ALUMNI Dear Graland Alumni Community, It has been an honor and pleasure to work with fellow Graland Alumni Board (GAB) members as well as the school leadership to represent, support, and engage with Graland alumni in such an unprecedented year. During the 2020-21 school year the Alumni Board’s continued focus on inclusivity while adopting new technologies and communication platforms to continue to draw more alumni back into the Graland family and connect with one another. We are so proud of the strong connection so many alumni have to Graland and how so many of these alumni continue to stay involved and play critical roles at the school to this day. This includes: • • • • • •
76 current parents are Graland alumni 8 trustees are Graland alumni 17 former trustees are Graland alumni 9 grandparents are Graland alumni 3 faculty/staff members are Graland alumni 22 alumni board members
During the pandemic, the GAB hosted several forums and speakers via Zoom that were fantastic and incredibly interesting: • • • • • •
Mr. Hickey’s lesson on Greek Heroes and Mythology Dr. Anne Braun ’93 Zink and Dr. Beth Linas ’97 discussed their approach to the COVID-19 pandemic Two forums dedicated to Graland Alumni of Color Alumni discussion of Graland’s commitment to Equity and Inclusivity Frances Newton ’96 Stacy discussed Navigating “Economic Volatility in 2021 & Being a Part of the Solution” Dr. Brent Levy ’98, MD and Ali Levy ’00 discussed COVID-19 from the frontlines
I am immensely grateful for the more than 200 alumni who attended the alumni annual events that were held virtually: • The fall cocktail party honoring retired Master Teachers’ Andrean Andrus and Coach Dick Kinney and • The winter young alumni trivia event • Annual Graland Reunion with the presentation of the Ruth Gorham Alumni Award to Max Caulkins ’87 and celebrating the milestone years ending in 0, 1, 5, and 6 • Our second Graland in the Making event, which includes all alumni from Graland’s first 50 years, was held virtually with more than 75 in attendance. These alumni shared incredible stories of Graland’s early years. Participants to all these various events joined in from throughout the United States and from around the world. I am pleased to report that 233 alumni showed their support for Graland by making gifts to the school in 2020-21. Alumni gifts were directed to the Graland Annual Fund, financial aid, the school Archives, the Inspire Campaign for faculty compensation, the Nancy Nye ’39 Priest Memorial Fund, the Bradley Thomas Memorial Fund and the Robert Romero Scholarship Fund. It is affirming to see alumni “pay it forward” to support today’s students and teachers! Due to the pandemic, I strongly believe the sense of community and acceptance is more important than ever. I couldn’t be prouder of the GAB members and their active engagement to be creative and problem-solve around the pandemic and continue to connect with the greater Graland alumni community. We meet regularly throughout the school year on various forms of outreach. Don’t let the passage of time or the fact that you may live outside of Denver be a hesitation to get reconnected with Graland. We have come a long way since the early days of COVID and now have the capability to welcome participation from anywhere in the world. I encourage you to reach out to me or to any board member listed here to learn more about the GAB. We would be happy to suggest ideas, events or volunteer opportunities to support Graland and its ever-growing alumni community. I encourage you to reach out and connect with each other, see challenges as just stepping stones to something greater, and venture out and learn something new and know the Graland alumni community is behind you and cheering you on.
David Watts ’91 President, Graland Alumni Board 44
