SPA Magazine Fall 2010

SPA

The Magazine of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

FALL 2010

On the Cover Masters of the Craft: SPA’s Endowed Faculty Chairs The Art of Performance: Music and Drama at SPA Facing Uncharted Waters: The Senior Project

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Letter from the Head On the cover Masters of the Craft: SPA’s Endowed Faculty Chairs The school’s seven Endowed Faculty Chairs talk about teaching, their disciplines, and what they love about SPA.

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The Art of Performance: Music and Drama at SPA SPA has long been known for its exceptional performing arts, which help shape the curriculum and student experience.

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Facing Uncharted Waters: The Senior Project The capstone of the senior year at SPA, the Senior Project has been a fixture for four decades.

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The Magazine of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

FALL 2010 SPA Magazine is published in the fall and spring by St. Paul Academy and Summit School for alumni/ae, parents, and friends of the school.

Spotlight on the Class of 2010 SPA’s 110th Commencement, school awards, and college choices.

Departments 2 8 26 28 37 40

SPA We welcome your comments and thoughts. Please contact us at spamag@spa.edu with suggestions for stories, news, and photos, or write us at SPA Magazine, 1712 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55105.

Head of School Bryn S. Roberts

Through the Doors Spartan Sports Alumni/ae News Class Notes In Memoriam Philanthropy

Editor and Principal Writer Ami Berger Principal Photographer Scott Streble

On the cover: SPA’s seven Endowed Faculty Chairs: Standing, left to right: Dr. Andrea Sachs, Lucy Polk, Kris Flom, and Dr. Steve Heilig. Seated, left to right: George Leiter, Anne Klus, and Judy Johnson.

Photo by Scott Streble.

Contributing Photographers Ami Berger, Monica Fogg, Greg Helgeson, John Severson

2010-2011 Board of Trustees

Design and Layout Kimberlea Weeks Sexton Printing

Officers Charlotte Shepard Johnson ’64, President Byron E. Starns, Secretary Philip W. White ’81, Treasurer

Members Dr. Fahima Aziz Page Knudsen Cowles Elizabeth Driscoll Hlavka Ruth Seely Huss ’57 Frederick C. Kaemmer ’88 Sarah S. Karon Bruce A. Lilly ’70 Ranlet Miner, Jr. Virginia H. Morris Timothy W. J. O’Brien ’77 Ann Ruhr Pifer ’83 Dr. Brian C. Rosenberg Gail A. Ward Timothy A. Welsh Shannon McNeely Whitaker ’78 The Honorable Wilhelmina M. Wright Charles A. Zelle ’73

Read SPA Magazine online at www.spa.edu > About SPA > News and Media

St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 651-698-2451 info@spa.edu www.spa.edu

Letter from the Head

Head of School Bryn S. Roberts: “I am often moved by the depth of affection and respect that SPA alumni/ae— even those who have been gone from the school for decades—show for the faculty who shaped their experiences while they

I

Scott Streble

were students here.”

In my travels around the country, I frequently meet with St. Paul

curiosity, but we also know that scholarly attainment alone is

Academy and Summit School alumni/ae. It’s good school relations,

insufficient. The best teachers are those with a strong knowledge

of course, to keep alums who live far from the Twin Cities abreast of

of their disciplines and a keen sense of the inner lives of their

happenings at SPA, but I admit to a somewhat more selfish reason:

students: their aspirations, insecurities, and talents. To visit a

meeting with our alumni/ae is one of the most enjoyable aspects

classroom in any of our three division is to see that dynamic—

of my work. It is always compelling and informative to hear their

knowledge united with empathy—come alive.

memories of the school as they experienced it: their classmates, teammates, and friends; their favorite courses and those they dreaded; their games, performances, and concerts; and above all, how much those years at SPA continue to mean to them.

Superb teaching sustains the continuum of excellence at SPA and the Endowed Faculty Chair program is one of the ways we honor the men and women who have educated generations of children to be good students and good people. The Endowed Chair program

I have had hundreds of these conversations and the discussions

celebrates the intellectual strength and creativity of our teachers,

inevitably turn to a single subject: teachers. I am often moved by

while establishing acknowledged models and standards for the

the depth of affection and respect that SPA alumni/ae—even

entire SPA community. The seven teachers who currently hold

those who have been gone from the school for decades—have for

our Endowed Chairs are truly masters of their craft: each of them

the faculty who shaped their experiences during their years here.

brings creativity, thoughtfulness, and a love of teaching to their

Phrases such as “life-changing,” “brilliant,” “the best teacher I ever

classrooms every day.

had,” and “the most important influence in my life” are common when graduates reflect on their teachers at SPA.

The importance of outstanding teaching to SPA’s mission is paramount, and it is also best seen in person. I invite you to

I am struck by the enduring influence that SPA teachers have

take time to come back to school, visit our classrooms,

on our alumni/ae, an influence that ripples through their lives

and see for yourself the magic of teaching and learning

years later. And when I walk through the halls of SPA today, I see

at today’s St. Paul Academy and Summit School.

those same life-changing relationships at work. As you’ll read on

Best,

page 10 in our cover story about SPA’s Endowed Faculty Chair program, SPA’s teachers continue to be a truly exceptional group.

They are leaders in their chosen disciplines, but they also posses that singular ability to connect meaningfully and authentically with students. Exemplary teaching takes many forms and each

Bryn S. Roberts Head of School

teacher has his or own distinctive style. At SPA we know that outstanding teaching requires intellectual engagement and

fall 2010 | SPA

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Courtesy T. Cheesebrough

Through the Doors

SPA welcomes new faculty for 2010-2011 Eight new faculty members, pictured below, joined SPA in the fall of 2010. All eight were part of national and international searches.

The new faculty, who filled open positions in all three divisions, come to SPA from across the world (in the case of Neil Bray, who joins us from a school in Shanghai) and from across the building (in the case of Mollie Ward ’83, who moved this year from Middle School to Upper School history). Read more about SPA’s newst faculty members at http://tinyurl. com/23emhjg.

Girls’ hockey visits the White House Neil Bray Middle School Chinese and social studies

Josephine Auyeung Middle/Upper School Chinese

Andrew Currie Grade 5 homeroom Dr. Nan Dreher Upper School history

Aimeric Lajuzan Upper School French Andrew Roy Middle School social studies, technology, and English

In July 2010, the girls United hockey team (which includes players from both SPA and Visitation) took a five-day tour of the nation’s capital, during which the team played four games against tough East Coast competition, visited the sites of all three branches of the federal government and met several high-profile legislators.

Visitation/SPA won and tied two games against the Baltimore-based Susquehanna Rapids, before dropping a pair to the Washington Pride. “We were happy to go undefeated in those first two games,” says head coach Ted Cheesebrough.

“The D.C. team took it to us the first night we played them, so we were pleased to be in a one-goal game against them in the third period of Saturday’s rematch.”

Aside from great hockey, the trip was a chance for the girls to see the sights of Washington D.C.; the team toured the White House, the Capitol building, the State Department, and the Supreme Court. The girls also had their own meetand-greet sessions with Minnesota’s Senator Amy Klobuchar and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.

A highlight of the trip was spending time with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who visited with the team during their tour of the State Department.

Clinton talked with the players about their trip to D.C. and posed for several photos during their meeting. Secretary Clinton’s meeting with the hockey team rounded out a day where she also met with the new Russian President, the Russian Foreign Minister and the Hungarian Foreign Minister.

Community Chorale 2011: Mozart’s Requiem Carmen Gavin Vanegas Upper School chemistry and biology Mollie Ward Upper School history 2

SPA | fall 2010

The entire SPA community is invited to join us for the school’s annual Community Chorale; this year the Chorale will perform Mozart’s Requiem. All parents, alumni/ ae, faculty, staff, and friends are invited to participate. Community Chorale rehearsals will start Sunday, February 13, at 4 p.m. in the Shepard Center Choir Room on the Randolph campus. The concert will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011, at 7 p.m. at the Chapel at St. Catherine University.

Courtesy C. Johnson

Board of Trustees’ new president: Charlotte “Shotsy” Johnson ’64 Charlotte “Shotsy” Johnson has been a part of the St. Paul Academy and Summit School community for almost fifty years.

She was a “lifer” at the Summit School, graduating in 1964; she returned a few years later as the parent of Trip ’83, Kiki (a member of the Class of ’87), Lesley ’88, and Nick ’90; and then joined the school’s Board of Trustees in 2002. “I had taken a bit of a hiatus from the school after my youngest child graduated,” Johnson says, “but my interest was renewed when it became clear to me that the school was taking a new direction and starting to expand its thinking.”

After eight years on the Board, the timing seemed right to Johnson to take a leadership role. “There are such exciting things ahead,” says Johnson, who began her Presidency in July 2010 after Charlie Zelle ’73, who had served as Board president for six years, stepped down. “We have wonderful leadership in place, the academic program is excellent, and now we have the opportunity to build on those things and move forward with some very significant plans for the future.”

In her first year as Board President, Johnson plans to continue the work Zelle began during his tenure. “For this next year, I’ll certainly continue to build on what I’ve inherited: working with the Board to provide support to Bryn [Roberts] and his excellent administrative team, and continue to support the school in implementing the Strategic Plan,” Johnson says. She has a great deal of confidence in her colleagues on the Board: “This is a good and productive working board,” she notes. “We all fully understand our role in relation to the role of the administration and the faculty, and I think we are well-positioned to bring the school forward in compelling and cohesive ways.”

Dziedzic headlines five new coach hires for 2010-11 In March 2010, SPA announced the hiring of Joe Dziedzic as the school’s new head hockey coach. Dziedzic is a former NHL player, University of Minnesota Golden Gopher star, and Minnesota’s 1990 Mr. Hockey. Dziedzic had served as interim coach for the varsity hockey team since January 2010; in his permanent role, he has responsibility for both the varsity and junior varsity teams.

A new head football coach also came on board in June 2010. Mark Heiser had been a part of SPA’s football program since 2003 as an assistant coach. He had served as offensive coordinator for the team since 2007, and in the 2009 season led a Spartans offense producing 4200 yards and 42 touchdowns, a school record. Heiser is also the head coach of the St. Paul Pioneers, an adult amateur football team that won a national championship in 2009.

Volleyball, girls basketball, and fencing also have new leadership this fall.

Rebecca Zenefski is the new JV and varsity girls volleyball coach. Zenefski graduated from St. Catherine’s with a B.S. in exercise and sport science, and most recently coached at CretinDerham. Anna Voltmer is the new varsity girls basketball coach. Most recently, Voltmer was the head JV and assistant varsity basketball coach at Mahtomedi High School; she holds a B.S. in physical education from Minnesota State University in Mankato.

Zachary Moss, who will coach fencing this season, was a NCAA Division I fencer during his four years at Duke University and is currently training to qualify for the 2012 Olympic fencing team. He is also a certified personal trainer and serves as an assistant coach for SPA’s girls volleyball.

fall 2010 | SPA

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Greg Helgeson

Through the Doors

Lower School mini helps reduce food waste During the spring of 2010, students in the Lower School participated in a school-wide effort to reduce food waste. The effort was spearheaded by teacher Rick Magnuson ’90, who partnered with SPA parent Ellen Konstan in leading a Lower School mini-course (known as a “mini”) about food waste, sustainability, and food security.

Initially, Lower School principal Cliff Clark asked the students in the mini to find out how much food waste was produced every day in the Lower School cafeteria. The students designed an experiment in which food waste from each grade was weighed each day for a week, and the results recorded. The initial results: about 200 lbs of food wasted each week—about .15 lbs. per person per day.

The mini then issued a challenge to the rest of the Lower School to reduce food waste the next week, and offered simple suggestions—take less to start and eat what’s on your plate before going back for more. Every single grade reduced its waste the next week, and the experiment also spurred a pilot program for composting organic waste from the cafeteria. That program has continued this fall.

While the experiment was taking shape, the mini also focused on food shortages around the world and in the Twin Cities community; the students discussed statistics about world hunger and also met with a representative from a local food bank. “It was a great mini,” Magnuson says, “and the kids were really excited about sharing what they learned with the SPA community.”

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SPA | fall 2010

Reunion Symposium examines 1969 merger of St. Paul Academy and Summit School A part of SPA’s 2010 Reunion Weekend was a special event exploring the driving forces, process, and outcomes of the 1969 merger of St. Paul Academy and the Summit School. The Merger Symposium was moderated by Head of School Bryn S. Roberts and featured a panel of speakers, each of whom played an important role in this signature event in the history of the school. Panelists included: Thomas Read, St. Paul Academy Headmaster from 1967-74, who led SPA, oversaw the merger, and then became the first Head of the merged St. Paul Academy and Summit School; David Lilly ’35, St. Paul Academy alumnus, who served on the SPA Board of Trustees pre-merger (1956-69) and then on the Board of the merged institution from 1969-1972; Jean Hart ’52, Summit School alumna, who served on the Board of the merged institution from 1971-1989; Ran Miner, former faculty member at both the pre-merger SPA and the merged institution (1962-2000) and a current Trustee; Bruce A. Lilly ’70, St. Paul Academy and Summit School alumnus and current member of the Board of Trustees who also served from 1987-2001; Ellen Seesel ’70, St. Paul Academy and Summit School alumna.

According to panelist and former Head of School Thomas Read, the SPA/Summit merger was viewed as one of the most successful collaborations of the time, “none of which would have happened without the effective leadership of an able Board of Trustees, the unprecedented generosity of its patrons, the active and hands-on support of its parent body, and the willingness of faculty and students alike to tolerate a few years of temporary discomfort and confusion,” says Read, who considers the merger a significant highlight of his life and career. “The merger was not only a synergistic blending of the two schools’ best features and traditions,” says Read, “but it resulted in a new and better school – more stimulating and challenging, more humane, more accommodating, and with more emphasis on the development of the whole student.”

File photo

SPA implements ImPACT program for student-athletes Starting in fall of 2010, SPA’s student-athletes in grades 7-12 who are participating in high-impact sports have access to a new resource for staying safe and healthy.

Scott Streble

The Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) program is a tool used by physicians and coaches in the treatment and prevention of head injuries sustained during athletic play. At the start of their season, all SPA students in grades 7-12 participating in soccer, football, hockey, lacrosse, baseball, and softball in 2010-11 took the baseline ImPACT test—an online, non-invasive, exam which tracks neurocognitive information such as memory, reaction time, brain processing speed, and concentration.

Any student-athlete who then suffers a head injury or suspected concussion during the season will be retested and the post-injury results compared to the original baseline results. This information will then be used as a tool to assist the student’s physician, coach, and the SPA athletic training staff in determining the extent of the student’s injury, monitoring recovery, and in making safe return- to-play decisions.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to provide this program to our studentathletes here at SPA,” says co-athletic director Dave Montgomery. “This will allow us to be a step ahead in the ongoing prevention and treatment of head injuries, and help ensure the safety and well-being of our players in impact sports.” SPA is covering the cost of the ImPACT testing for all students.

SPA is one of the first independent schools in the Twin Cities metro to implement the ImPACT program. Founded by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Sports Concussion Program, the ImPACT system is utilized throughout professional sports; it has been mandated in the NHL and NFL and utilized by US Soccer and countless colleges and high schools across the country.

Janice Gepner

Carl Meyer

Janice Gepner and Carl Meyer retire

St. Paul Academy and Summit School Upcoming Open Houses: Lower School (K-5): December 2, 9:00-11:00 am Middle & Upper Schools (6-12): January 13 6:30-8:30 pm Lower School (K-5): January 20, 9:00-11:00 am Details and directions at www.spa.edu or call 651-698-2451

SPA bid a fond farewell to two longtime faculty members in spring 2010.

Dr. Janice Gepner, Upper School science teacher, taught at SPA for sixteen years and was the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including the 2010 “Excellence in High School Chemistry Teaching” from the Minnesota section of the American Chemical Society.

Carl Meyer was a fixture in SPA’s Lower School for 26 years; over the course of his career, he taught science and Grades 5 and 6. Both Gepner and Meyer were honored at the SPA Faculty/ Staff Dinner on June 8, 2010. fall 2010 | SPA

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Through the Doors

Middle School mural project explores “Transitions” In January and February 2010, SPA’s seventh graders became mural artists under the direction of Twin Cities artist Monica Fogg. The mural project was made possible by the Ellie Citron Fine Arts Fund, which supports special programming in the fine arts at SPA.

Ami Berger

During the project, Fogg guided the 77 seventh-graders through the process of exploring ideas, developing images, and executing a mural approximately 7 feet high and 19 feet wide. Fogg’s working title for the project, “Transitions: Taking Flight and Growing Strong,” inspired the project’s framework, in which the class was split into two thematic groups, with 40 students creating panels focused on “Growing Strong” and 37 students creating panels focused on “Taking Flight.” Within those two groups, the students worked both as individuals and in small teams, with each student executing his or her own design within a larger framework, exploring abstraction and pattern building. Each team worked to translate the design from scale drawings to a larger format and to assess how the work of individuals comes together to effectively create a whole image.

Monica Fogg

Fogg, who is on the faculty of the College of Design at the University of Minnesota, was impressed with how seriously the students took the work. “The students put a huge amount of effort into this project,” says Fogg, who notes that such collaborative work can be a challenge given the wide range of skill in any group. “But at the end of the day, these students took great pride in both their own achievement and their team work. This experience touched them in ways they may not even know yet.”

The completed mural is now permanently installed in Bigelow Commons on the Randolph Campus.

Rubicon wins national First Class rating SPA’s student newspaper, The Rubicon, was awarded a national First Class honor rating for its 2009-10 series of issues from the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA).

The First Class honor rating acknowledges specific areas where student newspapers must excel. In addition to the overall honor rating, The Rubicon received three Marks of Distinction for Coverage and Content; Photography, Art, and Graphics; and Leadership. In order to be considered for the national awards, the staff submitted all issues published in the 2009-10 year, which were then judged against high school newspapers from all over the country. NSPA’s national critique is “an intense process,” but one that ultimately is very helpful to the students, according to Rubicon advisor Kathryn Campbell, who notes that students have the opportunity to look at marked copies of the newspapers for specific notes on writing, design, photography, static elements, and coverage.

In notifying Campbell of the award, NSPA reported some of the judges’ comments about the paper: About the Rubicon sports coverage: “What really puts this [sports] section over the top was the local columnist. Sports guys tend to gravitate toward national topics, but this one did serious work on school sports.”

About the editorial section: “The editorials blew me away as to how well they were written. They opened well, got to the point, made a strong case, and issued a call for action. Plus, they were school-oriented issues. I wish I could get a lot of college students to do editorials this well.”

In addition, the NSPA judge who awarded the First Class rating commented that The Rubicon is “a top-notch paper from top to bottom.”

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SPA | fall 2010

Spring Party 2010 Celebrates the Arts at SPA

Greg Helgeson

On Saturday, May 1, 2010, more than 300 SPA parents, grandparents, alumni/ae, faculty and staff gathered in Briggs Gymnasium to celebrate the arts at SPA. The gym was transformed into a dramatic art gallery, with row upon row of student-created paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, pottery, and textiles from all three divisions. Attendees enjoyed live music and the chance to participate in the “Auction of Experiences,” a silent auction featuring a wide range of one-of-a-kind experiences, from athletic events to progressive dinners. The event also showcased the “Art Hang,” an exhibit of original art created by SPA parents, alumni/ae, faculty, staff and friends.

The success of the event was due in no small part to Spring Party chairs and SPA parents Julia Ferguson and Michelle Bradley (pictured at left), who led a dedicated team of parent volunteers. Months of planning culminated in the installation of the art in Briggs several days before the party, so that students from the Lower School could visit and see how their art and the art of their classmates was showcased.

Photos by Greg Helgeson

Proceeds from the event totaled $30,000 and went to SPA’s Annual Fund.

Math team wins state tournament The St. Paul Academy/Mounds Park Academy Math Team took first place in its tier in the Minnesota High School Mathematics League state tournament, held at South St. Paul High School on March 8, 2010.

The SPA/MPA team reached the state competition by winning first place during the regular season in the Tri-Metro Division of the Math League. In addition to its firstplace finish among Tier II (smaller) schools, the team also tied for 5th place among all 170 teams from schools of all sizes.

The 2010 tournament included more than 350 students from nearly 50 schools across Minnesota, and included both individual and team events. After the results of all events were tallied, the SPA/MPA team was declared the state champion for Tier II with 84 total points. Winona Cotter came in second in Tier II with 75 points, and Duluth Marshall was third with 60.

2009-10 debate team finishes in top 3 in the state SPA’s 2009-10 debate team was ranked third in Minnesoa and 35th in the nation, among schools of all sizes, based on the year’s point performance. The team won innumerable team and individual awards during the year’s tournaments, including the national qualifying tournament, in which SPA students finished 4th, 5th, 8th, and 9th among 33 entries in two person debate.

Students who earned marks of distinction from the National Forensic League during the season included Alexander Berger ’11, Benjamin Goldberger ’10, Sinan Goral ’11, Madeline Karon ’10, Daniel Porter ’12, Daniel Preus ’10, and Samuel Rock ’10.

fall 2010 | SPA

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Spartan Sports

Girls Golf The girls golf team finished in 7th place in the Tri Metro Conference. All Conference honors went to senior Elizabeth Diebel, and junior Isabella Dougherty earned

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Softball The softball team went 6 and 5 in conference play and tied for 5th place in the Tri Metro Conference, with an 11 and 11 overall record.

Senior Christiania Miller and sophomores Erica Miller and Anna Olson earned All Conference, and junior Delaney Middlebrook and sophomore Bari Applebaum were named Honorable Mention All Conference.

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SPA | fall 2010

Courtesy SPA Athletics

The baseball team finished 8 and 3 in conference play and finished 4th in the Tri Metro conference, with 11 wins and 10 losses overall.

Senior Nathan Johnson and juniors Gabe Mast and Chris Pichert were named All Conference, and seniors David McVeety and Santano Rosario and junior John Micevych were Honorable Mention All Conference.

Senior Joey Goldfarb was also named a Pioneer Press Playmaker of the Week.

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The boys golf team finished 4th in the conference with 6 wins and 3 losses.

Honorable Mention All Conference honorees included juniors Conor Dowdle and James Adams and senior John Gast. Senior Brennan White qualified for the Class AA State Tournament and finished 47 out of 88 golfers.

1 | David McVeety ’10, co-captain of the 2010 baseball team, stretches towards first base. 2 | Bri Rick ’10, nicknamed “the Destroyer” by teammates, with the hurdle she smashed during a race in May 2010. 3 | Members of the girls’ golf team, including All Conference player Elizabeth Diebel (far right) after Diebel’s performance at the Class AA State Tournament.

Honorable Mention All Conference. Diebel qualified for the Class AA State Tournament and finished 44th out of 88 golfers.

Boys Tennis The boys tennis team finished 3rd in the Tri Metro Conference with a 5 and 2 record. All Conference honors went to senior Harry Whitaker, juniors Zach Mohring and John Hill, and sophomore Birk Mitau.

Courtesy SPA Athletics

Baseball

Boys Golf

Courtesy SPA Athletics

Spring Sports Roundup

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Senior Robert Lilly, junior Max Hommeyer, and freshman Matt Henneman were Honorable Mention All Conference. In sectional play, the team finished second in Section 1A. The doubles team of Harry Whitaker and Birk Mitau also finished in second place in Section 1A and qualified for the State

Tournament, finishing in third place at the Class A State Tennis Tournament.

John Hill also qualified for State, and won the tournament, becoming the 2010 Class A Singles State Champion. Hill was named a Star Tribune Athlete of the Week after his victory at State.

Annie Hart ’10: A winner for all seasons

The boys track team finished 8th in the Tri Metro Conference. Senior Ben Greenwald was named All Conference, and senior Zach Nelson, junior Carter Peterson, and freshman Francesco DeCaprio were named Honorable Mention All Conference. In sectional competition, Ben Greenwald was Section Runner Up in the 400, setting a school record at 49.92 and finishing 5th in the 400 at the Class A State Track Meet. He was also named a Pioneer Press Metro Playmaker of the Week after his performance at State.

Annie Hart ’10, a champion Nordic skier and cross-country athlete, spent her senior year at SPA training hard and competing harder.

During Annie’s final ski season at SPA, she won the 5K classic race for female Junior (age 19 and under) Nordic skiers at the United States Cross Country Nationals held in Anchorage, Alaska in January 2010. Annie began her competitive Nordic skiing career on the SPA Nordic Ski team in 9th grade. She developed quickly, participating in the State Nordic ski meet that first year and winning the State title in her junior year. Annie was also a star on SPA’s cross country running and track team. In the fall of 2009, she placed 9th in the state in Class A, and in her spring 2010 season, she won the section 4A championship in the 800 meter race.

Girls Lacrosse The girls lacrosse team finished the season with two wins, defeating Holy Angels 16 to 9 and Rochester Century 13 to 4. Sophomore Kristin Knutzen was the team’s leading scorer with 21 goals, 2 assists, and 2 interceptions.

Annie Hart sprints to victory in the January 2010 5K classic race at the National competition in Anchorage, Alaska.

Her outstanding athletic and academic achievements attracted the attention of the local media during her final months at SPA: she was named the 2010 female Athlete of the Year by both the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune. In the Star Tribune article on her accomplishments, Annie noted, “When you...go to a school like SPA, where you’re taught never to settle, it motivates you. I’ve never been content doing second-best work.” In the fall of 2010, Annie began her first year at Dartmouth College, where she is a member of the school’s Division I Nordic ski team.

Girls Track

Spring athletic awards At the Upper School Awards Assembly in May 2010, SPA’s awards for outstanding athletic achievement were awarded to ten members of the Class of 2010: Caroline Daniels was the winner of the 2010 French Athletic Trophy, presented to an older girl, in memory of Richard French ’55, for the combined qualities of sportsmanship and competitive spirit. French Trophy Honorable Mentions were Cecilia DiCaprio and Brianna Rick.

Courtesy SPA Athletics

The girls track team finished 7th in the Tri Metro Conference. All Conference honors went to seniors Anne Hart and Caroline Daniels and junior Ambrosia Smith.

Honorable Mention All Conference honors went to seniors Charlotte Zelle, Claire Palmer, Bri Rick, and Cece DeCaprio and sophomores Ayo Jones and Sydney Carlson. Anne Hart was the Section 4A Champion in the 800, qualifying for State competition, and was named Athlete of the Year by both the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune.

Photo by Ben Dubay

Boys Track

David McVeety and Wyatt Wenzel were the winners of the 2010 Colonel Griggs Trophy, given in memory of Chauncey Wright Griggs, Class of 1922, to an older boy or boys for the combined qualities of sportsmanship and competitive spirit.

Anne Hart and Megan Leslie were awarded the 2010 Girls’ Athletic Bowl, given to a member or members of the varsity teams for exceptional performance and leadership.

Evan McMillan was the winner of the Frenzel Boys’ Athletic Bowl, given in memory of Thomas Frenzel, Class of 1949, to a member of the boys’ varsity teams for exceptional performance and leadership. Frenzel Bowl Honorable Mentions were Ben Greenwald and Santano Rosario; Rosario (pictured at left with baseball teammates) was also the winner of the 2010 Winfield Award, given to the most outstanding student-athlete of color in the Twin Cities. fall 2010 | SPA

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Masters of the Craft: SPA’s Endowed Faculty Chair program supports the school’s first priority: exceptional teaching

BY AMI BERGER | PHOTOS BY SCOTT STREBLE

S

St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s faculty are the stuff of legend. Walk into a classroom on either campus, and prepare to be transfixed by a teacher with an extraordinary ability to make a subject come alive, instill a love of learning, and develop real, profound relationships with students that last well beyond Commencement. Ask SPA students what the most important part of their SPA education is, and most will answer without hesitation: “my teachers.”

Honoring this tradition of excellence in teaching is at the heart of SPA’s Endowed Faculty Chair program. Endowed Chairs are a common means of supporting faculty in higher education, but are much less common in independent schools. In revamping the Endowed Chair selection process in 2009, Head of School Bryn S. Roberts borrowed heavily from the collegiate model of working with each department to recognize exemplary performance in the classroom.

SPA has seven endowed funds for faculty chairs, which help support the salary and benefits for the teacher holding the Chair. The new process for selecting Endowed Chairs is a collaboration between departments and the Head of School: each department nominates two candidates based on excellence in teaching and service to the community, and the Head of School then selects a teacher to hold the Chair for five years.

Four of SPA’s Endowed Chairs—two in English, one in math, and one in history/social studies—are open to faculty in the Middle and Upper Schools, where such departmental designations have more relevance; the Endowed Chairs in language, fine arts, and science are now open to Lower School faculty as well. “The fact that we can offer these Endowed Chairs to faculty throughout the school is a real privilege,” says Dr. Cindy Richter, Assistant Head of School, “and the ability to award these Chairs every five years is a wonderful opportunity for us to recognize the many excellent teachers throughout SPA.” Each of the seven Endowed Chairs is supported by a fund created by an alumnus or alumna of the school, or in several cases, by a family (see sidebar for an overview of all seven Endowed Chairs). The most recent Chair was created by Ruth Seely Huss ’57 and her husband; the Ruth and A.J. Huss Chair in Modern Literature was inspired by Ruth Huss’s love of reading. “One of the things I learned at Summit School was that reading could be joyful, entertaining, educational, and a lifelong pursuit,” says Ruth Huss.

“We created the Huss Chair to honor the joy and creativity of writing and literature, and to support those teachers who can convey that joy and creativity to their students.”

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SPA | fall 2010

St. Paul Academy and Summit School Endowed Faculty Chairs The Edward Brooks Jr. Chair in the Fine Arts was created in 1981 by the late Edward Brooks ’40 and his wife, Virginia. The Brooks Chair has been held

by Hazel Belvo, John Koziol, Bob Jewett, and current chair Anne Klus.

The Hamm Family Chair in History was created in 1972 by Edward ’55 and William Hamm ’53.

The Hamm Family Chair has been held by Joanna Victor, John Finch, and current chair Dr. Andrea Sachs.

The J. Jerome Hill Chair in Foreign Languages was created in 1973 by the Louis W. and Maud Hill Family Foundation in memory of J. Jerome Hill ’22. The Hill Chair has been held by Lyman Hawbaker, Margaret Durham, Jutta Crowder and current chair Kris Flom.

The Ruth Seely Huss and A.J. Huss Chair in Modern Literature was created in 2004 by Ruth Huss ’57 and her husband. The Huss Chair is held by Judy Johnson.

The Thomas E. Irvine Chair in Humanities was created in 1970 by the Irvine family in memory of Thomas E. Irvine, who attended St. Paul Academy from 1921-24. The Irvine Chair has been held by John Fitch, Rob Woutat, Michael Foley, Patricia Donovan, Naomi Kelly and current chair Lucy Polk.

The P.A. Schilling Family Chair of Mathematics was created in 1969 by Paul A. Schilling, Paul K. Schilling ’41, and Hugh K. Schilling ’43 in honor of the elder Paul A. Schilling, a Summit School Trustee from 1935-1953. The Schilling Family Chair has been held by Allen Holmes, Bill Boulger and current chair George Leiter.

The Frederick Weyerhaeuser Chair in Science was created in 1970 by the Weyerhaeuser family in honor of Frederick Weyerhaeuser ’25, the father of Ted ’49, Charles ’53, and Ginny Weyerhaeuser ’54.

The Weyerhaeuser Chair has been held by Merle Erickson, Peggy Keeling, Dave Nyholm, and current chair Dr. Steve Heilig.

Clockwise from left: Current Endowed Faculty Chairs Dr. Andrea Sachs, Lucy Polk, Kris Flom, Dr. Steve Heilig, Judy Johnson, Anne Klus, and George Leiter are part of SPA’s tradition of outstanding faculty and exceptional teaching.

fall 2010 | SPA

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SPA’s Endowed Faculty Chairs share their thoughts on their students, their disciplines, and what they love about teaching at St. Paul Academy and Summit School.

Kris Flom ’80 Middle School French Hill Endowed Chair in Languages since 2010 | Faculty member since 1989 “I love the challenges of my work, especially when I have to think creatively about presenting a mundane topic. Conjugating verbs, for example—seriously, what do you do with that? I make organized chaos out of it: we juggle things, we throw balls around, we make noise, and then we work on using verbs in sentences.

“I hope my students come away from my class with both a love for French and an appreciation for the importance of having an open mind. I want them to be open-minded and generous with themselves and their own learning styles, and also open to the different styles of their classmates. One of the most valuable lessons of language education is learning to be open to new ways of thinking and new cultures. I want kids to look at different cultures and say ‘wow, that’s interesting’ and not ‘wow, that’s weird.’ Language opens doors—and all the doors lead to different adventures and experiences.”

Dr. Steve Heilig Upper School science Weyerhaeuser Endowed Chair in Science since 2007 | Faculty member since 1998 “Physics has a bad rap, but I think of it as a puzzle, and teaching physics is all about getting students to see it that way too.

I want them to look at problems and say, ‘yes, I can figure this out.’

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That’s when students really get excited, when they can see something in a new way, even if it takes a lot of hard work to get there.

It should be hard: students say to me, ‘I’m taking your class because I hear it’s fun, even if it’s hard.’ It’s great that SPA students understand that those two things can go together.

“In my space science class, we talk about how interdependent everything in the universe truly is, and there’s a life lesson there about how decisions you make now influence what’s possible later. I want students to think about the ways in which they have a hand in controlling their own fate. Students here are very open to that, so it’s not hard to sell. I really enjoy that about teaching here, that SPA students walk into the classroom ready to be amazed.”

we plant the seeds of big ideas like ‘what is culture?’ and encourage the students to really think about that in relation to their own stories. Stories bring truth and urgency to both writing and history. Adolescents demand the truth, and if they aren’t free to see the inconsistencies and unanswered questions, they’re not going to be very motivated to learn.

“One thing I’m constantly aware of is the artificial boundaries around disciplines. I’ve heard it said that a well-crafted liberal arts education will separate the disciplines, and then students spend the rest of their lives trying to knit those pieces back together.

I want to help kids start making those connections now. I’m always looking to blur the lines a bit, looking for ways to create the space for kids to see how different disciplines strengthen each other and coexist happily.”

Anne Klus Middle and Upper School music

Judy Johnson Middle School language arts and social studies Huss Endowed Chair in English since 2007 | Faculty member since 1981 “Both my disciplines are about stories, and students can’t access whatever material we offer them unless they feel engaged in the story and capable of understanding it in relation to their own lives. Our kids are so bright and motivated, and I want them to learn to see themselves as writers and historians and thinkers.

They don’t have to decide if they’re a scholar or an athlete or an artist: we want them to realize that they can do many things—write, be on the math team, and ‘oh look, I like history too!’ As they go through SPA,

Brooks Endowed Chair in Fine Arts since 2008 | Faculty member since 1988 “I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was five years old, when I started forcing my younger sister to be my ‘student.’ It is so exciting for me to teach students to sing, see them grow in their self-confidence, and see the satisfaction of musical success on their faces—in addition to sounding good, of course.

I am invigorated every single day when I come to school; my students challenge me to be my best, and my colleagues encourage me to be my best. I am privileged and thankful to be part of an educational community that values the pursuit of excellence in the arts as well as academics.

“It is my fervent hope that my students continue to gain enjoyment and appreciation for expressing themselves through the art of music.

I have witnessed such growth of individual expression and independence that happens as a result of success in the arts. The human spirit and emotions are elevated through the international language of music, and I can’t think of a more noble legacy to share with my students.”

George Leiter Upper School mathematics Schilling Endowed Chair in Mathematics since 2008 | Faculty member since 1977 “I want each of my students to feel a sense of accomplishment and a genuine appreciation for mathematics—and that comes from actively pursuing and mastering the topic at whatever level is right for them. I love it when students come back and tell me, ‘I went to college and was way ahead of everyone else.’ And I really love hearing about the students who left SPA saying that they’d never take math again and ended up as math majors.

“The way SPA structures the day lets kids have the liberty—and gives them the responsibility— to manage their own time.

That’s important in part because it allows for more meaningful relationships between teachers and students when elbows bump in the hallways.

There’s a mutual respect that allows for those deeper relationships too— relationships between teachers and students and also their families.

I feel like I’ve been here long enough to develop that trust with kids and families. SPA is a true community, in every sense of the word. It’s kind of cornball to say it, but it really does take a village.”

Lucy Polk Upper School English Irvine Endowed Chair in Humanities since 2004 | Faculty member since 1984 “In English, we teach the very basic skill of inquiry. Inquiry happens in every discipline, of course, but in some ways English teaches the skills that live underneath: writing, interpretive reading, effective communication. SPA students eventually get very sophisticated in these skills; I get to see the development of these incredibly articulate human beings who can discuss very complex literature and literary issues.

It happens outside literature too: we teach across disciplines so that kids can bring that articulation, that thoughtfulness to whatever they do.

“I love my colleagues, and I love being connected to what other teachers are doing. We have so many talented faculty here, and it’s a privilege to support my colleagues and be supported by them.

At SPA, you give as much as you take and you support as much as you are supported.

It keeps the work exciting and engaging.

Nobody could do this job without being truly engaged in the work, in the students, and in the community.

SPA is all about that engagement and interaction.”

Dr. Andrea Sachs Upper School history and social studies Hamm Endowed Chair in History/ Social Studies since 2010 | Faculty member since 2000 “I adore my students and love watching them develop.

Since I teach juniors and seniors, I often have the pleasure of seeing students take command of their own learning and become much more confident, independent, and engaged. A lot of them take American history personally, and it is just fine with me if they feel proud, embarrassed, or confused by events in our nation’s past. History is all about asking tough, substantial questions, and sometimes an emotional response can inspire such questions. My senior seminars are an absolute treat to teach because we can delve more deeply into historical topics that often trigger great class discussions.

The seminars have a very collegial atmosphere, and I always learn a lot from my students.

“When my students leave SPA, I want them to be able to examine a situation, historical or current, and reach their own sound conclusions because they understand how different stakeholders approach it. I want them to arrive at college knowing that they are ready to immerse themselves in their courses, engage energetically with their classmates, and seek out their professors for help and guidance. I think of the set of habits that students cultivate at SPA as a backpack full of tools for success—not just for academic success, but also for the ‘productive, ethical, and joyful lives’ that we talk about so much. My colleagues and I really celebrate when we see how our students thrive after they leave SPA.” fall 2010 | SPA

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The Art of Performance: Music and Drama at SPA Scott Streble

BY AMI BERGER | PHOTOS BY JOHN SEVERSON AND SCOTT STREBLE

Eric Severson (second from left) works on a scene with (from left) Max Cowles ’11, Jada Wensmen ’11, Emily Upin ’12, and Nadja Leonhard-Hooper ’11. “Theater is my greatest passion,” says Leonhard-Hooper, “and the main reason I’m not a total drama queen in the rest of my life.”

I

It’s 3:30 p.m. on a Friday at the Randolph campus, and although school is over for the day, the choir room is filled with about a dozen Upper School students, looking uncharacteristically nervous. Today is audition day for the 2010 Upper School fall play, The Skin of Our Teeth by Thorton Wilder, and when English teacher Eric Severson, who is directing the show, steps to the front of the room, the room quiets immediately. Severson gives the students a brief overview of Wilder’s unconventional drama about the history of humankind, and then sends them out into the hallways to rehearse their audition scenes.

Senior Nadja Leonhard-Hooper ’11 is one of the hopefuls; she has her eye on the pivotal role of Sabina, the lead in Skin of Our Teeth. This will be Nadja’s seventeenth show at SPA since she arrived in sixth grade, many of them working with Severson, so she’s more excited than nervous about auditions. “For me, it’s the natural thrill that comes with taking on a show again,” she says. “I love that—the throwing myself into something bigger than me.”

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Leonhard-Hooper is far from alone at SPA in her love for the performing arts.

In 2009-10, 102 Upper School students (28% of the entire Upper School) were members of the cast or crew of at least one dramatic production, including the fall production of Hamlet, the winter one-acts (one of which, Jean Cocteau’s The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party, took first place in Minnesota state sub-section competition in January 2010) and the spring musical, Urinetown.

Participation in SPA’s choral and instrumental programs is just as strong, and music students just as passionate: close to 200 students (out of 358 total) in the Upper School will take a music class in 2010-11. And this isn’t only because of the fine arts requirement for graduation: 45% of Leonhard-Hooper’s classmates in the Class of 2011 have opted to take an elective music course that exceeds the credit required for graduation. That number was a full 50% for the Class of 2010, and is consistently high across all Upper School course offerings in music (see sidebar at right).

In addition, an average of 125 students across all three divisions opt to study an instrument through the school’s private lesson program each year.

access to. This is a tremendously important part of their education,” Roberts adds, “and a critical piece of the SPA experience.”

THE UPPER SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAM reflects an understanding that students learn a great deal about life through the study of music. Throughout the course of the school year, students work in small- and large-group rehearsals and in concert settings. In addition to rewarding experiences in creative expression and performance, students learn about communication, discipline, risk-taking, responsibility, and working together to achieve common goals. Students’ musical experiences at SPA also lay a foundation for lifelong appreciation of music and the performing arts. Upper School courses in music include: Academy Chorale Advanced Jazz Ensemble

Nadja Leonhard-Hooper puts it a bit more bluntly: “Expressing myself on stage is one of the things that keeps me sane,” says Leonhard-Hooper. “If I’ve just taken a really hard math test and I’m tired and pissed off, it’s so great to go stand on stage and yell at someone. Theater is my biggest passion,” she says, “and the main reason I’m not a total drama queen in the rest of my life.”

“Music was something that I felt set me apart from my classmates—in a good way,” says recent graduate David Tisel ’09. “It was an aspect of my identity which I felt was distinctly ‘me’ in an environment where nearly all of the students were intelligent and hardworking. It helped me define myself as an individual distinct from my peers,” says Tisel, who participated in Jazz Band for four years, choir for three years, and took Honors Music Seminar in his senior year.

More than thirty years after leaving SPA, Judy Sandeen Bartel ’78 still thinks of long-time Honors Music Seminar SPA theater and music teacher Phil Bratnober Intermediate Jazz Ensemble as a mentor. Bartel is now an award-winning Senior Strings teacher of social studies at the Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, Minn., and she credits Summit Singers her choice of profession in part to her years Upper School Orchestra in the theater at SPA. “My experience with “The performing arts are a magical and theater as both an actor and a crew member powerful learning tool,” says Head of at SPA helped me become more confident School Bryn S. Roberts. “Our students will go into a rehearsal in my public speaking abilities, nurtured my creativity, and also room or pick up their instrument after toiling over a calculus taught me that if students are having fun and feel respected problem or an English paper, and they will be transported into and loved, the learning comes naturally,” says Bartel, who was parts of themselves that they would otherwise never have awarded the Fox 9 News “Top Teacher” award in spring 2010.

Scott Streble

Community Chorale

“The performing arts are a magical and powerful learning tool...and a critical piece of the SPA experience.”

– Bryn S. Roberts, Head of School

fall 2010 | SPA

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Scott Streble

“The beauty of performance at SPA is that it happens in so many different layers.”

– Beth Nelson, Lower School music

A tradition of performance The excellence and depth of SPA’s performing arts program finds its roots in the school’s history, and particularly in the pre-merger Summit School’s focus on drama, music, and production skills.

Headmistress Sarah Converse, who led the Summit School from 1917 to 1948, understood the value of performance to the education of the girls and to a progressive education in general. Music and drama at Summit flourished during these years; annual highlights included the class plays and the various music and chorale ensembles.

Converse also insisted that her students be involved with the planning and production of Summit’s weekly assemblies, a tradition that continues in the present Lower School. Even the youngest Summit students learned to present plays and musical pieces at the weekly elementary assembly; in the upper grades, participation in class plays was required, and performances became a part of the fabric of life at Summit.

Such was not the case for the boys at the pre-merger St. Paul Academy. The curriculum at the Academy, with its focus on mathematics, Latin, classic literature, and mandatory athletics and military drills left little room for the performing arts. Headmaster John DeQuedville Briggs, who led the school from 1914-1950, allowed no musical training or course in music appreciation in the curriculum and disapproved of his students taking private music lessons while enrolled at SPA. The one exception to this was the Academy’s Glee Club, an on-again off-again affair during Briggs’ tenure that did eventually gain traction in the years following his departure and before the 1969 merger with Summit. The pre-merger Academy did have a dramatics program, although it was less robust than Summit’s. Early in Briggs’ time, a drama teacher was hired, and in later years a Dramatic Club was formed. In the sixties, three plays were performed every year at the Academy—two dramas and one musical—with Summit girls playing the female roles.

socialization benefit that came from drama and music post-merge— I think it’s fair to say that the performing arts program improved the dialogue and natural relationships between boys and girls.”

Performance in the Lower School today In the forty years since the merger, the school’s performing arts programs have flourished. Taking its cue from Sarah Converse’s recognition of school assemblies as important opportunities for both performance and community building, the Lower School continues the tradition of now twice-weekly assemblies.

Assemblies are planned, emceed, and often performed by students in the fifth grade in the aptly-named Sarah Converse auditorium on the Goodrich campus, the site of many Middle and Upper School performances as well.

From kindergarten on, students in the Lower School perform not just in assemblies, but in their classrooms and as part of an intense music curriculum. “The beauty of performing here is that it happens in so many different layers,” says Beth Nelson, who teaches music in the Lower School. “Children start in the imitation stage, where they replicate songs and movement,” Nelson says. “As they get older, they develop more sophisticated choices, and their performances become informed by their own knowledge and taste.” In the Lower School, these early stages find voice in experiences like the kindergarten Hawaii Play, the Medieval Feast in grades 3 and 4, and the Orff Schulwerk approach used in all Lower School music classes in every grade, where students learn to integrate music with speech and creative movement.

By grades three, four, and five, Nelson says, students start making choices about what they want the audience to see, rather than what

John Severson

These collaborations were a precursor to the importance of the performing arts to the merged school, according to Thomas Read, the last Headmaster of St. Paul Academy and the first Head of the merged school. “Even before the merger, it was so obvious that deficiencies in music and art in the Academy’s curriculum had to be remedied,” says Read, who notes that until the Academy’s discontinuation of mandatory military exercises in 1965, there was little room in the curriculum for arts of any kind. “It was very helpful going into the merger that the Summit School had such a strong arts program,” Read says. “Certainly, there was a 16

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A scence from the 2010 Middle School production of Cinderella.

Photos by John Severson

the teacher shows them. Such higher-order thinking skills are at the core of the Lower School curriculum, and they apply to all subjects—math, science, language—in addition to music and creative movement. “Our program in the Lower School develops creative skills, analytic skills, and language development skills in addition to vocal and instrumental skills,” Nelson says.

Preadolescence and performance The Middle School years can be difficult ones, as students navigate the physical and emotional changes of preadolescence. In SPA’s Middle School, the curriculum and culture is designed to take advantage of students’ creative and exploratory instincts, and according to Middle School drama teacher Mary Kay Orman, drama and performance is a perfect fit. “Drama allows students to explore a myriad of emotions in a safe environment, and that’s so important at this age,” says Orman.

One of the required courses in the sixth grade curriculum is Orman’s Introduction to Drama class, which explores all of these elements. The course focuses on the conventions of theater: understanding the actor’s job, the role of the audience, stage directions, and the importance of collaboration. After this initial course is complete, eight grade students have the option of additional drama electives, including Design for the Stage, Advanced Acting, and Introduction to Directing, and many of them take advantage: in 2009-10, forty-five eighth graders—more than fifty percent of the class—elected to take one of these courses.

Students in the Middle School also have a wide range of options for musical study, with opportunities to participate in choir, band, jazz band, and orchestra. Music is particularly important at this point in students’ lives, says band teacher Dr. Bill Mayson, not just for their musical education but because it builds an appreciation and aptitude for collaboration. “In our band and orchestra ensembles, you are required to work with other people, with all their strengths and foibles,” Mayson observes. “In students’ other subjects, they are primarily responsible only for themselves.

In choir or orchestra or band, you are responsible for yourself and the other people in the group.”

“Middle School years are always socially awkward,” says Sean Flahaven ’91, who entered SPA in seventh grade. He remembers the initial difficulty of breaking into established peer groups, but his love of singing and the trombone helped ease some of those difficulties: “Focusing on performing and being able to nurture my talents helped me create an identity and buoy my confidence,” says Flahaven, who now works as Vice President of Warner/Chappell Music, a division of the Warner Music Group.

Flahaven is grateful for the opportunities he had during Middle School to play with the Upper School jazz band and orchestra.

“My music allowed me to bond with older students and peers who were also interested in the arts,” he says.

Eric Severson and choir director Anne Klus have collaborated for the past decade on SPA’s enormously successful spring musicals, including (top to bottom and left to right): Into the Woods (2001), The Music Man (2003), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (2002), Urinetown (2010), Into the Woods (2006), Pippin (2005), Little Shop of Horrors (2009), Evita (2007), and Anything Goes (2008).

This kind of bonding is critical in producing the stirring productions that SPA is known for, even at the Middle School level. “When students create live art together, it’s not just about putting on a good show,” Orman says, “it’s about cooperation, collaboration, and a sense of community.” Orman also notes that such activities develop the kind of “right-brain” qualities that are becoming more and more important in American schooling, fall 2010 | SPA

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Scott Streble

“Life doesn’t get less complicated when you leave SPA. There will be moments you are unprepared for...and you will need something that gives you ground under your feet. The arts are good company for you in those moments ” – Almut Engelhardt, Upper School music

culture, and work. “We’re shifting from an information age to a conceptual age,” says Orman, who finds compelling evidence for the importance of the arts in the work of scholars like Daniel Pink, whose latest book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, looks at how the era of “left brain” thinking (in which logical, rational, and sequential thinking is valued) is giving way to a new world in which “right brain” qualities like inventiveness, empathy, synthesis, and meaning predominate. “We have to go from having all this linear information to the importance of creativity, large-scale connections, and an empathic understanding of how different ideas and perspectives can come together,” Orman says, “and that is, in essence, what performance does.”

High-caliber performance in the Upper School The culmination of the SPA performing arts program comes in the Upper School years. The school’s winter one-acts consistently win statewide awards; the Pops Concert regularly attracts more than 200 student performers and 700 audience members; and the spring musical fills the Converse auditorium for as many performances as its cast and crew can manage.

For Almut Engelhardt, however, performance in the Upper School isn’t about audiences or accolades. “We are giving our students a survival kit for their futures,” says Engelhardt, who has taught music in the Upper School for two decades. “We know that life doesn’t get less complicated when you leave SPA,” she says. “There will be moments you are unprepared for, that shake your world, and you will be in need of something that gives you ground under your feet.

The arts are good company for you in those moments, when all else fails.”

ONLINE ONLY! Visit www.spa.edu > About SPA > News and Media to read what alumni/ae say about the performing arts at SPA, including recollections from Dutton Foster ’57, Nicholas Scott ’75, Catherine McKenzie ’88, and Alexander Adiarte ’93.

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Dr. Jesse Markman ’00 agrees. “I still use music to relax and clear my mind to get away from all that’s going on, much in the way I did when I was at SPA,” says Markman, who began playing the trombone in fifth grade and played with the Lower School band, the Middle and Upper School jazz bands, and took private lessons with John Koziol through SPA’s private lesson program. “I still find music to be very much of a sanctuary,” says Markman, a graduate of Yale and the University of Michigan medical school. “The hard work and dedication I learned through music certainly helped me get through medical school. Mostly, music helped make me who I am, and I wouldn’t change that.”

SPA’s Upper School theatrical productions are widely viewed as some of the most high-caliber in the state; Severson notes that colleagues from university or college drama departments who attend rehearsals are “blown away,” he says, by the talent and commitment of SPA students. The extensive Upper School music curriculum includes an honors music seminar, several jazz ensembles, the Upper School Orchestra, the Academy Chorale (for boys) and the Summit Singers (for girls). Many students also pursue individual instrument study through the school’s private lesson program.

Upper School students understand and appreciate the importance of performance, even if they choose not to become involved in drama or music. “At SPA, kids know that they are expected to be able to get up in front of people and communicate effectively,” says Severson, who notes that requirements like the Senior Speech and the discussion-based approach to learning used in many courses teaches students how to “perform” effectively both in and out of the classroom. “In many ways,” Severson says, “the entire faculty here is teaching effective performance: ‘Spit out your gum.

Don’t slouch. Ask questions. Be prepared.’ These are lessons learned all the time around here, whether it’s in the performance process or in the classroom.”

For many students, the performance process becomes a classroom— much as it has for Nadja Leonhard-Hooper, who, to her delight, got the part of Sabina. “I admire the technical difficulties of Sabina, because she breaks character all the time and is totally flighty,” says Leonhard-Hooper. “You never know what she’s going to do next, which is great for me because actors are always at their most interesting when they’re the most unbalanced. I’ve learned that if you push an actor and he starts to fall, the moment before he falls is the most interesting,” she says. “I can’t wait to start falling.”

Facing Uncharted Waters: The Senior Project

BY SASHA ASLANIAN ’86

Every May for the last forty years, SPA seniors have spent the last month of high school journeying into the worlds that await them after college.

The Senior Project program, which began in 1970, has evolved into a month-long internship and community engagement program. The program is designed to help seniors make an active and enjoyable transition out of the familiar halls of SPA into the uncharted waters of college and career.

This past spring, the Senior Projects designed by the Class of 2010 were literally all over the map: Seniors interned in locations across the Twin Cities metro, in hospitals and law firms, yoga studios and elementary schools. At Minnesota Public Radio, David McVeety and Rachel Wilensky (photo on page 20) interned with the station’s Digital and Social Media Director. “I wanted to get a better sense of how a radio Courtesy Phil Stringer newsroom functions and how social networking and technology in general is changing broadcast journalism,” says Wilensky, who was editor-in-chief of SPA’s award-winning student newspaper The Rubicon in 2009-10. She is now studying journalism at the University of Iowa; co-intern McVeety is now in his first year at Tufts University.

CHARTING THE WATERS: in the spring of 1978, five members of the Class of ’78 spent their Senior Project circumnavigating Lake Superior. Pictured left to right are Shannon McNeely (now Whitaker), Phil Foussard, Clover Earl, Martha Paper (now Moseley), chaperone and SPA art teacher Bob Jewett, and Phil Stringer. The idea for the project was Stringer’s: “It was a big deal for us to be on our own for a month,” says Stringer, who remembers planning out the group’s provisions and “trying to teach everyone navigation skills” as the group weathered the “frightfully cold” May weather on the lake. “It was a tremendous experience,” Stringer says.

fall 2010 | SPA

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Scott Streble

“One of the goals of the Senior Project is to urge students

At Minneapolis law firm Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, three of Wilensky’s classmates—Maddy Karon, Zach Nelson, and Sam Rock—all shadowed attorney (and SPA parent) Bill Manning for the month. “Our Project was outstanding,” says Rock, now a freshman at Tufts University, who was especially impressed with the amount of time that Manning spent with the three, answering questions and giving them insight into the life and work of an attorney. “Mr. Manning set up appointments for us every day with attorneys at the firm and around the Twin Cities,” says Rock, who, along with both Karon (Vanderbilt University ’14) and Nelson (Cornell College ’14), is now considering the law as a career.

The involvement of parents like Manning as project supervisors is a critical element to the success of the program. Students who are interested in exploring a given career or field for their Senior Project will often call upon an SPA parent or alumni/ae in that field with whom to intern; in 2010, more than a third of Senior Project supervisors were current or former SPA parents, SPA alumni/ae, or both.

Rachel Wilensky ’10 and David McVeety ’10 co-interned at Minnesota Public Radio for their Senior Projects. Their photo was published on the MPR website on May 21, 2010 along with a news quiz written by Wilensky and McVeety entitled “Are you smarter than the MPR interns?”

Courtesy Minnesota Public Radio

to take their education beyond the walls of SPA.” – Judy Cummins, Dean of Students

The capstone of an SPA career The capstone project of a student’s SPA career, the Senior Project is a natural extension of the autonomy, accountability, and independent thinking skills that are at the heart of the SPA curriculum, especially in the senior year. “The senior year is about preparing seniors for the next step,” says Dean of Students Judy Cummins, who helps oversee the program. “We want to give them an experience in taking ownership for something they’re interested in, and moving into the community for that last month of school where there’s still a safety net and structured program.” Students are responsible for creating their projects in alignment with program requirements, making all the necessary contacts and arrangements, and then presenting a final report in June to a committee of SPA faculty and peers.

Cummins first encountered the Senior Project program when she arrived at SPA as a French instructor in 1970.

The heart of the project—giving seniors the chance to pursue an independent learning experience—is unchanged. But students have been nudged a little further from the nest in recent years. “ Ten or 15 years ago, we’d have a baseball player interning with [co-athletic director] Mike Brown, working with Lower School students at the Goodrich campus for a Senior Project,” says Cummins. “But we felt such projects didn’t stretch that student enough.” Now, students

In the spring of 2010, SPA created an online feature series following the senior class as they completed their Senior Projects. To read the series, visit http:// tinyurl.com/24eznez.

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Andrew Mohring ’76 gives seniors an inside look at the justice system

are required to go off-campus for their projects, identifying organizations and individuals who will guide their work for the month. “One of the goals of the project is to urge students to take their education beyond the walls of SPA,” Cummins says, “We want our students to meet new people and experience new environments.”

Best Laid Plans “Sometimes the best project is not the one that goes as planned!” says Cummins.

“Glitches happen.” Cummins remembers a student who signed on with the Landscape Arboretum who discovered she was allergic to the very plants she needed to work with; the student broke out in rashes for three days until she could switch her project to another location. Students have had internship supervisors called out of town for two weeks in the middle of their projects; legislative interns are sidelined by the end-of-session marathons at the Capitol. “Communication is the key,” Cummins says. “It’s not an option to quit.

The student needs to figure out how to work through it.” The real-world situations require flexibility and tenacity not easily taught in a classroom.

Cummins is delighted by the stories students bring back to campus about their experiences. “Some of the best projects come from students who are not our best academically—of course, some of our best academics do great projects—but I have seen kids who have not been shining stars in the classroom just nail this. They get reviews that are unbelievable. That is for me just a wonderful culminating experience.”

Sasha Aslanian ’86 is a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio, where she did her Senior Project.

For a decade, Andrew Mohring ’76 has been giving SPA seniors an insider’s view of the federal criminal justice system during their senior projects. Mohring is First Assistant Federal Defender for the district of Minnesota. He’s also an SPA parent of Zac ’11 and Mason ’14.

“I think I’m a moderately interesting person, but what I do for a living is flat-out fascinating,” says Mohring. Some of Mohring’s recent cases include post-conviction death penalty work for Alfonso Rodriguez, convicted killer of Dru Sjodin, and Bradley Crower, one of two protestors at the Republican National Convention who has been federally charged with making and possessing Molotov cocktails. Students who intern with Mohring are given access to all the behind-the-scenes discussions and documents as the defense team builds its case. “The fun stuff is when a case goes to trial, “ said Mohring. “The students get to hang out, listen to us as we talk about tactical stuff, the strategies we plan to use, the kinds of jurors we’re looking for.” Mohring asks students for their impressions of potential jurors as well.

Abe Cass ’10 was drawn to Mohring’s internship because of its reputation for substantial work. Cass says his time with Mohring’s office gave him a deeper appreciation for the human story underlying the cases. Cass remembers discussing cases from bank robberies to drug conspiracies to white collar fraud charges; he was particularly moved by the accused in one case: “To read through his statements to police, and the letters his kids had sent him in jail…

I felt bad looking at that. I thought, ‘this guy isn’t just a criminal.’

In another world, the two of us could have been bowling buddies.”

Cass is now a freshman at Pomona College and law is among the career possibilities he’s considering.

Pat Jarosch ’04 interned with Mohring in the spring of 2004, and recalls the day Mohring brought him to a pre-trial hearing for a client brought up on drug charges. “Andrew let me sit at counsel table with him by the client and my name got announced in court,” says Jarosch. Later, Mohring sent him the page of the court transcript with his name. Jarosch is now a first year student at William Mitchell College of Law and is strongly considering criminal law. “Defense is the side I want to be on,” Jarosch says. “You stand up for people who don’t really have anyone to advocate for them.”

In his internship, Jarosch saw the long odds defenders face, since prosecutors only bring cases they think they can win. But he’s not deterred. “A win is having a client who’s maybe going to face 10 years for a drug charge and getting them five years.

You got that person five years of their life back,” says Jarosch.

Mohring estimates 20 to 24 SPA seniors have interned in his office over the years, and he always looks forward to meeting the next pair of students who join him every May. “There’s a selfish side to it too,” says Mohring. “We get the benefit of looking at what we do through a fresh set of eyes.”

fall 2010 | SPA

21

Class of 2010: Commencement

S

PHOTOS BY GREG HELGESON

SPA’s 110th Commencement was held on Sunday, June 13, 2010, in honor of the 94 members of the Class of 2010. Ceremonies opened with the “Graduation March,” performed by Adaline Colton ’11 and Kristin Knutzen ’12 on violin and Sinal Goral ’11 on piano.

Comments from Head of School Bryn S. Roberts, Board of Trustees President Charlie Zelle ’73, and Upper School Principal Chris Hughes followed, along with the remarks of Senior Class Speakers Sam Rock and Kendra Rosario. This year’s Commencement Speaker was Stanley S. Hubbard ’51, Chairman of Hubbard Broadcasting and SPA grandparent.

The celebration of Commencement this year had a thread of sadness, due to the sudden death of senior Frances Welke just six weeks prior to Commencement (see “In Memoriam,” page 39).

All the members of the Class of 2010 wore ribbon pins in green (Frances’ favorite color) in memory of their classmate, and Frances’ diploma was presented to her older brother, Wilder Welke ’08, in a poignant and solemn moment following the presentation of diplomas to the rest of the class.

Senior Class Speakers Kendra Rosario (above) and Sam Rock offered their thoughts to their classmates.

After the presentation of diplomas, the graduating class made their customary recessional through an “honor guard” of SPA faculty, and then celebrated with family and friends at a reception in the Dining Hall.

Commencement speaker Stanley S. Hubbard receives a round of applause from Head of School Bryn S. Roberts, Upper School Principal Chris Hughes, and Board President Charlie Zelle ’73. Hubbard’s granddaughter, Savannah Morris, is a member of the Class of 2010.

Wilder Welke ’08, brother of the late Frances Welke ’10, leaves the stage after accepting his sister’s diploma.

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SPA | fall 2010

View more photos from Commencement 2010 at www.spa.edu > Upper School > Upper School Gallery > Commencement 2010

Bryan Smith ’94, President of the SPA Alumni/ae Council, presents the Alumni/ae Bowl to Abe Cass.

Faculty Bowl Award winner Hannah Mack receives her award from Upper School Principal Chris Hughes.

Senior Awards Abe Cass was the recipient of the 2010 Alumni/ae Bowl Award, which is presented to an individual elected by the faculty from nominations made by the senior class. It is given each year to that member of the class deemed to be most outstanding in many areas of school life.

New graduates Laura Barksdale, Benjamin Lehman , Emma White, and Michaela Kim on the North Lawn after Commencement.

Hannah Mack was the recipient of the 2010 Faculty Bowl Award, awarded to that senior who has shown unusual breadth and depth of intellectual interest and outstanding commitment to academic excellence.

Daniel Kalla and Charlotte Zelle were the recipients of the 2010 Head of School Bowl, awarded to those members of the senior class who have been recognized by their peers and teachers for signiďŹ cant contributions to the school.

For a complete list of awards and recipients from Spring 2010, visit www.spa.edu > Upper School > Upper School Gallery > Commencement 2010 Joey Goldfarb and Jacqueline Norton are applauded by their teachers after receiving their diplomas.

Daniel Kalla, winner of the Head of School Bowl, accepts his award from Head of School Bryn S. Roberts.

Head of School Bryn S. Roberts presents Charlotte Zelle with the Head of School Bowl.

Zachary Brown and Sam Goldberger are all smiles after the ceremony.

fall 2010 | SPA

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From Class of 2009 to Class of 2014: Lyla Amini St. Olaf College

Hannah Gilbertson University of Denver

Michaela Kim Mount Holyoke College

Laura Barksdale Lawrence University

Benjamin Goldberger Washington University (St. Louis)

Madelyn Klein New York University

Hayley Bemel University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Curry Berg University of South Carolina Zachary Brown University of Richmond Lucien Bruggeman Lafayette College Abraham Cass Pomona College Nathaniel Causey Emory University Stefan Conway University of St. Andrews (Scotland) Caroline Daniels Bates College Cecilia DiCaprio Princeton University Elizabeth Diebel Scripps College Katherine Engelking University of San Diego Maren Flom-Staab University of St. Thomas

Samuel Goldberger University of St. Thomas

Keshav Kohli Washington University (St. Louis)

Daniel Goldfarb Miami University (Ohio)

Katherine Labuza George Washington University

Joseph Goldfarb University of Oregon

Harry LaVercombe University of Wisconsin, Madison

Benjamin Greenwald Year off, Junior National Biathlon Team

Benjamin Lehman University of Oklahoma

Anne Hart Dartmouth College

Megan Leslie Occidental College

Alexander Helfand Northeastern University

Robert Lilly Georgetown University

Harrison Hite University of Puget Sound

Nicholas Linsmayer American University

Bryce Holstad Year off

William Lutz Iowa State University

Alexander Ibele St. Olaf College

Philip Macaluso Arizona State University

Brian Ip University of Wisconsin, Madison

Hannah Mack Brown University

Haaris Iqbal University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Sonja Manning George Washington University

Nathan Johnson Indiana University, Bloomington

Isabella McCormick Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (dual degree)

Jasmine Futrell-McGee University of Wisconsin, Stout

Daniel Kalla Marlboro College

Evan McMillan University of Iowa

Johnathan Gast American University

Madeline Karon Vanderbilt University

David McVeety Tufts University

Elizabeth Fones Whitman College

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SPA | fall 2010

Jane Meyer St. Olaf College Lucy Meyer Stanford University Ian Middlebrook Interim year off, University of St. Thomas (Fall 2011)

Savannah Morris Michigan State University Rosalind Mowitt Northwestern University Zachary Nelson Cornell College

Christiania Miller University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Paul Nerland Miami University (Ohio)

Elena Miller St. Olaf College

Alec Nordin Occidental College

Whit Morley Kenyon College

Jacqueline Norton University of Wisconsin, Madison

Greg Helgeson

College Choices

Maura O’Brien Princeton University

Steven Qian Washington University (St. Louis)

Calvin O’Keefe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Graham Ransom St. Olaf College

Paige Owens-Kurtz St. Olaf College

Brianna Rick Carleton College

Claire Palmer Wesleyan University

Samuel Rock Tufts University

Nicholas Petronio University of North Dakota

Kendra Rosario Harvard University

Daniel Preus University of Wisconsin, Madison

Santano Rosario Rice University Devon Sandberg University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Willis Schuerger Occidental College Julia Sethna Boston University Samuel Shapiro University of Arizona Leah Sorensen Hamilton College Carolyn Sween Tufts University Abby Thorsgaard Babson College John Tocho Hobart and William Smith Colleges

James Trevathan Gustavus Adolphus College

Brennan White University of Missouri, Columbia

Madeline Umscheid Hamilton College

Emma White University of Redlands

Anne Walli Scripps College

Caroline Wight St. Olaf College

Frances Welke Carleton College

Rachel Wilensky University of Iowa

Wyatt Wenzel Gustavus Adolphus College

Claire Wilhelm George Washington University

Harry Whitaker Syracuse University

Charlotte Zelle Middlebury College

Sarah Whitaker Babson College fall 2010 | SPA

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Alumni/ae News

Alumni/ae Council Sets Goals for 2010-11 In August 2010, the seventeen members of the St. Paul Academy and Summit School Alumni/ae Council—including eight new members—met to discuss mission and goals for the Council over the 2010-11 year. The Council agreed that its mission would be to advance the work of the school and the alumni/ae program through committees focusing on four major initiatives: Class Agent Program: The Class Agent committee will be spending the year reinvigorating the Class Agent program. Tasks will include an evaluation of the current program, consulting with current Class Agents to identify possible improvements, defining Agents’ roles and responsibilities.

The committee will

also work on recruiting new alums to the Class Agent program.

committee will help market each event and increase awareness and attendance.

Alumni/ae Giving: The Giving committee will help implement a new program aimed at increasing the participation of alumni/ae in the school’s Annual Fund. Working with volunteers from various classes, the committee will be responsible for tracking and monitoring the participation of alumni/ ae while working with the Office of Institutional Advancement on messaging and communication around alumni/ae giving.

Alumni/ae Recognition and Research: The Recognition and Research committee is working to discover more about who our alumni/ ae are, what they are doing, and the impact they are having. They will research and reach out to alums who are leaders in their communities and professions, and work to increase the school’s recognition of their success.

Social/Professional Networking: The SPA Alumni/ae Relations Office has a wide range of social and professional networking events planned for the upcoming year; this

Please contact Mike Milinovich at mmilinovich@spa.edu or 651-696-1308 if you have any questions about the work of the Alumni/ae Council or would like to be a part of any of these initiatives.

New Tools: For Staying in Touch This fall, SPA’s Alumni/ae Relations Office introduced new tools to help alums stay connected to St. Paul Academy and Summit School. The SPA Alumni/ae Facebook page features alumni/ae updates and profiles as well as news about what’s happening at SPA today. (To find us on Facebook, search for “St. Paul Academy and Summit School Alumni/ae.”) In addition, the new Alumni/ae E-Newsletter published its debut issue in September 2010, featuring two alumni/ae profiles (Anil Menon ’95 and Caragh O’Brien ’80) as well as news stories about life at SPA. The newsletter is sent to all alums for whom we have a current email address; make sure we have yours by contacting alumni@spa.edu.

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SPA | fall 2010

2010-11 Alumni/ae Council NEW MEMBERS IN ITALICS

Dutton Foster ’57 Nick Linsmayer ’68 Joe Benson ’68 Phil Stringer ’78 Carol Kayser ’79 Tom Kayser ’80 Mike Ristau ’85 John Patterson ’86 Hilary LeBon ’91 Matt Nelson ’93 Bryan Smith ’94 Kelly Miller Pierce ’95 Maggie Moss ’97 Lisa Stein Rothstein ’99 Emily Whitaker Riddering ’00 Aram Desteian ’01 Lauren Nuffort ’02

Summer and Fall Alumni/ae Events Beautiful weather and great turnout were the hallmarks of SPA’s summer and fall alumni/ae events.

The 2010 Golf and Tennis event at White Bear Yacht Club in August was a tremendous success, with more than 130 alumni/ae enjoying golf, tennis, and dinner in the clubhouse with remarks by Head of School Bryn S. Roberts.

During the weekend of October 1-3, hundreds of alumni/ae returned to SPA for Homecoming and Reunion Weekend. Festivities on Friday, October 1 included the football game vs. Blake and the All-School Dinner that evening. Saturday, October 2 featured an Open House for Summit women at the Goodrich campus, followed by the Heritage Brunch and a special symposium on the SPA/Summit School merger at the Randolph campus. Individual classes held their parties on Saturday evening. Look for full coverage of Reunion 2010 and the Merger Symposium in the spring 2011 issue of SPA Magazine.

Photos by Greg Helgeson

Save the Date SPA Alumni/ae Holiday Party All alumni/ae of St. Paul Academy and Summit School are invited to join us on the evening of Sunday, December 26, 2010, at a holiday reception at the Commodore Bar in St. Paul. Celebrate the season while reconnecting with SPA friends, classmates, and teachers. Keep an eye on the the SPA Alumni/ae Facebook page and the Alumni E-Newsletter for more information about the Holiday Party. We look forward to seeing you there!

Tom Vannelli ’73 and companion prepare to tee off at the 2010 Parent & Alumni/ae Golf and Tennis Event

Jim Kamman ’68 with Elizabeth Russell Kamman at the All-School Dinner.

Christy Earl White ’81, Peter Albrecht ’80, Elizabeth Mairs ’80, Denise Lilyholm Callahan ’80, Tracy Harpole Tillion ’80, Paul Bullard ’80, Phil White ’81, Chip Hauser ’80, and Andy Ward ’80 at the All-School Dinner.

John Jackson ’45 and Tom Doar ’39 greet each other at the Heritage Brunch.

For more information about these and other alumni events, visit www.spa.edu/alumni.

Ann Bray ’60 and Sherry Fiefield Lund ’60 at the Heritage Brunch.

Members of the Class of 1975 Martin Traaseth, Lit Field, Nick Scott, and Judd Berlin with Head of School Bryn S. Roberts at the All-School Dinner.

fall 2010 | SPA

27

Class Notes

ANNUAL SUMMER GET-TOGETHER: The annual summer get-together of the Summit School Class of 1953 was a resounding success. Eight members of the class met at Salut on Grand Avenue on a beautiful sunny day: pictured left to right are Judy Blake, Mary Dosdall Guyer, Gail Victor Hogg, Caco Meyers Baillon, Nicky Benz Carpenter, Ann Luyten Dieperink, Cynthia Brackett Driscoll, and Marlene Heger Bixby.

Have news to share?

E-mail your news to alumni@ spa.edu or send it to Class Notes, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, 1712 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55105. We look forward to hearing from you!

Become a Class Agent!

Class Agents keep in touch with their classmates and provide updates on SPA happenings.

Class Agents also help with special events and reunions.

All classes welcome additional volunteers and multiple Class Agents are encouraged.

To become a Class Agent, please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1366.

1937

of History at Wabash College, where he has taught since 1962.

He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University from 195456, studying history, and later earned his Ph.D. in history from Harvard. Read his “How Rhodes Scholars Think” interview at http://rhodesscholars.wordpress. com/2010/08/11/james-j-barnes.

Lawrence Schlick has retired after a 36-year career teaching third grade in Wauwatosa, WI, where he lives with his wife, Patricia. Larry is still active in senior Olympic volleyball and softball.

Anne Seabury writes to say “Howdy” to the Class of 1950: “I live in cowboy country now with deer, ducks, and a creek,” says Anne, who lives in Bozeman, Montana. Anne’s daughters Colleen and Georgie Peet visit from Wyoming often; son Charlie Peet lives in San Diego.

The Class of 1937 is looking for class agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or call 651-696-1366 to learn more.

Mary “Molly” McMillan had a great 90th birthday celebration in 2009. Children Richard ’62, Charles ’63, Douglas ’68, Allison ’70, and Anne ’74 were all in attendance along with their spouses, children, and grandchildren.

1951 CLASS AGENT:

Bruce Monick Monick4215@aol.com

1950 CLASS AGENT:

Brad Smith jbradner575@comcast.net James Barnes was recently featured in the “How Rhodes Scholars Think” blog, a series of interviews with Rhodes Scholars focusing on their lives, values, and attitudes. Jim is Professor Emeritus

28

The men of SPA Class of 1951 met this summer for their 11th annual “lunch and gab fest,”

according to Leo Hauser, who hosted this year’s gathering at his home on July 19, 2010.

Pictured left to right: Jim Rupert, Bruce Monick, Stan Hubbard, Hugh Klein, Dick Strand, Herb Buscher, Leo Hauser, and Eddie Emerson.

1953 CLASS AGENT:

John Holman copas2@msn.com Nicky Carpenter is meeting a whole new group of people, which she finds fascinating, in her capacity as Chair of the Annual Fund at Vassar. She also serves on the college’s Trustee Development committee. Nicky still consults with families on college and boarding school choices, and spends part of the year hiking and fishing near Sheridan, Wyoming.

Judy Blake sold her cabin on Big Marine Lake to her niece, but maintains her half-interest in the cottage next door that her grandfather built in 1902.

The beach in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, continues to draw her back for a few weeks of sun each winter.

Cynthia Driscoll likes spending time at her cabin at Lake Vermillion on a seven-acre island, named Blue Heron Island by her 6-year-old grandchild. A centerpiece is the large sculpture by Pim Dieperink (the late husband of Ann Luyten Dieperink) installed overlooking

Have news to share?

Become a Class Agent!

Email your news to alumni@spa.edu or send it to Class Notes, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, 1712 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55105.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Class Agents keep in touch with their classmates and provide updates on SPA happenings. Class Agents also help with special events and reunions. All classes welcome additional volunteers and multiple Class Agents are encouraged.

To become a Class Agent, please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

SPA | fall 2010

the lake. Cynthia still does lots of gardening (sort of a master gardener emeritus, she says) and reports that there is finally a good restaurant in Grand Rapids where she and Todd enjoy dining with friends. She also loves her book group.

The best news from Mary Guyer is that she became a great-grandmother (a “triple-G,” she says) in November 2009.

Mary and husband Reyn ’53 are so busy in Florida that they look forward to coming back to Minnesota to “relax and enjoy.”

Mary attributes her “horrible golf game” up here to the challenging Somerset course and says she plays much better down in Florida.

Marlene Bixby reports it seems all she has done all summer is go back and forth from their lake place in Danbury. At various times during the summer she and Ned were joined there by their children and families coming from New York, Arizona and Edina. Marlene had knee replacement surgery in the spring and is getting along fine. She is looking forward to escaping the cold this winter back in Florida.

Our condolences are sent to Ann Dieperink, who lost her husband Pim in December 2009.

Ann still lives in their beautiful hilltop home in Afton, Minn.

Caco Baillon is active playing weekly tennis in the summer and three times a week in the

winter. She also enjoys working in her flower and herb garden and hosting large family gatherings on Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and the many family birthdays.

Gail Hogg had surgery on her left foot in September, which required her to keep her foot elevated over her head, with no weight on it for six weeks! Pre-surgery, she and Jim went to London for a theatregoing vacation and returned home on the Queen Mary. A great trip, she says. Once her foot is healed, she will be back visiting hospitals and nursing homes with her therapy dog, Belle.

Susan Reed Wright reports that in September one of her grandsons got married on the Majestic Star on the St. Croix River in Stillwater.

She says that she enjoys reading the class notes and catching up on all the news.

Trudy Peet feels a lot better after her chemo treatments for lymphoma. Earlier this summer she drove to Idaho with her two dogs to camp out alone and attend the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference. Trudy also taught a painting class all summer to a group of intelligent and very interesting women. “We call ourselves the Wine and Cheese Plein Aire,” she says, “and we spend the morning painting like mad, then have the best lunch imaginable with lots of talk, and then go back to painting like mad all afternoon.” Trudy also is the coach of a young woman trying

55TH REUNION: Nine members of the Summit Class of 1955 celebrated

their 55th Reunion in Cohasset, Mass., visiting classmate Barbara Welch Bliss, who lives in Cohasset and was unable to travel. The group enjoyed a lobster dinner courtesy of Barbara’s husband Mike, and visited some local sights, including the Boston Museum of Art, the Mayflower, and Plymouth Village. Joining the group was their grade 7 English teacher, Barbara Muhs Walker, who also joined the group for their 50th Reunion.

Pictured are: (front row, left to right) Felicity Vaughan Swayze, Barbara Muhs Walker, Barbara Welch Bliss, Georgia Sommers Wright; (back row, left to right) Mary Putnam Luthy, Victoria Galloway Holmen, Anne Duvall Harris, Carol Downs Trapp, Joyce Adams McGinn, Kate Klein Piper. for the 2012 Olympic equestrian team. In addition, she still breeds, trains and sells warm blood horses for jumping and dressage.

Between them, she and her husband currently have 29 horses and hope to bring a number of them to California for the winter.

Trudy gives all her classmates her very best.

[Ed. note: in the last issue of SPA Magazine, a class note for Judy Blake was incorrectly attributed to Mary Dosdall Guyer. We regret the error.]

1955 CLASS AGENT:

Minty Piper Klein mintypiper@aol.com

Si Ford lives in Bronxville, NY, and is retired from Colgate Palmolive, where he served as an executive vice president. Si has six children and 19 grandchildren.

Felicity Vaughan Swayze reports that 2009 was a year of 50th celebrations, as she and husband Townsend traveled to Cambridge, Mass., to celebrate their joint 50th Harvard/Radcliffe graduations, and also traveled to England to celebrate the anniversary of Townsend’s crew team’s victory in the The Grand Challenge Cup Regatta in 1959.

While in Europe, Felicity visited her brother Peter Vaughan ’55 at his home in St. Senoc, France, and in August 2009, she and Townsend celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with 50 friends

If you would like to:

Stay in touch!

drop by the school for a tour... get involved with Reunion Weekend planning... become a Class Agent... volunteer at the school... ...we would love to hear from you. Call 651-696-1308 or email alumni@spa.edu.

Log on to www.spa.edu/alumni and update your email address in the alumni/ae directory.

fall 2010 | SPA

29

Class Notes

1955 continued in their home in Tunbridge, Vt. Felicity was in the chorus of the 2010 Green Mountain Opera Festival production of Lucia di Lammermoor in June.

Her experience with the opera reminds her of Summit School: “I remember Mrs. Fisher with gratitude and her founding of the Summit Singers,” says Felicity.

“We were the first!”

Carol Davis Trapp had a very active 2010, including trips to India and Russia and skiing in Colorado over the winter. Carol and her family also visit Colorado in the summer for hiking, fishing, gardening, and music festivals.

“Not enough time to do it all!”

Carol says.

Nancy Earl Hoy reports lots of pride and good times with children and grandchildren.

Her oldest granddaughter is 13, “and taller than I am,” Nancy says, and the youngest is two years old.

Mary Putnam Luthy spends many nights and weekends watching two of her grandsons play baseball—her oldest granddaughter graduated from college in 2010. Mary also spends a good deal of time knitting; in the past two years she has made over 50 afghans for charity. She also helps out at four knitting groups.

Georgia Sommers Wright recently produced a video aimed at stopping the enlargement of the Berkeley National Laboratory, which is built on a collapsed volcano. Husband David continues to teach at UCBerkeley—“for free, as he’s retired,” Georgia says, and their daughter Beth lives in Minneapolis and is an editor.

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SPA | fall 2010

1956 CLASS AGENTS:

Geraldine Bullard Kyle rlbullard@comcast.net Virginia Campbell Low ginnybell@aol.com Vicki Churchill Ford and husband Silas ’55 celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary at White Bear Lake with all six children, their spouses and our twenty grandchildren.

The oldest granddaughters are twenty-one years old and the youngest grandson was five weeks old. Charlotte Seymour Johnson and Len Johnson ’54, and Ginny Campbell and husband Stuart also attended the picnic gathering.

“The old saying ‘no news is good news’ applies to me,” says Gerry Kyle Bullard. “I have two new knees and I’m doing great for an oldie.” Gerry and husband Bob are enjoying the golf course and traveling; recent trips include Colorado, the Black Hills, and the Normandy area in France. Gerry and Bob’s grandson, Andrew Bullard ’11, will graduate from St. Paul Academy and Summit School in June 2011.

Bea Strand MacDonald reports that “in general, life is great and I am really enjoying my work.

We savor our family and all the special moments now that we appreciate how special they are!”

Travel is the theme of the news from Julia Seabury: “I spent June, 2010 in Paris. I had such a good time that I now plan to spend about six months there next year and in years to come as long as I am in good walking condition.

My son, Tom, is moving to Paris in February or March, 2011, and we will share an apartment when I am there. Since you can only

stay ninety days in France on a tourist visa, I will break up my trip starting in February or March and return to France in August for another ninety days.” In other news, Julia visited her daughter Katie and her family in San Diego recently: grandson Kacy is a star football and baseball player at his high school, and granddaughter Carrie is a star student at California State University, Channel Islands, in Camarillo. “As for me, I have given up my job at the ENT doctor’s office. I hope that is the end of my working life,” Julia says.

Charlotte Seymour Johnson and husband Len ’54 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2010.

“Our children and grandchildren filled the house with ‘gold,’ and I am still finding gold plates, gold napkins, gold candles, gold ribbon, golden framed photos, and gold, etc. stashed in cupboards and drawers,” she says, “all reminders of the good life Len and our 6 children and 14 grandchildren have shared. We created new memories to add to the old, with a voyage on the Queen Mary II and a trip to Rome, Florence, and Tuscany. My hope for the future is that we are flexible enough to weather life’s ups and downs and young enough to create wonderful new memories. Our Summit School education gave us the tools with which to do this.”

CeCe Mundy Ross retired on July 30, 2010, and “just like IRAs, ‘rolled over’ to volunteer,” she says.

“I hope to be more active in our neighborhood; to help with very elderly and frail and baby-sit for youngsters. I may help out in local grammar school and may get some travel in also.”

Peggy Page McCubbin reports that she “finally gave up the farm last year; it was too much work with bad knees and being alone.

My son and daughter-in-law bought it in order to have their horse business and I built a new eco-friendly house just down the road on 40 wild acres I already owned. I did prairie restoration for landscaping around the house; certified the place as a wildlife habitat (and there is wildlife!) put in Geothermal, and the house is all wood, inside and out. I feel the environment is a top priority for our society along with education.”

Peggy is still teaching, and is now in her 22nd year as tutor at the local high school and in her 46th year as a licensed teacher. “I’m aiming for 50 years and will do my best to make it,” says Peggy, who is also still involved with handcrafts and am active in her church.

Peggy also enjoys her three grandchildren “when I get to see them, which isn’t often enough.”

Daphne Roberts Bell and husband Mike Bell live in Hamilton, New Zealand, and the time of this writing, Daphne was in the midst of a political campaign for Hamilton City Council. Daphne writes about her campaign (and other issues) on her blog: www.daphnebell. blogspot.com.

Brenda Raudenbush Griffin writes, “I am just now entering my 6th year as a docent at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. The library has recently completed a $10 million renovation with emphasis on the post-Presidential years. Touring and teaching there has given me a birds-eye view of school children who usually come from the 4th and 5th grades from Metro Atlanta school systems, public, private, and parochial.

I would say that more than 99% of these students are well-prepared and ask important questions on what they see.” Over the summer, Brenda and her daughter Heather

(who also lives in the Atlanta area) enjoyed a visit from her sister Hilary Raudenbush Magnuson ’59 and her husband Fritz ’55, her oldest son Hal and his family. “We had a lively, boisterous time of it,” says Brenda, who is looking forward early in 2011 to a couple of trips.

“Tom and I are taking a camera safari to the Serengeti and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I also hope to get to St. Paul with my brother Peter Raudenbush ’53, and his wife, Helen, who will be in rehearsal for the spring season at the Guthrie. See ya, I hope!”

1957 CLASS AGENTS:

Dutton Foster duttonfosters@comcast.net Susan Rose Ward cswsrw@comcast.net Harold “Tuck” Langland is still making large public sculptures.

“I am currently working on a memorial to James Oliver, inventor and manufacturer of the Oliver Chilled Plow which not only broke the plains for westward expansion in the US, but was sold all over the world.

The factory used to be here in South Bend, so that’s where the memorial will be placed. It includes an over life-sized figure of him, plus a bronze replica of the plow,” Tuck reports. Tuck and his wife recently spent time in London and visited Dave Kansas ’85, his wife Monica and their new baby, Henry. While there, Tuck spent a week singing Evensongs services with an English group in Westminster Abbey. “Thanks to Paul Wilkinson for the choral start at SPA,” says Tuck, who also notes that he and his wife are taking tango lessons in preparation for a trip to Buenos Aires in November 2010.

1960 The Class of 1960 is looking for class agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or call 651-696-1366 to learn more.

Dick Adair is still teaching internal medicine residents at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. He and wife Connie are also enjoying their five grandchildren.

Anne Morton Bray retired in 2008 after 40+ years as an editor for Prentice Hall in Boston.

She reports that her three children are her greatest joy: son Edward is an illustrator; daughter Sarah is a landscape designer and architect; and son Neil just returned this fall from Shanghai with his family to teach Chinese at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, where grandson Jonas Bray ’21 is now a second-grader in the Lower School. “It seems I’ve come full circle,” Ann says.

Chuck Girk is retired, “but still self-driven in many pursuits,” he says. He lives in Land O’Lakes, Fla., with wife Donna, and is still active in waterskiing, snow skiing, physical training, travel, and his grandchildren.

Niklaus Schweizer says “aloha from Hawaii!” to all classmates.

He is a professor of German at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, and is also the Consul emeriti of Switzerland.

Todd Withy is an attorney in Hawaii, and recently married Jean Malia Withy, also an attorney.

“Jean has two young boys, so I get one more experience with teenagers,” says Todd, whose family has now grown to six children and four grandchildren.

He and Jean are enjoying the beach and ocean near their home in Kailua, and also make selected trips to the snow for skiing.

1964 CLASS AGENTS:

Cindy Schuneman Piper repip2@aol.com John Maher jmaher1@maine.rr.com Shotsy Shepard Johnson is the new President of the Board of Trustees of St. Paul Academy and Summit School, and the first woman in the school’s history to hold the position. Shotsy assumed the presidency in July, 2010. [Ed note: read more about Shotsy on page 3.]

Sally Wood Duback and husband Warren entertained a steady stream of house guests in the summer of 2010, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

“Children and grandchildren are the best,” says Sally, who has five granddaughters. Sally’s son David and his family recently moved to Minneapolis; David is an analyst with a hedge fund. Sally’s work was recently represented in an exhibition at the International Print Center in New York— “that’s my exciting professional news,” Sally says.

Julie Moles Stephan recently retired after twenty years at the VA and “is ready to learn to play golf.” She has also moved to a new home in Mesquite, Nev. Cindy Schuneman Piper and husband Tad have purchased acreage less than a mile from their present house and plan to build a new house and barn.

“I will be trading a lake view (Long Lake) for a pasture,” says Cindy, who says her grandchildren “will miss the pool but I hope the pony is the new draw! I continue on the Board of the Hazelden Foundation, working hard to help people in need of recovery. I also just joined the Minneapolis Heart Institute

and will learn more than I probably want to know about hearts. I had a stent implanted two years ago and Tad has had a lousy year with heart troubles but hopefully we are near the end. And of course my foxhunting is a passion and the Long Lake Hounds captures my constant attention. If you ever get to Minnesota and want a quiet ride in the woods, I have very gentle horses!”

Linda Levin Waag reports that she and husband Marty “had an exciting 30 day adventure on a Russian Icebreaker circumnavigating Antarctica last winter! What an amazing experience in every respect! Antarctica is incredibly beautiful, and I highly recommend a visit there!” Linda has two grandsons, and looks forward to having them visit her in her home in Snowmass, Colo.

Nancy Eklund and husband Spike continue to love life in Denver. They now have 4 grandchildren, the latest one born September 15, 2010.

Caroline Pillsbury is living very happily in Washington, D.C. doing a lot of volunteer fundraising for arts organizations, the Alliance Francaise, and Sibley Hospital.

“We now have 9 grandchildren and travel a lot to Europe, Connecticut, Florida, and California,” says Caroline, who is still skiing and “trying to learn” to play golf.

1965 The Class of 1965 is looking for class agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or call 651-696-1366 to learn more.

Mary Hollinshead is a classical archaeologist teaching ancient Greek and Roman art and archaeology at the University of Rhode Island. “Our three daughters are spread far and wide: Cary and

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Class Notes

1965 continued family in Paris, Sarah in Berkeley, and Jane in Los Angeles,” Mary writes. “We and they migrate back to our lake cabin in Wisconsin every summer, and we visit family in St. Paul when we can.”

Kathryn Huff lives in Socorro, New Mexico, where she is a teacher and the owner of a realty company, Huff Realty.

“I still have my horse farm in Socorro,” Kathryn writes, “and am currently building a new house on the farm.”

1970 The Class of 1970 is looking for class agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or call 651-696-1366 to learn more.

Chris Downey lives in Golden Valley and has recently made a career change. A practicing family physician for years, he now works for Allina Home Health and Community Services, focusing on home care and hospice/palliative medicine. He has also been spending more time teaching.

His son Michael is a student at Middlebury College focusing on science and pre-med studies, and wife Jeanne continues her work in psychology.

were selected for the award from over 1,000 nominations from across the state.

1980 CLASS AGENT:

Kristin Flom kflom@spa.edu Leann Canty is a physician and lives with her husband and two children (5th grade and 2nd grade) near Boston. “I enjoy my work as a primary care doctor, and I do a lot of teaching,” says Leann, who adds that the most interesting thing she’s done lately was to spend a year (2008-09) in India with her family.

Sheri Riley moved to Tucson, Ariz., following the 2007 graduation of her daughter Tori Hansen ’07; Tori now attends the University of Arizona in Tucson. Sheri’s son Austin is a 4th grader. “We are loving life in sunny AZ!” Sheri says.

John Erickson is a scientist at Bitwacker Associates in Norwich, Vermont, and writes “it’s been great reconnecting with my Class of 1980 classmates via Facebook!”

Judy Sandeen Bartel, who teaches social studies at Hill-Murray High School in Maplewood, Minn., was awarded a 2010 FOX-9 Top Teacher Award in April 2010. Only nine teachers

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SPA | fall 2010

1981 CLASS AGENT:

Walter Lehmann walt@lehmannstrobel.com A film produced by Norah Shapiro was screened in Minneapolis on April 18, 2010.

The film, called If You Dare, follows a small theater company’s efforts to use theater to make a difference in the lives of children in inner-city Chicago.

CLASS AGENT:

Dave Kansas dave.kansas@filife.com

CLASS AGENT:

Shannon Whitaker McNeely swhitaker@meritex.com

Caragh O’Brien is the author of the recently released novel Birthmarked, a dystopian novel for young adults. She writes and teaches in Tolland, Conn., and is currently at work on the sequel to Birthmarked. For more information on Caragh and her writing, please visit her website at www.caraghobrien.com.

1985

1978 John Butler jbutler@mairsandpower.com

from SPA in June 2010; pictured left to right are Andrew, Claire, Maren, Madeleine, and Kris.

▲ Kris Flom lives in St. Paul with husband Andrew Staab and reports that she is “still at SPA teaching French…for the last 20 years. Yikes!” Kris’s daughters Claire Flom-Staab ’13 and Madeleine Flom-Staab ’15 both attend SPA; eldest daughter Maren Flom-Staab ’10 is now a freshman at the University of St. Thomas. The entire family was on hand for Maren’s graduation

Sherri Ettinger lives in Boston, recently promoted to Clinical Director of the Counseling Center at Simmons College. She writes: “I continue to love my job and feel very fortunate to have a position in the mental health field that is not beholden to the insurance companies and to managed care.”

Her daughter Gabriela started kindergarten this fall.

Patrick Farrell and his wife Ann have moved to Kansas, where Patrick is senior pastor at Calvary

Chapel Wichita. Patrick and Ann’s daughter Michaela began third grade at Classical School of Wichita this year, where she has already “learned more Latin than her father managed to absorb in three years at SPA,” Patrick says. “Semper what?”

Peter Hart writes: “Still livin’ the dream in Maine. Wife and three kids all head off to Waynflete school each day—Heather to teach Chinese and kids Phoebe (4th), Henry (1st) and Lucy (EC4) all going to schoolerize. Beautiful summer here in Maine.” Peter adds that while he’s still in the same office, there have been plenty of nameplate changes as A.G. Edwards has become part of Wachovia which is now all part of Wells Fargo (which also owns the old Norwest). “Same chair, third business card!”

Julia Jordan and Doug Unis live in Mt. Vernon, NY with son Rohan and new baby daughter Catherine. Julia couldn’t make it to the 25th reunion but looks forward to seeing classmates at the 30th.

Dave Kansas and wife Monica welcomed a son, Henry Robert Kansas, in April. “He should be walking and singing by Christmas!” says Dave, who is still living in London, working for The Wall Street Journal, and looking forward to book number four out in January 2011. “We have enjoyed traveling in Europe, but we’re also looking forward to returning to the states, most likely in 2011. I have had the chance to visit with Mike Ristau, who swung through London earlier this year. Since he’s been an ex-pat in Brussels with 3M, he had loads of good advice for me,” Dave says. In recent months, he’s also been in touch with Todd Bomberg, who has started his own company, FuelTech Solutions,

in Los Angeles; Cathy Paper, who is revving up RockPaperStar in St. Paul; and Sean Gilshannon, who is working the green end of things in Seattle. Dave also notes that Steve Levitt’s second book, SuperFreakanomics, has come out and done well, that Tom Joo is still teaching law at UC-Davis, and that Ken Rice remains in the property game in Baltimore.

Becka McKay, who teaches in the English department at Florida Atlantic University, recently published two books: a book of poems, A Meteorologist in the Promised Land; and a translation of Blue Has No South. She spent some time in the spring of 2010 traveling to Boca Raton, Boston, and Chicago to do readings from both books.

Daisy Campbell Fang Pellant and her family recently moved to Tbilisi, Georgia, where she and husband RM work at the International School of Tbilisi.

“We are now nestled between the Black Sea, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and... oh, yes, Russia,” Daisy reports. “Things have settled down since the invasion—which we thankfully missed. RM is the Director of Instruction (same as the Principal) and I am the school counselor, psychologist, and community mental health go-to person. We have a wonderful, small school PK-12 so I am able to attend to stressed out seniors and biting 4-yr-olds all in the same day, although sometimes the seniors are biting and the 4-yr-olds are stressed. Our students are from State Department and NGO families and represent more than 26 different countries.

The country is incredibly beautiful and we never tire of having mountains right outside our door.” Daisy and RM’s four children are also students at the school: Ruby-Kate is in

7th grade, Max in 5th, Annika in 2nd, and Lucy in Kindergarten.

“We get home each summer to our house in Mac-Groveland and enjoy visiting with SPA friends,” says Daisy, who spent time in the summer of 2010 with Nicole Winter Tietel, Anne Tschida Longenecker, Mollie Ward, Carrie Clark, SPA Lower School librarian Margaret Kelberer, and Upper School math teacher George Leiter. “We had a wonderful time at the 20th reunion and we’re sorry to be missing the 25th.

Until then, I can be reached at daisy-pellant@qsi.org. If you are coming to Georgia, we have plenty of space for visitors!”

Martha has played throughout the United States and Europe; her tour of Finland with the Stuart Brothers was documented in a live album released in 2009.

Scott Smith and wife Catherine live in Arden Hills, Minn., where Scott is a plant engineer for International Paper.

“Last summer, I visited Clemens Ladenburger, who was a member of our class in the fall of our junior year,” Scott reports.

“Clemens currently works for the EU in Brussels and had a hand in writing the EU constitution.”

Debbie Lipschultz Goldenberg goldenlips275@aol.com

The July 10, 2010 Star Tribune ran an article about former sports agent John Wolf and his parting of the ways with NBA power forward Amare Stoudemire.

John now owns Chicago Lake Liquors in Minneapolis.

Shauna Colman Sanidas and husband Oliver Sanidas live in Englewood, Colo., where Shauna is an interior designer and mom to Luke (5) and Ella (2).

1988 CLASS AGENT:

Daniel Deuel dhd823@comcast.net Dana Nelson is a Lutheran minister in Lima, Peru, where she and husband Tom Ososki have lived for the last several years.

1990 CLASS AGENTS:

Darren Strafelda darrens@mlazgar.com Fritz Hoeschler is a weapon system officer with the U.S. Air Force, and will soon return from a 4-month deployment to Afghanistan, where he has been supporting troops on the ground.

1986

1993 CLASS AGENTS:

Ben Beach beach_benjamin@hotmail.com John Cosgriff jcosgrif@chicagogsb.edu Mary Dickinson MacDonald mgdickinson@yahoo.com Jim Delaney jdelaney@wedrivebusiness.com

▲ Sean Cairncross and Emily

CLASS AGENT:

John Patterson john.patterson@state.mn.us Singer and songwriter Martha Scanlan performed at the Gingko Coffeehouse in St. Paul in May 2010. Martha, who makes her home in Birney, Montana, released her first CD, The West Was Burning, in January of 2007 to great critical acclaim.

Since that album’s release,

view the devastation for himself, and to bring soccer gear and personal care items to the island; the effort was a collaboration between the organization he founded, the Sanneh Foundation, and the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer. Since March 2010, the Sanneh Foundation and Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation have sponsored the Haitian Initiative, which provides soccer-based youth programming, aid and equipment to Haiti as it rebuilds from the earthquake. In July 2010, the Haitian Initiative brought a youth soccer team from Haiti to Minnesota to compete in a tournament at the USA CUP.

▲ In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in January 2010, Tony Sanneh organized a relief effort focused on bringing soccer back to the children of Haiti, and bringing the children of Haiti to soccer in Minnesota. Sanneh visited Haiti in March 2010 to

Skor welcomed a son, Dominic Stuart Cairncross, on March 24, 2010. Dominic joined big sister India James Cairncross, born November 10, 2007.

Shandra Dayton Powell and husband Zach welcomed a daughter, Lila Rose, in July 2009.

Carrie Higginbotham Menk married John Menk in 2002.

They have two kids (Reuben,

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Class Notes

1993 continued born ’06 and Theo, born ’08) and live on the family farm in Kenyon, Minn. Carrie, a clinical social worker, is still working as a therapist with children and families and teaches at both the St. Kate’s and St. Thomas School of Social Work.

▲ Miriam Dickler celebrated her 35th birthday with a “1980s prom” party, attended by (pictured, left to right) Keri Schultz, Sarah Gores Rudolf, Miriam, Jenny Schumi and Suriya Douglas Williams.

“We had a great time all being together again. It’s amazing how enduring my friendships from SPA have proven to be,” Miriam says.

David Klecker is a Cistercian monk living in Sparta, Wisc., and will be traveling to Rome for 9 months to finish up his master’s in theology, with a possible ordination date in late 2011.

“I currently do graphic design work for the Abbey, am trying to learn piano and am also a budding photographer,” David reports.

right consultant for each job and focuses on innovation and management projects. After work with the Mayo Clinic and the State of Minnesota, which helped to launch his company, Uri developed a new partnership with Harvard and several other universities. Uri recently completed the Executive MBA at Carlson School of Business, and joined the board of the local TED Conference. He also serves on the North Star Fund board and lives in South Minneapolis. Uri reports that his firm founded and recently began to grow a global network of innovation leaders from large corporations. “It is called Innovation Peers and is an organization that helps leaders work on both their corporate innovation issues, and leverages their exceptional talent and influence for a social benefit project each year,” says Uri, who is the CEO of Generate, a consulting company that helping organizations innovate within their business and their communities.

1998 The Class of 1998 is looking for class agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or call 651-696-1366 to learn more.

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SPA | fall 2010

CLASS AGENTS:

Mark Heinert mark.heinert@bestbuy.com Lisa Stein Rothstein lisaannestein@gmail.com

Aram Desteian desteian@gmail.com

▲ Rebecca Jarvis was named newsreader for the Saturday edition of CBS’s “The Early Show” in April 2010. She also serves as business and economics correspondent for the network.

Jarvis first came into the national spotlight when she finished second on the reality show The Apprentice. In 2006, she joined CNBC where she covered major events including the Bernard Madoff scandal and the sale of Merrill Lynch.

2000

Obianuju Obi obi@post.harvard.edu

Jaidev Shergill of Siliguri, India in a Croatian civil ceremony in Dubrovnik in September, 2009 and a Sikh ceremony in New Delhi in December, 2009. Kristin graduated from Columbia

2001 CLASS AGENTS:

Noah Mehlan nmehlan@mac.com

▲ Kristin Vukovic married

Andrew spent a week in Iraq in the winter of 2009 working at the Iraq National Museum with several other Google engineers.

A story about the project appeared in the February 2010 issue of State Magazine, available online at http:// www.state.gov/documents/ organization/136475.pdf.

Tiffany Clark tlcpapillon@gmail.com

CLASS AGENTS:

1994

Uri Neren recently launched Generate Companies and serves as the CEO. Generate helps large companies find the

1999

Jesse Markman jmarkman@u.washington.edu

Noah Rouen reports that he has starte his own public relations firm, called the Rouen Group.

The Class of 1994 is looking for class agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or call 651-696-1366 to learn more

University’s School of the Arts with an M.F.A. in Nonfiction Writing in May 2009. She and her husband live in New York City.

Andrew Starns, an engineer for Google, was a member of a Google team working with the Iraq Technology Task Force, a U.S. State Department initiative working to make technology a diplomatic tool in Iraq.

Linda Lee is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine as a TEFL secondary school teacher from September 2010 to December 2012.

Dena Milligans is working as a professional photojournalist in New York City.

2002 CLASS AGENTS:

Sara Cornell scornell@gwu.edu Lauren Nuffort lauren.nuffort@gmail.com Carly Thomforde cthomforde@gmail.com Julia Clark married Willy Joy ’00 in Chicago in the summer of 2010 (details at right).

2003 CLASS AGENTS:

Brenden Goetz brendengoetz@gmail.com Aleks Sims aleksander.sims@gmail.com Tom Christ kiselblat@gmail.com

SPA WEDDING: Willy Joy ’00 married Julia Clark ’02 in Chicago in the

summer of 2010, “10 years after we started dating following Dutton Foster’s Spring ’99 production of West Side Story,” Willy says. Many alums attended Willy and Julia’s wedding, including (back, left to right) Rob Butler, Michael Zmora, Kevin Flynn, Sean Addie, Brendan Moriarty, John Milton, Dylan Rieff, Alex Boesel, Jessie Baltes, Will Cleveland, Chris Forster-Smith ’02, Chris Nelson ’00, Barbara Cleveland, Sarah Plum, Mike Weisdorf, Laurel Orman ’02; (front, left to right) Catherine Clark ’07, Julia and Willy.

Kate Currie married Erik Levy in July of 2009. Erik is a law student at William Mitchell and Kate works at the Minnesota Science Museum.

Emily Gleason is a graduate student at Harvard University studying biology. She lives in Cambridge, Mass., and spends time with her pets and her boyfriend for fun.

Page Foster graduated in May 2009 with a BFA in contemporary composition from the music conservatory at SUNY Purchase.

Page lives in Brooklyn and works as a singer/songwriter. Her first CD came out in 2010.

Mackenzie Kigin lives in Chicago and works as a research associate at the University of Chicago in the Department of Pediatric Oncology. She is planning to start medical school in the fall of 2010.

Neil Griffin lives in Los Angeles, working at a startup liveentertainment company based in Hollywood. He also writes satire and lit criticism that occasionally

appears on humor and modern lit websites.

Nicholas Bluhm is a law student at the University of Virginia, and lives in Charlottesville with wife Cassidy and son Aiden.

Adam Schanfield began his MBA at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in fall 2010.

Colin Hartman is an officer in the U.S. Marines, currently deployed to Afghanistan, serving with a Counter Improved Explosive Device (CIED) Task Force, training Afghan soldiers in Helmand and Kandahar Provinces.

After earning his degree in finance from Bentley University, Arne Boernsen moved back to Germany and got a job as a business consultant in Munich, where he’s been living for the past three years. “Now I am moving to Mannheim to do my MBA at Mannheim Business School. After that, who knows?”

Arne writes. “I love traveling,

so something flexible. Ever since college, I’ve been playing guitar, which is my biggest hobby. I also run half-marathons, I travel a lot (part business, part leisure, next stop will hopefully be California) and go hiking and snowboarding in the Alps (gotta love Munich).”

in the Olympic Mountains (finicky northwest weather!), and I am currently sorting out another winter in Colorado.”

Marshall Buckler and his wife bought a house in southern California last summer. “I’m currently going back to school and will graduate with a BS in Business Management in a little over a year,” Marshall writes.

Sarah Anderson smanderson1@wisc.edu

Jon Scott is a police officer for the City of Phoenix and was named Officer of the Year for 2009 at his precinct (Cactus Park).

“It is quite the experience,” Jon says. “I am exposed to a lot of eye-opening events.”

Katherine Skrief is living in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and will be teaching first grade for at least the next two years at a small international school called Dar es Salaam International Academy. Any SPA’ers visiting the area are welcome to visit!

2004 CLASS AGENTS:

Andria Cornell andria.m.cornell@gmail.com Ashley Malecha Anton ashleyeanton@gmail.com Tyler Olson tylermolson@gmail.com

▲ Ashley Malecha Anton and her husband recently welcomed their first child: Theodor Gustav Anton was born on March 27, 2010. “We are all doing great and enjoying life together in Hamburg, Germany,” Ashley reports.

2005 CLASS AGENTS:

John Adams adamsjackc@gmail.com

▲ Brenden Goetz writes, “I spent two and a half weeks biking from Moab, Utah to Zion National Park and back with two friends from college this past spring. Along the way we stopped at Capitol Reef National Park, San Rafael Swell, Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Zion.

I just returned from a visit to Washington state, which included unsuccessful attempts to summit Mount Rainier in the Cascade Mountains and Mount Constance

Lindsay Giese lindsaygiese@gmail.com Hanna Lamb lamb@wustl.edu Nicole Stennes nes3@cec.wustl.edu Sarah Wald skwald@gmail.com Molly Pan recently made an appearance on the stage of the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, in the chorus of the Guthrie’s critically-acclaimed production of M. Butterfly. The show ran from April 17 to June 6, 2010.

fall 2010 | SPA

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Class Notes

2006 CLASS AGENTS:

Lien Bui lbui@gustavus.edu Alex Gast a-gast@northwestern.edu Marjahn Golban mgolban@wellesley.edu Henry Parker hparker@bates.edu Samson Finkelstein performed in his first self-produced circus show, “Between Earth and Sky,” on April 30 and May 1, 2010.

The show was held at the Old Arizona Theatre in Minneapolis.

Samson is a co-founder of the Blue Phoenix Circus Troupe, and has been training in the circus arts for over 11 years.

He has performed and trained acts such as duo trapeze, juggling, teeterboard, aerial straps, German wheel, Russian swing, and Russian bar.

Kate McDonald was recently hired as an intern to Twin Cities Pubic Television’s new show MN Original, a series on Minnesota artists. Kate also did an internship at the Tate Gallery in London in the summer of 2009

2007 CLASS AGENTS:

Etonde Awaah tonders@math.com

Elizabeth Berg is a junior at the Boston Conservatory.

She recently appeared in the show Falsettos by William Finn, attended by Upper School English and drama teacher Eric Severson, who reports that he was “blown away by Elizabeth’s performance. She has evolved so eloquently as a performer.

Her voice, if it’s possible, has gotten stronger and more polished, and her acting was so relaxed, so nuanced. She was having fun and it showed.”

Charlie Sellew writes, “I can’t really believe that I’m a senior in college!” Charlie is in his final year at UNC-Chapel Hill, and is currently researching his senior thesis on debates over mechanisms to fund K-12 education in former British colonies—research that took him to east Africa over the summer of 2010. Charlie also reports that classmate Ali Hussain, a student at Cornell University, has been named a Truman Scholar.

2008 CLASS AGENTS:

Jessie Garretson jesspiperg@gmail.com Nolan Filter lilbddh@yahoo.com Vanessa Levy vanessalevy1@yahoo.com

Malaysia. The conference, sponsored by the United Nations, brings together a select group of students from around the world to learn about global issues by acting in the role of diplomats who must negotiate with other countries to achieve a goal or develop resolutions on a specific issue. “I represented the Syrian Arab Republic on a committee that focused on Human Security issues and diffusing religious and political extremism. My role was to act as a delegate representing values and motives of the Syrian people and government,” says Anja, who attends Macalester College in St. Paul.

Elise Butler served on the teaching staff of the 2010 National High School Institute at Northwestern University during the summer of 2010.

The National High School Institute is a prestigious program where high school journalism students study with practitioners and college instructors. Elise is currently attending the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern and is an alumnae of the NHSI, which she attended the summer before her senior year.

2009 CLASS AGENTS:

Colin Cowles colin.cowles@gmail.com Grace Ferrara gferrara@pugetsound.edu

Derek Schaible derek.schaible@gmail.com

Atsuko Fukushi fuku0035@umn.edu

Jori Belkin was recently featured on the Hamilton College website for her work examining women’s roles in Bollywood films. Jori will graduate from Hamilton in the spring of 2011.

Andrew Magne amagne@usc.edu

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SPA | fall 2010

Crowder attended the Global Model United Nations conference in Kuala Lumpur,

After graduation, Ashlee Fukushi spent a year in Beijing and traveling in China.

She now attends the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

For the second summer in a row, Alex Van Orsow interned with the Mayo Clinic’s Division of Engineering continuing an internship he first began as part of his Senior Project. “For the past two summers my project has involved working to build and test human brain electrodes intended to be used in a cutting edge deep brain stimulation procedure used to treat tremors, seizures, severe depression, and a host of other currently incurable neurologic diseases,” Alex reports.

2010

Nicholas Rosenbaum nicholas.rosenbaum@yale.edu

▲ In August 2010, Anja

Grace Ferrara spent three months interning at Sea Life Park, a marine life park in Waimanalo, HI. “I worked mostly with their Green Sea Turtles but also helped care for their sharks, stingrays, and reef fish,” Grace writes.

During her time there, she also received training on how to be a marine aquarist and learned some of the science behind marine mammal training.

Elizabeth Moertel emoerte@emory.edu

A Stanford University news item profiled Lucy Meyer, who is a freshman at Stanford and a member of the school’s Division I gymnastics team. Entitled “Meyer Adds to Stellar Gymnastics Class,” the profile calls Lucy “an explosive gymnast.” “Lucy has the potential to make an immediate impact for us on vault, and will be key depth for us on beam,” Stanford head gymnastics coach Kristen Smyth says in the piece. “I am certain she will thrive at Stanford in all arenas; the gym, the classroom and in the community.”

In Memoriam

1932 Alice Turner Winfield passed away on August 19, 2010, at the age of 96. Born in 1914 in St. Paul, Alice Turner attended the Summit School along with her sisters, the late Mary Turner Kenna ’30 and the late Clara Turner Greenman ’33. She graduated from Summit School in 1932, and from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. in 1936. In 1939 she married William Hood Winfield, and the family resided for many years in Riverside, Conn. Alice was active in the Junior League, and she loved to read, play tennis, and travel.

She will be remembered by family and friends as an elegant lady with a gracious manner, astounding memory, and a kind word for all. Alice was the beloved mother of three daughters and a son, the adored grandmother of eleven and the greatgrandmother of twelve.

1933 Peter H. ffolliott passed away on October 14, 2010, in Boca Grande, Fla. He was born on April 15, 1913, he graduated from the St. Paul Academy in 1933 and Dartmouth College in 1937, and served in the US Navy during World War II, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He was an enthusiastic amateur drummer and the author of two selfpublished memoirs. He was predeceased by two brothers and two sisters and his wife of 63 years, Gertrude Boeckmann ffolliott ’33, and is survived by five children: Gertrude Hill (Terry) ffolliott ’60, Sheila ffolliott ’63, Mary Boeckmann (Sissy) ffolliott ’70, Peter Harvie ffolliott, Jr., and Ann Gavin ffolliott; four granddaughters, six great-granddaughters, and many nieces and nephews.

1936 Dr. Benjamin Franklin Rogers passed away on August 22, 2010. Dr. Rogers was born in St Paul and attended the St. Paul Academy in 1936 along with his late brothers John ’43 and Julian Rogers ’38, late sister Patricia Brown ’39 (who attended the Summit School) and cousin, the late Steven DeCoster ’51. At St. Paul Academy he was a member of the hockey team and served as co-editor of the “Now and Then” student newspaper. He was also a member of the debating team and the Cum Laude Society.

After graduation from St. Paul Academy in 1936 he attended Harvard College, where he received an A.B. cum laude in 1940, a M.A. in 1941 and received his Ph.D .in history from the University of Minnesota in 1951. During World War II he served as a Naval Aviator and received several decorations.

He enjoyed a long teaching career at institutions including the Arizona Desert School in Tucson, the University of Minnesota, Florida State University, Jacksonville University, Florida Atlantic University, Parsons College, Park College, and Ottumwa Heights College. He is survived by his beloved wife, Peggy; a daughter, Ruth Manna; three sons, Benjamin, David, and Clay; nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

1937 C. Arnold “Joe” Kalman passed away on August 3, 2010. Born in St. Paul, he graduated from St. Paul Academy in 1937 and from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1941. After MIT, he worked for two large shipbuilding concerns on Navy combat vessels and, then, the American Machine and Foundry Company. In 1950, he joined Booz Allen & Hamilton, management consultants, where he had a 35-year career as senior vice-president with clients primarily in transportation, aerospace, and telecommunications. He is survived by his wife, Diana; two children by his first wife, Marie Kalman: Charles Kalman and Kristina Kalman Fares; and two grandchildren.

1939 Mary “Molly” (Priedeman) Brown passed away on September 5, 2010, at the age of 89. In her obituary, Molly was described as a “cowgirl, carver, champion confidant …She was the robust, colorful type of character western legends are made of, a woman who flew airplanes, carved gunstocks and worked at times on a Montana ranch, riding on horseback and rolling her own cigarettes with one hand.” She was the wife of Champion Aircraft founder, the late Robert C. Brown ’41, and a longtime Osceola, Wisc. resident and community volunteer. She was born June 8, 1921, in St. Paul, graduated from Summit School, now the St. Paul Academy and Summit School. A graduate of Wheaton College in Morton, Mass., with a major in art

and a minor in psychology, Molly lived for a time on St. Paul’s Summit Avenue, where she worked for Pan Am airlines in dispatching and public relations. She met and married Robert there in St. Paul, in 1950 at age 29, after having turned him down once or twice before. They moved to Osceola in 1951 and constructed a home along the St. Croix River.

She is survived by her sons Robert C. “R.C.” Brown Jr. and Patrick Brown.

1943 Howard “Ted” Johnston passed away on March 16 at his home in Bay Village, Ohio, at the age of 84. Preceded in death by his wife Barbara, Ted was the son of the late St. Paul, Minn. architect, C. Howard Johnston, Jr. and Naneen. Ted attended St. Paul Academy before joining the Army Air Corps as a navigator in World War II. He graduated from Baldwin Wallace College and worked for United Airlines for over 30 years. Ted is survived by his daughter Nancy, son Ted, Jr. and four grandchildren.

1945 Edward Cammack passed away in May 2010. He was living in North San Juan, Calif., at the time of his death.

Chester “Chet” Dosdall passed away on June 23, 2010. Married for 60 years to Marijane Carvelli Dosdall, Chet lived in Wellesley, Mass., and was the retired General Manager of the Boston office of The St Paul Insurance Co. He is survived by his son Jeffrey Dosdall and daughters Mary Blake, Nancy Lauro, and Jane Garbose, and nine grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Thomas Dosdall ’48 and sister Mary Dosdall Guyer ’53.

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In Memoriam

1946 George A. Mairs passed away on May 28, 2010, peacefully with his cherished wife Mary “Dusty” Dustin Mairs ’52 at his side.

Loved by son Todd Mairs ’75 and daughter Ann Mairs ’78, George was blessed with 16 grandchildren (including Bryant Mairs ’04) and 3 great-grandsons. Also survived by loved brothers Robert Mairs ’45 and the late Angus Mairs ’51; sisters Nancy Gephart ’45, Louise “Teedie” Frankenbach ’47, and Jean McLean ’48; and loved by 17 nieces and nephews. George retired at the end of 2009 from the Saint Paul investment firm founded by his father in 1931. He was employed at Mairs and Power, Inc. for 58 years, providing investment counsel to hundreds of individuals and institutions in the Twin Cities and to thousands of shareholders across the country in the Mairs and Power mutual funds. He was a graduate of St. Paul Academy; attended Yale University and graduated from Macalester College. George was Past President of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the St. Paul Academy and Summit School Alumni Association and an active supporter of Episcopal Homes. George was an optimistic and generous advocate for and supporter of his community.

an organization that uses in-home and community-based parenting education and mental health treatment services to prevent abuse and ensure healthy physical and emotional development. Survived by her husband, Eliot Berkley; daughter Emily Berkley; son Andrew Berkley; sister Alexandria Russell Bowen ’54; and many relatives and friends.

Patricia Gibbon passed away unexpectedly on July 21, 2010 in South Carolina. After graduating from the Summit School, she spent much of her life in West Chester, Penn. She is survived by daughter Anne Sutton, son Larry Murdock, and three granddaughters.

1958 Suzanne Zeddies Flinsch passed away on May 9, 2010. In her legal career she served as assistant Ramsey County Attorney, Saint Paul City Attorney, assistant Dakota County Attorney, and spent many years as a Public Defender in Ramsey County and the 1st Judicial District. Deeply missed by her husband of 38 years, James; children, James, Elizabeth, and Montgomery Flinsch ’79; five grandchildren; siblings Jane ’61 and Daniel Zeddies ’64; nieces, nephews and countless friends, colleagues, comrades and co-conspirators.

1964 Priscilla Morgan Fry lost her long battle with cancer on March 6, 2010. She is survived by her loving husband, Stewart Fry; her awesome children, Morgan Fry of Melbourne, FL and Leslie Fry of Denver, Colo. She was the daughter of the late Samuel Morgan ’29 and the sister of Jonathan ’55 and the late Henry Morgan ’59.

Dennis Sanford passed away in January 2009. After graduating from St. Paul Academy in 1964, Dennis proudly served his country in the United States Army and received the Purple Heart Award for his bravery.

He enjoyed his family, his friends, his work and many sports such as fishing, golfing and hockey. After working 14 years as Vice President of finance for Kavouraz Inc., he and his wife Lynne moved in 1997 from Minnesota to Prescott, Ariz., where he spent his final years battling ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). He is survived by loving wife, Lynne, of 27 years; children, Jon and Ann Sanford; stepsons, Rick, Tom and Steve Borden; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild; sisters, Judith Peterson and Jill Sanford; and his “special mom,” Irene O’Neill.

1965 1947 Barbara Preston Fuller passed away on August 5, 2010, in Richmond, Va. She was a student at the Summit School but did not graduate with her class, as the military duty of her father, the late Frank W. Fuller ’18, moved the family around the country.

Among her survivors is her sister, Catharine “Kitty” Fuller Walker ’42.

1948 Marcia Russell Berkley passed away on April 27, 2010 at her home in Kansas City, Kans., after a long illness. After her graduation from the Summit School in 1948, she earned her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke in 1952 and later received a Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. Marcia and her husband Eliot moved to Kansas City where she became involved in community service organizations such as Safehome, a domestic violence shelter for women, and Healthy Families, 38

SPA | fall 2010

1961 William McMillan “Mac” Shepard passed away in April, 2010. Born Sept. 13, 1943 to the late Samuel ’29 and Ruth H. Shepard in St. Paul, Mac graduated from St. Paul Academy in 1961 and was a certified public accountant who enjoyed volunteering his time doing taxes for others. Mac was a member, past president, and held other offices for the Panama City Kiwanis Club. He also served as an officer for the Region D Florida Youth Soccer Association as well as the Bay County YSA and was a longtime advocate for youth soccer in the area. He currently served as the treasurer for Habitat for Humanity. He was a well renowned member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Aides navigation team where he enjoyed working on rescue and navigational training, along with doing vessel inspections.

He was a loving husband, father, and “papa.”

Mac was preceded in death by his son, Barry.

He is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 42 years, Jane; two daughters; four grandchildren; two brothers: Peter ’65 and Samuel Shepard ’68; and several nieces and nephews.

David Carey Foster died suddenly on May 29, 2010, while bicycling with a friend on a scenic highway in Wisconsin. While a high school student at St. Paul Academy, David spent his junior year in Davos, Switzerland.

He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1969, and earned an MA in ecology from the University of Minnesota. In the early ’70s, he became an Environmental Associate with the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College. In 2008 David retired as a long-time environmental analyst for the Minnesota Department of Health. David loved the outdoors, travel, biking, and skiing. In addition to his wife Cynthia, David is survived by his son, Andrew W. Foster and Andrew’s mother Mary Durfee; siblings Dutton Foster ’57, Wood R. Foster, Jr. ’61, Ned Foster ’69, Lisa B. Foster ’71; and many loving nieces and nephews.

1968 Robert Lindsay Thayer passed away in December 2008. Working from his home in Lime Rock, Conn., he enjoyed a national reputation as an antiques dealer, specializing in the Colonial and Early Federal periods.

Bob lived in a state of elegant chaos, surrounded by his beloved library and an ever-changing collection of paintings, furniture, and objects both curious and magnificent. His scholarly research consumed much of his time, and his legacy in this area is impressive. He published two articles--one in American Heritage Magazine (1999, coauthored with historian John Demos), and another in Railroad History Magazine, just days before his untimely death. Bob was a great lover of his three children, his friends and family, his profession, and a kitchen table argument, punctuated by laughter and graced by his endearing and totally outrageous personality. Among his survivors are his two sisters, Lynne Thayer Stroker ’69 and Nancy Thayer Haggerty ’71.

Ed Note: Mr. Thayer’s obituary was erroneously omitted from the Spring 2010 issue of “SPA Magazine”.

We regret the omission.

1978 Carolyn Dee “Cari” Forman passed away on July 27, 2010, at the age of 50. Preceded in death by her mother, Roxanne. Cari graduated from St. Paul Academy and Summit School, where she was elected to the National Honor Society and was captain of the tennis team. At Williams College she received her degree Cum Laude, was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa, and did special studies in China and Italy. She earned her Juris Doctorate at Stanford University, and her Masters in Taxation at the NYU School of Law. After a successful law practice at the Rosenman Colin firm in New York City, Cari decided to involve herself in charitable and educational matters.

Over the years, she was associated with The Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, the Capitol Children’s Museum, and the Options Public Charter School, all in Washington, D.C. When Cari returned to St. Paul, she worked with the Center for School Change at the Humphrey Institute. Cari was preceded in death by her mother Roxanne Paper Forman ’49, and is survived by her

father, Willis; sister, Deborah Arrigoni ’80; brother, James Forman ’77; niece, Amelia Forman; nephew, Benjamin Forman ’09; and many cousins and friends.

1994 Harold “Hal” Sievers passed away on May 10, 2010 at the age of 34. He was a psychology student at the University of Iowa, had deep interests in schizophrenia and hypnosis and was nearing graduation.

Hal loved his family, friends, art, cats, gardening, cooking, baggy floral shorts, movies, hockey and the Koran. He accepted others, was open to their ways and beliefs and was well regarded in return. For years Hal battled the lethal duo schizophrenia and cocaine and fell, in the end, under their grip.

Hal is survived by his partner Lori Steele, of Iowa City; his parents, Mary Sievers and Jerry Sievers; his brother, John; his grandmother, Leona Miller, and a large extended family including 15 beloved aunts and uncles, 22 cousins and the second spouses of his father and grandmother.

2010 Frances Young Welke, passed away on April 30, 2010, at the age of 18 due to multiple strokes caused by a rare condition involving the blood vessels of her brain.

Her illness was sudden and unexpected.

She died peacefully surrounded by her loving family at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul. Frances was born in Chicago, Ill., on March 21, 1992. The family moved to St. Paul in 2000 and she became a student at St. Paul Academy and Summit School; she would have graduated in June of 2010.

A serious and dedicated student, Frances was planning to attend Carleton College in the fall of 2010 to study chemistry and German. At SPA, she was active in choir and soccer and loved reading. She was an advocate for social justice, an animal lover, and a volunteer at the St. Paul Animal Humane Society. She loved her family and her classmates and teachers at SPA. Frances is survived by her parents Barbara and William Welke, her brother Wilder Welke ’08, grandmothers Louise Young and Anne Welke, and many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her grandfathers Donald Young and Richard Welke.

Faculty, Staff, Trustees, and Friends Fred Arndt passed away on March 24, 2010.

Fred was a long-time employee of St. Paul Academy and Summit School. He was the Head of Maintenance at the Lower School at the time of the 1969 merger of St. Paul Academy and the Summit School, and became the Head of Maintenance for the school in the ’90s. Survived by his wife; seven children and three stepchildren; and many grand- and great-grandchildren.

Eugene Otto Heitman passed away on September 18, 2010. Eugene was born March 14, 1918 in Princeton, Minnesota and as a young man moved from the family farm to Saint Paul where he worked at Montgomery Ward and then 3M as a lab technician. He served in WWII in the Army Signal Corps repairing airplane radios and radar equipment, achieving the rank of sergeant.

After returning home, he was quickly promoted to management at 3M. Later, he became chief engineer at EMC Productions where he perfected the recording industry’s first high-speed, bin-loop cassette tape duplicator. After retirement, he returned to work at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, managing the foreign language lab.

George H. Tesar passed away on July 24, 2010.

George was a long-time friend and passionate supporter of St. Paul Academy and Summit School. He was a former Trustee, having served on the Board from 1967-1970, and proudly sent all three of his children—George Tesar ’69, Rob Tesar ’72, and Lisa Capretta ’78—to SPA. George lived an extraordinary life. Born in Prague, he survived Nazi concentration camps, escaped to the United States in 1949, and achieved great success in the Twin Cities business world. He spent most of his career with Dayton’s, serving as the chief executive officer of Dayton Hudson Jewelers. He was also an avid athlete; he played both soccer and hockey for Czechoslovakia’s national teams and was a finalist for the Czech Olympic hockey team just before his emigration.

In later life, he loved tennis and skiing, even after a hip replacement. He was also a strong patriot, always grateful to the Americans who rescued him from the Nazi camps. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Elise, their three children, and nine grandchildren.

Rebecca Thompson passed away in April 2010.

Rebecca was the principal of the Lower School at St. Paul Academy and Summit School from July 2006 to December 2007. Rebecca had been living in the Chicago area at the time of her death; she is survived by her son Stephen and his family. fall 2010 | SPA

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Philanthropy

Remembering Frances Welke ’10: The Frances Young Welke Memorial Fund The death of Frances Welke ’10 on April 30, 2010 was a blow to the entire SPA community. Frances died due to multiple strokes caused by a rare condition involving the blood vessels in her brain; her loss was particularly difficult for her classmates, who had just begun their “triumphant march towards graduation,” as Head of School Bryn S. Roberts wrote in his letter to the community after Frances’ death. “With Frankie’s passing,” Roberts wrote, “these celebratory rites of spring abruptly gave way to a deep and pervasive sorrow, as we were all reminded of just how capricious and unfair life can be.”

As Frances’ family—her parents Barbara and William, and brother Wilder Welke ’08—grieved their loss, SPA grieved with them. “This loss came unexpectedly for us and we know it is equally unexpected for the SPA community,” the Welkes wrote in an open letter to the community after Frances’ death. At her memorial service on May 6, remembrances from Frances’ SPA friends and classmates, many of whom had known her since third grade, were shared, and more than 60 SPA students performed a choral version of “Let it Be” under the direction of SPA music teacher Anne Klus.

As a gift to the SPA community and in honor of the memory of their daughter, the Welkes have generously established the Frances Young Welke Memorial Fund, an endowment to be used to support SPA students who wish to participate in group experiences involving travel but who lack the funds to do so. Such travel might include language exchange programs, travel to perform in a concert or other musical experience, and Odyssey trips. In establishing the fund, the Welke family hopes that other students will find the same joy in their SPA experiences as Frances found in hers.

Those wishing to donate to the Frances Young Welke Memorial Fund are welcome and encouraged to contact Dorothy Goldie, Director of Institutional Advancement. “We are so grateful for the Welkes’ generosity at such a tragic moment in the life of their family,” Goldie says. “We are honored to have this important way to remember Frances and her time at SPA.”

The Leadership Giving Society at St. Paul Academy and Summit School We are pleased to announce the launch of a new program designed to celebrate and recognize leadership giving at SPA. At the core of every strong giving program are individuals who step forward with their philanthropy to lead. Through the Leadership Giving Society, we hope to honor this type of commitment. SPA’s financial strength is the result of many previous generations who recognized that an excellent school must be generously supported. This same type of visionary leadership is needed today and will be reinforced through the Leadership Giving Society.

SPA Trustee and parent Tim O’Brien ’77 and parent Gene Goetz are serving as Co-Chairs of the Leadership Giving Society. They are joined by a committee of 24 volunteers, including Trustees, parents, and alumni/ae.

Gifts of $2,500 or more annually qualify for the Leadership Giving Society, and SPA alumni/ae, parents, grandparents, and friends are invited to become charter members.

For more information about the Leadership Giving Society, contact Sarah Johnson, Director of Annual Giving, at 651-696-1320 or sjohnson@spa.edu.

“Be Part of the Equation”: The 2010-11 Annual Fund The St. Paul Academy and Summit School community is invited to “Be Part of the Equation” in supporting the 2010-11 Annual Fund. Parents and Board members Fred Kaemmer ’88 and Sarah Karon are serving as Annual Fund Co-Chairs this year, and they are working hard with dozens of volunteers to increase participation and meet the $1,000,000 goal for the 2010-2011 Annual Fund. “We all have choices about where to give our charitable dollars,” says Kaemmer, “and this year we hope to convey the message that every gift is important and by choosing to give to SPA you have intentionally stepped forward to say, ‘I am a part of this community. I believe in what we are doing and I will give to support the school and the people who make it so extraordinary.’”

For questions about the Annual Fund or giving at SPA, please contact Sarah Johnson, Director of Annual Giving at 651-696-1320 or sjohnson@spa.edu, or visit www.spa.edu/giving.

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SPA | fall 2010

Spring 2010 Performances Photos by John Severson

View more photos from Urinetown at www.spa.edu > Arts > Drama

Urinetown The 2010 Upper School spring musical, Urinetown: The Musical, was a smashing success. The three shows, held May 21-23, 2010, were packed as capacity audiences enjoyed the talents of the largest cast a SPA musical has featured in the last ten years. “This cast really came together as an ensemble and worked so beautifully together,” says director and Upper School English teacher Eric Severson. “Their commitment to the ensemble, to the music, to the acting and to the choreography truly helped this show soar.” Musical director Anne Klus agrees. “Urinetown was full of vibrant energy,” says Klus. “It had an enormous and talented cast, non-stop singing and dancing with an amazing pit orchestra, and featured so many of our great students in so many ways.”

Cinderella Singing, dancing, and text-messaging were all features of the Middle School musical, Cinderella, on March 5-6, 2010. Director and Middle School drama teacher Mary Kay Orman describes the production as “a twenty-first century rendition” of the Cinderella story: “What I loved about this production is that we added modern twists to an old tale,” says Orman, who had Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters use bejeweled cell phones to call Cinderella and prompt her to do her chores.

And during the ball scene, Cinderella and the Prince started their conversation by texting each other (see photo below), because they were too shy to speak to one another without their electronic devices—“quite hilarious,” Orman says.

View more photos from Cinderella at www.spa.edu > Arts > Drama

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PA I D St. Paul, MN Permit No. 3400

1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105-2194 Address Service Requested

TO PARENTS OF ALUMNI/AE: If this is no longer the current mailing address for your son or daughter, please let us know at alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1366.

M A R K YO U R C A L E N D A R S Photo by Scottt Streble

DECEMBER 2010

ADMISSION OPEN HOUSE (Lower School, grades K-5) December 2, 2010, 9-11 a.m.

Goodrich Campus MIDDLE SCHOOL WINTER CONCERT December 9, 2010, 6:30 p.m.

O’Shaughnessy Auditorium St. Catherine University JANUARY 2011

ADMISSION OPEN HOUSE (Middle and Upper School, grades 6-12) January 13, 2011, 6:30_8:30 p.m.

Randolph Campus ADMISSION OPEN HOUSE (Lower School, grades K-5) January 20, 2011, 9-11 a.m.

Goodrich Campus MARCH 2011

MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL March 4, 2010, 7 p.m. and March 5, 2010, at 4 p.m.

Sarah Converse Auditorium Goodrich Campus Above: SPA students “storm the field” on October 1, 2010, in what has become a tradition before the Homecoming football game. Hundreds of Middle and Upper School students gather at the top of the hill above the field before the game, and then are led at full-speed down the hill to the stands by the SPA Spartan, played this year by Conor Dowdle ’11.