Canyon Koerth ’36 shines as a fearless rodeo clown at FWCD’s 55th Kindergarten Rodeo, bringing laughter and excitement to the Round Gym arena.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Eric Lombardi Head of School
Amy Witten
Assistant Head of School for Student Services and Academics
Chelsy Beninate Assistant Head of School for Operations and Security
Trey Blair Head of Lower School
Stephen Blan Head of Middle School
Leigh Block Athletic Director
Joe Breedlove ’78 Executive Director of Breakthrough Fort Worth
Lindy Heath Director of Fine Arts
Caroline Corpening Lamsens ’99 Director of Admission
Nicole Masole-Rose Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion
Tom Mitchell Chief Financial Officer
Sandra Tuomey Director of Advancement
Steve Uhr Director of Technology
Peggy Wakeland Head of Upper School
EDITOR
Shannon Rossman Allen
ART DIRECTOR
Lisa Koger
CONTRIBUTORS
Elizabeth Baxter
Yolanda Espinoza
Caren Handleman
Debby Jennings
Reggie Johnson
Renee Pierce
Whitney Truax
Sandra Tuomey
Lisa Wallace
Geraldine Williams
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 or email advancement@fwcd.com
15, Issue 2
The Magazine of Fort Worth Country Day
FEATURES
26 Hats Off to Country Day
The FWCD community had a rip-roarin’ good time at the spring PFA Party.
28 Are We There Yet?
Not yet, but almost….Excitement and anticipation are in the air for this state-of-the-art building that will serve students and faculty now and for the next 60 years.
34 Total Eclipse at the School
FWCD celebrated the solar eclipse on Howard Family Field in Rosacker Stadium, thanks to the School’s Science Department.
38 An Evening with the Heads of School
In a celebration of legacy and leadership, FWCD’s three Heads of School came together at Shady Oaks Country Club for an unscripted panel discussion to honor the School’s 60th anniversary.
42 FWCD’s Class of 2024
This year’s 87 graduates secured over $12.6 million in merit-based scholarships and were accepted to 147 colleges and universities.
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.
Cover photo by Glen Ellman
View From My Window Around Campus
All of my 40 post-college years have been spent in education as a grad student, teacher, coach or leadership team member. I did have one undergraduate semester when I was not taking classes. I worked at Fish & Richardson, a patent law firm in Boston. From my lofty position, most often perched by the copy machine, I remember a sense of competition among the attorneys for whom I worked. Sometimes, they were competing with members of the same firm, most often, they were talking tough about other law firms.
Maybe that brief experience has made me forever appreciative of how consistent schools are at collaborating. Our competition is typically on a field or in a gym; it’s occasionally fierce but so often respectful. My gut has always been that educators’ shared commitment to students applies to one’s own student body as well as to someone else’s. We all want to see each successive generation have the best possible experience as students, wherever those students spend their K-12 years.
Alumni stories are incredibly important, and we cherish them at FWCD. I hope every reader of the Falconer is impressed by reports on fellow graduates, and I hope you are energized by what is going on today at 4200 Country Day Lane. Let me take this chance to renew a regular appeal: Please share with us what you and/or a classmate are up to. Our pride in fellow Falcons is a proverbial “rising tide that lifts all ships.” Send your news to Eleanor Siff, our new Alumni Relations Coordinator, at alumnirelations@fwcd.com.
In this issue, be proud of FWCD’s celebration of our 60th year, including the discussion I was lucky to moderate with former Heads of School Geoffrey Butler H’98 and Evan Peterson H’15 (page 38). Our Science Department hosted a remarkable solar eclipse program on April 8, highlighted by all 1,300 students, faculty and staff converging on the Howard Family Field, experiencing 2 minutes and 33 seconds of totality (page 34). As alumni, you know how memorable graduation is. The Class of 2024 had a doozy, thanks to Alumni Association President Asad Dean ’90 and the live falcon he brought with him (page 42).
The Lower School building and our new athletic fields, along with significant endowment progress, mean the Forward Together Campaign has already profoundly impacted students and teachers. Constituency Co-chairs Heather and Ryan Senter have created enthusiasm for the campaign. Along with a powerful team led by William Butler ’96, our Advancement Office reports us close to reaching our $41 million goal. I hope every alum, former parent or grandparent will join current FWCD community members in making a gift, no matter the size. We are eager to close the campaign by December 31, 2024. Each contribution is about students having the best experience possible.
With deepest gratitude, Eric Lombardi Head of School, Fort Worth Country Day
Student Project Gives Back to Jane Goodall Institute
"What began as a class assignment turned into a collaboration with clothing designer Isaiah Shayle. Fifth Grade Science Teacher
Victoria Bergman assigned her students a research project to be displayed on hoodies or a poster. Although she had given this assignment at previous schools, this year was its inaugural run at FWCD.
The project kicked off with the fifth graders researching a scientist of their choosing. Each student had to have a different scientist, which meant 83 scientists were featured. “It’s important that students see scientists as people with interests, personalities, and family dynamics that they also experience. Once a student can relate to a scientist in that way, they start to see that they have what it takes to be one, too,” explained Bergman.
Students had a month to research and decorate their hoodies, which needed to be wearable and include 10 interesting facts about their scientist.
For Sofia Grace Perkins, this assignment became something special. Her dad, Bryan, worked with her on the project and, with the help of family friend and designer Isaiah Shayle, the trio created a hoodie featuring Jane Goodall. Inspired by Sofia Grace’s design, Shayle decided to design a similar sweatshirt to benefit a charity. The sweatshirt was available for purchase with all proceeds going to the Jane Goodall Institute in celebration of Goodall’s 90th birthday. Perkins and Shayle set out to raise $10,000 from the limited-time sweatshirt and they did! Who knew a class project could become a relevant wearable fashion piece?
Honoring Two Decades of Service
FWCD faculty and staff gathered on April 25 to celebrate two long-standing employees, Guadalupe Arechar and Maria Olvera. They have worked in housekeeping since 2000. Hosted in the Goff Room of the Fischer Dining Pavilion, the Retirement Reception featured a short program with Debbie Eastwood, Housekeeping Supervisor, speaking about the impact Arechar and Olvera have made at FWCD and on the housekeeping team. Arechar and Olvera’s influences extend across the Lower, Middle, and Upper School divisions. Olvera began her journey at FWCD in the Middle School, later transitioning to the Upper School Science Building in 2022. Arechar also started in the Middle School, then moved to the Lower School before moving to the Upper School Science Building in 2022. Their work has touched every corner of our school, and FWCD is grateful for their dedication and service.
Cunningham Serves as Interim Assistant Head of Lower School
In late March, Head of Lower School Trey Blair shared that Meredith Hudgens Cunningham ’04 will serve as Interim Assistant Head of Lower School School. Kelly Lanier Tierce ’93, who served in that role, is now the Director of Auxiliary Enrichment Programs. Cunningham has been a part of the third grade team since the 201920 academic year.
“Meredith knows FWCD and the Lower School well. During her five years here, she has done more than teach,” Blair said. “She has served on the Report Card Committee, playing a crucial role in reimagining our formal assessment records, and the Math Curriculum Committee, exploring math curriculum that will best serve us in the years to come. She is a studentfirst teacher and a great colleague. Her transition into a support role for our
teachers and kids will be seamless, and she will thrive in this new position.”
Cunningham has been teaching for 16 years. She began her career in public schools in Northwest and Keller ISDs, teaching grades 2-5 and serving as a Technology Leader, Science Curriculum Writer, and grade-level Organizational Leader. From 2016-19, Cunningham was an Elementary Instructional Math Coach in NISD, serving students in kindergarten through grade 5. In this role, she spearheaded the implementation of teacher video clubs and math “lunch and learns”; facilitated professional learning opportunities for educators related to mathematics; collaborated with educators to plan engaging and relevant lessons that were differentiated to meet the needs of students; and modeled lessons in classrooms, demonstrating instructional strategies and best practices.
She ended the 2023-24 academic year focusing on the all-important job of teaching her third grade students and then immediately jumped into the interim Assistant Head role, planning for 2024-25.
Hightower Honored with Old Sport Award
Nolan Hightower, who wears many hats on campus, including driving buses, overseeing the print shop, and serving as a security guard, was honored with the Old Sport Award at the Upper School Awards Ceremony. 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. “Without Nolan, we would not have played any away games because he’s the man who arranges all of our transportation,” said Director of Athletics Leigh Block. “But he’s not just our ’transportation guy’—he takes a genuine interest in our kid’s success, and he’s our greatest cheerleader.”
AROUND CAMPUS
AROUND CAMPUS
Guadalupe Arechar, Debbie Eastwood and Maria Olvera
Falcon EV Competes in Record-Breaking Solar Car Race
The 2024 Solar Car Race boasted the largest number of competitors in its 28-year history, with 32 teams vying for titles. Among them, for the second consecutive year, was FWCD’s team, Falcon EV, who built their solar-powered car from the ground up, ready to push the limits in this four-day challenge, July 14-17.
Walker Gaines ’24, Richard Souchick ’24, Arjun Vasudevan ’24 and advisor Dr. John Cordell led the team. Other team members included Andrew Lobo ’26, Carolina Zamorano ’25, Sophia Marcincuk ’25, Chloe Barker ’25, Maddox Wolfe ’25, Jason Pham ’25, Ben Hatem ’25, Laura Marques ’24, Rhea Alexander ’24 and Henry Murphey ’26.
Exclusively at Texas Motor Speedway, this year’s race began with scrutineering on July 10. Teams faced a series of tests to ensure their cars met the standards required to compete. Falcon EV passed all tests by the afternoon on July 12, allowing the team a brief break before the race’s start.
Over the next four days, Falcon EV raced around the track. They placed second on days 1 and 2 with 70 and 75 laps, respectively. Day 3 was tough for them, with a fourth-place finish with 60 laps. Falcon EV stole the spotlight on Day 4 with a first-place finish (52 laps). After four days of racing, Falcon EV made its team and school proud with a third-place overall finish with 260 laps (390 miles).
A Celebration of Dedication
Founders’ Day is more than Fort Worth Country Day’s birthday. It is a celebration of community.
2024 Club Viginti Inductees are Yolanda Espinoza (Admission Associate), Christy Alvear (Upper School Science Teacher), David Hoppe (Upper School Math Teacher and Math Department Chair), Melissa Williams (Upper School Math Teacher), Catherine Collins-Vecino (Upper School English Teacher and English Department Chair), and Chuck Mooneyham (Assistant Housekeeping Supervisor, not pictured). These dedicated members of the Falcon community were applauded in the Founders’ Day program for their dedication to the School. Club Viginti was established in 1997 for faculty and staff who have given 20 or more years of service to the School.
2024 Master Teachers
FWCD Endowed Master Teaching Chairs are awarded in recognition of past accomplishments and in anticipation of future contributions to programs that promote teaching excellence within the FWCD community. The 2024 FWCD Master Teacher chairs are Catherine Collins-Vecino (Perry and Nancy Lee Bass Distinguished Teaching Chair in Upper School), Colin Douglas ’06 (James S. Garvey Chair for Distinguished Teaching in History), and Kelly Jenkins (Thomas M. Ryan Chair for Distinguished Teaching in Lower School). These individuals will serve in this role for three years.
Originated through the efforts of former Head of School Evan Peterson H’15 in the early 2000s, revamped in 2017 by Director of Strategic Projects Bill Arnold ’86 and now coordinated by Assistant Head of School for Academics and Student Support Amy Witten, the Endowed Master Teaching Chair designation is the highest distinction given by Fort Worth Country Day to faculty members who have a sustained record of teaching excellence and who have gone through an extensive application process. The School has nine Chairs, all funded through significant donations established years ago.
Cum Laude Adds
18 Students
FWCD’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society added nine seniors and nine juniors in spring 2024. New senior Cum Laude members were Jack Bradford, Blake Brown, Vail Dickey, Ricky Espino, Benjamin Hoppe, Carolina Murrin, James Thomas, Radha Vallurupalli and Arjun Vasudevan. New junior members are Margaret Anderson, Chloe Barker, Chappell Carter, Murphy Hoefer, Charles Portwood, Alyssa Rollings, Alex Seiden, Maya Witzel and Carolina Zamorano. New members were presented with certificates and pins during a program in the Scott Theater.
2024 Club Viginti Inductees pictured are Yolanda Espinoza, Christy Alvear, David Hoppe, Melissa Williams, and Catherine Collins-Vecino.
FWCD’s New Trustees
FWCD appointed four new Board of Trustees members in May. New members serving a three year team are Whitney Baggett Creel ’04, Dr. Asad Dean ’90, Jon Kellam and Helen Todora.
Creel is a Fort Worth native, FWCD alumna, and a graduate of Texas A&M University. Creel and her husband, Todd, are the founders of Mustang Energy Services, an oil and gas containment solutions company, where she served as Chief Financial Officer until 2018; Superior Turf Supply, a synthetic grass distribution company servicing Texas and surrounding states; and Creel Family Philanthropies, a nonprofit with the mission to cultivate generational involvement while supporting community organizations focused on both education and life-altering illnesses. In addition to her business and philanthropic endeavors, Creel is a member of the Board of Directors for The Center of Hope. She chaired the Center’s Finance Committee for several years. Creel is also deeply passionate about and actively involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), serving as a member of their national Dare to Dream Team, a small group of business professionals from across the country tasked with spearheading the LLS’s pediatric cancer fundraising initiative. The Creel family has four boys: Kolt ’32, Kase ’34, Kix ’37 and Krew.
A cum laude graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington with a B.S. in Biology, Dr. Dean received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in
Dallas in 1997 and completed his internship and residency at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse. In 2003, he finished his fellowship in Hematology/ Oncology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and was appointed an Assistant Professor at the medical center (2003-06). Recognized by Fort Worth and 360 West magazines for oncology care, Dr. Dean practices at Texas Oncology-Fort Worth Cancer Center. He has been named a Texas Monthly Super Doc annually since 2019. A dedicated FWCD Falcon, Dr. Dean served as the Alumni Association President (2021-24), enthusiastically welcoming new alums into the association and speaking to seniors on graduation night. Outside of FWCD, he is on the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Fort Worth Modern Art Museum Executive Boards and was on the Grant Committee for Komen Race for the Cure.
Kellam has devoted over 30 years of his career to education, primarily in leadership positions. He began his career teaching English and business and coaching soccer and football at Crowley High School. He joined The Oakridge School in 1993 as an English Teacher. He went on to coach numerous sports and held various administrative posts, including Director of Summer Programs, Head of Middle School, and Associate Head of School. From 2007 to 2022, Kellam served as Oakridge’s Head of School. Kellam was the Board President of the Southwest Preparatory Conference (2016-20), served on the Texas Private Schools Association board, and held multiple leadership roles with the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. Kellam holds an M.Ed. and B.S. in Education from Texas Christian University and completed the School Leadership Development Institute at Stanford University. He also earned a fully funded fellowship to the Klingenstein Head of Schools Program at Columbia University. In 2023, Kellam founded The Kellam Group, LLC, which offers advising, coaching, and
consulting services to leaders in schools and businesses. For the 2024-25 school year, he is serving as the Interim Head of School at Kentucky Country Day in Louisville. Kellam and his wife, Kristi, have two grown sons, Cole and Cade.
Todora has worked in the field of nutrition and health behavior research at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis as well as MD Anderson Cancer Center. Todora has served in leadership roles in Fort Worth including prior Board experience with The WARM Place and Tarrant County Medical Alliance. She also has served in volunteer roles with The Ronald McDonald House, Garden Club, Presbyterian Night Shelter, Salvation Army and The Humane Society of North Texas. She is currently an active member of the University Christian Church Outreach committee. Helen and her husband, Michael, chaired the Lower School Committee during the Forward Together Comprehensive Campaign. The couple also served as FWCD Fund Chairs in 2018-19 when The Fund exceeded the $1 million goal in unrestricted giving for the first time and served as Fund Co-chairs a second year in 2020-21 with three other couples. A graduate of the University of Texas for both undergraduate as well as a Master’s in Public Health, Todora is an active FWCD parent, serving in many positions at the School over the years, including as an Advancement Committee Member; PFA Nominating Chair, Care Committee Chair, Ninth Grade Homecoming Chair and multiple years as both Room Representative and sports team parent; and Falcon Rally Chair for Falcon Club, the School’s athletic booster club. The Todoras have three Falcon alumni: Robert ’17, Harrison ’20 and Vivian ’23 and a current Falcon, John ’29.
2023-24 Scholarship Recipients
The following students held these Named Scholarships at Fort Worth Country Day during the 2023-24 academic year.
Betty Reese Memorial Scholarship Lucas Rothenberg ’26
Gayle G. and Evan D. Peterson Scholarship Claire Hall ’34
Jillian Chandler Thompson Scholarship Ty Williams ’27
AROUND CAMPUS
with Deb (Lawson) Nicholson and Sil Azevedo Q &
AWhat were your first impressions of FWCD?
The beauty of the campus was my first impression. The pond, fountains, trees – stunning. But I knew I was home once I was inside the Middle School. John Stephens and Chaka Cummings were leading the Middle School, and I don’t know if I’ve ever laughed so much at work. We had a blast! Coming from a 13-year run at Trinity Valley School, I was concerned that I may not be accepted. I worried for no reason. The faculty, staff, students and families welcomed me with open arms. That confirmed for me that I had landed someplace very special.
What are some favorite memories?
There is something special about middle school. Watching quiet and shy students at 9 and 10 grow into teenagers four years later and confidently move on to Upper School is a gift. Middle School can be challenging as students deal with ’growing pains’ physically, socially and emotionally – some of the hardest lessons are learned during those years. John used to talk about Middle School being a safe place to fall. The faculty in the Middle School gets that – and I believe that is one of the best things about FWCD…. That faculty ’gets it’ in their division.
There is no way I can pinpoint all of them. There are hundreds. It was a daily occurrence to enjoy my role at FWCD. Whether I was handed a note that a student wrote to maintenance apologizing for throwing their shoe on the roof at recess or the thoughtfulness that a group of students put into buying for their “angel” at Target before the holidays … it was all a blessing to witness and be part of in some way. Overall, I appreciate the programs our students are offered: arts, academics, athletics, overnight trips and field trips, guest speakers, authors, etc. And the caliber of teachers, coaches, nurses, and trainers we have is extraordinary! When students visit us from college, I love what I see–accomplished, successful, happy and grateful young adults. One of the nicest compliments they can give us is that we prepared them well.
What have you loved the most at FWCD?
There is no better place to work than Fort Worth Country Day. In addition to the faculty, staff, students and beautiful campus, the families make it a great place to work. Our parents are some of the kindest and most generous people I have ever met, and the PFA Room Representatives are incredibly hard-working, creative and driven. They made our jobs so much easier! I wish I could hug and thank them one more time.
What brought you to FWCD?
I have been a fan of FWCD for a long time. When I was a teacher at Parish [Episcopal School] in Dallas, every year, I would drive to FWCD to bring my students’ works to the Black & White Images Competition and Exhibition and thought what a great school this is. Things fell into place in 2017 after I traveled around the world. The Upper School Photography Teacher position opened, and I jumped at the opportunity. I loved every minute of it.
When did you know you wanted to be a teacher?
I came into teaching without planning to. I was an architect before I opened my photography studio, so this was my natural path. There’s a lot in common between photography and architecture: spatial vision, the combination of design and technique, existential and artistic aspects. In 2004, Parish was looking for someone who could teach both darkroom and digital, which was rare in the early 2000s. A friend recommended me, and the rest is history. I was instantly hooked. My teaching philosophy was simple and straightforward: listen and care. Everything else follows.
You gave a Last Lecture of sorts to Upper School students. What did you share?
Mr. [Eric] Lombardi [Head of School] asked me to speak to the students about a story I’d shared with him when I first started at the School. My presentation was titled Scenes from Around the World, a slideshow of photography that is meaningful to me. My wife, Adriana, and I took an around-the-world trip in 2016 after a home fire took most of our possessions. We decided to reset by taking a 360-degree trip around the world, visiting popular and lesser-known destinations, including Madrid, Provence, Dubrovnik, Budapest, Athens and the Himalayas. That trip resulted in a solo exhibition featuring 30 painstakingly curated images from thousands. It was after the show that I posed a question to myself: ’What did I learn? How was I transformed? What’s next?’ FWCD became that ’What’s next.’
What do you love about FWCD?
Ah … there are so many! My relationship with my students. I learn from them as much as they do from me. Maybe more… My favorite assignment by far is working in series. There is something very special about a student researching a theme they love and photographing it consistently to create a monograph. The faculty here are an incredibly gifted and dedicated group of people who always inspire me. Sitting and talking with them at lunchtime was a daily highlight for me. FWCD is an extraordinary place, and I will always be a Falcon.
Giving Back
Brain Buddies Inspire Curiosity and Mentorship
Lily Hyde ’24 developed a passion for neuroscience and psychology as a student. She often pondered why students aren’t taught to care for their brains since the brain plays such a crucial role during the early developmental stages. This thought inspired her to create Brain Buddies, an organization that instills passion and curiosity for the brain among young minds within the FWCD community while bridging the gap between Lower and Upper School through learning, mentorship, bonding and fun.
“What if Upper School students introduced the brain to Lower Schoolers in an educational, simple and fun way so they can better understand its incredible significance in our lives,” she asked. “When this idea came to me, I remember a sensation of enthusiasm and excitement washing over me.”
As a sophomore, Hyde began developing Brain Buddies, focusing on fourth graders because their more developed minds could better grasp the complex subject of neuroscience. She started by sharing her idea with then Fourth Grade Teacher Joan Massey. Next, she approached Upper School Community Service Coordinator Christy Lennox and Assistant Head of Upper School Paula Weatherholt to coordinate a schedule to allow Upper School students to join the organization and work with the fourth graders per the schedule Massey thought would work.
Hyde spent August and September 2021 planning the details and introduced the organization to the Upper School in early October. From that point on, Upper School students and fourth graders met twice a month for about 45 minutes to explore the brain in fun and engaging ways.
In that first year, 35 Upper School students participated. At the start of the 2023-24 academic year, the group grew to over 150, showcasing the club’s popularity.
“When I first came up with the idea for Brain Buddies, I never thought it would come to life so quickly and gain such
overwhelming support,” Hyde shared. “It speaks so much to the incredible community we have here at FWCD: a community that encourages students to pursue their passions and goes the extra mile to help us bring our dreams to fruition.”
Hyde’s enthusiasm for Brain Buddies inspired her senior year Capstone Project. In the semester-long Capstone class, she developed a plan for the organization to continue to thrive. Comprising research, a final project and a presentation, the Capstone allowed Hyde the time, structure and resources to delve into her passion project and share her work with the School community.
“For Lily’s Capstone Project, she worked to create a comprehensive Brain Buddies curriculum that other schools would be able to implement,” said Sarah Blan, Capstone Coordinator. The curriculum will also allow Hyde’s successor to grow the Brain Buddies program at FWCD. “I look forward to seeing how the Brain Buddies program grows and how other schools implement the curriculum.”
“When Lily first approached me with her Brain Buddies idea, I could not have imagined how broad-reaching the program would become,” said Lennox. “She very clearly stated her vision. She had planned her curriculum and knew the outcomes she wanted. And then, the Upper School students showed up! It has been so fun to hear how excited the students have been to be involved in Brain Buddies, as they have reported their service hours. It has ended up embodying the true spirit of ’Service Learning’ – an education method that combines academic goals with community service. When our Upper School students share what they have learned, and know, with our Lower School Students this truly is a service to our community. I can’t wait to see how Brain Buddies flourishes this year, as new student leaders follow in Lily’s footsteps.”
The Arts
The City of Fort Worth is internationally known for its vibrant arts scene. At FWCD, we inspire innovation and excellence through our celebrated ballet program, visual arts classes, choral programs, band, orchestra, drumline, performing arts and technical theatre.
Margaret Elaine Watler ’24
Kate Daly ’24
Nara Acuña Guba ’25
Katie Baldwin ’28
Rising Stars: Artistic Dreams
As a 3A’s school, Fort Worth Country Day recognizes when its students continue their arts and athletic passions. Three fine arts students will pursue the arts in college in fall 2024: Jane Shelton ’24, Brooke Baldwin ’24 and Anna Rodgers ’24.
Shelton will continue her dance career at Southern Methodist University in the Meadows School of the Arts. “Jane is such a talented dancer, and because of her hard work and dedication, she is able to continue on her journey to become a professional ballet dancer,” said Carrie Cheng, Director of Ballet at FWCD and the Ballet Conservatory. FWCD and Conservatory Ballet Teacher Natalie Bracken ’05 added: “What I admire most about Jane is that her path in ballet hasn’t always been easy. She faced some obstacles with her health and injuries that might have caused others to stop dancing, but Jane pushed through with a smile and a positive attitude.”
Baldwin will attend Texas Christian University, where she plans to double major in photography at the College of Fine Arts and Business at the Neeley School of Business.
“On winter break four years ago, when no emails were coming in, I received an unexpected message from young Brooke. She explained she received a new Fuji X-T200 [camera] and shared a link with an impressive first series of 30 or so images, beautifully shot and edited,” said Upper School Photography Teacher Sil Azevedo. “No assignments were due. Brooke simply could not contain her enthusiasm. This love for the craft and curiosity for the world have driven Brooke to continue to photograph and develop a style of her own. She has a gift for setting perfect strangers at ease and capturing wonderful portraits. Her gift and dedication are powerful assets as she enters this new phase of her journey, which is sure to be filled with discovery and growth.”
Rodgers auditioned for and earned a spot in the Ritter Family Classical Guitar Program at the University of Colorado. “I started teaching in the conservatory in 2017, the year guitar was added as an option for the students. Anna was among the original guitar students, and she studied with us until she started high school,” said Quint Olsen, Music Conservatory Instructor. “Anna was immediately one of the brightest talents in the program. She plays so musically and with such expression … and she is easily the best sight reader I have ever worked with.”
Director of Fine Arts Chelsy Beninate initiated art signings at the School during the 2022-23 academic year.
“Celebrating students who chose to continue an artistic passion in college should be a tradition each year,” she said. “We are fortunate to have a school that values the arts, and we hope our students continue to be patrons and participants of the arts throughout their lives.”
Lindy Heath Joins FWCD
Lindy Heath joined the Falcon family in July as Fort Worth Country Day’s next Director of Fine Arts. Heath comes to FWCD from Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, where, for the past nine years, she was a teacher, Director and Department Chair. In 2021, she was named one of Fort Worth Magazine’s Top 10 Teachers.
Heath replaces Chelsy Beninate, who has been Director of Fine Arts since 2018. In the 2023-24 school year, Beninate added the Assistant Head of School for Operations and Security role to her responsibilities.
“We are fortunate to be able to allow the Fine Arts and Assistant Head roles to each have their own highly qualified leader,” said Head of School Eric Lombardi. “Chelsy’s shoes as our Director of Fine Arts are big. Lindy will wear a different pair, but she will fill those, bringing with her a rich variety of high-level experience and wonderfully deep relationships across the arts community of Fort Worth. Our goal at Fort Worth Country Day is always to be looking to improve. Lindy is excited to inherit a vibrant performing and visual arts team and program.”
A graduate of Texas Christian University with a B.A. in Theatre, Heath began her career at Casa Mañana Theatre, where she had a variety of responsibilities spanning 16 years. She performed in over 75 children’s shows, summer musicals, and plays and taught theatre, movement, singing and
art classes to students from age 3 to adults. Heath also selected, directed and choreographed over 75 productions, wrote original scripts, and hired actors and teachers.
As Performance Director of the PBS series Barney & Friends from 2004 until its series finale in 2010, Heath developed new ideas and themes for episodes, cast children and adult actors, oversaw choreography and blocking, and collaborated with the arranger on music and the camera operators and editors on the final product.
Overlapping with her service at Casa Mañana and Barney & Friends, Heath was the Associate Director of Music and Worship for the First United Methodist
Church in Fort Worth. While there, she taught preschool music and directed the children’s choir, creating musicals and performances for students; co-directed the church’s youth choir; and produced special worship services for holidays, dedications and ceremonies, incorporating art, music, dance and theatre.
Engaged in the Fort Worth arts community, Heath partnered with Amphibian Stage, allowing FWAFA students to learn from the professionals in that nonprofit theatre company. She helped develop the curriculum that Circle Theatre shares with other teachers for their high school playwriting competition. She maintains relationships with local museums, symphonies and theatre companies, allowing her to connect students within our artistically rich community. While Heath’s primary training and experience is in the performing arts, her appreciation and love of the visual arts has led to many collaborations with art students, teachers and docents.
Heath is excited to be a Falcon. “I am thrilled and honored to join the Fort Worth Country Day family,” she said.
“I am excited to share my passion for the arts with students and the wonderfully talented staff and discover ways I can help our community bring the arts to life. I look forward to meeting our students and alumni as I start this new journey.”
Jane Shelton ’24
Brooke Baldwin ’24 Anna Rodgers ’24
Musical Unites Upper and Middle School Talent
FWCD’s spring musical, Matilda Jr., was a landmark production featuring both Upper School and Middle School students. The cast was a dynamic ensemble of 48 upper schoolers and 10 middle schoolers, including the debut of Mary Evans Bumstead ’27 in the title role of Matilda.
An adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved novel, Matilda Jr., is about a young girl with extraordinary intelligence and telekinetic powers. Despite facing neglectful parents and a tyrannical headmistress, Matilda’s sharp mind and kind heart help her to overcome challenges and change her own destiny.
Siouxsie Easter, Director of Upper School Theatre, shared her inspiration for involving the younger students in this year’s musical. “My classroom is right next door to the Middle School choir classroom, and every day, I hear such wonderful talent coming from that room,” she said. “Our team wanted to work with that talent and allow some of our middle schoolers a peek into the Upper School theatre program. It was so much fun working with these students that we are planning a future collaboration.”
FWCD’s 2024-25 stage performances promise more excitement. The fall play, The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong, is set for November 14-16, 2024, and the spring 2025 musical, SIX: Teen Edition, will run from February 20 through February 22, 2025.
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.
Back-to-Back SPC Champions
The culmination of spring sports in Dallas was a triumph for the Falcons, as both the softball and girls track & field teams clinched their second consecutive SPC Championship titles.
FWCD’s softball team (pictured below) defeated Trinity Valley School (17-1) in the semifinals, with Madeline Richey ’27 and Emily Klein ’24 earning a combined no-hitter on the mound. In the title game against The John Cooper School (12-1), Reagan Hall ’24 had zero walks and 12 strikeouts. The team ended the season on a 14-game win streak, outscoring opponents 158-25 during that stretch.
The girls track & field team (pictured left) edged out Trinity Valley by 1.5 points to earn the 3A title with a total of 175.5 points. Gold medalists were Carly Walker ’24 (Pole Vault), Londyn Bektic ’27 (Triple Jump) and Shamya Freeney ’24 (Shot Put). Silver medalists were Chloe Nelson ’27 (3200m); Finleigh Ashburn ’25 (100m Hurdles); Carly Walker ’24, Londyn Bektic ’27, Hailey Seiden ’26, Kylie Carter ’24 (4x100); Caroline King ’25, Emmy Strathmeyer ’27, Addie Fortinberry ’26, Chloe Nelson ’27 (4x800); Francie Ratino ’27 (Shot Put, Discus); and Carly Walker ’24 (Long Jump). Bronze medalist was Addie Fortinberry ’26 (400m).
From Dedication to Domination
Jayda Fulp ’25 achieved a historic milestone on February 24, 2024, becoming Fort Worth Country Day’s first-ever Falcon to earn the National Champion title in wrestling. She did it in wrestling at Lehigh University. Fulp’s journey to this achievement reflects her exceptional dedication and skill, nurtured by years of training under Wrestling Head Coach Hugo Muñoz since she was 9. Muñoz attests that Fulp is a rare competitor who relishes competition and continuously strives for improvement.
Fulp’s wrestling career has been marked by consistent excellence. A three-time All-American, Fulp began wrestling competitions the summer before ninth grade and has qualified for nationals every year; second place as a freshman, third as a sophomore. This year, she finally earned the title and had an undefeated 26-0 season.
At the start of the year, Fulp set three goals: improve her technique, go undefeated and win National Prep.
“That kind of influenced me to do better at practice, during conditioning, really try against the boys, especially Luke Tierce [’24], he’s more my weight class [which is 145] and Alex Parsons [’26], he’s 157. So they gave me a pretty good push to prepare for big tournaments,” she said.
Throughout the 2024 Winter Sports Season, Fulp competed in various tournaments, including the Texas Women’s Classic and the Texas Prep State Girls Tournament, dominating her weight class each time. Despite unexpected challenges like a last-
minute seeding change before nationals, Fulp’s mental and technical preparation led her to a decisive victory in the championship match.
“When it [the national competition] was all over, I just remember hearing my mom scream from the top of the rim, Hugo clapping, and all of the Wyoming Seminary girls and guys go quiet. That’s all I remember,” she said. Fulp’s fan base on the floor was her coach, Muñoz, and fellow teammate Joseph Brunson ’25, who was competing as well.
Beyond wrestling, Fulp’s athletic prowess extends to judo, where she recently clinched gold for Team USA at the Cadet (U18) Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro. She also is one of 26 athletes who earned direct qualification positions on the 2024 Junior and Cadet World Champion Teams by earning gold in
her weight class at the USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships in Pittsburgh at the end of June.
These victories solidify her status as a dominant force in both sports. Fulp’s achievements in judo have elevated her world ranking – she is No. 10 in the Cadet World Rankings for her weight class. Fulp earned her third straight spot to represent Team USA at the Cadet World Championships in Lima, Peru.
Looking ahead, Fulp remains focused on her athletic journey, aiming to qualify for the 2028 Olympics and represent the United States on the global stage. Her determination and unwavering commitment underscore her potential to continue making waves in both wrestling and judo, fueled by the support of her coaches and training partners and a steadfast belief in her abilities.
Jayda Fulp (second from left) won gold at the Senior Pan American Championships. Her coach, Carrie Chandler, won gold 19 years ago in the same competition.
Seniors Sign Letter of Intent
Jackson Brockway, Kylie Carter, Reagan Hall, Benjamin Hoppe, Boston Juliao, Marco Olmos and Gage Stubbs signed their National Letter of Intent to elevate their games to the next level in college. The seven student-athletes are taking their talents to six different colleges and universities throughout the U.S.
Brockway, a 2023 SPC Champion, will attend Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee as a member of the track & field team. An SPC AllConference honoree, Carter will also attend Sewanee, where she will play field hockey. Hall is a two-time SPC Champion and will attend Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches to play softball. Hoppe is Wisconsinbound to play tennis at Lawrence University in Appleton. Juliao, the first FWCD lacrosse team member to play in college, is headed to Berry College
in Mount Berry, Georgia. Olmos will be a member of the tennis team at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. Stubbs, an SPC All-Conference Honorable Mention, will attend Murray State College in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, to play baseball.
“It is exciting when our Falcons pursue their passions. We’re very proud of our student-athletes. They have worked so hard and have represented FWCD with class and dignity,” said Leigh Block, Director of Athletics. “I can’t wait to follow their careers – they will all be a huge success in college and beyond!”
SPC Sportsmanship Awards
FWCD celebrated six students and one team that earned Fall, Winter and Spring Season SPC Sportsmanship Awards. Fall awards went to Shamya Freeney ’24 (girls volleyball) and Jack Cimo ’24 (cross country) and the girls volleyball team was a cowinner, along with Greenhill School. Winter awards went to Nara Acuña Guba ’25 (swimming) and Alex Parsons ’26 (wrestling) and Spring awards went to Hannah Cheng ’24 (softball) and Benjamin Hoppe ’24 (boys tennis).
The SPC bestows two Sportsmanship Awards each season: team and individual. Team awards are selected by SPC coaches. The individual athletic awards are selected by school and two student-athletes at each SPC school (one male, one female) earn them each season.
We’re very proud of this year’s fall, winter, and spring SPC sportsmanship winners,” said Director of Athletics Leigh Block. “These student-athletes were selected by the Athletic Department for always being terrific ambassadors for FWCD. These words on our athletics website – our student-athletes win with humility, lose with grace, and compete with honor – are perfectly represented by these kids. Our girls volleyball and boys tennis teams were selected by North Zone coaches as the sportsmanship winners, so that is especially gratifying. We’ve had nine teams win SPC sportsmanship awards the last three years, and we couldn’t be prouder of how our student-athletes represent our school.”
Honoring Their Son
they watched their son Barrett
’98 compete. For 13 years, they lived and breathed FWCD. After Barrett passed away, they wanted to do something to honor his legacy. “In 2018, we embarked on a two-year fundraising campaign to endow the track and update the facility,” she said. As Forward Together Constituent Campaign Champion Volunteers, Joy Ann and Bob share their love and commitment to the School. “I continue to give to Country Day, probably foremost, to honor my son’s legacy here. He loved every aspect of the School,” Joy Ann said. “I know he would be doing this if he were here today, and I would like to do this for him.” Scan the QR code to watch Joy Ann’s video and make a campaign gift.
Benjamin Hoppe Marco Olmos
Jackson Brockway (track & field), Boston Juliao (lacrosse), Gage Stubbs (baseball), Reagan Hall (softball), Kylie Carter (field hockey)
Shamya Freeney ’24 Jack Cimo ’24 Nara Acuña Guba ’25
Alex Parsons ’26 Hannah Cheng ’24 Benjamin Hoppe ’24
Joy Ann and Bob Havran have fond memories of the FWCD athletic field as
Havran
March 22, 2024, was a festive day for the Fort Worth Country Day community with Founders’ Day activities for students, faculty and staff during the school day and the lively Hats Off to Country Day soiree for families and the broader FWCD community took later that evening. More than 400 current and past parents, faculty and staff, and alumni gathered at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall in the Stockyards to celebrate FWCD’s 60th birthday.
“It was a fabulous evening celebrating the School’s 60th anniversary filled with a live auction, Big Board and Hat Pull. Le Freak was a huge hit with the party-goers,” said Katie Semple, PFA President. The evening was an overwhelming success! We could not have done it without the leadership of Co-chairs Angela McDonald and Regan Haggerty and their fabulous committee, our PFA Treasurer Bridget Wysong, all the sponsors, and everyone who came out that night! It was a party that will be long remembered!”
(Back row) Jeff Hess, Patrick Dean, Christinna Oldham, Ben Allen, (front row) Courtney Hess, Robby Bourgeois, Courtney Bourgeois, Chelsea Allen, Carly Mills Tatum ’00, Stephen Tatum
Thomas West ’05, Morgan Mallick West ’04, Thomas Lacy, Taylor Luskey Lacy ’04, Ciara Condon, Stephen Condon, Meredith Nieswiadomy Ray ’06, Breck Ray ’06, Lauren Moore, Braden Moore
Ed Chisholm, Paige Farris Chisholm ’87, Andrea Breedlove, Joe Breedlove ’78
Randy Gideon, Beth Runyon Gideon ’78
The venue: Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall in the Stockyards
Shannon Young Ray ’80 and Gail Widmer Landreth ’69
Are We There Yet?
Not yet, but almost…
Saying goodbye to a beloved facility is hard. Many alumni and parents were sad to learn the School building that welcomed their entry to Fort Worth Country Day had reached the end of its useful life. At the same time, there was excitement and anticipation for how a new, state-of-the-art building would serve students and faculty now and for the next 60 years.
Since the building’s groundbreaking ceremony in January 2024, construction progress on the new Lower School has been remarkable. Despite freezing temperatures in January and February, nonstop rains in March and April, the crews have worked to keep the construction schedule on time and on budget. The new building is on the same plot of land as the original Lower School; however, the floor layout brings the classrooms closer to the Lou and
Nick Martin Campus Center, and the playground has shifted to the north and east sides of the building.
As of late July, the exterior walls wereup, and the installation of brick, stone and siding were nearing completion. On the interior, drywall covered the library walls and many of the classrooms. Wall, ceiling and floor finishes were underway.
Head of Lower School Trey Blair shares the faculty’s excitement about the new building, “It is not possible to overstate the impact the new Lower School building will have on our current and future students,” he said. “With amenities like the self-contained library, a Commons area, and the Story Tree Patio, this new building will create fantastic opportunities for students and faculty to connect and build stronger relationships.
Lower School Naming Opportunities
Grade 1 & 2 Wing
Grade 3 & 4 Wing
Commons Yes
The classrooms, filled with natural light, are designed for small group work, feature cutting-edge technology, and will engage every student in learning. We are deeply grateful to all the donors whose generosity and shared vision are making this incredible new school building a reality.”
FWCD invites all Falcon community members – past and present – to become part of the new Lower School building by contributing to the construction fund. Your gift is a perfect opportunity to support current and future Falcons, their teachers, and the important first steps toward an FWCD education. In addition, your investment offers a great opportunity to create a tribute for a family member, friend, or anyone who has been a significant influence on your life by making a gift in their honor or memory.
Science Specialty Classrooms 2 Reserved
Counselor Office Yes
Academic Support Offices 2 Reserved Conference Room Reserved
Offices 1 Reserved 1 Available
Administration Suite Reserved
Break Room Reserved
Nurse Office Reserved
Outdoor Classrooms 2 Reserved
Story Tree Patio Yes
Butterfly Garden Reserved
Gifts to the new Lower School building can be pledged and paid over five years, on a schedule that best meets your individual preferences.
We welcome your interest and inquiries regarding naming opportunities in the new Lower School building. For more information, Sandra Tuomey, Director of Advancement, is available to answer questions; contact her at sandra.tuomey@fwcd.com or 817.302.3223.
A Favorite Teacher Remembered
Many FWCD students have had an exceptional teacher who encouraged them, recognized their abilities, and helped them realize their potential.
For Waldron Collins ’20, that teacher was Sheri Fuller, now in her 34th year teaching first grade at FWCD.
As a first grader, Waldron was a quiet and cautious new student. Her teacher, Mrs. Fuller, in the words of Waldron’s father, Craig Collins, really put Waldron on the path of being a good student and a capable learner and helped her believe in herself. It was, in short, a great start for Waldron’s academic life at FWCD. “Sheri was a huge influence in all our lives, in the most positive way,” Craig said.
Mrs. Fuller remembers Waldron as a happy child and a
natural ambassador for the School. She would speak with parents and potential students who were touring FWCD and considering the possibility of enrolling. “I have many fond memories of Waldron. She was the sweetest little girl who loved first grade and ballet,” Sheri recalled. The connection established in Waldron’s first year remains to this day.
Throughout Middle School and Upper School, Waldron would stop by the first grade classroom and visit with Sheri.
With great appreciation for Mrs. Fuller’s exceptional skills as an educator and her dedication to working with students, the Collins family made a gift to the new Lower School building, requesting to name Mrs. Fuller’s classroom. “This gift and recognition is our way of thanking her. We love that she’s still at FWCD, continuing to inspire current students,” Craig said. “We encourage others to consider making a tribute gift, too, to show appreciation for wonderful educators or family members or any special person in your life.”
Why Endowed Funds?
Increasing Fort Worth Country Day’s endowment is one of the top priorities of the Forward Together campaign. Endowment is the key to FWCD’s financial stability and sustainability, ensuring the continuation of outstanding teaching and academic experiences for our students. Gifts of any amount can be added to an established endowed fund. Recognition for establishing an endowed fund begins at $50,000, which can be pledged and paid over five years. All endowment donors will be recognized as campaign contributors, whether making a gift to an existing fund or establishing a new fund.
The School invests endowment funds judiciously; the donor designates the uses of the distributions. Distributions can be restricted to specific academic programs, faculty support, tuition assistance or other special purposes. Use of distributions also can be designated as unrestricted, allowing FWCD flexibility to take advantage of new educational opportunities as they arise.
The investments will:
• Provide additional, meaningful support to the annual operating budget
• Support vital academic programs and personnel
• Provide tuition assistance for qualified students
• Provide opportunities for all students to participate in arts, athletics, special programs and travel programs.
The School uses a hybrid spending policy where 80% of a Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) adjusted prior year transfer plus 20% of a rolling four-quarter average of the endowment fair market value determines the annual spending transfer. This approach allows us to balance the School’s immediate needs with the long-term sustainability of the endowment.
Tribute Gifts
Together, we can make a difference.
If you or a loved one wish to acknowledge a special person, a gift to FWCD can be the perfect way to say thank you. A tribute gift, whether in honor or in memory of someone, provides a meaningful expression of gratitude for any occasion. Such a gift serves as a lasting tribute and positively impact the lives of those we serve.
We deeply appreciate the support of our parents, alumni, grandparents, past parents, faculty, staff and friends. The unwavering dedication of the FWCD community enables our vision and mission to flourish across campus. From innovative programming and enriching faculty experiences opportunities, the impact of your contribution is profound.
There are many meaningful ways to make a difference at FWCD. Whether you support The FWCD Fund, make a gift of securities, share a gift in kind, make a gift in honor, memoriam or celebration of someone, or plan to leave a gift to the School in the future, you are enhancing students’ opportunities. Your gift represents a belief in and support for our School and its faculty and supports our commitment to innovative programs, exceptional faculty and state-of-the-art facilities.
Heather and Ryan Senter Forward Together Constituency Co-chairs
We Are On the One-Yard Line
As Public Phase Chairs of the Forward Together Comprehensive Campaign, Heather and Ryan Senter, parents of Lily ’22, Eloise ’24 and Martha Wynn ’27, are calling on the entire FWCD community to join them in this vital endeavor. “It is phenomenal to see FWCD’s future come to life and know that we are genuinely at the one-yard line,” they said. We ask everybody to truly dig deep … every contribution, no matter the size, counts. Together, we can achieve something truly remarkable.” Scan the QR code to watch the Senter’s video and make a campaign gift.
The Korman Family
L&M Charitable Foundation
Taylor (Luskey) ’04 and Thomas Lacy
Lisa and Ryan Lakovitch
Catherine + and Wilfried Lampka
Donors
This list reflects gifts to the campaign as of July 1, 2024.
Laura (Bonnell) ’88 and Jeff Alexander
Shannon + and Craig Allen
Christina and Hunter Allen
Christy + and Manuel Alvear
Tasa (Lefler) ’88 and Frank Anderson
Chloe (Bade) ’05 and Thomas Anderson
Andréanne + and Alan Annis
Anonymous
Teresa and Keith Argenbright
Debby + and Bill Arnold ’86
Susan Lay Atwell Fund
Stephanie (Bird) ’08 and Cody Baker
Laura Baldwin ’90
Corliss and Louis Baldwin
Crisanne (Potts) ’93 + and Jeffrey Barker
Elizabeth + and Connor Baxter
Chelsy + and Anthony Beninate
Claire and Joseph Berkes ’98
Susan and Paul Biery
Bird Family Foundation
Laura and Greg Bird
Trey Blair +
Lauren and Andrew Blake ’93
Cornelia Blake
Sarah + and Stephen + Blan
Cheryl and Dan + Bloch H’06
Mandy and Leigh + Block
Leigh (Taylor) ’95 and Michael Bornitz
Stacy Bourne ’02 +
Andrea and Joe + Breedlove ’78
Bari (Buckner) ’83 and John Brookman ’80
Kena and Ricky Brown
Ann and Frank Bumstead
Robin and Gantt Bumstead
Hester + and Michael Burdman
Evie and Geoffrey Butler H’98
Anjie (Landreth) ’94 and William Butler ’96
Judy and Jerry Cagle
Neal Callaway ’81
Shelia and Greg Carlson
Kristin and Trey Carmichael
Amon G. Carter Foundation
Jill and Quintin Cassady
Claudia Coscia and Julio Cedillo
Carrie + and Li Chou Cheng
The Clifton Foundation
Jan and Bill Clinkscale
Alicia and David Coke
Morgan and Walter Coleman
Beth and Craig Collins
Cameron and Wilkie Colyer
Georgina (Moncrief) ’94 and Cliff Condrey
Hugh Connor
Judy and Andy Cordell H’22
Graciela and Carlos Coscia
John Crawford
Whitney (Baggett) ’04 and Todd Creel
Tyler and Brian Crumley ’92
Paulette and John Crumley
Kim (Williamson) ’75 and Glenn Darden
Dorrine DeChant + Tanya Charfen and Hugo Del Pozzo
Elyse (Stoltz) ’93 and C.D. Dickerson ’94
Stephen Dickey ’89 +
Carolyn (Forswall) ’02 and Henry Dollahite ’02
James and Dorothy Doss Foundation
Karla + and Christopher Dunning
Siouxsie + and Ed Easter
Randy Eisenman ’93
Yumiko + and Johnny + Evans
Zibby (Graham) ’07 and J.T. Fant ’04
Nicole and Leonard Firestone
Liz (Stapp) ’84 and Russ Fleischer
Folsom Point Charities
Brittnee and Rob Freund
Theresa Fuss +
FWCD Class of 2023
FWCD Parent Faculty Association
Garvey Texas Foundation
Mary Carolyn (Clay) ’93 and Ben Gatzke
Ruth (Newberry) Gessinger ’74
Beth and Randy Gideon
Shelby + and Perry Ginsburg ’10
Rebecca + and Brian Gleason
Heather + and Elliot Goldman ’90
Tricia and Byron Gossett
Judie and Bob Greenman
Clint Hagen +
DeAnn + and Todd Hall
Nancy Hallman
Robyn and Dak Hatfield
Joy Ann and Bob Havran
Heather and Brent Hawthorne ’85
Tammi Hodges +
Sarah + and Drew Hollingshead
Gloria (Moncrief) ’00 and Erich Holmsten
Teresa + and David + Hoppe
Venessa and Robert Howard
Melissa and Scott Huffman
Mel + and Keven Hurst
Aimee Jenkins +
Kelly Jenkins +
Leslie and Dan Johnson
Lexi and Reggie + Johnson
Elizabeth (Murphy) ’88 and Mark Jones
Kris and Ben Karr
Louise and Robert Keffler
Libits Kendall
Bryan King
Teresa and Luther King
Marsha (Harrison) ’79 and John Kleinheinz
Lisa + and Ken Koger
Caroline (Corpening) ’99 + and Frank Lamsens
Gail (Widmer) ’69 and Bill Landreth ’67
Regan and W.A. Landreth ’01
Kristin + and Todd Larsen
Lindsay and Bradley Lawrence
Cindy Lawrence
Maribeth and George LeBus ’77
Christy Lennox +
Shari + and Dave Lincoln
Mandy + and David Lofquist
Debra and Eric + Lombardi
The Lowe Foundation
Courtney and Wayne Lundquist
T.J. Brown and C.A. Lupton Foundation
Meredith and Stephen Luskey ’01
Jerry Mahle +
Kathrin (Bond) ’71 and Michael Malone
Malone Family Foundation
Haddy and Edward Manuel
Michelle and Scott Marlow
Louella and Nicholas Martin Charitable Fund at the North Texas Community Foundation
Monika Mathur
Tanya and Patrick McClanahan
Lori McCormack +
Elizabeth and Jim McCoy ’87
Alison E. McManus ’95
Patricia Janza and Alejandro Minetto
Courtney and Matt Mitchell
Kit (Tennison) Moncrief ’70
Keelie and Matt Montague
Lauren and Braden Moore
Alvin Morales +
Leslie and John David Moritz
Sheridan Morris
Martha (Oswald) ’99 and Paxton Motheral
Brittany Nelson + Katherine Nelson ’16
Marty and James Norman
Rebecca and Marcus Ozaeta
Pam and Jamie Packer
Lisa + and Michael + Parker
Mary Catherine and Chad Parsons
Lauren and Bryan Perkins
Mary Perry
Katie (Malone) ’97 + and Clay Peterson ’96
Carole and Tom Petty
Renee + and Tony Pierce
Laura and Robert Piwetz
Tutti and Buck Portwood
Susan and Douglas Pritchett
Denise and Gary Pointer
Shana Proell
Corrine (Hyman) ’00 and Michael Quast
Matt Rainwater ’94
Ally and Davis Ravnaas ’03
Gail Rawl
Meredith (Nieswiadomy) ’06 and Breck Ray ’06
Elizabeth and Paul Ray
Allison and Tim Regan
Christine and Austin Reilly ’04
Sid W. Richardson Foundation
The Roach Foundation
Alison + and Nelson Robinson
Christina and Cass Rodgers
Missy and Randy Rodgers ’70
Abby and Will Rodgers ’01
Simin Rohani
Joan Massey and John Rohrbach
Laura and Chris Rooker
Merianne and Steve Roth
Adelaide (Moncrief) ’02 and Charlie Royer
Catalina Ruiz +
The Ryan Foundation
Maria and Jose + Saldana
Myrna + and Steve Sam
Lynny Sankary
Elizabeth and Mickey Schmid
William E. Scott Foundation
Anne and Bob Semple
Katie and Rob Semple ’95
Heather and Ryan Senter
Briana and Michael + Settle ’99
Bunny and Larry Shackelford
Lisa and Randy Shaw
Harriet and Jarrett Shields
Carol-Sidney and Houston Simmons
Mary (Hallman) ’03 and Dwayne Smith
Ned Smith +
Eleanor (Mauze) ’83 and Jon Snyder ’78
Wesley (Van Wyk) ’94 and Marcus Snyder ’93
Judith and Lucio Soriano
Christine + and Kevin Spikes
Carol and Vern Spurlock
Kathleen and Randall Stepp
Claudia and Rod Stepp
Elaine and Michael Stoltz
Cynthia and Robert Sturns
Alexandra and Houston Sullivan
Cristina + and Peter Szmigiel
Jerry and James Taylor
Laura + and Bruce Terry
Linda Thomas
Heather and Chris Thompson ’90
Melissa (Garrett) ’77 and George Thompson ’69
Margaret Thompson ’06
Nancy Thompson
Kelly (Lanier) ’93 + and Buddy Tierce ’92
Helen and Michael Todora
Jerre and David Tracy
Whitney Truax +
Sandra + and Troy Tuomey
Malathi Ravi and Avinash Vallurupalli
Lee Ann and Steve Van Amburgh
Mary Kay Varley
Virginia Ashton and Robert Vernon
Callie and Mike + Vincent
Peggy Wakeland +
Blair (Taylor) ’99 and John Walker
Carrie + and Kenneth Wall
Lisa + and Neil Wallace
Walsh Family
Tara and Robert Warren
Kathy Welch +
Morgan (Mallick) ’04 and Thomas West ’05
Geraldine Williams +
Amy Witten +
Judy and Rich Witzel
Tammy + and Greg Wolford
Janice Boswell Wueste and Ed Wueste
Amy and Hunter Young
+ Denotes Faculty/Staff
Eclipse Total at the School
The city of Fort Worth was at a standstill on Monday, April 8, looking toward the heavens to witness a celestial wonder that won’t be seen in the city again for roughly 300 years. Fort Worth Country Day students, faculty and staff gathered on Howard Family Field in Rosacker Stadium from approximately 12:30-2:30 p.m. for a memorable and educational solar eclipse event planned by the School’s Science Department.
The city Fort Worth was at a standstill on Monday, 8, looking toward the heavens witness a celestial that won’t be seen in the again for roughly 300 years. Fort Worth Country students, faculty and staff on Howard Family Field in Rosacker Stadium from approximately 12:30-2:30 for a memorable and educational planned by the School’s Science Department.
Dr. Bill Runyon ’80 put April 8, 2024, and the idea of a solar eclipse event into Head of School
Dr. Runyon ’80 put April and the idea a solar eclipse Head of School
Eric Lombardi’s head back in April 2016 when he and Runyon were on the eighth grade Big Bend trip, talking about outdoor adventures for students and the often incredible, lifelong impact of those trips. “Dr. Runyon knew the date of this eclipse then, and he knew 4200 Country Day Lane was in the Path of Totality,” Lombardi said.
Eric ’s head back April 2016 when he were grade Big Bend about outdoor adventures for students and the often incredible, lifelong of those “Dr. Runyon knew the date this eclipse and he Country Day Lane was in the Path of Totality,” Lombardi said.
Lombardi charged Upper School Science Teacher and Science Department Chair Sherri Reed with devising something special to commemorate the occasion.
Reed enlisted some suns and moons— seniors Vail Dickey ’24, Carolina Murrin ’24, Blake Brown ’24 and Andrea Andrade ’24—and Upper School Science Teacher Dr. John Cordell to promote the event. Dr. Cordell visited each division to deliver eclipse glasses and share fun facts about eclipses to get everyone excited for the day.
On eclipse afternoon, students were divided into STAR groups (Lower School Families, Middle School Advisories and Upper School Advisories) and moved through four eclipse activity rotations: solar bead bracelet-making, pinhole camera viewing and sun tattoos, mini solar race car driving, and meeting with FWCD’s Solar Car Team to learn more about their experience in the 2023
Solar Car Challenge. These 10-minute rotations kept the younger students occupied and engaged and allowed them to concentrate on activities while safely gazing at the stages of the eclipse with the solar glasses the School provided.
While all the activity was happening on the field, Breakthrough Fort Worth Director of Operations Rudi Flores was emceeing the event, playing sunthemed music from the press box, sharing eclipse facts, and telling “bad” eclipse jokes. Here are some examples: What’s the most famous painting of an eclipse? The Moona Lisa … How do you organize a solar eclipse party? You planet!
Dr. Cordell was responsible for many of Flores’ eclipse facts and jokes. His passion for this historic celestial moment was evident as he talked to the students, faculty and staff on the field through the stages. “Pay attention to what happens during the eclipse,” Dr. Cordell said. “You will see the
light through the trees. Look for Jupiter and Venus. As darkness falls, animals will be confused. If we are lucky, we will see Baily’s Beads and the Diamond Ring.”
For the two and a half minutes of the total eclipse, all 1,300 students, faculty and staff were lying or standing on the Howard Family Field, gazing at the sky—without glasses—quietly in awe.
“You will feel a drop in temperature. Look for stars if we’re lucky. Let your mind be blown,” Dr. Cordell said.
“Sherri and our Science Department knocked it out of the park with their planning. They found ways to make the Solar Eclipse Day a fully JK-12 community event,” Lombardi said.
“They gave our older students staffing roles at the four learning stations around the track, keeping our younger students engaged and adding to their understanding of a total eclipse and of solar power in the hour leading up to some of the most remarkable minutes of any school year ever.”
(Clockwise from top) The Upper School suns and moons, Vail
Blake Brown ’24, Andrea
and
publicized Solar Eclipse Day leading up to the event and served as group leaders on April 8. Upper School students applied sun tattoos at one of the day’s fun stations. The solar racing cars were a hit with Lower School students. As the sun and moon converged, the entire field grew silent to view totality. Solar glasses were all the rage on April 8.
Dickey ’24,
Andrade ’24
Carolina Murrin ’24,
An Evening with the Heads of School
Fort Worth Country Day’s 60th-anniversary celebration culminated in a gathering that blended legacy and leadership with Heads of School Geoffrey Butler H’98 (1987-96), Evan Peterson H’15 (2002-15) and Eric Lombardi (2015-present). Their unscripted panel discussion at Shady Oaks Country Club took the audience through the past and was filled with cherished memories and profound insights. Nearly 150 people attended the event, spanning alumni and current and former faculty, staff, parents, past parents, grandparents and Trustees, bridging the gap between the past and the present.
Board of Trustees President Brian Crumley ’92 opened the evening, highlighting that, as a student, Peterson was his Upper School Head and Butler was his Head of School. “I look around at the group assembled here and am humbled to see so many School leaders, past and present,” he told the audience. “We really stand on the shoulders of the leadership that has been instrumental in creating and guiding the development of this school.”
Butler and Peterson shared a bit about their experiences and observations with Lombardi serving as a moderator of sorts, facilitating a lively discussion. Their stories vividly depicted
FWCD’s evolution over the decades, from its humble beginnings to its current standing as a leading educational institution in Texas.
Peterson proudly recalled watching the entire School community – students, faculty and staff – come together in the Fisher Dining Pavilion for lunch each day. He noted that building the FDP and shifting to an all-inclusive dining plan was a significant accomplishment during his tenure.
For Butler, establishing a successful full-day kindergarten program that boosted enrollment is a pride point. In 1996, the Butler Kindergarten Building was dedicated in his honor. In addition, Butler implemented an honor system in the Upper School that focused on trust and integrity. Despite initial resistance, that honor system eventually became a cherished aspect of the School’s culture and remains so today.
The two former heads also shared inspiring stories about students. Butler highlighted Austin Jones ’93, who, despite having a shorter right arm, courageously climbed a challenging ropes course. Jones’s determination and bravery inspired his peers, exemplifying the School’s spirit of perseverance and courage. Butler also noted how the
ropes course, now called the Falcon Challenge Course, was Peterson’s idea. It became a significant part of the School’s character-building activities and is still used today. Peterson met Laura Bonnell Alexander ’88 when he was interviewing on campus. She was sitting in Trustees Plaza reading a chemistry textbook. He struck up a conversation with her and was impressed. He later encouraged her to run for Student Council: She did and she won. After Alexander graduated they stayed in touch: Peterson offered her a teaching job, he wrote her a letter of recommendation for Stanford, and she later served on FWCD Board of Trustees.
When asked about FWCD’s legacy and moving forward, both former heads highlighted the importance of maintaining the School’s core values and maintaining a balance between academics, arts, and athletics. They stressed that the future of education at Fort Worth Country Day should focus on improving existing practices and ensuring the well-being of students. This includes fostering a supportive environment where students can thrive academically and personally, preparing them to face societal challenges effectively. Focusing on the future of the School, Lombardi outlined plans for a new Lower School and ongoing strategic initiatives aimed at maintaining a balanced focus on academics, arts, and
athletics. There was a strong emphasis on student health and well-being, acknowledging the growing concerns in this area. The commitment to continuing the tradition of excellence and community at Fort Worth Country Day was clear, with efforts to capitalize and enhance the School’s existing strengths.
Crumley closed out the evening with a thank you to all three leaders. “Each has respectively enjoyed their role,” he said. “These gentlemen embody the spirit of FWCD, and their contributions have left an indelible mark on our school community.”
Following the event, the current and past Board Presidents enjoyed a private dinner with Peterson, Butler and Lombardi (see photo 8, on page 40).
Scan the QR code to view the Evening with the Heads of School video.
Geoffrey Butler H’98
Eric Lombardi
Evan Peterson H’15
It was a reunion for many at the Eventing with the Heads of School event. Attendees included (1) Laura Bonnell Alexander ’88, Stewart Alcorn, Stephanie Steves Burke ’77; (2) Cynthia Rimmer Prince ’87, Nancy Rimmer, Scott Prince; (3) Georgina Moncrief Condrey ’94, Josh Korman ’92, Holly Korman; (4) Elaine Stoltz, James Taylor, Leslie Johnson; (5) Richard Stevens, Kathy Stevens, Cameron Newberry, Huck Newberry ’77; (6) Brian Crumley ’92; (7) Judy Corbeille, Courtney Corbeille Krauss ’06, Danny Corbeille, (8) Evan Peterson H’15, Stephanie Steves Burke ’77, Kim Williamson Darden ’75, Geoffrey Butler H’98, Shannon Young Ray ’80, Kathy Stevens, Scott Kleberg, Randy Eisenman ’93, Bill Landreth ’67, Brian Crumley ’92, Randy Gideon, Eric Lombardi; (9) Ronda Hill, Tom Hill; (10) Morty Herman, Ed Nelson ’89.
Fort Worth Country Day’s Class of 2024
The Class of 2024 has distinguished itself through academic excellence and a vibrant tapestry of talents, passions and community spirit. Among these 87 graduating seniors, a profound sense of achievement and potential is palpable.
Leading the Charge: Valedictorian and Salutatorian
Valedictorian Lily Hyde will attend the University of Virginia to double major in business and psychology. Her accolades at FWCD include membership in the Cum Laude Society, multiple undergraduate awards in science, and notable recognitions like the Yale Book Award, Brown University Book Award, and the Bausch + Lomb Honorary Science Award. A gifted dancer, she has also been honored with the Gail Corkery Award for her contributions to FWCD’s ballet program. Hyde founded Brain Buddies, a community initiative fostering a passion for neuroscience among younger students. She was also a semifinalist for the prestigious Morehead-Cain scholarship. (Read her complete profile on page 46.)
Salutatorian Evan Dickerson will attend Southern Methodist University, majoring in business. Dickerson’s exemplary academic record includes membership in the Cum Laude Society, and he received the Senior Spanish Student Award, Senior English Student Award, and the Humanitas per Disciplinam Award. Beyond academics, he led the Young
Men’s Service League as the Leadership and Philanthropy Committee Chair and founded Feeding Fort Worth, an initiative raising over $5,000 to combat food insecurity. At SMU, Dickerson has been honored with the Hunt Scholar and BBA Scholar designations, marking him as one of the top business students in his incoming class. (Read his complete profile on page 48.)
The class secured over $12.6 million in merit-based scholarships and was accepted to 147 colleges and universities. This year’s graduating seniors have shown exceptional academic and extracurricular dedication, with 87 percent of them earning scholarships. Their journey has led them to commit to 40 different institutions, where they will utilize more than $2.2 million of the offered scholarships.
These seniors’ accomplishments are highlighted by their widespread acceptance into top-tier universities and the impressive fact that 61 percent will be attending out-of-state colleges, while 39 percent have chosen to stay within Texas.
Highlighting the 3A’s
Academics: The Class of 2024 boasts 17 National Merit Finalists, Commended Students, and College Board Recognition Programs Scholars. Additionally, 29 seniors were recognized as AP Scholars, with some achieving AP Scholars with Honor and AP Scholars with Distinction. This year, The University of Texas at Austin is the most popular college destination, with 11 seniors enrolling this fall.
Athletics: Athletic prowess is another highlight of this class, with seven seniors becoming collegiate athletes in sports such as tennis, track & field, field hockey, lacrosse, baseball, and softball, and attending Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Lawrence University, Sewanee: The University of the South, Berry College, Murray State College, and Stephen F. Austin State University.
Arts: The arts are equally represented, with three seniors pursuing fine arts degrees: one in music performance (classical guitar) at the University of Colorado Boulder, another in ballet at Southern Methodist University, and one in studio art at Texas Christian University.
Uplifting Voices
This year’s graduation speeches were brimming with inspiration and heartfelt messages.
Following the procession of faculty, staff, and graduates, Salutatorian Dickerson took the stage. He shared poignant insights about the power of connection, reflecting on his experiences at three different schools before joining Country Day. “What I’ve learned from going to three schools before coming to Country Day is that everyone has a story … something they’re facing in life that you could never imagine. I encourage us to keep that in mind as we go into college, to continue to be curious and outgoing, to try and meet as many people as possible, and to make friends wherever we go,” he urged his classmates.
The Board of Trustees’ address was particularly special this year, delivered by Brian Crumley ’92. Speaking as a parent of a graduate, on behalf of the Board, and as a Falcon alum, Crumley highlighted the class’s accomplishments. “Having had the privilege of watching firsthand this class flourish over the years, only enhanced by the addition of new members to its cohort, you have made the school proud with all your individual and group accomplishments together. You have followed the FWCD path to success and have been rewarded by your acceptance into esteemed universities across the country and the world. Seventy percent of you were accepted into your first-choice college, wow!” he exclaimed.
The Class of 2024 voted Dr. John Cordell as their faculty speaker, and he delivered a moving speech. He likened the journey of the class’s 87 graduates to the dynamic paths of stars and galaxies, emphasizing the complexity and beauty of human souls. “In your future, I am afraid there will be struggles and tears and pain, but there will be joy and triumphs and love,” Dr. Cordell emphasized. “Your paths are not determined as the paths of the stars. Revel in your freedom and wonder and just explore and enjoy and never, never stop dancing and loving.”
Next, Valedictorian Hyde echoed Dickerson’s sentiments, building on the theme of joy and presence. “Let us remember that life is not a destination to be reached but a journey to be savored. So let us slow down, breathe, and take in the beauty of the present moment,” she advised. “For true joy is not measured by the grand gestures, the number of accolades
we accumulate, nor the size of our bank accounts, but by the richness of our relationships, the depth of our experiences, and the contentment that comes from living a life of purpose and passion.”
Hyde was followed by her classmate, Dylan Davis, who highlighted the life lessons they learned together over the past four years. “We survived, we made it. We flourished,” Davis declared. “We are ready to take on these next four years of our lives. Although we will be in smaller groups across the world, we will manage to stay connected as a class.”
The highlight of the evening was the engaging speech by 2021-24 Alumni Association President Asad Dean ’90, who brought a special guest—a peregrine falcon—courtesy of Falconer Chris Davis, who he met through Lee Bass ’74 Dean captivated the audience with significant facts about falcons and made a playful comparison to the Country Day community. “While there are four subfamilies of Falconidae, which include the true falcons, forest falcons, the laughing falcons, and the caracaras, there are only three subfamilies of Falconicountryday—Lower, Middle, and Upper School Falcons,” Dean noted. He ended with a powerful message: “When life presents challenges or difficulties and you think you can’t … always, always remember you are a FalCAN.”
Concluding the ceremony, Head of School Eric Lombardi delivered an inspirational closing address. “You have come from a place that has challenged you and met those challenges. You have come from a place that cares about you and take that care with you. You have come from a place where you have made important friends, probably many friends, and take those friendships into the future. You have been a part of a class that has been respectful of each other while sharing immense talents across fields, courts, stages, and classrooms. You have learned from teachers and coaches who have taken seriously their charge to help you meet your potential. May you not only meet but exceed all your potential as scholars, researchers, entrepreneurs, athletes, performers, and, mostly, kind people eager to contribute to a better world,” Lombardi concluded.
The evening was a true celebration of achievements, connections, and the bright futures that await the Class of 2024.
Asad Dean ’90
Dr. John Cordell
Dylan Davis ’24
Valedictorian
Lily Hyde
Lily Hyde is FWCD’s Class of 2024 Valedictorian. She will attend the University of Virginia, where she plans to double major in business and psychology. She is drawn to the field of psychology because of its versatility and application to business, law, medicine, finance, education, marketing, politics and more. “Whichever field I may eventually work in, there’s no doubt that understanding the ins and outs of human behavior will be tremendously beneficial,” Lily said.
Lily has lived out her passion for psychology, neuroscience and human behavior with an organization she formed at FWCD called Brain Buddies. Its members strive to instill passion and curiosity for the brain among the FWCD community’s young minds while bridging the gap between two diverse age groups—elementary and high school—through learning, mentorship, bonding, and fun. Through an array of hands-on activities, experiments, games, demonstrations, and lessons, high school student teachers (Brain Buddies leaders) teach their fourth grade buddies anything and everything related to the brain—anatomy, function, senses, concussion prevention, sleep, dreams, memory, nutrition, and development. Lily founded the organization as a sophomore and served as President for three years. She grew the club from 40 student volunteers to more than 200. Lily’s Senior Capstone project focused on developing a comprehensive Brain Buddies curriculum to leave for her successor, which could be accessible to schools nationwide through online subscription. Her goal is to inspire young students to be scientists themselves.
One of Lily’s favorite classes was AP English Literature during junior year with Leigh Block, also the School’s Athletic Director. “Take risks. That was his mantra every single day of class,” she said. “Take risks with your writing; take risks in everything you do. By constantly pushing us to venture out of our comfort zone, my writing now has so much more dimension, personality and originality. And that’s an irreplaceable gift.”
Lily experienced Block’s passion for teaching firsthand. “I don’t think there was one day of class where he didn’t light up as he was teaching, and this is just such a special thing to experience as a student,” she said. “The care and attention he dedicated to helping me improve my writing and make it the best it could be made me want to put the same care and attention to it, too. Whatever I do in life, I aspire to be as passionate about it as Mr. Block is about teaching.”
An FWCD Original, Lily has taken FWCD’s most challenging courses and is committed to academics. She is often a student that others reach out to for assistance when in need. Inducted into the Cum Laude Society as a junior, she also was honored with the Yale Book Award, the Brown University Book Award, and the Bausch + Lomb Honorary Science Award. She was also cited as one of the Outstanding Undergraduates in Science. Immersed in the School’s ballet program as a dancer and, recently, as a student choreographer, she earned the Gail Corkery Award, which is given to the junior student who best combines academic excellence with outstanding dedication to the ballet program. She was also a semifinalist for the merit-based Morehead-Cain scholarship.
Outside of school, Lily Hyde is driven to make a difference. She has served on the Kimbell Museum Teen Council. As the youngest and only high school intern at the North Central Chapter Alzheimer’s Association in summer 2022, she expanded the chapter’s partnership with the James L. West Center for Dementia Care and recruited 1,500 participants, volunteers and company sponsors for the 2022 Walk to End Alzheimer’s. In 2023, she interned with the James L. West Center as its only high school volunteer. She mastered Alex Trebek’s iconic Jeopardy! voice when leading group games, and she danced, sang, painted, baked, fed and read with over 100 residents living with mild to severe dementia.
When asked what she will miss most about FWCD, Lily noted the special community: the classmates she has spent the past 13 years with, the wonderful memories they made, and the caring faculty and staff.
Lego®-enthusiast Ginny Caceres is SMU-bound!
Graduation provided the perfect Falcon Quill Editors photo opp! Pictured are Caroline Carmichael, Benjamin Hoppe, Marshall Lehman, Lisa Wallace, Andrea Andrade, Rhea Alexander and Reagan Hall.
The graduates react to Alumni Association President Asad Dean ’90 and his falcon “guest.”
Salutatorian
Evan Dickerson
Evan Dickerson is the Class of 2024 Salutatorian. He will attend Southern Methodist University in the fall and pursue a business degree. After taking Macroeconomics and Microeconomics with Upper School History Teacher Andrew Thomas, he was inspired to pursue a business degree.
A Fort Worth native, Dickerson’s family moved to Spain when
he was 9. Evan spent two years at the American University of Valencia, learning and perfecting his Spanish while immersed in the vibrant culture of Spain. The experience broadened his horizons and shaped his perspective at a young age. “It was such a transformative experience in my life, and I know I am lucky that my parents provided such a rich opportunity for our family,” he said.
When the family returned to Texas, they settled in Westlake so his oldest brother, Matthew, could finish his IB diploma at a charter school. When his middle brother, Thomas ’20, wanted an academic experience with AP courses, the family returned to Fort Worth and enrolled Thomas and Evan at FWCD. A seventh grader at the time, Evan was nervous about attending the School and wasn’t sure he would fit in. “I knew FWCD was an impressive school with smart students,” he said, “but now it’s the longest I’ve ever been at a single school.” While here, Evan took advantage of the curriculum, enrolling in every Spanish Honors and AP course offered.
Evan found that his time in Spain proved invaluable, teaching him to adapt and embrace new challenges, skills he found useful upon his return to FWCD. “I was really well-equipped to adapt and embrace new challenges,” Evan recalls. “It made it easier to start over at a new school.”
In Middle School, Evan explored his passions, participating in theatre, playing in the band, competing in soccer and track, and making friends in all of these activities. He continued competing in soccer in grades 9-11 and played tennis for four years in Upper School.
With a love of learning and a dedication to always do his best in everything he does, Evan cites family as his guidepost. Brothers Matthew and Thomas are role models who guide him and set a high standard for him to follow, and his parents, Mary Ellen and Paul ’82, have given him their unwavering support. This year, Evan was honored with the Senior Spanish Student Award, the Senior English Student Award, and the prestigious Humanitas per Disciplinam Award, named for FWCD’s motto (Character Through Learning) and given to a senior young man and senior young woman who have earned the respect and affection of the entire Upper School community through their consistently unselfish, positive and supportive contribution to the School.
Evan’s favorite classes included math, science and English. While he said math was not easy, he embraced the challenge of finding the correct answer. Evan’s interest in understanding how the world works on a broad scale blossomed in his science classes, and he has a zest for writing. His macro and microeconomics and statistics courses propelled his interest in business.
Gaining leadership skills has been important to Evan. At school, he was among 14 students selected during his junior and senior years to serve as Link Crew members. These leaders mentor ninth grade students as they adjust to the challenges of high school. He also joined classmate Lily Hyde ’24 in the Brain Buddies organization and was one of six junior students to serve as a Writing Center Tutor.
In the local community, he has been part of the Young Men’s Service League, which serves and supports the community, teaching leadership and life skills, as its Leadership and Philanthropy Committee Chair for four years. One of his favorite volunteer activities has been as a Table Servicer at Taste, a community Restaurant, where everything on the menu is free of charge, opting for a “pay-what-you-can” system instead. Recognizing Taste’s need for financial support, Evan created Feeding Fort Worth, a fundraising campaign that has raised over $5,000 and brings awareness about food insecurity in Fort Worth.
Excited to start his next journey at SMU, Evan said, “SMU feels like home to me, just like FWCD feels like home to me, but I know I will miss this community and the friendships that I have forged along the way. I am already looking forward to reunions and alumni gatherings to hear what my classmates are up to.”
Navigating the Hero’s Journey
As 18 juniors and seniors were inducted into FWCD’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society, Ryan Hillard ’04, Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services, shared some compelling stories and words of wisdom in his keynote address: “Messages from Beyond the Bubble: Seven Secrets to Your Future.” Drawing parallels to Odysseus’ journey in The Odyssey, Hillard offered insights into the students’ academic and upcoming college and life experiences, sharing seven secrets to the future – things he wished he had known as a Country Day student.
1. There is no measuring stick for your life: Hillard encouraged students to define their own stories and create their own “hero’s journey.”
2. Failure is not just important, it is necessary: “You can get stuck in this paradox of choice, where you think you need to choose the exact right path, and because you’re afraid of choosing the wrong one, you get stuck analyzing paths instead of just walking down one,” Hillard said. “The trick is to just get started, just get sailing.
3. If you don’t know what to do, try something, anything, just do something: Hillard shared a personal story about a failure in Upper School when he moved to four Honors classes. He found them too hard and did not want to give them the time they deserved from a studying standpoint. Ultimately, he moved to two regular classes, but he felt like a failure. “When I applied to college, I got into every single college I applied to. That sounds like a really wild boast … ,” he said. “It’s a much more insidious, deeper kind of failure. You see, from my Honors-class experience, I was suddenly afraid to fail. I only applied to schools I was confident that I would get into, and by doing so, I robbed myself of ever knowing what could have been.”
4. Believe in yourself: As a legal document processor at LegalZoom, Hillard and a friend decided to make their work lives more manageable by rewriting the company’s
document automation system. Hillard learned to write code in Jon Shipley’s programming class. “Our new document automation system turned 8-hour work days into 1-hour work days,” he shared. “My big break in tech came after I summoned the courage to approach the President at a company gathering. I invited him to visit my desk the next day to see what we had built. He remembered me because I had asked him a question about an article I had read in The Economist. My 10th grade history teacher here had somehow gotten a 15-year-old to start reading The Economist. You have picked up skills here at Country Day that will surprise you.”
5. Surround yourself with friends who will support your journey, they will make you better: Stressing the importance of friends, Hillard shared, “When you go to college, I want you to look around at the people you’re sitting next to. Seriously, stop a second and look. Are they going places you’d like to someday visit? If you want to be a creative thinker, hang out with creative thinkers. If you want to become an incredible athlete, go train with athletes better than you. This advice feels so simple, so basic, but the power of osmosis between humans cannot be understated.”
6. You can change your mind: Plan A is not always what works. “If the original plan you had for your life, the course you charted for your hero’s journey, starts to no longer make sense, then go a new direction, sail towards a new destination,” he encouraged.
7. Life is a game where you get to set your own win conditions: Hillard’s final secret focused on attitude and energy. “In any situation, you only have control over your attitude and how much energy you put forward,” he said. “You are responsible for how you feel. You can choose sadness or happiness. Despite the uncertainty of the world, I know these secrets will help you navigate your future.”
Upper School Hosts Medical and Business Professionals Panels
In the spring semester, Upper School hosted its first Medical Professionals Panel (February 28) and a Business Professionals Panel (April 22), both organized by Chappell Carter ’25 with support from Director of College Counseling Kristin Larsen.
Carter wanted to leverage the School’s connections and provide students with insights into future career paths. He sought Larsen’s help to arrange the events, secure the venue and manage the logistics.
“I’m lucky enough to be on the Strategic Planning Committee, and one of the things we have talked about is college prep versus life prep,” Carter said. “FWCD is a great school with a lot of great connections. Alumni and parents are well-connected within the community, and it’s a great opportunity for students to get a leg up. So, with medicine being such a huge interest in the Upper School, I thought it would be great to feature some alumni, parents and friends so they can learn more about future careers.”
The Business Panel featured Jamie Packer (UBS), Holly Raeder (ONCOR), Chris Rooker (Higginbotham) and Whitney Baggett Creel ’04 (Creel Family Foundations).
Falcons on the Road D.C.
The Class of 2026 spent nearly a week in Washington, D.C., May 6-10, for some hands-on learning. They explored historical sites, visited museums, toured federal buildings, met with senators and other government officials, and more for the culminating trip for their sophomore American Government class. On May 8, D.C.-area alumni joined the sophomores for a panel discussion, sharing their FWCD experiences, talking about their careers and giving general life advice. Pictured are Head of School Eric Lombardi, Rob Stackhouse ’14, Robert Arnold ’14, William Nober ’14, Jacob Sun ’19, Henry Brookman ’22, Colin Douglas ’06, Sara Teegarden, Ava Shen ’16, Emily Englander ’12, Sarah Nolan ’16, Malinda Murphey ’22 and Carlotta Murrin ’19. Earlier that week, Lombardi had lunch with University of Virginia undergraduates Sidney Hubli ’20, Kendall Lehman ’22, Lillian Buchanan ’23 and Rob Batton ’23.
87 Students Join Ranks of the Alumni Association
A proud alum, Katy Rhodes Magruder ’98 is dedicated to sharing FWCD’s story and helping to fulfill the funding for the Forward Together Comprehensive Campaign. Her experiences as a student were so profound, and she is thankful to Country Day for teaching her about leadership, work ethic, community and more. “This campaign is about ensuring that future generations can experience the same transformation education that my stepdaughter Megan [’23] and I received,” she said. Scan the QR code to watch Katy’s video and make a campaign gift.
The Medical Panel included Jeff Newman (physical therapy), Dr. Tracy Carrington ’95 (sports psychology), Elyse Stoltz Dickerson ’93 (biotech) and Dr. Scott Bloemendal (general surgery).
Each panel featured four professionals. The Medical Panel included Dr. Tracy Carrington ’95 (sports psychology), Elyse Stoltz Dickerson ’93 (biotech), Jeff Newman (physical therapy) and Dr. Scott Bloemendal (general surgery). The Business Panel featured Holly Raeder (ONCOR), Chris Rooker (Higginbotham), Jamie Packer (UBS), and Whitney Baggett Creel ’04 (Creel Family Foundations). During the 40-minute sessions, Carter engaged the panelists in discussion, posing questions to the panelists. This was followed by a student Q&A and networking opportunities. “Both panels were wonderfully successful events, well-attended by our students,” Larsen said. “They provided great exposure to a variety of different career fields in health care and business.”
The Class of 2024 donned their graduation gowns and paraded through campus before attending the Alumni Association Induction breakfast, where Alumni Council President Asad Dean ’90 welcomed them into the Alumni Association. Hannah Cheng and Carolina Murrin are already getting involved by serving as Class of 2024 Class Agents.
FWCD is excited to introduce Eleanor Siff, the School’s new Alumni Relations Coordinator. Eleanor brings a wealth of experience in fundraising, volunteer engagement and event planning. She understands the importance of building strong relationships and meaningful connections to create a thriving alumni community.
Eleanor comes to FWCD from Pathfinders, an organization dedicated
Alumni Work at Fort Wonder Camp
Six FWCD alumni spent their summer working as Fort Wonder Camp Counselors. Camps started just after Memorial Day and ran through August 2. The Counselors were Claire Barker ’20, Mackenzie Medaris ’19, Harrison Kemmer ’23, Michelle Wilkinson ’23, Ava Scott ’23 and Carson Lee ’23 (not pictured).
Meet Eleanor Siff
to helping individuals transition from poverty to self-sufficiency, where she was the Development and Grants Manager. As an alumna of a private K-12 school in Virginia, Eleanor understands and appreciates the culture and community within an independent school. She also has a personal connection to FWCD; her mother, Mimi Siff, is an FWCD Class of 1981 graduate.
Eleanor graduated from Southwestern University with a B.A. in Religion and a minor in Environmental Studies. Her commitment to community engagement is evident in her volunteer work with the Junior League of Fort Worth and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.
Her journey in nonprofit development began in 2017 with March of Dimes in Austin, where she organized major
fundraising events like the March for Babies Walk and the Signature Chefs Auction Gala. She gained valuable experience in volunteer recruitment, communication coordination and event logistics, building a strong foundation in event management and donor relations. At Breakthrough Central Texas, she facilitated donor stewardship projects and helped manage event logistics.
As the Alumni Relations Coordinator, Eleanor is eager to strengthen alumni connections, enhance engagement, and foster a supportive community for both current and former students. Her diverse experience and passion for education and community building make her a valuable addition to the FWCD family.
An Unforgettable Three Years
Asad Dean ’90 presided over his final Alumni Council meeting as President on Monday, May 13. Asad enthusiastically served in this role for three academic years – since 2021-22. Typically, a President serves a two-year term, but Asad agreed to serve for a third year since it was the School’s 60th anniversary. During his tenure on the Alumni Council, Asad created the Peer-to-Peer FWCD Fund Challenge (and his Class of 1990 won it two years running!), helped to revise the Alumni Council bylaws, and made memorable speeches at graduation ceremonies and alumni induction events. Asad is known for getting the crowd excited. His graduation speeches, which involve fun music, lots of cheering –and this year, a live falcon (watch the graduation video at fwcd.org/ graduation; Asad’s speech starts at the 2:07 mark), are legendary. He is one of the most spirited alumni around. As a parting gift, the Alumni Association gifted him with an FWCD tie and a one-of-a-kind FWCD plaid bow tie and pocket square.
Austin Falcons on the Road
Head of School Eric Lombardi was in Austin for the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest Arts Festival and attended an FWCD alumni event with area Falcons at Stubbs BBQ. Pictured (back row) Andrew Thomas, Liam Callahan ’23, Melissa Almgren ’88, Humberto Zamorano ’21, Colin Fredian ’21, William Burnett ’20, Sawyer Parker ’22, Will Tuomey ’20, Anna Moritz ’20, XiXi Hillman ’22, Eric Lombardi, Loran Fredric ’99 (front row) Carter Tatum ’98, Lily Melcher ’20, Stephanie Cook ’20, Jaiden Patel ’23, Alexa Merritt ’21, Abby McGehee ’21, Abbie Kate Henderson ’21, Evelyn Richey ’22, Joe Breedlove ’78 and Sara Teegarden.
Chris Gallagher ’91 and Todd Gallagher ’94
Focus, persistence, hard work and a love of “competing against the best” are four attributes Chris Gallagher ’91 (far right) and Todd Gallagher ’94 (right) cited as they accepted Crain’s Chicago Business magazine’s annual “Best Place to Work in Chicago” award. Their technology firm, Green Office Partner, ranked No. 1 out of 259,000 companies in Chicago.
“Chris and I strongly believe our experience at Country Day provided the raw skills directly responsible for our success in business,” Todd said. Chris added, “I have over 200 Country Day contacts across my LinkedIn network, and I love reading posts from other Country Day entrepreneurs because we are all doing some fascinating things.”
Todd began his FWCD journey as a fifth grader and recalls academic rigor that “took his breath away” and teachers like Dan Bloch H’06, who bonded with him over a shared passion for the Chicago Cubs, and Rick Kneuven, who transformed him from a relaxed student into a serious scholar. Chris was blown away when he began in eighth grade. “I vividly remember the panic within the first 10 minutes of my first day of physics class with Dr. [James] Aldridge [’H14]. The curriculum was so advanced, I wasn’t sure if he was speaking English,” he said. Chris also fondly remembers Steven Hoover’s math class filled with hilarious one-liners.
The brothers were academically engaged and deeply involved in the School’s music program, where they played drums and percussion taught by Preston Thomas. Highlights included jazz band, ISAS, performing in the pit for Pippin, Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as Chris’s talent show tradition, the infamous “Drum Duet” with Ty Hoffer ’90. The blend of rigorous academics and rich arts activities fostered their interpersonal skills and competitive spirits, which have melded into their professional lives.
After FWCD, Chris and Todd attended Vanderbilt and Northwestern University, respectively. Their careers took different paths: Chris worked for SAP and Microsoft, and
Todd became a political consultant, managing campaigns and serving as a Senior Adviser on U.S. Senate campaigns. However, in 2004, the Gallagher brothers quit their day jobs and put their life savings on the line to start their first company, which ultimately would become Green Office Partner, a national provider of managed print services, intelligent process automation, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality consulting for regional and national enterprises.
Today, this Inc. 5000 company has 52 full-time employees, eight figures in revenue, and clients in 49 states and Canada, ranging from banks in New York to Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners in Los Angeles.
Green Office Partner is also a mission-driven organization dedicated to environmental sustainability. Their “green” initiatives include a program where trees are planted in deforested areas for every case of paper printed by their clients. Since 2016, they have planted over 50,000 trees, ensuring their operations positively impact the environment.
Chris and Todd believe their No. 1 ranking among the “Best Place to Work in Chicago” reflects their dedication to creating a positive workplace. While many companies laid off significant portions of their workforce during the pandemic, Chris and Todd chose to retain all their employees, even if it meant foregoing their own salaries. They foster a culture of mutual support, where employees are encouraged to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
The Gallaghers remain connected to their roots at FWCD. They frequently visit campus, participate in alumni events, and support The FWCD Fund, understanding the importance of giving back to the community that helped shape them as students and as adults. Looking toward the future, Chris and Todd remain committed to continuing their growth, advancing their green initiatives, and maintaining their company’s reputation as a best place to work.
Retired Faculty –Where are They Now?
By Debby Jennings
Janie Garrett LS and MS Spanish 1999-2020
Janie believes there is a purpose to each day, and she continues to make an important difference. She is the Director of International Friends at First Baptist Church in Arlington. As part of that program, Janie teaches weekly ESL and cultural and social skills to adult immigrants from China, Iran, Mexico, Honduras and Venezuela. She also volunteers on her church’s Bereavement and Care Committees.
In recent years, Janie and her husband, Bob, have visited Norway and the Netherlands and traveled to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. They plan to visit Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Cuba in November. The couple travels frequently to see their three daughters and grandchildren: Janelle works in an international school in Shanghai; Rebecca ’99 teaches in Mansfield; and Eli ’01 works for Unilever and lives in New Jersey.
Janie says one of her favorite memories is when students return from college and say, “Senora Garrett, I have a major or minor in Spanish.” She also fondly remembers the Middle School Awesomeness Initiative class when she taught students to cook foods from other countries. Janie was well known for her paella recipe and for preparing Victoria sponge cake for the faculty.
When asked for some words of wisdom she might share with former students, Janie implores students to “look around you; there are people who need help. See them, serve them, and let kindness be your superpower.”
Mary Kay Varley
LS Grades 3 and 4
1994-2018
Mary Kay describes her life since retirement as “simple and a bit boring,” but she enjoys the ability to plan her days with no scheduling demands so she can lunch with friends or take in evening cultural activities without worrying about getting to school early the next day. “It’s like being on spring break all the time,” she said.
Well-known for her interest in children’s books and authors, Mary Kay has an extensive autographed book collection. Before retiring from FWCD, she began donating her books to the TCU Special Collections Department, which now has more than 3,500 editions, most signed by the author. As a result of her donation, Mary Kay now serves as a TCU Friends of the Library Board Member, taking advantage of lectures and meeting visitors who offer interesting experiences and continued learning. “It is an honor to be connected to the beautiful TCU Library that also serves as an art museum for the campus,” she said. Mary Kay now enjoys reading adult authors and learning about new ones at the Dallas Museum of Art Arts and Letters Live program.
With a grand-niece and nephew in the Chicago area, Mary Kay visits them and her three brothers more frequently than when she worked full time. In her hometown of Arlington, she volunteers on her townhouse community HOA Board and enjoys planning upgrades to her own townhouse.
When asked what she remembers most about her FWCD years, Mary Kay said: “The warmth of friendship and continued learning. The trust the parents and students placed in me was something that I marveled at during my years at FWCD.” Mary Kay advises her former students to “discover what you are good at and become even better.”
Class Notes
Do you have great news to share with fellow FWCD alumni? To submit information for Class Notes and Alumni News, email alumnirelations@fwcd.com.
Pete Geren ’70 was elected to the Fort Worth Club Board for a three-year term (2024-27).
Dee Kelly, Jr. ’78 released a fiction novel titled The Malachi Covenant. While Dee is better known for his work at Kelly Hart, the firm co-founded by his father and where he is a Partner, he has written other books under a pseudonym. Published by Forefront Books of Nashville and distributed by Simon & Schuster, The Malachi Covenant debuted in retail bookstores and in digital formats in late April. This book is the first he has undertaken with a publisher. Dee began writing in college while at The University of Texas as a history and
English undergraduate, but took a pause as he practiced law and raised a family. Dee and his book were featured in the Fort Worth Inc. digital newsletter in an article titled, “Dee Kelly Jr. Pens a Page Turner, and It’s Not a Legal Brief.”
1980s
Class Agents
1981 – Martha Cox marthaccox@yahoo.com
1981 – Dan Tatum danltatum@live.com
Nancy Sumner Froman ’82 and her husband, Gregg, were featured in the Fort Worth Report for winning the eNewsletter’s February photo contest. Nancy and Gregg are musical performers who follow a routine when they perform: Set up their microphones and music stands, play songs from The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac, and always take a selfie. The duo’s band name is Yesterday, named after The Beatles’ song, and they began playing about 10 years ago. They got their start at a church talent show and now play a mix of ’60s and ’70s music at friend’s parties, the House of Neville Gallery & Gatherings, Boulevard Brew and Trinity Terrace.
Rush Olson ’86 served as the moderator for “What’s the Score?
A Look Into the Exciting World of Sports Communication,” a luncheon and panel discussion on the world of sports communication with local experts. Sponsored by the Fort Worth Public Relations Society of America, the program took place in June at the Texas Rangers Golf Club. The panelists included TCU’s Associate Athletics Director for Strategic and Football Communications and Vice President of Communications, Broadcast and Marketing for Panther City Lacrosse Club. Rush has spent his career creating inventive content and marketing/PR strategies, with an emphasis on sportsfocused projects. He worked for local rightsholder TV stations as well as the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars before launching his own company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports, more than a decade ago. With Mint Farm Films, he’s formulated big-picture strategic initiatives while also directing and writing television and video projects, including last year’s FC Dallas club profile on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
1990s
Class Agents
1992 – Craig Christopher craig@tarranttech.com
1995 – Alison E. McManus amcmanus@post.harvard.edu
1997 – Zareen Khan zareen@briggsfreeman.com
Maryum Saifree ’96 was selected as a recipient of the Harris Wofford Joint Service Award. The award, in its inaugural year, celebrates national service — specifically individuals who served in both the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. Harris Wofford served in the Kennedy administration as Special Assistant to the President on civil rights and was instrumental in setting up the Peace Corps. Later, she helped establish and eventually led AmeriCorps. “My experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jordan and AmeriCorps volunteer in Seattle were transformational,” Mayum said. “I hope national service becomes more accessible to more people. It’s a luxury to have had enough of a safety net (thanks to my parents) to do both of these programs, right out of college. The experiences were not easy, but shaped my worldview in profound ways — and made me (hopefully) a less distanced, more grounded diplomat.”
James Hill ’97, a Board Member of the Tarrant Regional Water District and Director of the Center for Real
It was a mini FWCD reunion at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May for some Falcons. Bond Malone ’98, Katy Rhodes Magruder ’98, James Stein ’98 and Amanda Malone, FWCD Kindergarten Assistant, connected at the Colonial Country Club Golf Course.
Estate at TCU’s Neeley School of Business, was elected to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Board of Directors. He will serve the remaining portion of an unexpired term ending December 31, 2024. In his role as a Dallas Federal Reserve Board Member, James provided insight into the region’s economy in support of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy function. James is Director of the Center for Real Estate, where he also serves as a Professor in the Finance Department. Additionally, he is Principal of James Hill Consulting. James and his wife, Macy, are also the parents of current Falcons, George ’25 and Charlie ’27.
Divaker Rastogi ’97 started a new job as the Director of Portfolio Strategy and Execution, U.S. Field Medical Immunology and Neuroscience, at Bristol Myers Squibb. In this role, Divaker supports Neuropsychiatry and GI portfolios in terms of proactive resource development, launch excellence, and development/execution of cross-immunology/neuroscience
initiatives to drive consistency and optimize performance. Divaker earned his undergraduate degree in psychobiology from UCLA and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Loma Linda University.
KC Kent-Etezadi ’98 completed her master’s degree in genetic counseling at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She and 15 classmates are the second cohort to graduate from the school’s accelerated 18-month master’s degree program. She looks forward to practicing as a Clinical Genetic Counselor. KC is the daughter of former faculty member Barbara Kent
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
Amy Bradshaw Kelly ’01 is featured in an art exhibition at J Peeler Howell Fine Arts Gallery titled Wild Thyme through August 31. Amy is one of five women artists featured. The exhibition explores themes and stories rooted in the artists’ respective cultural backgrounds and juxtaposes vibrant compositions inspired by the diversity among South Africa, the Philippines, Texas, and the Atlantic coast. The paintings include meditations on the self, nature, cosmopolitan travel and childhood anecdotes. Visit amykellyart. com to see more of Amy’s pieces.
2011 – Alex Manson Klinedinst laklinedinst29@gmail.com
2011 – Kate Petsche kate.aep@gmail.com
2011 – Nayelly Dominguez ndominguez@smu.edu
2013 – Jonny Clum clumjonny@gmail.com
2019 – Alexandra Galloway alexandragalloway@icloud.com
2019 – Sarah Clark clarksarah160@gmail.com
2019 – Megan Lammons meganlammons18@gmail.com
Haley Stratton Ritter ’12 started a new job as a Restoration Ecologist at ERO Resources Cooperation in Lakewood, CO. She has seven years of professional experience as an ecologist, with a passion for botany, pollinator, and riparian restoration, and extensive experience conducting fieldwork for biological resources She also has a special interest in pollinators and has worked on a variety of projects focused on pollinator conservation and habitat protection.
Austin Meadows ’13 began a new job as Vice President at Culver Investment Partners.
Kat Hyde ’12 wrote the children’s picture book titled, The Last First Tooth. The book is about the rite of passage for all ages of losing a tooth. An author and educator Kat wanted to recognize all the emotions children might have around losing their teeth. Her own personal experience was the inspiration for the story. “I’ve had a missing tooth my entire life, and I often invented fun stories to explain why,” Kat shared. She also draws inspiration from her background as a teacher and coach. “It was important to me that the children’s experiences in the story are validated—none are right or wrong, each is as special as the children themselves,” she said. “I also wanted to have a lot of fun in the story. Devon [the main character] is a bit of a worrier, but she surrounds herself with all these amazing friends who love and support her but also challenge her. It’s my wish for all children to have such fun and supportive friends, and for all children to love themselves exactly as they are.” Visit Kat’s website at kathyde. com.
Mary Marshall (Mimi) Ryan ’16 is a Performance Dietician with the World Champion Texas Rangers. She received her World Series ring in April 2024.
Joe Westermann ’19, Avery Pate ’19 and Walker Smith ’21 were part of the Spotlight Cast & Crew show The Little Mermaid in FWCD’s Scott Theater in June. They joined FWCD Technical Director Eric Tysinger and former Director of Theatre Melodee Halbach. The mission of Spotlight Cast & Crew is to provide a musical theatre experience that is directed, choreographed, designed (lighting, sound and costume) and performed by students in grades 8-12 in the greater Fort Worth area. The objective is to provide an annual three-week intensive in the summer at no cost to any of the students involved.
John Wittman ’16 recently earned his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center. He took the Bar Exam in July and will begin working for Akin, Gump as a Contracts and Transactions Associate. He is pictured with his siblings, Erin Wittman Lincoln ’01, Michael Wittman ’14 and Katherine Wittman Nelb ’05. Julián Cedillo ’17 was featured in a Dallas Observer article titled “Julián Cedillo, aka WACHO!, Makes Traditionally Spanish Cumbia in English.” Julián is reimagining traditional Spanish language music and releasing what he calls “hybrid cumbias” in English. Making cumbia music in English allows Julián to introduce the style to those who do not speak Spanish. He has adopted the stage name WACHO!, which comes from the Spanish word “guacho” and is slang for “dude” or “bro.” In addition to recording his own music, he is also producing.
Rachel Ellman ’19 finished her combined bachelor’s and master’s degree program in dietetics at Texas Christian University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in May 2023 and her master’s degree in May 2024.
Mark Taylor ’19 graduated from the University of Oklahoma Price College of Business. He accepted a position as a Small Business Property and Casualty Sales Executive at Roach Howard Smith & Barton, an independent insurance broker providing insurance solutions for companies, families and individuals. Mark will work out of the Fort Worth office.
Kenzi Carter ’20 celebrated her final season playing basketball as a Green Wave in March. Over the course of her college career at Tulane University, Kenzi played in 56 games as a guard/ forward.
Christopher Edwards ’20 helped lead the Yale University men’s soccer team to win the first-ever Ivy League Tournament securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament where they made it to the second round. Christopher was awarded Second Team All-Ivy at the end of the season.
Natalie Collins ’20 graduated cum laude from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish. She is excited to continue her education at St. Edward’s University in Austin, where she is earning her M.A. in Counseling, with the goal of becoming a Clinical Mental Health Counselor.
Welcome to the Nest!
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!
Rachel Holt Hausser ’06 and her husband, Ford, welcomed their third child, Wren Hawkins Hausser, on March 4, 2024. Wren joins siblings Tripp ’37 and Lydia. Tripp starts kindergarten at FWCD in August!
Russell Laughlin ’08 and his wife, Morgan, welcomed Reagan Davis Laughlin to the family on June 7, 2024. She joins big sister Parker.
Perry Ginsburg ’10 and his wife, Shelby, welcomed their first child, Louis Mayer Ginsburg, on January 19, 2024.
Falcon Weddings
Caroline Carvalho ’14 married William Kirtley ’14 on May 4, 2024, at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Fort Worth, followed by a reception at The Fort Worth Club. Thirty Falcons were in attendance, including 15 in the wedding party: Katharine Carvalho ’13, Katherine Kirtley Peloz ’10, Zane Lincoln ’14, Madeleine Diaz ’14, Darby Loth ’14, Madelyn Stripling Griffith ’14, Melania Meakim ’29, Isabelle Potts ’14, Thompson Purvis ’07, Sam Berry ’14, Campbell Boswell ’14, Jack Carvalho ’17, Bryan Garvey ’14, Edward Hudson ’14 and John Thomas Hodnett ’14.
Margaret Philpott ’14 married Tucker Deaton on April 27, 2024, at her aunt and uncle’s property in Fort Worth. Falcons in the wedding party were Peter Philpott ’19, Michael Philpott ’08, Colin Philpott ’37, Anna Melissa Philpott ’77, Wynne Philpott ’12, Alden Griffin ’14, Annie Philpott ’09, Griffin Young West ’14 and Elizabeth Herd Baker ’14.
Stephen Levy ’12 married Natalie Weeks on August 26, 2023. The pair had their wedding at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Fort Worth followed by a reception at River Crest Country Club. Falcons in the wedding party included Christopher Burton ’12, Whit Maddox ’12, Hunter Vick ’12, Blake Waltrip ’12, Michael Levy ’07 and Mary Elizabeth Levy Van Meter ’03.
Annabelle Doswell ’17 married Oliver Newberry ’13 on May 11, 2024. The ceremony was at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Fort Worth with the reception at The Fort Worth Zoo. Twenty-one Falcons were part of the wedding party.
Katie Anderson ’16 and Austin Westermann ’16 tied the knot on December 9, 2023, in Fort Worth, with a reception at the Fort Worth Zoo. Falcon bridesmaids included Margot Berry ’16, Alex Doswell ’16, Mary Catherine Bishop ’16, Whitney Kelly ’16, Emily Hodnett ’16, Madeline Walters ’16, Rachel Patton ’19 and Carlotta Murrin ’19. Falcon groomsmen included Marshall Dike ’16, Carter Crockett ’16, Kellan Onuscheck ’16, Jack Sankary ’16, David Burton ’16, Randall Felton ’16, Mixson Staffel ’15, Joe Westermann ’19 and Michael Anderson ’18.
credit: Caroline Jurgensen Photography)
’15
(Photography
Carlyle Rascoe
married Taylor Phillips on October 7, 2023, at Rascoe Ranch in Fort Worth. Fifteen Falcons were part of the wedding party, including flower girls Louise Manuel ’32 and Gloria Manuel ’34 and ring bearer Flynt Manuel ’37.
Spencer Grubbs ’20 graduated with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering and Mathematics from the United States Air Force Academy and was competitively selected to attend Air Force Pilot Training. Before entering pilot training, Spencer is continuing his education by pursuing a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He earned a graduate research assistantship from the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at Georgia Tech and is excited to apply these new experiences to his career as a leader in the Air Force.
Allison Moore ’20 graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oklahoma with a double major in management and marketing from the Price School of Business and a minor in psychology. She also received her Applied Jewelry Professional Diploma from The Gemological Institute of America. She has accepted a position
Jeremy Henderson ’23 spent the summer in Washington, D.C., working as a Congressional Intern in the Office of Congressman Marc Veasey in the U.S. House of Representatives. In a post on Linkedin, Jeremy said, “It is an honor to study, learn from, and observe the first Black representative from my district (TX-33). I look forward to gaining insight and hands-on experience in our country’s legislative branch. I am committed to driving transformative change in my community, and this opportunity represents a significant milestone in that journey. Fort Worth forever!” Jeremy is a student at Cornell University.
as Operations Manager for Jo Latham Fine Jewelry.
Steffen Palko ’20 graduated from TCU in May with his Bachelor of Business Administration. He majored in marketing.
Bailey Harrell ’21 spent his second consecutive summer as a Software Engineering Intern at D.R. Horton. Bailey is majoring in Computer Science at Purdue University.
Benjamin Hoppe ’24 and Eloise Wallace ’26 had an opportunity to shadow Paige McCoy Smith, one of the hosts of WFAA’s Good Morning Texas this summer, during a location shoot in Plano. Both Benjamin and Eloise
are interested in broadcast careers. McCoy Smith talked about her own career in communications, marketing, and broadcast journalism and shared her notes about the interview that morning.
In Memorium
James Colby ’05
Dennis Cordell ’68
Ben Fortson
Joseph Gaines
Ginger Head Gearheart
Catherine “Cissy” Goggans ’70
Candice Hansen
Bobby Havens
Bob Howard
Marc Howard ’88
Christine Huff
Barbara Jiongo
Alysia Macchia
Alan Potts
James Riggin
Claire Robin
Patricia Singleton
Richard Steed
William Steele
IN MEMORIAM Barbara Jiongo
Barbara Jiongo passed away on May 9, 2024. A member of FWCD’s esteemed Club Viginti, Barbara joined the Admission Office in 1986 as a Private Educational Diagnostician. She became the Assistant Director of Admission in 1991 and then the Director of Admission and Financial Aid in the 1996-97 academic year. She held this position until her retirement in 2014.
As a Private Educational Diagnostician, Barbara evaluated students for FWCD’s kindergarten program. She relished being in the “Dinosaur Room” in the Butler Kindergarten Building and being known as the “Dinosaur Lady.”
In 1991, Head of School Geoffrey Butler H’98 asked Barbara to join the Admission Office as a full-time Assistant Director. She worked with then Director of Admission Karen Stewart and took on the Director of Admission and Financial Aid role when Karen retired.
Barbara shaped the School’s Admission Office. She brought in Kathy Lott, who took on the Director role following Barbara’s retirement in 2014, and Yolanda Espinoza (Admission Associate), whom Barbara credited with helping to keep the office running smoothly. Barbara shared her wit, wisdom and expertise with Yolanda and Kathy, who passed on all they imparted from Barbara to current Admission Director Caroline Corpening Lamsens ’99. Barbara’s legacy and commitment to admission excellence live on in the office.
Overseeing tuition assistance at FWCD was very important
to Barbara. “While admission is the part everyone sees, I have always known that financial aid is crucial, or there would be many fewer new students in every grade each year,” she said in a 2020 Falconer article. “Without the dollars to help families bridge the gap between what it costs to attend FWCD and what they can afford, the School would be missing out on so many talented, deserving students, many of whom go on to become great benefactors of FWCD as adults.”
FWCD was more than a place of work for Barbara; it was home for her family: Meredith Grant Qualls ’03, John Jiongo ’12 and Maddie Jiongo Abbott ’14 are FWCD Originals. “They would not be the accomplished, confident and philanthropic young adults they are without their FWCD education,” Barbara noted. “Their teachers and coaches made such important impacts on their lives, and they are still dear friends with classmates from kindergarten and beyond.”
Barbara was generous with her time and treasure because she saw the importance of education firsthand. When Barbara retired from FWCD in 2014, she and Mike established the Dorothy and AB Waldron Memorial Fund for Financial Aid. The family contributes to this fund annually.
“Barbara touched countless lives. All who knew her will tell you they are the better for it,” said Head of School Eric Lombardi. “So many of you were fortunate to work with her and benefit from her wisdom, kindness and generosity. She dedicated more than 25 years to the School and loved this community. I know we will miss her dearly.”
From the Archives
Choir Director Alan Potts took Middle School and Upper School choir members to a competition each spring at Six Flags Over Texas. The competition included choirs from public and private schools throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. FWCD students always posed for a formal photo and a silly one.
