JOIN US IN OCTOBER FOR OUR ANNUAL COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT TO RAISE MONEY FOR OUR STUDENTS AND FACULTY...
...AND BEYOND.
"As parents and guardians, we play an important role in shaping the educational experience of our kids, and the Annual Fund is a significant part of that process. What I love about the Annual Fund is it’s not just a financial contribution—it’s about everyone participating in building a strong, tight community and giving back where teachers and staff need it most to support the amazing programming at Head-Royce."
Kunal Contractor Parent of
a Head-Royce Student
Contributions at the start of the academic school year allow the funds to be put to immediate use that same year.
FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL
It gives me great pleasure to share the Head-Royce summer magazine with you. While this issue is always a celebration, this edition feels especially poignant as it marks the end of a very special year in our school’s history. We began the 2023-24 year with some large goals ahead: we fervently hoped to break ground on the South Campus—an objective that was over ten years in the making; and also began a new strategic plan design process that encouraged us to consider the lasting impact of our mission and evaluate its relevance to the world today.
I am delighted to share that we are nearing the one-year mark for construction on the South Campus. With remarkable transformations happening weekly, we can now truly envision how this new space will enhance the student experience at Head-Royce when it opens during the 2025-26 school year.
At the same time, I am deeply grateful to the Head-Royce community—students, alumni, and both current and past parents, administrators, and faculty—for the many ways they provided thoughtful input into the strategic plan, which we will begin implementing this fall. A key insight from the strategic planning process revealed that our existing mission statement was difficult for people to remember due to its length. Consequently, we have crafted a relevant, concise mission statement that we are proudly unveiling this fall. And while we have rearticulated our mission statement, the core essence of our mission remains unchanged.
I encourage you to delve into one of our feature articles about the strategic design process and implementation path. The graduation, promotion, and 'Life at HRS' pages highlight some of the many achievements of our students and faculty, and reflect their engagement in various events and activities that embody the Head-Royce spirit. For further inspiration, be sure to read the Tuffy Testimonials, which showcase Head-Royce community members of all types, whose actions have bettered the lives of others, sometimes heroically. I am immensely proud of the ways our community shows up for others and hope that you find inspiration within these stories as well.
Rachel E. Skiffer HEAD OF SCHOOL
LOWER SCHOOL BUDDIES ATTEND AN A’S GAME
First and 5th grade students—who are buddies throughout the year—attended an Athletics home game, one of the many collaborative activities these two grades did together.
CULTURAL FOODSHARE
GLOBAL EDUCATION STUDY-TRAVEL IN GREECE
Sixteen Upper School students accompanied by facultychaperones spent February break in Athens and Crete on a study-travel program connected to their History 11: Civilization and Its Discontents curriculum. They explored how Greek culture and community are interconnected with economic stability, sustainable farming and food systems, and climate change.
Second graders shared their research projects on cultures from around the world while hosting a foodshare of the delicious plates that their families contributed.
BALLET FOLKLORICO
The Parents’ Association sponsored a special lunchtime presentation in the Lower School of Ballet Folklorico in honor of Cinco de Mayo.
MARINE MAMMAL CENTER FIELD TRIP
As part of their Science class, 7th graders visited the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito where they learned about these animals which often require rescue and rehabilitation at the center.
“Experience, travel – these are as education in themselves."
– Euripides
MIDDLE SCHOOL MODEL
UNITED NATIONS
Eighth grade students applied their research on Sustainable Development Goals and acted as country delegates from the Global South, presenting proposed resolutions. Additionally, they heard from speakers who have worked with the United Nations and/or are from the countries of focus.
SPRING TRIPS
Middle School students ventured into different ecosystems around California for a few days of outdoor education. These wilderness adventures develop self-confidence and skills like creative problem-solving by navigating new challenges— including rock climbing, a ropes course, hiking, and sleeping in a tent!
INTERSESSION
Bachata dancing, landscape photography, and boxing were some of the 30+ workshops available during our signature Intersession program— an immersive opportunity for Upper School students to explore an existing interest, cultivate an appetite for something new, and dive into a topic with subject matter experts within and beyond the boundaries of campus.
TSU-JAE KING LIU VISIT
The Upper School STEMinist Club hosted the inspiring Tsu-Jae King Liu, Dean of Engineering at UC Berkeley, who shared her experience as a woman of color in STEM with Upper School students.
MIDDLE SCHOOL SEISMIC STRUCTURES CHALLENGE
Sixth graders played the role of structural engineers, researching significant seismic events and learning how to construct and reinforce small-scale models using earthquake-resistant design techniques.
ROBOHAWKS STATE VEX CHAMPIONS
Four Upper School Robohawks sub-teams attended the State Championships and two passed onto the World Championships, including the C Team who won the state tournament!
PENINSULA INVITATIONAL DEBATE TOURNAMENT
Jayhawks dominated the seventh national annual speech debate tournament at the Peninsula Invitational where they competed against students from more than 100 schools. Our Upper School debaters won the first-place sweepstakes award for the top school in points accrued for students in finalist rounds!
MIDDLE SCHOOL DEBATE
During the last league competition of the year at Eleanor Murray Fallon Middle School, our Middle School debate students won a third-position award, with many team members taking individual accolades as well!
“EGGSTREME” EGG DROP DESIGN CHALLENGE
MIDDLE SCHOOL EGG DROP
Sixth grade students used real-world engineering research on the transfer of energy in vehicles to create contraptions using limited materials that (hopefully!) protected eggs from a 15-foot drop
UPPER SCHOOL EGG DROP
Tenth and 11th graders designed and built three (mostly) egg-cellent designs using cardboard, bubble wrap, balloons, straws, string, and more—to help their egg(s) survive the third floor fall from above the Upper School cafe to the patio below during the "Eggstreme" Egg Drop challenge
A CELEBRATION AMONGST THE STARS
A star-studded Parents’ Association Spring Celebration at Chabot Space & Science Center raised over $75,000 for Heads Up—and over $100,000 in total to support Head-Royce programs. Thank you, parents, guardians, community members, sponsors, parent co-chairs, and our amazing community of volunteers, donors, and supporters!
"Real generosity to the future lies in giving all to the present." -Albert Camus
MIDDLE SCHOOL DANCE
Students, staff, parents, and guardians showed their Head-Royce spirit. Over 250 middle school students from three schools— Head-Royce, Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley, and Bentley—came together on the Head-Royce campus to make new friends, reconnect with current pals, and, of course, dance while having a great time together.
FRIENDS OF HEADS UP DINNER
This evening award ceremony brought together a variety of Heads Up champions—including families, students, counselors, faculty, and our esteemed community partners—and culminated in honoring those who have made a lasting impact on the organization, including Ian Walters, Middle School teacher, who received the Impact Award.
STUDENT TEACHER ON CAMPUS
In collaboration with Teach With Africa and Global Teachers Institute, we had the honor of hosting student teacher Sandile Brilliant Mahlalela at Head-Royce School. He participated in classroom activities, learned different teaching methodologies, and gained insight into how HRS teaches STEM, which he will apply in South Africa.
HOLI CELEBRATION
A DAY OF GIVING
During our third annual Day of Giving, our community came together in support of the Annual Fund—and, wow, they did just that and more! In just 24 hours, 183 supporters helped us raise nearly $50,000!
Our youngest students learned about and celebrated Holi—the Hindu festival of spring, also called the Festival of Colors—showering one another with warm wishes and colorful powders, which symbolize breaking down barriers and fostering unity among people.
LOWER SCHOOL SPRING SHOW
This year’s spring show, “The Last Potato on Earth,” had it all—music, movement, drama, and yes…potatoes. Some stole scenes…one stole shoes…and others were just, well, sweet.
CARAVAN AND COLLA VOCE AT YOSHI'S
Our Caravan jazz ensemble and Colla Voce vocal group rocked the house at the renowned jazz club, Yoshi’s, in Oakland. This beloved tradition showcases the exceptional musical abilities of our students and gives back to the community by donating all proceeds from the concert to various Bay Area charities.
MIDDLE SCHOOL TALENT SHOW
From rib-tickling comedy to marvelous musical numbers, artistry and aptitude filled the MEW Auditorium as Middle School students took the stage at the “Head-Royce Got Talent” Show!
MEAN GIRLS
“Logic will get you from a to b. imagination will get you everywhere." – Einstein
FADE ELECTRIC
Strength and grace electrified the stage during the Fine Arts Dance Ensemble (FADE) spring performances. Head-Royce dance students and the Student Dance Club delivered an unforgettable showcase of extraordinary skill, passion, and dedication.
Audiences were wowed by the amazing performances in "Mean Girls," our spring musical! The sass, humor, and catchy songs lit up the stage as over 60 students in the cast and crew brought the drama to life. It was an unforgettable show that everyone enjoyed!
ARTIST PABLO SOTO CAMPOAMOR VISIT
Ms. Miller's 6th grade Studio Art Class welcomed parent and virtuoso artist, Pablo Soto Campoamor who shared colorful tales of graffiti escapades in his youth to the profound influence of his Cuban heritage on his current fine art masterpieces.
KINDERGARTEN VARIETY SHOW
Our kindergartners lit up the stage at the Kindergarten Variety Show, demonstrating their wide range of talent. With captivating cuteness, our youngest students hula hooped, made music, performed puppetry, karate kicked, danced, cartwheeled, balanced butterflies, perfected power tools, and more!
MIDDLE SCHOOL CHORUS AND BAND
PRESENTATION AT ASSEMBLY
Friends and families enjoyed the end-of-the-year Middle School chorus and band performances!
ALL-SCHOOL ART SHOW
An awe-inspiring collection of student artwork, ranging from paintings and drawings to ceramic sculptures and photography, was unveiled during the All-School Art Show, adding distinction to Head-Royce hallways.
BLOOD DRIVE
In partnership with the Center for Community Engagement, Vitalant—a nonprofit organization—and our school nurses, the Upper School Medical Advocacy Club organized a blood drive that raised 31 units, enough to save up to 93 lives!
DRAMA SHOWCASE
After two weeks of writing and workshopping the script—a story students wanted their peers to relate to but also to be a little silly—our 6th grade drama class showcased their talent in their final performance of the year.
EARTH DAY/EARTH WEEK
Natural plant remedies, smoothies blended by pedal power, trash sorting, clothes swapping, and more activities took place to celebrate Earth Week—and to introduce students to the joy of a healthy lifestyle and the importance of sustainable living.
SENIOR SIGNING DAY
Congratulations to our student-athletes who will be going on to participate in college sports in basketball, golf, and soccer at Carleton College, the University of Denver, and Yale University.
CONGRATULATIONS MEN'S
VARSITY
NCS CHAMPIONS
Head-Royce Men’s Varsity Basketball clinched their first North Coast Section (NCS) Championship title defeating Athenian School!
REFLECTING ON THE PAST AND LOOKING AHEAD WITH MS. SKIFFER
Ms. Skiffer invited all promotion classes—5th and 8th graders over cookies and 12th graders over boba—to hear their reflections on the past and their aspirations for the future.
20
31 Class of 5th GRADE PROMOTION
Amaira Abraham
Meezan Abraham
Phoebe Baheti
Bey Brenman
Anna Castro
Justin Chang
Landon Chau
William Currie
Leah Davidson
Caleb Forsythe
Elliot Freyre
Caleigh Gangopadhyay
Agustín Genera
Elie Geyer-Klein
Laila Golub
Isaac Harrison
Lukas Hieatt
Lily Hong
Ava Iyer
Lila Kremer
Graham Manus
Ketan Marcinkowski
Sayuri MulHolland
Zoe Navarro
Arya Neary
Vayu Poddatoori
Hannah Pon
Dean Pope Benny Purves
Gharrett Reinhart
Harper Ripsteen
Trisden Rui
Ryder Schilling
Cece Shoffner
Kai Vann
MaKayla Williams
Makonde Williams
Isabella Zurada
To our young graduates, today is your day. It is a day to reflect on the hard work, growth, and accomplishments you have achieved thus far at Head-Royce. Each of you has shown tremendous dedication, resilience, and enthusiasm, and it is truly an honor to stand before you and celebrate this stage of your educational journey.
Rachel E. Skiffer Head of School
20 31 Class of 5th GRADE PROMOTION
Everything you’ve learned here has been important to contributing to a bigger foundation—to help you become the best person you can be.
Lea Van Ness Lower School Head
20 28 8th GRADE PROMOTION Class of
Graduates, as you embark on this new journey, remember that you don't have to do it alone. Lean on your friends, seek advice from your families, teachers, and mentors, and don't be afraid to ask for help. Surround yourself with people who challenge you, support you, and inspire you to be the best version of yourself.
Rachel E. Skiffer Head of School
Nia Alexis
Dre Amesquita-Carter
Ian Barrie
Aiden Bauer-Kahan
Missgana Bezuayhu
Isabel Brasil-Strang
Ash Buckelew-Bottino
Benjie Calcoen
Harper Caruana
Nicholas Castro
Adrian Ceron
Ella Chao
Gemma Chin
Ella Chin
Toby Clay
Josh Cohen
Cole Corey
Hawk Coulston
Roshan Dalal
Cristina Diaz
Andrei Duxbury
Sanjay Ernst
Charlotte Farnham
Judah Forst
Emilia Frank
Tres Fregosa III
Oliver Freyre
Ben Goldfarb
Meleah Goldman
Mia Gousman
Ela Gozoren
Sebastian Hieatt
Abby Horl McAlear
Benjamin Huang
Talia Jaffe
Laila Jagusch
Dean Jefferson
Gia Jhaveri
Alexander Jones
Sophia Judy
Caleb Kahn
Aubrie Ko
Izzy Kouakou-Zebouah
Paisley Kuoh
Adam Landreth
Isabella Larrea
Tate Larson
Niah Lewis
Ava Malan
Chris Mayeda
Alisha Mehta
Natasha Miller
Lam Nguyen
Sasha Obnial
T.J. Park
Luke Petersen
Makaio Popp
Eva Purves
Abeni Rabiu
Evy Reinhart
Corinne Roberts
Mason Rotblat
Sachin Roy-Burman
Mason Sacksteder
Nico Salvadei
Naomi Sawadogo
Bodhi Shah
Zoya Shah
Lucy Silva
Maya Smith
Bella Spencer
Luka Stevanovic
Jackson Stowell
Jordan Tai
Dylan Taylor
Jack Thompson
Caleb Tong
Ayumi Tsuji
Kiran Vann
Kara Waldrop
Geneva Walker-Lund
Kate Wei
Colin Wicks
Adagio Williams
Madeline Wong
Nicholas Wong
Spencer Wong
Allie Woo
Noelle Yearns
Cheri Zhou
Class of
20 28 8th GRADE PROMOTION
You can do it. You can do those things that make you the most nervous. You can finish those projects you don’t understand at the beginning. And along the way, you can learn something about yourself and about the world.
Danny Scuderi Middle School Head
Class of
20 28 8th GRADE PROMOTION
Get out there, take a chance, step outside of your comfort zone, challenge yourself. In the next few years, when you’re faced with a decision to either jump in or opt out—maybe take a beat, and think about how brave it was for Coach Blakeley to get up and speak at that 8th grade graduation ceremony…
Brendan Blakeley '88 Faculty Speaker
While we move past these memories of musty hallways and horrible music taste that comes back to haunt you in your nostalgia playlist on Spotify, all I ask is that you remember to embrace the risks and the embarrassment, because you never know what you might end up achieving in the end.
Allie W. '28 Student Speaker
Students, know that the mistakes you’ve made are part of the road everyone has to take. Nothing and no one is irretrievable. Looking back and wincing at the missteps may be the best way not to make the same mistakes again.
Ricky Lapidus Upper School Head
Lilyana Antuna Sanchez
Travor Ategeka
Chloe Barrie
Azalea Beck
Ilan Boguslavsky
Alexander Bruneau
Maximilian Calcoen
Hannah Capone
Phoenix Carlson
Margit Carter
Noelle Chen
Jared Chin
Kyler Choi
Zoe Collard
Kathryn Conner
Eloise de Anda Sanchez
Asher Dodson
Jonathan Dong
Ashalia Donovan
Gabriella Ekman
Osagie Enabulele
Samir Ernst
Eleanore Friedman
Sachi Ghate
Simone Gilbert
Kareena Gill
Ishmael Gossett-Salahudeen
Zachary Gottschalk
Stella Hattendorf
Gustavo Hernandez
Ainsley High
Hailey Hilsabeck
Aaron Hobson
Richard Jones
Rahul Kapila
Caleb Kim
Samson King
Eric Koh
Marcus Lefkovits
Matthew Lin
Mitchell Haoyong Liu
Sasha Lovell
Avery Lu
Minaissa Maiga
Joshua Majteles
Arissa Mangewala
Lea McKenna
Anokhi Mehta
Skye Mitchell
Tiko Moodie
Beatriz Morley
Yashasvi Mumgandi
George Nasir
Marina Nikolic
Kali Oishi-Patel
Uchennaya Okereke
Nicolas Ortiz-Gudeman
CONGRATULATIONS!
Sarah Ousterhout
Tara Pabla
Joshua Pang
Marcel Pierre-Louis
Akhil Pullela
Sophia Ray
Belle Reader
Jaden Recker
Elizabeth Rosenbaum
Lucas Kalani Ross
Jane Rudenko
Christopher Sah
Sanil Saxena
Sofia Silva
Dhruva Sood
Celeste Spear
Saskia Stripling
Leah Tabakh
Sahm Taguchi
Finnegan Taylor
Hannah Taylor
Finch Thomas
Corvin Tingstrom
Maceo Torriente
Kloe Victorino
Audrey Villiger
Everett Villiger
Julia Volpp
Lyna Wais
Benjamin Wang
Malcolm Weekes
John Williams
Matthew Wong
Julie Wong
Maeve Wood-Soloff
CamilaYamamoto
Lance Zneimer
You stand before a blank canvas, waiting to be filled. It is in this space and mindset that true and fundamental change is possible.
Dr. Morgan Morille Schupbach Guzmán Faculty Speaker
Class of
20 24
Your interpretations of the world will shape the future for all of us. So use the experiences you have gained at Head-Royce to foster understanding, to drive positive change, and to build communities that—even when faced with unimaginable circumstances—do so with kindness, wisdom, compassion, and integrity.
Rachel E. Skiffer Head of School
20 24 Class of
One of the greatest lessons that Head-Royce has taught me is the idea that education isn't just about learning problems in the classroom—it's about creating well-balanced people in life, armed with the requisite tools to be productive members of society, regardless of our chosen path beyond high school.
Richard Jones '24 Student Council Co-President and Student Speaker
CLASS of 2024 LIFERS
Keeping the Head-Royce spirit alive since kindergarten!
Black, Latine, and Hispanic members of the Class of 2024 enjoyed a meal together at the Stole Ceremony hosted by Head-Royce Alumni.
24 Class of
20
20 24 Class of
OFF TO THESE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
University of Washington
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
California College of the Arts
Santa Clara University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of the Pacific
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo)
California State Polytechnic University (Pomona)
Claremont McKenna College
Loyola Marymount University
Pitzer College
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Riverside
University of California, San Diego
University of Redlands
University of Southern California
University of Denver
Carleton College
Northwestern University
Rice University
Barnard College Syracuse University
New York University
Vassar College
University of Wisconsin, Madison
University of Chicago
Washington University in St. Louis
NEW YORK
Wesleyan University
Bowdoin College
Dartmouth College
MASSACHUSETTS
Brown University Yale University
Case Western Reserve University Johns Hopkins University Princeton University
PENNSYLVANIA
United States Naval Academy
University of Virginia
Emory University
Tulane University
Howard University
University of Miami
Boston University
Brandeis University
Smith College
Tufts University
Wellesley College
Bryn Mawr College
Franklin and Marshall College
Swarthmore College
University of Pennsylvania
SCOTLAND
University of St Andrews
ANDY SPEAR AND CELESTE '24
Andy to Celeste: What I see in you is a kind and thoughtful soul, a creative spirit, and a wit that even now can still surprise me. When you were tiny, you drank up everything with your eyes— you've always been startlingly observant. You’ve also got remarkable will power; when you want to, you can overcome significant obstacles. Sharing school with you has been a privilege I'll always cherish—and now I'm excited to see what you'll discover on your own. You're ready, and I can't wait to see what will excite you, what you'll learn about yourself, and who you'll impress next.
Celeste to Andy: When I look at you I see someone I’ve looked up to and been inspired by for as long as I can remember. You’ve not only been my parent at home, but a friend and mentor at school and beyond. I see first hand how hard you work and it pushes me to stretch and keep going. You were my introduction into so many of the things I love and because of you I’m ready to go off and explore them for myself.
HONORING OUR PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY AND THEIR GRADUATES
KATHRINA WEEKES AND MALCOLM '24
Kathrina to Malcom: What I see in you...I see a young man full of determination, thoughtfulness, and persistence. I see laughter and the ability to connect with others authentically. I see joy.
Malcolm to Kathrina: What I see in you…you are an amazing soul who always has done whatever she needed to bring a smile to my face. People praise you whenever you’re mentioned, and I understand why. I love you so much, and it will be odd to be on a campus without you. All my love to you, Mom.
What I see in you...
We asked each professional community member and their graduate to share a reflection about the other, on the topic, 'What I see in you.' None of them have read what the other wrote, until now...
MICHAEL BECK ' AND AZZIE '24
Michael to Azzie: I see strength and love. Compassion, kindness, joy. Pure curiosity and unpretentious intellectual ability. A sweet and generous nature, caring for your sister and your brother and our family. Steadfast fortitude even through challenging headwinds. At the beginning, an impossibly small impossibly beautiful creature, a miracle, holding my finger the night she was born. And now, sweet and bittersweet, the first steps of an open-ended and uncharted path through the probability space. I will miss you terribly and I will love you always.
Azzie to Michael: I can’t express just how much I enjoy being one of the few seniors who have a parent at Head-Royce. The highlight of my day is gabbing with my father (affectionately nicknamed "Big M" by my friends) in the hallway. His presence is a joy to the entire community; admiration for “Mr. Beck” was a regular topic in my French class. There’s something very special about bumping into him in the hallway, receiving a hug and an “I love you” before we rush off to class. It was a joy to spend my last year on campus with my father.
ERIC TAYLOR AND HANNAH '24
Eric to Hannah: Hannah Rose Taylor...What I see in you is a young woman with strong convictions, a little girl holding my hand in the park, a true autodidact, a loving big sister, my tech consultant, a traveler who never leaves her two pink blankets behind, the baby I held close to my chest, the person I would die for, a dancing Goddess, my Hannah-Banana of a thousand nicknames, my baby girl who is now about to take her next first steps.
Hannah to Eric: Energetic, intellectual, competitive. My dad's greatest strength—and weakness—is his tireless energy. In elementary school, he told me, "You sleep when you're dead," and his lifestyle emulates that mantra—he maximizes every hour of the day. His discipline is invigorating yet I yearn for him to pause, relax, and rely more on others for help. I see his sacrifices and the toll they take on him. I hope my dad learns to rest and enjoy the moments he works tirelessly to cultivate for our family. I love you, Dad.
PROFESSIONAL
Head-Royce COMMUNITY AWARDS
MARLO HUAMAN, LOWER SCHOOL DIVISION COORDINATOR
MICHAEL TRAYNOR FAMILY FELLOWSHIP
The Michael Traynor Family Fellowship was established in 1983 by the Traynor family to honor individuals who have “served the school with excellence and exceptional spirit and have especially enhanced the lives of others.” This award is peer-nominated and chosen by a review committee of trustees, previous award recipients, and the Head of School.
“She moves through the school with an exceptional and rare humility. She is someone who never toots her own horn, nor does she make great show of how efficiently she works. Meanwhile, she is instrumental for the effective and smooth functioning of the school.”
An admiring, anonymous colleague
AURÉLIE BORDET, WORLD LANGUAGES TEACHER, 9TH GRADE ADVISOR, FRENCH CLUB ADVISOR
CHRIS MANDEL SPIRIT AWARD
The Mandel Spirit Award was established in memory of one of Head-Royce’s greatest fans, Chris Mandel. Four of her five children attended the school—John, Chris, Ingrid, and Vanessa—and her husband, Bill, served for many years on the Board of Trustees. The family continued their loyal support for HeadRoyce as John served on the Alumni Council, as did Ingrid, who also worked as our Alumni Director. The Mandel family thought it only fitting to honor Chris’s memory by establishing an annual endowed award to recognize a member of the faculty who brings spirit to the school.
“Aurélie brings a unique spirit and sense of humor to her work at HRS. When she was the professional community meeting facilitator, she created funny and insightful videos for our enjoyment. She inspires her students to interact with French culture—her poisson d'avril shenanigans stand out in particular. And she makes an effort to spend time with her colleagues, both by enjoying lunch with them and through casual collaboration. It's a pleasure having her as my colleague.”
An admiring, anonymous colleague
We present these Professional Community awards at the end of each school year in recognition of an exemplary year of service.
LOGAN WALLACE, MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER, 7TH GRADE ADVISOR UMOJA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
The Umoja Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—named after the Swahili word for unity—recognizes an individual who has made significant, concrete contributions in this area, affecting change inside the classroom and throughout the Head-Royce community and beyond. This award was established in 2020, an extraordinary year when the world paused for a double pandemic: COVID-19 and global uprisings for social and racial justice. Inspired by a transformative 4th grade teacher who met the moment with excellence, heart, courage, strength, and purpose, a group of parents—across affinity groups—launched a grassroots campaign to create the Umoja Award.
“Not only does he amplify student voices that are sometimes straining to be heard, but Logan also walks the walk by examining and revising the English curriculum to give students insight into different life experiences. I continually learn from Logan, a sentiment I think many of us share in the Middle School. He is most deserving of this award.”
An admiring, anonymous colleague
COURTNEY DUKE, ASSISTANT UPPER SCHOOL HEAD, INTERIM UPPER SCHOOL DEAN OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION, 11TH GRADE ADVISOR, HUMANITIES TEACHER GRANNIE J. FELLOWSHIP
The Grannie J. Fellowship was established in 1984 by Candace and Dick Burge, in honor of Dick’s Mother, “Grannie J.” Her grandchildren, Glyn and Onie, were Head-Royce graduates in 1986 and 1988. Grannie J. believed strongly that learning adventures were supported at Head-Royce not only by a students' family but by individuals at the school who consistently inspire students and demonstrate excellence themselves.
“Courtney works tirelessly to support our diverse Upper School students. She always looks through the lens of equity and belonging, as well as intersectionality. Courtney has a huge heart, listens deeply and expansively, and forges meaningful and trusting relationships. She is such an inspiration.”
An admiring, anonymous colleague
We spent a lot of time designing the strategic planning process and integrating diverse voices into the undertaking
- Ann Baxter Perrin Strategic Design Team Co-Chair, Trustee, and Parent
Our Plan
Mission:
Head-Royce School develops students of character, intellect, and creativity.
Vision:
We envision a future where education locks the promise and purpose of every student to better the world.
Values:
To ensure we fulfill our mission, we commit to the following values:
STUDENTS FIRST
We prioritize student learning, development, and well-being.
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
We pursue knowledge and assess our learning to better ourselves and our community.
DIVERSITY
We embrace different perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, and identities to enrich what we can learn and do together.
BELONGING
We create the conditions in which everyone thrives and brings their authentic selves.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
We connect students to the local community and beyond to deepen their academic experiences and foster genuine engagement.
Strategic Direction 2024
Head-Royce launched a strategic design and planning process in fall 2023 to understand what our community values about the Head-Royce experience, how well we fulfill our mission, and where we have opportunities to strengthen and evolve.
The strategic planning process happens every five to seven years to guide near-term priorities and ensure our mission aligns with both our past and future innovations. The new plan, approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2024, will roll out in the 2024-25 school year.
A strategic planning journey is a story unto itself.
Committee members shared reflections, offering insights into this significant undertaking. “The strategic planning process was very deliberate,” remarked Joel Sohn, Assistant Head of School for Policy and Strategic Initiatives and Co-Chair of the Strategic Design Team.
“Hearing our stories, experiences, and beliefs is an interesting way to learn how our history shaped the school to date, and how it will impact the school in the future,” Joel shared .
Planning Process Timeline
STRATEGIC PLAN
PARTICIPANT METRICS
1570
survey respondents, including 630 students
“During the early days of a planning cycle, we gather information, we survey, we seek reflection, and we question.” The early planning phase is about listening. “As we distilled the messages we were hearing, we noticed patterns emerging, which helped the design committee to develop and test assumptions about the messages and patterns, helping us narrow the focus,” he said. “The committee started to see a sharper vision, a clearer mission, and the true strategic priority and direction,” he said. The strategic plan reflects our 137year journey.
Dr. Suzy Klein '00, Middle School Counselor and Department Chair, shared, “As an alum, current parent, and faculty member, I have seen the school change and grow so much. It is exciting to think about how changes in the language around our mission can reflect what the school is already doing and the goals we have for the future.” Reflecting further, Suzy said, “I appreciate the new plan’s focus on well-being and
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Post-it® note ideas on values from professional community
healthy amounts of stress. We can’t eliminate stress from our lives; but a healthy amount of it helps provide motivation for learning. Our current focus on student well-being is such a shift from the pressure cooker school that I attended.”
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strategic priorities from professional community
10
stakeholder focus group meetings
“getting so many different stakeholders to agree.” She continued, “It helped when we kept our focus on the students and the type of people we want to send out into the world.”
Ann Baxter Perrin, Head-Royce Trustee and Co-Chair of the Strategic Design Team said, “We spent a lot of time designing the strategic planning process and integrating diverse voices into the undertaking. We wanted a team with a shared vision to map out the next chapter of Head-Royce School.” Joel emphasized his desire to ensure the process was truly inclusive. Greenwich Leadership Partners initially recommended an eightperson design committee to keep the team nimble. "We felt it was important to have a larger group to include more voices from the community," he said, noting the desire to have representation from every division, life-stage, program, identity, and belief system involved (to name a few). Suzy noted that one of the main challenges was,
Encouraging inclusivity and representation of diverse perspectives was a priority. Suzy shared, “We did lots of polls in small groups and there was ample time for feedback. I especially enjoyed working in my small group which included a parent, upper school teacher, and a staff member. It was helpful to hear these different perspectives.”
Survey information—values, strategic priorities, and initiatives—was presented to the professional community who were invited to provide input, which was re-incorporated into the planning document. Joel explained, “I appreciated Rachel’s leadership in shining light on these details and exploring the underlying truths.”
To be thorough during a discovery phase, Joel observed that all stories needed to air. “This is both a challenge and a strength—to capture and record all input,” he said.
Summing it up, Suzy shared, “I feel really excited to think about all the possibilities of what the school can do next. I’m excited for who we are now and who we can become, too.”
LEARN MORE about the
STRATEGIC PLAN
There are individuals in every community whose actions—whether deliberately executed or wildly spontaneous—stand apart as beacons of hope, inspiration, and humanity.
At a time when the news frequently feels negative, these anecdotes showcase Head-Royce community members, including current students, faculty, and alumni, whose deeds have gone beyond the ordinary and demonstrate the values of selflessness, bravery, and dedication to making a positive impact—whether for an individual, a community, or the world.
Tuffy TESTIMONIALS
A Bond Beyond Blood
Jonathan E.
ne of our community members whose humility shines as brightly as his generosity, donated his stem cells to his brother when he was in middle school. Jonathan E. ’26’s extraordinary gift—which he downplays as a “no-brainer”—embodies the spirit of altruism.
His older brother, Tristan, was diagnosed with a rare leukemia when Jonathan was in 7th grade. "Growing up, our family was very close-knit," Jonathan said. "The kind of family who eats dinner every night. Our family's love and connection was crucial when his diagnosis came."
When Tristan was first diagnosed with leukemia, Jonathan explained, doctors thought chemotherapy would treat it. Sadly, that therapy did not work. They decided that a stem cell transplant would be the next best option. In order to do the transplant, they needed to find the optimal donor. The doctors said that blood-related donors performed best because they were often the closest match.
“That's when my mother and I were identified as matches. I was the better one since I was
younger than my mom and hopefully my stem cells would last longer,” Jonathan said.
Stem cell donation can be a physically and emotionally demanding process, yet Jonathan bravely stepped forward without hesitation.
“My folks were great during this time—they both made sure I knew I didn't have to do it, but compared to what my brother was going through, I couldn’t imagine not helping him,” Jonathan shared.
Though Jonathan describes the procedure with nonchalance, hearing how the process works can make a person squeamish. “I received injections for four consecutive days to stimulate my bone marrow to make stem cells. They then inserted a central line IV into my neck to collect my blood and sent it through a big machine with a filter and a bag to collect my stem cells. I sat next to this machine in the hospital for 12 hours while my brother was in a different room nearby, waiting for what was coming from me,” Jonathan explained.
Since then, his brother’s leukemia has come
Continued on next page
Tristan, left, with his mom and brother, Jonathan, right, at a Giants game.
’26
back twice. The first time Tristan's leukemia recurred, his mother provided stem cells for a second transplant. And when it recurred again, a German donor provided the necessary stem cells. After that third transplant, the cancer has remained in remission and Tristan is recovering well. And no, his brother wasn’t suddenly able to speak German, Jonathan laughed.
He confided that the experience deeply impacted his family and he appreciates how his parents’ strength helped his brother and him, noting that his mom, an ER doctor, was a pillar of strength and knowledge throughout this journey.
Jonathan’s willingness to endure the trauma and discomfort of offering life-saving cells to his brother highlights the deep compassion and sense of responsibility that define our community.
BE THE MATCH!
Your stem cells could save a life. Learn about Be the Match!
On January 17, 2024, Matthew W. ’24’s wrong turn became a heroic moment when, on his way home, he passed a vicious dog attack in progress.
Mike Hsieh, who lives in Oakland, was out for a stroll with his 40-pound, leashed Sheltie, Bennett. It was an early afternoon with clear skies, a great day to go for a walk, he reflected, when suddenly he was set upon by three aggressive and unattended German Shepherds.
“It was like a mountain lion running at you—they were off leash and running at us like they were trying to catch a bus—and without warning suddenly attacking Bennett. No barking in advance, just full scale biting him,” Mike said. “There was nothing I could do to stop them. I was yelling and kicking them away as hard as I could, but they were growling and biting. I was pulled to the ground.”
Matthew had accidentally missed his turn on his way home and happened to be driving by on the other side
Tristan and Jonathan caught a massive fish together.
Intervention
Matthew W. ’24
of Skyline Boulevard when he saw the attack taking place. He immediately made a U-turn—abruptly stopping his car in the middle of the road— then jumped out and ran up the street to help the man who was surrounded by the brutal animals, trying desperately to save his pet.
“I’m not sure I fully appreciated the seriousness of the situation,” Matthew confessed. “I started waving my arms and yelling while the dogs were growling and jumping.” It was serendipity Matthew thought in hindsight; he was just driving by at the right time. He realized afterwards that the situation was incredibly dangerous, believing that, “the German Shepherds were going for the [Mike’s] dog’s jugular.”
With both men shouting at the top of their lungs, waving their arms, and kicking to fend off the attackers, the savage pack eventually retreated. But not before inflicting serious injuries to Bennett’s internal organs and skin, requiring many stitches and multiple surgeries to heal and repair.
The good news is that Bennett survived!
“If Matthew had not intervened I am convinced my dog would have been killed and I would have been seriously injured,” said Mike of Matthew's actions.
Although Matthew’s family pet is a 90-pound dog, Matthew confessed he was shocked by the power of the three assailants.
After the attack, the men exchanged contact information, and to Mike’s delight, Matthew rang him two days later to check in. “That amount of humanity and compassion coming out of a 17- or 18-year-old is just stunning to me,” Mike said. He also recognized Matthew’s email address because, coincidentally, Mike is a former Head-Royce parent and Trustee. Mike wrote the school to share his appreciation for Matthew’s courageousness.
Seeing the imminent danger, Matthew did not think twice before risking his own safety to protect a neighbor from what was certainly a lethal dog attack. This courageous act prevented a potential tragedy, displaying an extraordinary level of valor and a profound commitment to the well-being of others. Such bravery is a testament to the strength and solidarity within our community.
But Mike thinks there is more here than a single student’s act of bravery. He said, “HeadRoyce is doing something right by teaching students like Matthew to be compassionate humanitarians in this time of conflict and division.”
“Head-Royce is doing something right by teaching students like Matthew to be compassionate humanitarians in this time of conflict and division,”
said Mike.
Photo of Bennett before the attack.
Bridging Communities through Basketball
Coach Britnea Moore
“Coaching, developing players, and mentoring are my passions,” said Britnea Moore, known as Coach Brit within the Head-Royce community.
When choice and chance collide, magic can happen. Such is the story of Britnea Moore, Lower School PE teacher, basketball coach, seasoned athlete, and trainer, whose interest in coaching and developing players has become a worldwide endeavor.
In 2013, Britnea founded Access Your Game Training, a basketball skills development academy in Oakland, whose mission is to help athletes reach their full potential.
Coach Brit teaching in Ghana
It was during a recreational trip to Africa in 2018, however, when Coach Brit made a chance connection to a local organization over Instagram.
Daniel Benneh from the Social Drive Foundation asked her, based on the hashtags she used in her post, if she would be willing to do what she does in the United States in Ghana. Out of their connection, she began an intensive basketball academy in West Africa—a four-day long skills camp— working with a small group of kids.
Her personal journey as a player, which she once thought of as a difficult path to get to the next level, turned out to be a humbling experience when she saw the challenges faced by others. This realization solidified her commitment to what she was doing.
Since its founding, the academy's impact has been tremendous. Coach Brit and her team have inspired the hearts, trained the minds, and strengthened the bodies of hundreds of young athletes who do not have access to the resources and mentorship that their U.S. counterparts benefit from. And she developed a train-the-trainer model, developing curriculum for ongoing instruction, taught when the camp is not in session under the leadership of Social Drive Foundation.
What began as a modest number of athletes—20-30 participants per camp—has now grown to over 100 kids of all ages who share an unwavering commitment to self-improvement and who aspire to play competitively. Many dream of playing basketball in the U.S. In the four years of operation (not
including the COVID-19 years), Brit’s intensive academy has also expanded to new sports, including soccer and American football, and new locations, with a program in Thailand.
It solidifies her purpose, Brit explained. “You can’t compare the amount of effort this has taken with the joy you see on the kids’ faces. They are so appreciative. All they want to do is tell you what they’ve been working on since last camp,” she said.
When she travels now, she brings gear: basketballs, shoes, t-shirts, and other equipment. And in 2022, she partnered with Jeff Tarver, a youth sports expert and entrepreneur from Atlanta to revamp a basketball court at a local school, St. Peters, located in Takoradi, a city in the Western region of Ghana. There they laid concrete and painted the floor to create the space and enable the camp to better operate and grow.
Britnea has a deep desire to give back her talents to future players and she thrives on connecting with athletes
through her innovative style of training, finding great joy in developing the whole person, not only for the world of basketball, but to be better human beings. Her dedication to empowering the next generation underscores the global reach of our community’s compassion and drive to foster growth and opportunity.
Her hope is to make this experience accessible to high school students as a travelstudy learning opportunity, fostering global engagement from a young age. Reflecting on her journey, she continually asks, "How can we make this better? How can we offer this on a larger scale?"
With each camp, she brings new energy and resources, determined to make a lasting difference.
The global connections she fosters and the joy she brings to young athletes drive her forward, lighting up the path for future generations.
Through the Lens of Compassion
Oakland native, Stephen Flynn ’02, Head-Royce’s Associate Athletics Director, has a unique gift—he captures the essence of Oakland and its vibrant, diverse community through the lens of his camera.
Stephen’s work goes beyond taking pictures. His keen eye, genuine nature, and an almost preternatural ability to become invisible enable him to not just beautifully document events but to also reveal the soul of a city and its people. He thoughtfully balances his passion for documenting life around him with his dedication for coaching and mentoring students, often sharing with them the joy of pursuing multiple interests.
Stephen approaches his craft with a remarkable combination of sensitivity and
authenticity. He carries these qualities with him, just like his camera equipment over his shoulder, allowing him to move seamlessly through the social fabric of Oakland. It is this ability to connect on a genuine level that enables him to encapsulate the true spirit of a person, a place, or a moment.
Yet, he humbly shares, “I have almost no formal training in photography.” While he took a few classes as a student at Head-Royce, his passion for photography, he says, comes from his maternal DNA.
“Both my maternal grandmother and grandfather loved photography…as does my mom, who is a strong and independent woman with a unique approach to teaching,” he confided. They each influenced his path as a budding photographer, teaching him techniques and more importantly, inspiring him to be a lifelong learner.
Walking into Stephen’s office in the gym, there is a
Stephen with a collection of photos he took of the faces of Oakland.
Stephen Flynn ’02
View Stephen's feature in The Oaklandside on Oakland Pride and Pridefest.
“Photography helped me truly see Oakland. It helped me learn about my community and understand the history and spirit of the place I call home. I have gotten to know community organizations and people I never knew existed and have been able to shine the light on people who don’t always have the light shined on them,” Flynn says. “I consider my camera a megaphone to amplify their voices.”
conspicuous absence of sports memorabilia or sports photos on the wall. Instead, you see a breathtaking installation of over 50 of his original photographs, including portraits and candids of local non-profit administrators, community advocates, activists, musicians, artists, and his mentors who live and work to make Oakland better every day.
His work tells the diverse stories of Oakland’s residents, celebrating the dynamic and courageous spirit that makes the city unique. Through his lens, he highlights both the challenges and triumphs of the community. This dedication to storytelling not only preserves the cultural fabric of Oakland but also brings attention to the narratives that might otherwise go unheard.
During the pandemic and the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, he spent every day documenting the social upheaval that pushed our culture and society forward, a collection that he now considers some of his best work. And last year he documented Oakland Pride and Pridefest Oakland in The Oaklandside, writing both an article for the publication and photographing the events.
Placing high value on being a true witness, he notes that to really integrate into a space requires great sensitivity and empathy, two “superpower” characteristics he has honed, attributing his ability to access these skills to a series of men’s transformational leadership retreats that he attended and photographed from 2018–2022.
More than just moments, Stephen captured family portraits at this year's graduation ceremony, providing them with an opportunity for a keepsake.
Baking a Difference
Sachi G. '24
Sachi G. ‘24 is making a difference in her community one cupcake at a time. As part of her senior project, Sachi embarked on a mission to bake and sell gourmet cupcakes and cakes. She selected Oakland Elizabeth House, a nonprofit organization, to receive her delicious creations. Sachi stopped by the Oakland Elizabeth House right before a Thursday night programming event with freshly baked cupcakes, which provided a moment of happiness for all the mothers and children in attendance.
A Quantum Leap for a Curious Mind
Paul “PJ” Robinson ’14
“Paul wanted more,” recalls Stella Glogover, Paul’s high school chemistry teacher. “He sought more chemistry than Honors Chemistry could provide while meeting the needs of all students.”
While at Head-Royce, Stella recounts that Paul Robinson— or "P.J." as his friends call him—participated in Advanced Chemistry Seminar (an "addon" class for sophomores) and took both chemistry electives offered his senior year. He even borrowed her own college-level chemistry textbook, which offered him topics to "chew on" and to discuss at length with Stella.
Paul has an insatiable thirst for science. He says, “I developed an interest at a young age— and whether helping me find a car part for a science project and then helping me build it, or reading drafts of my proposals—my parents have been there every step along the way with advice, support, and love.”
This year, his inexhaustible curiosity for more was well rewarded. Paul was bestowed the Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship, a prestigious and highly coveted award which, remarkably given there are only 14 awardees this year, is an honor also bestowed upon another HeadRoyce alumnus Cris Woroch ’15.
Paul is a theoretical chemist. He uses computers to study and understand how materials work at the atomic level. This distinguished accomplishment is a testament to his exceptional research work and its potential, in which he develops and applies computational tools—simulations—to better understand how certain properties and behaviors in solid materials work. “Having my proposal funded was a
Sweetening Lives with Gourmet Cupcakes for Oakland Elizabeth House
But Sachi’s dedication didn’t stop there. In addition to her cupcake delivery, she also created a special cake for the Oakland Elizabeth House Art Auction which was held in June 2024. This event, which raised funds to help replace the boiler at Oakland Elizabeth House, featured Sachi’s beautifully decorated cake—a testament to her baking skills and generous spirit.
Sachi G.’s senior project reminds us of the simple yet profound impact of giving back. Her baked goods are more than just treats—they are symbols of hope, compassion, and the belief that together, we can make an impact by offering our passionate talents to others in need.
Reprinted with permission from Oakland Elizabeth House
wonderful feeling,” he shared, “though I didn’t expect to win.”
Paul is focusing on materials where electrons interact strongly with the motions of the nuclei—work which he believes will help us understand the promise of materials with which we use to make solar-cells, and hopefully make more efficient ones!
After HeadRoyce, Paul earned his BS in Physics from UCLA and his PhD in Chemical Physics from Columbia University, where he was also a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow.
“Head-Royce played a central
role in my science education and [in] preparing me to pursue science in college and beyond. Ms. Glogover, in particular, had a large impact on my decision to pursue chemical physics. Her teaching, unique curricula, and mentorship provided me with a strong foundation in chemical sciences,” he shared, “and she even lent me her personal physical chemistry book from college to learn about quantum mechanics.”
Paul's fellowship enables him to pursue this important work while preparing for a future faculty position. “It is a privilege to be able to work on his postdoctoral project, and to have the panel of scientists believe in my work,” he said,
acknowledging a long list of mentors, advisors, and family support, all of which helped him achieve this award.
Outside of his professional life, Paul says his “oldest friendships are from HeadRoyce,” sharing that he talks with his HRS friends daily, and regularly plays “Dungeons & Dragons” with them. These relationships are a cherished part of his life, providing a sense of community and continuity.
His work not only advances scientific understanding but also aims to create practical solutions for some of the world's most pressing challenges.
Polymer Pioneer
Cristian "Cris" Woroch '15
Cristian “Cris” Woroch’s passion for chemistry ignited early at Head-Royce, so much so that his father once asked his former high school chemistry teacher, Stella Glogover, to recommend a chemistry set, previously considered a plaything–now a dangerous toy, as a gift for his son. “He was engaged in chemistry from day one,” Stella recalls. She said that Cris and his tight-knit group of friends turned chemistry into a shared adventure, “supporting each other in finding it cool.”
It may come as no surprise to our readers—or his former teacher who described his academic achievements as “wonderful and also predictable”— that Cris went on to earn a BS in Chemistry from Pomona College and a PhD in Chemistry from Stanford University.
However, Cris confided that he was “grateful and a little surprised” to have recently been awarded the prestigious and highly coveted Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship, an honor he coincidentally shares with Head-Royce alumnus Paul Robinson ’14 (see previous page). “I had anticipated applying and being rejected several times before being considered a deserving candidate.” He attributes his success to ineffable mentorship and the privileges he has benefited from, including his education at Head-Royce.
This fellowship, with its intense emphasis on training, will support his postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, pushing his boundaries as a scientist and preparing him for a career. His area of
expertise is renewable materials, like biodegradable plastics. Cris says that the fellowship is an opportunity to “pay forward” the many opportunities he has received.
As a polymer chemist, he studies the chains and networks of the natural world that connect things together, “...the construction materials of nature,” he explains. Unlike natural polymers such as silk, wool, and natural rubber, he notes, “Polymers are not inherently unsustainable— nature has sustainably used them for billions of years—but how humans currently make (and dispose of) them is.” We need to either use them less or make them more sustainable.
Over the past few years, he has used his expertise in various settings to pursue greater knowledge and feasible ways to apply it, including: academia, at
Stanford; in the private sector, at X, the moonshot factory (formerly called Google X), a research and development facility dedicated to radical technological solutions; and at a federally funded research and development center, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado.
Each experience he believes has been invaluable to his journey. He dreams of finding a place where he can conduct groundbreaking science with inspiring colleagues, whether in academia or otherwise. "Plastics will be necessary for the foreseeable future," he acknowledges, echoing the sentiment from "The Graduate." Yet, he understands the deeper truth: while a paper bag might have a higher carbon footprint, plastic bags “last longer and degrade more slowly,” noting that from a sustainability perspective, “it’s a design issue, not a materials problem.”
The Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship is more than an honor; it is a stepping stone designed to
field of renewable materials, yet whether in teaching or an entrepreneurial venture, he is not yet sure.
His studies have solidified his belief that chemistry holds the key to solving many of the planet's critical issues. And for his ability to understand the world, Cris attributes this to his former teacher, Stella Glogover. She helped me use chemistry as a language to grasp the world around me.” So much so that he invited her to his PhD defense, a testament to her lasting influence.
With his fellowship underway, Cris is ready to tackle the big challenges of our time. He
“ The Foundation is pleased to recognize the outstanding achievement of two Head-Royce School alumni recently named as 2024 Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellows: Paul Robinson and Cristian Woroch (also named a 2018 Beckman Scholar). It’s an exciting moment to celebrate two awardees who in their youth attended the same school, and to highlight what must be a proud moment also for their teacher-mentors and former classmates.
We congratulate both the awardees and their shared alma mater on this remarkable distinction and hope that future HeadRoyce School students will pursue careers in science, inspired by Paul, Cristian, and all our Beckman awardees.”
Dr. Anne Hultgren, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Executive Director
RETIRING PROFESSIONALS
KRISTI FARNHAM THOMPSON
The Head-Royce community will profoundly miss Kristi. Beginning her HRS career as a parttime learning specialist, she built her role and the Student Wellness and Support department from scratch—which gave counselors, learning specialists, and nurses a voice and a place to ensure consistency across the K-12 continuum. Kristi worked tirelessly in classrooms serving students who needed more foundational skill-building while also supporting Head-Royce’s neurodiverse student population. Her compassion, strong advocacy skills, and conviction that all students deserve the right to an amazing education has led to significant changes in our curriculum and new policies and procedures that align with the school’s mission. Kristi consistently put students at the center of decisionmaking and in doing so made families feel seen and heard. Her ability to lead is exemplary. Her two sons were lifers and being a parent at HRS was also part of her purpose and passion.
TERESA GUERGUÉ
Teresa made an indelible impression on the Head-Royce community for over two decades. Her ability to understand students, to see them for who they are while also pushing them to understand that Spanish is much more than a language—that it represents many cultures— made her beloved among students, families, and the professional community. With middle school students particularly, she embraced who they were at every moment in time. Never far away from a leather jacket and sunglasses, she demonstrated that you can be cool and independent while also caring for others and being invested in your community. A veteran of the World Languages department, she served as a mentor to many teachers, helping them understand not only the ins and outs of Spanish instruction at Head-Royce, but also how to help students be their best selves. Her calm, strong, and free spirit will be missed as she heads into retirement.
PRISCILLA HINE
Priscilla‘s absence will be keenly felt at Head-Royce. Teacher, artist, advocate, naturalist, mentor, and good friend, Priscilla wore many hats. She created the murals in the garden through mosaics with her 3rd grade class one year and worked with another 3rd grade class on the mural in the lobby of the 2-5 building. As an advocate for her students as well as for the city of Berkeley, she worked with local artists creating a mural to support advocacy groups like the unhoused in the area. She has always volunteered for our Earth Day and Harvest celebrations because of her love for nature, and she can be found hiking all over the Bay Area with friends. Through the years she has had several associate teachers, as well as some new teaching partners that she has guided, as they learn the craft of teaching. Her calm demeanor will be missed.
we wish YOU BEST! all the until we
Dear Fellow Alumni
It is with joy and humility that I address you as the incoming President of the Alumni Council. I have deep and enduring roots with Head-Royce. My connection first began when I was a toddler running around the Upper School art studios with my mother, former fine arts teacher Jill Erickson, and then continued for 13 years as a student. For the past eight years, I have been serving with old and new friends on the school’s Alumni Council. And now, as the parent of two HRS students (classes of ’32 and ’36), I am struck by all the ways the Head-Royce community has featured in my life. It is the vibrancy of members and the multiple ways they engage with the school that make the Head-Royce community so special.
This spring, we saw this in action as more than 140 graduates from the classes of 1944 through 2019 reconnected with classmates and faculty during Alumni Reunion Weekend. Many thanks to the amazing efforts of our class agents for bringing everyone together for this series of events! And alumni again lent their support and expertise to Adulting 101, mock interviews, internships, and senior and I-search projects. You cheered on our athletes and celebrated our artists, performers, and most recent graduates.
As the new school year begins, Head-Royce will be operating with a newly implemented strategic plan, and your Alumni Council will use this opportunity to reflect, realign, and refocus our work as well. We received a strong alumni response and valuable input into the school’s strategic planning process. Themes of academics, community, diversity, and rigor came up as alumni reflected on the school.
We have a multitude of current and potential opportunities for alumni to engage around these themes as we look to the future. We call on you, our alumni community, to help guide and enrich the Head-Royce experience both for students on campus and for the lifelong friends and learners we become. How can alumni best strengthen our ties to each other and our service to the school?
I invite your input, your friendship, and your expertise.
With warm regards
, ,
Heather Erickson ’95 alumni@headroyce.org
Heather and her family.
DR. JOYCE BOYKIN’S LIFE STORY IS ONE OF BLAZING NEW TRAILS AND BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS, DRIVEN BY A DEEP AND MEANINGFUL DESIRE TO CONTRIBUTE TO HER COMMUNITY.
ALUMNI PROFILE
DR. JOYCE BOYKIN ’68
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA OF THE YEAR
“Had someone told me nine years after graduating from Anna Head School I would be attending medical school, I would not have believed them.”
Joyce, now happily retired from her 30-year career in medicine, did not initially envision becoming a physician as a young student. After graduating from Anna Head School in 1968, she attended the University of Southern California, where she earned her BA in Psychology. Deciding to stay in Southern California, she worked at a community mental health center in Watts, a neighborhood in southern Los Angeles, during which time she attended community meetings at nearby Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital, a newly-opened county fullservice hospital. There, inspired by the many African American staff physicians serving the community, she began to think about becoming one of them.
Originally, Joyce had considered pursuing a master’s degree in social work, but a fateful night watching television with friends changed her path. She saw a public service announcement about a government-sponsored initiative encouraging people of color to pursue healthcare
careers. Feeling motivated by a conversation with program representatives, Joyce made a plan and returned to school at California State University, Los Angeles. There she spent two years focused almost entirely on the lab sciences to meet the curriculum requirements to apply to medical school. She was accepted to several schools both in- and out-of-state. Driven by her desire for adventure and the opportunity to experience life outside of California, she enrolled at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston in 1977. Reflecting on her journey, Joyce said, “Had someone told me nine years after graduating from Anna Head School I would be attending medical school, I would not have believed them.”
In the years that followed, Joyce returned to Southern California to practice medicine. In 1985, she was part of a core group of doctors that opened the Internal Medicine Department for Kaiser Permanente in Riverside, California. Out of the group of four doctors, she was
“In spite of the attitudes people had towards me, I appreciated attending Anna Head School due to the quality of education, the experiences and exposure, and the very interesting traditions and the culture of the school at that time.”
the only female and only African American in the department. She would later go on to earn her Masters in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles.
With a strong desire to further support her community, Joyce provided her services at a free clinic in Orange County to people who had no other options for their medical care. “I appreciated the experience, but was also frustrated that medical care was (and still is not) equal and/or available to everyone.”
Now retired, Joyce still actively contributes to the communities that she is a part of, including her alma mater, Head-Royce School. She has always remained engaged through her role as a class agent, and in 2020, she took on an even larger volunteer role as an alumni representative on the school’s then newly-formed Council for Equity and Inclusion. Along with two other alumni, she conducted listening sessions
with Head-Royce alumni of color, facilitating meaningful dialogue between the school and alumni, uncovering common themes around the student of color experience at Head-Royce and beyond, and helping prepare the school for their Climate Assessment in 2021. As a 1st grader in 1956— two years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision— Joyce was the first African American student to enroll at Anna Head School, giving her both a unique perspective for the many who have followed, as well as a powerful voice on the Council for Equity and Inclusion. She has candidly shared in the past, and with students more recently, her experiences with racism as a student—both direct and indirect—from some of the teachers, parents, and students. Yet, Joyce also looks back with a deep sense of gratitude for the excellent education that she received and is especially appreciative of the foresight and fortitude her parents had in sending her to Anna Head and encouraging
her in her educational journey. She attributes her love of languages—French with Madame Hull and Latin with Mrs. Lamar—and her love of classical music to her 12 years at Anna Head. In college, she also studied German and Arabic and carried her appreciation for languages even further during the summer of her junior year, when she attended The Goethe Institute outside of Munich for language immersion.
Dr. Boykin's trailblazing spirit has defined her life of service, and while she may not seek recognition, awards like this exist to honor people like Joyce who have made such a significant impact and enduring legacy.
Anna Head School
ALUMNI PROFILE
Kate Marchant ’13 has proven that a hobby pursued during lunch breaks in high school can evolve into a career that reaches millions of people, establishing her as a distinguished writer. Kate, the recipient of this year’s HeadRoyce Young Alumna of the Year Award, has dedicated her life to telling stories that not only inspire young adults, but also captivate readers of all ages.
KATE MARCHANT 13 YOUNG ALUMNA OF THE YEAR
By Ella S. '26
It was during her sophomore year at Head-Royce in what was then the computer lab that she started writing her first novel Float. But her first break came when Float was published eight years later. It now has over 27 million reads on Wattpad, a self-publishing platform, and was turned into a film in the fall of 2023.
Since then, Kate has published a second book based on her college experience at the University of Southern California (USC), titled Whistleblower, along with another adult romance novel written under a pen name.
Kate spent her entire K-12 education at Head-Royce, bestowing her as a “lifer.” From a young age, writing not only ignited her interest in stories but also became her pastime. Her passion was first developed around 5th grade when she was given an AlphaSmart, a digital typewriter intended to teach students how to type. Kate recalls her middle school years filled with what she describes as “horrific” fan fiction that she created on the device.
Despite not being involved in campus activities that required writing skills, Kate quickly realized that writing was more than a pastime; she envisioned it as a vocation. The popularity of the unfinished book quickly spiked, and by the time she graduated, Kate had gained close to 30,000 followers. In
spite of her success, Kate struggled with figuring out her path after high school, especially while attending an academic institution that, at the time, Kate described as encouraging only a single track. She explained, “I feel like when I went to Head-Royce, they were a bit more entrenched, like if you graduate from Head-Royce, you will be going to a four-year university.”
Kate decided to pursue her passion for writing at USC where she earned a creative writing degree. After attending college, she explains feeling “kind of lost” while exploring various career options, including website design, working for small businesses such as coffee shops, and even returning to work at Head-Royce before the pandemic started.
Meanwhile, Wattpad continued to offer publishing deals to fellow authors which eventually encouraged Kate to return to Float. Even though she was motivated to finally complete the novel, Kate acknowledges the struggle of returning to a book she had started writing at 15, joking that “Float was my teenage years.” Kate also acknowledges that the book’s vulnerable aspect has driven its success, saying, “We're all imperfect. We all have moments of vulnerability. And if you try to make your characters too good or too polished or too perfect, they don't resonate in the same way.”
Float, imperfections and all, is a fun young adult romance that follows a high school student named Waverly as she spends the summer with her aunt in Florida and falls for her neighbor in the process. Kate describes the novel as “nothing special” despite its success, as it follows a reasonably common romance trope. Readers disagreed, given that numerous publishing deals and even a movie deal began rolling in once the book was published.
Even before Float was in print, Kate had already begun to work on her second novel, Whistleblower, which centers around her years as a student at USC. The book focuses more on illuminating issues that mattered to Kate, given all she had experienced there. However, it wasn’t until she was laid off from her corporate job at a start-up (what she describes as her “first big girl post-college job”) that she had time to reflect on her college years and begin writing the novel.
Whistleblower follows Laurel, a college student who uncovers a scandal involving the school’s football coach even while attempting to stay out of the spotlight. When the quarterback, Bodie, tries to prevent her from publishing an article, an unlikely romance blossoms. Kate was inspired to write this book based on the problems she recognized at such prestigious universities, especially wanting to draw attention to the fact that “we have systems of power that have often been abused.” This book was also met with approval from readers, even with Kate describing it as slightly less marketable than her first novel. After Whistleblower came out and Float was offered a movie deal, Kate finally had the opportunity to become a full-time writer. She transitioned
to writing more adult romances under a pen name, describing it as “a natural next step” after wanting to move away from the diary-like aspect of her first two books. She plans to continue writing for the foreseeable future.
KATE CREDITS HEAD-ROYCE FOR ENCOURAGING HER TO BECOME WELL-ROUNDED AND DISCOVER HER PASSION FOR WRITING.
She advises any artist to continue to be creative and not worry about the stress of appealing to the larger market, given that she struggled with “finding something that's gonna sell but that [I’m] also really
interested in.” Her advice for future writers is to “keep your eyes open. If you can find a community, do that.” Even though she sometimes found it difficult to find a community at Head-Royce, Kate now appreciates the value of those connections later in life. Above all, her passion for writing, which may not have been as clear to her during her high school years, has carried through to an outstanding career as an author. From the computer lab of Head-Royce to a full-feature film and millions of reads online, Kate Marchant has transformed her writing into stories that have inspired other writers, opened up doors, and allowed her to share her experience with the larger community.
ALUMNI EVENTS
INTERSESSION
Author Kristen Louis ’01 hosted a two-day writing workshop during the Upper School Intersession.
VALENTINE'S CARE PACKAGE
Class of 2023 parents and guardians reunited for the annual Valentine’s care package packing event for last year’s graduates.
SENIOR PROJECT ALUMNI PANEL
Several alumni spoke with this year’s seniors both on Zoom and in person to help them launch their senior projects.
CAROLINE KIM '20
Caroline Kim ’20 guest-taught an Upper School Dance Production Honors class.
YOUNG FEMINIST SOCIETY
Naomi Shatz ’00 spoke during a Middle School assembly as a guest of the Young Feminist Society about her work as an anti-discrimination attorney.
NIA SPEAKER OF COLOR
ESPN journalist Kendra Andrews ’15 spent two days on campus speaking with students prior to headlining this year's Nia Speaker of Color event, which brought parents, alumni, and some of the Nia founding members to campus.
MENTAL HEALH ADULTING 101
Sara Buckelew ’88 and Jenny Louie ’00—both mental health professionals—spoke at an Upper School Assembly on the importance of mental health and shared strategies for managing stress. They were joined by mental health therapist, Joshua Crum, and student Ella K. ’26 who organized the panel.
MEAN GIRLS PRE-RECEPTION
Alumni attended a special reception prior to the final performance of our spring musical, Mean Girls.
STOLE CEREMONY
Alumni presented Black, Latine, and Hispanic members of the Class of 2024 with graduation stoles at a dinner the week before commencement.
Over 140 alumni, faculty, and guests attended this year’s Alumni Weekend and Reunion. They had the opportunity to reconnect over two days of events including: classroom tours, lunch with students, and a reunion luncheon. They also attended a Tuffy Tailgate at a Varsity baseball game vs. College Prep; enjoyed a cocktail reception and an affinity group brunch; and toured the new South Campus, which is currently under construction.
HEAD-ROYCE ALUMNI
REUNION WEEKEND | APRIL 26-27, 2024
ALUMNI NOTES
Divani Nadaraja 99
On May 1, 2023, Divani was appointed by the Virginia General Assembly to serve as a judge in the Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (JDR) of the Commonwealth of Virginia. In doing so, she became the first Sri Lankan-American female judge (and only the second total) in the entire country. As a JDR judge, she presides over some of the toughest issues, both criminal and civil, facing families today. She shares that serving as a judge in Fairfax County—the largest county in Virginia— has been the honor of her lifetime.
Divani is grateful to have spent her formative years at Head-Royce.
Njeri Kamau-Devers 12
Njeri Kamau-Devers first discovered her passion for Mandarin Chinese language at Head-Royce School where as a freshman, she was awarded the Global Studies scholarship to travel to China and Thailand. Afterwards, she began studying Mandarin as a sophomore in high school, advancing to the AP level and winning the World Languages Senior Award for Mandarin Chinese. She continued her Chinese studies at University of California, Berkeley where she graduated as valedictorian of her class in 2016. Since then, she has founded Little Sheep Chinese Learning Center, an Afrocentric Mandarin Chinese program offering private tutoring, Saturday School, and summer camp to children and youth in the Bay Area. Through hands-on indoor and outdoor activities, she provides kids a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in Chinese language and culture while also learning geography and cultures of the African Diaspora. She encourages parents interested in Mandarin for their children to check out her website, littlesheepchinese.com.
Rory Chipman 13
Rory welcomed her second son, Indy Robert Eier, at home in northern Virginia in May of 2023. Rory is pictured here with her partner, Gaven Eier— holding the baby—and their firstborn, Wilder Eier.
Andrea Januta 10
Andrea Januta ’10 is a Ukraine-based reporter for the Kyiv Independent She previously spent six years as an investigative reporter with Reuters in New York, where her work gained her a Pulitzer Prize and several other awards. One series of articles led to multiple federal investigations, congressional hearings, and new legislation. After graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor's in math and economics from Yale University and before receiving her master’s in journalism at Columbia, she was a financial data analyst at the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Shana Tarter 84 and Nicole Duritz 84
Shana Tarter ’84 and Nicole Duritz ’84 recently reconnected at the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health's annual meeting in Arlington, Virginia. Nicole serves as the Consortium's Director of Programs, Outreach, and Strategy and Shana is now the Managing Director of the University of Colorado School of Medicine's Diploma in Climate Medicine. After one of their early emails regarding the annual meeting, Nicole ventured to ask whether Shana had attended Head-Royce and the connection was made after 40 years!
Jeannine Hull Herron 53
Since 2017, Jeannine Hull Herron ’53, a research neuropsychologist, has been training pre-K teachers in Mississippi, providing a literacy coach, and working with teachers in 22 classes to provide efficient literacy instruction. By providing effective instruction early, her mission is to prevent the difficulties every two out of three American children are experiencing in reading at grade level. In February, she accompanied the maker of the film "Maestra" to Cuba to meet with a few of the 100,000 volunteers who (in 1961 when they were teens) left their middle class urban homes, went into every corner of Cuba to live with rural families for a year and teach them to read and write. The volunteers she met all reported that it was the most significant and meaningful year of their lives. Jeannine is hoping to spark a similar movement in Mississippi and California where almost 30% of adults are not literate.
Bridget Roser 84
I thought I would just send a message to my fellow classmates in Class of ’84. I can’t believe it was over 40 years ago that I was an American Field Study (AFS) student who had the opportunity to spend a year living in Berkeley and studying at Head-Royce. Fun memories! I am so glad to still be in contact with some of you and especially Katherine Rowlands, my AFS host sister. I am currently living in Melbourne, Australia with my husband and three adult children. I work in sales for an American company, The Shepherd Color Company. When not at work, I volunteer at Bayside Cricket Club and in particular keep score for my son’s cricket team.
Janice Perkins Putney ’45
Janice Perkins Putney passed away on November 16, 2023. Janice was born in Oakland, California, the daughter of Talcott Amzi Perkins and Alice Williams of Piedmont, California and was preceded in death by her younger brother, Ed Perkins. Janice was the wife of the late Bruce Wood Putney and the mother of the late Claudia Putney. She is survived by her twin sons, Duncan B. Putney and his fiancé Chelsea LeBeau, and Lt. Colonel Douglas R. Putney (United States Air Force, retired) and his wife, Amy Poole.
Jan studied business at the University of Oregon and was a flight attendant for United Airlines. She was one of the original stewardesses that opened United’s Boston base in the 1950s where she met her future husband, Bruce, a pilot for Eastern Airlines.
She raised her children in Lynnfield, Massachusetts before moving to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire with her husband after his retirement in 1985. She and Bruce were longtime volunteers for the Huggins Hospital Fair and at the Wright Museum of WWII in Wolfeboro.
I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all.
- In Canto XXVII In Memorium AHH, Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1850
The hills are shadows, and they flow
From form to form, and nothing stands; They melt like mist, the solid lands, Like clouds they shape themselves and go.
- In Canto
Susan Job Urdan ’59
Sue passed away peacefully November 19, 2022 surrounded by family in Peoria, Arizona. Sue was a student leader of her class at Anna Head School and was the first American Field Study Intercultural Programs (AFS) student to represent Anna Head in their summer program abroad in Marseilles, France.
During her long and successful career she worked for ABC (KGO) from 1974-1986 as Advertising Manager in the Promotion Department and was the Event Manager for the U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco from 1986-1987.
She also worked as a Facilities and Events Manager for both Williams Sonoma from 1988-1992 and Super Cuts from 1993-1998. She finished up her career as Facilities Manager for Pillsbury Winthrop LLC in San Francisco from 1998-2004 before she and her husband Richard retired to Arizona.
Sue was always surrounded by family and friends that adored her loving spirit. She was active in bridge, cycling, tennis, and pickleball and loved beating all comers at the card game, Spite and Malice. She especially loved family reunions at Lake Tahoe. She adored her family as family was everything for her.
Sue is survived by her husband of 54 years, Richard Urdan and sons Trace (’83) and Alan (’88); five grandchildren, including Whit, Katie, Colly, Morgan, and Michael; brother Steve Job and sister Sally Job Panawek (’69); five nieces and nephews, and six great nieces and nephews.
Her strong legacy and dynamic, fun-loving spirit will be carried on in her family’s hearts.
CXXIII In Memorium AHH, Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1850
IN MEMORIUM Alumni Joan Acocella ’62
By Richard Sandomir for the New York Times
Joan Acocella, a cultural critic whose elegant, erudite essays about dance and literature appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books for more than four decades, died at her home in Manhattan. She was 78.
Her son, Bartholomew Acocella, said the cause was cancer.
Ms. Acocella (pronounced ack-ah-CHELL-uh) wrote deeply about dancers and choreographers, including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Suzanne Farrell and George Balanchine. She scrutinized the vicissitudes of the New York City Ballet as well as the feats of the ballroomdancing pros and celebrity oafs of the popular TV series “Dancing With the Stars.”’
She was The New Yorker’s dance critic from 1998 to 2019 and freelanced for The Review for 33 years. Her final articles for The Review were a twopart commentary in May on the biography “Mr. B: George Balanchine’s 20th Century,” by Jennifer Homans, her successor as The New Yorker’s dance critic.
Ms. Acocella accompanied Mr. Baryshnikov to his birthplace, Riga, Latvia, for his first performances anywhere in the former Soviet Union since he defected in 1974 while on tour in Canada.
Dancing Twyla Tharp’s “Pergolesi” at the Latvian National Opera, Mr. Baryshnikov “gave them
double barrel turns, he gave them the triple pirouettes in attitude (and then he switched to the other leg and did two more),”
Ms. Acocella wrote in The New Yorker in 1998. “He rose like a piston; he landed like a lark. He took off like Jerry Lee Lewis; he finished like Jane Austen. From ledge to ledge of the dance he leapt, sure-footed, unmindful, a man in love.”
Ms. Acocella was often trying to determine what made artists like Mr. Baryshnikov so successful. It was a search that began when she moved to New York City with her husband, Nicholas Acocella, in 1968 and became friendly with a group of young artists who awed her.
“What will they become?” she recalled thinking about their futures, as she wrote in the introduction to her book “Twenty-Eight Artists and Two Saints” (2007), a collection of essays and reviews.
“There are many brilliant artists — they are born every day — but those who end up having sustained artistic careers are not necessarily the most gifted,” she wrote. Rather, she added they were “the ones who combined brilliance with more homely virtues: patience, resilience, courage.”
Reviewing Ms. Acocella’s book for The New York Times, the novelist Kathryn Harrison described the author as a “keen and sympathetic observer of
Originally published on January 7, 2024 in the New York Times
the ways in which corrosive disappointment can strip away the veneer of culture and refinement that an immature artist typically acquires, revealing the more genuine sensitivity, the art, beneath.”
Ms. Acocella also wrote extensively about literature — often lengthy biographical dives, blended with criticism, for The New Yorker and The Review. The authors she wrote about ranged from Dante and Chaucer to Agatha Christie and Carlo Collodi, the pen name for Carlo Lorenzini, who wrote “Adventures of Pinocchio” in 1883.
After reading all of Christie’s detective novels, Ms. Acocella examined the modes of murder splattered across those 66 books.
“Now and then,” she wrote in 2010, “the victim is shot or stabbed, and poor Agnes, the one stored with the tennis racquets, had a skewer driven through her brain, but Christie favored a clean conking on the head or— her overwhelming preference — poison.”
But, she added, “Poison probably appealed to her also because it did not involve assault. Christie disliked violence.”
Joan Barbara Ross was born on April 13, 1945, in San Francisco and grew up across the bay in Oakland. Her father, Arnold, was an executive of a cement company. Her mother, Florence (Hartzell) Ross, was
“What she wrote for us,” Emily Greenhouse, the editor of The Review, said in an email, “was often mischievous and always delicious.”
a homemaker. Joan took ballet lessons as a girl.
She received a bachelor’s degree in English in 1966 from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in comparative literature in 1984 from Rutgers. Her dissertation was about how artists and intellectuals in Paris and London reacted to Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes during its first five years, from 1909 to 1914.
Soon after moving to New York City, she began attending performances of the New York City Ballet once a year. But in the late 1970s she learned that if she paid $50 to join the ballet company’s guild — and worked in the gift shop during intermission — she could see as many shows as she wanted.
“Sometimes you hear people say that Balanchine changed their lives, and it sounds like hyperbole, but such a thing can happen,” she told the quarterly Ballet Review in 2016. “Within a few years, my husband and I had separated, and I had become a dance critic.”
Through most of the 1970s Ms. Acocella was an editor and writer at Random House, where she and two other authors wrote what became a successful textbook about abnormal psychology. Several revised editions produced income for her over the next two decades.
In the 1980s, she became a senior critic at Dance Magazine. One of her early articles was about her son Bart performing as Fritz in the New York City Ballet’s “Nutcracker.” She was later the book review editor at Dance Research Journal and the lead dance critic of 7 Days, the shortlived weekly magazine. Then, in the 1990s, she wrote dance criticism for The Daily News in New York, Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
Ms. Acocella received a Guggenheim fellowship in 1993 and two years later The New Yorker hired her as a staff writer.
“There was no greater experience,” David Remnick, the magazine’s editor, said by phone, “than going to a dance performance with her and watching the occasional
urgent note being taken, and then her mouth agape with wonder, but also the occasional eye roll.”
Ms. Acocella wrote several books, including “Willa Cather and the Politics of Criticism” (2000), which grew out of an essay in The New Yorker, and “Mark Morris” (1993), about that brash, self-assured dancer and choreographer.
Reviewing the Morris book in The New York Times, John Rockwell called it a “deft blend of biography, dance history, backstage detail, and critical analysis.”
A new collection of Ms. Acocella’s writings on literature, “The Bloodied Nightgown and Other Essays,” is to be published this year.
She said that her literature and dance writing fed each other.
“I’ve written most about 19th and early 20th century literature, and boy, did those people have stories,” she said in an interview with The Review. “But ballet, Continued on next page
because it is fundamentally abstract, taught me to stay close to style and tone, and not always to be so intent on the story. Conversely, literature taught me to be concerned about the moral life, in dance, too — how people behave toward one another, and what they take from and give to one another.”
In addition to her son, Ms. Acocella is survived by her partner, Noël Carroll; two grandchildren; a sister, Victoria Aguilar; and a brother, Mark Ross. Her marriage to Mr. Acocella ended in divorce.
In 2008, Ms. Acocella took temporary leave of ballet, tap, and modern dance to examine “Dancing With the Stars,” the hit ballroom dance competition that pairs professional dancers with non-dancer celebrities.
“I don’t know why they’re up there, dragging those klutzes around — the pay must be good — but when you watch them dancing with nonprofessionals, you will see what makes a person a dancer,” she wrote in The New Yorker. “Contrary to widespread belief, the main difference is not in the feet but in the upper body — the neck, the shoulders, the arms, which are stiff in the amateur and relaxed and eloquent in the professional.”
One of those nonprofessionals, the tennis player Monica Seles, caught her eye.
“Poor Monica Seles,” she wrote, “with every step she took, ended in a position that no human being has ever willingly assumed. She was eliminated in the first round.”
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Amanda Bryan ’75
Amanda passed away on December 25, 2023. A fifthgeneration descendant of two California pioneers, Faxon Dean Atherton and Colonel Edward Engle Eyre. Her grandparents were Suzanne de Lenclos and Edward Eyre, and Kathryn Maxwell and Carleton Felton Bryan.
Amanda was born in Berkeley, California, grew up in nearby Piedmont, attended Wildwood School, Anna Head School, and graduated high school from Santa Catalina School in Monterey. She attended the University of Colorado, pledging Kappa Kappa Gamma, the University of California, Berkeley, and the California College of Arts and Crafts, where she ultimately received her degree in Graphic Design.
After college, she joined the Graphic Design firm of Thomas Ingalls and Associates in San Francisco, later establishing her own graphic design business.
Always interested in life, Amanda decided to pursue the family business where she enjoyed meeting and connecting with many accomplished people. To know Amanda was to know her interests. She was most
passionate about preserving and protecting the environment. She was on the board of the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the Alpine Winter Foundation, and supported many other organizations including the San Francisco S.P.C.A., the Marine Mammal Center, Canine Angels, and Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue.
Among her many wonderful qualities, Amanda had a great sense of humor. She loved a good laugh and did not hesitate to laugh at herself. In addition, high on her list of favorite activities was traveling. She enjoyed many trips with family and friends over the years, including a Semester at Sea with a college group for four months, visiting a variety of unusual places in the world.
Amanda led a happy, orderly life, accompanied by her German Shorthaired Pointers, Ollie and Stormy, with long daily walks in the Presidio, weekends at the family vineyard, where she enjoyed riding her favorite horse, Pal, and winters in the snow. After many years on ski patrol, Amanda switched to cross country, so that Ollie and Stormy could join her on her backcountry treks. Her summers were spent
at Lake Tahoe, where she biked, hiked, and swam with her dogs.
From the moment Amanda came to understand her prognosis, her overarching concern was what would become of her beloved dogs. After word got out about her situation, it was an old and dear friend that came to the rescue and offered to take them to live with him in Oregon.
Amanda was overwhelmed with the love and devotion that she received from her family and dear friends who came to see her from near and far, and expressed gratitude to everyone for being with her, and helping her through this unplanned ordeal.
She is survived by her mother, Florence Atherton Eyre Bryan; sisters, Kathryn Maxwell Bryan Hampton (Gregory), Suzanne Eyre “Suki” Bryan and Anne de Lenclos Bryan; nephew, John Maxwell Bryan Hampton (Kerri); nieces, Cary Betts Hampton and Megan Amanda Atherton Bryan; grandniece, Emily Atherton Brown Hampton; and many devoted cousins. She was predeceased by her father, John Maxwell Bryan; and her nephew, Atherton Eyre Hampton.
Michele Metz History Teacher
Where are they now?
1988-2015
Since retiring from Head-Royce in 2015, I cannot claim any daring exploits, but these years have been full of adventures. Fortunately, I have had good health and am able to walk a lot, which I love. Some of my best walks were in New Orleans where I spent a couple of COVID-19 winters and springs. Sidewalks and streets were relatively empty, and it felt more like the city in which I had grown up. I walked to and through neighborhoods that I had considered unreachable without a car or public transportation. The relative closeness and connectedness of places were thought-provoking. In more recent times, I’ve had the chance to walk in parts of the Sonoma Coast and build a familiarity with it. I delight in the results of the work of farsighted environmentalists who succeeded in preserving so much of this region’s beauty.
One of my favorite activities in retirement has been tutoring. I like working one-on-one, and tutoring
has given me a chance to work with people of all ages and learn about them. Mostly, I help with reading and writing. I began with in-person tutoring and switched over to Zoom during the pandemic. Through the wonders of this platform, it has been possible to tutor wherever I am and my students are. Over the last five years, I’ve worked with siblings in a family who have moved from Wisconsin to West Virginia and are moving next to New Jersey.
I’ve also had the joy of spending time with family and old friends. It has been great having time to make new friends, as well. Having opportunities to travel in the United States and beyond has been exciting. Standing in front of the temple of Ramses II at Abu Simbel was art history class come alive! Time to read has also been wonderful. Although my ability to bring new books home continues to exceed my ability to read them all, I am delighted to try.
2008DANCE BECOMESCLUBFADE 2000 FLASHBACK HE DATE!
FADE began as the student-led Dance Club, founded by Evan Brody ’01, in 2000, rehearsing during lunch time and performing during assemblies. In 2008, the Dance Club formally became FADE and still remains one of the most popular activities for US students.
