SPRING
SPARK
2020
THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI, PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF COLLEGIATE SCHOOL
World Changing
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
STRATEGIC PLAN
Senior Capstones unleash possibilities for Collegiate students
The Seventh Annual Chinese New Year Celebration (Year of the Rat) included most of the School’s 300 Chinese language students performing in Oates Theater in January before a packed house.
Letter from
THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Collegiate School Community,
Also in these pages, you will find profiles
life beyond home. The large turnout at our
of what teaching and learning look like
recent New York reunion and the chance to
Greetings from 103 North Mooreland
today. From pencils to digital citizenship,
meet and learn from those who graduated, from the 1960s-2010s, was also inspiring.
Road. It is an exciting time in the world of
we strive to foster and model creativity from
education, and here at Collegiate, we are fully
within. Hallmark events that bring our
engaged in the day-to-day life of our students,
strong sense of one school community, JK-12
JK-12th, and deeply involved in discussions
together, such as Ton of Coins, are held on
We look to this current group of ethical debaters and Cum Laude recipients, as
at a generative level. I find myself reflecting
a high pillar, just as our Design Pitch event
profiled in our magazine, as well as the
on the pioneers who imagined what is today
involving global partnerships with our
students who are not first in line for such
our Collegiate School. Whether bringing
International Emerging Leaders Conference
awards and opportunities. Here at Collegiate,
ethereal concept of what became The Town
through the Powell Institute for Responsible
we strive to see and grow all within our
School to life to merging Collegiate School
Citizenship. Seed ideas bring bold change
community and help them come to know
for Girls and Collegiate School for Boys, I
at Collegiate and beyond.
themselves and their unique talents and
conversations that founders, leaders,
The world needs more healthy risk-taking
as a true and vibrant learning community. It
teachers, staff, parents and citizens
and spaces for our children to see themselves
is a privilege to partner with the talented
in the greater Richmond area held to
in the process of ideation, from mistakes
faculty and staff, supportive parents,
deliver what evolved to what is our
to successful advances. Whether attending
committed Trustees, throngs of volunteers
current and beloved Collegiate School.
a rehearsal for Chicago, penning a note
and truly awesome students who join me
to thank our philanthropists who give
each day here on Mooreland Road.
can only imagine the careful and bold
One individual who embodied what it meant
interests. This is our promise and aspiration
donations to ensure our mission delivery is
to be a Collegiate Cougar was Ann Lee
nourished, and all gifts matter, I see the
Saunders Brown ’36, who passed away on
growth of hearts and minds around each
and energy within and beyond our campus.
Feb. 22, 2020. I was fortunate to meet and
corner and with every walk I take outside of
In case you have not heard, Richmond is a
have the privilege of connecting with her,
my office.
most recently at December’s Pageant Lunch
What we know is that there is talent, thirst
must-visit city, according to The New York Times. As such, we are working to continue
(photo above), and enjoyed her remembrances
As you read about our Board of Trustees,
the flywheel and energy right here on North
of our Collegiate from its earliest days. From
who personify servant leadership and
Mooreland Road; however, we are squarely
her green and gold wardrobe, including
keep our flame strong, I hope you are
focused on the happy and engaged learning
Collegiate-hued sneakers and pompoms,
moved to connect their efforts to the next
community for which Collegiate has been, is
to her glow when discussing the impact
generation of alumni. Our Class Notes
and wants to be known.
our community had on her life and the
share stories of the small and big moments in
reciprocal impact she committed to give
the lives of our Cougar alumni, and we are so
back to Collegiate — what an exceptional
proud and fortunate to have such a loyal and
life and example of our mission in action.
talented group of constituents who live near
In this issue of Spark, you will read about
and far. Recently, our young alumni returned
her remarkable legacy and what Collegiate
for a college panel and I remain moved by the
meant to her.
strength of their character and convictions,
Warmly,
and the credit they gave to Collegiate for
Penny B. Evins
feeling and being prepared in college and in
Head of School
SPRING 2020 1
C O L L E GI A T E S C H O O L A D M I N I S T R A T I O N
Erin Egan Editor, SPARK Associate Director of Communications
Penny B. Evins, Head of School Sara Boisvert, Director of Powell Institute for Responsible Citizenship James M. Britto, Chief Information Officer Karen S. Doxey, Director of Athletics Susan R. Droke, Chief Academic Officer Patrick E. Loach, Head of Upper School Deborah I. Miller, Head of Lower School Phyllis Palmiero, Vice President – Finance and Administration Tung Trinh, Head of Middle School Kristen O. Williams, Vice President – Development
Lauralee Glasgow Allen ’03 Director of Alumni Engagement James Dickinson Creative Manager Weldon Bradshaw Contributor Allyson Catoe Photography, CLS Photography, Angie Ledford Hutchison ’90, Taylor Dabney, Sandra Marr, Don Mears Photography, Doug Watkins Photography
B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S 2 0 19 -2 0
Think (think804.com) Art Direction and Design
John W. Martin ’78, Chairman of the Board Michelle P. Wiltshire, Vice Chairman of the Board Frank F. Mountcastle III ’83, Immediate Past Chairman of the Board Penny B. Evins, President/Head of School Phyllis Palmiero, Treasurer Susan C. Wiley, Secretary Ellen T. Bonbright ’86 Callie Lacy Brackett ’95 Mason T. Chapman ’84 Jeffrey W. Congdon ’78 David A. Gallagher Eucharia N. Jackson Michael S. Laming Peter E. Mahoney, Sr.
Neely Markel ’96 Morenike K. Miles Joan Olmsted Oates* Carter M. Reid Lisa E. Roday Rita M. Ryan*** Kenneth P. Ruscio Danielle D. Scott
Printing Carter Printing Co.
L. Mark Stepanian ’89 Wallace Stettinius* W. Hildebrandt Surgner, Jr. Rupa Tak Robert S. Ukrop* R. Gregory Williams ’69* Mayme Donohue Willis ’03**
* Life Trustee ** Alumni Association President *** Parents’ Association President
Mayme Donohue Willis ’03, President* Pettus LeCompte ’71, Vice President/President Elect* Charley Scher ’83, Recording Secretary* Martha Fleming Moore ’75, Corresponding Secretary* Evan Ocheltree ’05 and Brink Brinkley ’76, Annual Fund Co-Chairs* Neely Markel ’96, Past President Sarah Paxton ’84 and Will Hershey ’94, Stewardship Chairs Noah Greenbaum ’03 and Scott Ruth ’91, Events Committee Chairs Sagle Jones Purcell ’94 Peyton Jenkins ’00 Kunal Shah ’00 Graham Mandl ’08
Spark is published by Collegiate School. We welcome letters from readers, though we may not have room to publish them all. Submissions may be edited for publication. Photographs deemed unsuitable in quality by Spark’s designers may not be included. We make every effort to return photographs shared with us — please send high-resolution (300dpi) digital images whenever possible (to: spark@collegiate-va.org).
Class Notes and Photographs Please send your news and photographs, and we will use them in an upcoming issue. Digital images must be high resolution (min. 300dpi).
A L U M N I A S S O CI A T I O N B O A R D 2 0 19 -2 0
Estelle Munford Call ’64 Leroy Vaughan ’66 Beth Watlington Marchant ’72 Wortie Ferrell ’88 Sarah Morano Murray ’89
Thanks to all parents, students, alums and friends who generously share their information, photographs and archives. Please note that Spark magazine is posted on the School's website and may be available on other online platforms accessible through Internet search engines.
Address Spark Editor Collegiate School/Communications Office 103 North Mooreland Road/Richmond, VA 23229 Email spark@collegiate-va.org Visit our website at www.collegiate-va.org. Boo Florance Smythe ’56 Ben Greenbaum ’65 Ginny Reynolds Parker ’76 Brink Brinkley ’76 Shas Das ’86 Meera Pahuja ’97 Jasmine Turner Perry ’11
* Executive Committee
103 North Mooreland Road/Richmond, VA 23229 804.740.7077/Fax: 804.741.9797 Collegiate School admits qualified students and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admissions, scholarships and loans, and its educational, athletic and other programs.
Phone Spark: 804.741.9781/Alumni Office: 804.741.9757
SPARK
SPRING 2020
ON CAMPUS
Highlights of Fall 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fall Sports Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Holidays at Collegiate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
FEATURES World-Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Collegiate’s senior Capstone program offers students opportunities to make an impact. Honoring Ann Lee Saunders Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 The 1936 graduate, who died Feb. 22, epitomized the enduring spirit of Collegiate School. Leadership at Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Members of the Collegiate Board of Trustees serve as dedicated stewards of the School. Roadmap for the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Collegiate’s Board of Trustees begins work on a new Strategic Plan.
ALUMNI NEWS Letter from Director of Alumni Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Introducing New Alumni Board Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Distinguished Alumni Awards Nominations Wanted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Chips Off the Old Cougar Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Oyster Roast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Homecoming Weekend/Legacy Brunch/50th Reunion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Pageant Lunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Winter Party & Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
CLASS NOTES News from Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
A TEACHER’S TAKE Spark talks with Collegiate Upper School economics teacher Rob Wedge. . . . . . . . . . . . 82
ON THE COVER Collegiate 11th Grader Charlotte Harrison gives her TED talk, What are you Waiting For? about her love of writing poetry and how she seeks to find meaning in the tumultuous years of growing up.
SPRING 2020 3
ON CAMPUS UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS PRESENT
A B S T R A C T S AT N AT ION A L CON F E R E NCE
A group of Collegiate Upper Schoolers who submitted two abstracts to a prominent space research organization traveled to Denver in November to present their work at the organization’s annual meeting — giving the students an opportunity to become published authors while still in high school. While at the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research gathering, students also had an opportunity to explore conference offerings and meet professional scientists. Faculty members Erica Coffey and David Headly accompanied them on the trip.
4 SPARK | On Campus
CO L L E GI AT E H E A D OF S CHOO L A P P OIN T E D T O T W O B O A R D S The Richmond World Affairs Council
Richmond World Affairs Council. The
announced in November 2019 the
management and governing bodies of the
appointment of Collegiate Head of School
Council look forward to working closely
Penny B. Evins to its Board of Directors. The mission of the Council is to offer diverse Central Virginia audiences a forum to engage in dialogue pertaining
with Mrs. Evins to ignite critical thought, provoke engaging debate and spark lively discussion on global issues.” In addition, the Country Day School
to international relations with
Headmasters' Association elected Mrs.
policymakers and academics in order to
Evins as one of its newest members.
foster a better community understanding
Founded in 1912, the association's active
of international affairs and demonstrate
membership is limited to 100 leaders
the relevance these issues have on our
from independent day schools around
day-to-day lives. According to the Council’s press release on her appointment, Mrs. Evins
the country. Its mission is to foster collaboration and connection among school Heads through several gatherings
was nominated by eminent members of
throughout the year. Of her appointment,
the Richmond community. The release
Mrs. Evins said, “I am proud to represent
went on to say: “As an accomplished
Collegiate and our mission as a member
leader in educational governance with
of this esteemed group,” which since
extensive community involvement,
its inception has inducted just over
Mrs. Evins’ expertise and experience
650 members.
make her an exceptional asset to the
SPRING 2020 5
CO L L E GI AT E W IN S 6 T H A NNU A L V IRGINI A HIGH S CHOO L E T HIC S B O W L
Collegiate earned the title of champion
on Case No. 11, “Billionaire Backfire” and
at the 6th Annual Virginia High School
Case No. 14 “Project Prevention.” After
Ethics Bowl on Dec. 7, 2019.
a tie was declared, a quick call to the
Four other high school teams from around the state competed: James River
national office to go over tiebreaker rules deemed Collegiate as the champion by a
High School, Atlee High School, Woodberry
margin of nine points. Students on the
Forest School and St. Christopher’s School.
winning team were Marcella Leonard-
The participating Collegiate students
Jackson, John Philip Mintz, Andrew
are members of the senior Capstone class,
Kauders, Te Markiewicz and Matthew
Ethics and the Engaged Citizen, which
Van Winkle.
asks them the question, How can we best engage in thoughtful civic discourse
Rhiannon Boyd, Collegiate senior Capstone coordinator and teacher of the
and dialogue around some of the most
Ethics and the Engaged Citizen course,
challenging issues facing our society today?
coordinated the first statewide high school
In the Ethics Bowl, student teams compete by presenting a position related
ethics bowl in 2015. She recognized the extraordinarily hard work the students
to a real-world ethical case, with an
had done all day and the impact of
emphasis on economics and public policy
the competition.
decision-making. Unlike a traditional debate, Ethics Bowl participants are not assigned opposing views; instead the competition depends on how thoughtfully
“These students all have a skill set to talk about these cases that are borne out of what happens in the world,” she said. “You are changed because you’ve done
teams have examined their case and how
this, and we are changed because we’ve
clearly they can state their position. Cases
witnessed it.”
are compiled by the National High School Ethics Bowl. After five rounds, the final featured Collegiate and James River High School. The two schools presented their thoughts
6 SPARK | On Campus
T W O UP P E R S CHOO L E R S E N JO Y
W RI T ING S UCCE S S
Charlotte Harrison (above) and with Dr. Wendi Moss' English class
W
riting serves as more than
was one of eight works chosen out of 150
just a creative outlet for
submissions for the nationally acclaimed
Collegiate junior Charlotte
statewide New Voices for the Theater program
Harrison and senior Emma
last summer.
Williams. Charlotte, a poet, and Emma, a playwright,
have both had their work produced and
worked with professional actors, directors
published to much acclaim.
and playwright-in-residence David Roby to
Charlotte self-published a collection of
edit, stage and produce her play, a comedic
poems, Fourteen: A Poetry Anthology, that she
take on the beginning of Christianity, at the
began writing as an 8th Grader in Dr. Wendi
Grace Street Theater. Opening night for Mary’s
Moss’ English class. She continued writing,
Dilemma resulted in some nerves but also an
and the result was a second book, Fifteen: A
overwhelmingly positive response.
Poetry Anthology. Dr. Moss began using Charlotte’s first
Emma Williams and the New Voices for the Theater poster (below)
During the two-week residency program at Virginia Commonwealth University, Emma
“It was unreal,” Emma said. “Listening to people laugh at the jokes I didn’t find funny
book in her 8th Grade class and, through
anymore because I had spent so much time in
a family friend, St. Catherine’s School now
the script was really cool.”
includes both books in its 8th, 9th and 11th
Spending part of her summer perfecting
Grade English curriculum. Charlotte visited
her craft at New Voices confirmed Emma’s
students who read her books in class and
commitment to and passion for it.
found the experience mind-blowing. “To see all of them hold my book like I hold To Kill a Mockingbird was crazy,” she said.
“It was an incredible opportunity that I definitely was blessed to be a part of,” she said. “Playwriting is definitely something I want to
Charlotte is currently working on the
do and pursue in college and beyond. Even
third book (Sixteen) and hopes someday to
though it was a lot of work, It didn’t really
complete a fourth (Seventeen) for a full set that
feel like work. It felt like something that I
documents her Upper School life.
wanted to do.”
“I’ve always felt like a good writer, but I’ve been looking for my thing,” she said. “I feel like poetry is my thing.” Fellow Cougar Emma Williams understands the power of seeing one’s work produced. Her one-act play, Mary’s Dilemma,
SPRING 2020 7
WHITFIELD SPEAKER SERIES FEATURES PLAYWRIGHT Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, a playwright whose works have been produced around the world, spoke with Collegiate Upper School students in September as the 2019 Whitfield Speaker. The Whitfield Speaker Series, made possible by former Cougar parents Bryan and Maha Whitfield, has brought poets, singers, songwriters, journalists and novelists to campus to talk about their professions for 14 years. Ms. Cowhig’s visit featured remarks about her upbringing in Asia as well as a discussion about her plays and the playwriting process in an onstage conversation with Upper School English teacher Will Dunlap. Dr. Dunlap was a fellow with Ms. Cowhig at the James A. Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin from 2006-09. Her plays have been awarded the Wasserstein Prize,
I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O N F E R E N C E R E V E A L S R E A L- W O R L D EN VIRONMEN TA L SOLU TIONS
the Yale Drama Series Award, an Edinburgh Fringe First Award, the David A. Calicchio Award and the Keene Prize for Literature. Her work has been staged in the United Kingdom at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, Trafalgar Studios 2 and the Unicorn
A
t Collegiate’s 9th
Hannah Dehradunwala,
Annual International
co-founder and CEO of
Theatre. In the United States, her work has been staged
Emerging Leaders Conference
Transfernation, a logistics
at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Manhattan Theater
(IELC) in October, 41
company focused on building
Club and the Goodman Theatre.
international high school
tech-based, integrated food
students and 13 Collegiate
rescue systems for cities.
international reach, is a stellar example of a young
seniors teamed up to create
writer whose work touches on a variety of places and
solutions to real-world
Sawyer said participating in
cultures, from the United States to rural China to
environmental issues facing
IELC completely changed her.
Guantanamo Bay,” said Dr. Dunlap. “Her vision of the
their countries.
“Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, a dramatist with an
world, one based within the interconnectedness of
The conference led
Collegiate senior Roxy
“I had a brilliant time,” she said. “IELC stretched my
seemingly foreign cultures, is thus deeply relevant to
to DesignPitch, an event
mind in so many ways. It’s
Collegiate's ongoing commitment to global citizenship.”
that showcased the student
the real world and it shows us
groups’ creative ideas as
that we have the capabilities
they presented them to the
to do real things.”
Collegiate community and the general public. Students were tasked
visited students in their JK-
with solving issues such
12 classrooms, participated
as sewage disposal in the
in a Civil Discourse
Jukskei River in South Africa,
International Forum and
global warming and its impact
demonstrated aspects of
on tides in Italy, the impact
their country’s heritage in a
of forest fires in Kazakhstan,
Cultural Fair for 3rd and
illegal gold mining in Ghana,
4th Grade students and
bike graveyards in China and
their families.
mismanagement of municipal
Be on the lookout
solid waste in Morocco.
for information about our
10th anniversary IELC in
Prior to the pitches,
students and the audience heard from keynote speaker
8 SPARK | On Campus
To close the conference, the international delegates
fall 2020.
SENIORS E ARN
CU M L A UDE , N AT ION A L M E RI T RECOGNITION
Collegiate announced at a November assembly the seniors who have been inducted into the Cum Laude Society and those who were honored with National Merit
Gwen Lynch
Commended students (not pictured: Mac Hester)
Scholar Recognition. The following 10 students were named National Merit Commended Scholars: Quentin Calhoun, Mac Hester, Davis Jobe, Mo Lyu, Milan Mehta, Deven Pandya, Avery Schebell, Catherine Schwarzschild, Shreya Sharma and Connor Yackel. Senior Gwen Lynch was named a 2019 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. In addition, 13 seniors were inducted into the Collegiate chapter of Cum Laude, a national honor society that recognizes academic excellence and citizenship. The honorees for the fall were: Joseph Ascoli, Quentin Calhoun, Mac Hester, Davis Jobe, Caitlin Long, Gwen Lynch, Mo Lyu, Esha Mittal, Charlotte Palmore, Deven Pandya, Avery Schebell, Catherine Schwarzschild and Shreya Sharma. Cum Laude Society members
F OUR T H GR A DE C A P S T ONE K ICK S OF F Collegiate 4th Graders launched their grade-level Capstone experience, Envision Collegiate, in November by meeting School leaders from various departments who will guide them as they explore the question, How might we improve the sustainability of Collegiate’s campus by 2028? Envision Collegiate immerses the entire 4th Grade student body in the inner workings of Collegiate’s campus, so that students can use design thinking methods and work collaboratively to identify opportunities for growth and change. The 2028 in the question represents the year the 4th Graders will graduate. From the launch until May, students will work in groups and interview the following campus experts to inform their ideas: Athletic Director Karen Doxey; Director of Campus Safety and Security James Bandy; Transportation Supervisor Tony Winston; Director of Facilities Management and Construction Scott Carson; Grounds Supervisor Jeremy Clark and Food Service Director Andy Harrison.
Lower School Capstone coordinator and 4th Grade teacher Jessica Catoggio encouraged students to “be the change” during the Capstone experience. “No one knows our School better than you,” she said. “During Envision Collegiate, you will get the opportunity to be a leader, to share your ideas and your thinking, and serve our School. That’s one of the things that makes this Capstone special.”
SPRING 2020 9
Collegiate 7th-12th Grade singers and musicians showcased their talents as they performed a variety of concerts throughout the fall.
V E T E R A N S D AY F E A T U R E S M U LT I P L E S P E A K E R S
Collegiate honored veterans during three separate division assemblies featuring Director of Campus Safety and Security James Bandy, a veteran of the U.S. Marines (Upper School); Carl Napier, a member of Collegiate’s custodial staff and a veteran of the U.S. Army, and Commander Paul Galanti, retired U.S. Navy pilot (Lower School); and Facilities Manager Tammy Dunn, a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Navy (Middle School).
10 SPARK | On Campus
S OCI A L M E DI A E X P E R T PA R T N E R S W I T H CO L L E GI AT E
COLLEGIATE 7 TH GRADERS ENGAGE IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
L
aura Tierney, founder of The Social Institute, spoke to Collegiate Middle and Upper School students in October about ways to
navigate the increasingly complicated social media landscape. During three separate assemblies, Ms. Tierney explained how The Social Institute will partner with Collegiate this year on social media education using a game that is appropriate for various grade levels. In advisories throughout the year, students will play the game “Win at Social” and discuss the content. Collegiate Middle School students will focus on navigating social media in high standard and positive ways and Upper Schoolers will learn how social media can help them strengthen their soft skills (i.e., creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability
In November, the entire Collegiate 7th Grade took part in Community, Challenges and
and time management). The game poses questions to students and features videos of real
Leadership, a program that reinforces the
high school and college students offering their thoughts. Ms. Tierney
School’s core values of community, respect,
and her team collaborated with more than 50,000 students across the
honor, excellence and love of learning.
country to develop the game, which grows more complex as the grade
Begun more than 20 years ago, the CCL program builds community within 7th
level increases. “Students are on the cutting edge of social media so they should be
Grade advisories and the grade level at large
leading the charge,” Ms. Tierney said. “We have to have high standards
and facilitates activities that allow student
when we use social media. All of this is practice for the real world.”
leadership styles to emerge. Sixteen senior
Not a typical game, “Win at Social” does not result in points or a
mentors, chosen for their proven leadership
final winner. Its focus is to teach students how to use social media in
skills, and 16 Middle School faculty members
positive ways — a practice that Ms. Tierney reinforces with the
helped facilitate each day’s activities.
hashtag #winatsocial.
“The program connects Middle School students to seniors around authentic conversations about Collegiate values and their
“What winning looks like to us is playing to your values and character,” Ms. Tierney said. Ms. Tierney is a former four-time Duke All-American field hockey
impact on present and future choices,” said
player and a digital native who has curated social media platforms for
Amasa Monroe, Middle School lead counselor,
several major brands, including Duke basketball and ESPN. She also
who led the program.
spoke to Middle and Upper School parents about best practices and tech tips, including how to install the safest privacy settings and details about the most popular apps students use and how. “We are building a program to equip students throughout the year,” she told parents. Learning to use social media effectively “is critical to helping kids be healthy, healthy and successful.”
SPRING 2020 11
COLLEGIATE SENIORS ORGANIZE TEDxYOUTH@RVA EVENT In November, seniors enrolled in the TEDxYouth@RVA Capstone class curated an impressive program of speakers for the sixth annual TEDxYouth@RVA event, themed Fusion. The event, held in the Hershey Center for the Arts, was open to the general public. For more about TEDx and other senior Capstones, see Page 26.
HONORS THE ATER CL A S S PRODUCES
W IN T E R P L AY Members of the Collegiate Honors Theater class presented Orbital Sanity as the Winter Play in January. The play, a collection of four one-act plays written by seniors Marcella LeonardJackson and Emma Williams, examined relationships both romantic and platonic, and how to have the difficult conversations. Directed by Marcella, Emma and seniors Chris Grainer and Mac Hester, the plays were performed by 18 other students.
12 SPARK | On Campus
C O L L E GI A T E 4 T H G R A D E R S H E A R
P E R S ON A L S T ORIE S OF IMMIGR ATION
PROFES SIONA L DE V ELOPMENT E N G A G E S FA C U LT Y A N D S T A F F Collegiate’s entire faculty and staff participated in December in a professional development presentation and discussion on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) led by educational consultant Jen Cort. Ms. Cort also spent a week on campus meeting with groups of faculty and staff from all divisions. With each group, she facilitated courageous conversations and gathered information to help the School grow as a community and to develop capacity to better live its mission.
A
s part of their study of immigration, Collegiate School 4th Graders heard last fall from Collegiate community
members about their own experiences coming to the United States. In October, Middle School Head Tung Trinh shared his
C O L L E GI A T E P L AY E R S P R E S E N T
CHIC A GO
family’s story. Mr. Trinh described how his parents immigrated to the U.S. in 1979 from Vietnam, after spending 18 months in a refugee camp in Malaysia. “They thought the best chance for a better life was to leave a place they had known all their lives and go to a place they didn’t know at all,” he said. Mr. Trinh talked about how fortunate he felt that his parents sacrificed so much for his family. And when he has a hard day, he thinks about what his parents went through. “I realize how lucky I am to be here with all of you,” he said. The 4th Graders also visited the federal courthouse in downtown Richmond to witness naturalization ceremonies, during which individuals from more than 30 countries received citizenship. They later took part in a service learning project at a local church that serves the English as a Second
The Collegiate Players presented Chicago (High School Edition), the Broadway classic by Bob Fosse, John Kander and Fred Ebb, in October in Oates Theater.
Language community. “Discussions revolving around culture and assimilation to America help 4th Graders gain multiple perspectives,” said 4th Grade teacher Heather Garnett. “These opportunities allow students to further their understanding of this important topic.”
SPRING 2020 13
NIGH T OF L IGH T S H O W C A S E S 2 ND G R A D E A R T I S T S
Collegiate 2nd Graders welcomed family members to Night of Light, an exhibition of their Studio Two artwork, in November. As part of their 2nd Grade art curriculum, students in Studio Two create works of art using the theme of light to support Collegiate’s partner school, Jams Academy, in Cameroon. The Studio Two artwork was available for purchase and raised funds that went toward purchasing textbooks and Little Sun solarpowered lanterns for Jams Academy, so that the school’s students can read and write in their homes in the evening. The total rasied was $1,578. “The Studio Two program is an
2ND GRADE PUTS ON STATES FAIR
opportunity for students to look for ways to shine their own light in the world and to connect with our greater global community,” said Lower School art teacher Heather Bruneau, who organized the event.
The annual States Fair performance — filled with songs, dances and displays of artwork — served as the culminating event to Collegiate 2nd Graders’ study of the Fifty Nifty states.
C O L L E GI A T E E N J O Y S
FA MILY NIGH T 14 SPARK | On Campus
On Jan. 29, Collegiate Cougars put their Paws Up to pause and enjoy the Inaugural Family Night! No homework, no athletics and no other activities on campus made for a perfect evening of quality time with family. “Thank you for initiating Family Night!” said parent Sharon Handley. “I have children in the Lower, Middle AND Upper Schools, and it is hard to get all five of us together during the school year. We had a great night!”
P OE T RY OU T L OUD CELEBR ATES THE SPOK EN WORD
In December, Collegiate hosted Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation contest that helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about literary history and contemporary life. Twenty-one Collegiate students participated in the program, during which a panel of Upper School faculty members served as judges. The event was organized by Upper School English teacher Mil Norman-Risch. Junior Abby Fleming was named the winner with a recitation of Oranges by Roisin Kelly. Senior Alex McKay was the runner-up, performing I Carry Your Heart With Me (I Carry It In) by E.E. Cummings. Freshman Charlie Loach came in third place with his recitation of Harold and the Purple Crayon by D. Gilson.
C O L L E GI A T E S T U D E N T S
CE L E B R AT E DI WA L I Middle and Lower School students learned about Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, through presentations and visits from Collegiate students and parents.
SPRING 2020 15
F OR M E R
N A S A A S T RON A U T TA L K S S PA CE
C
ollegiate Upper School students enjoyed a presentation in October from Columbia University mechanical engineering
professor Dr. Michael Massimino, who described his passion for space and his journey to becoming a NASA astronaut.
HA LLOWEEN PAR ADE, TON OF COINS TR ADITIONS CONTINUE
In addition to teaching in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Dr. Massimino serves as the senior advisor of space programs at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. A graduate of Columbia, Dr. Massimino talked about how his love of space began as a 6-year-old. But it wasn’t until he was in graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that he first applied to be an astronaut at NASA. He was rejected from the space program three times, but remained undeterred. After earning his master’s and doctorate degrees at MIT, Dr. Massimino worked as a research engineer at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and then joined the engineering faculty at Georgia Tech. Still determined to be an astronaut, he applied a fourth time to NASA. This time, in 1996, he was selected as an astronaut candidate. Dr. Massimino was part of the fourth and fifth Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions, in 2002 and 2009. Dr. Massimino took multiple questions from the audience, and then left students with this advice about choosing a career path: “It’s really up to you to decide what you’re interested in. I was in my 20s when I realized I was still very interested in the space program. If that happens to you, I think you have to pursue it in some way. Whatever passion you have, you have to at least try. The only way something is impossible is if you give up.”
16 SPARK | On Campus
In an annual tradition, Collegiate JK-1st Graders dressed in their Halloween finest headed toward the Upper School to deposit cups and bags of coins that fund a scholarship for deserving Collegiate students in need. Founded by retired Collegiate English teacher and Interact Club advisor Lewis “Bubba” Lawson 30 years ago, Ton of Coins has raised approximately $7,000 per year and more than $250,000.
V I R GI N I A D I V E R S I T Y N E T W O R K W O R K S H O P
C O L L E GI A T E 8 T H G R A D E R S E M B A R K O N
E N V I S ION RICH M OND
Collegiate hosted the Virginia Diversity Network workshop, "Navigating Difficult Conversations" in October. Collegiate’s Director of Global Engagement and Inclusion Erica Coffey, who serves as co-president of VDN, introduced Collegiate Head of School Penny Evins, who welcomed the 90 attendees from 18 Virginia schools saying, “I hope you leave here feeling a bit deeper and a bit more courageous.” Kelly Carter Merrill, Ph.D., professor of communications at Randolph-Macon College and professor of nonprofit studies at the University of Richmond, facilitated the program.
Collegiate’s entire 8th Grade student body spent a week in October using the city of Richmond as their classroom. Now in its seventh year, Envision Richmond strives to foster collaboration, empathy, creativity, communication and problem-solving techniques within students, so that they feel better equipped to improve the world around them. During the week, the 8th Graders visited nonprofits throughout Richmond that address a range of issues such as food insecurities, foster care, lack of green spaces, immigration, sports for people with disabilities, homelessness, pediatric health and mental health awareness. The students worked in teams and used the five stages of design thinking — discovery, interpretation, ideation, experimentation and evolution — to research and imagine big ideas that could assist the nonprofits. Several Collegiate alums — Ethan Wirt ’01, Rachel Everett ’92, Wortie Ferrell ’88 and Jasmine Turner Perry ’11 — offered their expertise and guidance throughout the week. At week’s end, student groups presented their creations to their peers, community leaders and School administrators and teachers. Groups will continue to collaborate throughout the school year, and in the spring, they will design an outreach project for their community organization that targets an immediate need they discovered from their work in the fall. Envision Richmond co-coordinator and Middle School English teacher Wendi Moss, who led this year’s program with assistance from Middle School history teacher Jeff Dunnington, said participating in the program encourages empathy and helps the 8th Graders understand better the
THIRD GR ADERS BRING ENTREPRENEURIA L SKILL S TO MARK ET As part of their economics curriculum and learning about the entrepreneurial mindset, Collegiate 3rd Graders held the first of three markets in mid-October in Centennial Hall, during which they sold wares they made from recyclable materials. The students also had time to purchase items at their classmates’ tables. Some items included sparkling wind chimes made from CDs, haunted pencil holders made from milk cartons, acorn necklaces and Lego-shaped crayons. Middle School resource teacher Sandy Ting and several of her students took in the market and handed out stickers to 3rd Graders for Most Creative Innovation, Most Unique Upcycler, Best Customer Service and Most Spirited.
people in our broader Richmond community. “During Envision Richmond, students discover the most important thing: They can make a difference in the world around them,” Ms. Moss said. “It is truly an honor to watch
For more campus news, visit www.collegiate-va.org.
them change over the course of this week.”
SPRING 2020 17
THE POWER OF
PHILANTHROPY EN D O W M ENTS PR OVI D E EXTRA O R D I N A RY LEA R N I N G EX PERI EN C ES FO R S EN IO R S
D
uring a special presentation in
“Quin and I sought this award to create
October, seven Collegiate seniors
a peaceful, mindfulness space on campus,”
shared how student endowments
Avery said.
made possible by the generosity of
Caliyah Bennett, recipient of the
learned what a vital impact water has on life and society. “What people in rural areas need most is access to essential resources,” she said.
Collegiate families enabled them to travel and
Samuel D. Jessee Leadership Endowment
explore their individual areas of interest over
Award, led a literacy workshop in Tema,
for the opportunities to grow, learn more about
the summer.
Ghana. The award funds a student to continue
themselves and serve their communities.
Caroline Laskin, recipient of the John R. Lower Memorial Endowment Award
Maria Cobb, Collegiate’s Director of
training or experience in order to foster the
Development Operations, also offered her
which funds
capacity to lead and exert positive authority
appreciation to many family members who
participation
while influencing others.
were on hand for the presentations.
in a wilderness
“I’ve definitely changed as a person after
“Collegiate thanks the generous families
program,
this trip,” Caliyah said. “I’m more open-minded
who understand the value of students
traveled to Red
and have a better ability to approach topics
leaving their comfort zones to gain a better
River Gorge,
with more cultural awareness. This trip has
understanding of themselves, the community
Kentucky, to
given me the gift of being more empathetic
and the world as they become good citizens in
participate in
because of the people I encountered.”
the widest sense,” she said.
outdoor sport Caroline with Mrs. Anne Lower
growth in leadership through advanced
All recipients expressed their gratitude
Joy Ma and Lina Wang, recipients of the
climbing, one of
Mary Parker Moncure Vaden Endowment
her passions.
Award, created a summer camp that included
“Through
activities such as traditional Chinese painting
To learn more about philanthropy at Collegiate,
this opportunity, I returned confident in
and dumpling making in partnership with The
please contact Vice President of Development
my abilities. I pushed myself to mental and
Faison Center. The award, which recognizes
Kristen Williams at 804.741.9722 or
physical limits through difficult climbing,”
girls who demonstrate loyalty, integrity,
kristen_williams@collegiate-va.org.
she said.
strength of character and service, provides
Avery Maynard and Quin Timmerman, recipients of the William “Bill” Reeves Renaissance Student Award, created a
for special study in a service or leadershiporiented activity. “The camp was an idea that grew out of
mindfulness garden outside of the Sharp
our common interest in wanting to share our
Academic Commons. The Reeves Award is
Asian heritage,” Joy said.
given to a student who exemplifies consistent
Esha Mittal, a third recipient of the
compassion for others, love of learning,
Mary Parker Moncure Vaden Endowment
intellectual integrity, high interest in
Award, traveled to India to investigate
interdisciplinary studies and moral leadership.
access to safe water. From her travels, Esha
18 SPARK | On Campus
N E W E N D O WME N T S N A N C Y P. T H A L H I M E R S C H O L A R S H I P
Avery and Quin pose with former Collegiate mindfulness instructor Alex Peavey.
Established in 2018 by Morton G. Thalhimer, Jr. and children Mort ’73, Leigh ’74 and Richard ’79, in loving memory of Nancy P. Thalhimer, this endowment provides financial assistance to a Collegiate School student or students. Mrs. Thalhimer pursued her love of learning at Goucher College and Virginia Commonwealth University. She was active throughout her life and loved the outdoors, skiing, tennis and golf. The quintessential people person, she also engaged in the community, served on several boards and volunteered throughout the Richmond area. Recipients shall possess Mrs. Thalhimer's positive spirit and kindness toward others.
M A RY A ND S TE V E HICK M A N ENDOW MEN T Dr. Forrest Jessee ’67, Liz Jessee Bruni ’09 and Melissa Layfield congratulate Caliyah.
Joy, Lina and Esha meet Holly Roper, Peggy Moncure Conway ’68, Liz Varland and Mary Mason Roper.
Caliyah Bennett, Avery Maynard, Quin Timmerman, Lina Wang, Caroline Laskin, Joy Ma and Esha Mittal
The Mary and Steve Hickman Endowment was created in 2019 by the Collegiate Board of Trustees to honor and recognize the Hickmans’ committed service to the Collegiate School community and Steve's exceptional leadership as Head of School from 2014 to 2019. Among Steve's many commitments was his support of a more diverse and inclusive School community. This endowment will be used at the discretion of the Head of School to continue to advance these important efforts, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for students; extended community outreach; faculty and staff professional development; workshops and seminars, and special initiatives for the School.
B E T T Y M AY N A R D H O T C H K I S S E N D O W M E N T F O R F I N A N CI A L A S S I S T A N C E Hundreds of Collegiate students got their start in Mrs. Hotchkiss' Kindergarten class. For more than 40 years, she nurtured, loved, taught and shaped some of our youngest Cougars. Her former students count her among their favorite teachers, even long after leaving her classroom. Mrs. Hotchkiss said she always knew she would be an educator and approached teaching more as a calling than a vocation. She loved her students and they reciprocated. Mrs. Hotchkiss was a model to all with her optimism and enthusiasm and, in particular, her warmth and compassion for someone in need. Family and friends of Mrs. Hotchkiss established an endowment in her honor in 2018. The endowment provides funding for a student or students who would not otherwise be able to attend an independent school like Collegiate. Recipients shall demonstrate kindness, compassion and character.
SPRING 2020 19
FA LL
SPORTS ROUNDUP Johnny White ’20
BOYS ' CROSS COU NTRY 2 ND IN PREP LEAGUE • 2 ND IN VISA A All-Prep: Liam Bellamy ’20, Clay Ryan ’20, Johnny White ’20 All-State: Bellamy ’20, Ryan ’20, White ’20 All-Metro: Bellamy ’20 (First Team) White ’20 (Second Team) Prep League Sportsmanship Award
20 SPARK | On Campus
GI R LS ' CROSS COU NTRY 3 RD IN LIS • 3 RD IN VISA A All-LIS: Giles Ferrell ’24, Kathryn Sutherland ’22 All-State: Ferrell ’24
Kathryn Sutherland ’22
VO LLEYBA LL 15 -7 2 ND IN LIS • VISA A QUARTERFINALIST
Abby Freeman ’20
All-LIS: Gabby Chen ’23, Abby Freeman ’20, Walker Miller ’20
SPRING 2020 21
Nora Willet ’21
TEN N IS 13 - 5 2 ND IN LIS • VISA A QUARTERFINALIST All-LIS: Nora Willett ’21 (2nd place #1 singles; #1 doubles champion), Alyssa McDaniel ’20 (#1 doubles champion), Kayli Shenk ’21 (#2 doubles champion), Elizabeth Mendoza ’24 (#2 doubles champion) All-State: Willett ’21 (First Team) Mendoza ’24, Shenk ’21 (Second Team)
Maggie Bostain ’20
FI ELD H OCK EY 14 - 6 -1 2 ND IN LIS • VISA A SEMIFINALIST All-LIS: Maggie Bostain ’20, Hallie Brost ’21, Madelyn Curtis ’22, Izzy Lee ’23, Callie Rogers ’24 All-State: Brost ’21, Curtis ’22, Rogers ’24 (First Team) All-Metro: Brost ’21 (First Team) Bostain ’20, Rogers ’24 (Second Team) Additionally, Hallie Brost ’21 was selected to the 2020 All-Mid-Atlantic Region Field Hockey First Team and Callie Rogers ’24 was selected to the 2020 U.S. U-16 Women's National Field Hockey Team.
FOOTBA LL 5 - 4 Nigel Williams ’20
4 TH IN PREP LEAGUE All-Prep: Trey Boll ’20, Bo Brown ’21, Gilbert Deglau ’20 (offense) John Ballowe ’21, Charles Geho ’20, Nigel Williams ’20 (defense) All-State: Boll ’20, Geho ’20, Williams ’20 (First Team) Deglau ’20, Ballowe ’21 (Second Team) Brown ’21 (Specialist) All-Metro: Williams ’20 (First Team) Ballowe ’21, Boll ’20, Brown ’21, Geho ’20 (Honorable Mention)
22 SPARK | On Campus
SOCCER 10 -3 - 4 3 RD IN PREP LEAGUE • VISA A QUARTERFINALIST All-Prep: Peyton Garst ’20, Will Neuner ’22, Colin Ryan ’22 All-State: Garst ’20, Neuner ’22
Peyton Garst ’20
CO U GA RS RETAI N TU CK ER- PITT CU P, FI ELD D EDICATED TO CH A R LI E B LAI R
The 2019 Tucker-Pitt Cup champions
C
ollegiate’s boys’ varsity soccer team tied Norfolk Academy 0-0 in a defensive duel at the Robins Campus on Charlie Blair Field, officially named on Sept. 27, 2019, in honor of the recently retired Mr. Blair as Head of the Middle School. By playing to a draw in the contest, the annual TuckerPitt Cup, the Cougars retained the trophy, and it will be showcased at Collegiate until next season's game. In 2011, Mr. Blair and former Norfolk Academy head coach Sean Wetmore named the cup in honor of their mentors and longtime friends, John H. Tucker, Jr. of Norfolk Academy and Malcolm U. “Buck” Pitt, Jr. of Collegiate. Tucker and Pitt were, as the trophy reads, extraordinary leaders, excellent teachers and good friends. “It is always great to play a league rival in Norfolk Academy and the Tucker-Pitt Cup raises the stakes too,”
said Collegiate coach Rob Ukrop. “We are proud of the way the guys competed today against a good opponent.” Collegiate has previously won the cup in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. Norfolk Academy has won the cup in 2012 and 2017, and retained the cup via a draw in 2013. Collegiate boys’ and girls’ soccer moved to the McDonald Soccer Complex on the Robins Campus in 2011. The McDonald family wanted to honor Mr. Blair by naming the field for him upon his retirement. “We are fortunate to play on the best field in the state and it fittingly bears Mr. Blair’s name,” Coach Ukrop said.
Charlie Blair with his family and Mr. and Mrs. McDonald
SPRING 2020 23
HO L ID AY S AT CO L L E GI AT E 1
2
3
4
5
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
At Brunch, 5th Grade girls sing The 12 Days of Christmas. Senior boys enjoy Feast of Juul. Middle Schoolers perform at The Jefferson Hotel. Kindergartners sing at their annual chapel performance. Handbells feature prominently at Lessons and Carols.
24 SPARK | On Campus
1
2
3
4
5
1. Third Graders present Concert of Carols. 2.-4. Parents and students enjoy the Cub Boutique. 5. Junior girls salute seniors at Brunch. 6. Girls perform Pageant.
6
SPRING 2020 25
Collegiate seniors Rishika Pal and Hayley Dunn emcee the 2019 TEDxYouth@RVA event.
26 SPARK | Features
By Haley Whipple Nolde ’92
Collegiate’s senior Capstone program offers students opportunities to make an impact
A
midst the clattering din of daily life at school, teachers of senior Capstone courses are thinking deeply about the lives their students will lead when they leave Collegiate. These faculty members have the unique task of helping seniors complement their academic knowledge with skills and mindsets that will help them succeed in college and in the workforce, ultimately enabling them to become leaders in the world at large. “Students say that this is where you’re treated most like an adult,” said Rhiannon Boyd, senior Capstone coordinator. “You’re motivated less by grades. It feels more like a job.” An evolution of the senior seminar and a culmination of the 4th Grade and 8th Grade Capstones Envision Collegiate and Envision Richmond (see sidebar on Page 31), the senior Capstones, called Envision Your World, offer project-based work with people beyond the walls of the School — from diverse pockets of Richmond to Mexico City, Yangzhou, China, and beyond. Launched in the 2017-18 school year, the program currently offers 10 vastly different, semester-long electives. In each course, eliminating the boundaries of campus and seeking to understand what people actually need, says Mrs. Boyd, “activates the part of a teenager that knows that their work needs to be for something. For somebody. They care deeply about doing things that matter.” In her 11 years at Collegiate, Mrs. Boyd has helped hone the School’s Portrait of a Graduate, a framework for preparing students to live as responsible citizens, inquisitive thinkers and mindful leaders. “We have been given extraordinary trust by our School leadership in thinking about how to educate for an uncertain future,” she said. Guiding students to understand that the world’s most difficult challenges will require multiple disciplines to solve, her team of Capstone teachers brings a transdisciplinary approach to each class. Employing various pillars of Responsible Citizenship, they use content as a means to deliver skill sets that will help students succeed wherever they go. Of her role as coordinator, Mrs. Boyd says, “I couldn’t be more proud to work here. Every child deserves this work.”
I couldn’t be more proud to work here. Every child deserves this work.” –R hiannon Boyd, Senior Capstone Coordinator
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International Emerging Leader Courses
T
he International Emerging Leaders Conference, which will mark its 10th anniversary this fall, has spawned three Capstone courses: IEL: Global Conference, a fall course in which Collegiate seniors organize and participate in a conference with high school students from nine countries; IEL: Asia, a spring course that incorporates both hosting and visiting peers from China; and IEL: Americas, also a spring course, which includes a Model UN conference and homestays in Mexico. (Financial assistance is available for courses that involve travel.) The IELC course kicks into high gear as soon as school starts, as students prepare for the September conference, which is hosted by Collegiate and attended by students from participating schools across the globe. They first examine what they know and don’t know about the visiting countries. “We try to eliminate the single story of a people and place we might have,” Mrs. Boyd said, “and instead gather as many stories as we can.” Seniors do much of the logistical work of the weeklong event, such as arranging visits between the international students and Lower School classes. They participate in the conference, using design thinking to develop solutions to environmental challenges facing students’ home countries. The experience is utterly immersive, as seniors in IELC don’t attend regular classes or sports practices during the week of the conference. “It’s school done differently,” laughs Mrs. Boyd, and a good preview of tackling an important project or event in the workplace. After the conference, students educate each other, using their new skills to examine the Sustainable Development Global Goals set forth by the United Nations.
“They have the skills for civil discourse,” Mrs. Boyd said. “Now we’ve been through some stuff. We’ve shed tears, laughed — the way you can speak to each other when you disagree feels so different.” Spring semester offers two IEL offshoots. Taught by Trina Clemans, Director of Economic and Entrepreneurship Education, IEL: Asia centers on a reciprocal homestay experience. In February, seniors host visiting students from Beijing New Oriental Foreign Language School, our partner school in China, then travel in March to Shanghai and Yangzhou for an immersive cultural experience. (Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, students did not travel to China.) With U.S.-China political and economic relations ever shifting, this class borrows structure from The China Questions, a book published by Harvard University Press, to frame discussions of growth, poverty and climate change. Mrs. Clemans hopes that her students will walk away with “the ability to see many sides of a story; to have opinions and hold space for others to have opinions too; to be comfortable when their own opinions butt up against someone else’s.” After examining profound differences between the U.S. and China, Mrs. Clemans says, students commonly come away with the
realization that they and their Chinese peers are surprisingly alike. IEL: Americas combines a similar focus on global engagement with a deep dive into issues of social justice and human rights in Mexico and surrounding Central American countries. Students participate in two homestays in Mexico, and represent Collegiate in a Model UN conference known as International Youth Dialogue, which is hosted by our partner school, Colegio Carol Baur. (At press time, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, a decision about travel to Mexico had not yet been made.) They also partner with the Sacred Heart Center, which serves Richmond’s Latinx community, examining a specific need that the center faces and creating deliverable solutions. Erica Coffey, Director of Global Engagement and Inclusion, who teaches the course, says that many “aha moments” occur when students tackle topics such as inclusion, biases in the news and stereotypes about themselves and others. “The best part is being able to take things where the students want them to go,” Mrs. Coffey says. “We’re learning how to have what would be difficult conversations.”
The best part is being able to take things where the students want them to go. We’re learning how to have what would be difficult conversations.” – Erica Coffey, Director of Global Engagement and Inclusion
28 SPARK | Features
IELC
IEL: Asia
IEL: Asia
IEL: Americas
IEL: Americas
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Fall Courses
TEDxYouth@RVA
We feel empowered to learn on our own.” –C ollegiate Senior Chris Grainer
30 SPARK | Features
Ethics and the Engaged Citizen
Techno-humanism: Mind, Brain and Machine
CreateAthon
Elements of Capstone
L
ike IELC, Collegiate’s Ethics Bowl and TEDxYouth@RVA event predate the senior Capstone program, but lent themselves perfectly to the format. Along with a new class called Technohumanism, they round out the fall Capstone electives. Mrs. Boyd, for whom ethics has long been a passion, coordinated Collegiate’s first internal Ethics Bowl in 2009, and the first statewide bowl in 2015. Students in her fall Capstone course, Ethics and the Engaged Citizen, this year won the Virginia High School Ethics Bowl. For Capstone students, the bowl follows months of examining the nature of morality and wrestling with why we believe what we do. After disentangling theories and principles that justify moral truths, the bowl gives them a chance to present publicly a position related to a real-world ethical case. They have by then accomplished the primary goal, says Mrs. Boyd, building a skill set that no one is born with: “to think in community across disagreement in order to gain insight. Teenagers want to do this, but, too often, no one gives them the tools or the chance.” In the TEDxYouth@RVA course co-taught by Mrs. Boyd and Mrs. Coffey, seniors produce and curate the branded event that showcases “ideas worth spreading” from Richmond’s metro region. After applying for a job within the course, they secure the speakers as well as the funding; they design and implement the logo, marketing and menu; they address accessibility, and even edit speeches. While learning to deal with the unexpected and discovering skills they never knew they had, students ultimately learn “just what Richmond is and who’s out there,” Mrs. Coffey said. This Capstone builds civic engagement, but its central focus is inclusion. Creating a truly inclusive event requires that students engage not only
speakers, but also attendees, who reflect the demographics and interests of the region. This year’s audience held guests from 41 public schools, 11 colleges and 11 nonprofits, exceeding all expectations. “I believe it’s the most inclusive event Collegiate has,” Mrs. Coffey said. A new class, called Technohumanism: Mind, Brain and Machine, questions how technology might shape human existence in the future. Coteachers Jere Williams and Daniel Bartels guide seniors through a look at how innovations such as artificial intelligence can impact everything from engineering to ethics. This year, they moved on to a technological project of their own, developing curriculum-based virtual reality experiences for Collegiate’s Junior Kindergartners and 4th Graders. As they built a sequence starring Little Red Riding Hood for the JKers and a virtual comparison of today’s Boston Harbor with that of the Boston Tea Party for 4th Graders, seniors were challenged “to accomplish a task where they need to learn new processes and software without being presented with a model, a sequence of steps to follow,” Mr. Williams said. "We feel empowered to learn on our own,” said senior Chris Grainer. That’s the objective for Mr. Bartels and Mr. Williams. “If they can learn to observe a situation, analyze the issues and create a solution (i.e., develop new skills on their own), then we will have done these students a service,” Mr. Williams said.
Note: An additional course, CreateAthon, has also been offered and, in the class, teams of students work in partnership with Richmond-area nonprofits to enhance each organizations’ impact through effective marketing.
C O LL A B OR AT ION : Capstone offers a chance to break away from negative associations with group projects of the past. It means working with adults outside their daily realm, learning the importance of communicating professionally and promptly, of following through and delivering. LE A D ER SH IP : Capstone is where students realize that leadership looks different outside of Upper School. Leadership wears all sorts of titles, and comes with the responsibility of being accountable to real people with real needs. D E SIGN T H IN K IN G : Some classes, such as IELC, explicitly use the five-step process of discovery, interpretation, ideation, experimentation and communication. Others, such as Ethics and the Engaged Citizen, employ it as a mindset. E XPER IEN T I A L LE AR NIN G : Void of textbooks and traditional tests, Capstone is about doing. For some students, it requires complete immersion in one experience, giving them a glimpse of what it’s like to participate in a big event or project at work. PUB LIC SH A R IN G : Capstone requires some form of presentation of what has been learned, discovered or created.
Division-level Capstones 8T H GR A D E CA P S TONE — EN V ISIO N R IC HM OND Students connect with organizations and leaders, leveraging design thinking to identify and address challenges in the Richmond region. Envision Richmond fosters collaboration, empathy, creativity, communication and problem-solving techniques so students feel better equipped to improve the city around them. 4T H GR A D E CA P S TONE — EN V ISION C O LL EG I AT E Students collaborate to identify and meet a need within the Collegiate community. Envision Collegiate fosters a broader understanding of the Collegiate community, problem-solving, empathy building and leadership development.
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Spring Courses
The River City
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My goal for this class is to give them the tools to navigate their paths with presence and unconditional confidence in themselves.” –J ake McDonald, Collegiate mindfulness instructor
32 SPARK | Features
ith a lens originally trained on the James River and the problems facing it, The River City Capstone has widened its focus to bring clarity to what’s beyond the banks. To understand the issues facing the river and the city, says Brad Cooke, who coteaches the class with Mrs. Boyd, one needs to know their histories. Before they take leave of the place where many have spent their lives, seniors meet parts of the city that they’ve never known, gaining a new understanding of its treasures and challenges. “One of my goals for our students is to create awareness and empathy for these problems, so that, as future leaders of this city, they can play a part in creating solutions,” Mr. Cooke said. Partnering with sound artist Vaughn Garland, creator of the archive RightHereOnce, students interview community influencers and activists to create audio walking tours of Richmond neighborhoods. They travel the Trail
of Enslaved People with Ralph White, former longtime manager of the James River Park System. They learn the environmental perils of the city’s combined sewer overflow system, and discuss racial reconciliation and social justice with Rev. Ben Campbell. “Students have to take big risks,” Mr. Cooke said, “and they can crash and burn. There are stakes to it all, but it’s still a safe space.” Another spring offering is Sustainable Solutions to the Future of Food. Its title is a mouthful and its goal is ambitious: to answer the question of how humankind can feed more than 9 billion people in the future. “More than any other class I teach, this one hits a nerve. There’s something about food that’s super personal,” Mrs. Boyd said. Students delve into the politics, economics and ethics of the planet’s food systems, discovering stories of people behind the food they eat. The subject has a unique immediacy.
Sustainable Solutions to the Future of Food
“Our cultural identity is wrapped in food. Our family identity is wrapped in food,” Mrs. Boyd said. “When you ask people to seriously consider where their food comes from, it feels personal in a way that’s really interesting.” Given the strong opinions and feelings that arise about food, she allows students to steer the curriculum. They vote on topics to study and work together in groups. Seniors consider their own goals, which may be the sustainability of fish, the health of waters, eating locally, reducing carbon footprints or preserving jobs. Then, says Mrs. Boyd, “we figure out how we can inform ourselves enough to know how to live your mission. It’s very actionable.” The class looks outward as well, incorporating service learning through partnerships with local organizations, such as Shalom Farms, addressing issues related to food insecurity and sustainability. New this spring, Mindful Leadership: A Foundation for Serving, offers seniors an opportunity to go beyond the personal practice of mindfulness to learn how it can
Global Public Health
be used to enhance leadership skills and serve others. By examining leadership styles, students discover how teams best operate, and how to productively connect with others to impact their communities and the world in ways big and small. “As the students journey forward to college and beyond, it’s inevitable that they will encounter challenges, as well as opportunities to positively impact others,” said Jake McDonald, who teaches the class. “My goal for this class is to give them the tools to navigate their paths with presence and unconditional confidence in themselves.” The class will partner with UP RVA, an organization founded by Collegiate alum Toby Desch ’06, to help make independent schools more accessible to students from Richmond’s East End. “Mindfulness can’t just be for us, individually, in order for it to matter,” Mrs. Boyd said. “The spirit of Capstone is that when we flourish, we have a responsibility to work in partnership with others so that we all may flourish.”
In the Global Public Health Capstone, students take a broader look at the promotion of health and the eradication of disease, considering how to care for the Earth’s growing population within diverse local contexts. The course has two parts. The first portion allows seniors to assess what they know about health care, and look at 10 major health challenges globally. This is not a science class; in fact, students often realize that they could pursue careers in health care — in data or logistics, for example — even if they’re not interested in administering shots or performing surgeries. After spring break, they work to solve a specific problem with a public health organization that has Richmond roots, but domestic and international reach, such Bon Secours development programs or Midwives for Haiti.
SPRING 2020 33
34 SPARK | Features
HONORING
ANN LEE SAUNDERS BROWN
T H E 19 3 6 C O L L E GI AT E G R A D U AT E E P I T O M I Z E D T H E E N D U R IN G S P IR I T O F T H E S C H O O L B Y W E L D O N B R A D S H AW
fortunate enough to cross paths with her, whether briefly or over many, many years.
Indeed, Ann Lee, who passed away
Saturday, Feb. 22, at the age of 101, was truly a treasure, not just to the Collegiate family, but to all who knew her.
“She was well traveled, very independent, very generous. And she loved her school.” – A L E X S M I T H ’6 5
T
“She was a sweetheart, a real
Smith (pictured at left), a ’65 graduate and,
volume filled with memorabilia and regaled
’36 lived a life of significance epitomized
until his 2016 retirement, his alma mater’s
her audience of admirers with insights,
by dignity and grace might be the
longtime vice president for development.
observations and recollections of events as
understatement of the ages.
“She was well traveled, very independent,
if they had occurred the day before.
very generous. And she loved her school.”
graduate read those words, however, she
wealth of newspaper clippings, letters,
would no doubt smile a bit self-consciously,
involved in the life of the Collegiate School
snapshots, programs from campus
offer her thanks, and then say something
for Girls. She even kept a scrapbook which
events and articles from The Candle, the
akin to, “Well, I don’t know about that.”
chronicled her experience and provided a
forerunner of The Match.
The rest of us do, though.
window into the day-to-day activities at
You see, Ann Lee was one of the best.
1619 Monument Avenue.
earned, Ann Lee received the 1936
She was kind, gentle, positive, witty and
Rosemary Award. The medal is in her
unfailingly gracious to those who were
by the alumni office and shared the thick
Southern lady,” said her good friend Alex
o say that Ann Lee Saunders Brown
Should the 1936 Collegiate School
As a student, Ann Lee was quite
One fall morning in 2006, she dropped
Her treasure trove included a
As testimony to the respect she
scrapbook. She served as captain of the
SPRING 2020 35
Greens in their intramural competition
the company in the 1980s. She returned to
“I’m thankful to be able to do whatever I
with the Golds. Though she always begged
Richmond after his death in 2003.
did. People who are fortunate enough to
to differ, she was an outstanding four-
have more than they need to live should
sport athlete whose teammates elected
Ann Lee participated in a delightful,
give back to where we’ve been given
her captain of the basketball team for two
unrehearsed video interview with Mike
our source of strength and well-being.
years and field hockey team for one.
Henry ’84 that honored her life of service
Gratitude is life-giving: to be grateful for
and the generous gift she had recently
what you have and for what you can do.”
basketball practice on the rooftop court and
bestowed to create the Saunders Family
games played at the Fifth Street YWCA.
Library in the Sharp Academic Commons.
that the library bears Ann Lee’s name.
She spoke with delight of a 20-16 victory
She dismissed that notion, of course.
over St. Catherine’s in ’36 which avenged a
because it’s not just money,” she began. “It’s
The “compromise” was “Saunders Family
25-24 defeat the previous season.
love that I give.”
Library” with the understanding that
the beltline around the building include
During that visit, she shared stories of
Her eyes really lit up when she
In 2015, Collegiate’s centennial year,
“I didn’t want to just send a check
Then, she shared a hand-written
The logical assumption would be
recalled a 2-2 tie with the heavily favored
note she had sent to Alex Smith that
the names of those who had inspired
Saints in a 1935 field hockey game, but we
accompanied her bequest.
and mentored her: the Collegiate faculty
had to read the newspaper account to learn
in 1936.
that none other than a senior left wing
“honors my beloved Town School teachers
named Ann Lee Saunders scored the tying
to whom I attribute the enduring Collegiate
explained. “I know it to be true that many
goal in the waning seconds.
spirit. This gift is an expression of my faith
times these teachers weren’t paid because
in Collegiate: the values it teaches, the
there wasn’t any money. They were so full
competed in archery. She still has all of her
guidance and strength it imparts, and the
of heart. They were so giving of love and so
varsity letters. In 2006, it was no surprise,
enriching feeling that one has from being
caring about the children that Collegiate
except to her, that she was inducted into
part of this School.”
would stay alive. I feel like they’re the ones
Collegiate’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
who should be honored.”
a benefactor whose gifts far exceed
away from Richmond. She traveled widely
the tangible?
Ann Lee fielded one final question:
with her husband, the late Charles L.
What advice would you give today’s
Brown, who served as CEO and Chairman
very special to be thanked for,” she told her
Collegiate students?
of AT&T and oversaw the divestiture of
interviewer in vintage Ann Lee fashion.
Ann Lee also played tennis and
Ann Lee spent much of her adult life
“This gift,” she read with reverence,
How does a community thank
“I don’t feel that I’ve done anything
“There was the Depression,” Ann Lee
Near the conclusion of the interview,
“Be true to yourself,” she responded.
“We each have something that’s special to do in this world and to give in this world.”
Throughout her life, Ann Lee
Saunders Brown did good, she did well and
“ Be true to yourself. We each have something that’s special to do in this world and to give in this world. – A N N L E E S A U N D E R S B R O W N ’3 6
36 SPARK | Features
she gave of herself in so many wonderful ways. She represents, truly, the very best of the enduring Collegiate spirit. Please note: Mrs. Brown’s obituary will appear in a future issue of Spark.
Ann Lee graces the pages of The Torch as an athlete, in senior superlatives and performing in Pride and Prejudice.
Collegiate Director of Facilities Management and Construction Scott Carson talks to Ann Lee during the building of Sharp Academic Commons.
Ann Lee attended numerous Pageant Lunches through the years.
SPRING 2020 37
Leadership at Work
Members of the Collegiate Board of Trustees serve as dedicated stewards of the School’s mission and vision. 38 SPARK | Features
The National Association of
he said. “We do that continuously
attention to important priorities.
Independent Schools (NAIS), of which
by looking at studies, hearing from
(See sidebar on Page 40.)
Collegiate School is a long-standing
experts and going through generative
The Trustee and Governance
member, lists the duties of Board
thinking exercises so that we prepare
Committee, chaired by Frank
members as follows:
for whatever may present itself.”
Mountcastle ’83, is always accepting
• Understand the essence of the
Danielle Scott, Ph.D., a Trustee
nominations for new members,
School and why it exists, what
of the Board since 2016, describes the
and welcomes suggestions for
its main purpose is and who
group’s role as being truly committed
individuals or characteristics
it serves.
to the School’s mission.
sought to be represented.
“Whether it is discussing
Serving on a Board of Trustees
financial sustainability, campus
at a School is a very special act of
planning or Responsible Citizenship,
servant leadership, says Mrs. Evins.
School in trust not only for this
we are focused on being a ‘diverse
“The Trustees of Collegiate are
generation of students, but also
and inclusive community,’” she said.
a thoughtful and inspiring group of
for future ones.
“We are focused on planning for the
thinkers,” she said. “This team of
future, and we are committed to ‘best
talented and devoted adults come
in which a School functions and
practices’ by participating in retreats
from different vantage points and yet
how to successfully navigate
and ongoing training.”
they truly team together and pull for
within it.
Peter Mahoney, a Trustee since
Collegiate's future in inspiring and
2016, says the Board’s governance of
impactful ways. It is an honor to know
the School, however, is very different
them, grow together and thank them
from managing or running the School.
for paving the runway for our mission
“Our job is to paint with a
delivery for the next generation of
• Partner with the Head of School.
very broad brush to ensure that the
Cougars and good citizens of heart
very detailed picture that Head of
and mind.”
Since its founding, Collegiate
School Penny Evins, the staff, the
Board members represent a
has relied on the skills, talents and
faculty and the students create has
cross section of the Collegiate
foresight of its Board of Trustees to
the appropriate background colors
community and bring to the table
make certain that the School remains
and thematic vision for the School to
diverse experiences and perspectives.
healthy and strong, financially and
perform as it was built to do so,”
Some are alums, others are not. Many
programmatically, for years to come.
he said.
are past parents or grandparents,
Board Chair John Martin ’78
Bobby Ukrop first joined the
several are current parents. They
leads Collegiate’s 29-member group in
Board in 1984, when he and his wife
come from varied professions and
that ambitious and ongoing quest.
Jayne had four children at Collegiate.
geographical regions.
“As Collegiate’s Board, we are
He served until 2000, and as Chair
“It is important that we have a
focused on where we need to be going,
from 1994-96. He was named a Life
range of voices and perspectives as we
what we need to be prioritizing,”
Trustee in 2013. Mr. Ukrop says
work together to envision our School’s
because change happens so rapidly
future,” said Trustee Carter Reid,
• Provide oversight for the School and how it functions. • Lead strategically by holding the
• Understand the financial context
• Recruit, train and engage strong Board members. • Create thoughtful governance structures and practices.
today, the Board must anticipate what might happen down the road. Front row, from left to right: Rupa Tak, Eucharia Jackson, Rita Ryan, Lisa Roday, John Martin ’78, Penny Evins, Morenike Miles, Ken Ruscio, Danielle Scott. Back row, from left to right: Michael Laming, Mason Chapman ’84, Brandt Surgner, Callie Brackett ’95, David Gallagher, Mark Stepanian ’89, Jeffrey Congdon ’78, Neely Markel ’96, Frank Mountcastle ’83, Mayme Donohue Willis ’03, Bobby Ukrop, Ellen Bonbright ’86 and Peter Mahoney Not pictured: Joan Oates, Phyllis Palmiero, Wally Stettinius, Susan Wiley, Greg Williams ’69 and Michelle Wiltshire
“Many on the Board are looking past their children’s experience to that of future children,” he said. Like the other 25 individuals who make up the Collegiate School Board of Trustees, Mr. Martin, Mr. Mahoney, Dr. Scott and Mr. Ukrop devote countless hours of their time to their duties, meeting on campus four times
It is important that we have a range of voices and perspectives as we work together to envision our School’s future.” – TRUSTEE CARTER REID
a year and holding an annual retreat. Carter Reid
In addition, they regularly convene
a member since 2015. “We want to
various committees to pay deliberate
protect the uniqueness of Collegiate.”
SPRING 2020 39
2019–20 Board Committees
INVESTMENT COMMITTEE Brandt Surgner, Chair FINANCE COMMITTEE Mason Chapman ’84, Chair AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE Morenike Miles, Chair TRUSTEES/GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE Frank Mountcastle ’83, Chair CAMPUS PLANNING COMMITTEE Peter Mahoney, Chair DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Mark Stepanian ’89, Chair RESPONSIBLE CITIZENSHIP COMMITTEE Michael Laming, Chair 403(b) RETIREMENT PLAN COMMITTEE Brandt Surgner, Chair EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE John Martin ’78, Chair STRATEGIC PLANNING AD HOC COMMITTEE Peter Mahoney and Carter Reid, Co-Chairs
Mr. Mahoney supports that notion.
“The previous plan, Focused
“We want a very diverse Board
Forward, has served us well and we’ve
that reflects a lot of different views
done a lot of things because of it,” Mr.
and opinions,” he said. “So that when
Martin said. “Now it’s time to come up
we do act it is really representative of
with the next plan.”
the entire Collegiate community.”
As part of the Board’s
But that action takes
responsibility, a new Strategic Plan
deliberate group effort and never
will not only serve as a roadmap for
occurs individually.
the next several years, it also will
“Only when the board acts
identify priorities the Board should
together does it have any authority to
be watching over the next decade.
say or do anything,” Mr. Mahoney said.
It will include short-term and long-
“That’s really important because it
term components.
forces a lot of dialogue and consensus
“The short-term is to make sure
building. It slows things down. We
we continue the vitality of the School
have to build a lot of consensus before
and address the issues that we need
any change happens.”
to address responsibly,” Mr. Martin
In past years, the Board has
said. “At the same time, we need to be
focused on areas such as curriculum,
aware of the changing landscape of
faculty development, information
independent school education and use
systems, financial sustainability, risk
the plan as an agenda to strategically
management and campus facilities.
discuss bigger trends and evaluate
This year, the Board’s attention
what we have to do to make sure
centers on, with the help of the entire
Collegiate is vital for generations
Collegiate community, developing
to come.”
a new strategic plan to replace the previous one, Focused Forward 2016-
For more on the new Strategic Plan
19, which expired.
and the planning process, continue reading on the next page.
40 SPARK | Features
PHASE I RESEARCH
I
II
ROADMAP
PHASE II LISTENING SESSIONS AND SURVEYS
FOR THE
FUTURE
COLLEGIATE’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES BEGINS A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN
PHASE IV BRAINSTORMING NEAR-TERM PLAN AND FUTURE VISION FOR THE SCHOOL
IV
III
O
ver the past several months, the Collegiate School Board of Trustees has embarked on the ambitious task of developing a new Strategic Plan. With the former plan, Focused Forward, now expired, and with Penny Evins in place as the new Head of School, the time is right to dive into one of the Board’s most important duties.
PHASE V STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE DRAFTS PLAN FOR BOARD CONSIDERATION, THEN SENDS TO HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR SENIOR ADMIN TEAM TO DEVELOP, PROVIDE FEEDBACK
V
Strategic planning is a core responsibility of the Board of Trustees of Collegiate School. The discipline of creating the Strategic Plan and the use of the finalized Strategic Plan as a framework for near-term goals, as well as validating our long-term vision, is one of the primary duties of the Collegiate Board of Trustees. “Creating and following strategic plans are a healthy and essential practice for our School,” said Board of Trustees Chair John Martin ’78. “In fact, having a rigorous and actively monitored strategic plan is a fundamental requirement for Collegiate to maintain its accreditations from national and regional independent school organizations. “What is different this time is that we decided to open up the planning process and make it incredibly
PHASE III DISCUSSION, CONSIDERATION AND PRIORITIZATION OF IMPLICATIONS FROM LEARNINGS
inclusive and transparent, and involve the whole community. Collegiate is in such a strong position, and we are building on that and including everybody, which is the way a modern, thriving organization should operate.” Collegiate is a forward-looking community of learners who inspire and support a climate of continuous improvement and evolution, centered on the best interests of its students. Strategic planning enables the Board to focus on preparing the next generation of students in a dynamic and evolving world, all building on the strengths and values that have made Collegiate an institution with a national reputation for excellence that provides cherished experiences for families. “If we want Collegiate to continue to thrive, we have to focus on how we can develop Responsible Citizens who are academically ready for the future,” said Trustee Danielle Scott, Ph.D. “Part of this development is actively considering the strengths and weaknesses of the School and strategically planning for how we grow from here.”
SPRING 2020 41
Listening sessions with faculty, alumni, parents, community members and students ensure that all voices are heard.
Our current strategic planning process builds on our legacy of creating and implementing strategic plans. Operating under Focused Forward, the most recent Strategic Plan approved by the Board in 2016, Collegiate engaged in key strategic initiatives driving enhancements in curriculum, faculty development, information systems, financial sustainability, risk management and campus facilities. These initiatives included bringing the principles of Responsible Citizenship into all phases of instruction; making Diversity and Inclusion a core value in how we fulfill our teaching mission; enhancing our learning opportunities and facilities for STEAM curriculum; and upgrading a number of facilities on the Mooreland campus, all while ensuring our financial position remains rock solid. “We’ve always had a strategic plan,” Mr. Martin said. “And as a Board, we’ve always followed it. Great things come from having a methodical, researchbased plan.” We have a diverse and dedicated planning committee leading the way to prepare our next Strategic Plan. With the conclusion of the three-year plan in 2019, the Board of Trustees appointed a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC), consisting of a number of Trustees as well as committee members representing the broad experiences and views of our stakeholder community. “The Board was intentional when creating the Strategic Planning Committee to ensure that a wide range of perspectives are represented — including families relatively new to Collegiate and those that have multigenerational connections to our School; parents, alums, faculty and staff; and community leaders, all of whom bring to the table ethnic, religious and socioeconomic diversity,” said Trustee Carter Reid. “But more importantly, our process is designed to ensure everyone in our community has a voice in this process.” (See Strategic Planning Committee on Page 43.)
42 SPARK | Features
Collegiate’s alumni base also offers a broad range of life experiences, careers and geographic diversity that provide important reflections and perspectives on the School, says Collegiate Alumni Board President Mayme Donohue Willis ’03. “As alums, we share a fundamental understanding of the core values and community that bonds us all to each other and our time at Collegiate,” she said. “We have been intentional in involving our alumni in the Strategic Planning Process and I encourage all alums to participate.” The Strategic Planning Committee has established a comprehensive and inclusive planning process. One of the earliest decisions the Board made was to ensure that this next Strategic Planning process would be conducted in the most transparent and open manner possible. The Board recognizes and is grateful for the wisdom and deep knowledge of current and past parents, students, alumni, community friends and the School’s incredible faculty and staff. The SPC actively seeks the community’s many voices. These voices will inform the strategic planning process and will serve as invaluable help to the SPC. There will be multiple opportunities for members of our community to offer the SPC thoughts and perspectives about Collegiate and its future. For example, faculty and staff, led by Head of School Penny Evins, will be essential participants providing input to the SPC throughout the process. “I can only imagine that during our founding years, Helen Baker and others gathered with great minds and the wider community to establish what was the origin of Collegiate, The Town School,” Mrs. Evins said. “Although not coined ‘strategic planning,’ the process is a part of Collegiate's history and how we have evolved and become the mission-driven institution we are today.
“Students, faculty and staff, parents, alumni living in Richmond and out of town, as well as community leaders in the Greater Richmond Area, are eager to help us continue our great history and become our best Collegiate for the next generation of Cougars. It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of the process and ensure that we continue to grow the good in our citizens ‘in the widest sense’ — just as Helen Baker envisioned more than 100 years ago.” The SPC has retained veteran educator Billy Peebles to facilitate the process. Mr. Peebles has deep independent school experience, including previously serving as Headmaster of The Lovett School in Atlanta, Georgia. He assisted Collegiate’s SPC in conducting “Listening Sessions” throughout the first months of 2020, and sought input from dozens of groups who represent the diverse experiences and perspectives that make up the School community. The decision of the Board and Mrs. Evins to launch a planning process that is highly participatory, inclusive and transparent is a wise one that reflects a certain amount of courage on the School’s part, Mr. Peebles said. “This very healthy process will look openly and candidly at Collegiate’s many strengths and opportunities for improvement,” he said. “These Listening Sessions are key aspects of this vitally important planning endeavor.” In addition, the SPC plans to execute a community-wide online survey among all of Collegiate’s stakeholders in order to gain more insights that will help inform the planning process. The SPC invites everyone to share their thoughts at any time throughout the process. “As students, parents, faculty, board members, alumni, etc., we are all key stakeholders in the future of our School,” said Dr. Scott. “We welcome diverse and innovative thinking, which are key elements to maintaining a learning environment that is responsive to the ever-changing world around us. As a Board, we are committed to maintaining Collegiate's history of excellence. We are already successful in so many areas; this process is meant to strengthen these successes.” We will build on our strengths. Once all inputs are received, the SPC will identify the key areas of consensus and opportunities for the future. The committee will balance these with key findings with other considerations, including current trends impacting independent school enrollment, educational trends, financial opportunities and constraints, and competitive challenges within the Richmond region.
The SPC will seek to balance its ambitions with prudence on behalf of the School’s future. The plan will likely have a three- to five-year span, with updates along the way. Longer term, a shared vision of the future state of Collegiate will be developed, allowing the School to continue to evolve over time to ensure that the School remains vibrant in a changing world, while staying true to its unique sense of community, identity and mission. In all this work, the Board and the SPC are strongly committed to providing the community with a Strategic Plan that builds on the extraordinary strengths and heritage that make Collegiate such a great and beloved institution, while charting a course for the next generation of families who want to see their children prepared to thrive in an increasingly diverse, competitive and challenging world. “Perhaps importantly, our strategic planning process helps us identify the key trends we have to navigate, ensuring Collegiate’s long-term sustainability, while protecting what makes our School so special,” Mrs. Reid said. Bobby Ukrop, Life Trustee since 2013, believes the Strategic Planning Process and resulting plan will provide a full assessment of how Collegiate got to where it is and where the School needs to go. “But just because you examine things doesn’t mean you’re going to change them,” he said. “It’s OK to challenge. We have to trust that leadership is going to make the right decisions regarding the students.” The SPC will share its initial findings with the community later in 2020. Working with the Collegiate administration and faculty, the SPC will prepare a final plan that provides tangible action steps to realize our shared vision. The Board and SPC enthusiastically welcome everyone’s input and feedback at any time. The Board and members of the SPC are committed to sharing their thinking and progress continually throughout the process, and have great optimism that this next Strategic Plan will help Collegiate serve students today and for future generations to come. “We would love to hear any comments, thoughts, insights, hopes, dreams or aspirations you might have,” Mr. Martin said. Please feel free to contact the SPC at any time via the email CollegiateStrategicPlan@collegiate-va.org.
STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE
CO-CHAIRS Peter Mahoney, Trustee, Parent ’15, ’19, ’26, ’26 Carter Reid, Trustee, Parent ’16, ’18 TRUSTEES Mason Chapman ’84, Parent ’22 David Gallagher, Parent ’18, ’24 Michael Laming, Parent ’17, ’19 Neely Markel ’96, Parent ’27, ’30 John Martin ’78, Parent ’10, ’11 Lisa Roday, Parent ’09, ’10 Ken Ruscio, Parent ’08 Danielle Scott, Parent ’25, ’25 Mark Stepanian ’89, Parent ’16, ’18, ’21, ’23 Wally Stettinius, Parent ’77, ’79, ’84, Grandparent Brandt Surgner, Parent ’11, ’14, ’17, ’19 Bobby Ukrop, Parent ’88, ’89, ’92, ’95, Grandparent Greg Williams ’69, Parent ’01, ’04 NON-TRUSTEES Kelly Armstrong, Parent ’20, ’22, ’23 Kirsti Goodwin, Parent ’27, ’29 Sheryl Robins ’85, Former Trustee, Parent ’21 Joeffrey Trimmingham, Parent ’22, ’24 ADMINISTRATION Penny Evins, Head of School, Parent ’22, ’23 Phyllis Palmiero, Vice President for Finance and Administration, Parent ’12, ’13, ’17 Kristen Williams, Vice President of Development, Parent ’24, ’24 Susan Droke, Chief Academic Officer Susan Wiley, Assistant to Head of School, Parent ’11, ’15 Sara Boisvert, Director of the Powell Institute for Responsible Citizenship
(The SPC asks constituents not to include anything personal in comments or suggestions that could identify a specific family, student, faculty or staff member, or any individual.)
SPRING 2020 43
ALUMNI NEWS LET TER FROM
DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT LAURALEE GLASGOW ALLEN ’03
W
hat an incredible season we have experienced as alumni near and far welcomed Penny Evins and her family to Collegiate. Every
day, we feel the energy of our alumni body growing, and Penny’s arrival has
positively contributed to this momentum.
During Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, we welcomed nearly 500
alumni back to campus from all over the globe including Chile, Germany and Japan. As a reminder, our office doors are always open if you find yourself visiting Richmond, regardless of the time of year. We would be thrilled to be one of your stops, whether it involves a campus tour or popping by a classroom to see the students in action or reconnecting with a former teacher.
As the Director of Alumni Engagement for more than 7,000 active alums,
my charge is to keep you connected to Collegiate regardless of geographical limitations. To that end, I am excited to launch Cougars Connect, the official networking platform for Collegiate School (www.cougaralums.com). This site brings our community together and provides you with access to the following:
ALUMNI EVENTS
• A full opt-in directory of alumni and students, allowing you to connect with your Collegiate community around the world.
APRIL 22
others or offer mentorship to fellow alumni/students.
• A mentorship program, giving you the opportunity to be mentored by • A job board with current opportunities, posted by alumni, students and strategic partners.
• Group conversations allowing you to engage at a more granular level with those with the same class, interests, careers, industries, locations as you.
• A running feed of alumni updates, interesting content, events, photos and conversations. Please sign up and help us spread the word to your classmates.
I look forward to the coming months and seeing you at reunions, Cougar
Bites and other School events. And for those of you not in the immediate Richmond area, I’d love to hear from you via email or phone to know what you think about Cougars Connect.
44 SPARK | Alumni News
WASHINGTON, D.C. REUNION The Metropolitan Club – 6:30 p.m.
MAY 7 MAY 22
GIVING DAY UPPER SCHOOL GRADUATION
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS RECEPTION
JUNE 11 NOV. 6–7
Middle School Lawn – 9 a.m.
Alumni Office – 10:30 a.m.
TOWN SCHOOL LUNCH HOMECOMING WEEKEND
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS NOMINATIONS WANTED
Meet Alumni Board Member Kunal Shah ’00
Since 1975, the Collegiate Alumni Association has presented two Alumni awards at Upper School graduation: The Alex Smith ’65 Alumni Service Award and The Distinguished Alumni Award. These awards tout the recipients as role models not only for our graduating seniors, but for the entire Collegiate community. Please send us your nominations by filling out the form below or by emailing Director of Alumni Engagement Lauralee Glasgow Allen ’03 at lauralee_allen@collegiate-va.org. The Alex Smith ’65 Alumni Service Award recognizes an alum who has generously and loyally used his or her talents and energies in a direct way to benefit Collegiate. The Distinguished Alumni Award is given to a Collegiate graduate who has distinguished him or herself in a particular field or endeavor.
2020
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS
SUGGESTED NAMES FOR THE ALEX SMITH ’65 ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD A few of Kunal Shah’s ’00 passions include music, entertainment and creating experiences. He is the co-founder of Blazin Beats Entertainment, which managed comedian Russel Peters and singer Jay Sean from 2000 to 2004. He is also the co-founder of Night Life Agency, a Washington D.C.-based promotion company, which has held more than 200 events per year, and was notarized from 2000 until 2008.
Kunal is also the co-founder of LX Group, the holding
SUGGESTED NAMES FOR THE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
company that owns and operates Richmond-based properties: Kabana Rooftop, Belle, Switch and Nama, as well as upcoming projects Sonora and Soundgarten. Soundgarten is his dream project: a 60,000-plus square foot music venue with beer garden opening in downtown Richmond in 2021. In addition, Kunal and his wife Crystal are also owners of two spas located in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.
Kunal graduated with a finance degree from the University
of Maryland in 2004. He and Crystal have four kids: Natasha (19), Christian (16), Alexander (11) and Kai (3). When he’s not working, Kumal enjoys DJing, traveling, playing basketball with his kids and cooking with the family.
Your Name Email Phone Please mail to: 103 N. Mooreland Road Richmond, VA 23229 ATTN: Alumni Office
SPRING 2020 45
ALUMS MEET PENNY EVINS AT
COUGAR BITES Cougar Bites, Collegiate’s networking group for Richmond alumni, took place on Nov. 19, 2019, at TowneBank through the generosity of Duncan Owen ’86. Head of School Penny Evins spoke to the more than 30 attendees about the affection they have for their alma mater. “Collegiate is not only rigorous, but it is also fun,” she said. A special thanks to the 1980s Host Committee for a great evening!
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HOSTS BREAKFAST FOR
COLLEGE-AGED COUGARS The Collegiate Alumni Association hosted a casual breakfast in McFall Hall on Jan. 7, 2020, for college-aged alums, during which they got a chance to catch up with faculty and staff members, and meet Head of School Penny Evins. Mrs. Evins welcomed everyone and encouraged them to stay in touch: “We’re always striving to get better, so if there are thoughts you have for us, there is no greater gift for our younger and older students than to hear from you as we continue to live our mission.”
RECENT ALUMS RETURN TO OFFER ADVICE Nine recent Collegiate alums from the Classes of 2017 and 2018 returned to campus in January to offer advice and guidance to juniors about the college application process and the transition to college life. The alums currently attend Bates College, Duke University, New York University, Oklahoma City University, University of Pennsylvania, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech and Yale University.
William “Bucky” Neal III ’73 and his father Bill Neal, Jr. met with Collegiate Head of School Penny Evins in December to lay a wreath on the statue in honor of Jamie Strupe Neal ’76, Bucky’s brother and Bill’s son, who died Feb. 16, 1976. The statue is located in the Jamie Strupe Neal garden in the Upper School courtyard. The placing of a wreath had been a long-standing practice of Mary Sue Strupe Neal, Bucky’s late mother. Both Mr. Neals were on campus to carry the tradition forward.
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BASKETBALL ALUMS HONORED AT DECEMBER GAME Collegiate alumni from past varsity girls’ and boys’ basketball teams returned to campus in December and were honored at halftime of the Times-Dispatch Invitational Tournament games against Patrick Henry and Monacan, respectively.
TAYLOR DANIELS ’10 RETURNS TO CAMPUS
D
uring the Richmond run of
While he was on campus, she stopped
the smash Broadway musical
by Middle School drama teacher Jenny
Hamilton, Taylor Daniels ’10,
Hundley's classroom to say hello to him
a cast member in the national tour,
a second time.
visited Collegiate in December, sharing
his expertise and stories about his
'Did you know that someone who is in
career path.
Hamilton came and taught our dance
class? I was like 'Yeah, that's my senior.'
He toured the Hershey Center for
"A few of my friends were like,
the Arts with Collegiate’s Director of
It was kind of cool to flex a little bit."
Performing Arts Mike Boyd and popped
in to see some of his former teachers.
Collegiate dance class, during which he
Filming him as he walked through his
taught Upper Schoolers choreography
old stomping grounds was fellow alum
that anyone auditioning for Hamilton
Jasmine Turner Perry ’11, a reporter
must master. (Joya Sellers’ 4th Grade
for NBC12. Her story on Taylor aired on
class also watched the class.)
Dec. 4, 2019.
“Hamilton choreography is
about breaking barriers as well as
"When Taylor was 17 or 18, I will
The day before, Taylor led that
never forget him telling me, 'I'm gonna
storytelling,” he said.
leave home and I'm not coming back.
I want to perform, I want to do shows;
from students, including the favorite
I'm going to Broadway,’” Jasmine
show he’s been in (Memphis) and the
remembered. “Yes, he came back, but
most surprising thing about being in a
with a show, and this is the third one
Broadway touring company.
he's come back with. Taylor has always
chased and caught every single dream,
that’s what I love about it. It challenges
and it inspires me to do the same thing.
you every single time you’re on stage.”
You see the performer Taylor; I get to
know the real Taylor, and I love it."
Dudley said Taylor’s coming to campus
exemplified a full circle.
One student that Taylor chatted
It never gets easier. But that’s what I love about it. It challenges you every single time you’re on stage.”
Afterward, he answered questions
“It never gets easier,” he said. “But
Collegiate dance teacher Stacy
with was 10th Grader Ella McDaniel,
who was his Kindergarten buddy
Collegiate and has become successful
“Here is a student who was at
when he was a Collegiate senior. The
and is now giving back,” she said. “The
two reconnected when she attended
sense of pride everyone has for him is
Hamilton with her mother and saw him
just incredible.”
after the show, and she was surprised that he instantly remembered her.
SPRING 2020 47
CHIPS OFF THE OLD COUGAR BLOCK THIS FALL WE WELCOMED THE FOLLOWING LEGACIES OF COLLEGIATE ALUMNI.
Eli Adamson JK Ben Adamson ’98, Francie Adamson Reed ’63 Elsie Anderson K Matt Anderson ’00, Happy Vaughan Anderson ’95, Garland Anderson ’70, Kate Donnahoe Vaughan ’65, Cecil Vaughan ’63 Leo Baird JK Todd Baird ’87 Christian Bennett JK Richard Bennett II ’90 Gus Blair K Kemper Blair ’01, Patsy Shannon Blair ’47 Jack Brent JK Maria Enochs Brent ’99, Mason Brent ’97, Scottie Newell Slater ’69, *Virginia McGuire Brent ’38 Vivian Caceres K Betsy Cockriel ’71 Lisa Campbell K Jill Thalhimer Campbell ’00, Bobby Thalhimer ’70 Sillers Farrell JK Stuart Farrell ’03 Helen Fruth K Alice Collins Fruth ’97, *Dianne Nunnally Hoppes ’64 Ted Galanti JK Jeff Galanti ’97 James Gilman K Chris Gilman ’82 Thomas Gregory 6 Bill Gottwald ’66 Jack Hairfield 3 Craig Hairfield ’99 Aly Hairfield 1 Craig Hairfield ’99 River Hale K Andrew Hale ’98, Marjorie Solomon Hale ’66 Cooper Hallberg JK Lee Hallberg ’01, Bettie Chandler Hallberg ’73 Zayden Hamid 2 Navreet Kaur Kallar ’89 Zyler Hamid K Navreet Kaur Kallar ’89 Charlie Hatchett 5 Travis Hatchett ’92 Campbell Horner K Anna Maxwell Horner ’98 Winn Huber JK Samantha Price Huber ’03, Hunter Huber ’02 Henry Johnson JK Chris Johnson ’96 Shepherd Lewis JK Shep Lewis, Jr. ’96 Libby Long JK Toby Long III ’98 Leo Massey-Trent JK Alina Massey ’99, Justin Trent ’99, Ivor Massey ’66 Spencer McLellan K Bane Williams McLellan ’02, Terrell Williams ’70 Reid Moyer 6 Marcie Byrne Moyer ’93 MK Myers 9 John Myers ’82 Charles Nolde 8 Haley Whipple Nolde ’92, John Nolde ’90 Avery Pruitt JK Thomas Pruitt ’02, Tommy Pruitt ’71 Griff Ritter K Marty Tompkins Ritter ’00, Jamie Ritter ’00, Betsy Moore Tompkins ’69, *Leila Leigh Moore ’36 Carolina Scott K Liza Jarvis Scott ’99, Cristy Conner Jarvis ’68, *Michael Jarvis ’64, *Libby Boinest Conner ’41 Bailey Silverstein K Christina Thalhimer Silverstein ’02, Billy Thalhimer III ’64 Waverly Stettinius K Gordon Stettinius ’84 Davis Timmons K Ken Timmons ’68 Kingsley Tischer JK Ashley Krupin Tischer ’98 Mae Trinh JK Ashley Clevenger Trinh ’99 Ollie Trinh 1 Ashley Clevenger Trinh ’99 Parks Turner JK Rett Turner III ’00 Levi Tyner JK Ward Tyner, Jr. ’91 Chelsea Waldrup K Teller Andrew Waldrup ’98 Whit Wallace 9 Chris Wallace ’93, Larry Wallace ’69 Sadie Williamson JK Blair Northen Williamson ’04, Buzzy Northen, Jr. ’73 Alivia Wilton K Barry Wilton ’73 Austyn Wilton 1 Barrie Wilton ’73 Wade Wright JK Elizabeth Dolan Wright ’01 *Deceased
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James Gilman ’32
Spencer McLellan ’32
Ollie Trinh ’31
Austyn Wilton ’31
Aly Hairfield ’31 and Jack Hairfield ’29
Zayden Hamid ’30
Charlie Hatchett ’27
Reid Moyer ’26
Thomas Gregory ’26
Charles Nolde ’24
MK Myers ’23
Whit Wallace ’23
Junior Kindergartners Front row: Levi Tyner, Shepherd Lewis, Libby Long 2nd row: Eli Adamson, Christian Bennett, Jack Brent, Leo Baird, Wade Wright 3rd row: Sadie Williamson, Mae Trinh, Winn Huber, Ted Galanti, Parks Turner, Leo Massey-Trent Back row: Cooper Hallberg, Kingsley Tischer, Sillers Farrell, Henry Johnson, Avery Pruitt
Kindergartners First row: Waverly Stettinius, Chelsea Waldrup, Vivian Caceres, Alivia Wilton Second row: Griff Ritter, Lisa Campbell, Campbell Horner Third row: Zyler Hamid, Bailey Silverstein, Carolina Scott, Davis Timmons Fourth row: Gus Blair, Elsie Anderson, Helen Fruth, River Hale
SPRING 2020 49
OYSTER ROAST 1
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Sue and Tad Thompson ’66 hosted the 36th annual Oyster Roast on Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. Missy McGurn Chiles ’03 and her band Exebelle performed later for the more than 200 alums who joined the celebration.
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1. Missy McGurn Chiles ’03 with her band Exebelle 2. Ryan Metzler, Jessica Lane Metzler ’04, Meredith Newbill Cumbo ’04, Christin Lipscomb Walsh ’04, Mike Walsh, Palen Powelson Mallory ’04, Bryan Mallory, Daniel Tamagni, Meredith Newton Tamagni ’04 and Peyton Thompson ’04 3. Whit Williamson, Sarah Williamson, Jessica Catoggio and Mike Catoggio 4. Betsy Bothwell Stepp ’83, Penny Evins and Leila Grinnan ’84 5. Mary Moncure Spivey ’15 and Tom Spivey ’85 6. John Robertson ’65, Gray Pruitt ’69, Lisa Herron Bankoff ’69, Melinda Vick Wilson ’69, Martha Jane Donohue ’69, John Moses, Marilyn Linhart Moses ’69, Fran Chalkley Robertson ’69 and Betty Fisher ’69 7. Brandt Surgner, Amanda Little Surgner ’83 and Mark Dalton ’79 8. Matt O’Brien, Camp Goodwin August, Easley Edmunds and Adam Lotts (all ’99)
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9. Alums enjoy the 36th Annual event. 10. Tony Oates ’79 and Kristen Williams 11. Meredith Newton Tamagni, Meredith Newbill Cumbo, Jessica Lane Metzler, Palen Powelson Mallory, Peyton Thompson, Valerie Schultz McFarland and Elizabeth Downey Rand (all ’04) 12. Back row: Jessica Potts Fortier, Lara Tyler Chambers, Camp Goodwin August, Liza Jarvis Scott, Matt O’Brien, Elaine McCandlish Dinos, Adam Lotts and Easley Edmunds. Front row: Catherine Summerson Mealor and Mary Wiltshire Beckstoffer (all ’99) 13. Hall Carter ’01, Colleen Carter, Sallie Pruitt and Thomas Pruitt ’02 14. Garrett Ramsey ’03, Caroline Ramsey, Penny Evins and Lauralee Glasgow Allen ’03 15. Brendon Workman, Kim Hines, Courtney Brooks and Jay Brooks 16. Penny Evins mingles with guests.
SPRING 2020 51
HOMECOMING 2019 1
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Cougars turned Seal Athletic Center green and gold. Collegiate junior John Ballowe helps emcee the event. Young Cougars show some spirit. The girls’ Homecoming court piles on. Boys’ varsity soccer players take their turn performing. The Hey Hey girls fire up the crowd. Boys’ varsity football players show off their skills. Cougie officiates an arm wrestling contest.
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Earplugs were necessary as Collegiate’s entire student body cheered for their School and sports teams at the annual Pep Rally in Seal Athletic Center on Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. The rally energized the crowd before Saturday’s Homecoming game against Norfolk Academy, which Collegiate won 31-7.
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SPRING 2020 53
HOMECOMING 2019 1
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1. Collegiate students perform the National Anthem. 2. Younger Cougar fans line the wall. 3. Supportive fans cheer for Charles Geho (No. 88). 4. The Cougars take the field. 5. Estelle Munford Call ’64 tries out the Stephen P. Adamson, Jr. ’92 Ropes Course with Courtney Ferrell. 6. The student section roars. 7. Collegiate celebrates a score. 8. The team rushes the field after the win. 9. Homecoming King and Queen Austin King and Shreya Sharma (and Cougie!) 10. Cougie poses with the Homecoming Court. Front row: Joseph Ascoli, Edward Sinnott, Austin King, Thomas Lucy, Nigel Williams and Trey Boll. Back row: Addison Smith, Cate Hill, Shreya Sharma, Lilly Hall, Gracie Clarke and Maggie Bostain
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CONT’D
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WRESTLING ROOM dedicated to JAMIE ROBERTSON ’04 1
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he following remarks were given by John Robertson ’65 on Saturday, Oct. 26, at
the dedication of the wrestling room named in honor of his son, Jamie Robertson ’04. “Thanks to everyone from our family and the Gollidays for coming to this dedication of the wrestling room in Jamie’s name. Jamie would be so proud of this honor — Collegiate, his classmates and his wrestling teammates meant so much to him — and as Wortie [Ferrell ’88] said, Jamie always had their backs.
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As you may imagine, we all miss Jamie terribly. It takes a community to help Carly and all of us move forward in times like this. You are all helping us do this by your presence here today. Our Collegiate roots run deep. One thing we all know is that everyone in our Collegiate family looks after one another, and although today we are here to remember Jamie, his character, his friendships and his wrestling accomplishments, we need to remember other classmates who have also died far too soon like:
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• Jamie’s classmates Nick Adams, Kate Childrey and Caroline Keeney • Tommy’s classmates Jeffrey Robertson, Michael Rhyne, Anthony Hickle and Geoff Shudtz (all ’01) • Miller Golliday’s classmate and roommate Caleb Wharton ’12 I’d like us to observe a brief moment of silence in remembrance of these and other Collegiate students who left us early. Again, thank you so much for coming this morning and have a great rest of the weekend!”
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1. Peyton Stinson, Taylor Waller, Rust Bartholomew, Reed Blair, Patrick Dolan, Harry Ludeman, Matt Williams, Andrew Sellegren, Bart Tracy, Joseph Lawson and Rishi Pahuja (all ’04) 2. Penny Evins and Carly Golliday ’07 3. Wortie Ferrell ’88 speaks to attendees. 4. Jake McDonald ’07, Betts McGurn King ’07, Katie Gallalee, Bonnie Zimmer Bedell ’07, Virginia Layfield McAndrew ’07, Carly Golliday ’07, Berkeley Robins McQuiddy ’07 and Meredith Ascari ’07 5. The newly named wrestling room 6. Katherine Tillman and Carly Golliday ’07 7. John Robertson ’65 and Fran Chalkley Robertson ’69 8. Fran Chalkley Robertson ’69, John Robertson ’65, Carly Golliday ’07, Sally Golliday, Harry Golliday, Emily Younts ’11, Miller Golliday ’12, Catie Finley and Tommy Robertson ’01
SPRING 2020 57
ALUM ARTISTS AND SISTERS EXHIBIT WORK H
ope Morgan ’12 and Anna Morgan ’15 created a sitespecific installation in the South Science building that combined Anna’s hanging wire and paper pulp
sculptures with Hope’s abstract paintings.
Anna’s work focuses largely on process and materials
and draws influence from language and poetry. The work deals with how people and environments are connected with one another and how we experience certain spaces and feelings, either alone or with others. The work also considers the psychology of what draws people in and ensnares attention.
Hope’s work is about the emotions evoked by
balancing chaos and the joy of compartmentalization. Her pieces tell a story of intuitive problem-solving through color, shape and line. She draws inspiration from the natural world around her.
A reception was held on Saturday, Oct. 26, before the
Homecoming game, and the exhibition remained up until the end of October.
Anna Morgan ’15 and Hope Morgan ’12 with their mother Elizabeth Morgan
58 SPARK | Alumni News
CLASS OF
1994
OPENS TIME CAPSULE
Members of the Collegiate Class of 1994 unearthed a time capsule from their graduation year and pored through their findings, which included an intact Twinkie!
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1. The Class of 1994 crew begins digging. 2. Spence Morano ’94 comes up with the capsule. 3. A treasure trove of items 4. Mike Sica ’94, Sally Morano, Erin Smith Jewett ’94, Spence Morano ’94, Izzie Jewett ’28, Lila Smartt, Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt ’94 and Anya Schwender ’94 smile after a successful adventure. 5. Anya Schwender and Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt (both ’94)
SPRING 2020 59
LEGACY BRUNCH Alums celebrating their 50th Reunions and beyond gathered in the Craigie Board Room in Sharp Academic Commons for the annual Legacy Brunch, where they heard from Head of School Penny Evins and Vice President of Development Kristen Williams.
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1. Sherrie Welton Parker ’62, Susie Materne Benson ’62, Bill Roberts ’65, Margot Deck ’59 and Anne Hirschler Long ’62 2. Back row: Elizabeth Whittet O’Conor ’67, Estelle Munford Call ’64 and Harriet Franklin ’61. Front row: Elizabeth Coleman James ’67, Connie Whittet Garrett ’61 and Polly Jefferson ’61 3. Kristen Williams, Vice President of Development, speaks to the group. 4. Jane Reed Fields ’52 greets Penny Evins. 5. Anne Hirschler Long, Sherrie Welton Parker, Lucy Fitzgerald Steele, Susie Materne Benson (all ’62) 6. Back row: Jason Chestnutt, Kristen Williams, Penny Evins and Barbara Porter ’60. Front row: Nancy Page Hall Edmunds ’52, Jane Reed Fields ’52 and Mary Stuart Brenaman Cruickshank ’51 7. Connie Whittet Garrett, Mary Kennon McDaniel, Polly Jefferson and Harriet Franklin (all ’61) 8. Collegiate Upper School Librarian and Archivist Ben Lamb with Barbara Robertson Burke ’68 and Estelle Munford Call ’64 9. Susie Materne Benson ’62, Penny Evins and Mary Kennon McDaniel ’61 10. Connie Kennon Harriss ’59, Margot Deck ’59 and Kay Tilghman Lowe ’53
50 REUNION TH
Members of the Collegiate Class of 1969 celebrated their milestone reunion on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019. The class raised more than $70,000 toward an endowment they created. “We are so humbled and grateful for the generosity of these alumni celebrating their 50th Reunion,” said Director of Alumni Engagement Lauralee Glasgow Allen ’03.
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FORWARD BY BOB RAMSEY ’69
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1. Members of the Class of 1969 meet in Sharp Academic Commons. 2. Front row: Betty Fisher ’69, Jinko Sato, Aki Sato ’69 and Robin Bruehl Patteson ’69. Back row: Gray Pruitt ’69, Bob Ramsey ’69 and Tom Wilkins 3. Franny Simpson Powell, Betsy Masters and Christi White Barranger (all ’69) 4. Becky Jones ’69, Penny Evins and Sam Evins 5. Hank Hartz and Franny Simpson Powell (both’69) 6. Lindsay Burn Wortham and Sid Bass (both ’69)
Yoshiaki Sato (aka Aki, in photo No. 2) lived with my family for our senior year at Collegiate (Class of ’69) as that year’s AFS Foreign Exchange student. He and his wife Jinko came to our Collegiate 50th Reunion in October. In preparation for this, I asked Aki to write a narrative of his professional and personal life since that year. Below is an incredible tale of the life of someone who was obviously profoundly influenced by his immersion in America and at Collegiate in the late 1960s. (The following is an excerpt.) My Nutty Life in a Nutshell The narrative of my life and career that Bob assigned me to write may indeed look complicated and twisted. But I’ll try. I’ve taught at universities since I got my M.A. in American Literature at age 27. At age 56, I went freelance and kept myself free until four years ago when I joined the faculty of the Open University of Japan and started making TV and radio programs for citizen education. So, you see, my friends, this minor-league whiz kid in your physics class didn’t become a scientist. In the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, he was swept up by the tsunami of the 1960s pop culture — WLEE’S “million-dollar weekend,” Bilando with authentic bands, the Beach party week and local goofing off that we had. If I'd already had the inclination, you guys fueled it. Already I was the kind of guy who loved Frank Zappa, but Mary Frances (Bob’s sister) gave me The Doors for my birthday. Gray Pruitt gave me Deep Purple for Christmas. And, of course there was Bob with his Temptations and Aretha Franklin records. George Turman came around and played Blowin’ in the Wind. I was there in the right time at the right age. In the background, cops were beating hippies, Russian tanks were crushing Prague, Vietnam was on fire. I didn’t go into the music business though. At Collegiate, Joan Moore, then-editor in chief of Flame, gave me a copy of Whitman saying something mysterious like “You write somewhat like him.” I never understood what she meant, but 20, 30 years later I became known, among Japanese fans of world literature, as “the Pynchon guy.” I devoted years translating
several of his novels, including the impossibly complicated Gravity’s Rainbow. This year I’ve been busy trying to turn in the translation manuscript of his newest, Bleeding Edge. And this is how I try to keep in touch with the American pop culture from many different eras. When Dylan received the Nobel Prize, I was asked to write a newspaper article explaining the importance of his presence in our culture. My first book (1989) was The Bouncing of Rubber Soul. It was about the Beatles, counterculture and how the desire not to conform paradoxically boosted late capitalism. Later, The Evolution of Japanese Pop Songs (1999) got popular attention, and it became necessary for me to go deeper in the history of popular music. And for that purpose the American South is the place to roam around, which I try to do when I get a chance. Well, it looks as though I’ve been a dealer of the American ’60s. I think it’s something very uniquely precious in history and I’m grateful that I could live it thanks to you. I never grew out of the fascination of having been engulfed in it with you guys. And girls. Back in June 1969, after graduation, I left the downtown depot for a bus trip that took us around New England and ultimately to NYC. In the plane going back home, I sat next to this girl, Jinko, who had stayed her AFS year in Nebraska and, with whom, throughout the college years, I kept having fun together. In my first year of graduate school we got married, and after several years when our first baby was two months old, we carried him in a basket to start living in Buffalo, New York, where at SUNY (State University of NY), I was allowed to stay as a visiting scholar. Later I came to Berkeley, and San Diego State. My next major translation work will be Bob Dylan’s Lyrics (385 songs he wrote in almost his whole career). I’m almost done with it, but to finish it, I need to be “blowing more in the wind” that sweeps over the ever-so-fascinating American continent. Aki Sato Professor emeritus, The University of Tokyo Visiting Professor, The Open University of Japan
SPRING 2020 61
PAGEANT LUNCH 1
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1. Angie Ledford Hutchison ’90, Ashley Linhart Hepp ’94 and Callie Lacy Brackett ’95 take in the scene. 2. Katharine Tilghman Lowe ’53, Betsy Bothwell Stepp ’83, the late Peggy Tilghman Bothwell ’59, Kathy Bothwell Gregory ’86 and Anne Lowe Thompson ’90 3. Kindergartners perform for the alumnae. 4. Penny Evins greets Susie Materne Benson ’62. 5. Gayle Allen Fitzgerald, Cathy Robertson Bauer, Ellen Thomen Clore, Barrie Miller Sutton, Margaret Conner Gentil and Nancy Cox Vaughan (all ’70)
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6. Barbara Culpepper Townsend, Sally Trice Lester, Gay Goodwin Goldstone and Susan Farley Ferrell (all ’64) 7. Nancy Unger Payne, Blair Penick McIlwain and Gail Pearsall Kinder (all ’65) 8. Jason Chestnutt enjoys conversing with guests. 9. Kathryn Zelenak McGee ’00, Tunstall Bagley Willis ’00 and Brittany Hutchinson ’01 10. Mayme Donohue Willis ’03 chats with the late Ann Lee Saunders Brown ’36. 11. Penny Evins connects with a guest. 12. Kristen Williams and the late Ann Lee Saunders Brown ’36 share a conversation.
Before attending the Pageant dress rehearsal, Collegiate alumnae enjoyed the Pageant Lunch on Friday, Dec. 6, 2019, in the Craigie Board Room in Sharp Academic Commons.
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WINTER PARTY & AUCTION
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1. Penny Evins chats at the table with Bill Hutchins and Beth Flippo Hutchins ’88 and Boyd Bullock ’85 2. Winter Party & Auction chairs Scott Reed ’92, Anna Reed, Muffy Greenbaum ’04 and Noah Greenbaum ’03 3. Duncan Owen ’86, Neema Amin, Mitesh Amin, Neil Amin, Amishi Amin and Tia Owen 4. Kelly Wiltshire, Emily Laux, Anna Horner ’98 and Katie Hallberg 5. Bob Hilb makes his bid. 6. Patricia Lyons, David Lyons, Maria Brent ’99 and Amanda Vaughan get busy in the silent auction.
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7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
Mayme Donohue Willis ’03, Ben Donohue ’10 and Steve Haas Ashley Lewis, Benton Lewis, Courtney Baker, Chris Baker, Matt Stanwix and Jessie Stanwix Kristen Williams, Ginny Turner and Stephanie Lansing Whitney Montague Mathews and Callie Lacy Brackett (both ’95) Members of the Planning Committee: Nicole Holland, Anna Reed, Jennifer Jewett Ruth ’90 and Corbin Neuner Scott Eldridge, Dottie Eldridge, Penny Evins and Sam Evins Auctioneer Ernie Rogers gets the crowd going. Laura Stewart and Jessie Stanwix remain in Heads and Tails.
The 44th annual Winter Party & Auction, Superheroes! You Can’t Create Collegiate Alone!, chaired by Anna and Scott Reed ’92, and Muffy Greenbaum ’04 and Noah Greenbaum ’03, was held on Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, at the Main Street Station Train Shed. A record number of parents, alumni and friends enjoyed great food, amazing auction items and incredible camaraderie. Funds raised will support the mission of
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Collegiate: to create a diverse and inclusive community of learners committed to a challenging and supportive educational experience that will foster the intellectual, moral, emotional and physical development of each student. Many thanks to Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations Melissa Grossi and Winter Party & Auction Assistant Paige Fox for a wonderful evening of supporting Collegiate!
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CLASS NOTES 1942
LaMontagne, Archivist Ben Lamb and
DIED: Shirley Masten Thornton Buerlein on Dec. 9, 2019. After Collegiate, she graduated from Hollins College in 1946, and married her high school sweetheart,
daughters, Sarah Coldwell ’77 (Rob Rinko),
Director of Alumni Engagement Lauralee
Kate Coldwell ’80 and Louise Coldwell ’82
Glasgow Allen ’03 to discuss her book, The
(John Huber); her beloved grandsons, Samuel
Shockoe Slip Gang.
Rinko and Joshua Coldwell; her sister, Joann
1952
and cousins.
Galleher Young; and many nieces, nephews
the late Argyle Leigh
DIED: Louise “Lou” Galleher Coldwell on
Thornton, Sr., later
Oct. 29, 2019. Lou attended Collegiate until
that year. They lived in
her family moved to Manassas when she was
DIED: Peggy Tilghman Bothwell on Jan. 8,
Waynesboro, Virginia,
in high school. She graduated from Osbourn
2020. She touched many lives in her more than
1959
raising three sons, Argyle Leigh Thornton, Jr.
High and Sweet Briar College. After college,
(Becky LeCompte Thornton ’72), the late
Lou and her lifelong friend, Mimi, taught
40 years as a teacher at Collegiate, through her
Frank Masten Thornton (Christine Bell) and
in a one-room schoolhouse in Culpeper, and,
dedicated involvement
John Turner Thornton (Stephanie). After
after marriage, she taught in Ivy while her
with All Saints Episcopal
Argyle Sr.’s death in 1997, Shirley moved to
husband attended law school at UVA. Once
Church and as a friend
Richmond, where in 1999 she married the late
back in Richmond, she turned her attention
to the Westminster
Homer Kayton Buerlein, who died in 2012.
to raising her three daughters. A lover of all
Canterbury community.
Shirley will be remembered by her family as
things blooming and green, and a voracious
a wonderful homemaker and caregiver. Her
reader, Lou was happiest with her hands in
Whether you called her Peggy, Mom, Mimi or Mrs. Bothwell, you always knew she’d greet
warm smile and laugh brought joy and comfort
the dirt or with a 1,000-page biography. Her
you with a warm smile and her whole heart. After a brief illness, she peacefully let go of
to all who knew her. She was known as an
own garden was a showpiece and labor of
enthusiastic ballroom dancer, a mistress of
love, and her inviting home was the gathering
her wonderful life. Her unfailing kindness,
movie trivia, expert on singers and song lyrics,
place for her friends and far-flung extended
quiet wisdom, humor and grace will stay with
and lover of scenic travel. She is also survived
family. Her love of travel took her on many
us for all time. Peggy loved her family. She
by two stepsons, Robert Alan Buerlein (Judy)
adventures, from Uzbekistan to India to Mexico
is survived by her sister, Katharine “Kay”
and Douglas Howard Buerlein (Randi) and
and beyond, but her favorite spot in the world
Tilghman Lowe ’53, her children, Betsy
their families; five grandchildren, Carmen
was Yorkshire. She generously hosted family
Bothwell Stepp ’83, Kathy Bothwell Gregory
Thornton Carraway ’05 (Andrew), Rebecca
on many memorable trips, and indulged their
’86, Ned Bothwell ’91 and Aggie Bothwell;
Thornton Sable ’08 (Nathan), Grayson
love for the beach most summers. At home, she
and grandchildren, Corey and Zach, Claire,
LeCompte Thornton ’12 (Ellie), Maeve
was active with the Junior League of Richmond,
Max and Scotty, Maggie and Porter. With them,
Bell-Thornton and Mary Elizabeth Thornton;
the Virginia Historical Society and St. James’s
she delighted in playing games, laughing
a great-granddaughter, Anna Raine Carraway;
Bazaar and was on the board of Richmond
and being silly, collecting rocks and shells,
Community Action Program. As a staunch
getting her hands dirty in a garden, building
and many beloved nieces and nephews.
1946 DIED: Mary Ann Epes Chandler on Oct. 15, 2019. She was preceded in death by her parents, Travis H. Epes, Sr. and Mary Coffman Epes. During a trip to Richmond from New York in November, author Patricia Haas visited with Collegiate Middle School Librarian Carolyn
66 SPARK | Class Notes
Democrat, Lou was proof that you could be
sandcastles at the water’s edge and traveling
strong and opinionated and still gracious
as an extended family both close and afar. She
and kind. She had a talent for friendship and
was always there as a shoulder to lean on,
remained close with friends from the Collegiate
offering unconditional love, encouragement
crew, the gang from Manassas, Sweet Briar, the
and a reminder not to take life too seriously.
famous “Mothers” group and many others. Lou
Peggy loved Collegiate. As a student she led
was preceded in death by her parents, Virginia
the student government, as a faculty member
State Sen. John Francis Galleher and Louise
she taught in both the Upper and Middle
Falligant Galleher, a president of the Virginia
Schools, led the Summer School program for
State Board of Education and Manassas City
many years, was an innovator in curriculum
Council member; and her amazing sister,
and an early integrator of technology in her
Susan Galleher Askew. She is survived by her
classes and worked in administration to
develop an appropriate curriculum for Middle
he supported since its inception. Rob also
Pate Watson; and his son, Robert Cary Watson,
Schoolers. She cherished the connections with
enjoyed skiing, camping, travel, never-ending
Jr. He is survived by his wife, Sharon Farrell Watson; daughter, Lindsey A. Watson; son,
her students, her fellow faculty, as well as the
building projects and his workshop domain
continued friendships with her own classmates.
where he could fix virtually anything. In
Thomas Pate Watson; and brother, William N.
Peggy was a friend and mentor. She was
retirement, Rob loved becoming “Daddy Rob” to
Watson, Jr. Bobby loved his extended family,
insightful, supportive, fun, always ready to
his grandsons and renovating a second home
including his brothers and sisters-in-law,
listen and eager for life’s adventures. On the
in Siesta Key, Florida. A great grillmeister,
nephews, nieces and cousins. Travis Epes on Dec. 5, 2019. Travis was
banks of the Rappahannock, with her beloved
Rob was a “people person” whose jokes, smiles
Motley Crew, she picked crabs, played cards,
and youthful attitude endeared him to friends
an avid fisherman and loved the Chesapeake Bay. He was preceded in death by his father,
sang and laughed. Whether with friends, family
and work associates alike. He was preceded in
or church, Peggy loved traveling the nooks
death by his parents, Antoinette Wirth Whittet
Travis H. Epes, Jr.; his mother, Ann Martin
and crannies of this world, getting to know its
and R. McLean Whittet, Jr. He is survived by
Nock Epes; and great-aunt, Mary Ann Epes
people and having great adventures. With her
his wife of 35 years, Linda Walters Whittet;
Chandler ’46. He is survived by his son, Travis
fellow All Saints parishioners, she generously
daughter, Emily Wirth Whittet; son, John
H. Epes IV; grandson, Travis H. Epes V; and
gave her time and her talents as a pianist, on
McLean Whittet (Ellen) and their children,
numerous cousins and lifelong friends, who
many mission trips and church retreats, as well
Brooks McLean and Wesley Donald; sisters,
remained loyal to him through his years.
as being a member of the choir. As a resident
Cornelia (Connie) Whittet Garrett ’61
at Westminster Canterbury Richmond, she
and Elizabeth Whittet O’Conor ’67; and a
enjoyed making new friends, visiting with
loving extended family.
old ones and sharing her love of wine and
conversation. She often remarked on how much
attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute until
Robert Watson on Nov. 27, 2019. He
she appreciated how “gentle” her final years
returning home to
were. Peggy was a woman filled with so much
Richmond to join his
kindness, thoughtfulness, grace and humor.
father in the family
1965
Paper Corp. Through
1966 Rob Hershey, former Head of School at Collegiate from 1988-98, was honored with the Sally K. Boese Distinguished Service Award at the Virginia Association of Independent School’s annual conference hosted in
business at Hamilton DIED: Robert McLean Whittet III on Nov. 4, 2019. He played saxophone in the local band Disciples of Soul during his high school years at Collegiate. At the University of Virginia, he bonded with his brothers at Kappa Sigma fraternity and graduated in 1969. His love of sailing was kindled when he crewed the first leg of a round-the-world voyage, sailing from Annapolis through the Panama Canal before returning stateside to join the U.S. Navy. At NAS Ellyson Field in Pensacola, Florida, he trained future helicopter pilots using flight simulators, while separately earning his own single-engine pilot’s license. Returning to Richmond in 1973, he joined Whittet & Shepperson Printers as fifth generation in the business, later becoming an owner. In 1984, Rob married his partner in life and love, Linda. They later founded Whittet Print Communications, a business devoted to serving their print and graphic design clients, where he worked until retirement. He was a member of Fishing Bay Yacht Club in Deltaville for over 40 years. “Captain Rob” found great joy in racing his C&C 37 sailboat, Wavelength, with its loyal crew in regattas including the Leukemia Cup fundraiser, which
his singular actions, Hamilton Paper merged with Acme Paper and Supply Co., based in Savage, Maryland, in 1991.
1
Bobby continued to manage the Richmond division until his retirement in 2009. Having owned the original Hamilton Paper building, he and his brother converted the warehouse into one of the first residential apartment buildings in Richmond’s historic Manchester District, thereby changing the landscape of one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. His hobbies included playing the drums, especially as a
2
member of several local Richmond bands. He also discovered the challenging joy of boating thanks to his father’s love of the Chesapeake Bay, and frequented the Northern Neck, Tidewater and Outer Banks areas over the years. Bobby cared about everyone he met, gave to anyone seeking prudent counsel a hearty laugh or shelter from the storm. His passions ran deep and wide, whether they be his family, his friends, his employees, his boats, his music or his dogs. He impacted many lives with his actions simply by being who he was meant to be. And he more than lived up to that vision. Anyone who knew Bobby was touched by his magic and would never be the same as before. He was preceded in death by his parents, the late William N. Watson, Sr. and the late Thelma
1. Patricia Haas ’46 met with Collegiate Middle School Librarian Carolyn LaMontagne, Archivist Ben Lamb and Director of Alumni Engagement Lauralee Glasgow Allen ’03 on a Richmond visit to discuss her book, The Shockoe Slip Gang. 2. Rob Hershey ’66, former Head of Collegiate School from 1988-98, was honored with the VAIS Sally K. Boese Distinguished Service Award in November 2019.
SPRING 2020 67
1
Richmond in November 2019. The annual
2
award is given in honor of Dr. Sally K. Boese, who served as executive director of VAIS for 24 years. At the conference, Rob called on the educators in the room to “keep up the high standards and the great work.”
1967 3
Sally Ryland Duane writes, “Members of the
4
Class of 1967 met for the Pageant Lunch at Collegiate and then went to the Christmas Pageant rehearsal. Our class was recognized because we had the ’67 Madonna (Betsy Connor Flippen) and two kings (Joan Hedgecock and Vicki Romaine Cohn) in attendance. Other alums there were Weezie Vincent Wiltshire, Sally Ryland Duane,
5
May Ellen Boyd Oakley, Elizabeth Whittet O’Conor, Isabel Spilman Bates and Elizabeth Coleman James.”
1968 DIED: Eugene Craighead Caldwell on Jan. 11, 2020. After Collegiate, he graduated from 6
Virginia Military Institute
7
in 1972. Craig began his career with General Motors and for the last 13 years, enjoyed serving his passion for American made vehicles with Jim McKay Chevrolet in Fairfax. He always enjoyed attending the Caldwell/Fritsche Family Reunion every
8
summer at Shrinemont. Creating lasting memories with his extended family meant so much to him. Craig’s love for his beloved Washington Redskins never wavered. HTTR! He was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene Craighead Caldwell, Jr. and Myrle Norris Caldwell. He is survived by his sisters, Beverley Caldwell Trinkle and Virginia Caldwell Stone (Geoffrey Lindley Stone); as well as many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and
1. Weezie Vincent Wiltshire, Joan Hedgecock, Sally Ryland Duane, May Ellen Boyd Oakley, Elizabeth Whittet O’Conor, Isabel Spilman Bates and Elizabeth Coleman James, all members of the Class of 1967, attended Pageant Lunch. 2. Dan Smith ’68 traveled to New Zealand, where he met Miles Refo ’95, who graduated with Mr. Smith’s daughter, Ellen Ashton Smith Jackson ’95. 3. Members of the Class of ’68 held a mini-reunion in November. From left are Barbara Robertson Burke, Shirley Meador Wersinger, Ginny Stevens Purcell, Cristy Conner Jarvis, Laura Hall and Mary Sadler Mann. We had a great time catching up!
68 SPARK | Class Notes
4. Bryce Powell ’69 and Fanny Simpson Powell ’69 hosted the Class of 1969 for its 50th Reunion at their home. 5. Members of the Class of 1974 gathered at Hardywood Brewery West Creek for their 45th Reunion. 6. Sarah Kay ’75 met up with Ellie Garnett Ferguson ’75 in Worthington, Massachusetts. 7. Barbara Lockwood Ambrose ’75 was awarded a St. Stephen Award by the Association for Episcopal Deacons. 8. Beth Jones Malone ’76 cuddles with her nine grandchildren. Pictured from left to right are Ellie, Oliver, Paxton, Courtlynn, Mya, Austin, “GB,” Dusty, Caleb and Haven.
great-nephews.
Collins Paty Jones, Sr. on Jan. 3, 2020.
He was the son of JoAnne Paty Jones and the late L. Clarke Jones, Jr. After attending Virginia Tech, he began his lifelong career in the family business, Jones Realty and Construction Corp., as vice president of construction. He was an avid hunter and a founding member of Western Henrico Ducks Unlimited, an Eagle
Scout, a straight shooter at golf, a people
kind/kind) for each of us. Thank you for
person, a giver, an excellent cook and a lover
your support!”
of sports, especially the Hokies. A dedicated family man, he is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 46 years, Jane Broaddus Jones; son, Collins Paty Jones, Jr.; granddaughter, Sophie; daughter, Ashley Bingham Jones Spence ’95 (David); granddaughters, Riley and Addie Gray; son, Coleman Broaddus Jones ’99; granddaughter, Pepper; and grandson, Crockett. He is also survived by three brothers, L. Clarke Jones III ’66 (the late Susan R.), Captain (USN Ret.) R. Bingham Jones ’70 (Susie H.), H. Kevin Jones ’74; and one sister, Beth Jones Malone ’76 (Russell); as well as many nieces and nephews. (See 1976 entry for more on Beth Jones.)
Dan Smith writes, “One degree of
separation. In September, I traveled to New Zealand for several weeks. One of the lodges that I stayed in was Otahuna, a seven-suite property outside of Christchurch — more than 9,000 miles from Richmond. Upon arrival, my little group was warmly greeted by the two owners. I introduced myself and said I was from Richmond. One of the owners said he grew up in Richmond’s West End. He then told me he graduated from Collegiate and, after a brief discussion, realized that he, Miles Refo ’95, had graduated with my daughter, Ellen Ashton Smith Jackson ’95. There are Cougars worldwide!”
Elizabeth Thompson Childrey writes,
“To date, we have donated or have on order 38 benches — WOW — and all the thanks goes to each of you for your kind support. You can visit kindness4kate.org to see a more detailed description and pictures. Nothing has warmed our hearts more that all the encounters with kids and administrators that we have experienced in this process. Who knows the lives that have been impacted? That is not for us to know. We just feel blessed that we do know for sure that kindness matters and makes a difference! Most of you know I have been collecting heart rocks (now heart shapes) for quite some time, and ever since Kate’s passing, the heart symbol has taken on a far greater meaning — that of kindness! My new book is a 6x6, perfect-bound book of 50 pics and 50 thoughts on kindness that I have collected over the years. For $20 you can purchase this book at kindness4kate.org and help spread kindness in many more places. All monies will go to more benches and spreading kindness in more schools. It is a win/win (or should I say
would like to connect to any other Cougars out here. Enjoying the amenities!”
1969 – 50 REUNION TH
The night of Oct. 26 was a great one for the Class of 1969 as it celebrated its 50th Reunion at the home of Bryce and Franny Simpson Powell. In all, 39 classmates and 17 spouses/ friends attended the event. Those attending were Lisa Herron Bankoff, Christi White Barranger, Bill Elliott, Betty Fisher, Merri Ann Hunt, Gaylon Layfield, Marilyn Linhart Moses, Bryce Powell, Franny Simpson Powell, Gray Pruitt, Bob Ramsey, Charlie Robins, Aki Sato (all the way from Japan), Melinda Vick Wilson, Greg Williams, Fran Chalkley Robertson, Scottie Newell Slater, Anne Vail Thomas, Lindsay Burn
Christi White Barranger writes, “Gary
and I have been very busy this year. I gave him a trip with the VMFA to China and Tibet for three weeks. Then two days after we came back in May, my kitchen and butler’s pantry were completely ripped out for a total renovation. The job was mostly finished when we went on a William and Mary-sponsored cruise around the British Isles for our 25th anniversary. We left the ship in mid-cruise for three days to go to the Isle of Skye so he could do genealogical research. The Reunion was wonderful. It was well attended and I talked to classmates I had not seen in years. Thanks to those who made it possible.”
Wortham, Hank Hartz, Merritt Foster,
1974 – 45 TH REUNION
Robin Bruehl Patteson, Pam Williams, Pat
Hardywood Brewery West Creek was the
Moss, Sid Bass, Cliff Kirkmyer, Midge
setting for a casual get-together on Saturday
Fraley Preston, Kate Bullard Adams, Russ
night for the Class of ’74. We had a good
Malone, Joe Coxe, Bill Wheeler, Janet
turnout and were thrilled to have several
Grubbs Green, Becky Jones, Sid Stern,
out of town classmates join us in celebrating
Betsy Masters, Rick Boyle, Martha Jane
our 45th reunion. Thanks to Cathy Gazala
Donohue, Sid Gunst and Bobby May.
Schaffer and her husband Jeff, Margaret
Decker Cummins and her husband Bill, Betsy
It was great seeing and getting to
reminisce with everyone. So many stories
Brinkley Munz, Frances Taylor Anton and
to be told and shared. The list of service
Wendy Walton Ward for making the trip to
organizations, boards, charities, foundations
Richmond. We enjoyed seeing Philip Hart
and nonprofits on which our class members
and Don Sledd as well on Friday night at the
have served is too long to publish. We were
Oyster Roast. There was lots of excitement
extremely proud of the pervasive spirit of
and discussion about a huge celebration for
giving among our classmates.
our 50th! Hope you will join us in planning a
There is a lot more we could have learned
at our 50-year Reunion, but we only had one
fabulous party in 2024! – Submitted by Anne Cary Hall Allen and Helen Anderson Carter
night! Unfortunately, 15 of our classmates are no longer with us. We remembered Gary Madden, Allen White, Lee Schmidt Collier, Bill Patteson, Charles Smith, Courtney Curdts Stratton, Larry Wallace, Jim Fontaine, Laurie Monroe, Howard Dobbins, James Harrison, Cabell King, Susan Pastore, Michele Siebert and Polly Moncure Vaden. We should all remember how fortunate we are. So many stories. So many fascinating men and women. So many accomplishments in the last five decades. And so little time to savor them all. In summary, a great time was had by all; can’t wait to do it again. Please let us know if you’re interested in another gathering. – Submitted by Gray Pruitt, Franny Simpson Powell and Lindsay Burn Wortham
Merri Ann Hunt writes that she “has
moved to Lakewood retirement community and
1975 Sarah Kay met up with Ellie Garnett Ferguson, her husband, Ned and cute pup Cam in Worthington, Massachusetts. She writes, “Ellie and I got to have a fun visit with Katie Oates Nixon too!”
Barbara Lockwood Ambrose was
awarded a St. Stephen Award by the Association for Episcopal Deacons in recognition of her ministries to the homeless and addicted. Barbara serves as deacon at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Richmond and has most recently been engaged in developing ministries in response to the opioid crisis.
1976 Beth Jones Malone writes that she “and her husband Russell Malone III ’69 feel so
SPRING 2020 69
blessed to be spending loads of time with their nine grandchildren! Our daughter Stephanie has seven kids, including one dear boy from the Congo, and our son Rusty has two children. We are so thankful that all the kids live nearby, and we spend a lot of our time helping to shuttle all of them to their various activities, as well as babysitting whenever we can. With any luck, we will be able to keep up for years to come! I am so grateful to still be spending as much time as possible with my dear Mom, who is now 96 and still lives on her farm in Caroline County. Russell is still loving getting in a round or two of golf weekly, he is very involved in our church (Winn’s Baptist), and lives the rest of his life to play with all those grandbabies!! I’m happy to say we are in our 40th year of wedded bliss!”
1979 – 40 TH REUNION
1984 – 35 TH REUNION
We had a fabulous turnout for our 40th
Mason and Julie Chapman hosted about 70
Reunion at Chris Daly’s home. (Many thanks
members of the Class of ’84 and our significant
to Chris for hosting!) We had more than 100
others for a laugh-filled 35th Reunion party.
people at the party, which included more than
While noshing on delicious food prepared by
60 classmates and several beloved teachers.
Missy Falls Mauck, the crowd caught up
The weather allowed us to be outside, the food
on jobs and retirement goals, children and
was terrific, but everyone agreed that getting
grandchildren, college tuitions and gap years,
back together was the best part of all. We had
vacations and adventures.
classmates who traveled from around the state,
as well as from Missouri, Tennessee, Indiana,
from when Mike Wood and Nene Fleming
North Carolina, Maryland, D.C. and even South
Dougherty’s next grandbabies were due to the
America! (Hope we didn’t leave anyone out!)
recent arrival of Chuck Brown’s first kiddo,
The slideshow we had running at the party
born just a couple of months before the party,
brought back so many memories, laughs and
keeping him in Boston.
great stories. Lots of smiles all around! We
all agreed it was a fun evening reconnecting
force, along with many mid-Atlantic friends,
with good friends. – Submitted by the
we were missing our long-distance classmates. A few made longer journeys back to RVA to
Elizabeth Woodroof Cogar has written a
father Tom Word joined their law practice with
book called Really Richmond — A City Guide.
Virginia Estate & Trust Law PLC.
Effective Jan. 1, 2020, Scott Word and his
new restaurants, shops and breweries,” Ms. Cogar said. “I decided to create a curated resource for both residents and people who are visiting. The initial printing sold out, so I’m encouraged by that and inquiries from realtors, recruiters, museum shops and bookstores.” The paperback is $16.99, 188 pages and available at Libbie Market, Chop Suey Books, the Valentine Museum, Studio Two Three and more locations. Read about it and order a copy at www.reallyrichmondguide.com.
and Henry Williams from Florida; John
1981
and Lisa Coleman all the way from Montana.
Rodney Willett was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates 73rd District representing parts of central and western Henrico County.
Since 2018, Lisa Payne has been the Director of Public Engagement for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. In that capacity, she oversees the mayor’s field representatives in specific areas of the city, as well as those who respond to constituent calls and emails. One of her primary continuing projects is building and long-term homes for people facing homelessness throughout the city.
70 SPARK | Class Notes
2
(Tim Taylor did travel from Texas for the Oyster Roast, but he couldn’t convince his niece to change her Lynchburg wedding so he could join us for the Saturday night party, too.)
1983
community support for locating temporary
1
join the festivities, including Kathy Holland Diamond, Ken McArthur and Lenoir Woodward and wife Kristin from Atlanta;
“A Richmond guidebook had not been done in like Scott’s Addition, Manchester, lots of
While local Cougars were there in full
Reunion Committee
1977
10 years, and a lot has happened since then,
Conversations about our kids ranged
We toasted the upcoming nuptials of
Laura Dudley and Andrew McRoberts (who were married on New Year’s Eve). Leslie Crouch Mandrgoc took photo after photo of everyone in attendance! We loved catching up with Weldon and Emily Bradshaw when they stopped by. And Beth Curry had to explain to all the guys in attendance why they are NOT invited to Wine Bar 84 (a group more secretive than the XXX society).
Perhaps the best conversation of the entire
evening centered around Homecoming and,
3
more specifically, the Homecoming dance. All eyes turned to Kevin Alvis when he said
1985
he had an announcement to make: His son was at the dance with Sean Campbell’s daughter. Excellent.
J
The Class of ’84 is an especially close
group, with a shared history of both joy and sadness. Getting together to celebrate each other is a memorable event. Thank you to everyone who joined us to make the gathering so special. – Submitted by Sarah Paxton
Wes Aitiyeh writes that he “established
Your Safe and Happy Lives, published in
experience in his 20s and 30s as the drummer in Anomoanon, a band
Houston Barrick, UR men’s tennis coach. The
that frequently backed musician
foundation’s principal focus is to promote
Will Oldham on various tours. He talked with Spark about
interest in the sport of tennis in the greater Richmond, Virginia, metropolitan area. The
the book.
foundation will host the largest college D-1 tennis tournament in the metro area to
Why did you want to write the book?
help grow the sport of tennis locally, offer opportunities to underprivileged youth and raise money for the Metro Richmond Boys & Girls Club. This year we had 18 teams and
I’ve always enjoyed listening to
112 players for a three-day event held at the
others tell stories and, at some
Williams-Bollettieri Tennis Center on the
point when I was young, I realized
Robins Campus. Through sponsorships and
I liked to tell them too. I began
donations to the foundation the River City
jotting down a few memories from
Tennis Open (Foundation) was able to raise
the period of time covered in the
$10,000 for the MRBGC. The RCTO 2020
book, following graduate school
will be held in early October again.
at the University of Virginia. One
www.RiverCityTennisOpen.com.”
recollection led to another and
Sarah Paxton was one of five Richmond-
another, and soon I realized I had
area women leaders who participated in a
the foundation of a good, long story,
Metro Business Live panel discussion about the
so I settled down and wrote it.
lessons they have learned and the challenges they have overcome in starting and running
written a book, Destroy
2019 by Rare Bird Books, about his
the River City Tennis Foundation with
ack Carneal has
come ‘all the way’ in the workforce when panels
How long did it take?
like that are no longer necessary,” she said.
From first words to paper through many revisions and editing sessions to the final
their businesses. “We’ll know that women have
product, the process took about five years.
Did any of your Collegiate English teachers influence you? Most definitely. Ms. Schwartz, my 2nd Grade teacher (who happened to drive a Porsche 914), instilled in me, and many of her students, a love of reading and 1. Elizabeth Woodroof Cogar ’77 wrote Really Richmond — A City Guide. 2. Chris Daly ’79 opened his home to his fellow Collegiate Cougars from the Class of 1979 for their 40th Reunion. 3. Mason Chapman ’84 and his wife Julie hosted the Class of ’84’s 35th Reunion at their home.
writing. Mr. Hugh Addy was an eccentric but effective teacher who allowed me to recognize that teaching and writing is equal parts intellect and show business. Bubba Lawson was one of the first teachers I had who allowed me to think I was actually not a terrible writer, and his obvious love of books and discussing books had a huge influence on me. Finally, Bob Livy emerged as a sort of anti-Bubba, an intimidating, Sphinx-like presence who doled out praise in tiny increments, if he doled it out at all.
SPRING 2020 71
1
interest in supporting causes relating to cancer
2
research, diabetes research, education and children’s sports, particularly golf. Loved and adored by all, Hunter will also be remembered for his indomitable spirit and courage, his reliance on faith and hope, his goal setting and his determination to do the right thing for everyone. Over the last 20 years, Hunter
3
became a very successful investor in businesses and real estate. He was chairman of several companies and always displayed an unusual ability to look to the future and provide insightful comments. While his demeanor was laid back and relaxed, he had a commanding presence in the boardroom. His lifelong passion
4
5
was to perfect his golf game, which he was able
6
to accomplish in the last few years. He was club champion at several golf clubs, the most recent occurring in the 2019 Member-Member tournament at Kinloch Golf Club this past October. Hunter was able to achieve four holesin-one during his lifetime, two of which his father was fortunate to witness and another was observed by one of his best friends, Patrick O’Toole. He is survived by his loving wife, Crystal Hicks Goodwin; and his stepdaughters, Cabell Victoria Hickman and Pierce Olivia
1. Cougars in the Class of 1989 met at The Graduate for their 30th Reunion. 2. Sarah Corcoran ’92 married Radik Kizhnerman on Sept. 14, 2019. 3. The Class of 1994 held its 25th Reunion at River City Roll. 4. Sagle Jones Purcell ’94 and her family traveled to London over Thanksgiving. 5. James Casper, son of Anne Shanklin Casper ’94, was born in March 2019. 6. Tyler Charles and Stafford Via (both ’96) climbed Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
Hickman. Hunter is also survived by his parents, William Hunter “Bill” Goodwin, Jr. and Alice Tolley Goodwin; his siblings, Molly Goodwin Hardie ’88 (Robert), Matthew Tolley Goodwin ’90 (Kirsti), Camp Goodwin August ’99 (Tappan) and Peter Overton Goodwin ’03 (Cara). He also is survived by his nieces and nephews, Jack, Henry, Charles, Edward, Daniel, Alice ’27, Evelyn ’29, Tappy,
1985
CONT’D
Andy Brownstein writes, “As of Jan. 1,
I became a partner at the law firm of Greene Hurlocker PLC.”
Robin Ashworth writes that “Synergy
Yoga Studio had its Grand Reopening in January as we celebrate our relocation to
here, but would love to welcome many more!”
In January 2019, Jennifer Payne
Eberly and Bobby. Also surviving Hunter are his in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. William L. Hicks
Johnson was named Director of Waste &
(Lila); sister-in-law, Kimberly H. Ramsey
Recycling for LaBella Associates out of
(Jay); and brother-in-law, William L. Hicks, Jr.
Rochester, New York.
(Jennifer); as well as nieces and nephews, Mary Brooke, Darden, Coleman and Connor.
1987
1988
1123 Gaskins Road. The relocation represents
DIED: William Hunter
a physical expansion of the studio, which
Goodwin on Jan. 5,
DIED: William
now has two practice studios under one roof.
2020. After Collegiate,
Madison “Bill”
Synergy provides instruction in alignment with
he graduated from
McClintic on Nov. 18,
the Himalayan Institute. We are primarily a
Vanderbilt University in
2019. He was raised
Hatha yoga studio, but also offer Vinyasa, Yin,
1991 with a B.S. in civil
and educated in
yoga barre and gentle restorative classes. Our
engineering. In 1995, he
Henrico County and
website provides scheduling, class registration,
graduated from the Darden School of Business
class descriptions and information about our
at the University of Virginia with a master’s in
Commonwealth University, cum laude, with a
Italian Yoga Retreat coming in late September
business administration. A kind and generous
degree in fine arts, majoring in sculpture. Bill
2020. It’s a great community of practice —
man, Hunter will be remembered for his love
moved to New York City to pursue a career in
welcoming, non-competitive and sociable. We’ve
and dedication to his wife, family and friends,
design and construction, which included set
already got a handful of Collegiate folks coming
his selflessness and caring heart and his
design for Saturday Night Live and cruise ship
72 SPARK | Class Notes
graduated from Virginia
shows. He enjoyed life in the big city for all
in July 2020. She is currently the Head
it had to offer. He returned to Richmond and
of School at Girls Preparatory School in
shopping and lots of eating. The kids had a
worked for many years in the commercial sign
Chattanooga, Tennessee.
great time and love to travel!”
Garden & Gun’s “Made in the South
Palace and the Royal Horseguards with some
Anya Schwender writes, “I currently
business. When Bill needed time to reflect, the
mountains were always calling. Whether it was
Awards” in the December issue highlighted
work for a language training company in
a ride on one of his motorcycles or a visit to a
Dave Cuttino’s Reservoir Distillery.
D.C., setting up private tutoring programs for
1991
enjoyed being closer to Richmond and had
family favorite vacation resort, Capon Springs and Farms, West Virginia, the mountains brought him peace. Bill was a devoted and loving son, brother and brother-in-law, but his role as uncle was his shining role. “UB” was the best and will be remembered for his humor, mischievous nature and true interest in their lives. Bill struggled with addiction, and unfortunately lost a long, hard battle with it. He is now in the comforting arms of his grandparents, uncle and aunt. He was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents, William and Betsey McClintic and Sidney and Elsie Pycock; his uncle, William W. McClintic, Jr.; and his aunt, Joan Pycock. He is survived by his parents, Madison and Norma McClintic; his sister, Caroline M. Walters (Mike); and nephews Peyton and Ian.
1989 – 30 TH REUNION First, we want to thank Glenn Laskin, who took the reigns and did a fabulous job planning our 30th Reunion downtown at The Graduate. We loved seeing friends from far and wide, especially our favorite servicemen, Will Johnson and Ra Yoeun. Melanie Oettinger Brown came from Chicago, but Sutton Long gets the furthest away award by coming from California! Also, I think Jennie Myer might have made her first reunion in a long time, if ever! It was so great to see people from all over, see where they are now, how they are making a great and positive impact in the world, and of course, reminisce about all of the good and hilarious times they had back in school! It was an awesome night! – Submitted by Michelle Deal Lewis
Madison Wootton has been elected to
serve as a member of the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls Foundation board of directors. Madison is a senior managing director and financial advisor for The Frontier Group. The foundation exists to exclusively support the charitable and educational purposes of VHBG.
1990 Autumn Adkins Graves, a University of Virginia graduate, was named Head of School at St. Anne’s-Belfield School, to begin
relocated employees all over the world. I’ve Dr. Elizabeth Berglund Hall, a professor at the University of Virginia, co-authored a French textbook, Textures, with her husband, Upper School French teacher Dr. Mark
a blast opening up our time capsule at the reunion this year!”
1995
Andrew Hall. The book was promoted by Yale
E.A. Smith Jackson was named in August
University Press at the American Council on
2019 as one of the 16 members of the
the Teaching of Foreign Languages Convention
WeCOACH 2019-20 Coaches Council, a select
in Washington, D.C., in November 2019.
group of individuals who ensure WeCOACH
1992
all sports and all levels. Each council member
is strategically serving women coaches from MARRIED: Sarah Corcoran to Radik Kizhnerman on Sept. 14, 2019. Brian Corcoran ’84 and John Corcoran ’86 were in the wedding.
1994 – 25 TH REUNION Thank you so much to my amazing classmates who made the huge effort to attend our fun 25th Reunion party! We had the best time at River City Roll listening to live music, catching up with dear friends and poring over old Torches. I am so grateful to all of those who traveled from near and far to make the night super special. We had over 60 people in attendance that evening, and the laughter and memories were flowing all night long. A special thanks to Anya Schwender and Elizabeth Thahimer Smartt for all of their awesome efforts with the Time Capsule — that was the biggest hit of the evening! And thanks to Spence Morano for being the guy who literally dug up the capsule, with his usual smile and helpful attitude. Thanks again to all who made the evening so memorable! – Submitted by Erin Smith Jewett
BORN: Anne Shanklin Casper writes,
“baby James, born March 2019. He joins his siblings Ellen, Madeline and Landon. In fact, he shares the same birthday as one of my daughters! I am still involved in medical research at Johns Hopkins.”
Sagle Jones Purcell writes,
“Thanksgiving trip to London with all the kids — we got to ride the Eye, see the Tower of London, Street Art Walk, climb St. Paul’s Cathedral, walk through Harrods, see the
serves a two-year term.
Andy Jaspen writes, “I recently wrote
a poem in remembrance of my classmate and friend Stuart Cawthorn. The poem is called Somebody More. In life it is comforting to know Somebody More. Somebody more outspoken. Somebody more brave. Somebody more wise. Stu was both somebody more elegant speaking French and somebody more knowledgeable about Jimmy Buffett. Stu was frequently that Somebody More. Somebody more talented. Somebody more passionate. Somebody more likely to succeed. Somebody more willing to call out a flaw in themselves. Somebody more able to handle life’s realities. Somebody themself more alive. And now that Stu is not here with us, she is somebody more missed. Somebody more loved. Somebody more and forever in our hearts.
1996 In December 2019, President Donald Trump nominated U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen for a federal judgeship in the Western District of Virginia.
Ashton Powell was elected to the Chapel
Hill-Carrboro City School Board of Education.
Tyler Charles writes, “Stafford Via and
I climbed Half Dome in Yosemite National Park back in September.”
musical Mary Poppins, see Buckingham
SPRING 2020 73
1997
2000
Will Hartwell writes, “my wife Elizangela and I were blessed with a second daughter on Oct. 22, 2019. Lara de Liz Hartwell was born in Miami, Florida.”
1998 Nik Massey writes, “Ilana and I added a third boy to our family on the 23rd of November. His name is Judah Uziel Massey and we are calling him Uzi! We are staying in Miami for the foreseeable future but are excited to send our eldest son Kai to a school very similar to Collegiate next year for Kindergarten.”
Scooter Yancey and Marshall Schutt,
classmates and members of Collegiate rock n’ roll band Number 22, gathered for a jam session at Scooter’s LA home in February 2019.
1999 – 20 TH REUNION On Oct. 26, the class of 1999 — often referred to as “the greatest class in history” — gathered at Pearl Raw Bar to catch up with old buddies, silently compare salaries and avoid people they hooked up with. It was a massive success with more than 80 alums in attendance from all over the globe, with Cougars flying in from as far as Chile and Germany. A lovely time was had by all who can remember it. A big thanks to Matt O’Brien for upholding the tradition of hosting a raucous afterparty — the same couldn’t be said for the cops who avoided the event, because some people just don’t care about tradition. Thanks to all who attended! – Submitted by Claire Wyckoff Satterfield
BORN: Lucas Beirne writes, a “new
addition to the family, Ella Paige Beirne, was born in April 2019.”
Lauren MacIvor Thompson wrote a Dec.
13, 2019 op-ed piece in the New York Times entitled, Women Have Always Had Abortions. Lauren, a historian at Georgia State University, is the author of the forthcoming Battle for Birth Control: Mary Dennett, Margaret Sanger and the Rivalry That Shaped a Movement.
74 SPARK | Class Notes
L
ee Dickinson writes, “It was a busy 2019 for me! The year kicked off with the birth of our second kid, who had us expecting him any minute starting around Christmas. Thomas Edward ‘Teddy’ Dickinson was born on Jan. 18, 2019. From that point forward, things never really slowed down, as keeping up with our 4-year-old, Rebekah, was already quite the challenge. In addition to the busyness at home, AVP (the company I worked for through high school and which I now own) executed some 220 projects over the course of the year, including audiovisual services for 10 or 11 Collegiate events. We have a running joke in our office that an AVP staff member can often be found in the background of Collegiate event photos. Can you spot me in the three pictures above? Hints: Pep Rally – Behind Mr. Creery (who looks awesome in this pic); Convocation – My head is visible behind the sax players, under the American flag. Graduation two years ago – That’s me configuring a camera behind the graduates. It’s a lot of fun to be able to work with Collegiate both on and off campus. When I’m on campus, I regularly joke with students that, with lots of hard work, they too could continue to be hanging around Collegiate 18 years later! Whenever anyone asks how long I have been working in the audiovisual industry, I tell them ‘I ran sound for my 6th Grade play, and have been doing it ever since.’ So, big shout out to both Jenny Hundley and Julie Miller. I almost certainly wouldn’t have found this career if it hadn’t been for the opportunities they each gave me. Outside of Collegiate events, we get to support some of the most important events around Richmond and throughout Virginia. The Collegiate Winter Party & Auction at Main Street Station Train Shed is a great example of the kind of work we do, though I should probably confess that we produce similar gala events for both St. Catherine’s and St. Christopher’s. We’re also the AV team behind the three largest annual fundraisers in Richmond: The American Heart Association’s ‘Heart Ball,’ World Pediatric Project’s ‘Treasures in Paradise’ and American Cancer Society’s ‘Cattle Barons’ Ball.’ Our work helps these charities in raising millions of dollars annually; it’s hard to have an auction if you can’t hear the auctioneer! I also expect to be working more closely this year with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We’ve supported their events for years, and I’ll be taking an active role in their fundraising efforts for 2020. In what’s left of my free time, I try to go flying every once in a while and do my best to keep up my carpentry skills with the occasional built-in or piece of furniture. Free time. Hah.”
2001 BORN: Mary Andrews Vidra writes, “My husband, Tim, and I were over the moon to welcome our daughter, Etta Garnett Vidra, in May.”
M
ichael Thalhimer writes, “We are excited to announce the FCSP Foundation inaugural fundraising event took place on Saturday, April 4, 2020. The musically charged and family-friendly Dunking for a Cure event was held at Hardywood Craft Brewery – West Creek. Collegiate classmates, friends and the extended Richmond community came out for a fun afternoon with live entertainment, food and drink, all in support of pancreatic cancer research. Visit FCSPFoundation.org for more details about the cause and any future FCSP events and updates. The FCSP Foundation thanks the extended Collegiate community for its support of this critical cause, whether or not you personally knew Geoff Shudtz!”
MARRIED: Lizzie Thomson to Peter
Litterini on Sept. 21, 2019. Lots of Cougars were in attendance. Cougars in the wedding included bridesmaids Sarah Thomson Seabolt ’97, Catey Thomson White ’97, Susannah Thomson Craft ’04 and Kristen Ekey Berke. Rhett Townsend to Lauren Tong on
June 1, 2019. Cougars attending the wedding included sisters Kimberly Townsend Stansell ’88 and Tiffany Townsend Taliaferro ’87, and mother Barbara Culpepper Townsend ’64. John Markowitz accepted a new job
as assistant treasurer for Transurban North America. He and his family will relocate from Boston to Northern Virginia.
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1. Lara de Liz Hartwell, daughter of Will Hartwell ’97, was born Oct. 22, 2019. She is pictured with big sister Alexandra. 2. Judah Uziel Massey, son of Nik Massey ’98, was born Nov. 23, 2019. 3. Scooter Yancey and Marshall Schutt (both ’98) met up in Los Angeles. 4. Pearl Raw Bar served as the 20th Reunion spot for the Class of 1999. 5. Ella Paige Beirne, daughter of Lucas Beirne ’99, was born in April 2019. 6. Etta Garnett Vidra, daughter of Mary Andrews Vidra ’01, was born in May 2019. 7. Lizzie Thomson ’01 married Peter Litterini on Sept. 21, 2019. 8. Rhett Townsend ’01 married Lauren Tong on June 1, 2019.
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SPRING 2020 75
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2
6
11
12
15
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Sutton Blair Allen, daughter of Matt Allen ’02, was born Nov. 27, 2019. Mason Hoak Jones, son of Brad Jones ’03, was born July 14, 2019. Miller Camp Childs, son of Kim Frazier Childs ’03, was born Sept. 15, 2019. He joins big sister Ever. Amy Louise Holt, daughter of Mark Holt ’01 and Carter Graham Holt ’03, was born May 22, 2019. Members of the Class of 2004 enjoyed their 15th Reunion at Bar Solita. Class of 2004 members scheduled a playdate in West Gym with their baby Cougars during Reunion Weekend.
76 SPARK | Class Notes
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4
5
7
8
9
13
14
18
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17
7. Blair Northen Williamson ’04 and her family relocated to Richmond last summer. 8. Jessica Lane ’04 married Ryan Metzler on July 6, 2019. 9. Louis Raymond Farhi, son of Mary Beth Neal Farhi ’05, was born Aug. 24, 2019. 10. “Mary Claire” Kathleen Young, daughter of Ashley Davis Young ’05, was born July 18, 2019. She joins big brother Davis. 11. Mason Rives French, son of Pearson Moore French ’05, was born Aug. 8, 2019. 12. Rosemary Benton Robinson, daughter of Jason and Maura Grace McGroarty Robinson ’05, was born Jan. 2, 2019.
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13. Thomas Tullidge Innes, son of Sarah Gray Tullidge Innes ’05, was born Jan. 4, 2019. 14. Luca Carlo Colombo, son of Claiborne Buckingham Colombo ’05, was born Oct. 10, 2019. 15. James Henry Crawford, son of Sarah Byrd Crawford ’05, was born Aug. 22, 2019. 16. Winston “Mac” McGurn Mason, son of Gracie McGurn Mason ’05, was born Dec. 20, 2019. He joins big sister Evie. 17. Elle Ruth Holley, daughter of Megan Jessee Holley ’06, was born Nov. 5, 2019. 18. Katharine Mitchell McGeorge “Kit,” daughter of Jeannie Costin McGeorge ’06 and Greg McGeorge ’01, was born June 5, 2019. She joins big brother Rory.
2002 Artist and illustrator Jonathan Marks has shown his work in galleries in the U.S., U.K. and Australia, and was under an exclusive contract with Marvel comics for several years. Focusing now on creator-owned comic books, Mariner marks his second collaboration with writer Michael Dean. An expansion and exploration of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner, his fully painted and oversized graphic novel Mariner, coming in 2020, uses contemporary imagery and characters to explore the themes of choice and regret.
Matt Allen and his wife Adrienne
welcomed their second child, Sutton Blair Allen, on Nov. 27, 2019. They have been calling San Francisco home for the past five years where Matt currently runs marketing at MarkLogic, a mid-size database software company. With any free time, he’s still painting (mattallencreative.com).
Gov. Ralph Northam appointed Peter
Farrell to the governing board of Virginia
Samford Griebel, Muffy Zimmer Greenbaum,
Valerie Schultz McFarland, Rishi Pahuja
Farhi and Jacques Farhi on Aug. 24, 2019.
and Lizzy Gehr Marchant for organizing a
great reunion. We hope to see everyone at our
Davis Young on July 18, 2019. She joins big
20-year Reunion! – Submitted by Elizabeth
brother Davis.
Downey Rand, Muffy Zimmer Greenbaum
and Rishi Pahuja
Pearson Moore French on Aug. 8, 2019.
MARRIED: Jessica Lane to Ryan
Metzler on July 6, 2019. They were thrilled
Oct. 10, 2019.
Meredith Newbill Cumbo, Elizabeth
Byrd Crawford on Aug. 22, 2019. Henry joins
Miller Camp Childs to Jordan and Kim
big sister Ever.
Amy Louise Holt to Mark Holt ’01 and
Carter Graham Holt on May 22, 2019. She joins big brothers, Quinn and Jack.
2004 – 15 TH REUNION
James Henry Crawford to Eric and Sarah
Downey Rand and Julie Spahn were
big brother Thomas, who turned 3 on Nov. 22.
bridesmaids and Rebecca Lane ’06 served
as maid of honor. Jessica has been in Atlanta
and Gracie McGurn Mason on Dec. 20, 2019.
for 10 years where she works for Community
He joins big sister Evie.
Winston “Mac” McGurn Mason to and Trey
Brands’ Freestone Learning Management System as the director of client success. Ryan is an attorney at Sheley, Hall & Williams.
Blair Northen Williamson writes, “Our
family relocated to Richmond this summer. We spent 10 years in Sarasota, Florida, working for Global Expeditions Group and decided we wanted to raise our kids in Richmond! We still
2003
Frazier Childs on Sept. 15, 2019. Camp joins
Luca Carlo Colombo to Claiborne
Buckingham Colombo and Gian Colombo on
Sadie ’33 (5) and Josie (3) experience their
Mason Rives French to Marshall and
the country for a weekend of celebrations.
work with GXG, just remotely from our office at
Brad Jones on July 14, 2019.
Mary Claire” Kathleen Young to Ashley
to welcome friends and family from across
Commonwealth University in November 2019.
BORN: Mason Hoak Jones to Maggie and
Louis Raymond Farhi to Mary Beth Neal
home in Richmond. We have enjoyed watching first season changes: leaves changing colors and even their first snow already! I was able to spend my afternoons this fall (assistant) coaching the JV green Collegiate field hockey team, which was a dream come true for me. In addition, my husband Sam and I have enjoyed our first official semester as ‘Collegiate parents’ as Sadie is in Junior Kindergarten this year. We are very thankful to everyone who has embraced us into the Collegiate family so far. It was an honor being a coach my first season
The class of 2004 enjoyed reminiscing and
back and I already can’t wait for next year.
catching up at several events planned for its
We love being Cougar parents and our girls
15-year reunion over Homecoming weekend.
have really enjoyed meeting new friends. The
The day started with a loving tribute and
teachers and faculty at Collegiate have been
unveiling of the Jamie Robertson ’04
amazing and we cannot thank them enough
Wrestling Room, that alums from many
for helping us with this big transition. We
different years joined to remember his
look forward to reconnecting with old friends
tenacious spirit. The weekend continued that
and meeting so many wonderful new ones.
night at Bar Solita where we were so grateful
Collegiate really is a special place and we
to have 45 classmates with many of their
are so thankful to be a part of such an
guests from all over the country join us for
incredible community.”
2006 BORN: Katharine Mitchell McGeorge, “Kit,” to Jeannie Costin McGeorge and Greg McGeorge ’01 on June 5, 2019. She joins big brother Rory.
Megan Jessee Holley writes, “My
husband Ben and I recently welcomed a baby girl, Elle Ruth Holley. She was born Nov. 5, 2019, 6 pounds 15.5 ounces. She is our first non-dog child (our true first-born is a golden retriever-yellow Lab mix named George.) A few fun facts: It was election day, so after my water broke I walked down the street to vote before heading to the hospital. She also came four weeks early and dad was on a business trip and attended her birth via FaceTime from LaGuardia.”
Claire Gentil was invited this fall by
the Georgetown University School of Nursing to participate in an alternative careers in nursing panel that gave the nursing students an opportunity to hear from nurses and nurse practitioners with different career backgrounds and to expose them to all the different paths they could take in nursing. Claire writes, “I had a great time being a part of it and was honored to be included!” She is currently employed as an orthopaedic nurse practitioner at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
food, drinks and merriment. We all felt like it was just yesterday that we walked the halls at Cougar Tech. Tired from the night before, a coffee and doughnut playdate with our favorite cougar cubs in the Lower School gym was the perfect end to our reunion weekend. A special thanks to Elizabeth Downey Rand, Sara
2005 BORN: Rosemary Benton Robinson to Jason and Maura Grace McGroarty Robinson on Jan. 2, 2019.
Thomas Tullidge Innes to Philip and
Sarah Gray Tullidge Innes on Jan. 4, 2019.
SPRING 2020 77
2007
2008
MARRIED: Berkeley Robins to Scott
Douglas Tyler writes, “I recently built a tiny
MARRIED: Johnsie Nesmith to Joey Friess
McQuiddy on Oct. 5, 2019. Lucy Dabney
house. I formed a tiny house manufacturing
on Sept. 28, 2019.
Robins ’09 served as matron of honor. Betts
company that manufactures and sells tiny
McGurn King, Meredith Ascari and Cary
homes. I currently just finished construction
his doctoral chemistry dissertation in
Campbell Knight served as bridesmaids.
of a luxury unit. You can find photos of it and
September 2019.
Carly Golliday served as a greeter.
more information on the company website or
Groomsmen were Rand Robins ’01 and
the company’s social media accounts (www.
Spotty Robins ’04.
atinyhouse.org, instagram: @atinyhouse_nh).”
BORN: Christian Boalt Knight “Bo” to
MARRIED: Katie Carleton to Hunter
Cary Campbell Knight on Aug. 28, 2019. He
Gallalee on July 20, 2019. Cougars in the
joins big brother Campbell Bates Knight.
wedding included best man Drew Gallalee
Brittany Hallberg Rosell and her
’73 and groomsmen Bo McGee, James
husband, Bruce, welcomed Riley Chandler
Finney, Reed Barton, Dillon Koonce, Mac
Rosell in March 2019.
Christian, Drew Kastenbaum and Chris
Daly. Bridesmaids included Steffi Ross
Olivia Katherine Dowd to Tiffany and
Mike Dowd on Nov. 22, 2019. She joins big
West ’07, Bonnie Zimmer Beddell ’07, Carly
brother Carson.
Golliday ’07, Caroline Terry Turner ’07,
James Oliver writes, “After graduating
from Collegiate in 2007. I earned my bachelor’s
Caroline Gallalee ’11 and Melinda Sisk Koonce ’07. Catherine Barnett ’07 served as
from Hampden-Sydney College, graduating
a greeter.
with honors in 2011. Before going to dental
school I worked in Charlottesville for two
Ryan Akihira Ikeda on Oct. 12, 2019. Sarah
years. Then in 2013, I made my way out to
is the daughter of Mary Ellen Pauli ’73 and
Sarah Elizabeth Pauli Smith to David
the Midwest where I spent four years at the
niece of Karen Pauli Wells ’75. Cougars in
University of Minnesota studying dentistry. In
the wedding were bridesmaid Julia Sooy and
2017, I graduated with my Doctor of Dental
groomsman Tyler Johnston Pauli Smith
Surgery degree. After getting my degree, I
’05. Sarah Elizabeth and David are both
worked for another two years as a general
employed by Emory University in Atlanta; she
dentist in Hanover, Virginia. Then finally, I
is a pediatrician and he is an anesthesiologist.
opened my own practice in 2019 where I enjoy
Sarah Kay ’75 served as chief protocol officer.
helping people ‘Evolve’ their smile.”
Henry Winslow recently launched Henry
Yoga, a mobile app designed for anyone looking to advance their yoga practice. The app guides practitioners of all levels through a 40-day curriculum of 40-minute hatha vinyasa classes and skill-building workshops, thoughtfully designed to strengthen your body, focus your mind and reveal your spirit. The app makes it possible for anyone, no matter their schedule or budget, to dive headfirst into a practice that has transformed Henry’s life and so many others.
In 2018, he took first place in the
International Yoga Sport Federation’s world championships. To Henry, yoga is above all else a tool for cultivating clarity. Through live classes and workshops, the Henry Yoga app and his podcast Dharma Talk, Henry empowers students worldwide to connect to their innermost selves, where our natural
2009 – 10 TH REUNION Members of the Class of 2009 had a great time over Homecoming weekend. A number of people came to the Oyster Roast on Friday night, which was a chance to catch up with our class, as well as other alumni and teachers. On Saturday evening, we met at the Graduate Richmond for our class event. Classmates traveled from around the state and around the country. It was a wonderful night reminiscing with fellow friends and their significant others, hearing about new jobs, new homes and the news of growing Collegiate families. Those who couldn’t attend were missed. Everyone is already looking forward to our 15th! – Submitted by Sarah Thalhimer Smith BORN: Robert Martin Crutcher, Jr. to Alice Kilpatrick Crutcher and Robert Crutcher on Dec. 22, 2019.
2010 Patrick Blank successfully defended
2011 MARRIED: Amanda Johnson to Christian Brumbaugh on May 25, 2019. Sarah Johnson ’15 served as maid of honor. Additional Cougars in the wedding party included Elise Harrigan and Ann Wallace Tazewell. Ellen Geho served as a reader.
Victoria Allen Sharp writes, “I married
James Sharp, Jr. on Aug. 10, 2019, in Richmond. We are now living in Gallup, New Mexico, while I complete a pharmacy residency.” Cougars in the wedding included bridesmaids Christina Allen Link ’14 and Leslie Davis Ferguson. Linda Holland Allen ’79 was the mother of the bride.
Steven Vranian graduated with an
M.D. from The Medical University of South Carolina and is now an anesthesiology resident physician.
Matson Roberts married Elizabeth
W. Kerns on Sept. 21, 2019. Daniel Bagbey, Brant Tullidge and John Charles Wood served as groomsmen. Meriwether Roberts ’15 served as a bridesmaid.
2012 Annika Wooten competed in the Miss America pageant, held in December, and finished in the Top 15. Her platform was women’s empowerment and her talent was speed painting.
2014 – 5 TH REUNION After five years of pretending to have moved on and self-identifying as “so different” from my high school peers, I find myself with a roommate and life partner both from Collegiate; and I couldn’t be happier. So, when close to 30 members of the Class of 2014 congregated at Siné this past October, it was hardly a surprise to see the level of comfort assumed amongst humans I hadn’t seen since wearing white on the lawn what seems like 15+ years ago (but was, obviously re: our reunion,
resilience, unlimited power and universal
only five years time). We caught up with
compassion reside.
friends from Calc class who were our partners in getting teachers off topic, and absorbed the new and impressive trajectories of faces that
78 SPARK | Class Notes
brought us back to Middle School recess. As time passes, I know I’ll always look forward
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to returning to a world that — while much different than my own now — reminds me of the individuals who saw me at my best and worst from age 5 onward. Cheers to our next! – Submitted by Abigail Glasgow
2015 Isaiah Fleming-Klink was accepted as part of New York City’s Urban Fellows Class of 201920. The program is sponsored by the City of New York and administered by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. The Urban Fellows Program is a highly selective, nine-month fellowship which combines work in mayoral offices and city agencies
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with volunteer service opportunities and a seminar series that explores current urban issues impacting public policy. The program is designed to introduce a diverse group of America’s finest college students and graduates to local government and public service. After participating in an extensive interview process, Fellows are placed at an array of agencies
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across the city where they learn about public policy through a hands-on approach.
2016 Emily Erard-Stone, a senior geology major at Bates College, spent last summer researching melt viscosities in silica-undersatured systems
16
with Assistant Professor of Geology Genevieve Robert. Emily was among more than 240 students who received support from Bates in order to accept summer work that facilitated professional exploration and reflection about fulfilling future career paths. Her research was funded by a National Science Foundation faculty grant.
2017 Kyle Riopelle was recently elected president of the Inter Fraternity Council at the University of Virginia.
2019 Lucy Thornton writes about her semester on the Greek island of Paros: “I was attending a study abroad program called HISA, which I would highly recommend for anyone thinking about studying abroad. It’s a smaller environment and you get to learn so much about the culture.”
1. Berkeley Robins ’07 married Scott McQuiddy on Oct. 5, 2019. 2. James Oliver ’07 opened his own dental practice, Evolve, in 2019. 3. Christian Boalt “Bo” Knight, son of Cary Campbell Knight ’07, was born Aug. 28, 2019. He joins big brother Campbell Bates Knight. 4. Riley Chandler Rosell, daughter of Brittany Hallberg Rosell ’07, was born in March 2019. 5. Olivia Katherine Dowd, daughter of Mike Dowd ’07, was born Nov. 22, 2019. She joins big brother Carson. 6. Douglas Tyler ’08 formed a tiny house manufacturing company. 7. Hunter Gallalee ’08 married Katie Carleton on July 20, 2019. 8. Cougars in the Class of 2009 reminisced at The Graduate during their 10th Reunion.
9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Robert Martin Crutcher, Jr., son of Alice Kilpatrick Crutcher and Robert Crutcher (both ’09), was born Dec. 22, 2019. Johnsie Nesmith ’10 married Joey Friess on Sept. 28, 2019. Amanda Johnson ’11 married Christian Brumbaugh on May 25, 2019. Victoria Allen ’11 married James Sharp, Jr. on Aug. 10, 2019. Matson Roberts ’11 married Elizabeth W. Kerns on Sept. 21 2019. Annika Wooten ’12, Miss Kansas, competed in the Miss America pageant, held in December, and finished in the Top 15. The Class of 2014 caught up at Siné Irish Pub for its 5th Reunion. Lucy Thornton ’19 spent a semester on the Greek island of Paros.
SPRING 2020 79
IN MEMORIAM Andrew Spencer Thexton, father of Christine Thexton ’11 and William Thexton ’18, died Aug. 25, 2019. Elizabeth Williams Mason, grandmother of Elizabeth Mason Roach ’90, and great-grandmother of Mason Anna Dennis ’19, died Sept. 7, 2019. Erle Purrington Anderson, father of Matthew Garland Anderson II ’70, Erle Douglas Anderson and Helen Anderson Carter ’74 (William Hall Carter, Sr. ’74); grandfather of Matt Garland Anderson III ’00 (Happy Vaughan Anderson ’95), William Hall Carter, Jr. ’01, Brooks Anderson Whitten ’02 (Harrison ‘02) and Clay Purrington Carter ’05; and great-grandfather of Harper Anderson ’29, Townsend Anderson ’31 and Elsie Anderson ’32, died Sept. 18, 2019. Sarah Clayton Stuckey, mother of Leslie Stuckey Hall, mother-in-law of Will Hall ’86, and grandmother of Caroline Hall ’18 and Lily Hall ’20, died Sept. 19, 2019. Charlotte Lind, mother of former faculty member Sharon Charles, grandmother of Tyler Charles ’96, and greatgrandmother of Jackson Charles ’30, died Sept. 22, 2019. Samuel Amon Hall III, father of Sam Hall, father-in-law of Lower School Kindergarten assistant Katherine Hall, and grandfather of Brooks Hall ’21 and Anne Carrington Hall ’24, died Sept. 29, 2019. Dr. Panos Milton Midis, father of Milton Midis ’77, Greg Midis ’79, Panos Midis ’81and Nick Midis ’83, died Oct. 2, 2019. James Howie, father of Collegiate food service staff member Ivory Howie, died Oct. 3, 2019.
80 SPARK | Class Notes
Dr. Judy Dunnington, former Collegiate Parents’ Association president and mother of Middle School history teacher Jeff Dunnington ’01, Ann Dunnington Loncar ’90, Gan Dunnington ’92, Kathryn Dunnington Miller ’95 and David Dunnington ’98, and grandmother of Will Dunnington ’32, died Oct. 8, 2019. Elizabeth Hazelwood, mother of Collegiate maintenance technician Kenny Hazelwood, died Oct. 8, 2019. Melissa Nelson, mother of Kindergarten teacher Beth Anne Nelson Shelly ’83, mother-in-law of Bob Shelly ’81, and grandmother of Marden Shelly ’10 and Mary Grace Shelly ’13, died Oct. 9, 2019. Rosalie Jacqueline Singer, mother of Sherry Singer Dunbar ’74, died Oct. 13, 2019. Ollie Coffey, father of Middle School physical education teacher Kevin Coffey, father-in-law of Director of Global Engagement and Inclusion Erica Coffey, and grandfather of Kyla Coffey ’24 and Kai Coffey ’30, died Oct. 14, 2019. Mary Ann Epes Chandler ’46, greataunt of the late Travis Epes ’65, died Oct. 15, 2019. Hilda Monroe, former Collegiate piano teacher, died Oct. 19, 2019. David Max Northen, father of William Morton Northen II (Jena), Laura N. Manos ’77, Sarah Porter N. Smith ’82 and Polly N. Nagell ’83, died Oct. 24, 2019. Joan Heim, mother of Sarah Wootton, mother-in-law of Madison Wootton ’89, and grandmother of John Wootton ’22 and Henry Wootton ’27, died Oct. 27, 2019.
Richard Holmes Hamlin, grandfather of Zach Cram ’19 and Elyse Cram ’21, died Nov. 8, 2019. Betty Sue McKinley, former Collegiate math teacher and staff member in the Business Office, and mother of Hunter McKinley Sydnor ’80 and Christopher McKinley ’83, died Nov. 10, 2019. Former Trustee of Collegiate School True Luck, mother of Terrell Luck Harrigan ’77, Cynthia Luck Haw ’75 and Charlie Samuel Luck, and grandmother of True Harrigan ’09, Elise Harrigan ’11, Terrell Harrigan ’14, Claiborne Haw ’12, Charles Haw, Richard Luck, Sarah Luck and Margaret Luck, died Oct. 28, 2019. Mrs. Luck was a longtime supporter of Collegiate and cared deeply about the School. The Luck family’s philanthropy touched student learning and many beautiful spaces on Collegiate’s campus including the “Pledge of Allegiance” bronze statues by artist Glenna Goodacre and Luck Hall on the Lower School campus, and the H2L2 addition to the Hershey Center for the Arts. Louise “Lou” Galleher Coldwell ’52, mother of Sarah Coldwell ’77, Kate Coldwell ’80 and Louise Coldwell ’82, died Oct. 29, 2019. Rodney Cushing Brown, father of Mark Brown ’84, died Nov. 4, 2019. Robert Whittet ’65, brother of Connie Whittett Garrett ’61 and Elizabeth Whittett O’Conor ’67, died Nov. 4, 2019. Alice Steele Viverette, mother of William Jacob Viverette ’85, and grandmother of Courtney Viverette ’13, Jake Viverette ’16 and Steele Viverette ’18, died Nov. 5, 2019. Stuart Lee Crenshaw, Jr., father of Stuart Crenshaw III ’83, died Nov. 7, 2019.
Craig Garrett Tidey, uncle of Matthew Tidey ’22, William Tidey ’23 and Kristin Tidey ’23, died Nov. 10, 2019. Bruce Elliott Williams, father of Jeff Williams ’86, died Nov. 10, 2019. Eddie Winston, father of Collegiate’s Transportation Supervisor Tony Winston, died Nov. 10, 2019. Alexander Hamilton IV, former Board of Trustees member and father of Virginia Reynolds Parker ’76, J. Sargeant Reynolds, Jr. ’80 and Mary Hamilton ’89, died Nov. 12, 2019. Carolyn Lee Culpepper, sister of Patricia Culpepper Gibbs ‘61 and Barbara Culpepper Townsend ‘64, and aunt of Tiffany Townsend Taliaferro ’87, Kimberly Townsend Stansell ’88, Sherry Townsend Allaire ’92 and Rhett Townsend ’01, died Nov. 14, 2019. William Madison “Bill” McClintic died Nov. 18, 2019. Barry Richard Chernack, father of Andrew Chernack ’90, died Nov. 19, 2019. Patricia Schools, stepmother of David Schools ’83, died Nov. 23, 2019. Fletcher Wyche, stepbrother of Wortie Ferrell ’88, died Nov. 23, 2019. Robert Watson ’65 died Nov. 27, 2019.
Our condolences are offered to these members of the Collegiate family.
Judith Woods and John Woods, grandparents of Will Woods ’17, Lloyd Woods ’19 and Molly Woods ’22, died Nov. 29, 2019, and Dec. 9, 2019, respectively. Travis Epes ’65, grand-nephew of Mary Ann Epes Chandler ’46, died Dec. 5, 2019. Henry George, husband of Nancy Sadler George ’65, died Dec. 5, 2019. Stuart Bost Laughon, mother of Catherine “Kaki” Laughon Hughes ’82 and Page Laughon Allende ’86, and grandmother of Ashe Allende ’14 and Kaki Allende ’18, died Dec. 6, 2019. Helen Frances Cole Richardson, mother of Collegiate 2nd Grade assistant Lee Bottoms, and grandmother of Laura Bottoms Mattal ’97 and Scott Bottoms ’01, died Dec. 8, 2019. Shirley Masten Thornton Buerlein ’42, mother of A. Leigh Thornton (Becky LeCompte Thornton ’72), and grandmother of Carmen Thornton Carraway ’05, Rebecca Thornton Sable ’08 and Grayson Thornton ’12, died Dec. 9, 2019. Paschal Brooks, Jr., father of Paschal (Pat) Brooks ’73, Ric Brooks ’75 and Sarah Brooks ’81, and grandfather of Dillon Sprouse ’17, died Dec. 13, 2019. William (Bill) Thornton, Jr., father of Upper School Spanish teacher Liz Bowling, and grandfather of Paige Bowling ’20, died Dec. 14, 2019. Jonathan Horner, uncle of Catherine Horner ’22 and Charles Horner ’26, died Dec. 15, 2019.
Elliott Schewel, grandfather of Laura Schewel ’02 and Ben Schewel ’05, died Dec. 15, 2019. William Croxton, father-in-law of Beth Claybrook Croxton ’81, and grandfather of Anne Curtis Croxton Rather ’08, died Dec. 16, 2019. William Derian, grandfather of Allis Derian ’26 and Amanda Derian ’29, died Dec. 17, 2019. Marjorie Reese, grandmother of Board of Trustee member Mark Stepanian ’89 and Andy Stepanian ’93, and greatgrandmother of Megan Stepanian ’16, Nicholas Stepanian ’18, Jack Stepanian ’21 and Tyler Stepanian ’23, died Dec. 18, 2019. Randolph McElroy, husband of Maryanne McElroy ’54, and father of Randy McElroy ’80, Ann Larus McElroy Jordon and Susan Rhodes ’87, died Dec. 20, 2019. Morton Norman, father of John Norman ’85, died Dec. 21, 2019. Bancroft “Bank” Greene, father of William Greene ’91 and Christian Greene ’95, died Dec. 22, 2019. Donald Carr Moyer, Sr., father-in-law of Lower School science teacher Marcie Byrne Moyer ’93, and grandfather of Reid Moyer ’26, died Dec. 27, 2019. Elizabeth Graybil Hydrick, mother of Dr. Lyn S. Graybill ’73, died Dec. 30, 2019. Col. Wadell Baker, father of Collegiate 2nd Grade teacher Mironda Starke, and grandfather of Brandon Watson ’23, died Jan. 2, 2020.
Collins Paty Jones, Sr. ’68, father of Ashley Bingham Jones Spence ’95 and Coleman Broaddus Jones ’99, and brother of L. Clarke Jones III ’66, Capt. (USN Ret.) R. Bingham Jones ’70, H. Kevin Jones ’74 and Beth Jones Malone ’76, died Jan. 3, 2020. William Hunter Goodwin ’87, brother of Molly Goodwin Hardie ’88, Matt Goodwin ’90, Camp Goodwin August ’99 and Peter Goodwin ’03, and uncle of Alice Goodwin ’27 and Evie Goodwin ’29, died Jan. 5. 2020. Parker Deans Joyner, husband of Temple Kester Joyner ’62, father of Meredith Joyner Drummond ’89, and uncle of Rolfie Joyner Deshazor ’78, died Jan. 7, 2020. Peggy Tilghman Bothwell ’59, former Collegiate teacher, mother of Betsy Bothwell Stepp ’83, Kathy Bothwell Gregory ’86 and Ned Bothwell ’91, and sister of Katharine “Kay” Tilghman Lowe ’53, died Jan. 8, 2020. Courtney Lawson Sjostrom ’59 wrote this remembrance of her classmate: “Although I was only part of the class of 1959 for one year, I remember everyone with gratitude and fondness for enveloping me into the class. Peggy will be sorely missed by the extended Collegiate community for everything that she did in all of her years as a student, teacher, active alumna and dear friend.” Frederick “Tom” Pruitt, former Board of Trustee member, father of Gray Pruitt ’69 (Niki Pruitt ’71), Tommy Pruitt ’71, Joan Pruitt Buhrman ’72 and Martha Pruitt Fink ’74, grandfather of Martha Gray McFall McKinney ’94, Michael Pruitt ’96, Kito Pruitt ’97, Chuck McFall ’98, Thomas Pruitt ’02, Braxton Pruitt ’05 and Austin Pruitt ’12, and greatgrandfather of Hayden Prutt ’29, Ben Pruitt ’31, Ella Grace Pruitt ’32 and Avery Pruitt ’33, died Jan. 9, 2020.
Elizabeth Wilburn Hooker, mother of David Hooker ’72, died Jan. 10, 2020. Eugene Caldwell ’68 died Jan. 11, 2020. Dr. James Ronald Schroeder, grandfather of Ellie Craig ’21 and Nash Craig ’24, died Jan. 11, 2020. Roselle Scales, mother of the late Grace Scales Yoder ’75, died Jan. 13, 2020. Joseph Anthony “Jay” Maosha, Jr., father of Margaret Stuart Maosha Fisher ’95, died Jan. 14, 2020. Peter Rippe, husband of Maria Wornom Rippe ’60, died Jan. 19, 2020.
ALUMNI Peggy Tilghman Bothwell ’59 Shirley Masten Thornton Buerlein ’42 Eugene Caldwell ’68 Mary Ann Epes Chandler ’46 Louise “Lou” Galleher Coldwell ’52 Travis Epes ’65 William Hunter Goodwin ’87 Collins Paty Jones, Sr. ’68 William Madison “Bill” McClintic ’88 Robert Watson ’65 Robert Whittet ’65 PLE ASE NOTE
These notices were received as of Jan. 19, 2020. This In Memoriam section is taken from printed obituaries, which may be edited for space. Please contact our office if the information is incomplete. The information included is compiled from our database, which is continually updated. To submit a condolence, email spark@collegiate-va.org.
SPRING 2020 81
A TEACHER’S TAKE
SPARK TALKS WITH COLLEGIATE UPPER SCHOOL ECONOMICS TEACHER
82 SPARK | A Teacher’s Take
P
rior to joining Collegiate in 2004, Rob Wedge taught at Winchester High School in Massachusetts, then worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the Massachusetts Council on Economic Education. Becky Shepherd, then the executive director of the Powell Endowment,
recruited Mr. Wedge to Collegiate to teach economics. He sat down with Spark to talk about how the economics program has grown, what makes teaching here so special and what he hopes his students learn from his classes.
WHAT IS ONE THING YOUR STUDENTS DO THAT YOU APPRECIATE?
language of economics, equilibrium is
spring I have three overfull sections.
a temporary state. There is always a
Some years I’ve topped five sections. So
pressure and it is about how you respond
to grow a program from nine students
When kids leave class every day, they
to the pressure. Hopefully the change
to anywhere up to 85, I’m super proud of
will say thank you. That enduring
makes you better.
that. The fact that the Darr-Davis kids fund has performed well enough that the
been here a while, that keeps them here.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLLEGIATE TRADITION?
I know it’s not always sincere. It is a
The one that I’m most involved in is
proud of that. Outside of the classroom
gratitude that kids feel is one of the attractive things, for people who have
beat the S&P 500 almost every year. The
habit when you say thank you but, still
Feast of Juul. Putting together Santa’s
just hearing it on the way out of class
List is something I look forward to doing,
every day from the kids, I like that.
for better or worse. It’s stressful because the kids tell you things that you never
WHAT MAKES TEACHING AT COLLEGIATE SO SPECIAL?
wanted to know. And some of them are
What makes Collegiate special to
use them in a public setting. It’s fun and
me is how it is a family. And families
it’s a bonding moment.
are never perfect. Families can have
really funny, but you know that you can’t
School trusts us to have two funds. I’m and outside of the academics, I’m coaching three seasons — Cub football in the fall, JV gold basketball in the winter and JV baseball in the spring. What I am most proud of is that I am influencing kids in many different ways and helping them grow up to, hopefully, become good people.
tension, but at the end of the day,
WHAT IS IT LIKE WHEN YOU SEE FORMER STUDENTS?
families still love each other and families
It’s fascinating to see them grow up
WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR STUDENTS LEAVE YOUR CLASS KNOWING?
come together to celebrate special
and become adults. One of my favorite
That there’s more to life than getting
moments. There are so many moments
moments was a couple of years ago
into college. Whether they continue
over my time here that I’ve seen those
when I took the incoming Darr-Davis
to study economics or government in
celebrations and special moments that
presidents to New York. We sat down
college, I don’t really care. What I really
make this an extended family. People are
with some alums at a restaurant and
care about is that they grow up and
eager to share your joys, and the upside
had dinner. Hearing them tell stories
become good people. That they become a
of families is that sometimes they get in
about their work and what they were
good worker, a good mom, a good dad, a
your face when you screw up and that’s
doing in life was just amazing.
disagreements and families can have
OK. It’s how you get better.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I’m really proud of the Deb Angstadt
WHAT THREE WORDS DESCRIBE COLLEGIATE?
Wiffle Ball Tournament. I’m really glad
Community has to be one of them.
that I helped give students the freedom
Challenging. Every day is a different
to create that. I’m proud that I took a
challenge. And the last word is changing.
team to the National Fed Challenge. I’m
I think we’re at a really interesting
proud of the fact that the year before I
crossroads as an institution. At the end
arrived at Collegiate, there were nine
of the day, everyone and everything
students enrolled in AP Economics. Last
is constantly changing. To use the
fall, I had four full sections and this
good husband, a good wife, a good son, a good daughter, whatever the case may be. Have we prepared these young people to become good adults? Whether or not they remember that the formula for finding the multiplier is one over MPC doesn’t matter. But if they realize that one good work multiplies into multiple good works, then I have had a positive impact.
SPRING 2020 83
SAV E TH E D ATE FOR GIVING DAY!
?
GIFTS 661 616
GIFTS
2018
2019
GIFTS
GOAL: 500
360 GIFTS
GOAL: 252
Want to get involved on Giving Day? Whether in person, online or by email or phone, sign up to be a Giving Day Ambassador! If you are interested, please contact Katherine Bulifant, Associate Director of Annual Giving, at katherine_bulifant@collegiate-va.org.
GOAL: 306
2017 84
2020 GOAL
ALL ABOUT THE
ANNUAL FUND
“Collegiate is pushing me beyond my limits in the classroom, on the field and in the spotlight, bringing a new lesson to learn each and every day. I’m truly grateful for every opportunity that this institution has given me, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. Ever.”
WHEN DOES THE ANNUAL FUND START AND BEGIN? Collegiate’s Annual Fund (our fiscal year) begins on July 1 each year and ends on June 30.
WHO PARTICIPATES IN THE ANNUAL FUND? The entire Collegiate community — parents, alumni, faculty and staff, grandparents, parents of alumni, former faculty and staff and other friends.
WHAT DOES THE ANNUAL FUND SUPPORT? All aspects of School life.
WHERE CAN I MAKE A GIFT TO THE ANNUAL FUND? Credit Card Collegiate’s website has a Giving Page (www.collegiate-va. org/giving/make-a-gift) that is a secure site where you can make a credit card donation. Stock We accept gifts of appreciated securities. Please call the Development Office at 804.741.9706. Mail Make checks payable to "Collegiate School" Collegiate School 103 N. Mooreland Road Richmond, VA 23229 Phone Call Jennifer Wilkins, Annual Fund Director, at 804.741.9718 or the Main Development Office line: 804.741.9706. Thank you for supporting our School. Because of you, Collegiate can continue to provide an extraordinary educational experience to our students.
Donovan Williams ’22 is an award-winning violinist who has performed at Carnegie Hall and around the world. A student at Collegiate since Kindergarten, he enjoys learning among peers and teachers who push him to excellence while also caring about his social-emotional growth.
103 North Mooreland Road Richmond, Virginia 23229
Collegiate Upper School biology students explore aquatic microworlds and collect samples from the stream on campus to investigate in the lab.