ANNIE WRIGHT SCHOOLS
Alumni Newsletter
SUMMER 2020 Class of 2020 Goes to College
In Memoriam Ways to Connect
Alumni Weekend News
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Resource List
Donor Report
Class Notes
AWS COVID-19 Update: From Strength to Strength
AWS COVID-19 Update: From Strength to Strength Information about fall continues to change on a daily basis. During these complex times, Annie Wright’s motto, From Strength to Strength, has never felt more relevant. Our community, from students and parents to faculty and staff to our alumni, continues to support Annie Wright Schools in strength.
Strength in Learning Last spring, faculty pivoted seamlessly to teaching online, and are poised to maintain academic continuity and a strong AWS experience in our new COVID-19 reality. Our students and parents also shifted online with little hesitation. From our 2020 Blue Ties to our youngest 3-year-old Gators, school looked very different online, but lessons remained robust and full of inquiry-based learning. Whether classes happen on-campus or online, our educational program continues to be strong. As we have communicated to our families throughout the spring and summer, we are ready. We are ready to open in-person. We are ready to open online. We are ready to open in a hybrid model. We want our students back in the classroom, be it in-person or online.
Strength in Leadership Throughout the summer, Head of Schools Jake Guadnola ‘90MS and the Division Directors (Ann Dicks, Lower School; Clare Wagstaff-Brown, Middle School; Eireann Corrigan,
Upper School for Girls; and Susan Bauska, Upper School for Boys) have hosted Town Halls for AWS families. These have provided divisionspecific information, updates about transportation and lunch, and the ability to answer parent questions in a live format. Annie Wright’s leadership team, Nurse Paula Coumou, and the Board of Trustees have been discussing the ever-changing fall learning landscape almost daily. Our teams have also sought input on reopening from local medical and health experts. Should we reopen school with in-person instruction, we believe we can do so safely.
Strength in Loyalty If we have learned one thing during this pandemic, it is that our AWS community is incredibly loyal. We are encouraged by the tremendous support we have received, and also by how we see our community supporting one another. As we look forward to the 2020–2021 academic year, we feel grateful for our strong alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff. You truly help us move forward from strength to strength. Alumni: view Annie Wright’s current educational plans online (from aw.org, click on “Fall ’20 Opening” at the top of the homepage).
We feel grateful for our strong alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff.
ALL IN for
Alumni Weekend
2020:
Postponed We have made the difficult decision to postpone the on-campus reunion celebrations for alumni class years ending in 0 and 5 until fall 2021. In the meantime, we would still like to help alumni connect. If you would like help contacting classmates or planning virtual online reunions, please contact Grace Finch at 253.284.8604 or grace_finch@aw.​org.
$
65
196
TOTE BAGS GOING OUT
GIFTS RECEIVED
We look forward to a time when we can gather on campus safely.
55
GIFTS MADE DIRECTLY TO SCHOLARSHIPS
$
179,878 TOTAL ALUMNI GIVING!
26%
35%
21%
18%
Percent of donors from each tie color
Read. Watch. Listen. AWS faculty and staff are each selecting two or more books, movies, podcasts and articles from the Read. Watch. Listen. list. They have been engaging in small group discussions over the summer and will continue as they gear up for the start of the
Books: Non-fiction
Film
Articles
school year. If you are interested in an Alumni Book Club or similar offering, please complete the form at bit.ly/AWSbookclub. Annie Wright Schools will continue to move our Strategic Plan for
Books: Fiction
Podcasts
Diversity forward and are exploring opportunities for alumni to participate. If you are interested, please contact Grace Finch at 253.284.8604 or grace_finch@aw.​org.
WESTERN U.S.
NORTHEASTERN U.S.
Elizabeth Crist Gonzaga University
Alexandra Bessler Colby College
Nina Doody University of San Diego
Bailey Black Hamilton College
Natalie Fah University of Washington (Seattle)
Jade Cheatham St. John’s University
Emily Feliciano University of Redlands
Qiuyu Chen Wellesley College
Michelle Foster DigiPen Institute of Technology
Shiyu Chen Johns Hopkins University
Eva Gleitz Seattle University
JiWoo Choi University of Rochester
Piper Hamilton Washington State University
Reagan Easter George Washington University
Sophia Jeter Pacific Lutheran University Audrey Johnson Loyola Marymount University Zixian Li University of California (Los Angeles)
Jiacheng Wang University of Southern California Simin Wei University of Southern California Ziqiao Xu Art Center College of Design Muze Yang University of California (Davis) Nina Ye Pomona College Jessica Zou Pitzer College
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Rashida Francis Boston University Abby Givens Georgetown University Young Seo Jo Northeastern University Mia Kao Bryn Mawr College Yoon Ji Kim George Washington University
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Cora Shandrow Washington State University
Washing to
lifo
Nora McCarthy Mills College
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Kayla Mathurin Pitzer College
Annie Wright Class of 2020
Xinzhuoyun Li Boston University Amanda Madanes Bates College Claire Noh Parsons School of Design at The New School Lillian Prime Middlebury College Emily Simons Pennsylvania State University Kaitlin Tan Boston University
MIDWESTERN U.S.
Jae Yoon Wang Johns Hopkins University
Xiomara Choto-Mueller Carleton College
Jiaxin Wang University of Pennsylvania
Audrey Leonard University of Chicago
Yaojia Yuan Bryn Mawr College
ABROAD Thanh Pham University of Melbourne Australia Acalia Randall University of Sussex England
Schools
Goes to College Across the U.S. and Beyond
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Minnesota
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Illinois
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Australia
Class Notes Marsha York Solmssen ’47 & her granddaughter Marsha Solmssen ’05MS Marsha and Marsha spent the day together in Vaughn, WA. Marsha York Solmssen flew out from her retirement community in Pennsylvania to be back in Vaughn with her family indefinitely. She loves wearing her AWS sweatshirt!
as trips around the U.S. When I’m home, I still mentor beginning teachers and pluck out a few tunes on my harp.
Tamar Griggs ’60 Here is my little five-acre piece of Paradise—no roads and no electricity. I arrive by boat, and have propane and solar power to the cabin (10 X 10 feet!) and sleep in a tent built on a platform high up the Garry Oak meadows.
Grace Rexroth Seaman ‘48 & Diane Rexroth Keller ‘50 The Rexroth/Keller/Seaman clan had hoped to have a big family reunion over the Fourth of July to celebrate Grace’s 90th Birthday (which was on April 29) but due to COVID-19, we must wait until next year. It is usually beautiful in the Puget Sound area in July and August so it is very disappointing for us. My only grandchild should be starting at UC Berkeley this month but attending online at home until school fully opens. She had been in an IB school here in California.
Here is the view from my “tent”...it is magnificent!
Carol Lusk ’51 Last year I spent much of it traveling: the Silk Road, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, then flew to South America to tour Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Many trips around the US, but my favorite was New York with my daughter during the Christmas holidays. Alas in 2020, I’m traveling from my kitchen to the living room as well as daily walks around my neighborhood. Must keep in shape, for even though I canceled all my trips for this year, I have hopes for next year. So far for 2021, I have scheduled a Grand Baltic cruise and also a cruise to Croatia and Montenegro, as well
This shot is a chance in a lifetime. The moons are never the same. You sure must be patient to photo the full moons. Often it is cloudy or raining....I have a super-duper lens!
Dorothea (Dee Cragin) Hanich ‘63 My husband Ben and I celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary in April. I did lots of walking as things were closed during the spring—32 miles in one week! We stayed down south in the desert until May 18 and then flew home. We have been staying close to home, playing golf; I walk with a friend and work in the garden. We both are so grateful for our golf club. We have, of course, had to go back to dining outside with friends as long as the weather cooperates.
Alma Campbell Fleet ‘64 I am pleased to have co-edited a six-volume series published by Routledge (UK) on issues in early childhood pedagogy. I coordinated (and contributed to) issues from the southern hemisphere, particularly Australia (I live in Sydney), and my colleague Michael Reed focused on Europe and the UK. Otherwise, we have been lucky with COVID here; family and pets are well! I continue with part-time educational consultancies, enjoying working with friends and colleagues, mostly online at the moment, but getting closer to the ‘new normal’.
Marty Hoey ‘69 Marty was honored in June, with a plaque that was placed at Bogue Viewing Platforming, in Gig Harbor, WA, with Mount Rainier in the background. “Huey, who died trying to be the first female to summit Mount Everest, was not only considered to be one of the greatest female climbers in the world, but also one of the greatest climbers, period.”
Karen Smith Debolt ‘92 & Christy Smith Griffith ‘95 Christy’s son, Alston (age 7), and Karen’s son, Grayson (age 10), have been dragging us up and down all sorts of mountains on foot, bikes and horses—all while wearing masks and bear spray. It’s been a wonderful way to spend the summer. We’ve been able to appreciate Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Our parents (Marsden and Elsa) joined us as well and we hit the Snake River for a white water adventure.
Heather Bamford Gallimore ‘97 Heather Bamford became a tenured professor in the romance languages department at George Washington University! She also received the 2020 La cόronica International Book Award for her book Cultures of the Fragment: Uses of Iberian Manuscript 1100–1600. Professor Heather Bamford ‘97 with husband Sam Gallimore (right) and niece Maeve Hunt ’17MS (left) on GWU campus.
The mountain is being shy in this photo but we promise it is right there behind that big, fluffy pile of clouds!
Class Notes
CONT’D.
Kelsey Osborne ’05MS & Malia Osborne ’07MS Kelsey and Malia enjoyed some sister time in Arizona! Malia welcomed her daughter Ayva on November 12, 2019.
organized, and ran a recognized university club/ organization focused on table top card games. I graduated from PLU a year early. In those three years I earned three Bachelor of Arts degrees, majoring in: Hispanic Studies, Global Studies, and Religion Theology. After undergraduate, I took a year off to experience life, working as a Spanish translator for Sylvan Learning Center’s SES program. I then applied, and was accepted, to Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, MI. While in law school, I joined the mock trial team, going on to win three intra-school competitions and joining the Mock Trial Student Organization Board. I have recently graduated law school with my Juris Doctor degree, prompting me to write this class note. Now, I am returning to Tacoma where I hope to work with the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office and serve in our AWS community.
Rachel Holland ’18 & Erica Chen ’19 Andrew Morris ’08MS After Annie Wright Middle School, I attended O’Dea High School in Seattle where I became a varsity letterman in cross-country and swimming in my junior year. I even went on to reach the state level in swimming later in my senior year. I also had the opportunity to travel abroad to Spain for a month with O’Dea. After graduation, I attended Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, WA. While at PLU, I joined the cheer squad for one semester, and had the chance to travel abroad to Quito, Ecuador; Havana, Cuba; and the Amish community of Mt. Hope in Ohio. I founded,
Rachel and Erica are interning at Annie Wright Schools this summer. They have tackled projects from sorting historical photos to updating alumni contact information. Summer staff have enjoyed seeing Rachel and Erica on campus and getting to reconnect with them. This fall Rachel will begin her junior year at Bryn Mawr and Erica will enter her sophomore year at Lafayette College.
In Memoriam Karen Credgington 1924–2020
Harold Witman 1924–2020
Karen Credgington, who served on staff at Annie Wright Schools for more than 20 years overseeing housing, housekeeping and dining services, passed away at her home in Tacoma, Washington, Monday, June 8, 2020, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. Karen was survived by her husband Nick and her children Kristen ’89 and Alex ’90MS.
Harold Witman, headmaster of Annie Wright Schools 1965-70, died on March 29 in Billings, Montana. A World War II army veteran, he earned a master’s in science and became a math and science teacher. He invested himself in the lives of students and had a deep appreciation for nature. The Harold F. Witman Mathematics Award continues to go to an Upper School girl who has shown considerable growth in the understanding of mathematics, and who has demonstrated a capacity for conceptualization.
In 1992, Karen was the first recipient of the LT Murray Chair for Excellence, awarded once every two years to an AWS faculty or staff member who demonstrates distinguished service to the AWS community, community involvement beyond the school that promotes the goals and philosophy of AWS and excellence in academics that encourages global understanding. Current faculty and staff appreciate Karen’s meticulous notes about Annie Wright “Odds & Ends” from 1975– 2002, and those who knew Karen may remember her unparalleled lemon bars.
Janet Saxton Hill ’45 Barbara L. Brown ’49 Donna Ruth Wilson-Sommer ’49MS Marion Adelle Bosworth ’50 Jill Gawley Shotwell ’51 Carol Somers Richards ’56 Linda Morley ’60 Lu Rae Driskoll Maple ’66 Germaine Korum (Trustee 1984–1990) George Mills, Jr. (Trustee 1984–1990)
Ways to Connect • Host a virtual alumni gathering for your class, decade or tie color. Email alumni@aw.org to coordinate. • Send us a student. If you know someone who would be a good fit for Annie Wright, introduce the family to us via email at admissions@aw.org. • Contribute an article or alumni news for the website or alumni newsletter at communications@aw.org. • Honor your past and Annie Wright’s future with a gift to All In for Annie or to a specific program at www.aw.org/give. • Stay engaged by updating your contact information at www.aw.org/connect. • Join the AWS Alumni Book Club at bit.ly/AWSbookclub. • Help AWS move forward with Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts. Email grace_finch@aw.org to learn more.
ANNIE WRIGHT SCHOOLS 827 North Tacoma Avenue | Tacoma, WA 98403 | 253.272.2216 | aw.org