The Bridge 2013-14 by Phoenix Country Day School

Contents Features 4

Graduation 2013

20 Questions with Dave Rowe

Why I Love My Job

Gina Bridgeman, Editor with Danny Majeski

Student Travel

Kate Werth ’14 7th- & 8th-grade students, Katie McKean Gina Bridgeman, Editor

Where Are They Now?

Names You Know…Ann Hays Daley

Class Notes

Claim to Fame

C. Ryan Joyce, Director of Advancement

Departments 2 11 14 18 19 20 22 24 25 29 30 32 36 38 41 65 78 79

Message from the Headmaster Upper School in Photos Athletics News New faculty in 2013-14 Lower School in Photos Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day 8th-Grade Commencement Middle School in Photos Community Service Academic News Beyond the Classroom Arts News Alumni Events Outstanding Alumni of the Year Alumni Briefs Annual Report on Giving Look What’s New Save the Date

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER More than two decades ago, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced he was planning to retire after one final season in the NBA—his 20th overall. After breaking essentially every significant record in the league, Kareem was to be celebrated with a 25-stop Farewell Tour, replete with the most lavish gifts from far and wide. In Cleveland, they gave him an Afshar carpet imported from Iran; in Utah, an inscribed 1886 Winchester rifle; in Milwaukee, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle; and in Golden State, a 24-foot sailboat named “Captain Skyhook.” We all tuned in each week to see what would be next. Andrew Rodin, Headmaster

Apparently, that’s what you do for someone who’s done it so well for so long. Which brings me to Paul Schweikher. After 40 years at Phoenix Country Day School, Paul will call it quits—he’ll hang up the old high-tops—at the end of the 2013-14 school year. Blink your eyes, and you’re back on a warm August day in 1974, when young Paul stepped onto the campus at the corner of 40th Street and Stanford for the very first time. He still didn’t have his trademark green VW bug (that would happen seven years later), but he had all the swagger that we still appreciate today—and more! You see, President Nixon was being impeached, gas prices had recently soared to 55 cents per gallon, and Raquel Welch had just won a Golden Globe for her role in The Three Musketeers. But Paul had a good job and a steady income: He was the new “Comparative Political & Economic Systems” teacher for the freshman class and chair of the two-person history department. In the words of Bob Kosower, who became the PCDS Athletic Director shortly after Paul arrived: “Paul was one of the people who interviewed me on my initial visit to PCDS. My first impression was that Paul was articulate, enthusiastic, and very friendly. A real star in the making, and I liked him immediately. In the late 70s the leisure suit was in, and I can't believe it now, but on that first visit I wore a green leisure suit with an open-collared yellow shirt. About a month after I was hired, Paul started getting on me about my green leisure suit—and he still does today! I just told him he was jealous that he didn't have one.”

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jahm Najafi President Tracy Schwimmer Vice President, Finance & Investments Mark Detmer Vice President, Advancement

The Schweikher star only grew brighter. According to Lance Coon, longtime PCDS English teacher and constant Schweikher partner-in-crime: “In 1984 Paul and I team-taught a course titled “Utopia and Other Nightmares” featuring a series of dystopian fiction including Orwell's 1984. Around that time, the school's first counselor said in a faculty discussion, "I feel the need to hear from Paul." The phrase caught on and was revived periodically for several years thereafter. Ultimately, Paul was the subject of an unauthorized biography, The Life of Paul, written by a colleague, still hidden somewhere in Schweik's office.” Over the decades, Paul would comfortably find his niche in the PCDS community. Today, he is best remembered and appreciated for his dual role as Director of College Counseling and softball coach—a yin and yang of sorts that Paul always felt kept him in top form. As expected, a student sums it up best. From Melanie Cohen, Class of 2013: “My experience with Schweik wasn't marked by one specific situation. It's the little things with Schweik that make him really special. I loved how he was always open to talk about anything from college to current events. His shouts of "Roam it like you own it!" on the softball field constantly made me smile. Schweik possesses so much enthusiasm for everything he does, which I have always admired.” Most striking to me is the deep and meaningful reach that Paul has established with scores of PCDS graduates—literally thousands of them. He is universally appreciated for his wisdom, his fire, and his unyielding loyalty to this school and to those that have called it home. He is a model of professionalism and, one could argue, the ultimate Phoenix Country Day ambassador. To say that he will be sorely missed is a classic understatement. I hope you’ll all join me for Paul’s Farewell Tour, which, unfortunately, won’t include a Silver Spirit Rolls Royce, like the one the Clippers gave Kareem, or even a gold nugget, like the one in Denver. But it will consist of much goodwill and appreciation, all of it incredibly well deserved. For now though, suffice it to say that it’s business as usual for Paul. He is fully engaged with our current crop of college applicants and their families. Just the way it’s been for the last 39 years.

Michelle Hosmar Vice President, Facilities Planning Taylor Burke Don Dady Nicholas S. Firestone Adam Goodman Mitzi Krockover David Lewis Tim Louis Margaux Rosen Wendy Selig-Prieb Charles W. Shields Charlene Whitfill Andrew Rodin, ex officio Headmaster Augustine Gomez ’99, ex officio President, Alumni Association Susan Greenfield, ex officio President, Parents’ Association

ADVISORY TRUSTEES Beverly Ax Susan J. Bansak Daniel J. Donahoe III Bennett Dorrance Susan Garrity Sam Garvin Donald R. Loback Herbert J. (Tim) Louis Nan P. Miller Ellie B. Nolan Frederick M. Pakis W. Lee Pierson Nicholas J. Sakellariadis ‘69 Jonah Shacknai Shoshana B. Tancer Garth Wieger Gay F. Wray

Kudos to you, Paul. And congratulations on an extra-ordinary career.

VOICES OF GRADUATION

Excerpts from the ceremony on June 6, 2013

Andrew Rodin, Headmaster: “In a moment, you’re going to hear from three dynamic speakers—two being members of the Class of 2013, one the Head of Upper School. Each will speak from the heart about their experiences here at PCDS; each will help us look forward, into the future, to catch a glimpse of how this great class will make their mark.”

Jack Phillips, Head of Upper School: “I have tremendous admiration and affection for you, and I know what you are capable of achieving. Congratulations, class of 2013, for all you have achieved so far on your educational journey. But I must insist that your work has only just begun. And for that work, I say thank you.” “It is a PCDS graduation tradition to have student speakers, the recipients of two of our major end-of-year awards. The Margaret Madden Speech Prize is given by the faculty to the senior whose senior speech stood out from the rest in content, thought and delivery. This year’s recipient is Chris Puglisi.” “Chris is just one of those kids. He’s someone who makes you smile, laugh, and think. He can sing, act, dance—actually, can you dance Chris? He’s one of those students who seemingly can do it all. And what you’re about to find out is that he can give one heck of a speech.”

"Like footprints in the sand, we have left our mark on PCDS, but now the tide rolls in and the current pushes us off in different directions to different shores. Although we may drift away, we have found ourselves at PCDS—we have been given the starting point for who we are, (and) who we want to be in this life…" "We are a choir of thoughts, ambitions, and goals, singing in harmony, pulsating to the same rhythm pounding from within each chest. And just because someone doesn’t sing the same melody as you, does not mean they are wrong or right. It means we are individuals—children of equality, but unique in every way."

Jack Phillips: “Pauline Shongov is this year’s recipient of the Faculty Prize, given to that member of the senior class who best combines academic excellence, an abiding love of learning, and a deep commitment to community.” “Pauline is one of the most talented, creative, humble, and quietly ambitious people to go through the Upper School in some time. If you don’t already know, you’re going to find out tonight that she has a remarkable mind and an even more remarkable soul.”

Class of 2013, Tonight we are kids again, kids of the desert... all dreamy-eyed and smile-complete, kicking heels and stomping feet, the sound of sixty-two loud drums like hearts pounding in our chests… We must continue to look and see through the fresh eyes of a child, to hear and feel and speak and keep a mind untouched by others. The power of our imagination is empowered by knowledge and education, but sometimes we just need to let ourselves go; sometimes it just takes the pounding of our beat-loud drum hearts, the breathing of our star-filled lungs, and the belief in our swing-set dreams to make things happen. Tonight we are kids again, kids of the world, Let’s stay kids inside forever.

Andrew Rodin: “Last year, we bid farewell to the Class of 2012 with an old Irish blessing. Today, I'd like to close with that same send-off: “May the road rise to meet your feet. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the palm of His hand.” “Now, with pleasure and with immense pride, I present to you the Phoenix Country Day School Class of 2013.”

DESTINATIONS 2013 Nitya Agrawal Tufts University Gian Reto Bonadurer Babson College Jaimie Bryan UC, San Diego Megan Cathey Emerson College Roderick Chan University of Chicago Hannah Cianci College of Charleston (Joan) Dominique Clancy Parsons The New School for Design Jessica Cohen ASU, Barrett Honors College Jordan Cohen Duke University Melanie Cohen Washington University, St. Louis Justin Corsillo Arizona State University April Curci College of Charleston Katharine Currault Northwestern University Helen Dailey Montana State University, Bozeman Whitney Fahnbulleh Wellesley College Jacob Feder Brown University John Fernandes Grand Canyon University Honors Program

Dalia Grado University of Arizona India Grasso Phoenix College Melissa Greenberg Tulane University Lauren Hanneman ASU, Barrett Honors College (Michael) Alex Hosmar George Washington University Tyler Humphrey University of San Diego Selena Jacquez St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University, San Antonio Trevor Kent University of Virginia Arielle Lee UC, Berkeley Alison Loretta New York University Scott Minard Chapman University Taylor Money UC, Berkeley Jackson Murphy Miami University (OH) Jazmin Nido ASU, Barrett Honors College Leila Noghrehchi U of A, Honors College Edgar Ocampo ASU, Barrett Honors College Emma Pappas Indiana University, Bloomington Olivia Pearson Spelman College

Kate Pokorski University of Tampa Christopher Puglisi Oberlin College Brandon Purcell Tulane University Mariclare Rethore Simmons College Breana Roberts New York University Henry Roden University of Arizona Garron Rodgers Chapman University Patrick Rody University of Arizona Philip Rody Northern Arizona University Honors Program Claire Rose University of San Francisco Natascha Schippel New York University Emily Schron Wellesley College Taylor Shannon Loyola Marymount University Pauline Shongov Cornell University Colton Siddle ASU, Barrett Honors College Angelica Sisson University of Arizona Kaddie Stephens Arizona State University

Madeline Stern Wellesley College John Swett University of Vermont Alex Sylvester Arizona State University Micah Travis Northeastern University Kassidy Tse ASU, Barrett Honors College Walker Tuton College of Charleston Pallavi Wakharkar University of Pennsylvania Kendall Woodard Scottsdale Community College Zachary Wright Fairfield University Steven Yuan Rochester Institute of Technology

AWARDS 2013 Art Department Award Kassidy Tse Rhode Island School of Design Award Dominique Clancy Theatre Arts Award Garron Rodgers Jazz Band Award Alex Hosmar Strings Award Colton Siddle English Award Pauline Shongov English Award for Composition Micah Travis History Award Madeline Stern Salo Baron Prize Kassidy Tse Mathematics Award Brennen Lee Rensselaer Medal Brennen Lee Life Science Award Jacob Feder Outstanding Science Achievement Aashay Sanghvi Bausch & Lomb Award Jonathan Rooney Spanish Award Pauline Shongov French Award Katharine Currault Latin Award Michelle Greenfield

Mandarin Award Aashay Sanghvi Robert Hendrickson Community Service Award Michelle Greenfield Eagle Awards Tyler Humphrey & Selena Jacquez Athletic Department Prize Jaimie Bryan Most Outstanding Athlete Awards Saira Purewal Margaret Madden Speech Prize Chris Puglisi

Senior Prize Jaimie Bryan, Jacob Feder, Jackson Murphy Galen Brewster Leadership Prize Alex Hosmar Geoffrey D. Campbell Award Garron Rodgers Victor D. Feeney Prize Madeline Stern Faculty Prize Pauline Shongov

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Thirteen PCDS seniors were honored in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program. Three Finalists received scholarships: Melanie Cohen, Katharine Currault, and Maddie Stern. In addition, Micah Travis was named a Semifinalist. Nine other seniors were named Commended Students: Roderick Chan, Helen Dailey, Jacob Feder, Tyler Humphrey, Trevor Kent, Taylor Money, Jackson Murphy, Pallavi Wakharkar, and Jaimie Bryan. The program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships for high school students nationwide. More than 1.5 million juniors nationwide, in some 22,000 high schools, took the qualifying test, the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. Each year, those scoring highest in each state are named Semifinalists. To become a Finalist, a Semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record, be recommended by the high school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s earlier performance on the qualifying test. Scholarship designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

Lifers: Class of 2013

These students attended Phoenix Country Day School from pre-k or kindergarten through their senior year. Front row: Alex Sylvester, Alex Hosmar; 2nd row, left to right: Breana Roberts, Walker Tuton, Kaddie Stephens, Lauren Hanneman; 3rd row, left to right: Maddie Stern, Emily Schron, Colton Siddle; top row: Mariclare Rethore, Garron Rodgers.

UPPER SCHOOL IN PHOTOS

20 with Dave Rowe questions

By Gina Bridgeman, Editor

What did you do on your first day at PCDS in 1987? I don’t recall exactly. I know I was thrilled but scared. Lovie Peterson— she was the Lower School music teacher who had told me about the job—propped me up. What has changed the most since then? Technology, of course. I couldn’t have imagined kids learning music and practicing with something like Smartmusic. Back then I had to listen to every kid’s cassette tape of practice. Good thing I was young.

How else has technology helped you teach? YouTube. How did we live without being able to see those vintage clips? Instead of telling the kids about someone like Count Basie, or listening to recordings, we can watch a performance. It has so much more impact. Why is it important to teach music in schools? It complements all the other subjects and teaches people to recognize beauty in life. When people get together to sing and play music, it’s comforting and healing. What was on your band’s playlist back in 1987? Some of the same stuff that’s on there now—Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Santana, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Tower of Power, Earth, Wind, & Fire. And of course, big bands. Some things don’t change! How long have you been a jazzer? Since 6th grade when we chose our instruments. My parents couldn’t afford to buy a trombone and my Aunt Fern had a sax, so I had no choice but to learn it. I ended up being pretty good. I also played piano in Sunday school.

You must have a music idol. Whose music stand would you carry around? Jazz musicians don’t carry music stands!

Very funny...but what music could you not live without? Oh, it changes weekly. I have too many favorites. I love anything with horns. Do you have a favorite band? I once had the opportunity to hear two great bands on the same stage at the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) conference in New York City - Count Basie Band vs. the Duke Ellington Band. I couldn’t pick a favorite, but it was definitely a career highlight. What part of your job do you like best? I love working with the kids, especially the ones who are at my door by 7 a.m. [for MS jazz band]. Some have been in the car for 45 minutes or more—they really want to be there. I also love that this is an 8-year program for me, so I get to see these kids grow up, something most teachers don’t get to see. What do you like least? Getting up so early. What’s a good day in the band room? When we get some good music cranking and things start to come together. A good day is when we go from noise to music. If you had never become a teacher, what would you be doing? I’d be working for the church. How do you spend your free time? I spend as much time as I can building. I’ve rebuilt a house and I took an old warehouse and transformed it into a hair salon.

Are you a dog or a cat person? I’m both—but I really love my schnauzers…and the birds, and the fish…my mini zoo! What’s on your personal playlist? My list is filled with every kind of music you can possibly imagine, and I keep it on shuffle. I love variety. Ella Fitzgerald, Rhianna, Sinatra, Coldplay, Sade, Bruno Mars, Mel Torme—and anything with horns! What is one of your best PCDS memories? The jazz concert at Steele Indian School Park (in 2009), a benefit for two local public schools. The place was full, a packed house, and the room just embraced the musicians. That was the start of the 40th Street Jazz Club, a really great thing for the school and the kids. One unique aspect of the jazz program has been the trip to the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans. Any memories that stand out there? So many. We go every few years and it’s a complete cultural immersion for the kids. They play on the street for the crowds there—when we get back here the energy level is through the roof. One year the kids got to jam with the Preservation Hall Band. And then of course we were there after Hurricane Katrina. We brought a bunch of old instruments down there, and when we came home we played the Swingin’ on the Bayou fundraiser in the gym for Katrina relief. The kids really saw how music can help in a situation like that. What’s one goal you start with every school year? My goal always is to choose the most challenging music we can do but still have fun, learn, and be joyful. What is your secret wish? I honestly don’t have one. I really have everything I’ve ever wanted and needed. I get paid to do what I’ve always dreamed of doing. 13 Thank you, Lovie!

ATHLETICS NEWS Second-Place Finish for Girls’ Tennis The varsity girls’ tennis team finished the season playing in yet another state championship against a perennially strong team from Miami. After winning three Division III state titles in the last four years, the girls finished as runners-up after a 5-3 loss to Miami in the finals. PCDS defeated Miami by the same score the previous year to take the state championship. The #10-seeded PCDS Eagles had pulled off three upsets along the way against #7 Thatcher, #2 Buckeye, and #3 Safford only to run up against a tough #1-seeded Miami team. PCDS tennis is coached by Jerry Keever.

Girls’ Swim Champions The PCDS girls’ swim and dive teams won the 2012 1A-3A Team Championships hosted by PCDS in October. Swimmers Arielle Lee ’13, Jaimie Bryan ’13, and Leila Noghrehchi ’13, and Allison Winter ’15 set a school record, finishing first in the 200-meter medley relay. The same team also won the 400-meter freestyle relay. Allison Winter took first place in the 200-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke. Jaimie Bryan, who set a school record in the 100-meter breaststroke at a previous meet, finished first in the 200-meter individual medley and the 100-meter breaststroke. In diving, Maddie Stern ’13 took first place and Izzy Aguilera ’16 took second. Swim coach is Mike Maczuga; diving coach is Middle School PE teacher Kristin Pruett.

Tennis Doubles Team Finishes Second in State Tennis-playing sisters Charlotte Aaron and Rae Aaron finished second in the Division III Girls’ Doubles State Championship match at Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale. They lost to the #1 seed, Pusch Ridge Christian, in a tiebreaker third set: 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4). Charlotte and Rae won three straight games in the final set to force the tiebreaker after the Pusch Ridge Christian team led 6-5. The PCDS girls, seeded #3, had beaten the #2 seed earlier in the day.

Cinderella Softball Team Goes to Semifinals The #20 seeded Eagles won three games in the state tournament only to come up short against #1-seed Northwest Christian 6-5 in the state semifinals. The Eagles pulled off three upset wins during the playoffs, playing further in the state tournament than any PCDS softball team since 1987, when the Eagles won the championship. The varsity team is coached by Diane Jessen and Paul Schweikher (PCDS college counselor). Mr. Schweikher also coached the 1987 team. 14

Desert Classic Volleyball Champs Varsity girls’ volleyball won the 2012 tournament for only the second time in school history.

Middle School Teams Win Titles Mountain Valley Athletic League champions: 7/8 boys’ soccer, coached by Middle School math teacher Nicki Barber (below, right); 5/6 boys' basketball, with Coach (and Mandarin teacher) Mark Corliss; 7/8 flag football, under coaches Sean Newland (Middle School PE) and Patrick McHonett (Director of Admissions). Valley Christian Schools League champions: girls’ softball, under coaches Diane Jessen and Nicki Barber (right); and Coach Amp Lee’s boys' 7/8 blue basketball team (below). Several other teams earned runner-up finishes. In addition, Louis Aaron ’19, brought home the boys' tennis singles championship.

Athletic Hall of Fame

The purpose of the PCDS Athletic Hall of Fame is to build tradition and recognize our outstanding athletes and coaches who have built a strong athletic foundation for years to come. Our goal is for the Athletic Hall of Fame to serve as a source of pride and tradition for our School and school community. The next induction ceremony will take place in 2014.

Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees:

Girls’ Soccer Wins 100th Game By defeating Tempe Prep 4-0 in a January game, the girls’ varsity soccer team reached a milestone, winning its 100th game in program history. They went on to be the #10 seed in the state tournament and finished the season at 14-3-1. Soccer coaches are Andy McKean and Aimee Mansoor.

2012-13: Farley Weiss ’81, Michaela Skloven ’02, Blake Lewkowitz ’07, Mike Maczuga, swim coach, and the 1987 state champion softball team 2011: 1981 Varsity Baseball, 2000 Girls' Basketball State Championship Teams 2010: Kristina Simonds ’86,  Erich Schweikher ’97,  Sarah Engle ’01,  Alex Ashby ’05 , Bob Hendrickson, Bob Kosower 2009: Lynne Diethrich Jackson ’79,  Jeremy Ringel ’95,  Georgia Buelow 2008: Billy DuMone '90,  Courtney Lewis '00,  Paul Schweikher

This August marked the start of Danny Majeskiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 33rd year at PCDS. Ever wonder what keeps him coming back?

We asked, and he was happy to tell us

Why I Love My Job

“

The Kids: “Their energy, enthusiasm, their smiles and hugs—the excitement I see in their eyes when they walk into PE class. They make us feel like rock stars! Whether we’re at the gym or the pool or the field, it doesn’t matter. They’re so excited, so revved up to learn. And I love that I get the rare opportunity to watch them progress from Lower School through Upper School. Standing in that graduation line when the lifers come through—that’s worth everything to me.” The Parents: “The interest they have in what we do has always been so important to me. The parents are so supportive. You might think our parents care only about academics, but they’re just as enthusiastic about all the specials [PE, art, music, computer, Spanish, science, library). PE is not an extra or an afterthought for them, they see it as a very important part of what we do and of the overall development of their child.” The Teachers: “I’m inspired every day by their dedication and their love for the children. How professional they are—teaching truly is their calling. The more I get energy from the kids and the teachers, it makes me want to be a better teacher. So the challenge of the job is always there. And Sadie [Etheridge, LS PE teacher]. She’s a true blessing; professional, a constant means of support. We complement each other so well. She’s a big reason my job is so fun and rewarding.” The Administration & Board: “They recognize the value of teaching PE. That’s a big deal to me. Some schools have cut PE, but last year we increased the class period to 40 minutes. That’s unheard of at other schools. Andy [Rodin], Shane [Lewis, Athletic Dir.] and Jaki [Ivins, LS Head] were big supporters of that longer class time. They understand how important PE is to the well being of a child.”

The Alumni: “I love it when my former students come back to visit. They remember the events—the swim exhibition, track and field day. They don’t remember where they finished but they talk about how much fun they had.” The Facilities: “Sometimes I’m teaching on the courts and I look up at Camelback Mountain and think, ‘This is paradise.’ What other elementary school has a swimming pool, courts, a gym, and fields? We’re in such a great environment here, the kids come from the classroom and they are just ready to learn!” Paying it Forward: “I’ve had some great mentors here—Mary Swiess, [former LS PE teacher], Georgia Buelow [former MS PE teacher], Paul Schweikher. And Bob Kosower—he’s truly been my role model all these years. All of them did many little things to help along the way that were huge to me. Now I try to be a mentor to other teachers. At the beginning of the school year, I send a little note with some chocolate to the new Lower School teachers letting them know I’m here for them if they need anything.”

”

The Fun: “I’m the luckiest man in the world. I get to do something I love in a place that I love. How many people get to say that? I’ve made great friends here. And I can honestly tell you that I was as excited to come back to school this year as I was my first year of teaching.”

2013-14 New Faculty

Back row, left to right: Jessica Raab, Director of College Counseling; Lisa Adrian, 3rd grade; Julie Larrea, 6th-grade English; Joe Boehle, Director of Information Technology; Kristin Pruett, Middle School physical education; Nathan Lewis, Upper School art and robotics; James Waller, 6th-grade math; Rich Rende, Director of Curriculum and Instruction; Lisa Zima, Middle School music; Elizabeth Llamosa, Middle School Spanish; and Kathy Scott, 5th-grade history. Front row, left to right: Sasha Eden, pre-kindergarten; Nichole Pope, kindergarten; Lisa Tolentino, Upper School art, music, and technology; Betty Bienert, Upper School Mandarin.

LOWER SCHOOL IN PHOTOS

GRANDPARENTS’ & SPECIAL FRIENDS’ DAY

CLASS OF 2017 CELEBRATES 8TH-GRADE COMMENCEMENT Parents, families, faculty, and friends gathered along with sixty-three eighth-grade students to celebrate commencement on June 5 at Camelback Bible Church, across the street from PCDS. With student Kobe Walker as emcee, the ceremony included musical performances by Annalise Bracher, Rica Chan, and Amanda Slate as well as speeches by Nicholas Currault, Alana FrancisCrow, Max Johnson, and Aspen Pierson. Student speakers were chosen by their classmates. Each student received a formal certificate to commemorate completion of Middle School at PCDS. In addition, Mort Dukehart, Head of Middle School, presented the Middle School Award, instituted just last year. According to Mr. Dukehart, the award honors “the student who best exemplifies the philosophy of the PCDS Middle School.” This year’s honoree was Annalise Bracher. Four students received Certificates of Merit: Nicholas Currault, Alana Francis-Crow, Ashcon Partovi, and Kobe Walker.

The Middle School faculty spent much of the past year working to define what it means to be a PCDS Middle School graduate. Besides faculty input, Middle School students were asked for their thoughts and the words that they felt defined their experience in the Middle School. A broad based Middle School committee then took these thoughts and words and completed the Portrait of a Middle School Graduate below.

We are Middle School Graduates of Phoenix Country Day School Discovering our passions and preparing for our futures

We are learning about ourselves.

We are learning how to think.

We are compassionate, honest, and resilient individuals. We are becoming independent and responsible for our own learning. We can face challenges and fears because we know that we will learn from our mistakes. Through these experiences, we are beginning to appreciate our strengths and shortcomings. We strive for our personal best and are proud of our accomplishments.

We are curious and interested in many subjects. We know how to ask questions and how to ask for help. We can open our minds, listen to others, and make informed decisions. We are beginning to think on our feet and solve problems creatively. We are learning how to express ourselves clearly and confidently. We stand up for what we believe in and defend our positions because we know that what we think matters.

We are learning that we are part of a whole.

We are learning through action.

We love our families, cherish our friends, and make new friends easily. We trust and respect our teachers because they trust and respect us. We laugh together. We cry together. We dream together. We recognize that these relationships are the heart and soul of our school. We are also aware of the larger environment around us. We appreciate the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diversity and treasure its resources. We understand our place in the world and are discovering ways that we can make a positive impact on it.

We love learning and having fun. We feel inspired to explore new things and discover our passions. We enjoy designing class projects, presenting onstage, creating art, making music, competing on the fields, and contributing to local and international communities. We are well-rounded students who are able to impress others with the knowledge and experiences we have gained. We are prepared to become leaders and make a difference in the world. We are Middle School graduates of Phoenix Country Day School, and we are ready for the journey ahead. 23

MIDDLE SCHOOL IN PHOTOS

COMMUNITY SERVICE

14th Annual Turkey Drive Sets PCDS Record At Thanksgiving, Middle School students learned in a big way what it means to give. Middle School students and teachers vowed to make last year’s Thanksgiving Turkey Drive the best ever, and they came through in a big way. Event coordinators Chris Eriksen, 5th-grade teacher, and Katie McKean, 7th-grade teacher, gave the longtime event a new twist by staging a special movie night on the Monday before the holiday, with a frozen turkey as the price of admission. Turkey donations continued on Tuesday morning, with Middle School students collecting 715 frozen turkeys for St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. This was the most turkeys ever collected in the 14-year history of the school’s Thanksgiving drive. The 7th grade won the friendly competition between grades 5 through 8, donating 311 turkeys. The winners earned the privilege of loading all the birds into the “turkey bus,” a school bus that students had decorated especially for the event. They even seemed to enjoy the work, passing the turkeys one

by one via a human chain from the collection bins into the school bus. The 70 students then boarded two other school buses for the ride to the food bank to deliver the turkeys. Said one of the event’s student organizers, 7th-grader Kylie Fisher, “I didn’t expect us to bring in that many turkeys, just the Middle School—it was crazy! But it was great to see the people at the food bank so happy that we brought so much.” Adding to the fun was live TV coverage on 3TV’s Good Morning Arizona and a spot on ABC15’s morning news. Kylie also was interviewed on KTAR radio. Later in the day, a story on the St. Mary’s Food Bank website offered a big thank you, and reminded everyone involved of the purpose of the event saying, “What an amazing group of kids and teachers! Thank you so much for helping make sure Arizona families have a great holiday!”

STUDENT TRAVEL

5 Things I Loved About France by Kate Werth, ‘14

Upper School students traveled with French teacher Laurence Mills for a 10-day trip focusing on French language immersion, culture, history, and art.

Food In the mornings, we went to a nearby boulangerie to get croissants and bread. We also stopped by many gelato and dessert shops. We picked up macaroons from Ladurée, the best makers of macaroons in the world.

I tried escargot and to my surprise, I liked it! When we visited Madame Mills’ family in Beurlay, they taught us how to cook a few traditional French dishes. American recreations of French foods do not come close to the quality of genuine French cuisine.

Museums, Chateaus, and Cathedrals We visited the Louvre in Paris. The vast amount of spectacular art is overwhelming; even the ceilings are covered with paintings! One of my favorite exhibits was the Napoleon III

apartments. The extravagant decoration was so beautiful and the state dining room was enormous. We visited the breathtaking Palace of Versailles, where everything was beautiful and full of history. We also travelled to many chateaus and cathedrals including St. Malo, Mont St. Michel, Chateau de Chambord, Chateau de Langeais. Each site had exquisite architecture from the period in which it was built.

Claude Monet’s Gardens We went to Giverny to see Monet’s gardens and home. The gardens have two parts: a flower garden and a water garden. The flower garden was incredible, with hundreds of flowers in bloom. I saw so many different types that I had never seen. In the magnificent water garden, we saw the bridges and water lilies depicted in Monet’s paintings.

Daily Life We traveled around France on trains and used the Metro to get around in Paris, in addition to walking a lot. I loved how large yet dense Paris is as a city. The French people seemed to give much care and attention to their everyday activities and rituals.

Outdoor Cafés We found cafés on every street in Paris. All of the restaurants and cafés had outdoor seating, which seems to be favored by many French people. I really liked sitting outside on a busy street and talking with friends while watching the people and the activity of the bustling city.

A Tour of American History Interested 7th-& 8th-graders traveled to Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia during spring break, led by Middle School history teachers Katie McKean and Sheila Marks. Here are some notes from their journals.

We arrived to the shock of cold winds with great contrast to the sunny, 90-degree weather of Phoenix. We boarded our bus and headed out to the majestic sights awaiting us: the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the White House. After dinner, our eyes were fixed on the slender silhouette of the Washington Monument against a sky painted with rays of pink and orange by the sun. Bianca Partovi, Anika Sanghvi, and Jenna Moore

Today was our second day exploring the historic city of Washington, D.C. We headed off in our warm coach bus to see the neighborhood of Georgetown. We strolled along the shops and learned about the history of the town. Then we were greeted by three PCDS alums and toured the beautiful Georgetown University campus. Later we walked to the White House for photos. Alana Francis-Crow, Georgi Pregulman, Rica Chan, Amy Bedeir

We bundled up for a cold and rainy day in D.C. We enjoyed a tour of the U.S. Capitol and saw the statue that represents Arizona. After that, we took a short walk to Senator John McCainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office, where we had the opportunity to learn a little bit about him and ask him some questions. Louis Aaron, Ben Davies, A.J. Rosenthal, and Daniel Bodney

Senator McCain read us his schedule for the day, which included meetings with ambassadors, an immigration meeting, an interview with The New Yorker magazine, meeting a diplomat from Egypt, and a debriefing. He was so gracious, answering all our questions, taking group photos, and then taking us to the room where the Senate hearings (such as Watergate) take place. Katie McKean, 7th-grade history teacher

We awoke to snow on our final day, in the City of Brotherly Love. Many people were excited to run the Rocky steps later that morning. We ate breakfast at the hotel buffet, which lacked six raw eggs. We all appeared in the lobby, dressed in sweatpants, gloves, hats, and several warm layers. Finally, we arrived at the Philadelphia Art Museum and ran the steps. Nicholas Currault

A VERY cold and blustery day to begin at Valley Forge. Then off we went for authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwiches in South Philly. Next was the Duck Tour (brrrrrr) and Liberty Bell, visitor's center, & city walking tour. We walked and talked and took in sights...Ben Franklin's Grave, Althen Street, etc., until a fantastic after-hours presentation at Independence Hall. Katie McKean, 7th-grade history teacher

STUDENT TRAVEL

Catalina Island a Natural

by Gina Bridgeman, Editor

Back in the early 1990s, then Head of Middle School John Crabb asked teachers to come up with fall class trip ideas to fit the curriculum. Eighth-grade science classes spend a semester on oceanography, but how do you study the ocean in the middle of the desert? “Kids love the ocean, they really want to study it,” Mr. Crabb says, “but they don’t know anything about it.” So the school began a trip to Dana Point, a seaside community in Orange County, California. Longtime Middle School teacher Joyce Cone was in charge of the 8th-grade class trip back in 1994 when the idea first came up to go to Catalina Island. Students who had attended the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI) at Cherry Cove suggested it. Betsy Youngman, 8th-grade science teacher, soon took over the trip and ran it (along with Sheila Marks) for several years until Mrs. Youngman retired. Classes went to CIMI at Cherry Cove from 1994 until 2000. Because of the September 11 attacks, there was no Catalina trip in 2001 for the Class of 2006. Then in 2002, 8th-grade classes began going to the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program (CELP) at Howlands Landing. That program has been hugely successful for the school and the students. “Here they really start to understand the relationship between the sea, the land, and the air,” Mr. Crabb says, as students have the

opportunity to watch these delicate interactions first hand instead of in a video. Students also begin to understand the impact of human interaction with the natural environment. “We hike into the hills behind the camp and see the invasive species—such as fennel—that people have brought to the area, and see the damage [to native plant life] that’s been done because of it.” Besides the strong connection to the science curriculum, this is a bonding trip for the grade. Students come together for group activities such as the high ropes course and hikes in addition to the traditional campfire. It’s also a time to get to know a PCDS senior, as several make the trip as leaders and cabin chaperones. All of these elements combine to make this perhaps the most memorable PCDS class trip. “Best school trip ever,” several students wrote in trip evaluations last year. Perusing those evaluations, it’s easy to see what gets the highest marks from students: the senior class leaders, the night snorkel, (does “bioluminescence” ring a bell?) the campfire, and the food. Four signs on the bulletin board in John Crabb’s science classroom highlight these principles: Everything is connected. Biodiversity is good. There is no waste in nature. Everything runs on nature. Students probably don’t understand the significance of these ideas when they first enter the classroom in August, but after Catalina, they never forget.

ACADEMIC NEWS PCDS Students Win New York Times Writing Contest Three members of the Phoenix Country Day School class of 2013 were named winners in the Fourth Annual New York Times Found Poetry Contest. Megan Cathey, Scott Minard, and Micah Travis were among only 12 winners chosen from more than 1,000 entries. A fourth student, Jessica Cohen, was named a runner-up. The contest, open to anyone in the world between the ages of 13 and 25, asked entrants to create new, original poems using words and phrases found in New York Times articles. The PCDS students’ poems were written as part of a senior elective course, The Art of Composition, taught by Andrea Decker. Entry in the contest was a required assignment for the class. The judging panel was unaware of students’ names, ages, or hometowns when judging the poems. According to the contest’s editor, it is “unprecedented” for one school, much less one class, to include three winners and a runner-up.

Teachers Honored with Chair Awards for 2012-13 Several PCDS teachers were honored with awards for excellence in teaching at the final faculty meeting of the school year in June. The awards, presented by Headmaster Andrew Rodin (pictured, center), are part of a PCDS tradition that goes back as long as 25 years. The Rex L. Allison Chair for Excellence in Teaching, named for one of the school’s founders, was instituted in 1988. Given annually, the award provides a $1000 stipend for the recipient. This year’s honor went to Middle School Classics teacher Rebecca Bernhardt (pictured, left). Other awards: The Dorrance Family Chair for Science was given to Toni Hall (second from right), Lower School science teacher. The Loback Family Chair for History went to Katie McKean (far right), 7th-grade history teacher. The Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Foundation Chair for English, awarded every three years went to Andrea Decker (second from left), 10th-grade English teacher, in 2011.

Latin Students Win State Competition Middle and Upper School Latin students joined forces to win the 2013 Arizona Junior Classical League State Competition. Fifty students—10 Middle and 40 Upper School—competed against other schools from around the state in a variety of contests in the arts, public speaking, academics, and athletics as they relate to Classical language, culture, and history. Highlights: 1st place for Middle School Novice Certamen; 2nd place for Upper School Advanced Certamen; and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for Upper School Open Certamen. “Certamen” is Latin for competition, and is a quiz bowl-style contest with classics-themed questions. PCDS students also took several 1st-place awards in the arts in pencil drawing, sculpture, watercolor, and pottery, as well as 1st -place awards in public speaking and several academic categories. In all, 46 students earned a total of 153 awards. Latin teachers are Robin Anderson (Upper School) and Jennifer Cunningham (Middle School.)

Debate Wins State Championship PCDS debaters won an unprecedented 10th state title at the Division III Speech and Debate Championships in March. The team of Nitya Agrawal ’13 (pictured, second from right) and Sabrina Whitfill ’15 (second from left) won the championship in policy debate. Sharing third place were the teams of Fallon Leyba (far right) and Kyle Kinnie (left), both class of 2015, and Oliver Marsden and Daniel Bashir both class of 2016. The tournament took place at River Valley High School, near Needles, Calif. Upper School teacher Matt Guthrie coached the team. 29

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Student’s Photography Explores Phoenix Historic Landmarks Alexandra Melikian ’14 turned her love for photography and her interest in history into a project that will both entertain and contribute to historic preservation. During her junior year at PCDS, Alexandra created a deck of playing cards featuring photos of some of Phoenix’s most well known historic landmarks. Each card in Explore Phoenix Historic Landmarks features an original color photograph, taken by Alexandra, of one of 54 historic sites in our capital city, such as the Hotel San Carlos, the Heard Museum, the Biltmore Hotel, the Rosson House, and the state capitol. The cards include the building’s name, address, and date of construction so that they can be used as an educational tool for students, tourists, and anyone interested in the city’s history. Alexandra began the project after taking a photography course at PCDS as a sophomore. She says she plans to create similar sets, including one of mid-century modern buildings in Arizona, requested by officials at the Phoenix Art Museum, where the current set of cards is sold. “There's a lot more to do, even in the Phoenix area,” Alexandra says. The cards also are available at amazon.com. Five percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Arizona Preservation Foundation for outreach and education. For more information, visit azpreservation.org or explorehistorycards.com.

Student Receives High Honor from Boy Scouts Jackson Murphy ’13 was honored by the Grand Canyon Council of the Boy Scouts of America with the National Eagle Scout Association’s Outstanding Eagle Scout Award. An Eagle Scout since June 2011, Jackson was one of six Eagles honored for their outstanding achievements. At age 17 he was the youngest honoree; the oldest was 85 years old. The award may be presented to an Eagle Scout of any age at any time during his life. As Jackson says, “Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.” At a recognition dinner held at the Phoenix Convention Center, Jackson received a framed certificate, a medal, and a lapel pin. The certificate notes that the award “recognizes Eagle Scouts who have brought great honor to the highest rank of the Boy Scouts of America through their personal and professional contributions at the local, state, and regional level." Besides his scouting activities, Jackson also was captain of the swim team and enjoyed performing in the school musicals. In his senior year he was awarded a 4-year, Navy ROTC scholarship, which covers full tuition at Miami University of Ohio as Jackson trains to become an officer in the U.S. Navy. He will study Naval Science along with his other university courses, participate in physical training during the school year, and also summer cruises for training. Upon graduation in 2017, Jackson will be commissioned as a Navy officer and serve at least five years.

Upper School Student Honored as Volunteer

Middle School Robotics Teams Succeed in Regional Competition

Jonathan Rooney ’14 was awarded "Teen Volunteer of the Year" by the Arizona Animal Welfare League for his commitment to their organization. He has volunteered more than 700 hours in the past three years. His involvement includes educating children ages 6-16 on zoology and veterinary medicine; caring for a multitude of exotic animals; and building enclosures for the comfort of the animals and for use in education.

The two PCDS Middle School robotics teams competed successfully at the regional qualifying tournament. Out of 15 teams, our 5/6 and 7/8 teams, coached by MS teachers Joe Tamer and Jill Scott, respectively, took home three first-place trophies out of five student categories: Best Project and Presentation (7/8 team); Robot Design (5/6 team); and Robot Showcase Showdown (5/6 team).

State Fair Winning Streak Continues Jess Sherman ’16 won five ribbons in the culinary arts last year at the Arizona State Fair. Jess, an avid baker who has entered state fair competition for nine consecutive years, won first-place blue ribbons for her lemon cookies and apple bars; a second place red ribbon for chocolate caramel-filled cookies; and two third-place white ribbons for turtle cookies and peanut butter popcorn bars. Last year, Jess's molasses cookies took first place at the fair.

Farewell Lee Buettner retired in June after 23 years at PCDS. She served as Executive Assistant to Head of School Galen Brewster, and then Director of International Programs. We wish her the very best! "When I was Head of PCDS, I had the good fortune to have Lee Buettner as my Executive Assistant. Anyone who has worked with Lee will know immediately how lucky I was to be backstopped, advised, steered and scheduled by a person who could run anything, and run it well. Actually, Lee ran me pretty well, too. And Lee made it fun, even in tough going. Great schools attract great people. Lee will always be one I admire as among the very best I ever knew." Galen Brewster, Head of School, 1995-2005

ARTS NEWS Strings Students Earn Regional Honors Several Upper School strings students were chosen by audition to participate in the Arizona Music Educators Association regional music festival. They were: Daniel Bashir (violin), Freya Irani (viola), and Anita Sheih (cello), all Class of 2016; and Chelsea Wu ’14 (violin). Freya and Chelsea also earned Superior ratings in the solo ensemble festival, along with Wynston Hamann ’15 (cello). PCDS is located in AMEA’s west region, which includes some of the area’s largest high schools, such as Arcadia, Chaparral, Central, and Pinnacle.

Concert Band Earns Festival Honors The Middle School Concert Band, directed by Dave Rowe, received a "Superior with Distinction" award at the annual Arizona Music Educators Concert Band Festival. The band was comprised of 37 students in 7th and 8th grades who met during lunch or homework help time. They performed two very different pieces at the festival: a slow, emotional song called "Black Is The Color," based on a poem of the same name, and "Aztec Fire," a fast, rhythmic piece. “It really was a magical performance,” said Mr. Rowe. The select band also represented the School at the ABODA (Ariz. Band and Orchestra Directors Assoc.) Concert Band Festival in April.

Students Honored at All-State Festival Freya Irani ’16 was named first chair viola at the three-day Arizona All-State Music Festival. According to strings teacher Maurine Fleming, "For a ninth-grader to be named best in the state is an impressive accomplishment." In addition, Chelsea Wu ’14 made the first violin section. Several hundred students auditioned for places in the All-State orchestra. Ms. Fleming was a participating director for the festival. In addition, Freya was a scholarship winner in the 2013 Phoenix Youth Symphony’s Young Musician’s Competition. She played viola and won second place in the Lower Strings division. In the final round, she was one of the top ten winners, receiving a fully paid scholarship to the four-week Foulger International Music Festival summer camp in New Jersey.

Strings Teacher Plays for Opera Events Maurine Fleming, Middle and Upper School strings teacher, played cello with the Phoenix Opera Orchestra for the February 24 concert of world-renowned opera singer Jonas Kaufman at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix. Ms. Fleming also played for the Arizona Opera performances of Verdi's classic Il Trovatore in March.

Art Teacher Featured in Phoenix Magazine Phoenix Magazine named Upper School art teacher Lauren Strohacker its Artist of the Month in the April issue. Ms. Strohacker was one of several artists chosen to develop installations for empty storefronts and vacant lots around the Valley through the public art movement InFlux and a partnership with Roosevelt Row's A.R.T.S. (Adaptive Reuse of Temporary Space). Her sculptural installation “Encounter,” located on E. Roosevelt St. in Phoenix, was unveiled at First Friday in April 5.

Upper School Student Earn Singing Honors Jillian Gilburne ’16 was accepted by audition into the 2013 National Honor Choir for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Over 3,600 singers auditioned from all over the country. The event took place in Dallas, Tex., in March. This was the second consecutive year that Jillian was chosen for an ACDA honor choir.

Lower School Students Earn Recognition for Works of Art Lower School students were again honored in two major Phoenix-area art competitions. For the last several years, art teacher Michelle Gurnee has encouraged students by entering pieces in both the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra’s Paint to Music Competition and Creative Arts in Healing’s Vessels of Hope ceramic arts contest. Our students have excelled in both competitions and have seen their work honored and displayed publicly. While these are competitions, that’s not the motivation behind the school’s participation. “We don't emphasize winners,” Ms. Gurnee says. “These are opportunities for recognition for the students’ approach to the given project. Students are able to see that visual art can be shared within a public venue, and they can bring others joy through their created work." This was the third year of PCDS participation in Vessels of Hope. Ms. Gurnee entered more than 80 pieces by her students in grades 2-4, and PCDS students finished 1-23 in the kindergarten-grade five category. Judges were professional ceramic artists. Tajh Redden (grade 4) won first place with a dragon piece entitled, “My Name is Hope.” Judges praised Tajh’s use of color and called the piece “very sophisticated,” and “well thought out in all aspects.” Tajh admitted he was happy but surprised to take first place. “I thought another kid would win,” he said. And what’s the best thing about creating art? “It’s fun,” he said.

the created work, each a type of vessel. The recognized pieces continue on display at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America as a visual tool to encourage healing. This year’s Paint to Music Competition, sponsored by Young Arts Arizona in partnership with The Phoenix Symphony, was inspired by Gustav Holst’s The Planets. Each year, the competition encourages students from around the Valley to create artwork inspired by specific pieces of music or themes. Ms. Gurnee and her students submitted approximately 120 visual art pieces to the competition. For the fifth year in a row, several PCDS students were honored as finalists. They were: Kimmy Pasternack (grade 1); Cyrus Symington (grade 2); Alexander Ashman, Hailey DeMark, and Renat Robinson (grade 3); and Rachel Cooper, Lexi Flader, Spencer McKee, and Ciara Rethore (grade 4).

Second place went to McKinley Paltzik (grade 2), for “Hope of the Phoenix,” which judges called “positive emotionally” while praising its “optimistic color.” Third place went to Gwen Bindley (grade 4), for a piece titled, "Hope." Judges particularly liked the way Gwen made the word three-dimensional, making “hope a real thing, not just a word.” Earning Honorable Mention awards were Hannah Drewitz, Ella Maffi, and Victoria Moreno (grade 4); Renat Robinson (grade 3); and Hilary Tucker (grade 2.) The judges chose pieces based on the artist’s ability to express hope through

In addition to these honors, three pieces created by Lower School students were chosen to hang in the lobby of The Phoenix Symphony offices for daily viewing by symphony patrons, musicians, and staff. The students are Madison Williams (grade 3), and Kyndall Cole and Gwen Bindley (grade 4). One of the best parts of the experience is that the honored students have the opportunity to invite family and friends to special receptions to see their art. Vessels of Hope recognizes and awards students during its reception. The Phoenix Symphony held an opening reception for the exhibition of student work at the Phoenix Art Museum’s Children’s Gallery.

Where Are They Now? PCDS has produced more than its share of professional writers. What’s so special about the teaching of writing at PCDS? Not to pat ourselves on the back too ferociously, but I think the key is that we expect students to write regularly, and that we give them both direct instruction and individual feedback about the writing they do. They write on laptops in the classrooms in several of the lower grades, they write both formally and informally in classes throughout their years, they are held to standards of both content and mechanics, and they get lots of practice. We offer them, in addition, several outlets other than the classroom. Publications in math, Spanish, and creative writing give them a wider audience. So the formula is simple, repeated at every grade level, and obviously much easier to administer in a school where teacher loads are 50 to 60 rather than 150: write often, receive instruction and encouragement, and be held accountable for the quality of the work you do. — English Dept. Chair Lance Coon Here’s what several of our alumni, all successful writers, have to say about their experiences at PCDS: Virginia Anders ’69 teaches writing and English in the Success Center at Phoenix College. She has published songs, poems, essays, and articles. What recent project are you most proud of? This question makes me smile because the answer is easy— the book I published through Amazon.com in 2012, Joe’s War: His Yorktown Letters Home, 1944-1945. It’s the collection of my father’s wartime letters to my mother. He wrote with passion and humanity, and with an intellectual curiosity that astounded me. I knew my father had wanted to write a book from his letters, so just as they became his legacy to me, the book is my gift to his memory. I hope it inspires others to find and share their families’ stories. Did someone in the PCDS community influence you to become a writer? Mrs. Barbara Yellott, wife of Dr. John Yellott [PCDS headmaster from 1966-1972]. She and her husband were both accomplished, highly literate, generous people who made themselves accessible to students. Barbara’s gift to me was her abiding interest in me as a writer and as a thinker. She and I spent time together through the years, talking and discussing writing—hers, mine, and other writers’ work as well. I’ve listed her in the acknowledgements in the book I published recently: “Mrs. Barbara Yellott, the first professional writer I knew, who treated my teen-aged writing with respect, and encouraged my youthful efforts.” How did your experiences at PCDS shape your voice as a writer? The fact that the community environment of PCDS, right from the beginning, as a fifth grader, treated me as a person with my own mind, curiosity, and talents to build upon fueled my confidence to explore the world around me. PCDS encouraged me to take my own work seriously, to pay attention to the details, and to do the hard work necessary to create a finished product I can feel good about. 34

Elizabeth Dias ’04 is a writer/ reporter at TIME magazine. You can follow and support Elizabeth on Twitter @elizabethjdias. What recent project are you most proud of? This year I wrote two TIME cover stories, one on the Latino Reformation in the United States, and another on the Trayvon Martin case. The story that had the biggest impact however is one I wrote in June called “The Horror Upstairs,” uncovering one of the deadliest but least-known crimes against gays in American history. Forty years ago, a gay bar in New Orleans was mysteriously firebombed, and the community did almost nothing to seek justice. Bringing the truth into the light about that gruesome crime was a powerful experience, and local Louisiana leaders asked forgiveness for their past silence. Did someone in the PCDS community influence you to become a writer? My first homework assignment in high school was to write a paragraph, and I completely freaked out. I am forever grateful to Dr. Becky Allison—her 9th-grade English class was one of the biggest gifts of my life. I am now convinced that the art of the essay was the most valuable skill I learned in the whole of my education, college and graduate school included, and I learned it every day at PCDS. How did your experiences at PCDS shape your voice as a writer? PCDS is a community of inspirers. Teachers, students, coaches—everyone helped to form me as a person, not just as a writer. Writing is more than a technical skill. It is about seeing a story, catching a vision for its future, and discerning where its power lies. Those things often come from one’s core, and I am grateful for all the people at PCDS who nurtured the whole of my inner spirit.

Eric Felten ’82 is a culture columnist for the The Wall Street Journal, where he frequently writes about art, music, and books. His WSJ cocktail column, “How’s Your Drink?” won a James Beard award for Best Newspaper Writing on Spirits, Wine, or Beer. He has written three books, and his journalism has been published in People, Washingtonian, and The Weekly Standard. What recent work project are you most proud of? My most recent book, Loyalty: The Vexing Virtue, was published by Simon and Schuster in 2011. The book explores why loyalty is so problematic. The nut of the argument: Loyalty is essential to every relationship that is important to us, and yet, because there are many such relationships, our multiple loyalties have a nasty habit of coming into crazy-making conflict. The book examines loyalty through examples taken from philosophy, history, current affairs, and literature, including Sophocles’ Antigone, perhaps the greatest tale of loyalties at loggerheads—and a play that I first read in a PCDS classroom. Did someone in the PCDS community influence you to become a writer? I was very fortunate to have, in Middle School, James Roof, who would stroll the classroom in his professorial brown corduroy suit as we learned to diagram beautifully convoluted sentences. But it was in Upper School that I realized I would have to be a scribbler. It started with the summer reading list before freshman year, which included brilliant mid-century books such as A Bell for Adano and Rabbit Run. More than anyone, Mary DeMarzo sent me down the ink-stained path. Senior year she gave a seminar on Charles Dickens that recreated a peculiar Victorian reading experience. We all sat about doing crafts while one or another of us would take a turn reading Nicholas Nickleby, much as families of the time would have consumed the serialized book. I realized good writing was rollicking good fun, even when dealing with serious business.

Stacey Richter ’83 is the author of two short story collections, My Date with Satan and Twin Study. Her work has won numerous prizes and awards, including the National Magazine Award for fiction. What recent work project are you most proud of? Twin Study, my most recent collection of short stories. Did someone in the PCDS community influence you to become a writer? I only went to PCDS through eighth grade, and for me that was too early in life to choose a profession or even a passion. But I’ll always be grateful to Rod Dashnaw for informing my parents that I was smart. They didn’t seem to believe him, actually, but I still appreciate the gesture. How did your experiences at PCDS shape your voice as a writer? I learned to read and write at PCDS, which eventually formed the basis of my work.

New This Year - The Writing Center At the Writing Center, Upper School students can seek help for their writing, whether for analytical essays or creative writing pieces. Students may make an appointment with one of the student tutors for a more individualized experience, or join in on one of the many broad-based group seminars the Writing Center offers. Currently located at the College Counseling wing of the Upper School (next door to Mr. Schweikher’s office), the Writing Center is open to students at any time. —Alice Zhao ’14, Head Tutor of the Writing Center Sarah Driscoll, 11th-grade English teacher, founded the Writing Center this year, the result of a Yellott Grant project she completed this past summer.

How did your experiences at PCDS shape your voice as a writer? Books were taught at PCDS, not as things through which to be slogged in order to grub some dreary details for the test, but rather as exciting guides introducing us to new, unexpected, and revealing things about life. As a writer, that’s how I strive to engage the reader. Or at least I try to entertain a little, which is nearly as important.

Outstanding Alumni of the Year Two very diverse yet accomplished Phoenix Country Day School alumni were named the school’s Outstanding Alumni of the Year. Every year the Alumni Association honors one or more individuals who have distinguished themselves through community service, professional achievement, or service to PCDS. Nominations are solicited from the entire alumni body, and a committee comprised of members of the Alumni Board and the School’s administration selects the honoree(s) each year. The two outstanding alumni chosen this year, Herb Stratford ’83 and Mukesh Vidyasagar ’93, were honored during the school’s Alumni Weekend in April. If you know someone who should be considered for this award, please email the Alumni Office at alumni@pcds.org.

Herb Stratford, (left) who holds both undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Arizona, was honored for his work in the arts and historic preservation. One of the country’s premier authorities on historic theatre renovation, he spent ten years fundraising and renovating Tucson’s historic Fox Theatre. His efforts revived one of the classic theaters in the U.S. to its former glory. Mr. Stratford is also a published author, a classically trained cellist, and a visual artist of renown in the Tucson art scene. A well known arts and movie critic in Tucson, he is also the film programmer for the Napa Valley Film festival.

Mukesh Vidyasagar (right) lives in Los Angeles and has worked in both the television and film industries. Inspired in part by his family's own struggles gaining access to water in India, he has dedicated much of his time and talent to raising money and awareness about the global water crisis. His film, Silent Water, (www.silentwaterthefilm.com) is a narrative short that, according to Mr. Vidyasagar, “aims to draw attention to the issue while allowing those less fortunate to keep their dignity.” Through sponsored screenings of his film, he has raised funds dedicated to building sustainable water projects in southern India. So far, he has helped nearly 400 schoolchildren gain access to clean water for life. Mr. Vidyasagar works for Universal Pictures in their Leadership Program, a unique initiative within the Motion Pictures group at Universal that aims to develop and nurture young talent.

Past Recipients 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Nick Sakellariadis ’69 Steve Talley ’69 Cleve Jones ’72 Robin Mullen Waldmann ’72 Carolyn Polson O’Malley ’65 Michael Pachtman ’70 Jim O’Connor ’77 Herman & Cathy Lewkowitz ’79 Anne Brook, Honorary Fritz Henze ’67 Clarissa Simek Robinson ’88 Tom Kempner Jr. ’71 Laurie Wray ’80 Barbara Jones Hirvela ’70 Peter Spiegel ’88 Arden O’Connor ’96

2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012

Joan Hay ’67 Ana Maria Lopez ’78 Rebecca Moran ’95 Kirstin Gormley-Ghaster ’89 Margi Woods Brown ’85 Eric Felten ’82 Matt Rollings ’83 Stanley Casselman ’81 Jacques deLisle ’78 Peter Spiegel ’88 Apichai Shipper ’87 Paul Wernick Rhett Reese ’87 Leora Romney ’82 John Schupbach ’06

Alumni Board Mission The Board of the PCDS Alumni Association will work to personalize the connections between the interests of the School's graduates and the needs of the institution. As these connections are made, the members of the Board will help to interpret them to the School and to prioritize them for the attention of Trustees and Staff. An important effect of this process will be the identification and implementation of fund raising projects that will attract the interest and support of the School's alumni. For more information about serving on the Alumni Board, please email the Alumni Office at alumi@pcds.org. President Augustine Gomez `99 Board Members Randall Steckler `80

Brian Snyder `01

Clarissa Simek Robinson `88

Elizabeth Reahard Oviedo '04

Sarah Vieh Dworkin '98

Clare Burnham `07

Janelle Plaza Lika `98

Asher Landay '07

Aylin Tashman Kim `99

Ben McRae `07

Honorary Donna Kinney '71

CAMPUS HISTORY

Names You Know. . . Ann Hays Daley Anyone passing by the peaceful garden just to the west of the Upper School’s Brewster Library knows the name Ann Hays Daley. This quiet spot on campus was dedicated to her in 1993. Ann was the mother of four PCDS graduates: Laura ’85, Hugh ’87, Tim ’89, and Rick ’91. An active volunteer at PCDS, Ann passed away in the fall of 1990 after a long battle with cancer. The garden dedication was the work of a group of her closest women friends who were also PCDS parents. They included Sherrie Hackett – grandmother to current students Emme Kate (4th grade), Kather (2nd grade), and Rainey (kindergarten) Hackett. The bee symbol in the center of the garden was a sweet reminder of Ann’s love of bees. (And did you know that if you stand on that center spot and speak, you hear a wonderful echo effect?)

The bridge that connects the Upper School with the rest of campus was also dedicated to Ann. Built in 199091, the bridge was part of a joint project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that helped protect the School against dangerous flooding. Ann’s husband, Dr. Richard Daley, was instrumental in seeing that she was memorialized through this iconic campus structure.

Dr. Richard Daley, son Rick, and Head of School Margaret (Peg) Madden at the dedication of the bridge.

PCDS Associate Athletic Director Bob Kosower, who was Athletic Director at the time, says, “Ann was a great supporter of the school and volunteered on many different committees. She

was our Athletic Booster Club president and her children were very active in athletics. She and her husband made a wonderful team in supporting the school.”

ALUMNI BRIEFS Alumni Host Students at Colleges This past spring, two groups of Middle School students were hosted by our alumni for tours of their college campuses. In March, a group of 7th- and 8th-graders on a spring break history trip to Washington, D.C. (see story pg. 27) toured Georgetown University with hosts Julia Najafi (Class of 2011), Shannon Manley ‘11, and Nimra Khan ‘12. In May, the 7th grade’s class trip to Boston took them to Harvard, where alums Nicole Bassoff ’12, Zoe Simon ’12, Danielle Lee ’12, and Rachel Chanen ’11 showed off their campus. Said 7th-grade student Jordan Merkel, “I thought it was really cool to see how students that were in our seats

Ben Mattinson ’12 Goes to the White House Ben Mattinson ’12, winner of the 2012 FIRST Future Innovator Award, was invited by President Barack Obama to attend the 3rd Annual Science Fair held at the White House in April. Each year about 100 inventors from elementary school through high school across the U.S. are invited to attend the Science Fair. Many of these students have already won national awards.

just a couple years ago are now going to a great school.” Here (above) those alumnae are pictured along with 7th-grade teachers (from left) Katie McKean, Chris Palmer, Michele Huskey, Jerry Cook, and Liz Olson.

The EyeWriterB 2.1 is based on earlier versions of software that lacked much of the functionality that patients needed. Ben’s goal was to make it possible for patients to use most aspects of the computer, such as word processing or browsing the Internet, by using their eyes to control the computer. He also wanted to make it more affordable. See the product working at http://tinyurl.com/eyewriterb21.

At the White House, Ben had the opportunity to meet with other student inventors and talk about his invention. The President later toured the Science Fair and discussed the different projects with several of the students. They were then all invited into the East Room where the President addressed them and thanked them, their teachers, mentors, and parents for their achievements. “It was an incredible honor to be invited,” said Ben. “It was amazing to see the President and meet many of the other students to see what incredible things they had accomplished. This was truly a trip of a lifetime.” Ben, a freshman at MIT, is one of the founding members of the PCDS Blue Tide Robotics team. He won the FIRST Future Innovator Award sponsored by the Abbott Fund for his work on an eye-tracking system that allows people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to use eye movements to control a computer mouse and keyboard. Ben first heard about the concept from Dr. Alan Pitt of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix and he worked with Dr. Suraj Muley, also from Barrow. With the aid of their feedback, he developed the EyeWriterB 2.1, an improved version of an existing open source eye-tracking system called the EyeWriter.

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1971 Paul Orme writes, “I continue to work full-time in my law practice at Salmon, Lewis and Weldon in Phoenix as well as manage my family ranch in Yavapai County. My wife and I have three grown daughters, all of whom have graduated from college with one who recently received her master’s degree from Thunderbird School of International Business.”

1972 Gary “Geg” Holiff says, “I have three amazing, loving children. Jacqui is 28 and specializes in pediatric psychiatry; Kelly is 26 and a musical theatre performer; and Alex is 23 and works in the real estate division of a bank and is a serial entrepreneur. All three are in Toronto. Here is a picture of me from the multiple-award-winning recent movie, “My Father And The Man In Black.” My cousin Jonathan Holiff wrote, directed, and produced a feature-length documentary about his father Saul, manager of Johnny Cash and others. I was very close to Saul and happen to look like him, so I was cast in the movie to play my uncle. I even got to help act out the emotional suicide scene. I was one of a dozen-plus cast and crew on set. What a unique and thrilling experience this all was. Like many of my family in the entertainment business, I was always working production on the other side of the lens. I was a pro-

fessional photographer turned news cameraman and videographer for CityTV. During that time, my brother David discovered and managed two unknown comics, Jim Carrey and Howie Mandel. They all moved to LA and the rest is history. I shot and still have all of the beginning headshots, PR, and video for Jim and Howie when they were teenagers. I am very fortunate to have some wonderful childhood friends whom I see when I visit Arizona. I loved my experiences growing up there and will always hold AZ very close to my heart.” 1974 Deb Dahlberg Rowland is “living the dream on our ranch in Bastrop, Texas. It was a great summer for real estate sales. Favorite thing to do with hubby is kayaking on the Colorado River on Sunday afternoons! Life couldn’t get much better.”

Bill Spence received a B.A. in French literature from Loyola University of Chicago and has had diverse careers: international banking in Chicago; travel agent and consultant in Chicago and both Santa Maria and Santa Bar-

bara, Calif.; administrative assistant at the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB); medical office assistant and Realtor in Phoenix, Ariz. Bill shares this about his work today: “I am a caregiver and certified nursing assistant. I love taking care of people in their homes. My clients get the first class quality home health care they deserve. For information, please go to my website- BillMyCaregiver.com 1976 Barbara Baxter Andrino reports on her summer, “I got to take a break from work at the Health Department to enjoy the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Almost heaven.” Steve Casselman and Willy Korp (also ’76) are cycling aficionados who took part in the two-day Vortex ride in Sedona in May. They’ve been riding in this event for more than 15 years. Willy Korp and his wife Emily take time in the summer for Sundance, “a two-week community event centered around a ceremony for creating a large personal and collective intent for self, community, others, and the planet. It is hard work, fun, and fulfilling,” Willy says. “We camp for two weeks in the high desert with a couple of hundred other people, including teens and kids.” This year, Willy missed some parts of the ceremony to work on his growing IT consulting business,

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www.korpconsulting.com. Photo: Wife Emily and two daughters at Havasupai. We do a family reunion there every year. Also shown: Christmas tree cutting a couple of years ago. Ken Zrike ’76 on the right, his sons Daniel and Dillon, and their friends. On the left is Emily and her daughter Andrea. 1977 Debra Ziehm Lilly is very excited to announce that she and Bob are grandparents! “Jacob and Martina introduced us (and the rest of the world) to Clara Gabrielle Lilly on August 2. She’s adorable and we’re having a lot of fun learning this new trick called grandparenting! And yes, all that gorgeous dark hair is real. I’m insanely jealous!”

Contemporary Art (La Jolla). I will be featured at the fair with about a dozen paintings. More info and new work always being added to my site at www. stanleycasselman.com. Photo: This piece will be at KIAF with Gallery Eugene. It’s particulars are 53” x 65” (135 x 165cm), acrylic on canvas. William “Bil” Kerrigan spent much of the summer giving talks at book clubs and libraries about his book, Johnny Appleseed & the American Orchard, published by Johns Hopkins University Press late last year. The book is part biography of John Chapman, part history of the apple in America. He also spent time in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, conducting research for his next book, a broader history of the apple in North America.

Alexandra de Trenck Glasser says, “Sending your kid to college is oddly reminiscent of sending her to her first day of kindergarten... Aack! Here’s convocation for the Georgetown class of 2017. Proud parent alums got to welcome all the new students. Very moving...Hoya Saxa!

Karla Earnhardt Strand writes, “In May I started my 20th year as a Southwest Airlines flight attendant and celebrated my third anniversary as a cancer survivor! I was fortunate enough to take most of the summer off and enjoy our second home in Port

1981 Stanley Casselman has had a busy fall and winter with work in four art fairs: Korean International Art Fair in Seoul, Oct. 3-7 with Gallery Eugene; Vienna Fair in Vienna, Austria with Gazelli Art House, (London), Oct. 10-13; Kunst Zurich, in Zurich, Switzerland, with Vertes Modern, Oct. 31-Nov. 3; and finally Art Miami, Dec. 3-8, in Miami, Fla., with Scott White

son Colin at Universal Studios Hollywood.

1982 Catherine Best Gordon was named Trainer of the Year at the third Turbulence Training Summit in San Diego, Calif., in June. The award was presented for her success in helping clients lose fat and gain health and for the growth of Gordon Studio in Sonora, Calif. Here’s Cathy, husband Van, and 43

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Angeles, Wash., where the high was never over 74 degrees! Eventually we hope to move up here full-time.” Eric Felten is both a writer and a musician. “I’ve combined journalism with music to do a new jazz TV show that’s broadcast internationally on Voice of America. It’s called Beyond Category with Eric Felten and I interview great jazz musicians, they perform, and then I play something along with them. In the U.S. the show can be seen online at www.voanews.com/beyondcategory.” In August, he enjoyed seeing his old PCDS friend Matt Rollings ’83 perform at Wolf Trap in Virginia. Matt’s the music director and pianist for Lyle Lovett’s Large Band. Carolina Lopez shares a photo of herself with Cathy Best Gordon and Laura Levy, all class of ’82, at Camelback Inn getting ready for their PCDS reunion on campus this past spring.

James Perry is a successful aerospace analyst who lives and works in northern Virginia. He’s pictured here with his wife Elise and children Jack and Sophia.

1983 Vladimir Bolin received a degree in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Arizona and has spent most of the last 26 years in the laboratory testing industry. In 1993, Vladimir co-founded Aerotech Laboratories, Inc. with his brother Erik. Aerotech provided microbiological and chemical analysis of indoor air, food, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, drinking water, and hazardous waste, and also had specialized divisions for

bioterrorism testing and research. Aerotech grew to be the world’s largest indoor air quality testing laboratory. The company was purchased by the Severn Trent Group of companies in 2004. Vladimir then co-founded Chromosomal Laboratories, Inc., with his wife Nicole. Chromosomal was a leading analytical laboratory specializing in forensic DNA, paternity, family reconstruction and ancestry. The Bode Technology Group acquired Chromosomal Laboratories in 2012. Vladimir lives in north Scottsdale and has three children, Ragnar, Roark, and Taylor, and two granddaughters, Haven and Harlo, ages 6 and 3.

Sabrina Havard writes that she and her three children – Allie, 14, Sydney, 9, and Billy, 7, – enjoyed several trips this summer. Here they are on a visit to California. Photo: bottom center. Matt Rollings was on tour with Lyle Lovett and his Large Band this summer. “This year marks 30 years of working together for Lyle and me,” Matt says. “I’ve played on all his records, but this was the first tour I’ve done with him in nine years. Herb Stratford (also ’83) came to the show at the Marin Center in San Rafael and we took this photo backstage after the show.”

1985 Laura Daley Hutton has lived in her mother’s hometown of Memphis, Tenn., since 1993. Next year, she and her husband Hays will celebrate 20 years of marriage. They have two daughters, Ann Harlan, 16, and Christian, 13. Pursuing a fulfilling career as a graphic designer allowed Laura to work from home and be with her family as needed. However, several years ago she agreed to fill in as a substitute teacher and was immediately hooked. This came as no surprise to her father, who reminded her that

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teaching is in her DNA—her mom, grandmother, great-grandmother, and several aunts were teachers. Laura received her master’s in education in 2012 and landed her dream job teaching first grade at St. Mary’s Episcopal School, the private girls’ school that her daughters attend.

last two years for their coverage of the Eurozone crisis.

John Morey writes, “This summer, in the pursuit of expanding my wildlife and landscape photography portfolio, I travelled to Yosemite, Arches, Canyon Lands, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Death Valley National Parks, as well as led multiple guided trips into Vermilion Cliffs/Paria Canyon Wilderness. I’ve also been busy clearing dead brush and fire fuels from the 2.25 acres of raw land I acquired this summer in the Sierra Ancha Wilderness Area near Aztec Peak in central Arizona. It’s my dream land where I intend to build and retire to someday. Basically, I’ve just been living the dream.”

Bill Ramsey writes, “I spent my third straight June and July coaching my 13-year-old son Will’s All-Stars team for Desert Foothills Little League in Scottsdale. I ran into fellow ’89 alum Daniel Durchslag at the Arizona District 6 Little League tournament the past two years, and his son Kyle was a standout on the 2012 Arcadia team. Meanwhile, my 15-year-old daughter is a sophomore at Xavier, playing JV volleyball. My nine-year-old daughter keeps us busy with baseball (yes, baseball not softball), school, and just being the crazy third child. With three kids, I see Dr. Katie Cesal ’89 several times a year, as she is one of the doctors at our pediatrician’s practice. On the professional front, I’m bouncing back and forth between Phoenix and Minneapolis as I took a job with Target

1988 Clarissa Simek Robinson says, “Brian and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary on July 7th at Forest Highlands and Flagstaff, Ariz. We visited with Greg Boetel ’88 in June. And on July 20th, Lea and Lou Werner ’87 and I attended The Forest Highlands Foundation’s Bearfoot in the Pines Dinner and Auction supporting Flagstaff charities. (Photos at right)

Jeremy "Jed" Van Voorhis lives in Taipei, Taiwan and is a partner at Boyden Global Executive Search. 1989

Peter Spiegel and his wife Laura Cohn had their second child -- this time a daughter, Holly Morgan Spiegel -- in November 2012. Holly was born in Belgium, where her father is entering his third year as Brussels bureau chief of the Financial Times. Peter reports that as head of the four-man bureau, he “has spent nearly every waking hour covering the not-so-imminent demise of the euro.” He and his team won awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers the

in July. I’m leading a really smart crew of folks who run Target’s REDcard and GiftCard businesses and helping them transition these to the mobile world (among other things).” Masada Siegel, an international correspondent, was on assignment in Rome in February 2013. At the very 45

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hour that the Pope resigned, the first time in hundreds of years, she was on a private tour of the Vatican with two Swiss Guards. Her tour included the Pope’s private gardens, the armory of the Swiss Guards and their private quarters, as well as the Vatican museums and private areas of St. Peter’s Cathedral. She was one of the only journalists to see the Pope on the property that day. Two days later she attended the Pope’s first discussion with the public after he resigned.

1990 Caleb Reese starred in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson in June at Phoenix Theatre. Here’s what The Arizona Republic had to say about Caleb’s performance: “Marlboro Man-handsome

with a clean but muscular tenor, he embodies the anachronistic combination of frontier warrior and pop-punk idol, which makes it all the more hilarious when he whine-sings, in parody of emo rock, “Life sucks/And my life sucks in particular.” Before returning to the theater, Caleb spent nine years

performing with his rock band, The Instant Classics. 1991 Kerr Lordygan tells us, “A short film I was in, “When Kings Battle,” was selected for the Hollyshorts Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Visual Effects and Best of the Fest. I also directed a short play called Carrying On,

The highlight was spending lots of time with Kimberly Cox ’91 and her two children, Ayla and AJ, during their weeklong vacation at Mission Beach. 1992

which is now going to be published as a result. I wrote and produced a short called “Sexxxting,” currently being submitted to festivals, and I wrote and starred in “Squelch,” a film produced for the LA 48 Hour Film Festival. I’m still president of Eclectic Company Theatre in North Hollywood. We are working on ONE DAY PLAY (which I invented and own) as fundraisers. We write a full-length play in one night and it’s fully produced the next night, with two performances - it’s a crazy stress mess but so awesome! I’m also working for Rotten Tomatoes. Oh, and I’m now lead singer for the metal band Fetal Zombie.” Lavinia Schreuder writes, “This summer Emma (my daughter) and I enjoyed entertaining friends on their summer vacations to our beautiful San Diego that we are so very lucky to call home.

Helen Kopnina earned her Ph.D. from Cambridge University in 2002. She is a faculty member at The Hague University of Applied Science and a coordinator of the sustainable business program and researcher of environmental education. Helen is the author of nine books, including East to West Migration (2005) and Future Trends in Environmental Anthropology (2013). Her research interests include conservation, environmental education, and environmental anthropology. This past summer she returned to the Southwest to travel in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

Nadia Lancy traveled to North Carolina this past summer with her mom. “We had a great road trip together to several little mountain towns and saw lots of waterfalls. In other news, I am working on my side photography business, Nadia’s Lens, and planning a home tour in my historic

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Atlanta neighborhood. Next trips are to Yellowstone and Asia. I continue to work as a Senior Writer for CNN International and my significant other is a 15-year-old orange kitty named Cheeto. 1993 Raj Abhayanker writes, “I sold my last company to Google, and I am currently the founder of LegalForce Trademarkia, the ninth fastest growing company in Silicon Valley.” This full-service law firm offers trademark

College’s Board of Trustees, so it’s like serving two boards at once.” Amanda previously served as a Wheaton class officer (class fund agent and most recently, secretary) and has been part of the alumni admission committee. Amanda earned a master’s degree in higher education from Michigan State University and then a Ph.D. in higher ed in 2010. She works in the MSU College of Engineering as director of academic advising and undergraduate student services. She and her husband Steve live in Lansing with their two-year old, Maddie. Molly Moran Hyland lives in Exeter, New Hampshire, where she is a Senior Product Manager at Timberland. She has three children: Martha, 7, Henry, 4½, and Charlotte, 2½. The family spent a week last summer in Blind River, Ontario, where Molly’s parents have a summer house, as well as a week in Nantucket. Ross Stuart and his wife Joy took a month-long trip last spring to Europe, visiting England, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey, Monaco, France, and Spain. “We had a great

services and other legal services to entertainment and business clients all over the world. Raj was named one of the American Bar Association Journal’s 2013 Legal Rebels and was profiled on the ABA website in September. He was praised as “an attorney whose trademark search engine bests the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office system while his prices stay low.” Amanda Gray Idema, a 1997 graduate of Wheaton College (in Norton, Mass.) began a five-year term as one of the college’s Alumnae Trustees in October. She writes, “The position is part of the Alumnae/i Board of Directors, but also has a seat on the

time and particularly enjoyed visiting the Greek Isles,” Ross says. Take a look at one of their favorite pictures from Oia in Santorini. 1995 Kristen Brook married Daniel Durchslag ’89 on June 16 in Maui, Hawaii at the Grand Wailea. Alison Pu-

laski Carter ’97 and Brad Durchslag ’95, Daniel’s brother, were both in attendance. Daniel is a partner at the law firm of Cohen, Kennedy, Dowd and Quigley. Kristen is an Assistant United States Attorney in the National Security Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix. Hollye Shumacher Shepard writes, “We’ve been adjusting to the newest addition to the family, little miss Quinn Sienna Shepherd. In January we’ll be moving to Austin, Texas. 1996 Alexandra Rethore writes that she is still based in New York City, where she has been since graduating from Yale in 2000 and Harvard Business School in 2007. “The last few months, however, I have been living the LA life while driving U.S. expansion for a start-up business called onefinestay (www. onefinestay.com). The business is committed to building the “unhotel” all over the world—a new category of accommodation that gives travelers the chance to stay in someone’s private home while they are out of town. We launched the new LA market in September with a front-page story in the LA Times business section. And I’m proud to say that my oldest niece (Mariclare) graduated from PCDS in

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2013 and is attending Simmons College in Boston.” 1997 Revan McKinnon Rottach writes, “After seven years in London, my husband, 2 ½-year- old son and I moved to Phoenix in September. We spent August traveling in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan.” Sarit Melmed writes, “After completing my master’s degree in product design in Milan, Italy, I moved to New York City in 2005. In 2007 I was hired as the head graphic artist

medicine last summer and accepted a fellowship position in ultrasound. She writes, “On a more fun note, I will be getting married in Carbondale, Colo., in the middle of December. We are super excited to celebrate the wedding with our family and friends. I also got a new puppy named Grizzabella, a goldendoodle and the greatest little hound of all time.”

suming they pass me). All very exciting and very stressful.” Janelle Plaza Lika had a great crew of fellow Eagles attend her wedding in Napa Valley, Calif., on August 10. After the wedding, Janelle and her husband A.J. went on a safari in Tanzania

1998 David Blosser lives in Fairfax, Virginia with his wife Stella and their new baby, Nathan. Here is Nathan pictured with David’s brother Ted Blosser ’02.

for their honeymoon and currently reside in New York City. Photo: Left to right, row 1-Sarah Vieh Dworkin ‘98, Anamay Melmed Carmel ‘98, Melissa Tominac Stewart ‘98, Jamie Plaza Bennett ‘99, Janelle Plaza Lika ‘98, A.J. Lika. Left to right, row 2-Eric Shoemaker ‘97, Jay Kahn ‘98, Jonathan Krause ‘98, Taylor Guerin Rovak ‘98, and Darren Ringel ‘98. 1999

for Ralph Lauren women’s Blue Label clothing line. For six years, my RL work revolved around painting, illustrating, and designing specialty monograms, vintage-inspired crests, limited edition hangtags, denim back patches, and signature buttons for the equestrian chic Blue Label woman. This past summer I moved to Woodstock, Vt. and launched my own graphic art studio, Empress Branding (empressbranding.com). I work with all kinds of clients (mostly out of NYC) on their branding and packaging.” Courtney Smalley moved back to Arizona for medical school in Tucson after living in Philadelphia for four years coaching college tennis. She finished her medical residency in emergency 48

Jamie Bennett shared a photo of her son Jackson’s first birthday on April 15. Sarah Dworkin says, “My husband, Nate, and I are thrilled to be back in Arizona. We moved back here at the beginning of the year and are having a great time getting settled in a new house in Arcadia and reconnecting with old friends. Obviously I’m also excited to be getting involved in PCDS again as a member of the alumni board!” Peter Geantil writes, “I was working in Paris doing research with CNRS. Now I’m defending my thesis in two weeks! Ph.D. in mechanical engineering (as-

Jennie Carleton works for the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association in a number of capacities including handling

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social media, fundraising, and working for a museum. She writes, “I have a small house in Scottsdale, which is ironically far closer to PCDS than I ever lived when I was a student (I commuted from Carefree for four years!) and I still have the same dog, Buffy, that I had in high school! Photos: At work headquarters at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. The other is Buffy with her favorite toy. Margot LaNoue celebrated eight years with Exposures International Gallery of Fine Art, where she is Senior Art Consultant. Located in beautiful Sedona, Ariz., the gallery recently received recognition as one of the 25 Best Galleries in America. Its collection features over 100 local, regional, and international artists. Margot says “all are welcome to visit and say hello!“ (www.exposuresfineart.com) Erin McKinley Heusser writes, “My family had quite a busy summer — my husband is an active duty Air Force member, so he, our three kids and I moved from California to Virginia. We left California in June and made the three-week drive cross-country (stopping briefly in Arizona to visit extended families). My husband will be working for the next three years as a Legislative Liaison Fellow at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. I continue to be a stay-at-home mom to Joanna, 6, and Sean and Wyatt, 3-year-old twins.”

Aylin Tashman Kim writes, “Louis, Aylin, and Azalea Kim welcomed baby brother Kenan Tashman Kim at 12:46 am May 6th, weighing 6 lbs. 13 oz. with lots of hair! Already, he has met Julie Gentil ’97 and her three kids, Amanda Mabbitt Westlake ’99 and her son Griffin, and has attended the spectacular wedding of Peter Chiarelli ’99 where he also met Robert Felix ’99! We loved summer here in Seattle.”

Anna Knoell defended her master’s thesis titled “Landscapes of Risk” at Princeton University School of Ar-

chitecture this past spring. She says, “The project addressed the relationship between architecture and our desire for landscapes from which we are excluded. It offered a strategy for a largely underground park that would allow for access and interpretation of land so polluted that it has been declared untouchable by humans.” 2000 Rob Hatch-Miller and his wife Puloma completed a film project they have been working on for the last few years, a documentary about 70s soul singer Syl Johnson. To complete the film so that they could enter it into film festivals (where documentaries are most often seen) they created a successful Kickstarter project that reached its funding goal in August. Rob and his wife make a cameo appearance at the beginning of the film. Robert Hoxie married Sarah Vinall on September 20 in the village of Hadlow, Kent, England.

Maureen Lipovsky Chapman gave birth to her first child with husband Thomas Chapman. Errol Oswald Chapman was born on September 22.

Christy Mallory began a judicial clerkship with Judge Spencer J. Letts in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in September. Christy graduated from UCLA Law School in 2008. Judd Nemiro writes that he has been working to expand his law practice, the Law Offices of Judd S. Nemiro, PLLC. “I have been working with family law, personal injury, and higher education cases and also working on developing a new website and marketing campaign. I also was fortunate enough this year to take a vacation in Maui, Hawaii

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tos: The first two are Australia (with a kangaroo and one at Uluru AKA Ayer’s Rock). The other is New Zealand’s South Island.

as well as visit Flagstaff and Pinetop. I also traveled to Santa Barbara, Calif., to visit family.”

Sasha Pasulka Glassman and her husband authored and distributed Jeremy Jackrabbit Recycles the Can to over 50,000 kindergarteners in Mar-

Robert Brook started work at Ceramic Tile Supply NW in Eugene, Ore., and as he says, “I have very much just been dedicating my life to it.”

Nicole Orne Derrick is back in the U.S. She and her husband had moved to Sydney, Australia in February 2011

icopa and Pima counties in May. This was their second book in a series. The third book, Jeremy Jackrabbit Captures the Sun, will be distributed next spring. Sasha also caught up with Sarah Finnegan ’00 and Glen Goodman ’00 in London. Sasha and Glen got to meet 100-day-old James Finnegan and catch up with Sarah’s sister, Brigid Donovan ’04.

for his work, but, as Nicole says, “also because it was a fantastic opportunity for a great adventure. We loved living there and were able to travel within the country as well as New Zealand. Now, we are back in Philly, missing OZ, but very happy to be home.” Pho-

2001

Aubrey Wieger Jacobs writes, “I took the opportunity to join the HomeSmart Elite Group this summer, where I work with some of the best real estate agents in north central Phoenix. My siblings and I (all PCDS alumni) went to Ely, Nev., to visit our grandparents.

Laura Laughlin shared a beautiful engagement story: “On August 20, Stirling Cox proposed to me in Oia, Santorini, overlooking the caldera at sunset. The proposal came as a complete surprise, but he had everything arranged – from asking my father for my hand ahead of time, to bringing a professional camera to have the hotel staff snap pictures of us while he proposed, to having my parents, his parents, and both of our brothers individually Skype in at given times so our families could be a part of it, to arranging dinner at the most romantic restaurant in San-

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torini, and lastly, having the petals of 100 red roses sprinkled around our hotel room with only candlelight to show them off. It was amazing and a night I will never forget! We are looking forward to having several PCDS alums at our wedding in 2014!”

Mo Simpson and his wife Eily welcomed their first child on August 11. Miles Oren Simpson, a fifth generation MOS, was 9 lbs., 7 oz. and shares his birthday with Hulk Hogan!

Ashleigh Levinson started last summer as a vitreoretinal surgery fellow at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. The photo is from her ophthalmology residency graduation at University of California San Francisco.

abeth Engle ’03, who flew from Los Angeles and set a record by attending two PCDS weddings in one evening. Says Bryan: “We have now moved into the new house we built in Windgate Ranch, and look forward to starting a family together. Mr. Hendrickson will be utilized as our default babysitter.” 2002 Danielle Goldstein Masserman writes, “I returned to Phoenix this past spring joining Affiliated Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics. We have an office on Scottsdale and Shea and

Bryan Snyder was married on May 25 at Ancala Country Club. David Snyder ’98 shared best man duties with Ryan Rosen ’02, and Doug Loback ’01 was a groomsman. Other PCDSers in Doug Loback and his wife are very excited to be expecting a boy, due in early December. Around the New Year they started their business, Petswag, offering “Fine design for furry friends.”

another in Grayhawk. I went to University of Southern California for dental school and then to Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas for a two-year residency in pediatric dentistry. My husband finished his three-year orthodontic residency in June and joined the practice as well! In summer, he and I traveled to South Africa for vacation.”

attendance: Mr. Hendrickson; Meredith Garagiola ’01, who flew from Washington, D.C.; Greg Abdouch ’01, who flew from Florida; Sarah Engle ’01, who flew from Los Angeles; Callie Kant ’01 and Laura Laughlin ’01, who both flew from New York; Nadia Fazel ’01; Justin Hammar ’01; and Eliz-

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Zach Israel writes that he had a “very busy summer. I personally opened a restaurant called Tres Carnes in Manhattan in May. Things are going very well and I hope to have the second Manhattan location open by December. The company that I am a partner in launched our eighth location, Little Town New Jersey. We opened in April.” Laura Neller Lanigan married Kyle Lanigan on October 27, 2012 at Lyford Cay Club on Nassau, The Bahamas. PCDS alumni in attendance included Danielle Goldstein Masserman ’02, Heather Summe ’02, and the bride’s

Reid Davis shared a photo from Tua Long’s wedding weekend (Reid, Tua Long ’03, and Elizabeth Engle ’03).

Washington, D.C. Writes Yuki: “I met Phil through a grad school friend, who was his housemate. The best part is that I met him AFTER I had been assigned to work in Bolivia for two years with the State Department because he had been a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia from 2006-08. He was supposed to teach me about the country...but we ended up falling in love! I

Sabrina Delafield writes, “This summer I was lucky enough to be invited to dance as a principal guest artist with Southwest Ballet Theatre in Chandler. It was wonderful to perform

brother, BJ Neller ’06. The couple met in Winter Park, Fla., where the Nellers moved after living in Scottsdale for nine years. Laura and Kyle currently reside in New York City. Sally Semegen writes, “I’m currently finishing my MBA at Pepperdine University and living in Santa Barbara, Calif. I traveled to London to attend the wedding of Nina Schulze-Solce ’02 and was joined by other PCDS alums Phil Stuart ’01, Ted Blosser ’02 and Caitlin Burke ’02. I guess you really can’t escape the Eagle’s Nest!” 2003 Rebecca Dalton moved back to Arizona from Virginia. She is clerking for Justice Scott Bales on the Arizona Supreme Court for the year. Rebecca says, “It’ll be nice to be back closer to family.”

in Arizona again! The rest of my summer I spent moving to Dusseldorf to start with my new company, Deutsche Ballett Am Rhein, in September.” Liz Foglesong is honored to be the new President of the Yale Club of Phoenix. She’s also excited to share www.boldmoves-llc.com with you! Bold Moves LLC is her Transformations Coaching business based in Emotional Intelligence that encourages and enables clients to free themselves to be the person who they want to be and to do professionally what they want to do. Yuki Kondo-Shah got engaged to Philip Chamberlain, from Napa, Calif., on July 12 at the Lincoln Memorial in

could not be happier! He is interested in working in the development sector and then joining the Foreign Service. I’ll be working on youth and indigenous issues at the U.S. Embassy in La Paz until 2015.” Martin Naradikian writes that he is finishing his fourth year of an immunology Ph.D. program at UPenn. “I hope to defend my dissertation in about a year. Essentially (and without too much jargon), my dissertation interrogates an intrinsic mechanism limiting the proliferation of B lymphocytes which are associated with diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.”

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Christie Sanghi Wieger writes, “This summer my family spent some time in Ely, Nev., catching up with relatives. Garrett ’02 and I were also with Garrett’s sisters Aubrey Wieger Jacobs ’00 and Tara Wieger ’04. Below is a photo of all of our kids on Garnet Hill, where we were turning over piles of rocks and smashing them to pieces, searching for small black garnets.” Photo above: At a wedding in Del Mar, California—daughter Sophia was a flower girl.

Kylie Birnbaum is in her fourth year of medical school at NYU, and recently received a master’s degree in bioethics, also from NYU. She plans on specializing in emergency medicine, applying to residency programs this year.

Lizzy Smith writes with big news: “On August 30, my boyfriend of 8½ years asked me to marry him! He proposed on the roof deck of our building, overlooking the sparkling lights of Manhattan. (Spoiler: I said yes!) In other news,

Elizabeth Reahard Oviedo reports that she and her siblings (Tommy Reahard ’02 and Laura Reahard ’07) spent some quality time together this summer on a family vacation to Scotland. Photo: at the shore of the North Sea in Anstruther, Scotland. Tommy co-founded Lucy Cooper Productions, a Chicago-based production we had a busy summer as proud new parents of two little kittens. They are quite a handful but truly a constant joy! We also managed some travel, spending a beautiful July 4th weekend in Breckenridge, Colo., and in August I enjoyed two full weeks visiting my family in England and Croatia.”

2004 Cynthia Benin finished her second year at NYU law school in May and spent the summer working in Los Angeles at the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson. Writes Cynthia, “I also got engaged to my partner of four years, Aaron Stein, whom I met while working at Google in Mountain View, Calif. I am now back in NYC to finish my last year of law school, living with Aaron in our new apartment in Williamsburg before we move to San Francisco next year, where I will clerk for a judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.”

almost six years ago. Who would have thought that the girl who turned beet red during her senior speech would choose a career where she gets on a microphone in front of hundreds of people on a regular basis?!

company. Laura is the development coordinator for Teach For America in Phoenix, and Elizabeth is the marketing manager for Scottsdale-based Symmetry Software. Becky Repko Leon writes, “Summertime is crazy for me and my husband, John. We own a DJ company and do about 100 weddings a year. Last year we had 103 weddings including our own! In December we will celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary. I met my husband in a bar (how romantic, I know) where he was DJ’ing

Cameron Warner writes, “This summer, my boyfriend Ben and I cruised the Adriatic, starting in Rome and ending in Venice. Here’s a picture of us at the Trevi Fountain in Rome, and another of us walking the Old City Walls of Dubrovnik. When we returned to the U.S., we left our jobs in Arizona to

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the ASU-BMI department as a Ph.D. student. I want to improve the population’s health as a leader in the design, implementation, and ongoing operation of more effective and efficient integrated health care systems. pursue career advancements and now live in Indianapolis. Jordan Wyndelts earned an MBA from Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, an international MBA program in Tokyo, Japan. 2005 Alex Ashby left his job with Global X Management Company in June and this fall started the MIT Sloan MBA Program (Class of 2015). But before getting down to work, he and fellow alumnus John Kester ’05 spent about three weeks traveling through Spain and Croatia.

Jamie Johnsen-Brigham graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in May and graduated from the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution with a Certificate in Dispute Resolution. Her partner, Daniel Smith, graduated with his Ph.D. in cancer biology for prostate cancer research in June. They moved to San Diego, where Jamie will study for the bar exam, which she will sit for in February 2014 for California and June 2014 for Arizona. She also reports that she’s “teaching myself French using Duolingo.com, and I run my own jewelry business --Delight and Rage Jewelry--online, where I make and sell jewelry and small pieces of art in my free time.” KC Lewis writes, “This summer I worked as an intern at the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office in Portland, Oreg. I’m heading back to Northwestern Law School in Chicago to start my second year.” Bryan McLaren writes, “My summer has been all about work and training. I accepted a new position with Waste Management as a Sustainability Con-

Brianna Eller is working on her Ph.D. in materials physics at Arizona State University and just started a concurrent MBA degree. She’s looking toward a May 2015 graduation date. Stephanie Furniss writes, “This summer, I earned my Master of Science degree in biomedical informatics (BMI) from Arizona State University. This fall I am continuing studies in

sultant and moved back to the Valley of the Sun. In this role I am dedicating my consulting resources to Arizona State University, leading the strategic development and project management for their Zero Waste Campaign, a goal to move the university to divert 90% of waste material away from the landfill. With 85,000 people on the Tempe campus generating waste, this is a massively progressive goal in the field of higher education. I’ve also been training for Ironman Triathlons again. I competed in Ironman Canada, Ironman Lake Tahoe, and Ironman Arizona this year.” Brooke Sheppard is Office Manager for Steven Kretchmer Designs, a jewelry design company in Scottsdale. Last year she received a master’s in international business at Thunderbird International School of Management in Glendale. Anne Slovin was awarded first prize in the Franco-American Vocal Academy’s Grand Concours de Chant, as well as the Farwell Trust Award from the Musicians Club of Women in Chicago. Anne is thrilled to announce that in January 2014, she will join the roster at Pensacola Opera as an Artist-in-Residence, singing roles in Bizet’s Carmen, Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte and an original outreach opera for children. She also will perform the role of Suor Genovieffa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica with Chicago’s Main Street Opera in September, and sing several concerts with the prestigious Chicago Symphony Chorus.

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Dani Solomon moved to Israel in early September. She will be living in Herzliya Pituach for 13 months while completing a master’s program in counter-terrorism and homeland security at IDC Herzliya. Callie Thompson writes, “I got engaged in April, and my fiancé and I moved west in May! We’re living in San Francisco where I work for a consulting firm that advises progressive organizations and causes on strategic communications, advocacy, and public policy. David received his MBA from the Wharton Business School at UPenn in May and works at a tech company in SF. It was hard to leave DC after four great years, but San Francisco is amazing, and it is nice to be closer to family. My next mission is to get my sister (Lizzie Thompson ’07) to leave NYC and join us out here, but I think that’s going to be a tough sell. We are looking forward to seeing some familiar PCDS faces at our wedding next spring!” 2006 Ellie Abraham opened a hair salon, brush Scottsdale, in old town Scottsdale in November 2012, and has been very focused on building up the business. She spent a little time in San Diego this past summer, taking her daughter Mya to Seaworld for the first time. She hopes to see Mya starting pre-k at PCDS next year!

Julie Bauer is a second-year physician assistant student at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, currently doing clinical rotations in Chicago, Ill. She plans to graduate in June 2014 and move back to Scottsdale to practice in dermatology or emergency medicine. Chloe Brandon writes, “This summer I performed my first of many canine and feline surgeries at Oklahoma State and in Little Rock, Ark. I also spent several days in Moore, Okla., volunteering my services to animal victims of the devastating tornadoes. We reunited close to 72 injured pets with their owners! Photo: Chloe assisting in an enterotomy and with one of her patients in the shelter in Moore. Fowler Brown married Megan Warner on June 29 in Portland, Oreg. In attendance were Fowler’s brother, Peter Brown ’10, Mandy Baum ’06, and Jessie Baum ’06. Fowler graduated from the University of Chicago School

of Law in June and completed the Massachusetts bar. The newlyweds live in Boston, where Megan is completing a Ph.D.

Rebecca Dias says, “I’ve done a lot of different things since graduating from Scripps College in 2010 (with a BA in Humanities: Interdisciplinary Studies in Culture; Focus: Issues of Globalization; Honors Thesis: Repatriation and Ritual: Interpreting Movement of Cultural Property in Global/Postcolonial Landscapes). I’m working in Shanghai, China, at an English teaching institution, English First. I also am involved

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with the Basement 6 (art) Collective (www.b6cshanghai.com) and am a certified yoga instructor (Hatha Yoga, 200-hr) through Dancing Shiva Yoga and Ayurveda (Los Angeles), and teaching privately in China. Michaela Flynn Brennan writes, “Wally and I got married June first in Harwich, Mass., (Cape Cod) at the Wequassett Resort in front of our

friends and family (and fellow PCDS alumni). I’m going back for a post-baccalaureate degree in nursing, so my summer was spent at summer school and working at the eating disorder treatment facility where I’ve worked for two years. We’re also celebrating becoming an aunt an uncle for the second time as my sister-in-law is expecting a baby boy in January. Photos: The flower girl was niece Ellie Flynn and the girl in the green dress was maid of honor Callie Stewart. Dathan Hamann is in his fourth year at University of Arizona College of

Medicine-Phoenix, doing dermatology externships at NYU and Mayo this fall. His wife, Liza, is a third-year dental student at Midwestern University, headed for an externship in Tonga. Alexandra Heuser Hazell studied at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, where at a New Year’s Eve Party in 2008 she met her future husband, James Hazell. Writes Alexandra, “Though he was the shyest person I have ever met, his Hugh Grant good looks and motorcycle leathers

career in education or training working dogs for obedience and protection work, a common conundrum for most twenty something women!” Michaela Johnson-Clague graduated from the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy and received the University of Arizona Foundation’s Outstanding Senior Award. In addition, research she presented was named a finalist for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s (ACCP) Best Student and Resident Research-in-Progress Poster.

John Schupbach writes that he “spent January through April back in New Delhi, India, with Squalor to Scholar (www.squalortoscholar.org), where I grew the charity and led the selection

made a bigger first impression than he or I realised.” She later taught kindergarten in Japan, but the relationship survived the long distance and the time apart and the couple was married earlier this year. “One incredible thing about getting married abroad,” Alexandra says, “is the chance to have your reception in a manor house that was built in 1616. Our ceremony was held in our local Victorian church, which features the ruins of the medieval church in its garden.” They bought a house on the edge of the Broads National Park, and Alexandra says she is “deciding between continuing my

of 106 more precious children from the slums and lowest castes to attend high-quality private schools. Escorting them to their first days of classes was life changing for all of us. Support

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from the PCDS community has been tremendous and I want to thank the many faculty, students, parents, and alumni who have been able to donate their resources and time to empower these inspiring and hard-working scholars. This year, I was also blessed with my own educational opportunity. After being rejected by all 17 medical schools to which I had applied two years ago, I was admitted this year to my top choice, Mayo Medical School at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. I joined my 49 classmates in July and every day has been a surreal and cherished adventure. Mayo is incredibly supportive and I will be going back to India periodically throughout the next few years to help as many children as we have the resources to educate, heal, and empower.”

to pursue my doctorate in clinical psychology next fall.”

Sophie Stens spent a month in Kenya, in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, working as a student dentist. (Read about her experience at sofiastenson.blog-

Courtney Van Cott married Alex John in May in Milwaukee, Wis. Pictured are Sandra Theis, Courtney Van Cott, Scott Griffen, and Michaela Johnson-Clague—all ’06.

spot.com.) After the month in Kenya, she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Sofia is currently a third-year dental student at The University of Washington. The photo shows her with her mother at Sofia’s white coat ceremony from dental school. Drew Teer writes that he “is part of a team conducting a study with a military veteran population to prove the efficacy of a new treatment we’ve pioneered for comorbid PTSD and substance use at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. I plan

John Tierney started his third year of medical school at Temple University in May, and spent the summer on surgery rotation. He shared a photo from

Christmas 2012 that includes four ’06 alumni. Pictured left-to-right are John Schupbach, Tracy Thomas, John Tierney, and Nick Barranco.

2007 Ross Bridgeman is now based in Los Angeles but traveled the country this fall playing at over 30 colleges and universities with R&B singer Rayvon Owen. In October he appeared as Rapunzel’s Prince in Studio Tenn’s production of Into the Woods in Nashville, Tenn. Clare Burnham recently relocated to Austin, Tex. She graduated from Ohio State in 2011, started at Abercrombie & Fitch in retail merchandising in Columbus, Ohio, and then moved back

to Phoenix and into Spiritual Gangster to oversee product development and marketing. She’s now an Assistant Store Manager for Lululemon in Texas as well as a production consultant for Spiritual Gangster—and also a spin instructor! Rebecca Cianci Grennon’s husband Joe returned from a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan in February. They celebrated their second wedding anniversary on August 27 in San Diego. This was their first anniversary spent together since Joe was in Afghanistan last year. Shahmeer Halepota is in his second year at the University of California Berkeley School of Law, otherwise known as Boalt Hall, where he is student president. Carsten Hamann is a third-year student at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. His wife Kaylee completed her master’s in mathematics at the University of California Riverside and continues with coursework toward a Ph.D. Asher Landay writes, “I’m living in Los Angeles and working at ICM Partners, a major Hollywood talent agency. I was recently accepted into the agent trainee program where I’ve learned more about different areas of the business and heard personal stories from notable figures in the industry through our weekly seminars. In my spare time, I love going to the beach or hitting up a hiking trail. This past summer, I reconnected with some other alums who recently moved to LA including Schooner Sonntag ’09, Eric Fram ’09, Cole Goodyear ’10, and Jasleen Khanuja ’05. It’s been great catching up on what they’ve been up to and where they are headed!” 57

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Blake Lewkowitz was married in Coronado, Calif., in August. From left to right: Adam Lewkowitz, ‘02 next to his wife Alison Lewkowitz; Blake Lewkowitz, ‘07, the groom, next to the bride, Victoria Lewkowitz; Herman Lewkowitz, ‘79 next to his wife, Cathy Lewkowitz, ‘79; Ben Abelson (Jennifer’s husband) next to Jennifer Abelson, ‘04 holding their daughter, Gabriela Abelson.

Katie Lupica returned to New York City this fall after a summer in the Directing Corps at Williamstown Theatre Festival in western Massachu-

setts. Up next, she is co-producing and directing the New York premiere of PAINS OF YOUTH, a German play from the 1920s about restless young medical students coming of age in post-WWI Vienna, in a new translation that first premiered at the National Theatre in London. This production will open in early 2014 at the Access Theater in downtown Manhattan. Caroline Perry received an M.A. in systematic theology from Union Theological Seminary and spent her summer training as a New York

City teaching fellow. She began her first year teaching sixth- and seventh-grade math at the School of Performing Arts, a public middle school in the Bronx, this fall. “Although I love living in New York City,” she says, “I continue to miss PCDS. It truly is a special place.” 2008 Laura Bodell graduated from the University of Denver in June 2012 and has spent a little over a year working for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide as a Front Desk Manager. She reports that she “met up with my good friend and fellow PCDS alumnus Alexa Cohn ’08 while attending the

horse races in Del Mar, Calif. Alexa attended the University of Arizona and is now living in Scottsdale while working for Fox Restaurant Concepts. Even though we haven’t lived in the same place since high school, we have remained good friends over the years!” Deb DeVries Taylor writes, “2013 has already been an enormous year for me. I graduated from the University of East Anglia (Norwich, England) with a bachelor’s degree in modern foreign languages with a specialty in French. Two days after

graduation, I married my uni sweetheart, Peter Taylor. I moved back from London with my husband, who recently graduated from his legal practitioners course in London and is looking for a training contract in the city. I will be returning to Phoenix for six months whilst we are finalising details for my visa before returning to London. Though I am looking into teaching as a career, it will probably need to wait a few years whilst we save up for my final year of education, so I am looking into various businesses and banking associated with France for my first job.” Piper Gustafson lives in Cleveland, Ohio, and says she had a very busy summer. “I manage a team of college students called Campus Managers that market custom apparel to Greeks and clubs on their individual campus-

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es. During the summer, we work hard to get every single Campus Manager out to our HQ for in-person training and an all-around great time.” She shared a photo of the group’s Summer Sales Conference. Besides Piper, pictured is her brother Grant Gustafson (Class of 2013), PCDSer from kindergarten through 8th grade. Julia Ivanova has been working with infants and children at John C. Lincoln Hospital in Phoenix and will soon receive qualification to administer medications to them.

Nina Warner August 17, 2013 marked the third anniversary of Nina’s death. It was also the day that her parents, Colleen and John, launched a website in her honor. As a student at PCDS, Nina made her mark on the campus in kind and in spirit. She fashioned the design of succulent plants in the experimental garden outside of Catherine Smith’s classroom. And she touched the lives of countless classmates and teachers. Nina left behind a list simply titled “to do before I die.” She had been adding to it and crossing things off for a number of years. When she passed away, the list had grown to 366 items. Her parents were stunned to discover that she had already accomplished and crossed off about 100 of them, and that a number of those related to her time at PCDS. Colleen and John created the website, Nina’s List, to ensure that she is never forgotten. In her memory, they hope to share her dreams with all of us. Nina’s List is an interactive website where you can take on one of Nina’s goals or add one of your own. There are three ways to use the list: (1) Type the key word of a goal in the search box; (2) Click on one of the homepage’s nine tabs; or (3) Click on “Help Finish the List.” If you have already accomplished one of the goals, you can share your own story and pictures. And soon you will be able to add goals of your own. Visit Nina’s List at www.ninaslist.org to celebrate Nina’s life and to remember how she touched so many, including those of us in the PCDS community. released the game Dot Direct in the AppStore and has other exciting projects in the works.

Manasi Soni writes, “This past summer I was a Residential Counselor and TA at Stanford University for their high school program, the Educational Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY). I also led a course on business and entrepreneurship. I’m currently back in Dallas in my second year in Teach For America as the lead biology teacher at my high school. 2009 Robert Adrian began his first year at Chicago Medical School this summer. His parents (mom Lisa Adrian is a PCDS third-grade teacher) attended the traditional white coat ceremony in August. (see photo at center)

Quinlan Hamann is working on his undergraduate degree in business at Grand Canyon University, loving music (guitar), and making great lattes at Hava Java.

Eric Fram graduated from Vanderbilt this spring with a major in economics and minors in corporate strategy, financial economics, and classical civilization. He lives in West Los Angeles and works at FremantleMedia International in Acquisitions & Development, Global Content. Eric also co-founded Zippy Brain (zippybrain.com), a mobile software company that recently

Devin Ingersoll graduated magna cum laude as a Leavey School of Business Scholar from Santa Clara University. She works for Perficient Consulting, Inc. in San Francisco. Anne Inkpen graduated from Barnard College of Columbia in May with a B.A. in economics and religion. Her senior thesis was nominated for the 2013 Best Economics Senior Thesis prize. This summer, she traveled in 59

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the U.S. and Europe before moving to Munich, Germany to start work with a non-profit called My Finance Coach. Nicole Lopez graduated from ASU with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in Spanish. She spent the summer preparing to go to law school at the University of Arizona. She also traveled to southern California with family and friends and made a trip to northern California for a cousin’s wedding.

Army, branched Field Artillery. Anna Silverman graduated cum laude with honors in neuroscience from Scripps College in May. After a month-long road trip around the United States with friends, she moved to La Jolla, Calif., to start work as a clinical research fellow at the Hamilton Glaucoma Center at the University of California San Diego.

Hong Kong, and then worked for six months in Shanghai at Intel Corporation. Had an amazing time and would love to go back and work in China after I graduate!”

Jessica Ornstein writes, “After graduating in May from USC I traveled to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, Hvar (Croatia), London, Paris, Berlin, and Munich with friends and family. In July

Kendra Simon graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University in June with a degree in Far Eastern Asia study. She began attending Duke Law School in the fall.

I started work as an analyst at Imperial Capital, an international investment bank headquartered in Los Angeles. The photo is of me at the Berlin Wall! Noah Segal was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States

Prateek Wakharkar writes, “I just got back from a year abroad in China. I lived in Hong Kong and Shanghai for six months each. Studied abroad in

Natalie Swinford appeared in a professional production of an original musical, The Diary, based on the diary of Anne Frank, with the Thousand Oaks Repertory Theatre in California. She played Bep, one of the people who helped hide the Frank family and others in the Annex. (see upper right photo)

Mark Zhang writes with great excitement, “I just got off the phone with the Dean of Admissions at the University of Southern California (Keck) School of Medicine, and I am almost going insane with happiness! I’m going to join the class of 2017 and become

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a doctor! I could not have done this without all of my friends who spent countless hours studying with me for the MCAT, reviewing my many terrible and cheesy essays, and relieving a lot of pent-up stress. You know who you are, and I am so grateful for all of you that you have no idea.” 2010 Peter Brown is a senior at Carleton College, majoring in Mandarin, and planning to live and work in China next year. Sarah Gordon spent six weeks in Tuscany participating in an archaeological field school at the Etruscan site of Poggio Civitate (near Murlo). Sarah

Geri Hormel writes, “I went on a trip around the world this summer with my friends. We traveled around Asia (Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand) and then continued through Europe (Greece, Croatia, Italy). We spent my birthday in Spain, then planned to continue on through France, Germany for Oktoberfest, then possibly the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, and London.” Michael Perry is a senior at Arizona State University and an Army ROTC Cadet. He writes, “At the end of June I traveled to Fort Lewis, Wash., to attend the Army’s Leadership Development and Assessment Course, (LDAC). Army ROTC requires all Cadets to attend LDAC after their junior or senior year of college in order to further train and develop Cadets and to assess and rate them against their peers. Successfully completing the course is a prerequisite to commis-

sioning as an Army officer through ROTC. After LDAC I went to Fort Bliss, Tex., for Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT), to shadow a lieutenant serving as platoon leader in an active duty light infantry platoon in Bravo Company, 1st BN, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd BDE of the 1st Armored Division. CTLT affords Cadets an opportunity to experience life as a platoon leader before arriving at their first assignment. Since the unit I was with was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan in the fall, the training was fast-paced and focused. I will graduate from ASU in May, commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army. Should I be deemed worthy to serve in the infantry, I will attend the Army’s Infantry Officers Basic Course, Airborne School, and Ranger School before being assigned as a platoon leader with an active duty infantry unit.” Photo: Michael with 1-41 Infantry at Fort Bliss, following a day of shooting m240 machine guns on the range. Michael says that’s not a gang sign, it’s the ASU pitchfork - GO DEVILS! Morgan Shepard writes, “I continued my internship at Mayo Clinic, where I conducted research to look at the association between migraines and epilepsy. It has

says the team uncovered what may be a non-elite residential structure; all of the catalogued finds for the season are published at poggiocivitate.classics.umass.edu/default.asp. Photos: Sorting through topsoil at the site; most of the people on site during the first week of the excavation.

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been an unbelievable experience, and taught me so much that I wouldn’t have learned in a classroom. I also took a few summer classes at ASU to get closer to finishing up my major in psychology and pre-med. I was happy to sneak in a vacation to Chicago with my family to visit relatives.” Jake Villadolid writes, “I am working on my senior thesis, directing a short film titled “Princess in the Park.” In-

spired by classic Disney films adored by young and old alike, “Princess in the Park” is a fresh take on a classic story, a princess tale with a real world twist. Filled with exciting action, witty humor, and a heavy dose of reality, this is a story crafted for those of us who grew up on fairytales - but live in the real world.”

Savaria Drumm lived in New York City this summer, nannying and working for Pandiscio, a graphic design and branding company. Rachel Epstein had a summer internship with Moses Anshell, a downtown Phoenix advertising agency. Another PCDS alumnus, Kristin Altman ’98, works there as well—the two alumni made that discovery over lunch one day! Rachel is now back at Tulane for her junior year.

with coworkers and Congressman Eliot Engel, the ranking member of the committee. Nithin Pusapati is spending fall semester in Madrid. His goal is to explore Spain as much as possible while improving his Spanish.

Rachel Chanen participated in a Harvard Study Abroad program in Aix en Provence, France. There she studied French language as well as postcolonial France. Afterward, she and her Cindy Hwang interned at the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive multi-issue think tank in Washington, D.C. this summer. She wrote and publicized articles for Foreign Policy in Focus, an IPS project that publishes commentaries on foreign policy issues.

Rebecca Matwijkow interned on Capitol Hill this summer for the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Democratic Office. Her photo shows her

Kylin Hamann is a senior at Calvin College and will graduate with a dual degree in biochemistry and Chinese. She got engaged to Eric Sager, a premed student from Buffalo, N.Y., and they plan to marry after their 2014 graduation. Kylin hopes to start dental school next fall.

2011

sister Lauren Chanen ’12 traveled through Europe for three weeks. Rachel is now back at Harvard working as a Peer Advising Fellow, helping freshman make the transition and begin their college lives.

Nabeer Khan spent the summer interning at Underground Films in Los Angeles, Calif. The experience immersed him in the entertainment industry and educated him on the world of management, screenwriting, and producing for television and film.

Ashley Sylvester writes, “I’m studying at Université Catholique de Lille for fall quarter. I’m taking all classes in French (except one). Made friends from all around the world—Canada, France, Australia, Italy, Spain, and the USA so far. I’ve been to Paris, Bruges, Brussels, Lille, and Luxembourg. I’ve done a lot of cool things as a tourist—ate at Jules

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Verne on the Eiffel Tower with my boyfriend, walked from l’Arc de Triomphe to Notre Dame, golf carted around Versailles, attended “la Braderie” in Lille (the biggest thing they celebrate, like a giant thrift shop during the day and parties everywhere at night), and explored medieval Bruges. 2012 Nicole Burke writes, “While studying for a year at NYU Shanghai, I made the dean’s list and received honors

for outstanding academic work. This summer I entered a highly competitive program, the Stanford-Peking University Intensive Chinese Language Program, located first in Palo Alto, then in Beijing. I visited temples, climbed the Great Wall, ate roast duck, and found time to write academic papers in Mandarin. On a side note, I am beginning to read the entire Harry Potter series in Mandarin! Also, I visited Erica Dohring ’10, a PCDS alumnus, at Facebook headquarters. Photos: At Stanford University, in Tiananmen Square, and with Erica. Gillian Hormel and her family took a cruise around the Baltic Sea with stops in St. Petersburg, Estonia, Copenhagen, and many other spots. Her photo shows her and sister Geri in Estonia.

currently selling them at ASU Tempe Bicycle. You can find out about us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Catherine Swett is happily starting her second year at Amherst, looking to major in Mandarin and Asian studies (history, etc.). She is currently planning to do a junior year semester abroad somewhere in China. Catherine is still riding horses (hunter jumper) and has an amazing group of friends, including her roommate Hannah—their second year together! Catherine worked this summer in Scottsdale at a premier pet resort and hung out with her PCDS pals as they came through town. 2013 Hannah Cianci attended the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) competition in New York City in July. She won in the categories of “on-screen host” and “screen test” and was awarded a scholarship to the New York Film Academy. Hannah began attending the College of Charleston this fall and pledged the Tri Delta

Mary Margaret Kelly is a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority at Vanderbilt University and is the silent auction chair of Relay for Life at Vanderbilt. Reid Price writes, “I started my own custom longboard company this summer, Lazy Hut Longboards. We are

CLASS NOTES

sorority there. She also modeled in Charleston’s Fashion Week. Justin Corsillo worked at Tilly’s and American Valet and now attends ASU. He visited Napa, Calif., this summer and traveled with his family to a family reunion in eastern Canada, north of Toronto in the ski area near Collingwood. John Fernandes went on several trips with numerous churches this summer. He was a camp counselor for a boys camp in Prescott and helped the staff with a youth mission trip to Mexico.

Stenson Hamann is a sophomore at Calvin College studying biology and Chinese. He had a great summer taking fourth-year Chinese with Harvard in Beijing. He and his sister Kylin will play together in the Calvin College orchestra this year.

Trevor Kent accompanied PCDS Upper School teacher Robin Anderson and several classmates to Rome, Italy, this summer and had a great time. He also worked as a counselor at the

PCDS Summer Programs. Trevor is a freshman at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Leila Nohghrechi writes, “As the beginning of a new year is approaching I cannot forget that I am on the happiest and best suited track of my life right now because of Phoenix Country Day. I have gained numerous experiences and had so much fun the past two years and I would just like to say

thank you so much for allowing me to attend such an honorable school. I am so excited for what my future holds! Here at UA, I just had my first day of classes and I’m feeling that 19 hours this semester is going to be quite the challenge. I’ve seen Patrick Rody, Dalia Grado, Angelica Sisson, and Henry Roden (all Class of 2013), all the new PCDS alumni that attend UA.” Jack Swett is taking a gap year before heading off to the University of Vermont (in their mechanical engineering program). In the meantime, he has taken off in his 4x4 XTerra to tour all the National Parks on the west side of the continental divide. After that, he will return to the Valley to mentor PCDS robotics and find some work to replenish his bank account! Mostly he wanted to take a break before engineering studies and follow what interested him for a year.

Do you have news to share? We are always excited to hear from you. Please send pictures and details about a graduation, a new job, a birth, engagement or marriage announcement, a recent trip, a new hobby, or a visit with another alumnus. Email your news to The Alumni Office at alumni@pcds.org. We look forward to learning what you have been up to!

ANNUAL REPORT ON

GIVING

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OPERATING STATEMENT 2012-13 FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2013 The 2012-13 Operating Statement supports the Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continuing commitment to retain a superior faculty and to upgrade the physical plant. The following financial data is a summary, assembled from our annual audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013. The financial data presented in this annual report does not represent a complete financial statement presentation in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Copies of our annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, along with the auditorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; report, are available for review upon request from the Business Office. Income Tuition and fees

$16,343,173

Contributions to operating fund (Annual Fund)

615,856

Contributions with donor-imposed restrictions

805,656

Endowment Contributions

2,678

Investment dividends, interest

834,690

Market gains/(losses) on investments

1,056,191

Loss on disposition of assets

(129,813)

Other miscellaneous income

59,492

Total Income

$19,587,923

Expenses

Salaries and benefits

$11,186,837

Instructional expenses

1,131,774

Financial aid & tuition remission

2,451,277

Facilities operations and maintenance

791,687

Auxiliary services

29,238

Administrative expenses

878,346

General operation expenses

396,092

Transfers to Net Reserves

2,722,672

Total Expenses

$19,587,923

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Dear PCDS Families, Alumni, and Friends, In Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling book, The Tipping Point, we learn of that “magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.” Gladwell challenges the reader to understand that small changes can have big effects; when small numbers of people start behaving a certain way, that behavior can ripple outward until a "tipping point" is reached, changing the world. I would argue that during this past fiscal year, Phoenix Country Day School began the ascension toward our very own tipping point! More than half our families (60%) made gifts to the Annual Fund this year, a tremendous jump from 35% just one year earlier. Not only did Annual Fund participation soar to new heights, but also we raised over $625,000, and were fortunate to receive nearly $500,000 in restricted and endowed gifts. We offer our heartfelt thanks for making this a record year for giving to PCDS. As we inch toward that tipping point, with your continued enthusiasm, support, and investment, those numbers will climb, others will feel the momentum in our community, and our school will only get stronger in our next 50 years! Over the course of the year, our Advancement Office and Committee had the pleasure of speaking with so many parents and alumni about the importance of investing in our school beyond tuition; about the need for participation from all of our families; and about the care for our school that was not being represented in the percentages of financial support. These phone calls, parking lot conversations, small group meetings, and personal sit-downs made our advancement team more knowledgeable about your views regarding PCDS and even more excited about your enthusiasm to keep the conversation going. That’s exactly what we hope to do this fiscal year, 2013-14. Raising dollars to offset tuition helps us retain the very best faculty and staff and provides our students with programs that no other school in Arizona can offer - this is certainly reason to celebrate! However, we are most proud of our participation numbers, which is why we created events like the Bridge-the-Gap Celebration, which will continue this year and for years to come. I believe we can all find inspiration in Malcolm Gladwell’s final thoughts: “The best way to understand a dramatic transformation is to think of it as an epidemic.” He clarifies by writing, “There are exceptional people out there who are capable of starting epidemics or tipping points. All you have to do is find them.” Fortunately for us, we have found them, and they are running around our campus at 40th St. and Stanford each and every day! I greatly look forward to speaking with you and continuing our conversation. With appreciation,

C. Ryan Joyce Director of Advancement

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GIFTS TO THE ANNUAL FUND Founder’s Circle - ($50,000+) Najafi Companies Cheryl & Jahm Najafi Headmaster’s Circle - ($25,000+) Anonymous Richard Burke Carol & Larry Clemmensen Natalie & Edward Gaylord, II Linda F. Noyes Charitable Lead Trust Kate Portanova ‘96 Zeb Portanova ‘97 Clarissa (Simek) ‘88 & Brian Robinson Aquilae - ($15,000+) Julia & Taylor Burke Roger S. Firestone Foundation

Eagle Fellowship - ($2,500+) Beverly & Peter Ax

Leadership Circle - ($1,000+) Rebecca & Ken Allison

Kathy & Lawrence Bain

Annaliza & Kenneth Anaeme

Addison & Walt Brown

Anonymous

Class of 2012

Stephanie & Jonathan Ashman

Donna & Douglas Currault

Jo-Ann & Lowry Barfield

Kerry & Dirk Cussler

Laura & Jeff Beraznik

Shelly & Mark Detmer

Polly & Blair Bindley

Paulette & James Dodson

Salma Jesmin & Amar Bista

The Firefly Trust Andrew Norris ‘81 Joan B. Norris Jonathan Norris ‘77

Linda Jorgensen & G. Alan Bracher

Tracy & Timothy Flaherty Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation

Tracy & William Brennan Shelby & Stephen Butterfield Mistalene & James Calleroz White Ann & Richard Carr Joshua Cohen

Michelle & Michael Hosmar

Maria & Joseph Cooper

Alisa & Charles Jost

Stacy & Richard Cooper

Mara & Brad Kotansky

Juan Corsillo

Praveena & Ramkrishna Kothur

Sybil Francis & Michael Crow

Bonnie & Terry Maffi

Molly & Nick DeFilippis

Roundtable - ($7,500+) Carrie & Morris Aaron

Jeanne & Chad Miraglia

Melinda & Thomas DeMark ‘93

Kent Mueller

Patricia & Robert Dettmer

Anonymous

Erin & Craig Olschansky

Eli Lilly & Company

Century Foundation Amy & Timothy Louis ‘81

Joanne Shen & Robert Ortega

Alisa & Earl Feng

Sarah & John Pappas

Jacqui & Nicholas Firestone ‘84

Dominique & Don Dady

Wendy Selig-Prieb & Laurel Prieb

Karl & Sally Forster

Keri & Brian deGuzman

Shelly & Manoj Rawal

Sandra & Guy Gamble

Tamia & Grant Hill

Nicole & Lawrence Russo

Noel & Joseph Garagiola

Donna & Stephen Johnson

Julie & Vasif Sabeeh

Susan & Thomas Garrity

Mary & Dennis Wise

Penny & Robert Sarver

Susan & Mark Greenfield

SC Johnson Fund, Inc.

Theresa & Michael Gregory

Tracy & Marc Schwimmer

Angela & Edward Harris ‘88

Nancy & Jason Singer

Jackie & John Hayden ‘82

Mitzi Krockover & Jacque Sokolov

Henry Family Foundation Leslie & David Lewis

Rita & Samuel Garvin Louis Foundation, Inc. Julie & Herbert J. Louis Bobette & Kevin Weiss

Phoenix Society - ($5,000+) Elizabeth Byrnes & Barton Faber Larraine Ho & Pravin Dugel Stephanie & Adam Goodman Robin & David Hanna Jordan & Jason Rose Jenifer & Keith Swisher

Molly & Rick Sodja Shoshana & Robert Tancer Charlene & Jim Whitfill

Jill & Jeffrey Herzog Shannon & Chris Hinkson Carrie & Jon Hulburd

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GIFTS TO THE ANNUAL FUND Nilma & David Igdaloff

Lydia & Andrew Rodin

Edgar Arnold

C. Ryan Joyce

Jeanne Wilcox & Joseph Rody

Patricia & Blair Ashner

Angela & Robert Keller

Deirdre Hahn & David Rogers

Ilene Aube

Mary Beth & Andrew Kent

Leigh & Brent Roland

Misrach & Ermias Ayele

Aylin Tashman Kim ‘99

Kathryn & David Sellers

Lyn Bacon

Kwang-Wu Kim

Shazia Malik & Ehfad Shah

Nicole Barber

Jill & Burt Kohler

Susan & Charles Shields

Annette Barnard

Pinar (Tashman) ‘99 & Naci Korzay

Significance Foundation

Alison & Michael Bassoff

L&L Notary Services, Inc

Toni & Craig Stein

Riham & Ahmed Bedeir

Henry & Lisa Lee

Daisy & Bart Steiner

Wendy Beninato

Tami Dairiki & Evan Leibner

Eva Sperber-Porter & Mark Svejda

Kristie & Gary Berg

Cristina & Shane Lewis

Marcella & John Symington

Jennifer Berg

Mercedes & Richard Liljegren

Lauri & Eric Termansen

Rebecca Bernhardt

Toni & Don Loback

Barbara Dawson & Samuel Thumma

Donna & Fabien Bertault

Valery & Mark Lodato

Renee & Chida Tse

David Biel ‘01

Vanessa Lee & Ian Lopatin

Stacy & Michael Tucker

Marie & Roger Bippus

Joyce & Dorsey Lynch

Hedi Saghari & Hiva Vakil

Kylie Birnbaum ‘04

MBSDirect, LLC

Denise & Kent Voss

Carelie Bisinger

Stephanie McGillivray

Lisa & Brian Walsh

Patricia Refo & Don Bivens

Kate Groves & Warren Meyer

Lea & Lou Werner, ‘87

Kelly & David Bockrath

Microsoft Giving Campaign

Ellen & Ian Whitmore

Sarah & David Bodney

The Mikita Foundation

Bill Wrigley ‘81

Gail & Ron Bolden

Nan P. Miller

Kimberly & Michael Yue

Margaret & Steve Minard

Sheila & Michael Zuieback

Fernanda & Ruggero Borletti Dell’Acqua

Priscilla & Paul Moore

Jamey & Troy Zurawski

Nicole & Peter Nakaji

Lisa Borowsky Mirav Bradshaw

Community Circle - (up to $999) Kimberly Abbott

Robyn & Steven Brenden

Jennifer Lewkowitz Abelson ‘04

Jasmine & Nathan Brown

Maha & Nabil Abou-Haidar

Karen & James Bruntz

Jenifer & Ayad Agha

Lee Buettner

Claudia & Shahram Partovi

Christine & Benjamin Aguilera

Laine & Blake Bulloch

Kathryn Ann & Michael Peters

Ruth Bristol & Felipe Albuquerque

Clare Burnham ‘07

Kara & Mark Peterson

Norma & Randy Allmon

Susan & Richard Burnham

Terry Switsky & Savas Petrides

Robin Anderson

Karen & Keith Burns

Dana & Peter Powell

Anonymous

Kelly Butler

Shirley Michels & Bernard Rethore

Heather Arguello

Barbara & Patrick Bzdak

Stephen Robinson

Arizona Public Service

Linda & Jeff Campbell

Kelsey Neal Susan & Frederick Newton Kathleen Weber & Geoffrey Ossias Dominique van de Stadt & Octavio Pajaro

Gina & Paul Bridgeman

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GIFTS TO THE ANNUAL FUND Joo & David Cantor

Kathleen & David Drewitz

Susan Gerhard

Jennifer & Michael Caplan

Sarah Driscoll

Yolanda & Greg Gilbert

Clifton Carlson

Sheila Druch

Robin Gilson

Clifton Carlson, Jr.

Paula & Mort Dukehart

Sheela & Mark Giraudo

Anastasia “Stacy” & Timothy Casten

Sarah Vieh Dworkin ‘98

Sonia & Narendra Godbole

Renie Cavallari

Lee Edwards

Judith & Herbert Gold

Jenny & Kevin Cherilla

Meg & Curtis Ekmark

Lisa & Eric Goldberg

Rebel Rice & Adam Chodorow

Cynthia & Brian Ellingson

Amy & Paul Golden

Wendy & Michael Cianci

Christian Eriksen

Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Lora & Nicholas Cogliani

Sadie & Kai Etheridge

Augustine Gomez ‘99

Krista & Gregory Cohen

Deborah & Christopher Evans

Catherine Best Gordon ‘82

Lauren & Jordan Cohen

Jennifer Evans

Julie Grasso

Maileen & Mitchell Cohen

Holly & Kevin Fechtmeyer

Tara Brodkin Grauer

Lois Sayrs & Scott Cohen

Sharon Mills & Bruce Feder

Cindy Griffin

Dell Taylor & Jerry R. Cook

Jay Fielder ‘08

Robin & Russell Grossman

Judith Mitchell & Lance Coon

Katy & John Fielder

Ellen & David Grounds

Donna Corbett

Will Fielder ‘06

Michelle Gurnee

Clint Corcoran ‘03

Julie Fine

Matthew Guthrie

Marlene & T Corcoran

Julie Firestone

Antoinette Hall

Gayle Cordes

Tammy & Stephen Fisher

Beth & Curtis Hamann

Mary Kate Meyer & Mark Corliss

Katherine & Allan Flader

Tammy McLeod & John Hamilton

Carla & Tony Cose-Giallella

Sharon & Peter Flanagan-Hyde

Jeri & Jason Hanson

Elaine & John Crabb

Maurine Fleming

Kim & Gregory Haus ‘79

Jennifer Cunningham

Marian & Deron Florey

Iulia & Alan Hauser

Peter Curzon ‘04

Julia & Terry Forbis

Carrie & Barton Hechtman ‘79

Yana & Igor Dashevsky

Cynthia Fowler

Kristin & Robert Hendrickson

Cindy Davis

Dana & Jason Fox ‘93

Jeanel Hoagland

Christie & Courtney Davis

Loganne & Michael Freeny

Kim & Phat Hoang

Michael Dean

Valeska French ‘93

Mary & Sean Hobin

Misty Anne & Fabrice Dechoux

William French ‘09

Adrienne Meredith & Brian Hoblit ‘92

Andrea Decker

Jill & Michael Freret

Marissa & Corey Hochman

Katerina & Patrick Derueda

Maki Fullerton

Alejandra Holwerda

Deutsche Bank

Susan Funkhouser

Neva & Thanh Hong

Elizabeth & Daniel Dever

Lauri & Roy Gardner ‘71

Andrew Huff

Sara & Patrick Dial

Judson Garrett

Michele & Bryan Huskey

Jackie & Tim Dollander

Joan & G.Kenneth Gates

Steve Hutchinson

Linda & Ira Drate

Sarah Gaumer

Diane Ingold

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GIFTS TO THE ANNUAL FUND intel Matching Gifts to Education

Thelma & Ernesto Martinez, Jr.

Nicky B’s LLC #267

Jaki Ivins

Gurjot & Dharminder Marwah

Ellie & Patrick Nolan

Eric Jackson

Courtney Lewis Mason ‘00

Maria & Alex Nolasco

Michelle (Rotman) ‘89 & Corey Jassem

Allison & John Mathews

Amy Fitchner & Jesse North

Susan & John Mazzolini

Heather & Robert Novak

Judy McAdams

Kendall & Louis Novoa-Takara

Jackie & Brandon McDermott

Cari & William Oberfield

Shelby McDermott ‘17

Karen & George Odden

Elizabeth McGee ‘99

Florina Lezama & Juan Olea

JL McGee

Jennie (Miller) ‘77 & Wayne Oleksak

Jessica & Patrick McHonett

Dawn & Mike Olsen

Andy McKean

Elizabeth Olson

Katie McKean

Sandy Orrick

Ben McRae ‘07

Alvaro Otalora

Nevine & Robert Melikian

Elizabeth (Reahard) Oviedo ‘04

Brian Mensinger

Kimberly & Hal Owens

Claire & David Merkel

Kateland Owensby

Mary Kay & Dennis Meyers

Christine & Bruce Palmer

Raquel & Jamir Miller

Kimberly & David Paltzik

Christopher Milliken

Priya & Gunjan Parikh

Logan & Christopher Milliken

Pamela & Irwin Pasternack

Laurence Mills

Indu Gupta & Maitray Patel

Lynn Minor

Carol & Richard Peairs

Jane & Bobby Mirzaie

Brandon Perry

Serena & J. Andrew Montooth

Caroline Perry ‘07

Deanna & Weston Montrose

Colleen & Tom Peterson

Gabriela & Jose Moreno

Danielle & Jack Phillips

Hallie Mueller

Barbara (Pritzlaff) ‘74 & V. Douglas Pierce

Carol Colombo & Louis Kirby Carolina Lopez ‘82 & Charles Kirkland Kathy & Randy Kirsch Jean & Robert Kosower Sandra & David Koster Kelly & Jeffrey Krause Jane & Harold Kwa Ann & Gary Lane Laura (Neller) Lanigan ‘02 Tina Lassila Nancy Laubach Tracey & Michael Lazarski Carolyn & Craig LeBlanc Alexandra Hicks LeClair ‘01 Jacqueline & Don Lee Elisabeth & Jeremy Lee Nicole Lee Leslie & Robert Lewis Adam Lewkowitz ‘02 Blake Lewkowitz ‘07 Cathy & Herman Lewkowitz ‘79 Genevieve & Eli Leyba Janelle Plaza Lika ‘98 Victoria & Steve Lindley Julie & Gary Linhart ‘88 Jeannie & Carter Lloyds Donna & David Loretta Candace Mackey Evelyne & Aristotle Macrodimitris Daniel Majeski Patricia & Gerald Malone Sheila Marks Debbie & Dave Martin

Jesse Munch Leslie Muray ‘67 Kathryn & Kevin Murphy Ricku & Ajay Narwani Jennifer & Christopher Neck Taylor Nelson Carol & Eric Neufer Sean Newland Kelli Newsome

Shannon & Stewart Pierson Amanda & Jeffrey Ploederl Jody & Kerry Pokorski Tiffany Westlie Pondelik ‘00 Heather Post-Logan Betsy Pregulman Susan & Frederic Purtill Lynn Quartermaine Jules & Andrew Rafal 71

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GIFTS TO THE ANNUAL FUND Gabrielle & Jon Ragsdale

Jaime & Terrance Sheridan

Trudy & Hugh Tom

Deisy & Pedro Ramos

Candice deSaint-Antoine & Brent Shuster

Teeraya & Samuel Tomlin

Denise & William Reaves Denise & Naveen Reddy Amrita & Praful Reddy Elisa & Fernando Reynoso Bethany Richardson Lisa Richardson Janet & Paul Richmann Elizabeth & Raymond Rooney Elaine Rosenthal Cyndi & James Rosenthal Kathy & Burke Rosenzweig Barbara Pockaj & Michael Rossides David Rowe Andru Roysden ‘07 Laurie Rummel Frances Russo Mari Fukami & Jon Sabol Saks Fifth Avenue Sage Dining Services Jennifer & Charles Sands Alpa & Ashesh Sanghvi Kimberly & Eric Saur Melissa Martin & Joyce Schmidt John Schupbach ‘06 Laura & Daniel Schwartz Mary & Paul Schweikher Jack Schwimmer ‘09 Max Schwimmer ‘07 Jill Scott Wenda & Dana Seltzer Ruth & Jay Server Kristine & Edward Shanken ‘82 Ian Sharp Ulrika Sandbacka & Hani Shennib Melissa & John Sheridan

Sarah & Charles Sidi Elizabeth & Carl Silverman Jennifer Kirkpatrick & Daniel Silverman Jennifer Simone Eileen & Blair Singer Tanda & Jim Siragusa Nimalka & Kumaraswamy Sivakumar Marti & David Skloven Joshua Skolfield Lori (Reynolds) ‘78 & Charles Smalley Catherine Smith Brian Snyder ‘01 Ellen & Adam Spiegel ‘92 Randy Steckler ‘80 Jennifer Sterling Lucy Marshall & Robert Stern Melissa Tominac Stewart ‘98 Shirley Stiles Laura & Matthew Stockslager Lauren Strohacker Tracy & Robert Sucato Linda & Frank Surdakowski Catherine Swett ‘12 Christine & Eric Swett Michael Swingler Susan & Thomas Sylvester Elaine & Steve Szeto Joseph Tamer Katayoun Baniriah & Babak Tehranchi Caroline Thompson ‘05 Elizabeth Thompson ‘07 Ian Thurbon Laura & Daniel Tillman Wendy & Rick Timone

Jennifer Treadway Raejean Tripp Laura & Vladimir Troche Pritpal & Paramvir Tuli Claire Tyra Sandra & Wayne Vinson Ruta & Vijay Wakharkar Christine Grau ‘89 & Richard Walton Brian Wand Laurie & Michael Wang Ashley Waters ‘96 Sarah Watson ‘05 Wells Fargo Bank & Foundation Cynthia & David Werth Sarah & Ethan Wessel Amanda Mabbitt Westlake ‘99 Kelly & Michael Whalen Harriet & Michael White Anne & Dean Wilkins Molly & Jason Williams Jennifer & Frederic Winssinger Gabrielle Goodrick & Calvin Winter Yufeng Yang & Jianwen Wu Melinda & Robert Xanthos Kimberly Yamanouchi ’74 Desiree Ong & Wellington Yee Stefan Youngs Betsy & Eric Zayanderoudi Richard Zielenkiewicz Katie & Jack Zink

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FACULTY & STAFF GIFTS TO THE ANNUAL FUND Anonymous Kimberly Abbott Rebecca Allison Randy Allmon Robin Anderson Heather Arguello Edgar Arnold Nicole Barber Kristie Berg Rebecca Bernhardt Marie Bippus Carelie Bisinger Gina Bridgeman Karen Bruntz Lee Buettner Keith Burns Kelly Butler Barbara Bzdak James Calleroz White Clifton Carlson Clifton Carlson, Jr. Jennifer Cherilla Jerry R. Cook Lance Coon Donna Corbett Mark Corlis Carla Cose-Giallella John Crabb Jennifer Cunningham Cindy Davis Andrea Decker Linda Drate Sarah Driscoll Mort Dukehart Lee Edwards Brian Ellingson Christian Eriksen Sadie Etheridge Kai Etheridge Jennifer Evans John Fielder Julie Fine Peter Flanagan-Hyde

Maurine Fleming Cynthia Fowler Valeska French â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;93 Maki Fullerton Judson Garrett Sarah Gaumer Susan Gerhard Yolanda Gilbert Michelle Gurnee Matthew Guthrie Antoinette Hall Jeanel Hoagland Alejandra Holwerda Andrew Huff Diane Ingold Jaki Ivins Ryan Joyce Robert Kosower Jacqueline Lee Shane Lewis Candace Mackey Evelyne Macrodimitris Daniel Majeski Sheila Marks William Martin Susan Mazzolini Judy McAdams Patrick McHonett Andy McKean Katie McKean Brian Mensinger Mary Kay Meyers Judith Mitchell Laurence Mills Bobby Mirzaie Hallie Mueller Jesse Munch Kelsey Neal Taylor Nelson Eric Neufer Sean Newland Kelli Newsome Maria Nolasco

Jesse North Elizabeth Olson Desiree Ong Sandy Orrick Alvaro Otalora Kateland Owensby Christine Palmer Brandon Perry Kathryn Ann Peters Jack Phillips Shannon Pierson Stewart Pierson Lynn Quartermaine Gabrielle Ragsdale Pedro Ramos Bethany Richardson Andrew Rodin David Rowe Kimberly Saur Paul Schweikher Jill Scott Ian Sharp Jaime Sheridan Marti Skloven Joshua Skolfield Catherine Smith Jennifer Sterling Shirley Stiles Lauren Strohacker Tracy Sucato Linda Surdakowski Michael Swingler Joseph Tamer Trudy Tom Teeraya Tomlin Jennifer Treadway Claire Tyra Dean Wilkins Molly Williams Stefan Youngs Richard Zielenkiewicz Katie Zink

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ALUMNI GIFTS TO THE ANNUAL FUND Anonymous

Brian Hoblit ‘92

Katherine Portanova ‘96

Jennifer Lewkowitz Abelson ‘04

Michelle Rotman Jassem ‘89

Zeb Portanova ‘97

David Biel ‘01

Aylin Tashman Kim ‘99

Clarissa Simek Robinson ‘88

Kylie Birnbaum ‘04

Pinar Tashman Korzay ‘90

Andru Roysden ‘07

Clare Burnham ‘07

Laura Neller Lanigan ‘02

Nicholas Sakellariadis ‘69

Class of 2012

Alexandra Hicks LeClair ‘01

John Schupbach ‘06

Clint Corcoran ‘03

Adam Lewkowitz ‘02

Jack Schwimmer ‘09

Peter Curzon ‘04

Blake Lewkowitz ‘07

Max Schwimmer ‘07

Thomas DeMark ‘93

Catherine Tancer Lewkowitz ‘79

Edward Shanken ‘82

Sara Vieh Dworkin ‘98

Herman Lewkowitz ‘79

Lori Reynolds Smalley ‘78

Jay Fielder ‘08

Gary Linhart ‘88

Brian Snyder ‘01

Will Fielder ‘06

Timothy Louis ‘81

Adam Spiegel ‘92

Nicholas Firestone 1984

Carolina Lopez ‘82

Randy Steckler ‘80

Jason Fox ‘93

Courtney Lewis Mason ‘00

Melissa Tominac Stewart ‘98

Valeska French ‘93

Elizabeth McGee ‘99

Catherine Swett ‘12

Will French ‘09

Ben McRae ‘07

Caroline Thompson ‘05

Roy Gardner ‘71

Leslie Muray ‘67

Elizabeth Thompson ‘07

Augustine Gomez ‘99

Andrew Norris ‘81

Ashley Waters ‘96

Catherine Best Gordon ‘82

Jonathan Norris ‘77

Sarah Watson ‘05

Christine Grau ‘89

Jennie Miller Oleksak ‘77

Louis Werner ‘87

Edward Harris ‘88

Elizabeth Reahard Oviedo ‘04

Amanda Mabbitt Westlake ‘99

Greg Haus ‘79

Caroline Perry ‘07

William Wrigley ‘81

John Hayden ‘82

Barbara Pritzlaff Pierce ‘74

Kimberly Yamanouchi ‘74

Barton Hechtman ‘79

Janelle Plaza ‘98

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SAGUARO SOCIETY GIFTS TO THE ANNUAL FUND

The Saguaro Society recognizes constituents who give consistently, year after year, at any gift level. Membership in the Saguaro Society is a testament to their loyalty and commitment to PCDS. Anonymous Carrie & Morris Aaron Ruth Bristol & Felipe Albuquerque Rebecca & Ken Allison Stephanie & Jonathan Ashman Patricia & Blair Ashner Ilene Aube Beverly & Peter Ax Lyn Bacon Kathy & Lawrence Bain Alison & Michael Bassoff Polly & Blair Bindley Salma Jesmin & Amar Bista Linda Jorgensen & G. Alan Bracher Gina & Paul Bridgeman Julia & Taylor Burke Susan & Richard Burnham Kelli Butler Barbara & Patrick Bzdak Jenny & Kevin Cherilla Carol & Larry Clemmensen Lora & Nicholas Cogliani Lois Sayrs & Scott Cohen Stacy & Richard Cooper Clint Corcoran ‘03 Marlene & T Corcoran Donna & Douglas Currault Kerry & Dirk Cussler Paula & Mort Dukehart Kathleen & David Drewitz Larraine Ho & Pravin Dugel Lee Edwards The Firefly Trust Jacqueline Firestone Nicholas Firestone 1984 Maurine Fleming Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation Sandra & Guy Gamble Noel & Joseph Garagiola Susan & Thomas Garrity Rita & Samuel Garvin Joan & G. Kenneth Gates

Stephanie & Adam Goodman Susan & Mark Greenfield Cindy Griffin Beth & Curtis Hamann Tammy McLeod & John Hamilton Angela & Edward Harris ‘88 Carrie & Barton Hechtman ‘79 Henry Family Foundation Kim & Phat Hoang Adrienne Meredith & Brian Hoblit ‘92 Michele & Bryan Huskey Michelle (Rotman) ‘89 & Corey Jassem Donna & Stephen Johnson Alisa & Charles Jost Kwang-Wu Kim Jill & Burt Kohler Jean & Robert Kosower Ann & Gary Lane Nancy Laubach Leslie & David Lewis Leslie & Robert Lewis Steve & Victoria Lindley Julie & Gary Linhart ‘88 Toni & Don Loback Louis Foundation, Inc. Julie Louis & Herbert J. Louis Amy & Timothy Louis ‘81 Daniel Majeski Debbie & William Martin Courtney Lewis Mason ‘00 Susan & John Mazzolini Microsoft Giving Campaign The Mikita Foundation Nan P. Miller Margaret & Steve Minard Kathryn & Kevin Murphy Najafi Companies Cheryl & Jahm Najafi Jennifer & Christopher Neck Carol & Eric Neufer Nicky B’s LLC #267 Andrew Norris ‘81

Joan B. Norris Jonathan Norris ‘77 Linda F. Noyes Charitable Lead Trust Cari & William Oberfield Karen & George Odden Indu Gupta & Maitray Patel Carol & Richard Peairs Kathryn Ann & Michael Peters Danielle & Jack Phillips Barbara (Pritzlaff) ‘74 & V. Douglas Pierce Jody & Kerry Pokorski Kate Portanova ‘96 Zeb Portanova ‘97 Wendy & Laurel Prieb Janet & Paul Richmann Clarissa (Simek) ‘88 & Brian Robinson Leigh & Brent Roland Elizabeth & Raymond Rooney Kathy & Burke Rosenzweig Laura & Daniel Schwartz Tracy & Marc Schwimmer Sarah & Charles Sidi Nancy & Jason Singer Mitzi Krockover & Jacque Sokolov Shirley Stiles Laura & Matthew Stockslager Susan & Thomas Sylvester Marcella & John Symington Shoshana & Robert Tancer Laura & Daniel Tillman Jennifer Treadway Stacy & Michael Tucker Laurie & Michael Wang Amanda Mabbitt Westlake ‘99 Charlene & Jim Whitfill Jeanne Wilcox & Joseph Rody Mary & Dennis Wise Yufeng Yang & Jianwen Wu Desiree Ong & Wellington Yee Kimberly & Michael Yue

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GIFTS TO DESIGNATED FUNDS Rex Allison Chair for Excellence Rex Allison Education Foundation Youngest Red Haired Son Endowment George Bernhardt Judith Mitchell & Lance Coon Carol & Richard Peairs Linda Bryant Memorial Endowment Judith Mitchell & Lance Coon Carol & Richard Peairs Chinese Studies Endowment Margaret M. Tse Victor Feeney Memorial Endowment Mary Feeney ‘71 Nancy & William Henze ‘67 Ellen Feeney Jesaitis ‘69 Anna Munczek Memorial Endowment Judith Mitchell & Lance Coon Carol & Richard Peairs James Roof Humanities Endowment Judith Mitchell & Lance Coon

Katherine DeLongy O’Connor Memorial Endowment Maria DeLongy Project Excellence Endowment Rebecca & Ken Allison Larraine Ho & Pravin Dugel Augustine Gomez ‘99 Jeanne Lamont Yomi Owoyemi Alexandra Rethore ‘96 Robert Wilson Scholarship Endowment Judith Mitchell & Lance Coon Mary Lu Syllaba Memorial Judith Mitchell & Lance Coon Carol & Richard Peairs Sydney Anne Stewart Memorial Endowment Kerry & Eric Jackson ‘86 Unrestricted Endowment Janelle Plaza ‘98

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Here’s How We Did It Total Annual Fund dollars raised: $625,000 – up 33% over last year Current-parent participation: 60% - up 25% over last year Board of Trustees participation: 100% - up 20% over last year Faculty and staff participation: 98% - up 38% over last year Alumni Board participation: 100% - up 100% over last year Alumni dollars raised: up 13% over last year

Over 1,100 gifts to the Annual Fund – AN ALL-TIME HIGH!

Your Outstanding Generosity Brought Us the Most Successful Annual Fund in our 52-Year History!

Look What’s New

For the past year and a half, we’ve been deeply engaged in discussion around a revitalized marketing and branding approach for PCDS. Our desire is to boldly and effectively communicate to our greater community the items most central to a PCDS education. Toward that goal, these are the new elements we’ve introduced in recent months: Our new website. The address is the same – www.pcds.org - but the face is very different. The message we want to project to those who are looking at our school from the outside—as prospective students, families, and teachers—is that there are three crucial pieces that separate PCDS from the rest of the pack: small classes, exceptional teachers, and time-tested results. This brand is highly evident on our new site. Please take some time to look around and let us know what you think at info@pcds.org. Our school apparel. When our students, their families, and our alumni are wearing good-looking PCDS gear around town, people notice. We’ve pared down the wide range of logos and designs that existed and have moved to three visual representations, which you see here, in a new blue: our traditional school seal, our new word mark, and our new athletics logo. We’re very excited to re-establish in our community the PCDS brand, which we truly believe is second-to-none, and we’re grateful for your help in getting out the message.

Save the Date to Celebrate! For PCDS Parents: Bridge-the-Gap Celebration April 12, 2014 7 pm For PCDS Alumni: Alumni Spring Party & Hall of Fame April 11 & 12, 2014

CLAIM TO

FAME

Finding a Childhood Memory By C. Ryan Joyce, Director of Advancement

As snow begins to fall across the country and families gather for holiday rituals and celebrations, we hunker down and brace for yet another Phoenix winter! Growing up in suburban New York, the oldest of five siblings, it’s easy for me to recall a mix of chaos and laughter along with the gift giving and thankfulness during the holiday season. Between Thanksgiving and the new year, while we gathered together as a family during our break from school, it wasn’t unusual to find me or one of my siblings on the living room couch, a heavy wool blanket draped over us and the hearth in full bloom, taking a respite from the holiday madness to watch the endlessly repeated 1983 classic film, A Christmas Story, on television. I remember watching in awe as I found more than a few correlations between the main character, Ralphie, and me – the hectic household, the dogs running around, the silly gifts from distant relatives, and the desire to believe, truly believe, in the magic that occurs during the holiday season. Flash forward 30 years from the movie’s release and to my surprise, I am quite literally closer now to Ralphie than I would have ever imagined at this juncture in my life. Shortly after my arrival at PCDS I inquired about a few of our notable alumni and I continue to be impressed with the breadth of impact the PCDS alumni make across the Peter’s 9th-grade photo from globe. However, I must admit, the 1987 PCDS yearbook. the one that initially caught my attention was a boy named Peter Billingsley Michaelsen, who attended PCDS from 8th through 10th grade (1984-1987). Peter, of course, is better known as Ralphie from A Christmas Story, the boy who begs his parents and a mall Santa Claus for an “Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-HundredShot Range Model Air Rifle!” Finding fame as a young child in the 1970s, Peter first starred in a Geritol commercial and continued to act throughout his time at PCDS.

Longtime PCDS faculty members Dave Martin and Paul Schweikher remember all three Michaelsen children. Melissa and Neil, who also attended PCDS, were actors in their youth as well. However, as “resident historian” Paul Schweikher said, “I recall a real buzz around campus when A Christmas Story quickly went from cult favorite to Christmas classic!” Peter certainly made his impact on our campus before leaving PCDS at the end of his sophomore year to move to Hollywood. Today, he is still acting, and also producing and directing films. Next spring, when Andy Rodin and I head out to LA to meet with our west coast alumni, we hope to sit down and chat with him and hear how PCDS helped shape his formative years and, perhaps, his acting career. Either way, we are happy to call Ralphie one of us! So, when I return home soon for the holiday break, our family rituals will continue, the chaos heightened with the addition of in-laws and several grandchildren running around my parents’ home. But I know the moment will come when I find myself in that same living room of my childhood and there, on the television, will undoubtedly be A Christmas Story. And when I see Peter’s smiling face on the screen, I’ll pause and think, “There’s another PCDS alum doing something interesting with his life…I wonder what our next graduates will do?” We wish you, our readers, the happiest and healthiest holiday season. Or, as Ralphie would call it, “The lovely, glorious time of year upon which the entire kid year revolved!”