Highlights
A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNAE, PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF LAUREL SCHOOL
MISSION STATEMENT
To inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world.
Highlights | SUMMER 2024
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, Bill DePalma, Julie Donahue ’ 79, Neal McDaniel, Renee Psiakis, Mock Tuna
PRESIDENT, ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION
Meredith Stewart Reimer ’95
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
Dream. Dare. Do.
TA MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL ANN V. KLOTZ
DEFINITIONS OF EXCELLENCE
he chatter outside my door subsides as the Upper School students pour into the Dining Room to sit for their math exams. In my office, I imagine them hunched over their tests, pencils moving, brains firing.
A few weeks after that math exam I found myself working at my desk late one afternoon. I thought, as I often do, of Jennie Prentiss and Sarah Lyman, two bold women, who wanted girls to have opportunities to study and learn and grapple and excel. I like imagining Jennie and Sarah sitting at their desks in June, too, gathering their thoughts, reflecting on the year that had just closed and planning for the year to come. Perhaps they, too, watched teachers untack art from the walls, pile forgotten items on the lost and found tables, bent to pick up a pencil lying forgotten in the empty corridor, gazed out the windows of their school to admire a Cleveland June.
When the girls depart for summer, it is as if the building, itself, on Lyman Circle, exhales. Of course, the pause is brief. Summer camp brings swarms of children back to both campuses, but in that in-between moment, that collective exhale, I muse about the
ways in which the rhythms of the school year ground us. Fresh starts, rituals, traditions are as familiar as the changing of seasons.
From our founding, Laurel has prioritized excellence, though, thankfully, our definitions of excellence have evolved to mean more than academic prowess exclusively. At Laurel, girls excel in the arts and in athletics; they secure internships, work throughout NEO as climate activists, lead clubs and publications, win competitions in writing and Speech and Debate and science. There are so many ways excellence is on display at Laurel. There was a time when the bar for girls was low; no one expected them to take challenging course work in science or Latin or mathematics. But visionaries like Jennie Prentiss and Sarah Lyman were not satisfied with training girls to be ornamental. What Laurel’s founders began, it has been our
privilege to continue. At Laurel, academic standards remain high, but we know more now about the importance of aligning wellbeing with achievement. Happier girls perform better in school. Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls has helped us put the world’s best research to work for girls for fifteen years. We are the #1 Girls’ School in Ohio.
The last weeks of school are celebratory, stressful, joyous, bittersweet. Culminating experiences punctuate the countdown to summer and excellence is on display in many ways: Fourth Graders share their scientific research. The Seniors visit Mansfield prison to end their year-long study of America’s prison system in their AP English Language and Composition class. Capstone Scholars present substantive independent research. The little girls proudly share with their grandparents the chapter books they are now able to read. At Last Chapel, three Seniors who founded One Coffee Circle—originally a tiny entrepreneurial enterprise and now a thriving cafe in the back of the Dining Room—are honored, and four Eighth Graders speak about the ways in which the school’s values— creativity, courage, being ethical and compassionate—have shaped their time in the Middle School.
Recently, I showed a guest around the Butler Campus. It was a bright spring day, and I was thrilled by the opportunity to show off the beautiful grounds, the yurts, and the girls engaged in deep learning. When I see all we do at Laurel through a stranger’s eyes, I am newly awed by what we take for granted each day on both campuses.
The guest asked if I thought there was still a place for girls’ schools, and I was startled by my certainty:
“Absolutely. The research is clear— graduates of all girls’ schools and women’s colleges go on to do extraordinary things—many women CEOs and leaders on the world stage attended a girls’ school or a women’s college. Girls’ schools are on the rise because they are spaces that prioritize what girls think over what they look like,
and because they are places that teach girls their voices matter and that there are many ways to learn to lead.” My guest smiled back at me and nodded.
The girls are fascinated by our school’s illustrious past, gazing curiously at the new archival display outside of the Crile Library. They wonder about the girls who went before them. Would Jennie Prentiss and Sarah Lyman recognize today’s Laurel students? Skirts are definitely shorter than they once were and some students prefer khakis; saddle shoes and oxfords are a thing of the past; most of today’s students prefer sneakers. (Next year, we’ve re-introduced a blazer—navy in this iteration—as a Junior and Senior privilege at the students’ request). But what endures is our students' and faculty’s shared commitment to excellence. The mission and values guide our school, and each year, the girls talk
about what it means to better the world. Their ambition to make a difference glows in them.
I imagine Jennie Prentiss and Sarah Lyman shaking their heads a bit in wonder but ultimately smiling in recognition at today’s Laurel students. In many positive ways, our school has evolved—we are a population of many races, faiths, neighborhoods, beliefs, socio-economic statuses—but we stand on the shoulders of the women—and men—who went before us: former heads, alums, parents, philanthropists, friends, scholars who believed in girls and in their power and possibility. Dream, Dare, Do is a contemporary mantra at Laurel, but, somehow, in the quiet afternoon, I imagine Sarah Lyman and Jennie Prentiss nodding in recognition—their girls, our girls. How lucky we are to be committed to so many types of excellence. L
A TOUR OF GRATITUDE WITH
ANN V. KLOTZ
Join us to visit with Head of School Ann V. Klotz during her final year at the helm of Laurel School!
Ms. Klotz will be honored at receptions and gatherings in the cities listed below, where she will share her experiences as a leader in girls' education for more than two decades.
stay tuned to your email and social media for updates on specifics as these events develop.
2024
Washington, D.C. | September 27-28
Boston | October 24-25
Philadelphia and Princeton | November 9-10
Denver | December 4-5
2025
Chicago | January 29-31
Florida (various cities) | February 5-8
San Francisco | April 9-11
New York City | May 8-10
Cleveland | June 1
* Tour dates as of June 20, 2024, and are subject to change. Please visit www.LaurelSchool.org/AVKtour for an up-to-date schedule of Ms. Klotz’s travel throughout the 2024-2025 school year.
Do you live in a city or region not listed but would like to host or attend an event for Laurel and Ann? Please email Jessica Allen at jeAllen@LaurelSchool.org.
THIRD GRADE NATIONAL PARKS CURRICULUM REACHES NEW HEIGHTS
By Sarah Hibshman Miller '98
There is no better setting to immerse yourself in the study of National Parks than at Laurel’s Butler Campus! With 150 acres of lush forest, natural resources like streams, and diverse ecosystems, Butler is almost like its own National Park! This is why in 2020, Third Grade teachers
Karen Yusko and Kimberly Green launched the National Parks learning unit, a perfect tie-in to experiential learning at Butler.
This 16-week study incorporates social studies, math, science, reading, writing, and art, allowing students the opportunity to learn about many different aspects of National Parks. Third Grade teacher Kimberly Green focuses on social studies and writing during the unit. “I lead the girls through a whole group study of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, our local National Park, help them conduct independent research of another National Park, and give girls opportunities to showcase their learning through writing and hands-on projects like salt dough maps, batiks (an Indonesian method of hand-printing textiles by coating with wax the parts not to be dyed) and dioramas,” she said.
Third Grade teacher Lindsay Penkala focuses primarily on reading during the National Park unit. “I lead the girls through novel studies using the books Magic Treehouse: Camptime in California by Mary Pope Osborne and Wishtree by Katherine Applegate. We read the books together and the girls answer text-dependent questions in their reading journals throughout the novel study. They also participate in different writing activities, including, writing a final paragraph where they choose their favorite quote from Wishtree and make connections to it, a shared writing activity where we write an ode to National Parks, and last, they will write a creative story with their chosen National Park as the setting,” explains Ms. Penkala.
Science and math are led by Abbie Bole, Grades 3-5 science and math teacher. Ms. Bole says she finds science concepts related to the National Park each girl studies. For example, students investigate the geology that creates many of the natural features within the parks. After students experience weathering, erosion, and deposition firsthand in the Butler Campus streams, they understand how the Grand Canyon was created and why we have arches in Arches National Park. Similarly, after studying volcanoes students understand the origin of geysers in Yellowstone National Park and also how the mountainous landscapes were created in the national parks of the western United States.
Ms. Bole also highlights “interesting features at Butler that make this campus special.” Each National Park exists because of a unique natural, cultural or historic feature, and Ms. Bole wants students to understand they can also experience interesting natural history on the Butler Campus. This includes learning about local geology by finding fossils in footpaths, or looking for evidence of glaciation just steps from Reid Lodge.
How the National Park Unit has Evolved
Four years ago, the unit began as a research project that culminated in a diorama, a student-written non-fiction book, and a dance performance inspired by nature poems (led by dance teacher Ida Porris). Each year, the curriculum has
become more interdisciplinary. “One year, the class read the Magic Tree House book, Camp Time in California, which follows the story of Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir’s camping trip in Yosemite,” said Ms. Green. “Another year, we added creating batiks of an important feature of the park, and the following year, we invited a batik artist to the classroom to show us her art and techniques. It has become a very dynamic unit that allows students to show what they know in many different ways,” she continued.
When the pandemic hit and Laurel moved Grades 3-5 out to the Butler Campus, the learning unit further evolved. “New teachers entered the picture and brought new passions and teaching strengths to help forge connections between the National Parks and their areas of expertise,” said Ms. Bole. Over time, geology has been added to the mix as well as a maple sugaring mini-unit where students visit Butler’s maple grove and learn about the history of maple sugaring. They get to tap maple trees and make their own syrup with the help of Laurel alum and former faculty member Hope Ford Murphy ‘73.
Why is this Unit so Unique?
Like so much of Laurel’s curriculum taught at Butler, the National Parks unit is highly interdisciplinary. “Although the learning is social studies and science focused, we also tie in art and world languages when students sketch and
watercolor birds from each student’s chosen National Park and then label their bird’s physical structures using French or Spanish vocabulary,“ said Ms. Bole. “Science incorporates math when students graph syrup-tasting results, measure bird features, and weigh eggs like ornithologists. Lastly, students self-choreograph dances designed around bird behaviors and adjectives describing birds.”
Laurel is very deliberate on the path of learning for students. “The National Park unit comes after a unit in which we look at Butler as our local community,” said Ms. Green. “We study the plants and animals that call Butler home and then connect this with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.”
This study helps students realize similarities across regions of the United States. The trees in Cuyahoga Valley for instance, are similar if not the same to those found at Butler. “We can actually head out into the woods at Butler and identify the trees here on campus, or as we read about the animals that live in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, girls recognize that they are the same animals we see scurrying around Butler, like squirrels, white-tailed deer, or snapping turtles. It is very interconnected,” continued Ms. Green.
Why It’s a Favorite
The National Park unit has become a muchanticipated favorite for Third Grade students. When they receive their National Park, it is
typically accompanied by cheers and applause. “The day they are “matched” with their park feels a bit akin to a national sports draft day,” said Ms. Bole.
The big finale is the Third Grade National Park Visitor Center, which takes place in March. Students—or National Park Experts—share research, art, and more about the National Park they researched over a three-month period. Each year the Visitor Center has evolved into something even more interactive, with a variety of activities for visitors to participate in, including maple sugaring.
“Parents love exploring the exhibits with their daughters and always express how impressed they are with how much work students have done in such a short amount of time,” said Ms. Green. “It is the kind of event where parents leave with knowledge they didn’t have coming in. Everyone is learning and having so much fun doing it.”
This unit and the Visitor Center are not just a favorite for students and parents, teachers enjoy it as well and find new ways to evolve the learning from year to year. “I love when students find rocks around campus and want help with identification,” said Ms. Bole. “I also love hearing students observe and point out examples of geology they learn about in class—‘Look, Mrs. Bole it’s ice wedging!’ or ‘There’s a glacial erratic!’ It’s so fun to have them be engaged in the natural world even when they are not IN science class!”
Junior Chapel
In November 2023, the Junior Class came together in the Tippit Gymnasium to participate in The Junior Chapel. This much-loved annual assembly officially recognizes the Junior Class as Upperclasswomen. Each year, a faculty speaker is selected by way of vote by the Junior Class. The 2023 speaker was Jennifer King, math teacher and Tenth Grade Class Leader. Below are excerpts from her speech, which beautifully depicted the Junior Class.
“
Today marks an important day, the day where we as a community get to officially celebrate you becoming upperclasswomen at Laurel School. It is a day to reflect on your own journeys at Laurel. Many of you started well before high school—wearing your plaid jumpers in the Primary School. Others joined the community at the pinnacle of the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting many of your best friends in masks or through Zoom as we navigated the challenging times.
“Through it all, you have remained connected, compassionate and strong. You have grown as a class to 62 students, 62 leaders, athletes, learners and friends.
“When imagining what message I wanted to share with you all today, I made a list of all the great accomplishments you have achieved. The list ranges from the stage to the court. I studied the list and looked for a connection that united all of these remarkable stories. The answer is love, living what you each loved, what you are passionate about makes all your achievements so genuine. My life motto, fittingly, is to LIVE THROUGH LOVE. Every day, I wake up and choose to do what I love. I am fortunate to have this ability. I have learned to look for love to guide me when maybe direction is unclear.
“Where should you look when your direction is unclear? To your own village of people, to your classmates who are with you on the journey through high school. The last two years of high school can feel overwhelming considering all you have to do, and all the decisions you have to make. But look around you. The people here are your strength, the community that will support you through the big unknowns. Their love will help guide you.
“You, as the Class of 2025, have inspired all of us. Living your purpose in all that you do is what I cherish most in your unique class.“
LAUREL SCHOOL ALUMNAE TIES BRING OUTSIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO STUDENTS
Each year Laurel students have the opportunity to apply for grants bestowed upon the school by generous donors. These donors—all connected to Laurel in some way— believe in Laurel’s mission and the desire to bring new opportunities and outside initiatives to Laurel girls to help them make their mark on the world. As in past years, three fortunate Laurel girls received three separate grants. Following are their stories.
The Joan D. and John T. Scott Fund
The Joan D. and John T. Scott Fund was established in memory of John Thomson Scott, Jr., who was father to three Laurel girls: Julie Scott Lovell ’74, Katherine Marjorie Scott ’78, and Amy Scott Gilchrist ’81. This fund supports Laurel School students in their study of history, government, or journalism, with the hope that such study will engender in their minds a dedication to the ideals of representative democracy. This $2,000 grant is intended to offset the cost of travel, mentor stipends, and/or fees associated with the completion of an independent study.
This year’s recipient was Laina DiGeronimo ‘25 who plans to attend Tulane University's Pre-College Program Building Campaign for Change with the help of the Joan D. and John T. Scott Fund. This handson course teaches students how to develop winning advocacy campaigns. Laina, a recent Environmental Justice (EJ) student in Laurel’s inaugural EJ Semester in the Fall of 2023, wants to learn more about government and passing bills. She eventually hopes to work towards equitable solutions for our world and the Tulane program will certainly help her reach that goal.
The Katherine S. B. Mills '97 Photography Grant
The Mills Photography Grant provides an enrichment opportunity for an Upper School Laurel student interested in photography. This grant is given each year in loving memory of Katherine "Katie" Mills, a vibrant and talented member of Laurel's Class of 1997. The grant assists aspiring photography students to attend a summer photography workshop or photography classes, an experience that nurtured Katie's passion for photography.
Vanessa Sheppard ‘25
is the 2024 recipient of the Katherine S. B. Mills '97 Photography Grant, which will afford Vanessa the opportunity to attend The Savannah School of Art and Design this summer. Vanessa enjoys travel, photography and is looking forward to a true art school experience.
The Emily Pomeranz '85 Prize for Public Service
The Emily Pomeranz '85 Prize for Public Service is awarded annually to support a Sophomore or Junior who has proposed a public service project for her spring or summer break. The $1,500 prize will help offset a portion of the cost of the public service project.
Savannah Tidmore ‘25 is the 2024 recipient of this grant, which she will use to support her Spark Your Match project. Her goal is to raise awareness of the need for bone marrow donations among the African American and minority communities. Savannah plans to hold donor recruitment events in collaboration with the Gift of Life, a national, public, not-for-profit registry facilitating transplants for patients in the United States and abroad. The grant money will be used towards buying the test kits provided by Gift of Life and organizing events accordingly. She plans on having donation drives in two locations around Cleveland: Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, one of Cleveland's foremost cathedrals of the African-American religious experience, as well as at the last Cleveland chapter meeting of Delta Sigma Theta Inc., an African-American sorority.
Savannah is passionate about encouraging everyone to learn the truth about bone marrow donation; and the events will allow people to volunteer at swab stations simultaneously. As a result, Spark Your Match will provide a larger pool of minority donors and heighten the chances of a successful donor match. Donating is lifechanging, not only for the individual receiving the transplant but the community collectively. We need to encourage more African Americans and minorities to step up to donate and she is determined to make the best use of this grant opportunity to do so. Savannah will present her results during a Chapel in the fall.
Reminisce, Relive, Reunite!
Alumnae Weekend 2024 | MAY 16-19
Alumnae Weekend kicked off with the annual alumnae awards dinner honoring Distinguished Alumna Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93 , Sr VP, Key Private Bank and Community Leader, and in absentia, Lifetime Achievement Recipient Helena “Holly'' Worthen ’60 , US labor historian and author, and Young Alum of Distinction Cindhura Reddy ’04 , chef/restaurateur and James Beard Semifinalist.
A special thank you to KeyBank, the evening’s sponsor.
THANK YOU to the Alumnae Weekend 2024 Committee:
Co-Chairs Chelsea Robbins ’11 and Nichelle Dickerson Shaw ’86 , Shanika Ranasinghe Esparaz ’05 , Alison Leddy ’11 , Laurie Wilde Oswald ’87 and Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97
Special Shout Out to Binnie Kurtzner Pappas ’87, Website Manager, for major technical support in launching a new online RSVP platform.
Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’ 93
2024 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA
Senior Vice President, Key Private Bank and Community Leader
If one were to identify the through line of Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw’s '93 life, both at Laurel and in the community, it would be leadership. As anyone who has known her since she entered Laurel in the Sixth Grade can attest, Lynnette has always embodied what it means to be a leader. A fierce field hockey player, she was the goalie of the 1990 state semi-finals team. In her Senior year, she served as President of Student Government, co-captained the field hockey and basketball teams, and was awarded the Humanitas Award by the Laurel School Parents Association.
A proud HBCU alum, Lynnette graduated from Hampton University with a bachelor’s of science degree in marine and environmental science and began what she assumed would be a long career as an environmental chemist. Life, however, would have other plans. Looking to broaden her
opportunities beyond analyzing material at toxic land sites, she parlayed a volunteer experience on the mayoral campaign for Cleveland’s first, and to date only, female mayor into a fulltime job at Cleveland City Hall. She built on her experiences as special assistant to the Mayor and then Schools Planning Chief, serving as the chief liaison between Cleveland City Hall and the Cleveland Municipal School District, and earned her MBA from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management, where she served as President of the Graduate Business School Association and as a member of Weatherhead’s advisory board. She was selected as an American Marshall Memorial Fellow and traveled to Amsterdam, Brussels, Prague, Lisbon and Bratislava with other young leaders from across the US for an immersive sixweek experience. For nearly two decades she has worked in wealth management, initially at National City/PNC and then for the last 14 years at Key Private Bank where she received KeyBank’s Chairman’s Award for Neighbor of the Year in 2018.
It is precisely that sense of being a good neighbor and role model that defines her personal ethos. A member of the inaugural class of Cleveland Bridge Builders for midcareer professionals, Lynnette is passionate about giving back to her hometown and that commitment is evident in her longstanding involvement with two other all-women organizations—The Links Incorporated, Western Reserve (OH) Chapter and the Rainbow Babies and Children’s (RBC) Foundation. Exemplifying the core values of The Links— friendship, service, commitment, integrity, respect for self and others, legacy, and accountability—she served as
chair and co-chair on a number of Links committees, then as corresponding secretary and as President. Under her leadership as President, The Western Reserve Links raised $100,000 for transformational programs, celebrated its 30 th anniversary with signature programming, and piloted what would become the award-winning Growing Leaders Program focused on empowering greater Cleveland high school girls toward greater academic success and achievement leading to college admission and beyond.
Over her nine-year term on the Rainbow Babies and Children’s Foundation Board, she helped design and launch the Foundation’s coed Associate Board for young professionals ages 21-40. One of her supporters noted: “Lynnette was an advocate for the importance that young professionals play in shaping the future of many legacy organizations.”
As anyone who attends Laurel basketball games can attest— she is among its most devout supporters—Lynnette bleeds Green and White, and she brought that same engagement, dynamism, and devotion to her trailblazing leadership of two of Laurel’s volunteer boards. She served as the first alumna of color President of Laurel’s Alumnae Association—during her tenure, her team established the Sarah Lyman Day of Community Service which has expanded and is still going strong 12 years later—and she was the first person of color to serve as Chair of the Board of Trustees.
For her dedication to institutions working on behalf of the citizens of Cleveland, for her unwavering commitment to mentoring young women, especially those of color, and for her insightful Board leadership, strategic thinking and wise counsel to her alma mater, the Laurel School Alumnae Association bestows the Distinguished Alumna Award on Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93.
Holly Worthen ’60
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT RECIPIENT
Professor Emerita of Labor and Employment Relations
Awriter, a cellist, a higher education policy analyst, and a workers’ advocate, Helena “Holly'' Worthen '60 is a renaissance woman who has dedicated much of her professional life to labor education. After graduating from Radcliffe/Harvard, Holly won a Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellowship at Stanford University where she would be the only woman in the program. She stayed on for a second year to get a master’s degree in creative writing and then traveled to Israel, where she found the theme of her first published novel, Perimeters. Her voracious intellectual appetite led to additional master’s degrees in landscape architecture and adult literacy from the University of California, Berkeley.
By the late 1970s, she was a single mom faced with supporting her children and took jobs teaching. For the next 16 years, she was an adjunct instructor of English, literature, writing and composition at six Bay Area universities and community colleges where her students were single moms, Vietnam vets, and immigrants fleeing oppressive regimes in their homelands and hoping for opportunities in a new one. Holly’s writing assignments often were grounded in writing personal reflections, not only as a way to draw out her nontraditional students but to teach the importance of telling one’s story and of owning the choices we make.
She returned to the University of California Berkeley for her Ph.D. and in 1997 completed her prizewinning dissertation on community college literacy practices. Much of her dissertation forms chapters in Honored but Invisible: An Inside Look at Teaching in Community Colleges. Holly’s years as an adjunct instructor teaching primarily low-wage earning workers led her to what would be the focus of the rest of her professional career— labor education. She accepted a tenure track position at the University of Illinois Labor Education Program in Chicago and Champaign Urbana where, once again, she taught women workers in the Polk Women’s Labor Leadership Program and nontraditional students in programs that focused on the skilled trades.
at Work Today , which was awarded the Best Book Related to Labor Education in 2014 by the United Association for Labor Education. She and her husband, Joe Berry’s, recent book is Power Despite Precarity: Strategies for the Contingent Faculty Movement in Higher Education . Holly has co-authored numerous journal articles, commentaries, and chapters on labor education and the history of the labor movement and has presented at conferences around the country and abroad.
Holly has provided rare leadership in bringing together a dissociated, disparate group of classmates who deeply value their Laurel education and have come, through our Zoom encounters, to value the differences and similarities in our subsequent lives and to share themes, some of which we would never have discussed 60 years ago.
After a decade at Illinois, California called and she spent a year as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. From 2015-2017, as part of an exchange program between the US and Vietnam labor movements, she and her second husband taught labor and globalization, collective bargaining, and cross-cultural leadership to young men and women in the Faculty of Labor Relations and Trade Unions at Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
A past vice president of the United Association for Labor Education, Holly is a longtime member of the National Writers Union, having served on the national executive board and as co-chair of the Chicago chapter. In addition to two novels (her second one was Damages ), she also wrote two books on labor relations, including What Did You Learn
Four years ago the world shifted and the Class of 1960’s 60th reunion pivoted from in-person to virtual. What might have been a one-time Zoom experience casually catching up on the surface layer of their lives became instead an ongoing, deep and multilayered conversation that has continued every other Friday afternoon for almost four years. Much of that can be attributed to Holly’s guidance in drawing out personal stories, just as she did all those years in the classroom. In their nomination of Holly, the class “Zoomers” noted that “Holly has provided rare leadership in bringing together a dissociated, disparate group of classmates who deeply value their Laurel education and have come, through our Zoom encounters, to value the differences and similarities in our subsequent lives and to share themes, some of which we would never have discussed 60 years ago.”
For her notable work as an author and labor educator working to improve conditions for nontraditional college students and the adjunct faculty who teach them and for the integral role she plays in shaping the profoundly engaging and vital Class of 1960 conversation, a true model for civil discourse and community building, the Laurel School Alumnae Association recognizes Helena “Holly” Worthen ’60 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Cindhura Reddy ’04
YOUNG ALUM OF DISTINCTION
Chef/Restaurateur
Cindhura Reddy ’04 is proof that there are rewards— tangible and intangible—when one follows one’s heart and takes the path less traveled. A Laurel lifer and the youngest of three sisters to attend Laurel, Cindhura was involved in Green Key, Chapel Theater, and Gallimaufry at Lyman Circle. After graduating from Oberlin College with a degree in political science, she knew her passion was not for law and the art of legal argument but rather for the art of cooking. So she applied to the Art Institute of Philadelphia where she received a degree in culinary arts, a field where women, especially women of color, are vastly underrepresented. Only 25% of head chefs and cooks in the US are women. Even fewer are women of color.
Cindhura backed up her degree with practical experience and learned the ropes in several top restaurants in Philly before embarking on a nine-month world adventure with her husband, Elliot Strathmann, eating their way across Southeast Asia and Europe, working on farms in Italy and France, and discovering new culinary techniques. After returning to the States, they moved to Denver and got jobs, she as chef de cuisine, at Spuntino, a small Italian restaurant. A year later she and Elliot took a leap of faith and purchased the restaurant. He manages the front of the house while the kitchen and its menu—a mix of traditional and innovative cuisine—is her domain.
Zagat named Cindhura a top 30 under 30 for the Denver culinary scene in 2014. Three years later she was recognized
with a Star Chef award as a Rising Star chef. In 2020 the James Beard Foundation named her a semifinalist as a Top Chef in the mountain region and a year later Spuntino was one of only ten restaurants to cook for the James Beard Foundation's Taste America event. In 2022 Spuntino was nominated by the Beard Foundation for Outstanding Hospitality and in 2023 Cindhura was again a semifinalist for Best Chef in the mountains region. Spuntino, with its unique Indian/Italian cuisine, has been featured as a top Denver restaurant several years running by Denver magazines.
Cindhura’s commitment goes beyond crafting an award-worthy cuisine but extends to caring for her staff, customers and the citizens of greater Denver. She donates both time and food resources to after-school programs for lower-income children, the Food Bank of the Rockies, and groups that focus on food security for low-income families as well as those focused on education for Indian girls and women. She supports local farmers and ranchers and is committed to environmental sustainability and eliminating food deserts.
Dining out is a social enterprise. That changed in the spring of 2020. Throughout the pandemic, Cindhura was focused on providing a safe and healthy experience for her staff and her diners. While many restaurants did not survive the pandemic, Spuntino was able to maintain a full staff with full benefits and in those early months pivoted to providing take out and delivery and outdoor dining before reopening its dining room. Growing up, Cindhura and her sisters learned how precious food is and during those uncertain months, she cooked and delivered hundreds of meals to health care providers and essential workers in Denver.
For charting a path in a field where women are significantly in the minority while mentoring other women along the way, for supporting local farms and sustainability, and for using her creativity, compassion, and award-winning cuisine to feed the bodies and souls of her extended community, the Laurel School Alumnae Association recognizes Cindhura Reddy ’04 as this year’s Young Alum of Distinction.
Thursday, May 16 –
Distinguished Alumnae Dinner
1. Honoree Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93 and Distinguished Alum Committee Chair Carianne Betts Staudt ‘06
2. Alumnae Association President Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97 welcomes everyone to the dinner.
3. Alum Board member Jacquelyn Daugherty Sanborn ’10 and Board of Trustees Treasurer Bethany Bryant
4. Past and current Alumnae Association Presidents: Vikki Anderson ’82, Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93, Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97, Kathy Perris Torgerson ’65, Beth Embrescia ’88, Michael Anne Johnson ’64
5. Alumnae Weekend Co-Chairs Chelsea Robbins ’11 and Nichelle Dickerson Shaw ’86 and Alumnae Assoc VP Rosemary Mudry ’02
6. Joe Juster and former Board Chair Anne Conway Juster ’80 and Ann Klotz and Seth Orbach
7. Lynne Rossen Feighan ’55, Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93 and former Board Chair Ann Gillespie
8. Four consecutive former Student Government Presidents with their Student Government Advisor: Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93, Ronda Mourad ’94, retired history teacher and honorary alum Tim Connell, Leslie K Segal ’95 and Carey Jaros ’96
9. Ron Johnson, Cheryl Jackson Johnson ’95, Chloe Johnson ’26, Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93, Lovelle Crenshaw, Carter Johnson
Words of Inspiration from 2024 Distinguished Alumna Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93
Alumnae Weekend kicked off with a Distinguished Alumna Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 16. This year’s recipient, Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ‘93, Senior Vice President, Key Private Bank and Community Leader, delivered a speech to fellow alumnae, family, and friends at the dinner. In it, she called upon her memory of seeing “The Wiz,” a reimagining of “The Wizard of Oz,” with an African-American cast and urban setting. Below are a few excerpts from her inspiring speech.
“What really made an impression on me was the female force that was Dorothy. She was no shrinking poppy. She had a goal to achieve and she knew she had to call on her skills of teamwork and collaboration in order to overcome the obstacles and nemeses that might stop her from reaching it. Dorothy may have survived a tornado but it didn’t dampen her spirit. Instead, it propelled her to the height of female leadership and empowerment. And, she had the wherewithal to create a compelling vision that her collaborators could get behind. A life lesson that I carry with me every day.
“Like Dorothy, I have considered my life a journey of selfdiscovery, guided by curiosity, determination, and the unwavering belief that there is no place like home. My Laurel School years were filled with challenges and triumphs, moments of uncertainty and moments of clarity, but through it all, I learned the importance of courage, resilience, and staying true to oneself.
“Just as the Scarecrow yearned for a brain, I embraced the pursuit of knowledge and intellectual growth. My Laurel School education instilled in me a love for learning, a thirst for knowledge, and a commitment to lifelong curiosity. It taught me to think critically, to question assumptions, and to approach challenges with an open mind and a willingness to learn.
“As a Laurel student, at the start of each school year, I was always excited in anticipation of the very many wonderful activities,
experiences and organizations in which I would participate.
“Like the Tin Man, who sought a heart, as a Laurel student, I discovered the power of compassion, empathy, and human connection. My educational experience was enriched by the relationships I formed, the friendships I forged, and the moments of kindness and support that shaped my journey. It taught me the importance of empathy, of lifting others up, and of fostering a sense of belonging and community.
...
“At the age of 26, my personal yellow brick road took me to the city of Cleveland and the mayoral administration of Jane L. Campbell. The remarkable opportunity I was given allowed me to help build community and lift others in the city I loved. All under the tutelage of Cleveland’s first and only female mayor.
“Like the Cowardly Lion, who longed for courage, I found the strength within myself to face my fears, to embrace challenges, and to pursue my dreams with determination and resilience. My Laurel School education taught me that courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to act in spite of it. It taught me to believe in myself, to take risks, and to stand up for what I believe in, even in the face of adversity.
...
Editor's note: Lynnette highlighted several examples of adversity she faced during her tenure as Director of the Board of Trustees at Laurel. The pandemic, racial unrest and civil protests across
the globe, and a divisive political climate were all at the top of her list. But losing her own father during this time made for even more heartbreak for Lynnette.
“One of these circumstances would have been extremely challenging on its own, but going through all of them at the same time, had me feeling that just like Dorothy, that I had been tossed around by an F5 tornado. But through it all, I learned that not all storms come to destroy you. Sometimes they seek to implore you to find the courage within.
“In ‘The Wiz,’ the concept of ‘home’ transcends the physical location and delves into a deeper, more emotional and spiritual understanding. The message conveyed is that ‘home’ is where one feels a sense of belonging, love, and acceptance. It’s about finding oneself and understanding that true happiness and contentment come from within.
“My first sense of belonging, love and acceptance came from my family, from whom I always knew I was valued, loved and worth sacrificing for. My parents sacrificed by providing me, and my sister Cheryl (the best gift they ever gave me), with a Laurel education.
“The second-best gift my parents ever gave me was the gift of my Laurel education. It is truly the foundation of all my career
and community achievements. My second sense of belonging, love and acceptance have come from my Laurel kinships. The people I have encountered at One Lyman Circle have been inspiring beyond measure. I’m forever indebted to Leonard and Micheline Jackson for making the decision and commitment to sacrifice to make it possible for my sister and me to matriculate in such an amazing and rich environment. Cheryl and I truly hit the parent lottery and it is not lost on me that not every child gets the opportunity to be nurtured and challenged in the Laurel culture.
“Dorothy’s journey through Oz teaches us that the feeling of home is not tied to a specific place, but rather to the people we cherish, the relationships we build, and the inner peace we achieve. As she meets characters like the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion, she learns that they each possess the qualities they seek within themselves. Similarly, Dorothy realizes that she always had the power to return home, symbolizing the idea that we often have the strength and resources we need within ourselves.
“As I accept this award today, I am filled with gratitude for the teachers, mentors, and friends who have supported me along the way, for the lessons learned and the memories shared, and for the enduring legacy of excellence and integrity that defines our alma mater, our beloved Laurel School.”
Friday, May 17 – Upper School Assembly
Lynnette spoke with Laurel’s Upper School and shared lessons learned from her time and Laurel. A video of her remarks is available online.
1. Chloe Johnson ’26 introduced her aunt, Distinguished Alum Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93, at the Upper School Assembly
2. Upper School students listen to Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93 speak about her life’s journey
Friday, May 17 – Legacy Breakfast
After a hiatus during and immediately after the pandemic, the Legacy Breakfast returned. Alumnae and their relatives who are current Laurel students enjoyed a special breakfast together to start the day.
1. Maegan Ruhlman Cross ’03 with Alei Ruhlman ’32, Brooks Ruhlman (OPK) and Grant Cross (Early Learners)
2. Three generations! Pearl Segal ’32, Leslie K Segal ’95, Daisy ’34, Lulu ’29 and Hazel ’27 Segal and Kathy Perris Torgerson ’65
3. Hannah Feldkamp ’28, mom Julia Powell ’93 and Claire Feldkamp ’32
4. Arianna Dumas ’28 and Alum Board member Amber Davis Dumas ’02
5. Nora Warger ’36 and her mom, Alum Assoc VP Rosemary Mudry ’02
6. Ruby Floyd ’28, Kate Bondi Floyd ’96, Mae ’34 and Nora ’30 Floyd
Friday, May 17 – Legacy Breakfast continued...
7. Mother/daughter: Alum Board member Neeti Sundaresh ’95 and Ani Granovsky ’33
8. Incoming Alum Association President Meredith Stewart Reimer ’95 and Callan Reimer (PS)
9. Evelyn Steinberg ’38 and Abbey Jones Steinberg ’06
10. Alum Association President Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97 and Sophie Rucker ’26
11. Penelope Aguilar ’34 with her grandmother Pam Miller Holmes ’71 and mother Carrie Holmes Aguilar ’03
12. Maria Dikshteyn Strom ’99 (center) with niece Finley Strom ’30 (left) and daughter Viola Strom ’30 (right)
13. Claudia Lief Zalevsky ’98 and Claire Zalevsky ’31
Friday, May 17 – Class of 1974 Lunch
As is tradition, the 50th Reunion Class celebrates its Laurel milestone in many ways—one being to provide generous support to a meaningful project. The Class of 1974 was no exception! Though the Class noted, “ask ten Laurel girls for their opinion… you get exponentially more than ten responses…” The Class of 1974 gravitated towards wanting to support a current STEM program.
With their gracious spirit and inquisitive nature, our 50th Reunion Class joined members of the Middle and Upper School Robotics teams for a lunch and learn on the Friday of Alumnae Weekend to kick off their weekend-long celebration. The Robotics students—no strangers to presenting and performing—showed the Class of 1974 a variety of robots they built and how they compete, impressively answering questions and demonstrating their knowledge and skill.
Historically, girls remain under-represented in STEM careers. The Laurel robotics teams, however, compete at state and national level championships and remain one of the few girls-only robotics teams in Ohio and nationwide. It is no surprise the Class of 1974, having been thoroughly impressed with what they saw, chose to support our robotics teams with a gift of over $20,000!
Thank you to all who so generously donated in support of this effort! The list of donors will be recognized with a special honor in the Annual Report, which will be mailed this fall.
1. Cynthia Fitz-Gerald Deupree ’74 and Robin Garver Cort ’74
2. Members of 1974 Nancy Hungerford Bostwick, Marian Melcher Hanson, Jane Conway Barber and Chelsie Wallace Levitan
3. Lisle Merriman ’74 and Ellen Ambus Feuer ’74
4. Members of the Class of 1974 (standing) Margaret Bayless, Ruth Burke Rossi and Ann Horsburgh May and (seated) Lisa Doull Wright and Conleth Crotser with robotics team member Ella Witalec ’25
5. Members of the Upper School robotics team Eve Belding ’25, Amelia Bravo ’26 and Ella Witalec ’25
6. Members of the Middle School robotics team Savannah Massaley ’30, Frances Farmery ’28 and Lina Rietch ’28 do a demonstration for the 50th reunion class.
THANK YOU
TO ALL THE LAUREL ALUMNAE who participated in the Reunion Challenge! Your enthusiasm and generosity have made a significant impact, helping to ensure that future generations can experience the same wonderful opportunities and traditions that you cherished. Your support strengthens our community and inspires us all. We are deeply grateful for your dedication and commitment to Laurel.
The 50th Reunion Class: Lisa Doull Wright, Conleth Crotser, Cynthia Fitz-Gerald Deupree, Robin Garver Cort, Lisle Merriman, Betsy Hruby, Amy Dingle Ivy, Jeanne Sutton Hamm, Ellen Ambus Feuer, Ann Horsburgh May, Chelsie Wallace Levitan, Kinga Loranth Hoover, Ruth Burke Rossi, Barb Minnig Croghan, Margaret Bayless, Carol Madison Graham, Sandy Buchanan, Sharon Higley Watts and Lue Douthit
Reminisce, Relive, Reunite!
Members of the Class of 1987 embraced the fun of Gators Night Out! (back) Laurie Wilde Oswald, Becky Storey, Tina Stefanski, Amy Battles (front) Jenn Herbruck Klie, Binnie Kurtzner Pappas and Nicole Wolf
Friday, May 17 – Gators Night Out
The Alum Weekend Committee planned a fun Friday night elevated happy hour at the Lyman Campus for all alums.
1. Maggie Killeen ’11 and Alum Weekend co-chair Chelsea Robbins ’11
2. Lynne Carter Tobin ’59 and her new Gator friend
3. Alum Weekend committee member Alison Leddy ’11 and class reunion planner Sara Liptow ’14
4. Alum Board member Marlana Strange Harris ’97, the Laurel Gator and Alum Association President Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97
Saturday, May 18 – The Alumnae Luncheon and Annual Meeting of the Alumnae Association
1. Maeve McGuire ’54 and Ann Daniels Marks ’54
2. Julie Scott Lovell ’74 and Carol Madison Graham ’74
3. Incoming and current Alumnae Board members: Sara Ismail-Beigi Bartlett ’03, Arnetta Dean Matthews ’02 and Amber Davis Dumas ’02
4. Alum Association VP Rosemary Mudry ’02 pours prosecco for the mimosa reception.
5. Sue Dwyer ’79, Gwenn Naylor Klose ’79 and Susie Bishop ’64
Saturday, May 18 – Alumnae Luncheon continued...
6. Members of the Class of 1964 sported green and white, of course, knit scarves handmade and gifted to them by classmate Kim Ingersoll Kanzinger ’64.
7. Ann V. Klotz shares highlights of the year at the Annual Meeting.
8. Special guests retired and current faculty: (standing) Marilyn Kent, Marti Hardy and Tim Connell (Seated) Almuth Riggs, Jeanne Stephens and Renee Psiakis
9. Incoming Alumnae Association President Meredith Stewart Reimer ’95 presents a floral bouquet to outgoing President Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97.
10. Alum Association Secretary Laurie Wilde Oswald ’87 presents the nominating committee’s slate of new members for approval.
Enjoying East Coast Custard ice cream truck treats….
1.
2.
Saturday, May 18 – Reunion Class Roundup
5.
Marianne Wyant Shearer ’74 and Shelby Coleman Rogers ’74
Lisa Dixon Bugos ’79 and Kathy Young Hurley ’79
3. Alison Leddy ’11 and Chelsea Robbins ’11
Our most senior reunion class–the Class of 1954 celebrates its 70th! Nancy Schurger Peebles, Maeve McGuire, Ann Daniels Marks and Jinny Judd Beam
Lynne Carter Tobin ’59 and Emilie Collens Illson ’69
Saturday, May 18 – Reunion Class Roundup continued...
6. With the second largest turnout—the Class of 1964: (standing) Liz Walker Boncella, Joanne Flynn Frantz, Virginia Stockton and Midge AuWerter Shepard (seated) Jacqueline Johnson Masumian, Susie Bishop, Kim Ingersoll Kanzinger, Ticky Hare Doyon and Anne Messenger
7. More members of the Class of 1964: (standing) Catherine Scheid Evans, Christine Anderson, Robins Watkins Sedgwick, Michael Anne Johnson and Bronwyn Hurd Echols (seated) Nancy Taylor Schreiner, Jody White and Hillary Saunders Schultz
8. Only five more years to their own 50th, the Class of 1979 celebrates its 45th! (standing) Stacey Polk, Lisa Biehle Files, Julie Donahue, Tina Tricarichi, Gwenn Naylor Klose and Dana Vernon Bonham (seated) Nancy Green Gilreath, Susie Galvin, Sue Dwyer, Becke Broadbent, Lisa Dixon Bugos and Kathy Young Hurley
THANK YOU to outgoing members of the Alumnae Board: Rose Babington ’04, Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97, Nichelle Dickerson Shaw ’86, Neeti Sundaresh ’95, Amy Goodman Weller ’78
WELCOME TO new Alumnae Board members: Meredith Stewart Reimer ’95, President, Sara Ismail-Beigi Bartlett ’03, Erin Adelman Court ’00, Morgan Curtiss ’10, Cheryl Jackson Johnson ’95
7.
Reminisce, Relive, Reunite!
1. The Class of 1984 celebrates its 40th! (standing) Arnelle Martin, Lisa Downing Bates, Renee White and Mary Weatherhead Feldman (seated) Amy Stephens, Leslie McCormack Gathy, Karen Karlovec Humm and Paula Jeffries Siegel
2. Catching up for their 35th, the Class of 1989: (standing) Katy Ferguson Safko and Rachael Bralliar (seated) Alicia Reale Cooney and Cindy Mast Finigan
3. Celebrating the big 2-5! Classmates from 1999: (back row) Erin Dowling, Julie Hobbs Currid, Alyson Cameron, Lindsay Sabik, Julie Saad and Fiona Itani Hammer (front row) Maria Dikshteyn Strom, Erika Palmieri Gross, Tyler Thornton, Maria Maisano, Meg Smith Aeschliman, Nicole Rivera, Sam Gillombardo Larson and Jasmine Daugherty
4. Celebrating their 20th and 15th reunions respectively: Amanda Royan ’04, Allison Chan ’04, Rose Babington ’04 and Caitlin Wamelink Wiley ’09
5. With the largest turnout, the Class of 1974 celebrates its 50th! (back row) Sandy Buchanan, Marian Melcher Hanson, Nancy Hungerford Bostwick, Julie Galambush, Julie Scott Lovell, Ann Horsburgh May, Aletha Thomas Tong, Amy Dingle Ivy, Kinga Loranth Hoover (middle row) Betsy Hruby, Carol Madison Graham, Linda Goodman, Ruth Burke Rossi, Barbara Minnig Croghan, Susan Jones, Jane Conway Barber, Ellen Ambus Feuer, Margaret Bayless, Melissa Weigle Bevilaqua (front row) Joyce Balin Fried, Shelby Coleman Rogers, Lue Douthit, Josie Bonnie Anderson, Lisle Merriman, Jeanne Sutton Hamm, Sharon Higley Watts, Lisa Doull Wright, Marianne Wyant Shearer, Lillian Vitale Mushrush and Cynthia Fitz-Gerald Deupree
Sunday, May 19 – Pancakes and Pickleball
It’s always a fun treat to welcome alums, their families and current Laurel families to the Butler Campus for the Pancake Breakfast. This year, we added pickleball to the activities.
1. Michael Anne Johnson ’64 with her own special maple syrup!
2. Meredith Stewart Reimer ’95 helps her son, Callan, “catch” his pancakes
3. Lindsay Sabik ’99, Nicole Rivera ’99 and Erin Dowling ’99
4. Alumnae and current students alike enjoying pickleball!
5. Incoming Alum Board member Erin Adelman Court ‘00 and baby Parker
Three generations of Laurel students!
6. Jane Reinschreiber Walker ’74, Frankie Thornton ’36 and Tyler Thornton ’99
7. Lindsay Pomeroy Jones ’70, Evelyn Steinberg ’38, Abbey Jones Steinberg ’06 and Nathan Steinberg (Early Learners)
8. Current parent Moya Dacey with daughters Kieran ’31 (left) and Caroline ’36 (right) 9. Quincy Cross, Ann Klotz, Maegan Ruhlman Cross ’03 and Grant Cross (Early Learners)
10. Neeti Sundaresh ’95, Kai Granvosky (PS), Alex Granovsky and Ani ’33 and Meera ’31 Granovsky
Sunday, May 19 – Ruhlman Family Center Ceremonial Groundbreaking
On Sunday afternoon, under bright, blue skies, three generations of the Ruhlman family gathered with Trustees and special guests for a ceremonial groundbreaking of the new Ruhlman Family Center, a 12,000-square-foot classroom and environmental science building that will serve as the main academic building on the Butler Campus.
1. Brooks (OPK) and Graeme Ruhlman
2. Beth Embrescia ’88 and Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97
3. Outdoor PreK teachers Kathryn Marshall and Amy Fredricks with Tessa Ruhlman (Brooks OPK, Alei ‘32)
4. Maegan Ruhlman Cross ’03, Carey Jaros ’96 and Abby Ruhlman
5. Bill Conway and Ann V. Klotz
6. Alei Ruhlman ‘32 shares what learning at Butler has meant to her.
7. Three generations of the Ruhlman family
8. Grant Cross (Early Learners) works on a community art project depicting the Ruhlman Family Center
REFLECTIONS ON THE CLASS OF
2024
Mary Abigail Fitz
“Hello everyone, I am Mary Abigail Fitz, a proud member of the legendary Class of 2024. Now, you may be thinking that I am biased. Legeņdary? Really? Yes, I am 100% for real here. In fact, Señora Hardy, who has seen many classes at Laurel, recently said that our class truly is special. Señora Hardy no miente. Señora Hardy doesn’t lie. We are the best: the best at Song Contest, the best at Senior Prank Day (I know everyone loved the flash mob), and the best at roasting Mr. Corsaro. But how am I supposed to sum up this class in a short commencement speech? It’s simple. It just needs to be the best speech of all time. This speech needs to make ‘ask not what your country can do for you’ a forgotten relic of the past. I will tell the story of this exceptional class, from the worst of times to the best of times, to show you.
“Let me begin with the main characters. They are a very diverse group of people who come from different backgrounds, who have had different experiences, and who have been at Laurel as many as 16 years and as few as two. It doesn’t matter what your background is or when you started at Laurel, you belong. We all know and support one another, and I am left with a deep and profound sadness that we have to leave.
“Now, I want to talk about our journey as a class. We have come so far to becoming the strong, independent, and courageous people we are today. I am proud of what we have accomplished. We have overcome an unspeakable tragedy and a first-of-itskind pandemic. We’ve moved past these obstacles (but will never forget them), have applied and been accepted (with some rejections along the way) to outstanding colleges and universities across the country.
“Before our high school journey even began, we lost Natalie. She should be here today receiving her diploma, setting off to her chosen college later this summer, and having the opportunity to live a full life of her choosing. There is a world, somewhere out there, where Natalie can do all these things. And while we are excited about today and our own futures,
there will always be an empty feeling without Natalie. I try to fill this emptiness with happy and funny memories of her. There was a movie that came out when we were in eighth grade, called ‘Tall Girl’ about a girl who was, big surprise, really tall. Everyone teased her about her height, she had a few friends, her life was terrible. You get the point. It was a bad movie. In the movie, people would ask her, ‘how’s the weather up there?’ So, since Natalie was the tallest in our class and we knew each other well, I just had to say that to her. And she would respond: ‘how’s the weather down there?’ I like to remember Natalie like this, not an unhappy memory of someone we tragically lost, but a real person, a funny, intelligent, and happy one.
“Losing Natalie affected all of us in different ways, even those who didn’t know her. Someone said to me: ‘I know that I didn’t know Natalie, but I just feel so terrible about what happened because I feel so connected to all of you.’ That statement sticks with me because it illustrates our bond and empathy toward each other. We are all linked by this loss but also by many joyful memories. We are collectively and individually stronger having been together. I hope I speak for my classmates when I say that I may never find a united community like ours.
“I didn’t really want to mention COVID, but I can’t tell our story without it. I just feel like everyone talks about it, it has almost become a cliche. It happened. It wasn’t easy. We lost about a year and a half of being in school. We made it through, and are stronger for it. That’s all that matters.
“It’s hard to say this, but this might be the last time we are all in the same room together. I’m happy that the end of our action-packed adventure is a joyful one we all can celebrate. Many of us are heavy-hearted to leave. But we’re also excited about moving forward. And it’s time to find a new community with which we can connect and continue to grow as people. Yet, as I speak those words, a sense of foreboding about college and beyond settles over me. I’m sure many feel the same way. We’re anxious about the unknown, about leaving, not knowing what’s next. We don’t know how the next chapter will shape us, or what kind of people we will become. It’s scary.
“As I say this, I’m reminded that many of us felt this way before starting Upper School. We were young. Some of us knew each other; others were new to Laurel. We didn’t know what to expect. And here we are. We’re entering a new chapter in our lives. Change is a part of life. I would argue that our class is more prepared than most to face the challenges ahead and seize the opportunities that await us. Our uncertainty coming into Upper School led to many moments of celebration: we are state champions, national merit scholars, nationally recognized writers and debaters. But more than that, we are proud of what we’ve become, no matter what path someone has taken.
“Nothing in life is easy. We will all experience adversity. When we do, however, remember we are connected forever, and will always be there for each other. Just ask the Laurel graduates sitting on this stage. The Laurel community sticks together. On behalf of our class, I want to thank our teachers. Thank you for shaping us into the confident, critical thinkers we are today, and for ensuring we are ready for college and life. We will never forget you. To our parents, we thank you. We know it will be hard to let us go, after 18 years of seeing each other every day. It goes fast, as my parents like to remind people whenever they talk to someone with a child under the age of four. We will miss you— so much—and we are forever grateful for the sacrifices you have made for us, and the love you have given us. We will never stop needing you, no matter how often we say we don’t.
“To everyone here, thank you for shaping us into the people we are today. We are ready for college. We are ready for life. And thank you in advance for being there when we inevitably stumble. We have done great things and will do great things in the future. Somewhere out there, someone, some place is waiting for us to make the same lasting impact we made on each other’s lives. I can’t wait to see how these next chapters in our individual journeys will unfold, but, today, I am going to enjoy finishing this one with my classmates, my friends forever.“
by Señora Marti Hardy COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
Upper School Spanish Teacher, Senior Class Leader, Service Coordinate, Varsity Golf Coach, and baker of her legendary Carmelita brownies, Marti Hardy received her undergraduate degree in Spanish and French education from Ohio Wesleyan University and her master’s in Romance Languages from the University of Michigan. In college, she spent a year abroad in Bogotá, Colombia. After graduate school, she taught at Ypsilanti High School in Michigan before returning to Cleveland and Brush and Shaker High Schools. She joined the Laurel faculty in 1981 and 43 years and thousands of students later she is Laurel’s most senior faculty member.
Señora’s resume at Laurel is long and populated by the things she loves to do. Advisor, Spanish teacher and
“Commencement, as you know, is not the end of your education but rather the beginning of a new journey filled with endless possibilities. It is the first step toward a future filled with new passions and dreams. As I look around I realize that some of you have been here since preschool and some of you arrived in the Upper School but you all have a love for Laurel and a deep commitment to everything it stands for. While you may not completely understand all that you have learned from your Laurel teachers yet, you will soon realize the sacrifices your parents made to give you this truly amazing education and all the experiences that came with it.
“I may be a teacher but there isn't a day that goes by when I don't learn something from you. Whether I have taught you
former World Languages Department Chair, director of community service since the late 1990s and leader of numerous service-learning trips to Honduras, recipient of the Hostetler Chair in Teaching Excellence in 2003, and Senior Class Dean for 25 years—that’s a lot of proms!
In the 1980s she coached swimming and, a threetime golf champion herself, she has coached Laurel’s golf team for 20 years, resulting in three state champions.
Señora was the first sitting teacher, at least in recent memory, to deliver the Commencement address. Below are excerpts from her speech.
Spanish, coached you in golf, served as your Senior Class Leader, or just hung out talking with you in the hallway, I can see the world more clearly through your younger eyes; I realize the passion you have for learning, your willingness to take risks, your fearlessness, and your desire to make the world a better place.
“What I love the most is watching you interact with one another. You support each other's talents and ensure that each of your classmates feels like they belong to this warm, embracing community. You fill the Chapel for plays and musicals and drive to Dayton to support the basketball team for the semi-finals and the State Championship. You showcase your beautiful art, dance, or music, defend your clearly
articulated points of view in speech and debate competitions, and show your academic prowess by winning multiple National Scholarships to college.
“The Class of 2024 is among the best senior classes I can remember. You were generous with your time welcoming and helping the underclasswomen, you made decisions expeditiously and used the many resources available to you. You discovered some of Cleveland's wonderful philanthropies and gave our citizens a better life. You traveled on Laurel service trips to Perú, New Orleans, the Dominican Republic, and Africa, exercising your love of serving others nationally and internationally.
“We know you are more than ready to move on and continue your journey to college, perhaps graduate school after that, and finally your chosen career. You have been great role models for the entire school. This day is bittersweet for all of us. We will miss you but feel confident you have all the skills needed to handle yourselves in this ever-demanding world and we are anxious to watch you spread your wings and move forward on your journey.
“We can hardly wait to see what the Class of '24 will "dream, dare, and do" with the many gifts you have been given. Don’t let anyone tell you your dreams are impossible—and keep reaching for the stars.”
2024
Advice from Señora to the Class of 2024:
1. Thank everyone who provided the best education on this planet—your parents, grandparents, and teachers.
2. Cherish and nurture the many friendships you made at Laurel.
3. Give your time and effort to people struggling everywhere and promise to make the world better for everyone.
4. Live the "dream, dare, do" mantra that Ms. Klotz and your teachers instilled in all of you; amazing possibilities await you.
5. Dare to take risks to discover your passion and follow that passion for as long as possible.
6. Do something (take action), use the voices you discovered here at Laurel, and shout-out your ideas, opinions, and feelings to the world. But at the same time, don’t forget to listen to what others have to say.
7. Continue to take advantage of all your resources in college and beyond.
8. Love all people regardless of race, color, gender, religion, economic status, etc.
9. Dare to fail gloriously! And when you do, pick yourself up, learn from your failure, and start over again.
10. Follow the poet, Maya Angelou's advice, when she said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
2023-2024 LAUREL SCHOOL FACULTY & STAFF AWARDS
Presented at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING AWARD
This endowment was created on the occasion of the 50th Reunion of the Class of 1964 to award excellence in teaching. It anticipates an award, given annually, to a Laurel teacher or team of teachers to encourage and promote outstanding classroom innovation, leading to new or improved curriculum and/or programs that impact the education and lives of Laurel girls. The Class seeks to award the implementation of creative, mission-driven teaching ideas that will help Laurel girls find their voices and excel in the world.
Andrew Cruse, Leighann DeLorenzo, Joel McDaniel, Ida Porris, Cara Tweed, Kristen Sector, and Eugene Sumlin
THE PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT
This year's Innovative Teaching Award is presented to the Performing Arts Department; a group of dedicated professionals committed to collaboration and seeking the best opportunities for Laurel students to thrive in performing arts. Andrew Cruse, Leighann DeLorenzo, Joel McDaniel, Ida Porris, Cara Tweed, Kristen Sector, and Eugene Sumlin collaborated to develop a robust lineup of performances throughout the year. Under Ms. Porris' superb direction, students delighted audiences of adoring parents and friends with performances like the First Grade’s “The Color Dance” and others. The department took time and care in restructuring the Middle School curriculum, allowing Seventh and Eighth Graders to learn together. They also took a careful look at performances—including establishing a Grades 5-12 Winter Concert and a Grades 6-12 production of “Matilda”. Also revived was the one-act play festival, mentoring Upper School students to direct Middle School performers, including boys from University School. Kindergarten through Grade Five also came together this Spring for a concert in the Chapel, which illustrated the steady growth of Laurel’s instrumental program. Thank you to these wonderful educators for creating magic in performing arts!
Left to right: Andrew Cruse, Leighann DeLorenzo, Joel McDaniel, Ida Porris, Cara Tweed, Kristen Sector, and Eugene Sumlin
THE VIRGINIA BEIDLER NEFF ’29 AWARD
Edward and Virginia Beidler Neff ’29 established this award to recognize teachers within her or his first three years of teaching at Laurel who demonstrate excellence and potential in the classroom. This year two winners were selected.
James Aguilar
PRIMARY SCHOOL, GRADES 3-5, MATHEMATICS SPECIALIST
Many young girls start to believe they “aren’t math people,” but James Aguilar has found a way to reverse this course. His teaching superpower is getting students excited about math and willing to take academic risks. Full of honesty and integrity, everyone knows that Mr. Aguilar is on their side. One student, when asked what she liked about Mr. Aguilar remarked, “He helps me with math by letting me figure it out myself.” He infuses a growth mindset model into daily lessons and preparation for assessments by targeting weak areas, helping girls embrace challenges and coaching them to learn from their mistakes. He provides specific, data-driven feedback to girls highlighting learning targets and areas that need improvement. Flexible, supportive, energetic, and self-reflective, Mr. Aguilar approaches life and learning with good humor and an open heart.
Kim Corrigan DIRECTOR OF STEAM ENGAGEMENT AND UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER
As director of STEAM engagement, Ms. Corrigan worked diligently to connect students with incredible outside opportunities including placing students at the Cleveland Clinic, NASA and Case Western Reserve University. Additionally, she turbocharged Laurel’s science fair program and helped multiple students make it to the International Science and Engineering Fair including the school’s first-ever placement at the fair in 2023. The solar eclipse was brightened by Ms. Corrigan’s thoughtful preparation, including two informative presentations in advance of the big day!
James Aguilar
Kim Corrigan
THE MARY FRENCH CONWAY ’46 AWARD FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE
The purpose of the Mary French Conway Award is to recognize excellence in teaching, both in the classroom and in a demonstration of commitment to the School through participation in non-classroom activities with students.
Ann Gasser
FIFTH GRADE TEACHER
With the ability to turn any given moment into a science lesson, Ann Gasser has seamlessly integrated world ecology and renewable energy into the broader interdisciplinary Fifth Grade curriculum, and her enthusiasm for the natural world is palpable and contagious! With homeroom subjects in addition to her science teaching, Ms. Gasser is a utility player, and, on the Fifth Grade team, she is known as "The Goodwill Ambassador." With a deep bench in the social-emotional well-being of students, Ms. Gasser is a champion for all. She forms relationships with ease and she guides students and families alike through challenging situations with her calm, confident demeanor and strong moral compass. With cross-campus ties to the science department and Butler Campus colleagues, she shares her time and talents, offering good counsel, curricular suggestions, or creative collaboration, without expectation of anything in return.
Kate Webb
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CHAIR, MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL
ENGLISH TEACHER
Kate Webb's colleague who nominated her said it best: “Kate Webb is an incredible educator, colleague, dear friend, and all-around good human being.” Ms. Webb crafts lessons and feedback with an eye toward celebrating student successes even as she nudges them to take risks and grow. Her empathy and warmth lead students to seek her out when they need a supportive ear. As a department chair, Ms. Webb brings the same clarity, kindness, and high standards to her leadership that she does to her classroom community. She has revitalized individual student participation in writing competitions and took the initiative to build a powerhouse competitive writing team in the Upper School to follow up on the amazing work of Power of the Pen in Middle School. Wherever she goes, those in her care—students, writers, department members, colleagues—feel seen, heard, and known, and as a result, they flourish.
Ann Gasser
THE HOSTETLER CHAIR
The first endowed chair established at a girls’ school in the country and made possible by a transformative gift from Hazel Prior Hostetler 1911, the Hostetler Chair recognizes master teachers who generally have taught for at least ten years, who have demonstrated excellence in teaching in the classroom as well as an unusual ability to communicate with students.
Amanda Love
PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CHAIR, EARLY CHILDHOOD AND PRIMARY SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER
Amanda Love is a leader to her Physical Education department, mentoring teachers and always finding ways to see the bright side. She tirelessly seeks out new opportunities for the girls and innovative ways to fund them—such as Laurel’s new archery curriculum and equipment. Her work with Catherine Butler, Visual Art Department Chair, combining art and PE is a superb example of interdisciplinary learning. Ms. Love will always lend a helping hand and models a growth mindset through her curriculum, connecting physical activity with academic learning in every possible way. She models, too, what it is to be a lifelong learner, and communicates well with children, colleagues, and families. It was Ms. Love who brought service dogs to Laurel, knowing the benefits they would offer to the school. Generous, kind, and fun, she is a true master teacher!
ABOVE & BEYOND AWARD
The Above and Beyond Award was established in 2021 by the Head of School in honor of those staff members in our community who routinely go above and beyond in a variety of ways that benefit the school and our community. This year we honor four standout members of our staff who truly went above and beyond!
Hillary Teague
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE GUIDANCE
Hillary Teague is the consummate team player. She steps up and gets it done, whatever it is. Furthermore, she is thorough, thoughtful, and creative in all that she tackles. Her colleagues stand in awe of the way she adapted midyear to change, picking up so many additional responsibilities with optimism and cheer. Ms. Teague has willingly embraced new roles and responsibilities. One co-worker said, “She is the best colleague you could ever have—an ear, a shoulder, a devil’s advocate, an extra hand, and a warm hug on your best and worst days.” The year ended with a bang because of her expert planning of Green & White Day. This K-Grade 12 extravaganza was flawless because of her! Ms. Teague defines "above and beyond."
Amanda Love
Hillary Teague
ABOVE & BEYOND AWARD continued...
Jaclyn Murray DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION
Rolanda Sims ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION
Jaclyn Murray and Rolanda Sims are truly deserving of the Above & Beyond Award for their steadfast service to Laurel. Always making sure students are safe and finding ways to manage transportation for Athletics (practices, games, events, and more) and for field trips (like a last-minute trip to Dayton to support the Gator basketball team at States)! Sometimes their days last more than 12 hours, but they are always cheerful and ready to jump in and help when necessary. Their commitment to safety and professionalism is exemplary!
Cathy Strauss
LAUREL FUND AND DONOR RELATIONS MANAGER
For many years as the “face” of Laurel at the front desk, Cathy Strauss embraced coming to know students, parents, faculty, and staff. Her natural intelligence, grace, and talents prepared her for her next position in Development. To educate herself about fundraising, Ms. Strauss read books, listened to podcasts, and asked for help when she needed it. She’s a natural—particularly magical in building trusting relationships with older alumnae. She is also remarkable when it comes to designing special events, choosing meaningful gifts, or anything related to making people know how much we appreciate them. Not only does Ms. Strauss support the Development department in this arena—she is also often the first to support other departments with these needs. She says “yes!”, pitching in to eat lunch with tiny people, working in afterschool, taking home tablecloths to wash after events, and so much more! She regularly attends Laurel performances and games as an active cheerleader for each Laurel girl. L
Jaclyn Murray
Rolanda Sims
Cathy Strauss
IN MEMORIAM
1943
Martha Waggoner Fairfield on April 17, 2024, in Indianapolis, IN. Martha was grateful for the three years she attended Laurel. She graduated from Duke University and moved to Indianapolis where she raised a family while being actively engaged in her church for over 70 years. She enjoyed traveling and playing tennis: she qualified for mixed doubles tennis in the Senior Olympics. Martha is survived by three daughters, seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
1946
Mary “Molly” Izant White on March 12, 2024, in Falmouth, MA. Molly grew up in Hudson, OH, and after graduating from Laurel, earned her bachelor’s degree at Vassar College. She returned to Hudson where she raised her family and taught piano lessons in her home. She and her husband co-founded the Hudson Montessori School and after his retirement, they traveled throughout the US and abroad. She spent her final years in Falmouth near family. She is survived by three sons, a daughter, several grandchildren and nephews and nieces including Mary Izant ’72.
1949
Ruth McCoy Gleeton on January 3, 2024, in Cheshire, CT. A native of Zanesville, OH, Ruth entered Laurel as a Sophomore and lived in the dorm. After graduation, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Skidmore College. She enjoyed birding, gardening, and playing bridge. Later in life, she became the fine arts librarian at Cheshire Public Library. She is survived by two daughters and a son, seven grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.
1951
Susan Hench Bowis on April 29, 2024, in Bethesda, MD. The daughter of a Nobel prize-winning physician at the Mayo Clinic, Susan was a dorm student at Laurel, as her own mother and sister had been. She graduated with a degree in English from Wellesley College. Susan was an active community and hospital volunteer and was a longtime elder in her church. She loved traveling the world and was one of the thousands of passengers whose planes were diverted to Nova Scotia on September 11, 2001. She also enjoyed crossword puzzles, reading, and playing bridge. She was predeceased by her mother, Mary Kahler Hench 1924, and her sister, Mary Hench ’47. She is survived by her two daughters, her son, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
1952
Ann Cleminshaw Limbach on October 12, 2023, in Los Altos, CA. Ann and her siblings were raised by their aunt and uncle in Hudson, OH, and she and her sister, Mary, attended Laurel with their cousin, Betsy. Ann earned her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and a master’s in education from Harvard University. After raising her four children in California, she went back to school and became an accountant. She volunteered as a reading tutor for over 20 years and enjoyed skiing, tennis, gardening, sewing, knitting and traveling the world with her husband, George, who survives her. She is also survived by four children and seven grandchildren. She was predeceased by her siblings including Betsy Cleminshaw Felix ’45 and Mary Cleminshaw ’50. Ann was a member of Legacy for Laurel.
The Alumnae Office recently learned of the death of Mary Ann Sawyer Meyer on December 14, 2016, in Jamesville, NY.
Suzanne “Sue” Davis Volkmann on December 26, 2023, in Winnetka, IL. Sue graduated from Bradford College and worked at American Airlines before raising a family. She loved the outdoors and spending time at the family lake house in Northern Wisconsin and was rarely seen without a dog at her side. She is survived by her three sons, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
1953
Ann Finley Lewis on February 11, 2024, in Vero Beach, FL. Ann grew up in Zanesville and was a dorm student at Laurel. She attended Denison University and graduated from The Ohio State University. She and her husband, who preceded her in death by two weeks, lived in Florida for over 50 years. She is survived by a son, two daughters, ten grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
1957
Nora Pollock Castle on November 18, 2023, in Cleveland. Nora, who attended the University of Kansas, was the longtime Director of Fox 8’s Call for Action. When she retired from that role after 32 years, she was commended for her outstanding service as a champion of consumer rights. She served Fairmount Presbyterian Church for over 35 years, 22 of them as Children’s Church School superintendent—while also volunteering as a church elder and trustee. Nora was predeceased by her daughter, Kate Castle, a member of the Class of 1983. The Kate Castle Award is given annually to a student who has shown independence and unusual commitment in pursuing an interest beyond the expectations of the school curriculum. Nora is survived by her husband, a son and daughter, her grandson and sister Kate Pollock ’61.
Carol Treuhaft Schmidt on April 18, 2024, in Cleveland. She graduated from Hood College and earned a master’s from the University of Michigan. She was predeceased by her mother, Lenore “Sue” Hellman Treuhaft 1928. She is survived by her brother, two daughters and a son.
1960
The Alumnae Office learned recently that Jennifer Johnson Wakefield passed away on September 10, 2021, in Houston, TX. She was a graduate of The Ohio State University and had a custom stationery business for a number of years. She was survived by two sons and a daughter.
1961
The Alumnae Office learned recently that Janet Friedell Daniels passed away on March 4, 2017, in NYC. She was survived by her sister, Carol Friedell Baird ’56.
Sara Glendinning on April 2, 2024, in Washington, DC. Sara attended Bradford Junior College, earned her bachelor’s in psychology from Case Western Reserve University and her master’s from Bowling Green State University. In her long career in DC with the Narcotics Treatment Administration she contributed to a number of articles on heroin and narcotics. An art lover, sailor and tennis player, she spent every summer since childhood on Martha’s Vineyard. She was predeceased by her aunts Lee Wilson Lockwood ’33 and Audrey Wilson Taliaferro ’37 and is survived by cousins Audrey Lockwood Schneider ’60 and Nancy Lockwood Glaser ’63.
Kay Rothgery Karvasale on April 7, 2024, in Richardson, TX. Kay was a dorm student from Elyria at Laurel. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and taught second grade. She became certified as a reading specialist and was a Title 1 Reading teacher for over a decade in Wisconsin before eventually moving to Texas to be near family. She is survived by her two daughters, a brother, three grandchildren, two nieces and a nephew.
Dorothy “Dolly” Mills Lager on January 4, 2024, in Denver, CO. After graduating with a degree in education at The Ohio State University, Dolly taught first grade in Denver and was a VISTA volunteer in southeastern Kentucky. For many years she was a children’s librarian, a natural fit for her passion for reaching out to and encouraging children. She was predeceased by her mother Jenot Warner Mills ’33, her aunt Marion Warner Ulrich ’31 and cousins Allison Davies Talbot ’63 and Katie Mills ’97. She is survived by her husband, a son and daughter, four grandchildren, sister Martha Mills Bruch’70, and numerous Warner and Mills relatives including cousins Emily Warner Craig’55, Jensie Warner Shipley’60, Margaret Mills Plumpton’67, Tori Mills’88, Christina Mills Stovell’90 and Amanda Mills’07.
1962
Karen Wallen Bauman on November 28, 2023, in Lakewood, OH. Karen studied art at Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Institute of Art and Fortman Studios in Florence, Italy. She was a painter and illustrator and is survived by a son and two daughters.
Jane Smith Vinson on January 21, 2024, in Berkeley, CA. Jane earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a master’s in counseling from California State University. She had a private psychotherapy practice for a number of years. Jane felt strongly about social justice and political engagement and was active with the League of Women Voters and the Berkeley Free Clinic. She also was an avid table-tennis player. She is survived by her son, three grandchildren, her brother and a niece and nephew.
1963
Alice Van Aken Boelter on December 19, 2023, in Wayland, MA. A Wellesley College graduate, Alice earned a master’s in public policy from the University of Michigan and devoted her career to urban renewal, community development and redevelopment for the City of Jackson, MI, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the Massachusetts Port Authority and then as the principal in an environmental consulting business. She was a strong advocate for conservation, historic preservation, responsible development and universal accessibility. Alice served as the longtime Highlights news agent for her class. She was predeceased by her grandmother, Dorothy Fuller Harrison (Miss Mittleberger’s), her mother, Dorothy Harrison Van Aken ’32, and aunt Cornelia Harrison Schlesinger’35 and is survived by a brother, her sisters Nancy Van Aken Marti’60 and Louise Van Aken Worms’67, nieces and nephews, and cousins Sally Anne Schlesinger Kellogg’61 and Carol Schlesinger Mone’63. Her family designated Laurel School as a recipient of gifts in her memory.
Susan Levin on February 6, 2024, in NYC. She received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell and her master’s and Ph.D. from Columbia University. A professor of English and Comparative Literature at Stevens Institute of Technology for 45 years, Susan also was an Actors Equity actress and singer who appeared in numerous NYC and regional opera and theater productions. In 2016, she received an Above and Beyond Award from WomenRising, Inc., for her direction of “The Vagina Monologues” at Stevens. She is survived by her husband, a son and daughter, five grandchildren, two brothers and their families, including niece Carly Levin Filguiera’99. The family designated Laurel School as a recipient of memorial gifts.
1967
Emily Wilson on February 15, 2024, in Cleveland. Emily attended Pomona College, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and earned a master’s in English from CarnegieMellon. She taught creative writing and English at Pitt before embracing life as an outdoorswoman. An instructor and guide in the art of fly fishing, Emily owned a fly fish shop in Central PA for a number of years before turning to training dogs in field trials in Thomasville, GA. She returned to Gates Mills in 2018 and spent her days reconnecting with old Laurel friends, making new friends, reading, hiking and playing pickleball. Emily was predeceased by her sister Eva Wilson Maier’65. She is survived by her sister Susanne Wilson Erikson’72, a brother, nephews and a niece, Elizabeth Maier’93. Emily was a member of Legacy for Laurel.
1987
Suzanne “Suzie” Harmon McKee on March 30, 2024, in Evanston, IL. As a child Suzie developed a passion for fashion and design and attended the University of Cincinnati where she studied fashion design, which laid the foundation for a career as a freelance textile designer. She enjoyed reading, listening to live music, running and traveling. She is survived by her husband, two children, her parents, and two siblings.
2000
Victoria “Tori” Willard on April 5, 2024, in Germantown, TN. Tori earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and her doctoral degree from Duke University. Her dissertation on “Social Functioning in Survivors of Pediatric Cancer” ultimately led her to a fellowship in the department of psychology and behavioral sciences at St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis. There her research focused on the effects of cancer in children. She advanced from research associate to assistant professor to associate professor. She was the director of training for the psychology department and was known for being a supportive mentor and teacher. Tori held leadership roles in the Society of Pediatric Psychology and the Children’s Oncology Group. She is survived by her parents, her brother and sister-in-law, and her husband, Steve Campbell, whom she had married in July 2023.
L
EMILY WILSON ’67
Emily Wilson was the epitome of a Laurel girl: curious, adventurous, creative, and brave who was eager to expand her horizons from her then small-town home in Aurora, Ohio. A natural athlete, Emily was a standout on the field hockey and basketball teams. Her skill as a writer was apparent from her earliest days at Laurel, a talent that was nurtured by her teachers and peers.
After graduation, Emily headed West, attending Pomona College in California and then completing her bachelor of arts at the University of Pittsburgh and earning a graduate degree in English from Carnegie Mellon University. She taught English and creative writing at Pitt before her love of sport and nature steered her to a career as an outdoorswoman, working as a fly fishing instructor and owner of Yellow Breeches Outfitters in Central Pennsylvania.
Emily was a loyal dog owner, and spent her pre-retirement years in the field dog world, training her own labrador retrievers as well as other dogs, mainly in Thomasville, Georgia. In the final years of her life, Emily returned home to Northeast Ohio, creating a home for herself in Gates Mills, where she would fish in the Chagrin River and spend her days hiking and exploring with her beloved dog, Pinky. She reconnected with many of her Laurel friends, hosting dinners and book clubs and finding new ways to feed her curious soul.
Emily attended Laurel alumnae gatherings—both formal and informal—and was deeply inspired by Laurel’s Butler Campus and its commitment to outdoor and environmental learning. On a tour of the newly renovated Tippit Gymnasium in 2023, Emily was thrilled to share her stories of her days as a basketball player in the old gym. Like many graduates, she marveled at the opportunities Laurel provides to current students and the sense of belonging and confidence Laurel seeks to instill in girls.
In 2022, Emily decided to designate part of her estate to Laurel School, with a specific desire to see her eventual gift support the activities and learning at Laurel’s Butler Campus. She visited Laurel to share this news, and Laurel staff worked with her estate planner to help finalize her plan.
The importance of her Laurel bond was evident when her Laurel friends—and friends from all of the many parts of her life—gathered in the spring to remember her kindness and courage.
Her gift will support the Butler Campus, with part of it designated to fund the trees and plantings being added to the new Ruhlman Family Center, which will open in late summer 2025.
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 about joining Legacy for Laurel contact Maegan Ruhlman Cross ’03, Director of Development, at mCross@LaurelSchool.org or 216.455.3031.
