SPARK Magazine // Summer 2021

SUMMER

SPARK

2021

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI, PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF COLLEGIATE SCHOOL

2021 CLASS OF

HONORS & AWARDS

CAPSTONES: LEARNING WITH A VISION

A Note ABO U T T H I S I S S U E We join the families of the Class of 2021 in honoring our newest graduates, and we apologize for the delay in delivery of this Spark due to supply chain issues. No matter the timing, the success of the 2020-21 school year and our graduates is always deserving of celebration.

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Collegiate School Community, What a wonderful opportunity this issue

Having family, friends and guests attend

gave us Portrait of a Graduate and many

of Spark presents to celebrate the Class of

graduation was refreshing and delightful.

signature programs. I hope reading more

2021, recgonize the success of the entire

Inside this issue, you will see legacy photos,

about her reflections and celebrating her

Cougar community and prepare for the

milestone ceremonies for our students’

retirement will bring you closer to our

next steps in our learning journey. In many

end-of-year experiences and more.

Collegiate programs, as her efforts are a

ways, graduation represents sending our

The hearts and minds of our students,

runway for our future progress.

Cougars into the greater world to “grow

Collegiate’s children, fueled and focused all

up” and become more mature. However,

of our efforts. They are the true stars of our

It is a privilege and pleasure to welcome

this year, graduation was a time to honor

School, and we could fill pages and pages

Courtney Martin, who is serving as

and preserve the tremendous impact the

with their accomplishments and the positive

Associate Head of School, to her post. As

Class of 2021 has on our community. It is

ways they built and maintained community.

we look to our past to build upon our many

an everlasting leadership that their hearts

Our focus to preserve on-campus learning

excellent years, I look forward to working

and minds leave behind as they go onward

for nearly two thousand people was no

with Courtney and our entire team of

in their journeys. The entire Collegiate

small feat, but we wouldn’t trade the

professionals to further our mission delivery.

community heard me say, “We did it!”

opportunities for our students to have a

but not until the very end of our 2020-21

new normal and a chance to grow, build and

Every day with children on our campus

school year. Obstacles, complexities and

strengthen their resilience for anything.

provides experiences that buoy our spirits,

disappointment turned into new pathways,

A continuity of learning is not only about

fosters hope and gives us courage to

teaming and shared success.

academics, but is also social and emotional

continue our work as educators who care

in nature. We know that our community is

deeply about cultivating and building

As our Spark reaches families and

better together, and Collegiate is indeed a

the capacity of our future, the children of

alumni of many decades, one highlight

community that loves to gather.

today. Thank you for helping us live our values of honor, love of learning, excellence,

worth noting is our Class of 2020’s return to campus in late spring for a

From our youngest campers in Summer

respect and community with your support,

reunion on North Mooreland Road with

Quest to high school students joining us

time and engagement. Together, “We did

their fellow classmates, faculty and staff

from across Richmond to participate in the

it,” and of that, we are extraordinarily

to catch up on their lives after Collegiate.

Cochrane Summer Economic Institute, our

proud and so very grateful for the

It was heartwarming and reinforcing to

campus has been alive and humming with

continued opportunity to have success in

be with many members of this wonderful

175 summer experiences, which bring 1,449

the realm of fostering and preserving an

class of Cougars.

students to Collegiate from June to August.

educational community committed to our

Some are new to our community and others

children. I look forward to seeing many of

Our Collegiate parents have expressed

are returning for camp on their beloved

you on campus and welcoming our most

gratitude for our faculty and staff and

School grounds.

recent and oldest graduates, who are forever Cougars, back to campus.

have shown appreciation for our students, who have embraced the challenges of the

Summer represents a time of goodbyes and

year. We are also grateful for the parents,

retirements. This year, we are especially

past and present, for your support,

grateful for the retirees who helped us pull

outreach, participation and patience. We

through a difficult year to build and deliver.

are anticipating with joy the opportunity

Susan Droke, who served as Chief Academic

to rejoin and have our community back on

Officer from 2015 to 2021, is now retired

campus for many gatherings, serendipitous

and happily engaged with her beautiful

Penny B. Evins

interactions, traditional highlights and

family and grandchildren. However, her

Head of School

new events.

stewardship of intellectual capacity, JK-12,

Warmly,

SUMMER 2021 1

COLLEGIATE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Penny B. Evins, Head of School Courtney Martin, Associate Head of School Sara Boisvert, Director of Powell Institute for Responsible Citizenship Mike Boyd, Director of the Arts Erica Coffey, Director of Inclusion and Global Engagement Karen S. Doxey, Athletic Director Louis Fierro II, Director of Information Technology Patrick E. Loach, Head of Upper School Deborah I. Miller, Head of Lower School Katherine Olson ’96, Director of Strategic Communications Phyllis Palmiero, Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer Scott Smith, Director of Admission and Enrollment Management Tung Trinh, Head of Middle School Kristen O. Williams, Chief Development Officer

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2021-22

Katherine Olson ’96 Director of Strategic Communications Jack McCarthy Writer/Editor Anne Gray Siebert ’97 Director of Alumni Engagement James Dickinson Creative Manager Weldon Bradshaw, Keller Craig, Madelyn Curtis ’22, Brandon Fox ’82, Louise Ingold, Ellie Lynch Contributors Mike Boyd, Taylor Dabney, Jimmy Dickinson, Megan Garrison, Angie Hutchison, Matt Mendelsohn, Anthony Rumley, Wendell Powell Studio, parent volunteers Photography

Carter M. Reid P ’16 ’18, Chair of the Board W. Hildebrandt Surgner Jr. P ’11 ’14 ’17 ’19, Vice Chair John W. Martin ’78 P ’10 ’11, Immediate Past Chair of the Board Penny B. Evins P ’22 ’23, President/Head of School Neelan A. Markel ’96 P ’27 ’30, Secretary

Think (think804.com) Art Direction and Design

Katherine T. Adamson ’96 P ’23 ’25 ’29** Ellen T. Bonbright ’86 P ’24 ’26 Callie Lacy Brackett ’95 P ’22 ’24 Mason T. Chapman ’84 P ’22 Mayme Donohue ’03 Eucharia N. Jackson P ’17 ’19 Peter E. Mahoney Sr. P ’15 ’19 ’26 ’26 Malcolm S. McDonald P ’87 ’88* Morenike K. Miles P ‘24 ‘25 Meera Pahuja ‘97 P ‘30 ‘32 ‘34

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.

Sarah Paxton ’84 P ’19*** William S. Peebles IV J. Cheairs Porter Jr. P ’27 ’29 ’32 John H. Rivers Jr. P ’25 ’28 Kenneth P. Ruscio P ’08 Danielle D. Scott P ’25 ’25 Julious P. Smith III ’86 P ’20 ’22 ’25 L. Mark Stepanian ’89 P ’16 ’18 ’21 ’23 Wallace Stettinius P ’77 ’79 ’84* R. Gregory Williams ’69 P ’01 ’04*

* Life Trustee ** Parents’ Association President *** Alumni Association President

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD 2021-22 Sarah Paxton ’84, President Jasmine Turner ’11, VP/President Elect Pettus LeCompte ’71, Past President Graham Mandle ’08, Recording Secretary Ginny Hofheimer ’96, Corresponding Secretary Wortie Ferrell ’88 and Peyton Jenkins ’00, Annual Fund Co-Chairs Beth Watlington Marchant ’72 and Patricia Hobson Hunter ’80, Stewardship Chairs Amrik Sahni ’06 and Harry Wilson ’01, Events Committee Chairs Lauren Cricchi ’10 and Dominick Meeks Gombe ’09, Young Alumni Chairs First Term Ben Adamson ’98 Elizabeth Wright ’01 Harrison Roday ’09 Luke Walker ’12 Helen Roddey ’16 Virginia Harris ’16

Second Term Leroy Vaughan ’64 Brink Brinkley ’76 Elizabeth Arnold Weiss ’86 Sagle Jones Purcell ’94 Lauren Siff ’02 Stuart Farrell ’03

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.

Printing Carter Printing Co.

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).

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.

Phone Spark: 804.741.9781/Alumni Office: 804.741.9757

SPARK

SUMMER 2021

ON CAMPUS

Highlights of Late Winter, Spring 2021........................................................................................4 Fond Farewells..........................................................................................................................16 Development..................................................................................................................22 Board of Trustees, Parents’ Association...................................................................................24 Spring Sports Roundup.............................................................................................................26 Lower School Moving Up Ceremony..........................................................................................32 Middle School Final Excercises................................................................................................34

LEARNING WITH A VISION................................................36 Collegiate’s Capstone programs give students the tools to make an impact

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2021 Upper School Commencement..................................................................................................40 College Choices.........................................................................................................................46 Legacy Families........................................................................................................................48 A Year in Pictures......................................................................................................................56 Senior Portraits.........................................................................................................................60

ALUMNI NEWS Letter From Alumni Leadership................................................................................................64 Homecoming Save the Date......................................................................................................65 Distinguished Alumni.................................................................................................................66 Alumni Gatherings.....................................................................................................................70

CLASS NOTES News from Alumni......................................................................................................................72

TEACHERS’ TAKE Spark talks with teachers as they reflect on the year..............................................................84

SUMMER 2021 3

ON CAMPUS

O UT DOOR L E A R N I N G S PA C E S

COMMUNITY BY DESIGN

A positive of this surreal year we just experienced was an emphasis on how our children learn and thrive outdoors.

To provide students with the opportunity to continue to spend more time learning outside is a most compelling way to commemorate — and celebrate — the School.”

– Elizabeth Dolan Wright ’01 and J.D. Wright P ’33 ’35, both of whom promoted and led the Cougar Pride Day challenge for outdoor learning spaces opportunities

4 SPARK | On Campus

I

From youngest to oldest, Collegiate students use everything from data gathering to 3-D technology to help create new outdoor learning spaces.

n the past year, the pandemic

And with that, Collegiate students

challenged us to reflect and build

began a student-initiated, hands-on

back even better. With academic

project to draft plans for new outdoor

achievement and student safety

learning spaces on campus.

still as top priorities, Collegiate School had to adjust its approach to education.

To develop a deeper understanding of the project, students started with research.

One of those adjustments was to take

Middle Schoolers conducted interviews

the classroom outside. It had been a

with classmates to gauge the benefits of

welcome change to the school year, one

outdoor learning and the needs of their

that enabled the mission of Collegiate to

fellow students. “It’s a human-centered

continue — and thrive. “Learning outside

process that focuses on the user,” says

has been one of the highlights of the year

Collegiate Middle School Teacher

for both students and teachers,” says

Carolyn Villanueva. The interviews,

Susan Droke, Collegiate’s former Chief

Villanueva says, helped students connect

Academic Officer. Outdoor classrooms

with the human experience.

also had students thinking: How might we design permanent outdoor learning

Students discovered that a combination

spaces on the Collegiate campus for use

of additional natural light and improved

beyond COVID-19?

acoustics actually boosted test scores;

these two factors also added to a feeling of community and connectivity. Speaking to the benefits of outdoor learning, Shane Gantz, a rising 10th Grader, says, “It’s just a better environment to be outside, especially when it’s nice out. You feel more connected.”

Fresh air, which helps promote serenity, is something Collegiate students came to know well. “It’s very calming and enjoyable being out in the fresh air,” says Gabrielle Flynn, a Middle School student.

Of course, safety and wellness played an important role in outdoor learning, a fact that provided comfort to both the students and teachers. “We can spread out a lot more,” says Miles Quindoza, a rising Middle School student, “and it feels like we’re not in an enclosed space anymore — we can be free.”

But, above all, what the Middle Schoolers’ research found was that their classmates recognized Collegiate’s strong sense of community; they wanted to find even more spaces to promote personal and communal growth. “What really struck us,” says Rosie Ferrell, a rising 7th Grader, “was that students said we are a school not separated from life but in the middle of life.”

To further the mission of bringing life and school together, Middle School students passed on their findings to Upper School students, who developed prototypes for implementation across campus. “It’s really helpful to see what the Middle Schoolers gave us,” says Tyler Ewing, a Class of 2021 graduate. “It’s good to have input from students who will use that space — and what their needs are.”

To design the prototypes, Upper School students used Unreal Engine, a 3-D game engine developed by Epic Games (creator of Fortnite), which is often used as a tool to help visualize architectural builds. Ryan Porter, a rising Junior, explains, “For our project, we’ve taken a wider mapping of the campus, and we’ve set it into Unreal Engine.” From there, the students created building models to see how adding structures will change the campus.

Dan Bartels, Middle and Upper School STEAM Coordinator at Collegiate, says he talked to students about “a physical structure that persists and might actually have their name on it,” a prospect that truly excited them.

The exceptional learning project involves the full collaboration of Collegiate — with current students, parents and alumni pitching in. A number of generous donations helped fund the School’s expansion of outdoor learning spaces: the gifts received from the Paddle Raise at the Winter Party & Auction contributed $16,215; a Cougar Pride Day challenge contributed $50,899; and the Parents’

In conjunction with the outdoor expansion project, Lower School students in Envision Collegiate, the 4th Grade Capstone, worked to reimagine the outdoor spaces on Collegiate’s campus. 4th Graders developed their skills of interviewing, problem solving, empathy building, leadership and collaboration.

Guided by the students’ data and recommendations gathered in the project, Collegiate is using the following to develop more outdoor learning spaces:

FEELINGS/COMMUNITY CULTURE OF THE SPACE • Welcoming • Where students feel safe and all voices are

honored and heard • Where nature inspires them, opens their minds,

increases their engagement and helps them feel free

Association gifted $25,000 to the project.

“It’s been so amazing and inspiring this year to see our students learning hands-

PHYSICAL DESIGN WANTS AND NEEDS

on around our beautiful campus,” says

•

Penny Evins, Head of School. “I can’t

•

wait to see what our students are going to establish, how they’re going to learn, and how they’re going to create a new learning space and outdoor classroom for generations to come.”

Mix of sunlight and shade Covered spaces and open spaces • Nature becomes part of the classroom — helping to connect and respect natural surroundings • Flexible, adaptable seating • Comfortable chairs with back support • Handicap accessible • Flat, smooth surfaces for writing • Space to post group norms and other signage to help us facilitate teamwork and collaboration

Samantha Rao, a rising 10th Grader, loved the process. “It’s pretty cool — it’s a legacy,” she says.

That legacy is now being fulfilled. With a new active learning path created around Fort Cougar and more permanent outdoor classrooms being installed this fall, Collegiate is providing more outdoor spaces for students to call their own.

ACOUSTICS • Students voices heard as well as teachers • One-to-one conferencing opportunities •

Independent work Collaborative work • Nature noise and other background noise liked by some learners •

MATERIALS •

Comfortable seating Wifi access • Outlets for other technology • Boards for teaching • Stand-up desk options •

SUMMER 2021 5

SCHOLASTIC AWARDS Founded in 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. This year, Collegiate had an unprecedented 53 awards in the art category, including 16 Gold Keys. Ten awards were received in the writing category, including three Gold Keys and an American Visions Nomination.

Through the Scholastic Awards, students receive opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication and scholarships. Students across America submitted original works in the categories of art and writing.

In March, Collegiate School Sophomore Nat Lurie received, at the national level, a Gold Medal and an American Voices Medal for the short story, “The Mother.” The American Voices Medal is one of the highest honors presented to a writer by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Only one writer from each region is presented with this award each year. Works are judged on originality, technical skill and the emergence of personal voice or vision.

Cate Riley, Self-portrait

Anna Wu, Pandemic Alphabet

GOLD KEY J.B. Bell III ’22, Photography Ty Colina ’22, Architecture & Industrial Design Emily Deskevich ’22, Photography Zehma Herring ’22, Critical Essay Jack Hill ’22, Photography Grace Ann Hugo ’22, Painting Karl Kastenbaum ’23, Painting Eva Lareau ’23, Drawing & Illustration

Nat Lurie ’23, Short Story Katie Mulligan ’21, Poetry Jenna Raggio ’21, Painting, two pieces Cate Riley ’23, Painting, two pieces Jane Roberts ’24, Photography Eva Siminiceanu ’24, Drawing & Illustration Anna Wu ’21, Digital Art Emilie Yang ’21, Mixed Media

SILV E R K E Y Drew Atiyeh ’23, Photography, two pieces LJ Booker Jr. ’24, Photography Jones Brackett Jr. ’22, Photography Ty Colina ’22, Architecture & Industrial Design Andrew Eastep ’21, Dramatic Script Annabel Eastep ’23, Photography Olivia Fairlamb ’22, Poetry Jack Hill ’22, Photography

Diamond Lightfoot ’22, Drawing & Illustration, two pieces Ella Mitchell ’21, Painting, two pieces Will Neuner ’22, Photography Cate Riley ’23, Drawing & Illustration Sam Smith ’23, Photography Grace Song ’21, Drawing & Illustration Alfred Stratford IV ’21, Photography Emilie Yang ’21, Painting, two pieces

H O N O R A B L E M EN T I O N Heth Alexander ’21, Photography Nkosi Budd ’21, Drawing & Illustration Ty Colina ’22, Architecture & Industrial Design Alexis Covington ’24, Drawing & Illustration Sarina DePalma ’21, Drawing & Illustration Olivia Fairlamb ’22, Poetry Cierra Glasspie ’21, Painting Ellie Leipheimer ’23, Painting Connor Little ’21, Photography Anju Natarajan ’22, Drawing & Illustration, two pieces Jenna Raggio ’21, Mixed Media

6 SPARK | On Campus

Cate Riley ’23, Painting Jack Smithson ’21, Photography Grace Song ’21, Painting, two pieces Brude Stoever ’21, Photography Ethan Tabassian ’22 , Architecture & Industrial Design; Personal Essay Amanda Tan ’22, Science Fiction & Fantasy Hugh Williams ’22, Dramatic Script Stella Williams ’24, Photography John Woodfin III ’22, Photography Bella Zeballos ’21, Drawing & Illustration

Jane Roberts, Head in the Clouds

Ty Colina, Untitled

Diamond Lightfoot, Self-portrait

Jenna Raggio, Wrestlers

Emilie Yang, Confession

Karl Kastenbaum, PBJ

Ellie Liepheimer, Sweet Tea

CUM LAU D E 28 Seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society, a national honor society that recognizes students’ academic excellence and citizenship. The students were honored in April along with the 13 students inducted in the fall. The Cum Laude society spring inductees were: James Ballenger, Emma Barrett, Pender Bauhan, Regan Berger, Lauren Brabrand, Ashley D’Ambrosia, Tyler Ewing, Anne Ross Hope, Hayden Luckert, Alice Mendelson, Anna Port, Matthew Rowe, Nate Sawitzki, Cami Villanueva and Bella Zeballos.

Grace Hugo, Outcast

SUMMER 2021 7

BRUNCH:

The surprise theme for this year’s Brunch performance was Finding Nemo.

THE MOVIE

By Madelyn Curtis ’22

I

n a normal school year, Collegiate School girls from 5th Grade through 12th Grade would pack into Oates

Teacher Hannah Curley, adopted

COLLEGIATE SCHOOL COUGARS REIMAGINE THIS YEAR’S BRUNCH

a “wait and see” approach for deciding what the plan for Brunch was going to be. They wanted the

Maria Bonwell ’22 and Madie Vincent ’22

experience and the play to be as normal as

directed the Brunch movie this year, and

possible, so they chose to wait to make a

they were faced with more of a challenge

COVID-19, the 2020 Brunch was postponed.

final decision until the second semester.

than usual. They had to figure out how to

The annual Brunch tradition is a play that

They cited Jan. 1 as the date they would

Theater the day before Thanksgiving.

Everyone would be screaming, singing, dancing and laughing together. But, due to

is written, directed and performed by the Junior girls as a gift for the Senior girls.

In years past, the Junior girls would start writing the play in the summer and then spend the fall rehearsing, learning dances and gathering props and costumes for the performance. Then, on the Wednesday before

form a cohesive play when only four people could be on stage at one time to film.

wait for state restrictions to change, and when they did not, Kondorossy and Curley

Kondorossy and Curley, as well as the

collaborated with this year’s Brunch student

directors, give a great deal of credit to the

co-chairs, Alice Hallock ’22 and Ava Riddle

theater department for their help in the

’22, to figure out the best possible method to

filming and editing of Brunch. Director

present the play.

of Performing Arts Mike Boyd, Technical Director and Set Designer Alan Williamson,

They landed on turning Brunch into a movie.

Theater Technician Sheamus Coleman

This allowed for freedom in the rehearsing

and Theater Production Technician

Upper School girls.

and performing as well as the presentation.

Gabe Yelanjian all helped out with the

Brunch is one of the highlights of the year

Kondorossy thinks that since Brunch will

extremely thankful for all of their help and

be a well-edited movie, it will be “more

advice, saying that Brunch could not have

memorable” and “different” than past years.

been done without them.

Thanksgiving, they perform the play for the Senior girls and the rest of the Middle and

for the girls at Collegiate. Throughout the play, everyone cheers, and it is an important bonding experience for each of the grades.

With the COVID restrictions in place this year, it was not possible to perform Brunch during Thanksgiving break. The faculty advisors for Brunch, Director of Student Life Beth Kondorossy and Upper School Spanish

8 SPARK | On Campus

production of Brunch. Kondorossy was

“People will want to film [their Brunches],” she said.

Oates Theater was set up to allow actors to be onstage to recite their lines without

“This movie will be something these Junior

masks. A green screen was put up at the

and Senior girls can treasure, and I think

back of the stage so that the backgrounds

that is the best part of Brunch, regardless of

of the different settings in the play could be

the medium,” Hallock remarked.

edited in. In front of the green screen, there

were four sections set up with sheets of plastic

One of the negatives was the lack of the

in between. The combination and the distance

audience. No one was able to laugh at the

between the sections allowed actors to take off

jokes, and we could not feed off the energy

their masks for short periods of time.

from our friends. It was hard to have the same enthusiasm when there was no reaction

The green screen also allowed the editing

from an audience.

team to layer the actors to appear as if they were standing next to each other in the final

I am so grateful to be able to have put on

video. This same strategy was used in the fall,

Brunch this year. Participating in Brunch is

winter and spring plays.

a rite of passage for Junior girls at Collegiate, so despite the restrictions and differences

The task of blocking and coordinating where

from normal years, I was so happy to be able

each actor should look fell to Bonwell and

to do it in a safe way.

Vincent. “We literally took a sheet of paper and drew out every character’s position in [each] scene,” Vincent explained.

“We’ve really made the best of a bad situation this year, and I think it will turn out great,”

In choosing the placement of

Riddle said. I agree with Riddle in that we

each character, Bonwell looked

were successful with making the most out of

at the script holistically and

what we could do under COVID restrictions.

the individual plot lines. “I came up with the idea of the evil or nonpartisan characters on one side (stage left), with good characters on the other (stage right),” she said.

Bonwell noted that “this made it easier for Mr. Williamson to know

But there were still parts of Brunch that we missed out on this year. Normally, the Junior girls spend long nights in Oates Theater rehearsing and getting ready, and the Junior girls have a grade-wide sleepover the night

Credit: Alice Hallock ’22

before the play.

where to put people in the software.”

“I think the biggest part that I missed was

Kondorossy and Curley also think that the

in the center of the stage and had small,

the anticipation of the actual day — dancing

Junior girls have gotten “more resilient” due to

comedic characters, what she called “one-

on the stage pre-Brunch, for example, getting

Brunch being different this year. Adapting to

each grade from their hallways and just like

obstacles and figuring out solutions has made

the nervous excitement of it all,” Keaton

the Junior class stronger and more flexible.

She also placed more main characters

hit wonders,” on stage left.

As for where the actors would look,

Rahman ’22 said.

Bonwell diagramed the scenes for the

On Tuesday, May 25 the Junior and Senior

actors to reference. She described it as

Brunch is a really important bonding

girls gathered on Grover Jones field to watch

“simple.” “We just had people look to where

experience for the grade, and we were all

the Brunch movie “outdoor movie night

the people they were speaking to would be

disappointed about missing that aspect.

style,” Hallock said. Kondorossy, Curley and

on screen,” she explained.

the entire Collegiate administration have “I do feel like we missed out on getting closer as

been so helpful in figuring out ways for the

During the filming, groups of three or four

a grade, because almost everything was done

Junior girls to still be able to do Brunch and

actors would come on stage and say their lines.

remote by ourselves,” Eliza Stone ’22 added.

other traditions.

Actors could say their lines again if they

Lucy Barnes ’22 felt like she missed out on

Ryann Zaun ’22 puts it best in saying, “While

made a mistake, and the directors explained

watching the production form throughout

I wish we could have the Brunch we have all

everything once the actors got on stage.

rehearsals. “I honestly don’t even know

been picturing since 5th Grade, with so many

what happens outside of the scenes I was in,

lives lost due to COVID, there is no question

One of the benefits of filming Brunch was

because we never got to come together to see

that it is more important to keep everyone

the ability to get your lines perfect and have

it as a whole,” she commented.

safe. I will gladly modify our Brunch to 2020’s

The filming was efficient and went by quickly.

a second chance if you make a mistake.

terms in order to keep everyone healthy!”

Normally, during the live play, it would be

There has still been plenty of bonding among

easy to mess up your lines. And, with so many

the Junior girls, although in a different way.

girls screaming, it might be hard to hear or

“I am so glad to have gotten to know each

pay attention. With the film, we were able to

and every one of [the Junior girls] better this

avoid these problems.

year,” Hallock said.

This article was originally published in the Match.

SUMMER 2021 9

REIMAGINING OUR MASKS

Learning to Dance with Words

By Weldon Bradshaw

“Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly.

That’s why it’s so hard.”

So said David McCullough, the esteemed American author and historian.

Consider this, though.

STUDENTS WORK TO REDUCE THE WASTE OF PROTECTIVE FACE COVERINGS

If a Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree and twotime Pulitzer Prize winner (Truman and John Adams) and National Book Award recipient (The Path Between

Every other Tuesday, the three Middle School students in the ChangeMaker Club gather in room 127 of Flippen Hall to imagine what the post-pandemic future might look like. It’s a difficult task, but 8th Graders Elle Mitchell, Quinn Leonard and Maytal Zasler have been up for the challenge all year, exploring what they can do with protective face coverings once we’re all able to shed our masks.

To brainstorm the possibilities of what such a future might look like, the students spoke to entrepreneurial professionals and Collegiate School teachers. The School invited several experts to Zoom in and collaborate with the club: Edie Ure, a natural dye artisan based in Boulder, Colo.; McKenzie Piper, CEO of TekStyle; Holly Smith, a former Lower School Visual Arts teacher; Catherine Clements, Middle School Librarian; Teresa Coleman, a Middle School Art Teacher; and Gini Bonnel, the artist responsible for the illustrious ‘Be Kind’ signs. “As we invited people to speak with our club, the students were able to really hone their interview skills,” says Meg Evans, a Middle School English Teacher. “They learned to let the conversations go where they needed to go and developed follow-up questions when they needed to.”

The conversations also encouraged the students, enumerating the various forms the project could take. “The speakers taught us a lot about community projects,” Zasler says, “and it was great to see how they got other people involved so that it truly became a community project.”

the Seas and Mornings on Horseback) makes that assertion, presumably from personal experience, what about the rest of us?

And what if you’re a Middle School student striving to find your voice?

Regardless, writers young and old invariably discover that organizing thoughts into words and transferring them onto a sheet of paper (or computer screen) is only part of the process that can be at once exhilarating and maddening.

The true test of a writer, they learn, is creating order from the chaos of ideas, making words dance and sentences flow and presenting images so that readers can clearly see what the writer is describing.

Then there’s the proofreading and editing phase, the red-pen, blood-sweat-and-tears work that requires time,

The students then sought to involve the community in their task, and that’s when they landed on the idea of gathering unused masks to make a mural that might later be displayed on Collegiate’s campus, a symbol, the students say, of our collective effort to overcome the pandemic. “We knew the problem with paper masks was that people were going to throw them out,” Mitchell says, “so we decided to focus on making something to represent what we’ve been through and how the community came together.”

Compelled by a creative spirit and a commitment to responsible citizenship, students in the ChangeMaker Club will take their ideas with them as they move to the Upper School, where they plan to advance their project. “We want to go forward with this,” Leonard says, “because we want to create something big and helpful for the community.”

10 SPARK | On Campus

effort, diligence, a willingness to massage the words and phrases until they blend just so and the motivation to accept nothing less than one’s best.

Which brings us to the Cougar Writing Center, a student-run (but adult-supervised) initiative that Christina Dobson brought to Collegiate School when she arrived in 2019 following a decade of involvement in similar programs, first at Centerville High School in Northern Virginia and, more recently, at Atlee High in Hanover County.

Twenty 8th Graders, nominated by their teachers for their writing, leadership and interpersonal skills, serve as mentors for those who avail themselves of the center, located in Room 127 of Flippen Hall during each Wednesday Activities Period.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, 10 mentors each work on alternate weeks. Dobson and Meg Evans, the Middle School English Department Chair, oversee the project.

“The students have really taken it on almost like running their own business,” says Dobson, the Hanover County School System’s innovator of the year in 2018-19 for her writing center guidance. “They’ve done extensive training on what it means to be a mentor, how to tutor students in writing and

W H AT D O E S A T U T O R IN G SE S SI O N L O O K L IK E ?

“It depends,” Dobson says. “If a student comes for help with their own writing, that’s usually

“They’ve created partnerships where they

via Zoom for remote students. There was a 5th

support what they’re doing in class. They’ve also created mini-lessons for the English and

environment for teachers as well as students who are coming in to get mentored.”

giving feedback and comments.

reach out to teachers to see how they can

help bridge this gap?’ It’s creating a trusting

a one-on-one session. We’ve even done them Grade class doing their first narrative writing.

While they were doing their planning, the entire group came in, and every student met with an

S O H O W D O YO U D E T E R MINE SU C C E S S ?

“At my previous school, I could gauge success when I saw mentors applying to college and writing their admission essays on their

history departments to use as a resource.”

8th Grader to help them through the process.

experience as a tutor,” Dobson says. “We

Mentees can be either individuals seeking help

“Mentors are trained about what’s appropriate

with, and we’d be close to a thousand at the

with their writing or entire classes working on a project. They either make appointments or drop in. Some find one session is enough.

Others are more frequent attendees.

“Partnering with a teacher is a really good model,” Dobson says. “It gives students more confidence that they want to get mentored if

in terms of helping. You don’t want to fix things for the student. You want to guide them and help them figure things out on their own. It’s a balancing act. They’re really there to support

Or a student coming back multiple times shows

writing center when writing instruction is part

“Students sometimes have insecurities in their writing, and it helps to get support from a peer,” Dobson says. “The mentors’ role is not

coherence and unity.

to reteach or replace a teacher. It’s to partner

“It depends on where they are in the process,”

relate to a student.

analytical essay might need support with outlining or creating an argument. We’ve seen 8th Graders already well into the writing process who were looking for support in editing and revision, citations and vocabulary.”

“Here, what has been successful is that students

What, you might ask, is the rationale for a

Assistance comes in many areas, among

Dobson says. “A 6th Grader just starting an

measure success.

have gone out of their way, even taking their

of the curriculum?

understanding of the concepts of emphasis,

end of the year. That was a tangible way to

and inject that student with confidence.”

they see their peers also getting help.”

them precise grammar usage and an

would track how many students we worked

with the teacher in finding different ways to

own time during other periods to help a teacher. me that something’s working.

“I like seeing students find their niche. I’ve found that they grow immensely as writing mentors. Helping someone else gives them a sense of pride and confidence. I’ve found that their own writing improves by helping others, so it’s definitely a win-win situation.”

“If I’m really struggling with getting through to my students on a certain topic, I might reach out to a mentor and say, ‘How does this click for you? How does this make sense for you as a student? Do you have any ideas to

SUMMER 2021 11

STATES FAIR

As part of the 2nd Grade States Fair unit, students and faculty lined the Lower School Campus in May to cheer on our 2nd Graders as they showed off their homemade hats representing all 50 states.

KINDNESS WEEK During Kindness week, the Collegiate campus was decorated with chalk drawings, kindness chains and kindness notes. Students, faculty and staff alike were awash in the warmth of doors being held, pats on the back and kindness shout-outs.

12 SPARK | On Campus

E C O NO MIC S T HR O UG H C O MMU N I T Y 3rd Grade students explore Collegiate School with economic perspective

C

ollegiate School 3rd Grade students practiced valuable life skills this year while learning about the School’s economic system through a series of virtual adventures that integrate social studies lessons with the exploration of jobs, resources and financial choice-making.

The project allowed our 3rd Grade Cougars to make discoveries in both economic literacy and the Collegiate community. “This year, the students really got to pull back the curtain on the inner workings of Collegiate,” says Lauren Brown, a 3rd Grade Teacher. “And we got to explore exactly who is responsible for making certain decisions.”

The project, though virtual, stretched across campus and connected students to faculty and staff members they wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to see as frequently this year. Students watched interviews of Cougar community members from across each department within the School, including Head of School Penny Evins and Lower School Administrative Assistant Mary Damon, discuss with Trina Clemans, Director of Economic Literacy and Entrepreneurship, the economic decisions they make while performing their jobs. “The challenge was to create a sense of community,” Clemans says, “and to teach, through experience, how systems and economies work.”

Students learned where the School resources come from — like the little stickers each Lower School student receives in the morning at temperature check — and how economic value is placed on each of those items. “I know the students loved hearing from Mrs. Damon, because hearing from her helped show them how Collegiate operates and the goods and services we need to function,” Clemans says.

From there, once the students understood the inner workings of Collegiate, they put their knowledge to practice by filling out mock invoices. “Students got to actually put the puzzle pieces together in the systems of Collegiate, discovering how we get supplies and who makes the choices and how those choices are made,” Brown says, “because when you boil it down, economics is really the study of choices.”

And ultimately, the aim of the project is to establish the principles of economics, a project that empowers engaged, contributing citizens. “In our work,” Clemans says, “we lay the foundation for understanding systems, showing students that we are all part of the work and that we can all do small things to make our community better for everyone.”

SUMMER 2021 13

ART WA LK

14 SPARK | On Campus

In April, Lower, Middle and Upper School students exhibited their creativity in the annual campus-wide Art Walk. The artwork, which lined the hallways of each division, included works of sculpture, drawings, prints and mixed media. The School produced a virtual Art Walk experience, set to student-composed music, to highlight the exhibit. Seniors in Honors Art and Honors Photography had the opportunity to give their families in-person tours of their installations.

THE SPRING SEASON F EATURED MULTIPLE MUSIC AND DANCE CONCERTS BY STUDENTS IN ALL DIVISIONS.

SUMMER 2021 15

A P O R TR A IT O F

Susan Droke

T

he moment Susan Droke, Chief Academic Officer, first stepped onto Collegiate School’s campus six years ago, she recognized the exceptional character of the community.

“There is a feeling that you have when you arrive that everyone is connected and that teachers care about the

children,” she says. During her tenure at Collegiate, Mrs. Droke, who retired at the end of the 2020-21 school year, skillfully and collaboratively oversaw numerous initiatives, among them the integration of Responsible Citizenship into the JK through 12 curriculum and the development of Portrait of a Graduate and Portrait of a Teacher. Mrs. Droke talks about her time at Collegiate, the quality of a Collegiate education and continuing Collegiate’s mission for the future.

16

W H AT I S T HE B ENE F I T O F A C O L L E G I AT E E DU C AT I O N ?

We have children from the time they enter JK to the 12th Grade — during the most formative years of their lives — and that’s a responsibility I take very seriously. Even as students cross the bridge from the Lower School to the Middle and Upper School they feel that connection and recognize that thread of learning. This is something we’ve really worked on in my time here: connecting the curriculum in a cohesive fashion from JK through

L O O K IN G F O R WA R D, W H AT A R E YO U M O S T E XCI T E D A B O U T SE EIN G C O UR T NE Y M A R T IN, IN C O MIN G A S S O CI AT E HE A D O F S CH O O L , C O N T INUE AT C O L L E G I AT E ?

I could not be more excited about Courtney’s arrival at Collegiate. She is an outstanding educator and she is going to bring so much to the Collegiate community. I think that she will bring the combination of her experiences, which are rich and deep, and fresh eyes. I think that it’s always

12th Grade.

great for any organization to have someone come

O F C O UR SE , IN YO UR W O R K , YO U O F T EN C O L L A B O R AT E W I T H S T UD EN T S. W H AT IN SI G H T S H AV E YO U G A INE D F R O M T HEM ?

the perspective of their educational experiences

If I think about all the students throughout my career, I think the common thread is that we should never stop learning from our students. I always talk about Collegiate being a community of learners.

I can learn as much from my students as the students can learn from me, and that’s a model for students — to know that you never stop learning,

in who is excellent at what they do and who brings with them when they arrive. She is going to do great things here.

C A N YO U TA L K A B O U T H O W YO U F E E L T H AT C O UR T NE Y I S A L I G NE D W I T H C O L L E G I AT E ’ S VA L UE S A N D T HE P O R T R A I T O F T HE G R A DUAT E ?

The combination of her personality and her experiences and knowledge — as well as the skill set the she brings — is in perfect alignment with

that you keep growing and you keep discovering.

Collegiate’s values, with our mission and with

YO U L E D T HE S CH O O LW ID E D E V E L O P M EN T O F O UR P O R T R A I T O F A G R A DUAT E A F E W Y E A R S A G O. H O W H A S I T HE L P E D U S A S A S CH O O L A ND W H AT H A S T HE IMPA C T B E EN O N S T UD EN T S ?

thinkers, responsible citizens and compassionate

As I went back and searched through older

the focus that we have on creating our inquisitive leaders. It’s a good match for her and for the School. My only regret is that I don’t get to work with her, because we are pretty convinced we would be awesome together.

WA S T HE R E A N Y T HIN G E L SE YO U W E R E H O P IN G T O SH A R E ?

documents, I noticed that, over the years, Collegiate has talked a lot about developing the

As I look at the future there is nothing but great

scholar-citizen-leader. We wanted to build off

things ahead for Collegiate — both for the students

that, and we wanted to nurture characteristics

and for the teachers. We do what’s best for children

we felt were enduring. The characteristics of

at Collegiate, and it’s going to be exciting to watch

an inquisitive thinker, responsible citizen and

what comes next.

compassionate leader are traits that prepare our children for the future.

SUMMER 2021 17

RE T I RE M E NT S

Beth Anne Shelley ’83 Beth Anne Shelley began her formal education in the Kindergarten halls as a student at Collegiate and will end her educational career in the Kindergarten halls as a retiree. Shelley taught for 34 years — the first 10 at Maybeury Elementary (2nd Grade), then 24 at Collegiate (10 in 1st Grade, 14 in Kindergarten). During her time at Collegiate, Shelley connected learning and life lessons to foster a love of citizenship in her young students.

Tyler Kilpatrick ’81 Tyler Kilpatrick served in several roles in the Lower School during her two-decade stint at her alma mater: 3rd and 4th Grade Assistant, Lower School Administrative Assistant, and, for the past 14 years, Admission Administrative Assistant. A gracious ambassador for Collegiate, she provided a model of caring and positivity that created a great first and lasting impression for new families.

Susan Wiley Susan Wiley, who retired in December after 20 years in the Head of School office, served as assistant to the Head of School (first for Keith Evans, then Steve Hickman and finally for Penny Evins). The recipient of the 2020 Anne Jones Staff Award, she greeted visitors to the campus with unwavering grace, kindness and professionalism.

Lauren Brown Lauren Brown served as a Kindergarten Teacher at Collegiate from 1991 to 1996, spent 12 years as a stay-at-home mom and returned in 2008 as a 4th Grade Teacher before moving to the 3rd Grade 11 years ago. The recipient of the Martha Schwarz Award (2013) and Craigie Teaching Award (2020), she brought positivity to her calling coupled with an innate ability to bring out the best in each student.

18 SPARK | On Campus

Kenny Hazelwood Throughout his time at Collegiate, Kenny Hazelwood used his carpentry skills and landscaping experience to make many improvements to Collegiate’s buildings and grounds. Hazelwood, who retired in December, was a dedicated member of the physical plant staff for eight years — first with HVAC and then general maintenance and special projects such as woodworking.

Ansley Gift What started as a temporary substitute role turned into many years as a Lower School Teaching Assistant for Ansley Gift. During her time at Collegiate, Gift fostered a love of learning in her students and nurtured them as they developed their reading and penmanship skills.

Supporting the Learning Journey

A

fter 30 years at Collegiate School, Karen Pickett, 2nd Grade Teacher, announced her retirement at the end of the 2019-20 School year.

With a laugh larger than life, Pickett worked her magic in the Lower School since her arrival to Collegiate in September 1990. She was originally hired as a 3rd Grade Teacher and then moved to 2nd Grade, where she remained until her retirement. She taught with an uncanny ability to sense what each of her students needed and captured their attention with her enthusiasm and gentle care. Pickett demonstrated a tremendous commitment to the personal growth of each of her students — nurturing them as they embarked on their learning journeys and helped to establish, through her leadership, the students’ creative and intellectual spirit.

Over the years, Pickett, who received the Craigie Teaching Award in 2001 and the Martha Schwarz Award in 2009, has been recognized for her remarkable achievements in the classroom.

The new Karen A. Pickett Endowment for Faculty Support Fund will support Lower School educators

Now, even after moving on from 103 North Mooreland Road, Pickett’s positive influence on the School persists. In honor of Pickett’s dedication to her students and the valuable academic foundation she instilled in the Cougars at the Lower School, a grateful family has anonymously established an endowment in her name. Endowments at Collegiate are invested for the long term and distribute a percentage of their value to finance a specific purpose. The Karen A. Pickett Endowment for Faculty Support Fund will help pay faculty salaries in the Lower School.

Through additional contributions made by others and good investment management, the family hopes that the fund will one day grow to support an entire faculty position.

The Fund will help continue Collegiate’s commitment to creating a challenging and supportive educational experience that fosters the intellectual, moral, emotional and physical development of each student.

K A R EN P I C K E T T

SUMMER 2021 19

ON THE MOVE Wilbur Athey, who has been assisting in the Athletics Department since the spring, will remain as part of Athletics moving forward.

Activity Quest Program Leader Jessamy Austin was promoted to Assistant Director of After-School Programs.

Middle and Upper School nurse Jana Barnes expands her role as a Co-lead Nurse.

Associate Director of After-School Programs and 1st and 4th Grade Assistant Teacher Chris Berry will be a 5th Grade Humanities Teacher.

Evelyn Booth has been promoted to Junior Accountant from her previous position as Accounts Payable Specialist.

ADDITIONAL DEPARTURES Assistant Head of the Upper School Sarah Baker has left Collegiate after five years to take a position as the Head of the Upper School at the Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Del. Middle School Spanish Teacher Mary Gayoso departed Collegiate after 19 years.

Upper School English Teacher Rachel Greene left Collegiate after two years to explore other opportunities.

After five years at Collegiate, Band Director Bryan Hooten will not return to the classroom. He will, however, continue to teach afternoon yoga on a part-time basis.

Substitute nurse then part-time Middle & Upper School nurse Mimi Mahoney left Collegiate after two years.

After six years at Collegiate, Jake McDonald, Associate Director of Summer Programs, committed full time to his start-up nonprofit called The Peavey Project, which is geared towards teaching mindfulness to those in need.

After 15 years, Collegiate Associate Athletic Director Will O’Brien accepted a unique opportunity across the country.

We want to thank the following long-term substitutes who stepped in to help us during the unusual 2020-21 School year: Katie Aboud Erika deWitt Winnie Fratkin Angie Hutchison

Ben Miller Douglas Rolfe Patsy Simril

Middle School History Teacher Matthew Richardson has left Collegiate after 10 years to assume a full-time position with Camp River’s Bend. He is looking forward to continuing his work coaching cross country and track at Collegiate.

Kendell Siller joined Collegiate two years ago as an Athletics Administrative Assistant. She has moved to Charlotte, N.C. After 13 years, 3rd Grade Teacher Katie Taylor left Collegiate to spend more time with her family.

Middle School Humanities Teacher Kelsey Tetsworth left Collegiate after two years to explore other opportunities.

Carrie Thomas, 5th Grade Advisor and Humanities Teacher, departed Collegiate after 13 years.

4th Grade Assistant Teacher Christine Watson left Collegiate after four years.

Cherylrena Watts, Facilities Department Administrative Assistant, left Collegiate after eight years for another opportunity.

After 21 years, Health and Wellness Coordinator Kathy Wrenn left Collegiate to dedicate her efforts full time to run ILLUME, an organization she founded as a certified family recovery coach.

1st Grade Teacher Nicola Byford will move to Kindergarten Lead Teacher.

Christina Dobson will move from Middle School, where she served as a PE Teacher, to the Upper School English Department.

Paige Fox moved into a new role in the Development Office as Manager of Special Events.

Kathy Gregg will move from Kindergarten Assistant Teacher to a 4th Grade Assistant Teacher role for the 202122 school year.

Lillian Hazelton will be joining the Lower School as an Assistant Teacher and will continue her role as accountant in the Business Office on a part-time basis.

Louise Ingold moved into a new role as Communications Project Manager.

Full-time Lower School substitute Christine Mingus will be a 1st Grade Lead Teacher.

Chris Peoples has been promoted to Head Sports Performance Coach.

Rwaida Scott moved from 4th Grade Assistant Teacher to 3rd Grade.

Several individuals have agreed to take on leadership responsibilities in addition to their current roles to serve as point people to oversee the needs and opportunities of their respective areas with a JK-12 focus.

Mike Boyd will serve as Director of the Arts, joining the Administrative Team Katie Best will serve as Director of Academic Services Rhiannon Boyd will serve as Director of JK-12 Capstone Sandra Marr will serve as Director of JK-12 Sustainability Jenny Lindner will serve as Employee Wellness Coordinator

20 SPARK | On Campus

Service Anniversaries

10 Y E A RS

Brad Cooke

Jennifer Holloway

Jenny Lindner

Karen Cribbs

Laura S. Domalik

Mary Kendall White

Megan Hunt

Andy Stone

Brian Leipheimer

Emily Oney

Kathy Wrenn

LaNessa West

Lauren Brown

Linda Rouse

20 Y E A RS

RETIRED

Margaret Pace

Nathan Goodwyn

Stacy Dudley

Susan Leahy

Tyler Kilpatrick RETIRED

30 Y E A RS

Jenny Hundley

Jesse Garrant

SUMMER 2021 21

THE WINTER PARTY & AUCTION TH E RE SI L I E N C E O F O U R S TA R S

In 1975, Collegiate School hosted its very first Winter Party & Auction, and, since then, the event has become the longest-running auction in Richmond.

That the event continued with an engaging virtual format serves as yet another indication of the commitment Collegiate has to the prosperity of our Cougar community. This year’s Winter Party & Auction, Shining Star, was a celebration of all the stars in our School’s community that have worked so hard this school year to keep us safe, connected and together. Every dollar raised during the Winter Party & Auction supports the mission of our School and the bright stars in our community — our faculty, our staff and especially our students.

The 2021 Winter Party & Auction boasted record attendance of more than 550 Cougars, and, before the event began, participants were given tablescapes and a catered meal to set up at home to enjoy while viewing the auction. Winter Party co-chairs, Neema Amin and Mitesh Amin P '27 '29 and Ginny Hofheimer '96 and Adam Hofheimer '95 P '27' 29, helped collaborate with the Collegiate community. The event included student performances, cameos from both current and former faculty members, original music from our very own talented artists, and, of course, plenty of great auction items.

The event, though virtual, helped strengthen the resolve of the community and reminded us of why being a Cougar is so special. “The Collegiate School made what should have been an unremarkable online virtual event riveting, engaging, genuine and authentic,” said Scott Reed, a Collegiate alumnus and current parent who served as co-chair for the 2020 Winter Party. “I was so proud of Collegiate and all of the shining stars that night. It was truly remarkably done — a testament to the School’s pursuit of excellence and continued resilience.”

22 SPARK | On Campus

RECORD ATTENDANCE

HIGHEST PROCEEDS RAISED SINCE 2013

CO-CHAIRS

XII IX VI

VIEWERS FROM

1HOUR 11MIN III VIRTUAL PROGRAM

DIFFERENT STATES

26 HOST COMMITTEE MEMBERS 12 LIVE AUCTION ITEMS

135 SILENT AUCTION ITEMS

1,696 STUDENTS IMPACTED

COUGAR PRIDE DAY 2021

UNFOLDED WITH NEW RECORDS

C

ampus was buzzing with excitement on Cougar Pride Day as the Collegiate School community — a community that extends well beyond our campus on North Mooreland Road — watched as donations came in, gifts were matched and challenges were met on the fourth annual day of giving.

Then, around two o’clock: “600! We’re at 600!”

Staff in the Development Office, waving bright yellow and green foam Cougar paws, welcomed parent and alumni volunteers throughout the day, encouraging even more donations. Gifts to the annual fund support all aspects of a Collegiate education — including academics, athletics, arts, financial assistance, technology, faculty professional development and so much more. Support took on a special significance this year due to COVID-19.

Throughout the day, Cougars across the country engaged with the School and each other on social media. Children smiled for photos and videos to inspire further momentum and show their appreciation. Enthusiastic volunteers shared their support using Instagram stickers, videos and posts from Collegiate’s social channels as well as their own original content. “Let’s show our Cougar pride,” Sarah Martin ’94, a current parent, said in her video. “Let’s show how much we appreciate what the teachers and the School have been doing for our students this year.”

Volunteers such as Mark Stepanian ’89, Trustee and Development Committee Chair, came in to assist with the outreach efforts. Staff and volunteers spread Cougar Pride at carpool and made phone calls reaching out to parents and alumni to encourage participation. Friends and classmates encouraged each other in competition to win various challenges. Matching gifts spurred further giving. “The support of our community just proves that Cougars can do anything we put our minds to,” Stepanian said.

“Yes,” one Cougar staff member shouted around 11:15, minutes after the lunchtime challenge began. “We just matched our lunchtime challenge in record time. Our donors are making this event so much fun.”

I T WA S A L L PAW S O N D E C K F O R O UR A NNUA L D AY O F G I V IN G .

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR COUGAR PRIDE

And then, two hours later, we reached 700 donors to unlock our leadership challenge of $100,000.

And people continued to share, and share.

Your support made for a record breaking day

950 GIFTS (58% $330,000 (136%

over prior giving day

100% OF CHALLENGES MET DONORS FROM 20 STATES

In a further demonstration of gratitude, 42 people gave in the amount of $309, the number that represents every teacher at Collegiate. After learning of Cougar Pride Day, our youngest donor, a First Grader, decided to give $5 in honor of a teacher. In total, we reached record participation with 950 donors and $330,000 raised.

Cougar Pride Day was more than a day of giving; it truly was a day of sharing Cougar Pride. “Thank you to all the Cougars across the generations who helped us have tremendous success,” Penny Evins, Head of School, said. “Your support helps benefit all aspects of our incredible Collegiate experience that we’re having this year.”

) )

$45,000 DEDICATED FOR OUTDOOR LEARNING SPACES

LOWER SCHOOL

8TH GRADE

CLASS OF NEW YORK 2001 CITY SUMMER 2021 23

Thank you to the following trustees whose terms concluded on June 30. Their dedication and service to the School are greatly appreciated and serve as an example for all Cougars:

THANK YOU

to all of our tremendous parent volunteers, who continued to maintain the strength of the Collegiate School community during this 2020-21 school year. Whether it was providing lunch to faculty and staff, engaging with Cougars during the Village Green Fair or by organizing a virtual Cougar Classic event, our parents have continued to promote and foster connections.

Thank you, Jennifer Ruth, the outgoing President of the Parents’ Association, for your dedication to Collegiate and for helping guide our Cougar parents with passion, patience and creativity.

The Parents’ Association also helped to advance the mission of the School through fundraising — making a gift to the Annual Fund in memory of past Collegiate educators and by giving a $25,000 gift to expand the School’s outdoor learning spaces.

Frank F. Mountcastle III ’83, P ’14 ’17 ’21 Frank Mountcastle III comes from a long line of Cougars — four generations, all of whom have made tremendous contributions to our Collegiate community. So it is only natural, then, that Mountcastle’s work at the School, including his most recent role as past Chair of the Board of Trustees, has continued to spread the Cougar spirit. His last official duty was to put forward our slate of newest Trustees to ensure Collegiate’s future, leaving us in terrific shape as we go forward, building on a strong past for a continued bright horizon.

Lisa Roday, P ’09 ’10 Lisa Roday has served on Collegiate’s Board for the past eight years and has been a great partner to three Heads of School — Keith Evans, Steve Hickman and Penny Evins. Roday has made a Cougar-sized impact on student education, particularly as an advocate for the International Emerging Leaders Conference (IELC), which she recognized as a way to elevate the School’s global influence. During her service on both the Strategic Planning Committee and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Roday offered valuable insights and worked to ensure that all children on our campus experience a profound sense of belonging.

Michael S. Laming, P ’17 ’19 Those who have had the pleasure of knowing Michael Laming know of his sharp intellect and wise perspective, which he has brought with generosity to the School during his time as Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and during his service as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.

Laming and his wife Janet provided critical early support to expanding our impactful STEAM program and, with that support, created a home for students interested in both the sciences and arts. The Lamings also helped to bring the Chinese Language Program to Collegiate.

G R E E T IN G S F R O M O UR NE W PA P R E SID EN T On behalf of the Collegiate School Parents’ Association, thank you for your dedication to our school and our community. Parents play a critical role in supporting our school, and we value your time and commitment. Please reach out to me anytime with questions, suggestions or simply to let me know of your volunteer interest! We are a dynamic organization because of your participation, and we warmly welcome and encourage new volunteers. We hope to see you on campus and around town this year!

Katherine Adamson Parents’ Association 2021-22 President tcs.papresident@gmail.com

24 SPARK | On Campus

N EW T E RM T RUS T E E S

THE NEW TERM TRUSTEES BEGAN THEIR SERVICE ON JULY 1.

Meera Pahuja ’97

J. Cheairs Porter Jr.

John H. Rivers Jr.

P ’30 ’32 ’34

P ’27 ’29 ’32

P ’25 ’28

Professional: Infectious Diseases and Palliative Care Doctor and Assistant Professor, VCU Health Education: BA, Virginia Commonwealth University; MD, Virginia Commonwealth University; Internal Medicine Residency and Infectious Disease Fellowship, Cornell University Community Affiliations: President, 5P Foundation; Board Secretary, Virginia League for Planned Parenthood

Professional: Co-head of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Group, Harris Williams Education: BS in Business Administration with Special Attainments in Commerce, Washington and Lee University; MBA from the UVA Darden Graduate School of Business Administration

Professional: Director, Area Services Sales, Cisco Education: BS, Hampton University; MBA and International Business Certificate, Virginia Commonwealth University Community Affiliations: Trustee, The Cisco Foundation; Secretary, Upsilon Nu Scholarship and Social Action Foundation; Volunteer Coordinator, Habitat for Humanity

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

Sarah Paxton ’84 P ’19 Professional: Co-owner and President, LaDiff Education: BA, University of Virginia Community Affiliations: Member and Past Chair, Retail Merchants Association; President, Collegiate Alumni Association

Julious “Jody” P. Smith III ’86 P ’20 ’22 ’25 Professional: Orthopedic Surgeon, OrthoVirginia Education: MD, University of Virginia; Internship and Residency, Medical College of Virginia; Fellowship in Sports Medicine, Mississippi Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center Community Affiliations: Team physician, Godwin High School and Hampden-Sydney College; Immediate past-President, The Commonwealth Club; Board member, OrthoVirginia

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

Katherine Thalhimer Adamson ’96 P ’23 ’25 ’29 Professional: Owner, Adamson Interiors LLC Education: BA, Wake Forest University Community Affiliations: Member, Boxwood Garden Club; Co-founder, Conserve the Future Fund; President, Collegiate Parents’ Association

25

SPRING 2021

SPORTS UPDATE COVID-19 protocols changed throughout the athletic season.

We thank the athletes for their resilience.

Ashley D’Ambrosia ’21

26 SPARK | On Campus

BOYS’ T R A C K A N D F I E L D 3 R D IN P R EP L E A GUE

3 R D IN V I S A A

All-Prep: Kitchy Hyman ’21 (shot put); Krystian Williams ’23 (high jump, long jump, MVP of Field Events); Will Neuner ’22 (800); 4x100 (Neuner ’22, Angelo Parker III ’22, Cam Holdych ’22, Wyatt King ’23); Trey Thompson III ’21 (pole vault)

William Edwards ’22, Max McManus ’22 and Will Neuner ’22

All-State: Williams ’23 (First Team; long jump state champion; outstanding field event performer); Hyman ’21 (First Team; shot put state champion); Hayden Luckert ’21 (First Team; pole vault state champion); Neuner ’22 (First Team; 800); 4x800 (First Team; state champion; Neuner ’22, Will Edwards ’22, Anran Zhao ’21, Thomas Hutchins ’21); Williams ’23 (Second Team; high jump); 4x100 (Second Team; Neuner ’22, King ’23, Holdych ’22, Parker III ’22); Thompson III ’21 (Honorable Mention) Sportsmanship Award

GI RL S’ T R A C K A N D F I E L D 1 S T IN L I S

1 S T IN V I S A A

All-LIS: Gabi Deglau ’23 (discus); Eliza Stone ’22 (high jump); Lauren Lucy ’22 (pole vault); 4x100 (Lucy ’22, Ashley D'Ambrosia ’21, Olivia Nolt ’21, Micaela Allen ’22); MK Myers ’23 (800, 3200); Audrey Fleming ’22 (100 hurdles)

Girls’ Track and Field won both the LIS Championship and the State Championship

All-State: Deglau ’23 (First Team; shot put and discus state champion); Fleming ’22 (First Team; 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles state champion); Myers ’23 (First Team; 3200 state champion); Lucy ’22 (First Team; pole vault state champion); D'Ambrosia ’21 (Second Team; pole vault and triple jump; outstanding field event performer); Carrington Miller ’23 (Second Team; high jump); Myers ’23 (Second Team; 800); Lucy ’22 (Second Team; long jump); 4x100 (Second Team; Lucy ’22, D'Ambrosia ’21, Nolt ’21, Allen ’22); 4x800 (Second Team; Page Wells ’23, Ann Carter Arendale ’23, Bowen Suro ’23, Catherine Horner ’22); Charlotte Smith (Honorable Mention); Stone ’22 (Honorable Mention); Nolt ’21 (Honorable Mention)

Krystian Williams ’23

SUMMER 2021 27

Heth Alexander ’21

Ty Colina ’22

TEN N IS Tate Crawford ’21

2 N D IN P R EP L E A GUE

12-4 2 N D IN V I S A A

All-Prep: Ty Colina ’22 (#1 singles); Drew Atiyeh ’23 (#4 singles); George Simonton ’24 (#6 singles, #3 doubles); Dorian Colina ’25 (#3 doubles) All-Metro: Colina ’22 (Honorable Mention) All-State: Colina ’22 (First Team); Graham Bor ’23 (First Team); Atiyeh ’23 (Second Team); Reid Coleman ’22 (Second Team) Sportsmanship Award

B A S EB A LL 3 R D IN P R EP L E A GUE

12-10 V I S A A Q UA R T E R F IN A L I S T

All-Prep: Heth Alexander ’21; Hayden Rollison ’23; Hank Shield III ’23; Donovan Williams ’22 All-Metro: Williams ’22 (Honorable Mention) All-State: Shield III ’23 (First Team); Williams ’22 (First Team); Alexander ’21 (Second Team)

28

Kenley Campbell ’24

James Kulp ’21

BOYS’ L A C R O S S E 2 N D IN P R EP L E A GUE

13-5 V I S A A Q UA R T E R F IN A L I S T

All-Prep: Bo Brown ’21; James Beeghly ’22; Will Hanson ’21; James Kulp ’21; Eli Petty ’23; Jack Stepanian ’21

G IR LS ’ LA C R O S S E 1 S T IN L I S

12-3

2 N D IN V I S A A

All-LIS: Hallie Brost ’21; Amani Kimball-McKavish ’22; Tate Crawford ’21; Barrett Rowe ’22

All-Metro: Beeghly ’22 (First Team); Petty ’23 (First Team); Brown ’21 (Honorable Mention); Kulp ’21 (Honorable Mention) Bobby Marlatt ’22 (Honorable Mention) All-State: Brown ’21 (First Team); Beeghly ’22 (First Team); Petty ’23 (Second Team) USA Lacrosse All-American: Beeghly ’22

All-Metro: Kimball-McKavish ’22 (First Team); Brost ’21 (First Team); Reynolds Hester ’22 (Honorable Mention); Rowe ’22 (Honorable Mention) All-State: Brost ’21(First Team); Kimball-McKavish ’22 (First Team); Rowe ’22 (Second Team); Regan Berger ’21 (Second Team); Hester ’22 (Second Team); Crawford ’21 (Second Team) USA Lacrosse All-American: Brost ’21

Co-Sportsmanship Award – Collegiate School (shared with Norfolk Academy)

Co-Sportsmanship Award – Collegiate School (shared with St. Gertrude's)

SOCCE R 2 N D IN L I S

14-4 2 N D IN V I S A A

All-LIS: Emma Barrett ’21; Cassie Buxbaum ’22; Kenley Campbell ’24; Marianna McComb ’21 (player of the year); Keaton Rahman ’22 All-Metro: McComb ’21 (First Team) All-State: Barrett ’21 (First Team); McComb ’21 (First Team); Campbell ’24 (First Team); Buxbaum ’22 (Second Team)

SUMMER 2021 29

S O FTB A LL L I S SEMIF IN A L I S T

9-8 V I S A A SEMIF IN A L I S T

All-LIS: Laila Gwathmey ’21; Lily Hartley ’23; Ella Mitchell ’21 All-Metro: Gwathmey ’21 (Honorable Mention) All-State: Gwathmey ’21 (First Team); Mitchell ’21 (Second Team); Hartley ’23 (Second Team); Jordan Gross ’23 (Second Team) Sportsmanship Award

Laila Gwathmey ’21

Varsity Golf was ranked 16th in the nation this season

G O LF 1 S T IN P R EP L E A GUE

18-3 1 S T IN V I S A A

All-Prep: Hunter Milligan ’21; George Montague ’21; Sam Hahn ’24; Ian Quindoza ’22; Jack Barnes ’23; Hudson Pace ’23 All-Metro: Montague ’21 (First Team); Barnes ’23 (Honorable Mention) All-State: Barnes ’23 (First Team); Milligan ’21 (First Team); Pace ’23 (First Team) Coach of the Year: Jeff Dunnington Co-Sportsmanship Award – Collegiate School (shared with St. Christopher's)

30

RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH RECOGNIZES COLLEGIATE SCHOOL ATHLETES

Since 1992, the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Richmond Sports Backers have partnered to recognize the accomplishments of the region’s finest scholar-athletes. The individuals selected for this recognition are Seniors who have distinguished themselves through athletic performance, academic excellence and involvement in their respective school communities. This year, two Collegiate School athletes — Ashley D’Ambrosia ’21 and Mac Macdonald ’21 — have been nominated and awarded for their athletic and academic achievements during the 2020-21 school year.

Ashley D’Ambrosia ’21 and Mac Macdonald ’21, pictured at their respective NIL Signings.

VIRGINIA HALL OF FAME STUDENT-ATHLETE A CHIEVEMENT AWARD FINALIST Barrett Rowe ’22 is an Honor Roll student in the classroom and a multi-sport athlete at Collegiate School. Once Rowe graduates from Collegiate, she will play lacrosse at Wofford College. Some of her more impressive achievements include being selected to the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League Futures, being selected as a Nike Elite 120 Lacrosse player and being the 2020 Collegiate School’s Iron Cougar Award recipient. Rowe can now add that she’s been selected as a Virginia Hall of Fame Student-Athlete Achievement Award Finalist to her list of achievements. The award recognizes Juniors and Seniors from Virginia high schools that perform well academically, athletically and make an impact in their communities.

NCAA COMMITS John Ballowe - Dartmouth College, football Sara Bartzen - William & Mary, field hockey Hallie Brost - Ohio State University, field hockey Bo Brown - University of Richmond, lacrosse Nkosi Budd - University of Richmond, football Warner Cabaniss - Christopher Newport University, lacrosse Tate Crawford - Davidson College, lacrosse Ashley D’Ambrosia - Washington & Lee University, track & field Laila Gwathmey - Dickinson College, softball

Will Hanson - Colorado College, lacrosse Helena Huff - College of Charleston, tennis Kitchy Hyman - Hampden-Sydney College, football Haley Jenkins - James Madison University, lacrosse Mac Macdonald - Naval Academy, basketball Hunter Milligan - Naval Academy, football Buck O’Neill - Sewanee, lacrosse Liam Ryan - Georgetown University, swim Jack Stepanian - Hampden-Sydney College, lacrosse

SUMMER 2021 31

Moving Up Ceremony

LOWER SCHOOL

32 SPARK | On Campus

SUMMER 2021 33

Final Exercises

MIDDLE SCHOOL

34 SPARK | On Campus

AWARDS

Recipients are chosen by Middle School faculty

FRY C U P Kana Sakagami

FER N EYH O U GH ENGL ISH AWARD Hazel Miller

H U G H H . AD D Y AWAR D Peter Hartmann

J O H N P. C OAT ES ENGL ISH AWARD Peter Hartmann

SU E H . J ETT AWAR D Hazel Miller

P H YSI C AL E DUCAT ION AWARD Shepard Adamson Arthur Totten

D I R EC TO R ’ S AWAR D Palmer Forstner C I TI ZEN SH I P AWAR D Shepard Adamson and Jai Spicer AR T AWAR D Hazel Miller Jai Spicer D R AM A AWAR D Ava Boyd Palmer Forstner D AN C E AWAR D Mary Mason Ingold AD ELI N E C O W LES C O X M U SI C AWAR D Piano: Kana Sakagami Strings: Soham Saxena Guitar: Nathan Lee

TEC H N O LO GY L EADERSHIP AWARD Ava Kelleher Chase Gill H I STO RY AWARD Liz Diaz-Barriga Cooper Perdue M ATH AWAR D Sadie Webb Quinn Leonard H I G H EST ACADEMIC AVERAGE: 8TH G R AD E YEAR Sadie Webb Peter Hartmann H I G H EST ACADEMIC AVERAGE: FO U R YEARS Sadie Webb Peter Hartmann

SC I EN C E AWAR D Mary Ann Zyglocke Nathan Lee LAN G U AG E AWAR D S Latin: Perry Smith and Grayson McNeeley French: Sadie Webb and Palmer Forstner Spanish: Shepard Adamson and Quinn Leonard Chinese: Kana Sakagami and Peter Hartmann

SUMMER 2021 35

LEARNING WITH A VISION Collegiate’s Capstone programs give students the tools to make an impact

W

ithin the Collegiate School

The Capstone program is offered in the final year of

there is a strong community

each division of the School — 4th Grade, 8th Grade

that extends well beyond

and 12th Grade — and creates opportunities for our

the Cougar campus. This

students that help them prepare for the future. Each

extension is part of the founding philosophy that

Capstone has, at its core, an essential question or

exists in each Collegiate student — a love of learning

challenge, one that empowers students to use their

and a commitment to service and citizenship — and

cumulative learning.

encourages them to become lifelong learners, citizens who are always looking to enrich the lives of others in

The Capstones build on other projects in Collegiate’s

their community.

curriculum, allowing students to apply their skills to the larger world. Through the Collegiate experience, our

Collegiate’s Capstone program, guided by

students grow both as as Collegiate Cougars and as

the School’s commitment to responsible and

citizens of the world.

compassionate citizenship, enhances students’ classroom learning in a real-world context, allowing them to apply their academic knowledge to larger communities. “Capstone provides the students with such enriched learning opportunities with so many real-world connections,” Jamie Chambers, the 4th Grade Teacher who coordinated the Lower School Capstone, says.

“We are so fortunate at Collegiate to be able to provide and implement programs such as Capstone to enhance the students’ learning experiences.”

36

EN VI SION C OLL E G I AT E In Heather Garentt’s 4th Grade classroom,

to work through the systems of making

one group of students, who call themselves

decisions as a team. “We all came up

the Creative Cougars, reimagined the

with ideas and we had to pick one idea

outdoor space by Nunnally Hall and the

and draw it so that we would know what

Watt Library to include a shaded space

we wanted to build for our prototype,”

for reading and writing, a koi pond and a

one student explains.

ping pong table.

The students then put those ideas into Another group — this one working

practice, building structures out of

under the name of Cougar Doers

cardboard boxes and other recycled

— reimagined a different space

materials that they would later present

near the Upper School with plans to

to Collegiate faculty members. This

implement a pavilion with extra chairs

process makes students’ thinking visible

and a birdhouse to create a calming

and encourages them to adjust their

atmosphere conducive to studying.

process based on feedback. “I liked the experimentation process,” says Niko

These inventive and functional designs

Hough, a 4th Grade student, “because

were the culmination of Collegiate

I could really just let my mind go loose

School’s 4th Grade Capstone project,

and create something that we could all

Envision Collegiate, where students

work on as a group and then present it.”

worked in teams to develop solutions to the question of how to redesign outdoor

Envision Collegiate fosters a broader

spaces at the School.

understanding of the Collegiate community and helps establish students’

The 4th Graders created their

skills of problem-solving, empathy

prototypes after meeting with students

building and leadership development.

from the Middle and Upper School,

The project gives the 4th Graders the tools

a practice that allows students to

they will need going forward as both

connect with their peers and sharpen

students and citizens.

their interviewing skills. From there, the students interpreted the needs of the

“It is obvious to me how invested the

user, the Middle and Upper School

Lower School students are in sharing

students, in order to design a space that

their thinking, and that they are invested

would accommodate their needs. “We

in the ideas of their peers as well,”

worked to create a prototype of what

says Rhiannon Boyd, Director of JK-12

we thought the space could be and

Capstones. “The students have the

created it to meet the user’s need,” one

tools to understand the challenges

4th Grader says.

people face, to use human connection to deepen their understanding of how

By working together in groups, the

best to solve problems and then how to

students practiced using language from

visualize their thinking to share those

the civil dialogue critical listening process:

ideas to inspire action.”

stop, think and choose how you might react to others’ ideas. The groups had

SUMMER 2021 37

EN VISION RI C HMOND As students advance through the divisions, their

with 70 organizations in Richmond, including

explored the issue of disabled peoples’ access to

mindsets expand with each Capstone, and they

The Valentine Museum, Bike Walk RVA, Virginia

the James River. The students devised a solution

continue to complement the skills they learned in

Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Vision

to install a swing that would safely place people

previous classes.

Impaired, and VCU Outdoor.

into the river. The partners that the students worked

In April, Collegiate School 8th Graders wrapped

From there, once the students developed a deeper

idea and are now looking to install some of the

up their yearlong Envision Richmond Capstone, an

understanding of the city of Richmond, they

swings in local parks. So, while the students learn

experience that immerses the students in the local

began to design projects to implement around

to work with real-world professionals, those

community with an intensive leadership and civic

the city. “The best part about Envision Richmond

same professionals often learn just as much from

engagement curriculum.

is when we get in our subgroups to create our

Collegiate students. “The project is mutually

prototypes,” one student says. “We didn’t have

beneficial in that the partners have something to

With real-world challenges that connect the

many materials, so everyone had to get creative

offer us and our students have something to offer

students with professionals in the Richmond

and that brought us closer together.”

them,” Moss says.

make our city stronger. “It’s a great project,”

It’s a project of focused collaboration, one that

Ultimately, though, Envision Richmond fosters

says Wendi Moss, who is the Envision Richmond

encourages the students to think beyond their

collaboration, empathy, creativity, communication

coordinator. “Students recognize their importance

campus. “The whole challenge of Envision

and problem-solving techniques so students

in both the Collegiate community and the

Richmond is to study a topic, identify a need, and

feel better equipped to improve the city around

community of Richmond.”

create a solution,” Moss says.

them.“We are learning together to make our city

Throughout the year, the 8th Graders worked

And some of those solutions established by our

know that as an 8th Grader they can still change

with local organizations to better understand the

Cougars are going to be integrated into the

their community and can still have ideas that matter.”

climate of the community. Collegiate partnered

Richmond community. One project, for example,

in collaboration with for this project loved this

community, Cougars learn to think together to

stronger,” Moss says, “because it’s important to

38 SPARK | Features

EN V I SION THE WOR L D At the foundation of Envision Your World,

the needs of the user, to the real world. “This

Collegiate School’s signature Senior

is why design thinking matters,” Boyd says,

Capstone program, is a commitment to

“because when you start designing ideas

responsible citizenship, leadership and

by understanding who is going to be using

collaboration with the community beyond

your design, you really hit your target.”

the School’s campus. That commitment has remained the same, but the projects, like

And hit the target they did. Students

so many aspects of this school year, were

presented Agee with outreach plans for

influenced by the pandemic.

spreading helpful information on the vaccine and creating vaccination sites.

Each Capstone project has an essential

Agee commended the students on their

question or challenge that encourages

plans of outreach. “Your thoughtfulness,

students to apply their cumulative learning

innovation and comprehension of the social

to the real world. This spring, 12th Grade

determinants is truly impressive,” he told

students were offered a variety of programs

the students. “You’ve fully captured the

to choose from: Global Public Health, IEL

important role that trust plays in behavior

Americas, Sustainable Solutions to the

change and healthcare adoption.”

Future of Food, Mindful Leadership, and The River City. The Global Public Health

And while the Capstone project empowers

Capstone asked students to explore ways

students to engage with the community,

to address and alleviate the challenges of

the community similarly engages with

vaccinating the vulnerable populations in

the students — often taking the students’

Richmond. “The students’ projects in this

ideas and putting them into practice. “I’m

Capstone looked at global trends in public

taking all of your ideas back to my team

health,” says Rhiannon Boyd, Director of

as we continue to target these vulnerable

JK-12 Capstones. “And they applied that

communities,” Agee says. “I hope you

knowledge to this particular pandemic

consider future careers in public health.”

so that they could better understand the situation we’re living in now and help those

Throughout the three levels of the

that might need it.”

Capstone, Collegiate nurtures the enduring characteristics of the scholar-citizen-leader

To consider the best ways to address

that exists in all aspects of the School’s

public health concerns within the various

academics. The powerful vision of the

demographics of Richmond, the 12th

Capstone program is to encapsulate all of

Grade students collaborated with Tyler

Collegiate’s values and intergrate them into

Agee, a 2009 Collegiate alumnus who

the three culminating projects, enriching the

now serves as director of Health Access at

students’ futures.

Bon Secours Health System, and Madelyn Eubanks, who also works at Bon Secours.

The challenge for students is to take those lessons they’ve learned through research and apply them, using design thinking, which approaches a problem by addressing

SUMMER 2021 39

CONGR ATUL ATIONS

T O T HE CL A S S OF

40 SPARK | Class of 21

2021

You, our 136 Seniors, are a magnificent group of individuals who collectively represent the very best of Collegiate and from whom we have drawn strength, light, hope and positivity. In many ways, you are the torch carriers of our School. You kept the light shining and never failed to provide fuel as we found our way together. Thank you, Class of 2021, for being your best selves.

I wish you and your loved ones well-being and godspeed as you embark upon your plans for the future. ”

– P ENN Y B. E V IN S, HE A D O F S CH O O L

SUMMER 2021 41

42 SPARK | Class of 21

SUMMER 2021 43

AWARDS GI V E N AT COM M E N C E M E N T

GRE E NBAUM AWARD - VAL E D I C T O R I A N S : Highest four-year academic average Kylee Jordan Sanderson and Charles (Chase) Fairfax Conquest ROS E MARY MEDAL : Cameron Anita Ruh E . A NGUS POWEL L AWAR D : Henry Thomas Mountcastle CHA RL ES F. WILT SHIRE C I T I Z E N S H I P AWA R D : Charles (Chase) Fairfax Conquest JOHNEL TAT E POFFENBER G E R AWA R D : Taly Anne Leibowitz LOUI SE MAT T ERN COL EM A N AWA R D : Alice Rose Mendelson DR. MART HA E. KOL BE AWA R D : James Crossland Kulp

44 SPARK | Class of 21

H O N O R S A S S EMB LY AWA R D S Upper School faculty and administrators selected the recipients, who were honored throughout April and May

H AR VAR D P R I ZE B O O K AWAR D : William (Will) John Neuner ’22 W ELLESLEY C O LLEG E B O O K AWAR D : Zehma Kidane Herring ’22 J EFFER SO N B O O K AWAR D : Christian Thomas Mayr ’22 Margaret (Molly) Ewing Woods ’22 B R O W N B O O K AWAR D : Hugh Hamilton Williams ’22 Catherine Bayer Horner ’22 D AR TM O U TH B O O K AWAR D : Tiberius (Ty) James Colina ’22 Olivia Thompson Fairlamb ’22 M ALC O LM U . P I TT, J R .

SER VI C E AWAR D : Abigail (Abby) Dawn Fleming ’21 VI R G I N I A C O U R TN EY SI M P SO N AWAR D : Jonathan Yackel ’22 ELI ZAB ETH B RYSO N P O W ELL AWAR D : Tucker Holden Felts ’21 W I LLI AM & M ARY LEAD ER SH I P AWAR D : Anjana (Anju) Natarajan ’22 H ELEN M O O N SEN I O R EN G LI SH AWAR D : Kylee Jordan Sanderson ’21 Thomas Carter Hutchins ’21

SEN I O R SP AN I SH AWAR D : Anastasia Scott Redmond ’21

D AN CE AWARD: Ashley Grace Cornell ’21

SEN I O R LATI N AWAR D : Alice Rose Mendelson ’21 Alex Sydnor Peterman ’21

FR AN CES L EIGH WIL L IAMS J O U RNAL ISM AWARD: Alice Rose Mendelson ’21 Andrew Nicklaus Eastep ’21 Audrey Elizabeth Flemming ’22 Isabella (Bella) Ericka Zeballos ’21

SEN I O R C H I N ESE AWAR D : Elizabeth (Betty) N. Zhao ’21 P ER R O W SEN I O R H I STO RY AWAR D : John (Jack) Andrew Stepanian ’21 Regan McKenna Berger ’21 M AR G AR ET D AN I EL SEN I O R SC I EN C E AWAR D : Isabella (Bella) Ericka Zeballos ’21 O SB O R N E SEN I O R SC I EN C E AWAR D : Charles (Chase) Fairfax Conquest ’21 D R . TAP AN H AZR A SC I EN C E AWAR D : Madeline Grace Port ’23 H I R SC H LER SC I EN C E R ESEAR C H AWAR D : Anjana (Anju) Natarajan ’22

R EED SENIOR ATH LET IC AWARD: Hallie Abbott Brost ’21 O U TS TANDING SENIOR ATH L ET E AWARD: Hunter Randolph Milligan ’21 R I C H M O N D TI M ES D I S PATC H / S P O R T S B A C K E R S SCHOL AR-ATHLETE: Ashley Vanessa D’Ambrosia ’21 Ernst (Mac) Farley Macdonald II ’21

J AKE M AC N ELLY SEN I O R AR T P U R C H ASE AWAR D ( SP O N SO R ED B Y TH E C LASS O F 1990) : Youfan (Anna) Wu ’21 SC O TT H AR D EN SEN I O R P ER FO R M I N G AR TS AWAR D : Hayden Dennis Luckert ’21 Camden (Cami) Nelsen Villanueva ’21

C H AR LO TTE STEVEN S J U N I O R EN G LI SH AWAR D : Cameron (Cam) James Holdych ’22 Catherine Bayer Horner ’22

C AR O LYN LEVEY M U SI C AWAR D : Lauren Grace Brabrand ’21

TH ALH I M ER SEN I O R FR EN C H AWAR D : Charles (Chase) Fairfax Conquest ’21 Anna Elizabeth Port ’21

J AC OBS SENIOR SP O RT SMANSHIP AWARD: Liam David Ryan ’21

EN G AR D SEN I O R AR T AWAR D : Jenna Claire Raggio ’21 Andrew Nicklaus Eastep ’21

SEN I O R C R EATI VE W R I TI N G AWAR D : Katherine (Katie) Gildea Mulligan ’21

B R I TTEN SEN I O R M ATH AWAR D : Charles (Chase) Fairfax Conquest ’21 Ashley Nicole Davis ’21

W EBB SENIOR SP O RT SMANSHIP AWARD: Sara Hyde Bartzen ’21

O SB O R N E M U SI C AWAR D : Charles (Chase) Fairfax Conquest ’21 TH ESP I AN AWAR D : David Halsey Hallock III ’21 TEC H N I C AL TH EATER AWAR D : Finian Grainger LeClair Richardson ’23

SUMMER 2021 45

136

AMAZING SENIORS

45% ENR O L L ED IN V IR GINI A

18

RECRUITED ATHLETES

W IL L C OMP E T E IN DI V I SION I A ND III

580 149

acceptances to colleges and universities

55%

ENR O L L ED IN 2 3 O T HER S TAT E S A ND C A N A DA

$8.2 million in merit scholarship offers

7 ARTISTS will pursue their craft in highly selective programs

46 SPARK | Class of 21

COLLEGE CHOICES The Class of 2021 enrolled in the following 66 institutions of higher learning. Institutions where Collegiate School students received multiple acceptances are noted in parentheses as: (enrolled, accepted) Auburn University (4, 7) Belmont University (2, 2) Boston College (1, 5) Boston University (1, 3) Christopher Newport University (1, 9) Claremont McKenna College Clemson University (1, 18) Coastal Carolina University (3, 3) College of Charleston (1, 17) College of William & Mary (6, 17) Colorado College (1, 2) Concordia University Dartmouth College Davidson College (1, 5) Dickinson College Duke University (2, 2) Elon University (1, 12) George Mason University (1, 4) Georgetown University (2, 3) Georgia Gwinnett College Grinnell College Hampden-Sydney College (2, 8) Hampton University (1, 2) Harvard University James Madison University (19, 44) Liberty University Maryland Institute College of Art (1, 3) Northeastern University (1, 2) Ohio State University (2, 3) Old Dominion University (1, 6) Pennsylvania State University (1, 6) Pratt Institute Purdue University Radford University (1, 5) Rhodes College (1, 2) Sewanee: The University of the South (1, 6) Southern Methodist University (2, 8) Syracuse University (1, 5) Trinity University Tulane University (1, 4) United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy Prep School University of Alabama (1, 28)

University of California Irvine (1 , 2) University of Colorado Boulder (2, 7) University of Denver (2, 6) University of Mary Washington (1, 5) University of Miami (2, 3) University of Michigan (1, 2) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2, 5) University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania University of Richmond (4, 8) University of South Carolina (6, 27) University of Southern California University of Tennessee (1, 11) University of Texas University of Vermont (1, 4) University of Virginia (15, 23) Vanderbilt University Villanova University (1, 3) Virginia Commonwealth University (2, 15) Virginia Tech (7, 20) Wake Forest University (3, 8) Washington and Lee University (2, 4) Washington University in St. Louis (1, 2)

AS OF JUNE 28, 2021 SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON WAITLIST MOVEMENT

In addition, Collegiate Seniors were accepted to the following but have chosen not to matriculate: Adelphi University American University Amherst College Appalachian State University (2) Brandeis University Bucknell University California College of the Arts Case Western Reserve University College of the Atlantic Colorado State University Denison University (2) Drew University (2) Drexel University (5) East Carolina University (6) East Tennessee State University Emerson College Emory University (2) Fashion Institute of Technology Florida International University Florida State University Fordham University (4) Furman University (3) George Washington University (4) Georgia Institute of Technology (2) High Point University Ithaca College Kean University La Salle University Longwood University (3) Louisiana State University (3) Loyola University Chicago Marist College Miami University, Ohio (8) Missouri State University New York University (2) North Carolina State University (3) Occidental College (2) Pace University Parsons School of Design: The New School Penn State Altoona Providence College Randolph-Macon College (2) Richard Bland College Roanoke College (3) Rochester Institute of Technology (3) Roger Williams University

Rollins College School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of Visual Arts (2) St. Mary’s College of Maryland Suffolk University Sweet Briar College Temple University Texas Christian University (8) University of California, Davis (3) University of California, Merced University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego (2) University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz University of Colorado, Denver University of Delaware (5) University of Florida (2) University of Georgia (10) University of Kentucky (3) University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of Maryland (3) University of Mississippi (6) University of New Hampshire University of North Carolina Asheville (2) University of North Carolina at Charlotte University of North Carolina Greensboro (4) University of North Carolina Wilmington (2) University of Pittsburgh (3) University of Rhode Island (2) University of Rochester University of San Francisco University of Utah (2) University of Wisconsin Virginia Union University Wagner College Washington College Western Carolina University

SUMMER 2021 47

2021 Graduates with Cougar Lineage

LEGACIES 1

2

3

1. Heth Alexander with aunt Libbie Crane ’89, sisters Catherine Alexander ’18 and Libbie Alexander ’18 and mother Stella Crane Alexander ’85 2. John Ballowe with mother Hylah Boyd Ballowe ’90 3. Frances Baldridge with brother Wyatt Baldridge ’19 and mother Emily Davis Baldridge ’87 4. Pender Bauhan with father John Bauhan Jr. ’86 and uncle Hobey Bauhan ’84 5. Hallie Brost with brother Michael Brost Jr. ’19, mother Jennifer McGuire Brost ’91 and father Michael Brost ’85

48 SPARK | Class of 21

5

4

1 1. Warner Cabaniss with sister Ellen Cabaniss ’19 and father Rob Cabaniss III ’88 2. McCullough Campbell with aunt Margaret Randolph Pace ’90, mother Beverly Randolph Campbell ’92, father Michael Campbell ’87, uncle Sean Campbell ’84 and cousin Marshall Campbell ’20

4. Tyler Ewing with aunt Mitra Palmer Friant ’84, brother Grant Ewing ’19 and mother Roya Palmer Ewing ’86 5. Ginnie Featherston with father Trip Featherston ’87 6. Joseph Ferry III with mother Jenny Nuckols Ferry ’96

3. Ellie Craig. Not pictured deceased great-grandmother Mary Calvin Watkins Harrison ’38

4

2

3

5

6

SUMMER 2021 49

1

2

3

4

5 1. Ella Garnett with mother April Sharp Garnett ’91 2. Laila Gwathmey with father John Owen Gwathmey ’80 and aunt Sarah Gwathmey Vogt ’77 3. Halsey Hallock III with cousin Lucy Johnson ’19, mother Sarah Johnson Hallock ’85 and uncle Charles Johnson ’84 4. Trey Hepp with grandfather Ted Linhart ’65, mother Ashley Linhart Hepp ’94 and grandmother May Ellen Boyd Oakley ’67 5. Thomas Hutchins with mother Elizabeth Flippo Hutchins ’88, brother Will Hutchins ’19 and cousin Emily Flippo ’12 6. Kitchy Hyman with mother Elizabeth Andrews Hyman ’83, sister Toddy Hyman Jordan ’14 and father Chris Hyman ’79 6

50 SPARK | Class of 21

1

3

2

4

5 1. Haley Jenkins with father Scott Jenkins ’94 2. Noah Kiczales with brother Nicholas Kiczales ’15, mother Leigh Compton Shobe ’83 and brother Luke Kiczales ’17 3. Leighton Klevana with father Leighton Klevana ’87, sister Elizabeth Klevana ’19 and mother Chandler Thaxton Klevana ’91. Not pictured uncle Will Thaxton ’98 4. Charlie Kolbert with mother Mary Catharine Ginn Kolbert ’86. Not pictured deceased grandmother Grace Mercer Ginn ’55 5. J ames Kulp with uncle Chris Kulp ’84, cousin Mabry Kulp ’17 and father Scott Kulp ’88 6

6. Taly Leibowitz with brother Jordan Leibowitz ’19 and mother Amy Becker Leibowitz ’88

SUMMER 2021 51

1

2

3

4

5

6 1. B o Morano with aunt Sarah Morano Murray ’89, cousin Mack Murray ’18 and father Trip Morano III ’87 2. Henry Mountcastle with grandmother Deane Hotchkiss Mountcastle ’59 and father Frank Mountcastle ’83. Not pictured deceased greatgrandmother Frances Arrington Hotchkiss ’25 3. K atie Mulligan with brother Connor Mulligan ’19 and mother Michele Adams Mulligan ’83 4. Miriam Nimaga and Adam Nimaga with mother Mary Catherine Stagg Nimaga ’85 and aunt Lissie Stagg ’88.

5. K ate Nolde with father John Nolde ’90 and mother Haley Whipple Nolde ’92 6. Olivia Nolt with mother Sheryl Robins ’85

52 SPARK | Class of 21

1 1. J ames Patterson with mother Melissa Compton Patterson ’87, father David Patterson ’85 and brother Daniel Patterson ’18 2. Alex Peterman with aunt Laura Sydnor Powell ’91 and mother Julie Sydnor Peterman ’89 3. B. Pollard with aunt Mimi McDaniel Ziletti ’82, grandmother Mary Kennon McDaniel ’61, mother Anne McDaniel Pollard ’88 and sister Mary Pollard ’19 4. Bryson Raquet with mother Cameron Minor Cummings ’85 5. Will Robins with father Raleigh Robins ’79 6. Matthew Rowe with aunt Peyton Rowe’86, brother Jack Rowe ’19 and father John Rowe ’83

2

3

4

6

5

SUMMER 2021 53

1

3

2

4 1. Jack Smithson with father Smitty Smithson ’84 2. Jack Stepanian with brother Nicholas Stepanian ’18, sister Megan Stepanian ’16 and father Mark Stepanian ’89 3. Brude Stoever. Not pictured deceased great-grandmother Anne Cary Tilton ’32 4. Carter Stokes with father Jim Stokes ’89 5. Alfred Stratford with sister Kelsey Stratford ’16, grandmother Catherine Carson Stratford ’60, father Al Stratford ’85 and sister Grace Stratford ’18. Not pictured deceased great-grandmother Cary Cutchins Stratford ’30

5

54 SPARK | Class of 21

1 1. Trey Thompson with grandmother Katharine Tilghman Lowe ’53 and mother Anne Lowe Thompson ’90 2. Charlotte Tongel with uncle Jeff Tongel ’96 and father Jon Tongel ’91 3. Sam Tyner with father Ward Tyner ’91, sister Austin Tyner ’18 and uncle Scott Tyner ’07 4. Nora Willett with brother Turner Willett ’12, father Rodney Willett ’81 and brother Winston Willet ’16 5. Robert Woolwine with godmother Mary Hagan ’84. Not pictured deceased mother Paige Willhite Woolwine ’84

2

3

4

5

SUMMER 2021 55

2020-21 School Year

SENIOR YEAR REFLECTIONS

1

3

2

4

5 1-2. Members of Collegiate’s Class of 2021 meet with their Kindergarten buddies for the first time 3. Collegiate School students show Cougar pride during Convocation 4. Seniors work on their Capstone projects 5. The field hockey team celebrates Homecoming

56 SPARK | Class of 21

1

2

3

4

5 1. Students enjoy time outdoors on Collegiate’s campus 2. Seniors participate in a spirit day 3. Seniors perform in the 2020 Pageant 4. To celebrate the Seniors, Collegiate begins the countdown to Commencement 5. Senior athletes and their teammates continue to represent Collegiate with pride

SUMMER 2021 57

1

2

3

4

6

5

7

1-2. Seniors receive customized masks, lunch and class shirts from the School 3. Cum Laude recipients celebrate their academic achievements 4. Head of School Penny Evins catches up with Seniors

58 SPARK | Class of 21

5.

Students perform in concert

6. Seniors enjoy a night of festivities at the Senior Dinner and Celebration 7. Senior parents help recognize the Class of 2021 with special gifts

1

2

3

4

5

6

7 1. Senior boys celebrate Feast of Juul 2. The annual Brunch brings Junior and Senior girls together 3. Seniors bring their pets to campus and proudly sport their college gear 4. The Class of 2021 meet with their Kindergarten buddies for the final time 5. Seniors are celebrated during their final assembly 6. Parents and students attend the 2021 Baccalaureate (held outdoors due to the pandemic) 7. Seniors reflect on their life as Cougars as they sign yearbooks

SUMMER 2021 59

Each Individual Spark A student body is a composition of vibrant personalities, joined together.

Every student at Collegiate School is a torch carrier, leading the School forever forward on a lifelong path of learning, and all Collegiate students, as they carry that torch, add their own unique spark to our collective flame. Matt Mendelsohn, former photojournalist and internationally known professional photographer, came to Collegiate’s campus in May to capture the individual character of students from the Class of 2021 that make our community special.

Anastasia Redmond 60 SPARK | Class of 21

Thomas Hutchins “I’ve learned the value of maintaining a tight-knit community and the importance of reaching out to those around me when I need help and support. The faculty at Collegiate is truly a blessing, and they’ve helped me build my comfort level when looking for help.”

Nadia West

Ashley D’Ambrosia Makai Milton

“The value that I cherish most about Collegiate is the value of community. The Collegiate community is an amazing place where faculty and peers are always so supportive of each other. The faculty at Collegiate truly care about the students and their successes.”

Gabriel Metzger SUMMER 2021 61

Brooke Mattingly

Kayli Shenk “I’ve learned how important community really is. Coming into a private school my Junior year, I was amazed at how invested everyone was in each other’s well being. The faculty really seemed to go the extra mile to help us with our work and maintain our mental health, which is so important in high school.”

John Ballowe “I have many favorite memories from my time at Collegiate. Whether it was playing Uno with my friends during C period last spring, team dinners at Logan Little’s house or beating St. Christopher’s in football my Sophomore year — all of them were great memories. My buddies are able to make the best out of any situation and make any instance memorable.”

62 SPARK | Class of 21

Andrew Eastep

Beckett Foster

Betty Zhao

Ethan Clark

Emilie Yang

Emily Merchant “My favorite memories from Collegiate are field days in Lower School, VGF, Envision Richmond, Challenge Discovery, movie nights, dances and just so many other cool field trips, activities, programs and opportunities we had the chance to have and experience.”

Cierra Glasspie SUMMER 2021 63

ALUMNI NEWS LETT E R F ROM

H. Pettus LeCompte

C

ongratulations, Cougars, on finishing another outstanding year! The 2020-21 school year will go down in the history books as one of our most challenging years, yet it will also be remembered as one of our most successful and rewarding. We have all heard the expression “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Well, our Cougar power was on full display this past year for the entire Richmond community. Penny Evins, our Head of School, and her capable

staff and faculty put together a plan for both in-person education and remote education, giving our Collegiate families a choice to fit their circumstances. They led the way and were an outstanding model for other educational institutions to follow. The faculty did an incredible job of teaching in person while at the same time having students connect remotely to attend the same class.

Your Alumni Association has been very active, despite not being able to meet or hold in-person events. Anne Gray Cullen Siebert, our amazing Director of Alumni Engagement, has done a fantastic job working with your Alumni Board to redesign the game plan that allowed us to creatively and successfully operate during COVID-19. We have not only effectively held our regular meetings remotely, but we were also involved with a very successful virtual Winter Party & Auction as well as other remote alumni events. One silver lining of COVID is that it stretched our imaginations and led us to successful alternatives that allowed more of our out-of-town alumni to participate in many more activities than in previous years. The ability to remotely attend various school activities has enabled our Alumni Association to be more inclusive, reaching and engaging our alumni from all over the country — and beyond.

I would like to thank Sarah Paxton, our incoming Alumni Board President, her new executive committee, all of the Alumni Board members and each of you for the opportunity you gave me to lead the Alumni Board this year. I look forward to serving next year as Past President. Thank you all for sharing your talents, your voices, your determination and your tenacity — all of which enabled us to make the 2020-21 school year successful and unforgettable. We look forward to returning to the traditional in-person school events. However, now that we have learned how to virtually reach and engage our broader alumni, we will be a stronger organization moving forward.

With warmest regards, H. Pettus LeCompte Class of 1971

64 SPARK | Alumni News

S AV E-THE - DAT E

COL L EG IATE HO M E COMING WE E KE ND NO VE M BE R 5 - 6 , 2 0 2 1

After last year’s virtual celebration, we are excited to come together as we welcome alumni home to campus for a very special in-person Homecoming Weekend!

37T H AN N U A L A L U M N I OYST E R R O A S T FRIDAY, NOV. 5 6:30-8:30 p.m.

MOORELAND ROAD CAMPUS

COUGAR COMMUNITY PICNIC SATURDAY, NOV. 6 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

MOORELAND ROAD CAMPUS A gathering for Cougars of all ages.

Enjoy complimentary beverages and desserts.

Ages 21 and older, spouses and dates welcome.

Bring your own picnic or purchase lunch from one of

$25 per person in advance or $30 at the door.

the several food trucks.

ADDITIONAL EVENTS HOMECOMING 3K COLOR RUN Saturday, Nov. 6 8 a.m.

Mooreland Road Campus There will be reunion class competitions and Collegiate grade-level challenges. The race will begin on the Grover Jones Track.

HOMECOMING TENNIS ROUND ROBIN

HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAME VS. ST. CHRISTOPHER’S SATURDAY, NOV. 6 1 p.m.

GROVER JONES FIELD

Saturday, Nov. 6 9 a.m.

Robins Campus Calling all alumni to be team captains. Enter as a team or we will help you find one.

INDIVIDUAL REUNION PARTIES

If your class ends in 0, 1, 5 or 6 this is your reunion year.

Saturday, Nov. 6 Evening, Various Locations We need your help in planning a special evening for your class.

To volunteer, contact Anne Gray Siebert ’97, Director of Alumni Engagement at annegray_siebert@collegiate-va.org or 804.741.9757.

SUMMER 2021 65

A Heart That Serves EPIDEMIOLOGIST AND COLLEGIATE ALUMNUS DISPLAYS EXCELLENCE AND CARE FOR COUGAR COMMUNITY

By Weldon Bradshaw

M

ake no mistake: COVID-19 is

Vaughan’s pursuit of a

the enemy and a brazen one,

medical career began when he

an invisible aggressor that has

was quite young.

become a scourge of the third decade of the 21st century.

“The genesis of my attraction to being a doctor really

Dr. Leroy B. Vaughan Jr. — “Bo” to his

started early,” he says. “I had

friends — understands this quite well.

a couple of surgeries when I

institution where he took a cornucopia

was a kid so I was around a lot of doctors. If

of courses including ancient Greek,

As head epidemiologist at the Richmond’s

you have stars in your life, physicians were

microeconomics, European short fiction and

Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs

mine. Going through Collegiate, I always

modern Communist China.

Medical Center, the 1997 Collegiate School

had an affinity for sciences, especially the

graduate has played a prominent role in

health sciences. That continued through

“When I was inside my major, I focused

managing the pandemic not just at his

college. It was always an undergirding of

on virology and microbiology,” he says.

facility but at his alma mater as well.

my studies that I wanted to be a doctor.”

“The seeds for infectious disease were

Creating policy, offering counsel and

Vaughan found mentors on North

treating patients with professional and

Mooreland Road, among them Ann Griffin

compassionate care have been a labor of

and Stephanie Bensinger-Franz.

planted there. There was a magnetism to

love. His specialty — infectious diseases

these topics.”

After W&L, he took a 10-month hiatus and worked as a cook at the Teton Pines Resort

— is a true calling. The challenges,

“Mrs. Griffin’s AP biology class was hard,”

overwhelming at times, never deter him.

he recalls. “She said, ‘Don’t fall in love

The teamwork enriches him. The successes

with anybody in your class because it’ll

“I realized, I’ve got to get real,” he says. “I

bring him immense satisfaction.

completely derail you. I need all your

knew that if I wanted to get into medicine,

attention.’ I gave her all my attention. I

I couldn’t get sidetracked.”

“I’m fighting this unseen microbial world,”

didn’t fall in love with anybody. Got an A

he says. “I’m engaged in this battle that’s

and a 5 (the highest score) on the AP (exam).

very real. I’ve always enjoyed it. Somebody

in Wilson, Wyo.

Back in Richmond, he landed a job in the operating room at St. Mary’s Hospital to

can come into the hospital with a good

“In 8th Grade English, Ms. Bensinger-

gain experience, then began his course of

chance of dying, and we can almost

Franz taught me to write using an

study at the VCU Medical Center in 2004.

completely turn that around within a

economy of style. That really helped me

couple of days. That’s a big-time attraction

write scientifically well in a concise,

“Believe it or not, I thought I might want to

for any doctor. I have to be honest. We have

economic way.”

be a surgeon, maybe an orthopedic surgeon,

good days and bad days, but the efforts we

strictly because I loved sports,” he says. “I

put forth aren’t burdensome because I love

In 2001, Vaughan earned a BS in biology

what I do.”

from Washington & Lee, a liberal arts

66 SPARK | Alumni News

played lacrosse, football, basketball and

soccer at Collegiate.

for patients when they come in for

educators and the future needs of our

You think you

something other than an infection?”

evolving world. His leadership on a faculty/ staff Zoom regarding vaccinations with Dr.

know what you like. Once I got to

To say that COVID has presented

Richard Jackson (P ’17, ’19) provided facts

medical school,

enormous challenges is an understatement.

and a calming presence.

recalibrated to

“We started preparing for COVID in

“Bo models our core values of excellence

early interests

January 2020,” he says. “We knew there

and integrity. His gratitude to Collegiate

at W&L which

was a novel coronavirus that could have

inspired him to help us when he was

was essentially

pandemic potential. Between January

spread thin. His reverence for Collegiate

infectious diseases.”

and March when we had our first case, we

inspired us to dig deep and carefully

moved certain assets around to prepare

continue to focus on our mission delivery

He did his internal

for a surge. We had to accumulate all the

during the complexities of the pandemic.”

medicine residency

clinical information that was available at

at the University of

the time.”

I was quickly

Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore

Vaughan directed the

where he worked

establishment of a unit

with giants in the

dedicated to COVID

field of infectious

patients as well as a

disease including

drive-through clinic

Dr. Robert R. Redfield, former director

for COVID testing to

of the Centers for Disease Control and

minimize the risk of the

Prevention. His last year, he served as chief

infection entering the

resident. It was there that he met his wife

facility and affecting

Amanda, who is also a physician. They have

patients and employees.

two children, Marshall and Rosalie, both Collegiate students.

As Collegiate created its infection prevention

Vaughan returned to VCU in 2012 for

plans in order to

fellowship training in infectious diseases

reopen, Vaughan

before accepting a position at the VA

served as a consultant.

in 2013.

“From big decisions to tiny questions, Bo

Vaughan never doubted that with proper

“I’m a Generation-X guy,” he says. “My

provided insights, careful consideration

protocols, Collegiate could open in person

parents’ generation is the Vietnam era.

and a true partnership,” says Penny Evins,

and remain so.

My grandparents fought in World War II.

Head of School. “Along with Dr. Carolyn

I’ve always had this veneration for soldiers

Port (P ’21, ’23), texts, calls and emails

“I was convinced,” he says, “because I’d seen

and veterans.”

were answered and gave me the courage

it in hospitals. By not opening, you create a

and optimism to stay the course we

chain reaction of many other non-infectious

The Richmond VA serves 51,000 veterans in

thoughtfully crafted in partnership with

negative complications. Schools are not

Central Virginia and has 4,200 employees.

colleagues, volunteers and professionals.

major places of transmission when you

“This is not only where I started my

“Knowing that so many school

infectious disease career as a physician,”

communities nationwide had questions and

he says, “but it’s how I started learning

concerns, Bo agreed to serve as an expert

hospital epidemiology: How do you keep

medical advisor to NAIS on a Zoom call

infections out of hospitals? How do you

with hundreds of schools attending. He

keep infections from becoming a problem

willingly partnered on behalf of children,

have prevention practices in place. I think Collegiate’s plan has been pretty successful.”

Editor’s Note: Dr. Meera Pahuja ’97 has joined Dr. Bo Vaughan ’97 and Dr. Carolyn Port on the Collegiate School medical advisory team for the 2021-22 year. We are grateful for their service.

SUMMER 2021 67

Winning All Hearts

O

n the day her family convened at Sanders Retirement Village in Gloucester to celebrate her 100th birthday, Betty Ratcliffe Marshall had one special request.

“Will you all sing Hail Collegiate! with me?” she asked.

Those in attendance readily complied, of course, and as the words flowed, her beaming countenance reflected her delight.

That was March 8, 2020, a COVID-lifetime ago.

Since then, she’s navigated the trying times quite

“ One hundred and one, still not done, still having fun”

well thanks to her positive attitude and indefatigable nature, celebrated yet another birthday and emerged sharp as ever with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

“One hundred and one, still not done, still having fun,” she said with a laugh, which should give you a glimpse into the personality and spirit of the 1938 Collegiate School for Girls graduate for whom the passage of years hasn’t dimmed one iota her love for her alma mater.

If anything, in fact, it’s made her experiences at 1619 Monument Avenue more than eight decades ago all that more meaningful and her recollections of time spent with schoolmates and faculty more resonant, and, truth be told, poignant.

“I have many fond memories,” said Collegiate’s oldest living alumna.

When asked to cite a couple of them, she began, well, at the very beginning.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

68 SPARK | Alumni News

COLLEGIATE SCHOOL’S OLDEST LIVING COUGAR REFLECTS ON THE VALUES THAT LAST A LIFETIME

By Weldon Bradshaw

Absolutely, I responded, then settled in for a trip

The Monument Avenue site was landlocked,

unrest that would lead to World War II. In her

through the archives of the institution just five

so much of the athletic program, she noted,

mind, Collegiate just carried on.

years older than she.

occurred elsewhere.

“I was born at 2225 Monument Avenue and

“When we played hockey,” the former starting

about things like that,” she said. “I thought

lived there 27 years,” she said. “I walked to

right halfback said, “we were sent by taxi

Collegiate was very special.”

Collegiate School for Girls. Sometimes, I would

over to the seminary (Union Presbyterian

roller skate three blocks to School on those old

Seminary) in northern Richmond where they

Betty and Beverley Randolph Wellford

skates that had a key. The School at that time

had a field. I was captain of the team that year

Marshall, a World War II veteran and for many

consisted of two buildings. One was a house that

(’37-’38). Proud of that. One thing…we beat St.

years an attorney for Traveler’s Insurance

was converted into the Lower School. There was

Catherine’s, the other girls school.”

Company, were married for 56 years until his

“I don’t think my family would let me worry

passing in 2001.

a space between it and the other house that was converted into the Upper School.

Basketball practice, she said, took place on the roof of the classroom building. Games

She’s lived in Gloucester for 61 years, including

“We had to attend chapel every morning

were contested at several venues around

the last nine in her retirement community

from 9 to 9:30 with different ministers. I

town. Since there were no tennis facilities on

where her vibrancy and engaging nature have

particularly remember Dr. Cary Montague,

the premises, practices occurred on borrowed

endeared her to residents, staff members and

who was Episcopalian, and Dr. J. Blanton

courts, and matches were always on the

everyone else within her circle of friends.

Belk, who was a Presbyterian minister. His

road. Archery — hard to imagine today —

church (Grace Covenant) was only about three

took place in the close quarters between the

The Marshalls have three sons, two

houses away from the School.”

classroom buildings.

grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Marshall attended Collegiate for three

Mrs. Marshall was well liked and respected

’80 and Cathy Ratcliffe Plageman ’82, are

years from 1935 through 1938.

by her classmates. An inscription beside her

Collegiate graduates, as are Cathy’s daughters

senior picture in the ’38 Torch referenced her

Carolyn ’12, Frances ’14 and Julia ’17.

Their great nieces, Anne Ratcliffe Chamblee

“I remember Miss Harriet Montague, who

as “Captain Ratcliffe…taking charge of all

taught me English, and Miss (Mary Denmead)

activities…playing for the love of the game…

As we concluded our conversation, I commented

Ruffin, who taught history,” she continued.

fair and honest…winning all hearts by her

that though Collegiate is a much different

“And we had a really good French teacher

ability to be a good sport...laugh it all off and

place than it was in her day, the time-honored

(Juliet Lee Woodson).”

stay always happy.”

values of honor, loyalty, sportsmanship and

Why do they stand out? I inquired.

For many years, she attended reunions and

will. I trust that it gives you a great measure

stayed in touch with her classmates.

of satisfaction, I added, that your generation —

love of learning exist still and hopefully always

the Greatest Generation — played a vital role

“They taught good lessons,” she responded.

“I thought it was a wonderful education. But

“I’ve been the last one in my class for a long

in ensuring that those values were ingrained in

I was more interested in sports, and maybe

time,” she said. “You miss all the people that

the school’s culture.

some boys at the time. We had four sports:

are your age.”

“I certainly agree with that,” she responded.

hockey, basketball, tennis and archery. If you lettered in all four, you were given what was

When Mrs. Marshall attended Collegiate,

called an all-around letter which was sewn on

America was emerging from the Great

your green sweater.”

Depression, but there were rumblings of

“Very much so.”

SUMMER 2021 69

CLASS OF 2020

Alumni Gathering In June, Collegiate welcomed back members of the Class of 2020, the first group to return to campus since our reopening plan. They had the opportunity to reconnect with their classmates and their former faculty and staff. The special celebration included live music from classmates, food trucks and a raffle.

Alumni Comedy Night One of the truest forms of connection is to laugh with another person. In April, Collegiate School alumni came together over Zoom to enjoy a night of comedy and connection.

Participants were entertained by comedians and alumni board members as they incorporated some special Collegiate touches in their sketches. Performers included: former Alumni Board President Pettus LeCompte ’71; current Trustee Mayme Donohue ’03; alumni board members Lauren Cricchi ’10, Wortie Ferrell ’88, Peyton Jenkins ’00, Amrik Sahni ’06, Jasmine Turner ’11 and Harry Wilson ’01; and Penny Evins, Head of School. The night reminded us that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still part of a special Cougar community.

COUGARS CONNECT ONLINE PLATFORM Stay connected with our nearly 8,000 active alumni across the world by joining Cougars Connect! In order to better serve and connect our alumni, Collegiate recently launched this web-based platform for networking, mentoring and more.

Get connected at cougarsalums.com.

70 SPARK | Alumni News

FINDING CLARITY AMIDST THE CACOPHONY T W O C O L L E G I AT E A L UMNI F IND E X P R E S SI O N T HR O U G H A R T

By Weldon Bradshaw Life during COVID-19 has brought unprecedented and often daunting and heart-rendering challenges.

even if it’s a really confusing message and there might not even be one specific message.”

It’s not the challenges that define us, though. It’s how we process them, address them, respond to them and gain clarity amidst them.

Though they are separated by distance, Leeth (who lives in Atlanta) and Stewart worked in concert nonetheless. The theme of their collaboration revealed itself in time.

Among those challenges has been, at least in the early months of this now year-long Twilight Zone existence, a discomfiting sense of isolation and detachment from much (and many) that we hold dear.

Wishing them away is an exercise in futility. Finding joy and equilibrium in the moment is a healthier path to that still-nebulous destination called New Normal.

How, though? That’s the million-dollar question.

Julia Stewart and Annie Leeth, 2015 Collegiate School graduates, lifelong friends and skilled and innovative practitioners of their crafts, have found a way, albeit after a bit of a search.

They’ve created an installation combining art and music entitled But I Huff and Puff and You Still Won’t Come Out that was on display outside Collegiate’s college counseling office in the South Science Building until March.

“This is an immersive experience,” says Pam Sutherland, their Honors Art Teacher at Collegiate and at whose behest they shared their work. “You’re looking at the painting while hearing the music.

Stewart’s oil-on-canvas painting is entitled Containment. She created it over a roughly fourmonth spring-summer interlude in 2020 when she spent much of her time alone in her studio in the Manchester district of South Richmond.

“I was feeling trapped in my little space,” she says. “I was literally scared to go out even to the gas station across the street because of this virus. I was wary of jumping on whatever trend is going on and painting about it. It’s a tricky thing to paint about a pandemic.”

“We wanted it [the artwork] to be true to our own experiences,” Stewart says. “We were both feeling trapped. We had to get to know our physical surroundings a lot better. We were both protesting over the summer. She was stuck in her apartment just like me. After we began our projects, that’s when the collaboration happened.”

Leeth’s presentation is a song entitled “All We Are.” Her friend LeeAnn Peppers, a multi-talented artist (singer, songwriter, poet, filmmaker) based in Athens, Ga., wrote the lyrics.

Leeth wrote the music to accompany Peppers’s spoken words and produced the final product, which was accessible by scanning a QR code beside the painting.

“She’s talking about the idea of materialism as comfort instead of each other,” says Leeth, a University of Georgia graduate, talented violinist and an engineer for Maze Studios. “She’s saying that we’re not comfortable around each other in the way that we should be, and we cover it up with the things we own and then don’t understand when we start to feel trapped.”

At its best then, for both artist and observer, amidst the cacophony and consternation, disillusion and upheaval that envelopes us, reflection, introspection and creation can have a therapeutic effect.

“Art in many ways is a coping mechanism,” says Sutherland, an accomplished artist herself. “Not just artists know this. Many people going through the pandemic know it. You can be shut off from other things, but you can be alone with yourself and create something. That’s really valuable.”

Containment became a reflection of her feelings.

“Painting is a way for me to say whatever I want to say, even if I’m not sure what my final stance is,” Stewart says. “It’s definitely a form of communication,

SUMMER 2021 71

CLASS NOTES 1954 Connie Booker Moe writes, “None of my family was sick during the quarantine.

However, the time out of circulation did a number on my psyche. But now, with the promise of resuming teaching an exercise class at my church (Second Baptist), I’ve begun exercising again and planning new movements to get us all back in condition. Being able to go out and see a whole face again is wonderful!”

Mary Harrison Johnson died March 12, 2021.

together makes me smile! All in my family are managing through this hard time.”

Jane Terrell Neer is well and happy, and has been living independently at Westminster Canterbury for 14 years. She joins in all the activities that are offered. Jane turned 80 in December and is still driving to grocery stores, doctor’s appointments and shopping expeditions.

1964 Nancy Hungerford died May 24, 2021.

1977 Tommy Kastenbaum (working as Thomas Belgrey) played as Yuri Lenski in a special episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit that aired April 1.

Steve Kelley won the National Headliner Awards. Founded in 1934 by the Press Club of Atlantic City, the National Headliner Awards program is one of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic merit in the communications industry. “Steve Kelley doesn't play in cliches,” the judges said. “His cartoons

Roberta Pearson Grymes Gibson died May 21, 2021.

1955

1970 Head of School Penny Evins and family serendipitously ran into Wanda Berry Hailey

and Westminster Canterbury Richmond Foundation presented their highest honor, the Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Award, to Lucy Boswell Negus on Feb. 18. Lucy was cited by the board chairs and CEO for initiating, developing and growing the Westminster Canterbury Foundation, and for continuous outstanding dedication and leadership service to the mission and advancement of serving older adults. She is also the author of The View From Malvern Hall, a seminal biography of Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans and a valuable resource for learning about the life and influence of Mrs. Evans as a wife, mother, businesswoman and philanthropist.

1959 Elizabeth “Betsy” Minor McCommon

photos to songs for an album I had put together back in the '80s. We could do it ‘at a distance.’

What fun! His rendering of a song I wrote about Warren Beatty and being in 2nd Grade

72 SPARK | Class Notes

to find in 2020 — some on the national stage, and some in our own homes. His artistic hand is

1973

gut — causing a laugh, a head shake or a glance

Buzzy Northern shared a chance meeting he had with an old friend Rives Potts ’67. “I was having dinner outside at a local restaurant here in Wilmington, N.C. last night and had a great surprise. Sitting right next to me was Rives Potts, an old friend from Collegiate School days who went to Virginia Military Institute at the same time as I did. Rives shared that he was living in Dallas and is in the marina business.

Many of you may remember that he was project manager and crewman on Dennis Connor’s sailboat that won the America’s Cup in 1980.

Rives is a member of the National Sailing Hall of Fame and commodore of the New York Yacht Club. We had a great time catching up, and I had the chance to tell him all about Figure Eight Island, where Ellen and I have lived for

crisp and clear, and his messages go right to the at the calendar: Is it 2021 yet?”

Quigg Lawrence, Anglican bishop and senior pastor at Church of the Holy Spirit in Roanoke, Va., recorded a gospel bluegrass album, Come Home, with his daughter Annie Lawrence, as well as local and Grammy-nominated musicians. Lawrence sang on four cuts and was executive producer. The collaboration included Sierra Hull, Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers), Russ Carson (Ricky Skaggs), Scott Mulvahill, Justin Moses, Ryan Ogrodny (Alan Jackson), Junior Sisk, and The Brothers Young. The album is available on Spotify, YouTube and most other streaming platforms.

1979

almost nine years.

Mary Carter Pettit Dabney became the proud

1974

Helena Dabney "Nellie" Dolan.

writes, “One benefit of being isolated was the unexpected offer of a musician friend to add

on the hilarious moments that were so very hard

when on a summer day trip.

The Boards of Trustees of Westminster Canterbury Management Corporation

stood out for their originality, smarts and focus

David Dumville and his wife Liz welcomed two new grandchildren, Elliott and Noah. David and Liz are now the proud grandparents of four.

grandmother to Dabney Keane Robins and

1984 Randy Reynolds Jr. was recently nominated to the board of directors of Blue Ridge Bank, a

publicly traded community bank that is the third

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largest community bank in Virginia. Randy serves on the FinTech and governance committees of the bank’s board.

1985 On April 21, Brian Justice was ordained to the clergy of the Episcopal Church as a deacon. He plans to continue to teach at Collegiate School while pursuing ordained ministry.

1986 In the fall of 2020, Billy Turner was elected president and managing partner of the Thompson McMullan law firm. He began his term in January 2001.

Peyton Rowe was appointed as interim director of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture.

She’s served as interim associate director of the Robertson School since January 2021 and director of undergraduate studies since August 2018. Previously, Peyton was a tenured associate professor at the University of South Carolina, teaching graphic design. She joined VCU in 2006 as an associate professor. She’s now worked at the college level for over 25 years and has taught design, art direction and campaigns as well as capstone leadership courses. Peyton writes, “On May 18, I was promoted from associate professor to the highest faculty rank of professor by the VCU Board of Visitors upon recommendation

7

from President Michael Rao. This promotion was preceded by an almost yearlong review process with multiple levels of internal and external review. May was my month!”

1988 Rev. Gregory Gresko is happy to share that he is working with long-term global missions based in Korea that continue to bring him to other Asian countries as well as to Europe, the Middle East, Canada and the United States. His work includes collaborating with Koreans and fellow Western expats to deepen cultural ties that promote reconciliation and eventual unification of the Korean peninsula. Greg teaches extensively and provides ongoing consultation in educational programs and school development. He also loves working in diligent preparation for anticipated humanitarian missions to North Korea.

1. Wanda Berry Hailey ’70 serendipitously ran into Head of School Penny Evins while on a summer trip.

2. Buzzy Northern ’73 shared a chance meeting with an old friend Rives Potts ’67.

3. Tommy Kastenbaum ’77 played as Yuri Lens in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

4. Quigg Lawrence ’77 recorded a bluegrass album with his daughter and Grammynominated musicians.

5. Brian Justice ’85 was ordained to the clergy of the Episcopal Church as a deacon.

6. Peyton Rowe ’86 was appointed as interim director of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture.

7. Gregory Gresko ’88, pictured here in Seoraksan National Park, is working with long-term global missions based in Korea that continue to bring him to other Asian countries as well as to Europe, the Middle East, Canada and the United States.

SUMMER 2021 73

1992 Lauren Diehl Ford’s daughter Natalie Ford, a current Collegiate School student, produced her first single, “Reflection,” in March. She wrote the song and developed the music as she worked closely with her coach at Richmond’s Passion Music Group.

“Reflection” can be heard on Spotify, iTunes,

Vries Syndrome) and established a nonprofit foundation.” More information can be found at jansen-devries.org.

Elizabeth Dolan Wright became niece to Helena Dabney "Nellie" Dolan, daughter of Jay Dolan '04 and Emory Dabney Dolan.

Amazon Prime Music and YouTube.

Chris and Lucy Moore Hogsed welcomed

1994

joins big brother Gray.

Roger Hailes Jr., senior copywriter for the Martin Agency, was included in AdWeek’s Creative 100 list for 2021.

1995 Susannah Leigh Diehl was born to Meredith Diehl on May 28, 2020. She joins her proud and helpful big brother Henry.

1998

Caroline Reese Hogsed on Dec. 29, 2020. She

Greg McGeorge and his wife Jeannie McGeorge ’06 welcomed Dean Slade McGeorge on March 23, 2021.

2002 Matt Eisenman just completed his doctorate in education in organizational change and leadership at the University of Southern California. Matt’s dissertation is titled Organizational Barriers to Delaying

Bret Myers recently started a sports

High School Start Time in Independent

business certificate program at Villanova

Schools. Matt is currently a grade-level dean

University and has taught sports analytics

and English teacher at the Walker School in

for undergraduate and graduate students.

Marietta, Ga.

2. Roger Hailes Jr. ’94 was included in AdWeek’s Creative 100 list for 2021.

Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC, and, more

Maj. Scott Bartholomew took a break

recently, for Columbus Crew. The latter two

from setting up a command post in the

3. Susannah Leigh Diehl was born to Meredith Diehl ’95 on May 28, 2020.

teams have won Major League Soccer cups.

Russell Senate office building to pose for a

He was also an analytics consultant for

2000

picture during Operation Capitol Response.

Scott served as chief of sustainment for

This May, Laura Selene Rockefeller

Task Force Freedom when his Virginia

received her Master of Fine Arts degree

National Guard unit was called up following

in creative writing from Emerson College.

the Jan. 6 insurrection. This summer he’ll

Earlier this year, she had short stories

head to Kuwait and assume duties as the

published in the literary journals New

division transportation officer for Task Force

Square and Stork, and she has been invited

Spartan. “That translates into the guy

to present her one-woman play, Charlotte

responsible for making the majority of U.S.

Brontë: To Do More & Better Things, as a

stuff and people get from A to B in southwest

part of the 2021 North American Friends

and central Asia.”

of Chawton House Speaker Subscription Series. Laura has also started a new job as a museum Interpreter at the Paul Revere House in Boston.

2001 Rachel Carpenter Horne wrote to share

2003 Noah Greenbaum and Muffy Greenbaum ’04 introduced Nathan Lewis "Gray" Greenbaum, born April 17, 2020, to big brother Perry Greenbaum ’30 and Ollie Greenbaum ’32.

that, in 2017, her son Wells was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. He was only

Silas Charles Roth was born April 5 in

the second in the country to be diagnosed,

Nashville, Tenn. to Meg Ruehling Roth ’03

and over the past four years “we have

and husband Chris Roth. Silas joins siblings

accomplished naming the disorder (Jansen de

Hadley, Brant and Gretchen.

1. Natalie Ford ’22, daughter of Lauren Diehl Ford ’92 produced her first single,“Reflection,” in March.

4. Laura Selene Rockefeller ’00 received her Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Emerson College and published short stories in the literary journals New Square and Stork.

5. Rachel Carpenter Horne ’01 established a nonprofit foundation after her son Wells was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder.

6. Chris and Lucy Moore Hogsed ’01 welcomed Caroline Reese Hogsed on Dec. 29, 2020.

7. Matt Eisenman ’02 completed his doctorate in education in organizational change and leadership at the University of Southern California.

8. Maj. Scott Bartholomew ’02 is going to Kuwait this summer to assume duties as the division transportation officer for Task Force Spartan.

9. Noah Greenbaum ’03 and Muffy Greenbaum ’04 introduced Nathan Lewis "Gray" Greenbaum, born April 17, 2020, to big brother Perry Greenbaum ’30 and Ollie Greenbaum ’32.

10. Silas Charles Roth was born April 5 in Nashville, Tenn. to Meg Ruehling Roth ’03 and husband Chris Roth.

74 SPARK | Class Notes

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SUMMER 2021 75

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76 SPARK | Class Notes

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2004 Ned Rider and his wife Caroline had a little girl (actually a not-so-little 8lbs 14oz) Elizabeth Louisa Rider (calling her Louisa) Feb. 17, 2021.

Mabel Eaton Mallory, born Jan. 23, 2021 to Bryan and Palen Mallory, joins older siblings

Burch Hazelgrove Pope and husband Justin Pope welcomed son William Hughes Pope, who joined big sister Everett, Oct. 24, 2020.

Mary Beth Farhi’s son Philip Charles Farhi was born March 1 and joins his brother Louis.

Adeline and James.

Katie McCarthy Watts writes that after

Peyton Cheely Edwards purchased KDW

Cultural Resource Group in Fredericksburg,

Home, a design firm specializing in kitchens and baths, in early 2021. After working in the Virginia Beach showroom for over 12 years, Peyton and her family are thrilled to move back to the Richmond area this July. Their son, Scott,

two and a half wonderful years at Dovetail Va., she’s returning to Richmond to work as an architectural historian for Gray & Pape Inc. Katie is looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and seeing how Richmond has grown.

will start JK next year.

Elizabeth Koteles welcomed son Charles

Helena Dabney “Nellie” Dolan joined big brother

sister Palmer.

Todd on Jan. 24, 2020. Nellie is the daughter of Emory Dabney Dolan and Jay Dolan, niece of Elizabeth Dolan Wright ’01 and Lucy Dabney Robins ’09, and granddaughter of Mary Carter Pettit Dabney ’79.

Gray "Charlie" Koteles on May 7. He joins big

Lizzy Kitces was married in Central Park to Geremy Rosenberg on June 24, 2020.

2006 Jeannie McGeorge writes that she and

Muffy Greenbaum and Noah Greenbaum

husband Greg McGeorge ’01 welcomed Dean

'03 welcomed Nathan Lewis "Gray" Greenbaum,

Slade McGeorge on March 23. “Siblings Rory

born April 17, 2020.

and Kit are obsessed with him!”

2005

James Michael Jarvis married Katie Lynne

Mary Alex Murray and Derek Murray welcomed Margaret Gordon Murray on May 5.

Butz on Kiawah Island, S.C. on Oct. 31, 2020, and they now live in Richmond, Va. Due to COVID-19 restrictions only family and a few

2007 Jake McDonald started a non-profit called the Peavey Project, which seeks to teach mindfulness to corporations, teams and the Richmond community. He writes, “[Namesake] Alex Peavey has been such an impactful mentor, and it is through this work that I honor him and carry on his message of 'helping the helpers' and approaching life with a 'fight and smile' mentality.” For more information, visit thepeaveyproject.org.

Laura Anderson Kirby wrote that this was a busy year. Her family moved to Durham, N.C., where her daughter was born. She started working as a clinical psychologist at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development and wrote a children’s book, Henrietta’s Thistleberry Boots, which is a story about change, bravery and resilience.

2009 Dabney Keane Robins was born April 1 to Lucy Dabney Robins and husband Rand Robins. The proud grandmother is Mary Carter Pettit Dabney ’79.

Sarah Thalhimer Smith and her husband Trent welcomed Walker James Smith, born Feb. 19. The Smith family currently resides in Northern Virginia.

Cougars were able to attend.

1. Elizabeth Louisa Rider was born Feb. 17, 2021 to Ned Rider ’04 and his wife Caroline.

7. Lizzy Kitces ’05 was married in Central Park to Geremy Rosenberg on June 24, 2020.

2. Mabel Eaton Mallory was born Jan. 23, 2021 to Palen Mallory ’04 and her husband Bryan.

8. Dean Slade McGeorge was born March 23, 2021 to Jeannie McGeorge ’06 and her husband Greg McGeorge ’01.

2. Helena Dabney “Nellie” Dolan was born Jan. 24, 2021 to Jay Dolan ’04 and Emory Dabney Dolan.

9. James Michael Jarvis ’06 married Katie Lynne Butz on Kiawah Island, S.C. on Oct. 31, 2020.

3. Margaret Gordon Murray was born May 5 to Mary Alex Murray ’05 and Derek Murray.

10. Laura Anderson Kirby ’07 started working as a clinical psychologist at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development and wrote a children’s book, Henrietta’s Thistleberry Boots.

4. William Hughes Pope was born on Oct. 24, 2020 to Burch Hazelgrove Pope ’05 and husband Justin Pope.

5. Philip Charles Farhi was born March 1 to Mary Beth Farhi ’05.

11. Dabney Keane Robins was born April 1 to Lucy Dabney Robins ’09 and husband Rand Robins. The proud grandmother is Mary Carter Pettit Dabney ’79.

6. Charles Gray "Charlie" Koteles was born May 7 to Elizabeth Koteles ’05.

12. Walker James Smith was born Feb. 19 to Sarah Thalhimer Smith ’09 and her husband Trent.

SUMMER 2021 77

1

2012

2017

Michael Grappone completed

Mia Jackson accepted a Fulbright

his doctorate of philosophy in

scholarship, and next year she'll be

electromechanical engineering and

studying at University College London.

geophysics. He has now transitioned

Mia says that she hasn't nailed down

into a research and development role

which specific program she'll be

at a medical technology firm in London.

pursuing, but she wants to do research

Michael’s thesis won the 2020 Patricia

on the intersection between health

Tomkins prize for the best doctoral

equity and technology.

thesis in instrumentation science for astronomy and geophysics from the

NC State completed their season at

Royal Astronomical Society.

the College World series, and Evan Justice, a pitcher for the Wolfpack,

2013 Stewart Roddey writes from Nashville, Tenn., where she recently began her teaching career this past August at Oak Hill, a pre-

received All-ACC, All-Regional and All-American honors. Justice was later selected in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies.

Kindergarten through 6th Grade

2018

private school, where Hart Roper '96

Last summer Wescott Lowe

is the headmaster. This year, Stewart

illustrated a children’s book, Ozzie

worked as a Teaching Assistant and a

and Olivia Build a New Nest, and the

Physical Education Coach as well as

author, Tricia Petras, has already asked

a coach of lacrosse and football. Next

her to collaborate on two more books.

2

year, she’ll implement and teach an outdoor education elective as well as an experiential education elective. Stewart says, “It's an amazing experience that Collegiate School prepared me well for!

I am maintaining my love of learning that Collegiate instilled in me from a young start in Kindergarten!”

2015 Mary Moncure Spivey will be the office administrator at the Junior League of Richmond.

2016 Eleanor Dillon recently graduated from the University of Alabama in 2020 and received a job as a valuation associate with CBRE in Richmond, Va.

78 SPARK | Class Notes

1. Mia Jackson ’17 accepted a Fulbright scholarship, and next year she'll be studying at University College London.

2. Evan Justice ’17 was selected in the fifth round of the MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies.

IN MEMORIAM

Our condolences are offered to these members of the Collegiate family.

Stuart Harris Jr. and Marie Woody Harris, grandparents

Elizabeth Albright, wife of George Albright Jr. ’70, died

of Beckett Foster ’21 and Preston Foster ’23, died Feb. 12,

March 29, 2021.

2021 and March 9, 2021, respectively.

Howard Lane Lovett Jr., son-in-law of former Head of Susan Hagan, grandparent of Elizabeth “Lizzie” Hagan '22,

Collegiate Steve Hickman, died March 29, 2021.

Campbell Hagan ’19 and mother-in-law of Mary Hagan ’84, died Feb. 20, 2021.

William "Zell" Wiley, brother of Andy Wiley ’77, brotherin-law of former staff member Susan Wiley, and uncle of

B. Roberts Howarth, brother of Meade Howarth Williams

Colscon ’11 and Nash ’15, died March 30, 2021.

’63, died Feb. 21, 2021.

Dan Foglesong, father-in-law of Rachel Floyd Foglesong William Steele, father-in-law of Ann Bowers Steele ’88 and

’85, died April 1, 2021.

brother-in-law of Lucy Fitzgerald Steele ’62, died Feb. 21, 2021.

Thomas Farrell, father of Peter Farrell ’02 and Stuart Ernest A. Dettbarn Jr., father of Ernest A. Dettbarn

Farrell ’03, and grandfather of Thomas Farrell ’31, Sillers

III ’94, Lindsay Dettbarn ’96 and stepfather of James

Farrell ’33 and Garland Farrell ’34, died April 2, 2021.

Gregory ’97, died Feb. 23, 2021.

Roy "Sandy" Evans, husband of Virginia Brent Evans ’61, Lorna Pauley Jordan ’72, sister of Kathy Pauley Hickok

stepfather of Brent Hailes ’89, Sarah Hailes Easley ’89,

’68 and sister-in-law of Gene Hickok ’68, died Feb. 24, 2021.

and Roger Hailes Jr. ’94, and step-grandfather to Brent Hailes ’22 and Harper Hailes ’24, died April 8, 2021.

Norman Morgan, father of Spencer Morgan ’89 and Justin Morgan, died March 1, 2021.

Charlene Saunders Watkins Alley, mother of Christopher Penn Watkins ’79, died April 9, 2121.

E. Morgan Massey, father of Elizabeth Massey ’68, Susan Massey ’73, E. Morgan Massey ’70, John Massey ’71, C.

Lou Kendrick, mother of Charles Dixon Kendrick ’79, died

Taylor Massey ’82, grandfather of Lee Dickinson ’00 and

April 12, 2021.

Drew Dickinson ’03, and great-grandfather of Rebekah Dickinson ’33, died March 10, 2021.

Coleman Grandstaff, uncle of Armistead Grandstaff ’94 and Emily Grandstaff Owen ’96, died April 15, 2021.

Malcolm Pitt “Mac” Friddell, husband of Anne Day Friddell ’71, and father of Mac Friddell ’02, Ginnie

Calvin Lewis Casey, father of Catherine Casey

Friddell Kurtz ’04, Francie Friddell Hewitt ’06 and

Nottingham ’85, died April 22, 2021.

Robert Friddell ’09, died March 12, 2021.

John Coates, former Middle School English Teacher and Richard Dawes, Trustee from 1972-1976, and father of Alan

father of Marie Coates ’04, John “Jack” Coates Jr. ’07 and

Dawes ’73, Carol Dawes Williamson ’75 and Beverly

Chloe Coates ’10, died April 22, 2021.

Dawes Schmidt ’79, died March 18, 2021.

June J.D. Speight Myers, stepmother of Jonathan Myers Robert J. Hannan, former member of the summer school

’03, died April 28, 2021.

faculty and father of Melissa Hannan ’91, died March 24, 2021.

Henry “Hank” Bochner, grandfather of Matthew Disler ’12 John Koonce Jr., uncle of Cara Koonce McDaniel ’90 and

and Emily Disler ’14, died May 2, 2021.

Amy Koonce Chestnutt ’93, great-uncle of Ella McDaniel ’22, Henry Chestnutt ’32 and William Chestnutt ’32, died

Thomas Howard, father of Cathy Gregory, Lower School

March 25, 2021.

Director of Student Services, died May 4, 2021.

SUMMER 2021 79

Ronald Wilkins, father of David Wilkins ’94, father-inlaw of Jennifer Wilkins ’92, former Development Office staff member, and grandfather of Mary Wilkins ’25, Catharine Wilkins ’27 and Annie Wilkins ’27, died May 5, 2021.

DR. ROGER PAULSO N H A I L E S

Frances Fitzgerald, mother of Lucy Fitzgerald Steele ’62, died May 10, 2021.

John Joseph “Jay” Fox Jr., husband of Anne Fox, former longtime librarian, father of John Fox III ’77, Sarah Fox Liverance ’80, Ted Fox ’86 and Andrew Fox ’88, father-

Dr. Roger Paulson Hailes, known fondly to friends and family

in-law of Development Office staff member Paige Ingram

as “Doc,” passed away peacefully May 22 after suffering

Fox ’86, grandfather of Anne Pearson Fox ’16, Millie Fox

complications from a fall. He was 81 years old.

’19 and Thomas Fox ’24, and uncle of Brandon Fox ’82, died April 10, 2021.

Dr. Hailes, who served as an English Teacher and coach at Collegiate School from 1966 to 1968 and then returned to

Dorothy Pauley, mother of Katharine Pauley Hickok

Collegiate in 1976 after receiving advanced degrees where he

’68 and Lorna Jordan ’72, and mother-in-law of Gene

remained until his retirement in 2014, will be remembered for

Hickok ’68, died May 15, 202.

the love he held for the Collegiate community.

Roberta Pearson Grymes Gibson ’54 died May 21, 2021.

He was an avid supporter of Collegiate sports, especially football and tennis. You could always find Dr. Hailes on the sidelines

Bruce Johnson, father of Lisa Johnson Wallmeyer

ready to give anyone a high-five or fist bump. He had a unique

’92 and Christopher Johnson ’96, and grandfather of

ability to recall play-by-play details, even years after the contest.

Emerson Johnson ’30 and Henry Johnson ’33, died

Through his love of Shakespeare and the classics, Collegiate

May 21, 2021.

athletics and his sense of humor and enthusiasm for life, Dr. Hailes changed the lives of generations of Collegiate Students.

Roger Hailes, longtime Collegiate School English Teacher, husband of Debbie Hailes, Middle School

“He loved Collegiate,” Dr. Hailes’s wife, Deborah, says. “Even

Spanish Teacher, father of Sarah Easley ’89, Roger

the coaster he put his coffee cup on said, ‘Collegiate 1915.’

Hailes, Jr. ’94 and Brent Hailes '89, and stepfather of

Anything involving Collegiate, the man was on it.”

Bo Hurst ’01 and grandfather of Brent Hailes ’22 and Harper Hailes ’24, died May 22, 2021.

To honor the Collegiate spirit Dr. Hailes embodied, Mrs. Hailes, family and many friends established the Roger “Doc” Hailes

Emerson Shelton, grandfather of Kyla Williams ’26 and

Student Athlete Award, which honors a student who has given

Donovan Williams ’22, died May 24, 2021.

their best effort and often excelled in both academics and athletics. The award — available to any rising Sophomore, Junior

Russell Burns, grandfather of Emily Burns ’07, Maddie

or Senior — provides a summer stipend for an Upper School

Burns ’09 and Catherine Burns ’13, died May 31, 2021.

student to participate in an enrichment opportunity in order to learn new skills, pursue a passion, and grow in character.

ALUMNI

Dr. Hailes is survived by his loving wife, Deborah Hailes,

Mary Harrison Johnson ’54

from 1992 until her retirement in 2020; his brother, Douglas

Roberta Pearson Grymes Gibson ’54 Nancy Hungerford ’64

who taught at Collegiate as a Middle School Spanish Teacher Hailes; his three children, Brent Hailes (Catherine) ’89, Sarah Hailes Easley (Greg) ’89 and Roger Hailes Jr. (Natalia) ’94; two bonus children, Christopher "Bo" Hurst ’01 (Jessica) and Katie Langemeier ’05 (Kyle); and eight grandchildren, Brent ’22, Jackson, Harper ’24, Virginia, Annie, Gibson, Maya and Pete.

80 SPARK | Class Notes

JOHN COATES A life is lived fully when it extends long

with courageous optimism. “John Coates

after the life is lived. John Coates, who

at his best, you see, embodied grace under

died peacefully at his home on April 22,

pressure,” Weldon Bradshaw writes of him.

2021, will be remembered for bringing out

“Truly a Collegiate icon, he was always at

the best in each of the students he taught

his best.”

during his 31 years at Collegiate School.

Mr. Coates’s greatest legacy as a Cougar are Mr. Coates, who from 1984 until his

the multiple generations of students whose

retirement in 2015 taught 8th Grade

lives were touched through his knowledge

English and history, was passionate about

and wisdom. “He leaves an indelible legacy,”

teaching and learning, and his ultimate goal

Mr. Bradshaw says, “by the countless acts

with all his students was to imbue them

of kindness, empathy, humor, positivity and

with critical thinking and writing skills that

excellence which were part of his being.”

would benefit them throughout their lives.

The School has received a number of “Mr. Coates was one of the most challenging

generous gifts and heartfelt reflections from

yet rewarding teachers I had at Collegiate,”

the Collegiate community following the

Anna Jones ’12, says of her former teacher.

news of Mr. Coates’s passing.

“He constantly pushed my classmates and me to do our absolute best work — work I

Mr. Coates is survived by his wife, Lucy;

didn’t realize I was capable of doing. His

his daughter Marie Lucille Coates Dowd

class was never easy yet always engaging.

and her husband, Ian; his son, John Page

Collegiate and its students are better for

Coates Jr. "Jack," and his wife, Lee Anne;

having known Mr. Coates, and he will

his daughter Chloe Calot Coates; three

certainly be sorely missed.”

grandchildren, John Page Coates III "Trey," Thomas Harrison Coates and Asher Max

Mr. Coates, though diagnosed with

Adsitt Dowd; and his brother, Thomas F.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease as a

Coates III.

teenager, approached life — and others —

To learn more about or contribute to the newly established memorial funds, contact Jason Chestnutt in the development office at 804-741-3945.

SUMMER 2021 81

THANK YOU FACULTY AND STAFF In June, a sense of triumph was felt in the air around the Collegiate School campus. Students had completed their final projects and exams, the Class of 2021 had celebrated their Commencement and Summer Quest camps were about to begin. After wrapping up a challenging school year, one in which everyone had to take on new roles to ensure that the educational growth of our students continued, Collegiate faculty and staff enjoyed gathering for breakfast outdoors and then came together in Oates Theater for the first time in 479 days. Recognition of the significance of our collective accomplishment rose like a crescendo of loud applause. Laughs were shared, there were tears of joy and there were moments of deep reflection — reflections on the year we have emerged from and the lessons we will take with us going forward.

82 SPARK | Teachers' Take

SUMMER 2021 83

TEACHERS' TAKE W

hat a journey this year has been.

Throughout, the entire Collegiate School

Jenny Linder

community has been squarely focused on our students. Daily, we prepared with

Middle School P.E. Teacher

teaming and problem solving to deliver the best possible experience to enrich the learning and growth

From a student life perspective, I think of how normal the experience was — the kids were here with their friends learning in person, they had recess, they had their classes, they had their times where they could be social with their friends, they had athletics, they had the arts. There was so much that really was normal, because the planning and the work and the foresight that went in to making last spring and this year a reality and in person this year was just incredible.”

of our nearly 1,700 Cougars. Faculty and staff went above and beyond to provide a remarkable academic and extracurricular experience. Parents, grandparents, alumni and friends gave support and encouragement in ways big and small. Our incredible students embraced new habits and shared their joy and gratitude for the gift of being together, learning throughout our beautiful campus. Now, one extraordinary school year later, our resilient teachers took the time to reflect on the endurance of the Collegiate community.

Stew Williamson

Liz Bowling

Rives Fleming

Upper School Science Teacher

Upper School Spanish Teacher

Middle School Humanities Teacher

The curiosity came out. I gave them [the students] more time to think and ponder about stuff. The idea that they could wonder what the world could be in a few years or in a few months. Those conversations were more meaningful for me this year because we were living in a different world.”

I think that bringing together people from different pathways and in different ways in a shared experience that was difficult really was the biggest silver lining, which created those pop-up moments for me that I had not anticipated.”

The students really drive everything we do, and they were the ones that made this work.”

84 SPARK | Teachers' Take

Alex Dooley JK Teacher It was neat to see that school isn’t about the routines and what we think it should be. It’s about being together, and learning and growing and trusting each other, and loving each other.”

Suzanne Lewis Upper School History Teacher I loved that the students were all-in this year. They were willing to work with teachers, and they tried different things, and we took risks in classrooms as we tried our best to work within the masking and the social distancing rules. They were willing to jump in and meet the lesson where it was.”

Jermelle Dandridge 1st Grade Teacher The parents have been phenomenal, and I think, even from far away, I could feel their support. I could feel their love. The emails, the cards, the letters — all of those were just little things that you could tuck in your heart for those really tough days.”

SUMMER 2021 85

Collegiate School faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the successful 2020-21 school year.