Continuing a Legacy:
Phoebe Kristek ’13 is OLSH’s Manager of Alumni & Parent Engagement
W
hen the 2018-2019 school year started, OLSH science teacher Meredith Rieseck-Terracio (commonly known as Mrs. RT) quipped, “It just doesn’t feel right without a Kristek in my classroom!” When Celeste Kristek ‘18 graduated in June, it marked the end of an era at OLSH - the Kristek family had a student enrolled at OLSH for 20 consecutive years! Samantha (Kristek) Lesak ‘02 enrolled at OLSH in 1998. She was followed by her seven siblings - Eli ‘04, Zeke ‘06, Jordan ‘09, Caleb ‘11, Phoebe ‘13, Malachi ‘16, and Celeste ‘18. Fortunately for OLSH (and for Mrs. RT), the streak would only remain broken for a few months! In November, Phoebe Kristek ‘13 accepted the position of Manager of Alumni and Parent Engagement. Phoebe actually learned of the position from her sister-in-law, another OLSH alum, Caitie (Bonner) Kristek ‘04, who encouraged Phoebe to apply. Since she “basically grew up at OLSH”, working at the school felt comfortable. Her unique “history” with OLSH made her a perfect fit for the position, which works to engage alumni and current parents. Phoebe recalls attending OLSH bowling matches and the OLSH Christmas plays as a young girl, and
Phoebe Kristek '13
play my senior year and I got to play Ernie,” Phoebe recalled. While she has a lot of memories like that to draw upon, perhaps her favorite memory as a student would be the Honors Chorus trip to Walt Disney World in her junior year. “It was my first trip to Disney and we got to sing in the Candlelight P ro ce s s i o n a l i n E p co t r i gh t a f te r Thanksgiving,” she noted. The many opportunities available to OLSH students is one thing Phoebe l ove d a b o u t t h e school as a student h e r s e l f, a n d t h e close bonds formed between students and teachers is another. While a few things may have changed since she was a student, like the bell schedule and the now cashless cafeteria, Phoebe was happy to find that the essence of OLSH that she loved still remained. She is excited to reacquaint herself with some of her former classmates, as well as friends and classmates of her siblings in her new role. “It’s great to have my family connections as a starting point when reaching out to alumni for updates and inviting them to events,” Phoebe
It’s great to have my family connections as a “ starting point when reaching out to alumni for updates and to invite them to events. ” she was always excited for her turn to join in all of the opportunities at the school. While a student, Phoebe was on the bowling team and was an active member of the theatre and music departments, performing in spring musicals, Christmas plays, and concerts. “I remember the OLSH Christmas Play when they performed A Muppet Family Christmas and my sister, Sam, played Gobo the Fraggle. I was only 6 years old at the time. We did the same
BE KNOWN. BE TRANSFORMED. BE INSPIRED.
remarked. “I’m looking forward to getting to know the current students and connecting with them so that once they graduate they will hopefully feel comfortable re-connecting with their school.” Phoebe has already jumped full swing into the world of alumni and parents at OLSH, attending a First Friday Parent Social and planning the Alumni Family Christmas Party. She is looking forward to attending school events and activities and immersing herself back into the culture of the school as she works to engage parents and alumni in the OLSH community.
The Kristek family attends a bowling match for Eli and Zeke (not pictured: Samantha).
11
