Viewpoint Magazine: Fall 2019

VOLUME 20 / NUMBER 2 / FALL 2019

Making Connections

Focus on Theater

ANNUAL REPORT ISSUE FALL

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A Conversation

arts

Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904), The Horse in Motion, 1876

How do you capture that moment of connection? The front cover is Viewpoint’s interpretation of the motion study work of English photographer and inventor, Eadweard Muybridge, and this seemed like a good way to answer the question. The images of our students dancing freely, wrestling with an umbrella, or spontaneously breaking into a series of exuberant walkovers all show the kinetic nature of connection – connection with an idea, an impulse, a skill.

The motion studies of Muybridge are an elegant example of science evolving into art. The technique was developed to capture action, to freeze motion, in order to study the physiology of a human or an animal, but they are beautiful and compelling. Muybridge was problem solving – showing the connections made by the creative mind, and what is possible when one thinks expansively. For a brief moment, this was cutting-edge technology that became the foundation of the motion picture. Now any cell phone can do this. In the evolution of ideas, one idea connects to the next and magic is made.

WITH MARK MCKEE AND DENISE POPE, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF CHALLENGE SUCCESS

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ANNUAL REPORT FINANCIAL REPORT CELEBRATING OUR DONORS

V IE W P O IN T O N T H E W EB

Cover:

Top: Jordan Moore ’20 Middle: Ofek Levy ’23 Lower: Anouk Wandeler ’26

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VIEWPOINT Editor: Monica Case ’90 Creative Director and Photography: Bill Youngblood

Editor’s Note

FALL 2019

Art Direction and Design: Dog Ear Design Additional Photography: Gregg Kessler, Verity Paton Head of School: Mark McKee Director of Strategic Communications: Jill Shaw

Exploring Identity, Making It Personal

2019-20 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Peggy Jones Michael Murphy John Nadolenco John Nelson Dick Robertson Jill Schecter Charles Schetter Sarah Spano ’05 Lindsey Spindle Howard Tenenbaum Frank Watanabe Jonathon Wolfson, Chair Brian Wynn ’85

Lisa Austin Halé Behzadi Kafi Blumenfield Kristen Carlson ’01 Mary Conlin Joshua Dahn Jay DiMaggio Tim Fish Robert Flachs Dirk Gates Shelly Sumpter Gillyard Brian Glicklich John Heubusch

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By Monica Case ’90, Editor

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Viewpoint is published by the Viewpoint Educational Foundation. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our apologies and notify us.

Viewpoint School admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, its admission policies, scholarships, and athletic or other School-administered programs.

Viewpoint School 23620 Mulholland Highway Calabasas, CA 91302-2060 www.viewpoint.org

46 16 LOVE OF LEARNING 4 Excellence through Connection 6 A Conversation with Mark McKee and

Denise Pope, Founder and Director of Challenge Success 10 More on “What is Challenge Success?”

Fishbowls and Shadow Days

12 Makerfest!

14 SHARE YOUR WORK – International Relations/Lithuanian Consulate IN OUR CANYON 16 Labkovski Project –Connection through Curating 20 Pursuing our Passions 25 Meet LeRhonda Greats, Viewpoint’s New Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Life 26 Download – Jamon Pulliam 28 Teacher Farewells 29 Viewpoint Musicians Perform at Carnegie Hall

ARTS 30 FOCUS ON THEATER 32 Viewpoint’s Conservatory of Theater 34 Conservatory of Theater Members

52 ATHLETICS 46 Athletics: Winter and Spring 2019 48 Profiles of Coach Diane Garza and Ronny Orosky ’20

50 Viewpoint Baseball Today 51 Senior Signing Day CELEBRATE! 52 Class of 2019 Graduates!

56 Eighth Grade Commencement COLLEGE COUNSELING 58 Beyond Viewpoint – College Matriculation List

60 College Admissions, A New Perspective DIRECTION FOR A LIFETIME in the Class of 2019 37 Independent Studies in Technical Theater 62 Alumni Day 2019 63 Congratulations to the 38 Theater Productions: In the Heights, Viewpoint magazine received the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Circle of Excellence Grand Gold CASE Winner in 2019, the CASE District VII Grand Gold Winner in 2019, and the CASE District VII Gold Award in 2017 and 2018.

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The Little Engine, and The Little Prince 40 Theater Faculty 42 Theater Staff 44 Scholastic Art & Writing Award Winners 45 Film Festival Accolades

Class of 2015!

64 Alumni Profile – Harrison Raine ’15 65 Class Notes 67 In Memoriam: Ronald Beimel ’02 68 2018-19 ANNUAL REPORT

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n every fall issue, we include a feature called Pursuing Our Passions, which allows us to share, however briefly, the passion projects of some of our Upper School students. This is always one of my favorite pieces in the magazine. It allows me to meet up with the students and learn about the things that make them excited. No two student projects are ever the same. One year, we had a student who did falconry in her spare time, while another student was developing a plan to solve our reliance on fossil fuels by putting solar panels on the moon.

This year, the Passions students profiled are interested in connecting with their cultural identity – through curating an art exhibition, developing an app to collect disappearing Chinese dialects, researching the impact of malnutrition on cognition of children in India, or making a short film to help build relationships between Jewish and Muslim students in Los Angeles.

All of them are unique individuals seeking to better understand themselves through their cultural identities, and to connect, share, and, wherever possible, help others.

It is the personal connection to these projects that make each of them so meaningful. In this issue’s feature conversation, Head of School Mark McKee and Denise Pope, Director and Founder of Challenge Success, conclude that this kind of connection is essential to learning in all areas.

With this in mind, Viewpoint is always looking to find or to create new opportunities for engagement. Whether it is the International Relations students seeking firsthand information from foreign consulates across Los Angeles, or Viewpoint students collaborating with students in Vilnius, Lithuania to curate an exhibition of paintings capturing Jewish life before the deportations during World War II, students are eager to make their work personal.

Little feels more personal than standing in front of an audience of your peers, and our theater students have found a true home on stage.

In this issue’s Focus on Theater, we are highlighting the seniors in the Conservatory of Theater. Over many years and many productions, these students demonstrated a commitment to the Theater program and to one another, and for each of them – whether or not they will continue to perform after Viewpoint – this experience was transformational.

To achieve this level of engagement or transformation, action is required. This is not a passive way to learn or to be educated. The understanding of a concept, the assimilation of knowledge, the stretching to make that cognitive connection, all rely on initiative taken. Each day our students demonstrate their desire to actively pursue their educations, to engage, and to find their passions.

This issue is also the Annual Report on philanthropic giving for 2018-19. Thank you to all who supported our school and our students.

Your generosity is a gift that makes an impact for a lifetime.

Finally, we are interested in connecting with our readers. If you have any comments about this issue of Viewpoint magazine, or any previous issues, please send them to me at editor@viewpoint.org.

M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T Viewpoint School is a welcoming, vibrant, and collaborative community that offers a challenging and enriched college preparatory education in a nurturing environment for students in Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade. The School embraces students and families from diverse cultures of the world and teaches the history and wisdom of these traditions.

Viewpoint inspires a love of learning and develops those qualities which provide strength and direction for a lifetime. The School promotes among its students respect, integrity, responsibility, and optimism.

The School celebrates its love of country by commemorating our nation’s holidays and honoring its finest traditions. Viewpoint affirms in its assemblies and programs the ethical principles inherent in all religions.

Viewpoint’s students learn the importance of service to others and to the greater community with the expectation that this introduction becomes a lifelong commitment.

Viewpoint recognizes the uniqueness of each child and is committed to the preservation and development of that individuality.

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Letter from the Head of School

Excellence through Connection Dear Viewpoint Families and Friends,

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hat about excellence? The other day, a parent asked me about our educational philosophy and our strategic framework. “I see language about creativity, connection, and engagement, but what about words like hard work, rigor and performance? What about excellence?”

It’s a valid, even penetrating, question. Viewpoint was founded by parents who wanted the very best in education for their children, and the commitment to the traditions of educational excellence are as strongly embedded in the School’s culture as our commitments to the development of character and an education infused with values such as responsibility, respect, and patriotism.

When Viewpoint was founded in 1961, there was a sense that our values and educational traditions were threatened. Viewpoint, and its values and traditions, were a response to the times, providing an education to protect our children. Today, Viewpoint continues those commitments, and our school culture still provides a strong defense against new and different threats to young people. How we understand those threats, and how we define the remedies, addresses this question about excellence.

To begin, the question is about language, about the words we use to define our values. As a Classics major, I find richness in words, their weight and specific gravity. Viewpoint’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society, an association of some 400 schools modeled after Phi Beta Kappa, takes its motto from Greek: “arete� , dike� , time� ,” or “excellence, justice, honor.” I confess I cannot hear “excellence” without thinking “arete� ” and seeing images of Greek heroes whose travails on fields of competition and battle reflect the heights of human potential and essential questions of the human condition.

“Excellence” has connotations for me of virtue and purity, of aspiration to Platonic ideals of human potential and intellectual communion. It’s much richer and deeper than a 4.0, a “100” or an A+.

Education has long relied on words like “excellence” (or better, their counterparts in Latin or Greek) to capture in one word some complex and challenging truths about intellectual work: the qualities of aspiration and inspiration, the invisibility of effort and the infinite variability of human individuals. At our best we aspire to excellence – in the words of Robert Browning, “man’s reach should exceed his grasp, else what’s a heaven for?” – and we are inspired by learning itself. In today’s scientific terms, we are wired to learn. Yet each of us different; we have a unique signature of strengths, talents, and motivations, and what’s more, the “stuff” of academic learning and intellectual work is largely invisible, until it is captured in

formulas and equations, sentences and paragraphs. And sometimes in medals, or selective college admissions.

So here’s the surprising secret: Viewpoint’s commitment to excellence is rooted in making connections: connections between students and teachers, among students, and even among our families and broader community.

Close relationships, grounded in authenticity and trust, are the how to our what and why. Viewpoint students achieve amazing results, and to a great degree, their results are driven by how we know our students, and how students relate to their teachers and one another. As I write this, our Boys Cross-Country Team has celebrated its victory at the CIF State Championship meet, our first-ever athletic state championship, and when we ask how and why they improved their times and achieved such performance, we learn about their three-year journey of vision, discipline, sacrifice, and especially, of family, the connection of the team. The same is true of an AP Physics class in which 100% of the students earned the top score of “5” not only because of hard work and talent, but because of their connection and collaboration, in which students helped one another grow from areas of relative strength.

In every field and pursuit, we find across Viewpoint that our investment in relationships, in a culture of connection, provides the essential foundation for exceptional results.

Our school’s culture of connection provides the foundation for exceptional results

At the opening of the school year, I reminded our students of another eternal truth, that just because something is simple, doesn’t mean it is easy.

Viewpoint is committed to building community, to fostering meaningful and authentic connection, for every student. From our work with Challenge Success, to our introduction of a new Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Life, to the numerous examples of academic, athletic, and artistic collaboration, we cling to an important belief, that our students’ sense of belonging fosters learning, boosts development, and supercharges performance. We know that at Viewpoint, connection inspires students to win at what author Simon Sinek would call the “infinite game” of lifelong learning – and winning in a way that is sustainable and feels good, now and long into the future.

Sincerely,

Mark J. McKee Head of School Top: Ambrielle Harris ’26, Bottom: André Wandeler ’24

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ON JULY 12TH, Mark McKee sat down at Viewpoint and Denise Pope, Director and Founder of Challenge Success, joined him from in front

MARK MCKEE

FROM VIEWPOINT SCHOOL

of her computer at Stanford University for a conversation about Challenge Success and how their program is being implemented at Viewpoint.

The School began working with Challenge Success in the fall of 2018.

Mark:

A CONVERSATION DENISE POPE

FROM STANFORD UNIVERSIT Y

“Can you explain Challenge Success and give us just a brief history of how it came into being?”

Denise:

"Sure. Challenge Success started over 15 years ago as an offshoot of my doctoral dissertation in which I shadowed five very high achieving high school students for an entire year. This research became a book called Doing School. What we found was these high achieving students, who had good GPAs, and were going on to strong colleges, and seemed to be engaged in school, were not actually engaged in school in the way we wanted them to be. They were going through the motions and playing the game, and they were suffering the health consequences: stress, ulcers, sleep deprivation, there was a wide range of cheating.”

(Continued on the next page)

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The head of the Stanford University Health Center called me and said, “Your book is talking about kids we have at Stanford, and kids we have at colleges all over the US, who have really played the school game to get the grades and the test scores. Can you start an intervention?”

That was a big task, but in 2003, we started what was then called Stressed out Students, later changed to Challenge Success. We partner with schools and communities all across the US to improve student well-being, and improve engagement with learning. The reason we call ourselves Challenge Success is we are really challenging that narrow notion of success as getting the grades, getting into the top college, getting a great job, making a lot of money. We are not against that vision per se, but we are after a much broader vision: a healthy, happy 25-year-old, 35-year-old, 45-year-old. Not just measuring success at the end of a semester, or at the end of high school, by the name of the college that you get into.

So schools come to us, they send teams, administrators, counselors, teachers, parents, and students. It is very important to have a multistakeholder team come, and we say, “Hey, you’re a great school, but you’re not perfect. What are some ways that we can help? Let’s have you go through some exercises and some dialogue to really put a spotlight on some of your issues, and we’re here to help you just get better.” What was great about Viewpoint this year is you did just that, you put a spotlight on some of the issues that you and the team felt you were facing.

A CONVERSATION at Viewpoint really do feel like there is an adult out there who cares about them and knows them. When you walk around Viewpoint, you can feel that connection, that caring comes through. But connection and care also are really important for parents to feel like they are heard, for teachers to feel like they have good relationships with the parents and the kids. We need the full community to feel connected.

So that is one aspect of our work where connection becomes important. Another kind of twist on that, is we represent a university and we represent research, and a big thing in education right now is to foster strong research-practitioner partnerships and connections between the university and K-12 schools.

tower, but to really help put research into practice. And since the whole concept of school change is research-based, we know that if Stanford came in and said, “Viewpoint, you’re doing this wrong. You need this to happen this way," that is not going to work. We know the best way to change schools is to work with them from the bottom up, and have the stakeholders say, “Here’s what we’re seeing. What does the research say about finals before winter break? What does it say about the best way to arrange a schedule for the upper school students?" We will tell you what the research says, but then we help translate that and apply it to you, because every school is different.

A lot of times, there’s research written and then it gets published in journals that very few people read. The teachers, the faculty, and the administrators on the ground are working hard, and they say, “Nobody’s really listening to us." The nice thing about Challenge Success is we bring schools together with the researchers and say, “We’re listening to you, are you listening to us? Okay, how can we help you, how can you help us?" It is an important partnership.

SOFT SKILLS ARE HUMAN SKILLS Mark: So, under the heading of parent education, one of the challenges is that so many of these trends in innovations of education end up sounding soft. We even use words like “soft skills" for the critical human skills that will help students be prepared to be leaders in the future.

Denise: So now you have a lot of really good data, and it sounds like, from our earlier conversations, that your team found some ideas of ways to make improvements, which is the next step in the process.

THE SPACE FRAMEWORK Mark: You talked about the C in the SPACE Framework, maybe just for completeness, you could say something about all the other elements of the SPACE framework, because I know that our Viewpoint team looked at all of them.

MAKING CONNECTIONS Mark: The theme of this issue of the magazine is Making Connections. Can you say a bit about how connection is important to your work and the connection between students, teachers, and parents?

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The A stands for alternative and authentic assessment. We have many students who say, “What is the purpose of assessment?” Also, when a teacher passes back an assessment, everyone says, “What did you get? What did you get?” In schools, there is this culture of competition, and we focus on what to do about that, and how to change it so it is much more about “what you learn, rather than what you earn.”

The C we talked about before. The E is something I know Viewpoint has done a lot of work on, which is educating the whole community about the research. You can make changes, but if your students do not understand, and particularly if your parents don’t understand why you’re doing it, people are going to be upset. So we come up with innovative ways to educate the different stakeholders, and we pass it on to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to the next change that the school is going to do towards innovation.

Mark: We did. We had six different “fishbowl” conversations where students could discuss their academic life at Viewpoint in front of faculty and staff. We had “shadow days,” where faculty members could sign up to shadow an individual student to gain a better understanding of what a school day really feels like; and over 500 Upper School students took a survey about their academic health and stress at school. (Results of all three are on pages 10 and 11.)

Denise: Yes. We have a research-based framework called SPACE. The C stands for climate of care, which is all about connections. If you look at the research on best practices for schools, basically, to thrive you have to feel like you belong. You have to feel like you’re part of a community, which means you have to feel like there is an adult at the school who cares about you. From your data, we know that students

Denise: Yeah, the schedule is huge. Both the bell schedule and also the school year schedule, which I know you’ve been working on in terms of where you put finals and if you have finals and midterms. The S also includes homework and looking at how much homework your kids are doing and not only how many hours they’re doing, but looking at the purpose of homework and if they feel that it’s meaningful or useful. The P stands for project-based learning and problem-based learning, which is changing how you do things in the classroom.

Denise: Yeah, so the S, it stands for schedule, and how students use their time. I know that a couple of years ago you changed the schedule.

Mark: Is that your organization’s continued connection to the Stanford Ed School?

Denise: Yes, so we are considered a center in the Stanford Graduate School of Education, where research-practitioner partnerships are taken really seriously. It is important at Stanford not just to be an ivory

Mark: Yes. We revised our six-day schedule into an eight-day schedule, and created something called I Block, which is aligned with our work with Challenge Success. The Challenge Success team at Viewpoint also continues to look at opportunities for improvement in our schedule and calendar.

While anyone in leadership knows that those so-called soft skills are, in fact, what makes someone competitive, they nonetheless have a lot of soft language that makes them sound either touchy-feely, or as if they result in a reduction of academic rigor. How would you address those concerns, or have you found better ways of communicating the real value of some of these changes and improvements?

Denise: That’s a great question. Many of our schools, who don’t really understand us have said, “Isn’t this just dumbing down?" It is actually the exact opposite. What we are talking about at Challenge Success is a much more rigorous program. If you’re going to do project-based learning, if you’re going to change your schedule so you have I Block, which gives you longer time to reflect and work on teams and meet with teachers and go deep, we are talking about a much more rigorous academic program. And at the same time, all of that is really upping whatever you want to call those skills. We call them essential life skills: communication, collaboration.

This is what the companies are looking for: critical thinking, global literacy and understanding. The people who are going to be hired by FALL

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the companies that are really forward thinking are not the ones who can just jump through hoops. They are the ones who can think outside the box, work well with others, look deeply at a multitude of issues and say, “We need an interdisciplinary approach to handle this.” So we don’t call them soft skills. These highly important supercognitive skills are essential. They are more essential than, “Can you solve a quadratic equation?” or “Do you know the reasons why Rome fell?” Because you can look that stuff up. You need to have the skills and ability to really know what to do in this information age with all the stuff that you can now glean at your fingertips.

Mark: It is reassuring to know that we’re not the only ones having that conversation and I couldn’t agree more. The last issue of our magazine told a story of two students who spent two and a half years on an independent study project. It was interdisciplinary in nature, combining digital photography, zoology, and virtual reality. They stitched together 15,000 high-resolution digital photographs of a beetle to create this high-resolution VR object that resulted in professional museum-quality artwork. And they were highly engaged, they learned a ton in doing it. It’s an example of one of the ways in which it’s far from dumbing down, it was a much more rigorous education and they were highly engaged in the process.

Denise: Right. I think that’s something that a lot of parents and even some teachers don’t really understand. When you make it more rigorous, but you tie it to an engaging project where the students have voice and choice, where they get to go deeper, they have the freedom to do that, you’re upping engagement and at the same time you’re upping rigor. I think there’s this confusion of, if we make learning fun, we’re just dumbing down and we’re not going to really prepare them for the rigors that they’re going to face in college, but it’s actually the exact opposite. One of the things I say to parents is you’re not driving the same car that you drove 30 years ago. Your wristwatch doesn’t even look like it did 30 years ago, you’re not on the same phone that you were on 30 years ago. Education should not look the way that it did when you went through school. If it does, that’s actually a problem because it means that it’s not really keeping up with the research of the time. So it’s going to look a lot different. It’s going to look like kids working for two years on a project to come up with this amazing thing, instead of sitting in rows in classrooms and nodding their heads, and falling asleep.

Mark: I couldn’t agree more. Is there anything else we should be thinking about?

Denise: Let me just say, I’m excited to see what Viewpoint is going to do next. You’ve collected some great data through the fishbowls and the shadow days and the surveys, and all the meetings between your multi-stakeholder teams. You’ve done a great job educating parents. It sounds like you’ll continue that. I’m excited to see what some of the next initiatives are to come. 

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I wish the adults in my life understood...

…the pressures I feel to do everything possible. …how much stress I’m under. …how badly I want to succeed.

500+ Upper School students took a survey about their academic health and stress at school. Results included statistics like:  76% of students feel they have an adult at school they can go to  61% of students report they can meet parental expectations “often” or “always”  58% of students think they have “too much homework” and 42% think the homework is “just right”  Grades/assessments and college/future are students’ top sources of stress

46 Upper School students took part in six different “fishbowl” conversations this quarter, discussing their academic life at Viewpoint School in front of faculty and staff. Their thoughts included:  With extra activities and family engagements, it’s very hard to fit it all in. There is not enough time in the day.  Sometimes I feel like there’s a presentation of ourselves as the classes we take and extra curriculars, like we are a walking college application.

By Anneke Emerson, Chief Innovation Officer

As Viewpoint School embarks on its second year partnering with Stanford University’s Challenge Success, the voices of our students remain at the center of our process. The quotes above come from an initiative called the “I Wish Campaign” that ran last winter, asking Upper School students to record the thoughts they wish the adults in their lives understood.

In addition to “I Wish,” Viewpoint School sought to understand the student experience through as many avenues as possible, including surveys, shadow days, and small group conversations, called fishbowls. Here is some of what we heard:

25 Viewpoint faculty and staff shadowed a student for a day, in an effort to better understand academic life at Viewpoint. Faculty reflections included:  I want to implement more movement and variety in my daily lessons, and also offer more risk-free practice and assessment.  I really can feel the value of group work. I might try to allow students more time to work on things in class. I understand that students are working on multiple things simultaneously in those instances. And there is value in them having the freedom to pick and choose different tasks.  I plan to solicit more student feedback about what works for them, make sure to triple-check myViewpoint, and also give a full, 10-minute break (five minutes felt short).

 When teachers ask about your day – it literally can change our day – little things make a huge difference for making us more excited to come to class. It’s something I see in all the classes I love.  Success for me is doing the best I can while also trying to remain healthy and happy because it gets really hard with all of the stress and all the work.

This listening process led to several Challenge Success initiatives that are taking shape in the 2019-20 school year. These include:  Amplifying the college “fit” over rankings message with parents and students  Student-led wellness events, created by a newly founded club, the Challenge Success Education Council  A survey that measures parent perception of their child’s academic engagement, connection to the school community, physical health and well-being  Renewed faculty focus on assessment at the divisional and departmental level

The nice thing about Challenge Success is we bring schools together with the researchers and say, “We’re listening to you, are you listening to us?”

Photos from top to bottom: Waynelle Ize-Iyamu ’20, Tahj Maheswaran ’20, Waynelle Ize-Iyamu ’20 and English Teacher Cait Kamins, Kaela Salesnick ’20 FALL

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“I wish I could go back to Second Grade, so I could do these activities!”

From left to right: Gavin Wolfson ’29, Caden Wolfe ’29

MAKERFEST!

In the Primary and Lower Schools

By Lisa Kessler, Innovation Space Teacher

“I wish I could go back to Second Grade, so I could do these activities!” This sentiment was overheard many times during the two-day Makerfest in the Primary and Lower Schools – and with good reason. This year, instead of the annual Valentine’s Day class parties, the children invited their parents to try out many of the “maker” activities that they do as part of their regular classes, but with a Valentine’s Day twist.

The children and their parents had the chance to visit more than 20 booths with activities that included wind tube, scribble bots, circuit board spiral art, Model Magic clay, woodworking, weaving, coding, painting with light, Design Thinking, LEGO art, and button making. Over the two-days, hundreds of students and their families worked on the collaborative Heart Mural, and it looked great!

After enjoying the hands-on activities in the Primary School courtyard and Benjamin Franklin Library, and a taking a tour through the cardboard Enchanted Rainforest in the Innovation Space, the children accompanied their parents back to their classrooms to read their journals.

These journals contained writing assignments for the year to date. The parents were amazed to see how far their children had come in six months, and the children were filled with pride to share their work.

Thank you to Travis Shojinaga, Alison Corneau, Jackie Sanchez, and so many more for making this festival of “making” possible. We cannot wait to do it again next year!  Jazzy Pierce ’29

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Top (from left to right): Jacob Pistone ’29, Isabella Swarbrick ’29 Middle: Alina Marquez ’29, Solomon Gutman ’29 Bottom: Lexi Hakim ’29, Rachel Mandel ’29 FALL

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SHARE YOUR WORK INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS/ LITHUANIAN CONSULATE

By Dmitri Goudkov, Upper School Social Studies Teacher

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THE CLASS International Relations (elective)

THE MOTIVATION The field of international relations is fascinating and has lots of room for students’ participation, especially within Viewpoint’s Global Core. Simulations offer such an opportunity. For instance, right before Spring Break our students represented six fictional parties in a nuclear crisis with one challenge: to write a joint resolution to avoid a conflict.

However exciting such an exercise can be, we only approximate (simulate) a real-life scenario, but can we have a genuine experience with non-fictional practitioners in the field of foreign affairs? Can our students apply what they learn in class to the real world as part of their curriculum? The answer is yes to applying the theory of international relations to the practice of diplomacy.

THE PROJECT Los Angeles is home to about 60 consulates from all over the world, and as a teacher of International Relations I contacted most of them last summer with a request to help my students with their research project. Two students must choose a specific country (represented in Los Angeles) and identify opportunities and challenges for the United States working with that country. Students then write a policy memo for the (fictional of course) President of the United States with clear recommendations on how to capitalize on the opportunities and how to overcome the challenges. I assured all diplomats that our students would not attribute any part of their memos to them or their colleagues and would never present their words as their countries’ official statements in order to build trust into their interactions with our students. The goal of this project is to take our students’ research in a new direction by gathering information from reallife practitioners in the field of diplomacy, in addition to getting it from conventional printed and online sources.

Left side from left to right: Dmitri Goudkov, Elijah Newman ’19, Arya Mehran ’19, Elizabeth McAdoo ’19, Eli Kreshek ’20, Yana Makievskaya ’19 Right side from left to right: Carina Yiu ’19, Maria Rodko ’19, Henry Christensen ’20, Avalon Aragon ’19, Melissa Deng ’19, Lauren Tepper ’19, Chandler Sumpter Gillyard ’19, Lauren O’Connell ’19, Christopher Yalda ’19, Darius Gaidys, Consul General of Lithuania in Los Angeles

THE PROCESS Step One: MEET THE DIPLOMATS Students meet with diplomats face to face, whether independently or during class field trips. For example, we visited the consulates of Germany, Lithuania, and Kuwait. If students cannot meet with them face to face, they speak with them over the phone, but a meeting in person is always best. Over Spring Break, individual teams of students met with diplomats from Germany, Mexico, China, France, and Argentina face to face and reached out to the consulate of New Zealand by phone to interview them for their project. It was an extraordinary experience to see our students’ perfect ability to represent to foreign nations not only Viewpoint School but also the United States. Dressed professionally and armed with the right questions and knowledge, they seemed completely at ease with their role as United States ambassadors.

“It’s really cool to see him work daily on the very same issues that we study in class,” said Arya Mehran ’19 just after his meeting with an Argentine diplomat.

Step Two: DEBRIEFING We debrief students in class and give them an opportunity to reflect on what they learned from diplomats, on what went well, and on what could have gone better.

Step Three: RESEARCH Students have already identified most important topics for their foreign policy memo, especially from the other perspective, and need to do conventional research in order to understand what the United States President should do about our relations with each country.

Step Four: FORMAL PRESENTATION Students present their recommendations to class in any format (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.), and they need to emphasize what the United States can gain from each relationship while strengthening it.

Step Five: FINAL DRAFT Students have already identified most important topics for their foreign policy memo, especially from the other perspective, and need to do conventional research in order to understand what the United States President should do about our relations with each country.

As I reflected on my visit to the German Consulate, I realized the importance of maintaining positive relationships within our global society. The significance of maintaining diplomatic relations of communication and relationship building are the foundations in peace building. It is necessary to maintain not only dialogue, but also a partnership with other countries. The German-American cooperation in international political, economic, and security issues, within a traditional foundation based on the common values of democracy, freedom, and human rights are critical to the stability of the international system. We would agree and hope the same for our countries as Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, stated, “I want us to be a secure, prosperous, tolerant country – a magnet for international talent and a home to the pioneers and innovators who will shape the world ahead.” – Lauren Tepper ’20  FALL

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A RT M E E T S T E C H N O LO G Y

“Each component of the exhibition gave the visitor a glimpse into the artist’s experiences and perceptions.”

CONNECTION THROUGH CURATING

H I S TO R I C A L C O NT E XT

THE LABKOVSKI PROJECT

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AT VIEWPOINT On May 29, Viewpoint presented “Immersion in a Perception: The Art of David Labkovski,” a student-designed and curated immersive, experiential installation envisioned by Maddie White ’19 and Sydney Payab ’19 in the Ahmanson Foundation Black Box Theater. The exhibit was produced in partnership with The David Labkovski Project, in conjunction with students from the Vilnius Lyceum. Each component gave the visitor a glimpse into the artist’s experiences and perceptions. Using virtual reality created

by Weston Bell-Geddes ’19, visitors had the opportunity to walk in Labkovski’s footsteps, listen to soundscapes by Film I students, and engage with ethical questions introduced by students in the Upper School’s Ethics class. The exhibition also included a slide presentation created by the Lyceum students depicting Labkovski’s paintings of his early life in Vilnius with companion photographs showing the locations as they appear today.

By Stephanie Wolfson, Viewpoint Alumni Parent (Eddie ’19, Eli ’19, Josh ’11, Sarah ’09) and Director of Education for the David Labkovski Project

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he David Labkovski Project uses the narrative work of artist David Labkovski (1906-1991) as a tool to engage, enrich, and educate students about life before, during, and after the Holocaust in Vilna (Vilnius, Lithuania). Our program is an example of true project-based learning. Students become curators of Labkovski’s collection in order to create an exhibition of his work.

We introduce the artwork to students and they take it from there.

Students are responsible for researching the historical context of the pieces, forging connections between his works, and telling his story in order to engage their audience. Through the process, student curators form deep and meaningful connections with the artist and the history.

Labkovski’s story becomes their story.

AS THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION for the David Labkovski Project and a longtime parent at Viewpoint School, I knew Viewpoint was the perfect place to pilot an international collaboration with a school in Vilnius, the Vilnius Lyceum, which was facilitated by Viewpoint parents Renata Gaidiene and Consul General of Lithuania in Los Angeles, Darius Gaidys. Through skype sessions, emails, and group chats, Viewpoint students got to know the Lyceum students and engage with the questions of history together. They struggled with differing

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viewpoints and evinced a mature sensitivity to cultural differences, which in turn created real learning opportunities.

FOR A TRUE COLLABORATION TO TAKE PLACE, our students and the Lyceum students needed to meet in person. Together, we needed to “walk in Labkovski’s footsteps.” The Viewpoint contingent included lead Viewpoint student curators, Sydney Payab ’19 and Maddie White ’19; their teachers Catherine Dunn, Jennifer Kirchmann, and Head of School Mark McKee; Viewpoint Chair of the Board Jon Wolfson; and board member Kafi Blumenfield with her husband Bob, and their children Nia ’24 and Obi ’27, as well as Renata Gaidiene and Darius Gaidys, and their sons Dom ’21 and Pav ’27.

IN VILNIUS April 3, the David Labkovski Project exhibition opened at the Lithuanian National Library, in Vilnius, Lithuania. Curated by the students at the Vilnius Lyceum students, the exhibition incorporated soundscapes by Viewpoint Film I, essays written by the Leadership and Ethics students, and the launch of the David Labkovski Project’s virtual reality experience created by Viewpoint student Weston BellGeddes ’19. Throughout the week, the Lyceum and Viewpoint students worked together to curate the David Labkovski Project exhibit in the National Library. The Lithuanian students led a walking tour of the areas in Labkovski’s paintings, giving historical context to the work.

As the students explored Jewish culture together, they collaborated on their vision for the exhibit.

THE TRIP WAS PLANNED for the opening of the Labkovski exhibit created by the Vilnius Lyceum students and held at the Lithuanian National Library. Components of the Lyceum exhibit incorporated soundscapes by Viewpoint Film I students, essays written by the Leadership and Ethics students, and the launch of the David Labkovski Project’s virtual reality experience created by Viewpoint student Weston Bell-Geddes ’19. In return, when the Viewpoint exhibit, Immersion in a Perception, opened on May 29 it included a slide presentation created by the Lyceum students depicting Labkovski’s paintings of his early life in Vilnius with companion photographs showing the locations as they appear today.

BEARING WITNESS TO HISTORY IS NOT EASY, doing the difficult work of confronting the past and human behavior is difficult. Together the Lyceum students and the Viewpoint students did just that and in the process became colleagues and friends. 

The Viewpoint contingent at the commemoration of the blockade of Parliament listening to Darius Gaidys, Consul General of Lithuania in Los Angeles, speak about the liberation of Lithuania from the Soviet Union.

IN THE DARK TIMES WILL THERE ALSO BE SINGING? YES, THERE WILL ALSO BE SINGING ABOUT THE DARK TIMES.

David Labkovski

was born in 1906 in Vilna, known as the “Jerusalem of Lithuania” for its vibrant Jewish culture and community of religious scholars. In 1932, Labkovski was accepted to the prestigious Art Academy of Leningrad. Within two years, he was forced to leave art school and join Stalin’s Red Army; and in 1936, due to anti-Soviet sentiments of a family member, he was sentenced to three years in the Siberian gulag. His imprisonment saved his life. When he returned to Vilna in 1946, he found that due to mass deportations, the Jewish community once numbering 300,000 people was gone. In 1958, he and his wife emigrated to Israel, where he devoted the rest of his life to chronicling “the world that was.” His work is both a document of life in this particular time and place, as well as a testament to the power of the human spirit to endure despite outrageous hardship and indignity, and to use that experience to enlighten others.

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20th-century German playwright Bertolt Brecht

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he 20th century saw its dark times, and Brecht reminds us of the power of art to represent and express the endurance of the human spirit, to remind us, and to connect.

This is the motive spirit of this David Labkovski Project, a collaboration that has brought us all the way from Los Angeles across the world to Vilnius, and all the way back in time nearly 100 years to express, to remind, and to connect.

Our school has valued this collaboration with the Vilnius Lyceum– every step of which has offered experiences of understanding the artistic expression, of remembering our history, and of connecting across culture and time. Viewpoint is an international school,

with families from some 75 countries, including Jewish and non-Jewish families who trace their roots to Lithuania. We have appreciated the hospitality of your city and the connection with your students as we have literally walked in David Labkovski’s footsteps. Thank you for welcoming us into your home with such pride.

Working with young people is essentially optimistic, and if we take one lesson from this project, it is to hear the singing in the dark times. Seeing the young people connect this week, connect with history, with art, and with one another, we can take courage in the future. 

An excerpt of Mark McKee’s remarks at the opening of the exhibition curated by the Vilnius Lyceum students at the Lithuanian National Library, April 3, 2019.

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PURSUING OUR

By Monica Case ’90, Associate Director of Communications

Viewpoint encourages students who have a particular idea or interest to truly pursue it, either as part of a formal Independent Study Project or on their own.

Here are five students who have undertaken special projects to explore their cultural identities and to share what they have learned with others.

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PASSIONS

ROBERT BROOKS ’19 + MELISSA DENG ’19 To All Who Bloomed in Shade: Cultivating Asian-American Identity Robert Brooks ’19 and Melissa Deng ’19 curated an exhibition in Viewpoint’s Malcolm Family Gallery titled, “To All Who Bloomed in Shade: Cultivating AsianAmerican Identity,” in order to highlight, as the gallery notes explain, “perspectives that oftentimes go unnoticed, and oftentimes have little representation in aspects of American life.” The exhibition featured the work of nine Upper School artists who explore their Asian-American identity through photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, and prose. The exhibition invited the viewer to consider the “ideas of representation and identity, as well as celebrate the components that make us all human.” This fall, Robert is attending Cornell University and Melissa is studying International Politics at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.  FALL

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PASSIONS

SEAN ZHANG ’20 Preserving Disappearing Chinese Dialects Sean Zhang ’20, who came to Viewpoint in Tenth Grade from Shanghai, developed an app called the Dialect Phonograph to record the rapidly disappearing dialects of China. This project was inspired by his elderly grandfather, who spoke the An Hui dialect, and Sean’s desire to capture his voice. By recording speakers from different communities reading a standard weather forecast, which only has about 100 words, Sean is developing an audio database of the pronunciation of common words across the dialects. Ultimately, Sean is interested in studying industrial design with a particular emphasis on how humans interface with computers. 

ISHIKA DHINGRA ’19 Researching the Impact of Malnutrition on Cognition Ishika Dhingra ’19 developed an independent study project measuring the impact of malnutrition on the cognitive abilities of children in India. Her project was inspired by her five years working with the Los Angeles-based non-profit Caring Hands for Children, an organization committed to helping underprivileged youth in India, and her volunteer work at the Naidisha Educational Center in Delhi. She looked at the relationship between extremely low BMI in school-age girls and their reading comprehension. This fall, Ishika began studying Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, and she hopes to pursue a career in pediatrics. 

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Meet LeRhonda Greats

Viewpoint’s New Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Life

VANESSA CHERMAK ’21 Film Making to Inspire Change Vanessa Chermak ’21 became involved in MAJIC (Muslims and Jews Inspiring Change) in the fall of 2018.

Through this group, Vanessa has met Muslim and Jewish students across Los Angeles who are dedicated to overcoming differences through shared experiences and educating one another. With some of her fellow MAJIC members and The Righteous Conversations Project (a collaboration between Holocaust survivors and teens), Vanessa created a stop-motion animated film, “Seeds of Partnership: The Sardari and Morady Story,” about the Iranian Consul to Paris, Abdol Hussein Sardari, who helped save thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.

By screening the film at the Sundance Film Festival, the Museum of the Holocaust, and local schools, they hope to share the story of Sardari and to encourage friendship among the Muslim and Jewish communities.  To view the film, scan:

By Monica Case ’90, Associate Director of Communications

“With liberty and justice for all.”

This phrase, taken from The Pledge of Allegiance, is the foundation of LeRhonda Greats’ career.

LeRhonda, Viewpoint’s new Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Life, joined us with the personal goal to make our school a place that feels like home to all the members of our community, regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identification, or socio-economic background.

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eRhonda arrived at Viewpoint at the beginning of the summer and she has spent her first months on campus listening and learning to gain an understanding of the culture of the school and the expectations of the community. She meets regularly with students, faculty, and staff across campus, the PPDI (Parent Partnership for Diversity and Inclusion), and other current and prospective families. Because her role includes “Community Life,” LeRhonda is actively involved in most every aspect in the life of the school.

SHE COMES TO US well prepared from Berkshire School, a boarding school in Sheffield Massachusetts, where she served as Dean of Diversity and Inclusion. Her position there required her to work directly with students and adults to promote an inclusive campus culture, as well as to partner with their Board of Trustees to create the school’s five-year plan for diversity and inclusion. Prior to Berkshire, LeRhonda worked for 16 years at The Hun School of Princeton, in Princeton, New Jersey, a Sixth through Twelfth-Grade day/ boarding school, where she also chaired the Computer Science department, served as their diversity coordinator and led the summer academic program. She raised her two children in New Jersey, and has lived in Michigan, Texas, Germany, and Maryland before moving to California.

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SINCE HER ARRIVAL at Viewpoint, the School has hosted the Independent School Alliance’s Across Colors Diversity Conference, with the theme “Empathy First: Cultivating Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice.” She accompanied the Admissions team to Washington, D.C. to attend the Annual Enrollment Management Conference. She joined Bob Bryan, Assistant Head of School and Heather Kruse, Director of Human Resources, in San Diego to attend a workshop focused on helping independent schools overcome obstacles to recruiting minority, teachers, administrators, and coaches, hosted by Nemnet Minority Recruitment & Consulting Group. In December, LeRhonda led a group of faculty and staff to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual People of Color Conference (POCC) in Seattle. By leading and attending these conferences, the School hopes to be a part of the larger conversation around Diversity and Inclusion in other schools like Viewpoint.

WHEN ASKED what she hoped to achieve here, LeRhonda replied, “I have joined a powerful team and Viewpoint has a wonderful mission of community. I am here to make our school accepting of all. I am interested in civility. I want my space, Room 739C, to be a space for engagement. I am looking for opportunities to celebrate and honor our differences in the hope that this will build our strongest community. Whether a family is returning or new to Viewpoint, I want them to feel welcome here. With Liberty and Justice for all!” 

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“ON CAMPUS, THERE IS A MONUMENT OF DR. WASHINGTON LIFTING A VEIL FROM AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN. THE MONUMENT READS, ‘HE LIFTED THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE FROM HIS PEOPLE BY POINTING THE WAY TO PROGRESS THROUGH EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY.’ ”

is from Detroit, Michigan,

and said he would never live in California. Yet, when given the opportunity to join the College Counseling Office at Drew School in San Francisco, he packed his entire home, shipped his car (The Red Knight), and hopped on a one-way flight to the Bay Area from Atlanta, Georgia. Upon earning a B.S. in Psychology from Tuskegee University, a Historically Black College in Alabama, Jamon planned to continue working with children and adolescents with autism, the field in which he spent most of his time researching and completing internships during college. However, after working at a residential school for children with severe emotional disorders, he decided to make a career shift, and found himself in college admissions at Morehouse College. Based upon his work in the Office of Admissions as a campus ambassador/ tour guide and as a freshman orientation leader at Tuskegee, this felt like a natural fit. And it was all of these experiences that prepared him for the work he was brought to Viewpoint to do, and he is enjoying the ride.

LOAD JAMON

MY COLLEGE PROCESS As a College Counselor, I help students navigate a very convoluted process to select their college home. It also reminds me of how I chose my own college. When we began to research schools, my mom made it very clear that she wanted me to have agency in my process and the support that she did not have when she was applying to college. More importantly, she wanted me to have options and to have my own unique college process. So we were off! We flew from Michigan to Atlanta to drive and visit schools in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. I had decided for myself that it was worth exploring the Historically Black Colleges as a way to be in an environment where I was the majority. We visited several schools, but the school I had researched, dreamed about, and researched some more, turned out to be quite a disappointment upon visiting.

TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY! On our way to Alabama to visit a family friend, my mom noticed the sign for Tuskegee University and asked if I wanted to stop. I had previously ruled it out, but I agreed. Why not? Although we arrived completely unannounced, the hospitality we received at Tuskegee was unmatched, and the history of the school stuck with me. To think Dr. Booker T. Washington was 25 years old when he answered the call that a small town in rural Alabama was in need of a leader to start a school. Born into slavery, Dr. Washington outlines in his autobiography, Up from Slavery, how he found himself getting his own education at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University), where he

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worked different jobs around campus to fund his education. He instilled this same work ethic in many of the students at Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers. On campus, there is a monument of Dr. Washington lifting a veil from an African-American man. The monument reads, “He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people by pointing the way to progress through education and industry.” He dedicated his life to the advancement of the African-American race most notably through his efforts with Tuskegee University. He recruited scientist Dr. George Washington Carver, who researched and taught at Tuskegee for decades and made many of his discoveries with the peanut and sweet potato there. He also recruited the first African-American graduate from MIT, Robert R. Taylor, who designed and constructed many of the buildings on our campus in the earliest years at Tuskegee.

MAKING TUSKEGEE MY HOME During my time there, I was a part of Greek life, a campus ambassador, a freshman orientation leader, member of the Michigan club, and a Minority Access to Research Careers Scholar, which gave me the opportunity to conduct research at the University of Notre Dame one summer. I also received the highest honor for a senior student as the University Scholar for the College of Arts and Sciences. My time there taught me most importantly that I stand on the shoulders of so many before me. I am grateful for Dr. Washington and all that he instilled in the many Tuskegee sons and daughters who followed. My time in college

shaped me into the person I am today more than I will ever know.

So when asked to wear something ’representative of who I am’ for this article, Tuskegee paraphernalia was the easy choice. Thanks, mom, for noticing the sign and suggesting we stop!

IT ALL COMES TOGETHER When not reviewing essays, college applications, or talking about college, I enjoy many other activities. To start, I love music and I am an avid Adele fan – favorite songs include “Hello,” “Someone Like You,”” Rolling in the Deep,” and “Million Years Ago.” Other Spotify stations often selected in my office include Motown (thanks to my grandparents), Sam Smith, I love my Hip-Hop 80’s/90’s, Katy Perry, Arianna Grande, and the Queen Bey. I swam competitively in high school and club in college, so I enjoy a nice swim when I can.

I read essays constantly, so I do not read as much as I would like to, but my favorite book is Tuesdays with Morrie. That book highlights the lasting impressions our teachers make on us. I must say that one of my English teachers from high school, Ms. Donna Gatzke, is a teacher who made a lasting impression on me. She went the extra mile while working with me as a lost teenager. The last day of senior year, I remember asking her, “Why did you go above and beyond for me as a student?” With tears in both of our eyes, she said ’because someone did the same for me.’ Her compassion still informs a lot of the work that I do today, so I am thankful. 

PULLIAM

JAMON PULLIAM

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By Jill Shaw, Director of Strategic Communications

Dr. Kristen Herkstroeter, Chair of the Music Department and Strings teacher, rehearsing with the Orchestra in a practice room at Carnegie Hall

ROBERT TAYLOR

LAURIE ALLEN

DAN ANDERSON

Rob Taylor, a teacher of History in Upper School and the inaugural Handley Chair for American Studies, relocated to New York following the 2018-19 school year. During 31 years at Viewpoint, Rob inspired a love of history in countless students. A visit to Rob’s classroom, encircled by maps, confirmed Rob’s passion for both history and teaching.

Laurie Allen, education technology and digital media teacher, retired in June after 24 years at Viewpoint. Laurie served in many roles, including AP Testing Coordinator, robotics manager, Computer Science Department Chair, technology teacher and instructor to the Patriot newspaper. Laurie coached students and faculty alike in learning software and coding tools. Anneke Emerson, Viewpoint’s Chief Innovation Officer, describes her this way, “Laurie was a consummate learner and dedicated colleague at Viewpoint School.

She was always eager to try new tools and new software, sharing what she learned with students and peers. She cared deeply about the School and the teaching community.”

Dan Anderson, the founding faculty member of the Computer Science Department at Viewpoint School, retired in June after 26 years. Dan designed a unique computer science program, incorporating systematic problem solving and mathematics education and including 3D graphics, fractals, logistic regression, artificial intelligence, and neural networks. Dan prized critical thinking, inquirybased learning, and intellectual challenge.

When asked what he hoped students would take from his class, Rob said, “More than anything, to enjoy the study of history so they want to continue learning in the future. In addition, I believe a firm base of knowledge is extremely important, as well as keen critical thinking skills. On a more practical level, it is important to be able to manage a textbook and write well. All of these skills are important not only in college, but beyond. Finally, the study of history simply leads to a fuller life, as a person can understand and therefore appreciate so much more.”

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In her retirement, Laurie would like to get involved in some aspect of the planning for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She performed as a dancer in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and she would like to be a part of the excitement again.

When asked about Mr. Anderson as a teacher, Ben ZeBrack ’21 said, “Mr. Anderson has had the most impact on me of any teacher that I have ever had. He provided me with unique opportunities that I could not have gotten from anyone else, such as internships in Hong Kong and Illinois. Though perhaps what I value the most about Mr. Anderson as a teacher is how he changed my way of thinking from rudimentary to abstract and sophisticated.”

When asked if he had any thoughts to share with his students, Dan replied, “I wish them the best as I move to Japan to be with my wife. I have no plans at all and that’s the beauty of it.” 

VIEWPOINT MUSICIANS PER FOR M

AT CARNEGIE HALL

By Monica Case ’90, Associate Director of Communications

ON FEBRUARY 24, the 86 members of Viewpoint’s Orchestra and Wind Ensemble had the experience of a lifetime when they performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of the National Instrumental Music Festival.

More than 250 family members, Viewpoint faculty, and New Yorkbased alumni were in the audience to share in this extraordinary moment that was the result of years of dedication to their instruments and to playing with one another.

“What an incredible experience!” said Band Teacher Kim Gonzalez, “Friday morning, we went on a tour of Carnegie Hall, and I think for the first time, the students, and all of us, realized the gravity of what we were about to do. Friday afternoon, the Winds Ensemble walked to Carrol Studios on 55th Street to have a two-hour session with a special clinician named Brian Worsdale. As we walked to our studio, we could hear professional musicians in another studio practicing. You could feel the energy, and Brian was amazing! Definitely, an inspiring, brilliant musician, and he pulled so much sound out of our students. From the moment of that first rehearsal with Brian to the downbeat onstage, I watched our students realize what they are capable of and truly rise to a level of performance equal to the history of Carnegie Hall.”

When asked about his thoughts on the experience, cellist Daniel Kuelbs ’19 said, “It was amazing to think about playing on the same stage as some of the greatest musicians in history. As I was looking at the floor at the all the end-pin holes to place my cello, I thought ’this hole could have been made by Yo-Yo Ma’s cello!’”

Kristin Herkstroeter, Chair of the Music Department and Strings Teacher, added, “It was just such an honor to be there. For our students to be selected as one of 12 groups to perform this year in one of the world’s best music halls is a dream and our students truly rose to the occasion.”

Melissa Deng ’19 wrote, “The Carnegie Hall experience was nothing short of surreal, and I feel so incredibly lucky that I was given this opportunity during my last year at Viewpoint. It’s hard to describe how I felt when I first walked onto the stage and looked out into the audience – between the famous red seats, the lights illuminating the ornate patterns on the walls, and the sound of applause from our parents, I felt like I was dreaming. When I first picked up the clarinet in Sixth Grade, I never would’ve imagined that I would one day be playing it in Carnegie Hall. And hearing our music echoing throughout the hall, amplified by the amazing acoustics, I felt so proud to be a part of Viewpoint’s Wind Ensemble. This experience felt like the culmination of all of our work over the years, and the hard work Mrs. Gonzalez has put in for us. She made playing at Carnegie a reality for us, and I know that everyone in Wind Ensemble is incredibly grateful for her guidance and support. Getting to make music with my friends in band in such a storied venue, all the while having fun, is an experience that I will never forget.” 

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The image below captures the cast in character before the School’s production of Arthur Miller’s iconic play The Crucible. The stage is also a crucible – a defined space where elements interact to create something new. Here the elements are the students, individuals but bonded by a love of theater, who have come together to explore the text, connect with their fellow performers, find themselves, and create a memorable experience for their audience.

From left to right standing: Roman De Mann ’21, Taliiya Flemming ’21, Bridget Cooper ’21, HH Landau ’22, Ryan Peterson ’19, Camila Isabel Torres Macias ’19, Jonathan Lovett ’19, Ian Riegler ’19, Maya Fardad-Finn ’21 Ellery Harrington ’19, Erick Szubota ’22 Seated left to right: Riley Herbert ’22, Romina Khodaverdy ’22, Natalie Friedman ’19, Dani Granaroli ’20, Katie Hameetman ’19, Devon Knopp ’20, Jason Cheng ’19

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Theater

VIEWPOINT’S

Conservatory of Theater

“As a result of our work together, we not only grew as individuals and artists, we created a lasting legacy, which it is my job to foster into the future.”

By Scott Feldsher, Chair of the Theater and Dance Department

– Scott Feldsher

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BLOCK. First period of the first day of high school. We were all new to the Upper School at Viewpoint, and none of us knew what to expect from each other, nor did we have a road map for the journey we were about to undertake together. We were all uncertain, awkward, and apprehensive freshmen, but we did have one thing which allowed us to screw our courage to the sticking place: our common love of theater, the sacred space it creates and the bond it forges inevitably in those who dare to engage.

Being the adult in the room, and at least the putative teacher, it was my job to break the ice, so I said, “This is my first class of my first day at Viewpoint too, so let’s figure this out together. I’m a freshman too!”

And so it was that the Class of 2019 and I grew up together.

We helped each other. We collaborated. We pushed the boundaries of what types of productions were to be seen on Viewpoint stages, created a curricular Honors track for the Theater Program, and established the Conservatory of Theater Honor Society. As a result of our work together, we not only grew as individuals and artists, we created a lasting legacy, which it is my job to foster into the future. In many ways, this is the core principal of the Viewpoint Theater program: a collaborative spirit of growth. We work together to make art, and remake each other.

Four years later, most of that very same group gathered for G Block, the last class of the last day of high school for the Class of 2019. This perfect closing of our sacred circle was pointed out by Katie Hameetman ’19, actress, poet, linguist, Class Valedictorian, and just one of the many ridiculously gifted

members of this group. For this class, there was no other option but for it to end as if scripted.

The origin story above is not the story of the entirety of the Theater Conservatory Class of 2019. Some came to the program as sophomores, others with a focus on technical theater rather than performance, but regardless of when or how they arrived, they leave having made an indelible mark on the Theater Program and the larger Viewpoint community. Their performances, design, and backstage work in groundbreaking productions such as Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, Cabaret, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and In the Heights have blazed a new trail for those who will come after, creating new opportunities to explore thematically and artistically sophisticated work not always seen on high school stages.

When the Classes of 2019 and 2020 helped establish the Conservatory of Theater as an Honor Society, it was meant to honor those students whose commitment to the form is selfless and unwavering. But, unlike the traditional use of “conservatory” in the arts as “a place for the study of classical music or other arts,” we also thought of our society functioning in the other sense of conservatory, as a glass room attached to a house, used as a greenroom or hothouse to create optimal conditions for growth and Scott Feldsher shine a light on the progress of its occupants.

It is both serendipitous and fitting that the perpetual plaque commemorating the work of each graduating Theater Conservatory Class sits in our sunroom of a lobby in the Carlson Family Theater, better to shine light on the extraordinary work of the past and inspire the work of the future. 

Opposite Page Photo (from left to right) Standing: Gregory Schare ’19, Jonathan Lovett ’19, Camila Macias ’19, Eddie Wolfson ’19, Ian Riegler ’19 Seated: Katie Hameetman ’19, Cole Kaplan ’19, Jason Cheng ’19 Seated on Floor: Ryan Peterson ’19, Natalie Friedman ’19

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Jason

CHENG ’19 Jason started at Viewpoint in Ninth Grade and immediately became involved in the Theater program. From an early age, he wanted to be an actor, but the opportunities to perform as a student in China were limited, so once at Viewpoint he jumped right in. Jason’s performances include Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Noises Off, The Crucible, and In the Heights. Jason remarked, “My favorite production was Noises Off, because it’s a hard show to do – everything has to happen at the right time to make it funny – and we pulled it off and the audiences loved

it. It was a small cast, so I got close with everyone. Honestly, I am so grateful to be part of this program. It has taught me a lot about life, about friendship, and about hard work. The people in this program are all nice people, who are willing to accept and communicate. For me, Viewpoint Theater is my second home and one thing I’ll miss the most when I’m off to college.” Jason was the recipient of the 2019 Department Award in Theater, and he began his studies at Johns Hopkins University this fall.

Natalie

FRIEDMAN ’19 Natalie came to Viewpoint for the Theater program and has performed in almost every production since arriving in the Seventh Grade, but it was being part of the ensemble cast in Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 as a freshman that made her want to become an actress. As a Latina performer, another highlight was singing in Spanish as the lead in Evita. Natalie also founded the School’s first singing club, Vocalpoint, directed a full production for her senior project, wrote her first play this past year, and received the 2018 Theater Department Award. She said, “I love the Theater program. I love that we get to try new things.

The program can be anything you make it.” In addition to performing, Natalie was inducted into the Cum Laude, Math, and Spanish Honors Societies, as well as earning an AP Scholar Award, and a certificate from the National Hispanic Recognition Program. This past spring, she received the Arthur B. O’Leary Award, the School’s most significant award given in recognition of her high academic achievement, character, and positive spirit. This fall, Natalie started at Northwestern University where she plans to major in Theater and a minor in Physics or Psychology.

Katie

HAMEE TMAN ’19 Katie, the Class of 2019 Valedictorian, has a great love of language and theater. She came to Viewpoint in Seventh Grade and has been a part of at least 12 plays, as well as the 24-Hour Play Project. Katie is a very serious student, but she found a second home on the stage, “Theater has been a great constant through Upper School, a refuge and an escape. I really love the camaraderie that comes with being a part of a production and the willingness of the cast and crew to support one another.” A dedicated

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By Monica Case ’90, Associate Director of Communications

M AG A Z I N E

classicist, Katie received the 2018 Departmental Award for Latin, and was a Latin Honor Society member and a Global Scholar. A National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar, and Scholastic Writing Award Gold Medalist, Katie’s commitment as a student also led to her membership in Cum Laude, Mu Alpha Theta, and the Science National Honors Society. Katie is attending Princeton University this fall to study Classics and hopes to stage ancient plays while she is there.

Cole

K APL AN ’19 Cole came to Viewpoint in Sixth Grade and immediately started acting. He performed in two Middle School shows and then in 16 Upper School productions. He loves performing in both straight plays and musicals, as well as in student films, which he did during his four years in the Film program.

According to Cole, “The Theater program at Viewpoint has the best resources available at any school in Los Angeles. This includes the exceptional technical staff, who make such a difference to us as performers. I am so grateful for my time at Viewpoint.” In addition

to performing, Cole played an active role in student life. He served on the Student Council’s Executive Board as a sophomore and as President of Student Council while a junior. Throughout Upper School, he managed the Girl’s Varsity Volleyball Team and participated in Chorus, Dance Marathon, and partner dancing. He also founded the Viewpoint Dungeons & Dragons Club, and ranked second place in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Los Angeles Regional Competition. This fall, Cole is studying Drama at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

Jonathan

LOVE T T ’19 Jonathan is an artist at his core. He began at Viewpoint in Kindergarten and found a home in the theater, in the music practice room where he played the flute, and outdoors with his camera. Jonathan’s favorite serious role was Cliff in Cabaret. He explained, “It pushed me so hard as an actor and artist. It was an emotionally exhausting show, but the cast was so supportive and was always there when anyone was struggling, which was amazing to see. I also played Mr. Smith in Samuel Beckett’s play, Ends and Odds: An Evening of the Absurd. It was just so

crazy. The lines made no sense and it was completely absurd. It was so playful that I felt like I had a lot of room to make the part my own.”

Jonathan was a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) President and passionate about activism within Viewpoint and in the larger world. He also represented Viewpoint at the National YoungArts Week in Photography, an enormous honor that lead to his being named a Semi-Finalist for the United States Presidential Scholar for the Arts in Photography. Jonathan is currently studying Photography at Parsons School of Design.

Camila

MACIAS ’19 Camila began singing and acting when she was seven. She started at Viewpoint in Ninth Grade – performing in eight shows in four years. Her two favorite productions were Noises Off, for “the fun and challenge of putting on a farce,” and Cabaret, because the role of Fraulein Kost was so far out of her comfort zone. When asked about the Theater program, Camila said, “Everyone puts in the time and is dedicated to the small details. The sets, the costumes, and the theater staff are amazing. It is a really tightknit community.” In addition to being a member of the

Conservatory of Theater, Camila was co-president of the GSA for two years, part of Viewpoint’s Cheerleading Team, and the Black Student Union (BSU). Camila was a very vocal advocate for diversity and attended the Annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference in her junior year. Camila was named the 2019 recipient of Viewpoint School’s Service Association’s Social Justice, Ethics, and Leadership Award for her activism on campus and in the larger community. She will continue pursuing activism at Ithaca College, majoring in Politics and minoring in Theater.

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conservatory of theater members

Theater

Ryan

PE T ERSON ’19 Ryan came to Viewpoint in Ninth Grade, he started performing immediately. He began performing in Fifth Grade at his previous school, and it seemed like a good way to make new friends. He performed in The Dispute, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, Ends and Odds: An Evening of the Absurd, The Crucible and acted in, directed, and wrote A Good Man is Hard to Find. In addition, he was involved in the 24-Hour Play Project all four years. Ryan said, “My favorite production was probably either The Crucible or

A Good Man is Hard to Find. In terms of the final product, I am most proud of A Good Man is Hard to Find because I wrote it (adapting it from the short story of the same name) and helped direct it. Everyone in my theater class was cast in it, so it was a nice final send off for both my participation in Viewpoint Theater and for my specific theater class.” In addition to theater, Ryan also started the Philosophy Club in his junior year with friends. He is studying Philosophy at the University of Chicago this fall.

Ian

RIEGLER ’19 Ian did not start acting until Tenth Grade, but once he discovered the theater he pursued it with full energy. When asked about his experience with the Theater program, Ian was passionate, “There is no place like Viewpoint. I am amazed by the resources we have here, and the great teachers who really love what they do. We have covered every genre, and they are not scared to do new things.

Mr. Feldsher is a great teacher and a great person. I would not be an actor without him. This program has given me the confidence to know that the theater is

where I belong. I feel inspired to act. I love being a part of other people’s stories. I am forever grateful.” In addition to playing the lead “Usnavi” in In the Heights, some of his favorite productions include: The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Ends and Odds: An Evening of the Absurd, The Chairs, Noises Off, Almost Maine, Dance Concert, Cabaret, Café at Night, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and The Crucible.

This fall, Ian is attending American Musical and Dramatic Acting College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles (AMDA).

Eddie

WOLFSON ’19 Eddie is the consummate performer. He acts, sings, tap dances, plays the violin, and is Viewpoint’s first drag performer. He started here in Kindergarten and has participated in 17 theater productions. When asked about his experience, Eddie said, “The Theater program is amazing in the quantity and quality of shows offered. You get to participate in four productions a year and the 24-Hour Play Project, where you can write, direct, and perform. At most schools, there is one theater to work in, the sets and backstage work are often done by students, and there are only two shows a year. The resources and

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opportunities to perform are truly amazing. Also, theater has been a constant family. I’ve found some of my closest friends through doing shows and am so thankful that theater gave me a place to express myself without fear of judgment.” Eddie also earned induction into the Science Honors Society, Math Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society, and Music Honors Society, and served on the executive board of Model United Nations. He is excited to be studying Pre-Medicine and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Williams College.

Lily Andersson '19

Gregory Schare '19

COS T UME DE SIGN

LIGH T ING DE SIGN

As a member of the Robotics Team and a Varsity Equestrian, Lily is passionate about engineering and horses. However, when it came time to choose an Independent Study Project, she decided on costume design. Lily explained, “I came to Viewpoint in Seventh Grade and immediately started performing. I was in Charlotte’s Web, The Music Man, James and the Giant Peach, and Into the Woods, but when I met Ms. Holt, the School’s costumer, I knew that I could do even more than what I had been doing as an actor and singer. Since then, I have costumed all of the 24-Hour Play Projects, all of the senior theater projects, and helped with The Little Mermaid, the Dance Concerts, various Film IV productions, The Little Prince, among others. The people I have met in the Theater Department are some of my favorite people at the School and I am very lucky that I was able to create my place in the costuming and tech departments.”

Gregory loves theater and the Theater program. Since starting at Viewpoint in Sixth Grade, Gregory has worked backstage on over 25 productions, and directed, wrote, or was part of three 24-Hour Play Projects. He has also worked as a director and cinematographer on numerous student films. All of this experience led him to an Independent Study Project in lighting design. When asked about his favorite production, Gregory struggled and then said, “Cabaret was amazing because I got to help Mr. Covey design the show and I simply adore the music and story of that musical.”

Lily is also and AP Scholar, a member of Cum Laude, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Science Honor Society, French Honor Society, CORE, International Robotics Honor Society, and Viewpoint Athletics Leadership Team. She is following the Pre-Vet Track and is majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Cornell University.

Gregory continued, “I would also like to add, what makes this program incredible is the people. Our faculty and staff are deeply dedicated and care profoundly about the students and the productions. As LinManuel Miranda would say, they are “non-stop.” And of course, the actors bring this exciting combination of talent, drive, and a kind of scholarly approach to theater which allows them to take their work incredibly seriously while still having a huge amount of fun.”

Gregory earned acceptance to the Cum Laude Society, the Science Honor Society, the French Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and Global Scholars. He was an AP Scholar, a National Merit Commended Scholar, and recipient of the AP English Language Award. He competed in VEX Robotics, winning the Excellence Award and Tournament Champion. He is continuing his liberal arts education at to Columbia University this fall. 

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spring theater productions

Theater Little Engine

The Little Prince

Viewpoint’s Conservatory of Theater, with a cast of 31 actors, was excited to perform Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway hit, In the Heights. This revolutionary musical combines urban rhythms and dance with hip-hop lyrics to tell a captivating story of the people of Washington Heights, a diverse, but predominantly Latino New York City neighborhood, on the brink of change.

Adapted from the childhood classic The Little Engine That Could, Little Engine, performed each year by the Kindergarten classes, teaches children the value of optimism and hard work. The Shiny New Train, the Big Strong Engine, and the Old Rusty Engine all refuse to help the stranded Birthday Train get over the mountain.

In the end, the Little Blue Train comes to the rescue and saves the day for the children waiting for the toys on the Birthday Train.

The Middle School Theater Arts Department presented The Little Prince, based upon the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The play tells the story of a world-weary and disenchanted Aviator, stranded in the Sahara Desert, and a mysterious, regal “little man” who appears to him. After two week together, both must go home – each with a new understanding of how to laugh, cry, and love again.

From left to right: Eddie Wolfson ’19, Alex Lisenby ’19, Diamyn Davis ’19, Dani Granaroli ’20, Ellery Harrington ’19, Brooke Butler ’23, Jalen Alejandre ’19, Ian Riegler ’19, Maya Fardad-Finn ’21, Caitlyn Kaufman ’21

Top Left: Ashley Chesed ’31, Maddie Beer Dietz ’31 Top Right: Payton Schetter ’23, Laurel Eith ’24, Abigail Gugsa ’24 Bottom Left: William Meng ’31 Bottom Center: Clement Xiang ’23 Bottom Right: Payton Schetter ’23, Maddy Aaronson ’24

In the Heights

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vast experience. boundless creativit y.

Faculty

How many faculty and staff members does it take to run our Theater program? The answer is 13. When you add up their collective theater experience at Viewpoint, they have worked at the School for 154 years, on more than 847 shows.

Theater How many years have you been involved in theater?

Lisa Roskowinski, Teacher and Director of Theater, Musical Theater, and Speech in the Middle and Upper Schools: 39 years Mandy Kerr, Dance Teacher in Middle and Upper Schools and Director of the Viewpoint Dance Company: 18 years Bill Brendle, Musical Director and Composer: 30+ years Gabrielle Brown, Dance Teacher in the Primary, Lower, Middle and Upper Schools: 23 years Scott Feldsher, Theater and Dance Department Chair, Senior Speech Program Director: 26 years

How many years have you been working in theater at Viewpoint?

Lisa: 19 years Mandy: 3 years Bill: 18 years Gabrielle: 16 years Scott: 5 years

Number of productions you have been a part of at Viewpoint?

Lisa: 87 productions between Middle and Upper Schools and including Primary/Lower School holiday programs.

Mandy: Six shows over the past three years. Three dance concerts, two plays, and one musical.

Bill: More than 30.

Gabrielle: 4-5 productions per year Scott: Seven as Director and many more as a Faculty Advisor or Producer.

Favorite productions: Lisa: At the top of my list is last spring’s In The Heights. The group of actors in the cast – many of whom I had worked with since Middle School – fully embraced the show, trusted, and opened themselves up to the challenge of the material. Hello, Dolly!, Kiss Me, Kate, Beauty and The Beast, Metamorphoses, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Shrek, Seussical, Peter Pan, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Addams Family, The Little Mermaid, Middle Class, Almost, Maine, Evita, and The 25 Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Left to right: Lisa Roskowinski, Gabrielle Brown, Scott Feldsher, Bill Brendle, Mandy Kerr

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Mandy: I absolutely love choreographing and putting together the Spring Dance Concert every year, as that is my area of specialty within

our department. However, choreographing for Cabaret was a thrill and a very successful collaborative effort. Everyone raised their game, both faculty and students, to bring this challenging show to life, and I believe we were all very proud of the final product.

Bill: As Musical Director: In The Heights, Shrek the Musical, Into The Woods, Company; as Composer: The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Pride and Prejudice, Waiting For Godot, The Tempest.

Gabrielle: I really enjoyed working on Cabaret and In the Heights as I was able to not only choreograph but work on some of the staging as well.

Scott: They are all my favorite in one way or another.

What do you find most meaningful about your work/what is your favorite thing about doing your job?

Lisa: I love nurturing students and reaching those hesitant and even scared to creatively and publicly participate. The process is exciting to me, as it helps discover their voice from inside – by being present and connected. There’s a shared and magnified energy that arrives when working on a production with a group of enthusiastic artists, delving into the material’s story, character(s), era, and themes. Watching our students and staff bring all those imaginative elements together is fulfilling on many levels as a teacher/director; but most simply, as a human being. Theater is a living, breathing art form that is fleeting and so exists only in the moment. It is something I remind my students often, so that they can fully engage in each experience and appreciate every collaboration of which they are a part.

Mandy: The best part of my job is the interaction with the students and watching their growth. Although I always look forward to seeing the final products, I love the process even more. It is so special to watch the relationships form and the talent develop with each production. I also love any opportunity to collaborate across departments and work with my brilliant colleagues.

Bill: Working with an inexperienced student who has a desire to perform in a musical, and being there when they realize that they are actually capable of doing it.

Gabrielle: My tiny dancers (Grades One through Five) are amazing.

Not only do they learn quite a bit of staging and choreography with very little rehearsal/stage time, they know their entrances and exits, they count the music and they are pretty much self-sufficient on the stage. My favorite part of teaching in all four divisions is watching the students grow up. It is a pleasure and an honor to be a small part of their journey to adulthood.

Scott: Collaborating with the students and my colleagues and watching everyone grow. Realizing the impossible with each production! 

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countless hours. wholehearted coll aboration.

Staff

Viewpoint is fortunate to have an exceptionally talented team of dedicated professionals – in the classroom, in the studio, in the wings, and backstage.

They devote themselves each day to creating an outstanding experience for our performers and the students developing their theater skills. Thank you!

Theater Number of productions you have been a part of at Viewpoint?

Lara: Too many to count…for just Middle School and Upper School over 100 different shows.

Casey: Around 55.

Jose: Including Primary and Lower School, way too many to count.

For Middle and Upper School, at least 150 different shows Matt: Too many to count. We produce theater for K-12. More than 50.

Ellen: Around 65, give or take a few.

Powers: Same as Jose above, but for Middle and Upper School, probably at least 75 or more.

Chris: 63.

Chris: Helping new performers trust and believe in the work and process of finding and living truthfully in a moment, breaking down the character without breaking down the artist. Coaching and giving supportive, constructive feedback in attempt to create higher quality work from the heart. Working with our School’s faculty, staff, and student-artists on and off stage.

Matt: Little Engine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Ellen: Twilight, because I lived through it, so it had personal meaning for me. Noises Off, because physical comedy is the hardest thing to do, and the kids really committed to the work. I was so very proud of them.

Powers: Into the Woods.

Lara Conklin, Director of Support Services/Producer: 20 years

Lara: 14 years

Casey Covey, Scenic and Lighting Designer: 24 years

Casey: 10 years

Jose Duenas, Sound Designer/Audio Engineer: 28 years

Jose: 17 years

Matt Hernandez, Theater and Venue Coordinator: 14 years

Matt: 5 years

Ellen Holt, Costume Designer: 26 years

Ellen: 12 years

Matthew Powers, Theater Technician: 16 years

Powers: 13 years

Chris Roskowinski, Stage Manager & Theater Production Program Advisor; Conservatory of Theater Graphic Design: 32 years

Chris: 17.5 years

Sydney F. Russell, Stage Manager, Teacher, and Scenic Artist: 14 years

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Sydney: 5 years

Ellen: Costuming combines history, psychology, anthropology, and the heart of a gambler. You have to define character through dress, and show how they grow within the context of the story.

I love finding that for each character, and passing that on to the students. I also try to pass on a bit of history (when appropriate) and help support them as much as I can. It is fun, exasperating, and challenging.

Favorite productions:

Jose: I love the Little Engine, Kindergarten is cute. For Middle and Upper School, Shrek was my favorite.

How many years have you been working in theater at Viewpoint?

Matt: Watching a student’s character growth; seeing them discover who they are and how they like to express themselves.

Powers: I enjoy working with the backstage student crew and the technical theater students.

Casey: Metamorphoses, Cabaret, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Fabulous Fable Factory, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Dancing at Laughnasa, Into the Woods.

How many years have you been involved in theater?

Jose: I enjoy always being busy and there is never a dull moment.

Sydney: 20-25.

Lara: In The Heights and The Christmas Carol, and I love Little Engine.

Left to right: Casey Covey, Jose Duenas (on ladder), Lara Conklin, Ellen Holt, Sydney F. Russell, Chris Roskowinski, Matt Hernandez, Mathew Powers

Casey: What I find most meaningful is helping to create a world for the actors to inhabit on stage. My favorite part of my job is that I am almost never doing the same thing and I am always learning new things and ways to solve problems.

Chris: Bye Bye Birdie (2004), Hello Dolly, Kiss Me Kate, Beauty and the Beast, Annie, Metamorphoses, The Belle of Amherst, Chicago, Into The Woods (2006), Seussical, Shrek, The Little Mermaid, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Little Women (Play [2007] and Musical [2017]), How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, The Addams Family, Almost, Maine, In The Heights.

Sydney: Noises Off, Evita, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

What do you find most meaningful about your work/what is your favorite thing about doing your job?

Sydney: Theater for me has always been just as much about community and purpose as it is about art. It is about a group of people who work together and support each other toward a common goal and in the end create something meaningful to share with others. The unique environment that theater creates gave me a home and a path when I was in high school, and it is what draws me in every day. I have enjoyed my career working for professional theater companies as well, but watching young artists learn and grow gives me a deeper sense of purpose (and it’s more fun!). We get to watch students grow into not only wonderful performers and technicians, but into who they are as people. After all, the theater is magic, and there is magic in the theater.

Anything else you would like to share?

Sydney: We are actively working to expand our technical theater program! The Middle School Technical Theater class is going strong, and we are currently offering our first ever Upper School Theatre Design & Technology Class. All are encouraged to join us! 

Lara: I love watching the kids grow and develop on the stage. From Kindergarten through their senior year, it is remarkable to see their growth. Their experience from audition, rehearsals, to the final performance, and their reaction to the process makes all the long hours we spend worth it.

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Viewpoint is proud of our 2019 Scholastic Award winners:

Viewpoint film students had a strong showing at many prestigious film festivals during the 2017-2018 circuit. We gained more laurels than ever before and even showed at Oscar qualifying festivals.

National Gold Award

2017-18 School Year

Malia Goldman ’20, 2-D Katie Hameetman ’19, Poetry

SweetEscape by Film IV Calabasas Film Festival Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival Garden State Film Festival Clean Shorts

Regional Gold Key

Malia Goldman ’20, “Reflection,” National Gold Award Winner

2019

Jenny Fang ’20, 2-D Carson Gilford ’19, Photography (2) Malia Goldman ’20, 2-D (2) Katie Hameetman ’19, Poetry Alex Kao ’19, Ceramics and Glass Eli Kreshek ’20, Sculpture Michael Morales ’22, Ceramics and Glass

Kristen Lee ’19, Ceramics and Glass Jonathan Lovett ’19, Photography Gregory Schare ’19, Photography (2) Elizabeth Scott ’20, Ceramics and Glass Peter Sussman ’20, Photography (2) Cindy Yan ’20, Photography Amy Zhu ’21, Sculpture

Pitchroom by Film IV Calabasas Film Festival NFFTY Works in Progress Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival Garden State Film Festival Clean Shorts IUPFF

Regional Silver Key

Viewpoint Students Honored with Two National and 86 Regional Awards

By Monica Case ’90, Associate Director of Communications

Congratulations to the outstanding fine artists and writers who won two National Gold awards, and 18 Gold, 17 Silver, and 51 Honorable Mention Regional awards in The 2019 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards from the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

Malia Goldman ’20 won a National Gold award for her drawing, “Reflection,” and Katie Hameetman ’19 won a National Gold award for her poetry, “A Collection of Facets, 2016-18.”

Established in 1923, The Scholastic Art & Writing competition is the most prestigious recognition program in writing and the visual arts for students in Seventh through Twelfth Grades in the United States. Young artists and writers are granted over $1,000,000 in scholarships and prizes. Nationally, more than 330,000 works of art and writing in 29 categories were submitted for review in 2018-19. Past winners include artists Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, and John Baldessari; writers Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, and Joyce Carol Oates; photographer Richard Avedon; actors Robert Redford, Alan Arkin, Lena Dunham, and John Lithgow; fashion designer Zac Posen; and filmmakers Ken Burns and Richard Linklater.

Ariana Allen ’21, Photography Weston Bell-Geddes ’19, Science Fiction/Fantasy Robert Brooks ’19, Sculpture (2) Tony Chen ’21, Photography Rebecca Danese ’19, Ceramics and Glass Kayla Davis ’21, Digital Art Category

Jenny Fang ’20, 2-D (3) Kristen Lee ’19, Poetry Jonathan Lovett ’19, Photography Emma Lu ’21, Photography Cherry He ’20, 2-D (2) Alex Kao ’19, Ceramics and Glass Cindy Yan ’20, Photography

Arizona International Film Festival Austin Student Film Festival First Time Filmmaker Sessions Dances With Kidz San Antonio Film Festival All American High School Film Festival

You’re the One by Film IV Newark International Film Festival – Youth Festival First Time Filmmaker Sessions All American High School Film Festival

Regional Honorable Mentions Ariana Allen ’21, Photography (2) Max Angard ’20, Sculpture Eleya Avery-Ault ’20, Photography Weston Bell-Geddes ’19, Photography (2) Hayley Blonstein ’20, Photography Auveen Choroomi ’21, Ceramics and Glass Jadyn Danese ’24, Poetry Rebecca Danese ’19, Ceramics and Glass Tynan Davidson ’23, Personal Essay/Memoir Jenny Fang ’20, 2-D Genevieve Franz ’19, Ceramics and Glass Cole Gengos ’19, Sculpture Carson Gilford ’19, Photography (2) Malia Goldman ’20, 2-D (5) Grace Heshmatpour ’19, Ceramics and Glass (3) Sophia Karimpour ’21, Poetry Alex Kao ’19, Ceramics and Glass

IUPFF Austin Student Film Festival First Time Filmmaker Sessions San Antonio Film Festival

Starfish by Film III

Antonella Kissling ’21, Sculpture Julia Kresnicka ’21, Sculpture Cherry He ’20, 2-D Waynelle Ize-Iyamu ’20, Ceramics and Glass Jonathan Lovett ’19, Photography (6) Sydney Payab ’19, Architectural and Industrial Design Ella Reznick ’21, Photography (2) Stephany Salazar ’19, Ceramics and Glass Elizabeth Scott ’20, Ceramics and Glass Gregory Schare ’19, Photography (2) Ethan Schreier ’21, Photography Jessica Silverstein ’21, Photography Peter Sussman ’20, Photography (2) Alex Toberoff ’19, Photography Cindy Yan ’20, Photography (3) Kevin Zhang ’20, 2-D

Calabasas Film Festival Tallgrass Film Festival Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival Garden State Film Festival Albany Film Festival Clean Shorts IUPFF Screentest Student Festival Austin Student Film Festival

First Time Filmmaker Sessions Indy Shorts International Film Festival Heartland Dances With Kidz Burbank International Film Festival All American High School Film Festival NYC Shorts of All Sorts Reading Film Festival

Shrimp Scampi by Film III Garden State Film Festival Clean Shorts Let Them Eat Cake by Film II Calabasas Film Festival Newark International Film Festival Youth Festival A Rebel Minded Festival Starfish by Film III

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athletics

Winter 2018-19

Spring 2019

U PPE R SCHOOL

U PPE R SCHOOL

Girls Basketball 1st Team: Katie Topacio ’20 2nd Team: Kayla Keshmeshian ’22 2nd Team All CIF: Kayla Keshmeshian ’22

Lacrosse Joe Terenzio ’20, Daniel Cashdan ’19, Sam Kritzer ’19

Boys Basketball 1st Team: Ben Yarovinsky ’19 2nd Team: Khair Jackson ’19 Girls Soccer 1st Team: KaiLan Mackey ’20, Lindsay Lipman ’19 2nd Team: Sarah Konopaske ’20, Colette Samek ’22 Boys Soccer 1st Team: RL Spivak ’20, David Luner ’20 2nd Team: Peter Sussman ’20, Vasco Singh ’21

Golf 1st Team: Aaron Pessin ’19 2nd Team: Max Angard ’20, Rashaun Tandon ’20 Baseball 1st Team: Ryan Armour ’19 2nd Team: Asher Sabah ’19 Softball 1st Team: Jules Mazzolini ’22 2nd Team: Isabella Appel ’21 Boys Volleyball 1st Team: Jack Conlin ’22 2nd Team: Ollie Davidorf ’20 Track and Field Distance MVP: Ronnie Orosky ’20 CIF Finals: Thomas Matthew ’20 ran in the 1600 and placed 8th Swimming Boys League Champions (15 straight for the Boys) Girls League Champions (13 straight for the Girls)

Opposite Page: Vanessa Chermak ’21 Upper Right: Nicole Emi ’20 Bottom: RL Spivak ’20

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Profiles

Coach Diane Garza

Ronny Orosky ’20

By Greg Stafford, Physical Education Teacher

By Justin Hackitt, Cross Country Coach and Upper School Biology Teacher

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oach Garza, as Diane is known throughout the Viewpoint community, found her calling very early in life. As a 15-year-old high school student she began working with a local youth softball program in her community, and she has been involved with sports, education, youth, and coaching ever since.

Coach Garza was born and raised in the small town of McFarland, California which sits 20 miles north of Bakersfield. Growing up she immersed herself in many sports and loved everything they offered.

In high school she was a three-sport athlete playing volleyball, basketball, and softball. She even added the shot put during one spring season. From there she moved on to Bakersfield Jr. College, where she continued her participation in both basketball and softball.

After a year in which she took on the role of basketball coach at Bakersfield College, she moved on to California State University, Northridge, where she played softball and in 1994 became the first member in her family to graduate from college.

Since then, Coach Garza has become a fixture in the San Fernando Valley coaching ranks – beginning with her six years coaching softball at Chaminade Preparatory School and her nine years instructing Physical Education at Round Meadows School. From there Coach Garza made the move to Viewpoint School in 2004.

Upon arriving on our campus, her primary focus has been working to provide our youngest students with a positive, rewarding, and enriching learning environment to explore their movements and hone their basic locomotor skills. She also jumped right back in to coaching as an assistant in our Girls Basketball and Softball Programs. As Lower School Head Claudia Antoine remarked, “Diane Garza is all about spirit and sportsmanship. She LOVES the children and enjoys every minute of life and sports!”

Coach Garza’s passion for teaching is evident in everything she does both on and off campus. Primary School Head Cathy Adelman put it this way, “Diane loves and is a supporter of every child. She is passionate about her role as a physical education teacher. Her students and colleagues appreciate her talents, dedication, happy demeanor, and love for Viewpoint School.”

On top of her teaching and coaching responsibilities, this year Coach Garza worked to coordinate and implement a Service Learning Club in our Middle School allowing for cross-divisional collaboration that enables our students to give back to their immediate Viewpoint community. From reading to the younger students or connecting with the local community, Coach Garza’s passion and commitment to our students are evident in this magnificent program.

Whether Coach Garza is working with her Kindergarteners on their spatial awareness, introducing her Fourth Grade Basketball teams to the zone defense, or coordinating the Middle School Service Learning activities, you can count on her Going Beyond and enabling her students to Find their Voice. 

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onnie is an incredible individual who passionately puts all of himself into everything he pursues. He possesses grit, self-determination, and focus that pushes him vigorously towards his short-term and long-term goals. As a varsity Cross Country runner, his accomplishments include being named 2nd Team All-League in 2016, 1st Team All-League in 2017, and 1st Team All-League in 2018, where he received Most Valuable Runner as an undefeated League Champion. Competing at CIF Finals the past three years culminated in receiving 1st Team All-CIF Honors and All-State Honors in 2018 where he placed 9th at the DIV 5 State Championships. In Track and Field, he was a three-time League Champion in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m in 2019 and competed at CIF Prelims in 2018 and 2019. In addition to his individual accomplishments, Ronnie has made significant contributions to helping the Boy’s team achieve their goals. In 2018, he led them to their 2nd League Championship in Viewpoint history and their first appearance at the State Championship where they placed 7th.

Although Ronnie is an accomplished runner, you would never know it. You will never hear him bragging and when you tell him he did a great job he responds with a simple, “Thank you.” He comes to practice every day ready to give his all so that he can be his best.

He is not motivated by external glory, rather the knowledge that he gave his absolute best. Ronnie’s humility also comes with sacrifice.

As a team captain, every decision Ronnie makes is with his team in mind. Running slower on long runs so he can motivate and encourage other runners, sticking to a strict diet and helping his teammates do the same, offering to carry tents and water jugs and stay after practice to help the coaches, are only a few examples highlighting his servants’ attitude. During hard workouts, Ronnie has made a habit of holding an item in his hand that symbolizes his teammates. While holding this, it reminds him to push as hard as he can even when he is tired, because his team is counting on him.

As a coach, I hope that some of the lessons I teach my athletes will stick. With Ronnie, I don’t have to hope because when he is passionate about something he will listen intently and begin finding ways to implement the new lessons immediately. He desires growth and is not afraid to take risks, even if he fails along the way.

I have sat with Ronnie on more than one occasion after a race that did not go as planned. Although the disappointment felt was overwhelming, he picked himself up and found ways to learn from the experience. He has an incredible growth mindset and possesses true girt in the midst of challenges.

Ronnie takes the core values of the Cross Country Team and brings them to life every day. He has helped shape our team culture and his legacy will last long after he has graduated. 

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Viewpoint Baseball Today

Senior

Signing Day

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n May 21 teammates, family and friends gathered at the Love of Learning Wall for Viewpoint’s Annual College Athlete Recognition Day. Congratulations to the following college bound student-athletes from the Class of 2019: Lily Andersson Cornell University – NCEA Equestrian

Sky Bitschnau-Moraino Chapman University – D III Tennis Khair Jackson Whitman College – D III Basketball Lindsay Lipman Washington University in St. Louis – D III Soccer Cary Lucas Occidental College – D III Baseball

AN INTERVIEW WITH

COACH Rick Weber

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iewpoint Baseball’s Head Coach, Rick Weber, is now in his second year at the School, but has been coaching the sport for more than 30 years. We asked one of the team’s biggest fans, Michael Shaw ’27, to interview Coach Weber about the future of his program.

MICHAEL SHAW: Last year was your first year at Viewpoint. What are the biggest differences between Viewpoint and the school where you were before?

RICK WEBER: I think the biggest difference is that at Viewpoint, sports are more for the student body, so they provide a sports team like baseball and it’s for your student body here to play. I think at my last school they wanted to put the best product on the field, whether that meant that the students at the school had an opportunity to play or not. I think that was the biggest difference: that at Viewpoint it’s all about the student experience.

MICHAEL: How do you think Viewpoint’s baseball team will do this year?

RICK: I think with a year under our belt, the players know what I expect a little bit more. So, whereas we graduated a few seniors, four to be exact, I think everybody else is a year older and has more of an understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish and what will make us a little more formidable.

MICHAEL: What are the biggest things the team needs to improve on from last season?

RICK: Eliminating mistakes. You’ve heard that before, right?

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MICHAEL: Yes. All the time.

RICK: Throwing strikes, not walking batters, not making errors on defense; without a doubt, there is work to do.

MICHAEL: What are the main goals for the team this year?

RICK: I think from a win and loss standpoint, the main goal is to try to make the playoffs, which hasn’t been done here in a number of years. I think that, for each person, the goal is just to try to improve as the course of the season moves on, and to work hard at that improvement.

MICHAEL: Who are the top players at Viewpoint? Or you do not know yet?

RICK: Probably don’t know, it’s still early. As you know, in baseball everyone gets to hit. So, you need nine guys and the first guy needs to hit a little more than the last. The balance is what’s important. I think we’re going to have a very balanced team this season with nine guys on the field who can all contribute.

MICHAEL: The Varsity Team gets to practice on Robertson Family Field, which is very smooth and great for playing. How do you make the transition from that field to the varsity field at Birmingham High School, where you play games?

RICK: I think Robertson Family Field is terrific. Even I could even look like a good infielder on it today! The ball comes right to you every time.

This year we’re planning to practice at Birmingham High School a little bit to get the players used to the differences between the fields. We’re

Kian Nader Chapman University – D III Basketball

Michael Shaw ’27 interviewing Coach Rick Weber

Aaron Pessin Bentley University – D II Golf

used to playing there at night, and I think throwing in some practices at Birmingham this year will only help us.

We go off-site to a field three days a week. We are using West Hills Baseball and Encino Little League, along with Birmingham, so we’re getting used to playing on different field surfaces.

MICHAEL: Who are your assistant coaches and what are their responsibilities?

RICK: Ken Smith has been with me for a number of years, and he does all of our conditioning and works with our pitchers. Ron Mahay, who played in the big leagues as a pitcher for 10 years, is one of our coaches and also works with our pitchers. All of us pitch in and do whatever is needed.

MICHAEL: How long have you been coaching?

RICK: Wow, this is my thirty-third year coaching high school baseball, I believe.

MICHAEL: Why did you decide to coach at Viewpoint?

RICK: I had stepped down from my previous position –I was actually going to retire at the end of 2018, and then a few people here asked me to come in because they were looking for a coach. I talked to them, I met with Athletic Director Patrick Moyal, and it just seemed like a real nice group of players, and the school seemed like just a terrific place. I am very excited about the future of Viewpoint Baseball. 

From left to right: Sky Bitschnau-Moraino ’19, Cary Lucas ’19, Kian Nader ’19, Khair Jackson ’19, Lindsay Lipman ’19, Lily Andersson ’19, Aaron Pessin ’19

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CLASS OF 2019

Graduates!

On June 8, Viewpoint celebrated the graduation of the 134 students in the Class of 2019. Family, friends, faculty, and students gathered on Ring Family Field for an elegant commencement ceremony, which included performances by the Upper School Chorus and the Upper School String Quartet.

Head of School Mark McKee welcomed the students and their families and thanked the faculty and staff for supporting their more than 585,600 minutes of Upper School.

He also invited the students to review their own personal “highlight reel” of their time at Viewpoint for those perfect moments of connection. He concluded his remarks with the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “ To laugh often and much; to win the respect of the intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the beauty in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that one life has breathed easier because you lived here. This is to have succeeded.”

Salutatorian and musician Samuel Kritzer, who is attending Stanford this fall, brought both laughter and tears with stories of his personal and shared journey at Viewpoint. On a more scholarly note, Valedictorian and now Classics major at Princeton, Katie Hameetman, compared the story of two Roman centurions in Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars with that of the members of the Class of 2019. Although Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus, soldiers in 49 BCE, were highly competitive, they were also comrades-in-arms and could count upon one another when needed – so too the members of the senior class.

This year’s Commencement Speaker, tech entrepreneur Dirk Gates, parent of Adin ’19, Aren ’08, Evan ’06, and Iayn ’18, encouraged the students to have fun, which is easy, and to find joy, which is something deeper. For Dirk, who has served in myriad roles on Viewpoint’s Board of Trustees over the last 21 years, joy comes from his family and from service to others. He recounted the evolution of the School from a small number of buildings and trailers on seven acres of land to the 45-acre campus our students enjoy today. Through his leadership and his generosity, Dirk was integral to the development of the School, and he looks forward to the growth he sees ahead.

We congratulate the Class of 2019 and wish them every success in the exciting years to come!

Opposite page: Catherine Jones ’19 This page from top to bottom: Katie Hameetman ’19, Samuel Kritzer ’19, Dirk Gates

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2019 Upper School Awards Arthur B. O’Leary Award Natalie Friedman ’19 The School’s most significant award recognizes a senior who demonstrates high academic achievement, character, and a positive spirit, qualities Viewpoint strives to develop. The faculty selects the recipient. Mr. O’Leary was the School’s first Headmaster, appointed in 1979.

Thelma B. Sitton Award KaiLan Mackey ’20 The faculty selects the recipient of this award recognizing outstanding qualities of character and service to others. Mrs. Thelma Sitton was Viewpoint’s first Director, appointed in 1963.

Valedictorian Katie Hameetman ’19 Chosen by the faculty, the Valedictorian is the outstanding scholar of the graduating class.

Upper School Student of the Year Sophie Boock ’19 Chosen by the Student Council, the winner of this award is a senior who exhibits concern for others, school spirit, and interest in improving student life.

Cooper Scholar-Athlete Awards James Kasaba ’19 The faculty selects the recipients of this award based on the students’ achievements in academics, athletics, and service to others. The award was established in 1970 by Viewpoint’s teacher Rayna Cooper in honor of her sons, who excelled in athletics and academics.

Mary Carpenter Award for the Arts Ian Riegler ’19 The faculty selects a student who upheld the standards of the School and achieved unusual growth in the arts. Established in 1986, the award is named in honor of Mary Carpenter, one of the School’s founders and its first Director of Admission.

Meryl Staley ’06 Award for the Performing Arts Taliiya Flemming ’21 This award in memory of Meryl Staley ’06 is presented to a sophomore or junior who, through his or her generous spirit, quiet determination, and positive attitude, exemplifies the character critical to success in the performing arts. The winner of this honor receives a grant for off-campus programs in the performing arts.

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Upper School Community Service Award Abigail Sudit ’20 The faculty recognizes the student who best demonstrates the spirit of generosity to others.

Typically, the recipient volunteered time and effort on a significant, long-term basis, working to better the lives of those in need.

Scholarship Program by taking the 2018 PSAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, 16,000 became Semifinalists and about 34,000 students became Commended Students. This year, Viewpoint School had two Semifinalists, who eventually became Finalists, and 10 Commended Students.

in filmmaking at Viewpoint School. The winner receives $1,000 towards tuition for college if he or she is studying film.

Salutatorian Sam Kritzer ’19 The Senior Class selects the Salutatorian who introduces the graduating class to the audience at Commencement.

National Merit Scholar Finalists Katie Hameetman ’19 Alexandre Toberoff ’19

American Language and Literature Award: Margaux Bauerlein ’20

VSSA Service Award Robert Brooks ’19 & Melissa Deng ’19 The Viewpoint School Service Association (VSSA) annually recognizes a student remarkable for service to the School, often as an ambassador to the community. The faculty recommends the recipients, and the VSSA makes the final choice.

VSSA Social Justice and Leadership Award Camila Macias ’19 This honor goes to an activist-minded junior or senior student who is committed to using ethics, leadership, and innovation for raising awareness and eliminating systemic and organizational inequities in our school and the larger community.

Calabasas Chamber of Commerce Award Alexander Kao ’19 This award is presented to a senior who performed outstanding community service and is likely to study business in college.

Fine Arts Awards of the Year Each year the faculty chooses the Upper School’s Fine Arts Awards of the Year in the four following areas: Ceramic Piece of the Year Elizabeth Scott ’20 Photograph of the Year Weston Bell-Geddes ’19 & Carson Gilford ’19 Picture of the Year Malia Goldman ’20 Sculpture of the Year Amy Zhu ’21 National Merit, Hispanic Scholarship Programs, and Other Recognitions Of the top 50,000 high scorers of the 1.6 million juniors who entered the National Merit

National Merit Commended Students Sarah Berger Maneiro ’19 Robert Brooks ’19 Piers Carmichael ’19 Corinne DeRonde ’19 James Kasaba ’19 Nicole Kim ’19 Zimou (Edmund) Liu ’19 Flynn O’Sullivan ’19 Sydney Payab ’19 Ryan Peterson ’19 Gregory Schare ’19 Kaiwen (Kevin) Zhang ’19

English Awards Writing and Research Award: Marie Riddle ’20

AP Language and Composition Award: Catherine Jones ’19 AP Language and Composition Award: Lily Dettmann ’20 Mathematics Awards Calculus: KaiLan Mackey ’20 AP Statistics: Rebecca Danese ’19 Advanced Math Awards: Alexandre Toberoff ’19 & Ruiyuan (Jason) Cheng ’19 Music Awards Instrumental: Cole Gengos ’19 & Robert Brooks ’19

National Hispanic Recognition Program Each year, the College Board’s National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) recognizes about 5,000 of the 250,000 Hispanic/Latino juniors who take the PSAT/NMSQT. Colleges use this program to identify academically exceptional Hispanic/Latino students.

Sarah Berger Maniero ’19 – Scholar Natalie Friedman ’19 – Scholar Cole Gengos ’19 – Scholar Evan Henley ’19 – Scholar

Vocal: Sophie Behzadi ’19

2019 Upper School Departmental Awards

Social Studies Awards

Fine and Performing Arts:

Psychology: Chase Hirt ’19

Barbara Exum Art Award Weston Bell-Geddes ’19 & Robert Brooks ’19 Barbara Exum was an art teacher at Viewpoint for 25 years and served her last 15 years as Chair of the Art Department.

Handley Award for American Studies: KaiLan Mackey ’20

Dance Award Mia Sawicki ’20 Theater Award Ruiyuan (Jason) Cheng ’19 & Edward Wolfson ’19 Zaki Gordon ’94 Film Award Maddie White ’19 & Douglas Kerner ’19 This award was established in memory and honor of Zaki Gordon ’94 to recognize outstanding and inspirational achievements

Science Awards Biology: Nicole Kim ’19 Chemistry: Maria Rodko ’19 Physics: James Kasaba ’19 Environmental: Leah Kelly ’19 Computer Science Awards

Top left to right: Cory DeRonde ’19; Sumpter Gillyard Family with Mark McKee Middle left to right: Camila Macias ’19 and Diamyn Davis ’19; Mark McKee with Aiden Rodriquez ’19 Bottom left to right: Kevin Zhang ’19; Alan Howie with Natalie Friedman ’19

Alyssa Frederick ’20

Margaux Bauerlein ’20

World Languages Awards Chinese: Daniel Kuelbs ’20 French: Ziyi (Lauren) Liu ’20 Latin: Kaela Selesnick ’20 Spanish: Chelsea Taura ’20 Student Council Members

Trevor Hylen ’20, President Waynelle Ize-Iyanu ’20, Vice President Piers Carmichael ’19, Secretary Sela Diab ’20, Treasurer

Induction of the Cum Laude Society 2019

2019 Cum Laude Society Inductees

Viewpoint School’s chapter of the prestigious Cum Laude Society welcomed 26 new members during an induction ceremony on April 30, 2019. The faculty members of the Society select students for membership who have demonstrated scholastic excellence (Areté), justice (Diké), and honor (Timé).

Class of 2019

Class of 2020

Sarah Berger Maneiro Sophie Boock Rui Yuan (Jason) Cheng Rebecca Danese Ishika Dhingra Cole Gengos James Kasaba Abby Kolbrenner Samuel Kritzer Flynn O’Sullivan Sydney Payab Nyssa Singhal Sarah Williams

Margaux Bauerlein Alyssa Frederick Daniel Kuelbs KaiLan Mackey Thomas Matthew Morgan Ratzan-Wank Marie Riddle Julian Samek Sammy Shang Abigail Sudit Eddy Yang Mohammed Yusufali

The Cum Laude Society, modeled after Phi Beta Kappa, the academic honor society for college graduates, recognizes superior scholarship in selected high schools in the United States and abroad. A member since 1992, Viewpoint is one of only 31 schools in California to have earned the distinction of having a Cum Laude chapter.

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EIGHTH GRADE

Promotion On June 7, Viewpoint’s 123 Eighth Grade students gathered with their families, friends, and faculty on the Ring Family Field for a Promotion Ceremony to celebrate their many accomplishments and the completion of Middle School.

The ceremony included inspiring remarks from Head of School Mark McKee in which he reminded students of the importance of “preserving your core, while stimulating progress.” He explained that each person gets to decide for themselves what is “core” – the beliefs, traits, and interests that are fundamental to who they are – and there is strength that comes holding fast to that part of themselves, even as they move towards an exciting future beyond Middle School.

The ceremony also featured fine performances by the Eighth Grade Band, Strings, and Vocalists, and memories from the Class Historians, as well as warm and encouraging remarks from the Eighth Grade Speaker Gabrielle Reynolds.

Congratulations to the Eighth Grade Class and best of luck in Upper School!

2019 MIDDLE SCHOOL AWARDS Student of the Year Alec Williams ’23 The Middle School faculty selects an Eighth Grader who best exemplifies academic diligence, unquestionable character, a positive attitude, and respect for the School’s community.

Scholar of the Year Taryn Lee ’23 The faculty selects the Eighth Grade’s outstanding scholar to receive this award.

Classperson of the Year JiaLian Mackey ’23 Selected by fellow Eighth Graders, the Classperson of the Year exhibits unusual qualities of leadership, dependability, a positive spirit, and respect for the School and classmates.

Opposite page: Gabrielle Reynolds ’23

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Service Learning Award Alana Malingagio ’23 This award recognizes the Eighth Graders who best exemplify the spirit of giving.

Eighth Grade Speaker Gabrielle Reynolds ’23 The faculty of the Middle School chooses the Speaker based upon a student’s demonstrated academic excellence, outstanding character as represented through his or her actions, and the extent to which he or she represents the learning expectations of the School.

Class Historians Joshua Donovan ’23

Osiris Nalls ’23

JiaLian Mackey ’23

Merista Quetzál ’23

Alana Malingagio ’23

Peyton Schetter ’23

The faculty of the Middle School chooses the Class Historians.

From the top down, left to right: Joshua Donovan ’23 and Alana Malingagio ’23; Mark McKee and JiaLian Mackey ’23; Diego Greenberg ’23; Linus Lindon ’23 and Izzy Lieberman ’23

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college COUNSELING

A list of Colleges & Universities Admitting Viewpoint’s Graduates From 2015-19 The University of Alabama AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts American University The American University of Paris Amherst College Arcadia University Arizona State University The University of Arizona University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ArtCenter College of Design Auburn University Aurora University Babson College Baldwin Wallace University Bard College Barnard College Barrett, The Honors College Baylor University Bellarmine University Belmont University Bentley University Boston College Boston Conservatory at Berklee Boston University Bowdoin College Bradley University Brandeis University Brigham Young University Brigham Young University, Idaho University of British Columbia Brown University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University Butler University California Baptist University California College of the Arts (San Francisco) California Institute of Technology California Institute of the Arts California Lutheran University California State Polytechnic University – Pomona California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo California State University, Channel Islands California State University, Chico California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, East Bay California State University, Fresno California State University, Fullerton California State University, Long Beach California State University, Los Angeles

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California State University, Monterey Bay California State University, Northridge California State University, Sacramento California State University, San Bernardino California State University, San Marcos University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Merced University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz College of the Canyons Carleton College Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Chapman University College of Charleston Chatham University University of Chicago University of Cincinnati Claremont McKenna College Clark University Clemson University Colby College Colgate University University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at Denver Colorado College University of Colorado Colorado Springs Colorado School of Mines Colorado State University Columbia College Chicago Columbia University Concordia University - Irvine Connecticut College University of Connecticut Cornell University Cornish College of the Arts Creighton University Dartmouth College University of Dayton Denison University University of Denver DePaul University DePauw University Dickinson College Dominican University of California Drexel University Duke University Durham University Eckerd College Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Daytona Beach Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Prescott Emerson College Emory University

Fairleigh Dickinson University – Metropolitan Campus Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles Fordham University Franklin & Marshall College Franklin Pierce University Fullerton College Furman University George Mason University The George Washington University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology University of Georgia Gettysburg College Gonzaga University Gordon College Goucher College Grand Canyon University Green Mountain College Hamilton College - NY Harvard College Harvey Mudd College Haverford College University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii Pacific University High Point University Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hofstra University Humboldt State University University of Idaho University of Illinois at Chicago University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Illinois Wesleyan University Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis Indiana University at Bloomington The University of Iowa Ithaca College James Madison University Johns Hopkins University University of Kansas University of Kentucky Kenyon College King’s College London Knox College

University of La Verne Lafayette College Lake Forest College Lawrence University Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College Linfield College London College of Communication The London School of Economics and Political Science Louisiana State University University of Louisville Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Chicago Loyola University New Orleans Macalester College Marist College Marquette University Marshall University Maryland Institute College of Art University of Maryland, College Park Marymount California University Marymount Manhattan College Massachusetts College of Art and Design Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Massachusetts, Amherst McDaniel College McGill University Menlo College Miami University, Oxford University of Miami Michigan State University University of Michigan

Middlebury College Minerva Schools at KGI Minneapolis College of Art and Design University of Minnesota, Twin Cities University of Mississippi University of Missouri Columbia Montana State University, Bozeman The University of Montana, Missoula Moorpark College Mount Holyoke College Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles Muhlenberg College Nazareth College University of Nebraska at Lincoln University of Nevada, Las Vegas University of New England University of New Hampshire at Durham University of New Mexico New York University The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina State University Northeastern University Northern Arizona University Northwestern University University of Notre Dame NYU Shanghai Oberlin College of Arts and Sciences Occidental College Ohio University Ohio Wesleyan University Olin College of Engineering Oregon State University University of Oregon Otis College of Art and Design Otterbein University Oxford College of Emory University Pace University, New York City Pacific Northwest College of Art University of the Pacific Pennsylvania State University University of Pennsylvania Pepperdine University Pierce College University of Pittsburgh Pitzer College Plymouth State University Pomona College University of Portland Pratt Institute Princeton University Providence College University of Puget Sound Purchase College, SUNY Purdue University Queen’s University Quinnipiac University

University of Redlands Reed College Regis University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhode Island School of Design University of Rhode Island Rhodes College Rice University Richmond, The American International University in London University of Richmond Ringling College of Art and Design Rochester Institute of Technology University of Rochester Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Sacred Heart University Saint Mary’s College of California San Diego State University University of San Diego San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco State University University of San Francisco San Jose State University Santa Clara University Santa Monica College Sarah Lawrence College Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design – SCAD, Hong Kong School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of the Museum of Fine Arts University of the Sciences in Philadelphia Scripps College Seattle Pacific University Seattle University Seton Hall University Sewanee: The University of the South Shepherd University Skidmore College Smith College Sonoma State University University of South Carolina – Columbia University of Southern California Southern Methodist University Southern Utah University Stanford University

Stetson University Studio School Los Angeles Suffolk University Susquehanna University Swarthmore College Syracuse University The University of Tampa Temple University University of Tennessee, Knoxville Texas A&M International University Texas A&M University Texas A&M University, Commerce Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi Texas Christian University The University of Texas, Austin The University of Texas, Dallas The New School – All Divisions The Ohio State University University of Toronto Undergraduate Only Trinity College Trinity University Tufts University Tulane University University of Tulsa Union College (New York) United States Air Force Academy United States Military Academy – Army United States Naval Academy University at Buffalo The State University of New York University College London The University of Edinburgh University of Exeter University of Glasgow The University of Northampton University of Oregon – Clark Honors College University of Reading University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts

University of St Andrews University of Suffolk University of Sydney The University of the Arts Ursinus College University of Utah Vanderbilt University Vassar College University of Vermont Villanova University Virginia Tech University of Virginia Wake Forest University Washburn University of Topeka Washington and Jefferson College Washington College Washington State University Washington University in St. Louis University of Washington University of Washington, Bothell Wesleyan University West Virginia University Western New England University Western New Mexico University Western Washington University Westmont College Whitman College Whittier College Whitworth University Willamette University William & Mary Williams College University of Wisconsin, Madison Woodbury University The College of Wooster Worcester Polytechnic Institute Xavier University Yale University

Institutions in blue type indicate one or more matriculates from the Class of 2019.

Beyond

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Gradually, students develop the confidence to present themselves authentically in college applications, which is key to finding colleges that are the right fit.

COUNSELING

– RHODY DAVIS

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

A New Perspective

By Rhody Davis, Director of College Counseling

Last May, I was talking to a soon-to-be-senior about her college list. She mentioned one of her top choices – a large, well-resourced, public university in another state.

University X has a wealth of programs, excellent facilities, a spirited athletics culture, and is on a beautiful campus in a lively college town. Nearly in tears, the student recounted her friends’ admonishments: “You can do better than that,” “That’s not a good school,” “You haven’t worked this hard to just go to University X.”

WOW!

Such harsh judgment. In a second, this student’s process just got a lot harder with second-guessing and self-doubt. This is one reason why we encourage students and parents to honor privacy by sharing judiciously personal information such as college lists and test scores. What is behind comments that so readily dismiss a great university that anyone would be lucky to attend?

Perhaps insecurities about their own college process? Parroting the opinions of others? The proxy of selectivity for quality only serves to make an already challenging process even more daunting. To be clear: Selectivity does not equate to quality.

Research shows that unhealthy beliefs and behaviors are threatening students. The data collected by Challenge Success (under Resources at challengesuccess.org) is shocking and thought-provoking. Pressure to excel, cheating, drug use, sleeplessness, lack of engagement, and other threats are on the rise among high school students. Challenge Success also reports that “Independent school 11th grade students experience very high levels of chronic stress and the pressure to achieve academically, in order to boost the chances of admission to top-tier colleges and universities, constitutes the greatest source of stress.”

What can we do as a community to support a healthier approach to college admissions? How can we encourage students toward more

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balance? How can we promote engagement over box-checking? How can we create a culture of celebration over one of judging? Viewpoint’s college counselors are pondering these questions now more than ever.

Let’s seek to understand and address the issues that our students face so that we can create a healthier approach to learning and college admissions.

Applying to college can be a process of discovery and growth. As students embark on the college application process, we encourage them to self-reflect. We ask: What do you believe? What are your strengths and areas for growth? What are your goals? Students are challenged to clarify core values, to trust the process, and to develop skills. Mastery of these tasks requires effort and resilience that comes from facing hardship. Enduring disappointment and failure yields valuable life lessons. Challenge Success highlights data that suggests “learning to cope with manageable threats (like failing a test or forgetting one’s line’s in a play) to our physical and social wellbeing is critical for the development of resilience.” Gradually, students develop the confidence to present themselves authentically in college applications, which is key to finding colleges that are the right fit. In contrast, relegating their voice to hired coaches or over-involved adults can hinder growth. At every step, in order for students to embrace their true selves, parental approval and trust are essential.

Let’s celebrate independence, self-knowledge, and resilience, which are as important as college outcomes.

Our students are enough. Viewpoint students are extraordinary young people. They are smart, talented, enthusiastic, and hardworking. They are brimming with potential and will be leaders in the arts, sciences, technology, athletics, and other fields. They have innate interests that unfold in varied ways. Students do not need to manufacture a profile that they or others imagine is necessary for success. Adults swooping in to micromanage everything robs students of responsibility over the process and conveys a lack of faith. A feeling of not being “good enough” pressures some students to cram their schedules with too many rigorous classes and passionless activities. When students lack balance in their lives, sleep, physical and emotional development, and quality time with others are jeopardized. Challenge Success cites research on the impact of being overscheduled: “The greater the amount of time adolescents report spending in regularly scheduled structured activities, the higher their self-reported level of anxiety tends to be.” Ethics might also be compromised, making the quick-fix of cheating seem like a good idea. Quite simply, balance is essential for quality of life.

Let’s empower students to be responsible for themselves and to seek balance by taking appropriate courses and by pursuing meaningful activities.

We must acknowledge and reduce the negative impact on students caused by an obsession with highly selective college admissions.

Hyper-focus on a handful of highly selective schools is causing undue anxiety. A culture of competition and controlling outcomes threatens one of collaboration and trust. Literally thousands of amazing colleges and universities exist where students can engage in academics, meet mentors and friends, and develop job skills. Indeed, the Challenge Success white paper entitled “A ‘Fit’ Over Rankings, Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity,” suggests that “Regardless of whether a student attends a college ranked in the top 5% or one ranked much lower, the research strongly suggests that engagement in college, how a student spends his or her time, matters much more in the long run than the college a student attends.”

The messages that students receive from adults and peers about “good” schools and the devaluing of excellent, less selective college choices makes the process more difficult and success more elusive.

This is particularly true for students with financial need. Increasingly, cost and affordability dictate college decisions. Highlighting the array of college options honors students by broadening the definition of success.

Let’s celebrate every student’s process by not judging college choices and recognizing that each student has unique needs and goals.

Integrity is everything – in voice, in action, and in the college admissions process. It’s important to consider how tiny privileged actions – calling a student in “sick” to avoid a test, grade-grubbing until a teacher complies, paying for a questionable learning disability diagnosis to gain extra time for testing – model dishonesty. These small, entitled steps suggest that in order to succeed, it is necessary to take shortcuts, control outcomes, and game the system. Cynicism and the feeling that the process is rigged and unfair might compel students to falsify applications. In reality, admissions is a human enterprise with hardworking and caring professionals who are intentionally crafting communities. A common refrain to students is to trust the process – trust that preparation and effort will pay off and that, as I like to say, “The universe will bring you what you need.” The college counselors will talk to students directly about honesty as they apply to college.

Let’s encourage students to “Commit to authenticity and honesty,” the newest bullet point in Viewpoint’s College Counseling Philosophy.

By joining Challenge Success, Viewpoint School takes concrete steps toward making the student experience healthier, less stressful, and more ethical. Adults can help students by modeling behaviors that are honest, optimistic, and resilient. Goals of the College Counseling Office are to promote a culture of celebration and support of every student’s journey while also encouraging independence, smart decisionmaking, and accountability. We hope that everyone will join us in these endeavors.  FALL

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CELEBRATING OUR ALUMNI

Congratulations to the Class of 2015!

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Dylan Campbell is studying Sports Management as part of Drexel University’s five-year, three co-op program.

Dylan is working for the Philadelphia Phillies in the organization’s front office.

FOR A LIFETIME

Brandon Crawford graduated from USC with a degree in Aerospace Engineering.

Evan DeLong graduated with a degree in Media Advertising from Indiana University. He has moved back to Los Angeles to pursue a career in digital media advertising and social media management.

Zachary Dyne graduated from Willamette University with a degree in Sociology. He writes, “I will return to Willamette in August to complete my MBA, which I started during my senior year of undergrad, while adding a Graduate Certificate in Data Science along the way.

I am working this summer as a Data Analytics Intern at United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley in beautiful Salem, Oregon.”

Allison Hoops graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a major in Business and Spanish. She writes, “In September, I will be leaving to teach high school math and sex education in Lesotho, Africa, as a Peace Corps volunteer for the next two and a half years. I’m really excited to learn about their culture and for the amazing experiences to come!”

Sam Howard graduated from UCLA with a degree in Business Economics. He is now attending Duke University, The Fuqua School of Business in their Master of Management Studies program.

Melina Keighron graduated from Duke University with a BS in Biology and a minor in Chinese. She writes, “For the next year I will be working as a research associate in the Morris Lab at Duke, helping with projects that study the population ecology of the Venus flytrap and various alpine plant species.”

Laura McAloon graduated from the University of San Diego in May with a BS in Accounting and a Master’s of Accountancy degree, and she is preparing to take the CPA exam.

Top row from left to right: Candace Guidon ’09, Patrick Handy ’09, Michelle Berlinger ’09; Kristin Olin, Krystal Dry-Murphy ’03, Everett Olin, Christopher Olin ’02 Bottom row from left to right: Artin Sedighan ’00, Chaney Sheffield Sr.; Andrea Milton ’91, Mark McKee, Rosa Foyle ’91

ALUMNI DAY 2019

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On Saturday, June 1, Viewpoint welcomed back alumni and their families for our annual Alumni Day. The afternoon was filled with fun activities including basketball, softball, and volleyball games and a masterclass with art teacher Jennifer Kirchmann. We are looking forward to seeing many of you back on campus at our next Alumni Day and keep your eyes out for more upcoming Alumni events this year!

Curran Mody graduated from the University of Washington-Seattle with a degree in International Studies. He is attending Navy flight school in Pensacola, Florida this fall.

Michael Osborn graduated from Tulane University with a BSM in Finance Magna Cum Laude and a Masters in Accounting. He moved to Houston in July to begin work as an energy investment banking analyst for Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Tallulah Tepper graduated from the University of Virginia with highest distinction, Summa Cum Laude, and is attending the University of Virginia Law School this fall.

Top row left to right: Allison Hoops ’15, Sam Howard ’15 Middle row left to right: Melina Keighron ’15, Laura McAloon ’15 Bottom row left to right: Curran Mody ’15, Michael Osborn ’15

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direction FOR A LIFETIME

THE WATSON FELLOWSHIP is not simply a research grant, but instead, “supports students of ‘unusual promise’ to give them the opportunity to enhance their capacity for resourcefulness, imagination, openness, and leadership, and to foster their humane and effective participation in the world.” There are roughly only 40 students granted this fellowship annually.

HARRISON SUMS UP HIS PROJECT THIS WAY, “Climate change is increasing wildfire frequency and severity, causing ecological shifts and societal damage. Many nations are not prepared for these trends, others mis-frame the issue as a human versus nature conflict.

My research is focused on understanding and surveying proactive, holistic management approaches to wildfires.”

CLASS NOTES

The notes below include those received between February 1, 2019 and August 1, 2019.

If you would like to submit a Class Note, please email Director of Alumni Relations Colette Connnor at colette.connor@viewpoint.org.

1992

2007

Pam Carlson Theriot published Alleviate Dry Eye in 2018.

The book is a holistic guide to treating dry eyes and restoring healthy eyes and comfortable vision. Find out more at www.pamtheriot.com or on Facebook@ pamtheriotpage.

Jacob Combs married his partner Jacob Gindi this April at the Newhall Mansion in Piru, CA. Jacob C. works at Pixar Animation Studios; Jacob G. is a resident in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

HARRISON BELIEVES THAT “As Californians, we are more aware than most of the social, economic, and ecological costs of wildfires.

However, the current management approach is completely reliant on responding to disasters and the responsibility is primarily regulated to firefighters. To properly deal with wildfires, it is necessary that wildfire risk responsibility be recognized and owned by everyone: civic leaders, city planners, homeowners, utilities, and firefighters.”

AS A SENIOR AT VIEWPOINT, Harrison was interested in pursuing a career as a firefighter – including being a smokejumper. The initial concept for this project even began at Viewpoint, in Hilary Hunt’s AP Environmental Science class, when Ms. Hunt gifted Harrison a fire ecology book that would become the guide for his future.

HARRISON RECENTLY GRADUATED from Colorado College majoring in Organismal Biology and Ecology and minoring in Environmental Issues. Throughout his four years, he was a member of the men’s lacrosse team, co-chair of the Honor Council, and a member of the President’s and Provost’s councils. He spent his summers working as a wilderness firefighter for the National Forest Service, with deployments lasting between 14-21 days, spending 16 hours each day managing or observing wildfires.

Alumni Profile

HARRISON RAINE ’15

has a longstanding interest in fighting wildfires, and this past spring he was awarded a Watson Fellowship for 2019-20 to pursue a project of his own design, “The Ecological and Societal Balance of Wildfires.”

This fellowship provides funding for him to travel abroad this year to Canada, Spain, South Africa, Australia, and Chile. Throughout his journey, Harrison will gain a better understanding on how different nations approach wildfires.

TO DATE, HARRISON HAS SPENT OVER 100 DAYS as a Thomas J. Watson fellow. Since beginning his journey, he has already traveled to Canada, Spain, and Portugal. Following his time in Europe, he will visit South Africa for three months. While in Canada, Harrison spent time interviewing and interning with individuals at British Columbia Wildfire Services, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, and Parks Canada. In Spain, he worked with Pau Costa Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to enhance and promote wildfire knowledge exchange.

HARRISON LEFT US with a quote from Jack Cohen in a recent Los Angeles Times article, “If we don’t mitigate together, then we will most surely burn together.” To follow along with Harrison’s journey you can visit his blog, harrisonraine.com.

Harrison (bottom left) on the cover of the Spring 2015 issue of Viewpoint magazine.

Jacob Combs ’07

Pam Carlson Theriot ’92

2000 Megan Harris-Pero, Esq. was named one of Saratoga County, New York’s Most Influential Women for 2019. Megan founded an estate planning, elder law, and business law firm with a focus on helping people through life transitions. Megan has given back to her community through assistance to farmers, and serving on the board of Beyond My Battle, a not for profit with global reach, addressing emotional needs of people with chronic illness and their caregivers.

2009 Candace Ciongoli Guidon graduated USC in 2013 with a BA in Communication. She has worked the past few years in production finance and operations at LiveStyle, Inc., a festival promoter company based in Los Angeles. In March 2019, she married Philip Guidon ’05 at the Bel Air Bay Club and they have a cute labradoodle named Lucy.

Candace Ciongoli Guidon ’09

Sarah Wolfson Golden’s son, Shiloh Ellis Golden, was born on February 8, 2019.

Megan Harris-Pero ’00

2005 Daniel Agarwal writes, “I recently passed my written and oral boards and am now a board certified ophthalmologist. I am currently a second-year fellow in vitreoretinal surgery at Yale University.”

Shiloh Ellis Golden

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CLASS NOTES

FOR A LIFETIME

2010 Jen Levinson is currently working at Epic Pictures as a Social Media Lead, while pursuing creative endeavors. She’s built an international online following via BuzzFeed Video, with videos amassing 100 million views and counting. Jen was a former staff writer on the viral scripted Snapchat show SOLVE, and she is currently in post-production on two proof-of-concept shorts written, produced, and starring her.

Liam Gunn started at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies this August, pursuing a two-year Master of Environmental Management focusing on environmental policy and economics.

Levik Khodaverdy started Pepperdine Law School in August.

2014 Alexis Berkovits started her first year at the University of Michigan Medical School to pursue her MD.

Aalexis Berkovits ’14

Jen Levinson ’10

2012 Stella Carnegie launched her practice as a birth and postpartum doula based in Oakland, CA. She supports women and birthing people on their journey through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and new parenthood. As a Full Spectrum Doula, she supports folks through any outcome, including miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion. Stella combines her background and studies of movement and herbal medicine with her passion for birth and reproductive justice to support her clients through an informed and empowering birth and postpartum experience. For more information or to connect with Stella, please visit www.stellacarnegie.com.

Jonathan Hutnicki writes, “I am currently stationed at Vance Air Force Base in Enid Oklahoma. I’m finishing up pilot training and will be graduating this August. I am currently flying the T-38 jet fighter trainer and waiting to be assigned to an aircraft and base after graduation.”

Rebecca Luner is currently a junior at Duke University studying computer science, psychology, and receiving a certificate in Innovation & Entrepreneurship. She’s involved with Duke’s Momentum Dance Company, is a TA for CS101, is an Audio Engineer at Small Town Records, is a director of Duke’s Community Service Pro-orientation Program– Project BUILD, and is a proud Krzyzewskiville Tenter for Duke Basketball. She is ecstatic to be currently studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark and hopes to continue to discover methods of using technology to create positive social impact.

Mara Lorin is a junior at USC studying real estate development and communications. She spent the summer interning at Wagstaff Worldwide hospitality marketing firm.

At USC she is marketing director of Spoon USC, a writer for the online blog, Betches, and yoga sculpt instructor at Corepower. Mara also works part time for a real estate startup, Thirdspace. She’s getting ready to study abroad in Sydney, Australia in the spring.

Stella Carnegie ’12

2013 It has been a whirlwind of a year for Annahstasia Enuke. After graduating from Tufts in June 2018, Annahstasia released her first EP, Sacred Bull in 2019. She just finished her very first tour in June of this year, supporting Lenny Kravitz on his "Raise Vibration Tour 2019" throughout Europe.

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Mara Lorin ’17

Viewpoint mourns the passing of Ronald Beimel ’02, a beloved member of our community.

Maya Sandel writes, “I will be doing research in Bormio, Italy this summer with Vanderbilt University’s Earth and Environmental Sciences department. We will be collecting rock samples from glaciers and dating them to determine the geological history of the area, something that has never been done in that location before.”

Jushin Teg (JT) Singh Mann is currently a junior at Tufts University.

He is studying biology and is also a member of the Tesco Lab in the Tufts Neuroscience Department researching Alzheimer’s Disease.

Since entering college he has discovered a passion for dance and is the captain of the Tufts University Bhangra Team, a competitive team which dances the traditional style of dance native to Punjab, India.

Jushin also founded the Sikh Student Association, which aims to increase awareness about the religion as well as discuss its many aspects with other interested students across Tufts. He hopes to attend medical school after completing his undergraduate degree, and somewhere warm!

Jonathan Hutnicki ’14

2017

IN MEMORIAM

Justin Teg (JT) Singh Mann ’17

2018 Lily Young writes, “During my first year of college at the George Washington University, I participated in GW College Democrats and met candidate Cory Booker, while campaigning for now Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill. I completed an internship with N Street Village, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., where I managed communications for the organization. Next year, I will take on the role of the Vice President of Membership for the GW Chapter of the American Marketing Association as well as the Vice President of Spoon GW.”

Ron (pictured right) and his cousin Michael at Saline Valley

In June 2019, Ron was a member of the group of eight climbers who perished in an avalanche on Nanda Devi in India. An adventurist at heart, Ron was a guide for Esprit Travel & Tours, founded by his father, Steve Beimel. Passionate about travel, Ron was an accomplished Japanese tour guide, photographer, singer, and climber. Ron’s cousin Michael remembers him especially for his “kindness, intelligence, sense of humor, and his uncompromising zest for life; it was humbling to see the effort, care and labor he took to make his life what he wanted it to be.” At Viewpoint, Ron was a member of Chorus, Cum Laude Society, and Junior Statesman of America. Head of the Lower School, Claudia Antoine remembers him as a “wonderful student who cared deeply about the environment, creating a succulent project long before anyone else thought of planting native plants at Viewpoint.” Ron graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University with dual Bachelor’s Degrees in Biology and Classical Music Composition.

While at college, he was part of the Brown University Chorus where he toured Russia and Finland and sang at the Gnessin Music Academy in Moscow and the Rock Church in Helsinki and was also a member of the Brown Madrigal Singers, an a capella group. Ron’s spirit will live on forever at Viewpoint and he will be deeply missed by alumni, faculty, and the Viewpoint community.

Death Valley National Park February, 2018

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If you did not receive this magazine at your current address (or parents of alumni, if your son or daughter no longer maintains a permanent residence at your home), please notify Director of Alumni Relations Colette Connor (colette.connor@viewpoint.org or 818-591-6265) to update our records. Thank you for helping us to keep our addresses current.

Lena Chakraverty ’29 and Kaiya Shepphird ’29