santa catalina
Alumnae on the front lines of COVID-19 Graduates enjoy unique celebrations Teachers go all out for distance learning
Historic Legacy Campaign comes to a close
2020 FALL BULLETIN
Crystal Boyd ’89 Director of Communications Jeannie Evers Writer Jen Rocha Graphic Designer Liesel Kuehl Project Manager Robin Kelly Copy Editor
Shannon Gaughf ’08 Assistant Director of Alumnae/i Engagement
Contributors
Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83, Erin White, Susanna Wilcox
Contributing Photographers
Marc Howard ’93 LS; Nick Lovejoy; Santa Catalina School parents, faculty, staff, and students; profile photos courtesy of the subject
On the cover: We congratulate members of the Class of 2020 on their graduation from Santa Catalina! This collage includes some of the photos taken of graduates receiving their celebratory deliveries in June. We honor and applaud all of the members of this class, whether they are pictured or not, for their resilience in concluding their time as Catalina girls with grace and compassion.
Back Cover: Lower and Middle School music teacher Katie Gaggini helps her students prep their ukuleles during a virtual class.
Above: Student Gracie Gaon ’21 earned third place in the 2020 Congressional Art Competition. Her painting of the Golden Gate Bridge, "Golden Skies Over the Gate," will hang in the district office of Central Coast Rep. Jimmy Panetta, who phoned Gracie to congratulate her. Three other Catalina students earned honorable mention for their art: Kylie Ludviksen ’20, Caitlin Sullivan ’22, and Anna Yeh ’23.
Inside back cover: Georgina Burton ’20, Floral Study, oil on canvas
Santa Catalina School, located on the Monterey Peninsula, is an independent, Catholic school. The Upper School is a college-preparatory high school for young women, with boarding and day students in grades 9–12. The Lower and Middle School is coeducational, with day students in PreK–grade 8. A summer camp for girls 8–14 years serves resident and day campers. Santa Catalina School is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools and Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Santa Catalina School admits students of any race, creed, color, and national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, disability, and national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship programs, athletic, or other school-administered programs.
Santa Catalina’s Bulletin is published twice a year. We welcome suggestions for topics and news, as well as comments about our publication. Email us at communications@santacatalina.org.
FEATURES 16 A New Teaching Environment
Catalina faculty honed their digital skills with a wide range of professional development. 28
A Far Cry From Traditional
Michael Gasperson ’96 LS felt called to firefighting after playing in the NFL.
30 Voices from the Front Lines
Eight alumnae in the medical field share their experiences battling COVID-19.
40 The Legacy Campaign
The school's historic capital campaign comes to a successful close.
contents 2020 FALL BULLETIN
DEPARTMENTS 02
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Message from Head of School
Campus News
Q&A with a Young Alumna
Class Notes
Transitions
Heroes Among Us
Dear Friends,
Recently, Pete Upham, executive director of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), an association with which I serve as a board member, made a request. Pete asked the TABS membership to send, ahead of the upcoming annual conference, a brief video clip of an individual. “Who,” he asked, “on campus, is making an extraordinary difference? … Who has carried out their responsibility with great, even sacrificial devotion? Who has fortified your belief in the potential and promise of humanity? In short, who is your hero?”
My dilemma: how to select “a hero?”
I thought a great deal about the commitment of our parents and of our PreK to Grade 5 faculty who are teaching each day in person. Further, I thought about the dedication of all our teachers developing both distance and in-person curricula through Grade 12. I considered
the extraordinary and ongoing efforts of our staff and our housekeeping, maintenance, and grounds personnel, all of whom work to keep our campus informed and safe. I was moved by the commitment of our learning specialists, counselors, and librarians, who together provide support to students, teachers, and parents navigating this complicated, persistently winding path of current education. I smiled at the vision of our physical education department providing ingenious daily opportunities for healthy exercise and skill development, and at the boundless creativity of our summer camp directors. And, finally, I reflected on our alumnae/i and advancement teams, who work daily to maintain the treasured bonds of our Catalina community, and on those who communicate and maintain the very spiritual underpinnings of our school. I asked myself again, “Just one hero at Santa Catalina?” Impossible!
Still, this request from Pete Upham underscored, for me, an even deeper appreciation of what we all value as members of the Santa Catalina community. We hold fast to our motto, Veritas, Truth, and we share the core values of our particular academic approach, of openness, of service, and of our relationships. Our motto and values both ignite and sustain the perspective of relationships. It is this perspective that makes being part of this community such a powerful and lasting experience. Our relationships with each other have compelled us to be brave in the face of the unknown, to lend a hand, to
work harder, to sacrifice, to be present, and to make possible an extraordinary education for young people.
Following the theme of heroes, this Bulletin describes Catalina graduates on the front lines in service to individuals and their communities. In spite of their long shifts, some filled with heartbreak, these alums share their gratitude as it is woven throughout their stories. It is gratitude for the heroes and colleagues who stepped in to provide a break or offer reassurance, for others who donated masks or meals, for families, or for their Santa Catalina classmates who provided support in myriad ways. It is gratitude for the role Santa Catalina has played in their lives.
As we work our way through these challenging times, there is no doubt that we are missing being together. However, this Bulletin is filled with joy and with news about learning and teaching and service and philanthropy. From its many stories emanate kindness and empathy and support. There is the warm focus of lifelong friendships that reinforce our connection to each other and to our community.
I invite you to give yourself the gift of time to enjoy reading this issue. You will be rewarded and inspired.
Warmly, Meg Bradley
MESSAGE head of school
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(1) Sydney Khalsa smiles big on graduation day (2) Lucy Kremer poses with her sister A.J. and her brother Peter (3) Proud parents Leila and Christopher Ketterlinus with their son Logan (4) Tucker Zelei proudly displays his graduation diploma (5) Cole Maroon celebrates with his mom Aisha and his sister Sophia
(6) Christian Serrano is all smiles on graduation day! (7) Adelyn Silk marks her last day of kindergarten
The Hawleys and their graduate, Charles
Kaeden Gibson with teachers Mrs. Vanessa Krabacher, Mrs. Heather Medina, and Mrs. Lydia Mansour, and Head of Lower and Middle School Mrs. Christy Pollacci
CAMPUS NEWS 04 Faculty Profile 06 Summer Camp 08 LMS News 18 US News 24 US Sports (1) (3) (4) (8) (9) (5) (6)
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PAUL ELLIOTT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
The Sister Carlotta Distinguished Service Award
The Sister Carlotta Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to a faculty or staff member whose work, either inside or outside the classroom, has epitomized the school’s mission and has enriched the hearts and minds of students at Santa Catalina School. The recipient is recognized for upholding the school’s commitment to educating the whole person, consistent with the values manifested in Sister Carlotta’s vocation of teaching young people.
The nominating committee and Board of Trustees Chair Laura Lyon ’81 accept nominations from faculty and staff and make recommendations to the Board of Trustees, who then select the recipient. The Sister Carlotta Endowment for Educational Excellence provides a $10,000 honorarium that accompanies the award.
Athletic Director Paul Elliott has helped lead the Cougars to nearly 40 league titles since he came to Santa Catalina in 2009, but he is proudest of the nine top sportsmanship awards his teams have received in that same time—which says everything you need to know about Coach Elliott. Whether he’s teaching younger students how to hit a Wiffle ball or coaching the Upper School volleyball team in the state championships, Paul believes his most important job is to help students develop their character on and off the court.
In addition to serving as athletic director, Paul is the chair of physical education for pre-K through grade 12, the head volleyball coach, assistant coach for basketball and softball, and a member of the Health and Wellness Committee. In this interview, he talks about building relationships, reaching out to students who need a little extra help, and staying relevant in the time of distance learning.
WHAT ARE THE MOST REWARDING ASPECTS OF YOUR JOB? I love that I get to see every student on this campus, every day, and that I get to work with the whole school. I’m not just in a division, I’m not just working with certain people—I get to work with everybody, and I love that.
WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY AS A TEACHER AND COACH? Make it a priority to connect with each person individually. I learned early on it’s not just about the collective whole;
when you really get down to it, it’s about making an impact and having a relationship with every single person.
Also, as I’ve gotten older, it’s been important to me to teach to the weakest student and athlete in the class. It’s easy to navigate toward the gifted ones, because they’re going to take you to the promised land, but I try to work to the one who needs the most help.
What I mean by that is, . . . you can tell by the way [students] walk in the gym which ones can’t wait to get here to play and the 10 to 15 percent that are mortified. They don’t feel they’re athletic, they maybe don’t have self-esteem when they come to P.E. like they might in English. I try to reach out to those kids. I try to be aware of the ones who need to be picked up, need to be taken care of a little bit.
WHAT IS YOUR MAIN GOAL FOR THE COUGAR SPORTS PROGRAM? I want [students] to feel included, to learn what it means to be on a team and be a good teammate, to be selfless and think about the greater whole but also feel OK to speak up and speak their mind and have an opinion. I want our students to have lots of opportunities to play different sports. I like to encourage multiplesport athletes, and I think we’re starting to turn that corner a little bit. What’s important is that they do a bunch of things and they don’t just specialize, because specialization is not healthy. You tend to burn out.
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And of course maximizing potential [is another goal]. You want students to be the best they can be. That’s an individual thing.
WHAT IS YOUR MAIN GOAL FOR LOWER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL P.E.? Make them love to move. [Help] them enjoy games. Teach them sportsmanship. Let them learn how it is to not succeed, to not be first, to have to be last this time. How to be gracious in winning and losing, succeeding and not succeeding.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF YOUR JOB SINCE MOVING INTO DISTANCE LEARNING? Technology. But also, how do we make sure our voices are still heard, that we’re still getting P.E. and athletics across? How can we still engage with students in this format? How can we do it without overburdening them [with screen time]?
I’m a big “hope for the best, plan for the worst” guy. When we first went into distance learning in the spring, I got my team together and said, “Let’s get out in front of it.” So I started “Take a Knee” and “Chalk Talk” and “Coaches Huddle,” [initiatives that offered weekly motivation and tips for students]. I just felt like it was important that we stayed relevant, and we have. I’m just missing the personal touch: the little side hug from the second-grader that [lights up] your smile.
WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES CATALINA SPECIAL? I’m not Catholic but I’m spiritual, and I love the way this school is allinclusive and that there’s a place for everybody. I’m so on-board with the mission statement. I love the phrase, “To help people become the person they are meant to be.” I love the kids. I love coaching girls. I love the support that the school gives our students, and I also love
the relational aspect. It is such a tight-knit community. I really think everyone just likes everybody.
I also have deep respect for our administration, our leaders. I think they’ve handled this pandemic absolutely beautifully, with poise and positivity. I have a lot of confidence in the people leading us.
WHY IS VOLLEYBALL YOUR GAME? Baseball and basketball were my sports growing up, although I played a little bit of volleyball at the park in the summer. Then in the spring of 10th grade, I walked into my history teacher’s classroom and he had this huge framed photograph of the Huntington Beach Open sand volleyball tournament from 1968. It’s an iconic photo. It’s at the pier and there are probably 5,000 people around the court, leaning over the pier, or up in buildings. I went, “That’s amazing,” and he goes, “I’m a sand volleyball player and I’m thinking about starting a club team next spring. Do you want to play?”
I was a junior when he started the team. There were 8 or 10 boys who could play. We were invited down to Corona del Mar High School . . . . From that point forward I stopped playing baseball. There are lots of places to play volleyball in Long Beach, so I ended up going to parks that had open nights and going up against college players. I was a good basketball player—I was on varsity and I started my senior year—but I was never as good as I was at volleyball. For some reason volleyball just came naturally to me. I played at an extremely high level of indoor volleyball from about 21 to 40 on very good teams, competing at nationals against the best players in the country, and I loved it. If I could play golf as easily as I play volleyball, I’d be a very happy man.
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Left: Paul Elliott has coached the volleyball team to three league titles in the past five years. Right: Coach Elliott jokes around with Lower and Middle School Athletic Director Debra Burke.
SUMMER CAMP BY THE NUMBERS 114 Campers: 12.5 hours 100 % of parents and campers 3 leadership spheres 7 returning summer staff joined virtually from 4 states 7 3 5 54 37 75 21 18 55 new Lower and Middle School students incoming freshmen states countries time zones campers had an alumnae connection hours of live, interactive camp programming classes offered all-camp games of interactive and experiential leadership workshop programming inner leadership, relational leadership, and community leadership responded that campers positively connected with other campers 15
MEET MARISA FLORES, THE NEW ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SUMMER AT SANTA CATALINA
Marisa Flores joined Catalina in early 2020. She brings more than 10 years of experience supporting youth through summer camp and experiential learning across a variety of spaces, including the Vanderbilt Summer Academy and Act Like a GRRRL in Tennessee, Camp Cobbossee for Boys in Maine, and Bodyworks Family Life Center in her home state of Texas. She earned a B.A. in human development and family studies from Texas Tech University, a Post-Baccalaureate in elementary education from Lubbock Christian University, and an M.Ed. in community development from Vanderbilt University. She enjoys playing volleyball, spending time in nature, and traveling to new places. She lives on campus as a resident faculty member for Thompson Dorm. We caught up with Marisa to learn a little more about her.
YOUR FIRST SUMMER WAS NOT A TYPICAL ONE. TELL US HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO SHIFT GEARS TO CREATE A MEANINGFUL VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMP THIS YEAR. Our goal this summer was to support our campers and camp families, and it was important to hear their feedback on how we could best meet that goal. It became clear that the biggest need was to find a way to help campers connect, even while we were all distanced. We used their feedback to create the structure of our virtual camp, building in small group “bunk meetings” along with all-camp activities like Checks vs. Stripes and dance parties. We also wanted to continue supporting camper choice, so campers were able to choose between class offerings for their age group. Our counselors brought their creativity and passions to our class offerings and did an excellent job developing and facilitating such a variety of activities, from “CSI: Catalina” to “Meditative Art.” All of the parent and camper feedback along with the flexibility and creativity of our counselors helped us create a great virtual Summer at Santa Catalina through Camp Connections.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT SUMMER CAMP? I love the silly games, like Granny Bingo; the traditions like Checks vs. Stripes; the chance to try out new activities and pursue new interests, like marine biology or horseback riding. And, while all of these things are so important, camp, at its core, is a community of people. Getting to do all of these activities while getting to know and be known by so many new and returning friends is what makes camp so special.
WHAT IS THE MOST FULFILLING ASPECT OF YOUR CAREER? Cultivating and supporting diverse and inclusive youth spaces. As camp directors, we have the beautiful responsibility of being community builders and creating a special place where each camper can feel safe, known, and celebrated. I also love working with and coaching our summer team of passionate young leaders.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE CATALINA CAMPERS? Lean into trying something new. Introduce yourself to one person, and then neither of you [will be] alone. Ask for what you need. You matter, you matter, you matter.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE WITH THEIR PARENTS? First I want to say thank you for trusting your most special people to our care. Know that we work tirelessly and joyfully to cultivate a space where your camper can feel confident, celebrated, and connected. My advice would be to trust the process. There may be some pre-camp nerves (for you or your camper), but I would encourage you to welcome the growth and independence that comes from their time at camp. And I definitely encourage you to write letters asking about their camp experience.
WHAT ARE THE BEST SKILLS YOU BRING TO YOUR JOB? I find that I am often the bridge between logistics and laughter, equal parts whimsy and spreadsheets. Enjoying all of the details of planning throughout the year helps me fully enjoy all of the little moments while camp is in session.
WHAT DO YOU WISH MORE PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT THE SUMMER CAMP EXPERIENCE? Camp is more than a fun way to spend a summer. When I think about what I want there to be more of in the world, I think about kindness, empathy, connectedness, authenticity. I think about celebrating diversity, finding places and people that help us feel known, creating critical thinkers and problem solvers. I think about humans who are confident in their abilities and voice, and humble enough to learn and grow. Camp is a place that honors—and at times requires—all of this. Camp in some ways creates a momentary pause, a safety net from the voices saying what we should be, and it gives us space to figure out who we are. In a place that requires us to be present, supports our growth, and surrounds us with others ready for the journey, it’s no surprise that camp is so often a transformative experience.
WHAT IS YOUR SUPERPOWER? When I walk into a room, I see potential new friends; I don’t see strangers. I like to find the ways that we connect, the threads that tie our stories together. I believe we connect best through our details. I love bringing people together: I think that is my superpower.
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Marisa Flores
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100 DAY MILESTONE MIXES COUNTING WITH CAKE
The 100th day of school on February 13 was a day of celebration for PreKindergarten and Kindergarten students, but that doesn’t mean the learning stopped. In PreK, students used their imaginations to depict “100-day monsters” with 10 arms, 10 hands, 10 eyes, and other features in groups of 10. The students also danced and counted to 100 while singing the “Zero the Hero Rumba,” and enjoyed festive cake.
In Kindergarten, teachers created 100-day activity stations. Students wrote endings to the sentence starter “I wish I had 100 . . .,” rolled number cubes and added up the numbers until they reached 100, and built a pyramid from 100 cups. They also hunted for 100 foil-wrapped chocolate kisses and played a number game, matching the number on the bottom of a chocolate kiss to the number on a chart. They did all of this while wearing 100-day crowns on which they made tally marks in groups of 10.
Congratulations to our youngest students for being “100 days smarter”!
PreK students in special 100-day crowns enjoy some celebratory cake.
Students from grades 4–8 displayed their skills at two school spelling bees in January and February. The competitors in each bee—one for grades 4–5, the other for grades 6–8—competed for spots in county-wide contests.
Eighteen students in grades 4–5 participated. The competition went 11 rounds as students spelled words such as aerosol, exhaust, fascination, and beseech. The top two winners were fifth-graders Emily Zhang (first place) and Bryana Harty (second place), followed by fourth-graders Landyn Martis (first alternate) and Will Jansma (second alternate). Emily and Bryana competed in the Lyceum of Monterey County spelling bee on February 15.
Nine middle school students competed, three from each grade. Words included fiercest, disinfectant, and mulish. By Round 7, two seventhgraders and two eighth-graders remained. By Round 12, we had a winner: Israa Saleh in grade 7, who correctly spelled carborane and palladium. Domenic Borgomini (grade 8) took second place and Alex Peyton (grade 7) finished third. Israa participated in the Monterey County Office of Education spelling bee on March 15.
Congratulations to all of our spellers!
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SPELLERS
IN GRADES 4–8 SHOW OFF THEIR SKILLS
Grade 4 student Kealani Sagin steps to the mic in the school spelling bee.
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CATALINA NAMED OCEAN GUARDIAN SCHOOL FOR THE THIRD TIME
Santa Catalina was recognized as an Ocean Guardian School for the third year, but the important work of protecting our watershed continues. Just before Catalina received the Year 3 designation from NOAA for students’ work in the 2019–2020 school year, the school secured another $2,500 grant for 2020–2021. The funding will allow Catalina to continue projects aimed at reducing plastics and water use, adding native plants to Monterey dunes, and lowering energy consumption.
Plans for the upcoming school year include beach cleanups, waste audits, planting native plants on campus, and using banners for celebrations instead of balloons. Students will also raise awareness through class activities and presentations at school and in the community. The work is led primarily by students in Grade 6, with PreK, Kindergarten, and Grade 3 also contributing.
Science teacher Kelly Miller is leading the efforts in the Lower and Middle School, with support from Grade 3 teachers Cris Ford and Marisa Tonini. The Upper School is also participating, under the guidance of environmental science teacher Lisa Marrack.
VOLCANIC PROPORTIONS
> PreK and Kindergarten students had fun making their own science experiments at home, and one project featured volcanoes! They used the homemade modeling clay that they created in a previous lesson to form the volcano shape. Baking soda was added to the interior of the volcano. The next step was to combine white vinegar, dishwashing soap, and food coloring, which was then poured into the volcanoes for some spectacular eruptions!
OWL BET YOU'RE IMPRESSED!
> Third-grade teacher Marisa Tonini sent owl pellets home with the students in March. Later, the students dissected the pellets and carefully reassembled the rodent bones. How cool that they were able to work on science projects together even during distance learning!
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STUDENTS SHOW THEIR SPIRIT
> PreK–Grade 5 kicked off Spirit Week in April with Super Hero Day! Some students dressed up as nurses, UPS workers, health care workers on the front lines, firefighters, and more! Day 2 provided an opportunity to get creative and crazy with hair styles. Students did a great job dressing up as their teachers on Day 3. Day 4, Jersey Day, saw students repping their favorite team jerseys. Spirit Week wrapped up with the always-popular Pajama Day. Middle School followed up with their own Spirit Week in May. Many of the days had the same themes, but that doesn’t mean they were any less creative!
MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKE TRIP TO ALCATRAZ
> Middle School students took a trip to Alcatraz Island on February 15. It was the second outdoor opportunity for middle schoolers, who went camping in Pinnacles National Park in the fall. A third outing was scheduled for the spring but did not take place due to the transition to distance learning.
The goal of these trips is to build community and provide opportunities for students to get outdoors and socialize without cellphones or class assignments. In short, the trips are about having fun.
SIXTH-GRADER MAKES 'MASKS OF HOPE' FOR COMMUNITY
A Santa Catalina sixth-grader and her family are making free reusable masks for the community to protect against COVID-19. Abby Jung and her parents started making fabric masks as a fun way to pass the time while sheltering in place. Abby developed a love of sewing after taking lessons in the Lower and Middle School’s After-School Enrichment Program.
Abby’s family posted pictures of their masks online, and friends started requesting masks for themselves. Soon, local organizations, outreach programs, police stations, and even the City of Watsonville reached out. That’s when Abby had the idea to start a nonprofit, Masks of Hope.
Abby Jung and her family have made and donated more than 1,400 masks.
“The most rewarding and meaningful part of this experience is the fact that I’m making these masks for people who need them and that I am helping people be safe during this pandemic,” Abby says.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL AWARDS CEREMONY HONORS SCHOLARS, LEADERS, AND MORE
On June 4, Santa Catalina Middle School students were honored during an end-of-year Awards Assembly for their academic achievements and upstanding character. The awards were announced via video as teachers read aloud the names of winners and highlighted the qualities that led to their recognition.
Head of Lower and Middle School Christy Pollacci announced: “To say that we are proud of you seems inadequate, but know that we are proud. That is as true today in these most challenging times as it has ever been. Your resilience during these unforeseen challenges has been remarkable.”
The ceremony honored scholars, leaders, service leaders, artists, musicians, and athletes. Students received awards for perfect attendance, perfect homework completion, high GPAs, excellence in different subject areas, and service to school and community, among other honors.
There were three special awards in each grade level: the Outstanding Citizenship Award, for modeling the principles of the school’s Honor Agreement; the Courtesy Award, for modeling the principles of the Golden Rule; and the Cougar Spirit Award, for students who show great enthusiasm, pride, and love for the school. Recipients were:
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MARBLES ROLL FOR SCIENCE
> Fourth-graders had fun building marble runs for science class. The marble runs were the culminating activity for the physical science unit on force, motion, gravity, friction, variables, and speed.
GRADE 6
Citizenship: Grady Roth and Hope Sallee
Courtesy: Suhana Dail
Cougar Spirit: George Murphy
GRADE 7
Citizenship: Savannah Hardy
Courtesy: Chloe Shute
Cougar Spirit: Piper Butler
GRADE 8
Citizenship: Naiya Patel
Courtesy: Amani Wilson and Sophia Tonini
Cougar Spirit: Owen Pritchard and Sean Oliver
EIGHTH-GRADE COMPASS AWARDS
Spirituality: Sophia Tonini
Service: Hope Eyraud Responsibility: Cecilia J Yu Excellence: Domenic Borgomini
CATALINA AWARDS
Leadership: Domenic Borgomini
St. Catherine Award for General Excellence: Emma Kim
Congratulations to all award recipients!
FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS
> In April, third-graders shared a current or favorite book with their classmates. Books on the list included Dragonslayer, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Allies, Tales of Greek Heroes, the Narwhal series, Dog Diaries, and History Year by Year
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GRADE 3 HOSTS A LIVING MUSEUM EVENT
Scientists, writers, naturalists, presidents, and more attended Grade 3’s “Living Museum of Important People” on February 20. In the Lower and Middle School’s Assembly Room, the students gave biography presentations about notable figures past and present, from fifteenth-century artist Leonardo da Vinci to current American Ballet Theatre dancer Misty Copeland.
In addition to written reports, the students assembled visual displays that included photos, quotes, timelines, and interesting facts. Displays included dioramas, homemade board games, figurines, and even a LEGO sculpture. Many of the students dressed up as a chosen historic person: Albert Einstein, Jackie Robinson, Clara Barton, and Dr. Seuss, to name a few.
Third-grade teachers Cris Ford and Marisa Tonini explained: “The students selected their ‘important person’ after spending some time browsing books. Ultimately, they chose someone they were interested in learning about who had made a positive impact in the world. Students read at least one chapter book (many of them read from the Who Was? series of biographies) and learned how to take notes as they read. They were guided on how to sift through their notes and organize them into paragraphs. They learned how to write a topic sentence and a conclusion sentence as they wrote meaningful paragraphs about their person’s life, accomplishments, and other interesting facts. They learned how to make timelines and locate states and countries on maps (where their person was born, lived, went to school, etc.). They also practiced presenting to an audience using notes, but most knew so much about their person they spoke spontaneously with enthusiasm and knowledge! As you can tell, we were pretty proud of them!”
ALWAYS TIME FOR TEA
> PreK and Kindergarten students usually spoil their moms with an in-person tea party for Mother’s Day. This year, they hosted one virtually—and even included the traditional hats that they make for their moms to wear during the tea party!
CRAFTING DNA FROM NOTIONS
> For science class, seventh-graders found creative ways to make 3D DNA models. Alex Peyton used foam balls, Ping-Pong balls, pom-poms, popsicle sticks, corks, and even LEGO bricks to create his DNA model, which included an example of a DNA mutation.
WORDS WITH FIRST GRADE
> First-graders had fun building their "non-negotiable" words with materials found at home. They made words out of rocks, Cheetos, Goldfish, stuffed animals, and even one made with toothpaste and sprinkles!
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Elan Roy dressed up as Albert Einstein.
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VIRTUAL VISUAL ARTS SHOW HIGHLIGHTS WORK OF K–8 ARTISTS
Santa Catalina Lower and Middle School celebrated a year of creativity with a Virtual Visual Arts Show. Art teacher Frances Verga-Lagier Cook ’99 shared selections of artwork from K–grade 8. The works encompass a variety of media and themes, all informed by lessons in art history.
“The art room has been a joyful space of creativity, inspiration, and artistic development, thanks to each one of the students at Santa Catalina Lower and Middle School,” Mrs. Cook wrote in her introduction to the art show. A video slideshow displayed the artwork organized by grade and provided information about the artwork and the artists that inspired each creation.
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Addilyn Bryant, Kindergarten
William Gonzales, Grade 3
Jayla Ballesteros, Grade 6
Arianna Rincon, Grade 7
Evelyn Kim, Grade 5
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Head of Lower and Middle School Christy Pollacci and teachers made special deliveries to eighthgraders to celebrate their graduations. Each eighth-grader received a Compass necklace, a note from his or her advisor, candy, a face mask made by a Cougar family, and a congratulatory lawn sign. A family-by-family, in-person graduation ceremony was held August 15.
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(1) Cecilia Yu, center, with her sisters Lucy ’17, ’13 LS and Macy ’16 LS
(2) Amani Wilson and his mom Lena
(3) Emma Kim with her parents Gloria and Richard, and sister Evelyn
(4) Double the celebration with twins Claire and Shayna Blatt
(5) Owen Pritchard with his graduation delivery
(6) Taylor Onitsuka with her parents David and Valerie, and brother Brandon
(7) Owen Green smiles after receiving his graduation delivery
(8) Emily Diaz gives a cheer while Mrs. Christy Pollacci looks on
(9) The Borgomini family cheers their graduate Domenic
(10) Andrew Airada with his grandmother Mary, parents Lili and Alex, and sister Julia ’19
(11) Sophia Gargiulo, daughter of Terrence Gargiulo ’82 LS, receives her graduation delivery from Mrs. Maria Canteli
(12) Jean-Pierre Brenot is all smiles with his parents Kassandra ’87 and François
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HONING SKILLS FOR THE NEW TEACHING ENVIRONMENT
When Santa Catalina shifted to distance learning in March, everyone was in emergency mode. Fortunately, teachers were already familiar with several online learning tools, thanks to training sessions with Catalina’s education technology partner, Knowing Technologies. It was a scramble, but teachers hardly missed a beat as they finished out the school year.
Over the summer, with time to regroup and knowing that the 2020–2021 school year would likely start online, teachers set about learning how to take their instruction to the next level. From PreK to grade 12, teachers participated in more than 100 professional development opportunities: webinars, classes, training sessions, one-on-one coaching, conferences, and more. A lot of what they learned focused on digital tools to make distance learning more meaningful, but the teachers also brushed up on skills, completed certifications, and expanded their understanding in areas such as socialemotional learning and inclusivity.
Here are just a few highlights.
Digital Tools
Here are some of the digital tools teachers were excited to implement in their classes.
Desmos
Digital math activities for individuals or groups.
Nearpod
Interactive lessons for a more engaged experience.
Book Creator
Interactive ebooks for or by students.
Knowing Technologies
Group and individual trainings from Knowing Technologies were by far the most popular option for teachers. Group events ranged from twohour sessions to a three-day camp. One event exposed teachers to digital tools that encourage collaboration among students. Another addressed assessment strategies and ways teachers can give students meaningful feedback on their progress and classwork. Knowing Technologies coaches worked with teachers on an individual basis to adapt lesson plans, leverage the use of iPads, and find subject-specific applications for art and language.
Upper School physics teacher Paulette Struckman worked with a coach to revise the experimental component of her classes. Each student was mailed a physics kit that allows her to build different contraptions to illustrate concepts such as inertia, force, and the law of motion. “Students have access to the same hands-on experience they would in the classroom,” Ms. Struckman says.
Ellesia Corona '24 shows off a ship's lantern she made with an at-home physics kit during a lesson on inertia.
HyperDocs
Digital lesson plans with all content organized in one place.
Notability
Note-taking app using a variety of media.
Padlet
Online bulletin boards for students to create and collaborate.
Seesaw
A variety of tools for selfdirected learning.
CAMPUS NEWS professional development
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Beyond Digital
In Their Own Words
Lisa Marrack, Upper School science—Earth Science Information Partners conference
Kindergarten teachers Heather Medina, left, and Vanessa Krabacher display new inclusive books.
Online teaching is not just about digital tools. Teachers took the summer to reinforce or improve their teaching practices. A couple of Lower and Middle School teachers took an online workshop from Sarah Ward, a speech and language pathologist who is an expert in helping students build executive function skills such as organization, time management, and attention. In the Upper School, some teachers took classes that will help them guide students in mindfulness practices. These elements of teaching the whole person are important during in-person learning, but are perhaps more essential in a distance learning format that adds stress and calls on students to be more self-sufficient.
Kindergarten teacher Heather Medina says the most impactful class she took over the summer was about inclusive literature. “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Doors Through Children’s Literature,” offered through the Total Teacher Summit, asked participants to assess whether their classroom libraries reflect the experiences and identities of the students they teach. The class inspired Mrs. Medina and co-teacher Vanessa Krabacher to add books such as The Invisible Boy and The Color Monster to their classroom library.
Virtual Classrooms
Bitmoji classrooms have become all the rage for educators across the country. Bitmoji are little cartoon representations of a person and are highly customizable, so they became a fun way for teachers to help their students feel connected even at a distance. Over the summer, Catalina teachers learned how to create virtual classrooms, essentially a home base where students can access links to course materials and class meetings. Teachers decorate the room with furniture, posters, plants, even outside scenes glimpsed through a window, and insert their Bitmoji selves right into the milieu. It makes the virtual experience easier for students to navigate while giving them a feeling of being in an actual classroom.
Lower and Middle School teachers especially have embraced Bitmoji as a way to build community, whether that’s celebrating classroom birthdays or simply showing off their silly side.
Collaboration
Grade 1 celebrates a student’s birthday in their virtual classroom.
“The ESIP meeting exposed me to some fabulous new tools to explore, visualize, and download data collected by NASA and NOAA to better understand earth, ocean, and climate processes. These tools are very useful for enriching my students’ exposure to realworld science.”
Sarah Paff, Upper School English—“Shakespeare’s Hamlet: the Ghost” online course through Harvard University
“Enhancing the study of literature with digital artifacts and virtual tours can bring literature to life and help students develop a deeper appreciation for—and understanding of—the richness and complexity of literary texts.”
Jessica Bangham, Middle School math—“Strengthening Your Online Math Instruction” seminar through the Bureau of Education and Research
Santa Catalina’s focus on relationships naturally incorporates a culture of sharing among teachers. Frequent meetings and conversations with colleagues enhanced an already robust slate of professional development and helped teachers home in on what would be most impactful for their students. In addition to conducting informal idea-swapping, some teachers led workshops of their own, including Upper School history teacher and ed tech guru Larisa Young and Summer at Santa Catalina director and assistant director Ange Atkinson and Marisa Flores. Lower School religion teacher Ibi Janko Murphy ’83 comments: “These meetings with our own colleagues were as valuable a professional development as any. They have completely inspired me to find ways to both engage and connect.”
“Graphing by hand is an important skill to learn. However, due to the tediousness of creating handdrawn graphs, students do not always have time to recognize relationships between the shifts and translations in certain functions. I hope to use the newly created classroom activities to foster more understanding of graphs in real-world situations.”
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SEVENTH ANNUAL TEDXSCS ASKS AUDIENCE TO . . .
Picture something, anything, that you’ve wanted for yourself or your community. Now make it your reality. What’s stopping you?
Each speaker at TEDxSantaCatalinaSchool offered an inspiring take on the event’s theme, “Picture This.” The seventh annual TEDxSCS, which took place on February 12, was more than a year in the making.
TEDxSCS productions are run entirely by students. Co-heads Sarah Sallee ’21 and Sarah Scheetz ’21 lead a 44-person club, with teams for human resources, public relations, speaker curation, technology, venue, and the website. This year, the club added video production and livestreaming, under the guidance of Bill and Tricia Roden of New Dawn Studios in Monterey.
This year’s speakers included:
Kaitlin Criswell ’21 “The Power to Choose Your Home”
Kaitlin was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. She moved to Monterey in 2016 with her Scottish mother and Japanese-American father. Kaitlin shared her perspective on being a “third-culture kid” and on how her unique background has shaped her notion of “home.”
She explains: “If I have learned anything from being a third-world kid, it is that home is not a geographical location. It is the feeling of being loved by those around you.”
Amanda Nachman, founder and CEO of College magazine
many certifications you have, you may always feel unqualified,” she notes, but adds that even when we feel the sting of rejection we can take action to go for what we want.
John Burton, artist and production designer
“The
Courage to Be Creative”
Charting the course of his career from fine artist to production designer, Burton talked about the importance of the individual experience. He also described his changing definition of artist. Burton says: “Don’t be the second best someone else. Be the best you.”
of an impact the lumber industry has on forests, he strove to make the company more sustainable. When his family became ill from unhealthy air in their home, he and his wife made it their mission to help others identify and address health issues caused by their home environments.
Marine Corps Maj. Julia Weber, student at Naval Postgraduate School, Operations Research “What Do You See?”
“You
Are More Qualified Than You Think”
Nachman, who empowers young professionals as a career fulfillment speaker, noticed that we tend to undersell ourselves. “No matter how
Bill Hayward, CEO of Hayward Lumber “The Urgency of Transformation”
Hayward talked about the pivotal moments that led him to take his family-owned company in more socially conscious directions. When Hayward realized how big
Maj. Weber shared her thoughts on being a global citizen and answering the call to lead in innovative ways. While Weber was working in the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, a friend of hers there founded an organization to improve conditions for stray animals. Weber led a team of volunteers to build muchneeded dog shelters. With vision, leadership, and resources, Weber said, we have the power to turn problems into opportunities.
CAMPUS NEWS upper school
Amanda Nachman, founder and CEO of College magazine.
Kaitlin Criswell ’21 talks about the power of "home."
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Student-run Reverb was part of this year's entertainment.
EVENING OF THE ARTS GETS CREATIVE IN VIRTUAL PRESENTATION
Evening of the Arts is Santa Catalina School’s annual showcase of music, dance, art, and theatre. This year’s show capitalized on a virtual format to celebrate students in new and heartfelt ways.
A prime example is a lyrical dance performance, featuring seniors, that was reworked and reimagined into a creatively edited film. The film was part of a larger video, livestreamed on May 22, that included recorded performances by a senior harpist and a flutist, both of whom plan to study music at college; a montage of clips from the fall musical and winter play; and a slideshow of the year in visual arts. The video ended with personalized tributes to seniors who participated in theatre on stage and off.
Watch the 2020 Evening of the Arts on Santa Catalina’s YouTube channel.
PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENTS ADAPT
This year, Catalina photography students submitted their work to the Weston Scholarship Competition—as they have every year—despite having lost access to a darkroom when they went home for distance learning. The contest went digital this year.
When the school shifted to distance learning, photography students were about halfway through their portfolio work. Most of them continued with their original work, but some created new portfolios. Antonia Flores ’21 created her own “real” darkroom with her dad at home. Teacher Claire Lerner describes the challenges for another one of her students, Ellie Miki ’21:
“Ellie’s work is unique in that she was working with advanced darkroom techniques and needed a darkroom enlarger to complete her work. Her work visually speaks directly about film photography as you can see when you look at her completed prints. Ellie was quite saddened and disappointed when she learned that she could no longer continue to create her work.
“When she got home, Ellie was happily surprised to learn that her family’s scanner was capable of scanning her original negatives in such a way as to duplicate her darkroom work! She is now thrilled to continue with her meaningful series.”
SANTA CATALINA JOINS COMMUNITY EFFORT TO MAKE FACE SHIELDS
Santa Catalina joined schools and maker spaces all over Monterey County to create face shields for essential workers in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition produced personal protective equipment (PPE) for police and fire departments, hospitals, clinics, grocery stores, homeless services, the post office, and more. Using 3D printers, the group fulfilled orders for 1,000 face shields every week.
Santa Catalina printed headbands for the shields, with the goal of producing up to 40 headbands per week. Two 3D printers—one from the Lower and Middle School and one from the Upper School—churned out parts in the Sister Claire and Sister Christine Mathematics and Science Center (C2). Ian Partlow ’19 LS, currently a student at York School, did much of the leg work— setting the printers, managing filament, and removing and packaging printed parts. Once the parts were printed, they were sent to Brandon Naylor, the robotics team’s mentor from the Naval Postgraduate School, who sanitized and assembled the shields from his lab.
Math and computer science teacher Amy Azevedo Mulgrew ’02 comments: “It has been inspiring to be included in the efforts of so many engineers and makers, including high schoolers from the Peninsula. We were so excited to have 3D printers on campus, but we never imagined they could contribute to such a meaningful movement in public health.” The Lower and Middle School received its printer thanks to donations from the Pierre and Nantz families, and the Lostak-Baker family donated the Upper School printer.
A print by Ellie Miki ’21.
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Ian Partlow ’19 LS and Amy Azevedo Mulgrew ’02 place their 3D-printed headbands on face shields.
LANGUAGE TEACHER SHARES NEW IDEAS
to teach all in Spanish, you can put up a calendar and talk about the days in Spanish, and students are going to see what you’re talking about so they can understand. They’re hearing all those words without you having to say, “Well, here’s how you say Tuesday.” They’re just naturally hearing it the way that we all learn as kids.
listen to what they’re saying, being able to read something in the target language—just building their skills and their confidence, too.
I’m big on getting students to speak because I think they have to overcome their fear of speaking, and this is a good, safe place to do that.
In February, World Languages Department Chair and Spanish teacher Melissa Sheets attended a one-day workshop led by renowned language presenter Diego Ojeda. The workshop, conducted in Spanish, gave Sheets a chance to keep up with her own language skills—and, of course, gave her plenty of ideas to take back to the classroom. Sheets shares her workshop experience in this Q&A.
Q: What was the workshop about?
A: The main focus was comprehensible input. That’s how you teach at any level, staying in the target language. For instance, with a Level 1 class, which can be hard
We talked about being interactive in the classroom. I’ve tried a couple of things already, incorporating more music, so I definitely had some instant ideas to bring back. We also talked about the importance of teaching about culture to create meaning, not just for fun. We are important advocates for teaching about not just tolerance, but acceptance and appreciation of people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Q: Why did you want to sign up for this workshop?
A: The focus on proficiency. At Catalina, we’re always working on getting the students to be better at everything. I think our department over the years has moved to this proficiency approach, rather than just drilling verb conjugations, for example.
Proficiency is more about communication for the real world: being able to read an article and tell somebody about it, being able to have a conversation with another person,
Q: What have you been doing in your classroom?
A: Spanish 1 created presentations about a vacation in a Spanish-speaking country, but they had to choose something specific in that country to focus on.
AP did a “conversation class,” where each student led a class on a different topic. For instance, one student did a presentation on the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Students need to have an article, a video, and then lead a discussion after their presentation. It usually takes the whole class period.
Spanish 4 read Pablo Neruda poems. We did “Ode to a Dead Millionaire” and “Poem 20,” which is about lost love, and then we switched to “Ode to the Artichoke” and “Ode to My Socks.” The students then wrote their own odes. I wanted to show them that it could be serious or lighter if they want. They created videos where they read their ode, but dramatized it.
CAMPUS NEWS upper school
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We are important advocates for teaching about not just tolerance, but acceptance and appreciation of people from different cultures and backgrounds.
THREE JUNIORS HONORED FOR THEIR PHOTOGRAPHY
Three photography students won awards in the 2020 Weston Scholarship Competition, an annual competition designed to celebrate black-and-white film photography. Maddy Brown ’21 earned third place in the Julian P. Graham Category, and Grace Atkins ’21 and Sarah Scheetz ’21 earned honorable mentions. In total, Catalina submitted 16 portfolios to the contest.
Because of the changed circumstances owing to restrictions for COVID-19, the Weston Collective, which hosts the contest, moved it online and accepted digital images. The contest was open to high school and college students in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. The winning entries are described as follows:
Maddy Brown, An Untold Story
Maddy photographed an abandoned barn near her home on the Monterey Peninsula. “These buildings are relics of a now finished story, one that I’ve always wanted to discover and capture photographically.”
Grace Atkins, A Message to the World Grace photographed sea anemones in local tidepools. “The creatures need to be seen so people can connect with the ocean and realize that if we continue to damage and hurt the environment, its beauty may soon be lost forever.”
SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ENTERS ITS
30TH YEAR
Santa Catalina School’s Shakespeare Festival marked its thirtieth year on February 20 with the sophomores’ production of Twelfth Night. The festival was a collaborative effort for the students, who first read and analyzed the play in their English classes. For the production, each section took a different act of the play, with its own actors, script editors, directors, technicians, and costume and prop coordinators. The students then performed the play from memory for the entire school community in the Performing Arts Center.
Sophomores get silly during Twelfth Night.
Sarah Scheetz, Story of Motion
Sarah set out to paint with light. “It amazes me that the camera can capture the motion of the light with its shutter in such a way that the human eye cannot.”
CATALINA CHAPLAIN WINS REGIONAL EMMY FOR STORYTELLING SERIES
Santa Catalina School chaplain Fr. Mike Russo won a regional Emmy award for his online and cable TV program Sunday to Sunday. The show, which highlights the most gifted preachers in America, received the award for Outstanding Interview Program from the San Francisco / Northern California Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Fr. Russo remarks: “We’re thrilled about this honor from the Academy. It’s truly a culmination of the hard work and support from many and a sign that our work is having an impact.”
Fr. Russo, a Roman Catholic priest, is a former news producer and a retired professor at Saint Mary’s College of California. He is starting his third year as chaplain at Santa Catalina. His weekly homilies, delivered in Catalina’s Rosary Chapel, are published in his blog, The Francis Factor. To learn more about his program, visit sundaytosunday.net.
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STUDENTS DISPLAY WORK IN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL ART EXHIBIT
Fifteen students participated in the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts annual Monterey County high school art exhibition, Thinking Out Loud.
The artwork by four freshmen, seven sophomores, two juniors, and two seniors was selected by Santa Catalina art teachers Claire Lerner and Jaime Ball. Lauren Dunlap ’22 had two pieces in the show. The Cherry Center’s event page features a watercolor by Caitlin Sullivan ’22.
An opening reception was held at the Carmel gallery on March 7. The exhibit ran through March 22. Congratulations to the following students:
Miriam Riley ’23, Fruit Pattern
Kim Wilson Morris ’23, Heart Chakra Jessica Xie ’23, Origami
Anna Yeh ’23, Girls
Brooke Kirker ’22, Windows to the Soul
Lauren Dunlap ’22, Geometry and Untitled Georgia Meyer ’22, Hacienda Isabelle Nagy ’22, ABCs
Reyna Sanchez ’22, Entertainment
Caitlin Sullivan ’22, Afternoon
Cailin Templeman ’22, Astronaut in Space
Nicole Korinetz ’21, The Change Is Real
Emily Oh ’21, Bury a Friend
Kylie Ludviksen ’20, Untitled Gabriella Nagy ’20, Ohio
MOCK TRIAL PROVES REWARDING
With the guidance of teacher Beth Jones, Catalina students participated in the Monterey County Mock Trial competition on February 3–8. Twenty students were on the team, acting as attorneys, witnesses, bailiff, clerk, and courtroom artist. Though they finished with a 1–3 record (their win came from the defense in the first round), they gave each team a run for its money. Channing-Jaye Scott ’21 won an award for best Prosecution Pretrial Attorney.
Sara Harley ’23, another member of the prosecution team, reflects on what she gained from the Mock Trial experience:
“After months of learning about the law, practicing the concepts, creating a case theme and theory, reworking it, memorizing, redrafting, and memorizing again, Catalina’s 2020 Mock Trial season has finally come to a close. Some of the fondest memories I have from attending Catalina this year have been from these past six months with the Mock Trial team. This season included successes and moments of growth, and has truly been one of the best parts of my freshman year.
"The team began meeting in late September. We started by looking over the murder case, ‘People v. Matsumoto,’ and club head Damiera Cruz ’20 and her co-captain Angelia Shi ’21 picked roles and divided the new members into defense and prosecution. Over the next five months, the team worked on writing direct and cross-examinations, opening and closing statements, and finally, pretrial arguments.
"The strategies I have learned in Mock Trial have also taught me skills that I can utilize outside of the season, including how to be comfortable while public speaking and how to be persuasive and how to argue well.”
Santa Catalina Mock Trial was assisted by two attorney coaches: Shannon Sullivan, a Catalina parent and attorney in Santa Cruz County, and Molly Thai, deputy district attorney with the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
CAMPUS NEWS upper school
Astronaut in Space by Cailin Templeman ’22.
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The Mock Trial team with Judge Carrie Panetta.
STUDENTS MAKE THE MOST OF REMOTE LEARNING
Here is a snapshot of the activities and experiences for various classes after the transition to remote learning in spring.
• Biology students germinated seeds at home. They also surveyed plants in their homes, gardens, or other outdoor spaces to identify examples of plant types they learned about in this unit. These activities provided lab-type exercises to support content from recorded lectures, live meetings, or readings, and to develop observation skills.
• Environmental Science students learned to use a mapping platform that they later used to build their own projects after spring break.
• History Senior Seminar students met as a group and individually each week with the seminar leaders. They began peer reviews, sharing rough drafts with the whole class, following spring break. Then they finalized their annotated online bibliographies and prepared final drafts.
• U.S. History students completed Google Slide presentations of famous American trials, examining how each trial reflected the culture of the era and symbolized the values of the era, and assessing the effectiveness of the judicial system in each case. They also continued working with primary sources and examined several justifications for the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Students also explored Betty Friedan’s historic work, The Feminine Mystique
• Spanish 4 students used Flipgrid to record their responses to questions and to respond to one another. Students designed comic strips on the theme of love (the overarching theme of the lesson in their book) and submitted the comic strips on Schoology. They also read articles about the changing roles of women in Spain and the changing authority of dads in Colombia, and discussed the articles via Zoom.
• Spanish 3 Honors students created a Flipgrid video of themselves reciting the fifteenth-century Spanish ballad “Romance del rey moro que perdió Alhama” (“Ballad of the Loss of Alhama”) about the Moorish city of Alhama de Granada, which fell to Spanish Christian forces in 1482. Recitations involved costumes, illustrations, background music, and song.
• Spanish 1 students practiced listening and speaking through the Vista Higher Learning (VHL) platform. Students also created videos about daily routines as they learned reflexive verbs and vocabulary related to daily life activities and morning and evening routines.
• All levels of Spanish used Loom videos created by their instructors to learn grammar or, in the case of AP students, to learn about the persuasive essay portion of the AP exam.
• AP French students worked on various projects, such as writing a book review or movie review, creating an upcycling art project and a video to show and explain their artwork, or creating a how-to video tutorial.
• Art History students worked on annotated sketchbooks to juxtapose a work from their current unit (late nineteenth century) with a work from the global contemporary art scene. They included research from three sources and added a discussion to explain how to view the two works together. Students also participated in discussions about the ideas presented in John Berger’s Ways of Seeing. These discussions gave students the vocabulary to express issues about gender, social class, the valuation of objects in the art market, and the effect of the reproducibility of images on the way we think about works in the canon.
• Computer Science and Technology students worked on “future technology book reports” and submitted them in a media album.
• The Marine Ecology Research Program (MERP) sophomores worked on the Tide Avenue Beach project, investigating patterns in sand crab population variability (in collaboration with the LiMPETS program). They tested whether changes in abundance, size, or sex ratio vary linearly with each other, or with physical environmental factors (with data available from NOAA’s data buoy center). They presented their questions, procedures, and findings as a scientific poster, and produced Loom narrations of their posters as if they were at a conference.
• The MERP seniors continued their work on scientific communication and turned their posters into the scientific talks that would normally make up the Senior Symposium.
• Students in English: The Art of Rhetoric conducted Literary Circles via Zoom, working in small groups via the “Breakout Rooms” feature to discuss the book they were reading, The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. To enrich the conversation, each student was assigned a role: discussion director, literary luminary, summarizer, or connector. This student-led exploration of the text allowed students to connect with one another and the text on a deeper level.
• Senior English students engaged in class discussions using Padlet, which is a discussion board that allows for multiple questions and multiple forms of posting.
• Sophomore English students read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, wrote “gossip articles,” and worked on presentation videos. Each student chose a topic that was relevant to the social context of Pride and Prejudice, then researched and presented that topic to her classmates. Through these presentations, the girls gained a better understanding of the customs and values prevalent in Regency England, the historical era in which Austen wrote.
• All freshman English students read Jane Eyre and responded to questions about the author, Charlotte Brontë, and related topics.
• In Journey class, freshmen connected with their sophomore mentors, who offer peer-to-peer support and connections. Meanwhile, sophomores worked on interviewing skills, juniors crafted their personal statements for college applications, and seniors received business etiquette lessons with Megan Mayer, chair of Network for Impact.
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SPORTS HONORS
Basketball—Outstanding Sportsmanship Team, Santa Lucia Division
Maddy Foletta ’22 —All-League Santa Lucia Division
Honorable Mention
Liliana Pedroni ’23 —All-League Santa Lucia Division Honorable Mention
Selma Ruiz ’23 —Santa Lucia Division Sportsmanship Award, All-League Santa Lucia Division Honorable Mention
Field Hockey
Lauren Dean ’20 —All-League Mission Division Second Team Angie Leissner ’22 —All-League Mission Division First Team
Golf
Grace Deakyne ’20 —All-League Gabilan Division First Team Alex Nickle ’21—All-League Gabilan Division Second Team
Soccer
Niamh Burke ’21—All-League Santa Lucia Division Second Team
Leona Lind-Aunan ’21—All-League Santa Lucia Division Second Team
Caroline Maguire ’22 —All-League Santa Lucia Division Second Team
Portia Randall ’20 —All-League Santa Lucia Division First Team Sarah Scheetz ’21—Santa Lucia Division Sportsmanship Award
The lacrosse team won three of four games before the season was cut short.
Volleyball
Jess Clements ’20 —All-League Mission Division First Team Abby Gunter ’20 —All-League Mission Division Second Team Anna Yeh ’23 —All-League Mission Division Second Team
Water Polo
Georgina Burton ’20 —All-League Mission Division First Team Maddy Brown ’21—All-League Mission Division Second Team
*Awards given were through winter 2020. Spring 2020 sports were canceled due to California’s shelter-in-place orders.
SPORTSCASTER JIM NANTZ HELPS CELEBRATE COUGAR ATHLETES
Santa Catalina School’s spring sports season may have been cut short, but that didn’t stop us from celebrating our Cougar athletes. Athletic Director Paul Elliott hosted a virtual Sports Celebration on May 27 to acknowledge athletes for their hard work throughout the year. Elliott commented: “You win with class. If you don’t happen to win, it’s with grace. The sportsmanship is beyond belief. The selflessness of putting team ahead of yourself is always impressive.”
The event included a special appearance by CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz, who shared his thoughts on the reopening of American sports and offered words of encouragement to the students during a difficult time. Nantz remarked: “These adversities and these moments of time, you’re never going to forget them. But I choose to look at them moving forward as a chance to realize that this is how the world works. You’re going to have obstacles, you’re going to have adversities
along the way. Grow from it, learn from it, and more than anything, learn to appreciate what you have.”
In the 2019–20 season, 12 athletes received all-league honors, including a league sportsmanship award. The cross-country team went undefeated in the Pacific Coast Athletic League (PCAL) Santa Lucia Division, and runner Ana Leissner ’21 competed as an individual in the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships. The tennis team, which placed second in the PCAL Gabilan Division, also competed in the CCS, as did individual players Cecy Alcaraz ’22 and Lara Yuan ’23. Golf took second place in the PCAL championships. The spring season was cut short, but the lacrosse team played four games, winning three.
We look forward to what the Cougars will bring next year.
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Commencement
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2020!
The in-person graduation ceremony may have been canceled for the Class of 2020, but the sendoff of Santa Catalina School's seniors was no less celebratory. More than a month of tributes and social media shoutouts culminated in a virtual Commencement and some very special deliveries.
On May 30, graduates and their families came together for a live streamed video of our Baccalaureate prayer service and 68th Commencement Exercises. Administrators and teachers lovingly recreated the traditional in-person ceremonies, with the keynote address delivered from home by philanthropist Laurie Bechtel Dachs ’67.
Two days earlier, administrators, teachers, admission staff, trustees, and alumnae hand-delivered graduation gifts to seniors in California, Oregon, Nevada, and Colorado. International students received these gifts in the mail. The gifts included their white Commencement gown, diploma, a Catalina bracelet from
their Ring Sisters, the Chi Rho medal traditionally presented at Prize Day, the Father/Daughter tie, a uniform plaid face mask made by a Santa Catalina Lower and Middle School family, and more. Each delivery also came with red roses, a beloved part of our Commencement tradition.
The graduation gift box
Though we weren't able to celebrate in person, the love of the Santa Catalina community was on full display for the Class of 2020.
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CLASS OF 2020 College Matriculation
American University
University of Arizona
Baylor University
Boston College
Bryn Mawr College
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
California State University, Northridge Case Western Reserve University
Chapman University (3)
George Washington University
Gonzaga University
University of Hawaii at Manoa Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Sinaloa
Iowa State University
Johns Hopkins University
Loyola Marymount University
Malone University
Monterey Peninsula College (2)
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Sarah Lawrence College (2) Syracuse University (2)
Universidad de Monterrey
Universidad Panamericana, Guadalajara
University of Alabama
University of California, Berkeley (2)
University of California, Davis University of California, Riverside University of Denver University of Oregon University of San Diego
University of Southern California (2) University of Virginia University of Washington (2)
Wake Forest University
Westmont College
Wheaton College
Whitman College
Willamette University Yale University
(1) Graduate Courtney Kostka shows off her diploma, which was delivered by Marian McCall ’87
(2) Julia Bledsoe takes a look at her diploma with her father Marvin (3) Sofia Marquez displays the celebratory poster for the Class of 2020 that was included with their deliveries
(4) Caroline Bulkley Armas proudly shares her diploma
(5) The Boe family pose with their graduate, Hailey
(6) Holding their bouquets, Truth Ortiz and Ava Owens pose in their gowns
(7) Allison Lorentz poses with her graduation delivery alongside her mom Rebecca
(8) Tara Ragsdale-Cronin opens her graduation box
(9) Linh Le with her mom Yen
(10) Issy Brooker with her parents Martin and Charlotte
(11) Abby Gunter with her traditional graduation rose bouquet
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
(7)
(6)
WITH HIGHEST HONOR
Hyunah Rosemary Lee
WITH HONOR
Caroline Bulkley Armas
Corinne Christian
Jessica Clements
Hattie Keys
Kylie Ludviksen
Sofia Marquez
Gabriella Nagy
Madeleine Nowak
Yiran Lavender Zhou
SANTA CATALINA AWARDS
MERIWETHER AND CROOM BEATTY AWARDS
honor a freshman and a sophomore who exemplify compassion, integrity, faith, and friendship.
Freshman—Tarn Reilly Sophomore—Olivia Gorum
SISTER MARY KIERAN SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
is given to two juniors who embody generosity and sensitivity as modeled by Sister Kieran.
First place—Hannah Ayo Adeyemi Second place—Heidi Hansch
SUNZAH PARK SOLI DEO GLORIA AWARD
honors a student for her contribution to the liturgical life of the school through music.
Caroline Bulkley Armas
THE CHRISTOPHER AWARD honors a student who exemplifies Christian concern for others with leadership and dedication to the spiritual welfare of the school.
Maryta Estrada Hinojos
ROBERT P. BALLES AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
honors the students graduating first and second in the senior class for their outstanding academic performance.
First place—Hyunah Rosemary Lee Second place—Grace Deakyne
STUDENT SUPPORT AWARD honors students who have exhibited consistent support of their classmates and demonstrated leadership in their respective areas of influence while at school.
Lauren Dean
Taylor Ford Allison Lorentz
Ainsley Morrison
Uma Sinha
Katalina Villarreal
ADMIRAL ROBERT S. HATCHER AWARD
honors students who engage in the academic curriculum to the limit of possibility for the joy and sake of learning.
Hyunah Rosemary Lee Xuelan Joanna Lin
MUNRAS COURTESY AWARD honors a student who exemplifies courage, graciousness, integrity, and openness to all.
Ava Owens
THE ALUMNAE AWARD honors students who have offered intellectual integrity, quiet leadership, and a mature individual perspective.
Grace Deakyne Candace Wong
THE VERITAS AWARD honors a senior who exemplifies the school’s motto, Truth; who is true to herself and to others, acts with joy and single-mindedness, and who through her clear judgment and daily living leaves the school a better place.
Julia Bledsoe
(8) (9) (10) (11)
DISTINCTIONS AT COMMENCEMENT
A FAR CRY FROM TRADITIONAL
BY JOAN NIESEN
MICHAEL GASPERSON ’96 LS FELT CALLED TO FIREFIGHTING AFTER PLAYING IN THE NFL
In 2008, after playing three seasons as a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, Michael Gasperson decided it was time to trade his jersey for a more traditional job.
A 2005 graduate of the University of San Diego, Michael had never been a shoo-in for the NFL. He’d suited up as receiver for the Toreros and earned multiple team- and conference-wide honors over his three years on the field. But his college played in the Pioneer Football League, a lower tier than the schools that churn out pro prospects each year. In Michael’s senior year, though, Jim Harbaugh took over as coach, and, thanks to his NFL connections, the receiver got a look.
It took two years on the sideline for Michael, in 2007, to see in-game action. He’d been dedicated to the weight room, to training at the highest level, but after multiple knee injuries he couldn’t shake the pain. The Philadelphia Eagles released him before the start of what would have been his fourth NFL season, and, although he considered signing another contract, he knew it wasn’t the responsible choice. He comments: “I felt blessed to have had an opportunity, but it became this thing with my knees just hurting too much. And so I made the tough decision to be done—and it was not an easy decision to make. I’m happy I made the decision when I did, because I was able to jump into that next chapter.”
At the time, though, Michael, who had graduated from the Santa Catalina Lower and Middle School in 1996, wasn’t quite sure what that next chapter should be. His NFL career had been a dream, but it had clouded his vision of a long-term plan. At San Diego, he’d earned a degree in business administration. But in the fall of 2008, just as he’d begun looking for work, the economy crashed. Job opportunities dried up. In the
middle of the recession, Michael took interview after interview, to the same refrain: “We’d love to hire you, but we can’t afford to train someone right now.”
Those rejections forced Michael to think harder about his future, and in the chorus of “no,” he found a silver lining. As the ex-athlete reflected on what he valued, he recalled the active and competitive nature of his first job. Football had left him with little interest in parking himself behind a desk in perpetuity. “I wanted to do something that’s rewarding, that I actually enjoy going to work doing,” he recalls.
His first step toward that goal was to get certified as a personal trainer. He’d be on his feet, and it would pay the bills. Michael and his wife had moved to Portland by then and were living with his in-laws temporarily. On his drives between their house and the gym, Michael passed a fire station. Gradually, an idea began to form. He recalled that his paternal grandfather had been a fire chief in California. He thought about what he knew about the job and the industry. He weighed that family history, and then he signed up to volunteer.
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Michael Gasperson ’96 LS lives with his family near Portland, Oregon.
After seven months working in his free time for Clackamas Fire, Michael went through an official training academy. He loved it, but he knew the job market was competitive, and he wanted to stay in the Portland area. He turned down a position in Palo Alto, wondered if he’d thrown away his best shot, and eventually was hired to stay right where he was. That was 2011, and Michael has been fighting fires in the Portland area ever since.
The fire station is a far cry from the office buildings where he applied in 2008 and the practice facility where he clocked in from 2005 to 2007. Michael credits his Catalina education for helping build the dedication that launched his career change and gave him the confidence to wait for the right opportunity. As he explains: “It helped establish a work ethic from a very young age that I was able to carry all the way through to the time when it came to go up, apply, and interview for jobs. [I] have that same work ethic and organizational skills and all those attributes that come with a higherexpectation learning environment.”
“I remember at the time having teachers
that I thought were mean and hard,” he continues, laughing. Then he adds: “But looking back, it was their expectations and their demands that were just very high. You know, their bar was that high.”
Michael has maintained that high bar as a firefighter for nearly a decade. He’s battled through the tough, dry summers and falls that have seen destructive fires break out across the land that he works to protect. And last spring he was on the front lines as the novel coronavirus pandemic first swept across the United States. He learned how to properly suit up in personal protective equipment before every call, following detailed precautions to protect himself and his colleagues from infection. He sat by as calls dwindled, as citizens feared calling for help, feared hospitals, feared interacting with anyone but their loved ones. Michael says he’s only come into contact with a few confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the months since, and he’s avoided infection.
By the summer, Michael was working a normal volume of calls, even overtime shifts. (His usual schedule is 24 hours on, then
48 off.) Then, in early September, he hurt his back at the worst possible time: a day before high winds stoked a wildfire outside of Portland. He was supposed to be on duty the day the flames flared, but he was laid up in bed, wishing he were able to be on his feet. That was Monday. On Tuesday, Oregon’s governor invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act to divert resources to the Portland area. More than a million acres in Oregon burned, and when Michael got healthy, he was back on the front lines, working on containment and recovery after the catastrophe.
Michael explains: “It is mentally draining. Even when we’re not busy running calls, I’ll go home the next day and I’m still drained. Mentally, [you know] that you are on, just waiting for those tones of the bells to go off. At any minute, we could be called out to the worst call of our lives.”
The stakes are a thousand times what he faced in the NFL. And Michael never quite found the traditional job he thought he was looking for. But he couldn’t be happier with his choice.
" I’M HAPPY I MADE THE DECISION [TO LEAVE THE NFL] WHEN I DID, BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO JUMP INTO THAT NEXT CHAPTER. "
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Michael, foreground, and his fellow firefighters conducting swift water rescue training on the Clackamas River.
Voices from the Front Lines
by jeannie evers
Exhaustion. Fear. Uncertainty. Hope. Eight alumnae in the medical field share their stories from the fight against COVID-19.
Nurse Jinny Kim ’12 doesn’t usually get to speak with her patients. By the time they arrive in the intensive care unit at Nassau University Medical Center in Long Island, New York, it’s too late for any meaningful conversation. Their respiration is too compromised from COVID-19 or their mental state is too altered or they had already been intubated in the emergency room.
This day was different. A man in his early 40s who had been admitted to the hospital was sent to the ICU because his condition was declining and he would need to be intubated. While they waited for the anesthesiologist to get into a protective suit, Jinny walked the patient through what was about to happen. They would put him to sleep, insert a breathing tube so his lungs could rest, do everything they could to make his lungs better, and wake him up again. She asked if he wanted to call his wife—he already had—and then with his permission took off his wedding band to store in a safe place. When the anesthesiologist arrived, she could tell her patient was worried. She did her best to reassure him that everything was going to be OK, that it was better to take this step sooner rather than later. “Then he smiled at me and said, ‘Just don’t let me die,’” she recalls.
When she returned to work two days later, he was dead.
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To say that the COVID-19 pandemic has upended our lives feels like an understatement. Economies and workers are struggling. Schools have shifted to online instruction. Everyone feels the loss of basic human contact. As of this publication, more than 62 million people have been infected worldwide, and about 1.5 million have died. Throughout it all, our nurses, doctors, and other health care workers have been heroically serving on the front lines to treat the sick and to keep the rest of us safe.
"The Bulletin talked with eight Santa Catalina alumnae in the medical field about their experiences. They all spoke of physical and emotional exhaustion, of fear and uncertainty, but also of the community that rose up around them. “There have been so many days when I’m exhausted and fried, but then a Catalina classmate might post something wonderful or funny on our group chat and then I’m good for many more days,” says Amy Pine ’85, a public health official in the San Francisco Bay Area. “The friends I made at Catalina are truly the best.”
Most of the United States wouldn’t experience the full effects of COVID-19 until March, but Amy was already responding to it in January. The virus emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and was slowly making its way into other countries. Concerns about the
" I was like, it can't be that bad. But of course it hit and it was that bad.
- Jinny Kim '12, ICU nurse
passengers from Wuhan, including San Francisco International Airport. That meant Amy and her team at the Alameda County Public Health Department needed to call all county residents on these flights to ensure they quarantined in their homes for 14 days. Amy, the department’s immunization section director, had officially taken on a new responsibility that gets activated during emergencies: disease containment.
“It was quite different than anything we’d had to do in the past and I knew then this was not going to be a typical disease response,” Amy says, citing previous responses to measles and meningococcal outbreaks. “The scale was, right off the bat, much bigger than anything prior. I remember a feeling of hope that we were being extra cautious and we would be able to contain this new virus, but I also had a sinking feeling that, since it was novel, there was no telling where this was really headed.”
Elsewhere in the Bay Area, Kiren Rizvi Jafry ’01 was also preparing to respond to the disease. Kiren works for Sutter Health, a not-for-profit network of clinics and hospitals throughout California. She is the
area operations executive for San Francisco and Marin counties, overseeing about 40 outpatient clinics. When the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Bay Area was announced on January 31, health system officials sprang into action. Kiren assembled a local incident command team to try to figure out how to properly equip health care workers, track patient data, expand testing, and coordinate with other areas of the Sutter system. “There was so much unknown about how to respond in the safest way,” she recalls. “What kind of PPE would we need to treat patients? Can we treat indoors? Do we have enough ER rooms?”
Across the country, Jinny Kim was keeping a close eye on COVID-19 developments. In mid- to late-February, cases were spiking in South Korea, where her family still lives. She knew it was only a matter of time before the virus came to New York. Still, she thought, treating the disease wouldn’t be that different from treating other acute respiratory illnesses she regularly encounters in the ICU. “I was like, it can’t be that bad,” she says. “But of course it hit and it was that bad.”
As many unknowns as Amy and Kiren encountered in their pandemic planning, they were able to turn to places like
Washington and New York for guidance. Those states in many ways were flying blind. "New York got hit the hardest, the fastest," Jinny says, "so literally whatever policies the hospitals were coming up with, those were the best guesses we were making. We had to survive through it without having any good examples of what works and what doesn’t.”
In March, the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic and California became the first state to issue stay-at-home orders. Amy and her team in Alameda County were by now focused on isolation and quarantine measures. They went from calling individuals to issuing blanket orders for the county. “Our average caseload was, at that point [in early March], maybe 10 to 15 cases per day. But then, in late March, it just blew up to 50 cases per day, then continued up up up,” she says.
Jinny (Yoojin) Kim ’12 is an ICU nurse who transitioned from Nassau University Medical Center to NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital in the spring. She says her patient load has more than doubled at various times throughout the pandemic. She has had up to six critical patients at a time, when two is the standard.
At Denver Health in Colorado, pediatric emergency room nurse Alex Pollack ’12, ’08 LS had her first encounter with the virus. A family that had been living in China returned home through San Francisco, and they were experiencing symptoms. “We were well aware that they definitely could be positive. I remember they came in and everyone was really scared,” says Alex, adding that the family had to be brought in through a separate entrance. “It was like they had this green haze around them and no one wanted to get close to them. That was when I really felt that this was scary, because it’s such an isolating disease.”
The feeling of isolation was especially acute for Meghan Barrett Mancha ’04, a registered nurse at Carmel Hills Care Center, a skilled nursing facility in Monterey. The facility, which has seen only one positive case of COVID-19, implemented strict protocols to protect its vulnerable population. That means no visitors, except in end-of-life
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situations, and a 14-day quarantine for new arrivals from hospitals or homes. It’s been especially hard on patients with dementia. “They know something bad is going on, but they don’t know the extent of it, they don’t know why they can’t visit their families or why their families can’t visit them,” Meghan says. To try to make up for it, families are encouraged to make an appointment to see their loved ones through the front windows, and residents are encouraged to go about their usual routines, such as visiting the activity room or getting on-site manicures (masks on, of course). “That sense of community is really important, especially for the population I work with,” Meghan says. “We’re trying to keep everything as normal as possible, trying to keep everything positive. At Catalina, everything was always so positive.”
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Along with the physical toll of 12-hour shifts, higher caseloads, and
Amy Pine ’85 is the immunization section director at the Alameda County Public Health Department who is currently organizing vaccine implementation for the State of California. “I talk about public health as being the immune system outside of the body—the quiet workforce and the systems behind the scenes that are trying to minimize disease and keep people safe and healthy.”
hypervigilance comes an emotional intensity. Some amount of anxiety results from the unknown. “The evolution of our understanding of how this virus spreads, how contagious it is, what the health symptoms are—that kept changing and continues to change,” says Kiren. Adds Amy: “I talk about practicing the ‘F’ word, which is flexibility. As more is learned about COVID-19 disease, guidance changes from CDC about how best to tackle different situations. There were times when it seemed like guidance changed every five minutes, and the ripple effect of that can seem crippling. There have been so many moments when I’ve had to think ‘F-word, F-word, F-word!’”
Asymptomatic patients add another level of uncertainty. “Nerve-wracking” is the term used by Kelsey Green ’13, ’09 LS, an emergency room nurse at California Pacific Medical Center Van Ness Campus, a Sutter Health hospital in San Francisco. “Someone could come in with toe pain, and they could end up being positive,” she says.
"
Not having that emotional connection with a patient when they are in such an intense situation was and is still probably the hardest part about it.
- Alex Pollack '12, pediatric ER nurse "
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Then there are the mask shortages. N95 masks filter at least 95 percent of airborne particles, a crucial function when dealing with COVID-19, an airborne disease. The standard of care is for nurses to change their mask every time they interact with a patient. Now, they reuse the masks until the band breaks or the mask becomes visibly soiled. Kelsey and Alex both credit their hospitals with continually finding new sources of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE), but it’s still not enough. Alex, describing the masks as “precious,” recalls having to store them in paper bags between use. Kelsey says her hospital allots one mask per shift; she wears a simple surgical mask over her N95 to help extend the life of the latter.
The availability of testing has also gone through ebbs and flows. Testing is important not only for tracking and treating the disease, but also for helping nurses determine which mask to wear. In theory, if you know your patient tests negative, you can get away with wearing a simple mask. But without the certainty of a test, you take a risk when interacting with patients, especially those who present without symptoms. So, despite hospital guidelines
and health department recommendations, “it’s still up to our own judgment on when we’re going to use an N95 and when we’re going to use just a simple face mask,” says Kelsey, adding that she always errs on the side of caution. “It does make me feel nervous.”
Perhaps worse is knowing that they may not be able to comfort their patients. “When you go into the rooms and you’re covered from head to toe in PPE, you forget that your emotional connection with the patient just goes away,” says Alex. “They can’t see you smiling, they can’t see your facial expressions other than your eyes. . . . Not having that emotional connection with a patient when they are in such an intense situation was and is still probably the hardest part about it.”
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While New York was dealing with high case numbers in March and April, California was preparing for a surge that wouldn’t arrive until July, when the state’s stay-at-home orders were gradually lifting and people were heading back out to restaurants, salons, and malls. At Monterey County Jail, where Jessica Price ’03, ’99 LS works as a nurse
practitioner, more than a quarter of the roughly 700 inmates tested positive in July. “We’re dealing with a population that’s living on top of each other in close quarters, so pretty much when one person got it, it spread very quickly,” Jessica says. Until then, the jail had done a good job of keeping the virus in check. Staff and inmates wore masks and had their temperatures checked every day. The jail had instituted a no-bail policy, so those accused of nonviolent crimes were released, thus reducing the inmate population. When the outbreak occurred, most of the inmates who tested positive were asymptomatic, Jessica says. Of the few who had to be hospitalized, none stayed in the hospital for long.
Practices certainly changed, though. Jessica explains: “The inmates have access to tablets, and they can send messages to the medical staff. Typically an RN would intercept those messages and then triage the patient and decide if I needed to see them. But because the RNs were inundated with all this monitoring they had to do, myself and the physician’s assistant started going through all of these messages. So in a way we were doing telemedicine, even though we were on site.”
Alex Pollack ’12, ’08 LS is studying to be a physician’s assistant at Rocky Vista University in Colorado. She still picks up shifts as a pediatric ER nurse at Denver Health.
Just as working from home has become the norm, telemedicine is an interesting side effect that some medical professionals expect will continue. Kiren says, “There were a lot of program closures in the early days and we had to convert as much as we could to virtual care and virtual medicine, which actually has turned into one of the most exciting aspects. How does an entire industry pivot so quickly to safely treat patients but also add more accessibility? I anticipate that virtual care video visits are here to stay. We see that not only from the workforce that’s delivering the care, but also from patients who are demanding it and found it to be extremely valuable. . . .
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Kiren Rizvi Jafry ’01 oversees about 40 health clinics as the area operations executive for Sutter Health in San Francisco and Marin counties. She is working to instill a sense of safety and security in the clinics— for patients and personnel.
Virtual care has opened up an appreciation and awareness of what’s possible.”
Another side effect, at least for San Francisco nurse Kelsey, is a greater understanding of the societal side of health care. She recalls helping another nurse with a patient who ticked all of the boxes for COVID-19 risk factors, including race and socio-economic status. “I just remember feeling upset with how unfair it was,” Kelsey says. “It was unfortunate because they were pretty young, and if they did have proper access to care, they probably would have had a lower risk of (1) getting COVID and (2) suffering from it so much compared to other patient populations from different demographics. . . . It just showed me the whole picture.”
For most people, that might have been the end of it. But Kelsey went to Santa Catalina, which she says taught her not to be afraid to do more. The patient, along with the Black Lives Matter movement, inspired her to create a three-part series of posters for hospital workers highlighting the medical, societal, and economic issues that put some people at higher risk of COVID-19. Her first poster focused on the Black population: how they are typically diagnosed with common illnesses that increase risk, and how their lack of trust in health care professionals means their health issues often go untreated for a longer time. She also plans to create a poster on the Latino population
Kahlil Thompson
Coyle '93, who is part of the Irish health service's COVID-19 communications team, says her biggest challenge has been the scale and speed of the work.
and another focusing on children, the elderly, and people who are abused. “[The posters will] remind people it’s more than just the patients we treat at work. It’s a bigger problem,” Kelsey says. “COVID-19 has opened my eyes to all the different issues in health care, so I want to make others aware. There’s something we can do in our own lives to help other people out, not just the patients who come in.”
So what’s next? Now, as cases in the United States are again on the rise, everyone is also focused on flu season and how to prepare for what Amy calls “twindemics.”
Of course, the big beacon of hope is a vaccine. In September, Amy became the team lead for COVID-19 vaccine implementation for the State of California. As you might imagine, there’s a lot involved with planning on this scale. Amy notes: “Medical providers will have to know how to store [the vaccine], receive it, and administer it. The general public will have to know it is safe. It will have to be made abundantly clear who qualifies to be vaccinated if it’s an environment of scarcity. . . . There are multiple questions about equity, transparency, communication, and access.” And Amy is not just preparing for one vaccine, but several that are in
Meghan Barrett Mancha '04, a registered nurse at Carmel Hills Care Center in Monterey, says “we’re washing people’s hands like it’s going out of style.”
Kelsey Green ’13, ’09 LS is an emergency room nurse at California Pacific Medical Center Van Ness Campus in San Francisco. She says that while her hospital planned for possible surges in the spring and summer, it was never overwhelmed by patients.
development. The vaccines vary in the number of doses required, the time needed between doses, and the temperature at which they need to be stored. “Keeping track of all of these complicating factors and differences makes for logistical and informational challenges at every step of the way,” she says. “Many county health departments are also using flu vaccine now as a means of collecting best practices on how to conduct socially distanced vaccination clinics—a concept that was never necessary until this pandemic.”
Amy expects the vaccine to be rolled out slowly, starting with the highest priority populations such as health care personnel, first responders, and people with underlying conditions. Those priorities will likely stay in place even when the vaccine becomes more widely available in the following months. She says it could be summer 2021 before there is enough of a supply for everyone to receive it.
For the vast majority of us, masks and physical distancing remain the best means of stopping the spread of the disease. In Ireland, Kahlil Thompson Coyle ’93 has been working to spread that message, among others, on behalf of the Irish health service, known as the Health Service Executive (HSE). In early March, she was chosen to lead a team in the HSE’s communications division to help outside organizations share COVID-19 public health information. Later that spring, the HSE launched the “Hold Firm” campaign, inspired by a poem written by the Irish president (see sidebar). The campaign was created to “acknowledge and encourage the enormous effort being made by everyone in Ireland in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and to encourage people to ‘hold firm’
for the people we love, the things we miss, and the future we hope for,” Kahlil says. “It was an incredibly moving and inspirational call to action that brought us together and inspired us to follow the public health advice. I don’t ever think I will forget the feeling that it sparked in me—of solidarity, compassion, and hope.” With cases spiking worldwide and with the prospect of several more months of lockdowns, “hold firm” will be a message worth repeating.
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Despite all the long days, uncertainty, and heartbreak, alumnae felt enormous gratitude for the support they’ve received throughout the pandemic: support from their co-workers who stepped in when others needed a break or offered reassurance that they were doing the best they could; support from those in the community who donated masks and meals; and, of course, support from their Catalina classmates. “We’re everybody’s cheerleaders,” says Kiren. “I think that network of sisterhood is so, so, so important, especially this year when there is so much unrest, so much uncertainty, so much crisis.”
In normal times, Khalil is the deputy head of the Irish health service’s culture unit, where she spearheads Values in Action, a behavior-based approach to shaping the internal culture of the HSE. Appropriately, she is guided by personal values that she developed at Catalina. “I have been finding myself leaning firmly into my values while I navigate life through the COVID-19 pandemic,” she says. “Our Catalina promise of ‘Do well. Do good.’ is a belief that I carry
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with me and is at the cornerstone of my approach to life and work—and for which I will be forever grateful to Santa Catalina.”
For many of these alumnae, Catalina played a role in where they are today. Their very approach to medicine is laced with lessons they carried with them after graduation. Compassion and empathy are high on the list. Says Jessica: “I might not have too much in common with my patients, but I can empathize with them and always want to give them the care that I would want for my own family.”
For Jinny, it’s about looking at the whole person. “I somehow went from a Catholic high school to a Jesuit university, and the first hospital that I worked at was Adventist. So I kind of worked and studied in a religious setting for a very long time,” she says. “Even though I’m not really religious myself, I think a lot of the values carried through, and it’s been easier for me to communicate with my patients whether they’re religious or not. . . .
You treat them as another human being, not always as a patient.” Kelsey says Catalina taught her to remember that she, too, is human.
“Nursing is more than just skills and objective evidence. It’s also taking five minutes to be a person with your patients,” she says. “I’m not just here to poke you and give you medicine, I’m also here to support you. I think those are qualities that I definitely learned from Catalina: How to be a good person, but how to be a hard-working person too.”
On her path, Kiren has embraced Catalina’s culture, spirit, and mission of raising and developing young women to serve. She says she’s humbled by all of the health care workers who risk their lives in this fight against COVID-19, this “long endurance marathon,” as she puts it. “What surprises me is the level of engagement, the willingness to take care of these patients even as you’re putting yourself in harm’s way,” she says. “I’m just so proud of working in an industry that has so much purpose.”
‘Take Care’: A Poem for Ireland
Irish President Michael D. Higgins wrote this poem in 1993. It inspired the health service's 'Hold Firm' campaign.
In the journey to the light, the dark moments should not threaten.
Belief requires that you hold steady.
Bend, if you will, with the wind. The tree is your teacher, roots at once more firm from experience in the soil made fragile.
Your gentle dew will come and a stirring of power to go on towards the space of sharing.
Jessica Price '03, '99 LS, the nurse practitioner at Monterey County Jail, says she enjoys the excitement of the job: “You never know what’s going to happen when you walk in for the day.”
In the misery of the I, in rage, it is easy to cry out against all others but to weaken is to die in the misery of knowing the journey abandoned towards the sharing of all human hope and cries is the loss of all we know of the divine reclaimed for our shared humanity.
Hold firm. Take care. Come home together.
THE CONTINUES Journey
A Q&A WITH MADISON GONG ’18
WHAT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY DO YOU ATTEND, AND WHAT YEAR ARE YOU? I’m currently a junior at the University of Southern California.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY STUDYING, AND WHAT MAJOR/ MINORS DO YOU HOPE TO GRADUATE WITH? I’m majoring in Cognitive Science with minors in Computer Programming and Data Science. Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary field of psychology, computer science / artificial intelligence, and linguistics that studies how people process information and make decisions.
DID YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT YOU WANTED TO FOCUS ON THESE AREAS WHEN YOU STARTED AS A FRESHMAN? WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO STUDY AND PURSUE THESE AREAS OF INTEREST? Growing up in the Bay Area, I’ve always been surrounded by technology and knew that I wanted to explore more of the tech industry. That’s why, after my sophomore year at Catalina, I decided to apply to the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion program, which is a seven-week summer program teaching computer science skills to high school girls. My particular program was at the IBM Silicon Valley Labs, and I ended up coding my final project—a platform that compiled coupons, discounts, and promotions for your favorite stores—using some of IBM’s technology.
I went on to intern at IBM Watson in San Francisco the following two summers. Working at IBM gave me the opportunity to experience what it was like to be a part of a major tech company, and I loved being able to collaborate with IBMers all over the world. Many of the amazing female software engineers and product managers I worked with at IBM had studied Cognitive Science, so this inspired me to pursue the same major at USC.
WHAT OTHER EXPERIENCES (ACADEMIC OR OTHERWISE) HAVE YOU ENJOYED AT COLLEGE?
One of my favorite classes was Ethics of Technology and Artificial Intelligence, which discussed the challenges of rapidly advancing technology today. I loved learning how to apply the principles of ethics to the creation and management of technology. Dr. Murphy’s philosophy class prepared me well for all the ethics texts that we had to read! Outside of classes, I really enjoy being a part of the tech community here at USC. I’m a product manager in LavaLab (a student-run startup incubator), a consultant for product and growth strategies for Troy Labs (a venture program for startups founded by USC students), and a member of HackSC (USC’s largest annual hackathon). I also joined a sorority and I’m a volunteer teacher for the Joint Education Program, where I teach computer science fundamentals to students in the local elementary schools around USC.
"
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN SURROUNDED BY TECHNOLOGY AND KNEW THAT I WANTED TO EXPLORE MORE OF THE TECH INDUSTRY. "
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HAVE YOU CONSIDERED
PLANS AFTER GRADUATION? IF SO, WHAT DO YOU SEE YOURSELF DOING? I’m planning to work in the tech industry after graduation, hopefully in a product management role. After working with product managers at IBM, I knew that I wanted to learn more about product management as a career. That’s why during the summers after my freshman and sophomore years at USC, I worked as a product management intern at LogDNA, a startup in Silicon Valley that builds log management software.
After my freshman year, I realized I missed being involved in tech extra-curriculars. I decided not to return to the rowing team and started getting involved in USC’s tech community. One of the organizations that reminds me of the innovation and technology of Nuns & Bolts is LavaLab. Every semester, LavaLab invites a new cohort of USC designers, developers, and product managers to build the next top startups. These students are placed in teams, and they go through the ideation, design, and development process to create minimum viable products, which are then pitched to a panel of investors and venture capitalists.
experiences in the tech industry. LavaLab is focusing on helping make the tech community at USC inclusive and accessible, so our fireside chats have been filmed for the first time ever to share with everyone.
A big part of my life at Catalina was being on the water polo and swimming teams, so when I started my freshman year at USC, I knew that I wanted to continue doing a water sport. Instead of water polo or swimming, I decided to try out for the USC women’s Division I rowing team! Spending my first year as a student-athlete was an amazing experience because I was able to train and compete at one of the highest levels in college athletics. Although waking up at 5:30 am for the morning workouts was not always easy, I learned so much about discipline and time management. However, the greatest part of being on the women’s rowing team was my teammates and being in a community of strong and inspiring women.
This year, I’m on LavaLab’s leadership team as Director of Industry Relations. A large part of my role is to organize our fireside chats with tech leaders so students can learn about their
WHAT BROADER LIFE LESSONS DID YOU LEARN AT CATALINA THAT HAVE SERVED YOU WELL IN COLLEGE? One of the life lessons that I learned at Catalina is knowing how to be confident in my decisions and opinions. Being able to learn and grow in an all-girls environment was invaluable in developing this confidence because Catalina allowed me to experience many positions of leadership and responsibility. By the time I arrived at USC, I felt very comfortable making decisions and speaking about my opinions, which has served me well in my college career. My confidence has helped me to make the most out of all the opportunities I’ve engaged in at USC, which I don’t think would have been as impactful without my time at Catalina.
WHEN YOU THINK BACK ON YOUR CATALINA EXPERIENCE, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO NEW STUDENTS? My advice is to cherish every moment at Catalina. As a recent graduate, I know it can be easy to get caught up in all your classes, extracurriculars, and commitments. However, I have to say that I don’t quite remember every test or paper I spent hours preparing for. What I do remember are all the memories I made with my classmates, whether it was dressing up in crazy costumes for Ring Week or [spending time] with friends during the coveted free period before lunch. Take this opportunity to appreciate every moment you have with your friends at Catalina because those will be the times you remember years from now.
IF YOU HAD TO DESCRIBE CATALINA IN THREE WORDS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE? Supportive, authentic, and community.
YOUR
YOU WERE INVOLVED IN MANY CLUBS AND EXTRA-CURRICULARS AT CATALINA. HOW DID THOSE INTERESTS CARRY OVER TO YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE?
" MY CONFIDENCE HAS HELPED ME TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES I'VE ENGAGED IN AT USC.
"
santa catalina / fall bulletin 39
Madison with her USC LavaLab teammates
The Legacy Campaign
Dear alumnae/i, parents, and friends of school,
On behalf of Head of School Meg Bradley and the Board of Trustees, we are thrilled to announce the successful completion of Santa Catalina’s historic Legacy Campaign in June 2020. With thanks to so many of you, our campaign volunteers, and our dedicated Development Team, the campaign surpassed its goal of $50 million, including gifts, pledges, and bequest intentions. Over 700 alumnae/i, parents, foundations, and friends contributed to the Legacy Campaign, impacting the lives of students and teachers throughout the entire school.
The Legacy Campaign commenced in 2011 with the building of the Lower and Middle School Multipurpose Building, followed by an extensive renovation of the Lower and Middle School campus. In 2013, two foundations joined together with a gift of $18 million to build the Sister Claire and Sister Christine Mathematics and Science Center to advance young women in STEM education. The Carol Ann Read Head of School House followed to aid in the leadership transition from Sister Claire Barone, Head Emerita, to the school’s first lay Head of School, Meg Bradley. Meg then oversaw a $19 million community-wide investment in the school’s endowment, including the growth of the Sister Claire and Sister Christine Endowment for Health and Wellness and The Veritas Challenge, a $5 million gift for tuition assistance.
While the campaign’s outcomes speak for themselves, the teamwork and outpouring of mutual support that has sustained this campaign over nine years cannot be quantified. We are grateful for the campaign’s leadership, past and present, as well as for the many parent and alumnae volunteers who requested and inspired contributions. Santa Catalina’s Board of Trustees provided a critical foundation throughout the campaign, ensuring that the school developed policies, a strategic vision, and a culture of philanthropy to set its course for the future. Finally, we are profoundly grateful to Sister Claire and Meg Bradley for bringing the Legacy Campaign’s essential purpose to life: to bridge Santa Catalina’s deep heritage, tradition, and culture to a relevant, bold, and ambitious future. We could not have asked for better leaders to help us achieve this goal.
While current circumstances prevent us from celebrating this accomplishment together, we hope that you will take a moment to reflect on the valuable role each of you has played during this transformational era for Santa Catalina. Whether you attended school here, have children or grandchildren currently enrolled, or if your children graduated many years ago, you contributed to the enduring legacy of education, care, and kindness at Santa Catalina, one that we have all benefited from and that will continue for generations to come. We could not have done this without you and we are most grateful.
Warm regards, Carolyn Hartwell O’Brien '74 Legacy Campaign Co-Chair
Kenny Peyton Legacy Campaign Co-Chair
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Tracy Miller Hass '75 Santa Catalina Fund Chair
At-A-Glance THE LEGACY CAMPAIGN
In 2011, the Board of Trustees set an ambitious fundraising goal of $50 million, the largest campaign in Santa Catalina’s history, with the aim of securing the school’s position as a leader in education now and in the future.
The campaign has impacted every student on campus. Whether through upgraded facilities, increased tuition assistance, or the creation of the Sister Claire and Sister Christine Endowment for Health and Wellness, the ambitious goals of the Legacy Campaign have truly been met.
The campaign began with a focused goal in three areas:
• Lower and Middle School: Create a campus as dynamic as our students and teachers and as impressive as their work.
• Upper School: Create an intellectual and social hub at the center of campus with math and science as its cornerstone.
• Community: Continue to attract the most talented students and faculty and ensure a stable financial foundation for the future of the school.
We see the campaign’s transformative impact throughout the years:
• 2011 — Legacy Campaign begins
Total $50,581,505
Unrestricted $1,885,394
Carol Ann Read Head of School House $2,113,416
Lower and Middle School Facilities $6,212,026 Endowment $19,342,702
School Facilities $21,027,967
• 2013 — Lower and Middle School Multipurpose Building completed
• 2014 — Middle School classrooms and faculty room completed
• 2016 — Sister Claire and Sister Christine Mathematics and Science Center completed
• 2016 — Carol Ann Read Head of School House completed
• 2017 — Renovation and expansion of Grades 1-3 classrooms completed
• 2019 — $5 million Veritas Challenge for tuition assistance endowment launches
• 2020 — $50 million Legacy Campaign completed
The Legacy Campaign has helped transform and modernize many spaces on campus, but beyond that it has allowed us to grow our sense of community. We see it in the Lower and Middle School thanks to the creation of the Multipurpose Building, which provides a home for the Compass program and community gatherings. In the Upper School, the Sister Claire and Sister Christine Mathematics and Science Center has created a social and academic hub and enhanced learning opportunities at the intersection of math, science, and technology. The $19 million increase to the school’s endowment has also helped strengthen our community: It increased tuition assistance, ensured that we attract and retain excellent faculty and staff, led to the creation of the Sister Claire and Sister Christine Endowment for Health and Wellness, and gave us a stronger financial backbone, which will allow us to meet the school’s needs now and in the future.
santa catalina / fall bulletin 41
Upper
4% 4% 12% 38% 42%
VERITAS CHALLENGE
Spotlights
In June 2019, a group of anonymous donors pledged $5 million to rally the Santa Catalina community to finish the Legacy Campaign by June 30, 2020. The pledge, known as the Veritas Challenge, was for the school’s tuition assistance endowment, helping to ensure that we enroll the most talented, mission appropriate students for years to come.
The Veritas Challenge provided a 1:1 matching opportunity for all Legacy Campaign donors who pledged $25,000 or more in 2019-20 toward the tuition assistance endowment. The Veritas Challenge helped inspire community members of all generations to step forward and help us complete the historic Legacy Campaign. We are honored to share their stories.
Flo Nixon ’64
"Santa Catalina was foundational for my personal and professional development. Entering as a freshman boarding student and coming from a relatively rural educational community, I was delighted when I quickly made dear lifelong friends. The rigorous curriculum and educational discipline challenged me to cultivate habits that were greatly beneficial to me throughout my life. Sports were also an important part of my growth, helping me to increase both my physical strength and mental stamina as an individual player and to learn the all-important skills of collaborating with others in teambased sporting activities. This complete immersion in a new setting that focused on my becoming a productive and accomplished young woman was an infinitely rewarding experience.
Private, belief-centered education for young women is crucial because it fosters the formation of the whole person by encouraging strong minds, bodies, and spirits, as well as self-confidence, educational excellence, high moral values, and kindness toward humanity. Santa Catalina provides an environment that is dedicated to the attainment of these qualities.
The Veritas Challenge represents a worthy investment, one that will support young women in defining and meeting their fullest potential. I am committed to enhancing Santa Catalina's financial future, and the opportunity to have my donation matched 100 percent was a powerful incentive. As a regular contributor to Santa Catalina, I am grateful for this chance to show my profound appreciation for the school that has enriched every aspect of my career, my personal life, and my friendships for 60 years."
Kela Felton ’14
The Felton family chose to support the Veritas Challenge in memory of our inspiring matriarch and grandmother, Vivian Porter Felton.
"Born in 1920, Vivian became a foster child and went through 13 homes before her adoption. Despite her disadvantages, she was a bright, kind, and curious young woman—a model Catalina student, had she been so lucky. After receiving her teaching degree, she began her career educating first- and second-graders in a three-room schoolhouse. After her successful first year she was given charge of the third- and fourth-graders as well. She was a passionate teacher and nurtured a true love of learning in her students.
She continued to do the same for me, her eternally grateful granddaughter. She engrained in me a deep love of literature—a gift which not only enhanced my experience at Catalina but continues to pay dividends each day. She never missed an opportunity to attend a Catalina theatre production and her visits remain some of my most cherished Catalina memories.
Vivian made a choice to go above and beyond to be the best teacher, mother, grandmother, and friend she possibly could. She embodied Catalina’s mission each day, leading her life with grace and excellence, understanding her responsibility to improve the world around her, devoting herself to service of others, and maintaining her steadfast faith. She was the kind of Catalina woman I strive to be each day. "
42 santa catalina / fall bulletin
Cathy Geier ’78
The Cathy Collins Geier ’78 and Bradley A. Geier Scholarship Endowment
"Brad and I are pleased to provide scholarship funds to deserving students who might not otherwise be able to attend Santa Catalina. For me, Catalina was a transformational experience for which I’m very grateful. We feel it is particularly important to support the school in what otherwise is a difficult time. "
Jeanne Vibert Sloane ’74
"I have been fortunate to receive various fellowships during my education and career, so giving to the Tuition Assistance Endowment is a wonderful way to give back.
I am grateful for the profound experience of being a boarder at Catalina and feel rewarded to help others become part of its community. The generous Veritas Challenge allowed me to increase the impact of my gift."
Jeannie Jagels Vaughn ’75
"I believe in Santa Catalina as a school that will help students develop a moral center and a voice.
My years at Catalina taught me that the character of a person is as important as academics, sports, or any other achievements. The other thing I learned from the Sisters and girls at Catalina is that being "right" is not nearly as important as listening and understanding. I gave a pledge to Santa Catalina because Sister Claire, Sister Christine, and Meg are three women I admire for what they have brought to the world. When they come up with ideas or needs for the school, I want to support them."
Margaret Rosenberg Duflock ’59
’71
"The Maree Angelus
Scholar Fund
my mother for her generosity and lifelong commitment to education, service, and her family. She was born to two Greek immigrants and grew up in McGill, Nevada, a small Kennecott Copper mining town. She recounted that her friends, who did not speak English well past second grade, came over after school to learn the day’s lessons. Not allowed to attend university, my grandmother encouraged her to be independent and build a life for herself. She got a pilot’s license and became a court reporter.
After marrying, she put my father through law school and returned to Ely, Nevada, to run his practice and raise her two children. She became very good friends with Grace Hanks and her family. Grace’s sister, Sister Mary Kiernan, Santa Catalina Head of School since 1950, encouraged Grace’s daughters to experience camp and high school. Inevitably, an Ely-Monterey road trip was undertaken. During the summer of 1962, we met Sister Kiernan and fell in love with the campus. I attended three summer camps and high school thereafter.
I am fortunate to be the legacy of two highly intelligent, strong-willed Greek women—my mother and grandmother—who approached life with a bit of perfection and a lot of humor. In their memory, this fund will open doors to a place that supports intellectual, spiritual, and emotional growth—a safe place for young women to develop a world view that is compassionate, just, and focused widely to accept and support the diversity among us.”
The Mr. and Mrs. Walter Rosenberg Scholarship Endowment established by their daughter Margaret Rosenberg Duflock ’59
"I took the Veritas Challenge and created an endowment to honor my parents because they believed in education."
Marty-Jo Demetras
The Maree Angelus Demetras Scholar Fund
Demetras
honors
santa catalina / fall bulletin 43
Maree Angelus Demetras Ely, Nevada, 1945
The Legacy Campaign
$5,000,000+ Anonymous (8)
$1,000,000 to $4,999,999
Anonymous
The Estate of Sister Carlotta O'Donnell Angela Nomellini ’71
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
E.L. Wiegand Foundation
$500,000 to $999,999
Anonymous (2)
D.D. and Paul Felton
Julia Anderson Frankel ’65 and Russell M. Frankel
Cathy Collins Geier ’78 and Bradley A. Geier
Nancy and Philip Greer
Nancy Eccles & Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation
Monterey Peninsula Foundation
J. Peter Read, Jr.
Susan and Stephen Schwerdfeger
Stefanie and Robert Skinner Wendy Hayward Wendling ’82 LS
$250,000 to $499,999
Annenberg Foundation
Anonymous (3)
The Estate of Harold H. Audet
Patricia Bondesen-Smith ’54
Kathleen Brown ’63
The Marie C. de Dampierre Memorial Foundation
Pamela Fairbanks de Villaine ’60
Margaret Rosenberg Duflock ’59
Margie and W. Taylor Fithian
Jay & Barbara Fritz Family Foundation
The Grover Hermann Foundation
Judith and Timothy Hachman (Judi Musto Hachman ’61)
Alita and Michael Kavalauskas
Michaela and Reuben Richards
Santa Catalina School
Patricia and Robert Sparacino (Patricia Allen ’65)
Kelly and Brian Swette Thalma Thais ’92
$100,000 to $249,999
Anonymous (5)
Sister Claire Barone
Frederick Bates Kit and Peter Bedford (Kirsten Nelson ’56)
Bedford Family Foundation
Daphne and Richard Bertero (Daphne Craige ’60)
Michelle and Garrett Blake
Barclay Braden ’59 and Richard Henry Blair
Julie and Curt Breitfuss (Julie Jones ’79)
Kate Myers Brizius ’88
Arlene and Vance Coffman
Jo Ann and Julien Collins
Marty-Jo Demetras ’71
Kate and Bob Ernst
Pam and Russ Fadel
The Felton Family
Barbara and Peter M. Folger
Audrey and Erik Foraker (Audrey Dormer ’78)
Barbara and Arthur Fritz, Jr.
Barbara Fritz
Nini Richardson Hart ’61
Ben and Walter Hussman
Angela Park and Henry Kwon
Laural Foundation
John Luce
The Estate of Laurie Angel McGuinness ’53
Eileen and Gary Morgenthaler
Mary and Frank Moslander (Mary Looram ’84, ’80 LS)
Florence Nixon ’64
Julie Thomas Obering ’60
Deborah and Kenny Peyton
Sister Christine Price
Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc.
The Reveas Foundation
Elizabeth and Reuben Richards
Charles and Marie Robertson Foundation
Corinne and Michael Roffler
Jeanne Vibert Sloane ’74
Mary Pat and Jerry Sweetman (Mary Pat Reardon ’60)
Jean Jagels Vaughn ’75 Kelly and Wes von Schack
$50,000 to $99,999
Anonymous France de Sugny Bark ’59 and Dennis L. Bark
Mary Bell
Jenny Budge ’71
Jeff Burke
Cindy and Joe Connolly
Cornelia and James Farley, Jr.
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Patricia and Alfred Friedrich
Eliza Hussman Gaines ’05 and Alec Gaines
Jim Harbaugh Hazel Foundation
Katharina and Jeremy Lathen (Katharina Brinks ’96)
Terry and John Levin (Terryl Albert ’70, ’66 LS)
Gini and Jim Luttrell
Tina Hansen McEnroe ’70, ’66 LS
Norman Miller
The Moley Family Foundation
Jenner and Andrew Morrison (Jenner Fritz ’94)
Mildred E. and Harvey S. Mudd Foundation
The Northern Trust Company
The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation
Wendy and Victor Ramirez
Olivia Hussman Ramsey ’05
The Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving
Deborah Tanous Scofield ’65
Cristin and Michael Shute
South Dakota State University Foundation
Helen and Michael Spanos Marta Szemes
Stacey and Dominic Taddeucci (Stacey Pruett ’82)
Betty Van Wagenen Judith and Jackson Yen
$25,000 to $49,999
Pamela Anderson-Brulé ’76
Anonymous (3)
Arizona Community Foundation
Courtney Benoist ’77 and Jason Fish
Deborah Kneedler Berggren ’53
Justine and Robert Bloomingdale (Justine Schmidt ’73)
Brett and James Collins (Brett Davis ’93)
Mary and Howard Fuchs
Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund
Tracy and Eric Hass (Tracy Miller ’75)
Peggy and Glen Heffington
Caroline Harris Henderson ’61
Anne Hilby ’01
Paula and Bruce Hilby
Julie Lambert ’80, ’76 LS
Jeannik Littlefield
Littlefield 2000 Trust
Elizabeth Lloyd Rovetta ’95 and Francesco Rovetta
Laura Lyon Gaon ’81 and Rob Gaon
The Estate of Ginny Fiske Marshall ’68 Deborah McCann ’59
McMahan Family Charitable Foundation
Jennifer Moulton-Post ’82, ’78 LS
Laura Knoop Pfaff ’72
Victoria and Wayne Prim Rorick Trust
Sally Rorick-Orlando ’63
Audrey Keebler Scott ’91
Catherine and James Sims Karine Snyder Lyon Spencer's Stationery Valley Fabrication, Inc. Wendy and Bart Walker Wayne L. Prim Foundation A. Gordon Worsham Stacie and Stephen Worsham
$10,000 to $24,999
Rita Alves
Anonymous (2)
Cass and Mike Antle (Catherine Slaughter ’79, ’75 LS) Maureen and Michael Bernal (Maureen Duflock ’89)
Barbara and Peter Blackstock
Rob Bolt
The Boswell Family Foundation
Meg Bradley and George Choquette Megan and Michael Bruno ’82 LS
Ann Bryant Arden Bucklin-Sporer ’74
The Burnham Foundation of Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP Cara and Peter Butler
Elizabeth and Clark Callander
The Callison Foundation
Jennifer and Brendan Connolly Renata Engler ’67 and John Nichols
The Estate of Alexandra Eversole ’65
The Estate of Robert Folger Miller Ceseli and Hugh Foster
Lynn and Frank Garcia Bernadette and Mark Gersh
Ann Mather and Timothy Gonzales Karen Greer Goss ’85
Louise Harris ’72
The Estate of Jane and Lawrence Harris, Jr. Herbst Foundation
Karen Johnson Hixon ’69
The Estate of Maggie Jagels Abigail and Albert Janko Johnna and Wally Jansma Rene and Gaylord Johnson III (Rene McCurry ’86)
Roxana Earley-Keland and Harold Keland
Nancy and Richard Kingsley Deborah and Charles Kosmont
Lynn LaMar Bill Leatherberry
Kris Leatherberry
Shelley and James Lipe
Nancy Mannon ’85
L. Douglas McKenzie and Susan Carlisle Morgan Stanley Corporation
Judith and James Moses (Judith McDonald ’86, ’82 LS)
Lissa and Wendel Nicolaus (Lissa Gahagan Nicolaus ’61)
Edna and Peter O'Hara
Old Bofie Foundation
John Pataye
Lisa and Henry Plain
The Mark Pollacci Family
Maureen and Benjamin Richards Jinx Hack Ring ’60 and Peter Smith Ring
The Estate of Rosemarie Rochex ’54
Carol Swig
Roselyne Chroman Swig
The Norman C. Schultz Foundation
Rosalyn and Terrence Trapp
Vaquero Foundation
Teresa Ferrari Votruba ’66
Kit Wai
Monika Pataye Watkins ’97
Jeannette Witten
Julia and Brad Wong (Julia Janko ’82, ’78 LS) Angelina Yao ’99
$5,000 to $9,999
John Aimé
Anonymous (3)
Diane and Charles Bates
Sandra Stolich Brown ’55
Caitlin Bryant ’07, ’03 LS
Miera Cacciola and Geoff Couch
Bella and Bert Cutino
The Justin Dart Family Foundation
The Denver Foundation
Jennifer and Dragan Dimitrov
Deborah and Dirk Etienne (Deborah ’82, ’78 LS)
Marilyn and Joseph Franzia
Pamela Gamble ’61, ’57 LS
Caroline Collins Goldberg ’01
Stacey and Ted Golding
Lucy and Charles Hanson
William Heyler
Susan and Herbert Hinstorff (Susan Haber ’76)
SC Johnson Fund, Inc. Educational Matching Gift Program
Martha and Rick Kennifer
Beverly and Thomas Klinger
Wendy Burnham Kuhn ’59
Julianne Perkins Layne ’60
Lindsay Lerable
Joan and Matthew Little (Joan Shymanski ’64, ’59 LS)
Lydia and Bryan Mansour
Kathryn and Ray Miller
Randi Palmieri
Sunzah Park
Ann and Richard Patterson
Veronika Oven Riley ’88
Holly and Edwin Scheetz
Sempra Energy Foundation
Caryll M. and Norman F. Sprague Jr. Foundation Swig Foundation
Jennifer Ann Harr Tonnis ’94, ’90 LS
Karene O'Connell Vernor ’60
Julie and Joe Villarreal
Brooksley and Darren Williams
Melissa and William Williams
Laure Woods ’80
Patricia and George Yellich
$2,500 to $4,999
Anonymous
Basia Belza ’73 and Martin Bickeboeller
Lani and Donald Bethe
Anne Bryan ’77
Hilary and Richard Clark (Hilary Wickersham ’71)
Iris and Stephen Dart
Tracy Taylor Everett ’89
Rita and Frank Flores
Kathy and Matthew Gibbs
Joan Eaton and Paul Gibson
Heather and Mike Givens
Louise Audet and Paul Griffin
Linda and Arno Hanel
Elizabeth and Robert Helfrich
Hilby Family Foundation
Jameen and Jon Jacoby (Jameen Wesson ’77)
Raimie and George Kriste
Katie Martin and David Laurits
Jenny and James Leamey
Bobbie Erro Marsella ’57
Amy and Joseph Martinetto (Amy Kajikuri ’80, ’76 LS)
Nicki and Michael McMahan
Willa and Ned Mundell
Nita and Samir Patel
Naomi and Seth Pollack
Dawn Mudge and Allen Radner
Kathleen Mailliard Rende ’59
44 santa catalina / fall bulletin
Marilyn and Byron Riegel
Connie and Blake Riley
Santa Catalina Parent Association
Nancy Williams Shea ’75
Janie and Keith Shoemaker
Constance Stevens
Jane Tucker
Andrea Watson-Bross ’85
Catherine O'Hara Willmott ’60
Joan and Warren Yu
$1,000 to $2,499
Anonymous (4)
Maria Avelino
Richard Avelino
Velma and Ted Balestreri
Mary Franich Bignell ’71
Boeing Company
Lisa and Dan Bradford
Amy and Michael Brandt
Kassandra and François Brenot (Kassandra Thompson ’87)
Tiffany and Richard Bufkin
Kathey Burcar
Carole Lusignan Buttner ’57
Margaret Campodonico ’78 and Reynolds Lave
Carroll Family Charitable Foundation
Julie Carson
Chia-Yu and Jung-Hua Cheng
Donna Coletti
Chris and Anthony Cunha
Anthony Della Sala
Stephen Devoto
Frances Dillingham
Ninive and Bruce Dohrmann
Paula and Dennis Donohue
Joan and Richard Doust
The Dowson Family
Laura and Rich Everett (Laura May ’85)
Amy Little Figge ’84 LS
Suzanne Townsend Finney ’60
Juelle and Fred Fisher
Julie and Michael Forrest (Julie Yurkovich ’78)
Gianna Franzia ’95
Marge Ganz ’76
Julie Garcia ’71
Louise Grant Garland ’59
The Estate of Sister Jean Gilhuly
Timothy Hall
Laurie Hammonds Schultz ’67, ’63 LS
Clarrie and Ralph Hanley
Joanna Grant Hartigan ’60
Robin Hatcher ’63
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Hemphill
Gayle Holmes
Alicia Steinhardt and Nevin Hougardy
Tracy and Christian Huebner
Suzanne Dragge Icaza ’74
Ruth Johnson
Sheila Johnson ’65
Julien H. and Bertha M. Collins Fund
Yuki and Isao Kato
Deborah and Mark Kimes
Karen and John Korinetz
Wendy and Harvey Lambeth, Jr. (Wendy Miller ’60)
Yvonne Bernadicou Lyon ’55
Mary-Allen Macneil ’61
Lil McDonald ’81
Victoria Street Medeiros ’61
Mary Morris Miller ’72
Sheilaja and Vikram Mittal
Ashley Moranda
Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83, ’79 LS and Justin Burke
Cynthia Nadai ’73
Mary and David Nikssarian
Susanne and K.C. Nowak
Carolyn Hartwell O'Brien ’74
E.B. O'Neill ’85, ’81 LS
Linda and Samuel Persall
Emma Hinsdale Pickering ’99
Josephine and Peter Pope
Josephine Pope
Maria Pope ’83
Janet and Michael Pratt Denise and Chris Pryor
Shawn Quinn
Carmella Lagomarsino Renton ’71
Sally and Richard Rhodes (Sally Smith ’57)
Melissa Ault Ricci and Robert Ricci
Melanie and Anthony Rosa
Elizabeth Walker Rudinica ’75
James Russell
Suzanne Saunders Shaw ’70
Dorothy Dwyer Schreiber ’59
Susan and Steven Selbst
Rosalind Boswell Seysses ’67
Dr. Sally Sibley ’58
Richard Sippel
Zoë Sippel
Susan Solinsky ’82
Diane Ditz Stauffer ’63
Robin Kohler Stieber ’73
Ann Frasse Stowe ’82
Paula and Neville Udwadia
Craig Varjian
Fatima Sabanova and Dominick Veliko-Shapko
Joanne Van der Plas Viola ’84
Daphne Gray Walsh ’61
Joan Weakley ’75
Domie Garat Werdel ’60
Erin and Fred White IV
John Williams
Nan Griffin Winter ’60
Monique Chamlian Wright ’87
Ashley Yeates
Margaret Chen and Clinton Young
$0 to $999
Donna Adams
Sarah Adams ’83 and Robert Fletterick
Nicole Lazarus Adan ’93
The Aeschliman Family Lili and Alejandro Airada
Lisa and David Alderson
Margaret and Sergio Alvarez
Lisa Anderson Anonymous (8)
Penelope Corey Arango ’61
Dana Armstrong ’06
Roe Brown-Arn ’75, ’71 LS
Mary Ellen Smith Ash ’57
Julie and Shawn Atkins Victoria and Andrew Ausonio AYI & Associates
Merry Nelson and Ara Azhderian Valerie Barnes
Domine and Michael Barringer
Kathy and Steve Bath
Sara Liu and James Bennett Lindsey Berkowitz ’06 and Benjamin Berkowitz
Cameron Butts Bianchi ’64
Susan Bigelow Fisher ’60
Sally Hansen Green ’72, ’68 LS
Angelica and Marshal Blatt
Jenifer and Jeffrey Bolger (Jenifer Jacobs ’92 LS)
Laurie Washburn Boone Hogen ’58
Sarah Bouchier
M. Kennon and P. Roger Bowen
Georgene and John Bowker
Julia Brandt
Mary-Ellen Bowlin Briel ’63
Elisabeth Brinks Day ’99, ’95 LS
Karen and David Brown
Karen and Henry Brown
Janet Bruno
Majorie and Jeffrey Bryant
Susan and Dennis Bunting
Lucy Butler ’73
Pamela and Corey Butler (Pamela Ham ’88, ’84 LS)
Cynthia and Paul Cahalan
Judith Botelho Cain ’60
Mary Callagy
Serena Carroll Lisa and Jeff Carter
Nitze Erro Caswell ’56
Patricia Cerisola-Mansi ’83
Christa and Dikran Chamlian
Catherine and Tony Christian (Catherine MacDonald ’93)
Susan Gray Christoffersen ’60
Yibing Ma and Weilun Chu
Cisco Foundation
Elizabeth Clement-Doughty ’68 Ilse Riebe Colby ’02
Catherine Compagno
Nancy Comstock
Jeffrey and Katherine Congdon Charitable Trust, a Donor Advised Fund of The U.S. Charitable Gift Trust
Sabrina Taylor and Albert Conner Frances and Chris Cook (Frances Verga-Lagier ’99, ’95 LS)
Sheila Cooley ’71
JJ and JZ Cordano Family Lola Steinbaum-Cornell and Trent Cornell
Marian and Daniel Corrigan (Marian Donovan ’72)
Judy Nagel Cox ’61, ’57 LS
Kahlil Thompson Coyle ’93
Karen Swanson Crummey ’60
Margaret Brackenridge Dalis ’61
Laura and Christopher D'Amelio Madeline Daniels-Rienecker ’93 Heidi and Philip Daunt
Sister Cathryn deBack ’60
Elinor and Anthony Decristoforo Susan Woodbury and Charles Dehner Mr. and Mrs. William Demas
Jill Demmel
Mimi Doud Detels ’60
Elizabeth and Daniel Diaz
Maria DiGiovanni ’08
Jennifer Dohrmann-Alpert ’93
John Dotson
Alyssa Dougherty ’10
Gloria and Jim Dougherty
Courtney and Liam Doust
Antonia Driver
Sara Duryea and Dick Damm
Ariana Ebrahimian ’99 Elena Ebrahimian ’04
Tina and Max Ebrahimian Lucille Eggerman
Lindsay O'Hara England ’95
Sara Fargo ’61, ’57 LS
Jansie Stephens Farris ’63
Sally Fay ’74
Gloria Felice ’54
Carroll Fergusson Sue Finegan
Kellen Flanigan ’83 Kathy Ryan Foy ’61
Sharon Frangipane Perry Walker Freeman ’66
Serena Fritz-Cope ’85
Sally and Dennis Froehler Aleksandra and Heath Frye
Christina Cotton Gannon ’64
Kathryn Garber
Cindy Brodsky and Terrence Gargiulo ’82 LS Franca Gargiulo ’80, ’76 LS
Gargiulo Vineyards
Sarah Kennifer Garrigues ’02
Barbara and Calvin Gatch
Ellen McGuire Gaucher ’80, ’76 LS
Shannon Gaughf ’08
Valerie and David Ghio
Cedra Ginsburg Goldman ’93
Jane Howard Goodfellow ’56
Google Matching Gifts Program
Margaret McCann Grant ’57
Vivian Graue-Allen Toto
Tina Greene ’73
Bambi and Robert Griffin
Kim Whitney and Jim Griffith Mardi Hack ’58
T. R. Hall Land & Cattle Company
Theresa Lowe Hall ’61
Anna and Douglas Harris
Jennifer Harty
Catherine Hawley ’98 and Christian Mendelsohn
Shirley & Barnett Helzberg Jr. Donor Advisory Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City Anne Hibbitt
Marianne Hidas-Trotter ’64
Jasmine Hietpas
Maddie Homan Blanchard ’78
Courtney Tunney Hotchkis ’82
Niaomi and Jeff Hrepich
Heather and Darren Huber
Jane Hunter ’88, ’84 LS
Julie Hutcheson ’59
Charlotte Hwang ’04 and Ian Ngai
María Iglesias and Craig Bishop
Annee and Chris Jacobs
Mary and Mike James
Karen and David Janssen
Thomas Jay
Lynne and Edward Johnson
Judy Zhu and Leif Johnston
Bijina Bajracharya and Niraj Joshi Ellen and Richard Juge
Diane and Hisashi Kajikuri
Miya Kajikuri ’88, ’84 LS
Alexandra Kautz ’06
Susan Kendall
Katherine Kennifer ’05
Jeanette and Gary Kihs
Sarah Folger Kilmain ’93
Gloria and Richard Kim
Meg Campbell Kingsland ’87
Joyanne and Aram Kinosian
Maxine and Henry Klaput
Joan and Knetemann (Joan Goodfellow ’80)
Megan Knetemann ’11
Penny Pringle Knowles ’60
Gail Koewler
Lesley and Ken Konya
Shannon and Zach Koontz
Joan and Dennis Kuchta
Bridgette Lacerte ’82
Adrienne Morphy Ladd ’75
Betty Ann Bernadicou Lambert ’57
Carol Speegle Lannon ’55
Brooke Larsen Garlock
Sharon Larson
Irene May Lawler ’59
Meredith Burke Lawler ’89
Lan-Anh Le ’06
Nina and Scott Leavenworth and Family Lani LeBlanc ’60
Miranda Maison LeKander ’93
Karen List Letendre ’72, ’68 LS
Samuel Leung
Sherry and Robert Lindsay
Kelly Maney-Liner and Steve Liner
Rebecca Lohse ’97
Rebecca and Jeff Lorentz
Margie and John Lotz
Holly and Joseph Loussaert
Frances Lozano
Mr. and Mrs. David Lucchetti
Janet and Daniel Luksik
Caroline Lord Mackenzie ’65
Marisa Maclennan
Tonia Macneil ’64
Lisa and George Malim (Lisa Campodonico ’76)
Genevieve and Hector Marquez
Elizabeth Marrack and Dean Partlow
Gael Loris and Daniel Marrah
Jeanne Nielsen Marshall ’54
Kathryn Maurer ’99 and Jeremy Wilke
Joy Franich Maze ’77
Sharon McBride
Kristine and Kevin McCaffrey
Abigail McCann ’54
Ellen McGlynn ’93 and Steve Wilbur
Sheila McGuire
Kristi and Bobby McLaughlin
Maria Hart McNichol ’61
Cristy and Jason Mehringer
Fatima and Joe Melo
Linda Mendoza
The Merchants National Bank of Sacramento
Christina McCormick Merrill ’59
Merritt Minnemeyer ’94
Brenda and Marc Mizgorski
Carol Mizgorski
Daniel Molyneaux
Beatrice Leyden Moore ’53
Courtney Moore ’02
santa catalina / fall bulletin 45
Penny Morris
Michele Morton
Elena Gates Motlow ’71
Eric Mueller ’97 LS
Laura Mulloy Ault ’94
Cindy and Gerry Munday
Bernadette Murphy
Ibi and John Murphy (Ibi Janko ’83, ’79 LS)
Sarah Blanchard Murphy ’60
Peter Musto
Katrina Muttera
Shirley Glod Myers ’61
Shirley amd Robert Myers
Josie and Sandor Nagy
Napa Valley Community Foundation
John Nardone
Kelly Neary ’93 and Milos Djokovic
Betsy Bourret Neu ’58
Jo Le and Danny Ngo
Dana and Wallace Nichols
Susan Smith Nixon ’87
Jana Novak ’90
Karl Nygren
Karen Demski O'Brien ’93
Kathleen and Laurence O'Connor
Marie and John Odello
Yoojin and Christopher Oh
Anne O'Leary ’71
Kristan Jacobson O'Neill ’59
Noova Ongley and Rory Wood
Patricia Orquisa
Marilyn Ramos Ospina ’60
Lucinda and Walter Owen
Catherine and Frank Paaske
Serena and John Padian (Serena Bennett ’88)
Elizabeth and Stuart Paul
Sheila Godwin Peavey ’56
Rita and Kenneth Petersen
Kathryn and Michael Peterson
Margaret and Thomas Pfalzer
Amanda Berman Pires ’87, ’83 LS
Mary Ellen and Dan Place
Monica and Doug Pope
Portland General Electric Company
Heidi and Jonathon Pratt
Autumn Quinn ’00
Corinne Quinn ’93
Kathy and Victor Quinn
Alexandria Walton Radford ’98
Michelle and Michael Raggett Astri Rahardja ’01
Noreen Lewis Raney ’54
Mary Baumgartner Reid ’58
Marjorie Reid
Mary Eileen Reilley ’72
Cherie and Samuel Reynolds Amy and Joseph Rheim
Hansi and Robert Rigney (Hansi de Petra ’59)
Kristin Ring ’86
Poulami and Avishek Roy
Jennifer and Joshua Rudisill Marna Salazar
Chris and Mark Sanchez
Mayola Rodriguez and Juan Sanchez
Margaret and Jim Scattini
Gail and William Scearce
I.V. Lacaillade Schmid ’93
Laurie Vibert Schofield ’72
Casey Sedlack ’05
Georgia Sedlack ’13
Virginia Sewell ’69
Courtney Shove Sister Lois Silva ’54
Jena Davis Simon ’92
Dorothy Sinnhuber ’96, ’92 LS
Rebecca Sinnhuber ’02
Vicki and John Sinnhuber
Laura and Charles Smith
Sharon Sparkman
Robin Stallard ’04, ’00 LS
Starbucks Foundation Grants
Camille Annotti Stevens ’57
Sigrid and Philip Stillman
Carol and Donald Stoker
Alexandria Sutty ’03
Beth Russo Tarallo ’89
Larry Tartaglino
Satu Terian
Linda and James Theiring (Linda Kuenzli ’58)
Allene and Dwight Thompson Joe Lewis Thurman
Rebecca Park and Laurence Tobey Jaclyn and Jason Togneri
Cherie and Glenn Topper
Virginia Sanseau
Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Tuttle, Jr. Carrie and James Ushiba
Zachary VanHarn
Deanna Inlow Venema and Jeff Venema
Susan White Veninga ’59
Sharon Duffy Verhoef ’66
Susan and Richard Von Maur, Jr. Frances and James Vorhes
Susan and Eugene Walgenbach
Eugenie Madden Watson ’56
George Wenz
Kress Harris Whalen ’56
Leslie Svetich and Dean Whitehead
Graciela and Tyne Whitmore
Susan and Thomas Williams
Linda Wilson
Lyn Belcher Wilson ’66
Karen and Martin Wiskoff
Judy Wong and Family
Kay Wood
Robyn Woodward ’72
Sarah Clark Woolf ’89
Marilyn Brown Wykoff ’59
Pamela and Anthony Yates
Katharine Folger Yeager ’86
Pamela and Kurt Yeager
Lilia Yepiz
Margaret Yu
Stephanie Steele and Mark Zalin
Veritas Challenge Donors
Annenberg Foundation
Kathleen Brown ’63
Jo Ann and Julien Collins
Marty-Jo Demetras ’71
Margaret Rosenberg Duflock ’59
Kate and Bob Ernst
D.D. and Paul Felton
Hakela Felton ’14
Audrey and Erik Foraker (Audrey Dormer ’78)
Cathy Collins Geier ’78 and Bradley A. Geier
Judith and Timothy Hachman (Judi Musto Hachman ’61)
Katharina and Jeremy Lathen (Katharina Brinks ’96)
Florence Nixon ’64
Deborah and Kenny Peyton
Charles and Marie Robertson Foundation
Jeanne Vibert Sloane ’74
Betty Van Wagenen
Jean Jagels Vaughn ’75
Kelly and Wes von Schack
Veritas Challenge Santa Catalina Fund Donors
We are grateful to the many individuals and families who increased their annual giving in 2019-20 to qualify for the Veritas Challenge matching funds.
Heather and Reynaldo Acosta
Marisa Adams Adair ’96, ’92 LS
Diane Ryan Adams ’79
Joanne and Clemens Adeyemi
Ginger and J.D. Aguilar
Kyung Oh and Thomas Ahn
Nikki and Jacob Ahrenstorff
John Aimé
Amy Smith Ainscough ’94
Lili and Alejandro Airada
Amparo Tonella and Vladimiro Alcaraz
Annette Leach Alcocer ’75, ’71 LS
Amy Aldrich-McAfee
Lena Allen
Michelle Rexroth Alton ’83
AmazonSmile Foundation
Blake Anderson ’59
Dave Anderson
Ashley and William Andrews
Anonymous (15)
Penelope Corey Arango ’61
Dana Armstrong ’06
Julie and Shawn Atkins
Loren Atkins
Ange Atkinson
Pamela and Fidelis Atuegbu
Paige Wellington Austin ’96
Christopher Avedissian
Maria Avelino
Clarisa and Alfred Avila
Mariesa Baiz ’90
Alexis Baker
Monica Stewart Baker ’81
Velma and Ted Balestreri
Jaime Ball
Jessica Bangham and Chris Bangham
Victoria Thys Barnes ’75
Priscilla McCarthy Barolo ’03
Sister Claire Barone
Domine and Michael Barringer
Tedra Bates ’03, ’99 LS
Kerianne Davey Beatty ’84
Brenda Beckett ’67
Kit and Peter Bedford (Kirsten Nelson ’56)
Jennifer Beesley ’84
Basia Belza ’73 and Martin Bickeboeller
Krysia Belza ’85
Nancy MacGregor Bennetts ’76
Maree Richards-Benson and Dale Benson
Joyce and Don Bird
Mary Foley Bitterman ’62
Emily Blake ’12
Angelica and Marshal Blatt
Julia Bledsoe ’20
Marvin Bledsoe, Sr.
Jenna Block ’02
Melanie and Steven Block
Vanessa Block ’05, ’01 LS
Hailey Boe ’20
Maria and Quintin Boe
Pat and Bill Bokermann
Lorrie Boldrick ’62
Jenifer and Jeffrey Bolger (Jenifer Jacobs ’92 LS)
Patricia Bondesen-Smith ’54
Dryden Branson Bordin ’75, ’71 LS
Brooke Borgia ’20
Michelle and Eric Borgomini
Anne Munzer Bourne ’70
Helen Bowen Blair
Crystal Boyd ’89
Lisa Davis Bradley ’80
Meg Bradley and George Choquette
Maeko Bradshaw ’10
Amy and Michael Brandt
Maria Brant ’75
Bonnie Bray ’65
Kassandra and François Brenot (Kassandra Thompson ’87)
Bailey Brewer ’20, ’16 LS
Camille and Heinrich Brinks Elisabeth Brinks Day ’99, ’95 LS
Jeanne Brown Brollier ’91
J’Amy Maroney Brown ’63
Deanne and Vince Bruno
Becky McKibben Brusca ’04
Juliana and Tom Bryan (Juliana Hobbs ’72, ’68 LS)
Margaret and Sylvester Bryan Suzanne Bryan ’73
The John M. Bryan Family Fund
Alexandria and Nicholas Bryant
Michele Bryant
Donna Bua
Jenny Budge ’71
Nancy Bue ’94
Kathey Burcar
Debra and Jonathan Burke Adelle and Nassif Burkhuch
Leslie Walker Burlock ’81
Hope and Bruce Burnam
Burnam Family Foundation
Ruth and Jeremy Burton
Katherine Busch and Michael Busch Cara and Peter Butler
Lucy Butler ’73
Pamela and Corey Butler (Pamela Ham ’88, ’84 LS)
Ninive and Jean-Claude Calegari (Ninive Clements ’89)
Doris and John Callaghan Mary Callagy Elizabeth and Clark Callander
Kathryn Callander ’10
Madeline Callander ’05
Mia Campo ’20
Rochelle and Joe Campo
Patricia Coronado and Mitch Cantor
Cayleigh Capaldi ’18
Leigh and Domenick Capaldi
Denise and Kevin Cardona
Elizabeth and Burford Carlson
Cristina Carnazzo ’05
Sandra Carnazzo
Shelby Carroll ’09
Julie Carson
Donna Miller Casey ’66
Lupita and Micheal Cepeda
Francesca Cerisola ’89 and Hans Dreifaldt
Albert Chang
Lucinda Scales Chapman ’72
Laura Borns and Rhys Chard
Lynn Chan Cheong ’91
Robert and Tay Cherry
Hadley Clark Childs ’05
Sylvia and D. Chinn
Corinne Christian ’20
Alexandra Mendez Clark ’00
Lena and Stuart Clark
Michele Clark ’65
Julia Clark ’15
Jennifer Pitts Clarke ’70
Darra and Stanley Clements
Jessica Clements ’20
Sarah Clements ’20
Kelly Hanley Coburn ’84
Leslie Redlich Cockburn ’70
Arlene and Vance Coffman
Nicole Cofresi
Robin and Alan Cole
46 santa catalina / fall bulletin
Brett and James Collins (Brett Davis ’93)
Community Foundation for Monterey County
Hannah and Kevin Comolli
Jeffrey and Katherine Congdon Charitable Trust, a Donor Advised Fund of The U.S. Charitable Gift Trust
Rebecca Conley-Brown ’96
Jennifer and Brendan Connolly
Patricia Contreras and Angel Contreras
Barbara Copeland
Susan and Richard Copeland
Susan Corey ’65
Alison Cantor Corkery ’93
Debra and George Couch Bo Covington
Caroline Lomas-Criswell and Charles Criswell
Elizabeth Crawford Crosby ’84
Damiera Cruz ’20
Joanne Fontanilla and Bix Cruz
Bella and Bert Cutino
Kim and Bart Cutino
Zhiwen Mao and Zhi Hua Dai
Madeline Daniels-Rienecker ’93
Danielson Foundation
Deirdre Darst
Jane Day
Jeff Day
Ghislaine de Give ’63
Myriam Juarez and Eduardo de la Vega
Grace Deakyne ’20
Lauren Dean ’20
Alex Demushkane
Shanna and Brian Denton
The Denver Foundation
Stefania and Guillaume Detrait
Lara and Robert Devlin (Lara Wheeler ’02, ’98 LS)
Ulrike Devoto ’86
Elizabeth and Daniel Diaz
Millan Diaz-Aguado
Mary Diepenbrock ’80
Elizabeth Stelow DiNunzio ’78
Marie Diridoni ’58
Susan Dodd
Gloria and Jim Dougherty
Tammy Dougherty ’65
Chelsea Shofner Dow ’95
Josephine Drummond
Barbara Hately du Pont ’65
Leoveldina Duarte
Aurelie and Arnaud Dubarry
Julia Dubiel
Kirstin Keresey Ducommun ’96
Margaret Rosenberg Duflock ’59
Katy and Jerry Dunlap
Jeanene Liscomb Ebert ’90
Elena Ebrahimian ’04
Amy Edelen ’85
Julie Lenherr Edson ’88
Dawn Ehmann
Andrea Bohn Eisinger ’80
Nicole Eldridge and Roy Ballesteros
Dina Elghazali and Travis Han
Sara and Brian Elkin
Lyssa Lord Ellis ’93
Cesca and Frank Enea
Lindsay O’Hara England ’95
Renata Engler ’67 and John Nichols
Katherine Hoffman Enright ’64
Paula Sullivan Escher ’66
Maria Hinojos and Carlos Estrada
Maryta Estrada Hinojos ’20
Arlene and Hayden Evans
Jeannie Evers
Kimi Avary Fallon ’85
Shereen Houde Fase ’54
Katherine Fay ’66
Gloria Felice ’54
D.D. and Paul Felton
Maria Fernandez-Canteli and Anthony Gannon
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Amy Little Figge ’84 LS
Maria Lizarraga and Jose Figueroa
Mary Firth ’70
Madilyn Fisher ’15
Allison Fithian ’11, ’07 LS
Kristina Flathers ’11, ’07 LS
M.F. Flynn ’65
Georgiana and Wes Foletta
Barbara and Peter M. Folger
The FOR Project LLC
Diana Vhay Ford ’62
Taylor Ford ’20
The Robert F. Ford Charitable Foundation
Alyce Fourchy
Cece Cotton Fowler ’66
Kelli Foy-Anderson
Maggie Frey
Serena Fritz-Cope ’85
Mary and Howard Fuchs
Shanae Fuentes ’07
Wendy Fuller ’88
Annette Fulstone ’77
Katherine Gaggini
Robin Gagos Dengá ’80 and Tracie Dengá
Eliza Hussman Gaines ’05 and Alec Gaines
Marge Ganz ’76
Julie Garcia ’71
Karyl-Ann and James Gargan
Cindy Brodsky and Terrence Gargiulo ’82 LS
Franca Gargiulo ’80, ’76 LS
Gloria Gargiulo
Sarah Kennifer Garrigues ’02
Barbara and Calvin Gatch
Joan Gates
Judy and Patterson Gaughf
Lisa Gebreamlak
Bernadette and Mark Gersh
Maria and Dirk Giannini
Kathy and Matthew Gibbs
Kate Gibson ’02
Megan Gibson ’20, ’16 LS
Natalie and Seth Gibson
Molly Gilbert ’19
Tracy Gillette
Kaycie Gillette-Mallard ’07
Nina Nickel Gladish ’68
Kim Rudas Goerlitz ’89
Gail Dowling Goettelmann ’62
Caroline Collins Goldberg ’01
Stacey and Ted Golding
Christine Blom Gomez ’75
Wendy and Ronald Gong Francesca Eastman and Edward Goodstein
Carla Gorum
Karen Greer Goss ’85
Whitney MacDonald Gough ’99
Emma Gould ’10, ’06 LS
Teresa Rothe Graham ’74
Katharine Toy Grandemange ’65
Nina Davis Gray ’62
Emily and Jon Greco
Kelsey Green ’13, ’09 LS
Tina Greene ’73
Greer Family Foundation
Sherrie Nix Gregg ’62
Rae Gregory ’11
Linda Chace Griffiths ’62
Molly Johnson Grimmett ’83
James and Julie Grooms
Caroline Guardino ’90
Caroline Berolzheimer Guenther ’85
Nicolette Daly-Guichet and Michael Guichet
Martha Gustavson ’08
Michael and Juan Guzman
Monty and Russ Haisley
David Hall
Timothy Hall ’86 LS
Mel Hall-Crawford
Laurie Hammonds Schultz ’67, ’63 LS
Savannah Halvorson ’20
Tonya and Gavin Halvorson
Margot Hanis
Betsy Helm Hansen ’60
Caroline Hanson ’21 LS
Harper Hanson ’22
Lucy and Charles Hanson
Nicole Harding
Elizabeth Skinner Harney ’82, ’78 LS
Sally Leonard Harris ’65
Tara Smith Harris ’05, ’01 LS
Virginia Harris Gable ’83
Laura Del Santo Harter ’00
Joanna Grant Hartigan ’60
Frances Hartwell ’75
Jennifer Harty
Tracy and Eric Hass (Tracy Miller ’75)
Nancy Gregg Hatch ’57
David Hatton
Cynthia Haueter ’10
Chris Haupt
Heidi Hauserman Wilmott ’84
Merritt and Rogers Hawley
Emily Hayes ’19
Rebecca Hays-Rovey ’92
Lindsay Heller ’95
Eileen Hemphill-Haley ’76
Josée Henrard
Julie Henshaw ’70
Justine and Antonio Hernandez
Marta Karpiel and Andre Herrera
Terri Hill
Stephanie Hill Susan and Herbert Hinstorff (Susan Haber ’76)
Christina Hu Ho ’91
Priscilla Gillett Hoecker ’64
Jennifer Hogan ’83
Lola Hogan ’65
Maddie Homan Blanchard ’78
Pamela Howland ’75
Niaomi and Jeff Hrepich
Tracy and Christian Huebner
Valerie Humenik
Debbie Humm-Bremser ’73
Nancy and Simon Hunt Kristen and Joseph Huston
Cheryl Ibabao ’82
Rumyana and Alexander Iniakov Abigail Jack ’20 Abigail Bowen James ’00
Mary and Mike James Liz and Dennis Jebbia Donna Jett
Abigail Jimenez-Barrera Anna and Jackie Johnson Edward Johnson
Galen Johnson ’93
Sheila Johnson ’65
Sonia Sparolini Johnson ’96, ’92 LS
Judy Zhu and Leif Johnston Brandi and James Jones
Courtney and Josh Jones (Courtney Golding ’95, ’91 LS)
Lee and Theodore Jonsson Cheryl Logan and Salvador Jorgensen Laura and Brent Jorgeson JPMorgan Chase Foundation Claudia and Christopher Jue Ellen and Richard Juge Katherine Kamel ’15
Yuki and Isao Kato
Roxana Earley-Keland and Harold Keland
Mollie Gallagher Keller ’70
Ronald Kellermann
Susan Kendall
Julie Kenner
Leila and Christopher Ketterlinus Harriet Keys ’20
Jennifer and Guru Khalsa
Gloria and Richard Kim
Deb Kinney ’80
Karen Kinsel
Iris and Stephen Klimczuk
Sarah and Matt Kline
Donna Kolb ’72
Xiaomei (Annie) Kong ’20
Kacey Konya ’19
Dorothea Koo Koo Shih ’84
Shannon and Zach Koontz Karen and John Korinetz
Deborah and Charles Kosmont Courtney Kostka ’20
Langley Kreuze ’98
Raimie Kriste
Jeni and Erich Kuehnle
Laraine Kvitek
Adrienne Morphy Ladd ’75 Neera Lal ’87 and James Derbin
Julie Lambert ’80, ’76 LS
Wendy and Harvey Lambeth, Jr. (Wendy Miller ’60)
Steve Landis
Kristen Lansdale and John DeAnzo
Katharina Brinks Lathen ’96
Alexis Lauderdale Erin Lawler
Linh Le ’20, ’16 LS
Yen and Phuc Le
Elizabeth Leach ’75, ’71 LS
Kris Leatherberry
Lani LeBlanc ’60
Christina Lee ’95
Jennifer and James Lee
Robyn Lee
Katherine Tugend Lehner ’03
Janet Fergusson Leighton ’81
Lindsay Lerable
Karen List Letendre ’72, ’68 LS
Miyabi Yu Leu ’05
Rene Leung ’99
Sybil Frances Levin
Rose and Jeffrey Lewis
Noah and Ning Li
Xuelan (Joanna) Lin ’20
Zhiying Zhu and Zhiyang Lin
Huixia Fu and Songlian Liu
Elizabeth Lloyd Rovetta ’95 and Francesco Rovetta
Lindsay Longe
Allison Lorentz ’20
Kylie Ludviksen ’20
Lori and Raymond Lugo
Janet and Daniel Luksik
Sarah Luksik ’08, ’04 LS
Lucia Luna
Valera Lyles
Michelle Lynch ’91, ’87 LS
Laura Lyon Gaon ’81 and Rob Gaon
Maisie and Christopher MacDonald (Maisie de Sugny ’65)
Annesley MacFarlane
Kathleen Kelsey Macker ’66
Sabrina and James Maguire
Vanessa and Vincent Maiorana Yvonne Maloof
Megan Mandeville ’85
Nancy Mannon ’85
Lauren Mansour ’20, ’16 LS
Lydia and Bryan Mansour Elida Marquez
Genevieve and Hector Marquez Sofia Marquez ’20
Michael Marquez
Kathryn Maurer ’99 and Jeremy Wilke Ana Maximoff
Lyndsay Peden McAmis ’05
Kathleen McCann ’65
Shannon McClennahan ’87
Joanne and Bill McCreery
Karin McDermott ’85
Connie Tirrell McEvoy ’72
Ellen McGlynn ’93 and Steve Wilbur
Nicki and Michael McMahan
Kimberly Martin McMorrow ’77
Patricia McNamara ’70
Nora McNeely Hurley ’78
Georgina Cleveland McQuary ’08
Heather and Don Medina
Cristy and Jason Mehringer
Brenda Melano ’15, ’11 LS
Kimberly Merrick-Hlasny and Thomas Hlasny
Rita and Bud Mertens
Allison McFaddan Mesina ’01
Victoria Vazquez and Matthew Meyer
Christine Michel Spencer ’71
Susan Durney Mickelson ’65
Joan Maze Miles ’72
Kelly and Carl Miller
Molly Slete and Luen Miller
Pam Miller
Giovanna Mitchell ’15
Brenda and Marc Mizgorski
Joan and Christian Mogelvang
Lorna and Kenneth Monroe
Eileen and Gary Morgenthaler
Julie and Joseph Morris
Ainsley Morrison ’20
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Roxanne Spieker Morse ’63
Michele Morton
Carol Hamerly Moses ’71
Judith and James Moses (Judith McDonald ’86, ’82 LS)
Jennifer Moulton-Post ’82, ’78 LS
Anna Lopez Mourlam ’06, ’02 LS
Eric Mueller ’97 LS
Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83, ’79 LS and Justin Burke
Amy and Kirk Mulgrew (Amy Azevedo ’02)
Jennifer Murphy and Rudy Munoz
Consuelo Muñoz-Singleton
R. J. and D. A. Munzer Foundation
Ibi and John Murphy (Ibi Janko ’83, ’79 LS)
Elizabeth Nomellini Musbach ’74
Gabriella Nagy ’20, ’16 LS
Josie and Sandor Nagy Nantz Family Foundation
Liza Wood Nebel ’01
Jules Neikirk
Betsy Bourret Neu ’58
Shelly Do and Luc Nguyen
Thu-Anh Nguyen ’03 and Bryan Nguyen
Kit Nicholas
Dana and Wallace Nichols
Grayce Nichols ’20, ’16 LS
Kathleen Nicolaides ’80
Mary and David Nikssarian
Audrey Louise Nixon ’19
Florence Nixon ’64
Susan Smith Nixon ’87
Adrienne Nordstrom ’85
Jana Novak ’90
Madeleine Nowak ’20, ’16 LS
Sandy Nunnally
Carolyn Hartwell O’Brien ’74
Karen Demski O’Brien ’93
Julie Thomas Obering ’60
Michelle Oberle Odle ’88
Erin Ogren
Jeongrae Lee and Seungchan Oh
Myong Soo Oh
Nora and Michael Oliver
Noova Ongley and Rory Wood
Valerie Aoki-Onitsuka and Davis Onitsuka
Lisa Bozzo Orlandini ’77
Diana Busby Orr ’79
Gayle Ortiz
Lisa and Rafael Ortiz Truth Ortiz ’20
Lucinda and Walter Owen Ava Owens ’20
Christine Rochon and Camillo Paci
Serena and John Padian (Serena Bennett ’88)
Natalie and David Palshaw
Sarah Gallagher Parker ’99
Adrienne Partridge ’99
Priyanka and Manish Patel
Pebble Beach Company Foundation
Michelle and Matt Pedroni
Mary Randall Peterson ’65
Krista Pettas
Deborah and Kenny Peyton
Laura Knoop Pfaff ’72
Margaret and Thomas Pfalzer
Paisley Piasecki ’13
Amy Pine ’85
Janice Pine
Maryn and Gary Pinkus (Maryn Sutton ’83)
Amanda Berman Pires ’87, ’83 LS
Alexandra and Frederick Pollock
Iris and Rolando Postigo
Heidi and Jonathon Pratt
Stephanie and Aaron Pritchard
Kimberly Quinlan Bakker ’87 Autumn Quinn ’00
Cece Fourchy Quinn ’05
Corinne Quinn ’93
Janet Quinn
Michelle and Michael Raggett
Susan and Bill Ragsdale-Cronin
Tara Ragsdale-Cronin ’20
Gabriella Raila ’03 and Travis Raila
Priya Kumar Raju ’00, ’96 LS
Olivia Hussman Ramsey ’05
Brooke and Dennis Randall
Portia Randall ’20
Noreen Lewis Raney ’54
Sophie Raskin ’06
Jalynne Tobias Redman ’72
Abbey Reed
Dorothy Talbot and Marcus Reilly Chloe Reimann ’14
Janessa Rhoades and Taylor Rhoades
Katherine Blair Rible ’71
Melissa Ault Ricci and Robert Ricci
Maureen and Benjamin Richards
Pam Taylor-Richards and George Richards
Connie and Blake Riley
Susanne and Patrick Riley (Susanne Blair ’62)
Elizabeth Riley Regina Angwin-Riordan and Thomas Riordan
Michelle Rizzolo
Kimberly Roberson ’85
Kismet Thompson Roberts ’90
Corinne and Michael Roffler
Emma Roffler ’18
Celia and Steve Rogers (Celia Shelton ’85)
Lissette and Mickey Roohbakhsh
Melanie and Anthony Rosa Jamie and Stewart Roth
Poulami and Avishek Roy
Jennifer and Joshua Rudisill
Susan Cluff and Neil Rudolph
Kathleen Ryan
Mary Ellen Ryan
Margaret Lenahan Ryan ’75
Gena and Richard Sagin
Chris and Mark Sanchez
Teresa and Julio Santa Cruz
Lillian Sato ’18
Margaret and Jim Scattini
Anne Kernwein Schafer ’65 Holly and Edwin Scheetz
Leslie and David Schemel (Leslie Miller ’76)
Margarete and Walter Scherzer
Lorraine and Michael Schimpf Katie and Anthony Schipper
I.V. Lacaillade Schmid ’93
Sandra Hollenbeck Schnieder ’62
Elizabeth Schultz
Kathleen and Rick Schumacher (Kathleen McGrath ’81)
The Schwab Fund for Charitable Giving Susan and Stephen Schwerdfeger Erika Schwerdfeger ’19
Elizabeth Pollock Scimone ’74
Elda and Eric Scott
Reed Scott
Georgia Sedlack ’13
Heather and Adam Serrano
Zoya and Radoslav Sertov
Rosalind Boswell Seysses ’67
Andrea and Chris Shaw
Nancy Williams Shea ’75 Melissa and Randy Sheets Donna and Robert Sherer Courtney Shove Mary and Dean Sims Manisha Nalwaya and Uday Sinha Uma Sinha ’20
Judith and George Skaff Stefanie and Robert Skinner Brianne Slama ’07
Martha Winans Slaughter ’74
Monica Small
Gabrielle Snowden
Karine Snyder Lyon Reisa Soedarsono ’10
Susan Solinsky ’82
Elizabeth Kirk Sondern ’84
Patricia Allen Sparacino ’65
Sharon Sparkman
Robin Stallard ’04, ’00 LS
Laura Stenovec ’99 Cecelia Stewart ’08
Margaret Stewart ’62, ’58 LS
Natalie Stewart ’63
Joanna and Ned Stork Ann Frasse Stowe ’82
Paulette Struckman
Katherine and Joseph Sullivan Shannon Sullivan and Julie Skilton Yushan (Chanel) Sun ’20
Neville Penney Susich ’70
Frances Frawley Swanson ’63
Jane Sweetland ’70
Mary Pat and Jerry Sweetman (Mary Pat Reardon ’60)
Alaina McDonald Sylvester ’99 Stacey and Dominic Taddeucci (Stacey Pruett ’82)
Mary and David Taormino Beth Russo Tarallo ’89
Jenna Tarallo ’22, ’18 LS
John Tarallo ’10 LS
Kristen McLaughlin Tarrin ’85
Larry Tartaglino
Ann Taylor ’76
Kristin and Todd Templeman Lauren Cadwallader Thomas ’10
Allene and Dwight Thompson
Linda and Roger Thompson
Sally O’Neill Tich ’78
Christine Di Giorgio Timmerman ’64
Linda and David Ting (Linda Chang ’88)
Marisa and Chris Tonini Kim and Charles Tope Francesca and Robert Torrise Fredy Tovar
Ashley Hightower Tower ’03 Guadalupe Trejo Diaz
Dalton Trotter
Nancy and Russell Trull
Catherine Tryon ’85
Patricia Ledger Tucker ’85, ’81 LS
Wendy and Richard Tugend
Emma Ubertino ’20
Nancy and Roy Ulrich
Diana Kendrick Untermeyer ’80
Anna Vagin ’76
Jill Zambo Van Huystee ’84
Betty Van Wagenen
Zachary VanHarn
Barbara Vartan
M.C. Vatinel ’10
Molly Hogan Vatinel ’81
Deanna Inlow Venema and Jeff Venema
Katey Verweij
Katalina Villarreal ’20
Ruth Ashlie and Gabriel Villarreal
Ann Lewis Vlcek ’65
Debora DePaoli Vollstedt ’80, ’76 LS
Samantha Wai ’07
Stephanie Wai ’03
Kathleen Waligora
Wendy and Bart Walker
Makenna Wallace ’16
Ana Estrada Wallis ’85
Alex Walsh
Yu Zhang and Xiaowei Wang
Janene Ashford Ward ’93
Hope Waterbury ’77
Joan Weakley ’75
Kathleen Durkin Webster ’65
Tanisha West ’95, ’91 LS
Yolanda Mitchell West ’75
Diana Wheeler
Erin and Fred White IV
Leslie Svetich and Dean Whitehead
Diana Whitesides ’70
Christina and Marshall Whitley (Christina Nalchajian ’85)
Susanna Wilcox and Peter Myers
Terry Durkin Wilkinson ’68
Brooksley and Darren Williams
Emma Williams ’16
Evelyn Williams ’19 LS
Hayden Williams ’18 LS
Isabelle Williams ’11
Katy Congdon Williams ’00
Trish Scott Williams ’63
Catherine O’Hara Willmott ’60
Karla Morris Wright and Mauricio Wilson
Vanessa Winter ’95
Candace Wong ’20, ’16 LS
Dona Lee Wong
Jessica Wong
Judy Wong and Family
Julia and Brad Wong (Julia Janko ’82, ’78 LS)
Denise and Daniel Wood
Laure Woods ’80
Yuyao Xia ’21
Yu Xin and Yaxuan Xie
Hongmei Xiong
Lynn O’Neil Yeh and Cary Yeh
Alice and Warren Yenson
Helen Young
Kimberly and Wyatt Young
Larisa Young
Margaret Chen and Clinton Young
Jennifer Davis Young ’84
Di Miao and Junde Yuan
Stephanie Steele and Mark Zalin
Stephanie and Greg Zelei
Doreen and Dale Zelles
Colleen Zellitti ’10
Nicole Zellitti ’03
Joella Szabo and Thomas Zewert
Qiang Zhang
Yi Wang and Yu Zhang
Yiran (Lavender) Zhou ’20
Aaron Ziegler
Carrie Coffee Ziemer ’00
Eleanor Zuckerman-Gallmeister ‘80
48 santa catalina / fall bulletin
ALUMNAE CLASS NOTES
53
Fleana Giglio Snapp brorat1955@comcast.net
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
54
Gloria Felice gloriafelice@cox.net
Pat Bondesen-Smith: Congratulations and thanks to all who donated to the success of the Santa Catalina Fund and The Sister Mary Kieran Endowment! Although the goal was reached, it would be wonderful if we could all encourage more Catalina alums to join in and raise the percentage of contributors. Participation is the key and makes a significant difference from the viewpoint of corporations and other matching gifts from the school community as to how they determine their donations. The school needs our help more than ever. Let our veritas motto be our anchor in this global storm and always strive to be the best we can be! Abigail McCann: I am still living in Concord, still writing, and grateful for life. I am so happy to have my brother, Bill, living next door. My grandniece, Monica, graduated from nursing school and visits often. The Catalina highlight of 2019 was getting back to the school last March for our 65th reunion. It is even more precious in retrospect since we will be unable to gather in 2020 due to COVID-19 and do not know when we will be able to gather again. I am grateful to Gloria for connecting our lives, gathering our notes, and melding them into something meaningful that we can hold onto until the world calms down again. Jeanne Nielsen Marshall: I finished heart valve surgery along with chemo and am finally back to driving. My sons, Matt and Steve, are living with me and hoping to get back to work. In the meantime, they are taking good care of me. I am staying home, only going out for essential shopping, doctors appointments, and always with my mask. I even go to church on YouTube! Noreen Lewis Raney: I am living in Sacramento and feeling great, although the virus outbreak here has been very critical. I am grateful to have my two sons, John and Jim, living nearby so that we can get together for meals to eat al fresco and 6 feet apart! I am trying to obey all of the rules by staying home and wearing a mask if I do go out. Gloria Felice: Randy and I are doing very much the same thing here in Arizona as we have been sequestered now for four months. We keep busy with projects at home and are so grateful to be happy and healthy. We had a wonderful gathering at our table for the 2019 Reunion with Sister Claire, Fleana Giglio
Snapp ’53, and Gray Burnham Hynes ’53. I was joined by Abby McCann and three generations of my Catalina family members: Joyia Oliverio Felice Moezzi ’67, Diona Devincenzi Douglas ’77, and Dawn Devincenzi Boyajian ’79. My daughter, Gina Jansheski ’77, was unable to attend as she was in India but is now living in Knoxville.
55
ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL
Executive Committee
Kathy Trafton ’74
President
Jalynne Tobias Redman ’72
Priya Kumar Raju ’00
Katie Carnazzo Larsen ’02
Vice Presidents
Mary
Nevin Henderson Pat Kelly Phillips
plwa2@sbcglobal.net
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
56
The Class of 1956 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf ’08, Assistant Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.
Jane Howard Goodfellow: I am fine and blessed with good health and continue to be quite active. I remain on the Pomona Valley Hospital Board (20 years) and serve also on the VNA SoCal Hospice and Palliative Care Board, as well as the Mount San Antonio Gardens Board (senior life care). Of course with COVID-19, everything is virtual. My daughter, Joan Goodfellow Knetemann ’80, and I enjoyed a wonderful three-week trip to Australia and New Zealand last January, just before the virus hit. I am going to be a great-grandmother in August for the first time! It will make Joan a first-time grandmother!
57
The Class of 1957 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf ’08, Assistant Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
58
Anne
McCullough Griffin
frankanneg@aol.com
Kathryn Cope Jobin: Before the shutdown, I was very busy educating people on the importance of
Zach VanHarn
Director of Annual Giving and School Engagement
Members
Sandy Hollenbeck Schnieder ’62
Pat Allen Sparacino ’65
Terry Whitney Baganz ’69
Marie Cantin ’70
Sally Fay ’74
Lindsay Heller ’95
Brogiin Keeton ’01 Kai Romero ’01
Anna Lopez Mourlam ’06
Kristina Flathers ’11
Chapter Chairs
Boston Position vacant
Chicago Kristina Flathers ’11*
Dallas Joanne Van der Plas Viola ’84 Hope Morgan ’90
Denver Laura Stenovec ’99
Houston Diana Kendrick Untermeyer ’80
Los Angeles Leslie Hunt Johnson ’92 Paige Finster Greenspan ’96 Mzilikazi Kone ’01
Monterey Liz Holt Protell ’64 Anna Lopez Mourlam ’06
New York Priya Kumar Raju ’00*
Phoenix Gloria Felice ’54
Becky Hays-Rovey ’92
Portland, OR Virginia Sewell ’69 Ann Carter ’71
Brigid Flanigan ’73
Sacramento Position vacant
San Diego Taylor Griffon ’11
San Francisco Yvette Merchant Nichols ’96
Seattle Madeleine Lynch Greathouse ’85
Washington, D.C. Position vacant
International Chapters
Asia Rene Leung ’99 Angelina Yao ’99 Diana Mak ’01
Europe Lara Brehmer ’98
Latin America Annie Coppel ’90* Tere Gonzalez ’94
*Designates Alumnae Association Board member
santa catalina / fall bulletin 49
sharks in our oceans. Without them, our planet would deteriorate. I have made five conservation films regarding many species of sharks. I encourage others to go on trips to dive with them and learn more about them. I am on the board of directors of the Tucson Desert Dolphin Scuba Diving Club, which has been in existence for 62 years. It is an active scuba diving club that has about 90 members. We are involved with REEF, an organization that counts fish all over the oceans. My other love is the mountain gorilla that lives in Uganda. I lead trips to Uganda to go on safari and game drives to see and photograph all the usuals like zebra, giraffe, elephant, lion, antelope, hippo, rhino, water buffalo, monkeys, and chimpanzees, and we culminate our trip by visiting a mountain gorilla family in the wild that has been habituated. They are so like us and fun and have no concern about us being in their space. They are an endangered species so we help the gorilla doctors in their quest to keep the species healthy. While in Uganda, we also interact with the children of different schools and bring them needed supplies for school. I share my home with an 84-pound Rottweiler. He is a huge bundle of joy. Karin King Rucker: We moved to the California Delta in 2015 because it is close to San Ramon and our grandchildren, Cash (10) and Cedar (8). Two more grandchildren are in Virginia: Karinna and Grace (both are out of college and working). Since the gym, etc., is closed, I take our Miss Chloe (a Basset Hound) for a couple of miles of walking and/or running twice a day. I try to keep myself as active as
possible. I do the gardening at St. Joseph's. We have new entrance steps in the front, and I am in the process of re-landscaping it. When the church is open, I serve communion, such an honor. I joined the Trim and Tidy group where we try keeping the downtown area cleaned up. I am on the advisory committee for the landscaping here in Trilogy, the Garden Club, and the Model Train Garden Club. All are closed. No meetings, but we do some Zooming. Hope to join the Master Gardener program in 2021. I will have to see when the classes are back. Mary Baumgartner Reid: Despite the pandemic, my life is good. Lew and I have been living on Russian Hill in San Francisco for six years after spending 30 years in our West Sonoma home, a half hour’s drive from the closest store. I love this city life. There are daily long walks along the bay, Zoom chats with friends and family, time to pursue my passion for watercolor, and a great companion in Lew. We have 10 grandchildren ranging from 29 to 12, all living on the West Coast from Seattle to the Bay Area. This summer, three of our seven children and their families will take turns staying at our home in Sebastopol. Because of COVID-19, we cannot be with them and will stay sheltered in San Francisco. I am so glad they can safely have a change of scenery. I feel so lucky and grateful to be in my 80s and enjoying my life. I wish all of you good health and the best during this strange time. Mardi Hack : Until mid-March of 2020, I spent a lot of time traveling. My last big trip was in the late summer of 2019. I went with a friend on a river cruise to Helsinki, then on to St. Petersburg, and on across the beautiful country to Moscow! Twice a year I usually travel out to CA to visit my two sisters (Jinx Hack Ring ’60 and Kate Hack). We own a condo in Coronado. At home in Raleigh, I am very active in Rotary. This upcoming year I will be on the Rotary Board aiming to attract new members and maintain the ones we have. Sounds easy, but we can only meet via Zoom. I am also active with Wake County Meals on Wheels. Until October of 2019, I had a small executive coaching practice. People called me the career wheel coach. I worked out of my sunroom and virtually; it was fantastic. But I am now living a full and active retirement!
60Marilyn Ramos Ospina maospina305@hotmail.com Karen Swanson Crummey kcrum1@sbcglobal.net
Bobbie O’Connell Munson bobbiemunson@sbcglobal. net
We publish notes for each class once a year— odd-numbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
The Class of 1960 seems to be taking it easy during the pandemic. We had planned a small reunion for our 60th and to spend some time with our scholarship student over the Reunion Weekend, but with COVID-19, that was canceled. However, Karen Swanson Crummey, Daphne Craige Bertero, and Nan Griffin Winter did get together for a small mini celebration. Joanne Nix, who had planned to be at our 60th reunion when it was canceled, was already on her way to Monterey. She had a nice trip around the school and the area with Karen and Daphne, so she enjoyed her trip immensely even though the reunion was canceled. Karen is busy with her garden and is thrilled with the lovely flowers, fruits, and vegetables. She is spending her time doing puzzles, a coloring class, and taking care of the wildlife around her house. She and Fred have spent some time in their garden on Chews Ridge and she has become a great auntie to two twin boys. Before COVID-19, Nan was active and went to Punta Mita in July 2019 with her children and grandchildren. She played in the Swinging Seniors golf tournament and went up to Napa to play golf with 20 of her friends. But during the pandemic, Nan has been staying home and playing golf as the country club is open. She says she spends time in the kitchen and has enjoyed finding new recipes. She also walks two miles a day, so she must be in terrific shape. Betsy Helm Hansen is enjoying her seven grandsons. She celebrated her 54th wedding anniversary with a socially distanced dinner with Daphne and Dick. Daphne was bridesmaid at her wedding. Julie Thomas Obering recommends two books she has enjoyed: Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley and G. Direllas’ My Family and Other Animals. She has been in Wyoming for the summer and sharing time with their daughter and family who live nearby. She also had a visit from their son John on Independence Day and was able to see the fireworks from their deck. Pamela Fairbanks de Villaine is staying in Santenay and enjoying her large back garden. She is concerned that the French may be re-confined in the fall. However, they planned a trip to Brittany in July to see family and look forward to a very good early harvest as the weather has been superb all year. Jinx Hack Ring has been home in Coronado and doesn’t plan to go anywhere. Peter retired in August 2016 and they were able to get a trip to Barcelona and Paris with daughter, Kristin Ring ’86, before COVID-19 hit. Suzie Townsend Finney says she and Jack haven’t been doing much and the trips they had planned are canceled or on hold. Suzie plays bridge online a couple times a week and is refreshing her French skills on Duolingo every day. She and Jack are able to walk and play golf, which they do as much as possible,
50 santa catalina / fall bulletin
59
ALUMNAE class notes
Betsy Helm Hansen ’60 with her family
Class of 1961 enjoyed some time together via Zoom in May 2020
and see the children and grandchildren and a few other couples, with strict social distancing. Toni Lemos Maddox is in Brentwood, CA, and she wishes everyone good health and safety, and is looking forward to the end of the virus. Daphne Craige Bertero is splitting time between Orinda and Carmel. She is also an avid gardener. Her granddaughter Lila is at Santa Catalina and her other granddaughter at Choate. Another will be off to Boston College, so she is looking forward to spending time in Boston. Lani LeBlanc says she is safe and well with her two kitties. She spends her time doing lots of reading, jigsaw puzzles, baking, and wild bird maintenance. She doesn’t have any travel plans, just wishful thinking. Annette Stoesser says life is boring without travel or meetings. Her only social events are tennis, and she plans to work for Trump's re-election. As for me, Marilyn Ramos Ospina, we are holding up in pandemicy Arizona. The temperature is hitting 120F this week, so outside activities are out of the question. I am taking some Zoom classes and studying Hebrew, as it is a language that is totally different from anything I have ever done. Otherwise, we do not leave the house and no one comes in, not even our daughter who is eight minutes away. Therefore, we FaceTime with our children, grandchildren, and friends. Please stay safe. I hope we can all be together soon again.
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The Class of 1961 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf ’08, Assistant Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
Mary Foley Bitterman mbitterman@osherfoundation.org
These Class Notes are touched with sadness as during the past year two lovely classmates have passed away: Timi Berdge Campbell and Bia Osmont Wahl. Timi is remembered by her dear friend Gail Dowling Goettelmann, “Sixty years of friendship, starting with our first class meeting as sophomores in 1959!” Gail recalls: My best memories of Timi were our trips to Foster's Freeze to pick up hamburgers and milkshakes for the boarders, and later our marathon conversations
at her kitchen table in the Berkeley Hills while looking out at her beautiful redwoods and native garden which reflected her artistic sensibilities. Timi, who received her MFA from Mills College in her late 30s, became a well-known painter in Northern California and participated in over 30 shows. Kathy O’Donnell consulted our 1962 yearbook and shared this perfect description of and tribute to mischievous Bia: “Paint brush in hand, Bia is always behind the scenes with her imagination and originality, working at full throttle to make ‘these’ decorations the best ever. With a touch of humor here, and a bit of organization there, everything turns out beautifully. Her robust humor will make her a morale booster and a natural entertainer.” And speaking of humor, Kathy commented, “Bia’s classmates in Mrs. Marr’s geometry class will also no doubt recall her setting up and solving numerous problems in which the answer inevitably proved that either BO = OD or OD = BO!”
There has been illness in our ranks as well but, fortunately, progress to be applauded. Sandy Hollenbeck Schnieder: My focus has been coping with diagnosis of a large brain aneurysm for me and stage 4 lung cancer for my daughter. Although we have had periods of anxiety, both of us are in a good place—thanks to lots of support and modern medicine. It is hard to remember what I was doing before COVID-19, except being
santa catalina / fall bulletin 51
62
The
able to visit my great granddaughter! Lynnea Larson Payne: I had knee replacement surgery several months ago but was quite mobile for my 75th birthday celebration when my daughter and son-in-law rented a house in Carmel. We had a splendid time wandering through the town and on the beaches as well as Point Lobos. I continue to work for my church, and I still have my business driving people to the store or to doctor appointments. Our family felt comfortable enough to have a small family gathering in July, just to celebrate and be together. Margi Stewart: Several of us met in Carmel this past November to celebrate the 75th birthday of Alex Robison, who was visiting from Spain with her husband, Emilio. Alex’s three-week stay began in San Diego and followed El Camino Real north to Napa so that her husband could realize his goal of seeing all 21 California missions. Alex was captured in photos with me in Carmel Valley and with Sister Patricia Dougherty, O.P. in San Rafael. Gail was also able to meet with the birthday girl over lunch and an enjoyable walk in Woodside. Kathy Hanks Cooper: My family and I are well, but life with COVID-19 has changed for us all. Kieran has moved in with me for now, out of an abundance of caution, after living and thriving at Clausen House (a group home in Oakland for intellectually/developmentally disabled adults) for 29 happy years. I love having her, but she dearly misses her community. Grandson Justin (16) had to postpone getting a driver's license; granddaughter Emily (13) had to wait to get her braces off; and Molly's family is coping with distance learning. My son, Jack, and I are still working together in real estate, a business which has been altered with challenges on all fronts, but which keeps me running, thinking, and engaged. Stay well, old friends! Lorrie Boldrick : I am still practicing two days a week and just had to make a few changes to routine to keep going this past year. I love my work, and pets need care even with a pandemic going on. I was able to visit New Zealand before the pandemic and enjoyed time with a dear friend whose Friesan horse I rode and whose surroundings provided some special time
with a wild baby hedgehog. My granddaughters live just an hour away from me, but our visits have been few and far between this year. Their whole family did get tested about a month ago and were all negative, so I had a great visit the following week and actually got to hug both girls, my daughter, and my son-in-law, too. I continue to work as a volunteer veterinarian for Freedom Dogs, a nonprofit organization that trains dogs for the wounded military with PTSD. I have learned a lot about the disease and about how much a dog can help. When the Marine they work with becomes anxious, they know immediately and go to him (or her) and provide all the companionship and moral support possible. I see the Marines relax so much more quickly than without the dog. It is all very rewarding. Gail Dowling Goettelmann: I still have Huey but no great achievements or adventures to share. I am happy to report that Gary and I have been healthy and keeping a low profile since March. COVID-19 hasn't caused big changes for us since we haven't been traveling or socializing in large groups for the past few years. Our retail business is open once again, with a marked reduction in sales. We still continue to run around our neighborhood each morning, and I'm allowed by county mandate to care for and ride my horse. Pure joy! For my part, I (Mary Foley Bitterman) continue heading the Osher Foundation headquartered in San Francisco. With all of our 500+ grantees being institutions of higher education and arts organizations, each is in great distress. We are doing our best to provide continued funding for all with a view to promoting sustainability over the longer term. I continue also with a range of commitments, including the PBS Foundation, the Commonwealth Club, Hawaii Community Foundation, and Project Dana, a volunteer caregiving program for the frail elderly and disabled in Hawaii. In reaching out to
members of our class for updates—especially in this period profoundly affected by the coronavirus pandemic—I think Sandy put it best when she expressed her hope that “we don't lose sight of our need for each other and compassion for the vulnerable.” All look forward to our 60th anniversary reunion in 2022. Ever onward!
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DiDi Ditz Stauffer dditzs45@gmail.com Sally Rorick-Orlando rolando@cox.net
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
64
Antoinette Ziegler Hubbard joyfuleclectic@icloud.com
Antoinette Ziegler Hubbard: I spent seven months in New Zealand this year and experienced the complete lockdown of seven weeks inside the house (many of us know the drill). I finally left because of my visa (not wanting to be an overstayer). We were allowed a walk within two kilometers of the house, and the streets were patrolled. Before I left for New Zealand in late November 2019, I was pleased to spend some time with Marlo Musto Mugnaini in Florence. We had a wonderful time walking around Florence and spent hours talking, like our times when all of us get together. Our class has sustained deep and lasting friendships over the years. This time of solitude and isolation makes me very grateful for those meaningful connections that we have with each other and those in our lives. Many of us have been fortunate enough to have our families reunite and be together during this painful and challenging time. I recommend Shaun Bythell’s
52 santa catalina / fall bulletin
Alexandra Robison ’62 visiting with classmate Margi Stewart
ALUMNAE class notes
Lorrie Boldrick ’62 cuddles a hedgehog
Gail Dowling Goettelmann ’62
The Diary of a Bookseller and his other book, Confessions of a Bookseller, for some good laughs about human nature. Marianne Hidas-Trotter: It’s been pretty quiet here since March 13, when John and I came home from Tahoe, filled two carts with groceries, and settled into “a couple weeks of isolation.” Now four months later, with no end in sight, I’m not feeling very hopeful that we can resume our travels, visit with grandkids, or just go out to dinner, for a long time. An update on my health issues—good news! My breast cancer now is history. I was diagnosed in October; lumpectomy in November; and chemotherapy until March. The radiation was postponed because of COVID-19 risks until recently. Sixteen treatments and now that’s behind me too. Just hormone therapy (a pill) for five years. Thank you for all your encouraging notes. My mom passed away in December. She made it to her 100th birthday— five days before. Her passing and my cancer treatments made this past year a rough patch. Claudia Reynolds Knous and I are still meeting via FaceTime each week to report on our progress with the online art course we’re taking together. We’ve moved on to a new abstract artist (our third) whose strength as an instructor matches her skill and talent as an artist. We’re having a great time learning together and moving ahead in our art skills. Julie Bisceglia: Still working at the Court of Appeal, although now mostly working from home. Retirement once again put off, and just as well. I'd hate to be stuck at home with nothing to do. My two great loves, travel and dancing, are currently out of reach and there is absolutely no telling when, if ever, I will enjoy them again. The kids are doing OK: Aly is in Las Vegas, and Hayley is in N.Y.C. Trying to exercise and stay positive, but I miss people more than I thought I would as a confirmed introvert. Laurie Carson Griff: My favorite book that has impacted me lately is Where the Crawdads Sing. Best audio book is The Invention of Wings. For excellent historical fiction, read the Ken Follett trilogy beginning with Fall of Giants. Somehow my posting for last year got in too late so here are some thoughts from 2019. Gary and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with our daughters and their families on our favorite island of Kauai. It was great fun watching our six grandchildren learning to surf, zipline through the jungle, and share their wonderful enthusiasm and energy. During this strange year I have kept busy in my garden, drawing and painting, and making my annual needlepoint Christmas ornaments for each grandchild. Total is 125 so far! Cameron Butts Bianchi: Tito and I are good and spend outdoor time walking our dogs and playing tennis with each other. We are seeing the local kids (TJ, Tracy, Sydney, and Jake), but are using masks and social distancing at all times. Sydney is off to Villanova University in August, as far as we know now! Danielle and Jason are still in Austin with their kids, Gavin and Ramey. You asked for book recommendations. Number one for sure: Where the Crawdads Sing. Others after that I like are most of JoJo Moyes’ books (Me Before You, The Giver of Stars), All the Light We Cannot See, Honey Bus, The Secret Life of Mrs. London, and
The Last Rhinos. Lesley Andrus: I'm lucky to live in paradise during this pandemic. Social distancing here means swimming laps in an empty pool each morning, riding a bike, hiking in the mountains, gardening, and generally living outside. My kids arrived at the end of June and while they were planning for two weeks, they're now staying through the summer. While it's hectic, it's fun having the girls (2 ½ and 3 ½). They're learning to swim, ride bikes, and camp, and think this pandemic is great fun. Darren and Lauren just bought a lot on the river and we've been cutting down trees and clearing. Evenings when everyone cooks together and we eat outside have been really special—that real sense of family which we have lost with the long distances between us. Chris Cotton Gannon: I have enjoyed A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of Faith by Timothy Egan and Susan Rice’s Tough Love. Bob and I are well but have been very careful about self-isolating and only going out with masks on for essentials. You got to love Instacart pick-ups at the market. Anne has been with us since mid-March as a remodel of her condo was supposed to begin then but was pushed back six weeks in the initial uncertainty of the pandemic. Fortunately, as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, she has been able to work from home about 95 percent of the time and most hearings are done online. After retiring from the bench in March 2019, Bob worked as an on-assignment judge for the remainder of last year and finished up what I hope will be his last service in February. We miss our volunteer gigs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We also missed going to Norway in June and hope that can be rescheduled once the pandemic is under control. Our boys'
families are doing well. Rob and his wife, Hope, are both with tech companies and work from home. Their children will continue to go to school remotely; Matt (19) is at Chapman film school but his real love is writing, and Mallory (16) is going to be a junior at Mater Dei. John is teaching U.S. History remotely at Santa Barbara High School and his wife, Stacey, is a critical care nurse (sometimes in the COVID-19 unit) at Cottage Hospital, also in Santa Barbara. Their children Shea Laura (11) and Ford (9) will continue online school in the fall. Louise La Mothe: I’m living in a new normal bubble with Danny, Caitlin, and their dog at our house in Santa Barbara. This is our situation since mid-March, and it has been wonderful. They gave up their S.F. apartment in June and will stay with us until they find a house to buy in L.A. We have had a live-in caregiver to assist with David, and we stay at home pretty much all of the time, with an occasional foray to get groceries. I am also working full blast at my arbitration practice and managing to keep the court work going, though we are not having any hearings in person. No time for anything else, though the garden calls. Carol Covington Thomson: Scott and Jenna had a baby girl and she is just darling. Tom is doing OK. His brain issue is stable but he became blind in the left eye last fall from retinal surgery and has glaucoma in his right eye. So I bug him all the time about getting out to walk to keep blood flow to his brain. Life is just amazing and God gives us very difficult things to deal with and prayer and doctors are the main hope we have. Chris Perry Hudson: The pandemic for us was a family thing: hikes, beach, and barbecues with all three children and family for nearly three months. They all came to Santa Barbara and actually, it has brought us closer together. I started painting again as well as more prayer for this nation and of course, pickleball as much as possible! Susie Dwyer: I am not an avid reader, but I do belong to a book club so I read at least one book a month! I am still living in Pine Mountain Lake outside a small community called Groveland. Moved here seven years ago by myself! It was the best decision of my life. People are easy to meet, and there is great golfing, hiking, a lake to boat on, and we are near Yosemite. I am president of two community service organizations. Unfortunately, all of the fundraisers were canceled this year due to COVID-19. Donna Lee Hardy: You never hear from me, but I am an avid reader (even more so now), so I have loved seeing what books many of you have enjoyed. Crawdads seems to be a universal favorite. I thought I would add three novels to the list that are recent favorites of mine and titles you might not recognize: This is Happiness by Niall Williams, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, and Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. What would we do without engrossing reads during COVID-19? Jack and I are good, living in Carmel Valley and traveling to our cabin in the gold country town of Twain Harte for a change of scenery. Like so many, we have had to cancel travel plans this year, but feel fortunate to live on this beautiful peninsula. Tonia Macneil: Eleven months ago, I moved to a continuing care retirement community in Oakland called St. Paul’s
santa catalina / fall bulletin 53
Sister Patricia Dougherty, O.P. ’62 and Alexandra Robison ’62
Towers. My view changed from the San Francisco skyline to the East Bay Hills, and I left my quiet life to join a busy cadre of seniors in exercise classes, discussion groups, movies, musical performances, etc. The first six months were a whirl, then Steve and I took another little trip to Santa Barbara, on March 13. By the time we were ready to fly back to Oakland on the 20th, the Bay Area was under “shelter in place” orders, so we stopped by St. Paul’s to pick up some clothes and sundries and kept on going to Steve’s house in Woodland, near Davis. I’ve been here ever since. Here are a couple of books I found fascinating: Gianrico Carofiglio’s The Silence of the Wave and Tom Reiss’ The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life. Penelope Williams: I'm in Costa Rica where our borders remain closed until August 1, when only the international airports will open. I'm actually loving this time as nature has returned and it's amazing to live amongst such beauty. Jill Shoemake Vogel: Chloe will be a freshman and Carson will be a junior at Catalina this year. Who knew? Anne Perlitz Giles: I really enjoyed these books: Paris in the Present Tense by Mark Helprin and The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook. I find that I am reading (listening with Audible) so much these days that I can’t remember what I read! As I come up on the one-year mark of my husband’s death, I am so grateful that our daughter and her family now make their home in Austin, arriving from Boston. To have both my children here, each with their own 2-year-old, in the middle of this time of no possible travel is a blessing which cannot be matched. In all this sadness, I consider myself rather lucky. Sheila McMahon Williams: No book recommendations from me. I basically stopped reading when Dan got sick in January—too stressed and exhausted. These days I’m unable to concentrate. The fog of grief is a real thing. Dogs are keeping me grounded, as are the nice weather and lovely surroundings here in Monterey—beautiful beaches, woods, hiking trails. I would not be doing well were I sheltering in place in Bakersfield. Thanks so much for your sweet cards and kind words. Hanging in for now. Will likely be adding a pup to the pack in the next few days. Flo Nixon: Like others, I am trying to adjust my head and life to recognize the new normal way of life. Not what I had envisioned for my retirement. That said, life is good. Still doing Medicare counseling via Zoom with my clients. A great free service available to all throughout U.S. Book recommendations: Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert by Georgina Howell; Killers of the August Moon by David Grann; all of the books by Daniel Silva; Trespassers by Tana French; and Crawdads— enjoyed it!
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Pat Allen Sparacino pat.sparacino@gmail.com Wendy Wilson Snell wendywsnell@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
66
Mary Alice Cerrito Fettis maryalicefettis@aol.com Lorri Ditz McCarthy lorditz@yahoo.com
Vicky deBack Lugo: My husband and I spent two months in Spain and Portugal last summer and loved every minute of it. We did all Airbnb (our first time) and stayed at each place about a week. We so enjoyed neighborhood restaurants and street coffee shops as well as all the parks, museums, and churches! Upon return we were blessed with our first grandson, Ellis. Have to say that I flew up to S.F. every 3-4 weeks until COVID-19 hit! COVID-19 hasn’t been as challenging as we thought it would be. Having a garden has been my saving grace, I believe, and I have enjoyed it every day. Now, I am back to my daily Del Mar beach walks, in addition to my gardening! Paula Sullivan Escher: Tom and I have been here in our beautiful part of France since February and one of my favorite things about living in the country is hearing the beautiful birds! I am truly a city slicker, but now love the country, too! Tom and I have never spent this much time together in our almost 50 years of our wonderful marriage, and for that we are both grateful! Susan Waligora Williams: I welcomed my two grand babies last year and this year: Elliott and Blake. Another boy is due October 1, which makes three! They are the light of my eyes. I am still into riding horses and have two quarter horses. I love to take them to the mountains and do some competitive team cattle sorting. My health is good, although I wish I could lose a few pounds. I spent a lot of time prior to COVID-19 traveling. I can’t wait for this to be over. Suze Pringle-Cohan: We all are well, staying safe, and cherishing our lives here in West Sonoma County. We hold all those around the world who are suffering deep in our hearts, every moment of every day. Traci Bliss: The inspiration for my new book, Evergreen Cemetery of Santa Cruz (Arcadia History Press, 2020), came from the unique lives of men and women who built Santa Cruz in the 1800s. Researching the contributions of many buried at the cemetery opened my eyes to their extraordinary unselfishness and commitment to community. Today, dedicated volunteers maintain the cemetery’s uniquely bucolic
Victorian ambience and exquisitely carved headstones. Though I’ve never considered myself a cemetery buff, I love giving historic walking tours in this very special place. If you plan to be in Santa Cruz and would enjoy a bit of inspiration, please email me (blistrac@isu.edu) as I would be delighted to share my passion. Kathleen Kelsey Macker: As the new year 2020 rang in, Tim and I were landing in Dubai. We were going on a Harvard alumni trip of Oman and the Gulf States on the Crystal Esprit. The itinerary was interesting and the speakers fabulous. We went to the top of the tallest building in the world, visited Arabian horse farms and falconry hospitals where the birds cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and rode in SUVs on sand dunes. Meanwhile, our children were texting us concerning the world affairs. The captain informed us that we were taking on men with armaments to protect us when we went through the Strait of Hormuz. We decided to leave the ship rather than being on one of two ships carrying Americans in the Strait of Hormuz, only 20 miles from the Iranian coast. We flew to Oman to join our group for the Oman land package, which was the highlight of our Arabian trip. We spent most of spring quarantined with our two dogs in Palm Desert. We were able to have golf cart social distancing B.Y.O.B. cocktails a couple times a week with Lorri Ditz McCarthy Anian Petit Tunney: My daughter, Adrienne Tunney Krumins ’94, is my partner in real estate here in Piedmont. She has a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old. She and I have been the top producing team in Piedmont since 2009! We love it, but it’s a lot of work. Catherine Tunney McDowell ’01, our youngest, also lives in Piedmont and has two little children, 11 months apart. Our other girls, Courtney Tunney Hotchkis ’82 and Shannon Tunney McDonald ’84, live in Southern California and have two children each. Our eldest grandchild just graduated from Cal, and Patrick is at the Naval Academy! Life is busy, but no traveling for us for a while. Barbara Jo Burton Szemborski: No new grandchildren since 2019 (we have 24 in all). Life has been quiet since COVID-19 broke and all of our anticipated trips have been put on hold. Our daughter, Mary, and her family have moved to Okinawa for three years on military orders so hopefully we will be able to visit. Her oldest daughter, Daisy, stayed behind with us to start prep school on a Falcon Foundation scholarship with the goal of entering the Air Force Academy with the Class of 2025. I am at the five-year post-colon cancer treatment and all seems to be well. Thanks be to God and my husband, Stan. I appreciate so much what you are doing for our class and I am so sad we have lost so many classmates. I am thankful for so many things and certainly not the least, Sister Kieran giving me a scholarship so that I could graduate with our incredible Class of 1966. Madeleine Lord: Social distancing is nothing new, as I live with acres of gardens to manage, steel piles to make into sculptures and send to shows—fulltime weeding and welding in central MA. I’m doing outdoor sculpture shows all over New England, and digital shows as well. When possible, visit me on Facebook and Instagram:
ALUMNAE class notes
54 santa catalina / fall bulletin
madeleinelordmadimetal. Glovie Reiter Lynn: I am doing well. I completed four weeks of radiation in January, which successfully zapped a rogue cancer mutation in my lungs. I continue on daily oral chemo for the cancer in my right lung. This seems to keep the ogre at bay. Seven years of stage 4 lung cancer and I'm feeling really good. On a fun note, Dick and I moved temporarily to our place on the Cowpasture River. There is only one case of COVID-19 in the county so we feel quite safe. During that time, we have posted a poem, hymn, or song every day. This started out as a way to keep in touch with family but has grown to 56 recipients. It has been quite fun and we've learned a lot about modern poetry. Thanks so much for keeping us all abreast of our classmates. Ellen Mahoney: I am engaged in a satisfying experiment of reorganizing cancer care here, such that a resident of Humboldt County diagnosed with cancer is treated with the same standard of care they would have if they lived in San Mateo. Applying lessons of team structure and enterprise organization that I learned at Stanford but in a creative, less expensive way has been a great challenge. For leisure, I have my dogs and my garden, though I don't get out there nearly enough. After cooking for the first 35 years of our marriage, I found that a subscription to Hello Fresh lured my husband into discovering the joys of cooking, so he is fixing dinner for the next 33 years. In addition to the culinary arts, he enjoys playing his Bosendorfer concert grand piano for us, and, before the lockdown, in benefit concerts. We are both still operating, though at somewhat less volume than when we arrived here. We are also both on the COVID-19 ICU Surge Team. So far, the numbers here have been manageable, but we are always aware that it may not last. We won't be called on unless the first line becomes exhausted. Please take it seriously and listen to the CDC and other experts until we figure out this new disease, too. Donna Miller Casey: My two main enterprises, CSSSA and ARCS, are demanding time again. The Northern California Chapter of Achievement Rewards for College Scientists will be 50 in the fall. The California State Summer School for the Arts for High School Students is looking for a new director. Proud of both groups as a founding member of each. Dreaming up innovative ways to celebrate family occasions: videos and Zoom and FaceTime and online shopping! Half of my family (the Brooklyn gang) had COVID-19 in the spring. The San Francisco half have tested negative. I miss my gang at St. Dominic’s on Sundays, my bridge buddies, baseball, and my friends of Bill. Somehow streaming Mass and bridge games almost do it, but cannot wait until we can interact again. Susan Grupe dePolo: All is well in Linden. Daughter Amanda Smith Burke ’97, husband Damian, Elizabeth (7), and twins Scarlett and Sam (5) lived with us from mid-March to mid-June successfully avoiding COVID-19 in the city. A cat and eight chickens were added to our menagerie during their stay! Now alone, we are spending our time between keeping up our victory garden and animals, and enjoying the temperature and beauty of the Sierras at our cabin at Silverlake. Elizabeth
Budge D’Hémery: In this time of COVID-19, we are all sheltering at home, and I cannot pretend, even to myself, that I don’t have the time to write to you. Now that I have the time, what is lacking is the content. I haven’t been anywhere, nor have I done anything worth noting. So, what to tell you? How great our friendships are! These days I am blessed, because all my family is safe and well, even though we are not together. I have been in San Francisco since the end of February. Philippe and our two eldest sons, William and Hector, have been happily confined together at our home in the Charente countryside. But Hector’s beautiful daughter (7)—and our only grandchild—is under lockdown in Beijing. Though Hector Skypes with her almost daily, he hasn’t actually held her in his arms in more than a year. Our youngest son, Leo, is sheltering in his studio apartment in L.A., which is becoming smaller and smaller since he shares it with his girlfriend and a yappy puppy. Because the European Union has closed its frontiers to Americans, I am in a state of limbo, in which I hope to learn patience, humility and Hindi, (which keeps the synapses in my brain going). The time will not be wasted. Mary Alice Cerrito Fettis: As some of you know, I have been working on Whalefest Monterey, an educational event dressed up to look like fun. We have a symposium of experts in their fields from marine science, business, nonprofits, agencies, etc., plus exhibitors, activities, music, a release, and more all involving the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. In the past, we have drawn up to 20,000 people on the last weekend of January, a challenging time of year. The key to the success of the event is its interactive learning experience and appeal to all ages, all demographics, and all levels of education. The strategy at this time is turning a touchy feely experience into a worthy virtual experience. I have an awesome energetic committee, thank goodness; otherwise, I would be too perplexed by COVID-19 challenges. I have joyously spent more time in the garden; gone to daily virtual Mass from Calcutta to Nairobi to Massachusetts to Carmel; walked alone and with friends; learned a few new recipes; played cards and board games with my husband; and allowed more time for introspection. Our son, Peter, and his girlfriend, Ashley, have embarked on in-person and video outdoor yoga and wellness classes. Initially, I hoped, but did not realize, how necessary these programs would be in these difficult times. On a closing note, I am gloriously entertained by my husband’s latest compositions as well as very small singing fests distantly gathering around the piano. Sharon Duffy Verhoef: I went to New York last November to see family! My remaining siblings and I got together at the Maryknoll headquarters near Ossining, NY, to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of our brother, Michael. Michael had been a Maryknoll priest in Kenya and Tanzania and had passed away very unexpectedly when he was 66, shortly after we had spent a family weekend together. We were seven originally and are now five, having lost our sister, Angela, to cancer in 2011. On either side of this event, I visited my sister and her husband in Bridgehampton, NY, and spent time in N.Y.C. with my niece, Hilary, in Harlem. I always find
the city energizing and got to go to the Met and MOMA museums, the Morgan Library, and the Museum of the City of New York, which I had not been to before and would like to re-visit. Back in Florida, I spent a lovely Christmas with my cousins in Jacksonville. Since Bryan's passing in 2015, I have stayed in Maitland, FL, where we landed in 2004. I feel very lucky during this upside-down time of COVID-19 to be in a green leafy suburb with nature on the doorstep, good neighbors, and friends nearby. I had good talks with Marcy Miller Sandgathe early in the shutdown. In reviewing my life, a habit of thought which has started lately, I realize that going to Santa Catalina as a girl from New Jersey was a huge adventure for me and an out of the ordinary formative experience of my life! I loved seeing everyone at our 50th reunion and our 70th birthday get-together in S.F. Linda Baldwin Page: I am on an island looking at the sunrise and sunset. Seven months of diving, lots of sharks, turtles, huge schools of fish—it’s like an aquarium! Fishing, I have learned how to use a hand line tied to any bottle, recycling! Raft-up boat parties, listening to new friends perform old traditional music and songs, yoga at a rain mangrove lagoon, and candlelit yoga in the evening. There is one amazing donut and one Italian gelato shop! The Indian restaurant, with two nights a week of dance music by local performers, is the third best food on the island! There are only 18,000 people living on a very few islands. Susie Van Sicklen Calfee: I live with my husband, Kent, in Davis. I retired about two years ago from being a psychotherapist and have finally gotten the hang of being retired, thanks to the virus. Travel plans and other ideas have been redirected into trying, on one hand, to figure out how to contribute to efforts to change the socio-political mess that’s emerged, and on the other hand, to exploring a latent desire to learn to paint masterpieces, write brilliant poetry, to garden, and purge long neglected closets, books, and what have you. I do spend some time, recently only on Zoom, with two funny granddaughters, Sylvia (8) and Vivian (6). I feel quite fortunate that they have decided to move from Berkeley to Davis this month. As the shutdown began and there was a flurry of communication among us all, especially at Easter, the importance of our Santa Catalina experience and relationships really came into focus. Being able to see many of you at our last reunion and on our 70th birthday gathering helped, but I found myself cherishing more deeply our time together starting 58 years ago! I had the pleasure of seeing Libby Budge D’Hemery and Donna Miller Casey as they stopped by on their way to the Sierras. We had a backyard, socially distanced lunch. Donna Patrick Collier: It's been a crazy year, and my family is being safe, positive, and resourceful. We spent February in Miami with our daughter and son-in-law, arriving back in WA just as COVID-19 became serious near Seattle, and we self-quarantined for three months. Then, it was time to visit our grandsons, so we safely traveled to the Colorado Rockies, where we've been visiting with our other daughter's family and living in a small mountain community with face masks and social distancing. Mary Ellen
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“Meckle” Cantlon Elston: Living on the coast of Maine and loving it since my spouse, Jim, and I left the Boston area (where we lived from 1975 to 2013) and I worked for the Cambridge Health Alliance in older adult mental health. We now live on the Damariscotta River, which is a fjord with 8-12 foot tides, locally grown oysters, and other fantastic seafood, and is quintessentially Maine. Since our 70th birthday party, which I enjoyed immensely, we’ve been visited by Lyn Belcher Wilson and husband Terry; Kathy Fay and daughter Natalie; and Therese Roos with Beaujolais. I invite all of you, when we can travel and properly socialize, to come to Maine. Susan Tescher Rogers: I feel very fortunate—all our loved ones are still employed and healthy so I am grateful and pray for all those out there that are feeling the pressures of providing for their families while laid off or dealing with the pain of having a sick loved one they can’t visit. I will not complain about how this pandemic has inconvenienced me or forced me to cancel vacation plans, and I will gladly wear my mask! We have been given a wonderful opportunity to spend extra time both here in Carmel and in Boulder with our three grandchildren (6, 4 and 2), the children of our daughter, Morgan Rogers McMillan ’97. In November, we will travel to Maui to welcome the birth of twins (a boy and a girl) from our daughter, Cameron Rogers Magnotto ’02. I hope all of you and your loved ones are healthy and safe. Chloe O’Gara: My youngest daughter (42) gave birth to a healthy baby boy in July. Tough to have a baby during COVID-19 but such a joyous assertion of life! For those who don’t know, I’ve used my retirement time to become a master gardener and I’ve started making wine. Terry Ferrari Votruba: Chauffeuring in the black Lexus made the day. Lots of chatter about Charlotte Perry, the ridiculously smart and indefatigable drama teacher and life coach and mentor for all who worked with her, from stage manager to "could have been" Dustin Hoffman and Julie Harris and other actresses of note.
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Ann Kuchins kuchinsa@yahoo.com
Anne Neill anneneill@yahoo.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
68Eugenie Schlueter emschl@sbcglobal.net
Daphne Macneil daphnemacneil@yahoo.com
Dianne Andrews Rossi: I celebrated my big 70 in September at Asti with my son, Adrian, and without telling anyone, I had booked a flight to Bali and Phuket for the next day, letting my kids know via letter. During COVID-19, I have enjoyed many great solo sailing and kayaking days. I am still selling real estate, which now has a signoff on entering, wearing a mask, and gloves policy. Tiggy Black : I retired from fundraising on January 1 and am now theoretically focused on writing—editing novel number two! But what I've really been doing is preparing to move: cleaning out the garage, the attic, and all of the closets (which has filled up the garage again). My plan is to relocate to VA where my family is, but for the time being, the house hunt is on hold. Once I am moved and settled, I plan to have plenty of room for guests! Mary Wynne: Happy 70th birthday in 2020 to all my classmates! I just celebrated mine down in Ojai over the July 4 weekend with my family and then back at home with dinner at a real restaurant that had just opened back up! I was so pleased to hear the good news from Kate Barry Robinson, Susie Charles Collins, and Annette Low Reid about being grandmothers. Congrats to all! I am now a great aunt, one niece born this year and a nephew on the way. Looking forward to our annual family vacation at the beach in August. Don't know how many more years I can body surf (yes, really, I do!). Leelee Clement-Doughty: I, too, have a grandson, my daughter Leigh's son. Due to the virus, I haven't been able to be with him, but we FaceTime all the time. He's quite the character and loves seeing me on the phone, laughing and bubbling language. Hopefully we will all meet up next week in Portland for Sanderson's wedding. Fingers crossed. Leslie Cooley: I am in the midst of retiring and very busy. I send my very best to all. Kim Royce Dougherty: I was in New Zealand when COVID-19 broke out and had to make it back to California in a hurry, vacation plans dashed. Kate Barry Robinson: Susie Charles Collins and I are having fun with our new grandsons, who are 17 days apart. I am on my way east for the summer, hoping to stay safe. Nina Nickel Gladish: Erik got engaged in November to a woman named Erika, who makes him happy; a great match. Baby girl expected at the end of August. Peter and his girlfriend were also engaged in November and hope to be married in Mexico at the end of February; we shall see if they can pull that off. Zander just bought a house about a mile from us and they are all thrilled. Max and his family are loving life in Grass Valley. I am doing about the same except I need hearing aids, have glaucoma which I am treating, and have this spare tire around my waist which suddenly appeared when I
turned 70. Suzi Woodworth Johnston: I last saw my kids in February, although my oldest son, JJ, and his family of five plan to come here in a couple of weeks. I have not been able to see my mom in the nursing home for over three months. My boyfriend of a year now, Peter, has been hunkering in place with me and it is so nice to have the companionship. I had a total knee replacement in December and am glad I got it done ahead of this pandemic. My knee is doing great and I am able to play lots of tennis, within the strict guidelines. Daphne Macneil: My daughter, Grace, and her family have been sheltering with us for the last two months so that we can help with childcare. Emma (8) built a solar oven yesterday to make s’mores and today is working on a LEGO Coast Guard rescue mission complete with robbers, helicopters, radio headset, and who-knows-what. Leo (5) is begging to go visit the neighbor’s kittens and invite them over to swim. I had planned shoulder surgery. I feel pretty crippled right now, sling and all. I think I’m over the worst of the surgery pain. Meghan Williams: I’m getting my house ready to put on the market to sell. I’ll be relocating to a cooler part of Santa Barbara, closer to the beach, and I’m looking for a total fixer so will do a complete remodel. Alison Rand Taylor: Way back in November, my daughter, her three kids, and dog stayed with me for a month while their dad went to find their new house in Texas. Then we piled in her car and headed out for a three-and-a-half day road trip to McKinney, TX. Unfortunately, COVID-19 arrived, so I haven’t seen them since! Hiked on the Rubicon Trail and played lots of Scrabble—good to have a change of scenery! Laurie Gregg: I had a fantastic extended trip to Newfoundland and the Canadian maritime environs in September 2019, and spent the rest of the fall and winter here in California. As some of you know, on Friday the 13th of March, a hiking misstep set me tumbling down a trail in Marin, landed me in my first ever broken bone (elbow), a first ever ride in an ambulance, some gnarly head and limb scrapes, and a run-of-the-mill concussed brain. Eugenie Schlueter: This has been a tough year and we have more tough times ahead. I have family members on the front lines of fighting this virus and so I think about this every day, and pray for the safety of all first responders caring for the sick and more. Only time will tell how well we do on this, but I hope you all stay safe and keep in touch. It is times like these where long-term friendships count for so much. Gerry Robertson Working: This past June, Peter and I celebrated 10 years living full time in St. Helena. The past few years have provided a challenge between wildfire threats and now COVID-19. However, we are fortunate to have the space to stay at home and still stay active with walking and swimming. We are both busy working and volunteering for nonprofits in our community, and see our four grandchildren whenever we can. Marian Garin O'Neal: We all had, or will soon have, milestone birthdays this year. Mine was going to be a fun art excursion with my sister and three friends for a week in a lovely adobe in Santa Fe in June. Nope. We've decided that 71 is an even better milestone to celebrate, so our trip is still on in 2021. Happy
ALUMNAE class notes
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birthday to you all, and congratulations on (patiently) achieving 70! 69
The Class of 1969 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf ’08, Assistant Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue! 70
Marie Cantin
rapideye101@aol.com
Bridget Baker Ashton: I am at the crossroads of retiring or not. I’m obviously not working in France now nor anywhere. I am still heartbroken I could not go to our reunion. I miss you all. For myself, I have volunteered to be a contact tracer so
will see what happens. The need to sequester versus the need to do something is making me crazy, but overall I am doing well. My son is working from home since he is in L.A. They closed the pool where I live so I ordered a kiddie pool from Amazon and sit in it listening to audiobooks. I am returning to my childhood and am doing Van Gogh paint by number—hilarious since I realized I needed to buy a magnifying glass lamp to see the numbers. I hope all of you and your families are well. Iris Brewster-Cusimano: I am grateful for the gathering of old friends for our 50th reunion. It was a love fest! The memories of the weekend helped carry the uncertainties of COVID-19 to softer ground. It was wonderful to see Belinda Beckett , who regaled me with hysterical stories of our Latin class of four with Sister Rosario. Loved spending time with Candace Murtland Grant We are so fortunate to have these girlhood friends with such good memories, even when some of those memories have caused us discomfort. Be well. Be blessed. Maryedith Smith Burrell: What the past six months has taught me: 1) I can't sew a face mask. 2) The best time to start a medical diet is when you cannot even dream about going out to a restaurant. 3) My dog is the reincarnation of Marc Bolan. 4) Ammonia can clean anything. 5) So can vinegar. 6) New Zealand makes organic hand sanitizer that comes in a cream! 7) Quarantine is a great way to discover who can be still and who cannot. 8) There are worse things than having to stick close to home during an Appalachian spring. 9) If paperwork is piling up in my office I will do anything—even attempt
installing Apple TV—to avoid filing. 10) Ten minutes on a vibration machine is the equivalent of a brisk 30-minute walk. 11) Theatre doesn't work on Zoom. 12) Neither does group meditation. 13) But the waiting time for a doctor televisit is less than for a regular one. 14) I still don't want to finish reading Educated. 15) It takes trying to homeschool your own children to finally value a teacher. 16) When you cannot work and have been stuck inside your house for more than a week, time morphs into an endless Thursday. 17) My next-door neighbors are angels. 18) It's going to take more than a "Black Lives Matter" sign on the front lawn to fix things. 19) American entropy is real. Marie Cantin: Welcome to the surreality show called 20-Twenty. As if a global pandemic isn’t bad enough, let’s add BLM activism, the plight of climate refugees, immigration in all its forms, pathological lying, the threat of economic instability, reactionary politics around the world, foreign interference with our electoral process, etc. So yes, all these issues prey on my mind, but what outweighs everything for me is the loss of my dear mother, Pauline. For the last four years, I commuted between L.A. and Monterey to look after her, and now that she’s gone I feel completely unmoored. She died six days before our reunion. Being with cherished classmates at that sad time was such a blessing. Truth is I kind of enjoy this imposed “time out” because it allows for meaningful periods of reflection. What is ultimately important in my life? Family. Friends. Creativity. Intelligent dialogue. A commitment to mindfulness. Letting go of things over which I have no personal control. To borrow an idea from Jane Sweetland ’s friend Gabrielle Griswold, thinking is good, but worrying is pointless. Mary Firth: Had it not been for the reach-out from Julie Henshaw last year, encouraging me to attend Reunion, I would not have had travel arrangements in place for the period of time that ultimately became a family reunion to say goodbye to Dad. A life well-lived—100 years, 6 months, and 11 days—drew to a close on March 14, amidst a worldwide pandemic that shut down our 50th high school reunion! The irony, but also the amazing grace of Dad's life, was his birth during one pandemic (1919) and his death of natural causes even as another pandemic closed in around us. The closeness of the Class of ’70 has been like that of a big family, sharing the intimacy of everyday life in the dorms. As a transfer day student, I could appreciate your closeness even if I
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Members of the Class of 1970 during Reunion Weekend
wasn't a direct recipient. However, I've been a benefactor of your joie de vivre through the years. Your warmth and generosity of spirit were a great comfort during some difficult moments. Sr. Mary Kieran was clearly a visionary when establishing Santa Catalina. I wish I could have met her. The Dominicans have always been known for their charism of teaching. The Ed and Mary Elzea Trust Fund made it possible for me to attend Catalina because of their strong belief in a Catholic education provided by the Dominicans. The disappearance of the Dominican habit had the same effect as Dad's passing. An era ended. Relationships changed. New chapters had begun. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. Joan Pettley Govedare: Here on Whidbey Island, our six acres of forest and my pottery studio definitely served me well during the three full months that I was on total lockdown. I produced 15 lidded pieces in a series I’m calling “Contained.” Now I’m back to work part-time at a naturopathic clinic. Our daughter has been holed up with her boyfriend and they made a delightful video about designing custom 3D-printed playgrounds for their four baby chickens. We’re having an unusually rainy summer, so working on pottery is just fine for entertainment and stimulus. Dancing to George Duke’s live Japan concert regularly has been my favorite thing during this pandemic. I keep in very regular touch with Marion Toms, which is rewarding. Candace Murtland Grant: Thoughts on COVID-19: From the housekeeping perspective, once you open something (ketchup, your favorite face cream), find another for the pantry. Personally, we do not need all that we think we need. Keep it simple. However, I'd love a massage. Julie Henshaw: This has been a very disappointing year so far. There was so much to look forward to—our 50-year reunion, and a trip to Paris with my best childhood friend, Hilary Wickersham Clark ’71. Hilary and I had been planning this trip since we were 13. Then a trip to Chile with Luis that we had one-way tickets for. All canceled. On the other hand, l have a huge amount to be grateful for. Luis and I have been happily married for eight years now. We live in a nice little enclave in Oakland, where we lived 35 years ago in the house next door. We are both retired from our respective hospitals so don’t need to put ourselves at risk of exposure. I’m enjoying my frequent “distancing” walks and talks with Rosy Henze, Mary Lou Thiercof, and Hilary, and long phone conversations with Katy. Looking forward to some long walks with Jane Sweetland at Tahoe in August. Rosy and I are applying for volunteer positions as contact tracers at Contra Costa Health Services, which is where I retired after 30 years of service. I think Rosy and I will be very good at this and hopefully we will make a difference. I hope you all are staying well and being careful. Rosemary Henze: I've been cooking a lot lately, and want to share a simple recipe for apple almond cake. It's actually my revision of a very common apple cinnamon cake that you've probably run across at some point. But I think the almond flavor really gives it a nice twist; almost reminds me of Linzer torte but without so many calories! This one has no butter at
all. When the news is really bad, as it is every day, make this and share it with others. Please stay healthy! (If anyone is interested in the recipe, please contact Marie Cantin at rapideye101@ gmail.com and she will send it to you!) Lindsay Wills Hutton: I treasure the memories of our reunion as the world turns upside down. They are like little bursts of joy that chase away the sadness and fear. The gatherings at the homes of Suzanne Saunders Shaw, Cara Coniglio, and Leslie Redlich Cockburn wrapped us in warm hugs as friends came and went. Their generosity gave us the space to catch up, eat, and remember how blessed we are to have each other. Luckily, we fit in enough hugs and kind words to make the next few months of isolation bearable. Alan and I are fortunate to be isolating these summer months on a small island north of Toronto. We have been enjoying beautiful weather, warm waters, and bountiful wildlife. I am making terrible sourdough bread, growing a ponytail, and trying to catch the gopher who is getting fat in my garden. I also am trying to be patient with my three adult children living with us who have extreme rules involving masks, gloves, and Lysol wipes for off-island activities, of which there are very few allowed. It is a wonder I managed to get to this great old age without all their advice! I was able to meet and hold my grandson (4 months) this week for the first time. Grandma is back babysitting him and his brother (3). My very best wishes go out to all the ladies who joined in some or all of the reunion activities, and to those who were there in spirit. Shannon Gregory Mandel: Certainly, we all agree we are living in unprecedented times. Trying to stay informed and calm amidst all the upheaval is a challenge. Myself, I try to focus on what I call the collateral blessings: time to slow down, reflect, simplify, and prioritize. My hope is that the experiences of this pandemic will bring healing and a universal commitment to take better care of each other and our planet. Love and my best wishes to you. Tina Hansen McEnroe: I hope this finds you all navigating through these challenging times successfully, and it is my prayer that we can all reunite again soon, once it is declared safe to do so! A highlight for me this year has been the publication of my second children’s book, Finding Isabella’s Voice, based on another true story at my 1869 Pleasant Valley schoolhouse. I will be donating books to Santa Catalina Lower School, and would be very happy to gift each of you with a book to give your grandchildren, friends, or other family members. If interested, please email me at tinahansenmcenroe@gmail.com and I will mail one or more of these books to you. Patricia McNamara: Have been running here and there on some projects trying to get some homes for sale. I am so glad that I went up to the reunion even though it got canceled. It was amazing to see all of you. What a blast if only for one night. It is funny how our children are starting to lay the law down for us. I had strict instruction to get home ASAP. It was fun texting everyone! My two trips with UCLA have been officially canceled as of today. I am trying to keep working out even though the gym is closed. Oh, by the way, I was one of those who went to the gym twice while they were open. I
figured that since I had worked on HIV and AIDS patients while I was a dental hygienist that I could figure out a good protocol. I did my hour Zumba class with six people in the class and social distancing of 15 feet. As soon as class was over, we had to leave and go immediately out! I had a large black trash bag over my seat in the car and I sprayed sanitizer everywhere. I went home, took my clothes off, showered, and did the wash! But it was so worth it to hear the music and be with people. My grandkids are doing OK, but I have definitely seen the effect that this is having on them! It makes me so sad, but I have to stay positive. I am just so thankful that everyone is safe and healthy. Piper McNulty: Missed seeing those who gathered for the 2020 reunion! Don’t know about you all, but I am getting sick of Zoom meetings, but it would be great to see everyone one way or the other. Life has not changed much for us here in Cupertino/Carmel much since shelter in place began. Wish we could say the same for all the essential workers out there having to take risks to pay the rent! And fortunately our grandson, Niko (3), is too young to be missing school, and we have formed a four-household germ-pod—cousins and grandparents, all within about 20 minutes of each other, and all following the same strict guidelines. Most of my day is taken up with making masks for farmworkers, indigenous groups, and others without the resources to buy their own PPE. I got connected to Auntie Sewing Squad, a take-noprisoners Facebook group of mostly L.A.-based Asian-American women. I am also working with our local 350.org chapter on Get Out the Vote and direct action against fossil fuel enablers. Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. Suzanne Saunders Shaw: Thanks for the recent history piece on the unforgettable, irreplaceable Coniglio's Med Market. Never knew about the Doris Day film that featured it. I will always remember the wholesome warmth generated by both Phil and Mama Carla—R.I.P. I'm hoping that all of our remarkable classmates and their families have been able to escape the ravages of this dreaded pandemic. Yet in naively hoping for the best, I realize that may be too tall an order to press. Many of you are involved personally or with loved ones serving selflessly in the medical field, and my heart is full of gratitude and awe for the services you're providing. All wars teach us that the casualties spread far beyond our immediate perspective. And it's likely we'll suffer consequences well beyond the next decade. So with that daunting view, I feel nostalgic and tear-eyed remembering our unofficial, wonderful little Catalina non-reunion get-together last March. This strange new world with COVID-19 has changed our norms immeasurably. Without doubt, it's been the second most other-worldly and stressful four months I've known. (The first remains the death of my marriage.) This state of weirdness is different and full of eerie sensations. The days do pass, the sun sets and rises, but life and time feel oddly frozen. Feelings of isolation are probably more pronounced among people like myself, who live alone. I'm not depressed. I just feel out of it. Any regret I might harbor about not being able to travel, hug friends, or even go out to dinner
ALUMNAE class notes
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dissolves instantly in the face of so many others' relentless pain. This is the only war I've really known and I know I have to find a way to help—PPE logistics, food banks, childcare, tutoring, volunteering. There are many ways to serve and I'm getting ideas. I've spent the month of July in north Idaho and I'm seeing first-hand how random people are stepping up. I look forward to hearing how all my Catalina friends are doing. Molly Asche Smith: COVID-19 months have been surreal here. We have low cases but are leery of this beast. We are seeing both the worst and the most amazing aspects of human behavior. I am taking delight in the simple and real details of daily life. Spending most of the time with family and friends. We are so fortunate to be close to mountains and lakes that provide lots of opportunities to enjoy the summer. We just spent a wonderful four days with our kids and grandkids. Filled my heart with joy and hope. I do worry about the way this pandemic is revving up. I wish you all good health and happiness. Neville Penney Susich: So great to see Marie’s pictures of all of you who were able to gather in March as our world began to lock down. Class of 1970, ever beautiful, 50 years on! I hope you and your loved ones are well and safely sheltering. In this season of heartbreaking losses, wrenching unrest, and global uncertainties, it feels like a giant time out where we've all been sent to our rooms and have no choice but to come to a full stop. For me, the silver lining has been time to reflect, reassess, and reach out, and to clean out closets, sort decades of family pictures, read (My Brilliant Friend, Save Me the Plums, A Gentleman in Moscow), garden, cook (eat!), hike, cut Bob’s hair, binge-watch (Homeland, Unorthodox, Broadchurch), revert to ponytail days, shop online, play Scrabble online, Zoom (with friends and family, for yoga, and for Get Out the Vote meetings), listen to podcasts (Fresh Air, The Daily, This American Life) on early morning walks, social distance in the backyard or in the neighborhood, watch the news. Rinse and repeat! Jane Sweetland: I have not learned to cut my own hair and now sport a ponytail about one inch long that protrudes out of the little hole at the back of a cap that I wear when I swim in the lake, which I try to do every day. Like Julie Henshaw, I've never used color so my little sprig of a ponytail is whatever color you choose to call it. I say platinum, but I'm putting on airs. It's probably aluminum. I wear a mask, which neighbors and friends made for me so I could use them for style points, but I don't because I just use the one at hand. I did find the silver lining on the mask thing: I was buying some beer and was asked for my ID! Of course, I laughed. What do I miss? Hugs. Hands. The easy comfort of being with my children and their babies. Gene, Haley's son, turned 1 in May. Mara, Nick's daughter, turns 1 in August. I miss them. I miss being able to hold my mother's hand and attention as we tell each other stories. I miss my friends, who heal wounds and amplify joys. I miss seeing you all, but I can be glad for the moments a few of us had together in Carmel in March and I look forward to seeing you all again. Mary Lou Thiercofs: Twenty-twenty is the year we will never forget. Instead of heading
down to Carmel for our long-awaited 50th reunion, like many, I sheltered in place on March 10. I am grateful for my health and ability to walk for miles and miles every day on the trails with my dog and immerse myself in the beauty of the East Bay Regional Parks. I have two friends in my “walking bubble” and they are both old roommates from Catalina, Julie Henshaw and Cathy Henderson. I appreciate the essential workers at my markets who shop for me or deliver to my door, as well as the farmers and fishermen supplying the food. I am lucky I can easily “shop” for veggies in my backyard—tomatoes, tons of lettuces, arugula, squash, herbs, and kale. Then I have to thank the goats for all their hard work over the last five weeks in the Oakland Hills behind my house as California braces for fire season amid this pandemic. Oakland’s grazing program makes a huge difference. Meanwhile, back at my desk, I am advocating for the small businesses in the tourism hubs around S.F. Bay, part of sfonthebay.com, with an ongoing digital marketing campaign letting folks know who’s open with stories about their unique restaurant and shop experiences. We are all trying to keep each other going in this new virtual world, hoping one day business will return.
Marion Toms: We, husband Barry and I, have been staying at home, keeping away from the general public and any sort of normal social life. I have been working in my ceramic studio a lot and doing some sewing, too. I finally finished a long-term quilting project which is satisfying. I have made dozens of masks for friends and family. My main exercise has been hiking, but I have been having some pain under my heel so now I have gotten back on my bike a bit. We have been cooking at home together and I have been baking, but not too much more than usual. I have been doing Zoom yoga with my longtime instructor and having Zoom meetings for a book club. The potters guild I am part of will have its first Zoom meeting next week. My older daughter, Alana, and her boyfriend are coming down here (after COVID-19 tests) to stay for a week to celebrate my birthday. Our very old dogs are still keeping us entertained, but my dear old studio cat, Kiwi, disappeared recently, surely thanks to one of the two coyotes that had been making regular visits. I am heartsick at the state of our country and feel somewhat powerless to contribute to change, though I do small things when I can. I miss seeing friends and going to classes. I miss dinners out and easy quick stops to pick up fresh foods for dinners at home. I am grateful for texts and FaceTime calls with our daughters and distant friends. I am glad to have learned how to have Zoom meetings. We are deeply grateful to have our home and property with space, trees, and views. Diana Whitesides: I have tried to widen my text and email circles during this sheltering. The Whitesides clan is most concerned for our brother, Tuck, having just finished chemo and radiation. Sister-in-law Beverly is bedridden in Mississippi. Prayers and good intentions are welcome on their behalf. Everything else in my world now is about gratitude: living near wilderness and beach; good friends to hike and swim with; paychecks arriving despite the school shut-down; and good health to tackle all the
landscaping projects at school and home. My hope is for the healing of the nation. It begins with each of us. Love, love, love to all of you! Susan Woods: We're doing great! Johannes loves this new reality. He is getting so much done without constant useless meetings and people dropping by for a chat. He has also networked with so many more people who now Zoom. No more long-distance flights and conferences. I'm playing tennis three or four times a week and swimming. The film festival, the Indie Film Series, is on hold. I feel a bit adrift and unmotivated. I have no idea what the future holds. We had our family vacation on Lake Michigan. Tatia and John flew out from Flagstaff. Max is now living with us, and Pippa, the joy of our family, came along. We had a fabulous family time, fishing, swimming, cooking meals, playing games, and walking the beach. Nancy Woolf: I am being babysat by my children. Annie calls regularly on her drive home from hospital in Arlington, VA. Philip and his fiancé spent about three months at my house organizing drop-offs and pick-ups so I don’t need to ever leave home. Then they drove from Bellingham, WA, to Salt Lake City to live on the side of a mountain. Next up came my daughter Jane ’04, boyfriend Jeff, and their dog, Seda. They’ll be in and out until mid-September when they return to Nashville. First, Jane has to complete the John Muir trail. That leaves me trying to remain healthy enough for an islet cell transplant sometime in the future at UCSF. Currently, I am in Fresno visiting my parents. We all wear masks and don’t mind it at all. Pamela Zucker: I had a trip to Italy last fall—five fabulous weeks! First three weeks I traveled with a friend who used to live in Italy. We started in Milan, took the train to Rapallo, went down to Lucca, spent a week wandering around Tuscany, and some time in Rome! The last two weeks were spent in Sicily, where I joined my usual tour group. Of course, this year’s travel plans were canceled/postponed. I started off the year trying to add some new activities (Pilates and mah-jongg) to my usual (race committee, yoga, gym, hiking, and group bike rides), but all quickly came crashing down with the health crisis. Right now, my major activity is walking. Since the governor closed the state down, I’ve walked over 350 miles to date (mid-July). I’ve cleaned closets, updated trust documents, done some genealogical searches, and a couple of sewing projects. It’s tough being single during this time; I miss all the interpersonal activities. I so enjoyed our reunion in the spring; it was fun to see and catch up with everyone. I’ll look forward to the second part sometime in the future.
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DeDe Rogers dede.rogers@comcast.net Patty Lee Schminke patricia.schminke@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
72
Suzanne
Scoville Sederholt
suzanne.scoville@gmail.com
Karen List Letendre: Like all of you, I am sheltering in place at home, and in my case, it is in Carmel. I've luckily had some socially distant walks with some Catalina classmates, such as Julie Hobbs Bryan, and have been in touch with Bev Winters Marx, Tena Dunaway Farr, Marian Donovan Corrigan, Ginger de Lorimier Howard, Jalynne Tobias Redman, Joan Maze Miles, and Donna Kolb, among others. My twin sister, Kim List Caneer, and I have been able to see each other fairly frequently too. My Stanford travel/study assignment to Spain and Portugal in May was canceled, and the future of the program is in flux as the COVID-19 virus makes any kind of domestic or international travel impossible for the foreseeable future. We got in a short visit with our three Santa Barbara grandkids (16, 12, 10), and hope to see our Seattle grandkids (17, 16, 15) sometime later this summer. I'm taking this time to pause and reflect on my life, with gratitude and thanks for my health, family, friends, and how much Santa Catalina and my time there means to me. Can't believe our 50th reunion is coming up soon! Perla Armanasco Gray: I am using this shelter in place time to re-tile my kitchen floor and assemble a new office chair in
my N.Y.C. apartment. While this is a challenge, it’s keeping me busy and productive. Suzanne Scoville: Here in CT, my husband and I are helping with the local animal shelter and doing our own gardening. Tending a vegetable patch means we go to the supermarkets less and enjoy healthier eating! Be safe everyone and keep supporting one another as Santa Catalina alums always do! Louise Harris: I am still working half-time as a social work supervisor at my nonprofit agency, where I have been for many years. We shifted immediately to remote and telehealth work, very successfully despite many bumps along the way. I like having more time to do projects at home and I’ve been trying my hand at cooking, vegetable and herb gardening, and pursuing my alternative health and New Age interests. I even have tried making face masks with my mom’s old sewing machine. (That is still a work in progress for sure!) We feel fortunate during so much global disaster to live in a great place with easy access to the outdoors. It has certainly been a season for learning and growing and stretching my mind around so much change and evolution. And sending prayers that this will somehow produce much-needed transformation where it is needed.
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Barbara Smith O’Brien beob2110@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
74Sally Fay calgal75@aol.com
We are living in a time the likes of which we have never seen nor could have imagined! Not surprisingly, when I asked our classmates how they are doing and if there was anything positive about COVID-19, the familiar light of Catalina’s values of gratitude, strength, family, friends, and service shone right on through! Perrin Weston Coman: Like everyone else (I hope), my husband, Chase, and I have adapted to the necessary rules and regulations to stay safe and to keep others safe. We haven't been able to visit our daughter, Emerson, since January. She's up in Tacoma, WA, starting her senior year at the University of Puget Sound, majoring in psychology. She's also working five days a week as a trained counselor with a child on the autism spectrum. I retired from my business, Carlsbad Art Farm, a couple of summers ago and have turned my attention since to fiction writing. I'm working with a great Zoom writers group at the moment. Fiction writing is very different from print journalism (my profession for 18 years), and I'm loving it. I still have an assortment of animals that includes goats, chickens, a rabbit, and two farm dogs. Every Saturday, my extended family grabs a drink and sits down for the “Family Pandemic Zoom Cocktail Hour.” It would be fun to do a Zoom chat with this group. Anyone interested can email me at ipweston@rocketmail. com. Hope all of you are healthy and hanging in there. Tricia Lungren Partridge: I continue to enjoy living in Carmel, IN, having relocated from California two years ago. The primary motivator was to live close to my two sisters after having lived so far apart for many years. I am enjoying a lower cost of living and find the people exceedingly warm and hospitable, for which the Midwest is correctly known. My sisters and I are having a blast together. After doing more traditional nursing and some health coaching in CA, I am now focused on an integrative health coaching practice. Recently, I completed Duke Integrative Medicine's Integrative Health Coaching Professional Training Course and have nearly completed Duke's certification course. Integrative health coaching utilizes a holistic approach toward achieving a sustained health behavior change. As a coach, I help people realize their optimal health vision. In light of COVID-19, I want to help people avoid developing chronic illnesses or at least better manage them. I spent three weeks in July visiting my son and family in Larkspur, CA, and my youngest son and family in Palos Verdes, CA. I now have four grandchildren, ranging from 4 months to 4 years. My daughter, Adrienne Partridge ’99, continues to love living in Mexico City, has become more fluent, and enjoys a successful practice as a professional leadership coach. Unfortunately, traveling out of Mexico to the U.S. has been challenging during COVID-19. One of the nicest parts of the pandemic was re-connecting with so many of the Class of ’74 via
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Katalina Villareal ’20, granddaughter of Charlotte Perry White ’72
Tricia Lungren Partridge ’74 with her son and grandchildren
Zoom happy hour. Thanks to Kathy Trafton for making that happen! It made me feel more grateful for loved ones and friends I was kept from seeing in person, but also for the re-connections I made during the shutdown. Jeanne Vibert Sloane: I have been enjoying a variety of freelance projects, including a six-month curatorial stint at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, where I sorted out their silver collection in preparation for a permanent gallery installation that will open sometime in the future. Now, in COVID-19 isolation, I can work part-time from home and have been specializing in appraisals for gifts to museums. Alex and I fled N.Y.C. in mid-March and have been living in a little cottage on a wooded property on Long Island. If truth be told, I am playing a fair amount of golf and learning about birds and other non-urban phenomena. I have also discovered that there are no fewer than five Catalina alums living nearby! One exciting piece of news is that my sister, Laurie Vibert Schofield ’72, has a new grandson and he (with parents) is moving to Connecticut. So for the first time in 45 years, I will have a relative nearby!
Olava Menczkowska: As the world goes digital, I am striving to keep my work viable in a connected and artistic manner. Even though I am enjoying the novelty of Zoom and FaceTime, I hope this will only be temporary or an intermittent teaching tool. I hope everyone is well and safe, optimistic, and supported. Time to rest, reflect and reset, not to mention reinvent. Barbara Gault: I applaud Kathy Trafton for organizing the Zoom calls. Great way to rekindle our class connections. I’m fine and moved in with Dad in Greenbrae; relearning how to cook, clean, launder, and multi-task. I will be 65 in December (with Susan Bowen Osen) and going gray. I won’t be traveling to any mountains this year! Cherie Pettit Arkley: I will repeat what Rob and I were talking about this morning: Has COVID-19 been a bummer? Yes, but there have been so many dividends! Cooking almost every night. Catching up on so many movies, getting killer fashion masks. I have noticed people are funnier, nicer, and no traffic! All in all, it has been a net positive. Wendy Tayler: In October, I will celebrate living in Costa Rica for 30 years. I spend most of my time in my studio silk painting. I have clients and collectors all over the world. Meghan Markle has one (a reproduction, but my art nonetheless). Riding my horse is my other passion and caring for a tiny lot I purchased to garden again. I still miss my farm after five years in a townhouse. My five children are spread out; only one is in Costa Rica for now. I miss visiting them (especially the grandbabies) with this darn COVID-19 business. Two pups, a cat, beach walks, sunsets, jungle adventures. I can’t complain! Susie Dragge Icaza: In the midst of the pandemic I have had the remarkable good fortune to stay well, sell a house, buy a house, remodel a house, and welcome a new grandbaby to our family. I am incredibly fortunate that I have resources. I strongly encourage my classmates and the broader Santa Catalina community to consider values we shared as part of a Catalina education: kindness, empathy, compassion. Vote for change. As well, please
consider a gift to support the education of young people and young women who will lead us into a brighter future. Kathy Trafton: I’m doing well. Here’s a pandemic silver lining: I’m so happy to reconnect with so many 1974 classmates! After California’s shelter-in-place orders went into effect, I started inviting everyone for weekly Zoom happy hours, and so many happy connections were re-established. Sometimes I invite classmates to virtual events about everything from “Civility” to “The Black Plague” to a visit to the Louvre—it’s an adventure. Angela Tirrell: Sending love and hope that you are finding tranquility and positives. Fortunately, despite some tedium of sheltering, my beautiful large fruit tree-filled garden allows for safe visits with friends, colleagues, and neighbors, so social connection continues. I've received more commissions for paintings which are the labels for wines from a respected (and fun) winemaker in New Zealand—and hoping to revisit once we Americans are accepted back by the Kiwis! Have almost completed a cool weird words mural (cartoony and upbeat, with images of animals and nature sprinkled in) on a tall wall of my house—to encourage curiosity about and love of our complex language and inspire careful use of words. My work reflects topical concerns and encourages reflection about the complex issues which occupy our hearts and minds. My paintings are also expressions of compassion and prayers for healing. My hope is to create large social/ecological justice murals of abstract textural nature internationally once we can travel. Cindy Bondesen Grier: I was in N.Y.C. in January visiting friends, and very grateful as I don’t know when I’ll next get to go. We were in Gasparilla Island, FL, in late February. We were supposed to be in New Orleans over Easter, and of course had to cancel that and an N.Y.C. trip in May due to the virus. But Andy and I did have a really nice couple of months being home together, laying low. He was working, but not traveling, which was super nice, and I got to cook for my family, so before I knew it, I was using all my Ina Garten cookbooks and watching her Instagram video recipes! Bike riding, walking, and reading made for a quiet summer. It’s a time of real gratitude for health and blessings. Hope everyone is well. Randi Stroud Fisher: Been sheltering with lots of family around, which has been such a blessing! With Bob as my sous chef, we have perfected some culinary delights, and my waistline proves it. Lots of hiking, biking, and fishing as antidotes to the sad times we face. My mom (96) did survive the dreaded COVID-19—a true lesson in fortitude. I’m still working in the environmental sector, especially promoting youth engagement in the outdoors. Lots to do, but feeling optimistic!
Martha Winans Slaughter: Besides having time and space for reflection and gratitude for simple joys and activities, family, and friends, reconnecting with my members of the Class of ’74 through Zoom has been such a gift! It has been wonderful to re-establish contact with so many classmates. We really haven’t changed that much, and our years together were truly formative ones.
Elizabeth Gaver Thedens: We are doing well and feel very fortunate to live in Norway. I had several trips and concerts canceled last spring, but
have enjoyed playing every day with Hans-Hinrich at home. We have been streaming short music sessions every Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. (8:00 a.m. PST) and you can check out Feleboga on Facebook and YouTube! I played four concerts this summer in northern Sweden and Denmark, and we were in Germany for 10 days. Mattias has started his second year at the Norwegian State Academy of Music, and after studying online since March, he is happy to meet his friends in person again. Hans-Hinrich is able to work at home, and I’m enjoying lunch and walks together. I had hoped to visit my mother in April, but we meet often on Zoom and Skype. Peggy McDonnell Vance: Our daughter, Clare, married Nat Kelner in a micro-wedding at the very end of May at our farm in upstate New York. It was astoundingly beautiful, intimate, and perfect. Carol Golden Björndahl: Like most other people, I’m bored of being stuck at home; even if we don’t have official lockdown here in Sweden, we’re encouraged to minimize movement and keep our distance. So far so good, since no one that I know has caught this nasty bug. You would think that with all this time on my hands, my house would be sparkling clean, the books all cataloged, and my novel written. So there’s very little to report from the northern provinces. I wish I could have participated in the Zoom calls that Kathy Trafton organized. It would have been fun to catch up with everyone. Sally Fay: As many of you know, I took a trip to Patagonia (mainly the Chilean side) in March, and proceeded to get stuck there because of the pandemic! I did make it back home, but needless to say, it was some journey. Since getting back on March 23, I haven’t seen any of my children except for our weekly Zooms and a lot of phone calls and FaceTimes in between. I have spent most of my time in Woodside, CA, alongside my mother (96). What I have been most surprised by during the pandemic is the intimacy that Zoom calls strangely provide. Whether it be with classmates, friends, or family, a speaker series or campaign event, who knew how essential technology would be to bring us together at a time when we can’t be in the same room. Thanks to all our classmates who sent in their updates!
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Deanna (Dede) Duoos Davis deanna.davis@yahoo.com We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
76Margaret Ganz itstartsat50@hotmail.com
Megan Bittner-Lastinger: Our daughter Emily ’06 had her first child, Emmett, last year, and I am lucky enough to be with him two days of every week. In 2019, I traveled to the San Juan Islands in July to celebrate my 60th birthday with family and then to Peru for three weeks in the late fall to study fiber arts with a women’s group and hike Machu Picchu. Then 2020 hit and the brakes were put on. The silver lining has been spending time with my husband, Ron. Who knew you could still learn new things about your best friend after 38 years together? Nancy MacGregor Bennetts: In September 2019, Kathleen Rosenauer Henriques, Leslie Miller Schemel, and I, with our husbands, got together for a little reunion. We spent a few days in Portland and a few days at the beach and had a fabulous time staying up past midnight just yakking away. It was as though we just picked up where we left off. Catherine Lambetecchio: I have been on the front lines with this COVID-19. It has changed all of our lives. God bless my classmates. Tessa Wilcox: I am happy about my garden and the many small and simple things I can enjoy at home. Maya, my daughter, is a junior in high school this fall, and Artsource continues to be good and interesting.
Andrea Csaszar: I opened Camp Bow Wow in November and all was going well until COVID-19 hit. It has been slow going but the business has picked up. I always said once I retired and stopped traveling all the time, I would get a dog. I now have Rio (1) and Zsa Zsa (5 months). Both are Portuguese Water Dogs. The great thing is I get to take them to camp every day. Tutuy Escamez de Guerra: My family is growing fast; I now have eight grandchildren. Six of them are under the age
of four. My ninth grandchild is due in September in Madrid, Spain. My daughter’s husband is a doctor and spent all three months of the Spanish COVID-19 crisis on the front lines at the hospital. Pam Anderson-Brulé: I have been very lucky to have my entire family living across the globe, safe and sheltered in place. My daughter, Isabel, moved from Paris to Amsterdam and has launched her professional life with a wonderful e-commerce company that is thriving. My firm volunteered to help Santa Catalina plan a safe opening, and I have enjoyed working with such dedicated people. Linda Abston Larsen: I have kept active during the pandemic with a lot of hiking in some beautiful spots around Walnut Creek, clocking in about 15 to 25 miles a week. I also did a lot of biking. The very exciting news: My son, Preston, and his wife are having a baby boy in September 2020. Lorie Dillingham Rosenwald: I have been keeping up with a few classmates— Cynthia Willoughby Haueter, Patty Gorostiza de Felton, and Janie Goodrich Snowden —via FaceTime. Lore Childs Macdonald: I am now the happy grandmother of my second grandchild. Paula Capozzi Humphries: I am doing great in Kelowna, BC, and have been working at my local YMCA. Last October, I went to Tunisia for a month to visit my cousin (84) who lives there and got to do some traveling with her. As for me, Marge Ganz , I’m living in and loving Coronado, CA.
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Julie Power Pantiskas juliepantiskas@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue! 78
Elizabeth Stelow DiNunzio liz@dinunzio.com
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Deirdre Smith dsmith7123@sbcglobal.net
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
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Dana DePuy Morgan danamorgan@mac.com
Dana DePuy Morgan: After more than 10 years as Director of Development and Alumnae Relations, I resigned from Wycombe High School in early June. Since then I have been loving the unemployed life working in the garden, deep cleaning the house, volunteering with homebound elderly, exercising, and best of all, sleeping in! My next project is researching prefab eco-friendly homes, planning permission, and land nearby as we want to downsize. My eldest, Emily (22), recently completed a master’s in scriptwriting and works at Curzon Movie Theatres. Lilley (20) launched an Etsy shop (@lilleybeedesigns) and is creating handmade creations using recycled materials. Tim’s cybersecurity consultancy is going well. My thoughts and prayers are with all during this pandemic and the horrific wildfires affecting the country. On another note, our classmate Margot Leonard was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic melanoma in July. She has since had a successful surgery, is feeling great, and has no issues with treatment, but a long road of immunotherapy lies ahead. Margot, having spent her career in the food and hospitality industry, was out of work since March 14 due to COVID-19. She remains committed to her health-coaching clients and supporting them weekly. During her 21 years as a single parent, she has always been proud to work hard and make ends meet for herself and her son, Nick. She recently started work as a mail carrier for the USPS, walking 10-12 miles a day delivering letters, ballots, and smiles to those on her route. Her ability to keep up with monthly expenses, the now added out-of-pocket medical costs, and the unexpected costs of surgery and treatments have been very difficult. Margot needs financial support to help with medical costs that are not covered by insurance and living expenses which will provide a deeper sense of security. Your financial help and positive thoughts are going to get Margot through this like she faces everything: with laughter, love, and a great attitude. Please follow this link and share it with family and friends: https://gf.me/u/yjpg39. Thank you for your support. Joan Goodfellow Knetemann: This has been a year of growth for me. With the support of my Catalina sisters, my divorce was finalized in February 2019. By March, I had taken a nursing refresher course and an advanced course in hospice and palliative care. A few months later I started my new career with Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care in Colorado Springs. I love my work and am currently on our COVID-19 response team. I live alone with my Husky/ Shepherd mix, Buster Brown (1). My oldest son, Mike, and his wife, Sara, live an hour away and are expecting their first child in August! Jack lives in Brooklyn and is starting a new career as a middle school English teacher. Megan ’11 is working as a trauma counselor in the Boston area and lives in Cambridge. Last night I was reflecting on the
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Amy Niika Quistgard ’80
past year and I thought about Sister Mary Ellen telling us that being brave is not the easy way, but the right way. I think Catalina taught us all to be brave! Ames “Amy” Niika Quistgard: Settled in for the pandemic in beautiful, rural New Jersey, near the Delaware River where the road cycling and veggie gardening are grand. I continue to teach professionals who create, design, care for, and/or teach others how to “come to our senses” to gain skills and resources in ways that bring healing, elegant efficiency, and sensory delight. My son, Gabe (30), is working as a personal fitness mentor and coach while he moves toward acquiring new prosthetic equipment in hopes of walking away from his wheelchair soon. Mignon Stapleton: I am working as a teaching assistant for California Project Montessori School and love it. I changed from preschool to elementary, and it is a big difference. I have been dating a good man for a year now. We will see what happens. I still do art, photography, and sewing. Julie Lambert: It was a shame to miss seeing many of you for our reunion, though a hearty group of seven did gather for dinner at Carmel Valley Ranch in March just before the shelter in place orders went into effect. With all planned travel canceled, I am unable to add any stamps to my passport these days. Instead, I have been busy helping my clients weather the effects of a global pandemic, thereby “flunking” my attempts at early retirement! Even with the added contracts, I do feel blessed to have such easy access to both beaches and forests for daily hikes, and my garden has never been in better shape! After completing eight years as a volunteer for the National Panhellenic Conference, I have now committed to an officer rotation with the Oregon State University Alumni Association Board that will keep me busy until 2026!
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Lil McDonald Manthoulis maria.manthoulis@gmail.com Monica Stewart Baker moniker1963@aol.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
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Mindy Malisoff Siegel Baggett mbaggett@cox.net
Mindy Malisoff Siegel Baggett: Hello from sunny, hot Arizona. Love the summer months when the highs are 112 degrees and lows are 99 overnight. We are halfway through 2020 and I am ready to toss my planner for the rest of the year. I hope that you are all safe and healthy during this uncertain time of our lives. Fortunately, my health has been great; however, a social butterfly doesn’t do well during a quarantine. I am making it work with numerous virtual happy hours and a glass of wine talking to myself in the mirror on a regular basis. Work is keeping me extremely busy selling technology to schools since distance learning is the way our children will start the 20-21 school year. My daughter Jessica is working in Washington at the Department of Health. Do I need to say more? I hear so many stories, stats, and daily updates from around the country. She continues to remind me to stay in, stay healthy, and wash my hands 1,000 times a day. Betsy Black : All the same here in Wonderland, Aspen, CO. Healthy, semi-sane, busy as heck with everyone and their grandmother wanting to bring their germs to the mountains! Melody Bender King: Our youngest, Delaney, headed back to college last August for her senior year, and she and I did a girls’ road trip from CA to Bryn Mawr College in PA. We had a blast and planned to do the same after graduation this May. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree and honors in political science concentrating in American politics and environmental policy and a minor in history. Unfortunately, like so many other graduates, she had a virtual ceremony at home. After three months, we finally got permission to go back to her school to clean out her dorm room and get her little car. She and I are currently on the road headed back to CA via as many national parks as possible. When we went into lockdown in March, we had our oldest, Mackenzie, come from Chicago with her cat and shelter in place with us. Dee studied; Mackenzie taught dance classes via Zoom and ran her dance company, Moonwater Dance Project; Matthew took care of his clients through the ups and downs of the stock market; and I rebooked almost every wedding and event I had on my calendar for 2021. I’m enjoying the downtime to work on the house, the garden, and try all the recipes I have saved over
: I
spent the last few months Zooming with various classmates, but especially with and was the year I had the best fourth-grade class ever, and it broke my heart to not end the year in the classroom with them. Fortunately, they were an easy bunch to work with remotely. I have no idea
what to expect in the fall when school begins. I made an unexpected move to Berkeley in June and I am absolutely loving being able to ride my bike more. My folks are now 93 and 97 and they just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Because I spend so much time with them, I haven't participated much in the #BlackLivesMatter protests, but I am glad that awareness about systemic racism is growing. I was especially heartened to see the letter that Meg Bradley sent out in the wake of George Floyd's murder. It made me very thankful to be an alum. Deborah Petteway: I am still working in rural Alaska. I moved from Unalakleet in September to work for the same company, traveling to all the 15 villages in the more-thanremote northwest Alaska. COVID-19 has indeed been madness for us health care workers with a lot of extra hours and precautions; stayed on Little Diomede Island for 11 weeks instead of three due to COVID-19 and travel restrictions. Looking forward to life going back to normal. Kate Stockwell Hussey: Just trying to stay safe and getting out camping when we can. Thankfully all of my family are fine and have not been affected by COVID-19. Anne Frasse Stowe: In January, I started working for a friend’s hardwood flooring business in Solana Beach as the office manager and am enjoying it! Still living in Encinitas, and now with COVID-19 I have all the kids home, which has been terrific! Lucy ’16 just graduated (virtually) from Boston University with a degree in
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Mignon Stapleton ’80
Joan Goodfellow Knetemann ’80 with her new grandchild
Margot Leonard ’80
psychology with honors and cum laude and will be working as a lab manager at UC Irvine soon. Fox just finished his sophomore year (virtually while he quarantined with Aunt Peggy Frasse ’84) and is now home. His junior year in Japan has been changed to an online version for the fall, and hopefully things will open back up and he can spend the spring semester in Akita, Japan, as planned. Xander completed his junior year of high school online and is looking forward to his senior and last year of high school, however that may look! Our annual family vacation to Lake George was canceled due to COVID-19, which was a huge disappointment, but as they say, it is what it is. It has been a crazy few months but I remain positive and hopeful for us all. Stay healthy and be well.
Victoria Doggett: Thanks to Suzanne Linton Ver Schure, a group of us had ongoing Zoom meetings during the heart of the COVID shelter-in-place, and it was so heartwarming to see all of my beloved Catalina faces in their little boxes on my computer.
Tala Ibabao, Dina Nassar Guillen, Karen Welmas, Edith Keville, Nora Boyle Leaf, and of course, Suzanne were so much fun to talk to. While our Italian import company has been extremely busy (because we are an essential food business), not a lot has changed on a day-to-day basis, but every Saturday I have been playing my accordion in front of our garage, and it has been extremely rewarding. I have made new friends that I believe will last forever, and there has been a great sense of appreciation from neighbors and walkers who enjoy hearing live music and having a distraction from what is going on in the world and their lives at this time. Julia Janko Wong: We have been in Potomac, MD, for four years now. Matthew just completed his freshman year at Walt Whitman High School and Alexa completed sixth grade. Thankfully, we live in a
wonderful neighborhood and have managed to organize all sorts of safe, socially distant activities and celebrations to keep the community engaged and plugging along with faith and grace during this unprecedented and historic time. I find myself channeling much of what Santa Catalina imbued in us in order to help others remain positive—notes of encouragement in mailboxes, Friday night driveway waves, balloon bouquets on front lawns for birthdays, fundraisers for the front line workers, etc. The hope of being able to reunite in person keeps me smiling! Chrissy Bozzo Daily: This year has had many changes for me. I got divorced, and for me this has been the best thing. I'm happier than ever. Then shortly before COVID-19, I was promoted within my organization (YMCA) to membership director. At the moment I am furloughed, which I'm sure many of you can relate to. I was able to see Stacey Pruett Taddeucci a few months back while visiting family in Carmel. Visits with all you girls are always so fun. It's like we only saw each other yesterday. I also moved into a cute little cottage apartment, and living alone has been so peaceful. I love it. Despite all the chaos in the world, I have had a year of tremendous personal growth and it has been a good year for me. I hope this finds my classmates well and happy! Elizabeth Skinner Harney: Despite a herniated disc and COVID-19, the first half of 2020 was busy with selling real estate in Sacramento. Recently I participated in an entertaining Zoom happy hour with fellow classmates Dina Nassar Guillen, Colleen Duffy, Suzy Linton Ver Schure, Adrienne Marsh, and Catherine Dee. Precious are the friends that help you get through these uncertain times! I am looking forward to the next reunion.
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Kellen Flanigan
kellen@kellenflanigan.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
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Julie Moore Delany julie@bushwire.net
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Krysia Belza Logsdon
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
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Katharine Folger Yeager yeagerkbf@gmail.com
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Susan Smith Nixon snixon@starbucks.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
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Jennifer Pratt curgie@gmail.com
I (Jennifer Pratt) hope everyone is safe and healthy! Life here has been oh so interesting since the pandemic began—I’m sure you all can relate! I never really knew how much of an extrovert I was until I was stuck inside for weeks. Lots of texts and FaceTime calls with friends and family have been a saving grace. And Fiona Dabeny Grandi and I have been working out over the phone since early on in lockdown; love getting to chat and make snarky comments about the YouTube videos we use! Fiona and her family spent a lot of time in Montana during quarantine, and she got to visit Serena Bennett Padian and meet her new puppy Guinness on the way home. Gabriella and I are still in San Francisco and somehow seem to keep finding each other amusing. I get to see Jackie Sharpe Guy a lot more since she and Brian spend more time in Arizona; they just rescued “the best chocolate lab ever” named Molly who is in fact quite gorgeous! She says she is looking forward to a 50th birthday do-over (I am totally on board with this plan) in 2021! Michelle Oberle Odle: I am still living in Santa Clara with my family. My three sons are now 11, 13, and 17 and keep me plenty busy with their year-round baseball, soccer, water polo, and many other sports endeavors. Last June,
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Caroline Upton ’88 conducting COVID-19 tests
after 27 years of being a classroom teacher (the last 12 in kindergarten), I took the leap to become a vice principal at a local elementary school. I was pleased to learn that my tricks for wrangling kindergarten students also worked with adults! And thank goodness the colleagues I supported did not need reminders to keep their fingers out of their noses or to stop touching their neighbors. So, I hope to continue my work in administration as time creeps closer to retirement. On a totally different note, turning 50 this year was actually a lot of fun. I expected all my body parts to stop working but miraculously nothing of the sort happened. Aside from hardly being able to read the newspaper or a restaurant menu, I forge on and take this new decade in stride. Caroline Upton: I have been working on COVID-19 response since the Diamond Princess cruise ship on March 20, 2020. I went from that straight to Santa Clara, where I helped set up and run a federal medical site for COVID-19 patients. I then went home and quarantined for two weeks, and on my last day of quarantine, I started running Verily test sites in my county and have been doing that now for the last 12 weeks. In between all of this, I have been trying to train my USAR FEMA dog and see my family. That is me in a pandemic nutshell. Jenn Hees: I still live and work in Alameda and am single parenting Violet (16) and Johnny (11) while teaching second-graders. Gardening and yoga keep me somewhat sane, and so does the company of a big kitty named Birdy and a lazy ball python named Bananaman!
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Amy Paulsen apindc@yahoo.com
MN, in August and see what school looks like for the fall. And cue endless weeks that look exactly the same!
Kim Meek kmeekfi@gmail.com
The Class of 1990 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf ’08, Assistant Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.
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Amy Bacon Clausing amyclausing@me.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
Tamsin Foster Cope: We are surviving this weird time to the best of our ability. Home learning was not my forte, but I don't think my kids suffered too much. We were going to Boston tomorrow for my cousin's wedding but that's now been pushed a year, so our only plan this summer is a week in Devon by the sea. Our big news is we adopted a rescue dog named Layla. She's 4 years old and just a lovely girl. We've only had her a month so she's still getting used to us, but the kids are over the moon and I love the escape of going on walks. Fingers crossed the U.K. continues on the downward trend so the kids can go back to school safely in the fall. Jen Petersen: I met and fell crazy madly in love with a Jordanian man last June 2019, and have traveled twice to the country since then. We were engaged on the Red Sea in March 2020. Unfortunately, I had to cut my trip short due to COVID-19. I will be returning to Amman sometime later this year and will be living there for several months. My fiancé works as a security network engineer for Cisco Systems, and I will be working as a chef in one of the international hotels in Amman. Next fall we hope to hold our wedding in northern Jordan. My sad news is that I had to close my food truck and catering business due to increased overhead costs, so that has been very bittersweet for me. I have been a complete homebody since my return to the U.S. and spending lots and lots of quality time with my hound dog. Hugs to all of you ladies! Annabel Pratt Sims: After two years in Oxford, we are now back in the States. We have bought a house in Knoxville, where Hayley will be attending high school. Eliza will be returning to England in the fall to finish her last two years of University in London for international relations and environmental policy. Anyone with internship connections in the U.S. or U.K. would be amazing. Ewa Pietraszak : I am still teaching high school English and art remotely here in Los Angeles. I am also still a freelance painter and still live in the Santa Fe art colony near downtown and the Arts District. All shows have been postponed until October or 2021, depending on COVID-19 cases. Shannon Lambremont: Pre-COVID-19, I saw Jen Petersen when she visited me in Austin in March 2019 and Banks Staples Pecht in St. Helena in October 2019. Life in Austin is still fantastic as always, and I am grateful for my private anesthesia outpatient practice where I can make the rules rather than be in the hot zone in the big hospitals. My mom lives with me since my dad passed away five years ago. Her health is well, but she has her good days and bad days of missing him after more than 50 years of marriage. Daniela Bell: Not much going on here. Spending much of the summer in Maine because, well, it’s easier to social distance in Maine! And since everything is canceled, it’s easier to just go hiking or boating every day. But will return to St. Paul,
93
Galen Johnson galen.a.johnson@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
94
Heather Wasser Tabacco heatherwasser@hotmail.com
95
Catie Ryan Balagtas catieryan@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
96
Jenny Noble jnoble78@hotmail.com
Jenny Noble: We welcomed our daughter, Isabel, into the family, and her older brothers, Theo (7) and Gus (3), simply adore her. Three months after she was born, we moved to a fixer-upper that has been endlessly entertaining to transform. Kate Brinks Lathen: We just moved to Nashville
89
90
santa catalina / fall bulletin 65
Paige Finster Greenspan ’96 and her family
from San Francisco. We are really happy to be here, and it's fun to be near Marisa Adams Adair!
Paige Finster Greenspan: My family and I are doing well during this crazy time. Last spring, I definitely put my past teaching experience to use, and it looks like I will need it again in the fall! We are staying active and busy at home. We have spent countless hours at the beach and in the pool. I am grateful for the California sunshine and this pause in our busy schedules. I am trying to soak up as much of this time together as I can. It has also been fun to get through this with a fun text thread of girls from the Class of ’96. Miss each and every one of you! Stephanie Ostrom: My twins are going to be 23 in August, and they continue to make me the proudest mom. Josh is serving as a corporal in the United States Marine Corps. Matt is busy working as an auto mechanic and making ice cream for a local ice cream shop during the summer season. I am the proud auntie of three boys: Nash (21), Henry (3), and Beau (2). Henry and Beau are the sons of my sister, Lauren Ostrom ’98. I live in Massachusetts with my amazing husband, Jim, and our two dogs, Linus and Lucy. I am the middle school therapeutic/language-based special education teacher for a collaborative. This spring, I began training for my first half marathon. I am also busy in the ring training for a charity boxing match for Punch4Parkinsons, a local organization that trains people with Parkinson’s in non-contact boxing to help them battle the effects of this debilitating disease. Stay safe and healthy!
97
Morgan Rogers McMillan morganrogersmcmillan@gmail. com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
98Natalia Woodhall Chappelow nataliawoodhall@ yahoo.com
Natalia Woodhall Chappelow: My family and I have enjoyed our first two years in Austin, TX, welcoming my sister, Andrea Woodhall ’99, to the city this past fall. My daughter, Gwyneth (8), was enrolled in her first session of Summer at Santa Catalina, which was sadly canceled due to COVID-19. But we’re hopeful that she’ll get to enjoy all the fun next summer. Wishing everyone health and safety in the remainder of the year. Norma Marquez Martinez: After living in Mexico City for 10 years we are ready for our next move. This summer, my husband, four kids, and I will be moving to The Woodlands, TX (a suburb of Houston). If any Catalina girls are around the area let me know. Catherine Hawley: My husband and I are thankful to be spending more time with our twin boys who turn 2 this year. They are into board books, bananas, and biting! Gratefully, toddlers seem impervious to global pandemics. We have also enjoyed social distance time and Zoom time with Catalina friends.
99
Laura Stenovec laurastenovec@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
00
The Class of 2000 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf ’08, Assistant Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.
01
Kai Romero kai.romero@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
02
Sasha Irving sasha.irving@gmail.com Olivia Nilsson olivianilsson@gmail.com
Olivia Nilsson: Tristan and I welcomed our second son, Arthur, in July 2019. This summer we're gearing up for our oldest son, Owen, to enter kindergarten. After almost nine years at my company, I'm leaving to pursue an MBA at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. Would love to connect with any other alums who have their MBAs or are familiar with Pepperdine! Lara Wheeler Devlin: Rob and I welcomed a little boy during week two of shelter in place here in Monterey. Charles has been the highlight of being in quarantine to be sure! Jess Shia: My husband, Tor, and I moved back to his hometown of Seattle early last year and I gave birth to our son, Kai, in October! (He is the second of my parents' three grandsons as my sister, Lauren Shia’04, welcomed her second son in April this year.) If you're in Seattle or the surrounding area, please drop me a line and let me know! MacKenzie Dubow: We are so happy to return to California this summer after spending the last 15 years in Nashville, New York City, and Oklahoma City. My husband, Byron, finished his medical residency and is joining Urology Associates of the Central Coast. Our two littles, Oliver (almost 4) and Whitty (2.5), are loving living at the beach and being closer to grandparents. Would love to see you girls
ALUMNAE class notes
Catherine Hawley ’98 and her twins
66 santa catalina / fall bulletin
The children of Jenny Noble ’96
as you visit or pass through Shell Beach (between Pismo and San Luis Obispo). Laura Nicola: I'm very thankful to be sheltering in place in beautiful Monterey while continuing to follow my passion of working with youth in the community. February will mark seven years of teaching and managing the dining room at Rancho Cielo (a culinary academy for low-income teens and young adults in Salinas), and it still never gets old! Outside of work, most of my time is spent on my mountain bike and experimenting in the kitchen while daydreaming about future travels around the world. Most recently, I've enjoyed adventures in Costa Rica, Bali, and Ireland (pre-COVID-19). Courtney Moore: The chaos of 2020 was actually the perfect time to birth two new businesses: Mama Month, which is a postpartum care package based on Chinese medicine principles, and my web-based medical intuitive practice (with immense support from Claudia Zaragoza). I'm still practicing acupuncture but excited to branch out into these new territories, especially as brick and mortar businesses face so many challenges. For now I'm still living in San Francisco but dreaming of a life in Hawaii, and was lucky to spend a day with Cameron Rogers Magnotto in Maui right before the shelter in place ordinances! Katherine Carnazzo Larsen: I continue to relish my role as a school psychologist. It has changed shape quite dramatically since the onset of the pandemic, but the core of it remains the same, and I love connecting with students and families in my school community. My daughter, Sadie, is approaching the year and a half mark, which is bringing with it a lot of fun and a lot of learning for the parents. Our doors are always open for anyone passing through Santa Barbara! Sasha Irving: I'm so thankful to be back in Paso Robles after a challenging and momentous year away. An extended art and adventure road trip took
my boyfriend and me across the southwest and deep into the south before we took an emergency u-turn back to San Francisco to support my father as he fought for his life. Three months later we witnessed a real-life miracle when he was transplanted in St. Louis. This extraordinary turn of events was quickly followed by our engagement and my retirement from the nonprofit art center we started in 2007. I’ve joined my father’s real estate business and am so excited about it. My little cow town is quite the destination now and I love playing tour guide, so please come visit!
03The Class of 2003 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf ’08, Assistant Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
04
Katie Fruzynski katie.fruzynski@gmail.com
05
Madeline Callander madeline.callander@gmail.com
Lyndsay Pedan McAmis mcamislc@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue! 06
Lauren Kristich lekristich@ gmail.com
Andrea Whipple-Samuel ’08 is joined by her classmates Shannon Gaughf and Jessie Fletcher at her baby shower
07
Natalie Kocekian nkocek@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
08
Shannon Gaughf slgaughf@gmail.com
Avery, daughter of Emily Robertson ’06, sporting her Catalina onesie
As part of her pro bono practice, Anna Lopez Mourlam submitted an amicus brief on behalf of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in their favor in a 7-2 decision published on June 21, 2019.
Martha Gustavson: After spending six years as a CPA in public accounting, I transitioned to private accounting and am now the financial controller at Scudder Roofing and Solar—two longtime Monterey County, family-owned businesses. Let me know if you need a new roof or a Tesla power wall! I continue to serve as treasurer on the boards of CASA of Monterey County and Legal Services for Seniors, which keeps me busy, but not too busy for naps and gardening during these wild times. I love keeping up with lots of you on Instagram and I’m hoping we can get together after this is over. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! Andrea Whipple-Samuel and her husband, Matt, welcomed Lily Katherine in April. Olivia Bowling welcomed Finley Grace in May. Brita Sigourney: I'm still skiing! I bought a house last summer in Salt Lake City, UT, where I've been based for the past nine years. I'm planning on attempting to
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Charles and Caden, children of Lara Wheeler Devlin ’02
qualify for one more Olympic team, which could happen this year or next depending on how well I ski. I also recently transferred to the University of Utah to finish my undergrad where I left off at UC Davis in graphic design
09Mary Bolt
mar.e.bolt@gmail.com
Megan McCaffrey mccaffrey.mf@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
10Maeko Bradshaw
maeko.bradshaw@gmail.com
Wendy Hopper: I received my master’s in integrative health last year, and have been working for a digital mental health company for a year as well. I'm currently in a 200-hour certification course specializing in holistic relationship and sexuality coaching. I just proudly led my first workshop, where 18 women partook in breathwork, meditation, somatic experiencing, and group coaching. I will soon be officially starting a private coaching business, working with individuals and couples, helping facilitate deeper connection and intimacy. You can watch for
updates and follow the journey on my Instagram @consciousintimacy. Reach out fellow Catalina ladies! I'd love to hear from you. Andrea Madero: I am currently living in Mazatlan, Mexico, with my family. I got engaged in September of last year in Miami to my boyfriend. I met him while I was doing my master’s in Boston three years ago! I was going to get married this November but due to the COVID-19 situation, we had to postpone the wedding and will get married in April 2021 now. Bummer, I know, but it may keep our loved ones healthy and we will be able to enjoy our honeymoon without masks and Lysol. I will be moving to Miami, as my fiancé currently lives there and we will be there for a while! If anyone lives there or somewhat near I would love to know so that I can reach out to you and reconnect! Christine Torrise Marotta: My husband and I welcomed our baby girl in May! Her name is Isabella Mia. Maeko Bradshaw: I am currently living in Lake Tahoe and I started my own little calligraphy and design business earlier this year called Flaminkko Designs. I've truly found my passion and love creating custom art for weddings, birthdays, and all other occasions!
11Kelsey Player
kelsey.player93@gmail.com
Kelsey Riordan kelseyriordan11@aol.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
12Katharine Garcia katharine.garcia8@ yahoo.com
Chloe Dlott ccdlott@gmail.com
Annika Fling Ramirez: I graduated from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in May, after finishing my clinical year online at home. God and St. James Catholic Church in Davis provided by allowing me and my fiancé, Efrain Ramirez, to marry in June, with immediate family attending, during a small window of decreased COVID-19 restrictions. We are overjoyed to be starting married life, despite the unusual times. We are living in Salinas while renovating an early 2000 motorhome, which will be our first home together. It is sure to be a time consuming but very rewarding project to have our own customized space. I am getting used to being called "Dr. Ramirez" at VCA All Pets Animal Hospital in Salinas, where I’ve joined my mother and four other veterinarians in serving Monterey County—one of the few hospitals to stay open for any and all urgent care throughout the pandemic.
ALUMNAE class notes
Wendy Hopper ’10 and her partner
Andrea Madero ’10 and her fiancé
Chandler Chavez ’12 celebrates her engagement
I am very happy to be near Kat Garcia again and to have Gwen Humble Lovett not too far away in San Ramon, where she recently moved with her husband Parker. Gwen loved being able to visit with Michaela Scanlon while she was home from her graduate program at USC. Chandler Chavez: I was engaged to Logan Simpson on Easter 2020.
13
Caitlin Dullanty caitlindullanty@gmail.com
Annie Haueter anniehaueter@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
14
Kylie Moses
kyliemoses14@gmail.com
Emma Russell emmarussellpg@yahoo.com
Allie Loomis: I just finished my MBA in June in Sydney, Australia, at the Australian Graduate
School of Management and am now looking to transition into marketing/brand management in the film/entertainment industry here in Australia. I am still playing water polo in the professional league here as well and am ocean swimming to stay fit during COVID-19. While this year hasn’t quite gone as planned, I am being resourceful and trying to find other new passions and opportunities in my free time! Gabriella Sardina
Rangrej: Due to COVID-19, my fiancé and I made the decision to postpone our wedding that was supposed to take place in June. However, Nishant Rangrej and I ended up deciding to elope early and we were married in April 2020. We cannot wait to celebrate our love and marriage with family and friends—especially with my Santa Catalina classmates—next summer!
15
Julia Clark
julicclark09@gmail.com Mackenzie Fisher kenzieayn7@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
16
The Class of 2016 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf ’08, Assistant Director of Alumnae/i Engagement to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.
Annika Fling ’12 and husband Efrain Ramirez surrounded by their families on their wedding day
santa catalina / fall bulletin 69
Allie Loomis ’14 enjoying the native wildlife of Australia
CLASS NOTES INFORMATION
PHOTO SUBMISSIONS
We welcome your photos for inclusion in Class Notes. Due to space restrictions, we are unable to publish all of the photos we receive. Photos meeting the requirements listed below will take priority.
Please note the technical requirements for photos:
• Images need to be 3” x 5” or larger
• Images need to be a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (or at least 800KB)
Priority is given to the following types of photos:
• Photos with groups of alumnae
• Photos with one alumna
• Photos without an alumna will only be included if space allows.
Please provide the names of all alumnae in the photo, including class year, and the location of the occasion.
SPACE LIMITATIONS
We do our best to include all of the updates that are sent in. Due to space limitations, the Communications and Alumnae Relations offices of Santa Catalina School may edit content in order to fit the space allotted. Thank you for your submissions.
SCHEDULE
We publish notes for each class once a year—odd-numbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall.
17
Annarose Hunt annarosyrosy@gmail.com
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
18
Sylvan Free sylvanfree@gmail.com
19 Kacey Konya konya@usc.edu
We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
20
Taylor Ford tnford@usc.edu
To submit photos electronically, please send them as attachments to: shannon. gaughf@santacatalina.org. Please do not include photos in the body of the email or in Word files. If you email a photo from your phone, please choose the largest file size possible. To submit a hard copy photo, please mail to:
Santa Catalina School
Office of Alumnae Relations 1500 Mark Thomas Drive Monterey, CA 93940
Gabriella Sardina Rangrej ’14 celebrating her wedding with her mom, Jennifer Ramras Dalton ’88, and sisters, Kathryn ’15 LS and Natalie ’11 LS
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COMMUNITY TRANSITIONS
Alumnae
Marriages
Natalie Burke ’99 to Billy Hayes
Farrell Topham ’06 to Hil Jaeger
Andrea Kohatsu ’09 to Ryan Raskop
Caroline Bishop ’10 to Gus Lee
Emily Grunwald ’11 to Jeffrey Campbell
Annika Fling ’12 to Efrain Ramirez
Gabriella Sardina ’14 to Nishant Rangrej
Births and Adoptions
Mary Catherine Sinclair Macaluso ’02, son Theodore
Jess Shia ’02, son Kai
Julia Mackey Day ’04, son Brooks
Marina Barcelo ’04, daughter Carmen
Whitney Tuttle Schultz ’05, daughters Harper and Quinn
Farrell Topham ’06, daughter Lion
Candace Brekka Bennett ’06, son Brent Lauren Rice Byrne ’07, son Jack
Allie Hashimoto ’07, son Lucius
Olivia Bowling ’08 daughter Finley Annabelle Audet-Griffin ’08, daughter Eloise Amanda Audet-Griffin ’09, daughter Juliette Brittny Sattler ’10, daughter Aoife
Christine Torrise Marotta ’10, daughter Isabella
In Memory
Our love and prayers to:
The family of Gloria Donnelly ’53
Anne McCullough Griffin ’56 on the death of her husband
Carole Lusignan Buttner ’57 on the death of her husband
Judi Musto Hachman ’61 on the death of her brother
The family of Timothea Berdge Campbell ’62
The family of Bia Osmont Wahl ’62
Sheila McMahon Williams ’64 on the death of her husband
Elizabeth Budge D’Hemery ’66, Jenny Budge ’71, and Kathleen Budge ’73 on the death of their father
The family of Gillian Eversole Servais ’69
Anne Woolf Franson ’69 and Nancy Woolf ’70 on the death of their father
Cara Coniglio ’70 on the death of her mother
Jody Bunn ’70 on the death of her mother
Alice Smith ’70 on the death of her step-mother
Charlotte Perry White ’72 on the death of her sister
Basia Belza ’73 and Krysia Belza ’85 on the death of their father
Lisa Eismann Gunter ’74 on the death of her husband
Annette Leach Alcocer ’75 on the death of her mother
The family of Rosario Kane ’77
Terrie Murray Wahlstedt ’83 on the death of her mother
Laura McCormick ’86 on the death of her mother
Rene McCurry Johnson ’86 on the death of her husband
Nancy Kennedy Major ’96 on the death of her mother
Audrey Nixon ’19 on the death of her father
Lower and Middle School
The family of Jenne Smith ’02 LS
Faculty & Staff In Memory
The family of Lorna Monroe
Debbie Montes on the death of her father
Christy Pollacci on the death of her father
Melissa Sheets on the death of her father-in-law
Heather Wilson on the death of her father
Items in Transitions reflect communications received between April 2, 2020 and October 15, 2020.
Andrea Whipple-Samuel ’08 with daughter Lily
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Isabella, daughter of Christine Torrise Marotta ’10
A Community Gives
Parents, Alumnae, Teachers, and Trustees Offer Support and Talent during COVID-19
Summer 2020 brought a long list of things to do—and redo—as the school responded to evolving state and county guidelines for reopening the 2020-21 school year. Fortunately for Santa Catalina, a wide range of talent, care, and responsiveness was readily available to help along the way.
A first step was to determine how to get students and teachers back to campus safely, provided that in-person learning would be permitted in the fall. Meg Bradley and the Board of Trustees quickly assembled the COVID-19 Advisory Task Force, composed of architects and physicians, all of them parents and alumnae of the school. Members included Dr. Allen Radner, father of Amanda ’16 and Emily ’19, ’15 LS; architect Justin Pauly, father of Saylor ’26 LS; architect Pam Anderson-Brule ’76, and others. They met with a team of administrators and staff throughout the summer to advise on safety measures for reopening and to design a campus plan to support social distancing, frequent sanitation, and optimized air flow. As a result of their efforts, the school enhanced its protection of essential employees and developed plans for in-person and hybrid learning models.
Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees met regularly to support and guide the efforts of the COVID-19 Advisory Task Force and to stabilize the school’s budget due to fluctuations in tuition revenues; increased demand for tuition assistance; and costs of additional health and safety measures. The Finance Committee, led by Mike Roffler, father of Emma ’18, worked with Meg and the school’s leadership team to prepare a fair and stable budget for 2020-21 and to determine partial tuition refunds for the move from in-person to distance learning. The Board’s Risk Assessment Team also worked tirelessly to inform the school’s decision-making and develop at least three contingency plans for reopening school.
Teachers commenced the summer doing in-depth training with Knowing Technologies, a notable technology education firm based in the Bay Area. Both divisions worked with professional tech educators in real time, learning how to optimize existing classroom technology and onboarding new tools to create effective and dynamic learning environments. Their training was bolstered by a significant investment
in DTEN boards for every Lower and Middle School classroom, an effort led by Hannah and Kevin Comolli, parents of Carter ’22 LS and Celeste ’24 LS, and supported by other families in the Lower and Middle School. The DTEN boards enable a wide-angle view of the classroom for students working from home and promote a greater sense of classroom immersion from a distance. DTEN boards also provide families with the option to keep their children home during in-person learning and minimizes the boundary between students who elect to work remotely and those in the classroom. According to Head of Lower and Middle School Christy Pollacci, the acquisition of DTEN boards is a “game changer” in permitting options for families and enhancing the quality of distance education at Santa Catalina.
The parent and alumnae communities continued their heroic efforts to support the school in a variety of meaningful and creative ways. Alumnae, whose Reunion Weekend was postponed, donated their registration refunds to the Santa Catalina Fund; parents donated their tuition refunds; the local Chapman Foundation issued a grant for tuition assistance; and anonymous donors lent generous support for a COVID-19 relief fund, a Head’s discretionary fund for the school’s highest need, and additional tuition assistance funds to meet high demand. The community’s outpouring of support during such challenging times was both humbling and inspiring, creating an even greater sense of gratitude for the loyalty and love of the Santa Catalina community.
Finally, through smiles and hard work, Santa Catalina’s students have risen again as the very heart of the school. From PreK through grade 12, students have met every challenge with tenacity and resolve, all through social isolation and while taking greater responsibility for their own education. School leaders, parents, and teachers agree: If the students’ response to the global pandemic is an expression of the school’s core mission “to serve the world with courage, grace, and compassion,” we are in good hands.
This article is an excerpt from the 2019-2020 Annual Report of Giving at Santa Catalina, which will be shared online this year. Please check it out!
72 santa catalina / fall bulletin
Board of Trustees
School Administration
Chris Haupt
of Student Life
Upper
12/2020 - 5,050
Vice-Chair Carolyn
’74 Vice-Chair
Haas ’75 Secretary Margaret
Baker
Collins ’93
James
Jr. Jon
Huebner Edward King Charles I. Kosmont Kate Brinks Lathen ‘96 Judith McDonald Moses ’86 Kenneth Peyton Victor Ramirez Jeannette K. Witten
Brooks
Jr.
Laura K. Lyon ’81 Chair Paul J. Felton Vice-Chair Matthew T. Gibbs II
Hartwell O’Brien
Michelle Roffler Treasurer Tracy Miller
K. Bradley Head of School Louise Diepenbrock
’81 Sister Claire Barone Gerardo A. Borromeo Brett Davis
Herm Edwards
Farley,
Giffen Tracy A.
Kathleen M. Trafton ’74 President, Alumnae Association Honorary Trustee
Walker,
Assistant
Identity
Margaret K. Bradley Head of School John Aimé Assistant Head of School John Murphy, Ph.D.
Head of School for Mission and
Ron Kellermann Business Manager
Lower & Middle School Christy Pollacci Head of Lower & Middle School Janet Luksik Director of Tuition Assistance, PreK-12 Director of Admission Maria Canteli Director of Middle School Amy McAfee Director of Curriculum & Learning
Director
Lydia Mansour Director of PreKindergarten & Kindergarten
School Julie Lenherr Edson ’88 Head of Upper School
Peter Myers Assistant Head of Upper School Katherine Burkhuch Dean of Students Liz Hulme Director of Health and Wellness Jamie Buffington Browne ’85 Director of Admission
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID
Permit No. 93
Monterey, CA 93940