CLAUDETTE PROCTOR ’17
POLAR BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHER
FUTURE IS BLUE AT ALTASEA
COVER PROFILE: CLAUDETTE PROCTOR ’17 8 GRADUATING CLASS OF 2024
WHAT BOB BUILT
MIDDLE SCHOOL INTRODUCES CHIP WEEK
64
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AND ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
52
HEAD OF SCHOOL JESSICA DONOVAN MEETS ALUMNI
68
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Chadwick School Magazine // Summer 2024
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Jessica Donovan
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
Barbara Najar
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPASS EDITOR
Michael Balsley
MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER
Patrick Record
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Tami Seeger
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Xavier Proctor
ART DIRECTOR
Susan Piper
COPYWRITING
Michael Balsley
Tami Seeger
PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Patrick Record
PHOTOGRAPHY
Marie Chao
Matt Gush
Jeff Lorch
Xavier Proctor
EMAIL pv-communications@chadwickschool.org
WEBSITE / chadwickschool.org
FACEBOOK / ChadwickSchool
INSTAGRAM / @chadwickschool
LINKEDIN / Chadwick School
EDITOR’S NOTE: To provide feedback on the magazine, notify us of a change of address or to unsubscribe, contact the Office of Marketing and Communications: pv-communications@chadwickschool.org or (310) 377-1543. ON
“I believe Margaret would have wanted a changing and growing Chadwick for a changing and growing world — for students who will leave through the Chadwick gates changed and still growing.”
I promised myself I would write my speech during my threeday Outdoor Ed “solo” on our senior class, 17-day backpacking adventure. During said solo, I decided the best way to address you all was through a letter. At times, it may sound crazy, and it may be, but bear with me:
I’m writing to you from the Sierras on my three-day solo. I didn’t think I’d ever be ready for this trip, but as I’m sitting here wishing it was just a bit longer, I know I’m ready. I am ready to leave you, Chadwick, though I will always carry you in my pocket.
As I write this letter, it’s important to let you know how I see you. To me, you are not a constant: Chadwick is not a location, not a handbook and not a set of traditions. Margaret Chadwick, our beloved founder, moved us from San Pedro to Palos Verdes. We extended to Vietnam, and then not to Vietnam, but Chadwick is everywhere because we are going everywhere. We are changing. In a changing world, why should Chadwick remain stagnant?
This letter is not directed to the sign at the bottom of the hill that states “Chadwick.” It is for the people who have changed Chadwick, the people Chadwick has changed, and everyone who has come through and left just a little bit better. I am proud of how we have come together as a class this year; we were brought together through fun and by navigating challenges.
It’s day three of my solo now. A lot has happened! I’ve heard that solo changes you and I didn’t believe it until I spoke with god herself — I had what can only be described as a coming-to-Margaret-moment. I was struggling to find words to impart to the Commencement community that would connect and uplift, and to be honest, I had questions that I felt I couldn’t graduate without the answers to. So, I did what any good disciple would do, and I called to her:
‘Is it fair? Is it honest? Is it filled with respect? Is it responsible, necessary, compassionate? Do you have the Core Values safely in check? If you do, then you are living the Wick!’
All of a sudden, there she was, Margaret Chadwick herself! Before I could even get a word out, she started bombarding me with questions. ‘How did the lunch get so expensive? What’s up with all
the cars and angry folks on the hill? Why did it take so long to get a female Head of School? Why are there speed bumps on my hill? Why do we count the cars going up the hill?’
The questions kept coming, and there was definitely a recurring hill/automobile-related theme, but I had to stop her. ‘Maggie, Margie, Marge.’ She fell silent. ‘I sense some possible confusion surrounding a present-day issue. Would you like to talk about it?’ She nodded. I filled her in on the wonderful Ms. Donovan, the thousands of community service hours students complete, the amazing work that the sophomore student council is doing to lower the prices in the cafeteria and even RFK Jr.’s brainworm. I took the final bite of the mushroom I found by the creek (just kidding, that never happened) and fell asleep. When I woke up, Margaret Chadwick was gone.
I recall her telling me she was proud of us for carrying on her legacy and traditions and for positive change. While I didn’t get to ask her the meaning of life, I did learn something: I was here in the wilderness reflecting on my life because of her. She saw a value in her students connecting with nature and disconnecting from everything else. People have come in and out of Chadwick to add something new or change something old. I believe Margaret would have wanted a changing and growing Chadwick for a changing and growing world — for students who will leave through the Chadwick gates changed and still growing.
When I say Chadwick has changed my life, I mean the people who have changed my life, the friends who have supported me, the teachers who have challenged me and all the people who have made me question right and wrong. That is the Chadwick I will keep in my pocket. Each of our Chadwick pocket squares will have a different design.
Someone has sacrificed for you to be here, whether that is time, money or endless encouragement. I would like to thank my parents for sending me here. I’m so grateful for all I’ve learned in my classes but am most grateful for the relationships. I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I’ll be needing that hanky now. It’s not an easy goodbye.
Audrey Lin
SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT
“Keep making connections; keep laughing; keep questioning what’s around you; keep speaking your mind; keep creating; keep playing; keep taking risks; keep being yourselves.”
I’VE SPENT THE PAST 13 YEARS LAUGHING at how far away 2024 and the Senior Outdoor Education trip seemed. Now that we’re here, four days after returning from the wild and now sitting in front of the hallowed gates of Margaret Chadwick herself, part of me is still wondering how we’re already here.
In my time at Chadwick, which has felt like an eternity, I’ve seen teachers I’ve loved come and go, seven Heads of School, old traditions die, new traditions born, the Lower Village teachers change until I could count on one hand how many remain, and I’ve also watched our grade grow and shrink into the class of 82 strong we are today.
Community is at the heart of all things Chadwick. It’s in our sports, classes, halls, stage, the greetings we exchange in passing, the bathrooms, conversations happening in every corner of campus — but most of all in our grade. Like so many of us touched on during our gratitude circle, our class has always had a way of coming together when it matters most, and I feel so blessed to call you all my peers, classmates and friends.
Call it the “senior-year effect,” but to me, watching the hard boundaries of the junior deck disintegrate once we got to the senior deck and seeing our grade come together felt inevitable, especially after the pandemic kept us online and isolated our freshman year. The fact that we bounced back so well to pull off our most epic lip sync battle performance, our late-night karaoke in Roessler Hall and our gratitude circle in the gym speaks to why everyone always says this class is special. No offense to the other classes, but there’s a sense of genuine unity, respect and eagerness to know everyone, not just people in our personal friend groups, that is so particular to this group.
I’m incredibly proud and happy to have been a part of the Class of 2024, and to have had the opportunity to grow, stress, and have fun alongside all of you.Each of you has so much depth, talent, kindness, intellect and personality. I feel so lucky to have gone on this journey with you, to have had the chance to hear about your passions and to watch you shine — whether on the court, on the stage, through art, games, media or around campus.
It has been an honor to serve as your Class President these past two years, and I hope that — even if your time here has been far from perfect — you are able to take those small moments and interactions with your peers and your teachers with you. To me, these moments are much more lasting and important than our
freshman-year grades or all of the discussions we’ve had about Shakespeare over the years — no offense to our English teachers!
Surviving Chadwick School was hard, and whether you’ve been here from kindergarten or junior year or sixth grade, we’ve all come so far and jumped through so many hoops to get here. I hope you’re all as proud of us as I am for making it to the end. I hope you all remember our time here and continue to look for and create this kind of community wherever we go next.
One thing about me is that I’ve always been excited to go to school. My parents thought there was something seriously wrong with me when I used to get sad about the fact that school doesn’t continue into the weekends. Don’t get me wrong, I love my weekends now, but the fact that I haven’t lost my love for coming to Chadwick over these 13 years is thanks to all of you.
The connections I’ve made and have continued making into my senior year make me wish I had just a little more time to have even more conversations and moments with you all. It wasn’t until this year that I realized I have so much in common with someone I hadn’t really talked to before; I even got to know a teacher who never actually taught me in class. Now that we’ve all learned how meaningful these casual conversations can be, don’t wait until the last year to make connections in the future. Start talking to people you usually wouldn’t talk to from the very beginning; learn about and from the people around you and learn to love and respect them like I’ve learned to love and respect every one of you.
I can’t wait to see where each of us will go next, and I want you all to know that I’ll always be rooting for you from my corner of the world, no matter where we end up. If you ever do find yourself not knowing who to share your accomplishments with at the height of your success like Taylor Swift with her album “1989,” know that you can always share them with me.
Keep making connections; keep laughing; keep questioning what’s around you; keep speaking your mind; keep creating; keep playing; keep taking risks; keep being yourselves. Ten, 20, or 50 years from now, when Chadwick fades into just one tiny figment of our distant past and your diploma starts gathering dust, I hope you’ll stop to reminisce about that one time you went to that little school on the top of the hill and maybe remember the super cool people you used to go to school with.
Congratulations, and happy graduation. WE DID IT!
Inaaya Ahmed
Parker Jean Albarian
Emilie-Martine Alden
Ansel Eric Baldovin
Christian Kayle Belen
Anna Marie Brutocao
Sara Jeehae Campbell
Louis Scott Campion
Sienna Pei-En Chan
Susan Junghee Cho
Alexander William Davies
Daylin Alejandra Diaz Carrera
Chloe Carmen DiLeva
Kai Wind Dodson
Isabel Grace Eddleston
Madison Lily Elhaik
Harry Fang
Renny Harriet Flanigan
Joshua G. Floyd
Graham William Galusha
Victoria Kate George
Irene Alexandra Gonzales
Joshua Robert Goodman
Amalia Rose Goshtigian
George Harrison Hobart
Harley Dior Huff
Keila Ikoma-Thunberg
Reina Jasmine Jo
Sophie Ophelia Kaneshiro
Ally Dorothy Kellock
Samantha Marion Kellock
Meredith Reilly Kenney
Caleb Hyun-Suh Kim
Grant Edward Kinel
Sophie Montgomery Lalas
Audrey Yi-Ying Lin
Timothy Lin
Derek Cornelius Linden
Jack Lindquist
Lauren Victoria Lopez
Lizbeth Lopez
Abigail Yee Luong
Wanlu Lyu
Paul Bernard Mainvielle
Alexis Elise Martin
Sarissa Jane McCann
Beckett Joseph Meisel
Patricia Faith Melton
McKenna Elise Morris
Ashley Ann Neal
Melia Hana Lopez Nishita
Griffin Henry O’Gorman
Kathryn Elizabeth Parks
Emmaline Crissman Payne
Teddy Perella
Jessica Tatiana Piamonte
Maxwell Ace Polin
Hudson Taylor Powers
Austin Derrek Ransford
Sophia Lalita Kaur Reddy
Alana Silverio Reyes
Daniel Karel Rosenzweig
Thomas John Rosso
Chad Leroy Sawyer
Ella Schneider
Tatum Lee Severns
Ava Kate Seyranian
Alton James Shairson
Adeline Emlyn Smith
Samantha Jia McNamara Solomon
Willard Campbell Somers III
Sydney Reyburn Spangler
Ixil Sayeed Tambito
Aiden Neil Trowe
Angelina Jolia P. Tsuboi
Adrian Jesus Velasco
Chloe Christine Watts
Yuhao Xie
Michael SL Yang
Zizhao Yang
Colin Marcus Yun
Jack Anthony Ziegler
Members of the Class of 2024 received 497 offers of admission from 198 different colleges and universities, and will attend 57 different colleges and universities. Last updated July 15, 2024. Information subject to change.
Agnes Scott College 1
American University 5
Amherst College 1/1
Arizona State University - Tempe 4/1
Auburn University 2
Baldwin Wallace University 1
Bard College 2
Bentley University 1
Boston College 5/2
Boston University 2/1
Bowdoin College 1
Brandeis University 3
Brown University 3/3
California Institute of Technology 1/1
California Polytechnic State University 3/1
Cal Poly - Humboldt 1
Cal Poly - Pomona 3
California State University - Chico 1
Cal State-Dominguez Hills 1
Cal State - Fullerton 2
California State-Long Beach 3
Cal State - Los Angeles 2
Cal State - Monterey Bay 1
Cal State - Northridge 2
Carleton College 1
Carnegie Mellon University 1/1
Case Western Reserve University 3
Chapman University 3/1
Claremont McKenna College 1/1
Clark University 1
Coastal Carolina University 1
Colby College 1
Colgate University 1/1
College for Creative Studies 1
Colorado State University - Ft. Collins 1 Cornell University 1/1
Cornish College of the Arts 1
Creighton University 1
Dartmouth College 1/1
Davidson College 1
Denison University 2
DePaul University 5
DePauw University 1 Drake University 1
Drexel University 10
Eckerd College 2 Elon University 5/1
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 1 Emerson College 4/2
Emory University 2/1
Fairfield University 1/1
Florida Institute of Technology 1
Florida International University
Florida State University 1 Fordham University 17/3
Georgetown University 2/1
George Washington University 4 Gonzaga University 2
Haverford College 1/1
Hawai‘i
California- Los Angeles 4/2
University of California- Riverside 4/0 University of California- San Diego 7/1
University of California- Santa Barbara 10
of California- Santa Cruz 12/1
of Chicago 1/1
CUM LAUDE SOCIETY
CLASS OF 2024 MEMBERS
Anna Marie Brutocao
Sienna Pei-En Chan
Susan Junghee Cho
Isabel Grace Eddleston
Graham William Galusha
Reina Jasmine Jo
Meredith Reilly Kenney
Caleb Hyun-Suh Kim
Audrey Yi-Ying Lin
Jack Lindquist
Lauren Victoria Lopez
Abigail Yee Luong
Wanlu “Kirsty” Lyu
Ashley Ann Neal
Griffin Henry O'Gorman
Sydney Reyburn Spangler
Michael SL Yang
CLASS OF 2025
MEMBERS INDUCTED IN 2024
Elsa Dermenjian
Bryce Hatch
Andy Lai
Max Lee
Evan Lin
Jocelyn Ono
Noella Wren
Wrigley Zbyszewski
UPPER SCHOOL AWARDS
CITIZENSHIP AWARD
Parker Jean Albarian
Jack Lindquist
Lizbeth Lopez
HEAD OF SCHOOL AWARD
Graham William Galusha
Caleb Hyun-Suh Kim
Audrey Yi-Ying Lin
FOUNDERS’ AWARD
Joshua Robert Goodman
Jessica Tatiana Piamonte
Austin Derrek Ransford
Alana Silverio Reyes
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD
Daylin Alejandra Diaz-Carrera
Lauren Victoria Lopez
LEE-STEPHENS AWARD
Natalie Bernstein
Forrest Steele
Wrigley Zbyszewski
VISUAL ART AWARD
Audrey Yi-Ying Lin
PERFORMING ARTS AWARD
Amalia Rose Goshtigian
THE FRANK QUINLIN JOURNALISM AWARD
Parker Jean Albarian
Abigail Yee Luong
MODEL UNITED NATIONS AWARD
Ashley Ann Neal
BINA MANDAL SWIMMING AWARD
Alexander William Davies
Samantha Jia McNamara Solomon
SARTORIUS AWARD
Isabel Grace Eddleston
Derek Cornelius Linden
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Madison Lily Elhaik
Thomas John Rosso
WOWs class of 2024
Ansel Eric Baldovin
Sienna Pei-En Chan
Graham William Galusha
Victoria Kate George
Keila Ikoma-Thunberg
Grant Edward Kinel
Sophie Montgomery Lalas
Audrey Yi-Ying Lin
Derek Cornelius Linden
Beckett Joseph Meisel
Emmaline Crissman Payne
Hudson Taylor Powers
Chad Leroy Sawyer
Tatum Lee Severns
Ava Kate Seyranian
Alton James Shairson
Willard Campbell Somers III
Sydney Reyburn Spangler
Colin Marcus Yun
Bob Rule has been a part of Chadwick School since 1963, and chances are, you know him.
YOU MIGHT ALREADY KNOW that Bob Rule graduated from Chadwick in 1976 as a WOW, having attended since kindergarten. You might know that he was tutored by Margaret Chadwick herself and is one of the few people who have been taught by or worked with every Head of School at Chadwick. You might also know that Bob has a long storied history at Chadwick that includes time spent working in the Arts Unlimited summer program in stage production, as a shop teacher, Middle School advisor, technical production teacher, Campus Construction Coordinator, Director of Technology, Facilities Management and as the Director of Risk Management and Transportation before transitioning into an advisory role for one more year until he retires.
But have you seen the inside of his garage?
As the electric garage door lifts, a carefully crafted woodshop is revealed. Every square inch of wall space supports a handmade shelving unit or built-in structure. There must be over 100 drawers, each filled with treasures with their own storied histories. The shop is organized, with state-of-the-art tools and modular, hideaway workstations. Everything has a place because Bob built everything a place to belong. That’s not to
“There’s no difference between building a set to last for three weeks and building a building to last for 50 years.”
say that every place is orderly. Some of the most interesting nooks are the less opened drawers and boxes with dusty bits and bobs, piles of old plans and notes, and well-loved tools whose paint on the handles have worn off from their years spent as the best tool for the job. Bob’s workshop is a clash of old and new.
The shop started to take shape in 2018, shortly after Bob’s father, Bill Rule, passed away. Having inherited some antique furniture and some of his dad’s old tools, Bob began building his own space dedicated to woodworking and making a personal maker’s space. Bob confesses, “My dad was a terrible carpenter,” learning skills as he needed them to fix fences for their horses or make repairs on the family property.
Helping his dad on these projects instilled in Bob a love of learning at an early age, “I love to learn. So when I acquire tools, it’s to up my game. I don’t usually have a project in mind.” Bob built his own pencil post bed frame, an iteration of a classic design that dates back to Queen Hetepheres of Egypt in 2600 BCE, allowing him to use some of Chadwick’s old shop tools to learn new skills.
Next to Chadwick’s old bandsaw, which Bob first used as a student in Tom Tyler’s shop class and later as a teacher of the class alongside Tom, is a new computer numerical control (CNC) machine that automates the control, movement and precision of wood-cutting tools. Bob credits his love of woodworking to Tom and to his teachers Karen Stephens and Keith “Doc” Stephens
The spaces we build for others stand as acts of love and service to those that inhabit them.
from his time as a student in theater and on stage crew. Among Bob’s first class projects were a simple plywood box that he still uses today, a fully functional wood and fiberglass kayak and multiple set pieces for various Chadwick theater productions.
Bob’s experiences in theater, special event production in college and in his early professional life came in handy when he returned to Chadwick as an adult. From teaching shop and technical production to facilities planning and management, Bob explains, “There’s no difference between building a set to last for three weeks and building a building to last for 50 years.” All told, Bob has built or refurbished some of Chadwick’s most seminal spaces on campus, including Christensen Hall, Pascoe Pavilion, the Village School Science Building, Rosenwald Amphitheater, the faculty townhouses, the John Fiske Middle School classrooms and the Geoffrey Alan Laverty Center for the Performing Arts, and he’s played a key role in the planning and execution of major infrastructure projects like laying Chadwick’s main waterline.
Eventually, the new tools will become as worn and loved as the old ones. Their stories will be of Bob’s next big project at his home in Georgia: a new, larger workshop/three-car garage with an attached upstairs living space. Once completed in late spring of 2025, he will use the new workshop to build his new permanent house. Bob doesn’t yet know the specifics of how many rooms he will have, where the jacuzzi will go, or whether he will have a wraparound porch, but he is letting curiosity lead the way — currently learning about integrated concrete form construction to use as the main building material. While continuing to work for Chadwick remotely for another year, Bob will serve as his own project’s general contractor. The foundation will soon be laid, and Bob has regular meetings with his architect each week, inching closer and closer to turning the design renderings into reality.
Bob has spent his life building for others. It is long overdue that he has the opportunity to build for himself.
If you ask him, Bob would say that he is driven by a love of learning. To see all of the things that Bob has built over the decades, it is clear that there is also a deep love for this school. Bob has had a hand in building spaces where lifelong friendships are forged, new interests are discovered and core memories are made. The spaces we build for others stand as acts of love and service to those that inhabit them. What Bob has really built is a community, a place for everyone to belong that will be felt for decades.
Chadwick Head of School Jessica Donovan celebrated her first day of school on Aug. 28, 2023. She addressed the K-12 student body at the First Day Assembly and lent a helping hand at drop-off.
Angelina Tsuboi ’24 is a programmer, mechatronics engineer and scientific researcher. Among her many inventions, when she learned about Los Angeles’ air pollution problem, she set out to solve it by creating a tailorable, portable and inexpensive device that monitors air quality called Oura. She was a guest speaker at a Middle School assembly and reminded students that “Change starts with you!”
In the spring of 2024, Chadwick honored Ruth and Roger MacFarlane by naming the Middle School Courtyard the MacFarlane Family Courtyard, celebrating their decades of commitment and philanthropic support to the Chadwick community.
The New York Times bestselling author of the “Spy School” series Stuart Gibbs led writing workshops for third- through sixth-grade students. Students enjoyed Gibbs’ engaging and fun approach to storytelling as part of the Friends of the Library’s Visiting Author program.
Congratulations to the 2023 football team, which celebrated its first CIF-SS 8-Person Football championship since 1986. They capped off an undfeated season with a 33-14 victory in front of a full crowd at Commander Field on Nov. 18, 2023. Go Dolphins!
Congratulations to Reina Jo ’24 for being named a National Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist. She scored in the top 1% of the state of California on the PSAT during her junior year of high school.
Jack Segil ’25 was featured in South Bay Magazine for his impressive work establishing his foundation, “Code to Grow.” The foundation provides year-long coding and mentorship opportunities to students from underserved communities, raising over $250,000 and sending young people to coding camp.
Chadwick students joined others across the country in observing a near-total eclipse of the sun as it traversed across the United States on April 8, 2024. Students used special glasses to observe the shape of the moon as it passed in front of the sun, casting crescent-shaped shadows across campus.
Chadwick is charting a course for a more sustainable and prosperous world and is inspired by the idea that the future is blue.
one of the busiest seaports for international trade in the western hemisphere, lies AltaSea — the new home for ocean-related innovation, sustainability and marine exploration. Amid the rhythmic hum of maritime activity and the endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean, AltaSea is on a mission to transform our relationship with the ocean, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements that promise to shape the “blue economy” and a more sustainable future.
This fall, Chadwick School will begin an innovative collaboration story of its own by establishing the Chadwick Ocean Institute as a new signature program and the Chadwick Ocean Institute Community Learning Lab at AltaSea, making Chadwick the first and only K-12 school to have a footprint on AltaSea’s 35-acre seaside campus.
The
AltaSea was born from a visionary collaboration between government, industry and academia, driven by a shared belief in the ocean’s untapped potential. Officially launched in 2013, the project addresses the critical need for sustainable ocean-related research and innovation. The founders recognized the strategic importance of the Port of Los Angeles, not only as a global trade hub but also as a gateway to the vast marine environments of the Pacific.
The genesis of AltaSea was fueled by an ambitious vision: to create a world-class center for marine science, education and sustainable business. With its rich history and dynamic infrastructure, the Port of Los Angeles provided the perfect canvas for this transformative endeavor. The founding partners included esteemed institutions such as the Southern California Marine Institute, the Annenberg Foundation and the Port of Los Angeles, each bringing their unique expertise and resources to the table.
AltaSea’s sprawling campus is designed to foster collaboration and innovation. Making an eco-friendly, 21st-century use of former trade and transit warehouses built in the early days of the 20th century, it serves as a vibrant hub where scientists, entrepreneurs, educators, and policymakers converge to explore new frontiers in ocean science and technology. The campus will include state-of-the-art laboratories, cutting-edge research
facilities and collaborative workspaces, all strategically positioned to maximize synergy and cross-pollination of ideas.
One of AltaSea’s core missions is to advance the understanding of the ocean and its ecosystems. Through its partnerships with leading research institutions such as the University of Southern California, AltaSea’s partners are at the forefront of marine biology, oceanography and environmental science. The discoveries made here will not only enhance our knowledge of the ocean, but also inform global efforts to protect and preserve this vital resource.
The site has attracted champions from both the blue economy and ocean protection communities, including corporate, academic, civic, and philanthropic leaders. The vision is to create a dynamic campus where business will fuel science, science will stimulate business, and both will educate and inspire the next generations.
AltaSea is a catalyst for the burgeoning “blue economy” — a sustainable economic model that responsibly leverages the ocean’s resources. By fostering innovation in renewable energy, aquaculture and marine biotechnology, AltaSea is helping to create new industries and jobs that are both economically viable and environmentally sustainable.
The center’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its initiatives to develop clean energy solutions, such
as offshore wind and wave energy. These projects have the potential to revolutionize how we harness the ocean’s power, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
At the official opening ceremony, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass set a high standard saying, “AltaSea is the latest example of Los Angeles expanding the horizon of innovation, growth and sustainability. This center will serve as a hub to protect our ocean, drive economic expansion and help our climate all at the same time – a momentous investment in the blue economy unlike anywhere else in the country.”
As Los Angeles looks ahead at opportunities to attract a global audience with events such as the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics, AltaSea hopes to cast a wide vision for the role ocean science plays in our shared future.
At the heart of AltaSea’s mission is a dedication to education and community engagement — a perfect environment for Chadwick’s 35-year history of curriculum dedicated to marine biology.
Led by Interim Director of the Chadwick Ocean Institute Dr. Dijanna Figueroa, Chadwick will take the lead by creating a community education center called the Chadwick Ocean Institute Community Learning Lab (CO-LAB). The lab will offer a range of educational programs aimed at inspiring the next generation of ocean stewards. From K-12 outreach programs to university-level research opportunities, Chadwick students can experience hands-on learning opportunities off-campus while still engaging in a Chadwick classroom.
“The AltaSea collaboration allows our students to make meaningful connections with university researchers, ocean-inspired entrepreneurs and ocean scientists, all located in the same incubator space,” says Dr. Figueroa. “We are nurturing a pipeline of curious students, equipped to tackle the challenges of the
future and motivated to make a positive change in our world. What better place than Chadwick to collaborate with future innovators and global citizens, surrounded by researchers, innovators and change-makers.”
“AltaSea’s vision is an ‘Ocean that will sustain future generations,’ and this collaboration with Chadwick will further support our work to bring together communities to achieve this vision,” adds AltaSea’s Education Director Alan Hill.
Chadwick’s community initiatives extend beyond the classroom, fostering a deep connection between the public and the ocean. Through planned research, outreach to local K-12 schools, marine science curriculum and volunteer opportunities, the Chadwick Ocean Institute at AltaSea invites all students to practice Chadwick’s signature experiential learning model, witnessing the ocean’s wonders firsthand.
“As we look to the future, our ambitions are as vast as the ocean itself. The Ocean Institute aims to expand research capabilities, inspire future scientists and deepen our impact on sustainable innovation. With plans for community outreach and enhanced partnerships with the wealth of collaborators at AltaSea, we are poised to become a beacon for K-12 marine science education, research and blue economy development,” adds Dr. Figueroa.
Margaret Chadwick’s legacy is a foundation for experiential learning in nature and is a story of care and collaboration for curious young minds. This adventure opens students up to a sustainable future of hope and possibility through science and asks the question, “What’s next?”
Chadwick is charting a course for a more sustainable and prosperous world and is inspired by the idea that “the future is blue.”
Interested in learning more about AltaSea? Visit their website at altasea.org and follow them on social media @altasea.
Students participated in the Chadwick Summer Programs STEAM@ theSea camp this summer.
“We are nurturing a pipeline of curious students equipped to tackle challenges and make a positive change in our world.”
– DR. DIJANNA FIGUERROA
In light of Chadwick’s collaboration with AltaSea, we were pleased to introduce two Chadwick ocean scientists to each other: Interim Director of the Chadwick Ocean Institute Dr. Dijanna Figueroa and Stanford University Ph.D. candidate Claudette Proctor ’17. They sat down with Compass in the Innovation and Design Building to talk shop and connect over Chadwick’s growing marine science programming.
As one would expect, they dove into technical subjects, like the effect of hydrothermal iron on chemosynthesis. But they also bonded over lighthearted stories, such as how scientists figure out who gets to eat the last piece of fresh fruit on a three-week scientific research cruise, what it is like being stuck on a polar bear watch and even what to do when your submarine loses power.
Highlights from their conversation.
As scientists at different points in your careers, what do you remember most about being a marine biology student?
CLAUDETTE: I think about being a Chadwick student all the time, and I’m positive it brought me to where I am today, primarily because of two things. One was my ability to get out into the field, tidepooling, sea-kayaking and the like. And the second: I could drive my own ship and follow my curiosity. You know, doing all those things as a student, I thought, “Oh, this could be me. This is something that a person could do.”
DIJANNA: I went on one field trip in high school — one! — but that was enough to get me hooked on marine biology. Our students get to go off campus so much more than I could as a student, so I wanted to bring that into the classroom as a teacher.
What does it mean for students to tell a scientific story?
C: I think the first part is getting the data right to tell the story. You also have to feel empowered enough to tell the story. That’s when a teacher’s passion for their subject matters so much. If I am a student in a class with a teacher who believes in me, then that story has somewhere compelling to go. You can get feedback on that story, and you are not just writing it on your own.
D: I agree. Also, having an authentic venue to share stories is important. To go to a conference where people are presenting their findings — that’s an authentic audience. For example, last year we participated in USC’s post-COVID-19 surveys of the intertidal zones. Over the pandemic, there had been a lot of people harvesting marine life on their own and it kind of devastated the ecosystem, and many species were heavily impacted. Sea stars had just started recovering from the sea star wasting disease, and then we had zero sea stars. Zero!
C: We actually studied and presented on that sea star wasting disease outbreak in my Chadwick Marine Bio class! I just read an article about them starting to come back, and I sent it to my teacher, Amy Hill.
D: Oh my gosh! Our students were like, “We’re the first class to see a sea star at this beach!” We have been recording it for years and now the students want to tell everybody about it. They want to call USC. They want to tell everyone, “We found this!” That’s authentic. That’s meaningful. They documented the recovery of an ecosystem right here in their backyard. That is experiential learning at its best.
C: When you can learn in that way, you have a holistic understanding. When you see it for yourself, it’s a totally different experience.
As teachers how do you connect with students? Dijanna as a Chadwick teacher and Claudette, teaching undergraduates.
D: Connecting with students and watching them connect their learning with the world around them is really cool to see. There are times when the connection is not easy though. For example, I am currently teaching the microbial loop. This one is hard for students to see but totally important and amazing.
C: I was also struggling with that, too, teaching the microbial loop. I’m looking online for content to see if I can find a nice diagram or a chart or something, and I am thinking, well, “I’ll have to draw it myself, I guess.” That’s the new horizon: clearly the microbial loop.
D: The loop is really important, though! So much of the carbon cycle depends on the microbial ocean. When I was in grad school, they didn’t realize how important the microbes were. It’s all about microbes now.
C: My advisor says, “If I can’t see it, I probably don’t care about it.” The tiny things are doing all the heavy lifting.
Claudette, what you are studying as part of your Ph.D. project?
C: We are studying under-the-ice phytoplankton in the Arctic…
D: (interrupting) Oh my gosh, you have to come talk to the kindergartners! We do a whole unit on permafrost and phytoplankton. That’s where the algae is, right?
C: Yes, but actually, they are pelagic.
D: Wait. What!?
C: Yeah, I know, it’s wild! Previously, we thought that the marginal ice zone was where all the primary production happened because sea ice was breaking up. Since we’re getting thinner ice with more melt ponds, we’re getting more light into the water, and they are blooming underneath the ice. We didn’t know that, but now we do.
What are you most excited about as ocean scientists right now?
C: I think all of the explicit climate change research is really interesting. A lot of work in my field is asking this question, “X is changing, and we want to know how Y is affected.” People aren’t saying the quiet part out loud about climate change in academia; that is what I want to see more of.
D: I’m most excited about the youth; they are better communicators than my generation and the generation before me. We go through this really rigorous pathway to disseminate information, but it’s not fast. So I’m encouraged that we could see a paradigm shift in how quickly we can share information to collectively make better decisions to help make us more climate resilient.
C: I’m excited by so many things. On our last cruise, we had an indigenous observer. As scientists, we are developing a more interdisciplinary approach, including and amplifying the voices of indigenous people who know so much about the systems and ecosystems they have been working in much longer than scientists. Utilizing that knowledge has been necessary and will become so important in the future.
D: I am so glad you mentioned that. We were just in French Polynesia for an Upper School Global Program, and there’s a whole movement called data sovereignty. Sometimes when knowledge is shared, it’s not attributed to the traditional knowledge holders, and there’s this movement to give credit, especially since indigenous systems of sharing information and knowledge can differ from ours. In the next 10 years, it will be interesting to see how we figure out different ways to bring our collective knowledge together in a right and equitable way.
Dijanna, what would you tell a young Ph.D. student as they begin their career as a scientist?
D: There were times when I was working on my dissertation and I would be eating dinner or taking a shower or something, and I would stress out that I should be analyzing a data sheet instead. The guilt! So just remember to take care of yourself. Read a book, look at a sunset or do something else besides that spreadsheet! It will be there tomorrow, and it will get done. Research is part of your life, but don’t make it all of your life.
Claudette, what would you share with a current teacher at Chadwick?
C: Continue to allow for students to explore what they want to explore, and utilize their interests and their passions to guide your own work. And as you said, take care of your students, they’re people too. Especially high schoolers! This should be an opportunity for them to forget about grades and to be passionate about what they are passionate about.
D: Remember, we’re all humans!
C: That’s right! At the end of the day, we are all humans — as much as I would love to be a phytoplankton.
Claudette Proctor ’17 is a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford’s University’s Doerr School of Sustainability.
“I am a polar biological oceanographer. Specifically, I study phytoplankton, which we have discovered thrive under the ice in the Arctic. It is a fact that scientists only recently discovered, and we are studying the extent to which this organism is thriving in an environment where it shouldn’t.”
As she begins the daunting task of assembling the research for her doctorate, it is quite literally taking her to the edges of the world as we know it.
From the Arctic to the Antarctic, Claudette is on a mission to better
understand the world we live in and how it can remain a sustainable place for future generations. Quick to ask questions and share what she loves about science, Claudette easily conveys what is so interesting about the smallest details of her field of study. She is thoughtful and curious and, as is true with so many good listeners, she is also thinking — a lot.
“I’ve always been an oceanographer, ever since I was a Chadwick student in Amy Hill’s Marine Biology class. We regularly went to the ocean to conduct research. Since her program had been going on
for years, we had this huge data set. My classmates and I synthesized the data and learned how a pervasive sea star wasting disease devastated the local population. We were able to share it at a marine biology conference, and that experience was galvanizing. Seeing other scientists at work was incredibly inspiring, and my passion just grew from there.”
At the time, her research detailed how climate change had ravaged the local populations of sea stars, otherwise known as Pisaster Orchraceus. Today, you can see that they have made a comeback in local tide pools — the same tide pools she studied as a student and Chadwick students study today.
At her research lab at the Earth System Science Department of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Claudette has access to an exponentially expanding level of detail. What began with observations of sea stars at Chadwick has narrowed to the microscopic level in graduate school — tiny creatures in phytoplankton but on a global scale. Using her ability to follow the data, she and her fellow graduate students are searching for clues to tackle global climate change, starting with some of the smallest organisms on Earth.
Because of her advisor’s previous work with NASA, Claudette and her team study the microscopic world of phytoplankton from space, synthesizing thousands of data points beamed down to Earth every few hours, every day of the year. Since satellites pass through their complete orbits every 90 minutes, the sheer magnitude of this data is hard to comprehend.
“You can actually see where these microscopic phytoplankton are coming together from these images based on the color concentrations of chlorophyll in the oceans, and our job was to learn what is happening to these massive aggregates under the ice, how many of them are entering the carbon cycle and how many of them are falling to the ocean floor.”
“On my first research trip to the Arctic Circle, there were three other research groups along with us on the boat, and we coordinated vast data sets shared by multinational organizations. Alone with our gear in the Arctic Ocean over a six-week cruise, we constantly had to pivot and improvise. We were working with these really expensive instruments, and I couldn’t believe there was also all this duct tape! It was everywhere! When you are in the middle of the ocean, you just have to make it work.”
“In my research, I think creativity is really important. Reading something and then making that next step to ask, ‘Well, what else is out there?”
“Marine biology has the potential to be genuinely exciting for students, given its real-world relevance.”
Claudette is not only a scientist but has also worked as a graduate teaching assistant. She laughs as she realizes the science talk might get a little technical discussing the intricacies of microalgae — the details might not be for everyone, but they matter to her.
“What many people don’t realize is that half of the oxygen in our atmosphere comes from these little organisms. There’s this kind of running joke among oceanographers: ‘Every other breath you take, thank a phytoplankton!’ They’re hugely important. The fact that they can survive and thrive in these extremely dark and cold environments was mind-boggling to me. Someone has described it as like finding a rainforest in the middle of a desert.”
As Chadwick undertakes its collaboration with AltaSea, one of the challenges that the blue economy will face is having enough scientists entering the field. Inspiring the next generation of ocean scientists is challenging, given the rapid advances in technology, computer engineering and specialization. Coming from a family of Chadwick alumni, including two siblings (Xavier ’16 and her twin Lola ’17), her mother, two uncles and her godfather, Chadwick has played a major role in shaping her approach to academia.
“In my research, I think creativity is really important. Reading something and then making that next step to ask, ‘Well, what else is out there?’ It’s about making connections. I think that as much as reading and understanding are important, the next step is what really makes the difference if you want to do novel, exciting research.”
“Writing is also a hugely underrated skill in science. Having an easily readable paper makes a big difference. That’s a skill that I learned at Chadwick and developed at Bowdoin, and it has helped me stand out in other ways. When you’re writing a scientific paper, you want the criticism to be of the science and not of the writing itself. So, skipping that step when I’m working with collaborators saves time. I think these are really liberal arts skills. ”
To a non-scientist, those skills do not sound very, well, sciency. According to her past teachers, family and friends, Claudette was in fact very good at those science skills, too. As an earth and oceanographic science / Hispanic studies double major at Bowdoin College, and now as a doctoral candidate, she has come
to believe certain hard skills, such as math, software development or scripting code need not be barriers to becoming a scientist.
“The other important thing for a future scientist is problem-solving, which goes with creativity. I spend so much of my time running into roadblocks. Whether designing an experiment or writing a script to do something, I run into a different problem every day. Sometimes, it takes me a couple of hours to figure it out, and sometimes a few weeks. You just have to think outside the box, be persistent and not give up on those problems because they’re inevitable.”
When asked about a specific example, she laughs as if to say there are far too many to choose from. “I was working with satellite data — there’s a lot of programming and coding involved, and I was trying to access some images through an algorithm I was writing.” She holds out her hands as if she is holding a ball. “A big problem with polar science is that most images are shaped like a globe. But if you’re taking a picture like this, all of a sudden, the dimensions get all screwed up. So I’m trying to re-project an image, and I had an eight instead of a seven in my code, and it took me days to figure it out.”
“You know, you talk about these bigger problems that you have to solve, which can take weeks and weeks. There’s a certain mindset that some people don’t have … that’s just not how they operate. It’s totally a growth mindset that I learned at Chadwick. Researchers and scientists have to have that.”
Claudette will set sail for her second major research cruise in December for eight weeks in Antarctica. She will still be looking for phytoplankton, measuring their role in the ecosystem and capacity to release life-giving oxygen into our atmosphere, like a rainforest hidden under the ice.
“Sometimes, as a high school student, you do work and ask, ‘Why am I doing this?’ The sea star project at Chadwick made me realize I had the ability and resources to conduct meaningful work. Scientific discovery, especially in the ocean, touches all of us in profound ways.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that the research I am doing matters, and there is no question that the ecologies I am studying reflect changes to our world that are happening due to climate change. Scientists are all united in the fact that the Earth is changing, and we can do something about it. It’s impossible to ignore that this world is changing. The ice is melting. It’s constantly this feeling of urgency and relevance that I find to be really inspiring.”
“All my mentors have shared the outlook of ‘I not only care about this, but I want other people to care about this, too.’ I feel that it’s so contagious being around people like that — it makes such a huge difference. That passion, that fire I feel about oceanography, is really common in the field and something that I admire. People tend to really care. I think that’s the nature of the urgency and the relevance of marine science. It’s just so hugely important. It’s undeniable.”
The photosynthesis cycle of phytoplankton is similar to that of trees and plants on land. On land, herbivores eat the grass, and carnivores eat the herbivores as part of the carbon cycle. Trees consume CO2 from their surroundings and, through photosynthesis, release oxygen back into the atmosphere while they retain carbon in their trunks and roots, which can stay trapped for hundreds or thousands of years.
In the ocean, phytoplankton, by contrast, reproduce and die over a period of days. Phytoplankton play a critical role in marine ecosystems as primary producers, forming the base of the food chain for organisms like zooplankton and contributing significantly to global oxygen production and carbon dioxide absorption. What is not consumed falls to the ocean floor as trapped carbon. This process is called carbon export or carbon sequestration.
Claudette’s research aims to determine to what extent phytoplankton can photosynthesize in ecosystems that typically do not get sunlight. However, as the ice melts, more and more light passes into the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, helping these phytoplankton colonies bloom and release more oxygen into the ocean. While much of their carbon falls to the ocean floor, some is returned into the carbon cycle through an impacted and changing food chain — just how much is the question Claudette hopes to help answer.
FINDING INSPIRATION from Margaret Chadwick’s founding vision is common at Chadwick, and this past year the Middle School took a major step forward in the pursuit of experiential education with the founding of the Chadwick Immersion Program, or ChIP Week.
Setting aside an entire week from classroom coursework, students and faculty members participated in one of 14 ChIP Week courses, which included four international, six domestic and six local travel opportunities. Seventhand eighth-grade students chose programs based on passions and interests, and to share these experiences with friends and their teachers.
“We asked ‘How can we design an experience around faculty passions?’” said Middle School Director Jeff Mercer, who spearheaded the project in its first year. “Faculty have been incredibly generous with their time and dedicated to making this program a success. We see this as a model for crossdepartmental collaboration — a real differentiator for Chadwick as a leader in experiential learning — and we are excited to see where the program can go in the years to come.”
ChIP Week represented a truly collaborative effort across not only the Middle School but also Global Education, Outdoor Education, Community Service, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“PROPOSING A COURSE REQUIRED AN EXPERIENTIAL COMPONENT, AND DOZENS OF FACULTY MEMBERS CREATED A LIST OF DYNAMIC OPTIONS THAT WERE TRULY INSPIRING.”
- JEFF MERCER
According to Director of Global Education Tommy Hattori, “This represented an opportunity for us to redefine what global citizenship looks like. It doesn’t mean how many places you have gone, but how richly students can experience worldwide mindsets and perspectives. Many of these ‘global’ experiences can happen right here in Los Angeles when you open yourself up to a global way of learning in unexpected places.”
Local courses brought together Chadwick alumni or community members to share their professional work experiences, such as the course “Beyond the Pitch.” Former Olympic and professional soccer player Rebecca Smith ’99, also fluent in four languages, shared her insights about broadcasting the game to an international audience.
One international course highlight was “Hiking the Lake District,” a collaboration with Outdoor Education led by Middle School faculty members Kris Stone and Laura Santana, as well as OE Instructor Shane Stump, into the wilds of northwest England. The expedition involved hiking, orientation, meal preparation, reflections and journaling in a foreign landscape.
Domestic travel like “Uncovering Our Common History in the American South,” led by Director of Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion Dr. John Aden and Director of Community Service Becky Noble, took students to Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee — a perfect example of how global education need not involve international travel. Students engaged with local communities, bonded with students their age and appreciated different perspectives firsthand.
“We also combined Chadwick International and Chadwick School students on a wellness-related trip to Big Bear, connecting our goal of being one school with multiple campuses,” added Hattori. “This was an opportunity to genuinely engage students from CI in Chadwick coursework and to encourage students from both campuses to work together. In this inaugural year, 23 students from South Korea participated in ChIP Week programming.”
Global Education’s four stated transfer goals include teaching students to investigate the world, to communicate across differences, to appreciate perspectives and to take action.
“Since all faculty and students were free from the regular academic schedules, it liberated everyone to be expansive in their thinking,” noted Mercer. “These were authentic learning experiences that Margaret Chadwick would have truly appreciated, and we are excited where we will go from here.”
In the fall of 2023, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Club recognized Kindra Windish as Chadwick School’s Educator of the Year.
I love sharing my passion for dance with others and the variety of my teaching responsibilities in kindergarten through 12th grade. I enjoy trying to find ways to connect with each student who walks into my door, whether they are a beginner or someone with years of training. I am intrigued by the human experience and how we express ourselves and make meaning. This has driven my studies, teaching philosophy and choreographic work. It is fulfilling to teach kindergartners how to leap, to adjudicate Upper School choreographic work and to collaborate with colleagues all in one day. Each grade and experience needs something different, but everyone needs to be seen and heard and to feel accepted and loved. What drives me is facilitating spaces where people can be pushed outside of their comfort zones, be faced with challenges, find creative solutions, build courageous communities and learn about themselves. I love being in a community of learning.
I see the value in each person who walks into the studio. I strive to create lessons and choreography where everyone can show up and feel safe to push themselves and learn something new — a space where everyone can thrive together. I construct my curriculum so students learn from me and other professionals while also having the opportunity to explore and create. All students across every grade level learn various dance techniques while practicing dance-making. This allows students to understand themselves better, their community and the world of dance. Focusing on the learning process and not just the product is also essential. As a professional performer, my favorite part is not performing on stage but spending hours in the studio pursuing deep understanding, which has informed my teaching practices and philosophy. When we allow ourselves to dive into the process, the product becomes more meaningful and fulfilling, leading to true mastery.
I have learned many lessons from my students over the years. Each class provides me with the opportunity to learn and grow. One valuable lesson I have learned and am reminded of daily from my students is the need to hold everyone’s truth and values in the classroom and rehearsal space. There is a need to allow for challenging moments and difficult conversations. When we allow space for ourselves and others to be truthful, direct and kind, we can grow as people, communities and artists. Another beautiful lesson I am reminded of daily is the power of dance and community. After a long day, students walk heavily into the dance studio, but after moving together in rhythm, their faces break into smiles and their joy is palpable. It is a beautiful reminder of joy and community.
I constantly reflect on my teaching practices and what I bring into the space. Outside of school, I have an accountability partner to reflect on the biases and tendencies I bring into my work, the language I use and the material I teach. I don’t believe one dance technique is superior to another, nor is there an ideal look for a dancer. Every style of dance is valuable, as is every person. I constantly tell my students to meet themselves where they are and that their value and worth are not measured by the tricks they can do. We are all on a journey at different speeds, and we all have the responsibility to ourselves and our community to be kind and supportive of one another. When we do, we create space for growth and discovery. Plus, when we try and fail, the worst it can be is bad! If we never try, we will never achieve understanding or mastery. So why not try and see what we can achieve?
Erin Dawkins is both a proud Chadwick School alumna and aunt of current eighth- and fourth-grade students. She is the Principal of EJD Consulting, which provides services in executive management and leadership, social impact, philanthropy, and branding and marketing. Before serving in her role at EJD Consulting, Erin was Senior Vice President of Brand and Operations at House of Taylor — The Elizabeth Taylor Companies, where she led Elizabeth Taylor’s lifestyle brands, including developing purpose-driven business strategies benefiting The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Erin has held senior positions at a variety of organizations, including NYU Langone Medical Center, Matchfire, Good Scout Group, Malaria No More, CCS Fundraising and Aon Corporation. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Dartmouth College and a master of business administration degree from Cornell University. Erin serves as Vice Chair of the Board for Social Impact Fund and on the Advisory Board for Career Spring Los Angeles. After more than 15 years in New York, she now resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Matthew Aaronson.
CEDRIC PENIX
Cedric Penix and his wife, Lori, are the proud parents of a Chadwick Class of ’22 alumnus. Cedric is Managing Director for Enterprise Management Group’s Capital Solutions practice where he focuses his work on improving enterprise profitability and optimizing financial and management structure for distressed companies. He has a wealth of private equity and entrepreneurial experience spanning due diligence, structuring, finance, accounting and operating areas of responsibility. Previously, Cedric was a partner at private equity concern, Fulcrum Capital Partners, and was a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Faithful Central Bible Church and has served Chadwick School as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee. Cedric received his bachelor of science, business administration degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas, and his MBA in finance from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.
Seema Dhir, alongside her husband Karan, are proud parents to two students at Chadwick School. As the CEO of Wal2Wal Investments, Seema brings a wealth of expertise in real estate construction, design and management. Under her leadership, the firm has successfully acquired, developed and managed a substantial portfolio of residential and commercial properties across Southern California. Her intentional approach to integrating design with her business acumen has enhanced the aesthetic appeal of these properties and significantly increased their market value and investment returns. Her commitment to Chadwick School is evident through her extensive volunteer work, which includes roles as a room parent, fundraising committee member, auxiliary chair and Admissions ambassador. Seema’s involvement stems from a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of education, and the critical role of community support. Seema holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and an associate’s degree from the Parsons School of Design.
CIF-SS Division 4 8-Person Champions 11-0 Undefeated Season
All-CIF First Team
Josh Goodman ‘24
Chet Major ‘25
Max Polin ‘24
Tom Rosso ‘24
Chad Sawyer ‘24
Michael Schnabel ‘26
CIF-SS Division 4 8-Person MVP
Josh Goodman ‘24
CIF-SS Division 4 8-Person
Defensive MVP
Chet Major ‘25
First Team All-Prep League
Josh Goodman ‘24
Chet Major ‘25
Max Polin ‘24
Daniel Rosenzweig ‘24
Tom Rosso ‘24
Chad Sawyer ‘24
Michael Schnabel ‘26
Prep League Most Valuable Player
Josh Goodman ’24
Prep League Most Valuable Player (Defense)
Max Polin ’24
CIF-SS Finalist Qualifier
Girls Varsity Team
GIRLS GOLF
CIF-SS Team Finals
Third Place
First Team All-Prep League
Jin Chung ‘27
Kelly Zhang ‘27
GIRLS TENNIS
First Team All-Prep League
Ella Goedemans ‘26
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
First Team All-Prep League
Sammy Hsu ‘25
BOYS WATER POLO
First Team All-Prep League
Owen Foldesy ‘25
BOYS SOCCER
First Team All-Prep League
Derek Linden ‘24
Austin Ransford ‘24
Yuta Takahashi ‘26
GIRLS SOCCER
First Team All-Prep League
Avery Ertman ‘25
Noella Wren ‘25
Wrigley Zbyszewski ‘25
SPRING
BASEBALL
First Team All-Prep League
Nathan Castro ‘25
BOYS GOLF
Prep League Champions
Undefeated League Season (8-0)
First Team All-Prep League
Derek Linden ‘24
Lucas Ro ‘26
Kevin Yang ‘27
LACROSSE
First Team All-Prep League
Natalie Bernstein ‘25
Alex Joiner ‘25
Meredith Kenney ‘24
SOFTBALL
First Team All-Prep League
Sam Santa Ana ‘25
SWIMMING
CIF-SS Division 4 Champion
Alex Davies ‘24 (100 Free, 200 Free)
All-CIF First Team
Alex Davies ‘24 (100 Free, 200 Free)
First Team All-Prep League
Alex Davies ‘24 (100 Free, 200 Free)
Prep League MVP
Alex Davies ‘24
BOYS TENNIS
First Team All-Prep League, Singles
Benjamin Abraham ‘26
Zach Chen ‘26
TRACK AND FIELD
First Team All-Prep League
Lauren Dickens ‘25 (Long Jump)
Maddie Elhaik ‘24 (Pole Vault)
Nikko Nickerson ‘25 (Pole Vault)
Max Polin ‘24 (Shot Put and Discus)
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
First Team All-Prep League
Connor Jordan ‘25
1. K-12 students served with a smile at the annual Hunger Banquet in Christensen Hall. 2. Tibetan Monks visited campus in January to create a peace mandala in Leavenworth Library. 3. Upper Village students presented the colors during the Veterans Day assembly. 4. Veterans from the community shared memories about their service. 5. Middle School students loaded donated book bundles before delivery. 6. Upper Village students collaborated for the Heart of the Village Holiday Care Package Drive. 7. Students enjoyed a sweet Heart of the Village Bake Sale. 8. Visting Tibetan Monks shared about meditation with fourth-grade students. 9. Students packaged food for the non-profit organization Rise Against Hunger. 10. Students, faculty and staff donated blood for the Red Cross Blood Drive in April. 11. Upper School students expressed gratitude to parent volunteer drivers who helped get them to off-campus service every week. 12. Students took action against inequitable access to food and clean water at the Hunger Banquet.
1. A guest dance troupe performed at Social Justice Day. 2. First-graders researched famous Americans for their African American History Quilt project. 3. A family table at the Multicultural Food Festival 4. Sixth-graders performed a Dragon Dance Celebration for Lunar New Year.
5. Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. John Aden. 6. Upper School students lead a Social Justice Day workshop about LA’s housing crisis. 7. Second-graders shared their quilt pieces for the African American History Quilt. 8. Upper School students made intricate palace lanterns.
9. Students presented during Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
10. Middle School students on a historical tour of the American South. 11. Visiting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C. 12. Chadwick celebrated Pride Month.
1. Indigenous experts shared knowledge in French Polynesia with Upper School students. 2. Karaoke is an international language in Songdo, South Korea. 3. Students learned by doing, preparing their own meals in South Korea. 4. Middle School students watch the sunset in the deserts of Jordan. 5. Students paused in front of ancient ruins during their trip to Jordan. 6. French immersion meant speaking the local language on the streets of Quebec for ChIP Week. 7. Middle Schoolers crossed a bridge in the rainforests of Costa Rica. 8. On a visit to Chadwick International, Upper School students toured Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. 9. Students explored the clear waters of French Polynesia in a kayak. 10. Middle School students hiked the Lake District in northwest England. 11. Middle Schoolers competed in the Songdo 7’s soccer tournament in South Korea, hosted by Chadwick International.
1. The legendary Senior Course spans 17 days in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
2. Eighth-graders explored “The Crawl,” a semi-subterranean boulder exploration as part of their basecamp trip. 3. Third-graders held a snake in El Capitán State Beach (with helping hands!)
4. At Montaña de Oro, seventh-graders on a school trip had fun sliding down a sand dune.
5. Ninth-graders enjoyed sunset in Joshua Tree National Park while on their first Chadwick backpacking course. 6.10th-grade students explored the Narrows Trail along the Virgin River in Zion National Park. 7. Third-graders set out for a brisk evening hike at El Capitan State Beach.
8. Fifth-graders hiked during their stay at the Pali Mountain Institute. 9. 11th-graders stretched their limits for seven days in the Southern Sierra Nevada wilderness. 10. Sixth-graders rock climbed during the week-long Catalina trip. 11. Sixers charged into the ocean ready for their kayak expedition at CIMI.
1. Upper School Spring Musical “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” 2. Grades 6-8 Winter Instrumental Musical Performance. 3. The Chadwick Improvisers, or ChImps, keep audiences on their toes. 4. Performers kicked up their heels in the Second-Grade Play.
5. Upper School Fall Dance Concert. 6. Grades 3-5 Winter Vocal and Instrumental Concert.
7. Grades 6-12 Winter Vocal Music Concert. 8. Upper School Fall Play “She Kills Monsters.”
9. Fourth-grade students perform in the dance studio. 10. Middle School Musical “James and the Giant Peach, Jr.” 11. Upper School Fall Dance Concert.
1. Third-graders competed in the STEM Week structure challenge. 2. Sixth-graders spelled “Go Dolphins” using dominoes — and gravity! 3. Students competed in the cardboard challenge for STEM Week. 4. AP Physics students used digital motion sensors to measure velocity. 5. Upper School students demonstrated soldering to curious Village School scientists. 6. Upper School Environmental Science students conducted water sample tests from urban runoff. 7. During the STEM Week fair, students from the Robotics Club demonstrated their creations. 8. Sixers tested their Mars Lander projects in the lab before getting ready for launch. 9. Second-graders investigated plate tectonics. 10. Pringles can be science! Students tested the boundaries of leverage and gravity in this delicious challenge. 11. Upper School students learned Scuba during Marine Biology class. 12. Ready for launch, the sixth-grade Mars Lander Project took science to new heights.
1. Students used pinch techniques to sculpt a naturalistic blobfish in Ceramics 1. 2. Senior AP art student Beckett captured a bright idea in black and white photography. 3. Second-grade students made Valentines Day plates. 4. Digital artists can paint the world in vibrant colors using technology and imagination. 5. The “eyes“ have it in an expressive portrait in Upper School Studio Art. 6. Alumnus Ignacio Sedano ’15 spoke to current Ceramic Arts students about his work at BZIPPY. 7. Second-grade screen art made with love. 8. Fourth-graders painted the new handball wall. 9. Upper School ceramicists demonstrate the pottery wheel to captivated onlookers at the Fall Open Studios. 10. First-grade art class visited the Upper School Art Exhibit. 11. Students learned to mix colors and apply painting techniques in Studio Art 1.
1. JULY 26, 2023 / SANTA MONICA
2.
JULY 28, 2023 / ORANGE COUNTY
This year, the Advancement Office hosted seven receptions nationwide to introduce Chadwick’s new Head of School, Jessica Donovan, to the alumni community. Held in Irvine, Santa Monica, San Francisco, Boston, New York, Phoenix, and Austin, these events featured opening remarks from Director of Alumni Relations Monica Buck, a welcome from Special Assistant for Alumni Relations Mark Wiedenmann, and an introduction from Jessica, who shared what drew her to Chadwick and her vision for the school’s future.
The events included alumni from a broad range of graduation years spanning from the 1960s to 2023. Over the past year, Jessica emphasized faculty relationships as crucial for student success: “The greatest predictor of success for a child is having an instructor who believes the child will be successful.” Alumni echoed this sentiment, praising Chadwick for fostering self-confidence, ethical values and the ability to lead.
3. OCT. 26, 2023 / SAN FRANCISCO
5. NOV. 3, 2023 / NEW YORK
4. NOV. 1, 2023 / BOSTON
6. FEB. 24, 2024 / PHOENIX
The Austin alumni dinner in Texas united alumni from graduating classes ranging from 1962 to 2023. It provided a perfect opportunity for former classmates and faculty members to meet and reconnect.
One alumna’s dedication was especially noteworthy — she drove all the way from Dallas to be part of the festivities. Her journey exemplified the strong bonds and lasting connections formed at Chadwick, which continue to bring our community together, regardless of distance. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to make the Austin alumni dinner an unforgettable experience.
Director of Risk Management and Transportation Bob Rule ’76, hosted an alumni dinner in Atlanta while attending a conference. The event brought together Emily Newton ’13, Alexandra Newton ’16, Alex Rosso ’19, Rolf Sannes ’84 and Bob Rule ’76 for the Atlanta alumni dinner at The Optimist Restaurant.
The following day, Bob Rule ’76 reconnected with his classmate Bill Haney ’76 over coffee.
PALM DESERT
In mid-February, 14 Chadwick alumni from the 1970s gathered at Tommy Bahama Palm Desert for a memorable gathering. The event provided a casual backdrop for reconnecting and reminiscing about their school days. Attendees shared stories, laughter and updates on their lives since graduation.
Chadwick School alumni in the San Diego area attended an alumni brunch reception in the fall of 2023, graciously hosted at the residence of Diana Wood Kutlow ’76. Her warm hospitality served as the cornerstone of the event, enriching the experience for all attendees to meet, reminisce and enjoy each other’s company.
In May of 2024, Chadwick alumni Eric Choi ’07 and Taesun Shim ’18 joined Director of Alumni Relations Monica Buck and Chadwick International’s Director of International Relations and Alumni Relations Soleiman Dias for dinner in Singapore. A few days later, Stephen Cho ’09 met the alumni team at his office downtown. These first events will set the stage for future international gatherings, uniting our global alumni community.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Chadwick School hosted an Alumni Reunion Weekend for classes ending in “3” and “8,” creating a vibrant and nostalgic atmosphere on campus. The event kicked off on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, with a Chadwick Homecoming Football Game on Chadwick’s Commander Field.
Later that evening, alumni from the 1960s gathered at the Sonesta Redondo Beach & Marina for a memorial service and dinner reception. This inaugural memorial service was organized to honor and remember alumni from the 1960s who had passed away. A special thank-you goes to Katherine Revoir ’65 for leading this heartfelt service. Following the service, attendees enjoyed dinner and drinks while watching the sunset over Redondo Beach, marking a poignant and beautiful start to the reunion weekend festivities.
Simultaneously, the class of 2003 had their own kick-off dinner at the home of Samantha Nadella ’03 and Davy Cohen ’03 in Palos Verdes Estates.
On Saturday, Oct. 7, the festivities continued with the Alumni Awards Brunch and Ceremony where the community honored three Athletic Hall of Fame inductees: Lawrence Williams ’90, Sean Amberg ’94 and Diane Webber ’99, in addition to the 2023 Distinguished Alumna of the Year, Dr. Susan McNary Johnson ’65 and honoring Mark Wiedenmann for his 41 years of service to Chadwick School.
Later that day, alumni participated in campus tours, followed by class photos. The evening continued with a cocktail reception and reunion dinner in the Middle School MacFarlane Family Courtyard under a beautiful tent and lights.
Throughout the weekend, alumni enjoyed reconnecting with old friends, sharing memories, and witnessing the school’s growth and achievements. The series of activities, tributes to distinguished alumni, and heartfelt speeches from both faculty and former students made the weekend a resounding success. It strengthened the bond within the Chadwick community and left attendees with cherished memories.
ON DEC. 22, 2023, Rockefeller in Hermosa Beach buzzed with energy as young alumni gathered for special reunion receptions. The event brought together graduates from the Class of 2018, celebrating their five-year reunion, and the Class of 2013, marking their 10-year reunion.
With over 120 attendees, the event provided the perfect backdrop for rekindling old friendships and reminiscing about cherished memories. Head of School Jessica Donovan attended her first Young Alumni Reunion and was inspired by the number of alumni who came together to reunite. Chadwick faculty members in attendance were also eager to see former students and hear about their post-graduation adventures.
The evening was filled with laughter, storytelling, and the joy of reconnecting with classmates and mentors. It served as a testament to the enduring bonds forged during their time at Chadwick School and the continued importance of staying connected with one’s alma mater and fellow alumni.
In the fall of 2023, parents of Chadwick alumni who are currently in college returned to campus for a special event to assemble care packages for their college students. This annual tradition, organized by the Alumni Office, aims to provide a comforting reminder of home and support from the Chadwick community. Parents gathered in the Donald J. Leavenworth Library to assemble packages and add personalized notes of encouragement and well-wishes while sharing updates about their children’s college experiences. In addition to assembling the packages, the event served as a mini-reunion for the alumni parents, who enjoyed reconnecting with each other, sharing stories and catching up on life since their children graduated from Chadwick.
In January of 2024, recent Chadwick alumni visited campus and participated in the annual Alumni College Panel for juniors and seniors. Six alumni shared insights on their college experience and gave advice on navigating school selection, making friends and getting involved in life on campus. Thank you to James Franklin ’20 (William and Mary), Luc Mainvielle ’23 (University of Southern California), Maddie Mester ’23 (American University), Andrew Salzman ’22 (Carnegie Mellon University), Cheyanne Sawyer ’21 (University of Southern California) and Mike Zbyszewski ’22 (Loyola Marymount University) for engaging in such a valuable discussion.
If you are interested in serving as a future college panelist, please contact Director of Alumni Relations Monica Buck at alumni@ chadwickschool.org.
“It was an intentional choice on my part to do less and to put more time into fewer things.”
– JAMES FRANKLIN ’20, WILLIAM AND MARY
The 11th Annual Chadwick Professionals Holiday Mixer took place on Nov. 30, 2023, at Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach, CA. The approximately 65 attendees included alumni, parents of alumni, current Chadwick parents and former faculty members.
In addition to networking and reconnecting, attendees came together to support the Chadwick Community Service gift drive, bringing small toys, gifts or gift cards for young people served by the Los Angeles Mission. We express our gratitude to Director of Community Service Becky Noble for her collaboration with the Alumni Office in prioritizing support for those in need.
Save the date for this year’s celebration, which will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, at Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach, California.
The annual Day of Giving was held on April 23, 2024. This year’s event was a tremendous success, raising over $207,000 with contributions from more than 550 donors, surpassing our goals.
A significant milestone was exceeding 400 donors and unlocking a $20,000 matching gift. We also recognize the Chadwick Class of 2022 for winning the Young Alumni Challenge and the Class of 1995 for winning the “Best of the 90s Decade” Challenge. Additionally, the Class of 2024 students won the “Donors for Donuts” prize thanks to contributions from their very motivated group of proud parents!
Thank you for your unwavering support and for being an integral part of this extraordinary partnership. Stay tuned for information about the 2025 Day of Giving!
The Chadwick Alumni Office and the Athletic Department extend heartfelt gratitude to all who joined us on campus for the 2023 Alumni Athletic Day held on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. Despite some rainy weather, over 120 enthusiastic participants played volleyball, soccer, water polo and basketball games on the Chadwick campus. The camaraderie and sportsmanship were truly commendable, and the day culminated in a delightful lunch. We appreciate your participation and look forward to seeing alumni for the upcoming 2024 Alumni Athletic Day on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024.
On June 5, 2024, the Chadwick Alumni Association joyfully welcomed the Class of 2024 into the ranks of alumni. Graham Galusha ’24 spoke to his classmates about memories and lessons from his 13 years at Chadwick. History teacher Mr. Andrew Park gave a speech and sang a memorable farewell ballad on his guitar. Ellen Carter ’22 was our alumni speaker, having just completed her sophomore year at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. There she is pursuing a dual degree in Business and Global Affairs with the McDonough School of Business and Walsh School of Foreign Service, along with a minor in Spanish. Ellen gave advice to the senior class on adjusting to life after graduation and reminded them to call upon the vast network of support of Chadwick alumni in their future endeavors.
We extend a warm welcome to our newest class of alumni!
ALUMNA, Susan “Susie” McNary Johnson, Ph.D. ’65, about her life and she will tell you a story about Chadwick. Chadwick and its community permeate all areas of her life, from her friendships to her psychology practice to her contributions to the educational community. “Chadwick is always part of the story,” said Susie. Her exemplary service to Chadwick itself only adds to the narrative.
A native of Torrance, Susie distinguished herself early on as the first baby born in the newly built “Christmas Lights” neighborhood—on Christmas Day, no less. She was the third child of Tom and Dorothy McNary, the South Bay District Attorney and the owner/broker of McNary Realty, respectively. Susie’s brothers, Barney and Davy, were 11 and 13 when she was born.
Susie attended Miss Dawn’s School in Redondo Beach from first through third grade and then the coeducational Marymount School in Palos Verdes from fourth through eighth grade. When it came time for high school, Susie’s parents selected Chadwick, despite her initial reluctance. Chadwick’s co-ed environment, absence of uniforms and the opportunity to take the bus from Torrance ultimately won her over. “My parents selected Chadwick, and when I balked, they asked me to try it for a year. It turned out to be the best gift they could have given me.”
“My first memory of Chadwick is arriving on campus and being greeted by Mrs. Chadwick. Two teachers I met that day, Mr. Simon and Virginia ‘Danny’ Daniels, reminded me of my brother Barney and my Aunt Gertrude, so I immediately felt at home,” Susie said. The welcoming atmosphere and sense of belonging made an impact. “Nobody was invisible at Chadwick, and that changed my life. I would have been lost in a big school.”
Susie’s high school experience was filled with memorable activities and friendships. She was a cheerleader, performed in musicals and participated in the final “Pageant of the Masters.” Her teachers, including P.G. Lee, “Danny” Daniels, Ed Ellis, Mr. Simon, Mr. Burke and Mr. Hamner, played a significant role in her life. “They believed I could succeed even when I didn’t,” she said.
A psychology class taught by Dr. Fitzhugh Dodson as a senior sparked Susie’s interest in the field. “Everything about the subject fascinated me. I decided I wanted to become a psychologist,” she said. After graduating, Susie attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Though she disliked the gloomy weather, she found that Chadwick had prepared her well for college. A summer studying at Stanford reignited her love of learning, and she transferred to Stanford as a junior in 1967.
Before starting at Stanford, however, her boyfriend and Chadwick classmate, Alan Matthews ’65, was killed in Vietnam. Grief-stricken, Susie deferred her entry. The Sartorius family, part of her Chadwick community, supported her during this difficult time by sending her to live with Kim Sartorius Mel ’66’s grandmother in Manhattan for two months. Susie returned to Stanford and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology in December 1969. She stayed on campus until June 1970, taking additional classes while working as a preschool and substitute teacher.
Susie moved on to USC, where she earned an elementary teaching credential and master’s and doctoral degrees in educational psychology and special education. Internships at McLaren Hall, Helpline Youth Clinic and the USC School of Medicine advanced her clinical training. Following her internships, Susie worked at the Switzer Center for Educational Therapy for five years,
eventually becoming the Director of Psychological Services. “I learned about the Switzer Center through the Heisman family, another serendipitous Chadwick connection,” she said.
In 1978, Susie earned her Clinical Psychology license and opened a private practice in Redondo Beach, specializing in learning and personality. Her practice reconnected her with many of her Chadwick teachers, including P.G. and Joanie Lee, and introduced her to new friends among the faculty. “I loved working with them to help students,” she said.
Now retired from her psychology practice, Susie describes herself as a student and teacher of the Enneagram and as a “world-class Grammy.” In addition to her professional career, Susie has distinguished herself with her service to Chadwick and the greater South Bay community. She served two terms as a Roessler-Chadwick Foundation Trustee from 1985-94 and taught an elective psychology class at Chadwick. Susie provided valuable advice on supporting student transitions and well-being as Chadwick increased the diversity of its student body.
Susie currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of The Switzer Center and served as a Torrance Memorial Medical Center Foundation Trustee for six years. One of her most impactful contributions has been founding the Renaissance School for the Arts and Sciences in 2004, which provides individualized education for students with learning differences.
Susie lives in Palos Verdes Estates with her husband of 42 years, Bill Johnson.
“The Senior Course was a blast — it was one of the reasons I considered a career in outdoor education while I was in college.”
SEAN AMBERG, CLASS OF 1994, joined Chadwick School as a firstgrader in 1983, following his father’s legacy. By graduation, Sean had become a four-sport legend and a nationally ranked junior tennis player.
In high school, Sean excelled in varsity water polo, earning Chadwick Water Polo MVP honors as a junior and Prep League MVP as a senior. He set a school record for most goals scored in his senior year and was named a High School All-American in water polo. Additionally, Sean played three years of varsity soccer, two years of varsity tennis, and competed in varsity swimming for two years. He was the tennis team MVP and Prep League MVP as a sophomore, ranking the top 50 nationally and top 5 in Southern California.
Beyond sports, Sean was Junior Class Vice President and participated in community service with special education students at Redondo Union High School. He also enjoyed Chadwick’s Outdoor Education program, especially the Senior Course. “The Senior Course was a blast,” said Sean. “It was one of the reasons I considered a career in outdoor education while I was in college.”
After graduating, Sean attended El Camino Community College and played water polo. He spent his junior year at Prescott College, studying environmental science and engaging in its outdoor education program. Sean then transferred to the University of Oregon, earning a bachelor’s degree in environmental science/geography with a minor in philosophy in 1999.
Returning to the South Bay, Sean worked with the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy, substitute taught at Chadwick’s Village School and taught tennis at the Peninsula Racquet Club. From 2000 to 2005, he served as a Village School teaching assistant and an assistant coach for various sports at Chadwick while pursuing a master’s degree in education and an elementary teaching credential from National University. He was honored with yearbook dedications by the Chadwick Classes of 2001 and 2002.
In 2005, Sean began teaching second grade for the Clark County School District (CCSD) in Las Vegas, Nevada. He then spent seven years as a USPTA-certified Tennis Pro at Club Sport Green Valley, leading the club’s tennis program and managing USTA tournaments, while also coaching tennis at Green Valley High School.
In 2013, Sean returned to CCSD to teach second and third grades. In January 2023, his teaching and tennis careers converged when he was appointed Tennis Director at The Meadows School in Las Vegas, overseeing the pre-K through 12th-grade tennis program. Sean’s athletic pursuits continue in adulthood. He has completed three Ironman triathlons, numerous shorter-distance triathlons, holds a first-degree black belt in karate and competes in the 5.0 Men’s Tennis USTA League.
He was honored to be joined at the Alumni Awards Brunch by his mother, Ellie “Nurse Ellie” Fronauer, R.N.; stepfather, former Chadwick varsity tennis coach and physical education teacher Rob Fronauer; brother, Matt Amberg ’97; and father, Larry Amberg, M.D. ’62
DIANE WEBBER, CHADWICK SCHOOL CLASS OF 1999, excelled as a studentathlete. As a basketball powerhouse, she played varsity basketball all four years, contributing to the girls’ basketball team’s remarkable achievements, including a second-place finish in the State CIF Division 5 championships, a CIF-Southern Section championship, a CIF-SS second-place finish and two Prep League titles.
“We were lucky to have a great team and a great coach in Heidi Oversier during those years,” Diane recalled.
Diane’s stellar performance earned her numerous accolades, including Prep League All-League First Team honoree (four years), All-CIF-SS First Team, Daily Breeze All-Area Basketball Third Team as a senior, Prep League MVP and CIFSS Player of the Year as a junior. She also shone in Varsity Girls’ Volleyball for three years, earning Prep League All-League First Team selection and receiving Chadwick’s Sartorius Award as a senior.
Beyond athletics, Diane pursued ceramics, tutored in the Community Service program, served as an Admiral and cherished the Outdoor Education program. “Outdoor Ed was a highlight for me,” she said, noting the lasting impact of the Senior Course. “I still talk about the Senior Trip often. That was special about Chadwick — providing that experience and perspective to students. Chadwick provided many opportunities to try new things, sparking curiosity among its students, and the small class sizes contributed to the closeness among classmates and lifelong friendships.”
Diane attended Columbia University, graduating in 2003, with a bachelor’s degree in operations research and a minor in economics. At Columbia, she began playing women’s rugby, later joining the U.S. Women’s Rugby National Under-23 Sevens Team.
“We were lucky to have a great team and a great coach in Heidi Oversier during those years.”
Professionally, Diane began her career as an analyst at J.P. Morgan Chase but remained drawn to teaching and coaching, which led her to coach basketball at the Episcopal School in Virginia with her former Chadwick coach Heidi Oversier. The death of her brother, Dennis Webber ’03, in 2005 prompted Diane to reassess her path, leading her back to Los Angeles to work at Wells Fargo, Foothill.
“Banking was fine, but it wasn’t fulfilling. I was seeking something more personally meaningful,” Diane said. Pursuing a personal interest in nutrition, she shifted careers and studied nutrition and dietetics at California State University Long Beach, completing the Didactic Program in Dietetics in 2010 and graduating with honors.
While providing health coaching, Diane joined Chadwick in 2011 as a physical education teacher and basketball coach. She also served as an assistant volleyball coach under another mentor, Coach Anita Drennen. Seeking to impact health policy, she earned a Master of Public Health degree in health policy and management from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health in 2015. Currently, Diane works at L.A. Care Health Plan, which provides Medi-Cal health coverage to over two million low-income residents in Los Angeles County. As a product manager, she served on the COVID-19 Command Center and now focuses on special projects and regulatory changes. She is particularly passionate about expanding health care coverage to residents of all immigration statuses in California and ensuring them a smooth transition.
With her extensive knowledge and determination to make a difference, Diane is a key player in improving health care in Los Angeles County.
CLASS OF 1990, attended Chadwick for three years, entering as a sophomore in 1987. Although he graduated more than 20 years ago, his Chadwick experiences still shape his path, his athletic achievements still inspire awe and his Chadwick friendships are still central to his life.
Lawrence played varsity boys basketball for three years at Chadwick, where he was integral to the team’s success. At 6’7,” he made a big impression as a high-scoring center. He was honored with the prestigious John Wooden High School Player of the Year Award as a senior and was also named to the All-CIF First Team.
While basketball and academics were major priorities, Lawrence also tutored special needs students through Chadwick’s Community Service Program. As the son of an educator, Lawrence saw the difference a dedicated teacher could make for students — his mother, Sherilyn Williams, taught kindergarten for 36 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Both Lawrence and his sister, Chiniqua Williams, are now teachers themselves.
Lawrence also valued the faculty mentors he found at Chadwick, including his computer science teacher Keith “Doc” Stephens, English teachers Terry Andrews and Karen Stephens, biology teacher Mary Ann Braus and varsity basketball coach Tom Maier.
“I struggled academically at first at Chadwick,” said Lawrence, “but I had teachers who were welcoming and encouraging. “Doc” Stephens always had kind words and that meant a lot.”
While the adjustment was tough, Lawrence said, “Chadwick gave me confidence. It taught me that if I worked hard and I really prepared, I could pretty much slay anything. It also gave me the confidence to rub shoulders with different types of folks from all different backgrounds and to be able relate to anyone.”
Following his Chadwick graduation, Lawrence went on to the University of San Francisco and then to San Francisco State
University, where he competed in basketball for four years. During his career as a San Fransisco State Gators forward, Lawrence was a three-time NCAA Division II AllWest First Team selection and a four-time Northern California Athletic Conference First Team selection. He was honored as a Collegiate All-American in 1995.
Lawrence holds several long-standing Gator basketball records including career points scored (2,090), career rebounds (951) and career blocked shots (222). He was inaugurated into the San Francisco State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, and remains the only Gator basketball player ever to score more than 2000 points.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in urban studies in 1995, Lawrence remained at San Francisco State to pursue graduate studies and a teaching credential in special education. He joined the Oakland Unified School District in 2007 and teaches Special Education at Montera Middle School.
The friendships Lawrence formed at Chadwick continue to play a huge role in his life — in fact, he chats with Chadwick friends “almost daily” via texts or through a Facebook group. Dennis Brown ’90, Eric Dyson ’93, Joe Giacomo ’90, Dylan Brown ’93 and Jason Ambrose ’90 are among his closest friends. “I enjoy playing golf with my Chadwick friends when I’m in L.A.,” said Lawrence. “I also saw Cyril Kaufman ’90 in Paris not long ago.”
“I think the small class sizes at Chadwick are one of the reasons Chadwick friendships tend to last,” said Lawrence. “Each class is really one big cohort, not a group of separate cliques. We shared so many experiences as classmates, from academics, to athletics, carpools, Community Service and Outdoor Ed, and that creates strong bonds.”
Lawrence lives in Oakland with his wife, Gail and daughters Peyton (9) and Ellis (6).
“I think the small class sizes at Chadwick are one of the reasons Chadwick friendships tend to last.”
1961 JEANNIE LIPPETT PFAELZER
It was a busy, fulfilling and a bit of a crazed year for me. My most recent book, “California, a Slave State,” was published last summer by Yale University Press and won the Heyday History Award of 2023, alongside Joan Baez, who received the Heyday Lifetime Achievement Award. I am over the moon. My previous book, “Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans,” has been optioned for a four-part TV series. Additionally, I retired as a professor of American Studies at the University of Delaware. My husband is a federal judge, and we reside in Washington D.C., though we spend as much time as we can at our cabin in Big Lagoon, CA, where the redwoods meet the sea.
Our eldest daughter is the Artistic Director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre, our son is a forensic detective and our youngest daughter works for Apple. We are blessed with three gorgeous, amazing and funny grandchildren. The eldest is currently driving an ambulance for his gap year before heading off to Colorado College.
If anyone from our class is in D.C. or Big Lagoon (north of Eureka, north of Arcata, north of Trinidad), please feel free to visit us!
1962 ILONKA
I have signed a contract with Karnac Books in the UK for my fourth book, “Freud’s Honorary Son: Exploring the Works of Franz Alexander.”
I also want to state how special Chadwick School was for me and my childhood friends. The education and experiences we received were second to none. As we have grown older, sought and found our fortunes, and excelled in our careers, I find it interesting that we all share a similar mindset. Those with whom I have reconnected espouse the same values and beliefs as I do. Was it the school, our upbringing, our exposure to a certain way of thinking for ourselves, the homes in which we grew up? Perhaps it was a bit of all. Congratulations to Margaret Chadwick and her beloved Commander for creating such a wonderful opportunity for me, and thanks to my grandfather for having the foresight to send me there.
Four friends having lunch at Hop Monk Tavern in Sebastopol, CA. Corey Hudson ’62, Ray Fries ’62, Denny Thompson and Rick Learned ’62.
Painting became challenging for me due to Parkinson’s, but fortunately, 50 years of Tai Chi and seven years of QiGong have helped me maintain fairly good health. My daughter, Ilena Andrews, from my first love, Stephen Andrews ’63, who was in my class, now resides in Santa Rosa, CA. My son, Bryan Zecca, currently lives at Camphill California, a thriving Rudolf Steiner community for the developmentally disabled in Soquel, CA. He has Fragile X Syndrome, which I never knew existed — life is full of surprises.
I now split my time between Santa Monica and Maui, spending winters in the latter, which provides ample opportunity for writing books. My first book, “Remnants of Humanity,” delves into the chaos of today and projects 7,300 years into the future in Chile. There, the few survivors have evolved from something horrific into more compassionate humans. If you are interested, you can find it at major book retailers. I’m currently deep into my second book, which feels like sculpting through time, as I do miss painting dearly. Creativity is undoubtedly essential in these times.
I’m enjoying retirement after 43 years as an international business attorney with a global law firm and a couple of years teaching international business transaction classes at Loyola Marymount University. I am honored to serve on the boards of UNICEF and Loyola Law School. I continue to reside in Manhattan Beach, while also devoting time to managing my vineyard ranch in Paso Robles.
1965
The alarming increase in suicides demands urgent action across our country to address these staggering losses. I have been asked, and I have accepted, an invitation to join the faculty of Florida
1967 LYNNE LAFLEUR
This photo captures one of the most influential episodes of my adult life, and amazingly, as we all discovered, five of us from Chadwick share it! There is a wonderful all-world music camp in the Mendocino Woodlands called “Lark Camp,” and it was at our 30-year reunion that Sanders (Sandy) Feldhorn ’67 convinced me to go when I was considering bowing out. That was 27 years ago, and it changed my life. I’m still working on fiddle and mandolin.
From left to right: Danese Cooper ’76, me ’67, Sandy ’67, and Ed Ellis ’64, whose father Edwin Ellis was Dean of Men and an integral part of Chadwick’s operations and growth. Absent that day was Mark Nelson ’67, who lives in Oregon. Of the 600 participants at Lark, five of us come from Chadwick — that’s a significant percentage, and I’m proud of that.
State University’s esteemed Joiner Laboratory for the Study and Prevention of Suicide and Suicide-Related Conditions. My scientific research and teaching will emphasize a fresh start, a new beginning.
Saving lives from impending doom and self-directed harm is undeniably challenging. If it were easy, everyone would be successful. Yet, in suicide prevention, everyone is striving to make a difference. Despite these collective efforts, the troubling trend of self-directed deaths persists.
I have grappled with suicide studies for some time. The subject is complex, intricate and often dark. Attempting to systemize and communicate improved risk probability with “good science” is considered by many to be either too difficult or a futile endeavor. However, my Chadwick classmates taught me early on to fight with unwavering determination, challenge outdated norms and to explore new hypotheses — sometimes with a touch of mischief. The guidance and inspiration from Chadwick’s faculty nurtured my young mind, encouraging me to exemplify the virtues of sound judgment, compassion, playfulness, keen observations, strong convictions and seizing direction with a well-prepared (though often resisted) mind.
The work I am about to undertake aligns with Margaret Chadwick’s vision of education, aimed at positively impacting students, their communities and the broader world. It is upon this vision that I will continue my work.
1966 JAMES DANKY
I am delighted to announce my appointment as Adjunct Curator for Comics at the Museum of Wisconsin Art. My inaugural task is to guest curate “Comics and Politics, from Ripon to the RNC” in 2024 at Saint Kate — the Art Hotel in downtown Milwaukee.
’85
Our third and last hooligan has started at the University of Southern Maine and is doing excellently! Our middle child embarked on a semester in Morocco, Nepal and Ecuador, studying climate impacts on local communities. I visited our eldest in Seattle, where she is excelling in sustainability at Boston Consulting Group. We recently welcomed (with faces licked) a dog from Puerto Rico named Serena (a complete misnomer), and we’re making plans to relocate full-time to Martha’s Vineyard. I’ve become addicted to yoga, got avalanche trained for backcountry skiing and continue to enjoy the outdoors (thanks to Outdoor Ed!) with ascents of Mt. Katahdin, ME, Mt. Washington, NH, Mt. Chocorua, NH, and the Kendall Katwalk Trail, WA, this summer.
In August, Peggy and I decided it was time to downsize. So, we left our home of 39 years in Bellevue, WA, and moved about 15 miles up the road to Redmond, into a one-story home in Trilogy, an Active 55+ community. The mandatory requirement was that we stayed within 30 minutes of our grandkids, who live in Bothell. I continue to do charity benefit auctions for non-profits around the country and Canada. I’ll scale down slightly in 2024, doing around 40 events, and I’m letting some groups know this will be my last year. It’s tough to completely quit something that brings so much enjoyment. Email me if you’d like our new address: grahamc100@aol.com.
Lance Matthews ’80, along with his wife and mother, stopped by the Chadwick campus in mid-March 2024. Bob Rule ’76 gave them a tour around campus, and Lance’s visit was filled with nostalgia as he fondly recalled his time as a student. His mother shared memories of volunteering in the cafeteria during the Parent Association’s tenure. Lance took a trip down memory lane, exploring the gym banners commemorating the 1979/1980 Boys Basketball CIF Championship and strolling through the alumni walk. Currently, he resides in Lomita, CA and works for CVS Health.
After 40 years, I have moved back to Southern California, living in San Diego to be close to work headquarters. At least my condo has a sliver of an ocean view!
1984 ELISA DIORIO MOHR
My husband Greg and I are thrilled to announce that we are first-time grandparents! Our daughter Isabella and her husband Jason welcomed Paul Jonathan Hinson on Jan. 15, 2024. He was born during a record-breaking Nashville snowstorm and arrived with a full head of hair. Paul is a beautiful, peaceful and calm child. Being a grandparent is amazing, and we absolutely love it.
1987 STEFANO MOSCATO
I am delighted to share that I was awarded the 2024 Rutter Award for Teaching Excellence at the University of California Law San Francisco (UC Law SF). The award ceremony took place on April 4, 2024, recognizing my creative teaching methods and efforts to ensure that all students receive the support they need to thrive in law school. The recipient of the Rutter Award is chosen each year by a four-person committee, which includes a student, recent alumnus, the provost and academic dean, and the prior year’s winner.
My journey at UC Law SF began in 2011 as a visiting professor, and I joined the full-time faculty in 2013. Throughout the years, I have been actively involved in enhancing student support and success. In 2016, I served on a committee that helped improve bar passage support for law students. From 2017 to 2022, I served as Associate Dean for Academic Skills Instruction and Support, where I contributed to the development of programs aimed at bolstering student success.
1988 SIOBHAN WILSON GREEN
I recently celebrated my one-year anniversary working for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where I serve as a senior digital development advisor. I am thoroughly enjoying my new role, collaborating with foreign governments, international NGOs and the U.S. government to drive responsible digital transformation activities. On a personal note, my wife Melissa came out as trans in 2020, and we continue to be very happy together. Our children, Anthony (20) and Liam (18), have graduated from high school and are currently taking a break to work and explore the world before pursuing further education. Life is good here in Virginia, and I’m always open to connecting with fellow Chadwick alums!
1994 TARYN MACFARLANE
I recently had the pleasure of returning to the Chadwick campus for the first time in at least 15 years, attending Chadwick’s Legacy Dinner where I ran into some other ’90s alums! It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
For the past 15 years, I’ve been settled in the midwest after completing my Master of Public Policy and Master of Business Administration at the University of Michigan. Although I reside in South Bend (Mayor Pete!), there’s no way I’m not cheering for the Wolverines come football season.
The last couple of years have been fascinating as our state economic development agency deployed $500 million in regional awards for capital projects aimed at enhancing quality of life to attract and retain talent. I’m proud to share that our region recently won another $45 million in the second $500 million allocation round, on top of the $50 million we secured in round one. As the administrator of our regional fund, I’ve been immersed in learning about real estate projects and affordable housing strategies, as well as initiatives related to parks, trails and regional attractions.
Despite the excitement, I still miss the California sun :) If anyone is ever in the Chicago area or Michigan, it would be wonderful to catch up. You can find me on LinkedIn.
I wanted to share a picture of some of us Dolphins who recently had dinner together. We are all from the class of 1995, and we gathered in Southern California while I was visiting from my home in Denver, CO. Pictured from left to right: Wes Shive, Ted Chung, Matt Willer, Derrick Lee, and Ricco Washington.
I am a professor of law and ethics in the School of Business at the University of Redlands, and have recently published my third book titled “Law and Economics: New Trajectories in Law.”
Amidst an atmosphere of joy, Joshua Turini and I celebrated our wedding on Aug. 5, 2023. It was a beautiful ceremony surrounded by our loving family and friends in coastal Rhode Island.
Our wedding party included several fellow Chadwick alumni who added to the special day, including Will Behenna ’14, Chris Behenna ’16, Julia Balough ’11, Nicole Hutchison Hensiek ’11, Sarah Lindstedt Mangum ’11 and Morgan Peterson ’11.
I currently serve as the Chief Operating Officer of Redondo Van & Storage. As a second-generation business owner, I manage the day-to-day operations of the company, and over the past six years, I have introduced new innovations to the company. In November 2023, Redondo Van & Storage was honored with the Excellence in Business award by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce for our long-standing business and community contributions. Earlier this year, I was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. This year also marks Redondo Van & Storage’s 105th year of consecutive business in the South Bay. The company was established in 1919 in the city of Redondo Beach and held a ceremonial ribbon cutting with Mayor George Chen and representatives from the Torrance Chamber of Commerce commemorating this momentous milestone. Redondo Van & Storage is your go-to local moving and storage company!
2012 JASPER BURNS
I am thrilled to share that I have been named a Knight-Hennessy Scholar at Stanford University. This prestigious program, now the most wellendowed graduate scholarship in the world — surpassing even the Rhodes Scholarship in both endowment and resources — recognizes exceptional students who have demonstrated leadership and innovative thinking.
I will be attending Stanford Law School as part of this distinguished cohort. The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program provides unparalleled opportunities for academic and professional growth, allowing scholars to collaborate across disciplines and drive impactful change.
I am eager to share my experiences and insights with current students and alumni who might be interested in applying for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program in the future.
2012 LAUREN MACHARG
After spending three years as an epidemiologist working on COVID-19 in Seattle, I decided to relocate to my fiancée’s hometown in Gothenburg, Sweden. Since Sept. 2023, I have started working for a small tech startup. Additionally, I have been immersing myself in Swedish language courses and exploring the beauty of my new home!
2015 KEVIN ULMAN
Kiley Cassidy ’15 and I got married on June 8, 2024!
2023 ELLA BJERRE
Ella Bjerre ’23, is pursuing a double major in Political Economy and Global Studies at UC Berkeley. During the summer of 2024, she interned for eight weeks in Tokyo at Frost and Sullivan, a business consulting firm renowned for market research, growth strategy consulting and corporate training. Beyond her professional endeavors, Ella is enjoying exploring Japan! Highlights included a visit to the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto with its famous 10,000 Torii gates.
I am thrilled to share that I have been named a KnightHennessey Scholar at Stanford University.
KATHLEEN WESTERVELT (Science Department) completed a Master of Science degree in science education at California State University, Long Beach. In addition to taking graduate science courses about animal physiology in extreme environments, virology and conservation biology, she completed a thesis about the role identity plays in climate change learning.
MICHAEL CASS (Mathematics Department) and his wife, Karen, celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary over Spring Break with many Chadwick friends. Karen is a kindergarten teacher for Los Angeles United School District, Mike has been at Chadwick for 24 years as a faculty member and they are current parents to two Upper Village boys.
Elaine Marguerite Browne was born on May 6, 2024, weighing in at 8 pounds, 20.5 inches. Dean of College Counseling LIBBY BROWNE and her husband, Chris, are both doing well and adjusting to a new life without a whole lot of sleep. Congratulations, Libby!
“Wieds”
MARK WIEDENMANN HONORED AT THE 2023 ALUMNI AWARDS BRUNCH
Affectionately known on campus as “Wieds,” Mark joined Chadwick School in 1981 as a member of the history department. While continuing in that capacity, he became the Upper School Dean of Students in 1987 and the Director of the Upper School in 1992.
During his time at Chadwick, Mark created Chadwick’s Community Service program, which in 1988 was recognized by U.S. News & World Report and IBM as one of the six best community service programs in the country. Mark also created Chadwick’s wellness program, developed Chadwick’s teacher evaluation process and initiated Chadwick’s approach to curriculum design based on Grant Wiggins’ “Understanding By Design.” His tenure at Chadwick also included coaching crosscountry and teaching AP U.S. History, Democracy and Ancient Greece, History of India, Comparative
Director of Alumni Relations MONICA BUCK co-presented with Soleiman Dias from Chadwick International at the CASE conference in Singapore in May 2024. Through their presentation on “The Value of Collaboration in Alumni Relations,” Monica and Soleiman demonstrated that by pooling resources and sharing knowledge, alumni relations officers can achieve more effective and sustainable programs.
MEAGAN SEGAL ’04 (Visual Art Department Chair and Class of 2004) received her Master of Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in August 2023. Her work addressed loss, grief, memorialization and how humans make meaning of our mortality and suffering in an ever-shifting world. See Meagan’s work at meagansegal.com.
(TOP L to R)
Congratulations to Libby Browne and her husband on the birth of their daughter.
Monica Buck in Singapore.
Artwork by Meagan Segal ’04.
Religion and Philosophy of Religion. In the 2022-23 school year, Mark taught an Upper School history class.
Before his career at Chadwick, Mark taught at Thacher School in Ojai, California. Mark grew up in northeastern Ohio, and attended Western Reserve Academy, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in history at the University of California at San Diego, a Master of Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School.
During his time as Director of the Upper School, Mark helped to shape the lives of countless students, guided and mentored many faculty and staff members, created and influenced numerous programs, built everlasting bonds with our alumni, and worked tirelessly in support of Chadwick, its Mission and its Core Values.
Thank you Mark for over 40 years of dedication to the lives of Chadwick students.
You’re Invited!
90TH ANNIVERSARY KICK-OFF GALA
Saturday, March 8, 2025
Terranea Resort, Palos Verdes Peninsula
2025 WILL MARK 90 YEARS OF CHADWICK SCHOOL AND 15 YEARS SINCE THE FOUNDING OF CHADWICK INTERNATIONAL IN SONGDO, SOUTH KOREA.
Alumni, alumni parents, current parents, faculty, staff and friends of the school are invited to Save the Date for the biggest party of the past nine decades: the 90th Anniversary Kick-Off Gala! The festivities will include alumni mixers on Friday, March 7, tours of the campus on Saturday, March 8, and a destination celebration Gala later that evening at Terranea Resort.
Plan to make a weekend of it as we celebrate 90 years of Margaret Chadwick’s vision, the Chadwick community and the bright future of our wonderful school on the hill. Look for invitations this fall with all the details, and we hope to see you there!
ALUMNI BOARD MEETING
Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024
ALUMNI WEEKEND
Friday, Oct. 18, 2024
Home Football Game — Alumni welcome!
AWARDS BRUNCH & CEREMONY
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024
On campus, honoring:
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year
Captain John Ryan ’49
Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees
1999 Girls Cross Country Team
Matty Gallas ’12
Sarah Lucenti ’13
Ron Rosso ’77
REUNION RECEPTIONS ON CAMPUS FOR CLASSES ENDING IN “4” AND “9”
Saturday, Oct. 19. 2024
Campus tours – 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Class cocktail reception and class photos –5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Class dinners – 6:30 to 9 p.m.
15TH ANNUAL CHADWICK GOLF TOURNAMENT
Monday, Oct. 28, 2024
Palos Verdes Golf Club
NEW YORK CITY ALUMNI RECEPTION
Friday, Nov. 1, 2024
CHADWICK PROFESSIONALS
HOLIDAY MIXER
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024
Tin Roof Bistro, Manhattan Beach, CA
ALUMNI ATHLETIC DAY
Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024
YOUNG ALUMNI REUNIONS 2014 AND 2019
Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024
DAY OF GIVING 2025
Coming in April
FAMILY DAY HONORING GRANDPARENTS
Friday, May 23, 2025
BY GEORGE M. GOODWIN ’66
I have a good friend here in Providence, Rhode Island, who recently retired after a 35-year career as a librarian at Brown University. Needless to say, we love discussing books. Whenever Joanna speaks, I can really hear her Wisconsin accent.
I recently mentioned to her I had graduated from a small liberal arts college in Illinois called Lake Forrest College. I added that one of my high school classmates in Southern California attended a sister college in Wisconsin called Ripon, and explained that my friend had spent his entire career as a librarian at the Wisconsin Historical Society, located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Then Joanna asked, “Are you referring to the eminent James P. Danky?” Yes, that Jim, who has remained one of my Chadwick buddies!
I attended Chadwick for only two years but have been fortunate to make several lasting friendships. My Class of 1966 may be quite exceptional since the majority of us have attended at least five landmark reunions. Whether arriving from near or far, many of us have felt that we never left our campus.
Having grown up in West Los Angeles, I was able to attend Chadwick as a boarder. It was a far more demanding experience than for most day students. Fortunately, I could go home every few weekends during my junior year. As a senior, going home nearly every weekend was possible, but this probably left stranded boarders feeling even worse.
Like a few others, the senior boys’ dorm overlooked Chadwick’s sprawling hillside and much of the Los Angeles basin. This dorm housed only eight kids — two per room. We were required to sit at our desks from 7 to 9:30 p.m. for evening study hall, turn out our lights by 10 and then up again at 6:30 a.m.!
I now quite sadly regret that I am the only survivor among the senior boarders who remained connected to our alma mater. Indeed, I am so sorry that both my junior and senior year roommates, Bob Wilson and Steve Stryker, have recently left this world.
Though I had remained in touch with Bob and Steve, we seldom saw each other. I had visited
Bob when he studied medicine at the University of Guadalajara, and I happily witnessed his wedding, but the last reunion he attended was our 40th. After college, Steve spent the rest of his life on the East Coast, and we saw each other only a few times in Washington, D.C. Perhaps the last time was more than 35 years ago, for he never attended a reunion.
I had also been acquainted with Steve’s younger sister, Terri, but she sadly predeceased him.
I do not want to dwell on such losses, but my class began to experience them only a few years after our graduation. One day, while a graduate student at Columbia University, I happened to bump into my Chadwick classmate, Suzanne Ferraris, who was working in a campus library. She passed away within another year. By 1988, Suzanne was one of four classmates whom we survivors honored by erecting a monument on a Chadwick field.
Fortunately, the internet has enabled many classmates to stay in touch. Indeed, “the eminent” Jim Danky recently sent us a wonderful photo of his visit with Gael Fitzmaurice at her home in Berkeley. Unfortunately, only a few of my classmates make annual gifts to Chadwick. Only one, Dr. Ann Steiner, has joined me in planning a bequest, but my buddy, Lance Bowling ’66, who has served as a volunteer archivist for decades, was recognized in 2012 as a Distinguished Alumnus.
Yes, so many of us classmates who remain in touch still remember our favorite (and least favorite) teachers. We remember challenging and bizarre assignments as well as some favorite books that some of us have kept. Still, other classmates vividly remember athletic, musical and theatrical triumphs (and perhaps some debacles).
I’d also like to believe that many of my classmates are proud of our academic and professional accomplishments, which, perhaps, many of our Chadwick teachers could not foresee. And what about the joys of romance, marriage, parenthood, and grandparenthood, which were seldom, if ever, discussed? Alas, even on the brink of a catastrophic war, our understanding of a fragile peace could not be fully comprehended.
I feel so fortunate because so many of my Chadwick classmates are alive, and we still care about each other. Ironically, at this tender moment, mourning our lost classmates has also brought many of us closer together.
Robert Berger ’72
Catherine Langston Bergel ’57
Janet Brooks Birnkrant ’62
Matthew Disston ’70
Patsy Fiske, Former Faculty
Jonathan Hartmann ’93
Gregory Horkey ’64
Robert Horner ’66
William King, Former Parent and Former Trustee
Nate Nordine ’20
Peter Packard ’43
Franklin Robinson, Former Parent
Frank Rosso, Former Parent
Howard Slusher, Former Parent
Richard Thompson ’60
William Thompson ’66
Patricia Van Camp ’66
Bertie Wood, Former Faculty
www.chadwickschool.org
Change Service Requested
