Holland Hall Magazine - 2014

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SPRING / SUMMER

2014

OLLAND HALL TM

www.hollandhall.org

MAGAZINE CONNECTING ALUMNI & FRIENDS

STARTS

INNOVATION

HERE Holland Hall’s 1:1 initiative boosts classroom technology Alumni making a difference through technology, products and design

HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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2013-2014 HOLLAND HALL BOARD OF TRUSTEES Roger B. Collins Board Chair

Stephanie T. Evert Parents’ Association President

Robert L. Hughes ’84 Vice Chair

Matthew S. Farris Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman

David Keglovits Board Secretary

Keith C. Goddard ’87

Charles K. Lamson Board Treasurer

Elizabeth G. Hagans Anthony S. Jezek

James F. Adelson Deana N. Johnson Britani Bowman Courtney Latta Knoblock Stephen J. Brady Rt. Rev. Dr. Edward J. Konieczny Clint E. Brumble ’93 Alumni Association President

Tammie L. Maloney

Kenneth D. Busby ’85

David B. Ragland

Rhonda Chastang

K. Michael Saliba, MD

J.W. Craft

David J. Tippeconnic

The Rev. Irving T. Cutter

Margret H. Warren ’82

ADMINISTRATION

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From the Head of School

Steve Dyer Director of the Walter Arts Center & Fine Arts

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Holland Hall Happenings

Richard Hart Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs

Henry Finch ’76 Director of Technology

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Commencement Student Address By Anthony Abimbade Oyekan ’14

Liz Anderson Director of Communication

Steve Heldebrand Athletic Director

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Class of 2014 College Acceptance List

B.J. Bess Director of Institutional Advancement

Leslie Kelly Chief Financial Officer

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New Friends By Jim Narlock

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Advancement News

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The Family History Project

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Spotlight: Sally Adams, Middle School Teacher

J.P. Culley Head of School

Joel Bicknell Head of Middle School

Olivia Martin Director of Admission & Financial Aid

Dennis Calkins Head of Upper School

The Rev. Art Scrutchins Upper School Chaplain

Brent Casey Director of College Counseling

Jo-An Vargo Head of Primary School

Holland Hall Magazine is a biannual publication. Holland Hall is an independent coeducational college preparatory school affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma serving students from 3-year-olds through 12th grade. The School shall provide equal opportunity in education and employment for all persons without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, disability, military service, sexual orientation or any other status or condition protected by applicable state or federal laws, except where a bona fide occupational qualification applies.

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School News The Collins Award for Faculty Excellence


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OLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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CONNECTING ALUMNI & FRIENDS

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Innovation Starts Here: Holland Hall’s 1:1 initiative boosts classroom technology. Alumni making a difference through technology, products and design: Trevor Snyder ’93, Cristin Moran ’92 and Kat Khosrowyar ’06

Cover photo by Shirley Sokolosky.

A Tribute to Retiring Faculty

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From the President of the Alumni Association

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Class Notes

Holland Hall Magazine welcomes letters to the editor on subjects raised within the pages of the magazine. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Please include a name, address and daytime telephone number with all correspondence.

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Alumni Reunion Weekend

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Dutch Sports Highlights

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Athletic Hall of Fame and Sports Banquet

SPRING / SUMMER

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OLLAND HALL TM

www.hollandhall.org

STARTS

Holland Hall's 1:1 initiative boosts classroom technology Alumni making a difference through technology, products and design

Holland Hall Magazine Institutional Advancement 5666 East 81st Street Tulsa, Oklahoma 74137-2099 Phone: (918) 481-1111 Fax: (918) 879-4793

ON THE COVER Innovation Starts Here: Holland Hall’s One-to-One Initiative Upper School student Manas Kommareddi ’15, Middle School student Baylor Norris ’20 and Primary School student Mollie Buffington ’26.

Questions concerning alumni, please contact Christy Utter ’92, Director of Alumni Relations at cutter@hollandhall.org.

CONNECTING ALUMNI & FRIENDS

INNOVATION

Address changes, corrections or omissions and material for publication are also welcome.

Questions concerning the magazine, please contact Liz Anderson, Director of Communication at landerson@hollandhall.org.

MAGAZINE

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Thank you to contributing photographers: Shirley Sokolosky, Miranda Caughron, Greg Spencer ’99, Kendall Griffith and many parent volunteers.

For more information about Holland Hall and the Office of Institutional Advancement, visit www.hollandhall.org. HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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From the Head of School

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have spent a fair amount of time this academic year observing the essential qualities of a Holland Hall graduate in our students. “Essential” posits that we do not aspire for our students to leave us after 12th grade merely with a sense of what the frames of mind are. Rather, we outline them as essential because we see them as the base of what’s needed from our graduates to be healthy, productive citizens, college students and family members — just good people. I am confident that all are alive and well in this year’s graduating seniors across all four dimensions of the qualities: moral, intellectual, knowledge of self and citizenship. But I sense that something is missing from the list — a set of dispositions that we desperately need more of in our profit, non-profit, government and education sectors to name a few. What of the need for the constellation of dispositions that leads to what many call the entrepreneurial mindset? Defining a problem — one of the world’s great needs — and working doggedly individually, or with a team, to solve it would set our students on a path toward the definition of vocation offered to us by the Presbyterian minister, Frederick Buechner: “A vocation is where your great joy meets the world’s great need.” Enter this edition of Holland Hall magazine. Within these pages, you will find myriad examples of alumni who have embodied this mindset to help focus on some of the world’s great needs. You will also read about our inaugural class of recipients of the Collins Award for Faculty Excellence — education entrepreneurs themselves. Finally, you will see renovation plans for the Barnard Commons toward a space suited for Holland Hall’s orientation to a One-to-One computing environment. We begin in the middle school this coming academic year and move to the upper school in the next. In his most recent book, The Coming Jobs War, the chairman of the Gallup organization, Jim Clifton, writes, “Leaders of countries and cities must make creating good jobs their number one mission and primary purpose because good jobs are becoming the new currency for all world leaders.” He goes on to articulate the role K-12 schools have in that endeavor, stating simply, “Kids are affected by their families and communities, but the key to confidence is the teacher.” Whatever the focus may be — innovation, entrepreneurialism or design thinking — great teachers will always be the key.

In Community,

J.P. Culley Head of School

@HollandHallHOS

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Holland Hall Happenings

Upper School Parent Council Hospitality Team: Cassie Gross, Sharon Campbell, Mendi Dunn and Beth Lieser Goddard ’86

First Grade Reptile Day: Megan Bare ’25 and Fiona Mackin ’25

Second Grade Father’s Day Coffee: Nikhil Vaidya ’26, Ashwini and Atul Vaidya and Mira Vaidya ’24

Dutch Weekend: Blair Dieterlen ’17 and Anna Albright ’17

Third Grade Land Run: Nicole Peevy ’23 and Delaney Bicknell ’23

BEAR Night: Josie Shingleton ’22

Wedding of Q&U: Harper May ’26 and Emerson Van Valkenburg ’26

First Grade Ocean Play: Sanford ’93 and Melissa Roberds and Lauren Roberds ’25

Middle School Spelling Bee: (Back) Kathleen Nile, John Marshall and J.P. Culley (Front) Erin Cambern, Kevin James ’18, Jack Grossman ’18 and Julie Howell

Senior Dinner: Bryonia Liggins ’14 and Kimothy DeCambre

Sue T. Lawson Visiting Illustrator Author Program: Beverly Anderson, Ordination: The Reverend Arthur Scrutchins was ordained a priest on Paul Bowman, author Emily Jenkins, Britani Bowman and Matt Christian May 19 by The Right Reverend Dr. Edward J. Konieczny, who served as Celebrant.

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Holland Hall Class of 2014

Commencement Student Address by Anthony Abimbade Oyekan ’14 Good evening. It’s my honor and privilege to stand before you today and relay my thoughts on my group, the Class of 2014.

paper. We are backed by an amazing support system of teachers, family and friends, many of whom are present tonight.

At the beginning of the school year, we were asked to describe ourselves as a class. We all thought we are influential and constantly aspiring to be positive role models. We also thought we are competitive and growing towards becoming more supportive.

Reaching this commencement ceremony is a huge achievement. It’s a testament to the hard work, dedication and focus of the students who reach this point. Now don’t get me wrong, we definitely fell astray sometimes. We pushed our administration’s buttons with class cuts, tardies, dress code violations and oh so much more.

While I agree with those statements, I think there’s something important we left out. We are a group of strong-minded individuals prepared for the obstacles of the future. I strongly believe that we are a very special group whose achievements cannot be tamed by a couple of words on a piece of

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We tried everything to get under everybody’s skin. We tried to move the commons to the football field, which failed. We tried to have a proper senior skip day, also failed. Some of us even considered releasing crickets into the school. Really? Crickets...it didn’t work out.

But understand that 32 members of the class of 2014 are Lifers and after 18 years of being stuck in this group, senior year seemed like a good time to start a rebellion. During our junior year, we were all required to take a notorious class called American Studies. While the miserable days of taking this class are long gone, the concepts and memories still linger with most of us on a daily basis. I personally resent hearing the words “integration essay”, I can never look at cows the same way after reading the book Beloved, and I find myself thinking of ways that my group could’ve outfoxed the other groups in the frontier game. But most importantly, what we all took away most from American Studies is a critical and analytical lens of the world around us.

One of the key concepts studied in the class is the conflict between the individual and the group. The general idea is that individuals with their own aspirations have no desire to be a part of a larger group. While seeking to separate themselves, they lose sight of some of the benefits of being part of the group. Now I don’t want to aggravate anybody’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but I believe the topic dealing with the conflict between the individual and the group is very applicable to our class. From day one in primary school, we are taught to be unselfish. We sing songs which encourage everybody do their share in order to achieve a common goal. A group of young children are


packed together and taught how to work together. Bonds are formed and all is good in the world. After stressing out the primary school teachers for a few years, the bridge crossing takes place and a new era begins in the middle school. The bonds we formed in the primary school still hold strong, but middle school is the time when individual personalities begin to show. We get more competitive and sometimes people get testy in competitions like the paper airplane toss and the hot-air balloon launch. And it just so happened to be that our class was the first to begin competitive sports in the 6th grade; a year sooner than previous classes. I was lucky enough to come to Holland Hall during the 6th grade. Bonds had already been formed, but the lessons learned in previous years about the inclusion of others allowed me to form friendships within this tight-knit group. Some of my best friends today stem from the friendships created on my first day. We concluded middle school as bubbling individuals still stuck in this group, we were told tales of a mysterious land called the upper school where individuals are allowed to roam free and pursue their own desires. This included the freedom to chew gum, and trust me at the time it was a big deal that we could chew gum in school. With hormones pumping wild and competition at an all time high everyone was so excited to begin their own life in the upper school. We

thought we were free from one another. This is the point when we started to lose sight of the benefit of being part of a group. As you may imagine, when we reached the upper school, everybody scattered and tried to find their own way. People turned into artists, athletes, scholars, musicians and a mix of everything in between. But what we didn’t realize was that the same sense of community and group bonding which we experienced in our younger years was still taking place just in a different form.

All of these tasks can’t be completed by individuals. They require the help of a group, a community. We suddenly realize that there is a large benefit in being part of a group. Holland Hall has a strong sense of community. It’s not the walls or the architecture which make this place special. Remodelling the commons won’t boost the test scores of the students or make us better people. It’s the people who fill the halls that make the school special. The faculty, staff, students, parents, and everyone involved in this

“It’s the people who fill the halls that make the school special. The faculty, staff, students, parents and everyone involved in this school come from a different background and carry different perspectives. This enriches the culture of the school and cannot be duplicated elsewhere.”

As freshmen we were required to go on a camping trip through the Ouachita Mountains, where we learn how to hop boulders, cook our own food and we developed friendships which still last until today. It’s a group bonding activity, and we didn’t even realize it because we are having so much fun. At the end of freshman year, we think we’re done with the silly group bonding activities from our younger years. Over the next couple of years we realize that isn’t the case: Group studies, orchestras, ensembles, competitive sports, choir, band, clubs, the list goes on.

school come from a different background and carry different perspectives. This enriches the culture of the school and cannot be duplicated elsewhere. As we are allowed to interact with these people in the upper school, their personalities, quirks, and way of thinking begin to rub off on us. I wouldn’t say such a weird phrase like “Biscuits and Gravy” if it weren’t for all the years that I spent with Coach Thompson. And I probably wouldn’t care much for goldfish if it weren’t for all the time I spent with my buddy Pierce. An individual is shaped by the people that surround

them. They say “show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.” I can assure you that this group has a bright future. Looking back at the past couple of years, we truly have grown. While our individual personalities have blossomed, our bonds as a group have also strengthened. We don’t all do the same things just because. There is room for discussion, ideas and innovations. While the administration may have thought our pranks were personal, they really should take pride in realizing that their input has created a group of thoughtful, energetic and strong minded individuals who still want to put crickets in the commons. We finally made it. The fact that every member of the class of 2014 has plans beyond Holland Hall is an incredible feat. We take for granted how driven and self motivated we are as students. We’ve put in the time and energy as individuals. But we should NEVER forget the larger group that we are a part of. We are never alone, and we will never make it on our own. I hope that the relationships built between this class and the people we’ve interacted with never disappear. And as we embark on our individual journeys to our new destinations, I hope the strings which tie us to Holland Hall as a group never break and the individuals of the class of 2014 can always call one another “Friend”. Thank You.

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34% of senior class are Lifers (Entered Holland Hall in preschool, kindergarten or first grade)

80% admitted to their first choice college

Congratulations, Class of 2014! 8


84% of the top half of the class was admitted to a top 25 school as defined by U.S. News & World Report.

Matriculated to 52 different colleges and universities in 19 states and Washington, D.C.

More than 68% of the class has been offered merit or talent based scholarships totaling more than $7.6 million 9 Legacies (Members of the Class of 2014 whose parents are also graduates of Holland Hall)

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Holland Hall Class of 2014

Class of 2014 College Acceptances Allegheny College

Howard University

Trinity University

American University

Indiana University

Tufts University

Arizona State University

Ithaca College

Tulane University

Auburn University

John Brown University

University of Alabama

Austin College

Kenyon College

University of Arizona

Baylor University

Knox College

University of Arkansas

Belmont University

Langston University

University of California at Santa Barbara

Bethany College

Liberty University

University of California at Santa Cruz

Birmingham Southern College

Lindenwood University

University of California at San Diego

Boston College

Loyola Marymount University

University of Central Oklahoma

Boston University

Loyola University Chicago

University of Chicago

Brown University

Marymount Manhattan College

University of Colorado

Butler University

Marquette University

University of Denver

Carleton College

Millsaps College

University of Georgia

Carroll College

Missouri State University

University of Houston

Case Western Reserve University

Missouri University of Science & Technology

University of Illinois

Chapman University

Montana State University

University of Iowa

Clemson University

New York University

University of Kansas

Colby College

Northern Oklahoma College

University of Louisiana

Colorado College

Northwestern University

University of Maryland College Park

Colorado School of Mines

Oklahoma Christian University

University of Minnesota

Colorado State University

Oklahoma State University

University of Mississippi

Columbia College Chicago

Pace University

University of Missouri

Cornell University

Pepperdine University

University of Missouri at Kansas City

Creighton University

Pittsburg State University

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Davidson College

Purdue University

University of Notre Dame

DePaul University

Regis University

University of Oklahoma

DePauw University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

University of Puget Sound

Drake University

Rhodes College

University of Rochester

Duke University

Rice University

University of San Diego

Eckerd College

Rollins College

University of San Francisco

Elon University

Saint Louis University

University of South Carolina

Emerson College

Santa Clara University

University of Southern California

Emory University

Sewanee: University of the South

University of Texas

Eugene Lang College The New School

Siena College

University of Texas at Dallas

Florida Atlantic University

Southern Methodist University

University of Tulsa

Florida State University

Southern New Hampshire University

University of Washington

Fordham University

Spelman University

University of Wisconsin

Full Sail University

St. Edwards University

Vanderbilt University

Furman University

St. Olaf College

Villanova University

George Washington University

Syracuse University

Washington and Lee University

Georgetown University

Temple University

Washington University in St. Louis

Grinnell College

Texas A&M University

Western Washington University

Harding University

Texas Christian University

Westminster College

Harvard College

Texas Southern University

Worchester Polytechnic Institute

Hendrix College

Texas Tech University

Xavier University

High Point University

The King’s College

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Bold indicates colleges of choice


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“I was confident that the partnership between the kindergarten programs at Holland Hall and Tulsa Public School’s McKinley Elementary would result in the formation of many new friendships.” — Jim Narlock, Holland Hall Kindergarten Teacher

NEW FRIENDS BY JIM NARLOCK

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hen I approached the head of the primary school at Holland Hall about my idea for a partnership with another kindergarten program in Tulsa, the vision included many things. I pictured students from various cultural backgrounds, different family profiles, yet all part of the same city coming together to develop friendships through shared experiences. While I realized the vision would require collaboration and cooperation between teachers, additional planning, and most significantly an increased time commitment, I felt the friendships between students would happen naturally. As everyone involved found out, some unexpected friendships also occurred.

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Prior to beginning my career in education, I worked with abused and neglected children in various psychiatric settings in Colorado and Oklahoma. These facilities served children from all kinds of ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Looking back on my time in the psychiatric field, I felt that the most significant factor involved in children becoming friends was simply having time together. By intentionally putting children together in a safe setting, they quickly put aside differences and friendships develop. I was confident that the partnership between the kindergarten programs at Holland Hall and Tulsa Public School’s McKinley Elementary would result in the formation of many new friendships. In the fall of 2012, the six kindergarten teachers from both schools began a series of meetings to talk about how to bring the

nearly 150 students together throughout the year. The creativity, professionalism and work ethic of this group of teachers was evident in each meeting. The first activity was to share All About Me books between students through the mail. Then we planned a trip where Holland Hall kindergarten students traveled to McKinley Elementary to create leaf men based on the book Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. Both schools had collected leaves and acorns, read the book and were ready to meet for the first time. The ease at which all of the students simply started playing with each other was inspiring to watch. Children quickly and effortlessly began creating, talking and playing with each other. The remainder of the activities, field trips and video conferencing chats all resulted in an impressive display at the ease of which children can begin meaningful friendships.


This was evident throughout the school year, when teachers would often hear between planned activities, “When can we see our McKinley/Holland Hall friends again?”. “I remember one of the students telling me on our first trip to Holland Hall, ‘I am so excited, I could not sleep last night’,” said Diane Hall, McKinley Elementary kindergarten teacher. “After we returned from the trip, the same student said ‘he was excited to see his friend tomorrow’. The students were excited to show their new friends what they did in the classroom but often technology prevented this. So they patiently waited for the next physical encounter. When those times arose to meet again, the picture of the anticipation on the student’s faces was priceless.”

“I really enjoyed watching the children interact on the playground. One of my children came up and told me she was having fun with her buddy and asked if we could stay longer. Of course, she called her buddy by name and she asked with a big smile on her face.” — Annette Maple, McKinley Elementary Kindergarten Teacher

Considering their combined number of years working with children, watching the friendships form was not all that shocking to the six kindergarten teachers. The unexpected result of the partnership was the meaningful friendships forming between the teachers involved. Whether we were sitting in a planning meeting or stepping into each other’s schools, smiles and hugs were exchanged. Even though we may not have said the exact same thing as our students, we looked forward to the next time we would see our new friends as well. The vision for this partnership had come true, as we watched students spend

time together and make new friends. An even greater result may actually be the friendships between the six kindergarten teachers. Even though the six of us come from different backgrounds, we are all part of the same great city of Tulsa. Most importantly, we share the same love for educating children and making a difference in their lives. I am very thankful to these six wonderful teachers and appreciate their hard work in helping develop this partnership. I am honored to call them colleagues and friends.

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School News

Holland Hall Second Graders, Members of Girl Scout Troop 2612, Attend the White House Science Fair and Meet President Obama

Photo Susan Walsh / Associated Press

Holland Hall second graders and members of Girl Scout Troop 2612 were invited to the White House Science Fair on May 27 to present their ideas for building a flood-proof bridge to President Barack Obama. Members of the “Lego Queens” team — Avery Dodson, Natalie Hurley, Miriam Schaffer, Amber Yu, Claire Winton and Lucy Claire Sharp — created the mechanized bridge using motors and the correct gear ratios and wrote a simple computer program so the bridge retracts automatically when flood conditions are detected. The “Lego Queens” team was the only Girl Scout troop in the nation to be invited to the White House. The Girl Scout Troop 2612 is led by Holland Hall alumna and parent Suzanne Sharp Dodson ’98.

A Framework for Our Future: Strategic Plan in the Works Holland Hall is in the exciting process of developing a new Strategic Plan, which will serve as a framework to lead the school for the next five to seven years. Susan Stone, a former Holland Hall trustee and strategic planning consultant, has been retained to assist the school in the process. She’s assisted schools nationwide in establishing strategic plans and has helped Holland Hall in the past several planning cycles. This year-long, community-wide process has included numerous listening sessions and a planning workshop, with opportunities for parents, alumni, faculty and students to give their input on what they value about the school, any issues they think are currently facing the school and what external challenges the school should consider when drafting the plan. In the Fall of 2014, upon approval by the Board of Trustees, the Strategic Plan will be presented to the greater school community.

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School News Holland Hall’s Mock Trial Team Advance to Nationals Led by local attorneys Michon Hughes and Clint Hastings, Holland Hall students competed with schools across the state of Oklahoma in order to hone their public speaking skills. The Red Team competed in the state semifinals against four other schools and won, advancing to the state finals which was held at the University of Oklahoma Law School’s Bell Court Room. After defeating Clinton High School’s Gold Team, the four-year defending state champions, Holland Hall’s Red Team advanced to Nationals on May 8, and placed 14th in the nation. The Red Team: Michael Rose, Gabe Stoops, Dorothy Gay, Trey Henderson, Luke Gile, Jake Gile, Griffin McMahon and Michael Saliba The White Team: Darby Campbell, Gracie White, Sarah Marshall, TJ Givens, Morganne Garnier and Hannah Whitaker

Holland Hall Announces New Head of Upper School Holland Hall is pleased to announce that Ms. Frances Fondren will become the next Upper School Head, effective July 1, 2014. Ms. Fondren’s responsibilities will focus on the day-to-day operations of the Upper School, including professional development, faculty and student culture and parent programming. Fondren served as the Dean of Students for girls and Upper School French teacher at the highly regarded Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended Columbia University, Teachers College, where she studied at The Klingenstein Center for Independent School Education while pursuing her Ed.M. in Independent School Leadership. Fondren is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Vanderbilt University, where she earned a B.A. in French and also holds an M.A. in French from the University of California, Santa Barbara. In addition to her experience with school leadership, Ms. Fondren has been an AP French Language Exam Reader for the College Board. She has also studied abroad in both Paris and Avignon, France. Ms. Fondren has been the recipient of the Schoen Award for Faculty Excellence, Alumni Fellow for Distinguished Teaching and the Goizueta Foundation Professorship at Westminster. Holland Hall’s search for the next Upper School Head was aided by search consultant Jim Wickenden of Wickenden and Associates and the members of the Upper School Head Search Committee.

Holland Hall EPIC Club Leads Anti-Bullying, City-wide Youth Conference Holland Hall’s EPIC diversity club (Educate, Practice, Intervene, Cease) led an Anti-Bullying Youth Diversity Conference in March with nearly 60 students in attendance representing nine Tulsa area schools. Featured speaker was Ivan Reyes, co-founder of Dream Act Oklahoma, a youth led coalition affiliated with United We Dream.

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School News

Balloon Launch — A Holland Hall Tradition A Holland Hall tradition for more than 25 years, sixth grade students take their exploration into the world of density and buoyancy to another level when they launch their nine foot hot air balloons during an early morning balloon festival for students and Holland Hall families. Each team spends several weeks designing and building these marvelous creations out of only tissue paper and glue for this annual event.

Holland Hall Slam Poets Place First Runner-Up at Nationals Holland Hall’s Upper School Slam Poetry Team won Tulsa’s city-wide Louder Than a Bomb competition in February and advanced to the National Team Grudge Match Final in Chicago, placing first runner-up. At Nationals, the team had the opportunity to perform for Marc Smith, creator of the poetry slam. Team members included David Kolokolo, Amaris Taylor, Bry Liggins, Julia Hart, Liam Carey, Declan Kiely, Loren Marshall and faculty adviser Nathan Parker.

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School News

Class of 2014 “Lifers” Visit First Grade Seniors who entered Holland Hall in preschool, kindergarten or first grade are referred to as “Lifers”. This year, 32 Lifers, comprising 34 percent of the senior class, took time to visit with first graders in the Primary School and discuss some of their favorite memories from that year.

Holland Hall Sophomore only Oklahoma Student Selected to Participate in the Prestigious United States of America Mathematical Olympiad In February, 90 upper school students participated in the American Mathematical Competitions, the AMC-12 or AMC-10, considered to be one of America’s most prestigious math contests offered by the Mathematical Association of America. Sophomore Philip Hwang achieved a score of 130.5 out of 150 on the AMC10, making him the only student at Holland Hall to qualify for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), a 15-question, three-hour exam. In March, Phillip took the AIME and scored well enough to be the only student from Oklahoma to be selected to participate in the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) exam, which took place in April. The USAMO is a sixquestion, two-day, nine-hour essay/proof exam. Only the very best mathematical students in the nation are asked to participate in the Olympiad.

Middle Schoolers Win at Annual Engineering Challenge Holland Hall fourth and fifth graders competed in the Tulsa Engineering Challenge on May 7 at the Tulsa Technology Center. At the one-day event, more than 1,000 students representing 52 schools competed in events showcasing various projects from ping pong ball launchers to rubber band powered cars. See Holland Hall’s results below: Rubber Band Powered Car Elliott Andrew: 1st place, 45’5” Amie Lehman: 2nd place, 40’2” Ping Pong Ball Launcher Logan Christmas and Eli Wallace: 3rd place, 540 points Paper Airplane-Duration of Flight Jake Robinowitz: 2nd place, 6.5 seconds Hunt Heldebrand: 3rd place, 5.38 seconds Paper Airplane-Distance Thrown Holt Heldebrand: 1st place, 72’7” Taylor Zahn: 2nd place, 54’9”

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School News

Holland Hall Sixth Grade Student First Place Winner in the Duke University 4th-6th Grade Talent Search Writing Contest Holland Hall sixth grade student Marta Almazovaite has been selected as the first place winner in the sixth grade division of Duke University’s Talent Identification Program’s annual 4th-6th Grade Talent Search Writing Contest. She will receive a $250 award to celebrate her achievement and have her winning story posted on the Duke website. Marta is also an honoree among students who took the eighth-gradelevel ACT EXPLORE and will be recognized at a statewide ceremony in Oklahoma.

Holland Hall Senior Advances to National Shakespearean Monologue and Sonnet Contest Holland Hall senior Taylor Neill won the Oklahoma State Shakespearean Monologue and Sonnet Contest held at the University of Tulsa and advanced to the national contest. Neill’s nationals trip was paid for by the Tulsa chapter of the English Speaking Union. Neill comes from a family of performers, which includes her stepmother Holland Hall alumna Kelsi Snoke Neill ’92.

Eighth Graders Complete Self-Organized-Learning-Environment (SOLE) Project Holland Hall eighth grade students completed the Self-Organized-Learning-Environment (SOLE) Project. The semester-long project provided students the opportunity to create their own learning experience, accomplish a project of their choosing and then present the product of their learning to an audience of their choice. Student projects ranged from filming and editing videos, to creating social media pages, to composing music and more. “The SOLE project helped set successful learning skills in place for the students moving into the Upper School by teaching them how to define their time, a key success tool in our Upper School learning environment,” said Joel Bicknell, Head of the Middle School.

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The Collins Award for Faculty Excellence Provides New Opportuntities for Holland Hall Teachers

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he diversity of experiences Holland Hall faculty brings to the classroom enhances student experiences every day. With the new Collins Award for Faculty Excellence, faculty members are given an ongoing opportunity to take advantage of new and exciting opportunities each year. "When you invest in the life and the growth of an excellent teacher, you are really investing in the growth of all the teacher’s students and colleagues, an expanding universe of relationships,” said Roger and Francy Collins, who generously donated the Collins Family Endowment for Faculty Excellence in 2008. “Truly outstanding faculty change the lives of students, increase and augment their trajectory to lead lives full of meaning and personal accomplishment. The teacher who finds ways to connect with students, the one who continually hones the craft in ways that creates a yearning in students to know and do more is one of the most precious experiences a child can have. Our children experienced many teachers who fit this definition at Holland Hall. This gift is intended to recognize those teachers and help them continue to have a profound impact on their students and colleagues.” An outstanding teacher in each division with a personal and professional development opportunity will be chosen each year. Peernominated and voted on by Holland Hall faculty, the recipient must exude: Holland Hall’s mission of academic excellence, social responsibility, and character development; radiate a passion for teaching kids and learning and show a risk-taking, creative approach to their profession. The inaugural recipients of the award are Primary School

From left: Dr. Keri Shingleton, Roger Collins, Francy Collins, Sally Adams and Yolanda Hankins

“Truly outstanding faculty change the lives of students, increase and augment their trajectory to lead lives full of meaning and personal accomplishment.” — Roger & Francy Collins

Spanish teacher Yolanda Hankins, Middle School drama teacher Sally Adams and Upper School biology teacher Dr. Keri Shingleton. Hankins, who developed and implemented the Primary School Spanish program in 1996, will be starting her 19th year in August at Holland Hall. “As a language teacher, I know the importance of including culture in my lessons,” said Hankins. “I was born and raised in Mexico, so the Mexican culture is part of who I am. The Collins Award for Faculty Excellence will provide me with the opportunity to experience the cultures of other Spanish speaking countries. I am excited to become a more knowledgeable teacher after visiting a couple of the vast Spanish speaking countries in the world. I am already thinking of the new units I will be

incorporating to the program I initiated 18 years ago.” Shingleton just completed her ninth year at Holland Hall and teaches Biology, Microbes and Genetics; and will add a course in Design and Innovation next year. “Since teaching at Holland Hall, I have become increasingly interested and specialized in microbiology and genomics,” said Shingleton. “This summer’s adventures will bring me back to my field biology roots, and refresh my understanding of ecological systems. Furthermore, it will introduce me to ecological systems I know very little about. I hope to bring this new perspective back to my classroom, allowing me to connect more with the students who are most naturally interested in ecology.” Adams has been teaching in the Middle School for eight years and has also spent time teaching Drama in the Upper School. As a drama teacher, she thinks of herself as a teacher of storytelling, while also working with students on video and performance writing. “I plan to travel with my family on a theatre trip to New York,” said Adams. “It is one of the very best theatre seasons in many good years and I would like to see plays with people I love, who happen to love plays. I anticipate spending our time in the theatre district with show tickets constantly in hand. There are too many shows to see, but with this award, I will make a valiant attempt to see as many as I possibly can. My students will definitely enjoy a new and reinvigorated me.”

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Advancement News

Schureman Circle: Evening of the Arts Donor Recognition Event The 3rd annual Schureman Circle donor recognition party honored more than 260 leadership donors on April 10, 2014 in the Walter Arts Center. Schureman Circle members are those dedicated parents, grandparents, alumni, faculty and friends of the school who give $1,000 or more in a fiscal year to the Holland Hall Annual Fund. The evening included musical performances from all choral groups, band and strings performances, a slam poetry reading from senior David Kolokolo and 3-D ceramic art from all divisions. Director of Institutional Advancement B.J. Bess thanked donors for their generous support and Alexa Maloney, Director of Annual Giving, recognized the 2013-2014 Annual Fund volunteers.

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1. JP Culley and Ken Busby ’85 2. Molly Kurtz and Kathleen Harris 3. Upper School Student David Kolokolo ’14 4. Ed and Jay Lawson and Tom and Sally Hughes 5. Jo-An Vargo, Leslie Kelly, Stephanie and Robert Byrd ’93 6. Upper School Jazz Band

WHY I

GIVE

John and Pam Lieber — Parents of Alumni Katie Lieber Grinberg ’99, Bryan Lieber ’02, Kevin Lieber ’06 “We give to the Holland Hall fund because the gift of education lasts forever. The Holland Hall education equips students with all the tools they need to succeed. We truly believe that the education our children received at Holland Hall was exceptional, and we want to see other students blossom in the same environment.”

Annual Fund Thank You Video We can’t say enough how thankful we are for your support! Simply download the free mobile app and scan the QR code below with your smart phone to watch. Or visit the school’s YouTube channel (youtube. com/hollandhall) or visit www.hollandhall.org.

Annual Fund 2014 Participation Percentages Trustees:................................................100% Alumni Association Board:..................92% Parents’ Association Board:...............100% Faculty & Staff:......................................99% Parents:...................................................63% Grandparents:........................................15% Alumni:...................................................10% Parents of Alumni:...............................13%

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Help our students discover their place A N N U A L F U N D in the world. A N N U A L F U N D www.hollandhall.org/give | 918.481.1111 HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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Advancement News Annual Fund Surpasses Goal, Most Raised in School History

Thank You To Our Annual Fund Volunteers

Supporters of the Holland Hall Annual Fund not only surpassed the $1.3 million fundraising goal for the year, but also raised more than $1.35 million, the highest amount in school history. The Annual Fund is the school’s most important fundraiser, supporting everything from faculty salaries and college counseling to arts funding, athletic programs, financial aid and many unique learning experiences for students and teachers.

Schureman Circle Chair Beth Lieser Goddard ’86

The Holland Hall Annual Fund was established in 1966 by the Board of Trustees in order to balance the operating budget and manage rising tuition costs. The 1967 annual report published a total of 77 donors giving a total of $69,138.

Grandparent Chairs Randall & Shirley Pogue David & Lynda Tippeconnic

Parent Co-Chairs Mendi Dunn, Jessica Farmer, Steve Nall, Nancy Roberts, Christy Zahn

Alumni Chair Joey Wignarajah ’00 Parent of Alumni Chair Kathleen Harris

n i o u e n R Challenge

Class of 2017 Wins Grade Challenge Second Year in a Row They’ve done it again! The ninth grade class won the Annual Fund Grade Challenge with 87 percent participation. The students were rewarded a free dress day on Friday, May 16 and enjoyed an ice cream treat during lunch with their parents.

Back row from left: Michael O’Bannon, Jack Wolfe, Lance Ellis, Kent Schobe, Keenan Barnard, Russanne Solomon, Steve Williamson, Niente Smith, Christi Tucker, Donna Godkins, Susie Gilbert, Sue Barnett, and John Williams. Middle row from left: Vandelia Graham, Tina Rollins, Gay Parrish, Pam Vigil, Sarah Senger, Gloria McQuade, and Jo Ann Mazzarella. Front row from left: Kathy McHugh, Claudia Doyle, and Alene Langsdorf.

Class of 1964 Wins Reunion Challenge Congratulations to the Class of 1964 for celebrating their 50th class reunion and for raising $15,550 and winning the Annual Fund Reunion Challenge!

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Holland Hall Book Fair: A Tulsa Tradition! The 54th Holland Hall Book Fair kicked off with more than 150 people attending the Preview Party on February 21 and thousands of people from all over the Tulsa region attending the annual community event on February 22. Special thanks to Heather Snoke Pohl ’89 and the Book Fair committee and volunteers for their hard work and dedication. With the support from our alumni, parents, students, faculty, grandparents and friends, the event raised nearly $40,000 for the school.

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the

Family History Project

Every family has its stories

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For the past 18 years, Middle School teacher Mark Johnson has required his students to preserve family memories. The seventh grade English assignment places students firmly into the interviewer seat and challenges them to talk with at least one grandparent and find a family story they’ve never heard before. Students develop their listening skills as they hear amazing tales. “Many of the family histories have been incredible,” says Johnson, remembering stories about a grandfather who flew with the Tuskegee Airmen, a grandfather who was on four ships sunk during World War II, and a grandmother who saw “bigfoot” hanging off the side of bridge when she was 12-years-old. Seventh graders during the 2013-14 school year uncovered treasures as they pursued a project that has become a Holland Hall tradition. What follows are three of them, retold by their student authors.

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DeAnna Stout’s Story: Retold by Granddaughter Claire Sherburn ’19

Hopalong Cassidy and Topper I was a rather adventurous 13-year-old. Horses and animals had been my passion since I was a little girl. I took advantage of living across from the Tulsa Fairgrounds, and it sparked my passion for animals, especially horses. I chuckled as I walked out the front door and onto the sidewalk, feeling extremely proud of myself. Although I had just lied to my dear sweet mother, I was rather impressed I had pulled off my little scheme. Mama thought I was on my way to my Campfire Girls meeting, which I walked to every Saturday afternoon. I would have been, but I told our leader, Mrs. Jones, that I was going shoe shopping with my mother. Then, both of them would think I was with the other, and there would be no suspicion. I approached the back doors of the barn building in the fairgrounds. My favorite smells filled the air; the smells most folks find disgusting, animal products mixed with the smell of dried hay and molded carrots. I carefully slid my young and skinny body through the opening in the picket fence to get to the barn doors. I took a peek through a crack in the door. I was absolutely starstruck. There stood some of the most famous people and animals I had ever seen. I watched and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was staring straight at Hopalong Cassidy and Topper, the biggest celebrities in my life at that point. I waited for the right moment to sneak in through that crack, and it finally came. Mr. Cassidy turned his back and then, he left Topper, his beautiful horse, and walked towards

the feed shelf. This was my chance. I slipped through the door like a serpent through the sea and headed towards Topper. He was the most beautiful horse I had ever seen. I stroked his pink nose for two hours. I was thankful when Mr. Cassidy returned with some hay for Topper, and didn’t make me leave. In fact, he let me put some hay in Topper’s trough. I stayed with that horse for several more hours. I knew then and there that I adored horses, and to me, they were the most incredible animals ever known. Finally, I caught a glimpse out the door at the setting sun. My Campfire Girls meeting would obviously be over, and I knew Mama would catch me lying to her. That wouldn’t have been pleasant. I winced at the thought of never getting to see Topper again, but I said my goodbyes to the lovely horse and Mr. Cassidy, and slipped back through the crack in the door. I was thankful for that afternoon as I walked home, because it made me realize the love I had and have always had for horses. I walked in the front door, and there was Mama. She told me she had just gotten home from the Campfire Girls meeting, where she was going to pick me up, and found that I was not there. She got suspicious when Mrs. Jones told her I was with her, so Mama drove home and waited for me. I knew I was in a heap of trouble. The tension was as awkward as a vegetable at a meat market. But to this day, I will never forget touching Topper for the first time, and how wonderful it was to make that connection with horses, because it has stuck with me my entire life.

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Richard Herman’s Story: Retold by Granddaughter Ava Robinowitz ’19

A Chance to Play for the Yankees A dream come true, a little boys dream. To play baseball, for life, for a career, maybe an only oncein-a-lifetime chance. My Grandpa Richard got that opportunity. Richard was in his last year of college at Michigan State. He played baseball for the Spartans. One day he received a letter at his dorm. He didn’t think much of the letter when he first reached for it. He read it many times to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming. Richard was overjoyed. It was from the New York Yankees, inviting him to try out. That was his dream team! How could he turn that down? On the first day of tryouts in New York City, he was very nervous, his hands were shaking, his stomach turning. He didn’t want to mess this up. There were three days of tryouts, a process of elimination. As he walked into the Yankees locker room he had no idea of the hard decision ahead. The locker room smelled of sweat and air freshener. He knew that there would be some competition, but not this much! There were 60 or 70 standing in the locker room. These guys were trying out for the same position, second base. The first day they went over everything. Pitching, hitting, game rules, etc. Richard could not focus on anything but baseball that day. He was concerned and excited at the same time. Richard had no idea whether he would be invited back for the second day or not. There would be a list posted outside of the locker room, after the coaches made their decisions. Even though he did really well, he had butterflies in his stomach. Richard walked outside of the locker room crossing his fingers, and saw his name in big block letters, RICHARD HERMAN on a piece of paper. Finally he could relax. After that he went back to his hotel room and got ready for the second day. Once again he had a letter waiting for him in his room. This time he thought more of it. It said on the front that it was from NYU, New York University. His heart raced, he had applied to dental school recently at NYU. Richard opened it and it said that he got into dental school! But what about the Yankees, he thought? These two amazing opportunities. Which one would he chose? Richard didn’t have to give this much time at all to decide. He knew what he wanted to do. He chose dental school. Baseball was more of a hobby but dentistry was a profession. Even though both of these were his dreams and amazing opportunities. He knew that it was a long shot to get on the team, and even when he got older he would always be able to keep doing what he loved. But he didn’t even go back for the second day of tryouts. 26

Al Alley’s Story: Retold by Young Relative Ryan Martinez ’19

Logging Camp Lessons Al Alley, my sister-in-law’s grandfather, winced in pain as he was tossed from his mule onto the muddy ground of Elk Creek, Virginia. “Ouch, this really hurts. What am I going to do now?” His arm was in excruciating pain, and all of the mules that he was walking to the lake were scattered about. He now needed to round them all up. It looked as if his first day at his new job was going to be a disaster. He needed the money though! His family was in a difficult financial situation, and he needed every dime he could earn. Al lived deep in the woods at the foot of Iron Mountain. This is near the small town of Elk Creek, Virginia. He lived in a small log cabin with five older brothers and three older sisters. He was the youngest of his siblings. His log cabin had two rooms and a loft. The tiny loft is where all of his family slept. While sleeping in the loft was great on summer nights when they could see the stars through the chinks in the logs, it was terribly uncomfortable in the winter. In the winter, snow would fall onto their beds, and there were many miserable nights. The snow got through because they did not have enough money to fix the chinks in their old roof. His house was very cold, and they only had one fireplace. There was no electricity and no plumbing. The house was situated on a tiny farm. This was where they grew corn and pumpkins. Al also had to hunt on his way home from school to be able to eat every night. He lived a life of hardship and he needed to get a job early in his life. This meant leaving his education behind him. The incident that caused Al to hurt his arm happened in 1950 when Al was just 16-years-old. He got hired to work at a logging camp, and was supposed to take care of the mules and drive “grabs”. Grabs are objects such as hooks that are driven into logs for mules to pull. Altogether each worker was in charge of two to four of the mules out of the 30 mules at the logging camp. “Good morning, Al! Glad to have you as part of our team,” Al’s boss had said. “You will be going out to pull in logs for me. Make sure you keep track of those mules! It will cost me an arm and a leg if they get lost!” he added. On his first day, Al was riding on a “jack”, a male mule,

behind his small group of mules. “Ah! What a great day! I can now earn money and this is a fairly easy job!” Al thought to himself. All of a sudden, he was thrown off by his angry and stubborn mule. As he hit the dirt, the other mules that were under his charge, started wandering off in all directions! To make matters worse, his arm was limp and very weak. He needed these mules to pull in lumber. Throughout the day, Al searched tirelessly for the mules. Daylight was beginning to fade, but Al continued to search. While it was difficult, Al knew the terrain like the back of his hand. With his knowledge, Al was able to round up all of his mules and returned to his logging camp. Al learned many lessons on his first day of work. First, he learned the difference between male “jacks” and female “jennies”. While jacks are mean and aggressive, jennies are usually passive and harmless. Al made the mistake of riding a jack. He chose this mule because he thought it would be able to hold his weight, but he was wrong. Second, the mules were not responsive to him because he gave them their food before he led them to the lake. They would have drunk the water at the lake and pulled the logs back to the barn. As he walked back to the logging camp, with no logs to show, he wondered what fate awaited him. “Why are you so late?” asked his angry boss. “I am sorry, boss. My mule threw me off and I think my arm might be broken,” said Al. “Ah, you rode a jack I suppose. That is a rookie mistake,” laughed Al’s boss. Al made many mistakes at first, but gradually he learned the ropes. In the end, he was proud that he was able to help support his family. He learned an important lesson that he would never forget. He taught his grandchildren to always try hard and to never give up. If they followed this advice, success would be theirs. An example of his effort is when he went back to school and earned his degree. Al is 79-years-old now, and he still lives by the lesson he learned as a young boy growing up in the rugged mountains of Virginia.


Holland Hall Transitions

3rd Grade Bridge Crossing

Chaplain’s Corner THE REV. ARTHUR SCRUTCHINS Upper School Chaplain

Laughter is the Best Medicine We read in the book of Genesis: “God said to Abraham, I will bless Sarah and I will give you a son by her. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, ‘Shall a child be born to a man who is a 100-years-old? Shall Sarah who is 90-yearsold bear a child?’ The Lord kept his word and they gave birth to a son and named him Isaac. And Sarah said, ‘God has made laughter for me; every one who hears will laugh over me’.” There are many sounds on the campus of Holland Hall. The sound of musicians and choirs rehearsing, the sound of the morning bell that begins the school day, the sound of nature as well as the sound of leaf blowers. But for me, the most beautiful sound is the

8th Grade Closing Exercises

sound of laughter … both the laughter that explodes from our playgrounds, and the laughter from students and teachers as they live in community. If you listen, you will know that this is a celebrating place. Not too long ago, I attended a service at the Church of Santa Maria, a mission congregation in the center of the Hispanic part of Oklahoma City. Worshipping at Santa Maria was wonderful. What swept me away was the joy and celebratory nature of that worship experience. Unlike the Anglo churches I have served or attended, families stayed together at Santa Maria. Families were together from the beginning of the worship service through the after worship luncheon … there was no nursery, no children’s church. In a country that talks a lot about family values, many places segregate families when it comes to worship practices. Signage or helpful ushers will direct you to your proper place …. youth group over here …. senior group over there … toddlers over here ... singles group meets here … divorce recovery group meets in room 21. What I loved about this experience was the children’s laughter and shrieks of delight that echoed through the small worship space. The atmosphere was one of a party, a family party. And that

Commencement

attitude is reflected in the very language as well as the atmosphere. In the Episcopal tradition, the high point of the communion liturgy is when the priest holds up the bread and says these words: “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” And the people respond with the words “Therefore let us keep the feast”… And those words: “Therefore let us keep the feast” are usually said with a very low and somber tone. However, at Santa Maria the people joyously shout: “CELEBREMOS LA FIESTA!” Mark Twain said this: “The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that’s laughter because the moment it arises all our hardness yields, all our irritations and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.” When we laugh, we are living in the moment. There are no regrets about the past, no worries about the future. We are for that moment living in the “Now”. When we laugh we tell God we love this life that’s been given to us. Laughter is a thank you note to God. When we laugh we tell the world that we are not afraid of living.

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focus on arts 2013-2014 NOTABLE ARTS ACCOMPLISHMENTS Philip Hwang ’16 - 1st Place winner for both the Oklahoma State University High School Piano Competition and the Oklahoma Music Teacher Association Piano Competition. Accepted to Quartz Mountain Institute of Summer Study for 2014: Yuna Ha ’14 - violin, Lydia Jeong ’17 - violin, Savannah Smith ’14 drawing and painting. Trevor Fisher ’14 - Composer of Reflections, an original piece for string orchestra dedicated to the class of 2014, premiered at the ISAS Festival in Houston, Texas. Taylor Neill ’14 - State of Oklahoma champion of the English-Speaking Union Shakespearean Monologue and Sonnet Competition, advancing to nationals. Primary and Middle School Music • Primary School 3rd Graders sang The Star Spangled Banner for the Tulsa Oilers in January 2014. • Middle School Honor Choir performed at the University of Tulsa Lorton Performing Arts Center as a pre-program to the December Tulsa Oratorio Concert. • Middle School Honor Choir combined with St. John’s Episcopal Church for a presentation of Mass for the Children by John Rutter. • The following students participated in the Oklahoma Circle the State with Song Festival in January 2014: Micaela Atkinson ’22, Jonathan Atkinson ’20, Daniel Bowers ’20, Phoebe Beckwith ’22, Kaelyn Case ’21, Lauren Kramer ’20, Alice Milton ’22 • The following students were chosen to perform in the Southwest American Choral Directors Association Regional Honor Choirs in Little Rock, Arkansas in March 2014: Jonathan Atkinson ’20, Micaela Atkinson ’22, Annika Bartlett ’22, Kaelyn Case ’21, Dakota Christian ’16, Sierra Isaacson ’20, Ben Knoblock ’22, Lauren Kramer ’20, Breanna Lewis ’20, Alice Milton ’22, Emily Milton ’19, Erica Silas ’22 Upper School Theatre • Faculty Choice Awards from the fall play Welcome to Fourway Best Actor – Zach King ’14 Best Supporting Actor – Emily Rao ’14 Technical Contribution – JT Nelson ’14 • Faculty Choice Awards from the winter play Two Things You Don’t Talk About At Dinner Best Actor — Taylor Neill ’14 Best Supporting Actor — Blake Bovasso ’15 Technical Contribution — Emily Wilson ’14 • Rookie of the Year: Liam Carey ’16 • Above and Beyond Award: Josh Stinnett ’15 • Most Valuable Player: Shea Trombka ’15 • Best Moment Award: Evan Brooks ’14 • Tommy Layon Comedy Award: Darby Campbell ’14 • Player of the Year: Taylor Neill ’14

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Upper School Visual Arts • Participated in the Mayfest Youth Gallery at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center: Elizabeth Adelson ’16 - ceramics, Abigail Campbell ’16 - ceramics, Olivia Barnum ’15 - painting, GaYeon Hwang ’15 - painting, Natalie Miller ’15 - ceramics, Julia Parackel ’15 - painting, Mercedes Pena ’15 - ceramics, Rachel Wenger ’16 - ceramics • 2014 Oklahoma Regional Scholastic Art Awards Winners from Holland Hall - The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the most prestigious recognition and scholarship program for teenage artists and writers in the United States. Today, more than 90,000 teens in grades 7th-12th annually submit more than 185,000 works of art and writing in 28 categories. Winning students earn opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication and scholarships. Honorable Mention Lauren Eustis ’14, ceramics and glass Will Jezek ’15, photography Rosie LoVoi ’14, mixed media Dalton Nonweiler ’14, sculpture Mercedes Pena ’15, ceramics and glass Anna Schale ’16, photography Silver Key Awards Kelsey Arnold ’14, sculpture Abraham Arredondo ’15, sculpture Abigail Campbell ’16, ceramics and glass Natalie Cronk ’14, sculpture Breannua Lee ’15, ceramics and glass Micaela McGregor ’14, ceramics and glass Anna Schale ’16, photography, Gold Key Award Sam Coates ’14, ceramics and glass Upper School Band • Jazz Band - 1st place in Class 2A at the Claremore Jazz Festival • Most Valuable Musician Award: Julian Masullo ’14 and Gabe Stoops ’14 • Bill Brown Jazz Award: Michael Rose ’14 • John Phillip Sousa Outstanding Musician Award: Will Booker ’14 Upper School Choir • Omnia Sol Award: For dedication and love of singing - Emily Barton ’14 and Mark Goldberg ’14 • David Rollo Outstanding Choral Music Student: William Dudney ’14 and Jordan Vetal ’14 Upper School Orchestra • The Middle School String Ensemble made its debut this year performing at a Middle School chapel service and for the kindergarten “Q and U Wedding” • Holland Hall String Orchestra: Superior rating at the OSSAA State String Orchestra Contest • Tulsa Youth Symphony Yuna Ha ’14 - violin, Julia Hart ’14 - harp, and Lydia Jeong ’17 - violin • Superior ratings at the OSSAA State Solo/ Ensemble contest - Chase Carter ’14, Trevor Fisher ’14, Dorothy Gay ’14, Yuna Ha ’14, Mariyah Hawkins ’16, Lydia Jeong ’17, Andrew Lackey ’14, Andrew Le ’17, Gavin Perkins ’14, Michael Rose ’14, Evan Shrestha ’15, Ben Troung ’17, Lauren Troung ’15

Walter Commendation for Excellence in the Arts Senior Bryonia Liggins ’14 received the Walter Commendation for Excellence in the Arts from Head of School J.P. Culley. The Arts Department’s highest honor, the award recognizes a graduating senior who has excelled in the visual and/or performing arts and whose character serves as a standard of conduct for students within the Holland Hall arts programs. The recipient has advanced through upper level arts courses and demonstrates a passion for the arts and the creative process.

Upper School Faculty Book Awards Congratulations to the following three seniors who received the Upper School Faculty Book Awards: Trevor Fisher ’14 - music, Audrey Kurtz ’14 - theatre, Savannah Smith ’14 - visual art.

All State Orchestra Faculty Debra Morgan celebrates with Yuna Ha ’14 for receiving All State Orchestra honors from the Oklahoma Music Educators Association.


SPOTLIGHT SALLY ADAMS, HOLLAND HALL MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER Who was your biggest inspiration and when did you first get passionate about your career as an artist? I was lucky enough to be a student at Memorial High School in Tulsa when Dan Call was the Vocal Music Director. He had so much energy and really encouraged us to be great regardless of the role we played on stage or off. I still work with Dan and his wife Kathy in a children’s show called “A Year with Frog and Toad” through Tulsa Repertory Musicals. I was also fortunate enough to work with Rena Cook as a young adult doing local theatre. She was a teacher at Jenks High School at the time but she is now an author and a professor at the University of Oklahoma (my alma mater). With her thousand-watt smile, she could get anybody to take artistic risks. Rena lovingly demanded authenticity on stage. As a director, I definitely borrow my style from her. What is your fondest memory of Holland Hall (arts or otherwise)? I think my best memory to date is the opportunity Holland Hall afforded me last year when Steve Dyer and Joel Bicknell (probably against their better judgment) agreed to let me direct the show I wrote for our students. We performed Radio Kids on the Branch Theatre stage with a cast and crew of 100. I don’t have any decent words to describe the feeling of seeing those kids perform my work on that stage. What was your educational path before starting your career? I received the coveted BA in English studying mostly Shakespeare. I also had minors in theatre and French from the University

of Oklahoma. During that time I spent a summer in an exchange program with Oxford University studying the literature of the Industrial Revolution but I sneaked off to Stratford Upon Avon whenever I had the chance. Upon graduating, I found work as the Education Director with the Performing Arts Center Trust. I had a

is not at all the same as taking myself seriously. As I tell my students, “Have fun, but do the work,” and “Keep your drama on the stage.” What led you to become a teacher? After realizing that I was drawn to education as a career, a theatre-loving member of the Booker T. Washington staff saw me in a Theatre

“... good teaching includes stepping back and letting the kids do the work regardless of its imperfection.”

lot of exposure to various performing arts curricula at that time so I went to the University of Tulsa to get my teaching credentials. What was your biggest challenge/obstacle on your way to doing what you love? My biggest obstacle was the thought that theatre is not a serious subject. I have grown to realize that all arts are about telling stories. Stories hold culture together. Stories are how we define ourselves. Telling stories is the absolute most important thing we do. Without our stories life has little meaning. I have learned that taking the work seriously

Tulsa show and asked if I had ever considered teaching. The planets aligned and my first teaching job was as the drama teacher at BTW. My husband was then transferred to California where I worked in a job similar to my position at the Tulsa PAC. When I returned to Tulsa I was a Youth Director for my church when a friend suggested I apply at Holland Hall. I taught in the Upper School from 1988-1992. After my 2nd child was born, I stayed home with my babies until I began teaching at Eisenhower School in the French program where all of my children spent their

early years. Not long after that, Bert Bibens suggested I might enjoy teaching middle school and he was so right. This is my 8th year at Holland Hall in the Middle School and I love this age. How would your students describe you? My students would probably say I like to have fun but that I have limits. They also know I am a Shakespeare freak and I sing in the hallways before school (mostly show tunes). I know middle school can be a challenging time so I try to have a smile for everyone. The thing that has changed for me over the years is this: I am now old enough and confident enough to recognize that good teaching includes stepping back and letting the kids do the work regardless of its imperfection. Early on I wanted to be liked and was willing to do the learning for my students. Now I know how silly that was. It’s my job to set up the parameters, ask the engaging questions, and then, step back and watch learning happen. Sometimes it looks like nothing much is going on, but that’s where wisdom and confidence play a role. I have to keep squashing that voice in my head that wants to do it for them. What has been your most rewarding moment as a professional? Anytime a peer or one of my superiors cares what I think about education, I am so honored. I have plenty of opinions and I share them freely. But it is meaningful to have someone you admire want to know what you think. Holland Hall has turned my life as a teacher into life as a professional educator. That may sound like a fine distinction, but it excites me to work in a school with so many inspirational educators.

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Innovation

INNOVATION

STARTS HERE

Holland Hall’s 1:1 initiative boosts classroom technology. BY SHIRLEY SOKOLOSKY

How Holland Hall is thoughtfully embracing the rapidly evolving world of technology and what that means for our students.

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here are two kinds of people, says Candace Townsley, middle school technology integrationist, “Tech natives and tech immigrants.”

This comparison resonates with those of us who recognize brand names like IBM Selectric or White-Out. A native grows up in a place and takes surroundings, culture and tasks for granted. Have you seen a baby in a grocery cart lately, whizzing around on an iPad? Or a six-year-old, fingers flying on the buttons of a smartphone? They are growing up with tech as their first language, never stopping to think first about how they used to do it. That’s the rest of us, the immigrants. Sometimes we’re elated, sometimes scared, sometimes just annoyed, by our devices and what they can do for us. And when we look at the future, a course that is not yet charted, we find it hard to navigate the thoughts about the paths our children are taking. We don’t know where we’re going to end up, let alone how to get there. Holland Hall faculty are working to identify both the big questions and the answers. They’ve been at work, some of them for six years, getting ready for our most intentional launch yet — this fall’s 1:1 initiative in the middle school, putting iPads in the hands of all 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Meanwhile, exploration of many devices continues in the primary school, and upper school students will have a fresh new space for collaboration and ongoing faculty emphasis on appropriate use and citizenship.

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“Kids may say, ‘Teach us the way we learn,’ and that can mean TV plus earbuds plus laptop plus texting at the same time. They are wired differently.” — Candace Townsley, MS Technology Integrationalist

Middle School

THE RIGHT TOOL AT THE RIGHT TIME When approximately 240 sleek new iPad Airs slide out of their packaging and into the hands of middle schoolers this August, Holland Hall will enter a new era. The 1:1 idea (an identical device in the hand of every student) is not new, says Librarian Marian Dresser, but is the right idea, at the right time, for us.

from the world we grew up in,” he says. “They are bombarded daily by information. Their ability to use that information is key. What to keep? What to discard? How to categorize it? How to use it?” This, he says, was never about just

having devices. “I can throw devices into any environment,” he says, “that’s the easy part. More important is making sure students, faculty and parents are ready. That is the journey.” Dresser is pleased with the evolving nature of the library. “It is to be

“We should celebrate our rollout,” she says. “We’ve done our due diligence.” This diligence began six years ago. Joel Bicknell, middle school head, says the preparation and launch was necessary because they are preparing students for lives in a world largely informed by getting information at a pace we can’t appreciate. “Their world is fundamentally different

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Innovation

the hub of the school.” An active, moving, open friendly place, it is an ideal starting point for kids to gather information. Other interesting Marian Dresser’s work is being Favorite App: done in the computer lab where Candace Townsley offers courses such as digital creativity. She Qrafter also serves as a resource QR Code and Barcode for faculty, Reader and Generator helping teachers find tech with value, not just tech for tech’s sake and she says the available resources are changing the way teachers teach.

an Apple account to be created in their childrens’ names. Three other meetings just like this one are to be held. He shares a key piece of information. For parents who may worry about the online security of their kids, it’s the beginning of a conversation about how this all works. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a federal law that lets parents control the kind of information websites can collect from children under 13-years of age. The parents, therefore, are the official applicants for an Apple ID, the account that aligns a device with a person’s name and allows them to

grade, and an adult email address to which information can be sent to reset a password in case the password is forgotten. One dad wonders if this will work. In his experience with Apple, they will only allow an email address to have one account. Henry assures him it is ok: that this address will only be used in case of a password reset and that the actual email address of the account is a student’s school email address. The parents also submit the information on a form and turn it into the IT department. This will help the staff set up the iPads for the beginning of school so there will be less prep time

“Days of a bell rings, teacher delivers English, bell rings, teacher delivers math, are over,” she says. “We are looking at a collaborative style where teachers and students work together. Kids may say ‘Teach us the way we learn,’ she says, and that can mean TV plus earbuds plus laptop plus texting at the same time. They are wired differently.”

PARENTS GET READY Henry Finch ’76 is the director of technology for Holland Hall. On an early morning in May he stands before a group of parents, gathered in the middle school library. They are here to get a grip on the details of 1:1 and begin the online signup that will allow 32

purchase apps, music, movies, etc. This is a process that Apple has come up with and Holland Hall is to be the first in Oklahoma to participate. To begin, parents sit down at a desktop computer and enter their child’s name,

when the kids arrive and more learning time. Next, Apple sends an email saying an Apple ID has been created. Over the summer, work continues by the staff. Right before school begins, there will


Parent Resources: For parents who would

Matt Christian’s Favorite App:

like more information on students and technology, visit CommonSenseMedia.org.

Bitsboard be more meetings. Students and their parents will attend together to get started with the new devices.

Education, Games and Flashcards for Learning Reading, Spelling and More!

Primary School

the excitement that comes along with young children who are choosing books in the library.

It’s easy to think databases are a new development but Primary School Librarian Matt Christian reminds us that there have been bound volumes of periodicals for many years, microfilm and microfiche. Now, we tap into the information in a different way, one he says, that is particularly suited to

“I like using an iPad in the library,” he says. “When I’m helping kids I need to be on roller skates. We are teaching them to be independent and we want to help them with the online catalog.”

PUTS ME ON ROLLER SKATES

Christian embraces the technology and assures those who fear we are going to

throw out physical books. “I’m a fan of both,” he says. “The point is getting what you need.” Needs have driven the choice of primary school devices and Christian says students use several different kinds — smartboards, computers with touch screens, iPads, laptops and desktops — depending on their ages. “There’s a variety,” says Christian, because it’s about what teachers want to accomplish in their classrooms.” The same notion applies to the plethora of information. How do we make sense of it? Christian knows the challenge is to help kids find valuable information they can trust. “Not everything is legitimate,” he says. “We have to help them answer the questions, What do I select? What will help me?”

TEACHABLE MOMENTS As I walk into first grade back in January, something is afoot. There’s a website pulled up on Shannon McFadden’s laptop, projected onto HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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Innovation

Want to Hear The Owl Pellet Song? If you can’t find a first grader to sing it for you, go to http://tinyurl.com/owlsong

a pull-down screen. A bouncy song about owl pellets is playing, kids are singing along. In front of each student is a solid sheet of paper, tools and an owl pellet. For us novices, this is the regurgitated undigested leftovers of an owl’s meal — maybe a mouse or a vole. It sounds and looks a little disgusting so it’s perfect for first grade. Having watched an online video about how to proceed, the students are about to carefully look into the natural world, using a probe, tweezers, a magnifying glass and a bone comparison chart. It strikes me that every aspect of the classroom fits so well together. Students guided by teachers, information at eye level, music to make it fun, important work to inspire them. The laptop computer and projector help to make the setup possible. McFadden says her guiding question is whether or not the use of devices enhances teaching. And for her, a project like the pellet dissection plays perfectly into the notion of teaching critical thinking. “Critical thinking is a life skill that we practice across the curriculum,” She says. If a child asks how to spell a word, they are asked to picture that word in their heads, think about the letters and sounds and try it out. When they are stuck on a math problem, she says “We ask, ‘What do you think you need to do?’ and they will tell us what they think. In science and social studies, when the children ask a question, we usually respond with a question to them 34

to hear what they are thinking about.” McFadden says this way of engaging children keeps them thinking about their learning and questioning the way things work in the world. Wondering where a tiny skull might have come from fits that bill.

UPPER SCHOOL YOU ARE YOUR DEVICE

Manas Kommareddi, a rising upper school senior explains it this way, “Everyone uses technology and if you don’t, you’re out of the loop.” As ubiquitous a tool as you can find, most people of all ages now have a phone with them at all times. Kommareddi says it’s because he doesn’t like the feeling of not knowing

what’s going on. “Every time I take it out, I check it—my Twitter, my Instagram.” Kommareddi points to apps of choice for upper school students. Others working in the study station, under the supervision of history teacher Jamie Reichard, add two others that have usurped Facebook for young people: Vine and Snapchat. Discussion breaks out amongst the students about how important these interactions have become. “I’m probably on Vine two hours a day,” says a junior girl before she turns back to her finals notes. Later she confides she was joking but that “I’m probably on Instagram one minute, every 45 minutes.” Reichard spells out the issues facing families as they navigate a world


increasingly dominated by identities created online and the attractive distraction of a smartphone. The distraction, he thinks, lets a person be alone in a group and prevents the development of more organic relationships. “Electronic relationships are sterile.” “The communication lacks nuance. You don’t have to take into consideration that people are more

complicated than a tweet.” Reichard agrees that the notion of a well-rounded education includes the ideas of digital citizenship. There have been conversations about online behavior (Michael Berglund’s literature class held a book discussion online with aliases and were amazed by the level to which their comments sunk) and the experiment with a weekly phone fast (students were encouraged to have

phone-free days to see where more human interaction would take them). He believes we need to talk in depth about how much we value face-to-face discussions, and as a community, if we should limit device access. He hopes our students see the value of balance in their interactions. “Looking each other in the eye make us more careful about what we say.”

COLLABORATIVE SPACES Head of School J.P. Culley admires what the city of Tulsa has done with its downtown, a place to come together and share ideas. He hopes that the Commons will be a space where students increasingly socialize around great ideas and projects. The Commons is the open gathering area in the main building of the upper school and a favorite spot for many former and present students. Host to one of our most important traditions — the daily morning meeting — the improvement project intends to enhance what already happens there. While the ultimate goal is to open up into the library, the first projects beginning this summer will result in more natural light washing over increased seating for group work. The signature parquet floors will remain, with a slightly lighter finish, as will the classical light fixtures. “We will add collaborative work stations, monitor stations, really durable furniture and more traditional tables,” says Culley. “We want to bring people together to do good work together.”

Upper School students talk to designers from GH2 Architects and provide thoughts on how the new collaborative space should look.

The Commons renovations began on May 27, 2014. The project will enhance the space with more natural light and comfortable seating.

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Innovation

Dutch Design Center: Build, Design, Create If you walk into the upper school library on any day, you are likely to find a curiosity at work. On a specially made table round a corner, a see-through acrylic box with a moving apparatus is chugging away, creating a brightly colored replica of a common object. During the past year, it might have been a vase, a menorah, even a representation of a calculus equation. The amazing part? This is a three-dimensional printer, a MakerBot Replicator 2X Experimental 3D Printer, programmed by students and teachers to create objects in a new way. And as enjoyable as it is to make something that looks a little like a plastic toy, the ramifications of this are so immense. The learning that comes with such a device is a thrilling aspect. These printers take real preparation and savvy to use. “You don’t just plug and play,” says Betty Niver, upper school librarian. “You must create a design in one application. You then take that file and put it into another piece of computer software. The software converts it to another format that the printer recognizes and prints.”

1

3

2 4

That is why the students named the printer “Murphy” after Murphy’s law. What they’re really experiencing is one of the core elements of design thinking, she says, “where success involves multiple steps and usually several iterations.” These improvements over time frequently require tweaking and revision. “I have been so pleased,” says Niver, “that most of them are not frustrated. It doesn’t seem to faze them at all.” The 3D printers, one for upper school and one for middle school, were made possible by a grant from Cox Connects Foundation. The school is currently planning and working on a design center that will give students the opportunity to engage in real world, hands-on problem solving as they experiment, build, design and create. The Design Center will foster a non-traditional learning environment in which students and teachers will be able to collaborate across curriculums, incorporating science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM). Utilizing a variety of materials that lie at both extremes of the technological spectrum, students will develop meaningful STEAM skills, as they create and apply their knowledge. Projects will include designing with the 3D Printer, Lego robotics, advanced computer aided design (CAD) software and state-of-the-art prototyping or fabrication technology.

More Resources: Here is a list of recommended books on tech issues.

1. Betty Niver and Anthony Oyekan ’14 discuss a project design on the 3D printer. 2. The middle school Robo Dutch club builds Lego robots for competition. 3. Dr. Keri Shingleton shows primary school kindergartners how to use the 3D printer to create simple machines. 4. Gary Sweeney shows upper school student Ryan So ’17 the basics of metal work.

“It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens” by Danah Boyd “Critical Connection, A Practical Guide to Parenting Young Teens” by Andy Kerckhoff “Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All” by Tom Kelley and David Kelley “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character” by Paul Tough “Fostering Grit, How Do I Prepare my Students for the Real World?” by Thomas R. Hoerr

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Betty Niver’s Favorite App:

Notability Note-taker: sketch ideas, annotate documents & more

Faculty and Staff

NEW WORLD OF LEARNING A technology committee comprised of faculty and staff has been at work since fall of 2010, digging into the new world and making recommendations to school leadership. They studied Learning Management Systems (LMS) and recommended Haiku. They surveyed faculty, students and parents and put together the details of our 1:1. Delving into global communication, they saw exciting things happening in other schools, resulting in our participation in Face-to-Faith and World Malaria Day. Studies continue in all these areas plus professional

development and online learning. Marian Dresser, one of the original chairs along with now retired Upper School Teacher Doug Bromley, values the opportunity for representatives of all three branches to work together, both for planning and execution. Training for faculty has been on the front burner for months. Sessions began on iPads for teachers last December and will continue. At the end of the first round, teachers got iTunes cards to purchase apps and play with the cool things a person can do on a device, a method effectively used by kids for years.

Tech Committee Co-Chair and Upper School Librarian Betty Niver expects a change in the way teachers teach. “If you know every student has a device every day, you can do things differently,” she says. “Teachers can plan lessons in ways they couldn’t before. When students come to class with a device every day, as opposed to having to reserve or find enough technology on a class-by-class basis, it saves time and allows everyone to start in the same place. Save enough time, she says, and before you know it “you are pushing farther and deeper than you could before.”

TECH COMMITTEE 2013-14 Primary School: Matthew Christian, Jill Coulter, Paula Jackson, Shannon McFadden, Vanessa Patterson Middle School: Marian Dresser, Ruben Baldazo, Summer Hopkins, Jeanne Laidlow, John Marshall, Melissa Stirling, Candace Townsley Upper School: Betty Niver, Brent Casey, Joe Ford, Cathy Rose, Keri Shingleton, Brian Wilson ’79 HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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Innovation

FOLLOW YOUR

HEART — BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY —

DEVELOPING THE WORLD’S SMALLEST IMPLANTABLE HEART ASSIST DEVICE.

Trevor Snyder ’93, Ph.D. in Bioengineering When did you develop your passion for medicine and specifically cardiac care? I was fascinated when I heard the initial news reports of the Jarvik-7 Artificial Heart being implanted in Barney Clark in Utah in 1982. I was only eight-yearsold, but knew then, I wanted to work on artificial hearts. What do you love most about your profession? Well, right now I have really have two professions – Clinical Engineer for the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program and Vice President, Research and Development for a start-up company, called VADovations, which is developing the world’s smallest implantable heart assist device. As a Clinical Engineer, I have now helped to support well over 500 patients who have received heart assist devices or artificial hearts. Every one of those people would have died without these technologies. These patients have ranged in age from 6-months to 75-years-old. It is very rare for an engineer to be able to be involved directly in something so meaningfully impacting so many lives. As a leader of our company’s research and development efforts, I love the opportunity to apply my 15 years of clinical and research experience into the creation of what we hope will be a breakthrough technology. It really is getting to live the dream I first had when I was eight-years-old. Who were your biggest professional influences? Robert Jarvik — Obviously his namesake 38

device started me on this path. I met Dr. Jarvik in my second year in graduate school and got the opportunity to work with some of his newer devices while I was at the University of Maryland. Andrew Pollard — An undergraduate faculty mentor who greatly helped me to decide to pursue a research career in and a Ph.D. over attending medical school. Harvey Borovetz and William Wagner — My graduate advisors who gave me the opportunity to work on new heart assist devices undergoing development and testing at the University of Pittsburgh and who permitted (and encouraged me) to work as a Clinical Artificial Heart Bioengineer on nights and weekends while in graduate school. Richard Wampler — Dr. Wampler is the “godfather” of modern heart assist devices. He invented the first heart assist device that used a turbine instead of attempting to replicate the contractile function of the native heart. He is an inventor of five heart assist devices which have been implanted in over 20,000 people across the world. His idea was the genesis of the device our company is building today and having the opportunity to work with him over the past four years has been a tremendous learning experience and truly a blessing. He does not seek recognition, but he certainly deserves it. Tell us about your first big break during the process of inventing the smallest artificial heart? The first big break was really the coming together of our core team. Dr. James

Long, a world renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, came to Oklahoma City in early 2008. At the time, I was working at the University of Maryland conducting research on heart assist devices and artificial lungs, but also still working as a clinical engineer, taking call on nights and weekends. We had just had twins and, while my career was going well, I was having to neglect my family. I contacted Dr. Long about joining his team in Oklahoma and coming back home. I thought I would be giving up on developing new devices and would just work as a clinical engineer and perform some clinical research. Instead, the first week I joined Dr. Long, Dr. Wampler, and I attended a conference on heart assist devices and chance conversation led to our efforts to create the world’s smallest heart assist device. What has been your most challenging obstacle professionally? The toughest challenge is finding a balance in the device development between what can be done and what is good enough, particularly because we intend to re-define “good enough” for this field. Voltaire long ago wrote “The perfect is the enemy of the good”. What has been your favorite or most rewarding moment? In graduate school in Pittsburgh, we had a 15-year-old patient on heart assist devices. We grew pretty close and he was like a little brother to me. He got to be an honorary captain at a Pitt football game and picked me to be his “engineer” to go


with him to the game. On the field before the game, I got the Pitt cheerleading squad to surround him for a picture and he had the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face. Two months before that he had nearly died and was lifeflighted to our hospital for emergency implant of the heart assist devices. He receive a heart transplant that same year, four days before Christmas. Share with us your favorite Holland Hall memories. There are big events like winning the SPC Championship in football my junior year, but my favorite memories were the friendships I developed and the experiences we shared. How did your experiences at Holland Hall prepare you for your career as an innovator? I only attended Holland Hall for high school, but it meant that I really grew up there. I started as a quiet, kind of shy boy and left as a confident young man. Of course, I was challenged academically, but I also learned to look at things from different perspectives and to identify and set aside your own preconceived notions. I also really credit Coach David Owens and the Adams Course for helping me realize that while I would never be the most talented individual in a competition, I overcome limitations through perseverance, hard work, and dedication.

THE

SCIENCE OF

INNOVATION — TRANSFORMATIONAL PROGRAMS — DEVELOPING NEW PRODUCT PLATFORMS.

Cristin Moran ’92, Ph.D. in Chemistry

Tell us about your family. My wife Sara and I met on a blind date our sophomore year at Tulane University. We will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary in July. We have three girls, Hannah and Olivia, twins aged six, and our precocious threeyear-old, Taya. After living in Pittsburgh and Baltimore for 10 plus years, Sara and I moved to Edmond, Oklahoma in 2008. She is originally from Colorado, so now our family, including my sister Syndy Lynch ’93, are all within a day’s drive. My mother, Sydney, is a frequent visitor in between her global travels. What words of advice would you like to give to current students? Find your passion – you will most likely spend 30 plus years working and it should be something you enjoy and which offers some measure of fulfillment. However, remember your priorities in life should be faith, family and friends.

Give us a brief description about what you do at 3M? I am the Front End Innovation leader for 3M’s Health Care Business Group. In this role I am responsible for leading transformational and disruptive innovation programs, developing and teaching innovation science and methodology, and applying that to the seven divisions within the 3M Health Care Business. Through these projects our Health Care Business identifies new market opportunities and develops new product platforms. I began my career at 3M in the Corporate Research Materials Lab working in the Nanotechnology Development group. I then moved to the Stationery & Office Supplies Division (the division that owns the Post-it® and Scotch® brands) to work on finding new market spaces and developing new product platforms. I have 13 issued and 19 pending patents, as well as 13 publications and one book chapter. In addition to my real job I am currently serving as the Chair of the 3M Tech Forum, our 63-year-old internal technical society. When did you develop your passion for innovation/technology? I grew up with a theoretical particle physicist for a father, so innovation, invention and technology was all around us at all times. He would challenge us with problems on long car trips (like estimating the number of gallons of paint it took to paint the highway stripes from here to wherever we were going). The first time I remember being really interested in science and technology as a field was 4th grade science class at Holland Hall taught by Tom Clark. We had to make “lab notebooks” where we taped in articles we read about scientific things. All of my articles came from journals my father had around the house like Nature and Applied Optics! What do you love most about your profession? I get to work with smart people...really smart people...every day. It’s unbelievably exciting. I go to work thinking I could invent something each day. What I’ve learned is that you need to be confident in what you know (and stand up for it), and freely admit what you don’t know so that you listen to others. HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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Innovation

Who were your biggest professional influences? In my professional life it would be my graduate research advisor, Professor Naomi Halas. She is a brilliant physicist who started in the electrical engineering department and does cutting-edge research in physical chemistry. For many years she published under her first initial and last name so that journal reviewers didn’t realize she was female, as her field of work was (and still is) heavily male dominated. She showed me that it wasn’t important to be a “woman in science”, only a great scientist. Your work should speak for itself. Tell us about what you are doing differently than most others in your profession/how you’re ahead of the game? My job is not only to practice innovation methodology, but to evolve it. This is fairly daunting because it requires being educated in all cutting edge ideas, and meeting and learning from all of the authors of the innovation books. My boss is the R&D Vice President of 3M Health Care, and he is an expert in the frameworks and methods of effective innovation and commercialization, so working alongside him each day is very educational. We are working to understand and apply new methods to increase the commercialization effectiveness in a very large company, and this is challenging. But, 3M is such is highly innovative company that there is a fundamental culture in place already.

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What has been your most challenging obstacle professionally? Every different job I’ve had has been scary because I always jump into things that are big stretch for me. For the first few weeks or months you feel like you’re failing, until the moment you don’t. Keeping going when you’re feeling stressed and anxious and as though you’re not doing your best is crucial. You will always make it through, but not if you give up first. And simply learning to deal with politics is challenging. I think when I finally learned the reality of that ancient tale – that people who put others down or lash out at them are actually insecure – I was able to put people in perspective. Even executives of large multi-billion dollar corporations occasionally behave this way, and you can see the insecurity behind it all. It really helps to remember this. What has been your favorite or most rewarding moment professionally? My second year of grad school I was working on chemical methods to synthesize glass nanoparticles doped with rare earth ions. Doing this would make the particles luminescent which would have been interesting in combination with some of the other nano-optics experiments our group did. I was the only person in my lab group working on anything like this, so there were no older students to help me. I was on my own. I worked and worked, weeks and months. Finally I came up with a recipe that looked like it worked. It was Friday afternoon. I took the particles down to the laser lab, set up the laser table as I had dozens of times before, tuned the detector, and voila! There was red light luminescing from particles being irradiated by the green laser. I printed the spectrum and ran upstairs to show my advisor. Unfortunately she was already gone for the weekend. I was so excited anyway that I slipped the print out under her door. I can think of the two or three moments of real tangible heart-racing excitement in my career and all have had to do with struggling with a problem for long periods of time, having a eureka moment, and running back to the lab late at night to try something out. These moments of inspiration are what working in science and engineering is all about.

Share with us your favorite Holland Hall memories. Since I was at Holland Hall from 1st grade through 12th grade there are quite a few to choose from. I always enjoyed Field Day and the Book and Art Fair. In high school I loved going to the ISAS Arts Festival with the Concert Chorus and Madrigal Singers, or the dance group. As much as I loved performing in various concerts and recitals, I equally enjoyed watching my highly talented friends in the improve troupe or the jazz band perform. How did your experiences at Holland Hall prepare you for your career? Holland Hall is a demanding environment, and so is a professional career. I think getting accustomed early to a highly competitive world is one of the most important success factors for future achievement. There’s not much use in being mediocre at everything. You need to find the areas and skills where you have the drive and potential to excel and become excellent. What words of advice would you like to give to current students? In your professional life, people are divided into those that can speak well to groups of people and those that can’t. Figure that out before you leave Holland Hall. Oh, and the rumors are true, your résumé will be thrown away if there’s even one error on it. Seriously. Tell us about your family. I am married to Corey Radloff. We met at Rice the first week of grad school and got married in the last 3 months, right after we finished giving our last conference talks and interviewing for our postdocs, and right before writing our theses and defending our Ph.D.s. That was a busy time. We got married on a Saturday and were back in the lab on Tuesday. We were really fortunate to find postdocs in the same place (the Air Force Research Lab) and jobs at 3M together. We have a goofy dog named Woobie who is half German Shepherd and half Basset Hound. It’s not a gentle blend... he’s essentially a German Shepherd on stumpy legs.


INNOVATIVE

DESIGNS

CUSTOM AND

— PROCESS ENGINEERING —

FINDING SOLUTIONS AND INNOVATIONS FOR OIL AND GAS FACILITIES WORLDWIDE.

Kat Khosrowyar ’06, Masters in Engineering, Chemical Engineering Give us a brief description of what you do professionally. I am a Chemical Engineer, which is known as a “Process Engineer” in the Oil and Gas Industry. I custom design and warrant process equipment for onshore and offshore oil and gas facilities. When did you develop your passion for engineering. The earliest memory I had was when I walked in my family’s fabrication shop when I was 15-years-old. I was mesmerized by the large equipment and taken back by the amount of team work it took to design, execute, weld and commission equipment. I wanted to be a part of it. What do you love most about your profession. I love making the impossible possible. The oil and gas resources produced worldwide to meet specifications comes with its own design challenges. I love the “eureka” moments, where I can collaborate with multiple disciplines within our team to find solutions and innovations to meet the specifications. Who were your biggest professional influences. I must say that one of my biggest professional influences has to be my sister Lilac (class of ’98). She is the Managing Director for an oil and gas company. She started in the industry at a very young age, and has had a strong influence not only in the company but in the industry as well. It’s not every day you see a young talented woman in the oil and gas business that has a strong impact. I

should mention I am not saying this for a raise! Tell us about what you are doing differently than most others in your profession, and how you are ahead of the game. I would say that I am doing many things that I love, and humbled to do so. I wouldn’t say my career defines me, but more so I aspire to have a positive influence in my community and learn from those around me. As a hobby, and another passion, I am an instructor for the FIFA’s AFC (Asian Football Confederation) division. I work with third world and developing countries to establish national soccer teams for girls.

What has been your most challenging obstacle professionally. Most challenging obstacle professionally is time management. I enjoy challenges and my hobbies, but balancing deadlines and constant travel is taxing. You would hope this goes away after graduating from college, but it never does!! What has been your favorite or most rewarding moment professionally. Sitting in an impromptu meeting with clients, and actually being able

to explain and defend a design I made. Separately, on the soccer front, when I was awarded my ‘A’ license for coaching and being the youngest female to have received it in AFC. Share with us your favorite Holland Hall memories. I have plenty of Holland Hall memories that have been sworn to never be mentioned, but the ones I can are: • I first introduced belly dancing to Holland Hall in the 7th and 8th grade talent show. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, all I can say is that Shakira had a strong impact on us those days. • Mr. Hart soccer practices and how he still has more energy than most of us. • Student X placing a mobile in the ceiling during a Geometry exam and it continually rang until the exam was postponed. How did your experience at Holland Hall prepare you for your career? I gained skills that cannot be taught normally at other high schools. Holland Hall was a small community within itself and this allowed close interactions with fellow students, professors, supervisors and coaches. This helped with social skills which help when dealing with customers and clients. What words of advice would you like to give to current students? Put your phone down from time to time and talk to someone.

HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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A tribute to

retiring faculty

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(1971-2014, Years of Service)

Dennis Calkins retired in May after a 43-year teaching and administration career. It has been a whale of a timeline. His high school diploma was earned at McLain High School in Tulsa. After earning a bachelors degree in mathematics education from the University of Oklahoma, he taught math at Holland Hall for 10 years, taught at the Taipei American School in Taiwan for nine years, earned a degree in secondary administration from OU, served as middle/high school principal at Osaka International School for eight years, and taught at Jenks for two years before returning to Holland Hall for five years of teaching and nine years as upper school head. As you look at your career, what stands out? I’ve ended up where I started out. Who gets to start in a place, have lots of incredible experiences elsewhere, and end in that same place? You taught in Asia for 17 years. How did that happen? Here at Holland Hall when I first started, one of our math teachers had come from Laos and one from Japan. We spent so many evenings discussing their lives there and it put the wanderlust in us: Was I going to spend my entire career at Holland Hall? I had to answer that question. Believe me, it was a hard place to leave. You first went to Taiwan. Yes. We took our seven-year-old and our five-year-old 7,000 miles away and planned to stay for two years. That’s what people do—two years and then come home. Our friends and families thought we had lost our minds.

“I’ve ended up where I started out. Who gets to start in a place, have lots of incredible experiences elsewhere, and end in that same place?” What stands out about your time there? Working in that culture took patience and I think I had that characteristic. I didn’t do things quickly. You can’t there. Japan generally is not a confrontational society and I shy away from confrontation. Also the pay was very good. Working there allowed

us to put our kids through school without costly college loans. How did you learn patience? My mom and dad were such role models. I never heard them speak ill of anyone. I was a 1950s kid—you did what your mom and dad told you to do. They were depression kids, they never complained, they made do with what they had. They didn’t get angry, they dealt with things. My dad was a lunch pail worker all his life, first at Douglas and then at American Airlines. What has been your most fulfilling experience? It’s difficult to pinpoint one experience that stands out. I am always proud at the end of Back-to-School Night. I stand at the foot of the stairs and shake hands with parents as they depart. Hearing their comments is about as affirming as it gets. They talk about how impressed they are with our school and the faculty, how they wish they could go back to school. Since it is astoundingly hard work to get that evening organized and done, wrapping it up in such a positive way is very satisfying. What is your favorite place on the HH campus? I’ve always been thankful my office opened up onto the commons. There’s no place that defines us like it does. If you want to know what the upper school is like, stand in the commons a while. If I have my door open, and I often do, then I am in the middle of it. I’m lucky this is the way the school was built and it has been a blessing. We are lucky to have a place that remains the center of the school. Our entire branch revolves around the commons. There are other schools where administrators are off to the side. They have to get up and walk to be in the center of school life. If you, and your faculty and staff are in the middle of all this, how do your

roles differ from that of other schools? Holland Hall has always made it possible to be involved in the life of the school. I spent two years in public education so I know what it’s like to have a huge student body and a specific job. It takes all your time. It is almost impossible to do other things. During my first ten years at HH, I was: director of student activities, head coach of girls soccer and softball, taught AP calculus, five sections of math and helped with School Out of Doors. This kind of career is far more rewarding; far more interesting. Where’s the value in the modular schedule? With our schedule, there’s unscheduled time and there’s the craziness of a sixday cycle. Kids today are programmed to death and we don’t do that here during the school day. Students shouldn’t be sitting in front of a teacher all day long. I have always said that it’s impossible to learn how not to waste time unless you are given time to waste. Our kids learn how to use their time. They may make some mistakes with it, but they figure it out. The six-day schedule makes you pay attention. How do you plan to spend your retirement? There are hundreds of places to volunteer, and I want to do so. I will be heavily involved in being a grandfather. My wife’s son, Russell, and his wife Sarah have a new grandchild born just this year. And I want to stay connected to Holland Hall—it’s nice to see Ron Palma and Doug Bromley and Sharon Irvine around here. If they need me to tutor or sub, I will try to be available. How would you like to be remembered? As somebody who worked hard, who cared deeply about his work with faculty and students, and who always had the best interests of Holland Hall in everything I did. HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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(1982-2014, Years of Service)

For much of her 40-year education career, Laura Voss-Phillips has made her home at Holland Hall. With a total of 32 years in the primary school, she taught kindergarten for 20 and preschool for 12. A graduate of Tulsa Memorial High School, she earned a B.S. in early childhood education and an M.S. in early childhood/child development from Oklahoma State University. Before her Holland Hall career, she taught four-year-olds at a Tulsa Public Schools program and served as a child development specialist for four years. In May, she watched as some members of her final kindergarten class crossed the stage for their Holland Hall diplomas. Next year’s senior class will include members of her first preschool class. What is the most important thing your parents taught you? They always told me that I could do anything I wanted to do. I am an advocate for women’s rights. I became a young adult in the early 70s right there with Gloria Steinem. I am sure that lessons learned during this era have impacted my teaching. I embrace empowerment, self-confidence, and choices for all of my students. I guide learning, but I want the children to feel as if they have a role in their education. It is my opinion that this will benefit them as they move along their life path in school and beyond. Why did you choose education as a profession? First, I decided to be a teacher because I enjoyed children. During my younger years, I was the dedicated babysitter. In college, I investigated the College of Home Economics (renamed "College of Human Science") to learn more about their child development and early childhood education degree. As I started taking classes in this area, I really enjoyed the practical and handson learning activities. We started education classes the first year, and we did three different lab school teaching assignments. In

“Find something that always challenges you to be better. Strive to bring your best every day.” addition, their perspective on teaching the whole child (social, emotional, physical and intellectual) made perfect sense to me. It was a very good fit and served me well throughout my career.

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Did you have a mentor? My friend and colleague, Susan Steinmeyer. We were hired by HH the same year, and we taught kindergarten together for 16 years. When we came to HH, we obviously had different teaching experiences and used some different methodology to achieve similar results. Her teaching style taught me how to encourage self-help skills (cleaning up from lunch, pouring drinks at snack time, setting the table in pretend, packing your backpack) in young children. I still introduced easel painting in the same manner that I learned from her 32 years ago, and it was significantly meaningful every time. I demonstrated the entire lesson non-verbally then I asked the children to tell me what they need to do first, second, third, etc. It was amazing how well they listened and remembered long-term. There were many times that I used this same strategy for other activities. It is my opinion that sometimes teachers, including myself, talk too much and don’t allow the children to think, reflect, and contribute to the process. What is your most important gadget? When I taught kindergarten, I learned all about simple machines. My most important simple machine is an excellent pair of scissors. It would be extremely difficult to prepare center materials and art activities without them. My complex machine is a laminator. What an invention! When I first started teaching 40 years ago, we used clear contact paper to protect our teacher-created games; however, now we laminate just about everything (posters, name cards, games) as a tool to create sturdiness and longevity of materials. If I could invent a gadget, it would be a machine to tie shoes. I can’t even imagine how many shoelaces I have tied in 40 years. After 40 years in this career, what still brings you great pleasure in teaching? Everyday, I love setting the stage for learning then watching the children make connec-

tions. In education, it is important to make learning relevant at any age. Preschoolers in particular are still concrete learners. They don’t have much background knowledge because they are so young. I have spent hours and a lot of gasoline looking for the "perfect" accessories to broaden the children’s learning experiences. I am exhilarated when I find what I need. Some people say bargain shopping is all about the find. Well, my classroom shopping is always about the find! Every family trip includes some time searching gift shops and stores to see what is available for preschool. I have found a balancing wooden cactus in a Santa Fe toy store, I have bought regional items for our unit on cultures, and most recently, I took photos and videos of a real rain forest environment to share with the children. This trip was purely coincidental, but the absolute best experience to end my teaching career. What advice do you offer to our graduates? Find something that you are passionate about -- it might take a few tries. Find something that energizes you because the road seems long. Find something that always challenges you to be better. Strive to bring your best every day. What about your new life excites you? I’m looking forward to traveling with my husband. There are so many places we would like to visit. I also am looking forward to volunteering in the Tulsa community. I enjoy helping people, but time is limited when you work and have a family. I’m considering volunteering in a preschool in order to assist teachers and make their days a little easier as well as maintaining a connection with young children. I’ve had a lot of experience reading, singing, and playing with young children.


(1990-2014, Years of Service)

Betty Rains’ 24-year career at Holland Hall was not her first occupation. With a diploma from Tulsa Memorial High School, she began her professional life as an accountant with an undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in taxation, also from OSU. When she turned her attention to education, she focused on early childhood through Northeastern State University. The transition to the classroom began thanks to her daughter’s experience at Holland Hall. Tell us how you first became interested in teaching. Did you have a mentor? Carolyn Rogers taught three- and fouryear-olds at the primary school. My daughter Morgan was in the Tuesday/ Thursday class, and I was a parent who looked in the window and thought “That’s a different way to do school.” What did you see? I saw a classroom full of happy children, actively engaged, working independently. They were pretending. They were doing math jobs. They were doing alphabet jobs. They were laughing, talking, and moving.

“A teacher has some unusual superpowers such as walking backward up a hill while singing a song about spelling the color purple in a voice that sounds like a mouse ...” How did you get from that window to the classroom? A couple of years later, I happened to be in the drop-off line. One of the teachers was sick; I helped out. For the rest of that year, I filled in as a substitute whenever I could. I actually called in sick to my “real” job so I could substitute at Holland Hall. The following August, Morgan was in kindergarten. Some of our readers might remember we used to meet the teachers the night before school started. It was much different than it is now. At this kindergarten orientation, my husband Tom overheard someone say that Mrs. Rogers was beginning the year without an assistant. Tom said, “Betty wants that job.” Everything I know about the practical, day-

to-day reality of teaching young children comes from Mrs. Rogers. I worked with her as her assistant for seven years while I went back to school. Since you started as an accountant, teaching was not on your mind. Oh no, my grandparents were both educators. I wanted to be anything but that. I was a good student growing up, but I thought teachers’ jobs were easy and boring. Boy, was I wrong! How did you and Tom choose Holland Hall in the first place? Laura Voss-Phillips and her daughter Sarah were a key element in our family’s decision process. Morgan and I were to meet them for dinner. Even though it had been a snow day, Laura drove in from Broken Arrow so that she could tell me about the school and so that our little girls could meet. She didn’t like driving on snow any more than I did. It was quite a commitment. I think it speaks to the kind of teachers we have here. It says “I’ll go out of my way to come and share my enthusiasm for our school, both as a teacher and as a parent.” What kind of place do you think it is? Each individual is challenged. Everyone is learning; everyone is engaged but not always on the same task. This approach continues past preschool, and that’s one way Holland Hall is unique. How do you teach that way? You have to plan for multiple learners. You teach in small groups instead of a large group. You teach expectations, right from the beginning. For the first six weeks here, we teach the children what it means to be part of our classroom “family”. They learn how to truly be “Friendly, Helpful, Respectful, and Responsible”. They even learn “What am I going to do when I think I’m done?”

A teacher has some unusual superpowers such as walking backward up a hill while singing a song about spelling the color purple in a voice that sounds like a mouse, or being able to read a book upside down in the characters’ unique voices while reminding your students to refocus their attention by “checking to see if you have your listening ears on.” These skills take practice, but after a while you can do them and see all twenty faces at the same time. Are there primary school rituals that were important to you? Saying goodbye at the end of each year was always bittersweet because the parents understood what that meant. The children weren’t thinking about it. They were thinking about going to McDonalds, but the parents knew our time together as a kindergarten family was over. The children didn’t cry, but sometimes the mothers and I did. They’d outgrown every song, every story. That’s what we were doing all along, getting them ready to move on. How will you spend your time? My husband Tom, one of the trustees of the Oxley Foundation and president of the board of Irongate, is an avid golfer. We have a condo in Scottsdale that we share with family. I’m a terrible golfer but I like to sit on my patio and read. Our place is “Fashion Square adjacent” so, of course, I’ll get to visit the Nordstrom shoe department frequently. Tell us about your children. Matt and his wife Angie have two children: 11-year-old Coleman and six-year-old Katie. Brad lives in Los Angeles and works for Atlantic Records. Our daughter Morgan and her husband Adam welcomed their first child on December 23, 2014. Her name is Charlotte Rose. She’s a very happy baby. I am excited to be able to spend more time with all of them!

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ALUMNI BOARD ASSOCIATION

From the President of the Alumni Association Board

Mr. Clint Brumble ’93 President

Dear Holland Hall Alumni, On behalf of the Alumni Association, I want to say congratulations and welcome, to the Class of 2014. We are excited to assimilate your diversity, talents, and abilities into our organization. We look forward to your future engagement to further enhance and enrich our unique Holland Hall family and community.

Mr. Sanford Roberds ’93 Past President Mr. Darin Alred ’84 Vice President Mr. Brad P. White ’95 Secretary Mr. Brett Baker ’89 Mrs. Lindsey Hawkins Bristow ’95 Mrs. Christina Crozier Crawford ’87 Dr. Kimberlie Dullye ’83 Mrs. Anne Darnell Gillingham ’88 Ms. Lewana Bumpers Harris ’95 Ms. Madison Holder ’08 Mr. Russell LaCour ’75 Mr. Kevinn Matthews ’88 Ms. Sarah Regan McKinney ’01 Ms. Virginia Miller ’71 Ms. Ashley Parrish ’93 Ms. Susan Pray Rainey ’85 Ms. Adrian Reents ’06 Mr. Tyler Sommer ’96 Mr. Oliver Sutton ’98 Mr. Joey Wignarajah ’00

In regards to engagement, I want to encourage all of our alumni to carefully consider and seek out ways you can actively engage in our association, as well as our Holland Hall community. This past year afforded each of us many different avenues to do just that; Homecoming, Alumni Games, Trivia Night, Reunion Weekend, Alumni Panel, Lunch-on-Us, Senior Luncheon, just to name a few. If you were unable to participate, please know that you were missed. We are working to make all of these activities more meaningful and aligned with the mission of school, therefore, when you participate next year you can expect an even greater return on your investment of time. In regards to your investment of time, I want to bring your attention to two items. First, by now you should have received several reminders about the alumni survey. Please fill this out and submit back to the school by July 7, 2014. Second, and also on July 7, you will have the opportunity to download our own Holland Hall smart phone application. This application is an investment our school made for our benefit and if used effectively, will provide a great networking opportunity for our alumni constituency. Each of these items will require some engagement and dedication of time, but the return on investment for our alumni base will be exponential. So, I encourage you to not be complacent, but engage. You will not be disappointed! Finally, there are two exciting project enhancements taking place. First, one of our most effective tools of communication is the use of social media and our website. In the next 90 days, you can expect to see an improved Holland Hall website, as well as, a more informative and user friendly alumni section. Second, a fairly significant remodel has begun on the upper school commons to help bring it up-to-date, while enhancing it with more natural light and preserving the history of the space. These two improvements are exciting for the Holland Hall community. These projects are another reminder of how Holland Hall is making investments to encourage engagement in our community. What steps of engagement will you take to reciprocate? We have a lot to celebrate and be thankful about this past year, but we also have a lot of exciting opportunities our association is planning for the upcoming year. Please look for announcements about these opportunities and plan to engage in at least one activity. We cannot achieve our success without YOUR participation. The Alumni Association continues to flourish and grow. Will you come grow with us? For more information about our board and how you can get involved please visit the website at www.hollandhall.org or contact Christy Utter at cutter@hollandhall.org. Thank you for your support of and belief in Holland Hall. Have a safe and exciting summer, with your friends and family!

Mrs. Nan Hawkins Winton ’91

Go Dutch! Clint E. Brumble ’93 President, Holland Hall Alumni Association

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READY, SET, GO DUTCH! Start Connecting July 7, 2014! Features Include: • Alumni directory searchable by name, class year, college or company

Holland Hall’s FREE Alumni Community App, powered by

• Search for nearby alumni by location and view the results on a map • Integration with Facebook and LinkedIn

EverTrue, will help you network with

• Get a list of your classmates

your fellow alumni all over the world!

• Update or edit your own profile information • Authorized member verification log in

Questions? Contact Director of Alumni Relations Christy Utter ’92 at cutter@hollandhall.org to personalize your profile before the launch. Find out more about this exciting new resource at hollandhall.org/alumni. HOLLAND HALL MAGAZINE

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Class Notes

1980

paying off! Read the full article, “Smart Guys Own 24 Stocks” on Forbes.com.

1985

Janis Griggs ’80 was reunited with a long lost wallet after construction crews discovered it during the US Commons renovations. It was found inside a wall that workers were removing and caused quite a fun stir for alumni and staff. Janis and her husband David Palik ’80 posed with the found treasure. The couple graduated together and later married in our very own Holland Hall chapel.

1982 David Rainey ’82 was recently featured in the May 26, 2014 issue of Forbes Magazine. His company, Hennessy Focus Fund, has comfortably and consistently outperformed the market while doing something out of the mainstream of investing. David is one of three managers who oversee the portfolio from their office in Arlington, VA. They are touted for devoting time to a smaller number of stocks instead of the hundreds that their competitors do. Their attention to detail on the $1.5 billion fund went through its last fiscal year with a minimal 4 percent turnover. Typical turnover for growth funds is 100 percent. David and his partners seek three attributes in a company before investing: a business that is not easy to duplicate, an ability to generate cash and good things to do with that cash other than just pay its shareholders. Their business strategy is literally

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Dr. Lisa Eckenwiler ’85 is an Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Departments of Philosophy and Health Administration and Policy at George Mason University. She teaches courses in the areas of Bioethics, Public Health Ethics, Global Health Ethics, and Research Ethics. Dr. Eckenwiler’s current research focuses on ethical issues at the intersection of longterm care, health worker migration, especially nurses and care workers, and global health inequities. She was recently in Geneva, Switzerland at the Brocher Foundation conducting a workshop on Counterterrorism, Ethics and Global Health, for which she received a grant. The killing in Pakistan of polio vaccination workers serves as the most recent example of healthrelated moral hazards that can arise in the pursuit of national and global security objectives. The killings and the distrust of health workers and programs are, thus, in part attributable to the counter-terrorism strategies deployed by military personnel working alongside security agencies. Research is needed on the ethical issues surrounding the global health impact of current counter-terrorism policy and practice. Given the ongoing nature of the ’war on terror’, a dramatic escalation in the use of drones, and the demonstrated impact of these and other counter-terrorism strategies on the health of already vulnerable populations, on health and medical workers themselves, and on health and medical programs, a number of unexamined ethical issues and questions warrant urgent, careful attention. The workshop aimed to assemble a diverse set of participants with essential expertise to identify and map the ethical issues surrounding the global health impact of current

counter-terrorism policy and practice. Dr. Eckenwiler has published two books. Her brother, Mark Eckenwiler ’78, was the recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award at Holland Hall.

1987 Mike Bilbow ’87 started a new job in February with Atlanta Hall Management and the new College Football Hall of Fame opening Summer 2014.

Elaine Dodson O’Gormon ’87, President and COO of ZenCash, was named one of the Top 25 Women in Technology at the North Texas Women in Technology Awards. The awards committee boasted that “each of these talented, technology-focused women are driving innovation, leading technology companies and are key contributors to the community.” ZenCash is comprised of a team of technology and Internet veterans who build invoicing and other tools to help companies get paid in timely manners. ZenCash knows that keeping your cash conversion cycle tight can require balancing internal cash needs with external market dynamics, sensitive customer relationships, and other variables. And in the end, there’s nothing more frustrating than doing great work and then having to fight to get paid. ZenCash’s innovative technology solutions service companies all over the world.

1988 Markus Kamp ’88 signed a contract with a small, local, nonprofit aerospace parts manufacturer, Skills Inc., whose mission it is to hire and train disabled


Class Notes employees for careers in the industry. In his words, “Not only will I be returning to the familiar world of aerospace, but doing so in a very positive way!”

1990

Kyle’s feature directorial debut. Kyle is also an accomplished editor, and will be editing the film himself. Based in Memphis, Devan has been a professional musician and songwriter for over 20 years. Having never settled on any particular musical genre, Devan plays a variety of instruments and writes many styles of music.

1992

Kyle Ham ’90 and Devan Yanik ’90 are collaborating on a new project together. They are working on a motion picture called Reparation. A full-length psychological thriller about an Indiana farmer whose forgotten past as an Air Force cop comes back to haunt him. Reparation will be filmed on-location in the town of Greencastle in Putnam County, Indiana in the summer of 2014. Kyle is one of the Producer/Writer/Directors and Devan is composing the music. Devan and Kyle have been friends since 8th grade. Kyle has had a 20-year career working in film and television since graduating from DePauw University in 1994. He was a film/ tv director’s assistant for five years, an associate producer on Miramax’s She’s All That and Boys and Girls, and a senior supervising producer for Discovery Digital. He worked at Disney for about six years, has directed shorts and documentaries, second unit on feature films, and recently completed the Joan Scheckel directing workshop. Reparation will be

Cheryl Thompson Smith ’92 and her husband Jim welcomed baby boy Jasper Dunlin Roswell Smith on March 15, 2014. He weighed in at 7lbs, 3oz and joins big sister Madeline Celeste Thompson Smith.

1993 Jed Lam ’93 and his wife Michele adopted baby boy Jaden on January 23, 2014. After a two year wait, Jaden (2) came home from Korea in March. His older siblings are Jeremiah (9), Jocelyn (6), and Jordyn (4). The Lams reside in Chicago.

1994 Noel O’Haren Groves ’94 and her husband John welcomed their fourth child, Marin Claire Groves, on May 1, 2014. She weighed in at 6 lbs 10 oz, and was 19 inches long.

1995

Kaycie Hicks Pella ’95 and her husband Russ welcomed Ty David Pella on December 30, 2013. He weighed 6 lbs, 9 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long.

Stephanie Jackson Lewis ’98 has been busy both in front of and behind the camera lately. Her web-based series includes The Break Up Diaries and Does This Baby Make Me Look Fat. The hilarious scenarios keep fans anticipating each new week’s episodes. Stephanie’s husband Zach Lewis ’95 co-stars in Does This Baby Make Me Look Fat and is just as impressive with his comedic timing. You can find her shows on youtube.com or funnyordie.com.

1996 Sarah Lemons Bradbury ’96 has been promoted to Senior Legal Counsel at MoneyGram International in Dallas, Texas where among the many hats in-house counsel wears, she specializes in employment law and litigation. She and her husband, Judd, are expecting their second child in July. Christi Frates Garrison ’96 and her husband, Brian, along with big sister, Harper, celebrated the birth of their second child, Dylan Joseph, on March 29, 2014.

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Class Notes Robertson Hawkins ’93, Stephanie Jackson Lewis ’98, Samantha Wignarajah ’98, Jenny York ’98. Groomsmen included were Chris Hawkins ’93 and Scott Hawkins ’93. House Party included Nan Hawkins Winton ’91, Lindsey Hawkins Bristow ’95, Elizabeth Bruce Contreras ’03, Lucia Leigh Laughlin ’06, and Lana Laughlin ’10.

Mallory Chambers Tucker ’96 and husband Michael welcomed baby boy Bode (Bōdē) Nicolas Tucker on January 21, 2014 at 2:09 p.m. He weighed 8 lbs, 6 oz and was 21 inches long.

Blake Rollins ’96 and his wife Monique welcomed baby boy Edward Dawson Rollins on April 23, 2014 at 3:14 a.m. They currently reside in Washington D.C. and enjoy taking Edward on extended stroller rides through the Smithsonian.

1998

Laura Hawkins ’98 married Mike Johnson on May 10, 2014 in Tulsa. Bridesmaids included were Nicole 50

Ericka Butler ’98 earned Tulsa Community College Clinical Instructor of the Year honors for 2013-2014. The award is presented through the Nate Waters Physical Therapy Clinic at TCC.

Suzanne Sharp Dodson ’98 and Girl Scout Troop 2612 were invited to Washington, D.C. for the 2014 White House Science Fair. The youngest participants in the science fair, the Lego Queens, invented a flood-proof bridge and their design caught the attention of the folks at the capital. The girls were treated to a visit with President Obama and proudly displayed their engineering masterpiece. The project was initially inspired by the Junior FIRST Lego League’s Disaster Blaster Challenge, which invited elementary-aged students to explore how science, engineering, and math could solve problems and minimize damage caused by natural disasters. The girls decided to design a flood-proof bridge after learning how last summer’s floods in Estes Park, Colorado made it challenging for first responders to reach certain areas because bridges washed out. They built a Lego model of their bridge and then developed a simple computer program that uses motion sensors in the model river bed to cause the sides of the bridge to raise or to retract the bridge entirely depending on conditions. The girls hope that their project might

eventually help real-life communities at risk of flooding. Suzanne’s daughter Avery is a member of the troop as well as Claire Winton, daughter of Nan Hawkins Winton ’91. Eight-yearold Claire Winton said, “The coolest thing about inventing is you can make practically anything you want.” The girls were asked why it was important that everyone -- and especially girls -- participate in science, and how they hope to inspire other people around them. “Our team is the Lego Queens, and we wear tiaras because it’s cool to like girly stuff and building stuff at the same time,” said seven-year-old Avery Dodson. “We need to tell girls that they can have adventures too, and science and inventing can be a cool adventure.”

Justin Thompson ’98 and his partner Nicole Pearl welcomed baby girl Isla Rose on April 13, 2014 at 5:08 p.m. Justin’s spring was filled with more excitement as he opened 624 Kitchen and Catering on May 31, 2014. It is billed as downtown Tulsa’s premier special event and private party venue.

1999

Kyle Brown ’99 and his wife Kaylynn welcomed baby girl Addison Charlea on March 17, 2014 at 12:31 p.m. She weighed in at 8lbs, 4oz and was 21 inches long. She shared her birthday with her grandfather and namesake, our very own Charlie Brown.


Class Notes

2000

A member of the original broadway cast, Ben Thompson ’99 moved into the starring role of Miss Trunchbull in "Matilda the Musical". After a year with the company, he departed the show in May and is now working on his next project "Holler If Ya Hear Me" inspired by the work of the late Tupac Shakur. Opening June 19, Ben is originating the role of Griffy in this non-biographical story about friendship, family, revenge, change and hope. Follow Ben's journey on twitter @itsBenThompson.

Nicole Bhow Maier ’00 and husband Jonathan welcomed baby boy Samuel Woodrow on April 19, 2014. He weighed in at 8lbs, 13oz.

2001

2002

Sarah Phillips ’02 and her production team won two Sports Emmys in May for their "Inside the NBA" show on TNT. She works at Turner Sports in Atlanta. They won an Emmy for their weekly show during the season and their daily show during playoffs. Bryan Lieber ’02 married Caroline Sellars on May 31, 2014 in Austin, TX.

2003

Liz Fucci Oglesby ’01 and husband Scott welcomed baby girl Keira Elizabeth on April 17, 2014.

Laura Adams ’03 married Sean Allen on March 29, 2014. The couple resides in Tulsa. Shannon Begnel ’03 and his wife Tami welcomed Oliver Shannon Begnel on February 5, 2014 at 12:36. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 5 oz and was 21 inches long. Katie Harmon ’01 married David Courage, Sunday, May 25, 2014 in Tabernash, Colorado. Other former Dutchmen in attendance were Erin Schobe ’01, Emily Young Alford, Whitney Udwin ’01 and former Holland Hall parents Pam and Bill Harmon, Kent Schobe ’64 and his wife Sue Schobe, and Jim and Sarah Young.

Greg Spencer ’99 ran in his third Boston Marathon in April. Greg crushed his personal best marathon time by nearly four minutes and finished with a time of 2:42.18. He is registered to run the Chicago Marathon in October.

Ericka Helmerich Massey ’01 gave birth to baby boy Leon Aaron Massey on April 26, 2014.

Sarah Yates Hutcherson ’03 and Russell Hutcherson ’03 welcomed baby girl Sadie Mae on March 26, 2014. She weighed in at 8 lbs, 9 oz.

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Class Notes

2004

honeymooned in Aruba and will reside in Tulsa.

2010

Katie DesPrez ’07 has been accepted to Vanderbilt Medical School.

Leslie Spencer Haughey ’04 and husband Ben Haughey welcomed baby boy Kaiden Spencer Haughey on April 15, 2014 at 12:01 a.m. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 8 oz and was 20.5 inches long.

Upon returning to Tulsa after receiving his masters in conducting form Bard College in 2013, Zach Malavolti ’07 is the new conductor of the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus’ Chamber Choir.

In Loving Memory

Corey Vitt ’04 married Sarah Reape on March 30, 2014.

2005

Sarah Thompson ’05 and Sean Sundberg were married on October 26, 2014 at the Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel and Conference Center in Richmond, Virginia. In attendance were Judy Frimpong ’05, Paige Wiese ’05, Jacquelyn Miller ’05, Sarah Tomecek ’05 and Jordan Cassidy ’05. Sarah graduated from the University of Richmond and is a senior accountant with Covenant Woods. Sean graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University and is an Electrical Engineer with Altria. They will reside in Richmond, Virginia.

2007 Robert Bibens ’07 competed in the Indy Mini Marathon and finished with a 6:22 pace. Katherine Carter ’07 married Brad Severson on May 10, 2014. The couple 52

Former Dutch teammates Jules Cronk ’10 and Grant Nunn ’11 played on opposing college teams at Warrior Field for a 3 game series in Conway, Arkansas on March 2930, 2014. Jules is a senior at Trinity University in San Antonio and Grant is a junior at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.

Jason Maloney ’07 married Alexa Harrison on May 25, 2014. Members of the bridal party included Brandon Maloney ’09, Cade Morris ’07, Drew Lamson ’07, Sean Jessee ’07, Jake Sweeney ’07 and Blake Martin ’07. The couple resides in Tulsa. Ryan Woodard ’07 married Hailey Hinch on May 17, 2014. Members of the bridal party included Robbie Woodard ’04, Ross Woodard ’11, Ben Von Drehle ’08, Chris White ’07, Ryan Knight ’07, Nick Sokolosky ’07, Adam Hawkins ’07, Eric Eisen ’07, Burris Smith ’07, Mitchell Adwon ’07, Nick Gates ’07 and Jordan Beard ’07. Joseph Willis ’07 graduated from University of Tulsa with his masters in business administration. Kate Zeligson ’07 has moved to Singapore for her new job with Facebook.

2008 Patrick O’Sullivan ’08 took another step up the career ladder at Reebok. He began a full time position as a designer on the Apparel Innovation Team on April 1, 2014.

Alf “Lanny” Ham passed away on November 22, 2013. He was the father of Lana Ham Ortwein ’86, Karen Ham ’88 and Kyle Ham ’90. Mary Nelson Sullivan ’52 passed away on November 30, 2013. Tjin Huang passed away on January 4, 2014. He was the father of Mike Huang ’90, Linda Huang Mei ’94 and Amy Huang Oneal ’99. Ed Bechtel passed away on January 8, 2014. He was the father of Amy Bechtel Gau ’79. Ralph Maslan ’81 passed away on January 12, 2014. Bob Schober, grandfather of the Adams family and father/father in law of Jan and Roger Adams passed away on January 24, 2014. Ellen Bilbow passed away on January 21, 2014. She was the mother of Mike Bilbow ’88 and John Bilbow ’90. Marjorie Blockson Miller ’66 passed away in February 2014. Louise Curran Tilly ’51 passed away on March 12, 2014. Ruby Webb Trice ’48 passed away on March 20, 2014. Patricia Sloan Manning ’43 passed away on April 20, 2014. Former Holland Hall student Alec Hilman ’18 passed away on May 29, 2014. Marilyn Hall Robison passed away on May 24, 2014. She was the mother of David Robison ’69.


From the Director of Alumni Relations Reunion Weekend always makes me think about all the people I went to school with when I was at Holland Hall. Some classmates came and went, but there were far more who stayed. We all grew up together through the awkward stage of middle school and went through physical and emotional changes along the way. High school brought about a sort of leveling off stage in the physical department, but the emotional and intellectual changes were really just beginning. I remember thinking I had it all figured out by the time I was senior, but the reality was just the opposite. College brought with it freedom and independence, facing consequences for the choices you did or didn’t make, an appreciation and fondness for home, hints of wisdom setting in and just the beginning of figuring out who you were, what you wanted to do with your life and attempts at finding out what you were truly passionate about. I look back on my days at Holland Hall and think about my classmates. I think about those closest to me at the time and even those who ran around with a different crowd. I’d like to think I was kind to everyone regardless of whether or not we had slumber parties or car rides or movie dates or late night conversations together. I played three sports at Holland Hall and loved every minute of competing. But the best part about playing on a team was that I got to be friends with a lot of different kinds of people. Some were more talented than others, more patient, more competitive, more understanding, more outspoken, more polished or shyer, but they were all my teammates. We won together and lost together. They were actresses, singers, artists, musicians, introverts, extroverts, bad girls, goth girls and good girls. They were my friends. They were Holland Hall Dutchmen. They meant the world to me. I look back with fondness on all of those people and in some way, shape or form, they were a part of me. They might not know that they made a difference in my life, but they did. I learned how to look after different types of people because of them. Most of my professional career was in collegiate coaching and I came across student-athletes from a variety of backgrounds. They came from rural communities, big cities, poor towns, rich suburbs, single parent homes, only-child homes, and big families. I could connect with all of them thanks to the classmates who stood by me throughout my years at Holland Hall. I learned how to be sensitive, caring, inclusive and loving thanks to the diverse group of students who attended in the 1990s. Why am I writing about this? Because it is never too late to look back at your roots and find the source of what made you who you are today. The Class of 1992 and the classes surrounding mine were an accepting, understanding, athletic, artistic, intelligent and fun group of people. We sacrificed together and grew up together. We have given each other a second chance to be better people, as adults, and I don’t think everyone gets that opportunity. I’m proud to be an alumna of Holland Hall because I was and still am surrounded by some incredibly smart, caring, driven and honest people. Reunion Weekend reminded me of the importance of those people that surrounded me during the most important years of my life. Christy Utter ’92 Director of Alumni Relations

READY, SET, GO DUTCH! Start Connecting July 7, 2014! Questions? Contact Director of Alumni Relations Christy Utter ’92 at cutter@hollandhall.org. Find out more about this exciting new resource at hollandhall.org/alumni.

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Trivia Night 2014 Last year’s Trivia Night evaluations kept mentioning the word “atmosphere”. The move to the Middle School Gymnasium allowed the event to expand its numbers, but there were concerns that the atmosphere provided by the Upper School Commons was lost. The Trivia Night Committee, consisting of Chair Sarah Regan McKinney ’01, Anne Darnell Gillingham ’88, Adrian Reents ’06, Brad White ’95, Christina Crozier Crawford ’87, Darin Alred ’84, Lindsey Hawkins Bristow ’95, Madison Holder ’08, Brett Baker ’89, Ashley Parrish ’93, Tyler Sommer ’96 and Virginia Miller ’71, took that feedback and created a beautiful and cozy experience for all the players. They transformed the gym into a space that ultimately upstaged the atmosphere of the Commons. Attendance increased yet again by upwards of 100 trivia enthusiasts making it our largest and most successful Trivia Night to date. Three-hundredninety quizmasters tested their knowledge and competed for the top prize. While players battled for seven rounds, prizes were raffled off and our championship team was crowned. This year’s raffle grand prize was a $500 gift card to Best Buy, donated by Darin Alred ’84 and Southwestern Payroll. Holland Hall alumnus Justin Thompson ’98 served up a delicious dinner, which was catered by his newest restaurant Tavolo. This year’s winning team was Think Ink, a combination of Tulsa World employees and friends. Congratulations go out to Ashley Parrish ’93, Michael Overall, Faye Palma, John Wooley, Randy Krehbiel, Lenzy Krehbiel, Lee Majors and Paul Henry ’81. Second place honors went to Master Squad and the third place winners were the G. Eyes. The traveling trophy as well as full massages for each Think Ink team member from Red Canyon was awarded. The players worked over our faithful judges (Liz Anderson, Ron Palma, Sandra Alexander ’69 and Faye Calkins) and emcee Ken Busby ’85, but they held strong and produced an amazing event! A big thank you to all our sponsors, raffle donors, volunteers and technical crew: Ranch Acres Wine and Spirits, Warren Wine and Spirits, Southwestern Payroll Services, Tavolo, Red Canyon Massage, Personal Expressions, Pro Recruiters Inc (formerly Part-time Pros), Pamper Me, Garden Deva, Encompass Home Health, Yellowdog Design, GH2 Architects, Darnell Law Office, Striving for Mediocrity Trivia Team and captains Chris Crawford ’87 and Monica Trehan, Nameplates USA, Hard Rock Café, Ridge Grill, Villa Ravenna, Personal Expressions and Blue Ox Dining Group. Technical crew who made the event happen were Henry Finch, Pat Cabe, Jody Ely and Debbie Crotchett.

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1. 1st Place Team: Think Ink 2. The Trivia Titans 3. 2nd Place Team: Master Squad 4. 3rd Place Team: G. Eyes

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Alumni Receptions & Gatherings 1

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1. Ken Archer ’92, Kristen Burnell ’94, Kyle Ham ’90, George York ’93, Christy Utter ’92, Darius Roberts ’99 2. Tim Riordan and Sarah Kranau ’10 3. Katherine Browne ’88 and Ashley Smith ’91 4. Ken Archer ’92, George York ’93 and Glenna Huber ’94 5. Stephanie Jackson Lewis ’95, Micah Fitzerman-Blue ’00 and Liba Rubenstein 6. Allan Evans ’99, BJ Bess and Rob Greer ’93 7. Pamela Duke Vigil ’64 and Gay Parrish ’64 8. Jen Stender ’92 Colin, Olive Tang ’92, Christy Utter ’92, Jacq Berg Ramsey, Tyler Ramsey ’92 9. Charlie Brown and Stephen Nimick ’07

Receptions: Washington, DC & Los Angeles, CA From the snowy streets and cold temperatures of Washington, DC in January to the sunny skies and warmer days of Los Angeles in March, we traveled to both coasts to enjoy what both cities really do have in common, our amazing Holland Hall alumni. January 22nd took us to DC during a winter storm that left many in our party stranded in Tulsa. We persevered through some flight re-adjustments and were able to go to the home of George York ’93 and Kevin Gooch. The weather didn’t spoil any of the fun! In attendance were Tyler Coyle ’01, Darius Roberts ’99, Ken Archer ’92, Sarah Kranau ’10, Tim Riordan, Robert Von Glahn ’98, David Rainey ’82, Kristen Burnell ’94, Glenna Reed Huber ’94, Ashley Smith ’91, Kyle Ham ’90, Katherine Browne ’88, Kirk Edwards ’87, Steve and Sarah Dyer, Rob and Caty Poulin, Trish and David Milligan. It was a great group and we all enjoyed sharing memories and spending the evening together! Thanks to George York ’93 and Kevin Gooch for donating the wine, liquor and beer and for hosting such a wonderful event!

March took us away from a chilly Tulsa to a warm and welcoming Los Angeles! With the help of Stephanie Jackson Lewis ’95, we chose Rush Street as our venue and it could not have been more perfect! In attendance were Conan Barker ’83, Doug Bromley ’66, Jessica Buzzard ’92, Lydia Chiu ’88, Jen Stender Colin ’92, Dave Dial ’67, Allan Evans ’99, Micah Fitzerman-Blue ’01, Liba Rubenstein, Rob Greer ’93, Elizabeth Doenges Winkler ’93, Carol Kelley ’00, Stephanie Jackson Lewis ’95, Zach Lewis ’95, Stephen Nimick ’07, Gay Parrish ’64, Tyler Ramsey ’92, Jacq Berg Ramsey, Katherine Seay ’88, Kurt Statham ’94, Ronnie Tam ’97, Bonnie Tam ’95, Olive Tang ’92, Tara Treiber ’95, Pamela Duke Vigil ’64, Chau Vo ’91 and Roman Brysha. The stories and hugs and camaraderie were abundant in LA and the Dutch pride still lives in all who attended! It was amazing to reconnect with everyone on both coasts and our message was clear, Holland Hall is here for its alumni base and will always be ready to help when the need arises. Holland Hall will always be home for so many of our alumni and you are always welcome back!

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Alumni Reunion Weekend 1

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1. Class of 1974: Back - Barbie Edwards Paige, Bobby Lee, Pete Lantz, Chuck Gibbs, Jeff Thurston, Beth Nash Colvard, Randy Phillips, Jim Ryan, John Ashley, Steve Sumrall, Julie Tate Allen, Lucia Gary Deichmann. Front - Laura Harlow Gubser, Pat Hallett Thurston, Amy Brechin, Jennie Davis Gossett, Craig Smith, Kathleen Barry Plumb 2. Mrs Sydney Lynch, Syndy Snyder Lynch ’94, Trevor Snyder ’93 3. Alumni Panelists: Trevor Snyder ’93, Jennifer Whisenhunt White ’89, Brett Baker ’89, Syndy Snyder Lynch ’94, Jim Ryan ’74 4. Cassie Gross, Keith Goddard ’87, Tag Gross ’87, Beth Leiser Goddard ’86 5. Emily Watson Hillsman ’78, Mark Condry ’78, Dee Condry, Thom Hillsman 6. Michael Kim ’89, Brent Green ’89, Bernie Gentry ’89 7. Robbie Butler ’92, Christy Utter ’92, Jon Greer ’92, Brian Grober ’92

Alumni Reconnect During Reunion Weekend The classes ending in four and nine celebrated their milestone reunion years during Reunion Weekend on May 9 and 10, 2014. With spectacular weather and a record number of alumni visiting our campus, the weekend proved to be memorable, magical and fun! The weekend commenced with an Alumni Panel in the Upper School Commons featuring Trevor Snyder ’93, Brett Baker ’89, Jim Ryan ’74, Syndy Snyder Lynch ’94 and Jennifer Whisenhunt White ’89. They treated the Upper School students to their own success stories, career paths, favorite Holland Hall memories and words of wisdom. They had the students laughing, pondering and appreciating the amazing journeys of each of our panelists! All the visiting alumni were treated to a tour of the school and there were some alumni who had not been to morning meeting in

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40 years. Beth Nash Colvard ’74 was ready to make an announcement for old times sake! Some of the members of the Class of 1964 were seeing the school for the first time since they had graduated from the Birmingham campus. Current and former faculty joined our alumni visitors for a luncheon and a lot of reminiscing. We had visits from Tim Thomas, Tina Smith, David Rollo, Eleanor Carmack, Jo-An Vargo, Karen Holmes, Richard Hart, Dennis Calkins, Ginny LeDoux, Bert Bibens, Charlie Brown, J.P. Culley and BJ Bess were a few of the faculty and staff in attendance.

were David York ’64, Mark Condry ’78, Kathy Barnard ’79, Sarah Adams ’99 (posthumous), Chris McDaniel ’99, Hillary Bach ’08, Coach Sparky Grober and the 1983 Girls Tennis Team — Kim Barnard Mullins ’83, Kimberlie Dullye ’83, Nancy Ward Irwin ’84, Susannah Hocutt Adelson ’85, Patricia Medina ’86, Whitney Nelson Wilmore ’86, Lori McGranahan Song ’86, Carolyn Connolly Spahn ’86 and coach Tina Smith.

Following the ceremony, the alumni were treated to an after-party, compliments of Holland Hall. Members of the Class of 1964 were present along with over 50 years of Holland Hall graduates. There were Friday evening’s events took everyone to the reunions of classmates who had not seen Doubletree Hotel Warren Place. The annual each other since graduation and for some, that had been 30 years. The excitement and Dutch Athletic Hall of Fame induction surprise on everyone’s faces was nothing ceremony and All Sports Banquet was a treat for the more than 350 guests. Inductees short of amazing.


Alumni Reunion Weekend Saturday’s All Alumni Cookout brought sunshine and families together on the sprawling 162-acre campus! The children were entertained with balloon animals and swords, fun science experiments and face painting. This allowed time for the parents to reconnect, relax and enjoy each other’s company. Although sunburns were abundant, the afternoon was a complete success! Saturday evening saw the individual classes celebrating their reunions. From Kent Schobe’s home to In The Raw South, Urban Kitchen, Doc’s, ONEOK Field and Dilly Deli, the classes of 1964, 1974, 1984, 1989, 1994 and 2004 drew record numbers for their reunion weekends and held some of the most memorable events to date. A special thanks to all of our reunion chairs who worked hard to not only contact their classmates and generate excitement for the weekend, but for planning their parties too! Reunion chairs were Kent Schobe ’64, Claudia Doyle ’64, Candace Conley ’74, Jim Ryan ’74, Beth Nash Colvard ’74, Marcy Huigens ’84, Darin Alred ’84, Greg Hughes ’84, Brett Baker ’89 and his committee of Jackson Crain ’89, Bernie Gentry ’89, BJ Pohl ’89, Sabrina King Kane ’89 and Heather Denslow ’89, Carrie Lipe Gardenhire ’94, Syndy Snyder Lynch ’94, Karen Raines Riley ’94, Sarahbeth Sharp Pipkin ’04 and Justin Butler ’04.

1. Class of 1994 2. Will Gray ’04, Sarahbeth Sharp Pipkin ’04, Andrew Armstrong ’04, Justin Butler ’04, Serena Zebrowski ’04, James Deck ’04, Jordan Kuntz ’04 3. Alison Smith-Estelle ’89, Chris Dickason ’89, Bernie Gentry ’89, Mary Wilson, Emily McKee Wilson ’89, Michael Kim ’89 4. Carrie Lipe Gardenhire ’94, Audrey McKeller Rhodes ’94, Leigh Ann Carey Looeyenga ’94, Syndy Snyder Lynch ’94, Kristen Burnell ’94, Romney Nowlin McGuire ’94 5. Robert Hughes ’84, John Byers ’84, Clay Hosterman ’84, Doug Bracken ’84 6. Diane Swartzendruber, Michael Scwartzendruber ’84 and family 7. Marcy Frazier Huigens ’84 and Chris Rooker ’84

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DUTCHSPORTS SPRING 2014 SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS CHEER — 2014 ASC NATIONAL CHAMPIONS Over the past nine years, Holland Hall cheer squad has transitioned from cheers on Friday nights to winning regional and national competitions. This year the squad won their division at ASC Nationals. The squad performed twice at the cheer competition and were only a few points from being the Grand champion of the entire cheer competition. In the fall the cheerleaders won their regional competition and was the Grand champion of their regional. This was the second national title for seniors Brittany Dieterlen, Kathlyn Farmer and Yuna Ha, who won a championship their freshmen year. Other members of the squad are: Kaelyn Cook, Alina Duve, Sara Iftikar, Emily Odell, Kelsey Marr, Chloe Zahn, George Carrington and Austin Hubbard. The Dutch were coached by Sarah Cox and Josh Perry. GIRLS BASKETBALL — 2014 SPC DIVISION I RUNNER-UP For the fifth time in six years, the Dutch girls basketball team played in the SPC finals at SPC. The girls defeated Houston Christian 51-48 in the first round and south zone champion St. Stephens in the semi finals, 64-50. In the finals the Dutch tried to avenge an earlier loss in the season to Dallas Greenhill, but came up short, losing 51-46. The Dutch finished 19-3 on the season and defeated class 2A Oklahoma champion, Preston Tigers, in the finals of the Stroud tournament. This group of seniors finished with an astounding overall record of 84-14, one SPC championship and two runner-ups finishes. Junior Anne Savage and senior Kelsey Arnold were named All SPC. The girls were led by seniors: Kelsey Arnold, Emily Barton, Amaris Taylor, Natalie Cronk. Other members of the team were: Ann Savage, Langley Dunn, Marie Faubert, Hagan Gross, Callie Jackson, Taylor Zanca, Ellen Goodard, Annie Wise, Morgan Nall, Summer Thompson and Laurel Salisbury. The Dutch were coached by Crystal Lawson and Tag Gross ’87.

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ATHLETES EARNING ALL SPC HONORS THIS WINTER/SPRING: Boys Basketball: Pierce Brady Girls Basketball: Kelsey Arnold, Anne Savage Boys Soccer: JT Nelson Girls Soccer: Jenna Byers, Tara Smith Baseball: John Byers, Slater Springman Boys Golf: Arjun Reddy Girls Golf: Marcella Pierre Softball: Kelsey Arnold, Taylor Zanca Boys Tennis: Evan Shrestra, Jordan Rambach

Girls Tennis: Merich Frizzell, Molly Lohry Girls Track and Field: Elizabeth Adelson, Kelsey Arnold, Langley Dunn, Micaela McGregor, Allene Michaels, Hallie Salisbury, Savanna Smith, Tara Smith. 2014 SENIORS PARTICIPATING IN COLLEGE ATHLETICS Kelsey Arnold: Univ. of Oklahoma, Softball Pierce Brady: Kenyon College, Football John Byers: Univ. of Oklahoma, Baseball Payton Calhoun: Northern Okla. College, Softball James Eaton: Cornell University, Football Maddie Gilbert: Siena, Field Hockey Cooper Gross: Austin College, Football Luke Harjo: Rhodes College, Baseball Micaela McGregor: Cornell University, Track & Field JT Nelson: Belmont, Soccer Anthony Oyekan: Univ. of Missouri -Kansas City, Track & Field Michael Parker: Belmont, Soccer Amaris Taylor: Southern New Hampshire University, Field Hockey THREE SPC CHAMPIONS Senior Micaela McGregor, junior Arjun Reddy and sophomore Elizabeth Adelson won individual SPC titles. Arjun won the SPC boys golf tournament for the first time since Kyle Spencer won in 2006. Micaela won the girls 200m in track with a time of 22.56 and Elizabeth won the girls high jump with an SPC record jump of 5-8.

Dunn and Allene Michaels, seniors Halle Salisbury and Savanna Smith broke the school record in the girls 4x800 with a time of 9:55.46 and finished 3rd place at SPC. Micaela McGregor broke her own Holland Hall 100m record with a time of 12.12 and Elizabeth Adelson broke the school 300m hurdle record with a time of 46.09. TWO NO HITTERS Most likely a first in Holland Hall history and a rarity for any school, but two individuals threw back-to-back no hitters. On Friday, April 25, Jackson Goddard stymied the Fort Worth Country Day lineup by striking out five batters and giving up no hits in a 10-0 victory. On Saturday, April 26, softball pitcher Taylor Zanca pitched her first no hitter this year for the Dutch in a 16-2 victory over Greenhill. MARGARET W. KABOTH AND CHARLES H. BROWN AWARD Congratulations to seniors Kelsey Arnold and Anthony Oyekan for receiving the Margaret W. Kaboth and Charles H. Brown award presented to the outstanding male and female athletes at graduation. These awards are given to the athletes who best demonstrate leadership, good sportsmanship, strong endeavor and perseverance.

VARSITY BASEBALL WINS 40 GAMES IN PAST TWO YEARS The varsity baseball team won 21 games this year and 40 games in the past two years. The Dutch finished 8-1 in SPC zone TRACK RECORDS BROKEN THIS SPRING play and went 1-2 at SPC. On the mound Sophomores Tara Smith and Elizabeth the Dutch were led by junior Jackson Adelson, seniors Kelsey Arnold and Goddard, who finished 8-1 on the season Micaela McGregor broke the school record and a 1.52 ERA. At the plate, senior John in the girls 4x100 with a time of 49.05 to Byers hit .420 and hit two grand slams in finish 2nd place at SPC. Juniors Langley the final two regular season games.


Athletic Hall of Fame and Sports Banquet

Student Athletes and Alumni Celebrate Dutch Athletics

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he Dutch Athletic Hall of Fame and All Sports Banquet has quickly become one of the most impressive and anticipated events at Holland Hall. The event brings both past and present members of the Holland Hall community together to recognize and honor the accomplishments of current student-athletes and those who paved the way before them. More than 350 guests spent a special evening honoring the following teams and individuals being inducted into the Hall of Fame: David York ’64, Mark Condry ’78, Kathy Barnard ’79, Sarah Adams ’99 (posthumous), Chris McDaniel ’99, Hillary Bach ’08, Coach Sparky Grober and the 1983 Girls Tennis Team (Kim Barnard Mullins ’83, Kimberlie Dullye ’83, Nancy Ward Irwin ’84, Susannah Hocutt Adelson ’85, Patricia Medina ’86, Whitney Nelson Wilmore ’86, Lori McGranahan Song ’86, Carolyn Connolly Spahn ’86 and coach Tina Smith). Our very own Jerry Ostroski emceed the event and he was incredible. “Jerry O” added his own humor and familiarity with the athletes to make the evening more personal and special than it was already set to be. He recognized current student-athletes who excelled on and off the field, were Three Sport Letter Winners, All SPC, team finalists and champions. Outgoing coaches who were honored were cheerleading

coach Sarah Cox and soccer Coach Rick Cameron. The recipient of the Charles H. Brown Coach Award was athletic trainer Jim Mansfield. The senior class votes on the most dedicated coach or staff member who through unselfish service and dedication made their experiences better and unforgettable. The Hall of Fame Selection Committee was comprised of alumni and current and former faculty, coaches and administrators. Thank you to Head of School J.P. Culley, Athletic Director Steve Heldebrand, Director of Stewardship Charlie Brown, Director of Alumni Relations Christy Utter ’92, faculty members Karen Harris, Phil Sweeney and Richard Spencer, and alumni members Nancy Rizley Lipotich ’76, Christina Crozier Crawford ’97, Greg Hughes ’84 and David Sturdivant ’98 for their careful deliberation and selection of this well deserved Hall of Fame class. And a final thank you to our generous sponsors: Platinum Mechanical, LLC, Jeff and Shari Harjo, Sam Buford ’84, Perry and Jessica Farmer, Cimarron Equipment, LLC, Henry Orthodontics, Tri-State Floors, Admiral Express, Reiss Painting, Midwest Sporting Goods, Hilti and the Dutchbackers.

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HOLLAND HALL’S HOMECOMING! October 24-25, 2014

READY, SET, GO DUTCH! Start Connecting July 7, 2014!


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