class notes

This page, left: Head of School Mike Hanas, Nick Hoffner ‘16, Juliana Lamm-Perez ‘`7, Stella Malone ‘17, and Qiaoying Chen ‘17 this past August at Valencia Street. Right: Boris Cotom with bags of delicious Cotom Coffee. Opposite page, from top: Sofia Arnest ‘18 has been playing for Head-Royce’s soccer team the past few years, Colly Urdan ‘18, also at Lick, was recently honored for his achievements on and off the basketball court, and Annika Gursky ‘18 and Jamie ‘18 have been playing soccer together—and against Sofia!—throughout high school.

class of 2011:

Dezáray Lowery ’11 says: “After I graduated from Gateway in 2015, I was accepted into my first choice, Spelman College. I enjoyed going to an all-Black, all-women’s university, and I attended Spelman for a year and a half before needing to come home for personal reasons. I took some classes at City College of San Francisco to continue my education as well as started working at SF Friends to give back to the community and enjoy the new generation of young people. I then transferred to San Francisco State University in 2018 and finally graduated college last year December of 2020. I am now using this time to travel and see as much of the world as I can. I just came back from Ghana, where I was for a month, and in about two weeks I am going to Nigeria. I hope to continue traveling and working and then go back to school for my Master’s in School Counseling.”

Stephanie Woodford ’11 sang the Black anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the annual MLB game between the Giants and the A’s (popularly known as The Battle of the Bay) this past June.

––––––––––class of 2013:

Evie Hidysmith ’13 is currently back in San Francisco, working at the Urban School as their pandemic coordinator; you can read more about what Evie is up to on page 14, where she’s featured in our alumni-focused Friends Forever column.

Patrick Sullivan ’13 continues to make music, and you can check out some of his tunes now on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ abcd3f.

––––––––––class of 2015:

Boris Cotom ’15 recently founded Cotom Coffee, which imports beautifully cultivated beans from the farms of Guatemala. You can check out the Cotom Coffee website (https://www.cotomcoffee.com) to learn more and order your own!

––––––––––classes of 2016 & 2017:

Nick Hoffner ’16, Juliana Lamm-Perez ’17, Stella Malone

’17, and Qiaoying Chen ’17, stopped by campus in August to sit on a panel for faculty and staff and discuss their time at Friends, the impact their experience here had on them, and what they’re up to now in an event coordinated by Alumni & Donor Engagement Coordinator Dan Sullivan.

––––––––––class of 2018:

Sofia Arnest ’18 is enjoying her senior year at Head-Royce School in Oakland, and wrapped her final year on the varsity soccer team, where she played against fellow SFFS alums and good friends Annika Gursky and Jamie Eu (both also ‘18).

Jamie Eu ’18 spent 2 1/2 months last summer off the grid with NOLS, a nonprofit wilderness school—backpacking, whitewater kayaking, and rock climbing. Jamie played soccer at Lick, where she and Annika Gursky ‘18 (note below) were co-captains with two other seniors. She also dances in the Lick Dance Ensemble, and is planning to run track in the spring.

Annika Gursky ’18 also went on the NOLS trip to Alaska alongside Jamie, which became a great point of connection for the friends. Throughout high school at Lick, Annika has played soccer and volunteered at the Youth Art Exchange, supporting their annual fundraiser.

Colly Urdan ’18, also now a senior at Lick-Wilmerding, was recently named Boys Basketball “Player of the Year” for the Bay Area Conference West Athletic League (which includes Lick, UHS, MA, Urban, San Domenico, Stuart Hall, and Convent), the first time a boys basketball player from Lick has won the award. The “Player of the Year” award honors skill on the court AND leadership, sportsmanship, and a positive attitude. ––––––––––former faculty:

Former SFFS 3rd Grade Teacher Jake Ban is now braving the chilly Midwest chill as the assistant principal of St. Paul Academy and Summit School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after completing his Master’s in Education and the principal internship program in Boston, MA. Do you have news to share with your fellow SFFS alums? Please send in a Class Note to Alissa at akinney-moe@ sffriendsschool.org— and thank you!