PCDS The Bridge Magazine, Winter 2024

THE BRIDGE

Andrew Rodin Head of School

Gay Firestone Wray Chair for Leadership

Roz Bolger Abero ’89 Assistant Head of School

Katie Charles Director of Annual Giving & Stewardship

Sam Cieplicki/C. Ryan Joyce Director of Development

Leslie Kornreich Feldman ’99 Director of Alumni Relations

Chris Martinez Director of Communications & Marketing

Tina Pitts Advancement Coordinator

Lydia Rodin Advancement Events Coordinator and The Bridge Editor

Largo Photography, Mark Skalny Photography Feature Photography

Other photography and articles: PCDS students, faculty, and staff

The Bridge is published twice each calendar year—winter and summer. An Annual Report on Philanthropy is also sent each fall.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please email The Bridge at communications@pcds.org. ©2024 Phoenix

Look for the symbol to the left throughout this issue to identify PCDS Annual Fund dollars at work. Read more about the impact of philanthropy at PCDS on pages 34-35. PCDS MISSION PCDS

Left: Nick Dahl ’24, Abigail Rowley ’24, Ethan Ortega ’27, Sophia Lawton ’27 performing in Amadeus.

MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

PCDS Community,

I hope you all enjoy this new issue of The Bridge . As usual, it highlights a wide range of activity that is currently taking place on campus, including an exciting construction project that’s approaching, Yellott Grants that continue to energize our classrooms, and a second straight overall achievement award in athletics. There’s much to celebrate these days at PCDS.

One item that might fall under the radar, however, is the progress that we’ve made as a community around faculty and staff growth and renewal. This year marked the first time—since anyone I’ve asked can recall—that every single adult on campus was professionally reviewed by a supervisor. At PCDS, we see these “observations” as opportunities to mature and elevate our craft, and the results have already been highly encouraging. We look forward to reporting back to you with ongoing updates.

Until then, Go Eagles!

Andrew M. Rodin P’19, ’19, ’25 Head of School

Gay Firestone Wray Chair for Leadership

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST TRUSTEES

Kristen Brook ’95, P’33

“I am thrilled to be a new trustee at my alma mater, a place that has greatly influenced my life and is now shaping my daughter’s educational journey. PCDS is more than a school; it’s a vibrant community that nurtures curiosity, fosters intellect, and builds character. As a trustee, my goal is to uphold its core values and contribute to its continuing growth and pursuit of excellence.”

Kelsey Martin P’29, ’31, ’33

“ I am honored to serve as a trustee of PCDS. I look forward to working alongside our incredible leadership team to support our children’s development, build upon our many past achievements, and further the mission of our great School.”

BOARD OF TRUSTEES—SCHOOL YEAR 2023-2024

Martin Felli President

Darryl Berger Executive Vice President and Vice PresidentTrusteeship

Donna Johnson Vice PresidentAdvancement

Jordan Rose Vice PresidentFacilities Planning

Chris Ashby Vice PresidentFinance

Jawad Ahsan

Kristen Brook ’95

Theresa Gregory

Mercedes Liljegren

Kelsey Martin

Riad Nizam

Julie Sabeeh

Dan Silverman

Kiran Singh

Dave Stearns

Ex officio:

Andrew Rodin Head of School

Tiffany Pondelik ’00 President, Alumni Association

Alie Chaidez President, Parents’ Association

Advisory Trustees:

Susan J. Bansak

Beverly Bradway

Daniel J. Donahoe III

Bennett Dorrance

Nick Firestone ’84

Susan Garrity

Samuel Garvin

Bert Getz

Donald R. Loback

Jahm Najafi

Ellie B. Nolan

Frederick M. Pakis

Nicholas J. Sakellariadis ’69

Jonah Shacknai

Shoshana B. Tancer

Charlene Whitfill

Garth Wieger

Gay F. Wray

Top row, from left: Julie Sabeeh, Darryl Berger, Jawad Ahsan, Chris Ashby, Kelsey Martin, Riad Nizam. Middle row: Parents’ Association President Alie Chaidez, Dave Stearns, Head of School Andy Rodin, President Martin Felli, Alumni Association President Tiffany Pondelik ’00. Bottom row: Kristen Brook ’95, Kiran Singh, Donna Johnson, Jordan Rose, Theresa Gregory, Mercedes Liljegren. Not pictured: Dan Silverman

Justice O’Connor on campus with PCDS Speech & Debate students in 2016.

Fondly Remembering PCDS Influencers

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

March 26, 1930 – December 1, 2023

The PCDS community was saddened by the passing of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, PCDS parent (P’75, ’79, ’80) and Trustee from 1968-1970. A true trailblazer, she etched her name in history as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. PCDS will especially remember her passion for education and her commitment to the teaching and practicing of civics—which she defined as “working collaboratively together in communities and in government to solve problems, putting country and the common good above party and self-interest.”

We celebrate Justice O’Connor’s legacy, and send our heartfelt condolences to the O’Connor family.

“ We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone…and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads form one to another that creates something.”

Sandra Day O’Connor

Advisory Trustee

Joan “Nan” Miller

January 23, 1929 – April 27, 2023

PCDS honors the memory of Advisory Trustee Joan “Nan” Miller, who passed away at the age of 94.

Nan had a lifelong passion for education. After graduating from Maumee Valley Country Day School in 1946, she earned a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Arizona in 1950 before returning to teach at her alma mater MVCDS.

When Nan and her family moved to Paradise Valley in 1978, she and her husband Bob enrolled their children Sarah ’85 and Jeff ’80 at PCDS. Nan joined the PCDS Board of Trustees in 1979, and upon the completion of her service as a Trustee she served as an Advisory Trustee until her death.

Nan’s passion for education was matched by her passion for service; Nan’s obituary shared, “Dismay at the poverty and lack of opportunity amid the beauty of the desert she loved sparked a fierce resolve that led her to spend years tutoring at elementary schools across the Navajo Reservation.” In addition, the Toledo, Ohio, native developed a deep appreciation for Southwestern cultures and for Navajo, Hopi, and other Native art.

Nan will be remembered as a sharp wit, a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, a passionate educator, and a generous volunteer. Her legacy continues to inspire those who knew and loved her.

Pull Up a Chair

The Important Role of Department Chairs

The Academic Team has two primary roles: to create and maintain a comprehensive internal and external curriculum guide, and to oversee a cohort of impressive department chairs.

The Academic Team is comprised of Kim Wass, Lower School Learning & Curriculum Specialist; Kelly Butler, Middle School Assistant Head; and Jennifer Cherilla, Upper School Academic Dean. The Summer 2023 edition of The Bridge featured the Academic Team’s achievement of a significant strategic plan goal: creating and publishing a curriculum guide that details the 14-year curricular arc of a PCDS education. As a living document maintained and implemented by our outstanding team of academic department chairs, the curriculum guide goes hand-in-hand with another vital strategic objective: defining and refining the role of the department chair.

Here is a glimpse into the work that our powerhouse Academic Team has done to refine and clarify departmental organization and leadership.

The Role of Department Chairs

One of the Academic Team’s first tasks was to clarify the role of department chairs. Among other duties, department chairs facilitate conversations in their department around everything from teaching pedagogy to content. They can foster deeply engaging conversations among peers over a shared love of their subject matter, and they can serve as mentors

to their colleagues, fostering collaboration and even healthy debate regarding curricular choices. This creates an ideal interchange with the curriculum guide that department chairs are responsible for updating twice per year.

In order to serve as effective leaders and partners to their departmental colleagues, chairs visit classrooms informally to get a sense of how the material is delivered across grades and to help their colleagues address any challenges; they also engage in more formal observations as part of the new growth and renewal process for faculty.

In addition to refining the department chair job description, the Academic Team provided renewed structure for department chairs, reinstating monthly department meetings that now include relevant LS teachers. As a result, academic departments are higher functioning and more collaborative as they work to achieve curriculum cohesion, correct for gaps or redundancy, and examine not only the how but the why of a variety of teaching practices. Another exciting impact of this invigorated effort is an uptick in cross-division collaboration.

We are excited to see how these leaders continue to shape PCDS for years to come. n

MEET THE DEPARTMENT CHAIRS

*new to role this year

David Kaye* English Arta Khakpour* History

TJ Peacher* Math Carla Cose-Giallella Performing Arts

Shane Lewis Physical Education

Camilo Tafur* Science

Joe Boehle* Technology

Denise Sours Visual and Media Arts

Robin Anderson World and Classical Languages

On the Scene with Keith Burns

PCDS’s first Director of Arts

A critical tenet of the Strategic Plan is to train a conscious focus on the arts. To that end, plans are underway to create a first rate Performing Arts Center befitting of the excellence seen in the facilities supporting the rest of the School. As a part of bolstering our commitment to the arts, PCDS appointed someone familiar to decades of students, alumni, and PCDS parents as our first-ever Director of Arts: Keith Burns.

We sat down with Keith to learn about his history and how he is approaching his new role:

Q: Can you give us a quick recap of your time at PCDS?

A: In 1999, I arrived at PCDS as an 8th grade English teacher and began directing US musicals then as well. In 2007, I moved to the US Director of Theater Arts position, which continued for 16 years—that is unbelievable to me! Since then, I’ve been the 12th grade Coordinator, through which I grew the Kindergarten Buddies Program, and I was the S.E.E.D. (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity) Facilitator for a number of years. Our most recent production, Into the Woods, is my 38th mainstage production. Perhaps what I am most proud of is the StudentDirected One-Act program, which I initiated during my first year in the US.

Q: What does your new role entail?

A: For now, my work as Director of Arts is to gain a complete understanding of our current arts programs, all of the arts for all of the grades. I visit classrooms, meet with teachers, attend performances, and study our class offerings PK-12—music, visual, dance, media, theater, etc. In the process, I’m gaining insight from teachers and students and compiling a set of adjustments to consider. Along with looking inward at our programs, I’ve enjoyed looking outward by visiting other schools similar to PCDS across

the country while gathering new ideas for arts education. Most importantly, this role allows me to serve as an advocate for our arts programs across campus.

Q: What excites you about this new role?

A: I have loved my ongoing visits to our arts classes—they are so varied and dynamic across the board. Seeing the progression of student expression from the LS art and music classes through the MS and US advanced classes is inspiring. Our students are fully engaged in performing, innovating, and creating, and I am impressed with the expertise of our arts faculty—who are all artists in their own right. It’s a privilege to watch them work.

Q: There are lots of exciting physical plans to support the arts. How do you see the arts program evolving along with the physical structures?

A: There’s no question that our program has been hamstrung by space limitations, and we’ll be able to move past some barriers that prevent us from thriving in our current facilities. For example, a new Performing Arts Center will give our actors dressing rooms and bathrooms backstage, as well as an actual backstage! New buildings will allow for more student collaboration in music practice rooms and greater

freedom in technical theater education. Furthermore, a theater classroom will facilitate theater education for our LS and MS, which has been either missing or limited for years. Our brand new Performing Arts Center will allow for artistic collaboration among visual and performing arts by hosting art shows and concerts in the same place at the same time without hauling our instruments and ourselves across the street to the church, where we currently host many musical performances.

Additionally, many of us are brainstorming about how our music, performing, and visual arts curriculum can be refreshed, and the new buildings are central to those conversations.

Q: What are some benefi ts to a robust arts program?

A: Performing and visual arts classes do so much more than teach students how to be an actor, singer, sculptor, dancer, musician, etc. They teach us how to be collaboratively creative, how to communicate deeply and expressively, and how to fully engage with the world and those around us—all qualities that are vital in career and relationship paths and that lead toward success in everything we do and in who we are.

Thank you, Mr. Burns, and we can’t wait to share more about the exciting developments in the arts at PCDS. n

PCDS is making exciting plans to build a 600-seat state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center, as well as a new music, art, and theater classroom building and more. Stay tuned for further details in upcoming editions of The Bridge

Fourth Grade Ambassador Program

by LS Teachers Nichole Dawson and Gina Saltonstall

In an era when everyone seems to be an influencer, what truly defines a leader?

While an influencer informs behaviors and decisions, a leader sees the big picture and pulls it all together—from establishing a shared vision to empowering people to create change. When we think of a leader, most of us imagine a history-maker, and/or someone with prestige who has created widespread change. This all may be true, but the best leaders are also those who are self-aware, work well with others, and have a vision toward progression.

By teaching the meaning of leadership to our students, it provides them with a clearer lens of understanding about why leaders are important in our world so that they, too, can hone their own skills to become better leaders themselves.

Last year, we had a desire to build on these educational ideas, so we decided to develop the Fourth Grade Ambassador Program. The primary objective of this program has been to nurture and empower young minds to become responsible and effective leaders. We know that teaching children leadership skills can boost their self-esteem and motivation to work hard at a goal or to try new things. It can also strengthen their

sense of control and self-identity by recognizing their own needs and learning to speak up. While not all young people aspire to be leaders, they may excel in certain aspects of leadership. For example, a student may be great at making others feel included in a group project or in developing a plan to get the project done on time.

Our fourth graders are in a unique position, as they represent the oldest students in our LS. The Ambassador Program aims to instill essential leadership skills and values in these older LS students by providing them with a solid foundation for personal growth and community engagement. The purpose of the fourth grade leadership program is multifaceted. The program focuses on four skills that support every student’s development.

Self-awareness

In self-leadership, you must know who you are, what you feel, and how you present yourself in a room. To build selfawareness, young people need to understand their emotions and how these emotions influence their moods and behaviors. This supports students’ ability to build better coping skills, manage stress, handle sadness, regulate over-excitement and other big—and seemingly powerful—feelings.

Sienna Stevenson ’32, Lucca Roth ’32, Vienna Shaia ’32, Ezz Ahsan ’32, Aaryan Shah ’32 taking a break from practicing their skits for the LS

Responsibility

Being responsible is an important quality for children to strive toward, and it’s absolutely essential in a leader. Someone who is responsible is trusted to do what is right or what is expected or required without being asked. Building responsibility also requires providing students with plenty of opportunities to be independent.

Listening

A good leader isn’t the loudest person in the room. A good leader is someone who listens to the perspectives of everyone around them. Active listening is a skill anyone can learn and can be a powerful tool in a student’s leadership toolbox.

Inclusion

When people feel included—seen and valued—they’re empowered to be an active teammate and to do great work. Effective leaders know the value of including others, from developing fresh ideas to helping to create team camaraderie. To encourage inclusivity we teach our students to ask, “Does anyone else have any other ideas?” or “I saw you did something cool with this. Can you share that with us?”

Organized into eight different committees, five students in each committee work together to achieve a communal goal during a six week rotation period. Our committees consist of the following: Design, Healthy Habits, Social Emotional Learning, Hospitality, Community Outreach, Journalism, Shout It Out (highlighting acts of kindness), and Garden. Some recent projects have included building an outdoor stage for the first grade, planting and harvesting a fourth grade garden, performing skits for younger grades while teaching various lessons, and recording a podcast through the use of our very own US sound studio.

Ultimately, our program’s purpose extends well beyond the individual student and aims to create a culture of collaboration and positive influence within the entire fourth grade cohort. By fostering a sense of responsibility and leadership at an early age, our School hopes to contribute to the development of well-rounded individuals who will make meaningful contributions to their communities as they progress through their educational journey and into adulthood.

Every young person has the potential to be a great leader when they work on skills to lead themselves, lead others, and an entire community. When young people feel empowered, they’re more likely to take on leadership roles and to be the leaders our world needs. n

From top: Wyatt Kroeger ’32, Hampton Boswell ’32, Vivienne Wolfswinkel ’32 at work on a podcast in the US sound studio; Ella Rains ’32, Rohan Shah ’32, Maxen Patel ’32, Charlotte Sunenshine ’32 building a theater; Benjamin Dobrusin ’32, Benjamin’s grandfather, Joseph Dobrusin

Fall 2023 Independent Studies

US students chart their own course outside the classroom

In the fall semester, twenty-seven students developed Independent Studies that allowed them the opportunity to explore areas of interest that are beyond the regular curriculum. The studies this term fell in the realms of academic research, artistic design and creation, advanced language learning, and business applications.

Students who are interested in designing an Independent Study course begin with a proposal that outlines the objectives of the study, questions that will be explored, and the skills or knowledge that will be acquired. Students define a general timeline for the work, identify the resources that will be used, and determine how the attainment of their goals will be demonstrated. Once their proposals are approved by the Dean of Academics and Head of Upper School, students begin their study under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Students have regular meetings with their study advisor and keep a work log that they share with their advisor and the Dean of Academics. At the end of the semester, students give a presentation that summarizes their study, including highlights, challenges, unexpected outcomes, and future work in the area.

Pathophysiology and Recent Treatment Advances of Alzheimer’s Disease

by Ayelet Jaffee ’24

I took a neuroscience course during the summer before my junior year in which I opted to focus on neurodegenerative diseases on the cellular level. The culmination of that course was a research paper I produced titled “The Role of Astrocytes in Central Nervous System Pathology.” The paper focused on the behavior and functions of astrocytes (a subtype of glial cells) in the inflamed brain. In my exploration, I became aware of the rapid advancements in Alzheimer’s research and took an interest in examining it on a cellular level. However, I realized that I needed to expand my studies beyond the cellular level to gain a broader understanding of the disease and the potential applications of the research

that I was studying. This led me to delve into Alzheimer’s disease as the focus of this Independent Study. I set out to explore Alzheimer’s disease, its clinical presentation, diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatments.

I began forming a foundational understanding of Alzheimer’s by researching its clinical presentation. I studied the different types of memory loss, motor impairments, and common behavioral symptoms in different stages of disease progression. After I achieved a better understanding of the clinical presentation, I investigated the various screening tools used to assist in determining a diagnosis and gauging the severity of cognitive impairment.

The core focus of my project was studying the mechanisms of disease and how various drugs target them. I centered my paper around three main proposed disease mechanisms: the Cholinergic hypothesis, the Amyloid-beta and Tau protein hypothesis, and the Neuroinflammation hypothesis, and learned about how available treatments correspond to these hypotheses. These include Cholinesterase Inhibitors, Memantine, and Anti-amyloids. I also covered the clinical improvements of each drug and their controversies. The Cholinergic hypothesis proposes a link between diminished levels of the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine and neurodegeneration. Treatments employ cholinesterase inhibitors, which preserve Acetylcholine levels in the nervous system. Memantine prevents the neurotransmitter glutamate from binding to N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors since glutamate is thought to be involved in memory formation. Finally, I explored the up-and-coming research potentially paving the way to better treatment. The anti-amyloids, which represent a recent class of pharmacotherapy, target the amyloid-beta plaques that build up in the extracellular central nervous system environment. Currently, no drugs target the inflammation hypothesis, however research within that area is growing, and I believe there is potential for future treatments that target glial cell dysfunction.

Over the course of this project, I explored new areas of neuroscience. I delved deep into the process of scientific research, academic writing, and the design of biological diagrams. I look forward to the ways I will apply my learnings in the future, and how I will continue my studies in the fascinating field of neuroscience.

Internet-Led Misinformation and Disinformation Campaigns in U.S. Elections

by Bennett Russo ’24

In a world where unregulated and polarizing information runs rampant on social media and chat sites, it’s become nearly

impossible for the untrained eye to distinguish real stories from fake ones. This internet age has made it easy to fall down pipelines of conspiracy, swaying the decisions of American voters based on information with no credibility. This false information on the internet mostly stems from disinformation campaigns that are created to sway the public’s opinion by knowingly spreading false information. These campaigns are then bolstered by misinformation, which is defined as the spreading of false information without knowing you’re doing so.

After recently becoming eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential election, I thought a great topic for my Independent Study would be to do internet research on misinformation and disinformation campaigns that have surrounded the past couple of presidential elections.

I started my study by researching articles, texts, and studies to get a better understanding of the issue. One of my most prominent sources of research was the book Outrage Machine: How Tech Amplifies Discontent, Disrupts Democracy —and What We Can Do About It by Tobias Rose Stockwell. Using what I had learned from that book, I conducted an experiment involving fellow students to see how easy it is for disinformation to spread, how likely one is to believe it and then to spread that story as misinformation. I showed each of the participants one Twitter thread discussing a current political issue. I then showed them a news article that talked about the same issue. After they were done reading the Twitter thread and the article, they were then asked to write what they had learned. The results showed that the Twitter thread presented a more radicalized and convoluted story with different interfering beliefs, while the news article had a more grounded and linear version of the story.

FALL 2023 INDEPENDENT STUDIES

Taylor Armstrong ’25 (with Mr. McVey): Practical Rocketry (full year)

Bijan Atri ’24 (with Ms. Anderson): Roman Plays, Playwrights, and Theater and Their Impact on Modern Theater

Lexi Black ’26 and Kongkasem Suchart ’26 (with Mr. Lewis): Architectural Design and Engineering

Mateo Brenes ’24 (with Dr. Hernandez): Modern Techniques for Recording and Mixing Indie Music

Sammy Brodsky ’24 and Harry Steiner ’24 (with Mr. Bistricky): Hip Hop History as Cultural Commentary (full year)

Tabitha Cohen ’24 (with Dr. Khakpour): Intro to Public Health

Owen Eckstein ’24 (with Dr. Harvey): The Study of “The Birth of a Modern Phoenix” (full year)

Serena Fechtmeyer ’24 and Lanae Schroeder ’24 (with Mr. Klemp): Social Marketing for Small Business

Ava Goodman ’24 (with Ms. Ferraro): Surviving Food Deserts: Navigating Allergies on a Low-Income Budget (full year)

Ayelet Jaffee ’24 (with Dr. Binger): Pathophysiology and Recent Treatment Advances of Alzheimer’s Disease

Aila Kaibara ’25 (with Mr. Lewis): Athletic Fashion Design and Production (full year)

Frank Kaplan ’24 (with Sra. Riehle): Spanish Proficiency Through Writing (full year)

Rosalyn Katz ’24 (with Mr. Lewis): Clay Sculpting (full year)

Jason Lin ’24 and Max McCavitt ’24 (with Mr. Peacher): Study and Application of Game Theory

Manya Madala ’24 (with Dr. Harvey): Building a Business Case for a Product Extension at a Tech Startup

Walker Murff ’24 (with Mr. Lewis): Sculpture Experimenting with Metal

Sam Otalora ’24 (with Dr. Hernandez): A Deep Dive into Independent Album Production (full year)

Nora Palermo ’24 (with Mr. Mensinger): Shakespeare and Clown

Winter Rafal ’24 (with Dr. Khakpour): The Relevance of Plato and Aristotle in Today’s Society in Relation to Modern Political Thinkers (full year)

Abigail Rowley ’24 (with Mr. Lewis): Fashion Doll Design and Production (full year)

Bennett Russo ’24 (with Dr. Harvey): Internet-Led Misinformation and Disinformation Campaigns in U.S. Presidential Elections

Sanya Somani ’24 (with Mr. Klemp): Entrepreneurship with a Purpose (full year)

Harrison Whitfill ’24 (with Ms. Chen): Exploring Mandarin Through Contemporary Chinese Music (full year)

Online Classes

Charlotte Spetzler ’24: Psychology of Crime

Chase Sorosky ’25: AP Microeconomics

Siena Rosen ’24: Psychology of Crime

Sophia Bosch ’26: Marketing

After my experiment, I was able to obtain an interview with an established journalist based in Arizona and asked him questions about the journalistic process and misinformation. The reporter gave me a breakdown of how he goes about finding his stories and how many filters a story has to go through before being published, which gave me a better understanding of the difference between a news article and a self published internet story.

The final product of my Independent Study was a 13-minute podcast discussing what I had learned in a fast-paced and simplistic way. The podcast was structured to first talk about the history of disinformation and misinformation campaigns, the current state of these campaigns, how the internet amplifies them, and how to watch out for the evolving technology used to trick voters. Overall, I learned a lot from my study and hope that my podcast can be used as a resource for voters to understand the ever growing world of misinformation and disinformation on the internet.

Social Marketing for Small Business

by Serena Fechtmeyer ’24, Lanae Schroeder ’24

The day after final exams of our sophomore year, we decided to treat ourselves to a relaxing facial with a local esthetician. Our esthetician, Jennifer, commented how nice it was to see us because so many of her former clients were just that— former clients. She said she had been marketing the same ways she always had but was no longer getting the same results. This piqued our interest, so during our first semester of our junior year, we took an economics class together. We learned about the importance of small businesses on local economies. This class reminded us of our conversation with

Jennifer, and we were curious to learn about why her client volume had slowed. Was it slower demand, was she offering the wrong services, or was she getting negative reviews? So, the next semester, we created an Independent Study to learn about effective and ineffective marketing strategies among small businesses.

We started with researching the most successful marketing strategies and reading a book called The 1-Page Marketing Plan to understand the different types of marketing. We then conducted in-person interviews with the owners of nine local small companies in the service, food, and retail industries. We asked each company the same series of questions and pieced together common themes and strategies used by these businesses. We realized that without effectively utilizing the media’s influence, growing a company is nearly impossible in today’s competitive business environment, leaving many small businesses struggling to reach new customers.

Our conversations with these business owners motivated us to use our newfound knowledge to help smaller companies compete with more prominent brands. So, we continued our Independent Study into our senior year and set out to help our local esthetician’s business.

Jennifer struggled to retain clients and had a very unsteady work schedule, so she allowed us to start a TikTok and Instagram profile to market her company. We set up inperson appointments and recorded clients to create content for her social media page. By following trends, using popular hashtags, and posting consistently, we significantly improved her analytics on both platforms. Compared to her previous quarter, we improved her engagement on Instagram by 500% with followers and 130% with non-followers. In only three months, we were able to gain 500 followers and attract over 9,000 views on her TikTok account. Since her social media was gaining more traction, we managed to reclaim her first-page ranking on Google and helped drive over 50 new and returning clients in the last quarter of 2023!

Through this year-long Independent Study, we not only were able to turn our curiosity into having a real-world impact, but we were also able to discover our own potential and the influence we can have on our community.

Athletic Fashion Design and Production

by Aila Kaibara ’25

My name is Aila Kaibara, and I am a junior on the PCDS Girls’ Basketball team. I have been playing basketball for five years. During my time playing, I have noticed a more recent uprise in the popularity of women’s basketball, which is inspiring more girls to take up the sport. This, of course, is creating

more demand for practice gear. The problem is there aren’t yet any good options for shorts that are really made for the female body type. With the current options incredibly limiting, I had an idea and incorporated it into an Independent Study at PCDS. This Independent Study will help me to complete my goal of filling the demand for nice-female-fitting shorts and to sell these items—items that really should already be available!

I didn’t quite know where to begin but with the help of my mom, I eventually found my path. The first step was learning how to create a pair of shorts from scratch and then finalizing the first shorts design. This short pattern has been made to naturally fit the anatomy of girls. However, because there are many different female body types, I will eventually have three different patterns available for purchase. I based the appearance, fabric, etc. on the feedback I received from surveys I had sent to female players on the West Coast. The biggest difference in my line is a spandex/yoga pants-like waistband that stretches or shrinks to the waist size of the player.

The next step was to create an LLC—which I called Dime Time—and to set up a bank account for it. Currently, I am working with a company called Fabric Incubator. They are helping me with sourcing fabric and pricing, and they will continue to help me with processes like manufacturing, marketing, etc. Soon I will be manufacturing my first one hundred pairs of shorts, and my plan is to test run them and make any adjustments needed.

This Independent Study opportunity has allowed me the time and support to pursue and build on my initial idea and to learn the process of creating and designing a product in today’s world. I still have a lot of things to learn and to accomplish, but I look forward to it all. n

Fall Play: Amadeus

by Harrison Whitfill ’24, Nora Palermo ’24, and Bijan Atri ’24

This fall, the PCDS theater department put on a production of Peter Schaffer’s Tony Award winning play Amadeus. While its 1984 film adaptation, directed by Milos Forman, is perhaps more well known, the atmosphere of the live show cannot be beat. The show opens in 1823 with an elderly Salieri (played by Harrison Whitfill ’24) breaking the fourth wall by communicating directly with the audience. As Salieri’s self-narrated story brings us into the 1700s, he transforms into his younger self (played by Nora Palermo ’24). In its approximately 2 hour 20 minute runtime, the play follows Salieri’s growing obsession with and resentment of both his significantly more talented contemporary, the eponymous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (played by Bijan Atri ’24), as well as the God who Salieri blames for his mediocrity.

Schaffer’s script expertly weaves a gripping tale of historical fiction out of genuine Victorian rumors. In the early 1800s, though they are generally discredited by historians, rumors flew surrounding the possibility that Salieri had assassinated

Mozart. These rumors were partially based on two facts (both of which appear in Amadeus). The Magic Flute’s composer had indeed sent a letter to his wife in which he claimed to have been poisoned, and Salieri did briefly admit to being behind Mozart’s death (Salieri is thought to have suffered from dementia near the end of his life and later denied his involvement.) The story was first mythologized in the Alexander Pushkin play Mozart and Salieri, which inspired an operatic adaptation and later, Amadeus

Though popular conceptions of Mozart and Salieri put them at odds, the real versions of the composers maintained a generally cordial relationship. Both conducted each other’s works and even created a composition together. And unlike the fictional Salieri, the true man was anything but mediocre. In addition to his own compositions (though not as famous as Mozart’s, have value in their own right), he was also an incredibly talented teacher, with Beethoven, Schubert, and even Mozart’s own son numbering among his pupils.

Nora Palermo ’24

Bijan Atri ’24, Abigail Rowley ’24

“With help from Mr. Burns, I took a step back from the idea I had in my head about how I should perform my role and instead built a relationship with my character and the words I say in the monologue. Working with the text created a window into the emotions of Salieri.”

Nora Palermo ’24

Through the framing device of Salieri’s unreliable narration, the show acknowledges its own historical inaccuracy. Though the story may not be true, it certainly makes for wonderful drama.

Our characters were truly brought to life thanks to the stunning—and historically accurate—costuming and make-up by Abigail Rowley ’24, the ornate and intricate set constructed by our very own stagecraft class, and the priceless direction of Mr. Keith Burns.

Not only is Amadeus an enriching text for the audience, but it also provides uniquely challenging roles for the actors within the show to play. Nora Palermo describes her experience in the show as such:

“ Playing Salieri was an important lesson for me as an actor. The complexities in Salieri’s character and the emotional weight he carries throughout the play brought exciting challenges for me to work out. In so many ways the fall play also taught me about what it truly means to lead a show. I learned the importance of pacing and making sure that I was focused enough to give my best performance. I learned and demonstrated that making mistakes or not feeling the best about how a rehearsal went only made my connection with Salieri stronger. Not to mention that playing a man—when I identify as a woman—presented me with another layer of complexity. I worked a lot and observed how my Salieri would move and carry himself. I found that the answers lay in the text. Soon enough, I was able to lose Nora to Salieri and embrace a brilliantly challenging character.”

The seniors in the cast of Amadeus were truly proud of our production and are sure to remember their last high school play fondly. The entire cast is incredibly grateful to our amazing theater faculty and to everyone who came to see our show! n

Harrison Whitfill ’24

National Merit Scholarship Competition Distinction

11

Back row: Lucas Albuquerque ’24 (National Hispanic Recognition), Manya Madala ’24 (Semifinalist), Sebastian Saenz ’24 (National Hispanic Recognition), Mateo Brenes ’24 (National Hispanic Recognition), Isabelle Tillman ’24 (National African American Recognition and Commended), Bijan Atri ’24 (Semifinalist). Front row: Sierra Goldstein ’24 (Commended), Enzo Acharya ’24 (National Hispanic Recognition), Oliver Lehmann ’24 (Commended), Jason Lin ’24 (Semifinalist), Sam Otalora ’24 (National Hispanic Recognition)

Members of the 2024 Senior Class Recognized

The 2022-2023 Don F. Stone Overall Excellence Award

Congratulations to PCDS for Outstanding Performance in Athletics

The AIA has awarded PCDS the Don F. Stone Overall Excellence Award for the second year in a row. This award is for our outstanding performance in athletics in the 2A Conference and is based on the success at high levels in both region and state competitions. We attribute our success to teamwork, unmatched leadership in coaching, strong community support, participation of our student athletes, and the work ethic required to compete at the highest level possible. AIA Executive Director David Hines attended our 2023 Blue & Gold ceremony to present our School with this award.

PCDS athletes representing their sport at an AIA presentation during Blue & Gold 2023. Back row, from left: Oliver Lehmann ’24, Harper Alt ’24, Walker Murff ’24, Andrew Horlick ’24, PCDS Associate Director of Athletics Bob Kosower, AIA Executive Director David Hines, PCDS Director of Athletics Shane Lewis, Max McCavitt ’24, Bijan Atri ’24, Aila Kaibara ’25, Maddie Angst ’24, Lelia Symington ’25, Julia Lotz ’25. Middle row: Jacques Sevrain ’24, Rachel Coviello ’26, Asia Harper ’26, David Ocampo ’24, Rachel Burns ’26, Katie Hendrickson ’24, Lauren Russo ’25. Bottom row: Sammy Brodsky ’24, Frank Kaplan ’24, Jason Lin ’24, Kimi Cahoon ’24, Olivia Owens ’25, Anna Sabol ’24, Mia Warner ’25, Quincy Rodin ’25, Josie Robinson ’26, Bennett Russo ’24, Edu Abero ’24, Sonia Singh ’24, Simone Sabeeh ’25

Girls’ Volleyball Takes Second at State Championship

This page, back row, from left: Coach Tori Whitcomb, Coach Greg Hull, Luly Poole ’26, Asia Harper ’26, Darian Tedesco ’26, Mia Warner ’25. Bottom row: Rian Chang ’27, Josie Robinson ’26, Sophia Crisalli ’24, Sonia Singh ’24

All-Conference Offensive Player of the Year: Quincy Rodin ’25

All-Conference First Team: Quincy Rodin ’25, Mia Warner ’25

All-Conference Honorable Mention: Josie Robinson ’26

All-Region Player of the Year: Quincy Rodin ’25

All-Region Coach of the Year: Kat Glaeseman

All-Region First Team: Josie Robinson ’26, Quincy Rodin ’25, Mia Warner ’25

All-Region Second Team: Asia Harper ’26

All-Region Honorable Mention: Jessica Osorio ’25, Lyzbeth Sandoval ’25, Sonia Singh ’24

Eagle 4-Year Awards: Sophia Crisalli ’24, Emma Lammersen ’24, Sonia Singh ’24

This page, back row, from left: Jodie Jones ’27, Alaina Kieran ’27, Lexi Black ’26, Lyzbeth Sandoval ’25, Coach Kat Glaeseman, Coach Shannon Kelty. Bottom row: Quincy Rodin ’25, Emma Lammersen ’24, Jessica Osorio ’25

Boys’ and Girls’ Swim & Dive State Runners-Up

AIA Division III

Boys & Girls Small School Champions

AIA Division III Girls’ State Dive Champion & Diver of the Year: Simone Sabeeh ’25

AIA DIII Boys’ 200 Medley Relay Champions:

Oliver Lehmann ’24, Bennett Russo ’24, Cabot Teskey ’25, Oliver Wilmink ’25

AIA DIII Boys’ 400 Free Relay State Champions:

Oliver Lehmann ’24, Bennett Russo ’24, Cabot Teskey ’25, Oliver Wilmink ’25

AIA DIII Girls’ 400 Free Relay State Champions:

Nancy Burns ’26, Julia Lotz ’25, Olivia Singer ’27, Lelia Symington ’25

NFHS Arizona Boys’ Swim Coach of the Year for 2022-2023: Coach Mike Maczuga

Eagle 4-Year Awards:

Harper Alt ’24, Sierra Goldstein ’24, Kather Hackett ’24, Oliver Lehmann ’24, Camden Ortega ’24, Andrew Pham ’24, Bennett Russo ’24, Asa Silverman ’24

Back row, from left: Oliver Wilmink ’25, Bennett Russo ’24, Cabot Teskey ’25, Braden Shuster ’27. Third row: Claudia Primus ’25, Julia Lotz ’25, Lelia Symington ’25, Nancy Burns ’26, Harper Alt ’24, Olivia Singer ’27. Second row: Coach Mike Maczuga, Asa Silverman ’24, Andrew Pham ’24, Oliver Lehmann ’24, Mia Coviello ’26, Tegan Roeder ’27, Coach Kristin Pruett. Front row: Simone Sabeeh ’25, Sierra Goldstein ’24, Audrey Weinshel ’26, Julia Root ’27. Not pictured: Kather Hackett ’24, Alex Istrate ’25

Girls’ Cross Country

DIV State & Metro Region Champion:

Kimi Cahoon ’24

AZ Republic Girls’ All Arizona Cross Country Team:

Kimi Cahoon ’24

Eagle 4-Year Awards:

Mateo Brenes ’24, Kimi Cahoon ’24, Jason Lin ’24

MS Awards

Congratulations to the following MS teams for athletic honors

MOUNTAIN VALLEY

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

5/6 Boys’ Flag Football

5/6 Girls’ Blue Volleyball

MOUNTAIN VALLEY

LEAGUE RUNNERS UP:

7/8 Boys’ Flag Football

7/8 Girls’ Gold Volleyball

Kimi Cahoon ’24

PCDS Artful Expression

Evelyn Sandoval ’26

Caleb Sosnowitz ’29

Ayelet Jaffee ’24

Charlie Robertson ’27

Edu Abero ’24

Mia Mamolen ’30

Oliver Yeo ’35

Frankie Gilbreath ’36

Marisa Charous ’32

Background painting: Sam Horlick ’26

Speech & Debate Results

US team results for the fall of 2023

by Brittany Stanchik, Director of US and MS Speech & Debate

The Speech & Debate season is long. For some, it seems never ending, as one season seems to blur into the next. For our students who attended the NSDA national tournament in June 2023, and who then jumped into the 2024 season by heading straight to a month of camp or starting pre-season practice during the first week of August, Speech & Debate is truly a year-long activity. It’s a heck of a time obligation, but

The University of Kentucky Season Opener

Ria Mehta ’24

Sebastian Saenz ’24

those who have made the commitment have established a new legacy for Speech & Debate at PCDS. This season, we’ve championed tournaments we haven’t before and finished the first semester as the top congressional debate program in the country.

Below, are our fall results.

Sameer Khan ’25

Ria Mehta ’24

Sebastian Saenz ’24

Nathan Conley ’26

Emilia Safir ’24

Caden Huckelbridge ’27 Sameer Khan ’25

Sebastian Saenz ’24

Tara Ghafouri ’27

Camila Acharya ’27

* Competitors receive bids to the Tournament of Champions.

October 13-15

Ria Mehta ’24

Sameer Khan ’25

Sebastian Saenz ’24

Sanya Somani ’24

Jiya Mutyala ’25

Kaleb Gebresillasie ’25

October 27

Jiya Mutyala ’25

Aaryan Wadwekar ’26

November 9-12

Nathan Conley ’26

Sebastian Saenz ’24

Sameer Khan ’25

Aaryan Wadwekar ’26

Aaryan Wadwekar ’26

Emilia Safir ’24

Jiya Mutyala ’25

Sanya Somani ’24

Camila Acharya ’27

Tara Ghafouri ’27

November 18-21

Ria Mehta ’24

Sameer Khan ’25

Nathan Conley ’26

Caden Huckelbridge ’27

Sanya Somani ’24

December 1-3

Sebastian Saenz ’24

Emilia Safir ’24

December 1-3

Caden Huckelbridge ’27

Congressional Debate

Speaking

Debate

December

Sid Vadnerkar ’26

Aaryan Wadwekar ’26

Tara Ghafouri ’27

Pursuing Excellence Through Innovation: Yellott Faculty Grant Program

2023-24 faculty research projects to optimize the PCDS experience by David Kaye, US English Teacher and Coordinator of Yellott Grants

Revamped, student-centered curricula. Standards-based grading. A culture of faculty peer observations. Many of the best practices embedded in PCDS classrooms today began as teacher passion projects funded by our School’s Yellott Faculty Grant Program. Named for former Headmaster John I. Yellott (1966–72), an engineer and solar energy advocate, Yellott Grants allow PCDS teachers to think big—researching a promising pedagogical initiative and designing an implementation tailored to our community, with the potential to transform students’ experiences beyond those of a single classroom.

Recipients of Yellott Grants engage in substantial, timeintensive study of a question arising from their ongoing reflection about their practice as teachers. Unlike other School funding for professional development, these grants are not intended to keep teachers current in their disciplines’ latest

methods; rather, they subsidize depths of investigation, ideation, and data gathering that exceed the annual expectations for PCDS faculty. This work begins over the summer, is operationalized throughout the school year, and includes presentations to faculty and administration at two different stages of the process.

Each spring, teachers submit proposals for Yellott funding by identifying the question(s) driving their project, how the goals of their project align with PCDS’s Strategic Plan, a timeline articulating actionable steps, and a discussion of the project’s suggested impact. These applications are then evaluated by a committee of the Head of School, the division heads, and the Yellott faculty coordinator, who look for projects that stand to benefit not only a teacher but an entire department or division.

The 2023-24 Yellott Grants were awarded to two collaborative groups, both of which are working to increase student agency and self-reflection in their respective divisions. Find out more information about these projects on the next page.

Yellott projects are supported through the Yellott Faculty Grant Program, funded by an endowment that honors the memory of John I. Yellott, PCDS Headmaster from 1966-72.

Fostering Self-Awareness and Decision-Making Skills through Active Play

A LS team of Kat Glaeseman, Pauline Fleming, and Ashley Rodrigues is advocating for several reforms to help students build their senses of balance and movement. By evaluating their own ability to take a low-stakes risk in a supportive environment, children grow in their bodily autonomy, push themselves out of their comfort zones, and gain self-confidence when they overcome a physical obstacle. The team has been working with their colleagues to prompt students to notice what’s around them and to problem solve. Aside from engendering more observant, strategic, and resilient young people, the long-term goal is to redesign the LS space to include more natural elements to facilitate this active play.

Revising Student Feedback Systems for Effectiveness and Efficiency

An US team of Melinda Flores, Mark Bistricky, and Jules Hogan is revisiting current US feedback practices at the end of grading periods, aiming for an approach that is more manageable for faculty, helpful for students and families, and reflective of the student–teacher relationships at the heart of the PCDS academic experience. After a deep dive into feedback practices from expert practitioners and at peer institutions, they piloted a student written self-reflection that several US teachers incorporated into their first-semester curricula. By assessing their own strengths and areas of growth in a letter that teachers then respond to, students take greater ownership over their learning, help their teachers better understand them as individuals, and develop the metacognitive skills reflected in PCDS’s Portrait of a Graduate.

Kat Glaeseman Pauline Fleming Ashley Rodrigues

Melinda Flores Mark Bistricky Jules Hogan

After taking second place in his Jeopardy! appearance in January 2021, US English Teacher David Kaye assumed his time on the quiz show was over; for decades, the show has maintained a one-and-done policy for contestants who lose. Then, this past July, he received another call from the program’s staff, inviting him to participate in its second-ever Second Chance Tournament for select players from Season 37.“I was excited and flattered,” David said. “From the hundreds of contestants who competed in my season, I was one of twenty-seven asked back.” After receiving the School’s dispensation to miss the last day of faculty orientation on account of taping, he returned to Culver City in August for a final shot at trivia glory.

“There were a few differences from my first time on the show,” David said. “The strict COVID protocols had been lifted, so I was able to bring friends and family to cheer me on in the audience, and I didn’t have to apply my own makeup for the television cameras. In addition, I was happy to meet Ken Jennings, the new permanent host, as I had watched his run as a contestant nearly twenty years ago.”

In his episode, David’s two challengers were—coincidentally —faculty members at Southern California independent schools, and he finished in second place, receiving $3,000. “It was tougher to beat the buzzer system this time around,” David said, “I think because the other two players were just as experienced in how it works and just as knowledgeable and driven.”

As in 2021, David is tremendously grateful for the support of the PCDS community with his Jeopardy appearance. “The US students were a wildly enthusiastic audience, both when I announced the news at a Dorrance morning meeting and when I screened the episode in Najafi Gym at lunch the day it aired,” he said. “Of course I was hoping for a slightly different outcome this time, but I’m lucky to have achieved a lifelong dream of mine twice. That’s astounding.”

This past December, LS Operations Manager Amy Hill had the privilege of being the alumni speaker at the commencement ceremony of ASU’s College of Global Futures. Amy currently serves as Vice Chair of the Alumni Board for the college.

Throughout November and December 2023, MS English Teacher Chris Eriksen played Walter Hobbs (Buddy’s dad) in a remount of the musical, Elf the Musical, at The Phoenix Theatre Company. It was a revival of the show five years ago.

Below: PCDS fifth graders with Mr. Eriksen

MS and US Band Director Nathan Botts completed his PhD in music teaching and learning. Last fall he successfully defended his dissertation titled “The Case of the Stan Kenton Clinics: Exploring Change in Music Education.” It reviewed American popular music from the Ante-Bellum 19th century through the beginnings of the Jazz Age and presented a first-of-its-kind history of a jazz education initiative that helped kick-start jazz programs in many American public schools (beginning in the late 1950s). He then used this new history as the basis for a philosophical exploration of the kinds of changes a 21st-century education in music would likely necessitate.

On October 7, 2023, US History Teacher Steven Baumann and his wife, Gabrielle Hauth, married at the Superstition Mountains.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS

On November 4, 2023, US Art Teacher Hallie Mueller was honored to officiate the wedding of former US Science Teacher Peter Saunders and his wife, Tracy Kuhl. While Pete has relocated to New Hampshire since his tenure at PCDS, the occasion brought together a number of current PCDS faculty for a heartwarming celebration here in Arizona.

Director of Development Sam Cieplicki and his wife, Tristan, welcomed Callahan (“Cal”) Smith Cieplicki into the world on August 9, 2023.

Edward Arthur Gray Roodveldt was born on July 6, 2023, to MS and US Choir and Music Teacher Kara Harris and her husband, Andy. Edward was 11.5 lbs at birth!

Mark your calendars for our annual

Saturday, April 20, 2024

PCDS Founders’ Lawn 6:30-9:00p.m.

A culinary festival featuring food and beverages donated by our Valley’s premier restaurants and vendors, music, and a silent auction.

RSVP by April 12 at pcds.org/BTG

This complimentary event is to thank our community for the many ways in which you support PCDS and our Annual Fund.

The Louis Family Society for Planned Giving recognizes members of the extended PCDS community who have included the School in their estate plans.

GIFTS FROM YOUR WILL OR TRUST

The most popular way to make a planned gift is with a simple bequest to PCDS.

Through your will or other estate plans, you may name PCDS as the beneficiary of a portion of your estate or of particular assets in your estate.

GIFTS FROM A RETIREMENT PLAN

Donate assets subject to taxation and leave more to your family.

GIFTS FROM YOUR DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS

Make an outright gift from your donor-advised fund or name PCDS as the ultimate beneficiary of the remainder in the fund.

GIFTS OF LIFE INSURANCE

Make a significant gift to PCDS even without a large estate by naming PCDS as the beneficiary of your life insurance.

GIFTS OF REAL ESTATE

Donate a valuable asset in exchange for powerful tax benefits.

LIFE-INCOME GIFTS

There are a variety of tax-advantaged life-income gifts that you may wish to consider, including Charitable Remainder Trusts and Charitable Gift Annuities.

Please consult with your tax advisor or estate attorney about tax implications and which options are best for you. For more information or to let us know you have arranged for a planned gift, contact: C. Ryan Joyce, ryan.joyce@pcds.org or Roz Abero ’89, roz.abero@pcds.org, 602.955.8200

PCDS ANNUAL FUND

Each school year, we ask our PCDS parents, grandparents, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends to make a meaningful gift to our Annual Fund. Why? Because the PCDS Annual Fund supports our School’s operating budget and bridges the gap between tuition and the cost of a PCDS education.

A gift, no matter the size, makes an impact as it supports:

4 Annual Fund gifts immediately support our teachers and students, inside and outside of the classrooms.

4 Nearly 100% of our faculty & staff give to the Annual Fund.

4 Participation is a key factor in securing outside funding.

4 Your gift is a vote of confidence in PCDS.

GIVING IS IMPORTANT & TAX-DEDUCTIBLE VISIT PCDS.ORG/GIVE

Deadline: June 30, 2024 (for the 2023-24 school year)

Look for the symbol to the left throughout this issue to identify PCDS Annual Fund dollars at work.

PCDS TAX CREDIT

Support need-based scholarships to PCDS students by taking advantage of the Arizona Private School Tax Credit through our foundation Arizona Independent Schools Scholarship Foundation (AISSF).

$2,609 $1,307

APRIL 15 AISSF.ORG

WHY AISSF?

A Q&A session with AISSF Director Heather Celani

Heather, what makes AISSF special?

AISSF’s sole focus is providing need-based assistance for promising students attending Arizona’s best independent private schools.

We do this in a couple of different ways…

1. Your contribution goes farther with AISSF. AISSF awards 95% or more of contributions to PCDS students—this exceeds the 90% required by law.

2.AISSF only funds students with demonstrated need. Our financial scholarships truly impact those students who need it the most.

Why does AISSF only allow school recommendations and not student recommendations?

While some STOs allow student-directed donations without regard to financial need, AISSF works closely with our member schools to confirm that scholarships go to qualified students who need our help.

Why should someone make a tax credit donation to AISSF for the benefi t of students at PCDS?

When you designate PCDS to receive your tax credit contribution, you are helping support students from a wide range of backgrounds and talents. PCDS believes socioeconomic diversity is vital to building a strong community.

DID YOU KNOW…

… receiving ESA money is not in conflict with contributing to the Private School Tax Credit. … through contributions from the PCDS community, AISSF has provided $6.3M for need-based scholarships over the past 10 years.

… AISSF scholarships represent approximately 1/3 of PCDS need-based financial aid awards each year.

2024 Alumni Spring Weekend

Come home to Phoenix Country Day School to celebrate and reconnect with classmates, friends, and faculty.

Alumni Spring Weekend is open to all alumni. We will be celebrating the reunions of these graduation years:

2014, 2009, 2004, 1999, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1979

Friday, April 19

5:30-7:30pm

Welcome Cocktail Reception

Old Town Tortilla Factory 6910 E. Main Street, Scottsdale

Saturday, April 20

5:00pm Athletic Hall of Fame Induction

6:00pm Alumni Campus Tours

6:30-9:00pm Reunions at the Annual Bridge-the-Gap Celebration

All Saturday events will be held on campus. Bridge-the-Gap includes: Open bar, dinner provided by our Valley’s premier restaurants, music, Alumnus of the Year recognition, reunion gifts, and more.

Registration for Alumni Spring Weekend and Reunions is open!

RSVP for all events at: pcds.org/alumniweekend

2024 Alumnus of the Year

Augustine Gomez ’99

2024 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees

Ariella Neville ’99

• Jennifer Lewkowitz Abelson ’04

2003 Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Team

• 2004 Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Team

MESSAGE FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT

Dear Fellow Eagle Alumni,

This has been an exciting year for the PCDS Alumni Association. We are so thankful to everyone who has participated in our $61 for ’61 campaign for the Alumni Scholarship Fund. Thanks to you, we are affording students in need the ability to have a PCDS education. If you haven’t had the opportunity yet, please join us in giving this coming year. And don’t forget—our Blue vs. Gold Giving Challenge will continue until the fiscal year concludes on June 30, 2024. Each contribution counts as a point for your team (blue = odd grad years; gold = even grad years)!

On the road this past fall, we made a long-overdue visit to Chicago, and this spring we look forward to returning to Los Angeles. For those who aren’t local, these regional events give us the opportunity to reconnect with alumni and current college students throughout the country.

Last summer, our networking committee launched our first internships through our Alumni Internship Program. This summer, we will continue to grow this program. Any alumni that are interested in hosting an intern in the future, please get in touch with us to learn more. If you haven’t reconnected with PCDS in recent years, we urge you to join us virtually or in-person for one of our events, and please don’t hesitate to let us know if you are interested in seeing how our campus has grown over the years.

As I reach the final months of my tenure as Board President, I look forward to seeing what amazing things are in store for the Alumni Association. It has truly been an honor to work alongside our board in order to grow our alumni offerings and philanthropy.

Go Eagles!

Tiffany Westlie Pondelik ’00 Alumni Board President

WELCOME NEW ALUMNI BOARD MEMBERS

Sarah Bauer ’10

“ I ’m excited to join the PCDS Alumni Board, which represents a community that played a crucial role in shaping my love for learning. Being on the board gives me the chance to contribute to the PCDS tradition of excellence.”

Jennifer Abelson ’04

“ It’s a privilege to stay connected and engaged with our Eagle community. Being a part of the Alumni Board is especially meaningful now that our children attend—PCDS continues to shape our family’s story.”

Mishary Al-Sulaihim ’00

“ Attending PCDS in high school played a formative role in shaping both my educational and life trajectories. As such, I’m honored to be a board member alongside great people and in service to an amazing School.”

Alumni Board, front row from left: Maddie Angst ’24, Courtney McConnell ’06, Sammy Brodsky ’24. Back row: Colby Kant Harris ’95, Tiffany Westlie Pondelik ’00, Mishary Al-Sulaihim ’00, Revan McKinnon Rottach ’97, Jennifer Lewkowitz Abelson ’04. Not pictured: Stephanie Vithoulkas Hackett ’91, Gilbert Armenta ’00, Alice Gaston Gibbons ’05, Eric Fram ’09, Sarah Bauer ’10, Hannah Keogh Gates ’10, Kate Pokorski ’13, Sydney Portigal ’14, Kate Werth ’14

Fall 2023 Alumni Events

Check out pcds.org/alumni/engage for more photos and upcoming events

This fall and winter, it was a joy to connect with you on campus, in the Blue & Gold Alumni Tent, in Chicago, at our huge Alumni Holiday Party, and in meaningful service to our community.

Alumni Who Are Current Parents Reception

There are now 43 alumni who are current PCDS parents. Thanks to all of you who were able to join us in September for a fun reception at the home of Sasha ’99 and Rodney Glassman. Here’s to the next generation of Eagles!

Blue & Gold Alumni Tent

Marc Grayson ’93, Mary Cooper, Reg Cooper ’98, Beri Golding ’01, Sasha Pasulka ’00

Dathan Hamann ’06, Elizabeth Jeans ’06, David Jalkut, Carsten Hamann ’07, Kaylee Hamann

Food, fireworks, and fun were featured once again at the annual Blue & Gold Carnival, and we had a blast in the Alumni Tent.

Josh Woods, Stacey Woods ’95, Rodney Glassman, Sasha Glassman ’99, Brandi Cutler ’94, Jimmy Carlson, Tiffany Pondelik ’00, Adam Harris, Leslie Feldman ’99, Colby Harris ’95, Roz Abero ’89, Nick Oviedo, Elizabeth Oviedo ’04, Kristen Brook ’95, Daniel Durchslag ’89, Stephanie Hackett ’91, Jason Hackett ’88

Chicago Alumni Event

For the first time in more than a decade, the Alumni Association hosted a Chicago alumni event. We had a beautiful dinner on the rooftop of the Chicago Athletic Association. While in town,

Leslie Feldman ’99, Director of Alumni Relations, also visited with our alumni who are currently at Northwestern University. Windy City grads—we can’t wait to come back!

College Parent Breakfast

Thanks to the parents of college-age alumni who gathered in November for breakfast while helping the Alumni Association pack nearly 300 fall semester finals care packages. Our youngest alumni (from California to New Hampshire) enjoyed special gifts from their alma mater and freshmen also received letters from their kindergarten buddies (now big first graders).

William Burgess, Suzette Guzman ’14, Hannah Gates ’10, Teddy Gates

Alexandra Levy, David Levy ’99, Greg Abdouch ’01, Chris Frederick ’99, Leslie Feldman ’99

At Northwestern University, from left: Paris Fransway ’22, Leslie Feldman ’99; Lucas Olschansky ’21, Ethan Zimmerman ’20

Clockwise: Kim Yue, Debbie Bartolino, Natalie Atri, Zarin Felli, Stacey Horton, Jennifer Neck

Joanne Sevrain, Meg Kaplan, Lindsay Stratz, Stephanie Hackett, Jennifer Rawicz, Ann Florance

Thuy Vo, Tonya Eckerman, Julie Marks, Kim Paltzik, Michele Huskey, Dan Burns

Alumni Holiday Party

Nearly 200 of you braved the rain and came out to usher in the holidays together at our annual Alumni Holiday Party.

Social

Filling backpacks with school supplies for refugee children

Holiday fun with Thunder, the PCDS Eagle mascot Golden Circle members Libbie Gibson ’65 and Jean Kilker ’65

Tisa Tehranchi ’17, Sofia Ahmed ’17, Lara Gemar ’17, Maddie Cook ’17

Teddy Woods ’35, Stacey Woods ’95, John Kester ’05, Leslie Feldman ’99, Tyler Feldman ’31, Mishary Al-Sulaihim ’00, Julie Bauer ’06, Margo Casselman ’10, Sarah Bauer ’10, Daniel Moezzi

Alumni and their families made a difference at our first alumni social action event. At Gathering Humanity, we assembled supplies for refugee families who had recently resettled in Phoenix.

Tanner Hamilton ’21, Calvin Hamilton ’17, Austin Merkel ’17

Action

Basketball 1000 Point Club

Two current student athletes reach a milestone during the 2023-24 Varsity Basketball season

During the 2023-24 varsity basketball season, Aila Kaibara ’25 and Blake Sosnowitz ’25 each earned their 1000th career points for the PCDS Eagles.

Girls’ 1000 Point Club:

Courtney Lewis ’00

Sky McGee ’16

Nara Kaibara ’23

Aila became the 4th member of the Girls’ Basketball 1000 point club, and Blake became the 10th member of the Boys’ Basketball 1000 point club.

Here are the alumni who welcomed them into the club:

Boys’ 1000 Point Club:

Billy DuMone ’90

AJ Hess ’12

Nate Nearhood ’12

Alex Sylvester ’13

Nihaal Reddy ’15

Andrew Ekmark ’16 (2000+ points)

Jakob Feng ’19

Daniel Gomez ’20

Tanti Felli ’22

Aila Kaibara ’25 with Coach Sean Newland

Blake Sosnowitz ’25 with Coach Shane Lewis

Courtney Lewis ’00

Nara Kaibara ’23

Alex Sylvester ’13 Tanti Felli ’22

AJ Hess ’12

Why I Give

As I reflect on my luck of having attended Phoenix Country Day School, I’ve realized that this special School is really about each student and the creation of opportunities for young people to completely change the direction of their lives as a result of their education. PCDS prepares you for higher education in a way that many other schools do not. Perhaps even more importantly, our School places a sincere focus on students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend without some financial assistance. Our School sees

by Julie Newell ’71

potential in all types of students regardless of their ability to cover tuition.

PCDS recognizes the promise in each and every student.

An opportunity to attend a private school through financial aid changed my dad’s life forever and, in turn, provided me with opportunities I never would have had otherwise. My whole family’s trajectory changed as a result of a scholarship. I am proud to pay it forward by helping fund student scholarships for the next generation of Eagles.

Top: Julie Newell as a senior in 1971. Above: Julie (right) at the 2023 Golden Circle celebration

Golden Circle 2024

The Phoenix Country Day School Classes of 1965-1973 look forward to welcoming the Class of 1974 into the Golden Circle on May 30, 2024.

In honor of your 50th high school reunion, Head of School Andrew Rodin cordially invites you to your Golden Circle Induction

Thursday, May 30, 2024

4:30 p.m.

Golf Cart Campus Tour (optional)

5:00 p.m.

State of the School and Cocktail Reception with Head of School Andrew Rodin PCDS Shepard Welcome Center

7:30 p.m.

Graduation Exercises and Golden Circle Induction

PCDS Founders’ Lawn

RSVP to Leslie Feldman by May 2, Leslie.Feldman@pcds.org, 602.955.8200 x2229

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Here’s what some of our alumni have been up to…

1994

Erin Calhoun-Dulaney graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in English. After spending time living in Paris and Phoenix, Erin moved to LA to pursue a career as a publicist in the entertainment industry. She worked in entertainment PR for 15 years, representing many actors, athletes, and singers. She also worked on talent flow teams and behind the scenes of many world-renowned award shows, including the Golden Globe Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and Academy of Country Music Awards—to name a few. Also during that time, Erin adopted two

children. In 2019, after years in development, Erin (a type 1 diabetic insulin pumper) made her creation—the SkirtMyPump slip for insulin pumpers— available to the public. She created this slip so that insulin pumpers could comfortably wear their insulin pump (or other medical device) with skirts and dresses. In 2021, she moved her family to Orange County, CA, where she is currently “happily juggling motherhood and managing the day-to-day operations of SkirtMyPump.”

In 1988, Shelly Edlund Quarles graduated from Vanderbilt University and jumped into healthcare consulting in both Chicago and San Francisco. In 2003, she met her husband, James, at the Kellogg School of Management. They moved to London in 2004, were married and had three children (everyone achieved dual citizenship). After an incredible 10 years in London, they decided to move back to the U.S. and settled in Hillsborough, CA. Shelly

continues to enjoy her career centered at the crossroads of healthcare and technology. She is currently at Apple, working hard to make technology more accessible, intuitive, and effi cient for healthcare workers and patients. She spends all her non-work time pushing her family to be more “active and curious”. She reports that they were “super lucky to score tickets to Taylor Swift” this past July. Since the pandemic, their family has enjoyed spending lots of time in Jackson Hole, WY. They are trying to plant seeds there for postretirement, “If we can ever afford to live there after putting three kids through school,” shares Shelly.

Brandi Cutler reports, “I received a geology degree from NAU. While there, my path intersected with amazing people, including my husband, Jimmy Carlson, who also has a degree in geology. Neither of us actively works in geology now, but we do love to talk about all-things-rocks, and we understand that vacationing always involves less than glamorous locations, where we can look at interesting geomorphology and attempt to find samples to touch. In 2010, we were married, and in 2016, our daughter Zarina (Zari) was born.

Zari is currently in the second grade at PCDS—class of 2034. Currently, I am a GIA graduate gemologist for a familyowned custom jewelery design studio in Chandler.”

These alumni are registered members of the PCDS Alumni Networking Platform. Connect with PCDS alumni around the globe at pcdsconnect.org.

We collect many Class Notes each year and cannot guarantee that all submissions will be printed. Class Notes are written in an individual’s own words.

After graduating from PCDS, Adam Schwartz studied African American history (inspired by Mr. Martin) at the University of Pennsylvania. Following college, Adam attended the University of Arizona College of Medicine. While there, he met his wife, Sami (also a graduate of UArizona College of Medicine). She is currently a pediatric hospitalist at Honor Health. Adam completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Illinois Chicago in 2007, and then he completed fellowship training in adult hip and knee reconstruction at Rush University in 2008. That summer, Adam and Sami moved to LA, where Adam completed an additional fellowship in orthopedic oncology at UCLA, and they welcomed their first daughter, Michelle ’28 . In 2009, Adam and Sami moved back home to Phoenix. Adam joined Mayo Clinic and for 13 years practiced as an orthopedic surgeon, specializing in primary and complex revision hip and knee arthroplasty. In addition to his clinical practice, Adam spent considerable time educating medical students and residents, many of whom are practicing surgeons in Phoenix today. He also oversaw an active research program and served in multiple local and national leadership roles. In 2022, Adam made the difficult decision to leave clinical medicine to follow his passion for improving the U.S. health care system. He embarked on a new career as a physician consultant, joining McKinsey and Company, where he currently serves providers, payors, and non-profits on a variety of health care topics. In his free time, Adam enjoys camping, cooking, playing guitar, and spending time with Sami and their three children, Michelle ’28 , Ari, and Alexa.

1995

Jocelyn Jacobs reports that she is a landscape designer (Astral Gardens) and writer of—not yet produced— screenplays. She earned a BA degree in studio art from Oberlin College, and an MFA in visual arts from UCSD before “turning her attention to plants and words, respectively.” Jocelyn lives on the east side of LA, in Eagle Rock, with her partner, Vanessa Roworth (a documentary film editor) and their dog, Marvin (aka Mr. Grumbles).

Ravin Bisla lives in Villa Park, CA, with his wife, son, daughter and seniorcitizen dog, Whiskey. Now settled in Orange County by way of Durham, NC; Las Vegas; San Francisco; Westwood; and Redondo Beach, he currently leads a healthcare management company focused on nephrology and value-based care. He and his family enjoy living ten minutes away from his sister, Kiran Bisla ’93 , and her family. Ravin remains a big basketball fan, even with competing allegiances to Duke, UCLA, and UArizona during March Madness and remains 100% loyal to the Suns— despite being surrounded by “annoying” Lakers fans.

After graduating from PCDS, Lindsay Galbut Morris studied marketing and completed the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship program at the University of Arizona and then went on to UCLA for a post-graduate public relations program. While at UArizona, Lindsay founded a student-based nonprofit, Muralcles, which paints murals and provides art and music therapy to hundreds of pediatric patients at the Tucson Medical Center and Banner-University Medical Center Tucson. Lindsay’s professional career began in advertising in Chicago at Leo Burnett (Starcom) and then as part of the younger girls’ marketing team at Mattel in CA. She shifted to consulting

for America’s flagship PBS station (WNET) in NYC, and was involved in the founding of two boutique integrated marketing and PR consulting companies. Currently, Lindsay resides in AZ with her husband, Michael. They are proud parents of two girls, both of whom attend PCDS. Lindsay is currently the founder of Creative Mindset and continues to advise her clients by helping them to build, strengthen, and grow their businesses. She was a recipient of the American Marketing Association’s Marketer of the Year award. Some of her favorite projects have involved working with the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, marketing for Sting’s benefit concert for WNET at Madison Square Garden, and creating the Messy Motherhood event through AZ Mindful Moms.

1996

Three years ago, Ashley Waters Gundersen moved from NYC to Charlottesville, VA, with her husband, Kevin, and their three children, Liam (14), Bo (11), and Poppy (7). Currently, she is an adjunct professor at University of Virginia School of Law, where she works on asylum cases with students and teaches a seminar on law enforcement policy and civil liberties. She also serves as a trustee at St. Anne’sBelfield School and volunteers with the Harvard Alumni Association and the Wintergreen Adaptive Ski Program. Before moving to Charlottesville, Ashley served as counsel to the NYPD police commissioner and special counsel at NYPD’s intelligence aff airs. Earlier in her career, she spent several years at a law firm in NYC. In 2000, she graduated from Harvard College and then from Harvard Law School in 2005.

Christina Pell lives in Potomac, MD. With a friend, she started the interiors firm McLearn and Pell Designs, a boutique firm specializing in high-end commercial and residential interior design. McLearn and Pell currently has projects in Washington D.C.; Potomac, Bethesda, Kensington, and Annapolis, MD; and in VA. In her free time, Christina does artwork, including her favorite— commissioned portraits. She has five children: Oliver (22), Bertie (20), Nuala (18), Zara (11), and Hunter (6). Christina misses friends and family in AZ and hopes to find a way to spend more time there in the near future.

Jordan Frost was a lifer at PCDS. She attended the University of Kansas and graduated with two degrees (psychology and criminal delinquency). During her four years in Lawrence, she fell in love with the Midwest and the University of Kansas—from the people, to the four seasons, to the pride of KU’s sports programs (especially Jayhawk basketball), to the lifelong friendships she formed while there. She reports how grateful she is to PCDS for preparing her so well for college. Her younger brother, Matt Tyler ’98 , also joined her at KU, which Jordan reports was a special time for both of them. Once Matt graduated, they moved to Denver together and started a new chapter in the mountains. She started working for the Sisters of Charity Health System a few weeks after they arrived in Denver and continued working for them and Prime Healthcare for 20 years. She was Director of Volunteer Services and Gift

Shops for four of their hospitals in Colorado and Kansas. She met her husband, Shawn Frost, in Denver only a few months after moving there. They lived in Denver for almost 10 years, had their first child (Wyatt Lane Frost), and then moved to Kansas City for a great job opportunity for Shawn. Once in the KC area, they had their second child (Peyton Jillian Frost). They are now huge KC professional sports fans and are raising their kids to love and play sports as much as they did. They have an English Cream Golden Retriever (Birdie), who lights up their home with love…and hair! As of this past January, she began working as a director of membership experience at two YMCA locations in the KC area. She loves her job and hopes to work for the next 20 years. Jordan returns to Phoenix once or twice a year to visit family and each time she visits, she has a renewed sense of gratitude for where she was born and raised.

1997

Christie Bartkowski reports, “After graduating from PCDS, I went to the University of Redlands, where I graduated with a dual degree in economics and business administration. Shortly thereafter, I obtained a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from San Diego State University. I then moved to San Antonio, TX, where I met my husband, Eric. Once again, I decided to further my education and obtained a BSN in nursing. My husband and I have been married for 13 years now and have two amazing boys, Connor (11)

and William (9). I am currently the manager for a large telehealth nursing company. My family and I love to spend our weekends wakesurfing at the lake and traveling whenever we get the chance.”

Jerry Mischel lives in Seattle, WA, and works as a data scientist for Kenworth Trucking Company. His family —wife, Amber; two kids, Hudson (7), Emmerson (2)—explored Alaska this past summer on a National Geographic cruise. Both Jerry and Hudson recently started their hockey careers, though Hudson has more talent and, thus, more advancement opportunities. Emmerson loves to run, laugh, and speak Spanish. Amber is a video producer for Brooks Running and volunteers often at Hudson’s school.

Josh Finberg reports, “I attended Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, and graduated with a BS in civil engineering after co-oping with Gilbane Building Company for a year. After graduation, although I received offers from them and another large construction company based in Washington, D.C., I ended up accepting a job with a small general contractor in Dayton, OH. I worked as a project engineer and then as a project manager for 11 years at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, mainly focusing on projects managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I met my wife, Jen, while living in Dayton, and we ended up moving to Juneau, AK, for a year while I worked for an Alaskan-based general contractor managing a renovation of the city’s federal building. Once the project was completed, I stayed with the same company but transferred to Colorado Springs, CO, for eight years to serve as a quality control and safety manager for a joint Army and Air Force contract (working on projects from general maintenance to large new builds). We then moved back to Ohio in 2019, where I have been working for Marker Construction in Columbus as a senior project manager for the past four years. Currently, I am the lead PM on a $60 million renovation/addition to the local public transit authority’s bus mainte -

nance facility. We have no human kids but have consistently had furry ones of the canine and feline varieties. Currently, we have Juno and Cooper—two 10-year-old retriever mixes—that we adopted while working for a pet rescue in Colorado.”

Elizabeth Benoit shares, “This year marks my eighteenth year as a fifth and sixth grade teacher at All Saints’ Episcopal Day School in Phoenix. I attended All Saints’ prior to PCDS and now teach many of my classmates’ children. In 2013, I married Emilio RodriguezIzquierdo, who is from Seville, Spain. During my freshman year of college, I chose a different path than many and moved to Seville. Currently, I live in Midtown Phoenix, just down the street from All Saints’, and enjoy spending holidays and summers with our family —including five step-children—in Seville. The youngest two of my stepchildren, Daniel and César, enjoyed PCDS summer camp in both 2017 and 2018. Their bilingual counselor at summer camp, Dara Roudi ’18 , was one of my students at ASEDS! Dara’s patience and care made camp more fun for them, and the boys could not wait to see him every day.”

Peter Geantil has cherished the lifelong friendships he made while at PCDS. He attended UC Berkeley, majored in physics, and sang in a jazz band! Post college, he wandered for a bit and then worked at Berkeley’s Synchrotron (a type of particle accelerator), a financial firm, and a highend furniture company. He also did operettas in the city to mixed reviews. None of it was meant to be, so he headed to USC, where he earned a PhD in mechanical engineering and materials science (trying out two more synchrotrons in the process). He eventually landed in Paris and worked at CNRS on fundamental material mechanics simulations during the day, and whatever Paris had to offer at night. He now resides in San Diego as an energy expert working towards a sustainable energy future. Peter lives near his parents, brother, and sister (Julie is in Seattle). He has eight nieces and nephews—and a cat—which he reports suits him just fine.

1999

In July 2023, Leslie Feldman and her husband, Andy, hiked the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park with Augustine Gomez ’99. “Not one of us was able to walk normally the following day!” shared Leslie.

2002

Colin Jeff rey has been married to his wife, Melissa, for 14 years and they have a sixth grade daughter, McKenna. For 21 years, he lived in St. Louis, MO, but just recently moved to Atlanta, GA. After spending more than a decade working in local news, he more recently took a job with CNN. He now works with CNN’s 1000+ affiliates to find stories that are of regional and national interest. He reports that they are all allowing him the opportunity to explore different parts of our country.

2003

After graduating with a major in Russian, Christian Lorentzen spent three years working in Moscow as a

Network with PCDS alumni around the globe at pcdsconnect.org

marketing manager. Upon returning to the U.S., he completed his MBA from ASU’s Thunderbird School of Global Management and worked as a product designer for two “smart window” startups in Silicon Valley. He was awarded a novel use patent. During the 2020 shutdown, Christian moved to Denmark, where he managed a virtual reality production studio for a year and a half. He is now back in Phoenix working with ASU and state agencies to improve the user experience of civic engagements, and he is a marketing manager for a boutique accounting company.

In the thick of COVID, Alexa Binns (third from left) met her match, Taku Noguchi, and they were married in her parents’ backyard. She celebrated afterwards with classmates Elizabeth Engle, Danika Cooper, Christie Sanghi, Cherilyn Gain, Jessie Weiser, and Lizzie Vieh . Alexa and Taku now live in Austin with their “nearlyperfect-baby, Izzy, and highly-flawed bernadoodle, Mooch.” This fall, Alexa will be co-hosting a venture capital podcast. Tune in to listen to the show “Swimming with Allocators” to hear all about how the pros invest.

Beginning as an intern in 2006, Kaitlyn Caughlin remains a Vanguard veteran, where she currently serves as a chief risk officer for investment management. Her greatest leadership passion is unlocking the potential in others, and she spends the majority of her free time coaching and developing the next generation of talent. She reports that her two “wonderful children”, Emily (9) and Teddy (5), keep her on her toes outside of work. Kaitlyn and her husband, Ryan Oney, are currently coaching Teddy’s first soccer team, and Emily is following in her mommy’s footsteps with a love for dance, art, and math. They currently live outside of Philadelphia and recently enjoyed their first overseas family trip to Ireland.

2004

Michael Reinbold and his wife, Margaret, have two boys, Matthew (4), and Henry (2). They are expecting their third child (a daughter) in February 2024. Michael shares that they are honoring two of Margaret’s grandmothers by naming their third child Jane Elizabeth. Michael continues to work in private wealth management at UBS and is excited to—hopefully— begin coaching Matthew in both basketball and soccer.

Peter Curzon and his wife, Caroline, live in San Francisco. Their family has grown to include three children—Brody (6), Archer (4), and Camille (2). “We’re probably crazy for choosing to raise three kids in the city,” reports Peter. Peter continues to work for Yelp, where he’s been for twelve years. Caroline traded caring for CFOs in her prior executive recruiting role for now caring for young children, and she reports that those two groups are more similar than she expected. Peter and Caroline share that they recall having more hobbies before their children took over their lives, but they do still occasionally sail, golf, exercise, and enjoy San Francisco’s incredible restaurants with friends.

In April 2022, Elizabeth Smith joined a national importer of Italian wines and spirits as their brand management and marketing director. “I absolutely love it and feel lucky to have the opportunity to travel around Italy a few times every year in order to visit our producers and attend wine fairs. Having completed the WSET Diploma in Wines, I’m now focused on learning the Italian language. In my spare time, I continue to train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fi ve times a week, and I was recently promoted to second-degree black belt. When not training or traveling, I spend my time dining and adventuring in NYC with my husband, friends, and family.

Claire Brandon is an editor at TASCHEN, a German publisher of art books. She lives in Madrid with her husband, Alejandro, and their children, Rita and Alejandrito.

2005

Anne Slovin recently accepted a position as a visiting assistant professor of voice at the University of Notre Dame, where she teaches applied voice lessons, voice science, and vocal literature. She is also actively performing in Indianapolis, the Chicagoland area, and beyond.

Kelly Minkin Lucas attended the University of Arizona and received a BS in molecular and cellular biology. She is happily married to Landen Lucas, a former University of Kansas basketball player. Kelly shares that they “have three beautiful children—Aaliyah (14), Izaia (2), and Kaia (1).” Kelly is a local attorney, entrepreneur, and professional poker player. When time permits, she loves spending time with her family, cooking, and traveling.

2006

After graduating from PCDS, Ian Krupar went off to Tufts University where he majored in Quantitative Economics. From there, he moved to San Diego to attend UCSD’s law school. Two years ago, Ian met the love of his life, Katie Schumann. They were married on December 2, 2023, with friends and family by their side. That family included their puppy, Captain; those friends included some familiar PCDS alumni, such as Ian’s best man, Christopher Yee ’06 . Ian and Katie are looking forward to building their life together in Southern California and wherever life happens to take them next.

Chloe Charlton is a veterinarian. She is excited to share that she opened her first animal hospital in January 2024. It is called GoodVets and is located at the northwest corner of Tatum and Shea.

In July 2020, Becca Hirsch along with her partner of 12 years, Matt; and cat, Catt—relocated from Chicago to Seattle. Currently, Becca is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a certified sex therapist. In 2020, she started her own private therapy practice, where she currently works with individual adults and couples to improve their relationships and sexual health. In July of 2023, Becca and Matt were married in Seattle in an intimate ceremony with close family and friends. Becca has been enjoying her time back on the West Coast, “taking advantage of having greater access to nature by going on lots of PNW hikes and learning how to paddleboard,” shares Becca.

Within the last four years, Fowler Brown has published three more novels—two fantasy and one science fiction—and welcomed a son in July 2022. Although writing has slowed considerably now that there’s a tiny human in the mix, he hopes to release another book by the end of 2024.

2007

Clare Burnham

Sadeghi is currently living in NYC with her husband, Sam, and their dog, Hank. She’s been working in the startup space these past few years and has enjoyed spending her free time at Central Park and catching a theater or music show around the city. She still keeps in close touch with a few friends from her PCDS days including Asher Landay , who was ‘Man of Honor’ at her small wedding in Brooklyn back in March 2023.

In 2022, after spending 10 years in Seattle, Andru Roysden and his wife, Caitlin, moved back to Phoenix. They had their daughter, Kacey, in August of that year, and Andru reports that “fortunately, Kacey looks just like her mom.” Andru continues to work for Microsoft in the office product group division. Caitlin works as a nurse coordinator for Phoenix Children’s suicide prevention program. Kacey reportedly knows several words but her current favorite word is “no”.

2008

Richard Wong is completing his last year of a fellowship specializing in pediatric pulmonology at UCSD’s Rady Children’s Hospital. After the fellowship, Richard will be returning to Phoenix to be a pediatric pulmonologist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. In 2021, Richard married Eileen. They are expecting their first child this spring.

Did you graduate in 2014, 2009, 2004, 1999, 1994, 1989, 1984 or 1979?

If so, we can’t wait to see you for your Reunion Weekend! Friday, April 19-Saturday, April 20, 2024. See page 36 for details.

Gary Gold lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Shana, and their daughters, Noa (3) and Orly (1). Gary was appointed to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at the U.S. Department of the Interior. He leads initiatives to address drought in the West. Gary reports that he still has hopes to one day play point guard for the Suns.

2009

After graduating from PCDS, Zinnia Daas attended the University of Arizona, where she majored in anatomy and physiology and minored in Spanish and chemistry. She obtained a master’s degree in biomedical sciences and then went on to medical school where she received a doctorate in osteopathic medicine. After completing her training in internal medicine, she moved back to Phoenix to “give back to the community that has always been my home”. She currently divides her time between being a primary care provider at a local practice, a hospitalist at Honor Health, and a teacher at her alma mater, Midwestern University.

In November 2023, Janey Zitomer married Addison Bennett in Scottsdale. The couple, who currently live in Washington DC, met in Phoenix in 2021. They celebrated with close friends and family including Richie Zitomer, Isabel Hines, Sara Paull O’Brien, Morgan Shepard, Harrison Kent, Prateek Wakharkar, Tyler Tse, Alex Beller, and Chris Abdo

2010

Madeleine Evans Donner continues to live in NYC and now works at Empathy, a startup that supports families with all of the challenges they face after the loss of a loved one. Last September, she welcomed her first child, Nell, with her husband, Charlie.

Michael Perry shares, “I’m in NYC working as an investment banking associate at Barclays. I moved here from Nashville in 2019, as I transitioned out of the Army to pursue an MBA at NYU’s Stern School of Business. During my second year at Stern, I met my fiancée, Christine, who had recently moved back to the States after a twenty year stint as an expat living across several continents (but mostly in Australia). We live on the Upper East Side and have an Aussie labradoodle, fittingly named Roo.

Jonathon Osborn reports that he is staying busy running Presidio, the ecommerce agency he started while at Stanford. In the past few years, the company has continued its fast growth and has expanded into other lines of business which has “kept the work engaging”. He finds himself spending more time in London these days but often returns to the U.S. to spend time with his sister and parents in Kansas City. “I’m making the most out of living out here now, but I’m starting to feel more of a pull to come back to the U.S. I’d love to hear from any classmates that would like to connect!”

2011

Kirea Mazzolini and her fiancé, Josh, have spent the last five years in the Bay Area while she completes a general surgery residency at UCSF East Bay. In 2022, they welcomed a ridgeback puppy (Rosie) into their lives. She has quickly become the center of their world and a source of constant entertainment. In June, Kirea will graduate from residency, and their little family will move to San Antonio for a fellowship in trauma/surgical critical care.

Hailey Rose attended ASU and received a doctorate in veterinary medicine at Midwestern University. She completed her residency in small animal internal medicine at Cornell University. She is finally back home in Phoenix, working as a small animal internist at Salt River Veterinary Specialists in Scottsdale. She lives with her fiancé, James, and their two dogs, Riley and Kiwi.

Recently, Alex Blandford Morgan and her husband were married in an intimate ceremony on a rainy record-setting winter day. She still lives and works in Phoenix as a landscape architect and serves as an ASU liaison to the Arizona Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. She spends her free time sewing, doing fiber arts, and writing novel drafts.

2012

Chris Misner lives in Chandler, where he works as a customer care manager for the Pulte Group homebuilder. He graduated from ASU and is enjoying a career in the construction industry. His brother (also an alumnus of PCDS and ASU) has been with Amazon for almost 10 years and is living in NY. “We have all been blessed, and I hope all the best for the PCDS community,” states Chris.

2013

Tyler Humphrey is a first year resident in orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania.

2014

Rachael Stottlemyre is now living in Miami, FL, where she is a third year medical student at the University of Miami Miller School of Science. She is also president of the student body and is involved in medical research about pediatric surgery and non-accidental trauma (child abuse).

Since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018, Sam Ax has been working in finance in NYC, first as a healthcare investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs, and most recently as a healthcare investor at The Carlyle Group. “I left Carlyle in July to pursue an MBA at Harvard Business School. My mom moved to Columbus, OH, but my dad still lives in AZ. I come back home about once a year now, which does not feel often enough,” reports Sam.

At Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus, NJ, Michelle Greenfield-Feig is a certified aquatic veterinarian working with exotics and small animals. In her spare time, she volunteers at a local zoo and hosts Aquadocs Podcast, the #1 aquatic veterinary podcast. She recently married Zach Greenfield-Feig, whom she met while they were both attending Princeton University.

2015

In the spring of 2023, Bryeson Rodgers completed an MD at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Arizona and matched to a residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Arizona in Tucson, which is a five-year program. Freshly back from their Mediterranean honeymoon, newlyweds Bryeson and McKenna are looking forward to exploring southern AZ, when they aren’t in the hospital or the dental clinic.

After completing a four-year undergraduate degree in Boston, life brought Allison Winter back to Phoenix for an opportunity as a design engineer at Honeywell Aerospace. While there, she specialized in designing aerospace components for additive manufacturing and discovered her passion for design. After two years, she decided to transition from hardware design to digital product design. Currently, she works as a product designer at ReviewTrackers, a tech company that focuses on reputation management.

“I reside in Central Phoenix with my boyfriend and our feline companions. On weekends, you’ll often find me enjoying a drink at Windsor or hiking in the Piestewa Peak Mountain Preserve,“ reports Allison.

Cassidy Server reports, “After thinking I would never move back to Michigan, earlier this year I built a condo just north of Grand Rapids. While I am slowly working on making my house a home, I am also staying busy as a designer with California Closets and maintaining my professional organizing business. Although I still love to travel, and have several domestic trips planned for next year, I’m really looking forward to settling down in one place for the first time since I moved to Arizona and started at PCDS in 2008!”

2016

Andrew Ekmark was a PCDS lifer, went to Stanford, and received his engineering degree in three years before working for the Boston Consulting Group. He left BCG and started a successful real estate company and recently launched an automated greeting and gift card kiosk company with his wife. Ink’d Greetings offers a better product to consumers by allowing for a rapid selection of a desired card, fast personalization and printing, the ability to print a gift card directly onto the greeting card, and an affordable price point of only $2.99. Retailers enjoy condensing hundreds of square feet into a few while offering a better, hands off experience. Ink’d is launching with pilots in Macerich, Simon Properties, 7-Eleven, Speedway and more and plans to expand to eight states in February 2024. If you would like to get involved, email him at Andrew@inkdgreetings.

2017

In May of 2021, Kevin Kirsch graduated from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He continues to live in Atlanta where he works as a senior analyst at Balbec Capital (an alternative investment fund that also has an office in Scottsdale). Kevin is happily unmarried without children but is thrilled to watch his extended family grow, as his cousins have collectively had two weddings, one engagement, and a baby this year.

In 2021, Emma Sheridan graduated from Pomona College. She now works at Microsoft as a product manager building digital experiences for commercial customers to manage their Microsoft 365 subscriptions through the admin center.

Lilly Giller is currently living in Brooklyn. In May of 2022, she graduated from The New School in NYC, earning a BA in literary studies and BFA in fine art. Currently, she is writing for Elephant Magazine and works for artist, Tschabalala Self, as her studio manager.

“Balancing the two careers has proven to be harmonious,” shares Lilly. “Turns out working for an artist and writing about the arts goes hand in hand. Who knew?!”

2019

Zoe Bienert recently graduated from Emory University where she majored in psychology and linguistics. She shares, “While at Emory, I was involved in leadership roles in my sorority and multiple dance groups on campus, including serving as President of Emory’s official dance team, E-Motion. I also had the opportunity to study abroad in the UK, studying and conducting field work on empathy and other behaviors with grade school children. I traveled again to London this summer to work as a consulting psychologist—with a business consulting firm—on a project to improve culture change in companies. Currently, I am living in Atlanta and working at Woodward Academy in a specialized program for young children with learning disabilities.”

In February 2024, Crystal Zhou reports, “I will be graduating from Middlebury College. I am majoring in Black studies and minoring in classical languages. My passion for racial and environmental justice has led to multiple student leadership positions to elevate the BIPOC student experience at Middlebury and to connect them to a climate internship with New Perennials, Middlebury Knoll Organic Garden, and the Climate Action Capacity Project. I am a community organizer for student groups on campus and farms around Vermont. Currently, I am finishing up my senior thesis on Black Vermont Farming. Made possible through grant funding through the Climate Action Capacity Fellowship and the Twilight Project, I am researching how Black Vermont farmers center food sovereignty, afrocentric regenerative agriculture, and community oriented earth work in the second whitest state in the U.S. I spent the summer volunteering and visiting Black-owned farms in Vermont and am planning on teaching a winter term workshop to bring students interested in community-oriented activism

and research into the fold. I am planning four weekly farmer dinners at Middlebury, along with writing an article with my advisor on the importance of Black land ownership and Black food geography. Outside of classes, I enjoy cooking with friends, making art, and attending random talks at Middlebury. After graduating from Middlebury, I plan to return home to Phoenix to spend more time with family and friends.”

Mike Rosenthal graduated from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University and is now living in Paradise Valley. Mike is an entrepreneur and has started his first company in the golf space. GIMME ’N Go is the first-ever sports healthier-for-you snack brand that aims to bring vitality to this generation’s golf fans and players. Mike is determined to give back to the game that made a significant impact on his life at a very young age. His passion and commitment to GIMME ’N Go stems from playing and competing at a high level for over a decade. After his sophomore year of college, Mike was given the opportunity to caddie at Pebble Beach Golf Links, where he noticed the negative impact poor nutrition had on his clients’ performances— ultimately leading him to realize why he too had been limited during his competitive years. Mike has been fortunate enough to play, spectate, and work at many of the world’s best golf courses and tournaments.

Kate Shein shares, “In May 2023, I graduated from Boston University with a BS in elementary education and with a specialty in sheltered English immersion education. While in college, I performed in several musicals on campus: 9 to 5, Chicago, A Chorus Line, and Seussical. I also worked at an elementary school near BU’s campus

for my student teaching experience and knew right away that elementary education was the path for me. I am currently back home in AZ and am working on a master’s degree in gifted education and curriculum from ASU. While a full-time student, I am also working on the side as a photographer —capturing photos of families and couples and taking senior portraits (katesheinphotography.com). After completing my master’s degree, I hope to teach either fourth or fifth grade at an elementary school in the Valley.”

Brenna Dugel reports, “In May 2023, I graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University with a double major in history and political science. Currently, I am a first year law student at Columbia Law School. Upon graduation, I plan to work in NYC to gain experience in Big Law, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. Later, however, I plan to live abroad in the UK and either continue to practice law or delve into consulting work.”

Before starting medical school next year, Kaleab Afework is taking a gap year in Houston. He graduated from Rice University with a BA in cell biology and genetics. He spent a lot of time doing biological research at places like MD Anderson Cancer Center and Baylor College of Medicine and has also enjoyed volunteering in the emergency department at Houston Methodist Hospital on the weekends. Aside from that, he enjoys cruising around on his electric scooter, visiting local conservatories and museums, as well as traveling in his spare time.

After graduating summa cum laude from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in May, Jake Rodin has returned home to AZ where he works full-time as a sales strategy analyst at Axon.

Maximus Lerner shares, “I studied at NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study in Manhattan. It’s an awesome interdisciplinary program that has allowed me to transcend my original interests in film and dive into advertising and marketing at the Stern School of Business. I would never have had this opportunity to explore my brain and develop new objectives at any other program in any other city. For the curious, bold, and fun-loving kids of PCDS, NYC is one of the world’s best cities in which to attend college. Forget the campus— go explore. Eat at the Maltese bakery once a week, make five friends from every continent, and cherish the endless sights and experiential opportunities. My college studies united into my current job as a creative executive at Enspire Media Group, a film and TV development group in Santa Monica, CA. Essentially, I package talent and scripts and sell them as productions to Hollywood studios. I live right outside Santa Monica, and like NYC, it’s got an assortment of cultures, sights, and beautiful smells. It also has better weather, and the ultimate one-ups: beaches and mountains.”

Madison Xagoraris reports, “After graduating high school, I moved to Boston to study communications and media studies at Northeastern University. I graduated early and pursued a master’s degree in media advocacy, a relatively young program at Northeastern that allows you to earn a joint degree from both the school of law and the school of journalism. While in graduate school, I was the President of Northeastern University’s Hellenic Society and interned at a PR agency, Nickerson. Shortly after graduating in May 2023, I was hired full-time as a PR and communications coordinator at Nickerson and relocated to NYC.”

Allison Hunter shares, “If you had asked me during my freshman year at PCDS if I would be on track to become an orthodontist, I would have answered with a resounding “no.” Today, I hold a BS in biological sciences and a minor in chemistry from Southern Methodist University. I am currently attending Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine—one of my many acceptances. Since PCDS, my constant persistence through doubt and difficulty has allowed me to prove many wrong and to show that success comes from true grit and grind.”

Tatum Dial attended PCDS from Pre-K through eighth grade, and she reports, “I absolutely loved my time at PCDS. I made lifelong friends and have the fondest memories with some iconic teachers. I also developed a deep love for music and performing. Throughout my years at PCDS, my teachers supported my passion for performing by attending the community theater productions I was acting in and then shouting me out in weekly MS assemblies for landing starring roles. This continuous support allowed me to continue pursuing my love for musical

theater throughout high school and into college. I recently graduated from UCLA, where I majored in communications with a minor in entrepreneurship. I was a social media manager at the Bruin Media Group for three years and performed in student-run musical theater troupes on campus. My most recent production was Rent , where I played the role of Joanne. After my four years in LA, I moved to Austin to begin my job as an associate account executive at Amazon. Currently, I am working on the early-stage startups team to support founders in all phases

Young Alumni Panel

of their cloud journey. Austin is my favorite city, and I am so thankful my job landed me here. I’ve been learning guitar, hiking, paddle boarding, and making amazing friends and mentors. I am forever grateful to PCDS for giving me the confidence, capabilities, and support to achieve my dreams and to follow my passions. I am also very thankful for the lifelong friends I made at PCDS—friends that have been there for me through thick and thin (SHANTAN forever)! I look forward to coming back and visiting very soon,” shares Tatum.

Do you have news to share? We are always excited to hear from you. Send details about a graduation, a new job, a birth, engagement, marriage announcement, a recent trip, a new hobby, or a visit with another alumnus/a (and email accompanying photos) to alumni@pcds.org . We look forward to learning what you have been up to!

In January, a panel of six young alumni returned to campus to visit with the senior class and answer a range of their PCDS-tocollege transition questions.

From left: Jacob Koster ’20 (Brown University), Anna DeFilippis ’20 (Emory University), Sarah Lett ’20 (University of Alabama), Bennett Montrose ’21 (Wesleyan University), Emme Kate Hackett ’22 (Mt. Holyoke College), Kayla Singer ’23 (University of Texas at Austin)