Full Circle 2021

Full Circle

THE (UNOFFICIAL) CASTILLEJA ZOOM SURVIVAL KIT Throughout Hybrid and Distance Learning, the Zoom Room has become familiar territory for Castilleja students. How does one make the most of it? Comfy pajama bottoms, blue-light-cancelling glasses, snacks, earbuds, sanitizer, and of course, lots of "offline" crafts to do during those very necessary breaks.

ON THE COVER Illustration by Gilli Nieh ’22 During Black Lives Matter @ School Week of Action, students in Carly Fox’s AT U.S. history class created an original piece of art, inspired by a Harlem Renaissance artist. The assignment required students to incorporate one of the principles from the Black Lives Matter movement so they would more deeply understand the intersection between art, activism, and political change. Gilli’s illustration was inspired by Aaron Douglas.

Truth in Action

The Strength of Our Community

Just before last year’s issue of Full Circle went to print in the spring, I added a note at the end of my letter to announce that we were transitioning to Distance Learning in response to the pandemic. I will admit, and I am guessing many of you might agree, that it feels like more than a year has passed since then. As individuals, we have all faced losses and challenges related to COVID; and as a community, we will continue to support each other through these experiences.

In recent years at Castilleja, we have explored different school-wide themes as a way to reflect on our learning inside and outside the classroom; and this year’s theme, Justice, has been especially relevant as we seek to make meaning from everything we are discovering about ourselves and the world.

In visual form, Justice is often represented by a woman holding scales. As the head of a school that educates girls to become confident thinkers and compassionate leaders, I am especially interested in this image because it asks all of us to consider the unique role that women can play in addressing questions of equity. In August of 2020, we marked the centennial of the 19th Amendment, which removed gender as a barrier to voting. The milestone was a complicated one to celebrate because many other barriers, including race, class, and status as a naturalized citizen, remain firmly in place. This fall, we were filled with pride as many of our students voted for the first time while we also committed to creating a more inclusive legacy for women in the next 100 years.

Luckily, role models abound. Women are making a difference in every realm—politics, climate change, education, medicine, and philanthropy—in the service of equity, and Castilleja alumnae are among them. For example, recent graduates created the Castilleja Black Alumnae Association, a formal network to provide opportunities for advocacy, support, and connection among Black alumnae. Other graduates are lobbying for health care reform, amplifying diverse voices, and finding creative ways to give back to Castilleja. In the pages of this magazine, you will find stories about new programs and initiatives on campus to support and inspire the next generation of women leaders to use their learning not just to effect change but also to consider how that change can bend the arc of the universe toward justice.

At Castilleja, the strength of our community has always been one of our most valuable assets. During this unusual year, we have been able to open our virtual community events to include families and alumnae for the first time. I hope those experiences and this issue of Full Circle help you feel connected and inspired. Even during periods of time when we have had to be physically apart, we are strongest when we find ways to continue to come together and be present for each other in new ways.

Warmly, Nanci Z. Kauffman

The Road to New Perspectives

INTRODUCING DR. NADIA JOHNSON, CASTILLEJA’S FIRST ASSISTANT HEAD OF CURRICULUM AND COMMUNITY

›› 2014 Castilleja’s new Mission Statement defines a school that “educates motivated young women to become confident thinkers and compassionate leaders with a sense of purpose to effect change in the world.”

›› 2015 The new Diversity and Inclusion Statement commits to creating a community where “we are learning from diverse voices and experiences, and we aspire to engage our differences with courage, honesty, intellectual curiosity, and respect.”

›› 2019 Castilleja posts a job description for a new leadership role to align “all programming to promote equity and inclusion as guiding principles in the curriculum and the community culture.”

›› 2021 In July, Dr. Nadia Johnson will become Castilleja’s first Assistant Head of Curriculum and Community, and in that role, she will lead a process of drawing together our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, our antiracism teaching and learning commitments, our core classroom curriculum, and our co-curricular programming. Dr. Johnson appreciates that this alignment is both critical to inclusive education and new among independent schools, “You are starting to see schools understand that real transformation happens when we teach equity through the curriculum, but it’s still unique.” Dr. Johnson believes that by creating this leadership role, Castilleja has sent an important symbolic and structural message. She explains,

“I

The fact that Dr. Johnson will be a newcomer to Silicon Valley was something that Jeff Mayfield, who teaches Spanish and was a member of the search committee, found especially valuable. “She brings a different point of view to our conversations; a perspective that comes from outside the community can be so helpful when you think about inclusion and learning.” Even more important, though, he also believes that Dr. Johnson’s presence will have a broader impact on the entire community, “Having another female of color on the Leadership Team will be inspiring to many students, and I hope it will also inspire more educators of color to seriously consider joining the Castilleja community.”

To some degree, Castilleja’s path toward Dr. Johnson began when we adopted our new mission statement, but to another degree it dates back over a century when the school was created to increase access to education. Similarly, Dr. Johnson’s role as an educational leader is intrinsic to who she is.

“My passion for equity and justice is deeply personal. It comes from my own family’s story.”

is at the table really matters when decisions

appreciate how intentional Castilleja has been about prioritizing inclusion, understanding that who

are being made.”

Although Dr. Johnson’s arrival falls within an era of painful reckoning over injustice on a national level, Head of School Nanci KauffmanHA—with the perspective of over two decades at Castilleja—understands that the call to elevate DEI initiatives is as much about the mission of the school as it is about this moment in time. “If we are truly committed to preparing compassionate leaders who will effect change in the world, we need to deepen their understanding of a different narrative of history and help them to see what is possible in their future. In a cohesive community where inclusion permeates our relationships and our pedagogy, students prepare for leadership by learning to navigate in a diverse world.”

“My dad was born and raised in 1936 in the segregated south. Much of his and his family's story is punctuated by virulent racism that includes racial violence. My Indo-Trinidadian grandmother was a child bride, married at about the age of 11, a practice that was just outlawed in Trinidad in 2017. Listening to their stories growing up, I was filled with pride, knowing the obstacles they overcame, but I also felt a deep sense of injustice that they had to face those obstacles at all. Knowing what they had to overcome is part of why this work is so important to me.”

Dr. Johnson is looking forward to the ways that her own life story will join Castilleja’s story soon, “I’m hoping to grow and learn with the Castilleja community. This is an exciting moment for the school and for me as we see how our different voices add to a shared journey."

Ensuring Smiles & More

HOW SHIRA LIPTON ’97 AND CONGRESSWOMAN ANNA ESHOO ARE TEAMING UP FOR KIDS WITH CONGENITAL ANOMALIES

It was a simple message: “If you believe in something, you just go for it. You fight for it until people start to listen.” Congresswoman Anna Eshoo delivered these words at Shira Lipton’s Commencement in 1997, unaware of the impact she’d have on Shira’s future.

Twenty-three years later, Shira was sitting in a rocking chair, staring at her newborn baby, Rosie, and suddenly noticed something was not right.

“I thought there was a glare from the window light casting some sort of shadow on her eye. I kept looking and looking and thinking that pupil isn’t normal; it’s off-center and misshapen.”

At two weeks old, Rosie was diagnosed with a series of congenital anomalies of her left eye, including a congenital cataract. At six weeks old, Rosie underwent surgery to remove the cataract. The day after her surgery, she was fitted for her first infant contact lens, which needed to be inserted every morning and removed every evening. Infant contact lenses are changed often, as the baby’s eye grows and vision develops, and they fall out easily.

“We just couldn’t get the contacts in and out. We were at Stanford every morning and every night for about a month getting help from the infant optometrist and ophthalmologist.”

Without these medically-necessary lenses, Rosie, and other children with congenital cataracts, are unable to develop normal vision; in fact, the outcome can be blindness. By the time Rosie was eleven months old, the cost of her lenses (at $200 a piece) exceeded $4,000. Shira was stunned to learn that insurance does not cover the expense. She knew that the stress other families like hers were going through simply wasn’t acceptable. Something had to be done.

Determined to help these children and their families, Shira began calling, emailing, and writing letters to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (CA-18), who is the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Health. After reaching a senior health policy advisor, Shira discovered that an existing bill, the

“From the day I started Castilleja until my graduation, the legacies of activism and optimism live on.”

Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA), covered the topic of congenital anomalies, but did not include vision. With Shira’s permission, Congresswoman Eshoo shared Rosie’s story on the day the bill was being debated, arguing: Why limit the bill to only one part of the body? If a child has a congenital anomaly of any kind, they need and deserve care.

Shira credits the lessons of tenacity she learned at Castilleja for propelling her to act on her daughter’s, and other children’s, behalf. “From the day I started Castilleja until my graduation, the legacies of activism and optimism live on.”

Working as a full-time dermatologist and mother of two other daughters, Shira was nonetheless adamant about advocating for these infants. “I knew in my heart that if the congresswoman understood what this meant, she would act on it.”

Indeed, Shira’s instincts were correct; due to her advocacy, Congresswoman Eshoo decided to be the Democratic sponsor of the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act for the 117th Congress. According to the Congresswoman’s senior health policy advisor, “it will be a major priority for [Eshoo] to pass this bill.”

While the future of Rosie’s vision is unknown and unlikely to be perfect, Shira shared: “If she can recognize a smile or a wave, we would feel that we’ve made it to the moon.”

ALUMNA SPOTLIGHT

Turning Passion into Action

KAANJI IRBY ’91 WEARS MANY HATS: ATTORNEY, FOUNDER, ADVOCATE, CERTIFIED DEI CONSULTANT, COACH, PODCASTER, AND BEST OF ALL, MOM

To know Kaanji Irby ’91 is to witness passion translated into action: “I had a meeting with the mayor and police department at 7:00am, now I’m meeting with you, then I’ll finish up work at 6:00pm, and I’ll record a new episode of my podcast at 6:30pm,” she asserts with a glow of determination.

A practicing attorney at a financial institution outside of Dallas, Texas, Kaanji is also the founder and Executive Director of EMBRACE Action (Empowering Mothers to Battle Racism and Confront inEquality), an antiracism advocacy and awareness non-profit organization. If that is not enough, Kaanji recently became a certified Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) consultant; is an acclaimed executive coach; produces a podcast on the intersection of motherhood, culture, and race; and is the mom of a pre-teen son.

“Everything I've done has been rooted in my passion and represented who I was at a certain time or phase in my life.” When graduating from Castilleja, Kaanji felt pressure to follow what she saw as the expected path—one that would lead to a highachieving career. She relays that in addition to that pressure, she was made to feel that she didn’t fit the Castilleja mold. She explains, “It was hard for me because I was a lower income student, because of the color of my skin, and because people didn’t believe I was a Castilleja student.” Once a policeman along Embarcadero Road stopped her, doubting that she was a Castilleja student though she was wearing her uniform. Still, rather than letting biases and expectations define her, Kaanji forged her own path by following what called to her. Her love of teaching Spanish propelled her to join Teach for America after college. Before law school, wanting to explore the world, she became a flight attendant. Her commitment to learn and lead is what has shaped Kaanji’s rich set of experiences. It’s also what allowed her to find her purpose.

As the mother of a Black son on the verge of adolescence, Kaanji understands the urgent need to spread awareness of racial inequality. Her drive to create a safer, more just world, not only for her son but for every child, is what gave rise to her organization essentially overnight. “I woke up and googled ‘how to start a nonprofit organization,’”

“Everything I've done has been rooted in my passion and represented who I was at a certain time or phase in my life.”

Kaanji laughs. Now, EMBRACE Action is launching a book drive to give local students access to books with diverse characters and themes so that they can see and celebrate themselves in literature.

Kaanji’s determination stands as proof that it’s possible to achieve your purpose whether through your career or elsewhere. “My purpose is to use my voice to work for racial equality, social justice, and social change, which is hard because my paid job is to be an attorney for a financial institution,” she says. “But my soul requires that I do this work for my son, and for every child, because we're just not the world that we should be.”

Kaanji has recently added mentoring Castilleja alumnae to her long list of pursuits. Tevah Gevelber ’20 interned for Kaanji’s podcast, Motherhood in Black and White, and Michal Goldstein ’20 is currently EMBRACE Action’s communications, marketing, and social media intern. “It’s so heartening to see the caliber and quality of young women who are coming behind us,” Kaanji says. Remembering her own evolution, Kaanji sees through her fellow alums that Castilleja is evolving as well. “Castilleja is intentionally and purposely shining a light on social justice and using their platform to be an institution that is putting support behind justice initiatives.” Moving forward, she hopes Castilleja students seek to follow her footsteps in translating passion into action.

Kaanji's non-profit and podcast

PORTRAITS Artists taught by Deborah TrillingHA explore the power of women in action and in thought. Featured artists (clockwise from top left): Alana Stull ’21, Imanay Lotia ’21, Grace Kim ’21, and Mackenzie Friedman ’21.

20 Questions with Eugenie PaickHA

Get to know history-social science teacher Eugenie PaickHA, the longest-tenured teacher in the Middle School.

1 What’s the biggest change you’ve observed since you started at Castilleja? The Middle School has emerged with its own identity in the last 20 years. In a lot of 6-12 schools, the Middle School (MS) can seem a bit like a waiting room for the Upper School. We have our own grade-level themes, programs, activities that are specific to each age group. The MS advisory teams are amazingly collaborative and creative.

2 What hasn’t changed? The students. They’re still motivated, hard working, curious, articulate, and willing to learn.

3 Why teach history? I love that to really learn history, you need to incorporate other disciplines. You incorporate math when you look at tables and charts. You incorporate careful reading and writing, as you would in English. You need to understand science to appreciate the inventions and scientific discoveries.

4 When you came to Castilleja in 1998, what challenged you as a new teacher? Back then, we had these huge photocopiers that seemed to always eat up my originals, put staples in the wrong places, or make copies on the wrong sized paper. I just wanted to master the photocopier.

5 Favorite excuse for not turning in homework/not being in uniform? Homework: “I left it on the train.” Uniform: “It was SSSSOOO dark when I got dressed.”

6 What does ‘Justice’ mean to you? Accountability and healing.

7 What do you listen to while driving to school in the morning? The news.

8 Which of the 5Cs do you feel you incorporate most into your teaching? Courtesy.

9 Personal note-taking style? Bullets!

“I love that to really learn history, you need to incorporate other disciplines...math, careful reading and writing...and science.”

— EUGENIE PAICK

10 Favorite part about Middle School? The faculty. It’s the kind of group that will see each other through big life moments and advise each other on pedagogy. Nanci KauffmanHA, with whom I used to teach a class, even babysat my toddler son in New York, while we attended a wedding. It’s an incredibly close knit group.

11 Tea or coffee? Mornings are coffee, afternoons are tea.

12 How do you like to spend your free time? Cook and eat, read, and Pinterest.

13 Favorite period in history? French Revolution (sadly, I don’t teach it).

14 Favorite Casti Faculty Halloween costume theme? Anything Mid FullerHA conjures up.

15 Favorite TV show? Favorite live sporting event? The Crown and indoor ice sports: figure skating, ice hockey, short track.

16 Favorite Casti lunch? Swedish Meatballs.

17 Your superpower? I can power nap. I can pull off a 10 minute power nap, almost anywhere.

18 Last book you read? The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi.

19 If you could go on a one week trip with anyone in history, who would it be, and where would you go? Florence and Tuscany with da Vinci. He was under appreciated for his time and so ahead of his time. I’m curious to watch him write in mirror image, watch him paint, and get a glimpse into his genius.

20 Which accomplishment of yours (at Casti) are you most proud of? Katie Robinson and I won “Minute to Win it” at Middle School meeting, and it’s one of my greatest feats so far. Also, at graduation, faculty are seated by seniority, and I’m finally in the first two rows!

25 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP

It Feels Like Home

CELEBRATING THE MANY IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF ANNE CAMERONHA, CASTILLEJA'S HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR 25 YEARS

HOME ON THE CIRCLE “I decided to deliver my application in person,” Anne CameronHA explains about her first visit to Castilleja. As she reflects on those first steps onto the Circle, she says, “I remember looking around at the open space, taking a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm, and thinking to myself this feels like home.”

After 25 years as Head of Middle School, Mrs. Cameron will retire this spring, and it’s hard to overstate her legacy. An outstanding educator, she has shaped the lives of over 1,500 girls, inspired their teachers, and changed independent school culture for the better. Just before her arrival, 6th grade, which had been part of the program when the school was founded, had returned to campus. The school was seeking a leader in tune with Castilleja’s belief that these years were critical in establishing confidence, curiosity, resiliency, and self-esteem in girls. Because Mrs. Cameron understood this and could effectively communicate it to others, the Middle School quickly became a world of its own with a distinct approach to teaching and learning.

PUTTING THE GIRLS FIRST Joan LonerganHA, who led Castilleja from 1993 to 2010, remembers interviewing Mrs. Cameron and says, “Anne had the right experience and expertise as a middle school teacher and administrator; she expressed her determination to keep our girls at the center of every conversation and decision; and she had an almost palpable passion for encouraging curiosity and confidence in every young learner. I was convinced that she

would be just what Castilleja needed, a powerful and unflinching advocate for the needs and ambitions of her students and teachers.”

FOCUS ON MIDDLE SCHOOL Before Mrs. Cameron’s arrival, teachers spanned the Upper School and the Middle School without specializing in either. “I had already taught a lot of different ages by that point,” she explains, “and 6th grade was my sweet spot.” Over time, she established a dedicated Middle School faculty, recruiting teachers who delighted in this age group. “It was pragmatic and philosophical,” she admits. “The students needed to be able to see their teachers all day to feel known, and the teachers needed to see their students all day to understand them. We all had to live the concept together.”

Now, her teachers are organized into grade-level teams, supported by deans and advisors, all working together to help students thrive. Christina Courtney ’02, who was in 7th grade at Castilleja when Mrs. Cameron began and now teaches 7th grade science in that same space, describes the culture that Mrs. Cameron has nurtured. “Anne has driven pedagogy and community endeavors that value middle school learners for who they are. She has supported teachers in crafting an experience tailored to their unique needs. She brings a softness—like a warm hug—that embraces each student in a time in their lives where missteps happen but are essential to helping learners explore and think critically.”

FEELING THE DIFFERENCE Shanti Perkins ’90, who attended before Mrs. Cameron’s arrival, appreciates ways that her daughters’ experience at Castilleja has been similar to and different from her own. “Yes, they are learning to be strong students and be driven about who they want to become, just like we did in my time. But they are also learning to create balance in their lives and take care of themselves, while they are working hard. They see the importance of looking out for others—values that Castilleja has grown and developed over the years.” One of the most interesting distinctions between her memories and her daughters’ experiences relates to the way girls in the different divisions interact. “When I was there, we idolized the older girls. We knew them, but they didn’t know us at all.” In contrast, her daughters are confident enough

ANNE AND CHRISTINA COURTNEY ’02

ANNE WITH JILL LEEHA IN 2010

to reach out and create meaningful bonds with older students through the Black Student Union and athletics, where Upper School students are assistant coaches of Middle School teams. In fact, Mrs. Cameron’s work to create an age-appropriate space for her students to call their own is a key reason that the younger students feel confident engaging with older girls, and this practice of finding and connecting with female mentors is one of the most valuable lessons of an all-girls education.

MAKING CONNECTIONS Anyone who knows Mrs. Cameron understands that she spends as much time making connections herself as she does fostering them for others. Her daughter, Caitlin Clendaniel ’04, explains. “I carpooled with Mom all the way through Castilleja, and her secret was that she always found another 20 minutes at the end of the day to stop by a volleyball game or meet with a student.” Caitlin, who is now a teacher herself, says that this generosity has inspired her to find hidden time to invest in building relationships. “Why do you think my mom meets with every 8th grader to work with them on their speeches?” Caitlin asks, then becomes so excited that she has to answer her own question, “Because she really loves getting to know every single one.”

By now, a generation of students who went through Mrs. Cameron’s Middle School can relate to the feeling she had when she stood on the Circle for the first time, that deep exhale accompanied by a sense of calm. What they may not realize is that the thought that crosses their minds next—the realization that the world around them feels like home—is due in large part to Mrs. Cameron and everything she did to understand who they really are.

ANNE WITH HER DAUGHTER, CAITLIN (CAMERON) CLENDANIEL ’04

ANNE AT CASTILLEJA'S 1997 PROMOTION

By Imanay Lotia ’21

ANTIRACISM IN ACTION

Antiracist Teaching & Learning in Action

The past year has exposed the painful impacts of systemic racism on all aspects of American life, including our schools. Students recounted racialized and biased experiences in classrooms from the distant and recent past. Many of the stories were shared through Instagram posts, and at Castilleja, we faced troubling details about who we have been and how we must do better for our students and employees of color by continuing to support and honor the different cultures and identifiers within our community.

Some portion of the reckoning involved honest listening: taking in the sorrow and trauma of these memories without becoming defensive, centering the experience of the people who have been harmed, and realizing that impacts of our actions always outweigh our intentions. At Castilleja, we have since established a formal process for communicating a concern or challenge connected to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students are actively identifying and sharing experiences to learn from, respond to, and engage with as Castilleja makes necessary changes to become a community where everyone feels a keen sense of belonging.

Stacey Kertsman, Dean of Equity Education and Social Impact, shared that, “Recent submissions have brought attention to opportunities for Castilleja educators and students to become more inclusive by stepping up as antiracists. It's been a privilege to support these intentional discussions and cognitive shifts—which we named as ‘rewiring’ in our antiracist competencies.”

But that is only part of the work. The other part is seizing the opportunity to become the change that is so long overdue. At Castilleja, we have begun that process in different ways. Over the summer, all employees engaged in workshops and reading about antiracism and began the school year by writing an Antiracist Commitment Statement to share with the community. Within the classroom, teachers have changed everything from what they choose to teach to how they approach assessment in an effort to become more inclusive. This will be an ongoing process of making meaning from the past as we work to become a stronger and more compassionate community in the present and the future.

Castilleja Leadership Values

ValuingCompetingNarratives

COMPETENCIES

Valuing Competing Narratives

Valuing multiplicty of life stories, perspectives, and experiences.

Moving Beyond Essentialism

Moving past the belief that things and people are what they seem. This presumes that people can be categorized into intrinsic and enduringly different groups.

Sitting with Dissonance

Valuing discomfort and ambiguity (including regarding oneself — not applying essentialism to one's self-concept).

Understanding Positionality

Understanding and owning that an individual's “location” with a community (i.e. their rank and status) is impacted by social and organizational frameworks.

Committing to Rewire

Habituating knowledge into new practice, or changing habits to align with learning.

BLACK LIVES MATTER @ SCHOOL WEEK OF ACTION

For the first time, Castilleja participated in National Black Lives Matter @ School Week of Action, a national movement that began in 2016 and has gained momentum since. Students and employees initiated and co-created programming, a powerful example of antiracist learning and leading in action. Throughout the week:

• All history teachers designed at least one lesson around the Black Lives Matter movement, ensuring that students learn about and engage with questions of racial justice; some of the resulting art projects are shown on the next page.

• Members of the Black Student Union and P-Cubed (Pause, Positionality, and Purpose: a group of students who have committed to becoming intentional and responsive allies in antiracist work) led workshops and discussions.

• Middle School and Upper School meetings included content and context about the Black Lives Matter movement.

• Professor Ilyasah Shabazz — a motivational speaker and daughter of Malcolm X —spoke to the entire school community about the movement, her own life, and ways to continue to engage for justice.

PROFESSOR

ILYASAH SHABAZZ, DAUGHTER OF MALCOLM X

ART IN ACTION Student artists (clockwise from top

left): Zoya Chughtai ’22, Genia Goldwasser ’22, Alana Stull ’21 (as part of her AP Art class), and Eveliena Pasmooij ’22.

In the Classroom

In the classrooms, teachers are adjusting their content and teaching strategies, reflecting their commitments to antiracism.

RETHINKING ASSESSMENT

Inherent bias has been part of the national conversation about standardized testing for years, but this summer, Colin Quinton decided it was time to ask the same questions about his own assessments in chemistry. Partnering with Karen Strobel, Castilleja’s Director of Institutional Research, Mr. Quinton completely revised his grading criteria to become more inclusive while also reassessing the core skills and content he wanted students to practice and learn. He explains, “Traditional grading systems often punish students for reasons that have little to do with their understanding and more to do with who they are inside and outside the classroom.” Relying on the pillars of equity grading—accuracy, bias resistance, and motivation—he has created a more inclusive measure of success that benefits all students.

REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS

Two years ago, in an effort to introduce social justice themes into her 7th grade math curriculum, Maya Kapoor began teaching probability using data from what were identified as random roadside stops made by the Chicago police. Students used their math skills to understand that the process was not actually random at all, because different races were impacted differently. In past years, after calculating the probabilities, the numbers were so different for different groups that the students actually thought they had made mistakes as they worked, but this year that changed. Dr. Kapoor explains, “After the past year of learning about the impacts of racism in the classroom and in the world around them, many students immediately understood that their calculations were correct and the bias skewed the data, not human error on their part.”

REWIRING CONVERSATIONS

Jenny Raterman and Laura Hansen ’08, from the English department, teach Advanced Topics American Voices to juniors. They did make changes to the syllabus to include new authors this year, but the shifts they made to the way they talk and write about all texts may be even more impactful because they apply to every book, every conversation, and every essay. At the start of the semester, Ms. Hansen and Dr. Raterman compiled a vocabulary list—working with and adding to elements of Castilleja’s school-wide Teaching and Learning Antiracism program—to help inform and guide engagement with topics like racism, bias, and inequality in literature. While these were all themes they had addressed in the past, Ms. Hansen sees her own mindset differently this year, “My own fear became less important than the work that needed to be done. Since we've shifted our approach, we've noticed the students are more interested in hearing perspectives different than their own, and we are all spending less time defending our own points of view.”

By Emily Chan ’22

Dr. Raterman has also noticed a shift in the writing, “Students are choosing antiracist frameworks for their essays even when we don’t explicitly assign them to do so. It’s becoming a key part of their worldview in a more authentic and internalized way.”

“My own fear became less important than the work that needed to be done. Since we've shifted our approach, we've noticed the students are more interested in hearing perspectives different than their own, and we are all spending less time defending our own points of view.”

— LAURA HANSEN ’08

REVISITING IDENTITY

Christina Courtney ’02, who teaches 7th grade science, had to revise many of her labs to suit Distance Learning this year and was inspired to make several changes to her curriculum for some timely learning about current events. “Due to my antiracist teaching pledge from the beginning of the year faculty meetings, I revived a unit about skin color variation based on a curriculum from the Smithsonian. We were able to engage with social justice topics relevant to today's news such as race as a construct and social Darwinism. I'm so glad that I did it. Since then we’ve revisited these ideas as we learned about the story of the cell line from Henrietta Lacks (HeLa) during National Black Lives Matter @ School Week of Action. We've been encouraged to use this challenging moment as an opportunity to revise, revisit, and refocus our curriculum with an emphasis on the essentials for learners of today and the future.”

In the midst of the worst pandemic in more than a century, this year’s Global Week theme resonated deeply. Students and community members listened with urgency to our guest speakers: doctors, public health experts, and academics. Despite the many unknowns that still lie ahead as the U.S. responds to this challenge, one by one, our guests expressed faith in our democracy and confidence in our public health system to be able to gain control over COVID.

Racism and Inequity DR. RUHA BENJAMIN CHALLENGES STUDENTS

Aramis Mendoza ’21 and Alana Stull ’21 introduce Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University

TO CHANGE UNJUST POLICIES

The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on communities of color has highlighted institutional failures rooted in systemic racism and societal inequities. Several of our speakers addressed this injustice and its impacts. Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, aptly acknowledged, “Racism is the deadliest virus.” She called upon students to change unjust policies and habits. “Every twist, coil, and code is a chance for us to weave new patterns, practices, and politics. Once we accept that we are pattern makers, the vastness of the problems we face will be their undoing.” Dr. Benjamin’s research focuses on the social dimensions of science, technology, and medicine, focusing on the way that race and racism structure the social world. She described how “racism distorts our ability to read reality accurately,” and that early scientists—including medical practitioners—legitimized these hierarchies. Sixth grader Gemma Kunnavatana asked why people have the instinct to harm or discriminate against others. Dr. Benjamin acknowledged the importance of this question and closed by asking the students, “What is our responsibility to change these patterns?”

“Equity and injustice do not lead to more emergence of infectious diseases and pandemics, but they are the fault lines that infectious diseases take advantage of to propagate and become a threat for everybody in the global community.”

Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, Medical Director, Special Pathogens Unit at Boston Medical Center and National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories

“Our zip code is becoming much more of a determinant of our health and our health outcomes than our genetic code.”

Dr. Megan Mahoney, Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Division of Primary Care and Population Health at Stanford University and Chief of Staff at Stanford Health Care

Dr. Jane McConnell ’81HA Biology/Biotech/Climate Change Teacher at Castilleja

Joanna Busza ’90

Associate Professor, Sexual & Reproductive Health at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

ALUMNAE PANEL Priorities and Principles of Women’s Health: A Global Perspective

Dr. Naima Bridges ’02 Obstetrician & Gynecologist and Assistant Chief at Kaiser Permanente

Castilleja teacher, Dr. Jane McConnell ’81, moderated an engaging conversation with two alumnae who have pursued extraordinary careers in global health and women’s health. The panelists spoke about their work in global health, challenges they’ve faced, and of course, how their Castilleja education inspired them.

DISEASE AND IDENTITY Students Explore The Question: “What Is Global Health?”

Tiffany Crist-StudleyHA, Middle School Dean of Students, wanted students to understand that there are many perspectives to the question: “What is global health?” Taking a three-pronged approach and grouping into their “family” units, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders were assigned an infectious disease to explore, research, and evaluate. Our 6th graders conducted their research through the lens of their “Exploration” theme to understand the context and background of the disease. In 7th grade, students flexed their empathy muscles, using their “Identity” theme as a framework to understand how their assigned disease impacts people based on their identities. Students in 8th grade took a wider view, looking at the role of government, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in reducing the impact of disease. Finally, each family group presented their collective research, providing each student a chance to practice public speaking skills.

Civics Education:

A NATIONAL SECURITY IMPERATIVE TO BUILD RESILIENCE AGAINST DISINFORMATION

Suzanne Spaulding, Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies

Suzanne Spaulding, Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Former Undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security, spoke about the national security implications of the COVID crisis. She discussed how misinformation and disinformation have hindered our national response to the pandemic by creating mistrust in government, thereby weakening our national security. “The most effective disinformation campaigns exploit legitimate grievances and exacerbate pre-existing divisions; they don’t create these divisions. They tear at the sinews that bind us as a nation.”

Spaulding asserted that investing in civics education across the country is a “national security imperative” in order to build stronger public resilience to disinformation. “A reinvigorated civics education can remind us of the role we can all play

and move our country closer to that more perfect union by continuing to work to be informed and staying engaged. This is our greatest source of strength, and national security and regaining that sense of common purpose is how we will overcome the challenge of COVID.”

While many high school students across the United States do not take U.S. Government or Civics until their senior year, all Castilleja students take this required class as 10th graders. Using an annotated U.S. Constitution, students not only gain a deep understanding of the structures and powers of national and state governments, they also work with Castilleja's librarians to evaluate the authority of sources when researching perspectives to include in student-led roundtables and debates on current issues.

The Courage to Try

ATHLETICS PROVIDE A WAY TO CONNECT FOR OUR “NEW 9S”

Although part of a generation that has never known life without the internet, Aria Kapoor ’24, Tatum Schutz ’24, Riley Sterling ’24, and Analisa Delgado ’24 did not imagine that they would first meet their high school classmates in a Zoom room.

Starting a new school under normal circumstances can be difficult; starting a new school while everyone is remote presents another set of challenges. New freshmen at Castilleja—known as “new 9s”—acclimate through orientation activities, advisory, buddy programs, ACE Orgs, and more. For some, Athletics provides that sense of camaraderie students crave when joining a new environment, and this year, those connections were more important than ever.

This fall, Aria, Tatum, Riley, and Analisa each tried a sport they had never engaged in before. “Many of the older students who welcomed me said that they made many of their friends through participating in sports, so I decided to try playing volleyball,” shared Analisa. Taking a risk to begin learning a new skill, while navigating a novel environment, requires courage.

Forging and maintaining connections online through Zoom has proved challenging for everyone this year. When Riley started running cross country, the in-person training time helped her feel like she was a part of a community, even though school had not opened for in-person learning yet. Thinking it would be a fun way to meet classmates and students in other grades, Tatum started cross country as well. As a result, Tatum is now more confident speaking up with her classmates. First-time water polo player, Aria, agrees: “Seeing people in person makes it a lot easier to be able to connect.”

“After getting to know more classmates at practice, I had a few friends I could ask for help when I needed, or to partner with during a school project.”

-ANALISA DELGADO ’24

League and county regulations constantly shifted throughout the fall and winter, making it unclear whether any team would be able to compete. Despite this uncertainty, student athletes exhibited unwavering dedication, courage, and perseverance. Inspired by their teammates’ encouragement, these four freshmen showed up to practice ready to put in the work.

Athletics fulfilled a desire for a dash of normalcy during a time that was, and at the time of printing still is, anything but normal. Seeing teammates and coaches in person was instrumental in sustaining the Castilleja community that is near and dear to our hearts; for some, taking the risk to try something new made all the difference.

Hidden in Plain Sight

DR. JOY DEGRUY JOINS CASTILLEJA STUDENTS AS OUR 2021 ARRILLAGA SPEAKER

While introducing this year’s Arrillaga Family Speaker, Aramis Mendoza ’21 recalled how inspired she felt after first hearing Dr. Joy DeGruy speak at the 2019 Student Diversity Leadership Conference. “I can tell you truthfully that every person in that room emerged from Dr. DeGruy’s talk enlightened by her remarkable work on Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, inspired to engage with multiple histories, and eager to learn from one another.” After returning from that conference, Saayili Budhiraja ’21, Amanda Clarisse Khu ’21, and Aramis submitted a proposal to invite Dr. DeGruy to speak to the entire Castilleja community.

Thanks to the generosity of the Arrillaga family, that hope became a reality this February, and students, parents, guardians, employees, and alumnae families gathered for an informative conversation about our country’s legacy of racism. Living in a country founded on the principles of freedom and democracy, knowing that racism is inherent in every institution and system in our country, including education, medicine, government,

science, and media, creates cognitive dissonance.

As an educator, social worker, and author of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing, Dr. DeGruy’s research focuses on the intersection of racism, trauma, violence, and American chattel slavery. Sharing many stories reflecting the ways that White people have distorted the historical record, she introduced that deeper truths about centuries of injustice and racism are often hidden in plain sight. For example:

DINKNESH: The oldest human remains from Ethiopia were originally called Dinknesh, meaning “thou art wonderful.” Rather than recognizing the African origin of human life, the name was anglicized to Lucy.

STATUE OF LIBERTY: In the original designs by Frédéric Bartholdi, the Statue of Liberty held broken shackles in her left hand to represent the bondage and freedom of enslaved people. The United States insisted

that the shackles be hidden at her feet, out of view, and her left hand now holds a rectangular object, that is widely believed to be a tablet.

“History...paints perfect men and noble nations, but it does not tell the truth.”

—W.E.B. DU BOIS

It was W.E.B. Du Bois who observed that by distorting facts, “history loses its value as an incentive and example; it paints perfect men and noble nations, but it does not tell the truth.” Dr. DeGruy’s presentation encouraged our community to engage with our Antiracism Competencies, especially Sitting with Dissonance and Valuing Competing Narratives. As with previous Arrillaga speakers, Dr. DeGruy left the Castilleja community with questions and themes we will continue to learn from and revisit for years to come.

ARRILLAGA SPEAKER

Students Saayili Budhiraja ’21, Aramis Mendoza ’21, and Amanda Clarisse Khu ’21 introduce Dr. Joy DeGruy to Castilleja students, faculty and staff.

With a monumental collective effort, we welcomed our students safely back to the Circle with synchronous Distance Learning support.

HYBRID + DISTANCE LEARNING

The Great Pivot

Departments across campus significantly shifted gears to support Distance and Hybrid Learning. Here’s a glimpse into their pivoting world of the last year.

TECHNOLOGY

Recounting the journey to outfit classrooms for Hybrid Learning, Terry Young, Director of Technology, shared, “the existing technology is geared towards conference rooms, not classrooms.” He and his team prototyped several cameras and microphones to find a quality, but cost effective solution to outfit classrooms with technology that would support both in-person and at-home learners.

• 2,000 feet of USB cable used

• 40 hours prototyping configurations

• 260 installation hours

HEALTH SERVICES

Castilleja formed a COVID Command Team to lead the school’s response to the pandemic. As Director of Health Services, Jessie Surface, along with Terry Young, wrote and oversaw the safety guidelines, ensuring all departments adhered to the new school operations. Ms. Surface and our new school nurse, Anne Stewart, also planned and oversaw weekly testing for the school community.

• 6,233 COVID tests (Sept 2020–Feb 2021)

• 100% mask compliance

Steve Turnbull, Technology Support Analyst

Jessie Surface and Anne Stewart, Health Services

MAINTENANCE

Name a team that pivots, moves, and smiles more than our Maintenance crew. Tasked with re-configuring every area of campus, sanitizing spaces hourly, and marking a grid on the Circle to ensure distancing, among many other roles, the Maintenance team was invaluable in making Hybrid Learning possible.

• 409 hours to update campus for Hybrid Learning (includes tents, signage, Circle grid, and furniture)

• 88 HEPA air purifiers installed

• 10 hours of sanitization per day

ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY

The face behind Castilleja’s pinwheel on Zoom is none other than Dr. Jamie SullivanHA, Director of Academic Technology. Deemed our “Zoom Queen,” Dr. Sullivan has single-handedly been Castilleja’s Command Center since Distance Learning began in March 2020.

• 4,029 meetings/webinars

• 39,260 participants

• 1,659,850 minutes

• 660 GB of Zoom meeting recordings

• 15 apps for Distance and Hybrid Learning

KITCHEN

Lunch remains a favorite part of the day for students. To maintain health and safety, lunches were individually packaged, labeled, and grouped by advisory. Eating on the Circle in designated spots marked six feet apart, students relished their lunches, now ordered through an app. When not preparing meals, the Kitchen staff assisted Maintenance on various projects.

• 1,350 lunches/week

• 1,500 cookies baked/week

• 180 hours spent prepping lunches/week

Kenny Cox, Maintenance

Bertha ValdiviasHA and Israel SotoHA, Food Services

Making Connections

TEACHING AND LEARNING AT CASTILLEJA HAVE ALWAYS BEEN GROUNDED IN RELATIONSHIPS, especially the connections between teachers and students in our small and collaborative classes. When moving to Distance Learning last spring and then Hybrid Learning in the fall, our faculty put a great deal of thought into how to translate their lessons to this new setting, which included seeking avenues to preserve and deepen existing relationships and develop new ones. The settings have changed through this unusual year, but the core goals have remained the same as faculty seek to teach their curriculum while building trust to support learning and overall wellbeing in the community.

THE PHRASE “SILVER LININGS” IS ONE THAT HAS COME UP AGAIN AND AGAIN OVER THE PAST YEAR as we all reflect on the big and small changes the pandemic has brought about. Sometimes identifying silver linings is about gratitude—urging us to remember positive elements of our daily lives that we may have taken for granted before—and other times it can become about finding new ways to live and work that we might not have considered before. In the context of the classroom, Distance and Hybrid Learning have led to many of these breakthrough moments, and some of the work we are doing to strengthen our relationships will last beyond this moment in time and improve the student experience even after we return to campus full time.

Shared Adventures

In 6th grade English class, Margaret Reges reads The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jaqueline Kelly, with her students. The novel explores one year in the life of an eleven-year-old girl in Texas at the turn of the 20th century. Ms. Reges realized that it’s not easy to start at a new school on Zoom, so in an effort to keep things interesting and create shared adventures, she partnered with Tasha Bergson-Michelson, Castilleja’s Instructional and Programming Librarian, to go on a virtual field trip to the Westbay Common School Childrens’ Museum in League City, Texas, to learn about what it would have been like to be a girl in that time and place. “Before the world became virtual, I never would have considered taking a field trip for this book; but if they continue to offer virtual tours, we will sign up. The women who led the tour were so engaging, and it was a great way to learn about the life of a young girl who wants to become a scientist during that era.”

Casual Conversations

Emily Landes, who teaches Upper School mathematics, imagined creating a low key learning center on Zoom, where students could drop in and help each other. She called it Tea Time, and it organically shifted into a space for students and teachers to engage in spontaneous, casual conversations, the type that took place in the hallways and around the Circle. “Students could drop in with questions about assignments, but soon enough we had teachers and students just talking together and catching up,” Dr. Landes explains. Sometimes they worked on crossword puzzles or talked through baking projects. Because these conversations took place outside of formal classes, they became a fun new way for students to connect across different grade levels. In a similar vein, Dr. Landes is also part of a virtual baking club with students, so the connections continue to grow.

New Channels of Communication

Lee Kerk, who teaches Upper School Chinese in the World Languages Department, began using Microsoft Teams to set up channels that allowed people to share and keep in touch anytime—whether they were in class or not. “We have different channels for different topics. There is a Daily Share, where they can talk about something in their lives, maybe favorite movies or a funny story. Then there is a Birthday channel where they share birthday wishes. And all of this is practice of conversation and interpersonal skills in Chinese, so it is great for their learning.” Ms. Kerk admitted that she loves having a way to touch base with students throughout the week. “I feel lonely for them. The teacher needs the student as much as the student needs the teacher!”

Artistic Freedom

Emoji Check-Ins

In 6th Grade mathematics, Nick Jerrold has completely broken away from the white board during Distance and Hybrid Learning. “I do all of my teaching on my iPad now, using Microsoft OneNote, so that everything I annotate during a lesson is uploaded for my students to access—anytime and anywhere.” He also finds that he is connecting with students more than he ever has before. “I created an emotional temperature check-in for students to complete at the beginning of each class; the kids choose from an array of emojis to quickly and anonymously communicate how they are feeling in the moment—happy, tired, stressed, excited, etc. If I see a student who is feeling down—especially for more than a day—I send them an email to offer support and a safe space to share. I’ll keep this practice alive forever going forward. It really makes a difference as I work to help students gain confidence and nurture a growth mindset.”

Angélica Ortiz Anguiano ’11, who teaches Middle School and 9th grade Visual Art and Upper School Photography, has seen her students develop rapidly as artists in recent months, “The creative process is really important right now because it can give you a space where you can feel free. It also helps you process your emotions in positive ways.” To prepare for Distance Learning, Ms. Ortiz Anguiano created individual supply kits for every student. Although teaching from afar can limit her capacity to offer feedback while wandering the art room, Ms. Ortiz Anguiano has found a new practice that allows for deeper reflection. “My students send me photos of their work in progress, so we have a record of a piece as it takes shape in a way that we never did before. When the works are finished, looking back at the photos helps my students see their own growth more clearly because they can trace how it developed. I have always taught my students to value their process above all else, and that is something I can highlight even more now.”

Photo by Annika Burks ’23

Fostering Wellbeing

The Counseling and Wellness team leads the Castilleja community with open dialogue, communication, and reflection

By Alexa Libbey ’21

“We are living through an incredibly challenging time in our nation’s history,” Jenna Borrelli, Castilleja’s Director of Counseling and Wellness, admitted as she looked directly into the camera on her laptop on January 6, 2021. She was delivering a video message to students at the end of a long day that began with virtual Global Week speakers talking about the impacts and implications of the coronavirus and ended with Zoom drop-in sessions for the school community to process the news from Washington, DC.

OPEN COMMUNICATION Drop-in sessions and video outreach are just two of the new strategies Ms. Borrelli and her team—Wendy Salazar Cruz, Kate McCracken ’04, and Terese Brennan-Marquez—have begun to implement during this unpredictable year. More than ever, faculty across all grade levels are turning to the counselors as resources when students face challenges that are heightened by the pandemic—such as depression, anxiety, and isolation. In addition, the counselors are meeting more frequently with parents and guardians to keep lines of communication open as students spend less time on campus. There are also regular drop-in support meetings for employees to help them navigate ongoing concerns. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has become core to the program at Castilleja in recent years, but since March of last year, the counselors' insight and input has been even more important to our entire community.

PAUSE AND REFLECT In her message in response to the violence at the Capitol, Ms. Borrelli continued by saying, “To all Castilleja students, I want to validate that your generation has witnessed so much during your adolescence, and I would encourage you to pause, think about your worry and the unknown that you are carrying.” She acknowledged that some losses people were experiencing were specific to this moment in history while others were universal to the human condition, and she urged students to take time to reflect.

LASTING WELLBEING Many in the Castilleja community will nod knowingly as they think about Ms. Borrelli’s advice. After all, as the school’s commitment to SEL has deepened in recent years, reflection has become part of all aspects of daily life at Castilleja—from group projects in 6th grade to the college application process for seniors. Throughout this difficult year, though, the counselors have worked to help students and faculty understand that taking time to reflect is not just a means to support our own learning and leading, but also a path toward lasting wellbeing and social justice. Ms. Borrelli closed her video by saying, “We all have a responsibility to process our pain and confront systems that cause harm, not just to make change but to demand change. You are demanding a new reality, and that will be the work, maybe, of your lifetime, but it’s the work of how we have a better tomorrow.”

Supporting Mindfulness

Megan Jones Bell ’00 found a new way to give back to Castilleja this year. As the Chief Strategy and Science Officer at Headspace, a widely respected and popular meditation app, she leveraged her company’s outreach to non-profits to offer free membership to all Castilleja Upper School students and employees.

“I want to support the work Castilleja is doing to remove the stigma around mental health issues by helping create awareness around prevention strategies.”

To current students, she added this advice, “You are surrounded by help and you can be a helper. Awareness and compassion are the core pillars of mindfulness. Awareness is empowering as a source of insight, and compassion helps you understand how you can be of service to others.” Reflecting on her own path personally and professionally, she added, “I aspire to be outspoken, but I am very shy, which makes me a good observer. Luckily, leadership is not an individual sport, so there is room for all personalities and styles. Be patient with yourself. You don’t have to change if you learn to channel your strengths.”

Learn more about the essentials of meditation and mindfulness at headspace.com.

Dance Dance Evolution

Dozens of teenagers, bundled in warm jackets, set up cones in Half Moon Bay before sunrise in preparation for filming. Today, the beach would be their stage. Tomorrow, a skate park.

For 17 years, Arts with a Heart (AwaH) has been a revered allschool tradition. This year, students ran with the saying, “The show must go on.” They embarked upon producing the first ever virtual AwaH, benefitting The Maven Project, a telehealth nonprofit that enables volunteer physicians and primary care providers to care for uninsured or underinsured patients.

Knowing firsthand the challenges of learning on Zoom, the four senior executive producers decided to reimagine the traditional two-hour show to create an engaging at-home audience experience. Instead, they developed three separate hour-long live-streamed shows, each exploring a subtopic of the theme: telehealth in medicine. In addition to bringing awareness to a timely and critical topic, “We wanted people to have as much fun as they could, and something to look forward to watching at home,” said Ali Dimitreli ’21.

Planning and executing a production involving a ninety-member cast and crew in the midst of a pandemic, while prioritizing health and safety, is no small feat. When describing the Senior Producers’ process, Director Georgi SheaHA explained, “They created a really important twelve-page health and safety document with Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C, because we didn’t know how COVID would

ARTS WITH A HEART 2021

impact filming.” In the fall, it became clear that a second COVID wave was on the horizon, so the producers had to act fast and speed up their production timeline.

Still, senior AwaH executive producers were determined to make the best of a challenging situation. “We were able to bring perspectives from all over the world because of Zoom. It also helped us explore areas of AwaH that had never been touched on before,” explained Alia Singh ’21. Students collaborated with talented Ukranian artists Sofiia and Vasyl Safriuk, who choreographed and edited a variety of dances. Additionally, each show opened with a panel featuring doctors and healthcare professionals speaking about COVID, inequities in healthcare, and the future of medicine.

This year’s show taught the producers valuable life-long lessons. “Be flexible (pun intended),” mused Ciara Bean ’21, as she reflected on the importance of shifting expectations when circumstances change. Emilia Smith ’21 chimed in, “Even in a lot of uncertainty, you can create plans, and you have to try your best.”

The producers truly made the world their stage in this year’s production; the show reached over 12 countries, 30 states, and 1,000 households. In a year that has brought much isolation, art continues to inspire, unify, and spread joy.

WATCH TWO DANCES!

Photo credit: Finn Smith

CASTILLEJA REIMAGINED

Reimagining the Circle

21ST CENTURY LEARNING IN ENVIRONMENTALLY-SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS

VISION FOR THE FUTURE Our new academic spaces will create possibilities for our faculty and students to dream big, collaborate, and lead. Castilleja’s modernized campus, reimagined around our Circle, is designed to spark intellectual and social engagement, while setting a new bar for 21st century learning and environmentally-sustainable building. We invite you to learn more about the next chapter of Castilleja’s history.

Castilleja Full Circle

THE CIRCLE, NEAR MIDDLE SCHOOL

UPPER SCHOOL HUB ENTRANCE

WATCH CASTILLEJA REIMAGINED VIDEO

LIBRARY ENTRANCE

LIBRARY INTERIOR

MAKER SPACE

Ensuring the Future of Castilleja

THE CASTILLEJA COMMUNITY IS INSPIRED TO MAKE OUR NEW CAMPUS A REALITY

The Castilleja community has come together to support Reimagining the Circle. Our donors—including current and past parents and trustees, alumnae, and employees—are inspired by the student-centered and engaging learning spaces, flexible and adaptable community hubs, innovative and vibrant design elements, and sustainability features. The modernized spaces will also allow for increased enrollment and expansion of our tuition assistance program; gifts to the campaign can open new avenues of access to this transformative education. Ensuring Castilleja’s future and making the Castilleja education accessible to the next generation of women is at the heart of our donors' decision to support the Reimagining the Circle campaign.

Securing Castilleja’s Future

Alumna B.J. Lockhart Cowie ’54

“Castilleja was an important step in my journey. The academic environment was intellectually challenging, and my classmates were interesting and fun. Castilleja motivated me to stretch my horizons. One result was a stimulating, exciting career in PR, politics, and higher education. These many years later, I am thrilled that I can contribute to the Reimagining the Circle campaign so Castilleja can keep pace with 21st century learning. Providing quality education and opportunities for young women is one of my priorities. I am proud to help make the new campus a reality and to invest in Castilleja’s future. Hope to see you at the dedication!”

Empowering Young Women

Current Parents Nazhin Zarghamee and Kourosh Gharachorloo P’23

“We have seen firsthand the transformative impact the Castilleja education has on the students. Castilleja empowers young women to be curious learners, purposeful changemakers, and confident leaders. We know from personal experience as tech executives and entrepreneurs how important it is for our girls to learn at an early age to find their voice and discover their leadership. We donated to the Reimagining the Circle campaign to ensure this excellent education continues in tandem with a state-of-the-art facility to empower the next generation of girls and to secure Castilleja’s place as a leader in the field of education.”

Creating Opportunity and Community

Current Parents Sher Amos-Grosser and Adam Grosser P’22

“Newer facilities—like the Bourn Lab and the Joan Z. Lonergan Center—are more than just improvements to the infrastructure, they are resources that change lives. Reimagining the campus will create new opportunities that broaden the curriculum, enrich the student experience, and build community. At Castilleja, everyone is invited to share these spaces; it doesn’t matter where you come from or what you look like. We support the campaign to enable a richer education and to help create a space that includes and involves everyone around the Circle.”

by Kelly Yu ’21

THE CLASS OF 2021

The Next Wanderers

“To me, justice is the courage to fight for truth above all.”

— DIVYA GANESAN ’21, ASB PRESIDENT

JUST KEEP SWIMMING

— SOPHIE LENZ ’21, SENIOR SPEECH EXCERPT

“Since those first seven fish, our collection has increased exponentially. We now have three tanks, with around 37 fish of four different species dispersed throughout all of them. I’ve learned so much through this whole process, and I hope I’ll learn more in the future. I really value all of the experiences I’ve had with my fish, and watching and feeding them continues to be my favorite part of each day. After most of our fish debacles had come to a close, I started to realize how similar my journey with the fish was to my time at Castilleja. It started off well, but I hit some big bumps in the road. But now, after acclimating to my new environment, I am swimming happily away off to graduation.”

CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2021 Resilient and ready for the future

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE

— VANESSA MUNGUIA ’21, SENIOR SPEECH EXCERPT

“The time I spend at the park and with my family is really special to me. It’s our time as a family to catch up with each other and take a break from the world. It’s always been hard for me to de-stress and disconnect, but I always look forward to our annual camping trip to do just that. I’m incredibly thankful that I get to spend so much time and create fun memories and inside jokes with my cousins.”

THE PURSUIT OF BEING YOU — ELLE

GIANNANDREA ’21

SENIOR SPEECH EXCERPT

“Don’t worry about being yourself, because the pursuit of “truth” in that sense isn’t practical. No one asked to go on a “soul searching journey” twice is going to find the same person both times. Instead, ensure that the person others think of when they hear your name is one that rings true to the person you want to be.”

UNIQUELY ME

— JENNA RAZZAK

’21

SENIOR SPEECH EXCERPT

“I cannot let myself be drowned out by the voices of others. Who else could represent the incredible amalgamation of my cultures better than I can? So what if a couple of mutations in my DNA sequence are not identical to one parent or one cultural community? My physical appearance does not dictate who I am or where I come from.”

CLASS OF 2021 FRESHMAN YEAR

CLASS OF 2021 JUNIOR YEAR

CLASS OF 2021 SOPHOMORE YEAR

Photo Credit: Suzanne O'Brien

Alumnae Connections

ALUMNAE EVENT CALENDAR

We hope to resume in-person gatherings as soon as public health guidelines allow us to do so.

SUMMER 2021

ALUMNAE AFFINITY GROUPS LAUNCH Virtual

FALL 2021

REUNION WEEKEND

Saturday, October 9Sunday, October 10, 2021

Alumnae with graduation years ending with “6” or “1”

WINTER 2022

YOUNG ALUMNAE BRUNCH

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

SPRING 2022

CASTILLEJA ALUMNAE PARENTS ASSOCIATION (CAPA) EVENT VIEW360

Our annual event benefitting tuition assistance castilleja.org/view360

FOUNDER'S DAY

Celebrate our Founders and the Class of 2022 with lunch on the Circle.

ONGOING

REGIONAL GATHERINGS

ALUMNAE PANELS

It’s a gift to the entire Castilleja community when alumnae come back to the Circle to share their insights. Do you have a life or career story to share? Contact alumnae@castilleja.org about upcoming alumnae panel discussions.

PANEL

Voices of Courage

ALUMNAE SHARE HOW THEY FACED A PATH UNKNOWN

While Reunion Weekend 2020 had to be hosted virtually, it enabled over 300 alumnae from 50 different graduation classes (1950 to 2020) to connect and celebrate the "0" and "5" classes from all over the world, including New York, Scotland, and Hong Kong. Keeping with tradition, reunion festivities began with an Alumnae Panel in which five alumnae shared their inspiring life stories of courage.

Orlena Fong Shek ’95 shared her journey from survivor to storyteller. After suffering a hemorrhagic stroke due to Moyamoya disease, Orlena relearned how to walk and talk. She highlighted that Castilleja ingrains in every student the tenacity to never give up. Kristin Bell ’95 practiced courage every Sunday when her mother dropped her at Castilleja where she was a five-day boarding student. Her experience pushed her to navigate two worlds, and in doing so she developed confidence in herself as well as courage. Margarita Ibarra ’15 is the first woman in her family to graduate from college; she achieved this by paving her own path. She encouraged students to trust themselves and have the courage to follow the road most fitting for them, even if it is longer or less travelled. Shanti Perkins ’90 had the courage to overcome the isolation of being the only

“Difícil, pero no imposible.” It’s difficult, but not impossible.

— MARGARITA IBARRA ’15

Black student in her class. Now, as a Castilleja parent and Board member, she uses her voice to make change in order to promote antiracism and inclusion at Castilleja and beyond. Anne Kelly Mellenthin ’80 shared her journey of supporting her daughter Gracie, now son, Grae, in his own journey coming out as transgender. As a mother, Anne experienced grief seeing her child struggle to feel comfortable being their true self. Grae is now thriving, and his courage inspired Anne to move from a place of fear to one of celebration.

Each alumna showed vulnerability and authenticity in sharing her story, demonstrating that even in the most difficult of times, the courage to persevere exists within all of us.

ALUMNAE

(Clockwise from Top Center): Margarita Ibarra ’15, Shanti Perkins ’90, Orlena Fong Shek ’95, Kristin Bell ’95, and Anne Kelly Mellenthin ’80.

Reunion Weekend

CELEBRATING THE 5s AND Os

In October 2020, we welcomed Castilleja alumnae from the Classes of 1950–2020 "virtually" back to campus for our annual Reunion Weekend. Alumnae across generations enjoyed making new memories around the Zoom Circle.

We celebrated individuals and the winner of the Castilleja Cup—as well as learned how Castilleja continues to preserve our beloved traditions during the pandemic restrictrions. Mark your calendars for this year's event October 9-10, 2021.

Preserving Traditions

Julie Packard ’70 Recipient of Distinguished Alumna Award

Anne Macdonald ’80 Recipient of Outstanding Service Award

Ann Holland Joling ’50

ZOOMING WITH THE CLASS OF 1950

Karlyn Glaser Schneider ’50

Harrie Cheim Kordelos ’50

Eleanor Wetmore Ellacott ’50

Joan Bettelheim Segall ’50

CONGRATULATIONS! Class of ’10 wins the 2020 Castilleja Cup

PERSEVERANCE Nanci KauffmanHA presents changes during COVID

CLASS NOTES

We’d love to hear from you!

Help us stay in touch by sharing your new contact information and exciting updates on life, work, family, accomplishments, travel, hobbies, and more. Submit your Class Note (75 words or fewer) to appear in the next issue of Full Circle Magazine at: castilleja.org/alumnae

Questions? Ideas? Please contact: (650) 470–7743 alumnae@castilleja.org

Castilleja School 1310 Bryant Street Palo Alto, CA 94301

1950s

1953 Mary E. Chandler Lippitt ’53 writes, “I'm still above the grass and living in Kingsburg, CA with lots of family close by. Stay well!”

1960s

1962 Judith Liff Robertson-Flick ’62 and her husband took up painting by numbers and are enjoying it a lot. “We still have our dogs, our cat, chickens, and horses which we enjoy very much. Stay safe everyone.” Photo: Judith completed a portrait of her and her husband at an ugly sweater Christmas party.

1963 As a musician, Virginia Smedberg ’63 hasn’t been able to perform since March 2020. However, she continues teaching her students online and in her garden or driveway. Her happiest creation this year has been having two small groups of music students come to her front lawn. They gather safely masked and distanced, but nonetheless play music together every weekend, 95 degrees or 55 degrees. She has also kept busy planting and weeding in her garden. In her spare time she furthers her study of Scientology through online courses. Photo: Virginia (back to camera) coaching quartet "in the park."

Class

Bonnie Eggink Allen’s ’64 and her husband enjoyed a very COVID Christmas. Commenting on their Christmas card above, Bonnie writes “I confess that we don’t build fires under our side tables, and no, it’s not snowing outside. But what’s the point in having Photoshop if you don’t use it?” Bonnie and Steve keep busy by taking long walks in the house and sorting things out. And when this is all over, “We’ll have a party to end all parties!”

Ann Lynn Grinnell ’64 misses traveling and eating out, among other things, but especially misses her annual trip to the Caribbean to thaw out from the winter temperature in Vermont. She did get to spend a week with her greatgrandson Avery, who is “charming, engaging, and super energetic.”

Pat Hunter Gregory ’64 and her husband Tod celebrated their 50th anniversary last June. Her daughter, Diana Gregory Horner ’91 and her husband Doug leased their house in San Francisco and moved to Sun Valley, Idaho. Her second daughter Lilla Gregory Spivak ’99 and her husband Vadim have acquired a mountain house in Truckee. Pat and Tod’s son, Will, and his family are also doing well, with Will teaching remotely and his wife, Ann, handling the daily care for thousands of affordable housing residents. Their grandson, Clark excels at piano, board war games, and running. And finally her granddaughter, Harriet’s 13th birthday was celebrated at the family ranch. The family shares that Pat lost her sister, Lilla Bell Hunter ’56 in September. She was a wonderful, spirited person, and was the only female President of the American Hereford Association and voted Nevada Cattlewoman of 2020.

Sarah Morris Pullen ’64 keeps busy gardening, walking, hiking, participating in virtual book clubs, and more. “I take a weekly virtual stretch and yoga class, and as a recovering enthusiastic community volunteer, I am on the Guild of our local Broadway Rose Theater for the fourth year - though those meetings and the plays are all Zoomed now too.” Sarah turned 75 in January; she writes, “I am always surprised by how fast my life is going! That’s three quarters of a century! Can I really be that age? I wonder! Most days I don’t feel it!”

1964

of ’64 on Zoom

Gail Wilson Zetter ’64 writes, “The highlight of last year was our 50th anniversary in November. Our kids, who know us well, would not let the day pass with more of the ordinary, or with great embarrassment and avoidance of eye contact. Presents arrived all day long – 50th masks, their faces on cake decorating sticks, a puzzle made up of family pictures, a “Cheers to 50 Years” sign, our wedding picture of us with lines from the poem I wrote for our ceremony, cake and champagne. The balloons have drifted down although “Cheers to 50 Years” is still up – granted the ‘Y’ slips periodically so it says “Cheers to 50 Ears” from time to time) – but this was a day we will never forget – we love our kids, and theirs.”

1965 Libby Ames Edwards ’65 is a grandma! She now has three grandsons: twins born in September and a third born on Inauguration Day. She has taken care of the twins, but has yet to meet her third grandson who was born in Paris. Photo: Libby and her daughter Karin with her one week old twins.

1966 Beth Roberts Leathers ’66 is still selling real estate, gray hair and all! She is happy to announce the mid-March 2021 opening of Coldwell Banker at 1125 Merrill Street, Menlo Park. “Stop by and say hello - COVID allowing!”

1969 Suzy Varian Hammond ’69 writes: “Sheltering in place pretty much the entire pandemic has been the key to my not getting the virus. Does make for some cabin fever from time to time. However, I do like my alone time! Way too much family around all the time though (I'm kidding; it's actually been great to be around the grands 24/7).” Suzy’s granddaughter, Sally, is 12 and her grandson, Boo, is 9.

Georgie Gleim ’69 continues to work full time. Her jewelry store at Stanford Shopping Center was shut down for three months last spring. Fortunately, it has been open since June of 2020 and made the necessary adaptations for operating in a safe way. Her business will be celebrating its 90th anniversary this year and continues to make the senior class rings for Castilleja. Georgie has retired from the board of the American Gem Society, but currently serves on the board for Peninsula Volunteers and is the President of the Palo Alto Historical Association. Georgie also writes the weekly newsletter for her Rotary Club, crediting Castilleja for her writing skills. She remains in Palo Alto in the same house she’s lived in since 1998.

1970s

1971 Laurie Einziger Bellet ’71 retired from teaching a few years ago, and she and her husband of 43 years now rehabilitate and rehome miniature horses who have been abused, abandoned, or relinquished. “Along with our colleagues at Angels for Minis in Walnut Creek, we have found loving families for close to 600 miniature horses! The job comes with equine kisses and a few kicks here and there.” Laurie’s grandchildren live close by and she plans to travel with them as soon as it is safe again. She can’t believe it’s been 50 years since her graduation.

DeBorah Eaton Beatty ’71 took this year to develop the online side of her coaching business including creating a new website and course curriculum. Her work feels especially important at this moment in time. While 2021 began with her husband, Rich, needing emergency brain surgery, Deborah is hopeful for the future and reports that Rich is recovering.

Jeanne Fisichella Hahne ’71 shares that she and her husband, Bruce are retired and living in Medford, Oregon, “we are hiking and skiing and having fun!” She also launched her business, www.faceviewmask.com, selling masks with a clear window to provide better sight and sound. “I hope it helps many people, especially during this pandemic.”

1972 Susan Moths Carpenter ’72 writes, "Steve and I share the sad news that our son Paul died in February 2020. He is also survived by his sister, Emily, aunts Lisa ’73 and Barbara ’76 and many other relatives and dear friends. I continue to work and teach at the UW-Madison Arboretum, managing the native plant garden during the growing season and writing and doing virtual presentations during our snowy winter. Always grateful for my Castilleja experience, I send warm wishes, especially to the class of ’72!"

Karen Smith Shaw ’72 squeezed in a trip to New Zealand in March to visit her daughter who is living in Australia. “We made the last flight to LA before everything shut down.” Her oldest daughter started as an Assistant Professor at Auburn University in August 2020. Karen and her husband spend time golfing, grocery shopping, and waiting for their COVID vaccine.

1975 The Class of ’75 had an intimate Zoom reunion thanks to Giuliana Danon Vural Casey Lewis Keeshan, Peyton Smith, Mercedes Marquardt Mangarpan, and Beth Merckel were in virtual attendance. The group raised a glass in remembrance of their dear friend Tamara Razi who recently passed from cancer. They hope to see all their classmates at their *cough cough* 50th reunion.

Leslie Defoe Dolan ’75 tragically lost her home to the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, but has since moved and found happiness in Idaho.

Helen Schawlow Johnson ’75 is quite the prolific knitter; you can follow her on Facebook to see her handy work.

Casey Lewis Keeshan ’75 is now living in Nashville, TN. As her husband’s work for the NBC station group could be done remotely the couple decided to relocate from New York. Casey is retired from teaching and volunteers delivering food to the elderly.

Beth Merckel ’75 lives in Boulder, CO, designing jewelry and teaching.

Susan Havard Silverman ’75 showcases her artwork on Instagram @susanhsilverman. Her favorite subject is horses, although dogs are also welcome in her oeuvre. She is accepting commissions.

Peyton Smith ’75 is located in Walnut Creek, CA, and works for a mortgage company.

Giuliana Danon Vural ’75 is living in Fort Worth, TX, working in oil and gas law.

1976 Susan Smith Flesher ’76 writes, “Not a lot to report from the class of 1976, except that we’re all ‘bunkering down’ and doing our best to weather the new world of COVID. Looking forward to celebrating our 45th reunion in 2021 – until then, stay safe and well 76ers!” Above is a “Blast from the Past” photo from our 40th reunion in 2016 (already five years ago!).

“Who is where” from the Class of 1976:

Cindi Bowers Kodweis – Bay Area

Janet Ditz Tarr – Oregon

Sally Harris – Bay Area

Chris Hennig Agatep – Washington

Allison Lewis Jacobs – Bay Area

Linda Sue Little Strand – Bay Area

Meredith Rothrock – Bay Area

Lynn Rutherford Bridson – New Zealand

Susan Smith Flesher – Bay Area

1980s

1981-82 Laura Kroger ’82 writes: “Thanks to all of you who joined the joint ’81-’82 Zoom-union, and thank you, Liz Babb ’82, for organizing and facilitating the fun event! We missed those of you who couldn’t make it, but hope to see more of you next time. We hope to schedule more Zoom get-togethers in the future and had some great suggestions for discussion topics!”

1982 Liz Babb ’82 shares, “Thanks to COVID, my beauty business took a nose dive in March of 2020.” She has since pivoted to a new business and spent the remainder of 2020 offering free classes on how to use your computer and Apple devices, as well as coaching private clients on their technology. It went so well that she decided to go for it in 2021 and now offers multiple live classes—still virtually!—on managing one’s desktop, iPhone, and organizing those ubiquitous digital photos. She has several private clients, many of whom are connected to the Casti community.

1984 Shelly Evans Tin ’84 has been living outside Melbourne, Australia, for the past seven years. She is now back in the States preparing to sell her house in South Carolina and head to the west coast. “It was hard to leave Australia, especially leaving two daughters behind, but my husband, Aungwin, accepted a position outside Seattle.” She is looking forward to seeing her great friend and classmate, Diane Fielding Bedell, a Seattle Area resident. Shelly and Aungwin (pictured above) will celebrate 32 years married in July of this year and are excited about their next adventure!

Maximina Fagan ’84 is moving on from her role as General Counsel at Veritas Technologies to take a break after 19+ years in her role to regroup, help her kids with distance learning, and determine her next adventure and path to happiness! Pre-COVID, she attended the most recent “in person” alumnae gathering and was delighted to reconnect with her fellow classmates. Pictured above at the reunion (left to right) Colleen Haight ’84, Heather Allen Pang ’84, Mae Westlake McLean ’84, Maximina Fagan ’84, and Laura Bushnell ’84.

Catherine Popovici ’84 is still living in Katy, Texas, just outside of Houston. Three of her kids have come home from college, and post-college endeavors include staying close by in Texas during the pandemic. “This means I can have them all over for dinner and game night and I get to enjoy them as adults, so a silver lining during this time.” Catherine’s youngest is 16 and doing school-from-home while both she and her husband also work from home.

1986 Nancy Niland ’86 got her dream job as the volunteer and special events coordinator at Lake Oswego Public Library in January 2020. She writes, “Like everyone else, I have been adapting and pivoting like a whirling dervish. The job is fantastic and I have developed new skills in marketing, fundraising and the all-important Zoom!” Through their community-reads program, Nancy had the honor of interviewing Pulitzer-prize winning author, Isabel Wilkerson, prompting her to recall the “wonderful lunches I was so fortunate to share with revered authors in my years at Castilleja.” Nancy also got engaged, “I am the luckiest woman to fall in love with another bookworm and art lover who whisked me away to Paris and proposed at the top of the Eiffel Tower.” She and her fianceé plan to wed in front of their four children and families on September 17, 2021.

1987 Holli Berman ’87 continues to serve as Cantorial Soloist on the clergy team of Congregation Har HaShem in Boulder, Colorado. She will be moving on from her position in 2022, after 30 years of teaching, singing, and spiritual leadership. She shares, “moving everything online in a global pandemic has certainly had its challenges! If not for our sons that were sent home from college last March, I am not sure how I would have managed to navigate all the technology required.” Now, Holli can lead services and create music from her home studio.

Michele Khateri ’87 returned to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic after two years working at an international school in Dubai. She's been home with her family, including her college-age son and high school daughter, both of whom will be graduating in 2022. After almost 12 years in independent schools, Michele recently started at Pacific Charter School Development as their Director of Fundraising & Strategic Initiative. She's looking forward to learning more about charter schools and real estate development.

1990s

Diana Gregory Horner ’91 moved to Ketchum, Idaho, last summer after spending twenty years in San Francisco. She writes: “Doug, Caroline, and I are enjoying the beautiful surroundings, reacquainting ourselves with winter and settling into life in this small but dynamic town. Caroline is already in 8th grade! Sassy, our yellow lab, is in dog heaven and is quite happy running around in the snow and swimming in the river. We look forward to coming back to SF and the Peninsula to visit family and friends sometime soon!”

Kimberly Williams-Guillén ’91 writes, “The last few years have been a time of upheaval — for both me and the country.” In 2015, Kim moved to Ann Arbor so she could be based at the University of Michigan, where she had previously held a postdoctoral position. Unfortunately, Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome prevented her ability to work and travel, so in 2017 she stepped back from her position as Director of Conservation Science for Paso Pacifico, a non-profit dedicated to conservation in Central America: “While I continue to collaborate on a projects using GPS trackers to describe wildlife trafficking networks, most of my attention of late has focused on a regenerative farm my husband and I established outside of Detroit.” When Kim is not working on conservation, she is trying her best to “dismantle white supremacy with a pitchfork.”

1994 Sisters Pratima Sethi ’94 and Prerna Sethi ’99 had the honor of playing a tiny but exciting part on the historic Inauguration Day. Melissa Cohen, daughterin-law of President Biden, wore earrings from their acclaimed jewelry label, Sethi Couture. Pratima and Prerna are inspired by the first family's commitment to diversity, education, and philanthropy and look forward to this new leadership bringing the meaningful change they have been waiting for. Photo: Melissa Cohen, daughter-in-law of Joe Biden, wearing Sethi Couture at the Inauguration.

1995 Sarah Nissen ’95 moved from San Diego to Boulder, Colorado. She has since helped her 13-year-old son start a business making organic marshmallows and hot cocoa mix as part of his “un-schooling.” They ship to Colorado: realfoodconfections.square.site

1997 In May 2020, Jennifer Chow ’97 welcomed the arrival of her daughter, Genevive. Her son Sebastian is now two years old and talking up a storm while learning new things every day. Jennifer is grateful for all the friends and family who have provided meal deliveries, sent diapers, and arranged happy hour video calls to help her husband survive having “2 under 2.” In 2021, Jennifer hopes to hold a traditional dol for Genevive. Dol (or doljanchi) is a Korean tradition celebrating one year since the birth of a new baby.

1998 Lindsay Austin Louie ’98 and family had a unique experience in 2020 — she lived abroad in Taiwan for the spring. Lindsay writes, “Ting and I have always wanted to live in Taiwan with our kids and build their connection to that part of their heritage. We planned it before we knew about the pandemic, but it turned out to be a remarkable place to be when the pandemic hit. Taiwan's government controlled the virus before it could spread and has managed to maintain that over time. As a result, the kids were able to go to school, and we were able to travel and see the whole country. Now we're back in California, but the kids say Taiwan is the first place they want to visit when leisure travel is safe again!”

Photo: Lindsay and her family making xiao long bao dumplings in Taipei.

2000s

2000 María Alvarez ’00 is teaching art to 600 students at a Philadelphia public school. So far the whole year has been virtual and a challenge for both her and her students. Looking back, María is grateful for all the great art classes she took while at Castilleja.

2001 Kirstin Munro ’01 reports, “After three years as Assistant Professor of Economics at St. John's University in Queens, NY, I accepted a faculty position in feminist political economy as Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. For the time being, I'm living in the Northern Catskills in upstate New York, and hope to relocate to the TexasMexico border soon.”

2003 Sydney Larson ’03 and her husband Brian welcomed their new son Bennett in August of 2020 (shown above), right on his due date. “Between giving birth in a pandemic and having an air purifier follow Bennett around the house due to the wildfires, it was an interesting start to parenthood!” They hope Bennett eventually realizes that his grandparents, aunt Evyn Larson ’08, and uncle have mouths and noses just like his parents. “We can't wait to have him meet all his Castilleja aunties and love that many of his clothes have also been worn by the kids of Karen Ring ’03, Meggie Sandman ’03, and Kara Furlong ’03.”

2004 Emily Dennis Diamond ’04 is excited to share that she has been hired as a tenuretrack Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Utah where she studies MRI signatures of traumatic brain injury. “I remain in the Bay Area, working remotely, and am always looking for students interested in the brain who want to be involved!”

Meaghan Fitzgerald ’04 moved back to Seattle, continuing work remotely for Facebook as the Head of Product Marketing for Oculus Content and Developers. Despite the need for masks and six feet of separation, she was happy to have the chance to see Debbi Kang ’04 over the holidays. Meaghan is also thrilled to share that she and her partner, Neil Goldberg, recently got engaged and are in the process of planning a small pandemic-appropriate wedding. She's always eager to hear from other Casti alums in the Pacific Northwest, interested in tech and VR, or simply to catch up, and hopes everyone is staying healthy and well.

1991 Rebecca Barker ’91 is excited to share that her daughter Avery is a member of the Class of 2024!!

Claudia Skieller Thomas ’04 moved from Pittsburgh, PA, to Anchorage, AK, last summer after finishing her final step of medical training, an orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship. She is now working at Joint Base ElmendorfRichardson as an active duty Air Force orthopaedic surgeon. She has been enjoying the opportunities to get outside in Alaska with her husband, Chris, and 1 year old dog, Mango. They are looking forward to long Alaska summer days!

Kate Vander Ploeg McCracken ’04 is back on the Circle! She started as a counselor at Castilleja in August 2020 and has been loving reconnecting with the campus and staff. She currently lives in San Carlos with her husband and two children (Lee, 4 years, and Symon, 1.5 years).

2005 Iris Schimandle McLeary ’05 and her husband, Lindsay, celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary last June, “just the two of us, with a fancy takeout dinner.” Iris has spent the pandemic working from home, knitting a lot, and rediscovering her love of baking and preserving. Her husband works at farmer’s markets, “so I have plenty of fresh produce to experiment with.”

2006 Alex Chang-Graham ’06 graduated with her MD/PhD from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, and will be starting pathology residency in the summer. Her work from her PhD was recently published as a first author paper in Science titled: Rotavirus induces intercellular calcium waves through ADP signaling.

2007 Malin Bogue ’07 finally gained permanent residency in the UK. She is currently the Director of Operations for the Conservatives' campaign for London Mayor. She hopes to one day run an American political campaign.

Photo: Malin ready with her hand-drawn whiteboard map to explain U.S. Election results as they come in to the Brits.

2008 Mandy Brown ’08 graduated from Indiana University with a Masters in Public Affairs (Go Hoosiers!) and started a new job working in the City Manager’s Office for the Town of Hillsborough. Outside of work is more of the same, fulfilling the principles of civic responsibility, community activism, and personal participation in local government. She is the newest commissioner on the City of Palo Alto’s Parks and Recreation Commission and looks forward to serving her hometown.

Laura Hansen ’08 is approaching her fourth year as an English teacher at Castilleja. Every year, she asks two of her students to pen her annual update. Alister Sharp ’22 and Anusha Gupta ’22 wrote the following note, meant to be sung to the tune of Ke$ha’s hit song “TiK ToK”:

I wake up in the morning feeling inspired and ready/ Grab my tea, I'm out the door, I'm rollin’ up to Casti/ Before I leave, yoga and mindful meditation/ 'Cause when I’m back I make grammar presentations/ I'm talking East Egg, Nick and Gatsby/ Acknowledging positionality/ Couldn’t read Brontë in 2020/ I sometimes sing for the upper-school/ Those nuns definitely weren’t as cool/ As the Juniors I teach; I admit, they rule/ Now, my classes don't start 'til I walk in/ I start class while Cora naps/ I ask ‘bout everyone’s snacks/ Tik Tok, “When’s class end?”/ “Only time will tell children”/ After class, COVID swab/ Then take some time to be a blob/ Oh woah oh oh/ Oh woah oh oh/ Students texting not stop/ Nevertheless, I love my job/ Oh woah oh oh/ Oh woah oh oh/

Kelly Lougheed ’09 eloped in July 2020 with her husband in Pismo Beach, CA. They livestreamed the event to their family friends. Kelly shares she was “so thrilled that my Casti friends could join in virtually!”

2010s

2010 Megan McClain Young ’10 is a new Mom! “We recently welcomed the birth of our first child, Theodore. Theo can't wait to visit his Uncle Evan at work, who is nearing his fifth year as a Castilleja employee, when it's safe to do so!”

got engaged during the

Mia Taper ’11 has been working at Nickelodeon Animation Studios for the past year as a Production Coordinator after a brief stint as a Recruiting Coordinator for Nickelodeon. She just wrapped up season one of Santiago of the Seas and is working on a new animated show that will be announced later this month. Previously, she was working in the audio department for the TV show Impractical Jokers and was a Field Coordinator for the reality show Say Yes to the Dress. She’s still living in New York City and has recently adopted a Chihuahua named Chorizo.

2009 Dasha Klebaner ’09 and her husband Jon Getz welcomed their first child, Raya, on August 7, 2020.

2011 Ginna Freehling ’11

summer of 2020 in Yosemite overlooking half dome. She and her fiancé have since moved to Los Angeles.

2012 Claire O’Malley ’12 decided to transition from product designer to architect this year. “The kind that makes buildings, not software!” Claire hopes to design spaces that facilitate a healthier relationship to the environment, our collective history, and each other. She writes, “From my very beginnings as a member of Gatorbotics to a nearly five-year career as a hardware product designer, I've relied on my Castilleja foundation to engineer impactful products from breast pumps to harm reduction devices. The principles I learned in Mr. Mitchell's I&S and Ms. Shanks' design classes heavily influenced my plan to pursue a Masters in Architecture, starting this fall.” Photo: Claire O'Malley ’12, Erin O'Malley ’09, and Colleen O'Malley ’14.

2013 Ari Barzman-Grennan ’13 has been teaching from home and finishing her M.A. in Education, which focuses on active strategies for teaching Shakespeare. Photo: First day of Distance Learning for 2020–21.

Hsieh ’13 got married to Danny O'Neel, her high school crush and Castilleja junior prom date! While their wedding plans were interrupted by COVID, they loved their intimate wedding in Hannah's backyard. Grace Arnold ’13 was her Maid of Honor, and Liz Babb ’82 did Hannah's makeup. After a stint in Boston where Hannah was Chief of Staff at a higher education nonprofit called The Veritas Forum, she and Danny are now back in Palo Alto as Hannah pursues an MBA/MA Education dual degree at Stanford.

Christina Jansen ’13 will be the campaign manager for Del. Betsy Carr in Virginia’s 69th state house district through June 2021 as she faces a tough primary election.

Charlotte Jones ’13 writes, “This fall I sold prints of my 35mm film photographs to raise money for Black Voters Matter, an organization focused on community-based outreach for voter mobilization. While the amount I raised paled in comparison to Michael Jordan's donation to the same group, it was wonderful to leverage a creative endeavor for the 2020 election.” View her photos at charlottejones.me/for-you

Fiona Maloney-McCrystle ’13 is currently completing her final semester for her M.A. in Translation and Interpretation at The Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Photo: My most-used accessory week in and week out: my remote interpreting headset.

2017 Natalie Barch ’17 has supplemented her university coursework with planning an online arts exhibition showing writing, painting, sculpture, music, and more from a variety of artists around the globe, including some Castilleja alums! “In a time where everyone is feeling isolated, this project has really opened up opportunities for global communication, allowing me to work with a programmer across the country and artists from three separate continents and four countries.”

2020s

2020 Michal Golstein ’20 has spent her gap year so far working, volunteering, and exploring the beautiful state of California. She appreciates all her close friends from Castilleja who have brought joy and goodness to her this past year.

San Francisco.

Hannah

Photo: Sunset in

STUDENT ART (Clockwise from top left) By Megan Foreman ’21, Kaavya Pichai ’21, Annabel Goldman ’21, and Sela Dingpontsawa ’21

Faculty & Staff Updates LIFELONG LEARNERS

Phenominal Philomena

Kathy Burch’s granddaugther

Interpreting Healthcare

Spanish Teacher Ginny Contento ’79

Kathy BurchHA reports: “As many of you know, I retired from Castilleja in June 2020, after 26 wonderful years. I miss seeing Casti students and my amazing colleagues so much, but am grateful to continue to have the opportunity to sing with a few of them from time to time— we've managed to put together some pretty decent performances (if we do say so ourselves!), even though we have to record all of our parts separately. Someday though... (and to that end, I'm excited to say that by the time you are reading this, my husband Bill and I will have received both rounds of our COVID vaccinations!). Speaking of which, while retirement certainly doesn't look exactly as I had pictured, it has nevertheless been pretty amazing. Bill and I have enjoyed spending more time with our "bubble," which includes daughter Merrill, Class of 2001 (Mer attended Casti for 7th and 8th grades), our son-in-law Jayson, and our sweet granddaughter, Philomena (see picture), plus their two doggos. We all enjoy walking/ hiking, taking Philomena to see the donkeys at Barron Park, cooking and eating (who doesn't?!?), playing games together etc. I've been able to pick back up recording for Vocal ID, and have upped my meditation and exercise game. I really look forward to being able to travel again, once it becomes possible, and Bill and I are studying Italian with that in mind! In spite of the world's many collective challenges, my family and I continue to thrive, and for that I am deeply grateful.”

Ginny Contento ’79, former Spanish teacher, is working part-time from home as a video healthcare interpreter for AMN Healthcare. She also teaches the healthcare interpreting course at her local community college in Bend, OR, and volunteers at Volunteers in Medicine. Last September, she and her husband Paul went on a river trip in the Grand Canyon, led by her son. “My husband and I just got a Whoodle puppy that has admittedly turned the house upside down, but lucky for her, she's super cute and fun. Paul and I are skiing a few times a week, and like everyone else, we look forward to a MUCH more social springtime/summer!”

Judy Glenn, former Casti dorm director, shared that 2020 was a year of change for her, as she finally decided it was time to move back to the East coast to be closer to family. “It was not an easy move because of COVID but as of July I am happily settled in Burlington, Vermont. I am still fairly active, taking many walks and playing Pickle Ball on a limited basis. Snowshoeing is definitely on my agenda!”

Noise Lab

Leslie Hart singing a book in a virtual Noise Lab workshop

Hannah Gomez worked in the Library from 2013–2015. She writes: “This summer I'll finish my PhD in Language, Reading, and Culture at the University of Arizona. I'm also now the co-host of two podcasts, Hey YA! and Read Harder, from Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America.”

Leslie Hart, former Castilleja music teacher (2011-2016), is Director and Co-Founder of Noise Lab Creative Music Community (noiselabmusic.org) in Mountain View, which recently turned 5 years old. During the pandemic Noise Lab has pivoted to live private and virtual workshops for young children. Leslie is also a member of Emerald Brass Quintet, which performed at Castilleja in 2016, and has released their debut album Danzón, available on Spotify, Amazon, and released by Albany Records. Though her freelance French horn career is on hold, Leslie continues to teach private French horn lessons and is on faculty at Santa Clara University.

Photo: Leslie singing a book in a live virtual Noise Lab workshop

Jeannine MarstonHA retired in 2019, but continues to be connected to education: “In addition to teaching my seven year old granddaughter online, I joined the Board of Trustees for East Palo Alto Kids Foundation. As I read teacher grant reports from neighboring schools in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park, I was moved and impressed. Teachers have shown imagination, creativity, dedication and compassion while engaging children from families hardest hit by the pandemic. Castilleja taught me to care about students from many different backgrounds.”

Tesha McCord Poe had been busy since leaving Castilleja. In October 2019 she founded Joy-Raising, an advancement and diversity consulting firm that supports schools and other nonprofits as they tackle hard conversations about money and race to do more good in the world. She’s working with organizations throughout the country and abroad. “This has been easier, though less scenic, in the virtual online environment we’ve all endured.” She’d love to be in touch: tesha@joy-raising.com

Peggy McKeeHA sent in reflections on “The Plague Year,” to paraphrase Daniel Defoe: “On the negative side, “shelter in place” regulations were inconvenient and cumbersome, and I desperately missed personal contact—especially hugs—with family and close friends; I learned that I could only read so many hours in the day; binge TV watching was not for me; I had a hard time organizing my time—since I had so much of it—decades of detritus in drawers and closets remained pretty much in place; my self-discipline eroded; anxiety and stress correspondingly rose. On the plus side, neither I nor my husband nor our children or grandchildren came down with COVID; I learned how to Zoom with friends near and far; I reached out to people with whom I’d lost touch, kind of like after 9/11; I did attack some of the detritus in drawers and closets; I adjusted to complying with mask mandates; I continued to walk and bike with friends while observing appropriate social distance; I discovered Sudoku. I constantly remind myself that I am one of the lucky ones who didn’t get sick, who got vaccinated, who did not have to isolate or quarantine completely. I looked for resilience and found that I had some!”

Elyce MelmonHA recently shared poetry from her published book of poetry, "Prepositions." She wrote: “It was gratifying to reconnect with former students, colleagues, and family. Castilleja students and community are so special.” Here is a poem she shared:

Evolution (from Before)

When ingratitude grows to a gregarious function, and everyone wants to act like no one and be treated like someone,

when man creates chocolate saints that he proudly consumes to conceive waste,

I will sit upon a broken branch meticulously picking lice from my own furry arms, and, occasionally,

I will laugh.

KEEP THE NEWS COMING IN! Send your updates to alumnae@castilleja.org.

Note: HA denotes Honorary Alumna or Alumnus

Listen In

Former Librarian Hannah Gomez co-hosts podcasts at BookRiot.com

In Memoriam

FOREVER IN OUR CIRCLE

ALUMNAE

Lilla Hunter Bell ’56

Gay-Leigh Camp ’63

Yvonne Chu ’92

Donna Westmoreland Grundberg ’81

Joan Terbell Knowles ’52

Mother of Marcia Roberts Terry ’74, Wendy Roberts Broderick ’74, Laura Roberts Kelso ’77, and Kim Roberts ’83

Julia MacDonald ’83

Adrienne Hiscox Mitchell ’44

Tamara Razi ’75

Hildi Jensvold Vieira ’58

Sally Sharpsteen Wilson ’49

Jean Walker Yeates ’43

Mother of Kathleen Yeates ’66 and Colleen Yeates Marsh ’67

FAMILY

John D. Carpenter

Grandfather of Emily Davis ’08

Mary Lesnett Carpenter

Grandmother of Emily Davis ’08

Stanley S. Ho

Father of Pansy Ho ’80, Daisy Ho ’83, and Maisy Ho ’85

Raj Marphatia

Father of Maya Ambady ’13 and Leena A. Ambady ’16

Juan Moroder

Grandfather of Elke Teichmann ’09

Katja Teichmann ’16, and Gaby Castro ’13

Miriam Mueller

Mother of Suzanne J. Mueller ’79 and Melanie Mueller ’82

Kaiti Nagel

Mother of Leila Nagel ’97

Casper Y. Offutt

Father of Betsy Edelmann ’74

Ray Reizner

Husband of Tracy Sinclair Reizner ’63

Joan Terbell Knowles ’52 passed away peacefully in Los Altos Hills, California, on November 26, 2020, due to complications from Lewy Body Dementia. She is survived by her four alumnae daughters, Marcia Blanchette Terry ’74, Wendy Roberts Broderick ’74, Laura Roberts Kelso ’77, and Kim Roberts ’83, as well as eight grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and six nieces and nephews. In addition to being an alumna and alumnae parent, Joan was a trustee, served as co-president of the Alumnae Board, and received the Distinguished Alumnae Award in 1983. Known to her family as Granny, she loved writing (and performing) tribute songs to honor milestones, competing in bubblegum blowing contests, and eating dessert first. Her many years of volunteering earned her the nickname “Joan on the phone.” Joan leaves behind family and friends who will miss her infectious laugh, her fun-loving pranks, and her limitless imagination, which she generously shared in games of make-believe with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Casper “Cap” Offutt, Trustee Emeritus and P’74, Trustee Emeritus and visionary supporter of Castilleja, passed away on September 14, 2020. Cap was inspired to join the Board ofTrustees after witnessing the experience of his own daughter, Betsy Edelmann ’74. Between 1974–1988, he served as Treasurer and helped lead the Castilleja Challenge campaign to build the Leonard Ely Fine Arts Building. After a hiatus, he returned from 1990-1992, helping lead the Program for 21st Century campaign, which raised $22M to increase the endowment, tuition assistance program, and faculty compensation. “Cap aspired to make Castilleja a stronger school, felt like he could make a difference, and enjoyed the community,” said his wife, Sally Offutt. After graduating from University of Michigan, Cap married Sally and founded his own firm, Carpenter/Offutt Paper Company, with divisions throughout the west. Surviving him are his wife, Sally; sons, Casper Offutt III and David Offutt; alumna daughter, Betsy; and five grandchildren. Cap was devoted to his family and was happiest at their cottage in Lake Okoboji, Iowa, where it is hoped his spirit lives on.

Lilla Hunter Bell ’56 passed away on September 17, 2020, in Paradise Valley, Nevada. One of the few students to have started her education at Castilleja when the school had a kindergarten program in the 1940s, Lilla’s interest in science began on the Circle. She became the first woman to graduate from Cal Poly’s animal science program, eventually becoming a pioneer in the agricultural industry. Lilla married Forrest “Woodie” Bell in 1960, and they had three sons—Dean, John, and Dan—whom she loved deeply. She is also survived by her sister Patricia Hunter Gregory ’64 and nieces Diana Horner ’91 and Lilla Spivak ’99

Leadership Team

Nanci KauffmanHA Head of School

Kathy Layendecker Associate Head for Finance and Operations

Josée Band Dean of Curriculum and Innovation

Lorraine Brown Director of Communications and Community Relations

Anne CameronHA Head of Middle School

Christina GwinHA Dean of Faculty

Stacey Kertsman Dean of Equity Education and Social Impact

Sue KimHA Director of Advancement

Jill LeeHA Director of Admission, Tuition Assistance, and Summer Programming

Erik Carlson Interim Head of Upper School

This issue was written and produced by Emily McElhinney and Elke Teichmann ’09 under the direction of Lorraine Brown, with contributions by Tanya Campbell, Sue KimHA, Lauren Heysse, and Saloni Kalkat ’13, photography by Elke Teichmann ’09, and graphic design by Kris Loew P’18, P’20.

Many thanks to Castilleja alumnae for their updates and photos. Special thanks to Kaanji Irby ’91 and Shira Lipton ’97 for sharing their stories with us — and to B.J. Lockhart Cowie ’54, Nazhin Zarghamee and Kourosh Gharachorloo P’23, and Sher Amos-Grosser and Adam Grosser P’22 for expressing their support for Reimagining the Circle. Thank you to Kristin Bell ’95, Margarita Ibarra ’15, Anne Kelly Mellenthin ’80, Shanti Perkins ’90, Orlena Fong Shek ’95, Jane McConnell ’81HA, Joanna Busza ’90, and Dr. Naima Bridges ’02 for joining our alumnae panels. Thanks also to Megan Jones Bell ’00 for sharing the Headspace app and to the Arrillaga Family Foundation for sponsoring speaker Dr. Joy DeGruy. The Communication and Advancement Teams greatly appreciate the faculty, staff, and students who contributed to the stories and artwork throughout the magazine.

Board of Trustees

Mary Speiser, Chair

Jim Bean

Steve Dowling

Venky Ganesan

John Giannandrea

Cindy Goldberg

Lori Goler

Theresia Gouw

Odette Harris

Saima Hasan ’04

Ken Hirsch

Heidi Hopper

Nanci KauffmanHA

Nayna Kaushek

David Ko

Hala Kurdi Cozadd ’92

Aileen Lee

Shanti Perkins ’90

Anjali Pichai

Amy Rao

Alyssa Rieder

Mia Rocha

Sarah Sands

David Scott

Eric Temple

Eugenie Van Wynen

Elizabeth Yin ’00

Zac Zeitlin

Alumnae Association Executive Committee

Hala Kurdi Cozadd ’92, President

Liz Babb ’82

Kristin Bell ’95

Jordan Fowler Bull ’13

Liz Rowen Fritz ’01

Emily Hobbs ’09

Sydney Larson ’03

Kelly McKenna ’07

Bridget Meaney ’10

Sylvia Rodriguez ’08

Orlena Fong Shek ’95

Debbie Widrow Sklarin ’81

Marian Washington Williams ’94

Hands and Ribbons by Talia Bodner ’22

CASTILLEJA SCHOOL MAGAZINE

Castilleja School Foundation

1310 Bryant Street Palo Alto, CA 94301

castilleja.org

Castilleja Ringing Tradition Continues