CLASS NOTES

If you have a class note to share or are interested in being a Class Agent, please contact Meredith in the Office of Alumni Relations, meredith.nunn@charlottelatin.org.

Class of 1977

Paul Rutter was recently in Amsterdam and visited the Vermeer exhibit at the Rijksmuseum. He also traveled to Leiden for more genealogy research of original docs with a professor at the University of Leiden who is an expert on the American pilgrims. Paul will head back to Europe to Kosovo this October as he has accepted a position with the Peace Corps in the Community Economic Development sector as a Community Organizational Development Volunteer. He will officially retire from the University of Mount Olive in June where he is the executive director for strategic partnerships.

Class of 1979

Hawks reunited at the wedding of Reaves Robinson Thompson’s ‘79 son, Alex, in Greenville, SC on August 20, 2022. The many Hawks in attendance included Elizabeth Booth ‘85 and Scott Bivens ‘85, Shep Robinson ‘81 Liza Robinson Williams ‘12,

John Robinson ‘14, Paul Taylor ‘09, Flora Robinson Warbington ‘85, Ashley Evans Stewart ‘80, Reaves Robinson Thompson, Susan Knott Floyd, Linda Willis Lynch, Mary Janet Thies Hawkins, and Virginia Smith and Doug Ellison.

Class of 1980

Birds of a feather flock together! Ed Fox ran into former students and ultimate frisbee players, Patrick Hard ‘97 and Rhett Nichols ‘97, at the National Ultimate Championship at Beach Nationals in Virginia Beach this summer. Ed and his team HURT finished 2nd in the Great Grand Masters Division while Patrick and Rhett won a(nother) National Ultimate Championship.

Ed runs a small farm in Chattanooga, TN where he wrangles goats, donkeys, chickens, and guinea hens. And, of course, plays as much Ultimate as possible all over the world.

Elizabeth Medearis Myers celebrated her 60th birthday in Italy with her daughter, E.C. Myers ‘16. The highlight of their trip was a local farm tour in which Elizabeth and E.C. toured the lemon orchard and saw how limoncello is made. Their day concluded with a stint in the dairy operation where the traveling duo learned how to make mozzarella cheese!

Class of 1982

Lee Bailey and Billy Tourtellot were back on campus for the Jerry Faulkner Court dedication in February. Lee’s father, Mike Bailey, is a former Charlotte Latin basketball coach. Lee and his wife, Pam, live in Indian Trail, NC. Billy Tourtellot lives with his wife, Jeanne, in Weddington, NC. Billy and Jeanne enjoy traveling to see their children who live everywhere from Park City, UT, to Raleigh, Boone, and New York City, NY.

A vascular surgeon by day, Ray Workman’s hands play a critical role in his work. Over the course of his medical career, he has served as a general surgeon in the U.S. Army, Chief of Vascular Surgery at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, TX to most recently, a vein specialist for Novant Health. Beyond the operating room, Ray relies on his hands to fulfill a tradition that is no cake walk. For the past 25 years, Ray has baked almost every Southern Living cake featured in the December issue. Since taking on this project in 1997, Ray has endured easy cakes, time consuming cakes, frustrating cakes, and a complicated three layer chocolate cake with pecan-praline filling and a ring of oversized angel-shaped cookies. High-five to the chef!

hours on the road, took 967 photos, and visited 7 major cities during their road trip extravaganza. Highlights of their trip included visits to Monticello, VA, Hyde Park, NY, Quechee, VT, Montréal, QC, and Philadelphia, PA. Kenna’s children are also Latin alumni— Sarah ‘16 and Matthew ‘18 Jordan.

Class of 1988

Alumnae from the Class of 1985 continued their tradition of gathering together over the holidays in Charlotte, NC. Way to go, y’all!

Class of 1989

Congratulations to Jim Rash who played Robert in the Universal Pictures romantic comedy Bros Bros is the first romantic comedy from a major studio about two gay men maybe, possibly, probably, stumbling towards love. Jim also starred in the NBC comedy series ‘Community’ and won the Academy Award for cowriting ‘The Descendants’. Jim lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Class of 1985

Road trip! Kenna Cloninger Jordan and her family drove 2,042 miles up and down the east coast, spent a total of 34

Class of 1990

Congratulations to Scott Hollenbeck who was named Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Virginia. Scott was previously at Duke University/Duke Health and served as Vice Chief of Research for the Division of Plastic, Maxillofacial, and Oral Surgery, director of The Human Fresh Tissue Lab, director of Breast Reconstruction, and director of the world-renowned Duke Flap Course, which teaches reconstructive surgery techniques to plastic surgeons from around the world.

Class of 1993

Brad Huffstetler has been living in Grand Cayman for the past 4 years where he sells real estate. Coach Lee Horton and his wife, Mercedes, visited Brad after Coach Horton’s retirement.

John Cattie is the Managing Member of Cattie & Gonzalez, PLLC. The firm’s latest project involves minimizing liens and protecting future Medicare benefits for victims of toxic water consumed while stationed at Camp Lejeune. John is a nationally known author and speaker, experienced in all components of MSA law and procedure.

Class of 1994

Hayes Swinney Alger moved back to Teton Valley, ID, in the summer of 2021 with her husband, Ryan, 12-year-old son, Findley, and their dog, Moose. She has been the Executive Director of Mountain Roots Education since March 2022, providing farm and garden education programs to local elementary students, maintaining school gardens, and hosting sustainable living workshops for the local community.

A new dawn of brain tracking and hacking is coming. Will you be prepared for what comes next?

Nita Farahany tackles and addresses this question in her new book The Battle for Your Brain. Nita offers a path forward to navigate the complex legal and ethical dilemmas that will fundamentally impact our freedom to understand, shape, and define ourselves. Nita is the Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Law & Philosophy at Duke Law School. She lives in Durham, NC with her family.

Class of 1995

Congratulations to Kendall Booe Burgess who recently started her new role for Major League Baseball (MLB) as Vice President of Operations of Local Media. Prior to working for MLB, Kendall worked at Fox Sports South for almost 25 years.

Congratulations to Carolyn Klimas Prusa on the release of her first novel None of This Would Have Happened if Prince Were Alive. The story follows Ramona through the forty-eight hours after her life has been upended by the discovery of her husband’s affair and an approaching category four hurricane. Carolyn appeared in Charlotte in November for a book signing at Park Road Books and participated in a book discussion with Maria Klein, other Latin alumni and parents of alumni, in January at Charlotte Country Club.

Class of 1996

Ken Leonczyk and his wife, Louise, and their daughter, Margaret Kathleen, moved back to Charlotte in January. They love their new neighborhood - Plaza Midwood - and are thrilled to be back around family and old friends. Ken continues to serve as Optum’s VP of Market Solution Strategy. When he’s not on the road or in the air traveling, Ken is excited to find some good cycling routes in the Charlotte area.

Class of 1998

Congratulations to Talia Caligiuri Fann and her husband, Alan, on the arrival of their son, William Cooper. Will was born on June 12, 2022, and joins big brothers Austin and Lucas.

Pearce Hayes and his wife, Sarah, welcomed Eleanor Burns on February 14, 2023. Eleanor joins big brother, John Pearce, and big sister, Mary. Pearce and his family live in Charlotte, NC where Pearce owns Hayes Contracting, LLC, which offers both residential and commercial remodeling.

perfectionism that led her to doubt her talents early in her career. “I embraced my own unique voice, gave myself a little grace, and followed where my creativity led (which basically meant letting my inner floral-loving-colorclashing-nostalgic-self have at it on a canvas)(in a semicontrolled way of course).” Jen is the Director of Design for creative agency, Baldwin& and lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband, Nick, and children, Cole and Laney.

Class of 1997

Dave Powell is now an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School where he teaches advanced real estate transactions during the fall term. Dave is also a partner at King & Spalding in the Charlotte and New York offices. In addition, he is the handyman for the interior design business, Casa Powell LLC, started by his wife, Meredith. Meredith and Dave live in Charlotte, NC, with their three children.

Congratulations to Melissa Schreier Guarnaccia who recently opened an outpatient counseling practice, Teletherapy of the Carolinas, LLC. Melissa specializes in providing therapy to teens and adults who are seeking help related to anxiety, depression, life transitions and parenting. Prior to opening her own practice, she worked as a counselor at Charlotte Preparatory School, as well as spent nine years as an outpatient therapist with Atrium. Melissa lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband, Adam ‘97, and their two sons, Colin and Gray.

Congratulations to Lori Voci-Sohm who opened Avi Aesthetics, a medical grade skin care treatment specializing in anti-aging located in the Ballantyne area in Charlotte, NC. Lori lives in Charlotte with her husband, Ross, and their two children, Avery and Levi.

Class of 1999

Congratulations to Amy Voci Smith and her husband, Evan, who welcomed Palmer Elaine on March 9, 2022. Palmer joins big brother Porter. Amy and Evan live in Charlotte, NC, where Amy is a Breast Surgical Oncologist for Atrium Health.

Kudos to Jen Orr Matthews on her solo art show “Room to Grow’’ at Charlotte Russell Contemporary in Raleigh, NC in September Titled “Room to Grow”,Jen claims her work in this particular show represented the personal growth she experienced when she let go of the

Class of 2000

Congratulations to Matt “Smokey” Cloud who won Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) Golden Reels for his work on Stranger Things and PREY. Smokey is an Assistant Sound Editor for Pacific Standard Sound. He lives in California with his wife, Alyssa, and daughter, Isabel.

includes a village green, tree house mezzanine, and an integrated food truck stall. Come check it out if you are in Charlotte!

Class of 2001

Nichelle Wynn Sublett and her husband, Harold, welcomed their daughter, Siena Wynn, on June 22, 2022. Siena is the couple’s second miracle baby, born via IVF. Siena weighed 8 lbs and was 20 and 3/6 inches long. Big brother, Hudson, loves playing with his baby sister and teaching her all about life.

Ashley Moody Sigmon and her good friend and Latin parent, Leigh Young, learned how to play mahjong together and caught the mahjong bug. In 2022, the duo started their own business, Mahj In the City, to teach others to play. Mahjong is a fun tile-based game and social work-out for your brain. The game has become so popular in Charlotte among all generations that Ashely and Leigh are now expanding their reach into cities beyond Charlotte! Mahj In the City offers a range of learning options from monthly inhome group classes to private parties in boutiques to dropin learn to play events. There are lots of opportunities for all to catch some mahj love! Check out @mahjinthecity on Instagram to learn more.

Brian Kennelly, Will Chapman, Brick Bryant, Justin Hannonm and Reed Gaskin , J.P. Tsahakis, Peyton Gallagher, Matthew Rankin, Tommy Poulos, Andrew Schaeffer, and Lee Sigmon gathered together in Charlotte, NC on December 23, 2022. Their mini reunion has become an annual tradition.

Class of 2002

Alec Smith and his partner, Mike, recently surprised Mike’s parents by taking them on a week-long cruise through the Caribbean to celebrate a 70th birthday. The highlight of the trip was joining a former colleague in Grand Cayman for an oceanside lunch. Alec and Mike live in Manhattan, NY where Alex works for Wells Fargo supporting Corporate & Investment Banking regulatory initiatives.

Congratulations to Mia Sable who wrote the theme song, “Are You Coming Out Tonight”, for the Bravo TV show Southern Hospitality. Southern Hospitality is a spinoff of Southern Charm, which Mia also wrote the theme song for.

Class of 2003

Congratulations to Elizabeth Doughton ‘04 and Charles Hodges who welcomed John Doughton on September 9, 2022. John joins big sister Clementine is loving her new role as big sister. The Hodges family lives where Charles is Founder and Executive Creative Director of Arts & Letters Creative Co..

Congratulations to Brooke LaFaso Thorne and her husband, Scott, who recently opened Open Tap - a selfpour beer craft beer taproom located in South Charlotte. Open Tap is a kid friendly, multi-level space that as a planning commissioner for the City of Charlotte.

Harshada Rajani received Atrium Health’s Source of Hope award by Carolinas Rehabilitation for her “continued selfless contribution to the survivors of catastrophic injury and vision to inspire hope to thrive and to win”. After suffering a stroke in her brainstem in 2008, Harshada found a new passion, advocating for others living with disabilities through her writing and the We Win foundation. The We Win foundation helps people living with neurological injuries afford the rehabilitation services that are critical to improving their quality of life. At Carolinas Rehabilitation alone, 118 patients have received We Win therapy grants.

Congratulations to Lizzie Hibberd Elder and her husband James who welcomed their son, William James Elder, on March 3, 2023.

After a short stay in the NICU, the Elders are happy to all be home. The family lives in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Elizabeth Tomlinson Boone, Sterling Masters Deeney, Mary Holland Rankin Griffin, Ellen Kane Mark, Katie Moody and Kim Limentani Strickland enjoyed catching-up over dinner and drinks in Charlotte, NC.

Class of 2004

Lizz Clegg Gregg and husband, Duane, welcomed Elizabeth “Elise” Anne on February 23, 2023. Big siblings, Amelia and William, are over the moon! The family of 5 lives in Charlotte.

Class of 2005

Clayton Sealey moved back to Charlotte from NYC in 2020 and now resides in the NoDa neighborhood with his wife, Candace, and his miniature poodle Bob Ross. A life-long Charlottean and a passionate supporter of the arts and cultural scene in Charlotte, Clay graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design and is the Senior Director of Marketing for the Mint Museum. Clayton serves on the boards of the Noda Neighborhood Development Association, The Charlotte Council for Creatives and

Congratulations to Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel who co-wrote the music and lyrics to Between the Lines which opened offBroadway at the Tony Kiser Theater in June of 2022. Between the Lines is based on the novel written by Jodi Picolut and her daughter, Samantha van Leer, and tells the story of fifteen-yearold Delilah, a bookworm and loner, who falls in love with a character from a favorite childhood book.

Kudos to Laura Manns who took part in this year’s Macy’s Christmas window display. Laura covered 3D printed forms with faux fur and accessorized them (13 in total!). The cute animals were on display through the new year and were enjoyed by many. Laura is an Emmy nominated puppet and prop builder and just wrapped on season 54 of Sesame Street. Laura lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Congratulations to Meredith Trusty Riggins and her husband, Tyler, who welcomed twins Sloane Leighton and Ward Stanley on July 22, 2022. Big sister Coco is enjoying being a big sister and is in the Butterfly classroom at The Nest at Charlotte Latin. When not chasing her kids around, Meredith is an Operations

Manager with Laurel Wealth Advisors, LLC and paints murals as a hobby. Follow her along on instagram @ meredithrigginsdesigns.

Kudos to Ehimere Etomi who received his Masters of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University in May of 2022. After graduating, Ehimere returned to Charlotte, NC where he works for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a consultant in healthcare.

Class of 2006

The Holt siblings and their mom, Leigh Ann, vacationed in Orlando, FL, at Walt Disney World in February. The “core four” enjoyed celebrating Leigh’s 60th birthday with just the “big” kids.

Class of 2007

Tracy Snell Bajan and her husband, David, welcomed their son, Benjamin, on September 4, 2022. Benjamin joins proud siblings, Charlie and Maggie.

Sydnor Gammon recently joined WillowTree, a digital product company, as Partner and Vice President of Business Development, to focus on growing their healthcare business. Sydnor relocated to Virginia to work with the WillowTree leadership team in their Charlottesville headquarters.

Patterson Maker and Graham Miller, and big brother, Franklin, welcomed Ollie Graham on February 7, 2023. Ollie is the beloved cousin of five Lower School Hawks and nephew to three proud alumni; Katie Miller Iams ‘01, Hobbs Maker ‘10 and Hunter Miller ‘03.

Ryan Marklewitz teaches eighth grade science at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland and is also the head coach for the varsity cross country and varsity swim and dive teams. Ryan was recently featured in The Washington Post which ran a story about the swim team holding its winter practices outdoors. “For five seasons, the Lions have braved the outdoors during the winter swim season. Rain, sleet, snow or shine, Coach Ryan

Marklewitz’s team jumps in an 82-degree outdoor pool for practice every weekday — as long as the wind chill outside the pool is above 25 degrees.” Brrr! Ryan and his wife, Meghan, live in Reston, VA. When not teaching and coaching, they love domestic and international travel.

Cecily Shaw McNeill lives in Southern Pines, NC with her husband, Tim, and her two children, Wills and Frazier. Cecily works for Olmsted Village Company — a commercial real estate development company that designs, builds, leases, and manages properties in the heart of Pinehurst, NC.

Congratulations to Molly McCrory Schultz and her husband, Scott, who welcomed twins, Sarah “Sally” Lyndon and Douglas Scott III “Tripp,” on May 3,

2022. The twins join their furry big sister retriever Charlotte. The Schultz family lives in Columbia, SC.

Congratulations to Lisa Atlas Candon and her husband, Jim, who welcomed their son, James, on November 20, 2022. James joins proud big sister Caroline. The Candons live in Charlotte, NC, where they are both dentists.

Congratulations to Julie Webster Mon and her husband, Dyfrig, who welcomed their daughter, Madelyn Grace, on May 25, 2022. Big brother Will loves having a little sister! The Mon family lives outside of Philadelphia, PA.

Class of 2008

Logan Blough and his wife, Lucy, welcomed George Lee Blough on June 24, 2022. George’s big brother, William, is enjoying his new role!

Congratulations to Claire Litaker Patterson and her husband, Drew, who welcomed Eleanor Link on August 30, 2022. Link joins big brother Lehman. The Patterson family lives in Charlotte, NC where Claire owns and operates her interior design business, Claire Patterson Interiors.

Congratulations to Jaime Todd Satterfield and her husband, Brad, who welcomed Sara “Sally” Falls on November 9, 2022. The Satterfield family lives in Greenville, SC with big sister Addison and their dog, Wilson.

Congratulations to Malai Walker Moorman on her new role as head coach of Charlotte Latin’s Track and Field program. Malai was a three-sport athlete at Latin, competing in volleyball, basketball and track. She earned a scholarship to UNC-Chapel Hill for her sprinting abilities and returned to campus in 2013 to coach Varsity Track and Field athletes. Malai was inducted into the Charlotte Latin School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018. Outside of coaching, Malai currently works in corporate risk as a testing officer for Wells Fargo Bank. She has more than ten years of testing, monitoring and risk management experience in the financial services industry.

Class of 2009

Congratulations to Liza Price McNair and her husband, Ryan, who welcomed Andrew Price on January 30th, 2033. Andrew weighed 7 lbs 6 oz and was 20 inches long. Big sister Avery is loving her role! The McNairs live in Charlotte, NC.

Class of 2010

Congratulations to Thomas Ashcraft and Lexi Stafford who were married on November 7, 2020 at the Separk Mansion in Gastonia, NC . The Ashcrafts live in Charlotte, NC where Thomas is a Vice President at RCN Capital.

Editor’s Note: We make mistakes. Thomas and Lexi’s happy announcement was lost in our last Class Notes shuffle. Our sincerest apologies to the newly(ish)weds!

Congratulations to Robert Jones and his wife, Caroline, on Father’s Day!) Fletcher weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and loves New York life, often zipping around the Jones’ apartment with their 3 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Poppy.

Mary Kate McAlister and Marshall Sykes were married on February 19, 2022 at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC. The bridal party included Mary Kate’s brothers, Mark ‘13 and Rob ‘08 McAlister, cousin, Lacy McAlister ‘10, and Carter Grantham ‘10. Both the bride and groom are Latin legacies. Mary Kate is the daughter of Mark McAlister ‘80, and Marshall is the son of Anne Marshall Sykes ‘77.

Lots of Hawks were in attendance!

Class of 2011

Mooresville while operating at Novant, Atrium, and Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. Ann Louise works as a product manager for Florida Blue where she is helping design a conversational AI chatbot.

After 6+ years of software development at Snapchat, Brian Mittl put his keyboard away and set out for a journey across Southeast Asia with his partner, Laura. They have traveled through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam thus far and have many more countries to go. Happy trails!

Class of 2012

who welcomed Fletcher Thomas on June 19, 2022. (A perfectly timed arrival

Ann Louise Seaton and Conor Keely have recently moved back to Charlotte from Jacksonville, FL. They are excited to be back and are living in Plaza Midwood with their Bichon-Poodle mix Beau. Conor works as a podiatrist for Foot & Ankle Associates, which has offices in University, Concord, and

Bravo to Will Branner who will be part of the ensemble in the musical adaptation of “Back to the Future”. Performances of the Broadway musical begin on June 30, 2023 at Winter Garden Theatre in NY. Will just recently wrapped his role as Hades in Mythic, which featured the classic story of Hades and Persephone albeit with a pop twist!

Congratulations to Meagan and Harris Oates who welcomed their daughter, Marion Martha, on November 30, 2022. Marion is already being spoiled by her proud grandmother Mary Yorke Robison Oates ‘83.

Class of 2013

Congratulations to Kathryn Watts and Marshall Burlingame who were married on December 10, 2022 in Georgetown, SC. Several Hawks were in the wedding party including Mary Corbin Burlingame ‘14, Hannah Burlingame ‘17, Ashley Wannamaker Jordi, Tyler Cooney Armstrong, Drew Papadopulous, Tommy Litaker ‘11 and James Thorp ‘13. The Burlingames live in Charlotte, NC where Kathryn is an Associate at McKinsey & Company and Marshall is Assistant Vice President at AB Private Credit Investors.

Congratulations to Michael Chadwick, who was recently named the varsity head coach of Charlotte Latin’s boys’ and girls’ swimming programs. Michael took over for Patty Waldron, who coached him throughout his high school years and immediately thought of him as a candidate to be her successor. “Hiring Michael is a gold medal choice for the swim program,” said Waldron. Michael competed for the University of Missouri and the US National Team, eventually earning five medals at the Pan American Games and 11 medals at the World Championships for the United States. Now retired from professional swimming, Michael has returned to Charlotte with his wife, Cassi, and young son, Grayson, and works as the middle and high school student director for Moments of Hope Church. In his first season, Michael helped lead the boys’ swimming program to its fourth consecutive NCISAA Division State Title and the girls’ to 3rd place. Welcome home, Michael!

Congratulations to Kelly Breeney and Nick Boyd ‘14 who tied the knot in Banner Elk, NC on August 13, 2022. Julia Barry ‘13, Will Boyd ‘16, Collin Breeney ‘09, Jaclyn Burton, Cari Breeney Croom ‘10, Will Fuller, Rostan McBryde ‘14, John McGinnis ‘14, Catherine Gore Rossitch and Meggie Trusty ‘09 were members of the wedding party. Nick’s father, Bob Boyd ‘84, uncle, Andy Boyd ‘91, and cousins, Ben Boyd ‘09 and Caroline Boyd ‘12, were also in attendance. Following their nuptials, Kelly and Nick resigned from their jobs and headed east to travel the world. They explored 31 cities across Europe and Northern Africa and concluded their travels through Israel and Japan before returning back home to Charlotte.

In spring of 2022, Barbara Anne “BA’’ Thomas attended Joshua Tree Highlands Artist residency for 6 weeks. While there, she selected objects and furniture from the artist cottage and set them up in still life arrangements in various sites around the Joshua Tree region to use as her guide. After her residency, BA strung together a story with all of her material to frame her experience in the desert in her new book, Tableau Vivant. The book includes pictures of her paintings, photography, and a sketchbook filled with her writing and drawings. Tableau Vivant is available on Artsuite.com. BA’s art is currently be shown in New York City at DIMIN’s “Cycles”.

Class of 2014

Congratulations to UNCChapel Hill medical student, Alison Bonner, who matched with her first choice in Emergency Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/ Columbia & Cornell in New York. Given that New York is known as the city that never sleeps, Alison will get lots of hands-on experience working in the ER there!

University and lives in the Music City, Nashville, TN.

Class of 2015

signed with the New York Giants for another 4 years.

After being on tour with Eric Church, George Strait, Weezer, and staffing other tours, Nikki Sanz saw a huge need in the music industry to find gigs easier. She recognized a void in there not being a centralized job board or ability to connect with other music industry professionals. In July of 2022, Nikki started Giggs - the first and only social networking and job posting platform for the touring industry. (Think: LinkedIn for the music industry)

Giggs brings qualified touring professionals and employers together on one platform to make the music industry more efficient.

Nikki’s mission of Giggs is to make the typically ‘word of mouth’ industry thrive online. Giggs is currently in Beta testing and planning on launching later this Spring. Nikki graduated from Elon

Congratulations to Ryan Gardner, who is currently serving as Stage Manager for the US Tour of Les Miserables. Ryan fell in love with Les Miserables at an early age. “I saw the show come through Charlotte [in 2013], and it’s a dream to be able to work on this.” Ryan is a former Blumenthal Performing Arts Intern and graduate of Boston College.

Class of 2016

Emma Saba is a collaborative faculty pianist for Steinhardt School of Music and Performing Arts at New York University. Emma received her Bachelor of Music from Furman University and her Masters of Music from New York University. She will begin working on her Doctor of Musical Arts this fall.

Congratulations to Hunter Willis, who married her college sweetheart, Aaron Roach, on June 22, 2022 at Rock Bottom Pond in Ridgeway, SC. Grace Morris ‘16, Emily Padgett ’16 and Charlie Willis ‘14, were members of the wedding party. Hunter is the daughter of Donna Roberson ‘82 and Chuck Willis ‘81.

Congratulations to Daniel Jones, New York Giants quarterback, who became the 1st quarterback in playoff history to total at least 300 passing yards, 70 rushing yards and two passing touchdowns in a game. Daniel recently re-

Congratulations to Hunter Sheridan, who recently purchased a home in the Madison Park neighborhood in Charlotte, NC. The purchase was made even more special in that his mom, Mary Sheridan, was his realtor! Hunter is an Investment Associate at HF Capital.

Class of 2017

Olivia Fox lives in Virginia Beach, VA where she teaches 7th – 9th grade art at Norfolk Academy. Along with teaching 145 students, Olivia is the assistant coach for the junior varsity volleyball, varsity girls’ basketball, and varsity softball teams, pulling from her experiences as an athlete at Latin and on the women’s basketball team at Sewanee. Shifting from being a first grade Teaching Associate last year into the middle school art position has opened many professional doors for Olivia to act as a consultant and painter on a few mural projects in Virginia Beach and create commissioned watercolor paintings.

Madeline and James reside in Charlotte, NC.

Chapel Hill pursuing her Masters in Public Health.

Blumey Awards Best Actress Winner and is currently on track to graduate from Northwestern University this spring. Arella is currently studying Theatre, Theatre Management, Business Institutions, and Integrated Marketing Communications.

Class of 2018

Congratulations to Ellie Perrigo, who works for Super Bowl Champions LVII Kansas City Chiefs as the Arrowhead Events Assistant. During her time with the Chiefs, Ellie has also contributed to the “football side” of the franchise in both the Player Personnel and Player Engagement departments. In the future, Ellie hopes to spend more time on the “football side” of the NFL.

Congratulations to Amy Dragelin, who was named to the College Sports Communications (CSC) Academic All-District Team. Amy was one of seven student-athletes from the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill swimming and diving recognized with this honor. Amy also received the Athletic Director’s Scholar Athlete. Amy is majoring in journalism with an emphasis on advertising and public relations.

Congratulations to James McLelland and Madeline Diane Mahanes, who were married on Saturday, October 15, 2022. The ceremony took place at Myers Park United Methodist Church with a reception held at Foundation for the Carolinas. Following their wedding, they honeymooned in St. Lucia. James is an HR Technology Program Manager for Veritas Prime and Madeline is a Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Nurse at Levine Children’s Hospital.

Class of 2019

Hannah Barnes graduated from Cornell last May with a degree in Social and Personality Psychology. She is currently at UNC-

Bravo to Arella Flur, who recently joined the Hamilton Musical Team as a CRM & Data/Analytics Coordinator where she oversees and executes audience messaging driven by data analytics. Arella was the 2019

Congrats to Ruthie Jones, Duke University women’s soccer goalie, who was selected as a 2023 WeaverJames-Corrigan-Swofford and Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarship recipient. The WeaverJames-Corrigan-Swofford and Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Honorees have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.

Luke Tillitski, a member of Yale’s Society of Orpheus and Bacchus (SOBs), was recently back in Charlotte to perform at Latta Park. Luke is a junior at Yale University majoring in English. Upon graduating, Luke hopes to pursue a PhD in English or enter the publishing field.

Editor’s Note: Luke took a leave of absence during the 2020-21 school year to work for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID Policy Response Team and coached debate for Taipei American School.

On a mission to inspire creating nutritious, mouthwatering meals that make individuals genuinely feel good, Megan Tomlin created “Good Mood Food”. Through social media outlets and a weekly newsletter, Megan shares ideas, tips, and recipes that subscribers can easily recreate at home. Megan is a dietetics student pursuing a master’s degree in nutrition and a Registered Dietitian title at University of Georgia. To learn more, check out @gooodmoodfoood on Instagram.

Class of 2020

Latin thespians got a treat when Olivia Aldridge came back to campus in January to work with drama classes on preparing for auditions and with middle schoolers on Newsies! rehearsals. Olivia is a senior at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where she is earning her BFA in Musical Theatre with a Minor in Business. After graduation, Olivia plans to audition for many productions in hopes of booking professional work. Looking even further out, Olivia hopes to earn her master’s which will lead into teaching. Kudos, Olivia!

Congratulations to Sara Kenefick and the University of Pennsylvania women’s gymnastics team who defended their Gymnastics Conference East championship in March in Williamsburg, VA. Sara also had a special visitor, former teacher and Williamsburg resident, CW Stacks, attend her meet.

Editor’s Note:

Class of 2021

Kudos to Pheriby Bryan who is transforming her undergraduate research into art. Pheriby received the Rhodes Grant for choreography and research and is creating a 20 minute long piece that combines her research with an inspiring dance performance. According to Pheriby, “my piece is inspired by William Burleson’s ‘22 journal Semicolon and my research of suicide in young people. I began my research by interviewing Elon therapists, speaking to students and also learning about the journey of Heather Bonner’s Mission 34 project in response to the death of her son.” Eight dancers will tell the stories that she has learned throughout her research, continuing to save lives through artistic expression while memorializing those we have lost. Pheriby is a dance performance and choreography major at Elon University.

Kudos to Katie Chai who is featured in The Daily Tar Heel for her involvement at Carolina Adapts Toys for Children, known as “CATCH.” CATCH is a service-based club at UNC-Chapel Hill that modifies toys for kids with disabilities to “catch” the kids who fall through the cracks of mainstream toy design. Katie also serves as the public relations chairperson for the group. Katie is a sophomore at UNC-Chapel Hill where she is a computer science and biostatistics major.

Congratulations to Andrew Cowan and Hope Gottschling ’24 on becoming published authors/ illustrators. Andrew and Hope’s book, Tommy La Tuba Timida, was one of eleven selected for publishing from roughly 100 submissions. Students from approximately 300 schools around the world were given the opportunity to submit manuscripts and illustrations of original bilingual children’s books through a program organized by the Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG), a non-profit association of schools with global education programs, in partnership with Creo En Ti Media. A special thanks to faculty members, Kelly Willis (Global Studies), Gretchan Frederick (Upper School Spanish), Kaila Gottschling (Visual Arts), and Meghan Rinehart (Library), who collaborated to bring the program to CLS’ AP Spanish students.

team. Kennon cheered at Carolina’s home football games and women’s basketball games. Keep an eye out for him this fall!

Kudos to Kate McCracken who performed as Juliet in Shakespeare’s R&J - a contemporary adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Kate is a freshman at Northwestern University. Prior to heading to college, Kate won Best Actress last spring at the Blumey Awards for her performance in Bright Star.

Congratulations to Washington & Lee basketball player, Mary Schleusner, who was named the D3hoops.com National Rookie of the Year. Mary is the first player in W&L’s program history to receive a national major award. Her other postseason awards include D3hoops. com Region 6 co-Rookie of the Year, ODAC Rookie of the Year and ODAC Defensive Player of the Year.