Keeping Pace

Biking in front of the former Main Classroom Building in the early 1950s

Coral Butler Books (center) speaks to alumna Josie (Debevoise) Davies ’72 (left) and Anne Grissinger P ’25, Chair of the Board of Trustees, during Alumnae Weekend.

Dear Alumnae,

September is here — and with it come high hopes, a clean slate, a chance to set another goal, an opportunity to learn something new. September has arrived — and with it come possibilities.

A few years ago, I decided to learn Italian. For 20 years, I’d been thinking about it, but it always remained just that: a thought. Then, shortly after coming to Kent Place, I took my first semester of Italian. All of a sudden, I was again a student. I was a bit anxious, but I had high hopes, I was starting with a clean slate, I set a goal, I learned something new — and I loved it! (I ended up taking three semesters.)

I credit this move to action to what I call the Kent Place effect. It’s something in the air, and it comes from our extraordinary alumnae. So many of you brush away fear, take the first step, learn something new. I felt the Kent Place effect clearly in the exit interviews of the Class of 2022.

The young women I spoke with answered my questions thoughtfully. When asked what advice they would give their ninth-grade selves, many of them paused, just for a second, and then said, in one way or another: Don’t be afraid to try it all. When asked what lesson they’d be bringing to their freshman year of college, many came back to that same advice: I’m going to try it all. There’s nothing to be afraid of — even a failure will tell me more about myself and where to go next.

What will you learn this year? What will you write? What will you build? What would you like your Kent Place community to know?

As we strive to empower girls to be confident, intellectual, and ethical leaders who advance the world, we welcome you into our work. We welcome your advice, your lessons learned, your visions for what’s to come. Join us for dinner at one of our regional events, volunteer to speak to students on campus or via Zoom, serve as a mentor to a young woman facing the world as an adult for the first time.

I welcome your calls, emails, notes — and I can’t wait to hear about what you’ve been doing.

With warm regards (and ciao),

Coral Butler Brooks Chief Advancement Officer

Role Models in Engineering

Last year, during Engineers Week, a virtual panel of 2021 alumnae — Madeline Estey (computer science and applied mathematics and statistics, Johns Hopkins University), Natasha Wan (biomedical engineering, Tufts University), Sophia Famular (chemical engineering and engineering and policy, Carnegie Mellon University), and Alayo Oloko (mechanical engineering and computer science, MIT) — chatted with Middle Schoolers about majoring in engineering in college. We spoke more in depth with Madeline and Natasha after the event to learn about their hopes to inspire girls to pursue engineering.

Why do you think it’s important to talk to young students?

Madeline: Engineering can be a daunting field to enter, so it’s helpful for younger girls to see women who were in their position not long ago and are thriving in the study of engineering.

How did KPS prepare you for this field?

Madeline: I was on the KPS Robotics team and it was awesome to explore different aspects of engineering with the support of like-minded students. I also loved that I could do an independent study to investigate various algorithms and data structures. In addition to preparing me for college computer science classes, I learned how to find resources and teach myself difficult concepts. These skills were helpful in the embedded security research I was involved in at Johns Hopkins this year.

Natasha: KPS prepared me by ensuring that I was a curious learner who cared about the ethics behind every decision and wondered about the history of the community being helped. I learned to think first like a person and then like an engineer, because what is engineering other than finding solutions to problems that affect people? Engineering comes back to real lives that are affected by every decision. Making something just because it’s effective, without thinking about ethical, environmental, or humanitarian side effects, is not what good engineering is about.

Madeline Estey ’21 (left) and Natasha Wan ’21 (right)

Why is it important for more women to go into engineering?

Natasha: Women bring perspectives that might be missed in a male-dominated arena. For example, in my school’s Engineers Without Borders club — before my time — someone had the idea to use a bike-powered pump to bring clean water to a particular community. This sounded terrific, as a bike is much cheaper than wind- or solar power. The new pump was set up, but it was later discovered that this brand-new pump was never used: In this community, it was frowned on for women to ride bikes, and because it was mainly women who pumped water, no one used it. With more women involved in the data-gathering and building processes, a usable clean-water pump could have been designed with this issue in mind.

What’s your best piece of advice?

Madeline: It’s important for students to understand just how expansive the field of engineering is. There’s a place for visual/performing arts, athletics, and more, along with the traditional subjects of math and science. Because of this, everyone should participate in an engineering project at least once.

Natasha: When you have a chance to try something new, take it — you never know where it might lead. Stepping into new adventures with an open mind can help you figure out what you care about. Even when you find something you don’t like, it can give you a perspective on, and often appreciation of, other fields.

FAMILY ROOTS. At Commencement, Elizabeth Budd Bugliari ’59 GP ’22 ’26 celebrated her granddaughter Claire Bugliari ’22 (at left) and Heidi Sorvino ’79 P ’22 (at right) congratulated her daughter Elizabeth Sorvino-Mancini ’22. Not pictured: Tracy (Merahn) Katt ’92 P ’22 ’29 and her daughter, Kelsey Katt ’22.

ALUMNAE WEEKEND

We Celebrated Together

It was a long-awaited reunion when some 200 alumnae, from the Class of 1951 to the Class of 2017, returned to reminisce and to explore what’s new on campus, and — most important — to once again share smiles, laughter, and hugs.

Alumnae were welcomed back on Friday night with a variety of events. Among the highlights were a cocktail reception and a 50th-reunion dinner hosted by Head of School Jennifer Galambos for the Classes of 1972, 1970, and 1971; the latter two classes had missed this milestone celebration because of COVID. In addition, alumnae attended the student Evening of Dance performance and others gathered for class dinners.

Saturday — a beautiful spring day — began with updates on the tremendous work happening at Kent Place and the school’s plans for the future. New members of next year’s Alumnae Board were inducted, and all enjoyed the time-honored Reunion tradition of bestowing awards to alumnae in recognition of their contributions to their careers or to their communities. (See the sidebar on page 53.)

A special presentation took place on the lawn in front of Mabie House, acknowledging 50 years of strength, courage, and perseverance of Kent Place’s Black alumnae. (See the sidebar on page 55.)

In the afternoon, alumnae reconnected with classmates, had picnics on the lawn, toured campus, and took a walk down memory lane at the archives display. Many headed back to the classroom to learn from current Kent Place faculty: They launched rockets in physics with Mr. Largo, learned Zumba from Ms. Stevenson, had discussions of ethics with Dr. Rezach, and brushed up on economics with Ms. Schwartz. All the fun of learning — without the tests!

The celebration culminated in evening festivities, from cocktails, dinner, and dancing, to a band and food carts on the lawn, to a photo booth and slide show in Mabie House.

Stay tuned for information about next year’s Alumnae Weekend. We hope you’ll be able to come for two days of fun — and nostalgia — with your classmates!

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1. Selfie time: 1982 classmates Lisa (Brown) Langley and Ramelle Massey 2. Classes of 1970, 1971, and 1972 celebrate their 50th reunion. Shown: Julie (Jacobson) Bobrow ’72, Marlene Kurz ’72, and Harty (Platt) du Pont ’70 3. Josie (Debevoise) Davies ’72, Lynn (Daeschler) Magrane ’70 P ’00 ’02, and Joyce (Cudlipp) Wiggin ’51 4. Joy (Charles) Kay ’80 and Eloise Nicholl ’07 catching up at the Welcome Brunch 5. Zumba class with Ms. Stevenson: Lizzy Miggins ’11, Sam Jakucionis ’12, and Amy Rowland ’12 6. Beautiful weather for a 2001 picnic on the Graduation Lawn: Dana Holland, Kassandra (Coronis) Samman P ’36, Lindsay (Williamson) Hill, and Jennifer (Melillo) Buurma P ’31 7. Photo booth fun: (back) Stephanie Carson ’87, Ginny (Boyer) Losito ’87, Liz (Harrison) Kubany ’87, and Marcy (Meenan) Dean ’87; (front) Andrea Carson Tanner ’91, Liz Hines ’91, and Erika Amato ’87 ALUMNAE AWARD RECIPIENTS

The Alumnae Association recognized three graduates for their exemplary contributions to their careers and communities. These women embody the Kent Place mission to empower girls who advance the world.

Kelly (Mead) Leach ’90 was honored with the Barbara Wight Biddison ’30 Distinguished Alumna Award for her success with Cycle for Survival, the movement to beat rare cancers. Kelly launched Team Pedaling Sunshine on the day of her final radiation treatment for Ewing’s sarcoma, and the team has participated in events across the country, with more than 200 riders and thousands of donors. Together they’ve raised close to $2 million in just seven years.

Kathryn (Del Guercio) Walmsley ’00 received the Alumna Professional Achievement Award for her efforts to advance access to educational opportunity and equity in New Orleans. She’s now the chief financial officer for KIPP New Orleans Schools, the city’s largest network of open-enrollment public charter schools, serving 6,000 students — more than 10 percent of the city’s public school children.

Natasha Scott ’07 accepted the Young Alumna Award in recognition of her dedication to leveling the playing field for youth from low-income, underserved communities. As executive director of Dorson Community Foundation, a nonprofit based in East Orange, N.J., Natasha works to advance the organization’s mission to provide college and career readiness and self-development enrichment to students from the inner cities of Essex County.

Award winners Kelly (Mead) Leach ’90 and Natasha Scott ’07; Katie (Del Guercio) Walmsley ’00 joined on Zoom

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8. Lots of laughs: 2000 classmates Sarah (Hammitt) Colasurdo and Ashley (Pinakiewicz) Smallwood 9. Lots of photos were taken: Natasha Scott ’07, Kenya Jacobs ’15, and Jachele Vélez ‘07 10. One of many hugs throughout the day 11. Maya Lobban ’12 launching a rocket in physics class with Mr. Largo 12. 2007 classmates Natalie Straughn and Khemi Cooper 13. Catching up with Ms. Clemens: Lili Hutchinson ’11, Hannah (Benn) Davis ’11, Olivia Donatelli ’12, Kim Lewis ’11, Logan Shanney ’09, and Courtney (Shanney) Kingsbery ’05 14. Head of School Jennifer Galambos and Chief Advancement Officer Coral Butler Brooks with outgoing Alumnae Board President Katherine (O’Donnell) Lynch ’06 15. The evening culminated in a dance off among the classes!

ACKNOWLEDGING 50 YEARS OF STRENGTH, COURAGE, AND PERSEVERANCE OF KENT PLACE’S BLACK ALUMS

They showed up — and today we show up — was the important message delivered during Alumnae Weekend in a presentation acknowledging 50 years of Black alumnae.

“Today I stand before you representing the many African American young ladies who showed up on this campus every day,” said April Bauknight ’95, Alumnae Board member and DEIB Alum Council Chair. “Every day they showed up not knowing what adversity they would face. They showed up not knowing whether they would be accepted by their peers. They showed up not knowing whether they would be accepted by their teachers. They showed up not certain how they would perform academically.

But despite all of that, they showed up . . .

“Today, we show up. We show up to acknowledge and honor every little Black girl who had the courage to show up. We show up to commemorate their journeys. We, as little Black girls, show up. Daily. To challenge the misconceptions and stereotypes we still encounter . . .” Walidah Justice, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, talked about the importance of the changing face of Kent Place School, particularly in the last few years, as students of color are now the majority. She updated the audience on the work being done every day in support of our students and the efforts being made to build a more inclusive infrastructure. She concluded by thanking every Kent Place Black alumna for setting a standard of excellence and achievement: “I marvel at the possibilities for our current brave and brilliant Black girls,” she said. “They’re the next generation of Black excellence.” Alumna Ramelle Massey ’82 took the podium to commend the work being done at KPS and to announce her donation toward the continued efforts of the BCA. Head of School Jennifer Galambos recognized Ms. Justice for her leadership and partnership. She thanked the BCA, particularly presidents Adoara Dawson ’22 and Nia Williams ’22, for showing the way. “Most of all, I thank you, April Bauknight, for answering my call two years ago, in May 2020, when I asked you to serve as the inaugural chair of Kent Place’s DEIB Alum Council. You always show up for the students of Kent Place and honor your commitment to ensuring that at KPS, every little Black girl finds a welcome seat at the table. Today we recognize our past, we stand in our present, and, with our alumnae, current students, and faculty, we will build a future in which every student graduates as a confident, intellectually charged, ethical leader who is prepared to advance the world.” A bench now sits in front of Mabie House, a reminder of all those who showed up and honoring the strength, courage, and perseverance of the Black alumnae who helped pave the way for inclusion at Kent Place School.

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1. DEIB Alum Council Chair April Bauknight ’95 with Head of School Jennifer Galambos 2. BCA co-president Adoara Dawson ’22; Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Walidah Justice; Ramelle Massey ’82; DEIB Alum Council Chair April Bauknight ’95; and BCA co-president Nia Williams ’22 3. Unveiling of the new bench in front of Mabie House

Caption Mont Fébé, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 2015

Katherine Kalaris ’03

Katherine Kalaris ’03 earned her BA at Dartmouth and her master’s at Columbia and has spent 10 years working in global health, nine of them in sub-Saharan Africa. In October 2020, she started a PhD program at the University of Oxford, researching how clinical networks may solve problems of poor service delivery in low- and middle-income country health systems, focusing on neonatal service delivery networks in Kenya. Katherine is a consultant for Maternal-Neonatal Health Networks of Care for the World Health Organization.

I planned to major in art history or math at Dartmouth, but during freshman orientation an upperclassman mentioned that she was a geography major. I didn’t know you could major in that subject, but soon I was sitting in my first geography class, and a new adventure began to unfold.

A few months after graduation, I arrived in the Sahelian country of Burkina Faso. Over the next 10 years, I went from a somewhat naive, very eager Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina Faso, to an adventurous master’s candidate in Tigray, Ethiopia, to navigating the Ministry of Health in Cameroon, to running an NGO country office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In Burkina Faso, I worked at a rural health clinic. Days started early with the crowing of roosters and the braying of donkeys. I spent mornings at the clinic, supporting vaccination and child nutrition programs, and my afternoons were filled with health education classes at the local schools or treks to neighboring villages.

Following a year teaching English outside of Lyon, France, a master’s degree at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, and a séjour in Ethiopia, I packed my suitcases and headed to Yaoundé, Cameroon, to work with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). Now armed with some field experience and technical knowledge, I jumped into working with the Ministry of Health to increase the availability and access to family-planning services and improve the pharmaceutical supply chain. Most of the time, I shuffled between ministry and partner-organization meetings to push the program agendas.

From Yaoundé, I went to Kinshasa, DRC, to establish the CHAI country office. Kinshasa is a vibrant, chaotic city on the banks of the Congo River, notorious for its insane traffic jams and rhumba music. At first it was just me, running around the city with my laptop, but over time the program portfolio grew to include projects in family planning, HIV diagnostics and treatment, severe malaria treatment, and the pharmaceutical supply chain. Although I learned a great deal establishing and running an NGO country office, the technical and programmatic work I’m passionate about continued to call.

So, I’m back in academia, trading the well-loved, dusty, sun-baked streets of Africa for the hallowed halls and dreaming spires of Oxford, where I’m in my second year of a DPhil (PhD) as a health systems researcher. I’ll soon head to Kenya for my thesis fieldwork in hospital neonatal wards.

Colleagues have called me a pit bull and a bulldozer, and I always find a soap box to jump onto. It’s been anything but a straight path, but it’s been an amazing journey since that life-changing day at college orientation. Keep an open mind: You never know where you may land!