StC Magazine | Spring 2024

The Magazine of St. Christopher’s

StC Magazine Staff

HEADMASTER

Mason Lecky

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Sharon Dion

EDITOR

Elizabeth Johnson

VISUAL CONTENT EDITORS

Ashley Cameron and George Knowles

ALUMNI NEWS EDITOR

Jennifer Scallon

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Merry Alderman Design

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jay Paul

Jesse Peters

Hayden Regan ‘25

Brian Zollinhofer

CONTRIBUTORS

Kerry Court

Kim Hudson

Jean Hughes

Stephen Lewis

Chaplain Wade Reck

Ben Smith ‘25

Lucinda Whitehurst

Davis Wrinkle ‘81

Saints cheer at the annual Senior/Faculty basketball game. Faculty won for the second year in a row, 39-36!

Dear Saints,

When I reflect on the 2024–2025 school year, several defining moments come to mind. These moments highlight the growth, achievements, and spirit that have embodied this year for the broader Saints community.

In November, St. Christopher’s was fortunate to host the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) annual teachers’ conference. Over 300 educators from across the Commonwealth gathered to learn from fellow independent school experts. We were proud to showcase St. Christopher’s and connect with educators across Virginia for this important professional development opportunity.

The winter brought a remarkable team of national and international boy scholars to campus to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Center for the Study of Boys, our in-house research institute focusing on the art and science of teaching and reaching boys. Since 2014, The Center has become a valuable resource that enhances every aspect of School operations—from pedagogy to professional development and programming. We celebrated the anniversary with faculty and staff workshops, student activities, and a panel discussion open to the community, featuring leading experts in boys’ education and care. I encourage you to learn more about The Center’s work in the following pages of this magazine.

In April, we hosted a visiting team of VAIS educators for a three-day visit as part of our accreditation renewal process. The team observed classes, met with faculty, staff, parents, and Board members, and even participated in a fire drill to assess

our emergency preparedness. This visit provided us with an opportunity to pause and reflect on the remarkable progress St. Christopher’s has made since our last accreditation visit in 2019. Among other forms of growth and gains:

• Admissions applications to St. Christopher’s have increased by 71% between 2019–2020 and 2024–2025.

• Our enrollment has increased from 960 students in 2019–2020 to a school-record 1,018 in 2024–2025; we are forecasting another school-record enrollment of 1,031 in 2025–2026. This enrollment increase has occurred thanks to record demand in our Lower School and strong retention throughout the School.

• Each of the four strongest student-retention years in School history has occurred since 2019—we have averaged 97% retention over the past four years, compared to 95.9% in the previous four years.

• Student racial diversity has increased nearly 40% since 2018-2019, from 135 enrolled students of color in 2018–2019 to 187 students of color in 2024–2025.

• We enjoyed the strongest year for philanthropy in School history in 2023–2024, with a record $16 million in new gifts, including a record $11 million in new endowment commitments, striving to uphold the promise we made in 2021 to double our endowment through philanthropy within a decade.

These data points are excellent indicators of the health of St. Christopher’s. However, the best way to experience the strength of our School is right here on campus, interacting with our boys and marveling at how they bring our community together.

This school year, audiences have turned out in record numbers to support our student artists. This fall’s Ampersand production of “The Sound of Music” stunned audiences with theatrical and musical excellence, selling out numerous shows in the 550-seat Endeavour Hall at St. Catherine’s. Outré, our Middle School theater group, shined in two sold-out shows of “Moana Junior,” and the Lower School continued its tradition of packing the Lower School Auditorium with four enchanting shows of Disney/Pixar’s “Finding Nemo Kids.”

Our student-athletes offered standout performances in both the fall and winter seasons, securing four Virginia Prep League and three VISAA State titles, leading the way among independent schools in the state. The spring season has also started strong, as our boys strive for continued excellence at the end of the season.

Enjoy this issue of StC Magazine, and please come to campus, where you can witness these accomplishments and so many more for yourself.

Yours,

Mason Lecky Headmaster

Before we can love our enemies, at the very least, we need to stop hating them.

by Wade Reck Middle School Chaplain

How Do We Forgive?

Jesus said, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”

Love your enemies. Do you have enemies?

I do.

Now, I don’t have enemies at St. Christopher’s. I’m too new. But over the course of my life, I’ve definitely had some.

You have, too. You just don’t usually use the word “enemies” to describe them.

An enemy is anyone who hates or opposes you or tries to harm you in some way.

Let’s soften that definition just a little bit.

An enemy is anyone who disrespects, dislikes, or insults you or talks badly about you given the opportunity.

By this definition, we all have enemies, at least from time to time. I imagine some of us feel we have enemies in this very room.

Sometimes, it’s our fault that someone is our enemy.

Sometimes, it’s someone else’s fault that they are our enemy.

Either way, Jesus says, “Our enemies, whoever they are, whatever they’ve done. However, they’ve come to be our enemies, those guys…we’re supposed to love them.”

That, boys, is a high bar.

This is why forgiveness is so important as we try to follow Jesus. Before we can love our

enemies, at the very least, we need to stop hating them.

We all know how it feels when someone has hurt us. Perhaps they were mean to us, perhaps they made fun of us, or perhaps we found out they were talking trash about us in front of others.

Every time we see them, we get that “Yuck!” feeling in the pit of our stomachs. Every time we see them, we just get so angry, perhaps justifiably so. Jesus says we need to do something about those feelings. We need to try to forgive.

Forgiving is getting to a place where all that goes away … Not because we’ve forgotten what happened, not because we think what happened was OK, and not because we want everything to go back to the way it was before they hurt us.

Forgiving is getting to that place where the anger and hurt go away because we understand that holding onto those wounded feelings only hurts us.

So, how do we forgive?

We begin by deciding we want to finish something we never chose to start, after all.

We push stop on the “instant replay” feed that runs on a loop every time we see that person who hurt us. The minute you see that person and begin to remember and re-experience what they did, push stop. Just say, “No.” Redirect your thoughts to something else.

Try to understand and empathize with the person: What are their struggles? What might have made them do the thing they did? Who are they apart from that thing they did to you? Asking yourself these questions can really help.

Offer them forgiveness, even if only indirectly. When I’m upset with someone, I often write them a note, telling them I forgive them because I don’t want to keep this anger in my heart. Then, I wad up the note and throw it away. They don’t have to receive the forgiveness for me to give it to them.

Lastly, pray for them. This has been super powerful in my life. Pray for them. Ask God to bless their lives. Ask God to help you see their good qualities. Wish them well. Doing that will change you.

Forgiveness is a choice. Sometimes, it is a choice that we don’t think we want to make because there is a certain warmth to anger and hate. However, it is the wisest choice. Indeed, it is the only choice. For as someone once said, “When we forgive, we set a prisoner free. And that prisoner is ourselves.” May we all be free as God intended us to be.

1 We begin by deciding we want to finish something we never chose to start.

2 Push stop on the “instant replay” feed that runs on a loop every time we see that person who hurt us. Redirect your thoughts to something else.

3 Try to understand and empathize with the person.

4 Offer them forgiveness.

5 Lastly, pray for them. Wish them well. Doing that will change you.

Chaplain Reck delivered this talk during Chapel on January 28, 2025

Lifelong Readers and Learners: What Does It Look Like in a Boys’ School?

By Lucinda Whitehurst Lower School Learning Commons Coordinator/Librarian

“What should I read next for Battle of the Books?”

“I can’t wait to find out more about supercars for my multigenre project.”

“Could I get a funny chapter book today?”

Each day in the Lower School Library brings new questions and opportunities for lifelong learning. Fifth graders may be researching local issues such as transportation, the environment or poverty; second graders may be found investigating the rivers of the world; and kindergartners may be doing a dinosaur dance or building an igloo. Throughout my time at St. Christopher’s, my journey has been one of continued growth for me and my students.

St. Christopher’s has a strong commitment to faculty professional development, and because of that support, I am an active member of the Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association. Learning from librarians across the nation has been a huge benefit to me, and my participation presents unique opportunities for my students. When I served on ALSC’s Caldecott Award Committee, choosing the year’s “most distinguished American picture book for children,” and the Newbery Award Committee for the “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children,” the students read a wide variety of books and commented along with me. The committee members, experts in children’s literature, listened attentively to our students’ reactions. The boys truly contributed to the award process! In addition, learning from people with multiple perspectives helps our students gain from a wider exposure to the larger world.

As an adjunct instructor for the University of Virginia and UVA-Wise, I meet teachers and librarians from around the Richmond area and visit many of their schools. Hearing about their teaching experiences and seeing their school environments helps me acquire insights and ensures that we are incorporating best practices into our work at St. Christopher’s.

In the Lower School library, the voices of our boys matter.

In the Lower School library, the voices of our boys matter. Their interests and our academic curriculum are the guiding principles for what books or digital resources we add to the library collection, as well as how to arrange the physical space. As the School discussed the recent library renovation, I surveyed the fourth and fifth grade students. We wanted to know what was important to them in order to make our library as useful and inviting as possible.

The boys and I are always excited about the best new books, and I encourage them to share their recommendations with our school community. Just as I review books for two professional journals, “Booklist” and “School Library Journal,” our fifth grade Library Club members write online reviews in our library catalog and digitally create posters to suggest books they think their fellow students would read and enjoy. For all of us, it is a constant process of evaluation and improvement.

Another part of our journey together relates to special programs. By inviting celebrated children’s book authors and illustrators to share their talents with our students, each year, we get an inside look at how our favorite books are created. These visits inspire many boys to design their own books that we publish in our library. Our annual Dads Read competition started as an Action Research project sponsored by the International Boys’ School Coalition. Asking the boys to read with their dads or other male mentors is a way to keep them engaged with reading, especially at a time when many other activities increasingly compete for their attention.

When I was approached about working at St. Christopher’s in 1993, I said I did not want to be shut away in a dark, quiet library space. Luckily, in our Library, with its many windows and few walls, we are a constant part of school life, connecting with the students as they move through their days. Boys stop by to see where they are on the hold list of a favorite series. Parent and grandparent volunteers come in to assist with daily tasks. Teachers collaborate with the Learning Commons team, which is Laura Sabo and me (librarians) and Jess Richards and Gail Warren (instructional technologists), to discuss a new unit of study and how we can best support their teaching goals and enhance student outcomes. The library is bright, inviting and busy. It is a space that encourages curiosity, investigation and lifelong reading and learning. What a pleasure it is to see little boys grow into men of character, to hear of the discoveries they make along the way and be a part of their journeys.

An Appreciation for the Details

by Ben Smith ‘25

When I set foot on St. Christopher’s campus for the first time, the immediate things I noticed were not the beautiful brick buildings or the boys walking to lunch; rather, my face turned upwards toward the pines. For reasons I still cannot understand, I was immediately awe-struck by the tall trees towering over our campus. The pines were the first part of St. Christopher’s I noticed.

Now, seven years later, I was recently asked, “What will you take away from your time at St. Christopher’s?” My response was this: I believe one of the most valuable things I will take away from my experience at St. Chris is the ability to identify and appreciate details. You might be wondering, “Ben, what on earth does that have to do with the pine trees?” Well, bear with me.

When I came into high school, I was a little rough around the edges. I wasn’t a terribly gifted student, and much to Mr. Britton’s dismay, I had little to no regard for the dress code. I was not detail-oriented, that is, until I stepped foot into Mr. McGuire’s Honors Biology classroom. Immediately, extensive data was thrown my way. For those of you who never had the pleasure of being his student, there were multiple test questions that simply asked you to write down every step and compound of different metabolic processes. I felt I was in over my head.

Despite this, Mr. McGuire instilled a habit in me that I see as one of my most valuable assets: he taught me to look for connections between details. Whenever we were learning new material, he would ask us to connect it to what we’d already learned, and eventually, I began to be able to make my own connections. In studying for his exam, I created a

flow chart connecting every topic we did all year and put it on his whiteboard. After he patiently listened to me explain every connection on the board, we became enthralled in a conversation that lasted for hours as we dug into the different connections. Without even realizing it, I had noticed the second and most important detail of my time at St. Christopher’s: the faculty. I felt at this moment as if I was speaking not to a teacher but instead to a dear friend, one who was just as excited about a common interest as I was.

The following year, I found myself in Mr. Wood’s sophomore English class, where to understand a reading, you couldn’t simply spend 10 or 20 minutes on it. In order to understand whatever poem or prose piece we were reading, we had to find the details. In Mr Wood’s class, nothing was given; everything had to be discovered. Here, I learned a tremendously important lesson: finding details has nothing to do with how smart you are. The secret to finding the details is time. Finding the details requires your total focus and attention, weighing the meaning of each word and each mark of punctuation. As hard and tedious as this often seemed, these details are the things that made the reading special and provided a greater meaning.

One moment ingrained in my memory is a question about an Italian vs. English sonnet and why an Italian sonnet contains fewer rhyme sounds. The reading the night before had been about inflected vs. noninflected languages, and almost subconsciously, I remembered a detail I had read: Italian is an inflected language, meaning the word endings were affected by the context in which they are used. An easy example of

“Through the years, I’ve come to see that the real essence of St. Christopher’s isn’t just in the physical beauty of the campus or the rigor of the academics— it’s in the details: the moments spent with faculty who care deeply, the conversations that challenge our thinking and the small, meaningful gestures that show kindness and thoughtfulness.”

- Ben Smith ‘25

this is verb endings in Spanish. I raised my hand and said that an Italian sonnet had fewer rhyme sounds because there are less diverse word endings in the language. While the details of the difference between Italian and English sonnets are not immediately important to my point, the feeling I got after going through this process in my head is. I had noticed the third detail of my time at St. Christopher’s: that the School was helping me to foster a love of learning.

Through the years, I’ve come to see that the real essence of St. Christopher’s isn’t just in the physical beauty of the campus or even in the rigor of the academics—it’s in the details that my education has enabled me to identify: the moments spent with faculty who care deeply, the conversations that challenge our thinking, and the small, meaningful gestures that show kindness and thoughtfulness. I said before that the secret to finding details is time. In a world as fast-paced as this one, I encourage you to slow down and look for the details in your life. Once you find these details in your schoolwork or your relationships, I encourage you to see connections and find how you can apply these details to your life because, as Hemingway says, “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”

Ben’s chapel talk was delivered on January 25, 2025

Ben Smith catches up with Jay Wood between classes

THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF BOYS

A LOOK BACK AT 10 YEARS

By Dr. Kim Hudson Director of The Center for the Study of Boys

EEarlier this year, on a cold night in January, hundreds of St. Christopher’s parents and community members arrived at Ryan Recital Hall for an event that has become a familiar occurrence on campus: the opportunity to hear from thought leaders in the field of boys’ education.

Over the last decade, The Center for the Study of Boys, St. Christopher’s in-house institute dedicated to promoting best practices in engaging and teaching boys through research, professional development and programming, has been bringing this global conversation to our communities.

This particular panel was a part of the celebration of the tenth anniversary of The Center and the culmination of two days of programming for the students and professional development for faculty and staff.

St. Christopher’s Core Belief—that we love and understand boys—was the driving force behind the creation of The Center. Over the past decade, The Center has established itself as a global thought leader in boys’ education.

“Just over 10 years ago, we committed to taking what we had come to know through experience and intuition—what works best for boys—and codifying that into research, professional development and programming,” said Headmaster Mason Lecky. “We wanted to ensure that all of our faculty, whether green,

mid-career or veteran, and in all disciplines, could benefit from the powerful combination of experience and evidence-based research.” From that desire grew the St. Christopher’s Center for the Study of Boys, one of the first in-house research institutes among North American boys schools.

Inspired by the School’s first century

In 2011, St. Christopher’s celebrated its 100th birthday, and the School’s success in its first century was rooted in its exceptional understanding of boys and their particular strengths and needs. The centennial of the School’s founding provided an opportunity to look back and celebrate the accomplishments of the first

We wanted to ensure that all of our faculty ... could benefit from the powerful combination of experience and evidence-based research.”

- Mason Lecky, Headmaster ““

100 years and to look forward and plot a course to guide St. Christopher’s future.

The School’s 2012 strategic plan, The Second Century Vision, called for St. Christopher’s to be a global leader in understanding boys, with an emphasis on engaging and teaching them effectively. One year later, St. Christopher’s was selected to host the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) Annual Conference and welcomed over 500 educators from boys’ schools across the globe to campus in the summer of 2013.

Building on the momentum of the 2013 IBSC Annual Conference and the charge of the Second Century Vision, it was clear that the vehicle for St. Christopher’s to become a global leader in boys’ education was the creation of a school-based institute dedicated to research, professional development and programs designed to support the needs of boys. Under the leadership of former Headmaster Charley Stillwell, that institute became known as The Center for the Study of Boys.

Educators as the Foundation

From the outset, The Center was committed to building on the expertise of St. Christopher’s master teachers and provided the School with the structure to take the understanding of what works best with boys to a new level through targeted research. The IBSC-sponsored study on relational teaching (Reichert and Hawley, 2013) provided the framework for the initial professional development led by The Center. The research identified the

primacy of student-teacher relationships in boys’ learning, noting that boys experience their teachers before they experience the lessons they teach.

Through surveys with over 1,400 adolescent boys and 1,000 teachers across the world—including St. Christopher’s students and teachers—the researchers found that the relationship is the medium through which boys’ learning occurs.

“In my experience, when I’ve had stronger relationships with teachers, it’s helped me to better engage with their classes and opened me to being more interested in the course material,” said Patteson Branch ‘25

Boys who participated in the study shared stories of relationships with teachers that helped them grow and flourish, as well as stories of relationships that created

““

When I’ve had stronger relationships with teachers, it’s helped me to better engage with their classes.”

- Patteson Branch ‘25

Author Richard Reeves visits St. Christopher’s in 2024

KIM HUDSON meets with students in her office

roadblocks to their learning. Interestingly, many of the most transformative relationships were those that started out rocky, but, with the teachers’ care and persistence ultimately helped the boys reach their learning and personal goals.

The Power of Student Voices

The power of boys’ voices was clear in the global study on relational teaching, and with that in mind, The Center committed to inviting boys to share their perspectives through an annual survey about their relationships with their teachers and their sense of belonging within the St. Christopher’s community. Since 2015, boys in grades 6-12 have completed a survey to measure how the School performs in its important promise “to love and understand boys.” The results of the surveys are shared with faculty at the start of each school year and inform the relational pedagogy implemented by teachers.

“The annual discussion of the relational survey data serves as an important reminder of why we became teachers,” said Upper School Dean of Faculty and Teacher of French and Religion Karen Wray. “The data from the survey allows us to assess if, on the whole, we are remembering our ‘raison d’être’ or if we need to refocus our energies.”

The inclusion of the boys’ voices was noticed and admired by experts outside of St. Christopher’s as well. “It’s easy to say you are letting them have a voice, and then it goes nowhere … but here it is done in a purposeful manner that produces and delivers things, and that’s unusual,” said Tom Batty, Executive Director of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition. “It’s so evident that the student voice is being prioritized, which contributes to an authentic learning environment,” said Janetta Lien, Assistant Head of School and Director of Enrollment at The Browning School.

OF IMPACT 10 YEARS

2013

St. Christopher’s hosts the International Boys’ Schools Coalition Annual Conference, Brother to Brother: Looking In, Reaching Out.

2014

The Center for the Study of Boys (CSB) is founded.

2015

Inaugural Journeys to Manhood Speaker Series featuring Dr. Michael Kimmel

CSB Advisory Board begins with six Upper School students.

Inaugural Saints Action Research Team, a crossdivisional team of teachers conducting their own research

CSB ALUMNUS SPOTLIGHT

Former CSB Advisory Board Member Ned Lumpkin ’24

How did you come to be involved with the CSB?

I was looking for ways to be involved at the beginning of my sophomore year at St. Christopher’s, and I remembered how The Center for the Study of Boys brought speakers like Chris Herren to campus every year. When I realized I could become involved in those events, I decided to check it out, and I loved being a part of the program.

What were some of your most memorable moments in your engagement with the CSB?

The lunches we had with the speakers were always memorable. Helping Lawrence Cann ‘96 and Rob Cann ‘01 with their presentation as alumni coming back to campus was also a cool experience. I think Lawrence and Rob really showed the guys how much of an impact we can have once we graduate.

Are there any speakers or research projects from the CSB that have been particularly meaningful to you?

An incredible part of working with the CSB was that we had the opportunity to have meetings with heads of other boys’ schools through the International Boys’ School Coalition (IBSC). These interactions helped me put my St. Christopher’s experience into perspective, especially because I had the opportunity to be surrounded by other people at boys’ schools from across the globe, but I could see that none of them were exactly like St. Christopher’s.

Marine veteran and author Craig Grossi and his dog Fred with Ned Lumpkin ’24.

How has your work with the CSB been a part of your life in college?

I am currently in a club on campus that promotes men’s mental health awareness at the University of Georgia. I am hoping to create a speaker series to discuss men’s mental health, as I always found our CSB speaker series inspiring and impactful.

What advice would you have for other boys about getting involved with the work of the CSB?

I would say that the best thing about St. Christopher’s is that it is a truly unique place, and I think that the CSB plays a major part in the unique aspects of our boys-only school. Becoming a part of the CSB Advisory Board allows you to influence life on campus.

In addition to leaning on boys’ voices in research, a throughline of the work of The Center, over the past ten years, has been the leadership of students in developing programs for students, teachers, parents and members of the Greater Richmond community. What started as a small group of six Upper School students has grown to a robust 32-member Center for the Study of Boys Advisory Board.

Members of The Center for the Study of Boys Advisory Board are involved in every aspect of The Center, from planning and executing programs to hosting internationally-renowned speakers to participating in research focus groups to serving as ambassadors for The Center with visiting scholars.

“A lot of the Board’s impact is in working with the CSB faculty on how to best engage students,” said Philip White ‘26, a current member of the CSB Advisory Board. “The goal is to make sure the events impact the students, and that was one of the main drivers for why I wanted to join the Board.”

A Focus on Research

The Center for the Study of Boys launched the Saints Research Program early in its history. Each year, a cohort of teachers is guided through the process of systematic inquiry in an area of practice about which they would like to learn more. Teacher researchers develop their own research questions, research the topic, gather and analyze data, evaluate and reflect on the findings and share the journey with their colleagues. Since 2015, over 30% of faculty have completed a research project under the expert guidance of the Saints Research Coordinators contributing to the culture

of teacher-as-researcher within the Saints community.

“It is a part of our mission to support teacher research culture,” said Laura Sabo, Academic Research Coordinator for The Center for the Study of Boys. Sabo and The Center for the Study of Boys Coordinator of Research David Shin help guide faculty through their action research projects.

“We champion any type of research work, and we are working to see the research culture at the forefront of all of our teachers’ minds when they want to implement something in their classrooms,” Sabo said.

This year, Lower School Counselor Sarah Ambrose embarked upon a research project that examined how the incorporation of a mood meter would affect 3rd grade boys’ use of emotional vocabulary. “The boys reported value in the mood meter/emotional vocabulary, sharing that it lets feelings off their chest and helps them know how their classmates are feeling,” Ambrose said.

“Involvement in this year’s Saints’ Research has been an amazing learning opportunity for me,” said Ambrose, “and this work will ultimately benefit all Lower School boys.”

And while much of The Center’s research work centers around the classrooms of St. Christopher’s, each month, The Center hears from educators from as far away as New Zealand and South Africa and as close by as Tennessee and Connecticut who seek to learn from the work of The Center to better reach and teach boys. By being a part of this global cohort, The Center for the Study of Boys is a consistent voice in the global conversation around the best practices in boys’ education.

2016

CSB hosts The Syracuse 8 for student and community programs.

2018

St. Christopher’s hosts IBSC Regional Conference, Rewriting the Narrative: Guiding Boys in an Age of Extremes.

2018—2019

The CSB designs a five-year strategic plan.

2019

The CSB hosts Dr. Matt Bellace and Jordan Burnham for Journeys to Manhood: Boys and Well-Being.

2021

Expansion of parent education offerings, including film screenings, podcast discussions and an international guest speaker

The Saints Research program in Action

The Center for the Study of Boys houses The Saints Research Program, which strives to develop leaders in educating boys by promoting best practices for teaching, curating resources, encouraging scholarly discussion, mentoring and conducting and sharing research. To date, over 30% of faculty have conducted research to better understand what works in reaching and teaching boys.

These are the research questions currently under investigation with the 2024-2025 Saints Research Team:

Sarah Ambrose

Lower School Counselor

How does the incorporation of a mood meter affect a 3rd grade boy’s use of emotional vocabulary and their understanding of its value?

Quentin Moore Lower School 5th Grade Teacher

How does educating boys on well-known neurodivergent people in society change their perspective on and behavior towards neurodivergent students in their classroom?

Sheree Garrett (Left)

Upper School Librarian

Cara Williams (Right) Middle School Librarian

What are the effects of reading partnerships on the reading lives of boys in grades 6-12?

Sarah Hubard Lower School 5th Grade Teacher

What practices within a classroom impact a boy’s sense of belonging?

Jess Richards

Lower School Learning Commons Instructional Technologist

How does incorporating a visual navigation checklist during coding sessions affect 2nd grade boys’ metacognitive skills?

Partnering with Parents

The Center is proud to have expanded parent education offerings over the past three years, now offering ten or more yearly programs to help parents of boys understand their boys’ developmental stages and needs while offering tangible strategies that they can implement at home. Parent programs have included internationally recognized speakers on topics such as technology and mental health and well-being. They have also featured experts in our midst — teachers, counselors and administrators who shared their wisdom on topics such as executive functioning and boys’ transitions through stages of development.

“I’ve watched moms and dads at the end of a parent program stop and continue the conversation with one another, and we hope that the conversations continue when they leave campus,” said Jen O’Ferrall, The Center’s Coordinator of Parent Programming.

Looking toward the future

The Center plans to build on the first decade’s success and continue expanding its reach. Especially exciting is developing a Rites of Passage program for students in Lower, Middle and Upper School. Rites of Passage are processes that foster positive identity within each boy and support community connections through shared experiences and challenges. At St. Christopher’s, outdoor experiences will be a key part of the Rites of Passage program.

“By incorporating Rites of Passage, the CSB is hoping to formalize the boys’ journey throughout their time at St. Christopher’s. This passage allows deeper connections by engaging in sets of challenges and then by celebrating the boy along the way,” said Rites of Passage Coordinator Casey Torrence

Throughout the work of the last decade, one thing is abundantly clear: we love and understand boys. It is with and for boys that The Center will continue to grow to serve the needs of St. Christopher’s and work to support the healthy growth and development of boys across the world.

2022

CSB adds a Coordinator of Parent Programming.

Journeys to Manhood Chapel series begins in Lower, Middle and Upper School.

2024

CSB Advisory Board grows to 32 members.

CSB adds a Rites of Passage Coordinator.

2025

CSB celebrates its 10th anniversary with a program featuring a panel of experts on boys and boys’ education.

Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci Tom Batty, Executive Director of IBSC Syracuse 8

HAPPENINGS ON CAMPUS

HOMECOMING

Saints gathered on the first weekend in November for Homecoming celebrations!

The weekend’s highlights included a pep rally, varsity soccer and football games, and a community cookout.

LESSONS AND CAROLS

A beloved hallmark of the Christmas season, Saints gathered in St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church for the annual service of Lessons and Carols. Choral singers in grades 7-12 led their peers in song, and the addition of a new 6th grade descant choir meant the service featured nearly 100 St. Christopher’s singers in grades 6-12.

8TH GRADE RAISES MONEY FOR PANCREATIC CANCER

Middle School teachers enthusiastically plunged into the dunk tank on a chilly November afternoon! Led by our eighth grade class, the event raised money to support the FCSP Foundation in the fight against pancreatic cancer. The organization holds dunk-a-thons nationwide to raise money for research efforts and to encourage a “fight cancer stay positive” philosophy. In October, Saints Middle School parent Mercedes Moore sadly passed away after battling the disease for several months. The event, which raised over $32,000, is a way of honoring Moore’s memory, supporting her family and making a difference in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

UPPER SCHOOL TEAMS UP WITH RVA PADDLESPORTS

This fall, StC joined RVA Paddlesports for the waterman program. Led by Science Teacher Austin Sutten and Math Teacher Taylor Knight ‘10, boys visited the James River at the beginning of the school year to learn a unique combination of whitewater paddling, wading/swimming, rock climbing and first aid skills. “The focus has been getting our boys comfortable with the water,” Knight said. “Not just kayaking and canoeing, but also water rescue training.”

The boys also developed valuable team-building and leadership skills. “They can use these skills after they graduate. They’ve had to learn how to lean on their teammates,” Knight said. “They’re bonding because they’re relying on each other. It made them closer as a group.”

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SERVICE

For this year’s MLK Service, the Black Student Union (BSU) boys and St. Catherine’s Unity girls incorporated chapters of Dr. King’s life into their observances about equity, access and inclusion. Under the direction of Mrs. Tish Canady, the Director of Access, Equity and Belonging at St. Catherine’s, the MLK Day Service was a fabulous event that connected the Saints community with the purpose of continuing the dream of Dr. King.

HENRY WINKLER VISITS CAMPUS

StC was thrilled to host actor and author Henry Winkler and writer and producer Lin Oliver at Ryan Recital Hall in October. In partnership with bbgb books, the duo visited to discuss their “Detective Duck” children’s book series with the community.

Before their talk, Winkler spent time with students from Ampersand, the joint Saints theater group. The actor encouraged the students to be brave and authentic in their artistic journeys. “When you walk into an audition, what they want is you. They want your imagination and courage,” said Winkler. “Somebody is going to say ‘yes’ if you are authentically you.”

HAPPENINGS ON CAMPUS

DADS READ

Teams of fifth grade boys and their fathers / male mentors gathered for the annual StC Dads Read competition this February. The activity is a longstanding tradition that started 15 years ago as an action research project sponsored by the International Boys’ School Coalition. The program challenges the groups to read three selected books from November to February.

This year, the competition was fierce, and the groups battled it out with questions based on this year’s reading: “Restart” by Gordon Korman, “Shipwrecked” by Martin W. Sandler, and “Leon the Extraordinary” by Jamar Nicholas. This year’s winning team answered all 30 questions correctly!

VALENTINE’S DAY TEA

Kindergartners at both St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s came together on Valentine’s Day for the annual Valentine’s Tea. Students shared flowers, cards and sweet treats in celebration of the day.

STUDENTS ENCOURAGED TO CONNECT AND EMPATHIZE

David Flood visited StC to speak with our Middle School this March. Flood, a youth motivational speaker, led discussions with students about patience, connection and love. During his visit, Flood encouraged the boys to think deeply about those who might be different from them and led them in group exercises. “I want them to think not just about acceptance but about real inclusion and respect,” he said. “We’re all alike on the inside and want the same things.”

Flood issued three challenges to the boys as they went about their day: “First, look at a person on the inside. Next, thank and connect with two adults, and last, no one eats alone at lunch,” Flood said.

VARSITY ATHLETES TAKE ON NEW COACHING ROLE

There was a new collaboration on campus this winter. Varsity basketball players and other Upper School athletes coached the fifth and sixth grade basketball teams.

“This lets the fifth and sixth grade boys get to know the varsity guys that they look up to on the court. They’re learning how to carry themselves, and they’re hearing from the older guys, ‘This is how we play, these are the types of things we emphasize, these are the types of plays we run,’” said Assistant Director of Athletics Stephen Lewis

The new coaching model also provides a chance for older boys to grow. “They realize that they’re role models,” said Lewis. “This is a great mentorship opportunity for them.”

THIRD ANNUAL BASEBALL HOT STOVE EVENT

We were delighted to hold the third annual Hot Stove event on January 15, featuring a conversation with UVA Coach Brian O’Connor and former Saint and Cavalier and current Oriole prospect Griff O’Ferrall ‘21.

NATIONAL

MERIT SCHOLARSHIP

COMMENDED

Cade Collingwood ‘25

Gilbert Cooper ‘25

Slade Kisner ‘25

Beauford Mathews ‘25

Ben Smith ‘25

Noah Switzer ‘25

Joaquín Torres ‘25

SEMI-FINALIST

Alex Gertner ‘25

AP SCHOLAR

CLASS OF 2025:

Lee J. Adamson

Aryaan Agnihotri

Sterling D. Burke

Ethan C. Collingwood

Joseph H. Conner

Gilbert N. Cooper

John P. Coulbourn

Zachary A. Davila

Tyler J. Hood

Jones G. Kaufman

Slade D. Kisner

Henry S. Knighton

Liam A. Kurzawa

Bryce M. Neely

Charles H. Parker

Edison J. Pellumbi

Charles E. Suskind

CLASS OF 2024:

Seth L. Aschheim

Jackson R. Banning

Jack A. Demm

Drewry T. Gammon

Patrick J. Goldman

Charles T. Hudson

George B. Hunter

Christian F. Rogers

Campbell J. Stalker

Berkley N. Stocks

Ryan S. Temple

Dave S. Valentine

Riley J. Ware

Kellen T. Welch

George D. White

Thomas F. Wright

William K. Wright

AP SCHOLAR WITH HONOR

CLASS OF 2025:

Humza N. Chaudhry

Avi P. Gupta

Charles N. Herlihy

Tyler J. Hood

John M. Kuykendall

Nicholas G. Meyers

Bryson Smith

Harris W. Wolfe

CLASS OF 2024:

Braxton W. Bourne

Jack H. Carington

Nicholas J. Fraine

James H. Garnett

Briggs M. Ireland

Pierce W. Johnston

Thomas D. Loughran

Myles B. Louria

Edward B. Lumpkin

John Mason

William T. Moore

Oliver T. Smith

Beckett G. Schofield

Pritchard P. Whitley

AP SCHOLAR WITH DISTINCTION

CLASS OF 2025:

Aaron H. Baker

Norman D. Boardman

Leo E. Bourlas

Patteson T. Branch

Alexander Y. Gertner

Addison S. Gosline

John L. Hunter

Thomas W. Jones

Nicholas J. Kogon

Andrew B. Mathews

Declan J. McDonnell

Benjamin S. Smith

Noah J. Switzer

CLASS OF 2024:

Logan R. Amey

Aidan M. Apostle

Coleman T. Bowles

Theodore L. Cross

John W. Daglio

Greyson L. DiCosmo

Carter M. Dixon

August F. Lange

Patrick R. Mayer

Jackson T. Moore

Robert J. Nelson

Henry B. Omohundro

Grady D. White

Robert A. Worrell

National Merit Commended Students and a Semi-Finalist

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

It was an incredible night at the biennial auction, Saints Soirée, which was held on February 22, 2025, at Main Street Station. The community showed up in full force–this was the best-attended auction in St. Christopher’s history, with over 520 tickets sold!

Auction proceeds will help fund a significant renovation to the Upper School’s Memorial Library. Construction will begin this summer, completing the restoration of all three campus libraries.

Co-chairs Beth Fuchs P’31 and Sarah Ann Knier P’28, P’33, along with many fantastic Parents’ Association volunteers worked tirelessly to make the night a rousing success.

FALL & WINTER ARTS RECAP

THEATRE AND DANCE

AMPERSAND PRESENTS

“THE SOUND OF MUSIC”

Ampersand was proud to present Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” in the Love Jennison Family Theatre in Endeavour Hall at St. Catherine’s. The run was extremely successful, selling out every performance this fall.

Directed by Upper School Theatre Teacher and Ampersand Director Paul Takács, the production included approximately 50 students in the cast and crew, 20 community members singing as nuns, 10 student ushers and house managers, and the production also featured five faculty cameos! Musically, the ensemble was supported by an orchestra comprised of 30 musicians from the Richmond Philharmonic, St. Christopher’s 20242025 Sisk Artists-in-Residence.

This landmark work gave Ampersand a rare opportunity to realize one of the great classics of American musical theatre, to say nothing of the even rarer privilege of doing so with the accompaniment of a full orchestra. The heartfelt involvement of so many additional members of our Saints community elevated and enriched the performances, creating an unforgettable event for all who attended the production!

AMPERSAND PRESENTS “BABETTE’S FEAST”

This winter, Ampersand presented the play “Babette’s Feast” to sold-out audiences in the Playhouse. With a cast of nine actors and a growing interest in Ampersand’s winter season, the decision was made to double-cast this show, resulting in two separate casts, each performing two fantastic performances in the four-show run.

OUTRÉ PRESENTS “IN A GROVE: FOUR JAPANESE GHOST STORIES”

Outré presented “In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghosts Stories” in the St. Christopher’s Playhouse this past fall. A true highlight of this production was the students’ work on the sets, puppets and painted backdrops that set the perfect tone for the action onstage.

The ensemble of “The Sound of Music”

FALL & WINTER ARTS RECAP

OUTRÉ PRESENTS DISNEY’S “MOANA JR.”

This winter, Outré put on Disney’s musical “Moana Jr.,” which was held in the Love Jennison Family Theatre at St. Catherine’s in February. Featuring incredible songs, colorful sets, vibrant costumes and high-energy dancing, the students brought this beloved tale to life for their audiences in every performance.

LOWER SCHOOL PRESENTS DISNEY/PIXAR “FINDING NEMO KIDS”

Boys in Kindergarten through 5th grade were swimming with excitement for their production of Disney/Pixar “Finding Nemo Kids.” With tremendous support from many parent volunteers, along with Middle and Upper School student volunteers, our Lower School students learned songs, lines and dances as turtles, fish, seagulls and more. The Lower School musical is an annual favorite on campus, and this production was an unforgettable adventure!

FALL & WINTER ARTS RECAP

MUSIC

THE BEAUX TIES

The Beaux Ties entertained us with a wonderful Christmas concert at St. Catherine’s, and they can frequently be heard leading The National Anthem both here at St. Christopher’s and around the community.

STRINGS AND BAND

Strings and Band had a packed winter concert just before Thanksgiving that featured students from both St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s in grades 5–12, while the Jazz/Rock program continues to grow and had successful performances at Fall Festival, in the Ryan Recital Hall and in the 2010 Café.

CHORUS

Eleven upper school boys auditioned for the district chorus, and in a first for St. Christopher’s, all 11 were selected. Upper School students were also selected for both the Central Regional Orchestra and the District Band.

At the end of January, members of Saints Singers, the joint select Upper School choir, participated in a special evensong with other choirs from the Mid-Atlantic Episcopal Schools Association at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

VISUAL ARTS

Upper School woodworkers built Adirondack chairs this past fall. For weeks, students used various tools and machines to design and build their projects from scratch. “The goal was to get the students to learn how to use a variety of machines and to understand the start-to-finish process,” said Upper and Middle School Woodworking Teacher Faith Carlson. “They used small tools and then the larger machines, and they also learned how to incorporate a bit of design,” she said.

FALL SPORTS RECAP

FALL 2024

CROSS COUNTRY

The Saints won their sixth Prep League championship in the past seven years. LT Nguyen ’27 (2nd), Asher Green ’26 (5th), and Liam Kurzawa ’25 (9th) earned All-Prep honors for finishing in the top 15. StC placed third in the state meet, with Green and Nguyen earning All-State honors. Green was named second-team All-Metro, buoyed by his 15:57.40 performance at the Virginia Showcase at Pole Green Park in October, where Green placed 5th.

FOOTBALL

The program made the state semifinals for the seventh consecutive year, led by first-team All-Metro and All-American pick Darius Gray ’26. Gray played in the Navy All-American Bowl and was one of eight Saints chosen All-Prep. Gavin Johnson ’25, Elijah Brandon ’26, Collin Johnson ’26 and Walker Turley ’26 were honored on defense, while Jayden Brown ’25, Addison Gosline ’25 and Michael Farley ‘26 were offensive picks. Gray was chosen on both sides of the ball for the Prep and All-State team that he made with Turley. StC was third in the Prep League, finishing 5-6 overall.

MOUNTAIN BIKING

The group rode throughout the fall around Richmond while a smaller contingent competed in four races outside of Richmond. William Sutten ’26 placed 19th overall in his section. Ford White ’26 (23rd) and Charles Herlihy ’25 (43rd) also rode well for coach Kimberly Mayer

SOCCER

The squad finished 11-4-4 overall, tying Collegiate for the Prep League title after drawing the Cougars at City Stadium. The team earned the 5th seed in the state tournament, topping Norfolk Academy 3-1 before falling 2-1 at Potomac School in the quarters. Steven Bishara ’25, Jack Bleecher ’25, Evan Broughton ’26, Max Mumford ’25, and Tyler Overstreet ’26 earned All-Prep honors. Mumford (first) and Bleecher (second) were named All-State.

WINTER SPORTS RECAP

WINTER WINS

PREP LEAGUE CHAMPS

Basketball, Swimming & Diving and Wrestling all won Prep League Championships

VISAA CHAMPIONS

The Indoor Track team had its 2nd straight VISAA win. The team also earned four individual state titles, and six Prep League individual and relay first-place finishes.

The Swimming & Diving team took home their 5th straight VISAA title, including the 200-yard medley relay team, who set a new VISAA meet record.

Wrestling took home their 4th straight VISAA trophy. The team also brought home three All-Americans from National Preps.

WINTER 2024-25

BASKETBALL

The team earned its fifth Prep League regular season title as co-champs with St. Anne’s-Belfield. Darius Gray ’26 was named Co-League Player of the Year, and Elijah Brandon ’26 and Stuart Cosby ’25 were named All-Prep. Brady Burnette ’27 earned Prep League all-tournament honors with Gray. Coach Hamill Jones ‘00 earned his second straight Prep League Coach of the Year award. The team advanced to the VISAA quarterfinals, and the Saints finished the season ranked second in the area by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

FUTSAL

StC Red won the season-ending Valentine Classic with a 4-1 triumph over Benedictine in the championship game and finished with a 12-0-2 record. Jack Bleecher ’25 was named tournament MVP, and Steven Bishara ’25 made the all-tournament team for StC Red. StC Gray also had a successful campaign, going 9-4-1, and they were led by all-tourney pick Luke Bleecher ’28

INDOOR TRACK

Indoor Track won its second straight VISAA crown after finishing as Prep League runner-up in the previous week. Will Ackerly ’27, Jaerron Johnson ’27, Elisha Asare ’26, and Maddox White ’26 set a new school and meet record. Victor Olesen ’26 continued his pole-vault mastery, winning 17-3 and breaking his own meet record. Addison Gosline ’25 (55 dash), White (300), Jayden Brown ’25 (55 hurdles), and the 4x800 relay team (Dougie Boardman ’25, Matthew Noble ’25, Noah Smith ’27, Asher Green ’26) also brought home state titles. Saints finished second at Preps, with six Prep League champs: White (300), 4x200 relay; Green (1000), Olesen (pole vault), Durham Dodson ’25 (55 hurdles) and the 4x800 relay (Boardman, Noble, Henry Russell ’26, Beauford Mathews ’25). Coach Marshall Ware was named Indoor Track State Coach of the Year.

WINTER SPORTS RECAP

SQUASH

This season marked the program’s first appearance in a national semifinal. The Saints won their first two matches to advance in the U.S. Nationals Division III Tourney. The team placed fourth, finishing 36th in the country, the team’s highest finish to date. Will Herlihy ’27 and Miles Huff ’28 went unbeaten for the entire tournament and did not drop a set, winning each of their matches 3-0. Squash did not lose to a Virginia school all season.

SWIMMING & DIVING

The Swimming & Diving team collected its fifth consecutive VISAA title and an eighth straight Prep League crown. At the state meet, the Saints set four new school records, including the 200-yard medley relay team of Alex Gertner ’25, Ryan Smith ’26, Edward Johnson ’26 and Ben Butterfield ’25. Their time of 1:32.79 also set a new VISAA meet record. The team scored in 10 of 12 events with multiple all-state performances from Gertner, Smith, Johnson, Butterfield, Ben Franks ’27, Joseph Conner ’25 and Christian Rogers ’25. At Preps, Saints won six of the 12 events: 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle (Gertner), 100 butterfly (Smith), 500 freestyle (Franks), 100 breaststroke (Johnson), and 400 free relay (Gertner, Smith, Franks, Johnson). Coach Bucka Watson was named Prep League and VISAA Coach of the Year.

WRESTLING

The team won its fourth straight VISAA title, captured its 23rd straight Prep League crown and finished in the top 10 at National Preps for the 3rd straight season. At Preps, the team won 12 of the 14 weight classes. The winners were Max Behrooz ’28, Caleb Haney ’25, Noah Rankin ’26, Drew Roggie ’26, Miles Hinson ’26, Walker Turley ’26, Tyler Hood ’25, Griffin Van der Waag ’26, Liam Johnson ’26, Eric Pendlebury ’26, Drew Pendlebury ’26 and Lance Clelland ’27. Hood was named Prep League Wrestler of the Year. At States, StC boasted six individual champs in Haney, Rankin, Roggie, Turley, Hood and Clelland. Roggie (lightweight) and Turley (middleweight) claimed Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. Finally, StC brought home three All-Americans from National Preps in Hood (2nd), Turley (3rd) and Haney (8th). Coach Tommy Owen was named Prep League and VISAA Coach of the Year.

2024-25 WINTER SEASON

COACH OF THE YEAR

StC is lucky to have four Coaches of the Year working with our student athletes.

Class Notes

Please send any news and photos for our next issue to Jen Scallon, scallonj@stcva.org

1959

John W. Bates III has published “Good Performance: the Struggle to Redevelop Richmond’s Downtown Theaters.” It tells the story of the efforts of a handful of Richmond’s leading citizens to renovate the Carpenter and Landmark Theaters and the barriers they confronted in carrying through to completion.

1969

Mayo Tabb is enjoying retirement and just completed his 750th scuba dive. On his sailboat, Excitation, he finished first in the Fishing Bay Stingray Point Regatta in Class A2.

1972

Chris Davis is retiring in June after selling his ReadyReef Inc. business. Chris and brother Ed Davis ’68 have worked to strengthen environmental innovation on the Chesapeake Bay shorelines over the last decade.

NewVines International, a Charitable Ministry founded by Virgil (Greg) Hughes, has been written up in Business Insider for its innovative approach toward solving the problems of generational poverty.

1974

The Rev. Steve McGehee returned to St. Christopher’s in the fall as a guest of Upper School Chaplain The Rev. Paul Evans ’01 in his “God’s Call, Our Response” class. One of the goals of the class was for students to hear from members of the

Saints community about their sense of call towards careers/vocations as they begin to ponder their own.

Ruddy Rose retired after leading the Virginia Poison Center at VCU Health for 27 years.

1978

Classmates Jim Cain, Pratt Cook, Neville Johnson and Ed Schoeffler traveled to Boulder, Colorado, for a long weekend last September. They enjoyed a Greensky Bluegrass Concert at Red Rocks, attended a watch party for the Colorado-Colorado State football game and cycled to the Top of the Chapman Trail (elevation 6750’).

Bob Peery ‘74 and sister Jennie Budd (St. Catherine’s ‘72) hosted a milestone birthday gathering for younger brothers Bill Peery ‘78 and John Peery ‘78. Several members of the Class of ‘78 were there to celebrate, including Randy Daniel, Ware Palmer, Bill Rachal and Ed Schoeffler.

1985

Brian O’Donnell and his partner of 20 years, Robert Gavin, live in Philadelphia. After more than 25 years in the biopharmaceutical industry, Brian was recently promoted to President of the contract sales team at Amplity Health. In the coming years, they will relocate to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

1987

Matthew Farley, Tim McCoy, Marc Nystrom, Tom Rhodes, Scott Wallace and Chris Walmsley gathered in Richmond to celebrate classmate Sam Farnham.

L to R: Scott Wallace, Matthew Farley, Tim McCoy, Sam Farnham, Tom Rhodes, Marc Nystrom and Chris Walmsley

1978 classmates on the Chapman Trail.

The Rev. Steve McGehee ‘74 visiting campus.

Members of the Class of 1978 celebrate the Peery twins’ birthday.

The cover of Tim Bouquet’s ‘90 new book

1990

Tim Bouquet recently published his first novel, “A Bolivian Odyssey.” It chronicles the life of Santiago, a young orphan living on the streets of La Paz, Bolivia. Tim has traveled throughout South America and now lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife and two boys.

1992

Richard Faw and wife Laura recently relocated to Savannah, GA, from Philadelphia. He works in private wealth management at Setarcos Wealth Advisors, a firm he founded about 14 years ago. They are excited to be back in the South and look forward to connecting with fellow alumni in the Savannah area.

1994

Massie Ritsch’s son, Mac, is taking former StC chaplain The Rev. Melissa Hollerith’s freshman religion class at St. Albans School in D.C., just like his dad did at StC in 1990. According to Melissa, Mac is her first second-generation student.

1997

Robert Whittemore was recently promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at GrayCo.

1998

Jennifer and John Neal welcomed a third daughter, Katherine Alexandra Neal, on September 13, 2024.

John Neal’s three daughters

Josiah Pearsall was awarded the Routledge Award, which honors outstanding research presented at the Performance Studies International conference, recognizing originality, methodological innovation, and significant contributions to humanities and social sciences knowledge.

John Reid is running for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

2000

Phil Klein is the new Director of Client Retention and Expansion at PlanSource.

2001

Jacob Boone won the open-level club championship for singles and doubles last fall at Lomas Santa Fe Country Club in San Diego.

John Dos Passos Coggin is delighted to report that his new poem, “Sailing on the Potomac River,” has been accepted for the March/April 2025 issue of Cathexis Northwest Press.

Julie and Blake Kimbrough welcomed son Blakely Hill Kimbrough Jr. in August 2024 to the delight of his older sisters, Ginny (4) and Charlotte (2).

2003

Genevieve and Ward McGroarty welcomed their third daughter, Anne “Annie” Ward McGroarty, on January 20, 2025.

2004

Emily and Michael Quinn welcomed their son, Beau Palmer Quinn, on December 25, 2024.

L-R: Massie Ritsch ‘94, Melissa Hollerith, Mac Ritsch outside St. Albans School

Jacob Boone and family

The Kimbrough ‘01 party of five.

Michael Quinn ‘04 and his family

Class Notes

2005

Matt Anderson was recently elected as a shareholder at the law firm Williams Mullen in Richmond. Matt is a member of the firm’s labor, employment, and immigration team.

Taylor Brannan spoke at a press conference with Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earl-Sears, Del. Mark Obenshain, and Sen. Israel O’Quinn about a proposed constitutional amendment solidifying Virginia’s Right to Work laws. Chris Peace ’94 and Andy Vorenberg ‘95 were in attendance to cheer him on.

2006

Anthony Gillison (stage name Ant The Symbol) landed on the shortlist of the Newlin Music Prize, which honors the best album from the Richmond-Petersburg area. He also earned the title of best hip-hop artist or group in Style Weekly’s 2024 Best of Richmond readers’ poll.

2007

Gray Messier married Margaret Taylor on November 16, 2024, in Wilmington, North Carolina.

2008

Emily and Whit Long welcomed twins on October 17, 2024, son Harrison Whitten Jr. and daughter Sheppard Eileen Winifred.

Joe Makhoul married Lauren Cricchi on June 15, 2024, in Richmond.

2009

Austin Pace married Kenner Carmody on December 21, 2024, at the Carolina Yacht Club in Charleston, South Carolina.

Taylor Brannan ‘05 with Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin

Gray Messier ‘07 (middle) poses with brother Ryan ‘03 and their wives

Whit Long ‘08 is seeing double! Harrison (Left) and Sheppard (Right) Long were born in October

Joe Makhoul ‘08 with his wife and Saints at his wedding

Austin Pace ‘09 celebrates with Saints at his December wedding.

2010

Jennifer and Thomas Johnson welcomed their second son, Carter Zick Johnson, on January 24, 2025. Big brother Owen is very excited!

2012

Peter Carr married Sophie Erhardt on October 5, 2024, at St. Paul’s Church in Richmond, Virginia.

Thomas Cronly married Neil Butler in Richmond, Virginia, on April 20, 2024.

Jack McDowell married Liz Palmer on May 4, 2024, in Beaufort, South Carolina.

JP McGuire married Ann Coleman Brogan in Richmond, Virginia, on October 19, 2024.

2013

William Wymond Cabell II married Meghan Christine Melia on October 5, 2024.

Jack McDowell ‘12 and wife Liz

JP McGuire ‘12 with his wife and father Bill McGuire ‘85 and stepmother Meredith McGuire

Thomas Cronly ‘12 at his wedding to Neil Butler

Hamilton Shaheen ‘13 with his wife and StC alumni at his wedding

Meghan and William Cabell outside The Commonwealth Club

Members of the Class of 2012 celebrate with groom Peter Carr.

Thomas Johnson ‘10 with his family

Class Notes

Hamilton Shaheen married Harper Lee Coyer on October 19, 2024. (see photo on previous page)

Rodney Williams and his wife Tayler welcomed daughter Troy Noelle Williams on October 28, 2024.

2016

Olympic swimmer and medalist Charlie Swanson served as the Grand Marshal for the Dominion Energy Christmas Parade in Richmond in December.

2021

Curtis Hale ended his soccer career at Colorado College as a three-time Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player (SCAC) of the Year (the only player in conference history to win the award three times), two-time CSC Academic All-American, United Coaches

All-American, three-time All-Region First Team and three-time All-SCAC (two firstteam selections).

Riley Wood was featured by the Richmond Times-Dispatch for his academic and athletic prowess at Caltech. He served as

team captain his last two years and led the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in rebounding as a junior.

Weston Williams is currently serving as a statistician for the University of Virginia’s baseball team.

2022

Nate Glerum visited campus to discuss his work in lighting in Amanda Livick’s digital video classes, assisting as the students worked to produce videos based on screenplays written in the new ninth and tenth grade creative writing arts course. The topic was “The origin story of Redman!”

2024

August Lange is currently serving as the manager of the University of Virginia’s golf team.

Sporting events create a chance for StC mini-reunions

On Saturday, November 9, 2024, three St. Christopher’s alumni met up in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the 2024 Charlotte Round Robin between the Washington & Lee, UNC-Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt and Duke Squash Club teams. Jack Jones ’23 (Washington & Lee ’27), William Bowles ’23 (UNC-Chapel Hill ‘27) and Robert Mish ’21 (Washington & Lee ‘25) enjoyed playing against each other and catching up.

After a recent Hampton-Sydney College lacrosse game, (L-R) Riley Mullins ‘24, Gaines Weis ‘21, McGuire Boyd ‘24 and Davis Mack ‘22 gathered with their former coach, John Burke, who had come to cheer on his former players.

Rodney Williams ‘13 with his daughter

Alumni Gatherings

Great Saints Alumni Dinner

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S SCHOOL | NOVEMBER 15, 2024

In November, we gathered to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our fellow alumni at the 2nd Annual Great Saints Alumni Dinner.

We are grateful to the distinguished alumni award recipients whose outstanding contributions to St. Christopher’s and their communities have made us all proud. Congratulations to this year’s award recipients:

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS

CLASS OF 1964 SERVICE AWARD

Lawrence Cann ’96 & Rob Cann ’01

YOUNG ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Christian Alcorn ’13

GEORGE HOWELL JR. ‘29 AWARD

Sam Bemiss ’73

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT

Louis Ryan ’65

Alumni Gatherings

Atlanta, GA

HOME OF GEORGE AND CAL JENNISON | OCTOBER 9, 2024 | Hosted with St. Catherine’s

Richmond, VA

WESTMINSTER CANTERBURY | OCTOBER 29, 2024 | Hosted with St. Catherine’s

The College of William & Mary

PAUL’S DELI, WILLIAMSBURG | NOVEMBER 20, 2024 | Hosted with St. Catherine’s

San Francisco, CA

HOME OF LANIE COLES ‘92 and CHARLTON YU | JANUARY 16, 2025 | Hosted with St. Catherine’s

Washington, D.C.

THE SALT LINE | JANUARY 28, 2025 | Hosted with St. Catherine’s

New York City, NY

THE PLAYERS CLUB, GRAMERCY PARK | FEBRUARY 26, 2025

In Memoriam

1942

Morton Gustavus Thalhimer Jr. of Richmond, Virginia, died September 6, 2024.

1949

Thomas Spencer Williamson III of Richmond, Virginia, died on November 11, 2024. He is survived by his brother J. Bolling Williamson ‘55, his sons T. Spencer Williamson ’81, W. Todd Williamson ’83 and grandson Thomas N. Williamson ’18

1952

Frederic Hamilton Cox Jr. of Henrico, Virginia, died on February 10, 2025. He is survived by his son Reuben G. Cox ’87

1953

Robert Bowers Mayo of Richmond, Virginia, died on January 25, 2025. He is survived by his brother John A. Mayo ’51

1955

William Gaspard deColigny of Durham, North Carolina, died on January 26, 2025.

1956

Franklin Alexander Trice Jr. of Richmond, Virginia, died on December 19, 2024. He is survived by his sons Franklin A. Trice III ’82, R. Holt Trice Sr. ’87 and grandsons R. Holt Trice Jr. ’31 and James A. Trice ‘34

Frank Charles von Richter III of Richmond, Virginia, died on November 3, 2024.

1959

Lucien Lloyd Bass III of Crozet, Virginia, died on January 17, 2025.

1963

James Stephen Buis of Port Haywood, Virginia, died on August 29, 2024. He is survived by his son Major J. Errett Buis ’94

1964

Charles Marshall Taylor III of Deltaville, Virginia, died on September 9, 2024.

1965

Charles Kasten Lord of Amelia Court House, Virginia, died on August 20, 2024.

Mort Thalhimer ‘42

Tommy Williamson ‘49

Fred Cox ‘52

Bob Mayo ‘53

Bill deColigny ’55

Frank Trice ‘56

Frank von Richter III ‘56

Lucien Bass ‘59

Steve Buis ’63

Charlie Lord ‘65

1965 (continued)

Marion Eugene Williams of Beeville, Texas, died on January 13, 2025.

1967

Leslie William Rose III of Richmond, Virginia, died on August 18, 2024.

1969

James Merrill Lee of Richmond, Virginia, died on November 7, 2024. He is survived by his brother Harry G. Lee Jr. ’77 and son James M. Lee Jr. ’03

1981

Alan Alexander McDowell of Larchmont, New York, died on November 10, 2024. He is survived by his brothers R. Wheatley McDowell ’78 and Lindsay D. McDowell ’86

1982

Brian Sharp Campbell of Richmond, Virginia, died on February 12, 2025. He is survived by his brother Scott O. Campbell ’79

1992

Robert Reynolds McNeer of Eugene, Oregon, died on December 18, 2024. He is survived by his brother John McNeer ‘89

2014

Augusto Luciano Vasaio of Richmond, Virginia, died on October 24, 2024.

2019

Mason Longstreet Evans of Richmond, Virginia, died on January 26, 2025. He is survived by his father Thomas D. Evans Sr. ‘85 and his brother T. Davis Evans Jr. ’17

FACULTY, STAFF AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Renée Marie Fraine of Richmond, Virginia, died on September 28, 2024. She is survived by her son N. John Fraine ’24. Renée was a Lower School teacher.

Temple Forsberg Martin of Richmond, Virginia, died on December 31, 2024. She is survived by her sons John S. Martin ‘82 and Carl S. Martin ‘85 Temple served on the Board of Governors.

Richard Peyton of Richmond, Virginia, died on March 14, 2025. Richard served as the St. Christopher’s Varsity Tennis Coach for 19 years, and assisted the St. Catherine’s Varsity Tennis team for 18 years.

Marion Williams ’65 Leslie Rose ’67

Jim Lee ‘69

Alan McDowell ‘81

Brian Campbell ‘82

Robert McNeer ‘92 Guse Vasaio ‘14

Mason Evans ’19

Renée Fraine

Temple Martin Richard Peyton

FACULTY & STAFF NEWS

Wolf Blair Richey was born to Executive Assistant to the Headmaster Emily Richey and her husband John on Dec. 31, 2024.

Wolf Richey

Grace Margaret Smith was born on Jan. 24, 2025, to Upper School teacher of History Katie Smith and her husband, Jonathan. Grace Margaret joins big brother Arthur.

Middle & Upper School Nurse

Courtney Ash and Lower School Nurse

Emily Dwyer attended the Virginia Association of School Nurses Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in November. They were joined by St. Catherine’s nursing team, Erin Hyde and Stacia Schoeffler.

Tony Szymendera, Jim Starnes and Jon Waite attended the American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in Washington, D.C.

Associate Director of College Counseling Scott Mayer attended the counselor fly-in programs at the University of TennesseeKnoxville, Gettysburg College and EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). While on the ERAU campus, he met up with St. Christopher’s graduates and ERAU students Holden Valerie ’23 and Charlie Allen ’24.

Jon Waite completed his certification as a facilitator for the BALM® Family Recovery curriculum.

Chelsea Auernheimer, Robert Churchwell, Allyson Diljohn, Sazshy Kane-West, Taylor Knight ‘10, Isa Shealy, Meredith Smart, Jake Westermann and Brian Zollinhofer attended the NAIS People of Color Conference in Denver in December.

Fifth grade teacher Sarah Hubard was selected to serve on this year’s Virginia Museum of History and Culture’s (VMHC) Teacher Advisory Council. The council creates activities and lessons to accompany artifacts, supports the VMHC in its efforts to prepare for the statewide 250th anniversary and provides feedback on professional development materials.

Director of Information Systems and Academic Technology Hiram Cuevas completed his five-year tenure as Executive Director of Blackbaud’s K-12 Advisory Board.

Director of the Arts Kerry Court joined the Education Committee of the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance.

In January, Middle School Soccer Coach

Jon Piper attended the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Chicago.

Jon Piper in Chicago

Lower School Director of Curriculum and Instruction Cynthia Brown was selected to serve as the Higher Achievement Advisory Board Chair for the Richmond area. Higher Achievement—Richmond partners with three Richmond City middle schools to provide academic enrichment, homework support and mentoring to guide students as they navigate the middle school years and prepare for high school.

Dr. David Shin collaborated on a research study with IBSC coaches from St. Christopher’s School and South Africa College High School to better understand how veteran coaches build team culture in their sport.

StC and St. Catherine’s nursing teams

The StC team at the NAIS POC conference

Images from David Shin’s research

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Hope Morgan draws inspiration from 100+ mile hike through the Alps.

Last summer, Extended Day Teacher and Lower School Teacher of Visual Arts Hope Morgan set out with two friends on a 100+ mile hike through the European Alps. The landscapes of that adventure are what inform the pieces in her show RUNAWAY, currently on display in the Rennolds Gallery at St. Catherine’s.

This is Morgan’s eighth year on the faculty at St. Christopher’s, but her first year in the art room, and she loves sharing her talents and passions with our youngest Saints. She’s even begun to see her influence in their projects. “My work is very detailed and meticulous, and I think you can tell that I’m their teacher when you look at their work,” Morgan said. “I’m always saying ‘the detail makes the difference,’ and I encourage my students to create art that makes people want to get up close.”

In fact, Morgan’s own journey as an artist began in her earliest years. “I grew up in a family full of female creatives on both sides, and my grandmother was a poet who taught English at St. Catherine’s. My mother is a landscape painter, and I was encouraged from a young age to be creative. I think that is why I was drawn to teaching art, and I just want my students to know that they can be creative, too.”

As a teacher who is active in her own practice, Morgan has some advice to offer Saints pursuing their own art: “Do something creative every day, even if it’s something small. Every little thing you make brings new ideas and new inspiration, and in that way, you can be your own teacher.”

Top photo: Morgan on her hike; Inset photo: Morgan in the gallery with her show RUNAWAY

RETIRING FACULTY & STAFF

Tributes to retiring faculty and staff who have 25 or more years of service to St. Christopher’s

DON GOLLADAY

Middle School math teacher and coach

After 56 years as a Middle School math teacher and athletic coach, Don Golladay will bid farewell to St. Christopher’s School at the end of the school year. He will be remembered for his rigorous educational practices, sense of humor, love of music and dedication to the School and its community.

Golladay joined StC in 1969 and is currently the longest-serving faculty member on staff. He remembers quickly feeling the community’s embrace when he first arrived on campus and the camaraderie among his friends and colleagues. “From the time I walked in the door, I was accepted. It felt like everyone was your friend,” Golladay said. “This place feels like home.”

As an educator and athletic coach, Golladay established a reputation for high standards and pushed the boys to put in serious work in the classroom and on the football field. “Don is a Middle School legend,” said the Head of the Middle School Warren Hunter. “He has high expectations, and it’s been fun over the years watching the boys in his class gain the confidence that they can do the work. More importantly, he really loves them,” Hunter said.

For Golladay, it was important that his boys developed a healthy “math vocabulary” in the classroom, insisting on using precise language in discussions or group lessons. Through discipline and practice, Golladay believed in building a comprehensive, solid foundational knowledge base that would carry students through to the Upper School.

Golladay has taught generations of Saints boys eighth grade math, and many considered it a badge of honor to be taught by him. “He’s made a huge imprint on the students that have gone through here,” said Middle School Math Teacher Craig Chewning. “They basically want their boys to go to school at St. Christopher’s because Don Golladay could potentially teach or coach them. Donnie showed me that it’s not just helpful to care a lot about how you perform. It’s a necessity,” Chewning said.

Don Golladay has been a StC faculty member and coach for 56 years.

“Mr. Golladay taught me a valuable life lesson that there is no such thing as over-preparation. I still apply that principle and encourage our team to follow this advice every day. “

- Former Student

Now, facing a life outside the classroom, Golladay looks forward to spending more time with music, another one of his passions. For years, Golladay has played folk, bluegrass and Americana music with various groups in the area, including the faculty band “The Izod Valley Boys,” which included fellow teachers Andy Smith and Liston Rudd. Golladay’s current band is “Company’s Coming,” and he plays the mandolin.

Middle School History Teacher Hill Brown ‘85 remembers being a student in Golladay’s class, and he finds it remarkable that he now knows his former instructor as a friend. “I’ve grown really close to him as a colleague,” said Brown. “He’s such a voice of wisdom and a walking chronicle of the history of the Middle School. Year after year, there he was. He’s just such a presence. We’ll all miss him in the math department because he had that guiding force.”

“Don is a Middle School legend. He has high expectations, and it’s been fun watching the boys in his class gain the confidence that they can do the work. More importantly, he really loves them.”

- Warren Hunter Head of the Middle School

RETIRING FACULTY & STAFF

Tributes to retiring faculty and staff who have 25 or more years of service to St. Christopher’s

MARY ANDERSON

Middle School Science teacher

Since joining St. Christopher’s School in 1992, Middle School Science teacher Mary Anderson has inspired boys to become lifelong learners while also nurturing their character. After 33 years of teaching, Anderson is retiring. She leaves behind a legacy that’s marked, above all, by a love for her students.

“I love the ability to do what I want in my classroom. I like being able to change from year to year as the boys’ needs change,” Anderson said. She has built a reputation for holding her students to high standards but stresses the importance of creativity, critical thinking, and the freedom to ask questions. “I love teaching the boys, starting with cells through to ecology, and I’m making them ask questions and think deeply,” said Anderson. “I’d like for them to be lifelong learners, and when questions in science arise, they’re able to listen, look at the data and come up with their own opinions.”

Anderson hopes that her challenging environment will help them excel in science, but most importantly, in all the areas of their lives. “I tell the boys I have high expectations because I love them. That’s where it comes from,” said Anderson. “I want them to do their best. And probably 99 percent of them hit those expectations by the end of the year. I want them to know that I believe in them.”

Over the years, Anderson built a reputation among her peers for helping students meet or even exceed expectations. “Every boy who has her as a teacher is better for it. He is more confident, organized and ready to tackle challenging work,” said Middle School English teacher Liz Boykin

While creating a rigorous academic setting is important to Anderson, she is equally committed to helping the boys discover who they are and helping them develop their communication and life skills. Recalling a story where two boys objected to being paired up as lab partners, Anderson explains how insisting that the students work together made a powerful difference in their lives. “They told me later in the year, ‘We’re so different. His weakness is my strength and vice versa, so we actually work really well as a team.’

These two boys would never have been around each other, and they’re best friends to this day. I still see them occasionally,” said Anderson.

Anderson has always found a way to look out for and include those who might feel out of place, especially in her three-year role as the Middle School lead for the School’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Initiative. “I thought she did a great job of getting the boys interested and active in the program, spreading information to

Mary Anderson is retiring after 33 years of teaching science to generations of StC boys.

others and getting them to stand up for the right thing at hard times,” said Middle School Instructional Technologist and Math Teacher Brian Zollinhofer

When Anderson first joined the Middle School, she already knew her way around campus. Her husband, David Anderson, who passed away in 2014, served as chaplain in the Lower and Upper Schools, and their son, Matthew Anderson ‘05, was in first grade. After so many years, Anderson knows she will miss campus after her retirement. “Being away from the people here is going to be tough. When I lost my husband 10 years ago, this community was just my rock,” Anderson said.

Anderson plans on spending more time with her grandchildren after she leaves but will miss the daily churn of school life and teaching boys. “I think this place helps keep me young,” Anderson said. “The beautiful thing about a seventh grader is that he’s still curious and wants to learn. If you can capture that and keep him engaged, they’ll do wonderful things for you.”

“Every boy who has her as a teacher is better for it. He is more confident, organized and ready to tackle challenging work.”

-

Liz Boykin, Middle School English teacher

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