USM Today - Fall/Winter 2020-21

FALL/WINTER 2020–21

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TODAY

| a magazine for the usm community

feature

A Head Above the Rest

feature LESSONS LEARNED IN A PANDEMIC

STUDENT ENTREPRENEURS FIND SUCCESS

COVID-19 TESTING ON CAMPUS

A First Day Like No Other After three months of distance learning and a summer of uncertainty, USM students were more than ready to get back to school on Sept. 1. Those who chose to learn on campus, about 85% of all students, were required to abide by the school’s mask wearing, frequent hand washing, and physical distancing rules for optimum safety. Even with the new rules, there was excitement in the air. “I love first days of school,” said Steve Hancock in his first-ever Opening Ceremony address at USM. “Each year at this time we get to reinvent ourselves. We make new goals and try new things.

We get a fresh start at USM. And we could all use a fresh start this school year.”

On the cover: Steve Hancock, USM’s ninth head of school, pictured playing the piano in the head of school’s residence on campus. Learn more about Steve, and his family, on page 10. Photo by Jennifer Wisniewski.

in this issue

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10 | A Head Above the Rest

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Get to know Steve Hancock, USM’s ninth head of school, and his family, as they embark on their first year at the school.

24 | Lessons Learned in a Pandemic Alumni working in the fields of medicine, technology, journalism, and supply chain management share lessons they have learned in the past year.

feature stories

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18

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COVID-19 Testing USM now offers rapid COVID-19 testing on campus, designed to identify asymptomatic carriers and reduce the spread of the virus.

18 | Behind the Scenes See how USM staff work tirelessly to keep campus clean and safe—both inside and outside—for students, faculty, and staff.

22 |

Student Entrepreneurs Ben Lenikman ’21 and Natey Ruzell ’22 are running successful businesses with the help of their Entrepreneurship class at USM.

cover to cover

03 | view from the tower

09 | spotlight

18 | in focus

30 | locker room

32 | beyond usm

USM TODAY STAFF

2020–21 LEADERSHIP

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

HEAD OF SCHOOL

HEAD OF PRESCHOOL AND LOWER SCHOOL

Tim Eilbes, Director of Marketing and Communications

Steve Hancock

Michael Tauscher

MANAGING EDITOR

ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL

PRESIDENT, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Pamela Seiler, Communications and Public Relations Manager

Gregg Bach

Stephen B. Guy

ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN

HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL

PRESIDENT, ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

McDill

Stuart Cushman

Barbie Brennan Nelson ’91

ONLINE EDITOR

HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

PRESIDENT, PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Eric Schad, Marketing and Digital Communications Manager

Elaine Griffin

Colleen Polston

PHOTOGRAPHY

Duncan Petrie ’19 Visual Image Photography Jennifer Wisniewski

USM Today is published by University School of Milwaukee twice per year. USM is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school for students from prekindergarten through grade 12.

Our editorial staff has made every attempt to ensure the accuracy of information reported, and we apologize for any inadvertent errors that may have occurred.

To change your address, your child’s address, or to unsubscribe, please contact the USM Advancement office at 414.540.3339 or advancement@usmk12.org.

PARENTS OF ALUMNI: If you are still receiving your child’s USM Today even though he/she no longer lives with you, please let us know so we can send the magazine directly to him/her.

from the head of school

Dear USM Community, I am pleased to share this latest edition of “USM Today” with you. The title of our school’s magazine gives me a moment of pause. Where is USM today in the midst of a global pandemic? How do the additional challenges and difficulties around our country affect our school? These are questions that I am asking myself every day. My hope always comes back to the students in our care.

It has often been said that our children will be the leaders of tomorrow. Those leaders do not simply appear. They are grown and cultivated by loving parents and schools who truly care to develop students in all areas of life. At USM we are constantly striving to develop leaders, learners, and citizens, and our Portrait of a USM Graduate serves as a roadmap for our school. During this season of change and uncertainty, I am thankful to have both our Common Trust and mission to lead us through this difficult time.

Many have asked me how my tenure at University School of Milwaukee has begun. I arrived at school on July 1 to find an incredible and dedicated team of leaders. Together, we rolled up our sleeves, made plans, reacted to the information in front of us, and made new plans. We continued to repeat this pattern many times until the start of the school year. We have learned so much during this concentrated time together, and I am incredibly thankful for the many leaders of USM.

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USM TODAY | FALL / WINTER 2020–21

One thing that has been challenging during this unprecedented time is for me to be able to get to know the community. While there have been many Zoom meetings and phone calls, I do long for the day when my family and I can open up our home on campus to students, parents, alumni, and other friends of the school. This edition of the magazine introduces my family to the USM community (see page 10). We are thrilled to be at USM and look forward to sharing a bit about ourselves with you.

Our graduates are always the best example of the benefits of a USM education. As we work to create leaders, learners, and citizens here at school, our alumni are continuing to strive for these ideals. On page 24, we feature several alumni who have placed “lifelong” in front of each of these qualities. They are just a few examples of individuals in our alumni community striving to make a difference during this era of COVID-19.

Finally, I want to highlight the herculean efforts of our faculty. These talented educators have had to reinvent education. With students both at home and in person, the faculty has adjusted, adapted, and reimagined how to deliver curriculum in a physically distanced and dual-platform reality. They are constantly learning and sharing. Each individual is an inspiration to me, and collectively the faculty and staff deserve our highest praise.

Looking forward to the day when we can be together,

view from the tower

Homecoming 2020 University School of Milwaukee students and faculty managed to make Homecoming 2020 a memorable experience, despite a limited number of events due to COVID-19.

How do you make Homecoming fun and safe during a pandemic? Challenge Milwaukee’s own Famous Racing Sausages to a competition, for starters. Students were thrilled to be greeted at the doors by the sausages, and later to watch (in person or virtually) Willie the Wildcat race against the sausages in the front circle. Seniors, meanwhile, were treated to a food-truck lunch, and all students enjoyed special themed dress days.

Many athletic events throughout the week were livestreamed, and the annual Blue and Gold Fun Run/Walk was held virtually.

WIAA Award of Excellence

Haughton Starts New Role

USM was one of 46 schools in the state of Wisconsin to receive the 2019–20 Award of Excellence from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA). This is the third time the school has received the award.

Dr. Gina Haughton has been named USM’s director of equity and student success, holding key responsibilities to ensure student equity and success and leading efforts to define the school’s justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) vision and strategy.

Visit www.usmtoday.org/newsbrief for more news stories.

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view from the tower

Putting COVID-19 to the Test USM offers rapid antigen and PCR return-to-school testing at no cost to USM faculty, staff, and students.

care service line for Advocate Aurora Health, and Klug is director of channel development with Novir. “We spent several months looking at options for testing,” said Head of School Steve Hancock, “and we tried to develop a program that’s sustainable in both the number of tests and cost.”

The testing is designed to identify asymptomatic carriers of the COVID-19 virus, and has helped to limit the spread of the virus at school.

Lower School Teaching Assistant Matthew Bach ’16 got a rapid antigen test before returning to school.

In addition to amplified cleaning efforts, masks, and physical distancing, USM administrators have added another weapon in their fight against COVID-19 spread: school-wide testing. The school has partnered with Novir to offer both rapid antigen and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 tests to USM faculty, staff, and students. Nearly 2,400 students, faculty, and staff were tested at no cost ahead of their return to school after both Thanksgiving and winter breaks.

Of those tests, a total of five were confirmed as positive cases. Anyone in the USM community who wishes to be tested may do so at the school’s on-campus testing site.

USM worked closely with Dr. Kevin Dahlman ’92 and Peter Klug ’93 to develop its testing solution.

Dahlman is the medical director for Aurora Children’s Health and the pediatrics department lead – primary

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USM Community Testing Now Available On-campus COVID-19 testing is now available to all USM students (and their families), alumni and parents of alumni (and their families), and USM employees and their families). USM employee testing is offered at no charge.

The types of tests being offered, and their costs, are as follows: • Rapid antigen test: $80 (nasal swab); results in 15 minutes • Rapid antibody test: $80 (finger prick blood draw); results in 15 minutes • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test: $150 (nasal swab); results in 24–48 hours Visit blog.usmk12.org/campustestingsite, for more information.

National Merit Semifinalists

Author Visits Continue

The following five seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Competition: Wali Amin, Neil Dogra, Anna Fitzsimmons, Jacob Hoelzer, and Shaan Pannu.

USM’s Upper School welcomed three authors (virtually) this past fall: Atia Abawi, Noé Álvarez, and Julie Lythcott-Haims. The authors’ books correlated with students’ summer reading and various curricular components.

USM TODAY | FALL / WINTER 2020–21

view from the tower

Building on Our Diversity of Voices University School of Milwaukee expands its efforts in the areas of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI).

These initiatives are vital as students learn to think broadly, critically, and independently.

University School of Milwaukee is continuing its work to ensure that our community is equitable and inclusive in alignment with the school’s Common Trust, which calls for everyone at the school to be treated with respect, trust, honesty, fairness, and kindness. Recognition of, and respect for, diverse backgrounds and experiences is fundamental to building a community where students learn to think broadly, critically, and independently.

Our work in the areas of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) has expanded in the past few months and will continue to be a central theme as the school embarks on its next strategic plan. The school has completed several initiatives related to its JEDI work, including the following: • Dr. Gina Haughton was named the school’s director of equity and student success in August 2020. Her responsibilities include ensuring that all PK–12 students, faculty, staff, and families feel welcomed and supported.

• All faculty and staff participated in a professional development workshop on Jan. 15 that examined privilege and bias. Haughton distributed the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) School Study, and the AIM Climate Survey, and will use the collected data to tailor further professional development and programming initiatives in the upcoming months.

• USM established a protocol for bias incident reporting, as well as a bias incident dashboard,

which are designed to promote inclusiveness, identify individuals who may benefit from additional education/training, and support justice and equity in the community.

• With the help of an outside consultant, USM will embark on an audit of its PK–12 anti-bias curriculum within the next few months. Ultimately the process will help to better align the school’s curriculum with its strategic plan.

• The JEDI newsletter was also created and made available on myUSM to provide continual updates about the school’s JEDI work with the community at large.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Gina Haughton, director of equity and student success, at ghaughton@usmk12.org or 414.540.3413.

Seniors Study Evictions

Float Like a Butterfly

In connection with seniors’ summer read, “Evicted,” by Matthew Desmond, USM welcomed Naomi Shifrin, a student researcher from Desmond’s Eviction Lab at Princeton University. Shifrin discussed the work she and her team are doing to research evictions and their consequences in this country.

As part of their unit on Monarch butterflies, kindergarten students observed them emerging from their chrysalises, and learned how to tag and release them. After having their gender and tag number recorded, the butterflies were free to migrate to Mexico.

Visit www.usmtoday.org/newsbrief for more news stories.

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Holiday Shops Week of Winning Although it may have looked different than in previous years, members of the Parents’ Association worked to ensure that Holiday Shops 2020 was fun and memorable—while raising more than $35,000 for the school.

In 2020, the Parents’ Association (PA) Holiday Shops raffle didn’t look like it has in previous years—it was bigger. In lieu of the traditional Holiday Shops in-person shopping experience, student raffle co-chairs Juliana Elejalde and Liza Sadoff ’99 developed the Week of Winning Extravaganza—a week-long, school-wide raffle event.

Upper School Science Teacher Amber Bakkum was speechless when she learned she won an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas. This item was only open to faculty and staff, and all were entered to win.

From left: PA President Colleen Polston; Willie the Wildcat; student raffle co-chairs Juliana Elejalde and Liza Sadoff ’99; and PA Office Coordinator Patricia Kauffman.

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Shea McCartin ’35 (center) won recess supplies, including balls, bubbles, and chalk, for his prekindergarten class with Jen Keppler.

In the past, the raffle items typically were geared towards younger students. But this year, the Holiday Shops committee members wanted to involve the entire community. Elejalde and Sadoff began working in the summer to gather raffle items that would appeal to all ages. “We received very generous support from school families,” said Sadoff. “The community was so willing to help; it was overwhelming.”

The team secured 104 raffle items—including a Peloton bike, a Pac-Man arcade, a trip to Las Vegas, and tickets to see Justin Bieber at Summerfest—with raffle ticket prices ranging from free (with a canned food donation) to $5. In total, more than 10,000 tickets were sold, each of which had to be sorted and counted manually.

“Everyday we’d pick up tickets from the boxes around school, print out the online tickets, and come to the PA office and sort them from one to 104, based on which raffle item they were for,” said Elejalde.

Members of the PA solicited help from Head of School Steve Hancock and Willie the Wildcat to pull the winning tickets and distribute prizes throughout the week. The event was a hit. “It was more than just a fundraiser,” said PA President Colleen Polston, “it was a morale booster, too. The whole community participated, and every penny we raised went right back to the school.”

Fall Cum Laude

Speaker Series

The following 11 seniors were named fall Cum Laude Society inductees: Neil Dogra, Josephine Dermond, Anna Fitzsimmons, Lauren Glusman, Joseph Gozon, Shaan Pannu, Margaret Rankin, Juliana Tovar, Ryan Treptow, Zoe Uihlein, and Thomas Wright.

USM hosted its first virtual REDgen speaker series event in November.

Author and educator Ana Homayoun spoke about social media wellness during COVID-19 and centered on helping parents and educators understand social media socialization, and making better choices.

USM TODAY | FALL / WINTER 2020–21

view from the tower

Pangaea Kids: Making Global Connections Without Leaving Home In July 2020, Saffron McPhedran ’28 launched a virtual club called Pangaea Kids to connect with other students around the globe.

In 5th grade World Cultural Geography, students study a central question throughout the year: how are people throughout the world similar, and how are they different? To get a jump start, their teacher, Will Piper ’96, assigns a summer reading book called “Children Just Like Me.” While reading the book, Saffron (Saffy) McPhedran ’28 was reminded of her mom’s friends and their kids, who live all around the world. In July 2020, McPhedran created a club called Pangea Kids, and invited those global friends to a virtual meeting every Saturday morning. “At first it was kind of hard because we all spoke different languages,” she said, “but then we started to understand each other. It’s really cool to see people in their houses all over the world.”

The club started out with just five kids, but steadily grew. Today, they have friends who join from Chile, Monaco, Reunion Island, Jordan, and even a friend from Japan, who wakes up at midnight to attend (finding a time that works for everyone has proven to be the biggest hurdle). Each of the members have purchased the book and use its geographical format to explore weekly topics. They take turns researching different continents, and present their findings to the group in the form of slide decks, quizzes, or games.

They also regularly share their family life by giving tours of their homes or community. McPhedran led the group a tour of an American grocery store. “We showed everybody the cookies and cakes, it was really cool,” said McPhedran. “And it was fun for my friend Manuel, who lives in Chile and was not allowed to leave his house without a pass due to COVID-19.

He really enjoyed it.”

Piper was impressed with McPhedran’s efforts.

“Saffy’s project really shows a lot of leadership on her part because she’s hosting meetings and moderating discussions,” he said. “It also shows insight, empathy, and action. She is gaining a lot of insight on how people across the globe live, how geography affects our lives, and she’s developing a sense of empathy as a result.”

For McPhedran, who is a distance learner this year, the project has deepened her connections. “This school year has not been easy for us,” said Cynthia McPhedran, Saffy’s mom. “We’re missing out on the social aspects of school, but this has brought us a lot of joy.”

Saffy ’28 and her sister, Sage ’32 (both pictured in the upper left-hand corner), celebrated Halloween with their friends around the globe during a Pangaea Kids meeting.

Neil Dogra ’21 Honored

Hancock Leads Storytime

Neil Dogra ’21 was named a 2020 TMJ4 Positively Milwaukee Inspiring Youth award winner for his work highlighting both the opioid epidemic and Milwaukee’s refugee community. “I’m honored to be here alongside such dedicated and inspiring individuals,” said Dogra.

USM Head of School Steve Hancock invited students to join him virtually as he read “The Giraffe and the Pelley and Me” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” both by Roald Dahl, last fall. To view the recordings, visit www.usmk12.org/storytime.

Visit www.usmtoday.org/newsbrief for more news stories.

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view from the tower

A Bear of a Good Time Students in 1st grade celebrated the culmination of a two-week unit about bears with an outdoor picnic on the Lower School playground. As part of the curriculum, students read books about bears, practiced bear math problems, and studied the history of the teddy bear. They were even able to choose their own teddy bear at the beginning of the unit as a special gift from their teachers.

Distance learner Olivia Fritz ’32 was still able to enjoy the event from home, while joined by Gigi Molnar-Kovoor ’32.

Gregg Bach, assistant head of school, brought his personal teddy bear from when he was a child. Savanna Engroff ’32 shared one of her treats with Bach’s teddy bear, affectionately named Christmas Tree Wreath Brownie.

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Head of School Steve Hancock joined the fun, and shared his life-sized bear with his new first-grade friends.

Games for Change

Four Walls and a Roof

Seventh grade economics students participated in a service project while learning about microfinance. They developed arcade games and invited students to play them for 25 cents.

The money was then used to make a zero-interest microloan through the KIVA organization.

Seventh grade science students gained real-life skills while building a shed on campus. They practiced math, science, and teamwork, and used tools like impact drivers, levels, and tape measures. The project was spearheaded by 7th Grade Science Teacher Kip Jacobs ’74.

USM TODAY | FALL / WINTER 2020–21

spotlight

Theatre in a Pandemic?

No Problem for These Students.

Upper School and Middle School students displayed creativity, dedication, and determination in their respective cinematic renditions of “Crush” and “A Wrinkle in Time.” Both productions were filmed with the help of Upper School crew members and Joshua Miller, theatre technical director, and although rehearsals and filming were interrupted by quarantines and school-mandated moves to distance learning, the students persevered to deliver a finished product. Visit www.usmtoday.org/films to view them.

Filmed with multiple camera angles over the course of a weekend, the Middle School production of “A Wrinkle in Time” by John Glore was months in the making. Despite setbacks, rescheduling, and other pandemic-related hassles, “These students were just so happy to be creating something together,” said director and Middle School Drama Teacher Katie Gonring. Pictured from left: Neva Miner ’26, Reiley Fitzsimmons ’26, and Nate Zimmerman ’25.

Directed by Upper School Drama Teacher Mark Edwards, “Crush” was filmed on and off campus over the course of several months. It featured many Upper School students including Alexander Minus ’22 and Anna Fitzsimmons ’21 (pictured, with Joshua Miller filming).

Visit www.usmtoday.org/newsbrief for more news stories.

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A Head Above the Rest

By Pamela Seiler | Photos by Jennifer Wisniewski

Steve and Stephanie Hancock have passed along many admirable traits to their children, including a love of music, a strong work ethic, and a good sense of humor. Get to know the Hancocks as they embark on their first year at USM. 10

USM TODAY | FALL / WINTER 2020–21

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n a crisp, bright Saturday in early December, a small contingent of “USM Today” staff (one writer and one photographer) drove to the head of school residence on campus to photograph Steve Hancock, USM’s new head of school, and his family for this publication. Before they even had a chance to ring the doorbell, Pepper—the family’s small but assertive Bichon-poodle mix—announced their arrival. Stephanie, Steve’s wife of 26 years, welcomed them inside, where something smelled delicious. Steve was teaching his daughter, Emily (home for winter break from Oberlin Conservatory of Music), how to make caramel corn. He loves to cook, and it was clear by the well-worn baking sheet and lack of recipe card that he had made the treat many times before. At one point, Emily over-poured the vanilla and was attempting to return the excess to the bottle when Steve said, “No, no, leave it. You can never have too much vanilla.”

This is a side of Steve Hancock, USM’s ninth of head of school, that much of the school has not yet seen. The relaxed, joking, in-his-element, consummate-educator side. As the caramel corn baked in the oven, Steve happily played holiday tunes at the family piano while Stephanie jumped in to provide vocal accompaniment.

It’s clear that music is a unifying element in the family. Steve studied violin performance and music education at Lawrence University, and was an orchestra teacher for the majority of his teaching career. Stephanie majored in music education at the University of Illinois and has taught instrumental music for more than 25 years. Emily studies clarinet at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and Clay, their youngest, is a freshman violin major at New England Conservatory of Music, although his first semester was virtual due to COVID-19. It’s also clear that Stephanie and Steve have passed on their healthy sense of humor to their kids—the morning was filled with good-natured teasing and affectionate eye rolling.

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A Needle in a Haystack Hancock’s first official day as head of school (on July 1, 2020) was the end of a long journey to get to that point.

Filling any head of school position is tricky, but especially for a school the size and caliber of USM. The individual must be many things at once: an approachable team builder with an understanding of financial management; a charismatic speaker who’s also a careful, empathetic listener; and someone who can placate groups that can be at opposite ends of the spectrum on myriad issues. Furthermore, the individual must share a commitment to developing, nurturing, and sustaining a community that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, and must demonstrate an obvious joy and passion when amongst students of all ages. He or she must do all of this and more while embracing Milwaukee’s culture and, especially, its climate.

When USM’s eighth head of school, Laura Fuller, announced her plans to retire after the 2019–20 school year, members of the Board of Trustees wasted no time in starting the process to find her replacement.

They established a search committee and hired consultants from Educators’ Collaborative, who worked to survey members of the school community to clarify the goals and opportunities for the role. “We really tried

to involve the entire USM community in the search,” said Jackie Darr, trustee and co-chair of the search committee along with fellow trustee Mike Darrow ’86.

“It’s a challenge to manage a school that spans prekindergarten through grade 12, and it was clear that members of the community were looking for a head who could connect us cross divisionally.”

While the committee was busy conducting surveys and building a position description, Hancock was quietly conducting his own research while continuing his role as headmaster at Presbyterian Day School, a PK–6 school in Memphis, Tennessee. “I really wanted to be in a PK–12 school again because I missed some of the things you can do with older students,” he said. “Everything from going to games and plays, but also the conversations you can have with them. Also, Stephanie and I wanted to move closer to our family and friends in the Midwest.”

To organize his search, Hancock created a spreadsheet of leading independent schools in the Midwest. Coincidentally, the day he created the spreadsheet—Jan. 9, 2019—was the same day Fuller announced her retirement. “I saw the announcement on USM’s website and I went home and said, ‘Stephanie! Look!’”

The Hancock family: Emily and Clay (standing) and Steve and Stephanie (seated).

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USM TODAY | FALL / WINTER 2020–21

SUBMITTED

A Head Above the Rest

In April 2020, while living in Memphis and under lockdown due to COVID-19, the Hancock family gave an impromptu concert at the end of their driveway to lift spirits in their neighborhood.

As he researched USM, it didn’t take long for Hancock to realize that it was a special place. “Right from the beginning, the Common Trust spoke to me,” he said.

“Having these tenets of respect, trust, honesty, fairness, and kindness, just dovetailed exactly with what I believe in, in terms of educational philosophy. Everything just meshed perfectly together.” He applied immediately, and began to wait.

The Final Four

he immediately engaged with the students. His sincere passion and love for kids stood out to us,” said Darr.

“And when he met with faculty and staff, it was clear he had a genuine interest and desire to learn about our school.” As for Hancock, if he was nervous during the community forums he didn’t show it. “I just tried to be honest and share my experiences and thoughts,” he said. “I probably could have said what I thought people in the room would want to hear, but in the end that’s not helpful to me or them.”

After months of reviewing application materials and conducting phone and in-person interviews, by mid-summer 2019 the search committee had narrowed down the candidate pool until only Hancock and three other finalists remained. Each candidate was invited to campus for an intense, two-day visit consisting of meetings, events, and multiple open forums where faculty, staff, parents, and alumni were able to meet the candidates and ask questions. While all four candidates were highly qualified for the position, Hancock made an impression. “From the moment Steve walked in,

Shortly after Hancock—the last of the four candidates to interview—had completed his visit, the search committee presented him as the unanimous nominee, and the Board of Trustees approved the group’s recommendation.

“In speaking with his references, and throughout the interview process, it was unquestionable that we were getting someone of the highest character,” said Darr, “someone who had a significant track record of bringing people and communities together, and was highly respected by the people he worked with.” Board of Trustees President Stephen Guy called Hancock to

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Steve and his daughter, Emily, can often be found cooking in the kitchen together. Here, they made caramel corn while his wife, Stephanie, and son, Clay, patiently waited for samples.

deliver the news. “I remember exactly where I was standing when Steve [Guy] called me,” said Hancock, “I was actually eating a bratwurst in the Milwaukee airport, waiting to board the flight back to Memphis.

Stephanie and I both were very excited. Jobs like this don’t come along very often, so I was thrilled.”

A New Job, a New Home, and a Pandemic Nothing could dampen Hancock’s excitement for his new role, not even a global pandemic, and he tackled issues with gusto. Starting in January 2020 he held monthly phone calls with Fuller, Assistant Head of School Gregg Bach, and members of the school’s leadership team, and was kept informed of all decisions made related to the COVID-19 pandemic. His first official day as head of school was July 1, 2020, and he made reopening the school, which had moved to distance learning in April, a top priority. By July 22 the school had published its reopening plan and by mid-August had made significant changes to campus to support

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USM TODAY | FALL / WINTER 2020–21

in-person learning safely. As the academic year progressed, Hancock has been instrumental in leading the school through the challenges of quarantines, isolations, closures, distance-learning, on-campus testing for COVID-19, and other pandemic-related issues.

“From the moment Steve walked in, he immediately engaged with the students.

His sincere passion and love for kids stood out to us.”

He has not lost sight of other important work, however, including the school’s justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) efforts. In August 2020 he named

A Head Above the Rest Dr. Gina Haughton the school’s director of equity and student success, and has held several meetings with related school groups, including SEEK Diversity, Parents of Students of Color, the Alumni Association, and Upper School prefects. Hancock came to USM with a track record of work he has done to expand opportunity for all students. While at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, he started Odyssey, an educational six-week summer program targeting Atlanta public school students in rising grades 1 to 12 from underserved communities (read more about it on page 17). “The best learning happens in environments where everyone feels safe, valued, celebrated, and known,” he said.

Looking Ahead Hancock is excited to get to know the broader USM community, and is looking forward to being able to travel throughout the country to meet alumni as well as hosting small, informal gatherings in his home with students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni. He is making a concerted effort to get to know students personally, as well. In addition to serving as a 4th grade Tower Project mentor, he is in the process of coordinating meetings with small groups of seniors,

two to three times per week, in the boardroom. Because he will be presenting them as USM graduates in the spring, he wants to know them on a personal level.

He is also helping to drive efforts for the school’s next strategic plan, which is a vital exercise in charting the school’s course and identifying key priorities for the next five to seven years.

Our morning photo shoot was wrapping up, and as I packed up my things, said my goodbyes, and headed out to my car, I realized that I was sad to leave. I would have been happy to stay there all day and hang out with the Hancock family in their beautiful home, listening to their music, hearing their stories, and maybe even playing a card game or two. But I didn’t need to worry.

On Monday morning there was a small package of freshly made caramel corn sitting on my desk, with a hand-written note from Steve and Stephanie thanking me for spending part of my Saturday with them. I took a bite, and it was delicious.

Steve frequently visits Preschool and Lower School classrooms to read out loud, and is adept at giving characters silly voices and accents.

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Get to Know Steve Hancock

WISCONSIN TIES • Although Steve was born and raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin, most of his teaching career occurred outside of the Midwest. After nearly 30 years away, he and Stephanie

were looking to relocate closer to home. “There’s something different about Midwest kids,” he said.

“They’re just nice.”

• Easy access to Sprecher root beer isn’t the only reason Steve and Stephanie moved to Wisconsin, but it sure helps. “One store in Memphis carried it occasionally,

but we’d have to drive 30 minutes to get one little bottle.”

• In addition to Sprecher root beer, the Hancocks also enjoy squeaky cheese curds, Kopps frozen custard, bratwurst, and being close to Lake Michigan. One Wisconsin favorite Steve has yet to try? The brandy old fashioned.

COOL UNDER PRESSURE

Was he nervous during the interviews for his dream job at USM? “Of course, but I told myself, there’s no one in that room who’s more of an expert on my opinions than me. I’m the best person to speak about what I believe in.”

BAG OF TRICKS

In addition to being an accomplished musician, Steve is adept at making balloon animals (he once worked as a birthday clown named Squiggy) and performing magic card tricks, and he likes to relax with cross stitching.

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HIS ROLE AS CHIEF STORYTELLER • Steve devotes one hour each day to visiting classrooms. “I love seeing the magic that happens in classrooms. I believe I’m the chief storyteller for the school, so I need to have real, authentic stories to tell.”

• Steve is a familiar sight to Lower School parents—he helps with drop-off every morning. “My hope is that those young students who I unbuckle out of their car seats

will someday be walking across the stage at graduation.”

• Since his start in July, Steve has held one-on-one meetings with every faculty and staff member on campus—more than 150 people total—to meet them informally. “Those meetings are sacred to me. Dawn [Taylor, Steve’s administrative assistant] has strict instructions not to move them.”

Bridge with Billionaires As far as card games go, bridge is not the most popular. But Steve’s love of the game led him on a wild ride—one that included a trip on a chartered plane with eight middle schoolers to play against two of the world’s most famous bridge players—Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.

In 2005, while working at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Steve developed Odyssey Atlanta, a six-week summer program for public school students from underserved communities in Atlanta. “Our goal for Odyssey was to break the cycle of poverty through education,” he said.

Hundreds of the program’s graduates have gone on to college, but back in 2005, Steve was seeking funding for the summer classes, one of which was teaching 8th grade Odyssey students how to play bridge.

Steve had heard that billionaire bridge buffs Warren Buffett and Bill Gates were publicly offering funding for programs that taught inner-city kids how to play bridge. “I thought, ‘Well, Odyssey would be perfect for this.’”

He applied, received the funding, and sent frequent updates to Buffett and Gates throughout the summer. Eventually, they invited Steve and eight of his students on an all-expenses-paid weekend trip to Omaha, Nebraska to have lunch with the billionaires and, of course, play bridge.

On the last day of the trip, Buffett realized he had forgotten to find a good-bye gift for the students and wracked his brain for what he could do. Finally, he pulled eight, one-dollar bills out of his wallet, which he and Gates promptly signed and gave to each student.

“I held on to the money until I could give the dollar bills to the kids’ parents,” Steve said.

“Bill’s [Gate’s] assistant told me they had never done anything like that for anyone, so I wanted to make sure the money didn’t end up in a hotel vending machine.”

MANY HATS

As head of school, Steve wears many hats. Which is convenient, because he owns many hats—more than 40 at last count—including a foam cheese head, which he wore in 2008 while dressed as a formal Green Bay Packers fan for Halloween, in New Jersey.

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in focus

Behind the Scenes During a Pandemic It takes a lot of work to keep operations at a school the size of USM running smoothly. In a pandemic year, the work is amplified. Go behind the scenes to see how USM staff work diligently around the clock to keep campus clean and safe—both inside and outside—for students, faculty, and staff.

Grounds Crew University School of Milwaukee’s grounds crew is responsible for maintaining the school’s 120-acre campus, which includes multiple athletic fields, three separate playgrounds, countless flower beds, and hundreds of square feet of manicured landscaping.

Added to their list of daily to-dos this academic year is spraying all of the playgrounds, athletic equipment, and goal posts with disinfectant. Each morning at about 7 a.m., a crew member wears a specialty, gas-powered backpack mister and sprays the playground equipment and tricycles.

The backpack weighs upwards of 60 pounds when completely filled, and requires refilling at least once each morning to cover all of the equipment. While one person sprays the equipment, another carries a hand-held sprayer to disinfect all main door handles to the building.

For Grounds Supervisor Tim Schuh, the added workload is worth it to see children back on campus. “It was really sad last spring when the playgrounds and fields were closed,” said Schuh. “We’re happy to see them getting used again.”

Custodial Team USM employs a team of 17 men and women who work nearly around the clock to clean and apply disinfectant throughout the entire building and in the Polly and Henry Uihlein Sr. Ice Arena. The custodial staff use four Clorox® Total 360® machines to deliver Clorox solutions via an electrostatic sprayer, in addition to spraying and wiping surfaces by hand. Each of the school’s 65 bathrooms are cleaned and disinfected multiple times per day— sometimes up to five or six times. Five additional team members have been hired since the start of school to tackle the extra cleaning, including two individuals who focus solely on bathrooms.

In August, before the start of the school year, each teacher and staff member were given a supply of foaming hand sanitizer, Clorox disinfecting wipes, and isopropyl alcohol

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wipes for computers and phones. Thanks to Custodial Supervisor Lauro Robles, who placed a bulk order for those items before they became difficult to source, the school was well stocked with supplies in time for reopening.

Transportation Team There are roughly 105 students, spanning all grades, who utilize USM’s in-house buses for transportation to and from school each day. For those students and their parents, it is a vital service that is safe and reliable.

Claudia Fritz, associate director of auxiliary services, and her team of drivers, worked throughout the summer to ensure the buses would be up and running in September. In addition to adding a bus to an existing route, thereby reducing the number of riders on one bus, drivers learned how to effectively wear personal protective equipment and how to clean and disinfect their buses, which they do each morning and afternoon.

Each bus has been equipped with hand sanitizer, which students are asked to use any time they board, and each bus route features assigned seating for students, which is a new initiative that ensures riders maintain physical distancing and is vital if any contact tracing needs to occur.

USM owns and operates a fleet of 10 buses (all of which have seatbelts), with a small group of in-house drivers and one in-house mechanic. “Our drivers become so familiar with their riders, they know immediately if a student is not on their bus at the end of the day,” said Fritz. “If we need to hold a particular bus until we can track somebody down, we have the flexibility to do that.”

Maintenance Crew Summer is normally a busy time for the maintenance crew at USM—and this past summer was no exception.

In addition to their annual maintenance tasks, the team was charged with preparing the head of school residence

in focus

for Steve Hancock and his family, renovating the auxiliary programs office suite, and preparing classrooms for physically distanced learning.

In order to maximize the square footage of each classroom to safely accommodate in-person learning, teachers were asked to identify non-essential furniture in their rooms that could be removed. After the furniture was identified, it took a moving crew three days to remove it, filling five semis, three of which are currently stored off campus.

USM Bus Driver Joe Arrington wiped down the seats and seatbelts on his bus, prior to students boarding.

Maintenance Mechanic Aaron Drost replaced one of the filters in a Middle School classroom’s HVAC unit—a task that needs to be done monthly in every classroom.

In addition to preparing classrooms, the team oversaw the installation of a new component of the school’s HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system, which uses negative and positive ions to filter out pathogens in the air. The system uses new filters, however, which need to be changed every month in every classroom—a significant amount of work. “This new system will benefit the school for years to come,” said Maintenance Supervisor Mike Schneider, “not just during the COVID-19 pandemic. The technology is so effective that many hospitals use it.”

Custodian Graciela Villegas used a Clorox® Total 360® machine to disinfect one of the school’s 65 bathrooms.

Grounds Supervisor Tim Schuh sprayed disinfectant on playground equipment using a gas-powered backpack mister.

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Your Support Matters This year more than ever, USM’s culture of generosity is helping to keep 1,100+ students actively learning, growing, discovering, and contributing to our community. Your gifts of time, talent, and treasure make it possible for the school to remain open as we contend with the challenges presented

by COVID-19.

Your gifts through the USM Fund, and the newly created Bridge Fund, are essential to our successes. They support the solutions that allow us to remain focused on our mission during the pandemic.

Collectively, our school family has already contributed $1,350,000—well on our way to the $2,000,000 budgeted amount for this year’s philanthropic needs. We invite you to join our efforts to support the solutions needed to maintain the highest standards in safety and educational excellence.

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Pandemic-related Expenses Supported by the USM Fund and Bridge Fund

17

MEN AND WOMEN WHO WORK NEARLY AROUND THE CLOCK TO CLEAN AND APPLY DISINFECTANT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BUILDING AND IN THE POLLY AND HENRY UIHLEIN SR. ICE ARENA

$250,000

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ADDITIONAL FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS HIRED DUE TO ADDED COVID-RELATED WORK

91

OWL DEVICES TO CONNECT DISTANCE LEARNERS TO THEIR CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS

ALLOCATED FOR SHORT-TERM TUITION RELIEF FOR SCHOOL FAMILIES

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65

AIR HANDLERS ON CAMPUS THAT SERVE EACH CLASSROOM, WITH FILTERS CHANGED MONTHLY

BATHROOMS ON CAMPUS, ALL OF WHICH ARE CLEANED AND DISINFECTED MULTIPLE TIMES PER DAY

4

2,372

STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF WHO WERE TESTED AHEAD OF THEIR RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER BOTH THANKSGIVING AND WINTER BREAKS

CLOROX® TOTAL 360® MACHINES FOR DISINFECTING CLASSROOMS AND OTHER HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS

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in focus

From Side Hustle to Serious Success Age is just a number when it comes to running a successful business, and nobody knows that better than Ben Lenikman ’21 and Natey Ruzell ’22. Both have turned their hobbies into profitable enterprises with some help from the Entrepreneurship course at USM.

A

s a 15-year old, Natey Ruzell ’22 enjoyed going to Milwaukee Bucks basketball games with his friends, where he would collect autographs on players’ trading cards. He never intended to sell the cards, but one day he was bored and posted them to his Instagram account to see what would happen. A customer reached out to Ruzell, asking if he wanted

to make a trade. “I had no clue what I was doing, but I started doing more research and realized there was money to be made, so I was like, ‘Okay, sure’ and I did the trade,” said Ruzell. From there, he was able to sell the card he received in the trade and use those profits to buy more autographed cards from different players.

“It opened my eyes to the sports card market and the capabilities that cards had.”

“I had no clue what I was doing, but I started doing more research and realized there was money to be made.”

Ben Lenikman ’21 also uses social media to grow his business of re-selling high-end, hard-to-find sneakers like Air Jordans and Yeezys by Kanye West. He opened a retail location on Brady Street in Milwaukee in November.

Both students were enrolled in the Upper School’s Entrepreneurship course taught by Nikki Lucyk, director of innovation and academic technology. The course, which Lucyk developed, was created after the completion of the Lubar Center for Innovation and Exploration in August 2017. “As we began developing our curriculum for the space, we held focus groups and spoke with parents, alumni, and entrepreneurs,” said Lucyk. “We listened to all of their ideas and ultimately decided the Lubar Center couldn’t just be a place to make stuff. There had to be a purpose for making the things. That’s how the Entrepreneurship course evolved.”

Natey Ruzell ’22 holding an autographed Kobe Bryant card he picked up at a show in Dallas. The card contains a piece of Bryant’s game-worn jersey from the 2012 season, and there are only four others like it in existence.

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USM TODAY | FALL / WINTER 2020–21

in focus

In the course, students study the business model canvas and lean start-up method and apply those methodologies to their own business. Or, if they don’t already have a business, they work to identify a need in the marketplace. But coming up with a viable idea for a business is hard, to say the least, and for students who can’t think of something on their own, “I try to connect them with a company or ask them to do something for a company,” said Lucyk.

In the Entrepreneurship course, students might not always land on a correct answer, and they need to embrace ambiguity. “I call these kids the Googlers,” said Lucyk. “They’re nontraditional, nonlinear thinkers.

They understand they’re not going to get the right answer right away. They’re going to have to go through several iterations to find the ideal solution.

They might not be jumping through hoops to get As, but they know how to think creatively, find elusive answers, network, and connect. They work to develop their emotional intelligence so they can nurture relationships in authentic ways.”

Like all business owners, Ruzell and Lenikman had to adjust their plans because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lenikman had to build relationships with new, out-of-state suppliers and Ruzell was impacted by falling prices when professional sports were shut down and people started panic selling. “The market always drops in the off-season, and the way I looked at it, COVID just created an early off-season,” said Ruzell. “I just watched the market, and when the cards stabilized at their low point I went all out and bought a ton. Since then, the prices have been creeping up every week.”

For Ruzell and Lenikman, the course has improved their businesses. “The course has helped me a lot,” said Lenikman. “I write down my goals and what I need to work on, and Mrs. Lucyk pushes me to complete my goals.” Added Ruzell, “It’s been, by far, my favorite class at USM. It helped my business a lot, being able to advertise better, learning how to market my product better—and just being in the space with other people who are also interested in being an entrepreneur is really fun.”

Natey Ruzell ’22 pictured with his cards at a trade show in Clearwater, Florida.

Ben Lenikman ’21 pictured with inventory for his store, SoleMKE, on Brady Street in Milwaukee.

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LESSONS LEARNED IN A PANDEMIC It’s been almost a full calendar year since COVID-19 was classified as a global pandemic—a year that has defied logic, suspended understanding, and impacted just about everyone. The battle against the virus is being fought on many different fronts, and University School of Milwaukee alumni are among many individuals leading the charge. We spoke to alumni in the fields of supply chain management, medicine, journalism, and technology, to learn about the challenges they have faced and the lessons they have learned.

EB

KC

Elisa Basnight ’87

Senior vice president supply chain, biomedical services at American Red Cross

Kelly Cannon ’09 WT William Tollefsen ’98 M.D. Chief medical officer South Shore Health Express; vice chair emergency medicine: director emergency medical services; and regional medical director, state of Massachusetts

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Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, Master of Science in Journalism; and 2020 Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellow

BH Bennett Huffman ’18

Carnegie Mellon University senior; UX/UI designer and web developer for Novid

LESSONS LEARNED IN A PANDEMIC WT

BH

WORKING IN THE MIDST OF A

GLOBAL PANDEMIC IS A NEW

EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYBODY

Dr. William Tollefsen ’98 is highly prepared in the fight against a global pandemic. He has a master’s in medical science from Boston University, earned his M.D. from New York Medical College, received emergency medicine training from Harvard University, and is board certified in emergency medicine, emergency pediatrics, and emergency medical services.

His team actively manages emerging infectious diseases and has multiple processes in place for handling potentially infected patients, based on their experience with previous SARS, MERS, and Ebola epidemics. But even he was caught off guard in the early days of the pandemic. “We knew it was a coronavirus,” he said. “We’ve all studied coronaviruses in medical school.

But this one was different.” The widely varied symptoms amongst patients, combined with asymptomatic transmission and skyrocketing rates of infection, made COVID-19 a tough opponent.

In the technology realm, Bennett Huffman ’18 was also facing challenges.

The Carnegie Mellon University senior was tapped to serve as the UX/UI designer and web developer for Novid, the world’s first pre-exposure notification app. The app keeps users informed about their personal network, allowing them to notify or be notified of a positive COVID-19 test from someone in their network while remaining completely anonymous. Huffman’s job is to make the app easy to use for—literally—everyone in the entire world.

“There’s no precedent for the right way to design a contact tracing app that’s understandable or that works,” he said. “Usually you try to design an app for a specific group of people, but we want the entire world to download this app. Trying to get that right as a college student is a little bit overwhelming sometimes, as thrilling as it is.”

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WT

KC

BE OPEN TO MAKING

ADJUSTMENTS– QUICKLY

In early February of 2020, Kelly Cannon ’09 found herself at the U.S. Army headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany, as part of her master’s in journalism program. While there, she started to pay more attention to the emerging virus. “As a new reporter based in Washington, D.C. in the midst of an election year, there’s tons of veteran journalists who get every scoop,” she said. “I thought, if this coronavirus becomes a global pandemic—which at the time it was not—what would that mean for all of us? That’s when I started looking into it, because I was genuinely curious.”

Elisa Basnight ’87 was not even one year into her role of leading a new organization at American Red Cross when the pandemic hit. Some initiatives, like conducting site visits around the country to meet her team, were put on hold while others, like developing business continuity playbooks, were fast-tracked.

“The new playbooks—plans for the loss of multiple sites, simultaneously, all around the country—gave us a game plan for how to ensure our operations would continue while keeping our employees safe, which is our number-one priority,” Basnight explained.

Transportation was another big issue. Typically, her team uses a combination of ground and air shipment to move product. Because of the pandemic, however, air cargo capacity in the U.S. was reduced by as much as 60%. “My team had to improvise creative ways to ensure transportation continued throughout our vast network of sites and warehouses.”

On the medical side, Tollefsen’s paramedics adjusted their protocols when responding to 911 calls. Emergency responders modified the way they went into homes to treat patients, wore appropriate-fitting personal protective equipment, and ensured ambulances had proper decontamination equipment. The hospital converted an area of the emergency department into a dedicated space for patients with COVID-like illnesses, and doctors began keeping IV pumps outside of patients’ rooms using extended IV tubing so that nurses could adjust medication without physically going into a room. “It wasn’t that we didn’t want to go in; it was that it would be a waste of PPE just to turn an infusion up or down,” said Tollefsen.

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IF YOU’RE LUCKY, YOU MIGHT GET TO INTERVIEW DR. FAUCI “I was one of the first reporters in the country to interview Dr. [Anthony] Fauci. I asked him how many doses of a vaccine we would need if this became a pandemic. He said hundreds of millions, maybe billions.

It just really stunned me.”

, Kelly Cannon 09

KC

SEARCHING FOR OUR NEW NORMAL For Basnight, the reality of life since the start of COVID-19 hasn’t fully crystalized, even one year later. “What I call the COVID accelerant—the pandemic as a driving force for change and innovation— is huge. I believe the consequences for our businesses, organizations, economies, and societies will continue to play out in 2021 and beyond,” she said.

, Elisa Basnigh t 87

EB

LESSONS LEARNED IN A PANDEMIC EB

KC

BH

LOOK FOR THE

SILVER LININGS

The experience Huffman has gained while at Novid has boosted his confidence and solidified his desire to pursue user experience design as a career, but more than that, it has given him fulfillment to know he is fighting for a bigger cause. “This is probably one of the defining moments for my generation, where we can really make a difference,” he said. “I just happened to be at the right place at the right time.”

Although she was relatively new to journalism, once Cannon identified COVID-19 reporting as a way for her to differentiate herself amongst veteran reporters covering other stories like the 2020 presidential election, she began to uncover more angles to pursue. “Even in the early days of the pandemic I was always focused on the vaccine aspect,” she said. “As the pandemic progressed I wanted to investigate communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the virus, and how we can support those communities in getting access to a vaccine.” Cannon submitted a proposal for her reporting to the Pulitzer Center and was chosen as one of its 2020 Reporting Fellows, an opportunity that provided funding for her to travel to Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, and South Dakota to speak directly with Native Americans and indigenous communities. She is reporting on how the virus has affected tribal communities and the barriers they face in accessing a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. Her first story was published by NBC News.

Basnight’s supply chain team consists of 7,000 individuals who manufacture, test, and distribute 40% of the nation’s blood products and services. In April of 2020, the American Red Cross launched an initiative to identify, qualify, and safely collect convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 individuals. The program provides critical support to those fighting the pandemic and inspires hope for her.

“I am so proud of our supply chain team and my fellow Red Crossers for their vital roles, which have positively impacted thousands of lives,” she said.

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WT

KC

BH

BEING PART OF

A GOOD TEAM HELPS

“I’m a firm believer that crisis breeds camaraderie,” said Basnight, who cited multiple examples of team members going above and beyond to ensure that the organization could fulfill its mission with minimal interruptions. As a way to boost morale and make further connections virtually, Basnight asked members of her team to submit photos of whatever makes them smile, which she then shared in her quarterly newsletter.

“We had a huge outpouring of photos of babies, weddings, pets, and more—all things that make people smile.”

For Huffman, who routinely works 12-hour days, including on weekends, it helps to be surrounded by people he genuinely admires. “I love our team,” he said. “We’re not in this to make money; we’re just a bunch of people who care about fighting a global issue. Everybody pours their hearts into it and that’s what makes the experience so awesome.”

Tollefsen witnessed many examples of individuals pitching in to help when his hospital was overrun, including a member of the hospital’s finance team walking around the hospital wiping down doorknobs and light switches, and a data analyst pushing a patient on a stretcher. “That’s the kind of leadership we’ve seen across health systems in the whole country; it’s not a unique story here,” he said. “But the general population doesn’t see what happens on the inside because we’re shut down. And I wish they did.”

SO DOES LOTS OF COMMUNICATION After traveling to the southwest to report on the pandemic’s effect on tribal communities, Cannon had to continue her research from home. “I’ve had so many phone calls, Zoom meetings, and virtual briefings with industry experts and other journalists,” she said. “I’m on the phone all day.”

Basnight held daily phone calls with her leadership team and critical stakeholders, handled ad-hoc crisis calls throughout the day, and distributed a daily report to all staff to ensure system synchronization. Tollefsen, meanwhile, had twice-daily calls with his emergency department staff and hospital administrators. “If an issue came up on our 6 a.m. call, we tried to have it fixed in time for our afternoon call at 3 p.m.,” he said.

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YOU MIGHT HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW AT MIDNIGHT “It was a Sunday in early March, around 11 p.m., and my friend asked if I’d be interested in working on this new app. I said, ‘Sure, I’m interested.’ He replied and said, ‘Okay, Po-Shen [Loh, founder of Novid] will call you in a few minutes for an interview.’ At this point it was almost midnight and I was pretty tired, but I guess I did okay.”

, B ennett Huffman 18

BH

TIMING IS EVERYTHING Tollefsen worked for several years—even getting a law changed—to establish a program called Mobile Integrated Health (MIH), which uses paramedics’ skills to provide medical treatment in a patient’s home. “We went live with MIH on March 3, 2020,” he said. “And during the first wave of the pandemic, the MIH team took care of 149 patients who otherwise would’ve been admitted to the hospital. It was the most serendipitous timing.”

, Dr. William Tollefsen 98

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LESSONS LEARNED IN A PANDEMIC EB

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KC

BH

THINGS WILL GET TOUGH, BUT

YOU’RE NOT IN THIS ALONE

In addition to COVID-19, Cannon also had to report on the presidential election—her first as a journalist. While working for Andrea Mitchell at NBC News Washington, Cannon reached out to an old mentor for support—Dr. Henry Wend, Upper School history teacher and director of USM’s Global Scholars program—who recommended a list of books and other resources.

“The fact that I’m able to call my high school history teacher and ask him questions that inform my reporting—no one does that. It’s such a gift,” she said. “I value the relationships I’ve been able to keep from USM.” Huffman’s experience as a college student has drastically changed in the past year, but he’s learned to focus on the things he can control. “It’s empowering to think that there’s a lot of small things you can do to make a huge difference,” he said. “Like choosing to have a virtual meeting instead of in-person, or wearing a mask, or downloading an app like Novid. COVID-19 is a huge problem, but if you look at what you can do as an individual, the small things make a huge difference. It’s how we’ll end up defeating the virus.”

For Basnight, the spring of 2020 was an especially difficult time. When three of her employees died as a result of COVID-19, she reached out to her close friends—many of whom she has known since the 3rd grade at USM—for support. “They told me they were praying for me and my team and I was just so grateful for my USM family and the bonds that we’ve developed and continue to strengthen over many years.”

Spring 2020 was difficult for Tollefsen, too. At one point, his hospital had a 25% mortality rate with a refrigerated trailer serving as a temporary morgue.

When things were at their worst, others stepped in to help. “The outpouring of assistance from our community was unreal,” he said. “Every day a restaurant delivered food, or another huge box of masks showed up.” One day, at dusk, his hospital was surrounded by police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances with their sirens going to cheer on everyone working in the hospital. “To see my own ambulance crews, men and women I know who are in the thick of it themselves,” he said, fighting back tears, “that was a super powerful experience.

That’s the kind of stuff that really helped support the entire hospital.”

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locker room

USM Competes at State GIRLS TENNIS

CROSS COUNTRY

Kala Siddalingaiah ’21 and Rebecca Daskal ’22 won the doubles championship in the WIAA Division 2 Individual State Tournament on Oct. 17, 2020. The duo was USM’s top doubles team, and they did not lose a single set throughout the tournament.

USM's number-one singles player, Maahum Jan ’21, also competed at state, losing to the tournament’s number-two seed, Catholic Memorial senior Lauren Carson, in the second round. In addition, Beatrice Laterman ’24 and Isabel Werner ’24 competed at state in doubles, losing in the first round.

The USM boys’ cross country team and Mya Hartjes ’23 competed in the WIAA Division 2 State Tournament meet on Oct. 31, 2020. The boys’ team took 9th place, while Hartjes took 8th as USM’s only runner in the girls’ race. In the boys’ meet, Drew Stephens ’22 finished 3rd while his brother, Thomas Stephens ’22, finished 4th out of 113 runners. “Drew, Thomas, and Mya earned medals and All-state honors awarded to top 10,” said Head Coach Eric Pilling. “This was a pretty historic achievement, by far our best finishes since competing in Division 2.”

Daskal ’22 (left) and Siddalingaiah ’21

Drew ’22 (left) and Thomas ’22 Stephens

BOYS SOCCER

FOOTBALL

The USM boys’ soccer team headed into the semi-finals of the WIAA Division 3 State Tournament with an undefeated record of 11–0. Unfortunately, they lost to the Saint Lawrence Seminary Hilltoppers, 4–2, in an exciting game and ended their season as a result.

“It hurts to work hard and not achieve all of your goals,” said Head Coach Jock Mutschler. “However, the ultimate goal of the soccer program is to have a positive soccer experience, which doesn't necessarily mean winning the state championship.”

The USM varsity football team defeated Racine St. Catherine’s, 30–28, in a Level 2 game of the WIAA Division 3 state tournament playoffs on Nov. 19, 2020.

The team was named regional champions in their final game of the season. The WIAA did not hold a state championship for football this year, with many teams moving to an alternate spring season, so a regional championship became the ultimate goal for teams.

The team ended the season at 4–1 and finished at 2–1 in the Metro Classic Conference.

Jones ’21 30

Hartjes ’23

USM TODAY | FALL / WINTER 2020–21

locker room

Hockey Turns 100 This school year marks the 100th anniversary of hockey at University School of Milwaukee and its predecessor school, Milwaukee Country Day School.

USM’s hockey program has come a long way since its humble beginnings at Milwaukee Country Day School in 1920. At that time, the rink was little more than a flooded field, and students were required to shovel off any accumulated snow prior to games and practices. The players wore no helmets or shoulder pads, and their equipment consisted of skates, sticks, shin guards, and gloves.

By the 1930s, boards around the rink were added, and in 1965 a roof was built. When the north and south campuses unified in 1985, the school built the Polly and Henry Uihlein Sr. Ice Arena, thanks to generous support from Polly MDS’38 and Henry MCDS’39 Uihlein. The school became one of the first in the state with an on-campus hockey rink, and from there, the program only expanded, including the addition of the girls’ program in 1994.

Bill Kopmeier MCDS’35 (left) and Pete Pierson MCDS’37.

While the school has sadly had to put a pause on in-person anniversary celebrations due to COVID-19, we invite the hockey community to visit www.usmathletics.org/hockey100 for a history of the program, information about future events, and other important updates.

An early 1920s photograph of the MCDS team.

GIRLS SWIMMING Lucy Art ’23, Mira Giles-Pufahl ’21, Mya Johnson ’21, Ingrid Lofgren ’23, Maddie Miracle ’23, Rosa Rivera ’22, and Anna Staples ’22 qualified to compete as individuals for the Brown Deer/University School of Milwaukee girls' swimming and diving team in the Division 2 State Tournament in November 2020.

Together, they finished 15th out of 28 teams competing. “Our finish was impressive as we were such a small team compared to the others,” said Head Coach Doug Dickinson. “This has been an incredibly challenging season, but the girls stayed safe and kept working hard. They have so much to be proud of.”

Art ’23

Staples ’22 31 31

beyond usm

’80s

Class Notes

’60s

RAJ BHALA ’80

BEN MIXTER MCDS’63,

along with his wife, Terri, and their cock-a-poo, Molly, have moved from Palmetto, Florida, to North Port, Florida. Ben writes, “The house has its own new-house growing pains, like getting the sulfur smell out of the otherwise clean well water, getting the A/C system to work all the time, and figuring out the intricacies of RING and NEST systems. We would love to connect with other USM alumni in the region, especially contemporaries from the early ’60s! Message me on Facebook to exchange contact information!”

’70s

BILL ZITO ’82

SARAH (HEWITT) HULL ’79

was recently promoted to managing director at Ankura Consulting. Hull has more than 30 years of experience in hospital, integrated delivery system, and medical group settings. Her experience covers all areas of finance and operations, with a focus on strategy development, financial and operations improvement, physician compensation, and health system integration.

EUGENE “PEPI” RANDOLPH ’79

was a featured alumnus in the Next Door foundation’s 50th anniversary commemorative book, and honored for his work to support the foundation’s Books for Kids program.

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was selected by the U.S. Department of State to serve as an expert for its U.S. Speaker program. The program sends American experts abroad, either in person or virtually, to engage and consult with key foreign audiences on a variety of technical topics.

Bhala was asked to speak about international trade law, various dimensions of the increase in China’s global influence, Islamic Law, and India. Bhala currently serves as the Brenneisen Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas School of Law and as a senior advisor with Dentons U.S.

has been named general manager of the Florida Panthers hockey team.

He oversees the club’s hockey operations including all matters relating to player personnel, scouting, and minor league operations. “I believe in this organization and I am incredibly proud to be a part of it,” said Zito. “Our team has great potential and I look forward to start working together in building something special in South Florida.”

MARGY STRATTON ’84

was recently elected to serve as treasurer of the board of Every Child a Reader, the charitable arm of the Children’s Book Council. Stratton has served on that board for a little more than one year and is the founder of Milwaukee Reads.

beyond usm

MICHAEL GREBE ’85

was re-elected as vice president of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. He has served on the board since 2015 and is the chief legal officer for Advocate Aurora Health, the largest integrated health care system in Wisconsin.

Grebe graduated from Dartmouth College and earned his law degree from the UW-Madison Law School. He also serves as a member of USM’s Board of Trustees.

’90s R.P. EDDY ’90

moderated the COVID-19 Intelligence Forum hosted

by Ergo. The event was chaired by Gen. H.R. McMaster, former White House National Security Advisor, and included Reince Priebus, former White House chief of staff, and numerous experts. It provided members with the most current intelligence on the pandemic from frontline sources with high-value insights and access.

Eddy is the CEO of Ergo and co-author of “Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes.”

SCOTT FRIEDMAN ’90

DR. KEVIN DAHLMAN ’92

assisted in the development of USM’s reopening and COVID-19 testing plans and spoke to faculty and staff in August, ahead of the school reopening for classes on Sept. 1, 2020. Dahlman is a pediatrician at Advocate Aurora Health, serves in leadership as medical director of Aurora Children’s Health, and is an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics.

SUMEETA KRISHNANEY ’92

started a new role as an attorney with von Briesen & Roper, s.c. in Milwaukee. Krishnaney also serves as a member of USM’s Board of Trustees.

PETER KLUG ’93

is the director of channel development with Novir, and he worked closely with Dr. Kevin Dahlman ’92 and USM administrators to implement the school’s COVID-19 testing plan.

DR. LOUELLA AMOS ’95

was named one of 30 Women of Influence by “Milwaukee Business Journal” for her work identifying the dangers of vaping. Amos is a pulmonologist at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and part of a team that was the first to publicly connect vaping with injuries that resulted in hospitalizations and deaths.

MATTHEW CHAROUS ’96

and his wife welcomed a daughter, Evelyn Rae, in September 2020.

SMITHA CHINTAMANENI ’96

received a Peabody Award nomination for the documentary “The Invisibles,” an investigation his team produced along with their sister-station, Telemundo 39.

The documentary explores the previously untold story of Texas-born children deported to Mexico who are unable to get paperwork allowing them to register for government services such as schooling. Friedman is the senior investigative reporter with NBC5/KXAS DallasFort Worth, and leads the “NBC 5 Investigates” team.

was named a notable woman in law by “BizTimes Milwaukee,” which shines a spotlight on accomplished professionals throughout the region. Chintamaneni is a shareholder at Milwaukee-based von Briesen & Roper and serves as one of the attorneys for the Village of Mount Pleasant surrounding the Foxconn development, where she represents the village in all eminent domain matters.

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beyond usm

RAJ CHETTY ’97,

along with a team of economists and scholars, co-led the development of the website www.tracktherecovery.org, which uses credit card and payroll data to track the economic impacts of COVID-19 on people, businesses, and communities across the United States, in real time.

The site was created by Harvard University-based think tank Opportunity Insights, of which Chetty is the director.

’00s

EMILY MAZZULLA, PH.D. ’01

is the author of the children’s book “School in the Time of the Coronavirus.” Mazzulla is a clinical assistant professor of psychology at Marquette University, and director of SWIM Collaboration and Innovation. Her clinical and research interests are in trauma and resilience. Learn more at www.emilymazzulla.com.

JOHN GRAHAM ’02

CHRISTOPHER CHAN ’00

published his first book, “Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’” in August 2020. It’s a work of literary criticism that uses the “great game” approach to literary analysis pioneered by Monsignor Ronald Knox to argue that Sherlock Holmes’ supposed biggest failure was actually a resounding success.

along with his wife, Hillary, and their older son, Tripp, welcomed Henry on Aug. 18, 2020 at 11:30 a.m. Henry has 10 fingers, 10 toes, and looks just like his dad!

Save the Date!

USM Reunion Weekend | June 17-18, 2021 Event details will be posted to www.usmk12.org/reunionweekend, or email alumni@usmk12.org with questions.

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beyond usm

CHARLES UIHLEIN ’02

was recently interviewed

by WTMJ4 for his work with Teens Grow Greens, about the organization’s efforts to keep nearly 50 Milwaukee students involved and employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Uihlein is the executive director of Teens Grow Greens, which provides experience-based internships designed to help teens experience holistic growth through gardening, cooking, teambuilding, and more. Visit www.teensgrowgreens.org to learn more.

ANDREW ROBBINS ’04

and Grace (Hauske) Robbins ’08 welcomed Katherine Elizabeth Robbins on Aug. 30, 2020. Katherine joins big brother Everett.

HIRAM “BENY” PEREZ-REYES ’05

was interviewed in July by the WUWM 89.7 “Lake Effect” program in honor of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Perez-Reyes is a Milwaukee native and principal owner of Clover Phoenix Capital, which helps fund businesses in the Milwaukee area.

Vandagriff ’08

T.J. HAUSKE ’08

and his wife, Sarah, welcomed Thomas John Hauske IV on Oct. 5, 2020. He joins big sister Adeline.

CHRISTOPHER TERRIS ’08

married Liz Jones in an intimate ceremony at Milwaukee Country Club on Sept. 5, 2020. The groom’s closest friends, T.J. Hauske ’08, Read Servis ’08, Spencer Reinhart ’08, and Michael Sendik ’07, were in attendance.

CHRISTINA (MALLIET) VANDAGRIFF ’08

married James Vandagriff at St. Frances Catholic Church in Cedarburg, Wisconsin on Feb. 23, 2019. The couple lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

LILLIAN HUTSON ’09

married Joseph Wahman on Sept. 7, 2019 in Campagnatico, Italy. They both work in liability insurance in Chicago.

Megan DeAngelis ’10 was a bridesmaid.

Terris ’08

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beyond usm

Career Roundtable

The USM Alumni Association hosted a virtual roundtable in October 2020, featuring special alumni guests (clockwise from top left) Demetrius Patterson ’92, director, IT, Coca-Cola North America; George Baumann ’04, president and CEO, Great Lakes Rubber; Raj Bhala ’80, senior advisor, Dentons U.S.; and Marie Suesse ’97, managing director, Värde Partners. The guests shared tips on growing a career in uncertain times and answered questions from attendees.

THOMAS “HOZ” TANNER ’09

married Riley (Kelly) Tanner ’12 on Aug. 29, 2020 in Milwaukee.

Alumna Lauren Wilhelm ’11 served as a bridesmaid and alumni Jake Tanner ’10, Alex Tanner ’12, Arjun Sawhney ’09, and Alex Skebba ’09 served as groomsmen. “We both are loving living in downtown Milwaukee and look forward to finding a home and starting a family in the coming years,” said Riley.

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’10s BRODIE MUTSCHLER ’19

conquered the Appalachian Trail, hiking all 2,192 miles in four months and 11 days.

He trekked the last 85 miles with his parents, Jock and Linda Mutschler, finishing at Springer Mountain in time for Thanksgiving. He plans to resume his classes at Carleton College in January.

beyond usm

Linking Remote Artisans to the Global Marketplace There are many paths to fulfillment, and while Claire Burkert ’76 may have chosen the path less traveled, it has left her no less fulfilled. Burkert’s life and career have taken her to isolated areas in Nepal, Vietnam, Turkey, Gaza, Myanmar, and elsewhere to work with rural people, mainly women, to help them sustainably develop and sell culture-based crafts.

For more than 30 years, she has worked closely with artisans to help improve the quality of their crafts, develop marketing materials to help buyers understand the cultural meaning behind the crafts, and link artisans to buyers around the world. She often works to rediscover lost methods and materials, or introduce new technical skills and designs to artisans. “I feel it’s really important for the crafts to be relevant to the artist’s culture,” she said. “The work should reflect the lives of the artisans through the imagery, techniques, and materials—those are what differentiate the artisans’ work in the global market.”

Burkert feels it is important for young people to branch out with their careers and take risks. “I couldn’t have looked in the newspaper and found my job,” she said. “I had to create it, but I didn’t even know I had to create it. I just took it step by step and followed my bliss. I think the thing is to be as creative and open as you can be, because that’s where the opportunity is.

You just have to believe in yourself.”

In 2014, Burkert wrote “Himalayan Style,” a documentation of vernacular architecture and design of the Himalayas. She and her husband, Thomas Schrom, a designer and restorer of Himalayan buildings, spend part the year in Kathmandu, Nepal.

She is continuing her work with artists through online methods due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Burkert did not follow a specific career path after earning her bachelor’s in literature from Bennington College and master’s in creative writing from Brown University. She took a planned three-month trip to Nepal with the intention of writing a book, and ended up staying for seven months. Shortly thereafter she returned to the states, but not for long. She was soon back in Nepal working various jobs until she discovered a group of women who painted images on the walls of their houses. “Something clicked in me,” she said.

“The women brought together my interest in art and anthropology, and I wanted to write about them.”

After earning a grant from a trust in Massachusetts, she developed an income-generating program for the women where they could transfer their paintings to paper, which then could be sold for income. Eventually, as Nepal became a democratic country, Burkert received interest from embassies and international organizations and she established the Janakpur Women’s Development Center in Nepal in 1991 with their assistance. From there, she replicated the work with women in countries around the world.

Burkert (second from left) is pictured with artisans from the Janakpur Women’s Development Center in Nepal, which she established in 1991.

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beyond usm

In Memoriam We celebrate the lives of the following alumni and friends, whose deaths were recently shared with us.

We are thankful for their friendship.

1930s Charles Palmer MCDS’37 Oct. 28, 2013 Sykesville, Md.

Jean Luginbuhl Krueger MDS’48 July 11, 2020 Neenah, Wis. Luther Paine D.D.S. MCDS’48 July 7, 2020 Sun Lakes, Ariz.

1940s Anne (Bradley) Bodtke MDS’40 Oct. 15, 2020 Peoria, Ill. Patricia Oberembt Cleary MDS’44 July 19, 2020 Scottsdale, Ariz.

Alan Glen MUS’44 Verdi, Nev. Sally Maier Tolan MDS’44 Oct. 3, 2020 Milwaukee Barbara (Walker) Chudik MUS’46 April 22, 2020 Holland, Mich.

Rachel Finger MDS’47 Oct. 18, 2020 Greendale, Wis. John Huth MUS’47 Sept. 23, 2020 Milwaukee Walter Schwarting MUS’47 Aug. 25, 2020 Oconomowoc, Wis. Walter Widrig MUS’47 July 28, 2019 Houston

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1950s Marianne Koch Dawes MDS’51 Aug. 30, 2020 Nashotah, Wis. Ann Doepke Miller MDS’51 June 17, 2020 Mequon, Wis. Marcia (Hoffmann) Bowes MUS’52 May 18, 2020 Mequon, Wis. James Sullivan Sr. MUS’52 Sept. 6, 2020 Centennial, Colo.

Barbara Fisher Sheyer MDS’53 July 28, 2020 Milwaukee

1960s James Fox MUS’60 June 25, 2020 Simi Valley, Calif.

Penelope Gillett Harper MDS’60 Sept. 10, 2020 Milwaukee Douglas Kuehn MCDS’60 Sept. 26, 2020 Tucson, Ariz.

1970s Thomas Baumann ’72 July 15, 2020 Mequon, Wis.

1980s Samuel Wilson ’83 Dec. 2, 2019 Lake Geneva, Wis.

2000s Ronald Darling MCDS’54 June 26, 2020 Tampa, Fla.

Benjamin McDougall ’06 May 13, 2020 Waukesha, Wis.

Constance Driessen Katz MUS’55 Salt Lake City, Utah Karla Struck Tobar MUS’56 July 11, 2020 Wilmington, Dela.

Douglas Dingman MUS’59 Dec. 16, 2019 Scottsdale, Ariz.

Friends Harold Emch Jr. Oct. 25, 2020 Milwaukee Father of Peter Emch ’78 and Elizabeth Cornwell ’80

beyond usm

Eileen Gruesser Oct. 10, 2020 Fox Point, Wis. Mother of Jennifer Jansen ’84

Dr. Warren Coleman Bowlus MUS’48 died on Aug. 26, 2020 at age 90, of post-coronavirus pneumonia.

He is survived by his loving wife of nearly 70 years, Marcia Bowlus MUS’49, their children and grandchildren, and fondly remembered by the many students and athletes he challenged to be their best on the playing field and in their daily lives.

Julie Herschede Aug. 17, 2020 Whitefish Bay, Wis. Former employee Carol James Sept. 28, 2020 Fox Point, Wis. Mother of Wendy Daggett ’71, Susan Moore ’71, and Todd James ’77. Grandmother of Lindsay Kalmes ’99, Charles Moore ’99, Allison Brodin ’01, Sarah Moore ’02, Chelsea Daggett ’04, Katharine Moore ’04, Molly Wentzel ’06, Kesley James ’07, Charles James ’10, and Sally James ’12 Robert Slater June 23, 2020 Whitefish Bay, Wis. Father of Robert Slater Jr. ’81 and John Slater ’85 Sue Wernecke June 16, 2020 Mother-in-law of Robert Juranitch, Upper School science and computer science teacher; and grandmother of Ellen Wernecke ’02, Claire Wernecke ’04, Chloe Wernecke ’09, Maxwell Wernecke ’09, Raymond Juranitch ’22, and Laura Marlin ’15 Selma Williams Sept. 23, 2020 Mequon, Wis. Mother of Michael Williams ’70 and grandmother of Matthew Williams ’10 and Colleen Williams ’12

Bowlus earned degrees in physical education from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, the University of Colorado, and Indiana University. He taught and coached football at high schools in Wisconsin and later at Western Illinois University. As athletic director for the Davenport City Schools, Bowlus strengthened K-12 physical education and sports programs and oversaw the implementation of sports for young women under Title IX. Later, he served as chairperson/director of the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics at the University of Wisconsin – Stout for eight years before retiring in 1989 and being inducted to its Hall of Fame the next year.

During his 32-year career, he coached numerous candidates to successful collegiate and professional careers and was known for attracting and hiring the best teaching and coaching staffs.

His contributions at the local, conference, state, and national levels were well recognized by the communities he served.

Bowlus was also a devoted husband and father. He loved to travel with his family, and later explored the world on cruises and tours all over Europe, Asia, and the Americas with Marcia during their retirement. He led a long and fruitful life, and will be celebrated and missed by his family and the many people he influenced.

Read more about Warren MUS’48 and Marcia MUS’49 Bowlus, including their early days as high school sweethearts, at www.usmk12.org/lovestories.

Updated as of Nov. 9, 2020.

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a look back

In 1959, the hockey rink used by the Milwaukee Country Day School team got a significant addition when a series of nylon curtains were strung across the outdoor rink, at approximately 12 feet above the ice. The curtains were needed to provide shade on sunny days when the temperature surpassed 32 degrees. Henry Uihlein MCDS’39 convinced the school to cut holes in the curtains after strong winds nearly pulled the boards out of the ground. The 1985–86 school year marked the first season played on the Polly and Henry Uihlein Sr. Ice Arena on the River Hills campus [inset], which was made possible thanks to generous support from Polly MDS ’38 and Henry MCDS’39 Uihlein.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the hockey program at University School of Milwaukee and one of its predecessor schools, Milwaukee Country Day School. Read more on page 30, or visit www.usmathletics.org/hockey100.

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a look ahead

What Will Your Kids Do This Summer? By Dr. Avis Leverett

U

iversity School of Milwaukee’s Summer n I.D.E.A.S. program is back on campus for in-person learning this summer and I couldn’t be more excited. Summer I.D.E.A.S. staff is busy preparing to implement the health and safety practices that have proven successful during the school year, including enhanced cleaning, a hospitalgrade air filtration system, and limited class sizes for improved physical distancing. This summer will be the perfect opportunity for children to learn, create, explore, and play.

For nearly 30 years families in the greater Milwaukee area have chosen Summer I.D.E.A.S. for the enrichment, academic, and athletic opportunities offered to children in PK (age 3) through grade 12. Summer I.D.E.A.S. administrators are working hard to make this year better than ever, with offerings including: • New recreational afternoon day camp in grades PK–4 • Outstanding faculty composed of USM and other highly qualified instructors • New build-your-own program options in grades 1–4 and week-long sessions beginning June 21 • Summer Institute for Academic Advancement, open to students in grades 9–12, is back with in-person and distance learning options Programming will run from June 21 to August 20, and registration will open in March. For more information visit www.usmk12.org/summer. We can’t wait to see you!

Dr. Avis Leverett is the director of auxiliary services.

Photos were taken in summer of 2019.

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2100 W. Fairy Chasm Road Milwaukee, WI 53217 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Milwaukee, WI Permit No. 1025

USM’s outdoor classroom is filled with nooks and crannies to explore and creatures to observe. Here, prekindergarten students (from left) Claire Roberts ’35, Mitchell Moore ’35, and Aria Barksdale ’35 were fascinated by a tiny snail held by Emily Vertacnik ’07, outdoor education teacher. Later that day, the students discovered mosquito larvae, which led to a classroom unit on mosquitoes. Photo by Jennifer Wisniewski, prekindergarten teacher.