THE MAGAZINE OF LAUSANNE COLLEGIATE SCHOOL | SUMMER 2021
The Year of Adaptability A time capsule of the 2020–21 school year
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LAUSANNE SUMMER 2021
Lausanne Magazine is a publication of Lausanne Collegiate School, whose mission is to prepare each of its students for college and for life in a global environment. EDITOR
Shayne Dotson Assistant Director of Communications sdotson@lausanneschool.com 901.474.1003 MANAGING EDITOR
Drew Smith Director of Strategic Communications dsmith@lausanneschool.com 901.474.1047 CLASS NOTES AND ALUMNI NEWS
Charlotte Albertson Director of Development and Community Engagement calbertson@lausanneschool.com 901.474.1029 ART DIRECTOR
Alison Johnson Charles PHOTOGRAPHY
Shayne Dotson Steven Russell Drew Smith
LAUSANNE SUMMER 2021
Lausanne Collegiate School 1381 W. Massey Rd., Memphis, TN 38120 901.474.1000 lausanneschool.com
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First-graders stop to learn more about Lausanne’s founders on their school history tour with Headmaster McCathie.
LETTER FROM THE HEADMASTER
To say the 2020–2021 school year was unusual is an understatement. Like many other institutions, the events surrounding Covid-19 in March 2020 transformed all that Lausanne knew and all we were doing. In one short week over spring break, we went from a vibrant in-person learning community to a deserted facility offering online classes only. Since that time, we have evolved and changed due to the immense challenge presented. Throughout this period, we have seen our faculty first responders act heroically. The challenge before them was herculean; however, each faculty and staff member bravely stepped forward to ensure that the optimal online learning experience could be delivered and traditional close relationships between students and teachers maintained. After months of planning over the summer and navigating the shifting suggested protocols and policies that came out of national and local agencies, we opened the school in August of 2020, offering in-person and online learning. As of this writing, 10% of our students remain online. Lausanne students have been terrific in being part of the solution. They have dutifully and thoughtfully followed all required policies and procedures, from mask-wearing to social distancing. To ask any teenager to social distance is a huge task, but our students were in full compliance, even monitoring each other. I am very proud of our students for their resiliency, thoughtfulness, empathy and sense of service that they show to one another and our faculty each day. Continuing to offer a learning environment for all our students across PK–12th Grade could not have been accomplished without the full support of our parents. Our student, school and parent partnership has been instrumental in maintaining our viability and sustainability despite the threats from Covid-19. Collectively, faculty, staff, students and parents have indeed displayed the true strength of the Lausanne community.
Lausanne will emerge stronger, more united and more determined than ever to continue to provide an optimal learning environment for our students. We are resilient, we are brave, we are resourceful and we are together. Chére Lausanne!
Stuart McCathie Headmaster
LAUSANNE SUMMER 2021
Resiliency, as we know, is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. I would suggest that Lausanne will do more than recover. We have grown from this experience, and we will continue to grow beyond Covid-19. The mindset of being better tomorrow than we are today has transcended this time and will guide us into the future.
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6 The Year of Adaptability 20 Beyond the Gates of Lausanne 24 The Class of 2021 28 A Lausanne Legend 30 Class Notes 39 In Memoriam 44 Lausanne Alumna Remembers the Importance of Serving Others
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
When the pandemic hit, Lausanne suddenly had to adjust to a world of persisting together while remaining apart. Across divisions, our faculty and staff instantly began planning for online learning, hybrid learning, and everything in between to keep our community healthy and safe while preserving the joyful and challenging learning experience at Lausanne.
Lausanne’s 2020–2021 school year was undoubtedly unique. But then again: so are our Lynx. Through it all, our community remained true to the Lausanne Way despite the hurdles we encountered. We may not know what next year, next month or even next week will hold, but it’s reassuring to know we have current Lynx and alumni all across the globe, creating a better and more hopeful future.
Shayne Dotson Assistant Director of Communications
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To ensure that our campus learning environment continued to flourish, Lausanne listened carefully to our community to provoke necessary changes and designed a process that kept our students learning. However, if you take a moment to reflect on the year and how our students handled the challenges that unraveled before us, it becomes clear how much learning we can do from them. During a time when the world around us seemed to be grasping at the rope of normalcy before it slipped away, our students’ resilience and determination provided an anchor for the Lausanne community. Whether in the classroom or online, they showed up each morning ready to take on the day and eager to explore.
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The year of ADAPTABILITY CREATING A SWEET AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD, ONE HONEY BEE HIVE AT A TIME With the Lausanne community at home for spring break, the campus was quiet except for the steady hammering echoing from the back parking lot. A group of students from the Environmental Outreach Club and Bee Green Club had decided to use this free time to build a sixth flower bed behind the Upper School building, this time in the shape of the Lausanne “L.” It had been exactly one year since the pandemic hit during spring break in March 2020, but the Club’s newest garden served as the perfect example of the growth and relationships built during this time.
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Upper schoolers from the two environmental clubs teamed up at the beginning of the year with the mission to create a more sustainable campus and community and to encourage their fellow Lynx to join the cause.
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A Year in Review The 2020–21 school year will be remembered as a time that altered our campus environment and introduced us to a world where “mask-wearing,” “social distancing” and “zoom meetings” went from unfamiliar phrases to part of the daily norm. Yet the most memorable experiences from this year will not be the challenges we faced but the special moments we had the opportunity to celebrate and share with the Lausanne community.
Lausanne holds its first Diversity and Inclusion Task Force meeting. The group’s goal is to help facilitate further discussion throughout the community and guide change after the murder of George Floyd prompts questions and debate regarding inclusion at Lausanne. Dr. Noma Anderson leads the monthly Task Force meetings, and members include current students, alumni, parents, faculty and staff.
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July 2020
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“We wanted to expand our activities to include more students from Early Childhood, Lower and Middle School,” said President of the Environmental Outreach Club Dalia Chemaitilly ‘21. “The Environmental Outreach Club and Bee Green Club dream of creating a Lausanne powered by renewable energy, fortified by food harvested from the greenhouse and immersed by classes hosted outdoors.” Dalia’s passion for creating a more sustainable world is evident through her efforts on and off-campus. She has been able to use different class projects as a platform to bring awareness to global issues while also being actively involved in her role as president of Lausanne’s Environmental Outreach Club.
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August 2020
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Lausanne welcomes students back to campus for the first time since the pandemic hit in March 2020. With some of our Lynx on campus and some learning virtually, this year was undoubtedly going to be unique. The first week of school was full of adjustments as teachers discovered the best ways to engage students in the classroom and online. However, because of the passion our faculty have for their roles and their determination to stay true to Lausanne’s educational quality, we remain confident about taking on the school year.
September 2020
Lausanne Parent Connections hosts a surprise breakfast for faculty and staff to show their appreciation during a challenging time.
“ Promoting environmental awareness and sustainability is incredibly important,” said Dalia Chemaitilly ‘21. “Both my 10th Grade Personal Project and my IB extended essay focused on a particular environmental issue. My Personal Project was about the global water crisis, and my IB extended essay was about carbon taxation. I wanted to expand upon my environmental knowledge through actively being involved in the Lausanne community.”
Along with their service work off-campus, The Environmental Outreach Club maintained the gardens on campus, which has been a tradition ever since Lausanne science teacher Tom Brezina, helped original club members plant the flowerbeds students use today. Mr. Brezina has worked with several students towards making Lausanne a more sustainable place, where students are mindful of their impact on the environment. Over the years, seventh-graders in Mr. Brezina’s Life Science Class have built and managed a greenhouse to harvest spinach and kale and created a compost club that uses scrap vegetables and K-cups to make fertilizer for the campus gardens. To expand environmental efforts across campus, Mr. Brezina met with the Upper School Environmental Outreach Club, led by Marc Bonnot ‘20 at the time, about joining the cause.
Although the pandemic had changed many aspects of everyday life, Dalia knew the need for environmental improvement was still essential.
“During the first-year meeting with the Environmental Outreach Club, we found old cinderblocks on campus and painted them to create a raised bed garden,” said Mr. Brezina. “We grew okra that we handed out to members of the Lausanne community.”
“I wanted to provide students an opportunity that would allow them to be active members of the community despite any barriers,” said Dalia. “When I became president of the club this year, I made it a priority for the club to volunteer at the Wolf River Conservancy because we were unable to do so last year.”
When the cultivation season ended, the students cleared out the bed with the intention of replanting but never had the opportunity as the pandemic hit.
Members from both the Environmental Outreach Club and the Bee Green Club, along with student-volunteers who tagged along to support the action, met at the Wolf River Conservancy twice a month to pick up trash and help maintain the pollination habitats.
However, the empty gardens are coincidentally what helped the relationship with the Bee Green Club blossom. A few weeks before the 2020–21 school year, Mr. Brezina stopped by the campus gardens and noticed that Mary Lee Fontana ‘22 and Faris Amin ‘22 had planted flowers in the raised beds to
• Two of Lausanne’s exceptional seniors John Henry Campbell ‘21 and Martin Succar ‘21, earn the Hispanic Scholar award from the College Board National Recognition Programs. The educational program creates an avenue to college for students from underrepresented communities who excel on their PSAT/NMSQT and in their classrooms by granting them academic honors and connecting them with universities across the country. • Students celebrate 2020 Spirit Week. With the Lausanne community uncertain of whether there may be another shutdown, the students use the week to celebrate some of their favorite holidays together with themes including: Winter PJ Day, Valentines Red, White and Pink Day, Mardi Gras Party Hat Day, Lausanne Blue and Gold Day and Halloween Costume Day. • Lausanne’s Varsity Cheerleading team places 2nd at Regionals!
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October 2020
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support their beehives. He then connected them with Dalia because of the Environmental Outreach Club’s similar goals. Mary Lee and Faris started working toward sustainability when their environmental concerns led to a beekeeping and gardening collaboration for their tenth-grade personal projects, part of the Middle Years Programme (MYP). “I have always been worried about bees’ endangerment and its harmful results on the environment, and Faris had experience because his grandfather is a beekeeper,” said Mary Lee. “By raising our own hive, we’ve combined our love for the environment and interest in beekeeping.” The duo continued to maintain the hive and honey production after completing the assignment and eventually realized that sharing this experience with the Lausanne community would have an even greater impact. With Headmaster McCathie’s approval, Mary Lee and Faris transported the bee colony to a permanent residence next to the gardens behind Upper School. In August 2020, the two upper schoolers officially became co-presidents with the launch of the Bee Green Club and connected with Dalia. Through their partnership, the club presidents collaborate on volunteering to provide joint service opportunities to their members. As president of the Environmental Outreach Club, Dalia organizes the Wolf River Conservancy efforts and informs the Bee Green Club about upcoming events. In return, Mary Lee and Faris notify Dalia’s group about campus projects related to gardening, like building the “L” shaped bed over spring break. The group’s positive influence created a ripple effect on their fellow Lynx, and throughout the 2020–21 school year, more than 20 upper
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November 2020
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schoolers joined their efforts on and off-campus. Faculty across divisions also took notice and collaborated with club members to inform Lower and Middle School students about sustainability and share more about beekeeping and gardening. Next fall, the groups hope to get more students involved with the Wolf River cleanup and plans to make the gardening process more eco-friendly and donate the honey and vegetable yields harvested from their gardens to be used in Lausanne’s meals.
“ This year definitely presented challenges, but we never lost sight of our goal to expand the school’s environmental impact and lessen its ecological footprint,” said Mary Lee. “This year was the beginning of something special, and we plan for this legacy to be carried on by our underclassmen after we graduate.”
• Middle schoolers Sachin Lyons ‘26 and Hugh Parker ‘25 demonstrate their historical knowledge at the regional finals for the 2020 History Bee. Both students have an outstanding showing and move onto the National Championship, where they place as well. •A aliyah Bethea ’23 gains recognition for her athletic skills during the Volleyball Team Awards, earning the title Lausanne Volleyball Player of the Year.
FIRST-GRADERS TAKE ANNUAL FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL TO THE PARKING LOT The Food Truck Festival is a traditional favorite for our first-graders. The annual event typically occurs in the Alumni Dining Hall, but this year, students set up shop outside of the Lower School building, allowing their guests to enjoy the spring weather and plenty of space to shop. The Lynx entrepreneurs took on various roles including cashier, server and customer service representative. Family members had the opportunity to purchase recipes and products made from herbs they grew themselves. The students’ goods ranged from cookies, candy, body scrubs, painted rocks and even dog treats for their furry friends. The student-run event is a culmination of their Primary Years Programme (PYP) unit, How We Organize Ourselves, which explores the process of running a business. To prepare for the big day, students cultivated herbs and learned about money concepts including profit, loss, service goods, consumers and trade.
Top photo: Christian Veldman ‘32, Qahir Devji ‘32 and Sadie Cohen ‘32 offer a warm welcome to guests arriving to their big event. Left photo: Carmen Cross ‘32 and and Avery Wyatt ‘32 help a customer choose products.
2020’s National Honor Society Ceremony honors 52 students with induction into the academic organization. The inductees are split into three separate groups to ensure social distancing is maintained. Inductees from the Class of 2021: Jazmin Bolden, Brandon Bruckman, Darian Eslami, Hattie Greene, Keith Hoffmeister, Emilio Miguel Lachica, Brinnan Lawson, James Locke, Elle Nienhuis, Britney Okhiria, Jonas Pflaumer, Elaina Przybyszewski, Hannah Siegler, Jordan Timmons and Brianna Warner. Inductees from the Class of 2022: Marcus Cohn, Micah Cross, Sara Devji, Simi Faleye, Mary Lee Fontana, Seth Gibson, Ella Gregory, Emma Gubin, Skylar Harts, Aidan Henderson, Michael Hirsch, Ryan Hof, Sophia Holland, Suhani Koka, Isabella Leggett, Clarissa Luckytor, Zoey Matthews, Isabel McDonald, Philipp Meibohm, Walter Mink, Analise Murphy, Kayden Myrick, Jason Naidu, India Norris, Lotanna Oraedu, Shranav Palakurthi, Elizabeth Peeples, Nadia Rios, Hannah Rothman, Murell Sanders, Remi Schaber, Ella Simpson, Jonah Smith, Susan Stephens, Annabella Tian, Joshua Urévbu and Kai Wince.
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ANNUAL ROCKET LAUNCH Our fourth-grade scientists had the opportunity to host the annual rocket launch, one of our favorite Lower School traditions. Over a week, each class took turns heading down to the grassy field to shoot off their self-made spacecraft. Leading up to the big day, Lower School science teacher Dr. Frassinelli stopped by to present a brief background of Sir Issac Newton and his famous Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Under their homeroom teachers’ direction, the students spent several days assembling their rockets and decorating them to reflect their unique design goals. Once students completed their rockets and better understood the physics behind their creation, they were ready for take-off. To track the success of each rocket’s launch, students paired up and used a divide and conquer approach. One student clicked the button that set off the rocket while their partner used a hand-held instrument called an inclinometer to “sight” the rocket’s angle and record when the rocket reached its highest point in the flight. Students then used multiplication, division and the measured angle to determine the rockets’ altitudes.
December 2020 (continued) LAUSANNE SUMMER 2021
• Varsity football players make All-District teams.
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First Team Offense QB: Brock Glenn ’23 WR: AJ Dilworth ’23 RB: Craig Cunningham ’22 OL: Tyler Bell ’23, Will Brown ’23
First Team Defense DL: Jacob Hamer ’21 LB: Ben Bolton, Ethan Dabbs ’21 DB: CJ Jordan ’24 Second Team Offense RB: KJ Sneed ’22 WR: Travis Dockery OL: Chris Kidd
Second Team Defense DL: Dallas Brown ’21 LB: Drew Scott ’23 DB: W yatt Locastro ’23, Langston Rogers ’23 Honorable Mention DB: Eddie Buxton ’21 DL: Oliver Koffi
UPPER SCHOOL CHOIR FINDS ITS VOICE Learning the song “In Flanders Fields” has been a long-standing and respected tradition for Upper School choir students at Lausanne. To ensure the custom continued, upper schoolers moved rehearsals from EPAC’s stage to Lausanne’s outdoor amphitheater. Students sang with masks on and met asynchronously with small groups for practice. In the past, students have performed “In Flanders Fields” onstage during the annual Veterans Day program, but this year, the choir honored the tradition by surprising the Lausanne community with a special video performance.
• Lausanne successfully hosts its first-ever Drive-through Spaghetti Dinner. With help from a team of Lausanne Parent Connections volunteers, this 60 plus year tradition receives a 2021 twist, with a Drive-through available in Tanner Loop for guests to pick up delicious food provided by our very own Sodexo team. • Lausanne’s newly formed Trap Shooting Team has a fantastic showing at their very first competition, earning veteran-level scores against various high school teams in Shelby County. The Lynx co-ed squad includes Lausanne students Zair Barlow ’24, Abby Hodus ’23, Connor Magdovitz ’24, Jared Morris ’24 and Caleb Radtke ’24. • E zra Baer ‘25, Abhi Battini ‘25, Naji Ghandour ‘25, Nick Hoffman ‘25, Elisa Hurtado ‘25, Aidan Johnson ‘25 and Ethan Johnson ‘25 earn Duke TIP State Recognition for their academic skills by achieving exceptional scores on the SAT or ACT as a middle schooler.
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January 2021
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FRESHMAN-SENIOR WEEK With health and safety procedures implemented across campus, Senior Class President Justice Crawford ‘21, Vice President Alex Rochkind ‘21 and Secretary Sophie Manis ‘21 knew planning this year’s Freshmen-Senior Week would be different. However, the students took on the challenge and came up with creative ways to give the seniors a memorable experience. During the anticipated Upper School tradition, each freshman pairs up with a senior for a week full of fun bond-building festivities. The experience is unique because it gives upperclassmen celebrating their final year at Lausanne the opportunity to connect and share their practices with Lynx just beginning their Upper School journey. This year, students kicked off the commemoration with a socially distanced meet-and-greet luncheon on the field, followed by different activities throughout the week like dressing as aliens and cowboys for Duo Dress-up Day and making signs for Celebrate Your Senior Day. Students decked out in blue and gold spirited attire and returned to the field for a catered lunch, fun-filled contests and a dance performance from members of the football team to wrap up the week. While the beloved celebration looked different from previous years, seniors were still happy to welcome freshmen to the Upper School.
Top photo: Senior Sarah Fisher ‘21 and freshman Niah Rabaa ‘24 enjoy lunch on the field. Bottom photo: Alex Rochkind ‘21, Justice Crawford ‘21 and Sophie Manis ‘21 stop for a quick pic during a busy day of Freshman-Senior Week activities.
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•N atalie Howard ‘23, Emma Kerr ’25, and Jyotika Maharaj ‘23 earn awards in the Scholastic Art & Writing Contest sponsored by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. Natalie wins a Silver Key in the Short Story Category for her entry, “Collateral Casualties.” Jyotika receives a Silver Key and a Gold Key in the Dramatic Script Category for her entries, “Morality” and “Towards Tomorrow,” along with a Silver Key and Honorable Mention in the Poetry Category for her entries, “A Simple Choice” and “Trafficked Victims.” Emma earns a Gold Key in the Personal Essay & Memoir category for her entry, “With a Shovel in Hand,” a Gold Key in the Personal Essay & Memoir Category for her entry, “My Chinese American Adventures” and a Silver Key in the Poetry Category for her entry, “The Goat with No Name.”
• Six Lausanne basketball players make the Division 2-A all-district teams, with Simi Faleye ‘22 representing the District 6 Girls team and Craig Cunningham ‘22, Tre Davis ‘24, AJ Dilworth ‘23, Hayden Ledbetter ‘22 and Langston Rogers ‘23, representing the District 6 Boys team. • The Athletic Department honors four Varsity football players on National Signing Day as they sign Letters of Intent to play at the collegiate level. – Dallas Brown ’21 (Davidson College) – Eddie Buxton ’21 (Austin Peay University) – Ethan Dabbs ’21 (University of Central Missouri) – Jacob Hamer ’21 (Bethel University)
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Abby Trott ‘24 competes in the hula hoop contest during the week’s final celebration on the field.
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SIXTH-GRADERS LAUNCH ONLINE NEWSPAPER TO KEEP STUDENTS CONNECTED
The group’s first issue of The 6th Page was released through the website Canva in February, featuring a Valentine’s Day theme, followed by a second in February with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. The newspaper is entirely student-led, with sixth-grade teacher Maria Pirani sponsoring the initiative and helping facilitate meetings and deadlines.
Student expression is an essential part of the Lausanne experience, and a group of our sixth-graders found a unique way to share their creative abilities while also keeping students connected during the pandemic.
“I was very excited when I heard that there was a student-run newspaper that was looking for members,” said Ruby. “I came up with the idea of making a Canva version of the paper, and that was my assignment — to figure out how to do it. It was super fun to experiment with the templates and designs in Canva. During the first issue, I accidentally added an audio clip, and when we were looking over the PDF, there was a button prompting us to play the music. It was a perfect mistake that we will replicate over the issues!”
Elinor Barrett ‘27, Manuela Batalha ‘27, Rebeca Batalha ‘27, Maya Clark ‘27, and Ruby Gsanger ‘27 launched The 6th Page, a student-led online newspaper featuring short stories, student interviews, a kindness corner, teacher features, trivia, animations and comics, drawings and exciting events coming up in sixth grade. For Elinor, the student who initiated the publication’s creation, the idea of starting a newspaper has been weighing on her mind since fifth grade after she found inspiration from a book she read called The Landry News.
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“When I read The Landry News, I thought it was so amazing how quickly the characters in the story put together the newspaper and how everyone had different jobs,” said Elinor. “When I decided in 5th grade that I wanted to make my own newspaper, I got together a group of girls and we had a meeting. It didn’t work out due to Covid, but over the summer before 6th grade, I decided it was time to make it a reality.”
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Since production for the newspaper began, the group has been able to forge meaningful relationships with classmates while giving them the freedom to express themselves creatively. “I love to create things, and when Ms. Pirani and Elinor brought the newspaper to my attention, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it,” said Maya. “In our first meeting about the newspaper, we all decided that it would be fun to have an art section. I instantly knew that I wanted to be involved in it and collaborate with other artists like Avery! In our first issue, I began illustrating stories and created the logo for the newspaper with Elinor. In the second issue, we started a new article called “Maya’s Monthly,” which includes drawings requested by our classmates and then drawn by me.”
https://ebarrett278.wixsite.com/the6thpage
The first two issues have provided fun and relatable content for students in sixth grade while keeping them informed about events happening in their grade level and around Lausanne. “In the ‘What’s Up In 6th Grade’ articles, we write about exciting and important events that are happening or coming up in the sixth grade, said Manuela. “In our first issue, we talked about the Mock Trial, which was a fun and creative new project coming up in English class. We usually interview students or teachers that know a lot about the event, and we get some information from them.” Along with helping students learn more about each other, the newspaper also gives insight into their teachers’ lives. “We include articles where we interview both students and teachers,” said Rebeca. “We call them the ‘Teacher Feature’ and ‘Student
Interviews.’ We do this to let other people know more about their teachers and classmates. For example, in the first issue of the newspaper the 6th-grade science teacher, Tom Brezina was interviewed. He told us some fun stories about himself that made us laugh. We like to have the readers participate as much as possible. We want this newspaper to be just as enjoyable for the readers as it is for us.” Since launching, The 6th Page has been a popular hit among sixth-graders, and the group hopes to continue expanding. “We hope is to eventually make it a newspaper for the whole Middle School,” shared Elinor. “But for now, we are keeping it a cool sixth-grade thing.”
• Seven Lausanne students earn spots in All-West 2021 Emma Kerr ‘25 – Middle School String Orchestra, Violin – 1st Chair Amalia Pompe ‘24 – Red Band, Bb Sop Clarinet – 5th Chair Lincoln Hayes ‘23 – Blue Band, Trombone – 3rd Chair Annabella Tian ‘22 – Blues Band, Flute – 3rd Chair Tanner McDermott ‘22 – Red Band, Percussion – 2nd Chair Yuka Kimura ‘21 – Senior Symphony Orchestra, Violin – 2nd Chair Ayaka Kimura ‘21 – Senior Symphony Orchestra, Violin – 3rd Chair • Lausanne photography student Taylore Williams ’23 wins a national silver medal from the National Scholastic Art Awards for her photograph entitled “Melon Moon.”
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March 2021
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LIVE FROM EPAC: HOW THEATRE STUDENTS KEPT PERFORMANCES THRIVING With masks on their faces and love for performing in their hearts, our theatre students brought truth to the old saying, “The show must go on.” Students in Lausanne’s award-winning theatre program have made audiences swoon with passionate performances on EPAC’s stage for decades. When the pandemic threatened to halt live performances this year, determination kicked in, and the students vowed to find a safe way to continue performing; and in true Lynx style, they made it work. During live shows, cast members performed in masks and limited ticket sales to keep the audience seated at a safe distance. Our Lower School thespians put on multiple performances in one night, with our third and fourth-graders, sharing the story of “Little Red Robin Hood,” followed by our first and second-graders performing Manuela, the Playing Mantis and Mop Top! This year’s Fall Middle School play, All I Really Need To Know I Learned From Being A Zombie, filled the stage in EPAC with socially distanced and mask-wearing zombies contemplating the lessons they learned since becoming the undead. For the fall Upper School production, the theatre program presented Trap, a docudrama about an event in Menachap, California, where over 200 people lost consciousness, and the circumstances surrounding the situation. In the Spring, two different casts took the stage for Clue, the Upper School play involving six guests who anonymously receive invites to a strange mansion for a dinner that turns into an urgency to find the murderer amongst them.
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• J ustice Crawford ‘21 and Dalia Chemaitilly ‘21 receive this year’s respective Mr. and Miss Lausanne titles. As members and leaders of various clubs, full International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme students and distinguished members of the Lausanne community, both seniors more than exemplify what it means to be a Lynx. • Ten juniors and seniors gain membership into the Lausanne chapter of the Cum Laude Society for continuously excelling in their academics and demonstrating good character, honor and integrity in every aspect of school life. 2021 inductees: Ali Devji ‘21, John Henry Campbell ‘21, Alexandra Rochkind ‘21, Dalia Chemaitilly ‘21, Sophia Holland ‘22, Annabella Tian ‘22, Jason Naidu ‘22, Mary Lee Fontana ‘22, Lotanna Oraedu ‘22 and Michael Hirsch ‘22. • T aylor Rhodes ‘21 makes Lausanne history as she becomes the school’s first female soccer player to sign with a D1 college. The Lynx senior commits to join Tennessee Tech on scholarship to play soccer at the next level.
The Blue Cast captivates the crowd from start to finish with their engaging Clue performance. From left: Brianna Warner ‘21, Sophie Manis ‘21, Cailin Brown ‘21, Colyne Harts ‘21, Ali Devji ‘21, Emilio Lachica ‘21, Carter Trexler ‘21.
• Middle and Upper School band hosts Lausapalooza: A Carpool Music Festival. • Lower School students chat with author and illustrator Brian Pinkey over Zoom and gather outside for ice cream to celebrate their writing and illustrating accomplishments for the 2021 Writer’s Guild.
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BEYOND the Gates of Lausanne LAUSANNE SUMMER 2021
Serving others is encouraged from when a student enters Pre-Kindergarten to the moment they cross the stage at graduation. Even during a challenging year, our Lynx continued to serve because it is an essential part of our students’ experience both on campus and beyond the gates of Lausanne.
Top photo: India Norris ‘22 gives a speech about Gen Z’s involvement in activism at the Fedex Women in Leadership Conference. Bottom photo: India Norris ‘22 loves on Hambone, one of the dogs she fosters.
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INDIA NORRIS ’22 In the summer of 2020, India Norris ‘22 attended several virtual discussions led by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization which centered on police brutality and systemic racism, especially in school systems. “These panels were a learning experience because they served as a place to hear about other high school and college students’ experiences with social injustice,” said India. India’s in-person participation with RFK was limited this past year. Still, the rising senior has been connected with the organization for many years, learning more about how to “speak truth to power.” “I’ve learned how to advocate against injustice by understanding historical events, having uncomfortable conversations and being involved in local communities. I recently decided to construct a website for Hero and Sage Salon located in the Crosstown Concourse building as part of my CAS experience. Hero and Sage Salon is unique because it is one of the few salons in a modernized area to provide styling services for Black hair. I am glad to have been allowed to contribute to an issue that does not impact me.” The Lynx student’s drive to help others has been a part of her character for as long as she can remember, and she shares her passion for serving with her family.
In addition to her social justice efforts, India also has a passion for helping animals. Throughout the past year, she volunteered for All 4’s Rescue League to provide dogs with food, vaccinations and shelter in impoverished Memphis communities. “The organization’s founders were happy to have me on board, especially to set up igloolike doghouses in backyards to which many of the dogs are confined,” said India. “I mainly worked with All 4’s in the summer of 2020. Year-round, my family works with Stray Network Animal Rescue, which works to provide stray dogs with foster homes. We almost always have a foster dog in the house, whether it stays with us for a few days or a few months.”
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“ I stood up to help my local community thanks to what I was taught since a young age, which is that I am extremely fortunate, so I should help those who are not. My family has set a strong example for me: generosity is a gesture that we give to others out of empathy, not religion nor altruism. Helping the community gives me perspective on others’ situations, so I keep an open mind in return.”
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Lausanne Faculty and Staff Assist in the Fight Against Covid-19
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To help create a healthy and safe community, a group of Lausanne faculty and staff members stepped up to serve in the process of getting Memphians vaccinated. Troy Graham, Pam Pointer, Will Starner, Heather Clagett, Cameron Hadskey, Michael Naya, and Mark Page spent a weekend over the winter volunteering at a vaccination site to assist healthcare professionals with operations.
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SIMI FALEYE ‘22 Since last August, Simi Faleye ‘22 has been raising money for various organizations by making and selling jewelry online. During lockdown, from March through the end of the school year, Simi started watching the news a lot more. With the pandemic, political campaigning, natural disasters and civil unrest the news was constantly covering, the Lynx student began to feel overwhelmed with how much there was going on in the world and how little control she had over it.
“ All the negative things I saw going on around the world and thinking about how many people were in worse situations than me empowered me to do something that helps others and also spreads hope and positivity,” said Simi. “At first, I was looking for places that I could volunteer, but COVID made it hard to find availability, and then I thought of the idea to make and sell bracelets with positive messages and donate the proceeds to different organizations.” So far Simi has donated proceeds to CARE, the American Red Cross and The Life Church of Memphis.
LYNXSERVE SEASON OF SERVICE Over the winter, our Lynx participated in a Season of Service, which offered students different ways to serve safely during Covid-19.
Lausanne’s Lower School kicked off the season with Pennies for a Purpose, a coin drive that allowed them to bring in their change to fund our food drive with Crump Elementary and school supplies for Promise Academy. For our middle and upper schoolers, the operation launched with Pajama Week. Students had the opportunity to donate $10 to LynxServe to wear their PJs for an entire week. All donations funded holiday food box turkeys for Crump Elementary, at-home school supplies for Promise Academy and additional holiday needs for our community partners.
“ The LynxServe Season of Service pushes our efforts to serve and invest in our Memphis and global community through a variety of projects,” said Director of Lausanne 360° Rachel Hammons. “We understand 2020 has been difficult for everyone and Season of Service is an opportunity for us to make an effort to add joy to our community and our own lives.” Our lower schoolers also put together Holiday Healthcare Worker Care packages for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and Middle and Upper School provided food boxes to alleviate food insecurity.
Top left photo: Luc Josse ‘31, Olivia Terry ‘31, Ayden Davillier ‘31 and Aaren Kumar ‘31 showcase the money raised during the coin drive.
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In alignment with one of the International Baccalaureate Programme’s core values, LynxServe promotes the development of lifelong learners through service-learning opportunities that help students engage with the community.
Top right photo: Director of Conservatory Kenzie Neel helps load up holiday boxes for Crump Elementary.
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LAUSANNE SUMMER 2021
The Class of
2021
24
84
39
3
30
STUDENTS
NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS
FULL IB
SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS
6
STATE TITLES
On Saturday, May 29, Lausanne celebrated the Class of 2021 at the 94th Graduation, with their closest family and friends in attendance. Valedictorian Jad Hamze ‘21 and salutatorian Justice Crawford ‘21 shared farewell speeches honoring their Lausanne journey, and alumna Sarah-Tucker Ray ‘05 joined the graduates onstage as this year’s commencement speaker. Leading up to graduation, The Class of 2021 celebrated their final days on campus together with some of Lausanne’s most anticipated Upper School traditions, including the Senior Run-Through, Senior Drive-Through and College T-shirt Day.
ACCEPTANCES TO
MATRICULATION TO
DIFFERENT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
SCHOOLS
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$14.1 million IN SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
$167,857
AVERAGE IN AWARDS PER STUDENT
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147
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C ooper Hough ‘21 perches on the passenger side window to enjoy the view.
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Teachers applaud the line of graduates with Jazmin Bolden ‘21 leading the way.
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A njali Borschel ‘21 and Kewe Chen ‘21 showcase their college t-shirts.
Graduation: Saturday, May 29, 2021 at 2 p.m.
J ames Locke ‘21 goes in for a high five from first-grader Robert Rylee ‘32 during the Senior Run-Through.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2021!
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B eren Rogers ‘21 poses with a family member after graduation.
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J ad Hamze ‘21 gives his valedictorian speech.
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J ustice Crawford ‘21 throws up a peace sign as he heads into the graduation ceremony.
“ My family chose Lausanne for the diversity but stayed for so many other reasons,” shared Jad Hazme during his valedictorian speech.
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A Lausanne
LEGEN Lesa Mears announced her retirement from coaching after a 38-year career and nine years leading the Lynx Varsity Girls Basketball team.
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As Mears looks back on her time at Lausanne and coaching a game that has grown in style and popularity, she said the relationships forged on the court mean the most.
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“I have seen the women’s game grow into one that is played just like the men’s game,” said Mears. “I’ve experienced a 64-game district winning streak, many championships and also games where my teams were beaten badly. Through it all, the most important thing that I will carry with me forever are the relationships built along the way.”
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ND
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Class Notes As you know, when you graduate from Lausanne, you don’t simply join a network of 2500+ alumni — you join a family. Our alumni are an integral, vibrant part of the Lausanne community, and graduation marks only the beginning. As we prepare to welcome another class of graduates into the Lausanne Alumni Association, I encourage you to reinforce your own relationship with our wonderful school. As the world begins to reemerge from this pandemic, I want to remind each and every Lausanne alumnus that we are here for you. Lausanne’s powerful network of doers spans the globe and includes virtually every profession. As the world evolves, as will we – all the while continuing to engage our alumni through events, programs and resources that matter to you – both in person and virtually. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of the Lausanne family. Now, having my own daughter scheduled to join Lausanne as a student this fall only amplifies that feeling. As I look ahead to her future, I can clearly see, in the faces of so many alumni, the wondrous impact that a Lausanne education can have on our world, and I couldn’t be more proud. #AlwaysALynx Best,
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Charlotte J. Albertson Director of Alumni Affairs calbertson@lausanneschool.com
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CLASS NOTES
1985
2001
2008
Henry Rothenberg ’01 was recently featured on Storm Stories: The Next Chapter, which aired on The Weather Channel for his coverage of the March 3, 2020 Nashville and Cookeville, TN tornadoes. On November 27, he was also nominated for a Regional Emmy Award for his coverage of the tornadoes. This was Henry’s 5th nomination for an Emmy, having won in 2018. Congratulations to Yolandrea Clark ’86, owner of Any Body Yoga Memphis, for being awarded the Memphis Flyer’s 2020 Best of Memphis Award for Specialty Fitness Studio!
Jessica Billings ’08, Opening Director of Sales and Marketing/Lead Sales Enthusiast at Canopy by Hilton Memphis, was featured in the Commercial Appeal this fall for her assistance in opening the modern $43 million Canopy by Hilton in Downtown Memphis last September.
1990
Joy Touliatos ’90 was chosen by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland to lead Memphis’ Group Violence Intervention Program after the city hit a record 332 homicides last year. She began working in the court system at General Sessions while still in college; later she became the Juvenile Court clerk. In her newest role, she’ll be coordinating, developing and supporting local gun violence prevention efforts and working with nonprofits, law enforcement agencies and government alike.
2007
Congratulations to Jason Susser ’07 for being named the 2020 Rising Star in Immigration Law from Super Lawyers, as a part of Thomson Reuters!
Canopy has risen where the old Benchmark Hotel all but crumbled away before being demolished. The building, designed by HBG Design, is an understated, charcoal gray, with a mix of brick, wood, concrete and metal. The hotel’s restaurant, Curfew, is credited to celebrity chef Fabio Viviani and serves American cuisine with a Spanish and Italian flare.
2009
Leah Fox-Greenberg ’93 will become the next Chief Executive Officer of Memphis Heritage, an organization whose mission is to educate and coordinate individuals and groups to save, improve, reuse and maintain architecturally and historically significant buildings, neighborhoods, parks and cultural artifacts in Shelby County. Leah has been an active board member for Memphis Heritage while working as the Girl Scouts’ Vice President of Membership Development. Former executive director June West ’69 will remain as Memphis Heritage’s Chief Development Officer. “I believe that our history is strong, and I moved back (to Memphis) to make sure that my daughter knew the amazing city I grew up in,” Fox-Greenberg said in a release. “ Memphis Heritage is an institution that has ensured that places that were a part of my childhood (Overton Square, 19th Century Club) are preserved and have gained new life.”
Jessica Green ’09 was named the new Head Girls Basketball Coach at Collierville High School. Collierville released a statement which noted, “Jessica’s character, intellect, and energy really stood out. Without a doubt, she is a rising star in coaching that will be a great fit for our program, school system, and community.”
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1993
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CLASS NOTES
2010
Smruti Keshani ’10 resides in Portland, OR and continues to work remotely for an architecture firm in Troy, NY. She is enjoying her role leading Division 26 of the New York State Office of Mental Health Patient Safety Standards Guideline. In this role, she conducts patient safety testing of new light fixtures and collaborates with manufacturers in search of light fixtures suitable for psychiatric inpatient environments.
Lauren Avant Sumski ‘10 has been named to the third team of the D3hoops.com 2010–2020 All-Decade Team. “Lauren was one of the greatest athletes and women’s basketball players in the history of our program,” said former Rhodes College Head Coach, Matt Dean. “As proud as I am of her accomplishments on the floor, I’m equally proud of how she has become one of the finest coaches of the sport of women’s basketball. She led us to two SAA championships as a player, then returned to coach her school to another title. Not many can say that.” Sumski, now the D-1 head coach at Lipscomb University, is the only person to win a Southern Athletic Association tournament championship both as a player and as a coach.
2011
Congratulations to alumnus Brian Mounce ’11 for being named in the Memphis Flyer’s 20 Under 30! After studying at Rhodes College for three years, finishing his degree at the University of Tel Aviv, and traveling the world,
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Congratulations to Joshua Steiner ’10 on his marriage to Wallis Tosi in April of 2020! Originally, the couple were to be wed in Austin, TX, at the farm where they got engaged with around 150 friends and family members expected to attend. Then, the coronavirus pandemic hit. They looked at several alternative options, but it all came down to Tosi’s dream of a springtime wedding. On April 4, the couple wed in their backyard with more than 100 friends and family, even their parents, watching on Zoom. The only in-person witnesses were their two dogs, Quinn and Tina, a photographer and a videographer.
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Congratulations to Will Murphy ‘11 and Kate Morrison Murphy ‘11 on the birth of their son, Matthew, on September 2, 2020! Congratulations to Alexandria Orange ‘11 who started law school in the fall of 2020 at the University of Memphis’ Cecil B. Humphreys School of Law!
2012
Stephanie Clein ’12 received her Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from Auburn University in May of 2019. She currently works as a speech-language pathologist for Birmingham City Schools in Birmingham, AL. Stephanie will be getting married in Memphis on May 23, 2021 at Temple Israel. Leslie Pace ’12 graduated from the University of Memphis with an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering (Biomaterials concentration) in 2019 and now works for Smith & Nephew, Inc. in their Clinical Affairs group.
2013 Brian found work at an intelligence think-tank unsatisfying. So he changed his career trajectory to try and become someone who could help his community. He earned a Master’s degree and now teaches students about the Constitution at CBU while working to finish his law degree. “My grandfather believed in this old ideology, which translates to ‘Repair a broken world.’ I’m an ardent believer in that, and Memphis helped my family so much that I felt the need to give back.”.
Congratulations to Saakshi Bishnoi ’13 on her recent move to California for a new job with Boeing in January of 2021!
CLASS NOTES
Lausanne alumna Lauren Avant Sumski ’10 was named this year’s Chair of Ideas! Avant virtually addressed the Lausanne community, discussing how she reached her goals when life presented her with intense and unexpected challenges and how Lausanne helped prepare her for the future. A native of Memphis, Lauren joined the Lausanne family in the 8th grade. During her time on campus, Freshman Initiation/Senior Appreciation Week, her first Biology lab experience, Homecoming Week (especially the pep rally), Artsfest/SportsFest and of course, the traditional tapping of the seal became some of her fondest memories. She shared that above all, the people who make up the Lausanne community will always be her most cherished memory. Passing on numerous professional basketball playing opportunities, Lauren decided to pursue a career in coaching. She previously held coaching positions at Union University and Rhodes College and now serves as the first female coach to lead the women’s basketball program at Lipscomb University.
Cameron Payne ’13 of the Phoenix Suns was the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft!
2014
Jayla Sims ’14 currently works as the Career Development Coordinator for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. Rishika Singh ’14 is attending medical school at UTHSC. Congratulations to Eli Stein ’14, who was recently named Wood River High School’s new Boys Varsity Basketball Coach! This is Eli’s first head coaching job. He is employed by the Blaine County School District. He played shooting guard for Lausanne basketball and was a four-year starter for the varsity soccer team. At VMI last year, Eli was the Assistant Director of Operations for men’s basketball. He graduated from Campbell University in 2019 and will be pursuing his teaching credentials in Hailey.
2015
At the age of 25, Lauren became one of the youngest head coaches in the country across all three divisions of the NCAA. At age 26, she became the youngest NCAA head coach to lead her team to a national tournament. And at age 27, she became the youngest Division I head coach amongst all active coaches. Way to go, Lauren!
Congratulations to Lindsey Houston Bridges ’15 and husband, Bryan, on the birth of their son, (John) Reylan Bridges, born on February 11, weighing 6 lbs. 11 oz.!
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Chair of Ideas 2021
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CLASS NOTES
2016
Pari Kumar ’16 graduated in the Spring of 2020 from George Washington University with a BBA and a minor in Public Health. Last Fall, she began her next chapter in New York City, where she is pursuing her Master’s in social work from Fordham University.
Armand Amini ’16 is excited to begin medical school this fall at Harvard University. In his note, he thanked the many family members, friends, teachers, coaches and mentors who have helped him along the way, and he is very excited to continue exploring the art and science of medicine! Tony Chen ’16 graduated from Princeton in the Spring of 2020 and started his PhD in Biostatistics at Harvard last Fall (all virtually).
Aynsley Hartney ’16 received the C. William Hall Undergraduate Department Honors Award from Clemson’s Department of Bioengineering! She will be pursuing a degree in medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health starting in August 2021. Joseph Igoni ’16 graduated from Georgetown University on May 20, 2020.
Save the Date!
Alumni Weekend 2021
LAUSANNE SUMMER 2021
October 22–24, 2021
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This is a beloved annual event you don’t want to miss! More details will follow in the coming months. Update your information or volunteer with your reunion committee by contacting the Alumni Office at calbertson@lausanneschool.com or 901-474-1029.
On Sunday, May 16, Lausanne Athletics hosted Lady Lynx Lacrosse Day for female players ranging from Lower School to Varsity. They also welcomed back 13 alumni to join in on the fun! In attendance with our Varsity Head Coaches, Cayce Densford and Rachel Hammons, were Liv Clayton ‘19, Madeline Culbreth ‘19, Nadia Elroz ‘19, Lauren Goin ‘20, Elise Grisoni ‘13, Gabrielle Grisoni ‘15, Zoe Hamblen ‘20, Kayla Hope ‘20, Margo Huber ‘17, Sophie Jones ‘20, Melba Martin ‘15, Eliza Schneider ‘15, and Katie Wright ‘19.
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#ladylynxstrong
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CLASS NOTES
Young Alumni Day
Ashley Thomas Whitesides ’16 married husband Seth on May 16, 2020 in Payson, UT. Congratulations to the new couple!
2020
2017
Congratulations to Bruno Garcia ’17 on receiving the CACC Men’s Soccer Top XVI Award! The award is given to the studentathlete at Dominican College with the highest grade point average as of the current year’s final. Bruno has a 3.92 GPA in his major of International Management.
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On Monday, December 14, 2020, the Lausanne Alumni Association hosted its annual Young Alumni Week, beginning with a virtual Young Alumni Panel which featured six remarkable young alumni: Armand Amini ’16, Lucy Callicott ’18, Kaleb Davis ’18, Madeline Culbreth ’19, Carson Webb ’20 and Dylan Andrews ’20. The panelists shared the experiences which led them to choose their respective colleges, universities, graduate programs, internships and careers and answered questions about what to expect as you enter college and whether or not they would make different choices if they were to maneuver the college process again!
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CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES
Brian Krista/Capital Gazette
Cameron Kinley ’17 has had a busy senior year at Navy, both in and out of the classroom. He serves as team captain and class president, and in addition to his leadership roles, he was a 2020 finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, a Jason Witten Man of the Year semi-finalist and a Senior CLASS Award semi-finalist. To end his senior year, Cameron addressed his fellow midshipmen with a speech at graduation and presented a gift to Vice President Kamala Harris who gave the 2021 commencement speech. Aaron Hunt ’17 has accepted an offer from Vanderbilt University to further his education. This fall, he will begin pursuing a master’s degree in Medicine, Health and Society. Inaara Pirani Panjwani ’17 is preparing to graduate from the University of Memphis with a BSN in nursing. She is currently a nurse intern at Baptist Hospital and has also expanded the tutoring company she started while at Lausanne. Inaara recently got married and said that the experience has been amazing, stating “Life is good!”
2018
Congratulations to Sarah Boxer ’18 for being featured in the recent Wall Street Journal article,
Inara Devji ’18 is an intern at the Clemson Light Imaging Facility, where she has been able to do some cool things with microscopes! She enjoys spending time with her pet bunny, Stormi.
internship with the Missouri Eliminate Tobacco Use Initiative. Rebecca is currently interning with the Camden County (MO) government on their Revenue Generation Project. She is the Vice President of Professional Development for Global Professionals, the university’s international business club, a member of the Honors College Programming Board and a member of Delta Sigma Pi (DSP) Professional Business Fraternity through the Trulaske College of Business. She is also the Financial Advisor to the Treasurer of the university’s Asian A.
Sarah Gubin ’18 was accepted into the psychology honors society at the University of Miami.
Fiona Toomey ’18 is working at Memphis’ own West Clinic while completing online classes at Rhodes College.
Destiny Hinton ’18 is currently a marketing intern for the Office of Mayor Lee Harris.
2019
Ceylan Metin ’18 is in her junior year of college at Georgetown and is double majoring in Spanish and Portuguese Studies and Biology of Global Health. She is still heavily involved with the Bhangra dance group, called Jawani, and GERMS, the on-campus EMS organization. Ceylan has been promoted to Acting Crew Chief, Driver and Director of Ambulance Operations within GERMS. She also recently co-founded a nonprofit organization called EMTomorrow, seeking to provide free EMT training for diverse, low-incomeresidents within marginalized communities in DC. The organization is making major progress, and Ceylan ishoping to run the first course cycle in September of next year. Alisha Pershad ’18 received early acceptance into medical school as a sophomore in college. She is currently a research fellow at St. Jude, an interpreter at a Spanish-speaking clinic and a dance fitness instructor. Rebecca Price ’18 is currently a Junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia pursuing the International Business dual degree, comprised of majors in Finance and Banking and in International Studies-Chinese. She is also a Stamps Scholar through the University of Missouri-Columbia Honors College and the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. This past summer, she participated in a virtual
Jordan Brown ’19 has completed internshipswith the Greenwood Project and Peak6 Investments. He was also on the Spring 2020 Dean’s List, is a LAS James Scholar and received both the Actuarial Diversity Scholarship and the International Association of Black Actuaries Scholarship. Robyn Evans ’19 will be graduating early and has been working with a nonprofit for well over a year! Ruhi Natarajan ’19 is finishing up her third semester at Vanderbilt, has joined an acapella group and is planning on taking summer courses at the University of Memphis. Alexander Sharp ’19 has passed all tests and interviews within the Navy NUPOC program. He is now a sailor and will finish his last 2 years of college getting enlistment pay and time served. He will enter the Navy as an Officer in Nuclear Propulsion! Solbok Yi ’19 is now in his second year in architecture. He has been enjoying school, is running as class representative for the student union and started living with three close friends in a home which includes their own design studio!
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“How to Score a Vaccine Appointment: Recruit a College Kid with Tech Skills and Patience”! In the article, Sarah, a current student at George Washington, helped those in need find vaccine appointments. As one overjoyed resident stated in the article, “It was from heaven. He felt like he had scored Beatles tickets”.
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CLASS NOTES
2020
Isaac Mendez ’20 has transferred from DePaul University to the University of Tennessee. Damla Onder ’20 was accepted into Project Outreach at NYU, an extracurricular revolving around community service. She has done a lot of exploring throughout the city and is currently applying to be an NYU ambassador! Yagmur Onder ’20 received a research position on the topic of “why Muslim-dominant countries have higher ratios of female engineers compared to US social/political/cultural contexts.” She also joined a Grand Prix Team and will be working toward her pilot’s license sometime in the next four years. Yagmur is also excited to be a part of Purdue’s Turkish Student Association!
We want to hear from
YOU
Let us know about new jobs, marriages, children, travel opportunities, accolades, gatherings with other Lausanne alumni and more! Contact the Alumni Office at calbertson@lausanneschool.com.
LAUSANNE SUMMER 2021
Christina Sigler ’20 just completed her first semester of college at Duke, where she is a member of the cheer team.
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Carson Webb ’20 is finishing up his first year at Amherst College, where he is leaning toward majoring in either mathematics or economics. Carson is a member of the varsity football team, the investment club and the quantitative trading club.
CLASS NOTES
In Memoriam Margaret “Maggie” Loaring-Clark Jones ’45
Gladys “Janey” Caughlin Campbell ’32 Gladys “Janey” Caughlin Campbell ’32, died peacefully on March 8, 2020 at the age of 104. Born in New Orleans, LA on February 19, 1916, Janey called Memphis her home for most of her life. She was a graduate of Lausanne and attended Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College), where she was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity and a Pi Honorary. She was happily married to the late Robert (Bob) Lee Campbell, Jr., for 56 years. Janey belonged to several service organizations, including the Junior League of Memphis, Tuesday Study Club, and Carnival Memphis RaMet, Osiris, and Memphis Societies. In her later years, she enjoyed acting as a member of the Trezevant Manor Quality of Life Care Board, as well as serving as the Director of the Altar Guild of St. Edward’s Chapel. Friends would often ask what her secret was to such longevity, and her answers were always the same: the love of family, finding gratitude in all things and choosing happiness no matter the circumstances. Those closest to her would also add Cheetos, Hershey bars, and Jack Daniels to that list. She was an inspiration to all who knew her — known for her smile, quick wit, and strength. She leaves a daughter, Jane Campbell Gober (Mackie), a son, Robert Lee Campbell IV (Debbie), four grandchildren — Mackie Howard Gober, Jr. (Carmine), Peria Gober, Katherine Campbell Simmons (Donnie), and Lee Campbell Sandberg (Zach), as well as six great-grandchildren, all of Memphis. The family would like to extend a special thank you to her wonderful team of caregivers, who loved her like their own.
Born March 21, 1928, in Memphis, TN, she graduated from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College). She obtained her graduate degree in Library Science from East Tennessee State University. She is survived by her husband, Bill Jones, and was a partner in his work as an Episcopal priest and bishop. They served in New Haven, CT; Pulaski, TN (Church of the Messiah); Nashville, TN (Christ Church); LaGrange, GA (St. Mark’s); Mountain Brook, AL (St. Luke’s); Johnson City, TN (St. John’s); St Louis, MO (Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Missouri); and Rainham, England (St. Margaret’s). In addition to her commitment to the Episcopal church and its mission, Maggie contributed greatly to every community in which she lived. She was a librarian at St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis; the Program and Education Director of the United Nations Association in St. Louis; the Missouri Diocesan Companion Coordinator with the Nigerian Dioceses of Kano, Kaduna, Jos, and Abuja; and she served on numerous boards through the years. The Episcopal Peace Fellowship, the Bach Society of St. Louis, the Johnson City Tree and Appearance Board, and the Woods and Meadows Committee at Kendal were just a few where she dedicated her skills. She was an expert at needlework and her love of the outdoors was reflected in her time spent hiking the Appalachian Trail, obtaining her Master Gardener certification, and serving as chair of Arbor Day committees, among other things. Her gardens are still enjoyed by many! Although Maggie’s own mother, Margaret Lee Austin Loaring Clark, died when Maggie was two years old, Maggie found her central vocation in being a devoted wife and a nurturing and caring mother. She and Bill loved to travel and hike, and they enjoyed music and plays together since they first met at Southwestern. Together they raised four daughters, graduates of Sewanee, Brown, Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan. She is survived by her husband of 70 years, Bill, her four daughters and their families: Beth Jones of Wilmington, DE; Marty Jones and her , Fred Augenstern, of Winchester; Lu Johnston and her husband, Andy, of Wilmington, DE; Caroline Silva of Newton, NJ and six grandchildren: Elise and Julia Augenstern, Neil and Trish Johnston and Ben and Will Silva.
LAUSANNE SUMMER 2021
Margaret “Maggie” Loaring-Clark Jones ’45 of Kendal at Longwood, Kennett Square, PA, passed away on February 29, 2020.
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CLASS NOTES
Sarah Loaring-Clark Flowers ’47
McKay “Kay” Dockery ’60
Sarah Loaring-Clark Flowers ’47 passed away on March 17, 2020. Taking to heart her Lord’s command to “Go into the world”, she did just that, helping others, working to improve lives and spreading love abundantly. Sarah devoted much time to her church, St. John’s Episcopal, where her father (Alfred “Tib” Loaring-Clark) was the first rector. She served on the vestry, with the Daughters of the King, The Episcopal Church Women and the Church Health Center.
McKay “Kay” Dockery ’60 passed away peacefully on January 18, 2021 in Memphis, TN at the age of 78. She was born in Memphis on October 31, 1942 to Keith Somerville Dockery and Joe Rice Dockery. She grew up at Dockery Farms near Cleveland, MS.
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Always desiring to give back to her community, Sarah served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity, the Memphis Board of Realtors, Orange Mound Day Nursery and helped found the Orange Mound Care Home, a residential home for the elderly. She took part in Shelby County Interfaith, a consortium of African-American and white churches working together to define and address neighborhood issues. She was awarded the 1993 Presidential Award by the Memphis Area Association of Realtors for her “drive, determination and humanitarian efforts in the association’s community involvement”. She also served as president of the Women’s Council of Realtors. In addition, she held many offices in the Junior League of Memphis. In 1975, she felt compelled to run for the Memphis City Council to help the city she loved and though she lost to the incumbent with 49% of the vote, she was gracious in her loss, calling the experience, “One of the most fun and enlightening things I ever did.”
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Sarah was preceded in death by her husband, Bill Flowers; parents, Alfred and Margaret Loaring-Clark; sister, Margaret Jones; and many beloved extended family members. She is survived by her three children: John (Jennifer) Flowers, Margaret (Scott) Ferguson, and Martha Flowers; six grandchildren: Ruffin Flowers, Will (Faith) Flowers, Michael (Angela) Ferguson, Meg (Matt) Rogers, Austin Hasenmueller, and Buckner LoaringClark; and five great-grandchildren: Jones Ingram, Carlisle Flowers, Carrington Flowers, Torin Rogers, and Rosalee Rogers.
McKay attended Cleveland High School and graduated from Lausanne School for Girls in 1960. She spent several happy summers at Camp Deerwoode in the mountains of North Carolina. McKay attended the University of Oklahoma where she was a proud member of the Delta Delta Delta Fraternity. She lived in Tulsa while raising her children. McKay was a devoted member of the First United Methodist Church and active in the Junior League of Tulsa. In 1991 McKay settled in Memphis and joined the Church of the Holy Communion. She completed her college degree at the University of Memphis. She was an enthusiastic participant in Carnival Memphis and several carnival clubs. McKay was a past Queen of the Grand Krewe of Ennead, chairperson of the Queen Bees, as well as a former member of Ramet, Luxor and Carnival in Memphis. She was an active member of Les Passees, Memphis’ oldest non-profit women’s organization that serves children and families in the Memphis community. McKay was always there to help her community and was known as a giver. She will be sadly missed by all who were lucky enough to have crossed her path. McKay was preceded in death by her loving son, Thomas Gail Clark, III at age 24 of Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, her parents Joe Rice Dockery and Keith Somerville Dockery McLean, and her stepfather George Hite McLean. McKay is survived by her daughter, Carolyn Clark Powers, of Manhattan Beach, CA; grandsons, John Roy Cleator Jr. of Manhattan Beach, CA, Thomas Gail Cleator of Tulsa, OK and William Clark Dockery Powers of Princeton, NJ. McKay is also survived by her two sisters Douglas Dockery Thomas of New York and Keith Dockery Derbes of New Orleans, LA as well as many nieces and nephews. McKay’s family was everything to her, as she was everything to them.
CLASS NOTES
Marion Majors Crenshaw ’69
Kathryn “Kathy” Bass Graves ’73
Marion Majors Crenshaw ’69 passed away on July 31, 2020, in Memphis, TN. She was born in Memphis to Marion Mathews Majors and Leland Matthew Majors. As a newborn she moved with her parents to Anchorage, AK, where her father served as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force during the Korean War. After her family returned to Memphis, she attended Lausanne School for Girls. Harboring a devotion to language and education, she received a BA from Southwestern (Rhodes College), and an MA from Memphis State University in English. She went on to teach English, French and Bible studies at Hutchison School, Grace St. Luke’s and Dallas County Community College.
Kathryn “Kathy” Bass Graves ’73 passed away July 7, 2020. Kathy was a loving mother, devoted friend and selfless caregiver who lived with a servant’s heart. She graduated from Lausanne as Miss Lausanne and was a Pi Phi at the University of Memphis before she attained her nursing degree. Kathy was an avid reader and SEC sports fan. She loved spending weekends at Bubba Brews with her Nan and Bubba and “Big Deal.” Kathy never met a stranger and is now kicking it high with her beloved friend, Aunt Kat, in heaven.
Marion gave back to her community by spending many years volunteering for LeBonheur Club, The Junior League of Memphis and Christian Brothers High School. She was also a member of the Chi Omega Sorority, and later worked for their headquarters in Memphis.
Kathy was the daughter of Lorene P. Bass and Ben W. Bass. She leaves behind her children, Sara and AJ, her brother, Ned, nephew, Bubba, niece, Nan and great niece, Saylor.
A few weeks before she passed, she traveled to Austin, TX to meet her first grandchild, Davy; a personal milestone that will be forever treasured. Marion is survived by her husband of 47 years, Dr. Andrew H. Crenshaw, Jr.; her children, Andrew H. Crenshaw, III and his wife Sarah Sallee Thibodeaux; Marion Crenshaw Milner and her husband Robert Rutherford Milner, III; and Katherine Crenshaw Slezak and her husband Christopher John Slezak; grandchild David Leland Slezak; and grandchild-by-marriage Madog William Faraday Thibodeaux.
Diane Jacobs ’71 Diane Jacobs ’71 died on April 13, 2021, in Jackson, TN. A native of Cleveland, MS., Diane was born on March 10, 1953, to Rosemary Wilson Jacobs and the late Charles Clark Jacobs, Jr. Diane had a brilliant mind and was student body president at Lausanne before attending Princeton University, where she received her baccalaureate degree in Art History. After living in New York City for several
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Marion had a passion for ballet, adored cooking for her family, was an avid orchid grower and created the most beautiful family holiday traditions. She was a loving mother, always encouraging her children to cherish one another. An often-repeated quote was, “love each other, because you’re all each other has”.
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CLASS NOTES years, she returned home and received a Master of Fine Arts from The University of Mississippi. While at Princeton, Diane studied under Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe and was influenced by the works of Frank Stella and Mark Rothko. Her own paintings were meticulously planned and spontaneously executed using a variety of materials especially spray paint. She sprayed stencils and objects on the surface of her canvases, and there was not a rock or kitchen utensil that escaped her enthusiastic aim. The results were imaginative, playful and often irreverent. A gallery or museum visit with Diane was an education in art. She was able to quickly understand an artist’s intent and technique and make a painting or piece of art come alive. She taught art at Millsaps College for several years before dedicating herself full time to painting. She was a serious artist until the end of her life. Diane was one of a kind and dearly loved by all who knew her. Her great nieces and nephews have memories of being entertained by toys she invented for them using found objects. She will be greatly missed.
Monda Watson ’77 Monda Watson ’77 passed away on May 3, 2021, the day after her 62nd birthday. She was raised in Memphis, Tennessee by her mother, Marilyn Yvonne Watson, who and her mother’s second husband, Bill Watson II, to whom she referred to as ‘Dad’.Monda secured her primary and secondary education at Lausanne Collegiate School and eventually became a member of the Lausanne Alumni Board, where she served until her passing. Resourceful from an incredibly early age, she worked as an au pair, which afforded her the freedom to travel abroad during the summer prior to college. She quickly abandoned this gig, however, opting instead to fill her days and the rest of her summer abroad with picking grapes. Monda eventually returned to Memphis and enrolled at the University of Memphis, but her dreams of a broader landscape led her to LA, where she reconnected with her natural father, Jim Killean, and later graduated from UCLA.
Sheryl Mexic ’76
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Sheryl Mexic ’76 passed away on January 15, 2021. She was born on February 12, 1958 in New Orleans, LA. Sheryl worked as legal secretary for Bracewell Patterson law firm in Houston, TX for over a decade. She later founded biddingfortravel.com, a successful online business and Priceline affiliate. She enjoyed a worldwide reputation of being the best and found a way to earn a living in an emerging medium before many even knew of Facebook.
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Sheryl loved great food, fancy living and was known for her smile, sense of humor and love of the New Orleans Saints. Sheryl was preceded in death by her parents, Bill and Lois Mexic and is survived by her devoted sister, Melanie Mexic Morris and her niece and nephew, Alex and Mitchell Morris, as well as aunts, an uncle and cousins.
Monda’s first love was her daughter, Maguire, followed by Camp Sequoya in Abingdon, VA, where she spent many years as a camper and later as camp counselor. She described the setting as an idyllic environment and an escape from her often awkward teenage years. There, she built and maintained lifetime friendships spanning well over 50 years. Her fellow campers, stretched across the US, hosted regular reunions to relish in nostalgia and recite the Sequoya creed, permanently embedded in their hearts. After graduating from UCLA, Monda followed several campers to Dallas, where she would spend the rest of her adult life. In 1998, Monda attended El Centro College, undertaking enough accounting hours to earn her Certified Public Accounting License. She spent the rest of her career as a CPA, specializing in real estate financial services. Shea mentored and supported an impoverished family with whom she first connected in Dallas. Her support followed the family’s move to Mississippi, where Monda continued to host regular fundraising events and delivering gifts to the family’s new home. Monda leaves behind her daughter, Maguire Evis Watson, her brothers, James Joseph (Jim) Watson of Melbourne Australia, William Andrew
(Andy) Watson III of Nashville, and Samuel Parks (Parks) Watson of Memphis and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins, as well as countless friends and colleagues.
Graduation
THROWBACKS
Monda died a legend; may her goodness shine through each of us. May Day Ceremony, Class of 1969
First co-ed graduation, Class of 1982
Elizabeth Carswell ’00 Elizabeth Carswell ’00 died peacefully at home on November 20, 2020. She passed away in the arms of her sister and principal caregiver, Ansley Argentieri. Elizabeth was born on Oct. 21, 1981 in Toccoa, GA to parents Don and Susan Carswell. She grew up in Toccoa and Vidalia, GA, Chappaqua, NY and Germantown, TN. Elizabeth was an Honors graduate from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2003. She is survived by her son Hudson McGee Lightfoot and her partner Frankie Lightfoot of Torrance, CA, her parents Susan Carswell of San Pedro, CA and Don and Kim Carswell of Beaufort, SC, her brother Scott and Danielle Carswell of Chickamauga, GA, sister McGee and Kevin Mays of Olive Branch, MS, sister Ansley and Chris Argentieri of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA and nine nieces and nephews. While Elizabeth’s long battle with AML came to the conclusion that her large family and many friends all feared, she showed them how to live and how to face the unknown with a spirit that will live on in all who knew her, as well as the many who knew only of her story. Elizabeth’s legacy of bravery, selflessness, love, and optimism lives on in her beloved five-year-old Hudson and in her cherished nieces and nephews: Scott, Will, Sam, Alex, Henry, Ava, Emma, Ellis and Olivia.
First graduation in the Main Gym, Class of 2011
Interested in donating Lausanne memorabilia to the Archives? Contact Shannon Somogyi, Lausanne Archivist, at ssomogyi@lausanneschool.com or 901-474-1000.
Lausanne Alumna Remembers
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THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVING OTHERS AS SHE LAUNCHES NONPROFIT
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Ceylan Metan ‘18 distinctly remembers all the different career interests she had before choosing the one that would ultimately impact herself and her community in a positive way.
“ I can confidently say that I discovered several future career paths throughout my time at Lausanne,” said Ceylan. “In Lower School, I was convinced that I wanted to become an art teacher just like my favorite Lausanne teacher at the time. Early in Middle School, my artistic interests switched towards wanting to pursue a career in architecture. Although I don’t remember when, I know at some point in the 7th or 8th grade, I realized I wanted to be a doctor.” After graduation, Ceylan headed to Georgetown University to study Biology of Global Health and Spanish & Portuguese Studies. There, Ceylan’s interest in the medical field led to becoming a certified EMT through GERMS (Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service), Georgetown’s student-run, on-campus ambulance service. As a notably active and full-time student, Ceylan admitted it was challenging to adjust when the pandemic hit and Georgetown transitioned to a remote campus and online learning. “In my typical campus setting, I would be spending 20–40 hours on duty as an EMT with GERMS,” said Ceylan. “I also work in a lab on campus, so it was tough to pursue other major projects because I simply didn’t have the time. I gained so much time back in my schedule and wanted to keep myself busy. I realized that what made me sad or unmotivated was the lack of things to do during quarantine.” Then, the Lynx alumna realized her newly open schedule allowed her to pursue her passion project.
“My friend from college, Nina Williams, and I both took the EMT certification course offered by GERMS our freshman year and joined the organization right after,” said Ceylan. “The course gave us invaluable experience learning about healthcare, which we are now able to apply as working EMTs. However, while I’ve felt so lucky to have had the resources to pursue an EMS education, I’ve realized that this opportunity is not accessible to everyone. The class costs $850 for students and $2000 for community members.” After doing some research, Ceylan and her friend realized that these were the cheapest EMT training options in all of D.C. Tuition rates hindered those economically disadvantaged from joining, leading to low diversity within GERMS and the EMS workforce in the country overall. “Taking a step back and looking at the D.C. community, we also saw that EMTs are the only first responders who must pay for their training when seeking a paid position,” said Ceylan. “Current EMT training courses are also geographically distant from underserved communities.” As Ceylan reflected on the issue in D.C., she began thinking about a core value she learned at Lausanne and one she still carries with her today: the importance of providing service to others. Ceylan and Nina felt that the opportunity to be an EMT should be afforded to anyone who wants to be one, regardless of their economic or
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If you ask a student in Kindergarten what they want to be when they grow up, chances are their answer will change many times before they graduate high school.
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demographic background. Thus during the pandemic, the two students launched their nonprofit organization, EMTomorrow.
John McLean ‘95
“ The last 26 years have gone by so quickly and I know the next 26 will as well — I just want to spend those years doing something worthwhile,” said John McLean ‘95. After walking across Lausanne’s graduation stage, John headed to The American University, where he spent the next four years before graduating as growth in technology skyrocketed and veered the Lynx alumnus toward his future career path. “I spent the next year living in Memphis working at my family’s restaurant (Lulu Grille) and at my uncle’s software company (then known as Synchronics),” said John. “I had graduated in the middle of the tech boom, so I ended up moving to New York and worked as a consultant for utilities.” John wound up living and working in a few different places, including Brooklyn, Milan, Turin, Fresno and the Netherlands, among others before landing in the LA area when his now wife resumed her Ph.D. studies at a school near here. For the last four years, John has worked at Greenlots, Shell’s electric vehicle charging group, doing cleantech and mobility strategy. “Along the way, I’ve tried to make interesting choices and focus on challenging roles where I can work internationally, and where I can be on the steep part of the learning curve,” said John. “Also, in the four years since I started here, electric vehicles have entered the zeitgeist — and for the first time in my life, my mom knows what I do for a living. I enjoy working in an industry where I can be proud that we create a better world for our kids.”
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When the pandemic hit, John began working remotely and says working from home has agreed with him and allowed him to grow.
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“I’ve been incredibly fortunate that it hasn’t had a huge effect. So many people lost jobs and homes and health insurance and loved ones, and I am fortunate, and probably feel a little guilty, that I collected a paycheck, paid my mortgage, and didn’t get COVID,” said John. “I’ve been working from home since last March, and so far, it agrees with me!” The pandemic has also given John a chance to think about what is most crucial to him while focusing on doing things that he cares about with the people he cares about most. “I work longer hours than I did before, but I can have breakfast with my son most mornings and read him a bedtime story almost every night without commutes or business travel.”
“ Lausanne helped me understand that it is a privilege to be able to receive such highquality education, and it’s very important for us as Lausanne students and alumni to recognize that privilege,” said Ceylan. “With that recognition, we have a responsibility to use the knowledge we’ve gained to give back to those who do not have access to the same opportunities. This very value is at the heart of EMTomorrow and it is something I’ll take with me as I continue to pursue careers in healthcare.” EMTomorrow is a nonprofit organization making the emergency medical service field accessible for low-income young adults in Washington, D.C., by providing a free National Registry EMT-B training course. For low-income communities, the EMTomorrow program addresses financial, social and geographical inaccessibility in EMT training while also providing an entrylevel job and career pathway into medicine for those without advanced education.
Since starting EMTomorrow, the Lynx alumna is often reminded of another core value she learned during her time at Lausanne: encouraging continual self-reflection. “I’ve learned how important and helpful it is sometimes to take a step back and look at the full picture of whatever may be going on in my life,” said Ceylan. “By frequently taking this step back, I’ve been able to grow more as an individual and learn to take ownership of my actions and decisions. This value ties into selfadvocacy, which has been especially helpful with business relations with EMTomorrow and my other endeavors.”
Maya Todd ‘14
“ I was a student at Lausanne from 2011–2014, and one moment that stands out to me is being a part of the Sports Reporters Club,” said Maya Todd ‘14. “I was responsible for video filming and editing, and that solidified me wanting to work in sports and exploring the different opportunities there were aside from being in front of the camera.” After earning her bachelor’s degree, Maya started working on her master’s at the University of Memphis, where she worked with the women’s soccer team as their team manager and with the athletic department running social media for the team. “We shut down last Spring, so we had a few months off, came back in the summer for preseason, but then our conference decided that there would be no soccer in the fall and we would play in the spring instead,” said Maya. “There was a lot of testing, quarantining, and social distancing on top of what we had to do to follow Shelby County rules as well.” Although the pandemic made the athletic season difficult for Maya, she persisted. “I think what empowered me to keep going was understanding that just having practice and still having a job to go to every day even without games was truly a privilege,” said Maya. “Many programs completely shut down, and some people were unable to work at all, so just recognizing that I was still able to get out of the house and do something I loved with people I liked was good enough for me.” Along with her work in the athletic field, Maya donates her time to Heal901, helping share the word about how the group works collaboratively with local businesses and churches to provide services and resources to the most vulnerable populations in Memphis. “I’m responsible for running all social media and planning content,” said Maya. “I also help with communications and public relations.” The locally-based nonprofit helps to bridge the gap between vulnerable populations and the resources that will allow them to live a more empowered life.
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“By throwing myself into EMTomorrow, I was pursuing an opportunity that would make real change in the DC community, and was able to become more motivated in my classes because I was always keeping myself busy and engaged,” said Ceylan. “I am excited to get back to in-person classes and living on campus, but in a way, this remote time has really given me the time to develop EMTomorrow, and I don’t think I would have even come up with the idea, much less had time to pursue it, without the pandemic.”
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Stella Nichols ‘25 devoted many hours before and after school this year, creating a mural inspired by Lausanne’s diverse and global environment in the stairway leading up to the library and Lower Middle School. Scan the QR code below to see a timelapse of the process and an interview with the Lynx artist.
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