Laurel School's Highlights Magazine: Fall 2022

A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNAE, PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF LAUREL SCHOOL

inside FALL 2022 | Laurel's EcoFest • Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees • Annual Report

Because we are more than a school

We are more because of you

The Laurel Fund supports the foundation of a Laurel education—Athletics, the Arts, DEIB, STEM, Faculty & Staff compensation, LCRG—and so much more. It’s the more that binds it all together. The friendships that are formed, the traditions that are celebrated, the camaraderie seen and heard throughout the halls, the admiration of a special teacher, the learning inside and outside the classroom…this is what makes Laurel so much more.

ways to give

LAUREL SCHOOL Laurel girls today. Leaders tomorrow. Highlights | FALL 2022

IN THIS ISSUE

Dream. Dare. Do.

ON THE COVER: Primary students enjoying outdoor fun at our Lyman Campus.

Always a Laurel Girl: How the Leadership of our Alumnae Helped Shape Who We Are Today | A Message from Ann V. Klotz . . . . . 4

First-Ever EcoFest Comes to the Butler Campus . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Student Profile: Sophia & Natalie Casa '23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees 13

MISSION STATEMENT

Highlights | FALL 2022

HEAD OF SCHOOL Ann V. Klotz

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Maegan Ruhlman Cross ’03

CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR Jessica Allen

EDITOR Sarah Hibshman Miller ’98

ALUMNAE EDITOR Julie Donahue ’79

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Laurel School

PHOTOGRAPHY Kimberly Dailey, Neal McDaniel, Mock Tuna

PRESIDENT, ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION

Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97

CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Megan Lum Mehalko ’83

Highlights is published by Laurel School for alumnae, parents and friends.

Submit address changes to the Development Office at 216.455.3096 or bGreen@LaurelSchool.org

Laurel School is an independent day school for girls, Kindergarten through Grade 12, with coeducational programs for 18 months–four-yearolds. We are proud to be an inclusive and equitable school community, and we actively seek a diverse student body and faculty without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, handicap or disability or sexual orientation.

LAUREL VALUES STATEMENT:

Committed to building a just and inclusive world, Laurel girls are courageous, creative, ethical and compassionate.

LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

To inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world.

Dream. Dare. Do.

A MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL ANN V. KLOTZ

ALWAYS A LAUREL GIRL:

How the Leadership of our Alumnae Helped Shape Who We Are Today

One of the joys I had not expected to be so profound in being Head of School has been to come to know and care deeply for Alumnae from across multiple generations. Over the course of my headship, I have been especially privileged to know several women whose care for and loyalty to Laurel School was made manifest over many decades. Barbara Peterson Ruhlman ’50 and Mary deConingh Emerson ‘46 were women we lost last year and at whose memorial services I was honored to speak. In early October, I had the privilege to remember another remarkable member of the Laurel School community at a celebration of her life; I share those remarks with you here:

“Mary French Conway, Laurel Class of 1946, embodied the alumnae mantra, “Always a Laurel girl.” Entering Laurel School in the Seventh Grade, she was a member of the White Team, an alto in Glee Club, a member of the Leaders Club—we have no idea what that was, but it was prescient—and was voted “social butterfly” (and as having the best legs) in the Senior Class poll!

“A psychology major at Vassar College, Mary joined the Laurel Board of Trustees, offering devoted and strategic leadership

from 1976-1990 and from 199293, after which she was named a trustee emerita. A consummate leader—straightforward yet diplomatic—she served as both Vice President and President of the Board. As an emerita trustee, she often attended meetings until very recently, contributing to the discussions and raising important questions. She served on the development committee for decades, chaired the Distinguished Alumna Committee and was the recipient of that same honor when she was named the 2014 Distinguished Alum for

her lifetime of community service and devotion to many institutions, including her beloved alma mater. Mary was also an honorary cochair of Laurel’s 125th anniversary, a celebration dimmed slightly by a global pandemic.

“I vividly remember first meeting Mary 19 years ago when I interviewed as a finalist for the position of headmistress at Laurel. Her style reminded me of my own mother— they were from a generation of women who combined high standards, no nonsense, grace and poise, as comfortable on a wilderness adventure as they were at a bridge table, whose interest in the world and in people was vast. I loved her immediately and stood up a little straighter in her presence, striving to lead Laurel in ways that were worthy of Mary’s faith in me.

“Mary was a generous champion of Laurel School, stepping forward with her beloved Bill over and over again to help us shape Laurel’s future. One of

my favorite moments was when she and Bill visited my office to inform me they were making a gift to light the school—and clean it, too. “Getting a little too dingy, a bit too Harry Potterlike,” Mary said drily. Clean the facade we did and then we illuminated it, so the building glows at night. I cannot pass One Lyman Circle in the evening without remembering Mary’s care, expressed continuously, for the school she—and so many women in her family—loved so deeply.

Before I came to Laurel, she established an endowment for teaching excellence—such an investment in the Laurel faculty and in our school. Next came the beautiful Conway Pavilion at the Butler Campus followed by a first yurt and then four more! Her faith in our vision for the Butler Campus was buttressed by her own deep appreciation for the natural world and the wonder it inspires in children—and adults!

“Mary was always impeccably dressed and coiffed. She and I swapped book titles and strategies for forcing bulbs around the holidays. We shared a passion for needlepoint and for older cats. She always made a point of asking about our children—she was so proud of her family, all her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren—and we shared a special love for and interest in her four Laurel granddaughters!

“On what I did not know would be our final Sunday night dinner last

winter, Mary gave me a pale blue quilted satin square box that held a selection of her own gorgeous hankies—I treasure them and often wear one tucked into my watch band.

“When I learned that Mary was failing, I wept. I was not ready to say goodbye—and then I thought about Mary French Conway, her courage in raising children halfway round the world in Australia, her strong moral compass, her terrific sense of humor, her ability to manage herself in any situation. I took a deep breath and recalled the ways she had enriched our school and the privilege of being included in the circle of her love.”

I hope, for all of us, that there are Mary Conways in our lives and that we tell them, long before they leave us, what they mean to us. Women like Mary, Mary, and Barbara have changed Laurel School for the better. We are so lucky to be the beneficiaries of their love. L

Mary French Conway '46

First-Ever EcoFest Comes to Laurel's Butler Campus

BRINGS AWARENESS TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND THE CHANGEMAKERS AT WORK IN NORTHEAST OHIO

By Sarah Hibshman Miller ‘98

IIn October, Laurel held its first-ever EcoFest at the Butler Campus! The school hosted over 25 partners—all focused on sustainability and a mission toward environmental stewardship—and welcomed more than 450 attendees from the Laurel community and beyond.

Laurel has a history of commitment to environmental education and sustainability, which made the 150-acre Butler Campus the perfect place to host EcoFest. In addition to guided hikes, a nature play area, a student symposium, food trucks and entertainment, Richard Louv, Audubon Medal-winning author of Last Child in the Woods, presented virtually on his talk “Planet Hope: Staying hopeful while taking action for the planet.”

Attendees enjoyed entertainment from Recess Cleveland, created inspired, repurposed art with UpCycle Parts Shop, and learned from exhibitors including Alliance for the Great Lakes, Black Environmental Leaders, CLE Tree Revival, Holden Arboretum, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, and so many more.

First-Ever EcoFest Comes to

Laurel's Butler Campus

“EcoFest was developed with education and hope for our planet in mind. Our goal is to create a hopeful space where people who care about the environment can see the great work already going on within our community. EcoFest is all about sustainability, community, action and justice, and a great opportunity to network with other organizations doing sustainable work in the industry.”

Angela Yeager, Director of Laurel’s Environmental Justice Semester

—

Amazing blue skies and unseasonably warm fall temperatures helped make Laurel’s first-ever EcoFest a true success! It is the perfect venue to launch Laurel’s Environmental Justice (EJ) Semester, which will begin in Fall 2023. This immersive, 15-week long academic program is now accepting applications from current Laurel students and girls from across the Greater Cleveland area who are interested in Environmental Justice.

During each EJ semester, students in the program will work with a solution-focused organization in Greater Cleveland on a particular project. Representative projects could include work with organizations focused on:

• Climate change policy research

• Tackling food deserts

• Environmental education

• Community organizing

• Lead poisoning policy and education

• Ecological restoration (tree planting, urban gardens, invasive removal)

At the end of this highly-engaging academic semester, students will return to their home schools inspired and hopeful about solutions for protecting people and the planet in a complicated world.

If you know a student who might be interested, visit LarelSchool.org/EnvironmentalJustice to learn more.

L

“Laurel has long imagined Butler as a place to inspire a love for the outdoors and create changemakers who want to go into the world to make a difference. Launching EcoFest on our Butler Campus connects our students with local community organizations committed to bringing about real change. We hope this will be the first of many future events and opportunities Laurel will offer aligned around sustainability, equity and environmental stewardship.”

— Ann V. Klotz, Head of Laurel School

EcoFest

Fittingly presented at Laurel School’s 150-acre Butler campus in Russell Township, complete with woodland, waterways and three miles of hiking trails, the first-ever EcoFest Saturday drew more than 400 for the free environmentally conscious event.

The afternoon featured interactive family activities, a variety of green exhibitors in the field of environmental justice as well as guided hikes, entertainment, food and more.

Created to bring students to the stage to practice their advocacy, EcoFest also served to raise awareness of changemaking organizations throughout Northeast Ohio, including the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Loiter East Cleveland, United Way of Greater Cleveland, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, Shaker Youth Leeds, Black Environmental Leaders and many more— all of which had a focus on sustainability.

“Eco Fest is about bringing folks together who care about people and the planet,” Angela Yeager, director of Laurel’s Environmental Justice Semester, said, with the day’s theme being sustainability, community, action and justice.

Those are the same themes of Laurel’s new Environmental Justice Semester, which will launch next fall and is being forged as a transformational educational experience for 10th and 11th grade girls who learn through rigorous interdisciplinary work focused around studying local problems and devising solutions, Ms. Yeager explained.

The semester is open to incoming

LAUREL SCHOOL’S ‘ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE’ SEMESTER BRINGS FOCUS TO GREEN INITIATIVES

10th and 11th grade girls from any school, public, private or faith-based, not just Laurel, and will involve project focused coursework which will support partner organizations like the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Black Environmental Leaders through volunteer hours and project work, built into the school day.

Students will work on individual projects in such areas as climate change policy research, environmental education, ecological restoration, tackling food deserts, journalism and more.

The semester is the brainchild of Laurel head of school Ann V. Klotz, who said she recognizes that students are most concerned about our people, our planet and climate change. They want to make a positive impact now, not wait until they are adults, she said.

“Laurel has long had a commitment to environmental sustainability,” Ms. Klotz said, “and we want to make that manifest by sponsoring this first EcoFest

in Northeast Ohio” and launching the Environmental Justice program.

“We have only one world, and it’s this one, and our young people are calling for action and hope.”

A highlight of EcoFest was a virtual presentation by Audubon Medal-Winning Author Richard Louv, whose talk for the crowd gathered in Conway Pavilion was “Planet Hope: Staying hopeful while taking action for the planet.”

Mr. Louv spoke of the importance of our relationship with nature as well as of ecological challenges, among other discussion points.

Outside the pavilion was a white board that posed the sentence “I will take action for the planet by...” with people writing responses like “Recycle,” “Eating vegan” and “Planting Native Plants,” among others. Other boards spread throughout the event posed such questions for public input as “What sustainable change do you want to see in your community/school?”

“Our goal is to equip girls to be change makers with regards to the natural world,”

Written by Sue Reid with photos by Geoff Powers

The event featured a variety of change-making organizations throughout Northeast Ohio, all of which had a focus on sustainability.

Ms. Klotz said, “and also to give them a tool kit that will allow them to make change in whatever communities they occupy going forward.”

The Butler campus, which Laurel School acquired in 1999 and will house the Environmental Justice Program in its Fairmount House there, is the “ideal centerpiece” for such a program, Ms. Klotz continued.

“Laurel has long imagined Butler as a place to inspire a love for the outdoors and create change makers who want to go into the world to make a difference,” said Ms. Klotz. “Launching EcoFest on our Butler Campus connects our students with local community organizations committed to bringing about real change. We hope this will be the first of many future events and opportunities Laurel will offer aligned around sustainability, equity and environmental stewardship.

“We have been very careful about where we place structures in the topography,” Ms. Klotz added of Butler’s layout. “We want to put our money where our mouth is and walk the walk with sustainability and protect our wetlands.

“We are living the values and mission of environmental justice in the way we structure and live the program (at Butler),” Ms. Klotz said.

“Butler is a great model for looking to our natural spaces for solutions,” Ms. Yeager continued. “Nature has the power to calm, to focus and inspire students.

“Like our EcoFest speaker Richard Louv has identified, many people suffer from nature deficit disorder, and any time we can bring folks outside, we are making a positive impact on our only home planet.

“The Butler campus is pure magic,” she said.

The campus on Fairmount Road has been used for field trips, athletics and outdoor learning and summer camps for over 15 years. In recent years it has been utilized as a campus for Laurel grades 3-5.

In addition to woodland and waterways and three miles of hiking trails, which many toured during EcoFest, Butler is home to world-class athletic facilities, including the 16,000-square-foot Alice Lehmann Butler ’49 Center for Fitness and Wellness.

The campus also includes two allseason lodges, a 3,000-square-foot pavilion, a 1,600-square foot Magic Tree House and five yurts.

Part of the Environmental Justice Program will include outdoor research and forest restoration on the Butler Campus, Ms. Klotz noted.

“This Environmental Justice program will bring diverse groups of students together to explore how best to care for the land and care for the common good,” she said.

The semester is made possible by a $250,000 matching grant Laurel received from the Edward E. Ford Foundation.

EcoFest was proposed as part of the school’s grant proposal, Ms. Yeager added.

“Part of this was thinking of how to bring students to the stage and microphone to voice how they feel about our climate and the environment,” she said.

“We have been an educational innovator since 1896,” Ms. Klotz added. “This Environmental Justice semester is our answer to a transformative, interdisciplinary educational experience unlike any other offered in Cleveland today.”

Ms. Klotz said it is her hope that events like EcoFest and the upcoming Environmental Justice Semester will make a greater difference in the world.

“We will drop a tiny pebble in a pond and hope the ripples it sends out will become a model for other institutions,” Ms. Klotz, who has served as head of school since 2004, said.

In development over the past couple of years, this semester, which is open

Sisters Hazel and Claire Cox, both students at Laurel School and residents of Waite Hill, prepare a plant-based dish in the mud kitchen, one of the plethora of “green” activities and events presented as part of the first EcoFest held last Saturday at the school’s Butler Campus in Russell Township.

for applications of interest currently, is about what Laurel can do to be of use to students across Northeast Ohio, many of whom do not have the opportunity for private education, Ms. Klotz said.

“Real learning is mutual and collaborative,” Ms. Klotz noted. “I’m interested in the public purpose of a private school.

“There’s no other program like this around the country,” she added. “Innovation is our tradition since 1896, and this is the next plank in that.”

A nationally recognized school for girls in kindergarten through Grade 12 with a coeducational Pre-Primary School, Laurel School, at 1 Lyman Circle in Shaker Heights, defines its mission as inspiring each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world.

“The planet is calling for more people to advocate for it,” Ms. Yeager said. “Now is the time.”

L

LAUREL SISTERS GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY THROUGH LOVE OF THEATER

Q: Where did the idea for “A Formal Night Evening” come from?

A: We watched Steve Martin and Martin Short’s special “An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life” in April 2022, and began joking about writing our own show. Soon after, our ideas became more and more realized until we had a pitch for a full show. Since both of us have written scripts and participated in so much theater, we felt as though it would be an interesting thing to do to flex our creative muscles!

Q: How did the script come together?

Natalie and Sophia Casa, both Seniors who joined Laurel in the Fourth Grade, have had a passion for theater for as long as they can remember. Starting their theatrical careers with the Chagrin Valley Little Theater at the ages of 7 for Natalie and 9 for Sophia, the twin sisters have held numerous roles in performances at Laurel and beyond over the last decade. Both Natalie and Sophia starred in “The Hello Girls” in the Spring of 2022 and Sophia played the lead in this year’s Laurel Upper School Fall play, “She Kills Monsters.” Sophia has also been involved in film production, placing 2nd in the 2021 Kids Film It Festival in the animation category for her film "Change (or Your Money Back)." In 2022 her Kids Film It entry, “Starcatcher,” for which she digitally hand-drew the piece and composed and performed all the music, won the Viewer’s Choice Award in the 15-18-year-old category.

The twins’ latest feat was a spectacular one-time performance of “A Formal Night Evening,” a musical show that followed parodied versions of Natalie and Sophia as they attempted to find the meaning of the holidays alongside an ensemble of Laurel students and one special celebrity guest. The sisters co-wrote this original show and worked with fellow students on nearly every aspect of the performance, which benefited the Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank, an organization Natalie and Sophia have volunteered at for the last three years. Read on to learn more about the Casa sisters’ passion for theater and their desire to give back to the community through their art.

A: We came up with a detailed summary while taking long walks together. We pitched the show to Laurel and it was approved in May. Last summer we got to work, inspired by the musicals, comedy shows, and variety specials we grew up watching, and developed our own original holiday musical comedy show. We wrote the script together, and Sophia wrote the music, while I (Natalie) wrote the majority of the lyrics. We also starred in the play as satirized versions of ourselves who keep missing when trying to come up with the meaning of the holidays.

Q: Who else is involved in the production?

A: We announced the show to the school with a short trailer and speech during Chapel time. From there, we allowed people to sign up for either Promotional Crew (creating our social media posts & helping to promote the show), Run Crew (helping out backstage, tech, hair and makeup, costumes, etc.) or to act in the play. We had many more people sign up than we were expecting, which was a very happy surprise! From there, we had auditions for “The Children of the Holiday” (the name of our ensemble) and the role of the announcer.

LAUREL SISTERS GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY THROUGH LOVE OF THEATER

Q: Was “A Formal Night Evening” a solely student-run endeavor?

A: “A Formal Night Evening” was primarily student-driven but we did have a little guidance and support. We wrote the entire show ourselves, and we had three student stage managers who assisted with all the logistics. All of the cast and crew were students. That said, Andrew Cruse, Laurel’s Director of College Guidance (and actor), directed the show and Joel McDaniel, Upper School Music Teacher, helped with all of our technical needs and music. Leighann DeLorenzo, Interim Director of Upper School who was previously involved in performing arts for Laurel, was also so helpful with providing us feedback.

Q: I understand you chose The Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank to support via proceeds from the show. Tell us about that.

A: We knew we wanted to support a local charity, and we have both volunteered at the Kid’s Book Bank in the past. The people who run the Kid’s Book Bank are so kind and welcoming, and we felt that it was the perfect choice. Furthermore, we both know how valuable books can be in a child’s life, and so we felt that this was the right charity to choose. All funds raised from the show went to directly support the Book Bank and it felt really good to give back, especially during the holiday season.

Q: What is next for you both?

A: I (Natalie) plan on majoring in television/film production and Sophia plans to double major in journalism and film next year. We definitely have plans to write more scripts and our interest in theater is likely to last a lifetime! Do not be surprised if you see more plays by the Casa twins in the future.

L

“My first experience with performing arts at Laurel was Ms. Offutt’s drama class in Fifth Grade. She was an amazing teacher who really helped me come out of my shell and become a better actress. Furthermore, I feel that last year’s musical ‘The Hello Girls’ was what really got me back into theater after it had been canceled due to COVID. Mr. Cruse is a stellar director who helped me gain confidence and lean into comedy on stage. Finally, Mr. McDaniel is one of my favorite teachers ever, because he always encouraged me to go for something even when I wasn’t sure. I would like to really thank Andrew Cruse, Joel McDaniel, and Leighann DeLorenzo for supporting this project so much!”

—Natalie Casa

“Ms. DeLorenzo has really made an impact on me. She was the person behind the Shakespeare Rocks camp, which gave me the confidence to eventually step out on stage and use my voice. Similarly, throughout the years all of my directors— Leighann DeLorenzo, Andrew Cruse, Lara Mielcarek, and Micheal Glavan (the last two were external directors of Laurel productions)—have helped me grow and learn to become not only a better actor but creator as well. Mr. Cruse deserves a special shout out for hearing about this idea and saying ‘ok but what if it WAS real?’ which really was the big push for us to finally create this wonderful thing.”

—Sophia Casa

(L to R) Natalie Casa '23 and Sophia Casa '23

CONGRATULATIONS TO

LAUREL SCHOOL’S

Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

2022 INDUCTEES

Ann Daniels Marks ’54 Longtime Upper Arlington Girls Tennis Coach

Kelly Schumann Styne ’80 1979 doubles Ohio Class A-AA Champion

Patricia Hannon ’82 1979 doubles Ohio Class A-AA Champion

Brittney Jackson ’10 2007 Division 3 100m State Champion

In September Laurel proudly welcomed four new Alumnae into our Athletic Hall of Fame! After two years gathering virtually or in small groups, it was joyous to bring all grades together to celebrate our inductees in the newly renovated Tippit Gymnasium.

Ann Daniels Marks ’54, Kelly Schumann Styne ’80, Patricia Hannon ’82 and Brittney Jackson ’10 were all chosen for their athletic achievements while students at Laurel and their passion and ongoing commitment to their sport.

Kindergarten-Grade 12 Girls Celebrate Four New Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

It was fitting to celebrate the induction in the gym, with its recently completed construction which included the installation of central air, new flooring, kalwall roof panels that bring in a flood of natural light, and renovated locker rooms, workout area and office space! The $3.5 million renovation was made possible by generous donors, and a ribbon cutting kicked off the official Hall of Fame ceremony.

Ann Daniels Marks ’54, grew up in Cleveland Heights and at Laurel played a variety of sports including tennis, field hockey and figure skating. She was a catcher on the softball team, played center on the varsity field hockey team, was a guard in basketball and was in the dance club. The 1954 yearbook noted that Ann Daniels “plays a fierce game of tennis and has a large collection of trophies to prove it.”

At graduation she was honored with the All-Around Athlete award. Mrs. Marks went to Colorado College and went on to teach tennis and play professionally before moving into a 33-year career of coaching for the Upper Arlington girls tennis teams in Columbus, where she lives.

Kelly Schumann Styne ’80 grew up in Shaker Heights and began playing tennis at age 11. A year later, she took home the girls age 12 title at the 1974 Plain Dealer Junior Tennis Tournament, the fourth junior tournament title she had

won that year. At Laurel, she initially played singles in the Upper School until she was partnered with Patricia Hannon ’82. The 1978 Laurel team won the divisional title its first year in the AAA Division of Northeastern Ohio tennis league and had a 9-0 season. And the following year as a Senior, she won the 1979 doubles Ohio Class A-AA championship with Patricia Hannon and the team won the Ohio Athletic Association Coaches Tournament, and the Northeastern Ohio Tennis League title. The team finished with a 21-1 record and Kelly was named the team’s MVP. She went on to attend Northwestern University. Following graduation she worked in film, was an editor at GQ magazine, started her own clothing line and is an artist. Mrs. Styne currently lives in Los Angeles.

Patricia Hannon ’82 was already playing at the tournament level at age 10 and was ranked number one in the district by the time she was 12. Coached by her mother all four years on the Laurel varsity tennis team, she played first doubles

before eventually playing the number one singles position in her Junior and Senior years. She qualified for the state tournament in doubles all four years and in 1979 won the doubles state championship with her partner, Kelly Schumann. That same year, she helped the tennis team win the first and only team tennis state title in Laurel’s athletic history. Patricia continued her tennis career at Dartmouth College where she set the school record in winning percentage for a doubles team, a record that still stands today. After graduating from Dartmouth, she attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University and completed her residency at Johns Hopkins University. A runner now as well as a tennis player, Dr. Hannon and her family live in Chicago where she is a pediatrician.

season as the assistant track and field coach and interned with Athletes in Action, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to give athletes a greater sense of their purpose physically, mentally, and specifically spiritually. She lives in Cleveland and works at Early Steps Learning Center.

We’ve Got Spirit Yes We Do!

Brittney Jackson

’10 discovered a love and talent for both track and volleyball that never waned. A threeseason athlete in Upper School she played volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter and ran track in the spring. Success at states came in Ninth Grade when Brittney ran her way to gold as the fastest girl in Ohio, competing in Division 3 and clocking in at 12.4 seconds in the 100m dash with a 1.7 wind speed. She continued to run track the next three years and was recruited by Grand Valley State University in Michigan where she played volleyball her first year and ran track all four years. After college Ms. Jackson returned to Laurel for one

To close out this special day of celebrations, the K-12 community came together for a spirited pep rally in the gym, complete with music from our newly formed faculty Pep band, cheers led by the Lady Gators, Laurel’s dance team, and introductions of all members of the Fall sports teams! The Gator pride was in full force and everyone enjoyed letting loose and bringing the school spirit to the Tippit Gym! It was a perfect close to a day that celebrated alumnae athletes for their strength and passion for their sport.

L

(clockwise from left) Patricia Hannon '82 with classmate Jen Cutler Merritt; cutting the ribbon; Ann Daniels Marks '54 reconnecting with Nancy Tippit Navatsyk '72; Kelly Schumann Styne '80 and Beth Melzer O'Shea '80; Athletic Director David Meyer, and Savannah Hameed '24 presenting the award to Brittney Jackson '10.

LEGACY FOR LAUREL

NANCY BRECKENRIDGE McCORMACK ’48

On a beautiful October day, we sat down with Nancy Breckenridge McCormack ‘48 at her home, marveling at the beauty of the autumn leaves outside her windows and reminiscing about her Laurel days—both what Laurel brought to Nancy’s life and how she, in turn, has contributed to Laurel’s vibrant legacy.

Nancy came to Laurel in the fall of 1945 as a Sophomore, arriving by train from Lima, Ohio, moving into the dorm at Lyman Circle, ready to begin what would become a lifelong journey as a “Laurel girl.”

Nancy said she never had as much fun as living in the dormitory. She shared a cluster of rooms with her roommates, including a small bonus room where they huddled together to study late at night, their light hidden from the hallway and evading the watchful eye of Nino, the housemother. As a student, Nancy was active and involved, serving as Class Secretary, Class President and on the dorm student council, while also volunteering at St. Luke’s Hospital.

As a charter member of Legacy for Laurel, Nancy was among the first to raise her hand to include Laurel in her estate plans. A captain for the Laurel Fund for many years, a longtime Prentiss Society member and a generous supporter of Laurel’s capital campaigns, Nancy understands the importance of supporting an institution that she holds dear—a place that has added so much to her life and which she shares with her daughter, Leslie McCormack Gathy ‘84.

When discussing Nancy’s intention to leave a legacy gift, it was necessary for her to find something that would have personal meaning as someone who knows our school from so many angles–as a student, a dormie, a parent, a Trustee and a loyal volunteer. When Ann Klotz shared plans for the Butler Campus and the idea of a sleeping yurt, Nancy lit up. Perhaps it was the memories of her years as a dormie or her love for things that, like yurts, are both beautiful and practical, but she raised her hand immediately, once again, to fund our first sleeping yurt, affectionately named The Lima Bean! We were thrilled to honor Nancy and officially name The Lima Bean on our annual Yurt Day this past September.

Thank you, Nancy, for your lifetime of generosity and support!

Membership in Legacy for Laurel is extended to all alumnae, parents, parents of alumnae, faculty and friends who make a provision in their estate plans to benefit the School.

For more information contact Maegan Ruhlman Cross ’03, Director of Development, at mCross@LaurelSchool.org or 216.455.3031.

Laurel School

One Lyman Circle Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

FOR PARENTS OF ALUMNAE: If this magazine is addressed to a daughter who no longer lives at home, kindly call us with the correct address: 216-464-1420

Be a changemaker.

Laurel School is now accepting applications for its new Environmental Justice semester for Tenth and Eleventh Grade girls, beginning Fall 2023. Imagine spending a “semester away” alongside passionate changemakers, earning a full semester of academic credits, learning from experts in the field, and contributing to meaningful positive change in Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Visit LaurelSchool.org/EnvironmentalJustice to learn more, set up a visit and apply!

BUTLER CAMPUS

7420 Fairmount Road, Russell Township, OH 44072

LYMAN CAMPUS

1 Lyman Circle, Shaker Heights, OH 44122