CASTILLEJA SCHOOL MAGAZINE WINTER 2011
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contents WINTER 2010 features Installation of New Head of School
departments 2
Introducing the Dean of Teaching and Learning, JosĂŠe Band
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Furthering Academic Excellence
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Advancing STEM: Spatial Skills Matter
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Annual Report
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Around the Circle
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Faculty Notes
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Board Updates
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Alumnae Class Notes
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In Memoriam
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from the head Somaly Mam, a Cambodian activist who visited Castilleja on November 11, had the resilience to overcome a devastating childhood. As an adult, she cultivated the courage and character to have a profound impact on the lives of Cambodian girls sold into slavery. At Castilleja, we inspire in our students, along with a quest for learning that lasts a lifetime, the courage to pursue awareness and compassion, and the character to persist, as Mam did, in meaningful engagement. In this issue of full circle, you will learn that new courses, library renovations, the Lockey Alumnae House Speaker Series, orienteering at Bayfront Park, and planting in the Jhumki Basu community garden all provide the rich context for turning knowledge into action. Teachers in our classrooms, visitors to our ACE Center, directors on the stage, coaches on the playing field, and mentors of community action and internships together cultivate the passion for learning and leading that is evident everywhere at Castilleja. Likewise, students learn from each other; teachers teach their colleagues; and parents, alumnae, and alumnae parents exchange ideas; all embracing the culture of learning at Castilleja. The redesign of full circle further reflects our deep commitment to Castilleja’s culture of learning. Feature-length stories provide in-depth exploration of essential themes and our newly expanded around the circle section provides a snapshot of campus life. As Castilleja’s new Head, I look forward to using this medium to build community and ensure that you are well informed, inspired to learn more, and ready to engage with us. A Castilleja education is for life!
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feature Installation of New Head of School More than 750 students, alumnae, trustees, parents, faculty, staff, and friends gathered on the Circle for the installation of Nanci Z. Kauffman as Castilleja’s sixth Head of School. The historic ceremony featured a moving, joyful rendition of “It Takes a Village” by the Upper School Chorus and Honor Choir, which served as the anthem for a day that not only honored a new Head of School, but celebrated the importance of the whole Castilleja “village.” In her keynote address, Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair, author of Full of Ourselves: A Wellness Program Advancing Girl Power, Health, and Leadership and a Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, at Harvard University, noted, “Nanci is one of the most brilliant, exciting, creative thinkers I know. She is endlessly curious about what skills girls need to thrive, and what are the best educational practices for educating young women to know how and when to lead with authority.” Grace Chen ’11 reflected back on her long relationship with Ms. Kauffman, beginning with sixth grade history and Advisory through their work on the long-range planning committee, Junior State of America (JSA), and diversity. She noted, “What I appreciate most about Ms. Kauffman is her support of initiatives important to students and the school... she values our voices and she takes us seriously.” ASB President Natasha von Kaeppler ’11 and MSSG President Teni Amos ’15 ended their remarks to Ms.
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Kauffman with an important reminder: “Be yourself— we love you for who you are!” The ceremony also featured remarks from long-time faculty member Jeannine Marston, who noted that most of her colleagues, when asked to describe the optimism accompanying a new head, replied, “she is one of us.” Ms. Marston went on to say, “she is open, direct, and nothing if not authentic. Her warm and attentive leadership style will help redefine the meaning of ‘community’ here.” Closing the ceremony, Ms. Kauffman asked everyone “to seize this moment of transition, and to join in affirming our commitment to Castilleja School as members of the Castilleja ‘village’ and consider the roles we play in Castilleja’s future.” For more about the installation, including full remarks and video, visit www.castilleja.org.
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“Faculty and students, you are in the right place at the right time! Nanci Kauffman is one of our country’s most exciting, creative, and inspiring educators — unwavering in her commitment to educating girls to lead.” — Catherine Steiner-Adair
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feature Introducing the Dean of Teaching and Learning, Josée Band In August 2010, Josée Band joined the Castilleja Leadership team in the newly created role of Dean of Teaching and Learning. A veteran teacher with more than twenty years of classroom experience, Josée was most recently the Curriculum Coordinator at the Copenhagen International School, where she was responsible for curriculum development and interdisciplinary projects. She held a similar role at the Washington International School for ten years. She sat down with Assistant Director of Advancement Dana Sundblad to talk about her experiences and plans for Castilleja. This is a new position at Castilleja; how do you see your role? While the position itself is new, teaching and learning have always been paramount at Castilleja. My role is to continue to develop the robust learning community that already exists and to help create an environment where both students and teachers think of their learning in the broadest sense – in the classroom, on the playing field, on stage, in Advisory, as organizers, activists, and leaders, and through professional opportunities and collaboration with each other.
There is a lot of talk about “21st century learning” and the new skills students need to master. What are your thoughts about how learning is changing and how students will go about acquiring the skills they will need? The global information revolution has created a perfect storm in education. Students not only need new skills to thrive in the knowledge economy, but they need to be taught differently as well because their motivations to learn and work have changed. If you read or listen to leaders in the field of
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education and human motivation such as Howard Gardner, Sir Ken Robinson, Daniel Pink, and Tony Wagner, you will find growing consensus as to what is meant by “21st century skills.” Students need to be able to think critically and solve problems, access and analyze information, communicate effectively, collaborate, think creatively, and use their imaginations. Evidence of competency will be measured by an ability to produce something new, not merely to reproduce. Acquiring these skills requires students to be actively engaged in authentic experiences and in the process of learning, not just passively receiving information.
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How will the curriculum change to support 21st century learning? How about pedagogy? In his 2010 TED Talk, Sir Ken Robinson talks about the need for education to move away from an industrial model, which is based on linearity and conformity, to a model that is based more on the principles of agriculture. He notes, “human flourishing is not a mechanical process, it’s an organic process. You cannot predict the outcome of human development; all you can do, like a farmer, is create the conditions under which students will begin to flourish.” This speaks to teaching as both an art and a science. At Castilleja, this means expanding the school universe by throwing open the doors even further and letting even more of the world in! We want to give the girls access and choice though a continuum of independent learning, hands-on and collaborative projects, internships, speakers, and mentors, as well as local and global service and leadership opportunities. We are also moving towards a less fragmented school day, with time for reflection and individual exploration. Teachers will see their roles shift as they also become coaches to guide, support, and nurture their students. Castilleja is responding to these challenges by offering several new courses in 2010-2011 that are more interdisciplinary, project-based, and asynchronous while continuing to examine possibilities for other subject areas. (Read more about Castilleja’s new courses on page 10.)
The faculty is really at the center of the Castilleja experience. Can you discuss your approach to professional development? Castilleja is fortunate to have wonderful, talented
teachers who truly are gardeners of minds and souls. Just as our mission as educators is to help students find their passion and identify and develop their talents, it is vital for Castilleja teachers to have the time and the opportunity to follow their own passions and to renew their spirit. This is the goal of faculty sabbaticals. Professional development opportunities should, in addition to fostering skills development, encourage collaboration and help faculty engage in reflection on their practice, either on their own or using others as “critical friends.”
A focus of your work prior to Castilleja, was on building partnerships – especially internationally. What lessons did you learn and what do you hope to apply here? Successful partnerships, whether local or international, are based on sharing a common purpose, benefiting equally, and weaving a web of connections; the goal is to provide students experiences that are life-changing and that promote learning. Partnerships can be small — a collaborative project on estuaries bringing together classes in the U.S. and Thailand, broader in scope — a student-run news blog with correspondents on four continents, or truly ambitious — a Center for International Education which mentors student leaders from ten public and private schools with the help of the World Bank and NGOs. But they were all started by an individual or a small group with a passion to know and understand others. Castilleja’s collaboration with the East Palo Alto Charter School (EPACS) and Our School at Blair Grocery around issues of food sustainability has exciting potential. Building a true partnership with Shanghai #3 Girls School around issues of mutual interest is equally promising. winter 2011 | 5
feature Furthering Academic Excellence As new Head of School Nanci Kauffman explained at Back-to-School Night, Castilleja is furthering academic excellence for girls through “a growing number of interdisciplinary connections among classes, local and global real-life experiences embedded into our curriculum, and internships and authentic projects.” This fall, new opportunities for hands-on learning and engagement, as well as improved facilities to support this type of work, emerged across campus. Engineering: Introduction to Engineering, Programming, and Robotics is a new Upper School elective. The class, led by Doris Mourad and Noe Esparza, a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford, teaches the key concepts involved in developing and building a robot, such as kinematics, motors, programming, and microcontrollers. Through this modular course, which combines class meetings and independent research, the girls cultivate a greater understanding of how electronics work from the circuit up. Learning is both “hands-on” and “minds-on”: the girls must understand the theory behind fundamental engineering principles and then think critically about how that knowledge can be applied in collaborative lab projects.
Music: This year Castilleja sixth and seventh grade students can elect a new instrumental music course taught by Shenelle Williams. Sixteen students in two classes comprise two chamber orchestras with wind, string, and percussion instruments. Aside from improving their proficiency with the instruments, as students expand their repertoire they learn about the music theory underpinning the pieces, and then analyze the historical context in which the music was originally created.
Dance:
The Dance Production Workshop (DPW) introduces students to the elements of technical theater involved in a dance production, including the fundamentals of choreography, lighting, and costume design; the nuances of sound, music, and video recording; and the logistics of scheduling, marketing, and fundraising. The class utilizes an asynchronous learning format, which allows students to work more effectively with project-based learning
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and to have more flexibility in their schedules. Instead of meeting at a fixed time, the students work independently, then schedule group meetings over lunch, in the evenings, or on the weekends. In February, the class will help produce Arts with a Heart, a full length theatrical show uniting visual and performing art pieces created by Castilleja students.
Library:
Over the summer, the library was transformed to support students’ collaborative work. Carrels were converted into group-study spaces to facilitate class projects and extracurricular activities. Whiteboards and tabletops equipped with erasable glass were installed to permit brainstorming, concept mapping, and storyboarding. And new flat-panel monitors with audio-visual hookups enable students to rehearse presentations in front of peers. In addition to these new physical spaces, the library has designed new creative spaces for students on its website. There the girls have an opportunity to author book and movie reviews, or they can write short news articles about contemporary topics.
ACE:
Castilleja’s new Awareness, Compassion, and Engagement (ACE) Center, run by Global Director Heidi Chang and Director of Leadership Programs Christy Story, Ph.D. coordinates opportunities for student leadership and engagement at Castilleja and beyond. The Center encourages the girls to cultivate their individual talents and to think critically about how they want to have an impact. A “Think and Do” allows students to explore materials on internships, global trips, gap years, and community issues; take an active role in ACE speaker events; and lead discussions with the community on key topics.
Academics in the 21st Century
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The first goal of Castilleja’s strategic plan is to build an academic program for the 21st century. To that end, faculty and administrators have been working to revise the curriculum and to develop new courses, especially in the arts, humanities, and sciences. These courses provide more interdisciplinary connections, and embed within the curriculum more real-life experiences.
Upper School biology teacher Elaine Middleman, Ph.D. developed The Biology and Economics of Cancer, available Spring 2011. Combining hard and social sciences, this course introduces students to a wide range of cancer-related topics, increases their exposure to research science and scientific discoveries in academic and biotechnology settings, and deepens their understanding of public health and epidemiology. The course also weaves in discussions of economic policy and its effects on drug discovery and the healthcare industry. Upper School science teacher Jane McConnell Ph.D. ’81 created the curriculum for a new senior elective called Engineering Sustainable Solutions, available Spring 2011. The hands-on course addresses both local and global environmental issues through classroom experiments, “field work” off campus, and the opportunity to design prototype solutions to address a sustainability challenge. Guest speakers from a variety of disciplines will also visit the class to provide real-world expertise and mentoring on specific subjects. Drama teacher Kristin Walter and English teacher Valerie Ross developed Shakespeare: Page and Stage, a new interdisciplinary elective course for Juniors and Seniors which will be taught in Spring 2011. The course combines textual analysis and performance study of four plays — The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, Love’s Labor’s Lost, and Much Ado About Nothing — offering students the opportunity to engage with a wide array of theoretical perspectives on the plays as well as with several schools of acting methodology. The course will culminate with a field trip to the critically acclaimed Ashland Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which will include a workshop with professional Shakespearean actors. The new Core Arts class is designed to give a solid grounding in the key aspects of Visual and Performing Arts. After two summer grants, the Visual and Performing Arts faculty wrote a new curriculum based on the fprmer intro course in music and art. The result was an updated course that expands opportunities for interdisciplinary connection, collaboration, and use of technology, while teaching students the basics of art and design. It is also a foundation course for all Upper School art electives.
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feature Advancing STEM: Spatial Skills Matter by Anne Cameron, Middle School Head
“Rotate your map! Face the right direction! Look to the North!” For several hours on a beautiful afternoon in October, the Class of 2017 exchanged directions, ideas, and strategies as students explored Bayfront Park in Menlo Park in a new way. Using compasses and detailed topographic maps, the girls navigated an orienteering course in teams, applying skills learned in their Science 6 class. This activity, a culmination of their cartography unit, emphasized leadership, teamwork, and, most importantly, the application of spatial skills. Why do spatial skills matter? The 2010 study, Why So Few Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), conducted by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), notes that there are, “persistent gender gaps in cognitive skills found in the area of spatial skills, specifically on measures of mental rotation, where researchers consistently find that men outscore women by a medium to large margin.”* This report, along with a recent study by Dr. David Tzuriel, emphasizes that spatial skills can — and should — be taught to girls. These spatial skills are vital to many STEM disciplines. They are required for visualizing 3D objects in geometry and calculus, engineering and architecture, art and design, as a few examples. Some students pick it up more easily than others, but often the student who prefers geometry to algebra is one who intuitively uses her spatial skills. Studies show that boys on the average apply these skills more aptly than girls. But, these skills can be taught and learned, and the younger the better. Louise Madrid, Middle School STEM Coordinator, reflected on the development of the cartography unit and orienteering trip: “There are several spatial skills that are required to do the orienteering exercise. First, translating the symbolic 2D contour maps into the 3D world in front of them is a critical spatial skill of visualization. Contour lines on the map must be translated into elevation changes on the ground, and color-coded regions must be translated into vegetation boundaries, as well as fences, trails, rocks, and boulder clusters. Secondly, in order to navigate using the map, they need to rotate their maps so that what’s in front of them on the map is in front of them in the world. This requires several steps of spatial orientation and visualization.” 8 | full circle
The cartography unit in sixth grade science covers a number of topics related to spatial orientation and so we added the training and orienteering exercise to that sixth grade unit. It’s a perfect way to use the skills that they are developing.” Sarah Barnum, sixth grade science teacher, adds, “The traditional way of teaching topographic maps is to look at them in the classroom and then try to imagine what the 3D world would look like. But this field trip provided an opportunity to turn that practice around. It allowed the girls to see the 3D world and then try to find those features on a 2D map. It was a great authentic assessment for the navigation skills they learned in the classroom.” The girls reflected on their growth through the cartography unit and orienteering trip. “Being able to ‘rotate’ the map helped me a lot.” Another student stated, “Being able to identify things on a map and understand the legend definitely helped me. I wasn’t great at understanding maps before the unit, but today I was able to do it pretty well.” A student also noted that the lesson gave her confidence. “This lesson showed me what I can do on my own. I would not have thought I could navigate in a place that I had never been, but now I know I can.” * Linn Peterson, 1985; Voyer, et al, 1995
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At Castilleja, we are committed to providing each and every girl with experiences that open the world to her. Developing spatial abilities is just one of the ways our girls become prepared for further STEM work. And, as one sixth grader shared, “I learned that it can be very challenging and frustrating to find a place, but it can also be fun and it takes a lot of teamwork.� Learning, cooperation, and fun. That’s STEM at Castilleja.
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Splish Splash! Students, faculty, and staff kicked off the school year with Casti’s first ever pool party – unofficially dubbed the Splish-Splash Bash! The girls took advantage of the beautiful summer weather and brand new Circle and enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of watersliding, bubble making, pool games, sno-cones — and even an extended visit by the Good Humor truck. The Circle was covered with beach towels, red flip-flops, and groups of girls catching a few rays and catching up with friends and faculty. It was a wonderful end to a great first week of school!
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Students Explore Science through Summer Internships Seven Castilleja students were part of a group of fifteen high school students selected to take part in a UC Santa Cruz summer program that helps young people delve deeply into research in the physical sciences. The program pairs high-achieving, science- and math-oriented teens with postdocs, grad students, and faculty who help them explore topics ranging from astrophysics to nanochemistry. The girls worked on a wide variety of projects, including the exploration of microbial fuel cells and simulation of the structure and dynamics of galaxies, and received technical and research training in the labs that would not have been possible in a classroom. Most importantly for the girls, however, are the relationships that they formed and the connections that they made, as research has shown that mentorship is a critical component of retaining women in the sciences. Want to learn more about the program and the girls’ experiences? Visit www.castilleja. org/STEM.
Pictured top row (l to r): Professor Raj Thakurta, Head of School Nanci Kauffman, and Castilleja Science Department faculty members Jeanne Appelget, Doris Mourad and Jon Rockman; Bottom row (l to r) Hana Khosla ’12, Christina Jansen ’13, Annie Cardinal ’11, and Claudia Kelley ’11
Seipp Gallery: Windows Into an Experience For the third consecutive year, Castilleja Juniors engaged in a weeklong experiential seminar in China exploring the role of women through formal and informal interview-style meetings with women, men, girls, and boys in the expansive metropolitan city of Shanghai and the more rural setting of Jinshan. In the months following this extraordinary adventure, students were charged with the task of synthesizing their personal experiences through group discussions and through the development of a visual project, and those projects are now on display in the Seipp Gallery. Each piece presented in the exhibit captured a question, observation, feeling, or revelation, which students chose to explore in a medium of their choice. Topics included urbanization, the enduring influence of Chairman Mao, the intersection of traditional and modern life, and consumerism. The girls, now Seniors, hosted an exhibit for the Juniors in the fall to help prepare them for their own trip to China in January 2011.
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lockey alumnae house
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Lockey Alumnae House Speaker Series In October, Castilleja welcomed Human Rights Watch (HRW) Director Liesl Gerntholtz to kick off the new Lockey Alumnae House Speaker Series. For almost twenty years, she has dedicated herself to promoting women’s rights first in her native South Africa and then around the globe. Her talk focused on the pervasiveness of female genital mutilation, which is actively documented by HRW, and the ways that the global community can take action to stop the abuse using the accurate reporting to educate and inspire change. In November, Castilleja welcomed author and human rights advocate Somaly Mam and five Cambodian teenagers who shared their personal stories to shed light on the topic of human trafficking and children sold into slavery and to inspire hope for the recovery of the victims and the end of the practice. “These girls inspire me every day,” said Somaly, who herself was sold at a young age and endured torture and abuse before a harrowing escape from the brothel. In 1996, she established an organization to rescue enslaved girls and help them rebuild their lives; today rescue centers operate in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos and have rescued more than 6,000 girls. “They all have a dream, a dream to go to school, a dream to have love,” she said. Admittedly, however, rebuilding shattered lives is hard work. “You can rescue a girl in five minutes, but it takes five, ten years to help her heal,” she said. “We don’t teach them to forget. We empower them to be survivors.”
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Liesl Gernholtz, Director of the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch; Teen residents of Somaly Mam House speak about their personal experiences with trafficking and slavery; Somaly Mam, founder of AEFSIR
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Jhumki Basu Memorial Garden
Top of the Class
Last April, in connection with Earth Week activities on campus, Castilleja students, faculty, and staff planted over 400 seeds in a new organic, edible garden to honor Jhumki Basu ’94. Over the summer, tender starter plants in this garden were replanted and carefully cultivated by 31 rising fifth grade girls participating in Castilleja’s Peninsula Bridge Program. The garden afforded the students an opportunity to discover the structure of garden plants through online research and observational drawing. This fall, the garden was moved to its permanent location on campus with the help of an eager group of students and parents. A formal dedication ceremony took place at Castilleja on November 16, following an all-school assembly featuring local chef Jesse Ziff Cool, representatives from Our School at Blair Grocery in New Orleans, and Collective Roots at the East Palo Alto Charter School (EPACS).
This fall, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognized thirteen Castilleja Seniors as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. Additionally, seventeen students were recognized as National Merit Scholarship Commended Students, two as National Achievement Scholars, and one by the National Hispanic Recognition Program. Together the 33 students honored represent 52% of the Senior Class and are among the top 3% of 1.5 million students who took the PSAT in their Junior year.
World Food Day To recognize World Food Day in October, students on the Community Action Teams organized an empathy lunch and educational activities to create awareness, compassion, and engagement around global issues of hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. The money saved by the empathy lunch experience will be donated to an organization that is helping to address world hunger issues. The Middle School and Upper School Community Action Teams will lead their peers in the voting process. In addition to creating the day’s lunch menu – rice, beans, salad, and melon – the students developed programming, including daily bulletin announcements, slideshows, and table displays illustrating the food situation in various countries, with the hope of sparking discussion among students, teachers, and staff. The girls also encouraged Advisories to discuss why one-third of the world’s population is either obese or hungry.
Clouds for Computers More than 25 Castilleja students and alumnae took part in the Clouds Exhibit at University Art in the fall. The exhibit benefitted Clouds for Computers, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bridge the digital divide through art and technology literacy and to provide East Palo Alto schools with more computers.
The day provided a good starting point for the topics that will be covered during Global Week in January, which will be themed around food. Many of the questions raised during the lunch and during the other activities will be shared with the Global Week speakers to be addressed in their presentations. winter 2011 | 13
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A Big Splash: Castilleja Welcomes Olympian Brenda Villa Two weeks after long-time water polo coach Ted Minnis announced he had accepted the job of guiding the men’s and women’s water polo teams at Harvard University, Castilleja players received the news that three-time Olympian Brenda Villa would be their new head coach. Villa comes to Castilleja as perhaps the most recognizable name in the history of women’s water polo. In addition to being a three-time Olympic medalist (2000, 2004, and 2008) and Team USA’s captain from 2005-2009, Villa received the Peter J. Cutino Award, was the female College Player of the Year (2002) and was named the female Player of the Decade by FINA Aquatics World Magazine (2010). At Stanford, she was a three-time All-American, the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Player of the Year (2001), and led the Cardinal to the national title (2002). She has been an assistant water polo coach at Cerritos College since 2005 and a swim instructor there since 2008. She told the Palo Alto Weekly that she is “excited to return to the Bay Area and be a part of a long-standing tradition of athletic and academic achievement at Castilleja.” She is eager to build on the program’s success over the last several years. According to Athletic Director Jez McIntosh, “It will be great for our girls. She can get in the pool and show them how to do it. That’s the biggest key, having a coach who the girls have seen compete. She’s an amazing role model and we are thrilled to have her on board.”
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Awards and Honors Varsity golfer Brenna Nelsen ’11 was recently named an HP Scholastic Junior All-American, a distinction which recognizes high schoolers who have excelled on the golf course and in the classroom… Varsity water polo player Evan Cranston ’11 was honored with a Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship Award from the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) sponsored by Deloitte LLC and the Thrive Foundation for Youth… Nicole Lee ’11 won a gold medal in the 2nd degree black belt poomsae competition at the National Junior Taekwondo Olympics… Natalie Sadlak ’15 took home two gold medals at the sixth Korea Open International Taekwondo Competition.
Cross Country After a top 5 West Bay Athletic
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League (WBAL) finish, 6 team members went on to compete at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Meet - Division V and two placed in the top 5 overall – Rachel Skokowski ’11 (second) and Fiona Maloney-McCrystle ’13 (fourth). Both girls were named to the 2010 All-League Team.
Golf After tying for first in the WBAL (9-1) and qualifying the
entire team for the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament, the Gators made history at CCS with their second place finish becoming the first WBAL team to advance to the NorCal Championships, where they ultimately placed eighth. Five were named to the 2010 All-League Team: Brenna Nelsen ’11 (MVP), Sarah Debs ’11 and Taylor Wilkerson ’13 (First Team); Caroline Debs ’14 (Second Team); and Stephanie Merenbach ’11 (Honorable Mention)
Tennis After their first season under new coach Karen
Wickers ’77, three players were named to the 2010 Skyline Division All-League Team: Paulette Wolak ’14 (First Team); Divya Bhat ’11 and Amy Yamamura ’11 (Honorable Mention)
Volleyball After a strong start to the season (18-2) and
5-0 sweep of the NorCal D5 Showcase, the Gators finished third in the WBAL (26-9, 4-6) and were the No. 1 Division V seed going into CCS. They advanced to the semifinal round but were upset by No. 5 seed Santa Catalina. Five were named to the 2010 Foothill Division All-League Team: Hannah Boland ’12 and Lindsey Wang ’12 (First Team); Laura Rose ’11 (Second Team); Clare Dreyfus ’11 and Lucy Tashman ’13 (Honorable Mention).
Water Polo With three-time Olympian Brenda Villa at
the helm, the Gators went 15-9 in regular season play and advanced to its second CCS Division II semifinal match in three years as the No. 2 seed, but fell to No. 1 seed Sacred Heart.
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Shakespeare in the Jazz Age The Upper School Fall Play put a 1920s spin on Shakespeare’s charming tale of love, gender identity, and crossed wires, As You Like It. The sophisticated jazz age aura lent new dimension to the play’s various intrigues and romances. The talented cast, which included Natalie Shell ’11 as Rosalind; Sophie Brown ’11 and Celia; Tobi Amos ’11 as the lovesick Orlando; Francesca Allegra ’11 as the misanthropic courtier Jacques; and Aurora Real de Asua ’12 as the hilarious Touchstone, turned in fun and spirited performances. Upper School Head Chris Blair noted, “The girls had so much fun doing this production, and they read Shakespeare with great depth and understanding.”
Sparking an Interest in Science Sparks flew (literally!) in the Chapel Theater when scientists from the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP) came to campus for an all-school assembly. The program, part of SCIPP’s Outreach Program, is designed to get students excited about science with a thrilling, visual demonstration of a Tesla coil which generates over a million volts of electricity and an amazing light show! The researchers, who study astrophysics as well as theoretical and experimental particle physics, took time after their presentation to talk to a smaller group of students about internship opportunities and careers in the sciences.
Be the Change! On November 20, Castilleja hosted hundreds of students and more than 30 thought-provoking speakers and exciting performers at TedXYouth@Castilleja. The event was one of 60 held around the world to honor Universal Children’s Day and inspire curiosity, ignite new ideas, and empower young leaders. With a theme of “Be the Change!” the day-long program featured speaker sessions organized around the concepts of “ideas,” “solutions,” and “actions,” as well as a wrap-up session charging attendees to “go forth.” Speakers included Naomi Natale, Director and Founder, OneMillionBones.org; Chris Flink, IDEO Partner; Charles Huang, Co-Founder, Guitar Hero; Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas, Co-Founder, Orangutan Foundation International; Emily Olson, Co-Founder, Foodzie.com; and more than 20 other scientists, inventors, chefs, artists, environmentalists, performers, and entrepreneurs. Mixed into the program were aerialists, contortionists, spoken word performers, as well as ample time for attendees to meet, talk, share, think, do, and connect. The event was organized by a team of volunteers and advisors headed by Christina Hansen McClure ’71, P’04. For more information visit tedxyouthcastilleja.com 16 | full circle
faculty notes
New Faces on Campus Fifteen new faculty and staff members joined Castilleja for the 2010-2011 school year. Pictured above are: top row, l to r: Meave Ward (Athletics Director), David Conti (Latin and Classics), Winter Mead (Drama and Film), Josée Band (Dean of Teaching and Learning), Tiffany Crist (Science), Avery Pickford (Mathematics), Heidi Gallegos (Registrar); bottom row, l to r: Virgina “Ginny” Contento ’79 (Spanish), Jean Adams (Mathematics), Katie Sauvain (English), Cassie Meresmen ’00 (Counseling), Shenelle Williams (Vocal and Instrumental Music); not pictured: Forrest Gingold, (Food Services), Nelson Javier (Technology), and Laura Nowell (Advancement). Castilleja is also pleased to welcome back Louise Madrid, who will be working on STEM curriculum planning, and Shenelle Williams, whose expanded role in the Visual and Performing Arts Department includes overseeing the instrumental music program. Castilleja also welcomed two new members to its varsity coaching staff – Brenda Villa (water polo) and Karen Wickers ’79 (tennis).
Awards and Publications In addition to her work at Castilleja, Kristin Walter has been an Artistic Associate/Playwright at the celebrated Manhattan Children’s Theatre (MCT) in New York for the last seven years. Her work has generated numerous accolades; Off-Off Broadway Review called her “a clever playwright. She masterfully writes one line for the children to enjoy and follows it up with a quickwitted one that seems to nudge the parent in the rib.” Five of her musicals, all originally produced by MCT, are now being published by the renowned Samuel French, Inc., which has been publishing plays since 1830. The Elves and the Shoemaker, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, The Selfish Giant, and The Last of the Dragons will all be available in the company’s 2011 catalog. New film and drama teacher Winter Mead’s film script Restoration made the semifinals of the 2010 Scriptapalooza contest and got picked up by a Hollywood producer. He also finished his second full-length play, May December, which he’s sending out to theater companies. winter 2011 | 17
faculty notes Margaret Lane with Representative Anna Eshoo (California, 14th District) and another Fellow, Cindy Martinez from Santa Cruz.
Professional Development Castilleja faculty and staff are continually developing their teaching skills and subjectmatter expertise by attending conferences, pursuing graduatelevel coursework, participating in special programs, and taking on new challenges outside the classroom. History teacher Margaret Lane was selected to participate in the House Fellow Program in July. This week-long immersion program gave teachers the experience of working at the House of Representatives and included meeting with various Representatives and staffers, attending committee hearings, and observing both the House, and Senate galleries in action. The Fellows participated in a variety of activities to assist in the development of curricular materials on the history and practices of the House, and participated in briefings by the National Archives, Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, and Architect of the Capitol. Math teacher Kyle Barriger was selected for the reciprocal exchanged under the Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (TEA) and the International Leaders in Education 18 | full circle
Program (ILEP). He is one of eight teachers representing the State of California. In 2011 he will travel to an international host school for two weeks, where he will have the opportunity to observe classes, co-teach, and share best practices. Modern and Classical Language Department Chair Lauren Schryver taught at Klingenstein Summer Institute, a two-week program for independent school teachers in the early years of their careers, through the Klingenstein Center of Columbia University. Considered a “master teacher,” Schryver worked with seventeen eager language teachers to explore teaching styles, educational philosophies, educational issues, and personal development through a variety of workshops, seminars, and collaborative exercises. The Institute challenges participants to embrace the complexities of the classroom and to explore the art of teaching and the delicate balance of subject mastery, judgment, intuition, and creativity. Lauren Schryver, along with several other Castilleja faculty members, had previously attended the Institute as a participant earlier in her career. Heather Allen Pang ’81HA, History Department Chair, spent a week at the Coloinial Williamsburg Teacher Institute as a Peer Facilitator for a group of Middle and High School
teachers. She attended the Institute in 2008 and was selected as a facilitator in 2010. During the week-long program, participants examined primary sources, discussed the experiences and values of 17th and 18th century America, and interacted with the staff and historical interpreters in Williamsburg. It was a fantastic opportunity to teach and learn with educators from all over the country. Prior to joining Castilleja’s English Department in August, Katie Sauvain attended her first summer of the Bread Loaf School of English, a Master’s degree program affiliated with Middlebury College, where she took classes in African-American literature and the postcolonial literature of India and Africa. Upper School mathematics teacher Dave Lowell was selected as a Reader for the AP Calculus exam this summer. Readers are chosen from applicants who have taught AP Calculus for 5 or more years. A total of 862 readers read 325,846 calculus exams over the course of a week. Jole Seroff, Director of Library and Information Services, attended the American Library Association’s annual national conference June 24-29 in Washington, D.C., along with over 25,000 librarians from around the world.
board updates
Castilleja is pleased to welcome Jennifer Scott Fonstad, Lindsay Austin Louie ’98, and Alan Zafran to the Board of Trustees. They join a seasoned and robust group filling the seats vacated at the end of the 2009-10 school year. Also joining the board for a 1-year term as the Castilleja School Association (CSA) Representative to the Board is current CSA President Lisa Merenbach.
Jennifer Scott Fonstad is a Managing
Director at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a global venture capital firm. She was named one of the top 100 Global Venture Capitalists by CEOWorld Magazine in 2010 and to the Forbes Midas List the previous two years. Prior to DFJ she began her career at Bain and Company after spending a year teaching math to high school students in sub-Sahara Africa. Currently, she co-chairs a major fundraising effort for the Somaly Mam Foundation. She graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and received her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She and her husband Diego, who is active on the Building and Grounds Committee at Castilleja and several green initiatives at the school, are the parents of Karina ’16, Luca, Thea, and Tessa.
Lindsay Austin Louie ’98 joined Silicon
Valley Venture Fund (SV2) as the Executive Director in 2008. Prior to joining SV2, Lindsay led Business Development for Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo & Marin Counties and was a Program Director at Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto. She is currently the President of the Castilleja Alumnae Association. She attended Stanford University, where she received a B.A. in Human Biology, an M.A. in Sociology, an M.A. in Education and, an M.B.A. with a Certificate in Public Management. She and her husband Ting became the parents of Ting Louie, Jr. in September.
Alan Zafran is a Co-
Founder and Partner of Luminous Capital, an independent registered investment advisory firm founded in 2008. He began his career at Goldman Sachs in 1990 in the Private Client Group and moved with his team to Merrill Lynch in 1997 where he helped build the Private Banking and Investment Group. He was recently named a 2010 semi-finalist for the Greater Los Angeles Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He was named a “Top 100 Wealth Advisor” by Robb Report’s Worth magazine in 2007 and one of the “Top 50 Wealth Managers in California” by California CEO magazine in 2006. He received his B.A.S. in Political Science and Economics from Stanford University and M.B.A. from Harvard
Business School. He and his wife Judy are the parents of Alexandra ’15, Lily ’17, Jane, and Zachary.
Lisa Merenbach
is the current president of the Castilleja School Association after having held numerous volunteer roles at the school during the past nine years. She is an associate with Chancellor Consulting, which provides managed care expertise to health care providers. Previously, she held positions with Stanford Medical Center, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Aetna Health Plans. She received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and her Masters in Health Services Administration from George Washington University. She and her husband David are the parents of Elle ’09, a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, Stephanie ’11 and Becca ’14.
Board Transitions
At the conclusion of the 2009-2010 school year Dianne Giancarlo P’04, P’07; Anita Mehta P’08, P’11; and Mark Vander Ploeg P’02, P’04, P’06 retired from the Castilleja Board of Trustees. Also leaving the Board was Anne Ritchie P’10, P’12 who served as CSA Representative to the Board. Through their years of dedicated service to Castilleja they have contributed significantly to preparing the school to both define and deliver educational excellence for girls in the 21st century.
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Lockey Alumnae House Dedication Following a luncheon on Spieker Field, more than 100 members of the Castilleja community walked over to 1236 Emerson Street to watch Head of School Nanci Kauffman and Alumnae Executive Committee member Courtney Carter Charney ’97 (pictured above) dedicate Lockey Alumnae House. Named to honor founder Mary Ishbel Lockey and Castilleja’s alumnae, the house, which has been used as the Head’s residence for the last seventeen years, will now be a multi-purpose space used to support strategic initiatives and special events. Even before the dedication, the house was used for a faculty-staff luncheon and a dinner for seniors and their teachers. Beyond social entertaining, the space will be used to reach beyond the Circle and serve as Castilleja’s gateway to the community. In early October, the Lockey Alumnae House hosted its first visitors — the Principal, Assistant Principal, and Global Director of the Shanghai No. 3 Girls School – who stayed on campus for two weeks. This extended visit was unprecedented and offered time to focus in-depth on the expansion of our global partnership. The space will also enable the school to develop an “In Residence” program where distinguished scholars, educators, and artists will be able to engage deeply with students and faculty.
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“The Lockey Almunae House is a place where we will honor our history, engage more deeply with our alums, and open our doors even wider to the world beyond the Circle.” - Nanci Kauffman
alumnae
Class Reunions Have Been Moved to the Fall No, it’s not a misprint! Castilleja reunions have moved back to the fall in an effort to draw even more alumnae back to campus. In the spring, alumnae are invited to attend the View360 symposium, “Optimism: Engaging Possibility,” on March 12, 2011, which is a fantastic way to reconnect with classmates, friends, parents, and faculty.
Regional Gatherings We’re bringing Casti to YOU! As much as we like to see you back on campus, we know that not all of you can make it as often as you would like! Casti’s new Head of School, Nanci Kauffman, will be visiting several cities in the coming months to meet with alumnae, and she is excited to share her vision and hear your ideas. These regional gatherings are also a great way to connect with alumnae in your area and to let us know what you would like to see from your alumnae association. Regional chairs will be talking about upcoming events, including social gatherings, educational opportunities, professional networking, and much more at the gatherings.
Save the date, and watch for more information on these regional gatherings:
January 19
Los Angeles
January 20
Orange County
February 24
Washington, DC
Alumnae Association Executive Committee The newly formed Alumnae Executive Committee is working very hard to provide alumnae with meaningful opportunities to interact with one another; past and present faculty, students, and family members; and the rest of the Castilleja community. The 2009 Alumnae Survey was instrumental in giving the Committee a clear direction. The upcoming year will be filled with a variety of events for alumnae and their families, opportunities to come back to campus for the Fall 2011 reunions, and many ways for you to take a leadership role in the new direction of the Alumnae Association. The Advisory Council was established to be another core group of alumnae volunteers with a diverse representation of geography and age. The Council is comprised of class representatives, regional chairs, and other alumnae who have expressed interest in getting involved. The main function of the Council is to help determine the direction of the alumnae program. The next Advisory Council meeting is Tuesday, January 25th, at the Lockey Alumnae House. Please let us know if you would like to join the Council by contacting Maggie Pringle ’71 (650470-7740 or mpringle@castilleja.org).
stay connected. get involved. STAY CONNECTED to the Castilleja alumnae network. Join the new Castilleja Careers Listserv at groups.google.com/group/ castilleja-careers to stay up-to-date on upcoming career-oriented events, job opportunities, and professionalskills workshops. We want YOU! There are countless ways alumnae can get involved. We love hearing from you, so please stay in touch. If you’re as excited as we are, and want to join in the fun—here are a few suggestions: 1. Join the Advisory Council 2. Help plan a regional event 3. Attend a regional event 4. Provide an internship for a Castilleja student 5. Email or write an update for Class Notes 6. Become a Castilleja School fan on Facebook 7. Join the Castilleja Careers Listserv 8. Send us your updated contact information (it sounds simple, but nothing makes us happier than an accurate database!)
Castilleja School Casti School Casti Athletics Castilleja School
Casti School
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Alumnae Regional Events In the Fall, more than 100 alumnae gathered at regional events in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley. The events gave classmates the chance to reconnect, alums from across the decades an opportunity to meet, and everyone the chance to spend time with new Head of School Nanci Kauffman. If you would like to help organize an event in your area please contact the alumnae office, alumnae@castilleja.org. San Francisco: 1 Alica Fang ’92, Chandra Zell Kreuzer ’90, Meg Walker ’74; 2 Nancy Pickford ’45 and Nanci Kauffman; 3 Lauren Berdell Podell ’95 and Aimee Caton ’95 Silicon Valley: 4 Ursula Ringham ’90 and Jessica Lonergan ’89; 5 Betsy Foster Delong ’77, Karen Bowers Hill ’76, Barb Deméré ’77, Debbie Dowsett; 6 Dersha Patel ’06, Ashley Wiseman ’06, Sarah Espinosa ’06, Daphne Crane ’06
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New York: 1 NY Alums chat with Nanci Kauffman; 2 Selina Troesch ’04 and Logan McClure ’04; 3 Emily Heddleson ’01 and Margaret Tench Reigersman ’96
Chicago: 4 Susanne Fairfax ’78 and Kristin Munro ’01 chat with Nanci Kauffman
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Distinguished Alumnae Award: Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen ’88 is the 2010 recipient of the Distinguished Alumnae Award, recognizing her outstanding contributions to Castilleja and our greater community, as well as the many ways that she has embraced the 5C’s in all aspects of her personal and professional life. While at Castilleja, Laura developed her keen interest in learning and excelled in all areas of study. She also developed leadership skills, serving on student government as well as on multiple sports teams in each of her six years on campus. She graduated cum laude and as Athlete of the Year. Laura has maintained her strong connection with Castilleja as a member of the Board of Trustees, a Centennial Executive Committee member, a loyal and generous donor, an inspiring speaker for the students, and a champion of student participation in philanthropy. Beyond the Circle, Laura continued her love of learning, earning her undergraduate degree as well as Masters degrees in education and art history and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. Laura’s profession, and personal passion, is the study and practice of philanthropy. Laura is the Founder, Chairman Emeritus, and former Chairman (19982008) of the Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2), a venture philanthropy fund that leverages its partners’ financial, intellectual, and human capital to make a measurable impact in the Silicon Valley community and beyond. In 2006, Laura founded the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS Center), and she currently serves as the PACS Center Chairman. In 2000, Laura joined the faculty at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she created and teaches its first course on Strategic Philanthropy and Stanford University’s first course on Philanthropy and Social Innovation. To reach an even broader audience with her knowledge and inspiration about the power of philanthropy, Laura is currently writing a book entitled Great Giving, Great Living. She is active on the boards of the Sand Hill Foundation, Stanford University School of Education, SIEPR (Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research), and Women’s Health at Stanford Medical Center, and is the Director of the Arrillaga Foundation, which focuses on education and community development in the San Francisco Bay Area. In April 2005, she became a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. She was also awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the Points of Light Foundation in June 2005 and Children and Family Services’ Outstanding Silicon Valley Philanthropist Award in 2009. Laura is blissfully married to Marc Andreessen, who enthusiastically supports her work in philanthropy. Together they enjoy literature, art, writing, yoga, athletics, and laughing as much as possible. Laura is truly a “Woman Learning, Woman Leading” in her chosen field of philanthropy, and it is Castilleja’s honor to recognize her incredible accomplishments with the 2010 Distingushed Alumnae Award.
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Spotlight: Marcee Rogers Chapman ’90 Marcee Rogers Chapman ’90 developed a passion for problem solving while at Castilleja and has used that passion throughout her professional life. After the birth of her first daughter she searched for flexible childcare solutions so that she could continue her education consulting business. Finding no options available, she switched gears and launched Cubes & Crayons, a drop-in childcare service. This year Cubes and Crayons expanded nationally through its licensing and profitsharing program. Marcee, an advocate for work life balance, has written a book on the topic that will be published in late 2010 and, with her husband, Rob, is in the process of launching Kulido, a web-based tool for achieving balance.
This fall, Simon and Schuster will publish My Thoughts Be Bloody: The Bitter Rivalry of Edwin and John Wilkes Booth by Nora Connell Titone ’90. Nora has illuminated the saga of John Wilkes Booth’s life that will forever change the perception of what precipitated his assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Her research included private letters, journals, and reminiscences of the Booth family that set the stage for the tragedy. Nora wrote to Castilleja teachers Peggy McKee, Jeannine Marston, Holly Thompson, and Heather Pang that her “experiences as a student in Castilleja’s History and English Departments in many ways provided the foundation for this project.” From Castilleja, Nora went on to study history at Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley. For the past decade she has worked as a historical researcher, including her research on Team of Rivals with Doris Kearns Goodwin, who wrote the foreword for Nora’s book. Betsy Van Sicklen Cohen ’67 has published a self-help book, Wouldn’t You Really Rather Go Shopping - The Entertaining Guide to Getting Yourself Organized. After 25 years of teaching, Betsy changed professions and started her own business, Hands On Organizers. She has developed a very successful process for helping her clients organize their lives and decided to write it down step by step in her book. She employs humor and offers specific ideas in this very user-friendly manual. Betsy says that “organizing has to be fun, or it doesn’t get done!” Susan Heeger ’71 co-authored an edible gardening book, From Seed to Skillet, with Los Angeles urban farmer Jimmy Williams. The book will be published (officially) in January 2011 by Chronicle Books, but will be available in stores December 1, 2010. It can be pre-ordered at fromseedtoskillet.com.
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Spotlight: Pip Hardy ’71 Social entrepreneur Pip Hardy ’71 and her husband, Tony Sumner, won the award for Excellence in Healthcare Education in the Second International British Medical Journal Group Awards for their Patient Voices program. Patient Voices uses the internet to facilitate the telling and the hearing of the unspoken stories of ordinary people so that caregivers, clinicians, and policy makers may carry out their duties in a more informed and compassionate manner. The program has had a powerful impact on the attitudes of health care professionals and are used as educational tools by royal colleges and universities in the UK and internationally. Pip developed the idea while working on another project where she employed digital stories and found that it was the perfect format with which to put patients’ experiences firmly at the heart of healthcare. There are now hundreds of stories on the website, www.patientvoices.org. Currently, Pip is a visiting Teaching Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University and is working on the development of Humanising Healthcare, an initiative that looks at how healthcare design, commissioning, education, and delivery may be more “patient– shaped.” She has also started a Ph.D. at the University of Cardiff.
Spotlight: Valerie Rice ’83 Valerie Rice ’83 and her husband, Bill Prainito, originally began their company, Piper Tate, to create custom gifts, but transitioned into body care after Bill learned about the number of chemicals used in the highend body products they were using in their gift packages. They spent a year formulating their body care product collections, Piper Tate and Baby Tate, with natural, sustainable, and organic ingredients. Valerie and Bill work as a team, with Bill in charge of the product development and Valerie in charge of packaging, branding, marketing, and sales. Valerie says, “I feel like we are living our dream – handcrafting sweet-smelling goods for babies and their families, blending our environmental responsibilities with our business practices, and best of all being able to share it with our kids, Gianna and Nick.” In August, Piper Tate was the Featured Seller on Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade and vintage items. To learn more about Piper Tate, visit www.pipertate.com or contact Valerie at vj_rice@ yahoo.com.
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Spotlight: Tara Desautels ’89 In recognition of an outstanding legal career, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Tara Desautels ’89 to the Alameda Superior Court on April 8, 2010. At her official swearing-in ceremony, Alameda County Assistant Public Defender Brendon Woods said that he learned more from Tara when they were opposing counsel than he had in three years of law school. Tara’s proud family, including her sister Chanelle ’93, was present for the ceremony. Tara’s husband, Colin Kemp, presented her with her judicial robe. The Honorable Tara M. Desautels served almost eight years as an Alameda Deputy District Attorney after graduating from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. As a Deputy District Attorney Tara served as a member of the Child Sexual Assault felony prosecution team and was selected to be a Sexual Assault Mentor for the California District Attorney’s Association and a liaison to the multijurisdictional Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement taskforce. Tara joined Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in 2005 as a civil litigator. According to Jim Rishwain, Pillsbury Firm Chair, Tara “is a highly polished litigator who has always had a deep commitment and passion for public service.” In addition to working with clients, Tara has devoted countless hours as a Board member and President of CALICO, a non-profit Alameda County children’s advocacy center.
Spotlight: Pamela Hawley ’87 By day, Pamela Hawley ’87 thrives as the CEO and Founder of UniversalGiving, an award-winning website that allows participants to give and volunteer with projects all over the world. In addition, she founded UniversalGiving Corporate (UGC), a customized service that helps Fortune 500 companies manage their global Corporate Social Responsibility Programs in more than 50 countries. This service helps the company’s bottom line by increasing corporate brand image, employee attraction/retention, and client attraction/retention. Pamela has been honored with a Jefferson Award for Public Service for her work with UniversalGiving and was named as a Finalist for this year’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She was most recently called to the White House with 50 other young leaders for a meeting on next generation leadership and social innovation. By night, Pamela pursues another passion as a student of the art of improvisation and has performed in more than 100 shows in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. She recently graduated from Amy Poehler’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade troupe, is Groundlings and Second City trained, and is a Bay Area Theatre Sports Sunday Player. Her Fosse Posse Improv Group is a reigning champion among improv groups throughout the Bay Area. Their shows can often be seen on stage at Bay Area Theatre Sports (BATS) located in San Francisco. winter 2011 | 27
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Spotlight: Sherene Melania Bretschneider ’00 Sherene Melania Bretschneider ’00 uses her passion for dance not only to encourage an appreciation for the arts and artistic excellence, but also to develop “complete artists” who utilize academic and dance education as a tool for promoting cultural awareness and understanding, leading to a deep compassion for humanity. Sherene is Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer of Presidio Dance Theatre, an acclaimed multi-generational, ballet-based performance company, specializing in dance from many regions of the world and with award-winning arts education programs. Recognized in Dance Magazine and Dance Teacher, Sherene’s work has also been internationally broadcast. She has set pieces for dance companies at home and in Europe, and has presented for the United Nations, International Red Cross, and PBS. As an artist, Sherene continues to perform in a number of countries as a guest performer. Sherene designed and directs DANCE OUT!, a free, citywide education program offered in the San Francisco public schools which is funded by the California Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts. In addition to year-round afterschool outreach, DANCE OUT! presents Children’s Day at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House and Dancing Across Cultures™, which bring the world of dance into the lives of more than 6000 underserved children each year. She will complete an M.A. from Harvard University in the spring with the specialty Arts in Education. She received a B.A.s in Performing Arts and Social Justice and the Dean’s Medal for Excellence in the Arts from the University of San Francisco, where she currently serves as a Performing Arts Mentor for the College of Arts and Sciences. She received a Certificate for Ballet Direction Specialty and Choreography from the prestigious Saint Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia. In 2007, she was appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom to serve on the San Francisco Arts Commission, representing the field of dance. If you are interested in volunteering with Presidio Performing Arts Foundation (which sponsors Presidio Dance Theatre) please contact Sherene at sherene.melania@mac.com.
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engaging possibility
Castilleja’s 4th annual View360 speakers are inspired innovators, whose insights and vision for the future will energize our community. These distinguished experts will share their personal stories and inspirations, as they describe positive trends and ideas for the future, based on their unique perspectives. We hope you’ll be surprised, entertained and enlightened! This extraordinary evening continues at the View360 party as we celebrate with friends, eat well, and raise a glass together!
SATURDAY EVENING MARCH 12, 2011 Tickets on sale beginning January 24, 2011: $125/$350 For more information visit castilleja.org/view360 Undwriting opportunities are avaliable. Please contact Kim Roberts ’83 at 650.470.7740 for details.
ZAINAH ANWAR
ANNA DEAVERE SMITH
Activist; former Founding Executive Director of Sisters in Islam; Founding Director of Musawah
Actress and playwright; Professor, New York University
THE HONORABLE CORY BOOKER
JILL TARTER Director, SETI Institute
Mayor of Newark, New Jersey
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TIM BROWN
ELIZABETH VARGAS
CEO and president, IDEO
Anchor, ABC News “20/20”
in memoriam
Nancy Elizabeth Stewart ’77 Longtime Castilleja Alumnae Board member and president Nancy Stewart passed away unexpectedly on Friday, August 13. A resident of Atherton and Menlo Park for most of her 51 years, she is survived by her father Robert Stewart, sister Ellen Stewart Moore ’80, brother-in-law Warren Moore, and nieces Hathaway and Katherine Moore. Her mother Verna Stewart preceded her in death. After many happy years at Castilleja, Nancy went on to the University of Southern California where she earned a B.A. in History. She was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society and the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She stayed connected to USC as president of the Golden Gate Alumnae Club Board and as a member of the Bay Area Student Recruitment Committee. In event management for most of her career, Nancy coordinated the international conferences at SRI International and later worked as a manager of executive conferences at SEMI in San Jose. In 2006, Nancy became event and volunteer manager at Children’s Health Council. There she handled all management aspects of the Summer Symphony fundraising event with a gracious smile, an elegant hand, and a conscientious spirit. Generous and thoughtful, Nancy was dedicated to helping others in her community and was a founding member of Foothill Auxiliary, a fundraising branch of the Family Service Agency of San Mateo County. Her warmth, kindness, and selflessness were qualities noted by all who had the opportunity to work with and know her. In addition to her work on the Castilleja Alumnae Board, Nancy was an active member of the Castilleja Advisory Committee that was involved with hiring former Head of School Joan Lonergan. She was passionate about cooking, photography, gardening, and, above all, her school and her Castilleja friends with whom she stayed so close throughout her full life.
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in memoriam
Rudy DeCaminadaHA Rudy DeCaminada, beloved colleague, mentor, and friend, and our dedicated Food Services Director for almost 30 years, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, December 1, after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. He will be remembered by generations of Castilleja students, parents, and colleagues with great fondness for taking such good care of this community. In her remarks to the school community, Head of School Nanci Kauffman said, “Rudy was a gift to Castilleja. He helped create the Castilleja family that was crucial to the boarding school atmosphere of the past, and which continues to be a source of strength in our hectic lives today. Sharing a meal together is a Castilleja tradition, and Rudy’s legacy will live on in all the wonderful meals we will share together in the future.”
A memorial mass will be held at the DeCaminada's former parish, St. Jerome's Church in El Cerrito, on January 15 at 11 am. A lunch reception will follow in the parish hall. All are welcome to attend. The obituary will be published in the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday, December 12, 19, and January 2. In lieu of flowers, the DeCaminada family asks that donations be made in Rudy’s memory to Castilleja School (1310 Bryant Street, Palo Alto CA 94301) or Sutter VNA and Hospice (1110 North Dutton Avenue, Santa Rosa CA 95401). Please send cards and notes of condolence to Castilleja and we will forward them to Rudy’s family. The DeCaminada Family c/o Castilleja School 1310 Bryant Street Palo Alto, CA 94301
Rudy came to Castilleja in the early 1980s as an employee of Marriott to manage dining room operations. Within a few years, so many had taken such a liking to him, including longtime board members Cap OffutHA and Herman ChristensenHA, that he was hired to launch a new Food Service Department for the school. He began cooking his childhood favorites, many of which are still served today, using the same recipes passed down to him by his mother. As one of their yearbook dedications, the 1995 Paintbrush staff recognized Rudy and the entire Food Service team as part of the “essential support network of the school.” And though many bemoaned the “Casti 15,” few failed to take comfort in a bowl of homemade soup or look forward to one of Rudy’s “surprise meals.” Under his desk Rudy kept a box overflowing with 30 years’ worth of cards and notes from students, alumnae, and parents thanking him for the endless “somethings” that he did — from making an event special, to sharing a recipe, or just lending a hand. Rudy treasured each note and thought of the extended Castilleja community as part of his family. As news of his passing spread, new notes and emails came into the school expressing sadness at the loss of “a remarkable member of the community” who had been “a friend to literally thousands of girls and families over the years.” One current student remembered the excitement about lunchtime on her first visit to Castilleja, “I heard many variations of the phrase, ‘Oh wow, I bet you can’t wait for lunch. The food here is so good.’” One alumnae parent captured the sentiments expressed by many noting that Rudy, “truly filled hearts, not just stomachs, with his food and caring ways. He was more than a person — he was an institution that made a real difference in people’s lives.”
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in memoriam
Alumnae Ronnye Heller Albert ’67 Susan Bauer Butler ’53 Rudy DeCaminadaHA Nancy Alexander Hayslip ’54 Barbara “Bobbie” Blackburn Walker Larson ’55 Patricia Kelley Mitchell ’53 Barbara Seale Moffit ’24 Sara Shafer Read ’60 Nancy Stewart ’77
Family Katie Andrews Daughter of Mary Delk ’57 Ruth Foley Mother of Karen TobeyHA Grandmother of Rachel Tobey ’94 and Kirsten Tobey ’96 William Wade Tevis Father of Martha Tevis ’79
Barbara Seale Moffit ’24 Barbara Seale Moffit’s Family Played a Significant Role in The Founding Of Castilleja and Palo Alto In 1910 Mary Ishbel Lockey purchased the current Castilleja School site from Alfred Seale, father of Marion Seale Bothwell ’22 and Barbara Seale Moffit ’24. Alfred’s father Thomas Seale and his brother Henry settled in San Francisco in 1850 after leaving their home in Ireland. They purchased some high-quality hay for their horses from the Soto family on the 2,230 acre Rancho Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito. With the cessation of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that prior land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851 the Sotos’s filed a claim with the Public Land Commission in 1852 for Rancho Rinconada del Arroyo de San Francisquito. The claim was rejected based on the lack of clear description of the granted land in the grant itself or the accompanying map. The Soto family agreed to give Thomas and Henry Seale half of the land if they could secure the grant’s confirmation. This plan was successful and in 1872 the grant was patented to Maria Antonia Mesa Soto and half the property went to the Seales. In 1887 Leland Stanford recruited Timothy Hopkins to purchase a portion of the Seale’s wheat field and to lay out a town to service Stanford University. That town would become Palo Alto. 70 | full circle
Administration Leadership Team Head of School Nanci Kauffman Head of Upper School Chris Blair Head of Middle School Anne Cameron Dean of Teaching and Learning Josée Band Director of Finance and Operations Georgia Bond Director of Admission and Financial Aid Jill Lee Director of Athletics Jez McIntosh
Board of Trustees Don Bogue Kirk Bostrom Benjamin Chien John Doerr Karen Fisher, Chair Jennifer Fonstad Steve Franklin Mir Imran Nanci Kauffman David Kelley Martin Korman
Lindsay Austin Louie ’98 Joe Martignetti Lisa Merenbach Bruce Mosbacher Mike Rantz Barbara Rosston Jennifer Ayer Sandell Martin Shell Hannah Valantine Linda Yates ’80 Alan Zafran
Alumnae Association Executive Committee Lindsay Austin Louie ’98, President Courtney Carter Charney ’97, VP Communications Christina Hansen McClure ’71, VP Internal Events Ursula Kinney Ringham, ’90, VP External Events Sarah Hinman Whittle ’86 VP Development Elizabeth Yin ’00, VP Networking
Director of Advancement Kim Roberts ’83 Director of Special Projects Steve Taffee
Front/Back cover: When we asked 415 bright, original, thoughtful, smart, creative girls what “Casti is” we got 415 original, thoughtful, smart creative answers! Inside front cover: The Class of 2016 celebrates at Nanci Kauffman’s installation in September.
Photo Credits: Laura Nowell, Dana Sundblad, ToniBird Photography Design: Color Story Studio, Look Design
Inside back cover: Teen residents of Somaly Mam House in Cambodia perform a traditional “Blessing Dance” before talking to the Castilleja community about their personal experiences with human trafficking and slavery.
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full circle CASTILLEJA SCHOOL MAGAZINE Castilleja School Foundation 1310 Bryant Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 www.castilleja.org
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