Archways 17 – Spring 2013

contents St. Andrew’s presents Arts on the Green

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So, Tell Us About Yourself

From Shanghai to St. Andrew’s

A Gift that Seems Heaven Sent

As this issue of Archways was going to press, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School was named the 18th best private day school in the nation by thebestschools.org, an independent organization with no ties to any educational institution. St. Andrew’s was one of only two schools in the Southeast and among only a handful in the South to make the list, which included 50 schools nationwide. Look for more details about this impressive national recognition in the next issue of Archways.

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You Could Have Heard a Pin Drop

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ST. ANDREW’S presents

ARTS

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A Gift Today for St. Andrew’s Future

ON THE GREEN Learning by Design

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Motivated to Make a Splash

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Archways Staff

and Contributors Editor Patrick Taylor ’93

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Contributing Editors Elizabeth Buyan ’97 Rebecca Hiatt Collins Marlo Kirkpatrick

Saints Fall Sports Records

Eye on Alumni

Designer Alecia Porch

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Coming Back, Giving Back

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Looking Back/ Looking Forward

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Photographers Robby Followell Jessica Garner ’15 Crawford Lampton ’15 Patrick Taylor ’93 If you have a story idea or comment for Archways, please contact Patrick Taylor, editor, at taylorp@gosaints.org.

WWW.GOSAINTS.ORG

Curtain Calls

ON APRIL 19 AND 20, the St. Andrew’s North Campus welcomed students, families, friends, and the entire community to the third annual Arts on the Green. The free, family-friendly festival celebrated art, music, and food, with special activities including a Little Green Dress eco-fashion show, an urban planning design charrette, and a spectacular, online silent auction featuring more than 300 items.  New to Arts on the Green this year was the Friday night mixer, Meet, Greet, and Go Out to Eat, which found patrons mingling on campus before heading out to dinner with gift cards provided by 14 area restaurants. Friday night also brought the Farm to Table dinner, a multi-course event featuring food and drink provided by local farmers and vendors.  Many thanks to event co-chairs Elizabeth Alley and Stella Gray Sykes and to presenting sponsor Trustmark for making Arts on the Green a fun-filled success.

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SO, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF MEMBERS OF THE ST. ANDREW’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES WERE ASKED TO SHARE SOMETHING ABOUT THEMSELVES THAT MIGHT SURPRISE PEOPLE. FOR A GLIMPSE AT ANOTHER SIDE OF THESE ST. ANDREW’S LEADERS, SEE THEIR REVEALING RESPONSES BELOW. BILL BYNUM “Growing up, I took great pride in my fantastic comic book collection, which included some of the earliest issues featuring Superman, Batman, all members of the Justice League, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, and everything in between. One day I came home to find that hundreds of vintage comics had been donated to the children’s ward at a local hospital. I tried not to show it, but I was crushed! Today I’m hooked on movie adaptations of classic comic book superheroes. It was a great escape for me as a kid, and remains one today.”

PATTY CHRISTIE “I spent a semester traveling Europe as part of the SMUin-Paris program and it changed my life. It forced me to grow up (parents on the other side of a big ocean way before cell phones), to find my inner strengths (“a man without a passport is a man without a country”), to believe in the goodness of people (thanks to the person who found and turned in my purse with aforementioned passport), and mostly to appreciate my wonderful country, which is truly without equal. I have since urged nearly every young person that I know to spend some time in another country if they can.”

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WAYNE DRINKWATER “Last year, a lifetime ambition achieved: I made it to The Masters. Well, sure, it was just for a day and the azaleas had already bloomed, but I was there, eating pimento cheese sandwiches, watching Tiger putt, and feeling entitled. Next year’s goal: accepting an invitation from Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to land on an aircraft carrier.”

Portland, Oregon. Were it not for a late night call from Walter Saddler (father of St. Andrew’s alumna, Briana) offering me a job in Mississippi, I would probably still be there. But now, ‘you guys,’ I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

JIM PHILLIPS ’77 “When I left the army and took my first job as doctor at a large medical center, during the first day of in-processing all new hires had to meet with one of the ‘older’ physicians. The gentleman I met told me, ‘Every day you will get a chance to help someone and likely every day someone will say ‘thank you’ to you. You need to remember these things whenever you think you might be having a difficult day. You are fortunate and cannot lose sight of that.’”

DR. HONEY EAST ’89 “I was inducted into the All-American Football Hall of Fame.”

HALEY FISACKERLY “People are usually surprised to learn how much I enjoy cooking. It’s therapeutic to me and I’m an adventurous cook. I love to attempt different foods and to experiment with ingredients. Best of all, a delectable meal is a great St. Andrew’s Episcopal School’s Board of Trustees for 2012-13 is way to enjoy time with family and friends.” (front, from left) Margaret McLarty, Vonda Reeves-Darby, Vangela

Wade, Patty Christie, Suzanne Kotfila, Risa Moriarty, Anne Travis, and Stephanie Garriga; and (back, from left) Mary Mills, David STEPHANIE GARRIGA Marsh, Wesley Goings, Wayne Drinkwater, board chair Tommy “I can’t say ‘y’all,’ but I have a good excuse. I’m a Hoosier Williams, Wilson Montjoy, Bill Bynum, Edward O’Connor, Mark from Indiana. My grandfather and father were both basMcCreery, Honey East, Nora Frances McRae. Not pictured are Haley ketball players at Indiana University. After college at the Fisackerly, Avinash Gulanikar, Warren Jones, and Jim Phillips.

University of Arizona, I took my first job in television in 5

“I TAUGHT MATH AND SCIENCE AT THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, WORKED AS A SECURITY GUARD, AND ATTENDED LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL FOR ONE YEAR.” WESLEY GOINGS “I considered entering the teaching and coaching field after college, but went another way. However, I was able to somewhat fulfill that dream by having the opportunity to coach my children and their St. Andrew’s schoolmates in numerous sports. Based on our record, it probably was a good thing I didn’t attempt coaching as a profession, but I hope that the St. Andrew’s students learned elements of teamwork, camaraderie, and school spirit.”

content doing things alone, and I also made some wonderful friends. I took sailing lessons in Santa Barbara; frequented San Francisco, Napa, and Lake Tahoe while in Sacramento; jumped from waterfalls in Kauai; went to a Kwanza celebration in Charleston; and immersed myself in culture in D.C. I am very proud of the woman that I am and realize that this experience helped to shape my life.”

DAVID MARSH “Decades ago I was a fairly good weightlifter, and set a small local club record by bench-pressing more than twice my body weight (weighed 198, benched 400). I also had a really cute girlfriend. Today I have both shoulders replaced with titanium, but I still have the same really cute girlfriend, now my wife, Patsy.”

MARGARET MCLARTY “Having studied painting as a child, I later took up photography to capture scenes that I would like to later paint.

I even took nine hours of photography in college. Over the years, the goal for artistic pictures became image galleries of family, friends, and souvenirs. Recently, my new laptop told me that I now have 17,898 photo files.

I love my pictures.”

AVINASH GUKLANIKAR “I love to visit the National Parks, hike, and clear my mind of all thoughts. I also enjoy Bollywood movies and music.”

WARREN JONES “I taught math and science at the junior high school level, worked as a security guard, and attended Loyola Law School for one year. Sometimes we have dreams and our challenge is to match those dreams with opportunities and resources to realize them. Teaching, law school, and being a guard all influenced the type of medical doctor I was to become and my commitment to service.”

SUZANNE KOTFILA “After working as a nurse for nine months, I decided to try travel nursing, in which an agency supplies nurses who travel to work in temporary nursing positions. The first assignment I took was for three months in Santa Barbara. I knew no one and was there for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Over the next two years, I signed contracts of varying lengths in Sacramento, Kauai, Charleston, Washington, D.C., and finally back to Sacramento. I grew so much throughout this experience. I learned to make difficult decisions on my own, I learned to adapt to change, I learned to be perfectly

NORA FRANCES MCRAE “It took me about 35 years to bike up The Mountain to Sewanee. The last hour and a half was spent on a bicycle making the actual climb; the remainder was spent talking about it. Last summer, an old college friend volunteered to make the upward assault with me, forcing me into action. It was a goal obtained, a friendship renewed, and a reminder of the value of hanging on to dreams and friends.”

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“MY BUCKET LIST INCLUDES SKY DIVING, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS, AND PERSONAL TRAINING CERTIFICATION.” MARY MILLS “I’m a good hunter, and I have been a St. Andrew’s parent for 23 consecutive years with six more to go.”

VONDA REEVES-DARBY “I loved flag football in college, and I hate spiders. I live to play tennis. I’m a proficient tractor driver/front load operator. I love to plant anything that will grow, and mission trips to third world countries. I’m competitive.”

WILSON MONTJOY “Not every lawyer can say he’s achieved the same stature as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Years ago, Justice Antonin Scalia spoke at the Mississippi Bar Convention in Destin, and I was part of a small group that went deep sea fishing with him. Unfortunately, the sea was rough and a bucket of chum tipped over into the charter boat just as we hit the first big wave. We all got seasick and wound up leaning over the side, at which point we had both achieved the same, somewhat undignified, stature. The good news was that the expedition caught a fish. It was only one, but Justice Scalia was the lucky angler. Upon our return to port, the local newspaper was there to snap a picture of the important visitor. And there we all were – 10 of us proudly gathered around one small fish.”

ANNE TRAVIS ’77 “My undergraduate degree in wilderness leadership is from a small college in Prescott, Arizona. During my twenties, I rock climbed or backpacked in Colorado, Arizona, California, Wyoming, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, and for several years taught rock climbing and led backpacking trips for North Carolina and Pacific Crest Outward Bound. I loved my time in the outdoors and the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of climbing and hiking.”

VANGELA WADE “I have a passion for life with all of its challenges. In 1996, I graduated law school, passed the Mississippi Bar, and was diagnosed with breast cancer. I appreciate all of God’s gifts, big and small, including our twins, Garrison and Christian, born four years after chemo and radiation; being of service to others; cowboy boots; running marathons; traveling; and Tim McGraw’s greatest hits. My bucket list includes sky diving, national and international missions, and personal training certification.

RISA MORIARTY “I was a rower in college. A high school swimmer, I decided to try something different in college and as an entering freshman was recruited by the women’s crew team. I rowed for my first two years at Yale and our team won the National Championship both years.”

DEAN EDWARD O’CONNOR “My life is a singular testament to the most amazing, unconditional, and unimaginable Grace of God in Christ. As such, beyond the details of calling Jackson home and serving as dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, who and what I am originates in my marriage of 22 years to the love of my life, Deidra Kirchmayr O’Connor, and, sharing with her three children, Flannery, Mary Kathryn, and (little, but not so much anymore) Edward.”

TOMMY WILLIAMS “My everyday view of the great outdoors is pretty nice: traffic flowing along Highland Colony, construction at The Township, St. Andrew’s rooftops among the trees.

My best days, though, are when I leave my desk and windows behind for day hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, white-water rafting on the Yampa, navigating Routt Forest trails on horseback. No surprise that I’m 100 percent in favor of outdoor classrooms at St. Andrew’s.”

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EACH HIS OWN DEFINING Educational EXCELLENCE

WHILE SOME ST. ANDREW’S STUDENTS excel in the

science lab, others shine on the athletic field. Some discover their talents with a paintbrush, while others find it on a stage. Some students long to change the world, while others want to serve in their own communities.

That’s why St. Andrew’s doesn’t stop with challenging students in the classroom. Instead, St. Andrew’s encourages each student to explore his or her individual interests and strengths, and to strive for excellence in those areas in which they find their passion.

The following are just a few of the St. Andrew’s students who are pursuing varied interests and writing their own definitions of “excellence,” both at St. Andrew’s and beyond their campus.

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UPPER SCHOOL

ALEX WEISSER

MEHAK KHAN

ALEX WEISSER Class of 2014 Passionate about: football, skateboarding, Tae Kwon Do, theater (onstage and behind the scenes), archery, student government, Boy Scouts Soon after enrolling in St. Andrew’s as a ninth grader, Alex Weisser discovered he had a passion for football – and theater tech, singing, archery, and a half dozen other interests he had never before considered pursuing.

“Before I came to St. Andrew’s, I had probably never picked up a football more than 10 times in my life. Somehow I ended up at a practice and the next thing I knew I was dressing out. Football has been instrumental in my development as a person because it’s helped me reaffirm my work ethic and contributed to my overall health and strength, and shown me the importance of working on a team.”

His “love for power tools and sawdust” inspired Alex to participate in the St. Andrew’s theatre tech program, building sets and props for stage productions. When his thespian friends mentioned the need for male actors for the school musical, Alex found himself starring in a production of Once Upon a Mattress.

“I must say that I wasn’t exactly thrilled with having to wear tights on stage – and they were a bit small, even by tights’ standards – but I had a blast during every performance.”

Alex also participates on the St. Andrew’s archery team, is vice president of the student body, and is an

Eagle Scout. He believes his diverse experiences will help prepare him for his goal of becoming a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy.

“I can honestly say that I don’t believe I would prove to be a competitive candidate had I not transferred to St. Andrew’s and begun taking the rigorous AP courses, participating in athletics, and in general, broadening my horizons.

“Excellence to me is being well rounded and being able to use my diversity of experiences to help achieve goals. Personally, I don’t view myself as extremely good at any one thing, like sports or academics. St. Andrew’s gift to me has been opportunities. St. Andrew’s sees the importance of allowing young adults and children the chance to explore all the options so they can find and excel in the areas that most interest them.”

MEHAK KHAN Class of 2013 Passionate about: biology, chemistry, physics, sharing the beauty of science with her peers A desire to share her love of science prompted Mehak Khan to launch www.notesonscience.com, a website offering free access to her biology, chemistry, and physics notes. The notes are all on specific topics, for example, cellular respiration or molecular genetics for biology, equilibrium or molecular shape for chemistry, and Newtonian mechanics or electrostatics for physics.

“The first day of 10th grade honors chemistry, my

“TO ME, THE KNOWLEDGE OF THESE SUBJECTS – BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSICS – IS NOTHING SHORT OF BEAUTIFUL. IN FACT, I THINK THE KNOWLEDGE IS JUST TOO EXCITING TO NOT ENJOY AND LOVE.” — Mehak Khan 10

BAYLOR OBERT

JESSICA GARNER

teacher, Dr. Roscoe Stribling, said the key to the course was reviewing the previous day’s notes in preparation for the next class. I really took that advice to heart. Originally, making these notes was simply my own way of studying.”

But more and more friends began asking for copies of her notes, inspiring Mehak to develop the website.

Her notes include supporting examples and vibrant diagrams that create a visually appealing, clear presentation of complex scientific topics.

“To me, the knowledge of these subjects – biology, chemistry, and physics – is nothing short of beautiful.

In fact, I think the knowledge is just too exciting to not enjoy and love. With this perception in mind, I saw the notes as an opportunity to inspire my classmates in the beauty of science. My goal was to allow the simplicity and beauty of the concepts to shine, thus breaking the association of science with esoteric, overly abstract ideas.

There’s no cost involved in using the notes. I want to inspire and encourage learning. That’s much more worthy to me than making a profit.

“For me, ‘excellence’ implies a certain combination of success, talent, passion, ambition, and hard work. I think these factors can produce exceptional brilliance in a variety of areas, including medicine, academic research, sports, business, and so on. St. Andrew’s has helped cultivate the seeds of these qualities within me.”

his high school career.

“At St. Andrew’s, everyone is encouraged to pursue whatever interests you. My teachers have all helped me along. On the few occasions that I’ve had to miss class due to a baseball-related event, my teachers were supportive, but they also would not allow me slack off in my studies. Sometimes it’s hard to balance the two, but I think those times have also helped me become a more well-rounded individual.

“The most practical skill I’ve learned at St. Andrew’s is time management. During baseball season, I’m at the field at least six days a week, and some nights we won’t get home until after 11:00. Then, I might have two hours worth of homework. So I’ve learned how to balance my schedule in order to excel in each area.

But in my opinion, that’s how ‘excellence’ is defined.

It’s working your hardest to achieve as much as possible to the best of your ability.”

JESSICA GARNER Class of 2015 Passionate about: fashion design, biology, illustration, photography, English, painting, acting Jessica Garner spends most of her time outside school pursuing her interests in visual art, fashion design, and photography.

“Mrs. Taylor, the Lower School art teacher, really helped cultivate my love of the arts. Since then, art has become such an integral part of my life and selfexpression that it hurts to imagine how bland I would be without it.”

Every year for the St. Andrew’s environmental fashion show, Jessica designs dresses from entirely recycled materials; in 2011, one of her recycled creations won a Silver Key in the Scholastic Art Awards. Additionally, Jessica enjoys painting and illustration, and is participating in The Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project. The project’s more than 77,000 participants are sent a sketch-

BAYLOR OBERT Class of 2013 Passionate about: baseball, academics Baylor Obert has earned honors on the baseball field and in the classroom. A preseason Under Armour AllAmerican, Second Team All Metro player (as a junior) Division 3A First Team All State player (as a junior), and Most Valuable Offensive Player for the Saints (as a sophomore), Baylor is also a member of the National Honor Society and has made the high honor roll every year of 11

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book to fill with creative ideas, writings, and drawings.

The sketchbooks are then sent on tour across the United States for viewing. Jessica also describes photography “as a huge part of my identity.” In addition to taking digital photos, Jessica pursues lomography, creating conceptual photography with vintage film cameras.

“St. Andrew’s has been one of the biggest encouragements to my artistic expression. All of the teachers are incredibly encouraging, and it’s comforting to know that they believe in my ability for growth, even when I sometimes don’t.

“Critical thinking has been one of the most important things St. Andrew’s has taught me. The teachers say that they teach us how to think, not what to think, and that couldn’t be more true. St Andrew’s encourages an independent mind, and artistic creation cannot come from any other mental state. Excellence is putting forth your very best effort, regardless of how long it takes or how much better everyone else does. But that effort must be yours and yours alone, because how can you create something and take pride in it unless it is really the child of your imagination?”

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

ZARIA WILLIAMS AND KARNESSIA GEORGETOWN

Zaria and Karnessia credit Pam Franklin, their St. Andrew’s faculty sponsor, and Chris Harth, director of global studies, with providing critical help in launching Girls’ Country.

“Ms. Franklin is a former public school principal and Dr. Harth has formed relationships with leaders at other schools. Their connections were really helpful to us in reaching out to girls at other schools,” Zaria says.

“Dr. Harth also has experience traveling to different countries and interacting with other cultures, and in getting outside his comfort zone,” Karnessia adds. “We were just going across town, but some of the same ideas about interacting with people from different backgrounds still applied to our project.”

As membership in Girls’ Country grows, Zaria and Karnessia hope to reach out to girls still in elementary school, creating a permanent organization that will live on long after its founders have graduated from St. Andrew’s. Their long-term goal is to see multiple chapters of their organization statewide – Girls’ Country of Jackson, Girls’ Country of Tupelo, Girls’ Country of Hattiesburg – and perhaps even see their organization reach beyond state lines.

“Our ideal outcome is that young women in the group would come to treat each other like sisters,” Zaria says, “and that the group as a whole becomes a meaningful organization that makes a difference in the community.”

ZARIA WILLIAMS AND KARNESSIA GEORGETOWN Class of 2015 Passionate about: speech and debate, cheerleading, dance team, track team, Student Admission Team, Honor Council, church choir, encouraging other young women Zaria Williams and Karnessia Georgetown are the founders of Girls’ Country, a program that unites and empowers young women to become leaders in their schools and their communities. In developing Girls’ Country, Zaria and Karnessia had a vision for a group that would reach beyond the St. Andrew’s campus.

“We wanted to improve our community, and our community is more than just St. Andrew’s,” Karnessia explains. “Our goal was to form bonds with girls from all over the Jackson area.”

Their first challenge was recruiting members from outside St. Andrew’s, a task made even greater by the fact that neither girl was old enough to drive.

Zaria and Karnessia met that challenge by appointing “point people” from other schools to help with recruiting new members, and holding Girls’ Country’s monthly meetings at central locations. Zaria and Karnessia launched Girls’ Country in the fall of 2012; by March of 2013, Girls’ Country included members from Murrah High School, Jim Hill High School, Ridgeland High School, and the Veritas School, as well as St. Andrew’s.

The next step was developing a list of speakers and group activities, including planting community gardens, organizing fund-raisers benefitting women’s causes, and mentoring children living with their mothers in shelters for battered women.

“We’re focusing on activities that lift women up and help them see things from other women’s points of view,” Karnessia explains.

IN DEVELOPING GIRLS’ COUNTRY, ZARIA AND KARNESSIA HAD A VISION FOR A GROUP THAT WOULD REACH BEYOND THE ST. ANDREW’S CAMPUS. 12

SPENCER CARTER

KELSEY BURKE

SPENCER CARTER Class of 2017 Passionate about: academics, choir, baseball, basketball When Spencer Carter transferred to St. Andrew’s as a seventh grader, he wasn’t happy about leaving his friends or his old school. But within a few weeks, that had changed.

“Spencer flourished at St. Andrew’s,” his mother, Pepper Carter, says. “At his old school, he wasn’t challenged and he was bored. He was known as one of the ‘smart kids’ and not for much more.”

“At St. Andrew’s, I’m known as a kid who is smart, and who sings, and who plays sports,” Spencer told his mother just two weeks after making the switch. “They don’t see me as just a smart kid. They see everything I have to offer.”

While Spencer was finding his place on the baseball and basketball teams and acing his audition for the AllState Junior High Honor Choir, his parents were discovering a new school community that felt like home.

“The St. Andrew’s staff and families are the most welcoming, inviting group of people I’ve ever met,” Pepper Carter says. “They greeted Spencer with open arms, like he’d been here all his life. For us, discovering St. Andrew’s was like finally putting the round peg in the round hole.

People joke around with me and ask, ‘When did you drink the St. Andrew’s Kool-Aid?’ I tell them I didn’t have to. All I needed was to see how happy St. Andrew’s makes my child.”

sibly narrow balance beam. Mississippi’s reining uneven parallel bar champion in her division, Kelsey spends 10 hours a week training in the gym, plus countless hours flipping, twisting, and flying through her own backyard.

Kelsey’s confident performance is even more impressive given her severe hearing impairment. Diagnosed as profoundly deaf at age two, Kelsey listens and learned to speak with the help of a cochlear implant and hearing aids, but her hearing impairment dramatically affected her sense of balance.

“In her first year of competition, Kelsey considered quitting gymnastics because she had so much trouble with the balance beam,” says her mother, Kim. “She didn’t know that her problems with balance were related to her deafness, and her father and I chose not to tell her. We didn’t want Kelsey to think that she couldn’t do gymnastics – or anything else – because she was deaf. Instead of quitting, Kelsey mastered her balance issues through lots and lots of practice. Once she did, we explained why balance had been more difficult for her, and gave her the option to stop gymnastics. But by then she was winning at the competitions and she had no intention of quitting.”

Now 11 years old, Kelsey considers her deafness simply a part of who she is. While she acknowledges her difference, Kelsey Burke is adamant that being deaf will never be a barrier to her personal pursuit of excellence.

KELSEY BURKE Class of 2020 Passionate about: gymnastics, art, basketball, history, swimming, and her dogs, Tex and Rosie, and her cats, Flirt and Kooshka Kelsey Burke flips, twists, and flies through the air, making the complicated stunts she performs as a competitive gymnast look effortless. Kelsey competes in floor exercise, vault, uneven parallel bars, and on the impos-

KELSEY SPENDS 10 HOURS A WEEK TRAINING IN THE GYM, PLUS COUNTLESS HOURS FLIPPING, TWISTING, AND FLYING THROUGH HER OWN BACKYARD. 13

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“THE ST. ANDREW’S

AARON HANDY

BEN RODENMEYER

STATEMENT OF VALUES SAYS THAT WE BELIEVE IN ‘THE TALENTS AND STRENGTHS OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL.’ LIVING INTO THIS VALUE, THE SCHOOL ENCOURAGES ITS STUDENTS TO PURSUE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR OWN, SPECIAL, AND VALUED PERSONA IN THIS WORLD.” George Penick

AARON HANDY Class of 2017 Passionate about: choir, basketball, track, tennis, theatre Aaron Handy performs with the Middle School Choir and auditioned for and earned a place in the All-State Junior High Honor Choir. In addition to wowing the crowds with his beautiful bass voice and his acting talents, Aaron is also a standout athlete, competing on the track field and the tennis court. A member of the St. Andrew’s JV basketball team, Aaron also shoots hoops for two local churches.

“St. Andrew’s provides so many avenues and opportunities for Aaron to excel,” says his mother, Katrina Handy. “Academics is the main focus, but extracurricular activities are also needed to allow students to fully develop. We are so grateful for the support and encouragement Aaron receives in so many different areas from St. Andrew’s.”

national “Broadway’s Biggest Fan” contest was selected from thousands of entries as the competition winner, earning Ben a trip to the 2013 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards in New York this May. His video entry highlighted Ben’s own stage career, which includes key roles in productions at New Stage Theatre, as well as his collection of playbills and Broadway show souvenir t-shirts.

“St. Andrew’s has given Ben an opportunity to be himself, and be accepted and loved for it,” says Ben’s mother, Kathryn Rodenmeyer. “The arts are not marginalized at St. Andrew’s, nor are the young artists. They are embraced and celebrated.”

“Ben has had the opportunity to participate in the choir, theatre productions, and speech and debate, as well as explore his interests in math, physics, and robotics,” says Ben’s father, Ron Rodenmeyer. “St. Andrew’s Middle School has given him a strong foundation for high school and beyond.”

BEN RODENMEYER Class of 2017 Passionate about: choir, math, theatre, physics, speech and debate, robotics, Broadway He’s only in the eighth grade, but Ben Rodenmeyer is already well on his way to becoming a star. A member of the New Stage Youth Acting Troupe, the St. Andrew’s Middle School Choir, and the All-State Junior High Honor Choir, Ben has been accepted to the Interlochen Arts Academy’s six-week Summer Camp in the Musical Theatre Arts. Located in Interlochen, Michigan, the camp is regarded as the most prestigious arts camp in the United States, attracting gifted students from around the world who want to pursue careers in the performing arts. Camp alumni include recording artists Josh Groban and Nora Jones.

But before he heads to Michigan this summer, Ben will make a trip to Broadway. A video he submitted in the

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“THE ARTS ARE NOT MARGINALIZED AT ST. ANDREW’S, NOR ARE THE YOUNG ARTISTS. THEY ARE EMBRACED AND CELEBRATED.” — Kathryn Rodenmeyer 15

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LOWER SCHOOL GRACIE BIEDENHARN

THOMAS ARNOLD

THOMAS ARNOLD Class of 2021 Passionate about: violin, distance running, training for a triathlon At 10 years old, Thomas Arnold is a violin virtuoso.

Thomas comes by his talent naturally – his mother, Catherine is also a violinist. But Thomas’s love of music isn’t limited to the violin. As a musician in St. Andrew’s After School Orff Ensemble, Thomas has the opportunity to play a variety of musical instruments. He has also become proficient on the recorder, performing as a soloist during several chapel programs.

“The Orff program has also enhanced Thomas’s violin performance,” Catherine Arnold says. “The program has helped him become more confident on stage.”

Music isn’t Thomas’s sole passion. He is also a distance runner. Thomas has competed in a youth biking and running competition and is training for a youth triathlon that will include running, biking, and swimming.

According to Catherine Arnold, St. Andrew’s Healthy Saints program has helped Thomas stay motivated and encouraged him in his training, and Thomas’s friends at St. Andrew’s respect him as both a musician and as an athlete.

GRACIE BIEDENHARN Class of 2022 Passionate about: helping other children with juvenile diabetes, art, tennis, sewing, theatre, the steel drum, cooking, Girl Scouts, and her dogs, Paisley and Poly RooRoo Gracie Beidenharn was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was just three years old. But while a childhood that includes insulin pumps and testing her own blood sugar might sound daunting, Gracie has not only faced the challenge with courage, she’s helped hundreds of other kids do the same.

In her role as a junior ambassador for the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, Gracie has appeared on bill16

HANNAH GRACE KERR

boards and television and radio broadcasts, participated in walk-a-thons, and served as the face of juvenile diabetes at fund-raisers, but Gracie’s favorite part of the job is her visits to the Blair E. Batson’s Children’s Hospital.

Gracie visits Batson twice a month to meet with and encourage other children who’ve been diagnosed with the disease.

“I like to go visit children like me and tell them how I take care of my diabetes. I also like to make new friends,” Gracie says. “I tell them about my life and my school, and I tell them not to be afraid.”

Gracie’s positive outlook and advice has provided comfort for dozens of young patients learning to cope with the needles, pumps, and finger pricking that mark diabetes. Meeting Gracie lets other children know they aren’t alone, and is proof they can have an active, happy life despite their diabetes. Gracie is also an inspiration to her teachers and classmates at St. Andrew’s, and to her parents, Beth and Richard Biedenharn.

“Gracie enjoys her role paying it forward to make sure that kids get the same help and support she received when she was first diagnosed,” Beth Biedenharn says. “I see the look of relief on their faces when they see a little girl enter their hospital room who is managing her diabetes and not letting the disease control her life. As her mother, I’m amazed by her ability to take it all in stride, take care of herself, and move forward. Gracie is my inspiration to be positive.”

living home and other locations. In addition to her vocal work, Hannah Grace also takes piano lessons and steel drum lessons, spending three to five hours a week in formal training and practice, and often singing while she does her homework.

Given her enthusiasm for sharing her talent, it’s surprising to learn that Hannah Grace is a little on the shy side. But according to her father, Ben Kerr, performing at St. Andrew’s has helped Hannah Grace find her place in the spotlight.

“The annual class plays have given Hannah Grace an occasion and the motivation to come out of her shell. This past year, she sang a solo as Snow White and seemed more comfortable than we have ever seen her on stage,” says Ben Kerr. “Scott Sexton, her music teacher, saw past the bashfulness and gave her the opportunity.

She received very warm and positive feedback from her classmates, as well as current and former teachers who watched her perform. Although often quiet in conversation, Hannah Grace seems to transform in song and when she’s using her gift to touch others.”

HANNAH GRACE KERR Class of 2022 Passionate about: singing, art, playing the piano and steel drum, basketball, youth program at her church Ever since she sang her first tune, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” at just 17 months old, Hannah Grace Kerr’s passion has been music. Hannah Grace began formal vocal instruction at the age of six, and today, she uses her talent to entertain residents at the Sunnybrook assisted

“A FLOWER CAN ONLY GROW TO ITS FULLEST WHEN PLANTED IN PROPERLY TENDED SOIL. THIS IS A GREAT ANALOGY FOR KINDERGARTEN AT ST. ANDREW’S.” — Jack Allin ’96

MAURY ALLIN

MAURY ALLIN Class of 2025 Passionate about: computers, his St. Andrew’s uniform, his kindergarten teacher, his friends, building and knocking down towers (his passion for building may have been inherited from Maury’s great-grandfather, Tom Biggs, who was the architect for the Lower School) Ask Maury Allin what he likes the best about St. Andrew’s, and his enthusiastic reply is, “I’ve got lots of friends here and we have fun playing! We can build really big towers with the magnets and then knock them down! Computer is my favorite special area. It’s pretty fun being a Saint! Our uniform shirts have this crest that tells about St. Andrew’s, like the anchor is for a fisherman named Andrew!”

Ask Maury’s parents, Jack and Hailey Allin, what they like the best about St. Andrew’s, and their answer combines Maury’s in-the-moment enthusiasm with a look at their son’s long-term future.

“A flower can only grow to its fullest when planted in properly tended soil. This is a great analogy for kindergarten at St. Andrew’s,” Jack Allin ’96 says. “Maury has not yet become a National Merit Finalist or AP Scholar, won a Scholastic Art Award, received first place in the State Science Fair, scored the winning goal in the state championship game, or passed Sandra Hindsman’s biology class.

“While we are waiting to see what kind of blooms come from Maury’s flower – whether they be those things or something completely different – what we do know is that his soil is being tended with the greatest of care by master ‘gardeners,’ including Robyn Touchstone, Lynn Davis, and all of the teachers in St. Andrew’s kindergarten. His teachers know and understand Maury, and they take the time to apply teaching methods that work for each child as an individual. Because of this care and encouragement from St. Andrew’s, Maury loves learning.”

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LESSONS FROM ACROSS the POND

Emily Jones ’00 and Jerry Goodwin ’70

THE BENEFITS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ONE OF ST. ANDREW’S greatest strengths is its faculty, and a strong professional development program that ensures teachers and staff members remain abreast of the latest developments and the most effective methods of teaching in their fields.

Emily Jones ’00 and Jerry Goodwin ’70 were among the more than 70 faculty members who have taken part in professional development programs over the past year. The two traveled to the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England, to participate in the university’s weeklong International Summer School program for adults. Jones teaches world history, while Goodwin teaches art, art history, and art appreciation courses.

Both teachers took advantage of Cambridge courses focused on ancient empires.

“As a high school teacher, studying and learning from Cambridge scholars in the fields of classics and art history was like a high school football player playing in the NFL for a week,” Jones said. “It is very hard to find professional development programs in the States which focus in ancient studies, so I was thrilled to have this opportunity. I learned so many new things that I’ve been able to apply to my own teaching this year.”

Jones enrolled in a course on Jewish revolts against Rome and a course on the propaganda of ancient empires taught by Nigel Spivey, an art historian and star of the BBC series “Art of the Western World” whose work Jones studied in college and used for her own master’s thesis in graduate school.

“Nigel Spivey’s course on ancient empires was basically my yearlong world history course at St. Andrew’s condensed into one week,” Jones said. “While I learned so much from his lectures, they also felt familiar. As a relatively new teacher, it was incredibly gratifying and reassuring to feel that I’m doing the right thing in my own classroom.

“The most beneficial part of my week in Cambridge was my course on the Jewish revolts. I was the only person who signed up for the class, so every day I met with the professor teaching the course and one of his colleagues who was interested in the subject,” Jones continued. “I was very intimidated at first – I’m not sure they 18

Furthers education for faculty in their fields of expertise, including current best practices of teaching and new developments in their fields Helps integrate new research and technology into the classroom Creates opportunities for networking with other professionals in independent and Episcopal schools Affirms St. Andrew’s own curriculum and teaching practices

The Professional Development Process You can’t participate just because you want to.

• Professional development opportunities for St. Andrew’s faculty are carefully vetted to ensure they fulfill overall goals and benefit St. Andrew’s students. • At the beginning of the school year, each St. Andrew’s faculty member completes a self-evaluation and professional development plan that outlines his or her goals for the year. When professional development opportunities arise that would help a faculty member meet those goals, he or she submits an application requesting the time and funds needed to participate. The head of school, associate head of school, director of curriculum, division head, and department chair all review the request.

When faculty members complete professional development opportunities, they are required to report on their experience to their colleagues, ensuring that other faculty members, as well as St. Andrew’s students, benefit from the experience.

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knew what to do with a high school teacher from Mississippi – but I was able to ask specific questions of the professor knowing the kind of information I would need to take back to my own class.”

Goodwin also enrolled in the Spivey course, as well as in-depth courses in Greco-Roman and Egyptian art history.

“Attending lectures by world-renowned experts in the field of art history and archaeology has been instructive to my own teaching, both in terms of technique and exposure to new research,” Goodwin said.

“My studies at Cambridge made me more aware of many connections useful in teaching AP art history.

For example, in the course on ancient Egyptian history, taught by one of the pre-eminent scholars of Egyptology at Cambridge, I gained a clearer knowledge of the impact of events in Egypt on the culture of the entire ancient Mediterranean world.”

Jones and Goodwin also had the opportunity to attend plenary lectures, visit museums, and tour Cambridge, all in an effort to gather as much information as possible to share with their own classes at St. Andrew’s.

“Though only a short week, the in-depth immersion in the classes, the experience of advanced learning in a

charming and historic medieval city, and the pleasure of meeting others scholars, including graduate students, teachers, and lifelong learners, made the Cambridge summer program so valuable to educators,” Goodwin said. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that the International Summer School program was life-altering in its cultural and intellectual atmosphere and the opportunities it creates.”

Jones agreed, saying, “This was absolutely the most beneficial thing I have done professionally in the five years I have been at St. Andrew’s.”

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PARTICIPATION St. Andrew’s Episcopal School faculty and staff members pursued the following professional development opportunities between July 2012 and March 2013. Professional Development is funded primarily through the Annual Fund, the Paul and Dee Faulkner Endowment, and an endowed fund from E.E. Ford.

Ann Brock Middle School Art Teacher and Visual Arts Department Chair Teacher Workshop – Houston Museum of Fine Art

Sandra Hindsman Upper School Biology Teacher Science Department Chair Advanced Placement Biology Teacher Workshop

Buck Cooper ’95 Fifth Grade Science Teacher “Bacon-Wrapped Lessons” Workshop

Anna Johnson Middle School Performing Arts Teacher Treble Song Discussions

Philip Cortese Middle School Latin Teacher Vergilian Society Tour: “The Italy of Caesar and Vergil: A Workshop for Teachers” Dennis Cranford Middle and Upper School Band Director Mississippi Bandmasters Association Annual Conference

Scott Johnson ’88 College Counselor National Association for College Admission Counseling Annual Conference Kirk LaFon Chaplain Ministering to School Communities in Times of Tragedy

Caroline DeBeukelaer ’94 Upper School Math Teacher Environmental Club Sponsor Mississippi Environmental Education Alliance Conference

Elizabeth Mitchell Upper School French teacher Advanced Placement French Language and Culture Workshop

Jerry Goodwin ’70 Upper School Art Teacher National Art Education Association Annual Conference

Kevin O’Malley Chief Information Officer International Society of Technology in Education Australia Tour 20

Betsy Peterson ’05 1st Grade Teacher I Teach 1st Conference Ginny Phillips Eighth Grade Algebra Teacher National Council for the Teachers of Mathematics Regional Conference Scott Sexton Lower School Music Teacher Mississippi Music Educator’s Fall Elementary Workshop Angie Smith Third Grade Teacher Mississippi College Annual Dyslexia Conference Carolyn Wilmesherr Third Grade Teacher Mississippi Reading Association Annual Conference Ann Brock Middle School Art Teacher Visual Arts Department Chair Leslie Baskin ’06 Upper School Art Teacher Jerry Goodwin ’70 Upper School Art Teacher

Kathy Taylor Lower School Art Teacher National Art Education Annual Conference Cathy Davis Director of Curriculum Ruthie Hollis Head of Middle School Dawn McCarley Director of Admissions Rebecca Collins Director of Advancement Kevin Lewis Associate Head of School Chris Harth Director of Global Studies National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference Judy Davis Third Grade Teacher Emily Corkern Second Grade Teacher Carla Kelly Second Grade Teacher Breakthrough Learning Interventions for Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and RightBrain Thinkers for the Visual Spatial Learner Caroline DeBeukelaer ’94 Upper School Math Teacher Ben Sabree Upper School Math Teacher Teaching Contemporary Mathematics Conference Anna Frame ’99 Third Grade Teacher Kevin Lewis Associate Head of School Mississippi “Farm to School” Conference Pam Franklin ’89 Upper School Math Teacher Michelle Harth Eighth Grade Science Teacher National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference Chelsea Freeman ’02 Director of Auxiliary Programs Caroline White ’02 Lower School Librarian Rachel Newman ’97 Second Grade Teacher What’s New in Children’s Literature?

Beth Graham Upper School English teacher English Department Chair David Hude Upper School English teacher Two Writers’ Beginnings: The Early Fiction of Richard Wright and Eudora Welty Stephanie Gray Lower School Art and Science Teacher Ann Brock Middle School Art Teacher Visual Arts Department Chair Leslie Baskin Upper School Art Teacher Kathy Taylor Middle School Art Teacher Mississippi Art Education Association Fall Conference Helen Green Lower School Learning Facilitator Lynda Morse Middle School Learning Facilitator Beth Arthur Upper School Learning Facilitator Taylor Davis ’99 Pre-K4 Teacher Anne Ranck First Grade Teacher Anna Frame ’99 Third Grade Teacher Allen Lyle ’05 Eighth Grade History Teacher Ray McFarland Upper School Theatre Teacher Performing Arts Department Chair Ben Sabree Upper School Math Teacher Price Chadwick ’96 Upper School Physics Teacher Learning and the Brain Annual Conference: “Educating Diverse Minds: Using Individual Brain Differences to Teach and Reach All Learners” Jerry Goodwin ’70 Upper School Art Teacher Emily Jones ’00 Upper School World History teacher University of Cambridge International Summer School – Ancient Empires Sandra Hindsman Upper School Biology Teacher Science Department Chair Alice Harper Seventh Grade Science Teacher National Biology Teachers Association National Conference 21

Leanna Owens Head of Lower School Julia Chadwick Head of Upper School George Penick Head of School Kirk LaFon Chaplain National Association of Episcopal Schools Biennial Conference Donna Patrick Upper School History Teacher History Department Chair Ann Marshall Fifth Grade History Teacher National Council of Geographic Education Annual Conference Lauren Powell Upper School Counselor Cyndi Hogue Middle School Counselor Mississippi Counseling Association Annual Conference Omar Rachid Fourth Grade Teacher Jim Foley Upper School History Teacher National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference Patsy Ricks Upper School Latin Teacher Classics Department Chair Debbie Good Upper School Latin Teacher The Classical Association of the Middle West and South Ricks and Good were presenters at the conference, highlighting St. Andrew’s annual Rome Day celebration.

Shelby Walker Middle and Upper School Spanish Teacher Ellen Steeby Middle and Upper School French Teacher American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Conference Lee Waterhouse Eighth Grade English Teacher Kyle Schlett Seventh Grade English Teacher National Council of Teachers of English Annual Conference

IN PURSUIT OF THEIR

PASSIONS

ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO PURSUE THE ACTIVITIES AND FIELDS OF STUDY THAT MOST INTRIGUE THEM. FOUR UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS RECENTLY RECEIVED NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR THEIR EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN SCIENCE, SPEECH AND DEBATE, VISUAL ART, CREATIVE WRITING, AND MUSIC.

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IN PURSUIT OF THEIR PASSIONS

IN PURSUIT OF THEIR PASSIONS

“I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND I’M COMPETITIVE, SO I PUSH MYSELF TO DO WELL IN ANYTHING I PURSUE.”

“SOMETIMES I’M SUCCESSFUL IN MY PURSUITS, AND SOMETIMES I’M NOT, BUT AS LONG AS I’M LEARNING ALONG THE WAY IT’S WORTH IT.”

As Archways was going to press, Vineet learned that not only is he one of Mississippi’s two 2013 Presidential Scholars, but also that he is the recipient of the 2013 Trustees Medal for Academic Excellence.

VINEET AGGARWAL • Class of 2013

in speech and debate. Last summer, he placed fifth at the National Catholic Forensic League Tournament, and also advanced to the final session in the senate at the National Forensic League National Tournament. He has reached the final round of student congress in five national tournaments, and was named the Mississippi State Champion in extemporaneous speaking and television commentary in 2012. In 2013 he was the top individual performer at the MHSAA tournament winning 1st place in congressional debate, extemporaneous speaking, public forum debate, and television commentary.

While Vineet’s teachers and peers are impressed by his accomplishments in many fields, they are even more impressed by his humility.

“Vineet has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and his enthusiasm is contagious,” says Sandra Hindsman, chairman of the St. Andrew’s Science Department. “His classmates admire him and he works well with each student in my class regardless of a difference in skill level. Vineet is a kind, caring young person, interested in others, and despite his many achievements, never impressed with himself.”

“Vineet is a remarkable young man,” says Jim Foley, Vineet’s advisor and the St. Andrew’s faculty sponsor for mock trial. “He is highly intelligent, driven to succeed, and yet he carries himself with humility and maturity.

That is a remarkable combination in someone his age and in our society.”

Vineet Aggarwal was one of two Mississippi recipients of the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement. Established in 1998, the Siemens Awards presents $2,000 college scholarships to two students from each state that have earned the greatest number of scores of 5 on AP exams in sciences and mathematics.

An aspiring physician, Vineet has pursued extensive medical and scientific research outside of school. Using grants from the St. Andrew’s Guillot Global Fellows Program, Vineet traveled to Peru and to India, where he shadowed dentists, emergency room doctors, pathologists, and gynecologists, and performed extensive volunteer work in hospitals and medical clinics. He has also shadowed leading physicians and engaged in complex research projects in conjunction with the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

“I’m passionate about academic excellence and I’m competitive, so I push myself to do well in anything I pursue,” Vineet says. “St. Andrew’s has also been very influential in making me the individual I am. My research projects and opportunities to shadow doctors came about because of the school, and the teachers encouraged me to do more scientific research, especially medical research, and to expand my knowledge of medicine even more.”

Vineet has been recognized nationally for his successes

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GRACIE GIBSON • Class of 2013

“It just seems natural to me to try to excel in the things I love,” Gracie says. “Sometimes I’m successful in my pursuits, and sometimes I’m not, but as long as I’m learning along the way it’s worth it. The rigorous Guarisco Scholarship application process was tough, but because it had to do with one of my great loves, it was worth it no matter what. Every time I felt discouraged during the application process, I just imagined how happy I would be studying art at Sewanee.”

“Gracie’s artistic and scholarly accomplishments are recognized by her teachers and her peers at St. Andrew’s.

Her maturity, integrity, optimism, capacity for leadership by example, intellectual diligence, and sensitivity are clear to everyone who knows her,” says Jerry Goodwin, who teaches art and art history at St. Andrew’s.

“Her potential as a scholar, a writer, and an artist is clear, but above all, she is a person of kindness, sensitivity, and character who brings out the best in others. Gracie is a beautiful person, both inside and out.”

Mrs. Goodwin isn’t the only person who feels this way. Earlier this month, Gracie was awarded the 2013 Saints Medal for Unselfish Service, one of the school’s highest honors that is presented to the senior who views his or her work in terms of where that service will do the most good for the most people within St. Andrew’s and not in terms of personal gain or reputation.

Gracie Gibson is the inaugural recipient of the Guarisco Scholarship at the University of the South. The Guarisco Scholarship is endowed for undergraduate art majors who have demonstrated extraordinary promise in artistic endeavors. As a Guarisco Scholar, Gracie will receive a full, four-year scholarship to Sewanee, as well as stipends for research, internships, and study abroad.

Gracie will use the award to study studio art and art history, as well as pursue her interest in classical languages and culture. She plans to pursue a doctorate in classics or art history, then work as a teacher, museum curator, or in art restoration.

Gracie is a member of the Cum Laude Society, National Honor Society, and student council, as well as president of the National Art Honor Society and art editor of the St. Andrew’s North Pasture literary magazine. She was awarded a National Scholastic Medal for a short story she wrote entitled “Pygmalion,” has received several statewide Scholastic honors for her studio art, and was one of several St. Andrew’s classmates recognized with the “Most Artistic” Senior Superlative.

Gracie also enjoys sharing her artistic gifts with others. She leads art class with a group from St. Andrew’s at Boyd Elementary School in Jackson, as well as volunteering to supervise art activities at Operation Shoestring.

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IN PURSUIT OF THEIR PASSIONS

IN PURSUIT OF THEIR PASSIONS

“THE FACT THAT WRITING ITSELF IS EMPHASIZED HERE AT ST. ANDREW’S HAS BEEN REALLY HELPFUL.”

JULIA KIRK • Class of 2015

LEE SCHMIDT • Class of 2014

Violinist Julia Kirk was selected by Carnegie Hall and the Weill Music Institute to join the 120-member National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. This summer, Julia will report to Purchase College in Purchase, New York, where she will work with noted orchestra director James Ross and principal musicians from the most renowned orchestras in America. Julia will participate in master classes in conducting, musical composition, and other in-depth studies in classical music.

Following her course work and a series of intense rehearsals, Julia will join the National Youth Orchestra on a tour headlined by Maestro Valery Gergiev and acclaimed violinist Joshua Bell, traveling and performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; the Royal Albert Hall in London, England; the Great Hall at Moscow Conservatory in Moscow, Russia; and the Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“I’m most looking forward to working with renowned faculty members, as well as performing with Joshua Bell and working under the baton of Valery Gergiev,” Julia says. “I’m also excited about getting the chance to travel to Russia and England.”

Julia was selected for the National Youth Orchestra

“MY PASSION FOR MUSIC DRIVES ME, AS WELL AS MY DESIRE TO BE ACCEPTED INTO AN EXCELLENT MUSIC CONSERVATORY AFTER I FINISH HIGH SCHOOL.” based on a videotaped performance audition and an essay explaining why she wanted to perform with the ensemble. Following her graduation from St. Andrew’s as an Arches Scholar, Julia plans to apply to music conservatories and pursue a career in performance.

“My passion for music drives me, as well as my desire to be accepted into an excellent music conservatory after I finish high school,” Julia says. “My teachers and my friends are very supportive in my musical endeavors. My St. Andrew’s teachers have attended my concerts, and I always get a lot of encouragement as well as recognition from my peers, which motivates me even more to focus on my music.”

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involves an angel, a prophet, and a warrior of heaven who steal a minivan and travel the United States, and a futuristic trilogy about a city in which all music is illegal. In addition to her creative writing, Lee is a guitar player and self-described “two-bit songwriter.” She plans to major in theatre and psychology in college, as well as “writing as much as possible until I drop dead or my fingers fall off.”

“As Lee’s creative writing teacher last fall, I’ve been very impressed by the originality and maturity of her work,” says St. Andrew’s English teacher Taylor Kitchings. “Lee has been writing on her own for years and regularly works beyond the demands of any class. Her talent and ambition truly set her apart.”

“The fact that writing itself is emphasized here at St. Andrew’s has been really helpful,” Lee says. “My experience in theatre has also shaped the way I look at the characters I write about, and especially how I write dialogue. My acting class was actually able to work with the plays we’d written in creative writing. That partnership – getting to see something I’d written come to life – was fantastic.

“The arts are, to me, the most surefire way to find out something new about yourself. Put that on a Hallmark card if you like, but hey, it’s true.”

Since reading her first Harry Potter book at age five, Lee Schmidt has been inspired to create fictional worlds of her own.

“The first short story I ever wrote was in computer class in the first grade. It was about a girl who woke up to find that she had been turned into a horse. Then I wrote a book about angst-ridden teenagers who rode unicorns. In the fifth grade, there was one about talking cats. I’ve gotten progressively more serious about it as time has gone on.”

Lee’s serious literary efforts were recently recognized by multiple Scholastic Writing Awards, including a Gold Key in short story, Silver Key in poetry, Silver Key in short story, and honorable mentions in dramatic script and short story. One of her short stories was one of five entries nominated for the national American Voices Medal. One of Lee’s short stories also captured second place in the 2012 Mississippi Literary Competition.

Lee has participated in the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) program for the past four years, completing a 50,000-plus-word novel during the month of November. She is currently at work on two longterm writing projects, a novel titled Chasing Eden that

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From

in an after-school enrichment program for Boyd Elementary students. Another highlight was a special performance for the Central Mississippi Chinese Cultural School, an organization made up of Jackson-area families who have adopted Chinese children.

“This was an excellent opportunity for St. Andrew’s to showcase excellence in the performing arts and complement our Mandarin program, which is the largest in the state of Mississippi,” said Chris Harth, St. Andrew’s director of global studies. “We were also pleased to have an opportunity to open many of these events to the community and to other educational institutions in the area.”

“This was an unforgettable experience for me,” Zhou said of his time at St. Andrew’s. “I play many concerts, but this was my first chance to communicate with so many students of all ages. I loved this experience. At St. Andrew’s, every day was a great day for me.”

SHANGHAI TO ST. ANDREW’S Pianist XiXi Zhou strikes the right chord at St. Andrew’s and in the greater community St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and the Mississippi Chorus joined together to bring renowned pianist Xixi Zhou to Mississippi last fall, launching a series of performances and outreach activities that benefitted the greater community.

A piano prodigy, Zhou began playing at age six. Now 28 years old, Zhou has worked as a professional pianist for 15 years, a career that requires him to practice six to eight hours a day. Zhou is currently studying at the renowned New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Prior to coming to the United States, he studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in his native China.

Zhou’s journey to Mississippi began with Dr. Lester Senter Wilson, executive director of the Wideman International Piano Competition and an operatic mezzosoprano, who recruited Zhou, a finalist in the 2012 Wide-

man Competition, to perform a benefit concert for the Mississippi Chorus. Dr. Wilson then contacted St. Andrew’s Episcopal School about providing a venue for the event. The benefit took place on September 30 in St. Andrew’s Center for Performing Arts.

In addition to the concert benefitting the Mississippi Chorus, Zhou staged several special performances for the St. Andrew’s community, including performances at the Lower School chapel and the kindergarten Autumn Moon Festival, as well as special concerts for Upper and Middle School students and a private concert-in-theround for St. Andrew’s benefactors. Zhou also participated in music and Mandarin classes at St. Andrew’s.

“I was surprised by the St. Andrew’s Mandarin program,” Zhou said. “The students’ language skills were very good. When the kindergarteners performed the

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ZHOU PLAYING FOR MEMBERS OF THE 1947 SOCIETY, THE LEGACY LEAGUE, AND OTHER ST. ANDREW’S BENEFACTORS

story of the Autumn Moon Festival, they performed it exactly right.”

St. Andrew’s also used Zhou’s presence on campus as an opportunity for outreach to the community. Parents, alumni, and guests from other schools, including those affiliated with international programs at Millsaps, Jackson State University, Tougaloo College, Belhaven University, Mississippi College, Jackson Preparatory School, and the Piney Woods School, were in attendance at Zhou’s performances on the St. Andrew’s North Campus. Zhou also paid a visit to Boyd Elementary School in Jackson, where St. Andrew’s students and teachers volunteered

FAR BEYOND “CHOPSTICKS” While at St. Andrew’s, XiXi Zhou performed works composed by musical greats Domenico Scarlatti, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Sergei Prokofiev. Zhou’s masterful performances prompted Head of School George Penick to remark, “His playing made me understand what music is supposed to feel like.” When asked if he ever composes his own music, Zhou replied, “Not yet.”

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A GIFT THAT SEEMS HEAVEN SENT

“THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY WITH THE OBSERVATORY TO ACQUAINT ALL STUDENTS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT A WORLD EXISTS BEYOND THAT OPERATED WITH THE THUMBS. ASTRONOMY EMBRACES PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, RADIO, THE CLASSICS OF LITERATURE, AND MANY MORE THINGS THAN I CAN IMAGINE. IF STUDENTS CANNOT BE IN AWE OF THE BEAUTY OF THE SKIES, THEY ARE SORELY LACKING.” — LOUIS LYELL

In 1982, Louis Lyell gave St. Andrew’s students the scholar of English literature,” Louis Lyell says. “This has moon and stars. me thinking of an astronomical reference from a poem Thirty years later, Lyell’s family honored him by pre- by Omar Khayyam that Frank would surely have known, serving his gift for future generations.

‘Awake, for morning in the bowl of night, has flung the While studying German in Berlin in 1953, Louis Lyell stone that puts the stars to flight: and lo! The hunter of met and befriended Fridtjof Speer, a German scientist the East has caught the Sultan’s turret in a noose of light.’” who eventually relocated to the United States to work For nearly three decades, the Speer-Lyell Obserfor NASA. Speer rose quickly through the ranks at the vatory has given St. Andrew’s students the chance to agency, serving 30 years with NASA before retiring as go far beyond the classroom in their study of the unideputy director for science at the Marshall Space Flight verse. As John Applegate, who has taught astronomy Center. He and Louis Lyell remained lifelong friends. at St. Andrew’s since 1987, notes, “It’s one thing to talk When St. Andrew’s began about, for example, the marks a IMMORTALIZED IN THE construction on the North Camcomet left when it struck Jupiter, pus in 1982, Lyell had an inspirabut it’s another thing to actually STARS AND IN THE PAGES tion that struck him like a bolt see them.”

The Speer-Lyell Observatory is named In 2012, Lyell’s wife, Alison from the blue.

“The idea of an observatory “Tippy” Reimers Lyell ’58, and in honor of NASA scientist Fridtjof popped into my head, and withhis daughters, Lorna Chain ’83 Speer and English professor Frank out a moment of reflection, I and Louise Lampton ’84, surLyell, who was a friend to many of decided to make the offer to pay prised him with a Christmas Mississippi’s renowned authors. Lyell for its construction and equippresent that both honored Louis ping,” Lyell says. “At that time, is mentioned in Willie Morris’s book Lyell and celebrated his gift to North Toward Home, and Pulitzer I would have been hard put to St. Andrew’s. The family estabexplain my action and today it Prize-winning author Eudora Welty lished The Louis James Lyell is no clearer to me. But I have dedicated one of her books to Lyell. Endowment, which enhances never doubted the need for such the astronomy program and a facility and the role it could play in exciting young provides for the permanent upkeep of the Speer-Lyell minds…Astronomy embraces physics, chemistry, radio, Observatory. The St. Andrew’s annual astronomy award the classics of literature, and many more things than I was also renamed the Louis James Lyell Award for Excelcan imagine. If students cannot be in awe of the beauty lence in Astronomy. of the skies, they are sorely lacking.”

“Our father is always looking for ways to spark a The first building on the St. Andrew’s North Cam- child’s interest in learning, and we thought he deserved pus, the Speer-Lyell Observatory is also named in honor recognition for that,” Lorna Chain says. of Louis Lyell’s late brother, Dr. Frank Lyell, who was Thanks to Louis Lyell’s original gift and the recent gift a university English professor. presented by his family, St. Andrew’s students for years “Frank was not in the least scientific, but he was a to come can continue to reach for the stars.

A TRUE RENAISSANCE MAN “Daddy has never lost his thirst for knowledge, and he continues to take on new hobbies. His current interests include bee keeping (he has hives in the backyard), seismology (he has a seismometer in the living room), amateur radio, and microscopes. He and seventh grade science teacher Alice Harper have formed a bond because they both love to admire the beauty of microscopic creatures. Daddy also just donated a seismometer to the school to measure earthquakes. He never stops reading or learning about things.” — Lorna Lyell Chain 30

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YOU COULD HAVE HEARD A PIN DROP THE PINNING OF THE CHARTER MEMBERS OF THE SAPPHIRES OF THE 1947 SOCIETY

Since 2001, The 1947 Society has honored those gen- ment and a statement of her support for St. Andrew’s. erous supporters who have contributed at least $1,000 “This pin is an absolute ‘must’ fashion statement,” to the St. Andrew’s Annual Fund.

Tauzin said. “Not only is it a smart, attractive piece, it In 2012, St. Andrew’s added another level to The 1947 also lets everyone know that as a supporter of St. Andrew’s Society recognizing those donors who contribute $1,947 Episcopal School, you have great financial sense.” or more to the Annual Fund. The inaugu Kimberly and Steve Sharp joined the PINTERESTED? St. Andrew’s community in 2012, when ral members of the Sapphires of The 1947 Society were honored on September 10, they enrolled their daughter, Keller, in Make a gift of 2012 with a private celebration at Bravo!, $1,947 or more to St. Andrew’s Middle School. The Sharps’ where they received distinctive pins comyounger twins will make the move to the Annual Fund memorating their exceptional generosity St. Andrew’s next year. The Sharps were prior to June 30, to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. among the first families to join the Sap2013, and you’ll All members of The 1947 Society enjoy phires of The 1947 Society. become a charter “The move to St. Andrew’s turned out an annual reception at BRAVO!, free tickets to the St. Andrew’s spring musical, and a to be amazing for Keller and for our whole member of the special gift recognizing their contributions family,” Kimberly Sharp said. “Within just Sapphires of to St Andrew’s. Member of the Sapphires The 1947 Society. a few weeks, we saw how welcoming everyof The 1947 Society also receive the comone at St. Andrew’s was. They embraced us memorative pin, a private reception exclusively for Sap- from the very beginning and made us feel at home. We phire-level members, Valentine’s Day chocolates, and were excited to have an opportunity to be among the other perks recognizing their Sapphire status. first families to join the Sapphires, and to show our sup Paula Tauzin saw the opportunity to join the Sapphires port in the school at this level. After all, St. Andrew’s is of The 1947 Society as a way to make both a fashion state- where we’re investing our greatest asset, our children.”

IF YOU’D LIKE TO JOIN THE SAPPHIRES OF THE 1947 SOCIETY, CONTACT FRANCES JEAN NEELY, DIRECTOR OF ANNUAL GIVING, AT 601.853.6014 OR NEELYFJ@GOSAINTS.ORG, OR MAKE A SECURE GIFT ONLINE AT GOSAINTS.ORG/ANNUALFUND.

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Left to right clockwise: Alice Harper, Margaret McLarty, Vonda Reeves-Darby; Julia Brown, Kevin Lewis, Richard Brown; Suzanne Kotfila, Stewart and Erica Speed; and George Penick and Tommy Williams

INAUGURAL MEMBERS OF THE SAPPHIRES OF THE 1947 SOCIETY INCLUDE: Drs. Imad S. and Risa M. Aleithawe Mr. and Mrs. Leigh B. Allen III Anonymous* Mr. and Mrs. George M. Ardelean, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Elton G. Beebe Dr. and Mrs. Michael J. Borne Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Brown Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey L. Christie Ms. Peggy Clark Mr. and Mrs. Jack W. Cooke, Jr.* Drs. William H. and Kimberly W. Crowder Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Drinkwater Mr. and Mrs. W. Wayne Drinkwater, Jr. Dr. Honey East* Mr. Peter Fisher and The Rev. Paige Ford Fisher* Drs. Richard H. and Sethelle Flowers Dr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Gerrets, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. H. Wesley Goings III* Dr. and Mrs. William B. Harper Dr. and Mrs. Robert L. Harris Dr. and Mrs. Massie Headley*

Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. Hickson III Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Hutchison Dr. and Mrs. Warren A. Jones Dr. and Mrs. Ronald P. Kotfila Mr. Land Jones* Mr. Alan Landrum* Dr. and Mrs. Adam I. Lewis Dr. Sheila Lindley Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Lyell* Mr. and Mrs. Albert W. Lyle II* Drs. Derek E. and Lori Marshall* Dr. and Mrs. Huey McDaniel Mrs. Margaret P. McLarty Mr. Paul F. L. McNeill Dr. and Mrs. William C. McQuinn Mr. and Mrs. Vaughan W. McRae* Ms. Laurie Hearin McRee Drs. John L. Moriarity, Jr. and Risa Moriarity Dr. and Mrs. Walter P. Neely Mrs. Leonore O’Malley Mr. Kevin O’Malley Mr. and Mrs. Keith D. Obert Mr. James M. Parnell and Dr. Aimee S. Parnell Mrs. Cliff Peck Dr. and Mrs. George D. Penick, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. C. Cullam Pope III Drs. Louis V. and Shirley S. Puneky

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Dr. Guangzhi Qu and Dr. Xinhong Qu Mr. Ravi Raju and Dr. Whitney Swindoll Raju* Mr. and Mrs. William A. Ray Dr. Vonda Reeves-Darby Mr. and Mrs. Ross W. Reily Mr. and Mrs. T. Scott Robertson Mr. and Mrs. Steven F. Sharp Mr. and Mrs. Stewart R. Speed* Mr. and Mrs. Karel Speetjens* Mr. and Mrs. Jerry M. Sullivan, Jr. Drs. J. Dean and Stephanie Tanner Mr. and Mrs. Todd C. Tauzin Mr. Stephen L. Thomas Mr. and Mrs. Christopher H. Travis* Mr. Taylor B. Triplett* Mr. and Mrs. Thandi Wade Dr. and Mrs. James L. Warnock, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Wells Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. White Dr. Frankie Walton White Dr. and Mrs. Christopher D. Wiggs Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Williams Mr. Timothy and Dr. Tammy Young As of March 6, 2013 *Alumni Sapphires represent class years between 1958 and 2005

{institutional advancement}

A GIFT TODAY for ST. ANDREW’S

FUTURE

Jeff and Patty Christie have been active supporters of St. Andrew’s since their son, Cadden ’11 and daughter, Cody (Class of 2015), became St. Andrew’s students in 2003. With their younger child’s graduation just two short years away, the Christies made a gift today for St. Andrew’s long-term future. The couple took out a life insurance policy benefitting the St. Andrew’s Touchstone Endowment, making them the newest members of The Legacy League.

“St. Andrew’s is not as old as some other independent schools of our caliber nationwide, and by comparison, our endowment is not as substantial,” Patty Christie said. “It was important to us to support the endowment so that funds will be available for scholarships and to meet the school’s critical needs for years to come. A gift of life insurance represents a small investment now for a big payoff later.”

JEFF AND PATTY CHRISTIE have served as Annual Fund grade captains, chairs of the Annual Fund, and chairmen of The 1947 Society. They are charter members of the Sapphires of The 1947 Society. Patty Christie served on the steering committee for the Campaign for Art and Science and helps lead St. Andrew’s today as a member and the chairman of the board of trustees.

The Touchstone Endowment provides for St. Andrew’s ongoing and future needs. Gifts to the endowment are invested, with the investment income used to fund scholarships for deserving students, provide continuing education for faculty, and support a number of programs at St. Andrew’s. Donors may designate a gift to benefit a specific area of interest, or make an unrestricted gift to endowment, meaning the funds will be used where the need is greatest. The Touchstone Endowment includes current gifts specified for its support, as well as planned gifts like the one made by Jeff and Patty Christie.

“St. Andrew’s has been wonderful for our children, and has made them into the people they are and will become,” Patty Christie said. “We hope our gift will strengthen St. Andrew’s and help make that happen for future students.”

DEDUCT TODAY, GIVE TOMORROW A charitable contribution of life insurance allows you to give St. Andrew’s a generous gift without sacrificing a large amount of your current resources, and could also offer tax advantages for you. • There are two ways to donate life insurance to the school. You can simply designate St. Andrew’s as the beneficiary of the policy, and upon your death, St. Andrew’s receives the policy proceeds. A second and more favorable way to use life insurance as a gift is to name St. Andrew’s Episcopal School as the policy owner and beneficiary. When you give in this manner, you may take a charitable deduction equal to the cash value of the policy at the time of the gift. If annual premiums are still due and you continue to pay them, those premiums are also tax deductible. • You don’t have to take out a new life insurance policy in order to support the school. You can transfer an existing policy you no longer need to St. Andrew’s and still receive favorable tax benefits. • For more information about the benefits of making a gift of life insurance, please contact your tax advisor.

THE LEGACY LEAGUE The Legacy League, a subset of the St. Andrew’s Touchstone Circle, recognizes alumni and friends who have included a designated gift for St. Andrew’s in their estate plans. If you aren’t ready to write a check today, a planned gift could be the solution. These gifts may take many forms, including life insurance, simple bequests (gifts from your will), trusts, or real estate. For more information on planned giving to St Andrew’s, please contact Rebecca Hiatt Collins, director of institutional advancement, at 601.853.6029 or rebeccac @gosaints. org, or Elizabeth Buyan, associate director of institutional advancement, at 601.853.6013 or buyane@gosaints.org.

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AT YOUR SERVICE FROM PAINTING MURALS TO pedaling the Natchez Trace Parkway, St. Andrew’s students and alumni are discovering the joy that comes from serving others, and the bonds that can be formed between people working together for a common good. “St. Andrew’s commitment to preparing students for a life of service is one of the visible expressions of our Episcopal tradition,” the Reverend Annie Elliott, St. Andrew’s chaplain, said. “It brings me great joy to see our students live into that tradition through service to others.”

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and helped students become more familiar with volunteer opportunities available for Middle School students in our community.”

Students and teachers volunteered with organizations including ARF (Animal Rescue Fund of Mississippi), The Blake (retirement community), Brown Elementary School (in conjunction with Midtown Partners), Good Samaritan, Goodwill Industries, the Jackson Zoo, LeFleur’s Bluff State Park, Mississippi Children’s Museum, Mississippi Food Network, Mustard Seed, the National Park Service/Natchez Trace Parkway, Stewpot, Operation Shoestring, and The Orchard (retirement community). Students also went to work on the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School campuses, where projects included campus beautification, repairing hymnals and Books of Common Prayer, working in the greenhouse, volunteering in school offices, preparations for May Day, and visiting the kindergarten classrooms.

Each Middle School homeroom was assigned to a different service site. Homerooms were given different types of assignments in the spring and fall – for example, a homeroom group that cleaned up wetlands along the Natchez Trace Parkway in the fall volunteered at Mustard Seed in the spring – allowing students to experience more than one form of volunteerism.

“Our students worked hard and enjoyed themselves in the process. Knowing that it’s possible for helping others to be fun is an important lesson,” Rev. Elliott said. “It’s also a joy to hear that many students and faculty members were able to see each other in a new light after our service learning days. Working with others towards a common goal is an excellent way to strengthen relationships, and I think this was felt throughout the Middle School.”

MIDDLE SCHOOL SERVICE DAYS On September 19, 2012 and February 13, 2013, students and teachers in the St. Andrew’s Middle School left their classrooms empty as they volunteered for a day of service with organizations throughout the Jackson metro area.

“The idea of a single day of service involving every Middle School student and teacher came from conversations with the faculty last spring,” says Rev. Elliott, who helped plan the event. “We wanted to provide an opportunity for our Middle School students to learn about themselves and their community within the context of service. This day provided opportunities for personal growth and development through serving others,

BRINGING NEW COLOR TO BROWN ELEMENTARY A group of St. Andrew’s seventh and eighth graders helped bring new color to Midtown Jackson’s Brown Elementary School when students from both schools worked together to create a vibrant mural that now covers the front of the school. • St. Andrew’s art teacher Ann Brock worked with Brown Elementary Principal Serenity Luckett to design the 40-panel mural, which was painted by Brown Elementary students with help from St. Andrew’s students. Every child at Brown, from pre-K through fifth grade, had a hand in painting the mural. • “The mural project changed the face of our school and East Ash Street. The transformation is truly amazing,” said Luckett. “Members of our community have thanked me personally for changing the landscape of the street and improving the community in such a dramatic and artistic manner. • “On painting day, St. Andrew’s students showed such kindness as they helped our students paint each piece of the mural,” Luckett continued. “We are so grateful for the time and effort St. Andrew’s put into this project, and look forward to other opportunities when our students can continue to learn from and work with each other.”

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CYCLING FOR SCIENCE From the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi to the Camino de Santiago in Spain, St. Andrew’s students and alumni pushed pedals to raise money for summer science camps.

In the summer of 2013, St. Andrew’s will host a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Camp for underserved fourth and fifth graders in Madison and Hinds Counties. Located on the St. Andrew’s North Campus, the STEM Camp will give these students the opportunity to engage in hands-on experiments in the labs of the McRae Science Center and participate in ecological studies centered around Lake Sherwood Wise. St. Andrew’s faculty members and Upper School students will lead the STEM Camp activities.

The idea for the Cycle for Science fund-raisers began with St. Andrew’s alumnae Laura ’07 and Amy Brodbeck ’07. The twin sisters were planning a 650-mile bicycle trip along the Camino de Santiago, or “The Way of St. James,” an ancient religious pilgrimage route through northern Spain. When they learned about the planned St. Andrew’s STEM Camp, the Brodbecks saw a way to make their journey even more meaningful. The sisters accepted monetary pledges for every mile they pedaled.

Their memorable journey began in Pamplona on October 2 and ended in Santiago on November 15, where the tired-but-jubilant pair celebrated a successful ride and funds raised for the STEM Camp.

But the idea of cycling for science wasn’t limited to Spain. Middle School teacher Alice Harper brought the concept home with a September Cycle for Science ride for seventh and eighth graders along a 13-mile stretch of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Middle School riders were led by Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee. Not to be outdone, students and faculty in the Upper School also hit the Trace in a third Cycle for Science last fall. The three Cycle for Science rides raised more than $1,500 for the STEM Camp, with the Middle School riders bringing in the highest number of pledges.

“The STEM Camp will allow St. Andrew’s to use our outstanding science facilities to serve the community beyond our school,” says Chris Harth, director of global studies. “Cycle for Science was a creative way to involve the St. Andrew’s community in supporting the STEM Camp, and to have a great time outside of school while working to fulfill our mission of service.”

CYCLING FOR SCIENCE IN SPAIN Read about Laura and Amy Brodbeck’s adventures on their 650-mile cycle across Spain at http://cycleforscience2012.blogspot.com

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“I SLEPT AND DREAMT THAT LIFE WAS JOY. I AWOKE AND SAW THAT LIFE WAS SERVICE. I ACTED AND BEHOLD, SERVICE WAS JOY.” Poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore

STAYING AFTER SCHOOL AT BOYD ELEMENTARY For many years, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School has enjoyed a collaborative relationship with Boyd Elementary School in Jackson’s Fondren area. Boyd Elementary has welcomed international exchange students and guests visiting St. Andrew’s, taking advantage of the opportunity for Boyd students to meet visitors from other countries and offering international visitors the chance to meet Mississippi students from outside St. Andrew’s.

For 10 weeks in the fall of 2012, St. Andrew’s and Boyd Elementary added a new component to their partnership in the form of an after-school enrichment pro-

gram for Boyd students in kindergarten through the fifth grade. Once a week, St. Andrew’s faculty members and Upper School students offered after-school activities focused on world languages or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) concepts. Boyd students received instruction in Spanish, French, and Mandarin, as well as math and robotics, all in a relaxed atmosphere that made learning an adventure. Some 20 St. Andrew’s Upper School students participated in the program, which also involved several members of the St. Andrew’s math and science faculty and all of the school’s world language instructors.

“The program allowed St. Andrew’s students to further develop and apply their own skills while working and learning with our local neighbors, who might not otherwise have access to some of these experiences,” said Chris Harth, director of global studies.

The fall pilot program was so successful that it’s been extended to the spring semester, with the addition of an art component. Now referred to as the STEAM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics), the after-school project continues to benefit students from both schools.

Dr. Helen Barnes is a member of the Fondren Renaissance Foundation, one of Boyd Elementary School’s adopters. An active supporter of Boyd, Dr. Barnes has formed close relationships with the staffs and students of both Boyd Elementary and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School.

“Students from both schools were eager to meet each other through the collaboration and develop friendships that they might not have otherwise made,” Dr. Barnes said. “Children in general don’t act differently with ‘different’ or new people. They are accepting of each other, and eager to learn what they do not, or would not have otherwise known. As adults, we’d like to think that all of the students’ conversations are about foreign languages and building robots, but actually, there are a wide range of interests developing and conversations occurring between the Boyd Elementary School and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School students. The collaboration benefits both schools.”

STUDENTS & ALUMNI SERVICE DAY February 9th found St. Andrew’s alumni working alongside students and teachers as part of St. Andrew’s first Students & Alumni Service Day. More than 40 alumni and students boxed food and stocked shelves at the Mississippi Food Network, which distributes donated food to Mississippians living in poverty through a network of member churches and nonprofit organizations.

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CURTAIN CALLS 6

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The Importance of Being Earnest

Once Upon a Mattress

The Upper School Performing Arts Department presented the classic comedy of manners, The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde. The plot revolves around two young men who, in order to avoid burdensome social obligations and also to impress their young ladies, pretend that their names are “Earnest,” a name which both young ladies believe confers magical qualities on the possessor.

The Upper School Performing Arts Department presented the classic Broadway musical comedy Once Upon A Mattress. Based on the fairy tale of “The Princess and the Pea,” this musical launched the career of comedienne Carol Burnett. Thirty-seven of St. Andrew’s finest singer/actors and 12 members of the stage, light, and sound crew made the show come alive each night of the three-night performance run.

1. Bugz! – Second Grade / 2. The Granny Awards – Third Grade / 3. The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley JR – Fifth and Sixth Grades 4. The Christmas Story with Angels, Lambs, Fireflies and Ladybugs – First Grade / 5. The Emperor’s New Clothes – Fourth Grade / 6. Homeroom: The Musical – Seventh and Eighth Grades / 7. Valentine Sing – Kindergarten / 8. Once Upon a Mattress / 9. The Importance of Being Earnest

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{sports}

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THEY DON’T COMPETE BEFORE CROWDS OF HUNDREDS and there isn’t likely to be a pre-game tailgating party. For the loyal fans that do come out to show their support, and multiple heats can make it difficult to tell who’s in the lead. Oftentimes, the final winners aren’t even announced until after the stands are almost empty. BUT FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE ST. ANDREW’S boys and girls swim teams, a race against the stopwatch and a desire to reach their personal bests are more than enough motivation, and for their supporters, two state championships in two years is plenty to cheer about.

oth the boys and girls teams won the South State Championship in Biloxi in 2012. The boys went on to capture the 2012 State Championship for the first time in St. Andrew’s history, matching the bar set by the girls team, which captured St. Andrew’s first girls swimming State Championship in 2011. The girls missed repeating as state champs in 2012 by a mere six points.

They left the pool as state champion runner-up, and also set a new state record in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay.

“Our swimmers are motivated by a passion for the sport and a personal drive to beat the clock every time they get in the water,” says Coach Thatcher Shepard, who coaches both the boys and girls swimming teams.

“Of course, there are times, like the state championships, when the stands are packed, but our athletes give it their best at every meet, no matter who’s watching.”

“Sure, it would be nice to have a lot of spectators and more recognition for all the hard work we do, but I don’t think swimmers depend on that celebration to keep going,” says tenth grade girls team member Alex Good, who won four gold medals at the State Championship.

“Honestly, the crowd is the last thing I worry about at a meet because at the end of the day, it’s just me racing against the clock. I tend to try to block out the cheering parents and friends in order to focus all my energy on visualizing what I’m going to do once I dive into the pool.”

“What motivates me to keep swimming is my teammates and our love of the sport,” says senior Winn Walker, captain of the boys swim team. “There isn’t a harder working group of people than the swim team.

It takes a lot of determination and mental toughness to get up at 5:00 on a Friday morning to go swim in a cold pool and then go through a rigorous day of school.”

“My teammates and I also set goals at the beginning of the season and use those as motivation,” Good adds.

“We don’t swim for the crowds. We swim for ourselves.”

That said, spectators and fans are always welcome to cheer the St. Andrew’s championship swim teams on. Just make sure you set up your tailgate party a safe distance from the pool, because the Saints are sure to make a splash.

A FORMER WEST POINT WATER POLO player, retired U.S. Army Colonel Thatcher Shepard (better known to his swimmers as “Coach Thatch”) is know for his tough practices. • “Coach Thatch gives the hardest workouts I’ve ever endured in my 12 years of swimming,” says team captain Winn Walker. “But even though it hurts when you’re doing it, it’s worth it. Coach Thatch is one of the best coaches at St. Andrew’s. No one knows how hard he works and how much he sacrifices for the swim team outside of practice in his personal time.” • The MHSAA recently honored Coach Thatch by naming him Mississippi’s 2012 Girls Swimming Coach of the Year. • In addition to a strong work ethic, Coach Thatch has brought some military precision to the swim teams. • “I’m a stickler about the uniforms,” Coach Thatch says with a smile. “Any time the team has a photo taken, they know I want every zipper on every jacket raised to exactly the same spot.” • With Coach Thatch at poolside, it’s little wonder the St. Andrew’s swim team’s cheer is, “Hooaahh!”

ALL WET, ALL THE TIME Practice for the St. Andrew’s swim teams keeps athletes in the pool for an hour and a half per day, five days a week during swimming season. Both the boys and girls teams also include several year-round swim club athletes, who train six days a week year round, taking off only on Sundays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. St. Andrew’s practices alone see these student athletes swimming more than 100 miles over the course of the season, with the club swimmers more than doubling that distance.

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{sports}

SAINTS FALL SPORTS RECORDS

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BOYS CROSSCOUNTRY TEAM AND THE BOYS SWIMMING TEAM, THE DIVISION 3A STATE CHAMPIONS.

ON AVERAGE, 65 PERCENT OF ST. ANDREW’S STUDENTS COMPETE IN AT LEAST ONE OF THE SCHOOL’S 20 MHSAA-SANCTIONED SPORTS PROGRAMS.

Boys Cross-country – State Champions • Girls Cross-country – State Champion Runner-Up • Boys Swimming – State Champion • Girls Swimming – South State Champion, State Champion Runner-Up • Boys Soccer – 11-5-1, Region Champion • Girls Soccer – 8-7-1, District Champion • Boys Basketball – 20-11 • Girls Basketball – 16-15 • Boys Bowling and Girls Bowling – neither team qualified for State, but both teams had a great time at the lanes • Football – 5-7 • Volleyball – 20-9

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EYE ON

ALUMNI

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IF YOU’RE HOSTING OR WOULD LIKE TO HOST A ST. ANDREW’S ALUMNI GATHERING IN YOUR AREA, THE ALUMNI OFFICE WOULD BE HAPPY TO HELP. CONTACT ELIZABETH BUYAN AT BUYANE@GOSAINTS.ORG.

Remember the

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4 ST. ANDREW’S ALL ALUMNI WEEKEND SEPTEMBER 27 — 28, 2013

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7 1 1. 2. and 3. The Classes of 1982, 1992, and 1987 celebrated their 30-, 20-, and 25-year reunions during All Alumni Weekend in September 2012. Don’t miss YOUR reunion and this year’s All Alumni Weekend September 27-28, 2013. 4. Special reunions will be taking place for the Classes of 1983, 1988, 1993, and 2003. Check with the Alumni Office if you haven’t received any reunion information. 5. Nine alumni returned to the St. Andrew’s campus to share their own college experiences and tips on what to expect and how to prepare for college life with Upper School students. 6. Denver alumni gathered at D Bar Desserts, owned by Keegan Gerhard ’82, an award-winning pastry chef and former host of the “Food Network Challenge.” 7. and 8. The classes of 2002 and 2007 celebrated their 10- and 5-year reunions over the holidays in 2012.

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COMING BACK

GIVING BACK Parents of alumni have started a new tradition at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School.

To honor both their children and the school, parents are making special donations to St. Andrew’s to commemorate their children’s reunion years.

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John and Suzan Thames donated to St Andrew’s in honor of their daughter Amanda Thames Tucker’s ’92 recent twentieth reunion, and plan to continue the tradition when reunions come around for their younger daughters, Caroline Thames Shaul ’95, and Mary Herschel Thames ’98.

“This is a wonderful way to honor St. Andrew’s as well as honoring our daughters,” Thames says. “The girls have had very successful lives thanks to the education they received at St. Andrew’s. The friends they made and the positive experiences they had years ago as students are the reasons they’re so excited about coming back today for a reunion. Making a donation during their reunion years honors them while also showing the school how grateful our family is for all St. Andrew’s has meant to us.”

Suzan Thames

Parents of alumni who have made reunion year donations to this year’s Annual Fund: CLASS OF 1982 Mrs. Martha Love Bradley Robert Langford Dr. and Mrs. Edgar Draper Neal Draper Mr. and Mrs. Leland R. Speed Stewart Speed

CLASS OF 2002 Dr. and Mrs. James P. Almas Emily Almas Mr. and Mrs. William R. Armstrong, Jr. Will Armstrong Ms. Peggy A. Gibson Christina Lay CLASS OF 1987 Mr. Thomas E. Guillot, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Bond and Dr. Christina Glick Karel Speetjens Michael Puckett Dr. and Mrs. William C. McQuinn Mr. and Mrs. Timothy D. Hanlon Liza McQuinn Joffrion Edward Hanlon Mr. and Mrs. Roger E. Muns Mr. and Mrs. J. Michael Lightsey Judy Muns Day Katie Lightsey Dr. and Mrs. C. Douglas Odom Mr. and Mrs. J. David Marsh III Chris Odom Anna Marsh Selby Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Robinson, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Robert A. McGuire John Green Robinson Emily McGuire Journy Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Montgomery CLASS OF 1992 Rosemary Jones Dr. Kendall Townes Blake Mrs. Lisa Moore Thomas Blake Heather Moore Mr. Thomas Faile & Ms. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper Morrison Margaret Witmer-Faile Caroline Morrison White Jason Greener Mr. and Mrs. David S. Morse Mrs. Helen C. Green Susannah Morse deNobriga Metah Green Mr. and Mrs. Steven D. Orlansky Mr. and Mrs. Bill E. Harrison Abram Orlansky Abby Graves McCall Mr. and Mrs. George I. Puckett Dr. and Mrs. James H. Michael Puckett Johnston III Dr. and Mrs. Walter T. Rueff, Sr. Lea Johnston T. Rueff Mr. and Mrs. James A. Keith Judge and Mrs. Leslie H. Southwick Jennifer Keith Cathy Southwick Drs. G. Rodney and Sara Meeks Mr. and Mrs. John L. Taylor Ellen Meeks Chelsea Taylor Freeman Mr. and Mrs. Alan W. Perry Mr. and Mrs. Michael B. Wallace Lucy Perry Molly Wallace Mr. and Mrs. James E. Poole, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Richard T. Weatherholt Trhesa Barksdale Patterson Whitney Weatherholt Mr. and Mrs. John H. Thames, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Ralph P. Wells Amanda Thames Tucker Katherine Wells Mr. Tommy L. Weems Dr. and Mrs. John D. Wofford, Jr. Baxter Knowlton Meriwether Wofford Truckner

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CLASS OF 2007 Mr. and Mrs. Dwayne D. Ballard Ashton Ballard Mr. and Mrs. Neville Boschert Katherine Boschert Mrs. Kathryn Roberts Brannan Jake Brannan Dr. and Mrs. W. Boyce Craig Conway Craig Dr. and Mrs. Dennis R. Cranford Benjamin Cranford Mr. Robert L. Crook II Cade Crook Mr. and Mrs. John D. Fike Rivers Fike Drs. Richard H. and Sethelle Flowers Robert Flowers Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert B. Ford, Jr. Krissy Ford Mr. and Mrs. William C. Griffin Brannan Griffin Dr. and Mrs. Samuel P. Hopper Anna Hopper Dr. and Mrs. Dev A. Manisundaram Arvind Manisundaram Mr. and Mrs. J. David Marsh III David Marsh Mr. and Mrs. Vaughan W. McRae Selby McRae Drs. Babu P. and Anita K. Patlolla Shiva Patlolla Mr. and Mrs. Stanley E. Patrick William Patrick Dr. Elizabeth H. Perry Jacob Perry Mr. J. Stevenson Ray & Dr. Melinda Ray Leslie Johns Ray Dr. Vonda Reeves-Darby Galen Reeves-Darby Dr. and Mrs. Salil C. Tiwari Tanya Tiwari Mr. and Mrs. Joe A. Waggoner Olivia Waggoner

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notes

Please e-mail future Class Notes to Elizabeth Buyan ’97 at buyane@gosaints.org.

1956 David McNair, former chairman of the board of the Mississippi Food Network (MFN), greeted more than 40 St. Andrew’s students and alumni who teamed up for a day of service at the organization last February. McNair served as chairman of MFN from 2004-2005. McNair’s graduating class of 1950 (St. Andrew’s first graduating class, at 6th grade) included eight boys and three girls who attended classes at St. Andrew’s Cathedral.

Lorna Lyell Chain volunteers at St. Andrew’s where her children, Alison and John, are in the ninth and seventh grades. Chain is looking forward to the Class of 1983 30-year reunion, and hopes her classmates will mark their calendars for September 27-28, 2013 for the festivities, which will fall during All Alumni Weekend and Homecoming.

1986 Sarah Andre is a partner in a development consulting company and recently started her own company in Austin, Texas. Andre’s specialty is affordable housing and urban infill development. In March, she and her 13-yearold daughter traveled to Tanzania and Kenya to visit her brother, Yerger Andre ’82, and his family and enjoy a safari.

1978 Bob Sanders has owned and operated Tortugas’ Lie Restaurant on the Outer Banks of North Carolina since 1991 with his business partner, Richard Welch. Tortugas’ Lie has been featured on The Food Network and was voted the number one “seafood dive” in North Carolina by the readers of Coastal Living magazine. Sanders’ son is in his last year and his daughter is a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Sanders enjoys hosting former classmates from St. Andrew’s who they make the trip to the beach and Tortugas’ Lie.

Noelle Wynne accepted a position as the administrative manager in the office of the president at St. Catherine University (St. Kate’s) in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was previously executive assistant to the president of Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota.

1987 Liza McQuinn Joffrion was recently named the director of the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) multimodal transportation resources division. Joffrion joined TDOT from her role as principal and president of MultiModal Research, LLC, a Nashville-based transportation planning and public policy firm. Joffrion previously worked in the urban transportation planning field at firms in Seattle, Washington. She has 17 years of experience in land use, transportation planning, public policy, and finance.

1982 Yerger Andre, his wife, Laura Johnson, and their children, August (12) and Elsie (8), are living in Tanzania and Uganda for nine months in connection with Johnson’s Fulbright grant. The family will be in Africa until September of 2013.

August and Elsie attend the Moshi International School at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the family is planning many safari adventures.

1983 Lorna Doone Hector Archer and her husband, Scott Archer, live in Jackson with their children, Sarah McLean (17), Jack (13), and Robert (9). Sarah McLean is a junior and Jack is in the seventh grade at St. Andrew’s. Archer is a paralegal with Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC.

Jessica Sweeny-Platt, her husband, Randall, and their three children moved from Boston to Birmingham, Alabama. Jessica works at the Advisory Board Company, a healthcare consulting and research firm in Washington, D.C. The family enjoys being back in the South and reconnecting with old friends.

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Bob Sanders

Kenny Graeber

Laurin Stennis

Feathered Fire and Brimstone

Marshall Wall

1988 Laura O’Brien Fromdahl lives in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Fromdahl is the founder of Fit Chics, a group that empowers women at all fitness levels to exercise and feel good. Fromdahl coordinates “Chic-a-thon” runs, organizes bike rides, and teaches classes at Drayer Physical Therapy, where she also works as a therapist. Fit Chics now has more than 400 Facebook friends and local Fit Chics groups are organizing in seven states. Fromdahl is also preparing to launch a Fit Chics website.

1992 Marcy Bryan Croft Vick, an Alpha Omega alumna and current parent, was named one of Benchmark Litigation’s Top 250 Female Litigators in America for 2012. Vick works in product liability at Forman Perry Watkins Krutz & Tardy.

Her recent cases have included asbestos and silica litigation, as well as toxic tort litigation concerning asbestos and drilling mud additives. This included a major defense win for Union Carbide, in which a state court jury overturned a $322 million plaintiff ’s verdict.

Arjun Srinivasan married Paige Martin on January 19, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. Alumni in attendance included Ravi Raju ’88 and Arun Patel ’89.

1994 Karen McCallister married Tom Burns in Durham, North Carolina, on 12/12/12 at 12:12 p.m. She works at a law firm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that specializes in estate planning and estate administration. McAllister recently spent time with Sharon O’Regan ’95 in Durham on her way to Richmond, Virginia, to visit her brother, Marc McCallister ’93, and his three sons.

1990 Kenny Graeber married Kelly Shannon on October 20, 2012 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Oxford, Mississippi.

The couple lives in Oxford.

1995 Justin Broderick was promoted to senior vice president, magnetic experiences at Sq1 Advertising. In June 2012, Justin married Sasitorn “Tangkwain” Mueanprayoon of Thailand. The couple lives in Dallas, Texas.

Wilson Stribling was promoted to news director at WLBTChannel 3/WDBD-Fox 40, where he has worked for 15 years. He previously served as news anchor and assistant news director.

Laurin Stennis’s linoleum block relief was chosen for auction in a juried competition held by the Mississippi Museum of Art as part of the museum’s “April in Paris” fundraising gala. Only 36 artists from around the region were selected for inclusion. Stennis’s “Feathered Fire and Brimstone” may be viewed on the Mississippi Museum of Art’s Facebook page. Her work will also be featured in several regional art shows this spring, including the Magic City Art Connection in Birmingham. To see more of Stennis’ work, visit www.laurinstennis.com or her Facebook page, Laurin Stennis, Ink.

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1996 Marshall Wall and his wife, Tiffany, welcomed a son, Jacob Marshall Wall, on May 1, 2012. Jacob joins big sister Lillie Grace Wall (4). Wall was named the Columbia, Mississippi School District’s 2013 District Teacher of the Year.

1997 Julia Kientz Ambersley lives in Southern Pines, North Carolina. She and her husband, Robbie, celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary in October. Their son, Gus, is in kindergarten. Ambersley is a fifth grade teacher at VassLakeview Elementary School, where she serves as grade level chair. She also serves as the fundraising chair on the board for Communities in Schools, a national organization focused on mentoring students.

Carmen April

Aileen Hanlon

1998 Carmen April is a podiatrist and owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center. Dr. April was honored by the Nashville Business Journal as a Top Forty Under 40 award recipient for 2013. The award celebrates Nashville’s young, rising stars in business.

Megan Sones Clapton closed her private counseling practice to re-join the St. Andrew’s family as a Lower School counselor. She loves being on campus and working with her former teachers, but must constantly fight the urge to join Ms. Collins’ and Ms. David’s class for naptime and snack. She is also completing a doctorate in counseling psychology. Clapton lives in Belhaven with her husband, Marty, and their two dogs.

Lauren Jones

Monica Green

Monica Green is an associate director of admissions and the director of the Benjamin Templeton Scholars Program at Hanover College in Indiana. The Benjamin Templeton Scholarships are named for the first African-American to graduate from Hanover in 1837. During her brief tenure at Hanover, Green has increased minority enrollment by 59 percent. Green was a presenter at the National Association for College Admission Counseling conference in Denver, Colorado, where she and her panel addressed “Minority Recruitment and Retention in Homogeneous Communities.” Green began her career in college admissions at Vanderbilt University. In addition to her duties as an assistant director of admissions and director of minority recruitment at Vanderbilt, Monica gave admissions information talks to several St. Andrew’s spring break college tours. Green is a 2005 graduate of Vanderbilt.

Aileen Hanlon and the entire Hanlon family, including parents Clare and Tim and children Edward ’02, Eleanore ’06, and Trevor ’08, visited Germany and Austria for Christmas 2012.

Caldwell Collins Israel and her husband, Bill welcomed a little girl, Redding Cate Israel, on November 15, 2012.

Aaron Samuels and his wife, Morgan, welcomed a daughter, Katherine “Kate” Anne Samuels, on December 20, 2011.

Crystal Utley and Nick Secoy plan to marry in September 2013. Utley continues her work as a special assistant attorney general, yoga teacher, and mother of the couple’s three dogs.

Carlton Wall is with BancorpSouth in Tupelo, Mississippi.

He received his MBA from the University of Mississippi in 2000 Lauren Jones will marry Dr. Dave J. Sinclair this May in 2012. The improv group he founded, West of Shake Rag, Mobile, Alabama, at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immac- will be in the Chicago Improv Festival for the fourth time in ulate Conception, with a reception to follow at the Grand April of 2013. Wall was recently profiled in the Daily Journal Hotel in Fairhope. Jones completed her first semester of as a man who “balances business and comedy.” law school at MC Law and also launched her second line 2002 of footwear, Studio Lauren, in January 2013 during Fashion Week in New York City. Jones’s first line of women’s Meriwether Wofford Truckner a and her husband, Chris, fashion footwear, Lauren Jones, is available at fine retail welcomed a daughter, Sadie Marie, on March 28, 2013. stores nationwide.

2005 Le’Spencer Walker lives in Minneapolis, where he works 2001 Ashley Mallinson received a Forté Fellowship while earn- as an engineer in hardlines product design and development ing her MBA at UCLA (candidate 2014). The Forté Foun- for Target. Walker is currently designing bath products for dation offers fellowships through participating business the Threshold and Room Essentials brands owned by Tarschools to women who are pursuing an MBA and exhibit get. Walker has a background in industrial and systems engiexemplary leadership, represent diverse educational and neering and was involved in Target’s annual engineer week. work backgrounds, and have shown a commitment to men- He enjoys his career and attributes his success to the core foundation he attained from his education at St. Andrew’s. toring other women and girls.

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Redding Cate Israel

Katherine Anne Samuels

Sadie Marie Truckner

2006 Marks McWhorter is working toward a master’s degree in biology at the University of Southern Mississippi. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology with an emphasis in environmental science. McWhorter’s research involves studying the behavioral effects of environmental enrichment, which are stimuli given to animals in order to promote species-typical behaviors. This past year, he conducted a study with Amur leopards, the most endangered subspecies of cat in the world, to determine if olfactory stimuli were promoting normal behaviors and removing atypical behaviors, including pacing.

McWhorter also conducted a survey and study of reptiles and amphibians at the Lake Thoreau Environmental Center.

Le’Spencer Walker

Marks McWhorter

Selby McRae lives in New York City and works in the marketing department at Random House. She recently joined the New York Junior League. In her free time, she enjoys dancing and takes advantage of classes at Alvin Ailey and Steps on Broadway.

2008 Nick Powell is fulfilling his first tour of duty as a junior officer in the Coast Guard in Kodiak, Alaska. Powell graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 2012. He is stationed on the ship CGC Alex Haley, and has been on multiple patrols in the Bering Sea, the Arctic Circle, and the Gulf of Alaska since arriving in Kodiak last June.

2010 Ashley Wright graduated cum laude from the University of Mississippi School of Law in December 2012. She was Connor (“Ferris”) Buechler was selected as a member of a member of the moot court board and served as presi- Yale University’s all-male singing ensemble, the Wiffendent of Phi Delta Phi Legal Honor Society, for which she poofs, for the 2014 year. Founded in 1890, the Wiffenpoofs received the National Balfour Scholarship. Wright practices is the world’s oldest collegiate a cappella group. Only 14 law with Dale Danks, Jr. and the law firm of Danks, Miller singers are selected each year. & Cory in Jackson.

2012 Mike Steere ran in the Marine Corps Marathon in Wash2007 Rivers Fike works as a drilling engineer for Shell in Mid- ington, D.C., last October. It was Steere’s first marathon. land, Texas. Fike lives in Raymond, Mississippi, and has He finished 220th out of 23,535 runners and was eighth in made excursions to Europe, South Africa, and Belize over his age group. His time was 3:04:40, which qualified him for the Boston Marathon. the past year.

BIBS FOR BLURBS Don’t forget to email your Class Notes to Elizabeth Buyan ’97 at buyane@gosaints.org.

Send us a blurb about your new baby, and we’ll send you a new bib.

Left: May Taylor, Class of 2030

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IN MEMORIAM

son, people of all races and backgrounds knew that they would be welcomed at the Langford home.

When the civil rights struggle filled Jackson with unrest, Langford worked to ensure that the Jackson schools peacefully operated continuously during desegregation. She, along with other Episcopalians, established an early childhood center at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. She was a member of the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School board of trustees as well as a French teacher, and her family hosted the first Japanese exchange student at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. Langford assumed leadership positions at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, serving on the Vestry, recruiting speakers, and singing in the Cathedral choir.

Langford is survived by four children and 10 grandchildren: William, his wife, Cheryl, and their children, Elizabeth, John, James, and Sarah; Jon ’80, his wife, Jenny, and their children, Cameron, Blair, and Gaines; Robert ’82, his wife, Betsy Bradley and their children, Martha ’16 and William ’20; and Ellen ’85, and her son, Alexander.

John Fontaine, former trustee John Eaton Fontaine III died February 22, 2013. Fontaine grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, and graduated cum laude from Harvard College in 1941. A resident of Jackson, Mississippi, since 1952, he was associated with Godwin Advertising Agency from 1949 until retiring as chairman emeritus in 1984.

Fontaine served on the board of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and helped supervise the construction of the Lower School campus. He was a member of The 1947 Society and a generous supporter of the school for more than 50 years.

His other civic activities included service on the boards of the Jackson Symphony, Jackson Little Theater, Family Services Association, Hospice Ministries, and the Southwest Council of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. A past president of the Greater Jackson Advertising Club, in 1984 he was awarded their Silver Medal for distinguished service in advertising. A descendent of Huguenot and Episcopal clergymen, he served on the Diocesan Council and in many capacities at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, including vestryman and warden.

Fontaine is survived by his wife, Eleanor; daughters, Maury Fontaine Lutin ’63 and Martha Fontaine La Valla ’66 and her husband, Dominic; a son, John E. “Jay” Fontaine IV ’69, and his wife Mary Ann; and grandsons, John Fontaine ’01 and Will Fontaine ’05.

Jack Stanford, former Interim Head of School Lifelong educator Jack Stanford passed away after a heart procedure in December. Stanford served as interim head of school at St. Andrew’s for the 1995-96 school year, following Steve Bean, and before Dave Wood.

Current Head of School George Penick says, “He is remembered by many as the right man at the right time for St. Andrew’s. He came to St. Andrew’s with many years of experience with independent schools, and he gave St. Andrew’s wisdom, insight, and joy during his important tenure…Personally, I remember his time here when our children were young and our family was relatively new to St. Andrew’s…I remember Jack Stanford giving the school a sense of optimism and strength that was felt deep into the school community. He was a gifted man, and St. Andrew’s was fortunate to benefit from his leadership.”

Patsy Langford, former trustee Martha Allen (“Patsy”) Johns Langford died on December 26, 2012. Langford graduated from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She married Dr. Herbert G. Langford in 1950, and after living in Baltimore during Dr. Lang-

ford’s residency at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the couple moved to Jackson, Mississippi.

Langford embraced and charmed her new community.

Entertaining medical colleagues and students from around the world, she created a home that encouraged lively con- Perry Tyner Tate, Class of 2007 versation and warm hospitality. Known for her progressive Perry Tyner Tate died January 2, 2013. She was only 23 political and theological views, she enjoyed provoking lively years old, but had accomplished more than many do in a debates with all present knowing that their differences were lifetime. Diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at valued, heard, and honored. During difficult times in Jack- 17 months of age and later with fibromyalgia, nothing

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physical was ever easy for Perry, but she faced every obstacle with a smile and determination.

Perry transferred to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School for her senior year as part of St. Andrew’s inaugural group of Malone Scholars. In 2007, she became the first Malone Scholar to graduate from St. Andrew’s. Perry excelled in speech and debate, earning the highest distinction available through the National Forensic League. She followed that with a scholarship to the University of Alabama as a part of their National Champion Forensic team. As a freshman at Alabama, she earned an individual National Championship in Persuasive Speaking.

One of Perry’s greatest passions was working with children. Perry worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Clinton YMCA, and after her graduation from Alabama, she returned to the YMCA as its childcare director. Perry and her husband of three years, Garon Tate, taught children’s Sunday School and led music during children’s worship at Morrison Heights Baptist Church. Perry is survived by her husband, parents, and sister.

Patrick Vaughan, Class of 1986 Patrick Vaughan lost his battle with cancer in February 2013.

Patrick came to St. Andrew’s as an eighth grader and stayed through graduation. He attended Loyola University and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1992. Patrick played collegiate club soccer at Loyola in New Orleans and at Ole Miss, and earned a black belt in Tae Kwan Do. He was a member of the Delta Psi fraternity. Following his graduation from Ole Miss, he worked for many years in the news division at WAPT in Jackson.

Patrick was a devoted son, beloved brother, and loyal friend. He was a gentle soul, who knew that to have a friend, one had to be a friend. Patrick loved Ole Miss football, Premier League soccer, and heavy metal music. In his declining health, Patrick brought strength and comfort to all who had the privilege to know, love, and care for him.

Patrick is survived by his mother, Jean Smith Vaughan, who served as the St. Andrew’s Middle School librarian for many years, his father, William Hutcherson Vaughan, M.D., and his brother, Ashley Vaughan ’84.

Perry Tyner Tate ’07

Sheila Sundaram ’02

REMEMBERING FELLOW SAINTS During Their Reunion Years

The Class of 2007 made a gift to the St. Andrew’s Annual Fund in memory of their late friend and classmate, Perry Tyner Tate, who died earlier this year.

Several members of the Class of 2002 made gifts to the Annual Fund in honor of their late friend and classmate Sheila Sundaram ’02.

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