Honor Roll

Honor Roll Although we were unable to celebrate them in person at Alumnae Weekend this spring, HB is proud to spotlight our 2020 Alumnae Award recipients. A+ Here, we connect with them and ask them to share some Both of Merry’s daughters attended HB; meantime, she memories, anecdotes, observations, and inspiration. worked at a financial planning firm for seven years, by Lisa Kroeger Murtha ’88 joined HB’s Board of Trustees and served for four years as Chair, helping oversee construction of the Carol and John DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AWARD Butler Aquatics Center. Merry has also raised money for the annual fund, worked on special gifts, and supported HB’s scholarship programs. Still a trustee, and with two Merry McDaniel McCreary ’70 her nominating classmates and throughout the school community for her “endless dedication” to Hathaway Brown. Hathaway Brown has been part of Merry McDaniel McCreary’s life since she was 4 years old. An HB lifer, IN HER WORDS she grew up across the street from the school. After It’s very old-fashioned, but my achievements are my graduation, she family. To me, that’s what I’ve done best. It’s my husband attended Smith and girls and four grandchildren [but also] my parents. College and John When they needed help, I was able to be there. Carroll University granddaughters currently attending HB, she is known by (marrying husband The most valuable part of my HB education was the Rob in between), but faculty. Some were scary. Some were friendly. But stayed involved at they were always available. They knew when we were HB as a member and struggling. They knew how to encourage us. If you eventual President of needed your teachers, they were there for you. the Alumnae Council. I didn’t appreciate the fact that my fellow students were as premier as they were. We all worked really hard. We all

helped each other. Cheating was a real rarity. That high moral standard isn’t unfortunately a universal theme in this world. I didn’t realize that when I was at HB.

My favorite space on HB’s campus was the pony barn—I lived across the street. After dinner in the summers, we’d feed the pony an apple or carrot. One day the pony got loose; all of a sudden, it was running around our yard. My grandfather corralled it. It was quite the happening! Keep your friends and ask them for help when you need it. In asking for help, you’re giving someone the joy of helping. In this environment, as an independent school, you have to be looking nimbly toward the future. And you have to do more than look. You have to build.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AWARD

Sara Stevenson ’70

A graduate of New York’s alternative Friends’ World College (now part of Long Island University), Sara Stevenson traveled the world as an apprentice silversmith before landing in community organizing and eventually becoming director of Cleveland’s Buckeye Woodland Community Congress. A 1980 move to New Orleans led her to switch gears and put her art skills back to work—developing and running programs and events for arts councils and museums. Eventually, she founded the Country Day Creative Arts Program, a renowned summer arts program at Metarie Park Country Day School. She was director for 35 years before her 2017 retirement. Today, she works as a sculptor. Even though she “got more demerits than anybody” in her class at HB, Sara says she still earned her share of legendary “smiley faces” from headmistress Miss Coburn. “That said something about HB,” she says, “and meant so much to me.” “I’m proud of being a community organizer and director of the Buckeye Woodland Community Congress. [And though many of us] created the Country Day community arts program, I was responsible for the philosophical thrust of the program—respecting one another, creating community, celebration of other cultures. I’m really proud of that.”

IN HER WORDS

HB gave me ways to flourish that had nothing to do with grades; I was part of the leadership for Carnival and I thought of the name when we were seniors: “Insect Insanity.” The school gave me opportunities to be my highest self. My HB friends have my back no matter what. They gave me amazing support in the aftermath of [Hurricane] Katrina. They are there for me. When I was 30 or so, I learned I had dyslexia. It answered so much. It’s why I read so slowly. It’s why I don’t know how to study. And it’s probably why I was the clown of the class. Not getting the best grades doesn’t mean you won’t be a leader or make valuable contributions to the world.

Embrace the ever-growing interconnectedness of the world, socially as well as spiritually.

ALUMNAE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Colleen King ’00

“I was an extra lifer,” says Colleen King ’00, who spent 15 years at HB because she “did pre-K twice.” After graduation, she attended George Washington University and interned at CBS News. In 2003, while she was still in school, CBS hired her to help cover the Iraq War. Later, after a short stint booking guests for daytime programming at Fox News, she became a producer for MSNBC’s “Hardball.” In 2016, Colleen began producing “The 11th Hour with Brian Williams,” an initially temporary program for the 2016 presidential election that eventually became permanent. In 2017, she became the show’s executive producer, a job that entailed overseeing other producers, topic selection, guest bookings, script writing “and being ready to throw all of that out the window at any moment due to breaking news,” she says.

This year, Colleen celebrated 15 years at MSNBC. She’ll be starting work on a new project soon.

IN HER WORDS

It was always a dream to run my own show, and to work with Brian Williams and become a number one show was just incredible. I’ve met the Obamas, George and Laura Bush, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi, Sandra Day O’Connor. I did an interview with Bill Clinton in Dublin. Getting up close and personal with those people was really exciting. HB sends you off fearless. You’re unafraid to voice your opinion and you are prepared to move mountains to get where you want to go. I think that’s invaluable. I always tell my parents HB was the best gift they ever gave me. The education there was an absolute launchpad for success.

My favorite place on HB’s campus is the courtyard and fountain, and when, on a spring or fall day, you could sit out there and dangle your legs in the fountain. There’s nothing better than that. Don’t be afraid to be told “No.” It never leaves you wondering: “What if …” It can set you on a new path going forward. HB is, in essence, building the future—preparing young women to take the reins going forward. It’s at the heart of the school’s being.

ALUMNAE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Roseanne Wincek ’00

“Blowing up” her life and starting over has been a theme for Roseanne Wincek. After graduating from HB, she intended to study political communications at George Washington University, but realized “it wasn’t for me,” so she became a chemistry major instead and transferred to UC Berkeley. After graduation, she started a Ph.D. in biophysics but soon realized that, too, wasn’t quite right, so she dropped out to make Facebook apps. After a stint in enterprise software, she learned about venture capitalism and realized she’d finally found her dream job. She studied the industry in business school at Stanford and started out at venture capital firm Canaan Partners in 2010; five years later, at 32, she’d become the most senior woman at late-stage venture capital firm IVP. In 2019, she and a business partner founded their own venture capital firm, Renegade Partners. “We’re still in our startup phase,” says Roseanne, “but it’s been amazing.”

IN HER WORDS

To me, learning and pushing myself has been so fruitful. I [can’t] believe how much I learned and how happy I was, even though it was so much harder. When I was at HB, I didn’t realize what the world would tell me I couldn’t do. By the time I realized that still happens, I was old enough and mature enough not to let it discourage me. That was a huge gift—having that point of view as a child. Sometimes the harder path is the richer path, or the right path. The old senior room [at HB] was amazing; the little area to be a class together was incredible. I also loved the old seventh-grade science room. I have such visceral memories of both places. Don’t be afraid to blow up your life. You get on these paths and there’s so much momentum, it’s hard to get off sometimes. But following your gut and doing the scary thing can propel you to another level. Short-term pain for the long-term gain; I’m such a big believer in doing the hard work up front. It can allow you so much flexibility down the line.

Lisa Kroeger Murtha ’88 is a freelance writer based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Leaning into Leaning into “Learn for Life” “Learn for Life”

HB reimagines the signature programming that reimagines conventional educational frameworks.

As schools across the country transitioned to remote teaching and learning platforms, it became more important than ever to underscore the unparalleled difference a Hathaway Brown education can make in students’ lives. One of the school’s defining characteristics is the trademark Institute for 21st Century Education. No other high school in the country has reimagined the traditional academic framework in the same manner that HB has through this forward-thinking, entrepreneurial, and experiential collection of programs. Over the course of the last few years, HB engaged in an introspective evaluation of this programming, seeking to measure its effectiveness and better describe the “secret sauce” in a clear, concise, and interesting way. It also is evident that the shelf-life for a name that references a specific time period (21st century) is not eternal. With this in mind, school leaders spent some time looking at HB’s marketing materials and making suggestions for how to

make things a little fresher and more easily understood and advertised. That led the school to partner with Dr. Cindy Frantz, a social psychologist at Oberlin College, who helped design a survey to gauge Upper School students’ feelings about Institute programs. Subsequently, HB contracted with The Adcom Group, a full-service marketing firm, to help redesign the graphic imagery, naming convention, and descriptive statements related to this innovative educational design. Through this rebranding process, it became clear that the Institute is best understood within the larger structure of the school itself. We have now begun rolling out new materials that describe the ethos of HB. The school’s “Learn for Life” Signature Preparatory Approach is defined by the four key elements of an HB education: Distinguished Academics, Empowered Students, Knowledge in Action, and a Celebrated Community. Knowledge in Action is most clearly seen through the Institute, which is now called Fellowships in Applied Studies. The marketing and communication office is in the process of phasing out the Institute’s solar system graphics as well as the outdated 21st Century reference point to make way for this exciting new and refreshed expression.