SENIOR GIFT
THE CLASS OF 2020 Wearing traditional red dresses, the senior class celebrates their unshakable bond at the Fabulous Daughter Dinner Dance in October 2019.
Rising to the Challenge
THE CLASS OF 2020 LEAVES A MEANINGFUL LEGACY OF GENEROSITY AND LEADERSHIP Senior class gifts are usually decided upon after a process of research, discussion, and reflection. After all, it can take time for a group of roughly 60 people to select what they want their legacy at Castilleja to be. However, this was not the case for the Class of 2020. As their senior spring took unexpected turns with our campus closure, how they wanted to make an impact became crystal clear. Thus, the Class of 2020 COVID-19 Relief Fund took shape to support members of the Castilleja community who were impacted by the pandemic. The Senior Gift Committee members, Paulina Arguello, Athena Burrs-President, Alexa Crowder, Olivia French, Tevah Gevelber, Pari Goel, Riley Guggenhime, Kristen Kuhn, and Naomi Poe led this process, acknowledging that each and every member of their class had benefited from the gifts of past donors to enjoy speakers, Global Trips, and campus spaces like the Bourn Lab and the Fitness and Athletic Center. As in the past, several alums, including Kimberley Morris Rosen ’98 and Courtney Carter Charney ’97 offered challenge gifts to inspire giving. The Class of 2020 reached 100% participation, raising over $3,100 to support community members who are facing new challenges as a result of the pandemic. The funds are being used to cover everything 40 | Castilleja School
from grocery cards, to school supplies, to tuition assistance. Giving is something that Castilleja students are often asked to do in different ways, from the give-and-take that is involved in collaborative work, to the giving of themselves in the classroom, on the field, or on the stage. It is especially inspiring that throughout the many challenges our senior class faced last spring, they wanted their legacy to be one that would help alleviate some measure of the challenges faced by others in the Castilleja community. This is a truly meaningful legacy of generosity and leadership. In hopes of inspiring the Class of 2020 to begin a personal practice of annual giving to Castilleja, an anonymous alumna donor issued an additional challenge to the seniors. For every student who donated $20.20 to the gift fund, this donor would match those gifts and add an additional $20,200 in honor of the class. The seniors, in true Castilleja style through and through, rose to that challenge with enthusiasm. We are grateful for the generosity and inspiration of our donor. It is her dream to make an annual tradition of graduates inspiring seniors to give back to their alma mater. Is there another alum or group of alums out there who would like to continue this tradition by offering this challenge to the Class of 2021?
