Nueva Magazine – Winter 2024

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Nueva is an independent, co-educational, preK–12 school for gifted learners. Our school community inspires passion for lifelong learning, fosters social and emotional acuity, and develops the imaginative mind. Nueva uses a dynamic educational model to enable gifted learners to make choices that will benefit the world.

nuevaschool.org

Calling All Alumni!

Want to contact the Alumni Office? Email us at alumni@nuevaschool.org.

We love to hear from you!

S TAY

Nueva Magazine is published by the Communications Office for alumni, students, parents, grandparents, and friends of The Nueva School.

C O N N E C T E D

EDITORIAL TEAM Rachel Freeman Assistant Director of Communications Holly Nall Communications Associate Karin Storm Wood Director of Communications LiAnn Yim Assistant Director of Communications ALUMNI NEWS Diana A. Chamorro Director of Alumni & Community Engagement

MILESTONES MARK THE ROAD TRAVELED. Reaching a milestone is an achievement worth celebrating. It offers us an opportunity to look back on the journey that got us here. And as the metaphor suggests, a milestone isn’t a destination in itself; it invites us to consider the road ahead: how far, and where, we now want to go.

This June will mark the end of the tenth year of Nueva’s Upper School in its own building, on its own campus. We marveled at this sentence. Really? Are you sure? So soon—already?

Yes, already. Nueva’s first three cohorts of graduating seniors—the classes of 2017, 2018, and 2019—are now pursuing postgraduate studies or launching their careers. On page 14, read reflections from members of those founding classes and those who supported them. They speak with deep love for their Nueva experience—the ways they were encouraged to take risks, to take part in the process of shaping the culture and programs, to explore the places where their curiosity flourished.

The values that guided the creation of this enterprising, intrepid, boldly imaginative high school continue to inspire everything we do: Gift our students with the freedom to make choices and opportunities to cocreate their own learning at every stage of their journeys here. Ground that experience in a foundation of supportive relationships that last long after graduation. These values are the hallmark of the Nueva learning experience—now, in the past, and in the future. When we hold true to these values, our students thrive.

The theme of the future suffused October’s Innovative Learning Conference (ILC), with cornerstone conversations that explored education’s intersection with AI, civic discourse, student wellness, and belonging. Read the wise ILC takeaways of several attendees and presenters on page 30. For wisdom of a different kind, turn to page 22, where our incredible Lower School faculty offer their best tips on how to foster kids’ resilience, curiosity, and imagination.

As we look forward, we are guided by Nueva’s 2022–27 strategic framework Renew | Belong | Innovate. Investment in our athletics program is already visible in our spaces and in the successes of our student-athletes (page 8).

On page 12, learn about recent renovations to our performing and fine arts facilities at the San Mateo campus. As it should in any learning organization, the road we travel continues to evolve—just like the students we serve.

Happy Reading, The Nueva Communications Team

Mae Walsh Alumni Relations Assistant DESIGN Aldeia / aldeia.design PRINTER Lahlouh

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Printed on FSC®-certified Accent Opaque cover and text.

M A G A Z I N E

DROP US A NOTE: Share your thoughts on this magazine—and anything Nueva related—at communications@nuevaschool.org.

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02 R EFLECTION Letter from the Head of School

03 N OTED News from Nueva

36 AL U M N I News from alumni

48 E XCLAMATION P OINT Students kick off 2024 with Intersession

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Nueva on Nueva

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Pro Moves

Lower School faculty share how they help our students become confident, resilient, and thoughtful humans.

ON THE COVER The LEGO model of the San Mateo campus was built by Luki D. ’25 first for their eighth grade Recital project and then expanded for their Upper School Quest project.

COLLAGE BY LILLY PEREIRA

Explore results from the 2023 spring community survey, for which current parents and guardians, students in grades eight through twelve, and faculty and staff were asked to identify areas of success and areas of improvement.

Perfect 10

Upper School marks a decade of innovation, reflection, and growth.

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ILC Returns

Nueva’s trailblazing conference explores AI and more.

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What’s in Your Backpack?

Students opened their backpacks and shared with us one object they were carrying around that tells us something about who they are.

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Dear Community

“The concept of co-creation, and its direct and positive impact on learner agency, is one of the main reasons all of us have chosen to make Nueva our learning community.”

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO NUEVA, and what do you love about it? This question is one I often ask others, but from time to time, prospective students, parents, and employees pose it to me. Of the eight schools I have worked in (the last five at the helm), Nueva is the one with the most learner agency, the one that most empowers students, faculty, staff, and even parents to take learning into their own hands. Learning is co-created at Nueva. The collaborative partnership between community members to augment, amplify, and apply learning is truly a hallmark of the Nueva experience.

Students are regularly co-creating their learning journey with their teachers. Students often get to choose from a wide array of courses, electives, and projects to pursue. They are encouraged to consider different readings and knowledge sources in their inquiries. And it is not uncommon for them to collaborate with their teachers to determine how best to demonstrate their learning, even if this means that individual students are showing their learning in different ways for the same assignment. We see over and over again that when students are given choices and encouraged to co-create their learning, they thrive. And Nueva teachers are very, very good at designing learning experiences that helps our students go as far and as wide as they want to go.

But it is not just the students that benefit from this ethos of co-creation. Parents, guardians, teachers, and staff also engage in meaningful, substantive, and ambitious partnerships with students and with each other to create learning and meaning for themselves.

At parent-teacher conferences, professional development and parent education sessions, and educational workshops such as those given at the recent Innovative Learning Conference, the adults in our community are constantly sharing ideas, insights, resources, and learning strategies. They are actively building an environment to maximize learning for students and, at the same time, for themselves as partners in the educational process.

In many ways, the concept of co-creation, and its direct and positive impact on learner agency, is one of the main reasons all of us have chosen to make Nueva our learning community. I hear over and over from students, parents, employees, and alumni that Nueva’s ability to foster this type of dynamic, interpersonal, partnership-filled model of learning, growth, and development is one of its best features. I know I benefit each and every day from co-creating the Nueva experience with all of you. Thank you for this gift and opportunity.

LEE FERTIG

Head of School

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Fifth grader Valerie H. shows off the carrot she harvested in the Hillsborough garden during December’s Community Service Learning Day in the Middle School.

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Truly Stunning: Capitalism and the Apocalypse Top 10 Steel Drums Songs to Perform According to Nueva Alumni Steel Drummers

“Engine Room”

BY OLANTUNJI

“Coffee Street” B Y A N DY N A R E L L

“Sir Duke”

BY STEVIE WONDER

“Smooth”

B Y S A N TA N A

“Volcano”

BY ROBERT GREENIDGE

“King of Somewhere Hot”

BY JIMMY BUFFET

“Miss Tourist”

B Y LO R D K I T C H N E R

“El Cuarto de Tula” B Y B U E N A V I S TA

SOCIAL CLUB

“Pan in Harmony” B Y LO R D K I T C H N E R

“Play One for Lali”

BY JIM MUNZENRIDER (Nueva steel drums teacher)

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As someone interested in the humanities and social sciences, I have taken many history courses at Nueva, all of which I would describe as interesting. However, Tom Dorrance’s Capitalism and the Apocalypse (which borrows its name from the scholar Frederic Jameson) is the first history course I would describe as truly stunning. Don’t get me wrong: all of the humanities classes I have taken, be they electives or part of the core curriculum, have given me a new perspective on history. But for me this elective exemplifies the subtle interconnectedness of all of the other courses, and the fact that history is an ever-changing field.

As a class of predominantly seniors, we all came in with a deep knowledge of history.

Discussions feel immensely intricate. We weave together recent readings, semester-long themes, and previous knowledge, and each conversation enhances my understanding of not only the history of capitalism, but of the field of history as a whole.

Tom does a great job ensuring the class is still accessible to everyone; he will pause discussion to explain terminology, share slideshows of important definitions and other key terms, and ask us for anonymous questions that he answers for everyone. The readings we have done are also excellent, giving me both breadth and depth in the history of capitalist ideology. Tom also brings in many other sources that tell their own intricate stories—from a Charlie Chaplin clip to an excerpt from Andrew Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth—while simultaneously braiding these sources into a larger context.

The class dynamics and readings are not the only reasons I call the class “stunning.”

The departures from a more traditional model of teaching also stand out to me.

On a trip to Stanford’s Special Collections Library, we interacted with history in a way I never have before: exploring primary sources independently. The library staff gave us physical artifacts to explore—from early Apple memos to a page from the Gutenberg Bible—letting our interests guide us through the sources with no incentive other than our curiosity. I gravitated toward an early copy of Howl by Allen Ginsberg, his red-ink edits littered through the legendary pages. Being able to analyze these sources first hand, even if it was not directly related to coursework, is one of the moments that has made this class so special for me.

Our Zoom call with James Lambright (Chief Investment Officer of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Troubled Asset Relief Program during the 2008 financial crisis) and Stephen Myrow (senior member of Treasury Secretary Paulson’s team in 2008). gave us an insider’s perspective on the 2008 financial crisis. As people who were simultaneously key players in and historians of the crisis, they untangled the fascinating intricacies of what occurred before, during, and after the crisis, and their justifications for the government bailouts they helped administer.

To me, this elective has been a culmination of my history experience at Nueva.

It pairs a strong overview of history with in-depth, independent explorations. I have loved being in Capitalism and the Apocalypse, for both the day-to-day and outstanding events.

—Milo K. ’24

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FACULTY BOOKSHELF RECOMMENDED READING

In This Corner of the World by Fumiyo Kōno is one of those stories that captures your imagination with its quiet beauty and heartbreak. Set in Hiroshima, Japan during the days leading up to the World War II bombing, the graphic novel tells the story from Suzu’s perspective as she navigates life as an 18-year-old woman in a time of peace and war. I highly recommend this story of love and resilience.

Kindergartener Alexander W. with his grandparents Sue Clark and Walter Piecewicz.

A FA M I LY A F FA I R This fall Nueva welcomed more than 400 guests to the Hillsborough and San Mateo campuses for the annual preK through 12th grades Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ events. In October, guests of Upper School students enjoyed an evening reception and attended Coffeehouse, a music and poetry showcase. The following month, Lower and Middle School guests explored the Hillsborough campus, where they joined classes and watched musical performances. For many grandparents, the celebrations served as their first opportunity to visit and get a firsthand peek into their grandchildren’s lives on campus.

Visiting from the Seattle region, Mark and Kris Libby GP ’33 were thrilled to be in the Bay Area for the Thanksgiving holiday and attend the preK–8th grade event.

“It is really impressive and there’s a lot to explore,” Kris said. “We’ve enjoyed seeing the specific things our granddaughter Tessa has done in her classroom.

Living in the Seattle area, we don’t get to do the day-to-day activities that a lot of the local grandparents get to, so this is really special.”

Q U O T E D

“We know that our students are concerned with inequities in the world, and that they want to take action to make the world a better place. We also know that serving others is a great way to stay healthy: showing kindness to others decreases stress and increases a sense of advocacy and purpose.”

Middle School Division Head K A R E N T I E G E L, on the importance of Community Service Learning (CSL)

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REGINA YOONG US English Teacher

Walker Percy’s essay, “The Delta Factor,” in his book The Message in the Bottle, takes the moment at which Helen Keller connected the water flowing over one hand with the symbols Annie Sullivan was sharing in her other hand, and uses it to develop a theory of language—and of what it means to be human. If fiction is more your thing, Percy’s novel The Last Gentleman explores the same ideas in a more lengthy—and thoroughly entertaining—way.

GREGG GOLDBERG MS Humanities Teacher

While The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene is a substantial read, it provides thought-provoking and significant insight into human behavior. The author uses historical events to show the reader how to use his ideas in the real world.

As you read this book, you understand Greene’s intention is to provide valuable resources for the understanding of human behavior and their motivations for acting in certain ways as they face challenges and life decisions.

MIRIAM ALVARADO Extended Day Coordinator & LS Support

Nueva community, what are you reading and loving these days? Please email your book recommendation to communications@nuevaschool.org for inclusion in a future issue.

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Art Briefs LOW E R S C H O O L Mondrian project / Math collaboration → Third graders drew inspiration from the work of DeStijl artist Piet Mondrian.

Using templates they created in math class, students developed their own vibrant paper collages using paper, paint, tape, and marker. The finished “Mondrians” were displayed on the second floor of the mansion. ↓

MIDDLE SCHOOL Intention flags → First through third graders discussed the concept of intention, exploring personal agency over thoughts, choices, and actions. Students reflected on their hopes for the world, then, with fabric pens, they crafted intention flags to express their aspirations, such as protection, peace, animal care, and health.

5th Grade Food Studies → Fifth grade art students explored the study of still life by examining works from classical and contemporary artists. Each student selected a favorite food representing their family and cultural backgrounds, and depicted these connections in original acrylic paintings.

Observational Drawing ↓ Still lives of pumpkins occupied the fourth grade during their observational drawing unit. Students learned to depict 3D spheres and create shadows using cross-hatching. They embraced their unique perspectives and chose which parts of the pumpkins to emphasize with light and shadow. Alexa T. ’32 added a creative touch by turning her pumpkin drawing into a mask (below).

6th Grade Wall for Peace ↑→ In the face of challenging times, the sixth grade art class imagined art as a vehicle of peace and hope.

Students researched symbols for peace, such as doves and peace signs, and created their own mixed media pieces. The finished artwork was hung up by the Middle School courtyard to create a wall of peace.

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UPPER SCHOOL 7th and 8th Grade Functional Pottery Elective ↑↘ In this elective, seventh and eighth graders explored the concept of functional pottery, pottery that is made to be used. They explored whether this function could manifest as a bowl, container, game, or decorative object.

Students learned hand-building techniques such as slabs, coils, and pinching to craft their distinctive pieces. The process also explored the unpredictable nature of clay and glazing.

Alchemical Alembics → For the Alchemical Alembics project in Rachel Dawson’s Introduction to Clay Sculpture class, Upper School students built an alembic vessel that explored the idea of “the contained” and a process of transformation. (An alembic is an apparatus consisting of two vessels connected by a tube, used for distillation of liquids, as in when medieval alchemists tried to transmute base elements into gold.)

“By working with clay and ceramics, students are directly working with the idea of transformation—clay or mud into ceramic or porcelain, the porous into the nonporous, glaze- paint to glass,” Rachel explained. “This project introduces students to the concept of their role as artist/alchemist.”

Students used coil and pinching techniques to create their vessels.

Some of the containers were magical, mystical, or mythological, and others were the students’ wholly original creations.

Fall Play: Sense and Sensibility ↑ Upper School students delighted audiences with their fall production of “Sense & Sensibility,” a lively rendition of Jane Austen’s classic by playwright Kate Hamill. This fresh and comedic take followed the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, through the challenges of financial destitution, and romantic longing in 18th-century England—both sisters eventually soft-landing into true love.

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Making It Matter With new facilities and new hires, athletics emerges as a top priority When new Nueva Athletics and PE Director Brett McCabe arrived on the San Mateo campus for the first time in January 2023, something caught his eye as he walked down the hallway. In the trophy case, he saw dozens of awards from robotics competitions, debate and model UN tournaments, and physics contests. Scattered among these trophies were a number of athletics ones. So, when Brett assumed his new role, he moved all of the athletics trophies to a new case just outside the gym.

“People often don’t understand how these little things make such a difference to student athletes,” he said. “And doing a lot of little things adds up.”

Brett and his team began finding other ways to enhance the student-athlete experience, from new chairs and a scorer’s table in the gym, to a new weight room and a new training room in the Athletics Wing, to new high-quality uniforms and gear. As these changes took place, “everybody noticed.”

“The appreciation that the students had was unbelievable,” Brett said. “It makes the whole experience feel special, makes them feel they are important, and that we, as a school, really care about them.”

With the opening of the new weight room in fall 2023, Brett hired Nueva’s first strength and conditioning coach, Nick Hryekewicz, not only to manage the weight room, but also to develop a robust strength and conditioning program for student-athletes. Nick works with coaches to create training plans specific to each sport, and he works directly with student-athletes, guiding them on how to use the equipment in the weight room to help them achieve their training goals.

“This [new strength and conditioning program] is going to make our athletes better, stronger, and safer,” said Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Robert Lopez, who also serves in an athletics administrator role.

“A big outcome of a successful strength and conditioning program is injury prevention, and we have started to see fewer injuries and better performance.”

Brett isn’t making these improvements in isolation. Athletics is one of the 12 priorities named in the 2022–2027 Strategic Framework, which was crafted through input from parents, students, faculty, staff, and leadership.

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“Nueva is an ambitious place and we always have many priorities, and athletics has always been one of those many,” explained Associate Head of School Terry Lee. “One of the reasons why athletics is highlighted in this specific strategic plan is not because leadership decided for it to be, but because our community decided it, which I think is the loveliest part of a strategic plan: it was imagined by all of us.”

“Participating in sports helps us be well-rounded students. It’s the school saying to us, ‘We don’t just care what college students get into. We don’t just care about how well they do academically.

We care that you are skilled in multiple aspects of life, beyond just academics.’”

Kaila E.’24

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← The new San Mateo campus weight room opened in fall 2023, which coincided with the hiring of Nueva’s first strength and conditioning coach, Nick Hryekewicz.

Senior Kaila E., who has played both indoor and beach volleyball and soccer all four years in the Upper School, already feels the impact of this commitment.

“It makes me really happy to know that Nueva is increasing support for athletics,” she said. “Participating in sports helps us be well-rounded students. It’s the school saying to us, ‘We don’t just care what college students get into. We don’t just care about how well they do academically. We care that you are skilled in multiple aspects of life, beyond just academics.’”

As with other programs at Nueva, outcomes are just one way that success is measured.

“We’re seeing a renewed energy for athletics from our athletes, parents, and coaches,” Robert said. “It’s like the old saying, ‘When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you perform well.”

And when athletes feel good, they commit themselves more fully.

“The most students I’ve ever seen have come out for sports, particularly students who have never played the sport before,” Kaila said.

Gabriel B. ’25, a member of the 2023 league-champion cross country team, sees that greater athlete commitment also improves how the community views athletics.

“I definitely see cross country [and the other athletics teams] being taken seriously as something more than just an extracurricular, which is a big deal,” he said. “Athletics is truly an important part of the school culture and my identity here as a student.”

As the program continues to grow, Brett and his team—which includes Robert, Nick, PreK–8 Athletics & PE Director David Burgee, and Athletics Trainer Keiloni Smith—are focused on creating a culture that encourages participation, commitment, and excellence.

“When you show a group of people that you care about them and that you’re doing what you can to help their experience, you’re going to get it back in return,” Brett said.

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P H O T O S BY V Y P E M E D I A A N D D E N N I S M AY E R

Terry agrees, adding that this is only the start of improvements to the Nueva Athletics Program.

“We are creating a program that demonstrates the kind of effort, excellence, and outcomes that we see in other Nueva programs,” Terry said. “I look forward to seeing the growth of the Upper School Athletics program, as well as the Middle School Athletics program and the PreK–12 PE program. There’s a lot to be excited about.”

In the final phase, the Hillsborough gym will be redesigned for the exclusive use of PE and athletics, and the playing field will be expanded and laid with weatherproof turf.

—Rachel Freeman

“I definitely see cross country [and the other athletics teams] being taken seriously as something more than just an extracurricular, which is a big deal. Athletics is truly an important part of the school culture and my identity here as a student.”

Gabriel B. ’25

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GO MAVERICKS!

AT H L E T I C S

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P H O T O S BY D I A N E M A Z Z O N I

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 To learn more about Nueva athletics, visit nuevaschool.org/athletics.

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Blueprint for Success San Mateo campus renovation reshapes learning spaces Summer construction projects at the San Mateo campus have resulted in the renovation and expansion of facilities for fine arts, performing arts, athletics, student publications, and student wellness. The renovations reflect extensive study to determine what students and faculty needed.

“The Upper School is only ten years young,” said Associate Head of School Terry Lee. “We’ve learned how different things work and want to make things as good as possible for our students and colleagues.”

The transformation was made possible by the generosity of Nueva’s entire community through the goal-smashing Realize the Potential (RTP) campaign, which concluded in December 2022.

“The impact of the RTP campaign can be seen throughout the San Mateo Upper School campus,” said Director of Development Lyla Max. “Not only did gifts to RTP allow us to create new and innovative spaces—and make significant updates to existing ones—on both campuses, it also quadrupled our endowment. We now have the facilities and resources to allow us to continue to be on One of the most ingenious updates was to enlarge and connect the art studios by absorbing several hallways to create an art wing.

Increased natural light and space serve artmaking as well as critiques, previously held in hallways. The music room (above right) was relocated, adjacent to new soundproofed spaces for solo practice.

Directly across from a dedicated physical therapy room, a weight room has been added (see story, page 8).

The Writing and Research Center’s mezzanine was partially enclosed to create a window-filled classroom where student publications are now based.

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the leading edge of gifted education, and bring Lee Fertig’s and our board’s vision to life.”

Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects, which has overseen other construction projects for Nueva, including the award-winning Science and Environmental Center at the Hillsborough campus, led the planning of the renovations.

Collectively, these space improvements transform the experiences of every Nueva Upper School student in fine arts, performing arts, and athletics.

They also mark the completion of Phase I of the facility enhancements promised in the 2022–27 strategic framework. (Phase II takes us to the Hillsborough campus, where, at press time, the expanded library and new humanities center were nearing completion. For full coverage, stay tuned for our summer issue!)

FEATURES

LS Math Specialist Deborah Snyder was one of many teachers who hosted visitors during the Innovative Learning Conference (ILC). Read more about ILC on page 30.

P H O T O BY B E N WAT T S P ’35

F E AT U R E

Learn about the vision for and creation of the Upper School in our summer 2022 feature “Trailblazers.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CINDY CHEW JOHN MEYER KYLE JEFFERS LMS ARCHITECTS TIM GRIFFITH

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STORY BY DIANA A. CHAMORRO AND RACHEL FREEMAN COLLAGE BY L I L LY PEREIRA

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Perfect

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Upper School Marks a Decade of Innovation, Reflection, and Growth

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WAIT—10?

Isn’t this the Upper School’s eleventh year? you ask.

Well, yes: Nueva welcomed its first-ever ninth grade in 2013–14—that is, to the College of San Mateo, our temporary home for a year.

Our Upper School campus opened in 2014–15, making June 2024 the end of the division’s 10th school year in our permanent home.

The number 10 holds much significance in the world. The mathematician Pythagoreas believed 10 to be the symbol of completeness. Humans have 10 fingers and 10 toes. In Judaism and Christianity there are 10 commandments, and in Hinduism Lord Vishnu appeared on earth in 10 incarnations. In football a team needs 10 yards to earn a first down, and Lionel Messi, arguably the best soccer player in the world, wears number 10.

In math, 10 is the base number for the decimal numeral system.

This year, 10 also holds much significance at Nueva, as the Upper School concludes its first decade and celebrates 10 years of the San Mateo campus. Reflecting on its founding in the summer 2022 Nueva Magazine, Swetha Tummala ’17 said, “[When I learned of] a small, new Upper School that emphasized innovation, design thinking, hands-on learning, and exploration, I was hooked.”

So, too, were Om Gokhale ’18, Lyz Bush-Peel ’20, parent of alumni Suzanne Mankoff P ’17, and founding faculty member Mark Hurwitz. We invited them to share their reflections on the early days of the Nueva Upper School.

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Lessons from a

Bluejay

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OM

GOK H A L E

’18

The bird was perfect.

On a Friday afternoon in 2012, eight Middle Schoolers quietly hunched over large wooden tables in Grant Ditzler’s art classroom. My table was covered in colored pencil shavings. I had spent the last hour drawing a bluejay. Picture it—seven inches tall on an A4 sheet of Strathmore drawing paper, gleaming in Crayola’s cerulean, perched on a branch with no tree.

Grant floated by, leaned in, scratched his white goatee.

“Very nice, what’s that for?”

“I don’t know, I just thought it was cool.”

I never turned it in.

I suspect many Nuevans have their own version of this memory. Swap the drawing for a protein assay, a renewable energy blimp, a humane lemur habitat. In all cases, there is a student who finds something interesting, and a teacher who lets them play.

The poet Julia Alvarez might describe these moments as acts of “soul-making.”

She writes that to “make a soul” is to “give yourself to what you love.” I think that’s the gift our school offers young people. In a world that asks us to shape our lives for a college application or a resume, Nueva gives us space to make a soul. To linger on the things that delight us. To give our curiosity reverence. To draw the bird.

I continued to take art classes through middle and high school at Nueva. I studied art in college and, in my free time, began working professionally as a visual designer. The enchantment never left.

In June of 2020, I received an email from my 10th grade teacher, Alegria Barclay. She wanted to know if I still liked art. She said that she and my old teachers, Lee Holtzman and

That, to me, is the Nueva way.

We take our time. We bring our soul to the work.

We deal in unwieldy delights.

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10 The Nueva Way workbook, designed

by Om Gokhale ’18, is given every fall to all new faculty and staff when they join Nueva.

Allen Frost, had spent six months writing an important document—a guide to Nueva for new teachers. It was called The Nueva Way and she wondered if I would like to help design it for publication. I replied in seconds—I do, and I would.

Explaining something you care deeply about to a stranger is hard. It takes clarity and patience. That is what Alegria, Lee, and Allen had accomplished with The Nueva Way. The draft they shared contained hundreds of curated activities, essays, and interviews explaining what it means to be a part of our school. There were sections on identifying gifted children, improvising in the classroom, and tailoring projects to students. It was told with sincerity and zest. And it was huge. In sum, the workbook contained 57,656 words, written or compiled across seven chapters.

My job was to format these words for print in a software called InDesign. I was living with my dad in California that summer, so I worked in my childhood bedroom and used my old twin bed as a desk. My checklist was short: select typefaces and colors, arrange the text, provide illustrations. But the book

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was long and mattered very much to me, so even the simplest tasks had startling depth—and the rare appetite to swallow entire days in one sitting.

I spent June corralling illustrating birds, mostly orioles and sparrows [seen on these pages] to give the words company. I completed the last sparrow on a windy morning in August and, finally, The Nueva Way was ready for print. I emailed my teachers the good news, closed my laptop, and felt like a marathon runner who had just broken the ribbon—sweaty, happy, delirious.

Three years later, I still like what we made.

But I believe the way we made it is just as important. I believe that Alegria, Lee, and Allen, in writing about Nueva, embodied Nueva.

They did not settle for a handbook or a cheap brochure. They took their time. They played.

And, across 50,000 words and seven chapters, they made something more beautiful than was strictly necessary.

That, to me, is the Nueva way. We take our time. We bring our soul to the work. We deal in unwieldy delights. We spend summers helping old friends, and, sometimes, we spend too long drawing birds.

Om Gokhale ’18 graduated from Middlebury College in 2022, where he designed his own major of study in humane design. Currently he works as a Founding Product Designer at Loci, designing tools as the intersection of 3D and AI.

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The

Nueva EXPERIMENT

BY MARK HU RW I TZ physics teacher and founding faculty member Being part of the Upper School’s founding faculty cohort was both exciting and scary. Exciting because we were given the opportunity to build the framework for this new high school—and scary for the same reason.

I had decided to apply to be part of the founding faculty because, at my previous high school, I often would have one or two former Nueva students in my classes who had come from the Lower and Middle Schools. They were self-aware around what they knew and didn’t know, and were willing and confident in their abilities to grow. I wanted a classroom full of students like that.

During those early meetings, we were tasked with working through the principles of the school and possible conflicting ideals: • Start the school day late because the teenage brain needs to sleep, and end the school day early to make room for athletics and other extracurriculars.

• Give students lots of elective choices and have long class meetings to allow time for deep exploration into a topic.

• Offer two ninth-grade science classes: a traditional science class and “Science and Society,” where

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students would learn about process and statistics and take all of the required classes for graduating from a California high school.

A big area of discussion was around grades and assessments. It’s a complex topic that goes far beyond Nueva, with implications for plans and opportunities after graduation. We wrestled with the tension between uniformity and specificity. Ultimately, with support from the administration, we decided that there was a broad swath of transferable skills we wanted Nueva graduates to attain, and that teachers should focus on building the skills that fit their discipline and classes best.

Over the course of students’ four years, they would build a strong set of skills to carry into the world.

Some of the decisions we made were based on our physical circumstances.

Just before the launch of the school year, Nueva faculty met with College of San Mateo (CSM) faculty to discuss the use of their science labs for our classes.

(The entire first year was held at CSM while the San Mateo campus was under construction; we had one hallway with a few classrooms along each side). We quickly learned that CSM personnel believed that by allowing students to “create their own learning”—one of our new high school’s articulated goals—we

would be letting them experiment freely with all the chemicals in the store room. We had never considered allowing this, of course, for obvious safety reasons. But it was no use: CSM asked us to lay out a daily lab-use plan for the entire semester—what equipment, solutions, concentrations, volumes, and so on were needed—so that their lab technicians could manage the set-up and clean-up. As a program designed to be responsive to student needs and allow them to go at their own pace, we had to find another path forward.

Nueva being the problem-solving place that it is, we pivoted: twice each week, the faculty and 77 students boarded buses to the Hillsborough campus’s Middle School science labs.

At its core, Nueva is about teaching and learning, and the administration’s willingness to change both the Middle School’s and Upper School’s class schedules to make the situation work was a great example of the school pulling together to maximize the best teaching and learning.

As we neared the 2014–15 school year and the completion of the new building, the architects lobbied for flexible lab space, deeming specialized, subject-specific labs “old fashioned.”

But the advanced lab work that our Nueva students carry out sometimes

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Risk and

Reward BY

requires specialized equipment, which in turn demands floor space and even structural adaptations, such as fume hoods. Today each floor is designated for a specific scientific area of study: chemistry on the first floor, physics on the second, and biology on the third.

A lot has changed from those early years—from physical space to the size of the student body and faculty—but so much of what we tried to build in those early years are ever-present. It continues to be the reason I’ve come back year after year for the past decade: the student agency and student voice we infused into all aspects of the school; the breadth and depth of the elective offerings; and an educational program built upon the love of teaching and learning.

Jill Mankoff ’17, flanked by her parents Steve and Suzanne

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S U Z A N N E

M A N KO F F

P

’ 1 7

When Nueva announced, during Jill’s seventh grade year, that they would be starting a high school in 2013, we were not sure whether it would be the right choice for her. The Bay Area high school scene is incredibly competitive, so we were focused on the right choices geographically and the right fit intellectually and culturally.

Certainly, Nueva met our need for location and pedagogy—but being the first graduating class would be a risky and defining experience. Could the culture of the Lower and Middle Schools translate to a high school? There is safety in the known; though, of course, your child’s experiences in a known environment may not meet expectations. Sometimes risk, experimentation, challenge, and constant change mean that your learning is deeper, and you have solidarity with a community of other risk takers. This was the bet Jill took, and we with her, in continuing to attend Nueva for high school.

Nueva was absolutely the right choice for Jill and for us. The experience was not without its bumps (large and small), of course, but the quality of the education never faltered. I think that particularly has to do with Nueva’s laser focus on learning—both the process of learning as much as the information that is learned. Nueva did an incredible job hiring amazing educators; Mark Schoeffel, the caring and magnetic first head of the Upper School, had a nose for talent, and that was followed by other Nueva school leaders, especially former Upper School Head Stephen Dunn, all with the vision in mind that was led by Nueva Head of School Diane Rosenberg. The curriculum was challenging, to say the least, partly because the student body was up for the challenge. And, parents, too, were up for the challenge of helping to create a supportive community along with the strong Nueva administration.

The success of Nueva’s unusual (read: special and unique) culture, I believe, is its focus on agency and relationships across the community. Our daughter’s relationships were strong not just with her peers, but with teachers, administration, and staff. If there was an open door—and there always was—Jill walked through it.

She took those lessons to college, which undoubtedly influenced her incredible experience there. All of those Nueva relationships remain strong and formative to this day.

So, did the Nueva Upper School meet or exceed our expectations? We didn’t really know what to expect, but we were hopeful, and that was the risk we took.

In terms of the outcome, Nueva exceeded our expectations and so did Jill!

P.S. I love driving by the campus today and seeing the continuing improvements to the campus. And, all the promised changes to the Caltrain corridor have happened! Bravo for the foresight of the Nueva team in choosing the San Mateo location for the high school.

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Well-being of the

Community BY

LYZ

BUSH -P E EL

’2 0

I have particularly fond memories of the first semester of producing The Nueva Current. I signed up for the journalism elective somewhat on a whim, thinking I would learn better expository writing practice. The teacher, LiAnn Yim, and our first editor-in-chief, Scott Brasesco ’18, told us on the first day of class that we would be creating Nueva’s first print newspaper. I thought: Sure, let’s do this! Today, I just got Volume 7 Issue 2 in the mail. How time flies!

The stories that stand out are largely not ones I wrote: the article by Willow Taylor Chiang Yang ’21 about the effects of the 2018 wildfires, which, as the newspaper’s first-ever double-truck article, was a testament to its future. Willow was thorough with her research and managed to combine clarity with effective voice. Likewise, the Minecraft article, by Isabel Chambers ’20, about our class of 2020 was unifying and warm, published just weeks before the COVID shutdown.

Then there were the stories about student projects: of semesters abroad and Quest projects and a culinary gap year, all of which emphasized Nueva students’ adventurousness and openness to engage with the world.

But what stuck out to me Issue 1, Volume 1 of most, at the time of its writing, was an The Nueva Current was published in December article in late 2019 by Grace Holmes ’21 2017. Today, the student titled “How Are You?” which assessed newspaper publishes an issue every six weeks mental health and community support. It during the school year. was emblematic of a matter The Current has addressed throughout its run: the significant role students have played in contributing to curriculum and resource development at Nueva. The Current asked: How do we build this school?

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“What really stuck was the sense that what made a good publication was a shared investment in the well-being of the community it served.”

The Current was founded early in the high school’s history; as part of the Class of 2020, I feel lucky to have seen Nueva’s first-ever senior class graduate and watched the first issue of The Current come out. The newspaper was and still is a platform for students to discuss the curriculum and the community, from student and teacher well-being to updates from the Head of School to a debate I remember having over credit for creative writing courses. Being able to sit down with a student in the Writing and Research Center and ask what they wanted from their school—and for the school to make an effort to deliver on that wish—was what made those founding years both for the paper and for the high school so special. We all knew that the student body, the faculty, and the administration would be reading articles that suggested curriculum changes, like an Issue 3 article suggesting reorienting the Science of Mind curriculum toward practical life skills. As soon as we distributed papers, people would be talking (or, let’s be real, it’s Nueva: debating) not just stories of human interest but pedagogy. Take that Science of Mind article: it was not even 15 minutes after the paper was released before I heard a conversation about it while I passed the couches in the hallway on my way to class. That a group of freshmen felt they had the power, through their response to the paper and interactions with the administration, to change the curriculum significantly and fairly immediately was very special.

It was important that the articles were also deeply human. In college, I’ve done some work on a philosophy magazine; something I would like to be able to transpose from working on Nueva publications is the opportunity to write

F E AT U R E

10 Top 10 from the First 10 Years Nueva has some iconic, memorable, and treasured programs, activities, and elements that rank high for alumni when reminiscing about the Upper School. Class Reps Jesse Valdez ’17, Avery Chen ’22, Nicole Kleinknecht ’23, and Daniel Rosario ’23 contributed to this Top 10 list.

for a community where everyone knows each other. I am thinking particularly of the Dungeons and Dragons article by Amanda Wang ’21, which followed economics teacher Patrick Berger and former Nueva teachers Arta Khakpour, Brian Cropper, Davion Fleming, and Gabriel Baker on their three-year campaign against a “vampire overlord,” which had absolutely nothing to do with building the curriculum but provided insight into the lives of our teachers that, I think, promoted community connection. To see the people teaching us—particularly in scary classes, or during the stress of college application season—having fun and being friends made it easier to engage with questions of how we wanted to be taught, because it got rid of that supposition of teachers-as-frightening-monolith that it can be easy to come into high school with.

I have brought a lot of what I learned at The Current into college writing: clarity, some degree of concision, and a better attention to detail. What really stuck was the sense that what made a good publication was a shared investment in the well-being of the community it served. It makes me very happy to see that continue, even as I’m coming up on my college graduation in May. And, of course, I intend to keep reading The Current.

I’ll have to check Volume 7 for any vampire overlords, though. If there aren’t any, I’ll be disappointed.

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Before there was The Nueva Current, there was The Nueva Circle, a news website created by students in the Class of 2017 and 2018 as an extracurricular project.

When the first journalism elective was offered in fall 2017, students in the class decided to launch the print newspaper under the name it holds today.

Lyz Bush-Peel ’20 is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at Columbia University, studying philosophy and English.

Samosas Intersession WRC couches The panini press and toaster People playing chess at dances May trips Playing football in the courtyard with friends Spirit assemblies When you’ve had a bad day and get to SOM and find out it’s open session time The friends you make for life!

ALUMNI, COME CELEBRATE WITH US! For Reunion details and more, see inside back cover.

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P! "#s Lower School Faculty Share Their Tips for Working with Young Children

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Throughout the course of a day, our Lower School teachers interact with students in a myriad of ways. Together, they learn, they play, they sing, they dance, they create, they laugh, and so much more. These teachers know Nueva’s youngest learners inside and out, and this insight allows them to create the moments when students thrive as learners and as whole people.

“Teaching involves such complexity and intentionality,” said Lower School Division Head Megan Terra. “Our students are so lucky for the millions of moves each teacher makes as they support learning and culture.”

So how do our teachers help our students become confident, resilient, and thoughtful humans, ready to take on middle school, high school, and beyond? We invite you to learn from the experts on our dynamic Lower School teaching team: pro tips for working with young children.

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If you need everyone’s attention, start speaking in gibberish, a made-up language of scrambled sounds! For added fun, switch back to English like nothing happened!

Helen Wicks Arts Teacher

Establish a solid cleanup routine.

Revisit and enforce as necessary.

I enjoy watching their faces as I dump out every box and bin of equipment and explain the rules of cleaning up the gym. Hundreds of ping pong balls ricochet off frisbees and roll in every direction on the court. The new students stare in bewilderment. I explain that if we can clean efficiently, we can maximize game time henceforth.

They do a great job—our Lower School students are a highly motivated and joyful bunch.

Zubin Mobedshahi PE Teacher

You never know what seed will sprout from something you plant!

On September 8 in my first year at Nueva, I told my students that “eight” and “ate” were homophones. We talked about what they meant and moved on with our day. The very next day at our morning meeting, a student said,, “Did you know there are 441 homophones?” I always trust my students to be my guide, so thus began a yearlong search for all of them!

Emily Mitchell First Grade Lead Teacher

Involve kids in creating norms and spaces.

If we notice an issue, asking children what they think and creating norms together has always increased buy-in and follow through.

Priscilla Jih Third Grade Teacher

When setting expectations, we cannot assume students know what we mean.

Explain, model, and practice good behavior so that students understand what you’re asking them to do.

Fen Zhang Second Grade Associate Teacher 23

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If all else fails, remind them of how funny you are!

Kids love to correct you when they see something you’ve done incorrectly, whether it’s a miscalculation or just forgetting to put a comma in a number. Reminding them of your mistakes and having a sense of humor about it teaches them that mistakes are common for all of us, accepted, and even welcome.

Deborah Snyder Math Specialist

Take the time to listen to their stories — some of them will make your day!

Miriam Alvarado Extended Day Coordinator and LS Support

Remember that you set the boundaries and expectations.

The kids are taking your lead, so do so wisely and follow through with what you say!

Also, remember to breathe.

Rashida Blade Kindergarten Lead Teacher

I like to share appreciations with kids when I see them helping others, caring for the community, or modeling an expectation. Children respond well to positive feedback, especially when it is focused on an action. Naming the action you observed when you share the appreciation builds on their strengths and highlights their positive efforts.

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Student feedback illuminates the connections they’re making and reveals any misunderstandings. I am always listening closely to students’comments, reflections, and questions, which often direct me towards the next learning opportunity in our inquiry-based investigations.

In fourth grade, we recently studied the prefixes in words like “sympathy” and “synchronize.” The students started shouting out related words based on their knowledge of Greek gods and concepts they were learning in philosophy. Chronos! Pathos, ethos, logos! They reminded me how easy it can be to capitalize on some of their background knowledge and build their collective excitement about word study.

Rebecca Loveless Structured Word Inquiry Coach

Follow children’s lead. Talk less, act more.

When children get excited, go with it. Let them have a brief time to chat or move; then they are ready to come back to the lesson. Use wait time when asking for their active listening (if you simply wait, you don’t need to talk!).

Lisa Hinshelwood SEL Specialist Teacher F A L L

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You can boil down any tough conversation with a child logically to a matter of wants versus needs.

A child may say they need to do something or they want to do something. We hear, “I need to keep reading or I need to go here now.” However, it’s often that they want to do something, but it’s not what they need to do in the moment. Our role as teachers and adults is to help provide the perspective of whether the child’s statement or request indeed is a need or a want. With careful mentoring, they can start using this strategy themselves.

Lori Mustille Fourth Grade Lead Teacher 25

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Nueva on Continuous learning is not just for students.

During the 2023 spring semester, Nueva conducted a survey of current parents and guardians, students in grades eight through twelve, and faculty and staff. The survey was designed to help the school better understand the lived experiences of community members to identify areas of success and areas for improvement.

Explore the results here!

Overall Satisfaction PA R E N T S

88%

of parents are satisfied or very satisfied with their experience at Nueva STUDENTS

On Mission

(Grades 8–12)

Most Nueva parents feel aligned with Nueva’s mission and philosophy and see it lived out well.

Learn by Doing, Learn by Caring High Marks Across the Board

88%

of students are satisfied or very satisfied with their experience at Nueva

In most core academic subjects, especially world languages, sciences, and history/ humanities/civics, parent satisfaction was high.

In co-curricular programs and other aspects of the classroom experience, such as teaching and innovation, parent satisfaction was also strong.

Service aspects of the school (business, communications, development, and tech offices) also received strong support.

For all 65 satisfaction areas in which parents were surveyed, not a single area rated below 65% satisfaction.

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88+12+A 88+12+A

M A G A Z I N E

Families represented 66% of all 2022–23 families 19% were new in 2022–23 45% started at Nueva between 2018–2021 36% started prior to 2018

Students represented 85% of all eighth through twelfth grade students* *Classes of 2027 through 2023

28% Nearly a third started at Nueva in Lower School 35% Over a third started at Nueva in Middle School 33% One-third started at Nueva in 9th grade 2% started at Nueva later than 9th grade

A NOTE ABOUT TEACHER APPRECIATION

Thank You For Always Being There!

Strong relationships with teachers mean everything to our students. Read the Class of 2024’s appreciation for the mentoring they have received.

Nueva

F E AT U R E

Snapshots from the Spring 2023 Community Survey

Students Said . . .

Teacher Appreciation (Part I) Students were asked to reflect on the following experiences with faculty and staff: Personal attention received from faculty and staff

94%

satisfied or very satisfied Quality of teaching

91%

satisfied or very satisfied Quality of feedback from teachers

88%

satisfied or very satisfied Innovation in your education

87%

satisfied or very satisfied Dedication to educating gifted learners

84%

satisfied or very satisfied Education is guided by student interest, choice, and agency

83%

satisfied or very satisfied

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High Marks on Learning Experiences

Students were asked to reflect on their learning experiences in each discipline. They reported the strongest learning experiences in core subjects.

In relation to languages, history/humanities, English/ writing, science, and math, students reported high levels of agreement with the following statements:

94+6+A 91+9+A 88+12+A 86% 87+13+A 83+17+A 80% 94+6+A

“My knowledge and skills have improved this year.” or more of students agreed with respect to core subjects

“I am confident of my skills.” or more of students agreed with respect to core subjects

Electives

96%

of students were satisfied or very satisfied with electives.

96+4+A

90+10+A

Activities and Clubs

90%

of students were satisfied or very satisfied with with activities and clubs.

What Students Want

In their personal experiences at Nueva, students are looking for ○ greater comfort

expressing their views

○ more support with

managing stress

○ more mental health counseling

Prioritizing Student Wellness In fall 2023, the Upper School Counseling program welcomed a new counselor and graduate counseling intern and relaunched the peer counseling program. Our new Swellness and Counseling Center has also opened, offering quiet spaces and private telehealth pods. Expanded parent education sessions on adolescent mental health are also planned.

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It’s Complicated

Consensus on Top Growth Areas

Differentiation

Parents, students, faculty and staff want more programming and opportunities in the

Blueprint for Success.

Parents and students want more programming, opportunities, and differentiation in

Community Makes Athletics a Top Priority.

On some topics covered by the survey, parent and student opinions diverged.

A significant number of parents desire more differentiation in their children’s education.

On the other hand, 80% of students in eighth through twelfth grades are satisfied or very satisfied regarding “instruction differentiated to meet your needs.”

Giftedness

Relative to other educational values at Nueva, some parents wonder if giftedness is emphasized enough.

Our older students have a different view. In a notable percentage of their written comments (15%), they see a focus on “giftedness” as promoting entitlement, being exclusive, and/or being inaccurate in the sense that everyone has unique gifts.

Math by the Numbers

A majority of students and parents gave strong feedback on math at Nueva.

86% of students in eighth through twelfth grades agree with the statement “My knowledge and skills in math have improved this year” and 80% agree with the statement “I am confident of my skills in math.”

83% of parents are satisfied or very satisfied with math at Nueva.

But some of the open-ended responses from parents asked for: more emphasis on math foundations; more advanced math options; and more differentiation.

Nuances on Social Justice

The feedback on social justice in the curriculum was somewhat mixed. ○ More than 50% of families feel that Nueva

places the right amount of emphasis on social justice, while one third feels it may be overly emphasized.

○ Faculty and staff want improvements to the

social justice curriculum.

○ Students want “less talk, more action.”

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visual and performing arts.

athletics.

Read about improvements to our San Mateo visual and performing arts facilities on page 12.

Read about improvements to our athletics program on page 8.

Parents, students, and employees agree on wanting more

socioeconomic diversity and more

racial and ethnic diversity

in the Nueva community. These wishes were particularly strong among students and employees.

Increasing Our Outreach To expand racial diversity within our student body, the admissions team is breaking new ground. Initiatives include: data-driven research on local demographics; grassroots relationship-building supported by current Nueva families; and off-campus admissions events designed for prospective Black, Brown, and Filipino families. To expand socioeconomic diversity, we are offering free summer programs to promising applicants and increasing the funds allocated for financial assistance, as well as the number of Nueva students who receive it.

Belonging and Voice Belonging and voice are core values of our school. But amid today’s heightened polarization, it is more common for us to share our full selves and our perspectives within smaller or self-selecting groups than with the larger Nueva community. The mixed responses to the following two statements highlight the need for more venues where different views can be shared and held in respect.

“The Nueva community respects and supports [students/parents/faculty and staff] with different value and belief systems.”

51% of students agreed 74% of parents agreed 50% of faculty and staff agreed

F E AT U R E

Overall Satisfaction: Faculty and Staff

75+25+A Faculty & Staff represented 78% of all 2022-23 employees

Job Satisfaction

Faculty and staff were asked to reflect on the following experiences

75%

of faculty and staff are satisfied or very satisfied with their experience at Nueva.

Teacher Appreciation (Part II)

67% Two-thirds were faculty

Faculty and staff retention is top of mind for parents and students. The largest category of openended comments among parents and students focused on retaining excellent teachers, investing in teaching, and reducing unwanted turnover.

33% One-third was staff 4.6 Years Average employment length among those who completed the survey

92%

satisfied or very satisfied My work makes a difference

89%

satisfied or very satisfied Set meaningful goals myself

88%

satisfied or very satisfied Have independence in my work

35% of students agreed 53% of parents agreed 40% of faculty and staff agreed

Leaning into Civic Discourse Intolerance and decreased nuance in the public square demonstrate an urgent need for training in civic discourse. New curriculum in development will give our students the tools to engage productively with people who hold views that are different from their own.

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88+12+A

85%

satisfied or very satisfied Enjoy working at Nueva

82%

satisfied or very satisfied Eager to invest time in supporting other colleagues

82%

satisfied or very satisfied

What Faculty and Staff Want “I feel comfortable sharing my views in the Nueva community, even if my views are different from those of the perceived majority.”

92+8+A

Personal sense of accomplishment in work

In their professional experiences at Nueva, faculty and staff are looking for: ○ Feedback and

recognition

○ Time and spaces for

collaborative work

○ Professional

development

○ Clarity and

consistency of policies and procedures

○ Stronger

relationships with leadership team

82+18+A

89+11+A 85+15+A 82+18+A

Enhancing the Employee Experience Current initiatives to strengthen faculty and staff satisfaction include: ✓ A new framework for professional growth and accountability ✓ More purpose-built collaborative spaces ✓ A better calendar system, clearer meeting schedules, and the Nexus resource boards ✓ New salary matrices for faculty and staff ✓ More frequent reports from the leadership team on strategic priorities

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ILC*

INNOVATIVE LEARNING CONFERENCE

RETURNS! With political polarization, a mental health Crisis, and the advent of AI, how should education evolve? fKarin Storm Wood For two days last October, hundreds of people gathered at Nueva to contemplate the future of learning.

In conversations large and small, educators, scholars, industry leaders, parents, and students came together to explore both the research and practice of teaching and learning at the 2023 Innovative Learning Conference (ILC).

In its first return since 2019, the conference challenged conventional wisdom and gave attendees a sense of rejuvenation and inspiration—including Nueva’s entire faculty and staff.

While opportunities that involve leaving Nueva to attend conferences or visit other schools “can be tremendously valuable, the fact that Nueva brings that learning in-house with ILC is incredible,” said Lauren Pool, Director of Teaching and Learning.

“ILC is an investment in learning and engagement.

We’re putting our money behind the learning that we want to continue to foster and support,” said Lauren, who expressed appreciation for donor support that also helps make ILC a reality. “It’s amazing that there’s such a strong commitment to supporting the professional development and growth of our faculty and staff from the Nueva community.” [continued opposite top right] 30

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F E AT U R E

Schools are levers for change. We can have a systemic answer to helping kids feel well and healthy and engaged and [feel] belonging by making certain key changes at school. And the first question to ask is, “What am I messaging in my classroom that is impeding wellbeing? What am I messaging that’s promoting it?” And less is more, less is more, less is more in this grand scheme.

Denise Pope, Senior Lecturer Graduate School of Education, Stanford University

Middle School teacher Colin Tribble, who co-led a session on classroom practices informed by indigenous knowledge, shared, “Nueva values faculty being empowered to try new things, to make change, and to be in conversation with colleagues. Having something like ILC at Nueva is inspirational.”

Read reflections from attendees as well as excerpts of ILC’s “Cornerstone Conversations” featuring leaders in education and in tech.

A Mutual Exchange of Knowledge oliver C. ’25

ILLUSTRATIoNs BY

BRUCE SASHA VAN C. ’24PATTER

Empowering. Engaging. Educating. These three words define my experience as a student at the Innovative Learning Conference.

Along with three fellow members of the Research@ Nueva team, I presented on a program we designed to enhance the research experience for high schoolers. It was empowering to be able to present our work to educators from around the country. They really wanted to hear why we, as students, care so much about increasing accessibility to research opportunities for fellow high schoolers.

As I scanned the room, I noticed that not only was every teacher in the audience fully engrossed, but many were busy jotting down notes to bring back to their own schools. The genuine interest and engagement from the educators was a testament to the value they place on the student perspective. They also generously provided suggestions on how we could further refine and enhance our curriculum, such as implementing a lesson on citations.

I felt that I stood on equal ground with the teachers as we collaboratively explored ways to improve pedagogy at our respective schools. In this way, ILC truly fostered a mutual exchange of knowledge.

I also attended a truly profound panel discussion about the role of artificial intelligence in reshaping education and democratizing access to information. The panelists emphasized that the advent of AI requires the educational system to strive for more than merely teaching students to pass tests; it should aim to supercharge learning and empower human agency. Fei-Fei Li P ’30, Co-Director of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, characterized the advent of AI, especially the launch of ChatGPT, as one of the most pivotal moments in the history of education and, quite possibly, in the trajectory of humanity. I could tell by the audience’s questions that this was both a hopeful and unsettling moment of realization for many.

Having participated in ILC, I am grateful that the future of our education is in the hands of so many caring and compassionate people.

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Lauren Pool, Director of Teaching & Learning

INNOVATIVE LEARNING CONFERENCE

Rebecca Loveless, Structured Word Inquiry Coach

ILC: Instant Learning Curve

Yeuen Kim, M.D., M.A.S., P ’20, ’22, ’27 Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine Inspired by memories of past ILCs—dynamic speakers, amazing illustrated notes, bustling classrooms, campuses bursting with the excitement of teaching—I applied to give a talk at the 2023 conference.

As a physician and professor, I wanted to share how my team and I teach population health to residents, who at times endure didactic back-to-back Powerpoint lectures on rotations. Our claim to fame is teaching with “Jeopardy!”-style quizzes to catalyze the competitive nature, teamwork, and gusto that doctors often share. Over the last 20 years, having evolved our tools from paper to Powerpoint to apps and Zoom, I thought I had the perfect “hook” to draw other educators.

I proudly packed my 3-by-5 cards, game prizes, and more: I was going to wow them with bells (buzzers for the competition) and balls of clay (a nod to Auguste Rodin, who walked around his studio kneading clay as he directed his staff and muses).

Little did I know that I was preaching to experts at engaging teenagers and thinking about how people learn. As we wrapped up, I found my ILC “students” had valuable suggestions: adding theme songs, knowing when not to scaffold, even asking which muscles to activate when we practiced lifting water bottles using our non-dominant arms (in case we would ever have to intubate!). I quickly realized I was learning much more than my audience. ILC: Instant Learning Curve.

Recruiting a partner to co-facilitate, adapting the curriculum more precisely to the audience, and taking a moment to think before answering questions were valuable lessons I learned and have taken back to my medical students.

That’s partly why I teach: teaching helps me understand material more critically. My experience at ILC was a master lesson.

While teaching is a privilege and a joy, being a parent in this community of highly competent and fiercely caring educators is a gift that we are so blessed to have, and the best part of ILC.

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Kevin Systrom P ’36

Opportunities to Question and to Dream Reenie Charriere, Middle School Art Teacher

What do you do when you’re given a powerful tool that might have problems? You should learn all the ways it can go wrong before you start using it in your daily life. That’s really education’s place: one, to teach you how it works; and two, to teach you all the emergency procedures. Then-once you are fully aware of those things-to teach you how to use it as a superpower, travel the world with it.

Kevin Systrom P ’36, Co-Founder, Instagram

At the panel about AI and education, I wanted to be like a sponge, but as a teacher and an artist, I felt some skepticism about what I was hearing.

I question the importance of AI in the classroom when we keep hoping kids will take more breaks from computers and screens.

I appreciated the Cornerstone Conversation devoted to student agency and mental health.

I often think about the premise of “less is more” in my own art practice, and as I consider one panelist’s hopeful premise that “schools are levers for change,” I wonder how that might work. In a “more” society, what could “less” be?

At the workshop on climate change by Zach Brown of the Tidelines Institute, I appreciated how much information we were given to ponder, such an immediate crisis.

I loved that there is still optimism about the use of solar and wind energy, and a clear push towards electric vehicles in the future.

At the panel about belonging, Deborah Cullinan confirmed all of my thoughts about art. She evoked many powerful ideas, including: “Art is essential and consequential. It should be integrated everywhere.”

Thank you, Nueva, for giving teachers opportunities to continue questioning and dreaming of the future.

F E AT U R E

Bodie C. ’24 Colin Tribble, MS Teacher

Participating in arts activities brings people together and cultivates the conditions that are necessary for health and wellbeing: a sense of cohesion, a sense of safety, Asking Difficult a sense of belonging. We Honest have an obligation to apply and that transformative power Questions Wayee Chu P ’26, ’27 of the arts in as many ways as we can, and to make it as accessible and relevant to as many people as we can.

Deborah Cullinan, Vice President for the Arts, Stanford University

Julietta Brekker, former Nueva Spanish Teacher

Misasha Suzuki Graham P ’30 moderates a Cornerstone Conversation on belonging with Deborah Cullinan, Cornelius Minor, Jenny Martinez P ’24, ’26, ’26, and Colin Seale.

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P H O T O S BY S I M O N E S U M M E R S A N D B E N WAT T S P ’3 5

A huge differentiator at ILC is the opportunity to bring together administrators and educators with the founders and operators who are building the consumer tech tools our children use in their everyday lives. It offers an opportunity for us to ask the difficult and honest questions: How can we as a school community leverage this technology effectively?

How can we continue to optimize technology in learning and teaching while staying human-centered and making sure our students understand technology’s limits?

I really enjoyed Nueva senior Aaron H.’s interview of startup founder and operator Kevin Systrom. Kevin talked about generative artificial intelligence as an exciting tool for learning, creativity, and recommender systems. He was open about how consumer apps use sophisticated algorithms to drive our engagement and personalization, discussing both the benefits and the costs.

I also appreciated hearing from the educators in the audience. During the Q&A, it was apparent that they had a depth of understanding and concern about data privacy and content integrity while also understanding the great benefits of this technology for their lesson-planning and teaching.

I find great inspiration in Nueva’s mission—to ignite our love of learning as a community with a human-centered and personalized approach. This was on full display at ILC.

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WHAT’S IN YOUR BACKPACK? We asked a student in every grade at the school: In your backpack, is there anything special or unique, or that says something about you or your school projects?

>>

This is something you put on your hair. One of my mom and dad’s friends gave it to me. I can’t wear it in my hair because it’s too hard for me to take out, and it gets my hair tangled. But I like to play with it, kind of like a fidget toy.

RAKSHA K. ’35 <<

This is my favorite stuffie. Its name is Harpy. I got it from my friend in Hong Kong when I was visiting. I broke the red part, but my dad fixed it so now it’s matching.

PAXTON W. ’36 <<

This is a comic I made with Desi S. ’34. I haven’t finished it yet—this is already Volume 8 though. We’re going to make copies of every comic—28 copies for every comic— so Hunter H. ’34, Desi, and me can have one, and then we have 25 to sell. We sell them for 50 cents.

AIDEN W. ’34

I got this book from the library in San Francisco. It’s funny because he said, “I like slop.” I can read it! (Then he “read” the whole book out loud!).

We made these hexaflexagons today in class. You fold a paper strip into ten equal triangles. There are a couple of steps, then you can fold it up into this. Then you have to color all three sides, and if you flip it, it will change colors. This one has three different colors, but you can also make one that has six, I think.

JAVI S-R. ’37 >>

ALEXANDRA C. ’32 >>

I’m planning on getting a turtle, so I wanted to get the book to learn about turtles. I learned about lots of different types of turtles, turtles’ diets, and outdoor shelters for turtles. I decided I want to get a musk turtle, because they’re pretty small and really interesting.

SADE A. ’33 >>

We were supposed to design characters, and I got a little sidetracked and decided to make a whole family.

Then I just designed what I thought Harry Potter would look like, but like, rad and kind of drippy.*

I carry around my English copy of my favorite book, Crime and Punishment. I don’t want to leave it at home when I can always have it with me. It’s very special to me and I have read it countless times. I love the writing style, and I love classic literature. Russian literature especially interests me because my family is from that part of the world.

BLUE N. ’27 >>

<< CHLOE N. ’31

NIKHIL G. ’30 >>

MING-YI T. ’29 >>

I sometimes carry a railroad spike in my backpack. I carry it because I like trains.

SAM M. ’24 >>

<<

He’s a—actually, I don’t know the gender—but it’s a lil’ guy who was on a Chinese keychain my Mandarin teacher, Blair, gave me. It fell off, but I still keep it.

SERENA L. ’28

*Editor’s note: “Drippy” is slang for stylish.

<< HOLDEN K. ’26

I still carry around all 21 double-sided pages of famed 10th-grade fall-semester history reading “Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism” by E.P. Thompson. So it’s been a year. Sometimes I take it out for a whirl when I’m on the train. (Also, for a while I carried around a hand-chipped stone ax.

It’s the first thing I made in Lee Holtzman’s History of Tech class. Good times!)

GRACIE F.-O. ’25

>>

These are headphones I borrowed from the library. Sometimes I listen to calming music to help me concentrate. It connects to my computer, and I can listen to music whenever I want.

Music is one of the greatest things in my life. These are really good headphones.

I used to listen with the $5 ones you get at the store, and I would go through those every month. On Black Friday this year, I got these for way off.

I carry a mini whiteboard that I use for homework because I do not like writing on paper.

ALUMNI

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Class of 2023 friends William Fisher (right) and Thomas Rimer embarked on the bike ride of a lifetime this past summer through Europe. The pair covered nearly 1,400 miles through the United Kingdom, France, and Spain, appreciating the beautiful scenery, navigating language barriers, and tackling the rolling hills of their journey.

Read about their biking and baguette-filled adventure on page 38.

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Meet Alumni Relations Assistant

Mae Walsh

In September, Mae Walsh joined the Development and Alumni Office as the team’s first Alumni Relations Assistant.

In her role, she supports all aspects of alumni programming with a particular focus on managing and growing MavNet, our dedicated alumni networking directory. A native of the Philadelphia region with experience in event planning and at two NFL franchises, Mae looks forward to building connections with the alumni community and positively impacting their lifelong connection to Nueva.

What excited you most about working at Nueva? As I was meeting with the Development and Alumni team, I was thrilled to hear how much they enjoyed their roles here, and it solidified my interest in the position. I did not expect to feel so at home so quickly. What excited me most about the team was their passion for Nueva and how determined they were to see Nueva thrive. For the first time in my career I thought, “Wow, this team truly wants to invest in my professional development and help me reach my full potential.”

Over your first months, what have you enjoyed most about your role and being a member of the Nueva community? It’s really special to work in person five days a week. My job is immersed in the students’ experience at both campuses and I am able to see our events come to life. The community at Nueva is indescribable. I find myself connecting with faculty, alumni, students, and parents regularly and often supporting large-scale community events.

How have your previous experiences working in professional sports and event services helped prepare you for the dynamic work you’re doing at Nueva? On my fourth day working at Nueva, I was thrown into the on-site event logistics at the Nueva Cup. In my previous experience working in the fastpaced sports and events industries, I quickly learned to adjust on the fly, and, as Ross Geller from “Friends” says, pivot when you reach a hurdle.

Tell us about your work on MavNet. MavNet is my pride and joy. It’s a robust platform for alumni to network and engage with one another, stay informed about all things Nueva, register for events, and much more. In MavNet’s second year of existence, I am focusing on establishing our regional and class year groups. I look forward to nurturing MavNet’s continued growth and witnessing alumni build connections wherever they are in the world.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? You’ll likely find me at a yoga class on the weekends or walking my dog throughout San Mateo! I love trying new restaurants with friends and binge-watching the “Great British Baking Show.” I am also starting college classes this spring to learn American Sign Language to be able to connect with more members of our broader community.

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L E T T E R

GREETINGS, NUEVA ALUMNI! Recently, I was speaking with a group of young alumni about their transition from Nueva to college. As many affirmed they felt well-equipped to tackle the new challenges of their classes and co-curriculars, the importance of their social-emotional learning (SEL) foundation was consistently echoed. They highlighted how vital this toolkit has been in equipping them to positively and confidently engage with classmates from varying backgrounds and geopolitical perspectives, to build relationships with professors, and to resolve the inevitable roommate hiccup with empathy. A pillar of the Nueva experience, it is assuring to hear of the lasting impact of SEL and Science of Mind (as it is referred to in the Upper School) classes are for members of our alumni community.

The following pages explore some of our alumni experiences: I invite you to read about OpenTable CEO Debby Soo ’95, who credits Nueva for teaching her critical relationship-building skills she uses daily as a tech executive (page 42), or how Maddie Wu ’18 turned a skateboarding mishap into a professional opportunity (page 39), and how deeply bonded alumni remain with one another in our class briefs section (page 46).

The lifelong connections alumni have with one another and our community is what stokes our marquee Nueva magic.

In fact, as you’re reading this issue of Nueva Magazine, I will have just returned from hosting regional socials in Boston and New York City. Despite being 3,000 miles away from the Hillsborough and San Mateo campuses, the feeling of home and community were undeniable. I hope you’ll join us at our upcoming events and find time to return home—our doors are always open and we can’t wait to see you!

Sincerely, Diana A. Chamorro Director of Alumni & Community Engagement

S E E YO U O N M AV N E T Want to meet fellow alumni in your region?

Interested in professional networking?

Have a job or internship opening at your company that you’d love to hire a fellow Nuevan to fill? Visit nuevaalumni.org to claim your profile and begin connecting with your Nueva alumni community and register for our upcoming events.

STAY CONNECTED! FOLLOW NUEVA ONLINE… nuevaalumni.org instagram @nuevaalumni

facebook @nuevaalumniassociation

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Three Countries, 1,397 Miles, and 50+ Baguettes William Fisher ’23 and Thomas Rimer ’23 journeyed across Europe by bike this summer For Class of 2023 alumni William Fisher and Thomas Rimer, a cross-continental European trip was the fulfillment of years of cycling camaraderie.

Both William and Thomas started biking in early 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pair rode together for most of high school, and did an overnight biking trip in Half Moon Bay as a test run for their anticipated journey through Europe.

The pair covered 1,397 miles in total, beginning in the United Kingdom and cycling through France and Spain.

Their longest ride in a single day was 113 miles. It was a long time to spend cycling, but they found moments of motivation at each leg of the journey.

“There’s always a connection when you see a cyclist coming past,” William said. “Things like that restore your faith in humanity and make your day.”

The majority of the journey took place in France, despite the fact that neither of them speak any French—nor were they familiar with the country.

“Getting my head around that was tough for the first day or two,” William said. “Once we got into the rhythm of it and realized we didn’t need a lot to

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survive, there’s this absolute beauty to it. We were in the most beautiful country in the world, just biking and eating baguettes.”

They spent only one night in most places, staying in a series of Airbnbs, which became an opportunity for them to immerse themselves in the local life.

In one location, they stayed on a farm, with tractors going throughout the night. Thomas said, “We didn’t see any other non-French people for a week or two. It was the first time in a long time that I felt like I was experiencing someone else’s culture.”

The duo mostly shopped at local grocery stores, eating “the most [efficient] things we could get our hands on.”

“We probably went through two bags of gummy bears per day,” Thomas said.

“I don’t eat gummy bears anymore.”

During the trip, they ran into challenges with bike maintenance when Thomas’s back tire started rubbing on the inside of the frame.

“We ended up slicing a strip of aluminum [from a soda can] and jamming it up in there [to stop it from rubbing],” Thomas said. “By some miracle, there was a parts supplier less than 50 miles away, and they happened to machine custom parts, so we got them to hand-deliver [exactly what I needed] to the local tiny post office, and I was able to replace it.”

The biggest challenge they faced, though, wasn’t maintenance—it was heat. A 115-degree day caused the pair to stop 30 miles short of their intended Airbnb and book a new room for the night. In the end, however, the detour in Oloron-Sainte-Marie turned into a trip highlight.

“We ended up getting an entire bed and breakfast to ourselves,” Thomas said. “The city itself was one of our favorites—it had these crazy canals and these modern libraries and buildings that would extend out over the river.”

Another favorite for Thomas was the day the pair tackled the famous Lac de Cap-de-Long climb in the French Pyrenees.

He remembered thinking, “How is this even real? I want to come back tomorrow—and the rest of my life.

Pictures don’t really do it justice.”

William’s favorite day was one in the Pyrenean town of Saint-Lary-Soulan, where they went on multiple climbs.

“It was the perfect day,” he said.

“Clear skies, bright green grass, amazing roads, amazing climbs, amazing descents.”

In the future, they are both eager to embark on more biking adventures.

William, who is at Stanford, hopes to explore the California coast or other countries in Europe, whereas Thomas, who is at Cornell, wants to try more bicycle camping instead of staying in Airbnbs like they did on this trip.

Both of them encourage other high schoolers to try similar journeys. “[The] summer after your senior year is the time to have fun,” William said. “Be realistic: not everyone can ride 100 miles a day [and] there will be lows….but at the end of the day, you’re going to have an amazing time.”

“If you just sit down and plan it, it’s totally doable,” William said.

“Know that it’s a lot less daunting than it may seem.”

—Ray Perry ’23

A L U M N I

Serendipity on a Skateboard Maddie Wu ’18 seizes every opportunity A skateboarding mishap, a passion for writing and animation, and a well-rounded Nueva experience helped propel Maddie Wu ’18 into the theme park industry as a director, writer, and animator.

It started when Maddie accidentally hit someone while skateboarding.

“Luckily, the woman was really sweet about it and we traded Instagram handles. She connected me to the theme park company I now work at,” said Maddie of the serendipitous encounter.

That connection helped her land a role as a lead writer and character designer at Millenium LA, where she designs and writes stories for the mascot characters for theme parks across China. She credits her time at Nueva as critical and foundational to her current work.

“Nueva helped me learn that networking and asking for advice is not that terrifying,” Maddie said. “Because the faculty, Intersession teachers, and guest speakers were so friendly and receptive to ideas, I learned how to go up to people and ask for advice in a very safe environment.”

Her friends and teachers were so supportive of her work—animated short films, music, and game projects—that it cemented for Maddie not only how much she loved creating things, but also how willing she was to work hard for her art.

After graduating from Nueva, Maddie attended the University of Southern California and completed her degree in cinematic arts in the spring of 2023. With career stops at industry giants Dreamworks and Fox Animation, her passion for writing and animation shines through. As an animation writer, she is immersed in developing narratives and weaving complex backstories for the characters she creates. Most recently, her short film, “Tango is Conscious!,” was accepted into the 2023 American Film Institute (AFI) Fest.

While the direction of her future career in the industry is undefined, Maddie welcomes new opportunities and adventures. In addition to her full-time work, she fills her days with projects focused on writing and animation. She is learning how to publish a small picture book about America’s mythological creatures and is writing new scripts. She also just finished writing a pilot that she has sent out to interested parties. She is excited to see what happens next.

For aspiring creators at Nueva, Maddie offers a crucial piece of advice: don’t set boundaries.

“The biggest mistake you can make going into a career in entertainment is thinking you only are good at—or want to do—one thing,” Maddie asserts. “For the first two years of college, I thought that I only wanted to do animation storyboarding and was stuck fighting for only a small handful of opportunities.

“The entertainment industry can be hard to break into, but it’ll be significantly easier if you open your mind to the opportunities that are presented to you as you continue to learn what’s out there.”

For Maddie, her journey from Nueva student to theme park character designer is a testament to the unexpected opportunities that creativity—and an open mind—can yield.

—Mae Walsh

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NUEVA’S IMPACT J E S S E VA L D E Z ’ 1 7

Nueva taught me how to take an attitude of learning towards everything I pursue. Your mid-twenties (also known as a quarter-life crisis) are a time for learning, and I think my curiosity has served me well as I navigate young adulthood.

T Y L E R H UA N G ’ 2 2

Nueva’s broad education and wide variety of classes allowed me to explore various interests and subjects that I never would’ve looked at otherwise.

These opportunities expanded my willingness to try new things and push myself academically, which I have brought into my time at Northwestern. Nueva pushed me to build relationships with teachers and be inquisitive, allowing me to foster stronger relationships with professors and TAs, even in larger classes.

Without Nueva, I wouldn’t have had many of the academic and relationship opportunities, which helped to build who I am today. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities that Nueva provided and is still continuing to provide.

NICOLE KLEINKNECHT ’23

Recently, I have not only appreciated the Nueva community for all of its applied teaching methods, I have also recognized the lesson that has most impacted my journey in Texas: to not compare yourself to your peers and to hold value in your own strengths.

DA N I E L R O SA R I O ’23

Because Nueva gave us the opportunity to explore a wide variety of different subject areas, I feel that I have a vast base of knowledge to draw from in my college courses. However, I do feel that college gives a lot more work than Nueva!

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ALUMNI E V E N T S

Connections Young alumni enjoy fun and meaningful ways to engage with one another From suiting up with former teammates at alumni games to teaching current Upper School students at Intersession, and gathering with nearly 100 fellow alumni and former teachers at the Young Alumni Social, our alumni enjoyed closing out 2023 and ushering in the new year with fellow Mavericks at recent winter events.

2 Alumni Reunion Celebration 01. Eton Shon ’19 (standing, sixth from left) and the Harvard Krokodiloes led an Intersession workshop with Nueva Notes, the Upper School’s a cappella group.

02. Sean Cheong ’21 using his robotic arm to teach Upper School students about technical mechanics at Intersession.

03. Alex Chen ’21 and Quetz Medina ’21 at the Young Alumni Social on January 5.

04. Chris Rinard ’19, Cevi Bainton ’20, and Amy Cavet ’20 catch up at January’s social.

05. Former Maverick boys basketball players from the Classes of 2020 to 2023 at December’s alumni basketball game.

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06. Members of the Classes of 2017 to 2023 gathered for a group photo at the Young Alumni Social.

07. Nathan Liao ’23, Anya Potsiadlo ’23, Misha Aganin ’23, and Madeline Park ’20 sharing insight with Upper School students at the Intersession alumni panel.

08. Luke Martinez ’21 maneuvers the ball past a defender at the December co-ed alumni soccer game.

09. During the Upper School’s Intersession, young alumni worked as support staff, assisting with facilitator support, tech support, and general event logistics.

10. Members of the Class of 2023: Anya Chen, Nina McCambridge, Julia Wind, Ray Perry, and Leilani Campos.

11. At Intersession, Yan Liu P ’23 taught students vegetarian Chinese recipes.

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Table Talk with Debby Soo ’95 Mission-minded, community-focused, and tactfully persistent, the CEO of OpenTable is breaking barriers Currently serving as CEO of OpenTable, the online restaurant reservation company, Debby Soo ’95 is an innovator, entrepreneur, and trailblazer who remains grounded by leading with purpose and people at the forefront. It’s a space with a limited number of female chief executives—and an even smaller number of women of color. Debby is happy to have a spotlight on her to represent the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community as a Chinese-American business leader on a global platform.

“It’s a responsibility because you can’t [envision] what you can’t see,” Debby said of representing AAPI women at the executive level. “I remember, when I was in middle school, coming across a magazine article about Andrea Jung, the former CEO of Avon, who was an Asian woman running a very uniquely American company. It really stuck with me.”

For Debby, seeing someone she identified with in a leadership position at a company ingrained in American culture was pivotal. Fast forward a few decades, she now is able to uplift girls, young women, and people of color to positively impact the next generation.

“I can count on one hand the number of Asian women CEOs that I know

of, of companies of a certain size,” she said. She takes on this platform “very happily and readily. I feel like that is part of the gig—that’s the obligation and duty to pay it forward.”

Developing into a confident, empathetic, and people-oriented leader, Debby credits her time at Nueva.

“I remember very acutely sixth, seventh, and eighth grade because it was a turning point in my development of who I was and my world view,” Debby shared. “There was this ethos at Nueva that you could really do anything and you could dream big.”

Nueva empowered her with new perspectives, confidence, and an entrepreneurial spirit to break ceilings.

“There are rules and guidelines, but I learned that you don’t have to take those as law all the time. There’s flexibility. People make rules and there’s flexibility of thought,” Debby said.

With this mindset, the “no’s” she’s faced in her professional life have served not as doors closing, but as opportunities to reframe and reassess.

“It’s very key to how I came up professionally. You don’t take things at face value, you press, you dig, you go in and try to understand the next layer and what’s driving this,” Debby said. “My upbringing was not like that, but Nueva very much encouraged it.

“I remember very acutely sixth, seventh, and eighth grade because it was a turning point in my development, who I was, and my world view. There’s this ethos at Nueva that you could really do anything and you could dream big.”

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That helped me tremendously as an adult, as a working professional, and ultimately as a CEO.” Nueva, Debby says, helped her become well-rounded and empathetic.

The ability to build connections and understand people’s needs is now in her toolkit for success.

“I rarely find myself to be the smartest person in the room, but my social awareness might be best in class,” she revealed. “It is what I attribute finding success to. I can read a room really well and very quickly discern what people want. I learned a lot of that at Nueva.”

This proved critical as she took over the helm of OpenTable in August of 2020 amid the global pandemic. The restaurant industry, Debby acknowledged, is not an easy one to be in. She stands by and values the mission of OpenTable to help restaurants thrive and do what they do best. Most restaurants on the platform are mom and pop shops and small businesses that are passionate about what they do, something that Debby finds inspiring.

“The mandate of bringing people together over a shared meal is really inspirational—people getting to know one another, talking, and sharing food of different cultures,” Debby shared.

“It’s the connective tissue, especially in this day and age. Being able to see the point of view of the other side is critically important, and OpenTable has a role to play in bringing people together over a meal out.”

Joining a company at such a tumultuous time, especially one in an industry that was severely impacted by the pandemic, required the first-time CEO to lean deeply on the company’s mission and focus on what its next steps were.

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Q+A

What do you like to cook or bake at home? I make a mean chocolate chip cookie. Secret ingredient: cream cheese.

OpenTable operates a two-prong marketplace: the software that restaurants use and pay for, and the consumer app or website where diners go to book reservations.

For Debby and her team, splitting focus equally on the restaurant and diner side did not feel like the right move: “During COVID, and even now, I feel very strongly that there is one side that you spend a little bit more time and resource on—because that drives the diner demand—and it’s the restaurants. The restaurants needed us to be a good partner.”

That partnership meant waiving fees and removing requirements to renew or extend their service terms, especially when there was so much uncertainty and restaurants were trying to survive.

In reflecting on what she learned during that time period, it was to be very clear of the company’s objectives: “We’re here for restaurants to help them thrive. If we do not have the restaurants on our platform, we will lose our diners. We start with the restaurants first, then the diners will come, and it’s this reinforcing cycle.”

Under Debby’s tutelage, OpenTable remains committed to being good partners for restaurants of all sizes to bridge connections between the 31 million diners the platform serves each month.

For Debby, as a woman, a member of the AAPI community, and a chief executive, she looks forward to seeing the next wave of Nueva changemakers disrupt their industry of choice, and reminds them to take risks, not to let roadblocks serve as setbacks, and to be grounded in their values and mission.

— Diana A. Chamorro

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What is your favorite restaurant for comfort food? Souvla, a fast-fine Greek spot in San Francisco. I could eat their chicken salad with fries on top every day.

Do you have a go-to restaurant recommendation for visitors to the Bay Area? For modern Chinese food, China Live in San Francisco; for shared plates, seasonal California cooking, Ethel’s Fancy in Palo Alto; for delectable fine dining, Commis in Oakland; and for Italian cuisine through the lens of California, Che Fico in San Francisco and Menlo Park.

What was your favorite meal growing up? Beef noodle soup.

Did you have a favorite restaurant growing up? I spent every summer in Taipei and my all-time favorite was and continues to be Din Tai Fung.

Were there any notable lunches or snacks beloved by you and your fellow Nuevans during your middle school days? When I attended Nueva, there wasn’t a cafeteria on campus and we all brought our lunch. I remember feeling relieved that at Nueva, I got to eat my rice and stir-fry (or whatever Chinese fare my mom packed me) without ridicule or disparagement, which was not always the case at my previous elementary school.

Did you have a favorite spot to eat lunch on campus? I always ate lunch on the amphitheater steps.

If Nueva was a food item, what would it be? Lasagna. The complexity or simplicity of the layers, tailored however you want. Always comforting, always necessary, an amalgamation of different ingredients for ultimate deliciousness.

DID YOU KNOW? Under Debby Soo’s leadership, OpenTable seats

31 million diners per month.

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Oh, the Places Mavs Go! Mavericks enjoyed gatherings and #NuevaNosh reunions from coast to coast throughout the summer and fall. How to #NuevaNosh: Nueva will pay for your coffee or meal when you dine with three or more Nueva alumni. To qualify, take a picture of all alumni at your event and send it to the Alumni Office along with a personal update and a copy of your restaurant receipt for reimbursement*. We will mail you the reimbursement for the meal and post your picture on social media, in the alumni newsletter, and/or magazine!

↑ CAMBRIDGE, MA: Ian Lum (Olin), Brandon Zhou (Carnegie Mellon), Miles Frank (University of Rochester), and Ryan Poon (Tufts) reunited for a Class of 2022 fall break #NuevaNosh in late October. ↑ BOSTON, MA: While in town for the National High School Journalism Convention in early November, current Nueva newspaper and yearbook students had dinner with former staff members: Isabel Chambers ’20 (Boston University), Grace Holmes ’21 (Wellesley), Sami Kingsbury ’23 (Wellesley), and Nathan Liao ’23 (Tufts).

↑ LOS ANGELES: Class of 2022 friends Sophia Yin (UCLA), Hope Hsiao (USC), and Powell Mathewson (Pitzer) gathered for a preThanksgiving #NuevaNosh.

↑ LOS ANGELES: In July, Class of 2021 friends, Amanda Wang, Sean Cheong, and Nick Hope, hosted a #NuevaNosh.

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↑ PORTOLA VALLEY: Pickleball enthusiasts Ryker Vassallo ’23 and XE Yang ’23 closed out their summer breaks by topping their former teachers LiAnn Yim and Patrick Berger in an early September match.

↑ PASADENA: Alumni attending Caltech gathered for a #NuevaNosh hotpot outing on November 22. Pictured: Cherise Wong ’23, Alanna Yelland ’22, and Albert Huang ’23.

↑ CAMBRIDGE, MA: Class of 2022 October fall break #NuevaNosh: Brandon Zhou (Carnegie Mellon), Miles Frank (University of Rochester), Ian Lum (Olin), Andrew Chu (Harvard), Nicholas Hu (Princeton), Ryan Poon (Tufts), and Brandon Cho (Princeton).

↑ NEW HAVEN, CT: On November 17, members of the Class of 2023 #NuevaNoshed while in town for the Harvard vs. Yale football game. Pictured: Daniel Rosario (Harvard), Riyana Srihari (Brown), Riley Sze (Yale), Mia Tavares (Harvard), Anya Potsiadlo (Colorado College), and Will Wolf (Yale).

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← WASHINGTON, DC: While at a November conference in Washington, DC, Head of School Lee Fertig visited Georgetown first-year Anahita Asudani ’23.

↑ NEW YORK CITY: Class of 2018 Big Apple transplants hosted a July #NuevaNosh. Pictured (left) Talia Schonberger, Paco Poler, and Neeraj Sharma; (right) Evan Sucherman, Neel Gupta, and Anika Kwan.

← WASHINGTON, DC: College counselor Paul Gallagher hosted alumni attending Georgetown for dinner in early October. Pictured: Luke Martinez ’21, Aliya George ’21, Noah Van Horne ’21, Paul Gallagher, and Anahita Asudani ’23.

↑ NEW YORK CITY: Class of 2018 friends met up in New York’s Chinatown for a #NuevaNosh dinner outing in July. Pictured: Paco Poler, Devon Holland, Sonali Seshadri, AJ Nadel, Evan Sucherman, Nathalie Gee, Talia Schonberger, and Neeraj Sharma. ← ITHACA, NY: Members of the Class of 2023 studying at Cornell kicked off their freshmen year with a get-together.

Pictured: Luca Lit, Campbell Howe, Clay Malott, Thomas Rimer, Elle DiCicco, and Cate Warden.

↑ SAN CARLOS: Firing up the grill, members of the Class of 2021 hosted a July #NuevaNosh barbecue. Pictured: Austin Jewett, Sean Cheong, Maya Chawla, Sebastian Solorzano, Joseph Kraus, and Nicholas Hope.

← NEW YORK CITY: Middle School Class of 2015 graduates Tuvya Bergson-Michelson, Sophia Vahanvaty, and David Foster #NuevaNoshed in the East Village in late July.

← NEW YORK CITY: College counselor Paul Gallagher hosted a dinner meet-up with Isabelle Shi ’23 (Barnard) and Lucie Lin ’23 (Columbia) on November 2.

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↑ STANFORD: Class of 2023 friends reunited during their Thanksgiving break at the Cal vs. Stanford football game on November 18. Pictured: Sam Jonker (Stanford), Elle DiCicco (Cornell), Winston Li (UChicago), Juliet Sostena (Stanford), Nicole Kleinknecht (Southern Methodist), Theo Chiang (Stanford), Serena Saxena (Brown), Ryan DeSantis (UC Irvine), Eliza Shields (UMaimi), Daniel Tabatabaei (Northeastern), and John Crown (Stanford).

*$50 maximum. Alumni submitters must be registered on MavNet, and limit one submission per alumni per calendar year. Reimbursement is for food items and non-alcoholic beverages purchased for Nueva alumni only. Only one itemized receipt may be submitted and outings cannot be combined to total $50.

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BRIEFS 1982

2017

With more than 20 years of research and expertise, Raquel Bennett is considered a pioneer in the field of psychedelic medicine. She is the founder of KRIYA Institute and the KRIYA Conference, which are both devoted to the use of ketamine in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Raquel is a keynote speaker, lecturer, and educator, training thousands of clinicians worldwide on the safe and legal use of ketamine in clinical practice.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Do you have news or personal updates you’d like to share?

We invite you to submit a class brief about exciting personal events, including marriages or new arrivals, professional experiences or accomplishments, recent travel, reunions with fellow Nueva alumni, and more. nuevaschool.org/ classbriefs

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2001

Lee Holtzman, who now works at Nueva Upper School teaching SEL, philosophy, and electives, has a new mini-Maverick: Avram (Avi) T-Rex Holtzman, born April 23, 2023. “Yes, his middle name really is T-Rex, and he already really loves hands-on learning, as babies tend to,” said Lee.

Avram (Avi) T-Rex Holtzman

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Aman Kumar ’01 enjoyed walking through his old classrooms and the hallways of the Mansion during a July visit to the Hillsborough campus.

Jesse Valdez* enjoyed a restful and productive year. She rescued her puppy Bennie, named after Elton John’s song, which she dubs “Bennie and the Jess.” In addition to puppy parenting, she took up crocheting, making several plush animals, a pillow, and a sweater. Over this past fall, Jesse completed an internship at Andrea Burnett PR, working as a publicity associate for book release campaigns. ¶ Emily Ross is gearing up to move to New York City in April after spending the last three years living and working in London. A product manager at Google, she will transfer teams and focus on generative AI platforms with her stateside colleagues.

2018

As faculty and staff returned from summer break in August, Nueva teachers Zubin Mobedshahi ’03 and Colin Tribble ’04 reunited with schoolmate Sean Faulk ’03 to tour him around campus.

Ethan Lipka is currently a data analyst for the Texas Democratic Party. On October 5, he visited campus and helped the microeconomics students to model government policies. ¶ Devon Holland graduated from Stanford University in June 2023 with a bachelor’s in American studies. She shared, “Shoutout to my Nueva history teacher Ali Mclafferty for that!”

Prior to graduating, she received Stanford’s Award of Excellence, which recognizes the top 10 percent of the class who have

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demonstrated a sincere commitment to the university through involvement, leadership, and extraordinary Stanford spirit. She is currently working on her Spanish skills and studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. ¶ Following her spring 2023 graduation from USC, Anika Kwan moved to New York City to begin her next adventure and enjoy the virtues of public transportation and “real seasonal weather.” She has been running a freelance design consultancy, while pursuing work opportunities in graphic design. She reflected that in the five years since Nueva, she and her classmates have transitioned from worrying about passing driving exams and applying to college to staying in constant contact about apartment hunting and the perils of post-college life. ¶ Paco Poler graduated in June 2023 from Stanford with a Bachelor of Science in geophysics and a Master of Arts in sociology. He recently moved to New York City to begin working in prison abolitionist activism. Additionally, Paco is working and volunteering part-time for several activism organizations ranging in focus from advocacy, data driven policy reports, direct action, and organizing. He is looking forward to rooting his work in a community landscape and gaining wisdom from new people on the ground in advocacy work. ¶ Sonali Seshadri graduated from the University of Chicago in the spring of 2023 with a degree in computer science and a minor in French. This past summer, she moved to

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↓ Award-winning poem by Abby Pasternak ’21.

Maya Chawla ’21

From a Quest project at Nueva to a long-term interest, UCLA third-year Alex Chen ’21 has continued his love of cooking French cuisine. A recent culinary delight was herb-crusted mahi-mahi with sautéed garlic mushrooms and a cauliflower gratin.

New York City to pursue her master’s in computer science at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering. She’s excited to spend time getting to know the East Coast alongside her fellow Nuevans who have relocated to New York City.

2020

Jeremy Dumalig* is a fourth-year student at the University of Chicago.

He is the president of the Sports Analytics Club and was the interim president of Kababayan, the Filipino Student Association, where he helped lead a recent collaborative effort with the University of Illinois Chicago’s student

club to host a Philippine Cultural Gala. Jeremy continues to work with the UChicago men’s and women’s basketball teams, assisting with scouting and analytics, and is a member of Nueva’s Development Committee.

2021

Maya Chawla is a third-year at UC Berkeley studying sociology and design innovation. She took a gap semester during the fall to intern at WØRKS, a creative agency in New York

City, training specifically in motion design. This spring, she headed to Florence for a study abroad program. In her spare time, she is learning pottery and paying unsolicited visits to the Upper School. ¶ Alex Chen is working with a UCLA professor to apply recent advances in artificial intelligence to medical research. When he is not writing code or reading scientific literature, the UCLA student has enjoyed supporting the Bruins athletics teams, continuing

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Tyler Huang ’22 (second from right) and friends at the Northwestern football game at Wisconsin on November 11.

Several members of the Class of 2022 spent their summer studying abroad at the London School of Economics: Ayaan Banerjee, Anna Ikle-Maizlish, Holden Johnson, Powell Mathewson, Adrienne Park, Eli Smirin, Sam Tateosian, and Coby Wagonfeld.

his Quest project of cooking French cuisine, and playing intramural soccer. ¶ Austin Jewett is a third-year student at Purdue studying aeronautical and astronautical engineering. Over the spring 2023 semester, he took a gap term to intern at SpaceX and this past summer he interned in San Francisco at a satellite startup. ¶ Abby Pasternak is a third-year student at Bryn Mawr College. On September 7, she was one of five undergraduate students

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to receive a literary prize and was named the BainSwiggett Poetry Prize winner for her poem “the crocus bloomed too early this year (and they are too young to die).” (See page 49.) ¶ Amanda Wang is a third-year student at Washington University in St. Louis, double majoring in chemistry and finance. ¶ Jojo Wang is a ecology and evolution and environmental studies double major at the University of Chicago. On campus, she is a member

of the urban farming and beekeeping club.

2022

David Chan* is in

his second year at Carnegie Mellon University. Outside of academic activities and battling the freezing weather, he is excited to be participating this year in buggy, an annual competition where students form teams to build custom push carts to race on a nearby park hill. ¶ Penn second-year Avery

Visiting the San Mateo campus over his fall break from Pomona, Jeffery Aung ’23 reconnected with Head of School Lee Fertig.

On September 17, Upper School English teacher Alexa Hart visited former student and current Dartmouth first-year Caroline Phipps ’22. Caroline is a member of the Big Green varsity women’s rowing team.

Chen* spent this past summer

working remotely for a search fund and living at home in the Bay Area. During her free time, she enjoyed catching up with Nueva friends, hanging out with her family and dog, and knitting her first sweater. Avery also visited Seattle for the first time to see a close college friend.

This year, she joined an entrepreneurship fraternity, where she has met many amazing people. She has been learning how to cook,

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Alumni and their former teachers enjoyed a fall break meetup in October at the San Mateo campus. Standing: Theo Rode ’22 (Harvey Mudd), teacher Mark Hurwitz, Akshay Seetharam ’23 (Harvey Mudd), teacher Leonard Pon. Kneeling: teacher Andrew Alexander and David Chan ’22 (Carnegie Mellon).

Penn second-year Avery Chen ’22 spent this summer back on the West Coast while working remotely for a search fund and living at home in the Bay Area

including trying to recreate her mom’s dishes from home. ¶ Hope Hsiao is studying arts, technology, and business at USC. She is a member of the school’s Environmental Student Assembly and is the director for graphics, and also works part-time as a research assistant for Boston Consulting Group. During the fall semester, she joined a design team on campus to create blind box toys. ¶ Tyler Huang* had a great summer reconnecting with

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Nueva friends and spending time with family. Back on campus at Northwestern, he shared that his second year is flying by. He interned at an investment bank in downtown Chicago, enjoyed the fall weather, and frequently visited the beach on campus. An annual highlight for him is the Nueva alumni basketball game. ¶ Following a great first year at Olin, Ian Lum is working as an R2 (residential assistant) helping first-year students

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NOTE FROM ANYA POTSIADLO ‘23* Hey Nueva! It’s been a minute since graduation in June, and even though sometimes I look back and feel like those last couple of weeks of senior year could have been yesterday_the final steel drums concert and senior dinner, the ridiculously fun trip to Bonaire and our iconic boat prom_it has also been an eventful few months with a tasteful mix of goodbyes, transitions, and of course unforgettable memories of this exciting time.

I’m at Colorado College, and I’ve loved every second since I moved in at the end of August. During a fall block break, my friends and I went camping at the Great Sand Dunes. I’ve also spent a lot of time doing intramural sports, most recently tearing up the rink during hockey (I still have all my teeth, don’t worry!).

A block I finished in November was Microeconomics, in which I enjoyed a slight advantage thanks to all the economics classes with Patrick (Berger).

Going home over my breaks made me ever the more excited to reunite with everyone once again. Until I am home again, I will be practicing my ping-pong for my fateful return to the Nueva tables, where I will hopefully win a singular point for once. get settled into college.

This past summer, Ian and Nueva classmates, Josh Erlich ’22 and Miles Frank ’22, participated in the GMTK Game Jam 2023, an annual game making marathon where individuals and teams try to make a game that fits a given theme in just 48 hours.

The trio placed in the top 100 out of 7,000 participants.

Ian said, “The three of us are

continuing to work together on game development during the school year.” ¶ Powell Mathewson is a secondyear international political economy major at Pitzer.

During the fall semester, he decided to challenge himself by taking Mandarin classes.

In his free time, he works at the Gold Student Center as a part-time gym attendant, and runs student events over

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SEND IN YOUR BRIEFS: nuevaschool.org/classbriefs See more photos on our MavNet photo album www.nuevaalumni.org/ gallery/albums

NOTE FROM RIYANA SRIHARI ’23* Hi Nueva! I’ve been at Brown for half a year now, and from Sean Kingston concerts and student jazz nights to campus petting zoos and hockey games, I’ve loved my first semester of college so much. Our course system is built around an open curriculum model, where we have no course requirements outside of our major, and I’ve definitely been taking advantage of it.

One of my favorite parts of Brown has been my experience in the Brown Concert Agency (BCA), an organization that puts on our school’s Spring Weekend music festival every year. It has been surreal to explore the music industry, drafting up contracts with Grammynominees and artists featured on my Spotify Wrapped. We’ve hosted everyone from Kendrick Lamar to Vampire Weekend to Mitski, and though I’m sworn to secrecy on who our performers for this year will be, you all should keep an eye out for the lineup release…You might see some familiar faces!

Though impromptu Half Moon Bay beach walks have turned into impromptu longdistance FaceTimes on the walk to class, my Nueva friendships are stronger than ever_and how could they not be, when we shared such unique and incredible experiences over the past four years?

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Cheering on their respective teams, Class of 2023 friends, Riyana Srihari (Brown), Mia Tavares (Harvard), and Serena Saxena (Brown) met up on September 22 at Harvard.

Caltech first-year students Elianna Kondylis ’23 and Cherise Wong ’23 hosted friend Michelle Zhang ’23 (Pomona) for a late September visit to Pasadena.

Eliza Shields ’23 (UMiami) traveled to Harvard to visit classmates Daniel Rosario ’23 and Mia Tavares ’23 over her fall break.

Jackie Minier ’23 hosted a Nueva reunion in Amsterdam with teachers Allen Frost, Claire Yeo, and Sarah Koning over Thanksgiving break.

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the weekends. During the summer of 2023, he attended a study-abroad program at the London School of Economics and reunited with several members of the Class of 2022 who were also attending. ¶ After spending the summer back home in the Bay Area, Ryan Poon is in his second year at Tufts. He is enrolled in the School of Engineering and is majoring in computer science. Outside of class, he works as a teaching assistant for an intro level computer science course. Reflecting on his time at Nueva, he credits taking linear algebra with Jana Comstock as extremely useful in his math classes, particularly using mathematical intuition to understand proofs and abstract ideas. ¶ Sophia Yin is an applied math major at UCLA with a specialization in computing. She is conducting research in a campus lab doing statistical modeling of offgrid cell firings in rat brains. This spring, she has begun working as a UCLA campus tour guide. ¶ Theo Rode is enjoying his second-year classes at Harvey Mudd.

He was nominated by the head of the Mudd math department for a new role to write weekly exemplary solutions for the freshman multivariable calculus class of over 200 students. In addition to his work as a teaching assistant, Theo is in his second year volunteering at Mudd’s Homework Hotline, an on-call tutoring service that provides free academic support for students from elementary through high school.

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2023

Nicole Kleinknecht*

is a first-year student at Southern Methodist University and is immersing herself in exploring the Dallas area. She is the communications chair of the school’s spike ball club, and she has been assisting the campus newspaper with social media digital graphic design. With the return of SMU’s football team, she has embraced her school spirit and traveled with friends to Oklahoma and Fort Worth for road games at the University of Oklahoma and Texas Christian, respectively.

Saturday game days have become one of her favorite aspects of college life because the community bonding is so strong. ¶ An education and psychology major at Tufts, Nathan Liao played a lot of recreational basketball, explored different regions of Boston, and joined the Taiwanese Association of Students at Tufts (TAST).

In the fall, he helped make homemade dumplings for TAST’s annual communal dumpling night, feeding more than 500 community members. ¶ Jackie Minier is studying biological sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She hosted a mini Nueva reunion with teachers Allen Frost, Claire Yeo, and Sarah Koning, who were visiting Europe over Thanksgiving break. ¶ Livi Poon is enjoying his first year at the University of Vermont. Highlights of his first semester were

visiting the university’s dairy farm to play with the baby cows, joining the Student Complexity Research and Pizza Seminar, and exploring the greater Burlington region.

Livi is continuing his research work in college and is loving spending time taking in the Vermont atmosphere. ¶ Daniel Rosario* road-tripped through the Southwest with a group of Class of 2023 friends after graduation, visiting several national parks. He was fortunate to see a lot of his Nueva friends and classmates during Thanksgiving, and has visited them and been visited by them at Harvard over his first semester. ¶ University of Chicago first-year Rohan Sachdev* is enjoying getting to know Chicago, including visits to the iconic Bean, a few history museums, and the city’s farmer’s markets to stock his apartment kitchen. He’s on the debate team and started writing for a political newspaper on campus. ¶ Eliza Shields is a first-year at the University of Miami and is loving living in South Florida. She is majoring in marine biology and ecology, spending a lot of time in the lab and on the water, especially with the year-round sun.

At Miami, she joined the club basketball team and scuba club. Additionally, she is volunteering at Camp Kesem, working with children whose parents have cancer, and the Surfrider Foundation’s student club to engage in environmental action. Eliza spent a lot of her first semester meeting new people, exploring the city, and hanging out on the beach. Over fall break,

B R I E F S

S AV E T H E DAT E S

Alumni Calendar Boston Regional Social Thursday, February 1 New York City Regional Social Saturday, February 3 Chicago Regional Social Saturday, April 6 Alumni Reunion Friday, May 31 Class of 2024 Alumni Induction Ceremony Sunday, June 9

Additional events hosted in the spring and summer will be announced in our monthly alumni newsletter.

she toured the Northeast, visiting Nueva friends at Brown, Connecticut College, and Harvard. She shared, “It was amazing to see how everyone is settling into their new chapters in life.” ¶ Anuj Thakur* is a first-year student at UC Berkeley studying applied mathematics and computer science. This past summer, he was a machine learning engineering intern at Tenyx. ¶ Cherise Wong is a first-year student-athlete at Caltech. She is on the women’s swimming and diving team and competes in the breast stroke.

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← “Painted and Sewn Handmade Books”

E X C L A M AT I O N

P O I N T

“The Remarkable World of Rabbits” →

→ “Artisanal Pizza Making with Luca Lit ’23, Rowan Tarpenning ’23, and Kevin Hwong ’23” ← “Cu-Bop Latin Jazz Ensemble”

→ “Computing Like its the 80’s!”

AN INTELLECTUAL FEAST Intersession serves as a prelude to the spring semester, offering an eclectic blend of activities led by parents, professionals, and students alike.

Hundreds of sessions were offered this year, spanning the arts, athletics and movement, cooking, humanities, environmental citizenship, design thinking, philosophy, business, science, math, and more.

↑ “Hot Glass— Cool Designs” “Car Maintenance with Dan Reid P ’32, ’34” ↘

PHOTO BY CARY WONG

← “Pet Portraits”

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→ “The Science of Baking: The Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Experiment”

“Jungle James” ↓

AT I N R B

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familyfriendly

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friends

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campus tours

Join us at our biggest alumni celebration of the year

FRIDAY, MAY 31 6–8 P.M. San Mateo Campus This family-friendly event will feature food trucks, outdoor lawn games, musical performances, and campus tours. We look forward to welcoming all alumni, parents of alumni, and current and former faculty and staff back home!

At the event, we will recognize all milestone class years ending in 4 or 9 and graduates of our Upper School, as we celebrate 10 years since the opening of the San Mateo campus.

YEARS I

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live music

food trucks lawn games

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT N0. 272 BURLINGAME, CA 94010

131 E. 28th Ave. San Mateo, CA 94403

Perfect 10!

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