate School students enjoyed a surprise author visit on Sept. 7. St. Andrew’s alumni were welcomed to the Postoak Campus in October for a special Reunion dinner, and the school’s founders were celebrated during St. Andrew’s Night in December. In March, more than 400 parents, alumni, faculty and staff came together for the Red and White Ball, where the community raised $420,000 for financial aid.

Above: After Opening Chapel, Head of School Robert Kosasky surprised students on Lion’s Court by declaring all classes canceled for the day in celebration of the school’s 40th anniversary.

Top Left: The Reverend John Taliaferro Thomas, who was chaplain at St. Andrew’s from 1999-2008, returned to give the homily at Opening Chapel at Washington National Cathedral.

Bottom Left: Giselah Graf-Suleman ‘19, president of the SGA, poses with Katherine Cannon ‘19 before processing at Opening Chapel.

Founding board member Audrey Demas, her husband, Bill, and daughters Amy ‘88 (left) and Edie ‘83 (right), attended Reunion in October 2018.

Jasmine Niernberger '07 and Sarah Asterbadi '07 enjoyed catching up with their former teacher Dresden Koons (middle) at the Red and White Ball, held in March at Washington National Cathedral.

Board member Al Antezana (left) with his wife, Rebecca, and former Board Chair Sandy Horowitz and her husband, Al, at the Red and White Ball in March.

Lion-Cub buddies Charlie O’Keefe ‘22 and Max Schulick ‘31 enjoyed the 40th Anniversary festivities together.

Intermediate School students were all smiles when they learned classes had been canceled Friday, Sept. 7 to celebrate the school’s 40th Anniversary.

Parent Maureen Edu bids on an item at the Red and White Ball in March. Proceeds from the 40th Anniversary Gala support St. Andrew’s financial aid program.

SCHOOL

news

Robotics Teams Take Off in Second Year In just its second year in existence, the St. Andrew’s robotics teams are quickly establishing themselves as powerhouses in the region.

The Upper School FIRST Tech Challenge team began the 2019 season with a second-place finish at the Naval Academy in a tune-up for the state qualifying competition. Just one week later, they took second place in the Montgomery County Qualifier.

They concluded their season at Penn State in February where they earned the judges award for exceptional design of the robot, which consistently completed tasks using simple actions. They finished fourth at that meet, which had more than 50 teams in attendance.

The Intermediate School FIRST Lego League Team, which consists of third, fourth, and fifth graders, competed as well this season, taking on many teams that consisted of Middle School students. Despite the age disparity, the IS team finished 10th in a crowded field.

Jake Lee ‘20 makes refinements to the Upper School robot prior to a meet this year.

opportunity is part of the MLK Day of Service in January. This year, that service was wrapped into the 40th Anniversary Day of Celebration, the first Friday of the school year.

“The Laramie Students Pack 16,000 Project” Resonates Meals in One Hour as Fall Production Every year, St. Andrew’s students are asked to volunteer in helping pack foods for those facing food insecurity in different parts of the world. Often, this service 8

SAES.ORG

Upper School students undertook an ambitious project for the fall play, putting on a production of “The Laramie

Project,” the story of Matthew Shepard, an openly gay student at the University of Wyoming who was murdered and the resulting repercussions of the hate crime.

The timing of the production was significant as the day of the show’s debut performance coincided with a Celebration of Life and Interment of Shepard at Washington National Cathedral in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of his slaying.

The show also coincided with St. Andrew’s observance of Ally Week.

A special chapel was held in which cast members performed monologues from the show.

Alexa Allen ‘20 (center) joins Upper School students in packing 16,000 meals in one hour as part of St. Andrew’s 40th Anniversary Celebration.

Director and theater teacher Ritchie Porter said he felt now was the right time to revisit Laramie’s story, as the issues of LGBTQ rights and hate crimes are still prevalent, but students may not be aware of Shepard’s murder and the groundswell of reactions.

Michaela James-Thrower ’20, a cast member and co-president of the Gay Straight Alliance said she hopes students seeing “The Laramie Project” will come away with a perspective on how people outside of St. Andrew’s see the LGBTQ community.

“We can be kind of privileged when it comes to understanding how other people view race or gender because of the school and because of how we deal with it here,” James-Thrower ’20 said. “I think that it’s good for people to see that it’s not always just sunshine and rainbows – it’s so much more on so many levels.”

History Students Publish Book Seniors in the Honors History Capstone class researched, wrote, and success-

fully published a book in 2018 on Irish and African-American race relations in 19th-century Baltimore. The book, titled “A Clash of Culture: Irish and AfricanAmerican Race Relations in 19th-Century Baltimore,” was inspired by the “ambiguous murder” of Baltimore African-American Daniel Brown.

When student dug deeper, however, they discovered the incident was just one example of a pattern of ethnic and racial bias affecting social and political climates across the country.

The course, taught by History Teacher Alex Haight and then Instructional Librarian Mindy Lawrence, challenges students to approach research and writings as if they were completing a Ph.D. dissertation. By the end of the two-trimester class, students are opting for paper archives over web searches and collaborating on 100plus pages of writing.

“Historians don’t really get to do that until they’re seniors in college,” Lawrence said. “Our kids are getting to do this when they’re seniors in high school. It will only improve their research and writing skills going forward.”

Continued on page 10

In October, Upper School students launched a production of “The Laramie Project,” in conjuntion with Ally Week.

SPRING 2019

9

Seniors in the Honors History Capstone class researched, wrote, and successfully published a book this year on Irish and African-American race relations in 19th-century Baltimore. The class was taught by History Teacher Alex Haight and then Instructional Librarian Mindy Lawrence.

Continued from page 9 Amelia Leahy ’18 said collaborating not only with her classmates, but also with her teachers, gave her a taste of the dynamic she expects in college.

“Mr. Haight and Ms. Lawrence were like mentors more than teachers, in the traditional sense,” Leahy said. “It felt like a good segue to college and what a professor and mentor would be like when you’re doing your college papers.”

Lower School Students Explore Importance of Home With Lower School students moving to a new home next year, students in kindergarten, first and second grade have spent the year exploring the importance of home as part of their service learning curriculum.

Kindergarten students focused on displaced bird families while first and second graders planned and created livable spaces for make-believe evicted families. The 10

SAES.ORG

In anticipation of moving to the Postoak Campus, Lower School students spent the year exploring the importance of home. Last fall, students visited the National Building Museum’s “Evicted” exhibit.

project-based study is helping students develop empathy and perspective-taking skills through developmentally appropriate grade-level approaches and hands-on experiences. This included a trip to the

National Building Museum’s “Evicted” exhibit, where they learned about homelessness and started work on their homes made from recyclable cardboard.

THE CENTER for TRANSFORMATIVE TEACHING & LEARNING TM

AT ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

News from the CTTL This fall, the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning was awarded a pair of major grants – $1 million from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and $625,000 from the Omidyar Group. Both grants were made in order to facilitate the expansion of Neuroteach Global, an online professional development platform developed by the CTTL that uses research-informed strategies in Mind, Brain, and Education Science.

“Teachers are eager for evidence-based practices they can use in their classrooms to support their students,” said Bror Saxberg, Vice President of Learning Science for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. “We are pleased to support the efforts of the Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning to develop a novel approach to online professional development that uses learning science principles both to design the training, and to provide the substance for how teachers can help their students.”

Neuroteach Global was developed as a pilot program in early 2018 with a first round of funding from CZI. These new grants allowed Neuroteach Global to rollout in January with 1,500 teachers including the entire Delta County (Colorado) school district as well as approximately 100 educators each in the Grant Wood Area Education Agency (Iowa) and Frederick County (Maryland) Public Schools. Support from CZI through this grant will also subsidize the participation of many public school districts in the pilot program.

Through the Neuroteach Global app, teachers and school leaders translate the latest evidence on how students learn into classroom practice. The Neuroteach Global app also enables teachers and school leaders to benefit from the same training that every teacher at St. Andrew’s receives through the CTTL, while also receiving

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL LEWIS

In 2018, the Omidyar Group, led by co-founder Pierre Omidyar ‘84, made a $625,000 grant to support the development and expansion of Neuroteach Global.

feedback on how they have integrated these lessons into their pedagogy.

The goal of Neuroteach Global is to enhance teachers’ understanding of MBE Science, support them as they hone their craft, and improve outcomes for their students.

CTTL Launches Podcast The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning has launched the Think Differently and Deeply podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Soundcloud. Each episode takes a

deep dive into one facet of how researchinformed teaching and learning happens at St. Andrew’s.

The podcast, which has new episodes every month, is hosted by Glenn Whitman, Director of the CTTL, and contains an in-depth look at an essay featured in the third volume of the CTTL’s signature publication, Think Differently and Deeply.

Discussions with the authors include creating a research-informed schedule, Lower School knowledge makers, alternate assessments in Upper School biology, Intermediate School students practicing self-reflection and Middle School students developing a social mindset.

SPRING 2019

11

s e t e l h t A ’s w e r d St. An s p i h s r a l o h c S & s Garner Award Boys Lacrosse Looks to Repeat Historic Season

Tony Diallo ’19 and Chase Noah ’19.

With talent, experience and depth, the Lions will look to repeat as MAC champions. The last St. Andrew’s team to win back-to-back banners was the golf team, which won four straight from 2007-2010.

The St. Andrew’s boys lacrosse team took home the MAC regular season title in 2018 and they did it in school-record fashion, going 7-0 in MAC play for the first time in school history. The Lions finished the year 12-5 overall and were one win shy of sweeping the MAC regular season and conference banners.

The Lions took home the boys lacrosse banner for the first time since 2002, and they did it with a high-powered offense that reached double figures in goals more than 10 times over the year. Five players were named to the All-MAC team in 2018 and four of those return in 2019. Among them are a trio of seniors who will play lacrosse next year in college, Stephen Bickel ’19,

Six Student-Athletes Sign National Letters-of-Intent

12

SAES.ORG

In November, National Signing Day took place and a school-record six St. Andrew’s student-athletes made a commitment to play Division I college athletics next year in exchange for partial or full scholarships.

Stephen Bickel, Tony Diallo, Chase Noah and Ethan Opdahl will continue to play lacrosse in 2019-2020. Bickel will play at Bellarmine University, Diallo will suit

Kamari Williams ‘19 is one of six studentathletes who will play Division I college athletics next year. In the fall, Williams will play basketball for Boston College.

up at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Noah will head to University of Albany, SUNY and Opdahl will play at Bucknell University. All four will play for St. Andrew’s this spring as the lacrosse team looks to defend their MAC regular season title.

Heru Bligen and Kamari Williams will extend their basketball careers next year with Bligen playing at Longwood University and Williams heading to Boston College.

A number of other student athletes will continue playing at Division II and III schools next year, including Gage Adam (Frostburg State, soccer), Sam Beesley (Oberlin, cross country), Dean Brown (Wooster, baseball), Noah Lee (Lynchburg, lacrosse), Julia Losey (Kenyon, lacrosse) and Carrington Ray (Hood, volleyball).

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROW2K.COM

Michael Primmer ’19, far right, started rowing several years ago and competed in the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships last June.

Swim Program Grows, Expanding to Middle School

Freshman Runner Makes Impressive Debut Ally Mitchell ’22 had an extraordinary freshman season running for the girls cross country team, with individual championships, standout performances and a regional honor. The first-year runner was named an Honorable Mention selection to The Washington Post All-Met team in a season in which she won the Montgomery County Private School Championship and was named All-ISL aftering finishing second at the ISL Championship.

Mitchell capped her year by finishing ninth among 159 freshman and sophomore girls at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional Championships with a personalbest time of 20:03.40.

Equestrian Youth Movement Pays Off with Ribbons Two years ago, the equestrian team was overtaken by a youth movement. As those riders have grown and learned they have also produced impressive results in the saddle. This year alone the equestrian team competed in eight shows and

Three years ago, the swim team was transitioning from a club sport to a coed varsity squad with just a handful of swimmers. This year, the team had nearly 20 swimmers and for the first time, Middle Schoolers could choose swimming as an option for their winter sport. The growth of the team showed at the MAC and ISL Championships as middle school students posted personal bests in 14 of 17 races and varsity swimmers posted personal bests in 9 of 11 races.

Ally Mitchell ‘22 was named an Honorable Mention selection to The Washington Post AllMet team in her first year with the St. Andrew’s cross country team.

Upper Schoolers Compete in Club Rowing

placed top two in half of them. They were Champions of Advanced on Feb. 10 and Reserve Champion of Advanced on Oct. 21, Dec. 9 and Feb. 24.

Camille Graves ’21 and Lindsey Ward ’21 each captured individual Champion of Advanced titles with Graves adding a pair of Reserve Champion of Advanced ribbons as well. For the season, the Lions finished third in the Inter-School Horse Show Series with Kira Sieghart ’21, Annabel Resor ’20 and Caitlin Hillman ’19 also playing roles in the team’s success.

St. Andrew’s may not offer a crew team, but a growing number of Upper School students are competing in club rowing as their athletic requirement. Following the lead of Michael Primmer ’19, who started rowing several years ago and competed in the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships last June, Daniel González-Kosasky ’20, Meredith Amick ’21, and Will Kaine ’22 also joined the Annapolis Junior Rowing Club. The team had an outstanding showing in its first spring competition, the Steve Neczypor Regatta in Camden, New Jersey.

SPRING 2019

13

ONE CAMPUS. ONE COMMUNITY.

SIDE VIEW

New Lower School Building Opening September 2019 Students in preschool through fifth grade will learn, explore, and play in our new 31,000-square-foot Lower School building, located on the Postoak Campus.

In September, students in preschool through fifth grade will start the school year by being welcomed to a new home, a 31,000-square-foot Lower School building located on the Postoak Campus. After a decade of dreaming of bringing our community together and opening the full opportunities of the Postoak Campus to our youngest learners, we will finally be able to do so this fall.

This spacious building will feature: light-filled, research-informed homerooms and specialized classrooms; purpose-built design science laboratories and art studios; and expansive space for student gatherings and performances. The new building will have direct access to Hope Field as well as new outdoor play and learning areas for preschool and elementary-age students.

We will finally be able to accommodate multiple sections in kindergarten, first and second grades, and our faculty and staff will collaborate across all divisions of the school with greater ease and regu-

14

SAES.ORG

larity. This project will create “the best of both worlds” for our Lower School students and families: providing first-rate, dedicated space for early-childhood and elementary learning while deepening our school-wide sense of community.

To prepare for the new building, Intermediate School students relocated to the main building after the first trimester. They “hugged” their former home goodbye and said farewell. Construction began in December and will conclude this summer.

In addition, a parking deck is planned for the Postoak Campus. This two-level structure will rest where the senior parking lot currently resides.

Because of the existing slope of the front drive, the top level of the deck will be roughly the height of the topmost parking spots in the current lot, preserving the scenic view of Hope Field from the main building and Kiplinger House.

The new deck will add approximately 50 parking spots on campus.

REAR VIEW

DESIGN LAB

SPRING 2019

15

IN MEMORIAM

Remembering Joanne Beach, the Soul of St. Andrew’s Founding faculty member had lasting impact on St. Andrew’s community Former faculty member Joanne Beach, who spent 37 years at the school as a teacher, administrator and alumni liaison, died November 6 at the age of 73 after a years-long battle with Amyloidosis.

Joanne, who was St. Andrew’s first science teacher when its doors opened in 1978, was the soul of St. Andrew’s, shaping the supportive, student-centered, loving culture that we continue to cherish today.

A native of Mercerville, N.J. and a graduate of Western Maryland College, she taught science in Baltimore public high schools right out of college before taking a break to raise her two sons, Mike ’88 and Pete. When it was time to return to the workforce, she began looking for a new teaching position. She saw a Washington Post classified ad seeking a science teacher for a new school, interviewed the following day, and was offered a contract on the spot by founding headmaster Jess Borg.

While teaching science for three years, she saw the school’s enrollment nearly quadruple, leading her to take on the role of Director of Student Activities.

Later, she became Dean of Students and, beginning with the 2000-2001 school year, she became Head of Upper School. She remained head of the division until she semi-retired after the 2011-2012 school year when she became the school’s first

16

SAES.ORG

“As a Dean of Students, Joanne never enjoyed disciplining students, but knowing that it was necessary, she did it in a way that encouraged growth.

As an administrator, she nurtured growth in the faculty. She knew when to listen and when to step in and help.”

David Brown, Assistant Head of School

alumni liaison. In 2015, the school’s front circle was renamed the Joanne Beach Circle.

“Something Jess Borg told me when I interviewed for the position of chemistry teacher in 1979 (was) Joanne Beach is the kind of person you can rely on to get the horses out of the barn if it catches on fire,” said Irene Walsh, who herself retired in June after 39 years at St. Andrew’s.

“That has been true since that time down to the present day.”

During her nearly four decades at St. Andrew’s, Joanne, who was well-known for being moved to tears at the drop of a hat, touched the lives of thousands of students and their families.

“Ms. Beach coached me through one of the most pivotal times of my life,” Alex George ’95 said. “At 14 years old, my father passed away very suddenly right before the beginning of my freshman year.

The first few months of transitioning to high school and adjusting to the loss of my dad were rough. If it hadn’t been for Ms. Beach’s guidance and genuine care for my well-being, who knows how the rest of high school would have played out. She

Joanne was St. Andrew’s first science teacher when its doors opened in 1978 on the Pilgrim Lutheran campus in Bethesda.

taught me what it means to be generous of spirit and give unconditionally to others.”

In 2012, when it was announced that Beach was semi-retiring, alumni were given the opportunity to share stories about her. Susan Howard, a member of the school’s first graduating class in 1982, recalled that her class’s yearbook was dedicated to Ms. Beach.

“We all loved and respected her tremendously,” Howard said. “I went to Western Maryland College because of Ms. Beach and have been an elementary school teacher for the last twenty-four years. She had a huge impact on our tiny graduating class.”

“Joanne made a huge impact on the school from day one through her dedication and love for the students and the school,” said long-time colleague and current Head of Upper School Ginger Cobb. “She was always ‘all in’ where the school and students were concerned. From tent/hall decorations to sporting events to discipline, she did it all and did it with care and support. Whether she was enjoying a student event or having a difficult conversation with a student, we all knew her core philosophy was to create and nurture a vibrant learning community.”

“As a biology teacher, she taught students about growth and themselves,” said Assistant Head of School David Brown,

SCHOLARSHIP FUND To memorialize Joanne’s remarkable legacy at the school, her family established the “Joanne Beach

Scholarship Fund for the Faculty and Staff of St. Andrew’s.” The fund will

provide tuition assistance to faculty and staff who wish to enroll their children at St. Andrew’s. To learn more, visit www.saes.org/beach-memorial.

who worked with Beach for more than 20 years, serving as Assistant Head of Upper School when Beach was Head of Upper School. “As a Dean of Students, Joanne never enjoyed disciplining students, but knowing that it was necessary, she did it in a way that encouraged growth. As an administrator, she nurtured growth in the faculty. Like an experienced gardener, Joanne cultivated growth in the students and colleagues with whom she worked.”

Beach is survived by her children, Mike and Pete, their wives, Katie and Terri, respectively, and her grandchildren, Ryan, Olivia, Kasey and Evan.

A memorial service was held at St. Andrew’s in November.

SPRING 2019

17

1

9

7

8

T

O

2

0

1

8

40 YEARS OF INSPIRATION W

hat makes a school great?

leaders from around the Washington, D.C.,

of educators, parents, and

come with a community, and nation, full of

Forty years ago, a small group

pastors surveyed the educational landscape in greater Washington. While they found

much to admire, they also recognized an

urgent need. They dedicated themselves

to the creation of a new kind of Episcopal school in the region: one founded on the tenets and traditions of faith to embrace

area to lean into hard conversations that

diverse opinions and views. Its remarkable alumni are recognized for reshaping their industries, influencing policy, connecting people through art and technology, and

even helping humanity explore the reaches of space.

At St. Andrew’s, we believe that a great

diversity and inclusion, to encourage both

school must develop its own students’

learning, and to challenge every member

learning for students around the world.

independent thought and collaborative

of its community to strive for growth and improvement.

Thanks to the vision of those founders,

St. Andrew’s stands as the largest Episcopal school in the Washington Diocese with

620 students and 46% students of color or international background. It is celebrated

potential as well as improve teaching and We believe that a great school must

provide a joyful environment and a broadly

challenging experience for its students and

faculty alike. We believe that a great school, like the children and adults it serves, must have the spirit and vision to grow.

We prize the values and constancy of

for its work in translating research in the

our community. We celebrate St. Andrew’s

at St. Andrew’s and in thousands of

and leadership.

science of learning into classroom practice classrooms around the world. It is admired for training educators, students, and

inspirational history of growth, achievement, And we imagine: what will the next 40

years bring?

A History of the Postoak Campus The story of the many hands that would pass the land on to St. Andrew’s St. Andrew’s has now occupied its permanent home on the Postoak campus for more than 20 years. The history of the ground beneath our feet, however, goes back much further, as early as the 19th century.

Much of the history of the land is captured in a 1983 application to the Maryland Historic Sites Inventory.

Located at what is considered the highest elevation in Potomac, the campus was once Claggett’s Folly, which consisted of more than 800 acres in 1860. The Clagett House, now named Kiplinger and home to St. Andrew’s Admission, Advancement, and Business offices, is believed to be one of the oldest houses still standing in the Potomac area.

The house is thought to have been built by Thomas Clagett, the patriarch of one of the original families to settle in the Potomac area. He inherited the land from his father, which he and his family farmed until he sold the house and a surrounding tract of 323 ¾ acres of land in November 1856.

The new owner, Lewis Kengla of Georgetown, was a farmer and owned six slaves, who he emancipated in 1862. He 20

SAES.ORG

Barbara LaGarde (right) with her mother at Highlandstone Farm, now St. Andrew’s Postoak Campus, in the early 1940s. Kiplinger House can be seen in the background.

died in 1869, but the land remained in his family until all 10 of his children reached the age of 21, when it was sold by a courtappointed trustee.

In the notice of sale, the land was described as consisting of 200 acres of “cleared, farmable land,” with improvements that consisted of a “large and well built brick dwelling house,” a stable and outbuildings, fruit orchards, and a well near the house, the last of which can still be seen today in Bruder Garden.

The house and farm had five owners over nearly 60 years, from 1880 to 1937.

“Most appealing is that our new school site has a true campus feel about it and, I might add, a setting that is beautiful all four seasons of the year.”

Headmaster Dr. Jim Cantwell on the acquision of the Postoak Campus

Richard and Elizabeth LaGarde purchased the home in November 1937 and lived there through the 1950s.

Barbara LaGarde, Richard and Elizabeth’s granddaughter, recalled in a 2018 oral history how her grandparents raised black angus cattle on the fields where students now play soccer and lacrosse. She and her mother would visit her father’s parents in Potomac regularly while he was overseas fighting in World War II. In the 1960s, as acres of Potomac farmland became residential communities, the purpose of the home and surrounding land transformed from farming to education.

In 1963, Harker Preparatory School was founded on this campus by John E. Kieffer, whose career before education included service as an Army infantryman during World War II and work as a registered agent for the government of Cuba, according to his obituary. He served as the school’s headmaster until he retired in 1984. His son Chris Kieffer took over, but the school would close just eight years later.

The closure of Harker Prep created an opening for St. Andrew’s, which was in the midst of searching for a new home after receiving an eviction notice in 1988. The purchase of Harker Prep included several improvements to the land, including a dining facility with three classrooms (which would become St. Andrew’s athletic center, then Intermediate School), a gymnasium (now Holden Court), plus sports fields and two tennis courts.

Although the land had gone through many hands over the century, it still retained much of its bucolic charm. In the 1993 St. Andrew’s Magazine, Headmaster Dr. Jim Cantwell described the land as “not exactly a bare piece of flat and undeveloped property.”

“Its diversity is enchanting: sloping terrain, large expanses of fields, a cultivated forest, as well as gardens of mature trees and shrubs waiting to be brought back to their earlier beauty,” he wrote. “Most appealing is that our new school site has a true campus feel about it and, I might add, a setting that is beautiful all four seasons of the year.”

Today most of Kiplinger House is intact, except for the offices on the right; a breezeway now connects Kiplinger House to the main school building.

Headmaster Dr. Jim Cantwell and David Mayhood, chairman of the Board of Trustees, present a giant check for $1 million to Chris Kieffer, former headmaster of Harker Prep, representing the final payment on the Harker Prep property.

The main entrance, named for David Mayhood, viewed from the steps of Kiplinger House, April 1998. Classes began on the Postoak Campus in September 1998.

The main drive in spring 1998. In the early 2000s the gatehouse (far left) hosted class reunions and parent gatherings.

SPRING 2019

21

1978 to 1988

The Early Years Official records list September 6, 1978 as the day St. Andrew’s Episcopal School opened its doors and began educating its 40 students in seventh, eighth, and ninth grades.

Needless to say, a lot of work went into making that first day happen, and it was that work which helped put St. Andrew’s on an upward trajectory right from the start. It took just three years for St. Andrew’s to go from the basement of Pilgrim Lutheran Church, to Clara Barton School in Cabin John, to the Bradmoor Campus at North Bethesda Junior High – but the growth continued throughout the 1980s.

There were constants throughout the first 10 years. Joanne Beach, Mary Eileen Stevens, Irene Walsh, Daryl Looney, Gabe Hodziewich and Alice Anne Freund all made their mark on St. Andrew’s lore. Those 10 years also saw the addition of several St. Andrew’s legends – John Holden, Skeeter Lee, Tracey Goodrich, Kurt Sinclair, Phyllis Robinson, Gary Wyatt, Ruth Faison, Roy Barber, John McMillen, Ginger Cobb and Buck Brumbaugh to name a few.

Gifted with space to grow and dedicated leadership, St. Andrew’s flourished, both in the classroom, with the addition of several Advanced Placement classes and the creation of a number of Accelerated courses, and on the athletic fields and courts, where the Lions won banners in soccer, tennis, cross country, volleyball, and basketball.

22

SAES.ORG

SPRING 2019

23

1978 to 1988 St. Andrew’s first Headmaster, the Rev. Jess Borg, bids farewell to students at the end of the first day of school. When St. Andrew’s opened its doors on Sept. 6, 1978, the school enrolled 40 students. The school was located at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Bethesda.

1978-1988: by the numbers

1978 1988

Enrollment

44 335

Teachers

11 46

Admin/Staff

3 27

Athletics Teams

3

29

Above: Joanne Beach hands a graduation robe to Ted Cage ‘85.

Right: The co-ed cross country team won its first PVAC banner in 1983, just five years after the school opened. The boys and girls cross country teams continued to rack up wins, including receiving banners consecutively in 1984 through 1986.

24

SAES.ORG

In September 1981, St. Andrew’s started the school year on a new campus on Bradmoor.

Drive in Bethesda. The space previously housed North Bethesda Junior High School, and offered more than double the space than the previous campuses.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Clinton L. Carbon

Mark Mencher with Headmaster Jess Borg and Board Chair William Way after an opening celebration on September 8, 1978.

When St. Andrew’s was founded in 1978, the school had three athletic teams. In ten years, the number of teams grew to 29.

As St. Andrew’s founding performing arts teacher, Clinton L. Carbon taught drama and dance and directed the plays and musicals. He was also tasked with managing the school’s calendar, a job that introduced him to a career in school leadership.

When Headmaster Dr. Jess Borg decided to leave St. Andrew’s and found an Episcopal school in Bellaire, Texas, he invited Carbon to join him.

From 1984 to 1996, Carbon led the development and expansion of Episcopal High School’s performing arts offerings while advancing to become assistant headmaster.

Motivated to continue on an administrative path, Carbon became Head of School at Pilgrim School in Los Angeles.

But he missed teaching and decided to return to the classroom, this time back on the East Coast at his alma mater, Howard University. From 1999 to 2002, Carbon helped reinvent the school’s touring company, which he brought to St. Andrew’s for performances.

In 2002 Carbon returned to independent schools, becoming Chair of Fine & Performing Arts at Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey. He assumed roles similar to those he held at St. Andrew’s, teaching Middle and Upper School theater classes, directing plays and musicals, and even doing some administrative work with the school’s diversity committee. In 2011 Carbon was named the school’s first director of multicultural affairs, a role focused on appreciating and celebrating the school’s rapidly growing diversity.

Upon retiring in 2016, Carbon moved to Palm Springs, California, where he is completing renovations on a 1967 patio home and serving on the vestry at The Church of St. Paul in The Desert.

SPRING 2019

25

1978 to 1988

THE REV. WARREN R. “JESS” BORG Founding Head of School (1978-1983) Jess Borg’s strong vision and faith helped create the character of St. Andrew’s.

His positive spirit and devotion to his students and faculty were essential to the school’s growth from the basement of Pilgrim Lutheran Church to the first years on the Bradmoor Campus.

Dona Weingarten teaching Middle School students on the Bradmoor campus in the 1980s.

Weingarten taught English at St. Andrew’s from 1981 through 2007.

THE REV. THOMAS “TOM” N.F. SHAW Second Head of School (1984-1989) Remembered as a friendly and wise shepherd to the community, Tom Shaw was dedicated to the quality and care of the St. Andrew’s faculty and their teaching.

He is credited with building a strong administrative team and faculty culture, as well as securing the school’s first 10-year accreditation.

26

SAES.ORG

The Rev. Tom Shaw leads a chapel service on the Bradmoor Campus. Chapel has been a staple of the St. Andrew’s curriculum throughout its 40 years. Today, students meet for chapel once a week.

The 1982 co-ed varsity soccer team, led by coaches Gabe Hodziewich, Daryl Looney, and Seth Berg, was the first to earn a banner for St. Andrew’s.

In 2017, the team was inducted into the St. Andrew’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

fun fact Beginning in 1983-1984, the Middle School became its own distinct division, with its own athletics teams and separate lunch periods.

Under the guidance of Middle School Head Skeeter Lee, faculty began to focus primarily on a specific division.

Myron Maye began the vocal music program in 1979 on the Pilgrim Lutheran Campus. By 1985, more than 21 arts courses were available to students.

SPRING 2019

27

1988 to 1998

The Formative Years St. Andrew’s had just barely celebrated its 10th anniversary when an eviction notice arrived from Montgomery County.

At the time, the school was informed it needed to vacate the Bradmoor Campus by August 31, 1991. Negotiations with the county managed to extend that deadline to August 31, 1998.

That gave the school time to purchase the Postoak Campus and begin construction on a new school. None of that would have been possible without the dedication of the St. Andrew’s community, especially the six trustees and the Diocese of Washington who personally guaranteed loans to the school.

Despite the news that St. Andrew’s would need to move, enrollment did not suffer during those years. From 1990 through 1997, enrollment stayed between 350 and 390 students. The school added sixth grade during those years and continued to dominate in the PVAC, adding banners nearly every year. Mike Davila came to St. Andrew’s to teach and begin a decades-long run as boys cross country coach.

Long-time nurse Susan Murray and current Assistant Head of School David Brown joined the St. Andrew’s community during these “teen years,” and the first Technology Committee was formed to discuss the role of computers in St. Andrew’s future.

To the consternation of students, the Oral History Project was born in the final year on the Bradmoor Campus as Alex Haight and Glenn Whitman joined the history department.

28

SAES.ORG

SPRING 2019

29

1988 to 1998

The girls soccer team dominated the PVAC conference in the late 80s and early 90s. They took home the championship banner each year from 1989 to 1993.

The eviction got a cartoon treatment from the Alexandria Gazette Packet in 1989.

JAMES “JIM” CANTWELL Third Head of School (1989-2001)

Will Klass ‘88 works at an early Macintosh machine, one of the first computers on the Bradmoor Campus.

30

SAES.ORG

Jim Cantwell was the rallying force that guided the school through the acquisition, construction and opening of the Postoak Campus during the 1990s. In addition to establishing St. Andrew’s on its permanent campus, he led the school into the MAC and ISL athletic leagues while expanding the school’s reputation and financial resources.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

fun fact The tradition of celebrating the school’s 10-year anniversaries began in 1988 with Headmaster Thomas Shaw gathering the students to announce a party and John Holden jumping out of a cake in a lion suit.

Dona Weingarten Reading and writing have remained central to Dona Weingarten’s life in retirement, just as they were over her 26 years teaching Middle and Upper School English at St. Andrew’s.

One of her first projects in retirement was one she began during her final year at St. Andrew’s - researching her first book, “St. Andrew’s Episcopal School: An Oral History of the First 30 Years.”

Weingarten interviewed 125 people and wrote nearly 300 pages for the book, which was published in 2009. The text caught the attention of the headmaster at St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School in Severna Park, who commissioned her to write an oral history for the school.

Although the book for St. Martin’s-inthe-Field covered twice as many years as the one for St. Andrew’s, Weingarten finished it in two years. “A Short History of St. Martin’s-in-the-Field” was published in 2017 as part of the school’s 60th anniver-

sary celebration.

Her years writing have been bookended by years teaching reading and language skills. Missing teaching after retiring in 2007, Weingarten began tutoring students in first through 12th grade in language skills and SAT Prep at Huntington Learning Center.

She is now in her third year as a volunteer tutor for Annapolis-based Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR), where she works one-on-one with second-graders who are below grade level in reading.

When she’s not writing or teaching, Weingarten volunteers with Serving People Across Neighborhoods (SPAN), a Severna Park-based food pantry, sings with the Annapolis Chorale, and hikes around the world. One of her travel highlights – a nine-day hiking adventure with National Geographic in the Grand Canyon – she shared with her two daughters, Wendy ’85 and Sandi ’87.

SPRING 2019

31

1988 to 1998 Above: Administrators, teachers and trustees broke ground on the Postoak Campus in April 1997. Classes would begin there in September 1998. The land, which was purchased from Harker Prep, included a dining facility with three classrooms (which would become St. Andrew’s athletic center, then Intermediate School), a gymnasium (now Holden Court), plus sports fields and two tennis courts.

Below: Board of Trustees members Paul Greenburg and Jody Dreyfuss at the Postoak Campus groundbreaking on April 18, 1997.

Students present Assistant Headmaster John Holden a bottle of “Fresh Start” detergent.

Each year on the first day of school Holden would give his “Fresh Start” speech, encouraging students to take risks and set attainable goals for the new school year.

32

SAES.ORG

Tracey Goodrich brought the ceramics program to St. Andrew’s in the 1980s. The Postoak Campus now houses a dedicated ceramics studio in the main building.

1988 to 1998: by the numbers

40

Sports Banners

20

Drama Productions

4

Countries Visited

1

Eviction Notices

Irene Walsh, pictured with Joslyne Decker ‘94, retired at the end of the 2018 academic year. Walsh was St. Andrew’s longest-serving teacher. She taught chemistry at St. Andrew’s for 39 years.

SPRING 2019

33

1998 to 2008

The Fresh Start Years Between moving to a new campus, shifting athletic conferences, switching from grass fields to turf field, and acquiring a Lower School and expanding to become a preschool through Grade 12 school, it was a decade of growth for St. Andrew’s.

On Labor Day 1998, more than 1,200 students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff and other members of the St. Andrew’s community came out to dedicate the Postoak Campus. The next day, school opened in a mostly completed building.

For a few weeks, some classes met in the gym, three or four at a time. Along with shifting to a new physical location, the athletic teams shifted to new conferences, with the boys teams moving to the MAC and the girls teams joining the ISL. The school began Summer Programs in 1999, launched its first website in 2000, hired a new head in 2002, installed turf fields in 2008, and built stadium seating for Brumbaugh Field, and on February 28, 2008, announced to the world that the it was acquiring St. Francis Episcopal School and becoming a school that would serve students from age 2 through Grade 12.

It was a busy time on the personnel side as well with David Brandt, Amanda Freeman, Al Hightower, Sean Hurney, Ian Kelleher, Dresden Koons, Joan Kowalik, Gregg Ponitch and Jennifer Robertson all joining St. Andrew’s. The Bokamoso partnership was created during this time as well. And there may have been one or two memorable senior pranks.

34

SAES.ORG

SPRING 2019

35

1998 to 2008

Above: On Labor Day 1998, more than 1,200 students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff and other members of the St. Andrew’s community dedicated the Postoak Campus.

Right: In the late 1990s, the athletic teams shifted to new conferences, with the boys teams moving to the MAC and the girls teams joining the ISL. Today, St. Andrew’s offers more than 17 varsity sports each year for students to participate in.

Upper School students goof around in the hallways of the main building in 2007. When the main building was completed in 1998, it provided 53,500-square-feet of new space on the Postoak Campus.

In February 2008, St. Andrew’s acquired St. Francis Episcopal School. Starting in September, all students in preschool through Grade 12 will be on one campus.

36

SAES.ORG

FACULTY PROFILE

Roy Barber For Roy Barber, retiring from St. Andrew’s did not mean retiring from the stage. In fact, Barber reports he has continued to grow as an artist and teacher since he departed in 2013. “(At St. Andrew’s) I had a chance to learn what I love best in performing arts, and now I give myself to it untethered, and with greater freedom and passion,” he said.

Barber is now the choir director for the Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area; three times per week, Barber teaches a selection of show tunes and folk songs. “No judgments,” he said, “only affirmation, personal sharing and humor.”

“I fell in love with the work,” he said.

“Once again, this has been my life experience – singing music together builds incredible community.”

Barber has performed in two shows at George Washington University since retiring: “The Cradle Will Rock” in 2014, in which he played Harry Druggist, and in

2017, “King Lear,” in which he played the Earl of Kent.

He co-wrote two musicals with local theater legend Leslie Jacobson: “Vanishing Point” (2014), a show about body image that was selected to be performed at the National College Theater Festival, and “Migratory Tales” (2018) about immigration in America.

Barber continues to work in Theater for Social Change with Street Sense, where he teaches a playwrighting and staged performance workshop with homeless street vendors in Washington, D.C., and supports the work of the Bokamoso Youth Foundation. “(My daughter) April says that the Bokamoso Exchange will be my greatest legacy. Hundreds of youth, both American and South African have been deeply engaged by this exchange,” he said. “The connections people have made are life transformative, and they continue. The ripples go on.”

SPRING 2019

37

1998 to 2008 Above: English teacher Susheela Robinson reviews an assignment with Middle School students in one of the new Postoak classrooms.

Right: Roy Barber started the Bokamoso program in 2002.

Above: In 2004, Middle School students put on a production of “Annie”.

This spring, Middle School students will revive the show.

Right: Claire Devaney ‘11, who ranks among the top-10 all-time in school history in scoring, goes to the basket against Model Secondary School in a 2008 contest.

38

SAES.ORG

The Class of 2005 pulled off an epic senior prank in the spring of 2005. They spelled out “05� in forks on Brumbaugh Field.

Luckily the administrators had a sense of humor and helped dispose of the thousands of forks!

1998 to 2008: by the numbers

694

Graduates

593

Oral Histories Collected

2

Turf Fields Installed

1

Schools Acquired

Middle School students enjoy the newly built Postoak Campus, which opened for the 1998-1999 year.

SPRING 2019

39

2008 to 2018

A Decade of Growth When the decade began, St. Andrew’s was coming off a year of near-record enrollment with 455 students of whom 25% were students of color.

When the fourth decade closed, St. Andrew’s, with an enrollment of nearly 620 and more than 45% students of color and international students, was the largest Episcopal school in the Diocese of Washington. In those 10 years, St. Andrew’s added an Intermediate School, built a 43,000-square-foot Student Center, created the Izzo Quad, and launched an internationally recognized Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning, which has trained thousands of teachers in hundreds of schools across the nation and in six different countries, impacting tens of thousands of students along the way.

The decade would see the retirement of a number of longtime faculty members and administrators. In 2012, Joanne Beach stepped down as Head of Upper School. In 2013, John Holden gave his final fresh start speech before retiring at the end of the school year. In 2018, after 39 years of teaching, Irene Walsh hung up her goggles and lab coat for the final time.

That 10-year stretch also saw a renovation of MacDonald Hall to better support the arts and the addition of 10 championship banners in seven different sports. The school opened the doors to its first D!Lab, and closed its 40th year with the announcement of a new 31,000-square-foot Lower School on the Postoak Campus. This building will bring together the entire St. Andrew’s community, preschool through Grade 12, on one campus for the first time, beginning the fall of 2019.

40 SAES.ORG

SPRING 2019

41

2008 to 2018 Above: The Lion-Cub program, which started in 2014, is a mentorship program where Upper and Lower School students meet throughout the year.

Right: The first fourth grade class, named the “Fourth Grade Pioneers,� meets during Homeroom on the first day of the school year in September 2009.

2008 to 2018: by the numbers

54,000

Square-feet added to the Postoak Campus

46%

Students of color and international students

26%

Students receiving financial aid

4

Academic divisions Students participate in the annual Walk for the Homeless in October 2011, which benefits Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington.

42

SAES.ORG

ROBERT KOSASKY Fourth Head of School (2002-present)

The St. Andrew’s golf team clinched the MAC Championship banner four years in a row, from 20072010. Also within those years, members of the golf team were recognized 12 times for being All-MAC athletes.

Celebrated for his collaborative and visionary leadership, Robert Kosasky has ensured the realization of an ambitious strategic vision for St. Andrew’s.

Kosasky arrived at St. Andrew’s in 2002, four years after the school moved to its permanent home on the Postoak Campus. He led St. Andrew’s dynamic growth to a preschool through Grade 12 school through the addition of an Intermediate School and the acquisition of St. Francis Day School in Potomac Village.

He encouraged the innovation of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, which is internationally recognized in Mind, Brain, and Education Science and is growing in its regard through initiatives like the Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy and the Neuroteach Global virtual professional development experience.

He inspired the community to achieve transformative facility improvements, including the construction of the Student Center and a new Lower School, which is set to open in Fall 2019.

SPRING 2019

43

2008 to 2018 Above: Each year sixth-grade students go on a three-day overnight trip to the Chesapeake Bay, where they learn about the conservation issues that impact the Bay through crabbing, marsh mucking, and engaging with Smith Island residents.

Right: Students in grades kindergarten through Grade 12 gathered on the new Izzo Quad in September 2016 for a dedication ceremony for the new Student Center. The 43,000-square-foot building features two gyms, a dance studio, a fitness center, a cafe, and is home to the Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning.

In 2017, the girls basketball team took home the ISL championship banner.

44

SAES.ORG

The Center for Transformative Teaching & Learning was founded in 2011. The Center has trained thousands of teachers in hundreds of schools across the nation and in six different countries, impacting thousands of students along the way. In 2017, the Center hosted its first Science of Teaching and School Leadership Academy. The Center has dedicated space in the Student Center.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Stacy Kincaid

More than 2,200 students have graduated from St. Andrew’s since its founding in 1978. The first class to graduate in 1982 included 14 graduates; the class of 2019 includes 75 students who will receive their diplomas at Washington National Cathedral in June.

Stacy Kincaid spent nearly two decades at St. Andrew’s teaching Spanish and serving as the school’s first-ever Director of Diversity. After seeing both her daughters, Claudia ’14 and Amelia ’16 graduate from St. Andrew’s, Kincaid felt it was the right time to move on to a new challenge.

“My colleagues at St. Andrew’s were the most professional, humble and fun people I have known in my career,” said Kincaid, who came to St. Andrew’s in 2000 and stayed until 2017. “I consider St. Andrew’s the place where my daughters and I grew up together.”

Kincaid has taken her love of teaching with her to Baltimore City College, a public magnet high school. An International Baccalaureate School, Baltimore City College has more IB Diploma earners of color than any other school. Kincaid is continuing to teach Spanish and even reaching out to former students, like Delonte Egwuatu ’12 and E.J. Douglass ’13, to speak to her current students.

One hallmark of Kincaid’s time at St. Andrew’s is the connections she made with so many students – connections she has maintained long after they left the school.

“Students like E.J., Delonte, and so many others, embody what I valued at St. Andrew’s,” Kincaid said. “Laughing at a raucous Spanish game with the student who will later be a diversity leader or host a student from South Africa was a great gift. Those multiple points of contact with students and their families makes for a rich community.”

SPRING 2019

45

The Alumni of Color Network launched in the fall of 2018 and seeks to create a space within the Alumni Association where alumni of color and of international backgrounds can build community through networking opportunities and by engaging with issues of identity and inclusion.

CREATED FOR EVERYONE From its founding, St. Andrew’s challenged racial norms in schools

“Brown v. Board of Education” declared school segregation unconstitutional in 1952, but loose interpretations of the Supreme Court’s call to end the practice “with all deliberate speed” meant many schools were grappling with their identity even 25 years later, when St. Andrew’s Episcopal School was still a dream of its founders.

There were independent schools founded to be “white flight” schools, seeking to circumvent the law by virtue of their private status. Some schools founded 46

SAES.ORG

before the Supreme Court decision quietly maintained a mostly-white student body.

St. Andrew’s, however, was deliberately founded on the principles of integration.

The founders were motivated by the support of Bishops William Creighton and John Walker, both champions of diversity and inclusion in the Episcopal Church.

“I was very concerned about it not being a ‘white flight’ kind of a school. I wanted to make sure that people from all economic strata...would find a good place at St. Andrew’s,” said founding board chair William Way in a 2007 oral history. “We wanted to make sure that it was diverse as to religious background, race, gender, and ethnic background. I think there was a dedication on the part of everybody involved in this process that it would be an intentionally diverse school.”

“Now that we have diversity, how do we retain (students) here so they can be successful?

Not just for images or quotas, but as viable members of the community that can be successful here and beyond?”

Delonte Egwuatu ‘12 Middle School teacher and coach

INTRODUCING THE ALUMNI OF COLOR NETWORK The mission of the Alumni of

Color Network is to create a space within the Alumni Association where alumni of color and of

international backgrounds can build community through networking opportunities and by engaging

with issues of identity and inclusion, both in relation to St. Andrew’s and within the broader world.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

are important founding values of St. Andrew’s, because a broadly diverse community is essential to educational excellence. We Jennifer McZier ’92 was one of the founders of the first diversity club at St. Andrew’s, the Mickey Leland Society, named for the late social activist and congressman. The mission of the club was inclusiveness of all students regardless of race, religion or gender.

encourage all alumni who are

interested in joining the Alumni

of Color Network to connect with us on LinkedIn, or email Patrick

In St. Andrew’s early years, the school may not have been able to follow through with this mission statistically – white students far outnumbered students of color – but a spirit of inclusion was there.

“At St. Andrew’s, I found my place. The sense of community I experienced on that first day was real,” said Edie Demas ‘83, who transferred to St. Andrew’s after experiencing hazing at her previous school.

“We had all chosen to be there because, at that point in the school’s early history, the traditional options, public, private, boarding, hadn’t worked for us. We were pioneers. And by being pioneers, we were more than enough and somehow we all knew that.”

“I say somehow, but really it was (Headmaster) Dr. (Jess) Borg and the pioneering, inclusive faculty and staff he built, that fostered that spirit and we all thrived, together. Through that shared experience, I regained my sense of belonging, discovered a lifelong belief in the power of community and got my curiosity and joy back. I am forever changed for the better as a result.”

In the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s,

independent schools were beginning to emphasize inclusion, hiring diversity directors and intentionally integrating their student body. For some schools, the decision was not borne of their mission or a moral reassessment, said Dr. Rodney Glasgow, St. Andrew’s Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Middle School.

“It shifted to, ‘We don’t have the luxury of being white flight schools. We don’t have the luxury of catering to only the financial elite. We saw on the horizon there is a bigger, more diverse picture coming, and if we are not prepared for that, we won’t be here 20 years from now,’” he said.

While there were more students of color during this time, not all felt like part of the community. Jennifer McZier ’92 was one of them, and decided to do something about it. She was one of the founders of the first diversity club at St. Andrew’s, the Mickey Leland Society, named for the late social activist and congressman.

“I didn’t feel included in the St. Andrew’s community as a student of color when I attended in 1989-1992 for 10th through 12th grade. Because of feeling like an outsider, this was a catalyst as to

McGettigan at alumni@saes.org to get involved.

why I was one of the co-founders of The Mickey Leland Society,” McZier said.

“The mission of the club was inclusiveness of all students regardless of race, religion or gender. Rep. Mickey Leland (D-Texas) executed his agenda in Congress with these principles. Through his activism, he encouraged all to respect and have some knowledge of the cultural histories amongst us.”

In 1998 St. Andrew’s moved from the Bradmoor campus in urban Bethesda to the Postoak campus in a suburban, wealthy Potomac neighborhood. The population of students of color dipped the year after the move, from 17 to 14 percent, but it would rise steadily over the next 10 years, reaching nearly 30 percent in the 2009-2010 school year.

The impact on the school’s diversity was clear to students and administrators, who, shortly after the move, made it a priority to promote and nurture diversity through workshops, “Mane News” articles, and SPRING 2019

47

More than 60 alumni, parents, current students, and friends attended the inaugural event hosted by the Alumni of Color Network. The group spent the day at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

new student activities like attending the Student Diversity Leadership Conference.

A goal of Robert Kosasky, the new head of school, to “redouble” efforts to improve diversity, was realized thanks to diversity committees for faculty, parents, and the board of trustees, as well as encouragement and support for the formation of four student affinity groups: the Black Student Alliance, the Jewish Culture Club, the Gay Straight Alliance and Diversity Club.

“I was one of three black females in my class, accompanied by one black male; and on the surface, that was diversity at St. Andrew’s. Yet, that reply would only be skin deep – as the nature of diversity spans beyond that of surface extremities,” said Jasmine Niernberger ’07. “St. Andrew’s exposed me to different worlds – those of Potomac fortune and those of Soweto poverty, those of Charlotte Gilman and those of Arthur Miller, those of IMG Soccer Academy and those of the Shakespeare Theater – and for that, I am thankful.”

The next significant shift for independent schools, Glasgow said, came after the election of President Barack Obama.

Schools were fully embracing the realization of a “post-racial” society and taking advantage of resources that helped teachers educate “a group of students for whom the world will be diverse from the beginning,” he said.

48

SAES.ORG

In February, more than 400 students and teachers from 15 schools attended the Diversity in the DMV Conference at St. Andrew’s, which is organized by Dr. Rodney Glasgow, Head of Middle School and Chief Diversity Officer, who is also a nationally recognized leader in diversity, equity and social justice work in independent schools. Each year, more than 800 middle and high school students and teachers attend diversity conferences at St. Andrew’s.

There was also a shift in the school experience for students of color at St. Andrew’s. Delonte Egwuatu ’12 said being part of a close-knit, small group of black students at St. Andrew’s inspired him to attend a historically black college.

“It was obviously not as diverse as it is

now, but I think because of that, it caused me to become close with my affinity group,” Egwuatu said. “It did get increasingly diverse throughout the years and since I graduated. I noticed before I came back, when I was still in college, that it was definitely a goal of the institution, and I

“St. Andrew’s exposed me to different worlds – those of Potomac fortune and those of Soweto poverty, those of Charlotte Gilman and those of Arthur Miller, those of IMG Soccer Academy and those of the Shakespeare Theater – and for that, I am thankful.”

Jasmine Niernberger ’07

think they did a good job of achieving it.”

Today, as the country witnesses a “snapback” with the rise of conservatism and the questioning of diversity resources, the School is reaffirming its commitment to the principles of diversity and inclusion.

“We’ll do what we’ve always done, even in the midst of very challenging times,” Glasgow said. “If you come here, this is who we are.”

The current population of students of color is vibrant, with more than 45 percent of the student body representing a variety of ethnicities and countries. Several faculty members serve as diversity officers, and the school hosts two diversity conferences for middle and high school students every year, drawing hundreds to the Student Center to engage in challenging and enlightening conversations.

Now a teacher and coach at St. Andrew’s, Egwuatu said he is committed to serving the educational, social, and emotional needs of students of color.

“Now that we have diversity, how do we retain (students) here so they can be successful? Not just for images or quotas, but as viable members of the community that can be successful here and beyond?”

Egwuatu said.

A SENSE OF BELONGING

Building an Inclusive Community Students laid foundation for today’s welcoming culture Welcoming and inspiring a sense of belonging among students of all ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, countries of origin, and socioeconomic backgrounds have been priorities at St. Andrew’s throughout the past 40 years, but especially in the past two decades.

In response to the student body’s limited diversity in the early 2000s, students formed clubs to promote exchange within and among affinity groups.

Michaela Friedman ’07, a co-founder of the Jewish Culture Club, which is still active today, said in a 2008 oral history that the club “helped kids to know they were not the only ones having their experience.”

“The reason for the club was to enable Jewish students to be able to share and understand their own place and experience in St. Andrew’s, something I felt was missing for me my freshman year,” Friedman said.

The Gay Straight Alliance, also founded in the early 2000s, organized activities and events to promote conversation and reflection around issues of sexual and gender identity, including a school-wide Day of Silence and a public “quilt” made up of anonymous secrets.

Ally Week in October is now the club’s signature event.

“St. Andrew’s is a small, warm environment in which everyone knows each other. In a word, it’s personal,” said a graduate who was St. Andrew’s first openly transgender student. “My

experience as the first transgender student at St. Andrew’s felt eerily easy.

It’s not the story that lawsuits fight about in the news nor is it the story shown in anti-bullying campaigns. Everyone at St. Andrew’s knew me, and I wanted to make sure they knew the real me: that I was a boy, but also that I was defined by much more than my gender.”

The international community has expanded rapidly – five percent of the current student body is considered international. Krissia Rivera ’11, who immigrated from El Salvador and is now studying medicine at Brown University, said she felt welcomed and supported as a student.

“During my time at St. Andrew's I met lifelong friends who supported me in my pursuit of understanding what being an immigrant means to me,” she said.

“These are conversations we continue to have whenever we meet up as I learn more about my identity as an immigrant and how I want it to shape the kind of doctor I want to be.”

Awarding financial aid, championed since the school’s founding to create an “intentionally diverse school,” has made St. Andrew’s accessible to more students.

Today, one in four students receive financial aid. In recent years, alumni who were on financial aid as students have shared testimonies during the annual Fund-a-Scholar Gala and Auction, which raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for the financial aid fund every year.

SPRING 2019

49

At the beginning of each school year, students in kindergarten through grade 12, parents, faculty and staff, and the Board of Trustees attend Opening Chapel at Washington National Cathedral.

FOUNDED IN FAITH, DEDICATED TO SERVICE Grounded in Episcopal values, St. Andrew’s inspires its students to serve others From St. Andrew’s founding in 1978, there has always been a dedication to educating the spirit as much as the mind – it’s embedded in the school motto. That commitment to educating the spirit isn’t simply focused on providing an Episcopal education, but on teaching St. Andrew’s students the importance of serving others.

In its first few years, St. Andrew’s students attended weekly chapel in nearby churches. The first year in Pilgrim Lutheran Church, chapel took place onsite, or at 50

SAES.ORG

St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, located adjacent to Pilgrim. While at Clara Barton School, students would travel to Church of the Redeemer Episcopal Church a mile away – sometimes walking, sometimes traveling via car pools – for service on Wednesday mornings.

Upon moving to the Bradmoor Campus, chapels began taking place in the gymnasium. At the same time, more cohesiveness was brought to the religion curriculum and service learning beginning to play a role in student life. In 1982-1983, seventh and eighth graders studied the Old and New Testament, in ninth grade they learned Church History, in tenth grade they studied World Religions, in eleventh grade they dove into Theology and in twelfth grade they tackled Ethics.

In 1983, St. Andrew’s hired its first full-time chaplain, April Trew. Under her guidance, the school began service learning under the banner of “outreach.”

This included raising money for UNICEF, Martha’s Table and summer volunteering opportunities. Within two years service learning had evolved and students were working in partnership with the Washington Youth in Philanthropy program.

The first time St. Andrew’s considered integrating service learning into the curriculum was 1985 when a service learning course was considered. A “structured, long-term supervised volunteer program” was briefly discussed for seniors. It would be nearly 20 years before it was truly integrated into the school’s day-to-day life.

Over time the religion curriculum

“We all intuitively know that service leads to growth. At its core, service invites us to redirect our gaze – even if only briefly – away from our own interests and desires. This, in turn, cannot help but expand our worldview.”

The Rev. Jess Borg, St. Andrew’s first Head of School, gives communion to students during the first school year in 1978.

The Rev. Patty Alexander Head Chaplain and Chair of the Religion Department

evolved to its present form with students taking religion during one trimester every year from sixth grade through 11th grade, with two electives offered to seniors. The purpose of religion, and chapel, was best summed up in 2008 by The Rev. John Thomas, who was departing after 10 years at St. Andrew’s.

“We wouldn’t be a school if it weren’t for the desire to be an Episcopal school,” Thomas said for “St. Andrew’s: An Oral History of the First 30 Years.” “It’s about emphasizing the inclusiveness of faith rather than the exclusiveness of faith; it’s about the chaplain, but it’s not about the chaplain; it’s about helping the faculty and staff to see everything they do is ministry.

“The academic religion courses are part and parcel of being an informed person of faith or no faith. Students can’t get out of here without knowing something about the Bible, theology, other religions, service, ethics or philosophy. They have to confront classic arguments for and against the existence of God, for and against the idea of free will and suffering. Those are big questions that are often crucial pieces of formation that get left out of an education.”

In 2004-2005, service learning was officially brought into the curriculum with it becoming mandatory, through the religion curriculum, for ninth grade students. At

Above: Lower School students participate in service learning activities such as putting together toiletry kits and snack bags for Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington.

Left: The Campus Kitchen Project brings together students and community leaders at St. Andrew’s to recover food from the school cafeteria, plan menus, run cooking shifts, and organize drivers to provide weekly meals at Bethesda Cares.

the time, there was no model for the program as St. Andrew’s was at the forefront of making service learning integral to the school experience. Just two years earlier, St. Andrew’s had begun its partnership with the Bokamoso Youth Foundation in South Africa with youth visiting St. Andrew’s every January and Lions visiting South Africa during spring break.

In 2010, shortly after earthquakes ravaged Haiti, St. Andrew’s began a partnership with Christ Roi School in Civol, Haiti with a small group of St. Andrew’s students traveling there every February.

Over the past 14 years, St. Andrew’s has invested in Mind, Brain, and Educa-

tion Science as well as Design Thinking.

Both play a role in service learning.

“We all intuitively know that service leads to growth,” said The Rev. Patty Alexander, current Head Chaplain and Chair of the Religion Department. “At its core, service invites us to redirect our gaze – even if only briefly – away from our own interests and desires. This, in turn, cannot help but expand our worldview.”

For 40 years, St. Andrew’s has been instilling the importance of service learning and spiritual life in every student who has come through its doors. It’s fair to say that over the next 40 years, that commitment will only deepen.

SPRING 2019

51

ALUMNI WHO INSPIRE US Is there a typical St. Andrew’s student? It's a frequently asked question — both from prospective applicants and community members curious to learn more about a young school that’s been attracting national attention.

PROFILES BY RICHARD COCO AND KIRSTEN PETERSEN

In reflecting on 40 years of St. Andrew’s

teamwork. They learn the meaning of

students, and now graduates, we believe

character and effort. They prepare for

that the answer is straightforward if not

a future economy that rewards creative

simple. On the surface, there is no ‘typical’

confidence and human-centered problem-

St. Andrew’s student. Our students have

solving.

always brought a diverse range of interests,

Forty years after the school’s founding we

talents and goals to their shared St. Andrew’s

see how this educational philosophy has

community. And our faculty and staff have

shaped the lives of more than 2,200 alumni,

encouraged the development of each child’s

and how these exceptional individuals are

potential by knowing and inspiring every

changing the world.

Lion, every day.

So while there may not be a ‘typical’

On the coming pages, you will meet a sample of St. Andrew’s alumni. They share

student, there is surely a typical St. Andrew’s

the courage to put their passion to work

experience, one that prepares and

— to innovate, to chart new courses, to

encourages students to explore individual

explore. They serve society by exploring new

passions in ways that serve their current and

technologies, creating new businesses and

future communities. Our students experience

social enterprises, reimagining traditional

a culture and curriculum that value both

professions, and always questioning.

individual excellence and collaborative

We are so proud of our Lion alumni!

The Explorer MICHAEL FULLER CLASS OF 2012

Michael Fuller ’12 could see himself serving in uniform, just as the men and women in his family had before him, but he also aspired to become a scientist. He discovered an answer to both callings by becoming an officer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“This is exactly what I want to do. I get to be a public servant but also get to be on the science side of it, in uniform. It’s the best of both worlds for me,” he said.

Fuller worked in laboratories as a student at the University of Miami but found the logistical aspects of science more appealing than the research requirements of the lab. He learned about NOAA through a friend of his roommate and decided to apply just before graduating with bachelor’s degrees in marine and atmospheric sciences.

He’s held several roles on NOAA ships since becoming an officer in 2016 and is currently a navigational officer on NOAA’s largest research vessel, the NOAAS Ronald H. Brown. For Fuller, the most rewarding role so far is that of a science ambassador to other countries, especially India, where he and fellow officers helped renew international research-sharing efforts.

“Our ship was a piece of United States soft power that was there to help the scientists,” Fuller said. “It’s huge for me, to be able to be used in a game-changing way for the scientific community, to see scientists working together as opposed to fighting each other.”

Data collected by NOAAS Ronald H. Brown and her scientific partners on the health of oceans was included in the Fourth National Climate Assessment that was published in November 2018. In June Fuller will begin a new assignment in Mississippi, where he will provide logistical management and support of the Atlantic fleet in the Gulf region and around the southeast U.S. coast. — KP

The Healer DR. MELISSA (BLUM) STRIKE CLASS OF 1999

As a student at St. Andrew’s, Dr. Melissa (Blum) Strike ’99 loved astronomy and physics.

It wasn’t until years later, however, that she decided to pursue a career in medicine – a decision that reflected her St. Andrew’s experience where she came to see the value of applying science to the solution of human needs.

Strike, now the Director of Spinal Cord Injury at Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital just outside St. Louis, works with a wide-range of patients – from construction workers to retirees to paralympic athletes.

“My St. Andrew’s class of 57 got along remarkably well,” Strike said. “The inclusiveness and open-mindedness that define St. Andrew’s culture naturally drew me to medicine. I’m a better doctor for that.”

After leaving St. Andrew’s, Strike went to Kenyon College majoring in physics with a concentration in neuroscience. She spent two years working at Cornell University’s Weill School of Medicine doing research before being accepted to New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, from which she received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) in 2009.

“The D.O. approach to medicine is to treat the whole patient, not just the disease or condition,” Strike said. “Understanding the patient as a human being and being open to a wide range of treatments have a strong appeal to me. I can trace these concepts back to my years at St. Andrew’s.”

After getting her D.O, Strike matched with the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab at Northwestern University in Chicago, the nation’s top-ranked Rehabilitation hospital. After completing her residency, she found herself drawn to Mercy where she was charged with creating an amputee and spinal cord program – both of which are nationally certified. Despite her leadership role, Strike, who is also certified in acupuncture, still sees 20-25 patients a day. — RC

54

SAES.ORG

The Counselor ADITI VIDYASAGAR CLASS OF 1997

Being a high school student is no easy task.

Being a high school student suddenly uprooted and brought to a different country, with a different culture can be a life-altering experience.

Just ask Aditi Vidyasagar ’97.

“I felt like I landed on another planet,” Vidyasagar said. “It was so different from my reality. How people talked. How they dressed.

Cultural references. What teachers expected.

Style of testing. The food.”

With the support and encouragement of her teachers, Vidyasagar was able to adapt to her new environment. She went on to study the intersection between psychology and culture at McGill University in Montreal, earned a Master’s in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oxford in England and another in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University in New York.

Now a licensed psychotherapist, Vidyasagar specializes in helping others negotiate their own unique identity, just as she has constructed and embraced her own “in-between” cultural identity. “I like to help people find themselves while navigating new experiences,” said Vidyasagar. “How to still feel strong about themselves. How to build confidence through transitions.”

In addition to her private practice, Vidyasagar, who has a dozen letters after her name (EdM MA MSc LMHC), spends one day a week on site at Google, meeting with employees as part of their benefits package.

“It de-stigmatizes mental health and I get to work with a very global staff, for whom my expertise is particularly relevant,” said Vidyasagar, who is currently developing a cross cultural training program that can be adapted to different forums. — RC

SPRING 2019

55

PHOTO COURTESY OF56 LEN SAES.ORG RUBENSTEIN

The Scientist FIKILE (RICHARD) BRUSHETT CLASS OF 2002

When Fikile R. Brushett ’02 was a kid, he didn’t dream about saving the world. He thought chemistry was exciting and wanted to find a way to make it part of his life. Flashforward more than 15 years and Brushett is now an associate professor of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and his work might have a huge impact on sustainability and the environment.

“I remember watching the movie ‘The Rock’ and being really intrigued by Nicholas Cage’s character, Stanley Goodspeed, who was an FBI chemist,” said Brushett, who went by his middle name Richard while at St. Andrew’s. “I remember thinking ‘this is fascinating – how can I do this for a living?’”

With a natural inclination for chemistry and mathematics, Brushett was encouraged by Irene Walsh, who helped him procure a research experience working on environmental sensors at the Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Maryland through a program run by George Washington University.

After graduating from St. Andrew’s he went to the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, while also developing an interest in catalytic processes for generating chemicals, fuels, and power.

Subsequently, he headed to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he earned a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering.

In graduate school, he was introduced to electrochemistry, a subfield of chemistry which studies the interaction between electrical energy and chemical transformations, and underpins a number of exciting clean energy technologies, such as fuel cells and rechargeable batteries.

Now at MIT, his research program focuses on advancing the science and engineering of electrochemical technologies which he hopes can help address some of the biggest problems facing humanity.

“Energy is essential to modern society and the abundance, availability, and affordability of fossil fuels has been a key driver of the past century’s progress. However, with increasing global energy demand and climate volatility, there is an increasingly urgent need to decouple carbon emissions from economic activity without stifling economic growth. Our work aims to conceptualize, prototype, and validate new electrochemical systems that can enable a transition to low-carbon economy.” — RC SPRING 2019

57

The Advocate PARISA (KAZEMIAN) KARAAHMET CLASS OF 1987

Parisa (Kazemian) Karaahmet ’87 understands what it’s like to be an immigrant. Her father was an Iranian diplomat under the Shah and when his government fell in 1978, she, along with her two sisters and parents, found themselves stranded in America, isolated from their family. It wasn’t accidental, as her father read the landscape and made the decision to keep the family in the United States.

It was more than a decade before Karaahmet earned U.S. citizenship and in that time she attended and graduated from St. Andrew’s and Syracuse University, eventually going on to get her JD from Catholic University. Despite that background, she never intended to go into immigration law. But here she stands, more than 40 years after finding herself an immigrant, a senior partner at Fragomen, the largest immigration law firm in the world.

“My first offer (out of law school) was with an immigration firm,” Karaahmet said. “I could keep looking, but it was a tough job market so I thought I would give it a try. It was tough work but I learned a lot.”

One day a rival mentioned a job opening to Karaahmet and she soon found herself as a prosecutor in New York City. She stayed in that role for a few years before moving to the private sector with Fragomen which represents companies in their worldwide immigration needs. She also represents individuals with complex cases and has a sub-specialty in EB-5 investment visas, representing NHW foreign investors who make U.S. investments in order to create jobs.

“I think I’m in the minority of lawyers who enjoy what they do,” Karaahmet said. “I like what I do. I have no interest in shifting career paths. I feel like I haven’t stopped growing even after 18 years here. This field is so dynamic – even as a senior partner I can learn something new and be innovative.”

And as far as being an immigrant herself, that just makes Karaahmet a better lawyer.

“I think my background has given me the ability to ‘relate’ on a different level. It helps people to know you have a shared experience.

Sometimes you just have to hold a client’s hand no matter what the area of law you are in.”

— RC

The Artist LINDSAY ABROMAITIS-SMITH CLASS OF 1999

For Lindsay Abromaitis-Smith ’99, no obstacle has ever been so great as to stop her from being an artist – not even ALS. “How can I explain the physical sensations of ALS through dance and music? How can I connect to my spirit even if I am being crushed by a disease?” she asked herself. “My art making turned into a practice. Practice as a form of meditation and prayer to remember what is truly important.”

Abromaitis-Smith was born to a theater artist – former St. Andrew’s teacher Karin Abromaitis – and was surrounded by artists as a child. She began dancing at three years old, performed in plays at St. Andrew’s, and, at Hampshire College, discovered her love of puppetry.

For 12 years, Abromaitis-Smith worked as a puppeteer, traveling with different theater companies and having several of her own shows produced. Her show “Epyllion,” an exploration of what nourishes our hearts’ desires through puppetry, movement, and song, was funded by a 2012 Jim Henson Foundation grant.

When she was diagnosed with ALS in 2012, Abromaitis-Smith began to redirect her artistry, beginning with a performance series called “Bloom. She is Descending,” which she describes as “an homage to her changing body and being while wrestling with death.”

It would be a new artistry – painting with her feet – that would “reignite her passion for art and life.”

“It is alchemy. It is my sanctuary,” Abromaitis-Smith said. “I paint as ritual and a way to transform my thoughts, as well as a way to remind myself that I am very much alive.”

Her “footworks” have been exhibited widely. One piece, a sunset-hued footwork, appeared on a Starbucks gift card in 2016. She is currently designing a tarot card deck and, as an ordained minister, creating magic boxes containing original art, prayers, crystals, and various herbal teas and tinctures for rituals and ceremonies.

To see more of Lindsay’s artwork, visit her website, https://alchemyofthesole.com/.

— KP

The Truth Seeker BRAD BENNETT CLASS OF 1986

Brad Bennett ’86 knew he wanted to be a journalist at an early age. When he entered St. Andrew’s as a ninth grader in 1982 he immediately joined The Mane News, spending two years as a reporter and two years as the editor of the school newspaper. That he would head down that path was somewhat cemented one summer after he spent a day shadowing his uncle, who worked for The Press of Atlantic City.

So after four years at Dartmouth, Bennett immediately got to work on a career that would take him around the world and thrust him into leadership roles. Along the way, he has had the chance to tell stories that have made an impact on the communities where he has lived. Whether it was exposing poor conditions in public-housing in Delray Beach, Florida, or investigating racial discrimination against black City of Fort Lauderdale employees, Bennett has consistently found stories worth telling of people who needed help finding a voice. He credits that to the Bible passage, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) “That’s my motto as a journalist,” Bennett

said. “In all the work I’ve done over the course of my career, I have made it a mission to find out and tell the truth. In today’s political atmosphere, where ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’ are being spread around the world at lightning speed, it is now more important than ever for journalists to fulfill our critical role in society of separating fact from fiction. It’s up to us to tell people the truth.”

Bennett has taken his advocacy and storytelling to a new level in recent years as he now works as a senior editor/writer for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama.

“I have always been interested in civil rights.

After the 2016 election, I found myself energized and applied to SPLC.” He also moonlights as an adjunct professor of journalism at Auburn University, where he is teaching a course in magazine and feature writing.

Whether he’s been a writer or an editor, a communications manager or a journalist, a teacher or a student, at heart, Bennett has always been seeking the truth. — RC

SPRING 2019

61

The Story Teller CHRISTINA MCDOWELL CLASS OF 2003

62

As a girl growing up in Washington, D.C., Christina McDowell ’03 did not dream that she might someday pen a memoir, co-produce a documentary or write a novel - all things she has accomplished within the past 15 years.

Instead, she dreamed about telling stories as an actress. She got her start on the stage at St. Andrew’s and had a number of roles in television before her life was forever changed by a phone call from her mother.

In 2004, she answered the phone to learn that her father, Tom Prousalis, was arrested for fraud. Soon after, credit card bills came pouring in – her father had run up debt in her name before being arrested. It was years before McDowell was able to get her life back on track. She began writing to help get through what she experienced. “It took a long time to feel comfortable telling my story,” McDowell said. “It was not an easy time for me. It took years to understand it and come to terms and share it with people.

She began speaking about her journey through the Center for Restorative Justice in Los Angeles and it was through that experience that she took on a role as co-producer of “Survivors Guide to Prison” a documentary currently available on Netflix which includes Susan Sarandon, Patricia Arquette, Danny Glover, Quincy Jones, Ice-T, Cynthia Nixon and Danny Trejo, among others. She also wrote her memoir, “After Perfect: A Daughter’s Memoir” and founded a non-profit, POPS (Pain of the Prison System) which supports teenagers who have been impacted as a result of having a loved one in prison.

Through it all, she has remained true to her calling of being a storyteller. Whether performing on stage, writing and speaking about her experiences – which she did at St. Andrew’s this spring – or even creating a story from scratch (she recently finished an untitled first novel), McDowell has persevered through her trials and travails to become the storyteller she is today.

“There has been something innately, always inside of me, that has a desire for truth, and I think artists and storytellers are drawn to that however they choose to express that,” McDowell said. “Call me naïve but I never thought of it as a risk. It was just something I needed to do.” — RC SAES.ORG

The Strategist ALLIE RENISON CLASS OF 2003

Allie Renison ’03 is immersed in Brexit. As the Head of EU and Trade Policy at London’s Institute of Directors, she spends her days advising, lobbying, “think tanking” and doing communications work. Which is perfect as far as she is concerned.

“It’s pretty addictive and all-consuming – not just a job anymore,” Renison said. “The most interesting part about the past two and a half years is realizing what being deeply immersed in a subject you find intellectually stimulating means when it reaches its climax! The fact that it’s driven by a 24/7 news environment makes it even easier to eat, sleep and breathe work!”

Renison did her undergraduate work at Queen’s University in Ontario earning a B.A. in political economy. She spent two of those years studying in London and stayed there to get her master’s in Politics of Security & Integration in the post-Soviet space. Her rise to becoming a policy advisor and leading a policy and parliamentary affairs team was a bit cliché.

“The world of politics and policy is a surprisingly upwardly mobile one,” Renison said.

“I took a secretary’s job shortly after I got my master’s just to get my foot in the door of working in Parliament. My boss soon figured out I was dreadful at admin but half decent as a researcher and speechwriter. And it was only by being immersed in his policy subjects even as a PA that allowed me the time to develop an interest in them.

“From there it just snowballed really, I got drawn into the world of politics and single issue campaigning as a researcher on the EU. But over time I realised I was more interested in the policy world than I was in politics and spin. So I turned down some big roles going into the EU referendum campaign to focus more on doing the detail and working with businesses on EU regulation and trade policy.”

Renison credits learning to give presentations while at St. Andrew’s as something that has aided her greatly as a professional.

“I was incredulous to find that kids aren’t really taught to present in many British schools,’ Renison said. “The focus on (presenting) from early on in Middle School at St. Andrew’s gave me the confidence to speak in public, which in turn has made me in-demand for events and media requests, and allows me to have both policy and communications in my professional arsenal.”

SPRING 2019 — RC

63

64

SAES.ORG

The Investors JACK MCMACKIN ‘04 AND TOM MCMACKIN ‘08

Jack McMackin ’04 and Tom McMackin ’08 never attended St. Andrew’s at the same time. Nor did they ever plan to have similar careers. But now, more than a decade later, they both find themselves in Manhattan working in finance. Jack is a venture capitalist and Tom is a Senior Associate in Blackstone’s Corporate Private Equity Group.

After St. Andrew’s, Jack attended Elon getting a degree in business administration then later attending business school at Notre Dame. Tom, meanwhile, majored in finance and economics at Notre Dame (they overlapped for one year) with a degree in finance before getting an M.B.A from Harvard Business School. They now both work as investors.

“Blackstone invests on behalf of individuals and institutions – including academic and charitable institutions, governments and retirement systems,” said Tom. “In the private equity group, we try to invest in great businesses and then make them better by providing operational resources and capital to support their long-term success.”

Jack, meanwhile, recently began working with emerging companies as a venture capitalist, investing on behalf of high net worth individuals. He previously served as a Vice President for the Rockefeller Global Family Office.

For both McMackins, the most rewarding part of their job is how it impacts others.

“Ultimately, our goal is to help Blackstone’s investors meet their financial obligations,” Tom said.

“And when, for example, that means a public pension system can satisfy its commitments to pensioners, it provides a great sense of purpose.”

“The most rewarding aspect of my work is getting to be a part of a movement in financial services called ‘impact investing,’ Jack said. “The Rockefeller Foundation coined the term in 2007, and it refers to the idea that intentional investors can use their capital as a tool to make a difference in people’s lives. If you want to learn more about impact investing, I’d encourage you to look at the work of St. Andrew’s alum Pierre Omidyar, who, next to Bill Gates, is the arguably the world’s foremost leader in the space.” — RC

SPRING 2019

65

The Entrepreneur ANJALEE SEWPAUL CLASS OF 2005

Growing up, Anjalee Sewpaul ’05 had grand plans of opening her own restaurant, even designing business cards in Gary Wyatt’s computer science class. But after spending her college summers cooking in London kitchens, she felt the life of a restaurateur wasn’t the right fit.

After spending some time working in the IT and digital sectors, her dreams of being part of the food industry remained, so she designed a solution that would allow her to take her skills and combine them with her passion.

Déjà Vu, the phone app Sewpaul founded last summer, is designed to reestablish the connection between customers and restaurants through loyalty incentives. She was inspired by her time dining at her favorite neighborhood restaurant, Foxlow, where her experience was often influenced by how well the staff knew her and her loyalty to the restaurant.

“What we’re trying to do is put the loyalty aspect back in control of the customers,” Sewpaul said. “If I hadn’t made a booking, there was no way to know anything about me, that I’m a loyal customer. With Déjà Vu, we’re trying to see if we can get around that in some way without hindering restaurant staff.”

Users of the free app can unlock different incentives based on their loyalty, ranging from free drinks to new menu tastings. Restaurants that use Déjà Vu as their loyalty app receive a data analytics report with customer insights and marketing recommendations.

“The market is saturated with loyalty offerings in general, but a lot force customers to be loyal to the product itself,” Sewpaul said. “We hope we’re the bridge. We like to think of it as a platform that puts restaurant brand first.”

— KP

66

SAES.ORG

The Educator TOM TAYLOR CLASS OF 2000

Now in his 14th year as an educator, Tom Taylor ’00 has become nothing if not devoted to his craft.

To hear him speak of it, it was impossible for him to not pursue a career working with students.

“It was very shortly after I began that I fell in love with teaching,” Taylor said. “I really just remember this dawning sense that I was home. When you laugh with kids, when you see they “get it” or have that moment of realization, it’s magical. There really wasn’t one moment or student, but just a general awakening to the notion that I belonged in education.

“I was learning, I was challenged, and I never looked back.”

Taylor graduated from Oberlin with a double major in physics and theater. Having attended an independent school meant he understood what would be involved with teaching at an independent school, a suggestion made to him at Oberlin’s career center.

It didn’t take him too long in the classroom at Riverdale Country School in the Bronx, N.Y. for Taylor to realize he made the right choice.

While at Riverdale, he branched out from being solely a teacher to overseeing financial aid and outreach, eventually becoming a Dean of Students.

He earned a Master’s degree from Teachers College of Columbia University before becoming the Head of the Upper School at the prestigious Breck School in Minneapolis. Now in his sixth year at Breck, he is also working on a Ph.D. in education policy and leadership.

“At some point, I think I’d like to be a Head of School, if there is a right fit,” he said. “With this Ph.D., the possibility of working on the teacher prep side as a college professor could potentially appeal to me as well.”

St. Andrew’s has no shortage of graduates who have gone into the education field. Taylor believes there are a few reasons for that.

“Something about the community and being an Episcopal School fosters this notion of community,” said Taylor, who began his career teaching physics. “And people thrive in that and want to create it for others. I think teaching is an act of love and I think St. Andrew’s students feel that and kids leave feeling a sense of being cared for and loved and that perpetuates itself.

“I had role models, as well. I thought a lot about Kurt Sinclair, who was my physics teacher. At the high school level, you have to be passionate about and have expertise in your subject area. Kurt Sinclair’s connection to physics made me feel a connecSPRING 2019 tion to physics.” — RC

67

n io n u e R d n a g in m o Homec

Assistant Head of School David Brown (1989-present) and Head of School Robert Kosasky (2002-present) with former Head of School Jim Cantwell (1989-2001) and former Assistant Head of School John Holden (1986-2014).

68

SAES.ORG

On October 13, 2018, more than 300 alumni, former faculty, parents, and friends came together on the Postoak campus to celebrate the 40th Anniversary Homecoming and Reunion. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the celebration!

Keeping with tradition, we began the day with the Walk for the Homeless and our Homecoming games and festivities. In the afternoon, we hosted a panel discussion about Diversity, Identity, and Inclusion at St. Andrew’s, providing a space for open and honest conversation about the impact and importance of diversity within our community.

The day culminated with the Reunion Celebration Dinner, which included the presentation of the Alumni Achievement Awards and the Athletic Hall of Fame Induction.

The Thomas Shaw Award for service to the school was presented to former Trustee Michael DiPaula-Coyle ‘98, and Katie Barthelme ‘88 was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award. In honor of the 40th Anniversary, a special award was presented to the school’s founders and founding Boards of Trustees.

During the Athletic Hall of Fame Induction, James Ryan ‘98, the 1992-93 Girls Soccer Team, and Coach Ginger Cobb were all inducted and honored for their athletic achievements.

The Head of School’s Award for Visionary Leadership was presented to the St. Andrew’s Founders and Founding Boards of Trustees (1977-1979). Accepting on behalf of this remarkable group were David Beers, Isabelle Schuessler, and Audrey Demas.

Right: Katie Barthelme ‘88, pictured with Patrick McGettigan, Director of Alumni Affairs & Giving, was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of her 25-year career in systems engineering and operations at Omitron, where she provides critical leadership and support for space and satellite missions that expand humanity’s understanding of the Earth and the solar system.

Caleb Collins ‘34 rode his tricycle in the annual Walk for the Homeless. After the Walk, participants enjoyed games, music and food on Izzo Quad.

Delonte Egwuatu ‘12, Dannie Moore ‘09, and Jasmine Niernberger ‘07 spoke about their experiences as students of color at the Diversity, Identity, and Inclusion panel.

Lion Cub buddies Daniel González-Kosasky ‘20, Zuma Abikoff ‘29, Zach Lee ‘29 and Colin McDermott ‘20 particiated in the Walk for Homeless, benefiting Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington.

The annual Faculty vs. Alumni soccer match on Hope Field drew a great crowd of alumni eager to face off against their former teachers.

SPRING 2019

69

ALUMNI

reunions

Reunion 2018 A special welcome was extended to the classes of 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013 as they celebrated their Milestone Reunions. To foster a greater sense of community in honor of our 40th Anniversary, all Milestone Reunions were celebrated on campus during the Reunion Celebration Dinner. A special thank you to our Reunion Co-Chairs for helping to bring their classmates together!

70

SAES.ORG

ALUMNI

reunions

Save the Date!

CLASSES ENDING IN 4 AND 9 are invited

back to campus to celebrate their 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, 25-, 30- and 35-year reunions on Saturday, October 19, 2019. If you are interested in volunteering as a Reunion Co-Chair to encourage attendance from your classmates, please contact Patrick McGettigan at alumni@saes.org.

SPRING 2019

71

1983 Class representatives pose for a yearbook photo in the stairway of the Bradmoor Campus at the start of the 1983-1984 school year.

72

SAES.ORG

ALUMNI

class notes

New email, phone number or mailing address? Simply fill out the form online to submit your updated information: www.saes.org/classnotes.

1984

86

35TH REUNION YEAR

Thank You, Larissa!

Please contact Patrick McGettigan if you’d like to join the Reunion Committee.

David Huff is helping small businesses get new customers using social media, video, and review and reputation management.

David and his wife, Renee, live in Olney, Maryland with their 5-year-old twins (Rachel and Zachary) and a 4-year-old (Joshua).

Lauren (Cunningham) Reed and Chris Reed celebrated the wedding of their daughter, Allison, on July 28, 2018.

1986 After graduating from Dartmouth College with a degree in English, Brad Bennett embarked on a distinguished, 22-year professional career in newspapers. Brad was a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Asbury Park Press and The Press of Atlantic City before becoming a reporter and – eventually – an editor at The Miami Herald.

Brad Bennett ‘86 and his family, while they were living in Dubai.

He also served as a senior national editor at The National, an English-language newspaper with offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, before moving into public relations.

Currently, Brad fights for some of the most vulnerable people in America as a senior editor/writer for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, where he writes everything from press releases to long-form feature stories on behalf of poor and disenfranchised members of society. In his spare time, Brad lectures to students at Auburn University about journalism, and sings in the choir

84

The Alumni Association extends its heartfelt gratitude to outgoing Alumni Council President, Larissa Levine ‘06.

Under Larissa’s leadership from 20172019, the Alumni Council inspired a major increase in alumni giving, planned and executed the 40th Anniversary Reunion Weekend, and created the Alumni of Color Network.

We are thankful for Larissa’s leadership, professionalism, dedication, and passion for St. Andrew’s, and look forward to her continued involvement in the alumni community once her term ends in June.

Current Vice President Tom Taylor will become Alumni Council President on July 1, 2019.

2018-2019 Alumni Council President Larissa Levine ‘06 Vice President Tom Taylor ‘00

Lauren (Cunningham) Reed ‘84 and Chris Reed ‘84 celebrated the wedding of their daughter in July. From left to right: daughter Lynda, Chris, Lauren, son-in-law Gordon, daughter Allison, daughter Kelly, son-in-law Levi, grandson James.

Tammy (Adle) Stone ‘87 Catherine Callaway ‘88 Jennifer McZier ‘92 Sam Speier ‘95 Alex Bierlein-George ‘95 Erin Wright-Gandhi ‘96 Chanele Clark ‘96 Alisa Kaswell ‘05 Madeline (Wallace) O’Brien ‘05 Lane Brenner ‘05 Hannah (Davis) Harlan ‘08 Dannie Moore ‘09 Alex Facciobene ‘10 SPRING 2019

73

ALUMNI

class notes at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. led the Montgomery Bus Boycott that blossomed into the Civil Rights Movement in 1955. Brad and his wife, Adeyela, are raising their 11-year-old twin girls, Breanna and Brooke, in Montgomery.

86 Katie (Horne) Yehl ‘86 and Amelia (Arnett) Poch ‘86 recently reconnected in Charleston, South Carolina.

Katie (Horne) Yehl was promoted to Vice President of Government Affairs for Volvo Cars in 2017. Katie and her husband, Tim, have three kids and live in Bethesda, Maryland. The most exciting news is that the Yehl’s oldest daughter, Shannon, started at St. Andrews this fall as a member of the Class of 2022!

1987 Chris Adams lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife, Melinda, and son, Patrick (14). He is in his 20th year as a civilian employee of the Navy, currently working on the Columbia Class Submarine program. Chris’ time away from work is filled with his son’s hockey team and traveling, including a summer 2018 trip to Italy and Switzerland.

90 Jessica Karp ’90 married Marica Tacconi in 2017. The couple honeymooned in Italy.

Laura (Galliher) Wertz and her husband celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on December 31, 2018.

Their recent travels have included trips to France, Holland, Belgium, England, and Florida. Laura’s daughter is learning to drive and her son is entering high school.

1988 Geoff Dye lives in Washington, D.C., where he is Senior Director at MGA. Geoff writes, “It was a lot of fun to catch up with everyone from around the country at the 40th anniversary celebration last fall. St. Andrew’s is a special community and I'm grateful to be part of it. I look forward to becoming more involved with fellow alumni.”

93 Paige (Dreyfuss) Cooper ‘93, Pamela (Monroe) Saunders ‘93, Alyssa (Henry) Buck ‘94 and Melissa Tauber ‘93, on a trip to Rehoboth Beach.

74

SAES.ORG

1989 30TH REUNION YEAR

Please contact Patrick McGettigan if you’d like to join the Reunion Committee.

1990 Jessica Karp married her wife Marica Tacconi on June 3, 2017, and she still considers herself a newlywed. The couple recently celebrated their first anniversary on a trip to Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

In March 2018, Jessica (Bulman) Kolchins became engaged to David Dennison, and is planning an October 2019 wedding. She will be adding three 20-year-old daughters to her family, and her daughter, Jordyn (13), and son, Noah (11), will gain three stepsisters.

1991 Stacy (Hough) Smith is in her 20th year working at the Edmund Burke School in Washington, D.C., where she teaches in the Middle and Upper schools and serves as the Director of Leadership. She has two daughters: Riley (6), and Taylor (10 ... going on 16).

1993 After more than 16 years working as a photo editor for major media companies in Washington, D.C., Coburn Dukehart relocated to Madison, Wisconsin in 2016 to work as the multimedia director for a non-profit investigative news center called WisconsinWatch. She and her husband have two bold and brave daughters, Quinn (6) and River (4). Their family takes every opportunity they can to leave the boundaries of their midwestern college town for the great outdoors.

Coburn writes, “We seem to be happiest while camping, climbing mountains and jumping in lakes!”

Michael Rizzo teaches Creative Writing at Hunter College. Last year, he received a Hertog Fellowship to contribute research to an upcoming book. He also works as an

ALUMNI

editorial and script consultant for clients in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

95

class notes

95

Pamela (Monroe) Saunders recently traveled to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for a getaway weekend with fellow alumnae Paige (Dreyfuss) Cooper ’93, Alyssa (Henry) Buck ’94 and Melissa Tauber ’93. The foursome reconnected serendipitously a few years ago while on a beach vacation with their families and have made an effort to keep in touch ever since. Pam says, “The girls’ weekend was so luxurious – we slept in, enjoyed dinners out, reminisced, took walks on the beach and laughed until our faces hurt.”

Jennifer (Powell) Norton ’95 had a baby boy, Quint, in February 2018.

1994 25TH REUNION YEAR

Please contact Patrick McGettigan if you’d like to join the Reunion Committee.

1995 Chris Cantwell resides in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, just north of Pittsburgh. He and his wife, Megan, have five children: Avery (16), Liam (15), Sully (11), Flannery

From left to right: daughter Fiona, Katie (Barr) Cornish ‘95, daughter Winnie and husband Ben, on vacation in Panama.

(9), and Mack (7). Chris spent most of his time after St. Andrew’s in the Washington, D.C., area, but also made moves to live near family in Florida (his mom and dad, former headmaster Jim Cantwell, live in Stuart) and Minnesota (where brother Greg, ’92, lived for several years). He has also visited his siblings Jen ’01 and Ben ’01 in Scotland and China. Chris is Managing Director of Client Services for Arlingtonbased Innovative Discovery and his wife runs a higher education grant consulting company, which brings them back to D.C. every month or two. Chris missed being able to attend October’s reunion weekend and would love to connect with St. A’s friends in the year ahead.

Katie (Barr) Cornish and her husband, Ben, recently returned to Panama for a family vacation, 10 years after they honeymooned there. This time they had their two daughters, Fiona and Winnie, in tow.

95 Mari (Palmer) McDonald ‘95 has two daughters, Meadow (2) and Maggie (10).

Mari (Palmer) McDonald and her husband, Terrence, with two daughters Maggie (10) and Meadow (2), recently became first-time Maryland residents. After living in Washington, D.C., for nearly 20 years,

their family crossed the district line and moved to a new home in Bethesda near Glen Echo Park in the fall of 2018. Mari also recently began a new role as Assistant Director of Annual Giving and Parent Engagement at The Madeira School.

Jennifer (Powell) Norton and her husband moved to the Spring Valley neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in October 2017 (their 11th move in nine years of marriage!). The couple also welcomed a baby on Feb. 19, 2018 named James Bransford Norton V (Quint). In August, Jennifer left her job at JBG Smith to work with her boss, who started her own company called Of Place. Of Place is a master planning, merchandising strategy, public space activation and retail leasing company for mixed-use developments.

Natasha Scripture spent much of the last year putting the final touches on her debut memoir, “MAN FAST” (Little, Brown UK) which came out in the UK and Australia in May 2018 and will be released in the US in June 2019. She describes it as a spiritual travel memoir — think “Eat, Pray, Love” meets “Wild” — spanning numerous countries, including Tanzania, India and Italy. After working as a spokesperson for the United Nations around the globe for 10 years, in Pakistan, Haiti, Italy, Ethiopia, Tunisia, and Thailand, Natasha has decided to try her hand SPRING 2019

75

ALUMNI

class notes

98

Michael DiPaula-Coyle ’98 married Victoria Nilsen on September 8, 2018 in Boston.

95

96

Natasha Scripture ’95 has a debut memoir, MAN FAST, which was released in the UK and Australia in 2018.

Alan Rowsome ’96 with his wife, Kim, and two sons, Ritchie and Rory.

02

02

Emily Williams’ ’02 son, Gavin, on his first day of school in August 2018.

76

SAES.ORG

98 Above: Andrew Harrington ’98 on a mushing trip across the Denali Highway.

Left: Andrew Nelson ’02 is the proud new father of Jack, born in August 2018.

ALUMNI

at entrepreneurship, and is currently in the throes of starting her own business focused on women's empowerment and holistic health. In her spare time, Natasha enjoys traveling to sunny locales. She is no longer “manfasting,” and rang in the new year with her partner-in-crime in Morocco.

1996 Jessica North Macie started a new position as the Dean of Students for eighth grade at National Cathedral School, where she is also an English teacher and diversity leader. Her daughter is happy in the fourth grade at a local public school and gets to spend lots of quality time with Grandma and Grandpa. Jessica’s parents are well and still living in the house she grew up in.

Alan Rowsome became the executive director of the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust in September 2017.

Since joining NVCT, Alan has led various conservation initiatives throughout our region, including partnering with the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority to expand Pohick Bay Regional Park in Lorton, Va. Alan enjoys getting outdoors with his two sons, Ritchie, 5, Rory, 2 ½, and wife, Kim, who works for the National Parks Conservation Association.

1997 Susanne (Fogt) Paul recently moved to a home in Brookland in Northeast Washington, D.C. and is busy unpacking, tackling home projects, and settling into a new spot with her 4-year-old daughter and 18-monthold son. She adds, “I enjoyed seeing class of ’97 folks at the reunion last fall!”

Aditi Vidyasagar runs her own private practice as a psychotherapist in New York City and works with clients onsite at Google. She graduated from Columbia University, New York (Masters in Psychological Counseling) and the University of Oxford, UK (Masters in Anthropology) and is an expert is the intersection between psychology and culture. She attended a recent St. Andrew's alumni event in New York and looks forward to staying in touch with alumni. www.aditividyasagar.com

1998 Michael DiPaula-Coyle married Victoria Nilsen on September 8, 2018 in Boston. In attendance were fellow alumni Tim Karefa-Johnson ’98, David Troha ’98, Edwin Darilek ’98 and Kevin Kiernan ’99.

Andrew Harrington has lived in Fairbanks, Alaska since graduating from Alfred University with a Liberal Arts in the Fine Arts degree in 2003. In 2011, he completed a Master’s in Science in Natural Resource Management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Since finishing his Master’s program, he has worked for the State of Alaska in the Water Resources Section at the Department of Natural Resources. He married Molly Yazwinski, a small animal veterinarian from Deerfield, Massachusetts in 2015. Andrew and Molly enjoy spending a lot of time outside exploring Alaska. Their six dogs, most of which are Alaskan huskies, allow them to do some mushing.

1999 20TH REUNION YEAR

Please contact Patrick McGettigan if you’d like to join the Reunion Committee.

Erin Race is thrilled to announce the birth of her second daughter, born Oct. 6, 2018. Her name is Melody and she is a sweet, happy baby. Her big sister Willow (6) has embraced her new role in the family, and can’t wait to re-enact “Frozen” when Melody gets a little bigger. Erin is still a music and movement teacher at Dolley Madison Preschool in McLean, Virginia, where she has been for the past four years. She brings her ballet experience with The Washington Ballet and her musical theater experience from working on “The Lion King” on Broadway to enrich the lives of her students, and with her daughters and husband at home.

In early 2018, Melissa (Blum) Strike and her husband, Joe, welcomed their third child, Adelaide, into the world.

Adelaide is a laid back and easy baby who is adored by her energetic big brother, Ethan, and her sassy sister, Audrey.

Melissa continues to run the Spinal Cord

class notes

and Amputee Programs at an Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital in St. Louis. In her “free” time, she and her husband are training for an upcoming half marathon in Zion National Park. Melissa says, “We are loving our family of five but already wishing time would slow down. And if anyone is passing through St. Louis, I would love to catch up!”

2000 On Sept. 14, 2018, Christie Hartmann married Justin Isbell. The wedding took place at the Santa Barbara Zoo in Santa Barbara, California. Longtime St. Andrew's friends Lauren (Vorisek) Weis ’00 and Sarah (Melby) Zijp ’00 were in attendance.

In the fall of 2018, Tom Taylor began work on his Ph.D. in Educational Policy & Leadership at the University of Minnesota. He is still working full time in K-12 education, and hopes to write his dissertation on the topic of equity, access, and inclusion in independent schools. Tom, his wife Sara, and their two children, Linus (8) and Elsie (4), live in south Minneapolis.

2002 Tony Award winner Steven Levenson debuted a new show on FX in April titled “Fosse/Verdon.” Spanning five decades, it explores the romantic and creative partnership between Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. Levenson was an executive producer and writer for the show, which stars Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams.

Andrew Nelson and his wife, Becki, welcomed their son Jack on August 24, 2018.

Emily (Clark) Williams started a new job in August 2018 after three years at MIT. She is now the Senior Associate Director at Bentley University's Center for Alumni, Parents and Friends. She writes, “It may come with no surprise to my fellow classmates that I enjoy working with alumni volunteers and keeping them engaged with their alma mater.” This fall, Emily’s oldest son, Gavin, will be in the first grade. Her youngest, Henry, turned two in October and enjoys anything his SPRING 2019

77

ALUMNI

class notes

older brother is doing, watching, or eating.

Emily is happy to welcome fellow SAES alumni who visit the Boston area!

2003 Marian (Goddard) Carpenter authored an article titled “Finding the Right Words: Modeling the Writing Process for Students with Learning Differences,” which was published in the Spring 2018 NAIS magazine, “Independent Teacher.” Marian teaches at the Siena School in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Last year, Christina McDowell celebrated several career milestones with the release of a documentary film that she co-produced alongside Susan Sarandon, David Arquette, and Gina Belafonte called “Survivor’s Guide to Prison.” The film is about America’s mass incarceration crisis, and is now available on Netflix.

Her memoir, “After Perfect,” was sold to Valparaiso Pictures and is being adapted into a film. Most recently, she was honored for her work with children of the incarcerated by an organization called POPS The Club, which stands for Pain of the Prison System. It is the first high school club in the nation that supports students impacted by prison. Christina also moved back to her native Washington, D.C., and is writing her first novel.

2004 15TH REUNION YEAR

Please contact Patrick McGettigan if you’d like to join the Reunion Committee.

In fall 2018, Sarah A.O. Rosner traveled to Berlin, Germany, where her studio AORTA films had two short films in an international festival. Earlier last year, the studio won the award for Best International Short Film at a festival in Rome.

They also shot their first feature film, “( ),” verbally pronounced “whole,” which premiered in January at the Invisible Dog Art Center in Brooklyn, New York. “( )” features performers from Rosner's AORTA films as well as her performance company, the A.O. Movement Collective.

78

SAES.ORG

04 Jake Wallace ’04, second from right, on a trip to South Korea with SSA Engineering.

Jake Wallace is an engineer with SSA Engineering, and recently worked with LG and traveled to South Korea to review their HVAC developments.

2005 Madeline (Wallace) O’Brien is the Development Coordinator for the Clark County Food Bank, where she is responsible for hunger relief and fundraising initiatives. Madeline and her husband recently bought a home outside of Portland, Oregon.

Conrad Osipowicz’s recording studio, Blue Room Productions, was recently voted "DC's Best Recording Studio" by the Washington City Paper for the third year in a row (2016, 2017, and 2018). His two studios, one located in Maryland and the other in Virginia, are two of the premier recording studios in the Washington, D.C., area. Additionally, Conrad teaches audio engineering courses and workshops at his studios, and he has three St. Andrew's alumni working as assistant audio engineers!

Nick Phelps married Allison Ishkanian on June 30, 2018 in Telluride, Colorado.

05 Nick Phelps ’05 married Allison Ishkanian on June 30, 2018 in Telluride, Colorado.

Gillian (Kline) Reiman and her husband, Scott, welcomed identical twin boys, Will and Teddy, in June 2018. Their family moved from New York City to Bethesda in July, and in September Gillian joined the family business, White House Nannies.

She works alongside fellow SAES alumna, Annie (Winder) Burns ’01.

ALUMNI

class notes

05

05

Madeline (Wallace) O’Brien ‘05 and her husband, Graham, in their new home outside Portland, Oregon.

Classmates Matt Amling ’05, Alex Covell ’05, Carrie Friedman ’05, Alex Ioannidis ’05, Steven Levenson ’02, Bryce Merlene ’06, Conrad Osipowicz ’05, Tim Platt ’06, Tim Vance ’05, and Molly Kelly-Yahner ’07 attended the wedding of Will Levenson ‘05 in September 2018.

05

05 Gillian (Kline) Reiman ‘05 gave birth to twin boys in June 2018.

Above: Class of 2005 alumni Alex Covell, Conrad Osipowicz, Tim Vance, Chas Williams, Alex Ioannidis met up in September.

SPRING 2019

79

ALUMNI

class notes

06

06

Claire (Matlack) Carucci ‘06 welcomed daughter Eleanor Rose on June 10, 2018.

Abby Olson ‘06 married John Powers in September. Fellow 2006 graduates Cristina Smith, Gaby Dehesa-Azuara, Amy (Bachman) Zerante, Larissa Levine, and Elise Lang celebrated by dancing the night away, only stopping briefly to strike their best SAES lion poses.

07

05 Cara Skubel ‘05 married Chris Hoadley on July 28, 2018, in Washington, D.C.

Nora Goddard ‘07 and her husband moved to Fairfield, Connecticut in 2018.

07

07

Kaytee Nesmith ‘07, Tiffany McKelvy (wife of Patrick McKelvy ’07), Marisa Rheem ‘07, Grekan Simpson ‘07, and Casey (Petz) Splittorf ‘07 attended Caroline (Downing) Price’s wedding in April.

80

SAES.ORG

Nick Bralove ‘07 became engaged to Shane Sarver in September 2018.

ALUMNI

class notes

Will Levenson and Erin Stanford were married in September 2018, with a beautiful barbeque-themed wedding celebration held in Washington, D.C., in October.

Joining their celebration were classmates Matt Amling ’05, Alex Covell ’05, Carrie Friedman ’05, Alex Ioannidis ’05, Steven Levenson ’02, Bryce Merlene ’06, Conrad Osipowicz ’05, Tim Platt ’06, Tim Vance ’05, and Molly Kelly-Yahner ’07.

Cara Skubel married Chris Hoadley on July 28, 2018 at District Winery in Washington, D.C.

2006 Claire (Matlack) Carucci welcomed daughter Eleanor Rose on June 10, 2018.

She joins big brother Andrew who is now three. Claire and her family are enjoying life in Boston!

Larissa Levine decided to shake things up in the summer of 2018 by starting a new job at FiscalNote and beginning a part-time MBA program at Georgetown University. She continues to serve as the president of the St. Andrew's Alumni Council as well as an ex-officio trustee of the Governing Board.

On September 8, 2018, Abby Olson married John Powers in Chestertown, Maryland. Fellow 2006 graduates Cristina Smith, Gaby Dehesa-Azuara, Amy (Bachman) Zerante, Larissa Levine, and Elise Lang attended the wedding.

2007 Nick Bralove became engaged to Shane Sarver in September 2018. The couple celebrated their engagement at Nick’s parents’ home in Virginia with their families and friends. Shane and Nick have been together for six years and currently live in a townhouse in Mount Pleasant, Washington, D.C., with four roommates and two Siberian huskies. Nick also recently celebrated six years of work at JPMorgan Chase and was promoted to Vice President in 2018. He works in commercial real estate lending for apartment buildings in

08 Kelly (Tillotson) Bradway ‘08 and her band, MAMADEAR, are based in Nashville, Tennessee.

the Washington, D.C., area. Lastly, Nick and Shane discovered a new passion in the sport of kitesurfing and frequent the Outer Banks, North Carolina, as often as they can.

Chas Duvall has been living in Atlanta for the past seven years, working in institutional sales with Invesco. Chas and his wife, Caroline, just welcomed a baby boy to the family. Charles Frazier Duvall Jr. (Charlie) was born on November 16, 2018.

Nora Goddard and her husband, Dave, moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, in the summer of 2018. Nora's new job as a school counselor at the New Canaan Country School led to their move to the quaint beach town. They love being homeowners and exploring their new neighborhood.

This winter, Tim Rogan played the role of Prince Henry in the new production of “Ever After: The Musical” at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

Caroline (Downing) Price married Kendall Price April 7, 2018, at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Georgetown, followed by a reception at The Mayflower Hotel. Casey (Petz) Splittorf ’07, Kaytee Nesmith ’07, and Tiffany McKelvy

(wife of Patrick McKelvy ’07) stood by her side as maid of honor and bridesmaids respectively. Patrick McKelvy ’07, Marisa Rheem ’07, and Grekan Simpson ’07 were also in attendance.

Caroline is still on the administrative team for Rothschild & Co Global Advisory and remains active in the D.C. blogging scene as community manager of Bubbles & Bloggers. She still loves living in the Glover Park neighborhood of D.C.

2008 Kelly (Tillotson) Bradway lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is in a band called MAMADEAR, with her husband Parker Bradway and friend Daniel Wilson. They have been a band for five years, and they write original songs and tour all around the country, and the world.

The band had a four-week gig in summer 2018 in Monaco, where they played for the Prince of Monaco and opened for artists like Seal and Santana. Kelly is still so thankful to her music teachers at St. Andrew's (Dr. Amy Wooley and Mr. Roy Barber), who encouraged her to dig in to playing guitar, songwriting, and chasing her dreams to become a professional musician.

SPRING 2019

81

ALUMNI

class notes

Since graduating from Georgetown in 2012, Lindsay Crouch has been employed by Georgetown’s Office of Advancement working on the Athletic Development team. Her current role entails stewarding current donors, planning annual events, and engaging studentathletes, donors, and coaches around endowed funds. Lindsay writes, “I have really enjoyed being employed by my alma mater and working in a collegiate athletics environment!”

Hannah (Davis) Harlan and her husband Chris welcomed a new baby to their family! Luke Davis Harlan was born on November 28, 2018.

Raymond Kessler graduated with a Doctor of Medicine from Tulane University School of Medicine on May 19, 2018.

He is currently an Emergency Medicine intern at University Medical Center in New Orleans.

Nearly four years after they met in Graduate School at Virginia Tech, Bryn (Whiteley) Seabrook married Tom Seabrook on September 8, 2018 in Leesburg, Virginia.

Two of her bridesmaids were fellow St. Andrew’s alumnae — Kimi Hugli ’08 and Cara Borrelli ’08. Bryn and Tom live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she is an Assistant Professor at UVA. Remick Smothers finally moved away from the DMV and the River he called home for 20+ years. He is currently living in Salt Lake City, Utah with his fiancée Sarah and their Chesapeake Bay Retriever pup, Chili. He manages Traeger Grills Outdoor Marketing strategy and still fishes whenever he can.

Abbey Wallace became engaged to Travis Eddy of Minnesota in 2018, and the couple will marry in Park City, Utah this year with Madeline (Wallace) O'Brien ’05 and Amy (Bachman) Zerante ’06 as bridesmaids. In August, Abbey was promoted to become the High School Director at a K-12 Charter school called the American International School of Utah.

Abbey says, “I am drawing on many of my experiences and mentors at St. Andrew's to guide me in this new endeavour and hope to impact my students the way teach82

SAES.ORG

08 Abbey Wallace ‘08 and her fiancé Travis Eddy. The two will marry this year in Park City, Utah.

10 Lauren Heywood ‘10 celebrated her ordination with classmate Yaa Addison ‘09.

ers and administration at St. Andrew's have impacted me.”

2009 10TH REUNION YEAR

Please contact Patrick McGettigan if you’d like to join the Reunion Committee.

Emily Hatton is living in Crested Butte, Colorado and working as the Assistant Director of Marketing Communications at Western Colorado University.

Elana Taub is finishing her last year of law school at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law

08 Hannah (Davis) Harlan ‘08 and her husband, Chris, pictured here with their newborn son Luke, and his older siblings and St. Andrew’s students Jack ‘26 and Kate ‘28.

in Baltimore. After spending three years working in three different Public Defender Offices (the Public Defender Service in Washington, D.C., The Office of the Public Defender in Maryland, and The Colorado State Public Defender in Colorado Springs) Elana is excited to start a new chapter in her life as a Colorado State Public Defender after graduation.

ALUMNI

class notes

11

10 Last year, Elliott Silverman ‘10 hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.

Margaret Kenworthy ‘11 plans a variety of events at Union Station in Washington, D.C., including with the Racing Presidents!

2010 Dave Dunn graduated from the College of Charleston, where he majored in theater, and focused on prop design and studio art. He then completed his post graduate study in welding. In 2018, Dave established a studio near St. Michael’s, Maryland, where he creates whimsical metal sculptures. His art repurposes tools of industry such as bike gear mechanisms or auto parts for use in his sculpture series, which symbolizes the constant movement and change of the sea, the ebb and flow of the tides, and the sea creatures within. He has sold most of his initial works and has commissions for many more.

Lauren Heywood recently graduated from United Lutheran Seminary, and accepted the call to serve as Head Pastor of St. David's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Philadelphia. She was ordained as a Pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America on October 20, 2018.

After graduating from St. Andrew’s, Chris Petito studied Environmental Science and Biology at Eckerd College. While there, he joined the school’s Herpetology Club and its Rugby Club, as treasurer and player.

Dave Dunn ‘10, pictured here with his original sculpture titled “King Lobster,” and his parents Amy Bondurant and David Dunn.

After graduating in 2014, he was hired

by SolarCity as a solar installer for two years, and was picked up by Tesla Energy in their merger two years later. Since then, he has worked on projects involving every energy product Tesla has to offer (solar panels, car chargers, battery storage, and solar roofs). He currently works for the company in Livermore, California, as their

Solar Roof Crew Lead, installing roofs with fully-integrated solar cells that cover 100% of a customer’s electrical needs.

Last year, Elliott Silverman hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to Canada, in 135 days. He is currently an M.A. candidate at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

SPRING 2019

83

ALUMNI

class notes

2011 Amy (Sharfman) Belchatovski married Elliot Belchatovski on November 4, 2018.

Lucas McLaughlin ’11 was the Man of Honor in the wedding. Amy and her husband live in Baltimore, and are currently looking for their new home.

Margaret Kenworthy is an event planner at Union Station in Washington, D.C., where she executes high-end and cuttingedge political events, corporate parties, non-profit fundraisers, and weddings ranging in size from 50 to 6,000 guests.

11 Amy (Sharfman) Belchatovski ‘11 with Lucas McLaughlin ‘11, who served as the Man of Honor at her wedding in November.

12 Sam Wallace ’12 is currently living and working in Zambia as a Peace Corps volunteer.

13

Alexander Lubin ‘13 recently worked on set for James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequels.

84

SAES.ORG

2012 At a 500-attendee symposium co-hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank this May, Adam Barton launched a co-authored book on the potential of education innovations to rapidly accelerate global learning progress. He wrote the book, “Leapfrogging Inequality,” while serving as a junior researcher at the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. He has since left Brookings to become the director of programs and partnerships for a Columbia, Maryland, education NGO, Changing Destinations: Journey to Excellence. He is currently designing a global youth leadership academy in partnership with local middle and high school communities.

This past year, Michael Fuller has been sailing as an officer aboard the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown. The field season took him on a circumnavigational tour of the world, stopping in ports in Florida, South Africa, the Seychelles, India, Australia, Hawaii, Panama, and South Carolina. Their scientific mission focused on world climate and ocean chemistry, with a particular emphasis on deploying and maintaining the world buoy array that enables the prediction of large- and smallscale climate perturbations. Returning to Charleston, South Carolina, Michael is one of two active duty NOAA Corps officers to have sailed around the world in one season, and he will continue to sail into 2019 until his departure for his next assignment in Pascagoula, Mississippi. This

year also marked one full year working as a diver for the Corps, providing support to his vessel and the fleet as a whole in another capacity. Having completed this journey, he is looking forward to a more domestic field season, where he’ll work with institutions such as Woods Hole on ROV and ocean sampling projects to gain greater understanding of the waters nearer to the U.S. Michael adds, “This ship is an amazing place that I have been fortunate enough to experience, and this past year has been equally as incredible.”

Sam Wallace is currently living and working in Zambia as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Rural Aquaculture Promotion program. His primary project entails working with small scale farmers to create, manage, and harvest fish ponds, in which his team is raising tilapia and bream. Secondary projects include rice farming, beekeeping, chicken rearing, and promoting healthy lifestyles through HIV/ AIDS education, various women and nutrition clubs, and monthly clinic work with mothers and their children under age five. Much of this work entails biking to multiple rural communities and meeting with both individuals and groups, most of which are agriculturally-focused. When not working Sam is often reading, biking, playing soccer and various games with kids, or hanging out with his dog or friends in the community. His 27-month long service will be ending in early May 2019, and he is looking forward to spending his last few months enjoying both the relaxing and hardworking lifestyle and culture.

2013 After two seasons as a member of the Pennsylvania Ballet’s corps de ballet, Albert Gordon was promoted to soloist for the 2018-2019 season. Over the holidays he performed in George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker.”

Katie Jannotta lives in Annapolis, Maryland, and works for Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. She works in the Governor’s Appointment Office, which appoints to over 530 boards and commissions in the State of Maryland.

ALUMNI

class notes

13 Katie Jannotta ‘13 works in the Appointment Office of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.

Alexander Lubin lives in Los Angeles where he has entered the film industry as a production assistant on James Cameron's “Avatar” sequels. His musical short film, “1968,” made its festival run last year with a world premiere at the Dances with Films Festival in June, screening at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Billy Petito recently accepted a position as the Director of Jazz Bands at the Rochester City School of the Arts, where he teaches jazz band, classic piano, and instrumental music to students grades 7-12.

In addition, he holds faculty positions at the Rochester Contemporary School of Music and the Eastman Community Music School, where he teaches guitar, modern music, and music technology.

Outside of the field of education, Billy works as a freelance musician as a gigging performance and studio guitarist, pianist, and bassist. He also composes and produces soundtracks for major commercials, animation, and feature films.

Samantha Spaccasi is finishing her graduate degree in Arts Presenting and Live Entertainment Management at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. She is currently the Music Coordinator at experimental arts and music venue, Space Mountain Miami, which was recently named Miami’s Best Art Gallery by the Miami New Times. In January, she will move to New York City to join We Are Free Artist Management as an intern. She is also pursuing her passion for journalism as a freelance music writer for Miami New Times and other web-based publications.

13 Albert Gordon ’13 was promoted to soloist for the 2018-2019 season at the Pennsylvania Ballet.

2014 5TH REUNION YEAR

Please contact Patrick McGettigan if you’d like to join the Reunion Committee.

Aidan Herderschee is a first year physics Ph.D. candidate at the University of Michigan. His research is in high energy theory, with a focus on formal quantum field theory and string theory. His current project is studying observables called “scattering amplitudes” that correspond to the probability of scattering when particles collide. For example, scattering amplitudes are measured at the Large Hadron Collider in order to study the interactions of fundamental particles, such as quarks and the Higgs boson.

Aaron Sibarium graduated from Yale University (B.A., Ethics, Politics, and Economics) in May 2018, where he was a col-

umnist and the Opinion Editor of the Yale Daily News. He is now an Assistant Editor and frequent contributor to The American Interest, an online and bi-monthly print magazine focusing on foreign and domestic public policy and culture.

2015 Beverley Howard recently transferred from James Madison University to Virginia Commonwealth University. She was accepted into the Social Working program and will earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work in 2020.

Quinlan Smith studied abroad in Berlin, Germany last summer. While abroad, Quinlan participated in German language classes and worked as an intern at an architectural marketing firm. Quinlan will be graduating in May 2019 with a SPRING 2019

85

ALUMNI

class notes

Former Faculty and Staff Kate Bramante (2003-2011) received a BFA degree in printmaking from the University of Central Arkansas in 2018.

Andy Katz (1990-1995) is in his 24th year at Landon School. He is still teaching math and coaching wrestling. He has four daughters, and his youngest is a junior at Holton-Arms School. At some point, he hopes to start taking summers off and traveling to knock things off his bucket list. Andy says, “I really enjoyed seeing so many people from my time at St. Andrew’s at the 40-year celebration. It was awesome to reminisce about the good old days.”

Sydney Jackson ‘18 was selected to travel to Atlanta, Georgia after participating in the MLK Day of Service through Radford University. The trip included stops at the Center for Civil and Human Rights Museum, The Georgia Aquarium, and the World of Coca-Cola. She writes, “I loved the experience and the further knowledge it gave me about Martin Luther King Jr.”

Bachelor’s of Science in Economics with a concentration in Financial Economics, and a Music Industry minor.

2018

2016

Kayla Alfonso is a student at Towson University, where she is training to be a Student Admissions Ambassador and participating in sorority rush.

Adam Reiskin is studying at Skidmore College, where he plays on the golf team.

Last fall, he studied abroad in France.

Colin Hendrie is studying Environmental Engineering with a minor in music at the University of Vermont.

2017

Sydney Jackson attends Radford University, where she is a member of the dance team.

Ely Sibarium is a sophomore at Yale University and pursuing his interests in cognitive science. He is a paid consultant on food allergies and other restricted diets for Yale Dining. He is also the founder and President of the related VARSITY Baking Club that promotes vegan and allergyrestricted diet awareness, President of the ASL (American Sign Language) Club, and a proud member of the club gymnastics team and the Yale Precision Marching Band.

86

SAES.ORG

Michael Reidy (1985-1987) continues to write technical features and press releases for clients in the graphic arts industry, and his sixth novel is now on Amazon. Michael is in periodic touch with several students from his time at St. Andrew’s and would be happy to see anyone who is visiting London.

After leaving St. Andrew’s the second time, former french teacher Ralph Stice (20062009, 2011-12), taught at Savannah Country Day School. He and his wife moved to Tunisia in 2016, where he serves as pastor at Sousse Church. He also teaches French to adult learners at a local language school and his wife, who taught summer school at St. Andrew's, teaches high school English

Lisa Leitner is exploring the visual arts as a student at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where she spends her time drawing and painting.

Chris Peterson studies at Gettysburg College, where is also playing jazz on the piano and investing in the stock market.

Former french teacher Ralph Stice and his wife moved in 2016 to Tunisia, where he serves as pastor at Sousse Church.

ALUMNI

class notes

In Memoriam G. Thomas Kingsley

Board of Trustees, 1977-1980

Dona Weingarten and her husband, Rick, spend considerable time traveling, including going on six National Geographic cruises.

at a local private school. In addition to his duties as pastor, Ralph runs a few English clubs for college students and young professionals, who serve the community in various ways. Ralph adds, “Go Lions! I always love to hear from my former players and students.”

After retiring in 2007 and moving to Severna Park, Maryland, Dona Weingarten (1981-2007) found it hard not to teach. So, she went to work part time for five years at Huntington Learning Center teaching SAT Prep and basic skills to younger kids. At the same time, she was writing “St. Andrew's Episcopal School: An Oral History of the First 30 Years” (2009). She also volunteered for six years with the charity SPAN (Serving People Across Neighborhoods), serving for four of them as president. Then, Dona took on a two-year project writing a history of St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Severna Park. After moving to Annapolis in 2016, she is in her third year volunteering for STAIR (Start the Adventure in Reading), tutoring second graders in a low income housing community in Annapolis. Dona and her husband, Rick, spend considerable time traveling, including going on six National Geographic cruises. One highlight of her travels was a nine-day hiking trip in the Grand Canyon with daughters Wendy Fitzerald ’85 and Sandi Crawford ’87. Dona’s other passions include singing with the Annapolis Chorale and oil painting birds in landscapes that she photographed on her trips. She has four grandchildren, Clay (20), Clare (17), Owen (15), and Chloe (12).

Thomas Kingsley passed away January 21, 2018 at age 81. He is survived by his wife, Rosalie, his son, Matthew, his daughter, Rebecca O’Neill and two grandchildren.

Earl Lindveit

Founding Board Member

One of St. Andrew’s founding Board members, Earl Lindveit, died on March 18, 2019 in Washington, D.C. at the age of 91. Lindveit, who played a role in the 1960s Space Race, was also a St. Andrew’s parent to Eric Lindveit ’82, a member of the school’s first-ever graduating class.

“Earl was a thoughtful, careful and reflective trustee and a very nice man,” said fellow founding trustee David Booth Beers. “He was loyal and dedicated to the school at a time when the school very much needed that. In the early days of the school, it was important to have someone with his outlook.

St. Andrew’s has always needed good people and he was one of them.”

Lindveit served in the Army Air Corps during WWII and eventually graduated from Bethany College, earning a Ph.D. in Political Science from American University. He became a specialist in Science and Public Policy and helped develop relationships between U.S. Government agencies and the private sector during the Space Age. He was a scientaific manpower consultant to the President’s Committee on Scientists and Engineers, served on the Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences under Lyndon Johnson, and later joined the American Council on Education to work on governmentuniversity research relationships.

In retirement, Lindveit authored a

novel, “Nightingale – Searching for Home,” published in 2008.

JoAnn Engelke Macbeth

Board of Trustees, 2001-2004 Parent of Hampden, Class of 2003

Former St. Andrew’s trustee and alumni parent JoAnn Engelke Macbeth died August 6, 2018 at age 70. JoAnn held degrees from Wellesley College and Columbia Law School and was a partner at the DC firms of Onek, Klein, & Farr, and Crowell & Moring.

In addition to serving on the St. Andrew’s Board from 2001-2004, JoAnn represented the Episcopal Diocese of Washington as its Chancellor (legal counsel), working closely with fellow St. Andrew’s Board member David Booth Beers. JoAnn is survived by her two sons, Hampden (’03) and Cullen, and by a sister, Susan Shepard. Her husband, Angus Macbeth, predeceased her in 2017.

Kimberly (Maher) Neville Class of 1984

Kimberly Neville passed away October 4, 2018 at age 52. After graduating from St. Andrew’s, she attended Montgomery College and Hood College. Kimberly received the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from St. Georges University at the United Nations in New York City on October 18, 2003. She was employed as a DDM at Laytonsville and later started her own practice known as Montgomery Mobile Veterinary Services, LLC. Kimberly is survived by her parents, sister Debbie Maher (’82), aunts Carol Fahey and Leigh Johnson, uncle David Maher and spouse Sherry Maher and fiancé Michael E. Plant.

SPRING 2019

87

88

SAES.ORG

As a freelance foreign correspondent in East Africa, Christina Goldbaum ‘10 broke numerous international stories and won a slew of journalism awards.

COMMENCEMENT 2019

CHRISTINA GOLDBAUM ‘10 TO SPEAK AT GRADUATION She’s not yet 30 years old, but already Christina Goldbaum ’10 has accomplished more as a journalist than many veteran reporters have ever dreamed of.

Working as the only foreign correspondent in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 2017 and 2018, Goldbaum broke stories on the role the U.S. military played in the massacre of ten civilians, the buildup of a secretive U.S. military outpost, and the details of the first U.S. combat deaths in Somalia since the infamous Black Hawk Down event in 1993. It was the culmination of four years of living and working in East Africa.

In the fall of 2018, Goldbaum began a job as a metro reporter for the New York Times, a big change of scenery and a shifting of gears from reporting on an international scale. She will take a break from her job to speak to St. Andrew’s graduating class on June 7 as this year’s commencement speaker at Washington National Cathedral.

Goldbaum didn’t take a direct path from St. Andrew’s to becoming an investigative journalist living in a war zone, but the bread crumbs were always there.

She was part of the annual trip to Bokamoso as a junior, traveled to Rwanda the summer before her senior year and visited Tanzania after graduation before beginning undergraduate study at Tufts. Her senior paper at St. Andrew’s was titled “Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect.”

“I still remember being in Rwanda and driving from one place to another and thinking, this feels right,” Goldbaum said.

“It was some place I wanted to live for a period of my life. It was like an allergy commercial where they peeled back the foggy screen –­ it kind of felt like that. You

really want to know how things work in the world, how things work beyond suburban life? Here is how it works. Journalism is a way to talk to people about their lives and having a passport to be able to do that… it’s insane that it’s an actual job.”

Goldbaum received a B.A. in political science and intended to pursue international development, but a number of journalism-related classes convinced her otherwise.

“When I was in college, I was trying to figure out the place I could have the most impact in the world,” Goldbaum said. “Is it working at an NGO, is it working at the U.N., is it being a journalist? I found that I’m very impact driven and journalism is a place where, while a bit more elusive and less concrete, you can still have a big impact. As a foreign correspondent, you determine what people are talking about.

As an investigative journalist, you truly are holding powers to account. And that’s a thrilling feeling to be chasing all the time in the work that you’re doing.”

While in East Africa on a fellowship in April of 2015, a terrorist attack took place at Garissa University in Kenya. Goldbaum reached out to a friend who was an editor at the news agency AFP to see if they needed any help. The next morning she secured the final spot on a four-seat plane heading to Garissa, launching her career in journalism. Within three years she had won the Livingston Award for International Reporting, the National Press Club’s Edwin M. Hood Award for Diplomatic Correspondence, and the Frontline Club Print Award.

Back home in the U.S., Goldbaum is honing her investigative skills at the New York Times, aware that her future lies back in Africa as an investigative foreign correspondent.

JOIN THE PROCESSION

All alumni are invited to attend

Commencement for the Class of

2019 and to join the processional

alongside the graduating seniors, the Board of Trustees, and school faculty and staff.

The ceremony takes place at

10 a.m. Friday, June 7, at

Washington National Cathedral.

Participating in the ceremony is a

wonderful way to welcome the Class of 2019 into the alumni community,

and to connect with St. Andrew's on the most joyous day of our year.

Before the ceremony, alumni are

invited to attend a casual breakfast at Open City, located in the Herb

Cottage at the right front corner of the Cathedral.

To RSVP for Commencement,

please email Patrick McGettigan at pmcgettigan@saes.org.

“I love the work I did in Somalia on covert wars,” Goldbaum said. “I think the nature of wars is changing. I love being a foreign correspondent. I know that’s what I want to be doing in the future. I would love to be a foreign correspondent who looks at the U.S.’s covert wars around the world.”

On her way to the Pulitzer, Goldbaum will make a stop to inspire the Class of 2019.

SPRING 2019

89

The Anniversary Hymn Last year, Head of School Robert Kosasky commissioned Jordan Yonce, Head of the Arts Department, to compose a school hymn in honor of St. Andrew’s 40th anniversary. Each verse explores themes in the life of the school, from its founding and growth to the individual and community experience. The hymn debuted on Dec. 6, 2018 at St. Andrew’s Night, where it was performed by St. Andrew’s Middle and Upper School choir and band students.

Rising from humble beginnings, a beloved school would grow, To inspire every child in a place where they are known.

As our founders had envisioned building this community, Shining brilliant in its challenge, joy and creativity.

Being welcoming to others and affirming dignity, Is the way in which we celebrate all of our diversity.

Social fabric, tightly woven, richly hued and unified, Hear us roar, for every lion feels rampant pride within their pride.

In the classroom, stage and game field, let us raise our colors high, Seek our passions with abundant zeal, set our minds to always try.

May our courage and resilience be our strength right to the core, Make us bold in risking failure as we dare achieving more.

As we go into the world until at last we have returned, May we carry close our fellowship and the lessons that we’ve learned: Being swift to love each other, making haste in being kind; Students, teachers and alumni, ever serving humankind.

To listen to the Anniversary Hymn online, visit www.saes.org/anniversary-hymn

90

SAES.ORG

What Does the Lion’s Fund Mean to You? The Lion’s Fund makes an immediate impact on every facet of life at St. Andrew’s.

From the classrooms, to athletic facilities, to academic programs and financial aid, a gift to St. Andrew’s is an opportunity to significantly contribute to the quality of the school. It is the single most important gift you can make to St. Andrew’s each year.

Learn how you can participate and make a gift by visiting saes.org/lionsfund.

SPRING 2019

91

Get ready to

HEAR US ROAR on Giving Day MAY 8, 2019 Come together with your fellow alumni, parents, grandparents, students, faculty, staff, and friends by making a gift to the Lion’s Fund. Your participation will help us reach our 400 DONOR GOAL and with challenge grants and matching funds on the table, your support will have an even greater impact!

# S A E S G I V I N G DAY 2 0 1 9 W W W. S A E S . O R G / G I V I N G DAY

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Bethesda, MD Permit No. 7

8804 Postoak Road, Potomac, MD 20854

Address service requested

Third class mail is not forwardable. Please notify us if you move.

SAVE THE DATE

HOMECOMING + REUNION OCTOBER 19, 2019

C E L E B R AT I N G T H E C L A S S E S O F : 1 9 8 4

|

1989

|

1994

|

1999

|

2004

|

2009

|

2014