Alumni

ALUMNI PROFILES

Claire Nordstrom has fond memories of Village School where she began her lifelong love affair with music.

Claire Nordstrom

On December 2, 2021, Danny Kramer caught up with the uber-talented and charismatic Village School Alumna Claire Nordstrom ’09. Claire recounted her memories from Village School, what she is up to now, and her future plans.

What do you recall about your experience at Village School?

Village School was the BEST. While you hear about cliques and bullying at other schools, that was not the case at Village School. I always felt very comfortable with everyone there because it’s a small enough school to get to know everyone really well. The Palisades was a cool place to go to school because of all of the fun places to walk to after school with my friends. I also loved the music program, which was especially great for me because I was a particularly shy kid. The teachers always pushed me out of my comfort zone by giving me the confidence to sing solo. The confidence that I gained as a child at Village School has stayed with me to this day.

What from Village School did you bring with you to middle school and beyond?

Lifelong friends like Tyler McMorrow and Sydney Mason. They are still two of my closest friends. Something so special about the teachers at Village School is that if they see that you’re talented or passionate about something, they really encourage to you pursue it. I was into poetry and reading and always felt very supported. In fact, my passion for writing songs started at VS because of one of my teachers.

What teachers or traditions do you remember?

Keith Johnson was my 5th grade teacher and he was the best! He was scary to everyone who wasn’t in his class because he always wore a suit and was very stern looking, but when you were in his class, he was a great ally. As for traditions, I loved the talent shows. Everyone was encouraged to perform and felt that they truly had a talent. Some of my other favorite Village School memories from 4th and 5th grade: In 4th grade, we had to choose an historical figure for a project. I was obsessed with Galileo and Stephen Hawking, but other classmates chose them first. I ended up choosing Louis Braille and loved it! I learned how to read and write in Braille which was awesome. In 5th grade I remember playing the Godfather theme on the piano during intermission at the 5th grade play.

What are you up to now?

I currently work in the TV/Music department at Lionsgate, helping to hire all of the music composers, supervisors and editors for TV shows. My dad really got me interested in music, TV and movies and Village School definitely played a role in that passion. I also perform at the Draycott in the Palisades which has been really rewarding.

When I was 13, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and now I work with children in the Palisades who are also diagnosed. I help mentor them and show them that they can live a

“Something so special about the teachers at Village School is that if they see that you’re talented or passionate about something, they really encourage to you pursue it. I was into poetry and reading and always felt very supported.”

normal life like me. They, too, can go to college and have a full-time job and do anything they want! These kids text or call me or meet me for lunch so I can answer their questions and help them figure out how to manage their diabetes. While I work with the children, my mom works with a lot of their parents. Working with these kids is very fulfilling and makes me feel even more connected to the Palisades. You can see me running around the Palisades with my dog. I always see Mr. Pettigrew, Mr. Emerson and Ms. Hicks teaching PE on the La Cruz campus!

I am also really involved in “Beyond Type One”, a non-profit that raises money for diabetes research, where my mom, Jennifer Nordstrom, serves as the Chair of the Leadership Council’s Fundraising Committee. (Claire has written 2 articles about her experiences as a young person with diabetes that you can find on Type One’s website.)

What are your future plans?

Right now I’m excited to continue to perform at the Draycott and possibly other venues. I will always love singing and making music, traveling, and one day I’d love to start a family of my own. ▼

ALUMNI IN COLLEGE Lucas Gelfond

by Danny Kramer, Director of Institutional Advancement

Astudent at Brown University, Lucas Gelfond ’13, is pursuing political science and writing. Lucas is creating quite the name for himself with published articles in Logic Magazine and Vice. For Logic, he wrote articles about TicToc, the recent controversy with GameStop, and profiled an NFT artist. He wrote a piece about cryptocurrency for Vice. While Lucas may not have studied these exact subjects at Village School, he does attribute his ability to explore and his solid educational foundation to his time here at VS.

“I remember my teachers as great people and very supportive mentors; namely, I remember Ms. Emerson, Ms. Jacobson, and Mrs. Byfield. Village School was a place where I explored a lot, both inside and outside of the classroom. Overall, I remember VS as a place with kind people where I had a really positive experience. There are a lot of people at VS who are advocates of mine.”

Looking ahead, Lucas wants to work in technology in some capacity and continue to write on the side. He has many writing projects underway now and is currently working for a tech non-profit called Reboot, an online learning community. As Lucas explains: “There’s a lot of really interesting stuff going on in the decentralized web, not specifically about crypto-currency, but about building technology on to centralized networks. If this is the future of the internet, there’s a lot to be said about playing an active role in shaping that future, so it’s really high-leverage to write, clarify and frame narratives about the web that are thoughtful and not monolithic. The truth is more nuanced and complicated.”

We can’t wait to follow Lucas’ career and learn from his writing! ▼

Lucas Gelfond plans to follow a technology path after college and follow a passion for writing on the side.

ALUMNI PROFILES

Harvard-Westlake students, Sophia Cotter and Riley Romans savor their visits back to Village.

Sophia Cotter and Riley Romans

On November 5, 2021, Sophia Cotter ’21 and Riley Romans ’21, both 7th graders at Harvard Westlake, had a day off from school and chose to spend it visiting their alma mater. Danny Kramer caught up with them to see how middle school is going.

What made you want to come back to VS for a visit on your day off?

RR: I wasn’t ready to leave Village School when I graduated and I honestly still am not now. But going back to Village for a visit makes it less painful for me to wake up every day and not get on a bus to the school I love. I am completely happy with my new school, Harvard-Westlake (I enjoy the time I spend there), but Village School created my love of learning, showed me strong moral values, and guided me to my passions. I will never fully leave Village School.

How did VS prepare you for 7th grade?

RR: Since VS in 5th and 6th grade gives you the opportunity to work with different teachers, it prepared us for the middle school schedule. Getting to know multiple teachers and moving around to different classrooms helped us feel more independent. SC: It was an easy transition because 5th and 6th grade is a lot like middle school. You move to different classrooms and have your own lockers, just like middle school. VS has given me a love of learning and makes me so excited to learn.

What about VS is helping you now in your first few months of middle school?

RR: Learning to show work in math really helped prepare me because my teacher is really strict about showing work. In literature we had to stand up and give a presentation to the whole class. Learning leadership skills in student council has helped as well. The little kids in TK have to present too and you can really see their growth as presenters as they get older. SC: Presenting in Literature class really helped a lot with public speaking skills. Giving a presentation in front of people instead of just to yourself really helps prepare you for speaking in middle school.

DK: What would you tell VS students to do to help prepare them for MS?

RR: Show your work in math. In literature, challenge yourself to present with confidence and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Take opportunities to get involved, in student council and in subjects that might not be your best. SC: While you’re a VS student, you are surrounded by a great and supportive community of teachers, so take time to learn study skills and practice skills so you’re really good at them by the time you get to middle school.

What kinds of events would make you excited to come back to VS?

RR: One of things 5th and 6th graders love is the buddy program. If you did a buddy get-together, so many people would show up. The buddy experience is so awesome and we really love our buddies. Doing it at VS would make people feel really connected to school. SC: Being able to see our buddies would be really cool, and also having the chance to see our former teachers and old friends. ▼

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1| Kaila Elsayegh (’19) finished in third place at National Notah Begay Golf Championship Girls 14–18, which aired on the Golf Channel on December 8th.

2| Giles Freedman (’20) competed in the 44th California State Championship for Backgammon this past weekend. Giles was the youngest in the tournament and won four matches in the Blitz Tournament to reach the quarter-finals, defeating two open-ranked players in the process.

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