USM Today - Spring/Summer 2022-23

LOOK HOW FAR WE’VE COME

Celebrating women who paved the way for today's athletes

Commencement 2023

In her valedictorian speech, Ellie Lin ’23 shared a message of gratitude for her parents, whose hard work and sacrifices led to her opportunities. But she encouraged her classmates to do more than just be grateful. “If you take one thing out of this speech, please hear this,” she said. “Find yourself a mission. Find a purpose to serve a cause greater than just yourself. Turn all the years of receiving into giving. All the years of watching into doing. Turn your gratitude into a sense of urgency, and find yourself a mission.” Atia Abawi, journalist, author, and USM’s author-inresidence for the 2022–23 school year, gave the Commencement address.

On the Cover Students at Milwaukee Downer Seminary, an all-girls predecessor school of University School of Milwaukee, played field hockey, which was one of three varsity teams girls could choose from. Today, USM’s varsity field hockey team is one of many girls can choose from. Pictured is Muriel Parrott ’24 playing on USM’s Liz Krieg ’79 Field, named for a former coach, against a competitor from Divine Savior Holy Angels high school.

Watch the full Commencement ceremony at www.usm.org/commencement

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Tim Eilbes

Director of Marketing and Communications

EDITOR

Pamela Seiler

Communications and Public Relations Manager

ART

DIRECTION AND DESIGN

Maria Harris

Creative Services Director

ONLINE EDITOR

Eric Schad

Marketing and Digital Communications Manager

PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY

Brennan Checkalski

Visual Media Specialist

CONTRIBUTORS

Margy Stratton '84

Visual Image Photography

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 12th grade. 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.

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Look How Far We’ve Come

Girls’ sports at USM have come a long way over the decades. We celebrate the women who broke barriers and paved the way.

Upper School English students learn at round tables instead of desks, which results in critical discussions and a deep sense of community.

Thanks for the Memories

After many years of dedication and hard work, we say farewell to this year’s retirees and wish them well on their next adventures

Middle School Takes Center Stage

“Chuck,” written and directed by Middle School Drama Teacher Katie Gonring and performed at USM this past spring, is an homage to middle school.

from the head of school

Dear USM Family,

Summer is a wonderful time for reflection and renewal. With our students and faculty away for the summer, our halls, gyms, and outdoor spaces have been filled with Summer I.D.E.A.S. students ready for adventure, as well as Upper School students taking summer courses through our Summer Institute for Academic Advancement. Our students are keeping the learning going even when school is out for the summer.

Along with the buzz of summer programs, we have several large scale projects that are underway on campus. Our iconic tower is getting a facelift this summer, with new windows, siding, and paint—all while protecting the signatures of decades of “lifers” preserved on the interior walls. We are excited to bring improved water to campus through a partnership with River Hills and Mequon for municipal water service. Additionally, our new food service provider, HandCut Foods, is preparing for a wonderful start to the school year.

During the past year, many of our teachers have been working to chart our course for the upcoming school year with the strategic plan as our guide. This organizational work will lead us to pilot new programs in the areas of citizenship, leadership, and academic excellence, all while strengthening our community and culture. Throughout the summer and beyond we will be highlighting this work through our strategic plan website, www.usmstrategicplan.org.

Of course, all of these projects (and many more) need outstanding leaders. I am excited to introduce several new members of my leadership team, below, who will be helping me execute this exciting work. Please join me in welcoming them to their new roles when you see (or meet) them! We will be introducing our new teachers and staff members to the community later this summer. USM is positioned as one of the strongest independent schools in the country, and I am so fortunate to lead such an incredible team of teachers and administrators. Together, we look forward to continuing to advance our school.

Steve Hancock Head of School

Claudia Fritz Director of Enrollment Management

Susan Zarwell '87 Assistant Head of Upper School

Shanee McCoy Director of Inclusion

Weston Outlaw Chief Financial Officer

Brooke Tevlin Director of College Guidance

New Leadership Team Members

Our Common Trust Defined

Every University School of Milwaukee student, faculty, and staff member, along with alumni and parents of alumni from the past several decades, is familiar with the school’s Common Trust and its five core values, which help guide behavior among members of the USM community. However, while surveys showed that these values resonate strongly, it was also clear that there was an opportunity to clarify the Common Trust values and leverage them in practice to bring our community together. Now, thanks to a faculty and staff working group charged with this task, each of the values has been formally defined to ensure a shared understanding among all members of the USM community—both in concept and in practice—as we continue our work to align all school policies, pedagogy, and practices with these values.

Acceptance and appreciation of each person’s dignity

Truthfulness in what we say and do

Shared responsibility to act with integrity

Spring Cum Laude Inductees

Nine seniors were inducted into the spring Cum Laude Society.

Congratulations to (from left) Jason Adix, Sofia Lew, Aditya Pillai, Evelyn Graham, Dominik Nikolic, Lucy Flack, Miles Ferrer, Mya Hartjes, and Benjamin Marler.

Caring actions and words for others

Balanced and thoughtful treatment of each individual

Adolescents and Social Media

USM hosted a speaker series event in January featuring Dr. Jill Walsh, titled “Adolescents and Their Social Media Narratives: A Digital Coming of Age.” It was held in partnership with REDgen, a local organization that fosters healthy, balanced lifestyles.

We, the members of the University School of Milwaukee community, commit to and practice the Common Trust. We agree to relate to one another with respect , trust , honesty , fairness , and kindness .

When History Comes to Life

Simran Ahuja ’28, a history buff, had the chance to meet his real-life hero this spring: a World War II veteran.

Simran Ahuja ’28 loves history— specifically, World War II history. He is a voracious reader of World War II books and even received “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” by William L. Shirer for his 13th birthday. When he finished the seminal 1,250-page book some two months later, he had another experience waiting for him—the chance to meet one of his heroes, a real-life World War II veteran.

Ahuja’s English teacher at USM, Anne Davis, arranged for him to meet Army veteran and Milwaukee Catholic Home resident Gerry (last name withheld for patient privacy) in January. Although nearly 80 years has passed since his deployment with an Army support unit in Belgium from 1943 to 1945, Gerry, who is 102 years old, remembered his experience well. “I think it meant a lot to him that this young man had such an interest in what he had done in his life,” said Davis, who received assistance from Milwaukee Catholic Home volunteer Barb Johnson in arranging the visit.

Ahuja has been studying World War II since 5th grade, and especially likes to learn about the encirclements and battles resulting from Germany’s invasion of the USSR. “I just think the whole thing is so interesting,” he said.

“It really changed the course of history.” He completed a project for his English class about whether the allies could have stopped Hitler in the years leading up to the war. “Easily they could have,” said Ahuja.

“Simran has a perspective that’s so deep because he has read so much,” said Davis, whose own father fought during World War II. “So it’s not your average 7th grader’s take on World War II because he’s had this depth of study.”

As for Ahuja, was he nervous to meet his hero? “Not at all,” he said. “It was a dream come true.”

Reporter Shares Perspectives

USM’s Black Student Union welcomed Zora Stephenson, then-sideline and digital reporter for the Milwaukee Bucks, and the first woman to handle play-by-play duties for the Bucks. She discussed her career, need for perseverance, and also met with BSU members.

Students Compete at JSHS Symposium

Azara Mason ’24 (left) and Anjali George ’24 competed at the Wisconsin/Upper Peninsula Michigan Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. George was selected to give an oral presentation and ranked third overall for her project.

FIRST Robotics Finishes Season at World Championships

For the second time in the team’s short history, USM’s FIRST Robotics Team #6823 made it all the way to the world championships thanks to their award-winning regional competitions.

The University School of Milwaukee FIRST Robotics

Team #6823 had a whirlwind season, competing at three regional competitions and finishing at the world championships in Houston. Twenty-one team members and seven mentors attended (pictured, right), with 19 countries represented at the event. “Our team made it to the world championships once before, in 2018,” said Patricia Ptak, 2nd grade teacher and robotics coordinator. “It is a huge accomplishment to be able to go.”

Prior to the world championships, the team participated in regional competitions in St. Louis; Orlando, Florida; and Huntsville, Alabama. At each regional competition, the students gained valuable insight and practice. In St. Louis, the Wildcats were part of the winning alliance and won the FIRST Robotics Engineering Inspiration award, which secured the team’s place at the world championship, with the registration fee paid by NASA. In Orlando, the team took home the Excellence in Engineering award, and in Huntsville, the team finished No. 6 out of a field of 50—the robot’s best performance of the year.

The FIRST Robotics Competition, for high school students, combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Teams of students are challenged to design, build, and program industrial-size, semi-autonomous robots and compete for awards, while they also create a team identity, raise funds, hone teamwork skills, and advance respect and appreciation for STEM within the local community.

Week of Winning a Success

The Week of Winning raffle event, hosted by the Parents’ Association, raised $12,000 to support USM. Students could purchase raffle tickets for the chance to win a variety of items, while younger students played carnival-themed games to win small prizes.

Wildcats Earn Herb Kohl Awards

Laura Blanchet, 4th grade teacher (pictured), was one of 100 teachers in the state (out of 64,000) to receive the Herb Kohl Foundation Teacher Fellowship, and Einthiri Mudili ’23 was one of 190 students to receive an Excellence and Initiative Scholarship.

Celebrating Water Through Dance

Third and 4th grade students closed out an uplifting Lower School concert season with “WATER,” a dance concert centered around the theme of water. A total of 138 students shined in their own choreography for 13 dances, and were directed by Sasha Deveaux, Lower School dance teacher, in two grade-level finales. Third grade students performed an Afrobeat dance with vibrant costumes, as well as “Water” from “The Lion King,” while 4th grade students performed a contemporary dance personifying the relationship of a moon rising over water. A live, lyrical dance and choral rendition of “Down to the River to Pray,” conducted by Katie Brister, Lower School music teacher, opened the show.

Chuck Taft, 8th grade American studies history teacher, has been elected president-elect of the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies. Taft will work with other councils to push for advocacy and support for social studies initiatives.

Disney Dreamer for Life

Julius Zakaria ’23 was one of 100 young adults—and the only one from Wisconsin— to attend the Disney Dreamers Academy, where he gained career advice from Disney cast members, industry experts, and community leaders.

Chuck Taft President-elect of WCSS

Making Dreams Come

True in JK

When you ask children what they’d like to learn about most in the world, their answers might surprise you.

Junior kindergarten teachers at USM begin every year by asking each student a very important question: What is your biggest hope or dream to learn about in junior kindergarten? The answers vary. Animals are popular—especially butterflies and dogs. Other requests from this year included robots, reptiles, outer space, pizza makers, and garbage collectors.

When the teachers need help with a particular subject, they enlist help from the community. Judy Clegg, USM’s Preschool and Lower School librarian, is quick to supply books and other resources. When the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center visited USM’s Preschool in March, Emily Vertacnik ’07 ensured that they brought their peregrine falcon after one young friend specified it as being his dream. Members of the Upper School’s FIRST Robotics team visited another class to talk about robots and teach students how to code.

Sometimes, teachers enlist help from the greater Milwaukee community. When one student’s dream was to learn about garbage collectors, representatives from Waste Management visited campus with two trash-collecting trucks. Students learned about garbage and recycling, how the trucks work,

and even had the chance to sit inside the trucks. When another student wanted to learn about reptiles, teachers invited Tatiana’s Tiny Zoo to visit their classrooms. Sudents were thrilled to touch snakes, a gecko, and a box turtle.

“Through our hopes and dreams program, the students really take ownership of their learning,” said Harriette Engel ’14, junior kindergarten teacher. “They tell us what they want to learn about and, as a result, the whole class is exposed to a topic they might not otherwise know or care about. It makes the learning really meaningful, and students get so excited when it’s time to for their hope or dream. Their voices are being heard.”

Future Engineer

Libby Cox ’23 received an Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship of $40,000 over four years, along with a paid internship at Amazon, to study computer science or engineering. Cox will study computer science at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering this fall.

A Hole in One

Zindzi Frederick ’23 was named a 2023 Chick Evans Scholar. The award is a full housing and tuition scholarship for golf caddies valued at roughly $125,000 over four years. Frederick will study international relations and global health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Libby Cox is Amazon

Aidan Timm ’36 was one of many students to sit in a real-life garbage truck.

Jordyn Schmidt ’36 learned how to make her own pizza.

Junior kindergarten students with Xander, USM’s certified therapy dog.

Will McLean ’35 (left) and Alex Ptak ’22 (pictured last school year) examined the FIRST Robotics robot.

A Window on the World

Students in all divisions were treated to a day of colorful sights, sounds, and smells at the Global Enrichment Festival hosted by USM’s Parents’ Association. Nearly 30 countries, from Afghanistan to Venezuela, were represented, each with a brightly decorated booth and volunteers who answered questions and stamped visiting students’ “passports.” Guests also enjoyed nearly two dozen unique performances from both student and professional dancers and musicians, and a sampling of foods from nearly 30 countries in the Global Café. The annual event highlights a broad range of cultures and backgrounds, many of which are represented within USM’s own student body.

NHD Goes to Nationals

Eighth grade students competed at the National History Day national competition. Of those, Divya Rao won the Constitution award; Lucy Konkol and Simrin Patel were the outstanding Wisconsin Junior Division entry; and Isaac Neumann placed in the top 10.

Midwest Fed Challenge Winners

From left Anand George ’26, Eva Barth ’25, Einthiri Mudili ’23, Coco Raube-Van Bekkum ’24, and Srikar Mudili ’24 won the Yellin (Experienced) Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago’s Midwest Fed Challenge 2023. Nine schools participated.

Students Compete at ISEF

From left Krish Vasudev ’24, Aditya Pillai ’23, Aidan Wang ’24, Jonathan Crawford ’23, and Anjali George ’24 competed at the 2023 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Wang earned Second Grand Award and the Long Island University Presidential Award.

1. The Global Café was a popular hangout for students, who sampled traditional food representing many different countries.

2. Members of Milwaukee’s Ballet Folklórico Xanharati performed traditional Mexican folk dances.

3. From left Kayleigh Coleman ’23 volunteered in the Germany booth and was joined by Lauren Swayze ’32 and Greta Nicoli ’32.

4. Ron Bowen of the Celtic Nations Pipes and Drums played the great highland bagpipe.

5. Renee Mondano (left) and Sara Manning, co-chairs of USM’s Parents’ Association global enrichment committee.

6. From left Jack Huffman ’34, Sophie Brennan ’34, Zoe Dixon ’34, and Patrice Ellsworth ’34 participated in a game involving sand in the Israel booth.

7. Members of Milwaukee’s Trinity Irish Dance Company performed an Irish jig.

8. Payton Bester ’34 (left) joined Ayaka Takahashi in the Japan booth.

9. Students lined up to receive a henna tattoo from Hands of Henna by Anita.

10. Upper School students paraded a colorful, Chinese-style dragon through the gymnasium.

11. From left William Burlew ’28, Head of School Steve Hancock, Connor Konkol ’28, and Stephanie Hancock, Middle School band teacher.

12. Members of the Viata Româneascá Romanian Folk Dance Ensemble and Cultural Group gave a traditional performance.

13. A member of the Ko-Thi Dance Company led children in a traditional African dance performance.

Authors Visit USM

Several authors visited Preschool, Lower School, and Middle School students this spring: Francie Dekker, Liza Wiemer, Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, Giovanni Rigano (illustrator, pictured), and Miranda and Baptiste Paul. They shared a variety of ideas, perspectives, and stories.

It’s Just Lunch

Upper School students were invited to attend Career Lunch and Learn events, in which parent volunteers from various fields spoke about their work and educational backgrounds and answered questions from students.

If Upper School students wanted to learn more about a particular career or industry this past school year, they didn’t have to go far—just up one flight of stairs to the Stratton Upper School Library, where they could eat lunch in a casual setting with professionals representing various fields. Hosted by USM’s Internship and Shadowing Committee with support from the Parents’ Association, each Career Lunch and Learn event featured parent volunteers from different fields, including corporate law and litigation, entrepreneurship, engineering, business, and medicine.

The volunteers shared their educational backgrounds, career journeys, and serendipitous events that led to where they are today; answered questions; described a typical work day; and gave advice.

For Dalia Chairez ’24, who is considering a career in law, the corporate law and litigation lunch provided valuable first-hand information as she prepares for college. “I could ask questions like, ‘Should I major in pre-law or something else?’ and ‘What is the transition between college and law school like?’ There were just a lot of things that I didn’t know and it was really helpful to get those answers,” she said. “I really got a lot out of it.”

In addition to the Career Lunch and Learn events, the Internship and Shadowing Committee hosted a resumé-writing workshop for 25 Upper School students in which parent volunteers helped students write resumés and conducted mock job interviews.

Lunch and Learn Volunteers

Corporate Law and Litigation

James Barton, founder and owner, Barton Cerjak S.C.

Carina Barton, senior privacy counsel, U.S. and Canada

Privacy Leader at GE Healthcare

Entrepreneurship

Randy Knaflic, advisor and investor (pictured below, far right)

Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, CEO, storytelling with data (pictured below, left)

Engineering

Jerry King ’92, president, Precast Engineering Company

Business

Keri Sarajian, global head of innovation, S.C. Johnson’s Global Consumer Brands Business Unit

Medicine

Dr. Azita Hamedani, chair, Department of Emergency Medicine at University of Wisconsin–Madison

Dr. Rick Strickroot, urgent care physician with ProHealth Care

Chef Jet Turns Up The Heat

Food Network star and celebrated chef Jet Tila gave cooking demonstrations, visited with students, and held a meetand-greet event in March at USM. FLIK Independent School dining staff prepared selections of his delicious food.

Tower Projects 2023

Nearly 80 students in 4th, 8th, and 12th grades participated in Tower Projects, in which they develop, research, and create projects for a semester or year, gaining skills in research and writing, public speaking, risk-taking, and more.

New AEDs Improve Safety

The school recently purchased and installed 12 new AEDs, or automated external defibrillators, throughout campus.

When a medical emergency happens outside of a medical setting, AEDs can mean the difference between life or death. The portable, electronic device diagnoses life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and is able to treat them through defibrillation—a controlled electric shock—via easy-to-follow directions.

AEDs, or automated external defibrillators, have played an important role in USM’s emergency response protocol for many years. The school recently purchased and installed 12 new

ZOLL AED 3® defibrillators—replacing 10 that were approaching the end of their useful life and adding two more. The school also provides training for CPR and use of the new AED machines to all employees, which is renewed every two years.

“For every minute that passes in a cardiac event, the chance of survival decreases significantly,” said Kathleen Roebber, head school nurse. “USM is a big campus, so we’re very fortunate to have 12 AEDs. No matter where you are in the buildings, there is an

AED nearby.” In addition, USM’s athletic trainer brings an AED to sporting events.

The new defibrillators provide real-time CPR feedback on the rate and depth of chest compressions, give visual and audible feedback to the rescuer on CPR quality, include pads that work for both adults and children, and use a five-year smart battery that can report its power status.

Since 2018, USM has been a designated Project ADAM Heart Safe School, the first school in the North Shore area to achieve the distinction. Project ADAM is an initiative that seeks to prevent sudden cardiac death via a series of annual activities including conducting drills, establishing an emergency response team, and ensuring AEDs are available, accessible, and maintained.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Two historians spoke to Middle School students in April. Nina Edelman spoke about her father, an American Jewish vet captured by the Nazis, and Marty Thau (pictured) spoke about his father’s journey to safety after narrowly avoiding capture by the Nazis.

Honoring Our Veterans

Eighth grade students hosted the 12th annual March to the Memorials event, in which students march 8,000 collective laps around the Middle School car circle (the equivalent distance to Washington, D.C.) to raise money for veteran organizations.

Girls at Milwaukee Downer Seminary, a predecessor school of USM, played basketball.

LOOK HOW FAR WE’VE COME

If you were a girl in the 1960s (or earlier) and you wanted to play organized sports, your options were limited at best. Title IX of the Higher Education Act was enacted in 1972, prompting change at the local, regional, and national levels. At USM, change was also initiated by girls who shattered norms and broke barriers, and the coaches, administrators, and parents who supported them. They laid the groundwork so that the student athletes who followed could focus on the game.

To say that Mya Hartjes ’23 is a phenomenal athlete would be an understatement. In 2023, the diminutive powerhouse finished her senior year at University School of Milwaukee with a long list of awards and accolades under her belt. On the basketball court, she scored her 1,500th career point in February, making her the second-highest scorer in USM basketball history. She was twice named the Midwest Classic Conference’s player of the year. In cross country, she was a four-time state qualifier, finished in the top 10 twice, and set the school record for the fastest time in a 5K race at 18 minutes, 48 seconds.

As a junior, she started running track and field. In her first year on USM’s team, she set three records and took 3rd in the mile race and 4th in the two-mile run at state. Hartjes grew up competing with her older brothers and

Mya Hartjes ’23 ( pictured above) as a junior after scoring 1,000 career points in basketball. During her senior year, she reached 1,500 points, becoming the second-highest scorer in USM basketball history.

her father. She had the intense drive and desire to play sports, as well as the opportunity to choose from more than a dozen varsity girls’ sports at USM.

Connie Meek ’65 is also a phenomenal athlete. As a USM student, she played all three organized sports available to her: field hockey, volleyball, and basketball (boys at the time had seven), and won the best senior athlete award. As an undergraduate at Hood College, she was a four-sport athlete in field hockey, basketball, lacrosse, and swimming. In the 1970s, she returned to USM to coach numerous girls sports, while simultaneously competing as a

distance runner and cross-country skier. She has run the Bellin 10k in Green Bay, Wisconsin every year since its inception in 1977, and completed her 38th American Birkebeiner crosscountry ski marathon in 2022. In 2008, she was inducted into Hood College's Hall of Fame as the athlete of the decade for the 1960s.

While both are gifted athletes, Hartjes had more girls’ teams to choose from, and greater access to practice spaces, coaches, uniforms, equipment, and transportation. What Meek was able to accomplish in 1965 is nothing short of incredible. “Every girl who is playing sports at USM today, and there are many of them, owes Connie Meek a thank you,” said Sue Baker, Upper School physical education and health teacher and varsity volleyball coach. “Well before Title IX of the Higher Education Act in 1972, Connie was proving that girls can and should play sports.”

But Meek wasn’t the only woman to pave the way. Marion Chester Read MDS’37

played multiple sports while attending Milwaukee Downer Seminary (MDS; one of USM’s three predecessor schools), and went on to earn 20 varsity letters in four years in tennis, field hockey, softball, swimming, and basketball at Bryn Mawr College. Alice Kieckhefer Fajen MDS’44 lettered in all three varsity sports recognized at the time by MDS, and won an intercollegiate tennis championship in

Connie Meek ’65 (left) ran her first marathon in 1982. Mya Hartjes ’23 (right) ran cross country all four years at USM.

Meek as a Hood College lacrosse player in 1969.

Coach Connie Meek '65 (center) with her undefeated conference- and tournamentwinning USM varsity field hockey team in 1977.

the late 1940s while attending Smith College. While these women’s accomplishments are impressive, it’s hard not to wonder what they might have achieved had they been born 50 years later.

AS A CHILD, Meek, like Hartjes, relished playing sports with her family and neighborhood friends. “I remember shooting a lot of basketball in the driveway, and playing a lot of baseball,” she said. Meek was a strong athlete compared to her male and female peers, but her options to play organized sports were, as with many girls of the era, limited. “It was extremely disheartening when the boys could go on to play Little League and things like that, and there was nothing for me. So I did a lot of sports on my own as best I could.”

Female athletes at Milwaukee University School (MUS; another of USM’s predecessor schools, which Meek attended starting in 1960 as an 8th grade student) could join one of two varsity sports: field hockey or basketball. All girls were assigned to either a blue team or a white team and could participate in field hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming, and soccer on an intramural basis. But limited space on the MUS campus meant girls got short shrift to boys. “MUS had one field, and we were only allowed to practice on it when the football team didn’t need it,” said Meek. “And maybe we could have our games on Saturday morning if there wasn’t any football going on.” For uniforms, girls wore their gym suits, with collared blouse-type shirts and no roster numbers. Their seasons were brief, and the girls’ teams followed specific rules determining how strenuous the competition could be.

Students at MDS, which was an all-girls school, had more options. There, long-running organized teams

included field hockey, basketball, volleyball, and even baseball in some years, with a plethora of club-like offerings in tennis, Ping-Pong, shuffleboard, badminton, swimming, and archery, to name a few. The robust athletic program at MDS was largely thanks to Dorothy Weisel, who taught gym, headed the athletic association, and coached every sport at the school until her retirement in 1963. When the three predecessor schools (MDS, MUS, and Milwaukee Country Day School) merged in 1964, the boys stayed on the old MUS campus and the girls were moved to the north campus on Fairy Chasm Road. As a result, Meek’s experience her senior year improved immensely. “We had a field, we had a gym, and we didn’t have to share with anybody. It was fantastic. It was, I’m sure, my happiest year of high school. And it just reiterated the fact that I wanted to go to a women’s college that had an athletic program.”

After graduating from Hood College in 1969, Meek returned to USM in 1971, where she taught physical education and coached (at the varsity and junior varsity levels) field hockey, volleyball, and basketball. When Title IX was enacted a year later, it didn’t take long for Meek and others to start noticing improvements in girls’ sports. Meek was able to order new uniforms for the sports she coached, as well as new equipment, and eventually she was given a dedicated field with permanent

goal cages for field hockey. “Things weren’t perfect, but the administration was pretty darn good at standing behind me,” said Meek.

GIRLS’ SPORTS OFFERINGS steadily grew, along with participation. In the early 1970s, USM launched a girls’ tennis team, coached by the late Jim Laing, followed shortly thereafter by a softball team (initially coached by Meek, followed by then-Upper School History Teacher John “J.S.” Stephens), a girls’ track and field team, and a gymnastics team. In 1980, the school added a girls’ soccer team coached by then-Upper School History Teacher Steve Bruemmer.

But there were still some inconsistencies. Record-keeping for both genders was spotty, but especially for girls. As a senior, Kate Elsner ’75 won an award for athletics, which was renamed the Marion Chester Read Sportsmanship Award in 1977. Names were added to the trophy, which currently sits in USM’s Quadracci Lobby, starting in the 1977–78 school year, but any prior award winners, Elsner included, were lost to history. “I think my generation of women, and women before me, are lost in the records totally,” said Elsner. Records for the Henry H. Uihlein Sportsmanship Award, given to boys, date back to the 1963–64 school year. Spectators and funding for female sports were comparatively low, both at USM and schools throughout the country. And some sports, like football and hockey, were strictly off-limits to girls.

“I REMEMBER nearly causing a riot my senior year when I threatened to try out for the boys’ varsity hockey team,” said Margy Stratton ’84. A figure skater for many years, Stratton longed to play hockey. But there were no formal opportunities for girls in the

“It was extremely disheartening when the boys could go on to play Little League and things like that, and there was nothing for me. ”

- Connie Meek '65

Milwaukee area at the time. Even when she got to college, the options for women were limited. Her first experience playing the sport was on an intramural team at Yale University, where she and one other woman played for all four years. When enrolled in graduate school, she continued playing in a men’s league hockey while pursuing her MBA. “My opportunities didn’t just transform overnight,” she said. “I had to keep pushing my way into the men’s hockey world just so that I could play.”

Although Stratton competed in field hockey, soccer, and gymnastics at USM, the hockey snub still stings. “I don’t feel like ‘woe is me,’ but I think I would’ve really enjoyed it because I loved the sport,” she said. “Nobody wanted to take anything away from the boys, we just wanted the same opportunities to play and compete.”

That particular ice ceiling was broken in 1992, when Angela Donovan ’96 became the first girl to play on USM’s varsity hockey team, under then-head coach and USM Athletic Director Lowell McDonald. Donovan remembers the coaching staff and her teammates

being supportive. “My coaches and teammates were great; it was usually my opponents who would come after me because I was a girl,” she said. “There were times I felt like I was targeted and pushed around a bit. But I could hold my own.”

As word began to spread that Donovan was playing on the boys’ team, interest in starting a girls’ team grew. In 1994, Donovan’s mother, Debra, joined forces with Liz Krieg ’79, then-varsity field hockey coach and USM College Guidance counselor, to start a club hockey team for girls. With further assistance from Kip Jacobs ’74, thendirector of athletics at USM, the club became the varsity girls’ hockey team in 1999, and later became a WIAA co-op team in 2005. The co-op, which had teams from several nearby high schools join and leave over the years, won its first WIAA state championship in 2015, finishing the season on a 15-game winning streak.

Donovan was recruited by several college teams and ultimately attended Northeastern University in Boston, where she played on the Division 1 school’s conference championship

team. “Thinking back to my time at USM on the boys’ team, I don’t think I realized how big of an impact I was making. But now, looking back, I see that it was the start of something much bigger. It makes me proud that I could be a role model for the younger generations and thrilled with the progress girls’ and women’s ice hockey has made today.”

SINCE MEEK’S TIME, the USM Athletics program has steadily worked to make girls’ and boys’ sports more equitable at the school. The athletic administration saw the addition of many girls’ teams, female coaches, and two female assistant athletic directors, Kate Mouton ’02 and Sue Baker, who both also served as the Middle School athletic director. The Middle School athletics program has grown to include

“Nobody wanted to take anything away from the boys, we just wanted the same opportunities to play and compete.”

-Margy Stratton '84

Angela Donovan '96 with her brother, Tony Donovan '96.

Angela Donovan ’96, pictured here in 1992–93, was the first girl to play on USM’s varsity boys’ hockey team. She followed Leslie Bardes ’88, who was the first girl to play on the boys’ junior varsity team in the 1980s. Until 1994, there were no other options for girls who wanted to play hockey.

both interscholastic and intramural offerings, with co-ed options (depending on grade level) in flag football, cross country, tennis, track and field, and soccer.

USM’s current athletic administration, including Tim Williams, director of athletics, and Ivan Guzman, assistant director of athletics, continually work to ensure equitable scheduling of the school’s indoor and outdoor practice facilities, maintain diverse coach hiring, improve the collection and documentation of athletic awards, and ensure balanced access to funding and facilities, as well as equitable promotion of teams and players. With 24 varsity programs, 17 junior varsity programs, and hundreds of athletes in the Upper School alone, it’s a big task. “I think back in the 1960s, USM was probably typical of a lot of schools,”

said Williams. “But it’s different now. We work hard to make sure things are proportional and equitable for both genders. And I give a lot of credit to the coaches, who are great at sharing spaces, etc. It doesn’t matter if it’s for boys or girls, we’re all part of USM athletics.”

THE WORK being carried out today by USM’s coaches and administrators is a continuation of what was started decades earlier by women like Kieckhefer Fajen, Meek, and Donovan, not to mention the countless mothers and fathers who pushed for change at USM and beyond. “When I come to work, I’m constantly reminded of the women who came before me,” said Jaime McGaver ’99, who is the assistant athletic director for compliance at Marquette University, and was herself

an award-winning college athlete. “I’ve worked at the college level for 15 years and I’ve seen a lot of improvement in that time. But I also see female head coaches struggling with things that don’t impact their male counterparts as much, like taking maternity leave or scheduling practices around child care. Society as a whole has come so far, but we still have further to go.”

Many chapters have been added to the story of girls’ sports at USM over the years, and it’s nowhere near finished. And while we gladly celebrate all of today’s athletes regardless of skill, it’s important to recognize and honor the women who competed long before it was the norm. They are the reason athletes like Mya Hartjes can play, let alone win and set records. Theirs are the shoulders upon which girls today stand.

University School of Milwaukee’s Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 2016 to honor those individuals who have made a lasting impression on our community. Hall of Fame inductees include players like Alice Kieckhefer Fajen MDS’44 (inducted in 2019) and Connie Meek ’65 (inducted in 2022), as well as coaches, teams, and distinguished contributors from USM and its three predecessor schools.

Visit www.usm.org/hof to read about the current inductees, and watch videos celebrating their accomplishments. In addition, we invite you to nominate someone who you feel has positively impacted the USM athletic community, whether through athletic accomplishments or support from the sidelines, via the nomination form on the website.

Girls at Milwaukee University School practiced archery and played field hockey.

IN THE ROUND

With a diameter of 11 feet—large enough to seat 16 comfortably—the round tables used in all Upper School English classes dominate the rooms. But they are more than just pieces of furniture. They are vehicles through which connections are made, ideas are challenged, focus is sustained, and collaboration occurs. The tables are as integral to USM’s English classes as Shakespeare, Fitzgerald, or Angelou.

The round table pedagogy at USM works like this: Teachers assign a reading, students read it, and they all meet back at the table to discuss what they read.

“Everybody comes to the table having read the same work,” said Kate Gay, Upper School English teacher, “but they leave with a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the literature as a result of the discussion.” Conversations are rooted in the text, not in students’ opinions of the text, which results in more sophisticated reading comprehension. The books are intentionally chosen by English faculty to represent a wide variety of characters, situations, viewpoints, geographic locations, points in time, and religions. Teachers are constantly evaluating the curriculum to ensure that the texts yield fruitful, invigorating conversations at the table.

The discussions are different depending on the grade level and class makeup. Freshmen, for example, first learn the basics of having an intellectual conversation, such as connecting classmates’ names with a comment and speaking without raising their hands or interrupting. They may only have the stamina for a 15- or 20-minute discussion, in which the teacher is actively participating. As students progress through Upper School, they gain confidence in expressing and defending their own ideas. By the time they reach the end of senior year, students are able to engage in, and sustain, an hour-long discussion with little to no input from the teacher. They are receptive to others’ ideas, able to propel and redirect (when necessary) the flow of conversation, and know how to embrace silence as core to discussion.

“When you’re having a conversation and two people start talking at the same time, who speaks?” asked Emma Keuler ’20. “Who doesn’t? What is the etiquette around that? How do we make sure everyone has a voice? In all of my round table classes we got a lot better at navigating conflict over the course of the semester or year.”

By closely discussing books with their peers, students are learning literary techniques like foreshadowing, symbolism, and metaphor; expanding their vocabularies; and understanding elements of structure and plot. Mastering these devices ultimately helps to improve the students’ own writing. Teachers also incorporate journal writing in their class periods, often leading with a question that invites students to ponder what they discussed at the table, and sometimes inviting students to read what they wrote out loud. Not only does this further cement their knowledge of the reading, it allows students to gain constructive feedback on their writing.

While students are reading closely and understanding the importance of an author’s word choice, phrases, style, and structure, they’re also learning how to collaborate with others, how to grapple with difficult subject matter in a way that’s civil and productive, and how to be comfortable with ambiguity. “I remember getting into a debate with another student about an excerpt from ‘Into the Wild’ by Jon Krakauer,” said Luke Brotherhood ’20. “It was one of those moments where we just had to agree to disagree, and it reaches far beyond English class. In life, there are so many times when there is no right or wrong answer, but you have to find a middle ground while still respecting others.”

At its core, learning at the round table promotes community. Teachers begin each school year by developing trust and open-mindedness at the table, because they know that real, academic rigor will not happen without an established community. At the table, students are respected and trusted because they, in turn, trust and respect their peers. “We sometimes have moments of discomfort at the round table,” said Danielle Goldstein, Upper School English teacher and English department chair. “But teachers see that as a good thing. We can’t grow as humans if we are not also willing to feel some discomfort. It’s good that we’re getting to those points with students and pushing through them. I love when that happens. That’s a good day of teaching.”

Kate Gay, Upper School English teacher (top of the photo), led a discussion about the book “The Round House,” by Louise Erdrich.

New Math Curriculum Adds Up

For the 2022–23 school year, University School of Milwaukee introduced a new mathematics curriculum— Reveal Math—which spans from kindergarten through 7th grade.

If you were to pop into Laura Blanchet’s 4th grade classroom during a typical math lesson, chances are it wouldn’t look like the math class you remember. You might see students clustered in small groups working on problems together, explaining how they came up with their answers, or asking their classmates for help when they don’t understand, with Blanchet providing guidance when needed. You might see students solving a problem in drastically different ways, but all coming up with the correct answer. You might see students working on completely different problems, all within the same unit, depending on their comfort level with the material.

This is Reveal Math, USM’s new mathematics curriculum, at work. USM officially implemented Reveal Math in kindergarten through 7th grade, starting in September 2022, after a dedicated team of math teachers from Lower School and Middle School spent several years researching and consulting with experts. Keep reading to learn why they chose Reveal Math, and what the curriculum means for USM students.

Why did teachers choose Reveal Math?

Consistency

Reveal Math uses instructional routines—such as number routines, math language routines, and sensemaking routines—with every lesson. These provide structure and help to develop a strong understanding from lesson to lesson, unit to unit, and grade to grade. “Having a curriculum that spans from kindergarten to 7th grade is incredibly valuable,” said Amy Hand, assistant head of school for teaching and learning. “When a curriculum’s models, vocabulary, textbooks, even digital components are consistent from year to year, students can focus on learning the math instead of a new textbook layout or system of organization.”

Differentiation

USM teachers and administrators like the Reveal Math curriculum because it is differentiated in several important ways. First, the lessons are adaptable, which provides less secure learners with an achievable entry point, and more fluent students with a higher level of challenge. It is designed for all students to reach a meaningful point of resolution within a class period. Additionally, Reveal Math uses both open questions and parallel tasks throughout every lesson, allowing teachers to tailor them for each individual student or group of students based on their unique needs. These strategies are proven to help students deepen their conceptual understanding and extend their learning to a higher level.

Productive Struggle

The Reveal Math curriculum is intentionally designed to spark curiosity. Rather than giving students step-by-step instructions for solving a problem, teachers encourage them to use the tools and ideas they have already learned. If they make a mistake, they are encouraged to try another strategy. This is called productive struggle, and it results in an improved flexibility with numbers and a stronger understanding of the relationship between numbers. It also builds students' agency with math, because they are deciding how they’d like to solve the problem. They become comfortable taking risks and making mistakes, which leads to a growth mindset as a “doer” of math.

Why doesn’t the Reveal Math curriculum carry into 8th grade at USM?

While USM’s 8th grade algebra curriculum follows many of the same tenets as Reveal Math (understanding concepts and processes, developing a deep understanding of the language, and making connections amongst patterns), it does not use the same textbooks or accompanying resources. This is designed to prepare 8th grade students for their transition to Upper School, where they will take either Algebra I or Algebra II as freshmen.

How can families help with math at home?

For students struggling with a concept or problem, caregivers can ask questions to help them think about mathematics and look for connections, such as, “Can you do a simpler problem? Have you referred back to the textbook or your notes from class? Would it help to draw a picture or diagram? Are there any steps you can do to get started? What have you tried that didn’t work?” Students are always encouraged to ask their math teacher for additional help whenever needed.

Why does Reveal Math have so much reading and writing?

The Reveal Math curriculum was developed around the belief that mathematics is a way of communicating and a way of thinking—not just a series of operations. For students to be successful in math, they need to know the language of math. Each unit highlights key vocabulary terms that students will use, which support how they talk and think about math. Throughout the lessons, students are prompted to restate in their own words (using the vocabulary they learned) how they solved a problem. This way of communicating is built upon throughout the school year, and then carried over into other grade levels as the students advance.

The following USM teachers and administrators were immensely helpful in researching, evaluating, and implementing the Reveal Math curriculum: Laura Blanchet, Gina Bongiorno, Debbie Judge, Erica Melick, Stacy Peterson, Patti Ptak, and Jason Strains.

“ Having a curriculum that spans from kindergarten to 7th grade is incredibly valuable. ”

-Amy Hand

Many Hands Make Light Work

After gathering for their 50th reunion, members of the Class of 1971 banded together to create an endowed gift that would impact students for the next 50 years and beyond.

When the Class of 1971’s official 50th reunion was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn’t stop classmates from holding a gathering in the summer of 2021. And what resulted from their efforts to stay in touch will impact students for years to come.

“It was a really fun reunion and I think we came away feeling grateful about our experiences as USM students,” said Fred Geilfuss ’71. He, along with classmates Chess Barbatelli Jr. ’71 and Stuart Lindsay ’71, among others, were inspired to do something for their alma mater and to impact future students. Thanks to his many years volunteering on both the USM Board of Trustees and USM Endowment Board, Geilfuss thought an endowed fund could be the perfect solution.

With endowed funds, only a small, set percentage of the principal is spent each year so the fund lives on in perpetuity. That’s one reason why members of the Class of 1971 wanted to make sure their contribution was endowed. Another reason was because they knew that

they, and others, could contribute to the fund over time, including making memorial gifts for classmates, thus growing its principal and its ultimate impact on students.

“It was important to all of us that the gift be somewhat permanent,” he said. “And I knew if we could collectively raise $50,000 we could start an endowed fund named for the Class of 1971.” Once Geilfuss, Barbatelli, and Lindsay started making phone calls to their classmates, it didn’t take long for others to get on board.

Members of the Class of 1971 chose to establish the fund in support of student scholarships and also outdoor education initiatives. “Establishing this fund was an opportunity for us to look back on our time and honor our class on a permanent basis,” said Geilfuss. “It’s a wonderful way to commemorate our good memories and friendships, our great teachers, and our feelings about the school while helping current students at the same time. Our hope is that other classes will follow in our footsteps.”

“Establishing this fund was an opportunity for us to honor our class on a permanent basis.”

-Fred Geilfuss '71

Class of 1971 25th Reunion

Class of 1971 50th Reunion

How USM Endowment Gifts Can Grow

Donors Make an Initial Gift of $50,000

$50,000 is the minimum amount needed to establish a named, endowed fund, but a gift of any size will support the general endowment and the school’s ongoing priorities.

The gift yields $2,500* annually

*In keeping with the school’s long-standing USM Endowment Fund policy, 5% of the average value of the fund, from the trailing eight quarters, is distributed to the fund’s designated program.

Compounding growth

of the Endowment Fund provides the donors a lasting legacy far beyond their expectations, and creates meaningful support that reflects the donors’ interests while advancing the priorities of University School of Milwaukee.

Like all independent schools, USM’s tuition and fees cover only a portion of the total cost of educating our students. USM’s operating expenses are supported in part by the school’s Endowment, which insulates the school—and school families—from expenses both planned and unplanned. The value of USM’s Endowment reached an incredible $100 million in 2021, thanks to the generous support of our donors, and puts USM in very healthy financial standing. “USM is a school that, pridefully, has a significant endowment and no debt,” said Fred Geilfuss ’71, a USM Endowment Board member. “Our tuition is lower than comparable schools in the Midwest, and that’s in large part because of our great endowment.”

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

We say farewell to the below faculty and staff members, whose dedication and service to USM have helped to make the school such a special place to learn and work.

Priscilla Woods 16 YEARS

Spending 16 of her 30 years as an art teacher at USM was, according to Priscilla Woods, a highlight of her career. During her time at USM, Woods was instrumental in creating both the AP Art program and the ceramics program, and she once accompanied a student to New York City to collect the Scholastic American Vision award. “Connecting with the students and watching them grow into artists is nothing I ever took for granted,” said Woods.

Her students also inspired her to create art in her free time, something she hopes to do more of during retirement when she and her husband, Jeremy, relocate to North Carolina. “We’re building an art studio on our property in the mountains so that I can dedicate all my time to making art. Onto my next adventure!”

Robin Fatla 18 YEARS

After driving school buses for 35 years, 18 of them at USM, Robin Fatla is excited to explore the United States and drive the open road on her own terms. “It has been a pleasure and privilege to work at USM,” said Fatla. “I’ve had awesome teammates and I’ve met many amazing and talented young people on their journeys to becoming amazing and talented adults."

"I want to thank the families and students for the trust they put in me to transport them to and from school safely. The notes and gifts of appreciation over the years have touched my heart, and I will smile when I remember my time at University School of Milwaukee.”

Margaret MacKedon Browne 40 YEARS

For the past 40 years, Margaret “Muffie” MacKedon Browne—known to many simply as "Mrs. MacKie"—has been a pillar in USM’s Preschool, guiding and caring for generations of prekindergarten children. “To have taught so many children over the years, and in some cases, the children of former students as well, has been something that I will hold near and dear to my heart forever,” she said.

During her time at USM she participated in many professional development opportunities, including workshops, seminars, conferences, a site visit to Reggio Emilia in Italy, and even earning her master’s degree. She helped to launch USM’s After School program and served as the first Girls on the Run coach for two seasons.

“The last 40 years have been an honor, and I look forward to the continued mark our school’s legacy will bring to future generations of students,” she said. “This life is less about what we’ve earned and gathered, but more about who we loved and who we leave when we end one chapter and begin another. You have all meant so much to me, and I thank you for everything.” She is looking forward to spending time at her family’s cottage, spending time with her parents, and traveling. “Now I will finally have time to sit down and write that book that so many parents have been asking for!” Turn to page 40 for a collection of memories shared by MacKedon Browne’s former students.

Jeff Ballentine 25 YEARS

Some people are happy to leave their middle school years behind, but for Middle School Spanish Teacher Jeff Ballentine, it’s one of the things he will miss the most in retirement. “I will certainly miss being with students,” he said. “One thing that makes a great middle school teacher is that a part of them never left middle school. I will miss their energy, excitement, and enthusiasm.”

During his many years at USM, Ballentine has grown both professionally and personally. He led students on trips to Europe eight separate times, and became a certified master naturalist as part of an outdoor education class that he taught at USM. “The faculty is dedicated, smart, and eager to share their expertise with others,” he said. “Never complacent, my colleagues are always on the lookout for better ways to engage our students.”

Ballentine is looking forward to spending more time with family, including his parents and two granddaughters who live nearby. “I will definitely enjoy time with them, and I already have some travel plans. I’m looking forward to visiting parts of the world that I have not seen before.”

Todd Schlenker 27 YEARS

Initially, what attracted Todd Schlenker to USM in 1996 was the school’s commitment to teaching world languages in the Lower School and Middle School. What kept him here for 27 years, however, are some of the things he will miss the most. “I will miss my talented and passionate colleagues, whom I respect immensely,” he said. “Of course, I will miss the students, who have always entertained me and kept me on my toes. Finally, I will miss the energy that comes from starting each and every school year with the aspirational quest to improve.”

Schlenker participated in professional development opportunities in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Spain, and chaperoned student trips to Washington, D.C., Costa Rica, and Europe. He held leadership roles in various professional organizations and became a nationally board-certified teacher in 2011. He served as a long-time Middle School cross country coach and track coach, and enjoyed playing Thursday-morning basketball with faculty, students, alumni, and parents for more than 20 years.

In retirement, he is looking forward to enjoying being a grandpa and traveling more with his wife, Susan Bolly (see below). “I will find satisfaction in doing small projects and staying active. More than anything, I leave here with a tremendous sense of gratitude, feeling humbled and honored. Gracias por todo, USM.”

Susan Bolly 4 YEARS

Susan Bolly joined USM in 2019 as the assistant head of Upper School, after teaching at Nicolet High School for more than 30 years. Although she has earned many accolades, one of things she’s most proud of is how the USM community persevered through the COVID-19 pandemic and safely implemented in-person teaching and learning, extracurriculars, and sports. “I am very proud of the work we all did to make this happen for the students and families,” she said.

There are many things Bolly loved about working at USM, including the camaraderie of her Upper School administrative team, visiting teachers’ classrooms to see their magic in action, collaborating with colleagues, engaging with young people, and enjoying the wonderful food. “However, the dedicated, professional, and caring people who have a sense of mission are at the heart of what I will miss most.”

Bolly, who is married to Todd Schlenker (see above), is looking forward to a different pace of life, spending quality time with Todd, her children, grandchildren, and other people she loves; traveling, reading, and gardening; and getting a dog—"but please don’t tell Todd about the dog!"

A Feast for the Eyes

The annual Gallery Night event, which is school-wide celebration of the visual arts, was a huge success. The event featured artwork from students in junior kindergarten through 12th grade, the 6th grade Comic-Con Alley, and food trucks. Guests were also invited to explore all three divisions and stop at various stations to participate in a variety of hands-on workshops. Many thanks to the school’s visual arts faculty for their hard work to organize and coordinate the event: Sarah Markwald, Jessica Michels, Priscilla Woods, and Andrea Worthey, as well as the many parent volunteers who assisted.

As an added component to Gallery Night, USM’s Parents’ Association partnered with school parent and artist Christopher Barksdale (pictured below) on a unique school fundraiser. Barksdale worked with every class in Preschool and Lower School to create a group painting inspired by a famous work of art. Parents were then able to bid on the class piece, or purchase a reproduction of it through Square1. “The idea was for the project to be a community builder,” said Barksdale. “It’s something that the students worked on collectively, and the parents could then enjoy the finished project.”

“Little Shop” is a Big Success

When audience members watch a USM musical theatre performance, they are witnessing the culmination of hundreds of hours of preparation. Line memorization and delivery, set building and painting, music rehearsals, lighting adjustments, and audio tweaks all converge into one performance that will never again be replicated in exactly the same way. Such was the case when Upper School thespians presented “Little Shop of Horrors” in March, directed by Mark Edwards, Upper School drama teacher, with further assistance from Joshua Miller, theatre technical director.

Typically, in high school productions of “Little Shop of Horrors,” the actor who plays Audrey II is off-stage, speaking into a microphone. In USM’s production, Audrey II (voiced by Ethan RobledoPerez ’24) is front and center, like a rock star. To prepare his voice for the demanding role, Robledo-Perez ditched his standard coffee with milk for tea and honey, which helped to strengthen it. For help becoming a rock star, he learned from the best. “I would watch clips of Elvis and try to emulate him,” said Robledo-Perez.

Dr. Dain Shuler, director of bands and music technology, rewrote much of the show’s music by hand to accommodate instruments played by USM students. Joshua Miller and his theatre tech students ensured that the platform the band performed on was heavily reinforced. “It was probably studded better than most people’s homes,” Miller said, “so that the band felt safe up there.”

For naturally confident Marko Gajic ’23, playing the meek and lowly Seymour was a stretch.

“I’d walk around backstage hunched over, practicing acting sad and down-onmy luck,” he said. “I think it came together nicely, but I had to get into it.”

Being a plant puppeteer was a new experience for Emery Endres ’23, who performed as the third iteration of Audrey II. The role required him to sit still inside a dark, cramped puppet for upwards of 40 minutes until the plant was brought forward on stage, at which point the role became very physical. “It definitely gave me a lot more respect for what the actors have to do,” said Endres. “I didn’t have to speak or show my face but it was still really hard.”

Performers Win Jerry Awards

Several members of USM’s production of “The Little Shop of Horrors” earned 2022–23 Jerry Awards for their performance and contributions. The Jerry Awards, one of Wisconsin’s musical awards programs, encourages, recognizes, and honors excellence in high school musical theatre. Congratulations to:

Performer Awards

Outstanding

Lead Performer: Marko Gajic ’23

Outstanding

Supporting Performer: Jackson LaManna ’23

Outstanding

Supporting Performer: Lyle Mondano ’24

Outstanding

For inspiration to play Mushnik, the long-running proprietor of Mushnik Florists, Jackson LaManna ’23 didn’t have to look far. “As Mushnik, I would fiddle with my glasses a lot, which I got from my grandfather because he would do the same thing. And so I thought, ‘Okay, this looks natural.’”

When Katie Frick ’23 lost her voice in the midst of her opening-night performance as Audrey, she had to find ways to stay in character. “I couldn’t give in to my feelings of, ‘I can’t do this, this is too hard,’” she said. “It’s something that happens in the business and I needed to realize that it’s not the end of the world.”

The Evolution of Audrey II

Supporting Performer: Ethan Robledo-Perez ’24 Spirit Award: Irene Zheng ’23

Production Team Awards

Outstanding

Musical Direction: Ellen Shuler, Preschool, Middle School and Upper School music teacher; and Dr. Dain Shuler, director of bands and music technology

Middle School Takes Center Stage

“Chuck,” written and directed by Middle School Drama Teacher Katie Gonring, is an homage to the sometimes awkward, but often magical, middle school years.

As USM’s Middle School Drama Teacher, Katie Gonring has many productions to choose from for Middle School performances. But she grew frustrated with what she perceived as a lack of options that reflected an authentic Middle School experience. “There were plenty of roles—sailors, judges, parents, teachers, soldiers, kings and queens—but too few opportunities for students to see themselves in the story.”

So, she wrote one herself. The resulting play, “Chuck,” took two years to complete and was performed for the first time in May. It focuses on trauma and grief in ways that middle school-aged children can relate to, but also celebrates resilience, strength, and the profound and lasting impact of supportive friends. Gonring took input from her students, asking them if a particular word or phrase resonated and was something they would actually use. The play takes place entirely outdoors and the set was designed to mimic a backyard complete with a tree house. Joshua Miller, theatre technical director, along with Emery Endres ’23 and Hayden Lurie ’24, were even able to replicate rain fall on stage with actual water.

Although Gonring has taught all different ages throughout her career, she feels a special connection to middle school students, as evidenced in “Chuck.” “I just love that middle school students are so open to new experiences, willing to be goofy, silly, and vulnerable, and trying to navigate the end of their childhood with the beginning of youngadulthood,” said Gonring. “I hope my respect and admiration for them came through in this play.”

Lauren Abele ’28 as Chuck, as water fell on stage to mimic rain.

Students Earn National Scholastic Art & Writing Medals

Congratulations to the following students, who each earned silver medals in various categories in the national Scholastic Art & Writing competitions.

Aida El-Hajjar ’27 Painting

Anastasia Finley ’25 Poetry

Anand George ’26 Journalism

Emily Igwike ’24 Poetry

Zachary Sardas-Trevorrow ’23 Flash Fiction

Bianca Ladd ’27

Summer Klingbail ’28 (standing on table)

PJ Heiny ’28

Audrey Rikkers ’30 (left) and Stella Nicoli ’27

Max Watchmaker Wins State

For the second consecutive year, Max Watchmaker ’23 won the Division 2 singles final of the WIAA boys state individual tennis state tournament. Watchmaker won his first three matches in straight sets before posting a 6-4, 2-6, 10-6 victory over Brookfield Academy junior Adrian Yin in the final. Watchmaker is one of two USM players to win back-to-back WIAA titles.

The duo of Jack Gilpin ’25 and Miles Gourlay ’25 placed 5th in the Division 2 double competition at the individual tournament. Also competing at the individual tournament were Oliver Boyd ’26 in singles, and Joey Darrow ’24 and Marko Gajic ’23 in doubles.

BOYS’ TENNIS TEAM TAKES 2ND AT STATE

The USM boys’ tennis team claimed second place at the WIAA Division 2 state team tournament at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. The Wildcats opened state play with a 6-1 victory over Aquinas in a semifinal match, then dropped a 7-0 decision to Brookfield Academy in the championship dual. In the semifinal, USM won all four singles flights and captured two of the three doubles matches.

Wildcats Compete at State

A. The girls’ ski team competed in the Wisconsin State High School Ski and Snowboard Championships in February, finishing in 12th place out of 20 squads. Individual finishers at state, in order of standings, were: Isabel Werner ’24 (23rd overall); Mia Darr ’25 (38th); Marlies Westveer ’26 (48th); Francesca Drope ’24 (63rd); Alice Gardner ’26 (97th); and Sophia Torinus ’25 (99th).

B. The Brown Deer/University School of Milwaukee boys’ swimming and diving team competed in the 2023 WIAA Boys Division 2 State Swimming and Diving Championship and placed 12th in the 400 yard freestyle relay race. Congratulations to team members (from left) George Zhang ’24, Fernando Islas ’24, Bret Nerbun ’23, and Alex Frick ’25.

C. The boys’ hockey team earned a fifth-straight trip to the WIAA Division I Boys Hockey State Tournament, but fell to the undefeated Notre Dame Academy Tritons 7–4 in the state semifinal game. The Tritons would go on to win the championship the following day. Jack McGregor ’24 garnered a hat trick, with the other goal coming from Augie Wolf ’23. Mateo Nunag ’25 assisted on three of the goals, Jack Torinus ’24 finished with two assists, and Liam Fetherston ’26 assisted on the Wildcats’ final goal. Goalie Mason Grenier ’24 finished with 30 saves.

D. Two members of USM’s golf team competed at the WIAA Division 2 boys state golf meet: Emery Endres ’23 (left) and Charlie Darrow ’24 (right). Darrow finished the 36-hole tournament with a score of 152. His finish of 8-over-par was good for 5th place and a state medal. Endres was not far behind, carding a score of 158 to claim 13th place in the 52-golfer field.

E. The USM girls’ lacrosse team finished the season in second place, competing in the state championship match on June 10, but losing to Arrowhead High School 19–10. In the semifinal game, the Wildcats beat Verona by a score of 12–11 in overtime.

F. The Wildcats’ 3,200 relay team of (from left) Annie Norman ’25, Anastasia Marich ’26, Bella Grenier ’25, and Mya Hartjes ’23 broke the school record for the second time in as many races, taking second in the Division 2 competition with a time of 9:39.88. Grenier showed grit and tenacity later in the day, earning a second state medal by taking sixth in the 3,200 (11:26.36). Those efforts earned the Wildcats 11 team points, good for a tie for 11th in the Division 2 team standings.

Class Notes ’40s

MARY SHOCKLEY KNIGHT MUS’45

visited Katie Johnson’s prekindergarten classroom in January, where she read the children’s book that she wrote, titled “Benjamin’s Fair Day.” Knight’s great-granddaughter, Madison Suran ’37, is a student in Johnson’s classroom, and her great-grandson, London Suran ’31, is in 4th grade. ’50s

TERRY BISCHOFF MCDS’55

submitted the following: “I retired from Kyle Financial Services. I married Susie Kyle MDS’59 and taught four years at USM, starting the year of the merger [1964]. I could tell stories about that first year, as the faculty and students from the three schools came together! I taught history in the Middle School and Upper School at the old MCDS campus, coached the varsity soccer team, which was a “new” sport then, and assisted in basketball. I’m currently spending winters in Palm City, Florida, and summers at Pine Lake, Chenequa. My brother, Jerry Bischoff MCDS’48, died in 2022.”

ANN (ALEXANDER)

MCDONNELL MUS’55

visited her former Milwaukee University School French and Latin teacher, Marion Tongier Hadley, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday! For nearly 70 years, McDonnell and Hadley have stayed in touch and remained friends. McDonnell currently lives in Florida, and Hadley lives in Catonsville, Maryland.

’60sSTEWART FRIEND ’65 has been growing Vermont maple trees on his property in Hubertus, Wisconsin for 50 years, which he uses to make homemade maple syrup. He always shares some of the syrup with his beloved USM teacher, John “J.S.” Stephens, who remembers when Stuart was in his first class at USM! Friend and his wife, Kathy, along with their daughter, Cory ’96, and son, Alex ’99, have enjoyed watching the trees grow throughout the years.

MICHAEL WILLIAMS ’70

submitted the following: “This is what happens when hockey players reunite 50+ years after they all played together. Lots of stories (mostly embellished), a lot of laughs, and an opportunity to recognize Tom Geilfuss ’70, who was inducted to the USM Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the 1968 hockey team but could not attend the ceremony in October 2022. Thankfully Coach [Tony] Fritz was available to present him with the award!” Pictured from left John Wachs ’71, Mike Williams ’70, coach Tony Fritz, Dennis Cahill ’71, Geilfuss, and Doug Endreson ’71.

JOHN SCHEINFELD ’71

hosted a showing of his newest film, “What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat and Tears?” at Milwaukee’s Oriental Theatre in May. Scheinfeld produced and directed the film and was available after the showing to answer questions.

’80sRAJ BHALA ’80

delivered the keynote address titled “Challenges and Opportunities for India in a Fragmented World Trading System” at the International Conference on Emerging Trends in International Trade Law. The conference was hosted by CMR University School of Legal Studies, Bengaluru. Bhala’s address included references to his new book, “Trade War: Causes, Conduct, and Consequences of Sino-American Confrontation,” to be published by Carolina Academic Press in September 2023.

ALLYSON TUCKERMITCHELL ’81 made her television debut on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” in an episode titled “Intersection” that aired on Feb. 2. “It’s a humble beginning, and I’m so thrilled,” said TuckerMitchell. “It was a joy working on that set.”

SUSAN ZARWELL ’87

was named University School of Milwaukee’s assistant head of Upper School in May. Previously, Zarwell served as the school’s director of College Guidance.

ADAM CIRALSKY ’89

attended the world premiere of Netflix’s “The Recruit” in December 2022. The show is based on his first job out of law school as an attorney with the CIA, and he also serves as an executive producer on the show. From left Ted Sarandos, CEO of Netflex; Adam Ciralsky ’89, executive producer; Alexi Hawley, creator; and Noah Centineo, actor.

’90sSCOTT FRIEDMAN ’90 leads the NBC 5 (Dallas/Fort Worth) Investigates team as a senior investigative reporter. The team was recently awarded a prestigious Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism from the Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism for its streaming series “Against All Enemies.” In addition, the team was recognized by Alfred I. duPontColumbia Awards for its “Paper Tag Nation,” an eye-opening series of reports exposing security gaps at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

JERRY KING ’92

participated in the school’s Career Lunch and Learn program, in which adults are invited to speak to Upper School students about their careers. King, who is president of Precast Engineering Company, spoke about the engineering field. Read more about the program’s events on pg. 10.

BEN ZELLER ’95 published a book titled “Religion, Attire, and Adornment in North America,” with Marie W. Dallam. Zeller is a professor of religion, chair of religion, and chair of Islamic world studies at Lake Forest College.

MIKE LINDEMANN ’96

and his children, Luke ’27, Mac ’29, Valley ’29, and Bodhi ’32, caught a massive 4-foot barracuda off the coast of Sarasota, Florida, this spring.

WILL PIPER ’96

received the 2023 Lawrence Award of Outstanding Teaching in Wisconsin award. He was nominated by his former student, Nick Mayerson ’18, who graduated in June from Lawrence University. After serving as a 5th grade teacher at USM for 20 years, Piper is currently the school’s assistant director of alumni relations and reunion giving.

LAURA THUROW ’96

was named a “Woman to Watch” by InvestmentNews. Thurow leads the wealth solutions and operations group for Baird’s private wealth management business, overseeing the people, platforms, and services that support Baird’s 1,400 financial advisers in more than 160 offices.

RAJ CHETTY ’97

was featured in a January 2023 article on Bloomberg.com for his latest research, in which 2.6 million low-wage workers have not returned to the labor force following the COVID-19 pandemic. Chetty is the William A. Ackman Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the director of Opportunity Insights.

CHRISTOPHER MRSTIK ’97

received the Department of Labor Exceptional Service Impact Award, which is one of the most prestigious awards given to career staff at DOL. It acknowledges the service of those employees whose exceptional performance and accomplishments have had a marked impact on DOL program operations and the delivery of DOL programs and services to the American public. Mrstik received the award in recognition of a 21-year (and counting) career in the Bureau of Labor Statistics budget office. “I’m currently the chief of the branch of Budget Formulation and Execution, and throughout my career I have been a recognized subject matter and technical expert on financial and budgeting systems and system improvements within both BLS but also across the Department,” he said. Mrstik is pictured center, with Bill Wiatrowski, deputy commissioner at Bureau of Labor Statistics (left) and Marty Walsh, former United States secretary of labor (right).

JOSEPH GRATZ ’98

joined the San Francisco office of global law firm Morrison & Foerster in early 2023. He is a partner at the firm, and his practice focuses on internet copyright issues. He is currently representing OpenAI, Meta, and Amazon in copyright litigation.

ANDREW HEITMAN ’98

was the highlighted trainee author for the December 2022 issue of the “Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics” (JPET). Currently, he is a pre-doctoral trainee at Georgetown University in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology. The JPET article that earned his selection as a highlighted trainee author is titled “A Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Model of the Brain Considering Regional Lipid Variance.”

CHRISTOPHER CHAN ’00

released “Ghosting My Friend: A Funderburke and Kaiming Mystery.” Chan works for Agatha Christie Ltd. as a writer, researcher, and International Goodwill Ambassador who connects with Christie fans around the world. He teaches at the high school, college, and graduate levels, focusing on courses in history, literature, political science, and mathematics. He’s also a historian and an information scientist with degrees from Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

ROSHAN HARIHARAN ’04

visited campus in May after reconnecting with the school during an alumni event in New York City. Hariharan serves as the co-head of Americas FX and emerging markets sales for Bank of America. While on campus, he visited his former teacher, Dr. Henry Wend (pictured, right), and talked to Wend’s Upper School economics class about how his work is impacted by world events.

AARON MITCHELL FINEGOLD ’05

joined Kingsley Gate Partners as chief marketing officer, where he oversees the company’s full-funnel marketing strategy, all external communications, and investment in capabilities such as experimentation, marketing automation, and measurement.

JOHN BOWEN ’07

started a new role as director of space and ground systems at Sierra Space in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Previously, Bowen served as senior manager–launch vehicle maintenance at Blue Origin.

KATE (TAYLOR) MOUTON ’02

earned her MBA, in addition to continuing her role as director of athletics at the Shanghai American School – Puxi Campus. After three years of lock-downs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mouton is pleased to share that she’s able to travel with her student athletes, taking teams to Shenzen, Hong Kong, Dalian, and Beijing.

PREETHI CHINTAMANENI ’03

welcomed her daughter, Suria Krishna Jain, on April 13. Suria was 6 pounds, 1 ounce.

DAVID BOWLES ’09

was named a 2023 Notable BIPOC Executive by BizTimes Media, and featured in an April 2023 article by “Shepherd Express.” Bowles is president of CMRignite marketing agency.

MICHAEL LUCKEY ’09

reconnected with Susan Zarwell ’87 in April, when Zarwell and other college admissions professionals met with Wisconsin legislators and their staffers from 25 different districts to discuss supporting school counselors and students around the transition to college. Luckey is a staff member for Wisconsin state senator Romaine Quinn.

beyond usm Reunion Weekend 2023

Members of the Class of 1973 celebrated their 50th reunion in grand style during the annual Reunion Weekend, and they were joined by an assorted mix of alumni from all ages, regions, and even countries at the Summer Soirée. Guests also enjoyed the Joe Lubar ’08 Alumni Baseball game, tours of USM’s campus, and a cookout at Head of School Steve Hancock’s house on campus. In addition, three USM alumni were recognized with the Alumni Service Award.

From left Rand Krikorian ’73 and his wife, Jan, along with reunion chairs Sue Bradley Schouten ’73 and Garry Kelley Jr. ’73.

Bill Carpenter MCDS’53 (left) and Franz Backus MCDS’61 reminisced at the Summer Soirée. Carpenter represented the oldest class in attendance at the event.

From left Kate Grant ’93, Margaret Caswell ’93, and Kathleen Neimann ’93 were photographed by Kathleen’s father, John McGregor MCDS’59.

Angela Pittman Taylor ’96 (left) spoke with former USM teacher and coach Butch Richardson.

Family and friends gathered to honor the late Joe Lubar ’08 by playing one of his favorite pasttimes—baseball.

During a tour of campus, alumni stopped for a photo in the tower lobby of the Lower School.

A young guest of the cookout at Steve Hancock’s home played spikeball with Chad Wagner, USM’s director of student safety and security.

From left Julia Uihlein ’68, the late Tom Read ’75, and Dr. Kevin Dahlman ’92 were given the Alumni Service Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to USM and the greater Milwaukee community.

Home Run Alumni Events

USM alumni from around the country met up at regional events in New York and Washington, D.C., and visited campus for opening night of the Upper School’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” Alumni were also invited to a special event honoring two legendary USM baseball coaches—Tim Bartz and the late Howard Boese—at Wildcat Park, where new signage was installed in the left and right fields to honor their legacies.

NEW YORK CITY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

ALUMNI NIGHT AT THE THEATRE

BARTZ AND BOESE POWER ALLEYS

From left Sky McGilligan ’10, Henry Stewart ’08, and Ryan Khanna ’08. From left Maisha Crosby ’95, Dennis Lee ’96, and Will Piper ’96.

Martha (Sprague) Heitman ’06 remembered when she played Audrey in USM’s 2006 production of the musical.

From left Toran Marks ’13, John “J.S.” Stephens, Carolyn Stephens, Martha (Sprague) Heitman ’06, and Bubba Heitman ’06 with Audrey II from “Little Shop of Horrors.”

In right field, Mary Boehnlein, Howard Boese’s daughter, with her husband, Daniel.

In left field, Tim Bartz, former USM varsity baseball coach, with his wife, Brenda.

RAWLINGS JOERRES ’10

and many other USM alumni gathered in Denver to participate in Walk MS. The group was raising money for the organization in support of their friend, William Colbert ’09, who was recently diagnosed. USM alumni who participated include Chris Bowen ’10, William Colbert ’09, Misha Fabick ’11, Taylor Isaacs ’10, Tommy Joerres ’10, Rawlings Joerres ’10, and Alex Tesensky ’10.

JACK MINAHAN ’11 took second place in the National Indoor Skydiving

Competition held in Colorado Springs, Colorado in November 2022.

Minahan spends most of his time “free flying,” or flying with his body in a vertical formation (either head down or head up) at speeds approaching 200 mph while in free fall. He hopes to compete in outdoor events later this year.

EMILY BACH ’13

is engaged to Jack Gehl, a 4th grade teacher at Lumen Cristi School in Mequon, Wisconsin, where Bach also teaches kindergarten.

AMBER BAKER ’14

recently got engaged to her fiancée, Ryan Bender.

KATE NOSBUSCH ’15

earned her Master of Science in School Psychology degree from the Universit of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently pursuing an educational specialist degree.

WALTER TAYLOR ’17

recently got engaged to his fiancée, Alex Ventress ’17.

TYLER BAIR ’18

SKY MCGILLIGAN ’10

married Brooke Baker. Many USM alumni were in attendance, including (from left) Peyton Stanford ’10, Jeff Levy ’10, Danny Clark ’10, Sanjay Hariharan ’08, Fitz Stratton ’10, David Mikulay ’10, Grace Stratton ’07, Brian Oldham ’10, and Charlie Wigdale ’10.

is a personal trainer for Athlete Performance, a group that trains athletes as young as age 7 to adults in their 70s. Bair focuses his training on helping individuals develop a positive relationship with resistance training to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.

MATT LE PINE ’18

was voted Coach of the Year by the North Suburban Special Olympics of Wisconsin. He coaches his brother’s Special Olympics basketball team, which made it to the state regional round this year.

NICHOLAS

MAYERSON ’18

pictured, right was the head game master for the Midwest Trivia Contest, a digital scavenger hunt that has been a staple of student life at Lawrence University since 1966. The contest was enjoyed by 550 people, including 60 off-campus teams, and garnered over 1,200 unique views on Twitch.

QUINN TEVLIN ’18

is a Second Lieutenant serving as a “sky soldier” in the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Tevlin is currently stationed in Italy and will make First Lieutenant this winter.

DONN RHYS MONDANO ’22

reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with a group of Morehead-Cain Scholars. Mondano was the first USM student to be named a Morehead-Cain Scholar, which is affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and covers all expenses for four years of undergraduate study there plus financial support for enrichment experiences.

ISABELA MORTARA ’22

CARSON PETERSEN ’20

got engaged to his fiancé, Alyssa Lackey. In addition, Petersen assisted USM’s FIRST Robotics Team #6823 at the regional competition in Orlando, Florida in March, where the team earned the Excellence in Engineering award.

LILIAN JOCHMANN ’22

was interviewed in for email newsletter by the Notre Dame Club of Milwaukee. Jochmann shared her impressions about her freshman year at the University of Notre Dame, where she is majoring in political science and minoring in constitutional studies, business economics, and Portuguese.

has been selected to be a Said Peace Scholar through the American University School of International Service. Mortara will join a cohort of 20 students who wish to advance professor Abdul Aziz Said’s life’s mission through the study of peace, conflict resolution, and interfaith dialogue.

ALEX PTAK ’22

pictured with Kaitlyn Paullin ’26 (right), assisted USM’s FIRST Robotics Team #6823 at the regional competition in Orlando, Florida in March, where the team earned the Excellence in Engineering award.

In Memoriam

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.

We celebrate the lives of the following alumni and friends, whose deaths were recently shared with us. We are thankful for their friendship.

1940s

Claire P. Greene Phillips MDS’41 Milwaukee

Jean Lindemann Schmidt MDS’41 Milwaukee

Robert M. Walker MUS’55 Burlington, Wis.

faculty orientation.

Robert H. Buettner MCDS’56 Tucson, Ariz.

David O. Kieft MCDS’56 Saint Paul, Minn.

Friends

James Ansfield Mequon, Wis

’35 Christian, and many other loving relatives and friends.

Philip J. Mazzulla

River Hills, Wis.

Friends

Nancy Mueller Van Vechten MDS’46 Appleton, Wis.

Marilyn John West Bend, Wis.

Jerry Bischoff MCDS’48 North Andover, Mass.

1960s

J. Peter Maier MCDS’60 Milwaukee

Grandfather of Justin ’17 and Riley ’18 Strauss

Pedro Banda Mequon, Wis.

Grandfather of Carlos ’21 and Adriana ’25 Banda

Barbara Davidson

Judy led USM through four accreditation cycles for ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States), each cycle a seven-year process designed to support a school in fulfilling its mission. Her organizational leadership was integral to guiding USM through these processes, including preparing and creating self-study reports and assisting teams of outside peers through their accreditation visits.

Milwaukee

Brother of Francesca ’99, Emily ’01, and Alan ’03 Mazzulla

Susan Blake Fox Point, Wis.

Mother of Chloe Ruppelt ’19

Gordon Owley

Sussex, Wis.

Father of Jessica Lippmann ’93

Judith Gidley White MDS’48 Milwaukee

1950s

Wife of Carl John Jr. ’46, former geometry/calculus teacher from 1959 to 1996. Mother of Constance John ’79, Christine McBride ’80, Paula Bartel ’80, and Carrie John ’82. Grandmother of Carly McBride and Mitchell McBride

Helen “Stoney” Wilson MUS’61 Mequon, Wis.

Douglass H. Bartley ’65 Grafton, Wis.

Lois Whiting Dickinson MDS’50 Lake Geneva, Wis.

Thomas H. Frentzel MCDS’52 Pewaukee, Wis.

Christopher Reehl MUS’52 Fountain Valley, Calif.

William C. Brumder MCDS’54

Christina R. Langmuir ’66 Duxbury, Mass.

Judy Bloch passed away on September 16, 2022 at age 74 after an ongoing battle with cancer. Judy retired from University School of Milwaukee in August 2018 after 34 years of service in numerous roles throughout the school. In 1984 she launched USM’s Learning Center, tasked with providing assistance to students in need of extra help; it still serves the USM community today under the name Academic Resource Center.

Naples, Fla.

Sigrid Dehn Walker MUS’54 Colorado Springs, Colo.

Susan Dixon Sawyer MDS’55

Santa Fe, N.M.

Cynthia Kahler Wagner MDS’55 Pittsboro, N.C.

1970s

She co-chaired many ISACS accreditation teams throughout the country to help other independent schools improve programming and culture, impart best practices, and ultimately improve educational opportunities for young people. She continued this work in a consulting capacity post retirement.

Wife of Gordon Davidson MCDS’45. Mother of Gigi ’72, Michael ’75, and Gabrielle ’78 Davidson

Anne Dunning

Fox Point, Wis.

Wife of Brad Dunning, assistant head of Middle School. Mother of Trevor ’25 and Henry ’27 Dunning

George W. Fifield ’69 Jamaica Plain, Mass.

André Ptak

Menomonee Falls, Wis.

Father-in-law of Patti Ptak, 2nd grade teacher.

Grandfather of Makenna and Alexander ’22 Ptak

Richard Strauss

David M. Tacke ’72 Brown Deer, Wis.

Gretchen H. Farmer ’73 Washington Depot, Conn.

She developed Summer I.D.E.A.S., a program she oversaw from 1992 to 2018. During her tenure as director, the program served more than 11,000 students from the greater Milwaukee area and employed hundreds of teachers. Judy also sat on USM’s curriculum coordination team, chaired the faculty evaluation committee, and was responsible for the yearly new-

William C. Frye ’74 Mequon, Wis.

1980s

Kara H. Salgado ’85 Oak Park, Ill.

Nancy Geenen

Nashotah, Wis.

Judy was an active community member who tirelessly served on the boards of the Milwaukee Jewish Day School for 20 years, and Congregation Beth Israel (CBI). Judy acted as treasurer of the CBI Sisterhood, was a parent board member for Accompany of Kids (a student performing group based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin), a troop leader for the Brownies and Girl Scouts, and she held leadership roles in B’nai B’rith Women.

Grandmother of Thomas ’10, Michael ’12, and Madeline ’14 Joerres, and Emily Vertacnik ’07, Preschool outdoor education teacher.

Milwaukee

Grandfather of Justin ’17 and Riley ’18 Strauss

Ann Underwood

Sun City, Ariz.

Former assistant to College Guidance director from 1987 to 1993.

Natalie Winowich

Charleston, W.V.

Great-grandmother to Teddy Vertacnik ’36

Jim Gramentine

Mequon, Wis.

Former Director of College Guidance from 1986 to 1994

Gerard Hughes

A champion of learning and a master educator, Judy touched the lives of countless children, colleagues, and families. In her supportive and diplomatic way, she always made time to mentor and share her wisdom with anyone who needed guidance or a friendly ear. She is survived by her husband Eric, daughters Rachel (Adam Christian) and Melissa (Jason Meier), and grandsons Bennett ’33 and Beau

Parma, Ohio

Grandfather of Ronan ’23, Dermot ’25, and Colin ’27 More O’Ferrall

Grandmother of Lola Mendeloff ’10.

Ranae Zautcke-Stavish

Oconomowoc, Wis.

Grandmother of William ’11, John ’16, and Elizabeth Ostermeyer

William Ardern II passed away at his home in Mequon, Wisconsin on March 10, 2023. He attended Nicolet High School and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in real estate and urban land economics before graduating from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. From an early age, he demonstrated a flair for entrepreneurship, and in his twenties he launched his career by establishing Wisconsin Property Tax Consultants.

Bill married Victoria S. Klein on September 5, 1987 and was the father of Colin ’90 and Ethan ’92 Ardern. He was an incredibly devoted father and husband, and his persistent generosity, kindness, and positivity improved every community he joined.

Bill created USM’s Internship and Shadowing program in 2009, which provides summer opportunities for juniors and seniors, connecting students with seasoned professionals and helping them explore possible career interests. He was a tireless advocate for the program since its inception, helping countless students gain resumé and job interview skills as well as inroads into potential careers. USM is one of the only schools in the country that offers such opportunities to high school-aged students.

Most recently he launched the Career Lunch and Learn events in the Upper School, in which school parents discussed their careers with interested students and answered questions (see pg. 10 for more about this year’s events). He was recognized as an Outstanding Parent Volunteer in 2012 by USM’s Parents’ Association.

Thomas Merrill Read ’75 died suddenly on October 15, 2022 of an undetected congenital heart defect. He was born on October 18, 1956, son to Verne Ross Read and Marion Chester Read MDS’37 in Milwaukee. He is survived by his adoring wife and best friend of 35 years, Lisa Read; his children, Andrew ’09, Alexander ’11, and Merrill ’15 Read; grandchild James Read; siblings Verne Ross Read III ’69, Alice Read ’72, and Alexander Read ’73; and many other loving family and friends.

Tom was a graduate of Gettysburg College and was a championship diver. In his professional life, he was a commercial airline pilot for American Airlines for 32 years and flew DC-10s to Europe and the Caribbean and DC-9 MD80s domestically. He was passionate about flying and loved to fly his pontoon plane, often surprising friends in the lake country.

He loved University School of Milwaukee and he especially loved cheering on his three children in every one of their sporting events. He volunteered in many capacities at USM, including as director of the USM Alumni Association board, a cabinet member for the USM Annual Fund, a phonathon volunteer, and a class agent. His volunteer work impacted many other organizations, including the Young Eagles Organization, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and the Bat Conservation International, of which he served on the board for many years.

Earnest “Ernie” Ray Jr. passed away unexpectedly on March 23. Ernie was a member of the Flik Independent School Dining team and was part of the USM community since 2002. He was known for his infectious smile that he would flash whenever he interacted with students, teachers, and staff, and he is greatly missed. He is survived by his mother, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Kathleen Friedman Dean passed away peacefully on February 11, 2023, in Mequon, Wisconsin, at the age of 75. Kathy was hired as USM’s director of admissions and financial aid in 1988. She served in this role for 16 years and led the school through great development and growth. Under her leadership, the school’s financial aid program more than doubled in size and the diversity of the student body grew significantly. Kathy held a wide variety of volunteer roles at USM, including Parents’ Association president for 1992–93; a member of USM’s Board of Trustees, where she served on several committees; and USM Annual Fund co-chair for two years.

A loving and dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother; and an accomplished artist, education professional, and community volunteer, she cherished her family and friends above all else. Kathy is survived by her husband, Randolph Dean; by eight children, Scott Friedman ’90, Ryan Friedman ’94, Andrea Monosso ’97, Sean Friedman ’02, Emily Dean ’01, Lindsay Dean ’03, Drew Dean ’06, Austin Dean; and many additional loving family members and friends.

Celebrating Mrs. MacKie

Former students, parents, and colleagues share their favorite memories of Margaret “Muffie” MacKedon Browne, who has retired after 40 years of teaching prekindergarten at USM.

I attribute my love for school to the memories I made in PK109. It was an honor for my family to have both children start their education in your classroom, and for you to still be considered our favorite teacher 20 years later!

-Taylor Owens ’18

Mrs. MacKie is one of my favorite teachers I have ever had! She is incredibly caring and got my entire USM experience off on the right foot. I am so excited to see where this next phase takes her!

-Stephanie Guy ’20

We have two lifers and continue to believe that our very best investment in their education was PK at USM with Mrs. MacKie. We are so grateful for the beautiful ways you made learning come alive and made days happy, wholesome, and enriching for our kids.

-Kristie Jochmann

We’re grateful for all the Muffie-isms that our family still uses: echo echo same same, cozy body rest, and no thank you for that. Not to mention her epic and brilliant parent emails that you BETTER read! There is no one like her. Thank you, Muffie! -Brigid

Submissions have been edited for length and clarity. Read more about MacKedon Browne, and other retirees, starting on pg. 24.

Miller

My favorite memories of Mrs. MacKie are the looks of sheer joy and happiness on my kids’ faces when they were in her classroom. They would just light up when they told me about what they did in PK109 and how silly Mrs. MacKie was. I am so grateful to have had Mrs. MacKie as my PK teacher and now friend, and so thankful that my children had her as well. We love you, Mrs. MacKie!

-Katie Campbell ’01

The first time I visited campus I was escorted to Mrs. MacKie’s classroom. She floated to the door to greet me as students were actively engaged around the classroom. Her energy was contagious and I wondered if it was a show. I quickly learned that energy, enthusiasm, and love were always on display in Mrs. MacKie’s classroom. No act here—just a genuine, loving, thoughtful teacher who helps children grow every day. What a gift she has been to USM.

-Steve Hancock

One of our favorite memories is from the end-of-the-year Doctor’s Park picnic when, after a rousing rendition of “PK Rocks,” the whole class ambushed Mrs. MacKie with a much-deserved tackle hug. It was clear how much those kiddos LOVE her, and we will always remember that special moment.

-Kelly Stevenson

It was not until my son had Mrs. MacKie in PK109 that I truly appreciated what an incredible teacher she is. She and Ms. Miller helped him build confidence and interact with his friends and the world around him. More than that, she taught me and my wife how to be better parents. We are so grateful for her care, guidance, and friendship.

-Andy Gordon ’98

I remember sitting on the carpet while Mrs. MacKie read to the class. She was so sweet and kind, and playing with blocks in her room was also a highlight. She was my first and favorite teacher and I am forever grateful I was lucky enough to be in her class!

-Merrill Read ’15

Tower Project

University School of Milwaukee’s tower is as recognizable to our brand as the golden arches are to McDonald’s, or the swoosh is to Nike’s. This summer, the school is investing significant muscle power to return the tower to its original glory. The tower is getting a total makeover—complete with new aluminum windows, new LED lights, new gutters, and a fresh coat of paint—thanks in part to the community’s USM Fund gifts. When students return to school in the fall, they will be greeted by a tower that’s as fresh and new as their pencils and notebooks.

Crewmen prepared new aluminum windows for installation.

Every effort was made to ensure that “lifer” signatures—a decadeslong rite of passage for students who have attended USM since 1st grade (or earlier)—were saved.

Open for Business

It’s never too early to gain an entreprenurial mindset, as kindergarten students learn each spring when they form a class business. It’s part of the annual economics unit, in which students research existing businesses and learn about key economic terms like needs, wants, goods, and services. Each class then creates a list of potential businesses and votes on which one to pursue. After weeks of preparation, students invite other classes, faculty and staff, and families to visit and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Students in Andrea Burlew ’93 and Cynthia Stott’s class created an art store, with hand-made bookmarks, keychains, painted rocks, and more.

March was the perfect month to open a hot chocolate business, as students in Stacy Peterson and Lisa Anderson’s class learned.

Otter’s Ice Cream shop was a hit. Here, visitors to Amanda Tachis and Prudy Canfield’s class looked at menus before ordering.

Michelle Troskey and Jessica Iverson’s students held a variety show that included comedy, dancing, singing, ball tricks, and more.