The Webb Schools - Head of Schools Report 2016

Webb

the Webb schools

raymond m. Alf museum of paleontology

H E A D

O F

S C H O O L S

REPORT 2016

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From Taylor Stockdale, Head of Schools

and electives such as Entrepreneurship, which utilizes design thinking from Stanford’s d. school. We have also reached out to our neighbors, the Claremont Colleges, where, for example, Webb students enroll in computer science and robotics coursework at Harvey Mudd College.

Teacher Lisa Blomberg’s Advanced Studies in Biotechnology works with University of California, Riverside professors to explore the Genome Project, and students collaborate with health professionals at Western University of Health Sciences in nearby Pomona to further their understanding of anatomy and physiology.

At Webb, we often liken ourselves to a family. Webb students, faculty, and staff create a strong sense of community on campus through intentionally small class sizes, small group advisory, and many traditions such as community dinners, Chapel and more. Visitors often tell us that they are impressed and encouraged by the exceptional sense of community they experience at Webb.

One other reason Webb can feel like a family is we are one!

There are numerous nieces, nephews and cousins of alumni at Webb. This past year, nearly one-third of current students

The new curriculum is also dedicated to helping young minds cultivate creative expression, and advances a broad curriculum that includes a range of language classes, performing and fine arts offerings, athletics, and more.

From students who fashioned a virtual graffiti experience by writing a graffiti painting application, taking apart ordinary spray paint cans, loading them with software, and “spray-painting” onto a digital screen at this year’s LA Times event, to independent study projects that enable students to pursue an individual course of study, Webb’s innovative curriculum is designed to spark critical thinking and deepen multidisciplinary understanding.

had a sibling on campus or was related to a Webb graduate.

There were also 16 alumni legacy students on campus— 13 are the children of graduates and three are the grandchildren of alumni grandparents.

Of course, we are delighted that the Webb experience holds fond memories for our alumni, and that the tradition of that education is held so dearly by them that they entrust the next generation to our care and guidance. But we know that it is far more than rituals and habits that draw our families back to Webb—it is also the quality of learning, and our unbounded approach to education that continually inspires faculty and administration to improve and transform.

As you read through this report of our undertakings and achievements—about our accomplished faculty, distinguished alumni and our thriving student body—it is important to remember that the work we do every day, not just the awards and accolades, reflects our commitment to keep Webb at the forefront of independent education. We remain focused on delivering experiences to our students that will transform them into citizens who have the skills to lead with distinction, honesty and empathy. I hope you enjoy reading the highlights of our year and the activities we continue to work on.

Throughout the past five years, the Webb community has worked to ask, and answer, a central question: what kind of education will best prepare students for life beyond secondary school in a world that is constantly shifting and reshaping itself? The answer to our research has come in a new and innovative curriculum that is interdisciplinary and skill-based, with both a core curriculum and an Advanced Studies component. For example, today we offer courses such as The American Idea and American Society: Past, Present and Future—a two-block American studies program that emphasizes critical thinking and inquiry;

Taylor B. Stockdale, Head of Schools

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95% 10%

College Placement It is a privilege for our College Guidance office to help our students identify college matches that will inspire them to dream, meet their educational needs, and prepare them for the active work of being responsible, involved college students. The class of 2016 enjoyed amazing early admission results in December, and equally impressive outcomes in the spring. 95% of the class of 2016 is attending a college ranked in the top 10% in the nation (based on data from U.S. News & World Report on 1,741 non-profit accredited 4-year colleges and universities in the U.S.). This fall Webb graduates are attending Ivies including Brown, Columbia, Cornell, and Harvard, as well as elite schools such as Emory, Georgetown, Harvey Mudd, Pomona, Stanford and Tufts. Highly popular schools such as NYU admitted 15 Webb seniors, and USC admitted 13. In the University of California system, (perennially ranked highly by various publications—most notably, UC Berkeley and UCLA both ranked top 10 universities worldwide by U.S. News & World Report), Webb students applied and were accepted in record numbers. UCLA, the college with the most applicants in the country (more than 97,000 high school seniors applied for admission this year), admitted 16 Webb seniors.

UCSD admitted 20, and Cal Berkeley admitted 13.

In addition:

OF THE CLASS OF 2016 IS ATTENDING A COLLEGE RANKED IN THE TOP

IN THE NATION

Academics At Webb, we continue to push forward what’s possible in the 21st century classroom. Through a newly designed curriculum and exciting new partnerships with nearby colleges and universities, including the Neil A. Campbell Science Learning Lab at the University of California, Riverside, and research-based courses in connection with institutions like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USC and the Claremont Colleges, students are learning the basic skill sets to find success in college, work and beyond—these are: to be nimble thinkers, strong communicators, and facile learners. Here is a small sampling of the outstanding work our students are performing and the successes they are attaining:

On average, each senior received an acceptance letter from 63% of the schools to which he or she applied.

VWS continued its standing as a top “feeder” school to the country’s most distinguished Women’s Colleges with a more than 20%-on-average matriculation rate over the past 10 years.

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The 2016 National Spanish Exams provided national recognition for Webb students who garnered 139 medals over all levels, including 29 gold, 37 silver, 25 bronze, and 48 honorable mentions. More than 160,000 students nationwide participated in the exams.

29 gold 37 silver 25 bronze 48 honorable mentions

Spanish 2 and 3 students crafted public service announcement videos to help raise awareness of environmental and substance abuse issues.

French 1, 2, 3, and 4/AP students garnered awards at every level—from honorable mention to 1st place—for their readings in French of famous poems at the 4th Annual Poetry Recitation Contest at California State University, Los Angeles.

National Spanish Exams

Aaron Yu ’17 and Emma Qin ’19 qualified for the USA Math Olympiad, a two-day, nine-hour math contest that is the oldest and most prestigious mathematics competition for high schools and middle schools in the country. In Webb’s long history, only one student has previously qualified for this event. In addition, the Math Club competed in both state and national team competitions finishing in the top 3 in California and top 10 in the country.

Faculty Great teachers are great role models, both in and out of the classroom. The faculty at Webb is innovative, collaborative, and committed to students’ intellectual, social, emotional and character development. They also build their own knowledge so they can be better educators—because education does not stop. Webb teachers are continually updating their professional skills, collaborating with peers, and participating in independent school organizations across the nation; they not only procure knowledge of emerging pedagogies and trends, they disseminate the information they’ve gathered through their continued education. Among their achievements this year:

The science department faculty spent many hours developing new, hands-on, inquiry-based courses to supplement traditional programming for the 2016-17 school year, these junior and senior level courses include: Advanced Studies in Anatomy/Physiology, Advanced Studies in Biotechnology, Advanced Studies in Organic Chemistry, Advanced Studies in Experimental Physics (replaces AP Physics 1+2), Biotechnology and Environmental Solutions.

Dr. Theresa Smith, director of academic affairs, and dean of faculty Dr. Tracy Miller presented on “Experiencing Leadership, Building Confidence,” at the Educating Girls Symposium, hosted by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools at Marlborough School in Los Angeles in October 2015.

The Fawcett Library embarked on a collaboration with Bayan Claremont, a graduate school operating since 2011 at Claremont School of Theology that educates American Muslim scholars and religious leaders, to initiate a longterm loan of 174 volumes from Webb’s Mowjood Collection.

In addition, with the support of the Mowjood Endowment, Bayan adjunct professor, Dr. Edina Lekovic, presented at Webb to initiate a dialogue about Islam and countering Islamophobia.

Teacher Sarah Lantz attended the 1st annual ProblemBased Learning Summit at Deerfield Academy, MA, where she was able to collaborate with teachers nationwide, sharing pedagogy, professional experiences and new ideas in problem-based mathematics learning.

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Hector Martinez, director of college guidance, presented at the College Board National Forum in Washington, D.C., along with representatives from Harvard, UCLA, and Philips Andover Academy on the subject of appropriate use of student advocacy with selective colleges entitled: “The Role of Advocacy in College Admissions: Trust, Respect, and Candid Conversations.”

Privilege Symposium by the Bay (a two-day event designed to increase awareness and solidarity for racial justice among educators, leaders, activists and community members by simultaneously challenging concepts of privilege and oppression, and also offering team-building solutions for a more equitable world) in Oakland and San Francisco.

Perry Awards were presented to Jim Dahler, mathematics teacher, who has been at Webb for 28 years, and Wendy Maxon, history teacher, who has 12 years of service to Webb.

Alf Museum collections manager Gabriel Santos was the recipient of two major professional awards: the Marilyn Brown Scholarship from California State University, Fullerton, supporting the final stretch of Santos’ master’s program, and the Outstanding Graduate Poster Presentation from the Geological Society of America’s Cordilleran Section recognizing Santos’ presentation, “Description of the Sedimentology and Taphonomy of the Late Uintan Talega Bonebed from Orange County, California,” related to his graduate work at Fullerton.

Alf

The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology

Alex Valdez served as technical director at Camp Walden in Denmark, Maine, where he designed lights, sets and sound for six musical productions from June through August, and where he learned techniques to teach Webb students about repertory production style.

From its humble beginnings in the basement of Jackson Library to its status now as a fully accredited, world-class museum and collection, the Alf Museum has persisted in its mission to serve as an educational resource, to act as a center of paleontological research, and to be a unique place for Webb students to learn about the history of life, as well as the excitement of exploration and discovery.

This year the Alf Museum continued these traditions with a wealth of discoveries, exciting research contributions, and an outreach program that touched the lives of nearly 6,000 walk-in visitors plus 125 tours for students and staff from 85 schools. Additionally, the Classroom Science Connections Loan Kit program reached 1,240 students from 12 different elementary schools.

Dr. Smith and director of finance, planning and operations Janet Peddy hosted a discussion on “Adapting Facilities to a Changing Curriculum” at the National Association of Independent Schools’ Annual Conference in San Francisco in February.

Ardina Greco, fine arts teacher, completed her doctorate degree in Art and Art Education from Teacher’s College, Columbia University.

English and humanities department chair Andy Dahlstrom utilized the stipend from his Jean E. Miller Award to travel to Europe for the first time in 10 years. He also attended (along with Dr. Tracy Miller) the Independent School Experiential Education Network conference, hosted by the Honolulu schools, Iolani and Punahou, and the White

And, finally the Alf’s global reach extended to Tokyo, Japan, where “Dinosaur Joe,” the Alf’s baby duck-billed dinosaur skeleton was displayed at the National Museum of Nature and Science—more than 1,000,000 people viewed the display as exhibitions continued in Osaka and Kitakyushu.

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Athletics Win or lose, the Webb athletic program employs sports to teach life lessons that will help our students be successful academically, socially, and as contributing members of society—a 2014 paper by Cornell professor Kevin M. Kniffin in the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies reported that “people automatically think of former athletes as more likely to have a whole range of traits that companies love; and that those traits seem to persist and pay off over a whole career.” The year 2015-16 will be remembered for outstanding individual and team achievements by Webb athletes:

WALK-IN VISITORS

TOURS FROM SCHOOLS

League Championships WSC & VWS Cross Country

In addition: Seven students in the Advanced Studies in Paleontology course attended the 75th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, an international conference in Dallas, Texas, to present their research projects to the 2,000 paleontologists in attendance.

• WSC – back-to-back league champions • VWS – first league title since 1991

VWS Tennis • 2nd consecutive undefeated championship season

WSC Tennis

An extremely rare pterosaur skeleton (flying reptile) was uncovered by Dr. Andy Farke, Augustyn Family Curator and Director of Research and Collections at Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah.

• 2nd consecutive undefeated championship season

WSC Water Polo WSC Basketball VWS Softball

• 2nd consecutive year

Gabe Santos became the museum’s first ever collections manager and is leading a long-term effort to improve access to the museum’s world renowned collections so they can be used more effectively by scientists and educators worldwide.

19 of 23 teams qualified

The 23rd Annual Peccary Society Dinner featured presentation of the inaugural Alf Award to Dr. Kent Smith from Oklahoma State University. The national award honors a paleontologist who exhibits excellence in both scientific research and education at the secondary school level, like museum founder Dr. Raymond Alf.

athletes received All-League

for CIF playoffs, 106 Webb designation and six were

The Argentina Peccary Trip group visited numerous natural history and paleontology sites and enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour at the Museo Paleontologico Egidio Feruglio where they viewed bones of the largest dinosaur ever uncovered.

honored All-CIF.

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League MVPs & Champions • Raphael Huang ’17

League MVP WSC cross country • Kelli Henry ’18 League Champion VWS high jump • Jeffrey Ran ’18 League Champion WSC pole vault • Rylie Brick ’19 League Champion VWS

100 breaststroke • Richard Parnell ’16 League MVP WSC swimming

League Champion 200 freestyle

& 100 butterfly • Brandon Fang ’17, Euson Hui ’18, Richard Parnell ’16, David Albers ’16 League Champion WSC

200 medley relay • David Albers ’16 League MVP WSC water polo • Euson Hui ’18 League Champion WSC

100 breast stroke • Deepak Tummala ’17 League Champion WSC tennis • Hailey Arteaga ’16 League MVP and All-CIF softball • Josh Logan ’17, Justin Olivares ’16, Will Martinez ’16, Andy Christiansen ’17 and Ben Chai ’19 were each League Champions in their respective weight classifications in wrestling.

The VWS Soccer team became the first-ever Vivian Webb team to reach a CIF Final and qualified for the state regional tournament. McKenna Lamb ’16, Kim Austin ’17 and Dylan Wensley ’17 were named All-CIF. WSC Water polo players David Albers ’16 and Mitchell Fargo ’17 were named All-CIF.

Arts Art, music and theater at The Webb Schools enhance the rigorous academic program. In the classroom, and beyond, Webb students have many opportunities to experience the arts, from staged productions to mural painting to instrumental music and experimental dance. Webb is also fortunate to welcome to campus throughout the year visiting artists and guest lecturers from all disciplines.

And the schools’ proximity to Los Angeles makes it easy for students to access world class museums, theaters and concert venues—for example, last November, fine arts teachers Linda Silva and Stefanie Hamlyn took a group of students to the Ahmanson Theater to see Jeff Goldblum in Seminar. Webb’s innovative arts spaces provide the room and the technology for students to explore a myriad of artistic expression, for example:

In addition: This year’s swimmers scored six new school records for the girls and three for the boys: • VWS freshman Rylie Brick ’19 now holds the school record in the 200 individual medley 100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke • Lindsay Jung ’19 holds the school record in the 500 freestyle • New records were also set in the relays with the team of Brick ’19, Allison Lilley ’19, Berne Malekow ’17 and Emily Chu ’17 breaking the record in the 200 medley.

• Chu ’17, Lilley ’19, Brick ’19 and Jung ’19 now hold the school record in the 200 freestyle • WSC senior Richard Parnell ’16 now holds the school record in the 100 freestyle and as part of the relay teams in the 200 medley, along with Brandon Fang ’17, Euson Hui ’18 and David Albers ’16 and in the 200 freestyle with Hui ’18, Albers ’16 and Mitchell Fargo ’17.

For the first time ever, Webb students will pursue degrees in technical theater in college, and perhaps even beyond—Curtis Scheu ’16 is attending the University of Redlands majoring in Production Design; Katelyn Pi ’16 is attending Pepperdine University majoring in Theater Media Production; and Keely Marquez ’16 is attending Emerson College majoring in Stage Management.

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Community

The Winter Dance Show, Prolegomena, was the first production to be entirely student-designed. Under Michael Szanyi’s direction, the dance program has grown, and Prolegomena demonstrated the depth and richness of the development.

At Webb, each student learns to be a valued member of the community along with learning to value all other members of the community—through activities, clubs, trips, and more, each student has occasions to be a leader, to learn how to be a “team” player, and to learn to live in, and contribute to, a global society. We are proud of our diverse and global communities of students and faculty, and of their wide-ranging interests and pursuits. Here is just a sampling of this year’s opportunities and endeavors:

Andy Street (P Jordan Street ’16), acclaimed composer, conductor and pianist composed two Shakespeare settings for the Chamber Singers. Street’s career ranges from composing music for Strawberry Shortcake to American Idol to a new musical about Marilyn Monroe. Webb premiered his Ariel Songs at the Spring Concert.

In the interest of encouraging an informed electorate, the Debate Team hosted a Webb Open Primary Election where the community—faculty, staff, and students— voted for their presidential choices.

Linda Silva, director of instrumental music, and faculty member Kyle Champion took Webb instrumental musicians to a recording workshop at Disneyland where they spent a couple of hours reading through various short snippets of music from Disney films or promo videos, and then promptly performed it to track (recorded it to film). The result was a new insight for students as to how music for the movies is written, recorded and then synced with the film.

For the first time ever, Webb students—Rachel Kho ’19 and Catherine Tanidjaja ’19—competed against 560 participants in Oratorical Interpretation statewide.

Tanidjaja finished 12th (a rare feat for a freshman) and Kho took 33rd place. They also made the final round of the National Catholic Forensic League qualifier, finishing 4th and 6th.

Student artists also designed software for the Oculus Rift (a virtually reality system), under Jonathan Capone’s mentorship and utilizing the fully equipped digital arts studio.

Eight very skilled Webb Debate teams competed in the league championship against highly qualified teams from 10 peer schools and finished in 2nd place both for overall wins and for winning percentage.

Despite retirement from the classroom, Steve Sittig kept up the Observatory and hosted several Open Observatory nights with students able to gaze through the Celestron-14 in the dome as well as the Astrola 10-inch that Head Emerita Susan Nelson discovered many years ago in an estate shop in Pasadena. Refurbished, it is permanently mounted outside the dome and is well-suited for lunar and planetary observing. Sittig also joined the freshmen VWS and WSC Peccary trips to Owl Canyon campground, setting up a suite of scopes in the evenings, including the beloved Mira, the 24-inch trailered scope that has been a Webb favorite for almost 40 years.

Several Webb visual artists were represented in a show at the Barnsdall Art Park in Los Angeles; works

by Vivian Jia ’18, Doris Wang ’18, Leo Zhang ’17, Victoria Castro ’18, April Bi ’18, and Annabel Lam ’17 were on display with Zhang and Castro bringing home honorable mention accolades for their efforts.

The Webb Robotics program fielded two teams of 12 students each who successfully competed in Monrovia, Palm Desert, and twice in Las Vegas; both teams were members of winning and runner-up alliances over the course of the competition season.

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Kevin Li ’16, Simon Zhang ’17, Patrick Kidwell ’17 and Nicholas Dodds ’17, participated in the Southern California Robotics Symposium at UC San Diego.

The symposium gathered roboticists from around Southern California and the Southwest with the goals of presenting and discussing cutting-edge research in the field of robotics and building community between researchers in academia, industry and entrepreneurial communities. Participants came from colleges and universities including USC, UCLA, Caltech and Harvey Mudd College, as well as from industry leaders like NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Space X. The Webb students presented a poster titled “Robotics FIRST, What’s second?” alongside Professor Zachary Dodds from Harvey Mudd College; the poster and presentation were named one of the top three of the symposium.

TOYS

$4,228 RAISED The VWS and WSC Dorm Councils led the most successful toy drive in Webb history – collecting more than 280 toys and $4,228 to give to three local charities.

school breaks as an extension of the academic program.

The goal is to provide student travelers with defining experiences which help them expand their world views, promote unbounded thinking, global fluency, and global citizenship through field study, cultural exploration, language immersion, and community service. More than 20% of students participated in the trips which included:

A new Student Information System was adopted to help provide a more up-to-date, web-based system for enrollment, registration and scheduling, and academic record keeping.

Mark Dzula joined the journalism program as faculty advisor; new this year: The Webb Canyon Chronicle went electronic on its own website, www.webbcanyonchronicle. com; in addition to the four issues in print, several issues were published entirely online. Students also created podcasts and videos as a means of conveying news and information.

Culture and Community in Cuba with Peter Bartlett and Mark Dzula, •

•

College Tour with Anthony Shin and Adriana Flores,

• Science, Culture and Mythology Field Study in Belize with John Lawrence and Jessie Atterholt.

• Camino de Santiago, Spain, with Sonsoles Cardalliaguet and Andres Roblero during which students attended a Spanish Language and Culture program at the University

of Santiago and lived with host families in the area; the group then walked part of “El camino de Santiago” a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.

Webb hosted its first annual film festival and featured an Art Cafe during Jubilee on May 20.

Home basketball games and several soccer games were broadcast live over KWEB. ASB hosted LA Times (formerly known as International Night) with each group within the ASB Afternoon Leadership building their own food trucks and serving meals. Trucks included Hawaiian, BBQ, Asian buns, desserts, and street tacos. A live student band performed and parents helped with the building and creation of each restaurant; several parents coached groups of students on cultural dances representing many different countries and costumes.

The Webb community bade a fond farewell to several longtime “family” members—Jose Guzman retired as groundskeeper after nearly 38 years of service; Susan Lacroix, registrar, retired after 30 years of making sure students got the right classes and credits; and Leo and Stevie Marshall retired after 15 years of welcoming new students and their families to Webb.

They will be missed by all.

Domestic and international trips were offered during

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The 2015 reunion classes raised more than $322,000 in support of financial aid and The Webb Fund.

Class of 2010 set a new attendance record for a 5-year reunion with 41 alumni, and Class of 2000 had the second most donors for a 15-year reunion with 25 making gifts.

Parents Parents play a vital role in the Webb community by promoting school spirit, supporting student activities, encouraging volunteerism, raising funds for new programs and educational initiatives, and, through The Affiliates of The Webb Schools, providing a forum for parents to discuss issues of importance—from student well-being to the latest trends in homework. The Affiliates activities for the year were wide-ranging and productive, and parents volunteered in record numbers to support Orientation, Parents Weekend, the Benefit, student events and more: Last August, the Affiliates hosted the on-campus Welcome Back luncheon for faculty and staff as well as the New Parent Tea during Orientation. Many members of the Affiliates board attended the tea to help welcome new families to Webb and encourage them to meet other new parents as well as share with them ways to become involved with activities on campus.

Stewardship At Webb, we approach our development goals in much the same way that we seek to educate our students— with a view that takes into account the whole community and possibilities for growth and improvement. In what was once again a banner year, and a testament to the commitment and conviction of our families, alumni and friends, 2015-16 saw more than $5.88 million committed to Webb by our generous community. Of this, $1.64 million was raised for The Webb Fund, supporting the schools’ greatest areas of need. Donor involvement remained strong with 31% alumni and 76% parent participation.

We continue to be appreciative of these and the many other contributions:

Parents Weekend experienced record attendance as parents spent the day visiting classes with their students, meeting with advisors, attending athletic and fine arts events and the Perry Awards. Following a busy day, parents gathered on the lower field to participate in the Affiliates Parents Weekend Benefit.

Led by co-chairs Denise Guntert P ’18 and Lisa Albert P ’15 and ’17, “Together at Webb” was the largest Affiliates benefit to date, enjoyed by more than 350 parents and friends. The event grossed more than $200,000 with proceeds supporting The Affiliates Fund for Teacher Development, financial aid, and other activities and needs.

The 4th annual March Madness Webb Fund Challenge set new records with 237 donors making 343 gifts totaling more than $141,000 during the six weeks of the competition. This year’s champion was the Class of 2004, with 1967 and 2008 finishing second and third respectively.

Thank you to volunteers Will Habos ’04, Stephanie Ho ’04, Fletcher Strickler ’67, and Lexus Beaman ’08 for leading a successful campaign, and to all alumni who participated.

Parents teamed-up with Webb’s counseling office to bring health education speakers to campus with a goal of providing students and parents with information and language to have constructive conversations.

Membership in The Hastings Society for consecutive donors continued to grow, with 877 donors recognized for giving for three or more years in a row; the Webb15 young alumni donors also outpaced previous years’ numbers with 320 donors in 2015-16, 61 more than in 2014-15.

Jenny Kong P ’15 & ’18, president of the Affiliates led the appreciation dinner on May 10, to thank all parents for their support throughout the year. She estimated parents contributed over 500 volunteer hours during the school year.

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Funding for several major capital projects was completed this year: $2.2 million for a major renovation of Hooper Student Center into a modern community hub with a café, offices and meeting rooms, and recreational facilities; two new duplexes will be added for faculty housing holding four faculty families, a $2.1 million project; plus a major upgrade of the technology infrastructure including expanded broadband service—a project totaling $500,000.

The Alumni Council, led by president Rahmi Mowjood ’90, continued its archival work with The Centennial Oral History Project and Teachers of Webb survey. The committee has recorded a total of 35 video interviews with alumni and former faculty.

The Women of Webb affinity group hosted a gathering on June 2, featuring guest speaker Julia Marciari-Alexander ’85, executive director of The Walters Museum in Baltimore.

The event took place at Spring, a new restaurant owned and operated by Yassmin Sarmadi ’87 in downtown Los Angeles.

There were four new endowed scholarship funds established, one new endowed faculty fund, and one new endowed student activity fund (new funds totaling $400,000) in addition to gifts that were added to existing funds.

The Webb@Work program, now in its fourth year, has helped secure a total of 50 internships or shadow days for young alumni in college, and the Alumni Office has fielded more than 300 networking inquiries to help bring alumni together through shared business and regional interests.

There were seven newly documented estate gifts and dozens of inquiries about planned giving through the schools’ new website and print publications. Webb also received proceeds from two bequests this year, one of which totaled more than $1.25 million for faculty support.

Recipients of the 2015 Alumni Awards, presented during Alumni Weekend, included Louis Mayberg ’80, Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award; Dick Lynas ’55, Colborn Distinguished Service Award; and Micol “Mimi” Issa ’05, Young Alumni Rising Star Award.

Alumni With a national and international network spanning the entire United States and a host of different countries, Webb alumni are always there to support one another as peers, advisors, mentors, and friends. When you graduate from Webb, you join a diverse, entrepreneurial, leadershiporiented community—a community you can always call your own. The continued involvement of Webb alumni is evident in the fact that last year alone, alumni gathered at more than 40 events—both on campus, and around the globe—to enjoy a host of opportunities:

During Sophomore Career Evening and Unbounded Days, 18 alumni met with current students either on campus or at their offices to share their professional expertise and offer mentorship.

The Webb alumni community grew to more than 4,400 members (70% WSC alumni and 30% VWS alumnae).

Webb hosted events in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, Washington, DC, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul. During Alumni Weekend, alumni from Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, England and 17 different states returned to campus.

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Webb

the Webb schools

raymond m. Alf museum of paleontology