TJ Review 2021-2022

TJ REVIEW 2021-2022

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The TJ Review Table of Contents

MISSION STATEMENT Thomas Jefferson School engages its students in the education necessary to live as responsible citizens of the world. Through the strongest possible college-preparatory program and within a nurturing community, students develop a responsibility for their own learning and a desire to lift up the world with beauty and intellect.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT Thomas Jefferson School is committed to

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LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL GRADUATION PARENT PERSPECTIVE STUDENT LIFE PHOTOS INSIDE THE CLASSROOM 6 Earth Science 7 AP English 18-19 A REVIEW OF THE HELPER 20 LETTER FROM BOARD PRESIDENT 21 WELCOME TO TJ 22-23 ALUMNI UPDATES 24-25 KAREN’S RETIREMENT 26 REMEMBERING SKIP SAYERS 27-30 ANNUAL GIVING 31 WAIT BY SHILOH BYERS Winner of 2021-2022 TJ Poetry Competition

THOMAS JEFFERSON SCHOOL MAGAZINE FALL 2022 ISSUE

building and sustaining a community rooted

EDITORIAL TEAM

in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Liz Lee, Director of Development

These values, which are central to our mission, fundamentally inform and shape student learning, achievement, and preparedness for life. Our school seeks to provide the strongest possible college-preparatory program within an international, multicultural community.

We strive to embrace multiple perspectives, encourage critical thinking, and develop and nurture courageous, empathetic individuals at all levels. A TJ education aims to provide students with resources and inspiration to better their communities.

Ashley Troutman, Communications Coordinator CREATIVE & ART DIRECTION

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION TEAM Head of School Matthew Troutman Associate Head of School Jane Roth Business Officer Ariana Naqellari

Brad Glotfelty, BradAlan.co

Director of College Counseling Eric Steere

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Director of Development Liz Lee

Jimmy Holloran Heidi Pieroni Boaz Roth Lucinda Santiago

Director of Enrollment Jennifer Kott

Jimmy Holloran, Board President Chino Kim ‘86, Vice President Mary Karr P’06, Treasurer Henry Agbo ‘05 Erica Briscoe Joanna Eagan David German ‘04 Sukjae Han ‘11 Lucinda Santiago P’22 Matthew Troutman , Head of School Irving Williamson ‘61

Director of Facilities Toby Turnbough

Eric Steere Matthew Troutman PHOTOGRAPHY Yana Hotter 2 | T H E TJ R E V I E W

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

COVER ART BY TINA ZHU ‘25

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this magazine and annual report.

Please accept our apologies for any errors or omissions and report them to Liz Lee at 314-843-4151 ext.2342 or llee@tjs.org

Letter from Head of School Dear TJ Community, If each year is like a chapter in a story, then the past few chapters have been page-turners. Filled with action and activity, we haven’t been able to put down our book for three years. Now, it’s time to reflect on how the recent story has impacted us and what we want to learn from it. We should celebrate what we have accomplished and build excitement and anticipation for what is yet to come.

This summer, TJ needed to acknowledge a dark part of our school’s history with abuse by our first Head. Despite the news, our community showcased compassion, empathy, and resilience. We are who we are because of our stories—both good and bad—and we must always learn and grow from our history. After all, we ask our students to grow every day; we should embody the ideals we hope to impart to them.

We began last year by identifying two themes: joy and belonging. These words found their way into assemblies, classrooms, clubs, board meetings, and nearly every moment the TJ community gathered. As a brief example, student “shout-outs” to celebrate someone bringing joy to the community were a part of each week’s assembly. As Covid dominated less and less of our attention last year, the themes of joy and belonging represented what we as a TJ community needed after years of isolation and anxiety. Fittingly, in an unprecedented addition to graduation, one senior gave a speech that perfectly embodied these ideals. Willow’s sincere and heartfelt comments remain as one of my proudest moments of being a part of this community.

In addition to reflection, the 2021–2022 school year brought much to celebrate as we reemerge into something that feels more like familiar school life. Students continued to succeed in and out of the classroom, and the world is taking notice. One can look at impressive enrollment for this year, or our college placements over the past two. It’s clear that TJ students are “in demand” at this time. Truly, we are emerging as a leader in education. Our school’s reputation highlights our academics and community, of course, but also that we can be innovative, unique, and special.

As I tell students when learning astronomy: every analogy has its limits, and every analogy fails to explain all components. An analogy of every year being its own chapter in a longer story falls apart when thinking about the individuals involved. In real life, all endings and all beginnings are intertwined. Separating the two is impossible. The story of one senior’s TJ career coming to a close may also coincide with a seventh-grade student’s beginning their own story at TJ. Each year represents some conclusion and some beginning. While my tenure at TJ is coming to an end, I’m definitely a “subscriber” to see how TJ’s next stories evolve. What appears to be an ending is just another story’s beginning.

Our mission acts as a narrator to provide a throughline between our stories. TJ is a place where students are seen, are known, and are valued. Within this incredibly supportive community, our students find out who they can become as they move through our program. Our alumni are successful in an incredibly diverse number of fields, and they all share a common vision: to lift up the world with beauty and intellect.

In lifelong pursuit of ἡ ἀρετή,

Dr. T

Matt Troutman, Ph.D. Head of School

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Class of 2022 Commencement PRESENTATION OF DIPLOMAS Compiled and presented by Dr. Matthew Troutman, Head of School Rather than try to summarize the experience of 17 unique individuals in narrative form, I’ve decided to continue the tradition I started last year in creating “a verbal slideshow” for each of you.

I’m aiming to reveal facets of your authentic selves through the words of the people who know you best: you, your parents, your advisors, your teachers. The good thing about TJ is we write a lot, so there is a lot of material from which to draw. These are intended to be snapshots, vignettes, polaroid pictures that illuminate what we appreciate most about each of you.

When you think about someone, you don’t often remember a narrative arc. You remember a feeling, an image, snippets of sound from a shared conversation. Seniors, you haven’t crossed the stage yet, but I hope to create the effect of memory by reflecting back to you what we will remember about you.

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MAYA ALBANO MACALESTER COLLEGE While I can’t wait to teach her again, I also can’t wait to witness the kind of leader Maya grows into; her combination of assertiveness, empathy, and organization will take her far!

[From Maya] My teammates describe me as very charismatic/ my classmates think of me as a leader and peace keeper of our grade. My parents think that I’m very driven to succeed and sometimes I procrastinate with my homework. Also, my mom thinks that I always take the side of the oppressed and will fight to give justice to the downtrodden.

Maya Albano is a sparkplug who motivates her peers in and out of the classroom. She is one of the most enthusiastic students and a class leader.

ALDEN AUDET UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Alden, you have shown raw talent as a writer, composing with a clear, literary style that intuitively incorporates rhythm and pacing, and an entirely palpable love of language. It is tempting to compare your writing style to your piano playing—and to the jazz idiom more specifically. His gifts as a writer are truly remarkable.

Alden has always had a sort of “zen” personality. He goes with the flow and does not operate with a desire to compete with others. Imagine a powerhouse student whose top passions are jazz piano and downhill mountain-bike racing. A student precise but daring, improvisational but careful, exuberant but confident.

ZYAIRE DAVIS POMONA COLLEGE From their writing to their photography to their detailed homework assignments, I don’t think Zyaire has an area of weakness. Their excitement about learning is evident.

These past years of learning with Zyaire have been nothing short of a treasure for us. Zyaire lives TJ’s mission to “lift up the world with beauty and intellect,” making TJ a better place.

As the head of the Equality Club, Zyaire organized and led school-wide weekly discussion groups and movie viewing.

They were also selected to represent TJ at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools. They were truly transformed by their participation and provided even more ideas for the Board of Trustees to consider for the school. Rarely have I seen a student make such an impact on so many constituencies at our school.

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ELLA DENTINGER AMERICAN UNIVERSITY Senior admits are exceedingly rare in the history of Thomas Jefferson School (TJ)–considered only in the most exceptional of cases. “Exceptional” is an apt word to describe Ella. Insightful, brave, and determined this young woman carved out a home here at TJ in a matter of months.

Let’s review your position as we head into the final few months of your senior year at TJ. You gained admission to your firstchoice college, finished the quarter cum laude for your efforts in the classroom, initiated an independent study in ceramics, and picked up friends and fans across the community along the way.

SIMONE HOTTER BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY Simone possesses one of the most analytically rigorous minds I’ve come across Simone’s natural ability is indeed apparent, but it’s her combination of drive, organization, and an understanding of her own learning process that is truly impressive.

Your prose packs a punch—economical, witty (and, often irreverent)—and consistently demonstrates a depth of engagement with the themes you are drawing out.

Simone applied her strengths to combat her weaknesses and demonstrated to me that no matter the challenge, she is built to succeed.

FINN JUNG ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY While it’s true that we learn a great deal about our students from their reactions to adversity, I believe we learn just as much from watching them pursue what inspires them. What I’ve learned about Finn is that he is capable of uncommon diligence, curiosity, and camaraderie—characteristics that make him a genuine joy to teach and an ideal student From Finn himself: TJ has taught me two things: it helped me develop my interest in the STEM area, and it also “awakened” my artistic ability in literature and music. My goal in college is to find a way to combine those two areas.

I’ve shared classes with many students over the decades teaching, but I don’t think I’ve met anyone with such singleminded devotion like Finn.

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CARSON KIZER FREED-HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY Carson was put on Earth for many reasons, but certainly one of them was to become a TJ student.

Of all the students I’ve worked with at TJ, Carson’s style of written homework stands out. Carson’s written work is wonderfully narrative: recounting initial reactions and the occasional dead end, providing context for correct answers, and even objectively calling out results he himself found suspicious.

Reviewing Carson’s work is like having a conversation, almost two-sided in its effect.

Not a day goes by without Carson impressing his teachers and his peers with his thoughtful nature and keen insights. They have become a hallmark of his interactions both in and out of class.

LIAM LUVAI UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Liam has solidified his role in class as everyone’s “hype-man,” cheering on and encouraging everyone, even if they don’t feel great about the problems they’ve been asked to answer.

Liam is an intensely intelligent young man. He’s quick to see (and then usually make) a joke, and he’s able to contribute to every discussion.

Pointing at the player, he gushed that this kid could do it all on the court but was the only one speaking up during every drill, the only one to dive for loose balls on the floor, and was the only one sacrificing his personal success for the needs of the team. That kid—he insisted—was a winner. Then he asked me the player’s name and what he is like away from basketball. I responded that his name is Liam Luvai, and he is indeed a winner.

BRIAN NANTON BARD COLLEGE One lesser known saying, found in a letter to Peter Carr, has stuck with me for some time: “...an honest heart being the first blessing, a knowing head is the second.” These words are an aspirational ideal; they also perfectly capture Brian Nanton.

He has a top notch mind, an unassailable work ethic, and an aura of affection matched by none.

This so clearly reflects the young man I have come to know: someone who has high standards for himself, who will never stop growing, who relishes challenge and growth.

Indeed, every single one of his teachers, since he walked through our doors in 7th grade, counts themselves lucky to have had Brian in their classroom.

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AMELIA QIRICI ST. OLAF COLLEGE Amelia is on fire. She’s an active participant in class, always ready to venture an answer to a question or pose one of her own.

One quality that is particularly endearing is that she is willing to be wrong, and her willingness to take risks in class, to think outside the box, and to make analytical gambits on her own improves everyone’s class experience.

Your teachers’ comments make it clear that you continue to make your presence felt and your voice heard. That voice, and your leadership, by the way, are central to Mock Trial’s making it to the state championship—and, of course, your—unprecedented success.

In addition to Amelia being an excellent student of English, she’s an equally excellent human being filled with great compassiion for others. This is what we mean by ἀρετή.

CIARÁN SANTIAGO UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA I have never met a student that is as focused, introspective, and thoughtful as Ciaran. He genuinely cares about TJ and our community.

Ciaran is indeed a natural leader. He not only enjoys the material, but he also relishes sharing his ideas and organizing the efforts of his peers.

Class wouldn’t be the same without Ciaran. For one thing, the students would be left with only one teacher.

It has been nothing short of an honor to learn together with Ciaran the past half decade.

LOYD STOHLER CARLETON COLLEGE Lloyd has an active mind and a keen sense of the absurd, both important attributes when studying early English Literature. His creativity and curiosity impressed me every day.

Lloyd is certainly not alone in having both a healthy curiosity and an enviable ability to provide easy explanations for difficult things. What makes him unique, however, is the pure energy he brings to a classroom. The classroom is the natural habitat for Lloyd.

At a time in their lives when many students are busy sorting out who they are and what direction they want to go in the future, Lloyd Stohler stands out with his remarkable understanding of [himself].

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XINE STRAKA ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE IN ANNAPOLIS She is naturally gifted but also does what it takes to foster her gifts, pushing herself to make the most of nightly assignments and discussion. Truly, it feels like she has been at TJ all along From the first day she sauntered into the classroom, Xine has been an active and vibrant participant in class discussion. To my ears, it’s as if she’s been with us from day one. The courage it takes to step into a situation of this sort is beyond anything I can muster; I’ve certainly learned a great deal about Xine’s character already.

Thank you for sharing your joy and your fierce passion with all of us.

JONATHAN TEAGAN ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE IN ANNAPOLIS What are Jonathan’s strengths? Intelligence, analytical thinking, strong work ethic, strong moral code, and an interest in helping others.

He continues to broaden the perspectives of his classmates—as well as me—with details and facts rarely known by someone his age. Jonathan loves pouring through the intimate details of every conflict involving the U.S. and while fluent in the American Revolution and the World Wars, Jonathan’s real passion is Civil War history. In fact, he devotes his free time to producing a YouTube channel on the U.S. Civil War week-by-week.

Intelligent and witty, with just a touch of sarcasm, Jonathan is going to make a fantastic student and member of a college community.

AARON YANG BOSTON COLLEGE Aaron Yang is the best kind of serious student. His academic and extracurricular success is outstanding… It’s learning itself that absorbs him. I’ve come to respect, admire, and at times even depend on the uncommon blend of gravity and joyfulness he brings to the classroom.

Aaron, your imprint can be found throughout TJ. Your leadership as STUCO President and Boarding Council continues to be seen and appreciated. You look for opportunities to serve and improve the experiences of everyone on campus, even when you aren’t on campus.

Undaunted. Driven. Intellectually adventurous. Thank you for giving it your best at TJ. You are as amazing a person as you are a scholar.

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LANDY ZHOU UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (UK) I thought I had stumped you on one assignment, but then you correctly pointed out my error which I had to correct. That is why I have so enjoyed teaching you: you keep forcing me to improve at teaching.

I believe something that contributes to Landy’s success is the fact that she simply sees herself as capable of whatever she sets her mind to. She doesn’t question it. This means that whatever obstacle she meets is just that—an obstacle, and she can get over it with a little extra hard work or help from a friend or teacher.

And she does it all with a “wicked sense of humor,” What Europe was to Alexander the Great, so has high school been to Landy Zhou.

While every student is unique, there’s truly no one like Landy.

CONDER WANG

(NOT PICTURED)

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY Conder is in many ways an enigma: an introvert who also serves as leader in three of our clubs–Math Club, Coding Club, and our award winning Robotics Team; a person who keeps to herself yet is sought-after and respected by her classmates, and a nononsense analytic thinker with highly developed artistic talents and an incredible sense-of-humor. Conder is animated by an intellectual curiosity and passion for science that is so essential that her very being seems to vibrate with its intensity.

Conder is the consummate academic—talented, driven, passionate, and with an insatiable intellectual appetite. She brings vitality to our academic community, and a remarkable wit to boot.

Fun Facts Collectively, the Class of 2022 was awarded over $3.2 million in scholarships, and 59% of students were admitted to their first-choice college.

This outstanding class includes a Cook College Scholar, a QuestBridge Scholar, two National Merit Finalists, and one National Merit Scholar.

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A Parent Perspective

by Lucinda Santiago P’22

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hen the Head of School at New City School asked me if we were considering Thomas Jefferson School for our son, honestly, I didn’t know what he was talking about. Ciaran was in fourth grade at that juncture, and we’d only considered the next step for him in the vaguest manner. By sixth grade, friends were already discussing where they hoped their children would attend school and we also began to wonder where our son would thrive.

Ciaran Santiago ‘22

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As is so often the case, once I knew there was a school called Thomas Jefferson, I began running into people who had attended or who had siblings who’d attended. The more I heard about the education TJ was committed to, the more curious I became. St Louis is blessed with a

wide selection of excellent schools (at all grade levels). It isn’t an easy task to navigate the options. After open houses, presentations at his primary school, lots of conversations with friends, co-workers and teachers; ultimately, Ciaran whittled his list down to three schools he wanted to visit for a day. Thomas Jefferson School was the third school he visited. I drove him to school and was invited to observe a class with him, then he went along with kids on his own, while a senior toured me around the school, and I had the opportunity to talk with teachers.

Frankly, I was blown away. The young woman who toured me was so incredibly well spoken—and clearly smart. Teachers described syllabi that were closer to those I had as a college student than as a high school

student. I observed a discussion among seniors comparing Richard Wright’s Black Boy to the experiences of African-Americans protesting in Ferguson. I attended a public school with about 500 kids in my grade; TJ was a departure. I would not have chosen TJ for myself. There’s no orchestra (pivotal to my attending school at all), and it would not have been easy for me to fly under the radar as I did with several of my academic pursuits. I attended a much smaller college, so I now appreciate the benefits of a smaller community in an academic setting. TJ attracts a more mature student who is willing to take risks academically to grow in a meaningful way. That wasn’t me in high school.

At the end of our visit day, I was somewhat overwhelmed with what I’d seen at TJ. Ciaran emerged from Main Building with a smile ear to ear. We got into the car, and I said, “Listen, I know you want to talk about this, but I’ve got a little mental overload, and I need a couple minutes.” We began to drive out of the school grounds and managed to get all the way to the tennis courts before Ciaran said, “Mom, I know you’re not ready to talk about it, but I just want you to know, I think I’ve found my people.” This confirmed two things: looking for a school is not about the parent but about the kid, and—in the right setting—a kid will

thrive.

problem with that (no place is perfect).

Ciaran graduated from TJ last year. I will not say that his journey was without bumps in the road, but he loved his six years there. Because TJ is small, that allows teachers flexibility to teach to a person rather than to a class. When he struggled, there was support. They kept him challenged throughout. The shorter class length and expectation for students to remain engaged with topics outside of the school day were key to Ciaran’s success. He’s a driven sort of kid who enjoys (and needs) an intense learning atmosphere. He loved the small size; he loved the fast pace; he loved the focus, the workload, and the independence.

What is clear to me at the end of Ciaran’s TJ journey is that, without exception, every student who graduates from Thomas Jefferson has been equipped to thrive intellectually and academically wherever they go next. They are curious and confident, they are worldly, and they have the tools to thrive.

Occasionally, a parent will call me when their child is interested in TJ. Of course, they want to know the nuts and bolts of the school, which I can, without hesitation, say are amazing. Nope, their basketball team has not won state, and nope, your kid will not receive a computer to use their first day. Yes, there is a dress code, and yes, Fridays are even more formal attire. No, there is not a STEM building, nor is there a formal library. Yes, roughly half of the students in the Upper School are boarders. Yes, your kid will learn Latin and Ancient Greek and either Italian or French, and yes, my Puerto Rican husband had a

Last year, as Ciaran graduated, I was honored to be asked to join the Board of Trustees.

Looking to the future, Thomas Jefferson School faces some very exciting challenges.

It has been a difficult period for everyone as the pandemic put so many hopes and dreams on hold. As all of us begin to move forward toward resuming a semblance of normalcy, Thomas Jefferson School will also resume opportunities for the full community—parents, past and present students, faculty and administration, friends of the institution—to come together. Building a strong future for Thomas Jefferson that will enable the school to continue a tradition of excellence in education working to meet the demands of a changing education landscape is an exciting challenge. I couldn’t be more excited to play a role helping TJ continue to do what it already does so well.

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Student Life 2021 - 2022

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Earth Science Written by Heidi Pieroni

We really focused on the environmental science part of the class this year.

A huge part of the second quarter as we learned about the water cycle was the students’ rainscaping grants. They learned about problems with run off and researched how to reduce it through rainscaping.

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o take what we have learned and be active in our contributions, we made small pieces of our rainscaping grants come alive. We started with a drive for native perennials and trees to plant around TJ’s campus. Middle School families along with neighborhoods and local nurseries donated plants and trees. We spent the last week of school installing plants around campus. It is our hope that these new beds will help alleviate some of the swampy areas and attract pollinators and birds. As the native plants are happy in Missouri weather, we hope to support them as they get established, but then allow them to spread and do their thing with limited watering and help.

It is my hope that these new trees and garden beds will fill out more and more each year, so by the time the middle schoolers graduate, they can see the impact of their studies and efforts! These are also skills they can bring home with them and into the world as adults. Finally, we were so impressed with the support of the community in making our vision come to life! After a hard couple of years, it is nice to feel like you are a part of a community that cares and supports one another.

Earth Science is taught by Heidi Pieroni and Kendal McCarter.

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AP English Language Written by Eric Steere

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ost broadly, the themes of AP Language explore how our various circles of experience — the homes we grow up in, communities we are a part of, the faiths that we adhere to — shape our identities and our sense of happiness. These identities evolve through our life experiences, the classes we take, the things we read, and the people we meet. Our identities are in constant negotiation with what Cornel West calls “the funk of life”.

With seniors in AP Language on the cusp of yet another transition, our culminating assignment asked students to reflect and look forward through interdisciplinary and self-directed projects using a variety of media. Art-pieces were accompanied by artist statements and descriptions:

STUDENT AP LANGUAGE ART PROJECTS INCLUDED: “Keep these books” - An argument in defense of the TJ English Curriculum (Essay) A speech on intersecting Jewish-American Identities Art (“two tea pots”) “Identities in transition - Independence and selfsourcing through ceramics (below) Twitter War between Calvin Coolidge, Teddy Roosevelt, and Nicollo Machiavelli “My transitioning musical identity” - Solo-piano recordings and freeverse poetry “Life in transition” - Sculpture, Insulation Foam, Gravel, Clay, Acrylic Paint, Tempera Paint, Floral Wire, Tin Foil, Model Magic, Spray Paint (top left) “[B0X]” - Immersive art installation (bottom left)

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Photo by Jeannine Crider

When I was Younger: A review of Kathy Gilisinan’s (‘02) The Helpers Written by Boaz Roth

I had been teaching AP English Literature and Composition at TJ for about 20 years when I finally received an invitation to “read” for the test (“read” is the College Board’s fancy way of saying “grade,” and in a typical week, I usually read around 1500 essays).

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ver the past four years, I’ve learned how these tests are graded (ummmm…“read”), and I’ve shared this knowledge with TJ students to great effect: 77% of last year’s TJ AP Literature students earned a 4 or 5 on the test—the two highest scores—while the national average for such marks was 44%. Investing my time in this grueling process has certainly been a win-win both for me and our students.

response and made no mention of reading for literature if I said no. I just about made up my mind to decline the offer, but my administrative superior—who shares a mortgage, three children, and two cats with me—“suggested” that by reading for AP Seminar, I could learn if it’s adaptable to the TJ curriculum. Defeated by her superior logic, I boarded a flight to the Salt Lake City reading, ready to learn something new.

So imagine my dismay when I received my invitation letter last winter to read for AP Seminar. AP Seminar? What the heck? I didn’t even know AP Seminar existed. The letter demanded a straight up yes-or-no

My AP Seminar assignment was to evaluate research-papers. Seminar students were given a range of media (a short story, an article about “Fast Fashion,” a video of 100,000 Estonians singing, a Rockwell

Kathy Gilisinan (‘02)

painting, a piece from Democracy in America, and a few works of social science) and told to find a common theme. From that point, they had to write an eight-to-ten page paper about the theme using two of these sources and as many other sources as they deem appropriate. The vast majority of the papers I read focused on influencers, social networks, and fashion trends. When I returned home, I impressed my children—and administrative superior—with a newfound knowledge of Shein, Forever 21, and Kim Kardashian’s leopard-print dress.

One task of the reading was to review the bibliography of each paper and flag less-than-credible sources (sorry, Wikipedia lovers). About midway through the reading week, I came across another essay examining the connection between fast fashion and the influencer community, when I nearly jumped out of my seat. In the bibliography, I saw an article from the Washington Post written by Kathy Gilsinan. I gasped audibly, grabbed the arm of my tablemate, and pointed at my screen. She asked if I knew who this Kathy Gilsinan person was.

“Of course I know, Kathy Gilsinan,” I boasted proudly, “I taught her three times at Thomas Jefferson School!”

Ms. Gilsinan (sorry, can’t break the habit) has a half-life at TJ that will last longer than the radioactivity of uranium. She graduated from here in June 2002 and entered Columbia University that fall. The application essay she wrote has been required reading for the last 20 years of TJ’s rising seniors. A car mechanic in her

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spare time at TJ (you read that correctly), Ms. Gilsinan wrote her ingenious self-evaluation from the car’s point of view. After graduating Columbia, Ms. Gilsinan continued her mastery of words by writing extensively for the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and Politico among others while somehow finding the time to manage one other monumental task: write a book about America’s initial response to the pandemic.

The Helpers is a concise page-turner. It tracks the lives of seven individuals during the early part of the pandemic: a Covid patient, a vaccine developer, a CEO of a ventilator company, a paramedic, a nurse, and a chef. If you’ve counted only six people, your eyes haven’t deceived you.

The Helpers’s 250 pages documents the lives of these individuals, but in the final chapter of the work a seventh person makes an appearance and properly closes the book: a funeral director.

On the surface, The Helpers certainly mirrors what we’d take as professional reportage, a mega-sized Atlantic or New Yorker piece.

Clearly Ms. Gilsinan has honed her craft well in her career of reporting on contemporary American life. Yet to read the book as merely an examination of the battle against Covid from the frontlines is a drastic mistake. While The Helpers appears as a well-sourced historical postcard from an awful time in American history, Ms. Gilsinan has actually produced something else: an inverted murder mystery.

Consider how she explains her methodology at the start of the work: “Dialogue is generally rendered as the book’s main characters recalled it in our interviews. In the case where the protagonist is deceased, I have reconstructed [the] story through interviews with family members (The Helpers, xi). In other words, of these six individuals whose

lives she chronicles, one won’t survive.

Typically in a murder mystery, we read to figure out who the killer is (hint: it’s Covid 19 here), but Ms. Gilsinan craftily flips the script and challenges us to discover who the victim will be (Hint: I’m not spoiling the twist here; read the book and find out for yourself).

Instantly the stakes for the readers soar to the sky, and craftily Ms. Gilsinan reawakens a thought most of us considered in 2020: will we make it to 2021?

remind us of what else captivated America at that time, Ms. Gilsinan lets us see the world through the eyes of a Louisville chef who doubles as a high-school cooking teacher wondering both what will happen to her high school students kept home from school, while protests for Breonna Taylor engulf her city and the nation.

For those who know Ms. Gilsinan, it’s really no surprise that she produced this sort of book. As a student here, she embodied the virtues we love to see in the classroom: dedication to assignments, respect for colleagues (even the old, balding ones), spunk, and—most importantly— independence of thought.

Beyond her academic excellences, however, was the care Ms. Gilsinan showered upon her peers. She genuinely cared about others. If a new student needed a friend, there was Ms. Gilsinan lending a hand.

If someone’s heart was broken, without fail it would be Ms. Gilsinan dropping everything to escort her downtrodden classmate around campus. Ms. Gilsinan was a caring friend to all, and in The Helpers, through her words, she befriends both the living and, unfortunately, the dead.

With her reputation solidly etched in the world of journalism, I hope that Ms. Gilsinan will aim her considerable command over language towards fiction and compose a novel. Given Illustration by Jordin Isip what her career has produced, such a work While this clever conceit gives The Helpers its would have a devastating effect on readers, skin, its beating heart is the tender devotion and doubtlessly many will become fans of her Ms. Gilsinan lavishes on each of her subjects. abilities. In fact, if she embraces the world of Not only does she show readers the detailed fiction, I’m sure that in a decade or so, when actions of the protagonists, we also enter I’m back to reading AP Literature essays, one their souls. We feel the guilt of the son of the students will cite her work, and again barred from entering the hospital with his I’ll blurt out to a bleary-eyed tablemate, “I Covid-positive mother. We stand with the know Kathy Gilsinan!” city nurse paralyzed about helping Covidpositive patients and tending to her parents who share an apartment with her. And to t h o m a s j e f f e r s o n s c h o o l | 19

Letter from the Board President TJ is a special place. I still remember my first visit to TJ as a prospective sixth grader. Having never received anything less than an A at Bierbaum Elementary (in the Mehlville School District), my mom went searching for a middle school that could suitably prepare me for high school and then college. At the time, finding TJ was no easy feat. Hidden behind the overrun honeysuckle, Main Building was not visible from Lindbergh Boulevard, so many residents of South County St. Louis were unaware that the best place to receive a college-preparatory education was hidden just beyond the white stone wall and dense undergrowth.

W

e made the drive north on Lindbergh from Mehlville to Sunset Hills and made the right into TJ—a right I still take on my way to Board meetings 25 years later—to reveal Sayers, Gables, the colored cottages, and of course, Main Building, the gemstone of TJ’s campus. Jon Riezman ‘02 showed me around that day in an ill-fitting coat and poorly-tied tie. I came to learn that he tied it that way intentionally, as a form of mild protest for the dress code. (I’m happy we did away with ties every day.)

After first period Latin 1, we attended English 7 with Ms. Ballard (who would become Mrs. Roth by the time I was an 8th grader), where the 7th grade had just finished Romeo and Juliet. The two star-crossed lovers had tragically taken their lives in the final dramatic act of the play, and Ms. Ballard presided over a discussion analyzing why the story had ended that way. Ms. Ballard had handed me a copy of the play that I could page through as I listened. I said to myself: •

I have absolutely no idea how to read the language on these pages.

•

The students in the class appear to have the ability to. I want that.

That day set into motion a chain of events that has led me to today . . . sitting in my West Loop Chicago office, a lifelong reader and learner, writing to the TJ Community as its Board Chair, trying to concisely convey what TJ has meant to me to a community that does not tolerate poor prose.

If you had asked me shortly after college what TJ has meant to me, I would have made reference to the preparation for college. My first two years at Northwestern were without question easier than my last two years of TJ. I remember feeling deeply indebted to the TJ faculty for preparing me far more holistically for independent learning than my college dorm-mates, who were by all accounts far more intelligent than I, but somehow unable to navigate a collegiate, selfdirected learning environment that was second nature to me.

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Now that I’m approaching 40, an age that I find can be either old and out of touch or young and naive depending on my audience, a new level of appreciation for my time at TJ is beginning to reveal itself. My wife, Jordan, and I have been together for over 10 years. We welcomed Harper, our 2 year-old, into our lives during the pandemic. I have a job that requires my full-self everyday. The currents of everyday life appear to become swifter and more unpredictable as I age and the world grows ever more complex. In a time of growing uncertainty and volatility—both in my life and in the world around me—I find a calm when I look inward, a calm whose origins I can trace back to my little seventh-grade self, practicing memory work, solving algebra equations, or revising O.R. This calm is a byproduct of the learning process cultivated at TJ. Rather than any specific course or piece of content, the way TJ taught me how to think is the enduring feature of a TJ education.

Year after year of deep study on complex topics in preparation for a deep, faculty-led dialogue (or perhaps a pop quiz) creates a habit that has become intractable as I have hurdled into middle age. As life presents unexpected challenges, that habit becomes the source of calm and strength to muster the intellect, creativity, and persistence to navigate life’s unpredictable currents. With 20 years of distance from my time as a student, the true value of the TJ experience is only beginning to reveal itself to me. I am who I am because of TJ. This habit has served me well as TJ’s Board Chair for two unprecedented years. Throughout this time, I have tried to keep TJ’s essence at the core of the important governing work the Trustees have been asked to do. This essence is no better encapsulated than in the final sentence of our mission statement: Through the strongest possible collegepreparatory program and within a nurturing community, students develop a responsibility for their own learning and a desire to lift up the world with beauty and intellect.

Like all organizations, TJ must grow and evolve as time moves forward. I believe–and feel proud that—we are doing that. We have grappled with uncomfortable truths about our past. We are expanding our enrollment and philanthropic efforts. We are actively reflecting on and debating how to strengthen our DEIB practices and policies. At the time of this writing, we are in search of our 6th Head of School. Through these changes, we have held true to our mission and keep it at the center of all we do. That mission compels us to use the crucible of the TJ self-directed classroom experience to prepare TJ students for not just the next four years of college, but for the decades to come thereafter.

That purpose was obvious and noticeable 25 years ago when I was a prospective sixth grader.

It is still at the forefront of all we are doing today.

In September, I had the opportunity to visit classes for the first time since the pandemic.

Sitting in Middle Classroom, I was admittedly a little hot as the St. Louis sun poured through the large windows. While the class was not in formal attire, they did look sharp. I peered out across the front lawn and could see Lindbergh Boulevard, Main Building no longer hidden by honeysuckle. As the students scanned and then analyzed a Shakespearean Sonnet, well-prepared after an evening of study, I was transported back to my time as a student. A lot has changed in 25 years, but the magic inside the four walls of a TJ classroom still thrives.

As these TJ students become TJ graduates, they will join an alumni community armed with the habit of lifelong learning to navigate life’s ever unfolding journey. Together, we will strive to do the work we are called upon in our mission—to lift the world with beauty and intellect.

Jimmy Holloran President, Board of Trustees

Welcome to TJ Three new administrators join the TJ family this year:

TJ welcomed two new Trustees to the Board in June of 2022

JENNIFER KOTT

LUCINDA SANTIAGO P’22

Director of Enrollment

A native of Seattle, Lucinda moved to St Louis with her husband almost 20 years ago. They have two sons, Ciaran (TJ Class of 2022) and Josiah (Whitfield Class of 2023). A former public relations, public affairs and marketing director (for the Downtown Seattle Association), Lucinda has also worked in the non-profit sector serving in development, advancement, and Board structure. Lucinda’s husband Paul is a physician at Washington University and Lucinda has stayed home the last several years to manage the home fires and provide volunteer assistance to the kids’ schools (New City School, Churchill, TJ and Whitfield) and interests (St Louis Rowing Club). She has also been very involved with fundraising and events at The College Church.

Lucinda is delighted to join the Thomas Jefferson School Board of Trustees as the school continues to provide the strongest academic education in the greater St Louis region.

Ms. Kott has an extensive background in enrollment, having served at a number of law schools at universities we’re familiar with (Arizona, North Carolina, Tulane, Northwestern). Her experience with local, regional, and international recruitment will serve TJ well. Ms. Kott moved (with her dog, Sara) from North Carolina, where she has been working as an admissions consultant for the past year.

LIZ LEE Director of Development Liz was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to New York City when she was 14 years old. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, Liz worked as an illustrator for publications and in the museum world of NYC before starting her career in development at independent schools in NYC. Liz and her family moved to St. Louis in 2018 and has taught at New City School, MICDS, and at The College School before joining TJ. Liz enjoys watching films and exploring new places to eat.

ARIANA NAQELLARI Business Officer Ariana joined the TJ community after great experience as an accountant, auditor, and small business owner. She also has a connection to the Wilson School, as she was a host family for a student (a former classmate of the current junior Wilson-ites). She adores TJ and is excited to join our community.

DAVID GERMAN ‘04 David is a TJ alum from the class of 2004. During his five years, he co-founded the All-School Play and operated an unreliable dial-up ISP from the second floor of the Main Building. His JV basketball career was almost as glorious as it was long. He earned a BA in Computer Science and BS in Engineering from Swarthmore College, which led to a series of software engineering jobs in Cambridge MA; he currently works on Google Search. Thanks to his TJ education, he uses all four sentence structures when writing his annual performance review.

He lives in the Boston suburbs with his wife and daughter, who tolerate spontaneous fragments of memory work.

t h o m a s j e f f e r s o n s c h o o l | 21

Alumni Updates TJ’s alumni are extraordinary in their achievements. Their life stories are endlessly fascinating. But what really sets them apart is the capacity and confidence they have to embrace, execute, and lead change. They envision possibilities and pursue them.

They are, truly, the embodiment of the answer to the question, “Why TJ?” Submit your update at tjs.org/alumni

PAUL MESSINA ‘61 “During the summer of 2022, I enjoyed reading, and writing a review for, the book A New History of Modern Computing by Thomas Haigh and Paul E. Ceruzzi, MIT Press, September 2021. I first became interested in computers by reading a book about them during the summer of 1963 between sophomore and junior years in college.

Reading that book led to adding computing to mathematics in my studies and I spent my entire professional career doing research and development on computer architectures, programming methods, mathematical algorithms, and using computers to tackle problems in the sciences. Consequently, I thought I knew a lot about computing in general. Nevertheless, I learned many things by reading this engaging, scholarly and comprehensive history of computing.

The authors describe computers from the ENIAC to today’s computers embedded in our watches, cars, and refrigerators. And to me equally interesting, they trace the evolution of the technologies and how they were and are used. TJ students and faculty might find it interesting. My book review will be published in the September edition of SIAM News, the magazine of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).

I was recently asked to write a chapter about

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my family’s experience living in a banana plantation in Panama. The chapter will be in a book will be published in a few months about people who lived in banana plantations in Central and South America. This came about because my family emigrated from Italy, where I was born, to Guatemala City, Guatemala, when I was almost seven years old. In 1952 we moved to Almirante, Panama, and lived there until the late 1960s. I went to school there through eighth grade (see graduation photo; I am second from left) and then went to TJ in September 1957.

We learned about TJ from a physician from Virginia who spent a few months studying tropical diseases from my father who was an expert in that field.”

BILL ROWE ‘63 Bill Rowe ‘63 is now the new President of the St Louis Audubon Society.

RAY SOLOMAN ‘64 An anonymous donor gave a $3.5 million gift – the largest ever received by Rutgers University–Camden – creating the Rayman L. Solomon Scholars program at the Camden location of Rutgers Law School in honor of the school’s former dean. Rayman currently remains on the Rutgers faculty as a University Professor of Law.

KEITH WILLIAMSON ‘70 Keith ’70 is Chairman of the Board of the United Way of Greater St. Louis. He retired from the role of General Counsel but remains busy as president of the Centene Charitable Foundation.

BUFFY ROWE ‘88 My son now attends TJ! He will be a sophomore in 2022-23. I am currently working for the Olin Graduate Programs office at Washington University. It is good to be home.

JAMES ASALI ‘89 Living in Philly (since 1996) UPenn undergrad (1993) and George Washington University Law School (1996) Though I’m a lawyer by training and have worked for most of my career as a business attorney - both in private practice and in house with an investment and real estate company - I am doing something new now.

In conjunction with a paper packaging company called Ranpak (NYSE: PACK), I am heading the Pack Green Coalition, which is a non-profit that is dedicated to replacing unnecessary plastic in the packaging supply chain with paper, fiber-based materials and other sustainable alternatives. We just started this coalition in 2022 and are working feverishly to get our message out to businesses, NGOs, and policymakers and to grow. (Check out our website - packgreen.org and our Twitter and LinkedIn pages) The book I’m currently reading is After the Fall by Ben Rhodes (former Obama foreign policy advisor), which examines the rise of authoritarianism across the globe over the last few years and America’s role in enabling it and hopefully rolling it back.

DAVE MESSINA ‘92

SUNG HO LEE ‘08

Dave Messina’92 and wife Kendra recently moved to San Diego, where they are enjoying the endless summer with their cat Chairman Mao and Great Dane Byrdie.

After graduating from Korea University, having majored in Business Administration, Sung Hoh has worked in Tokyo for PwC Advisory LLC. Sung Ho will be starting his MBA program at Columbia Business School in NYC in the Fall of 2022

ARTHUR BAHR ‘93 From MIT News: “Bahr, an associate professor of literature at MIT, is currently completing a book on the Pearl-Manuscript — a rare surviving 14th-century document that includes “Pearl” and three other works, “Patience,” “Cleanness,” and the famous chivalric romance story, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” (recently adapted into a movie, “The Green Knight.”) All four works are critical to our understanding of the medieval world and literature and two of them, “Pearl” and “Gawain,” are considered masterpieces.

DAE JIN KIM ‘09 JAKE SCHNEIDER ‘01 Living in Philly with my wife Deirdre and 2-year-old Oscar, where I get to work from home as a lawyer for startups.

KATE STEPLETON ‘01 Kate and her husband, Andrew Zahler, welcomed their second daughter, Zoe Stepleton Zahler, on August 17, 2021.

MARTHA FEENEY-PATTEN ‘98 My wife Alison and I welcomed our son Connor on March 4th, joining big sister Audrey, 5. We live in Acton, MA, and I’m the director at the Gleason Public Library in Carlisle, MA.

JIM PESEK ‘99 Jim got married on TJ’s campus (in the Pavilion!) in June of 2020, with Jane Roth ‘91 performing the ceremony and only immediate family in attendance. The wedding reception finally took place two years later in June of 2022. This fall he will be starting his 10th year teaching at TJ.

SANDY (SANG EUN) LEE ‘99 After graduating from UPenn for undergraduate and graduate school, Sandy lives in the Philadelphia suburbs and is busy taking care of her three young children Carina, Arianna, and Sienna while running a Martial Arts School in Princeton with her husband Michael Lee.

After completing his Bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins, he has recently received his Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry from Rutgers School of Dental Medicine and has recently completed his General Practice Residency from Jersey City Medical Center.

VANESSA WU’14

BRENDAN DOLAN-GAVITT ‘02 Brendan was honored by the National Science Foundation in January with their CAREER Award for his research in efficient software vulnerability testing. This is the NSF’s most prestigious for junior academics.

Vanessa graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2018 double majoring in Chemical Engineering and Economics & Strategy, and is currently pursuing her MBA at Harvard Business School.

DAVID GERMAN ‘04 David had to tell his daughter Jessica (age 3) that even though she is finally vaccinated against COVID-19, she cannot drive the car.

HARRISON YAN ‘15

NATE MYERS ‘07 In November 2021, Nate made his screenwriting and directorial debut with the release of his full-length feature film, After We’re Over. The film, set in St. Louis, premiered at the 30th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival.

I moved to Germany to join Mercedes-Benz shortly after graduating from Vanderbilt University. In 2022, I took up a new challenge to define strategy and partnerships for next-generation in-car software at MBition, Mercedes’ own software innovation hub in Berlin. In addition, I continue to mastermind the best cinematography robots at Motorized Precision as the Chief Mechanical Engineer. In the post-COVID era, I am travelling as much as I can, most recently to Venice and next on the list, Prague.

P.S. I am not going to hide that I am very proud of the photo - indeed it is me and the CEO of Mercedes-Benz, Ola Källenius.

t h o m a s j e f f e r s o n s c h o o l | 23

Karen Fairbank Retirement Party

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t h o m a s j e f f e r s o n s c h o o l | 25

Remebering Skip Sayers

We are deeply saddened to share that Herbert “Skip” Sayers ‘49 passed away on March 3, 2022.

S

kip Sayers began his Thomas Jefferson experience in 1946.

Among his first achievements was becoming Chairman of Student Assembly at TJ. As Student Council President, he gained the confidence and desire to lead and to bargain with fellow students, faculty, and even his Headmaster.

While managing these accomplishments, he also served his church as an Elder, produced and developed “BisonFest,” a fundraiser that in 16 years gave 400 students from Washington County, Missouri scholarships to go on to college, and he became active in Young Presidents Organization and Junior Achievement.

In college, Skip organized the Iowa State’s Fraternity Pledge Classes when he was elected the Inter-Fraternity Pledge Class President.

Veishea, the largest student managed festival in the world (300,000 attendees) made Skip its Public Relations Chairman.

Initially as a hobby, Skip started innovating in the bison industry.

He later became President of the American and the National Bison Associations and introduced his vast marketing experience into a fledgling industry that was made of farmers and ranchers who knew very little about advertising. He brought new standards to the industry with posters, brochures, recipe cards, table tents, and product packaging. His nationwide catalog for bison meat won awards in the mail-order catalog industry and continues to this day.

After college and U.S. Army service, Skip went into the printing industry, where he excelled as President and CEO of the Sayers Communications Group, Inc., a $50-million commercial printer in St. Louis. Sayers Printing Company qualified for the first ISO in the printing industry. Skip’s printing expertise earned him a patent for application of scent strips for magazine inserts.

He went on to give back to his industry by serving as the President of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation, President of the North American Graphic Arts Council, and President of the Society of Fellows (similar to a Hall of Fame for printers). He founded The Graphic Innovators, a group of the top innovative printers from across the country.

Skip Sayer (Front row, second from the left) from his Class of 1949 photo

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Giving back to his communities, Skip dedicated himself to improving the lives of those around him through philanthropy and church leadership. He made remarkable contributions to his industries, his family, his school, and the communities where he lived. In 1993, Skip commissioned and built Sayers Hall, which added laboratory and classroom space to Merrill Main Building on TJ’s campus.

TJ THE

FUND

Annual Giving 2 0 2 1 - 2 0 2 2 FY

CHARLES MERRIL JR. SOCIETY ($10,000+) Acworth Foundation John Biggs ‘52 The David G. ‘52 and David Van Vleck Cox Memorial Scholarship Barbara Dowl P’92 Mark Lincoln

VISIONARY ($5,000+)

Kenneth Engelsmann P’26 Walter Frank ‘64 Robert Metzger Michael & Rachel Stohler P’22 Matthew & Ashley Troutman Christopher & Colleen Wallace P’24, P’25, P’28

LEADER ($3,000+)

James Moffett ‘59 William ‘63 & Margaret Rowe P’87, P’97, P’99, GP’25 Charles & Kaisa Stucke P’23, P’25, P’26

SPONSOR ($1,000+)

Anonymous Stephen Ashley ‘68 Michael Dwyer & Patricia Winchell P’10 Abraham Gootzeit P’01 Sukjae Han ‘11 Jimmy Holloran ‘03 James Jekel ‘52 Chino Kim ‘85 Jared H. & Lezlie Kizer P’22 Robert Lippert Chan Hyuk Moon ‘04 TJ Parent Association Beverly Pitts ‘61 Robert & Gail Pless John Sappington P’06

Herbert “Skip” ‘49* & Connie Sayers James & Sue Stepleton P’98, P’01 Joshua Taylor ‘57 David & Ellen Weingold P’14 Jitian Xu & Xueqin Zhang P’20 Yihu Zhu & Haiyan Wang P’25 Irving Williamson ‘61 *deceased

FRIEND ( $500+)

Anonymous (2) Henry Agbo ‘05 Benjamin ‘87 & Priscille Albano P’22, P’26 Louie Chong & Yvonne Chien P’21 Luke Corrigan ‘97 Walter Frank, M.D. ‘64 Jim & Judy Fisher P’01 Thomas Goldberg Dennis Hall & Lara J. Thorney Hall P’27 Michael Johnson ‘67 Raymond ‘55 & Linda Johnson Ryan Kim ‘12 Edward Marks ‘05 Loren & Bess Marshall P’13 Robert Mehler ‘55 David Messina ‘92 Desmond A. & Tamera Nanton P’22 Anne Sappington ‘06 Kim & Kathy Smith P’99, P’01 Michael Starkey & Christine Merryman P’25, P’28 Dong Sun & Kun Wu P’25 Shujin Sun & Yin Xiaoxia P’23 Keith Williamson ‘70 Jane Yang ‘84 Ying Sheng & Ruxiang Zhang P’23 Xiaorong Liu & Yong Zhang P’23

DONOR (UP TO $499)

Penni Alper P’24 Joseph Argus James Asali ‘89 Angela Audet P’22 Stephen Backer Frank & Lynette Ballard P’91, GP’17, GP’21 Michael Barry ‘94 Mary Bartling P’13 Deanne Bauer P’15 Lilia Baumgarn William Beeler, M.D. ‘06 Kathryn Berger ‘77 Deepa Block ‘92 Jesse and Erin Blumenthal ‘09 Tom Boonyasai ‘95 Dennis & Tamara Boyd P’17 Amanda & Matthew Cashen P’23, P’25 Young-Jun Choi & Chae-Heon Lee P’26 Carla Collins P’21 Stephanie Coombs ‘15 Amanda & Michael Correa P’27 Kathianne Crane William Daniel Gladys Davis P’22 Marie De Jesus Stanley Shenderov & Tatyana Demidovich P’27 Howard & Vickie Denson P’94, P’96 Tom & Betsy Douglass P’93 Joanna Eagan Allison Engelsmann P’26 Ronald Eugenio ‘87 Shannon Fagan ‘06 Karen Fairbank Kim Fiala Rollin Fishback Elaine Floyd Anna Footerman ‘10 Ben & Kelly Foster P’26

Mark Gebhardt ‘66 David German ‘04 Agnes Gioconda P’09 Karen Giovanoni P’19 Michael McCracken & Patricia Gladden P’27 Sara Gorfinkel ‘98 April Griffin P’20 James Gueck P’25 Morin & Josephine Hanson P’22 Carole Harness P’07 Ha Sang Jung & Sang Sook Shim P’22 Mike Heard ‘70 Peter M. Hensel & Jessika Miekeley P’25 Jamie G. Herman P’23 Elizabeth Holekamp Harold L. Holman Peter & Christine Horton P’16 Yana Hotter P’22 Jingyuan Isabella Huang ‘21 Beth Human Daniel & Catherine Human Christy James Pamela Jenkins Jeanne Jennewein P’03 Mark Kaltenrieder Dae Jin Kim ‘09 Stephanie Kozikowski ‘05 Alice Kramer P’96, P’98, P’02 Hyun-Joon Lee ‘08 Liz Lee Marina Levitasov Douglass Lind ‘57 Stephanie Madison Lily Mahoney ‘06 Michael Margulus ‘61 Andrew Matuschak ‘06 Ruth Mbabazi P’25 Kendal McCarter Joseph & Mayuko McGuire P’25, P’27 Lisa Melching

t h o m a s j e f f e r s o n s c h o o l | 27

ANNUAL SU P P O RT Audrey’07 & Chris Metcalf Kati Murman ‘99 Nathaniel Myers ‘08 Ankit Nahata P’23 Ariana Naqellari Michael North ‘83 Allison Overkamp ‘21 Heather Overkamp P’21, P’24 Marissa A. Panethiere ‘21 Henry Panethiere II GP’21 James Pesek ‘99 Gwen Phanijphand ‘97 Hans Plickert ‘51 Carl & Ann Polster GP’21 Steven Puro P’88 Ilir & Eldina Qirici P’22 Boaz Roth & Jane Ballard Roth ‘91, P’17, P’21 Miriam Roth GP’17, GP’21 Michael Mounce & Elizabeth Rowe ‘88 P’25 Jon Rust & Victoria VygodskaiaRust P’23 Hamilton Rutledge ‘53 Andrew Saigh ‘02 Pablo & Lucy Santiago GP’22 Clifford Saxton P’94 David & Andrea C. Schmiemeier P’21 Jake Schneider ‘00 Michael Shornick P’17 Jon & Jean Shuman Richard & Laurie Sippel P’14

Lisa Iken P’23 Eric Steere Katherine Stepleton ‘01 Emily Straka P’22, P’26 John & Ann Straw GP’22, GP’26 William Thayer ‘54 Ketsia Theodor ‘03 Sara Thomas ‘07 Matthias Thorn ‘89 Apolka Totth ‘97 Thomas Van Horn ‘14 James & Alina Vaughn P’27 Teddy Walters ‘11 & Julia Mitchell Walters ‘11 Elisa Wang P’04 Kaiyu & Xiafeng Wang P’22 Jane Zhaohui Wang Hannah Weingold ‘14 Linda Zaragoza P’07

GIFTS IN HONOR AND MEMORIAM

Barbara Dowl in celebration of Aimee Michelle Dowl ‘92 James & Judy Fisher in memory of Sam Fisher ‘01 Pamela Jenkins in honor of Caitlyn Collins ‘22 Ann & Carl Polster in honor of Ethan Chamberlin ‘21 William & Margaret Rowe in memory of Alan Wheeler ‘58

GIFTS IN CELEBRATION OF KAREN FAIRBANK

Henry Agbo ‘05 Stephen Backer Mary Bartling P’13 Tom Boonyasai ‘95 Tamara Boyd P’17 Matthew & Amanda Cashen P’23, P’25 Louie Chong & Yvonne Chien P’21 Carla Collins P’21 Kathianne Crane William Daniel Sara Gorfinkel ‘99 Kim Fiala James & Judy Fisher P’01 Elaine Floyd Tom Goldberg Morin & Pina Hanson P’22 Carole Harness P’07 Peter & Christine Horton P’16 Daniel & Catherine Human Jeanne Jennewein P’03 Mark Kaltenreider Chino Kim ‘85 Dae Jin Kim ‘09 Stephanie Kozikowski ‘05 Alice & Gary Kramer P’96, P’98, P’02 Mark Lincoln Lisa Melching Kati Murman ‘99

Dave Messina ‘92 Nate Myers ‘08 Desmond & Tamara Nanton P’22 Allison Overkamp ‘21 Marissa Panethiere ‘21 Gwen Phanijphand ‘97 Robert & Gail Pless Elizabeth Rowe ‘88 Andrew Saigh ‘02 Anne Sappington ‘06 John Sappington P‘06 Richard & Laurie Sippel P’14 Laurie Shornick P’17 Jon & Jean Shuman Jim & Sue Stepleton P’98, P’01 Apolka Totth ‘97 Teddy Walters ‘11 & Julia Mitchell Walters ‘11 Jane Zhaohui Wang

ANNUAL FUND DONORS: CURRENT PARENTS In addition to being the first and foremost teachers of our students, our parent community provides the foundation for our present and future financial health of TJ. At no other time has their support been more crucial than now. We are grateful to each and every parent who has contributed to the fund and helped sustain us through the challenges of the pandemic.

Anonymous Benjamin ‘87 & Priscille Albano P’22, P’26 Matthew & Amanda Cashen P’23, P’25 Young Jun Choi & Chae Heon Lee P’26 Gladys Davis P’22 Stanley Shenderov & Tatyana Demidovich ‘27 Kenneth Engelsmann P’26 Allison Engelsman P’26 Ben & Kelly Foster P’26 Michael McCracken & Patricia

Gladden P’27 James Gueck P’25 Ha Sang Jung & Sang Sook Shim P’22 Dennis Hall & Lara J. Thorney Hall P’27 Peter M. Hensel & Jessika Miekeley P’25 Jamie Herman P’23 Christian & Yana Hotter P’22 Lisa Iken P’23 Jared & Lezlie Kizer P’22 Ruth Mbabazi P’25 Joseph T. & Mayuko McGuire

P’25, P’27 Christine Merryman & Michael Starkey P’25, P’28 Michael Mounce & Elizabeth Rowe ‘88 P’25 Ankit Nahata P’23 Desmond A. & Tamera Nanton P’22 Heather Overkamp P’21, P’24 Ilir & Eldina Qirici P’22 Jon K. Rust & Victoria Vygodskaia-Rust P’23 Michael & Rachel Stohler P’22 Emily E. Straka P’22, P’26

Charles M. & Kaisa Stucke P’23, P’25, P’26 Dong Sun & Kun Wu P’25 Shujin Sun & Yin Xiaoxia P’23 James J. & Alina Vaughn P’27 Christopher J. & Colleen M. Wallace P’24, P’25, P’28 Kaiyu Wang & Xiafeng Wang P’22 Ying Sheng & Ruxiang Zhang P’23 Xiaorong Liu & Yong Zhang P’23 Yihu Zhu & Haiyan Wang P’25

ANNUAL FUND DONORS: GRANDPARENTS We extend a heartfelt thanks to our grandparents for their support of TJ—and their grandchildren’s futures.

Stephen & Benny Allen P’95, GP’25 Frank & Lynette Ballard P’91, GP’17, GP’21 Rollin Fishback GP’23, GP’25

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Marina Levitasov GP’22 Stephanie Madison GP’23, GP’25 William‘63 & Margaret Rowe P’88, P’97, P’99, GP’25

Pablo & Lucy Santiago GP’22 John & Ann Straw GP’22, GP’26

TJ THE

ANNUAL SU P P O RT

ANNUAL FUND DONORS: ALUMNI

FUND

The generous support of our alumni is a testament to the strength of the TJ community. Alumni from the Classes of 1949 to 2021 made gifts- a span of nearly 72 years. We are humbled to have been a part of their education and proud to see the creative, unique, and successful paths they have taken. We are thankful for their contributions. Their support ensures that current students have the opportunity to continue along the same successful paths. We are especially grateful to the Steady Society, recognized below for their continuous and consistent support over the years.

Mike Heard ‘70 Jimmy Holloran ‘03 Jingyuan Isabella Huang ‘21 (YA) James Jekel ‘52 Michael Johnson ‘67 Raymond Johnson ‘55 Chino Kim ‘85 Dae Jin Kim ‘09 Ryan Kim ‘12 Stephanie Kozikowski ‘05 Hyunjoon Justin Lee ‘08 Richard Levy ‘63 Douglass Lind ‘57 Lily Mahoney ‘06 Michael Margulus ‘61 Edward Marks ‘05 Andrew Matuschak ‘06 Robert Mehler ‘55 Paul Messina ‘61 David Messina ‘92 Audrey Metcalf ‘07

Henry Agbo ‘05 Benjamin Albano ‘87 James Asali ‘89 Stephen Ashley ‘68 Michael Barry ‘94 William Beeler ‘06 Kate Berger ‘77 John Biggs ‘54 Deepa Block ‘92 Erin Blumenthal ‘09 Tom Boonyasai ‘95 Stephanie Coombs ‘15 (YA) Luke Corrigan ‘97 Ronald Eugenio ‘87 Shannon Fagan ‘06 Anna Footerman ‘10 Walter Frank ‘64 Mark Gebhardt ‘66 David German ‘04 Sara Gorfinkel ‘98 Sukjae Han ‘11

James Moffett ‘59 Chan Hyuk Moon ‘04 Kati Murman ‘99 Nathaniel Myers ‘07 Michael North ‘83 Gregory Oldham ‘70 Allison Overkamp ‘21(YA) Marissa A. Panethiere ‘21 (YA) James Pesek ‘99 Gwen Phanijphand ‘97 Beverly Pitts ‘61 Hans Plickert ‘51 Jane Ballard Roth ‘91 Elizabeth Rowe ‘88 William Rowe ‘63 Hamilton Rutledge ‘53 Andrew Saigh ‘02 Anne Sappington ‘06 Hebert “Skip” Sayers ‘49* Jake Schneider ‘00 Rayman L. Solomon ‘64

Katherine Stepleton ‘01 Joshua Taylor ‘57 William Thayer ‘54 Ketsia Theodor ‘03 Sara Thomas ‘07 Matthias Thorn ‘89 Apolka Totth ‘97 Thomas Van Horn ‘14 (YA) Theodore Walters ‘11 & Julia Mitchell ‘11 Hannah Weingold ‘14 (YA) Irving Williamson ‘61 Keith Williamson ‘70 Jane Yang ‘84 (YA) indicates alumni who graduated within the last 10 years and made gifts as the Young Alumni level. *Deceased

THE STEADY SOCIETY 10+ YEARS Stephen Ashley ‘68 Michael Barry ‘94 John Biggs ‘54 David Cox ‘52 * David German ‘04 James Jekel ‘52 Michael Johnson ‘67 Raymond Johnson ‘55 Walter Frank, M.D. ‘64 Mark Gebhardt ‘66 Jimmy Holloran ‘03

Chino Kim ‘85 Eugene Kornblum ‘53 Richard Levy ‘63 Jack Linn ‘61 Dan Little ‘61 Michael Margulus ‘61 Edward Marks ‘05 David Messina ‘92 Paul Messina ‘61 James Moffett ‘59 Michael North ‘83 Greg Oldham ‘70 Beverly Pitts ‘61

Hans Plickert ‘51 Bernat Rosner ‘50 Jane Ballard Roth ‘91 William Rowe ‘63 Herbert “Skip” Sayers ‘49* Rayman Solomon ‘64 Joshua Taylor ‘57 William Thayer ‘54 Edward Van Voorhees ‘61 Paul Weston ‘52 Keith Williamson ‘70 Edward Van Voorhees ‘61

5+ YEARS Henry Agbo ‘05 Benjamin Albano ‘87 Deepa Block ‘92 Luke Corrigan ‘97 Michelle ErmatingerSalas ‘08 Thomas Ellis ‘83 Martha Feeney-Patten ‘98 Charles Haynes ‘63 Mike Heard ‘70

Robert Mehler ‘55 Kati Murman ‘99 Nathaniel Myers ‘07 Audrey Metcalf ‘07 James Pesek ‘99 Gwen Phanijphand ‘97 Hamilton Rutledge ‘53 Matthias Thorn ‘89 Apolka Totth ‘97 Thomas Van Horn ‘14 Irving Williamson ‘61 Jane Yang ‘84

ANNUAL FUND DONORS: FAMILIES OF ALUMNI We are grateful for the generous gifts from families of alumni. We are honored to know that TJ continues to receive their support and that future students may benefit from the same TJ experience as their own children.

Penni Alper & Alan Wolf P’24 Andrew & Mary Bartling P’13 Deanne Bauer & Hector Tejeda P’15 Frank & Lynette Ballard P’91, P’17, P’21 Dennis & Tamara Boyd P‘17 Louie Chong & Yvonne Chein P’21 Carla Collins P’21

Paul Davis & Agnes Gioconda P’09 Howard & Vickie Denson P’94, P’96 Tom & Betsy Douglass P’93 Barbara Dowl P’92 Michael Dwyer & Trisha Winchell P’10 James & Judy Fisher P’01 Karen Giovanoni P’19

Abraham Gootzeit & Irene Holubec P’01 April Griffin P’20 Morin & Pina Hanson P’22 Carole Harness P’07 Peter & Christine Horton P’16 Jeanne Jennewein P’03 Pamela Jenkins P’21 Gary & Alice Kramer P’96, P’98,

P’02 Leni Lee P’21 Loren & Bess Marshall P’13 Henry Panethiere II GP’21 Carl & Ann Polster GP’21 Steven Puro P’88 Boaz & Jane Ballard Roth ‘91, P’17, P’21 John Sappington ‘06

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ANNUAL SU P P O RT Clifford & Gail Saxton ‘94 David & Andrea Schmiemeier P’21

Michael & Laurie Shornick P’17 Richard & Laurie Sippel P’14 Kim & Kathy Smith P’99, P’01

James & Sue Stepleton P’98, P’01 Randy & Elisa Wang P’04 David & Ellen Weingold P’14

Jitian Xu & Xueqin Zhang P’20 Linda Zaragoza P’07

ANNUAL FUND DONORS: FACULTY AND STAFF We celebrate our faculty and staff for their dedication and generosity. Raising over $9,470 is an incredible show of support for their students, colleagues, and TJ’s mission.

Angela Audet P’22 Lilia Baumgarn Amanda Correa P’27 Marie De Jesus

Karen Fairbank Kim Fiala Liz Lee Robert Lippert

Kendall McCarter Ariana Naqellari Jim Pesek ‘99 Heidi Pieroni P’28

Boaz Roth & Jane Ballard Roth ‘91, P’17, P’21 Eric Steere

Matthew & Ashley Troutman Jane Zhaohui Wang

ANNUAL FUND DONORS: FRIENDS OF TJ We are honored to have friends who believe in our mission. We value their friendship and are humbled by their generous financial support of our school.

Joseph Argus Stephen Backer Kathianne Crane William Daniel

Elaine Floyd Tom & Trish Goldberg Lee Holman Lisa Holekamp

Beth Human Daniel & Catherine Human Christy James Mark Kaltenreider

Mark Lincoln Lisa Melching Robert & Gail Pless Jon & Jean Shuman

BOARD OF TRUSTEES & BOARD COMMITTEES We offer our sincere gratitude to the Board of Trustees. The board, along with the Head of School and TJ leadership, work tirelessly to fulfill TJ’s mission. We thank all the committees, composed of board members, parents, faculty, and staff that play an essential role in meeting the day-to-day and the long-term goals of the school. We are grateful for your service this past year.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jimmy Holloran ‘03, Board President Chino Kim ‘85, Vice President Mary Karr P’06, Treasurer Laurie Shornick, Ph.D., P’17, Secretary Henry Agbo ‘05 Erica Briscoe Joanna Eagan David German ‘04 Sukjae Han ‘11, Advancement Committee Chair Lucinda Santiago P’22 Matthew Troutman ,Head of School Irving Williamson ‘61

ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE Sukjae Han ‘11, Chair Jeremy Boyd ‘17 Cynthia Chong ‘21 Aimee Dowl ’92 Joanna Eagan Tom Ellis ’83 Karen Fairbank David German ’04 Jimmy Holloran ’05(ex officio) Tom Horton ’16 Rachel Hu ‘17 30 | T H E TJ R E V I E W

Erich Klotz ‘99 Aaron Lee ‘19 Liz Lee (Director of Development) Lily Mahoney ‘06 Chris Merryman P’25 Audrey Pavelka Metcalf ‘07 Greg Oldham ’70 Boaz Roth (faculty) P’17, P’21 Jane Roth ’91(faculty) P’17, P’21 Serena Thomas Mounts ‘02 Matthew Troutman(ex officio) Thomas Van Horn ‘14 Hannah Weingold ‘14 Bonnie Zhao ‘19

BOARD MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Karen Fairbank Liz Lee (Director of Development) Rick Levy ‘63 Laurie Shornick P’17 Matt Troutman (ex officio) Jimmy Holloran ‘03 (ex officio)

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS COMMITTEE Toby Turnbough (staff liaison) Matthew Troutman

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE Laurie Shornick P’17, Chair Henry Agbo ‘05 Erica Briscoe Chino Kim ‘85 D’Antay Mayes (faculty) Jim Pesek ‘99 (faculty, staff liaison) Irving Williamson ‘61 Matthew Troutman (ex officio) Jimmy Holloran ‘03 (ex officio)

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Jimmy Holloran ‘03, Chair Chino Kim ‘85, Vice President Mary Karr P’06, Treasurer Laurie Shornick P’17, Secretary Matthew Troutman(ex officio)

FINANCE COMMITTEE Mary Karr P’06, Chair Joanna Eagan Chino Kim ‘85 Ariana Naqellari Neil Shah ‘03 Adal Anthonysamy Michael Stoher P’22 Jimmy Holloran ’03 (ex officio) Matthew Troutman (ex officio)

HEAD SUPPORT AND EVALUATION COMMITTEE Mary Karr P’06, Chair Trish Winchell P’10 Matthew Troutman Jimmy Holloran ‘03

STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE Jimmy Holloran ‘03, Chair Mary Bartling P’13 David German ’04 Sukjae Han ‘11 Marie De Jesus (faculty) Dave Messina ’92 Jane Roth ’91 (faculty) Laurie Shornick P’17 Matthew Troutman (ex officio, staff liaison)

Winner of 2021-2022 TJ Poetry Competition

Wait

by Shiloh Byers ‘26

I will chase you until I can’t walk.

I will run after the rose petals in the distance, all flying away from a distant funeral I once attended.

I can’t remember if it was yours or my lovers, but Hades can’t hold you captive unless the goddess of spring allows you to bloom.

I will walk with you until my feet have been drained.

My love, my light, Let me show you the warmth that hell cannot offer.

You may burn alive, but the scars will feel colder than the winter tracks.

The one that your footprints are stained onto, The ones that you stained me on.

I will wait for you until I go insane.

When the ghosts of the souls that left finally talk back, I will turn around once more.

Once more, I will check for you.

When your eyes reflect mine, I won’t cry.

I will simply sit on the rock you left me at, and wait for your betrayal to solidify into my next flower to lose.

My next harvest that won’t bloom.

Illustration by: Melinda Beck

FIND MORE POETRY AT TJS.ORG/POETRY

t h o m a s j e f f e r s o n s c h o o l | 31

4100 South Lindbergh Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63127

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