FWCD Falconer, Summer 2018

F O R T

Volume 9, Issue 2 Summer 2018

W O R T H

C O U N T R Y

D A Y

Nolan Fredian ’18 is Fort Worth Country Day’s 4,000th graduate. There are now, 4,063 total Falcon graduates out in the world making a difference.

ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM

Volume 8, Issue 2

Eric Lombardi Head of School Tom Mitchell Chief Financial and Operations Officer Bill Arnold ’86 Director of Special Projects Joe Breedlove ’78 Executive Director of Breakthrough Steve Stackhouse Head of Upper School John Stephens Head of Middle School Trey Blair Head of Lower School Frank Gendusa Athletic Director Kathy Lott Director of Admission and Financial Aid Denise Mullins Director of Fine Arts Sandra Tuomey Director of Advancement Steve Uhr Director of Technology

EDITOR Shannon Rossman Allen ART DIRECTOR Lisa Koger CONTRIBUTORS Paige Farris Chisholm ’87 Rachel Donahue Yolanda Espinoza Mel Hurst Debby Jennings Renee Pierce Holly Schaal Allen Taylor ’18 Susan Touponse Sandra Tuomey Lisa Wallace

The Magazine of Fort Worth Country Day

SUMMER 2018

F E AT U R E S

24 The Value of Play Shapes, sizes and levels of physical ability vary among kids, but one thing is universally true: They all love to play. And, more importantly, they love to play with others.

28 Reducing Our Carbon Footprint FWCD is doing its part to assure sustainability, one of four lofty goals in the 2018 Strategic Plan, by composting on campus through a partnership with Cowboy Compost.

32 2018 Commencement The 102-member Class of 2018 became Falcon alumni on May 18.

The class earned a record-breaking $13.7 million in merit-based scholarships, which translates to 81 percent of the class receiving awards.

IN EACH ISSUE 2 View from My Window 3 Around Campus 12 Giving Back 14 Faculty Q&A 16 The Arts 18 Athletics 38 Alumni News 44 Alumni Profile 46 Class Notes

Questions? Concerns? Comments?

Contact Shannon Allen at shannon.allen@fwcd.com Send address changes to: Fort Worth Country Day Advancement Office 4200 Country Day Lane Fort Worth, Texas 76109 mel.hurst@fwcd.com © FWCD

The Falconer is published biannually for Fort Worth Country Day families, alumni and friends by the Advancement Office. Opinions represented may not necessarily be the position of the Board or administration. Fort Worth Country Day has an institutional commitment to the principles of diversity. In that spirit, FWCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or national origin in admissions, the administration of its educational policies, financial aid, athletics and other School-administered programs.

SUMMER 2018

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LET TER FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL ERIC LOMBARDI

© Eric Lombardi

View from My Window

Los Trampas, New Mexico I’m writing this in Santa Fe where I am attending a gathering of ISAS school heads. Add this junket to the list of reasons I feel incredibly lucky to get to be serving as Head of Fort Worth Country Day. It’s sort of cheating to ask you to simply conjure a visual memory of an Ansel Adams photo or a Georgia O’Keefe painting to imagine my view here. It’s still probably a shortcut, but, instead of describing my view, I took the picture above with my phone.

Northern New Mexico’s wondrous landscapes and fascinating structures have been photographed and painted by many artists. Landscape and architecture, nature’s and man’s finest creations, they go together out here as much as anywhere in the country. Elsewhere, we rely on especially good architects to connect nature’s work with man’s.

I count Lake Flato, the firm doing the 2018 FWCD Master Plan work, among those especially good architects. From our first meetings of administrators and teachers, through our inspiring community brainstorming session on June 20th, we have processed many great questions, insights and prospects for our 2018 Master Plan.

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Most important to me are two paths Lake Flato is taking.

First, they are working to repurpose our existing buildings before they are looking to build from scratch. Whereas the last master plan had us knocking down at least one gym and the Annie Richardson Bass Lower School, the early edition of Master Plan 2018 calls for major renovation work, but saves many of our iconic structures. (Think of how wonderful architects transformed the cafeteria into the Sid W. Richardson Visual Arts Center.) Second, they are going to their strength as a firm: building structures that complement their surroundings. From the beginning, the team working with us spoke of our topographic “spine,” winding under the trees and by the water features in Trustees Plaza, around the Lou and Nick Martin Campus Center alongside the creek bed down to the Fischer Dining Pavilion. Honoring that spine, renovating spaces to interact with our carefully preserved and celebrated natural setting, drives much of the thinking for this Master Plan that we look forward to sharing this fall.

I am confident that our campus will be still more natural and our buildings will be even more inspired and inspiring to our students and faculty when Lake Flato is done. I look forward to the new view from my window right here at 4200 Country Day Lane.

Around Campus PEOPLE • HONORS • EVENTS • NEWS

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AROUND CAMPUS

Center for International Studies Launches

With just the right amount of pomp and circumstance, FWCD launched its newest program, the Center for International Studies (CIS), in April.

The highlight of the event was keynote speaker Andrew Solomon, FWCD parent and award-winning New York Times bestselling author, who spoke about the importance of travel vs. tourism and understanding others and promoted his book, Far & Away: Reporting from the Brink of Change.

The creation of Director of Special Projects Bill Arnold ’86, the center serves as home base for FWCD’s international initiatives, including overseas summer expeditions, exchange opportunities, cultural programs and global competency professional development. Arnold noted, “For many years, FWCD has pursued global studies. Our students have long benefited from a robust international travel program, a comprehensive academic curriculum and a diverse faculty. Tonight shows our continued commitment to educating collegeready, world-ready students.”

The CIS will focus on creating authentic experiences for K-12 students that foster global competency, fulfill the School’s mission and create a greater global awareness. During the summer, FWCD offers various travel excursions to Europe, Australia, South America and Asia. In addition, FWCD hosts international students during the academic year through partnerships

with the Fort Worth Sister Cities Ambassador Middle School program and the Language & Friendship exchange program.

“A global perspective is not developed in one class, one department or division. It takes a K-12 commitment.

The center seeks to develop our students’ capacity to thrive in an everchanging global community. We plan to do this through assisting teachers in weaving global perspectives into their curriculum and providing students with meaningful travel and hosting exchange opportunities,” said Stephen Blan, Director of the Center for International Studies and Middle School History Teacher. “Partnering with local experts and organizations is crucial for having an accurate understanding of the world and how we can make a significant, positive impact.”

To learn more about the CIS and to view the program, visit www.fwcd.org/ cislaunch.

Middle School Distinguished Scholars Middle School awards were presented to FWCD students on May 18 to honor their hard work and dedication during the academic year. Alex Seiden ’25, Addie Miller ’24, Matthew Lobo ’23 and Joaquin Castro-Balbi ’22 were honored as Distinguished Scholars in their grades. Castro-Balbi also earned Top Scholar in Middle School.

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AROUND CAMPUS

The Peginator Honored

Chickens on Display FWCD 4-H members in the Poultry Club spent the year learning about and raising chickens for show. In the fall, students began handling their chicks to forge relationships between human and chick. These relationships are the most important aspect in the showmanship of the chicken. As comfort-levels deepen, they practice their showmanship, which requires specific ways to hold the bird and present it to the judge. But it’s not just the birds that are on display in a competition: Students are required to share their poultry knowledge with judges who pose questions regarding their understanding of poultry husbandry and breeding. To prepare for the final show of the year, the Tarrant County Junior Livestock Show, the 4-Hers gave their chickens baths! A clean chicken is necessary for competition. The show was a fun learning experience for the club, and Lyle Crumley ’25 won Junior Showmanship. At the end of the year, the Poultry Club members sold their chickens’ eggs during Friday morning carpool.

Assistant Head of Upper School Peggy Wakeland, affectionately known as The Peginator, was honored with the Old Sport Award at the Spring Sports Awards on May 15.

Established in 1989, this award is presented to an individual in the FWCD community who has continued to be a big booster, faithful fan and super supporter of Falcon athletics year in and year out. Athletic Director Frank Gendusa shared, “Under that tough exterior is a woman who deeply cares about and supports all the students at FWCD.”

FWCD Bus Makeover FWCD Bus Driver Sheila Cherry took her first load of Falcons “From Here (Westside Little League lot), Anywhere (FWCD)” in late November. In early December, Cherry brought home the first winning FWCD team on the bus: Boys soccer beat The Oakridge School 2-0! Watch for the bus running its morning route during the academic year. This is just the latest in FWCD’s overarching marketing endeavors.

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AROUND CAMPUS

Star Student

Kindergarten Show and Tell

Nikhil De ’18 was named one of 300 Scholars nationwide in the 2018 Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS) for astrophysics independent research he conducted.

A National Merit Scholar, De began working with TCU Assistant Professor Kat Barger, PhD, last summer on his project, “Examining the Internal Kinematics of Interacting Dwarf-Dwarf Galaxy Pairs with SDSS-MaNGA.” Monty Holmsten ’30 brought a very special someone to show and tell this year: her godmother, Jenna Bush Hager. Animated and witty, Hager visited with Laurie Brown’s kindergarten class and read them Our Great Big Backyard, which she wrote with her mother, former First Lady Laura Bush. Hager and Monty’s mom, Gloria Moncrief Holmsten ’00, were college roommates.

One of 18 students winning from Texas, De was the only scholarship winner from Fort Worth and Arlington.

He earned a $2,000 scholarship for himself, as well as $2,000 for the FWCD Science Department. The Regeneron STS scholars were selected based on their exceptional research skills, commitment to academics, innovative thinking, and promise as scientists from 1,818 applicants from 555 high schools in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and six American and international high schools overseas. To learn more about Nikhil and his project, visit www.fwcd. org/nikhil.

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Sweet Eats and Reads Book Tasting Sixth-graders in Shari Lincoln’s English classes were welcomed to the “Sweet Eats and Reads” restaurant for a “speeddating” book-tasting event. Students were specially seated at one of 17 place settings at sweetly decorated tables complete with twinkling votive candles and Valentine centerpieces. Fifteen of the place settings featured a book or two for students to “nibble on” for two minutes before recording their thoughts on their book-tasting sheet. Two other place settings allowed for a brain break – to eat a brownie and color a Grumpy Cat bookmark!

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Designing a Rube Goldberg Machine Eighth-graders were given a fun assignment in the final weeks of school: to design and test a Rube Goldberg machine. An American cartoonist and 20th-century inventor, Goldberg is famous for his sketches of crazy inventions.

Hence the Rube Goldberg machine: a contraption that is deliberately over-engineered to perform a relatively simple task in a highly complicated or roundabout manner through a series of fun chain reactions.

Students in Jamie Ringgenberg’s and Christine Spikes’ classes developed machines that used a minimum of 5-8 steps to accomplish a simple goal such a ringing a bell, raising a flag, flipping a coin or hitting a target.

Once activated, the machine (which had to stand on its own without human assistance) could not require any additional assistance or “pushes” in order to complete the steps and achieve the goal.

“The Rube Goldberg project is an interesting way for students to test out ideas, all while applying the physics concepts they’ve learned all semester,” Spikes said. “Students really engaged in this project. They came to class early and asked to stay late to work through their problems and test new ideas.

There was a lot of excitement when their hard work came to fruition and things worked the way they wanted.”

The students created a design sketch, description and explanation for their Rube Goldberg machines and then took several days to build them, using the engineering design process of empathize, ask, imagine, plan, create and improve. Throughout this process, they tested parts of their contraptions and worked to troubleshoot the challenges that presented themselves, such as a ball rolling off track or a missed connection in a drop. They were allowed to use such simple machines as a lever, wheel and axle, inclined planes,

wedges and pulleys to create their machines.

Students also had to display and explain various physics concepts in their contraptions, such as showing where potential energy turns into kinetic energy and explaining how kinetic energy turns into gravitational potential energy, how energy transformation takes place, how friction is beneficial and where momentum is transferred from one object to another. There also were bonus points given for creativity and taking risks.

The project grading all came down to three total runs. Each group was given one trial run in order to make tweaks. The final two runs would be used for the project grade. The better run was the graded run.

For Ringgenberg, the project was twofold. “Students had an opportunity to exercise their creativity and critical-thinking skills as they worked through the design process, and they got to display their understanding of physics through a format other than a traditional test,” she noted. “Things can and do go wrong at every turn, and the kids had to come up with solutions. Since the bonus points for creativity outweighed the penalties for things not working, students were encouraged to take risks. Almost the entire grade was based on how well the students went through the design process and demonstrated their understanding of physics, so even if their final product was a total disaster – which didn’t happen – they could still walk away feeling proud of their grade. Provided they demonstrated understanding of the physics, the students had a safe place to fail, although generally what I saw was students who were surprised by their own level of success and creativity.”

To view videos of the students’ projects, visit www.fwcd.org/ rubegoldberg.

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AROUND CAMPUS

FWCD Service Honorees Founders’ Day gives the FWCD community an opportunity to celebrate all that is great about Fort Worth Country Day. At the top of that list: FWCD faculty and staff!

This year, 10 members of the School community were honored for their 20+ years of service to FWCD. Those individuals inducted into Club Viginti for 20 years of service were Holly Clifford, Esperanza Elizondo, Melodee Halbach, Aimee Jenkins and Jerry Mahle. Debbie Eastwood, Denver Edmunds and Alison Robinson celebrated their 25th year at the School, while Karen Curella and Barbara Meyers were honored for 30 years. Visit www.fwcd.org/FoundersDay2018 to view a special video about the honorees.

Senior Scholars All four of FWCD’s National Merit Semifinalists, Lance Mayhue, Michael Chan, Lexa Brenner and Nikhil De, were named National Merit Finalists in the competition. The selection of some 7,500 Merit Scholarship winners from the group of Finalists took place in May. Three types of awards, the National Merit $2,500 Scholarship, the Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship and the Collegesponsored Merit Scholarship, are underwritten by approximately 420 independent sponsor organizations as well as by National Merit Scholarship Corporation with its own funds. Both De and Mayhue were awarded a National Merit $2,500 Scholarship.

Friendships Forged through Books The Leadership Academy at Maude I. Logan Elementary was the beneficiary of FWCD’s annual Books for Kids program. The success of FWCD’s Book Fair allowed the School to provide a book for every student in that school. FWCD third-graders delivered the books over two days and spent meaningful time with kindergarten and third-grade students at the Leadership Academy. FWCD also gifted the Leadership Academy with a special visit from author Ed Masessa in April. The author, who wrote The Wandmaker and The Wandmaker’s Apprentice, spoke with students and signed copies of his books, which were donated by Scholastic Book Fairs.

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The Voice of a Storyteller Renowned author Patricia Polacco spent a day on the Fort Worth Country Day campus sharing her gift of storytelling. Students were mesmerized as she shared tidbits about her family stories of Babushka (her grandmother); Natasha; and her rotten, redheaded older brother.

One of the most exciting moments was when she asked the students if they’d like to see the Keeping Quilt.

The original Keeping Quilt (on which the book The Keeping Quilt is based) is now more than 150 years old and housed in the Mazza Museum in Findlay, Ohio. Patricia’s sister and the Seattle quilting club of which she is a part created a replica quilt for Patricia. The quilt is so special to her because it is made from bits and pieces of clothing from generations of women in her family as they emigrated from Russia to New York.

Innovators in App Creation Students in the Upper School’s Computer Science Principles class, taught by Shaheen Matuni, spent a majority of their time this year learning the ins and outs of programming by creating mobile applications with MIT AppInventor, an online platform. Each month, MIT AppInventor recognizes four applications and features them on their “App of the Month” webpage. In May, Matuni shared that this prestigious honor was given to a student from Slovenia, a student from Hong Kong and two FWCD students! Bailey Harrell ’21 won “Most Creative” for his game called Clicker Heroes. Christopher Hoppe ’21 won “Best Design” for his game called Space Fight. Harrell dreams of designing video games as a career. Clicker Heroes is a simple, fun game inspired by the popular website of the same name. Hoppe set out to design a cool game that he would enjoy building as well as playing. Space Fight is the result of his work, an arcade-like game in which you have only a laser blaster to defend against hordes of enemies.

2017-18 Scholarship Recipients The following students held these Named Scholarships in the 2017-18 academic year.

Edward P. Bass Scholarship Sydney Becan ’20, Jae Washington ’19 Beverly Anne Robinson Faculty Endowed Scholarship Paloma Casanova ’21, Dominique Madrid ’18, Charles Portwood ’25 Malone Scholars Program Abbey Bullock ’18, Tommy Bullock ’19, Viraj Gandhi ’19, Lance Mayhue ’18, Landen Walker ’22, Nate Wallace ’18 Peter A. Schwartz Scholarship Dominique Madrid ’18 Captain David Herr Memorial Scholarship Brendan O’Connell ’18 Reilly Family Foundation/ Breakthrough Fort Worth Scholarship Raul Frias ’20 Alumni Endowed Scholarship Samuel DeRobertis ’18, Abby Hoffacker ’18, CJ Landrum ’18 Ella C. McFadden Scholarship Lizann Bonin ’18, Harrison Sapienza ’18 Jillian C. Thompson Scholarship Christopher Wilkins ’20 Moritz Scholarship at FWCD Alex Orozco ’20 Betty Reese Memorial Scholarship Kelly Pham ’21 Gayle G. and Evan D. Peterson Scholarship Lorena Manrique ’28 Joey Pollard Memorial Scholarship Adele Wilson ’21

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AROUND CAMPUS

FWCD Names New Trustees In February, six new Trustees were elected for a three-year term beginning in May 2018.

William Butler ’96 is a Founding Partner and CFO of Brazos Midstream. He is engaged in the Fort Worth community as a member of the Foundation Board for the Center for Transforming Lives and previously was a member of the Board of Stewards at University Christian Church. At FWCD, he has served on the Finance Committee. Prior to Brazos, William served as CFO for Athlon Energy and held roles with Stephens, Inc. and XTO Energy, Inc. He earned a BS in Commerce from Washington and Lee University with special attainments in business administration and history. William and his wife, Anjie (Landreth) ’94, are the parents of two current Falcons.

Elyse Stoltz Dickerson ’93 is CEO and CoFounder of Eosera, Inc., a biotech company that develops products that address underserved medical needs. A strong advocate for gender equality and women in business, Elyse spent 13 years at Alcon, where she was a Global Director.

Among her numerous industry honors are The Trailblazer Brand Champion Award and the 2016 Women in Technology Award from The Dallas Business Journal. She also was named a 2017 D CEO. Elyse earned a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from SMU. She has served on both the FWCD Finance and Building and Grounds Committees. Elyse and her husband, C.D. ’94, have two current Falcons.

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Elizabeth Murphy Jones ’88 is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice in Fort Worth. She has worked with children, adolescents and their families as a therapist for more than 20 years in agency, hospital and private practice settings.

Elizabeth earned a BS and MEd from Vanderbilt University and a PhD from the University of North Texas. Elizabeth was a member of the Board of Directors at The WARM Place and University Christian Church Weekday School, serving as Board President at both organizations. At FWCD, Elizabeth has been an active member of the PFA and has served in various volunteer roles as a parent. Elizabeth and her husband, Mark, are the parents of a Class of 2017 alumnus and a current Falcon.

J. Bryan King, CFA, is a Principal of Luther King Capital Management (LKCM), and has acted as an Investment Manager responsible for micro and small-capitalization public and private investments since 1993.

In 2000, he founded and became the Managing Partner of LKCM Capital Group, the entity responsible for launching and overseeing the alternative investment strategies offered by LKCM. In 2011, he founded LKCM Headwater, a middle-market buyout firm he manages for LKCM Capital Group’s control private equity investment activities. Bryan has served as a board member,

AROUND CAMPUS

Class of 2018 By the Numbers investor, and active advisor to numerous public and private companies as well as civic boards. A graduate of Princeton University with a BA in American History, Bryan earned a Ranch Management degree from TCU and an MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business. He is the father of two FWCD middle schoolers.

Monika Mathur, MD, is a Primary Care Physician who serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance in Fort Worth. She earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Toronto and completed her Family Medicine Residency at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Since moving to Fort Worth in 2013, Monika completed the Leadership Fort Worth program and has been an involved community member with the March of Dimes Board of Trustees and Kupferle Health Board. She also serves on the Curriculum Development Committee and the faculty of the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine. Monika is the mother of two Falcons.

Mary Hallman Smith ’03, a non-practicing lawyer, recently took inactive status with the State Bar of Texas following seven years in private practice as a Civil Appellate Specialist. A Fort Worth native, she is an FWCD Original.

Mary earned a BA from the University of Southern California and a JD from The University of Texas School of Law. Mary met her husband Dwayne, a family lawyer, during law school, and they have three young children.

Since 2011, Mary has served on FWCD’s Alumni Council in a variety of roles, including Secretary, Advancement Chair and President.

Mary and Dwayne serve on the Boards of CASA of Tarrant County, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Multicultural Alliance.

102

Seniors in the Class of 2018

$13.7 million

was awarded in merit-based scholarships and awards

81%

of the students received meritbased scholarships and awards

254

merit-based scholarships or awards received

100%

seniors admitted to 4-year institutions

60%

of graduates attending out-of-state colleges and universities

16

seniors recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program and/or the National Hispanic Recognition Program

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Giving Back

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GIVING BACK

Finding His Purpose “My dog, Chewy, ate my hearing aid. Not once, but twice.”

No “dog excuse” intended, Braden Baker ’25 shared, “After this happened, my parents sat me down to talk about the value of my hearing aids and that replacing them was a big expense. Luckily for me, the second pair was under warranty, so there was no cost to replace, but my parents were really trying to help me understand how grateful I should be that we could even afford a replacement.”

Born with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss – a problem in the way the inner ear formed – Braden is considered 65 percent deaf. His mother, Ashley, knew immediately that something was wrong and credits newborn hearing screenings for changing Braden’s life. He wore his first hearing aid at 3 months.

Braden’s experience with Chewy led him to think about what he could do to help those in need. He researched his hearing aid, made by Oticon, learning that each pair costs more than $3,000 and is not covered by insurance. Inspired by Ellen DeGeneres’ giving spirit, and with the help of his mom, Braden started a GoFundMe in June 2017. In a simple video, he gave a shout-out to Oticon, and expressed his desire to raise money to travel the world and give hearing aids to those in need. His goal: to raise $1,000. Braden posted to his mom’s social media, and they went to bed.

“When we woke up, we already had $500,” Braden said. The total quickly rose to $1,000 thanks to the kindness of family and friends. “It was just crazy,” Braden said. “I did not think it would happen so fast.” Because the hearing aids cost $3,000 each, Braden raised his goal. Meeting that, he raised it again.

Oticon found Braden’s video and asked him to work with the Oticon Hearing Foundation in New Jersey. Braden and Ashley flew there and presented a check for $15,000.

Braden’s story ultimately caught the attention of Ellen. In a Skype call, Braden fell off his desk chair at home when he learned he would fly with his mom to appear on her show

in October. In that interview, Braden paid tribute to Ellen for inspiring him and shared that he would be spending his birthday in Guatemala, giving hearing aids to kids and adults in need. At that time, Braden’s GoFundMe had raised $23,000. Ellen nearly doubled that, having Braden dig out $20,000 on national TV from an extra-large box of Cheerios, her partner in the One Million Acts of Good campaign.

The “fame” has not gone to Braden’s head. He continues his grassroots campaign, posting videos and motivational messages to keep raising funds. In November, Braden traveled to Guatemala with his audiologist, Dr. Kamal Elliot (and others from Entheos Audiology Cooperative), to distribute 100 hearing aids. “It was the first time he really saw his money in action and the good it is doing,” Ashley said. On November 14, Braden’s birthday, he experienced his first hearing smile. “Being there for a hearing smile – watching someone who gets to hear with their hearing aids for the very first time – was just amazing,” Braden said. “I want people to know they can do whatever they want to even if they have hearing aids like me.”

Braden’s campaign has raised more than $81,375 (at the time of print). The money has helped Hurricane Harvey victims and people in Guatemala; it funded hearing aids for an audiology mission trip to Mozambique, Africa; money was donated to Cook Children’s Medical Center Audiology Department; and next, a mission trip to Zambia this summer.

Adding motivational speaker to his achievements, Braden was the youngest speaker at the 2018 TEDxYouth Fort Worth event on March 24. His topic: “You’re Never Too Young to Make an Impact.” He also spoke at WE Day Texas, which supports children getting involved in their communities.

Still, Braden is just a regular kid. He loves solving his 20 Rubik’s cubes and he skateboards, wake surfs and enjoys origami. “What this whole thing has really taught me is that I can make a difference here and now,” Braden said. “My mantra, which is going on T-shirts, is ‘Find Your Purpose and Do Something with It.’” Braden lives that mantra out loud.

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Q& with Darlene Ignagni and A What did you love about teaching at FWCD?

I taught for 10 years in the Lower School. My first five years were in third grade, then I took a year off to help run my family’s business after my father passed. When I returned in 2005, I taught fourth grade. What did I enjoy about Lower School? I loved students brimming with curiosity, giving them the tools to express themselves and, finally, reading to them. After I took two years off to pursue a master’s degree at TCU, this incredible opportunity to teach in Middle School opened up. I have a passion for history, and teaching humanities has, quite simply, been the greatest position I have ever had in my 30 years in the classroom. Middle-schoolers give me a good belly laugh every day. They entertain me, inspire me, and remind me to keep my mind open.

Why did you choose FWCD for your own daughter?

Chelsea ’08, my only child, was accepted to FWCD before I was formally offered a teaching position. She absolutely was smitten by the beauty of the campus. Chelsea also is passionate about the arts. The ballet program grabbed her the moment she stepped inside the studio. She attended NYU as a Presidential Honors Scholar and enjoyed eight different internships with Broadway production companies, casting agencies and theatrical venues. The study and organizational skills she learned at FWCD allowed her to jump right in at NYU and take advantage of incredible opportunities. I am so thankful for the education she received here.

What are your proudest FWCD moments?

I am most proud of the Night at the Museum event that Bree Stubbs and I created six years ago. We inherited a strong, exciting curriculum that we wanted to continue.

However, we wanted to sprinkle in new experiences. Night at the Museum is a five-week independent research project. Students study a question related to ancient Greece or Rome. They write a research paper, create a display board, build a model or artifact, film an iMovie in full costume, and give an oral presentation. Finally, they create an Egyptian tomb filled with hieroglyphics, poetry, artifacts, art and mummies. There are so many aspects to this event that make it a truly impactful learning moment for our students.

What will you remember long after you leave FWCD? My fondest memories are simply too many to count! Sky Ranch, the Upper School musicals, ballet performances, receiving the Lower School Chair honor, Friday Night Lights, Middle School spelling bees, graduation, and the FWCD families that now hold a permanent place in my heart. I hope students remember me for loving them, giving life lessons through my stories, and inspiring them through laughter. I hope parents remember me for caring deeply for their children. Finally, I hope my colleagues remember me for my passion and commitment to both the students and this incredible community that we are privileged to call our professional home.

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FACULTY Q&A

Mary Kay Varley What led you to Fort Worth Country Day? I heard about FWCD(S) while presenting summer math workshops in Arlington and Birdville. Some of the presenters were from the Upper and Lower Schools. They would talk about this incredible school of theirs until I was literally drooling. My Math Coordinator in Arlington ISD told me of an opening during the spring of ’94. I called up one of those FWCD teachers I met to ask if I should apply and, well, here I am.

Eleven years in third grade, 11 years in fourth grade, and for the past two years in a parttime role as a Math Support Teacher in grades 3-4. It’s been a wonderful teaching ride!

What draws you to Lower School students?

I simply adore 8-11 year olds! They see themselves as part of a bigger world, their curiosity is abundant, and they want to please their teachers with their best work. What’s not to love? The joy FWCD students exhibit for this school is amazing. I had a student many years ago who told me that he felt like his teachers were part of his family.

What is your favorite subject to teach and why?

Most of my students and fellow teachers probably think I will say math. While I do love to teach math, it is reading that I have always loved most. To have students get lost in a story with me or believe that a book is the best they’ve ever read is one of the most worthwhile moments in teaching.

What are some of your fondest FWCD memories?

The Lower School music programs have always brought me to tears, but I have to say that the Fourth-Grade Famous American evenings will go down in history as my favorite. I am also proud of the Third-Grade Math Club that began almost 23 years ago. A former Lower School teacher and I were trained at The Lawrence Hall of Science in California. We took away so many wonderful ideas that led us to develop the club.

It started as a “monthly” after-school activity culminating in an annual math-focused evening.

What are your retirement plans?

Clean out my garage! Now that my book collection has been moved to the TCU Library and I have my house back, I can make some needed updates. My three brothers all live out of state, so I know there will be travel in my future. I look forward to doing those simple things: going to the movies in the middle of the week, having lunch with friends anytime they call. I may take up knitting and handiwork again because they say that relieves anxiety and increases creativity.

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The Arts The City of Fort Worth is internationally known for its vibrant arts scene.

At FWCD, we continue to offer the finest of fine arts through our celebrated ballet program, visual arts classes, choral programs, band, orchestra, drumline, performing arts and technical theatre.

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Athletics

An integral part of the FWCD experience is participation in athletics. FWCD Falcons demonstrate a high regard for sportsmanship, effort, health, fitness and school spirit.

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ATHLETICS

Batting Cage Facility Opens Three Seniors Thanks to generous donors, the FWCD baseball program opened its new batting cage facility this spring. The facility houses three cages, four tee/soft-toss stations and a bullpen. The long cage can be divided into four total cages.

“From a coaching perspective, it’s a tremendous asset. Obviously, it provides protection from inclement weather and shade from the heat. We had several workouts under it during the 100-degree heat, and temps were not an issue,” Head Varsity Baseball Coach Brady Benoit said. “The greatest advantage is that we’re able to have a number of players working at once. At any given time, we can have up to eight players hitting.”

While the benefits are many, Benoit is not finished. Fans, a sound system and two Apple TVs are set to be added. “We will film hitters and pitchers and sync video to the TV so players have a visual of what they’re doing,” Benoit said. “Being able to provide that immediate visual and verbal feedback is invaluable. I don’t know of many schools with a facility that has these capabilities.”

Sign to Play Softball

This year, three seniors, all softball players, signed their National Letter of Intent to take their game to the next level. Samantha Burke will play at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi; Kathleen Clum will play at Brown University; and CJ Landrum will play at the University of Georgia.

Samantha Burke and CJ Landrum

Athletes Honored Sixteen FWCD students were named to the 2017 Keith Waldman – Optimal Performance Associates/National Field Hockey Coaches Association High School National Academic Squad. They are (pictured above, back row) Margeaux Mallick ’18, Helen Holloway ’18, Grace Goldman ’18, Molly Cassady ’18, Savana Blahitka ’18, Sidney Diamond ’18, Katia Khammar ’18, Megan Park ’18 (front row) Nadeen Malik ’18, Christina Kelly ’18, Lydia Barron ’19, Carlotta Murrin ’19, Elena Casement ’19, Jordan Klein ’19 and Farris Chisholm ’19.

(Virginia Sanders ’19 is not pictured.)

Samantha Burke ’18, Kathleen Clum ’18 and Hannah Peeples ’18 were named Academic All-State by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

Kathleen Clum

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New Athletic Director Appointed

By Allen Taylor ’18 Head of School Eric Lombardi announced on November 30 that Brian Phelps will serve as FWCD’s eighth Athletic Director. Phelps has been the Athletic Director at The Seven Hills School in Cincinnati since 2012 and has served as President of the school’s athletic conference (Miami Valley Conference) for the past three years. Phelps succeeds Frank Gendusa, the School’s Athletic Director since 2007.

“Frank’s tenure as FWCD’s AD set a high bar. Brian brings the qualifications and the experience to build on those good works,” Lombardi said. “We were seeking a leader of highest integrity who would champion our athletics program, yet be mindful of the wonderful variety of experiences our students have. We were seeking a hard-working educator and an accomplished communicator. We were seeking a leader who could reach the many constituencies with whom an AD works, from coaches to athletes, admission candidates to parents, from college-bound athletes to those who would not call themselves athletes, and from alumni to donors. Brian and his family will be a wonderful addition to the Falcon family.”

Phelps was hired following a nationwide search. The search committee, comprising Assistant Head of Upper School Peggy Wakeland, Girls Basketball Coach and Lower School PE Director Shelley Rains, Middle School Athletic Director James Rains, Director of Scheduling Missi Olson Kovachev ’89, Boys Basketball Coach Joe Breedlove ’78, Track Program Director Jared Connaughton, and Associate Athletic Director and Head Trainer Ed Chisholm, interviewed more than 20 candidates for the job, and invited six candidates to campus for in-person interviews.

Seven Hills is the largest coeducational independent, non-church affiliated school in Ohio, serving more than 1,000 students on two campuses from pre-K through grade 12. As Athletic Director at Seven Hills, Phelps has been a member of The Seven Hills School senior administrative team and has supervised and led a department of more than 100 coaches in four divisions, 22 varsity sports and 54 teams in grades 7-12.

Phelps’s tenure at Seven Hills actually began in 1999, and, over the years, he served as Boys Basketball Varsity Assistant Coach, Head Varsity Baseball Coach, Head Varsity Golf Coach, Assistant Varsity Girls Basketball Coach, Assistant Athletic Director and Department Chair of Physical Education and Health. Phelps oversaw growth in athletic participation (which is voluntary at Seven Hills) to more than 80 percent school-wide. He also designed and planned the installation of two turf fields, a softball field and six additional tennis courts. Having helped design and make the fundraising case for Seven Hills’ new four-court gym, Phelps participated in that building’s groundbreaking this past spring. Impressive additions to his accomplishments include establishing a leadership training program; guiding the Athletic Department for the school’s first three state championship teams along with multiple individual state champions; authoring the ebook, Baseball - The Complete Season; and being SUMMER 2018

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nominated multiple times for the Southwest Ohio Athletic Director Association Meritorious Award and the Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award.

A graduate of The Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati, and then of the Community College of the Air Force in Lackland, Texas, Phelps earned an Associate Degree of Applied Science, Security Administration, while an E-4 Senior Airman in the United States Air Force from 1995-99. He served in Texas, New Jersey, Wyoming, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. He continued his education at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education/Health (2002), and then a Master of Arts in Sports Administration (2005) from Xavier University in Cincinnati.

There are a lot of similarities between The Seven Hills School and FWCD, as both are fairly large non-denominational schools in metropolitan areas. One difference is that Seven Hills competes in the Ohio equivalent of UIL, against other private, public and parochial schools, while FWCD competes in the SPC exclusively against private schools.

Phelps plans to work together with Farda to ensure that the football program continues to grow at the Middle School and junior varsity levels. One of the greatest accomplishments of Gendusa’s tenure is that FWCD fielded a JV team each year.

This is rare among other SPC schools, as the Falcons struggled to find formidable competition to compete against every week.

“[The similarities] are one of the things that drove me,” Phelps said. “Similar schools with similar missions felt familiar.”

“I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood. When I look back, I appreciate the support of my mom and dad for taking me to my sporting events,” Phelps said. “When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to transfer from a public school to a school similar to Country Day [The Summit Country Day School]. That’s really where I fostered my athletics and academics.”

A concept that Phelps has contemplated bringing to Fort Worth is having students participate in FWCD sports before the seventh grade. “I am a proponent [of playing] for your school,” Phelps said. “That is what is most important. At Seven Hills sports begin by third grade. It is valuable for kids to be able to compete as a community before the seventh grade.”

Married to Dr. Allison Phelps, a sports medicine/orthopaedic (non-operating) physician, the couple has three daughters, Madden ’24, Meran ’26 and Mason ’30, and a 3-year-old son, Hawk. The girls will start school at FWCD in the 201819 academic year. Phelps is excited to move his family to Fort Worth. He brought them out for a visit in February to see the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.

This does not mean that FWCD lower schoolers will have a sports requirement, but instead of playing sports with other kids on teams for the YMCA, the School would organize teams composed of FWCD athletes. Phelps still is not sure whether or not the idea will come to fruition, as he needs to get a feel for the community before launching such a program.

“I am eager to be a part of such a great community and to work alongside such talented leadership, staff, coaches and students,” Phelps shared. “I look forward to building upon the great things that Coach Frank Gendusa and his staff have worked so hard to put in place. As the leader of the FWCD Athletic Department, I will be committed to assuring an athletic environment of excellence, while placing significant attention on superb sportsmanship. It is my goal that students are prepared to be successful on and off the field of play once they leave our athletic program and our school.”

Before even moving to Fort Worth, Phelps was tasked with finding a new Varsity Head Football Coach. He hired Brian Farda in March. “Brian brings passion, knowledge, an 22

understanding of FWCD and the SPC, and a desire to lead student-athletes and his coaching staff,” Phelps said.

“He has a work ethic that is to be admired and a plan for what it will take to build a complete program at not only the high school and middle school levels, but in our elementary grades as well. I am excited to work with Brian and to see him continue to build on the success of the program.”

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Frank Gendusa Q&A How did you find Fort Worth Country Day 13 years ago?

After spending a year as Athletic Director at Newman, I felt there was something missing. Coaching is my passion, and I wanted to get back into it. I was also looking for that next challenge. When I came across the opening for Head Football Coach at Fort Worth Country Day, it captured my attention.

I knew the FWCD football teams had been competitive in the past but were coming off three consecutive losing seasons.

The challenge was there.

How has the FWCD Athletic Department evolved?

I inherited an extremely strong Athletic Department. The teachers and coaches are professional and knowledgeable. To keep the program moving forward, I encouraged coaches’ growth in individual sports through attending clinics, understanding the importance of strength and conditioning training, and teaching our student-athletes how to compete on and off the fields.

What is your proudest FWCD football moment?

The 2010 SPC undefeated (11-0) football championship team will go down in history for me

because a bunch of great coaches and players worked so hard to achieve a common goal.

What makes you proud as an AD? I guess some might say the Patton Field House or the great staff, but, to me, it is how we, as a department, are looked upon by our fellow conference members in all sports. These teams know that when they face us they will play a team that is well coached, that players will compete. We are a team where heart, sportsmanship and class are the norm and not just lip-service. I am proud and humbled to have had the opportunity to represent FWCD in our community. I have cared deeply for this community, especially the students, and I hope I am remembered for representing with honor, dignity and class at all times.

How has Falcon Club become integral to the athletic program?

I must give credit to Gynna and Billy Bob Harlin and the numerous parents that followed in their footsteps for their work in revamping Falcon Club. In addition to raising funds for the Athletic Department, the organization began to emphasize service and school spirit as top goals. What we found was all of these components complemented one another and great things happened. School spirit blossomed, more parents got involved in the daily operation of the Falcon Club, and additional monies were raised. The Falcon Club has evolved into an integral part of the athletic program.

What does FWCD mean to you?

The Fort Worth community has been the centerpiece of my life for 13 years. I love what the city and the surrounding areas have offered in culture, sports, cuisine, and that overall smalltown feeling with all of the big-city amenities. My FWCD family has provided me with endearing friendships; a place where I have always felt respected and trusted; an opportunity to do a job I have enjoyed so much; and the privilege of being able to work with smart, talented, caring and polite kids. I will never forget Fort Worth and the FWCD community for their hospitality and acceptance of this transplanted New Orleanian into their lives. The last 13 years will forever be etched into my life as some of my most memorable and exciting times.

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The V

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Value of Play Shapes, sizes and levels of physical ability vary among kids, but one thing is universally true: They all love to play. And, more importantly, they love to play with others.

The developmental value of play, inside and outside, continues to be proven vital and necessary for the well-being and development of young children, especially those at the elementary school level. At school, free play helps students cultivate social skills, emotional growth, problemsolving and confidence … all while having fun.

For 2016-17 Parent Faculty Association President and current parent Jill Cassady, play was an important aspect in her choosing Fort Worth Country Day for her children, Connor ’15 and Molly ’18. “Recess is an essential part of the school day for children. No one wants to sit at a desk all day long and do school work … it’s much more fun to get outside, run around and play with your friends,” Cassady said. “Not being an educator myself, I don’t know the details on what studies show about the importance of recess, free time and play, but I know when my husband and I were picking a school for our children, the fact that Country Day has recess every day was an important factor in our school decision.”

Already believing in its developmental value for students, FWCD faculty gained more insight when its Lower School students were part of a research study related to play. Led by TCU Professor Dr. Debbie Rhea, her LiiNK Project highlights the importance of allowing young children to play in school rather than sit for hours at a desk laboring over their academic work.

Dr. Rhea has seen first-hand the value of less classroom time and more outdoor play, leading to a better education for students.

She “borrowed” this idea after visiting schools in Finland that have long seen the value of play and score at or among the highest in international education rankings. “In Finland … students take a 15-minute break for outdoor play every 45 minutes of class time,” Dr. Rhea shared in a 2015 Washington Post article. “In East Asia, most primary schools give their students a 10-minute break after 40 minutes or so of instruction.”

Simply put, kids need play, and the LiiNK Project helps build that into a school’s curriculum.

As a result of Dr. Rhea’s work and findings, the Lower School has placed an even higher value on play. The School added Morning Movement (twice a week in Lower School and once a week in Kindergarten) to the start of its day in 2013 with the help of PE teachers. Three years ago, the Lower School Head and Assistant Head enhanced that by scheduling Morning Movement every day of the week. Recess has been structured to break up the day and allow students to blow off steam before returning to the classroom and the task at hand. This year, each recess period was one 30-minute session each day, but Head of Lower School Trey Blair is looking into exploring other possibilities, such as two 20-minute recess breaks for students in lower grades.

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The LiiNK Project also advocates Positive Action character lessons, which have long been a part of the FWCD Lower School program through Theresa Fuss, the Lower School’s Health and Wellness Counselor, and have been enhanced to include mindfulness each week. Assistant Head of Lower School Kelly Tierce ’93, expounds on these connections. “We now complement Morning Movement with our Mindfulness Monday sessions to start the week off right,” she said. “As a parent, I struggle in this world of overstimulation, instant gratification and omnipresence of technology. If these things affect me as an adult, imagine how our students feel.

Mindfulness activities and play give students a chance to take a breath and refocus.”

visual and tactile attributes so students’ senses are activated and ready for action.

The Gift of Play

climbing, thinking and running ... I am thrilled to watch our kids enjoying time on our new playgrounds.”

Eric Lombardi

This year, Kindergarten and Lower School students received the ultimate gift of play – new playgrounds as a result of FWCD’s PFA, which provided $225,000 for a much-needed playground upgrade. More specifically: 6,832 square feet of lively playground space at the Lower School and 4,400 square feet of enchanting playground space for the Kindergarten.

As a result, students are happier than ever during recess.

“These new playgrounds are more in line with FWCD’s strong belief in adequate outside play for students and will further enhance our ‘Morning Movement’ initiative, which was pioneered to encourage K-4 students to expend energy and have some fun on the playground prior to the start of the school day,” Blair said.

The timing of the gift was a blessing. “The previous [Lower School] playground was 20 years old, and the students were so very ready for an upgrade,” said Tom Mitchell, Chief Financial and Operations Officer. The new playground, constructed by Lea Park & Play (a company that specializes in designing ADA-accessible, early childhood friendly playgrounds), features Little Tikes Commercial play structures for ages 5-12.

FWCD specifically chose Little Tikes products because they are accessible to kids of all abilities, and they provide optimal opportunities for social, physical, emotional, cognitive and sensory development. Designed to make fun contagious, these playgrounds encourage peer-to-peer interaction and offer 26

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The larger playground behind the Lower School (typically for students in grades 3-4) features the NU-Edge DoubleStack Timber (a student favorite), NU-Edge X Plank Climb, NU-Edge Tree Climber, KidBuilder Transfer Deck, Morphous Slides, Ladder Panels and Monkey Lean Out Panel. The firstand second-grade playground (closer to the Fischer Dining Pavilion) features an N-R-G structure with Agility Pods, an Infinity Climber, Web-Wall Stepper, Overhead Fun Wheels and Climbing Nets.

“Minds and bodies, creating and

The 70 x 30-foot turf field on the side of the building is another huge draw. Whether students roll around on, cartwheel over, or play organized games of flag football or soccer on the field, young sports fanatics are genuinely in awe of the space, which makes them feel semi-professional. All grades took advantage of the equipment on January 3 when the playground officially opened, with FWCD’s Class of 2030 joining in on the fun on January 4 when temperatures were slightly warmer.

Recess begins promptly at 11 a.m. on a typical FWCD school day, with second-graders being the lucky first students to engage on the equipment. Though the temperature was chilly on that January morning, the kids didn’t seem to notice as they ran to climb on the new equipment. Screams of glee pierced the air for the next 30 minutes, and there were comments overheard, including “This is the best playground, ever!” and “Recess is so much more fun; I can’t wait ’til tomorrow!”

The Kindergarten playground opened on January 26 to rave reviews as well. Designed by Themed Concepts and installed

by Lea Park & Play, this new play space features a sweet Hobbit Hut, a Spider Climber, Log Steps and Toadstools, a Tunnel Stump Climber and Sand Table. While the day was overcast, the Falcon spirit was bright and playful!

our Student Council to talk to you about your dreams. We knew we wanted you to move and play creatively, and we wanted you to have healthy bodies. You told us you really love to climb, so one of the great things is that there are so many things to climb on now.”

Playground Dedication

When Cassady spoke about this lasting gift to the School, she shared that the PFA voted unanimously to give the money for the playground. “We were asked to consider putting all our money toward one item last year instead of disbursing over several small items like PFA had done most years in the past,” she noted. “The board was genuinely excited to have the opportunity to fund something so large, visible and enduring. We know the playground will be enjoyed for many years to come!”

Both the Lower School and Kindergarten playgrounds were formally dedicated on February 8 in just the right way: with a short program, extra playtime for the kids and chocolate mousse “dirt” cups with a gummy worm garnish.

Head of School Eric Lombardi spoke of a meeting he had with Elizabeth Dike ’25, Caroline King ’25 and Mary Kathryn King ’25 (who were third-graders at the time) that opened his eyes to the playground upgrade need.

They came to Lombardi with a full-on presentation that was well-researched and included strong data and props. “These girls were on a mission for a new playground,” he noted. “The poster they presented detailed various issues related to the playground that they felt needed to be addressed for the safety of their classmates.”

It was Shari Lincoln (then Head of Lower School) and Blair, along with Mitchell, who took on the project when the PFA gifted the money. “It’s not very often that we, as administrators, get an opportunity to … dream about what we’d like. That’s how special this school is,” Lincoln said. “We were able to talk to you all about what you liked. We asked

For Lombardi, the pictures during the course of the build and his imagination had not done justice to the final products.

“Minds and bodies, creating and climbing, thinking and running ... I am thrilled to watch our kids enjoying time on our new playgrounds,” he said. “I am so grateful for what the Parent Faculty Association made possible for the students. Kids wanted to climb; they now have incredible chances to climb. Kids wanted to play football and soccer; they love the new turf mini-field.

And kids always want to imagine and create; every element has imagination-igniting prospects. How lucky we are!”

Come by and take a closer look at the kids in action. Or try your hand at the Infinity Web … the kids have deemed this their favorite apparatus—for the time being!

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Did you know that the USDA estimates between 30 and 40 percent of the United States’ food supply results in waste? This estimate from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service equals approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food.

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint 28

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STRATEGIC PLAN

Fort Worth Country Day is doing its part as a School of Significance through its newly drafted strategic plan. Assuring sustainability on campus and “beyond the berm” is only one of the four lofty goals in the 2018 Strategic Plan, which was released to community members in January 2018. (To view the entire plan, visit www.fwcd.org/strategicplan.) Goal four centers on FWCD’s master planning and facilities, taking into account the School’s existing needs as well as needs created by an expanded portfolio of curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular programs. A subset of that goal calls for the integration of environmental sustainability into FWCD’s operations.

FWCD had looked into the possibility of starting a composting program years ago, but the logistics were too cumbersome for the School at that time. That changed when a Country Day mother, Helen Todora, introduced Head of School Eric Lombardi to the team at Fort Worth-based Cowboy Compost.

A Well-Timed Partnership

Exploring a possible partnership was well timed. Country Day students were already expressing increased interest in horticulture. Last year, the School began a K-12 4-H club, which teaches leadership through hands-on science and agriculture projects. The campus, set on 104 acres, also has a hill that is undeveloped, so students can see Texas’ native plant life.

After a formal meeting in June 2017, Lombardi approved the partnership and its pilot, and FWCD soon became the first school in North Texas to implement a long-term composting program through a partnership with Cowboy Compost. The relationship began in October 2017, when Cowboy Compost Co-founder Miguel Harth-Bedoya (who also serves as the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Conductor) hosted kickoff events in each division to educate students on the benefits and “how-to’s” of composting.

Harth-Bedoya shared with students how he grew up in Lima, Peru, where there was no method of disposing trash. “People just threw it anywhere and then it came back to our beautiful beaches,” he said. “We quickly learned that whatever you put out in the planet, the planet will give it back to you.”

“It’s always wonderful when we find new and innovative ways to raise awareness about important issues, such as waste, and develop solutions that improve our campus and the greater Fort Worth community.”

In the U.S., Harth-Bedoya explored where garbage goes once it leaves the trash can. He went to Fort Worth’s landfill, approximately 10 miles from the FWCD campus, and learned it is Texas-sized: 175 football fields. That landfill takes in 4,000 tons of garbage a day, six days a week. “That’s too much waste,” he said. “I started composting because I didn’t want my own children living in a city where we are not aware of our actions.”

Beyond Composting

In addition to sharing the system of composting to ensure that food scraps do not go to waste, Harth-Bedoya’s and FWCD’s greater goals are to educate students on how they can make a difference in their world today. This past December, Chloe Bade Anderson ’05, First-Grade Teacher, took the Lower School Student Council to visit the Arlington-based recycling plant Republic Services to learn more about the recycling process. In the course of their visit, students learned that both human beings and machines separate recycling materials before they are compressed. The students watched the action happen through windows above the factory. It is then sold to companies who will make the items into something new.

“Seeing this process helped the students understand the ‘why’ behind many recycling choices made at Country Day, like

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STRATEGIC PLAN

dumping your milk before recycling that carton,” Anderson said. “It also allowed them to see what happens after they put items in those blue bins.”

Lombardi is thrilled with the Cowboy Compost partnership.

“This composting program will further mold our students into responsible citizens who serve others and their community,” he said. “It’s always wonderful when we find new and innovative ways to raise awareness about important issues, such as waste, and develop solutions that improve our campus and the greater Fort Worth community.”

The partnership with Cowboy Compost involves students K-12 responsibly placing their lunch waste in the appropriate container. In FWCD’s Fischer Dining Pavilion, there are three different receptacles: one for food waste, one for recycling, and one for trash. After the food waste is collected, Cowboy Compost takes it to a compost center where it is made into rich soil.

That soil was used last November when Grace Goldman ’18 and students in Upper School and Lower School planted 250 daffodil bulbs in a garden outside of the Upper School in honor of children who lost their lives in the Holocaust. Ten bags of the rich Cowboy Compost went into The Daffodil Garden, which bloomed bright and yellow in the spring. The FWCD Physical Plant team also will use composted soil in its work moving forward, and even more of the soil will be distributed through the city of Fort Worth.

An Expanded Endeavor

That pilot week in October yielded more than 2,100 pounds of food waste and allowed FWCD and Cowboy Compost to draw up a contract to continue the composting program full-time during the academic year. The School also purchased composting buckets for faculty and staff who wanted to participate in the program: Forty-nine joined the cause. They are responsible for dumping their compost into a faculty/staff composting bin on a regular basis. In the fall, FWCD will 30

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ask families to opt-in if they choose and do a bi-weekly bucket swap at morning carpool.

Lower School student Emmy Kate Packer ’27 shared her thoughts on the new program. “Composting is important because it helps everybody, and it doesn’t waste food,” she said.

FWCD parent Allisen Prigel (mother of Barrett ’30 and Broadie ’27) said she was proud to see her sons’ school focus on the greater community. “Our kids are learning, even at this young age, that they can have a greater impact by learning responsibility, empathy for others and environmentalism,” she said.

The new program has been a learning experience for faculty members, as well. First-Grade Teacher Sarah Aktar Smith ’91 said composting was an ongoing subject in class when the program began and the students were learning the process and getting used to it. Smith is especially surprised at the amount of waste that has been cut down. “We recycle, and pretty much everything else is composted,” she said. “Composting has broadened our awareness of how much is being thrown away. It’s amazing to see there’s very little that goes into the trash now.”

The lessons learned from recycling food scraps reflect Country Day’s core values. “In particular, two come to mind: “Respect and Responsibility,” Lombardi said. “This program respects our environment and allows us all to take responsibility for our own involvement in that environment. I love that this is a true teaching moment. We’re all learning. I think Miguel has been a great teacher. It’s not hard to do something really significant. We have a responsibility to do what we can.”

Established in 2016 by Harth-Bedoya and entrepreneur Johanna Calderón, Cowboy Compost works with organizations and businesses to raise awareness about organic waste challenges and provide composting services previously unavailable in Fort Worth. Cowboy Compost delivers food waste to local professional composting facilities so that this organic waste will help create nutrient-rich soil.

In Memory of Barrett Martin Havran ’98 Benefiting Athletics and Community Service at Fort Worth Country Day

Sunday, August 26, 2018 6 p.m.

Fort Worth Country Day

Sid W. Richardson Round Gym 4200 Country Day Lane, Fort Worth, TX Live Auction • Silent Auction • Raffle • Restaurant Tastings Presented by the Dorothea Leonhardt Fund of the Communities Foundation of Texas, Andrea Harkins, Donor Advisor

Master of Ceremonies Scott Murray

Emmy Award-winning television sports anchor and broadcast journalist

Entertainment by Last Band Standing featuring Joe Breedlove ’78

To purchase tickets, visit www.fwcd.org/perfect10

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Pomp & Photos by Glen E. Ellman

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Circumstance

McKinney Church was packed on Friday, May 18, as the 102-member Class of 2018 became Falcon alumni. The class earned a record-breaking $13.7 million in merit-based scholarships, which translates to 81 percent of the class receiving awards. Students were accepted to a total of 133 colleges and universities in Texas, across the country and around the world.

Valedictorian Nikhil De will attend Princeton University and Salutatorian Christina Kelly will continue her education in Texas at The University of Texas at Austin. Kelly opened up the ceremonies using one of her teacher’s favorite paradox examples from Charles Dickens: “It is the best of times and it is the worst of times,” she said. “So take this moment to reminisce not only on what we have accomplished and will accomplish, but also to cherish being kids. Country Day has gifted us with a supporting community that has allowed us to be young – to explore, to learn, to grow, to live in the moment.”

Head of Middle School John Stephens was the class’s faculty speaker. It was special for Stephens because his son, Jack, was graduating. Stephens paid tribute to many of the students he knew both personally and as an administrator: “Be like Michael Chan and Geoffrey Hyder and build kingdoms,” Stephens said. “Be like Adelaide Kelly and always speak your mind. Be like Sam Carlile and force your teacher to learn

things to keep up with you.”

De issued a challenge to classmates prior to diploma distribution: “As you seek the nebulous idea of ‘meaning in life,’ do it for yourself. Don’t feel bound by the expectation of others. After today, the only muse to whose song you listen to is your own,” he said. “I firmly believe that each and every one of you – in whatever pursuit you find meaningful – will be successful beyond measure.”

To show their gratitude to FWCD, the class founded the Faculty/Staff Care Fund in honor of Upper School Science Teacher Christy Alvear. Lauren Newton, noted: “Her sudden absence has made us appreciate the health that we take for granted and how special and important every teacher is to us. We hope the fund will be used for Mrs. Alvear and future medical emergencies for faculty and staff.”

As the students received their diplomas from Head of Upper School Steve Stackhouse, Head of School Eric Lombardi and Board President Laura Bonnell Alexander ’88, they dropped envelopes in a basket for the Care Fund. In total, the class donated $4,428 to the cause.

See page 37 for a listing of colleges and universities that the Class of 2018 was accepted to and will be attending in the fall.

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Nikhil De – Valedictorian A National Merit Scholar, Nikhil De ’18 became a Falcon in seventh grade. Challenging himself in Upper School, De exhausted FWCD’s AP curriculum. He took the School’s newly created post-AP math course, Multivariable Calculus, as well as Organic Chemistry, through the Malone Schools Online Network. De was named one of 300 Scholars nationwide in the 2018 Regeneron Science Talent Search, recognized for independent research in astrophysics he conducted.

With a passion for the arts, De played in FWCD’s Middle School and Upper School orchestras and performed in the All-State Orchestra. A self-taught electric guitarist, he jammed with the Upper School Jazz Band.

Outside of school, De played in the Arlington Youth Symphony.

De earned multiple honors at FWCD, including the Bausch & Lomb Award, given to the top FWCD junior in Math and Science; the Dr. Jim Aldridge Memorial Award, which recognizes intellectual curiosity; gold medals in regional and national Latin competitions; the Maureen O’Donnell Book Award for four years of National Latin Exam gold medals; and the Mathematics Chairman’s Award.

“Country Day’s community is unmatched,” De said. “I will miss my friends and teachers and the collaborative and supportive environment, which has always pushed me to be my best.”

De will attend Princeton University and major in physics or engineering.

Christina Kelly – Salutatorian An FWCD “Original” and legacy student, Christina Kelly ’18 loves science and math for the challenge: They push her to be a better student. She tapped FWCD’s curriculum, taking the most challenging courses and graduated having completed eight AP courses and every Honors-level, math, science and Spanish class offered.

An avid runner, Kelly was a Falcon athlete, playing field hockey, soccer and tennis, and running cross country and track. This year, she was recognized as a Dale Hansen Scholar Athlete and earned the Varsity Award for lettering on 12 varsity teams.

Giving back is important to Kelly. As a Breakthrough Boutique Chair, she secured clothing donations; sorted, tagged and hung 36

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clothes; and arranged a real boutique for students shopping for Fancy Meal attire.

This year, Kelly was honored with the Nancy Lee & Perry R. Bass Award, for epitomizing the ideal scholar-athlete; Falcon Quill Award, for her journalistic commitment; and the Humanitas Per Disciplinam Award, for her unselfish and positive contributions.

When asked what she’ll miss about FWCD, she said, “I’ll miss all the opportunities and the supportive community. I’ve been lucky to pursue anything I’ve wanted and having teachers and friends always there if I needed help. FWCD is a special place.”

Kelly will attend The University of Texas at Austin as a Plan II and biology major.

FROM HERE

anywhere…

CONGRATULATES the

WHERE CAN OUR FALCONS SOAR?

CLASS of 2018

These colleges and universities listed represent the institutions where 102 FWCD seniors have been admitted.

More than

$13.7 /// Million in meritbased scholarship and awards

American University Amherst College Arizona State University Auburn University Austin College Austin Community College Bates College Baylor University Becker College Boston College Boston University Brandeis University Brown University California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Clemson University Colorado School of Mines Colorado State University Columbia College Chicago Columbia University Cornell University Davidson College DePaul University Drexel University Duke University Emory & Henry College Emory University Fordham University George Mason University George Washington University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology Gettysburg College Goucher College Grinnell College Harvard University Hendrix College Hofstra University Indiana University at Bloomington Louisiana State University Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Maryland Loyola University New Orleans Miami University Missouri University of Science and Technology

New York Institute of Technology New York University Northeastern University Northwestern University Occidental College Oklahoma State University Oral Roberts University Otterbein University Parsons School of Design - The New School Pomona College Princeton University Purdue University Randolph-Macon College Rhodes College Rollins College San Diego State University Santa Clara University Savannah College of Art and Design Seattle Pacific University Seattle University Sewanee: The University of the South Skidmore College Southern Methodist University Southwestern University St. Edward’s University St. John’s College St. Mary’s University of San Antonio Tarleton State University Texas A&M University Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi Texas Christian University Texas State University Texas Tech University Trinity University Tulane University United States Air Force Academy United States Naval Academy University of Alabama University of Alabama at Birmingham University of Arizona University of Arkansas University of California, Berkeley University of California, Los Angeles University of Chicago University of Cincinnati University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado Denver

University of Denver University of Findlay University of Georgia University of Mary Hardin-Baylor University of Massachusetts Amherst University of Miami University of Michigan University of Mississippi University of Missouri-Columbia University of New Hampshire at Durham University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Texas University of Notre Dame University of Oklahoma University of Oregon University of Richmond University of Rochester University of South Carolina University of Southern California University of Tennessee, Knoxville University of Texas at Arlington University of Texas at Austin University of Texas at Dallas University of Virginia University of Washington University of Wisconsin-Madison Vanderbilt University Virginia Tech Wake Forest University Washington and Lee University Washington State University Webster University Whittier College Willamette University Williams College INTERNATIONAL

Cebu Doctors’ University, Philippines Duke Kunshan University, China Franklin University Switzerland Université de Sherbrooke, Canada University of San Carlos, Philippines University of St Andrews, Scotland

Schools in red indicate where graduates will attend

fwcd.org 817.732.7718

SUMMER 2018

37

Fort Worth Country Day has an institutional commitment to the principles of diversity. In that spirit, FWCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or national origin in admission, the administration of its educational policies, financial aid, athletics and other School-administered programs.

Alumni News

38

THE FALCONER

ALUMNI NEWS

Young Alumni Chat it Up What’s it like to live on campus? Do professors take attendance in college? How do I know if I should “rush?” How do I get involved in a new place? These questions and more were addressed in January at the College Counseling Officesponsored College Chat. This annual event invites recent graduates back to Fort Worth Country Day to share their perspectives on college with the members of the senior class. This year’s speakers were Alex Doswell ’16, University of Virginia; Ross Kasal ’15, Case Western Reserve University; Hannah Cramer ’15, Southern Methodist University; Melody Rodriguez ’15, Stanford University; and Joseph Breedlove ’17, University of Tulsa.

This year’s depth of experience was important, as seniors heard from Breedlove, who had just finished the first semester of his freshman year, as well as from Doswell, a sophomore, and juniors Kasal, Cramer and Rodriquez. These FWCD alumni shared their academic and social experiences in college and highlighted how strong time-management skills have been critical to their success. Each graduate also spoke about how well-prepared they are for the academic work they encounter in college, thanks to FWCD. Following the event, these alumni and more joined FWCD faculty and staff in the Goff Room of the Fischer Dining Pavilion for lunch and an opportunity to catch up.

Photo Below: (back row) Catherine Collins, Kathy Roemer, David Hoppe, Jack Carvalho ’17, Joseph Breedlove ’17, Brodie Hyde ’17, Jared Imber ’17, Lisa Wallace, Kelton Rippetoe ’15 Melody Rodriguez ’15, Jon Shipley, (front row) Andréanne Annis, Ava Shen ’16, Isabel Gray ’16, Breanna Brietske ’16, Hannah Cramer ’15, Adele Elkind ’16, Denise Mullins

SUMMER 2018

39

ALUMNI NEWS

Retired Faculty –

Where are They Now?

By Debby Jennings

Andrew Cordell US Science 1979-2007 Andy retired from teaching science in 2003, but worked part-time to establish the Upper School Community Service Program. When he fully retired in 2007, Andy and his wife, Judy, took several Viking cruises.

They also have traveled to Japan to visit daughter Amy Cordell Long ’92 and grandchildren. Andy regularly subs for his son, John, who replaced Andy.

Community service is Andy’s passion.

He builds houses for Habitat for Humanity and drives a van for Catholic Charities, picking up people and taking them to doctor appointments, dialysis or to the store.

Andy’s fondest FWCD memories involve tech theatre and the Outreach program. He built sets for West Side Story and Dark of the Moon, and developed the Outreach program for students who wanted to do community service in lieu of sports.

Andy remembers humorous moments in his physics classroom. If students asked the meaning of a word, he sent them to the class dictionary, which became known as his “Dictionary of Ancient Words.”

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Ronda Hill First Grade 1991-2011 Ronda worried that she wouldn’t be busy when she retired. She has seven grandchildren who live near Fort Worth, and she attends their school and sporting activities. Ronda and her husband are TCU fans, attending baseball, football, basketball and volleyball games. Last year, they followed the Frogs to the NIT Tournament and to Omaha for the College World Series. Since retirement, Ronda and her husband have traveled to Italy, Scotland, England, Germany, Switzerland and Canada.

Ronda’s fondest memories include rice babies and Camp Write Along. She often meets former students who share that they still have their rice babies and remember camp songs they learned in first grade. Ronda’s friendships with faculty and staff are a lifelong treasure.

She misses not seeing them daily, but they get together frequently.

Ronda’s words of wisdom: “Enjoy every minute of every day! You get out of life what you put into it. One day, you will blink and realize how quickly it all passes.”

Sharon Foster H’05 Seventh Grade Science 1966-2006 Sharon loves to travel the world. She visited Australia and New Zealand; took a trip down the Rhine; visited friends in San Carlos, Mexico; and drove a car around the south island of New Zealand. She enjoys reconnecting with former students and their families on journeys.

At FWCD, Sharon was a Fulbright Exchange Teacher in Derbyshire, England. She still travels to Derbyshire each year to visit with friends she met. Sharon reveals that her English colleagues do not allow her to make tea, but call on her to rescue the hedgehogs that get stuck in the drain pipes and the tennis nets.

Teaching middle schoolers was never boring and gave Sharon a new challenge every day. She loved teaching dissection and taking students to Big Bend.

Sharon is exceptionally proud that her FWCD girls have taken risks, excelling and working to their full potential.

She also loves that her FWCD boys are devoted to family. She considers herself fortunate to have spent her career with such bright, funny and interesting students.

ALUMNI NEWS

Join Us for The Perfect 10: August 26, 2018

The Perfect 10 Decathlon of Delights benefiting Fort Worth Country Day is a dinner and auction on Sunday, August 26, at 6 p.m. in the Sid W. Richardson Round Gym, to raise money in memory of Barrett Havran ’98 for athletics and community service – two of Barrett’s greatest loves. All members of the FWCD community are invited to attend. Open seating individual tickets and tables of 10 may be purchased at www.fwcd.org/perfect10.

The event has been lovingly curated

by Barrett’s parents, Joy Ann and Bob Havran. Joy Ann has put together an incredible committee dedicated to making this event a success.

The evening features tastings from 14 spectacular local restaurants: Bistro Louise Catering, Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, Creative Cuisine and Events, Del Frisco’s, Eddie V’s Fort Worth,

Ellerbe Fine Foods, Michaels Cuisine, Pearl Snap Kolaches, Piatello Italian Kitchen, Ruth’s Chris Steak House of Fort Worth, Scratch Catering & Fine Foods, The Black Rooster, The Capital Grille Fort Worth and Waters Restaurant.

In addition to the mouthwatering food, there will be live and silent auctions and a raffle for a seven-night Royal Caribbean cruise for two. The Master of Ceremonies is Emmy Award-winning television sports anchor and broadcast journalist Scott Murray. Joe Breedlove ’78 and his band, Last Band Standing, will provide the entertainment.

Barrett Havran (June 6, 1979-March 14, 2011) attended FWCD K-12,

graduating in May 1998. He excelled at FWCD, earning recognition as Most Valuable Football Lineman and Most Valuable Track Team Member his junior and senior years. A natural leader, Barrett served as Captain of both teams and was elected Homecoming King. FWCD honored his hard work in academics, athletics, theatre and community service by selecting him as the Outstanding Freshman and Sophomore Boy and for the Rocky Rosacker, Bill Curtis and Lawrence Kleuser Awards.

At The University of Texas at Austin, Barrett was a member of the Big 12 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship Team, the ninth-ranked decathlete in school history and ranked 18 in the nation.

He graduated in 2002 with a BBA from the McCombs School of Business. Barrett earned his law degree from SMU’s Dedman School of Law in 2006 and was admitted to the bar. As a young professional, Barrett was active in the Dallas Bar Association and Dallas Association of Young Lawyers as well as a number of philanthropic organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tarrant County. In 2011, he was selected to the Fort Worth Business Press “40 Under 40.”

Two of Barrett’s special avocations were coaching young athletes and mentoring fatherless boys through Big Brothers Big Sisters.

For additional information, see the invitation on page 31 or visit www. fwcd.org/perfect10.

SUMMER 2018

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ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni Rule!

Facing off against the “youngsters� on the varsity boys and girls soccer teams and basketball teams on December 16, the alumni in those sports came home with the crown.

Boys soccer competed in the FWCD COPA Alumni Cup at 11:30 a.m. and the girls took to the field at 1 p.m. Alumni Holiday Hoops had the girls teams highlighted at 2 p.m. and the boys at 3 p.m. Alumni reigned again on April 14 in the Alumni Baseball Game at 1 p.m. Highlight: The alumni took batting practice in the new FWCD batting cages prior to the game.

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ALUMNI NEWS

2018 Wall of Fame Honorees

Thirteen Falcon alumni from the Class of 2012 – Amy Barrett, Matt Beasley, Thomas Boucher, Abby Cox, Tara Gordon, Meaghan Houston, Margaret Lee, Reid Meyer, Erin Parker, Oliver Salonna, Taylor Smith, Daniel Steinbrenner and Haley Stratton – were honored for their accomplishments in collegiate athletics at halftime of the Homecoming football game on Friday, October 27.

Each of these honorees lettered in a varsity sport at their college or university and were formally inducted into FWCD’s Athletic Wall of Fame.

Barrett was a swimmer at Oklahoma Baptist University.

Beasley played baseball at Wayland Baptist University,

Ranger College and Our Lady of the Lake University.

Boucher played baseball at Metropolitan Community College-Longview and Dallas Baptist University. Cox played softball at Macalester College. Gordon played field hockey at Northwestern University. Houston played softball at Furman University. Lee ran cross country at California Institute of Technology. Meyer played baseball at Texas Tech University and Weatherford College. Parker played softball at Rhodes College. Salonna was a member of Boston University’s crew team. Smith was a standout soccer player at the University of California Los Angeles. Steinbrenner played baseball at Arkansas Tech University. Stratton ran cross country at Hendrix College from 2012 to 2014. Welcome to the FWCD Wall of Fame!

FWCD Welcomes New Alumni Relations Manager Susan Touponse joined the FWCD community in April as the School’s new fulltime Alumni Relations Manager. She holds a BA in English/Communications from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, and an MBA in Marketing from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. With 11 years of fundraising, leadership and event management experience in independent schools, she comes to FWCD from Fraser Woods Montessori School in Newtown, Connecticut, where she had been serving as Director of Development and Marketing since December 2016. Susan also has served as Development Associate and Gifts Manager at Salisbury School in Connecticut, where she organized and managed the annual fall golf classic/ silent auction and served as liaison to the Alumni Council, cultivating relationships and recruiting volunteers for events. Her advancement career began at Litchfield Montessori Schools in Northfield, Connecticut, as Director of Development and Marketing.

Drop Susan a line and introduce yourself. She can be reached at susan.touponse@ fwcd.com or 817.302. 3263.

SUMMER 2018

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ALUMNI NEWS

Stephon Breedlove ’79 Stephon Breedlove ’79 fights for the rights of the disadvantaged. A Civil Rights Attorney in Houston, Stephon approaches cases from a unique and personal vantage point. He is blind.

Born with glaucoma, Stephon has been blind for most of his life. “I had five eye surgeries before I was 5,” he said. “The first four years of my life I saw colors … red, blue, yellow, green … so I can remember what those were like.”

Stephon attended the Texas School for the Blind in Fort Worth, where he learned Braille and how to use a cane. He attended McLean Middle School and, in seventh grade, joined the wrestling team. “I come from a family of athletes,” he said. “My father, Joe Sr., played sports, and my brother, Joe [’78], was a standout at Country Day. I wanted to be an athlete, too.”

While listening to Wide World of Sports, he heard a story about wrestling. “I was intrigued. I thought, there’s no ball, maybe I could do this,” he said. “I learned there was a wrestling team at the Texas School for the Blind, so I knew it was possible.”

He wrestled at Paschal High School before joining Joe at FWCD in fall 1977, where Joe Murph became his mentor.

“We were a good team,” Stephon noted, indicating that he went to state and placed sixth. Stephon’s family supported his passion, allowing him to attend matches in Kentucky, Canada and Holland for the United States Association for Blind Athletes wrestling championships.

In class, Stephon excelled in math and civics. “Some of my books were in Braille, which is what I liked the most, while others were on cassette tape, which helped me to prepare for college,” he shared. “I used a Braille typewriter for my English papers and took notes on a slate with a stylus.”

Stephon set his sights on The University of Texas at Austin.

He had spent summers in Austin attending camps for the 44

THE FALCONER

visually impaired from grades 8-11.

The goal of these camps was to gain confidence in navigating everyday life.

Stephon found he was comfortable in Austin. His dream came true.

Armed with scholarships from the American Council for the Blind and a UT Award for incoming freshman, Stephon enrolled, declaring a math major and later changing to government. He continued wrestling, earning three Texas championships, and completed law school at UT, focusing on children’s rights and civil rights.

Stephon moved to Houston in 1989 to join his future wife, Marilyn, who is also visually impaired, and begin private practice. In 1993, he moved to Lubbock, to serve Advocacy Inc. (Disability Rights of Texas).

His most prolific case involved a young girl with cerebral palsy who was released from her honorary cheerleader role. “Once the girl’s sister graduated, she was told she no longer had a place on the squad,” Stephon said. While no petitions were filed, there was a lot of media before a solution was reached.

“I spoke to the local news about some cases, but boy was I shocked when a reporter from The Washington Post called,” Stephon said. “When that story got out, I received calls from ABC News, Good Morning America and 48 Hours.”

Since 1998, Stephon has been in private practice in Houston focusing on family law. He and Marilyn, a Braille proofreader for the Texas Education Association, are the proud parents of two children, Lidia (pictured right), a junior at UT, and Isaac, a sophomore at Texas A&M. Stephon was inducted into the Texas Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005, as a result of a nomination from Coach Murph. “I was touched that he felt so strongly about my inclusion in this distinguished Hall of Fame,” Stephon said. “God has blessed me with a wonderful life.”

SPRING 2018

45

Class Notes To submit information for Class Notes and Alumni News, email alumnirelations@fwcd.com

1960s

1967 – Bill Curtis, curtis@acm.org 1967 – Bill Landreth blandreth@liferoy.com 1968 – Paul Stouffer pstouffer@sbcglobal.net 1969 – Steve Geis, stgeis@hotmail.com 1969 – Gail Widmer Landreth gaillandreth@sbcglobal.net

Jasper George Galloway Dyer, grandson of George W. Kline ’67, was a page boy in the Royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Sixyear old Jasper is the son of Amanda Kline and Captain Mark William Galloway Dyer. The elder Dyer has been a close friend and mentor of both Prince William and Prince Harry following the death of Princess Diana.

1970s

1971 – Terry Siegel, htsiegel@bvc.com 1972 – Richard Garvey richard@jagee.com 1976 – Brad Nowlin brad@bradnowlin.com

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Tom Leatherbury ’73, a partner at Vinson & Elkins (V&E), was selected by the Dallas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees to receive the 2018 Justinian Award. This prestigious honor recognizes attorneys who have adhered to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession. Tom was unanimously selected based on peer-submitted letters of recognition.

He also was among only 14 members of the Texas legal community to receive a Texas Lawyer Distinguished Leader Award in 2017. In addition to his legal work, Tom serves as Chair of Talent Management for V&E and is on the firm’s pro bono and diversity and inclusion committees, as well as Board Chair of the National Association of Law Placement Foundation and the Yale Alumni Fund, and board member of the Business Council for the Arts.

Frank Stevenson ’73, Locke Lord Dallas Partner, was elected Vice President of the Western States Bar Conference (WSBC) and to the Board of Trustees of the Texas Bar Foundation. The Western States Bar Conference is a forum for the mutual interchange of ideas among the leaders of 15 WSBC member states.

Stevenson will assume the role of President-Elect after serving a one-year term as Vice President. This marks only the second time a Texas attorney has led the organization.

Mike Berry ’76 was honored with TCU’s 2018 Royal Purple Award.

Established in 1967, this award

is designated for an individual’s extraordinary service and support of TCU and the greater community.

Mike is the President of Hillwood Properties. He received his MBA from TCU in 1982. His leadership roles at the university include membership on the Neeley School of Business’s International Board of Visitors as well as service, since 2015, on TCU’s Board of Trustees. He was a member of the Neeley Advisory Board for the creation of the Center for Real Estate and was instrumental in the establishment of the TCU Global Center Alliance.

Dee Kelly, Jr. ’78, aka author Landon Wallace, released his second book, The Election, in November 2017. A political thriller/romance, the book chronicles a state senator running for Texas governor and the love affair that could destroy both his life and his chances with the electorate. Dee is a partner at Kelly Hart & Hallman, the Fort Worth law firm co-founded by his late father. With no plans to give up his day job, Dee enjoys writing in the early morning hours as well as on weekends.

His first book, Come and Take It: Search for the Treasure of the Alamo, was released and no one really knew he was the author. This time around, his political expertise related to Texas was evident, and there were rumblings that led him to reveal himself. Dee

CLASS NOTES

was featured in Fort Worth Magazine and Business Press articles in December 2017 and January 2018. He plans to continue writing, building upon this story in The Next Election.

1980s Alan Meeker ’83, CEO of Crestview Genetics, is flooding the world of polo with his cloned horses. Alan works with Argentinian Adolfo Cambiaso, the world’s leading polo star, and has cloned more than two dozen polo horses from the late champ Cuartetera.

Since 2010, Alan has created close to 100 horse clones. His team is working on decoding the mysteries of gene expression to advance human stem cell research and a possible cure for Type 1 diabetes.

1990s

1992 – Craig Christopher craig@tarranttech.com 1995 – Alison E. McManus amcmanus@post.harvard.edu 1997 – Zareen Khan zareen@briggsfreeman.com

Emily Stewart Lakdawala ’92 was presented with the honorary degree of Doctor of the University from The Open University in recognition

of her service to the sciences. Emily was nominated for this award as a result of the exceptional contributions she has made in communicating planetary and space science, and for her enthusiasm and achievements in public engagement with science. “Your work sits well with the ethos of The Open University here in the UK, where we are known for our innovation, flexibility, accessibility and social justice mission,” stated Peter Horrocks, ViceChancellor of The Open University.

Emily is an internationally admired science communicator and educator, passionate about advancing public understanding of space and sharing the wonder of scientific discovery.

She is Senior Editor (also known as the “Planetary Evangelist”) at the Planetary Society. She shares the latest news from space, explains planetary science to general audiences and shares awe inspiring messages. She also is a contributing editor at Sky & Telescope Magazine and hosts a weekly show for the Planetary Society. A regular commentator on national and international media, Emily hosts lively discussions on social media.

Shannon Lange ’92 and Julie Almendral ’92 reconnected after losing touch around 1998. The two reconnected via Facebook but hadn’t seen each other in five years. Julie

lives in Austin, but most of her family is abroad and in California. When Julie and her 2-year-old son came to Fort Worth to visit another friend for Christmas Day, Shannon was thrilled that they were able to join her at her mom’s for Christmas Eve dinner. “I have no words for what it meant to me to spend the evening with her,” Shannon said. “Suffice it to say that Julie was the highlight of my Christmas and the best gift I could have received.

If you look in the back of the 1992 yearbook, there is a picture in ads of me and Julie and our other bestie, Sarah Hemp [Kelly ’92]. Lots of love here!”

Elyse Stoltz Dickerson ’93, Founder and CEO of Eosera, Inc., was featured in the May 2018 issue of FW Inc. magazine for how to present the winning pitch to potential investors.

Elyse’s company won $50,000 from the 2015 North Texas Business Pitch contest and $5,000 from the 2017 Mary Kay Pink Tank pitch competition. Dickerson and her partner, Joe Griffin, raised $2.1 million over two rounds to launch Eosera, whose ear cleaning products filled a niche in the retail market. She also shared her inspiring story and entrepreneurial expertise with FWCD Upper School students in an April Career Conversations event.

SUMMER 2018

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CLASS NOTES

County and as an Assistant Professor of Pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Erin’s caseload typically comprises natural and accidental deaths, however her work of late, has been both emotionally and psychologically challenging as she works on the final autopsy reports for the Santa Fe High School shooting victims.

Dr. Erin Barnhart ’96 has been the Galveston County Medical Examiner since October 2015. During that time, the office has processed more than 1,200 autopsies each year, many of them routine and others more perplexing in the search for truth.

After attending the University of Texas Medical School and working as a resident in University of Texas Medical Branch Hospitals, Erin was awarded a fellowship at the Miami-Dade County Office of Medical Examiner. She is licensed in Mississippi, Texas and Florida. Erin returned to her Texas roots when accepting the position of Chief Medical Examiner in Galveston

Department of Defense as a Conflict Specialist and Civil-Military Advisor.

She then pursued work in the private sector consulting for U.S. Special Operations Command, but still wanted to do something more impactful. In 2015, Alexa started Frontier, a firm that is dedicated to preserving human security globally and believes that everyone has a fundamental right to live free from violence.

2000s

Alexa Courtney ’97, Founder and CEO of Frontier Design Group, was recognized by USAID and the U.S. Department of State during National Small Business Week. Alexa began her career at USAID and the U.S.

2001 – Craig P. Barbolla cpb@mcdonaldlaw.com 2001 – Susanna Gorski Bartolomei sgorski323@gmail.com 2002 – Ashley Stein astein@briggsfreeman.com 2003 – Will Northern will@northernrealtygroup.com 2004 – Kate Strickland Jennings kjennings610@gmail.com 2006 – Rachel Holt Hausser rachelhausser@gmail.com 2007 – Anne Hargis Olson christina.roxanne@gmail.com 2007 – Stephanie Stouffer stephaniestouffer@gmail.com 2009 – Mary Dambro marydambro@mac.com 2009 – Brittany Jenkins brittanyajenkins07@gmail.com 1

Lindsey Brigati Boren ’01 and her husband, Bryant, welcomed a baby girl, Violet Priscilla, on August 2, 2017.

Sister Kiley is beyond excited. The Boren family moved to Fort Worth in January.

2

Kendall Karr Kostohryz ’02 and her husband, John, welcomed twin boys, Lyle King and Benjamin “Karr,” on March 2, 2018.

Retired FWCD Middle School Science Teacher Sharon Foster H’06 was honored

by Falcon alumni Doug Decker ’72, Catherine Powers Bevan ’01, Kathleen Ross Cammack ’02, Lisa Stancukas Wagner ’86 and Jay Herd ’79 with a surprise dinner. These five students are all practicing OB/GYNs in Fort Worth and attest that Mrs. Foster was an inspiration and moving force in their collective career paths.

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3

Kate Strickland Jennings ’04 and her husband, Andy, welcomed their baby girl, June Annabell Jennings, on January 15, 2018. June weighed 7lbs 15oz and was 21 inches long. Kate, Andy and June reside in Aledo.

CLASS NOTES

Welcome to the Nest!

1

Violet Priscilla Boren

Do rubber duckies dream of growing up to be FWCD Falcons?

We think so. Please let us know when your family increases so that we can welcome another Falcon into the nest!

2

4

Ashley Blake Brogdon

5

Lyle King and Benjamin “Karr” Kostohryz

Madison Ann Ray

6

3

June Annabell Jennings

Hailey Beth Burgett SUMMER 2018

49

CLASS NOTES

Falcon Weddings

Madeleine Samuelson ’05 married Joe Herman on Saturday, December 16, 2017, at Holy Family Catholic Church in Fort Worth. Falcons in the wedding party included Annie Samuelson Schorfheide ’07, Emily Samuelson ’10, Thomas Samuelson ’12 and Chris George ’04.

Will Collins ’09 married Hannah Jane Deciutiis on February 18, 2017, in Austin. Shan Kasal ’09 was Best Man, and Phillip Ellis ’09 served as a Groomsman. The couple met at The University of Texas at Austin. They reside in Austin where Will is a Senior Software Engineer for Silicon Labs and Hannah Jane is a Communications Coordinator for Dell Medical School.

Mamie Barnes and Cameron Horton ’10 were married June 17, 2017, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Fort Worth. Falcons in the wedding party were Joel Horton ’15, Whitney Horton ’05, Peter Ray ’10, John McColm ’09, Burke Kleinheinz ’10, Reed Brunette ’10, Colt Sample ’10, Elkin Kleberg ’10, Perry Ginsburg ’10, Harry Hood ’09 and Robby LeBus ’10. Mamie is Executive Assistant to the CEO/Event Coordinator at Higginbotham. Cameron is Assistant Loan Officer at First Financial Bank of Texas.

Robby LeBus ’10 married Casey Davis on December 30, 2017, at First Presbyterian Church in Tyler. Falcons in the wedding included Geof LeBus ’02, Madeline O’Neill ’26 and Alice O’Neill ’30, Juliebeth LeBus ’17, Melissa LeBus O’Neill ’97, John McColm ’09, Barron Parker ’09, Harry Hood ’09, Jack George ’09, Andrew Hunt ’09 and Cameron Horton ’10. Casey is employed with Nobilis Health, and Robby works for Briggs Freeman. They are living in Fort Worth.

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THE FALCONER

Russell Laughlin ’08 and Morgan Wexler were married on October 14, 2017, in Nashville, TN, Morgan’s hometown. Falcons in the wedding party were Kate Laughlin ’15, Marshall Mays ’08, Logan Benoist ’08, Thomas Burk ’08, Hunter Harvison ’08 and Preston Stewart ’08.

CLASS NOTES

Annie Heinzelmann ’10 married Dr. David Lawrence on June 24, 2017, at First United Methodist Church in Fort Worth. David is from Enid, OK, and is a Dentist in Oklahoma City. Annie is a Math Teacher, Field Hockey Coach and Golf Coach in the Upper Division at Casady School. Falcons in the wedding were Ben Heinzelmann ’07, Jennifer Lindsey ’10, Elizabeth Eliot Dyess ’10, Ashley Uptegraft ’10, Wesley Davis Reese ’10 and Kate Kirtley ’10.

Claire Kelly ’02 married Scott Legler on September 2, 2017, at Artspace111 in Fort Worth. A quote on their wedding website said, “Years before meeting, we used the same Uzbek textbook in grad school. Clearly this is fate.” Many Falcons were in attendance, including Marit Wilkerson ’02, Rebecca Vernon ’02, Parker Gregg ’04, Mary Ashton Phillips-Benesh ’02 and Dorothy Gregg ’02. Scott works at Elbit USA as a Defense Contractor and Claire is an RN going to school at the University of Texas Medical Branch for her Nurse Practitioner degree.

Anne Harper ’09 married Chris Mahaffey ’06 on December 30, 2017, at First United Methodist Church in Fort Worth. Falcon bridesmaids were Caroline Harper ’01 (Maid of Honor), Margaret Harper ’09 (Maid of Honor), Susanna Gorski Bartolomei ’01, Natalie Baumeister ’09 and Allison Relyea ’09.

Falcon groomsmen were Mark Dowling ’06 (Best Man), Zach Jarrett ’06, Daniel Rhea ’06, Braden Brown ’06 and Matt Purcell ’06. Chris’s sister, Melissa Mahaffey Tucker ’01, was in the wedding as a reader.

Blake Waltrip ’12 married Ann Marie Hickey on February 24, 2018, in Dallas. Falcons in the wedding were Christopher Burton ’12, Whit Maddox ’12, Walker Ryan ’12, Hunter Vick ’12, Stephen Levy ’12 and Claire Buechele ’12. The best man was the groom’s brother, Will Waltrip ’14. The couple has made their home in Dallas.

Megan McAdams ’01 married Nathan Goodman on November 25, 2017, in Canyon Lake. Megan’s BFF since sixth grade, Laura Blanton DesGranges ’01, served as Maid of Honor. The couple resides in Austin.

SUMMER 2018

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CLASS NOTES

Writer then Senior Associate Editor for the St. Mary’s Law Journal, and was an advocate on the External Advocacy Program National Moot Court Team.

Mallory also was a member of the Board of Advocates and was inducted into the National Order of the Barristers.

4

Lauren Hunt Brogdon ’05 and Blake Brogdon ’05 welcomed their daughter, Ashley Blake Brogdon, on March 25, 2018. She was 7lbs, 5oz and 20 inches long. Lauren, Blake and Ashley are all healthy and happy at home in Houston.

5

Madison Ann Ray was born April 2, 2018, to Meredith Nieswiadomy Ray ’06 and Breck Ray, Jr. ’06. Big brother, Breck Ray III, is over the moon. Falcon aunts include Katie Nieswiadomy ’11, Sarah Nieswiadomy Osuori ’08, Megan Ray ’13 and Taylor Ray ’13. Falcon uncles include Peter Ray ’10 and Carson Ray ’13. Proud grandma is Shannon Young Ray ’80.

Rebekah Reimer Lischwe ’06 teaches math at St. Louis College Prep. She has a daughter, Eva Christina, born May 22, 2016.

Courtney Corbeille Krauss ’06 accepted a position with Centinel Financial Group, LLC. She also is a New England Patriots cheerleader.

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6

Mallory Myers Vincent ’07 was selected as a member of this year’s 10 Under 10 Class by the St. Mary’s University School of Law Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Council.

Each year, the council honors 10 outstanding alumni who have graduated within the past 10 years, who have shown extraordinary commitment to the St. Mary’s School of Law, their community and the profession.

Mallory earned her JD in 2014 and is an Assistant Attorney General in the Human Trafficking and Transnational/ Organized Crime Section of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. She has been involved in the prosecution of traffickers in multiple jurisdictions around the state; has trained more than 3,000 people on human trafficking; and has served as the point person for the development of the Office of the Attorney General’s human trafficking training film, “Be the One in the Fight Against Human Trafficking,” that was released this past January.

In law school, Mallory was a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Barbara P. Hervey of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Honorable Rose Vela of the Thirteenth Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi. She served as a Staff

Alison Wamsley Burgett ’08 and her husband, Dan, welcomed Hailey Beth on August 18, 2017.

Hailey Beth is the first granddaughter of retired FWCD Library Assistant Carol Wamsley and the late Al Wamsley, former FWCD Security Guard.

2010s

2010 – Claire Davidovich clairedavidovich@gmail.com 2010 – Ashley Uptegraft auptegraft10@gmail.com 2011 – Alex Manson Klinedinst laklinedinst29@gmail.com 2011 – Kate Petsche kate.aep@gmail.com 2013 – Jonny Clum clumjonny@gmail.com 2013 – Oliver Newberry oliver.newberry@utexas.edu 2015 – Connor Cassady connorcassady@sbcglobal.net 2015 – Madelyn Luskey madelyn.luskey@gmail.com 2015 – Shelby Sanford shelby.e.sanford@vanderbilt.edu 2016 – Delaney Fleming

delaney.fleming97@gmail.com 2016 – Branson Nelson branson.nelson5@gmail.com 2016 – Jacob Rains jrains22@gmail.com

William Baumgardner ’11, a graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, was honored with a 2017 American Society of Landscape Architects Student Award in the Residential Design Category. The award honors the top work of landscape architecture students in the U.S. and around the world. William, as part of a

CLASS NOTES

team of three, submitted

dimension to her ideas and take her presentations – and her science – to the next level.

Matt Davis ’12 accepted a position as the new Broadcaster with the Johnson City Cardinals. Prior to joining the Cardinals, Matt worked as a radio producer and in broadcast/media relations. He will handle all broadcast duties as well as media relations for the Cardinals.

“Micro-Infrastructure as Community Preservation: Kampung Baru,” which proposed a new residential scheme for Kampung Baru, a Malay enclave located adjacent to Kuala Lumpur City Center. He and his teammates traveled to Kuala Lumpur in spring 2017 to study the city and its surrounding areas and meet with design leaders and local officials. William and his team received their awards in late October 2017. The project was featured in the September issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine.

Shree Bose ’12 is featured in a series of Windows 10 commercials. As an MD/ PhD student at Duke University School of Medicine, she makes a lot of presentations. The videos highlight the 3-D effects Shree can use to add

Taylor Smith ’12 was called into the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team National camp, which ran from January 6-21 at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, CA. This is the second time she’s been called into the camp for the women’s national soccer team. Taylor is a member of the North Carolina Courage processional women’s soccer team based in Cary, NC.

Sara Shah ’13 delivered her sales pitch for her Blueming mobile app at the 2018 Davidson College Venture Fund Pitch Competition. A Davidson alumna, Sara designed the app for women and men suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety.

The app features a daily mood journal, mindfulness exercises, supportive messages and a community blog.

Dalton Dry ’14, graduated from Texas Christian University on Saturday, May 12, 2018. He played on the Horned Frog men’s basketball team, earning Academic All-Big 12 Conference Honors in February. He was one of five seniors named on the TCU team.

TCU had the most honorees in the Big 12 this season. Dalton majored in management and played basketball for the Frogs for four years.

Fallon Appleton ’13 is working toward her master’s degree in sports management at Texas A&M. Fallon is a Student Assistant at 12th Man Productions and had the opportunity to serve as a videographer for Texas A&M University softball.

Kirsten Mullins ’13 graduated from Texas Christian University on Saturday, May 12, 2018, with a BS in Strategic Communication.

Patrick Gordon ’14 has had a passion for boxing since high school. At the University of Notre Dame he entrenched himself in the boxing club and began participating in the Bengal Bouts, a charity boxing tournament hosted by the Men’s Boxing Club at Notre Dame. Patrick went on to become Captain and Club President, and claimed three-consecutive Bengal Bouts championships in his sophomore, junior and senior years. This past March, Patrick proved himself in the SUMMER 2018

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CLASS NOTES

national arena, winning the title of Chicago Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion.

Bailee Wallace ’14 recently graduated from Hendrix University with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and art history.

Turner MacLean ’15 received the Ben Hogan/Colonial Golf Scholarship. It was awarded in late October at the Horned Frog Classic Golf Tournament at Colonial Country Club. The scholarship is given annually to a TCU female or male golfer who demonstrates excellence on and off the course.

Katie Nelson ’16 was elected President of the Women’s Football Club at St Andrews University. She and her ticket won the honor of leading the club from April 2018 through April 2019 over two other competing groups. A junior, Katie is a starter on the women’s first team at center-midfielder and doing well in her studies as a dual major in international relations and modern history.

Lauren Cunningham, Upper School Art and Art History Teacher, took three of her students on an end-of-the-year field trip to the Kimbell Art Museum where they ran into two FWCD alumni Jonathen Wilks ’17 and Bailee Wallace ’14. The group enjoyed lunch together, and Jonathen and Bailee shared their experiences regarding their undergraduate art history studies as well as some tips for succeeding in college. small, single-engine plane. The journey will last almost 30 days and more than 20,000 miles as Logan flies through Greenland, Egypt and Japan. The funds raised by this trip will be divided between pediatric cancer and research facilities. At age 19, Logan is the youngest American pilot to have circumnavigated the world solo.

A freshman center fielder at Tufts University, Edie Huling ’17 made the highlight, game-saving play for the Jumbos in their April 21 game against the Amherst Mammoths. Amherst had been undefeated until Huling made a diving catch for Tufts to hand Amherst its first loss of the season.

Logan Tinley ’17, a rising sophomore at Vanderbilt University, is a licensed private pilot. He also is the Founder of Ascending Frontiers, a nonprofit organization that raises funds and awareness for pediatric cancer. Logan’s inaugural mission for the organization is an around-the-world solo flight in a 54

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Katherine Clum ’18 sang the National Anthem at the May 21, 2018, Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees game.

Turner Symonds ’18 received an Invited Walk-On to play football at The University of Texas at Austin. Symonds also was selected to attend the Under

Armour All-American Pre-season baseball tournament in Chicago this past January.

In Memoriam D’Ann Walsh Bonnell JoAnne Breedlove Tommy Brookman Myra Matthews Buis ’78 Corrine Collins James E. Davidson James S. DuBose Jennie Beth Edwards Ruth Anne Hardin Garry Jenke John Kimzey George Kline ’67 Olivia Mason William Ogden Sue McReynolds Smith Robert Stackhouse James Glynn Stouffer Patrick Thomas Worrell

Save the Date October 25-27, 2018

Homecoming & Alumni Weekend

1968 |1973 | 1978 | 1983 | 1988 | 1993 | 1998 | 2003 | 2008 | 2013 Thursday, October 25 Alumni Awards 6 p.m.

Friday, October 26 Falcon Chicks with Sticks Field Hockey Game 4 p.m.

Campus Tours 4:30 p.m.

Former Faculty and Alumni Reception 5 p.m.

FWCD Family Cookout and Falcon Blast 6 p.m.

Homecoming Game Kickoff 7 p.m.

Wall of Fame Induction Halftime

Saturday, October 27 Falcon Cup Tennis Mixer 9 a.m.

Reunion Parties

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From the Archives

Vance Detwiler ’88, Laura Bonnell Alexander ’88, Valerie Corley Petrie ’88 and Christopher Eades ’88 sit atop a mountain of cans following the 1987-88 Upper School Canned Food Drive. As Senior Class President, Alexander chaired the annual event, which collected food items for Urban Ministries. The goal was set at 15,000 cans. In the December 11, 1987, Falcon Quill, an article highlighted the following: “Mr. [Geoffrey] Butler [H’98] will call off school for a day if the goal is reached. … The class which brings in the most cans receives ten non-uniform days. Second place receives five, third place receives three and last will have one non-uniform day.” Email alumnirelations@fwcd.com if you remember what place your class came in and if you received a day off for meeting your goal.

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Be part of their legacy.

The Peter A. Schwartz Legacy Society Fort Worth Country Day established the Peter A. Schwartz Legacy Society to honor and recognize those individuals who have made planned or estate gifts to Fort Worth Country Day.

Contact Sandra Tuomey, director of advancement, at 817.302.3223 or sandra.tuomey@fwcd.com

4200 Country Day Lane Fort Worth, Texas 76109-4299 Address Service Requested

Parents: If this issue is addressed to a son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the FWCD Alumni Relations Office of the correct new mailing address by contacting us at alumnirelations@fwcd.com.

Save the Date

October 25-27, 2018

To Celebrate Reunion Years Threes and Eights FWCD Homecoming & Alumni Weekend

1968 |1973 | 1978 | 1983 | 1988 | 1993 | 1998 | 2003 | 2008 | 2013