WCS Connection - Fall 2018

featuring

GETTING TO KNOW OUR NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL

TABLE OF

CONTENTS 12

HEAD OF SCHOOL Q&A GET TO KNOW NATHAN WASHER

From the Headmaster.................................... 3 Semester in Review.........................................4 In the Classroom............................................... 9 From the Board...............................................13 Academic Honors...........................................16 Tom Davis Legacy Endowment..................11

17

DINNER THEATRE

Feature: Q&A with Nathan Washer............12 Honor Rolls....................................................... 14 Beyond the Classroom..................................16

INTO THE WOODS Professional Development..........................24 Tennis State Championship........................26

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CHAMPIONS GIRLS' TENNIS

From the Alumni Board...............................27 Alumni Spotlight............................................28 Golf Tournament............................................ 30 Class Notes...................................................... 32

THANK YOU!

To our contributing writers, fellow faculty and staff, and the entire Collegiate community for submitting articles and pictures and making this magazine possible. Enjoy!

EDITORIAL STAFF Katie Hatfield Gunzelman '07 // Assistant Director of Development & Communication Joan Siefkes Moore '84 // Director of Advancement Lisa Schooler // Director of Alumni Relations and Digital Media Susan Klingenberg // Advancement Administrative Assistant & Database Manager Susie Steed // Director of Admission Kathy Rukes '99 // Admission Associate Graphic Design // Kylie Rott Photography // John Pair ’92, Lisa Schooler, Amy Cunningham, and many more!

FROM THE HEADMASTER

IT’S ALL ABOUT LEARNING For 55 years, Collegiate has offered amazing experiences for our students. These experiences can happen in the classroom, on the stage, in athletic competitions, or in a one-on-one encounter in the Quad. These learning experiences can come from a teacher, from a textbook, from a computer, or from a friend. All these experiences have one thing in common: a curious learner and a source of knowledge. Teaching is our method at Collegiate, but student learning is our goal. We want every student to be a curious learner, to explore the possibilities of the unknown, and to apply that learning in a meaningful, life-changing way.

We want every student to be a curious learner, to explore the possibilities of the unknown, and to apply that learning in a meaningful, lifechanging way.

By Tom Davis // Headmaster

One of the best features about our school is our single campus with students of all ages. Literally, from the 2-year-olds to the 18-year-olds, children of families who place a premium on education grace our halls and campus. Our multi-age, single campus also provides us with many opportunities for multiage interaction. Our traditions and intentions support times for students to be together, to learn together. Our annual AllSchool Picnic Day brings us together across divisions and across ages as our older students learn responsibility as they take care of hosting younger students for the afternoon. Our sixthgrade students visit Lower School students routinely to help them learn their math facts. Our chess club, dance clinics, and musicals all promote togetherness and learning from each other.

We do not allow physical walls and structural protocol to be barriers to interaction across our campus. We promote the skills of collaboration and cooperation and learning together.

That is what we are all about. To paraphrase Vince Lombardi,

Learning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing at Collegiate.

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SEMESTER IN REVIEW

4

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

5

SEMESTER IN REVIEW

6

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

7

SEMESTER IN REVIEW

8

DECEMBER

IN THE CLASSROOM

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... LIFT OFF!” Heidi Jo Gallagher // Traditional Preschool Teacher We all know the phrase, most likely ingrained into our brains as small humans playing the most engaging of games, Space Exploration. We climbed into our “rockets” with friends or on a solo mission, and then blasted off into the world of the unknown. It was exciting to us as kids and it’s still exciting as adults, imagining what could be out in the world beyond our green earth.

For children ages 3-6, the world of play and reality are complexly intertwined.

Television and intense play scenarios become real to them. It is how they learn everything from letters, numbers, words, manners, and even theories of physics. (How fast does the car go down the ramp?

What if it was covered in tape?!)

As an educator, I am constantly in search of ways to bring PLAY to the forefront in the classroom. It was inspiring to see how delighted Mr. Elmore’s kindergarten class was last year after he produced a beautiful kindergarten program using green screen technology from the Lammers Innovation Lab. I began to ponder ways to send our students into a deeper state of learning through putting them IN a movie. With the

kindness of Steve Elmore tutoring us in iMovie, and the cooperation of Joe Gehrer in entrusting us with the green screen room during his scheduled time, Maisy Abdul and I decided to jump into the world of movie editing. We adventured across the Quad with our students and embarked on a journey deep into space.

The International Space Station called us to come and learn at the station. In order to make the journey, we needed to design a rocket in which to fly. We made a design, created letters and shapes, cut the paper and glued it together. We designed helmets to wear during flight and, in doing so, discussed the science of oxygen we breathe on earth and how it is missing in space.

We learned what the American flag looks like. We memorized the letters U. S. A. just from building the rocket! We practiced our new words for space and used them for three weeks in our classroom, then “experienced them” at the space station. Once we recorded our lesson from the space station, Mrs. Abdul perfected the edits on the movie. A week later, we popped popcorn, set out chairs in the classroom, and together watched our two classes full of

friends flying through space, chanting syllables to words such as galaxy and constellation, and then watched as we counted backwards to “LIFT OFF” back towards home.

Our students were able to make an abstract concept, such as space, meaningful because we had the technology available to take them there on a journey.

They went from simply learning words to experiencing them through a movie with students as the entertainment! What a gift to have the technology available to us from the Lammers Innovation Lab to allow our youngest of learners to engage with content topics. This year, I have seen more faculty reaching out to other teachers beyond their divisions, sharing ideas for how younger and older students could utilize each other’s resources and, better yet, work together as a whole school community. Our students have an enriched learning experience from our shared resources, the teachers have more occasions to work across school divisions, and PARENTS of our learners have more opportunities to see what the next steps in the educational journey at Collegiate have to offer.

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FROM THE BOARD Dear Collegiate Family, It’s hard to believe it’s March! I am reeling in the fact that we are down to our last few months with our beloved Headmaster, Tom Davis, as he will retire at the end of this school year. Tom shared his retirement plans with the Board of Trustees in the summer of 2016, and we were grateful to have had the luxury of time to properly plan for his replacement. That time has flown by!

For the last 19 years, we have enjoyed Tom’s steadfast leadership. The position of prominence Collegiate holds in the Wichita community today is a testament to his career as Headmaster. Collegiate is a school with strong academics, talented faculty and staff, distinctive extracurricular activities, and a welcoming family environment where students are prepared for college and for life. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I offer my deep appreciation and gratitude for his many years of thoughtful leadership.

Tom remains fiercely committed to Collegiate - so committed that he wanted to leave the school with a gift upon his retirement. We are pleased to announce the Tom Davis Legacy Endowment. I hope you will consider honoring Tom on his retirement with a gift to this fund, which will help us sustain our school’s exceptional standard of excellence well into the future. Funds raised will be used to enhance student tuition support, faculty and staff development, campus improvements, technology upgrades, and other WCS priorities and initiatives. See the next page for more details and to make your gift. You can also donate securely online at Collegiate.com/TomDavisLegacy.

We will have a lot to celebrate this spring. Please make plans to attend a special event the afternoon of Sunday, April 28, honoring Tom at the James Ockerman Amphitheater. This family-friendly event will include special performances, speakers, and lots of fun looking back on Tom’s 19 years as Headmaster of Wichita Collegiate School. Food trucks will round out this casual gathering. You won’t want to miss it!

I hope you’ve seen the news that Nathan Washer has been appointed as Wichita Collegiate School’s next Head of School, effective July 1, 2019. This appointment was approved by the Board of Trustees following the WCS Head of School Search Committee’s enthusiastic recommendation. Nathan will become the seventh Head of School since Collegiate’s founding in 1963.

Nathan is a proven educational leader with an engaging personality who will bring vision and passion to Collegiate while holding true to our values of educational excellence and character development. To learn more about our new Head of School, turn to page 12.

Nathan has visited Wichita several times and will visit twice more before the end of this school year. He has begun working closely with Tom Davis and the Administrative Team to learn about Collegiate’s bright past. Watch for opportunities to meet Nathan in the coming months.

In the meantime, Tom will lead us through the end of the 2019 term to ensure a seamless leadership transition. We appreciate having him at the helm as we successfully complete this school year and our current strategic plan. Tom leaves behind a strong and inspiring legacy and has impacted the lives of thousands of Collegiate students. We wish Tom all the best and look forward to continued success as we plan for Collegiate’s brilliant future.

2018-2019 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Shari Male Powers ’85 Chair Sharol Rasberry Vice Chair Raffaele Fazio Secretary Jared Sprole Treasurer Raul Brito ’76 Kathie Dakhil Allan Dunne ’91 Angela Fox Corey Johnson Joe Kirmser Caesar Naftzger Kevin Nichols

Sincerely,

Sheryl Nolan

Shari Male Powers ’85 Chair, Collegiate Board of Trustees

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Meredith Olson

Dear Collegiate Community, For more than three decades, Tom Davis has been an influential leader in our Wichita Collegiate School community - as a parent of three WCS graduates, a 14-year member of the Board of Trustees, and, since 2000, our beloved Headmaster. As you know, Tom will retire this June and is looking forward to spending quality time with his family.

As a lasting tribute to Tom and his many contributions to Collegiate, we are launching a fundraising campaign for the creation of the “Tom Davis Legacy Endowment.” We invite you to participate by contributing securely online at Collegiate.com/TomDavisLegacy.

Income from this permanent endowment will provide us with greater financial flexibility in support of our educational mission. It will help us sustain our school’s exceptional standard of excellence well into the future. Funds raised will be used to enhance student tuition support, faculty/staff development, campus improvements, technology upgrades, and other WCS priorities and initiatives.

During Tom’s 33 years of involvement as Trustee and Headmaster, Collegiate has thrived. We have a beautiful campus, innovational programs, and students who graduate prepared to succeed in college and ready to take on the challenges of a changing world. As Tom has often said, “I rejoice in seeing each individual child grow and mature through their time with us.”

If you want to honor Tom’s legacy, please join us in this manner as a way to celebrate him and his fierce and loyal commitment to WCS. Please help us ensure that future generations of Collegiate students will have the very best educational environment in which to thrive.

We sincerely thank you for your consideration.

Forward together,

Shari Male Powers ’85

Kathie Dakhil

Chair, Board of Trustees

Chair, Development Committee

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Introducing COLLEGIATE'S NEW H Nathan Washer brings a wealth of educational experience to his new role as our next Head of School. He also brings a great deal of warmth, wit, and humor, and I hope those traits and more come across to you in Nathan’s answers to these fun and unconventional interview questions. Enjoy! // Katie Hatfield Gunzelman ’07 What were you like in high school?

My most vivid memories of high school center around athletics. I played rugby, soccer, basketball, and cricket, and ran track for the school. In addition, I played for the All City team in rugby and the County for track. I was fortunate enough to be very fast, which came in handy on the rugby field as I was also 6 feet plus at 14 years old.

I was not taking school too seriously until around the age of 15. The Head of PE at my school, Mr. Ken Morgan, took me under his wing and talked about me “not wasting my brain.” From that point on, when I reflect on it now, I wanted to be a teacher like Mr. Morgan.

There is little doubt that if most of my teachers were told now that Nathan Washer is to be a Head of School, there would be some surprised looks on their faces!

What originally attracted you to work in education?

As well as the influence of Ken Morgan (see above), my paternal grandmother was someone I was very close to growing up. She was an inspiring and strong presence who lost her husband to cancer when my father was 10 years old. At 35 years old, my grandmother went back to school and trained to be a teacher. She didn’t have a car and took three buses to get to college each day. After graduating, she taught 25 years in a local elementary school, eventually becoming Assistant Head of School.

I never forget the respect afforded my grandmother as she walked around our section of the town I grew up in, even years after she had retired. It left a deep impression on me and ultimately it was something that drew me to education. I saw the impact you could have on students’ lives and it made me want to be a part of it.

What most excites you about moving to Wichita?

It is the people I have met that most excite me about Wichita. Interviewing for the Head of School position was about a four-month process and, during that time, I was in conversations with a number of different schools, but I connected immediately with the people involved in Collegiate’s search process. My semi-final interview was the first semi-final interview I had been on and the two days were a lot of fun. I was having exciting conversations about schools and what makes a great independent school, and I was really enjoying 12

the company of the people involved. I was also so impressed with how nice everyone was from the first waitress I met to the man I met in the elevator at the hotel. I remember going home and telling Mary that there must be something in the water because it is uncanny how nice everyone is.

Since that time, every time I visit I have learned more about the school and the city, and each time I get more excited about the opportunity. The faculty and staff are passionate about their school and the students and parents clearly care about their community. I am coming from a school that actually markets itself as a family and I was looking for a similar place. I think I have found it in Collegiate.

What is the title of the last book you read? Did you enjoy it?

I always have at least two books on the go at any one time. Typically, it’s one that is work related and one that is for fun. I actually collect books and have been able to make some great finds in antique bookstores over the years, but as for the last ones I read… For work, I just finished Contented Cows Still Give Better Milk, which is a newly revised version of a business strategy book I read about 20 years ago. It’s a simple, practical, and common sense book and anyone in a leadership position in any organization should read it.

For fun, I read a book called Unspoken, about the British Soccer player Gary Speed. It was an interesting read as he was a man at the top of everything, famous, lovely young family, had become an international coach, and then out of the blue one night took his own life. It happened about nine years ago and anyone who follows soccer in Britain will remember how shocked everyone was. I was hoping the book would shed some light on the mental health issues surrounding such an event, but it slightly disappointed as it only really touched the surface of the subject.

I am also waiting for the next Jo Nesbo book to come out. He is a crime/thriller author from Norway and his books are fantastic. I read the entire Detective Harry Hole series back-to-back once I discovered him, so now he needs to catch up with my reading and get the next one out soon.

HEAD OF SCHOOL Name the last show you watched on television and why.

Mary and I finished The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 2 on Amazon last night. It’s a lot of fun, not just for the comedy but it’s interesting to see the quirks of life in 1950s America.

But if you’re asking what I really like to watch on TV, it's shows like Vikings and Game of Thrones, and the best show on television in the last few years is a British show that you can find on Netflix called Peaky Blinders. It’s the best series on TV and there isn’t even a close second.

If you won the lottery today, what would you do next?

I would endow the Head of School position for Collegiate and help them find their next Head :). I would help the Pine School with the capital campaign they are in the middle of; I would pay off all the debt of my family and closest friends; make sure there was enough support for my two daughters; and then I would take off and travel the world, slowly!

What is the title of your future memoir?

It would be either It Was Not Wasted (see answer to a previous question) or I Love the World (this makes me chuckle as it could mean I won the lottery but it also is the worst answer I gave to any question on my finalist interview - if you were there hopefully you too can smile at the memory).

If you could claim credit for a great piece of art, film, song, book, etc., what would you pick?

I am a huge fan of the band U2. I have followed them since they started when I was about 14 years old. I have been to see them about a dozen times live. The Joshua Tree album is a masterpiece. If I could get credit for two things, I would also say The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. What a world he created and it has influenced so much since he wrote it.

If you could redesign the food pyramid with no health consequences, how would it look?

It would be actually a round donut-shaped circle of carbs, potatoes, pasta, and bread, and then in the center would be Cadbury’s chocolate.

What one adjective would your closest friends/family use to describe you?

This was by far the toughest question; to try and get my family and friends to narrow it down to one word was a major task. Maryn said Hardworking, Macy said Resilient, one of my friends said Dedicated, but my wife surprised me with Mosaic, which I don’t think is an adjective but she went on to read out the definition as “it’s a combination of diverse elements.” I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not but, as it goes without saying that my wife is “always right,” I guess I will go with Mosaic!

In October, WCS announced the hiring of Nathan Washer as the new Head of School. Nathan was selected after a thorough national search of outstanding candidates, led by search firm Carney Sandoe & Associates and the Head of School Search Committee, led by Corey Johnson. It was an extensive process that we took very seriously, involving our community at every step of the way.

Nathan brings nearly 30 years of deep educational experience to the Head of School role at Collegiate. He most recently served as Assistant Head of School at The Pine School in Hobe Sound, Florida, where he led several key strategic initiatives for the school. Prior to this position, he was both Head of Upper School and Athletic Director at The Pine School, and held non-profit leadership and teaching positions. He is originally from Warrington, England, and has lived in the United States since 1994. Nathan completed his Master of Arts at Appalachian State University, received a Post Graduate Certificate of Education from Liverpool Polytechnic (now John Moores University), and earned his Bachelor of Arts (with honors) in physical education and sports from Newcastle Polytechnic (now Northumbria University). He and his wife Mary have two daughters, Maryn (college student) and Macy (senior at The Pine School). Nathan is looking forward to serving as our Head of School effective July 1, 2019.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

5TH GRADE

6TH GRADE

7TH GRADE

8TH GRADE

HIGH HONOR ROLL Ali Al-Sukin Reghan Eck Shaad Issa Acacia Knight Claire Marquardt Ezra Meyers Lad Oborny Alex Richardson Ana Rogers Jareim Roland Cooper Ryan Clare Schupbach Sadhakshi Sivaraman Peter Todorov Macy Weber Grier Wiltse

HIGH HONOR ROLL Suha Ahmed Cooper Arneson Sammy Brittain Aacia Burnette Laney Conrad Chloe Dart Sylvia DeSplinter Cooper Garrison James Haan Julian Haan Azalia Haeri Julia Herrman Colton Jenkins Floyd Jones Lucy Kirmser Ingrid Lampton Cassilda Njeri Elise Powers Camden St. Germain Zachary Voloch

HIGH HONOR ROLL Pete Agustin Hayden Anderson Monica Bagai Maddie Carpenter Peyden Chronister Samuel Cline Sara Jane Crosby Addison Goree Michael Kates Liana Maksoud Aden Meyers Maya Nabbout Cambell Palmer Lucas Ranney-Brown Keisuke Takahashi Abby Walston Haley Walston Brett Wetta Derek Yang Christina Zakharia

HIGH HONOR ROLL Ramey Anderson Brett Black Roman Chandler Jude Cunningham Grace Dickerson Wesley Fair Conner Jones Michael Lloyd Hayden Malaise Kit Oborny Brayden Rabe Maya Rai Chiara Ramdani Natalie Reece Trudy Smith McKenzie Varenhorst

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HONOR ROLL David Chege Aubrey Collignon Shouvik Dev Peter Do Tatum Downing Carter Drumright Diana Eldika Clare Finan Jack Grace Omar Hamada Roman Hourani Arman Issa Dahlia Issa Ryan Khalife Nathan Lynch Will Meyer Cooper Miller Ishani Nagabhushan Aidan Nguyen Langley Overman Lana Sandid Ellie Schulte Kate Shepherd Tristan Sprole Will Strecker Hannah Ternes Anderson Tung Margaret Ulrich Liliana Varchavtchik Ward Weimar

HONOR ROLL Omar Al-Tabbal Bella Ayesh Anabelle Babst Yazan Bakdash Jace Campbell Avery Elofsson Karley Forsyth Isabella Galichia Gracie Gwyn Mason Hart Kaitlin Henry Price Johnson Paul Mines Thomas Olson Robert Rasberry Tyler Rice Phoebe Ross Conner Schupbach James Shackelford Sia Sharma Darcel Thompson Kalie Villagomez Iya Wakil Natalie Walters Alex Wunderlich Evan Yang

-------HONOR ROLL Kathleen Brophy Carter Chance Avery Compton Shelbie Emerson Jennah Fayziev Tomas Garcia Lucy Gehrer Charlie Gentile Carlyle Johnson Julian Johnson Brian Mattar Sara Mines Anne Marie Olson Trip Porter Hayan Raffi Cal Solomon Maddie Ternes Elizabeth Timsah Isaac Vanderburg Khloie Villagomez Natalie Walenta Cooper Winters Chloe Zhang

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HONOR ROLLS

-------HONOR ROLL Vivian Baughman Tatum Bhargava Maren Butcher Maya Chon Dakota Dart Joyita Dev Nasseem Eldika Aden Fayziev Katherine Grace Abbie Kirmser Tyler MacKenzie Saad Malik Emma Mantovani Cj Meyer Anjali Nagabhushan Kinsey Nichols Lex Oswald Adam Sandid Paige Steinhauser Michaela Strecker Brandon Zhang

HONOR ROLLS

UPPER SCHOOL

9TH GRADE

10TH GRADE

11TH GRADE

12TH GRADE

HIGH HONOR ROLL Samuel Agustin Madeleine Albert Sabrina Chappell Lily Conrad Charlie Dunne Mark Feng Ella Graham Tyler Gwyn Malak Hamada Daniel Hechenberger Christopher Henry Andrew Highbarger Allie Kavalauskas Brad Ma Sharon Mabasa Emily Mallard Anthony Nabbout Ivy Newman Charlie Nolan Allison Prater Aiden Sprole Maya Torres Ashtun Villagomez Brandon Voloch Ryder Walsh Sabrina Wilson

HIGH HONOR ROLL Sabaa Ahmed Ayah Al-Tabbal Phoebe Babst Aidan Bhargava George Bunting Sarah Chocron Gwynee Cunningham John DeVore Michael Fair Omar Farhoud Paige Henry Alex Jiang Celine Khalife Faith Kotkin Stephanie Lee Caitlin Mattar Iain Moufarrij Noah Moufarrij Sonya Murphy Aaliyah Muthoni An Nguyen Alex Owens Ethan Pham Harun Raffi Isabel Schmaltz Luke Swan Connor Sweetman Allison Tee Emma Truxal Alessandra Vedder Jackson Wunderlich

HIGH HONOR ROLL Ben Brake Isabella Orozco Do Kennedy Drake Caroline Duarte Jack Fox Eli Graham Sydney Gwyn Justin Highbarger Sallie Lair Elizabeth Luetters Victoria Lyczak Sana Mahomed Eve Moore Amith Panuganti Josiah Pfeiffer Hannah Rai Grace Ranallo Max Salemi Liberty Sementelli Aidan Walsh Mallory Wells Alexa White

HIGH HONOR ROLL Sterling Anderson Ashley Bajaj Jarrett Baker Carson Butcher Lauren Caughlin Trey Charbonneau Lauren Shea Conrad Zoe Corrigan Julia Cox Rose Cunningham Joshua Fernandes Hannah Geoffroy JeAnna Gregg Mackenzie Kemnitz Sydney Lair Jenny Luetters Elizabeth Meister Amanda Mudra David Pfeiffer Gehad Qaki Zach Reddy Conor Reid-Tedesco Carson Smith Addison Squires Addison Willett

-------HONOR ROLL Haley Allen Zayd Bakdash Mekhi Beaubrun Cameron Brown Eleni Chapas Drew Charbonneau Jack DeSplinter Gradey Dick Jack Duarte Evan Eichenauer Logan Forrest Joseph Gadalla Marion Gibson Emma Halas Maddie Kemnitz Jaeyun (Jimmy) Kim Byron Knight Grace Lee Ella Maybee Breckon Meares Emily Meister Marisol Munoz-Morales Trista Overton Hannah Powell Daly Steinhauser Faizal Valiandi Jayda Williams

-------HONOR ROLL Kanoa Ashley Sophia Brake Jacob Chugg Blake Clay Addison Dart Talia Flamini Tara Glass Charlie Goree Skylar Haag Mark Hourani Leah Issa Eley Johnson Joon Kim Maddy Mairs Sydney Miller Phil Pfeiffer Lindsey Post Natalia Ramos Grant Ramsey Jad Shaheen Reagan Varenhorst Ben Voloch Lauren Walters Christian Williams Johanna Yang Sophie Yoakum Serena Zakharia

-------HONOR ROLL Max Anderson Julia Ashbrook Natalie Behzadpour Ryan Edwards Nate Egan Stephanie Gentile Eric Haberman Bekah Harris Chase Horton Saif Malik Melissa Mellion Austin Miller Jack Miller Lolly Newman Jonathan O’Hearn Andy Park Eman Qaki Alex Qian Kathryn Sharp Vanessa Sickmon Colton Weaver Brooks White

-------HONOR ROLL Nicole Bledsoe Lexi Coleman Elizabeth Crosby Mia Estivo Paige Ewy Michael Feng Emily Hua Eunsung Kim Joe Lindwall Nick Murati Christina Naftzger Sydney O’Donnell Dominic Pavetto Londyn Phu Maddie Reed Caleb St. Germain Harry Wang Max Wheeler Elissa Zakharia

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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

FINE ARTS

Instrumental Music Upper School By Troy Fischer // Director The fall of 2018 has proven to be a fantastic one for several of Collegiate’s Upper School Instrumental Musicians. In August, junior Alex Qian was selected to perform in the 2018 AllNational Symphony Orchestra presented by the National Association for Music Education! Alex auditioned via video through a competitive process and performed alongside the best of the best from across the nation in Orlando, Florida, on November 28. Alex is the first student from Wichita Collegiate School ever selected to the AllNational Honor Ensembles and was one of only seven instrumental music students from the state of Kansas invited to perform at this year’s event.

Bravo Alex!

In October, five students earned recognition as 1234-A All-District Jazz Musicians! For the FOURTH year in a row, Wichita Collegiate had the most jazz students selected among 1234-A high schools in an 11-county area of South-Central Kansas!

• Julia Cox – Senior – Guitar • Josh Fernandes – Senior – 2nd Chair Alto Saxophone • Ben Brake – Junior – 1st Chair Tenor Saxophone • Sarah Chocron – Sophomore – Piano • Ryder Walsh – Freshman – Drumset Alternate

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In November, band and orchestra students auditioned for All-District Honors Concert Band and Orchestra. The following Wichita Collegiate Students were selected through a difficult, live audition process: • Amanda Mudra – 1st Chair French Horn, All-District 1234A Band • Alex Qian – 1st Chair Oboe, All-District 1234A Band • Andrew Highbarger – 1st Chair Percussion, AllDistrict 1234A Band • Michael Feng – 2nd Chair Trombone, All-District 1234A Band • Julia Cox – 2nd Chair Percussion, All-District 1234A Band • Aidan Walsh – 2nd Chair Euphonium, All-District 1234A Band • Mark Feng – 3rd Chair Flute, All-District 1234A Band • Faizal Valiandi – 3rd Chair Euphonium, All-District 1234A Band • Ryder Walsh – 4th Chair Percussion, All-District 1234A Band • Allison Tee – 6th Chair Violin 2, All-District Orchestra • Vanessa Sickmon – 8th Chair French Horn, All-Distrcit 1234A Band • Noah Moufarrij – Alternate Oboe, All-District 1234A Band

Collegiate Dinner Theatre Upper School “Be careful what you wish for!” Into the Woods follows a baker and his wife, who wish to have a child. When a neighborhood witch reveals she has put a curse on their family, the couple head “into the woods” to reverse the curse.

Along the way, they meet Cinderella, who wishes to go to the King’s Festival; Jack, who wishes his cow would produce milk; Little Red, who is trying to visit her grandmother; the Wolf, who loves tasty little girls; the witch’s daughter Rapunzel; and two princes, who are chasing their respective loves.

It seems everyone’s wishes have come true, but then Jack’s beanstalk brings an angry giant to visit and we see how granted wishes can have disastrous consequences. The community must come together to save each other and their kingdom, but sacrifices must be made.

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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

FINE ARTS Visual Arts Upper School

By Charlie Ramseyer, Gary Buettgenbach, & Amy Cunningham // Art Teachers We have had a record numbers of students enrolled in art classes this year, from photography and digital imaging to sculpture and AP Art. In the first semester, our photography classes took a field trip to the Botanical Gardens and advanced students had an opportunity to have their own show at MarkArts. We competed in the Art Battle in painting, sculpture, and culinary arts in September. In December we saw students from all visual art classes submit to the Scholastic Arts Competition. In January we found out 22 students won recognition, the largest number in Collegiate's history. You can see the winning pieces on display at MarkArts in February and March. In sculpture class, students are sculpting larger-than-life insects in the WCS Alumni Association Innovation Lab and looking forward to putting them on display at the ISAS festival in Austin, Texas, this April.

Murder Mystery Middle School By Emily Goodpasture // Director The 7th and 8th grade actors and techies did not waste any time at the beginning of the school year with a Murder Mystery opening in September. Actors actually auditioned last May and the play was written over the summer with each specific student in mind.

Just moments before the wealthy and stuffy Lady Ashby is about to reveal to the world her family’s long lost treasure of an Egyptian statue, she is discovered dead! All the guests at her manor house have a reason to dislike Lady Ashby, but who could have harmed her? This traditional who-done-it featured twenty-one of our young actors including Pete Agustin, Anabelle Babst, Maddie Carpenter, Sara Jane Crosby, Jude Cunningham, Joyita Dev, Timmy Emerson, Mason Hart, Kaitlin Henry, Price Johnson, Liana Maksoud, Aden Meyers, Cj Meyer, Maya Nabbout, Anjali Nagabhushan, Madden Nguyen, Kailey Norlie, Phoebe Ross, Natalie Walters, Evan Yang, and Christina Zakharia.

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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

ATHLETICS Girls' Tennis Upper School

By Dave Hawley // Head Coach

The 2018 version of the WCS Spartan Women was incredible! This team of dynamo women played in dominant fashion all season. Fifteen girls won not just matches but EVENTS this season at various tournaments. The Spartans won the AVCTL-III/IV League Title, ran away with the Regional crown, and captured the school’s tenth straight women's State Title! Leading the way were State Doubles Champs Sydney Lair and Hannah Geoffroy, plus singles runner-up Lauren Conrad, 5th place doubles Stephanie Gentile and Sallie Lair and 7th place singles Riley Ruffin!

Cheer Upper School By Ashleigh Hennessy // Head Coach This year’s team has been very special from the start. Tryouts in mid-April were earlier than usual, but proved to get us off on the right foot. We began the season with an intensive 4-day/night summer camp, intermittent summer practices, and a busy work week before football season started. All the advance work definitely prepared our team for a successful cheer football season.

Our team likes to call themselves “Spartan Sisters,” a nickname they invented without prompt, which tells you a bit about their bond. They have so much fun together, love cheer, and are very talented.

With our upward trajectory, I can’t wait to see what we accomplish over the next few months!

Finally, we have been so blessed with a new addition to the WCS Cheer program - our Assistant Coach Jordan Buchanan. Not only does she assist with our high school team, but with our Middle School and Lower School squads as well. As a Collegiate alumna, former WCS cheerleader, and former

competitive cheerleader, she knows firsthand how our school operates and has expert knowledge of the sport. She has been such a positive and confident role model for the girls. We are so lucky to have her!

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Dance Team Upper School By Katie Hatfield Gunzelman '07 // Head Coach The 2018-19 Spartan Dance Team had a great first semester, debuting at Spartan Night with a challenging routine from camp and then performing original choreography at each of the five home football games.

Thanks to senior Zoe Corrigan’s family, the team enjoyed a master class with L.A.-based dancer and choreographer Erik Hall in early December, getting out of their comfort zones to dance hip-hop to Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry.” The team wrapped up the year coaching and coordinating the Boys’ Dance Team Competition, and performed another original routine set to popular Christmas songs at our first home basketball game.

This group has done an especially good job collaborating with all grade levels on the team to present fresh choreography and highlight everyone’s talents in each routine. So proud of you! Go Spartans!

Football Upper School By Mike Gehrer // Head Coach The Spartans entered the season with four seniors and a host of underclassmen. Gabe Fisher, Trey Charbonneau, Paxton Meares, and Canon Nesmith led the Spartans through a tough summer of preparation in the weight room and on the field.

The season started with a tough 28-0 loss at the hands of the Wellington Crusaders. The Spartans responded with a string of four victories in a row setting up a league title game with the Andale Indians. The Indians proved too much for the young Spartans, as they continued on their road

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to the State title game. The Spartans rebounded by defeating Haven and Clearwater in the next two games. The boys finished the season with a 6 and 3 record, losing in the first round of the state playoffs to Hesston in a hard fought battle.

The future is bright for Spartan Football. New Head Coach Troy Black is assembling his staff, meeting with players, and preparing for next year. Spartan Football 2019 will be an exciting group to watch.

Thanks for all your years of support!

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

ATHLETICS

Volleyball Upper School

By Regan Carlstrom // Head Coach The Lady Spartans volleyball team made huge strides this season and advanced further into substate than they have in many years. We will miss our graduating seniors but have a lot of very talented underclassmen returning ready to build off the foundation set this season. The Lady Spartans look forward to working hard and creating a new culture and success next season.

We expect to be the ‘dark horse’ in our very talented league, which is exciting to prepare for!

Boys' Cross Country Upper School

Girls' Cross Country Upper School

This was a year for building following the very seniordominated previous season. Led by Brooks White and Luke Swan, the team consistently improved throughout the year. A large and talented group of freshmen helped Collegiate win the League JV title again, setting the stage for what should be a very bright future.

This season was a great year of growth for Collegiate girls’ cross country. Our girls’ Varsity team finished in the top three teams at the League Championship with four individuals placing in the top 15. We also had a top-five team finish at Regionals, the highest ever for a Collegiate girls’ team. Senior Maddie Reed led our girls’ team, earning the titles of League Champion and Regional Champion, and placing 5th at the State Championship meet, earning her AllState Honors.

By Clark Ensz // Head Coach

By Mica Elkouri // Assistant Coach

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Football Middle School

By Joel Walker // Head Coach

The 2018 Middle School Football season was full of highs and lows for the young Spartans. The 8th grade team was looking for back-to-back league titles, while the 7th grade team was just getting started. A few key injuries at the quarterback position hurt the 7th grade team at times, but they enjoyed one of the better seasons we have seen. Their 3-4 record included an amazing come-from-behind 29-26 win in the last game of the season. They certainly built momentum for next year’s campaign.

The 8th grade team, on the other hand, dominated the Catholic league like few Collegiate teams have ever done. After finishing last season 7-0, they won their first five games and got to a 6-0 record with a win over rival Andale. The seventh game of the year was another match against Andale and the winner would win the league. The Spartans fell just short in that contest, 13-6, but did finish tied with Andale at 6-1 in league play. The promise that both teams showed will make ALL Spartan fans happy on Friday nights for the next four or five years!

Girls' Tennis Middle School

By Dave Hawley // Head Coach

The 2018 Middle School Girls’ Tennis team was one of the best in recent Collegiate history! Forty-one girls participated this season and ALL of them won at least one match. The 6th grade was the largest group and there is enormous potential in that class! The 7th graders filled several top positions on the team and show promise for the future. But the 8th grade was the crown jewel of the team.

Nine players, ALL outstanding and flush with achievements and purpose! One of the best teams in our history!

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Volleyball Middle School

By Kathy Rukes '99 Head Coach What a great year for Spartan volleyball! Our 6th graders were given the arduous task of playing up with the 7th graders, and they more than met the challenge. Our 6th and 7th grade team developed throughout the year and, more than any other team in their league, strove to push to the next level of creating offense from great defense.

Our 8th grade team battled every Saturday of the season playing some of the most competitive volleyball in the city. Each week, players entered the gym ready to improve and build upon an already strong skill set. All that hard work paid off in the post-season tournament as our team walked away League Champions. Throughout the tournament, the team didn’t drop a set, despite taking multiple sets into extra points.

The grit these girls showed in the tournament not only speaks to the type of competitors they are but also to the future success they will undoubtedly enjoy on the court and beyond.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

ATHLETICS

Cross Country Middle School By Rhys Powell // Head Coach This was my second year as the Middle School Cross Country coach and I was not disappointed one bit.

Our team was comprised of nineteen athletes who came to practice with determination and a desire to better themselves. Every athlete who competed this year, regardless of talent, set a new personal record by the end of the season, which shows just how tough and determined this squad really was.

It was truly exciting to watch the development of each athlete as the season progressed. At the 2018 CSAL League meet we had a number of great performances. On the boys’ side, the 6th grade finished 4th overall, led by Will Meyer, who took 2nd individually. The 7th grade boys finished 3rd overall, led

by Mason Hart taking 2nd and Evan Yang taking 12th.

The 8th grade boys unfortunately didn’t have enough runners to compete as a team, but had some strong

p e r f o r m a n ce s .

Eighth grader John Naftzger took 18th and Cj Meyer won the 8th grade race.

On the girl’s side, 6th grader Kate Shepherd took 9th overall at League while doubling up with volleyball. And 8th grader Maya Chon finished in 7th. Overall, this was another outstanding year for the Spartan Cross Country program. I’m excited to see this program grow and prosper in the years to come. Congratulations on a great season!

Cheer Middle School By Ashleigh Hennessy // Head Coach This group of Middle School cheerleaders really gets me excited for what’s to come in the future for Collegiate Cheer! From day one, they’ve had such a high level of pep, focus, and love of cheering for our school. We now have all ages of Middle School students (5th to 8th) available and ready to cheer year round, which has allowed us to support more of our WCS sport teams. Big things are on the horizon for these athletes, and I couldn’t be more proud to be their coach!

Cheer Lower School

By Ashleigh Hennessy // Head Coach Lower School Cheer is a group of spirited 2nd through 4th graders who proudly cheer on our 3rd and 4th grade Spartan football team. This was our second year in action, and these girls could not have been more excited to support their team. During weekly practices, home games, and away games, girls learned an immense amount of material, including engaging the crowd, basic jumping and stunting, and being supportive teammates. They even cheered at a high school football game! The future looks bright for WCS Cheer. GO SPARTANS!

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANMC // Troy Fischer, Instrumental Music Director Sam Hake and I were delighted to attend the AllNational Music Conference in Orlando in late November. Organized by our National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the conference was developed around AMAZING performances by the nation’s top high school musicians performing in the All-National Orchestra, Band, Choir, Jazz Band, and Guitar Ensemble. Junior Alex Qian represented Wichita Collegiate in the All-National Orchestra! While students rehearsed for these performances, Sam and I participated in two days of workshops with fellow educators from around the country. Famed Texas band director Paula Crider led our band director workshops. Stimulating ideas were shared and both Sam and I walked away from the conference reinvigorated to share our knowledge with the fine music makers at Wichita Collegiate School. Our time in Orlando culminated

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UPDATES

in listening to the All-National Ensemble concerts -- we were blown away! A big thank you to all those who make these professional development opportunities a reality at Wichita Collegiate School.

International Dyslexia Association Annual Conference // Cassandra Timko, 4th Grade Teacher My experience at the International Dyslexia Conference has been life changing in so many ways.

This week-long conference was more than just sitting and listening to presenters about the latest research in literacy. Networking with other schools and educators and having professional conversations during lunches and dinners were opportunities to meet people from Canada, the Bahamas, and many east coast private schools, with whom I plan to stay in contact and even hope to visit in the future.

It was amazing to hear about the latest research in cognitive neuropsychology, assessments, and remediating language weaknesses directly from professionals conducting research studies.

One evening, I had the pleasure to attend a performance by Lida Winfield, which literally brought me to tears and ended with a standing ovation from the audience. “In Search of Air: Growing Up Dyslexic,” was a 60-minute dance/ theater performance based on her life experience growing up with a learning disability. Through narrative movement, Ms. Winfield shared her gifts and heartache learning to read, which didn’t occur until her early twenties. It is pivotal for us as teachers to look beyond a student’s struggles to see his/her gifts. Often students may feel as though they are invisible or “drowning” in school and are alone. As educators, we have a responsibility to infuse optimism and hope into these kids to build self-confidence.

Attending a half-day symposium with private school leaders to network and discuss common areas of interest was definitely a highlight. During this time, we met in small groups and shared our views on standardized testing, admission requirements, learning differences, extracurricular activities, and neuroscience in the classroom. I gained so much from listening to other schools similar to Wichita Collegiate. Thank you so much for allowing me to attend this extraordinary conference.

NAIS People of Color Conference // Shanna Ahmad, Upper School Counselor In November, I attended the 31st Annual National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference (POCC) in Nashville, TN. This was my second year attending this conference and, once again, I returned with a sense of rejuvenation and rededication to the WCS mission, “to educate today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders

through a diverse and caring community with passionate teachers and inspiring curriculum.”

NAIS’s purpose for the conference is to provide a safe space for leadership, professional development, and networking for people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools. The conference is not just for faculty and staff, as it includes a diversity leadership track for all students.

This year’s conference was a record year with 6,100 registrants and a sold-out student track!

The two highlights of this conference for me were the opening and closing plenary session speakers: Lisa Ling, award-winning journalist for CNN and OWN, and Marian Wright Eldeman, founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund. Both women encouraged attendees to think deeper, broader, and with more compassion regarding diversity and inclusion at our schools than we’ve ever thought before. We were also reminded through other workshops that change will continue to take place on our campuses, just at a faster rate. We can either drive the change and reap the benefits, or react to it while putting things back together because of the change happening to us. We have a choice.

Each year, a local NAIS school hosts a portion of conference attendees on campus to walk through how they are practically applying the cornerstone principles of POCC. We toured the University School of Nashville (www.usn.org) and were blown away by their campus-wide commitment to excellence through diversity. The Office of Diversity and Community Life is one of the school’s 14 nonacademic departments. Faculty and staff proudly serve on committees focused on staff recruitment, curriculum, parent and student interest groups, and more.

Collaboration and partnership were key themes among attendees during networking sessions. I met a number of NAIS leaders throughout the country who are willing to collaborate with WCS and be a resource in any partnership opportunities.

I was beyond grateful that our head of Upper School, Mr. Ashbrook, found value in and supported my desire to attend the conference. I also cannot thank the Taylor Family Foundation enough for their financial commitment to WCS Upper School faculty and staff development. I walked away from the 2018 POCC with professional growth and energy and knowledge to build, sustain, and support diversity and inclusion within our WCS family.

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Congratulations TO OUR

STATECHAMPS

A State Championship is a big deal on its own. A championship signifies you, as an individual or team, reached the top of the game; you dominated competition over the course of the season and showed up when it counted, too.

Now let’s talk about TEN State Championships… in a row! That is what our Girls’ Tennis program achieved just this past year! Coach Dave Hawley celebrated his 52nd State Title in October, 10th in a row coaching our Girls’ Tennis program, and the six players who sealed the deal are all top players in their own right with a combined 70+ years of experience.

Hannah Geoffroy and Sydney Lair knew heading into last season that this State Championship could be a special one. “We wanted to win no matter what – it didn’t shape how we played but it was more of a push to win. We would’ve played the same tennis, but the 10th in a row was an extra reward at the end,” Geoffroy said.

Lauren Shea Conrad, Riley Ruffin, Stephanie Gentile, and Sallie Lair operated all season with their typical drive, too. “We always wanted to win,” Ruffin said.

With a deep bench, though, any prospect of a State Championship “pushed all of us to work harder to earn those spots” in the top six.

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Heading into the State Tournament, all six players said, of course, their mindset was “to win!” And win they did. Now on the other side of that 10th championship in a row, the girls are thankful to have been part of Collegiate’s and Coach Hawley’s legacy. Collegiate is fortunate to have a strong pool of players, but Coach Hawley elevates top talent year after year to bring home trophy after trophy.

“It was cool that we got to be on that team for him,” Ruffin said.

“I really enjoyed playing for Coach Hawley. He’s one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. Very funny,” Conrad said.

Conrad, Geoffroy, Sydney Lair, and Ruffin are all seniors, while we still get Gentile and Sallie Lair for another season next year. Regardless of class, though, each player (and countless more, undoubtedly) thanked Coach Hawley for her time at Collegiate and time at State. It’s special to bring home a championship, and especially so for a coach as decorated and yet down-to-earth as Hawley.

Here’s to the next ten championships and beyond for our tennis programs. Go Spartans!

ALUMNI BOARD

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT // Katie Hill Leiding '04

Collegiate is much more than a school - it’s a family.

It’s a community of people dedicated to pushing the next generation to greatness. Our alumni are a special piece of this community, and I am honored to serve as this year’s Alumni Board President.

The Alumni Board works hard throughout the year to enhance opportunities for our students and connect with other alumni. To make the Collegiate experience a reality for as many students as we can, we maintain a $1,000,000 Alumni Endowment for assistance through Indexed Tuition.

Last year, our alumni raised $176,280.68, allowing us to help renovate the old Middle School locker rooms over the summer. THANK YOU to all of you who donated to make this a realty. Trust me; it was not a moment too soon! They looked, and smelled, like they did when I was a student!

I’m thrilled to share that the 19th Annual WCS Golf Classic in August was our second-best ever. Thank you to those who sponsored, donated, played, and volunteered, as you made it all possible. Our staff ensures it’s a great time, so plan to join us next year!

Many members of the Class of 2018 made it back to the first Homecoming, and we were thrilled with the turnout from alumni of all ages, many of whom came for reunions and the WCS Alumni BBQ. Beating Cheney was icing on the cake!

One of our favorite traditions on the Alumni Board is welcoming our newest alumni to the Alumni Association. When college mid-terms rolled around, the Class of 2018 received special care packages from the Alumni Association. We stuffed packages with all students needed to survive their exams, including ramen noodles, candy, and handwritten notes from faculty wishing them well.

For 2018-2019, the Alumni Board is focusing our fundraising efforts on supporting the Collegiate Annual Fund Effort, also known as the CAFE. We love that WCS uses these funds to enhance students’ learning experiences. I hope you will all join me in contributing to CAFE and helping this new generation of Spartans!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Alumni Board President!

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SPOTLIGHT

ALUMNI Alex Sappok ’00: Lessons from the classroom This article focuses on lessons from the classroom and how they shaped the future of one Collegiate alum.

credit in large part to the academic foundation and work ethic developed at Collegiate.

Life at Collegiate: I started at Collegiate in 1987 in kindergarten. One of my earliest memories at WCS was Mrs. Myers teaching me to tie my shoes, epitomizing the saying - all I really need to know, I learned in kindergarten. It was in those days that I met

Following undergrad, I moved to Boston where I attended graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At MIT, I held the CumminsMIT Fellowship, receiving S.M. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in business from MIT’s Sloan School. My research at MIT focused on using synthetic diesel fuels to improve engine efficiency and developing technologies to reduce engine emissions. Many of the technologies we evaluated in the lab ended up in production vehicles in the mid-2000s, reducing harmful particle emissions by an order of magnitude.

Over the course of my research career, I have authored over 40 journal and peer-reviewed publications. I also now hold a dozen issued patents in the fields of energy efficiency, emissions systems, and advanced sensing.

some of my closest friends and, although we didn’t know it at the time, twelve of us would graduate together as “lifers” with the Class of 2000.

From those early beginnings, my career at Collegiate included a healthy dose of academics, eventually graduating as valedictorian, balanced with active involvement in athletics, including state-championship tennis teams, and extracurriculars on and off campus.

Collegiate’s rigorous academics really pushed me to develop a strong work ethic and an endless curiosity to never stop learning. Balancing the demands of the classroom with a host of activities on and off the athletic field provided a well-rounded foundation, which continues to serve me well to this day.

A vivid memory that sticks out in my mind, which embodies this balance, was a state weightlifting meet my senior year. The meet started early on a cold, fall Saturday morning, but James Knight (’00) and I arrived late, having taken the SAT II exams at WSU earlier in the day. By the time we got there, late into the meet, a number of medals had already been handed out. I remember James, without warming up and still wearing his khakis and polo shirt, beating the top lift of the day on his first attempt. By the time we were done, many of the medals had to be returned and redistributed.

Life after Collegiate: I attended Kansas State University, graduating with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in German. While at KSU, I received a scholarship to study abroad for one year at the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland. Moving to a foreign country where I knew no one, attending engineering classes in German, and working in a world-class R&D institute was an incredible experience, the success of which I 28

It was also at MIT that I had the opportunity to pursue my passion for entrepreneurship, founding an automotive tech company, which was spun out of the university in 2008. The company, FST, developed radio frequency (RF) sensors, and gained early traction with development partners including Corning, Daimler, Cummins, and Fiat-Chrysler. By 2015, the company had grown in Boston to the point where we needed to scale in order to support the demands of our OEM customers and FST was acquired by CTS Corporation (NYSE: CTS), a global manufacturer of sensors and electronic systems.

Founding and leading FST from startup through acquisition was an incredible rollercoaster. I’ve logged more airline miles than I care to admit, building relationships with auto manufacturers in Japan, Germany, Sweden, South Korea, China, the UK, and the U.S. At the end of the day, seeing something that started as an idea develop into a product has been an extremely rewarding experience. Today, I am responsible for the RF sensing business at CTS and spend my free time actively advising and mentoring other tech startups through MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service (VMS).

Lessons from the Classroom: “F - See me after class,” was the note written in bold red ink on the first page of my essay on the causes of the French Revolution in Dr. Nixon’s AP European History class my junior year.

Flipping through the paper, I saw each of the last five pages crossed out with a large red “X”. Having spent days researching, editing, and writing (he had only asked for five pages, but I had written ten), I was as perplexed and disappointed as Ralphie in the movie A Christmas Story after receiving a C+ for his essay on the Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun.

Standing in front of Dr. Nixon’s desk after class, all he said was “Go home and watch the first scene of A River Runs Through It.” Puzzled by this request, I stopped by Blockbuster Video at the corner of 21st and Rock after school. The opening scene shows a minister instructing his young son in the art of writing.

The boy approaches his father’s desk with a sheet of paper. After studying the writing for a minute, the minister crosses out several sentences, hands the paper back to his son and says, “Half as long.” This process repeats until the minister is satisfied and then says, “Good, now throw it away.”

After watching that scene, something finally clicked.

Dr. Nixon had asked for a five-page essay, NOT the ten-page novel I had written. Clearly and concisely conveying a message, “making it twice as good and half as long,” was the challenge. All of the extra pages I had written counted for nothing, and indeed were the easy way out. Although I took his message to heart, it would be reinforced time and time again over the course of my career.

Many years later at MIT, the approach of distilling complex concepts to their essence, describing and presenting them clearly and concisely, was drummed into all of the graduate students in the department.

During the annual doctoral qualifying exams, where candidates work out open-ended problems on the chalkboard in front of a committee of professors, one in particular was famous for insisting, “If you can’t explain it to a kindergartner, you don’t really understand it.” Thank you, Mrs. Myers.

Learning to write, to communicate effectively, was one of the key skills I learned at Collegiate, thanks to the patience and persistence of teachers like Dr. Nixon, Mrs. Yeargan, and Mr. Mykel. Jack Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group, one of the world’s largest

investment companies, echoed this sentiment when he returned to his high school, Blair Academy, in 2018. “It was at Blair that I learned to use the English language and how to write. My teachers spent so much time with me, mostly with a red pen. The result is that my writing ability, among other things, enabled me to go to Princeton and start Vanguard and watch it grow into a colossus.”

In an era where communication increasingly occurs through electronic means, via texts and tweets, marked by sequences of incomprehensible acronyms and cartoons, the value of clear and concise writing is more important than ever. Whether defending my thesis, pitching ideas to investors, writing proposals, or negotiating commercial contracts, the skills I learned during those formative years at WCS have been invaluable. To all those teachers, coaches, and classmates who have shaped Collegiate into the amazing place that it is – Thank You. And thank you most of all to my parents, who sacrificed much to make it all possible.

Alex resides in Newton, MA with his wife Heidi. He can be reached at: asappok@outlook.com.

2017/2018 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

BOARD MEMBERS

Katie Hill Leiding ’04.......................................... President

Kamri Phox Phillipi ’10............................. Board Member

Matt Maloney ’94..................................... President- Elect

Morgan Wilson Overman ’96................ Board Member

Phoebe Stokley Hart ’95....... Immediate Past President

Rebecca Rolph ’94................................... Board Member

Jeff Boone ’94............................................ Board Member

Brooke Stokley Finan ’92....................... Board Member

April Claassen Shellhouse ’05.............. Board Member

Barb Stokley................................Faculty Representative

Doug Coe ’04............................................. Board Member Deanna Dakhil Ternes ’96...................... Board Member JK Dillehay ’02........................................... Board Member Thomas Greaves ’07................................. Board Member Katie Hatfield Gunzelman ’07............... Board Member

Sarah Jervis.................Former Faculty Representative Trey Anderson ’05......... Out-of-Town Representative Blaine Schultz ’89........... Out-of-Town Representative Amar Shah ’02................. Out-of-Town Representative Tom Davis...........................................................Headmaster

Amy Johnson ’07...................................... Board Member

Lisa Schooler.................... Director of Alumni Relations & Digital Media

Mallory Jones Farha ’01.......................... Board Member

Joan Siefkes Moore ’84...... Director of Advancement

Adam Kennedy ’00.................................. Board Member

Randy Love ’67...................... Honorary Board Member

Lauren Messamore ’08............................ Board Member

Randy Storms ’74.................. Honorary Board Member 29

SAVE THE DATE

WICHITA COLLEGIATE

Golf Classic FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 2019

For sponsorship information contact Lisa Schooler at lschooler@wcsks.com

LUNCH SPONSORS

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

HOLE-IN-ONE SPONSORS

DRINK CART SPONSORS

Brown Flaming Wealth Management Group Ruse M. Brown 30

Vice President Wealth Management

HOLE SPONSORS Bank SNB a division of Simmons Bank Dillehay Orthodontics Murfin Drilling Company Inc. Paulseen Financial Group Hinkle Law Firm LLC Trusts and Estate Group JS Ventures, Inc. dba Applebee’s

HOLE SPONSORS Intrust Bank Nichols Investment Group UBS Financial Services Premier Processing, LLC Metal Finishing Co. Inc. Oral and Maxillofacial Allocations, LLC Gallagher GIFT/SILENT AUCTION SPONSORS

GIFT/SILENT AUCTION SPONSORS

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Julie Wormhoudt ’71 Julie Wormhoudt now has a winter home in Lake Chapala, Mexico.

Grace Kruger Adam ’76 Grace and her family are still in Nebraska where her husband Mark is a veterinarian. Her parents, Harold and Susan Kruger, moved up for assistance. Harold passed away on June 23, 2018, and the family had a wonderful memorial service in September.

Several from Collegiate came up for that and the Kruger family appreciated that so much. Mom Susan lives in an independent apartment and will turn 90 in April! An update on Grace's children: Suzanna and Matthew Stagemeyer live in Overland Park, Kansas, with Elijah, Michael, and Violet; Levi and Brooke Adam live in Wilcox, Nebraska, with Truly, Tell, and Lively; Zachary and Staci Adam live in Hyannis, Nebraska, with Braxton and Kyson where Zachary is a Sandhills veterinarian; and Olivia and Rob Nichols live in St. Joseph, Missouri. "We are blessed," Grace says. "Good memories of Collegiate. Always enjoy our reunions!"

John Humphreys ’78 John Humphreys is about 30 minutes south of Savannah and would love to see any and all classmates if they are in the area.

It was great seeing so many at the 40th Reunion!

Laurie Cusick Newton ’86 Laurie Cusick married Mark Newton on September 20, 2018.

She works for Wichita USD259.

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Jeremy Doughty ’94 Jeremy Doughty joined Charter Communications (Spectrum) as a Systems Engineer II in December 2018 in Broomfield, Colorado.

This follows suit with his former experience with Cisco as a Video Engineer.

Samara Taher ’95 Samara Taher and her husband, Ajay David, lost their beloved baby daughter Dessa to a condition known as necrotizing entercolitis.

Dessa was born prematurely on January 13, 2018, and passed away four weeks later. To remember Dessa’s resilience and the huge footprints she made with her tiny feet, Samara and Ajay have created the Dessa Taher David Preeclampsia Research Fund.

For more information on this taxdeductible fund, please contact Samara at treo_me@yahoo.com.

Marc Paxton ’97 Marc Paxton attended WCS from 5th grade through 10th grade, but has remained a loyal Spartan to this day! He even traveled from Dallas in 1997 to attend the prom for what would have been his senior year at Collegiate. Since then, he has lived in South Korea, received bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and beat stage-four brain cancer.

He also managed to get married and have 5 kids, too. It’s easy for him to look back and see that the five years he spent at WCS were critical to his development; the academic education he received was top-notch, but the choir, art, theater, and sports made it the whole package.

Devin Sikes ’01 Devin Sikes works as an attorney on appellate and international trade law matters in Washington, D.C., for the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP. The firm recently promoted him to counsel. SuperLawyers also named Devin a 2019 “Rising Star” in D.C., a peer-nominated accolade reserved for the top 2.5 percent of attorneys nationwide.

His wife, Sheebani, continues to excel as Senior Manager, Public

Exchanges for Kaiser Permanente in D.C., and their son Bodhi celebrated his first birthday last November.

Parker Mitchell '02 and Grant Mitchell '04 Parker Mitchell and Grant Mitchell are the new owners of Gentry Ltd. Menswear at The Waterfront, having purchased the business from Britt Fulmer on August 31, 2018. Parker is taking the role of President and will run daily operations, while Grant is an investor and will consult on strategic efforts. Former owner Britt will stay on full time doing the same things he’s done in the last 42 years, providing extraordinary service to his loyal clientele, while Parker will bring new energy and style to grow the business. The brothers plan to grow the fashion selection while keeping an eye to tradition and expand Gentry’s social media presence. They look forward to assisting WCS students for Prom and Homecoming tux rentals, or their first job interview suit, as well as dressing the WCS dads in their menswear attire!

Ruse Brown ’03 Ruse Brown has been named to the Top 35 Under 35 for UBS Financial Services in 2018.

CLASS NOTES Candice Farha Wilson ’07 Candice Farha married Jeffrey Wilson on January 26, 2019. Both have moved to Wichita recently after accepting positions at law firms in town. Jeffrey is at Hinkle Law Firm and Candice is at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP.

Megan Greaves Geherin ’03 Megan Greaves Geherin and Patrick Geherin welcomed another daughter, Claire Violet Geherin, on January 10, 2019.

She weighed in at 7 pounds and 6 ounces and 21 inches long.

Ella (age 10) is thrilled to be a big sister, and the Geherins are enjoying life as a family of 4 in Denver, Colorado.

Thomas Honton ’03 Thomas Honton co-owns and cocreated the Museum of Selfies in Glendale, California. The response was so great that they moved it to a location in Hollywood. He designed the history display, hired artists to build scenes, and built some of the scenes himself that visitors can take a selfie in. They have the world’s longest selfie stick, trick mirrors in a bathroom scene, and many other settings.

For more information, go to https://museumofselfies.com.

Jacquie Koepsel Schmidt ’03 Jacquie Koepsel Schmidt and her husband Wyatt welcomed Lachlan Robert Schmidt on November 1, 2018.

Katie Hill Leiding ’04 Katie Hill Leiding and husband Tony welcomed Jameson Blair Leiding on October 16, 2018. He joins big brother Lincoln at home.

Julianna Strickland Greenman ’04 Julianna Strickland Greenman married David Greenman on September 1, 2018, in Los Angeles, CA. David is a film and TV writer and Julianna is a producer and owns a home organization business. Wedding highlights included a giant handmade wedding cake piñata, a surprise serenade from David (of Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best”), and heartfelt and hilarious speeches from family and friends (including Julianna’s childhood Collegiate friends Elizabeth Frels, Rachel Henning, and Sabine Stones of the same Class of 2004).

Missy Haines Draper ’05 Missy Haines Draper and her husband, David, welcomed a baby girl on July 5, 2018. Elliana (Ellie) Jane Draper was 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 20.25 inches long.

Mom and Dad are in awe of God’s grace, mercy, and miracles!

Austin and Niki Caro Bakri ’08 Niki Caro Bakri and Austin Bakri had a little boy they named Grayson Matthew Bakri. He was 7 lbs, 15.9 ounces and 20” long. They celebrated his first birthday on January 5, 2019.

Recently Austin has taken over management and operations for all eight Sola Salons franchises and Niki hopes to return to work full time in early 2019.

Jessica Ball Dibble ’08 Jessica Ball Dibble and Dustin Dibble welcomed Brooks Michael Dibble on March 8, 2018. Brooks weighed 6.9 pounds and was 20” long.

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CLASS NOTES Andrew Foulston ’08 Andrew Foulston married Alexandra “Nicki” Rose November 1, 2018, in Eastborough Park, Wichita, Kansas. Nicki works at Foulston Siefkin LLP, and Andrew works at Hutton & Hutton LLC.

Chelsea Ayres Priest ’08 Chelsea Priest, husband Derek and son Parker welcomed new baby boy Jesse Priest on September 17, 2018. The family lives in Dallas, where Chelsea is an attorney with McKool Smith.

Carrie Johnson Lang ’08 Carrie Johnson Lang and Michael Lang welcomed a baby girl, Tatum Grace, on February 8, 2018, in Enid, Oklahoma. She weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and was 19.5 inches long.

Ann Jankowski ’09 Ann Jankowski became engaged to Matthew Lambart in 2018. She moved to England, which is his home country. They are due to be married in the fall of 2020 in her parent’s hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Emilee Greenleaf ’10 Emilee Greenleaf got engaged to Gene Ross over Christmas 2018, and will be getting married in the fall of 2019.

Abigail Clem ’09 Abigail Clem became engaged to Jeff Miller on January 5, 2018. The wedding will be May 25, 2019.

SHARE YOUR NEWS! Send your professional or personal updates to Susan Klingenberg at sklingenberg@wcsks.com.

Wichita Collegiate School @WCSKS @Wichita_Collegiate_School

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ALUMNI

CLASS NOTES

REUNIONS

GRAND REUNION

CLASS OF 2008

The Class of 2008 celebrated their 10-year reunion in September by visiting Collegiate and attending the homecoming football game. The following night, everyone got together at The Hill for a night of food, drinks, and fun. It was a blast catching up, reminiscing with classmates, and learning where life has taken everyone 10 years after Collegiate.

CLASS OF 1998

The Class of 1998 had their 20-year reunion in September.

The event was a big success with almost half of the class attending, including classmates who traveled from the east and west coasts. Alumni enjoyed the football game with a tailgate on Friday night, and enjoyed socializing at Central Standard Brewery on Saturday night. It was great to see so many old friends catching up and sharing unforgettable memories.

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