August 2016 | Moving Boys Forward

St. Christopher’s School

Moving Boys Forward

Moving Boys Forward

Summer 2016

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOL

That Place Under the Pines Song written and performed by Upper School English teacher Sherman Horner at year-end chapel in honor of Upper School Chaplain Melissa Hollerith I remember my first day, waiting in that

If on some of these days you get

If on some of these days you get

carpool line.

brought down,

brought down,

My mother’s smile couldn’t hide her turned

Or if you stand firmly on the ground,

Or if you stand firmly on the ground,

You can always come to that place

You can always come to that place

I slammed the car door eagerly though

under the pines.

under the pines.

I couldn’t lift my red backpack.

Then came that void I’d soon forget,

away tear-stained eye.

looking back.

And now you’ve reached a turning point,

getting closer to the truth;

From wherever I’ve been and dared to roam;

where it’ll be just fine.

the subtle ticking of the clock.

That awkward phase of growing pains,

Under the pines I’ll come back home

The sweetness of tall trees swaying—

Indeed these years they’re rolling by,

the phantom years of my youth:

Then off I ran to the future; I wasn’t

another milestone in the walk.

Recess bells, tag you’re it, the yells,

Just a few more days of that red and gray

and wheel of fortune with your friends;

before it’s time to begin again;

Girls and chores and pimples, the stuff

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Farewells

Departing long-time faculty and administrators leave a legacy of leadership, commitment and service.

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But for now enjoy the laughs throughout

that made no sense back then.

Every now and then, I think of those days back when

From wherever I’ve been and dared to roam; The sweetness of tall trees swaying in the

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Auction 2016

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Graduation

40

Sports

44

Arts

46

Memorial Day Service

47

Reunion Weekend 2016

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Student News

66

Faculty News

69

Class Notes

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Transitions

Under the pines I’ll come back home From wherever I’ve been and dared to roam; The sweetness of tall trees swaying

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Graduation

We celebrate fifth, eighth and twelfth graders moving on to the next level of education and experience.

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Or if you stand firmly on the ground, You can always come to that place under the pines.

You can always come to that place under the pines.

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Reunion Weekend

Saints of all ages reconnect during a fun-filled weekend.

Thanks to all parents, students, alumni and friends who have provided content and pictures for this publication.

Please send your news and photographs to thomask@stcva.org for use in an upcoming issue.

Editor: Kathleen Thomas

Farewells

Every now and then, I think of those days

brought down,

711 St. Christopher’s Road Richmond, VA 23226 804-282-3185 Fax: 804-285-3914 www.stchristophers.com

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Around Campus

If on one of these days you get

Member of VAIS and NAIS

A Message from the Headmaster

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in the breeze, you know it’ll be just fine.

St. Christopher’s welcomes qualified students to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation or national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies and athletic and other schooladministered programs.

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these special moments with close friends.

back when

Under the pines I’ll come back home

breeze, you know it’ll be just fine.

CONTENTS

Stay Connected: facebook.com/stcva @STCVA @STCVA

Visual Content Editor: Cappy Gilchrist

Marketing and Communications Team: Susan Cox Alice Flowers Mimi Burke Stephen Lewis Photos: Jesse Peters Jay Paul Edward Millman ’16 Contributors: Thomas Ferguson Jack Holdaway ’16 Malcolm Ilnicky ’16 Robert Johns Nathan Johnson ’16 Alyx McKinnon ’16 John Reid ’88 Henry Rodriguez ’18

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WELCOME W

I

hat a year it has been for St. Christopher’s! Led by an outstanding

t is my distinct pleasure to join the St. Christopher’s School community as your

group of seniors in our Class of 2016, students across the campus

seventh head of school. Megan, Patrick, Carter, Mary and I moved to Richmond

excelled in all areas of school life. With the help of our gifted faculty

in late June and were immediately struck by both the warmth and excellence

and staff, the boys reached new heights in the classroom, in the arts, in athletics

of this teaching and learning community. I want to thank all of you for welcoming

and in service to the community. This edition of Moving Boys Forward captures

us and for easing our transition and acclimation. I also wish to thank Charley and

some highlights from the final months of the school year and reminds us how

Sallie Stillwell for their 18 years of dedicated stewardship, and for their kindness

proud we should be as parents, teachers and alumni of our students today.

during this period of transition.

It is sad for me to send you this final letter as headmaster. It has been a great

Changes in school leadership often produce joy as well as anxiety. I prefer to

honor to serve in this role and to work with such a talented and dedicated group

acknowledge that reality and to assure you that my commitment and focus in the

of administrators, teachers and staff members. All of our accomplishments

early months of my tenure are to be present, to listen and to learn.

since my arrival in 1998 have been due to the hard work and outstanding professionalism of these amazing adults who care deeply for the boys. The

Outgoing Headmaster Charley Stillwell

school’s progress over these years is also due to the wonderful support and active involvement of our Board of Governors, parents, alumni and special friends.

Guiding St. Christopher’s has been a labor of love for all of us, and we have all

St. Christopher’s has a distinguished history spanning over a century of character-

Incoming Head of School Mason Lecky

based education for Richmond’s young men. We will carry that tradition boldly into our second century while remaining nimble and adaptive to the challenges facing our boys in 2016 and in decades to come.

been inspired by the energy, enthusiasm and creativity of the boys.

We must hold fast to those elements of our program that are timeless—beginning Building on this year’s momentum, the school is now poised for a very bright

with our foundation of honor, as well as our relationship- and character-based

future. I am thrilled that Mason and Megan Lecky will join our school family

approach to the formation of young minds—while recognizing that the social and

from New Orleans with their three children. Mason will be an exceptional new

professional world our boys will navigate is vastly different from the world known

headmaster and has an impressive commitment to educating boys and preparing

to our first generation of alumni.

them as future leaders.

We will strike this balance together, always keeping our mission, to serve boys and Thanks again for all that you do for the school. Sallie and I wish you all great

their families, at the forefront of our calling.

success and happiness in the years ahead.

Yours, Sincerely,

Mason Lecky Charley Stillwell

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FAREWELLS With great sadness, we say good-bye to a number of long-time faculty and administrators. Each leaves behind a legacy of leadership, commitment and service to the St. Christopher’s community.

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Jim Boyd ’54

Professor Bear retires after 50 years of service

Honoring a Master Teacher

FAREWELLS

by Robert Johns When you stay for as long a time at one place as I have

had never heard “unsophisticated” used as a positive

at St. Chris, there are very few constants that you can

trait—being from rural Southside Virginia, I spent much

point to. In my 32 years here, students have changed,

of my early days at St. Christopher’s trying to mask MY

faculty have changed, administrators have changed,

unsophistication. But of course, Mr. Boyd’s thinking was far

buildings have changed, visions and long-range plans and

ahead of mine—for by “unsophisticated,” he was pointing

marketing strategies have changed—but Jim Boyd ’54

to an approach to life and to learning that is open to new

has always been the constant, Professor Bear down the

ideas, that appreciates wonders all around, that is willing

hall enlightening young minds to the joys and wonders of

to be excited and interested and passionate, that is not

mathematics, year after year after year. For all the time

worried about “cool” or about “what others might say.” As

I’ve taught here, and back almost two decades before,

Mr. Boyd always encouraged his students to learn and to

Jim Boyd has devoted himself to St. Christopher’s School,

live in this way, he certainly modeled this approach to life

and to shepherding boys toward becoming young men

and learning himself.

along the way—and I’ve tried to pay attention.

legends. I have been forever amazed at the breadth and

I was nearing the end of a year teaching at VCU, and had

depth of his mathematical forays, but even more so at his

no real plans or prospects. A job possibility opened up

sheer LOVE of the math, and the process of mathematical

at a West End school I had never remembered hearing

exploration. I have never met anyone who loved

of before—St. Christopher’s. But as soon as I interviewed

mathematics more than Jim Boyd. Whether working on a

and received some favorable feedback, the money folks

problem inspired by a question in geometry class or by an

here told me that they were a year away from being able

international math competition or a conversation with a

to budget for an additional math teacher. I wasn’t sure if

student or just something he recently read, Mr. Boyd

this was just a nice way of saying, “We think we can do

has always been up for the challenge. I remember one

better,” but I began to cast about for other opportunities.

particular Friday afternoon in late July. The only person

Then, unexpectedly, an StC science teacher, Bill Warren,

left in the building, I was laboring on the Upper School

decided around April or so not to return the following

schedule when Mr. Boyd returned to his office after 4 o’clock.

school year—and Jim Boyd offered to teach physics so

We had said our goodbyes for the weekend when he had

that St. Chris could hire me. And, thanks to Mr. Boyd’s

headed home to lunch several hours before, so I asked why

sacrifice and selflessness, I not only had a job, but I had a

he was back, expecting perhaps that he had forgotten a

home…and I had a master teacher as a role model as well.

book or something. Instead, he replied, “Well, I was sitting

I’ve never asked Mr. Boyd if that sacrifice of a year away

at home, thinking about mathematics, and this idea came

from teaching math was worth it—but I know he would be

to me…” And he described to me what he was working

too kind to say anything other than “but of course!”

on—I can’t guarantee that I followed his explanation—but

Early in my tenure here, Mr. Boyd demonstrated a way of thinking about things, and putting things, that helped me see the school and our roles here more clearly—or at least more “Boyd-ly.” From my first year, he expounded on his love of teaching ninth grade Honors Geometry,

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Jim Boyd’s enthusiasm for mathematics is the stuff of

Actually, Jim Boyd is the reason I have a job at St. Chris.

he was just so excited by the insight that he just HAD to get back in his car on a 100-degree day and get back to the office to work it all out. He couldn’t quite stop until he had it nailed down—and his excitement and enthusiasm

when students begin to glimpse the broader implications of the topic at hand and excitedly ask the “what if” questions. Mr. Boyd understands the importance of the role a teacher has in the development of the student, and that the teacher’s enthusiasm and focus and effort and care for each of his students provide a connection that cannot be replaced or overstated. He understands that the essence of any great school is the connections made each day, each year, with the students with whom he interacts, and between the students and the subject matter at hand. I recall asking Mr. Boyd his thoughts about me, or any teacher, possibly moving into administration and therefore out of the classroom. Mr. Boyd’s reply was clear, quoting one of his teachers at St. Christopher’s, Mr. Dulaney Ward: “It is never a promotion for a teacher to be removed from the classroom.” It was clear to Mr. Boyd, as shown by the quote attributed to Professor Bear, “The classroom is my natural habitat.” And indeed it is.

Of course, Mr. Boyd never limited his enthusiasm to the classroom.

He believed in competition, and believed that in competition boys could learn about themselves and about life. He played football at St. Chris and Hampden-Sydney, and he admits to playing a footballstyle of basketball on the intramural courts at UVA during his time in Charlottesville. Some years ago, one of the end-of-year rituals was a faculty-senior softball game held just after the seniors finished their year-end English exam. Of course, Mr. Boyd played. And despite being the eldest competitor by well over a dozen years, it wasn’t just a token “showing up”—if he was going to play, he was going to PLAY. I still recall

him deciding to take an extra base because, well, that’s what you do.

The play was closer than he expected, and the next thing I knew Mr. Boyd was sliding, or perhaps more diving, into second base. He was safe, many of us were worried, and the seniors were wondering what they had gotten themselves into. And there was Mr. Boyd, standing up and dusting himself off, with a hole torn in a knee of his khakis and grass stains on his shirt…and with as large a grin on his face as I have ever seen. Professor Bear, playing the right way…living the right way… and enjoying the small victories on the field…in the classroom…or in battle with that math problem that just won’t quite be solved.

Ultimately, what can I say about Jim Boyd? Colleague, mentor, master teacher, lover of mathematics, role model, cartoonist, inspiration, legend, Southern gentleman, a man who truly sees the best in others, a man who gives the best of himself, a man who has made a difference at St. Christopher’s for 50 years, a man of humility and passion and wisdom and grace…a man I feel fortunate to have known, and a man I am proud to call my friend. Even though he will still be just a short drive away…and even though he’ll surely visit school from time to time…I’ll miss knowing that he is just down the hall, as he always has been…quick with a story, ready to share his latest mathematical exploration, offering a Coke and a friendly word and a calming presence when the rest of the school day seems to be devolving into chaos, reminding me of what is important, what is enduring, what truly matters. Reminding all of us. I wish I’d paid better attention these past 32 years…I wish we all had, over however long a period of time. We won’t see his like again.

Jim, as you head into retirement, go with all of St. Christopher’s appreciation and good wishes…know that your years here have truly made a difference in countless lives in myriad ways…and know that your legacy will continue to be a force for what is best at this school.

As every bear returns to his den, we look forward to seeing you around Chamberlayne Hall in the days to come, and to hearing about what you are up to. You will be missed…but that doesn’t mean you need stay absent…for this is, after all, your home.

Robert Johns is an Upper School math teacher who chairs the computer science department.

were clearly evident…and completely contagious.

but not only because he loves the proof and the logic

Mr. Boyd loves the mathematics, but he loves the

and the history and the chance to DO mathematics

teaching as well…perhaps even more so. He loves the

with lines and circles and triangles and the like. I recall

look on a boy’s face when, after working diligently on an

Mr. Boyd saying that he loved working with that age

assignment, the light bulb comes on and the topic, or the

group “because they were so unsophisticated.” Now, I

problem, is mastered. He loves the discussions in class

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Charley Stillwell

Headmaster Leaves Lasting Impression A legacy of leadership

by Jack Holdaway ’16 For the past 18 years, the St. Christopher’s community has been blessed to have the leadership and initiative of headmaster Charles Stillwell. As a Pine Needle writer, I am never supposed to publish assumptions of what other people are thinking, but I am completely confident in saying that everyone in the St. Christopher’s community is thankful for what Mr. Stillwell has done for this school.

What many will remember about the headmaster is the spirit and excitement he brings to his job each and every day, which sets the tone for the passion the faculty and students bring to learning. Out of the countless people roaming the halls between classes, our headmaster is the most enthusiastic. He continually embraces every student and asks how they are doing.

“Mr. Stillwell always has done a fantastic job of getting to know everyone,” said Joey Cuevas ’16. “He always has checked in on me throughout my time at St. Christopher’s.”

Mr. Stillwell has propelled the school into the 21st century, and, through his vision, St. Christopher’s is well prepared to combat the challenges of today. He has maintained the core values of the school while instilling a fresh sense of community. The strength of the honor system and missionary work combined with a new emphasis on the relationships between teachers and students have created a wonderful environment in which to go to school. The school truly recognizes each boy for his own talents and interests.

turn of the century have expanded the capabilities of school curriculum,

“I think Mr. Stillwell has always worked hard to make sure St. Christopher’s celebrates and honors every boy’s gifts whether he is an athlete, scientist, musician or writer,” said Upper School Chaplain Melissa Hollerith.

and lessons and has touched people from not only this community but

whether it be in the classroom or extracurriculars.

“Looking back on the old field house and cafeteria, it is remarkable how much our campus has changed in just over a decade,” said Mac Ukrop ’16.

“The Luck Leadership Center and Field House have bolstered what we are capable of accomplishing.”

In addition, the Building Leaders from the Inside Out symposium series brings a wide variety of speakers to campus to share encouraging stories also other areas of town. The series, which occurs every three years, has brought renowned individuals such as Ben Carson, Colin Powell and David Robinson to St. Christopher’s during the past decade to share their powerful messages with an audience of hundreds.

In every facet of school life, Mr. Stillwell’s fingerprints are easily noticeable. Under his guidance, the quality of the St. Christopher’s experience and the resources for students have drastically improved. The construction of the Kemper Athletic Center and Luck Leadership Center since the

“I think the symposium series he established brought amazing, inspirational voices to our community and the greater Richmond area,” said the Rev. Hollerith. “These speakers’ messages will continue to impact how people live and lead in their communities for years to come.”

A memory from a member of the class of 2016 is one that best embodies who Mr. Stillwell is as a headmaster and more simply as a human being. The student, playing in a travel lacrosse tournament in Maryland, competed in the championship against Mr. Stillwell’s son Henry, who graduated last year.

In the heat of the game, the player went in for a hit on an opposing player and immediately fell to the ground. After stumbling to the sideline, he again fell and started to cry out of sheer pain. Suffering from an obvious concussion, he has really little memory of what happened after, except for a certain man who came to embrace him. Mr. Stillwell walked all the way from the other side of the field, gave him a hug and checked to see how he was doing.

“Mr. Stillwell is a man in whom there is no guile,” said Mrs. Hollerith.

“He never seeks credit, nor does his ego need the limelight. If only every leader had those traits.”

Jack Holdaway is a staff writer for The Pine Needle, which ran this story

“Early in his career Charley excelled as a history teacher and lacrosse coach and what made him successful in those roles was critical to his success as headmaster at St. Christopher’s. He has led by example building consensus with a steady hand. His real passion—and Charles does love that word—is education and the boys. He and Sallie have attended more athletic events, recitals, plays, literary society meetings and teacher conferences than Jim Boyd can count.

“Above all his other qualities what really stands out about Charley is his constant and visible presence on campus. Every day he has served as a role model for the boys by displaying those qualities that are at the core of our institution—honor, integrity, leadership and character.”

-Former Board Chairman Jay Moore ’75

in its May issue.

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Phil Spears

Former board chairman Richard Luck ’79 praised Charley’s intense focus, discipline, selfmanagement, communication skills, grit, heart, smarts and adaptability. He commended Charley for setting high expectations and holding himself and those around him accountable, for seeing a future and rallying the school and community to support his vision.

Middle School Head Finds a New Audience Colorful Middle School Administrator to lead K-8 Canterbury School in Greensboro

by Nathan Johnson ’16 By all accounts, Mr. Phil Spears is a natural-born educator.

Remarks from Upper School Chaplain Melissa Hollerith at the April 29 all-school service celebration.

“From the beginning of his tenure as headmaster, Mr. Stillwell has always had service at the forefront. When he came to St. Christopher’s

With a father who was a Baptist minister and a mother who was a nurse, Mr. Spears comes from a family of service, which probably influenced his decision immediately after high school to become a teacher. He attended Washington and Lee University where he captained the football team, participated in several music ensembles and earned a B.A. in English literature.

Mr. Spears went on to hold a number of jobs before coming to St. Christopher’s, and one job in particular has “informed my professional life ever since,” he said.

Mr. Spears has made quite an impression here: his dazzling Elvis Presley impersonation and his regular “bad jokes” after every chapel service are the popular memories of this division head, but those who have had more personal interaction with him can see that he is truly a man of much wisdom, alongside his other talents.

Located in the inner city of Baltimore, this Jesuit school where he worked enrolled primarily male minority students from families below the poverty line. This experience placed him firmly “out of his comfort-zone” and gave him new perspective on problems facing boys in tough social and financial situations.

Mr. Spears is moving on to the Canterbury School in Greensboro, N.C. where he will assume the headmaster position. The Canterbury School “shares the same values and community spirit” as St. Christopher’s and even uses similar language of educating the “mind, body and spirit” of their students, Mr. Spears said.

Dealing with teaching and counseling less-privileged students deepened his understanding of the problems that all children face while growing up and how to help them get through and learn from these hardships.

The Canterbury School will be lucky to have our Mr. Spears to lead them next year, and he has the best wishes of everyone at St. Christopher’s as he continues on his life’s path.

he brought his favorite prayer with him for our worship book, “A Boy’s Prayer,” by William DeWitt Hyde, which closes with this: “Keep me ready to help others at some cost to myself; send me chances to do a little good every day, and so grow more like Christ.” It is the perfect framework for us—to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world—by serving others. Some headmasters may have that vision, and others have that vision and they get their hands dirty too. Mr. Stillwell is the latter.

“I will never forget when we ordered a shipping container to be delivered to campus to be filled with supplies for tsunami victims in Sri Lanka. It was Mr. Stillwell who stood in the rain late one night as the 18-wheeler rolled in to our parking lot to unload that shipping container. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, we planned a mission trip with students to work on stripping down flooded houses to the studs and it was Mr. Stillwell who was the first to say he was coming too. From playing in floor hockey tournaments to raise money for cancer research to donating blood—and letting the boys know it isn’t as scary as it looks—Mr. Stillwell has always led by serving. He is a servant leader—and in so doing, he has always modeled for us what true leadership is.

“Everyone has gifts, and the Giver waits with an expectant heart to see what we will build with the talents He has given us. Where will we lead with our gifts? Where will we lead others with our talents? And one thing is certain, to lead well we must serve. Thank you, Mr. Stillwell, for using your talents to lead our school and to model for us that when we lead, we are serving a greater good, something beyond self.”

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people around him, showing them how to value and respect themselves. Reflecting on his time here, Mr. Spears said that he appreciated counselling boys through this difficult time in life, and that, in particular, helping them through their discipline issues, prolonged sicknesses or other crises has been the “hard but meaningful part” of his job here.

Mr. Spears arrived at St. Christopher’s in 2000 to fill the dean of students position. He has coached football, baseball and basketball and taught English and Spanish before moving to Forum, a health class emphasizing group participation and conversation; he even headed up the Beaux Ties in its early days. In addition, he started the Saturday Academy and City Saints programs for inner-city students and rose to the position of the Middle School division head.

Nathan Johnson is a staff writer for The Pine Needle, which ran this story in its May issue.

What has made Mr. Spears so effective in all his positions is his affinity for helping boys to learn and grow as they pass through the often difficult and awkward time that we all remember as Middle School.

The Rev. Melissa Hollerith noted that Mr. Spears empathized with and served his students in the Middle School as he “forgave their quirks” and “encouraged the good” in all the

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Melissa Hollerith

Farewell Friend Math teacher Robert Johns’ tribute to Upper School Chaplain Melissa Hollerith given in Upper School chapel at the end of May

by Robert Johns It was back in the dark ages, before the days of Mr. Stillwell.

to greatly miss the Rev. Hollerith as she heads to D.C.

George McVey was headmaster, and Dr. (Andy) Smith

for the next stage of her journey, a journey that we were

was head of the Middle School. This was around 1990,

fortunate enough to share for the past 13 years.

when Rev. Hollerith was first hired at St. Chris to teach Middle School Bible. It did not always go well. One

You see, around here, the chaplain sets the tone. The

particular day, her rowdy class “got on her very last

Upper School begins together in this chapel every

nerve,” as they say in Louisiana—not paying attention,

day—a sacred space, a safe space, a communal space, a

making lots of noise, causing general chaos…pretty

connected space. It is the best of places, and the chaplain

much a standard day in Middle School. And believe

is the guardian, not only of the physical building, but,

it or not, Rev. Hollerith lost it, shouting an expletive

more importantly, the spiritual space we find within. Here,

at the squirming masses before her and bringing an

one can find a moment’s peace to begin our day…and

immediate, shocked and frightened silence to the young

everyone is encouraged to join together in song, loudly

men. “The fear of the Lord” was a very real thing that

and unreservedly and joyfully…and we can hear a sermon

day—or at least the fear of Rev. Hollerith. She was certain

that might uplift our spirits, or tweak our consciences

she would be fired, but Dr. Smith and Mr. McVey took it

or help us through a trying time…sermons delivered with

in stride. They knew middle school boys…and they knew

such genuine concern for each person in the room, with

that Rev. Hollerith’s slip-up was a sign that she cared

flashes of humor and just the right feel for the pulse of

about the teaching and that she cared about the boys—

the student body and the needs of her flock, with just the

although she perhaps had an odd way of showing it.

right amount of looking back, and looking ahead. And

As far as I know, she has never repeated that exhibition—

Rev. Hollerith has held all of that together, not as a relic

although I’m certain that a few classes, and a few faculty

of the past but as a living, breathing, evolving organism,

meetings, have brought her near the brink.

open and inviting and yet always true to who we as Saints are called to be. So many alumni report that this chapel

Mr. McVey said on a several occasions that there were two

time is what they miss most after leaving St. Chris—and

“most important people” at a school like St. Chris. Naturally,

for the past 13 years, Rev. Hollerith has shaped this sacred

when I tried to identify these people, I thought of the

space and time to be the treasure that it is.

headmaster…or the business manager…or the director of development and fundraising…or the director of admissions.

But Rev. Hollerith has always been much more than

You know, important administrator-types. But to Mr. McVey,

“the chapel lady.” For she reaches out to so many in our

I was way off (not unusual for me), for the first of the two

community in so many different ways, as teacher and

was the head of the maintenance department—which made

mentor and friend and confidant and sounding board and

sense, for if the buildings aren’t heated or cooled, if the roof

counselor and as the conscience of the school. In her time

leaks, if the sidewalks aren’t clear, if the grounds are shabby

here, she has been all of those things, and more, to me…

and unkempt, the focus would be pulled away from where

and to countless other students and parents and faculty

it needs to be, and the school would likely be headed for

and alumni. Her compassion for anyone who is lost or

some major trouble down the road.

hurting, and her willingness to listen, to help or just to BE THERE, is boundless.

But his next answer surprised me—for the second of

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Mr. McVey’s “two most important people” was the chaplain.

In her time here, Rev. Hollerith has always championed

And although I was a little slow to catch on, I’ve come to

the concept of Servant Leader—that one who makes

understand that he was right—for any number of reasons.

a difference in the world and in the lives of others

And for all of those reasons, and more, all of us are going

by placing their needs before her own; the one who

sacrifices his own rewards for the good of those around him; the one willing to do the small, thankless tasks in the background so that great things can be accomplished out front. But not only has Rev. Hollerith celebrated that idea, she has also modeled it for us all—willingly working in quiet ways and behind the scenes for the greater good, worrying not about credit but instead about the difference to be made. We will never know all that Rev. Hollerith has done to make St. Christopher’s a better community, and a better school—but those will be big shoes to fill.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one last word when thinking of Rev. Hollerith, a word that defines much of who she is and how she lives her life: love. For, at the end of the day, just as the Gospel comes down to “love the Lord” and “love your neighbor as yourself,” her foundation is love. It shines forth in everything she does, from her sermons to her teaching to her interactions with students and adults to her constant desire to make St. Christopher’s School the best that it can be. It’s all about love…it’s a labor of love…it’s a calling of love.

So, this might well be the last time we will be in chapel with Rev. Hollerith.

And while that makes me terribly sad, I hope each of you will join me in honoring her as she would want us to. Certainly, thank her for all she has meant to you, and to St. Christopher’s. But beyond that, be sure to appreciate our chapel time, and once you leave here be sure to find some chapel time of your own. Be there for others. Sing, and listen, and feel, and pray. Work to build better communities wherever you are.

Determine to make a difference, and not to worry about credit. And love…deeply, strongly, fearlessly, joyfully.

Melissa, my friend…our friend…it’s been a great journey…and we can’t wait to hear what comes next for you. But in the meantime, go with our appreciation…go with our admiration…and know that you always have a home with us here, under the pines.

Melissa will move to Washington, D.C. where her husband Randy will serve as dean of Washington National Cathedral.

“I was fortunate to start my career at St. Christopher’s with Melissa in the fall of 1990, and have been blessed to have her as a colleague, friend and confidant. It is hard to imagine St. Christopher’s without her energy, her passion and her leadership. It is no coincidence that our graduates always mention chapel as the thing they miss most when they leave here, because Melissa has made that daily experience both spiritually nourishing and affirming the sense of community that is so special here. Her greatest gift to St. Christopher’s may be as a pastoral counselor, as she has shepherded students, parents and teachers through all kinds of personal challenges with love, acceptance, support, an empathetic ear and a calming voice.”

–Guidance Director Jim Jump

“Melissa has given us her heart and soul…She is a doer.

To be honest, I don’t think any of us know everything she does behind the scenes for any number of families or people in this community. Not much here has not been touched by her.”

–Dean of Students Billy Abbott

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Patti McCloskey

Meeting the Boys Where They Are

Celebrating 42 Years of Service

33 years of resource learning

Lower School teacher remembered for humor and forging student connections

Mrs. McCloskey’s legacy includes starting a resource department at StC for struggling learners. The following was taken from Gene Bruner’s tribute at the end-of-school faculty/staff dinner. “…As Charley said in his tribute to Patti during Middle School graduation: “Patti taught us to ‘meet the boys where they are.’” And, given the sophistication, distractions and challenges of today’s student…Patti stands out. Professional, humble, strong and graceful, she single-handedly cracked the code that allowed St. Christopher’s to keep students who otherwise would have slipped into a deep hole. She made the connection that there are boys with different learning styles, and if we want to keep them here…we have to help them here. “…Early on, Patti noticed her students’ gifts and talents did not always add up to success. An energetic and verbal young man with great poise and presence would struggle with material he logically should master with ease. Or, an inquisitive and well-meaning little fellow could not put words together in the right order. Patti took note of the varied disconnections, studied the student files, discovered a reality in the test scores and a devil in the day-to-day details. A subset of boys existed at St. Christopher’s who were very intelligent but had very low reading and writing scores. Patti offered extra help, made phone calls, interpreted stanine numbers, peeled away the layers upon layers of mystery and connected the pieces—placing the student, the parent and the teacher on the same team. Patti truly had cracked the code. 1) That two boys with the same vision could look at something and see two completely different things. 2) That students rely on different senses to learn. And 3), that success was no longer a matter of right or wrong, but of something in between. This is where Patti has spent most of her time. Instead of drawing lines in the sand of who could hack it and who could not, she crafted sandcastles with pathways and plans, strategies and support, and created a plainspeaking dialogue with parents. Her gift was proffering advice, calming anxious moms and dads and discovering the authentic learner in each boy. Most importantly,

14 | StC

Margaret Sharman

she partnered with people in the beginning who were such believers they wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Patti had a vision, she kept pushing, and what she has achieved has been wonderful. “…In 1983, after the VAIS self-study, Patti went through the entire report of the Visiting Committee and highlighted the comments concerning interpreting test scores, accommodating boys with learning issues and finding alternative methods to help teachers connect with all boys in the classroom. Patti shared her findings as well as her personal experiences with former Headmaster George McVey, and she offered reasoned arguments that pierced the armor of our most veteran teachers. She is a skillful wordsmith, yes, but more than that, she became a consummate advocate for children with learning differences.

“Patti is the face of our Resource Program, and she has been so for the last 33 years. Her most consistent theme has been the wish that every boy cross paths with that one teacher who hits the light switch and changes that boy’s life forever. What started out as a department of one for the entire school, progressed into a cadre of tutors, specialists and mentors willing to help bridge the chasm of insecurity, confusion and helplessness that confront our boys. Patti offered us a pathway, a mission and a creative space where all are welcome, knowing that anyone will thrive in an environment where he or she feels valued.”

Mrs. Sharman is funny.

These were my lines:

That was my first thought when I was asked to do this. She’s funny. She was funny then, when I was 7. She’s probably still funny now that I’m 17,048.

LEWIS (wearing hamburger): “Two all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed bun.”

My second thought was, second grade was a long time ago, and maybe I’m remembering it wrong. Could it be, in the same way that the people WE think are funny usually think we’re funny too, I remember her this way because she did me the favor of laughing at my 7-year-old jokes? Maybe the reason I liked Mrs. Sharman so much is that she seemed to like me too.

creative thrashing about, I found my way into the field of advertising. And I’ve done pretty well at it. (Note to self: BRING BACK THE JINGLE!)

Anyway, looking back across these 17,041 years, I’m certain of this: at a time when I was kind of scrawny and struggling with my reading and my confidence, Mrs. Sharman made me feel like I was funny, smart and substantial, that I had good things to offer the world. She was curious about who I was and excited about who I might become. In short, she made me feel special. This is, of course, a Jedi mind trick of great teachers everywhere, to make every kid feel special. And it works! The truth is, it would have been enough. But Mrs. Sharman went further. She tapped me for a star turn in a Lee-Jackson Society Meeting. As a Big Mac.

It cannot be a coincidence that after a lot of difficult, quasi-

I have been blessed with great teachers—St. Christopher’s is full of them—but, given the happy opportunity to reflect on it now, I can’t think of one who’s had a greater impact on my life than Margaret Sharman.

So, thank you, Mrs. Sharman, for being so funny, for laughing at my jokes when I was 7 and for playing such an essential part in the person I’ve become.

Wishing you all the best, Lewis At the end-of-school faculty/staff appreciation dinner, Extended Day teacher Keith Dillard read this piece, written

by Lewis McVey ’85 who is now senior vice president group creative director at DigitasLBi in Chicago.

Extended Day teacher Mary Rogers also shared words of thanks and reflected on Mrs. Sharman’s gifts as a second-grade teacher and as the Extended Day study hall “guru.”

“Mrs. Sharman has taught me so much over the years that I could write a book listing her “pearls of wisdom,” and I’m not alone. Her humor, her friendship and her insistence that the boys stay “on the ball” are only a few things that make her so special. But most of all, Margaret’s influence on our Mrs. Sharman working with Lewis McVey (seated) and Lewis Flinn during their second-grade year.

boys and their families is what we will all remember.”

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A Terrific Night for Our Boys The St. Christopher’s Parents Association hosted the 2016 auction at The Commonwealth Club.

The Feb. 6 event saw exciting trips, hunting excursions and family fun items and activities auctioned to benefit St. Christopher’s. Co-chairs Ivy Caravati and Janine Davila orchestrated a great night as we celebrated our students, faculty and staff and the extraordinary contributions of Charley and Sallie Stillwell.

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17

GRADUATION

2016

Celebrating Lower, Middle and Upper School Graduates

LOWER SCHOOL AWARDS Incoming Leader of the Lower School August Lange

1

2

3

4

5

6

Lower School Award Winners Hunter, Cabell Pasco, 1 Davis Manning Leachman, Jake Kuhlen,

Row: Ford Murano, Winston Morris, 5 Front Lee Rodgers, Chase Buerlein

Macon Moring

2 Trow, Bowen Hall, 3 Baxter Dougie Boardman, Noble Cosby

Max Kobal, Ben Atherton, Mason Stanley

Mitchell, Holden Woodward, 4 Jeffrey George Beck, Grayson DiCosmo,

Back Row: Teddy Price, Kylen Zollinhofer, Robert Head, Charles Herlihy, Bennett Vaccarino Teacher Award Winners: 6 LS Laura Ambrogi, Betsy Tyson

Nolan Spears

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19

GRADUATION

LOWER SCHOOL AWARDS Dorothy M. Bugg Memorial Award Dougie Boardman

Alba White Memorial Award Baxter Trow

William Adams Pinder Award Nolan Spears

William S. Griffith Prize for Academic Excellence Greyson DiCosmo

Thomas Nelson Page Prize for Excellence in English Composition Ben Atherton Noble Cosby

Helen Shepherd Music Award Holden Woodward

Awards for Best Writing Published in the Hieroglyphic Robert Head Winston Morris Lee Rodgers Bennett Vaccarino Kylen Zollinhofer

Awards for Best Visual Art Published in the Hieroglyphic

George Beck

Olivia Hardy Blackwell Award

Jeffrey Mitchell

Bowen Hall

Science Award

Jack Smith

2

George Squires Literary Awards

Manning Leechman Cabell Pasco

Dulaney Ward French Prize

Music Award

Monica Frischkorn Wenzel Memorial Service Award

Franklin & Grace Mullinax Mathematics Award Ian Townsend

Alexander Mayer Johnny Whitlock

Drama Award Josh Caven

Art Award Ian Townsend

T. Foster & Ann Witt English Prize Garnett Nelson Maddux Reese

Benjamin Briscoe White Memorial Spanish Prize

3

Ian Townsend Will Horsley Alexander Mayer

Athletic Award Hayden Forrest

Centennial Citizenship Awards Grade 6: Jack Ireland, Nikkos Kovanes, Ned Mangum, Mason Stocks Grade 7: Hugo Abbott, Aubrey Bowles, Braxton Page, Jayden Smith Grade 8: Garnett Nelson, Maddux Reese, Ian Smith, Jeb Wickham

Highest Eighth-Grade GPA Garnett Nelson Ian Townsend

Alexander Mayer

Middle School Award Winners

Macon Moring Mason Stanley

Highest Academic Average

Garnett Nelson Maddux Reese

Vaden Padgett

Reynolds Short

Spanish Award

Max Kobal

Latin Prize

Woodworking Award

Sara Whaley Forsythe Memorial Science Prize

Beattie Memorial Prize for Leadership

T. Foster & Ann Witt History Prize

William R. Babcock Memorial Scholarship

Alexander Mayer

Henry J. Tobler Memorial Award for Art

Davis Hunter

Jake Kuhlen

Robert W. Bugg Award for Outstanding Citizenship in Grade Eight

Chase Buerlein Charles Herlihy Ford Murano Teddy Price

Andrew Beirne Blair Award for Loyalty and Best Spirit in Athletics Duffey Award for Leadership in Athletics

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MIDDLE SCHOOL AWARDS

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Smith, Maddux Reese, 1 Ian Garnett Nelson, Jeb Wickham Forrest, Johnny Whitlock, 2 Hayden Josh Caven Abbot, Aubrey Bowles, 3 Hugo Braxton Page, Jayden Smith

Chase Buerlein (first prize) Charles Herlihy (second prize) Teddy Price (third prize) Ford Morano (fourth prize)

Ireland, Nikkos Kovanes, 4 Jack Mason Stocks, Ned Mangum Short, Maddux Reese, 5 Reynolds Garnett Nelson, Alexander Mayer

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21

GRADUATION

PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL The Rev. Melissa Hollerith’s Baccalaureate Sermon May 26, 2016 Good afternoon. Thank you Charley for this wonderful opportunity, and I would like to take this moment to also thank you for your leadership and service; what a gift you have been to St. Christopher’s School. It is an honor for me to be here with the seniors, families and teachers from these two wonderful church schools. We have this church service, this baccalaureate service, as a part of the commencement exercises to give us the proper perspective on this moment.

Tonight is the night when we pause and give thanks to God, the Giver of all Good Gifts, who has brought us all to this amazing point in our lives.

These are such fine young men and women and I give thanks for each one of you. Parents, congratulations on shepherding your son and daughter to this milestone. Raising children to become young adults has many a hairpin turn and pothole, but it also has incredible mountaintop vistas.

Speaking of parents, I read an article this past fall from the former dean of freshmen at Stanford—and parents, I have to say, we didn’t fare too well. Julie LythcottHaims says we have over-parented to the detriment of our children. Quote: “We want so badly to help by shielding them from failure and pain. But over-helping causes harm,” she writes. “It can leave young adults without the strengths of skill, will and character that are needed to know themselves and to craft a life.”

She has even written a book on the topic.

I had a couple of thoughts after reading her article. First, she raises excellent points and she speaks from experience, from what she has seen from her time as a college dean. My second thought was, I wonder how old her own children are, has she lived through a child graduating

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from high school yet? And lastly, I wanted to write her and say, “Thank you, you are spot-on, and from those of us in the trenches, I just want to say, we will try to be better.” Can I get an Amen on that?

My parents had Dr. Spock, we had Dr. Terry Brazelton. We also had 1-2-3 Magic and “time outs” and who can forget “ferberizing your children” (Dr. Richard Ferber) to help them learn to sleep through the night. Lord knows we tried to be well read and on top of our jobs of raising good children.

Parenting is as old as time—and for many centuries there were no manuals or books.

And if we look to the Bible as a guide we might be a little surprised at what we find—and don’t find. Going back to Genesis—Cain and Abel’s parents sure had their hands full—sibling rivalry gone way too far—or how about Jacob? He cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright, and his mother helped him do it, or think of Joseph’s parents—Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery.

And let’s just say the gospels skip right past Jesus’ teenage years—there is nary a word. Jesus goes from being an infant adored by kings to a 30-year-old man.

There is just one passage about him in the temple around age 12. It has to make you wonder what they couldn’t put in print from his adolescent years for people to read centuries later.

All kidding aside, parents have always had their hands full. It is the hardest job we ever have, and the most rewarding job we ever have.

Some of you may be familiar with fourthcentury theologian St. Augustine, who gave his parents a rough go as a young man. He was a reprobate, a self-described drunkard and womanizer. His mother

Monica prayed incessantly for him and finally made the difficult decision to intervene and send him to boarding school in Italy to study under a tutor named Ambrose; her hope was that Ambrose’s influence and her continued prayer and love might help Augustine recalibrate his life and get excited about learning. And that is exactly what happened. It all turned out great for Augustine, Ambrose and even Monica.

In fact, they are all Saints, each with their own Saint Day! A mother who loved her child, a son who was trying to grow up and falling down some in the process, and a teacher who was dedicated to helping him reach his full potential. I love that model. That’s really our model too.

And that is a point I would like to emphasize today. Whenever I felt as if I had not had my best day as a parent, I had not been my best self or when I was preoccupied with other things, the great comfort I clung too was that my children were walking into schools where there were adults who were going to embrace them and help them become all God has planned for them to be. These teachers and coaches are comforters and encouragers, cheerleaders and educators, experts in their discipline and experts in being listeners. They are the boots on the ground when we as parents are not around. They are “me” on my best day.

Knowing my son could talk to Mr. Tune or Ms. Bandal or Mr. Carlson or Mr. Jump— about any number of things—and that our daughter couldn’t wait to sing with Mrs. Court, and would race out the door on Tuesday nights for Saints Singers and Wednesday nights for Censations, and made us watch every presidential debate this year—because she was inspired by Mrs. Lehman—is a gift that is beyond any

I could give them. I look at Jim Boyd and Nancy Habenicht—two master teachers who have devoted their lives to the care and education of young people and I am humbled. There are many noble professions—but not as many noble people in the professions. Thank you both for your service to these schools.

For all the graduates—we are so excited for you and this next chapter. Learning is a lifelong journey. It doesn’t ever stop.

Well, except for APs and SATs. They are done! Whoop whoop! Learning comes from different sources and often from a place you didn’t expect. But learn now what the Lord requires above all other learning. Our second lesson today told us what He requires: to love God and love our neighbor. And who is your neighbor you might ask? Everyone. Everyone.

Commit that to memory. If I could design a bumper sticker (different Juliana and Emma from the one we designed in theology class) this one would be a little longer and go across the entire bumper and it would say: Show Up, Be Kind, Work Hard, Forgive, Be Fair, Listen, Speak Up, Give Back, Be Humble, Be Honest, Offer Grace, Love Unconditionally and Do Not Fear Failure.

Regret is all we ever need to fear. Regret that we didn’t try, regret that we didn’t speak up when we should have, or that we didn’t listen, regret that we weren’t kind, that we didn’t work hard, or held a grudge and didn’t forgive or weren’t fair.

Growing up in Louisiana in the 1970s I wasn’t allowed to be an acolyte at my church, much less a priest. When I left for graduate school in 1987, I discovered I actually could do those things—just not yet in Louisiana. What I feared would not be possible, became possible—and as I stand here today, I can tell you that

I was the first woman to ever celebrate Eucharist in this church, at that table.

People said, “A boys school won’t hire a woman to be the chaplain—you should apply at the girls school.” They hired me not once, but twice! LISTEN graduates: God has wonders in store for your life that you cannot even imagine today—so stay close to God on your journey as the path unfolds. Be open to the possibility—to what you think is not possible! And do not fear.

Of course I wish that I could tell you that you will only ever know joy but we know that the storms will come and there will be hard moments we didn’t envision.

Some of you all know that already—all too well. Again I say, stay close to God, cling to that love that never lets you go, God’s love. Everyone in this room has broken parts, little shards of glass that are a part of their story, a storm they encountered. Let God take those broken parts and resurrect you into the person God has called you to be. Look at these magnificent stained glass windows in this church—stunning and beautiful— each with its own story—all made out of shards of broken glass. We too can take our parts and make something beautiful— with God’s help. Playwright Eugene O’Neill wrote: “Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is the glue.” Let God glue your broken parts into something beautiful.

You will find in life that human beings are messy and imperfect and flawed and broken—our life on this earth is a continual journey of falling down and standing up… saying “I’m sorry,” being accountable and being forgiven. The Bible is the story of God loving us even when we are not loveable. And what the Bible does is tell us that “even in the midst of all the muck

of human sin, brokenness and ugliness, a God of grace is present and working to fulfill a plan and ultimately make something new and good.” Writer Mike Spence once wrote, “The Bible should be rated R—for Redemption—because it is one story after another of grace.” Don’t forget that. That grace is for you too.

For the teachers here today—and by teacher I mean the ones at school and the ones at church and synagogue—the adults in your neighborhood—the Scout leader—the godparents and family friends—the grandparents and aunts, coaches and cousins—any person who has brought us, the parents and stepparents, to this day, I want to say this: How do you thank someone who believed in your child, who recognized gifts he had and named them out loud, who answered questions and reviewed material to make sure she understood the information, who cheered at his accomplishments and comforted her when she cried, who confirmed him when he doubted himself, who soothed her fears and honored his tender heart, who modeled a life lived well, who taught her complex concepts and how to write an essay, but also taught him where “the line” was?

There are no words that are adequate.

But as the parents of the extraordinary class of 2016—we are grateful—for you have helped prepare these outstanding men and women for the next chapter.

Graduates—as St. Paul said so well in our first reading today—“Press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” and may God bless you this day and forevermore. Amen.

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GRADUATION

1

UPPER SCHOOL AWARDS William M. Hill, Jr. ’73 Memorial Scholarship

School Prize for Excellence in English

Moore Prize for Excellence in French

Richard Herrera ’17

Max Dodge

Noah O’Neill

The Ray Mercer “Buck” Paul, III ’06 Memorial Scholarship

School Prize for Excellence in Spanish Language

E.W. Bosworth Latin Prize

Will Brown

David M. Boney, Jr. ’44 Memorial Prize

Cameron Lovings ’19

2

William Carter Bowles, Jr. ’56 Memorial Music Prize Luke Powell

Douglass P. Griffith Prize for Excellence in Mathematics Hunter Reinhart

School Prize for Excellence in Drama Nate Smith

School Prize for Excellence in Art

3

Luke Campbell Colin Knight Jeffrey Pohanka

School Prize for Excellence in Spanish Literature

Ryan Hansen

William Jefferson

Chico Payne

Civitan Honor Key Award

School Prize for Excellence in Science

Nick Sherod

Scott McGowan

School Prize for Excellence in Computer Science

Irving H. Blackwell Memorial Prize for High Devotion to the Honor and Traditions of St. Christopher’s School Max Dodge Noah O’Neill

William Cabell Brown Prize for Character and Ability Chico Payne

Joseph Bryan Memorial Prize for Leadership

Alexander McNeill Carrington ’41 Memorial Award

Will Brown

Pierce Walmsley

Charles Stillwell

Armstrong-Jennings Award

John Newton Gray ’35 Memorial Prize For Outstanding Loyalty

Andrew Jackson Bolling III Faculty Award

School Prize for Excellence in History

Ned Tazewell

Dashiell Memorial Prize

Carl J. Koenig Prize for Faculty Excellence

Joey Cuevas

Will Brown

Jay Wood

Scott McGowan Jack Workman

Elsa Woodaman

Upper School Award Winners 4

1 Elsa Woodaman, Jay Wood 2 Joey Cuevas, Luke Powell McGowan, Ryan Hansen, 3 Scott Hunter Reinhart, Will Brown, Chico Payne, Cameron Lovings Walmsley, Ned Tazewell, 4 Pierce Noah O’Neill, Max Dodge, Luke Campbell, Jack Workman

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Herrera, Nick Sherod, 5 Richard Nate Smith, William Jefferson, Colin Knight, Jeffrey Pohanka

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GRADUATION

UPPER SCHOOL AWARDS CEREMONY At the May 19 Upper School Awards Assembly, students received school, state and national recognition in a variety of areas, both academic and extracurricular.

Comcast of Metro Richmond’s Leaders and Achievers $1,000 Scholarship

Raps & Taps Award

Colin Knight

Jackson Barkstrom ’17 Will Brown Luke Campbell Coleman Cox Zeb Gordon Alec Hale Sky Horne ’17 Tyler Hutchinson ’19 William Jefferson Colin Knight Trent Levy ’17 Cameron Lovings ’19 Sean Menges Paul Metz Edward Millman Kannon Noble ’17 Boyd Peete Jeffrey Pohanka Hunter Reinhart Parker Ross Sheldon Towell ’17 Jack Workman

Interfaith Council of Greater Richmond’s Brotherhood/ Sisterhood Youth Award Luke Campbell

Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizenship Award Alec Hale

Hieroglyphic Award Luke Campbell Edward Millman

Poetry Society of Virginia Award Jack Workman (2 honorable mentions, one in a statewide contest and one in a national competition)

Poetry Out Loud Award William Jefferson (Virginia State Regionals champion)

The Pine Needle Award Alyx McKinnon With special recognition to Gunther Abbot ’17 Nick Sherod John Szymendera

Edward Millman

George Squires Literary Awards

Glee Club Award Pierce Walmsley

Chamber Orchestra Awards Stephen McCray Kameron Miller Sam Turner

Regional Scholastic Art Awards Luke Campbell (2 honorable mentions) Tyler Hutchison ’19 (honorable mention, gold key) Colin Knight (honorable mention) Trent Levy ’17 (honorable mention) Edward Millman (2 honorable mentions) Jeffrey Pohanka (honorable mention)

Best Thespian Award Nate Smith

Chinese Awards Gunther Abbot ’17 (Youth Chinese Test 3) James Armstrong (Youth Chinese Test 3) Jackson Barkstrom ’17 (Youth Chinese Test 4) Coleman Cox (Youth Chinese Test 3) Jess Reynolds (Youth Chinese Test 4) Drew Vanichkachorn ’17 (Youth Chinese Test 3)

French Awards

Physics Award

Christian Longood ’17 (level IV) Christopher McCormick ’19 (level II) Gordon Mitchell ’18 (level III) John Szymendera (level V)

Jack Girerd

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Award Drew Vanichkachorn ’17

Bausch and Lomb Science Award Jackson Barkstrom ’17

La Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica

Robert W. Bugg Scholarship

Maddison Furman ’18 Richie Herrera ’17 Ralph Levy ’18 Kinloch Nelson ’18

Seth Burman ’18

World History II Research Paper Award Ralph Levy ’18

Willis Clyde Locker Jr. ’40 Memorial Prize Jackson Barkstrom ’17

Economics Award Chico Payne

British Literature Award Kinloch Nelson ’18

Wilbur Davis Bailey Prize

Latin Awards

Jackson Barkstrom ’17

Timothy Emrick ’18 (Latin III, magna cum laude) Jack McGurn ’19 (Latin II, magna cum laude) David Millman ’19 (Latin II, silver cum laude) Kinloch Nelson ’18 (Latin III, gold summa cum laude)

Biology Award Pierce Walmsley

Chemistry Award Max Dodge

Horace A. Gray Family Scholarship Carter Davis ’18 Justin Jasper ’18

John Peyton McGuire Memorial Scholarship Gordon Mitchell ’17

McGuire-Wilkinson Scholarship

G. Gilmer Minor Jr. ’30 Scholarship

Williams College Book Award

AP Scholars with Distinction

Shelton Moss ’17

Austin Cashwell ’17

St. Lawrence Book Award

Dartmouth Book Award

Jack Essex ’17

Edward Anderson ’17

Hampden-Sydney Book Prize

Jefferson Book Award

John Damgard ’17

Harvard Club of Virginia Prize

Ross Abrash Jeb Bemiss Will Brown Max Dodge Ryan Hansen Scott McGowan Chico Payne Hunter Reinhart Pierce Walmsley David Weatherford

Randolph-Macon College Leadership Award Paul Thompson ’17

Sewanee Book Award for Excellence in Writing Ricky Stockel ’17

Kenyon College Presidential Book Award

Ameer Bennett ’17

Gunther Abbot ’17

McGuire-Jack Gordon Scholarship

John Merchant Book Award

Austin Cashwell ’17

Josh Craig ’17

John Neasmith Dickinson ’73 Memorial Scholarship Award

Washington and Lee University Book Award

Tanner Hood ’17

William and Mary Leadership Award

Bradford Allen Parrish ’91 Memorial Scholarship Donovan Murphy ’18

Trent Levy ’17

Hayden Mitchell ’17

West Point Leadership Award Tanner Hood ’17

University of Chicago Award

James Armstrong ’17

Jackson Barkstrom ’17

AP Scholars Benny Bencks Ryan Everhart Alec Hale Jack Hodgson Jack Holdaway William Jefferson Alyx McKinnon Sean Menges Edward Millman Luke Powell Nate Smith Mac Ukrop Riley Varner Ben Walters

AP Scholars with Honors Luke Campbell Pierce Edlich Jack Girerd Malcolm Ilnicky Connor Masterson Noah O’Neill Colin Smith John Szymendera

National AP Scholar Ryan Hansen

National Merit Commended Students (top 5% nationally) Jeb Bemiss Will Brown Max Dodge Ryan Hansen Nathan Johnson Scott McGowan Alyx McKinnon Jonny Najarian Pierce Walmsley Ben Walters David Weatherford

National Merit Finalist Nate Smith (Winner of a National Merit Scholarship)

Thomas Kehoe ’17 Only underclassmen are identified by year of graduation.

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27

GRADUATION

ALL THE SMALL THINGS Will Brown’s Valedictory Address Good morning. It’s an honor and a privilege to speak to you all on behalf of the Class of 2016. First, I think all of us would like to say thank you to our teachers, coaches, the college guidance counselors and the librarians, who are probably sick of seeing my face by now.

We are incredibly fortunate to have attended such a fine school with caring faculty. I’d also like to thank my family, as I have been blessed with the advantages of growing up in a loving and supporting household. Most of all, though, I want to thank the 80-some guys to my right for making these 13 years all worthwhile.

We’ve been through a lot together.

If I had to pick one word to define the Class of 2016, it would be “unity.” We support each other constantly in our own individual pursuits, and this class is truly a talented bunch. Academically, we have many students attending top universities.

For reference, we have 16 guys going to UVA alone. In the arts, we have musicians, painters, actors, photographers and potters. We are dedicated to serving others, with one peer even volunteering as an EMT with over 800 hours of community service. Athletically, name any sport you want, and we’ve got someone to cover it; we have college-bound athletes in football, soccer, wrestling, basketball, baseball, tennis, swimming, lacrosse, golf, track and rock climbing. Several of these guys are undisputably the best to ever play for St. Christopher’s in their respective sports. Joey Prata is a twotime national champion in wrestling. Nick Sherod is the all-time leading scorer for Virginia schools, public or private. Charlie Swanson is ranked sixth in the world in one event in swimming and will have an Olympic trial before starting college.

Brandon Thomas is a downright speed

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demon on the track. Matthew Fernandez is a dominant tennis player. While lots of classes have outstanding athletes in those sports, we even have our own race car driver. And, most importantly of course, our class became the first ever to defeat the faculty in the annual senior-faculty basketball game. Several members of the team even parodied an ESPN “30-for-30” documentary to memorialize Benny’s magical shot.

Despite all of these unique abilities, what I will remember most about this class are the things we did together. Whether it was playing capitalism on the senior porch, struggling through the infamous “Man About Town” X-term, helping each other navigate the second semester “senior slide” (which threatened to turn into the “senior Niagara Falls” for a few of us) or supporting classmates after the loss of a loved one, we have done everything together. Who can forget Father Ilnicky solemnly leading us in prayer before the Honors Bio exam, or Middle School games of recess soccer, with Bryce fearlessly leaping into a holly bush to retrieve a ball that went awry?

Or what about Lower School field trips to Jamestown and Yorktown and any other really old place that ended with “town,” where we learned the highly marketable life skill of firing a musket?

Even two weeks ago, on our senior retreat day, memories were made that I’ll never forget. At one point, about 20 of us were crowded into the bathroom in the downstairs of the Luck Leadership Center.

Instead of griping about the lack of space, Jonny Najarian kept us all entertained by reciting, from memory, the words to the sign above the urinal while the rest of us fact-checked for accuracy. Sure enough, “The highly efficient urinals in

that bathroom still save roughly 140,000 gallons of water a year,” just like they always have. Later, as we were driving to the Sunset Lanes bowling alley for a little group bonding, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to make the routine trip a bit more exciting. When stopped at a red light, we saw a guy standing on the street corner, waving a sign to advertise Little Caesar’s Pizza. In typical Class of 2016 fashion, we decided to cheer and applaud every time he did a full revolution of the sign, hopefully making that guy’s day a little brighter.

On the last day of classes, we ended our St. Chris career in fitting fashion with a massive, all-day tailgate in the senior lot.

Where else will you find an entire grade competing in a never-ending floor hockey game and playing FIFA on a flat screen TV hooked up to someone’s car, with music blaring and the delicious scent of burgers and dogs wafting over from the grill?

While many of these memories may seem trivial, they are the ones I will remember most. End-of-the-year ceremonies are nice, but small moments are often the most meaningful. We hear about being kind to others every day in chapel, but it’s impossible to truly realize how impactful a simple “hello” or timely joke can be until you’ve experienced it.

I challenge all of us to slow down and observe the world around us in the midst of busy times ahead.

As we reflect on memories from our time at StC and prepare for the future, this institution is doing the same thing. The school will be hard-pressed to replace all the wonderful teachers who are leaving, but none more so than Mr. Boyd, who is retiring after an incredible 50 years in the classroom. I’ll never forget his Honors Geometry class, the first class I had in

Upper School. For the first several weeks, I was invariably amazed at how much he knew, but I was even more mesmerized by his smart, utilitarian solution to an everyday problem: he always wore a golf glove on his right hand to prevent from getting chalk on it as he scribbled theorems on the blackboard. I just couldn’t get over how cool it was to have a genius version of Jack Nicklaus as my math teacher. After also realizing that both Jim “Bear” Boyd and “The Golden Bear” share a penchant for furry animals and are masters at their respective professions, I couldn’t get that comparison out of my head.

Lastly, someone else important deserves to be mentioned as well: our headmaster Mr. Stillwell, who is departing for a new challenge at Episcopal. What has struck me most about Mr. Stillwell over the years is not his eloquent speeches or firm leadership, but how he knows everyone’s name and a little bit about them. Even when I was a younger kid, whenever he would see me on campus, Mr. Stillwell always used to make some quip about our shared favorite baseball team, the

Baltimore Orioles. I want to thank him for his service to the school and say that we, the Class of 2016, are very fortunate to be his last senior class here.

leadership, wittiness or camaraderie about every single one of my classmates, but, fortunately for you all, I only have a few minutes.

Looking back on it, it seems like just yesterday that we were learning to write the old Lower School “6 by 6” paragraphs, containing six sentences with six words each; now, we are writing for The Pine Needle and the Hieroglyphic.

Just yesterday, nearly our entire thirdgrade class would assemble for massive touch football games at recess, with Jeb Bemiss as quarterback; nine years later, Jeb is the starting quarterback for the Saints varsity team. When Chico Payne walked into Mrs. Young’s fourth-grade class midway through the year, we were all a bit suspicious of this shady character from Pittsburgh sporting a black leather jacket; now, Chico is one of the smartest and nicest people I know, and I sincerely hope we see him in the White House once he turns 35. When Ross Abrash showed up to school in sixth grade, everyone was impressed by his full beard; now—well, I guess some things never change. I could tell a story of kindness, intelligence,

It may seem like it’s gone by in a flash, but I am grateful that, through it all, I have been able to call these guys my brothers.

We are all going our separate ways next year, with some venturing as far afield as Southern California and others are staying right here in Richmond. We will miss chapel and the honor system but know that future classes will continue to be grateful for the sense of community they create. With incredible new opportunities right around the corner, it can be difficult to appreciate life’s simple gifts. As Ferris Bueller aptly put it, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around for a while, you could miss it.” Most graduation speeches are about lofty ideals, but I wanted to focus on the small moments. Remember Mr. Boyd’s golf glove or a 10-second conversation with Mr. Stillwell; sometimes, the simple, mundane occurrences are what matter most.

29

GRADUATION

A SEA OF OPPORTUNITY

THE CLASS OF

Max Dodge’s Salutatory Address When my mother learned I was going to give the salutatory address she said, “Try to be funny. Talk about something like how you came all this way to get second.” So thanks for that, Mom. I want to welcome everyone to the graduation ceremony of the class of 2016, our parents, our friends and everyone who made our journey thus far possible.

Graduations are a celebration of those of us about to take the next big step in our lives, but they are just as much a celebration of everyone who dropped us off at school, packed our lunches, drove us to games and made us do our homework.

To quote Mr. Szymendera, “This day isn’t about you guys. Well, okay, it is about you, but it’s also about all the other people.”

To our parents I say thank you for all you have done.

Our teachers also deserve our thanks.

A school is really defined by the quality of its teachers, and St. Chris is lucky to have such great mentors both inside and outside the classroom. My teachers have always pushed me to go above and beyond, to pursue what is of interest to me, to defend my beliefs and to treat others with respect. These are not only the hallmarks of a good education but also the hallmarks of a good society. Truly they have fulfilled the mission of educating the whole boy.

Personally, I wish to thank my classmates for being supportive of me and of each other. For the memories that you all gave me and for all the great times we have shared together. I am sad to part with you all (besides the 15 of you who will join me at UVA of course) but am sure that you will all go on to do great things.

I want to talk about change. For the past 13 years I have had the pleasure to call St. Christopher’s home; it will be hard to say good-bye. Change usually comes slowly to the St. Chris community, but it seems that trend does not hold true this year. The seniors are not the only ones who will be leaving: Mr. Stillwell, Mr. Boyd, Dr. Smith, Mr. Spears and Mrs. Hollerith also will be moving on to something new.

The school will truly miss those who are leaving, but we can be sure that the spirit of the school that makes this place so special will remain.

In less than an hour that change will catalyze for us when we receive our diplomas. I know that most of us are not afraid of the coming change; in college we will meet many new people and have lots of new experiences.

Nevertheless, with great change the temptation to dig in our heels and stay within the bounds of what we find comfortable grows immensely. Change is easy to resist.

Change is not always good; it should not always be embraced, but it is almost always worth examining.

Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

Open mindedness and intellectual curiosity are critical to ensuring that one maximizes the opportunities that are available to them.

St. Christopher’s has done a great job

30 | StC

2016

imbuing us with those virtues. One of the beautiful things about this school is the fierce spirit of learning that pervades all aspects of the students’ experience.

Despite the great changes that are coming to our lives, the values that we developed here will remain constant in the face of that change—a foundation upon which we may build our lives. The truth is our lives are only limited by two things: the opportunities with which we are presented and the opportunities that we pursue. Here we are all lucky to have incredible opportunities; we simply must be ready to take them.

So I encourage everyone to have a great time in college, and I know everyone will.

However, make sure to remain open and curious, make sure to take those opportunities. Education is not merely a means to an end, a way to get a job, or, even worse, an obstacle to be conquered.

Education is more than that; it is a way to open your mind to the possibilities of the world—to inspire you to new heights.

I have every confidence in my classmates that they will go out into the world with an open heart, an open mind and an eagerness to learn and to experience.

I know this because I have seen what our class is capable of over the past 13 years.

I want to end with a quote attributed to French writer, aviator and aristocrat Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”

Bottom Row: Joey Prata, Grayson Meck, Reece Holleran, Peter Duke, Ross Abrash, Danny Bader, David Weatherford, Luke Powell, Brandon Thomas, Joey Cuevas, Matthew Fernandez, Ben Vaeth, Coleman Andrews, Jacob Pitney, Jack Holdaway, Mac Ukrop, Pierce Walmsley, William Simopolous, Colin Smith, Zeb Gordon Second Row: Chase Evans, Teddy Gray, Pierce Edlich, Charlie Swanson, Hunter Reinhart, Sean Menges, Riley Varner, Alexander Hamilton, John McCauley, Ben Walters, Drew Romig, Noah O’Neill, Charlie De Venoge, Will Cox, Pope Whitley

Third Row: Jeffrey Pohanka, Jack Hodgeson, Miles Parrish, Jack Spruill, Jeb Bemiss, Ryan Everhart, Boyd Peete, Nathan Johnson, Sam Turner, Malcolm Ilnicky, Will Brown, Emmett Hatcher, Mason Bailey, Davis Lupold, Connor Masterson, Chico Payne, Collin Mistr, Benny Bencks

Top Row: Edward Millman, Tazle Sumpter, Coleman Cox, Wil Venitz, William Jefferson, Sam Cain, Ryan Hansen, Parker Ross, Jack Workman, Stephen McCray, Rohan Dhar, Ned Tazewell, Jack Trunick, Nick Sherod, Matthew Nelligan

Fourth Row: Paul Metz, J. Hunter Dabney, Jess Reynolds, Alyx McKinnon, Nate Smith, Bryce Fortner, John Szymendera, Alec Hale, Max Dodge, Jack O’Neil, Luke Campbell, Colin Knight, Scott McGowan, Jack Girerd, Kameron Miller

Let’s not worry so much about collecting the wood—getting the grade or winning the award—important as those things are, we must be inspired by a great task before we do great things.

There is an endless and immense sea of opportunity in the world that is waiting for all of us. Good luck to all my classmates; it was a pleasure.

Thank you.

31

GRADUATION

COLLEGE CHOICES Ross Whitney Abrash

John Philippe Girerd

Paul Christian Metz

Nathaniel Burwell Smith

Brandon Okoth Thomas

Wilhelm Harry Venitz

University of Richmond

University of Virginia

Virginia Commonwealth University

Northwestern University

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech

William Coleman Andrews

Zebulon Vance Gordon III

Kameron Keith Miller

Joseph Elna Spruill IV

Jack William Trunick

Sylvester Pierce Walmsley

Sewanee: The University of the South

Bucknell University

College of William and Mary

Sewanee: The University of the South

James Madison University

University of Virginia

Daniel Joseph Bader

Frederick Crane Gray

Edward Joseph Millman

Tazle Alexander Sumpter

Samuel Rangeley Turner

Benjamin MacDowell Walters

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

College of William and Mary

University of Richmond

College of Charleston

Davidson College

Alexander McGiffert Hale

Collin Lee Mistr

Charles August Swanson

James McIlhenny Ukrop

David Osina Weatherford

Virginia Tech

University of Mary Washington

University of Michigan

University of Virginia

University of Virginia

Alexander Donnan Wheeler Hamilton

Jonathan Edward Najarian

John Anthony Allen Szymendera

Gregory Benjamin Vaeth Jr.

Donald Pope Whitley III

Auburn University

Wake Forest University

University of Virginia

Sewanee: The University of the South

Hampden-Sydney College

Ryan Patrick Hansen

Matthew Joseph Nelligan

Edmund Bradford Tazewell IV

Riley Chapman Varner

Jack Holloway Workman

College of William and Mary

University of South Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of Colorado, Boulder

University of Virginia

Emmett Poindexter Hatcher

John Timothy O’Neil

University of South Carolina

Boston College

John FitzRandolph Hodgson Jr.

Noah Thomas O’Neill

Washington and Lee University

University of Virginia

John Christian Holdaway

Miles Ashton Parrish

University of Georgia

Colorado State University

Thomas Reece Holleran

Horace Preston Payne III

James Madison University

Harvard University

Malcolm Fulton Ilnicky

Winston Alexander Boyd Peete

University of Virginia

Washington and Lee University

William Hunter Jefferson

Jacob Brian Pitney

Virginia Tech

University of Arizona

Nathan Walton Johnson

William Jeffrey Pohanka

University of Virginia

Virginia Commonwealth University

Colin Eldridge Knight

Lewis Franklin Powell IV

Virginia Commonwealth University

Washington and Lee University

Davis Tyner Lupold

Joseph Robert Prata

Pennsylvania State University

Roanoke College

Virginia Tech

Owen Maxwell Dodge

Connor Joseph Masterson

Jackson Hunter Reinhart

University of Virginia

University of Virginia

University of Southern California

Peter Shand Duke

John Stephen McCauley

Julian Sargeant Reynolds III

Virginia Tech

College of Charleston

Tulane University

William Pierce Edlich

Stephen Tankard McCray

Andrew Peter Romig

University of Virginia

Virginia Tech

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chase Andrew Evans

University of Virginia

Mason McKay Bailey High Point University

Fitzgerald Bemiss II Cornell University

Benjamin Patton Bencks University of Virginia

William Hill Brown V Princeton University

Samuel William Cain James Madison University

Lucas Walter Campbell Emory University

William David Cox Davidson College

Coleman Lytton Cox James Madison University

Hiram Joseph Cuevas College of William and Mary

J. Hunter Ellison Dabney Virginia Commonwealth University

Charles Christopher Wilson de Venoge James Madison University

Rohan Dhar

Scott Michael McGowan

Ralph Parker Ross IV

Texas A&M University

Virginia Tech

Longwood University

Ryan Lee Everhart

William Alexander Wood McKinnon

Nicolas Emmanuel Sherod

University of Virginia

New York University

University of Richmond

Matthew Emanuel Fernandez

Grayson Craig Meck

William Francis Simopoulos

University of Richmond

University of South Carolina

University of Virginia

Bryce Warren Fortner

Sean Christian Menges

Colin Matthew Smith

Virginia Tech

University of Richmond

Southern Methodist University

32 | StC

LEGACIES Bottom Row: Parke Smith ’78, Bernard McCray ’52, Hill Brown ’85, Howard Parrish ’87, Matt Duke ’88, Michael Gray ’79, Scott Campbell ’79 Back Row: Grayson Meck, Nate Smith, Stephen McCray, Will Brown, Miles Parrish, Peter Duke, Max Dodge, Luke Campbell Not pictured: Taz Sumpter, Vass Sumpter ’92

Front Row: Tom Cain ’77, Lewis Powell ’70, Berno Hamilton ’82, Sam Bemiss ’73, Reno Harp ’50, Scott Ukrop ’81, Pierce Walmsley ’83, Pierce Walmsley ’58, Don Whitley ’55, Horace Gray ’56 Back Row: Jess Reynolds, Sam Cain, Luke Powell, Alexander Hamilton, Jeb Bemiss, Ben Vaeth, Malcolm Ilnicky, Mac Ukrop, Pierce Walmsley, Pope Whitley, Teddy Gray

Not pictured: J. Sargeant Reynolds ’54, deceased grandfather of Jess Reynolds; Fitzgerald Bemiss ’40, deceased grandfather of Jeb Bemiss; Parke Farr Smith ’39, deceased grandfather of Nate Smith; Bill Pusey ’54, deceased grandfather of Grayson Meck; Malcolm McKenney, deceased grandfather of Malcolm Ilnicky; Whit Whitley ’82

33

Around Campus

who are too spineless to do so either,” she said. “These are not places where people display their good character by doing what’s right when no one’s looking.”

In court she bears witness to Internet-based crime, much of it based in Richmond. She warned students that its impact is not exaggerated. “You are vulnerable to attack and you’re

Judge Hannah Lauck

vulnerable to succumbing to something other than the

Paul D. Camp Speaker Series Hosts U.S. District Court Judge’s Visit

better angels of your nature, which is worse. Don’t go there.”

Judge Lauck encouraged students to interact respectfully with people different from themselves, to value education Judge Lauck with former history teacher Lee Camp and her son Doug ’87

and to enter thoughtful discussions without rancor.

“These conversations help you learn how to express

wiring more than $7 million over Western Union and

your thoughts from a well-developed sense of self with a

dispersing tens if not hundreds of kilos of crack.

developed sense of why someone might feel differently.”

She also told the story of a drug trafficker rescued by his

As a federal prosecutor and judge, her three primary job

Manners matter in U.S. District Court. Federal court

brother with automatic weapons blazing. When the brother

skills are to read, to write and to speak. “If you have a

mandates that jackets be buttoned and that no one speak

aimed for the deputy who had held him in shackles, the

or move around the room without the judge’s permission.

prisoner demanded the deputy be let go unharmed, saying

Pointing and talking over each other are strictly taboo.

he had treated him decently. “My bet is that this deputy

learned, and it must be practiced.”

learned in school, as you have, to treat people with respect,”

She closed with words of inspiration for students choosing

Judge Lauck said. “Maybe working with folks in jail had

their calling. The Wellesley College and Yale University Law

taught him to stand in someone else’s shoes and walk

School graduate said that early jobs taught her she couldn’t

around a little while, as Atticus Finch would say. Maybe he

work anywhere except a place where her conscience did

knew not to prejudge, unlike the folks in Macon county who

not have to abide by the majority rule, as Atticus Finch

as Scout noticed had already decided in the secret courts of

described it, or the venerated notion from Marcus Aurelius

their hearts that Atticus did not have a case.”

who admonished others 2,000 years ago: “Never esteem

by Kathleen Thomas

These are just a few of the ageless rules of civility Judge Hannah Lauck addressed in a spring chapel talk that was part of the StC Camp Speaker Series started last year to encourage civil discourse. While drawing inspiration from George Washington, To Kill a Mockingbird’s Atticus Finch and Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius, she minced no words in warning students and urging them to “behave well and do right.”

Such decorum seems far removed from current culture,

Eastern district judges oversaw the recent challenge

often defined by playground taunts, reality TV values and

to the restriction against gay marriage and the case

vulgar body references.

against Gov. Bob McDonnell, both pending before the

But in Judge Lauck’s courtroom in the Eastern District

U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Lauck recently handled

of Virginia, dubbed the “rocket docket” for its speed

the challenge to the Republican party’s statement of

in adjudicating cases, national issues such as the

affiliation for the primary ballot, which when appealed

constitutionality of statutes, international terrorism and

was withdrawn by the Republican party before the March

disputes between states are debated with civility and

primary. Her talk also drew on earlier experiences as a

respect. “In our American justice system, those who lose

federal prosecutor.

do not riot because the system ensures that they had

The judge also addressed problems inherent in online communication. “The virtual community may be the

powerful idea but you cannot communicate it with clarity or with civility you will not be heard,” she said. “Civility is

anything as an advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect.”

antithesis of sitting at the FBI or in a courtroom and having

The speech opened with “hello friends,” echoing a habit

a tough talk face to face,” she said. “The written text is deaf

of Paul Camp, a now-deceased Richmond businessman in

to tone, to sarcasm, to silliness, to gravity or to pain. You

whose honor the Camp Speaker Series was started. His wife

all know it is much easier to say something nasty by text,

Lee was a longtime Upper School history teacher and son

especially during a hot minute.”

Doug graduated from St. Christopher’s in 1987. “I always

The haste of such communication encourages mistakes, and anonymity, sometimes the preferred mode of expression, is deemed inherently unfair in court. Judge Lauck called online

admired the consistency of such a small act of grace,” Judge Lauck said of his greeting. “Paul Camp welcomed nearly everyone he saw with the same open heart…and that may be all I need to talk to you about civility today.”

a fair shot,” said the first woman to be appointed a U.S.

Judge Lauck must maintain objectivity and confidentiality,

forums such as Yik Yak and After School breeding grounds

district judge in Richmond, back in 2014. “That’s the social

but she shared a few anecdotes, including prosecuting a

for spiteful and inaccurate comments. “If you cannot stand

Judge Lauck spent the day at St. Christopher’s visiting

contract we’ve agreed to. It has stood the test of time.”

Los Angeles gang leader responsible for a local murder,

behind what you say, don’t say it, and don’t support others

classes and meeting with students in small groups.

34 | StC

35

AROUND CAMPUS

Andy Smith

A New Chapter

by Alyx McKinnon ’16 and Kathleen Thomas Dr. Andy Smith is leaving the classroom to help with Upper

Going forward, the good doctor, who received a master’s

School curriculum development and broaden service learning.

in school administration from the University of North

The latest move is in keeping with his 42-year varied career path at St. Christopher’s, a testament to his breadth and depth of interests, leadership and organizational skills.

Hired as an eighth-grade history teacher in 1974, he taught English before moving to Middle School administration as

Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Ph.D. in school law from Virginia Commonwealth University, will take on an administrative role, working alongside teachers on their curriculum. Upper School Head Tony Szymendera says he’ll be a resource for the entire faculty in providing hands-on support.

assistant head and then head. Even as administrator, he

In addition, he will enhance service learning to make

taught history classes and electives, including Constitutional

it a part of St. Christopher’s core curriculum. He has

Law and a course on U.S. history post World War II.

devoted much of his vacation time to rebuilding work in

In more recent years, Dr. Smith relocated to the former dorm rooms of Luck Hall where, as director of special projects, he worked on accreditation, symposiums and even the school’s first crisis management plan, which notably lacked a lockdown policy that no one deemed necessary. “My, how the times have changed,” he reflects.

In the last six to eight years, he has taught AP U.S. history

conjunction with St. James’s Episcopal Church, initiating a trip to New Orleans in 2007 where he returned almost a dozen times since, working in areas with extreme filth, damage and potential disease. He pursued other equally challenging service work in Haiti, Appalachia, Tanzania and Richmond and recently took over the St. James’s Missions Committee as chair.

and a senior requirement, 9/11 to Now, and since 2008 has

In keeping with these efforts, Dr. Smith is now charged

served as history department chair.

to oversee travel service trips in the Upper School that give students the opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes. “You don’t get it out of a textbook, you don’t get it out of a speaker,” he says. Still in the planning stages, these opportunities could take someone across Richmond or someplace as far as Cuba where Dr. Smith is working with the Episcopal Diocese on a mission trip in conjunction with the school’s X-term program next year. He adds as a personal goal starting a partnership with a Native American reservation.

Dr. Smith hopes students will “experience for a moment what someone else’s life and circumstances are like…this is about empathy.”

36 | StC

Josh Sundquist

Inspiring Perseverance The StC Center for the Study of Boys hosted Josh Sundquist, a Paralympic skier and U.S. Amputee Soccer player who brought messages of resilience and hope in facing challenges and difficulties.

by Kathleen Thomas Josh Sundquist infused serious messages with hilarity in his student and parent talks sponsored by the Center for the Study of Boys.

other speakers brought to campus by the Center for the Study of Boys. “When a bull steps in front of us, we keep walking toward our goals, toward our mission in life.”

The Harrisonburg, Va. native opened his presentation to students with a story about sneaking up on a sleeping cow. When he and his friends encroached to about 20 feet, the cow, who turned out to have horns, woke up. Josh, who lost a leg to cancer at age 9, then demonstrated one possible response—his “super pendulum kick” where he pushed off crutches to rocket his body upward foot first.

That mission, he explained, often comes from what’s missing. People with illnesses or disabilities or debilitating losses often become doctors or teachers or ministers to help others who are struggling.

Thinking quickly though, he figured he didn’t need to fight an angry bull; as long as he could outrun his friends, running would suffice. He then sprinted, using an impossible-todescribe technique that was faster than any able-bodied human, across the stage and out a side door.

Upon return, he drew parallels to other challenges. “We all have these experiences in life,” he said. “How do we respond when the bull appears in front of us?”

He told the story of his leg amputation and of wearing a prosthetic his first day in ninth grade when after years of homeschooling a bully tripped him and poked fun at his limp.

His response was to gather his books, stand back up and take “one step forward and another step and another step” and walk to his next class.

He applied the same mantra when he asked a girl out to play golf. After a great shot, his prosthetic malfunctioned and he fell down. “It’s what we must all do in our journey to manhood,” he said echoing themes from

Josh graduated from the College of William & Mary and moved to Colorado where he trained for six years as an alpine ski racer. He described himself as not particularly talented, falling five times during his first race. His motto “One MT, One MT,” which stands for “One More Thing, One More Time,” kept him going. He continued to improve and worldwide competitions culminated in being named to the U.S. team for the 2006 Paralympics in Turino, Italy. He also plays on the U.S. Amputee Soccer team.

Josh’s first memoir, Just Don’t Fall, is a bestseller. His second memoir, We Should Hang Out Sometime, focuses on his adolescent dating disasters, and is being made into a movie. A debut novel, Love and First Sight, will be published in 2017.

The school presentation was followed by an Upper School etiquette training session from Sportable, which provides adaptive sports and recreation for people with physical and visual disabilities. A quadriplegic named Josh talked about his experiences playing lacrosse and tennis, rowing, road racing, water skiing and rock climbing. Sportable Operations Director Kat Anthony discussed ways to treat disabled people with dignity and respect, things such as talking to people in wheelchairs at eye level and emphasizing abilities, not limitations.

37

AROUND CAMPUS

First Grade Dolls Spread the Love Mrs. Betsy Tyson’s first graders took part in a Flat Connections K-2 Building Bridges to Tomorrow project.

After communicating virtually with classes in Canada and Minnesota to tell stories of making a difference in the world, each group chose a service project and shared the experience on the digital tool “Mixbook.”

Mrs. Tyson’s boys helped earthquake victims in Equador.

After reading newspaper articles, students came up with the idea of making stuffed

Physics Olympics The aluminum foil boats competed for which could hold the most weight in metal bolts. Magnets created from wire, nails and batteries battled to pick up the most paper clips. The Fermi quiz required estimating to the nearest multiple of 10, without help from computers, the Internet or calculators, such things as the volume of pennies required to make up $1 trillion.

These are just a few of the varied activities involving groups of students at this year’s Physics Olympics held April 9 at the University of Richmond.

StC participants included seniors Scott McGowan, Jack Girerd, Zeb Gordon, Stephen McCray, Chico Payne, Noah O’Neill, Jack Hodgson, Max Dodge, Alyx

animals they dubbed “love dolls.” “I asked them to put themselves in the boys’ and girls’ shoes and try to imagine what would comfort them if they endured an earthquake, maybe lost their homes and belongings, and maybe even family members,” Mrs. Tyson said. “After lots of discussion and ideas, they decided that having a stuffed animal to hold and hug would really be nice. They might feel safe again.”

Families also donated more than $200 to the American Red Cross to help those in need.

Spanish teachers Sue Varner and Fran Turner helped the class connect with a parent whose sons were exchange students at St. Christopher’s. The boys wrote notes and shipped the dolls to Eduardo Viteri, who lives in Guayaquil, to distribute.

100 Years of Pine Needle History The Pine Needle staff celebrated the 100th anniversary of the school newspaper in a March Upper School chapel. Highlights from the talks included the following: Editor-in-Chief Alyx McKinnon: “We’re a profession led in large by our moral compass. Media is only an asset to a democratic society when it maintains its objectivity.

Without good reporters with the interests of the people in mind, our whole political system, which requires us to question authority and make our own decisions, would be defunct. There’s bias in all media, and even though not all of us can or want to uphold journalistic integrity on the front lines as a reporter, critical thinkers willing to call out bias in media are really just as important, if not more so.”

Senior editor Max Dodge: “As I pored over old issues of The Pine Needle for this anniversary issue with Mrs. Alice Flowers, the school archivist, I realized the true value of having a record of the past papers. There are two ways to view school history: looking at broad trends and big events and looking at the school’s history as a collection of the everyday experiences of its students. The Pine Needle is a mixture of those two prisms through which history can be interpreted.”

Staff writer Nick Sherod: “As a sophomore, I signed up for journalism class not really expecting much out of it. Since then, I have discovered a love for writing and reporting that I plan to pursue next year in college. It is a way to express yourself and learn about other people while developing relationships with the people you work with and the people you interview.”

Junior editor Gunther Abbot talked about the timeconsuming process of combing through newspapers from years gone by. “Early on we knew it was important to explore The Pine Needle’s history in the paper, and we decided to honor that by including excerpts of important events and stories in old papers…We definitely found some interesting stuff, from an artist’s rendition of Chamberlayne Hall under construction to an account of this very building being repurposed as a chapel. We also found plenty of teacher introductions from the ’80s onward, featuring Mr. Wood, Mr. Randolph and others.”

McKinnon; juniors Pascal Reeck, Austin Cashwell, Jackson Barkstrom, Thomas Kehoe, DT Badley, Griffin Gayne, Connor Liggan; and freshman Max Macek.

St. Catherine’s students included Sasha Savenko, Henrietta Clarke and Aniela Macek.

The teams captured five of the top 15 places overall and won first place in four challenges.

38 | StC

Senior Editor John Szymendera recounted how the staff came up with a joke article for the newspaper’s back page involving a teacher-run drug ring on campus, only to find the same idea printed in a 1930s Pine Needle. “It was fascinating for me to see that two of our students now, had the exact same sense of humor and ideas as St. Chris students 80 years ago.”

39

Sports News Athletic Awards Presented at the 59th Athletic Banquet, May 2016 Buerlein Distance Running Award

C. Braxton Valentine ’41 Lacrosse Award

Bradford Allen Parrish Award

Joey Cuevas

Jack Hodgson

Stephen McCray

Jack Workman

Sean Menges

Jack Spruill

Hugh Brenaman Football Award Sean Menges Jack Spruill

Anna P. Goodale Soccer Award

Bart Jan Laverge ’57 Tennis Award Matthew Fernandez

Randolph Burwell Cardozo Jr. Track Award

Nelson Hill Hotchkiss Award

Harry W. Easterly Jr. Golf Award

John T. Siegel ’57 Memorial Prize

Boyd Peete

Jeb Bemiss

St. Christopher’s School Monogram Award

Slater Prize

Joey Cuevas

Athletic Director’s Award for Competitive Excellence

Joey Prata

St. Christopher’s School Swimming & Diving Award Will Cox Alec Hale

Scott McGowan

Robert Williams Herzog Award Noah O’Neill

4

Jack Workman

Noah O’Neill

E. Otto N. Williams Wrestling Trophy

3

Pierce Edlich

Brandon Thomas

Nick Sherod

2

Talmadge Abbitt Dupriest Award

Pierce Edlich

James W. Proffitt ’48 Basketball Award

1

Joey Cuevas

59th Athletic Banquet O’Neill, Nick Sherod, Peete, Chico Payne, 4 Boyd 1 Noah Jeb Bemiss, Brandon Thomas, Jack Spruill, Pierce Edlich,

Ned Tazewell

Matthew Fernandez Swanson, 2 Charlie Sean Menges, Taz Sumpter,

Matthew Fernandez

Ned Tazewell, Joey Cuevas

Joey Prata Nick Sherod Charlie Swanson

John R. Brinser Baseball Award

James Turner Sloan II Award

Brandon Thomas

Ryan Hansen

John McCauley

Sean Menges

5

McCauley, Jack Hodgson, 3 John Alec Hale, J. Hunter Dabney,

Ryan Hansen Not pictured: Joey Prata McCray, Scott McGowan, 5 Stephen Zeb Gordon, Jack Trunick, Hunter Reinhart

Jack Workman

Davenport Trophy

Only underclassmen are identified by year of graduation.

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41

SPORTS NEWS

Fall Wrap-up CROSS COUNTRY Placed in third Prep League meet and fifth in state VISAA meet.

All-Prep Joey Cuevas Jack Workman All-State Joey Cuevas Jack Workman FOOTBALL Finished the season with an 5-5 record overall, 0-3 in the Prep League.

All-Prep Sam Cain (WR) Charlie de Venoge (RB) Sean Menges (KR) Jack Spruill (DL) Sam Turner (DB) John Damgard ’17 (WR) Justin Jasper ’18 (WR) Paul Thompson ’17 (LB)

All-State Sean Menges* (KR) Jeb Bemiss** (QB) Jack Spruill** (DL) Tazle Sumpter** (OL) Sam Turner** (DB) John Damgard ’17** (WR) Paul Thompson ’17** (LB) Sam Cain*** (WR) Charlie de Venoge*** (RB) George Fisher ’17*** (DL/LB) Justin Jasper ’18*** (WR)

Winter Wrap-up SAILING Placed 12th in the Virginia Interscholastic Sailing Association.

SOCCER Won the Prep League championship for the second straight year and took the Menno Classic.

All-Prep Noah O’Neill (F) Jack Trunick (F) Ben Vaeth (M) Frost Wood ’17 (D) All-State Noah O’Neill* (F) Ben Vaeth** (M) Jalen Maurice ’17** (K) All-Metro Noah O’Neill* Ben Vaeth** Menno Classic All-Tournament Pierce Edlich Noah O’Neill Brandon Thomas Ben Vaeth

BASKETBALL Went 24-7 (most wins in school history), won the regular season Prep League title for the first time since 2007 and ranked fourth in the state.

All-Prep Nick Sherod (Co-Player of the Year) Justin Jasper ’18 Alexander Petrie ’17 All-State Nick Sherod* Alexander Petrie ’17** All-Metro Nick Sherod* (Player of the Year, first in school history) Alexander Petrie ’17*** Henrico Holiday Hoops All-Tournament Nick Sherod Alexander Petrie ’17 Rebel Invitational All-Tournament Nick Sherod (3-Time MVP) Alexander Petrie ’17 Prep League All-Tournament Nick Sherod Alexander Petrie ’17 Times-Dispatch Invitational All-Tournament Nick Sherod (MVP) Alexander Petrie ’17 FUTSAL Finished 24-2-2 setting a record for most wins in program history.

Valentine Classic All-Tournament Pierce Edlich Alexander Levengood ’19

INDOOR TRACK Placed second in the Prep League and state VISAA meets.

All-Prep Sean Menges, Kannon Noble ’17, Brandon Thomas, Mac Ukrop (4 x 400-meter relay) Zeb Gordon, Scott McGowan, Sean Menges, Jack Workman (4 x 800-meter relay) Joey Cuevas (1000) Tazle Sumpter (shot put) Brandon Thomas (55) Harrison Rice ’18 (pole vault) All-State Sean Menges (500) Joey Cuevas, J. Hunter Dabney, Sean Menges, Brandon Thomas (4 x 400-meter relay) Joey Cuevas, Zeb Gordon, Sean Menges, Jack Workman (4 x 800-meter relay) Brandon Thomas (55, 300) All-Metro Frank Royal ’19, Brandon Thomas, Sam Turner, Mac Ukrop (4 x 200-meter relay*) Joey Cuevas, J. Hunter Dabney, Sean Menges, Brandon Thomas (4 x 400-meter relay*) Tazle Sumpter* (shot put) Brandon Thomas* (55, 300, long jump) Joey Cuevas, J. Hunter Dabney, Sean Menges, Jack Workman (4 x 800-meter relay**) Sean Menges** (500) Ross Abrash*** (55) Joey Cuevas*** (1000, 1600) J. Hunter Dabney*** (500) Sam Turner*** (high jump) Elby Omohundro ’19*** (triple jump) Allan Pedin ’17*** (pole vault) Harrison Rice ’18*** (pole vault) SQUASH Finished with an overall record of 8-4 and placed fourth in the MidAtlantic Squash Organization Tournament.

Spring Wrap-up SWIMMING & DIVING Went 20-2 in the regular season, placing second in the Prep League and state VISAA meet.

All-Prep Charlie Swanson (100 Breast, 200 IM) All-State Charlie Swanson (200 IM, 500 freestyle) Sean Hogan ’19, Charlie Swanson, Townes West ’17, Will Cox (200 medley relay) Drake Wielar ’17, Townes West ’17, Gareth Mancini ’17, Will Cox (200 freestyle relay) Sean Hogan ’19, Drake Wielar ’17, Gareth Mancini ’17, Charlie Swanson (400 freestyle relay) All-Metro Charlie Swanson (first team—100 breast, 200 breast, 1650 free; second team—500 freestyle, 200 and 400 IM) All-American Charlie Swanson (200 IM, 500 freestyle) Sean Hogan ’19, Charlie Swanson, Townes West ’17, Will Cox (200 medley relay) Sean Hogan ’19, Drake Wielar ’17, Gareth Mancini ’17, Charlie Swanson (400 freestyle relay)

WRESTLING Won fifteenth straight Prep League title and finished second in the state VISAA tournament for the third straight year. Overall record of 13-5.

All-Prep John McCauley (220) Kameron Miller (152) Joey Prata (120) Pope Whitley (182) Connor Alexander ’19 (113) Jens Ames ’18 (195) Gray Hart ’18 (126) Tanner Hood ’17 (160) Bo Williamson ’17 (138) All-State Joey Prata* (120) Connor Alexander ’19* (113) Carter Davis ’18* (170) Tanner Hood ’17* (160) Jackson Turley ’19* (132) Pope Whitley** (182) Gray Hart ’18** (126) Kameron Miller*** (152) Jens Ames ’18*** (195) James Armstrong ’17*** (145) Bo Williamson ’17*** (138) All-Metro Joey Prata* (120) Connor Alexander ’19** (113) Jens Ames ’18** (195) Carter Davis ’18** (170) Tanner Hood ’17** (160) National Preps All-American Joey Prata (2nd, four-time AllAmerican, two-time champion) Carter Davis (3rd) Connor Alexander (5th) USA Wrestling All-American Joey Prata***

BASEBALL Finished second in the Prep League and was a state quarterfinalist, going 13-9.

All-Prep Jeb Bemiss (P) Ryan Hansen (P) Hayden Mitchell ’17 (C) All-State Ryan Hansen* (P) Jeb Bemiss** (P) GOLF Golf placed fourth in the Prep League tourney, and fifth in the state VISAA tourney. The team went 11-1 in the regular season.

All-Prep Drew Brockwell ’18 Clifford Foster ’18 LACROSSE Lacrosse registered a 14-5 record and placed second in the Prep League.

All-Prep Jack Hodgson (M, Player of the Year) Teddy Gray (A) Sean Menges (LSM) Ned Tazewell (M) All-Metro Jack Hodgson* Sean Menges* Ned Tazewell*

TENNIS Went 12-2 in dual matches, winning the state VISAA title and finishing second in the Prep League tournament.

All-Prep Matthew Fernandez Jackson Barkstrom ’17 Alaister Burke ’19 Alston Hackney ’18 All-Metro Matthew Fernandez* OUTDOOR TRACK Outdoor track finished third in the Prep League and state VISAA meet.

All-Prep Joey Cuevas (800) Tazle Sumpter (shot put) Brandon Thomas (long jump) All-State Joey Cuevas, Whit Sprinkle ’17, Brandon Thomas, Jack Workman (4 x 400-meter relay*) Allan Pedin* (pole vault) Tazle Sumpter (discus*, shot put**) Brandon Thomas* (400) Joey Cuevas** (800) Austin Cashwell ’17, Zeb Gordon, Scott McGowan, Frost Wood ’17 (4 x 800-meter relay*** ) Jack Workman*** (800) All-Metro Brandon Thomas (Athlete of the Year, 200*, 400*, long jump*, 100***) Joey Cuevas*** (800, 1600) Tazle Sumpter (shot put**, discus***) Jack Workman*** (800) Allan Pedin ’17*** (pole vault) Harrison Rice ’18*** (pole vault) Frank Royal ’19*** (long jump) Joey Cuevas, Brandon Thomas, Whit Sprinkle ’17, Jack Workman (4 x 400-meter relay***)

Mid-Atlantic Squash Tournament Jack O’Neil Christopher Schroeder ’19

Only underclassmen are identified by year of graduation. *First Team

42 | StC

**Second Team

***Honorable Mention/Third Team

43

ARTS

Creative Pursuits The arts are flourishing in all divisions at St. Christopher’s. From music and choir to musical theater and drama to student bands and visual arts—our boys delight in discovering their creativity and working collaboratively with each other and their St. Catherine’s counterparts.

44 | StC

45

Land of the Free Because of the Brave Faculty and staff from all school divisions, along

school’s Chamberlayne Society, enjoyed breakfast

with alumni who have celebrated their 50 reunion,

in Ryan Dining Hall while hearing from seniors

gathered once again for a Memorial Day service on

Pierce Walmsley, Jeffrey Pohanka and Luke Powell

May 24. Afterwards, the alumni, who compose the

about their art and music experiences at StC.

th

46 | StC

REUNION WEEKEND

47

REUNION WEEKEND

3

1

All-School Salute to Service

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4

5

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Alumni ImpactMakers inspire students to give and to serve

by Kathleen Thomas An all-school gathering that focused on the impact of StC’s service initiatives on our community kicked off reunion weekend.

Alumni Jim Baber ’89, Rand DuPriest ’88, James Parker ’97 and John Siewers ’91 shared personal stories and experiences.

John Siewers discussed his involvement in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond. Living in a city with 15,000 youth who live in poverty, he sleeps well knowing he is helping a worthwhile cause that provides mentors and a safe haven for at-risk students after school. “The most important thing is the amazing staff that helps kids build confidence and take control of their lives to provide hope, to see and work toward a brighter future to break the cycle of poverty,” he said. “He urged students to go forward, find their role and make an impact. “You don’t have to volunteer the most hours or be the lead of an organization to be successful,” he said. “You just have to do your part.”

Rand DuPriest said the worst day of his life, when his 19-year-old brother Tad was killed driving a school van, translated to some of the best days of his life. His friends started a foundation in his brother’s honor, now called Tad’s Kids, which hosts several events a year. “All we have in this world is each other,” said Rand. “We’ve got to help each other.” Studies show, he said, that people involved in service on a regular basis have lower depression rates, live longer and have a better sense of well-being.

48 | StC

Jim Baber’s passion is helping families and children with cancer. After his classmate Chris Cullather died from brain cancer in 1992, he vowed to help families going through treatment. He ultimately started a foundation that chose ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation as its charity partner.

Jim noted that his academic achievements were not noted in introductory remarks and communicated that one doesn’t have to be the brightest student or sports captain to make a difference. “You just need passion and desire,” he said. “Surround yourself with good people and don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

James Parker’s commitment to service has evolved over the years as he has gotten a better grasp of what service means as part of his everyday life. He encouraged students to share their strengths and talents, using as inspiration in his own life his mother, a devoted community volunteer, and UVA basketball coach Tony Bennett, who holds servanthood as one of five pillars of his team’s success.

“Don’t worry about the titles or credit,” James said.

“Embrace your current role. Commit yourself to the task at hand, that’s a commitment to service…Our mission is to share our gifts and give to one another.”

The legacies of these ImpactMakers continue at St. Christopher’s. John Siewers’s son Jack and Jim Baber’s son Alex are in eighth grade at StC, and John’s twins Lucy and Sally are in fourth grade at St. Catherine’s. Rand’s daughter Sydney is a sophomore at St. Catherine’s.

James’s son will start junior kindergarten in the fall and his daughter Blair is in first grade at St. Catherine’s.

1

Pierce Walmsley ’16, James Parker ’97, Jim Baber ’89, Hayden Mitchell ’17, Rand DuPriest ’88, John Siewers ’91, Warren Hunter

2

Students gather in the field house for service speakers.

3

Hunter Reinhart ’16, Benny Bencks ’16, Charlie de Venoge ’16

4 5

Nicolas Meyers

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Teddy Gallienne ’28, Bryson Atkins ’28

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John Siewers

James Parker, John Siewers, Rand DuPriest, Jim Baber

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Melissa Hollerith, Mary Via, Charley Stillwell, Sean Menges ’16, Alex Baber ’20, Durk Steed, Jen O’Ferrall

Connor Masterson ’16, Ryan Hansen ’16, Chico Payne ’16, Christopher McCormick ’19

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REUNION WEEKEND

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Charley and Sallie Stillwell, John Stillwell ’09, Gay Stillwell, Lindsey McLeod

Smith, Emileigh Benson, 2 Lamont Hilda Ampy

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Ellett ’73, Larry Brydon ’65, 3 Scott Harry Harris ’67

party in honor of 4 Reunion Charley Stillwell and Jim Boyd

5 Terry and Jim Boyd ’54 6 1

2016

Charlie Moore ’00, Zach West ’01, Charles Kempe ’01, Tyler Brown ’01

7

and Rachel Payne, 7 Horace Grace and Hiram Cuevas

8 Richard Clary ’66, David McGroarty

Great Saints Party

Brown, Mary Stone, 9 Cynthia Laura Ambrogi

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9

10 Charlie Noell ’70 Williamson ’49, Josh Heltzer ’80, 11 Tommy Rip Wilson ’78, William Wilson ’80

Huffman ’98, Andy Mathews, 12 Tommy James Clary ’98, Matt Gallienne, James Ireland

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11

3

2 50 | StC

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REUNION WEEKEND

Reunion Weekend Chapel Headmaster Charley Stillwell kicked off Saturday’s festivities with his final chapel talk April 30.

Good morning. Thanks so much for joining us for our

When all of us, and especially boys, are struggling with a

Reunion Weekend chapel service. We added this service

difficult moment or trying to figure out what would be the

to our reunion events several years ago, and it has

right thing to do, these phrasings from Dr. Chamberlayne

become my favorite part of the weekend. Being together

are always there to guide us down the right path.

in chapel each day with the boys is a true gift and a great

CHAPEL TALKS

way to focus this morning on those things here that have mattered most.

be designed not just to help boys go to good colleges

As I approach my own graduation from St. Christopher’s

the boys prepare for this kind of servant leadership, he

in a few weeks, though it took me 18 years to get there

wanted them to take ownership of their character so

instead of the normal 13, (granted it has taken Jim Boyd

he waited until 1915 when the first boys were older to

50 years), the thought that dominates my feelings is

start the student-led honor system. He felt articulate

how incredibly fortunate I have been to be part of this

communication and confidence in public moments

school family as both headmaster and as a parent of two

were also key to leadership so he founded the Literary

graduates. In fact I think we have all been very lucky to

Societies in the same year. Finally he knew that the boys

have parts of our lives connected to this institution, and

needed to understand that they were part of something

I think we all know that the greatness of this place has never been about the beauty of the campus or terrific facilities that have developed over time. The greatness

but to prepare them to make a real difference. To help

much larger than themselves to be inspired as servant leaders so he started the Missionary Society in 1922.

These were brilliant decisions that set the stage for so

of St. Christopher’s is all about the people here.

much more to come.

*********************

*********************

When I think about why we are all so fortunate to have been a part of this place, my mind first turns to Dr. Chamberlayne and just how lucky we are that we had such an amazing founder. Plato in The Republic wrote that “the beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a young and tender thing; for that is the time at which the character is being formed and the desired impression is more readily taken.” When Dr. Chamberlayne set out to create the school, he made such great decisions to shape our institution’s character and desired impression and set out a mission that inspires us even today. He knew that academic rigor and achievement were key, but he always knew that if we did not get the honor and integrity piece right, the rest did not matter.

He knew boys benefitted from clear language and straightforward messages. His order of worship that we followed at the beginning of the service and his school prayers and other comments set out easy reminders for all of us: • “Take from us all pride, pretense, envy, and hardness of heart,” • “Though we can not all be scholars, we can all be gentlemen,”

they deserve to be victorious.”

It was clear in the research that boys respect expertise and rigor when it is linked to fairness and the teacher’s belief that the boys can do more than they thought possible. Jim Boyd in his 50th year is just as inspirational as he was in his first years and even now is co-publishing articles in journals with our star math students and giving his praise in the form of a can of Coke to just the right boy at just the right time. Our boys have been inspired by the passion and expertise of Ron Smith and Jay Wood and Vickie Alley and Fran Turner and so many others like them from our past like Joe Knox and Rives Hardy and Mike Brinser and George Squires and Petey Jacobs and so many others.

Boys want to be encouraged but not preached at, and they value sharing common interests with the key adults in their lives. I will forever be inspired by the memories of Jack Bolling taking boys out to lunch or to play golf or to look at sports cars (only once did he trust me to drive his fancy car) at just the right moment and then to guide the boy to where he needed to go with questions and long, patient pauses rather than preaching. Debbie Epes’ love for the Redskins and Virginia Tech opened doors to her work with generations of fourth graders in amazing ways.

Boys appreciate when adults open themselves up in vulnerable ways, and it was so powerful when Karl Koenig decided in his last years to learn how to play the piano (he was not ever particularly talented) and then played in a student recital for all the boys to see mistakes and all.

Beyond developing this mission, possibly Dr. Chamberlayne’s greatest gift and the second main reason why I think we have all been fortunate to be part of this wonderful school is the standard Dr. Chamberlayne set for identifying amazing adults to hire. The true heroes of St. Christopher’s have been the faculty and staff and their remarkable gifts in working with boys. I love walking down the halls of the school and seeing at all times of the day the offices and classrooms of people like Karen Wray and Billy Abbott and Greg Tune and Rich Hudepohl and Kim Hudson and Durk Steed and Warren Hunter and Cynthia Brown and Margaret Hunter filled with boys seeking support and just wanting to be there.

In recent years the amazing talents of our people over time have become even more clear to us. You may know that St. Christopher’s has been involved with some fascinating international research initiatives involving thousands of boys and teachers across five continents that have been organized by the International Boys’ Schools Coalition. This research was designed essentially to determine what approaches in and out of the classroom are the best to use with boys to excite them to be their very best. What jumped out of the research across all continents and cultures was that there was no more important ingredient for the success of boys in their learning than the nature and power of the relationship

• “We do not ask for them victory but that

52 | StC

Dr. Chamberlayne also knew that this education should

the key elements of especially effective relationship-building with boys, the research essentially described all the star members of our faculty and staff over all these years. I can just look around the room or you can think back on your time here to have amazing examples of these best practices jump out from every direction. Who possibly could be more caring and thoughtful than Dick Kemper? I still remember being on his farewell tour of alumni events and hearing my favorite story where an alumnus in Charlotte told Dick that he most appreciated him for the moment Dick helped him at age 8 after he fell off his bike near the campus. Dick doesn’t even remember all these moments when his caring spirit made boys feel safe and secure.

they establish with their teacher—not really a surprising notion. When further research then identified what are

Boys also want to know that standards and expectations are clear and rigorous but that there may be moments when individualized approaches make the best sense. George McVey was a master of this balance, and my favorite George story involved a senior the year that the school outlawed smoking on campus (for all but Bruce Nystrom). George knew that this senior was hooked but that he also needed some added support. George allowed him to come to his office to smoke that year when he needed it.

This approach wasn’t about the nicotine, it was about the conversations that George wanted to have—a brilliant strategy.

And what sets St. Christopher’s apart in this area of relationships is that it has not just been the teachers and coaches who have been the stars. Someone who was absolutely as gifted as any in understanding boys, building powerful relationships with them and then guiding them to be good men was our Director of Maintenance and Grounds Casey Jones. There are scores of alumni who worked with Casey and his crew in the summers and over holidays who will cherish Casey’s wisdom and guidance throughout their lives.

I hate not to mention every star who has been here since Dr. Chamberlayne’s time and I would never want any to feel left out, but we can all be glad that we benefitted from their inspiration as teachers and colleagues and parental guides along the way. ********************* Now beyond our founder and our outstanding faculty and staff, the final key piece of the people puzzle that makes this school so special is the fact that we have attracted over all these years such a fun, talented and

energetic group of boys. There is almost no day that I go home without a funny or endearing story about what a boy has just done. Alumni Reunion Weekend ends up with conversations filled with these wonderful boy-moment stories, moments that you can’t make up. I will always love hearing Megan Limburg tell me about the moment that her fifth grader playing Mary in the Christmas pageant was standing there swinging the plastic baby Jesus upside down by one leg and looked up very earnestly to say ‘You know Mrs. Limburg, it takes a real man to play the Virgin Mary.’”

What we all love about our boys is that they really do mean well and want to do important things. They can be amazingly sensitive and compassionate as they were a few years ago when our student leaders for our Light the Night Leukemia Walk group wanted to help their teacher who had been diagnosed with the disease to attend the walk on a cold evening. They knew cold temperatures were hard for her so they went to the bookstore and bought St. Chris winter gear and then called the teacher up to present her with the gifts, to then all start crying and hugging in front of the whole school. The honesty and authentic nature of a boys’ school is such a powerful thing.

Essentially, there is never a better moment than when one of our boys who is not especially confident or successful finds that one area that he loves or accomplishes something he absolutely had not expected.

When that boy miraculously scores a goal in that JV soccer game against Collegiate or solos in a plane for the first time or solos with the Beaux Ties a cappella group or Jazz Band or gets their first “A” in math and just the right adults take notice, that’s the boy who seems two inches taller walking down the hall or into chapel and that’s the boy for whom we are getting it right. ********************* I am sorry to go on for so long, but I have to admit it is hard to capture how special the people here are in a brief way. Thanks again for being here this morning and for all that you have done to be a key part of this special school over many years. Thanks also for letting me be a Saint for the past 18 years. I hope you have a fun group of reunion events tonight.

“Essentially, there is never a better moment than when one of our boys who is not especially confident or successful finds that one area that he loves or accomplishes something he absolutely had not expected.”

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REUNION WEEKEND

Class of 1961, 1956, 1951, 1946 and 1941

2016

at the home of Dixie and Cam Hoggan ’61 George Flowers ’61, Randy Totten ’61, Henry Massie ’60, Bob Grymes ’51, Cam Hoggan ’61, Stuart Flanagan, Saint Tucker ’61, Lowndes Wilson ’62, Cal deColigny ’57, Bill deColigny ’55, Hugh Ewing ’61, Ben Ackerly ’61, Bobby Cone ’61

Reunion Events Saints from all decades gathered in chapel Saturday

50 th

morning for Charley Stillwell’s talk. The Glee Club and alumni volunteer singers, led by Music Director Greg Vick, closed with a performance, rehearsed only once earlier that morning, of Gerald Finzi’s “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men.”

REUNION

A picnic-style barbeque on the terraces followed the service.

Class of 1966

at the home of Kay and Richard Clary ’66

Front Row: Reggie Bedell, John Pinder, Bill Flowers, Henry Burke, Riker Purcell, Taylor Hyde, George Jamerson, Joe Knox, Rives Hardy, Walter Hutchinson Second Row: Sam Gage, Tad Thompson, Eppa Hunton, Peter Warwick, Gus Epps, Phil Sherrod, Peter Knowles, Lee Scott Owen, Paul Dickinson, Ken Cherry, Harrison Smith, Richard Clary Third Row: Cullen Walker, Ross Southward, Heber Himmelwright, Howard Jenkins, John Battle, Frank Baldwin, Frank Johns, Fred Moore, Bill Parkinson, Chip Massey

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REUNION WEEKEND

Class of 1971

at the home of Jimmy Wheat ’71

25 th

Front Row: Bill Emory, Tenny Wellford, Jeff Elliot, Dick Kemper, John Gayle, Bob Forsyth Second Row: Jimmy Wheat, Dickie Bedell, Jack Blackwell

REUNION

Third Row: David Mathews, Jack Williams Fourth Row: Chris Kolbe, Tucker Henley Fifth Row: Hank Selby, Richard Rosanelli

Class of 1976

at the home of Susan and Scott Boze ’76 Seated: Tommy Thompson, David Hawkins, Tom Slipek, Seldon Clark, Tommy Salley, Dusty Boyd, Scott Boze Standing: Art Palmer, Chris Long, Joe Allred, Bill Phillips, Waring Trible, Holcombe Baird, Rex Smith, Scott Andrews, Ned Carter, Doug Mallory, Tolar Nolley, Ben Tompkins, Stan Tucker, Chris Mauck, Bobby Jones, John Blankenship, Russell Fergusson, Bruce Gottwald

Class of 1981

at the home of Eleanor and Spencer Williamson ’81 Front Row: Davis Wrinkle, John Harris, Vins Thornhill, Chris Renner, Robert Barnes, John Fergusson, Read McGehee, Shelt Horsley, John Reed, Hope Erb, Jeff Davila, Vinnie Broderick, Jay Jennings, Dean King, Scott Ukrop, Spencer Williamson Back Row: Derek Johns, Ryland Gardner, Reno Harp, Tucker Grigg, Ted Farley, Bob Lloyd, Tony Ferrante, Shep Mondy, Bruce Fergusson, Blount Edwards, Jamie Williams, Tayloe Dameron

Class of 1986

at the home of Alice and Cliff Schroeder ’86

Class of 1991

at the home of Cheney and Berkeley Edmunds ’91

Kneeling: Bryan Norfleet, Rod Darnell, Berkeley Edmunds, Rutherfoord Ferguson, Matthew Cullen, David Grandis Standing: Ned Parrish, Quentin Reynolds, Vaden Padgett, Todd Whitaker, Jack Hager, Donny Wade, Johnny Grymes, Montgomery Maguire, Allen Cox, Winston Trice, John Siewers, Christian Grant, Clark Dennison, Matthew Rankin, Lee Loree, Army Nash, Preston Dillard, Randy King, Foster Witt Not Pictured: Patrick Ford, Mike Fitzsimmons, McKenzie Larkin, Thomas Leachman, Maxwell Wallace, Chris Davis, Josh Robertson, Wink Ewing

Class of 1996

at the home of Betsy and Brian Carney ’96 Front Row: George Naylor, Charlie Antrim, Broderick Mullins, Morgan Ramsey, Tom Bayliss, Rob Herring, John Waechter, Jason Burke, Justin Martenstein, Pullen Daniel

Middle Left: Arch Wallace

Second Row: Will Gowdy, Bill Huffman, Charley Smith, Brian Carney, Drew Scott, Reid Collier, Gibson Luck, Adam Schwarzschild, Taylor Williams, George Weistroffer, Alex Garza, David Blanchard, Everett Reveley, Frank Thorn, Wolfe Joffee, Brett Robertson, Doug Whitley, Sam Towell

Back Row: Lewis Burrus, Jay Oakey, Cliff Schroeder, Eddie Phillips, Matt Mathews, Stewart Flippen

Back Row: Freddy Vasa, Trip Young, Wirt Brock, Jack Thompson, Harrison Hall, Claiborne Johnston, Brokie Lamb

Not Pictured: Adam Barkstrom, Tim Call, Ivan Mullinax, Jim Starkey, Taylor Tompkins

Not pictured: Henry Hager, Richard Naylor, Chandler Dawson, Doc Frank ’64 (Knox’s father)

Front Row: Peter Imajo, Wesley Wright, Alex Forrest, Guy Butcher, Paul Board

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57

REUNION WEEKEND

Charlotte Reunion hosted by Alex and Susan Norman McAlister (St. Catherine’s ’81)

Class of 2001

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at the home of Mary Elsa and Will Wall ’01 Front Row: Temple Cabell, Brian Murphy, Will Paulette, Craig Whitham, Ned Turnbull, Kelly Crockett, Jamie Alexander, George Teschner, Will Wall, Bryan Tedeschi, Adam Lynn, Zach West, Tucker Croft

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Ginny Sutton Turner ’01, Nancy Habenicht, Paul Habenicht ’98, Caroline Habenicht ’98 Lee Rimler ’85, Penny Rogers Deane ’85, Geoff Wrinkle ’85, Gene Bowles ’85, George Alston ’85

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Back Row: Charles Kempe, A.J. Konrad, Nick Peace, Tom Innes, Mercer Ferguson, Desmond McGroarty, Burton Fuller, Tyler Brown, Paul Evans, Nathan Hays, Tito Smith-Harrison

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Class of 2006

at the home of Anne Arden and Edward Norfleet ’06 Front Row: Chane Rennie, Rob Long, Kelly Sutton, Clark Warthen, Zach Rolfe, Edward Norfleet, Tad Darden Second Row: Drew Messmer, Luca Barber, Stuart Marth, Alan Basmajian, Josh Moses, Bo Peaseley, Aaron McCrady, George Makhoul, Daniel Jenkins Back Row: David Jennison, Clarke Miller, Thomas Hovis, Miles Dumville, Malcolm Hines, Ari Julius

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Not Pictured: Arthur Aiken, Chris Barnes, Elliot Jones, Peter Wright, Marcus Williams

Class of 2011 at the home of Peter Dorsey ’11

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Front Row: Corey Dalton, Peter Dorsey, Ward Wood, Ben Constable, Jay McChesney, Mason Wood

3 San Francisco Reunion hosted

Back Row: Austin Boze, Tucker Thompson, Elliott Warren, Connor Beck, Jack Borkey, Henry Ilnicky, Nelson Mills, Chase Gunter, Willy Clarke, Will Lyons

by Adam and Susanna Giles Holt (St. Catherine’s ’91 )

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Alex Baruch ’04, Jack Zampolin ’05, Rob Cann ’01

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Terry Scheckelhoff, Albert Throckmorton ’81

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Tyler Schmidt ’05, Graham Perkins ’07

4 John Woolard ’83, Brad Freitag ’90, Frasher Kempe ’04 59

REUNION WEEKEND

Atlanta Reunion hosted by

Washington, D.C. Reunion hosted

Harry and Parker Spratley Jones (St. Catherine’s ’90)

by Anne Beverly and Freeman Jones ’75 & Scott and Margie Robertson Leachman (St. Catherine’s ’75)

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Chip Molster ’74, Freeman Jones ’75

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Marshall Reinsdorf ’73, Sam Bemiss ’73

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Alex Hardy ’08, Robert Molster ’06

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Ware Palmer ’78, Ben Jarratt ’78, Rip Wilson ’78

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Charley Stillwell, John Siegal ’87, Stewart Ackerly ’02

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Jeff Conn ’96, Laura Birdsey, Massie Ritsch ’94

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Jimmy Meadows ’08, Alex Hardy ’08, Pierre Molster ’08, William Irby ’08, John Green

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Teddy Grover ’06, Katie Grover Oswald ’07, Tad Darden ’06, Katy Cowles ’07, Coleman Cann ’07

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New York Reunion hosted

by Laura and Henry McVey ’87

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Henry McVey ’87, Molly and Jay Broaddus ’88

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Will Valentine ’11, Lon Nunley ’08, Willy Clarke ’11

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Army Nash ’91, David Basto ’90

4 Dan Soffin ’77, Delores Smith, Ellen Soffin

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Nunley ’08, Ron Smith, Will Rosebro ’83, 5 Lon Thomas Johnson ’10 Watlington ’06, Daniel Dickerson ’06, 6 Ellen Alan Basmajian ’06 Stillwell, Laura McVey, Sallie Stillwell, 7 Charley Henry McVey ’87, Delores Smith

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61

REUNION WEEKEND

Charlottesville Reunion hosted

by Gee McVey ’82, Jack Bocock ’82 and Brad Gunter

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Mary Ellis ’94, Joel Hoppe ’94

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Ned Carter ’79, Bob Lloyd ’81

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Gee McVey ’82, Ron Smith, Mary Ellen McVey

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River Saints at the home of Betsy and Bill Tyson ’80

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Jack Williams ’71, John Williams ’41

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Cam Hoggan ’61, Stuart Flanagan, Rives Hardy, Knox Hubard ’65

Tyson ’80, Betsy Tyson, Davis Wrinkle ’81, 4 Bill Delores Smith, Penny Lowrey, Charley Stillwell

62 | StC

This spring Killian Winn ’22 played Fool #2 in the Quill Theatre’s April production of Shakespeare’s King Lear at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Leslie Cheek Theater.

America” writing contest for our region. He received a prize from the American Immigration Lawyers Association on May 18 in Washington, D.C.

StC graduated a record number of standout student athletes from the class of 2016 who will continue to play in college. Those who will call the University of Richmond home include Ross Abrash (baseball), Matthew Fernandez (tennis), Sean Menges (lacrosse), Nick Sherod (basketball) and Tazle Sumpter (football). Joey Prata (wrestling) and Brandon Thomas (track and field) head to Virginia Tech. Two graduates chose Washington & Lee University—Jack Hodgson for lacrosse and Boyd Peete for golf.

Jeb Bemiss will play baseball at Cornell University while swimmers Will Cox and Charlie Swanson will head to Davidson College and the University of Michigan, respectively.

At Sewanee: The University of the South, Ben Vaeth will play soccer, Coleman Andrews golf and Jack Spruill football. Joey Cuevas will participate in track and field at the College of William & Mary. Drew Romig graduated a semester early to play soccer for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

At the annual TEDxYouth@ StChristophersRd, William Jefferson ’16 talked about the significance of poetry in his life and Spencer Cox ’16 gave a talk entitled “Building Character: Psychology and Morality.” At the senior Lower School chapel service, the class of 2016 lined the walls of the Lower School gym while former Lower School leaders Jeb Bemiss and Pierce Walmsley shared memories and John Szymendera (former Missionary president) read a Bible verse and explained that monetary donations from the service would go to Stop Child Abuse Now. When Lower School Head Dave Menges gave announcements afterwards, his son Sean ’16, whom he referred to as his twin, joined him.

During the school year, the Lexus Pursuit of Perfection program celebrates 30 of RVA’s most talented scholar-athletes. StC student athletes recognized in 2015-16 include seniors Noah O’Neill (soccer, basketball, golf), Jeb Bemiss (baseball, football), Boyd Peete (golf) and Ross Abrash (baseball, indoor track).

Berkeley Fergusson ’78, Shaw Newman ’77

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Student News

4

Fifth-grader Wyatt Townsend won second place in the “Celebrate

Eli Rhodes ’18 took a five-week trip to France with the School Year Abroad program. He lived with a host family and spent time traveling and visiting places around France while taking French classes. Thirty other French U.S. students took part.

Saints who recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout include the following: Gray Broaddus ’20, Jack Anderson ’18, Read Brown ’18, Hunter Jenkins ’19 and Reynolds Short ’20 from Troop 444 sponsored

by Reveille United Methodist Church; twins Hunter and Tabb Gardner ’19 from Troop 400 sponsored by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church; and Kameron Miller ’16 from Troop 418 sponsored

by St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.

University of Richmond-bound students pose with Spider faculty members.

William Jefferson

Dave and Sean Menges

63

STUDENT NEWS Seniors Alec Hale, Jeffrey Pohanka, William Simopoulos, Luke Powell, Ryan Everhart and Connor Masterson were officially named National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) Academic AllAmericans for 2015-16.

Sky Horne ’17 entered the National Junior Classical League creative writing competition with his essay, “Dear Julius Caesar, Get down from Heaven. You aren’t a god yet,” which placed fifth for all 11th grade participants across the country.

Sky took Latin AP last year, and will continue with Latin 5 Honors next year. He particularly enjoys studying Roman culture. “The entirely different mindset and lifestyles are really interesting, particularly when you start reading literature and making connections between the writing and events going on in the contemporary time,” he said.

James Armstrong ’17, Johnny Whitlock ’20 and Scott Neely ’22 represented St. Christopher’s at the Virginia Choral Directors Association All-Virginia Honor Choir in Virginia Beach.

James Armstrong ’17, Darren Badley ’19, Cameron Lovings ’19, Charlie Whitlock ’19, Leo Poggi ’20, Alex Sadid ’20 and Johnny Whitlock ’20 represented St. Christopher’s at the Virginia Choral Directors Association District Honor Choir.

The Sixth Grade Choir along with the Seventh and Eighth Grade Choir participated in the Richmondarea District Assessment, both earning the highest rating possible (superior). The sixth graders finished first in the middle school treble choir division while the seventh and eighth graders won the middle school men’s choir division. The Lower School Choir competed at Music in the Parks in Williamsburg, placing first among elementary school choirs and earning the highest score out of all the choirs

64 | StC

Connor Masterson ’16, a trumpet player, was the featured soloist in the spring StC concert and was recognized for his nine-year commitment to the band program.

Teddy Price (Missionary Society vice president), Jay Munson (Missionary Society president) and Bowen Hall (Leader of the Lower School) lead Lower School chapel with former Lower School leaders Jeb Bemiss and John Szymendera.

at the competition, regardless of age. No surprise that they too earned a rating of superior.

Chico Payne ’16, who will attend Harvard University, was one of 689 national semifinalists for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program which honors some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors.

Henry Rodriguez ’18’s December letter to the editor placed him as a finalist for the Richmond TimesDispatch Correspondent of the Year. The Times-Dispatch, which held an event this spring to honor its 2015 Correspondents of the Day, described the rising junior as having “an intellectual maturity that escapes many adults.” A framed copy of Henry’s piece and letter of notification now hangs in Luck Leadership Center. Henry argued that the United States should not let fear of terrorism prevent it from welcoming refugees. He wrote, “Accepting risks is a price one must pay for living in a free society.”

James Armstrong ’17, Darren Badley ’19, Cameron Lovings ’19 and Charlie Whitlock ’19 were selected to participated in the Central Virginia District Chorus sponsored by the Virginia Choral Directors Association.

James was also selected by audition to represent Central Virginia for the All-Virginia Choir.

St. Christopher’s top scorer in the 2015-16 Continental Calculus content was Pascal Reeck ’17, a foreign exchange student from Germany.

The Science Bowl team went to Thomas Jefferson Lab to compete in the Department of Energy sponsored state Science Bowl competition. The team, which was successful in the first round, included Pascal Reeck ’17, Kinloch Nelson ’18 and Chico Payne ’16.

Aidan Messick ’18 completed the online Virginia Space Coast Scholars program for high school sophomores focusing on science, engineering and technology integral to current NASA missions.

Drew Vanichkachorn ’17 participated in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposia (JSHS) Program at James Madison University in March where he presented the findings from his independent research project “Comparative Study in the Remediation of Lead between Commercial Activated Carbon Versus Biochar Synthesized from Spent Coffee Grounds using a Benthic Ecosystem Model.”

Students who attended The Harold M. Marsh Sr. Connections Institute this summer include Seth Burman ’18, Davis Evans ’17, Sky Horne ’17, Justin Jasper ’17 and Ruslan Thomas ’17.

The four-day conference is designed to promote respect and understanding among all people.

Also this summer the following students participated in these programs: Jack Edwards ’18, a program in oceanography at the University of Virginia; Kinloch Nelson ’18, the Junior State of America program at Georgetown University; Drew Vanichkachorn ’17,

Central Regional Orchestra members with music instructor Brian Evans

a marine science research program in Maine at the Shoals Marine Laboratory which is affiliated with Cornell University; and Read Brown ’18, a program for video game design and development at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Rising seniors Sky Horne and Durk Steed participated in the summer Institute for Leadership and Public Service, and representing StC at the International Boys’ Schools Coalition Student Forum was Frost Wood ’17.

Three rising seniors attended the Virginia Summer Residential Governor’s School programs: Jackson Barkstrom (Humanities), Trent Levy (Math, Science and Technology) and James Armstrong (Performing Arts in Instrumental Music).

Christopher Rise ’18 took part in the New Zealand exchange after hosting a boy from Lindisfarne College this spring. He traveled to Hawke’s Bay to study at Lindisfarne for four weeks.

Noah O’Neill ’16 was selected as the Richmond Times-Dispatch ScholarAthlete of the Month for October and represented St. Christopher’s as its Scholar-Athlete for the year.

The following recent graduates were awarded scholarships to these programs: Coleman Cox, James Madison University Honors Program; Zeb Gordon, Bucknell University

Battle of the Brains TV team

merit scholarship; Grayson Meck and Matthew Nelligan, University of South Carolina Sims Scholars; Jacob Pitney, the University of Arizona Excellence Scholarship; Riley Varner, University of Colorado Chancellor’s Scholar; Ben Walters, Davidson College alumni grant; and Ryan Hansen, the College of William and Mary Monroe Scholar. Will Brown was selected as a Monroe Scholar as well as an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia, but will attend Princeton University. As reported this winter, Alec Hale was honored by the Old Dominion EMS Alliance with an award for outstanding contribution by a high school senior and a $1,000 scholarship, which he will use to attend the Engineering School at Virginia Tech.

St. Christopher’s nominated Noah O’Neill for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Will Brown for the Jefferson Scholarship at the University of Virginia. Will was a finalist for the Jefferson.

Three freshmen made the Central Regional Orchestra this past year: Joe Beck (cello), James Gilmore (violin) and Meade Hall (viola).

The Central Regional Orchestra is composed of string players in grades 7 through 9 from the city and surrounding counties. The audition process is rigorous and competitive.

Battle of the Brains TV team Read Brown ’18, Kinloch Nelson ’18, Austin Cashwell ’17, Thomas Kehoe ’17 and team captain Ryan Hansen ’16 advanced to the semifinals. Ryan was selected as a Battle of the Brains All-Star.

At the end-of-May awards ceremony, Upper School math teacher Emmett Carlson recognized yearlong foreign exchange students Pascal Reeck and Danny Torres. He praised Pascal for his stellar academic performance, robotics leadership, Varsity soccer and futsal participation and for serving as Varsity tennis team manager. He also noted his positive attitude, graciousness and politeness. Mr. Carlson thanked Danny for his participation with the St. ChristoCURES 10K team on which he was the fastest St. Christopher’s runner (finishing in a time of 39:48) and commended his involvement in strength and conditioning to better himself in pursuit of his dream to play college soccer, for his enthusiasm for learning about the United States and for teaching his peers about its similarities with and differences from his home country of Colombia.

Pascal Reeck

Danny Torres

65

Faculty News Warren Hunter, who will serve as Middle School interim head next year, received his doctoral degree in K-12 administration from the College of William and Mary, a pursuit to which he devoted most nights, weekends and summers these past three years.

Since early December, Writer-inResidence Ron Smith has given readings of his poetry and talks about poetry on the floors of the Virginia Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates, at Monticello, Mount Vernon, universities in Texas and Pennsylvania, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School in Petersburg and in Sarah Hubard’s third-grade class at St. Christopher’s.

Mr. Smith, Virginia’s Poet Laureate, has given presentations in museums, galleries, churches and libraries across the commonwealth. He has judged poetry contests and written blurbs for poetry collections by poets from all over the country. In January he delivered the keynote address on poetry and philosophy for the Braniff Graduate School, University of Dallas.

In April he conducted a master class at Misericordia University in Pennsylvania. Thirteen of Mr. Smith’s new poems have been published in the Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review,

Broad Street, Into Quarterly and Artemis, as well as in a University of Virginia Press anthology Monticello in Mind: 50 Contemporary Poems about Jefferson. Two of his poems were featured on Poetry Daily (poems.com).

Mr. Smith was interviewed about poetry in a number of venues from WCVE-TV to The Roanoke Times and The Huffington Post. In February he was awarded The Ellen Anderson Poetry Award and gave the Ellen Anderson Memorial Reading at Martha Washington Library in Alexandria. In March his poem “The Old Crabber Has Gone Deaf” was reprinted in The Huffington Post, and in April his poem “Mr. Jefferson Speaks of Rapture” was reprinted in Broadside: The Magazine of the Library of Virginia. In May, Mr. Smith helped launch this year’s Artemis journal at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke where he read some of his work and talked about poetry.

In a Q&A with The Roanoke Times, he was asked where he finds inspiration.

“Everywhere,” he said. “Everything sends me to my note pad or my computer. An odd phrase spoken by my granddaughter, the color of the evening sky, a quirky detail in a biography, my cat’s congested purring sound. You name it.”

Upper School Spanish teacher Asha Bandal recently completed her twelfth season as the head coach of the University of Richmond synchronized swimming team, which placed 11th at the U.S. Collegiate Synchronized Swimming Championship at the University of Florida in March.

66 | StC

About the writing process, he said, “I write all day long, at least in little spurts. And I write every day. I am addicted to converting sights and sounds and smells into words, to twisting everyday language into new and more interesting shapes.

Memories, movies, songs, silliness, lingering fears, languishing ideas— everything makes me want to write.

When I travel, I write about new places. When I stay home, I write about home.”

Lower School teacher Wanda Vizcaino is on the board of Little Sisters of the Poor and chairs one of its biggest fundraisers, the RVA French Food Festival, which takes place in April. Second-grade boys donated pudding to make the filling for cream puffs. The Friday before the big event, one of Mrs. Vizcaino’s boys asked if she was going. When she replied with an affirmative, he smiled and inquired, “Ms. Vizcaino, will you bring me a few of those cream puffs back on Monday?” Sales from the dessert alone brought in more than $10,000 for the nonprofit.

In the March/June 2015 issue of Mathematics and Informatics Quarterly, StC master math teacher Jim Boyd penned four articles with professors and mathematicians from other schools. In the September/ December 2015 issue of that same journal, he and Hunter Reinhart ’16 published a piece entitled “Minimizing a Moment of Inertia.” Mr. Boyd also drew a cartoon in that issue of the infamous Professor Bear who dropped his notes into his dessert.

His response? “The proof is in the pudding!” In a December 2015 Denmark publication, Jim wrote the article “The World of Perpendicular Lines.”

Whurk magazine recently published a short story, “After Dinner,” by Middle School English teacher Alex Knight.

The monthly magazine displays Virginia artists’ work and highlights special events.

Three Lower School faculty members presented at conferences in February. Lower School PE teacher Jack O’Donnell spoke in Williamsburg to the Society of Health and Physical Educators on creative recreation-inspired activities for physical education. Second-grade teachers Amy Buerlein and Meredith Traynham presented at a children’s engineering conference in Roanoke.

Lower School nurse Annette McCabe spoke at the Virginia Association of School Nurses’ July conference.

She discussed integrative medicine including healing touch, emotional freedom technique, acupuncture and Ayurveda.

Dr. Dorothy Suskind published an article this spring in Edutopia’s online blog about being a researcher in her classroom. Last year she wrote for the International Literacy Association blog about innovative ways for teachers to inspire students.

Suggestions include leaving the walls blank for the first day of school so that students might become empowered to make the classroom their own, telling oral stories and allowing students to take the lead in running the class. The fifth-grade teacher left StC at year end to join St. Catherine’s as Middle School head.

Entertainment at the French Food Festival included two bands with talented Extended Day teachers Allyson Steele and Caroline Mauck. Mrs. Steele’s Mills Family Band often plays around town, most recently at St. Catherine’s School and The Tin Pan. Ms. Mauck, whose band goes by Colin & Caroline, plays regular gigs at the Boathouse at Sunday Park (Thursday nights), as well as The Commonwealth Club (the first and third Wednesdays of the month) and Cafe Caturra (one Tuesday a month).

Jazz Band Director John Winn performed in the orchestras for the Broadway touring productions of Newsies last November and for Motown, The Musical in January, both at Altria Theater.

He was music director for Virginia Repertory Theater’s summer production of Dreamgirls, which ran June 24 through Aug. 7.

Middle School Librarian Lisa Brennan’s article on the making of a middle school magazine was published in the Association for Middle Level Education print and digital magazine in early May. Mrs. Brennan started the Middle School digital magazine, The Paper Boy, in 2009. “We know that student athletes develop character and learn life lessons through team sports; for student writers and designers, a publication is our playing field,” she said.

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FACULTY NEWS

Class Notes 1970s

Kudos to Boston marathoners Rich Morton and Chris Carrier. Mr. Morton, a Lower School PE teacher, completed his first Boston Marathon in April running a 3:03.57 (7:01 mile pace),

Guidance Director and Academic Dean Jim Jump was quoted in a March Washington Post article on the University of California– Santa Cruz faux pas in sending admission invite emails to prospective students instead of admitted students, including one StC senior. In addition, his blog was selected as one of the two daily “Around the Web” selections by the website Inside Higher Ed.com, the fourth time this year and fifteenth time overall.

In February Associate Director of College Counselling Scott Mayer chaired the private schools regional selection committee for applicants to the Summer Residential Governor’s Schools and directed a fourpart Chamberlayne Scholars class on baseball history and Richmond. He also visited High Point University for the spring meeting of High Point’s National Admission Advisory Board.

placing 1,966th out of 31,000 runners. Mr. Carrier, who teaches Middle School Spanish, ran his fourth finishing 595th place, running a 2:51.37 (6:33 mile pace).

Upper School Instructional Technologist Carey Pohanka spent a week in Seattle this summer for Global Online Academy teacher training. She teaches an online class on advocacy.

Upper School English teacher Chris Whalen attended The Bread Loaf School of English at the Lincoln College campus of Oxford University.

Before and after the program, he traveled around Scotland, visiting Edinburgh, Cairngorms, Skye and Loch Lomond.

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Mr. Jump and Mr. Mayer attended the conference for the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC) in Ocean City, Md. in May. Mr. Mayer serves on the organization’s board as By-Laws and Credentials chair and Mr. Jump, a past president, led a panel devoted to college admission myths.

If in Richmond, check out J. Gordon Valentine ’77’s photographs on the walls of Westwood Fountain. With a varied range of photographic skills, Gordon uses his art to captivate and delight his viewers. More of his work can viewed on his website at www.gordonvalentinephotography.com.

Members from the class of 1978 continue to compete for the ’78 Cup, the prize at their annual golf outing at Pinehurst. Their group, which has grown from six to 11 players since covered in our Alumni Journal two years ago, invites Saints from other classes to join. If interested, contact Edmund D. Schoeffler ’78: eschoeffler@vwcenter.com or (804) 389-5730.

Front Row: Ben Jarratt, Ed Schoeffler, John Fleming, Neville Johnson, John Orgain Back Row: Wheat McDowell, Jim Cain, Pratt Cook, John Macon, Ware Palmer, Forrest Butler

THE ART OF NATURE Herbert Fitzgerald ’73

by Henry Rodriguez ’18 Selections from Herbert Fitzgerald ’73’s nature prints were on display in the Playhouse of the Luck Leadership Center last spring.

Throughout the years, Mr. Fitzgerald has collected hundreds, featuring mainly fish, but also birds, snakes and mammals from North America. He got his start when looking for decorations for a house on the Chesapeake Bay, picking up four intriguing prints while in New York City.

The prints adorn the walls of his Patterson Avenue office, and Mr. Fitzgerald admits that his house is in a similar situation. His wife, however, doesn’t mind. She especially appreciates the prints of old English estates and plantations, including one of British general Cornwallis’ property. When you look at the opulence displayed in the fabulous manor, Mr. Fitzgerald jokes, “You can see why some of the British didn’t want to get out of [America].”

Henry Rodriguez is a staff writer for The Pine Needle.

His extensive collection consists of 400 to 500 prints which cost between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars each. Though Mr. Fitzgerald does not collect the prints for monetary gain, he draws parallels between his stockpile and his job as a real estate developer, pointing out that “in real estate, you say they’re not making any more land…well, [nobody’s] making any more antique prints.”

Mr. Fitzgerald professes a love of both art and natural history as inspiration for his collection. “There’s always a story behind someone in the arts,” he said, citing St. Christopher’s graduate Tom Wolfe ’43 as an example of an even more interesting personality behind an exceptional creator.

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CLASS NOTES A CALL TO EDUCATION

by Kathleen Thomas

Talk about a small world—10 miles from each other in Memphis, two StC alums who graduated two years apart are heading private schools with Episcopal traditions. Here’s an update on their jobs, and what they’ve been up to since their StC graduations in the early ’80s.

Albert Throckmorton ’81 When interviewing at the all-girls St. Mary’s Episcopal School, Albert

Career highlights at St. Mary’s include supervising the design and

Throckmorton ’81 revealed that he came from a family of five boys,

construction of the Windland Smith Rice Building, leading the first dual

graduated from an all-boys prep school and that the only woman he

accreditation and developing a partnership with the Online School for

ever dated was his wife. “If you’re looking for someone with more

Girls. He guest teaches Shakespeare whenever an opportunity arises,

experience with women I understand,” he told the search committee.

has appeared in several plays, most recently as Daddy Warbucks in

Other skills trumped this lack of female interaction, and he is forever grateful for the experience. “With the exception of what my mother and wife taught me, everything I’ve learned about women, I’ve learned from the amazing community at St. Mary’s, one of the smartest places I’ve ever worked.”

After eight years as assistant head of the Memphis school, Albert was tapped as headmaster in 2012. His first day in the new job, all Middle and Upper School girls donned Mr. Throckmorton signature red bow ties, theirs made of construction paper.

He credits much of his life’s work to early years at StC. Electives in architecture, Impressionism and the Renaissance with Ella-Prince Knox inspired a focus on architecture at Rice University. He attributes landing his first architectural gig to an StC computer science class that laid the foundation for him to be a pioneer at a Houston firm using computer-

Annie, and started St. Mary’s Knowledge Bowl team. He loves to get

1980s William L. Tyson ’80 has been hired by Fifth Third Bancorp to become co-head of Fifth Third Capital Markets, reporting to Lars Anderson, executive vice president and chief operating officer. Bill is focused on the bank’s growth in strategic merger and acquisition advisory services. He will also lead new initiatives to further develop the bank’s relationship with private equity companies.

He was previously with BB&T Capital Markets, where he most recently served as senior managing director and co-head of investment

banking. Prior to the 18 years with BB&T and a predecessor company, Scott & Stringfellow, he was a managing director at Wheat First Butcher Singer. Throughout his career, Bill has completed more than 125 capital financing and merger and acquisition advisory assignments.

Tayloe Dameron ‘81 and his wife Suzy, longtime Shirley Plantation owners, opened Upper Shirley Vineyards Restaurant earlier this year. To read about the mouth-watering cuisine, check out the review that ran July 7 in

Schools book on leadership and technology, now obsolete except for the esoteric parts which he wrote.

Albert achieved his 30 seconds of fame for a spontaneous video that went viral and made the local news in which he donned a St. Mary’s winter cap and waved a poster that read “Snow Day No School Tomorrow” while walking jauntily down the hall as girls shrieked with joy.

A number of years ago after a particularly lackluster hymn sing when the musically inclined were absent due to a band and choir trip, Albert commented that it would have been better received if he’d told jokes

Ross Peters ’83 Ross Peters ’83 understands firsthand the pressure on private schools related to sustainability. While it’s an essential concern, he believes that schools should first explore the “why” of viability. This naturally leads to focus on things greater than ourselves, a mantra that centers his work.

that chapel—and the idea was born for a biennial chapel where he does

With this in mind, it made sense that he and his family decided to join

just that.

St. George’s Independent School. With more than 1,100 students on three campuses in the city and in the suburbs, St. George’s serves a diverse

Albert is a strong proponent of single-sex education, particularly for

Albert worked there three years, but a spiritual conversion in college

girls. Naysayers overlook the immeasurable value found in confidence

had led to a different calling years before. “I remember waking up

and in leadership opportunities, he says, in a world where male biases

one morning and almost hearing an audible voice encouraging me

still exist. “We call St. Mary’s girls go-getters because they know

Ross hit the ground running after being tapped as the new head in 2015.

to teach,” he says.

how to find their voice and their place in the world and distinguish

From a conversation that began only late last September, the school has

themselves. I think they learn that because of the advantages of an all-

partnered with a Memphis group called City Leadership and its nonprofit

girl education.”

Serve901 (a play on the Memphis area code) which provides service

Episcopal High School in Houston. When the head of school caught him playing a game on one of the only computers in the building, he was

He describes the best part of his job as getting to tell stories about

tapped to integrate technology into the curriculum, a skill set that led

the school and how St. Mary’s girls are finding their gifts and pursuing

to his subsequent post at Episcopal High School in Alexandria.

them. “It’s a cohesive community of adults and students,” he says. “Our

population from more than 50 zip codes, of whom 30 percent are people of color.

learning experiences for college students. Serve901 and St. George’s will share space in an economic hot bed of the city that includes common areas and more than 100 bunk beds.

Episcopal School Identity informs our inclusiveness and diversity. Once

“It will connect our kids to all the reasons to get involved in and be devoted

people arrive, they don’t want to leave.”

to Memphis, an area in which we hope many of them will live and serve and lead,” Ross said. “This sort of partnership is exactly the direction great

For Albert, the most challenging part is sustaining the traditional

schools should be going to underpin their academic, athletic and other co-

financial model of an independent school with other forms of education

curricular programs.”

now competing. The necessity to validate the value to parents becomes more pressing each year.

The space opened this summer with a three-week course called “Amplify Memphis” where St. George’s students learned about urban challenges

Albert and his wife Marinell have two sons, a recent Baylor University

while earning elective credit.

graduate focused on biomedical engineering and math and a rising sophomore at the University of Tennessee Knoxville studying

The foundation for Ross’s career was laid during his 13 years at St. Christopher’s

computer engineering.

and at Camp Maxwelton, a place where he, along with many Saints, was a camper and counselor.

Ross is grateful for working with inspirational heads of school who shepherded him along. One of his proudest career moments was being named one of 26 teachers of the 2015 Student Teacher Achievement Recognition program that honors Georgia’s highest-achieving high school seniors and the teachers most instrumental in their development. Until the move to Memphis, Ross still taught one section of AP literature to juniors and was nominated by a former student at Westminster who received a perfect SAT score.

While he never got to know Ron Smith as a classroom English teacher, Ross ran with him occasionally in cross-country practices and asked the Virginia Poet Laureate to review what he described as “awkwardly mediocre high school poetry.” Fast forward 30-some years when Ron gave a poetry reading at Georgia Tech, and Ross was still in Atlanta.

Tech’s poetry review published works by both the Virginia Poet Laureate

“Reading the titles of publications my son is reading and seeing the

70 | StC

R. Scott Shaheen ’85 graced the cover of the Dec. 19 Richmond Times-Dispatch Homes supplement. The senior vice president for Long & Foster Real Estate in southern Virginia predicted for 2016 a slight increase in interest rates, a return of first-time buyers to the marketplace and a continuation of luxury home sales. Long & Foster is affiliated with Christie’s and Luxury Portfolio International.

his geek on and co-authored a National Association of Independent

aided drafting and design, which soon became the industry norm.

He returned to Rice for a master’s in teaching and first taught at

the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The restaurant chef is Carlisle Bannister ‘90.

computer language my other son is learning reinforces this idea that

After graduating from Sewanee: The University of the South, he directed a

and the school administrator. “It was great coming full circle and being

we are teaching students to speak languages for jobs that don’t exist

camp in Hendersonville, N.C. in the summer while teaching and coaching at

able to have a poem in the same work he was in,” Ross said. “Best of all

which leads us back to the case for independent schools,” he says.

Providence Day School in Charlotte. After taking time off to get a master’s

we were able to get Ron to spend a morning working with our young

“We give students a knowledge set and also a skill set, a mind set

from the University of Georgia, Ross returned to Providence Day before

writers at Westminster.”

and a value set.”

moving on to Asheville School, first as English department chair and later as assistant head of academic affairs. Subsequent posts included head of

For more perspective, check out his blog at jrosspeters.wordpress.com.

Albert’s equally interesting four brothers also graduated from

Upper School at the Hawken School in Cleveland and The Westminster

His wife Katie, an historian, teaches at Rhodes College and his daughter

St. Christopher’s: Chuck ’72, Andy ’75, Brian ’79 and his twin Robert ’81.

Schools in Atlanta.

Eleanor is a rising seventh grader at St. George’s.

71

CLASS NOTES Bo Peaseley ’06 & Miles Dumville ’06

by Malcolm Ilnicky ’16

Personal reflections with John Reid ’89 In March I touched down on my seventh continent: Antarctica. Since I left television and started working in international relations and communications consulting I’ve had the chance to live and work in and/or visit 61 countries. I’ve worn my St. Christopher’s class ring on the entire journey since I got it as a junior in 1988. I’ve made a point of dipping it in the holy water of all the cathedrals

and churches I’ve visited. It’s been with me in

freedom are suppressed. I tell people I still wear

the favelas of Rio, meetings with Royal family

the ring because it reminds me of dear friends

members in the Middle East, political leaders in

and my loving family back home in Richmond,

Europe, swimming in the Mediterranean, boating

a connection to the century-long legacy of

in the Baltic, scuba diving on the Great Barrier

scholarship and honor that St. Christopher’s

Reef and, against the advice of security advisors,

School has established, and of the personal

the ring stayed on my finger during some tense

opportunity and perhaps obligation I have to share

days trying to get in and out of Baghdad during

the message and lessons of my Christian faith

the war in Iraq.

around the world.

While it’s not as noticeable or gaudy as most

The attached picture was taken just after we

university rings, it’s not uncommon for people

crossed the Antarctic Circle this March and is a rare

to ask me about the symbolism of it, especially

pic without gloves in the subfreezing temps that

in countries where Christianity and religious

were common as winter arrived on the continent.

High in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, on a stretch of trail known as the Three Ridges, two former St. Christopher’s classmates shared a warm embrace in the pouring rain. They had not seen each other since their high school graduation more than nine years ago.

Bo Peaseley ’06, heading north from Georgia, was about a quarter into hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, whereas Miles Dumville ’06, who had hiked it five years earlier, was just out on one of his typical weekend excursions. The meeting of the two former Troop 444 Boy Scouts was pure happenstance, but it couldn’t have been better planned.

On March 8, 2015, Bo, with his newly bought lightweight gear and a good knowledge of the hike ahead of him, set out with two VCU students he had met at a local rock climbing wall. Hiking the Appalachian Trail was not something he had wanted to do his entire life; the thought of the 2,200mile hike was something that came to him a few years after college. Two months prior to departure, Bo prepared by researching the hike and the necessary gear. As for physical preparation, he had stayed in good shape since high school. Besides, “it’s just walking,” said Bo.

1990s composer-in-residence. The article described

Ron Smith, Wayne Boese, Margaret Welsh,

him as one of the “young dynamos who satisfy

David Anderson and John Burke (Rule #1), “all

the urge for innovation while continuing the

of whom gave me the skills I fall back on more

traditions of the classical canon. Bates presents

than you could possibly imagine to this day.”

cutting-edge concerts and writes big pieces for orchestra that are essentially 21st-century tone poems, or musical narratives.” His first opera, “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” is scheduled to premiere in 2017. He is described as quiet, focused and affable, a creative genius

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for Bo, who quit his job in February and was already planning to move to Colorado. After he made the decision to hike the trail, he just pushed his move back a few months.

the three of them would stop hiking at five or six in the evening and all eat dinner together. By the last quarter of the trip, however, Bo and his hiking partners were no longer together, and the StC graduate often hiked alone for as long as he could into the night. He kept a journal and took a lot of pictures, but almost all of his time was dedicated to pushing forward.

In the final leg, with 260 miles left, seeing himself as a “badass mountain man,” Bo stopped filtering his water. Although it may have made him look like Bear Grylls, the contaminated water gave him giardia, an infection caused by parasites from backcountry streams. There he was, hundreds of miles away from home, alone and pooping out everything he ate.

Bo, who never went a day without seeing someone out on the trail, luckily met an elderly couple who gave him meds for the waterborne disease.

He roughly calculated the cost of the trip at $2,200, an estimate that is often used by other hikers of the trail, and included $1,000 for new gear.

Bo believes he could’ve spent much more money had he not eaten cheap food and consistently lived in the woods. Every six or seven days, he stopped in a neighboring town to pick up enough food for the upcoming week and then hitchhiked back out to the trail.

On Aug. 24, Bo finally reached the ending point of his journey after almost six months in the mountains. He had an incredible time, learning a lot about perseverance and independence, but it wasn’t as life changing as he thought it might be. When finished, he still felt like the same Bo Peaseley who started the trip in March. That being said, he would still highly recommend the experience to anyone who has the time and money. He’s now doing as much hiking as he can in Denver, outside his job as an antifraud analyst at financial regulatory firm Promontory Risk Review.

Although the hike started out as a fun camping trip with his friends, by the end it became a project that Bo was determined to finish. In the beginning,

Bo can be reached at bopeaseley@gmail.com and encourages anyone to contact him if interested in hiking the Appalachian Trail.

For Miles Dumville, hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2011 was truly life-changing. The experience provided lifelong friends with whom he still keeps in touch, boosted his confidence and improved his problem-solving skills. “It shaped me not only in terms of my attitude and work ethic, but also how I think,” he said. Along with fun, every day presented new challenges, and Miles frequently had to think logistically about his goal for the day, how much food and water he had left and how far he was from the nearest town.

Unlike for Bo, hiking the trail was something Miles had wanted to do for

who values friendship and stays in touch with former teachers and colleagues. Mason and his wife Jamie, a molecular biologist, live in San Francisco and have two children, ages 7 and 4.

Douglas R. Burtch ’94 has opened Burtch Law

Mason also loves electronic music and has an

PLLC and was joined by his father. Douglas’s

active second life as a DJ. He is on the faculty

practice will continue to focus on employment

of the San Francisco Conservatory.

He met Perkins in a bowling league run by

administrative and healthcare law and

Thomas J. Huffman ’98 P.E. recently joined

in 2011. They have two boys, Vaught (2) and

business disputes. He is rated AV Preeminent

Dunbar Milby Williams Pittman & Vaughan,

by Martindale Hubbell and listed in The Best

Consulting Structural Engineers. Tommy is

Lawyers in America, Virginia Super Lawyers

currently involved with the structural design

James E. Britton ’99 was the 2015 recipient

and Virginia Business Magazine Legal Elite for

of a new facility for the VCU School of Allied

of the Virginia Association for Supervision

employment and labor law.

Health Professions.

and Curriculum Development Region 3

law, independent school law, aspects of

StC alum Burnley Bressler and married her Bowie (7 months).

Impact Award. As a mathematics teacher, William H. Ferguson ’95, who spent a month

S. Tyler Perkinson ’98, who practices with

administrative aide and department chair for

with the Dallas Opera performing the role

Virginia Family Dentistry, was selected as a

Caroline High School, Jeb was recognized

of Spoletta in “Tosca,” performed in Victory

Style Weekly “family favorite winner” for 2015.

for taking math education to a new level. His award recognizes the ways he has improved

Hall Opera of Charlottesville’s “‘Now Try This’: Taking Opera Off-Road.” In the November

After graduating from the T.C. Williams School

instruction designing curriculum and resources

event, artists challenged each other in a live

of Law at the University of Richmond, Wickliffe

for several classes and making AP Calculus an

improvisation to perform a selection of songs

Lyne ’98 joined the in-house legal department

option for more students whose scores now

and arias in new and disarming ways.

of Guggenheim Partners in New York, where

surpass the state average. Jeb has also served

he still works but now in Santa Monica, Calif.

as the summer school administrator and project

The Washington Post ran an April 3 front-

as director of special projects for the global

graduation coordinator for Caroline High

page feature in its Arts & Style section on

chief investment officer. He said he fondly

School’s summer programs and will join the

Mason Bates ’95, the Kennedy Center’s first

remembers his time at StC with Jay Wood,

math department at St. Christopher’s this fall.

72 | StC

Simply preparing for a trip is a difficult exercise in problem-solving with the pack alone weighing 30 pounds. For this trip and others Miles planned ahead for only the most likely scenarios while staying alert for mishaps.

Planning to walk a good distance per day, while seemingly straightforward, can easily be made complicated by difficulties such as terrible weather, disease or being forced to ration food on the fly. Slowing down may provide time to fix these problems, but it also means a 20-mile day can turn into a 15-mile one, making getting to the next town and resupplying more challenging.

a long time. He first got the bug during his time as a Boy Scout, when his troop would often venture out to Appalachian Trail spots in their weekend hikes. This idea stayed in the back of Miles’ head until college, when he got back into hiking with some new friends. This was the first time in his life he had been around true hikers, and they further inspired him to want to make the full trek. After graduating from the University of Mary Washington, Miles worked for a year in Richmond and saved up enough money for the trip.

Hiking has continued to be a huge part of his lifestyle. Nowadays, Miles tries to get out to mountains as often as possible, usually in the Waynesboro and Charlottesville areas.

At least once a month, depending on who he’s with and hiking conditions, Miles goes out for 20- to 50-mile jaunts. Being out in the wilderness allows him to clear his mind, relax and think about things in a different way. He loves the opportunity to “live life at two miles per hour versus the fast pace we have to live in the city.”

Miles just received his M.B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University and has started working for the Richmond-based marketing research firm Retail Data in an account management role. He can be reached at milesdumville@gmail.com and also encourages those interested in exploring long-distance backpacking to contact him.

73

CLASS NOTES Alec Vozenilek ’10

Send Us Your News While a student at the University of Virginia Alec Vozenilek ’10 spent summers in Charlottesville training for football and taking classes. With a 2008 Ford F-150 as his ride, he also often helped friends move.

Moving can bring out the worst in people. During one job an oversized executive desk burned two streaks in 15 carpet tiles. The business owner demanded that D1 Moving fork out $20,000 to replace all the discontinued tile in the 8,000-square-foot space since replacements were nowhere to be found. Alec tracked down the manufacturer who scoured the country and in a warehouse located two boxes collecting dust, which Alec happily purchased for a mere $300.

Although St. Christopher’s alumni generously volunteer their time, the school does not designate class agents to gather news. We compile our information from telethons, local newspapers, and often from our best source— proud parents. Please keep us up to date and send news about yourself and your fellow classmates to: 711 St. Christopher’s Road Richmond, VA 23226 thomask@stcva.org | 804-282-3185 phone | 804-285-3914 fax

Going into his fifth year, the UVa punter toyed with training for the NFL. The nominee for the Ray Guy Award gave it serious consideration, but the moving business opportunity beckoned, and D1 Moving was born. Now based out of Richmond with three U-Haul trucks, Alec puts in long hours seven days a week, sometimes from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., often without a lunch break. “It’s been a long ride,” said the sociology major who received a master’s in education administration. “Every day is different.”

For its superior customer service, D1 Moving has collected more than 100 five-star reviews on its Facebook page.

Alec often recruits help from fellow alums—brother Rob ’09 along with Corey Dalton ’08, Campbell Henkel ’10, Chase Gunter ’11 and Jake Holleran ’11 have pitched in.

Corey suggested D1 Moving help their alma mater in December.

When Christmas gifts from advisories stacked up in Rev. Melissa Hollerith’s office ready for delivery to Peter Paul Development Center, D1 Moving made the delivery. “It was a fun experience,” Alec said. “Hopefully we’ll continue to do that for the coming years.”

2000s A new job for Thomas P. Bryan ’00 was incorrectly stated in the last issue. He is a sales and leasing executive with Stirling Properties in New Orleans.

Z. Nathan Taylor ’01 received his doctorate from Indiana University in July 2015. His field of study is microbiology.

Adam M. Lynn ’01 has taken a position with the law firm of McAllister, D. Walker LLC in Easton, Md. Adam’s work focuses on real estate transactions and bankruptcies.

Lt. J. Matthew Washko ’02 was accepted into a three-year, dual masters program at MIT in Boston, fully funded by the Navy. Matthew will pursue an engineer’s degree in naval construction from the School of Engineering and an MBA from the Sloan School of Management. He and wife Amanda will move there in May. Matthew will also be promoted to lieutenant commander Sept. 1.

Jonathan C. Wright ’03 was appointed general counsel of QPharma, a leading provider of compliance and commercial services to the life sciences industry. He will oversee the firm’s legal matters, including mergers and acquisitions and contracts, and will apply his healthcare compliance expertise as a consultant to the firm’s clients.

74 | StC

Births, Weddings, Deaths

StC Transitions 1

While fulfilling his duties as captain in the Marines, Tim Rose ’05 has penned two online horror books, The Legend of the Colonel’s Revenge: A Southern Horror Story and The Legend of the Man Cave: A California Horror Story, both downloadable through Amazon.

Tim’s website says his inspiration goes back to his early years when he stayed up late into the night reading Stephen King novels.

Marco A. de León ’08 is co-owner of Rip van Wafels, a start-up company whose crispy textured snack (think “waffle wafer”) is now offered at the 7,500-plus Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada. Placed on the top of your coffee cup, the wafel is heated by the brew and becomes a warm tasty treat. Marco and his business partner Rip Pruisken were recent inductees to Forbes 2016 30 under 30. Their company, now headquartered in San Francisco, has six employees and sold more than 3 million wafels in 2015.

W. Hunter Brown ’10 is working as assistant to the president of Hampden-Sydney College.

Dallas Tarkenton ’13 was named co-male athlete of the year at the University of Mary Washington Athletic Awards Banquet in April. The rising senior earned All-American honors for finishing eighth in the 100 butterfly at the NCAA Division III Swimming Championships. He also set the school record in the event with a time of 48.55.

S. Baylis Brown ’13 was the recipient of the Manakin Volunteers’ Howard Henley Firefighter of the Year award 2014-2015 for his dedication and firefighting services to the citizens of Goochland County.

USA Today College ran a story on Mohammad Willis ’14’s support of his cousin, who is a physician trying to open a clinic to care for civilians affected by the Syrian civil war. The Davidson College student, who went

by Mohammed Sarhan at St. Christopher’s, said the biggest obstacles came from the Syrian government that denied permission to bring medical supplies into the country.

He and some friends created a group on campus, the Davidson-Syrian Medical Outreach, to raise awareness and money for the Syrian-American Medical Society.

Mohammad interviewed his half siblings, who recently fled from an ISIS-governed town, for a video he’s making. What he wants Americans to know is “that Syrians hate ISIS and Al-Qaeda just as much as Americans do… that the Syrian government is just as brutal and murderous as ISIS. People in the Middle East are very accustomed to tyrannical regimes, and the great majority of them are only trying to survive.”

Clarke Miller, StC health teacher and coach, married MacKenzie (Heidelmark) Miller April 8. lan Basmajian ’06, Bobby Cone ’61, Clark Warthen ’06, Clarke Miller ’06, MacKenzie Heidelmark Miller, Ari Julius ’06, Robert Miller ’03;

1

Not pictured: William Smith ’06 who is serving in the U.S. Army and was stationed overseas.

Britton ’99 married Ibbie Hedrick 2 Jeb (St. Catherine’s ’00) April 30.

2 3

Sean Breit-Rupe ’00, Austin Harris ’00, Clayton Harris ’02, Catesby Lewis ’00, Kevin Bailey ’00, Jeb Britton ’99, Ibbie Hedrick Britton, Harrison Gregory ’00, Alex Daniel ’00, James Hoffman ’05, Hamill Jones ’00, Trevor Hall ’00, Thomas Cullen ’00, Andrew Sartoris ’00 Ucci ’02 married Elizabeth 3 Matthew Sutton April 30 at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. StC classmate Jamie Rees officiated. Matthew’s best man was his brother Alex ’06.

StC groomsmen included Austin Sands ’02 and Scott Copeland ’02.

75

TRANSITIONS

Births

Deaths

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey A. Conn ’96, son Jackson Dean, Dec. 18, 2015

Mr. and Mrs. Hugh T. Antrim, Jr. ’02, son Wyndham Bowdre, April 11, 2016

Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. R. Boyd ’01, son Thomas Walker Armistead, Feb. 16, 2016

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan C. Wright ’03, son Benjamin Voldis, March 16, 2016

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Gottwald ’05, son Parker Douglas, April 23, 2016

John Randolph Tucker, Jr. ’33 of Richmond, Va. died Nov. 27, 2015.

He is survived by his sons J. Randolph Tucker III ’73, Carter H. Tucker ’76 and grandson C. Harrison Tucker, Jr. ’09.

Claude C. Coleman, Jr. ’40 of Irvington, Va. died April 11, 2016.

He is survived by his son Claude C. Coleman III ’72.

John Maurice Miller, Jr. ’41 of Richmond, Va. died Feb. 4, 2016.

Weddings James Exum Britton ’99 to Isma Blake Hedrick, April 30, 2016

McDonald Stephens Johnson ’04 to Lindsey Dorman, May 14, 2016

Thomas Russell Branch ’06 to Sally Ellen Scott, Nov. 21, 2015

Matthew Philip Ucci ’02 to Elizabeth Anne Sutton, April 30, 2016

Miles Golden Kimbrough ’04 to Maria Lee Fort, Nov. 7, 2015

Charles Trent Cosentino ’04 to Elizabeth Kendrick Wingfield, April 30, 2016

William Henry Parrish V ’04 to Alison Nicole Boy, April 2, 2016

Edward Clarke Miller ’06 to Mackenzie Leigh Heidelmark, April 8, 2016

Christopher Edward Duane ’04 to Laura Suzanne Dwyer, May 21, 2016

Thomas Boushall Valentine, Jr. ’04 to Elizabeth Briggs Eldred, April 30, 2016

Robert Darden Swain Molster ’06 to Jenna Kristine Meade, March 19, 2016

Henry Harrison Wilson, Jr. ’41 of Richmond, Va. died May 7, 2016.

Survivors include a son Harrison M. Wilson ’73.

Edmund Noel Gouldin ’43 of Houston, Tx. died June 15, 2016.

Survivors include his brother T. Winston Gouldin ’46.

Russell Godwin Fergusson, Jr. ’44 of Richmond, Va. died March 2, 2016.

Survivors include his sons Russell G. Fergusson III ’76, W. Berkeley Fergusson ’78, E. Bruce Fergusson ’81 and John D. Fergusson ’81 and grandsons W. Berkeley Fergusson, Jr. ’14, John L. Fergusson ’15 and J. Lucas Fergusson ’21.

Alphonso Lynn Ivey, Jr. ’44 of Richmond, Va. died May 11, 2016.

Survivors include his sons A. Lynn Ivey III ’69 and William R. Ivey ’72 and a grandson Ashton L. Ivey ’05.

Clark Cobbs Tinsley ’45 of Reno, Nev. died Dec. 10, 2015.

Richard Kniffen Fox ’46 of Cantonment, Fla. died July 15, 2014.

Claud Ward McCauley ’46 of Richmond, Va. died Dec. 28, 2015.

Survivors include his son-in-law Richard W. Fowlkes II ’78.

William Walter Rixey, Jr. ’46 of Greenville, S.C. died Dec. 18, 2015.

William Ervin DesPortes ’47 of Sarasota, Fla. died Feb. 11, 2016.

He is survived by his son David D. DesPortes ’73.

Asa Watkins Miller ’48 of Richmond, Va. died Dec. 13, 2015.

He is survived by his brother J. Maurice Miller Jr. ’41.

William Luke Witt ’49 of Richmond, Va. died Dec. 18, 2015.

Survivors include his brother John T. Witt ’52.

James Edward Covington, Jr. ’52 of Richmond, Va. died Jan. 21, 2016.

Survivors include his son James E. Covington III ’85.

Coleman Drummond Figg ’53 of Richmond, Va. died Feb. 15, 2016.

John Stewart Bryan III ’56 of Richmond, Va. died Jan. 23, 2016.

Carter Watkins Stone ’56 of Korsoer, Denmark died Dec. 26, 2015. He is survived by his brother James E. Stone III ’59.

Edwin Darracott Vaughan, Jr. ’57 of Sheridan, Wyo. died April 22, 2016.

David Clark Rice, Jr. ’61 of Eastville, Va. died March 5, 2016.

Survivors include his brother William P. Rice ’68.

Victoria Filson Wray Alley of Richmond, Va. died March 30, 2015. Vickie taught kindergarten for 10 years before becoming St. Christopher’s Lower School assistant head and curriculum director. Survivors include her husband John R. Alley ’80 and brother-in-law Robert S. Alley, Jr. ’78.

76 | StC

Edward Crawley Williams III ’62 of East Hartford, Conn. died Oct. 13, 2015.

Garland Ambrose Wood, Jr. ’62 of Richmond, Va. died Feb. 6, 2016.

Survivors include his brother T. Ward Wood ’65 and nephews John Garland Wood ’08 and T. Ward Wood, Jr. ’11.

Jack McPherson Parrish III ’63 of Williamsburg, Va. died Jan. 30, 2016.

Stuart Albert III ’67 of Henrico, Va. died Dec. 31, 2015.

Charles Albert Hotchkiss III ’70 of Winston-Salem, N.C. died Feb. 15, 2016. Survivors include his brother Carter W. Hotchkiss ’75.

Carmelita Estrellita ’73 of Charlottesville, Va. died Jan. 8, 2016. Survivors include her father H. Fairfax Conquest ’46 and brother Christopher S. Conquest ’80.

Henry Page Mauck III ’76 of Midlothian, Va. died March 12, 2016.

Survivors include his brother John W. Mauck ’87.

John Alderman Davis ’79 of Charlottesville, Va. died March 11, 2016.

Steve Morgan Duke ’84 of Henrico, Va. died January 12, 2016.

Survivors include his brother, Adrian M. Duke ’87.

Mary Leavell Tompkins of Richmond, Va. died April 13, 2016.

She worked at St. Christopher’s as a secretary.

77

Mark Your Calendars

Remember when?

Tricycle race circa 1992 Fall Festival

Homecoming

September 17 The Center for the Study of Boys Journey to Manhood Speaker Series presents:

The Syracuse 8: Fighting for Equality On and Off the Field

October 6 & 7 Fall Festival

October 22 Melissa Hollerith

78 | StC

Woody Woodward

George McVey ’57

Andy Smith

FPO BULK RATE INDICIA PERMIT # 1732

711 St. Christopher’s Road Richmond, VA 23226 804-282-3185 Fax: 804-285-3914 www.stchristophers.com

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”

— John Dewey

MARCH ON, SAINTS Congratulations to St. Christopher’s Class of 2016 as they embark on the next chapter of their academic careers at top colleges and universities. We are so proud of all you’ve accomplished.

84 38

GRADUATES ATTENDING:

1

U.S. Presidential Scholar Program Semi-finalist

colleges and universities in

12

16

states

NATIONAL MERIT DISTINCTIONS

32

1

AP SCHOLARS

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLAR WINNER

4

17

COLLEGE ATHLETES

Lexus of Richmond Pursuit of Excellence Weekly Leadership Award Winners