COMMUNITY
FACULTY | ALUMNI FACULTY INTERVIEWS As our mission states, Seattle Academy prepares students for college and life. This is exemplified by the success of our students who have continued on to some of the country’s most prestigious colleges, universities, conservatories, and art schools in the world. We are fortunate when some of our alumni return to teach at SAAS, bringing with them not only the culture of the school, but the benefit of their experience as a student who has gone through the program. They are uniquely qualified to help current students achieve success as well. This year we interviewed four alumni faculty and staff members to better understand what they valued about their SAAS education as well as why they enjoy teaching here.
BROOKS HOPP ’08
RACHEL LEAVITT-BARON ’08
KINA WALKER ’06
Upper School Coordinator and History Teacher, Girls’ Varsity Soccer Coach
Middle School Learning Support Teacher, Middle School Basketball, Lacrosse, and Soccer Coach
Campaign Coordinator and Alumni Director
What do you remember most from when you were a student at SAAS? BROOKS: What I remember most from my time at SAAS is being surprised at how close of a community it was. It was unlike any other school I had been to or heard of. RACHEL: I remember the trips that I went on (Alaska summer, Senior Alaska and New Mexico Habitat), the sports that I played and being apart of Youth Legislature. KINA: American Studies was the most dynamic and impactful academic experience I’ve had. By blending literature, history, politics, and ethics it gave me a much more sophisticated view of the world and inspired me to study Political Science at Colorado College. The Horton River trip in the summer of 2003 was a month-long trip led by Rob Phillips and Jen Bandy Phillips. There were around fifteen high school students on the trip, and we river kayaked down the Horton River and finished the trip at the Arctic Ocean. It was a magical experience and probably the 80
most remote wilderness experience I have been on. We only saw two other people during our month-long trip that mostly included grizzly bears, mindblowing hikes through unusual terrain, and many fish dinners. Which programs, teams, extracurricular activities were you involved in as a student? BROOKS: My senior year I participated on the Track and Field team and was the manager for the girls’ soccer team. RACHEL: I was on the basketball, soccer, and ultimate Frisbee teams. I was also a part of CSO club and Youth Legislature. KINA: I was a founding member of the SAAS Outdoor Club and played four years of SAAS Varsity Girls’ Soccer. I also went on the SAAS Horton River Trip, a month-long, river kayaking trip in the Northwest Territories in 2003. Which teacher(s) influenced you the most and why? BROOKS: Looking back on my time at
SAAS there are certainly a few teachers who stand out and with whom I am still close today but what really made a big impact on me was that every single one of my teachers showed incredible patience and had faith in me as a student. All the teachers I had genuinely cared and that has always stuck with me. RACHEL: Conner had the most influence on me as a student. I had her for 10th grade English and I was terrified of her. I had her again senior year. I wanted to have her as a teacher so badly again I took two English classes throughout my whole year. She is the kind of teacher and person that I look up to now. I still go into her office and talk with her. I would consider myself a successful teacher if I am half as good as she is. KINA: Rob Phillips and Joe Puggelli taught the American Studies course while I was at SAAS. They were incredible teachers and both had a big impact on my interest in American history. Rob was also my soccer coach for 4 years.