CATE Fall 2020
BULLETIN
2019–2020 Report
on Philanthropy
The Way Forward
Cate freshmen enjoy the newly renovated Sunset Bench landscape during the first week of in-person classes.
CATE B U L L E T I N EDITOR Avani Patel Shah CONTENT LEAD Matt McClenathen GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Schessa Garbutt Mya Cubero PHOTOGRAPHER Aimee Stanchina ARCHIVIST Judy Savage HEAD OF SCHOOL Benjamin D. Williams IV ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Charlotte Brownlee '85 COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE Avani Patel Shah Matt McClenathen Aimee Stanchina ADVANCEMENT OFFICE Lindsay Newlove Evan Akers Katie Convoy Chris Giles Guille Gil-Reynoso Laura Jespersen Andrew MacDonnell Sarah Preston Elana Stone Tiarzha Taylor MISSION STATEMENT
Through commitment, scholarship, companionship, and service, each member of the Cate community contributes to what our founder called “... the spirit of this place ... all compounded of beauty and virtue, quiet study, vigorous play, and hard work.” FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
CATE SCHOOL
@CATE_SCHOOL @CATESCHOOL
The Cate Bulletin is published three times a year by Cate School and is distributed free of charge to alumni, parents, and friends of the School. Send correspondence and address changes to: communications@cate.org The Cate Bulletin is printed by V3 on Topkote paper.
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In this
Issue 4
HEAD OF SCHOOL’S LETTER
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ON THE MESA
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REPORT ON PHILANTHROPY
Features 26
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INCLUSIVE TEACHING AT CATE: LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING AHEAD Library Director Kate Parker '85 takes a look at curriculum changes at Cate over the past decade as well as inclusive teaching strategies inside the classroom. HOW WE GOT HERE Director of Inclusion Dr. Stephanie Yeung details the evolution of diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at Cate and how the School is cultivating a sense of belonging for all.
SERVONS: CATE ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 Leslie Turnbull '85 profiles Cate alumni who have been instrumental in the battle against COVID-19.
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In Every Issue 112
CLASS NOTES
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IN MEMORIAM
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
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From the Head of School
The Way Forward But our inquiry at Cate is focused in the best ways—on the manner we celebrate our common humanity, on equity and freedom, on democracy and hope. These are productive seeds of later knowing left by the blaze, the kind we wish fire was not needed to germinate, but sometimes is. We can’t always choose the manner of our growth or the catalysts, either as individuals or as a school.
Our community summer reads are a premonition. Two years ago we read Station 11, which is about a worldwide pandemic. Then came COVID-19. Education took on a whole new form and meaning this summer in Where the Crawdads Sing. Then, we prepared for a school year like no other on our Mesa. Even our first community read, The Big Burn, about the unprecedented fires of 1910, proved to be a harbinger for what was to come. They burn still. But the conflagration this time is not simply in our forests and landscapes. It’s a cultural phenomenon, too, political, and societal. The fires of justice and injustice are burning, and the ensuing questions are coming at breakneck speed. We cannot answer them all. Not yet, anyway. So much remains to be understood and learned and acted upon.
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It is no accident that the inquiry question we chose this year goes to the character of education itself. Perhaps we knew somehow that teaching and learning would become for a time a digital expression, that the incidental interactions and engagements that allow us to apply our learning each day would give way to relative isolation, our only portal to our school and our friends a flickering computer screen. Sometimes we have to lose a thing to understand its value. We lost each other for a time—our proximity, our ability to interact, our chance to teach and learn in the manner to which we have become accustomed—and then this summer and with our alumni feedback vehicles we gained an understanding of how we can better support each individual journey. Hard lessons are not easily learned. And we felt the heat from those who would see us continue to grow and improve. But fire is also fertilizer. In its warmth new growth finds purchase, the ground gains key nutrients, what was gives way to what will be. This Bulletin is the story of that very education at Cate. It
is offered humbly, for humility is the cornerstone of unselfish learning, but with resolve and purpose. The Report on Philanthropy contained in the following pages is overflowing with commitment, the foundation of our identity at Cate and arguably our most important founding principle. It is the very force that inspires community investment and informs great teaching. It is what distinguishes each Cate student and propels them toward their dreams. And it is the virtue that compels us as a community to respond to opportunities to improve with vision and conviction and hope. James Baldwin wrote more than half a century ago, “Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” The flames of learning continue to burn bright here on the Mesa in this remarkable time of growth, lighting an education that never ends. Servons,
Benjamin D. Williams IV
Head of School Ben Williams welcomes students back to the Mesa during day student orientation in October. CAT E BULLET IN / S F ALL PRI NG 2018 2019
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A True Sense of Belonging Updates from Cate’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts from the Summer
9th grade students spread out across Kirby Quad during a meet-and-greet to start the new school year.
By Matt McClenathen
Commitment. One-quarter of Cate’s mission statement is more meaningful now than ever before as the School dedicates itself to becoming a more inclusive and anti-racist community. Dr. Stephanie Yeung, Cate’s Director of Inclusion, began laying the foundation for this significant work in 2018 – with many faculty and students working diligently behind the scenes – all in an effort to create a true sense of belonging on the Mesa and beyond. This May, civil unrest in response to the murder of George Floyd began around the country, heightening racial tensions while calling for educational institutions, corporations, and leaders around the world to respond. Cate’s administrative and departmental leadership engaged in a genuine discussion about racial injustice, and how the School could, and must do better. “With our institutional leaders aligned, our commitment was clear, and we knew we needed to do something,” Yeung said. “Whatever action we took, it needed to be thoughtful and authentic.” 6
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Ben Williams Set Me Up By Nisha Vasan '06
Aida Pouye '21 and other Cate students participated in the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Carpinteria in early June. Photo courtesy of Debra Herrick, Coastal View News
In a letter from Head of School Ben Williams on June 2, Cate made a number of community commitments – many of which have already been implemented. In order to continue facilitating conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion with the entire community, affinity group meetings will be held each trimester. The first faculty affinity spaces were held this summer, and as part of the commitment to augment Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) training for staff, Cate has planned a series of six conversations over the course of the year, focusing on four topics: cultural competence, identity, systems and structures, and racial healing (for people of color only). In support of mental health, a series of community support circles will be offered, covering various relevant topics. The first support series was held on Racial Injustice in September, led by Director of Counseling Dean'a Curry, Dean of Students Bryan Rodriguez, and Dr. Yeung. One constant throughout the summer was feedback from alumni – in various mediums from petitions and letters to social media. “I think it’s really important that we had so many productive conversations with alumni,” Yeung said. “They wouldn’t be trying to help us get better if they didn’t care about Cate and I think that came through loud and clear. Everyone has high expectations and we are all trying to help us get there.” As an extension of the data and surveying practices Yeung implemented in 2018, and as one of the School’s
Fifteen years ago, I was a bright-eyed senior simultaneously anxious about my future and relishing my final year on the Mesa. Sunkissed and filled with the fragrant scent of eucalyptus after returning to Cate from a conference empowering and supporting womxn in boarding schools, I walked into Mr. Williams’ office with one simple request: that he change his title from Headmaster to Head of School. Amongst many powerful workshops, I was moved by the stories of black womxn who attended elite schools only to learn their leader was a “master” or “mistress.” Educated though we may be, the traditions of boarding school had seemingly failed to consider the impact of words on all communities. I stood in allyship with those before me in deconstructing this systemic language choice. I shared forward the stories of students across the nation, proffering that Cate was, obviously, better than every other school and was therefore obligated to show our progress from heteronormative, culturalnormative, and exclusive job roles. Ben recounted his own stories as the son of a Headmaster, the nostalgia and childhood dreams twinkling warmly in his eyes. He cherished the term that honored his father and advised me that determinations of the Headmaster’s role fell firmly within the purview of the Board of Trustees. Fast forward two months and I stood before the Board with the very same request. Although Ben revered his title, he supported, encouraged, and even scheduled my presentation to the Board seeking this small but powerful shift in mindset. I came prepared with statistical data of school leader titles across the country and a letter from Cate’s most recent search, through which Ben was hired, which identified the need for a “Head of School.” I shared internal and external responses to the change at peer schools as a result of hundreds of interviews I conducted myself. I was armed with a heartfelt rationalization—that even Thacher had made the shift—in the hopes that our Trustees cared as much about squashing ‘dem Toads as I did. Two subsequent visits in front of the Board and a decision was rendered: the title on external-facing communications may be Head of School and the incumbent leader may choose his (or her or their) own title, in this case Headmaster, at his discretion. Ben set me up for a world in which all leaders, managers, and bosses are equally thoughtful, skilled, and committed to their community—a shared perspective on our idyllic Mesa that does not always translate to the working world. As a leader myself now, I strive to treat everyone with the same respect and opportunities that Ben did and encourage their views, ideas, and passion projects. And as Ben changes his title to Head of School this year, I thank him for his advocation many sunsets ago. Still supportive as ever, he even let me title this vignette as is. May we all have leaders who set us up for success. A special thank you to all who helped in preparing for and presenting this policy change then—and who, unwittingly, shaped my career in policy and equity now. After Cate, Nisha graduated from Emory University and UConn School of Law. She spent five years at The Walt Disney Company before taking a risk to right the course at WeWork. 7
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"Part of the reason I am optimistic about doing Inclusion work at such a difficult moment in time,” said Yeung, “is that although our community has plenty of room to grow, given the work and the planning I’ve seen happen on a daily basis, I believe we’re well prepared to continue making the progress we need to genuinely expand the number of people who can truly experience ‘the spirit of this place."
commitments from the summer, Cate conducted its Alumni Experience Survey. This was done in an effort to facilitate greater transparency, communication, and accountability, and better understand the experiences of alumni during their time on the Mesa. Once the responses were analyzed, the overwhelming conclusion demonstrated that the experiences of students of color are fundamentally different from those of white students at Cate. The survey data details these differences and points to clear areas for improvement with regards to curriculum, discipline process, bias incident reporting, and faculty and student training. These findings were discussed in more detail with over 100 alumni in a town hall held in October, hosted by Williams, Yeung, and Alumni Leadership Council President Lauren Craig Albrecht '89. Another critical element of Cate’s DEI work this summer was collaboration with students on the issue of bias incident reporting. Yeung and Erin Hansen, the Director of Student Life, worked closely with Student Body President Peter Coors '21, Vice President
Asa Sam '21, and Inclusion Representative Jasmine Ross '21 to find out what students need most.
Peter Coors '21, Student Body President
“What became really clear, was that there needs to be greater transparency,” Yeung said. “Students understand the privacy issues, but they want to know that things are happening. Those conversations really informed some of the work Erin [Hansen] was already doing on clarifying our bias reporting protocols.” With all of the efforts to create a more inclusive community at Cate, Yeung has high hopes for the future. “Part of the reason I am optimistic about doing Inclusion work at such a difficult moment in time,” said Yeung, “is that although our community has plenty of room to grow, given the work and the planning I’ve seen happen on a daily basis, I believe we’re well prepared to continue making the progress we need to genuinely expand the number of people who can truly experience ‘the spirit of this place.’”
Asa Sam '21, Student Body Vice President
Jasmine Ross '21, Senior Class Inclusion Representative
Community Commitments
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In a letter from Head of School Ben Williams on June 2, Cate made a number of community commitments – many of which have already been implemented.
We will be holding a series of Zoom calls by affinity groups, facilitated by faculty and student leaders, to further process this moment in time and to discuss what is needed from Cate.
We will augment the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) training for the entire adult community and build our capacity to support each other in the important work of making Cate a place where everyone feels a personal sense of belonging.
We will be augmenting our reading for faculty, including Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility, as well as How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo.
We will review our own disciplinary processes and outcomes for evidence of the very biases we see in our country and take steps to remedy them.
We will enable affinity spaces for all students with the start of the fall trimester.
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Students in Joy Doyle's class practice sketching still life in their outdoor studio space. 9
ON THE MESA
Following a long summer away from Cate, students reunite while remaining physically distanced in the School’s new Adirondack chairs.
The Return to Campus Plan Cate faculty collaborate over the summer to ensure a safe opening of school By Matt McClenathen
September 24 marked the return of students to campus for the first time since February—a much-anticipated milestone following seven long months of unsettling silence that filled the Schoolhouse halls. While the Mesa may have been quiet, it did not rest. Countless faculty and staff worked tirelessly throughout the summer to prepare for the opening of school, and that eventual September day. From the Buildings and Grounds crew transforming the landscape through renovation projects, the kitchen staff supplying take-out meals for the community, to all of the faculty 10
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who participated in committees and workgroups to ensure the adherence to county guidelines and the overall health and safety of everyone at Cate.
began meeting in early March, often three times a week, to discuss protocols and strategies amid the ever-changing climate.
“It really is a testament to the devotion of the faculty,” said Assistant Head of School Jay Dorion. “It’s a testament to their brilliance and skill set. The need for all of this work has catalyzed the faculty and given an opportunity for people who aren’t always in the spotlight to shine and do work that has made this transition possible.”
The Crisis committee helped shape the path for the School and led to the creation of eight faculty workgroups in May, charged with a variety of tasks, essentially all to answer the question, “How do we bring students back to campus safely?”
The COVID Crisis committee, led by Dorion and administrative leadership,
More than 100 faculty members participated in committees covering topics that included: The Community of School, Virtual Programming,
Schedule, Outdoor Spaces, Residential Life, Health and Safety, Opening of School, and Zoom to Room. Following a period of dedicated meetings, sub-committees, Zoom breakout rooms, and every other means of collaboration, each group submitted a final report of their recommendations in June. When all was said and done, the combined report neared 200 pages in length and informed many of the decisions outlined in Cate’s Return to Campus Plan. Many committees continued this work throughout the summer, some out of necessity, and many out of pure dedication. The Health and Safety group, chaired by Pete Mack, Assistant Head of School for Students, has been critical to Cate’s efforts, working closely with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department on everything from testing
protocols to protective measures. Cate’s medical staff, led by Director of Health Services Natalie Jackel, Medical Director Dr. Bob Gayou, and Head Athletic Trainer Shannon Drew, are among many who have played instrumental roles throughout the process. The Health and Safety group is also responsible for producing two addendums to the faculty handbook, and the student and parent handbook, which have served as guidelines for the entire community.
Mesa, the work has only continued. Director of Instrumental Music John Knecht, Science Instructor Troy Shapiro, and Modern Languages Instructor Ben Swain created Quarantine TV, a selection of optional, drop-in virtual activities that kept students and faculty engaged during the initial quarantine period on campus. QTV, along with the opportunity to sign-up for outdoor activities, made a world of difference in keeping student morale high.
The Virtual Programming committee, spearheaded by Science Instructor Joshua Caditz and Math Department Chair Annalee Salcedo, created a boot camp for teachers to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in teaching online. This program helped to give faculty clear guidelines on instruction in a virtual setting, along with a more nuanced way of teaching.
“Ben [Williams] has talked a lot over the last couple years about keeping the work, and the ideation of what we’re doing, as a committee of the whole,” said Dorion. “It’s not just the administration that makes decisions, but it is our collective work as a community. I think, by and large, that has worked remarkably well, and this summer is a great example.”
Even when students arrived on the
Tori Trimble '22 and younger brother John '24 are joined by their parents, Mark and Wendy '87, for a family photo during '25 House new student move-in day.
Ali Istanbullu '22 is all smiles while taking a break from wearing her mask during lunch on the Emmett Patio. 11
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Faculty Summer Read: White Fragility By Stephanie M. Yeung, Ph.D.
In early summer, well before local police officers would encounter a gentleman named George Floyd, this nation already seemed to be in a state of mourning. Mourning for the lives lost to COVID-19, for lost jobs, and even the loss of routine. To say many were feeling fragile, would be an understatement. Into this fraught lineup came the quotidian events that abruptly ended yet another Black man’s life, and erupted in a groundswell of emotions and responses too complex and overwhelming to contain. Given the weight of these experiences, surely there were some who wondered why Cate asked all faculty and staff to read Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility. During such polarized times, why would the School highlight one group rather than pulling everyone together? For those who had been actively engaged in racial justice work, assigning a book perhaps appeared only tangentially related to real world events and fell short of the direct
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engagement for which they may have hoped. This range of perspectives is characteristic of the faculty and staff at Cate, and such disparate perspectives on the death of George Floyd and the circumstances which allowed such an eventuality, are grounded in equally diverse understandings of racism, inequity, and bias. Accordingly, it has been challenging to talk honestly about the need for progress around racial equity within our own community without defensiveness, hurt feelings, and frustration. Much of the difficulty in conversations about race is rooted in the presumed questioning of intention, and thus one’s character. Assigning the book, however, was
“
Specifically, the book was a key first step in establishing a common language for antiracism work in our community - DiAngelo’s work has helped us begin developing a shared understanding of what racism is and is not, and of how the individual connects with the systemic.
” not an interrogation of intent. We trust the intentions of this community implicitly. Still, if the story of Cate is but the arc of this nation “boiled down to a drop,” as Zora Neale Hurston once wrote, then we know that utopian aspirations often yield imperfect realities. This is as true of Cate as it is of this nation. Despite the pointed character of its title, the assignment of White Fragility was designed to be an act of care, support, and respect. Specifically, the book was a key first step in establishing a common language for antiracism work in our community DiAngelo’s work has helped us begin developing a shared understanding of what racism is and is not, and of how the individual connects with the systemic. Redefining racism was an important step because, as DiAngelo has argued, “the way we are taught to define racism makes it virtually impossible for White people to understand it” (4). Here, too, DiAngelo makes clear that this is important because how we have historically worked against racism has not been effective at changing inequitable outcomes. As Cate deepens its antiracism work, White Fragility has been a tool to
ensure we are approaching our work comprehensively. As poet Claudia Rankine has asserted, talking about Whiteness directly is essential to making progress. If we do not, she notes “It [is] like we [are] having a conversation, but only half of the people involved [are] in the room. [Without this], you had White people saying they wanted to talk about race but they only talked about people of color or Blackness. They didn’t understand Whiteness as its own construction leading to the treatment of Black people or people of color.” During our opening of school discussions of the book, DiAngelo’s text was also connected to Bobbi Harro’s concept of the Cycle of Socialization which visualizes the connection between individual beliefs, behaviors, and actions and a social system that works to maintain the status quo and will thus maintain inequity without active intervention. Beyond shifting out mental frameworks, the book was also useful in highlighting certain counterproductive behaviors that are present in our community without asking faculty and students of color to do the labor of pointing them out. Over the past several years we have
received data about the ways in which our community produces inequitable experiences for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) students; DiAngelo’s book helps clarify the subtle ways in which these inequities are sustained. It is impossible to talk about what’s happening if there is no clear understanding of what is meant when outcomes, policies and actions are identified as racist, biased, or inequitable. Likewise, we won’t work to make change if we don’t believe that change is possible—and DiAngelo argues convincingly that fragility is not a permanent state. The better we can name and discuss the ways in which inequity persists in our own community, the better equipped we will be to make the Mesa more inclusive and more equitable for everyone.
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English and Humanities instructor and novelist Brooks Hansen breaks down story narrative to freshmen in 2019.
How Did You Learn That? Over the summer, the entire Cate community read Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing and the many lessons gleaned from the novel were widely discussed in the classroom. The following is an inside look into Brooks Hansen’s freshman humanities course from the first week of school. The sample lesson plan and assignments reflect the teaching style at Cate, as well as the desired writing outcome for new students.
Prompt #1: Show and Tell Activity Our Inquiry Question for the year is “What is education?” Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing is, among other things, a book about education. Abandoned as a child by the rest of her family, Kya Clark must design her own learning journey, relying on a tattered string of grudging guardians, voluntary tutors, mystery benefactors, and her own self. Many of the things Kya learns, she is specifically taught by others. Tate Walker teaches her to read, for instance, and very late; she is fourteen. Before that, her father teaches her to fish: “Git in” was all he said as invitation. She started to express glee or gratitude, but his blank expression kept her quiet, as she stepped to the bow and sat on the metal seat facing forward. He pull-cranked and they headed up the channel, ducking the overgrowth as they cruised up and down the waterways, Kya memorizing broken trees and old stump signposts. He eased the motor down in a backwater and motioned for her to sit on the center seat. “Go on now, scratch some worms from the can,” he said, a hand-rolled cigarette hanging at the corner of his mouth. He taught her to snag the bait, to cast and reel. It seemed he contorted his body in odd postures to avoid brushing against her. They only talked fishing, never ventured to other subjects, neither smiled often, but on common ground they were steady. He drank some likker but then got busy and didn’t drink more. At late day, the sun sighed, fading to the color of butter, and they may not have noticed, but their own shoulders finally rounded and their necks slacked. Secretly Kya hoped not to catch a fish, but she felt a tug, jerked her line, and raised a thick bream, flashing silver and blue. Pa leaned out and snatched it in the net, then sat back, slapping his knee and yahooing like she’d never seen. She grinned wide and they looked into each other’s eyes, closing a circuit. (Owens 55)
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Other things, Kya teaches herself. She is, for instance, a self-taught artist and poet, and also an amateur zoologist and taxonomist. Not long after her father leaves, an unseen mentor angel leaves Kya the tailfeather of a tropicbird that she adds to her own growing collection of shells and insects. Since she couldn’t read Ma’s old guidebook, she didn’t know the names for most of the birds or insects, so she made up her own. And even though she couldn’t write, Kya had found a way to label her specimens. Her talent had matured and now she could draw, paint, and sketch anything. Using chalks or watercolors from the Five and Dime, she sketched the birds, insects, or shells on grocery bags and attached them to her samples. That night she splurged and lit two candles and set them in saucers on the kitchen table so she could see all the colors of the white; so she could paint the tropicbird feather. (Owens 89)
Both of these passages are worth examining for what they tell us about education, and what they tell us about Kya’s character. Upon reading the two passages, students divided into two groups. One was assigned the ‘fishing’ passage, and the other, the ‘feather’ passage. Each group then went back, annotating all of the instances where Owens is telling, and all the instances where she is showing. Once students identified where she is showing, they were then asked to identify ‘what is she showing?’ After 10 minutes, the two groups reconvened and shared their findings.
Prompt #2 The second writing assignment based off the novel asked students to think about their own education, but not from schooling. Leaving aside the academics, students were asked to focus on their education from the following two perspectives presented by Owens: • •
Those things (by which we mean skills, tricks, practices, customs) that you have been specifically taught by some mentor, guide, coach, or know-it-all, etc. Those things (skills, tricks, practices, customs) that you feel like you taught yourself.
With the prompt, “How I Learned to _______” students were to share their experience of one of those lessons. Whether taught or self-taught, the class was asked to provide the reader with a sense of circumstance under which this education took place. More importantly, students were asked to take the reader to the moment of the lesson, whether they were alone or with someone. The objective and the beauty of narrative writing is its capacity to capture lived experience, and the best way to do that is to take your reader directly to the scene. By employing concrete, sensory details that were discussed previously in class – nouns and adjectives from the low rungs of the Ladder of Abstraction – students were able to bring the reader to that moment.
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New Faces on the Mesa Evan Akers
ADVANCEMENT
Evan joined the Cate Advancement team as the Database Coordinator in 2019, with a background supporting education, advocacy, and leadership development for youth. He recently moved back to Ventura County after several years in Washington state, where he earned his bachelor’s degree from The Evergreen State College and served a year with AmeriCorps teaching robotics to elementary and middle students in Tacoma, Wash. Prior to working at Cate, he was the executive assistant to the CEO at Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership, a non-profit organization that specializes in leadership programs for high school youth. Evan and his partner currently live in Ventura with their two cats.
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Maude Y. Bond COLLEGE
COUNSELING
Maude Y. Bond joins the Cate community as the Director of College Counseling. Born in rural West Tennessee, she studied African-American literature, theatre, and writing at Sarah Lawrence College and spent her junior year in Madrid, Spain gaining fluency in Spanish. Maude served in AmeriCorps where she worked with refugee children from Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East and continued her work with students from underserved communities at New York University’s Gallatin School. Maude also led the multicultural recruitment team at Columbia University’s Office of Admission before joining the College Counseling office at The United Nations International School. She comes to Cate from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles where she spent four years as an upper school dean. Maude lives on the Mesa with her husband, Richard McDonald, and she is an avid reader; she also enjoys writing poetry, plays, and children’s fiction.
Guille Gil-Reynoso ADVANCEMENT
Guille joins Cate School as the Advancement and Communications Manager and is responsible for prospect and foundation research, communications, and program management of Cate’s key stewardship programs. Guille previously worked at Santa Barbara Foundation where she managed multiple grant programs. She graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture and is an alumna of the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) Executive Leadership Program, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Education Program, and the Center for Creative Leadership. Guille is an advocate of women’s issues and co-founded the Santa Barbara Latina Leaders Network (SBLLN), Santa Barbara Latino Giving Circle, and is currently a board member for Crane Country Day School. Guille was born in Zacatecas, Mexico and lives in Santa Barbara with her husband and daughter.
Micaela McCall MUSIC ARTS
Micaela McCall joins the Arts department at Cate as a vocal instructor. A piano and vocal instructor at Detar Music Studios in Santa Barbara, directing the choirs at Cate is a natural development for her, and she is looking forward to working with students. Micaela recently graduated from The Great Books Program at Thomas Aquinas College where she completed a bachelor’s degree in theology and philosophy, and directed the student-led Chamber Choir as a senior. In high school, Micaela was the lead soloist in Forte A Cappella, which gained recognition in the a cappella world for their original CD “Life’s So Lyrical.” Micaela has high hopes for the budding a cappella group at Cate, Last Call, and is looking forward to being involved in the a cappella world again.
Parker Lawlor
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Parker Lawlor has joined the Cate community as a computer science instructor, lacrosse and soccer coach, and dorm resident. Prior to arriving at Cate, Parker taught computer science at Deerfield Academy, where he also coached lacrosse and soccer. While at Deerfield, he received his master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania. Much of his focus as a teacher is centered around how to cultivate a team environment and a community of learners in his classroom. Growing up in San Diego, Parker is thrilled to be back in California. He left California to attend Middlebury College in Vermont, where he majored in computer science and geography and played lacrosse. He enjoys anything and everything outside, particularly surfing, mountain biking, and hiking.
Matt McClenathen COMMUNICATIONS
Matt McClenathen joins the Cate community as the Communications and Publications Specialist. In his role, he serves as the content lead for the Bulletin, and composes the bi-weekly CommuniCATE newsletter among other responsibilities. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Matt comes to Cate following six years of communication experience between California Lutheran University and UC Santa Barbara, where he oversaw media relations for the intercollegiate athletics department. Matt graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in communication and recently completed his master’s in business administration from Cal Lutheran. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife, Katie, and dog, Dodger, and enjoys spending time at the lake, camping, traveling, and playing basketball.
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New Faces on the Mesa Richard McDonald THEATER ARTS
Richard McDonald joins Cate as the Assistant Theater Director and Manager. After graduating from UC Davis in Economics, Richard decided to pursue acting and earned a conservatory degree from Stella Adler Studio in New York City. Richard went on to earn an MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College where he also taught as a graduate fellow in the Performing Arts department. Richard is a multihyphenated performance artist who has written and directed short films which have been featured at The National Black Film Festival and the Culver City Film Festival where he took home the Social Impact Award in 2018. Richard lives on the Mesa with his wife Maude Bond and together they enjoy traveling, dancing, listening to music, playing Spades, hosting game nights, and making each other laugh.
Hannah Solis-Cohen HISTORY
Hannah SolisCohen joins the Cate community as a history teacher. Born and raised in New York City, Hannah attended boarding school at Northfield Mount Hermon in Western Massachusetts. Hannah studied history at the University of Virginia, where she was also a four-year scholarship member of the Varsity Rowing Team and won the NCAAs in 2015 in the 4+. She earned a master's degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania after completing the Independent School Teaching Residency Program while at Hopkins School in New Haven, Conn. During her tenure Hopkins, Hannah taught history with a focus on exploring the role of firstperson narratives in secondary history education as part of her graduate work. Hannah lives in Long House and you can often find her in the great outdoors. 18
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Avani Patel Shah
COMMUNICATIONS
Avani Patel Shah is an award-winning communications and marketing professional who specializes in independent schools and joined Cate as the Director of Marketing & Communications in March. Prior to Cate, she served on communications teams at The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles, Columbus School for Girls in Columbus, Ohio, and Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, N.C. A dedicated storyteller, Avani leverages technology and language to share the narratives of the people who make up the institutions she serves. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Avani considers Raleigh, N.C. home. Avani lives on the Mesa with her husband, Hersh, and their dog Echo. She enjoys reading, playing board games with friends, and traveling.
Ge Song MODERN
LANGUAGE
Ge Song teaches Mandarin at all levels at Cate. She was born and raised in Northeast China and attended Chinese boarding school. She went on to study Chinese Language and Literature in college and earned a master’s degree in teaching Chinese to non-native speakers at Beijing Normal University. Ge began her journey teaching Mandarin in Thailand before moving on to the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut where she fell in love with boarding school life. She then went back to China to teach at Dulwich College, Shanghai Pudong before returning to Connecticut, this time to teach at Loomis Chaffee School. She lives in Parsonage on the Mesa with her husband and their dog, Maple. She loves learning about people’s culture, cooking, and going to the beach.
Window Portraits, Emily Allison '23, 19x13", Intro Photography with Monica Furmanski Window Portraits, Stella Meister ’23, 19x13", Intro Photography with Monica Furmanski
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Buba Fofanah '20—Boys Soccer
Athletics Update What was sure to be a successful 2020 spring and fall campaign on the Mesa was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section made the decision to postpone all sports competition until December. Fall sports will now be played during the winter months— December through early March, while winter and spring seasons will run concurrently from late February until early May. It will certainly make for a busy six months, but the thought of sports returning in any capacity is a welcome one. In the meantime, this fall, Cate hosted a variety of physically distanced activities in the afternoon sports block. Supervised activities included walking, hiking, swimming, and biking, while students were still able to receive coaching and instruction in sport specific practices. A strength and conditioning program also allowed for students to return to a base level of fitness for when the interscholastic season is set to begin. 20
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New Look in Sprague Gym Since the opening of the Sprague Gymnasium, the basketball and volleyball teams have competed on the same floor for over 20 years with hundreds of wins compiled and multiple league championships celebrated during that span. And like so many others, structures wear down and must be replaced over time. This past March, that time came for the gym floor as we took three weeks — right before and during spring break — to sand down the floor, stain, and finish it, all in hopes of the boys volleyball team being able to christen it upon their return. Seven months later the floor still shines untouched by volleyball or basketball sneakers, or any shoes for that matter, with high hopes that soon that beautiful floor — with the Cate shield at midcourt — will once again play host to exciting competition and more memorable league championships.
Cate Athletic Highlights 2019-20* League Champions
First Team All-League
Girls Tennis (Tri-Valley League) Girls Volleyball (Tri-Valley League) Boys Soccer (Tri-Valley League) Girls Basketball (Tri-Valley League) Squash—Southern California Squash Champions
Meena Baher '22—Girls Cross Country Anna DiSorbo '22—Girls Cross Country Tesfa Asmara '20—Boys Cross Country Carol Cai '20/Grace Fuss '20—Girls Tennis Most Valuable Players (Doubles) Ashi Kamra '22—Girls Tennis Fritze Mayer '21—Girls Tennis Grace Blankenhorn '20—Girls Volleyball Most Valuable Player Maya Blattberg '20—Girls Volleyball Grace Johnson '21—Girls Volleyball Peter Bulkley Armas '20—Boys Water Polo Ethan Ng '20—Boys Basketball Khadim Pouye '20—Boys Basketball Nkemka Chukwumerije '21—Boys Basketball Maya Blattberg '20—Girls Basketball Most Valuable Player Meena Baher '22—Girls Basketball Lily Zanze '21—Girls Basketball Buba Fofanah '20—Boys Soccer Offensive Most Valuable Player Parker Bowlin '20—Boys Soccer Harry Corman '20—Boys Soccer Daniel Boateng '22—Boys Soccer Kobby Nimako '22—Boys Soccer Neema Mugofwa '20—Girls Soccer Taylor Kane '21—Girls Soccer Lilly Riehl '21 —Girls Soccer
Postseason Qualifiers Football CIF-SS Division I 8-Man (Quarterfinals) Girls Tennis CIF-SS Division I (First Round) Girls Volleyball CIF-SS Division 6 (Quarterfinals) Boys Cross Country CIF-SS Division 5 CIF State Qualifier Girls Cross Country CIF-SS Division 5 CIF State Qualifier Boys Soccer CIF-SS Division 6 (Second Round) Girls Soccer CIF-SS Division 6 (Wild Card) Boys Basketball CIF-SS Division 4A (First Round) Girls Basketball CIF-SS Division 4A (Quarterfinals)
Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Awards Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year—Anna Disorbo '22 Girls Tennis Athletes of the Year— Carol Cai '20 and Grace Fuss '20
All-CIF Recognition Scott Holmes '20—Football Will Deardorff '21—Football Mason Oetgen '22—Football Callum Casey '20—Football (Honorable Mention) Will Anderson '20—Football (Honorable Mention) Will Bouma '22—Football (Honorable Mention) Grace Blankenhorn '20— Girls Volleyball Anna DiSorbo '22— Girls Cross Country Meena Baher '22—Girls Basketball Buba Fofanah '20—Boys Soccer * Fall and Winter seasons only
Grace Fuss '20–Girls Tennis
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ON THE MESA
The dining room includes two fireplaces that are 13 feet wide and 19 feet tall. One mantle displays Cate’s mission statement, while the other displays a quote from Head of School Ben Williams during his 2013 Commencement address.
The Living Room of the Mesa Otis Booth Dining Commons & Student Center Highlights The Otis Booth Dining Commons and Student Center (referred to as “Booth Commons”) is Cate School’s most recently completed capital addition designed to elevate the gathering and dining experience for all who live, work, and visit the Mesa. This three-story, state-of-the-art building includes a spacious new kitchen, a dining room with two large fireplaces and seating areas at both ends, outdoor patio seating, a student recreation area, conference rooms, the Blue Ewe student store, a recording studio and theatre workshop, daily mail and package delivery, second floor deck and fire pit, entry courtyard, and more. The Cate Construction Task Force – comprised of trustees, parents, and faculty – spent countless hours working with Gensler architect Li Wen '78 and contractors Hartigan/Foley on all aspects of the design. 22
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Vaulted ceiling with exposed cypress wood between structural glulam beams and maple wood window frames provide structure and aesthetic elements.
CATE CONSTRUCTION TASK FORCE Dan Emmett '99
Sandi Pierce
Casey McCann '97
Charlotte Brownlee '85
Marianne Sprague
Hallie Greene
Ben Williams
Kristen Klingbeil-Weis
Wyatt Gruber '93
Larry Clark
Monique Parsons '84
Patricia MacFarlane
“We wanted to have the different spaces talk to each other. It’s set up so we can have students sitting out on the patio and we can have music playing outside the Wiegand Center. Our hope is that the entire courtyard becomes an active area of student life.” —Charlotte Brownlee '85
The 27,000 square-foot building will accommodate more than 400 students, faculty, staff, and visitors every day.
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The E. L. Wiegand Performing Arts Center, directly across from Booth Commons, has been renovated to include a dance studio and classroom for performing arts, movement, yoga, and wellness needs for Cate students. A skylight was added in the dance studio to bring in natural light. Custom flooring, windows, sound and equipment fully outfits the new Arts Center.
Booth Commons incorporates a state-of-the-art Jackson Ballard '15 Recording Studio and technical theater workshop for set building and design.
New mailboxes were added while keeping the same look and feel as the original mailboxes at Cate.
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A donor wall is located to the right of the main entrance in the student art gallery, between the kitchen and dining room. The donor wall includes the names of initial donors to the project engraved on plaques crafted from avocado wood harvested from local Carpinteria farms.
ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Hartigan/Foley, a company known for excellence in innovation construction and green building practices, has led every construction project at Cate since the 1990s.
An advanced water reclamation system processes approximately 5,000 gallons per week of filtration water from the management of our campus swimming pools and 2,100 gallons of condensate is collected per week.
Since 2008, Cate has achieved green building certification through LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) on all construction projects.
Booth Commons holds a time capsule for future generations to uncover, including a chair from Raymond Commons dining room, a 2020 yearbook, local newspapers, and a box of student notes.
SageGlass, a leading electronically tintable glass, was used in the dining room, student lounge, post office, and bookstore exterior doors and windows to reduce energy consumption.
An Amazon Hub adjacent to Booth Commons provides daily delivery and convenient pick up services for students and faculty. 25
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Inclusive Teaching at Cate:
Looking Back and Looking Ahead Katie Prudden '21 reviews an assignment in Spanish class in 2019.
By Kate Parker '85
I
n the early 2010s, Cate embarked on an ambitious project to rebuild its curriculum and its academic structures in order to support inquiry, create a school environment that fostered independent learning and curiosity, and embed diversity, equity, and inclusion work in all aspects of Cate life. To that end, a series of high-impact changes rolled out over the ensuing decade—so much so that alumni of just 10 years ago would be quite startled by some of the differences they’d see if they attended Cate today. Over the past several years, the School has eliminated Advanced Placement (AP) courses in favor of unique and independent advanced coursework; rebuilt the Humanities program from the ground up; moved to a trimester system; switched from short, frequent classes to a longer block schedule; and intentionally restructured the Convocation program to support DEI goals.
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Recommended Inclusive Practice Teaching Resources BOOKS Hammond: Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain Chávez and Longerbeam: Teaching Across Cultural Strengths Hess and McAvoy: The Political Classroom Feldman: Grading for Equity ARTICLES NAIS “Principles of Good Practice--Equity and Justice” Hughes “How Can We Prepare Teachers to Work with Culturally Diverse Students and their Families?” OTHER MEDIA Invisibilia Podcast: “The Culture Inside” National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Video: “How Schools Can Improve Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practices”
As part of these changes, Cate’s Director of Inclusion, Dr. Stephanie Yeung, took the existing Multicultural Advisory Committee—focused largely on residential life—and restructured it into three teams: the Core, Community, and Teaching teams. The latter is formally known as the Inclusive Teaching Design Team (ITDT) and kicked off in the fall of 2017 with six rotating teachers from across multiple disciplines, under the leadership of history teacher Rebekah Barry. Their mission has been to work together to help Cate faculty understand and implement best practices in culturally and neurologically inclusive teaching. Like all educational institutions, change comes to Cate classrooms both through the rapid implementation of new strategies and through a gradual, repetitive process of introducing and reinforcing knowledge and understanding—in other words, teachers are always students, too, and may learn new material on instructional pedagogy both quickly and over time. The ITDT has thus taken a long-term approach to its work. Team members first spent time deepening their own understanding of inclusive teaching practices by looking at Zaretta Hammond’s Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain and other titles, as well as articles, videos and podcasts on inclusive teaching practices. They attended conferences and workshops both on the science of learning and on understanding diversity, equity, and inclusion in school environments and had many discussions on the most impactful ways to bring what they were learning to their colleagues. Since then, the team’s professional development tools have included: •
School-wide assigned faculty reading and discussions
•
Demonstration classes and best practice brown bag lunches
•
Student and faculty experience surveys with follow-up analysis and recommendations
•
Annual faculty evaluation goals based on inclusive teaching practices
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Collaboration with the other inclusion teams, along with faculty teams working on best practices in inquiry and assessment
•
Curriculum review
Q&A with History Instructor Juarez Newsome Longtime history teacher Juarez Newsome discusses the evolution of the curriculum during his time on the Mesa, and how he maintains an inclusive environment in the classroom. How has the curriculum at Cate evolved throughout the years? I first arrived in 1997 and started teaching U.S. History. We used to teach more along a thematic approach back then. For example in U.S. History, we would start the year with the Vietnam War. We really wanted to draw students in talking about the 1960s and then go into the present. We found, however, that the kids did not have the foundational information, so we adjusted to a thematic and chronological approach. This year, we are trying to go along a thematic approach looking at fundamental documents and principles, and we are going to apply more social history. We found that kids are not as interested when you only talk about the government and its laws. They are much more interested in the social aspects and that gets them jazzed, so that’s what we’re going to try to do. It’s something that we’ve always had in the back of our minds, and then given the social turmoil of the country and with new teachers coming in, this was the year to implement it. Cate shifted away from AP courses in 2012, what impact did this have on your teaching? When teaching an AP class, we are wedded to an actual syllabus and have to get through a specific amount of material. But now, we have more leeway, and if we need to discuss something in class, we can actually do it. That has allowed us to have more electives, and the senior electives have really grown in that time. I used to teach AP Government, but now I teach a Supreme Court class and an African American history class. Similarly, how did the transition to the Culture of Inquiry impact the classroom? For me, it has affected many of the projects that we do. Before when we were doing a research project, we used to give the kids a list of topics we wanted them to write about. That has completely gone out the window. Now it’s, “you write what you want to write about” because we’ve found that kids are much more engaged when they have a personal interest. A prime example of this, in my African American history class, we went to the African American History Museum two years ago and I told the kids to find an artifact in the museum that they can explore and write about. The list of topics I got back were completely different from the same old generic topics that I’m used to seeing involving African Americans. It opens it up, and plus, after you’ve been teaching for so long, it’s good to read new things – creative material. Sometimes students struggle coming up with good questions, but that’s part of learning. You come up with a question, you figure out how you want to answer it. It’s all research skills – we’re just tweaking it.
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What tools and strategies do you use to ensure inclusive teaching in your classes? In my African American history class it comes naturally because we're talking about Black folks and their struggle. And then of course we travel to the African American History Museum, and kids gain a lot from that. In my Econ class, I try to bring in diverse sources. We can’t just look at things from the left or right side, so I try to be right down the middle and present all sides. I never give my opinion in class; my opinion does not matter. I want kids to formulate their own opinions.
Curriculum review had been ad hoc up until the 2020-2021 school year. This year the School is rolling out a systematic approach to curricular review that is being developed by the ITDT and will be implemented first in the U.S. and World History courses. Classes across all disciplines will follow over the next two to three years. So what does inclusive teaching look like in action? One example is the way teachers have embedded the concept of “windows and mirrors” into their academic framework by building courses that allow all students to have opportunities to see themselves reflected
in course content and to explore the world through “windows” other than their own. Another is how Cate teachers ensure that students are seen and heard: an inclusive teacher tracks who’s participating in class and creates space for all students to process verbally with targeted discussion strategies, while integrating non-verbal techniques for engagement, as well. Of course, faculty take advantage of Cate’s small class sizes to really get to know their students: who’s coming from a culturally non-dominant background and how to respond to that, who has an individual learning plan, who has a visual
Now, in our U.S. History classes, we are trying to bring in more voices. More underrepresented voices. African Americans, women – we have an LGBTQ unit now, which we’ve never had before, and that started a few years ago. We’re going to devote two weeks to Native Americans, and we’ve never done that before. We are bringing in more voices to tell the American story. In terms of professional development for faculty, what have been some key areas of focus for the School? A lot of the time, it is about how to deliver the information in class. How to get different kids to be engaged and speak up. In my class – I don’t lecture – so in my class, I really require everyone to speak. I’ll call on students, and that’s a way to bring about diversity and have everyone voice his or her opinion. For history, it is more about the content. It’s about finding out what the recent scholarship is and applying it.
Daniel Boateng '22 takes notes during Modern World History last winter.
What have been some of the changes implemented recently by the Inclusive Teaching Design Team? They do a lot of great work for our teaching community. We are bringing in more diverse voices now. We are working on engaging all students in the conversation. We have a wide variety of opinions, and it’s important to have a voice, and more so, to feel like you can voice that opinion. So that has been a key area of focus. Ensuring all kids have a voice regardless of anything else. 28
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Taylor Kane '21 (left), Avery Carter '21, and Morgan Lui '21 share a laugh while working together on a project in early 2020.
FEATURES learning style or an auditory one...and who’s just having a rough day. As Rebekah Barry puts it, ultimately the inclusive training teachers receive “allows us to be more intentional in how we tailor our lessons, assessments, and feedback.” Cate’s goal is to have students of all backgrounds feel both a sense of belonging and a sense of ownership in their academic experience. The process hasn’t been perfect, but every year gets better.
Advanced History Electives The advanced history seminars are intensive reading and writing courses designed for seniors who have demonstrated sustained interest and success in history in their time at Cate. While the themes and content of the course change each trimester, the objective of in depth analysis of specific historical questions is central in each trimester. Classes are conducted in the model of a college seminar and students take ownership and leadership of discussions. Advanced History: The Supreme Court and Civil Liberties
English Reading List
This course focuses primarily on the role the Court has played in expanding civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice from the middle of the twentieth century until the most recent rulings. Advanced History: Politics in Contemporary America
The “windows and mirrors” concept is evident in the literature selected by the English department. The following is an abbreviated reading list for sophomores and juniors, along with a sample of senior elective offerings. ENGLISH 10 Poetry by Langston Hughes, Joy Harjo, and Gary Soto Short Stories by J.D. Salinger, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Toni Cade Bambara Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi BFE by Julia Cho Ordinary People by Judith Guest Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi ENGLISH 11 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Their Eyes Were Watching God by Nora Zeale Hurston Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Twilight, Los Angeles by Anna Deveare Smith SENIOR ELECTIVES Latin American Short Stories Comparative Religion Unconventional Heroines Southern Fiction American Wilderness
Students explore the general concepts used to interpret U.S. government and politics, as well as examine specific case studies to analyze various political theories and the daily operation of the U.S. government that shape public policy. Taking a problem-based approach in conjunction with deliberations, policy case-studies, and a research paper, students pursue their study of contemporary American politics as active learners as they analyze the issues involved in each case, evaluate the various efforts made to date to address the problem, and explore new potential solutions. Advanced History: Comparative Revolutions What is a revolution? Why do revolutions happen? How do revolutions change societies? This class is a theoretical and historical examination of revolutions, including origins, causes, and results. Advanced History: Anthropological Perspectives This trimester elective aims to deepen students' curiosity about the cultural complexity of the world as well as to equip students with the anthropological perspectives and skills to better understand and navigate these complexities in their own lives, both locally and globally. Advanced History: 20th Century African American Experience This course details the plight of African Americans since the first slaves arrived in 1619, including a major focus on the 20th century African American experience through a historical lens. It explores the traditions and culture that African Americans created to sustain their lives away from their places of origin, including the Black Press, the Black Church, the ideals of the New Negro, Black Art and Literature, and Black Fraternities and Sororities. Advanced History: Contemporary Africa This interdisciplinary course seeks to understand Africa through its historical development and literature. Since the independence movements of the 1960s, the African continent has experienced tremendous change. Using interdisciplinary artifacts, students undertake a study of themes such as imperialism, post-colonial identity, modernization, and gender, which have impacted and continue to shape the ongoing development of various African nations and peoples. 29
FEATURES
How We Got
Here By Stephanie M. Yeung, Ph.D.
Director of Inclusion Dr. Stephanie Yeung and Head of School Ben Williams engage in conversation on the Day Walkway in 2019.
O
ver the past several decades, the trajectory of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work at Cate has been one of amplification in terms of resources, time, effort, and finances to ensure a more coherent and consistent approach to ensuring all students feel a genuine sense of belonging.
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One clear marker of these efforts is the evolution of the role of the diversity practitioner at Cate. In 2006, Cate created the Director of Diversity role, which was first held by Bryan Rodriguez, our current Dean of Students. The position was conceived of as a half-time responsibility with the remaining time devoted to admissions work. The focus of Cate’s early efforts were specifically on student support. In 2012, with the hiring of Cate’s second DEI practitioner, Jose Powell, the role expanded to include support for faculty education and training. Additionally, the role became part of the senior leadership team, which brought a focused DEI lens into institution-level conversations and decision-making. As part of this shift, the Multicultural Affairs Committee (MAC) was created. The committee expanded the number of faculty members involved in DEI work and provided
Alongside these developments, the School began using a working group model to build capacity in the faculty for developing areas of pedagogy. Specifically, two groups were created to support the implementation of inquiry-based teaching and ensure equitable and effective assessment
{
student classroom experiences, and analyzing data on academic placement, it was clear that these efforts needed greater time and attention and a broader restructuring of DEI work to ensure sustained, measurable improvement. Accordingly, the role of Director of Diversity and Multiculturalism was reimagined once again, as was the structure of the working groups. The restructuring transitioned the diversity role into a full-time position with the support of a team of faculty members who receive release time to develop strategy and facilitate implementation of the School’s inclusion goals. This team is called the
The restructuring transitioned the diversity role into a full-time position with the support of a team of faculty members who receive release time to develop strategy and facilitate implementation of the School’s inclusion goals.
practices. Concurrently, members of the MAC committee were developing the MAC Strategy and Action Plan. During this stage of planning, one area identified for increased attention was inclusive classroom teaching practices. This work, too, was well suited to the working group format. Accordingly, several members of the MAC committee, Rebekah Barry, John Knecht, and Alexx Temena, proposed the development of an Inclusive Teaching Design Team (ITDT) that would work in concert with MAC and the academic department chairs to incorporating inclusive teaching practices into the classroom. As a result, at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, the Inclusive Teaching team was founded.
Core Inclusion Team (Core). The team is responsible for strategy, implementation, and accountability so that DEI work is further integrated into Cate’s mission, values, and practices. Beyond this, it supports the work of the Inclusive Teaching team and the Inclusive Community Design Team (formerly the MAC committee) in order to ensure that non-academic areas (residential spaces, athletic and co-curricular spaces, and in community life) are fostering an inclusive experience as well. One other key change was the naming of DEI efforts writ large. In 2018, the title was changed to Director of Inclusion. For the School, the change in nomenclature conveys the sense of belonging sought for every person on the Mesa though, indeed, diversity and equity are equally important parts of Cate’s efforts.
The CORE Team is responsible for strategy, planning, knowledge building, and accountability: Stephanie Yeung (Chair) Rebekah Barry John Knecht Oscar Urizar
The Inclusive Community Design Team is responsible for DEI issues related to the residential, co-curricular, and community experiences: Stephanie Yeung (Chair) KC Collins Erin Hansen Pete Mack Sandi Pierce Wade Ransom Bryan Rodriguez Elana Stone
The Inclusive Teaching Design Team is responsible for DEI issues related to the classroom experience: Rebekah Barry (Chair) Monica Garcia Gamero Laura Moore Kate Parker '85 Hannah Solis-Cohen David Wood
}
While the Inclusive Teaching Team made substantial progress during its first year in terms of capacity building around culturally responsive practices, surveying
}
{
additional resources for the Director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. This committee served as a clearing house for student concerns and as the planning body for the School’s MLK Day program which, for many years, was the School’s flagship diversity event. During this time, the Director also identified outside facilitators to accomplish specific training for students and faculty.
31 31
FEATURES
Yuki Kobayashi '21 and fellow classmates listen intently during their Advanced US History class in the fall of 2019.
This restructuring process has been essential to transitioning Cate’s work toward greater transparency and accountability. Each group has clear areas of responsibility and is able to work in collaboration with the members of each team to ensure measurable progress is being made across the School. Likewise, as members roll on and off the teams, their experiences working in these groups serve as capacity building opportunities that support and augment other faculty training. Additionally, these structural changes have ensured that there are enough resources to support training and development at the institutional, faculty/ staff, and student levels. Over the past several years the teams have been working to develop a coherent, clearly articulated vision for the future and then to work backwards to clearly design the deliverables and processes that will bring this vision to fruition. The clearest manifestation of these efforts is in the Strategic Plan for Inclusion that was completed in spring 2020 and revised over the summer in light of additional feedback received via the Alumni Experience Survey and conversations that began with groups of alumni around the postings made on the @BIPOCatCate Instagram account. A sense of belonging is essential to the long-term sustainability of Cate’s increasingly complex school community. 32
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Inclusive Teaching Design Team Chair and history instructor Rebekah Barry leads a class discussion in February.
Achieving this is dependent upon the attainment of greater cultural competency and skills. To that end, a primary goal of the Inclusion Team is to shift the framework of DEI efforts at Cate from a “moral” argument that requires “buy-in” to a skillsbased framework that acknowledges the centrality of DEI competency to teaching, professionalism and
{
To operationalize this goal, cultural competency has become an essential component of job-readiness and it is evaluated during the hiring process and then supported and evaluated at regular intervals as part of Cate’s ongoing professional development process. The Inclusion Team has been empowered to set an annual Folio Goal for faculty and will develop a framework for professional
}
A sense of belonging is essential to the long-term sustainability of Cate’s increasingly complex school community. Achieving this is dependent upon the attainment of greater cultural competency and skills.
collaboration, and, for students, post-secondary success. This shift is important because one can value difference immensely and never achieve the critical components of culturally responsive teaching, communication, and intervention. Put simply, awareness and sensitivity must be augmented with greater knowledge of the cultures within our community and the practical tools that will enable more proactive and inclusive behaviors.
development that will allow stakeholders to differentiate their individual annual goals based on established proficiencies and the specific demands of their role. For students, Cate’s approach is to “meet students where they are,” and ensure, through education and practice, that they graduate with the foundational skills necessary to excel in institutions of higher learning and the 21st-century workplace. The current approach embodies Cate’s mission as an educational institution rooted not only in character development, but in skill building.
STRATEGIC PLAN FOR INCLUSION
Ongoing Benchmarking & Assessment
BUILD
Cultivate Shared Knowledge
GATHER
Cate’s Strategic Plan for Inclusion is organized intentionally around three concrete initiatives and four actionable strategies. Each of the four strategies structure the work of each initiative so that there is consistent, organized effort toward the achievement of Cate’s Inclusion goals.
Facilitate Implementation & Accountability
MANAGE
TRAIN
Training & Skill Development
Optimize Implementation & Change Management
Improve Student & Community Experiences
Advance Educational Program
Transition Cate’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts from aspirational goals into structured, accountable processes that set the standard for belonging, well-being and success for the entire community.
Foster a transformative student experience by creating and sustaining an equitable and inclusive campus environment so that students are able to bring their whole selves, feel a genuine sense of belonging, and are able to achieve their greatest growth.
Support and develop inclusive teaching practices and diverse curricula that will enable all teaching faculty to achieve the mission, goals, and model for inclusive teaching at Cate.
Each initiative aligns with the charge of one of the three Inclusion groups at Cate: the CORE Inclusion Team, the Inclusive Teaching Design Team (ITDT), and the Inclusive Community Design Team (ICDT).
The CORE Team is responsible for strategy, planning, knowledge building, and accountability.
The Inclusive Community Design Team is responsible for DEI issues related to the residential, co-curricular, and community experiences.
The Inclusive Teaching Design Team is responsible for DEI issues related to the classroom experience.
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FEATURES
Servons: Cate on the Front Lines of the Fight Against COVID-19 By Leslie Turnbull '85
Call 911: The First Responder Carlos Fairbanks '14 Carlos’ stint as part of an ambulance crew was meant to be a quick step en route to his current graduate studies into firefighting and Emergency Services Administration. He never expected a pandemic to break out along the way. “It’s been interesting,” Carlos understates, describing community response to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, better known as COVID-19. As part of the team first to arrive on the scene of a 911 call, Carlos has observed the gamut of human reaction to the presence of a novel coronavirus in their midst.
Then there are the sick people who need transport from hospitals to long-term, dedicated COVID-19 facilities elsewhere in California. These ambulance trips, which can last hours, impact Carlos as deeply as the more fleeting and urgent patient interactions he has.
Some people, not actually ill but panicked by possible exposure or COVID-19 symptoms, bypass their physician or even the emergency room and call straight for an ambulance. These folks need “talking down” as much as medical examination. Carlos tries to reassure them, recommending basic precautions and testing as their first and best defense.
“The common thread is fear,” he says. “Sometimes, ‘not knowing’ can be more terrifying than a more certain outcome.”
Other patients become seriously and sometimes gravely ill with the disease, spending critical days and even weeks at home in denial or fear until immediate, on-site intervention is required to save their lives. Some cannot be saved.
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Carlos does his best to respond to his patients’ medical needs and assuage their fear, even though first responders often can’t offer many answers and in fact must face their own set of concerns. “Of course I’m exposed,” Carlos admits, despite taking extensive and often onerous precautions. “I can’t let myself think about it. I have other people to take care of.”
Through the Hospital Doors: The ER Director Chris Johnson P'21
appeared out of Africa.
Chris Johnson, M.D., father of Grace Johnson '21, has seen something like this before. Six years ago, as an emergency medicine specialist, Chris joined physicians around the world on high alert as a new Ebola virus
“Ebola was scary because it was lethal,” he recalls. Although the rapidly fatal progress of Ebola caused it to “fizzle out” before it could take a foothold in the U.S., the experience was stressful enough to compel Chris, as a hospital medical director, to develop protocols and procedures he knew would serve when - not if - the next viral threat emerged. He didn’t have long to wait. “I was watching COVID-19 closely from the beginning last December, with the first cases reported out of Wuhan, China. Hearts sank when we saw our colleagues in Italy dealing with this crisis.” Chris isn’t afraid to use words like “horrifying” to describe what they saw coming through European coverage of the pandemic. By early February, hospitals in the U.S. were preparing for the worst, while hoping for the best. Screening for travel and other exposure was quickly put in place, as was dedicated triage for those potentially infected. Still, little was known about the novel coronavirus and its transmission, and Chris’ hospital began to see the first cases of community spread. Fortunately - and thanks in part to the Ebola scare - solid emergency plans were in place. “The system is working,” Chris states. Not that it has been easy. Chris recalls long days and nights, working alongside anxious staff, trying to treat patients admitted with COVID-19 even as everyone involved had to deal with the devastating ripple effects of the virus.
Behind the Scenes: The Medical Researcher Zack Britton '00 With degrees in chemical and biomedical engineering, Zack was happily working toward the discovery and development of various biotherapeutics at AstraZeneca in Gaithersburg, Maryland when, suddenly: “In March 2020, I was pulled off my other pipeline and technology projects to work exclusively on the isolation of neutralizing antibodies - those antibodies that bind and block the SARS-CoV-2 virus from infecting host cells.” Zack’s company - like others around the world - was in the race to find an effective vaccine against COVID-19. “Working throughout the pandemic has been incredibly stressful,” Zack says. “Only those individuals actively working on COVID-19 or high priority projects were permitted to come to work. Like many schools and businesses, we had to use Zoom and Microsoft Teams in lieu of in-person meetings.” While some PPE has always been standard in Zack’s labs, new and even more protective protocols had to be put in place. Life at home was similarly impacted. Under isolation orders including the closure of schools and daycare centers, Zack and his wife, whose work-from-home schedule requires her full attention throughout the day, had to make new plans for their children, ages 3 and 6. “Therefore, I cared for our two children during the day and put in long hours overnight,” Zack recalls. Although he looks forward to the return of some normalcy, Zack neither resents nor regrets the sacrifices he and his family have made, because his work right now ... “ is to save lives.”
“I do worry about the long-term impacts of this disease on both the physical and mental health of our community,” he admits. For all that, Chris does see silver linings. 35
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Compassion in Crisis: The ICU Nurse Shelley Tantau '84 Two things happened to Shelley last Spring. One was the novel coronavirus. As an acute care nurse practitioner, Shelley sees the sickest of the sick who come through her hospital. In her ICU, she cares for patients hit with the most devastating physical impacts of COVID-19: the ravaged lungs, the mysterious and sometimes fatal blood clots, the delirium. “We throw everything at them,” Shelley explains, detailing the exhaustive list of interventions currently available to seriously ill COVID-19 patients. “I’ve had some really good turnarounds. Most people get better and go home.” That’s the good news. The harder truth - that many patients do die - weighs more heavily on Shelley. So does her growing certainty that there are disturbing reasons some people survive and others do not. Shelley explains in a single word: “Privilege. I live in a prosperous community. Most people have really good health care, so we have low infection and death rates here. In fact, there were times when I felt guilty about not being on the frontlines, someplace like New York City.” In the early days of the pandemic, Shelley began to question the very existence of those frontlines. Why the difference between hospitalization and mortality in places like New York, where people were getting sick and dying in record numbers, and her own hometown of Napa, California, where they were not? And those in wealthier wine country who were dying? “All of my patients who have died have been Latinx,” Shelley states quietly. “The first national numbers released in April indicated a disproportionate impact on immigrant communities,” she points out. These statistics reflected her own observations in the Intensive Care Unit. “The vast majority of my ICU patients have been first-or-second generation immigrants.” Shelley points to a variety of reasons for this disparity; most of these have been well documented in national media. 36
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“Immigrants and communities of color experience disproportionate poverty. Poorer people get sicker. The privileged will still get the disease, but they will recover.” So Shelley’s takeaways from her ongoing experience with COVID-19? “An increased commitment to antiracist work,” she states. Always an advocate for critical thinking and social justice - traits she says were established and nurtured at Cate - the pandemic has opened her eyes even wider to the greater social ills of racism. “Wear your mask,” she adds. “Show you care for other people.”
In for the Long Haul: The Rehabilitation Therapist Eleanor “Ellie” Powell '15 Last year Ellie decided to take time off from her pursuit of a doctorate degree in physical therapy to accept a position at an area Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTAC). Expecting to work with oncology and transplant patients, Ellie suddenly found herself shifting gears - fast. “Just as I was getting the hang of things, our hospital was transitioned to a COVID-only unit to accommodate the influx of patients.” Ellie describes a “hectic” transition period, in which the logistics of patient transport and facility preparation were overlaid with a strong current of anxiety and confusion among staff, patients, and their families.
Soon, Ellie’s entire unit was full of COVID-positive and COVID-recovering patients. In a time when most healthcare providers try to limit the amount of time spent in patient rooms to reduce the risk of exposure, Ellie and her colleagues had no such option. “Our sessions usually last 45 minutes- 1 hour,” Ellie says. “And due to restrictions, patients needed to be seen in their own rooms.” Ellie describes a ritual of “... donning PPE from head to toe—gown, N-95 mask, goggles, face shield, and hair cover ...” and then going through the often physically arduous process of assisting convalescent patients perform their critical exercises. “There were days all we could do after finishing work was go home and stare at the ceiling.” Despite her own risks and exhaustion, Ellie worried more for her patients than she did for herself. Describing them as “ … scared, alone, confused, and weak,” Ellie empathized deeply with people who were one day healthy and active, like herself, and the next completely dependent on others for even the most mundane tasks. She also noted with concern the mental state of her patients, who were often confused and delirious. “Sometimes, I would gown up and sit with patients in their rooms whenever I had free time, just to listen to them or hold their hand.” Although this was not “technically allowed,” says Ellie, “I did it because that is what I would have wanted. Someone to just be with me in the middle of chaos.”
Bringing it All Together: The Hospital Administrator Nkem Chukwumerije, father of Nkemka '21 and Chidera '22 Born and educated in Nigeria, Nkem Chukwumerije moved to the United States when he was 27 years old. In his 30 subsequent years in medicine, he has “ …. never seen anything quite like this.” Nkem is, of course, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. A hospitalist and a Medical Director of Acute and Post Acute Operations for Kaiser Permanente, Nkem is the lead for patient surge planning in his area. COVID-19 gave him precious little time to plan. From early reports of the virus to the first inklings of a possible pandemic to the presentation of the first Southern Californian patients in March, Nkem worked against the clock to ensure his facility and staff were prepared. Fortunately, Nkem is very good at his job. “We used a Cornell model to predict the possible number of patients we might see and increased capacity beyond our existing license. We prepared to use any space available if need be. “As a bigger hospital system, we had an advantage in both clinical and non-direct logistics. I did not have to worry, as some did, about my staff having the proper PPE. Still, in the early days we were cautious.” An expert clinician as well as an administrator, Nkem is obviously very committed to all the humans in his care.
“Sometimes, I would gown up and sit with patients in their rooms whenever I had free time, just to listen to them or hold their hand. I did it because that is what I would have wanted. Someone to just be with me in the middle of chaos.”
“Patient care and logistics cannot be separated. I understand the fear and anxiety of my medical staff, having to take so many precautions, unsure of who might or might not be infectious, or how long it is ‘safe’ to stay in a room with a patient they want to treat. “I also understand the needs of patients and the culture of care around patients that is so important to preserve where at all possible.”
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FEATURES Nkem points to the restrictions on visitation of family and friends as an important issue to address, and one which, in his opinion, might lead to a “transformative outcome” for patient care in the future. “In the past, we have undervalued the importance of human relations in the continuum of care. Absent visitations, we set up a lot of virtual visits to connect caregivers and patients with families and friends, and we saw the difference such contacts could make. In the future, I see technology to support these connections being hardwired into all hospitals. “This reinforces the idea that we must encourage and celebrate community,” Nkem concludes. “My hope is that this will endure.”
“In the past, we have undervalued the importance of human relations in the continuum of care. Absent visitations, we set up a lot of virtual visits to connect caregivers and patients with families and friends, and we saw the difference such contacts could make."
“Happy to Know He was Helping People”: The Inventor Caroline New '00 remembers her father Bill New '59 Caroline was born in 1983, two years after her electrical engineer-turned-medical doctor father Bill launched Nellcor, Inc., the first of his two successful medical device companies. Growing up, Caroline says: “We knew he had this invention; that it was something being developed and marketed. Then, we were aware that it was in every hospital.” That invention? The pulse oximeter - a device that uses infrared light refraction to measure how well oxygen is binding to red blood cells. It’s an efficient and safe way to know who is -and isn’t - receiving enough oxygen into their body. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the pulse oximeter has been a major player in the timely identification and treatment of sick people. “My Dad would have been terribly saddened but intrigued,” by the emergence of the novel coronavirus, Caroline says. “I can picture him following the pandemic really closely - he was fond of taking napkins and drawing line graphs or charts to illustrate any topic that interested him. I can see him marking trends and predictions of pandemic; I can see him making little arrows to illustrate how interventions would impact the course of the disease. He loved where technology and medicine intersect,” Caroline remembers. “Endlessly curious, he was always thinking of new ways to improve people’s lives.” Caroline New believes her father would have been proud of the positive impact of his work on the treatment of COVID-19, and wishes he were still around to unleash his boundless intellect further on the problem. “... and take us all along for the ride.”
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Imani Oseso '21, 9x12" pen on paper, Studio Art 2 with Joy Doyle Ada James '23, 9x12" pen and pastel on paper, Studio Art 1 with Joy Doyle
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2020
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS THE HONORABLE ERIC C. TAYLOR '80
Born in Sacramento, Calif., you grew up in Los Angeles. Your mother, Joan, of Portsmouth, Ohio, was a longtime bookkeeper with Consolidated Hotels of California – Los Angeles. She went on to become Consolidated’s general manager, who managed over 700 rental units in her 35-year career. Your mom played an integral part in you applying to Cate School in early 1977. Your father, John, of Houston, Texas, moved to the Bay Area with his parents in 1941. It was there that he became a lifelong activist for racial equality and one of the Freedom Riders in the South in 1961. His mother (your grandmother) Ella Mae Ferneil, was the first African American registered nurse in California. As a young student at Audubon Junior High School in Los Angeles, you became a scholar with A Better Chance. In April of 1977, you were accepted to Cate School. You arrived on the Mesa as a 10th grader. Though described as "quiet" and "reserved" in your application and references, you quickly became an active member of the Cate community. In the spirit of Servons, you were a consistent volunteer at St. Vincent's as well as the Camarillo Hospital service project. You joined the Chorale during your first fall and impressed longtime music teacher, Frank Ellis. Frank wrote, "Eric emerged as a real surprise talent! He just joined the Chorale, and I am very glad because he has some real vocal potential." That musical talent was quickly evident as a member of the small singing group, Chromatics. Alongside faculty member David Hostage and classmates Steve Giusto '80, Mike Jones '80, Chris Maloney '80, and others, you performed in concerts in the McIntosh Room, in Santa Barbara, and at various alumni gatherings. You never forgot the words, as evidenced by many alumni renditions of High Up on the Mesa at reunions and alumni receptions. Your natural leadership and personal skills earned you positions of Social Committee Head, Junior Prefect in Lido Dormitory as an 11th grader, and Senior Prefect in Long House as a 12th grader. Your senior year advisor, Linette Couturier remarked, "Eric is an excellent person in the dormitory where his willingness to connect with other students and his leadership impressed his dorm parents." You returned from a lengthy hospitalization for a debilitating illness your senior year, to help the varsity basketball team, coached by Frank Griffin, to a 13-5 record playing alongside classmates Steven Fulstone '80, Steve Giusto '80, and Paris Fruscione '80. In addition to your hard work on the court, you left Cate by giving a memorable performance in Hitchcock Theatre as the professor in South Pacific. Upon graduating, you enrolled at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., in the fall of 1980. You studied Spanish Literature and Mathematics and were named an Edwin Gould Scholar. Your Dartmouth studies included terms at the Universities of Granada and Salamanca, Spain, and service as a foreign language teaching assistant in Puebla, Mexico. During your four years at Dartmouth, you were a member of the close harmony group, The Dartmouth Aires. You were named to the Tucker Honor Society in 1984 and have since returned to serve on the Dartmouth Alumni Council as Chair of the Enrollment and Admissions Committees and a member of the Trustee Nominations Committee. After serving as a Spanish translator during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, you attended the University of Virginia Law School, where you earned a Juris Doctorate Degree in May of 1988. While at the University of Virginia, you served as Co-Chair of the Legal Aid Society, Chair of the Migrant Farm Workers Project and on the Executive Committee for the Black Law Students Association (BLSA). After working as an associate with the law firms of Pettit and Martin, and then Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal, you became a Deputy Los Angeles County Counsel, and served as a litigator and advisor to the Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Public Works. Governor Pete Wilson appointed you to the Inglewood Municipal Court in 1998, where you served as presiding judge. You were elevated to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2000. In 2003, you became the District Supervising Judge of the Southwest District, which encompassed the Inglewood, Torrance, and Redondo Beach Courthouses. You left that position in 2004 when you were elected president of the California Judges Association, a professional group that represents California’s 2,230 active and retired state justices, judges, and commissioners. After your term, you were elected to the L.A. Court’s Executive Committee. In 2016, you became the first elected to serve a second term as President of the California Judges Association. You 106
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have served as a liaison to the Association’s Compensation and Benefits Oversight Committee, Discipline Committee, and chair of the Public Information and Education Committee. You served on the statewide Judicial Council from 2004-05 and on its Access and Fairness Committee from 2000-03. In 2018, you were elected Assistant Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. In 2019, the Chief Justice also appointed you to serve as a member of the Judicial Council of California. You were named the Langston Bar Association’s Justice of the Year in 2004 and received the McFadden Award for Legal Excellence in 2019. On September 10, 2020, the judiciary of Los Angeles County elected you to serve as Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2021. In doing so, the judiciary elevated you from your role as the Assistant Presiding Judge to the court's first African American administrative team, to become the court's second black presiding judge. Through all of your personal success, you have maintained a reputation of being ethical and thoughtful. Longtime Cate Trustee and former parent Kate Firestone writes, "Eric came to the Cate Board with a broad range of experiences through which he contributes an open-minded and thoughtful perspective. He has been a pillar of integrity on the Board for nearly 15 years, not to mention a pleasure to serve with." In addition to the commitment to your career, you have always supported your alma mater. You were appointed to the Cate School Board of Trustees in 2005. You have assisted and chaired many board committees over the years and currently serve as Vice President. You have supported the School's Cate Fund for 28 consecutive years and are a member of The Cate Legacy Society – committing your support of the institution in perpetuity. Alongside fellow trustees, you dedicated endless time, effort, and resources into the planning and execution of the Centennial Campaign. Now, you have devoted your leadership to the For Cate and Forever Campaign of 2020-2024. A regular attendee at Camp Cate with the Class of 1980, Los Angeles and Orange County Receptions, you have traveled as far as Hong Kong for Cate's Asia Summit in 2016. You gave the School's Baccalaureate address in the Katharine Thayer Cate Memorial Chapel in May of 2008 and spoke as part of the Convocation Series in Hitchcock Theatre in 2013. Beyond these engagements, it is the personal connection that you have made with alumni and students that has made the greatest impact. You have mentored dozens of Cate students regarding college, law school, and career networking. For your distinguished career in public service; dedication, commitment, and service to Cate School; and impeccable reputation both professionally and personally, we are honored to award you, The Honorable Eric C. Taylor, Class of 1980, with Cate's Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2020.
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENTS Year of Award
Name
Class Year
Year of Award
Name
Class Year
1972 1980 1980 1981 1981 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1995 1997 1998 1999
Dohrmann K. Pischel Peter McBean Malcolm Wallop John Rodman Hooker G. Ledyard Stebbins Nelson Dorrington Jones Francis S. M. Hodsoll Michael Alan Morphy William Stevens Prince Paul Moore Denison William New Jr. John Morse Luce William Matson Roth James Sloss Ackerman George Barker Barrett Donald Hastings Harcourt Peter Frederick King John D. Caldwell
1914 1930 1950 1921 1924 1948 1955 1950 1942 1952 1959 1959 1935 1937 1945 1950 1980 1959
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2018 2020
Conrad L. Hall Dayton O. Hyde Eugene Thayer Bigelow Jr. David Pun Chan Sir John Bond Richard D. Baum William E. Steinberg Burton J. Smith Mona Khalil Greg Kubicek Bradley Roberts Walter Douglas Terry Sanders Tim Bliss Christian A. Strachwitz Hal Burroughs Eric Taylor
1945 1943 1959 1968 1960 1964 1968 1958 1984 1974 1972 1973 1949 1970 1951 1968 1980
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Biddle Cup:
Where are they now?
By Matt McClenathen and Guille Gil-Reynoso
Presented in honor of Major General William Shepard Biddle, a member of the class of 1918 and one of Cate's most distinguished alumni, this award recognizes that senior who best exemplifies and demonstrates the qualities of humanism, idealism and the desire to achieve that Cate seeks to teach its students. It is the School's highest award. We caught up with past winners of the Biddle Cup – spanning six different decades – to reflect on their time at Cate and see what they are up to now!
Ian White '47 Ian White’s six years at Cate (then known as Santa Barbara School) were among the most memorable part of his youth. Ian was one of just nine boys in his class and he recalls wonderful relationships with his classmates and teachers. Mr. Cate was a devoted friend long after Ian graduated from the school. He distinctly remembers the Cate prescribed uniform: a blue suit for Sunday chapel and dress shirts with detachable stiff collars, which were later replaced by blue blazers and gray flannels. During his time at Cate, students participated in the Victory Garden Work Program, raising pigs and harvesting food for the school. Bacon and pork chops were common at meals. Ian attended Cate during the period of Pearl Harbor and World War II. “The Cate School environment changed considerably in 1941,” he shared. “Many personnel and young faculty went off to the war and many students went to the service.” Today, engraved panels in Cate’s McIntosh Room honor graduates and students who took part in the Second World War. Upon reflecting on past and current trying times, Ian said, “We have been through profound events, there has been lots of change and our country has survived. I am optimistic that we will heal and be well again.”
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Art and music were Ian’s favorite endeavors at Cate school, and this forecasted the profession he pursued later in life. Ian studied Architecture at Harvard School of Design and Industrial Design at University of California, Los Angeles. Arnold Lejeune and Joseph Knowles were among his most memorable teachers. He recalls, “The Lejeune’s took me under their wings and became surrogate parents for me.” Knowles was Ian’s art teacher at La Loma Feliz school in Santa Barbara, in his early years and then again at Cate. Ian’s artistic and professional achievements include serving as Museum Director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (the California Palace of the Legion of Honor and the de Young Museum) for 20 years. He is known for his sculptor garden design in the back of the Brooklyn Museum in the 1960s and the design of the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College, for which he received an honorary DFA degree. Ian holds a deep appreciation and devotion to conservation and preservation, and this is evident in his work as a realist painter. He currently lives in Maine with his wife, Florence. Ian is most proud of starting the first Student Council at Cate and “felt honored to receive the Biddle Cup Award as Senior Prefect." This recognition “honored a good and faithful servant - independent, fearless, and loyal."
qualifications than I ever recall having myself,” Jim said. “I was very humbled to have received the award, although it wasn’t anything I sought or worked to try to achieve, it just happened and I’m not sure I have any explanation for it.” A quick yearbook check will reveal plenty of explanations, including the fact that Jim was a unanimous selection among his classmates and schoolmasters. A senior prefect and student council chairman, he was also awarded the Soule gold medal – given to the senior that has done the most for athletics during the school year. Jim lettered in soccer, baseball, track and basketball during his time at Cate and continued to excel in athletics at the next level. “I am very appreciative of that time of my life and I believe my experience at Cate enabled me to have the choice of where I wanted to go to college.”
Jim Crutcher '48 Jim Crutcher '48 recently attended his 70th reunion in 2018 and has been a lifelong supporter of Cate School. The Biddle Cup recipient from the Class of 1948, among a then-record 16 students, Jim has remained close to the School throughout the years and has nothing but fond memories of his time on the Mesa. “My overall experience at Cate was very, very good,” Jim said. “I had a lot of great opportunities, and fortunately, I took advantage of it.” Memories that stand out include trips in the “old, beaten up” station wagons to Thacher and Midland, school dances in the McIntosh Room (he was on the dance committee in '46 and '47), and weekly work groups where he recalls building a path with rocks which is still used to this day. His summers were also eventful, spending time with classmate Jeff Wright '48 on a Union Oil tanker on the West Coast in 1946, and following his junior year, he worked at Hotel del Coronado with classmate Chuck Dimon '48, teaching sailing and water skiing in what he refers to as “the best job I’ve ever had in my life.” When asked about receiving the School’s highest honor, Jim is humbly still searching for answers. “Well, I was very impressed with the young woman that won the Biddle Cup this year [Avery Ransom] – she has much better
Jim chose Princeton, where he was a two-time All-American and captain of the soccer team, even earning a try-out for the Olympic team in 1951. After graduating with a degree in history, he served for two years in the Navy – stationed part of the time on a destroyer in North Korea – before moving on to San Francisco and, ultimately, Seattle in 1955. After getting married in 1956, Jim began to work for his father-in-law’s construction company, Lewis, in 1957 as a project engineer. He worked his way up to the role of President and led the company for six years until 1989. He currently serves as the Chairman Emeritus for the Board of Directors and was inducted into the University of Washington’s inaugural Construction Hall of Fame in 1995.
Mona Ali Khalil '84 The first and thus far only woman to receive Cate’s Distinguished Alumna Award in 2009, Mona Ali Khalil '84 was a part of many firsts during her time on the Mesa. The School’s first Saudi Arabian national and one of the first girls to join the student body, Mona possessed a strong personality and was described as “inspiring” by her classmates. Not only was she a co-recipient of the Biddle Cup – the School’s highest honor – but she was also awarded the Allan J. Gunther Mathematics Award, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal, and the Scholarship Cup, both as a junior and a senior. “Cate was very good for me and very good to me. For Cate to grant its highest honor to me was a tribute to Cate’s commitment to
equality and diversity,” she said. “I was not just a foreign student, I was one from an often and still misunderstood part of the world – a Saudi national of Palestinian origin and a Muslim woman. I am eternally indebted.” Equipped with the curiosity to ask questions and the confidence to stand up for her values, Mona would graduate cum laude from Harvard with a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s in Middle East regional studies in just four years. She went on to earn another master’s degree in Foreign Service and a juris doctorate at Georgetown. Seeking peaceful resolution of world conflicts, Mona joined the United Nations in 1993 and served for 23 years. She “led legal teams advising on peacekeeping and sanctions as well as on combatting terrorism and the proliferations of weapons of mass destruction.” She also had the privilege of appearing before the International Court of Justice, helping to establish the International Criminal Court, and serving on special assignments involving the armed conflicts in Iraq, Libya, and Syria. Mona now runs her own international strategic consulting firm, MAK LAW INTERNATIONAL, and resides in Vienna, Austria. She continues to be heavily involved with Cate School, which invited her to deliver the Baccalaureate Address to the Class of 2006. “Everyone of us wants to make a difference – because each of us is different we’ll change the world each in our own way: by having a child, by building a bridge, by discovering a new star, by writing a novel, by signing a peace treaty, by finding the cure for AIDS, or by defending an innocent man, woman or child,” she said. “Make money along the way but don’t let it be about the money, let it be about the value you give to and get out of your life. Whatever the path you choose – believe in yourself and believe in your dream – and when that happens, believe me, you too can make a difference!”
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and the sudden disruption in business with the Covid lull gave me time to do this.” He explains, “Insfora promotes a purpose driven life and combines many of the values that were instilled in me at Cate through Servons.” The company texts members bite-size inspirational quotes from thought leaders and provides a weekly accountability nudge on where you stand as a leader or person. The intent is to inspire reflection and promote action steps towards becoming your best self. Kwame encourages Cate students to “explore different aspects of yourself - don’t be in a rush to solidify your identity. Try things that are new and be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” He was pleasantly surprised to receive the Biddle Cup Award in 1992 and felt honored to be selected. In his words, “This award recognized a student who best exemplified the qualities of humanism, idealism, and excellence. As an adult now, that is exactly what I am striving for.”
Kwame Jackson’s time on the Mesa was great from the start and proceeded on an upward trajectory. He is proud of taking advantage of many academic, creative, and athletic opportunities that he was offered at Cate.
Sparking creativity is a keen interest for Kwame. In his work with securities, private equity, hedge funds, and currencies, he constantly searches for ways to bridge the economics world with harmonious thoughts and behaviors. Kwame recently launched Insfora, a business that fosters “Inspiration for a better you.” He shares, “This is something I had been wanting to do for a long time 110
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As a non-native speaker, William attributes much of his early confidence to his advisor and former Cate English instructor Gaby Edwards, who played an influential role during his freshman year Humanities class. He also fondly remembers Math instructor Tim Smith, his positive energy, and the way he approached teaching. Overall, William is appreciative of the unique learning dynamic that helped set him up for success. “The environment is all about asking questions, trying different things, and going across disciplines – not feeling like you’re caged in any kind of box. So for me, that is something that has been extremely helpful in my career.” His success at Cate translated seamlessly into his next stop at Stanford, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in computer science. After a twoyear stint as a software engineer at Google, William was inspired to break away on his own and co-founded Aviate – an intelligent homescreen that organizes information in your phone – in 2011. After going through the traditional Silicon Valley experience with great success, Aviate was ultimately acquired by Yahoo in 2014. Today, William is laying the groundwork for his next start-up company, centered around personal finance.
Kwame Jackson '92
Throughout his four years, he performed in musical productions and the Camerata choral group. He took part in public service and was involved in various sports including basketball, soccer, and track; a plaque at Sprague Gymnasium still displays his standing records in the high jump and 110 high hurdles. During his senior year, Kwame felt conflicted about moving on. He recognized that Cate provided a unique environment of belonging and encouragement that allowed him to “try new things without the same level of judgement that you may have at another school.” Originally from Santa Barbara, Kwame attended Yale University and majored in Economics. He now lives in Santa Monica, California, and owns several companies that primarily focus on lending money to residential real estate investors.
“Coming to Cate was a pivotal moment for me in my general life trajectory” William said. “It’s a place I associate with adventure and learning new things. It’s like going into something very different from what you’re familiar with and changing as a result.”
When reflecting on the Biddle Cup and what it represents, while humbled and honored with the award, William chooses to focus more on the intrinsic values and the overall educational experience at Cate that has helped shape who he is. “I felt like I could step out into the world, on a continuous journey of learning, and tackle whatever I wanted to do.”
William Choi '05 “Arguably the best mathematician to ever attend Cate, he is the farthest thing from onedimensional” remarked Head of School Ben Williams upon presenting the Biddle Cup to William Choi in 2005. Whether he was dominating the Cal Math League or bringing the Cate community to its feet with a goal as a member of the JV soccer team, William made his mark on the Mesa in more ways than one. A native of South Korea, William recalls an eye-opening experience when first arriving at the School, with each day bringing something new.
And that is exactly what he has done.
"Coming to Cate was a pivotal moment for me in my general life trajectory” William said. “It’s a place I associate with adventure and learning new things. It’s like going into something very different from what you’re familiar with and changing as a result."
Emily Sosrodjojo '13 Born and raised in Indonesia, Emily Sosrodjojo '13, or “Sos,” as she was affectionately known on the Mesa, first arrived at Cate as a new sophomore. Despite speaking English 24/7 for the first time in her life, it didn’t take long to immerse herself in the community – connecting with students across all grade levels with ease. Faculty – from her advisor Karl Weis, to Pete Mack, Annalee Salcedo and Cece Schwennsen to name a few – also played pivotal roles during her time at Cate. “I felt very supported,” Emily said. “Looking back, I didn’t realize how much I liked the fact that they (the faculty) treated all of us like adults. They valued our opinions, listened to us, and really cared. I think that allowed me to have the positive Cate experience that I did. I just felt a lot of love at Cate School.” Involved in Round Square and yearbook while serving as a prefect her senior year, Emily’s kindness, generosity and charisma did not go unnoticed. She graduated cum laude and, to her surprise only, received the School’s highest honor in the Biddle Cup. “I’m still very flattered by it,” she said. “It is very humbling. I think it meant that the faculty members trusted me and saw how much I cared about the people in the community. I was never head prefect or the captain of any teams, but by my senior year, I prioritized taking care of my freshmen and the yearbook. So I was very touched with the fact that I didn’t need to be the head prefect or student body president, but that they noticed and considered everyone.” Emily continued her studies at Boston College, where she was a double major in elementary education and applied psychology and human development with a minor in special education. Upon graduating, she landed at The Fessenden School, teaching third and fourth grade, and will be the new fourth grade teacher at Douglas MacArthur School in Waltham, Mass. starting this fall. As Head of School Ben Williams stated in Emily’s Biddle Cup citation, “For her, doing something worthwhile – preferably for the benefit of others – is its own reward.”
"The Biddle Cup Award demonstrates how the Cate community raises someone up because I certainly did not step onto the Mesa as the person I am today"
Avery Ransom '20 Avery Ransom is this year’s William Shepard Biddle Cup award recipient. She hails from Bronx, New York, and plans to attend Columbia University in the fall. Avery recalls that from the first time she stepped onto the Mesa, she knew it was going to be home for her. She shares, “I wanted to try everything! I was restless and ready to explore and expand my horizons.” Avery jumped into academics, baseball, theatre, cross country, public service, and most recently served as the school’s student body president, becoming an avid connector of people and a voice for the needs of others. Avery describes Cate as a very special place - not only because it strives for academic excellence, but because “Cate emphasizes the importance of gaining social skills and being more empathetic and understanding of other people’s backgrounds and surroundings.” She adds, “In the classroom we are not only learning from textbooks, we are learning from experiences and from our classmates. When you leave Cate, you naturally seek more people to talk to and different people to learn from.” Upon reflecting on her Cate years, Avery recalls that, “Within every community I stepped into at Cate, I always found a home.” She described the ease with which she could talk to her history teacher as if she were talking to her mother and has joyful memories of spending time with the Mason family, whether simply going grocery shopping or to Carl’s Jr. Avery was shocked and honored to receive the Biddle Cup Award this year as she acknowledges that this award encapsulates what she did at Cate, and also what many others did for her. “Who I am as a person is a collection of gifts from others. I carry the stories and lessons of others, so I don’t have to walk through every experience on my own.” She adds, “I am a product of my community. The Biddle Cup Award demonstrates how the Cate community raises someone up because I certainly did not step onto the Mesa as the person I am today.” 111
WAYS TO GIVE to CATE SCHOOL CREDIT CARD
Go to www.cate.org/donate to make a gift using Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. Credit card gifts are also accepted over the phone at (805) 684-4127 ext. 211. CHECK
Gifts may be made payable to Cate School and mailed to: Cate School, Advancement Office Box 5005 Carpinteria, CA 93014
MATCHING GIFTS
Many companies will match gifts that their employees (and sometimes spouses of employees) make to secondary schools such as Cate. Please send your company's matching gift form along with your gift. For questions, please contact Evan Akers at (805) 684-4127 ext. 211 or evan_akers@cate.org STOCK GIFTS & WIRE TRANSFERS
A gift to Cate of stock held more than one year entitles the donor to a charitable deduction for its full current market value (in most cases without paying the capital gains tax on the appreciation, which would be required if the securities were sold for personal gain). For more information on making a gift of appreciated securities, please contact Laura Jespersen by phone at (805) 684-4127 ext. 215, or by email at laura_jespersen@cate.org 121
In
memoriam
Robinson Ewert '74 1956-2020
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Robinson William Ewert, passed away at the age of 63 on May 21, 2020. Rob was born on December 4, 1956 in New York, N.Y. From a young age, Rob was an adventurer, chef, and avid sportsman. A "citizen of the world," Rob traveled extensively throughout his life, usually with either a surfboard or a fly rod. Wherever he went, Rob had a zest for life, laughed easily, and brought joy and laughter to those around him. Rob made friends easily and quickly, had a gift for language, and was able to communicate with anyone to find the best surf break, secret fishing hole, restaurant, bar, and nightclub every place he went. A graduate of Occidental College in Pasadena, Calif., Rob was a broadcast executive in New England and part owner of WLNE television in Providence, R.I. before his retirement. Rob is survived by his wife Kaliegh Jagielski Ewert, sons Patrick Henry
Ewert and William Robinson Ewert of Hartford, Conn., his brothers Albert C. Ewert III of Bedford, N.Y.; Mark V. Ewert of Washington, D.C.; Jonathan Ewert of Westport, Conn.; his sister Marcia M. Ewert of Hanover, N.H.; and seven nephews and nieces. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memoriam to The Atlantic Salmon Federation https://www.asf.ca/. Funeral services will be held at a later date. In addition, Rob will be remembered by his family and friends at celebrations of his life in his five favorite places: Rincon Point, Carpinteria, Calif.; Little Girl Flats, Harbor Island, Bahamas; Watch Hill Reef, R.I.; Eisenhower Rock at Parmachenee Lake, Maine; and River Snizort, Isle of Skye. A message of condolence may be sent by visiting www.farleyfuneralhome.com.
Ernest Redington Stent '52 1934-2019 Ernest Stent, a highly respected member of the University of California's Boalt Law School class of 1961, passed away in Prescott, Arizona, on October 10, 2019. He was a Navy veteran, an attorney for The Greyhound Corporation, and a successful probate attorney for many years in Sun City, Ariz.. He leaves behind his wife Roberta with whom he was married for 44 years, two sons, Michael and Roderick, and a brother James. Ernest grew up in San Francisco, Calif., and received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University.
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From the
archives A Disc Golf Renaissance Pandemic Style Regular Camp Cate attendees and graduates of the 90’s and 00’s may be familiar with disc golf – or, Frisbee golf – at Cate. The game is played on a course that starts on the walkway outside the McIntosh Room and leads the participants on a circumnavigation of the Mesa, lovingly called, “La Mesa Course.” While most printed memorabilia reveal nine holes, a mysterious “back nine” is said to exist, although no documentation of such could be found in the Archives. Tracking the history of the course is tricky, but a 2002 El Batidor article mentions the first Cate disc golf tournament was held in 1998. Named the Dohrmann Pischell '14 Open, in honor of one of the School's graduates, the tournament was held regularly through the early aughts. The advent of Netflix and Ned Bowler '83’s move to Oregon in 2015 created the perfect storm to send disc golf into dormancy. However, if you are looking for bright spots in the middle of a pandemic, look no further than the rebirth of La Mesa Course. Reimagined to include the new Kirby quad, the course will be familiar to most alumni players. The 2020 Quarantine edition features some exciting new elements, including the first-ever Par-5 hole. While many of the key features, including certain trees, rocks, and grates, remain, the newly mapped course presents players with an extended romp around the School’s newest fields and pathways, while allowing for appropriate social distancing.
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Cate Summer Program Attending summer camp is an opportunity for children to practice independence and further develop their own identity. For parents, these milestones are both empowering and at times stressful. In these uncertain times, Cate Summer Programs continues to be a refuge for children. Cate summer campers will learn what it means to be part of a community and to serve a community, and spend time developing friendships with other campers and staff from different parts of our country and nation.
In a time where online interaction has become the norm, Summer 2021 will be a place for kids to interact with peers and teachers face-to-face. Children will sit around the dining tables in the new Booth Commons and talk about their day. They will meet in our outdoor classrooms and expand their ideas on the world. They will train and push themselves in their sport to be better than they were the day before. Cate Summer Programs offer a way for kids to grow and develop themselves against the backdrop of the Padres National Forest and Pacific Ocean.
Watching Cate Summer Programs evolve in its five years of operation has been exciting and magical. What were initially planned activities have become beloved traditions; the group photo taken each week shows smiling faces and big personalities, dodgeball Tuesday brings out the competitive spirit and teamwork in everyone, ending the day with a reading of ‘Notes of Gratitude’ yields a feeling of hope and nostalgia as each day passes.
We are excited to continue the traditions of Cate Summer Institute, Cate Summer Outdoors, Cate Sports Academy, and Cate Summer MINI.
For more information, please contact Director of Cate Summer Programs Jessica Seriano (805) 684-4127 ext. 134 or www.www.catesummerprograms.org. 125
CATE SCHOOL 1960 Cate Mesa Road Post Office Box 5005 Carpinteria, CA 93014-5005
Nkemka Chukwumerije '21 tests out La Mesa Frisbee Golf Course as one of the many physically distanced activities upon students return to campus in late September.
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