18 minute read
Development
Architectural renderings of the soon-to-be upgraded Smith Gym
Refreshing and Enhancing a Sacred Space
BY DIANE SALZMAN, VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT
During the past 18 months, we have reimagined our various fundraising events, including our single largest initiative, the Auction. For a second consecutive year, we were faced with the question of how best to engage our alumni, current and past parents, and friends of Jesuit High School as we aimed to create a sense of virtual community and assist essential programs dependent upon fundraising efforts.
For several years we have discussed creating an enhanced sacred space for the most important hour of every week at Jesuit – Friday Mass. Students and parents alike have asked how we can improve the technology, lighting, and seating in the Smith Gym for our Friday Masses.
We are in the wonderful predicament of needing a larger space for Mass and the Smith Gym is one of the few places on campus that can accommodate up to 1,000 of our students who want to gather with their friends and classmates to celebrate the Eucharist every week. While the Smith Gym allows for a large number of people to come together, we knew that we could provide a more reverent, intimate setting – a sacred space – for our Friday liturgy. Recognizing the importance of refreshing the Smith Gym to provide a sacred space for Mass and the need to raise funds for tuition assistance, we created the Changing Lives Together initiative in place of our traditional Auction in May. On April 26, we launched a two-week digital campaign which featured a virtual fundraising event on Saturday, May 8. Throughout the two weeks and during the Saturday event, we shared inspiring stories of how Jesuit impacts students’ lives through faith, community, service, academics, and co-curriculars.
Our hosts for the May 8 event, Nina Mehlhaf ’98 and Dale Johannes with Artisan Auctions, were energetic and enthusiastically encouraged viewers to support the campaign. To date, we have raised over $900,000 for the spring initiative! We will continue the Changing Lives Together campaign as we aspire to raise a total of $3 million for the Smith Gym refresh. A key component of the virtual event was a matching gift presented by Renee James and Steven Cooney and Sean ’82 and Jennifer O’Scannlain. Each family donated $50,000 to the campaign and challenged our community to collectively give 50 gifts of $1,000. Our audience rose to the occasion.
A memorable highlight from our campaign was the video of former JHS President Dick Gedrose ’61, explaining the evolution of Friday Mass at Jesuit High School and the difference that Friday Mass makes in the lives of the young women and men who grace our campus every day. Members of our community appreciated hearing from such a beloved Jesuit leader.
Megan Carle, parent of Spencer ’22 and Jackie ’25, and Mary Murphy, parent of Elizabeth ’08, Patrick ’09, Henry ’11, Sarah ’13, Edward ’17, and Peter ’20, were our Changing Lives Together campaign co-chairs. They formed a group of talented parents who assisted in the transition from a six-decade Auction model to a digital and virtual initiative.
We wish to extend special thanks to our Presenting Sponsors, Touchmark and Colleen & Werner Nistler and our 2021 Jeep Renegade raffle sponsors, NW Jeep and the McGrain family. Their long-term commitment to the mission of Jesuit High School is nothing short of remarkable.
In addition, we commend our Platinum Sponsors: Clearview MRI – Darcy Orin; (w)here Real Estate – Suzann Baricevic Murphy; Evergreen Prosthetics & Orthotics – Tim and Gina O’Neill; and Heather and Chris Adamek for their unwavering support with our transition from a traditional auction to a digital campaign and virtual event.
As many in our audience at the May 8th event anticipated, we announced our raffle and drawing winners. Congratulations to the 2021 Jeep Renegade winner, Jesuit alum parent Nicole Dvorshak, and to Eric Messer, current parent and winner of our “Watch to Win” drawing – an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii for two! Both Nicole and Eric were watching live as their names were drawn and announced.
A tremendous thank you to all who supported the Changing Lives Together campaign in May. Your support has helped us launch the next phase as we raise funds solely for the Sacred Space – Smith Gym Refresh. We are grateful for your faith and commitment to the spiritual formation of our students.
Questions?
For more details about the Changing Lives Together initiative and the Sacred Space – Smith Gym Refresh, contact Diane Salzman at 503-2915497 or email dsalzman@jesuitportland.org.
INTRODUCING THE HOLLMAN FAMILY STUDENT UNION
We are thrilled to announce that the Gedrose Student Center, which has served the Jesuit High School community so well for decades, will have an entirely new look in fall 2021, thanks to the generosity of Joe Hollman ’60.
Planned improvements to the space, which began in May and will be completed in August 2021, will provide students with a more engaging environment to socialize, study, and share meals together. The flexible, student-focused design will transform the cafeteria and commons into a vibrant, welcoming community hub for all to enjoy.
Since its construction in 1956, there have been just a few improvements to the cafeteria and the area immediately outside of the cafeteria, called the commons. Enhancements to both spaces will prioritize the needs of our students and modernize the facilities.
Every surface in the cafeteria and commons (floor, walls, ceiling) will be updated with new materials and vibrant colors. One of the most exciting updates will be the conversion to an open floor plan. In addition to enlarging the doorway to unite the cafeteria and commons, new flooring and acoustic elements added to the ceiling will make for a seamless transition.
The remodel will also feature an upgrade to AV technology, including multiple flat screen televisions. With an emphasis on flexible seating options, all new furniture and booths will be added. An additional serving window in the cafeteria will expedite and improve food service so that students can spend more time together during breaks and lunch.
While the building will remain the Gedrose Student Center, we are proud to name the remodeled cafeteria and commons area the Hollman Family Student Union. Joe Hollman ‘60 generously donated $2 million for the renovation of the Gedrose Student Center and Commons. Mr. Hollman is the founder and owner of Keyless.Co, the premier manufacturer and supplier of keyless combination locks and locker hardware for high-security facilities worldwide. He is also the founder of Hollman, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of sport, fitness and office lockers.
For over three decades, Mr. Hollman has graciously supported Jesuit, making it possible for hundreds of students to receive an Ignatian education. The Hollman family has previously provided resources for several Jesuit improvement projects, including the Hollman Track in Cronin Field.
When asked how a Jesuit education has impacted his life, Mr. Hollman reflected on a strong foundation and highlighted four principles:
1. Seek and speak the truth in all matters. 2. Accept responsibility for everything that happens. 3. Be the inspiring, sensitive leader whom you would love to follow. 4. Remember that success and happiness is determined by how much you respect and appreciate what God has given you.
“Through the education and guidance I received during my Jesuit years, my life was changed for the better,” shared Mr. Hollman. “Those lessons I learned continue to impact my life today. I believe that a Jesuit education impacts every facet of a student’s life and truly lasts forever. I am a living example of that, and I am humbly grateful.”
We are grateful that Mr. Hollman and his family continue to make a difference in the lives of our students with their significant gift for the Hollman Family Student Union.
We invite you to join us this fall as we welcome our community back to campus to celebrate in this reinvigorated community hub and honor the Hollman family for their enduring commitment to Ignatian education.
A TESTAMENT TO RESILIENCE Class of 2021
When members of the Class of 2021 finally returned to campus for classes in early February of 2021, school leaders thanked them for their resilience and deep sacrifice in giving up so many high school rites of passage in order to protect the health of the most vulnerable during the past year’s pandemic.
May finally offered students the chance to sing, dance, and celebrate the power of their community, starting with Prom. Jesuit’s Prom was a spectacular explosion of colorful dresses, sunshine, saxophones and unfettered teenage joy. The 500 students in attendance were greeted by a campus transformed into an enchanted forest of fun, Italian sodas, and rock ‘n’ roll.
The Final Mile of the Senior Pilgrimage, a 24-year tradition, took place the Sunday after Prom. Seniors had the chance to reflect on their journey at Jesuit. Speakers expressed gratitude to their classmates and to Jesuit itself. “The Jesuit Class of 2021 has navigated and adapted to a new way of learning, interacting, and growing, all while celebrating incredible achievements,” says Krish Aditya ’21. “We’ve brought home state titles, put world premieres on our stage, and advocated for the causes that matter to us. From singing our hearts out on retreats to cheering our loudest at games, we’ve grown from a collection of unique individuals to a single community grounded in love. The Class of 2021 never gave up the opportunity to make the most of what we were given, to use our talents for good, and to serve one another with joy.”
Krish's sentiments could not be more true: The Class of 2021 started the most clubs in history at JHS, completed the most virtual service hours of any class, and led the most retreats – truly an impressive lineup of accomplishments.
“Thanks, Class of 2021, for never stopping believing, for sticking together, and for embodying what community looks, feels, and sounds like,” says Jesuit Principal Paul Hogan.
Valedictorians
Wenjun Hou Anagha Nair
Salutatorian
Brian Xu
National Merit Finalists
Krish Aditya Elizabeth Daigle Wenjun Hou Devansh Khunteta Sean Kim Marissa Kuo Sujena Soumyanath Charlie Strear Madeline VanderZanden Brian Xu
National Merit Commended Students
Anna Dellit Katherine Fan Ellen Haney Nathan Hasbrook Sartaj Jhooty James Lewis Anagha Nair Cole Odegard Tanner Olson Julia Petrin Thien Phan Zoe Quach Abigail Rawlinson Alison Sasaki Elise Sixta Roy Wang Daniel Zahariev
National Hispanic Recognition Program
Nicholas Braun Damon Grim Wyatt Warrington
Summa Cum Laude Awards
Elizabeth Daigle Molly Grant Paige Grant Ellen Haney Marissa Kuo Grace Kurilo James Lewis Beau Lonnquist Noah Lyman Anagha Nair Nathan Nguyen Thu Nguyen Aiden O'Scannlain Jack Partovi Abigail Rawlinson Elise Sixta Madeline VanderZanden Tiffany Vu
Magna Cum Laude Awards
Aidan Alexander Reet Chatterjee Damon Grim Wenjun Hou Ethan M. Nguyen Cole Odegard Tanner Olson Sujena Soumyanath Charlie Strear Javier Vollmayer Madeline Woodruff Brian Xu
Senior Speakers
Krish Aditya Abigail Rawlinson
Senior Loyalty Awards
Krish Aditya Abigail Rawlinson
Fr. Henry Schultheis, S.J., Christian Commitment Awards
Anna Dellit Reet Chatterjee
Jesuit Schools Network Awards
Ellen Haney Brian Xu
Department Awards
Campus Ministry: Joshua Martin and Lydia Wanner Chinese: James Lewis Choir: Jasmine Dominguez Alfaro Christian Service: Lucy Keane and Brian Xu Computer Science: Nathan Timmins Diversity: Anna Dellit and Brian Xu Drama: Krish Aditya English: Sophia Reindl French: Sujena Soumyanath History: Abigail Rawlinson Instrumental Music: Tyler Olson Journalism: Steele Clevenger Mathematics: Brian Xu Photography: Sydney Averill Science: Elizabeth Daigle Spanish: Leanne Emmi Student Government: Krish Aditya and Ellen Haney Technical Theatre: Luke Motschenbacher and Grace Sopko Theology Studies: Jazlynn Contreras Lopez and Owen Mackin Visual Arts: Abigail Rawlinson Yearbook: Siena Ferriso
Class of 2021 Stats
10 National Merit Finalists 17 National Merit Commended Students 242 Presidential Academic Award Winners 159 National Honor Society Members (3.60+ GPA plus service and leadership)
Total Hours of Christian Service: 28,201 Average Christian Service Hours per Student: 93.7 (only 45 hours of service per student is required)
College Bound: 99% +
Teacher Recognition
Educator of the Year: Melissa Lowery Sandy Satterberg Award for Excellence in Ignatian Pedagogy: Mark Flamoe
ALUMNI IN SERVICE OF OTHERS
Amanda nguyen ’17
JHS teacher Dr. Lara Shamieh and Nguyen Four days after graduation from Jesuit, Amanda Nguyen ’17 started her military career. In San Antonio, Texas, she attended boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base and technical school for dentistry at Fort Sam Houston. She currently works as a dental assistant for dental procedures and oral surgery at the National Guard Base in Portland, her home unit.
“At JHS, the core values of being men and women for others and serving are similar to military values,” she says. “There is an inner moral compass that is instilled and it becomes who you are, whether you are in uniform or not.”
While COVID-19 prevented Amanda from helping to provide free pop-up medical and dental clinics in underprivileged communities, she still works on base with military patients before they head out on assignments. With the vaccine now available, Amanda is working full-time on base doing administrative scheduling for soldiers. She is also helping with the Oregon Mass Vaccination Initiative to register those eligible to receive the vaccine.
In the past year, Amanda has learned not to take anything for granted. Her family and faith have become more prevalent in her life since the pandemic began and getting to watch Mass online every Sunday has become a cherished time. Amanda has seen a change in her perspectives, responsibilities, gratitude, and faith over the past year.
ciaran willis ’10
As 2020 unfolded, Ciaran Willis ’10 watched with curiosity and a critical eye. "What would be the effect of students learning in restricted environments?” wondered Ciaran.
Inspired by his time at summer camp and wilderness guiding, Ciaran began to consider the possibility of creating a safe remote learning environment. This idea quickly transformed into “A Place Beyond” – a way for students to stay enrolled in school, live as a community, and grow as individuals while earning their degrees. Two campuses formed Sanborn Western Camps in Florissant, Colorado, and Friendly Pines Camp in Prescott, Arizona. Along with community, participants also found academic support, mentorship and workshops, which nurtured social and emotional health. Fall semester began on Sept. 9, 2020, with 45 students, and the spring brought 105 students between the two sites with 20 returning students.
As the possibility of community in the greater world dawns with the vaccine in distribution, Ciaran is looking at ways to continue to create connections while students return to their respective campuses with A Place Beyond in the future. Thanks to the creativity and determination of one Jesuit alum, community safely thrived and contributed to the well-being of many college students during a time of uncertainty and desolation.
ALUMNI IN SERVICE OF OTHERS
mark chesnutt ariana wiltjer ’16 sam wiltjer ’19
As a front-line health care worker (HCW) during the pandemic, Dr. Mark Chesnutt (Jesuit alumni parent and director of critical care at our local Veterans Administration Hospital) found that his disaster preparedness training prepared him for most, but not all the challenges he faced.
"When one trains for something like this, one hopes they never have to use their skills; I am very thankful that I was well trained," says Mark.
Mark, the parent of three alumni (Cameron ’13, Mika ’15, and Jack ’19), and his wife, Asha MD, have been involved with the Jesuit community and the greater Portland community through their careers in the medical field. Mark also served as a crucial medical adviser to Jesuit's administration during the early days of COVID.
Mark noted many ways the pandemic impacted HCWs and patients. The pandemic disrupted the communal nature of his ICU: a very close-knit community faced communication challenges created by physical distancing and layers of personal protective equipment, and many ate meals alone instead of gathering in ICU break rooms.
For patients, COVID took away many families' ability to be with their loved ones during hard times. Hospitals developed creative solutions to foster as much human connection as possible (often using social media or video conferencing). But often, nurses were the only ones physically present during a patient's final moments.
COVID-19 has changed health care forever. "We will never go back to doing things the way we did before 2020," says Mark. On a positive note, lessons learned include enhanced approaches to communication and more holistic environments for HCWs, patients and families. During lockdown, Ariana Wiltjer '16 and Sam Wiltjer '19 wanted to find a way to connect people and resources that could make an impact on the health of the community.
They created NeighborShould, a nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce divides and assist communities in times of need through education, awareness, and access to resources.
NeighborShould's first initiative is focused on spreading awareness and resources for COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP). CCP is plasma, or the liquid portion of the blood, from recovered COVID-19 patients. This plasma is rich in antibodies that target the virus responsible for COVID-19.
"We decided that increased awareness of the therapy would expand the potential donor pool, and as a result, CCP donations," said Ariana. "We've created an online locator tool with over 1000 blood and plasma donation centers nationwide and begun co-hosting drives with university organizations that have experienced outbreaks."
Ariana and Sam do not want NeighborShould's impact to end when the pandemic eases.
"We established NeighborShould as a nonprofit so that we could continue to work in areas that we are passionate about beyond the COVID-19 pandemic," said Ariana. "Through our education at Jesuit, we have both developed a passion for social justice and we look forward to growing with NeighborShould."
Four Alums Honored on 40 under 40
PBJ 2020 List
Each year, the Portland Business Journal selects the most influential young professionals to be honored at the 40 Under 40 ceremony. We want to offer a huge congratulations to four of our alumni for achieving this amazing accomplishment in 2020: Paul Andrews '04, Nora Sheils '98, Afton Walsh '03, and Mike Nierengarten '99. We are in awe of the work you are doing in our community and captivated by how your innovative ideas are shaping our future.
Nora Sheils '98
CEO of Bridal Bliss INC and Co-Founder of Rock Paper Coin, INC
"The impact of a Jesuit education doesn't leave you. Outside of intellectual development, my Jesuit experiences in high school and college have challenged me to always do better and shift the focus of my life from myself to others. The relationships formed in my time at Jesuit have had a lasting impression on me and provided me with priceless lifelong friendships."
Mike Nierengarten '99
President & Founder at Obility, Co-Founder at Dregs Vodka
"The aspect of Jesuit that has most stuck with me is the expectation to succeed. Every student at Jesuit expected to go to college and pursue their goals. There was never a question of if it would happen, there was always an expectation that it will happen. I have carried that into my current work/life as I take risks in starting or acquiring companies. My expectation is for these companies to be successful."
Paul Andrews '04
Commercial Real Estate Broker, Melvin Mark / Board Director, Oregon Historical Society – Property and Facilities Committee Chair, Executive Committee Member / Board Director, Pioneer Courthouse Square Inc. – Executive Committee Member
"The aspect of my Jesuit education that has meant the most to me has been lessons on the incredible value of community; community not only in terms of connection to family and friends, but also community as engagement and service to the greater good. We are all in this together. It truly takes a village to solve a problem. I know things will get better and that together we will get through this uniquely challenging time."
Afton Walsh '03
Director of Community Engagement – Walsh Construction
