Atrium Spring 2018

atrium A AMAGAZINE MAGAZINE FOR FOR THE THE

SPRING 2018

COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

F E AT U R E

Behind the Scenes Gulliver's Unsung Heroes

A Builder and Explorer Gulliver President Cliff Kling

Distinguished Alumni and Faculty 2018

Ana Cristina Cash '03 Hitting the Right Notes

...and more!

Welcoming.

We are proud to welcome our new families to Gulliver.

Gulliver is more than a school – it’s a vibrant community.

We celebrate diversity and nurture individuality.

Our students find and cultivate their passions through learning, charting the path that will take them into the future.

For more information, please contact our Admissions Offices: PreK3-8 305.665.3593

Grade 9-12 305.666.7937

Gulliver gulliverschools.org

atrium SPRING 2018

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jana Bruns P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26

PHOTOGRAPHERS

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Maegan Azpiazu

Nicole Kaufman Glasgow P ‘31

MANAGING EDITORS Rochelle Broder-Singer Kimberly Bobson Feldman

Kimberly Bobson Feldman

Camilla Gallagher P ‘24 ‘28

Leah Boyd ‘19

R.C. Ganser P ‘15 ‘21

Jana Bruns P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26

Adrian Gordon

COPY EDITOR Amber Barry

Lauren Comander

Doreen Hemlock

Lori-Ann M. Cox P ‘19 ‘25

John McCloskey P ‘18 ‘19

Marie Dieppa ‘04

Victoria Rodriguez Thiessen P ‘24

Rachele Huelsman

Stephanie Sanchez

Maegan Azpiazu Ignacio Izquierdo Diaz ‘19 (page 8) Jessica Kizorek Stephanie Sanchez Shark Tagging photos courtesy of University of Miami’s Shark Research & Conservation Program, www.sharktagging.com (page 57)

Copyright 2018, Gulliver Schools. atrium is published by Gulliver Advancment and distributed free of charge to alumni, faculty and friends of the school.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. To reach us, call 305.666.6333.

Alumni Office: Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 9350 South Dixie Highway 11th Floor, Miami, FL 33156, alumni@gulliverschools.org or 786.709.4073. Please visit gulliverschools.org/alumni.

Letters to the Editor: atrium welcomes letters to the editor regarding magazine content. Send your letters via email to communications@gulliverschools. org or mail to atrium, Gulliver Communications, 9350 South Dixie Highway 11th Floor, Miami, FL 33156. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

All letters should include the writer’s full name and daytime phone number. Alumni, please include your graduation year.

Gulliver Schools is a 501(c)(3) private, non-profit, independent, coeducational, nonsectarian day school with the mission to create an academic community devoted to educational excellence, with a personal touch, that fulfills each student’s potential. ©2017-18 Gulliver Schools

What is atrium? atrium refers to the Atrium - the physical center of Gulliver Prep - a common space where the Gulliver community has assembled for many decades to share news, recognize achievements and contributions, honor traditions and shape new ones, just like this magazine intends to.

Cover Photo: Gulliver Transportation Coordinator Nelson Olivo, photographed by Jessica Kizorek, is one of the many unsung heroes whose impact on the Gulliver community goes far beyond their job titles.

VOLUNTEER

in any capacity or serve in a leadership role as a member of a Gulliver events committee – like the members of the Gulliver Gala Committee, pictured here. Contact Marie Dieppa, Special Events Coordinator, at specialevents@ gulliverschools.org or 786.709.4082.

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Article Headline This Is Where the Article Subtitle Goes

by Author Name

MY DAY Felix Jacomino P ’25

WELCOME President Cliff Kling Board Chair Jocelyn F. Woolworth P ‘19

5 6

FACULTY PROFILE Craig Thompson

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MY DAY Felix Jacomino P ‘25

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WHAT’S IN MY OFFICE Adriana Restrepo Muñoz ‘87, P ‘17 ‘20

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ALUMNI EVENT RECAP

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ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND PREVIEW

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PHILANTHROPY IN ACTION Chowdhury Family STUDENT PROFILE Julia Bueno ‘23

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FEATURES Behind the Scenes at Gulliver Distinguished Alumni & Faculty Award Honorees Gulliver President Cliff Kling – A Builder and Explorer

22 31 36

UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS

30

2018 GULLIVER GALA

40

GULLIVER SPORTS Signing Days Water Polo Makes Its Mark Getting to the Heart of Team Leadership – Coach Jorge Dieppa P ‘00 ‘04

43 44 46

ALUMNI PROFILES Kody Schnebly ‘13 Claudio Pastor ‘90 Rebecca Dorfman ‘05 Ana Cristina (Alvarez) Cash ‘03

47 48 50 51

ALUMNI MEMORIES

53

CLASS NOTES

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NEWS AROUND GULLIVER Preparatory Academy Annual Fund Update

56 58 60

GULLIVER ARTS

62

STAFF NOTES

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GULLIVER GIVES Building Houses, Building Confidence and Bonds

page 22

66

FEATURE Behind the Scenes

page 40

2018 GULLIVER GALA

page 43

GULLIVER SPORTS Signing Days

page 62

GULLIVER ARTS

page 66

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GULLIVER GIVES

from the

president Dear Gulliver Family, Since joining the Gulliver community as President in January 2018, my first five months have been filled with many new experiences: new school, new city, new routine and, perhaps most importantly, new faces. I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting many of our students, families, alumni, faculty and staff. I’ve had the opportunity to observe firsthand just how many people are responsible for the daily operations at Gulliver, the fifth-largest independent school in the National Association of Independent Schools.

I’m honored to be writing to you from the same pages of atrium magazine where we recognize those whose extraordinary efforts are the driving force behind the formative experiences we provide for each Gulliver student every day. These “unsung heroes” provide the necessary support for our students to think deeply, explore intensely and express themselves confidently. In these pages, we also profile Julia Bueno ‘23, a merit scholar who has already accumulated significant academic honors, and alumnus Claudio Pastor ‘90, Italy’s honorary consul to Puerto Rico, showcasing how our students, past and present, are impacting the world around them, whether they are still with us or long after they have graduated.

The article “Building Houses, Building Confidence and Bonds” (page 66), tells the story of a group of students and their service project building homes for disadvantaged families in the Dominican Republic. What struck me was how their parents and siblings joined them on the trip to be a part of the project, making it a true family affair.

I have quickly learned that one of Gulliver’s defining characteristics is the strength and close-knit nature of our community, the

Gulliver family.

I have seen many examples of this, including the support and encouragement our students show to one another, the partnership and involvement our parents have with us, the strong bonds faculty members have with each other, and the engagement of our alumni with the school.

The Gulliver family has also demonstrated its support of our school this year through unprecedented levels of philanthropic giving, including our most successful Gala in school history (more on page 40). With our families’ support, the possibilities are endless, and we will be able to realize our bold and ambitious plans for Gulliver’s future.

There is much to look forward to in the year ahead, my first full school year at Gulliver.

On a personal note, I am excited for my wife, Heather, and our daughters, Alise and Ainsley, to join me in Miami soon, and for our girls to enroll as Gulliver students this Fall. I continue to be energized by the vision for our school articulated in our strategic plan, and I look forward to continued work with the board and our administration to realize that vision. From our ever-growing culture of philanthropy, to our plans for campus and facility improvements, there is so much on the horizon for Gulliver. I hope you finish this issue of atrium feeling as inspired as I do!

With Gulliver Pride, Cliff Kling President

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ch r ' ts el n e tttse r caoi n

from the

Article Headline

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This Is Where the Article Subtitle Goes

board chair

by Author Name

Dear Gulliver Community, The theme of this issue of atrium celebrates the (often) unsung heroes who are an integral part of our exceptional school, and who – through their dedication – enable Gulliver to deliver an unparalleled education daily. Long before the school day has started, and often well after the last student has left campus, groundskeeper, maintenance, security, transportation and cafeteria staff are busy at work. They are joined by our nurses, receptionists, personal assistants, custodians and childcare professionals, all working collaboratively to fulfill Gulliver’s mission of creating an academic community, devoted to educational excellence, with a personal touch that fulfills each student’s potential. This issue provides a glance at the challenges and triumphs they experience each day.

We also continue to share the stories of our alumni’s successes after they leave Gulliver’s classrooms. From singer-songwriter Ana Cash ‘03, to Kody Schnebly ‘13 helping open Miami's first craft brewery, to Rebecca Dorfman ‘05’s return to Miami to lead public relations for the Frost Museum of Science – these graduates showcase Gulliver’s extraordinary alumni, and exemplify to our current students the different paths they can take to empower their own futures.

On January 1, Gulliver had the pleasure of welcoming a new President, Cliff Kling. In just a few short months, Cliff already is deeply entrenched in laying the groundwork that will shape the Gulliver of the future. While many

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of you have had the opportunity to meet Cliff over the past five months, I encourage you to read page 36 for a closer look at the man leading the charge.

As we come to the close of the school year, the Board is reflecting on the many advances Gulliver has made towards its strategic initiatives, while we actively plan for 201819 and beyond. I am excited to share that through the generosity of our community we not only met, but far exceeded, our Annual Fund goal, and perhaps more importantly, have begun to set the stage for a culture of philanthropy that will continue to serve Gulliver well into the future. We also began implementing our outlined facility enhancements and soon will be sharing Gulliver’s vision for multicampus-wide facility improvements. The Board looks forward to partnering with the community as we head towards an exceptionally bright future at Gulliver.

With Gulliver Pride,

Jocelyn F. Woolworth P ‘19 Chair, Board of Trustees

Thank you,

future ready

Leadership 2017-18 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chair Jocelyn F. Woolworth P ‘19 Vice Chair Michalis Stavrinides P ‘21 ‘22 ‘24 Treasurer Kara Stearns Sharp ‘85, P ‘22 Secretary Thomas Garfinkel P ‘22 ‘24 ‘27 Gustavo Antorcha ‘92, P ‘22 ‘23 Scott Bettridge P ‘20 ‘22 Stephanie Burke P ‘23 ‘24 ‘28 Tony Figueroa Cisneros ‘94, P ‘25 ‘27 Jessica Gonzalez P ‘18 ‘21 Rosemary Hartigan P ‘23 ‘25 ‘31 Susan Henkin P ‘09 ‘11 ‘14 Dr. Narendra Kini P ‘19 ‘22 Priscilla Marrero P ‘19 ‘22 Alfonso Munk P ‘25 ‘27 Dr. Constantino Pena ‘86, P ‘21 ’23 ‘26 Darlene Boytell-Pérez P ‘22 Swapnil J. Shah ‘94, P ‘20 ‘23 ‘24 Vincent Signorello P ‘21 2017–18 ALUMNI COUNCIL MEMBERS Laura Pequignot ‘82 Scott Davidson ‘86 Connie Ernsberger ‘87 Christy Acosta ‘90 Sabriya Ishoof ‘91 Elinette Ruiz de la Portilla ‘92 Rush Bowles ‘94 Frank Rosenberg ‘95 Jill Paget Lowe ‘95 Karin Figueroa Cisneros ‘95 Christyn Lucas ‘03 Rebecca Dorfman ‘05 Faequa Khan ‘05 Shane Vernon ‘05 Val Berrin ‘07 Javi Enriquez ‘07 Jasmine Frazier ‘07 Joe Traba ‘10 Austin Wood ‘12

ADMINISTRATION AND PRINCIPALS President Cliff Kling Head of School Frank Steel Assistant Head of School, Grades PreK3-8 Valerie Bostick Assistant Head of School, Grades 9-12 and Preparatory School Principal Jonathan Schoenwald P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26 Executive Director, External Affairs Chief Advancement Officer Lori-Ann M. Cox P ‘19 ‘25

ADVANCEMENT Executive Director, External Affairs Chief Advancement Officer Lori-Ann M. Cox P ‘19 ‘25 Director of Philanthropy and Strategic Partnerships Nicole Kaufman Glasgow P ‘31 Director of Alumni Relations Rachele Huelsman Director of Marketing and Communications Favi Budyszewick Senior Manager Advancement Services Patricia Hommes

Chief Operating Officer Charles Rue

Public Relations and Brand Manager Kimberly Bobson Feldman

Director of Innovation & Technology Felix Jacomino

Communications Specialist, Grades 9-12 Maegan Azpiazu

Chief Financial Officer Ron Hurst

Communications Specialist, Grades PreK3-8 Stephanie Sanchez

Director of Human Resources James Santoro

Graphic/Web Designer Sabrina (Cianfoni) Gordon ‘04

Director of Operations and Risk Management Edward Latour

Special Events Coordinators Marie Dieppa ‘04

Primary and Lower School Principal, Academy - Marian C. Krutulis Campus Rachel Griffin Middle School Principal, Academy - Marian C. Krutulis Campus Elizabeth M. Scott Middle School Principal, Academy - Montgomery Drive Campus Donna Fong-Yee

Parent Engagement Associate Victoria Rodriguez Thiessen P ‘24 Advancement Research and Stewardship Specialist Mari Novo Advancement Services Analyst Cherilyn Pena Administrative Assistant Giselle Torres

Principal, Preparatory - Miller Drive Campus Melissa T. Sullivan

FOUNDER Marian C. Krutulis (1923-2013)

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faculty profile

A Math ‘Lighthouse’ Math Faculty Member Craig Thompson

By Leah Boyd ‘19

“E

mpower the student to learn.” This aphorism has been a critical component of Gulliver’s community philosophy, summarizing perceptions of learning and teaching throughout the school. Ascending any of the sets of stairs grazing the corners of the Prep Atrium will guide you to room 202, the home of math teacher Craig Thompson, a self-proclaimed University of Miami superfan and crossword puzzle-solver extraordinaire.

Thompson’s unique and expansive approach to the study of mathematics exemplifies the ideal of empowering students to learn.

“I think being in a relaxed atmosphere that is conducive to learning is important,” Thompson explains. “I don’t think it necessarily has to be ‘fun,’ but I don’t think people should have problems asking questions, asking me to explain a problem, or just saying, ‘I don’t get the concept; let’s start from scratch.’ That’s important.”

Every class opens with an opportunity for students to interact and discuss the most recent homework assignment, painting the whiteboards with solutions and combining intellectual forces to resolve any complications. Thompson allows the students to shine during this time, only providing input if a mistake or misconception presents itself. Behind the echoes of student laughter is the foundation of a solid comprehension of the material, cemented by the students’ abilities to explain the concepts to one another and review key elements of homework in a conversational classroom setting.

Thompson may slip onto the sidelines during class, but he is constantly striving to assist and guide those struggling with the material. Before handing back graded assessments, he always reminds the class that there may be a “couple of bumps in the road, but [there is] nothing we can’t fix.” His students have plenty of opportunities to meet with him after school, and they eagerly slip through his door at 3:15 p.m. to expand their learning capabilities.

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Intermingling with the current students are Thompson’s former students, who habitually swing by his room to swipe a sweet treat from his candy drawer or to toss a quick greeting while walking to their next period. “I like it when students come back,” he admits.

“As teachers, we’re sort of like lighthouses; students travel around us for a little bit and avoid the rocks, and after that, you sometimes don’t see them.” But Thompson strives to make genuine connections with his students, and his affability draws them back to his classroom and forms bonds that persist well into their university studies.

Equally important, Thompson is admittedly unafraid of being questioned by his students, remaining open to criticisms of his work or challenges to an incorrect demonstration. His admiration for the potential and abilities of the Gulliver community further reinforces Thompson’s role as a friend to his students and instills a sense of mutual respect between the learners and instructor.

In his nearly 20 years as a math instructor at Gulliver, Thompson has instilled his own personal definition of “empowerment” within the scope of learning. For him, it means motivating students to perfect their math education by promoting personal connections balanced with academic rigor. “I say that in life, you always remember your best teachers and your worst teachers, so it’s nice to be remembered for something,” he says. Whether it’s through the delicate crinkling of a candy wrapper from his famous drawer of sweets or through a boisterous laugh complementing an inside joke, Thompson’s influence creates the foundation for a uniquely positive and empowering experience for each of his students.

my day

10:00 a.m. Jacomino receives a call from a team member reporting Gulliver’s 40,000th ticket for IT-related issues. Tickets include problems such as “Jammed printer” and “Internet down,” and number 40,000 isn’t exactly a happy milestone. “The goal for me is to solidify the infrastructure of our network to the point where support tickets are at an all-time low,” Jacomino says. Some incidents are simply beyond his control, of course. In April, internet went down at the entire school for more than a day when someone – not a school employee – cut a cable.

10:45 a.m. Jacomino checks in with his project manager, Michelle Nieto P ‘22 ‘24, on the progress of Gulliver’s shift to a new student information system.

It’s an enormous undertaking that’s expected to take 18 months. “This is anything but a ‘set it and forget it’ project,” but, he says with an excited grin, “the benefits will be huge!”

11:15 a.m. Jacomino stops into a classroom for unofficial observation. “I want to make sure the teachers have the right tools to be the innovative teachers we are asking them to be, so I try not to let a whole day go by without swinging by to see how my department can help,” he says.

Felix Jacomino P ‘25 Gulliver’s Director of Innovation and Technology

By Lauren Comander 7:30 a.m. Felix Jacomino already has a slew of emails, texts and phone calls. Today, Gulliver’s Director of Innovation and Technology is operating out of his office on the Academy - Marian C. Krutulis Campus.

Charged with overseeing all of Gulliver’s IT infrastructure and educational technology, as well as innovation, he says he’s “constantly popping here, there, everywhere for lots and lots of meetings. There is no such thing as a typical day!”

8:15 a.m. Two pedagogical coaches stop by Jacomino’s office with an update. As part of the 17-member team Jacomino oversees, these coaches help teachers organize student learning opportunities like mystery video calls, in which teachers link up with classrooms around the world, and students lead Q&A sessions trying to guess where each classroom is located. Jacomino notes the easy international collaboration offered by technology complements the 21st century skills Gulliver is teaching students.

12:15 p.m. In just the past hour, Jacomino received 12 new emails, seven texts and two phone calls to return. But he heads to lunch in the cafeteria, where he builds relationships with faculty and staff. “I want to get to know as many people as possible and learn how I can support their needs,” he says.

1:30 p.m. Jacomino hops in his car and heads to the Executive Office for the weekly 90-minute Executive Leadership Team meeting. “We put our visions on the table and everybody can see what’s going on and how it all fits together,” he says. “We figure out what supports to put in place to meet all the initiatives, because there are a lot of initiatives at Gulliver!”

4:00 p.m. Jacomino returns to his Academy office, where a copy of The Innovator’s Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent and Lead a Culture of Creativity permanently resides on his desk. It’s a book he asked that all Gulliver teachers read during the summer. “All human knowledge is on the internet,” he says. “[But] it’s important to think in terms of realworld problem-solving.”

4:15 p.m. With the halls clear of students, Jacomino and a member of his educational technology team discuss an inquiry from a teacher about an app that might be a good fit within her curriculum.

4:45 p.m. Jacomino leaves for the day.

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in my office

What’s in My Office: Adriana Restrepo Muñoz, Prep Guidance and College Counselor

By Maegan Azpiazu

I

t all started with Snoopy.

Alumna Dr. Adriana Restrepo Muñoz ‘87, P ‘17 ‘20 has served as a Guidance and College Counselor at Gulliver Prep for 13 years. In 2010, she moved offices and set out to create a unique space – one that is now known campus-wide for its fun gadgets, welcoming ambiance and neverending candy stash.

“The idea of this room is to create a space that when you walk in you feel relaxed – hence the lighting, the candy, the toys,” Muñoz says. “It lowers your blood pressure so you can talk about the things that might be on your mind, or it can help you decompress so you can get back out there. Everything has a purpose. No matter where you look, there’s hopefully something that will make you smile, make you more comfortable or raise curiosity.”

Underneath soft lights, collages of smiling students, diplomas, Florida State University paraphernalia and college pennants grace the walls. Behind her door is a magnetic dart board, and on the floor, stuffed animals lounge on a bean bag chair.

“Everything has special meaning to me,” Muñoz says. “This room tells you about most aspects of my life and the things that I love. You have my books that represent me as a psychologist, my yearbooks from when I was here as a student and from the 13 years I’ve been working here. I have my personal spiritual corner, pictures of my students who have graduated, and I have my Snoopy things; I’m a big fan.”

Muñoz’s desk and a bookshelf are filled with gifts from students, including more picture frames and stuffed animals, candy jars, games and knick-knacks.

“Every year I just accumulate more and more

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“It started with Snoopy, then I brought in the books, candy and a couple of toys,” says Muñoz of her relaxing office.

"

“Every year I just accumulate more and more things. It’s fun.

There’s a little piece of me in everything, but also pieces of my students.”

things,” Muñoz says. “It’s fun. There’s a little piece of me in everything, but also pieces of my students.”

A truly special part of Muñoz’s office is the collection of graduating class photo collages that adorns the wall in front of her desk. The collages are a tradition started by the first group of students she advised for all four years of their high school careers. “Whenever I want to give up or whenever I ask myself, ‘Why am I doing this?,’ all I have to do is look up and they’re always in front of me,” she explains. “It reminds me of challenges that were overcome, the resilience of this age.”

A particularly proud moment for Muñoz was watching her son, Alejandro, graduate from Gulliver in 2017, alongside so many children who have become like her own. She looks forward to her daughter Catalina’s graduation in 2020.

Muñoz’s own experience at Gulliver is what drew her back to the school during her career. “I always wanted to come back here, and Mrs. K gave me an opportunity,” she says. “Who I was when I started here [as a student] and who I became when I left – that motivated me to come back and be part of that for someone else.”

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alumni recap

By Rachele Huelsman

Home for the Holidays Alumni Party

Host Shane Vernon ‘05, Coach James Callier and Connor Vernon ‘09

Close to 100 alumni from the classes of 1982-2017 joined Gulliver faculty and

Cristin Valle Espinosa, David Espinosa ‘02, Coach Manny Crespo and Monica Pardo ‘97, P ‘29

staff to kick off the holiday season with a fun and festive happy hour at Black Market Miami on December 20, 2017. Red Rabbit Productions (Shane Vernon ‘05) and the Gulliver Alumni Association cosponsored the party.

Alfie Suarez-Sarmiento ‘04 and Katie Suarez-Sarmiento ‘04

Jack Reiter and Jill Reiter ‘89, P ‘20 ‘23 ‘25

Legacy Bowl On December 23, 2017, alumni from the classes of 1989-2011 came out for the inaugural Legacy Bowl alumni flag football tournament. Coaches and alumni reminisced about their time at Gulliver and Six teams participated in the inaugural Legacy Bowl alumni flag football tournament sponsored by Erik Lichter ‘08

participated in an actionpacked tournament in hopes of winning the Legacy Bowl trophy.

After the game, alumni, coaches and their families enjoyed a barbecue and tailgate. Thank you to our sponsors, Acosta & Lichter, PA and Sweet Lich’s (Eric Lichter ‘08).

Head of School Frank Steel and Coach Earl Sims

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Tournament Champions Team Sweet Lich’s

Alumni Baseball Game & Tailgate

Gulliver Travels Los Angeles

On January 13, baseball alumni from the classes of 1996-

Gulliver Travels hit Los Angeles on January 20 with

2017 stepped up to the plate at the Academy baseball field

an alumni networking event at Prank, L.A.’s first

for a home run derby, softball game and barbecue. Alumni

walk-up bar, located in the burgeoning Downtown

and current players battled it out to be the home run derby

neighborhood. Alumni from the classes of 1994-2017

champion. In the end, Pedro Pages ‘16 was the winner!

caught up and learned what’s new at Gulliver.

Raider’s Edge Networking Lunch On January 25, Ben Riestra ‘91 hosted an alumni networking lunch at The Lennar Foundation Medical

Tony Socarras ‘96 with his son

Center at the University of Miami. Gulliver President Cliff Kling welcomed alumni from the classes of 1983-2005 for the event, sponsored by Wheels Up (Justin Firestone ‘95) and The Queen’s Flowers (Richard Perdomo ‘04).

2018 Alumni Baseball Game participants with Coach Manny Crespo, Head of School Frank Steel, President Cliff Kling and Athletic Director Mark Schusterman.

Gulliver Travels Atlanta The Gulliver Alumni Association hosted 21 alumni from the greater Atlanta area, as well as several faculty and

Host Ben Riestra ‘91 welcomed alumni to the new Lennar Foundation Medical Center

Event sponsor Justin Firestone ‘95, Founding Partner, Wheels Up

staff members, at the Saltyard in Buckhead on March 7.

Alumni shared Gulliver memories and received an update on campus happenings from Head of School Frank Steel.

Wes Quesenberry ‘93 and Ted Schwartz ‘85

Head of School Frank Steel providing alumni with an update on the school

Tanis Perez ‘92 and Karen Macaluso ‘93, P ‘23

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2018 Alumni Basketball Tournament

alumni recap

By Rachele Huelsman

Alumni, faculty, staff and current parents played in the 2018 Alumni Basketball Tournament at the Blue

Sunset Social

Dungeon on March 3. Three teams competed in the

Gulliver alumni mingled together at Whiskey Joe’s in Key Biscayne on February 22, at an event sponsored by Aabad Melwani ‘97, Rickenbacker Marina and Boatyard.

35-and-older bracket, with the Sunday Morning Crew coming out on top. The 34-and-under bracket saw four teams go head-to-head; Buckets came away victorious, thanks to a hotly contested overtime win. Special thanks to Prep Basketball Head Coach Manny Bloom P ‘26 for his leadership in growing the tournament to include parents, faculty and staff.

Keely Mulligan ‘07, Christyn Lucas ‘03 and Coach Kelly Mulligan

Alumni enjoyed the Key Biscayne setting President Cliff Kling with Sunday Morning Crew, the winners of the 35+ bracket

Inese Bunch and Jason Bunch ‘02

Frank Rosenberg ‘95, P ‘31, Ignacio Tejera ‘97 and Javi Enriquez ‘07

Buckets, winners of the 34-and-under bracket

Inaugural Legacy Family Brunch In April, Head of School Frank Steel and his wife, Betsy, opened their home to host Gulliver’s first-ever Legacy Family Brunch.

It was a chance for current and incoming legacy families – alumni with children who are attending or will be joining us this upcoming school year – to get to know each other.

The Kelloggs: James ‘25, Thomas ‘27, Cassandra and Jason ‘93

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Tony Figuero Cisneros ‘94 with Juliette ‘27

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Head of School Frank Steel addresses the Legacy families

Brad Safchik ‘98 with Hunter ‘27

Miami Nights Alumni Social Alumni from the classes of 19842005 came out to

Gulliver Athletic Hall of Fame member Brian Sharkey ‘05

Drinkhouse Fire & Ice in Miami Beach on March 16. The unique space, co-owned

by Nicole Pritchett ‘05, gave alumni the chance to experience and enjoy both an ice lounge and fire bar.

Emille Rosenberg ‘31 and Laura Pina Pequignot ‘82 Christy Acosta ‘90, Robert Martinez and Robyn Martinez ‘86

Lady Raiders Luncheon On April 25, Libby Witherspoon ‘88, P ‘25 and BNY Mellon hosted 20 alumnae for Gulliver’s annual Karen Macaluso ‘93, P ‘23 and Jill Reiter ‘89, P ‘20 ‘23 ‘25 listen to highlights from a UN report on the economic impacts of social equality

Lady Raiders Luncheon. Anna Kearney, Associate Director for Finance at BNY Mellon, spoke to the group about the economic impact of social equality. She led a discussion on her recent research in conjunction with the UN about increased performance of companies and organizations with women in leadership

Host Libby Witherspoon ‘87, P ‘25 with Anna Kearney, Associate Director for Finance at BNY Mellon

roles, as well as the barriers that women must overcome to attain these roles.

Zahra Rahman ‘90, P ‘20 ‘23, Christy Acosta ‘90 and Maria Noguera Dizubiria ‘81 15

reunion weekend

Connect. Engage. Impact.

Classes of ‘78, ‘83, ‘88, ‘93, ‘98, ‘03, ‘08, ‘13

Alumni Reunion Weekend 2018 Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne 16

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|

June 1-3

Schedule of Events FRIDAY – JUNE 1, 2018 1:00-6:00 p.m.: Registration Opens – Osborn Room, Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne 5:00 p.m.: Campus Tour (Optional) – Prep 6:15-7:15 p.m.: Pep Rally – Prep Gym 8:30 p.m.: Anniversary Mixers

Class of 1978 & 1983: Cantina Beach, Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne

Class of 1988: Home of Cristina & Matt Sullivan ‘88, Miami

Class of 1993 & 1998: The Lightkeepers, Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne

Class of 2003, 2008 & 2013: Black Market Miami

SATURDAY – JUNE 2, 2018 (all activities at Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne) 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: Registration & Hospitality Suite – Osborn Room 10:30-11:30 a.m.: Yoga – Grand Lawn 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Pick-up Touch Football Game & Volleyball – Beach 12:30-1:30 p.m.: Bagels with the Bosses, President Cliff Kling and Head of School Frank Steel – Munroe Room 1:00-4:00 p.m.: BBQ and Pool Party – The Dune 7:00-8:00 p.m.: Cocktail Hour (21+) – Grand Ballroom 8:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.: All Alumni Reunion Celebration and Distinguished

Please contact Rachele Huelsman, Director of Alumni Relations, at 786.709.4073 or huer@gulliverschools.org.

Alumni & Faculty Awards (21+) – Grand Ballroom

12:00 a.m.: After Party (21+) – RUMBAR and The Lightkeepers

Share your Raider pride on social media with the

SUNDAY – JUNE 3, 2018 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Brunch and Farewell – Grand Ballroom Patio,

Questions?

Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne

tags #GulliverAlumni, #GulliverPride and #ForeverARaider.

Sustainer Sponsor

Blue and Silver Sponsors

Justin Firestone ‘95

G Sponsors

Matt Sullivan ‘88, P ‘21 ‘23

Scott Davidson ‘86, P ‘20

Underwriters

Alberto Gavazzi P ‘18 ‘21

Olga Arguello ‘96

Kody Schnebly ‘13

Richard Perdomo ‘04

Estrellita Sibila ‘97

Sarah Davidoff ‘88

Nick Estrella ‘93

Jason Kellogg ‘93, P ‘25 ‘27

The Queen’s Flowers

Lisa Lee ‘88 Libby Witherspoon ‘87, P ‘25

Elinette Ruiz-Diaz de la Portilla ‘92

Monica Pardo ‘97, P ‘29

Maria Noguera Dezubiria ‘81 Roger Duarte ‘02 as of 5/18/18

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philanthropy in action

Good Stewardship Starts Young The Chowdhury Family

By Jana Bruns P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26

H

ow does a smart, gorgeous young woman come to eschew the glitz of Bollywood for a life devoted to education, family and philanthropy?

The answer is simple, says Gulliver parent Ravneet Chowdhury P ‘24 ‘32: “I was raised to believe that these are things that really matter. Education, family and charity are what you take to your grave.” Chowdhury smiles as she flicks through family photos showing her, her two children and her husband engaged in charitable activities around South Florida: selling homemade brownies in a Winn-Dixie parking lot to raise money for children’s health initiatives, handing warm meals to residents in Overtown, giving presents to patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, running a charity race.

For the Chowdhurys, philanthropy is a family enterprise. Every Saturday morning at 8:30, Nirvair and Kabir Chowdhury, who are in grades six and PreK3 at Gulliver Academy, drive with their father Anand to distribute around 400 lunches to people in need.

They also visit patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, bake cookies for them and attend hospital fundraisers – all part of their weekend routine. “We are trying to teach our children that good stewardship and social responsibility are values they should start to live by when they’re young, not when they’re middle-aged,” says Ravneet, who is President and In-house Counsel of the family’s perfume wholesale and distribution business, Miami Perfume Junction.

Last year, the Chowdhurys took a bold step towards imprinting these values on their children with a generous donation to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, which renamed the hospital’s outpatient facility the Nirvair Chowdhury Midtown Center, in honor of their son. “Nirvair will probably think twice about partying in Miami Beach when he’s older, knowing there is a hospital around the corner that bears his name,” Ravneet says mischievously.

Yet, even when the Chowdhurys are enjoying

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themselves, compassion and concern for others are always part of the equation. Take Nirvair’s birthday parties (eagerly anticipated by students at Gulliver Academy), to which the entire grade is invited, and which are perfect showcases of the Chowdhury family’s talent for combining generosity and philanthropy. “We have a deal with Nirvair that, in exchange for a fabulous party, he must deliver all his presents to children at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital,” Ravneet says. Moreover, the gift bags guests receive at the end of the night often have a philanthropic component.

For Nirvair’s 11th birthday, for example, guests took home piggy banks with instructions for collecting donations for a charity of their choice. “I wanted the kids to feel in control,” Ravneet says. “[I wanted] to empower them – to show them that philanthropy is something they too can pursue, not just their parents.”

While weekly outings feeding Miami’s needy are a father-son activity in the Chowdhury household, Ravneet focuses on children’s health and health education. “I chose to become involved with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital because, as a mother, I know firsthand how crucial it is to have access to excellent pediatric care. Working moms are especially vulnerable, because we are expected to drop everything, including our work, when our children are sick,” she says. “I am also very invested in women’s issues.

I believe that making sure children are healthy and have

the care they need are important ways of supporting women and creating opportunities for them.”

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital became a part of the family’s life in 2010, when Nirvair had a bad case of the flu. “I really needed help and was impressed with the staff’s professionalism and the quality of care we received,” Ravneet says. Since then, she has worked closely with the hospital’s charitable arm – the Miami Children’s Health Foundation – both as a donor and chair of its signature event, the Diamond Ball. In January 2017, she became Board Chair, in charge of managing the foundation’s major fundraising, research and outreach initiatives. “It’s intense, gratifying work because we have so many interesting research projects,” she says, mentioning one of the latest collaborations, a drone that acts as a flying doctor and pharmacist.

Philanthropy has been part of the Chowdhurys’ lives since long before Ravneet and Anand moved to the United States from their native India and Nepal. “Our families have been helping people in need for a long time, supporting orphanages, public education and hospitals,” Ravneet says.

“And we were raised in the Sikh tradition, which encourages us to give away a part of our income to the needy.” Moreover, coming to the United States in 1998 with very limited financial means was a formative experience for Anand. “He comes from very humble beginnings and knows what it’s like to be poor and to start over,” Ravneet says. As soon as they

could afford it, the couple (she moved to Miami in 2002, the year they married) started donating to local charities, “but our efforts were a little disorganized,” she admits. That’s why the couple set up the Chowdhury Family Foundation, which provides an institutional framework to assess the merits of potential charity projects and to ensure that the family’s resources are evenly distributed. Recent projects funded by the Chowdhury Family Foundation include an orphanage in Medellin, Colombia, and City Year Miami, which partners with schools in low-income neighborhoods in supporting at-risk students.

Last year, Ravneet joined Gulliver’s Development Committee, a team of trustees and volunteers charged with helping the school realize its collective vision by maximizing fundraising avenues and developing new fundraising initiatives. “Education means everything to us,” says Ravneet, who earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Miami and her law degree from Nova Southeastern University. She and Anand chose Gulliver because they liked the idea of educating the “whole child” and its wide-ranging curriculum, including sports, art and music. They have enjoyed seeing Gulliver evolve into “a well-known school with a serious reputation,” Ravneet says. This elevated status, however, confers an important responsibility, which has been central to the Chowdhurys’ lives: teaching children the value of philanthropy. “Children need to learn to give back, and to feel the need to do so,” Ravneet says emphatically. “That is what a good curriculum should teach. A good curriculum shouldn’t just enrich learners in a school, but those around them too. Empowerment through knowledge is a personal and a social endeavor.”

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student profile

Musician, Writer, Swimmer, Future Aerospace Engineer Julia Bueno ‘23

By Camilla Gallagher P ‘24 ‘28

W

hen she was 7 years old, the Metropolitan Museum of Art captivated Julia Bueno. “She made me stay there for eight hours – twice,” recalls her mother, Patricia Maragliano. Julia bristles with that same insatiable interest today. A Merit Scholar in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP), she plans to be an aerospace engineer, but she loves subjects ranging from Roman-Greek mythology and Egyptian history, to science fiction and cardiology. Dubbed “a walking encyclopedia” by peers, she has an ardent thirst for knowledge of any kind. “If you don’t know, you teach yourself,” she says. “I love finding out what I can and cannot answer.” Her parents actively enable this kind of direct learning through travel, often visiting museums, prehistoric caves and faraway castles. “She was in love with Rome, so we went to Rome,” says her mother, giving just one example.

Julia is also passionate about music; she started composing when she was 8. “I think it was because I got kind of bored sometimes, so I just played random stuff and it ended up sounding nice,” she says. She has since composed several pieces, including “Stay,” which earned an Honorable Mention in last year’s national Yamaha Young Performing Artists competition. This year, she co-wrote a two-piano composition, “Uprising,” which Yamaha distinguished with an Honorable Mention again; the Miami Music Teachers Association also gave it a second-place award in its composition contest. Her musical flair has also led to performances at venues including the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, alongside the Miami Symphony Orchestra.

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Julia unleashes her creative energy through writing too. Her first novel, The Cage of Thorns, is a 300-page science fiction fantasy she wrote with a friend last year after the idea came to them during gym class. This year she is about a quarter of the way through True North, a novel of her own. “When I was younger, I used to wish that I had a watch and that whenever I got into trouble I could go back in time and not do that. I thought it was a pretty good idea for a book,” she says. The story revolves around a battle between two timelines for control of an algorithm that provides the ability to go back in time and alter decisions. “It’s the butterfly effect,” Julia explains. “Every time you go back and change something, a different occurrence will happen.”

While working on her novel, Julia also entered the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards with “Mangrove, River,” a short story about a girl in the Everglades; she earned a Silver Key, recognition awarded to only about 14 percent of participants.

Despite her numerous endeavors outside school grounds, Julia sustains a stellar academic record and is an active member of the Gulliver community. She took up the viola in order to be part of orchestra, after cramming in the beginners course during the

Mr. Willy Orozco, Middle School Science Faculty Member, Julia Bueno ‘23 and Sebastian Antorcha Rendon ‘23

summer so she could join at the intermediate level.

Now she is in Advanced Strings Orchestra, and next year she will join the Chamber Strings Ensemble.

She is also committed to the swimming team and participates in clubs including the Spelling Bee and Beta Club. She helped lead Gulliver’s Middle School Geography Bee team to a fourth-place Independent Schools of South Florida finish this year.

“I don’t understand how this girl has the time to do everything she does,” says IBMYP Coordinator Juan Carlos Garcia, who welcomes her every Thursday as she voluntarily shows up to learn Latin. Despite her accomplishments and talents, Garcia says, “There is not an ounce of haughtiness or feeling of superiority in her.”

Teachers and advisors say Julia takes care to cultivate relationships. “A person of that age could easily fall into the mindset of ‘I am doing all the work’, but she doesn’t,” says engineering teacher Willy Orozco, who named her captain of an otherwise all-boys Gulliver Engineering team. That team became the first Gulliver Middle School contender to qualify for the regional championship of the First Lego League Challenge. “She is always willing to help. If the boys teased her, she just wouldn’t let it get to her,” he adds. “Now they respect her.”

Julia says she enjoys working with others. “I love the dynamic of a team because you know you need everyone to be able to make it work,” she says. “In the orchestra, I play the viola, and violas are usually not considered very important because we play the inside lines, the ones that nobody really hears. But if we were to stop playing, you would notice.” She also appreciates the camaraderie that ensues among teammates. “Even if you don’t do well, there is still payoff in being there with your team, with the people you have gotten to know through a lot of hard work.”

"

“I love the dynamic of a team because you know you need everyone to be able to make it work.”

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Academy Grounds Manager Al Wright, Custodian Blanca Gomez and Maintenance Supervisor Jesus Perez

Behind the Scenes at Gulliver 22

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Transportation Coordinator Nelson Olivo

It Takes an Army to Keep Gulliver Running

cutting, edging, fertilizing, hauling, mowing, spraying and watering.

At 6:00 a.m., Academy Maintenance Supervisor Jesus Perez starts checking the day’s work orders, which run the gamut from broken chairs, lights and locks, to leaking toilets, malfunctioning AC units, chipping paint and loose bulletin boards. “Whatever they need, we fix it,” says a smiling Perez, whom Killmeyer dubs, “our gentle giant and a great teacher and mentor.”

Killmeyer points out that maintenance crews have an especially tough job: their work is constant, exposed to the elements and physically demanding. After Hurricane Irma and before many Miamians deemed it safe to return to their homes, Gulliver’s crews worked 15-hour days without power, taking turns cleaning the campuses and their homes. “That was

By Jana Bruns P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26

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t 5:30 on a Monday morning, when most of us are still asleep, Gulliver’s campuses are already bustling with activity. Groundskeepers are blowing leaves off the walkways and entrances, an activity that usually takes around 90 minutes at the Prep, and even longer at the Academy – Marian C. Krutulis Campus, with its larger size and daily sports field maintenance. “There’s been a lot of foliage on the ground lately due to windy conditions,” says Facilities Manager Jim Killmeyer, “so our grounds crews have been very busy. The Academy crew starts at 5:00 a.m. right now.”

Additional maintenance staff members trickle in as the minutes pass. They gather their tools and commence their daily routine – including weekends – of trimming,

Academy Secretary for Maintenance Rosie Felix and Facilities Manager Jim Killmeyer

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Security Guard Anita Grims

tough,” remembers Killmeyer. “But we got through it because we are a great team and have worked together for many years.” Indeed, the majority of Killmeyer’s team of 26 joined Gulliver more than 10 years ago. Some have more than 30 years at Gulliver, including Wilfrid Lubin, a Custodian at the Prep; Lloyd Burns, the Prep’s Grounds Manager; and Al Wright, the Academy’s Grounds Manager. “People like working here because Gulliver is a family,” says Killmeyer, who came out of retirement to lead the facilities department.

Meanwhile, the parking lot at the Academy is reverberating with the heavy rattling sounds of truck engines. “Every morning around 6:00, we turn on the buses and let them run for a while to make sure they’re OK,” explains Transportation Coordinator Nelson Olivo. The man behind Gulliver’s bus schedule has the monumental task of coordinating the school’s transportation needs.

This includes several daily shuttles between Gulliver’s four campuses, morning pick-ups and afternoon drop-offs on Key Biscayne, field trips, extracurricular excursions, and sports transportation that often ends late in the evening and sometimes requires an overnight stay. The consensus among Gulliver’s faculty and staff is that Nelson, as he’s known around school, makes miracles happen every day. His job is a never-ending logistical challenge and a strategy game: Gulliver owns only seven buses and relies

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on outside vendors only as a last resort. “I often have sleepless nights, because I worry about forgetting a trip. My worst nightmare is dropping the ball and leaving a teacher hanging,” Olivo admits. But he likes the challenge and the feeling of accomplishment at the end of each day. “My job is stressful, but I love it, because I never sit in the office and I help people all day,” he explains. On one recent school day, two fourth grade classes were visiting the Deering Estate; Mr. Bobby Keating and the Middle School Jazz Band performed at a luncheon at the Biltmore Hotel; the Model UN club competed at a tournament in Miami Shores; the Middle School water polo team traveled to Coconut Grove for a game against Ransom Everglades School; and the varsity track team traveled to Orlando for the state championship. “It’s complicated enough to make your head spin,” says Nelson as he climbs onto the driver’s seat of the Key Biscayne shuttle, shifts into first gear and slowly makes his way towards the Academy’s exit.

“Good morning!”

Shortly before “early-bird” students start arriving at the Prep, Anita Grims’ cheerful voice cuts through the leaf blowers’ steady humming as she greets her longtime colleague Larry Cash, Executive Chef at the Prep, on his way to the cafeteria. Grims, a Security Guard known to everyone simply as Anita, has been at Gulliver since 1989; she worked in the Academy’s kitchen before transferring to security 20 years ago. As she puts it, her job is to “keep order” and “see to it that the kids don’t get in trouble.” Each morning, she opens the entrance and exit gates and arranges parking cones to herd students into their allotted spaces.

Grims and the other security guards will take turns patrolling the campus and monitoring the entrance and exit. During football season, Grims cheers wildly with the other Raiders fans in the bleachers. “I am their biggest fan,” she says. Students love her – except when she catches them doing something against the rules, such as leaving campus during lunch, which only seniors are allowed to do. “I love them, but I can be real stern with them, too,” Grims says. “And I can tell when they’re not telling the truth.”

The majority of Gulliver’s support staff – nurses,

Computer Technician Juan Carlos “J.C.” Garcia, the Academy’s bird keeper and aquarist

receptionists, kitchen personnel, custodians, administrative assistants, IT specialists and childcare workers – arrive between 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. “Early-bird” Prep students are already in class by this time, and foot traffic is increasing at the other campuses as well. Shortly after 7:00, Rosie Felix, the Academy Secretary for Maintenance, leaves her office in the back of the Academy cafeteria to help supervise Lower School children during “body gym” on the basketball courts.

On her way to body gym, Felix will stop by the Academy cafeteria to grab a cup of coffee for herself and Juan Carlos Garcia, a Computer Technician who is known around Gulliver as “J.C.” or “cafecito man” (he has a muchappreciated habit of serving eye-poppingly strong shots of Cuban coffee to staff members at the Executive Office in the afternoons). Garcia’s workday begins at the Academy – not because its computers need more TLC than those at Miller, Montgomery or the Prep, but because the koi fish, turtles and exotic birds he takes care of are ready for breakfast! A computer systems specialist by trade, Garcia moonlights as the Academy’s aquarist and bird keeper, maintaining the pond and the aviary across from the Academy library’s back entrance.

Garcia worked with Gulliver maintenance staff to build

the aviary and pond during a Spring some 18 years ago. It replaced a pig pen, which had housed a toy pig belonging Gulliver Founder Marian C. Krutulis’ niece.

“I wanted to bring a slice of nature to Gulliver and carve out a small oasis of serenity and peacefulness for students,” Garcia says of the inspiration for the aviary and pond. He picks up a turtle and hands it to sixth grader Alexia Canto, whose eyes beam with excitement.

“If your parents allow you to have a turtle, you can have a baby next time she lays eggs,” he tells her. As Alexia skips off to science class across the hall, Garcia comments sagaciously, “You see, this is why I do what I do. The pond and the aviary are extra work for me, but they make students happy.”

At the Montgomery Drive Campus, well before school starts, Administrative Assistant Diana Gutierrez is answering phone calls from parents, greeting arriving students and directing stragglers to their classrooms. A student stops by her desk to ask for a community service form. Another drops off her course selections for the next academic year. In the hallway, several prospective families are waiting to tour the campus. Gutierrez walks over, greets them with informational brochures and offers coffee and water.

When the bell rings, the building falls silent and the school day officially begins. A few minutes later, Montgomery Drive Principal Donna Fong-Yee takes the prospective families on their tour. After the group

Prep Receptionist Bertha Bustamante

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leaves, Gutierrez turns to her computer to check Fong-Yee’s appointments, record student absences, answer emails, register next year’s electives and work on planning the Raider Awards ceremony, which recognizes Montgomery students’ achievements at the end of each school year. Students stop by intermittently until the last shuttle leaves for the Academy at noon.

Mail arrives and gets sorted and delivered. The phone never stops ringing, but Gutierrez has kind words for every caller and goes to great lengths to answer questions big and small. “I wear many hats,” Gutierrez says modestly. “But I am very comfortable working behind the scenes.”

Gutierrez’s colleagues, however, don’t see her as a behind-the-scenes woman. “She is the face of Montgomery Drive and takes her role very seriously,” Fong-Yee says. “Anyone who comes into contact with her receives the utmost care, respect and service. She can handle any request and any personality, while juggling her many responsibilities with aplomb. She makes everyone’s life at Montgomery Drive easier.”

Just as Gutierrez is the “face” of Montgomery, the other campuses have their own champions behind the scenes – receptionists, registrars, office managers and administrative assistants whose job titles are too narrow to encompass their impact on the Gulliver community.

Take Bertha Bustamante (the Prep’s Receptionist), Miriam Vizoso (Miller Drive’s Registrar), Priscilla Delgado (Assistant Head of School Valerie Bostick’s Administrative Assistant), or Kelly Fitzgerald-Brewer (Administrative Assistant to President Cliff Kling and Head of School Frank Steel). Parents, students and colleagues dub them Gulliver’s “lifelines,” “pillars” and “hubs of the campus” – irreplaceable, devoted, beloved individuals whose opinions carry great weight. All have a unique talent for juggling many responsibilities, while always going out of their way to help everyone they encounter and make people feel at ease.

Prep Executive Chef Larry Cash

Diana Gutierrez, Administrative Assistant, Academy - Montgomery Drive Campus

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Lunchtime Crunch It’s lunchtime – crunch time for Larry Cash, the Prep’s Executive Chef, and for Cynthia Bello, Nurse Supervisor. Both must be ready to roll when the bell

Prep and Academy Nurse Kristen Morales and Nurse Supervisor Cynthia Bello

rings. Bello dispenses medicine to children with chronic conditions during lunch, while Cash cooks for around 1,000 students, faculty and staff.

Today’s Prep menu features strip steak with peppers and onions, butternut squash and chicken noodle soups, several prepared salads, an ample salad bar, pepperoni pizza and pasta Alfredo. “Ninety-nine percent of our food is freshly made, including pizza dough, dressings, soups and even seasonings,” says Cash proudly, adding that he “tries to mix it up” and to serve vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options every day. A veteran chef, he joined Gulliver 20 years ago after a career as a chef in Washington, D.C. Besides lunch, Cash’s kitchen also serves breakfast and caters many Gulliver evening events.

Although Cash’s workdays are long, he says cooking is a labor of love for him, a way to connect with students through their stomachs. As they start filing into the cafeteria and forming lines behind the serving stations, he strolls around watchfully, noting what’s popular and what isn’t devoured right away. “This is the best part of my day,” he says. “I love seeing the kids run for the food when the bell rings. What’s the use of getting up at 4:00 a.m. every day if they don’t like my food?”

Over in the Academy’s cafeteria, Bello squeezes in a 15-minute lunch break while her two coworkers cover the office. It’s been a busy morning. Around 9:00 a.m., a fourth-grader tripped over a backpack on his way to the band room and sustained a deep cut on his forehead.

“Thankfully he didn’t need stitches, so we cleaned and bandaged him and sent him back to class,” says Bello with the sympathetic, matter-of-fact, no-nonsense voice of a seasoned medical professional. Besides the usual scrapes and bruises, a steady stream of elementary school students – sometimes 10 at once – has already passed through the nurses’ office today, complaining of

stomachaches and sore throats. Bello sent several home with fever and white spots on their tonsils.

“We also saw a few patients whose ailments turned out to be stress-related, which is very common,” Bello says. That included two first grade girls whose earlymorning nausea dissipated after they put aside their differences and vowed to be best friends again, and an eighth grader who probably feigned a headache because he wanted to skip a history test. “A key part of our job is getting to the bottom of why a student comes in by listening and asking the right questions.”

Bello explains. “We offer psychological comfort as much as medical assistance.”

As the school day draws to a close and the office quiets down, Bello and her colleagues update

Elizabeth Chaviano (center), After School and Summer Programs Supervisor

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Youth Sports Coordinator Heather Levine

students’ immunization records; send out informational letters about strep throat, lice or flu; and call parents of children they have seen that day. They preface calls with the words “everything is OK” so parents don’t get upset unnecessarily. “Effective communication is probably the most challenging part of our job,” Bello says as she turns to her computer to look up the next family’s phone number.

After-School Impact Elizabeth Chaviano’s day shifts into high gear as the academic day comes to an end and faculty members start leaving. Gulliver’s After School and Summer Programs Supervisor will join 18 other childcare workers who watch 300 Academy children in aftercare. She and her colleagues shepherd the kids to various after-school commitments, supervise them on the playground and during homework, and organize meaningful activities until they are picked up at the end of the day. “I love seeing the excitement in their eyes when they line up in front of the playground after school,” Chaviano says. She cracks jokes with the children – all 300 of whom she knows by name – and they seem utterly comfortable with her. But Chaviano takes her job very seriously. She emphasizes that Gulliver’s aftercare program “is not a holding facility,” and her team is always on the lookout for innovative ways to engage its budding learners.

“We have the responsibility to make their afternoons as fun-filled, productive and comfortable as possible, and to give them a home away from home,” she says. Sometimes, the kids don’t want to leave. Today, David Thigpen, who manages the student checkout counter, is trying to send a reluctant third grader to A circle, where her nanny waits. Only after Chaviano uses her well-oiled powers of persuasion and promises that tomorrow afternoon will be equally fun is the little girl coaxed into going home.

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While Chaviano is admitting children to the playground, Heather Levine is holding court under the awning nicknamed the “tent” outside the Academy’s cafeteria, greeting coaches and sending young athletes to soccer, flag football, basketball or lacrosse practice. As Youth Sports Coordinator, she oversees Primary and Lower School competitive and recreational sports, a developmental feeder program for Gulliver’s competitive Middle and High School teams. Levine balances giving emerging athletic talent an opportunity to develop with running a program that’s fun for everyone.

Under Levine’s watch, the Youth Sports program has grown rapidly and now enrolls 300 students per season – three times as many as five years ago. She’s introduced a broader variety of sports and made the programs more competitive. Parents love the program for its convenience, since it offers an escape from the logistical nightmare of shuttling children to multiple sports practices in various locations. Levine, an athlete who played softball and was on the crew team at University of Miami, is passionate about her mission. “I’m grateful for being able to give children an opportunity to try a new sport and watch young talent unfold,” she says.

She adds that participating in sports also teaches important life lessons about teamwork, grit, fair play, winning and losing. When athletes return to the tent after their practices, usually between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., Levine confers with coaches and parents about league schedules, extra practices, uniforms, tournaments and any other concerns. “One of my main goals is flawless communication, so I spend a lot of time answering emails and phone calls from players’ parents and coaches,” she says. And, yes, she attends games during the weekends. “I love seeing their excitement and seeing them work together towards a common goal,” she says.

By 6:00 p.m., most of Gulliver’s staff members have left school. Some, however, stay late into the evening. Cash and his kitchen staff are preparing a variety of hors d’oeuvres for the Academy Parent Social, an annual gathering for Primary, Lower and Middle School parents. The maintenance crew is arranging tables in the courtyard, setting up the sound system and helping event planners from Gulliver’s communications department decorate.

Grims staffs the guard house at the entrance; one of her colleagues stands by at the exit gate. Nelson Olivo, meanwhile, is driving a bus, stuck in traffic on his way back from Coconut Grove to Gulliver Academy – with a busload of tired and disappointed Middle School water polo players who are bemoaning their loss to Ransom. At the Academy, Blanca Gomez, a longtime Custodian, disinfects surfaces in a Lower School classroom, where five cases of strep throat have been reported this week.

Thanks to the hard work and diligence of these employees and their colleagues, Gulliver’s students, parents, faculty and administration can arrive on a sparkling campus the next day, take in the scent of freshly prepared food as they walk to classrooms and offices, and be welcomed by smiling faces – people who are ready to help. What would Gulliver be without them?

The Prep Atrium as the day winds down

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mark your profile calendars!

Upcoming Events Raider Fest at Make a Splash Saturday, October 13, 2018 Gulliver’s family fun day, Raider Fest at Make a Splash, includes pool activities, arts and crafts, sports contests, and exciting interactive booths.

Homecoming Friday, November 2, 2018 Students and alumni will cheer on their Gulliver Raiders during Homecoming!

Students can enjoy the football game while we welcome our alumni home with refreshments, kids’ activities, a prime spot to view the game and more!

Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Saturday, November 3, 2018 The Gulliver Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes and honors coaches, administrators, student-athletes, athletic teams and friends of Gulliver who have made significant contributions to the advancement and reputation of the program, while demonstrating a high degree of sportsmanship, leadership and character.

Raider Challenge Golf Tournament February 2019 Our annual golf tournament features 18 holes of golf, raffles, auctions, and awards ceremonies. Join the tournament committee and help continue to ensure that our tournament is a top-notch contest and a fun day!

Gulliver Gala April 2019 Gulliver’s annual Gala is a philanthropic evening featuring live and silent auctions, dinner and dancing. Our Gala is defined by a spirit of generosity as guests commit to investing in Gulliver’s future. Our Gala committee is looking for new members to share their talents and help make the 2019 Gala a memorable and unique experience.

Volunteer or Join an Event Committee

Volunteer in any capacity or serve in a leadership role as a member of the Raider Fest at Make a Splash, Raider Challenge or Gulliver Gala event committees. For more information, please contact Marie Dieppa, Special Events Coordinator, at specialevents@ gulliverschools.org or 786.709.4082.

Stay Connected or Assist With an Alumni Event

For more information on Alumni Homecoming, the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony or the Gulliver Alumni Association, please contact Rachele Huelsman, Director of Alumni Relations, at huer@gulliverschools.org or 786.809.4073. Stay up to date on alumni news and events by joining Gulliver Connect at www.gulliverconnect.com.

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Standouts

& Superstars 2nd Annual Gulliver Distinguished Alumni & Faculty Award Honorees

The Gulliver Alumni Association honors a small group of outstanding members of the Gulliver family with the Distinguished Alumni & Faculty Awards. Nominations come from faculty, staff, parents, students and alumni, and it’s always difficult to choose just four honorees.

The Distinguished Raider Award recognizes an alum who has attained and maintained an extremely high station in a chosen field or in service to society, has made significant public service contributions and is actively engaged with Gulliver. The Hank Langston Award for Alumni Service honors an alum who has been crucial to advancing Gulliver’s mission through dedicated volunteer efforts. The Rising Star Award honors an alum who graduated within the past 10 years and is making significant professional, philanthropic or community service contributions to society. The Marian C. Krutulis Faculty Award honors current or previous faculty members for extraordinary contributions to teaching and the Gulliver student experience.

Each of this year’s Distinguished Alumni & Faculty Award recipients will surely make you smile with #RaiderPride!

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OUTSTANDING RAIDER AWARD

Chris Derks ‘88

By Lauren Comander

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star Gulliver swimmer and the school’s first full-time Raider mascot, Chris Derks has always had strong Raider spirit. He proudly donned the Trojan helmet, sunglasses and a Speedo to compete in the Mr. Raider contest, too. He still carries a knot on his head from his mascot days, in the spot where a Westminster student hit him with a baton. “It was worth it; we won the game!” Derks quips.

Today, Derks is a Special Agent for the FBI, running a 24-person team in Washington, D.C., tasked with hazardous materials response. He puts his four years of Gulliver architecture drafting courses to use regularly in his job, sketching the most difficult crime scenes. “I still use my drafting rulers and straight edges that I had in high school, and I bring my calculator from my 12th grade physics class to every crime scene I go to,” he says.

The path from Gulliver student, swimmer and mascot to FBI Special Agent was an unconventional one, but early clues foreshadowed his career. There was a time when Derks thought he’d fly military jets, and he headed from high school to the United States Naval Academy. But he failed his vision test at the end of Plebe Summer (summer training for incoming freshmen), and transferred to Tulane University to swim. The school cut its team a year later and Derks enrolled at the University of Kansas, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human biology.

Derks thought maybe he’d go to medical school, but halfway through the MCAT (having just finished helping his parents after Hurricane Andrew, still covered in bug bites and with the sound of chainsaws echoing in his ears), he knew that wasn’t going to pan out. He then returned to Gulliver to help coach the high school and club swim teams, as well as manage the pool.

By 1994, Derks graduated with a master’s in forensic science from George Washington University amid a government hiring freeze. So, he pursued a career as a professional marathon swimmer and did stints as a

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waiter, an assistant swim coach at George Washington University and in the Baptist Health emergency room. He landed a job as a Drug Enforcement Administration Forensic Analyst in 1997; that’s where he met his wife, Erika. He also continued to collect swimming titles, was an eight-time USA Swimming Open Water All-American, conquered the English Channel in 2001 and set an age-group world record for the 1500 meter freestyle in 2008.

In 2002, Derks entered the FBI Academy in Quantico. While in the Bureau’s Dallas field office, in 2003, he helped locate remains of astronauts killed when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere. As a member of the Evidence Response Team (think, CSI) based in Washington, D.C., he ran the search warrant on the Boston marathon bomber’s apartment and investigated last year’s Congressional baseball practice shooting.

Derks and Erika, a DEA Forensic Analyst, live in Virginia with their daughter, Ava, 11, and son, Gavin, 5. He keeps in touch with his old classmates through an active Facebook page and visits campus every time he returns to Miami, checking in with favorite teachers and talking to students about his circuitous route to the FBI. Today, Derks’ Raider spirit is still strong and, as this year’s Distinguished Alumni award honoree, he feels flattered and humbled. “It’s such an honor,” says Derks, 48. “There are so many outstanding graduates out there, and I would think my name would’ve been way farther down the list.”

RISING STAR AWARD

Valerie Berrin ‘07

By Lauren Comander

V

alerie Berrin’s personal health issues as a young Gulliver student gave her a lasting appreciation for the importance of health education and awareness. While earning her bachelor’s degree in religion from Barnard College– Columbia University, she worked in New York City public high schools and saw firsthand that students lacked resources to deal with their physical and emotional health needs. She also helped her sister, Risa (who graduated from Miami Palmetto High School) with Health Information Project, a Coral Gables-based nonprofit founded by Risa and dedicated to educating teens about health issues and assisting them in accessing resources.

As Berrin considered what she wanted to do after graduation, Risa convinced her to return home to Miami and help grow the burgeoning nonprofit, known affectionately around town as HIP. Berrin signed on as Director of Operations, and together the sisters have grown the organization. It’s now in every Miami-Dade County public school, plus some private schools, including Gulliver. “Gulliver was one of our first pilot schools,” says Berrin, who is a proud Gulliver Alumni Council member and recipient of this year’s Rising Star award. “This program was created by Miami students, teachers and administrators, and Gulliver has been a big part of where this program is today because it’s been so integral in creating everything from the beginning.”

These days, HIP’s peer-to-peer education model has 1,600 high school juniors and seniors educating 33,000 high school freshmen. At the beginning of every school year, the Berrin sisters train faculty sponsors and student

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“I was getting the amazing Gulliver experience despite what was going on with my health.”

board members, giving them the tools and materials to train others. Berrin then visits sites to observe the health educators in action. Recently, she exchanged ideas with others around the world at a weeklong conference for social impact entrepreneurs in Israel. “There isn’t a typical day, which is what I love about it!” Berrin says of her work. “We’re a two-person team, and we’re doing everything: working with schools, fundraising, involving our board and figuring out what schools we go to next. I run around town to lots of meetings!”

Berrin feels lucky that her work has connected her to Gulliver. In fact, Gulliver’s HIP faculty sponsor, Mrs. Suzanne Landsom ‘92, P ‘19 ‘29, was her ninth-grade health teacher. “Things have come full circle!” Berrin marvels.

Berrin always knew she wanted to remain involved with Gulliver long past high school graduation. The school’s support during difficult times – including endless doctor’s appointments and numerous surgeries – made a lasting connection. “All of my teachers, administrators and friends made sure I was getting the amazing Gulliver experience despite what was going on with my health,” she says. An avid softball player who also played basketball and volleyball, Berrin recalls in particular the encouragement she received from her teammates and coaches.

When she’s not working, Berrin enjoys planning events like her 10-year reunion as a member of Gulliver’s Alumni Council. “It has allowed me to reconnect with old friends and find new friends,” she says.

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HANK LANGSTON AWARD FOR ALUMNI SERVICE

Libby Witherspoon ‘87, P ‘25

By Lauren Comander

W

hen Libby Witherspoon first walked the halls of Gulliver as a parent, she felt a little strange – it seemed like only yesterday she herself had been a student at the school.

But now that her daughter Julia is about to graduate fifth grade, Witherspoon feels an undeniable surge of excitement when she’s on campus. “I’m proud to see Julia getting the Gulliver experience,” she says.

“She’s thriving at Gulliver – academically, socially, every aspect that I could ask for as a parent. I’m reliving it through my daughter, but it’s at such a heightened level because of all the amazing progress Gulliver has made over the last 30 years.”

All kidding aside, this active parent has earned this year’s Alumni Service award. Witherspoon, 49, was a member of the Gulliver Board of Trustees for a number of years, including serving as Chair and Treasurer. She helped plan last year’s 30th reunion for her graduating class at the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne. “We had a fabulous turnout, and while I’m biased, the Class of ‘87 without a doubt is probably one of the greatest classes that have walked through the Gulliver halls,” she says. “We remain very committed to each other and have a passion for Gulliver.”

Witherspoon’s own Gulliver experience began in eighth grade, when her family moved to Miami from Memphis, Tennessee. She became involved in extracurricular activities like Student Council and excelled academically, but says the lifelong friendships she made are what truly tie her to Gulliver. “A group of us text regularly on a day-to-day basis, and we’re still extremely close,” Witherspoon says.

She also has fond memories of school leadership.

“I was there when Mrs. K [Gulliver founder Marian C. Krutulis] ran the school, and she was not only a presence, but she was also a role model on how to do things,” Witherspoon says. “She showed us that

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with dedication and hard work, you can achieve your goals.”

Witherspoon, who earned a bachelor’s degree in finance at Georgetown, returned to Miami after graduation and worked as a portfolio manager for Northern Trust. She earned her MBA from University of Miami and today is Senior Director-Team Leader with BNY Mellon Wealth Management. “I love working with people to help them meet their end goals, whether it’s for a legacy they’re going to leave that their wealth has created or how they achieve their goals philanthropically,” she says. “It’s something different every day, and I really enjoy it.”

A widow who recalls the solidarity and support of her Gulliver community during all the phases of her life, Witherspoon lives with her daughter near the Academy, which, she says, “is good because we’re notoriously running late for drop-off!” They enjoy spending time together at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Zoo Miami. An American Red Cross board member for the Greater Miami and Keys chapter, Witherspoon is nonetheless committed to Gulliver. She serves the school and its alumni in so many capacities, including through event sponsorships, as an Alumni Reunion Committee member, and hosting the Annual Lady Raiders Womens’ Leadership Luncheon. “I’m really committed to Gulliver given the experience I had, and I want to give back as much as I possibly can,” she says.

MARIAN C. KRUTULIS FACULTY AWARD

Les Cooperman (1953-2018)

By John McCloskey P ‘18 ‘19

I

n January, Les Cooperman, Director of Student Activities at Gulliver Academy, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer. He left behind his wife, Susie, a Gulliver kindergarten teacher, and their children, Jeff ‘07 and Becky ‘05. He also left a hole in the Gulliver community.

I worked closely with Les for more than 20 years.

He was at Gulliver for almost twice as long – some 39 years – as a math teacher, coach and activities director.

But Les was also a friend, a mentor and a larger-thanlife figure. Les Cooperman was Gulliver. Every day, we felt his presence at school, and everything Les did was designed to make the Gulliver experience more enjoyable for students.

One of his legacies at Gulliver was planning and organizing overnight class trips. Les understood the value in bringing students together in a setting away from campus: the students got to see each other and their chaperones in a different light, and the chaperones, in turn, saw the students in a different light. The result was an increase in school spirit and a newly energized and united student body.

Everyone has a Les Cooperman story. Some students will talk about the special moments they spent with Mr. Cooperman on those overnight trips: ice skating or a snowball fight in Washington, D.C.; watching the fireworks display at Disney World; taking in a Broadway play in New York (where Les was from) or going bowling in St. Augustine or Washington, D.C., Les was a kid himself and relished the time he spent with young people. Adults will tell you how Les mentored them on all matters pertaining to school and life. We marveled at his ability to effectively organize anything and everything.

We also had a lot of fun with Les over the years – on campus, off campus and, of course, on overnight trips.

Once, when we returned home from a Washington,

D.C., trip on separate flights, I received a call from one of the chaperones, telling me that Les had been detained by Transportation Security Administration agents and I needed to come to the back of the airport to pick him up. I believed it; he got me hook, line and sinker on that one.

My favorite memories of Les on the school trips are shooting the breeze with him late at night in the hotel, watching a college basketball game (more than likely the ‘Canes), and talking and laughing about how the day went and what the next day would bring.

Students shared some of their favorite thoughts about Les as well. Here are a couple: “You always made me smile. I remember when I was in fifth grade you pulled the ‘there is something in your ice cream’ trick, and I remember having ice cream all over me. You brought us students so much joy.”

“My favorite memory of Mr. Cooperman [is] on the bus to St. Augustine when he showed me pictures of his family and he told me who everyone was. He also told stories and jokes, and we had a great time.”

Les, Go Raiders and Go ‘Canes. Love you. You are always with us.

Student portrait of Les Cooperman

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Gulliver President Cliff Kling:

A Builder and Explorer

By Jana Bruns P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26

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H

is friends describe Cliff Kling as loyal, curious, determined and passionate, and one might say that his professional and personal life truly illustrate these attributes. Born and raised in Mississippi, Kling spent most of his career at Jackson Academy, Mississippi’s largest independent school, where he served first as Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel and, for the last three and a half years, as President. After earning an accounting degree and a law degree, “I was hired at Jackson Academy, following a year with a major Mississippi law firm that made me realize practicing law was not what I wanted to do with my life,” Kling says.

A career in educational administration came naturally to Kling, who had contemplated just such a move while applying to law school. His wife, Heather has been an educator for 22 years, most of those spent as a first grade teacher. “Jackson Academy was a great school to work for and learn from,” Kling says. “Even after 17 years, I wasn’t really looking to leave. But when the opportunity to lead Gulliver came up, I knew this was the right time – and the right school – for me and my family to make a change.”

According to Kling’s former colleagues at Jackson Academy, his inquisitive, methodical mindset and determination were responsible for transformational changes as he sought the best opportunities for Jackson Academy’s students. Those included the school’s development and implementation of a new strategic plan encompassing a STEM (science, engineering, technology and math) curriculum.

Under his leadership, the school also restructured into four divisions, creating a new middle school.

Numerous physical upgrades doubled the size of the campus and included the construction of an 800seat performing arts center and three new STEM labs. In addition, Kling helped raise record amounts for Jackson Academy’s annual fund.

So why make the move to Gulliver? “There are so many things that fit,” Kling says. “Gulliver’s inclusion of a wide range of learners and the breadth of its academic program, for example, match my own deeply held beliefs about education. Helping all children within a school realize the power of their potential is what the very best schools do.” He also has a keen interest in property development, a

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priority in Gulliver’s strategic plan. “I am very fond of developing spaces and buildings,” says Kling, recounting the development of Jackson Academy’s performing arts center. He is equally passionate about fundraising, “because it represents the opportunity of transformation for a school. Students can’t ask for money, but I can.”

While he loves interacting with students and faculty and being part of the daily life of the Gulliver community, Kling stresses that his position as President is “external, one step removed from the day-to-day operations of the school.” He is focused on Gulliver’s broader strategic priorities: planning and implementing major facilities projects; enhancing marketing, communications and fundraising efforts; and deepening the school’s community, corporate and foundation relationships.

Why does Gulliver need a President in addition to a Head of School? “Gulliver is a large, complex organization – larger than some colleges, in fact – and there are simply too many responsibilities for one person to shoulder,” Kling says. “My presence will allow our outstanding Head of School Frank Steel to concentrate on leading the academic, arts, co-curricular and extracurricular programs.”

Kling’s first few months at Gulliver have been a whirlwind of activities and introductions to the community, giving him many opportunities to “listen, learn and collect information,” he says, so he can begin the monumental task of “executing the strategic plan vision, long term, at the highest level.”

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Bypassing Wall Street, Rediscovering a Passion for Building Although his career is important to him, Kling emphasizes that “life is not just about work.” Indeed, those close to him describe him as a devoted family man, dependable friend, enthusiastic sportsman and explorer, and lifelong learner. He says his inquisitiveness and passion for exploring date back to his high school days in Clinton, Mississippi (not far from where Jackson Academy is located). A top student, he had his heart set on attending a competitive college in the Northeast – an unusual goal for a teenager from that area. “My mother taught me the value of hard work,” he says. “She was ambitious for me. My high school counselor, on the other hand, discouraged me from leaving the state. We didn’t even have SAT registration forms at my school – that’s how unusual it was to apply to a top school.” Kling stuck with his ambition and was accepted at Georgetown University on a prestigious founder’s scholarship. It was one of the few top-tier universities offering an undergraduate degree in accounting, a major his mother had urged him to consider. At Georgetown, Kling spread his wings, exploring his academic interests, joining the crew and cheerleading teams, and taking advantage of living in Washington, D.C. “I’ve always had an interest in politics and briefly considered majoring in political science, but my mom advised accounting because it was more practical,” he says. He also co-authored a research article with his favorite professor, Robert Walker, which

was published in the scholarly journal Tax Notes – a rare accomplishment for an undergraduate.

“After I graduated, many of my Georgetown classmates went to work on Wall Street,” Kling recalls. “I initially thought I would be joining them, but my soon-tobe fiancée, Heather, was still at Mississippi College completing her teaching degree, so I moved back home to work in public accounting for KPMG. We will celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary this summer, so I have no doubt that I made the right decision.” After two years at KPMG, he attended the University of Mississippi School of Law on a full scholarship. That gave Heather the opportunity to plant the seeds for a long, distinguished teaching career in Mississippi. “After we married, we did what many young couples do: built our careers and save money so we could purchase a home and start a family,” Kling says.

Building their first home rekindled Kling’s passion for building and design, which he had pursued avidly as a boy with his grandfather, a professional draftsman and estimator. “My grandfather taught me to build things and, for a long time, I wanted to be an architect,” he says. While his interest in architecture as a profession had waned during his teenage years, homebuilding became a creative outlet in adulthood. “When we were building our first home, I realized that I was familiar with many details of the construction process and that I had a talent for designing spaces,” Kling says. He designed and managed

the construction of two more family homes, and oversaw major Jackson Academy campus upgrades, such as the performing arts center.

Kling also has an enduring love for the outdoors, especially hiking and skiing. It’s a passion he shares with his entire family, including daughters Ainsley, 13, and Alise, 9. “I was a Boy Scout and later an Eagle Scout, so I grew up in the tradition of camping, hiking and nature exploration, and they remain my passions,” he says.

“Annual trips to a national park are a family tradition for us.” Among his most memorable vacations are a 2009 summer trip to the Twin Lakes region of Colorado, where he and Heather summited Colorado’s highest peak – more than 14,000 feet – as well as a return visit to Colorado with the girls last summer. Annual ski trips are also a tradition, allowing the family to “combine our love of exercise and the outdoors in a perfect way,” Kling says.

So how is Kling adjusting to life in Miami? “I love that Miami is different from Mississippi, and the diversity of the community is exciting,” he says, adding that Heather and the girls, who are finishing the school year in Mississippi, cannot wait to move down and explore their new home. The girls will attend Gulliver in the Fall, Ainsley in eighth grade and Alise in fifth grade. Together, the Kling family is thrilled to start building a new life in South Florida by joining past traditions with new ones – just as Kling is eager to build on Gulliver’s traditions, while moving it forward into the next phase of education.

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This is How We Empower the Future

2018

Gulliver Gala

By Marie Dieppa ‘04

Phyllis and Jerry Forman and Susie Cooperman P ‘05 ‘07

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hat an epic night! The 2018 Gulliver Gala, held on April 7, was a memorable celebration of Raider Pride that made quite an impact, with more than $1 million raised. Driven by passion and the belief in our school’s mission, our community made an amazing show of support. Together we Raised the G, raising resources for the Annual Fund that will further the excellence of our curriculum and enhance the overall Gulliver experience for students, faculty, alumni and families.

The Gala blended extraordinary and interactive experiences for an unprecedented evening. Guests’ journey into the future began with a unique display of highly soughtafter auction items, the tantalizing sounds of Envee and Jahzel, and an interactive art showcase. Guests then traveled through a sensory tunnel of lights, texture and performers, generating excitement before the big ballroom reveal.

Together, our community took another leap into transforming the future, thanks to the unparalleled support of the guests at the Gala, as well as those who supported the Gala and Annual Fund online through silent auction bids.

With the spirit of philanthropy overwhelmingly present, a student flash mob led the crowd to Raise the G. This is what giving feels like!

The celebration continued with sounds from the DJ booth bringing hundreds of attendees to the dance floor in a truly epic party for the record books. A laser light show and entertainers kept the party going late into the night.

An evening like this would not have been possible without the leadership of our Gala Co-Chairs, Stephanie Burke P ‘23 ‘24 ‘28, Angelique Konrad P ‘19 ‘21 and Elizabeth Vargas P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26. Their collective efforts, along with those of our powerhouse Gala committee, demonstrate a team committed to surpassing our standard Gala goals and growing support for our school. #GulliverGratitude

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Alfonso and Catalina Munk P ‘25 ‘27 ‘27

Back row: Ali Mejia P ‘23 ‘27, Patricia Epstein P ‘22 ‘24 ‘27, Nadia and Antoine Karam P ‘23 ‘24 ‘27, Sam and Kerry Lewis ‘22 ‘22.

Front row: Jose and Elizabeth Vargas P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26, Mary and Jorge Dalmau P ‘13 ‘22 ‘26, and Susan and Ned Bannon P ‘22 ‘22 ‘24

Christiano Marchesini P ‘26, Ana and Tony Figueroa-Cisneros ‘94, P ‘25 ‘27 and Flavia Marchesini P ‘26

Dan ‘88 and Ximena Vigdor P ‘20 ‘21 ‘23 ‘26, Lourdes and Orlando Padron P ‘21 ‘26, and Linda and Marchant Kuys ‘21 ‘26

Elizabeth Vargas P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26, Stephanie Burke P ‘23 ‘24 ‘28, Jocelyn Woolworth P ‘19 and Angelique Konrad P ‘19 ‘21

Mark and Patricia Seymour P ‘20 ‘23 raising the G

Head of School Frank Steel and Betsy Steel

Swapnil Shah ‘94, P ‘20 ‘23 ‘24, Dania Alonso ‘94, P ‘23 ‘25 ‘30, Tony Figueroa-Cisneros ‘94, P ‘25 ‘27 and Victor Valencia ‘94

President Cliff Kling and Heather Kling (left)

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Thank you, Gulliver Gala Sponsors: PRESENTING SPONSORS

AND THE SHAH FAMILY PLATINUM SPONSORS

Ana and Tony Figueroa-Cisneros The Garfinkel, Signorello and Stavrinides Families The Woolworth Family

GOLD SPONSORS

The Haskett Family

RUBY SPONSORS

The Alibhai, Budrahni, Chowdhury, Kini and Sheik Families The Kling Family The Marrero Family The Munk Family The Perez Family

SILVER SPONSORS

The Lasalandra-Russell Family FACULTY + STAFF TABLE UNDERWRITERS

The Cosentino Family The Haggard Family The Hatfield-Kaiser Family The Rahman Family ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT UNDERWRITERS The Gomez Family AUCTIONEER UNDERWRITER

GALA SUPPORTERS The Ginsberg Family The Infante-Carrillo Family The Kuci Family The Reiter Family The Simmons Family The Torres Family PAST FACULTY TABLE SPONSOR The Antorcha Family VIP KICKOFF SPONSORS The Silva Family GALA PHILANTHROPIC MORNING UNDERWRITERS The Bannon and Kay-Ramos Families

ENTERTAINMENT UNDERWRITERS

BAR SPONSOR

WINE WALL SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSOR

ENTRANCE EXPERIENCE SPONSOR

AFTER-PARTY SPONSOR

VIDEO UNDERWRITER

DANCE FLOOR SPONSOR The Steel Family

PHOTOGRAPHY UNDERWRITER

DJ BOOTH SPONSOR SWEET SEND-OFF porselenesa Edward and Ruth Perez DINNER UNDERWRITER Brooke and Benjamin R. Gettler SILENT AUCTION SPONSOR

INVITATION UNDERWRITER

VIP CHAUFFEUR SPONSOR TESLA GALA CONTRIBUTORS

COCKTAIL UNDERWRITER The Burke Family LASER LIGHT SPONSOR

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SIGNATURE DÉCOR UNDERWRITER The Zamora Family STUDENT ARTWORK AND AUCTION EXPERIENCE UNDERWRITERS

GALA CHAIRS Stephanie Burke P ‘23 ‘24 ‘28 Angelique Konrad P ‘19 ’21 Elizabeth Vargas P ‘22 ‘24 ‘26 GALA COMMITTEE Yami Alvarez P ‘22, ‘24 Alison Arnold P ‘18, ‘20 Susan Bannon P ‘22, ‘22, ‘24 Jenny Bielawski P ‘25 Marcela Brandt P ‘27 Stephanie Burke P ‘23, ‘24, ‘28 Marcela Cortes P ‘26 Ayesha Daver P ‘30, ‘31 Helena Figueroa P ‘23, ‘29 Arunima Ganjoo P ‘18, ‘25 Rosemary Hartigan P ‘23, ‘25, ‘31 Teresita Haskett P ‘21 Lucy Hassan P ‘16, ‘17, ‘19 Beth Hughes P ‘21, ‘22 Faequa Khan ‘05 Angelique Konrad P ‘19, ‘21 Amy Landi P ‘22, ‘24 John Lasalandra P ‘19, ‘24, ‘24 Kerry Lewis P ‘22, ‘22 Fernanda Maksoud P ‘19, ‘22 Fabian A. Pal P ‘27 ‘30 Zeinab Ramos P ‘21, ‘21, ‘21 Chary Rico-Toro Korn P ‘24, ‘25 Renata Galembeck Rohr P ‘28, ‘31 Kara Stearns Sharp ‘85 P ‘22 Betsy Steel Jennifer Stearns Buttrick ‘87, P ‘20, ‘22, ‘25 Jan Vair P ‘19, ‘22 Elizabeth Vargas P ‘22, ‘24, ‘26 Ximena Vigdor P ‘20, ‘21, ‘23, ‘26 Mary Zamora P ‘23 Beatrice Zapata P ‘28, ‘31

sports

Signing Days Gulliver Student-Athletes Commit to Play at Collegiate Level

By Maegan Azpiazu

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ulliver continued its strong tradition of producing elite student-athletes this year, with 25 seniors committing to continue their athletic and academic careers at the collegiate level. These students excel in competition and the classroom, and many will attend some of the most academically challenging institutions in the country.

Isabella Lamus ‘18 (left), a two-time Miami Herald First Team All-County selection in volleyball

The extraordinary accomplishments of the following student-athletes were recognized across two Signing Day events during the 2017-18 school year:

Gulliver lifer Devin Golden ‘18 (center) is set to continue his football career and study business at the University of Miami

Marcella Rupert-Gomez ‘18 led the girls’ swimming team to two state championships and is a four-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American

Carlos Dulcey ‘18 plans to study business and continue his soccer career at Boston College

Adrian del Castillo

Baseball

University of Miami

Kevin Maura

Baseball

Florida International University

Alana Pinder

Basketball

Eastern Florida State College

Christopher “CJ” Calero

Football

Hobart College

Devin Golden*

Football

University of Miami

James Jackson IV

Football

Duke University

Emma Frati*

Rowing

Columbia University

Carlos Dulcey

Soccer

Boston College

Nicolas Garcia-Morillo

Soccer

Harvard University

Truman Gelnovatch

Soccer

Princeton University

Jesus “Chu Chu” Sahagun

Soccer

Boston College

Ross Shellow

Soccer

Babson College

C’Onee “Ci Ci” Castillo

Softball

Augusta University

Miguel Cancel

Swimming

University of Florida

Trey Gribble

Swimming

The Ohio State University

Alicia Mancilla

Swimming

United States Naval Academy

Nicole Reguiera

Swimming

University of Chicago

Marcella Ruppert-Gomez

Swimming

Harvard University

Ryan Hellinger

Tennis

Johns Hopkins University

Christian Otero

Tennis

New York University

Nicolas Ramirez

Tennis

Brandeis University

Jazmyn Smith

Track and Field Northern Illinois University

Lauren Gold

Volleyball

Babson College

Isabella Lamus

Volleyball

Columbia University

Lauren Potter

Volleyball

Yale University

*Denotes a Gulliver Lifer, a student who has attended Gulliver from first through twelfth grades.

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Gulliver Water Polo Makes Its Mark

By R.C. Ganser P ‘15 ‘21

W

ater polo is one of the fastestgrowing sports in the United States, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. It is also always among the top 10, if not at the very top, of any lists of the most physically demanding, most difficult or most endurance-requiring sports. Players are not allowed to touch the bottom or sides of the pool during the seven-minute quarters.

As in soccer and lacrosse, they try to advance the ball up the field (in this case, the pool) and gain position to shoot at the goal – all while being grabbed, kicked, punched, clawed and drowned by their opponents.

For most of water polo’s history in the U.S., California has ruled the sport. The only other U.S. area to put its name on the water polo map is South Florida. Since the Florida High School Athletic Association recognized it as a sport in 2001, schools from South Florida have won every state water polo championship (boys’ and girls’).

In fact, Gulliver Prep Girls’ Water Polo won the first eight State Championships, and have won nine overall. The girls’ team held a national record for consecutive wins – 222 – that spanned eight seasons. The boys’ water polo team has claimed three titles.

Gulliver’s dominance in water polo can be linked directly to the quality of studentathlete the sport demands. Athletic ability, resiliency and intelligence are traits possessed by even average players. The athletes who established the legacy of Raiders water polo include Miami Herald All-County ScholarAthletes like Alison Mantel ‘07 (nominee),

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Elizabeth Perez ‘19 eyes her target for a counterattack following a save

Brett Voith ‘07 (winner), Trevor Rietz ‘10 (winner), Kenny Cutler ‘12 (nominee) and Alexandra Guerra ‘15 (nominee). Player of the Year honors for Miami-Dade County have included Tim Ramsay ‘07, Mantel (an incredible three times), Voith, Shelby Reyes ‘08, Kenny Cutler ‘12 (twice), Camila Schaefer ‘13 and Jonathon Chow ‘14. During her Gulliver water polo career, Mantel won the Athlete of the Year title for all sports in Miami-Dade County and was a Wendy’s High School Heisman nominee.

Voith was a finalist for the Athlete of the Year title for all sports in Miami-Dade County, was named the Wendy’s High School Heisman winner for Florida and finished sixth nationally for that award.

Of course, no team achieves any level of success without coaching, and Gulliver has had two influential varsity water polo coaches. Coach Alex Bennett led the program through its earliest formation, bringing the Raiders significant recognition.

Coach Carroll Vaughan took over the program in 2010 and has galvanized a new era of excellence for Gulliver Water Polo.

Vaughan started the Miami Riptides Water Polo Club, aiming to provide opportunities to youngsters who may not otherwise know about water polo or have the chance to play. She is the club’s Head Coach, attracting players – including many from Gulliver – with her passion

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Water polo is one of the most physically demanding, endurance-requiring sports.

Rene Peralta ‘19 races to the ball for a steal

Coach Carroll Vaughan in action

for the sport, knowledge of the game and love for her athletes. Riptides teams have cracked the California-dominated national top 10 lists, and Riptides players include Ashleigh Johnson, goalie for the gold medal-winning 2016 Team USA Women’s Olympic Water Polo team and 2016 Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year. Johnson, her sister Chelsea, and brothers Blake, William and Jules all began playing water polo for Riptides and continue today. Families like the Guerra quadruplets Andres ‘15, Andrea ‘15, Alex ‘15 and Ale ‘15 learned the game through Vaughan’s club and then enrolled at Gulliver.

Gulliver Water Polo alumni regularly return to the school to tell of their experiences away at colleges such as Harvard University, the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of Michigan, Virginia Military Institute,

Connecticut College, George Washington University and the University of California Berkeley. Some – such as Sammi Rosenberg ‘16, Zach Marks ‘17 and Caio Jordao ‘17 – return from college teams to see how the Gulliver team they left behind has matured.

Both current and alumni water polo players work summer camps, passing on what they have learned by mentoring others in the water, sharing the life lessons they embraced and helping shape the next generation of Gulliver Water Polo players.

Many come back to coach, including Julianne Valdez ‘10, Carlos Heros ‘12, Katja Rocha ‘12, Hunter Pelletier ‘13 and Andres Guerra.

While it’s fun to count the trophies in overflowing display cases, water polo’s success – like that of so many Gulliver programs – is truly measured by the consistent, time-tested, high level of excellence by which the bar is set. The boys’ water polo team started three of its five eighth graders in the State Semifinals last year and started four ninth graders in the Regional Championship this past season. The future is always bright in the water polo program when the mark of excellence is glowing for all to see.

Gulliver Prep’s Girls’ Water Polo team has won nine state championships 45

sports

Getting to the Heart of Team Leadership Coach Jorge Dieppa P ‘00 ‘04

By R.C. Ganser P ‘15 ‘21

J

orge Dieppa was inducted into the Gulliver Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012, in the second class of inductees. During his 30-year career at Gulliver, his impact on generations of students has been wide-reaching. He taught physical education, was Chair of the Prep Physical Education Department and served as Gulliver’s Assistant Athletic Director. He has coached teams including girls’ golf, boys’ soccer and track and field.

Most recently, Dieppa has applied his coaching expertise to a relatively new sport at Gulliver, bowling, as the Co-coach. Who better to assist a head coach in a new sport than someone who started a program from scratch – as he did with girls’ golf – and has more than 500 wins, took teams to seven state “final four” championships and brought home four state championship titles – as he did with boys’ soccer?

Leading by example, time and again Dieppa has directed a program, established a high level of success, and passed the job to the next generation of coaches to follow in his footsteps. That’s one reason he was inducted into the Florida Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame in 2008.

Daniel Boston, Gulliver’s Sports Information Coordinator, sat down with Dieppa to talk about how he sees his impact on Gulliver.

What career accomplishment are you most proud of?

Despite being well-known as a soccer coach, I am most proud of starting the girls’ golf team. I have two daughters, Michelle ‘00 and Marie ‘04, and felt by starting the team I was aiding in the battle for gender equality by forming a team that girls can play golf on.

What do you think is the most important impact you have had on Gulliver or Gulliver Athletics?

I felt my ability to unify the varsity program with the Middle School soccer program was my most impactful accomplishment, because it really turned our soccer

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program around. There was one common philosophy that was being communicated from the Middle School to the varsity level. This provided a united effort in regard to development and coaching principles.

What has surprised you the most during your time at Gulliver?

How much and how fast Gulliver has grown.

What does Gulliver mean to you?

A lifetime of work. I have been at Gulliver for 30 years.

It is extraordinary to be at one place [for that much] time. I am very fortunate to do what I am passionate about. I have been able to coach many sports, including track and field, golf, bowling and soccer.

What is the philosophy you have tried to instill in your students and athletes?

Start with the fundamentals, set goals. Stay focused.

Don’t succumb to emotions, because they derail you from your goals or the task at hand.

"

“I was aiding in the battle for gender equality by forming a team that girls can play golf on.”

alumni profile

Opening Miami’s First Craft Brewery Kody Schnebly ‘13

By Maegan Apiazu

I

t’s no secret that the South Florida craft beer scene has taken off in the last few years. And Kody Schnebly ‘13 was at the forefront, helping to open the doors of Miami’s first craft brewery – Miami Brewing Co., in October 2011.

Schnebly, whose parents Peter and Denisse Schnebly own Schnebly Redland’s Winery, has been brewing beer since he was 16. “When we started the winery, we noticed that a lot of wives were dragging their husbands in,” Schnebly says. “They would ask if

"

“[We] went through … such rapid growth. Now we’re trying to scale back and figure out, what is Miami Brewing Co.?”

we had beer, or anything to drink other than wine. We didn’t, and so we started looking into what it would take to brew beer.”

Schnebly teamed up with two welders to create the brew kettle Miami Brewing Company uses to make its beer. He started off in the winery’s retail room, but soon outgrew the space, prompting a move outdoors to an on-site tiki hut. That, too, proved to be too small and didn’t carry the right vibe in Schnebly’s and his team’s eyes.

In 2015, he moved the brewery to its current location, a warehouse formerly occupied by the family’s produce company.

So, what’s next for Miami Brewing Co.?

Schnebly is developing the venue’s outdoor area and beer garden, and he is even considering adding turf and mini golf to its Homestead grounds. But, he’s also focused on getting back to the basics. “We’re working on getting our identity back. We opened the brewery right before craft beer took off, so we ended up going from making a little bit of beer to a lot of beer almost from one day to the next,” he says. “[We] went through a time of such rapid growth. Now we’re trying to scale back and figure out, what is Miami Brewing Co.? What should it be, where is it heading, where do we want to be in five, 10 years?”

An active member of the Gulliver Alumni Association, Schnebly currently serves on the Alumni Reunion Weekend Committee, representing the Class of 2013. He feels it’s his duty to get involved and give back. “The younger graduating classes like mine and those that follow, I believe we have a great opportunity and a responsibility to connect with the students that are graduating now,” he says. “We’re the ones that can sit down and have conversations with them in such a manner that they’ll take something away from it. We can identify with issues they’re having, directions they want to take, and their goals. I think it’s our responsibility to be that bridge.”

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alumni profile profile

Putting the ‘Rome’ in Romance Languages Claudio Pastor ‘90

By Doreen Hemlock

M

iami is known as a Latin city because of its roots in Latin America. But look further back and those roots really stem from Rome. The Roman Empire brought Latin to the countries (including Spain and Portugal) that now speak Romance languages, so it’s fair to say Miami’s deeper Latin link is with Italy.

That’s the view of alumnus Claudio Pastor ‘90, who founded and runs the Miami branch of Societa Dante Alighieri, Italy’s government-linked cultural group, active now in some 60 nations. For more than 20 years, Pastor has served as a vital Italian connection in South Florida, teaching Italian language classes and organizing art exhibitions, lectures and other events on Italian themes.

He’s been honored for that service by Italy’s President with the title of “Cavaliere,” or knight.

“Miami is almost entirely Latin,” because most residents or their families speak Spanish, Portuguese, French-Creole or other Romance languages, Pastor says.

“Linguistically, we all go back to Rome and those couple of tribes around the Tiber River who began speaking the first words of the Latin language.”

Pastor embodies the area’s Latin roots. Born in Miami to families from Cuba and Italy, he grew up speaking Spanish and Italian at home and often visited relatives in Europe.

He took Italian classes as a student at Gulliver, which he attended for several years.After college in Italy, Pastor landed an internship at the Societa Dante Alighieri (named

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Italian General Consul Marco Rocca (right) honors Claudio Pastor (left) as a “Cavaliere” for his service to Italy

for The Divine Comedy’s author). He’s worked with the group on and off ever since, opening its Miami chapter in 1997. Pastor returned to Gulliver to teach Italian from January 2014 through June 2015, working with some of his own high school teachers.

Over the decades, Pastor has seen South Florida’s concept of Italy move beyond tasty food to well-designed Ferraris, fashion and furniture. It helps that Miami has attracted many residents of Italian heritage, Pastor says.

While some arrive straight from Italy, tens of thousands are from Italian families who moved first to Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela before coming north.

Today, Pastor oversees a staff of about 15 people, full- and part-time, at the Societa’s Miami unit, which offers Italian language classes and cultural events. He recently opened and manages smaller Societa chapters in Atlanta, Charleston and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The (continued on page 52)

Thank You,

Partners Special thanks to our corporate partners who have invested in the mission and vision of Gulliver. Your philanthropic leadership enhances the experiences and opportunities of our Gulliver community. Gulliver's corporate partners program provides customized partnership opportunities to maximize marketing and engagement opportunities while philanthropically supporting the school.

To become a partner or learn more about the opportunities and benefits, please contact advancement@gulliverschools.org.

Whether you’re a recent graduate or a long-time Gulliver alumnus, the Alumni Association is your pathway to connecting with your alumni network – nearly 8,000 strong and growing.

This network spans the country and the globe.

Join now at www.gulliverconnect.com using your LinkedIn, Facebook or email account.

Activate your account today!

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alumni profile

Full Circle at Frost Science Rebecca Dorfman ‘05

By Kimberly Bobson Feldman

“A

ll my memories start with Gulliver,” says Rebecca Dorfman ‘05. “I met many of the friends I still have at the Academy. My day-to-day life as an adult is very Gulliver-centric.” A Miami native, Dorfman began attending Gulliver at age 10. She was active in student government, but her fondest Gulliver memories center around her four years on the dance team, under the direction of “Miss Gerri” Berreras P ‘04.

She grew close to her fellow dance team members, spending many hours choreographing, competing and expanding their artistic ideas and talents.

Summer internships in the public relations field and participation in the wildly successful “TRUTH” anti-tobacco campaign during high school both laid the foundation for her future career.

After graduating from Gulliver in 2005, Dorfman attended the University of Florida. Inspired by Gulliver faculty member Mrs. Mary Zamora, she majored in English, with a minor in mass communication. Once again, she took advantage of internship opportunities, spending her last two summers of college interning with CNN’s public relations department in New York.

After college, Dorfman fulfilled a longtime dream, moving to Africa to live with a local family and teach dance at an orphanage. After that, she moved to New York, where she began her professional public relations career at Maloney and Fox, a small firm representing some big clients, including Tupperware, Mercedes-Benz and the William Grant & Sons liquor portfolio. This fastpaced job, Dorfman says, allowed her to get her feet wet with a full spectrum of PR work, but it involved frequent travel. “Most of my clients weren’t based in New York, and I wanted to feel more connected to the city I moved to,” she says. She was able to do so at Shadow Public Relations, another small agency with a hospitality focus, with clients including restaurants, nightclubs, bars and hotels.

In 2014, a connection through a fellow Gulliver alum led to Dorfman’s return to Miami, as Director of Communications for Fusion, a new Englishlanguage network targeting millennials, formed by Univision and Disney. Three years later, she joined the newly opened Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science as Public Relations Manager.

“Growing up in Miami, I often visited the Museum of Science,” Dorfman recalls. “I had heard the position was available when Frost Science opened, and I was really excited because this is the science institution Miami deserves.” Frost Science opened in May 2017 and includes a three-story aquarium, a high-tech (continued on page 52)

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alumni profile

Hitting All the Right Notes Ana Cristina (Alvarez) Cash ‘03

By Kimberly Bobson Feldman

A

na Cristina (Alvarez) Cash ‘03 was fascinated when her grandfather started recording her singing as a little girl, as a sort of game they played together. She never would have guessed performing would become her passion and eventual career. Cash’s parents emigrated from Cuba in the 1960s, and she grew up in East Kendall, in a home inspired by Cuban music and culture.

Cash’s musical talent began to flourish during elementary and middle school. She sang anywhere she could: school events, church functions, weddings, funerals, the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair, Christmas Posadas. Most significantly, from the ages of 6 to 13, she was a regular performer on Univision’s “Sabado Gigante,” the longest-running television variety series in history.

Cash joined the Gulliver family as a freshman in 1999, immersing herself in the school’s performing arts offerings, including chorus and musical theater.

“I’m just so grateful Gulliver had performing arts programs like that – not enough schools do,” Cash says. “I really thrived in that artistic environment.

I’m a big supporter of the arts; it serves as an outlet for so many kids.” Her fondest Gulliver memories are of the bonding that occurred during rehearsals for and travel to music competitions. Cash’s teachers were very understanding of her schedule, making sure she could participate whenever possible, even as her career really started taking off. She left Gulliver after her sophomore year to pursue her dream.

Gulliver Performing Arts Department Chair and Music Director Mr. Ron Castonguay P ‘27 ‘30 fondly recalls Cash’s time as a Prep music student.

“Ana was an extremely talented and humble vocalist with skills in the pop genre that were obvious from the onset,” he says. “Every once in a while there are people that cross our paths who we just know have found their purpose in life and have the skills, drive (continued on page 52)

Ana Crist ina Cash (back row members , fifth from during he left) and r freshma fellow Gu n year, 19 lliver cho 99 ir

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alumni profiles profile continued

Ana Cristina Cash ‘03: continued from page 51 and talent to succeed. Ana was one of these rare finds. I am so happy she has found her place in the music world.”

A recording executive heard Cash’s demos and signed her to the Sony label’s Latin division, where she released a self-titled Spanish-language album. Promotional tours followed, taking her to Puerto Rico and Mexico, with a stop at the White House in 2005 as the first Hispanic singer at a presidential inauguration. She returned there a year later for a private performance in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, at the invitation of Emilio Estefan.

Cash continued to hone her craft, releasing an entirely self-written album, “The West Coast Sessions,” in 2015.

The year after, she married John Carter Cash, the son of country music icons Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.

They live in Hendersonville, Tennessee, where they own and operate the Cash Cabin Studio, working as a songwriting and production team. In 2017, Cash released “The Tough Love EP,” a country-pop fusion record produced by her husband and recorded at their studio.

Cash, whose daugther, Grace June, was born in 2017, visits Miami frequently to keep in touch with family and her old friends from Gulliver. “Gulliver was an all-around great school, and I’ve been able to keep up the friendships I made there,” Cash says. “We’ve even gotten to be in each other’s weddings.” Up next for Cash are two new releases in the year ahead: a record of originals and a Christmas album.

Claudio Pastor ‘90: continued from page 48 Italian government also named him Italy’s honorary consul to Puerto Rico to help with Italian government affairs on that U.S. Caribbean island.

When Hurricanes Irma and Maria pummeled Puerto Rico last year, knocking out electricity and most phone lines, Pastor spent grueling weeks in San Juan helping stranded Italian tourists get home. His hotel ran out of food, unable to secure diesel to run its power generators. Pastor calls the post-hurricane experience “absolutely the most challenging” he’s faced yet. He had no control over airports, flights or other basics, yet needed to aid scores of anxious Italians. “It tested me mentally, emotionally and physically, because you are thrust 100 years back in time [and, at the same time, you] are responsible for modern-day emergencies,” he says.

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Pastor says learning any new language (of course, he recommends Italian) opens doors to new ideas, new friends and new places. He adds that studies show learning languages helps keep memory sharp even in later years. He’s taught Italian at the Societa and at Florida International University, in addition to his teaching at Gulliver.

“Gulliver gave me something important, which is a sense of community,” he says. “And [that] you’re expected to give something back and be a good member of society.”

Rebecca Dorfman ‘05: continued from page 50 planetarium (one of only 13 of its kind in the world), and an array of permanent and traveling exhibits. Before it was even a year old, the museum had hosted 800,000 people from around the world and garnered 30,000 household memberships, “including many past and current Gulliver families,” Dorfman says.

Dorfman oversees all media relations efforts for the museum, as well as its young patrons group. She is also active in MUVE (Museum Volunteers for the Environment), which visits restoration sites around Miami, helping rebuild coastlines, plant mangrove trees and much more.

“When I moved back to Miami, I noticed everyone asked where you went to school; it’s a question integrated into any conversation you have,” Dorfman says. “Which is helpful, because I like to be in-the-know of what’s happening at Gulliver, connect with old classmates, and leverage opportunities based on what we do or like to do.

There’s value in supporting each other, and [it’s] always nice to go back and give back.” Dorfman has returned to campus to teach an alum-led dance class and gave a talk on working in the television industry.

Gulliver staff reconnected with Dorfman during a donor reception at Frost Science in October 2017, and were pleased to welcome her to Gulliver’s Alumni Council. She serves on the council’s Distinguished Alumni Awards Committee and the Internship and Mentorship Committee. “We have so many great ideas,” Dorfman says. “We can’t wait to start implementing them and get even more Gulliver alums involved!”

alumni memories

1978

1988

1998

2008

1983

1993 2003

2013

Share your memories with us!

Please visit the Gulliver Alumni Facebook page @GulliverAlumni and post all of your throwback photos. Be sure to tag your friends!

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class notes

of trial lawyers. Drew was also recently recognized for receiving one of the top 20 verdicts in Florida during 2017. His practice is limited to civil litigation, with an emphasis on representing plaintiffs in catastrophic personal injury cases.

Maria A. (Noguera) Dezubiria ‘81, a licensed Florida real estate agent, was named the 2017 Coldwell Banker Breakthrough Agent of the Year and 2017 True Blue award winner. She was the top agent in her office for February and March 2018.

Jeffrey Kolokoff ‘97 and his wife, Emily, welcomed son Jacob Aaron Kolokoff on December 15, 2017. He joins big sister Abby, 4.

Deepa Sharma ‘97 moved back to Miami from Maui, Hawaii, in 2016 to join Baptist Health Primary Care, and is happy to be back in her hometown!

Shandra Colzie ‘99 is Assistant Principal at Dr. Edward L. Whigham Elementary.

Shundra Colzie ‘99 is Assistant Principal at Banyan Elementary.

Robert Robbins ‘90 co-authored and published Fishes in the Freshwaters of Florida. Robert is a Collection Manager in the Division of Ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

its “Top Women in PR.” This prestigious national award celebrates female communications titans for their bold industry advances.

Cristobal Gonzalez ‘00 became engaged to David A. Smith in 2017.

Alexandra (Dormoy) Gauthier ‘03 is working as a Physician Assistant in South Miami. She has been married to Timothy Gauthier for six years. They have a 3-year-old daughter, Charlotte Rose, and are expecting a son in October 2018.

Otto Borroto ‘92 is a Partner with Borroto Architects.

Lisa (Harris) Zalis ‘87 has a 2-year-old son, Isaac Hamilton, with Dr. Brian Zalis.

Drew Moss ‘89, the Managing Shareholder of Kutner, Rubinoff & Moss LLP, was recently inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates, a national invitation-only association

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Tori (Tucker) Eckman ‘92 married Jason Eckman on October 21, 2017.

SP R I N G 2018

Suzanne (Schmidt) Perez-Bernal ‘02 launched ANDER & Co Public Relations + Digital Strategy in 2015, and it is now one of the fastestgrowing public relations agencies in Miami. In 2018, PR News named her among

Adam Bregman ‘04 married Kelly Horn, a nice Wisconsin girl, in February 2018, on the beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. He will finish his nephrology fellowship in July 2018, and then continue on to a kidney transplant fellowship at the

cla ss n o te s University of Colorado, which he will complete in July 2019. He will then move to a private practice in Milwaukee.

Matias Perez ‘04 moved home and joined the J.P. Morgan Global Asset and Wealth Management team in Miami. He had spent 10 years at J.P. Morgan’s investment bank in New York City, where he was part of the Debt Capital Markets team and advised Latin American clients regarding financing and strategic considerations.

was the field reporter for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, as well as the field reporter with Telemundo Deportes for the game where the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team was knocked out of the World Cup against Trinidad and Tobago. This year, he will be part of the Telemundo Deportes team that broadcasts the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018; he will be following Argentina during the group stage.

Brittney Waters ‘05 is getting married in July 2018 in Greece to Panos Kazanas. She also coaches the Gulliver Girls’ Middle School Softball team.

Carlos Diaz ‘05 recently moved to McAllen, Texas, where he is the Sports Anchor for the local Telemundo station, Telemundo 40, in the Rio Grande Valley. In 2017, he

Matthew Smith ‘07 joined the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP as a Corporate Associate in the private equity group.

wealth for more than 46 years. He is learning the family business directly from his father. He is also working on a video gaming concept he believes will change the way people play video games forever.

Alexandra Carullo McClure ‘09 is happily married to Jordan McClure, who she met during her sophomore year of college at Florida Atlantic University.

They have two children, Cruz, 4, and Kaia, 2.

They reside in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Alexandra works remotely, which she says, “has been a blessing; it allows me to operate the household and be home with the kids when they aren’t in daycare.”

Daniel Pellicer ‘09 will begin his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of WisconsinMadison this summer.

Joseph Traba ‘10 is a Financial Advisor for the Traba Financial Group, a practice that has been helping clients manage, transition and preserve

Emma Kelly ‘11 and Michael Elgart ‘10 were engaged on November 10, 2017, after eight years of dating.

Nelson Saavedra, Jr. ‘12 graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film/animation/video in 2016. He moved back to Miami in 2017 to be near family and is the Video Equipment Rental Manager at Midtown Video.

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PREPARATORY

news

By Maegan Azpiazu

Prep Students Win Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge for 2nd Straight Year For the second year in a row, a Gulliver team won the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge’s teen track. And, this year, all three of the track’s finalists and three of the five runners-up were Gulliver students. Winners Tadeo Acosta-Rubio ‘19, John DeLappe ‘19 and Leonardo Gorgatti ‘20 won with their concept for innovative luggage, Väska.

The design offers a compartmentalized travel wardrobe carrier on wheels, which aims to streamline packing and unpacking and keep clothes organized. All three are students in Gulliver’s International Business and Entrepreneurship program, as well as regular travelers. They designed Väska, which is still in the concept stage, with a hard shell, adjustable nylon shelving, a battery pack for device charging, a compartment for dirty clothes or shoes, and a spring-loaded, pop-up toiletries kit.

John DeLappe ‘19, Tadeo Acosta-Rubio ‘19 and Leonardo Gorgatti ‘20 teamed up to design innovative luggage

Duo Presents Winning App to Lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Gaetan Almela ‘19 and Kristian Zedan ‘19 demonstrated their app to assist people with color blindness to lawmakers on Capitol Hill at April’s #HouseOfCode Demo Day. The pair’s ChromaTilt app, which helps people with color blindness better distinguish colors in real life, won the 2017 Congressional App Challenge for district FL-27. ChromaTilt will be on the display on the House.gov website and inside the U.S. Capitol for a year. This was the second year in a row that Gulliver students have won the district’s challenge; Gulliver students also took runner-up and two honorable mentions this year.

Members of the yearbook staff receive their Silver Crown award from CSPA Director Edmund Sullivan

Raider Yearbook Wins Prestigious CSPA Silver Crown The Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) awarded its Silver Crown to Gulliver Prep’s 2017 edition of The Raider yearbook, “We Got This,” Volume 39. The Silver Crown, which honors overall excellence in a head-to-head comparison with other top student publications from around the country, was just the top among the many honors the 2017 yearbook earned. The only high school hybrid yearbook south of Palm Beach County to receive a Crown Award recognition, it also earned CSPA’s All Columbian Honors and Gold Medalist award. The National Scholastic Press Association ranked it an All American, with four Marks of Distinction. The yearbook was inducted into Walsworth Publishing’s Gallery of Excellence and President’s Collection as a national sample.

ChromaTilt creators Gaetan Almela ‘19 and Kristian Zedan ‘19 with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (center) in Washington, D.C.

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And, it earned Florida Scholastic Press Association’s AllFlorida, with four Special Distinctions.

Gulliver Student Publishes Her First Book Prep student Nicole Nixon ‘19 published her first

book, Fire Within: Part 1, just before she turned 17 last summer. An action-adventure fantasy story that chronicles a cat’s adventures around London, the book was released on Amazon on November 10, 2017. The book writing, editing and publishing process took several years, and Nicole noted one supporter who has urged her on from the beginning: Academy Middle School English Chair and International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) Curriculum Coordinator Maria Gonzalez. “When I told Ms. G at the Academy about the book, she literally printed out the entire almost-300-page document and read it,” Nicole says. “She kept saying, ‘You’re going to do this.’”

Gulliver students and University of Miami graduate student researchers catch, measure, tag and collect tissue samples from sharks

Fishing for Sharks in the Name of Research This winter, 17 Prep students set sail on a unique excursion, boarding a vessel at Crandon Marina in Key Biscayne and sailing to Soldier Key in Biscayne National Park to fish for sharks. As part of the University of Miami’s Shark Research and Conservation Program, students in Marine Science, AP Environmental Science and Field Studies worked alongside UM graduate student researchers.

Along with Prep biology faculty member Mark Tohulka and Prep Director of Activities Danielle Bowen, they caught, measured, tagged and collected tissue samples from sharks in the water. “It was a fascinating adventure,” says Elizabeth Vair ‘20. “It was impressive and a little intimidating to be that close to a big bull shark.”

Want to read more?

The full-length versions of these and other Gulliver stories are online at gulliver.life/news.

Nicole Nixon ‘19 published her first book, Fire Within: Part 1, at the age of 16

Many of these stories are also in Gulliver’s monthly email newsletter, Raider Review.

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ACADEMY

news

By Stephanie Sanchez

Jr.K Students Serve Up Fresh Farmers Market Jr.K students learned about organic produce and the farm-to-table ethos by hosting their very own farmers market. The children served smoothies, avocado-ranch dip with fresh veggies, broccoli and cheddar quinoa bites, and more – all of which they made themselves.

Jr.K classes took turns manning each food station, while Sr.K “customers” visited, sampling the yummy treats made by their younger peers. The Jr.K Farmers Market is one of the earlier activities boys and girls participate in that instills the values of collaboration,

Dion Waiters ‘31 helps serve his classmates fresh smoothies during the Jr.K Farmer’s Market

critical thinking and cultural competence throughout their Gulliver experience.

The Magic of zSpace Gulliver faculty and students from the Academy experienced the magic of zSpace onboard the technology company’s mobile bus. ZSpace combines virtual and augmented reality to create lifelike experiences for use in education. Its applications engage students in standards-based learning experiences that align with a school’s curriculum. Within these virtual and zSpace allowed students to virtually dissect animals and reptiles, as well as learn about the different body parts and their functions

augmented worlds, students develop knowledge and understanding of concepts across multiple curriculum areas, with a strong focus on STEM subjects.

Meeting Challenges

by Making Middle School students at the Academy Montgomery Drive Campus participated in its inaugural Maker Fair. During the event, which promotes and encourages STEM learning, students were challenged to find innovative solutions to problems via design process. The fair’s fast-paced challenges required students to problem-solve, think critically and work together with humble materials to create a product that was tested at the end of the challenge.

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Maker-of-the-year Mark Curi ‘23 teaches other students how to make paper, one of many activities at this year’s Montgomery Maker Fair

Calling From Space to Earth On February 1, Gulliver Middle School science teacher and NASA enthusiast Ms. Valeria Rodriguez traveled to Space Center Houston to participate in a live talkback from the International Space Station (ISS) with astronaut Joe Acaba. Students watched the live stream of the 20-minute video call from their classroom at the Academy. They heard Acaba answer pre-submitted questions and speak about experiments he is conducting in space, lesson plans created by Christa McAuliffe (the first teacher in space, who died when the Challenger space shuttle exploded after launch in 1986) and more.

Japanese Students’ Unforgettable Week at Gulliver Four students from Kagoshima, Japan, spent a week shadowing boys and girls at the Academy - Marian C. Krutulis Campus in November. The annual schoolwide exchange program, called Wings of Youth, is sponsored by the city of Miami and its sister city, Kagoshima. Gulliver students at all grade levels had the opportunity to see the U.S. from the perspective of students from Japan. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for both American and Japanese students,” says Prep world languages faculty member Chiho Cotton, who heads the exchange program. “This kind of experience is so important for students to have during the early stages of their lives, to learn about cultural differences and Cosme Salas ‘24 and his family with Himari Ibayama, a Kagoshima exchange student

to respect cultural differences.”

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EMPOWER THE FUTURE

Gulliver Annual Fund Update

By Lori-Ann M. Cox P ‘19 ‘25 and Nicole Kaufman Glasgow P ‘31

A

s a school community, we are joined by our mission to create an educational environment that recognizes and nurtures the unique potential of each child. We are united in our shared values, including leadership, responsibility, service and initiative.

Rooted in our values, an unwavering commitment to mission and a vision for the future, we set a goal to cultivate a culture of philanthropy at Gulliver.

This collective commitment actively enhances the experience for students, faculty and alumni. With an Annual Fund that is only a decade old, each year we build a greater foundation through giving to solidify Gulliver’s future.

This school year, Gulliver united across a theme of “Empower.” We have celebrated our students’ empowerment as 21st century learners, problemsolvers, collaborators, volunteers, competitors and innovators. We have supported our faculty’s empowerment as mentors, leaders, researchers and facilitators. We recognize the ways our alumni are empowered as leaders across industries, and the ways they are engaging with current students. And we

The Year of Empowerment The 2017-18 school year saw unprecedented levels of engagement and support:

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$1.8 million raised towards the Annual Fund as of May 5 (136% to goal)

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Double-digit increase in faculty and staff giving for the second year in a row

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2,200+ participants in the renewed Raider Fest at Make a Splash

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105% increase in net revenues from the Gulliver Gala, with more than $1 million raised

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acknowledge the power of our parents and grandparents as steady pillars of support in each student’s educational journey.

Through the lens of our “Empower” theme, we recognize that our goal to grow a culture of philanthropy will be realized through a collective and holistic movement.

Our school will achieve great advances as each of us is increasingly empowered as ambassadors, advocates, leaders and philanthropists.

Together this year, we have surpassed our Annual Fund goal of $1.3 million to reach an unprecedented level of support. Already, we have committed more than $1.8 million to the Annual Fund, and more $2.1 million in total gifts and commitments.

We celebrate both the tremendous increase in philanthropic support this year and the movement ignited by our empowered community. Our nearly 2,000 percent increase from the $100,000 Annual Fund goal of just 10 years ago is rooted in commitment to our mission, shared values, and inclusive engagement and empowerment. Each year, our community has stepped up to contribute to the Annual Fund and foster a growing culture of philanthropy at our school.

The Annual Fund actively enhances the Gulliver experience for students, faculty and alumni, supporting facility updates, scholarships, travel, professional development, athletic equipment, community service initiatives, visiting artists and more.

We are proud to celebrate the growing participation of parents, alumni and their families, faculty and staff, and friends of our school. Our collective investments are fueling Gulliver’s strategic plan and enhancing our ability to deliver upon our mission.

We gratefully acknowledge all our donors for your generous commitments to Empower the Future!

Dollars at Work Approved projects for Annual Fund allocation include: •

New Kompan intelligent playgrounds for Primary and Lower School students

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Refreshed outdoor campus furniture at Prep and Academy

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Updated faculty lounge spaces for planning, collaboration and reflection

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Awnings for athletics facilities

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More than $200,000 in financial aid and scholarships to support students with demonstrated need

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Investments in teachers’ professional development

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Performing Arts

National Titles for Gulliver Student Dancers and Musicians The Prep music and dance programs both garnered national championships this Spring.

By Maegan Azpiazu

The Sundancers The Sundancers (the Prep dancers) were named national champions at West Coast Elite Nationals for their jazz number, “Big Spender,” a piece that also earned them Best in Class in the Jazz category.

In addition, the Sundancers earned a pair of second-place finishes at the March competition in Long Beach, California – along with two thirdplace finishes and four top-five finishes, including a trio who earned an Elite rating. Gulliver’s soloists also fared well at the competition, with Andrea Gil ‘21 taking third place overall in the 9th Grade Gold Division, and Izabella Lyon ‘19 and Juliana Yaniz ‘19 taking 14th place overall in the 11th Grade Silver and Gold divisions, respectively.

Prior to West Coast Elite Nationals, the Sundancers competed at Contest of Champions at Disney ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando.

The highlight of their many stellar performances came from Alexandra Yaniz ‘19, who won fourth

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place overall, out of 150 senior soloists. The competition staff also awarded the Sundancers the Spirit of Disney Award, which is a reflection of how team members interact behind the scenes.

The Sundancers had kicked off competition season at January’s American Dance Alliance Florida State competition at Florida International University. Gulliver came away victorious in the Jazz/Funk category for “Guaya Guaya.” A first-place duet, first-place junior soloist (Gil), and a firstplace trio also earned Elite ratings.

The dance department’s spring performance, A Night to Remember, capped off the Sundancers’ school year with a sold-out crowd on May 5 at Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus.

Prep Musicians At the WorldStrides National Music Festival, Gulliver earned the Sweepstakes Award for Total Program, which goes to the highest-scoring multiensemble school. Gulliver’s Vocal, Jazz and String ensembles each took first place at the March competition in Orlando, and the Vocal Ensemble won the Outstanding Choral Group Award and the Adjudicator Award, which goes to the highest-scoring choral group in the festival.

Out of 11 total Maestro Solo Awards given out at WorldStrides, four went to Gulliver students: Brandon Suarez ‘21 (Alto Saxophone – Jazz Ensemble), Chris Ricardo ‘19 (Trumpet – Jazz Ensemble & Wind Ensemble), Kyle Bramson ‘20 (Alto Saxophone – Jazz Ensemble) and Gonzalo Schaps ‘18 (Baritone Voice – Vocal Ensemble).

Prior to the national competition, Prep musicians excelled at the district and state levels, including notching an overall Superior rating for the 15th consecutive year at the Florida Bandmasters Association State Festival for Jazz and Solo & Ensemble.

This spring, all ensembles – Jazz, Wind, String and Vocal – earned straight Superior ratings (15 out of 15) at their respective District Music Performance Assessment festivals. This is just the fourth time that has happened in the history of the Prep music program (it happened before in 2006, 2014 and 2015). Additionally, Gulliver earned an astounding 32 Superior ratings at the Florida Orchestra Association and Florida Vocal Association District Solo & Ensemble Festival.

Gulliver Academy’s Orchestra Director Says Goodbye

By Adrian Gordon, Academy Orchestra Director

As many of you know, this is my last year at Gulliver. My, how time flies. I have had 13 wonderful years here. I feel blessed to have been a part of such an incredible institution with such amazing educators. I am also thankful for the opportunity Gulliver has given me to grow professionally. Working with so many talented students and parents has been the highlight of my time here. It has been so gratifying to witness the students’ musical growth as they become independent and sophisticated musicians. I take great pride in seeing them develop a lifelong love of music.

I will take away some wonderful memories as I move on: from parents, students and teachers helping me learn Spanish as my second language, to the amazing performances and adjudications the students participated in. This past Spring concert was particularly special. It was astounding to see the students perform at such a high level of musicianship.

Their energy and passion were infectious. The students and parents also had some heartfelt words during the concert that were truly humbling.

I want to thank all of the Gulliver families for their encouragement and continuous support of the music program over the years. Working with students and parents as passionate as the ones here at Gulliver has made me strive, year after year, to be a better music educator. The bonds I have made with everyone here will surely last a lifetime.

What a privilege it has been to work at Gulliver as a music educator, helping to carry out the vision of Gulliver’s founder, Mrs. Marian C. Krutulis! I wish everyone a restful Summer, and I look forward to our paths crossing again in the future. Thank you for everything!

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Student Artwork Spotlight NA MARIA 3 ‘2 A V L I S

Student work displayed at the 2018 Annual Student Art Exhibition

TIA ABR GO EU ‘ 22

This year’s Annual Student Art Exhibition featured more than 3,000 works of art by nearly 400 students

EDES MERC S ‘22 A VARG

SAN MARIA CHE Z ‘1 8

Susan Xinhui Huang ‘18 sits proudly with her collection

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staff notes

staff n otes

Gulliver administrators and staff attended the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference – “The Leadership Journey: Guides, Pathways, and Possibilities” – March 7-9 in Atlanta. Leaders from around the school learned from inspirational keynote speakers, brilliant educators and other resilient leaders.

They participated in fundamental skills workshops and made valuable connections with many others from independent schools across the nation.

USA Baseball tapped Gulliver’s head baseball coach, Manny Crespo, to join the 15U Baseball team as an assistant coach. He will help lead the 15-and-under team in its attempt to win the gold medal at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s 2018 Baseball World Cup in Panama City, Panama, this August. USA Baseball selected Crespo for this honor because of his extensive experience, which includes coaching the 2017 15U National Team Trials, the National Team Championships, USA Baseball’s National Team Identification Series and the Women’s National Team Trials.

Gulliver Athletic Director and Softball Coach Mark Schusterman won the 700th game of his coaching career in March. The 5-4 win over Canterbury School, in the 24th Annual Gulliver Slamfest Tournament, added to a coaching career that has spanned 24 years and includes six state championships, induction into the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame and induction into the Gulliver Athletics Hall of Fame.

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ggulliver ulliver gives gives

Building Houses, Building Confidence and Bonds

By Victoria Rodriguez Thiessen P ‘24

M

ercedes Vargas ‘22 wanted to choose something that would have a lasting impact for her International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme project. She spent months on the major community service project – researching, planning and, ultimately, building a home for a disadvantaged family in the Dominican Republic. The experience was transformative, not just for Mercedes and the classmates who joined her on the project, but also for their families.

From the start of the project, Mercedes knew she wanted to help the homeless. Her research led her to TECHO, a youth-led organization that seeks to help families living in extreme poverty in Latin America.

During Presidents Day weekend in February, several Gulliver families traveled to the Dominican Republic on a building trip with the organization. Mercedes’ parents, Jose and Elizabeth, and her sister, Pilar ‘24, joined her. Natalia del Cueto ‘22, a fellow eighth grader working on her community service project, went with her mother, Ana del Cueto, her sister Camila and a friend. Juan, Lina Mahecha, Sophia ‘25 and Luciana Franco ‘26 became first-time TECHO volunteers, too.

As did the Walchli family – Adrian, Natalia, Isabel ‘24 and Vanessa. TECHO board member Roberto Awad, his wife Soledad Troncoso – who volunteers as TECHO’s administration coordinator – and their three oldest children, Antonia, Emilia ‘26 and Martina, took their third building trip with the organization.

Their time in the Dominican Republic was short, and their days were filled with hard manual labor, with Gulliver families working alongside local families. Adults worked on the more rigorous house construction, while students hammered nails, cleaned houses, dug for rocks to stabilize the pillars of the houses, and prepared and served lunch. Some of the youngest found time to play with the kids in the community. After each intense and exhausting day, the Gulliver volunteers retired to the school where they shared rooms, cleaned themselves with

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From top, left-right: Juan Fernando Franco; local TECHO volunteer Melissa; Lina, Sophia and Luciana Franco; Adrian and Natalia Walchli; Dominga and her children Wesley and Wendy, recipients of the TECHO home; Isabel and Vanessa Walchli

a shared bucket of water and slept on the floor.

Any momentary physical discomforts were quickly overshadowed by the individual sense of achievement and satisfaction the participants felt from helping others.

Troncoso sees the pride her children have knowing that each night “a family will finally sleep under a roof and that they were part of this process,” she says. Isabel Walchli’s eyes light up when she recounts the joy a little boy felt as he cried, “My house! My house!” upon seeing his new home. Her mother, Natalia, notes that the work made her “appreciate how privileged we are and also that we don’t need many things to be happy.”

The trip was also an opportunity for bonding. Natalia Walchli says that for daughters Isabel and Vanessa, the experience was about being together on a mission, and Isabel acknowledges that she and her sister “had each other’s backs” that weekend. Gulliver families also got the chance to rekindle old friendships and build new ones.

Mercedes Vargas takes great pride in the completed project. Just as important, says her mother, Elizabeth, Mercedes felt “empowered in doing this project. She took ownership of it, and was constantly in the middle of the construction. She showed a strong sense of dedication.”

Build a Legacy: Brick by Brick

Order an engraved brick today!

gulliver.life/bricks

Leave a Legacy and support Gulliver's Annual Fund, which enhances all aspects of student life, including academic programming, activities and resources, facility improvements and campus

You are invited to become a permanent part of Gulliver by purchasing your own personalized, engraved brick. Each brick will be placed at your preferred campus location.

Special thanks to the Class of 2018 for their outstanding commitment to the Brick campaign with more than 70 bricks purchased!

Bricks can be purchased for $250. All contributions are tax deductible.

HONOR | REMEMBER | CELEBRATE

Non-Profit Non-Profit Organization Organization U.S. Postage U.S. Postage

PAID PAID Miami, FL

ADVANCEMENT ADVANCEMENT

Miami, FL No. 0067 Permit Permit No. 0067

9350 South Dixie Highway, 11th Floor 9350 SouthMiami, Dixie Highway, 11th Floor Florida 33156 Miami, Florida 33156

We Wedid didit! it!

$ WeWe surpassed ourour 1.3$million annual fundfund goalgoal because of you! surpassed 1.3 million annual because of you

#GULLIVERGRATITUDE #GULLIVERGRATITUDE

2017-18 2017-18 1.3 M GOAL $ 1.3 M GOAL $ 1.8 M RAISED $ 1.8 M RAISED TO DATE TO DATE $