Windward Magazine Winter/Spring 2023

Page 1

WINDWARD

Designing for the Future MAGAZINE

(UN)COMMON THREADS

WINTER/SPRING 2023

HOT OFF THE DRESS— FROM NEWS RACK TO RUNWAY

Visual and Media Art student Lorelei Toley ‘25 is taking wearable art to the next level with a dress she designed entirely from newspapper clippings for Windward's Interdisciplinary Studio 1 Art class. Turn to Page 24 to learn more about how she executed her vision from start to finish.

Cover Story
WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 01
Photography: Hannah Northenor '99, Windward Photography Teacher

Dawn Barrett Associate Head of School for Advancement, Finance, and Operations

Michael Bognanno Director of Advancement Services

Service Learning

Allies for Every Child

Thanksgiving Basket

Kicks and Cocoa Shoe Drive

Toy Drive Connecting: PATH

Families to Windward families

Rustic Pathways: Jack Luirette '25

Whitney Burke Director of Communications and Public Relations

Jeff Gilder ’08

Director of Alumni Development and Engagement; Associate Director of Admissions

Ashley Goodman

Director of Service Learning; Associate Director of Admissions, DEIB

Jeff Lake Assistant Director of Communications

Lindsay Knaub

Director of Development and Engagement

Jamey McElvain-Whitman Graphic Designer; Brand Strategist

Robin Pickett

Director of Windward Network; Associate Director of Admissions

Jacqueline Varney Director of Development and Major Gifts

La Donna Wertlieb

Director of Development & Donor Services

Design & Layout

Akiko Nimura

Multimedia Specialist

Photography

Brandon Kirk Photography

Hudson Janow ‘23

Leonardo Viola '25

Corey Marquetti

Akiko Nimura

TABLE OF CONTENTS WINTER/SPRING 2023 From the Head of School A Letter from Tom Gilder Visual & Media Arts Hot Off the Dress: Lorelei Toley ‘25 The Gold Standard: The Scholastic Art Awards All American High School Film Festival Podcasts in the Classroom Windward Network Mixing it Up Windward Network’s Second Annual Holiday Mixer Alumni Back on Campus: Young Alumni Lunch
Packaging Alumni Spotlight - Barry Turbow '89 Alumni Spotlight - Willow Karfiol ’14 and Hayden Rosenthal ’14 Athletics Committing to Athletic Excellence Upper School Athletics Middle School Athletics Middle School Cross Country Community Wildcats Connect During Spirit Week Grandparents and Special Friends Brunch Founders’ Day Faculty and Staff Faculty and Staff Milestones Academics A Joint Lesson in History and Economics World Language Program Guest Speaker: Natasha Bluth Shark Tank Windward Fund Windward Fund Donor Roll Volunteer Spotlight Innovation Campaign Innovation Campaign Update Innovation Campaign Donor Roll
spotlight: Fashion ClubSam Snow ‘24 / Cece Terpening ‘25 Mathlete Club- Charlie Van Hook ‘23 Student Spotlights Finding Her Match: Meiyi Wang '23 Where She Belongs: Estée Brooks ’27 A World of Difference: Jaden Anselmo ’23 History in Action: Brooke Ruttenberg ’23
Care
Well-Being Retreats Club
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Community Conversations Tales at the Table Hispanic Heritage Month Hanukkah Celebration
Building
Books Performing Arts Spring Awakening W!T Faculty Match Bringing Down The House: Fall Coffee House 5 6 8 10 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 32 33 52 54 59 60 63 64 66 67 68 70 36 38 39 40 42 44 45 46 48 49 50 51 Advancement
Community Through
Office Contributions
6 36 10 46 12 49 66 WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 03 02 - TABLE OF CONTENTS

A LETTER FROM Tom Gilder

As I look at the 2022-23 school year, it’s been wonderful to see our campus return to the bustling community we know and love, one made up of vibrant on-campus interactions and rich educational opportunities. From updates to familiar favorites like Tales at the Table to the reintroduction of longstanding staples such as Back to School Night, we have finally been able to focus on what matters most—fostering a sense of growth and belonging amongst all members of our community.

Building long standing relationships through connection has always been a key tenet of the Windward experience, and this year began with a number of opportunities to connect. Spirit Week had the whole community energized, the week-long festivities culminating with our first Homecoming Football game since 2019 (page 6). We also held our first Grandparents and Special Friends Brunch in over three years, and the incredible turnout proved that this treasured Windward event was well worth the wait (page 8). Along with our Founders’ Day celebration (page 10) and DEIB events celebrating Lunar New Year, Black History Month, and more (page 32), the sense of shared experience and belonging across our community has never felt stronger thanks to the tireless efforts of our parent committee members and Windward volunteers.

This year has been marked with excitement as we continue to work together to provide an innovative learning environment that allows students to feel inspired by their surroundings and supported in their pursuit of knowledge. I’m proud of where we’ve come from, and I’m beyond thrilled to see where we’re going. From group milestones to individual successes, this year we have seen our students take charge in ways that have been nothing less than inspiring. In the classroom, students went from teaming up for lessons to leading them. That sense of collaboration also extended to our Performing Arts and Visual & Media Arts programs, which came together to find unique ways to push their respective mediums (page 24).

If our students have taught us anything, it’s that the way forward is always up. We have made incredible progress in the next phase of our Innovation Campaign, raising 75% of the total needed for funding (page 60). Through the tremendous support of our talented Steering Committee and our Windward com-

munity, this massive milestone has provided us the opportunity to begin construction on the Milken Family Community Gathering Plaza and the Innovation & Arts Center later this year.

As our Innovation Campaign comes full circle, and we prepare to embark on a new and exciting chapter, we will continue to uphold our educational promise of providing students a dynamic environment that encourages critical thinking and sparks curiosity and exploration. We remain profoundly grateful for those who have supported our community. Our return to normalcy has served as a welcome reminder as to why we do what we do each and every day. I look forward to continuing to partner with you every step of the way.

WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 05 04 - COMMUNITY FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Wildcats Connect During Spirit Week

No October chill here—Windward’s 2022 Spirit Week turned up the heat! From October 25-28, students dressed up each day in themed garb to earn points for their class and competed in games and activities throughout the week to earn raffle tickets and prizes. The week ended with a lively Pep Rally, culminating in the first Homecoming Football game since 2019. Although the Class of 2023 ultimately prevailed in the Class Competition, with so many “winners” throughout the week, students, faculty and parents alike all got into the spirit—pun intended!

“The whole idea of Spirit Week is to create connections!” said Frances Jones, Windward’s Senior Associate Director of Athletics. Frances is integral to the success of this week-long event, where a Spirit Committee of dedicated parents and faculty, including Amanda Troughton, Lindsay Knaub, and Windward’s Facilities team, spent nearly six months organizing the fun.

Raina Rosenblum, Parent Guild VP and parent leader of the Spirit Committee, agrees this community-building event is “a fun respite from the daily routine in an environment conducive

to building meaningful connections.” Raina’s team of devoted parent volunteers included Lisa Alpern, Lani Farar, Portia Furst, Jen Gordon, Samantha Remeny, Jaime Schwartzberg and Robyn Sidoti, along with countless day-of parents who came to support the activities all week long.

Tuesday kicked off the festivities with Pajama/Anything But a Backpack Day. Wildcats came with their rolling in suitcases, shopping carts, strollers, giant trash cans and even a pet carrier! With cozy lounge furniture, blankets, and pillows on Foley Field, everyone got into the spirit, enjoying a waffle bar provided by CulinArt and a lunchtime contest for Most Creative.

Jersey/Carnival Day barrelled in on Wednesday where Wildcats wore their favorite team jerseys and enjoyed carnival games staffed by parents. The campus was truly alive, as parents, faculty and students gathered on the Bridge for a chance to win raffle tickets and stuffed animal prizes. Students built balloon animals in the CREATE Studio, and a Middle School Service Learning event ended the day.

Wildcats showed off their school pride during Spirit Week October 25-28 with daily competition between classes

Wildcats brought the sun and fun on Thursday with Tropical Beach Day, wearing their beach gear and lounging tropical style. There were limbo games, pie and watermelon eating contests and beach-worthy activities in the CREATE Studio. The day ended with a Girls Volleyball game and MAFL Halloween Movie Night 40th anniversary screening of E.T.

The heat was on for Friday’s Class Colors and Competition & Pep Rally in support of our Football team and game against Sage Hill. With 7th Grade in the lead all week long, the Seniors put their game hats on and ended with the win. Although suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Sage Hill, every Wildcat came out on top, enjoying a spirit sale with personalized gear and delicious food trucks. The raffle pull brought everyone out on the field for gift certificates to Pizzana, Sugarfish, Uovo and more, as well as the chance to get amazing seats to a Lakers game. The grand prize? Tickets to see Post Malone!

“The week helps create a sense of camaraderie and a sense of school pride and provides an opportunity for our students to feel creative and bring a sense of joy to the campus,” says Frances. Raina concurs that Spirit Week “is an opportunity for Windward students, faculty and parents to experience firsthand what makes Windward so special, and why we all belong here.”

WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 07 06 - COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

YoungHeartat

Windward Celebrates Grandparents and Special Friends Brunch

After a three-year hiatus, Windward was thrilled to welcome back its Grandparents and Special Friends Brunch in the Lewis Jackson Memorial Sports Complex. Guests traveled from as far as Michigan, New York, and Canada for the chance to visit Windward and join their grandchildren for breakfast. They were welcomed by Head of School Tom Gilder and heard from Juniors Max Trilling and Yaya Toubassy, who shared their Windward experiences. Guests were also treated to spectacular music performances by Windward’s Chamber Orchestra and Advanced Jazz Ensemble.

Following the brunch, Grandparents and Special Friends enjoyed touring the Windward campus with their grandchildren. It was delightful to see the two generations enjoying spending time together!

WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 09 08 - COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

Our Past, Our Future Celebrating Inspiring

Founders’ Day 2023

On January 27, Windward celebrated the ongoing legacy of the School with a special Founders' Day extravaganza. Founders’ Day takes place during an extended Lunch period every January and looks to connect students and faculty with the rich history and core principles of the School over the past 50+ years. It also serves as a way to honor one of the founders of Windward School, Shirley Windward, and her love for poetry and the arts.

Parent Guild volunteers served cake pops and Shirley Temples, and service learning and arts projects took place on the Bridge. All the while, students, teachers, and alumni expressed their creativity through song, poetry, and spoken word.

A job well done to all of the Founders' Day performers:

Speed Limit - Everybody Talks

Sunday Kelly '28

Eden Adams '27

Lily Richardson '28

Kaleo Knight '26 & Mollie Garner '26

Wyatt Peers '23

Elliot Bobrow '23

Daisy Harkin-Goodrich '26

Ellliot Yun '27

Amanda Solomon '23

Ashley Renselaer '23

Drew Beerman '24, Leo Ross '24 & Evan Farar '24

Hudson Brown '23

Low Orbit - Leila

Founders’ Day would not be possible without the tireless efforts of our Founders’ Day Parent Guild Committee and countless community members. A special thank you to the following:

Lisa Lewin

Juliet Oh (Executive Committee)

Jennifer Wallace

Michelle Watkins

Liz Waters

Windward Deans

Windward Events

Windward Facilities

WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 11 10 - COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

SPRING AWAKENING

- Directors' Note -

working on Spring Awakening has been our greatest honor and privilege. It is such a unique piece, which manages to encapsulate the breadth of the adolescent experience: curiosity, anxiety, sexuality, loneliness, love, and confusion. For us, Spring Awakening is the embodiment of prioritizing a place of belonging for our students in order to nurture their authentic selves.

This is a show that we have both loved ever since we saw the original cast on Broadway. Spring Awakening is one of the few shows that speaks truthfully about the teenage experience of awakening. We’ve approached this show with the idea that awakenings are periods of growth that if nurtured can bring each of us closer to our most honest selves. If an awakening is hampered, that growth is stunted which can have a profound negative effect. Our hope is that this production of Spring Awakening serves as a conversation starter as each of us can examine our own responsibility in being a nurturing and supportive community.

As our own students grapple with so many transitions during this period of time in high school, they have been able to bring their own unique perspectives to the characters and circumstances of this show. We have been so inspired by their vulnerability and commitment to telling this story right now. Our youth have been through so much over the past couple of years. Working on Spring Awakening has propelled us to continue to create theatre that takes risks, is reflective of the human experience, and is inclusive of a variety of voices.

We feel so lucky to have been able to work with each other as directors of Spring Awakening. In this partnership, we have such deep respect for each other’s artistic vision and are grateful to be able to give our student artists even more care, attention, and guidance. We are grateful to work with so many talented theatrical professionals which elevates our work and gives our students the opportunity to learn from experts in each area of focus.

As we prepared to introduce this material to our community, we prioritized having an intimacy director guide our students and ourselves through the difficult material. This work highlighted and supported the ideas of consent, boundaries, and freedom of expression in a nurturing and safe environment.

This show is dedicated to our brave and honest cast and crew that have dedicated so much of themselves in order to bring this important story to our community. As directors, we had expectations of what this production could be and this particular group of student artists has wholly exceeded this for us. They consistently contributed their genuine voices, held space for each other and celebrated each other’s growth and vulnerability. When striving to foster a place of belonging at Windward, these individuals have shown us that theatre is not just about putting on beautiful productions; rather, it can serve the higher purpose of creating a safe and dynamic space of openness, trust, and friendship.

With gratitude, Jordan Fox and James Patric Moran

12 - PERFORMING ARTS WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 13 PERFORMING ARTS

W!T, BACK AT IT!

This year W!T jumped back into improv as if all the Covid restrictions and adjustments from the past couldn’t stop us. With high expectations and hopes for our very large Senior class, which is 14 strong, we kicked off our first show in September with our favorite faculty in the Faculty Match.

Guesting us for the first time was Zach Neufeld who accompanied us on piano and allowed us to explore musical improvisation again. In addition to bringing back our joyful short form competition style show, we reintroduced the students to long form improv. With special guest artists Brian Breiter and Jesse Mackey, nine Seniors rehearsed and performed a fully improvised 1940’s Murder Mystery Radio Play in full costumes and with live foley on stage. W!T has a total of three longform shows slated for the year, including the fan favorite Timebomb at the New Works Festival in February. We also have our annual Family Match in March, where students get to improvise with their family members. Fair warning, the Family Match is known for some parental Scum Box fouls and intense non-stop laughter!

BRINGINGTHEDOWN HOUSE

We are happy to share that our Improv programming has grown, which led to the hiring of Tirosh Schneider who is charged with teaching our Intro to Improv class. They have been a wonderful addition to our Performing Arts Department and community. Fun fact, Natasha taught Tirosh improv in high school and now gets to call them a colleague!

W!T has $5 shows monthly with 100% of the proceeds going to a different charity. We hope to see you at one of our remaining shows this year and next!

P.S. - You won’t want to miss the Senior Match on May 25, 2023 at 5pm. It’s always torturous fun!

This year’s annual Fall Coffee House marked a return to normalcy for the Performing Arts department. After years of modifying the event from online platforms to outdoor venues, we were able to hold our performance live and in-person as we had previously in the CTL. We heard a variety of student performing artists that played and sang both original works as well as covers of previously composed songs. Our Tri-M Honors Society ran the event with seamless precision and raised money for the charity Music Mends Minds.

Both shows included a variety of performers and ensembles from both Middle and Upper School. The second floor of the CTL was packed with an audience of parents, friends, and families who were all beaming with admiration. As we look towards the Spring, we are excited to hopefully expand Coffee House into two different days in order to showcase our graduating student artists as well as to open up the evening to a larger audience.

Scan the QR Code to view the Fall Coffee House setlist.

14 - PERFORMING ARTS WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 15 PERFORMING ARTS

Over the past four years, Meiyi Wang ’23 has made a name for herself on the Windward campus. As one of Windward’s top debaters (she reached nationals last year) she’s a force to be reckoned with in the classroom and at the lectern.

As a first generation college student, starting the college search process wasn’t easy. Not exactly sure what to look for in a college experience or how to decide on a major, Meiyi bounced back and forth between law and computer science, feeling as though neither really fit her interests well. It wasn’t until she attended a program at UPenn and was introduced to Wharton School of Business that she gained clarity regarding her future college experience.

“As someone who is first generation and low income, I hadn't even ever thought of the possibility that someone like me could do business. I had such a preconceived idea of who could do business, until I was introduced to Wharton. UPenn's Wharton School is the best business school in the country for a reason, and I think it genuinely largely contributes to how the school is constantly evolving alongside its students, to strive to be the most inclusive. I will be able to get a Bachelor of Science in Economics, as my

Where She Belongs

Estée Brooks ’27

Finding Her Match

Meiyi Wang '23

The 2023 QuestBridge National College Match connects high-achieving high school Seniors from diverse socio-economic backgrounds with full four-year scholarships to 48 of the nation’s best colleges. In January, Meiyi Wang ’23 was awarded a full scholarship to UPenn as part of the program.

baseline degree for all students, while being able to concentrate in a practical business field,” said Meiyi.

After learning about Wharton and its offerings, Meiyi took to social media to research different ways to afford college tuition. That’s when she stumbled upon information for the QuestBridge Match program.

“I initially thought it sounded too good to be true,” said Meiyi. But it was, in fact, a very real opportunity, and one that Meiyi jumped at. Out of 18,000 nationwide applicants, Meiyi was one of just 1,755 high school Seniors to receive a scholarship. When she received her scholarship notification, she felt both elated and relieved.

“The days leading up to Match Day were definitely nerve-wracking. I think there is a lot of misconception that this process is easy, when in reality, it’s the opposite. I had to put together a full college application by early September, hedging my bets on being able to make it as a Finalist, much less a matched student. The chances had just seemed slim so when I opened my portal on December 1, I stood there in complete shock before bursting into tears of happiness. Paying for college was always my big-

gest concern throughout high school, and to be able to say that I am the first in my family to go to college here with a full-ride scholarship, is a feeling indescribable. I'm so grateful to be given the opportunity.”

Meiyi credits her involvement in Windward Speech and Debate for giving her the confidence to participate in leadership opportunities, carry herself professionally in interviews, and apply as an economics and business major.

“Speech and debate allowed me to develop a critical view of the world that I'm living in, to constantly question the status quo, and the surrounding institutions. It gave me the skill that I value the most, which is the verbal ability to stand up for what I believe in, and allowed me to find a passion in social justice work.”

While the process has been a challenging one, the end result has been extremely rewarding for Meiyi. She encourages others like her to apply. “Never say it's impossible, never stop at rejection. I've had more rejections than I have acceptances and successes. Be proud of how far you've come, and stay confident.”

Most people don’t have character-defining moments at a mere five years old. Then again, most people aren’t Estée Brooks ’27. At that young age, and with the encouragement of her older sister, Sophie ‘22, Estée auditioned to join a local dance studio. The rest is history. “Initially, I resisted her efforts and was forced to attend the classes,” Estée remembers fondly. “Despite my initial reluctance, and some moments of tears, I immediately knew that dancing was where I belonged, and it would become my passion.”

Since that moment, dance has become a cornerstone in Estée’s life, something that has not gone unnoticed by her mentors at Windward. "Estée is so passionate about Dance; she has immersed herself fully in the Windward Dance program, along with continuing rigorous study at her outside study,” said Julie Friedrich, Performing Arts Teacher (Dance). “She is a true student of the craft, working daily to refine her skills and artistry, and through her participation in the Middle School Repertory Ensemble, it has been such a pleasure to watch her grow."

When not dancing at The Company, a studio that specializes in styles including ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and lyrical, Estée spends her time in her “second home,” the Windward Dance studio. Working with her peers on the recent Winter and Spring shows was a particularly rewarding experience, and Estée credits her instructors for creating a space where artists can thrive. “The Windward Dance faculty empower me and the other dancers to explore our own unique paths within the dance world and are not judgemental or limiting in their approach.” She continued, “In the Winter show, we were able to showcase the work of so many talented and inspiring choreographers whom I look up to. It is an incredible experience, and has been invaluable to my growth as a dancer. Being able to work so intimately with these choreographers in such a beautiful studio is a really incredible experience. In the Spring show, we are able to choreograph our own pieces, and express our creative side in dance, which is really important and enjoyable.”

As both a performer and a scholar, Estée understands all too well the challenges of maintaining balance in an active school environment. “If you use your time wisely and manage it well, the workload will not be too bad,” she shared. “If you can see you are really struggling with maintaining your academics, I would suggest meeting with your teacher and explaining your situation. They only want you to succeed. Taking a break from dancing, even if it’s just one day, is completely normal and healthy.”

As she enters the next chapter of her dance journey, Estée hopes that more young dancers put their fears aside and take a chance on the programs Windward has to offer. “Always remember that taking risks and stepping out of your comfort-zone is necessary for growth. And stay true to yourself regardless of others’ perceptions.”

16 - STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 17 STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS

A World of Difference Jaden Anselmo ’23

In the Summer of 2022, Jaden Anselmo ’23 was one of roughly 100 students from around the world selected to join the organization Global Encounters for a service learning project in Mombasa, Kenya. For three weeks, these students would be tasked with working at various schools around the region, working together to come up with sustainable ideas to benefit the younger students in their charge. With little to go on, Jaden arrived in Mombasa with zero expectations and a willingness to immerse himself in the experience.

Once acclimated, Jaden and 10-15 other volunteers from around the world spent their time at Unity Primary School, working with students from kindergarten to 8th Grade. With a campus half the size of Windward’s own Foley Field, and with facilities lacking some of the modern conveniences those in the West have become accustomed to, Jaden wasn’t sure what kind of reception he should expect. What he found was a group of people proud of the community they had built, a group who wanted nothing more than to invite Jaden and his fellow volunteers to be a part of it. It wasn’t long before Jaden realized that he had to set aside all preconceived notions

in regards to his service learning role. The school wasn’t looking for immediate gratification, such as general donations and quick fixes, but rather in working together to provide lasting change, the kind that would live on well past Jaden’s three-week sojourn. Jaden soon came to realize that what was easy wasn’t necessarily what was needed, and he and his group set aside their own personal talents and interests in order to better understand what would actually generate a measurable impact.

Jaden and his group came up with two sustainable ideas. The first was to set up a cataloging system as a way to track textbooks lent out by the school. With more students than books, the lack of tracking made it difficult to ensure that all students had an equal opportunity to use their textbooks for their schoolwork. The implementation of the system coincided with the accrual and donation of 500 additional textbooks, allowing for a more manageable distribution system for the school going forward. The second was to create a “safe space” for students to air personal thoughts and feelings in a welcoming environment. This space, outfitted with new paint, furniture, and student artwork, allowed students to

open up in new ways, and the election of the students’ favorite teacher as an advisor, Madame Mary, ensured that the space would remain available going forward.

For Jaden, the dive into the deep end proved as insightful as it was rewarding. “When we first got there, I thought we'd be able to create this insane amount of change in one week,” he shared. “I realized, while we did accomplish a lot, there was so much more we could have done. Actual change takes such a long time and so much dedication and commitment. You have to be selfless in those situations and not just enforce your own expertise and what you do well, but rather what is needed.”

As Jaden closes out his final year at Windward, he’s reflective of the role service learning played in his ongoing development.

Says Jaden, “I think it's really valuable for students to experience how other people live, because I found it so defining for my character and my values just in terms of cultural exploration, in terms of connecting with kids from all over the world, and the importance of learning about the way that they live and empathizing with them.”

History in Action

At Windward, we expect students to learn what it means to be a good global citizen. We don’t always expect them to teach us. That’s exactly what Senior Brooke Ruttenberg did this past Fall, leading Windward 8th Graders through a lesson plan she created entitled “History into Action.” Noticing a need for a more robust curriculum in regards to antisemitism education, Brooke, with the blessing of her division coordinators and advice from the Holocaust Museum of Los Angeles, at which she volunteers, decided to make her own. To Brooke, there’s nothing more important than teaching students about discrimination at a young age. “I think so many aspects of antisemitism education can be translated to other types of discrimination like propaganda literacy, scapegoating and stereotypes,” she shared. “Learning about these things in one's early life and understanding how these concepts manifest, will help one take action later in their life.”

The initial returns of her lesson were immediately apparent, as Brooke noticed an increased awareness and pursuit for knowledge from her younger classmates. “After leading 8th Graders through my curriculum, many of them gained a new understanding about antisemitism and its place in our contemporary society, but also the importance of learning about the past in order to create a better present and future.”

As she prepares for college, Brooke also knows that the work to increase awareness is far from over. It’s that reality that drives her to encourage that educational institutions be proactive, not reactive, in their focus on discrimination. “I believe in combating antisemitism or any type of discrimination preemptively rather than waiting for an incident to occur.” She continued, “Education is a major aspect of this and with the right education people will learn about the manifestation of hateful ideology and also people feel more empowered to take action. There are so many resources and amazing organizations out there for people to get involved with if they are interested in making a difference.”

For more on Brooke and her advocacy for antisemitism education, scan the QR code to view her article in the Los Angeles Times— “What’s Missing in Education.”

Brooke Ruttenberg ’23
18 - STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 19 STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS

Connecting Past to Present

A Joint Lesson in History and Economics

One of the great aspects of having grades 7-12 on one campus is the opportunity for Middle School students to have mentors and role models in the Upper School. On October 28, 7th Grade students in Introduction to United States Government teamed up with Seniors in Honors Global Economics for a special joint lesson.

While Kevin Newman’s Honors Global Economics was studying a unit on Supply and Demand, Inflation, and Recession, Eric Mandel’s 7th Grade History course was studying the different economic indicators and the economic impacts of decisions governments make.

To kick off the collaboration, Middle Schoolers were instructed to answer the following questions:

What are supply and demand and how do they impact prices?

What are some of the reasons that inflation has become problematic during 2022?

Why is inflation problematic? For whom does it cause the most problems? Why?

How might the government use taxes, government spending, and interest rates to try to address inflation?

What problems might the government create by taking steps to address inflation?

Following the 7th Graders' presentations, the class then broke into groups of four with two 7th Graders and two Seniors. The Seniors were then responsible for adding to the 7th Graders' understanding of inflation and clarifying any misconceptions they might have. The lesson concluded with a discussion on the different ways that Essential Goods and Non-Essential Goods might be impacted by inflation and what recommendations students would make to the US Government with the information they had at hand.

“The lesson went very well,” said Eric. “Our 7th Graders impressed the Seniors with their command of the topic and enjoyed the opportunity to enhance their understanding of inflation. The opportunity to present to an audience beyond the classroom helped motivate them to develop their knowledge. All in all, it was a big success!”

From Sales Pitch to Final Mile

Student Entrepreneurs Sell Homemade Items on the Bridge

Each year, Windward students look forward to Buy It On The Bridge (BIOTB), a student-run marketplace on the Leichtman-Levine Family Foundation Bridge, where 7th Graders and Seniors alike sell homemade products to students and faculty. The popular event fosters an entrepreneurial spirit among current Windward students by providing a forum for student businesses. Student entrepreneurs sell their original creations, learning about marketing, brand development, inventory, sales strategies, and product design along the way.

Six vendors from the December 14 event hailed from Windward’s Advanced Algebra with Financial Applications class. The course incorporates topics from Algebra, PreCalculus, Probability and Statistics, and Calculus to solve financial problems that occur in everyday life and includes extensive use of research, spreadsheets, and small group work to solve real world problems. After the groups were done selling their products, they headed off to class to count their money and reflect on the project.

Eve Tarpey and Zoe Neiman ‘23 chose to bake and sell holiday-flavored loaves of bread. “We went to the market and were baking all night. It was very fun. We made a chocolate peppermint loaf as well as ginger bread and banana bread. The banana bread sold out immediately. We even received an email from a faculty member detailing how delicious our bread was!”

Kira Powell, Carly Platt, and Vivy Mehta ‘23 chose to make and sell holiday rice krispie treats. Their reasoning for choosing the treats was simple: work smarter not harder.

“We wanted something that you didn’t have to bake so that you could make more of it at one time. We decorated the treats with holiday decorations and worked well together as a team by supporting one another through each step of the process.”

The opportunity to receive extra credit in class motivated the group to sell their product. Through the experience, the students have already learned some important lessons in marketing.

“I think one of the reasons we were so successful is that we are really good at convincing people to buy our product!”

1 2 3 4 5
WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 21 20 - ACADEMICS ACADEMICS

Acquisition Second Language its and

Windward’s World Language program exposes students to a variety of experiences designed to bring language outside the classroom and into the world, and as a result, students graduate as participating citizens of the global community.

Unexpected Paths

On Friday, December 9, students from Windward’s French, Mandarin, Spanish, and History classes were treated to a special guest speaker presentation from Natasha Bluth, who is a doctoral student in the department of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she studies the intersection of gender, nationalism, and civil society in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Her talk detailed the unexpected avenues that second language acquisition has taken her, culminating in interviewing Ukrainian refugees this past Summer in Poland. In today’s increasingly interconnected world, proficiency in multiple languages is a vital skill that gives people the opportunity to engage with the world in a more meaningful way. Natasha spoke to students about how learning a second language has deeply impacted her life, both professionally and personally. Special thanks to French teacher Brian Bernhards for connecting Windward with Natasha.

Middle School Perfect Shark Tank Students Their Pitches in Lesson

On October 28, students in the Middle School Entrepreneurship class jumped into the deep end by participating in a special Shark Tank project. As part of the project, students were challenged to invent a toy that taught a math or science concept for children. To prepare, Middle School Math and Science teachers shared ideas involving concepts that are trickier for some students to master. From there, students came up with ideas, created prototypes, and got feedback from others about their toys.

Once their concepts were finalized, it was time for students to enter The Shark Tank. Presenting to a group of Windward and non-Windward adults, the culmination of the project allowed students the chance to present to a real world audience. Even though our Sharks did not invest any actual money in the ideas, they gave specific feedback about each toy and presentation to the group.

The Middle School project teaches students an array of skills, which align strongly with Windward’s set of core competencies.

Perhaps the greatest upheaval in the tentative path I had laid out for myself since college took place last February 24 when Russia initiated a mass-scale invasion of Ukraine. Not only did this put friends I had made in Ukraine in grave danger, but it also suggested that life for those I knew in Russia was about to become much more difficult as their government cracked down on dissent and the country was further sanctioned by the world system—an acknowledgement missing from much early coverage of the escalation. At the same time, knowing people on both sides led to significant dissonance. On the one hand, I was checking in over WhatsApp with people I knew in Ukraine, but felt immobilized in my inability to provide any meaningful assistance. What does one say to people who are spending their time building bomb shelters in the basement of apartment buildings?

On the other, I wasn’t sure if I should broach the subject of the war with my Russian friends—or if I was prepared to hear their thoughts on it. As the humanitarian crisis ballooned, many celebrated how neighboring East European nations were opening their borders to Ukrainians seeking refuge at the same time that others criticized these same countries for their uneven treatment of refugees, and especially refugees of color. Although I agree that these discriminatory immigration policies are problematic, I was also troubled by the ways that these conversations seemed to invite the comparability of suffering.

“I definitely enjoyed the project and found that I had learned a lot from it. I learned design thinking skills, public speaking skills, and how to present a product efficiently to investors. My favorite part was making my product. I was making a board game about math, and spent a lot of time in the CREATE Studio designing and creating it. I really enjoyed getting to use my imagination to make a board game, and learned a lot from it also,” said Hadley Makurath ‘28.

Hadley’s classmate Ella Brill ‘28 came up with her idea for a logic game by seeking inspiration and feedback from the Windward community including science teachers, math teachers, and her fellow peers. She then used this guidance to curate her toy by combining several existing ideas into one unique and new concept. Ella particularly enjoyed this creative and flexible structure of the Shark Tank project.

“I believe that the out-of-the-box and creatively free nature of this project was what truly carried my interest and eagerness to play my best hand. It made for such a unique experience, allowing my peers and myself to express the ideas that we kind of keep locked away most of the time, stretching out my leadership as well as public speaking skills. Ultimately, the Shark Tank really allowed my confidence in myself and my ideas to grow greatly and the idea of a bunch of students pitching baby toys for even younger children to a panel of adults is one that made me realize that I don’t need to belittle my entrepreneurial thoughts, as they really are valid,” said Ella.

Students involved in the project were tasked with pitching their product in front of members of the Windward community, some of whom the students had never met before.

“I really loved the actual pitching of our ideas to the panel of 'sharks,' mainly because it felt like all our hard work was actually going somewhere instead of fading out like it usually does with all my past school projects. The fact that I could get up in front of six adults, some of which I had never met before, shows how much the Windward community and entrepreneurship class in general, has nurtured me into a more confident and well-spoken girl. Not to mention it made me feel really legit, which was a super cool and new experience for me,” said Ella.

Emily Dawe, instructor and Associate Director of Middle School, was proud of the complex ideas and follow-through of our Middle School students. “Shark Tank gives budding entrepreneurs a real audience to pitch their ideas,” she shared. “Our students did an excellent job and our Sharks came away quite impressed!”

Excerpt from Natasha’s talk:
WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 23 22 - ACADEMICS ACADEMICS

Hot Off the Dress

From News Rack to Runway

The first time I thought of making a newspaper dress was over the Summer. My dad had just brought in the paper, and I saw a very striking picture of Simone Biles on the front page. I thought to myself, “I could collect these.” The idea started formulating, and as soon as I walked into Interdisciplinary Studio 1 art class on the first day of school, I had an idea formed. I wanted to collect headlines and pictures from newspapers and create a collage in the form of a dress. My idea changed a lot throughout the entire process. I had my first thought and throughout the entire process, I was still getting new ideas on how to improve it. There were a lot of stages when I never thought it would look how I wanted but when I saw the pictures, I felt like I was seeing what everyone else was.

The only newspaper my Dad subscribed to was the Wall Street Journal, and we got one per day. I knew I would need a lot if I was going to go through each page and select the things I wanted. I checked everywhere for places I could buy newspapers and eventually decided that I would just have to wait every day and collect them. When I first introduced the idea to my art teacher,

Tony de los Reyes, he was super supportive. He helped me throughout the entire process and made it easier by enabling me to execute my ideas. I knew from the beginning that I wanted this dress to be wearable and not a sculpture you could look at. I wanted the sleeves to have a see-through fabric that I could put small strips of newspaper on top in a criss-cross format and have it look like they were wrapped around my arm. The challenging part would be that I would have to sew them inside out so the seam wouldn’t show. This meant that I would have to put the strips on first and turn them inside out after. Many practice sleeves later, I was able to successfully make two. After that, I had to sort through all the newspapers I had collected after all those weeks. There were so many pages and I was able to get so many great pictures and headlines. When the project was finished I was so proud of how far I had gotten.

When I got back to school after the Summer, the dress had just been sitting around. Tony de los Reyes was the first one to introduce the idea of a photoshoot. I really wanted to see my dress in an environment, and I thought it was a great idea. I was really ner-

vous when we landed on a date for the shoot because I had never fully tried on the dress before. This would be the first time I would be seeing the dress on myself and I was so scared it wouldn’t look good. When we got to Union Station in Downtown LA, I put the dress on and walked out of the bathroom. When everyone saw it they said it looked great, but I didn’t really believe them until I saw the first photo. I saw how cool it looked, and I think I was seeing it through someone else's eyes. Hannah Northenor, the photographer shooting the dress, kept smiling every time she looked at the pictures and it made me feel so much better. She was very encouraging and kept getting so many ideas for what to do and how to make the dress look the best it could be. I had spent so many months on it that I had started to become sick of it. I was so surprised to see how much it was brought to life. Everyone at the station was so supportive and made me feel great about what I had done. I was so excited to see the final photos, and when I did, I was so happy with how they turned out. This experience was so amazing and I will always look back on it with kind eyes.

The Gold Standard

Congratulations to this year's Gold Key Scholastic Art Award Winners. The Scholastic Art Awards (SAA) competition, a prestigious nationwide contest championed by the Alliance of Young Artists and Writers, shines a spotlight on burgeoning artists in grades 7-12 with an emphasis on graduating Seniors. This year, Windward students took home 12 Gold Key awards.

The Scholastic Art Awards are the longest running, most prestigious competition and largest source of scholarships for creative teenagers in the United States. Congratulations to all students who received awards!

Scan

the QR Code to view all Scholastic Art Award winners.
24 - VISUAL AND MEDIA ARTS WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 25 VISUAL AND MEDIA ARTS

Bright Futures Ahead for Windward Film Students

The Windward Media Arts and Film Lab program has seen some exciting developments in the past year. In 2022, five Seniors were accepted into several highly competitive film programs such as Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, the School of Cinematic Arts at University of Southern California, and University of California Berkeley's Department of Film & Media. Many of these students' films were accepted to the All American Film Festival, the largest high school film festival in the United States. The largely celebrated festival took place in New York City in October 2022 where film teacher Regina Hoffman met up with Windward alumni who are currently attending Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Screenings took place at the AMC Theater in Time Square and an awards ceremony wrapped up the weekend at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn. In total, an unprecedented 11 Windward films were selected for the All American High School Film festival.

The MAFL Film program continues to grow with new initiatives happening this year. The Film 3-4 class has two on-location film shoots scheduled for the 2022-23 school year. Each student gets to experience a real-world set with specific crew jobs and a tight deadline. Film students are also collaborating with advanced theater actors in the performing arts program at Windward. In a special cross-department collaboration, students were divided into three crews to film scenes from The Breakfast Club with the Acting Techniques & Scene Study class. Jordan Fox, Drue Metz, and Regina Hoffman oversaw a group of film students and actors who filmed scenes on campus.

The MAFL Showcase at the AERO Theater on May 21, 2023, will highlight many of the projects that are being worked on this year by the film and animation students. Student work is eligible for film/animation category awards as well as the coveted Shirley Spirit Award. Shirley Windward, a forward-thinking poet, artist, teacher, and activist, encouraged the community to “Shake The World.” Every year, the MAFL faculty honor students who have demonstrated dedication to the craft of storytelling, filmmaking, and collaboration.

Podcasts in the Classroom

Performing Arts and Visual and Media Arts Departments

Collaborate on Student Podcast Series

windward’s 2021-22 Intro to Acting course had a vocal unit that led to the creation of five original student-produced podcasts. The class conceptualized, wrote, recorded, and audio edited the original podcasts. After recording, the class collaborated with Windward’s Graphic Design 1 & 2 class to create original cover artwork to go with each podcast. The Acting students became clients to the Graphic Design students and pitched their podcasts. The end result was an incredible collaborative project across both Performing Arts and Visual and Media Arts. You can see the artwork and hear the podcasts on Spotify.

The students involved were very appreciative to receive support from mentor Drue Metz and teachers Natasha Arnold and Jeff Miller. The project encouraged the students to produce content that was a little outside their comfort zones as they tackled topics such as music, sports, and teen mental health. Carter Mitchell ‘25 particularly enjoyed working on the project, which was near and dear to her heart for several reasons.

"At first I was really scared of sharing my life experiences and stories because I was afraid it was going to make other people uncomfortable, but the thing is all of these experiences were making ME uncomfortable. By not talking about it I was allowing it to fester, but during this project I realized I owe it to myself and to every other person struggling with these same issues to be the truest and most authentic person I can be,” said Carter.

BEATS AND LYRICS

Podcast Hosts - Cole Kaller and Abby Ribokoff / Graphic Design - Andy Yu, Charlie Van Hook, Santiago Del Rio

TWISTED CHILDHOOD

Podcast Hosts - Luke Hanna, Dani Benudiz and Gavin Hightower / Graphic Design - Jet Jadeja, Chloé Andrieux-Amadeï

I DISAGREE

Podcast Hosts - Jace Kaplan, Dori Farkas, Zac Silletti / Graphic Design - Kai Musk, Max Bridwell

HIS GAME HER GAME

Podcast Hosts - Zach Goldstein and Nina Antoni / Graphic Design - Annie Swiller, Misha Sharif

KINDA LOSING IT

Podcast Hosts - Carter Mitchell, Tabby Green and Natalie Behrendt / Graphic Design - Alex Pearl, Max Cohen

Scan the QR Code to listen to all five student podcasts.

26 - VISUAL AND MEDIA ARTS WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 27 VISUAL AND MEDIA ARTS

SHARING THEIR VOICE

Windward’s Community Conversations Series

Last Spring, Windward made the important decision to add another pillar to its ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative—Belonging. As a way of creating and cultivating that shared space, Windward’s DEIB team kicked off the 2022-23 school year with a five-part speaker series titled “Community Conversations.” These special sessions invited guests from all walks of life—Windward parents, faculty and staff, and community members—to speak candidly to Prep and Collegiate Division students on their own unique experiences and what it means to belong.

The series is part of the DEIB department’s mission to ensure that every community member on campus feels seen, heard, valued, and possesses a true sense of belonging. The conversation series is a way of nurturing a sense of belonging amongst students and others by listening to and learning from all perspectives in the community.

From discussing the links that bind in our Hispanic Heritage and Black History month conversations, to opening up regarding the increased struggle of antisemitism, antiblackness, and the rise of hate, these community conversations allowed for a safe space to discuss topics challenging, meaningful, and enlightening.

“I’ve had so many people share with me how moved they were by stories of our community members,” said Roger Bridges, Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. “The feelings of connection and a sense of what it means to belong were so present in every room and grew exponentially over the course of the series.”

“Adding the concept of Belonging this year has been an important touchpoint for increased collaboration not only amongst faculty, staff, and students, but families as well,” Roger continued. “Parent and guardian engagement and participation in school life has really ballooned this year. My partners and I in the DEIB department have been inspired and encouraged by

how many of our community members— students, faculty, staff, and parents alike— have reached out to us to share positive feedback and constructive feedback on new and ongoing initiatives, as well as new ideas for connection and community building. A common refrain has been ‘... what can I do to help?’”

28 - DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 29 DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING

OUR STORIES, OUR COMMUNITY

On October 18, Windward witnessed the return of a favorite community gathering—Tales at the Table. Part of our ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, Tales at the Table is an all-ages, all community family affair centered around community, acceptance, and shared fellowship.

The evening featured amazing personal stories from students, parents, alumni, and faculty—breaking bread and sharing stories with the intent of further fostering a sense of belonging among the community.

Following a delicious meal of assorted multi-cultural dishes courtesy of the CulinArt team, the speakers spoke freely of their own personal experiences with culture, identity, perception, and their place in the Windward community.

Students, faculty, parents, and alumni shared their stories of identity, culture, and belonging as part of Windward’s keystone DEIB event

It was also a tremendous honor to hear from keynote speaker, Rabbi Jaclyn Cohen of Temple Isaiah in West Los Angeles. A proud alumna of Windward School (Class of 2002), Jaclyn was active in theater and music, participating in multiple singing groups and musical theater productions throughout high school. She graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Religious Studies and Music and continued on to seminary, where she was ordained by the Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion in 2014. She shared her per-

spective about the challenges we face addressing hate speech and discrimination in all its forms.

The night served as both a tribute to individuality and a reminder of shared responsibility, deepening the incredible sense of togetherness Windwardians feel on campus every day.

As always, an event like this wouldn’t be possible without the amazing Windward community. A special thanks to the many individuals who helped to make this year’s event the best yet and to the guest speakers for sharing their poignant stories with the community.

Tales at the Table Guest Speakers

Rabbi Jaclyn Cohen (Class of 2002)

Hudson Brown ‘23

Truman Pauley ‘23

Jun Oh (Windward Parent)

Asha Franciso (Windward Faculty)

James Sainz (Windward Faculty)

Jasmine Blevins ‘17

30 - DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 31 DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING

THE TIES THAT BIND

As part of Windward's commitment to providing an open, nurturing campus for all students, parents, and faculty, the School regularly hosts events to showcase and honor all members of our community. On-campus events are an integral part of Windard’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiative as they are a way to unite the entire Windward community and celebrate different cultures, lived experiences, and perspectives. In the Fall, Windward students, faculty, and parents hosted several lunchtime celebrations on the Bridge as part of the ongoing work of the School’s DEIB initiative to ensure that all community members feel seen, heard, valued, and possess a true sense of belonging.

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY

From September 15-October 15, Windward celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, a national celebration to honor the history, culture and influence of past and present generations whose ancestry is tied to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The School honored Hispanic and Latino/Latinx community members and the contributions of their ancestors through Windward's new community conversations series. Special thanks also goes out to the Latino/Latinx Student affinity group and Windward’s amazing parent volunteers for hosting several lunchtime events throughout the month on the Bridge.

“It was a great experience to play a role in bringing multiple members of the Windward community together, to contribute in highlighting and recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month,” said Collegiate Coordinator Jocelyn Castillo.

Roger Bridges, Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), added, "In terms of our observance of Hispanic Heritage Month, our (DEIB Team) goal was multilayered. First and foremost, we wanted to amplify the voices of our Hispanic/Latino/Latinx community—students, faculty/ staff, and parents alike. Secondly, we wanted to provide times and spaces wherein our entire community, through the simple acts of storytelling and sharing of food, learn more about the lived experiences of people they share space with every day. Last but not least, we wanted to empower our Hispanic/Latino/Latinx community members to show off their cultures and commemorate the month in a way that felt authentic to them. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive and inspirational!”

On October 11, the Windward community came together to commemorate National Coming Out Day by taking part in a lunchtime celebration on the Bridge. Participants in the day shared stories, perused educational resources, added pronoun/identity stickers and labels to the identity board, and crafted identity bracelets.

Windward is proud to support our LGBTQIA+ students as well as nurture students to grow in their allyship. There are currently three forums that directly advance this effort:

SAGA Club (Sexuality and Gender Alliance) is open to all members of the community, including cisgender and straight allies to gather and actively support the LGBTQIA+ community. This club is a safe space to discuss LGBTQIA+ history, activism, and plan community events.

SPECTRUM is a casual hang out space for students to gather and make connections among other students who identify within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, nonbinary, or other identities within the LGBTQIA+ community.

Affinity Groups Unlike clubs, affinity groups meet during a scheduled part of the school day. Students self-identify to join a group to explore identity issues related to their gender and sexuality.

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time to remember and honor those who have departed. Celebrated on November 1 (for children) and November 2 (for adults) throughout Mexico and much of Latin America, it is said that on the holiday, the spirits of the dead return home for the night to visit their loved ones and are welcomed with their favorite food, drinks, music or activities they loved. Many people celebrate this day by visiting the graves of deceased loved ones and setting up altars with their favorite foods, drinks, and photos.

In honor of Día de los Muertos, Windward's Hispanic Heritage affinity group set up an altar by the Bright Commons area. Also featuring student-designed skulls created in Tony de los Reyes' Studio Art class, students and all members of the community were invited to bring photos of deceased loved ones (including pets!) to place on the altar, as well as reflections about their loved ones who have passed. The celebration also included delicious Pan de Muerto and Sweet Corn Tamales!

HANUKKAH CELEBRATION

Hanukkah (also spelled “Chanukah”) is an eight-day winter “festival of lights,” which begins each year on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. On December 12, Windward parents and faculty collaborated with the School’s DEIB team to host a celebration on the Bridge in honor of Hanukkah, which served as an excellent opportunity for students to gain cultural awareness and celebrate diversity at Windward and the wider community.

32 - DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 33 DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING

BETTER TOGETHER

2022 Leadership Conferences Make Welcome Return

In keeping with tradition, Windward sent a cohort of representatives to the National Association of Independent Schools’ 2022 People of Color Conference (PoCC) and Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), both of which took place November 30-December 3 in San Antonio, TX. These were the first largescale, in-person conferences since the pandemic began three years ago.

PoCC and SDLC are separate conferences that are held simultaneously with a joint opening session and joint closing assembly. The conferences serve as opportunities for independent school community members to learn about the importance of equity and inclusion in school communities, explore and celebrate their own identities, and learn about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging practices that could support their respective communities in creating and nurturing more welcoming and inclusive school environments. This year’s SDLC conference themed, We The People: Leveraging Our Community to Preserve Our Humanity, served as a multiracial, multicultural gathering of Upper School student leaders from across the U.S. focused on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community.

The NAIS PoCC is the flagship of the National Association of Independent Schools’ commitment to equity and justice in teaching, learning, and sustainability for independent schools. This annual con-

ference is designed to give BIPOC faculty, staff, and administrators who historically have found themselves in the minority in independent schools a rare and muchneeded opportunity to learn and fellowship in a majority environment.

Over the past five years, PoCC has grown enormously. More than 7,800 adults and students from independent schools across the country gathered to learn, collaborate, and support one another. This year’s PoCC was themed Reunited in Purpose: Elevating Our Worth, Our Agency, and Our Excellence.

Windward’s faculty and students had a positive response to their experience at the conferences. A group of nine Windward faculty and students participated in the conference, which was designed to create a "safe space for leadership and professional development and networking for people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools.”

Said Collegiate Coordinator Jocelyn Castillo of her first PoCC conference, “As a first

time POCC attendee, I learned a lot about what it means to be a person of color navigating spaces that aren't always built for us. Being first generation, I have often found myself in environments that have led me to feel conflicted with my identity. While I thought I was the only one facing these struggles, I quickly learned that was not the case. One of the workshops I attended specifically focused on identity through the lenses of Latino/x folks. At the end of the workshop I was able to take away just how complex identity is. In conversation with the students who attended POCC, it was noticeable that they too were inspired by the conversations they heard surrounding identity."

Scan the QR Code to view a video recap of this year’s conference.

RESTORING YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH

STRATEGIES FOR CONNECTION AND CARE

Students

and faculty attend in-person Challenge Success Conference for the first time in three years

One of the core elements of the Windward experience its our nurturing, supportive community. For a decade, Windward has worked with Stanford University’s Challenge Success program, implementing its strategies that promote well-being and engagement so that all members of the Windward community can lead healthy and balanced lives.

Each year, schools from across the country bring a team to the Challenge Success Conference with the idea that the work they’ve completed at the conference will continue when the cohort returns to school. This year’s conference, titled Restoring Youth Mental Health: Strategies for Connection and Care, took place on September 16 at Stanford University. Attendees included Windward administrators, faculty, and students: Erin Borgstrom, Emily Dawe, Emily Miner, Sarah Musich, Justine Ludden ‘23, Audrey Ku ‘25, and Zoe Marcus ‘25.

The group returned feeling inspired with lots of ideas they might implement under the challenge success umbrella. A highlight for the group was the conference’s keynote and session talk by Lynn Lyons, who writes and speaks about anxiety, especially for teens.

“We hope to find a way to connect this work with the college admissions process and how we talk with parents about that anxiety-provoking process,” said Emily Dawe, Associate Director of Middle School.

Challenge Success Reflections

Justine Ludden ‘23

What was it like attending the conference this year in-person?

The conference was so exciting especially as we are slowly leaving the pandemic. I had previously attended two virtual conferences and heard many informative speakers lead seminars, but having in-person lectures and workshops was incredibly insightful!

Why is this type of work important for the students and community of Windward?

A lot of people don't realize this, but Challenge Success helped motivate a lot of the changes within the School regarding mental wellness including adding Wednesday late start, seminar, and a block schedule. All of these initiatives are ones that the Windward community relies upon on a daily basis, and I think they have helped students get the most out of their learning environment.

Are there any key takeaways from the conference that you hope to implement at Windward?

I have learned so much from the conference that I am looking forward to implementing in not only Windward but my own life since returning. Creating a space for students to decompress and equipping students to be able to identify and handle anxiety with tactics brought up at the conference I think are especially important to share with the rest of the community, including the predictable ways in which stress affects people. I believe understanding the ways in which anxiety manifests can help students' abilities to manage it with concrete tools.

34 - DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 35 WELL-BEING

Windward Retreats enable students, administrators, and faculty to engage in activities and conversations that connect to Windward’s development as a community. Through exposure to a wide range of activities and experiences, students are engaged in physical, intellectual, and emotional challenges aimed at expanding their potential as lifelong learners and as global citizens.

The 2022-23 school year kicked off with off-campus retreats for the 7th, 9th, and 12th Grades. As part of their back-to-school Senior week, the Class of 2023 was treated to a two-day retreat in Los Angeles that included a trip to the LA River, during which they engaged in environmental impact research, and a visit to

the Santa Monica Pier. The retreat was a great opportunity for students to further deepen their bonds with one another as they entered their last year of high school.

Taking place at the Bruin Woods UCLA Conference Center at scenic Lake Arrowhead, the Class of 2028 September retreat featured a number of fun, team-building activities for our 7th Grade students to enjoy. From group sports like swimming, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and the 7th Grade Class Olympics to afterhours events such as a class talent show and traditional campfire gathering, our students were up for everything thrown at them. Of course, no obstacle proved as challenging as the fan-favorite UCLA Conference Center Ropes Course. Suspended high in

RETURN TO RETREATS AND TRIPS

the air, the ropes course offers a series of supervised outdoor problem-solving activities that promote a combination of teamwork skills and individual commitment. Our students showed elements of trust, support, and communication in completing the course, and it was again a highlight for all involved!

Windward’s retreat for the 9th Grade offers a unique experience for students to connect, grow, and develop individually and within their peer groups as they move through their high school careers. The 9th Grade kicked off the 2022-23 school year with a three-day September retreat at Camp Ramah in beautiful Ojai, CA. All activities were co-designed by the Prep Division administrators and Fulcrum Adventures. Activities ranged from reflec-

tion to team building with scaffolded challenges and new opportunities for students, including ropes courses, archery, hiking, and swimming. This two-night retreat is part of a larger picture of inclusion at Windward as these off-campus activities allow for more time for students to learn to support and trust each other.

This year also marked the return of Windward's East Coast College Trip, a favorite among Windward students. For an entire week, Juniors toured several East Coast college campuses such as Columbia, NYU, Dartmouth, and Yale and were able to connect with Windward alums at respective campuses.

Our 8th Graders are eagerly awaiting the return of Minimester in April.

36 - WELL-BEING WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 37 WELL-BEING

CLUB SPOTLIGHT

FASHION CLUB MATHLETES

Club Co-Presidents: Sam Snow ‘24 and Cece Terpening ‘25

Faculty Adviser: Hannah Northenor, Photography Teacher

Fashion Club Members:

Caroline Alber

Sofia Armon

Olivia Atterberry

Jemma Beardmore

Maddie Bridge

Ella Brill

Tammy Clem

Noe Cohen

Charlotte Cope

Cayden Dickstein

Jacob Essey

Lily Feld

Hudson Firestone

Natalia Fishkin

Pearl Furst

Samantha Gardner

Lilly Gottlieb

Sutton Greenberg

Lucy Gutkin

Haley Hansen

Emma Harris

Daley Hartnack

Malia Heenan

Laurel Hinds

Josie Hoeber

Maya Hsu

Elizabeth Hurwitz

Naomi Ignacio

Sunday Kelly

Jordan Kim

Kaleo Knight

Tamar Koren Pinto

Téa Koudsi

Sophia Lehmann

Marielle Lerner

Lola Lugash

Ava Marashi

Lucy Matuszak

Georgia Miller

Emmy Morton

Miguel Muniz

Lexi Neiman

Kayla Nickerson

Ione Pappas

Channing Pauley

Ansel Perrette

Anna Perttula

Celine Peyka

Alyse Pitts

Kathleen Powell

Josephine Reitman

Shylee Ravid

Jordan Roth

Soraya Sabine

Julianna Samarge

Q & A with the Co-Presidents of Fashion Club, Sam Snow ‘24 and Cece Terpening ‘25

How did you come up with the idea for a Fashion Club at Windward?

Fashion Club was originally started in 2021 by alums Mia Ricanati '22 and Abbie O'Connor '22. This year, we wanted to combine our love for all things fashion with the ability to educate our community and inspire individual expression. Although this club is administered by us, Sam and Cece, it is truly the members that make this club so successful and fun to run.

What is the goal and purpose of your club?

Our purpose of the Fashion Club is to create a safe, welcoming environment for students and faculty (who are among our members!) to come together and partake in all things fashion. Our main goals for the club this year is to integrate guest speakers, community service, and projects for our members to participate in! So far, Mary Alice Haney, a celebrity stylist and fashion enthusiast, has already come to speak to our club to discuss her career! We plan to host a student-run, on-campus thrift store to raise money for two nonprofits based in Los Angeles that support unprivileged communities!

Can you tell us more about what it was like having celebrity stylist Mary Alice Haney come speak to your club?

Having Mary come and speak to our club was such an awesome experience that we will never forget! One of the most inspiring parts about her visit was the interactions she had with students after her presentation, many of whom were interested in pursuing a career in fashion.

Sophia Schuman

Ava Schwartzberg

Sammy Silver

Phoebe Slatkin

Ava Sokol

Marianna Stasinos

Phoebe Swartz

Lily Tyler

Maya Zipkin

What is your favorite part about leading this club?

Our favorite part of this club is definitely seeing the individual expression of all of our members and being able to be a part of their comfortability and confidence!

Any tips for other students who want to start a club at Windward?

Cece: Find your people! There will always be someone who shares your interests and all you have to do is reach out, inspire others, and have fun!

Sam: Be bold, get the community involved, and have fun!

Club President: Charlie Van Hook ‘23

Faculty Adviser: Patrick Friel, Math Teacher

Mathlete Members:

Natalie Behrendt

Max Cohen

Austin Kim

Tilly LaPaglia

Connor Molinski

Henry Nieves

Jude St. John

Kilian Taylor

Charlie Van Hook

Stanley Zhou

What led you to initially get involved with the Mathletes?

How has the club changed since then?

I was initially interested in joining Mathletes in Middle School.

Mr. How was my teacher, and he introduced me to the team and signed me up. I then joined the high school team because I had enjoyed the competitions.

What does the club entail? Is it more study based, or is there a competition element?

The club hasn’t changed too much except for the competitions we compete in and the skills we work on.

How has being a part of the program shaped your Windward experience?

The club is a great place to sit down and just focus on math. There have been several times when I had a stressful test the following period, and the high energy meetings helped to distract me. I also found many friends in older grades that I have been able to talk to and get college advice from.

For you specifically, do you see math as an interest, a college major/career path, or all of the above?

I plan on using math in my professional career; I want to go into mechanical engineering. I also plan on continuing my calculus journey into experimenting with vectors and multiple dimensions.

What would you say to students looking to get more out of math, either at Windward or beyond?

Beyond the formulas and the algorithms, math teaches you to problem solve, more so than any class we offer. As such I would give the advice that someone who doesn’t feel they are gaining anything from math or feels stuck behind the numbers and variables, just know that you are learning by failing, and the skills of problem solving will help in every subject and industry.

Club President, Charlie Van Hook ‘23
Q & A with
38 - WELL-BEING WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 39 WELL-BEING

How did your partnership with Windward come to be?

LE ARNING LEAD TO

I met Tyrone Powell, Director of Athletics, in the Summer of 2016 when he came to Philadelphia to attend a National Coaches Leadership Institute that I was running with a friend. On the last day of the Institute, Tyrone said, “I will be bringing you to California soon.” He did the following August, and every August since.

What types of culture building exercises do you engage in with Windward Athletics to ensure culture is thriving by intention and not just existing by default?

The process has been a long and evolving one, which started with the Athletic Leadership team going through a process of deciding “what matters most?” The process of establishing core values, or what matters most, has been front and center. It takes a while to really solidify and land with these values. From here, I use a model of four questions—Tyrone now calls them Pam’s BFQ’s.

First, they ask members of the department to look at these values and ask

“what do they look like in action?”

Second, how will we know if a student or teacher is living these values?

The third question is: what makes it challenging? This is the part that is real life and where many people stop the work. We want to be “collaborative” because it is a value, and it is hard to collaborate with my peers because I want it done my way, or there just isn’t time, or a myriad of other reasons. I like to say that a core value doesn’t become less important because it is challenging—this all leads to the fourth question, which is: “What are the tools and strategies needed to address the challenge?”

From here, you begin to build routines, rituals, and traditions to reinforce these values. It is an ongoing process, or it should be. A default culture vs an intentional culture will take over pretty quickly unless this work is consistent and becomes sticky.

Why Does How You Lead Matter?

Like successful cultures, successful leaders are intentional. They understand why they do what they do and what mat-

ters most. One of my go-to lines is that “leadership requires skills, and those skills need to be identified, taught, and practiced like any other skill!” Some of the important skills are: self-awareness, empathy, communication, and motivation. Good leaders are also good readers. Leaders read body language, rooms, positions of power, etc.

COMMITTING TO ATHLETIC E XCELLENCE

Hard work pays off! On November 9, Windward’s Senior scholar-athletes signed on the dotted line at the Fall Athletic Commitment Ceremony. The event allowed the School, as well as parents, coaches, and peers, to honor the achievements of our scholar-athletes as they prepare to take the next step in their athletic and educational careers.

Pam Herath is a skilled facilitator with a rich career in coaching and teaching. She has led hundreds of dynamic workshops, seminars, and keynote addresses in sports and academic arenas, with special expertise in leadership, culture, diversity, and wellness. We sat down with Pam to learn more about her longstanding partnership with Windward’s Athletic department.

What is discussed at each of your four scholar-athlete workshops?

Intentional Culture Building: What matters most, what does it look like, what makes it hard to do, and what are the strategies necessary to address challenges.

Communication Strategies: Active listening, communication styles (direct vs indirect), difficult conversations. Always asking the Big Four Questions.

My Role As A Leader: Do you know your job if you are a titled leader?

What are the leadership opportunities if you are a non-titled leader? What are your strengths and areas for growth? How can you grow the necessary skills?

Being A Great TEAMmate: Very similar to “what does effective leadership look like,” they decide and discuss what a great teammate looks like. I then have them assess the qualities and characteristics they possess and those they would like to improve upon.

How have you seen Windward’s Athletic Department grow and evolve throughout your years working with us?

The primary area where Windward has grown is in alignment. The majority of coaches understand what matters most to the department and are able to live those values and espouse them with their scholar-athletes. I have also seen less veteran

coaches stepping into formal and informal positions of leadership due to the consistency of messaging and ownership.

Is there anything else you’d like to share regarding your partnership with Windward over the years?

I am so appreciative of the trust that Tyrone has placed in me and my work. Windward is like a family, and I truly feel

like a valued member of the community (this has been intentional on Tyrone’s part!). His commitment to this most valuable work is seen in his actions and the consistent nature of growing himself and the department. Finally, his commitment to the entire Windward community is obvious, and he has provided me as a resource for folks in tech, the arts, and the Dean’s office. He is a true servant leader.

Great job Wildcats

We look forward to following your college athletic careers at the following institutions:

Skye Belker Princeton - Basketball

Truman Pauley Harvard - Baseball

Kamran Naficy Bard- Baseball

Will Matuszak UCSB - Baseball

40 - ATHLETICS WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 41 ATHLETICS

U P PER SCHOOL

indward Girls Tennis had another successful season with a 6-5 record, qualifying for the CIF Playoffs. Unfortunately, we lost the first round to Archer in a close battle, 8-10. Senior Skye Belker went 29-0 in season matches and 31-1 overall record after making it to the third round of CIF Individual Playoffs while managing her basketball season. Elodie Milchan’25 and Maggie Goldsmith ‘25 finished 4th in the Gold Coast League Doubles Playoff Tournament after a 13-4 record for the season.

The Windward Girls Golf team was proud to be a part of the inaugural season for the sport in the Gold Coast League. Led by five Seniors, the squad brought great spirit to the course each match. Their love of the game is sure to continue beyond graduation!

The Windward Girls Volleyball team had a great season with our primary focus on building team camaraderie and culture. We battled against all Gold Coast league opponents while sweeping Brentwood at home. Shout out to our Seniors Jasie Belden and Anna Jones for earning All-League. The growth this team had on and off the court was tremendous, and we are looking forward to getting back into the gym this Summer!

Windward Football had a successful and rewarding season. Although we endured many unusual challenges early in the season, we fought to a 2-3 record and a #19 ranking in California Southern Section, according to Max Preps. Athletes Nicky Ketcham ‘23, Max Bridwell ‘24, and Cooper Feldstein ‘24 all received All-Prep League honors.

The Windward Cheer team had a fantastic season and brought all things spirit to campus! Both the JV and Varsity teams came together on the field to support our Football team. We had a very exciting Homecoming performance with all 30 team members performing a routine choreographed by Senior Hugo Miller at the Pep Rally. The Cheer program also welcomed professional cheerleader Mia Robertson onto our coaching staff. Mia is a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Rams and we are very lucky to have her!

Windward Boys Beach Volleyball had a fabulous season; the squad’s skills, knowledge and love of the game has grown exponentially! We finished 3rd in league and the Varsity pairs took a tough, but hard fought loss to Redondo Union in the 1st round of playoffs.

42 - ATHLETICS WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 43 ATHLETICS

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Windward’s 7th Grade Royal Girls Volleyball team had an awesome season full of growth! We began with a lot of scholar-athletes brand new to the sport, and by the end of the season they really came together as a team to play some great volleyball. Not only that, but a number of players have now decided to play club volleyball and continue to learn and grow in the sport which is very exciting! We had a pretty good showing during league play and ended up making the playoffs. Unfortunately, we had to face a pretty tough team in the first round and ended up losing. However, they put up a great fight and took it to an exciting 3 sets with Marlowe Kline ‘28 leading the way in aces from the service line.

Windward’s 8th Grade Girls Volleyball team was quite impressive with an undefeated record while only dropping two sets all season, and capped off a championship 2022 campaign! The growth, dedication, and joy for the game empowered these young people to shine! Highlights include a comeback victory on the road against St. Paul the Apostle. Shout out to 7th Grade scholar athlete, Lucy Matuszak’28 in her debut match from injury, helped serve us on a 5-pt run to a 15-13, 3-set victory! And in the finals with leadership setting by 8th Grade scholar-athlete Cora Seabold ’27, we collectively stayed composed to beat St Paul again, 15-8 to complete the season on a high note!

Windward Middle School Cross

Country had a wonderful fall season with lots of improvement from all the scholar athletes. With only four returning 8th Graders and many first time runners, the theme of the season was growth and development which culminated with nine of the 13 runners achieving their PRs in the Pacific Basin League Finals! One of those nine, Kaj Kosinski ’28, finished 8th out of nearly 100 runners with a 12:48 race time! The 8th Graders are looking forward to stepping into the High School XC program and the 7th Graders are eager to build on the growth from this past season!

Windward Middle School Girls Tennis had a successful season finishing with a 4-1 regular season record and reaching the semifinals of the Gold Coast Playoffs before losing a tough fought battle with Geffen Academy by game total. The team sent Ranya Toubassy ‘27 and Lenya Naraghi ‘27 to the individual tournament for singles and Harper Kilstein ‘27/Zoe Richman ‘27 and Mikaella Kawahito ‘28/Sylvie Bright ‘28 for doubles. Everyone won at least one match with Ranya losing a heartbreaker in the semifinals and Zoe and Harper also losing in the semifinals.

It was another banner year for both Windward's Boys and Girls Cross Country teams, with sustained group and individual success. The Girls team finished 3rd at Gold Coast League Finals, qualifying for CIF Prelims where they finished 8th in their heat. Monica Kusserow '25 earned a spot on the GCL All-League 2nd Team with her 11th place finish at Gold Coast League Finals.

The Boys team had another historic season finishing 2nd at Gold Coast League Finals, 3rd at CIF-SS Finals, and 11th at CIF State Championships in Fresno. Van Lindelof ‘25 and Kyler Zanuck ‘25 earned spots on the Gold Coast League All-League First team finishing 2nd and 5th respectively, while David Estrada ‘25 earned a spot on the Gold Coast Leagure All-League 2nd Team with his 9th Place finish.

Windward’s Middle School Flag Football teams also enjoyed great success this Fall. The 7th Grade Royal team advanced to the playoff semifinals where it faced Crossroads, the eventual league champion. Windward held this offensive power to only six points, but was unable to crack the end zone despite multiple times making it into the red zone. This talented group of players will be tough to beat next year.

The 8th Grade Royal team showed a lot of grit and determination this season. They avenged a regular season loss against Crossroads in the semifinals of the playoffs, and advanced to the championship game. They dropped a hard-fought game to St. Matthews in the championship, 14-12.

Congratulations ‘Cats on an amazing season!

44 - ATHLETICS WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 45 ATHLETICS

Food for Thanks

Windward Partners With Allies for Every Child For Thanksgiving Meals

'Tis

the season for giving back! This past November, Windward had the opportunity and pleasure to once again partner with Allies for Every Child. This year, the Windward community came together to provide families in need with Thanksgiving meals that they could enjoy from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

90 Windward families contributed to this amazing cause by way of creating gift baskets filled with non-perishables for Thanksgiving Dinner and/or donating gift cards to help support Allies families. Windward's Baseball team then helped load up the baskets for our incredible parent volunteers to deliver. It was a true team effort!

Ashley Goodman, Director of Service Learning, said “This annual tradition is one of my favorites at Windward. We are told every year how much of an impact that this makes on families in the Allies community, and they are very grateful for the continued support of the Windward community.”

46 - SERVICE LEARNING WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 47 SERVICE LEARNING

andKicks Cocoa

Windward Supports Giving Tuesday movement with Shoe Drive supporting local charities

Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a yearround global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

To show support for Giving Tuesday, Windward’s Service Learning department teamed up with McLain Larson ‘27 and Michael Cohen ‘27 for a “Kicks and Cocoa” shoe donation event. The shoe drive took place on November 30 and December 1 on the Bridge, and the Windward community was asked to bring in one pair of new or slightly used sneakers in exchange for enjoying cookies and cocoa. The shoes were later donated to local partner organizations Headstart, Upward Bound, and Holly Grove.

“I was so proud of all the hard work that the students put into this event. From the creation of the idea, the leg work of finding and picking charities, to packing all of the items and delivering the shoes. They did a great job, and as always, the community showed up strong and brought hundreds of shoes that will be put to good use,” said Director of Service Learning Ashley Goodman.

Spreading Holiday Cheer

was an honor to once again partner with PATH for Windward’s 2022 Holiday Toy Event. Windward families were matched up with PATH families and in turn were able to provide gifts for 75 PATH families to make their holidays brighter.

On December 14, Windward families came together to wrap their gifts and assemble holiday treats on the Bridge. The treat bags included a handwritten card of support and holiday cheer.

PATH created a Holiday Wish List Help to families and individuals celebrate the holidays. Essential items such as shampoo, razors, and body wash and toys and clothing were the most requested items from PATH families.

PATH’s mission is to end homelessness for individuals, families, and communities throughout California.

It
48 - SERVICE LEARNING WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 49 SERVICE LEARNING

From Surf and Service to Combating Climate Change Building Community Through Books

This past Fall, Jack Luirette ‘25 had the opportunity to participate in a Rustic Pathways Fellowship through Stanford University, which focuses on climate change and environmental sustainability. The fellowship was a transformative experience for Jack, one in which he acquired a wide range of skills which can in turn be used inside and outside the classroom. We sat down with Jack to learn more about his experience and his ongoing efforts to keep local beaches clean.

How did you first become interested in climate change and environmental sustainability?

I took up surfing about three years ago, and I noticed how much pollution and trash there was in the water and on the sand.

How did you learn about this opportunity?

I went on a surf and service trip to Costa Rica last Summer with Rustic Pathways, and in the Fall was invited to apply for a Climate Leaders Fellowship they were hosting with Stanford University.

What was your favorite part about your experience?

My favorite part was hearing creative ideas and different methods of improving the environment and making the world a better place.

What was it like learning beside like-minded high school students from across the world working on the same project?

Part of the fellowship was weekly Zoom meetings with students all over the world who had a similar goal. It was great to connect and realize that we were in totally different physical environments, living different lives, and still had a lot in common.

This project was designed to help the climate and change the environment for the better, and something that was important to me was the pollution on the beaches. It became clear to me while doing the fellowship that I wanted to focus on the beach for my final project because it’s a place I spend a lot of time and it’s really relevant to our lives in Southern California.

When I surf, I always see how much trash there is in the water and on the beach, so I felt like I could make a difference by organizing this cleanup. The mentors guided me on how to promote and organize my project. They helped us make our ideas better and more precise and helped make them appealing to the audience we were promoting our projects to.

Why is the work surrounding climate change so important? This work is important because if we don’t make changes now, it will impact us negatively for an indefinite amount of time in the future.

Any tips for other students who want to get involved in an experience like this?

Don’t be overwhelmed by the time commitment or how big it sounds on paper. It’s really much easier to get involved and find the time than you think.

Windward Athletics creates opportunities for scholar-athletes to compete at the highest level while focusing on personal growth through character development, commitment to teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence. This year, the Athletic Department has been partnering with Windward’s Service Learning program to further scholar-athletes’ character development through community-driven service experiences.

On Saturday, February 4, Windward’s Baseball and Volleyball teams came together to partner with Access Books, a California-based non-profit that provides quality books to public school and community libraries, to refurbish a library at Lillian Street Elementary in South Los Angeles. The teams collected over 3,000 books for the library. The scholar-athletes had the opportunity to not only help their local community but also strengthen

their team bonds by completing a project together.

“We were first introduced to Access Books through Windward parent Kavita Amar, who is on the Board. We started this conversation three years ago, but the pandemic delayed us getting involved, hands-on with the project. I'm so glad that we continued the conversation and our scholar-athletes were able to take part. We are looking forward to bringing this opportunity to our entire Windward community and being able to support this amazing organization,” said Director of Service Learning Ashley Goodman.

Access Books has transformed over 300 public school libraries and donated over two million new, quality books to kids in historically underserved communities.

“Our scholar-athletes expressed an interest in Service Learning, and Ashley rec-

ommended Access Books, which connected us with Lillian Elementary School. The project asked for 3,000 books to be donated to the school, and in partnership with Boys Volleyball, our families could exceed that number by a few thousand. It was great to see the collaboration between our two programs, Access Books and Lillian Elementary School. Watching the Saturday school children come and pick books to take home was priceless. Their school library had books from the 70s and 80s, and their local LA County Library has been closed since just before the pandemic and has not communicated a date when they will open,” said Director of Athletics Tyrone Powell. “I could not be more proud of our scholar-athletes and families' work to help increase access to books and promote reading for Lillian Elementary School.”

50 - SERVICE LEARNING WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 51 SERVICE LEARNING

2017 HIGHLIGHTS

5YEARS – Three Division structure is created for more personalized student attention.

– Schedule is revamped to focus on student well-being.

Richard Bailey World Language Teacher, Global Scholars Mentor

Edgar Gonzalez Athletic Medicine

Sarah Musich Director of Counseling Services: Collegiate Division

7YEARS

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

– Lewis Jackson Memorial Sports Center undergoes an extensive remodel.

– The Weight Room undergoes an extensive remodel and is renamed the Peak Performance Center.

– Meshulam Riklis and Pia Zadora Dining Pavilion remodel and Foley Field renovation.

10YEARS

2012 HIGHLIGHTS

– Alumni Council started.

– Windward’s 40th Anniversary celebration takes place.

Michael Bognanno Director of Advancement Services

Tri Nguyen Laboratory Technician, Laboratory Safety Coordinator

Roger Bridges Assistant Head of School for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Ashley Goodman Director of Service Learning and Assoc. Director of Admissions, DEIB

Max Nishimura Resident Tinkerer

Candice Chiang World Language Teacher

Josh Holt Student Technology Support Specialist

Robin Pickett Director of Windward Network, Assoc. Director of Admissions

Kermit Cannon Director of Peak Performance

Katie Thoma Visual and Media Arts Teacher, Chair

Julia Coley Assistant Head of School, Director of Prep Division

Tiffaney Hughes Math Teacher

Michelle Richman Associate Director of the CTL: Academic and Learning Support

Paola DeCastro World Language Teacher, Chair

Donata Takahashi Senior Finance Associate

Natasha Arnold Performing Arts Teacher (Theater), Performing Arts Internal Community Partnerships Coordinator

Carrie Creighton World Language Teacher, Coordinator of Global Trips & Activities

15YEARS

2007 HIGHLIGHTS

– The Board of Trustees sets a campaign goal of $18 million and approves construction of the Science and Math Center and the Center for Teaching and Learning.

JP DeGuzman History Teacher

Drue Metz Director of Media Arts & Film Lab

Whitney Wood English Teacher

– The Annual Fund raises over $750,000.

Rebecca Carter Science & Technology Teacher, Chair

Frances Jones Senior Associate Athletic Director, Track and Field Program Lead

Tyrone Powell Director of Athletics; Dean of Students, Collegiate Division

25YEARS

1997 HIGHLIGHTS

– Windward purchases the apartment building next door for future expansion.

– Irene Kleinberg Theater is constructed and debuts with “The Long Christmas Dinner” and “Little Shop of Horrors.”

Kevin Kloeker Science & Technology Teacher

Emily Miner English Teacher

Damon Van Leeuwen English Teacher

20 YEARS

2002 HIGHLIGHTS

– Windward successfully completes its first capital campaign for $6 million.

– Arts Center and Meshulam Riklis and Pia Zadora Dining Pavilion opens.

Jill Velazquez World Language Teacher

30 YEARS

1992 HIGHLIGHTS

– Irene Kleinberg named Board Chair.

Lisa Walker Director of Admissions

Christina Hendershaw Visual and Media Arts Teacher

40 YEARS

1982 HIGHLIGHTS

– Windward moves to its present site, a 9.5 acre, multi-building campus at 11350 Palms Blvd. in Los Angeles.

– Avram Salkin named Board Chair.

Tom Gilder Head of School

FACULTY AND STAFF
52 - FACULTY AND STA FF WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 53 FACULTY AND STAFF
MILESTONES 2022

DONOR

UPDATE

It’s not too late to show your support and add your name to this impressive list.

Founder $50,000+

Anonymous (1)

William Lauder

Lorraine & Damien McCann

EJ & Gregory Milken

Dennis Miller

Christine Moran Miller

Viveca Paulin-Ferrell & Will Ferrell

Taylor Stein

Head of School

$25,000+

Anonymous (2)

1P Foundation

The Ahmanson Foundation

American Endowment Foundation

Sarah & John Bonello

Wendy & Gary Broad '77

Shanna & Jonathan Brooks

Shainaz Donnelly Burg & Mark Burg

Valerie & Faraz Daneshgar

The Elbaz Family Foundation

Jennifer Garner

Ann & Jim Gianopulos

Nancy & Jon Glaser

Jennifer Winer-Gordon & Rafi Gordon

The Klos Family

The Kwit Family

Heidi & Damon Lindelof

Joanne Gappy & Navid Mahmoodzadegan

The Simms/Mann Family Foundation

Staci & Adam Miller

Musk Foundation

Dana & Richard Pachulski

The Loni & Jeff Rush Family Foundation

Jessica & Stephen Samuel

Schwab Charitable Fund

The Schwartzberg Family

Lia & Jeffrey Seabold

Hillary & Brett Thomas

Elisabeth & Rich Welch

Kate Phillips-Wiczyk & Modi Wiczyk

Visionary

$15,000+

Anonymous (1)

Sue & John Antoni

Amy & Paul Arenson

Michelle & Gareth Asten

California Community Foundation

Ashley & Scott Cohen

Kate & Arthur Coppola

Maggie & Matthew Cwiertnia

Janel Ablon & Matthew Davis

Cara Di Bona

The Walt Disney Company Foundation

Daniell & Daniel Elperin

The Kent-Feldman Family

Sabina & Gregory Gault

Risa Gertner

Valerie Karno & Eric Glaser

Whitney & Bill Glass

Stacey & Stephen Henning

Lisa & David Hernand

Emma Watts & Jonathan Krauss

Kendra & Michael LaSalle

Mai & James Lassiter

Curtis Macnguyen & Sandy Le

Candace & Charles Nelson II

The Newkirk Family

The O'Connor Family

Joanne & Matt Pauley

Marlien Rentmeester & John Phelps

Zaheeda & Nav Rahemtulla

Anna & Jeffrey Reyna

Laura & Kenny Rogers

Gretchen & Dan Rush

Jennifer Rush

Pippa Bond & Stan Savage Jr

Dana & Evan Schlessinger

Pamela & Matt Schwab

The Seton Family

Jennifer & Noah Shore

The Shourie Family

Mark Siegel

Morgan Stanley Global Impact

Funding Trust, Inc.

Robin & Jeffrey Strug

Kate Petrosky & Julien Thuan

The Trilling Family

Sharon De Mayo & Luca Viola

Liz & Andy Waters

Patricia & Paul Weitz

Leadership

$10,000+

Anonymous (2)

Lisa & David Alpern

Sheri & Steve Altieri

Lori & Howard Altman

Nicole & Brad Brooks

Hsiu-Yen & Sean Brosmith

Jo Champa

The Crotty Family

Choiwan & David Essey

Samantha & Jonathan Firestone

Evanne & Edward Gargiulo

Suzanne & Michael Ginestro

Sarah Hennelly & Adam Goldberg

Cathy & Josh Goldsmith

Andrea & Donald Goodman

Lisa Goodman

Nathalie & Michael Huddleston

Christy Morcomb & Laurie Hudson

Alexandra Winston & Bo Hyde

Laura & Andre James

Kristina James

Alison Kaplan '96 & Jason Kaplan

Christine & Jordan Kaplan

Lindsey & Matt Karatz

Olivia & Brian Kelly

Kymber & Ted Kim

Nancy Corshen & Richard Klubeck

Wendy & Gary Leshgold

Morina & Zander Lichstein

The Lugash Family

The Mass Family

Michelle & Yariv Milchan

Heather & Kenny Mitchell Jr

Yunnie & Greg Morena

Rachael & Bob Platt

Genevieve Reitman

Michelle & Jason Reitman

Tristan Bickman & David Ribakoff

Michelle & Glenn Robson

Aimee & Mark Rosenbaum

Raina & David Rosenblum

The Roth Family

The Russo Family

Diana & Andrew Sachs

Renata & Dean Salo

The Richard Salomon Family Foundation

Lisa Nishimura & Gregory Seese

Ann & Eric Silverman

Chiara & Greg Slewett

Kelly & Matt Sloan

Jessica & Mark Sokol

The St. John Family

Jody & Jacques Stambouli

Arika Mittman & Cynthia Stegner

Georgeann Carras & Adam Stotsky

Tina Holmes & John Tripp

Amy & Jon Turteltaub

Jennifer & Spencer Tyler

Renee & Stephen Weiss

Benefactor

$5,000+

Anonymous (3)

Jennifer & Chris Andrews

John Andrews

Apple Inc.

Dawn Barrett

Jennifer & Michael Beerman

Kristin & Aaron Bendikson

Alexandra & Mickey Berman

Margaret Yuspa & David Blackman

Cicek & Paul Bricault

Catherine Bridge

Teresa & Paul Bridwell

The Broumand Family

Soma Samanta-Buck & Stephen Buck

Jennifer & Mercel Chambers

Michelle & Tyrone Chang

Allison & Adam Checchi

Cristina Wong & Conly Chi

Alice & Thomas Davidov

Nicole Deddens & Ronn Davids

Julie Pan & Jeffrey de Chausse

The Edelman Family

Rachel & John Edwards

Kerry O'Neill & Martin Estrada

The Farar Family

Jennifer & Todd Feldman

Debbie & Mark Feldstein

Angela Asher & Ted Fikre

Meredith Milton & Jonathan Frank

Andrea Wallace & Jonathan Friedman

Caroline Wittcoff & Douglas Fuchs

Alison Garb

Natalie & Leo Gestetner

Ellen & Gregg Goldfarb

Amy Harkin & Steven Goodrich

Carol Schwartz & Elliot Gordon '74

Kim Gordon

Laura & David Gottlieb

Melissa Papp Green & Jeff Green

Sheri & Michael Green

Myra & Brian Greenspun

Jolie & Rick Greenwald

Tamara & Andrew Gross '92

Randi & Jared Grusd

Lizette Sanchez-Hayutin & Matthew Hayutin

Jennifer & Adam Herschman

Letitia Bridges & William Hill

Amy Friedlander Hoffman & Todd Hoffman

Kara & Jamie Horowitz

Randy & Jon Hurwitz

Lizna & Abdul Ismail

Roopal & Dylan Jadeja

Victoria Hong & Wei Jiang

The Kane Family

Jennifer & Eric Kaufman

Eryn & Ryan Kilstein

Ashley & Matt Kline

Charice & Ko Kobayashi

Vivian & Samuel Ku

Jovana Lara-Brooks

Mina & Peter Lefevre

Eleanor Suhr & Michael Lerner

Wendy & Eric Levine

Lisa & Kevin Lewin

Stefan Litt

Diana Longarzo

Tony Low

Julie Sandor & Jack Ludden

Stephanie & Larry Lugash

Shoreen Maghame

Todd Makurath

Erin & Mike Mand

Elizabeth & Jon Marashi

The McKenzie Family

Dorothy & David Measer

Idina Menzel & Aaron Lohr

Honor Fraser & Stavros Merjos

Laura & Chris Miller

Cathy & Chris Milton

Allison & Jeffrey Mirkin

Danielle & Kevin Misher

The Mohn Family

Elizabeth & Bill Molinski

Allison & Peter Morrison

Sam Naficy

Roberta & Richard Nathanson

Megan & Eric Needleman

Cheryl & David Nelson

Amy Weimer & Kevin Newman

Christine & Richard Newman

Juliet & Jun Oh

Mindy & Mark Owens

Philip Paccione

Jess Meyer & Tim Pappas

Chelsea & Saladin Patterson

Kelly & Darren Peers

Kimberly & Joshua Perttula '88

Orit & Nadav Ravid

Michaela & Mischa Reis

Molly & Erick Richardson

Michelle & Keith Richman

Lisa Shannon & Peter Rieveschl

Ann Singhakowinta & Jeremy Rogers

Jessica & Cory Rosenberg

Jane Hwangbo & Craig Rosenblatt

Melissa Karz & Thomas Rubinson

Samantha & Bejan Rufeh

Nancy & Kenneth Ruttenberg

Jessica & Scott Samet

Lauren & Kevin Scher

Chana & Justin Schuman

Jennifer Howard & Robert Schwentke

Naz & Zad Shooshani

Shawn & Jason Silletti

Linda & Glenn Solomon

Eleni Mavromati & John Stasinos

Jennifer & Sean Sullivan

Martha & Ari Swiller

Lilian Jensen & Sam Tabibian

Michelle & David Taub

Colleen Terpening

Karen & Jeremy Umland

Denise Contis-Walter & Christopher Walter

Michelle & Robert Watkins

Amy & Brian Weitman

Nicole & Jeffrey Westheimer

Renee & David Yang

reflects donors having made a gift or pledge on or before February 1,
List
2023
Thank you!
More information can be found online by scanning the QR code. 54 - WINDWARD FUND WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 55 WINDWARD FUND

Partner Cont.

Partner

$2,500+

Anonymous (4)

Rachel & Jayson Adams

Laura Cohen & Arik Ahitov

Marnie & Paul Altman

Bank of America

Christen Carter & Simon Beardmore

Thanda & Harald Belker

Abby & Reuben Berman

Kelly & Stephen Bickle

Angela Armitage & David Blau

Kathy & Andrew Bobrow

Nonny & Brian Breiter

Courtney & Noel Bright

Ruthanna & Steven Brill

Graydon Brittan

Tracy Brittan

Ali & Marc Campbell

Kathy & Al Checchi

Junko & Jason Choy

Tatsinda & Jonathan Cohen

Roya & Peter Cohen

Tobi Molenaar & Stanley Cohen

Alexandra Conrad

Kara & David Corwin

Gina Di Bona

Erica Gerard Di Bona & Vincent Di Bona

Amy & Joseph Dickstein

Caskey & Mick Ebeling

Sharon & Kovi Elkus

Melanie Murakami & Timothy Eng

Stacey & Tim Farish

Carin & Scott Farkas

The Faye/Asher Family

Leah Corselli-Felisan & Stephen Felisan

Beth Osisek & Ken Fink

Amy Call & Adam Finkel

Erica & James Fishkin

Yasmin Cader & Kevin Frazier

Portia & Sean Furst '88

Jennifer Ouchi & David Gallon

Jonathan Gardner

Shana & Todd Garner

Roxanne Davis & James Gavsie

Caryl Golden & James Gerson

Lori & Tom Gilder

Goldman Sachs Matching Gift Program

Lori & Kirk Goldstein

Rosanne Cunningham & Karsten Gopinath

Lori Gottlieb

Micah Green

Vardit Green

Shazi & Kambiz Hakimi

Jacqueline & Ray Hanna

Ruth & Tom Harkin

Wendy & Brett Hauser

Nery & Dave Heenan

Jennifer & Marc Heenan

Rose & Peter Helm

Lauren & David Howard

Ing Lee & Todd Jerry

Peggy Procter & John Johnston

Dana & Adam Kaller

Jenny Park & James Kim

Carly & Jonathan Kimmel

Amanda & Jeffrey Kolodny

Yifat Dahan & Shahar Koren-Pinto

Dalit Toledano & Daniel Krivoy

Suzan & Matthew Lamishaw

Mags & Trevor Lavin

Jennifer Price-Letscher & Matthew Letscher

Jana & Scott Luirette

Jamie & Douglas Lynn

Eric Mandel

Alisa Becket & Leo Marmol

Julie Marsh & Steve Mayer

Adie & Brian McPartland

Samantha McGarry & Sean Meehan

Lorena Barrientos & Mark Merritt

Ashley & Chris Morrow

Jennifer Chasalow-Neiman & David Neiman

Michelle & Roger Nieves

Erica & Jason Powell

Eva & Jason Rapp

Jessica & Eric Reid

Samantha & Chris Robichaud

Allison Bloom & Gabriel Rutman

Dorothy & Avram Salkin

Michal Amir Salkin & Ken Salkin '86

Jennifer & Fred Savage

Linda & Richard Schaps

Allison & Adam Scotch

Sharon & Boris Shimanovsky

Chelsea & Greg Shukov

Robyn & Marc Sidoti

Karen & Scott Silver

Sara & Lawrence Sloan

Lisa & Mitch Smelkinson

Cheryl & David Snow

Pam & Stephen Soller

Sony Pictures

Deborah Lipsztein Spector & Marcelo Spector

Jenny & Michael Tatum

Nina Kogan Tepper '86 & Yaniv Tepper

Linda & Thomas Tierney Jr

Ambereen & Ramez Toubassy

Jill & Nicolas van Dyk

Karyn & Rob Weber

Candice & Perrie Weiner

Evelyn & Manuel Weiskopf

Kristen & Dean Wong

Patricia & Harrison Zanuck

Cathy He & Jianjun Zhou

Kate Adler & Marcelo Ziperovich

Julian & Jeff Zolkin

Donor

Up to $2,499

Anonymous (22)

21st Century Fox

Elvia Abdullah

Robert Abdullah

Gayla Aspinall & John Agoglia

Uriel Aguirre Zamora

Delores & Bruno Alia

Shenondoah Alonso

Shelley & Stephan Altman

Kavita Amar

Sabine Dreher & Robert Amin

Estela Zarate & Tait Anderson

Dean Anselmo

Adelaine Antonino '96

Barbi Appelquist

Roz & John Arenson

Melanie Arias

Gabriela Venegas & Jren Armon

Natasha Arnold

Frieda & Ceth Ashendouek '85

Ken Asher

Cynthia Atterberry

Barbara Avilez

Gabe Baez

Betty & George Baffa

Richard Bailey

Mayr & Dave Balasa

Crystal Balthrop '96

Naader Banki '07

Shlomit & David Bard

Katrina & Jordan Barron '05

Eugenie & Joseph Baumann

Marty Behrendt

Ana & Trevor Belden

Annick Bellordre

Keli Kastrup & Mike Bennett

Tisha & Andrew Berman

Karen Van Nuys & Antonio Bernardo

Brian Bernhards

Brittany Berriz

Alma Castellanos & Dirk Binkley

Phyllis & Robert Blaunstein

Sharnell & Clifton Blevins

Jasmine Blevins '17

The Blum Family Foundation

Cathleen McGrath & James Blythe

Boeing Corporation

Michael Bognanno

Susan & Jim Bologna

Michele & Louis Bond

Erin Borgstrom

Cielo Botello-Williams & Michael Williams

Molly & Peter Branch

Karol Watson & Christopher Branche

Roger Bridges

Kathy & Richard Brisacher

Erika Johnson-Brooks & William Brooks

Whitney Burke

Maya Burrell Marrero

Gunilla Byfield

Nikki & Kermit Cannon

Becky & Troy Carter

Mya Caruso

Maynor Castellanos

Jocelyn Castillo

Marilyn & Christian Cazun

Polina & Sam Chapiro

Judy Chasalow

Brenda Chavez '95

Jerica Chest-Williams

Candice Chiang

Samantha Chinn '86

Julie & Nicholas Ciriello

Sarah Clark

Tammy Clem

Tanika & Hwesu Cobb-Phillips

Jessica Murphy & Adam Cohen

Tamy & Marc Cohen '91

Joan & Ken Cohn

Pamela Conrad

Bryan Cook

Deb Cook

Melissa & Stephen Cope

Carrie Creighton

Jennifer Dao

Emily Dawe

Erica Broido & Greg Dawley

Michael Day

Tony de los Reyes

Paola DeCastro

Jean-Paul deGuzman

Veronica Nales & Vicente Del Rio

Marisol Delahoussaye

Benjamin Delwiche

Wendy Dembo '84

Christina Dempsey

Dionne Washington-Denny & John Denny

Alden Derr

Deborah & Eric Diamond

Eva & Sabino Diaz

Jahmal Durham

Alice & Phillip Eng

Johnny Enriquez

Sharon & Chad Eshaghoff

Patricia & Bruce Eskovitz

Stacy & Scott Ezra

Anita Famili

Phoebe Fan

Aaron Farkas '14

Alia Faubert

Ayn Faubert

Joy & Alan Feld

Lindsay Flacks

Gulden & Craig Fox

Jordan Fox

Michael Fox-Boyd

Asha Francisco

Adena & Bill Frank

Cheryl Freitag

Julie & Garth Friedrich

Patrick Friel

Jill & Leonard Fromer

Jennifer & Robert Galperson '90

Margarito Garcia

Kate Briscoe & Ivan Garel-Jones

DJ Gay

Carol & Kevin Gelbard

Lakisha & Mo Gelin

Andrea & Christopher Gialanella

Tiffanie & Jeff Gilder '08

Julian Goldstein

Hiliana Gomez

Edgar Gonzalez

Gigi & Jay Goodfader '88

Ashley Goodman

Gabe Gordon '98

Jennifer & Scott Gordon '84

Julia Coley & Jerry Goren

Rosyln Gottlieb

Ronen Grace

Jyoti Puvvula & Gilberto Granados

Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

Kimberly Green

Beatriz Acevedo-Greiff & Douglas Greiff

Stephanie Grissom

Marlene & Marshall Grossman

Ethel Gullette

Janyee Gutierrez

Rachel & Gary Gutkin

Brandon Hakim '08

Jasmine Parker-Hampton & Jeramy Hampton

Colleen Hargaden

Danielle & Burt Harris Jr

Corey & Eric Hartnack

Stacie & Bryan Hausner

Eveneshia Hedgeman

Christina Hendershaw

Susan Herrera

Robert Heyl

Karriann Farrell Hinds & Elliot Hinds

Ann-Marie & Nicholas Hobbs

Kristen & David Hodess

Jennifer Leitzes & Jon Hoeber

Schuyler Ha & Richard Hoff

Erika Hoffman

Lauren Hoffman '05

Regina Hoffman

Gail & Robert Holmes

Jennifer McDonnell & Jeff Holsey

Josh Holt

Andrea & Scott Holtzman

Swagata Mandal & Andy Hsu

Fran & Dennis Huddleston

Tiffaney Hughes

Peggy & Francis Hung

Simon Huss

Michelle Nilsson & Ronaldo Ignacio

Monica & David Isaacs

Robin Jacobson Sipkins

Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles

Sudha Joga

Frances & Josh Jones

Kimberly Jones

Francie Calfo & Trent Jones

Andrea Kahn '02

Wendy & Buzz Kersman

Leah & John Ketcham

Jasmin Danesch & Kourosh Khajavi

Farrah Khaleghi Aizenman '07

Kevin Kloeker

Lindsay Knaub

Lauren Kawasaki-Knight & Derek Knight

Britt Johansson & Jeremiah Knight

Daniel Koh

Stephanie & Gregory Konkoff '88

Kristin & Joseph Kosinski

Emily Kovner '91

Michael Kraus

Suzanne Kraus

Rose & David Kuhn Jr

Natalie Kyriakoudis

Cori & Max Lagao

Jeff Lake

Ursula Brooks & Jonathan LaPaglia

Becca Larson

Aryelle & Ryan Lawrence '00

Vanessa Sorenson & Derek Leavitt '95

Peter Leeb '00

Aaron Leff '01

Michelle & Daniel Lehmann

CC Pulitzer-Lemann & Monte Lemann

Daisha & Emilio Leon

Kameron Hightower & Donte Lewis

Sarah Lidschin '87

Julie & Harley Liker

Sheila Darcey & Micah Linton

Lauren & Josh Lippman '95

Lany & Sy Lippman

Kyliah & Jared Lloyd Sr

Gage & Laura Loveless

Laura Luna & Reinaldo Luna

Jennifer & Charles Malaret

Dillon Malaret '18

Jacqueline Malaret '16

Sophia Malaret '21

Hatim Malek

Nora Malone

Shelly & Martin Mand

Joan Marantz

Leslie & James Margolis

Corey Marquetti

Stefano Marrero

Susana & David Martin

Susan & Josh Marx

56 - WINDWARD FUND WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 57 WINDWARD FUND

Jennifer Benedisuk & Mark Mascolo

Christopher Matthews

Kristie Mattsson

Linda McCormack

Jamey McElvain-Whitman

Tanya McLaughlin

Marcela Meirelles & Aleksandar Stanojevic

Drue Metz

Alexa Micek

Jeff Miller

Emily Miner

Amy & Eric Mirich

Suzie Moldavon

Nicole Monk

Chad Monk

James Patric Moran

Cori & Landon Morris

Fanisha & Larry Muepo

Sarah & Chris Musich

Virginia Musich

Deborah Myman

Kara Nebel

Zachary Neufeld

Tri Nguyen

Julia & Joel Nickerson

Akiko Nimura

Max Nishimura

Hannah Freed Northenor '99

Wayne Northrup

Terence O'Day

Tiffany O'Day

Jennifer Van Hook & Micah Officer

Eva Baker & Harold O'Neil

Lydia & Charles Oppenheim

Roxana Opris

Stephanie Osimiri

Samantha Pack

Christopher Padilla

Femke Wolting & Tommy Pallotta

Parkside Foundation

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation

Christina & Matthew Paul '98

Khanh Truong & Mark Paz

Irene Perez

Kerry & Howard Perlow

Guilda & Jacob Peykar

June & Carl Phelps

Julia Phillips

Robin & Jeff Pickett

Drew Pion '14

Jenna & Joseph Pitson

Simone McKitty & Martin Pitts

Bunny Pollack & Stan Korenman

Maureen & Noah Pollack

Barbara Polland

Mark Polland '81

Nora Portillo

Susan & Tyrone Powell

Aaron Presser '18

Mary & Mark Presser

You Sun & Brian Ra

Karalyn Ramon

Chantal Randolph

Max Rappaport '09

Heather Regnier '04

Jennifer Regnier '02

Mahi Lashgari Renselaer & Edward

Renselaer

James Resin

Elizabeth & David Ricanati

Lauren Rice

Sophia Lord-Richard & Joe Richard

Kelly Rivers

Dawn Robinson

Amy Romine

Emily & Colin Rose

Ani Rosen '19

The Holly & Eric Rosen Family

Sydney Rosen '16

Joan & Robert Rosenbaum

Shoshana & Mark Ross

Joy & Jason Rothenberg

James Rothstein

Regina Rubio

Heidi Rufeh

Deonna Betts-Martin & Darnell Russell Jr

Christina & Kenneth Russo

Marc Sabine

Amber & Warren Saft '91

James Sainz

Betty & Tom Saliba

Jessica & Steven Samarge

Karinn & Todd Sammann

Benjamin Sanders '02

Maryann & Michael Sanders

Jiyoung Moon & Pawal Sasik

Ramona Robinson & Edward Saunders

Tirosh Schneider

Bernice Serpico

Dahlia Setiyawan

Jackie & Stephen Shapiro

Joan Shayne

Ryan Shelven

Michael Shephard '13

Kyle Shimoda

Barbara & Herb Siderman

Loretta Siciliano & Scott Silverman

Kathleen & Charles Sipkins

Clara & Yudesh Sohan

Jennifer & Rob Solomon '87

Zakaria Solotoff

Adam Spira '92

Maja Starcevic & Kresimir Petrinec

Jessica & Jonathan Steier '91

Susie Romano & Randy Steinberg

Eva & Jeffrey Stodel

Carolyn & Norman Straker

Lori Zukerman & Thomas Strouse

Joanne Van Emburgh & Sam Surloff

Donata Takahashi

Katie Thoma

Ben Thomas

Sandra Thomas

Nicole Pearl & Cindy Tobisman

Austin Totty

Adrienne Tourtelot

Mark Tronson

Amanda Troughton

Erica Tukiainen '06

Leena Tukiainen

Lori & Barry Turbow '89

Garret Tyau

George Ulmer '90

Azita Ashofteh & Farhad Vafaee

Keon Vafaee '22

Seena Vafaee '16

Jacob Van der Wilk

Alison Forbes & Andrew Van Hook

Damon Van Leeuwen

Katherine & Joel VanderKloot

Sarunas Varanauskas

Jacqueline & Adam Varney

Vanessa Vazquez

Jill & Salvador Velazquez

Raul Villa

Will Vincent

Lisa & Dennis Walker

Barbara Wallace

The Wallace Family

Maia & Matt Wapnick '02

Karen & Alan Weil

Lisa Weinstein

Julie & Eric Weissman

Cole Wertlieb '17

La Donna & Neil Wertlieb

Michael West

Jon Westerman

Curtistine Spates White '84 & Tom White

Monique Washington-White & Robert White

Pamela & Herbert Williams

Leslie & David Wimmer

Deborah & Richard Winn

Nicholas Winnie

Whitney Wood

Kerry & Adam Wright

Amy Xiong

Jane & TT Yang

Alesia Young & David Lowe

Yourcause, LLC

Emily & Peter Yu

Sherif Zakaria

Sharon Pearline & Henry Zangwill

Jenn Zanoria

Jenny & Ronen Zipkin

Bonnie Zolkin

Alejandro Zuniga

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHTS FUND

I’ve always been a big believer in the saying “what you put in, is what you get out.” This can be applicable to everything—especially when it comes to donating your time to something that matters and benefits others. Spending time getting to know the Windward families, sharing why The Windward Fund is important, and showcasing what it does for our kids, was an amazing experience that made me better understand the school and what it stands for.

WHY I VOLUNTEER WITH THE WINDWARD FUND

The mission behind the Windward Fund resonates very deeply with our family, so I jumped at the opportunity to help ensure its relevance and sustainability, family by family. The Windward model of transparently deploying the dollars raised in the same year gives everyone a chance to contribute in a very elegant and direct way to our big three initiatives. I'm very proud to continue serving in a community where all the constituents collectively value this vital cause. All of the warm feedback I consistently receive from fellow families about their commitment and positive experiences at Windward reminds me that I’m making a difference.

Jordan Kaplan

Alex Kwit

Rich Pachulski

WF Co-Chairs

As a previous educator, cannot think of any place more worthy of my time and energy as my children’s school. It really does take a village to raise amazing children, and I’m beyond grateful to call Windward my village.

FUND 2022-23

Volunteers & Steering Committee

Steering Committee Co-Chairs

Alexandra Conrad

Phyllis Crotty - SC

Sabine Dreher

Lani & Justin Farar

Scott Farkas

Jonathan Firestone - SC

Ann Gianopulos - Co-Chair

Viveca Paulin-Ferrell - Co-Chair

WF Volunteers

Rachel Adams

Gareth Asten - SC

Letitia Bridges

Erica Broido

Shainaz & Mark Burg

Yasmin Cader

Amy Call

Jo Champa

Caroline Wittcoff & Douglas Fuchs

Ed Gargiulo - SC

Shana & Todd Garner

Sabina Gault

Ellen & Gregg Goldfarb

Lori Goldstein

Jennifer Winer-Gordon & Rafi

Gordon

Matthew Hayutin

Cathy He

Halima Holmes

Bo Hyde

Britt Johansson

Matthew Karatz

Mitchell Kraus

Wendy Levine

Todd Makurath

Maria Mancusco Gersh - SC

Dorothy & David Measer

Meredith Milton

Allison & Peter Morrison

Megan & Eric Needlemen

David Nelson

Beth Osisek

Matt Pauley - SC

Rachael & Bob Platt - SC

Maureen & Noah Pollack

Jessica Reid

Jeff Reyna

Jessica Rosenberg

Jessica Samuel

Jiyoung Moon & Pawal Sasik

Kevin Scher

Pamela Schwab - SC

Kate Seton

Naz Shooshani

Josh Simms

Ann Singhakowinta

Kelly Sloan

Jessica Sokol

Linda Solomon

Maie St. John SC

Michelle Taub - SC

Julian Zolkin

Partner Cont.
Sabina Gault Naz Shooshani Matthew Hayutin
58 - WINDWARD FUND WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 59 WINDWARD FUND

INNOVATION CAMPAIGN

The Innovation Campaign began in 2016 and its impact on the Windward community has already made a lasting impression in so many ways. With the first phase of the campaign, the School’s fundraising efforts made it possible for the completion of the Academic Hub. The Hub has become a cornerstone of the campus, bringing new opportunities for our students and faculty to connect.

As the School continues fundraising for the last phase of the Innovation Campaign, Windward has made incrdible progress, raising 75% of the total needed for funding. Through the tremendous support of he School's talented Steering Committee and the wonderful Windward Community, this massive milestone has provided us the opportunity to begin construction on the Milken Family Community Gathering Plaza and the Innovation & Arts Center in 2023.

The 10,000 square foot Milken Family Community Gathering Plaza will bring additional greenspace to campus, providing new opportunities for music and dance performances, poetry readings, creative presentations, and outdoor classroom learning. The Plaza will bring the campus together, merging the north and south sides, and will allow for more connection amongst the entire community.

The Innovation & Arts Center will be a space unlike any other currently on campus. This new 33,500 square foot building will house two theaters, art galleries, an IDEA Incubator Floor, a Roof Deck Event Space, and so much more. The spaces will impact the daily lives of all students, providing a safe environment to create, explore, learn, question, and develop their own perspective towards excellence.

60 - INNOVATION CAMPAIGN WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 61 INNOVATION CAMPAIGN

What captures my imagination the most is the promise of the space. I'm excited about all that can and will happen: student installations in the gallery, Senior Capstone Colloquium panel presentations, dance performances on the terrace. This will be a building for all members of our community to use and enjoy, where all will be welcome to iterate, create, and exhibit their work. The academic possibilities feel endless!

$30,036,595 Raised to date with a GOAL $40million

INNOVATION CAMPAIGN

It’s with appreciation and gratitude that we thank the following families for their commitment to progress and their investment in the Innovation Campaign and the future of Windward.

As of February 10, 2023

$2MM+

Anonymous (1)

The Milken Family

Allison & Bennett Rosenthal $1MM+

Anonymous (3)

Christine & Jordan Kaplan

The Schwartzberg Family

$500,000+

Anonymous (1)

Valerie & Faraz Daneshgar

Shannon & Dean Factor

Caroline & Michael Hackman

Lorraine & Damien McCann

Dana & Richard Pachulski

The Shourie Family

$250,000+

Anonymous (2)

Shainaz Donnelly Burg & Mark Burg

Andrea & Barry Cayton

The Cwiertnia Family

Raised to date as of February 10, 2023

The Crotty Family

The Elbaz Family Foundation

Quinn & Bryan Ezralow

The Karno Glaser Family

Jon & Nancy Glaser

The Kwit Family

Allison & Jeffrey Mirkin

Sam Naficy

The O'Connor Family

The Rosenthal Family

Amy Klimek & Joshua Roth

Pamela & Matt Schwab

Lia & Jeffrey Seabold

The Tuzon Stone Family

The Yi Family

$100,000+

Anonymous (11)

The Albert Family

Lori & Howard Altman

Michelle & Gareth Asten

The Benudiz Family

Nicole & Brad Brooks

Jo Champa

Julia & Jonathan Eng

Angela Asher & Ted Fikre

The Finger Family

Samantha & Jonathan Firestone

The Foster Family

Evanne & Edward Gargiulo

Maria Mancuso Gersh & Gary Gersh

The Glass Family

Carol Schwartz & Elliot Gordon '74

Susan Winfield & Stephen Grynberg

Shiva & Cyrus Hadavi

Wendy & Gary Leshgold

Lisa & Kevin Lewin

The Lugash Family

The Mass Family

Michelle & Yariv Milchan

Staci & Adam Miller

Angela & Mark Milstein

The Newkirk Family

Christine & Richard Newman

The Ouchi Tsai Gallon Families

The Pauley Foundation

Kelly & Darren Peers

The Phelps Family

Rachael & Bob Platt

Tristan Bickman & David Ribakoff

Laura & Kenny Rogers

The Sachs Family

Dana & Evan Schlessinger

Paulina & Carlos Smith

The St. John Family

The Stratton Family

The Trilling Family

Adam Venit

Trina Venit

Candice & Perrie Weiner

Amy & Brian Weitman

Elisabeth & Rich Welch

La Donna & Neil Wertlieb

$50,000+

Anonymous (1)

John Andrews

Nadine Bell

Lorraine & Joe Berchtold

Alex & Jason Brent

Alison Garb

Risa Gertner

Cathy & Josh Goldsmith

Roopal & Dylan Jadeja

Lindsey & Matt Karatz

Lisa & Brian Kessler

Leah & John Ketcham

The Corshen Klubeck Family

Serena & Shawn Levy

Laura & Chris Miller

Judith Hayward & Michael Parks

Kimberly & Joshua Perttula '88

Aimee & Mark Rosenbaum

Sharon & Shawn Sani

Bart Williams

up to $49,999

Anonymous (1)

Randye Soref & Michael Abrams

Jennifer & Chris Andrews

Jamie & Michael Angus

Kamila & Dilip Bhavnani

Karol Watson & Christopher Branche

Rachel & John Edwards

Katherine & Sean Eskovitz

The Farar Family

Ryan & Tucker Gates

Lori & Tom Gilder

Sheri & Michael Green

Jamie & Joshua Gutfreund

The Gutman Family

Stacie & Bryan Hausner

The Kallman Family

The Kane Family

Blaire & Aaron Kaplan Family

Emily Kovner '91

Cathy & Matt Leaf

Heidi & Damon Lindelof

Debbie & Jonathan Markiles

Dana Sano & James Meyers

The Nichols Levey Family

Lydia & Charles Oppenheim

I-Shyh & Paul Ortiz

Patricia Duncan & Winston Peters

Jessica & Eric Reid

Michelle & David Taub

Courtney & Jared Wolff

Malea & Reza Zafari

Gina Deutsch-Zakarin & Mark Zakarin

STEERING COMMITTEE

2022-2023

Gareth Asten

Phyllis Crotty

Ann Gianopulos

Maria Mancuso Gersh

Jonathan Firestone

Jordan Kaplan

Alex Kwit

Rich Pachulski

Matt Pauley

Bob Platt

Pamela Schwab

Maie St. John

Michelle Taub

Committee Co-Chair

WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 63 INNOVATION CAMPAIGN 62 - INNO VATION CAMPAIGN

Mixing it Up

Windward Network’s Second Annual Holiday Mixer

On Monday, November 28, the Windward Network held its second annual holiday mixer at the Canopy Club Rooftop Bar at the Shay Hotel in Downtown Culver City. Over 60 Windward alumni gathered on a beautiful Fall evening to catch up with old friends and also meet new Windwardians.

The evening, also an opportunity for career growth, featured seven amazing recruiters from Hire Options, including our very own alumni parent, Christy Kreisberg (Parent of Lily ’18). Hire Options is a Los Angeles based recruiting and staffing agency which has successfully worked with Windward alumni over the past few years. Many of our alumni connected with recruiters at the event to ask questions about their resumes or career advice, and alumni also followed up afterwards to make appointments to explore career options. Christy said of the evening “Thank you again for hosting and inviting us to another wonderful Windward event. We are all still buzzing about here in our office and have already been contacted by some wonderful Windward alums today!”

Robin Pickett, Director of Windward Network, said of the evening, “Since its inception, the goal of the Windward Network has been to provide students and alumni with access to career guidance

and support while leveraging connections within the entire Windward community. This support has proven to be especially important over the past couple years, and Hire Options has been such a wonderful resource to us. This is our second Holiday Mixer, and I’m already looking forward to our third, as it’s such a fun way to ring in the holiday season, and also rewarding to see our alumni make meaningful connections. Thank you so much to Christy and Hire Options, and also to our more experienced Windward alumni who came out to give career advice to our younger alumni!”

The Windward Network looks forward to continuing to support our students and alumni with our upcoming Summer internship season. Internships offered through the Windward Network (many offered by Windward parents and alumni!) provide meaningful experiences for current students (rising Juniors and Seniors) and college-age alumni in a variety of different fields beyond the classroom. Participants have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into their industries of interest, develop skills, cultivate professional connections, and strengthen their resumes, all while receiving academic credit.

64 - WINDWARD NETWORK WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 65 WINDWARD NETWORK

on BACK CAMPUS

On Friday, December 16, Windward welcomed back alumni who graduated in the last five years for the annual Young Alumni Lunch. The event featured In-N-Out, sweet treats from The Crispery, and provided alumni with the opportunity to reconnect with their former teachers, classmates, and teammates. It was also the first time In-N-Out was offered to the entire student body, making it a memorable and enjoyable event for all before Winter Break.

We hope to see all of our alumni back on campus on Saturday, June 3, 2023 for the Windward Alumni Festival & Reunion Night!

To: Class of 2022

From: Windward, With Love

On October 26, Parents of Alumni created care packages for the Class of 2022, which were mailed to our graduates at their respective colleges and universities around the country. Packages included Windward alumni beanies, drawstring backpacks, battery chargers, rice krispies, and other college essentials. After assembling the packages, a cocktail and appetizer reception was held, providing an opportunity for the parent of alumni community to reconnect, reminisce, and enjoy each other's company.

66 - ALUMNI WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 67 ALUMNI

it

PAYING FORWARD

For Barry Turbow ’89, going to Windward always felt like a when, not if. Growing up a breezy five minutes from campus, Barry knew the neighborhood, the community, and the close-knit nature that has defined Windward so readily since its inception. When he finally joined the School in 7th Grade, Barry quickly realized that he was right at home. “Windward was such a special place because it was so small and intimate,” he shared of his time on campus. “We were such a small class and we all came from such different backgrounds. We all got along almost because we had to, because we were so different. But that's all we had and I think that's what made it very special.”

Also meaningful were Barry’s relationships with his teachers. From learning to make paella with Spanish teacher Paula Hirsch to talking sports with History teacher Neil Kramer, Barry’s Windward experience was marked by the bonds he formed with the educators around him. “Everybody was so kind,” Barry remembers. “It was more of a collaboration. Kids learn at a different pace and are stimulated in different ways. There were a number of very unique things that I think only a place like Windward can provide relative to a lot of other schools out there. Windward teaches more than just the X’s and O’s. It teaches people to interact, collaborate, talk, and have a voice, being in a safe environment where you can ask questions and have people actually care about your education.”

An avid sports fan, that ability to put things into perspective stayed with Barry as he moved on to Cal State Northridge and eventually landed his dream job working in sports marketing for FOX Sports and Spectrum Reach. “Windward gave me a foundation to realize that even if you're not going to be an athlete, there are other avenues that you can still go to follow your passion and find a career in it, even if you're not going to be the starting pitcher for the Dodgers or the Center for the Lakers.” That lesson came full circle when Barry invited a collection of Windward students to the Spectrum set, allowing them to tour the studio and get insight from the analysts and Lakers legends in attendance. “It was great to see everybody just light up when they walked into our studio. For them to learn and see the control room and every aspect of what it takes to produce a live game or a pregame show and a postgame show, I think it was pretty cool.”

Now serving as a member of Windward’s Alumni Council, Barry encourages all Windwardians—past, present and future—to try and get the most out of their Windward experience. “I really, really appreciated what I got out of Windward, what I experienced relative to what my kids are going through and what they've had. It's truly a special place.” Discussing the role of the Windward Fund and the networking opportunities available to alumni, Barry continued, “I think there's a lot of opportunity at Windward that people should take advantage of. Everybody has a different path and story. I think if they're not taking advantage of it, they're missing out.”

68 - ALUMNI WINDWARD MAGAZINE - 69 ALUMNI

FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE! | CAMPS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

ACADEMICS

Beginning Debate Camp

Advanced Debate Camp

Camp Windward

CREATE Camp

Game Design with Snap!

VEX Robotics Camp

Explore and Learn with STEM (3rd & 4th)

Explore and Learn with STEM (5th & 6th)

ARTS

Comedy: Improv, Stand-Up, and Sketch

Music Visualization + Play

Play Writing and Performance

VMA Camp

Wicked at Windward: Parts I & II

ATHLETICS

Baseball Camp

Advanced Baseball (6th-8th)

Boys Basketball Camp

Girls Basketball Camp

Football Camp

Soccer Camp

Advanced Soccer (6th-8th)

Tennis Camp

Boys Volleyball Camp

Girls Volleyball Camp

For more information and to register visit:

2023 CAMP REGISTRATION OPEN! Students Grades 2-12
HTTPS://WWW.WINDWARDSCHOOL.ORG/SUMMER-CAMP
THE
ALUMNI FESTIVAL Noon - 4 PM Craft Beers, Wine Tasting, Food Trucks, Alumni Classes, Activities for Kids SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 2O23 CLASS REUNIONS 4-6 PM Class of: 2018, 2013, 2003, 1998, 1993, 1983, & 1973 72 - SAVE THE DATES
SAVE
DATE

www.windwardschool.org

11350 Palms Boulevard Los Angeles, California 90066
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID LOS ANGELES, CA PERMIT NO.32365
W
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.