Circle of Gold

Wichita Collegiate School wishes to honor the inductees of the 2019 Circle of Gold!

The Circle of Gold endeavors to honor individuals who have been educational “architects” of Wichita Collegiate School. Such individuals may have initiated a vision that helped define us, provided leadership and support that enabled our development, directed broad-based change, or ensured that students were the benefactors of the wisdom within our collective “four walls.” An individual must no longer be associated with Wichita Collegiate School on a dayto-day basis in order to be considered for the honor of the Circle of Gold. Inductions began in 1998 and are made every five years to coincide with the school’s anniversary celebrations.

Many thanks to our 2019 honorees (from left): Bunny Hill, Rick Koch, Laura Madison ’83, Jenny Paulseen, Gale Farmer, Sarah Jervis, David Lawrence, Brigitte Hourani, Charlie Chandler, and Rae Thiel. You each left indelible marks on our school, and continue to influence us even now. We are so grateful to you!

Gale Farmer joined the WCS faculty in 1979 and taught Algebra I through advanced coursework. Gale was the US Academic Dean and Math Department Chair, and was committed to academic excellence; he built up the department to include classes through Calculus BC, and MultiVariable Calculus and Differential Equations, both of which are beyond the AP level. Gale was also the inspiration behind the popular decade-long Interim in the Upper School. He and his wife, Louise, sent three children to Collegiate - Brian, Chris '92 and Kim Bahre '99. He retired from the faculty in 2014. Rick Koch was on the WCS faculty from 1964 to 1975, and he and his wife, Barbara, sent all three of their children to Collegiate - Jay '76, Sara Jernigan '80, and Cory. Rick taught math in the Upper School and coached teams in football and swimming. His calculus class outlined the Spartan football field as it still stands today. Sarah Jervis joined the faculty in 1987 and was the parent to two Spartans, John Ziegelmeyer III '98, and Anne Farrar '00. Madame taught the beautiful language of French and chaired the department for many years. She retired from teaching in 2009. Laura Madison '83 was a Collegiate "lifer" who came back to her Alma Mater to work with learning different students and to establish the first learning lab from 2008 to 2014. Laura is the mother of Sage '13, Nick, and Dolly Farha. Laura and Sage hold the distinction of being the only motherdaughter duo to receive the Headmaster's Award their senior years. Charlie Chandler and his wife, Marla, are parents to four Spartans - Chuck '00, Alex Coltrain ’04, Sam '07, and Elizabeth. They are now grandparents at WCS. Charlie served as a Trustee on the Board starting in 1998, and served as Chair of the Board for eight years until 2007. Jenny Paulseen joined the Collegiate faculty in 1982 and retired in 2007. She is a current grandparent to Hadley, Tripp, and Brann, as well as mother to two alumni - Aeramy Porter '93 and Brandon Paulseen '96. Jenny created the Early Childhood Library, and today it fittingly bears her name. Brigitte Hourani, or Frau Hourani, taught at Collegiate starting in 1987. She taught German and French in the Lower School until she retired in 2010. She and husband Alif are parents of three Collegiate alumni – Christina Shuart ’99, Christian Hourani '02, and Andrew Hourani '09. They are also currently the proud grandparents of two Spartans. Rae Thiel was a faculty member from 1979 to 2015 and taught for years with her husband, Russ. Rae was a member of the US Math Department and the Math Department Chair following Gale Farmer. She wrote and taught from her own Pre-Calculus text book, and served as the Faculty Sponsor for Freshman Dinner Theater, coordinated graduation for years, and kept statistics for countless Spartan teams. She and Russ have two Spartan graduates - sons Matt '92 and Kyle '95. Dr. David Lawrence started teaching at Collegiate in 1971, and he and wife Alice sent two sons to WCS – Jim '82 and Jon '87. Dr. Lawrence was the Chair of the History and Christian Studies Departments until he moved and left Collegiate in 1986. He later went on to teach as a History Professor at Lipscomb University in Nashville. While at WCS, Dr. Lawrence gave many Upper School students their first introduction to traveling in Europe on his summer tours.

Bunny Hill joined the WCS faculty in 1972 as a 6th Grade Teacher and quickly moved "up the ranks" as an English teacher, becoming US Dean of Students, Head of Middle School, and Acting Headmaster, until she retired as the Assistant Headmaster in 2014. She authored the school's 50th Anniversary Book and was inducted into the Kansas Association of Independent and Religious Schools (KAIRS) Hall of Fame in 2005. Bunny was named National Middle School Principal of the Year, and established Duke TIP and faculty development programs at WCS like SEED, First Days of School, and Teaching Collegiate Students with Learning Differences. Bunny is mom to three WCS alumni – Hamilton ’94, Harrison '97, and Katie Leiding '04 – and a WCS grandparent to Lincoln.