FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
Kent Denver School
PERSPECTIVE Spring 2016
PA S S I ON PR O J E C TS Alumni Build Careers Around What they Love p.15
SPRING 2016
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FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
It’s a beautiful morning: The lights go on in Kent Denver’s outdoor learning spaces and another school day begins. Photo: J. Todd
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KENT DENVER SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE
IN THIS ISSUE
Fall Perspective advisors Lesley Brophy, Eric Chandler, Miya Dickman ’94, Holly Downs ’00, Phil Klein, Sara Lawrence, Genevieve Marcelino, Suzie Todd ’73 Editor Jan Thomas ’76 Associate editor Jack Todd ’09 Design & layout Andi Todaro Contributing photographers Cody Autterson ’10 Maddie Brenneman ’08 Michael Burnham Justin Coopersmith ’16 Emily Danitz Epic Fales Photography From the Hip Photography Nick Kelley ’08 Carol MacKay Wendy Miscall Bryan Rich ’06 Jan Thomas ’76 Jack Todd ’09 Jody Holman Webster ’86 Contributing writers Marti Champion Eric Chandler, Ph.D. Rand Harrington, Ph.D. Lisa Mortell Jack Shapiro ’16 Jan Thomas ’76 Jack Todd ’09 Cover photo: Focus, patience and success. Tucker Joseph ’19 hones his craft in Margaret NeJame’s Metals I class. Cover photo: J. Coopersmith ’16
Kent Denver School
PERSPECTIVE Spring 2016
Features 09 IDEAS INTO ACTION
How Kent Denver empowers students to act.
Three recent alumni find fulfilling work in long-loved hobbies.
Alumni from ’64-’04 explain how they find meaning in work.
Jack Shapiro ’16 reflects on Kent Denver’s creative spirit.
15 PASSION PROJECtS
20 WHAT’S YOUR LEGACY?
26 A COMMUNITY OF INNOVATORS
Departments 4 Tribute
5 From the Head of School 6 Campus News
10 Sports Round-Up 12 Alumni News 14 Stay in Touch
Tribute photo: C. MacKay
CONNECT
2015-16 Board of Trustees Dr. Rand Harrington, Head of School
Visit Kent Denver social media to learn more about what’s happening on campus.
John Zimmerman, President Bruce Rifkin ’75, Vice President Mary Kelly, Secretary Tom McGonagle ’77, Treasurer
facebook.com/kentdenverschool twitter.com/KDSsundevil vimeo.com/kentdenverschool instagram.com/kentdenverschool
Tully Bragg Jeff Caulfield, Faculty Rep Kathy Safford Coors ’90 Navin Dimond Julia Sayre Donnelly ’98, Alumni Rep
Kevin V. Duncan ’81 Ann Ellis Parker Evans ’16, Student Rep Jeremy Flug Ann Gail, Parents’ Association Rep Ken Gart Doug Henston Sunhee Hodges Jeff Howard Sarah Anschutz Hunt ’89 Michanda Lindsey
Lisa Love Bruce McGrath ’72 Karen Padgett Caroline Kurtz Rassenfoss ’78 Lisa Robinson Ramsay Stabler Keith Warner Jennifer McIntosh Waters ’88 Terry Whitney ’80
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TRIBUTE
“A beautiful, multi-talented couple who are dedicated to our school and to our students, and who will be impossible to replace.” - Eric Chandler, Ph.D., Upper School Division Head
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KENT DENVER SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE
Photo: C. MacKay
Tribute
Ruth and Michael Burnham will retire at the end of this school year. Their combined 55-year legacy includes Michael’s tenure as Science department chair, his role as visionary for our electron microscope, genetics class and much more, and Ruth’s stewardship as Boettcher head librarian, leader of our classical music program and one of the inaugural members of our college counseling team.
FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
From the Head of School H o w w e g et b etter
Visit the self-help section of any bookstore and you will see an almost endless number of books promising to help people get better. It is easy to summarize the strategies these books promote: To get better, get feedback.
Photo: C. MacKay
Without meaningful feedback, we fly through life blindly, never knowing if our intentions match the outcomes of our actions. Educators have long recognized the essential nature of feedback in the learning process. For example, one can trace the history of the learning cycle as far back as the early 1930s; though it has been reimagined innumerable times, the cycle is, in its simplest form, a study in iteration: Take a risk. Evaluate. Make adjustments. Try again. In this issue of Perspective, we celebrate entrepreneurialism. The original meaning of this word is to “take a financial risk to make a profit.” There is, however, a deeper and broader definition that looks surprisingly similar to the learning cycle. According to Howard Stevenson, Harvard Business School professor emeritus, “Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled. [Entrepreneurs] see an opportunity and don’t feel constrained from pursuing it because they lack resources. They’re used to making do without resources.” I would add that entrepreneurs demand honest feedback all along the way. Although in business, feedback often takes the form of monthly sales numbers, general success in problem solving can have a wide range of metrics.
In education, Stevenson refers to a lack of resources as what happens when a student lacks the necessary information to solve an authentic problem. (If the student does have the information he or she needs, the problem is not authentic.) The student needs agency—that is, a high degree of intrinsic motivation—to figure things out. In some education models, students rely on teachers to supply answers. Here at Kent Denver, our teachers aim to empower students to think for themselves. Teachers are provocateurs. They pose questions but expect students to pursue different paths toward understanding through their own initiative. Some education professionals have started to call this approach “entrepreneurial learning.” Here is how it works: Come across an interesting idea or problem? Pursue it with vigor and tenacity. Draw on all the resources you need. Discuss the challenge with others. Access digital information. Observe, think—then take a risk! Share your ideas. Get feedback. Refine. Repeat. Improve. Succeed! In the pages of this issue, you will find numerous stories of alumni who have excelled at just this; they took a risk, tried something out, sought feedback, made changes and started again (and again, and again). This is how we get better, and this is what Kent Denver students are asked to do every day. Warm regards,
Rand Harrington, Ph.D. Head of School
So how does entrepreneurialism relate to the learning cycle?
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Campus News THE P L AY ’ S THE TH I N G
S T U D E N T S CHOL A R S R ECE I VE N AT I O N A L A CCOL A D E S Eight members of the Class of 2016 were named National Merit Finalists. Congratulations to Rehan Choudhury, Conner Chyung, Lucy Hsiao, Olivia Leoni, Molly Murphy, Blake Parsons, Russell Stewart and Nina Vendhan. These students are among the top 15,000 of all students who took the PSAT last year and are now eligible to compete for 2016 National Merit Scholar awards. Additionally, Choudhury was named a Boettcher Scholar for 2016. The fouryear award offers the state’s top high school seniors tuition, room, board and associated costs at a Colorado college or university and provides funding for international study and grants for internships and career development. The College Board named James Hueston ’16 a 2015-16 National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar. NHRP Scholars are chosen based on both PSAT results and academic accomplishments.
Photo: W. Miscall
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KENT DENVER SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE
A record number of wedding bells tolled for Kent Denver faculty last year!
Congratulations to all!
Emily Danitz, Upper School Science teacher and volleyball coach, and her husband, Matt, welcomed daughter, Hazel Charlotte, on Wed., Feb. 17. Hazel’s brother, Aiden, reportedly loves being the older sibling.
Photo: M. Burnham
Fa c u l t y and S taff U pdat e s
Photo courtesy Emily Danitz
Photos: D. Wells
THE D OCTO R S A R E I N Diagnosing mystery patients. Dissecting sheep lungs, eyes and hearts. “Scrubbing in” to observe a cardiologist in action or an orthopedic surgeon in his operating suite. For the 14 Middle-Schoolers in Wendy Miscall’s Young Surgeons elective, every session brings a new adventure in the world of medicine. According to Miscall, about half of the Young Surgeons have a strong interest in pursuing a medical career. The others want to learn more about the science of medicine and the human body. The Young Surgeons curriculum emphasizes both hands-on exploration in the lab and learning from practicing physicians through lectures and observations. Making the class fun, engaging and realistic is a top priority. “For our mystery patients unit, I had to figure out how to make a pregnancy test using vinegar and PH strips. I even cooked up a batch of fake vomit for students to examine for clues about a patient’s condition,” Miscall says.
Photo: J. Todd
During Kent Denver’s 2015-16 theater season, Anschutz Family Theatre audiences were transported to 16th-century Spain in Man of La Mancha, whisked across the sea during the time of the ancient Greeks in Argonautika, invited to soar through the air on a magic carpet in Aladdin and introduced to Lilliput in Gulliver’s Travels. With overall direction by Kathleen Cribari, Peter Ellis and Taylor Pringle, For a full list of arts music direction by David Hodel, technical theater direction by Steve Root, events on campus, Upper School costumes by Judy Graese, Middle School costumes by Marti please visit www. Champion, outstanding performances by Kent Denver thespians and kentdenver.org/ extraordinary set design and production support by student technical theater calendar teams, this was another exceptional year for the theater arts.
Upper School math teacher, Mindy Adair, Ph.D. and Pam Adams were married on May 9, 2015. The happy couple will have been together 27 years this May.
F O U R R O B OT I C S TE A M S V I E F O R HO N O R S AT W O R L D CH A M P I O N S H I P S
Photo: From the Hip Photography
Photo: Epic Fales Photography
Photo: C. MacKay
Photos: B. Rich
Qualifying just one robot for the VEX Robotics World Championships is a tremendous accomplishment. This year, Kent Denver sent a mind-blowing four robots to the prestigious tournament in Louisville, KY. Congratulations to head coach Bryan Rich ’06, his fellow alumni coaches Will Pickard ’06 and Shane Mathias ’12, and the entire robotics team!
Celena Otero, sixthgrade physical education teacher, and Alex Miller were married on June 26, 2015 in a lovely spot overlooking Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colo.
Upper School math teacher, Danielle (Webber) Reycer and Amanda (Cyr) Reycer married on July 18, 2015. “We took letters from each of our last names and created a brand new name,” Danielle says. “We married and had our reception at Kent Denver … the perfect location for our perfect day!”
Upper School French teacher, Allison (Astuno) Cain and Patrick Cain also married on July 18, 2015. Their wedding was held in scenic Aspen, Colo.
Photo: C. MacKay
S T U D E N T S LE A R N FROM MUSIC LE G E N D S According to Downbeat Magazine, Kent Denver’s Commercial Music Program consistently produces some of the nation’s top high school R&B and jazz ensembles. Along with honing students’ musical skills, program director Steve Holley also hopes to teach them about the inner workings of the business of making music. Visiting artists play a key role in fulfilling both of these goals. In February, students spent time with renowned drummer Kenwood Dennard. “Mr. Dennard offered advice, played with the students and regaled them with stories of his time on the road with Dizzy Gillespie, Sting, Chaka Khan, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius and many, many others,” Holley says of the event. Kent Denver’s inaugural Peaks Jazz Festival brought Tom “Bones” Malone (Saturday Night Live) and Will Kennedy (The Yellowjackets) to campus to work with students. Students were also able to study with guitarist Corey Christiansen, drummer Kobie Watkins and jazz pianist Monika Herzig.
Photo: C. MacKay
Photo: J. Todd
Photo: C. MacKay
CAMPUS NEWS
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CAMPUS NEWS
Photo: J. Todd
Photo: J. Todd
Experts in topics such as international and digital journalism, adolescent development, the short- and long-term impact of bullying and much more visited Kent Denver this school year. Among the highlights: • Marcus Mabry, former editor-at-large for The New York Times, addressed the value of education at an independent school and spoke in detail—in English and in French—about finding success as an international journalist. Mabry now leads Twitter Moments, the social media giant’s news channel. • Pediatrician Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D. offered students practical advice on how to be resilient in the face of adversity and gave parents tips on how to encourage resiliency in their children. • Dave Montez, Executive Director of One Colorado, shared his experiences of being bullied as a child and learning to overcome the resulting self-doubt and self-hatred. • Parents were treated to several speakers of their own, including Andrea Dukakis and Jenny Brundin of Colorado Public Radio, who spoke about education and poverty in Colorado. Just as the Kent Denver Speakers Program brings thought leaders to our community, our faculty and staff are increasingly sought out for their expertise in a number of areas. On April 15, Chief Information and Innovation Officer Michael Ehrenfried was a member of a panel discussing “Leveraging Online Spaces to Improve Metacognition” at the Lovett Learning Institute. Later that month, Director of Information Literacy and Ed Tech Audrey Imhoff and Director of Technology Services Graham Reid joined Ehrenfried to deliver “Information Technology, Libraries and Ed Tech: Fight, Coexist or Thrive” at the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools’ 2016 national conference. Also in April, Math teacher Miriam Singer was a co-presenter at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ 2016 annual conference. She joined Carmel Schettino, Ph.D. and Kristen McVaugh of Deerfield Academy to deliver a talk to peer math teachers entitled “Mentoring Each Other: Teaching Teachers to Teach with Problembased Learning.” In July, Math teacher Danielle Reycer will deliver her firstever conference presentation, “Problembased Geometry: Reflections After One Year,” at Twitter Math Camp, a professional development camp organized for teachers Want to learn more by teachers. The following week, Singer and about our guest Reycer will co-present their reflections on speakers? Visit transitioning Honors Geometry classes to a vimeo.com/ student-centric approach during the Problemkentdenverschool Based Learning Math Teaching Summit at Deerfield Academy. Upper School History teacher James Covi will also chair a panel this summer and present a seminar entitled “Designing World History courses: Theoretical and Practical Examples of How to Avoid Meaningless Fact Delivery to Students” at the World History Association conference in Ghent, Belgium. His co-presenters are from independent schools in Seattle and Shanghai.
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KENT DENVER SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE
Photo: J. Todd
THO U G HT LE A D E R S A R E D R AW N TO — A N D F R O M — K E N T D E N VE R
P O I N T O F V I E W: FA C U LT Y B OO K CL U B S H A R E S THE J O Y O F READING by Marti Champion
As teachers, we cherish the stimulating conversations our work inspires in the classroom. Although there are opportunities to share our curriculum with each other, we often have to make time to share ourselves with each other. This year, several Kent Denver teachers decided to test Edmund Wilson’s quote, “No two persons ever read the same book.” We started a book club in November that brought teachers from all disciplines together to discuss a book over lunch. It has proven a success in many ways. Yes, we are busy making lesson plans, but we’ve recognized the importance of fueling one of our passions (reading!) to be our best selves for our students. We use a democratic process when choosing the novels. At this point, we’ve read four books: All Our Names (Mengestu), One More Thing (Novak), Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a StormRavaged Hospital (Fink) and A Little Life (Yanagihara). As we head into summer, we have a quite a few books to keep ourselves occupied.
ALUMNI NEWS
Ideas Into Action: L a u nch i n g K ent D enver ’ s E ntreprene u r i a l O pport u n i t y N et w ork By Eric Chandler, Ph.D., Upper School Division Head
Ideas into action: fundamentally this is what entrepreneurialism is all about. And what can be a better lesson for a school to teach than for students to do exactly this: to act on their ideas, do something, and not just let inspiration come and go with some sense of futility. Unfortunately, when we look at its history, education has not always empowered students to act. The traditional classroom of bells, rows and lectures framed students as passive recipients, recorders,
memorizers and regurgitaters of information. The classrooms of today, however—our classrooms—encourage students to be active, to collaborate, discuss, think and do. Students are not being told what to think; they are being given the opportunity to think. And they are learning that their thinking matters and can translate into action.
Under the chairship of Phil Klein—Director of Development and AP Economics teacher—EON is a resource for students who are interested in pursuing the study of entrepreneurship or are looking for support and recognition of their own entrepreneurial projects. Present Kent Denver entrepreneurial opportunities include courses (AP Economics, Business Economics and Ethics, and The Business of the Entertainment Industry), clubs (Sports Business, Entrepreneurship and Finance), and other programs (Independent Study and Career Internship Experience). Students with an interest in entrepreneurship are directed to Phil Klein who counsels them about EON.
Students are also coming to Kent Denver with the desire to do something with their ideas. It has become imperative for great schools like Kent Denver to intentionally and deliberately encourage exploration of ideas, as well as to teach students how to follow through. This year, Kent Denver launched the Entrepreneurial Opportunity Network, or EON, with this in mind. EON formally weaves together present Kent Denver opportunities for the student exploration of entrepreneurialism, while also creating new possibilities for that exploration.
Plans for EON include the creation of an alumni network that can provide mentoring and other services for student entrepreneurs, a speaker series, startup grants and a graduation certificate. In 1972, the United Negro College Fund adopted the slogan, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Indeed, it is. An idea, too, is a terrible thing to waste. It is always an opportunity for something. Kent Denver is about ideas. EON is about executing them.
Interested in EON? Please contact Phil Klein at pklein@kentdenver.org.
Photo: C. MacKay
Kent Denver’s graduates have quite the track record of entrepreneurial success. From Lara Merriken ’86, who created the healthy energy bar LÄRABAR, to Chris Gibbons ’96, who founded the network of public charter preparatory schools called Strive, Kent Denver’s graduates have gone into the world with ideas to change it and make it better, and they have brought these ideas to wonderful fruition.
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CAMPUS NEWS
FA LL
Cross-Country: • Girls took third place in the 3A State Championship • Girls took third place in the Metro League Meet, second place in the Regional Meet • Boys took fourth place in the Metro League Meet, sixth place in the Regional Meet • Ten students qualified for State Meet • Jim Giltner ’16, Julia Jaschke ’16 and Sam Schaffer ’17 were named to 1st Team AllConference • James Hueston ’16 and Izzy Hurley ’19 received All-Conference Honorable Mention • Jim Giltner ’16 placed 24th in the 3A State Championship, Sam Schaffer ’17 placed 11th and Julia Jaschke ’16 placed 13th • Julia Jaschke ’16 was named the 3A Metro League Senior of the Year • Julia Jaschke ’16 and Sam Schaffer ’17 were named to 2nd Team All-State Football • Earned No. 2 seed in the State Tournament • Finished the regular season with a 9-0 record • Advanced to the State Semifinals • Coach Scott Yates amassed his 304th career victory and was named Colorado Conference Coach of the Year • Will McKissick ’16, Carl Schmidt ’16 and Matt Wells ’16 named Colorado Conference Players of the Year • Rob Casey ’16, Will McKissick ’16, Justin Schatz ’16, Carl Schmidt ’16, Grant Spofford ’16, Matt Wells ’16 and Luke Wilson ’16 named to 1st Team All-Conference • Tommy Boatman ’16, Rob Casey ’16, Conor Dooley ’16, Niyi Kelani ’16, Will Sadler ’17 and Justin Schatz ’16 named to 2nd Team AllConference • Five players received All-Conference Honorable Mention • Will McKissick ’16 was selected to play in the All-State Game in June • Will McKissick ’16, Carl Schmidt ’16 and Matt Wells ’16 named to 1st Team All-State • Justin Schatz ’16, Grant Spofford ’16 and Luke Wilson ’16 named to 2nd Team AllState
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Field Hockey • Finished the regular season as No. 7 seed in the State Tournament • Finished the regular season with a 5-5-5 record • Coach Kathy James named the Southwest Sectional Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations Boys’ Golf • Won the Metro League Title • Won the 3A Metro Regional • Team took second in the State Tournament • Mark Hillary ’16 named Metro League Senior of the Year • Mark Hillary ’16, Oliver Jack ’18 and Michael Wang ’17 named to 1st Team AllLeague • Jackson Klutznick ’19 named to 2nd Team All-State • Oliver Jack ’18 took second place in State Tournament • Mark Hillary ’16 and Oliver Jack ’18 named to 1st Team All-State • Broke two team records Boys’ Soccer • Won the 3A State Championship for the second consecutive year • Finished the season undefeated at 19-0-1, Kent Denver’s first undefeated season in boys’ soccer • Metro League Champions, seeded No. 1 in the State Tournament • Max Gottesfeld ’17, Davis Oudet ’16 and Quinn Wagner ’16 named to 1st Team AllConference • Rory Buck ’17 and David Felman ’17 named to 2nd Team All-Conference • Quinn Wagner ’16 named CHSSCA 3A Player of the Year, Max Gottesfeld ’17 named CHSAA 3A Player of the Year • Quinn Wagner ’16 named to NSCAA AllWest Region • Max Gottesfeld ’17, Davis Oudet ’16 and Quinn Wagner ’16 named to 1st Team AllState by CHSAA and CHSSCA • Coach Arty Smith named 3A Coach of the Year
Boys’ Tennis • Won 4A Team State Championship for the third consecutive year • Won four Individual State Championships • Regional Champions after finishing the regular season undefeated • Won the Richard Hillway Award, recognizing the entire team’s seasonlong effort • Casey Ross ’17 named Player of the Year by the Colorado Tennis Association Volleyball • Qualified for the CHSAA Regional Tournament for the first time in 10 years • Finished the regular season 9-9, 12-12 including the Regional Tournament • Mallory Garner ’17 named to 2nd Team All-Conference • Celestial Barrera-Lopez ’18 and Andrea Qualman ’17 received AllConference Honorable Mention
Ice Hockey • Finished the season 4-13-12 • James Hueston ’16 received All-State Honorable Mention Swimming • Finished 4-1 in head-to-head meets • Team finished second in the TriPeaks League Championship Meet • Qualified the most swimmers in school history for the 4A State Meet with seven individual events and three relays • The 200m and 400m freestyle relay teams shattered 16-year-old school records
W I N TE R
Girls’ Basketball • Advanced to the State Tournament • Finished third in the Metro League and third in the District Tournament • Finished the season 12-11 • Maya Love ’16 named to 1st Team All-League • Julia Doyle ’18 named to 2nd Team All-League • Lacey Rifkin ’16 received All-League Honorable Mention
2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6 Fa l l and W in t e r S p o r t s R o und - up With two championships and appearances in many State Tournaments, Kent Denver student-athletes enjoyed fantastic fall and winter sport seasons. Among the highlights: numerous student-athletes were named to All-State and AllConference teams and Arty Smith was named 3A Coach of the Year after leading the Boys’ Soccer team to its first undefeated record and second consecutive title.
Photos: C. MacKay
Boys’ Basketball • Advanced to the State Tournament • Finished third in the Metro League and fifth in the District Tournament • Finished the season 10-13 • Robby Dunn ’16 named to 2nd Team All-League • Rob Casey ’16 and Willie Gold ’16 received All-League Honorable Mention
ALUMNI NEWS
Class Notes ’50s
MaryAnne Kennedy Mauriel ’53 and her husband, John, enjoyed their 53rd wedding anniversary in August at their Cape Cod summer home. In September, they celebrated MaryAnne’s 80th birthday with their son, Michael, his wife, Sarah, and Michael and Sarah’s 21-month-old son. “Imagine! A first grandchild when we were 78- and 81-years-old!” MaryAnne writes.
’80s
Jody Holman Webster ’86, co-founder and president of the nonprofit Kids4Change, and awardwinning photographer and owner of Jody Holman Photography, writes that she “just returned from the first trip to Europe with the kids to visit D-Day beaches. I can only hope that their high schools here [in Northern California] will afford them the travel opportunities Kent Denver does!”
’60s
Photos: J. Holman Webster
Chip Spratlen ’64, who attended DCD in grades 7-9, is the proud Kent Denver grandparent of Max Zotti ’22.
’70s
Kristen Peterson ’70 writes, “Hi to the Class of 1970. Sorry to have missed our 45th reunion. I will be there for the 50th!”
Original compositions by Deborah Yardley Beers ’72 were performed during the 2015 Women Composers Festival of Hartford and both the 2014 and 2015 Rivers School Conservatory’s annual Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young. “The first time any of my original compositions appeared in any publication was in Kent School for Girls’ literary magazine, Share with us! Send Class Notes Chips, back in the ’60s to Holly Downs and ’70s,” Beers writes. ’00, hdowns@ Information about her kentdenver.org recordings, musical scores and upcoming events is available on her website, www.deborahyardleybeers.com. Lori Janzen ’76 says she is “living the dream. Life is good in Southern Cal. I’m still a commercial broker with CBRE Newport Beach and having lots of FUN!”
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KENT DENVER SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE
Jody Holman Webster ’86 and sons Hudson, 10, and Calvin, 13, in Honfleur, France while en route to the Normandy beaches.
’90s
Fletcher Dennison ’99 married college girlfriend, Jacqueline Craig, on May 30, 2015. The wedding took place in the 13th-century Dornoch Cathedral located in the Scottish Highlands. The couple lives in Los Angeles, where Fletcher is Director of Operations at SimplePractice.com and Jackie is an independent screenwriter.
’00s
Ten alumni gathered to celebrate the Nathan Yip Foundation’s Chinese New Year Gala. Founded by Linda and Jimmy Yip in memory of their son, Nathan Yip ’01, the Foundation has raised more than $2.5 million to support schools, education and ongoing care to underprivileged children around the world.
Pictured, left to right, are Ben Brenneman ’01, Clayton Millice ’03, Cody Cleary ’00, Teddy Douglass ’02, Bret Berglund ’01, Alan H. Frosh ’01, Sam Bacon ’01, Jamie Duke ’01, Chris Stadler ’01 and James Iacino ’01.
Tom Harrington ’02 and his wife, Lauren Ayres Harrington ’03, moved to Palo Alto, CA where Lauren is an OBGYN resident-in-training at Stanford Medical Center. Clayton Millice ’03 and wife, Ali, welcomed daughter Lawson Elizabeth on Sep. 15, 2015. Christopher Halstedt ’04 and wife, Laurene, welcomed daughter Blake Ellis on Sep. 14, 2015. Chris was recently promoted to vice president at Goldman Sachs in Dallas, TX. Brett Perlmutter ’05 was named to Forbes magazine’s “30 under 30” list for his work with Google. As the founder and leader of Google’s strategy operation in Cuba, his main objective is to increase Internet access and put technology in the hands of the people who need it most.
ALUMNI NEWS
’10s
Kelsey Chan-Chin ’10, who was awarded a bachelor’s degree in Public Health in 2014, will receive an MBA later this year. She received both degrees from Tulane University. Bowdoin graduate Will Horne ’10 won a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English at the National University of Laos. While there, he will study Lao and pursue his interests in Buddhism in addition to teaching. Will taught English in South Africa and Thailand and taught at Breakthrough Kent Denver for two summers. When he returns to the U.S., Will plans to teach English in the public school system. Siri DeMarche ’11 reports that she will receive an Advanced Certificate in Rowing Leadership from the Institute of Rowing Leadership in June 2016 for coaching crew in Boston. Kenzie Chan-Chin ’12 reports that she will graduate from Washington University in May 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Communications.
Photo courtesy D. Hennes
Brenda Dutkiewicz Colvin, Jeanne Lee Sayers and Stephanie Senter, all Class of 1995, caught up with each other in NYC in January 2016.
Daniel Hennes ’15 is following an interest in sports management as a freshman at USC. Fellow Trojan Jake Olson—USC’s long snapper—has hired Daniel as his manager. As a blind Read more about athlete, Olson is in Daniel Hennes’ startup, Shiftcloud high demand for media and speaking on page 26. engagements. Daniel manages those appearances and helps Olson prioritize the many demands on his time.
Pictured, left to right, are Emma Olson, 2015 Heisman Trophy-Winner Derrick Henry, Jake Olson and Daniel Hennes ’15 at the Maxwell Football Gala, where both Henry and Olson were honored.
Justin Howard ’15, now a theater student at St. Mary’s College of California, earned huge accolades in the Region VII Kennedy Center/ American College Theatre Festival’s Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship competition in February. Howard and his acting partner, fellow freshman Angelo Chukwudebe, reached the final round of this stellar event. According to a St. Mary’s news story, “more than 250 Irene Ryan competitors were nominated for their outstanding acting performances in a spring or fall ’16 theater production at their home school. At the festival, each nominee and a partner competed with a tightly timed program of two contrasting scenes and a monologue. Chukwudebe and Howard’s ranking—as one of the top 16 acting teams out of more than 250 in the eight-state region—places them among the region’s elite. Only a handful of Saint Mary’s students have ever made it to the Ryan regional finals, and Chudwudebe and Howard are the first Saint Mary’s all-freshman team to do so.”
Photo: G. Gomez Howard
Trinity University student Cole Evans ’14 has been on a whirlwind tour for several months promoting his invention, Plova, an on-the-go oral care gum. Evans recently competed in the finals of “Cupid’s Cup,” an entrepreneurship competition chaired by Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank.
Justin Howard ’15 with his father and Kent Denver Trustee, Jeff Howard.
Want to see larger photos? Don’t miss the photo slideshow in the next Alumni Connection.
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ALUMNI NEWS
I n M e m o riam On behalf of our students, faculty, staff and alumni, Kent Denver School extends condolences to the families of the members of our community we recently lost. Lucia Boyle Cowperthwaite ’48 passed away at home on Jan. 12, 2016. Rabbi Evan Jaffe ’71 passed away on Aug. 12, 2015.
Kristin Berry McFall ’88 passed away on Nov. 13, 2015. Mike Prasad ’91 passed away in Nov. 2015.
Jason Crews ’97 passed away on Jan. 8, 2016.
Beloved teacher, advisor and dean Chard “Cepe” P. Smith Jr. passed away on Nov. 2, 2015. Cepe was one of the original faculty members at Denver Country Day School, beginning in August 1955. Cepe taught History and served as a college advisor and Dean of Studies during his 18-year tenure at Denver Country Day. As one of Colorado’s first lacrosse coaches, Cepe helped introduce interscholastic lacrosse to the state. He was inducted in the Colorado Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1995. The Kent Denver Lacrosse Alumni Group named Cepe the recipient of the Tom Graesser Lacrosse Award in April 2015.
In respect of community members’ privacy, Perspective, Alumni Connection and other Kent Denver publications will not include In Memoriam listings until contacted by the immediate family of the deceased.
S U N D EV I L F O R EVE R !
A gift in your will or trust is an easy way to support Kent Denver A gift to us in your will or living trust, called a charitable bequest, is a simple way to make a big difference in the lives of Kent Denver students. Bequests are: SIMPLE Just a few sentences in your will or trust is all that is needed. We can give you the correct wording to use. FLEXIBLE Because you are not actually making a gift until after your lifetime, you can change your mind at any time. VERSATILE You can structure your bequest to leave a specific item or amount of money, make the gift contingent upon certain events or leave a percentage of your estate to the school. Your gift, large or small, helps us sustain our mission of delivering excellence in scholarship and character for future generations of Kent Denver students. Thank You!
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KENT DENVER SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE
For more information, please contact Phil Klein, Director of Development pklein@kentdenver.org or 303-770-7660 x526
What happens when Kent Denver alumni decide to veer off the traditional career path, take a risk, follow a different kind of passion project and turn long-held hobbies into full-time professions?
Photo: C. Autterson
Three recent graduates— Cody Autterson ’10, Maddie Brenneman ’08 and Nick Kelley ’08—have done just that.
PASSION PROJEC TS Young Alumni Turn Long-loved Hobbies into Careers
Photo: N. Kelley
By Jack TODD ’09
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Photo: N. Kelley
F E AT U R E
HOOKED Maddie Brenneman ’08 and Nick Kelley ’08 rang in 2016 in unique fashion, traveling to Patagonia, New Zealand and Australia in pursuit of their prize: big fish. From December until March, the two called a camper van home, waking up wondering which river to fish and spending their days wading in the water.
“This trip started as an idea of mine, as a trip for Maddie and me to take,” says Kelley on one of the final days of their adventure. “I had been freelancing with Yeti Coolers, so I
Photo: M. Brenneman
Kelley is an Associate Editor for Outside Magazine. Brenneman devoted time after college as a fishing guide in Colorado and a sponsored angler, traveling to French Polynesia with Costa Sunglasses. asked if they would be interested in being a part of it. We got very lucky and they said yes. We’ve had a long leash, which has been really nice.” The two say this trip—the first time they have traveled together—has given them a sense of what it is like to really live. “You’re not focused on the Internet or work,” says Brenneman. “You’re just asking ‘What are we going to cook for dinner? What are we going to do? How are we going to interact with each other?’ It’s a different way of living, which I think is important for us all to experience.”
Photo: N. Kelley
Kelley, who has been fly-fishing for as long as he can remember, came to Kent Denver in 10th grade. He began teaching Brenneman to fly-fish that year.
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“He was very patient with me for a very long time,” jokes Brenneman. “But as I got older, I realized how important fly-fishing was to me, and that it was something I loved and wanted to identify with for the rest of my life.” Brenneman has achieved that goal—at least to this point in her young career—by becoming one of the most recognizable female anglers of her generation. In addition to working with Costa Sunglasses, Brenneman has worked with Outside Magazine, Travel Belize, Yeti Coolers, Huckberry and more, promoting organizations and environmental advocacy. Kelley, too, has enjoyed a successful start to his career in one of his passions—photography—though he is
“Travel really opens your eyes. You’re learning on the fly, and you can have some really valuable experiences without even knowing they’re happening.”
PA S S I O N P R O J E C T S
Both Brenneman and Kelley advocate for travel and experiencing new cultures. The two have been lucky enough to experience the type of career overlap that allows them to work on projects like the trip sponsored by Yeti Coolers. “I studied abroad in Namibia in
Photo: N. Kelley
“Fly-fishing is what I love to do, and it turns out to be a lot of what I shoot, but I think I realized photography was a viable career path when I started at Outside Magazine and saw all the different projects people were working on,” he says. “So I made some friends in that community and saw what goes into all these shots that I’ve grown up looking at, and I realized I could try to do that too.”
college, and I felt like I learned more about myself and how the world works in those six months than I did in the other three-and-a-half years of college,” says Kelley. “Travel really opens your eyes. You’re learning on the fly, and you can have some really valuable experiences without even knowing they’re happening.” “You can learn a lot from travel,” adds Brenneman, “and, especially on a trip like this when we hike somewhere and camp, it kind of makes me feel like I’m really living.”
both her and Kelley to indulge in their love of the outdoors.
Brenneman and Kelley attended the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. Brenneman credits Kent Denver’s College Counseling office for helping her select a college that matched her interests and allowed
The two are currently in the process of moving back to Denver, where Kelley will continue working with Outside Magazine and Brenneman plans to work as a fishing guide.
Photo: N. Kelley
hesitant to call it his profession.
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REAL LIFE: A CODY AUTTERSON PRODUCTION FADE IN INT. HOME — EARLY AFTERNOON, SPRING 2010 CODY AUTTERSON ’10 stands holding a large envelope, looking at it excitedly. He rips into the envelope to discover he is accepted to the University of Southern California, but not until spring. AUTTERSON I thought I was a huge failure. I almost didn’t go to USC because of the gap, but looking back on it, I think it’s the best thing that could have possibly happened to me. Autterson changes his perspective and takes full advantage of his gap semester, traveling through Asia with Youth International, a nonprofit, to try and gain greater perspective of the world. Because of his gap semester, Autterson comes to college with a different attitude than most freshmen. As he explored the world, he seeks to continue exploring in his studies. For much of college, Autterson wants to pursue a career in social entrepreneurship. He ultimately ends up following his love of a long-time hobby: filmmaking. AUTTERSON Growing up, I would always make ski movies with my brothers. We would make ski movies and goofy Christmas videos, but it was a secondary thing. I wasn’t devoting a ton of time to it. When Autterson must declare a major, he decides to try his hand at more professional filmmaking. He immediately loves the material. AUTTERSON I thought, maybe there’s a reason I’m connecting with this material so much. It escalated to the point where I got hooked on directing. The rush of creating a whole world and bringing something on the page to life … seeing the final product is one of my favorite experiences. Autterson’s passion translates into more than 30 filmmaking projects between college graduation and press time, including three short films, with production partner and college friend, Andrew Schneider. The two run a production company, Porch House Pictures, based in Los Angeles, CA. The first film Autterson directs, “A Day in Los Angeles,” wins the Grand Prize at NewFilmmakers LA’s 2015 “On Location” honors. His second, titled “Soul Descends,” is released shortly before press time. It tells the story of a writer having witnessed a suicide shortly after seeing the same woman who killed herself in a diner. The inspiration for the film comes from the 1947 photograph, “The Most Beautiful Suicide.” 18
KENT DENVER SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE
Photos: C. Autterson
F E AT U R E
PA S S I O N P R O J E C T S
AUTTERSON When I first started writing the story, it was just about this bad writer, and he goes in these different landscapes through his imagination that keep falling apart. But the story was bad, the script was bad, I sent it to a bunch of friends and they hated it. But I had just seen this photo and then the whole premise became, ‘What if the guy who took that photo had seen her the night before and had kind of detected that something was wrong.’ He felt this enormous guilt and tried to share that in his writing. Autterson and his production partner submit the 12-minute finished product to film festivals around the continent—from Toronto International to small local festivals. AUTTERSON [Joking] It’s kind of like applying to college. We have our reaches, our—hopefully—sure things and our fallbacks. But writing, directing and producing his own work remains a passion project. To pay the bills, Autterson and Schneider produce content for different companies, including Fortune Magazine, Sotheby’s, Rolls Royce, Mode Media and more. Autterson reflects on a recent project, which included flying to Las Vegas to profile Nevada’s only female bounty hunter. They shadowed her as she shot an AK-47, practiced martial arts, and surveiled a house. AUTTERSON I love the ability to work for myself right now. Everything is dependent on me, whether I succeed or fail, there’s no one else I can really blame, and I think that’s a great experience. It’s 100% worth the time I’m putting in. FADE TO BLACK
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F E AT U R E
What’s Your Le ga cy? By Jan Thomas ’76
According to CNNMoney, Americans who are employed fulltime spend about 2,400 hours per year at work. Yet for all their commitment, the latest Conference Board job satisfaction survey reports less than half enjoy what they do. What sets those who are happy apart from those who aren’t? For this issue of Perspective, we chose one vocation—medicine— and asked alumni to reflect on their professional legacy. Although their graduation gap spans 40 years, these Kent Denver alumni share a belief that the footprint they are creating—or left behind— has meaning.
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W H AT ’ S Y O U R L E G A C Y ?
“I snorkeled.” Not an unusual pastime for a Kent Denver student— unless, as in the case of Paul Mead ’76 M.D., MPH, the sentence ends with “in the upper lake.” That changes things … a lot.
“I’ve worked on a variety of diseases over the last 19 years with CDC. While in Atlanta, I worked on food-borne diseases like Salmonella and E. coli O157. Since returning to Colorado, I’ve focused on vector-borne diseases— diseases like plague, Lyme disease and West Nile that are transmitted by fleas, ticks and mosquitos,” Mead says. “Most of what I do is epidemiologic research that concerns how diseases move through populations: who gets them and why; how they are transmitted; and what we can do to effectively prevent them. I like that I can live in Fort Collins and still work internationally, and I get to interact daily with a terrific group that includes microbiologists, entomologists, statisticians, pathologists and other physicians.”
Photo: J. Todd
When an outbreak of listeriosis in processed meats resulted in about 21 deaths across the country in 1999, Mead led the team that traced the disease to its source. Tainted food was recalled and substantive changes in the processed food industry reduced nationwide incidence of listeriosis by about 50%.
PAUL MEAD
The long-term impacts of his work in that outbreak, and in most of his professional efforts before and since, are the disease outbreaks that don’t happen, the people who don’t get sick and the deaths that don’t occur. It’s a result that’s almost impossible to quantify.
‘76 M.D., MPH
“I was working on an assignment for Ben Cooper’s English class,” Mead explains. “We could do an odd, non-traditional project, and I ended up taking underwater pictures in the upper lake. As I recall, I received a rather charitable B-minus.”
“The irony is that when you fail, it’s obvious, but when you really succeed,
That out-of-the-box English no assignment was one of many Kent Denver experiences Mead says “fostered my interest in the natural world, in ecology and in the sort of things I’m still studying, albeit through the lens of a physician.”
one notices.”
“The goal of public health is prevention. The irony is that when you fail, it’s obvious, but when you really succeed, no one notices. It’s like the car crash that didn’t happen.” Although the results are much less tangible, Mead says, “In the long run you can help more people this way than you can treating them one at a time.”
Today, Mead is Chief of Epidemiology for the Bacterial Diseases Branch in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Vector-borne Diseases. His current focus is Zika virus, a disease transmitted primarily through bites by infected Aedes mosquitos. The implications for pregnant women and their unborn children are so severe that the World Health Organization declared Zika an international public health emergency in February.
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ADVOCACY AND EMPATHY
transferring to and graduating from the University of Colorado at Denver with a degree in math.
Throughout their respective careers, Denver Country Day alumni Peter Holt ’64, M.D. and Chris Bauer ’67, DVM cared for those who were unable to speak on their own behalf.
“I had an interest in engineering— but there was also a seed that made me think of veterinary medicine,” Bauer says. “I kind of shied away from that, in part because I’d heard how hard it was to get into vet school. I thought I didn’t have a chance.”
After DCD, Holt graduated Kalamazoo College and the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “I specialized in internal medicine and I worked a great deal with hospice,” Holt says. “When I wasn’t employed by a hospice organization, I utilized their services and helped support them. When I stopped private practice, I worked with a hospice organization in Boulder County called True Community Care for five-and-a-half years.” Of his legacy, he says simply, “I was an advocate for patients.” Although his potential for a career in science was not recognized when he was younger, Holt did not allow that reaction to dissuade him. Instead, he became “one of those people who uses a negative situation as a stimulus.” Bauer, Holt’s DCD contemporary, is proof that the path to a fulfilling career isn’t always straight. After graduating from Denver Country Day, Bauer attended Lewis & Clark College for one year and Lawrence University for two years, before
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KENT DENVER SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE
Rather than pursue engineering after college, Bauer served in the Air Force for about 18 months, then followed his passion and enrolled in the Colorado State University preveterinary program. “Because I had a previous degree, I’d fulfilled a lot of the general requirements. Nevertheless, I had to spend about a year-and-a-half taking science courses—mostly chemistry, botany, genetics and some physics— to complete the requirements for applying to vet schools,” he says. He entered CSU in January 1972, was accepted into veterinary school in 1974 and was awarded a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1978.
CHRIS BAUER
Photo courtesy of Chris Bauer
F E AT U R E
‘67 DVM
unfortunately, quite a bit of trauma. We see almost everything. It’s kind of like a MASH unit,” he says. “I think my legacy is to be known for having helped animals who were subjected to abuse get back on their feet and adopted out to good homes so they have better lives. I help those who can’t speak or fend for themselves. Sometimes it’s really hard to face what we see, but this job has been much more fulfilling than private practice. There’s a greater feeling of satisfaction when we get these animals back on track.”
“I was married during that time as well,” Bauer says. “We pulled two kids through veterinary school with us. It wasn’t easy.” Bauer owned and operated a private practice in Durango from 1981-2002. Today, he works as a veterinary surgeon for the Aztec Animal Shelter in Aztec, NM. “Because it’s a shelter, my day involves a lot of spays, neuters and,
“I’m doing good work, that’s the best thing I can be remembered for.”
W H AT ’ S Y O U R L E G A C Y ?
“I don’t know if there’s a single
CONNECTING PEOPLE, MENDING BONES
number of specialties—ophthalmology and pediatrics to name just two— before settling on adult internal medicine during his residency.
Television often portrays doctors as fierce individualists who are unwilling or unable to partner with colleagues. That’s a far cry from the role Adam Gilden Tsai ’90, M.D. sees as the foundation of his professional legacy.
“I don’t know if there’s a single answer to what to study,” he says when asked if he has advice for Kent Denver students or young alumni interested in medicine. “A number of science courses are required and, certainly, a pre-med curriculum is demanding. It’s important to have some sort of healthy outlet, whether it’s social or athletic activities or volunteer activities. There has to be more to life than just studying.”
Tsai specializes in adult internal medicine and obesity. As a physician for Kaiser Permanente, one of his primary jobs is to serve as liaison between the ‘90 M.D. health care provider’s primary care doctors and weight management division.
ADAM GILDEN TSAI
“I help my fellow primary care physicians be more comfortable in treating obesity as a chronic disease,” he says. “People think of obesity as a lifestyle choice, but it’s more complex than that. It’s similar to diabetes, hypertension or depression. If I can help my fellow doctors treat it that way, I think that would be a good professional accomplishment.” Tsai attended Middlebury College and graduated from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He considered a
Like Tsai, Daniel Hamman ’96, M.D. considered other specialties before deciding on his. “Initially I was interested in lots of different types of medicine: pediatrics and endocrinology in particular,” Hamman says, “but during my surgical clerkship, I spent some time with an orthopedist in La Junta. I really liked the hands-on aspect of surgery. I liked that, for the most part, orthopedics poses finite problems with relatively good or excellent outcomes. You have a patient with a broken bone; you fix that bone and it heals; the patient goes on to be happy and healthy. Surgery restores lifestyles. Patients can go back to doing the things they like to do.” A graduate of Colgate University and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Hamman completed a five-year residency at Stanford and a post-residency fellowship in sports medicine with the Steadman-Hawkins
Clinic in Greenwood Village. “I’m not terribly into research or a lot of accolades,” Hamman says. “I’d like to be thought of as a compassionate, caring and good surgeon. If I make a difference in as many patients’ lives as I can, and if patients who seek my services do so with respect and spread the word that I’m doing good work, that’s the best thing I can be remembered for.” Hamman’s list of Kent Denver faculty and administrators who influenced his life includes Priscilla Scobie, Carol MacKay, Tom Graesser and Keith Warner.
DANIEL HAMMAN
‘96 M.D. “It was a really supportive atmosphere,” he says. “The Science department teachers got me really turned on to science, which led me to study science in college and led me to medicine.”
Photo courtesy of Daniel Hamman
Photo courtesy of Adam Gilden Tsai
answer to what to study. ”
Hamman does have a few words of caution for those considering the medical profession. “I would tell them that the idea of medicine is wonderful, but the practice of medicine is changing,” he says. “I think medicine can still be a wonderful and rewarding career, but it’s very important to
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F E AT U R E
spend time shadowing doctors in the outpatient or hospital setting and see what the day-to-day experience is really like. You may like science and be good at math so you say that the most logical conclusion coming out of college would be to become a doctor. There’s prestige associated with that. But you also need to step back and ask if medicine would be a good fit for you, or is it just something you think you’re supposed to do because you like science and math?”
THE LURE OF TECHNOLOGY Following graduation from Duke University, Paige Dorn ’97, M.D. attended medical school at the SUNY Upstate Medical University and completed a five-year residency program at the University of Chicago. Today, she is a board-certified radiation oncologist, a small specialty under the oncology umbrella that, she speculates, only about 140 people enter each year. “I like that cancer medicine is a multi-disciplinary approach and that the surgeons, the medical oncologists who deliver chemotherapy, the radiation oncologists and even the radiologists all work together as a team to come up with a plan for a patient. I really like that method of practicing medicine,” Dorn says. “Within oncology, I explored medical oncology versus radiation. I chose radiation because I enjoyed the rapid advances in technology that we take advantage of to improve patient care and success rates. I think radiation really has an important role to play in improving our cure rates for cancer overall.”
When I got to college, what was easiest for me was to write and think critically. I think that helped me in many ways. It laid the groundwork to be able to handle college-level work and to be able to communicate effectively in writing,” she says. Medicine is a deeply satisfying career for Dorn, but it’s not the perfect path for everyone. “I encourage people to explore a lot of different options and take their time,” Dorn says. “The process of becoming a doctor is very specific and there are hoops you have to jump through. It’s important to sample a variety of things before you make that commitment. I think there are a lot of people who pursue medicine for the wrong reasons or because they’re not sure what else to do. Then it’s not as satisfying. I think you have to make sure that it’s what you want. It’s a very long road. There are a lot of sacrifices. It’s important to mature and experience a lot of things before you settle in.”
HARNESSING THE MIND’S POWER “There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not excited about my work,” says Jeffrey Lackner ’80, Psy.D.
“What I’ve found is that through all of undergrad and medical school and post-medical school training, you’re really focused on learning the necessary material and gaining the knowledge you need to do your job,” she says. “What I’m trying to do as I progress is to be confident, do my job gracefully and make my work more about the patients, their families and their experiences. My goal is to take the best care of my patients that I can and help them through a very difficult time. I hope to help a lot of people that way during my career.” Being involved in medicine in some capacity was something Dorn considered even during high school, though she didn’t focus on math and science at Kent Denver. “I definitely appreciate that Kent Denver gave me a wellrounded education and strong language and writing skills.
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JEFFERY LACKNER
‘80 PSY.D.
As founder and director of the Behavioral Medicine Clinic at the University of Buffalo Medical School, Lackner leads an internationally recognized organization that has three distinct areas of focus: education, clinical and research. “In the education arm, we teach residents, fellows and medical students how patients’ behavior—the way they think, act and interact with others—impacts their health,” Lackner says. “Our clinical arm provides short-term treatments for patients who struggle with
Photo courtesy Jeffery Lackner
Although most of her career lies ahead, Dorn already has a clear sense of what she wants her professional legacy to be.
persistent pain disorders like low back pain, headaches, temporomandibular joint disorders and gastrointestinal disorders. The largest arm is research, which develops and tests non-drug treatments for irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, a problem that affects about 40 million Americans.”
Ashley Tullman ’04, Psy.D., a Type 1 diabetic, says she always felt a connection to others with chronic illnesses.
Lackner is one of the top-funded researchers at the University of Buffalo. Since 1999, his work has generated $15 million in grant funding, $11 million of which has been awarded since 2008.
“Growing up, I always knew I wanted to work with people, and I looked at medicine as an obvious choice,” she says. “The reason I chose psychology over medicine in the traditional sense is because I truly wanted to spend time with people and with my patients. The psychology path was clear, but the emphasis on health psychology evolved naturally from my own personal experiences.”
The Kent Denver alumnus believes his professional legacy will be his success developing effective, non-drug treatments for one of the most common medical problems for which there is no simple medical cure. “Patients who do not respond to medications have often been seen as ‘head cases.’ Our work has shown that IBS is a real medical problem, not a brain disorder—although the brain does have a powerful impact on the gut. Because of the way the brain and gut interact, central or brain processes can aggravate symptoms ... but they can also be targeted to provide significant relief,” he says. “I’m proud we’ve created and rigorously tested treatments and shown that patients can learn to control and reduce symptoms in ways that elude conventional medical options.”
ASHLEY TULLMAN
Photo courtesy Ashley Tullman
W H AT ’ S Y O U R L E G A C Y ?
‘04 PSY.D.
Today, Tullman works with a broad range of illness presentations—everything from Type 1 diabetes to generalized anxiety to Huntington’s disease and the psychosocial implications of chronic illness in general.
“When others in the medical community treat patients with chronic illness, they focus on the physical As with some others interviewed for this article, Lackner presentation,” Tullman says. considered different options “What we try to do is approach before making a final decision the ailment from the psychological about his career. After graduating perspective and address how our “It’s very important to from Kent Denver, he earned a patients are adjusting.” degree in political science from
find something you’re
Emory University then attended Tullman majored in psychology passionate about.” the London School of Economics and art at Washington University to study social psychology. in St. Louis and earned a Doctor From there, he earned a master’s of Psychology degree from the degree in psychology from Chicago School of Professional William and Mary and a doctorate in clinical psychology Psychology. The young alumna already has a clear vision of from Rutgers. He did a residency at the University of what she hopes to accomplish in her career. Texas School of Medicine in Houston and a fellowship in “I would like my professional legacy to reflect that behavioral medicine at the University of Rochester School I increased the medical community’s awareness of the of Medicine. psychological implications of physical illness, particularly Were he advising Kent Denver students or alumni considering a career in psychology, Lackner says, “It’s very important to find something you’re passionate about. That’s a hard message to buy into when you’re younger and feel pressure to live life to its fullest: nice car, house, etc. It’s important to stretch yourself and not settle for doing something you like. Find something you love to do because life is long. You want to wake every morning with a fire in your belly to go to work and relish the chance to make real difference in others’ lives.”
chronic illness,” she says. “I want to help shift focus from the body exclusively and allow both patients and physicians to better understand the body-mind connection.” As she reflects on her foundational education, Tullman says, “I think Kent Denver fostered the learning experience. It really encouraged me to want to continue to challenge myself in college and in graduate school. Kent Denver made the learning experience something I enjoyed and allowed me to connect with educators in a way that bigger schools may not have.”
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F E AT U R E
A CO M M UNIT Y O F I NN O VATORS By Jack Shapiro ’16
At Kent Denver, the exchange of ideas inspires meaningful conversation every day. We are fortunate to be a part of a highly engaged and interested community. As a result, an entrepreneurial spirit has grown here. As the founder of the Entrepreneurship Club, I have seen students with fresh ideas ask distinguished speakers for guidance, as well as students taking initiative and innovating within already flourishing startups. Some of Kent Denver’s recent alumni have even taken ideas formed at Kent Denver to college for further development.
I sat down recently with two students and an alumnus to talk about their experience in the rich entrepreneurial culture at Kent Denver. I first connected with Daniel Hennes ’15, founder of Shiftcloud, an online scheduling and communication service for restaurants and employees. The company began as a simple idea discussed by Hennes and two of his friends, Sergio Mantegazza ’15 and Mike Olson ’15; now it is being tested in restaurants across Denver.
What were some of the biggest challenges in starting Shiftcloud? DH: Anticipating how long it would take to build the website. We started the company in June 2014 and thought we would have the product done by the end of July. It ended up being finished around March 2015. It has also been challenging to run it while Sergio, Mike and I are at different colleges. There is so much going on for all three of us, and that has made it tough. What has been your greatest success as a young entrepreneur so far? DH: I would say our greatest success has been getting restaurants to test our product and hearing they like it and enjoy using it. What are your plans for Shiftcloud? DH: Right now, we plan to seek an investment from an outside firm to add features our testers told us are necessary. From there, we will try to begin selling in Colorado, and then hopefully across the country. How did your experiences and relationships at Kent Denver affect launching the company? DH: Kent Denver has been so helpful in the network it provides through the students, parents and faculty. One of the people who has been most instrumental in helping our company grow is a Kent Denver parent. That is just one example of the Kent Denver network helping out.
Photos: D. Wells
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A C O M M U N I T Y O F I N N O VAT O R S
Creativity and innovation thrive at Kent Denver. Young trailblazers are chock-full of ideas to solve the world’s problems. With more and more students getting involved in this exciting culture, the future is bright for entrepreneurship at Kent Denver.
Next I sat down with Max Sanson ’17, a Kent Denver junior who found inspiration from the Entrepreneurship Club. Through the club’s speaker series—with participants such as William Espey, the Voice Brand Lead of Chipotle, and Jay Zeschin ’03, who founded the social media website Ello—Sanson gained valuable insight over the last two years. He will take over as club president next year.
Lastly, I had a chance to speak with freshman Oliver Greenwald ’19. In his first semester at Kent Denver, Greenwald introduced AskSparky—a school-wide texting app students, teachers and parents can use to receive information such as the lunch menu and class and sports practice schedules. Greenwald—along with longtime friend and fellow inventor Sam Nassif ’19—is also exploring the process of licensing The Drip Drop: an edible “ring” that slides onto an ice cream cone to prevent ice cream from dripping onto your hands and clothes.
What excites you about entrepreneurship?
What inspired you to develop AskSparky?
MS: In my opinion, one of the most exciting parts of entrepreneurship is that being a successful entrepreneur requires solving meaningful problems in a creative manner. To me, that process is exciting and satisfying and is something not all careers offer. How has your experience in the club impacted your interest in entrepreneurship? MS: Whether it was watching a documentary about the 3D printing revolution or listening to the Voice Brand Lead of Chipotle speak, everything the club has done has increased my curiosity about entrepreneurship and sparked an interest in starting my own business. What has been the most valuable thing you have learned from the speakers so far? MS: To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to constantly think about how you are presenting your brand. When Espey spoke, he really made it clear that you need to know the type of brand you want your product to have, and you have to try to cultivate that image successfully.
OG: I started brainstorming a way to create one platform where students, teachers and coaches could all quickly send and access information relevant to them. What were some of the biggest challenges in starting AskSparky? OG: The biggest challenge was identifying exactly which topics students wanted to access in the app so they would use it and think it was relevant. I eventually created an allschool survey to figure that out. It’s really hard to balance homework, sports and launching a company, so time management is pretty challenging as well. What has been your greatest success as a young entrepreneur so far? OG: Probably the biggest success so far is receiving a U.S. Design Patent for The Drip Drop with Sam. It took three long years to finally get the patent granted. The biggest success for AskSparky was getting it approved. Now that it’s up and running, it feels really good. After only a week, 2,500 texts were sent to AskSparky, so I’m happy that kids are actually using it.
Looking forward, what are your plans for next year as president of the club? MS: I hope to generate some business ideas with young club members and bring in some keynote speakers who could provide valuable information about entrepreneurship.
Want to learn more? If so, contact Chair of the Entrepreneurial Opportunity Network Phil Klein at pklein@kentdenver.org. SPRING 2016
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Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Denver, CO Permit No. 152
Kent Denver School
PERSPECTIVE 4000 East Quincy Avenue • Englewood, CO 80113-4916 Change Service Requested
KENT DENVER SCHOOL
ALUMNI WEEKEND
SATURDAY, June 11th The Kent Alumnae Breakfast & Tea
Alumni Lacrosse
Catapult Your Career
For the alumnae of Kent School for Girls, Classes 1922-1977, please join us for a special continental breakfast with tea and coffee service using Mary Bogue’s silver and a quick tour of campus.
Drop in for a pick-up game with your fellow Sun Devils. If you still have your equipment, we highly suggest you bring it for the game. For more information, please contact Steve McDonald ’77, smcdonald@ berlinermcdonald.com or Mike Sheehan ’79, mpsheehan@comcast.net.
Come meet the Communications Department, who will be on hand taking free, professional headshots, giving expert advice on how to beef up your LinkedIn profile, proofing resumes and providing tips to help jumpstart your career!
9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Dining Hall
Campus Tour
10:30 a.m. Dining Hall Patio See how Kent Denver has changed since you graduated! Join us for a walking tour of campus.
Alumni Soccer
10:30 a.m. DeSo Field
Stop by with the kids for a “kick around.”
11:00 a.m. Horn Field
Cookout and Picnic
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Dining Hall Patio Complimentary to alumni and family.
Please register for the weekend’s events online at:
WWW.KENTDENVER.ORG/REUNION
11:00 a.m. Dining Hall
Kids’ Stuff
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Jumping castle, games, face-painting, special guest performer and more!
Meet our Head of School, Dr. Rand Harrington 12:00 p.m. Dining Hall