COHORT DAYS COHORT PROGRAM STARTS AT YORK
GLOBAL PANDEMIC
DISTANCED LEARNING BEGINS AT YORK
NUMBER OF LOCAL FIRES
ONLINE LEARNING AND MEETING SPACE
NUMBER OF COHORTS OFFERED
NUMBER OF FOOD BANK VOLUNTEERS
NUMBER OF VOLUNTEER HOURS
NUMBER OF ACRES BURNED
78
575
VOLUNTEER HOURS IN FALL 0F 2020
When crisis strikes, York turns outward to see how we can help. In spring of 2020, at the onset of COVID, several students designed face shields and masks while others worked on protective shields for nurses to use when intubating COVID patients. Mr. Brookhouser, Dr. Hanna, and Ms. Moneypenny helped with the production and delivery of these products to local hospitals. Over the summer, students volunteered at All-In Monterey County, a new community group offering fresh food and life essentials to those impacted by COVID. York faculty came together to donate supplies for a community breakfast, where students also stepped in to lend a helping hand.
The Food Bank for Monterey County is one of the donors of food to All-In, so Oscar ’22 and Lily ’23 quickly made the connection and began planning and organizing a volunteer day.
Due to COVID-19, the Food Bank lost many of their volunteers. The organization went from 500 volunteers to 60 National Guard members, and, finally, to just 15 National Guard members. York School was the only high school (and one of only 3 groups total) to volunteer. The experience turned out to be a lifeline to our local community, ensuring our neighbors receive nutritious food during this tumultuous time. By September 2020, with the fires affecting our communities, the Food Bank was providing food to about 50% of Monterey County. Weekly volunteering at the Food Bank continues to this day and offers an opportunity for York students to give back, as well as a chance to safely come together in person.
“I’m so grateful that we’ve had the opportunity to volunteer at the Food Bank. I feel like I’ve been actively helping the community throughout these past few months while also being able to reconnect with classmates in person.”
- Lily Berrysmith ‘23
For the past two decades, York School has positioned itself as an educational leader in sustainable energy. In 2003, the 9,000-square-foot Science Building was completed, the first green building in Monterey County. It incorporates a solar energy system and 30 environmentally sustainable elements. In 2008, York was the first school designated a winner of the Green Business Award in the Monterey area. By 2010, with the additional installation of solar panels on the school’s Day Hall in 2007, the school was producing 50% of its own electricity.
Ten years later, we continue to provide environmental leadership with the installation of an innovative solar tracker at the entrance to the athletic complex and outdoor lab.
Jim Newman and Herb Aarons, parents of York alumni, joined with Solaflect, an award-winning company from Vermont, to donate and install the solar tracker on York’s campus in February 2020. With this investment, York strengthens its commitment to implementing eco-friendly projects that benefit the community and offers our students unique learning opportunities. With former head of school Chuck Harmon’s enthusiastic support, Jim, Herb, and Solaflect believed that the school’s record of energy conservation, educational reputation, and premier location made York an ideal home for this inventive solar device.
The solar tracker represents York’s long-standing aim to embrace state-of-the-art projects. Unlike solar panels you see affixed to a rooftop, a solar tracker moves with the sun from sunrise to sunset. As a result of being able to point directly at the sun throughout the day, a solar tracker captures 40% more energy than traditional solar panels. During the past year, the school has already gained significant savings from operating the solar tracker.
Jim and Herb also anticipate our students utilizing the solar tracker in their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math courses to better understand the advantages of clean energy. The possibilities to incorporate the solar tracker in the curriculum are numerous and will give our students another distinctive learning opportunity. Additionally, the school envisions creating a solar garden dotted with solar trackers owned by local community members.
Chuck Harmon’s support as well as Jim’s, Herb’s, and Solaflect’s foresight and generosity enables our school to further our investment in renewable energy. Above all, our students will develop their knowledge about solar power and build their skills in environmental advocacy.
romance on the sunny hilltop
Tom Murray met his wife Karen when he decided to have a combination housewarming and Christmas party at the new home where he and his daughter Brianna had recently moved. He invited some of his old neighbors, one of whom said that her sister was visiting. Tom said, “Bring her along.” Tom and Karen started dating shortly thereafter.
teacher Nick Hart, who served as best man. Brianna served as a flower girl, while York alum Michelle Maruyama ’96, who had become a professional violinist, assembled a string quartet which sounded beautiful in the chapel. As the wedding was planned for early November of 1999, the afternoon light was perfect for both the ceremony and photos.
Karen was living in Vancouver at the time, so needless to say, there were a number of trips between Monterey and British Columbia over the next couple of years. When they decided to get married, York’s Maureen Church Coburn Chapel seemed the obvious choice for a myriad of reasons, but mostly because York was the community where Tom felt most at home. The couple had planned a fairly small wedding, so the chapel was a perfect fit. Further, Reverend Roger Bowen, York Headmaster at the time, was their chosen officiant, so everything naturally fell into place. Karen had already met a number of the York faculty; in fact, she had met several the same night she and Tom met, including physics
Years later, the time came for their son Andrew’s christening, Tom and Karen chose the York Chapel as their venue for many of the same reasons. Quite a few of the same friends and family were able to attend, adding a feeling of reunion to the ceremony. York’s marvelous cathedral baptismal font was an added bonus.
Tom Murray retired in 2018 after teaching at York School for 35 years. Karen is the owner of Edison & Melrose, a delightful tea and treats shop in Pacific Grove, and she has also catered many York events throughout the years. We hope to see their son, Andrew, on campus next year as part of York’s 2025 class!
It was in the Bishop library on the sunny hilltop, nearly twenty years ago, that Ashleigh and Michael Anderson first met. He was a junior and she was a sophomore. The two Falcons began dating shortly after meeting and even attended York’s prom together.
It is tradition at York that seniors are asked to record a personal video message to their future selves. When Michael recorded his,
he expressed hope in the video that “things will work out with Ashleigh.” Michael graduated in 2003 and started college in San Diego, with Ashleigh eventually following him to Southern California.
“At first, we attended two different colleges–I was at St. Mary’s in the Bay Area, Michael was at the University of San Diego. We studied abroad together with other college friends,and I ultimately ended up at the University of San Diego,” explains Ashleigh.
Michael’s family business led the couple back to the Monterey Peninsula, where Ashleigh took a job as a kindergarten teacher. Coming back to Monterey also meant coming back to York.
“Michael served on the York Board of Trustees, and we enjoy attending events, reconnecting with other alums and past teachers, and giving back financially. One of the best parts of our York experience was creating lifelong relationships with some of our classmates. Our experiences at York played a major role in shaping who we are today, and the critical thinking,
public speaking, and writing skills we honed at York contributed to our college and career successes. We hope that our daughters are interested in attending York a few years down the road,”
Ashleigh and Michael were married in 2009 and continue to live on the Monterey Peninsula with their two daughters. They regularly
Pasta Leta: A Passion for Pasta — Leta Merrill ’00
Leta Merrill’s journey to the culinary arts was not a direct one, but began with a love of cooking—and enjoying lots of pasta. Ask her mother and she will tell you that Leta and pasta were meant to be, even from a young age. After studying elementary education in college, she ended up enrolling in the Oregon Culinary Institute in Portland with great enjoyment. Leta soon found herself with a fast-paced, hands-on learning experience at the Union Square Cafe in New York City, honing her craft.
What started as an internship and slicing bread soon became a full-time job preparing oysters and salads, but Leta still dreamed of pasta. “I could see the pasta station from where I was working,”
she shared, “and one night I remember the chef caught me and said, ‘You want to work pasta, don’t you?’ because I was just staringandtakingitallin.SoIrememberhimcatchingmewatching in awe of the whole thing…. He saw my love of pasta in my eyes, and he put me on the pasta station.” With the help of the sous chefs and Leta’s diligence, she was able to master her art at a professional level.
Fast-forward to a move back to Portland, getting married, raising two boys, and Leta then found herself engaging with the pasta-making world through Instagram. Seeing what other people did inspired her to share her own creativity with the medium. As fate would have it, a cooking store opened up right near her home, and she was asked to teach pasta-making classes on-site.
Through social media entrepreneurship in the Instagram community and her connections through hosting local pasta-making classes and networking, Leta has continued to build her small business in recent years. While she would have spent a good amount of the year traveling to host workshops, due to COVID, she has reinvented and adapted her business model to offer digital cooking classes through the popular Patreon website and selling pasta from her (state certified) home kitchen.
While most of us buy the dried, machine-made packaged pasta at the grocery store, everything Leta makes is hand-shaped from scratch. While she can make multi-colored ravioli to orecchiette to pasta varieties you probably haven’t heard of, when asked for her favorite, Leta would say a simple cacio e pepe: toasted peppercorns and pecorino cheese. Her favorite way to cook, however, depends on what’s in season, selecting whatever looks best at the farmers market that day which she learned back in New York at her first restaurant job. “It’s kind of how the Italians approach cooking,” she said. “The chef taught me a lot about seasonal cooking and how to build a pasta sauce with whatever you have on hand. There’s a basic formula to building the sauce and executing it. Once you have the formula down, you can exchange ingredients as much as you’d like.”
Once quarantines are lifted, Leta looks forward to hosting her pasta-making workshops and traveling to (of course) Italy, sampling different specialties from each region. In the meantime, you can still enjoy her mouth-watering delights online and watch her business grow at @lemneats!
A machine the size of a toaster that zaps clean drinking water from the air—it sounds like science fiction, but for biotechnology entrepreneur Arye Lipman ’04 it is another exciting day at work. Arye oversees numerous cutting-edge projects like this at his firm, MarsBio, where he and his team do early seed investing in biotech and life sciences companies, as well as company incubation where they advise and help grow new, smaller companies.
Arye was always drawn to science from the beginning at York, particularly biology, so when it came time to apply for college, UCLA’s excellent life sciences program was a natural fit. UCLA’s unique work-study program allowed him to gain real world experience in a working lab as a technician beginning in his freshman year. This handson job at a cancer biology lab—studying different types of cancer, how they advance, and specific biomarkers—allowed Arye to work his way up, building his skillset and helping him create a network of grad students and professors working in the field. His diligence paid off and he was brought on by a UCLA professor to become a founding member of a cancer diagnostics company. It wasn’t all lab coats and test tubes, as
Arye explained, “It was a crazy adventure, learning to go from being a scientist to more of an entrepreneur and an operator. Learning how the world of business works and the world of pharma works.”
After absorbing as much as he could about the industry and years of cutting his teeth at his first job, Arye was looking for a way to give back to the scientific community that taught him everything he knew. “I had a lot of people in my network who were great scientists and had great ideas, but were really struggling to figure out how to turn them into a reality.So I started working on a few different angles to that problem,” he shared.
First was tackling the issue of lab space. Along with a colleague, Arye helped organize rentable lab space—essentially WeWork for biology labs. They ended up building three spaces around Southern California, with eventually 30 to 40 early stage companies. From there, they started seeing a lot of great startups emerge.
It wasn’t only space Arye was looking to help with: funding was also a big challenge for these smaller startups. Location is everything, and while the LA area wasn’t particularly known for being a biotech hub, Arye and his colleagues were able to use their own networks to figure out ways to invest in these companies and connect them with capital. Soon enough, they had created their own venture fund: MarsBio. For the past year and a half at MarsBio, Arye and his colleagues haven’t been sitting back, waiting for the magic to happen. “We don't just give them a check,” he said. “We help them more than that.We work very closely with entrepreneurs to help them build out their team, develop a strategy,and raise more money.We kick the tires on the science.”
Seeing the challenges and opportunities inspired Arye to create solutions in the
biotech industry, but he’s not stopping there. While the past twenty or so years has seen biotech support a profitable pharmaceutical industry, he has seen the value in biotech’s intersection with numerous other industries to help make our world better. “How can we develop more nutritious food that's widely available?” he asks. “How can we develop new agricultural techniques that are more sustainable? How can we thinkaboutusingbiologytoproducethefuel for our cars? How can we use engineering biology to make new fabrics for our clothing?” They might seem like daunting questions, but luckily Arye has the privilege of talking to some of the most brilliant scientists and has access to some of the world’s most amazing research. Working as a supporter, investor, and scientist, he could soon be able to provide answers.
The most exciting part is Arye isn’t the only one who has access to those brilliant minds. When asked what advice he would give to fellow Falcons interested in the scientific world he shared, “Consider reaching out directly to some of these scientists if you really like their work and learn from them. The vast majority of the scientists are always happy to talk to a young person who is excited about their field.”
Arye is always excited to connect with other York community members interested in science. You can follow his exciting journey and reach him via Twitter @aryelipman.
Back in March 0f 2020, when there were limited COVID-19 testing resources in Monterey County, Spenser Smith ’04 and his brother, Bryant Smith ’06, tackled this issue head-on by raising capital for their lab, ARCpoint Labs of Monterey Bay, to procure instant result test kits that are less expensive and easier to be mass-produced.
As Spenser explained, “There just aren’t enough supplies in the system and everyone’s kind of fighting over the same supplies. It’s not really solving anything, it’s just moving it around.” Now with this new testing method, a finger prick and a few drops of blood can help tell if someone has been exposed, how recently, and if they have an active case or have recovered and are now immune.
As Lab Director of ARCpoint Labs, Spenser manages numerous testing procedures like genetics and wellness, food sensitivity, and micro nutrient testing, and he is personally passionate about genetics. During more “normal” times, the laboratory mostly focuses on wellness and genetics testing, the kind you might not receive at a hospital stay. For example, Spenser and his brother work with people who are adopted to help find birth parents as well as those with genetic predispositions. “It’s exciting to live in this particular time period when I can help somebody who has questions about where they came from,” he explained.
Recently, however, Spenser and his team have made a community effort to combat COVID, connecting with other York School classmates and faculty, as well as with first responders and medical professionals to perform tests. “Just as valuable as donations have been, people’s creativity [has been important]” he says. “Talking to each other,exchanging ideas,and connecting to people and resources in the community have been incredibly valuable.” Additionally, while the country continues to report record unemployment numbers, Spenser and his team have increased their staffing numbers due to the influx of lab testing due to COVID.
York School has partnered with Spenser and ARCpoint Labs to gain a better understanding of COVID-19 testing and to use their lab for employee testing. Spenser was an important adviser for York School’s COVID Task Force, and he also appeared in the virtual INSPIRE! Auction Gala. We are so proud of the work Spenser ‘04, Bryant ’06, and countless other alumni are doing every day in this great time of need.
Six Tips for Surviving a Racism Pandemic
— Alana Washington ’04
We were delighted and honored to have Alana ’04 speak at one of our forums this year. Alana holds a B.A. from UC Davis with a major in Psychology and English Literature and a minor in African American Studies. She holds an M.A. from NYU in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology. Currently, she is the lead of Shipper Experience Design at Uber Freight. Prior to Uber Freight Alana held design leadership roles at Capital One and GfK Global Research, and she has worked in organizational development at HBO. Alana has served as a conference curator for Rosenfeld’s Design Ops Summit and Adaptive Pathís UX Week and has advised and been a keynote speaker for SF Design Week. Her popular presentations include “Designing for Access” and “Tips for Surviving a Racism Pandemic.” But perhaps most importantly, Alana is a York alumna who made her mark on campus as an excellent student, a valued member of choir, a stunning actor, a wise soul, and a faithful friend.
Here are Alana’s tips for making it through a racism pandemic:
Prioritize health and wellness.
Breathe, engage with nature, and get the sleep you need.
Embrace protopian visioning.
We must understand how we’ve arrived at this time, so we need to learn and know the history of domination and slavery. Then we must use our knowledge to envision and create a better world.
Be in service to others.
When we get in our own heads, in feelings of alienation or self-doubt, or all the other ways we let our egos spiral, the easiest way to get back into purposeful movement forward is to find a way to serve others.
Change is political, economic, and social.
Work for all three. In communication with others we feel joy, and joy is the only sustaining emotion.
Modulate stressors.
When we feel overwhelmed, it’s time to disconnect for a while. Practice apologizing. We are human, we all make mistakes. Do not let the difficulty derail you. The best apology is an acknowledgement of harm, a self reflection, a promise to move forward, and is followed by a demonstration of learning.
Create milestones for yourself.
Write them down and every day work towards those milestones. Every time we check off a step towards our goals, we get a natural dopamine hit.
At our forum, Alana encouraged students to educate themselves on the things they are passionate about. Most importantly, she urged them to allow themselves to bring their whole selves to every institution they join. We know we are stronger and better when our diverse community feels empowered to engage fully and honestly, knowing they will be respected, honored, accepted, and cherished. Thank you Alana, for taking the time to share your words of wisdom with our Falcons.
July 26, 2019
York School wins Business Excellence in Education and Training award from Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.
October 26, 2019
Sarah Stoker ‘21 wins “Outstanding Representation” at Lyceum Model UN.
September 27, 2019
Henriette Diouf ‘20 wins first place at the Albricias prose competition.
September 4, 2019
Start of 8th grade Toastmasters program.
November 15, 2019
Leonardo Del Toro ‘21, wins Youth Philanthropist of the Year, 28th annual National Philanthropy Day.
November 14, 2019
October 2019
Yucatán, Mexico fall field trip with Ms.Kiest.
Sophia Sanico ‘20 named First Team, Kevin Daliri ‘21 and Leonardo Del Toro ‘21 named Second Team, Leonardo also won the Richard Chamberlain Sportsmanship award for the 2019 water polo season.
December 8, 2019
November 21, 2019 5 th TEDxYorkSchool event: The Ripple Effect
November 21, 2019 5th TEDxYorkSchool event: The Ripple Effect
Leonardo Del Toro ‘21, Courtney Hand ‘21, Anna Mejia-Contreras ‘21, Kate Popky ‘21 and Gabrielle Schmidt ‘21, organized a benefit for CPY’s Youth Angel Project and raised over $3,500 for the second year in a row.
December 6, 2019
Winter Vocal Concert–first time ever at Carmel Mission.
February 28, 2020
Jupiter Berrysmith ‘20 wins Silver Key award at Central Coast Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
November 21, 2019
Sam Wisner ‘20, is the Monterey Rotary “Good Citizen” essay finalist.
November 18, 2019
Michael Julian ‘22 sets winning record at CSM Crystal Springs Cross Country competition.
December 2019
Fall PCAL League Awards
Adrianna Brown ‘23
Kevin Daliri ‘21
Leonardo Del Toro ‘21
Michael Julian ‘22
Myra Khieu ‘23
Sooyeon Kim ‘20
Camilla Martin ‘22
Juliet Oliver ‘22
Sophia Sanico ‘20
Alana Shapiro ‘21
Sarah Stoker ‘21
Daniel Xu ‘22
January 24, 2020
E’raya Johnson ‘20 was the keynote speaker at the Monterey County 3rd Annual Youth Violence Prevention & Intervention Conference.
March 2020
Winter PCAL League Awards
Nora Butler ‘20
Kaeden Ellawendy ‘20
Juan Galarza ‘20
Edwin Gao ‘20
Fletcher Gaucher ‘20
Quincy Key ‘23
Jason Khan ‘22
Celeste McGuire ‘22
Anna Mejia-Contreras ‘21
Esmie Ortiz ‘22
Cynthia Ortiz-Naranjo ‘21
Justin Vu ‘20
Stone Yang ‘20
Owen Yu ‘20
August 7, 2020
Sophia Sanico ‘20 recognized as CCS Scholar Athlete of the Year from over 150 schools, and over 158,000 students in the region.
March 16, 2020
Courtney Hand ‘21 and Gabrielle Schmidt ‘21 are county winners at the National History Day competition. Courtney was also a state finalist.
March 18, 2020 Distance Learning begins at York School.
May 8, 2020
May 8, 2020
Spring Arts Festival
Spring Arts Festival
Virtual Alumni Reunion featuring Ibrahim Al-Marashi ‘91, Adam Brodsley ‘85 and Dr. Emily Gill ‘95.
May 20, 2020
Juliet Oliver ‘22, Alan Yang ’22, Jason Mao ‘21, and Winston Chu ’21 were awarded 1st place in state (and 2nd in the nation) at the TEAMS Engineering Essay national STEM competition.
May 12, 2020 Senior gift deliveries.
April 16, 2020
Jasmine Agha ‘21 receives award in the World Affairs Council Monterey Bay Global Teen Essay Contest for her paper.
April 13, 2020
York School faculty and students design, create, and deliver protective gear to local hospitals.
October 7, 2020
York School’s Activism Club hosts an election forum with candidates running for U.S. Congress and State Senate.
August 25, 2020 York students begin to volunteer at the Monterey County Food Bank.
August 16, 2020 River & Carmel fires erupt.
July 4, 2020
Monterey County Pops! live broadcast of Fourth of July concert from York’s Gawain Family Theater.
September 14, 2020
After school cohort program begins.
December 11, 2020 Winter Arts Festival
December 11, 2020 Winter Arts Festival
October 23, 2020 York School hosts socially distanced SAT on campus.
October 26, 2020
Camilla Martin ‘22 is recognized for her diplomacy skills as the delegate from Israel in the Disarmament and International Security Committee at UCSB’s Model UN Conference.
The culmination of a student’s academic career is graduation. This emotionally-charged event is always the highlight for families, students, and faculty. York decided to postpone in-person commencement until August, but was committed to an end-of-year celebration to give the Class of 2020 a sense of closure and recognition. The pandemic has had such an impact on the social lives of our students and we wanted to make sure they were properly celebrated.
On the day that would have been their commencement, York faculty and staff lined up along the school’s decorated driveway, holding up congratulatory signs, cheering the seniors on as they drove by in their graduation caps and received their final gifts until the in-person commencement planned for August.
It was a joyous day, filled with excitement, cheer, and genuine affection for each senior. As the students drove through campus in their decorated cars, it was clear how happy and excited they were to celebrate their accomplishments. Teary-eyed parents, waving from their cars, conveyed feelings of gratitude and joy for York finding a way to celebrate their graduate.
Congratulations, Class of 2020!
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
In August of 2020, we were delighted to welcome 47 graduates of the Class of 2020 to the York alumni community. These graduates have excelled in many ways. They showed us what true resilience, commitment, and camaraderie looks like amidst a global pandemic that had a major impact through their final months at York. We are so proud of each of you, and can’t wait to see you back on campus.
Congratulations and welcome new alumni!
Cheyenne Avina
Sophie Barth
Jupiter Berrysmith
Nora Butler
Josefina Camacho
Stuart Carruthers
Hayden Concepcion-Deyo
Matthew DaCosta
Henriette Diouf
Kaeden Ellawendy
Vivian Fei
Yulissa Flores-Ibanez
GRADUATES
COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS
COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES
Juan Galarza
Matthew Galloway
Edwin Gao
Fletcher Gaucher
Jordan Goodwin
Jared Griffith
Thomas Hall
Rikiya Jochi
E’raya Johnson
Sooyeon Kim
Madison Kimball
Alexander Lin
47 8,500
101
Jiacheng Liu
Matteo Lorenz
Tobey Malone
Albert Matei
Nathan Nguyen
Annabelle Norman
Alexa Ortiz
Luke Rosenblum
Sophia Sanico
Micheal Scholis
Rohan Sethi
Luke Song
DISTINGUISHED GLOBAL SCHOLARS
SCHOLARSHIP AND MERIT AWARDS
RECOGNIZED BY NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Francesco Spadaro
Vianne Storrs
Daisy Swanson
Annushka Veliko-Shapko
Justin Vu
Samuel Wisner
Stone Yang
Owen Yu
Jonathan Zhao
Andy Zhou
Guanjia Zhu
6 $3.5 million 27%
CHARGE TO CLASS: Michael Borrowman
WELCOME: Josefina Camacho, Student Body President
VALEDICTORY ADDRESS: Jordan Goodwin, Valedictorian
WELCOME NEW ALUMNI: Doug Key, Head of School
FAREWELL: Luke Rosenblum, Senior Class President
SPECIAL AWARDS
Emod Brunner Award: Jordan Goodwin
Faculty Award: E’raya Johnson, Jiacheng Liu
Head of School Award: Jared Griffith
Parent of the Year: Mike & Leslie Galloway
Student of the Year: Josefina Camacho
Distinguished Global Scholars:
Francesco Carriglio, Annushka Veliko-Shapko, Jiacheng Liu, Jordan Goodwin, Rohan Sethi, Matthew Galloway
Arizona State University
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
University of California-Berkeley*
University of California-Davis*
University of California-Irvine
University of California-Santa Barbara*
University of California-Santa Cruz*
University of California-San Diego
California State University, Long Beach*
Central Washington University
University of Chicago
University of Colorado
University of Denver
Howard University
Monterey Peninsula College*
New York University
Northwestern University*
Pepperdine University
Pitzer College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco*
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Santa Clara University*
Scripps College
Seattle University
Tufts University
University of Utah
University of Wisconsin-Madison
*Multiple Students from Class of 2020
July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020
The 2019-20 school year was unlike any other, and we are grateful to the many alumni, parents, trustees, and friends who came forward to support the school during such challenging times.
In-person learning ceased on March 13, 2020 and the annual spring gala, scheduled for that weekend, was postponed until fall. This greatly affected contributions for the 2019-20 school year. Fortunately, the gala was re-envisioned as a virtual event for October 2020, and was highly successful. Proceeds from that event will benefit the 2020-21 school year and will be reflected in next year’s Impact Report.
AND FORMER TRUSTEES
AND FORMER FACULTY & STAFF
AND FORMER GRANDPARENTS
$ 5,199,561 TUITION AND FEES
$ 516,513 FUNDRAISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
$ 1,306,869 ADMINISTRATION
$ 1,199,081 FACILITIES
$ 496,519 CONTRIBUTIONS
$ 48,973 OTHER INCOME $ 450,964 INTEREST AND INVESTMENT RETURN
$ 3,745,823 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
We all have experienced extraordinary changes in our lives over the last year. We have been called upon to be flexible and resilient in ways we could not have imagined. To those who have suffered loss, we hope you feel the caring support of your York community.
Despite the daunting upheaval caused by the pandemic, we can take inspiration from the way in which this community has come together to overcome obstacles. Truly the crisis has brought out the best in all of us. I am particularly touched by the commitment of the faculty and staff to excellence in distance learning, by the dedication of the Board of Trustees, and by the unwavering support of York students and their families.
With the extraordinary leadership of Doug Key, along with the school’s leadership team, we were able to swiftly and seamlessly navigate the uncertainty of COVID-19 and the prolonged shutdown of in-person learning. Our response was multifaceted. We established the COVID Response Fund to address the financial impact of COVID-19 on our school. We created a COVID Task Force to deal with the safe return of students to campus, and we established new Tactical and Strategic Design Committees to further advance our planning efforts. Faculty and staff were integral to these committees, devoting countless hours above and beyond their teaching responsibilities. As Board Chair, I am grateful to all our trustees for their wisdom, generosity, and committee participation. I would especially like to thank Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees, Norelle Boyce. She brought her energy and focus to numerous Board committees as well as chairing our first and very successful virtual gala.
The pandemic imposed significant financial hardship on the School, as is reflected in the accompanying financial report. COVID-19 created additional costs for safety measures, tuition assistance, and professional development for our faculty. Now, more than ever, we rely on the generosity of our community to help us meet the challenges of this time. York’s mission to deliver exceptional education to a diverse group of students remains the focal point of our efforts and it is with great pride that we continue on this path.
I am confident that York will emerge a stronger, more agile school as a result of our efforts and teamwork. Thanks to you, the foundations of a healthy school are strongly in place as we look to a brighter future.
Sincerely,
Ellen Gaucher Chair of the Board of Trustees
Dave Rossum laughs as he and his wife, Karen, stitch together names of York students who babysat for their son, Nick ‘02, when he was a toddler. “They were the first to introduce us to York,” says Dave. “We were just blown away by these kids.They were so smart and kind.” Nick attended a selective elementary school in Santa Cruz, and the Rossums engaged with York as a potential high school for him early on. They attended York events for several years and became familiar with the faculty and students. “We observed that York kids were really different,” says Dave. “They genuinely liked and cared for each other.All were included.”
Nick decided to go to York in eighth grade, and the family moved from Aptos to Monterey. They hosted parties for the eighth grade class and participated in “Adopt a Family,” a program that connected freshman families whose children attended eighth grade at York with new eighth grade families. “That was our first involvement as parents at the school,” says Karen. “We became very active with Adopt a Family and hosted a new eighth grade family the following year. It was a wonderful program for both parents and students.”
The Rossums increased their involvement when Dave joined the technology committee and served as a science fair judge in Nick’s early years at York. Meanwhile, Karen parlayed her skills as a professional organizer to help faculty and staff with an array of needs, including file organization and time management. In 1999, Dave joined the Board of Trustees and eventually served as Chair.
During that time, the school achieved many milestones, including opening a new science building, acquiring Fort Ord land, and appointing Chuck Harmon as York’s 10th Head of School. The Rossum family supported the science building project and established the The Jack Rossum Chemistry Lab in memory of Dave’s father, an analytical chemist who ran the laboratory for California Water Service Company.
Nick graduated in 2002, and Dave remained a trustee for a few years until he retired from the Board in 2004. The Rossums remained connected to the school through regular visits to campus and by helping students who were interested in attending Dave’s alma mater, Caltech. They decided to support The Chuck Harmon and Elizabeth Miles Financial Aid Endowment when Chuck announced his retirement from York. “HavingservedasBoardChair at the time, I took a lot of personal pride in Chuck’s appointment as Head of School,” says Dave. Karen adds that their desire to advance York’s commitment to “need-blind” education was also a motivation and noted that nearly all of their family’s philanthropy serves education.
The Rossum family continue to speak highly of the classical education, language skills, and deep relationships their son, Nick, received at York. “We were very impressed with the quality of education and York’s whole ethic and way of being with kids,” says Dave. “We are delighted to do what we can.”
Every year, we look forward to coming together for some great fun, delicious food, and drinks to collectively raise funds for York. This year, due to the ongoing pandemic, we shifted this annual event to be virtual. This was a new experience for all of us, but one that turned out to be a lot of fun and a huge success.
We created an engaging, heartfelt, and exciting event that was able to reach a far greater audience than our usual in-person fundraiser. York even had guests and alumni world-wide watch the livestream and participate in our gala!
We deeply appreciate everyone’s support and look forward to the day when we can all celebrate York School in person again.
Joseph W. Heston
Former President and General Manager
KSBW 8 NBC, Central Coast ABC, Estrella TV Costa Central
Doug Key, Head of School
Kate Popky ‘21, Student Body President
Norelle Boyce, Committee Chair
Terry Bare
Marianne Gawain ‘76
Heather Oliver
Grace Khieu ‘16
Kelly Lepai
Felicia Pfleger
Angela Burks
Sara Hall
Jane Hand
Wendy Schmidt
3 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ cup of lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
¾ cup of lime juice (about 6 limes)
1 ½ cups of unsweetened cranberry juice
¼ cup of simple syrup
1 tablespoon of lime cordial (optional)
12 drops of bitters for a pitcher (or 2 for a glass)
Squeeze all the juices
Add the cranberry juice and simple syrup (optional; add lime cordial)
Add bitters
Mix together and refrigerate
(It is best if made in the morning, so it gets really cold)
For an extra touch, you can make fancy ice cubes with lemon and lime slices frozen inside ahead of time.
Mary Acquazzino
Michael Anderson ‘03 and Ashleigh Anderson ‘04
Lucinda Ashby
William Atwood
Colleen and John Bailey
Norelle and Rob Boyce
Francois and Kassandra Brenot
Agnes Chien and Howard Nelson
Shirley and Edgard Coly
John Daniel
Alfred Diaz-Infante
Pam Durkee
Lisa and Todd Dwelle
Daniel Fenton ‘76 and Denise Fenton
Lowry Fenton ‘72
Julia and David Foster-Bates
Scott Fujita
Mike and Leslie Galloway
Ellen and Paul Gaucher
Marianne Gawain ‘76
Leidi and Elias Godoy
Debbie Hale
Sara and Craig Hall
Beverly and Lyman Hamilton
Rich Hamilton and Debra Schadeck
Jeff and Jane Hand
Joseph and Elizabeth Heston
Keith and Barbara Ingram
Greg Jamison
Scot Johnson
Quinn Kennedy
Doug and Michelle Key
Kim Kiest
Sean and Lynn Kragelund
Julie Lambert
Douglas Lee
Melissa Martella
Tritia Moneypenny
Tom and Karen Murray
Ben Nurse and Alicia Brent-Nurse
Fana and Doug Oldfield
Heather and Michael Oliver
Fane and Corie Opperman
Mariah Peralta
Steve Peters
Donald and Marcia Pompan
Alyssa Pompan ‘17
Joshua Pompan ‘14
Robert Poulin ‘85
Gary Ray and Katy Castagna
Sean Raymond and Cameron Hunter
Deborah Rich
Kathleen and Mike Scarr
Kenneth Scates
Wendy and Andrew Schmidt
Gabriel and Mechele Scholis
Kirsti Scott
Joyce Sherry
Matthew Simis ‘88 and
Michael Gray
Jon Smock and Cynthia Schroeder
Melanie and Jon Stackpole
Nancy Stout
Nicholas Sturch
Ana Toledo and Emmett Linder
June Trachsel
Gerald and Nan Traynor
VisionSoft, Inc.
Liz Welden-Smith ‘01
Jamilynn and Mark Willaman
York School Board of Trustees
PLATINUM
VisionSoft, Inc.
York School Board of Trustees
GOLD
KSBW 8 NBC
Central Coast ABC,
Estrella TV Costa Central
Ottone Leach & Ray
SILVER
1st Capital Bank
David and Julia Foster-Bates
Hartnell College Foundation
HGHB Architects
Integris Wealth Management
Union Bank
BRONZE
Coldwell Banker, Gay Dales
Kent Construction
Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinic
Toro Park Animal Hospital
VIDEO CONTRIBUTORS
Michael Borrowman
Kevin Brookhouser
John Daniel
Ellen Gaucher
Doug Key
Kim Kiest
Heather Oliver
Tritia Moneypenny
Alyssa Pompan ‘17
Kate Popky ‘21
Gary Ray & Katy Castagna
Spenser Smith ‘04
Cammy Torgenrud
VOICE CONTRIBUTORS
Lily Berrysmith ‘23
Kevin Daliri ‘21
Angela Goulart ‘21
Colin Hodges ‘21
Ian Partlow ‘23
Celeste McGuire ‘22
Cynthia Ortiz-Naranjo ‘21
Ben Simpson ‘22
JACK BASKIN, an entrepreneur and major philanthropic supporter of York School, died at his home in Carmel on January 12, 2020. He was 100.
Born in upstate New York, Baskin was the first in his family to attend college. His parents, who spoke no English when they immigrated to the United States from Russia, insisted that he study engineering.
Baskin studied mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado and earned a B.S. in aeronautical engineering from New York University. He was a pilot and served as an aeronautics instructor during World War II. In 2006, Baskin was inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame in recognition of his role in establishing the Baskin School of Engineering. He received the inaugural Fiat Lux Award from UC Santa Cruz in 2005 in honor of his service to the campus.
Jack and Peggy Downes Baskin have a 40-year history of involvement with York and deep commitment to the School’s mission, programs, and students. They have been an instrumental part of the school’s philanthropy with a focus on tuition assistance.
Jack is survived by his wife, Peggy Downes Baskin; daughters Marianna Baskin, Gabriel Mejia, and Elaine Baskin; stepsons Nicholas Baran and Scott Dewar; stepdaughter and York faculty member, Cammy Torgenrud; their spouses and children; and an extended family of loved ones.
FARMER was born in Berkeley on May 12, 1928. She graduated from Carmel High School and continued on at UC Berkeley, where she was a member of Alpha Phi, International House.
She met and married Peter Farmer, and they had five children. Three of their children attended York School: Mark ’68, Sarah ’72, and Jonathan ’77.
Beva was an artist: calligrapher, painter, serigrapher, and other media. She was also a beloved art teacher at York between 1979-1982.
She and Peter lived in Pebble Beach for 30 years, then nearly 20 years at The Sea Ranch. After Peter’s death, Beva spent her final 13 years in Sebastopol, where she died in Blackberry Cottage on Sunday, September 20, 2020 at the age of 92.
A resident of Monterey County for 72 years, she was born Selwa Norma Barbara Aide on Aug 12, 1929 in Winsted, CT. She was the eldest of four daughters born to Montaha Akel Aide and Nicholas Aide, who had emigrated from Lebanon to the United States. In 1947, she married Kamil T. Said, who was creating the first Arabic Language Department at the Army Language School, later Defense Language Institute, in Monterey.
Since 1978 Selwa was known to countless students of her Effective Communication and Relationship Building classes and seminars in Monterey, which drew students from throughout the U.S. and beyond.
In 2015 the Monterey County Commission on the Status of Women named Selwa Said an Outstanding Woman of Monterey County, recognizing her as a tremendous benefit to society. For fifteen years, Selwa also worked in the administration office at York School in Monterey.
Selwa was predeceased by her parents; husband of 55 years, Kamil; sister Zanah Cornell; nephew Rob Daoud. Survivors include sons, James and John; stepdaughter, Ghity; sisters Elaine Aremia and Lila Daoud; five grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, and other loving family members.
Rev. Lucinda Ashby is bishop of the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of El Camino Real. Before serving as an ordained priest in Northern California and Idaho, Bishop Lucinda taught and headed a private school in Sacramento, founded and built a school in Capay Valley, and served as a Chaplain in Carmichael, CA. She has also taught at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley.
Carlos Camacho is the proud parent of two York students. Carlos has a degree in industrial engineering. He worked for the US Army as a civilian doing work in logistics planning and then came to California to work in Silicon Valley in software development. He was part of the
founding team for Agile Software, which is now part of Oracle. Carlos served on the All Saints Day School Board of Trustees for five years. He is currently semi-retired and is a partner at Selection Massale, an importer of small production wines from Europe. Carlos serves on the Admisson & Marketing Committee.
Rich Hamilton is the parent of York alumnus and his wife Debra Schadeck have been long time supporters of York School. Rich serves as COO and CFO for Big Sur Land Trust. He joined BSLT after having spent most of his career in financial management in the real estate development and resort management industries,
THANK YOU
We thank the following trustees who recently completed their service to the board:
Mary Adams
Tom Adcock ‘89
Marianne Gawain ‘76
Mary Gray-Reeves
Kate Popky ‘21
Gary Ray
The guidance and support they provided during their tenure is deeply appreciated by the entire York community.
Marianne Gawain ‘76 and Gary Ray have both graciously agreed to continue to serve York School through their ongoing committee work.
including 14 years with the Pebble Beach Company. Rich serves on the Finance and Investment Committees.
Heather Oliver is the parent of two current York students. She has a degree in Agriculture Business and is the former Director of Training: Americas for Seminis Vegetable Seeds. She was Director of Trade for California Women for Agriculture, and founding Director of the Pacific Agribusiness Alliance, a representative to the So. California District Export Council. She is Co-Chair of the Philanthropy Committee, serves on the Strategic Design Committee and the COVID-19 Task Force.
Celeste McGuire‘22 is the student representative to the Board and her involvement throughout the York community allows her to portray her peers’ opinions accurately. Celeste also participates in cohorts and clubs at York.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2020-21
OFFICERS
Ellen Gaucher Chair of the Board
Norelle Boyce
Vice Chair of the Board
Javier Aldape Treasurer
Kathleen McInnis Scarr Secretary
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Doug Key
Ellen Gaucher
Norelle Boyce
Head of School
Chair of the Board
Vice Chair of the Board,
Javier Aldape Treasurer, Chair of Finance Committee
Kathleen McInnis Scarr
Debbie Hale
Heather Oliver
Ben Nurse
Secretary
Chair of Committee on Trustees
Co- Chair of Advancement Committee
Chair of Admission and Marketing Committee
BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2019-20
OFFICERS
Ellen Gaucher
Marianne Gawain ’76
Javier Aldape
Chair of the Board
Vice Chair of the Board
Treasurer
Kathleen McInnis Scarr Secretary
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Doug Key
Head of School
Ellen Gaucher Chair of the Board
Marianne Gawain ‘76
Vice Chair of the Board, Co-Chair of Advancement Committee
Norelle Boyce Co-Chair of Advancement Committee
Javier Aldape
Kathleen McInnis Scarr
Alfred Diaz-Infante
Jerry Traynor
Gary Ray
Treasurer, Chair of Finance Committee
Secretary
Chair of Committee on Trustees
Chair of Strategic Plan
Chair of Audit Committee, Immediate Past Chair
BOARD MEMBERS
Javier Aldape
Brenda Aronowitz**
Bishop Lucinda Ashby*
Peggy Downes Baskin**
Norelle Boyce
Marilyn Calciano
Carlos Camacho
Alfred Diaz-Infante
Dan Fenton ’76
David Foster-Bates
Scott Fujita*
Ellen Gaucher
Marianne Gawain ’76**
Debbie Hale
Rich Hamilton
Greg Jamison
Scot Johnson, Faculty Representative
Doug Key*, Head of School
BOARD MEMBERS
Tom Adcock ‘89
Javier Aldape
Brenda Aronowitz**
Bishop Lucinda Ashby*
Peggy Downes Baskin**
Norelle Boyce
Marilyn Calciano
Alfred Diaz-Infante
Dan Fenton ’76
David Foster-Bates
Scott Fujita*
Ellen Gaucher
Marianne Gawain ’76
Mary Grey-Reeves
Debbie Hale
Greg Jamison
Scot Johnson, Faculty Representative
Giff Lehman
Celeste McGuire ‘22, Student Representative
Kathleen McInnis Scarr
Ben Nurse
Heather Oliver
Matt Simis ’88
Ana Toledo
Jerry Traynor
Jim Tunney**
Steve Webster**
** Trustee Emeritus * Ex-Officio
Giff Lehman
Ben Nurse
Kate Popky ’21, Student Representative
Gary Ray
Kathleen McInnis Scarr
Matt Simis ’88
Ana Toledo
Jerry Traynor
Jim Tunney**
Steve Webster**
** Trustee Emeritus * Ex-Officio
Doug Key*, Head of School
Thank you for your support!
YORK SCHOOL IMPACT REPORT IS PRODUCED BY:
Felicia Pfleger
Director of Communications and Marketing
Grace Khieu ‘16
Media Specialist
CONTRIBUTORS
Lily Berrysmith ‘23
John Daniel
Oscar Fadem ‘22
Ellen Gaucher
Bella Hockersmith
Doug Key
Kelly Lepai
Felicia Pfleger
Joyce Sherry
Erin White
Spencer Williams
PHOTOGRAPHY
DMT Imaging
Grace Khieu ‘16
Felicia Pfleger
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Felicia Pfleger
York School recognizes and thanks those individuals, foundations, corporations, and organizations included in this report for their generous contributions during the Fiscal Year 2019 (July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020). Gifts received after June 30, 2020, will be acknowledged in next year’s Impact Report.
While we strive to provide accurate recognition of our donors for this report, errors and omissions sometimes occur. If you contributed as a donor and your name was inadvertently omitted, listed in the wrong place, or misspelled, please accept our sincere apologies and contact us at 831.373.4438.
9501 York Road, Monterey, CA 93940 | 831.372.7338 | york.org
GRADES 8 – 12 | Leader in education on the Monterey Peninsula
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
If you receive duplicate copies of this publication, or a copy for an alum who now has a separate permanent address, please let us know at alumni@york.org or 831.373.4438 x151.
York School is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the California Association of Independent Schools. York is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and the Independent Curriculum Group. York School admits students of any race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities available to students at the School, and the School does not discriminate on the basis of these factors in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid program, or athletic and other school-administered programs.