Spark - Summer 2024

SPARK

You can’t rain on our parade — or Commencement. “In life there will be rain,” Ben Brackett ’24 said during his valedictorian address at Commencement. “The clouds will clear and the sun will come out eventually.” It’s a simple sentiment of optimism, but optimism also requires a certain level of resilience. Finding the silver lining can be difficult. The bright side isn’t always right in front of you; sometimes, it must be sought out. So when the proverbial rain does, inevitably, come in life, what are you going to do to make the most of it?

SPARK

ON CAMPUS / ARTS / ATHLETICS

22 The Natural

Nikhil DePalma ’24 has a calculated aplomb for digital media, so he decided to enroll in some of Taylor Dabney’s photography classes to further his enthusiasm for digital arts. The culminating results are beautiful and eerie.

6 Sparking Our Inspiration

Collegiate’s Kieran Johnston ’28 on how to be a truly innocent traveler, an essay that won the Salomon Prize this year.

9 Learning Early

A strong command of technology has quickly become one of the more essential but newer skills for young people to grasp, and the Lower School students are learning the variety of its uses at an early age.

26 Like a Rolling Stone

Once a member of a band with national acclaim, Mike Boyd now serves as Director of the Arts, where he produces a different kind of music.

Celebrating

Making Headlines

Katie

Being a teacher means being present for students, and Collegiate does that really well.”

Dear Collegiate Community,

As I begin my second month at Collegiate School, I continue to be grateful for the warm welcome and thoughtfulness of all the members of our community. I have enjoyed meeting numerous families at Summer Quest and look forward to when all the students return to campus.

Reading this issue of Spark gave me an inside look into the incredible achievements of our students. This success is a result of the students’ perseverance, the unwavering dedication of our faculty, and the support of their parents. I commend our faculty for their outstanding commitment and express deep gratitude to the parents whose support enriches the Collegiate community.

Our feature story is about Commencement — a momentous occasion that highlights the culmination of our students’ hard work and the beginning of their new journeys. Listening to the valedictory addresses at Commencement, I was particularly inspired by the words of Giles Ferrell ’24. I would like to share an excerpt from her speech that resonated deeply with me and encapsulates the spirit of our graduates:

“I am saying all of this to you today because I want you to know that we graduates are ready. We don’t know it all. In fact, we know very little. And when you give us advice, we are listening with one ear and not listening with the other because we want to experience the unknown, the mysterious, and the new. We want to test ourselves and see where we succeed and where we fail. We want to feel the excitement of searching and feel the rush of apprehension and fear that comes with all new adventures. We want to experience love and learning in all its many forms. But, what we want most of all is to go off and make you all proud.”

These words beautifully reflect the confidence, humility, and adventurous spirit of our graduates. They are a testament to the dedication of our faculty, staff, coaches, and parents who have prepared them to face the challenges and opportunities ahead. As you will see in this magazine, we capture many amazing moments highlighting our talented teachers and the diverse achievements of our students. I am continually inspired by our students’ success.

I look forward to meeting you in the near future and hearing your own stories and experiences. Thank you for all you do for the Collegiate community.

Spark is published three times a year by Collegiate School by the School’s Communications Office.

Director of Strategic Communications

Sarah Abubaker

Writer/Editor

Jack McCarthy

Design

Think (think804.com)

Creative Manager

James Dickinson

Contributors

Weldon Bradshaw, Louise Ingold, Ellie Lynch

Photography

Maggie Bowman ’23, Keller Craig, Taylor Dabney, Ash Daniel, Jimmy Dickinson, Robin Reifsnider

Address

Spark Editor Collegiate School/Communications Office 103 North Mooreland Road/Richmond, VA 23229

Phone

Spark: 804.754.0869/Alumni Office: 804.741.9757

Class Notes and Photographs

Please send your news and photographs to asiebert@collegiate-va.org, and we will use them in an upcoming issue. Digital images must be high resolution (min. 300dpi).

Letters to the editor jack_mccarthy@collegiate-va.org.

Visit our website at www.collegiate-va.org

Collegiate School Administration: Jeffrey W. Mancabelli, Head of School; Sarah M. Abubaker, Director of Strategic Communications; Mike Boyd, Director of the Arts; Kevin Duncan, Director of Powell Institute for Responsible Citizenship; Jeff Dunnington, Head of Middle School; Louis Fierro II, Director of Information Technology; Patrick E. Loach, Head of Upper School; Deborah I. Miller, Head of Lower School; Phyllis Palmiero, Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer; Andrew Stanley, Athletic Director; Dave Taibl, Director of Admission and Enrollment Management; Tung Trinh, Dean of Faculty; Kristen O. Williams, Chief Development Officer.

Board of Trustees 2024-25: W. Hildebrandt “Brandt” Surgner P ’11 ’14 ’17 ’19, Chair of the Board; Carter M. Reid P ’16 ’18, Immediate Past Chair; Kenneth P. Ruscio P ’08, Vice Chair the Board; Neelan “Neely” A. Markel ’96 P ’27 ’30, Secretary; Ellen Bonbright ’86 P ’24 ’26; Callie Lacy Brackett ’95 P ’22 ’24; Patty S. Chang P ’26 ’29, Parents’ Association President; Mason Chapman ’84 P ’22; Mayme Donohue ’03; Wortie Ferrell II ’88 P ’24 ’27 ’31; Christopher P. “Peyton” Jenkins Sr. ’00 P ’31 ’34, Alumni Association President; Malcolm “Mac” S. McDonald P ’87 ’88; Morenike Kassim Miles P ’24 ’25; Meera Pahuja ’97 P ’30 ’32 ’34; J. Cheairs Porter Jr. P ’27 ’29 ’32; John H. Rivers Jr. P ’25 ’28; JoAnn Adrales Ruh P ’16 ’18 ’21; Julious “Jody” P. Smith III ’86 P ’20 ’22 ’25; Wallace Stettinius P ’77 ’79 ’84, Trustee Emeriti; Wallace “Gray” Stettinius ‘79 P ’07 ’10 ’12; R. Gregory Williams ’69 P ’01 ’04, Trustee Emeriti.

Collegiate School admits qualified students and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships and loans, and its educational, athletic and other programs.

SPARKING OUR INSPIRATION

How to be a truly innocent traveler. By

Kieran Johnston

’28

IN ONE OF THE MOST ethnically and culturally diverse countries of the world, a growing force is threatening the magic of Mexico: tourism. This past March I was a tourist myself, venturing into the Yucatan Peninsula on a spring break trip with seven of my 8th Grade classmates and two facilitators. Our trip, designed to highlight the cultural resilience of Mayan locals as well as Mayan history in Mexico, featured guiding questions based around the Yucatan’s methods of preserving and sharing Mayan culture, and how the peninsula has changed from the effects of tourism. Traveling and experiencing the world is a beautiful thing; not only does it make us modest, but it helps us develop a fierce admiration for the world around us that is crucial to living a wonderful life. My experience abroad did just

this; from cooking traditional Mayan dishes with locals in a remote village to swimming in one of the area’s 10,000-plus cenotes, witnessing the vast beauty and rich culture that our world has to offer strengthened and grew my mind and heart — two powerful tools that must be used together.

Other than its wonderful impact on people, travel also places an important and influential role in economies across the globe. In 2019, international tourism in the US alone fed more than $233.5 billion into the country’s economy — that’s nearly $640 million a day. Tourism helps local communities find a more consistent and promising alternative to older, struggling industries that they have abandoned. My Yucatan adventure included a visit to Yaxunah, a small remote village that is experimenting

with tourism as they turn away from agriculture as their primary economical source. They look towards this new industry with hope that it will expose visitors to their Mayan roots and help certify and strengthen their economy and culture. Tourism can do exclusively great things for ourselves personally and our world as long as we do it right. We still need to realize, however, the potential consequences of our global travels as a human population.

Reading about our destination ahead of my trip, a frequent media spotlight was Mexico’s new Tren Maya, (Mayan Train). This $20 billion tax-funded mega project, being advertised as a high-speed method of transit uniting the various wonders of Mexico, is set to open later this year. The 950 mile, 21-stop loop cuts straight through many of the destinations of my past

trip that were, up until now, very much off the beaten path. Stops in the Yucatecan capital city of Merida, lesser-known archaeological site Uxmal, and magical yellow city Izamal are all destined to bring tourists from posh Cancun resorts to the inner depths of the Yucatan. While the megaproject is destined to bring great prosperity to the Mexican economy, in no way does it care for the culture and life the train is set to chug over. Upon further reading, troublesome numbers can be unearthed about the Tren Maya’s construction. Development has lead to an estimated nine million trees being cut down (a number the Mexican government has long attempted to cover up after they promised no trees would be cut down), destruction of cenotes that are directly connected to the Yucatan’s sole fresh water source, and direct devastation towards some

of the most diverse habitats and ecological hotspots in the world. Our group witnessed some of the destruction on our trip as we drove down the highway en route to Uxmal, a lesser-known Mayan archaeological site near Merida. Looking out the window, we viewed a desert of bare earth splattered with tree stumps, lying alongside the highway. It appeared as if a tornado had torn through the serene, once green landscape. As one put it in an anti-Tren Maya rally last year, “What is being done with the Maya train megaproject is not Mayan in any way.” It goes against everything the Mayans value and is destined to bring more problems with it. The Tren Maya is just one example of how tourism done wrong can create ripple effects that touch every aspect of a local community.

Tourism can remain a wonderful thing as long as we choose to travel with purpose and deliberation. Continuing to explore and marvel at our world is crucial to sustaining our growth as a civilization, but we need to make sure our traveling is truly beneficial and good for the world. Yes, everything comes at a cost, but it is up to us to utilize both our hearts and brains — together — to find the best way forward.

Editor’s Note: This piece, written by Kieran Johnston ’28, was awarded first place for the Salomon Prize, at the Middle-School level, by the Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG). The Salomon Prize recognizes both students and faculty for their learning and growth in the field of global education.

Continuing to explore and marvel at our world is crucial to sustaining our growth as a civilization, but we need to make sure our traveling is truly beneficial and good for the world.

Kieran Johnston ’28 and his classmates at the entrance to a Mayan temple in Uxmal during a travel program to the Yucatan Peninsula.

Collegiate Middle Schoolers enjoying a cenote.

SUPPORTING AREAS OF IMPACT

Cougie woke up exceptionally early on FUNDay to support everyone in the Collegiate community during the School’s annual day of giving. But Cougie was far from the only one demonstrating support for Collegiate. Alumni, parents, current and former faculty and staff, students, grandparents, parents of alumni, and friends came together to support all aspects of the School. Even members of the auxiliary staff, one of whom is pictured here with members of the Development Office, decided to give to the Collegiate Fund.

SINGING FOR SPRING

Sunlight’s spectrum splashed among the blow-up bouncy houses, ropes courses, and bountiful shops spread out across Collegiate’s Lower School grounds, serving as a warm welcome to the opening of the 59th annual Village Green Fair. Like the first bloom of tulips, the VGF marks spring’s warm arrival. Attendees strolled the fair and participated in family games, browsed the Shops on The Green, The Garden Shoppe, the Classy Cougar Market, enjoyed sweet treats, a dodgeball tournament, a cake walk, and, of course, the show-stopping Lip Sync Battle.

THE 48TH ANNUAL SPRING PARTY & AUCTION WAS A WILD

SUCCESS

The Collegiate community came together for a record-breaking Spring Party & Auction. Thank you to those who attended in person and to those who participated in the online auction. We are grateful to our co-chairs Trisha Krause and Sanjay Bhagchandani P ’31 and Lia and Chris Mooney P ’28 ’31, the host committee, volunteers, sponsors, donors, and guests for making this special evening possible.

Learning Early

Introduced at an early age, technology begins to feel like a natural tool for Lower School students.

Astrong command of technology has quickly become one of the more essential but newer skills for young people to grasp, encompassing everything from calculus to painting. Similar to learning a second language, fluency in technology — whether that be computer programming, artificial intelligence, or robotics — rounds out children’s literacy and, looking towards the future, possibly provides more sound career options. Just as Collegiate teachers are making sure their students can read and write, there are teachers that ensure the students are familiar with the ever-advancing technologies of our time.

Technology is often seen, by adults and children alike, as some vaporous cloud, a nebulous entity we rely on constantly but don’t understand; we press a button and magic happens. Ellen Wright and Melanie Gregory, the Lower School Technology Integrators, work to make the abstract idea of technology a practical tool students understand and work with daily. It begins as early as Junior Kindergarten, when students, spongelike in their absorption of new ideas, begin learning to code and playing with robots.

It is both an astonishing and sensible fact that students are introduced to coding practices as young as their JK year at Collegiate. Yet, similar to learning a language, complex concepts are more comprehensible when learned at a young age, especially when introduced in an easily digestible, age-appropriate way. In JK, for example, students learn the concept of logical sequencing — if this happens, then this happens — without looking at a computer, but the practice follows the same principles as code.

“Basic coding is sequencing and putting together tools like color blocks,” Gregory explains. “It’s a sequence of steps that conditions students to think in a certain way. It’s repeating patterns in a loop to create some kind of reaction.”

Throughout each grade in the Lower School, students work with robots and other technologies to understand these sequencing practices. Spread out on the carpeted floor of a classroom, students arrange flat squares of colors into particular lines. In order for a robot to move down this path of colored squares, the colors need to be arranged in a particular order. “They don’t even totally realize what it is they’re learning, but they begin to understand this algorithmic sequencing and this type of thought process,” Wright says of the Lower School’s technology integration. “Making sure a larger, more abstract idea comes to life for them is really important in helping them learn about how technology works. Just getting them thinking about coding in any way at a young age is a strong first building block to technology they will be using throughout Collegiate.” With strong integration practices, working with technology for Lower Schoolers becomes as natural as learning to write an essay.

As students progress through the division, they interact with technology frequently across all subjects. In art classes, students use an application that allows them to animate elements of paintings; in history and English, students will use robots to help them dictate the historical arc of a particular event. The ubiquity of its uses, introduced at an early age, makes technology feel like an everyday tool for students. “They build foundational technology skills when they’re introduced to these new concepts,” Gregory says. “They have such a mind for curiosity and making connections at this age. They are very eager, and they can easily work with one robot or system and see some sort of pattern between other technologies and disciplines. It’s the concepts generally that, introduced in the Lower School, become more practical as they move through the divisions.”

ON THE MOVE

Amy Becker-Leibowitz has accepted the Director of Middle and Upper School Admission.

Upper School Spanish teacher and World Language Department Chair Liz Bowling retired at the end of the 2023-24 school year, concluding a successful 28 years in teaching. During her 22 years of service at Collegiate, she taught all levels of Spanish, coached in athletics, led student trips to Argentina and Nicaragua, coordinated the School’s chapter of Cum Laude Society, served as one of the Sunshine Coordinators, ran the STAR tutoring program, worked as a divisional diversity representative, and led the Mosaic Diversity Club.

Without a doubt, Fletcher Collins, who gave his full heart and soul to North Mooreland Road for nearly five decades and who retired at the end of the 2023-24 school year, is a Collegiate icon.

After 27 years, Rives Fleming stepped down as the head coach and program leader for girls varsity basketball. However, he is not leaving Collegiate and will still be teaching next year.

Carolina Cano and Tonya Hunt have moved from part-time to fulltime employees on the Transportation team.

Liz Haske will assume the position of Assistant Head of Middle School.

Daisy Hu, who taught Chinese on a part-time basis in the Middle School, will fill the open full-time Lower School position at the start of the 2024-25 school year.

Dwayne Jackson has accepted the open Administrative Assistant position in Facilities. He came to Collegiate in August of 2022 as a full-time Transportation employee.

After more than 40 years as an invaluable member of our Facilities team, Douglas Johnson retired at the end of December 2023. Johnson joined the maintenance team in October 1981 and, over the course of his tenure on North Mooreland Road, quietly built a reputation for being able to fix just about anything on campus.

Thomas Jones will shift his current role in the Maintenance Department to take over other responsibilities.

Sarah Leonardelli has accepted a position in 5th Grade.

Emily Randolph moved to the Middle and Upper School Admission office. She has been an Admission Assistant in the Lower School Admission Office since 2006.

Robin Riva has accepted our Lower School Admission Associate position.

Andrew Slater will be moving back to Athletics full time in 2024-25.

Antenette Stokes will become the School’s first full-time Director of Inclusion and Belonging. Her work as an Upper School counselor and mentor has strengthened the sense of true connection on the part of numerous students, and her engagement with colleagues and parents has been instrumental in helping to further our health and wellness initiatives.

Fletcher Collins, who retired at the end of the 2023-24 school year after nearly 50 years of service, was given the royal treatment at a retirement ceremony, in May.

The Building Blocks of Education

The Envision Collegiate Capstone serves as an essential, culminating building block for critical thinking.

Agroup of 4th Graders are sitting around Transportation Supervisor Melissa Mingus, rapt, asking her questions about the process and the challenges of getting students from one location to another. How many buses does it take to get the baseball and softball teams over to the Robins Campus in the afternoon for practice? What kind of transportation does a field trip to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts require? How do you manage who drives the buses? After detailed observation, the students consider the carbon footprint of this travel and the ways this process could possibly be refined and done more efficiently. Ideas begin to fly and, within their minds, Collegiate gets a little greener.

This informative session was part of Envision Collegiate, the 4th Grade Capstone experience. Collegiate’s Capstone program, guided by the School’s commitment to educating responsible citizens, enhances students’ classroom learning in a real-world context, allowing them to apply their academic knowledge to larger communities.

This year, Lower School students, presented with the challenge of making Collegiate more sustainable by 2032, used the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as a foundational aspect of the Capstone program. Studying real-world challenges such as sustainable agriculture, transportation, energy, and food waste and observing how they apply to Collegiate gives students tangible examples of how their work can serve the broader world, which expands their thinking. “What we try to do in the 4th Grade Capstone is to get the students to see that the world is committed to a certain set of sustainable development goals,” says Rhiannon Boyd, Director of JK-12 Capstones. “But in 4th Grade we bring those challenges down to what is visible to them and their community, which in their case is Collegiate. The students imagine a future for the School and simultaneously see how those goals align with the world. With this kind of focus we get them to understand that all of those big abstract concepts exist here on campus.” The world — and their influence on it — becomes more tangible.

By making connections between how a particular local challenge exists as a global issue enhances students’ understanding of the values and systems that comprise a community. Although their work focuses on Collegiate, the students, throughout the Capstone experience, turn their gaze outward, discovering how other groups beyond campus encounter the same questions of sustainability. Students studying sustainable transportation, for example, studied methods the GRTC Transit System uses to reduce their carbon footprint. No matter the focus, students learn how one system in a community is connected to another. “The connection between local, regional, national, and global is a constant focus,” Boyd says. “Everything is related to everything else. If you can learn what’s working from other systems like GRTC, then maybe that can scale to Collegiate.”

At its core, the Capstone program is a culminating effort; it compliments and builds off ideas students have learned previously. As students advance through divisions, their mindsets expand with each Capstone, and they continue to complement the skills they learned in previous classes. That all begins in the Lower School, where foundations are built. By the end of the program, 4th Graders have a more sound understanding of how systems, seen both at Collegiate and elsewhere, operate. “This level of experiential learning is really special,” Boyd says. “The number of conversations they had — both with people who don’t work at Collegiate and with people who do — is a great way of taking the work that’s already being done beautifully in divisions and building off that.”

During the discovery phase of Envision Collegiate, students explore the Robins Campus and study transportation systems between Collegiate’s two campuses.

SUSTAINING THE FIGHT

After finishing a three-year-long cancer treatment, Caroline Dunn ’25 raised money for cancer research.

ON A FRIDAY IN October 1944, Rudolph and Antoinette Roesler de Villiers left a New York hospital with an irreplaceable absence. Their 16-year-old son, Robert, his life just beginning, died of leukemia earlier that day. In their grief the Roesler de Villierses discovered a hole they hoped to fill with the memory of Robert.

Five years later, the Roesler de Villierses, frightened by the certainty of fatality a leukemia diagnosis signaled, began a fundraising and education organization in Robert’s name. Operating out of a small office on Wall Street, the Robert Roesler de Villiers Foundation, which later became the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), functioned with the intention of finding treatments for what was then considered a death sentence. The foundation’s 1955 annual report documenting updates on leukemia research said, with grave finality, “As of this date, leukemia

is 100% fatal.” Now, nearly 70 years later, partly as a result of the research and education LLS has helped support, the fiveyear survival rate for all subtypes of leukemia is 65%.

The rigor of research surrounding leukemia and lymphoma over the last 75 years is also why, in September 2021, when Caroline Dunn ’25 was diagnosed with high-risk, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the doctor, within the same breath of delivering the diagnosis, was able to reassure Caroline and her family that she would survive.

Caroline received the preliminary word abruptly. She was experiencing headaches with a severity beyond the casual, take-a-pill-and-relax type. She noticed inexplicable bruises on her skin. Exhaustion persisted beyond a single sleepless night. She went to the doctor, who misdiagnosed her with a form of depression. That didn’t seem quite right, she remem-

bers thinking, and so pursued more blood tests. When those returned, she was rushed to the Children’s Emergency Department at VCU and was then summarily admitted to the Pediatric ICU.

A sinking sensation: Not me, especially not at this age. “This shouldn’t be happening,” she thought when her doctors began telling her they were running tests to identify any cancer cells in her blood. “I’m 14, I eat healthy, I’m active. It didn’t seem possible.”

She decided to put her Freshman year at Collegiate on pause, completing assignments from home when she could. She began receiving weekly — sometimes daily — chemotherapy. “That first year of chemo treatments was really intense,” she says. She received a port installation in her chest, dozens of spinal infusions, blood and platelet transfusions. By design, her immune system, because of the chemo, was therapeutically devastated. Nausea and exhaustion were magnified by the treatment. She suffered from neuropathy, a condition that results from nerve damage to the peripheral nervous system. Her weakness intensified. She experienced stroke-like symptoms, used leg braces and underwent hair loss. “There were a lot of things that I had to endure during the process that felt exhausting, really brutal to go through.” She recalls a period of eight weeks where she would spend a week in the hospital every two weeks, a dizzying, draining frequency. “It was a constant 24-to-38-hour drip of chemo, delivered from this huge bag of this bright yellow, radioactive-looking fluid, and I couldn’t leave the hospital until I had completely drained that fluid from my system. So, following the chemo, it was a constant pumping of IV bags and drinking a lot of water to then

get that stuff out of my system.”

In between her weeklong hospital visits, her days felt onerous but free, an unfurling invitation to relish the minor moments of happiness — a free afternoon to read, a chance to learn a new recipe and attune herself to the burst of the dish’s flavors. She was reading Patti Smith’s memoir Just Kids one afternoon in March 2021, her bedroom window opened a crack to listen to the rain speak gently to the roof. The light was soft, mingled with the wet speckled grass, a warm moisture giving the air a sweet perfume. Life was good, after all. “I joke with people that I’m a better person now because I had cancer, just because I learned so much throughout those three years,” Caroline says. “I learned the importance of truly looking on the bright side, which I always took with a grain of salt as something easier said than done. I really tried picking out those little positive parts of my day and making it into the biggest parts of my day. Those little bits of happiness were really, really important.”

During Caroline’s first year of treatment, she attended a fundraiser, organized by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, to support a friend of hers going through a similar treatment. The fundraiser was the Student Visionaries of the Year campaign, a seven-week effort with the goal of helping fund blood cancer research, the same goal Rudolph and Antoinette Roesler de Villiers had when they began the organization in 1949, and the same goal that helped increase Caroline’s own survival rate.

Three years later, shortly after receiving her final treatments in January 2024, she was nominated to participate in the Student Visionaries of the Year campaign. She asked her brother Peyton ’24 and her friend Jack Callaghan ’25 to join her fundraising team. Both imme -

diately said yes, and the group began echoing Caroline’s story in the hopes of raising money for cancer research. “I’ve seen firsthand the impact LLS has had in providing impactful treatment, medicine, and care to help save my life,” Caroline says. “I want to make sure that anyone who ever faces this diagnosis has even better treatment options in the future.”

Each group participating in the Student Visionaries of the Year campaign sets a fundraising goal at the beginning of the event, specifying a monetary amount they hope to reach by the end of the seven weeks. Caroline’s team asked the organizers what the previous record in Virginia was for the most money raised during the campaign. They learned the record was $80,000, so Caroline decided to set her mark at $100,000. Why not be ambitious? By the end of the campaign, after reaching out to Collegiate friends and the greater Richmond community, Caroline’s team raised $109,000.

“As someone who, 40 years earlier, would have practically had a death sentence because of my diagnosis, being able to personally give back to LLS and further that research is really important to me,” Caroline says. “To contribute to the work that allows some of my friends with blood cancers to complete big milestones like graduation — to continue with their lives, really — is powerful.”

Caroline Dunn ’25 pictured with Student Visionaries of the Year campaign teammates Peyton Dunn ’24 and Jack Callaghan ’25.

The Quintessential Renaissance Man

Dr. Fletcher Collins, the Assistant Head of the Middle School, has served Collegiate since 1977 and retired at the close of the 2023-24 school year. By Weldon Bradshaw

HE GREW UP ON A FARM near the rustic Augusta County town of Verona in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

For much of his youth, his family lived without common amenities such as indoor plumbing, running water, air conditioning, and heat, except that which was provided by a kerosene floor furnace.

When the animals needed feeding, he arose early and fed them.

When something broke, he figured a way to fix it.

When the grass grew tall, he used an old-fashioned manual push mower to cut it.

Except for a couple of years, his parents homeschooled him and his three brothers, whom they felt needed the aesthetic opportunities beyond those offered in the local classrooms and because the bus ride to the nearest school took nearly an hour each way.

You might say, then, that Fletcher Collins’s origins were humble.

Yeah, maybe, the Collegiate School icon, who retired at the end of June, will tell you with a smile, but he quickly notes that his first 11 years or so before his family moved to town were truly rich and enlightening and profoundly impactful and formative.

Indeed, Collins’s upbringing instilled in him a sense of resilience, uncommon curiosity, creativity, and a hoe-to-theend-of-the-row work ethic that set the stage for who he truly is: the quintessential Renaissance Man.

During the summers, the elder Collinses ran the Oak Grove Theater, and Fletcher and his brothers often found themselves in the company of actors, musicians, and troubadours who made their way through their

home and made an indelible impression on their lives.

Their home schooling was designed to be equal parts reading, discovery math, and music.

“We spent an awful lot of time on music,” Collins says, sitting in his office in the Middle School, where he’s served as assistant head since 1991. “There were always a lot of musicians around. What a great experience growing up!”

Collins sang in the church choir and learned to play the cello, piano, guitar, mandolin, and autoharp.

The Collins family returned to Staunton when Fletcher was in the 6th Grade.

“Then we had everything,” he says of the amenities, “but we did not have a TV until my famous brother (Dr. Francis Collins) finally bought [a black-andwhite] one with his own money in about 1964. Before that, we would go to the neighbors’ house to watch TV.”

Fletcher attended public middle school in the 6th and 7th Grades, then returned to home schooling in 8th. He spent the next three years at Robert E. Lee (now Staunton) High School. Then, just past his 17th birthday and with his course requirements satisfied, he bypassed his senior year and enrolled at Randolph-Macon College without a high school diploma.

After two years, he transferred to the University of Virginia, graduated with a B.A. in English, entered a doctoral program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and earned his Ph.D. in English with plans to become a college professor.

After serving in adjunct roles at several institutions, including Virginia Commonwealth University, Randolph-Macon College, and the University of Richmond, he de-

cided that he was cut out for a different path in life.

“When I started having my own kids,” he says, “I found out that teaching kids was much more rewarding to me than college students. Maybe, selfishly, you could see your influence on them or think you had influence on them whether you did or not. With college kids, you see them for one semester, and you don’t see them again.”

He ultimately landed a teaching position at Aylett Country Day School and stayed for three years. Head of school Clarke Worthington recognized his talent and potential and recommended him to his friend Cliff Miller, then the head of Collegiate’s Lower School, and in 1977 Collins signed on as a 4th Grade teacher.

While teaching in the Lower School, he was an early adopter of technology and a director of Collegiate’s summer program, while also finding time to earn an MEd in curriculum and instruction from VCU.

In 1986, when the School’s structure changed from the Boys School-Girls School model to the Middle School-Upper School format, he moved across the creek and joined the Middle School team as curriculum coordinator for the 5th and 6th Grades.

“Bill Reeves (the first head of the Middle School) talked me into it…against my will,” he says with a chuckle. “My role was trying to merge the two schools together: the curriculum part, the pedagogy part, the reporting part…everything.”

That was no easy task, for sure, but after numerous fits and starts, the Middle School became a cohesive entity.

In 1991, Reeves retired, Charlie Blair succeeded him, and Collins became assistant head. At that point, he assumed

more responsibility for the dayto-day activities, planning, logistics, and painstaking detail work. In fact, in 2010, a second assistant head position was created to oversee student progress.

“There’re really two overlapping circles,” he says of his current professional responsibilities. “One is all about people and interacting with, right now, mostly teachers but also with kids and parents and teachers in other schools. That’s the most important one, but that’s about half of my time.

“There’s another circle that’s logistical with a lot of technology involved and spreadsheets and placement processes: placement of kids, Parents Night scheduling, scheduling of classes with (longtime master scheduler) Rives Fleming.

“Luckily, those two circles overlap sometimes. It’s really exciting when they do. I enjoy both of them. It takes a lot of effort, but I like that. I don’t just do it out of duty. I do it because I enjoy it: working with faculty, with kids, parents, logistics, technology. I enjoy the creativity of it. I’ve always liked mechanical things.”

Which brings us back to his upbringing.

Never fearful of rolling up his sleeves and getting dirty, Collins is as handy with his hands as he is nimble of mind and dexterous with his fingers on the computer keyboard.

The truth of the matter is that, despite operating often behind the scenes, he has been an indispensable member of the Middle School team who, with his unflappable demeanor, keeps the trains moving on schedule, provides sage advice based on a wealth of experience, wisdom, and selfless service, and brings out the very best in colleagues and students.

“Fletcher is good to his bones,” says Tung Trinh, Dean of Faculty and Head of the Middle School from 2019-2023. “A gentleman in the widest sense, Fletcher thinks about others before himself. He’s made a wonderful career as an educator who cares deeply about the growth and progress of students and teachers. Fletcher’s curiosity fuels his pursuits to do important research to better understand why and how we make decisions and the implications of those decisions.

“He has a genuine, caring spirit and never seeks the limelight because the process and product are what he cares about most. He’s a welcoming ear who listens well, asks good questions, and demonstrates the power of how far trust and engagement can take you in building community.”

What will Collins do in retirement considering that he’ll have more free time than he’s had, maybe, ever? He’s still figuring that out. No doubt he won’t sit still for long. In the meantime, he’ll dust off his tennis racquet and golf clubs and have more time to spend with Janet, his wife of 54 years, their daughters Anne ’92, Dair ’94, and Ruth ’97, and their two young granddaughters.

Since Collins’s retirement announcement became public, many in the Collegiate family have reached out to congratulate and thank him.

“I’ve been surprised,” he says. “I thought it was going to be about, you’ve accomplished this and this and this. What people have said to me is much more personal than that. It’s about relationships and having their back and being a collaborator and mentor and not a boss. That’s very gratifying.”

MOVING ON AND MOVING UP

In late May, Collegiate’s 4th Graders completed their Moving Up Ceremony, celebrating and reflecting on all of the excellence they have exuded thus far.

ON A CLEAR DAY IN LATE MAY the 4th Graders walked into the Moving Up Ceremony, held in the Lower School courtyard. Once seated, Head of Lower School Debbie Miller gave a warm welcome to parents and faculty. Throughout their time in the Lower School, the 4th Graders have served as leaders to the rest of their Lower School peers. Miller, admiring the class’s growth as both students and citizens, expressed her gratitude for the excellence the Class of 2032 has embodied during their time in the Lower School.

“We appreciate your personal perseverance, your dedication, and the fact that you became your best selves,” she told the students. “Congratulations to this Class of 2032.”

Interim Head of School Billy Peebles took the podium next. The students, he said, have exhibited and embodied tremendous diligence and served as upstanding examples for their younger peers. In his remarks, he encouraged them to reflect on their growth during their time at Collegiate thus far. “As you prepare to move to the Middle School, this is an important day for you 4th Graders. It’s both a significant end and a significant beginning,” Peebles said. “In all of your understandable excitement today, 4th Graders, try to take the time to think about and to be grateful for all you have learned in and outside the classroom.”

Following these remarks, students performed renditions of “Go the Distance,” which they practiced and rehearsed before the ceremony.

Six students, one representative from each class, followed Peebles’s remarks by delivering sentiments of their own, practicing another form of gratitude by highlighting special moments they experienced during their time in the Lower School. Memories included fond reflections on a student’s first day of school at Collegiate, bonding moments shared with Senior buddies in Kindergarten, wistful yearnings to return to Kindergarten rest days, the excitement of field days, tales of camaraderie with fellow classmates, and the lessons learned from a Mancala tournament held in 2nd Grade.

“To the Class of 2032: Take school seriously, but still make sure you get a good laugh every day,” one student remarked in her reflections. Next year, they’ll be across the bridge in Middle School, assiduously learning but never forgetting to find joy in the process of growth.

CLASS OF 2028 PERFORMS FINAL EXERCISES

With sights set on their transition to the Upper School, Collegiate’s 8th Graders performed their Final Exercises. The following awards were presented to students during the ceremony and in assemblies leading up to Middle School graduation.

FRY CUP

Savannah Harris

HUGH H. ADDY AWARD

Kieran Johnston

SUE H. JETT AWARD

Zoe Hu

DIRECTOR’S AWARD

George Cobb

CITIZENSHIP AWARD

James Ferry

Emily Keefer

ART AWARD

Nathan Krumbein

Natalie Tang

DRAMA AWARD

Ava Callaghan

DANCE AWARD

Lena Brown

ADELINE COWLES COX MUSIC AWARD

Piano: Emma Lucas

Strings: Kieran Johnston

Band: Zaid Haddad

Guitar: George Cobb

CHORAL AWARD

Amy Wu

SCIENCE AWARD

Andrew Davenport

Natalie Tang

LANGUAGE AWARDS

Latin Award: Savannah Harris and Harrison Hutcheson

French Award: James Ferry and Carson Trible

Spanish Award: Isi Eberl and Kieran Johnston

Chinese Award: Jonathan Boak and Savannah Harris

FERNEYHOUGH ENGLISH AWARD

Carson Trible

JOHN P. COATES ENGLISH AWARD

Jonathan Boak

PHYSICAL EDUCATION AWARD

George Cobb

Ravenna Evarts

TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP AWARD

Lindley Gill

Kyle Spicer

HISTORY AWARD

London Dandridge

Ravenna Evarts

MATH AWARD

James Ferry

Amy Wu

ENDOWMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

The

Penny

and Billy

Peebles Endowment for Faculty and Staff

The Penny and Billy Peebles Endowment for Faculty and Staff provides support for recruitment initiatives, competitive salary assistance, and professional development opportunities. It may also be utilized to offer mentoring opportunities such as the Fellows’ Program, which aims to nurture and mentor early career educators, and the Leadership Academy, which enhances the leadership skills of current faculty and staff.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we have reached the $250,000 match, but it isn’t too late to support our faculty and staff by making a donation to the Peebles Endowment.

Please consider honoring Penny and Billy Peebles with a gift to this newly created endowment.

Contact: Kristen Wiliams Chief

Development Officer

804.741.9722

kristen_williams@collegiate-va.org

To read more about Billy's 42 year career in education scan here

THE NATURAL

With a calculated aplomb for digital media, Nikhil DePalma ’24 began enrolling in Taylor Dabney’s photography classes with the intention of looking at familiar objects in a new way.

THERE’S A DISPARITY between looking at an object with the eye and looking at an object through a lens. Detail is put into focus. Minutiae is magnified. Color is saturated. Similar to the wondrous confusion of looking at a word for too long — each letter becoming its own entity, the word seen fresh when taken apart — a photographer enjoys the mysterious excitement of making what is commonplace appear new.

Nikhil DePalma ’24 began enrolling in Taylor Dabney’s photography classes with the intention of looking at familiar objects in a new way. “I used to do a lot of videography for YouTube, and so I started taking photography classes with Mr. Dabney because of the digital media aspect,” he explains. His YouTube channel features clean, well-edited fishing videos of he and his friends casting off into bodies of water around Richmond, often flashing an added flare to the footage with aerial drone shots. Looking to explore his enthusiasm for digital media further, Nikhil saw Dabney’s photography classes as a logical progression in his studies.

The dexterity of his videography translated easily to his photography. He manipulates the camera with calculated aplomb learned from lifelong immersion in media. The intense variety of his images display the variations of his imagination and creativity. Continuing to play with his drone’s camera, his photography lends new perspectives to patterns in nature. An aerial shot of a train track breaking through a forest shows a stark representation of industry tearing through previously untouched environments. “I just like getting a new perspective on things that you don’t normally get to see,” Nikhil explains of his approach to drone photography, delivered with the casual levity of a natural. “I think

that’s really exciting. Photography, especially aerial photography, lets you see the different patterns nature makes.”

Dabney introduced various styles of photography to Nikhil— abstract, thematic, portraits — with the intention of honing his skill, developing a specific interest, and refining raw talent. When Dabney assigned portraits, Nikhil took a creative route. His way of seeing, through the lens, distorts subjects, makes the mundane seem foreign. A student’s face, captured in the reflection of water in a mug, makes the viewer’s eye, like the head caught

in water, swim in a stew of sensations. In many of his images, the mind has to catch up to the eye in order to register what it’s seeing. But Nikhil explains the process behind the dizzying results easily: “I just stumble upon ideas, really. I knew that water would mirror my friend’s face, and I thought that would make for a neat photo.”

Other images make the pictorial space shallow. Typically an ancillary accessory, shadow, in one of Nikhil’s images, becomes the dominating force. His photographs blend a strange, cold glamor with a look-what-Ican-do dramatic fabrication. In

another image, where he was tasked with animating something inanimate, he manipulated toilet paper around the head of a mannequin, giving it deepset eyes and an eerie, pale orange glow by playing with light and shadow. The face throbs over a black background, bulging from nothing. His originality, his talent, flashes in every photo. It results from an encouragement to simply try new approaches, he says, and from a need to entertain himself. “Mr. Dabney will give us a prompt but still gives us enough freedom to play around,” he says. “I think that creative freedom is really

important. His guidance and that freedom have allowed me to find what I like in photography.” His development as a photographer has come from loose direction, similar to the way one shapes clay — never forcing the figure to take shape but rather guiding it on its path of maturation. His natural ability with a camera was always there; he just needed time to develop. “I like photography and videography a lot,” he says. “And I’ve learned that I have a different perspective on things, and I’ve learned how to develop that perspective through class.”

EXPRESS YOURSELF

This year’s Art Week, a comprehensive showcase of JK-12 students’ visual artwork, was a huge success. Families spent an evening in their child’s division and had the opportunity to see all of the spectacular pieces created by students throughout all three divisions. The Lower School featured many works in the Weinstein Art and Music Wing. The Middle School students had works displayed throughout the Hershey Center with pieces that gave insight into their creative interests. The Upper School students displayed pieces in Sharp Academic Commons, the Estes Café, Pitt Hall, and the North and South Science buildings.

UNDER BRIGHT LIGHTS

This spring season featured many artful performances from students in all divisions.

Like a Rolling Stone

Once a member of a band with national acclaim, Mike Boyd now serves as Director of the Arts, where he produces a different kind of music.

LIKE THE STEADY BEAT of a metronome, everything about Director of the Arts Mike Boyd is languid and measured. He keeps a steady beat. Sitting in his office, tucked away in the Hershey Center, he operates with a rhythmic tranquility, reviewing musical scores for next year’s fall play, Hadestown, still six months away from opening night. Late May gently exhales towards sedentary summer, but Boyd persistently bounces the beat forward, preparing for what’s next in the arts program. “My philosophy is I have a heavy work ethic — to a fault,” he says. “I don’t have a good worklife balance. I invest myself in whatever I do. That’s my enjoy-

ment. I don’t have a hobby. This is it. I love it. Absolutely love it.”

Wiry, dressed in slick black slacks and a white button down, he stretches spindly legs out from his chair, head bent over the sheet music. A long reedy hum of violin strings, from an adjoining rehearsal room, comes muffled through the office walls, thick with binders of music. Looking at him, he appears as the drummer of a great band, stolidly keeping everyone in the arts center in tune.

When Boyd first visited North Mooreland Road, though, he was rapping a drum of a very different beat. In September 1999, Boyd received a call from former director of instrumental music Helen Coulson, telling him Collegiate

was looking for a drum teacher and pep band coach. Boyd figured there was some mistake. At the time, he was the drummer for the seven-piece ska-influenced band Fighting Gravity, a band that was only just beginning to reach the apotheosis of its success. While in the band, he taught private music lessons at Richmond Music Center and Don Warner Music and had worked with multiple high school drumlines. He had a comprehensive collection of percussive talents, but he didn’t have any classroom teaching experience. He was used to selling out the 9:30 club, in D.C., not captivating a classroom. “I essentially told Helen I wasn’t interested and that they should consider one of the other candidates on their list,” he recalls. But Coulson was persistent. He was recommended by one of his former music professors at Virginia Commonwealth University, she told him, and he was the only candidate the School had in mind. It wouldn’t hurt to just stop by campus for a visit, would it?

He came dressed in the rockstar regalia of the era — tight black skinny jeans, a plaid green bowling shirt, and, to discreetly commingle in a school atmosphere, slicked his blue mohawk into a comb-over. He arrived with the résumé of a rockstar, too.

Mike Boyd with the band Fighting Gravity, which, at the time of this photograph, called itself Boy O Boy.

Fighting Gravity was not a minor, garage-band type group; his playing was not a flippant hobby taken up on the weekends. Boyd, before accepting the role Coulson offered him, had inhabited the spot-lit world of a successful musician. In a way he has led two lives — that of the feverish rockstar and that of the avid teacher.

Music, he says coyly, chose him, and he practiced his passion throughout his life. During his first year as a student at Virginia Tech, Boyd was playing gigs with a Grateful Dead-Allman Brothers cover band, making decent money. The allure of the band was in both the music and the scene surrounding the music. “It was great,” Boyd says. “They were all killin’ musicians. We were well-known and we jammed all night.”

Later that year he reluctantly, at his friends’ chiding, auditioned for another band on campus called Boy O Boy. Dazed from a night out that extended well into dawn, Boyd dizzily moved through a selection of songs at the audition, apathetic but still naturally skilled, and got the part.

Despite reveling in the loose fun his cover band enjoyed, Boyd, ambitious and calculating, understood what he had found in this new band. They wrote their own songs and they wanted to do more than covers. They had that special, legitimate potential, and they had the drive to match. “In the band’s early songs I could hear real things happening in them,” Boyd says. “I could hear how the band would evolve, and they weren’t afraid to do the work, which was really appealing.”

They were jobbing musicians, barely out of their teens, doing the circuits at provincial bars, halls, and college fraternity houses. The band recognized that moving from Blacksburg to Richmond could help amplify their profile, and, after the group’s freshman year at Tech, they collectively decided to move to the buzzier mu-

sic scene, with Boyd enrolling at VCU. The band’s popularity began to swell following their move to Richmond. Gigging around college towns served as anchors for bigger venues. “We started getting popular in Virginia, then we reached the Mid-Atlantic and D.C., the Carolinas,” Boyd says. “Then we found ourselves playing places like Irving Plaza in New York City.”

In the early 90s the band decided to change its name from Boy O Boy to Fighting Gravity. Around that same time, they started stepping into the light of national recognition. Songs off their albums were getting picked up on the radio. Publications of notoriety, such as the Rolling Stone magazine, ran pieces on the band. In 1997, Fighting Gravity signed with Mercury Records and, shortly after that, signed with the agent Coran Capshaw, the same manager that represents the Dave Matthews Band and Phish. They sold out their own shows and, when they weren’t doing that, opened for artists of distinction like Aerosmith. “It was all just so much fun,” Boyd recalls. “My life consisted of going to the gym two hours a day, writing music the rest of the day, and then going to play a gig at night.” He gives over a small smile, humble and certain, those days comfortably behind him.

Although soft-spoken and gallant, given encouragement, he turns gleefully to the past, maintaining a poise that maturity gave him. “There were moments when you looked out towards a crowd invested in your band, singing all the lyrics that you wrote back to you,” he says. “Those moments are special.”

The persistent through line of Boyd’s professional career has been the pursuit of his musical education in the classroom, learning the rigor of the discipline while performing on stage. It’s that blend of freedom and discipline that attracted him to education. From 2000 to 2007, he

accumulated teaching experience at William & Mary and VCU, where, for one of those years, he oversaw the percussion program as an interim professor of percussion. In 2007, he left Fighting Gravity to pursue teaching full time at Collegiate. True to his allin mentality, he couldn’t straddle both worlds. “I’ve always lived in what people might consider two different realities,” he says. “I see the value in both of them. I eventually wanted to get out of the band and stop living the kind of lifestyle I was living.”

His lifestyle was a free-wheeling party, and he felt it was necessary to always play the host, to be the entertainer both on stage and off. “When I started telling people what I was going to do, many people absolutely didn’t believe me,” he says. “Even to this day if I told certain people who knew me back then what I do now they would think I’m kidding. But, when I got here, I felt like I had some influence to be able to help make things better and expand our programs. That meant a lot to me.”

What he does now is run a kind of band ensemble, full of teachers and students, a huge operation of education in the arts. Fixated on organizing the best experience possible for students in all realms of art, he draws on his previous experience, from a previous life. “Like preparing for a gig, it’s necessary to be thoroughly prepared for our programs. I apply that mindset and that mentality to everything we do here. I listen to people and get their input so that we both come to an agreement, because I like it to be collaborative about how to make everything better. For each student as an individual — figuring out their goals and talents — and really uplifting each one so that we can all be better.” Diplomatic, appealing to the individual, similar to how a great band operates.

I listen to people and get their input so that we both come to an agreement, because I like it to be collaborative about how to make everything better.”

CONNECTIVE CHORDS

Braden Felts ’24 and his bandmates in the Twisted Vipers, this year’s Senior band, found a mode of expression through music that allowed them to form a deeper connection to each other.

Ahigh school band, in a way, is a music-infused microcosm for teenage life. There is the desire to find appropriate and electrifying avenues of self-expression, the frequently rewarding challenge of cooperating with peers, and the simple joy of creating memories. These essential points of development are all there, hidden, waiting to be discovered between the spaces that supercharge the connections among vocalists and instrumentalists.

Any time Braden Felts ’24, Charlie Cheek ’24, Kelby Morgan ’24, and Connor Chang ’24 came together as the group that composed this year’s Senior class band, the Twisted Vipers, they found those connections and lessons in the chords they struck. The group began humbly and without intention — empty of any aspiration beyond the desire for a couple of friends to come together and play songs they enjoy. “I would go over to Kebly’s house and we’d play music in his basement,” Braden says. “Then, one day, during Freshman year, he handed me an electric bass to play, and I felt then as though I found my niche.”

They began playing in earnest, jamming together throughout their time in the Upper School. Each member of the band brought an individual appetite to the group — Kelby with a strong predilection for heavy metal, Braden and Charlie brought a flavor for classic rock, and Connor, the vocalist, loved anything that was easy on his vocals. Playing covers, then, became a zesty blend of styles, an expression of commonality that gave their performances a special variety and flare. “The ebbs and flows of our instruments, when we came together, felt like they evoked a strong emotion from each of us,” Braden says. “Playing became another form of connection, a way of relating to each other through the songs.”

It wasn’t until November 2023, though, during the Feast of Juul, when the Twisted Vipers, as the parlance of rock and roll goes, came on to the scene. Two weeks away from the event, the band received the green light to play Feast of Juul, and they began rehearsing immediately, playing their selected setlist every day after school, for two weeks straight, under the tutelage of Director of the Arts Mike Boyd. Throughout the rest of the year, the band performed before classmates whenever they got the chance.

For Braden, the performances were particularly moving. He had torn his ACL during the football season earlier that fall, and he found refuge in the band and the performing arts. Playing the bass — doing something he loved — and receiving the warm admiration of his peers was encouraging, one of the most moving experiences of his life. With gentle nudges from Boyd, Braden stepped into a new enthusiasm for his music and pursued theater for the first time in his Upper School career. “Mr. Boyd and my bandmates helped open me up to a whole new world,” Braden says. “Playing Feast of Juul — but really just playing music generally — helped me discover new parts of myself that I wasn’t aware of previously. That’s something Collegiate does really well — it shows you different areas where you can thrive.”

There is much to admire and cherish in the simple act of friends coming together to play. The Twisted Vipers found levity and sincerity in their playing, and they discovered that, by sharing this common bond, their friendship deepened. They don’t have plans to continue playing together after graduation, but their memories persist. “A band isn’t just a group of guys playing cover songs,” Braden says. “It can really create a bond that lasts a lifetime. No matter how silly it may sound, the times I played with these guys are the true lasting memories I have during my time at Collegiate. These are the memories I will always cherish.”

By Weldon Bradshaw

ANDREW STANLEY remembers vividly a conversation he had with Charlie McFall almost two decades ago that spoke loudly and clearly to the philosophy of Collegiate’s athletic program.

At the time, Stanley was very early into his tenure as head boys varsity lacrosse coach and availed himself of every opportunity he had to learn from the experience and absorb the wisdom of McFall, who then served as co-AD and football coach.

From 2003-2006, the Cougars won an unprecedented four consecutive VISAA football championships. No Collegiate teams could match that level of success or the volume of almost daily publicity that it generated. Nor were they expected to.

That was a message Stanley, now Collegiate’s Director of Athletics, needed to hear from his mentor. It’s a message that he conveys regularly to the current generation of coaches.

“The great gift of coaching here is that coaches have permission to coach in a way that’s best for kids,” he says. “You are not asked to win first.”

Does that mean that winning isn’t important? Of course not.

“When Charlie was winning a lot of football games and other people weren’t winning as much, he said, ‘I know you all are feeling a lot of pressure to succeed,’” Stanley says. “’Let me get it straight for you. You’re not going to get a raise if you win. You’re not going to get fired if you lose. You’re expected to take care of the kids and teach them what they need to learn to get their next step right.’”

By “next step,” McFall didn’t necessarily mean college sports.

Hackneyed as it might sound, he meant life.

During the 2023-24 athletic year, Collegiate teams won nine Prep League or League of Independent Schools championships and five VISAA titles. They also earned five sport-specific sportsmanship awards as well as the overall Prep League sportsmanship honor for the ninth time in the past 10 years.

“The LIS doesn’t designate a sportsmanship award for the year,” Stanley says, “but earning that for the Prep League speaks to the fact that program-wide we’re keeping our eyes on what matters most in educationally based athletics.

“Sometimes, sportsmanship awards get a bad rap as runner-up awards. Pairing that with the fact that in the last three years, we’ve won more state championships than in any other three-year period in school history is a statement

Director of Athletics Andrew Stanley reflects on some of the magical moments from the spring athletic season.

Photography courtesy of Maggie Bowman ’23.

The great gift of coaching here is that coaches have permission to coach in a way that’s best for kids.”

about how things should be done. The consistency in both categories shows that we’re on the right track with the way we’re doing things.”

Every season Collegiate athletes deliver what might be considered magical moments in the form of performances that they, their teammates, and those in attendance will remember long after the cheering has ended and the uniforms are packed away.

“A 3-0 win in the [girls] soccer state championship game over a very good Trinity Christian team was a big deal,” says Stanley when asked to name a few that came immediately to mind. “[Senior] Giles Ferrell ’24 cutting 45 seconds off her 3200 time in the state meet and being a member of the 4x800 team that won a state championship and broke a 29-year-old school record was a big deal.

“[Senior] Mason Quigley’s ’24 no-hitter [against St. Anne’s-Belfield] in his final home [baseball] game. Beating [traditional powerhouse] St. Stephen’s-St. Agnes in girls lacrosse was a big deal.

“The run [14 wins in 15 games] the boys lacrosse team

went on was something we don’t often see. For most of the season, those kids played with a level of poise and confidence that’s significant. We had big moments in golf [with a very young team]. Winning the Prep League in tennis.”

There’re many more, of course, and Stanley attributes both the accomplishment at the state level and the small, sometimes beneath-the-radar victories not just to the participation of elite athletes but to those who test their limits in their second or even third sport and find joy and meaning in the team experience.

“The reality of our success proves that our system works,” he says. “It proves that what we do in the weight room matters deeply. It proves that encouraging kids to be active in multiple sports matters deeply. We thrive with our multi-sport athletes who are just out there competing for their school and their friends and getting after it.

“It’s a cliché, but kids have to be comfortable being uncomfortable to be successful in life. Everybody’s journey is a little different. I’m really proud of the

opportunities our program provides for kids to start the process and grow at their speed.”

Two years ago, Collegiate’s athletic administrators and program leaders crafted a statement of purpose both for their specific sports and for the total program that fits within the School’s core values.

“There are four pillars: growth, teamwork, character, and confidence,” Stanley says. “We strive to develop athletes through competition with a teamfirst mentality that emphasizes character and fosters confidence.”

So as this year comes to an end, it’s on to the next with the challenge ahead of making necessary refinements in approach yet perpetuating the culture articulated in the mission statement.

“We have more success here when we focus on the next step versus the last step,” Stanley says. “I’m really appreciative of the effort our coaches have made to take each next step the right way. Progress isn’t fast, but if you’re intentional about it, it does last.”

Gold Standard of Care

Athletic trainers, often operating in the background, are teachers, coaches, mentors, nurturers, and encouragers in the noblest sense. By Weldon Bradshaw

THERE ARE MYRIAD attributes that good athletic trainers must bring to their chosen profession. How about knowledgeable, intentional, and dedicated, for starters?

Then compassionate and empathetic, because they’re often treating athletes in their most challenging, emotional, and vulnerable moments.

Unflappable, level-headed, and laser focused, too, because when an injury occurs in the heat of action, they hustle into the arena with only a split-second’s notice and only their deep well of training and well-honed instincts to prepare them for what they might find.

Diligent, also, and possessed of a sound work ethic, because they’re often the first on site and the last to leave, and the hours are long and often hectic and include very few breaks.

Selfless, for sure, for they labor behind the scenes, and their greatest reward is a heartfelt “thank you” and the satisfaction that comes from seeing injured athletes return to action.

They’re teachers, coaches, mentors, nurturers, and encouragers in the noblest sense, and for the great ones, their vocation is a sacred calling rather than a job, all of which boils down to the irrefutable fact that they are indispensable and their commitment is invaluable to those whom they serve.

“We’re incredibly fortunate to have athletic trainers with such a high level of experience, expertise, and dedication,” says Andrew Stanley, Director of Athletics. “Their ability to manage the most routine injury prevention or maintenance situation and, at the drop of a hat, flip a switch to handle a potentially serious emergent situation gives us a huge advantage in our care for our athletes. Their presence allows coaches to coach and athletes to perform because they’re taking care of us on the sideline, in the room, and during free periods. We’re grateful to have them here every day.”

What, you might ask, does an athletic trainer actually do?

“We’re licensed health care professionals,” says Shannon Winston, who, since 1999, has been Collegiate’s lead athletic trainer. “We care for physically active athletes. We take care of any type of athletic injury. We’re the first responders when an emergency happens during an athletic event. We handle rehabilitation and manage prevention of injury. We specialize in concussion management.

“We’re one of the few health care professionals that can work with an athlete from the beginning of an injury all the way through to the end and see them happy again, back on the field and playing sports that they love. As an athletic trainer, that’s important.”

The athletic trainer’s role has evolved greatly since Winston came on board, and she and her associates have responded to the changing times with seriousness of purpose. In fact, in each of the past

seven years, NATA has honored Collegiate with its first team “Safe Sports School” award, a testament to the positive environment and gold standard of care which they provide on a daily basis.

“Athletics and sports keep getting bigger,” Winston says. “Kids are more specialized. They’re stronger and faster. You need professionals to keep them healthy so they can get where they want to go.

“We have a trainer covering all day to help kids with treatments and evaluations and injuries during their free periods. We can take minor injuries and handle them ourselves. If they need to be referred, we have great rapport with the orthopedics and physical therapists in the area. We refer them and then work them back into the training room once they’re cleared and with instructions from the docs and PTs on the next steps before they can return to play. We have so much more going on than when I was first here. That’s required more time and more people.”

Winston, who also serves as Collegiate’s health and safety coordinator, oversees a staff that includes three other trainers who, in addition to being on call throughout the day, cover practices and events on both the Robins and Mooreland Road campuses and, often, when the Cougars go on the road, serve as guides on the side for student trainers.

Tara Tate signed on in 2019 and holds forth at the Robins Campus in the fall and spring and on the Main Campus in the winter.

“What gives me the most joy is seeing kids that we just put through four-to-eight weeks of rehab and watching them perform on the field again,” she says. “It’s a dream come true. That feeling never gets old.”

Erin Deloye, a Bon Secours contract athletic trainer, joined the team in 2021. She works with Tate at both Robins and the Main Campus.

“I took an introduction to athletic training class in high school and really enjoyed it,” she says.

“While shadowing the athletic trainer, I saw the connections she made with student athletes and with me and the impact she had on so many lives. After being an athlete myself, I wanted to be that person for athletes in the future. It’s super rewarding for us to know that we’ve played a part in helping them get back and do what they love and seeing the joy on their faces when they’re back on the field.”

Kyle Hinton arrived at Collegiate in the summer of 2023. He spends his time on the Mooreland Road Campus primarily with Collegiate’s football and boys lacrosse programs and pitches in wherever he’s needed.

“I’ve always been a competitive person,” he says.

“It brings a lot to my life to allow younger people to perform to the best of their ability and also provide health care so they can continue with a long, healthy, pain-free life past their athletic career. Being behind the scenes and still making things happen is where I thrive.”

True Grit

As one of the most difficult positions to play in all sports, catching requires many attributes in order to be great. By Weldon Bradshaw

WHY, I’VE ALWAYS wondered, would anyone ever want to play catcher?

The position, after all, is patently demanding and immensely unglamorous.

You can’t coast, even for a moment. It takes an enormous toll on your body. There’s risk involved, for sure, in the form of fast-moving pitches of all description flying your way, foul tips that allow zero reaction time, opposing players swinging metal bats very close to your head, and the potential

for highlight-reel collisions at the plate.

Sure, you’re wearing equipment, and it’s improved drastically over the years, but the fact remains that catchers sacrifice their bodies in a manner that none of their teammates have to do.

A century ago, there was a well-traveled (Yankees, Red Sox, Senators) catcher named Muddy Ruel who coined the phrase “tools of ignorance” to describe the protective gear that he and like-minded practitioners of the position wear. His half-funny term suggested that

if someone had the brain power to play catcher — and make no mistake, there’s a cerebral element to the job — why would he actually do so?

There are probably as many answers as there are catchers, but suffice it to say that you either revel in the challenge or want no part of it.

For Will Slater ’24, who caught for Collegiate’s varsity baseball team the past five years, the answer is, without question, the former.

He started out in T-ball in Tuckahoe Little League, played infield, and pitched as he moved up the ladder. Then, when he was about 11 years old and competing for the major league-division Padres, he stepped behind the plate at the suggestion of his father Andrew Slater, Collegiate’s head varsity baseball coach and program leader since 2008, and never looked back.

“Catcher is a cool position because you’re involved in every play,” says Will Slater, a 2024 Collegiate graduate who will continue his baseball journey at VMI. “It’s like the quarterback of baseball. You’re the field general. You have the best vantage point. You see everything that’s going on. I appreciate that aspect of it.”

What does a catcher do that the casual observer might not notice?

“A big part of playing the position is managing your pitching staff in a game and, really, throughout the year,” he explains. “I’m catching bullpen 12 months a year. A lot of that is getting the pitchers out there and giving them a target to throw to. It’s also working with them to develop pitches and become more comfortable and confident on the mound.”

Unlike many high school catchers who receive constant signals from the dugout, Slater

Photography courtesy of Maggie Bowman ’23.

calls his own pitches. It’s a responsibility he accepted long ago.

“Will has spent so much time with the pitching staff over the last five years,” says Andrew Slater. “He has an advanced feel for the game as far as being able to read swings and knowing what pitches pitchers can execute and when.

“He’s earned their trust. He’s certainly earned the coaching staff’s trust with his ability to sequence pitches and call the right pitches at the right time. We’ve never had a guy in my 16 years [coaching at Collegiate] that we’ve given the keys to the car to, but he’s earned the right to [call pitches], and he’s done it at such a high level.”

That isn’t just a proud dad talking. It’s also a coach who expects nothing less than excellence in preparation and performance from his players and from himself.

“When you have your own kid out there and he’s at the premium position and the light’s shining on him,” Andrew Slater says, “it was a learning curve for me, one, to understand just how hard the position is to play and, two, to make sure I wasn’t being too hard on him pitch to pitch and game to game. The catching position fits his personality so well. First and foremost, he’s an incredible teammate and leader in our program.”

He’s fearless, undaunted, ultra-competitive, and supremely durable as well.

“There’re many attributes that it takes to be a good catcher, but the one that’s at the top of my list is mental and physical toughness,” Andrew Slater adds. “Their body will never feel very good. They’re going to be constantly banged up because you just take so much physical wear and tear at that position.

“The mental wear and tear makes the game harder because you have to be willing to play with a sore arm, play with a tight back, play on days your legs feel terrible. You have to play on both sides of the ball too. You have to have quality at bats and hit, and that’s where the mental toughness comes in. If you have a bad at bat, you can’t just go hide out in the field somewhere. You have to be locked in every pitch the next inning.”

That’s not a problem for Will Slater. It’s all in a day’s work.

A 2024 All-Prep League selection, he caught all of the 17-6 Cougars’ games and batted .304 with a .449 on-base percentage, six doubles, and 12 runs batted in. Runners rarely tested his arm, successfully, at least. He surrendered stolen bases in just six of the Cougars’ 23 games.

Nicks and dings? Pop-ups which he instantly located and chased down? Pitches he dug

You have the best vantage point. You see everything that’s going on. I appreciate that aspect of it.”

from the dirt? Plays at the plate? He’s lost count of how many, just as he has the number of times he crouched into his stance and quickly bounded up again creating stress on his ankles and knees.

“Part of the position is that you have to love stuff like that,” Will Slater says. “It’s one of the hardest in sports. That’s part of the challenge. It’s about having toughness and grit.”

Suffice it to say, then, that Slater has held forth behind the plate not because it’s easy but because it’s demanding to the max and, ultimately, intensely satisfying and rewarding.

“Yes,” he says with a smile. “Exactly.”

POSITIVE TRAJECTORY

With a young and confident roster, the varsity softball team, in the 2024 season, has shown they have the makings of a great future.

By Weldon Bradshaw

SUCCESS IN THE ATHLETIC arena takes many forms, not the least of which is the win-loss record.

Collegiate’s varsity softball team, a young, inexperienced crew with no Seniors on the roster, finished 7-15, so from the outside looking in, 2024 appeared to be a down year.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

“We measure so many things by wins and losses,” says coach Robby Turner, “but what’s lost in the record is that we had three one-run games that went right down to the wire and a couple of others that were excellent softball games. I’d take those losses [to stronger teams] over a couple of the wins [over weaker opponents] because it was good softball, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

If it sounds as if winning isn’t all that important to Turner, think again. He’s competitive, for sure, but he’s been around long enough (14 years as head coach) to understand well the ebb and flow of sports.

“We saw so much growth,” he says. “This was the youngest team I’ve ever had. We had four 8th Graders. Some had never picked up a glove until 7th Grade. All had started by the fourth game. They went against girls who’ve played a lifetime of softball, but they competed and got hits off quality pitchers and made plays in the field. The moment didn’t

seem too big for any of them.”

Freshman Olivia Tull ’27 was the Cougars’ offensive leader and All-League of Independent Schools and All-VISAA honoree. A two-season starter, she batted .526 with 40 hits (including 17 doubles, four triples, and four home runs), 26 runs batted in, 34 runs, and 21 stolen bases.

Juniors Harper Murphy ’25 and Mary Ann Zyglocke ’25, both All-LIS selections, served as captains.

Harper, a four-season varsity starter, batted .318 with 15 RBI and 21 hits (including two doubles, three triples, and two home runs). She stole 15 bases, scored 26 runs, and was hit by pitches seven times. She’s already the Cougars’ career HBP leader with 23.

A three-season varsity starter, Mary Ann, who played centerfield, batted .349 with 22 hits (including three doubles), 15 RBI, 19 runs, and 14 stolen bases.

“One thing that Harper and I tried to do as captains was make everybody feel like they belonged,” Mary Ann says. “Some of the 8th Graders didn’t expect to be on the varsity, so it was probably a difficult transition. Whether it was encouraging them in a drill or giving them pointers or cheering for them when they were up at bat, we worked hard to make everyone feel included.”

Time, patience, and encouragement paid dividends.

“We tried to keep a positive environment,” Mary Ann adds.

“We really tried to maintain a good attitude throughout the season and have fun. By the end of the season, everybody was playing with a lot more confidence, especially the younger players. Everyone stepped up and did her part.”

Seeking to find the right combination, Turner and his staff (Kelsey Watson, Frank Watson, and Taylor Hoffman) restructured the lineup midway through the season.

Olivia, who shared catching duties with sophomore Finley Haas ’26, shifted to shortstop, Harper moved behind the plate, and Finley became the designated hitter.

“It’s like a chess game,” Turner says. “Rather than fixing one thing and hurting us somewhere else, it put a lot of things in place. We were hoping that it would work. It’s done more than work.”

Though Harper had caught bullpen but never in live action, her softball IQ and experience, coupled with her mental and physical toughness, enabled her to make an almost seamless transition.

“It was what benefited the team at the time, so I was glad to do what I could,” she says. “It’s definitely been a good experience. I really enjoy how there’s not much downtime. I can’t mentally check out. I’m always focused and doing something every play. And I really like how I can strengthen relationships

with my pitcher not just on the field but off the field. It creates good chemistry.”

Freshmen Cabel Berkeyheiser ’27 and Leah Proffitt ’27 and Junior Kana Sakagami ’25 alternated in the circle.

“It was pitcher by committee,” Turner says. “We didn’t have overpowering speed, so we were trying to throw [our opponents] off balance by having one girl throw a certain way for a couple of innings and then switch to another pitcher.

“If teams beat us, it was going to be by getting hits, not walking them, so we challenged our pitchers to throw strikes and force us to play solid defense behind them. Then, we were going to come out and hit the ball. In our best games, we were able to limit the number of runners that got on base and make defensive plays that were necessary to keep us in those games.”

With a solid nucleus returning, Turner sees nothing but upside.

“Every year, you base your starting point on how young you are,” he says. “There were things like certain pickoffs and rundowns we didn’t get to put in that we can start with [in 2025].

We’re very pleased with what the girls were able to accomplish. It’s very exciting that we can take this group and start at a different place next year.”

Photography courtesy of Maggie Bowman ’23.

Congratulations to the

Class of 2024

Sublime Surprises Await the Class of 2024

During Collegiate’s 109th Commencement, the Class of 2024 reflected on their accomplishments before embarking on their next journeys. By Jack McCarthy

During each year’s Commencement, watching the students move across the stage — some bearing full smiles, others flashing a more apprehensive grin — I think of lines from John Ashbery’s poem “Blue Sonata”: “That now, the one once / seen from far away, is our destiny / no matter what else may happen to us.” We always anticipate a faraway moment, the way a climber faces a mountain while still in the foothills looking up at the destination, and then, after a while, we arrive. How exciting — whether a student has been at Collegiate for two years or 13 — to arrive at the culminating moment, the one commemorating all that a class has accomplished and all that a class will accomplish. This fixed point, Commencement, is what every student has their sights set on, the long path they knew, eventually, with the full support of everyone in the Collegiate family, would arrive. But then the day comes and, no matter how excited you are for the next step in life’s journey, a part of you, dizzy with time’s pace, asks, “Already?” But, in the same breath, asks, “What’s next?”

This Commencement, Collegiate’s 109th, seen once from far away, arrived with the same slow but sudden surprise, and then proceeded, with a slight rain scare, on the hazy morning of Friday, May 24.

To begin the ceremony, Chair of the Board of Trustees Carter Reid P ’16 ’18 welcomed families and friends and saluted the Seniors, complimenting the graduates on how well prepared they are to become leaders and good citizens of the world as they take their next steps.

“Each of you has contributed, in your own special and unique way, to this community,” she said. “You have helped make up the essence that is Collegiate. Continue to be curious and find ways to serve.”

When Interim Head of School Billy Peebles took the stage to deliver his remarks, he began by speaking of the humble sacrifices the faculty, staff, and parents have made to help get the graduates to where they are now. He emphasized the importance of recognizing that sacrifice and, in doing so, using the education the students have received to serve others.

“We are here today because of the opportunities others have created for us,” he said. “When these opportunities come, we have the important responsibility to use our education as a vehicle for lifelong learning and for serving others. Indeed, our mission here at Collegiate challenges us to use our learning to engage life with intention, with energy, with imagination, and with integrity.

“The kind of education we are blessed with here calls us to grab hold of life, with a whole-hearted love that in turn seeks to bring out the best in new and old ideas and also to bring out the best in one another.”

The three valedictorians of the Class of 2024 — William (Liam) Riordon Harbour ’24, Benjamin (Ben) Leon Brackett ’24, and Giles Winston Ferrell ’24 — were next to speak.

Liam discussed the embrace of Collegiate’s community and its great warmth of support. It didn’t take much, he came to learn during his time on North Mooreland Road, to find friends. Sometimes, he recalled in an anecdote, simply asking a few classmates to dinner brought forth more friends than he could have imagined. “Community is a core value here, and, for me, it’s what has made my time at Collegiate special,” he said. “I really do believe that at some level, at some point, everyone has felt the warm embrace of this community.”

Ben followed Liam, first making light of the steady but overall inconsequential rain throughout the event. The Class of 2024, he said, was used to the rain, which, he recalled, has caused a number of snafus to their grade’s events in the past. He then made a metaphor of resiliency out of the rain, saying, “If you give up when it starts to drizzle, then you aren’t going to get much accomplished.” To achieve anything takes a certain level of endurance. “In life there will be rain. But it will not rain forever. The clouds will clear and the sun will come out eventually. If you never do anything when it rains, you will never be able to take full advantage once the sun is shining.”

Giles followed Ben’s remarks, beginning by acknowledging that, for soon-to-be graduates, it is common to face a swell of well-intended variations of wisdom or advice from elders. But life, she goes on, is full of beautiful, unexpected twists and turns, and to offer formulaic advice hinders the thrill of surprise. “Life happens. Sometimes it happens to us and sometimes it doesn’t,” she said. The real excitement of life rests in the beauty quivering beneath the surface of the everyday, and it takes a bit of wonder, a bit of curiosity, to fully take up that beauty reverently. “The excitement [of life] is in the looking, is in the searching. In short, the excitement is in the unknown.”

Even though the Class of 2024 is ready for what’s next, the unexpected still waits for them. “We graduates are ready, but we don’t know it all — in fact, we probably know very little,” she said. “But we want to feel the excitement of searching and feel the rush of apprehension and fear that come with all new adventures. We want to experience love and learning in its many forms.”

Before awarding diplomas to the graduates, Head of the Upper Patrick Loach, drops of rain dropping down like a thin curtain of beads through the huge oaks shading Flippen Hall, gently reaching the 141 students, paused and looked out at the gathering before him. Loach spoke with passion about the respect and honor the Class of 2024 has exhibited during their time on North Mooreland Road. Each of them, he says, has the potential to affect positive change in the world. Then the time finally came for them to graduate. This watermark day, the one each of the students knew would eventually arrive, finally came, and they were ready for it. They’re ready for what’s next, too, in all its sublime surprises.

Awards Given at Commencement

GREENBAUM AWARD - VALEDICTORIANS

William (Liam) Riordon Harbour, Benjamin (Ben) Leon Brackett, and Giles Winston Ferrell

E. ANGUS POWELL AWARD

Charles Taylor Nolde

ROSEMARY AWARD

Giles Winston Ferrell

DR. MARTHA E. KOLBE AWARD

Bolling LePrade Lewis

LOUISE MATTERN COLEMAN AWARD

Hannah Gray Bonbright

CHARLES F. WILTSHIRE CITIZENSHIP AWARD

Carter Brien Williams

JOHNEL TATE POFFENBERGER AWARD

Mary (Stella) Williams

Honors Assembly Awards

Upper School faculty and administrators selected the recipients, who were honored throughout April and May.

FOUNDERS AWARD

Shaan Agarwal ’25

THE SPIRIT OF COLLEGIATE AWARD

Sarah Shepard Adamson ’25

Kenneth Jai Spicer ’25

ARETÉ AWARD

Hazel Grace Miller ’25

Soham Gaurav Saxena ’25

SILVER TORCH AWARD

James Wilmington Galgano ’25

Sarah Garnett Webb ’25

MALCOLM U. PITT, JR. SERVICE AWARD

Elizabeth Susanne Harman ’24

PARAT, DITAT, DURAT AWARD

Harper Davis Murphy ’25

Justin Ray Williams ’25

HELEN MOON SENIOR ENGLISH AWARD

Ruby Victoria Goff ’24

Björn Shah Petersson ’24

SENIOR CREATIVE WRITING AWARD

Hannah Gray Bonbright ’24

Marla Margaret Van Deusen ’24

CHARLOTTE STEVENS JUNIOR

ENGLISH AWARD

James Wilmington Galgano ’25

Claire Delphine Lareau ’25

BRITTEN SENIOR MATH AWARD

Hannah Gray Bonbright ’24

Luke Spencer Bowling ’24

Benjamin Leon Brackett ’24

THALHIMER SENIOR FRENCH AWARD

Giles Winston Ferrell ’24

SENIOR SPANISH AWARD

Carter Brien Williams ’24

SENIOR LATIN AWARD

Braden Kemper Felts ’24

SENIOR CHINESE AWARD

Brandon Murray Thomason ’24

PERROW SENIOR HISTORY AWARD

Braden Kemper Felts ’24

Chloe Rose Webb ’24

VIRGINIA COURTNEY SIMPSON AWARD

George Miller Simonton ’24

ELIZABETH BRYSON POWELL AWARD

Bolling LaPrade Lewis ’24

MARGARET DANIEL SENIOR SCIENCE AWARD

Alexis Madeline Covington ’24

OSBORNE SENIOR SCIENCE AWARD

Brandon Murray Thomason ’24

DR. TAPAN HAZRA SCIENCE AWARD

Justinas Petkauskas ’26

HIRSCHLER SCIENCE RESEARCH AWARD

Marianna Rhett Anderson ’25

ENGARD SENIOR ART AWARD

Alexis Madeline Covington ’24

Björn Shah Petersson ’24

JAKE MACNELLY SENIOR ART PURCHASE AWARD (SPONSORED BY THE CLASS OF 1990)

Elijah Gray Billings ’24

SCOTT HARDEN SENIOR PERFORMING ARTS AWARD

Connor Michael Chang ’24

CAROLYN LEVEY MUSIC AWARD

Marla Margaret Van Deusen ’24

OSBORNE MUSIC AWARD

Brandon Murray Thomason ’24

THESPIAN AWARD

Hannah Gray Bonbright ’24

TECHNICAL THEATER AWARD

Holland Elizabeth Galloway ’24

DANCE AWARD

Treasure Tane’ Sara Brown ’24

FRANCES LEIGH WILLIAMS JOURNALISM AWARD

Sarah Shepard Adamson ’25

Madison Isabelle Lewis ’25

Gabriela Marie Linkonis ’25

Madeline Nicole McComb ’25

Kana Maria Sakagami ’25

WEBB SENIOR SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

Abigail Scott Mayr ’24

JACOBS SENIOR SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

Malcolm Randolph Pace ’24

REED SENIOR ATHLETIC AWARD

Heidi Elizabeth Albrecht ’24

OUTSTANDING SENIOR ATHLETE AWARD

Charles Taylor Nolde ’24

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT AWARD

Abigail Elizabeth Craig ’24

Warner Featherston Lewis ’24

Next Generation’s Leaders

The Class of 2024 is a model of excellence in and out of the classroom, and we have numbers to back that up. Here’s a bythe-numbers breakdown of their demonstrated excellence.

880 APPLICATIONS

SUBMITTED

593 ACCEPTANCES 90% OF THE CLASS

ENROLLING IN RECIEVED TO TO

185 COLLEGES

154 COLLEGES

$10.1 MILLION

The Class of 2024 received an impressive total of in merit scholarship offers. Those offers included the prestigious QuestBridge Scholarship and the Air Force ROTC Scholarship, both four-year and fully-funded, in addition to the single-year Army ROTC Scholarship.

will pursue their craft in highly selective programs in dance, film, graphic communications, media arts, music, theater, and the visual arts.

reported being accepted by one of their top two colleges, and across three evaluative categories they offered high satisfaction ratings (college process overall: 92%; College Counseling Office: 94%; college counselor: 90%).

will compete at the Division I (13) and Division III (8) levels in 10 different sports: baseball, basketball, field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.

College Choices

The Class of 2024 enrolled in the following institutions of higher learning. Institutions where Collegiate students received multiple acceptances are noted in parentheses as (enrolled, accepted). The institutions that saw Cougars apply, admitted, and enroll display wideranging breadth, including arts schools, engineering schools, historically Black colleges and universities, large research universities, single-sex institutions, and small liberal arts colleges. Without a doubt, these Seniors are going places.

Auburn University (3, 23)

Blue Ridge Community College

Bucknell University (2, 3)

Christopher Newport University (1, 7)

Clemson University (2, 16)

College of Charleston (3, 11)

College of William & Mary (5, 10)

Columbia University

Cornell University

Davidson College (2, 4)

Dickinson College

Elon University (2, 16)

Fordham University (1, 5)

Georgetown University

Hampden-Sydney College (3, 7)

Haverford College

High Point University (1, 4)

Illinois Institute of Technology (1, 2)

James Madison University (8, 42)

Johnson & Wales University – RI

Lafayette College

Longwood University (1, 5)

Louisiana State University (1, 7)

Marist College

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Muhlenberg College (1, 2)

Northeastern University (1, 2)

Pace University

Parsons School of Design

Pennsylvania State University (2, 12)

Princeton University (2)

Providence College (1, 2)

Radford University (1, 4)

Randolph-Macon College (1, 5)

Roanoke College (2, 6)

Samford University

Sewanee – University of the South (1, 7)

Shenandoah University

Southern Methodist University. (1, 2)

Spelman College (1, 2)

Texas Christian University (2, 7)

University of Alabama (2, 16)

U of British Columbia – Canada

University of Florida

University of Georgia (4, 12)

University of Mary Washington (2, 4)

University of Maryland (1, 2)

University of Minnesota

University of Mississippi (5, 22)

University North Carolina-Chapel Hill (3, 4)

University of Notre Dame

University of Rhode Island

University of South Carolina (8, 33)

University of Tampa (1, 5)

In addition, Collegiate Seniors were accepted to the following but have chosen not to matriculate.

American University (2)

Appalachian State University (5)

Arizona State University (4)

Baylor University

Belmont University

Berry College

Boston College

Bridgewater College

Case Western Reserve University (4)

Colorado College (2)

Colorado Mesa University

Colorado State University

Columbia College – IL

Concordia University – WI

Connecticut College

Drew University

Drexel University (2)

Duquesne University

East Carolina University (4)

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical U.

Emerson College

Florida A & M University

Florida Atlantic University

Franklin & Marshall College (2)

Furman University (3)

George Mason University (6)

George Washington University

Gettysburg College

Hampton University

Hawaii Pacific University

Hobart & William Smith Colleges

Hollins University

Howard University

Indiana University (4)

Iowa State University

Liberty University

Marymount University

McDaniel College

Miami University – Ohio (3)

Mississippi State University (2)

North Carolina A&T University

North Carolina State University (5)

Ohio State University (2)

Ohio University

Old Dominion University (6)

Oregon State University

Pennsylvania State University – Altoona

Point Park University

Purdue University

Queens University of Charlotte

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2)

Rhodes College (2)

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rollins College

Saint Joseph’s University

St. Mary’s College – MD

SUNY – Coll. of Agri. & Tech.

SUNY – Coll. of Environ. Science

Temple University (2)

Texas A&M University

Union College

University of California – Los Angeles (2)

University of California – Santa Barbara

University of Colorado – Boulder (5)

University of Colorado – Denver

University of Connecticut

University of Denver

University of Illinois – Chicago

University of Kentucky (8)

University of Louisville

University of Lynchburg

University of Montana

University North Carolina – Charlotte (2)

University North Carolina-Wilmington

University of Oregon (2)

University of Tennessee (1, 22)

University of Vermont (1, 6)

University of Virginia (16, 22)

Virginia Commonwealth University (2, 17)

Virginia Military Institute (3)

Virginia Tech (17, 19)

Washington & Lee University (1, 6)

Wellesley College

Wheaton College – IL

Wofford College (1, 5)

University of Pittsburgh (6)

University of Richmond

University of Rochester (3)

University of South Florida

University of Toronto – Canada

University of Utah

University of Virginia – Wise (2)

University of Wisconsin (2)

Villanova University

Wake Forest University (2)

Washington College (2)

Washington State University

West Virginia University (2)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Xavier University – Ohio

Cougar Legacies

1. Walker Angus with father Jason Angus ’93.

2. Hannah Bonbright with mother Ellen Turbeville Bonbright ’86 and aunt Susan Turbeville ’84.

3. Luke Bowling with brother Reese Bowling ’17, sister Maggie Bowling ’22, mother Cynthia Nott Bowling ’89, sister Riley Bowling ’19, and cousin Owen Nott ’13.

4. Benjamin Brackett with brother Jones Brackett ’22, mother Callie Lacy Brackett ’95, and uncle Rice Lacy ’90.

5. Charles Bradshaw IV with father Charles Bradshaw III ’92 and sister Sheehan Bradshaw ’22.

6. Mary Katherine Brost with sister Hallie Brost ’21, mother Jennifer McGuire Brost ’91, father Michael Brost ’85, and brother Michael Brost Jr. ’19.

7. Randolph Campbell with mother Beverly Randolph Campbell ’92, brother McCullough Campbell ’21, father Michael Campbell ’87, cousin Marshall Campbell ’20, cousin Evans Campbell ’22, and uncle Sean Campbell ’84.

8. Cabell Chenault VI with grandmother Marion Smith Chenault ’62 and aunt Elizabeth Chenault ’94.

1. Nash Craig with sister Ellie Craig ’21. Not pictured: deceased great-grandmother Mary Calvin Watkins Harrison ’38.

2. Rachel Duncan with brother Phillip Duncan ’20 and mother Arielle Nicole Duncan ’01.

3. Giles Ferrell with father Wortie Ferrell II ’88, grandmother Susan Farley Ferrell ’64, and cousin Page Wells ’23.

4. Jack Ferry with brother Joseph Ferry III ’21 and mother Virginia Nuckols Ferry ’96.

5. Presley Garst with brother Peyton Garst ’20, father Robert Ukrop ’88, aunt Nancy Jo Kantner ’95, and uncle Jeff Ukrop ’92.

6. Demi Greene with cousin the Honorable Mary Bennett Malveaux ’86, father Jay Greene III ’86, and cousin Richard L. Bennett ’90.

7. Harper Hailes with brother Brent Hailes Jr. ’22, father Brent Hailes Sr. ’89, grandmother Virginia Brent Evans ’61, and uncle Roger Hailes ’94.

8. William Hershey with father William Hershey ’94, grandfather F. Robertson Hershey ’66, and aunt Kate Hershey ’95.

9. George Kulp with uncle Christopher Kulp ’84, cousin Georgia Kulp ’22, and father Scott Kulp ’88. Not pictured: brother James Kulp ’21.

1. Warner Lewis with grandmother Mary Bruce Featherston DeVoe ’56, mother Elizabeth DeVoe Lewis ’84, and aunt Mary Garner DeVoe ’78.

2. Jack McGill with father Henry McGill ’89.

3. Benjamin McLoughlin with mother Archana Jesudian McLoughlin ’93 and uncle Arun Jesudian ’97.

4. Charles Miller with cousin Mary Kathryn Myers ’23, uncle John Myers ’82, mother Karen Myers Miller ’88, sister Walker Miller ’20, and cousin Brian Justice ’85.

5. Katherine Martin with uncle Preston Montague ’93, aunt Susan Cook Montague ’04, mother Sarah Cook Martin ’94, and aunt Elizabeth Cook Miller ’99.

6. Jake MacNelly with father Danny MacNelly ’92.

7. Kelby Morgan with father Kelby Morgan ’91, mother Jennifer Scott Morgan ’94, and aunt Molly Hundley Morgan ’92.

8. Thomas Meyers with aunt Kimberly Meyers Galgano ’86, father Eric Meyers ’91, and mother Laura Miller Meyers ’90.

9. Charles Nolde with sister Kate Nolde ’21, mother Haley Whipple Nolde ’92, and father John Nolde ’90.

1. Catherine Owen with uncle Robert Owen ’90, uncle Clay Coleman ’89, aunt Frances Owen Coleman ’92, father Duncan Owen III ’86, brother Carter Owen ’20, aunt Meda Tilman Barnes ’89, brother Duncan Owen IV ’18, and cousin Clay Coleman Jr. ’19.

2. Malcolm Pace with aunt Beverly Randolph Campbell ’92, uncle Michael Campbell ’87, cousin McCullough Campbell ’21, cousin Randolph Campbell ’24, mother Margaret Randolph Pace ’90, and aunt Olivia Randolph Waters ’87. Not pictured: brother Will Pace ’22.

3. Ava Claire Robinson with aunt Elizabeth Ann Robinson ’90 and father G.C. Robinson ’93.

4. Anna Grace Shaia with uncle John Shaia ’81, brother Harry Shaia ’22, father Harry Shaia ’85, sister Claire Shaia ’20, and uncle Anthony Shaia ’78.

5. William Slater with father Andrew Slater ’96 and grandmother Scottie Newell Slater ’69.

6. Rhodes Sinnott with aunt Tracy Sinnott ’81, sister Gwin Sinnott ’17, brother Edward Sinnott ’20, father Ned Sinnott III ’86, and aunt Mary Lloyd Sinnott Parks ’79.

7. Carter Williams and Elly Williams with father Preston Williams ’88, grandmother Meade Howarth Williams ’63, aunt Beverley Williams Curry ’91, and uncle Jamie Curry ’82.

8. Thomas Word IV with father Thomas Word III ’79 and sister Lacey Word ’22.

Not pictured: Travis Hatchett Jr. and father Travis Hatchett’ 92.

Not pictured: Sam Hurst with grandmother Mary Randolph Coleman Spencer ’52.

Photograph

Portrait Graduate of a

This is one of the 141 faces that will change the world. Sound too bold, too ambitious? Good. That’s exactly as it should be. Resilient, responsible, courageous, compassionate, inquisitive, the students in the Class of 2024, who are heading to 64 institutions in 21 states and Canada next year to continue their academic pursuits, have the makeup of leaders. Like a smile and its many subtle variations, that makeup manifests itself differently in each student, but the defining Collegiate spirit exists nevertheless. For this Senior feature, we selected a few portraits, taken by students in Taylor Dabney’s photography classes, that showcase some of that ubiquitous but unique spirit, and then we asked the photographers to explain how they feel the subjects of the photos vivify the spirit of Collegiate. In corresponding responses from the photographers a sense of love and compassion glimmers within each image.

“Being a Freshman with my sister Marla in the Senior class has made for an unforgettable start to high school. Being in the same school division with her again has created more opportunities to see and talk to her every day. This photo of her and her friend during their art class really shows their personalities and just how unique they are.”

WINNIE VAN DEUSEN ’27, PHOTOGRAPHER

“Fitz embodies the spirit of Collegiate. As a student, he always studies hard and he is an absolute grinder on the field. Fitz’s confidence and loving demeanor — on full display in this picture — are infectious, and he makes his classmates better.”

LIAM HARBOUR ’24, PHOTOGRAPHER

“Both of these students in my photos appear happy. This is a common theme to our Senior class. Everyone is happy, however, the dark, in a way, represents how there are also secrets that only the individuals know. The dark space is really something that was more important to notice in the photo because it shows how there is more to each member of our class that does not show.”

KELBY MORGAN ’24, PHOTOGRAPHER

Welcome New and Returning Cougars!

We are so excited to have you on campus and wish each of you a great school year.

@COLLEGIATERVA /COLLEGIATESCHOOL /COLLEGIATE-SCHOOL

Letter from Alumni Association

President Peyton Jenkins ’00

I have a long line of Cougar DNA running through my family tree. My grandmother attended Collegiate in the early 30s, when it was still an all girls school. My two older brothers (Howard ’92 and Scott ’94) are Collegiate graduates. My beautiful mother taught Kindergarten and 2nd Grade in the 90s. I have four nephews and nieces who have either graduated or are still enrolled, and our two oldest boys (Peyton ’31 and Jack ’34) are Cougars as well.

My Collegiate experience is something I cherish. I was afforded so many opportunities here. From the most amazing teachers — MacKenzie, Miller, Obenshain, Ferrell, Coates, Bradshaw, Hailes, Lawson, Follansbee, Griffin, Arzt, Weiser, Gorsline — to the most amazing coaches — Rider, Mahler, and, of course, Coach Blair. These people are titans in my life. At 43 years old, I still think about them frequently because of the impact they had and continue to have on me. I was never the best student in the class or the best athlete on the field. Yet all of these teachers and coaches — and so many others — leaned in, saw my love of learning, my love of being on a team, and my desire to be better and embraced it. So much of who I am is the person

Collegiate helped shape me to be.

Today, I’m so lucky to be the husband to Becky and the father to three amazing boys — 11-year-old Peyton, eight-year-old Jack (or Scottish Jack, as he tends to be called around campus), and three-year-old Robert. I am an entrepreneur at heart and have a passion to build things — whether that’s companies, relationships, or Legos with our kids.

I’m thrilled to continue building relationships with you all — our alumni — as I take on the role of Alumni Association President. If there’s ever any way I can help someone in our community, I hope you won’t hesitate to ask. Let’s have a great year together.

With warmest regards,

Peyton Jenkins ’00 Alumni Association President

Director of Alumni Engagement

Anne Gray Siebert ’97 asiebert@collegiate-va.org

Alumni Association Board 2024-25

Ben Adamson ’98

Brink Brinkley ’76

Lauren Cricchi ’10

John Daniel ’70

Ernie Dettbarn ’94

Stuart Farrell ’03

Gray Fain ’07

Wortie Ferrell ’88

Dominique Meeks Gombe ’09

Missy Herod ’72

Ginny Hofheimer ’96

Angie Hutchison ’90

Peyton Jenkins ’00

Devon Kelley ’05

Graham Mandl ’08

Beth Watlington Marchant ’72

Lee Moreau ’85

Rishi Pahuja ’04

Chris Pearson ’02

William Roberts ’65

Amrik Sahni ’06

Giselle Shaw ’22

Beth Anne Shelly ’83

Tyler Negus Snidow ’80

Chas Thalhimer ’97

Nash Wiley ’15

Elizabeth Dolan Wright ’01

PREPARATION FOR THE FUTURE

As part of the Senior Transition Program, Collegiate alumni come back to campus to provide advice and share their experiences with the graduating class in the hopes of smoothing the transition into the next stages of their lives. This year’s event hosted more than 20 alumni back on campus to lead invaluable discussions on financial planning, college readiness skills, résumé and letter writing, and cooking instruction.

With college and the professional world on the not-so-distant horizon, the Senior Transition Program helps students march boldly into the future. Beyond the alumni-led sessions, which lasted one complete day, a week of educational development discussions helped prepare students for their next steps. Emboldened by a green-and-gold spirit, Collegiate remains strong because of the bridge that connects alumni to students. This program serves as one of those deep ties in the community, and it’s something everyone benefits from.

Lifelong Friends, Classmates, and Colleagues

Weldon Bradshaw sat down with outgoing Director of Middle and Upper School Admission

Anne Bruce Ahearn ’87 and outgoing Admission Coordinator Margaret Pace ’90 to discuss attending and working at Collegiate.

By Weldon Bradshaw

THE COLLEGIATE EXPERIENCE is all about connections, and the best and deepest of those are the treasured, no-strings-attached friendships that last a lifetime.

Folks, please meet (although you likely already have) Anne Bruce Ahearn ’87 and Margaret Pace ’90, Collegiate Admission Office colleagues who have known each other pretty much forever.

When they were growing up, their families were close. All these years later, the closeness remains. They’re North Mooreland Road lifers, University of Virginia graduates, and Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters.

They’ve shared a 20-plus years’ professional journey in the Alumni and Development Offices as well as in their current roles, Ahearn’s as Director of Middle and Upper School Admission and Pace’s as Middle and Upper School Admission Coordinator.

The work — more a calling, actually — has been meaningful, fulfilling, and invigorating, they say. Being lifelong personal friends as well as trusted colleagues has been joyous and enriching.

That said, they’re stepping away together. On May 18, Ahearn married Byron Hulsey and will move to Woodberry Forest where he serves as headmaster. Pace will still be around, just not every day. She plans to substitute, volunteer, and help out any way she can.

One morning in June, they spoke, sometimes humorously, sometimes seriously, and at times reverently, of their lifelong connection and amazing ride together.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU MET?

MP: Well, AB is my elder. She’s like the older sister, so I’m going to let her talk about that (which drew laughter from both, of course).

AB: I was very close friends with Margaret’s sister Olivia. We were classmates. We were close from, gosh, almost before school. They lived five blocks or so away from me. It was literally a bike ride away, and I would ride as fast as I could down to her house in Stonewall Court almost every day after school. We would play every afternoon. Then I would speed back down Grove Avenue on my 10-speed because I was always cutting it really close on my curfew. That’s when Margaret and I got to be good friends.

MP: AB’s sister Emily and I are best friends. Our families — three girls in AB’s family, three girls in our family — all grew up together and are close friends.

WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE WORKING TOGETHER?

AB: It’s the biggest gift anybody could have ever given me. Working at Collegiate is a gift. To work with each other for so many years side by side, to work with somebody who you trust and love and you can laugh with has been the greatest gift I could ever have asked for.

MP: It has been a gift. It’s very unique, honestly, to be in a place where you get to work with dear, dear friends who you’ve known your whole life but still be able to work through hard times, work through complications, maybe not even agree on things but still be able to work through it all together and still have that love and respect. The other thing is that AB is so good at her job. I learned so much about admission from somebody I already deeply respected and loved and laughed with.

ARE THERE ANY MOMENTS THAT STAND

OUT ABOVE THE REST?

AB: My most meaningful time working with Margaret was when [my husband] Jeff got sick. I was in the hospital with Jeff that

October (2004), and we discovered that he had leukemia. Within two or three hours, Margaret and Lynne Berkness (both of whom served in the Development Office at the time) came to the hospital. They said, “What are you working on? Give us your work. Give it all to us.” And I did. I handed it all off to Margaret and Lynne and knew without a doubt that it would be handled perfectly and beautifully. I’ll never forget it. It was such a relief for me to know that they were there for me and ready to take on all that extra work so that I could be with Jeff.

MP: There’s no one story that jumps out at me. Honestly, my memory of working here is the people, the team, including AB and Taylor [Kell]. Through all of this, we’ve laughed so hard, but we were always very serious about doing our jobs well.

THERE MUST BE A SENSE OF SATISFACTION AND PRIDE WHEN YOU CONSIDER

THE QUALITY OF STUDENTS YOU’VE ENROLLED.

AB: It’s such a great feeling. This senior class was the first class that I enrolled in my admission job in the Lower School, so I think that at this point in time, most of the Upper School and Middle School are students that I enrolled, which is an incredible feeling. When you see kids that we bring in accomplish great things and do so much for Collegiate, it really makes you feel proud and excited, but we both know that the school and the teachers here are the reasons these families are flocking to Collegiate.

What a gift this job is, not just because I’m working with Margaret but because I work with all these amazing colleagues and teachers and people who care so much about this place. It’s such an easy job to do, but there are some really difficult moments, but it also is an incredible gift to have a job where what we get to do all day is sing the praises of our colleagues and talk about what an incredible school this is.

We live in a world where people want to be here, and we get to walk around and see what our faculty and staff are doing to live Collegiate’s values. We see all the beauty

that’s woven into this place and get to focus on that. That gives me so much happiness.

MP: We raised our children (Emma ’19 and George ’20 Ahearn and Will ’22 and Malcolm ’24 Pace) here and see how they’re thriving, and we’re able to tell those stories to all these families who really want to be at Collegiate. Our colleagues and our children’s teachers, coaches, and mentors are the greatest gifts ever in our lives, and we get to tell families how awesome they are.

SO WHY LEAVE NOW IF YOU’RE HAVING SO MUCH FUN?

AB: I’ve said this to Byron [Hulsey], so I feel comfortable saying it to you: If I could have both worlds, if I could marry Byron and still work here every day, I would, but it really isn’t practical. I know I’ll be part of another school community, but leaving Collegiate and this huge family that I have will leave a huge hole in my heart.

MP: I always wondered if I’d be ready to go when Malcolm graduated. As these circumstances have come together where AB got married and Malcolm graduated, I decided that it’s the right time. This team is too important to me, and Taylor is cutting back her hours, and I didn’t want to stay without the three of us here. It was just naturally the time to move on. It’s been a gift. It’s been an amazing run.

Katie Bo Williams Lillis ’06 signed on with CNN in 2021 as a senior intelligence and national security reporter. By Weldon Bradshaw

FOR TWO YEARS following her graduation from the University of Virginia, Katie Bo Williams Lillis ’06 traveled the world learning the ins and outs of the thoroughbred racing industry.

The 2006 Collegiate School alumna was one of 12 young people from several countries who participated in a management training program directed by the Sheik of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, one of the largest owner/breeders of thoroughbred racehorses in the world.

Her odyssey took her to Ireland, England, Australia,

Dubai, and, much closer to home, Kentucky. Her goal was to become credentialed as a bloodstock agent, an equine professional who buys and sells racehorses on commission.

“That’s what I was training to do,” she says. “That’s what I wanted to do.”

The voices in her head and heart ultimately directed her elsewhere, however.

“When the internship ended, I went to work in the industry,” she says. “When I was about 25, I realized that as much as I loved horse racing, I wanted to do more mission-driven work.”

Lillis had always enjoyed writing. At Collegiate, she penned several articles for the Match, then earned an undergraduate degree in English, and, over the years, wrote numerous creative pieces, mostly for her own enjoyment.

She wasn’t sure where her avocation would take her, if anywhere.

“I always thought I was going to be the next great American novelist,” she says. “Instead, I wound up being a frustrated novelist masquerading as a journalist.”

Masquerading? Actually, no.

After paying her dues for several years, Lillis signed on

with CNN in 2021 as a senior intelligence and national security reporter.

Though her work now is high profile, her second career as a journalist began humbly with occasional freelance pieces for a racing publication called the Saratoga Special. In 2013, she joined the staff of Nautilus Magazine, whose editors, Sean and Joe Clancy, became invaluable mentors.

“They hired me as a marketing intern, but I wound up writing stories,” she says. “I leaned on my experience with the horse racing newspaper where I cut my teeth as a cub reporter. I learned

how to cold call, walk up to people and ask questions, pay attention to the details, use my eyes and ears, and write what I saw.”

Lillis credits two of her Collegiate English teachers, John Coates and Dr. Roger Hailes, as mentors who ignited the literary spark.

“Both in different ways taught me how to read, which is a skill that teaches you how to write,” she says. “Nobody can write without being a reader. If you don’t learn how to read with attention and an understanding of the mechanics of the craft, how are you going to be able to do it for yourself?

“We read To Kill a Mockingbird [in Coates’s 8th Grade class]. It was like he handed me a key to unlock endless treasures if I wanted to spend the time picking the lock. For years, I sent my own fiction back to him to [critique].

“I could go on about Doc for hours. He was so, so good. He introduced me to James Joyce, who to this day remains one of my favorite writers. We did [A] Portrait [of the Artist as a Young Man]. He introduced us to [works] that, in the hands of a lesser teacher, high schoolers might read but aren’t ready for it. Doc was able to make Portrait accessible to 11th

Graders, which is a significant feat. We did [Joyce’s] ‘The Dead’ with him, which is still one of my favorite short stories of all time.”

Lillis’s time at Nautilus was a watershed experience.

“I was living in New York,” she says. “I was reading everything I could get my hands on. I’d discovered long-form journalism. I was supposed to be doing their Twitter account, but I was coming up with story ideas.

“I hit on this idea: Oh, wait, there is a way to exercise this sort of literary creative muscle that I have while telling true stories. It was the marriage of this mission-driven work that I was looking for with my creative ambitions. I wanted to tell stories that mattered.”

As she contracted freelance work and served as associate editor at Healthcare Dive, her future began to unfold.

“I didn’t have a journalism degree, so I wasn’t a very attractive candidate,” she says. “My résumé said horse racing. I was taking any job I could get just to get the clips.

“I managed to get hired in a low-level job at The Hill covering cybersecurity, which is hilarious because I did not know anything about cybersecurity or Congress,

which is what The Hill covers, so I had a steep learning curve.

“I’d been there maybe a year when the hack of [Hillary] Clinton’s emails in the run-up to the 2016 election happened. It became my story. As we know now, there was Russian intelligence involvement, and cybersecurity became an intelligence story. That’s what set me on the path to being a national security reporter.

“I often tell young journalists: Don’t close yourself off to a specific beat or pathway because the right story will potentially carry you on to a very good career on a larger beat. Be your best on whatever beat you’re on because you don’t know what opportunity that beat will present to you.”

From The Hill (where she met her husband Mike Lillis), she reported for Defense One, a subsidiary of The Atlantic, from 2018-2021. There, she covered national defense and security issues and once again found herself traveling the world.

She embedded with U.S. troops in Syria and accompanied them on patrol. Just after she landed, at 10 p.m., at a civilian airport adjacent to a military base in Erbil, in northern Iraq, to begin that assignment, she experienced a series of challenges, in-

cluding a rocket attack launched by an Iran-based militant group.

“When I landed, they tried to deport me and put me on a plane back to Qatar,” she says. “I was trying to talk the Kurds out of sending me back, and the whole building shakes with this rocket attack. The plane took off, so they were stuck with me overnight. While I was in a holding cell in the airport, they let me keep my phone, and I was able to get the paperwork issues sorted out.

“In the meantime, all the entrances and exits from the airport had been closed down because of the rocket attack, so I was stuck there at two o’clock in the morning, and I speak none of the dialects. Then, these four stunningly attractive Australian men in civilian clothes came up to me and said, ‘M’am, are you American?’ I said, ‘I am.’

“They were Australian special forces that worked with the U.S. coalition. They hitched me a ride out of the airport and got me where I needed to go. It was a good adventure.”

While at Defense One, Lillis also filed reports from such hot spots as Afghanistan, where she traveled with Gen. Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Iraq,

Lillis pictured with CNN’s Chief National Security Correspondent Alex Marquardt.

Formerly reporting for Defense One, a subsidiary of The Atlantic, from 20182021, Lillis accompanied U.S. troops on patrol in Syria.

where she embedded with American troops.

“For a period of time,” she says, “I was all over the Middle East covering America’s wars.”

In January 2021, she was on a layover at Shannon Airport, in Ireland, enroute back to the U.S. with a military delegation, when she received a call with a job offer from CNN.

So began yet another exhilarating, meaningful, and impactful adventure.

“Speaking and reporting for television is a completely different kettle of fish than writing for the web or for print,” she says. “I had to develop a whole new skill set [that would enable me to] condense a story down to a 60-second sound bite. That was a big challenge.”

In the three-plus years since, Lillis has reported in depth on weighty topics such as the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

“My role is to figure out what U.S. intelligence thinks about X-Y-Z,” she says. “For example, what has the U.S. intelligence community learned about the potential Iranian involvement in the October 7 attack?

There’re really only two forms of accountability for the intelligence community: one is the House and Senate intelligence committees. The second is journalists like me trying to understand what’s happening in terms of covert actions and what the intelligence community thinks that U.S. policy makers then base their assessments on.”

“Asking that kind of question and finding the answer is my job. The intelligence beat is one of the toughest in Washington because much of what the intelligence community does is classified.

“The role of journalism in covering the American intelligence community is a really important check on a very expensive part of what the US government does with your taxpayer dollars.

“There’re really only two forms of accountability for the intelligence community: one is the House and Senate intelligence committees. The second is journalists like me trying to understand what’s happening in terms of covert actions and what the intelligence community thinks that U.S. policy makers then base their assessments on.”

Her reports appear both on the CNN website and on the air.

“If I have a big story, I’m on air all day, every hour, on the hour,” she says. “If I’m working on the reporting phase of the story, I might spend a week or two just reporting and not write a word.

“Then I’ll spend a day or two writing, and then the story goes out. Some stories come together very quickly. I get a piece of information in the morning. I write the story. It goes out that

night, and then I’m on television the next morning. It’s kind of a cycle: reporting, writing, then TV.

“I’m not an anchor or a correspondent who gets up there and covers whatever the news of the day is but doesn’t necessarily generate a lot of independent reporting. I only go on television when there’s a specific story that I’m covering.”

Does she aspire to be an anchor?

“I actually don’t,” she says. “Being an anchor is a very hard job and a very different job. You’re not boots-on-the-ground, out on the street, creating your own reporting.

“There’s also generally not a lot of writing. Writing is really my first love. I love doing television, and I enjoy developing that skill, but my career is weighted toward reporting and writing with television as almost a sup

porting role.

“I still think of myself as sort of a small fish in a big pond. I’m lucky to do what I do. I like my job. I’m humbled by what I do because I think it’s important work.”

-

CLASS NOTES

No matter where our life takes us beyond North Mooreland Road, we are always uniquely connected by our time spent at Collegiate School. Class Notes offers a bridge leading toward that shared bond between fellow alumni.

1951

Elizabeth “Tommy” Richardson Shannon, who went to Collegiate but left to attend St. Catherine’s, and mother of Thomas “Randy” Shannon ’76 and David Shannon ’80; grandmother of Will Shannon ’06 and Paige Shannon ’08, died March 7, 2024.

1962

1952

Ann Buchanan died May 30, 2024.

Patterson Ave. We sold the overall business in 2019 to another former Collegiate student, Kate Blanton Thomas. Collegiate friendships and ties have played a major part in the growth of both businesses, and I cherish the old and new friends who have been such a valuable part of the growth of my business through the years. I still love what I do and am energized by the daily challenges and rewards of running a small business. Come see us!”

Gail and Alex Smith enjoyed spending time with Tyler Charles ’96 at the Virginia International Raceway.

beautiful home in Pinehurst, North Carolina. They had a wonderful time catching up. Wendy was golfing there with her group of eight women on their annual ladies golf adventure. It was very exciting to play Pinehurst No.2 just before the 2024 US Open. The summer includes a trip to Italy with their seven-year-old granddaughter and then golfing in Ireland in September. Life is good at this advanced age.

I had a chance meetup at the recent Garden Club of America annual meeting, which was held in Hartford, Connecticut, where I live. I had no idea she was serving on the national board of the organization. We had a great time catching up and marveled at what a small world it is.”

1976

Carolyn Gray Allen writes, “Some of our classmates got together for lunch at VMFA to celebrate our 80th birthdays.” Carolyn has moved to Mosaic, an over 55 community in Goochland. Martha Jane organized the luncheon and came up from Charleston to attend. “We missed those out-oftowners, but wish them a happy 80th as well!”

1965

Anne Dobbins Brasfield shares, “This spring will mark the 30th anniversary of my shop, Frillseekers, which I began with fellow classmate Jane Bowry Butler, in 1993, in a tiny spot on Grove Avenue. After one year we expanded to a larger space next door, and Frillseekers has been growing ever since! Sadly Jane passed away a few years into our partnership, and I became the sole owner. Another classmate, Beverley Brockenbrough Watts, was a valued employee and colleague for many years. About 16 years ago, my sister, Leigh Dobbins Johnson, another Collegiate alum, and I opened the Shops at 5807 on

1966

Sally Rice Johnson died May 4, 2024.

1967

William “Buck” Wiltshire, husband of Louise “Weezie” Vincent Wiltshire ’67; father of William Wiltshire Jr. ’92 and Mary Wiltshire Beckstoffer ’99; grandfather of Lucy Beckstoffer ’25, Brice Beckstoffer ’29, Will Wiltshire III, and Elizabeth Wiltshire; brother of Gray Wiltshire Massie ’61, Richard Wiltshire ’64, and Betts Wiltshire McGurn ’71, died May 19, 2024.

1968

Robert King Jr. died Feb. 24, 2024.

Wendy Galston Gold visited Sarah Jones Prestipino and her husband, Tony, in their

Cristy Jarvis shares, “May Shirley Meador Wersinger and her husband, Richard, came to Richmond for a visit with family. Ginny Stevens Purcell and her husband, Riker, Barbara Robertson Burke, and I met them for lunch. We had a great time catching up and hope to do it again the next time they are in town with others in our class who were not able to join us that day. I enjoy walking with Laura Hall and Mary Jean Sadler Mann and keep in touch with them often. I have three grandchildren who are Cougars and it is fun to be on campus for their events. I hope to see more of our classmates in the coming year.”

1972

Elaine Ferebee Osburn died June 11, 2024.

1974

Cynthia Liebert Crowder, sister of Lucy Liebert Day ’78 and Charles Liebert ’83, died April 4, 2024.

1975

Katie Oates Nixon writes, “Martha Fleming Moore and

Allen Kemp writes, “In April I walked the El Camino de Santiago, the Frances route from St. Jean Pied de Port in France to Finisterre (the Roman ‘ends of the earth’), in Spain. I walked with 16 others from Fatherheart Ministries, a group with whom my wife Debbie and I spent a sabbatical year in 2012 in New Zealand. The physical challenge of walking 15-20 miles daily for a month, carrying all I needed in a backpack, hiking over steep mountains in driving snow and sleet, and sleeping in different beds for 30 plus days all made the time totally worth it.

“But it wasn’t the ‘accomplishment’ of walking a total of about 600 miles that made the trip. It was the people in our group and fellow pilgrims on the trail I got to know and love: walking and eating meals together; walking and drinking a beer at the end of a 30 kilometer day; walking and falling asleep before sunset in albergues’ (hostels) bunk beds; walking out the door before sunrise or coffee; walking and helping care for blistering feet; walking and descending mountain ranges into a new village to enjoy a cafe and aseos; walking and hearing so many different languages and accents.

“What I loved most were the great conversations about

life and love, within our group and with others who became like family as we journeyed together — often reuniting in different places along the way. Friends I will probably never see again but who will remain in my heart. It’s hard to put into words how this Camino has affected me, but it’s only good and it’s very deep.”

1977

Laura Northen Manos, sister of Sarah Northen Smith ’82 and Polly Northen Nagell ’83, died March 20, 2024.

1978

Heth Owen, who went to Collegiate but left after 10th Grade, died March 5, 2024.

1979

Robert Watkins, brother of Frank Watkins ’77, died Feb. 26, 2024.

David Willis died March 1, 2024.

1981

James Morris died Feb. 20, 2024.

1. Carolyn Gray Allen ’62 got together for lunch at the VMFA with some classmates to celebrate their 80th birthdays.

2. Gail and Alex Smith ’65 enjoyed spending time with Tyler Charles ’96 at the Virginia International Raceway.

3. Katie Oates Nixon ’75 and Martha Fleming Moore ’75 had a chance meetup at the recent Garden Club of America annual meeting, which was held in Hartford, Connecticut.

4. In April, Allen Kemp ’76 walked the El Camino de Santiago, the Frances route from St. Jean Pied de Port in France to Finisterre, in Spain. Here is Kemp looking out from the cliffs of Finisterre over the Atlantic Ocean. 1

1. Susanna Williams Gold ’88 returns to Virginia after 26 years to open a second location for her art advisory. Pictured here as seen in The Scout Guide, Charlottesville, Vol. 16, 2024-25.

2. Emily Ferguson ’96 joined the international brokerage firm Engel & Völkers in the fall of 2023.

3. Matt Eisenman ’02 and his wife, Dana, welcomed their third child this fall.

4. William ’05 and Emily O’Flaherty welcomed William James O’Flaherty Jr. (James) on May 13, and his sisters, Caroline and Charlotte, are thrilled.

5. Caroline Cannon ’06 had a daughter Nov. 27, 2023.

6. Hannah Jones Proulx ’06, husband Erik, and big sister Claire welcomed Jack Rowan Proulx on Dec. 19 2023.

7. Steffi Ross West ’07 and her husband Nick welcomed son Henry “Hank” Thomas West on Feb. 26.

1988

Susanna Williams Gold returns to Virginia after 26 years to open a second location for her art advisory. She splits her time between the Philadelphia suburbs and Crozet, Virginia, near Charlottesville, working with artists and art collectors up and down the east coast.

1994

Ernie Dettbarn writes, “I am honored to serve on the Collegiate Alumni Board for the upcoming term. I’m looking forward to the Class of 1994’s 30th reunion at Collegiate’s Roaring Reunion Weekend, held Sept. 27 and 28.”

1996

Emily Ferguson joined the international brokerage firm Engel & Völkers in the fall of 2023. She loves that her role selling real estate in Vail and Beaver Creek, Colorado, gives her a fun reason to reconnect with friends, former classmates, and past coworkers all over the country. She plans to nurture these old and new relationships for years to come as she helps her clients’ dreams of homeownership in the mountains come true. Please contact her at emilyferguson.evrealestate.com or 303.921.7010 to learn more.

2002

Matt Eisenman writes, “My wife, Dana, and I welcomed our third child this fall. Drew Maxwell Eisenman was born Oct. 30, 2022.”

2005

William and Emily O’Flaherty welcomed William James O’Flaherty Jr. (James) on May 13 to their family. His sisters, Caroline and Charlotte, are so thrilled to have a baby brother.

2006

Caroline Cannon writes that they had a daughter Nov. 27, 2023. Nicknamed “Birdie,” Lila Elizabeth Martin joined big brother James (twoand-a-half years old) to make them a family of four.

Hannah Jones Proulx, husband Erik, and big sister Claire welcomed Jack Rowan Proulx on Dec. 19, 2023.

2007

Steffi Ross West and her husband Nick welcomed a son Henry “Hank” Thomas West on Feb. 26.

2008

Hunter Ross Gottwald and James Gottwald ’05 welcomed daughter Huntley in April.

2010

Lauren Cricchi married Joe Makhoul June 15 at All Saints Episcopal Church followed by a reception at the Country Club of Virginia. Janie O’Connor Callaway, Kathleen Melnick Corsello, Addie Gottwald, Bridgette Williams Gottwald, Kate Byron Baradaran, and Will Cricchi ’14 were all in the wedding party. There were many, many fellow Cougars in attendance!

2013

Natalie and Peter Ferguson share that their daughter Rose Maria Ferguson was born March 3, 2024.

2015

Evie Taylor ’16 and Jack Cooke got engaged June 1, 2024.

Mary Moncure Spivey competed in the Virginia Xcel State Championship gymnastics meet and earned first place on vault with a score of 9.100, becoming the Xcel gold state champion for ages 17 and up. She also placed in third place on floor (bronze), fifth place on uneven bars, and fifth place all around.

2017

Ann-Hammond Gift married Ian Macpherson Sept. 30, 2023 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The officiant was Collegiate’s very own Reverend Brian Justice. The Cougar spirit was strongly felt with bridal party and guests. Bridal party Collegiate alumni included Madison Stewart ’16 Olivia Jacobs, Ginx Williams, Mary Katherine Kish ’14, Jimmy Gift ’04, and Michael Stewart ’20.

2021

James Kulp is spending the summer of his third year in college as a fly fishing guide at Triangle X Ranch in Moose, Wyoming, just outside Jackson Hole. He encourages all to get outdoors and enjoy nature.

2022

Cadet Michael Lansing successfully completed US Army Air Assault School at Fort Moore Georgia in June of 2024, making him a third generation Air Assault Qualified Soldier in his family.

1-2. Lauren Cricchi ’10 married Joe Makhoul June 15 at All Saints Episcopal Church followed by a reception at the Country Club of Virginia. Janie O’Connor Callaway ’10, Kathleen Melnick Corsello ’10, Addie Gottwald ’10, Bridgette Williams Gottwald ’10, Kate Byron Baradaran ’10, and Will Cricchi ’14 were all in the wedding party. There were many, many fellow Cougars in attendance!

3. Natalie ’13 and Peter Ferguson ’13 welcomed their daughter Rose Maria Ferguson on March 3, 2024.

4. Evie Taylor ’16 and Jack Cooke ’15 got engaged June 1, 2024.

5. Mary Moncure Spivey ’15 competed in the Virginia Xcel State Championship gymnastics meet and earned first place on vault.

6. Ann-Hammond Gift ’17 married Ian Macpherson Sept. 30, 2023 in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

7. James Kulp ’21 is spending the summer of his third year in college as a fly fishing guide at Triangle X Ranch in Moose, Wyoming. Hard to beat a wild brown trout!

8. Cadet Michael Lansing ’22 successfully completed US Army Air Assault School at Fort Moore Georgia in June of 2024.

IN MEMORIAM

Our condolences are offered to these members of the Collegiate family.

Bonnie King, wife of Robert King ’68, died Feb. 10, 2024.

Frank Brooks, father of Michael Brooks ’94, died Feb. 13, 2024.

James Donahue, grandfather of May Donahue ’16 and Lila Donahue ’18, died Feb. 15, 2024

Jeanne Nolley, mother of Scott Nolley ’78 and Catherine Nolley Triantis ’81, died Feb. 16, 2024.

Rebecca Trader, sister of William Reames, aunt of Brian Reames ’83, Robin Reames Atwood ’83, and Lindsey Reames Claud ’87, died Feb. 18, 2024.

Harry Warthen, father of Martha Warthen ’92 and William Warthen ’96, died Feb. 20, 2024.

Mildred Jones, mother of Edward Jones ’73 and Beth Jones Geraghty ’75, died Feb. 24, 2024.

Cary Doyle, grandmother of Helen Stoever ’18, Brude Stoever ’21, and Hill Stoever, died Feb. 28, 2024.

Frances Schools, mother of David Schools ’83, died March 2, 2024.

Judge Edgar Turlington, father of Carol Turlington Gilbert ’85 and John Turlington ’94; grandfather of Carter Gilbert ’19 and Riley Gilbert ’22, died March 4, 2024.

Lois August, grandmother of Tappy August ’36 died March 5, 2024.

Susan Bechtold, grandmother of Jasper Jones ’27, died March 6, 2024.

George Longest, grandfather of Joseph Ascoli ’20 and Andrew Ascoli ’24, died March 11, 2024.

Malcolm Bates, husband of Isabel Spilman Bates ’67; father of Marshall Bates Rigby ’93; grandfather of T Rigby ’23 and Isabel Rigby ’25, died March 15, 2024.

Stewart Dodson, grandfather of Whit Congdon ’02 and Mark Congdon ’03; great-grandfather of Chip Congdon ’34 and Helen Congdon ’36, died March 15, 2024.

Alan Kirshner, grandfather of Catherine Anderson Gregory ’05 and Laura Anderson Kirby ’07, died March 17, 2024.

Wiley Latham, M.D., father of Wiley Latham ’96 and Michelle Latham Holmes ’00, died March 18, 2024.

Tim Hunter, husband of former Head of the Lower School Jill Hunter; father of Matt Hunter ’97 and Warren Hunter ’01; grandfather of Alice Hunter ’27 and Blanton Hunter ’33, died March 20, 2024.

Nancy Massey, sister of Libby Massey ’68, Mike Massey ’70, John Massey ’71, Susan Massey ’73, and Taylor Massey ’82, died March 20, 2024.

Daniel Jordan, grandfather of Laura Teele, died March 21, 2024.

Geoff Peoples, brother of Sports Performance coach Chris Peoples, died March 21.

Patricia Jarvis, wife of Emmett Jarvis ’66, died March 23, 2024.

John “Ian” Nixon, father of Sarah Nixon ’98 and Andrew Nixon ’02; father-in-law of Liz Costin Nixon ’02, died March 25, 2024.

Janis Carrell, mother of Molly Carrell Pierce ’97 and Courtney Carrell Diamond, ’01 died March 26, 2024.

John Stevenson Jr., father of John Stevenson III ’81, died March 26, 2024.

L. Howard Jenkins, father of Howard Jenkins ’92, Scott Jenkins ’94, and Peyton Jenkins ’00; grandfather of Haley Jenkins ’21, Matthew Jenkins ’23, Taylor Jenkins ’26, Ryan Jenkins ’29, Peyton Jenkins ’31, and Jack Jenkins ’34, died March 29, 2024.

Edward “Pete” Darling, former Trustee from 1967-1985 and Board Chair from 1976-1978; father of Ross Darling ’84; grandfather of Jake Darling ’19 and Zach Darling ’22, died April 1, 2024.

Ann Parrish, grandmother of Elizabeth Parrish King ’07, died April 5, 2024.

Nan Higgins, mother of Marshall Higgins ’98, died April 6, 2024.

These notices were received as of June 11, 2024. This In Memoriam section is taken from printed obituaries, which may be edited for space. Please contact our office if the information is incomplete. The information included is compiled from our database, which is continually updated. To submit a condolence, email spark@collegiate-va.org.

Eleanor Peaseley, grandmother of Bradstreet Peaseley ’07, Lee Peaseley ’10, and Martha Peaseley ’13, died April 6, 2024.

Erika Moore, mother of Erika Moore Price ’75, J. Rutherford Moore ’76, and Anne Huston Moore Parker ’79; grandmother of Rutherford Moore ’11 and Ali Moore ’13, died April 9, 2024.

Elizabeth Butterworth, mother of Ann Butterworth ’75 and Elizabeth Butterworth Stutts ’81, died April 11, 2024.

William Jones, father of Middle School drama teacher Jenny Hundley, died April 17, 2024.

Nancy Bruni, mother of Ben Bruni ’10 and mother-in-law of Lower School math specialist Liz Bruni ’09, died April 19, 2024.

Hugh Campbell, grandfather of Caroline Meyer ’13, Meg Meyer ’14, and Charlie Meyer ’16, died April 20, 2024.

Sandra Thomas, grandmother of Aynsley Thomas Cosby ’07 and Taylor Thomas ’10 died April 21, 2024.

Betsy Curtler, wife of former Vice President - Finance Robert Sedivy, died April 25, 2024.

J. Durwood Felton III, father of Jonathan Felton ’93 and Lauren Felton Boynton ’97, died April 25, 2024.

Paul Thompson Sr., father of Patricia Thompson Buff ’81, Paul Thompson Jr. ’83, Tim Thompson ’87, and Jim Thompson ’88, died April 25, 2024

William Krause, grandfather of Anya Bhagchandani ’31, died April 26, 2024.

William Toler Nolley, brother of Ashton Nolley ’79, died April 28, 2024.

Paul Roane, father of Missy Roane Reynolds ’86 and Amy Roane Galvin ’91, died May 5, 2024.

Colette Hough ’27, daughter of Bruce and Jo-Ann Hough, sister of Sophie Hough ’23 and Maddie Hough ’25, died May 5, 2024.

Marie Massey, mother of Blair Massey ’72, Mark Massey ’82, and Morgan Massey Bartolini ’84; grandmother of Lauren Massey Mathews ’02 and Tyler Massey Helfrich ’04, died May 9, 2024.

Marion Peavey, father of former Collegiate employee Alex Peavey, father-in-law to Sarah Morck Peavey ’01, and grandfather to Bodhi Peavey ’30 and Jane Peavey ’31, died May 16, 2024.

Randy Reynolds Sr., father of Randy Reynolds ’84, Ralph Reynolds ’86, and Robert Reynolds ’89, died May 17, 2024.

Mia Norton, mother of Marshall Norton ’93, Adam Norton ’96, and Alison Norton, died May 18, 2024.

Norma Polk, mother of Thad Polk ’82, died May 30, 2024.

Brian Rollison, father of Hayden Rollison ’23 and Lily Rollison ’27, died June 11, 2024.

ALUMNI

Elizabeth “Tommy” Richardson Shannon ’51

Ann Buchanan ’52

Sally Rice Johnson ’66

William “Buck” Wiltshire ’67

Robert King Jr. ’68

Elaine Ferebee Osburn ’72

Cynthia Liebert Crowder ’74

Laura Northen Manos ’77

Heth Owen ’78

Robert Watkins ’79

David Willis ’79

James Morris ’81

Correction: In the 2024 spring issue, we incorrectly listed Mary Bruce Featherston DeVoe’s ’56 name within the In Memoriam section. We regret the error.

TEACHER’S TAKE Matt Togna

Dr. Matt Togna shows up for students — to their games, their concerts, their plays, and, of course, in the classroom, where he teaches Upper School science. As a 10th Grade advisor, JV golf coach, and assistant varsity swim coach, Dr. Togna believes this presence — of being an active supporter and participant in everything the students do — is an essential quality of teaching. It shows compassion. It’s another way of telling students you care, that you’re there for them. “I just show up to things,” says Dr. Togna, who came to Collegiate in 2019. “That’s what makes any school environment exciting. It’s not just about what you’re doing in the classroom. It’s about all of the extracurriculars. I love seeing my students — the whole student body, really — grow through everything a school has to offer. I love that, and it’s an honor to be a part of that.” In the final days of the 2023-24 school year, Dr. Togna sat down with Spark to discuss the joys of working at Collegiate and the importance of teaching life lessons in and outside of the classroom.

SPARK TALKS WITH UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER

Matt Togna

WHAT MAKES TEACHING AT COLLEGIATE SO SPECIAL?

We have so many different resources at our disposal at Collegiate that allow us to really make the subjects we’re teaching come to life. I’m very fortunate to have all the materials I need whenever I need them — things that ensure the students get the most out of each class. We have the opportunity to make every class different and unique; we’re never bound to a strict lecture-style class. I like to get in the lab and make chemistry come to life. That’s a really important part of my class, and I am grateful to have the tools to make that happen.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR STUDENTS TAKE WITH THEM WHEN THEY LEAVE YOUR CLASSROOM?

At the end of each school year, I always tell my students that what we were learning wasn’t just about chemistry. When they leave my class, I hope that they come away with an understanding of what it means to work through challenges and overcome academic adversity. I also like to talk about how that translates into other classes and other big life challenges they might encounter. There are moments when, even though you’re focusing on chemistry, you can help students see beyond the walls of the classroom.

That is one of the things I love about being a teacher and a coach and an advisor here at Collegiate: the opportunities that arise where you are able to help students become better people. My job as an educator is to help students see difficult situations as moments of growth.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

I’ve been teaching for a long enough time now where I’ll get letters from former students of mine telling me what they’re doing now. Those random, out-of-the-blue emails are some of the best moments that you never expect. But when they do pop up — when someone five years later tells you the kind of impact you had on them — they’re really meaningful. Those moments remind me why I’m a teacher. I want each student to know that I care about them as individuals — that they’ve been seen and cared for.

WHAT HAVE YOUR STUDENTS TAUGHT YOU?

They teach me something every day. I love what I do because I get to work with students. They challenge me intellectually and they remind me that everyone learns differently and that I’ve got to constantly refine my lessons to reach every student in every class. Their eagerness, their readiness to learn — that inspires me, and it’s what I thrive on. They also keep me up to date on all the relevant slang of the up-andcoming generations.

TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PRESENT FOR EACH STUDENT’S FULL ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE.

One of the reasons I came to Collegiate was that it was very clear to me that faculty and staff fully immerse themselves in the School. To work with professionals who care about every aspect of a student’s education — not just in the classroom — is really special. That kind of atmosphere challenges you to do the same thing. To show up, to immerse yourself in Collegiate as a whole. It’s about being involved in the SCA, it’s about helping plan events, it’s about watching students succeed everywhere — on stage, on the field, in the classroom. Being a teacher means being present for students, and Collegiate does that really well.

Looking back and going forward. As the Class of 2024 embarks on new endeavors, we searched through our archives to find photographs of their Moving Up ceremony, from June 2016.