ALUMNI
Alumni Spotlight Traditions and Memories of STS Will Always Tie You Together Elizabeth Reynolds Gruene, class of 2003, serves on St. Thomas School’s Advancement Committee and has been instrumental in re-engaging with STS alumni. She fondly remembers her ten years at STS, highlighting the Christmas Program, Walkathon, learning to unicycle in PE, being Head of School for the Day, and especially Chapel. Those experiences in Chapel profoundly impacted her life, she says. “The lessons I learned in Chapel every morning shaped me into who I am today. I appreciated having that time every morning to reflect, interpret how I could apply the teachings to my own life, sing along with my best friends, and gaze at the beautiful stained-glass windows.” Recently, Elizabeth returned to that very sanctuary in St. Thomas Church to marry her husband, Peter. Elizabeth credits STS with sparking her lifelong passion for politics. Her class trip to Washington, D.C., she says, was especially transformative. “One thing I have always been really passionate about is politics, and that started back in 6th grade at STS. I was totally mesmerized on our big class trip to Washington, D.C. A defining moment of this trip, and my life, was when we did a tour of the Capitol Building. As we observed the House of Representatives, I noticed there were teenagers scurrying about the House floor, wearing matching suits and interacting with the Congresspeople. I asked our tour guide who those teenagers were, and she explained those were House Pages. They got to work on the House floor, attend school in the Library of Congress, and live in Washington D.C. for a semester of junior year. “In that moment, I decided I would one day become a Page. I researched the program, read books about it, talked to my teachers about it, and when I became a sophomore at UPrep, I wrote to my Congressman to get a nomination. Before I knew it, I was off to D.C. and embarked on one of the most incredible adventures of my life. My first day as a page I served at President Bush’s last State of the Union address. Months later I met President Obama. “Being a page was an unparalleled opportunity to observe and participate in the legislative process, and only
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St. Thomas School
furthered my passion for politics. I am not sure I would have ever known about the program had it not been for that STS trip to D.C. Not only did STS allow me to learn about these opportunities, but it gave me the confidence, drive, and intellectual curiosity to become a page myself.” Thinking about this year’s graduating class, she hopes they will “appreciate every moment with their classmates. I learned just as much from my friends at STS as I did from the teachers. They challenged me, pushed me to be the best version of myself, and shared so many defining life moments. Remember that these friendships will likely last a lifetime, so enjoy these special moments together. The traditions, memories, and shared experience of STS will always tie you together.” And, lastly, some fun advice for current STS students: “Enjoy having a uniform! It saved so much time to know exactly what I was wearing each day.”
