class notes

Do you have news to share in Class Notes? This is a place to catch up with SFFS alumni, faculty, staff, and former faculty and staff—and we want to hear from you (as do all of your friends)! Email Alissa at akinney-moe@sffriendsschool.org. Thank you!

This page; clockwise from left: Robert Emery ‘11, Asher Etlin ‘16, and Jameson McQueen ‘11. Opposite page; clockwise from left: Sophia Burnett ‘18, Alexander Hirji ‘18, and Zoe ‘17 and Olive ‘21 Mogannam.

class of 2011:

Robert Emery signed with the San Francisco Giants over the summer, describing the accomplishment as a “literal dream come true” for the dedicated catcher, who guesses he’s attended about 500 Giants games over the years. Robert has played in San Francisco since his Little League days, going on to Saint Ignatius High School, and then to USF—and now, the Giants. Says Robert: “I just tried to work hard, and play well wherever I was at. And I figured if I did my best, good things would happen.” Jameson McQueen returned to 250 Valencia this fall as a teaching aide in the Middle School, after spending years in Florianopolis, Brazil. We are so excited to have him back on campus helping out with our 5th-Graders! ––––––––––

class of 2016:

Accomplished musician Asher Etlin released his debut album, Antiquities, this summer, and you can listen to the original jazz tracks on Apple Music. Asher described the music as a “thank you letter to all the music that I’ve listened to in my first 18 years... My ear has been inherently shaped by everything it has heard, and it was important to me to create an album that pays homage to the musical influences on my life so far.”

Over the summer, Yudi Feng took part in a protest at the gates of San Quentin State Prison, where inmates were suffering from an outbreak of COVID-19. Yudi and four of her classmates from the Urban School, who had all participated in a class called “Voices of Incarceration” and had volunteered at the prison, organized an online petition that had

garnered more than 2,200 signatures to ask that San Quentin’s population be immediately reduced in a bid to curb the outbreak there and save lives. Their efforts were documented in the San Francisco Chronicle. __________

class of 2017:

SFFS siblings Zoe Mogannam ’17 and sister Olive Mogannam ’21 were spotted passing out water to demonstrators as they marched through San Francisco on June 3 to protest widespread and systemic racial injustice across our nation as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. ––––––––––

class of 2018:

Sophia Burnett and two other Bay Area high-schoolers recently founded a nonprofit called STEMpowered, which connects low-income students with high school tutors who can help them stay on top of their schoolwork while schools are closed due to the pandemic. Sophia recently spoke with our 7th-Graders about the experience, and STEMpowered was also the recipient of the 2020 SFFS Faculty/ Staff Gift, which is bestowed each winter to a nonprofit that is recognized for its important work in our region and nominated by members of the professional community.

Alexander Hirji was a big hit with our 6th-Graders when he Zoomed in to talk with them about his involvement with the San Francisco Youth Commission. Alexander encouraged our students to “participate in democracy even if they can’t [yet] vote,” and our Friends left the conversation inspired about ways they can get involved in their community. ––––––––––

class of 2020:

The 8th Grade Co-Clerks of our recently graduated Class of 2020—

Maya Jain, Samara Bainton, Ben

Chung, and Erez Aidlin—spent much of their time in quarantine this spring trying to make a positive impact in the community, tackling challenges ranging from food insecurity to pollution to gentrification and homelessness. Their efforts were part of the National Network of Schools in Partnership’s (NNSP) program, called the Student Task Force for Community Engagement. One of the big take-aways, according to Maya: “If you believe in something strongly enough, then you have the power to convince the world.” ––––––––––

We would like to acknowledge in these pages the recent loss of two beloved members of our San Francisco Friends community: Stephen Lessard, father of Anemo, previously in our Class of 2021 and husband of Suzanne Geller, our Lower School librarian; and Haruwn Wesley, father of Simone (SFFS ’18), stepfather to Cosmo (SFFS ’13), and husband of Margaret Coles.

Our hearts go out to these families, our dear Friends, and we will continue to hold them in the light.