The Summit Magazine Winter 2018-19

THE

SUMMIT Winter Magazine 2018-19

In this issue: • Ohio Division II Soccer Champs • Social-Emotional Wellness • Teaching Perseverance

THE SUMMIT The magazine of The Summit Country Day School Winter Issue January 2019 EDITOR Nancy Berlier ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Kathy (Hilsinger) Penote ’93 PHOTOGRAPHY Nancy Berlier, Jolene Barton, Grace Dayton ’19, Robert A. Flischel, William Northern, Rick Norton, Kathy (Hilsinger) Penote ’93, Megan Rademacher, Nick Robbe, Leigh Taylor.

CONTRIBUTORS Laura Johnson, Tanya Bricking Leach, Hannah Michels, Erica Miknius, Nick Robbe, Kathy Schwartz, Victoria Walton ‘19.

Special thanks: Conky Greiwe ‘61, Nancy Snow, Jen McGrath and Sandy Champlin.

PRINTING Arnold Printing © 2019 The Summit Country Day School, Cincinnati, OH. The Summit magazine is published three times a year by the Communications Department of The Summit Country Day School, 2161 Grandin Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208.

Please direct address changes or other correspondence to the above address.

Summit News Phone: (513) 871-4700 ext. 291 Email: communications@summitcds.org Alumni News Please submit news about new degrees, new jobs, marriages, births and other notable passages in your life.

Go to www.summitcds.org/submityournews Summit Online View an archive of The Summit magazine online. www.summitcds.org/magazine The Summit Country Day School serves students from age 18 months through grade 12 in a coeducational setting. The Summit combines the academic excellence and one-on-one guidance of a top-tier independent school with the servant leadership and character-building environment that are hallmarks of a Catholic education.

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ON THE COVER: Jubilant Lower School students reach out to the Boys’ Soccer team as it parades down the front steps on the path to another state championship win. The team won the title for the fourth consecutive year, despite being moved up into Division II. The Boys’ Cross Country team was runner-up at state and the Silver Knights also made state appearances in Girls’ Cross Country, Boys’ golf and tennis. See story on Page 28. Photo by Nancy Berlier.

ON THIS PAGE: Sixth graders don hard hats as they anticipate their turn on a zipline or drop swing from 35 feet in the air at Camp Campbell Gard. The overnight trip offers lessons in perseverance. See story on page 10. Photo by Megan Rademacher.

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Head of School Message

Joy Todd was struggling. His grades were so-so. Teachers were telling him, “I think you can do better.”

He didn’t have close friends and wasn’t invited to do things by his classmates. He was a pretty good athlete, but there again, his coaches would comment, “Come on Todd. Your team needs more effort from you.”

After practice one day, he was sitting on the steps waiting for a ride home. Derek sauntered up and sat down beside him. Todd started complaining about practice and school, when Derek turned, looked him in the eye and said, “Man, you’re sending out a lot of negative vibes. You’re bringing me down. Turn your thoughts around. Think about what’s going well.”

At that point Derek’s ride arrived. Todd was a little stunned. No one had ever been direct with him like that. Yet, just those few honest comments from Derek changed Todd’s life.

Several years ago, Jack Canfield and D.D. Watkins wrote a book entitled, “Key to Living the Law of Attraction.” One of the early lines in the book is, “In order to create a positive future, you need to keep your energy, thoughts and feelings positive…

You are a living magnet.

You literally attract the things, people, ideas and circumstances to you that vibrate and resonate at the same energy frequency as yours.”

That was Todd’s problem.

Derek felt it.

Todd was so negative about everything,

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kids didn’t want to spend time with him. The authors go on, “Negative thoughts weaken you.

Your body responds to those thoughts…Negative thoughts are like driving with the parking brake on.”

St. Julie Billiart understood this truism. Even though she was bed-ridden for many years, she never lost her joy of life. That joy attracted many to her including Francoise Blin de Bourdon, the wealthy aristocrat, who joined Julie in starting the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Living joyfully is a central tenet of the Sisters’ charism and a key element of their success in educating children.

By their nature, children are joyful, but they must be in an environment that fosters joy for them to thrive. Just as the sunflower needs soil, rain and sun to burst forth and stretch to the sky, Notre Dame schools create a joyful environment for children to burst forth and shine.

That joy pervades the five pillars of our school: Spiritually: “God is Good” is the foundational phrase of the Sisters’ order. Exemplifying that in our school daily is the responsibility of the teachers and coaches. When we’re angry and have negative thoughts, we are separate from God. The act of forgiveness is one of self-cleansing. Canfield and Watkins pick up on that, “Failing to forgive is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to get sick.”

Academically: Schools that suck the joy out of learning make a hollow shell of their students.

We hire teachers who themselves love to learn, and that spirit is infectious to their students. Some schools limit students allowed into the Advanced Placement (AP) classes so they can tout their high average AP scores. We take a different view. We view our job as opening opportunities for children.

When we do that, most rise to the occasion and enjoy the exhilaration of mastering a challenging content area.

Contents Physically: The best part of the day for me is watching children bust out of the building and take the field or the court to play their sport. The joy I see in them is palpable. We know the positive chemical reactions that take place in the body from vigorous exercise. Engaging our children in sports contributes to the positive environment we try to create.

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Socially: Catholicism places a high value on living in community and the joy that comes from having friends and learning from others who have similar values but different ideas. We purposely teach social skills so Summit students can become a human magnet attracting others to them.

Artistically: Just as the joy of the Sisters’ artistry is prevalent throughout our main building, we know the joy that comes to children from expressing themselves creatively. We are dumfounded when we read about schools eliminating arts programs to save money. The joy of performing in a play or instrumental concert gives children a positive sense of accomplishment. We also see the pride in their faces when they complete an artistic creation that expresses who they are and what they think.

Freud once commented that “Thought is action in rehearsal.” We want our children to be leaders of character who become the changemakers and peacemakers in their world. To achieve that lofty goal, we need to teach them that being joyful – thinking positively - is a choice. As Willie Nelson once said, “Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”

Derek taught that lesson to Todd who turned his life around from that brief encounter. The environment we create at our school teaches the children that God is indeed good, and He wants us to live our life joyfully. That’s His way and The Summit Way.

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Features Senior Victoria Walton is the seventh Summit student to be published in the Concord Review. She tells us about her research journey to the Library of Congress and the U.S. Holocaust Museum.

A lesson in perseverance is delivered in a big way for sixth graders who had to face their fears in an overnight experience at Camp Campbell Gard.

The 11th annual Early Childhood Education Symposium delivered a slate of experts for a morning of learning. Here we offer takeaways from keynote speaker George Couros, author of “The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent and Lead a Culture of Creativity” and Sarah Zawaly, director of the Innovation Lab at Children Inc. Summit teachers use intentional methods to integrate social-emotional learning throughout the day, throughout their curriculum and across all grade levels – bringing out the best in children, leading to positive belief systems and shaping their mindsets for success.

The Summit Boys’ Soccer team won its fourth consecutive state championship despite being moved up this year into Division II. And that’s not all. The Boys’ Cross Country team was runner up in Division III while two individual XC girls, a golfer and three girls tennis players also went to state.

In an ongoing series called “My Summit Story,” Louis Valencia BMS ’78 talks about amazing experiences he had at The Summit, why his immigrant mother sent him here and why he sent his children here.

Because of his extraordinary contributions to the future of The Summit, Edward “Hap” Castleberry SBS ’46 was given the Ne Ultra Award at the Leaders of Character Society dinner. C. Bert Amann Jr. SBS ’45, a former trustee and longtime benefactor, was awarded the McKenzie-Sargent Distinguished Alumni Award. Thanks to the Joseph family, Williams Field has a new scoreboard.

Lauren Conners ’01, Eric O’Brien ’98 and Alex Thurner ’08 are the newest members of The Summit’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

This issue’s Class Notes has a special report on students who graduated in 2014. Where are they now?

Departments Rich Wilson Head of School

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Newsmakers Homecoming Legacy Photo Class Notes In Memory

Correction In our 2017-18 Annual Report on Philanthropy, the name of a scholarship mentioned in a caption was incompletely identified. The full name is Charles and MayBelle Barrett and John L. and Marian Leibold Scholarship. Also an incorrect number of consecutive years giving was listed for Andy and Bing Hinton. They have given 13 consecutive years.

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Student’s Curiosity Leads to National Publication Senior Victoria Walton’s 64-page research paper, “Operation Valkyrie: The German Military Resistance to Adolf Hitler and the 20 July Plot,” was published in the fall issue of the Concord Review, a national journal which champions high school research writing. We asked Victoria to walk us through her research and writing process in this essay.

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By Victoria C. Walton ‘19 As the librarian in the main reading room of the Library of Congress handed me a box of materials, she stated in a tone not to be questioned: “Gloves must remain on. No pens, paper clips or water.” Feeling both excited and overwhelmed, I wondered, how did I get here?

I’ve always been most excited and engaged when studying how things work, or how they came to be. Some people are happy to enjoy the show, but I’m always trying to see what’s behind the curtain.

My interest in why things are as they are started at The Summit in second grade with the Bio Bottle project. Each student chose a person from history, decorated a bottle with their likeness and presented on their background. I chose Laura Ingalls Wilder and was so insistent on seeing “the prairie” that my parents relented, and we journeyed downtown to the main library, walked the stacks and checked out oversized photobooks depicting the northern plains.

My curiosity in “why” increased during my eighth grade capstone project on the 1994 Rwandan genocide. As part of the project, I returned to the main library to read newspaper articles and interviewed a Lutheran social services aid worker present during the massacres. Speaking with an eyewitness taught me that no substitute exists for first-hand accounts and impressions. An actual observer to the genocide holds small details and feelings that are never revealed in general histories of events. The slaughter became all too real when I heard someone actually describe their own fears in that situation.

For our sophomore year research paper, Social Studies teacher Jeff Stayton presented us with a list of names and assigned us to research the impact of an historical figure on the person’s era.

Because I have always had an interest in studying the Holocaust and those who resisted the Nazis’ efforts, I chose Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.

Stauffenberg was the German officer during WWII who led Operation Valkyrie, the unsuccessful “20 July 1944” coup attempt against Adolf Hitler.

Trying to tell the story of his life and analyze his impact for the first time was a daunting task.

When the paper was completed, I felt I had barely

scratched the surface of the German resistance.

Other than Colonel Stauffenberg’s involvement, I did not have the time or paper length to investigate critical questions about the resistance including other key members of the 20 July plot.

I decided to challenge myself and write a more detailed research paper on Colonel Stauffenberg and a history of the German military resistance to Hitler in hopes of being published in the Concord Review, as my older sisters, Caroline ’17 and Emily ’15, had done. Mr. Stayton and Social Studies teacher Kelly Cronin agreed to mentor me, while reminding me that The Concord Review accepted very few papers for publication.

During the summer, I followed the process Mr. Stayton had taught us: I outlined my research methods and set to work. I wanted to start with the very beginning of the military opposition to Hitler in 1933 and follow their efforts until the 20 July 1944 plot. For my Concord Review paper, I wanted to find as many original sources and eyewitness accounts as possible. Much of the original documentation concerning the 20 July plot was destroyed by Allied air raids during the war. I knew I would have to search and think of alternative ways to understand the resistance movement.

At the start of my search, none of my sources provided any new angles about the resistance or its motivations. Most of the eyewitnesses and conspirators to the 20 July plot had been executed after the failed attempt, frustrating my efforts to better understand their motivations. Did they act out of revulsion to the Nazi regime or to save themselves from defeat? Were they courageous or cowards? Despite countless trips to the main library for original sources, I turned up empty handed.

During one of my research efforts, I ran across a reference to a statement by German Admiral Erich Raeder, the leader of the German Navy until 1942.

In the affidavit, taken by the American army after the war, Admiral Raeder spoke favorably about a German general who had been executed for participating in the resistance. As I kept digging, I learned that the entire affidavit and other similar materials were located with the original Nuremberg war crimes trial materials housed Summit Magazine 7

at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. At the same time, I also discovered the library and archives that are part of the U.S. Holocaust Museum contained video and audio interviews of various individuals whose testimony touched on aspects of resistance or the night of 20 July.

Although my dad agreed to take me to Washington D.C. in July, he made it clear that I was on my own.

I applied for a researcher’s card at both institutions and spent two-and-half days in both locations, finding and copying as many materials as I could.

made with a pen. Touching the documents made the text seem alive, vivid and anguished. Reading the first-hand accounts gave me a window into the conspirators’ motivations. Analyzing the interrogations of Nazis who had survived, particularly Gestapo Chief Kaltenbrunner, showed that the 20 July coup plot had a greater impact on Hitler and the Nazi elite than I had realized. I also located a partial transcript of the trial of several of the main conspirators.

Their testimony about Colonel Stauffenberg demonstrated the uniqueness and courage of the man.

Later in the week, I visited the library located at the top of The size and the U.S. Holocaust ornateness of the Museum. The Library of Congress staff was incredibly was overwhelming enthusiastic and and awe-inspiring at helpful. They gave me the same time. The countless audio and only other person in video tapes. One of the research room was videos included the a librarian at a large, account of Lisa Slater, round wooden desk in a woman who worked the center of the room. for the German I asked her for the Reserve Army and Nuremberg materials was in the building I wanted. I was with the plotters on expecting her to laugh the night of 20 July. and escort me out of She described the the room. Instead, she chaos and confusion Victoria Walton stands outside the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. indicated that some of in a way none of the the files required me histories I had located to wear gloves and handle the documents with had detailed. I also found a video interview of an particular care.

SS soldier Rochus Misch, who discussed being ordered by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels Within 30 minutes, the first boxes of material to guard with his life the main radio station in began to arrive from the storage facilities in the Berlin against the coup plotters. basement. Over the next two days, I had made two new friends and the librarians were constantly The new sources provided me with greater insight checking to discover what information I had into the events on the night of 20 July as well as located and examine the material themselves. the impact of the coup on Nazi Germany during The power of the paper transcripts was impressive. the remaining months of the war. With this new I had never before held a typewritten document. material, I returned home and spent the next I could feel the indentions of the keys and see six months writing and rewriting my paper. The random blotches of black ink and corrections paper would have never happened without the encouragement and advice of Mr. Stayton and Ms. 8

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Cronin. They were patient with my efforts and gave me suggestions on how to better organize, focus, streamline and present the material.

When I submitted the paper to the Concord Review in the spring, Ms. Cronin reminded me that very few submissions are printed. I felt my

true accomplishment had been giving a voice to Colonel Stauffenberg and the others who had the courage to launch the coup attempt. Now that it is published, I hope my paper furthers that goal in a small way.

Summit’s Top Writers: Where Are They Now Senior Victoria Walton is the seventh student from The Summit to be published in the Concord Review, a national quarterly which champions high school research writing. It has been said that it is harder to get published in the Concord Review than to gain admission to Harvard University. Never the less, seven of the nine Cincinnati students published in the Concord Review have been Summit students.

Caroline Walton ’17 explored how Tudor monarchs avoided much of the religious warfare that engulfed continental Europe during the Protestant Reformation. Caroline is majoring in chemistry and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Emily Walton ’15 analyzed evidence presented at the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, to illustrate the close relationship between politics and religion in 16th Century Europe. She received the Concord Review’s Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize.

Emily is pursuing a double major in psychology and chemistry at Wake Forest University.

Theresa Rager ’13 explored the history of tuberculosis research and its effects on the development of the medical field. Theresa completed a service year with the National Health Corps Chicago AmeriCorps Program after getting a bachelor’s degree in biology from Boston College with a medical humanities minor.

At Boston College, she was the managing editor of The Medical Humanities Journal and on the executive council for student government. Now, she is pursuing a Master of Science in Global Health at the University of Notre Dame and working for Community Health Initiative, Haiti as the Marketing & Communications Coordinator.

She will conduct her capstone research in Haiti this summer centering on detecting

environmental reservoirs of cholera. She hopes to begin medical school in August.

Jane Abbottsmith ’08 focused on religion and nationalism in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. She won the Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize and her paper was republished in the Concord Review Readers Series. Jane received a bachelor’s degree in religion with a certificate in values and public life from Princeton University and a Master of Philosophy at Cambridge University in England. Now, she is M.D./Ph.D. student at Yale School of Medicine, studying religion and medical ethics.

Nick Corser ‘08 explored the role of the Catholic church in the European witch trials. Nick received a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Vanderbilt University and both an M.B.A. and juris doctor degree from Emory Law School in Atlanta. He is now labor and business litigation attorney with Freed Howard in Atlanta.

Dr. Margaret (Niehaus-Sauter) Fuchs ’03 focused on the role of music in the life of the North American slave. She received a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Kenyon College and a medical degree from The Ohio State University. Dr. Fuchs is now a Cardiovascular Disease Fellow at the Mayo Clinic.

The Summit’s signature Writing Program is a rigorous curriculum that starts in the preschool and culminates in complex research and writing projects across the curriculum in the Middle and Upper Schools. In a recent survey, 89 percent of The Summit’s young alumni ranked their writing ability higher than their college peers, compared to 61 percent at benchmark independent schools like The Summit.

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Sixth graders take heart in an old adage: If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again

By Nancy Berlier From the perspective of 4-foot-three Colin Koran, the 35-foot telephone pole at Camp Campbell Gard looks very tall. The metal rungs on the pole are cold to the touch in the October morning air.

The 12-year-old is wearing a harness and a helmet.

He knows camp staffers at the bottom and top of the tower will help him. But he has to make that climb alone to the platform so he can ride the rope swing.

Colin gets a few feet up, but the climb is unsettling. The first nine rungs are wooden pegs that fall out if you bump them with your knee.

The next 32 rungs are stapled into the pole but they are two feet apart, and he has to pull himself up while the weight of the harness is pulling him down. He makes another attempt, getting further than before but climbing down again. On his third try, he reaches the platform. “I think I just wanted to do it, so I tried harder,” he says.

Sitting on the 18-by-6-foot platform waiting to push off on the swing is also scary, and the swing has a drop of about 25 feet. But the experience is exhilarating. “It was really fun,” he says. So fun, in fact, that he goes back a second time.

Perseverance was the big lesson learned by Colin and other sixth graders at the overnight adventure with their teachers at Camp Campbell Gard.

Students faced challenges outside their comfort zones -- the rope swing, a zipline, a low ropes 10

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Grace Tounge on the rope swing.

course and survival simulations such as building shelter and starting a fire. They practiced archery and went on a night hike to develop “night vision.” They participated in The Amazing Race, a teambuilding experience which required them to work together to complete challenges all over camp.

“I think the big take-away for the kids was that even if something seems scary, and you don’t succeed the first, second or third time, you try again,” says Middle School science teacher Megan Rademacher.

“You can overcome the obstacle and amaze yourself.”

As part of the sixth grade Character Education Program curriculum, perseverance is explored in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and religion classes. Taking a trip together, like the one to Camp Campbell Gard, fosters relationships, develops respect for others and promotes teamwork.

All these things are critically important in the socialemotional development of tweens who yearn to be more independent and care deeply what their peers think.

“The children were able to bond in a unique way with each other and their teachers and came home feeling good about their school community,” says Mrs. Rademacher. “The children worked as a team and encouraged and cheered each other on.”

In a reflection for language arts teacher Brendan McEachern’s class, Grace Tounge says her favorite part of camp was playing Nine Square, a game in which players try to keep a ball aloft and out of

their square, which results in elimination. “Nine Square is a fun, exciting and fantastic game,” she says. “I loved how everyone played together and no one was targeted. I thought that everyone got along well during this game.”

Like Colin, Lily de Lacy found the climb up the pole to be challenging. “I was nervous,” she writes. “We had to climb up an enormous telephone pole to reach the top, and then we would sit on the edge and jump off. After ziplining, I tried the drop swing. I was so scared to sit on the edge, but I did it anyway.”

“Climbing up the pole to the launch platform was quite a frightening experience,” Jordyn Lauckner writes. “My heart started to beat fast, and my hands were sweaty. I had to keep telling myself, ‘Don’t look down, Jordyn!’ When I finally reached the platform, I sighed a breath of relief, got clipped onto the zipline, sat down, and soared through the air.”

Colin Koran climbs the 35-foot poll.

For some children, just staying overnight away from their parents was a challenge. “The children worked through their homesickness and were so proud of themselves at the end,” Mrs. Rademacher says. “They also were kind and supportive of their friends who were homesick and helped them through their discomfort.”

Mr. McEachern offers his own reflection of watching his students face their fears. “I stood upon solid ground and watched a sixth grader carefully ascend the 35-foot telephone pole. The pole had an occasional foot wrung, and it was the sixth grader’s challenge to climb to the top and then navigate a zip-line or a drop swing.

The sixth grader trembled and feet went up and up with frequent stops. The climber shook and looked down with a nervous smile. Classmates surrounded the base of the climb and cheered by name, nickname, favorite game, any way to promote future success. After a few minutes, the student reached the summit and flossed (a current type of dance). The flosser yelled down, ‘That was interesting.’ When I watched the smiling adventurer return from a successful free fall drop, I was reminded of the earlier trembling.

This now confident young adult returned to a bevy of jubilant classmates.”

Left to right, Esmé Gonyo, Allen Wang, George Baker, Lennard Mellin and Maggie Bissmeyer work cooperatively at one of the stations for the Challenge Olympics at Camp Campbell Gard.

Students playing Nine Square.

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Author George Couros delivers the keynote address to a packed crowd at the 11th annual Early Childhood Education Symposium.

Symposium Speaker Teaches Students to Become Digital Leaders

By Nick Robbe George Couros, author of “The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent and Lead a Culture of Creativity,” delivered the keynote address at the 11th annual Early Childhood Education Symposium and offered a bonus session on digital leadership for teens.

Here are three take-aways on digital leadership: Help children develop innovator’s mindsets Couros stresses the need to challenge students to not only learn new information, but to take what is learned and create new material with it. Through this challenge, students can grow and develop in new areas.

For example, if a child sees a piano and thinks he can’t play it, he is thinking with a fixed mindset. If the child has a growth mindset, he will say he will learn to play through hard work. Couros doesn’t want the growth to stop there, however. Education’s aim should be to push students to develop an innovator’s mindset where they are not only learning the piano, but they are writing and producing music, too. That would be a real-world application of the lessons being taught inside the classroom.

start sooner rather than later, too. It’s better to make mistakes at age 8 than age 15. Children can have meaningful and authentic experiences with the digital world around them.

Students should own their digital footprints Children aren’t the only ones with the digital world at their fingertips. Couros iterates that most, if not all, employers will search for your digital presence.

When it comes time to look for employment, he recommends that students have a professional social network presence, a digital portfolio of projects or content they’ve produced and a page to host all their information.

The Early Childhood Education Symposium keynote speeches for 2016, 2017 and 2018 were sponsored by Drs. Renee and Michael Kreeger.

Parents should not hold kids back Accept that children are going to be consumers of Internet resources and social media. Some will be curious enough to go beyond consuming media and produce it. Couros recommends parents dive in and experience the Internet and social media for themselves.

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Couros talks with symposium attendees during a break.

Four Tips on Raising Positive Thinkers

By Hannah Michels

Sarah Zawaly, director of the Innovation Lab at Children Inc., a nonprofit based in Covington, presented “Nurturing Character Strengths and Promoting Healthy Mindsets” during the 11th annual Early Childhood Education Symposium on Oct. 27. A clinical therapist and early childhood teacher, she offered these strategies promoting healthy mindsets in children.

Make moments meaningful Sometimes life passes so quickly that we forget to recognize meaningful moments. Place importance on these moments. When moments become meaningful to a child, they turn into an experience, and experience becomes a memory that can influence a child’s mindset.

For example, we can change the moment of a child when a child talks about doing well on a test from “I got an A” to “I’m a really hard worker. I can influence what happens around me. When I do my work, I can accomplish things. I’m a problem-solver.” The moment becomes less about the grade and more about the value of determination and effort. By reframing the way children experience and recognize moments, we build a positive mindset.

Encourage children to believe in own strengths From honesty and humor, to perspective and forgiveness, everyone has variety of strengths.

When a child uses a strength, nurture that. A child’s natural strengths are easy to spot but are sometimes squashed if they are overused. Encourage children to find boundaries for their strengths. A child’s humor and desire to make others smile is a strength; but if overused at inappropriate times, it can get the child into trouble and the child may start to think that their natural strengths aren’t actually beneficial. Nurturing the strengths and creating boundaries gives children confidence about their natural qualities. When it comes to children, don’t chase “fireflies” – the little sparks, the end result, the outcome – but look for the constellations that keep them lit, the thing inside of them that makes them feel that they are at their best.

going right; so when you see good, say so.

Reminisce about the past Encourage children to think about the recent past so they reflect on their actions and who they are. Reminisce about the day with a child to find a strength that was used throughout the day. Recognizing these strengths regularly can become part of a child’s belief system. When children understand their past, they’re much more hopeful about their future. Reminding a child about their actions could be as simple as saying, “That was just like the time you helped your friend yesterday, and I saw that smile on your face. You’re a really kind person.” A pat on the back can also be positive reinforcement. These kinds of activities are building an emotional bank account of positive memories. Research shows that the more positive memories we have, the sooner negative events dissipate. It’s easy to miss the good when we are distracted, so be mindful, not mind “full.”

When you see the good, say the good Our minds are calibrated to see the bad, to notice the negative. By practicing positive psychology, we can flip this. Focusing on what is right in life allows children to thrive. By nurturing positive strengths and creating positive environments, we can teach children to naturally think positively, rather than letting negativity get them down. We often remark upon what is not 13 13 Sarah Zawaly, director of the Innovation Lab at Children,Magazine Inc. Summit

Social-Emotional Wellness

Summit teachers use intentional methods to integrate social-emotional learning throughout the day, throughout their curriculum and across all grade levels – bringing out the best in children, leading to positive belief systems and shaping their mindsets for success.

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Fourth grader Andrew Lam enjoys a moment of one-on-one attention from Lower School art teacher Hilary Carvitti.

Lower School: Where Social Skills are a Key to Success

By Tanya Bricking Leach

Andrew James’ assignment hanging outside Sharon Nista’s classroom shows crayon-drawn stick figures on a sunny day and words penciled below: “Caring is being nice even when someone is mean.”

Discussing kindness is one way Mrs. Nista is creating a culture of caring among her first graders.

She makes a game of it.

“We have a caring box,” she says. “The children have to observe another child in an act of caring.” Once a child collects five tickets for being caring, that child gets a certificate to take home.

“It’s really incredible,” Mrs. Nista says. “They’re six years old, and they’re complimenting each other.”

This is how the Lower School teaches social-emotional wellness, Lower School counselor Elizabeth Drumm says.

“Social-emotional learning is all of those skills that are necessary for positive outcomes in school, the workplace and interpersonal relationships,” she says. “They are not necessarily academic areas like math, reading and science, but they’re the things that allow you to get along with other people, the things that allow you to manage stress, multiple priorities at once, direct your skills toward a goal and resolve conflicts.”

Paying attention

Ms. Drumm can see those dynamics happening from her office window overlooking the playground.

“This is my view,” she says. “I get to see who chooses different friends each day, who gravitates

Lower School Counselor Elizabeth Drumm talks with third graders, L to R, Sammy Jacobs-Ramey, Caroline Gehring and Malcolm Moore, about how the brain plays a role in impulse control, critical thinking and memory. Students learn that the brain controls dangerous situations where the “fight or flight” impulse is helpful, but other social situations require critical thinking, careful 15 15 choice of words and problem-solving – centered in the prefrontal cortex – or memories managed by the hippocampus. Summit Magazine

Clockwise, starting from far left, third graders Mila Matarazzo, Vivian Gibbs, Kayla Dwyer, Iggy Dwyer and Beckett Brinkman get some fresh air and play a yarn game that focuses on cooperation and teambuilding.

to only one friend, who prefers to play in smaller groups rather than bigger groups.”

Summit teachers pay close attention to those dynamics happening beyond the classroom. They’re using games as intentional methods to teach children how to cope with disappointment. They’re talking about why good manners are important. They are addressing ways to repair relationships after a disagreement or even how to calm nerves before a test.

“The most effective teachers integrate socialemotional learning throughout the day and weave it throughout their curriculum,” says Sarah Zawaly, director of the Innovation Lab at Children, Inc., a regional organization whose Innovation Lab researches best practices in early childhood education. Mrs. Zawaly, who has a master’s in social work and is a licensed independent social 16

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worker, speaks to educators and parents on this topic.

“Often, when we think about social-emotional learning, we think about the soft skills needed to be successful in school and beyond,” she says.

“Although these skills are essential, it is also important to address the beliefs that are being developed in our children.”

Shaping mindsets

Experiences shape our belief systems and our mindsets, Mrs. Zawaly says.

“Parents want to provide experiences that help their children believe in themselves and bounce back when faced with challenges,” she says.

“The latest research in neuroscience and positive psychology gives us new ways of understanding how experiences can bring out the best in our children and lead to positive beliefs about themselves and the world around them.”

In the second grade at the Lower School, positive experiences can come from simply changing the seating chart. In teacher Stacy Remke’s third-grade class, they play games such as beanbag toss to focus on greeting people and making eye contact.

“Our character trait is fairness,” Mrs. Remke says. “The part we work really hard on is ‘fair’ doesn’t always mean it’s the same for everyone.

Pieces might not all be exactly equal. I want them to understand that everyone is in different places. Fairness is what each person needs.”

Mrs. Remke says she’s been teaching social skills throughout her 31 years in education, and she’s glad to see a renewed focus on the little things that will help young people get through life.

“Today especially, with our fast-paced world and kids being so engaged in technology, it

doesn’t seem they have as much opportunity for face-to-face discussion,” she says. “Teaching social skills has become even more important.”

As a counselor, Ms. Drumm, watches the Lower School students build on character traits each year, learning about caring, respect and fairness.

By fourth grade, she sees them ready to take on study skills and more executive functioning types of social-emotional learning because they’re already in tune with social behaviors.

“I see it working when I see a student able to analyze a situation, when they’re able to look at a friend who’s upset with them and make a good, educated guess about why that friend is upset, when kids are able to make sense of their world better because of the skills that they have – that’s when I see it working.”

Fourth graders Olivia de Lacy, Rocco Quintero, Abby Bastos solve puzzles together that enable them to unlock different types of locks on a “Breakout EDU” box. The different challenges require a variety of creative approaches, so the students have to find roles for themselves and practice communication and task planning to effectively work together and unlock the box.

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Lower School Counselor Elizabeth Drumm works with second grader Henry Ahouse in an exercise that helps students learn key feelings vocabulary so that they can recognize, label and describe feelings that they experience themselves or that they notice in others. By learning clues for interpreting feelings in others, students can better plan their own interaction with others and understand how their words and behaviors influence the people around them.

A win-win

Teaching social-emotional skills is important for academic success as well, says Mrs. Zawaly, who coaches teachers on how to do it effectively.

“Students who score high on social-emotional skills score higher academically,” she says. “It’s a win-win for everyone to take time to model, teach and talk about social-emotional skills.”

Children who have self-regulation, high levels of empathy, gratitude and a stick-to-it attitude are bound to have positive relationships, school success and happiness, Mrs. Zawaly says.

These are abstract skills, but they’re a priority for The Summit, Ms. Drumm says.

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“It’s not like a spelling test where you know how many you got wrong and how many you got right,” she says. “These are the things we know really drive success later in life. Because they’re so hard to measure, that’s why we feel it’s extra important to be teaching them in as many ways as we can, in as many content areas, from as many angles as possible. They are building blocks. We can’t afford not to be teaching these skills.”

Tanya Bricking Leach is a writer and video producer at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and a former newspaper reporter.

Social Skills Program Celebrates Fifth Year The Summit launched its signature Social Skills Program in 2013-14 as an intentional response to the part of the school’s mission statement that calls for students to develop socially as they grow in grace and wisdom.

Faculty who developed the program were inspired

by Daniel Goleman’s “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ,” Nancy Frey’s “Purposeful Classroom: How to Structure Lessons with Learning Goals in Mind” and the work of developmental psychologist Thomas Lickona who also influenced the school’s Character Education Program.

Working with parents to identify a list of social skills that are taught at home and could be reinforced at The Summit, faculty developed a program that is intentional, age-appropriate, repeatable and sustainable.

“The reason parents send their children here to The Summit is that they want to give them an advantage in life,” says Rich Wilson, Head of School. “We think these skills will help them be more polished in college and job interviews and make them better communicators so they are happier in their relationships. We see social skills as life skills.”

Read more about the Social Skills Program at www.summitcds.org/SocialSkills.

‘Students who score high on social-emotional skills score higher academically.’

– Sarah Zawaly, Children, Inc.

Third graders Iggy Dwyer and Kayla Dwyer sit at a table in the Outdoor Learning Area. Research has proven that the social-emotional Summit Magazine 19 benefits of taking classes outdoors include reducing stress, improving mood and increasing engagement.

Santiago Hayes and Max Covey laugh in their classroom. Preschool is training ground for learning social-emotional skills like making friends.

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Peaceful Classroom Sets Stage for a Lifetime in Montessori

By Tanya Bricking Leach

In Karen Koch’s Montessori classroom, 5-year-olds know just where to go when they need some alone time.

“This is the peace spot,” says Ms. Koch, a lead teacher for an Advanced Enrichment class, gesturing to a corner book nook and stations set up for reading, drawing and yoga.

“This changes regularly,” she says. “We have a little incense for them to smell, we have things for them to trace and we have ‘peace’ stones in three languages. It’s a way of having quiet time.”

Beside her, a little girl traces a map and a boy watches Ms. Koch put a yoga card into a basket labeled “namaste,” which roughly translates to “I bow to the God within.” For kindergartners, it roughly translates to treating one another with kindness.

In The Summit’s Montessori program, kindness is the character trait that teachers foster throughout the year.

The idea of a kind, quiet and peaceful classroom is central to the Montessori philosophy, says Kathy Scott, The Summit’s Montessori director.

“It was one of Dr. Maria Montessori’s primary tenets that we need to all get along, and we need to respect each other,” she says.

Here, a peace spot becomes a place for reflection, a place to breathe and a place to teach kids to develop a sense of peace.

In a traditional classroom, a teacher might turn a light switch on and off or yell for the class to be quiet. At The Summit, teachers instead model the idea of a peaceful classroom with non-verbal signals, Mrs. Scott says. She demonstrates, with one hand held up like a peace sign and the other hand held in one finger over her lips.

“It’s beautiful when you see it work,” she says.

Kindergartener AJ Freeman shares a moment with Advanced Enrichment teacher Karen Koch who tells children “you must be proud of your hard work” as a way of affirming a child’s ability and mastery of a concept.

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Middle School Students Set S.M.A.R.T Goals

By Tanya Bricking Leach

When Mike Johnson talks to Middle School students about setting goals, he wants their goals to be smart.

Mr. Johnson, director of the Lower and Middle School, doesn’t just mean “smart.” He’s talking S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based.

The acronym, now part of corporate jargon across America, was coined in 1981

by George Doran, former director of corporate planning for the Washington Water Power Company.

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The philosophy is more familiar to careerclimbers planning their performance objectives than it is to pre-teens. At The Summit, it’s a practical approach to teaching social-emotional intelligence. Here, teachers want students to know proper etiquette for greeting someone on the phone, for shaking hands in person and for channeling energy into accomplishments.

“We want to partner with parents and students to make the year something they really are proud of,” Mr. Johnson says. “It goes by the five pillars of our mission statement: What are my goals spiritually, academically, physically, socially and artistically?”

Students narrow goals down to two: one that’s academic and one in another area. It could be anything from learning to play guitar to being able to kick a field goal.

“They bring those goals home, work on them with their parents, then bring them back in to their advisor.” Mr. Johnson says. “And then four times a year, we clear out all the classrooms and

Middle School teacher Rosie Sansalone practices shaking hands with, L to R, Henry Gieseke, Trey Butler, Annie Fee, Kendall Ralph, Alaina Fisher. Looking people in the eye as they shake hands will be an important social skill when these eighth graders begin their careers.

Seventh grader Darcy Davis works on an assignment. Middle School students set “S.M.A.R.T” goals for academic and social success.

move the kids into larger spaces so teachers can sit one-on-one with them to review goals and progress.”

Progress reports reflect not just their goals but also social-emotional objectives, such as how students feel about their friendships and their grades, Middle School Counselor Kara Russell says.

In the third quarter, they complete a survey about the character traits for their grade levels: courage, perseverance, accountability and justice. And they keep a binder of their progress that becomes a portfolio of work.

“We have been focusing a lot on teaching kids to have a balanced approach,” Mrs. Russell says.

“We want them to have healthy coping skills and know how to navigate the world around them.”

Fifth graders Emma O’Brien, left, and Paige Kropp play on the rings in the Middle School’s newly renovated playground. Research shows that the social-emotional benefits of playing outdoors include 23 Magazine 23 learning to take turns, share, communicate andSummit cooperate.

Hope Squad: Bringing Peer Power to Suicide Awareness

By Tanya Bricking Leach

Since starting high school, Jessie Headley has already attended two funerals for peers lost to suicide.

The 16-year-old junior wants to do something to prevent any more. That’s why she is part of something new to The Summit. She is a member of the Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer-based suicide awareness program.

Hope Squads are designed to put the students on the forefront of recognizing peers who are in crisis and in danger of possible self-harm. Members are trained to question the student and to persuade them to seek adult help.

“While it sounds like a heavy responsibility to place upon an adolescent, it is important to recognize that the students have likely been doing these tasks already,” says Mike Fee, the Upper School counselor and girls’ soccer coach who helps lead the group’s weekly meetings. “They are now better equipped to respond. The training is very intentional.”

Members of the Hope Squad pose for a group portrait with Greg Hudnall, a former high school principal and founder of HOPE4UTAH, who came to The Summit to train them in peer-to-peer counseling. L to R, bottom row: Katie Sumerel, Grace Dayton, Carli Vallota, Julia Dean, Elsa Khan, Second row: Bry Woodard, James Butschie, Sam Luttmer, Morgan Nuss, Third row: Dr. Greg Hudnall, Micah Johnson, Richard Zhang, Sophie Evans, Jessie 24 Winter Headley.

Top Magazine Row: Connor Woodruff, Hudson Nuss, Reyyan Khan, Grant Gerhardt

Middle School religion teacher and assistant soccer coach Cooper Schreibeis ’12 prays with a group of junior varsity players. Many coaches pray with athletes before matches as a way of centering their emotions on playing their best and being good sports.

The Hope Squads are now in more than 400 schools across the United States and Canada and have helped refer more than 3,000 students for help. The way it works is classmates nominate peers they consider to be good listeners to get training on how to talk about suicide and depression and when to involve an adult. The Summit has 17 peer leaders and is the first faithbased school to be part of the program.

“This fits us, who we are,” says Mr. Fee. “I know we will save one of our students’ lives at some point with this program. And there’s power in that.”

The catalyst to get involved, he says, was the 2017 suicide of 15-year-old Summit student Graham Hartman. Classmates and baseball teammates remember Graham as a young man who valued friendship. Teachers remember him for being observant and empathetic. And they all wish they could have done something to prevent his death.

His funeral was the second one Jessie attended in the span of four months during her sophomore year because of suicide, the second leading cause of death among teens in the United States.

“I never thought I would be impacted by suicide,” she says. “I was devastated. Attending both funerals, I began to think of who else I knew that was struggling beneath the surface and what I would do if they asked for help.”

Tracy Law ‘85, Ph.D., a psychology teacher in the Upper School, leads the chapter here alongside Mr. Fee. She says not only did the group tap into her training, but it allows her to teach skills students can take on to their college social circles and their jobs.

“It’s something the community learned after Graham’s suicide,” she says. “That we need to be very open about mental health issues and people who are struggling. It’s OK to talk about it.”

The Hope Squad “dovetails so beautifully with the Sisters of Notre Dame, who are incredibly realistic about their approach to social problems,” Dr. Law says. “We are looking forward to tapping into that.

What we do best here is relationships.”

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NEWSMAKERS Seniors Alex Almaguer, Julia Rosa Helm and Caroline Kubicki were named semifinalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Caitlin Barnes, Ben Carcieri, Nick Dahling, Julia Dean, Luke Desch, Brigid Devine, Lilly Gieseke, Emily Harris, Luke Ritter and James Speed were named Commended Scholars.

Additionally, the College Board gave National Hispanic recognition to Alex, Julia Rosa and Colby Gordon.

Altogether, these nationallyrecognized students represent 13 percent of The Summit’s graduating class.

Nine 2018 graduates were named National Advanced Placement (AP) Scholars, the highest award level in the AP program. These students had to earn a score of 4 or 5 on at least eight AP exams and an average of at least a 4 on all exams taken. The scholars are: Shangqing “Albert” Cao, who is attending UCLA; Davis DeFoor, University 26

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of Cincinnati; Joseph Delamerced, Brown; Chris Kahle, Clemson; Lauren Lautermilch, Yale; Keith Meyer, Miami University; Ruku Pal, Miami; Michael Warden, Vanderbilt; and Wanyi “Sherry” Xiao, MIT, who received a perfect 5 on all of her nine AP tests.

Julia, Larry and Tullus Dean.

Latin Club students achieved four first-place finishes at the National Junior Classical League Convention held July 2328 at Miami University.

Freshman Abby Almaguer earned first in Constructed Charts. Junior Ryan Burns and 2018 graduate Patrick Casanas captured first for their skit in Roll Call. 2018 graduate Davis DeFoor earned the top spot in the Classical Greek Test, and fellow grad Joseph Delamerced placed first in Individual Community Service. Four others were recognized for their performance on the National Latin Exam. Freshman Irene Calderon and eighth grader Nicholas Stanis earned Perfect Papers, an accomplishment achieved by less than one percent of students. Seniors Julia

Dean and Brandon Harris were honored for their excellence on the exam, each winning a fourth consecutive gold medal.

Senior Colleen McIlvenna represented The Summit in the sixth annual girls’ high school all-American game on Dec. 1 in Orlando, Fla. She was one of 40 players nationwide, one of four players from Ohio and one of two players from the Cincinnati area.

Colleen is the second player from The Summit to play in the all-American game.

Mimi Stines ’18 played last year. Mimi is a goalkeeper for the University of Dayton womens’ soccer team.

Eleven seniors conducted eight weeks of research with professional mentors this summer through The Summit’s Science Research Institute (SRI). They will present at the SRI Colloquium on Jan. 23. Brigid Devine studied immunobiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Meilian Kurlas researched biosensors at the University of Cincinnati’s

Novel Devices Laboratory. Caitlin Barnes studied sleep medicine at Children’s.

Julia Rosa Helm researched clinical psychology at UC’s PITCH Lab. Luke Ritter studied clinical orthopaedics at Children’s. Nick Dahling researched inorganic chemistry at UC’s Connick Lab. Filippo Tosolini studied data science at UC. Hudson Nuss researched monarch larvae conservation at Cincinnati Nature Center. Hanchen “Jeffery” Huang studied video communication at UC’s Multimedia Networking & Computing Lab. Victoria Walton researched clinical cardiology at Mercy Health – The Heart Institute. Caroline Kubicki studied astrophysics at Xavier.

Seniors Cat Alway and Alex Ragland were selected to participate in Buckeye Girls State over the summer.

The American Legion Auxiliary program teaches high schoolers about citizenship and government as they run for mock political offices at local and state levels.

Alex was voted to her city’s council. Cat was elected to a county party chairman role. She also served as police chief for her city.

Student Newsmakers

Freshman Irene Calderon is one of two winners of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s student melody contest.

Professional composer Meng Wang will develop Irene’s “The Moon in my Rearview Mirror,” written at the piano, into a full-scale piece. It will premiere at the One Giant Leap concerts Feb. 26 and March 28.

Front: Evie Curt. Back L to R: Sophia Nery, Trey Butler and Ryan Schnitter.

Four students won awards in the annual Hyde Park Art Show. Sixth grader Sophia Nery earned second place in the Oil Pastel and Ink Drawing category. Second grader Evie Curt won a third-place ribbon for her piece “Bright Sunflowers.” Eighth grader Ryan Schnitter received honorable mention in the Self-Portrait and Pencil Drawing category. Eighth grader Trey Butler garnered an honorable mention in the Ink Drawing and Crayon Etching category. Their works were displayed in the Hyde Park Library after the event.

Senior Jacob Schneider was selected for the ArtWorks Youth Apprentice Program this past summer. The nonprofit employs artists ages 14-21 to transform Greater Cincinnati through murals and other projects. Along with seven other apprentices, he helped revamp Bolivar Alley in the city’s Pendleton neighborhood with streetstyle art and lights.

Faculty/Staff Newsmakers

Upper School English teacher Marina Jemail ‘12 received her Master’s in Secondary Education from Xavier University this summer.

Human Resources Director Maria Hill

was named one of the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Forty Under 40. The annual awards program recognizes Greater Cincinnatians who are building successful careers while also giving back to the community.

Maria continues to be active in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. service activities and has served on the Tender Mercies Associate Board, YWCA Greater Cincinnati Art Gallery Committee and Xavier University Executive Mentor Program.

Kirstin Pesola McEachern Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction Director and Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator at The Summit, was selected to be a “Future Scene Writer” for Future

Problem Solving Program International. Assigned the topic “Living in Poverty,” she is on a three-person team who will develop a creative and futuristic problem for students to solve using the problem-solving process.

Dr. McEachern also led a day-long workshop last summer on the Future Problem Solving model at the Creative Problem Solving Institute.

Su Casa Hispanic Center this summer to teach English to immigrant children with limited language skills. The summer program aimed to prepare children in preschool through second grade for school. Su Casa is a program of Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio.

Rosie Sansalone presented the eighth grade capstone project, Hear My Story; Be My Voice, in November at the National Council for English Teachers annual convention in Houston. The theme of the convention is “Raising Student Voice.”

The Summit’s eighth grade capstone is in its sixth year, giving voice to 357 stories of injustice thus far.

Spanish teacher Katia Palek worked with the

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State Champions Again

Division Change No Barrier to Summit Boys’ Soccer

By Nick Robbe When the chords of Queen’s victory anthem, “We Are the Champions” boomed through the speakers at Columbus’ MAPFRE Stadium on Nov. 10, a mix of emotions filled The Summit Country Day School’s boys’ soccer team.

Jubilation, relief and validation washed over the team, coaches, alumni and supporters following the 4-0 triumph against Richfield Revere in the Division II state championship. It was the Silver Knights’ fourthconsecutive state title and the 29th playoff win in a row, a record in Ohio.

Take a moment and let those facts take root. The seniors, who have been a part of the program all four years have never lost in the playoffs. In state final games, The Summit has not been close to losing either.

“Winning four consecutive state titles is something special,” senior forward Bennett Caruso says. “I appreciate being part of such a successful program like the one here at Summit.”

Summit seized control early in the contest this year.

Less than five minutes into the game, junior forward Doug Simpson buried a direct kick in the back of the net for the opening salvo. “Doug’s free kick was beautiful,” senior Colby Gordon says. “As he was winding up to take it, I knew it was going in. He practices his free kicks every day after practice and it was no surprise that he placed it perfectly.”

For the rest of the first half, Summit maintained its advantage with Davis Whiting, Evan Hunt and Graham Nicholson keeping goalkeeper Ethan Carr relatively clean. Ethan faced just three shots from the Minutemen in the opening half.

In the second half, Summit cranked up the pressure, and Revere simply had no answers. The Silver Knights generated 13 shots. Three shots got by the opposing Opposite page: Top left, Sophomore forward Graham Nicholson throws the ball in against Richfield Revere in the Division II state championship game on Nov. 10. Top right, Summit Country Day students cheer on the boys’ soccer team in the Division II state championship game. Bottom, The boys’ soccer team brought another state championship back to The Summit. Members of the team are L to R, first row, Ethan Carr, Bennett Caruso, Eli Rawlings, Colby Gordon, Jacob Schneider and Evan Hunt. Second row (L to R) Will Yagodich, Matthew Casanas, Alex Waak, Sam Zawaly, Sam Kohlhepp, Josiah Campbell, Kendall Hamilton, Davis Whiting and Liam Jones. Back row (L to R) Ben Schmerge, Doug Simpson, Alex Hood, Graham Nicholson, Mac Hoeweler, Aidan Lindy, Jake Klopfenstein, Matt Shuler and Jack Gerdsen.

This page: Top, Colby Gordon dribbles the ball in the midfield during the state championship game. Bottom, Davis Whiting, left, Bennett 29 Summit Magazine 29 Caruso, back, and Liam Jones, front, celebrate the boys’ soccer team’s fourth-straight championship.

keeper. Doug beat the keeper for an additional goal at the 64:14 mark. Senior Colby Gordon scored the penultimate tally about eight minutes later. The final marker came off the foot of Eli Rawlings just one minute, 11 seconds after Colby’s.

“We have been in this situation multiple times, and we know what is expected,” Bennett says. “It is the last game of the season. You are fighting for the state title.

They were not expecting that much pressure coming at them. Comparing us to other teams, I don’t think there is another school that has the same bite in them and willingness to win as much as Summit does. That is what makes our soccer program special.”

For the past four years, Summit has made winning that last game of the season look easy. They have outscored opponents 23-1.

However, especially this season, it was anything but easy.

Factors such as scheduling, graduation and competitive balance created long odds for the Silver Knights.

Coach Scott Sievering regularly schedules top competition from around Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. On occasion, the team will attend out-of-state showcases and take the pitch against the top teams from other states.

This year, the team started with a 2-5 record. In that stretch, losses came against Seven Hills and Cincinnati Country Day, rivals from the Miami Valley Conference.

Graduation hits smaller schools hard and The Summit certainly is not immune. Sutton Eyer, Chuck Steines, Sam Smallwood, Brendan Ochs, Harrison Schertzinger, Henry Schertzinger, Diego Vallota and Nick Mishu all graduated from last year’s team.

However, the roster turnover creates opportunities for players, who had to wait their turn, to get a chance to show what they can do.

Several players made the most of their opportunity, but perhaps no player made more of their chance than Ethan. Throughout his soccer career, Ethan had never played varsity. This year, he knew he was going to be the third goalkeeper on the roster and would get minimal playing time. Ethan even considered running cross country.

However, he stuck to soccer and began to train hard.

Then, when the team lost its first-string keeper, Ethan slid into the backup role and continued to work hard.

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Top: Derrick Kinross, Benjamin Tolble and Matthew Dahling wave a Summit soccer flag over the student section at the Division II state championship game. Middle: Kendall Hamilton shields the ball from a Revere defender during the state championship. Bottom: Doug Simpson boots the ball by the Revere keeper, notching his second goal of the game.

Eventually, he won the starting job and kept a clean sheet in the state final. “It got to the point where he made it impossible for us to sit him,” Coach Sievering says. “It shows the other guys in our program that if you do the right thing and keep working, you never know what’s going to happen. Ethan’s is one of the most amazing stories I’ve seen in my coaching career.”

One of the more notable facets of the season was the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s competitive balance changes.

The OHSAA changed its stipulations for division classification, bumping The Summit into Division II from its usual spot in Division III. Thus, the Silver Knights were going to face schools with larger enrollments come tournament time.

Coach Sievering worked hard to ensure his players would not make the divisional switch a dark cloud that would hang over the season. However, for him and his players, it was nearly impossible for them not to use it as motivation.

“They wanted to see us fail,” Coach Sievering says.

“Our players took offense to that and used it as motivation. We wanted to prove that our success happens regardless of our division. Our success comes from what we put into the program.”

The division switch created an uncomfortable situation for the team at the start of the season, but the team almost leaned into the scenario and embraced what was in front of them.

When it came for the postseason draw, Coach Sievering selected the hardest path to get to the state final. The path included Wyoming, which was the No. 1 team in the city and the No. 4 team in the state.

“We put our team in uncomfortable situations so they are not shocked when we get to those tight games,” Coach Sievering says. “We talk to them about embracing pressure because no one plays average when faced with pressure. They either rise or fall.”

That pressure bonds individuals into teams. Teams can evolve into family.

“This is a soccer program, but it’s not just about the soccer,” Coach Sievering says. “It’s about character, work ethic and chemistry.”

Top: Summit boys’ soccer head coach Scott Sievering embraces goalkeeper Ethan Carr during the state championship medal presentation.

Bottom: Doug Simpson speaks to the student body during the trophy presentation to the school.

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Clockwise from top left: Doug Simpson celebrates in front of the student section following his second goal of the game. Players on the team hoist the championship trophy. Colby Gordon, Evan Hunt, Bennett Caruso and Ethan Carr hold “big heads” of themselves. Pierce Kreider holds up four fingers to denote how many championships The Summit has won in a row. Jake Klopfenstein settles the ball in the midfield.

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Top: Seniors Evan Hunt, Colby Gordon, Eli Rawlings, Bennett Caruso, Jacob Schneider and Ethan Carr pose with the state championship trophy.

Bottom: The Summit Country Day School Boys’ Soccer team “tastes” state championship gold yet again. L to R, First row: Jake Klopfenstein, Colby Gordon, Eli Rawlings, Doug Simpson, Davis Whiting and Jacob Schneider. Middle Row: Brenden Hamilton, Nick Waak, Lilly Sievering, Sam Kohlhepp, Bennett Caruso, Alex Hood, Kendall Hamilton, Alex Waak, Liam Jones, Evan Hunt, Ethan Carr and Josiah Campbell. Back row: Head Coach Scott Sievering, assistant coach B.J. Smallwood, assistant coach Craig Chmiel, assistant coach Cooper Schreibeis ’12, Graham Nicholson, Aidan Lindy, Mac Hoeweler, Will Yagodich, Jack Gerdsen, Sam Zawaly, Matthew Shuler, Ben Schmerge, Matthew Casanas, assistant coach Ryan Johnson, Liam Johnson and trainer Amber Gerken.

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Honor In Action

Summit Sports State Tournament Runs

Boys’ Cross Country Team Caps Season with Runner-Up Finish After seven boys’ cross country runners finished in the top-10 at the Miami Valley Conference meet, carrying the team to a conference championship, the postseason got off to a fast start for the boys’ team. They won the district race and followed that up with a runner-up finish at regionals. Keeping with the trend, the boys’ cross country team brought a Division III state runner-up trophy home and two girls represented the girls’ cross country team at state. L to R: Catherine Coldiron (who finished 24th, the best finish by a Summit girl at the state meet in program history), Evan Lakhia, Elijah Weaver, Sean LaMacchia, Jerry Wu, Daniel Shisler, Cotton Family Head Coach Kurtis Smith, Nick Dahling, Brian DeWine, Andrew Wagner, Luke Desch, Matthew Brumfield and Katie Chamberlin.

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Junior Represents Summit in Golf Summit junior Jake Simpson represented the Silver Knights well at the Division II state golf tournament. He shot a 173 over the twoday tournament and finished in a tie for 35th.

Summit Tennis Trio Competes L to R: Senior Amy Poffenberger, sophomore Elizabeth Fahrmeier and freshman Sadie Joseph competed in Division II state tournament for coach Michelle Hellman.

This was Elizabeth’s second trip to the state tournament.

Summit Soccer Seniors Sign to Division I Colleges Summit Country Day seniors Kennidy Belle, left, and Colleen McIlvenna, right, signed to play soccer at Iowa State University and the University of Tennessee, respectively.

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Annual Fund for Excellence

MY SUMMIT STORY Louis Valencia BMS ’78

By Hannah Michels

How many people can say they boxed with Sugar Ray Leonard?

In the late 1970s, Dick Holmes was the gym teacher in the Boys Middle School and happened to be friends 36 36 Winter Magazine

with U.S. Olympic Boxing Coach Rolly Schwartz. “Rolly would bring over Olympic boxers to train us in boxing,” says Louis Valencia BMS ’78. “So, I got trained by Aaron Pryor, Michael Spinks, Leon Spinks and Sugar Ray Leonard. Now, it didn’t help me at all, I can’t box to save my life, but I get to say I boxed with Sugar Ray Leonard. I mean, that is an amazing experience -- who can say that?”

This is just one of many fond school memories Louis has of his years here. “There are so many things that I remember,” he says. “I have amazingly, just warm, good memories of my time at The Summit.”

Today, Louis and his wife, Gloria, have two children, Alejandra ‘17 and Luis ‘22, who continued his legacy at The Summit as lifers. With a strong Colombian heritage, Louis is a practicing attorney for immigrant rights.

His family originally lived in Cali, Colombia, but there were dreams of a different life. “My mother always desperately wanted to come to the United States,” Louis says. “She had this idea of the American Dream.” Louis’s mother, Fidelina, had a younger brother who was studying chemical engineering at Pontifical Xavierian University in Cali.

Fidelina convinced him to continue his postgraduate education in the states if she covered the bill. Walking around campus in Cali, Fidelina’s brother noticed a poster advertising the University of Cincinnati’s chemical engineering program.

With her brother continuing his education in Cincinnati, Fidelina brought the family over for a visit.

Fidelina encouraged her husband, Isaac, to search for a job while they were in town. “My dad locked himself in the apartment for three weeks so he could watch TV and learn English,” Louis says. That enabled Isaac to secure a job at St. George Hospital, and his family decided to stay and bring over his four siblings from Cali in 1963.

After Louis was born in Cincinnati a year later, his mother began looking into schools for the children.

Friends recommended The Summit. “So she came to Summit, enrolled my sister here at Summit,” Louis says. “Then, when I grew up, I started at the Montessori.”

Back then, Louis rode the bus to school. A nun accompanied children on each bus and Sister Ellen Marie was on his bus. “She rode with me every day, and I would sit with her…I remember her as if it was yesterday. My mom would always say that when we would come home in the afternoon, I would be asleep and Sister Ellen Marie would hand me to my mother.”

Just as Fidelina dreamed of life in America for him, he dreamed of a Summit education for his kids. “I’d always dreamed that my kids would go to Summit,” Louis says. When he noticed a newspaper ad for The Summit’s Montessori open house, he enrolled his

daughter Alejandra. “Whenever we left her in a daycare, she would cry,” he says. “We brought her here, and she didn’t cry. She loved it. It’s not like I could verbalize this when I was here, but whenever I would come back to visit Summit…I always felt like I was coming to my own house…I realized that when my daughter was here, that’s what I felt—I felt like Summit was my home…and I could see that she felt the same way.”

Louis said he never considered another school, but The Summit didn’t always seem like a reality for Louis and his new family. “Once I got married and we started working, I was like, ‘am I really going to have the money to send my kids to Summit? I don’t know.’” The Annual Fund, he says, bridged the gap for him and that is why Louis gives to the Annual Fund today. It was also his initial inspiration for his family fund. His first thought was to set up a fund that would help an alum send their child to The Summit. As time went on, his motivations shifted to keeping the school competitive and beautiful.

“You fill up a bucket drop by drop,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if you have $5 to give or $5 million.

Give what you can; you don’t have to make it hurt.

It’s going to make a difference in somebody’s life.

And it’s going to make a difference in keeping this school going the way it is. And if you’re here, you know that that was worth it. You’ve seen it, you’ve experienced it, you’ve lived it. Most importantly, you’ve had your children live it. There’s nothing greater in our lives than our own children. And if you’re willing to send your children here, you should send an extra $5 as well.”

“The one thing that separates Summit from any other place is the sense of home here,” Louis says.

“You don’t get the sense that you’re coming to a school campus…You get the sense that you’re still at home when you’re here, and I think that is a powerful, powerful thing for any child to have -- that sense of comfort, of strength, of security, of warmth that they can be who they are. You don’t find that at other schools, you just don’t.”

“That sense of home, of family, of security…I’ve never seen that or felt that anywhere else but here at Summit.”

This is one in a series of stories called “My Summit Story.” See this story and others via video at www.summitcds.org/mysummitstory.

37 Summit Magazine 37

McKenzie-Sargent Distinguished Alumni Award C. Bert Amann Jr. SBS ’45

By Nancy Berlier The year 1945 was momentous in the history of the world. World War II ended, ushering in an era of prosperity and invention. The Reds were playing on Crosley Field, which was named after their owner Powell Crosley. An inventor and entrepreneur, Crosley’s radio station, WLW -- dubbed “the nation’s station” because of its reach -- helped launch the career of Cincinnati singer Doris Day. Her charttopping hit, “Sentimental Journey,” became an anthem for homeward bound soldiers. Crosley also helped launch the career of The Summit’s 2018 recipient of the McKenzie-Sargent Distinguished Alumni Award.

In 1945, here on a hill overlooking the city. The Summit Boys School held its third graduation. Among the graduates was C. Bert Amann Jr. who went on to establish the first convenience store in Cincinnati and become a leader in the food industry nationwide.

Bert accepted The Summit’s McKenzie-Sargent Distinguished Alumni Award in September at the Leaders of Character Society dinner. With selfdeprecating humor and humility in his acceptance speech, he recalled a time when he had to give his major address as newly elected president of the National Association of Convenience Stores. He was asked to speak at the Grocery Manufacturers of America annual conference in New York City. “I go work [on the speech], because it would not do well for the president of the newest association in the food industry to come across as a complete yo-yo,” Bert says, setting his Summit audience into a fit of laughter.

After giving the speech in the Big Apple, he sat down to what he recalled was “perfunctory applause.”

The next speaker, a popular west coast supermarket operator, received a bigger response. “He ambles up to the podium and says something like, ‘Hey folks. I really like being here. You always have a wonderful time. I wish you the best for a great meeting.’ And he 38 38 Winter Magazine

Head of School Rich Wilson presents C. Bert Amann Jr. SBS ’45 with the McKenzie-Sargent Distinguished Alumni Award.

sits down. It was at that moment that I had my first inkling that I might have overdone it a bit. It was a great lesson for me that there are times to shut up.”

So his tribute to The Summit was short, but made the point that exceptional teachers at The Summit who take a personal interest in students can have profound effects on them. Bert credited Boys Middle School Headmaster Henry F. Werner with taking a personal interest in his education. “Here you had yours truly who could read substantially faster than a lot of his classmates, and he personally picked out books that he thought I should be reading as a challenge to my abilities. I have never forgotten his vote of confidence in me. He was enormously impactful on my life. I treasure his memory with the greatest love and respect.”

Bert went on to graduate from Brown University in 1953 and received a Master in Business Administration from Columbia University in 1955.

After graduate school, he began working with Colonial Stores, a regional grocery. Promotions that took him to Atlanta and Jacksonville gave him exposure to 7-Eleven stores in the south. With help from his father, who was also in the grocery store business, and his father’s friend, Powell Crosley, he sold stock to local investors and began King Kwik, the first convenience store chain in Cincinnati. Innovative radio advertising, as well as the sale of cold beer and gasoline, helped the business grow to 165 stores in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana before Bert and his investors sold the chain to Sunoco’s Stop and Go in the mid-1980s. Bert retired to Clearwater, Fla., where he lives with his wife, Madge.

The McKenzie-Sargent Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alumni from The Summit’s Upper School or former Boys School for their career and community service achievements as well as service to The Summit.

The Amann family has longstanding connections

to The Summit. Bert’s father, Charles Bert Amann, graduated from The Summit’s eighth grade in 1913.

His mother, Eugenia, was a 1920 graduate of The Summit’s Upper School. He sent five children -Jean Amann GMS ’71, Loren (Amann) Roden ’77, Marie “Midi” (Amann) Drew ’81, Charles Amann ‘83 and Julia (Amann) Daniels ’84 -- to The Summit. And since his granddaughter, Mary Ann Drew ’21, is a sophomore, she makes the Amanns a four-generation Summit family.

Bert served on The Summit’s Board of Trustees from 1979 to 1984 and has been a continual benefactor over the years. He endowed the C. Bert Amann, Jr. SBS ‘45 Family Fund in 2003.

“Bert is a believer in what we do at The Summit,” says Head of School Rich Wilson. “He invested his own time, his own talent, his own treasure and, most importantly, his kids with us. As a businessman in our community, he has been an innovator and entrepreneur who changed the retail food landscape.

He’s truly a distinguished alumnus of our school and deserving of the McKenzie-Sargent honor.”

Celebrating the McKenzie-Sargent award, L to R, Gordon Daniels, Madge Amann, Midi (Amann) Drew ’81, C. Bert Amann SBS ‘45, Julia (Amann) Daniels ’84, Loren (Amann) Roden ’77, Mary Anne Drew ’21 and John W. Drew BMS ‘72

39 Summit Magazine 39

Edward “Hap” Castleberry SBS’46 receives the Ne Ultra Award from Head of School Rich Wilson.

Ne Ultra Award: Edward “Hap” Castleberry SBS ’46

By Nancy Berlier Just shy of his 87th birthday, Edward “Hap” Castleberry SBS ’46 showed characteristic good humor when he accepted the Ne Ultra Award on September 5 among a crowd of well-wishers at the Leaders of Character Society dinner.

In his acceptance speech, Hap recalls a photo in the 1945 Rostrum of seventh and eighth grade boys and girls at a dance in St. Gregory Hall. He notes two of his friends in the audience were in the photo. Robert L. “Bob” Greiwe SBS ’46 was dancing with Hap’s first cousin. C. Bert Amann ’45 was dancing “cheek to cheek” with another of Hap’s cousins. And another attendee of the event is in the photo as well. “My partner was Rose Ann Fleming ’50 who is here with us tonight,” Hap says, adding details that garnered laughter and applause from the audience. “I had a scared look on my face. My mouth was wide open.”

He paused, looking across the room at the subject of his attention. “Rose Ann had a bored look on her face.”

40 40 Winter Magazine

Of course, Rose Ann is better known now as Sister Rose Ann Fleming of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who founded The Summit. A former president of The Summit and Trinity College in Washington D.C., she currently is Special Assistant to the President/ Faculty Athletics Representative at Xavier University.

Hap’s recollections of The Summit Boys School mirror a fondness that many graduates of the school express.

Here, they developed close bonds. They learned lessons of faith and character that have carried them through their lives. A polio victim, Hap recalls that his mother went to Mass every day to pray for him, so he credits her and his teachers with his faith. His years at The Summit were special times for him and historic times for the school. In the troubled years of World War II, the Boys School had just begun under the leadership of Headmaster Henry F. Werner, who emphasized personal responsibility, initiative and self-discipline.

“At Summit, I met my lifetime friends,” Hap says. As he notes in his anecdote about his cousins in the photo of the dance, he is part of a four-generation Summit family which began with his mother, Constance

Anne Castleberry ‘75, Edward “Hap” Castleberry SBS ’46 and Chris (Castleberry) Lippert ‘89.

(Alf) Castleberry ’20. Hap and his late wife, Susan, sent their daughters Anne Castleberry ‘75, Bizzy (Castleberry) Driscoll ’82 and Chris (Castleberry) Lippert ’89 and son Kelly ’75 to The Summit. Two grandchildren attended The Summit and three others – Lily Lippert ’22, Wayne Lippert ’25 and Holland Lippert ’25 -- are current students. Hap’s extended Summit family includes siblings, nieces, nephews and cousins.

A former recipient of the McKenzie Sargent Distinguished Alumni Award, Hap was given the Ne Ultra Award because of his extraordinary contributions to the future of The Summit. “There are two characteristics of Ne Ultra honorees – accomplishment and care,” says Head of School Rich Wilson.

“Through endowments for scholarships and faculty development, Hap Castleberry has made a significant and lasting impact on the future of our school. He cares deeply that our students and teachers have opportunities to learn.”

Over the years, Hap and his wife have been generous benefactors of the arts, youth, healthcare and education in Cincinnati. They also have been generous to The Summit. In 2005, they endowed the Castleberry Family Fund which offers a scholarship to children with financial need in grades 1-8. They established the Constance Alf Castleberry ’20 endowed scholarship in honor of his mother and the Castleberry Curriculum Development Fund to provide summer grants for teachers to enhance the curriculum. Castleberry also memorialized his late wife Susan with an endowed scholarship in her name.

“The Ne Ultra Award has been given only four times previously, to benefactors whose history of support to The Summit is head and shoulders above all others,” Mr. Wilson says. “Hap Castleberry is clearly in that league. The Castleberry scholarships, which are given to students in grades one through 12 who display leadership, Christian values and community spirit, help make a Summit education more affordable for children across the Tristate, while the Castleberry endowment for professional development helps teachers be innovative.”

A leader of character, Hap’s influence and generosity has also benefitted Greater Cincinnati. Hap went to Brown University and earned his Master’s in Business Administration from Xavier University. In Cincinnati, he worked in his family’s dairy business until he sold it in 1963. Then, he purchased a local building maintenance company and expanded it to five states.

Over the course of his career, he bought, managed and sold several companies and real estate through E.F. Castleberry Associates, E.F.C. Enterprises and Radec Realty.

He is a member of the Xavier University Business Hall of Fame, founder and chairman of the Greater Cincinnati Business Hall of Fame and a founder of the Greater Cincinnati Venture Association. He has chaired the Cincinnati Citizen’s Committee on Youth, the Cincinnati Chapter of the World’s President Organization, Junior Achievement and the Center for Economic Education and Resource. He has served as director of the Ohio State Development Corporation and was trustee of the Xavier University Entrepreneurship Center.

41 Summit Magazine 41

Leaders of Character Reception The annual Leaders of Character Society reception, held this year on Sept. 5 at Drees Pavilion in Devou Park, recognizes leadership donors to the Annual Fund for Excellence. The event is an opportunity to thank those benefactors for their generosity and to give out Summit’s top awards including the Ne Ultra and McKenzie-Sargent Distinguished Alumni Award.

Lindsey and Sam Huttenbauer.

Keith Harsh ’84, Kathryn (Stahl) Harsh ’84 and Lama Khoury.

Peggy (Feltrup) Jackson ‘49.

Wendy (Sutphin) Ritch GMS ‘86 and Andrew Ritch.

Peg and Tim Mathile.

42Winter Magazine 42 Sister Mary Ann Barnhorn SNDdeN and Richard F. Greiwe SBS ‘44.

Board Chair Allison (Hiltz) Kropp ’93

Jenna Joseph ’11, Richard Joseph, Sr. BMS ’79, Sami Joseph, Jr. SMS ’09, Mag Joseph, Trey Joseph ’24, Alexis Joseph, Caroline Joseph, Grant Joseph SMS ’04, Ronald Joseph, Jr. BMS ’81, Sadie Joseph ’22.

Joseph Family Donates New Scoreboa

By Nick Robbe Junior Benjamin Tolble crossed into the endzone for an easy touchdown in the Homecoming game.

Senior Colleen McIlvenna put one in the net for the first score of the girls’ soccer program’s 700th game, a 3-0 triumph against Seton.

Each of those successful plays, and many more since then, lit up Williams Field’s Joseph Family Scoreboard which was installed in the summer and saw its first action this fall.

The scoreboard is dedicated to the Josephs who have contributed to the history of The Summit for more than 60 years.

Dating back to the graduating class of 1955, 20 members of the Joseph family have walked the hallways of the school.

Ronald G. Joseph, Sr. and his wife, Marcia, sent all four of their sons – Gregory BMS ’76, George BMS '78, Richard BMS '79 and Ronald BMS ’81 here.

Gregory and his wife, Wendy, sent three children – Grant SMS ’04, Jacqueline SMS ’07 and Amanda SMS ’10. George and his wife, Amy, sent three children – Chase SMS ’04, Brennan SMS ’06 and Claire SMS ’08. Richard and his wife, Margaret, sent three children, Sami SMS ’09, Jenna ’11 and Courtney SMS ’12. And Ronald and his wife,

Caroline, sent two children, current students Sadie ’22 and Trey ’24.

Over the years, members of this three-generation family have been involved in everything from classroom events to auctions to campaigns to governance. Marcia served as Summit Parents Association president in 1976-77. Her sons, George and Richard Sr., took their turns serving on the Board of Trustees while son Ron currently serves on the board, chairing the Buildings and Grounds Committee.

The Joseph family name is well known in Greater Cincinnati and Dayton because of Joseph Auto Group. Founded by Ronald G. Joseph Sr., the Joseph Auto Group was named in the Business Courier’s Top Private Companies in July 2018.

“The Summit has been blessed to have the Joseph family so involved in our school for more than half a century,” says Head of School Rich Wilson. “They have been generous so many times in the past, and when our old scoreboard was on its last legs, Greg, George, Richard and Ron stepped up once again in honor of their parents. The scoreboard has been a terrific booster for Silver Knights fans.”

43 Summit Magazine 43

The Summit Country Day School

Athletic Hall of Fame

L to R, 2018 Athletic Hall of Famers Alex Thurner ’08, Eric O’Brien ’98 and Lauren Conners ’01.

By Nick Robbe

Lauren Conners ’01

The Summit encourages students to be physically active and participate in multiple sports during their time on campus. Lauren Conners ’01, inducted this year into The Summit’s Athletic Hall of Fame, fits that bill as she was a field hockey, basketball, cross country and softball star.

In field hockey, Lauren earned first-team Southwest Ohio Field Hockey Association honors in 1998. She received an honorable mention nod from the league a year later. In 2000, during the cross country season, she was a second-team all-Miami Valley Conference (MVC) runner. When the weather turned cold, it did nothing to stymie Lauren as she switched from the field hockey pitch to the parquet. She was a member of the varsity basketball team all four years during a competitive period in the program’s history.

In the spring of her senior year, Lauren was a driving force behind The Summit softball team’s MVC title.

The team finished with an 18-5 record. During that 44 44 Winter Magazine

season, Lauren led the team in batting average (.494), on-base percentage (.657) and was second in slugging percentage (.724). She struck out only once the entire season. She also holds school records in career batting average (.471), on-base percentage, steals and catching percentage. She won three varsity letters, was an all-conference player (2000 and 2001), was named the most valuable player in the conference (2001) and was an Ohio Scholar Athlete twice.

“The teachers and coaches at The Summit pushed me to excel and to test the limits of what I thought I could do both athletically and academically,” Lauren says.

“Most importantly, they were always there to offer support and encouragement. Like so many others, I will always fondly remember Mrs. Fultz’s passion for literature, Ms. Bruggeman’s biology labs and Ms. Haas’ dedication to coaching. Thank you to all my teachers, coaches, teammates, parents and the class of 2001 for my experience at The Summit.”

Lauren is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and lives in Virginia. She also enjoys playing the occasional game of polo.

Eric O’Brien ’98

Eric O’ Brien, a ’98 graduate of The Summit, made a career of swatting strikes and piling up yards in the Silver Knights’ backfield.

This Summit Hall of Famer was a frequent Cincinnati Enquirer player of the week in both football and baseball, racking up 2,000+ all-purpose yards in two seasons. He helped lead the Silver Knights football team to an MVC championship in the 1996-1997 season, the first conference championship since the 1985-1986 season. Eric was the Southwest Ohio player of the year following the ’96 season, and was a two-time all-MVC, all-City and all-State player.

In the spring of 1996, the Silver Knights wanted to continue the postseason success from previous years.

Eric did his part. During his three baseball seasons, The Summit won MVC, sectional, district and regional titles. Individually, he was a three-time firstteam all-MVC and all-City player and was a threetime all-State performer. In 1998, the season he was the team captain, he led the city in homeruns.

His baseball career continued to flourish at Kent State University, where he earned four varsity letters and was a two-time first-team all-Mid-American Conference selection. Eric broke the Kent State season and all-time record for stolen bases. He ended his career as a Golden Flash in the program’s top 10 in homeruns, batting average, stolen bases, games played, runs scored and on-base percentage. Eric was nominated to the program’s all-Century team in 2014.

“I would like to thank The Summit Country Day School, the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and former teammates and coaches for this honor,” Eric says. “During my time at SCD, I learned the importance of community, teamwork, leadership and education. Athletics further shaped my character by teaching me how to be a competitor and handle unexpected challenges as well as the power of teamwork and resilience. More than anything, I am grateful for the lifelong friendships and relationships I built during my time at The Summit.”

Eric received a bachelor’s in business administration from Kent State and a master’s in business administration from Syracuse University. After living in Chicago for 10 years, he and his wife settled in Scottsdale, Ariz. where he works in Sales Management at Cognex Corporation.

Alex Thurner ’08

This Summit Hall of Famer was a two-sport athlete who made her name by putting balls in the back of the net. Alex Thurner, a member of the class of 2008, was a standout in soccer and lacrosse.

She was a varsity player all four years in both sports.

Alex was a team captain in both, too. During her lacrosse career here at The Summit, she led Ohio in scoring in her junior and senior seasons. She also led the Silver Knights to the state final game her junior year. Alex was a first-team all-MVC player and was the first Summit female lacrosse player to become an all-American. She was the program’s all-time leading scorer until Sydney Beckmeyer, a player she coached, broke the record in 2016.

After her high school days were finished, Alex continued her successful lacrosse career at Denison University. She was a four-year starter as a midfielder, team captain her senior year and helped lead the Big Red on their deepest NCAA tournament run in program history. Alex, an all-region and allconference player, finished her career as third overall leading scorer in program history and still remains in the top 10.

After graduation, Alex went to law school at the University of Cincinnati. Alex began working as a felony criminal defense attorney locally and was the girls’ lacrosse coach here at The Summit from 2013-2017. With her at the helm of the program, the Silver Knights reached two state final fours, four MVC championships and was Cincinnati Enquirer coach of the year and conference coach of the year.

Now that she isn’t coaching, she enjoys training for and running marathons and spending time with her family.

“My time as a student-athlete at The Summit shaped who I am by instilling confidence and allowing me to participate in so many activities while getting such a wonderful education,” Alex says. “I was also able to go out for lacrosse my freshman year after never playing before, and it ultimately influenced my college choice and brought me back into The Summit community to coach. There aren’t that many opportunities in life that brought as much joy and happiness as coaching did for me. The fact that I went to Summit and could share that with my players made it that much better. I am very grateful to all of The Summit faculty, but particularly the 45 athletic department for allowing meSummit to thrive.”

Magazine 45

2018 SUMMIT HOMECOMING

Homecoming provides a time for alumni to return to campus for a social reception and enjoy the traditional activities.

Clockwise from top left: Alumni board member Ty Wahlbrink ‘12, Assistant Admission Director Brandon Lorentz ’13, Former Head of School Patricia White Ph.D., and Brianna Carden ’11. Hawaiian wear was the theme for the evening as students run the Summit athletic flag past the crowd. Silver Knights celebrate on Williams Field. A youngster at the SPA Fall Festival shows off her face painting. Hall of Famer Eric O’Brien ’98 holds his son, Declan, during the alumni reception. A group of Middle Schoolers are happy to pose for a photo at the festival.

46 46 Winter Magazine

Legacy Families

Every year, alumni parents and grandparents are asked to join their students for a group photo which showcases The Summit’s multigenerational families. The current legacy students are: Montessori: Emery Cosgrove ‘31, Elliot Fox ‘31, Evan Fox ‘31, Henry Fraser ‘31, Houston Griffin ‘31, Violet Haunschild ‘31, Hunter Heekin ‘31, Piper Kropp ‘31, Hadley O’Brien ‘31, Crosley Price ‘31, Russell Roth ‘31, Natalya Wangler ‘31, Will Ahouse ‘32, Liam Bonilla ‘32, Patrick Goebel ‘32, Aiden Grawe ‘32, Rush Heidt ‘32, William Kling ‘32, Will Maag ‘32, Hassan Moctar ‘32, Rory Newton ‘32, Genevieve O’Brien ‘32, Tory Plattner ‘32, Billie Price ‘32, Hudson Ragland ‘32, Mac Ragland ‘32, Kyler Torch ‘32, Julia Tranter ‘32, Willy Vollmer ‘32, Amelia Wilson ‘32, Fatima Kaukab ‘33, Henry Martin ‘33, Corrina Roth ‘33, Sutton Anderle ‘34, Molly Ashmore ‘34, Curt Goodman ‘34, Wynni Grayson ‘34, Asher Heidt ‘34, Dilly Homan ‘34, Joanna Masters ‘34, Annabelle O’Brien ‘34, Isla O’Brien ‘34, Nora Peterson ‘34, Elle Plattner ‘34, Anna Kay Schuermann ‘34, Carl Steinman ‘34, Charlie Vollmer ‘34 and Makena Vollmer ‘34.

Lower School: Rowan Cosgrove, ‘27, Dillon Fox, ‘27, Bebe Heekin, ‘27, Aliviah McCarter ‘27, Peter Misrach ‘27, Abigayle Penote ‘27, Chloe Ragland ‘27, Jack Reynolds ‘27, Patrick Williams ‘27, Jack Baker ‘28, Miles Butler ‘28, Finley Chavez ‘28, Iggy Dwyer ‘28, Henry Ahouse ‘29, Jake Heekin ‘29, Anne Misrach ‘29, Dallas Parker ‘29, Caroline Reynolds ‘29, Walker Williams ‘29, Anna Baker ‘30, Gabby Chavez ‘30, Santi Dwyer ‘30, Elise Goebel ‘30, RJ Johnson ‘30, Owen Lee ‘30 and Nolan O’Brien ‘30.

Middle School: Gloria Knight ‘23, Trey Butler ‘23, Katie Conway ‘23, Shelby Gottenbusch ‘23, Gwen Hellmann ‘23, Conlan Daniel ‘23, Luke Schneider ‘23, Trey Joseph ‘24, Gracey Kelly ‘24, C.C. Chavez ‘24, Mia Cavallo ‘24, James Knight ‘24, Benny Penote ‘24, Grant Desch ‘24, Carleigh Gottenbusch ‘25, Mercer Reynolds ‘25, Mason Butler ‘25, Annette LaLonde ‘25, Charlotte Thompson ‘25, Esmé Gonyo ‘25, Finn Kropp ‘25, Trey Lippert ‘25, Kira Njegovan ‘25, Anneliese Brouwer ‘25, Holland Lippert ‘25, Grace Sanders ‘25, Charlie Ritch ‘26, Haley Baker ‘26, Sophie Brouwer ‘26, Devlan Daniel ‘26, Paige Kropp ‘26, Jasmine McCarter ‘26 and Gabby Knight ‘26.

Upper School: Sammi Crew ‘19, Will Pauly ‘19, Kieran Dowling ‘19, Mikayla Roma ‘19, Paul Wilson ‘19, Bella Saba ‘19, Hannah Gottenbusch ‘19, Martha Seltman ‘19, Luke Desch ‘19, Alex Ragland ‘19, Victoria Walton ‘19, Eric Fisk ‘19, Carli Vallota ‘19, Jake Schneider ‘19, Liam Jones ‘20, Lucia Castellini ‘20, John LaBar ‘20, Sophia Zaring ‘20, Hughie Headley ‘20, Sam Luttmer ‘20, Jack McDowell ‘20, Katie Chamberlin ‘20, Sarah Sutton ‘20, Lizby Jones ‘20, Jackson Thompson ‘20, Jessie Headley ‘20, Jack Schmerge ‘20, Benjamin Schmerge ‘20, Doug Simpson ‘20, Derrick Kinross ‘20, Grace LaLonde ‘20, Caitlyn Roma ‘21, Gabby Castellini ‘21, Mary Anne Drew ‘21, Jack Gerdsen ‘21, Lily Ritch ‘21, Elizabeth Dziech ‘21, Margeaux Saba ‘21, Gates Flynn ‘21, Sarah Hopple ‘21, Sydney Ragland ‘21, Owen Rowitz ‘21, Lindsay Vaughn ‘21, Kayla Vaughn ‘21, Nicholas Pauly ‘21, Maria Vallota ‘22, Margot Chamberlin ‘22, John Penote ‘22, Sadie Joseph ‘22, Mimi McNabb ‘22, Hudson Ritch ‘22, Lucas Valle ‘22, Mac Walter ‘22, Danny McDowell ‘22, Caroline Zaring ‘22, Marley Walter ‘22, Lily Lippert ‘22, James Stahl ‘22, Matthew Sutton ‘22, Oren Jenkins ‘22, Nicky Luttmer ‘22 and Luis Valencia ‘22.

Parents in photo: Christine Alvarez ‘99, Kristin (Hausladen) Baker ‘96; Molly (Bayer) Bonilla ‘01; Jamelle Bowers ‘88; Meg Grulee ‘92; Manuel Chavez BMS ‘91; Cary Daniel ‘93; Midi (Amann) Drew ‘81; Rob Dziech ‘88; Monica (Gates) Flynn ‘87; Lauren (Brinkmeyer) Goebel ‘96; Noel (Owens) Grayson ‘95; Stephen Headley ‘84; Oren Jenkins ‘90; Will Jones ‘85; Ron Joseph BMS ‘81; Nabeel Kaukab BMS ‘90; Jonathan Kling ‘97; Allison (Hiltz) Kropp ‘93; Dan LaBar BMS ‘77; Kevin Lee ‘97; Chris (Castleberry) Lippert ‘89; Gina (Gates) Misrach ‘87; Patrick Newton ‘02; Karen Talty ‘82; Chris O’Brien SMS ‘96; Sanford Pauly ‘82; Kathy (Hilsinger) Penote ‘93; Lisa Mays ‘05, Mercer Reynolds ‘95, Wendy (Sutphin) Ritch GMS ‘86, John Roth ‘00, Lisa (Baluyot) Rowitz ‘89, Pete Saba ‘83, Gina (Baluyot) Saba ‘84, Rob Sanders ‘91, Paul Schmerge BMS ‘78, Essa (Anderle) Torch ‘02, Katie (Cassidy) Tranter ‘03; Louis Valencia BMS ‘78, Kelly (Connors) Vaughn ‘88, Dick Williams (attd.) and Arielle (Campbell) Wilson ‘06.

Grandparents in photo: Mary (Foss) Brinkmeyer ‘67, Clare (Kohnen) Cahill ‘60, Chris (Thurner) Byrnes ‘70, Mary Jo (Randolph) Cleveland ‘69, James Fraser SBS ‘58, Robert Owens ‘61 and Al Weisbrod BMS ‘56.

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Class Notes 60s Retired Summit art teachers Mark and Jan Wiesner hosted a Boys Middle School faculty reunion on Sept.

29. Attendees included, from left, front row: Jim Renner, science, who now is principal at Mariemont High School; Nan Motley, librarian; and George Ecker, principal. Standing in the back: Mark Wiesner, art; Elsie Gerwin Jansen, religion; Phil Preston, science; Pat Wilhelmy, administrative assistant; Kay Ryan, language arts; Bruce Bowdon, music; Barb Sander, language arts; Brenda Delfavero, language arts; Debbie Richey, math; Pat Hayes, science; Bill Mackey, language arts; and Rick Bohne, history. Not pictured but among the faculty wives who attended the event was Nancy Holmes, wife of the legendary Dick Holmes.

50s

Mary Clark (Schulte) Rechtiene ‘58, a docent at the Telfair Museum in Savannah, Ga., received a surprise this summer when she noticed a mom with a small group touring her museum was wearing a Summit shirt.

Introducing herself, she discovered three Summit seniors were in town for a college visit at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Shown left to right are seniors Maya Mehlman, Mary Clark (Schulte) Rechtiene, Grace Carle and Gillian Fajack. All four are Summit lifers.

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Winter Magazine

Joseph Clasgens III SBS ’62 retired in December 2017 from the financial planning firm he founded on the San Francisco Peninsula. He continues to reside with his wife, Nataly, on the west coast with homes in Portland, OR, and Rancho Mirage, CA. The couple returned to Cincinnati in September to participate in the wedding of their nephew, Jimmy Fisk III ’03, in Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel.

They were joined by their sons, Michael and V.J., from San Mateo and San Diego, CA, respectively, and their daughter, Jeannette, and her husband, who live in Denver. “It was a surprise to see how much The Summit (and Cincinnati itself, for that matter) has changed in the many years since last we visited.”

70s

Michelle (Whitaker) Malicote ’75 was named 2017 Baccalaureate Nursing Outstanding Alumni by Eastern Kentucky University. She is a registered nurse at Madison County School District in Richmond, Ky.

80s Members of the Class of 1988 held their 30th reunion during Homecoming Weekend. Shown, from left, are Missy (Segal) Fox, Evelyn Guzman (attd), Kelly (Evans) Arevian, Neil Schmidt, Eric Kohl, Jamelle Bowers and Rob Dziech.

Class Notes

00s

Jamal Shteiwi ’00 owns a dog supplement and food business, Bones Inc., which went public on the NASDAQ in October 2018 under the ticker BONE. Recently he and his Bichon Frisée, Stephon, were named dog and owner of the year by Fancy Canine.

Jamal, his wife Lauren (Russell) Shteiwi 00, live in Mariemont.

Mitchell Duggins ’03, Coordinator of Scouting Video with the Chicago Cubs, just celebrated his 10th season in Major League Baseball.

That decade includes one year with the Los Angeles Dodgers and nine with the Chicago Cubs. He has been part of the Baseball Operations staff under Theo Epstein during the most successful run in Cubs’ history with three consecutive playoff appearances and three consecutive National League Championship Series appearances and the 2016 World Champions.

Drew Reynolds ’05 is the CEO of a new company called Common Good Data Consulting in Atlanta.

Common Good helps education, health and human service nonprofits make datadriven decisions. Drew received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees,

respectively in Spanish Language/Literature and Foreign Language Teacher Education from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree and doctorate, respectively in social work and philosophy/social work, from Boston College.

Find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/commongooddata/.

Christina Ng ’07, an ABC producer, was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Feature Story in a News Magazine for 20/20’s “My Reality: A Hidden America.” She also helped produce Diane Sawyer’s Nightline interview with Sally Field about her new memoir.

David Wagner ’08 is partowner of Opus Capital Management. On July 18, it became the first company to launch an active-exchange-traded fund focused on smallcap dividend-payers on the New York Stock Exchange. David has been with Opus since receiving his MBA in finance from Xavier University five years ago. He is responsible for conducting research and analysis for the Small Cap Value, Small Cap Value Plus, Micro Cap Value, and International Small Cap strategies. He also serves on the Ault Park Advisory Council.

Trevor Stengel ’08 has begun a full-time MBA program at University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

10s Megan “Meggie” O’Brien ’10, who works as a Senior SpecialistRAN Engineer with AT&T in Louisville has become a licensed House Rabbit Society Educator, serving on the board of Harvey’s House Rabbit Rescue and Sanctuary since 2016.

“Everybody should adopt a house rabbit,” she says.

Caroline Clark ’12, a producer at Delta-v Productions in Los Angeles, co-produced a documentary called “Behind the Curve” about people who think the earth is flat. The film has been making the rounds of film festivals including Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival and the Los Angeles Film Festival, where it was one of only 10 documentary films

selected globally. The movie is available through iTunes.

See a trailer at https://goo. gl/8iohxn.

Andrew Lyons ’12, shown at work, was promoted in May to general forecaster at the National Weather Service and relocated to Cheyenne, Wyoming. He is also attending graduate school at the University of Oklahoma, seeking a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science, Hydrology and Water Security. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2016 with a degree in meteorology.

Mark Samaan ’12 was featured in a story in the Cincinnati Enquirer because of volunteer work he is doing with the Better Bus Coalition. He and other volunteers are building benches for Metro bus stops where there are none. Now an Associate Planner for the Hamilton County Planning Department, Mark received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Tufts University in Boston and in spring 2018 received a master’s degree in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. See his story at https://goo.gl/dU5bYL.

Summit Magazine 49

Class Notes

Warren Hill ’13 was selected as a Georgetown Business Law Scholar and is in the Inaugural Cohort. Warren is entering his second year at Georgetown Law. He also serves as a Staff Editor for the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal.

Class of 2014

Special Report Sophie Adams ’14 graduated from St. Louis University and accepted a job as a neurosurgery registered nurse at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Lauren Bacho ’14 graduated from Ohio University in December 2017 with a major in visual communication. She is a staff photographer at the Gainesville Sun and its sports website, gatorsports. com. While a student, Lauren interned with 50

Winter Magazine

the Cape Cod Times, the Boston Crusaders and the Washington Redskins. She also studied documentary photography in Edinburgh, Scotland.

At Ohio University, the dean’s list student was a photo editor for The Post student newspaper and a staff photographer for Bobcat Athletics. She has won sports and news photo awards in the National Press Photographer’s Association southeast region, and was among the featured artists in Wide Open: Excellence in Photography, a juried exhibition Sept. 28 to Nov. 18 at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens.

Emma Compton ’14 graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Cincinnati. During her undergraduate studies, she worked for the Cincinnati Bengals, FC Cincinnati and the Compliance Office within the UC Athletic Department. She finished the first year of law school at the University of Dayton in the top 10 percent of her class, was offered admission into the Leadership Honor’s Program within the School of Law. She joined the UD Law Review as a staff writer. During the past summer, she was a legal intern for the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office and next summer will join Keating Muething & Klekamp as a Summer Associate. She hopes to practice corporate and sports law after graduation. A member

Mike Barwick Jr. ’14 finished his undergraduate degree in management from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University but remained through the football season to finish out his last year of eligibility. of The Summit’s MOCK Trial team while here, she says: “I am grateful for the resources and opportunities Summit provided me during my studies there. I owe a great deal to the incredible faculty and my classmates for preparing me for both college and law school.”

Peter Corser ’14 graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts in history. He began a marketing strategy professional internship with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Mary Alice Dadosky ’14 graduated from Franciscan University Steubenville with a bachelor’s degree in

theology/catechetics with emphasis on education.

She began work on her master’s degree at Franciscan in the fall.

Tino Delamerced ’14 graduated from Brown University with an A.B. in Latin with honors. He received the J.A. Pirce Prize for outstanding thesis. He was president of the Brown University chess club and played with the chess varsity team that has won the Inter-Ivy League chess tournament two years in a row. He received his white coat in a ceremony in October and is now enrolled in medical school at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Class Notes Kyle Fisk ’14 is in his fifth year at the University of Cincinnati where he is majoring in industrial design and minoring in marketing.

Gage Goodwin ’14 began working at ConstructConnect in Rookwood in October.

He received his bachelor’s degree in December from UC’s Lindner College of Business with a major in marketing and minor in information systems.

Katherine Harrison ’14 attended the Columbus College of Art and Design now works for Nordstrom as well as designing unique clothing pieces for select clientele. She purchased a home in Newport.

Mary Frances Harsh ’14 graduated from Elon University in May with a degree in elementary education. She is teaching third grade at Madeira Elementary School.

Chris Lee ’14 graduated cum laude from the Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a double minor in business and classics. He is employed by Food Safety Net Services as a microbiology technician and is working on his master’s degree in public health/epidemiology at Ohio State.

William Ng ’14 graduated from DePaul University in the spring with a degree in business management and concentration in sports management.

He is a merchandise planning analyst with Fanatics In Tampa, Fla. Fanatics provides merchandise and apparel for the MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA and many other professional sports teams.

Alexandra Schmerge ’14 graduated from DePauw University’s Honors Scholars Program, majoring in cellular and molecular biology. Currently, she is working in clinical research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center with Dr. Stuart Goldstein, Director, Center for Acute Care Nephrology.

She plans to pursue a graduate degree in a healthcare related field.

Stephanie Slager ’14 graduated from Loyola University Chicago and began working as an advertising sales assistant for Modern Luxury Media in Chicago.

Radek Lord ’14 continues to get roles as he pursues his acting career in Los Angeles.

Most recently, he was in a Progressive Insurance commercial and a small role with actor Bruce Greenwood in an episode of the show The Resident. He will be in an upcoming Indie film as a lead, appearing with actor Danny Trejo.

Nia Warren ’14 graduated from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor’s degree in both economics and art.

She received the Vanderbilt University Department of Art Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet Merit Award for 2018, which included a $10,000 prize.

Her work was featured in a Vanderbilt book called “Spicy.” After graduation, she accepted a position as project manager/ implementation consultant with EPIC, an electronic medical records firm in Madison, Wis.

Monica Windholtz ’14 graduated from Case Western Reserve University where she participated in an integrated graduate studies program. In four years, she was able to complete her bachelor’s degree in medical anthropology and master’s degree in bioethics, with a minor in sociology and certificate of global health.

This fall she began her first year of study at the Moritz College of Law at the Ohio State University.

Louise Zhou ’14 graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering and a minor in Chinese. At the academy, she was named the 20th Company Commander and put in charge of 150 midshipmen. She was awarded the Margret Chase Smith leadership award for showing exemplary leadership skills and the Military Outstanding Volunteerism Metal for volunteering over 800 hours while at the academy. After graduation, she was transferred to Pensacola, Fla. to start flight school in hopes of being a helicopter pilot.

Summit Magazine 51

Class Notes

Chris Lyons ’15 had an internship this past summer at Redstone Arsenal with the Army Missile Research and Engineering Development Center.

He has begun graduate coursework in a joint undergraduate-master’s degree program at the University of Alabama in Huntsville where he is majoring in physics with a minor in math and concentration in optics.

Pictured, Chris is holding his Dean’s List recognition in front of the Materials Science Building.

Aaron Chow ’15, now attending the University of Michigan, continues work he began in the Science Research Institute.

The work his research team at Michigan is doing with neuroprosthetics was featured in an article called “Growing with Neuroprosthetics” in the Worldwide Student Design Showcase 2018 published by Autodesk.

He had the opportunity to present the work at the Autodesk University Conference in November.

52

Winter Magazine

The team is working to produce an affordable prosthetic device that can accommodate the growth of a child, tough enough to withstand child’s play and flexible enough to provide a full range of motion. The device uses an electromyography signal which transfers electrical potential from the child’s muscle to make the prosthetic fingers move. (See story at goo. gl/HTcqnG. See a demo video of the new device at goo.gl/nmEmif. See Aaron’s website at https:// aaronjchow.github.io/) In a note to his Summit teachers, Aaron wrote: “Thanks again to each and every one of you for being a huge part of me getting to where I am today. All of your support, encouragement, knowledge and effort put in to help me succeed has made all of the difference.”

Jodie Hutchins ’16, a junior majoring in kinesiology at Depauw University, was the 2016-17 Grand Prize Winner of the Depauw First Year Seminar Essay Contest for her essay entitled “America – the Extent to which it is Representative of Democracy.” She was chosen as Grand Prize winner from among 13 recipients. She is also a recipient of the 2017-2018 Charles and

Frances (Wylie) Condit Science Scholarship for a promising sophomore or junior kinesiology major.

Shown: Jodie is third from the left in this photo of the “Little 5” bike team fielded

by Alpha Chi Omega Sorority. The team won the women’s race, a first time in 30 years for their sorority.

Dan Reynolds ’02 and his wife welcomed their fourth child, Teresa Katharine Reynolds, on September 8, 2018.

Sarah (McBride) Parton ’12 and her husband Toby welcomed son Graham on August 4, 2018.

Lillian Chow ’17 has accepted a summer internship with Google in the fall of 2019. Lillian is currently interning in Vendor Management at Kroger and worked for Procter & Gamble last summer in Employee Care. During the school year at The Ohio State University, she works on the technology service desk for the College of Arts & Sciences and is doing research in Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing. She is majoring in Accounting and Management Information Systems.

WEDDINGS Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel: Nathan Powers SMS ’97 and Jessa Harden, Aug. 31, 2018.

James Fisk III ’03 and Sally Lutz, Sept. 29, 2018.

Margaret Donovan SMS ’04 and Thomas Bennett, Sept. 15, 2018.

Margot Swank SMS ’05 and Adam Allen, Oct. 26, 2018.

BIRTHS Christy (Belmont) Friedman SMS ’98 and her husband Aaron welcomed their daughter Claudia on February 3, 2018.

Kyndal Michel ’07 and Samuel Marks, June 16, 2018

Married Elsewhere: Natesh Shetty ’95 and Tracy Veith, Sept. 1, 2017.

Class Notes

IN MEMORY Alumni:

John Ranz SBS ’38, March 30, 2018.

Thomas Heekin SBS ’51, Aug. 3, 2018.

Mary Louise (Cloud) Long ’61, June 2, 2018.

Walter Arling SBS ’62, June 13, 2018.

Robert Leighton SBS ’64, July 28, 2018.

Other:

Elizabeth “Sherry” Burik, former primary teacher, June 10, 2018.

Alumni News Please submit news about new degrees, new jobs, marriages, births and other notable passages in your life.

Robert A. Conway, a Cincinnati businessman, civic leader, philanthropist and supporter of Catholic causes, died April 6, 2018. A longtime supporter of The Summit, one of the school’s scholarships was created in memory of his wife, the late Ruth (Jung) Conway ’46. His son, Bob Conway Jr., is a former trustee and current parent.

A former trustee, Barbara (Lampe) Haas died April 23, 2018. In the years when her children -- Upper School Spanish teacher Monica (Haas) Desch ‘90, Jeffrey Haas ‘94, Adam Haas ‘97 and Carrie (Haas) Jessie ‘02 -- were students, she was active in the Summit Parents Association and chaired the auction. In the community, she was involved in local, state and national politics, served on the board at Welcome House, was board chair of the Northern Kentucky Symphony and volunteered at Saint Bernard Food Pantry.

The matriarch of a three-generation Summit family who provided leadership and support to The Summit, the Greater Cincinnati community and the nation, Gabrielle (Bouscaren) Reynolds ’66 died Aug. 23, 2018. A former Summit trustee, she was a supporter and volunteer for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Washington Park School and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

She also co-chaired the 2001 and 2005 inaugurations of President George W. Bush, served on the board of trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was a member of the U.S. delegation sent to Rome for Pope John Paul II’s 25th anniversary. She is the mother of Kathrine (Reynolds) McMillan ‘92, J. Mercer Reynolds ‘95, James Reynolds ‘99 and Gabrielle (Reynolds) Jones ‘03.

A longtime teacher and administrator at The Summit, Sr. Jane Roberts SNDdeN died Sept. 29, 2018. She came to The Summit in 1969 to teach religion and language arts at The Summit Boys School. Beginning in 1973, she began teaching Upper School religion, chaired the religion department and served as sacristan, treasurer for The Summit Corporation and purchasing agent for the school. In a reflection, Sister Rose Ann Fleming ’50 SNDdeN, former president of The Summit, credited her leadership in helping pave the way for the Upper School to become coeducational because her presence assured parents that the boys would get “excellence in education, entrance into the best colleges and the formation of leaders as these boys were becoming men.”

Go to www. summitcds.org/ submityournews

Summit Magazine 53

In Memoriam Julie Currie 1965-2018

By Nancy Berlier There are no coincidences in life, according to Julie Currie. There are only “God-incidences.”

A deeply religious woman, Julie died on November 2 – All Souls Day – at the age of 53. She leaves her husband Scott and twins Matthew ’15 and Caroline ’15 as well as family, friends and The Summit faculty, staff, former students and parents who were inspired by her unfailing grace and wisdom.

Julie taught at The Summit for 21 years in two different decades. She was the Lower School art teacher from 1987 to 1996, leaving when she gave birth to twins.

She returned as a Middle School religion and social studies teacher in 2006, leaving after 11 years to focus on her health.

In addition to teaching at The Summit, she worked with the Middle School Service Club, facilitated a faculty prayer group and created the “Good News Puppet Ministry.” She was given the Leader of Character Award at the end of the 2013-14 school year. “As a leader of character, Julie lived an authentic life,” says Rich Wilson, Head of School. “Julie was authentic in her faith, her compassion and her witness. She lived her life as an example of what it is like to grow in grace and wisdom.”

Julie began writing a blog in January 2015, a month after being diagnosed with lung cancer. In an early journal entry, she coined the term God-incidence.

“My religion students often ask why are there not as many miracles today as there were back in biblical times,” she writes. “I think many people do not appreciate the God-incidences that happen. They overlook all the extraordinary events that happen in their life and chalk them up to coincidences. I do not want to take for granted any of God’s gifts and miracles. I believe that miracles happen all around us and we just need to praise and thank God for those unexplainable supernatural gifts that He provides.”

Lower and Middle School Director Mike Johnson says he once heard the saints described as “that crowd 54

standing by the sidelines of our lives cheering us on, giving us the strength to keep moving forward and to not give up. I know that throughout her life, but especially at the end of her life, Julie leaned hard on all those saints cheering her on, and now I find solace imagining Julie there among those same saints cheering on her family and all of us.”

Julie wrote more than 100 journal entries with steadfast optimism as she alternatively faced signs of improvement and setbacks. In every entry, she gracefully gives thanks to God for her blessings and offers words of wisdom to the rest of us. In one of her last journals, she asked us to celebrate each day to the fullest.

“A wonder of God is the moment the sun breaks over the horizon,” she writes. “A wonder of God is how our heart can keep beating each moment of our life.

A sign of God is the ability to see, hear, communicate, touch, hug, any one of these acts to show your love to a loved one. We need to be more aware of these signs and wonders. We need to praise God and thank Him for the awesome gifts He gives us each day. We need to verbally share with others how God has performed these signs and wonders for us, so we can more deeply believe in God’s goodness and Christ’s mercy.”

Read Julie’s journal at https://juliemcurrie.wordpress.com/blog/

2018-19 Alumni Board The Alumni Board has opportunities for alumni to get more involved and to network.

Rene Cheatham ’03 President Rene.cheatham@gmail.com

Missy (Segal) Fox ’88 Vice President, PhilanthropyNetworking Chair melissa.fx1@gmail.com Ty Wahlbrink ’12 Career Development Committee Chair ty.wahlbrink@gmail.com Chris (Castleberry) Lippert ’89 Engagement Committee Co-Chair chrisclippert@gmail.com Liz (Glassmeyer) Spahr ’70 Engagement Committee Co-Chair lizglassmeyer@gmail.com

Gaby (Chandra) Napier ’10 Admissions Committee Chair napiergab@gmail.com

Jesse Dunbar ’91 Decade Captain jessedunbar@fuse.net Tommy Kreyenhagen ’12 Decade Captain twkreyenhagen@gmail.com

Megan Funk ’13 Decade Captain megancfunk@gmail.com

Nabeel Koukab BMS ’90 Decade Captain nik4@columbia.edu

New Events for Alumni Under Way

Summit’s annual Campus Day is morphing into Campus Day Weekend in an effort to invite Summit alumni to celebrate their alma mater along with those currently involved in the school.

Alumni will have their own event on Saturday, April 28.

Beginning at 4 p.m., Head of School Rich Wilson will deliver a “state of the school” address. In the presentation, alumni will hear about recent school successes, community survey results, long-range plans and opportunities to connect with current students.

Then from 5-7 p.m. an alumni networking reception will follow with beer, wine and appetizers. We’ll invite retired teachers as well as current faculty members to mix and mingle. After that we expect many reunion classes ending in 4s and 9s may want to hold their reunions on campus or around town.

On Sunday, alumni are invited back for the 12:15 p.m. Alumni Mass, when we will celebrate the achievements of some of our distinguished alums. Following that there will be an opportunity for a bite to eat in the dining hall, the fabulous art show, Middle School play, and performances by student musicians.

The idea for this weekend came from alumni. They want to connect with their school and with each other. This weekend is designed to accomplish those objectives.

“The relationship between the school and alumni is important,” says Head of School Rich Wilson. “Out in the world, alumni represent the five-pillar education we offer.

It’s important they see the progress the school is making and understand the school’s direction, so they can talk intelligently to others who may be thinking about sending their children here.”

“Rekindling relationships is also important,” he says. “Many life-long friendships started here. When alumni return and greet each other, there is an automatic connection because of similar behaviors and values. It’s a blessing that the community culture here is so strong.”

– Nancy Berlier

Jerry Hilton ’91 Faculty Representative, Current/Retired Faculty Captain hilton_j@summitcds.org

Nominate an Alum

Nominations are being taken for the Meritorious Service, Young Alumni, Artistic Achievement, SpiritualChristian and Honorary Family awards at www.summitcds.org/AlumniAwards.

Summit Magazine 55

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