Santa Catalina School Bulletin Spring 2017

santa catalina

2017 SPRING BULLETIN

Conversations with Catalinians in the arts Meet the LMS Athletic Director Volleyball sets records in historic season

Crystal Boyd ’89 Director of Communications Jeannie Evers Writer Jamie LeMaire Graphic Designer Reshma Singh Project Manager

Robin Kelly Copy Editor

Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83, ’79 LS Director of Alumnae/i Relations

Contributers Paul Elliott, Janessa Werhane, Susanna Wilcox

Contributing Photographers Michelle Avery; Meg Bradley; Bill Denison; Jeannie Evers; Marc Howard ’93 LS; Susan Kendall; Jamie LeMaire; Kim Lemaire; Nick Lovejoy; Bobby McLaughlin; Alexa Miller; Santa Catalina School parents, faculty, and students

On the cover: In March, Santa Catalina Art 2 students visited the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with art teacher Michelle Avery to view the Matisse and Diebenkorn exhibits.

Above: The Class of 1957 celebrating their 60th reunion at Reunion 2017.

Santa Catalina’s Bulletin is published twice a year. We welcome suggestions for topics and news, as well as comments about our publication.

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.

SPRING BULLETIN FEATURES 18 The Arts: A Foundation for Success

Santa Catalina art classes build the skills students need to stand out in an evolving world. 24

Man on a Mission

With his directorial debut, Alexander Janko ’83 LS explores a new creative path and transforms his life. 30

Emergence & Evolution

How film photography and a caring Catalina community helped Chloe Corriveau ’15 find her calling. 36

The Work of Art

Portland’s art scene is energized by the ideas of gallery owner Elizabeth Leach ’75.

Message from Head of School

Campus News

Alumnae News: Reunion 2017 & Distinguished Alumnae

The Gift of Water

During the Easter holiday, George and I spent a few days reveling in the beauty of Yosemite. With the blessing of rain in California, we thought Yosemite’s waterfalls would be explosively beautiful—we were right. Yosemite was spectacular, from the valley floor to 4,000 feet above, as we stood in awe of the cliff faces of El Capitan and Half Dome. We wandered around finding quiet places to picnic and trails to hike, all the while hoping not to trip as we gazed upward in reverie.

I mused about waterfalls throughout our visit as I joined the many visitors getting a closer look. What is it that makes us so drawn to them? Surely, Yosemite’s waterfalls are in the category of rare beauty, but I think it is more

than that. Water has always inspired the human mind. Loren Eiseley, the great anthropologist and philosopher, said, “If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in water.” And rivers have been the stuff of poets and writers from time immemorial. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” Rivers, waterfalls, and even rain cause us to consider the flow of things, the past turning into the present, the present turning into the future, and on into a vast sea where the cycle starts again. Metaphors abound.

To our students, their education may appear to be just about the future. “How will I do on that test?” “Will I be successful next year?” “What school will I go to?” “Who will I become?” But just as a river or waterfall appears to be about where it has come from and where it is going, it is also a thing to be cherished in the here and now. While they are motivated by their future aspirations, Santa Catalina students are powerfully and joyfully invested in the traditions that were created before they enrolled. As a new member to this community, I have so enjoyed seeing students being fully present in the “now” as these events, rituals, and ceremonies take place.

In the fall, as I traveled the country meeting with our graduates, I realized that it is the “now” from their time at Santa Catalina that they cherish above all. So many of the young alums and graduates from decades past told me about a time at Santa Catalina that made them the person they are today. In this season of endings and beginnings, I will remind myself, and our students, to take a quiet moment to consider the many beautiful events of this year, to learn from the past, cherish the present, and confidently navigate into the future.

Sincerely yours, Meg Bradley

Photo taken by Meg Bradley in Yosemite.

STUFFED ANIMALS FIND NEW HOMES

During January’s community service project, students collected about 350 stuffed animals for homeless children in Salinas. The grade 2 Compassion in Action class led the project. Students attached teddy bear-shaped cards to the stuffed animals with messages such as “You’ve got a friend in me,” “Cuddles,”and “Sleep tight.” Students of all grade levels made the cards in their Compass circles in the hopes that the comforting thoughts would bring restful nights to the recipients.

“The children very much connected to this project,” said religion teacher Ibi Murphy ’83, the Compass program coordinator. “They appreciated that these stuffed animals could become so much more than toys to play with for children who have so little. They understood that their donations may even become one of the few constants in uncertain lives.”

GRADE 4 TAKES A TRIP INTO

MONTEREY’S PAST

On February 16, fourth-graders took a field trip to Pacific House and Custom House in Monterey, participating in the Mexican-California Hands-on Program, where they learned about life in California under Mexican rule. At Pacific House, they made and ate tortillas with hand-churned butter, worked with leather, learned to embroider, and made rope by hand.

They also played two old-style games, one of which they made themselves with string and a button. They also learned a version of bocce played with marbles. “The whole class loved it, and the students have insisted on playing it whenever we have rainy-day recess in the classroom,” said their teacher, Michele Morton.

At the Custom House, the children learned that cowhides served as California banknotes during the early 1800s. They also learned about ships bringing cargo to settlers in California, with goods being taxed at a rate of 100 percent. Students enjoyed a scavenger hunt inside the Custom House at the end of the day.

IT ALL ADDS UP TO

SPELL SUCCESS

Math and spelling wizzes represented Santa Catalina Lower and Middle School at three countywide competitions.

The MathCounts team took third place in the Monterey Bay Chapter Competition on February 4. Team members Beatrix Stork (grade 8) and Gabe Gargiulo (grade 8) ranked in the top 12 in the county.

Two grade 5 students, Dominic Borgomini and Hope Eyraud, advanced to the Spelling Bee for 4th and 5th Graders on February 25. Nicole Iniakov (grade 4), Vivian Edwards (grade 4), and Naiya Patel (grade 5) earned spots as alternates after competing in our school bee.

After winning his school bee, seventh-grader Colin Hunt competed at the Scripps-affiliated Countywide Spelling Bee Championship Finals on March 5, where he finished ninth out of 57 spellers. Leona Lind (grade 8) placed second in the school bee, while Isabella Pierre (grade 7) took third.

Grade 2 teacher Katie Schipper helps her Compassion in Action class tag and sort stuffed animals for donation.

Grade 4 student Averie Nguyen, right, watches Alex Peyton grind corn at Pacific House as they learn about the cooking practices of Mexican-California settlers.

Grade 8 students walk a ropes course high in the redwood canopy of Mount Hermon in Santa Cruz.

ACTIVITY DAY TAKES STUDENTS NEAR AND FAR

Middle School students learned more about their place in the world during three outings for Activity Day. The theme for grade 6 was “Plastics and Our Community.” Students saw the movie Bag It , which focuses on single-use plastic products. They listened to veteran boat captain Jim “Homer” Holm talk about converting plastics back into oil. They also visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and viewed exhibits based on plastics and our oceans. As they walked back from the aquarium, the students noted the plastic litter along the way. Later, they made artwork from nonrecyclable plastics.

Activity Day for grade 7 meant sorting and packing items for the Food Bank for Monterey County. It was a day of helping those in need, especially those in our community. And in grade 8, students ventured high up in the redwood canopy of Mount Hermon in Santa Cruz. Whether walking across swinging bridges or ziplining from tree to tree, they learned about teamwork, the forest… and maybe a bit about how to be brave.

MIDDLE SCHOOL ALUMNA AND PHOTOJOURNALIST VISITS SCHOOL

On International Women’s Day, Santa Catalina welcomed Sumaya Agha ’84 LS, a freelance photojournalist who spent more than four years documenting the lives of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Eastern Europe for Mercy Corps and other humanitarian organizations. At the Upper School Chapel Service on March 8, Agha showed her photographs of families that had fled the Syrian conflict and settled in refugee camps at the Jordanian border or migrated through Serbia into Croatia.

Agha—whose work has appeared in the Huffington Post and with BBC and NPR— explained that she wanted to photograph the refugee crisis because of her own connection to Syria. Her father is from Damascus, and she has aunts, uncles, and cousins who still live there.

Many of Agha’s photographs are of children living in Jordan’s largest refugee camp, which houses 80,000 people. In all, she said, Jordan has 655,000 refugees, with 150,000 of them living in camps.

One family she met had expected to be there for only a couple of months but have been there for four years. Initially, they lived in tents, but mobile homes became more permanent living quarters.

Agha showed one photo of a seven-yearold boy holding his 18-month-old cousin. “At this point, he’s spent most of his life in a refugee camp,” she noted of the younger boy. “He’s a super sweet kid and always happy. It’s a lot easier for the younger kids to adapt and be well-adjusted because they don’t remember ‘before,’ and they don’t remember the comfort of home.”

In the winter of 2016, Agha documented Syrians, Afghans, and Iraqis as they walked in subfreezing temperatures across the unofficial refugee route from Macedonia into Serbia. She spoke with a 13-year-old girl from Daraa, Syria, on a train heading to Croatia. “She told me they’re going to travel to Germany, learn the language, and hope for a happy life,” Agha said.

After her presentation, Agha held a Q&A session with students and spoke further about education in the Jordanian refugee camps and conditions in Serbia, and how Americans can help refugees. One way, she pointed out, is to donate to organizations like Mercy Corps. To learn more about Agha and to see her photographs, visit www.sumayaagha.net.

ASSEMBLY HONORS MLK, AMERICA’S CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY

The Lower and Middle School marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day with an assembly that celebrated the life and legacy of the civil rights leader and America’s decades-long struggle for racial equality. Accompanied by the Glee Club, 21 students from grades 3–8 narrated the history of slavery in the United States, “separate but equal” laws, broken barriers, and the civil rights movement. Noting that King “was once a kid, just like us,” the speakers reflected on his influence and dedication in the march toward equality, twice reading from King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

At the end, the speakers focused on advancements in the nearly 50 years since King’s death, notably the election of our first multiracial president, Barack Obama. The overwhelming message was one of unity—“Let us show respect for all of our brothers and sisters”—making it a worthy tribute to a man who preached kindness and tolerance.

GRADE 5 SHOWS CREATIVITY IN COMMERCE

At the grade 5 Mini-City, shoppers could buy a glitter pen, a coloring book to use it on, and an emoji bookmark to hold their place. These were just some of the products students designed and sold in February to raise money for their spring trip to Riley’s Farm.

There were also hair accessories, pencil cases, crystal ornaments, lip balm, cookbooks, handmade dolls, tic-tac-toe travel games, and Scrabble magnets. Hungry visitors could have a taquito, chase it down with a smoothie, and top it off with a pudding cup.

To advertise their products to the Catalina community, students created two commercials made up of short skits, many of which included random appearances by a student in a unicorn costume. Maybe next year they can sell tickets to a comedy show.

HONOR CHOIR ACCEPTS 28 CATALINA STUDENTS

This year, the Central Coast Section Middle School Honor Choir accepted a record number of Santa Catalina students. The choir held an afternoon concert on January 21 at Salinas High School.

“It takes a lot of courage to audition, and I am so very proud and impressed with each individual audition that was submitted,” said music teacher Katie Gaggini, adding: “All students scored extremely well on their auditions, and the resulting decisions came down to just a few points. I hope all who auditioned feel equally proud and will audition in the future.”

In all, the choir featured 133 students from 17 schools throughout the region. That means, with 28 students, Catalina represented about 21 percent of the choir!

BARITONES

Simon Henrard, Aaron Chu, Jasper Dale, Xander Edwards, Maddux Hrepich, Colin Hunt, Davonn Ngo, Michael Ramirez, Nicholas Udwadia, Andrew Mansour

ALTOS

Sloan Damnavits, Sofia Enea, Juliette Kosmont, Phoebe Varjian, Jenna Tarallo, Samantha Scattini, Sophia Lamarque

SOPRANOS

Gabriella Herrera, Elle Leatherberry, Piper Mahoney, Michaela Miller, Miriam Riley, Alix Detrait, Nicole Munoz, Isabella Pierre, Leona Lind, Hannah Levi, Maddie Mizgorski

Students make a presentation on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Owen Alderson sells smoothies at Grade 5’s Mini-City.

FALL WRAP-UP

It was a big year for Cougar volleyball, with the boys’ team and the grade 7 girls’ team each winning their respective Mission Trail Junior Athletic League (MTJAL) championships. Both teams finished first in league with a 9–1 record. Despite not making the playoffs this year, the grade 6 and grade 8 girls’ teams did well.

The boys’ and girls’ soccer teams finished their seasons with decent records. The Catalina boys’ squad was huge, with 23 players; only nine players made up the girls’ squad. Standouts were Jackson Swette and Leona Lind-Aunan in grade 8, Isabella Pierre and Davonn Ngo in grade 7, and Juliette Kosmont and Kristof Varav in grade 6.

WINTER WRAP-UP

Fifty-five students—about half of the Middle School—participated in one of five basketball teams.

The Mission Trail Junior Athletic League grade 8 boys’ team had fantastic coaching and held several extra practices to find cohesion as a team, but they faced a tough league and finished 3–11.

The grade 6 and grade 7/8 teams went about .500 in the Independent and Parochial Athletic League (IPAL), with the grade 6 boys picking up some solid wins. “The sixthgrade girls had a big squad, and I’ve never seen a team have more fun,” said Middle

School Athletic Director Janessa Werhane. “I think we picked up one win during the season, but they had a blast.”

The boys’ flag football team had a rough season with a 2–5 record, but several players got the chance to play quarterback. The Cougars had some great receivers in Michael Ramirez and Paul Joseph Villarreal.

The girls’ flag football team faced tough opponents but came up with a few wins. Spencer Grace Leatherberry and Abigail Romero were great leaders on the team and added to the cohesiveness.

Chloe Reynolds, left, and Kandace Kimes were part of the league-champion grade 7 girls’ volleyball team.

Seventh-grader Isabella Pierre was a standout on the girls’ soccer team.

Sixth-grader Pablo Sanchez drives to the basket.

JANESSA WERHANE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS, LOWER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL

WHICH UNIVERSITY DID YOU ATTEND? I attended the University of California San Diego and got my degree in environmental policy. While there, I played for the women’s volleyball team. I also have my certification in personal fitness training and with an emphasis in working with adolescents.

WHAT PATH LED YOU TO CATALINA? I was introduced to Santa Catalina through Paul Elliott, the Upper School athletic director. We were both coaching at a local volleyball club when he asked me to help coach at Catalina. From there, I had opportunities to substitute for Lower and Middle School P.E. and absolutely loved it. I owned my own training business, so my schedule was flexible and I always made it work when I was asked to help at Catalina. We were in the preseason of our 2016 Upper School varsity girls’ volleyball season when the position opened up, so I put my business on hold and here I am.

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME A COACH?

I truly enjoy working with children and being a part of their growth. We’ve all had coaches who were too tough or out of touch with us as young athletes. I’ve always tried to build a personal relationship with my players. That way, they’re going through the trials and tribulations of the sport with another outlet that isn’t their peer or parent.

WHO INFLUENCED YOU AS A COACH, AND HOW HAS THAT PERSON BEEN IMPORTANT TO YOU?

I had a dear friend and upper-class teammate in college who took me under her wing. She truly embodied the spirit of a “good sport” and showed me that it wasn’t about me as an individual accomplishing my goals, but what we could accomplish as a team. She was always over-the-top positive, gave a dose of reality when it was needed, and always made you feel like you weren’t alone. Unfortunately, she has

passed away, but she remains my role model when it comes to coaching and living life.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT TEACHING— SPECIFICALLY, AT CATALINA? My favorite part about teaching is helping kids realize they can accomplish so much more than they think they can. I had a fifth-grader who was struggling—to the point of tears—with jump roping before our Jump Rope for Heart event. She felt she’d never be able to jump rope in the event. We started with just turning the rope once and jumping over it. We’d celebrate like crazy every time she did that. Then we built up to three times, then five times, then ten times. The Thursday before our event, she came running into my office begging and pleading for me to watch her do double dutch with her friend. I love being able to teach kids that it’s OK to fail at things but that you should always pick up the rope and try again. I especially like teaching at Catalina because the kids and families build a supportive and caring community. It is wonderful that these students can feel the rigor of a tough academic environment but can find the joy of being in our community.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LIFE LESSON YOU WANT YOUR STUDENTS TO LEARN ON YOUR TEAMS? If you’re proud of your behavior and your actions at the end of the day, then that is a good day. If we can reflect on our day and at any point say we aren’t proud of the way we acted, then we know what we can work on. I want to encourage my students to become proud and resilient, yet empathetic people.

WHAT WORDS OF WISDOM DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR STUDENTS? Don’t be afraid to lead, to be different, and to push the boundaries of what is comfortable. Build your life around the principles of faith and family and you’ll have guidance every day of your life.

WHAT DO YOU WISH PEOPLE IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY KNEW ABOUT CATALINA? I wish they could experience the culture that is Santa Catalina. We care so much about each and every student and have their best interest in mind. Catalina is not just a school; it is a village. You know the saying: “It takes a village to raise a child.”

WHAT THREE WORDS COME TO MIND WHEN YOU THINK OF CATALINA? Confidence, compassion, strength.

WHAT INTERESTS DO YOU HAVE OUTSIDE OF CATALINA? Right now, my interests are consumed by wedding planning. But I enjoy camping, hiking, and running along the beach with my dog, Simon.

WHAT MIGHT WE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? Before Catalina, I worked as a public relations contractor to the U.S. military on environmental impact projects.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE, AND WHY? The ability to fly—mostly because I love to travel and sightsee, but I really dislike driving. I think this stems from my Southern California roots and always having to sit in traffic.

IF YOU COULD BE A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE, WHOM WOULD YOU WANT TO BE, AND WHY? Lolo Jones. She is an amazing athlete who has proved herself on the track yet acts with grace. She also isn’t afraid to push herself to do something new, like when she tried out for and made the Olympic bobsled team.

WHAT THREE THINGS ARE ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? To learn to play guitar, to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and to snorkel in Bali.

I’ve always tried to build a personal relationship with my players. That way, they’re going through the trials and tribulations of the sport with another outlet that isn’t their peer or parent.

MARINE ECOLOGY STUDENTS PRESENT RESEARCH AT CONFERENCE

Several seniors in the Marine Ecology Research (MER) Program presented their research at the Western Society of Naturalists (WSN) conference in Monterey on November 10–13. They were the only high school students presenting at the annual meeting, which draws graduate students, college professors, and professional scientists.

The meeting marked the 100th anniversary of WSN, a scientific society with a strong focus on ecology, evolution, natural history, and marine biology. Marine ecology students have participated in the WSN conference for the past few years.

One team’s research on a sea anemone made quite an impression on a professor from Concordia University Irvine, who told students Loleï Brenot and Jenny Lafayette that one of his students had chosen the same topic for her thesis project and encountered an obstacle with her research. He took a photo of their research poster so he could share their methods with his student.

Students start in the MER program in their sophomore year. They begin work on a research topic in their junior year and focus on communicating that research as seniors, such as presenting at the WSN conference.

THIS YEAR’S PRESENTERS

Kira Cruz and Taylor Moises

“Analysis of Microplastic Debris in Sand Sediments and Rockfish Digestive Tract”

Audrey Bennett

“Three-Dimensional Morphology and Flow Characteristics of Baleen” Charlotte Wade, Jenna Downs, and Ivy Armijo “Fish Use of Low-Relief, Soft-Bottom Benthic Habitats on Central California’s Continental Shelf”

Audrey Bennett and Emmy Siletto “An Accessible pH Control System to Analyze the Growth of Intertidal Organisms in Acidic Conditions”

Loleï Brenot and Jenny Lafayette “Quantitative Analysis of Bleaching in the Temperate Anemone A. elegantissima”

Audrey Bennett ’17 explains her marine ecology research project to attendees of the Western Society of Naturalists conference.

MOCK TRIAL TEAM GOES TO COURT

After five months of preparation, Santa Catalina’s mock trial team walked through the doors of the county courthouse on February 2–11 to play out the case of a restaurant owner accused of human trafficking. During the Monterey County Mock Trial competition, hosted by the Lyceum, the students assumed the roles of trial and pretrial attorneys, witnesses, bailiff, and court clerk. They argued the case in front of Superior Court judges and were scored by local attorneys. The defense and prosecution teams each competed twice against other schools in the county. Catalina went 0–4, but the students walked away with heads held high, and Giselle EspinolaJimenez ’17 earned an award for Outstanding Prosecution Witness.

The team began meeting in early September, practicing three days a week with the help of two attorney coaches from the District Attorney’s Office. Coach and history teacher Dr. Douglas Lumsden described the event as an “intense crash course in law,” in which students learn not only about the American legal system but also how to speak professionally in a pressure-packed environment.

Lumsden commented, “Our students showed incredible poise and polish in the competitions,” adding: “Outside observers would easily have mistaken our student attorneys [for] seasoned professionals, and our witnesses, bailiff, and court clerk were all utterly convincing in their roles. Santa Catalina should be extremely proud of how our mock trial students represented our school. They took on a challenging and difficult task—mock trial is hard! Now that it is over, they can all look back and take great pride in how hard they worked and in how much they accomplished.”

STUDENTS BOND WITH SALINAS KIDS THROUGH SERVICE PROJECT

Santa Catalina deepened its ties with the Salinas City Elementary School District this year, meeting monthly to spend time with the children in a variety of satisfying activities. The relationship with the Salinas district’s Family Resource Center, which serves students in need, began with a coat drive in the Lower and Middle School in the 2015–16 school year. The drive inspired math teacher Jennifer Duncan to do more. That Easter, she brought a group of Catalina students to Salinas to share snacks and make crafts.

“It was such a huge day that by the end of it our girls were in tears, the kids were in tears, everyone was in tears, they were so moved,” Duncan said. “It was very powerful.” Duncan has since spearheaded a service project every month. Catalina participation grew steadily throughout the year, from about 10 students in September 2016 to about 30 in April 2017.

Among the highlights:

Before Thanksgiving, Salinas girls came to Catalina to engage in relay races, play soccer, make turkey decorations, and watch performances by our music and dance clubs. They went home at the end of the day with a bag full of canned goods.

In February, Catalina students led simple science experiments, including mixing Coca-Cola and Mentos and exploring static electricity.

In April, boys and girls participated in an ocean education day at the beach. About half of the 45 fifth-graders had never been to the beach before. They picked up trash, learned about kelp and crabs, and enjoyed a picnic.

Students help Salinas fifth-graders collect rocks from Del Monte Beach in Monterey.

TEDXSANTACATALINASCHOOL EXPLORES LEGACIES

The theme of this year’s TEDxSantaCatalinaSchool (TEDxSCS) was “Legacy.” TEDxSCS is hosted by the 30-member TEDx club. Students choose the speakers, promote the event, and organize all of its technical aspects. TEDx is an offshoot of the popular TED Talks, which promote “ideas worth spreading.” The following speakers took the stage at this year’s event.

• Kimberly Chambers, an open water swimmer, talked about breaking through fear in pursuit of one’s goals. Spurred on by a life-threatening leg injury, Chambers became the sixth person to complete the “Oceans Seven,” a series of challenging and risky swims around the world. In 2015, she became the first woman

to swim the 30-mile stretch of sharkinfested waters from the Farallon Islands to the Golden Gate Bridge.

• Shireen Jaffer, the founder and director of the career-readiness program Skillify, spoke about finding success through failure. Her opening line: “To all students, from the bottom of my heart, I hope that each and every one of you fails.” She then explained how she had turned her own personal failures into character-building moments and opportunities.

• Edwin Aoki, vice president and technical fellow at PayPal, began: “Let’s lose this idea of the lone wolf superhero, because

heroism is almost always a team effort.” He then told a story about small acts of kindness on 9/11, in which residents of a small town opened their doors to stranded travelers. Aoki explained that a similar group mentality could help the tech industry with its diversity problem; if every hiring manager insisted on having a diverse slate of candidates in the interview process, that could have a real impact. Aoki summed up: “Maybe being a hero isn’t about that single heroic act… . It’s reflected in our values.”

• Suzannah Scully, an executive coach, offered three steps to achieving one’s dream: First, create the time and space for reflection (no phones!). Second,

Left: TEDxSantaCatalinaSchool co-heads Madison Gong ’18, left, and Sylvan Free ’18 give opening remarks. Right: Audience members await the speakers.

replace “how” with “I wonder how,” which prompts the brain to get creative. Third, take small steps (for example, sign up for a class or tell someone your dream).

• Tracy Huebner, director of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd, drew on an analogy of cathedral building to show how education researchers are also working toward something bigger than themselves.

Generations of people contributed to building Notre-Dame Cathedral, even though many of them would never see it completed. What kept them going were a shared passion and the ability to see the potential in what they were doing. Today, innovators have joined forces to develop an app for adults who struggle with reading; 12,000 adults are being enlisted to test it, and researchers are studying the results. “We know that one app is not going to close the gap,” Huebner said. “We hope this work will be picked up by children of the next generation and the generation after that.”

• Amy East , a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Santa Cruz, described major breakthroughs that have helped us understand the world: geologic time, plate tectonics, and human influence on climate change. “With these advances…our long legacy of human curiosity has led to profound realizations that have really only happened in the past generation or two,” East explained. “We still have much to learn about climate change and human influence and how that will play into the legacy that we leave for the next generations.”

• The final speaker, Jennifer Marshall, is co-founder and executive director of This is My Brave, a foundation that provides a platform for people to openly share their experiences with mental illness through poetry, essays, and songs. “It’s when we put our names and faces on our stories that we cut stigma out of the picture,” she said.

CAST AND CREW GEL IN CRAZY

SHOW

Behind all of the madcap antics of the Sycamore family in You Can’t Take It With You is a message of love, acceptance, and doing what makes you happy. It was clear throughout the run of Santa Catalina’s winter play (January 13–21) that everyone on stage and behind it was living out that message.

The Sycamores could be described as forces of nature, lost in their own creative—and sometimes destructive—worlds. Penny (Cayleigh Capaldi ’18), who fancies herself a playwright, can never seem to finish a script. Husband Paul (Anna Baricevic ’18) disappears to the basement to tinker with fireworks with friend Mr. De Pinna (Mackenzie Roth ’19). Daughter Essie (McCall Brinskele ’17) doesn’t take a step that isn’t a ballet move, while her husband, Ed (Juliana Tarallo ’17), devotes himself to the xylophone. Even one of the more calming presences in the family, Grandpa (Ana Leon Nuñez ’18), has his quirks.

Bringing all of this energy down to earth is Alice Sycamore (Madigan Webb ’17), who loves her family but is convinced that their eccentricities will doom her relationship with fiancé Tony Kirby (Sophia Leonard ’18). Meanwhile, a rotation of friends and visitors add to the chaos of the house.

In this hive of activity, the chemistry of the cast stood out, as the actors swirled in and out of the Sycamore living room in well-choreographed displays of comedic timing. Nuñez explained: “The chemistry among the Sycamores was achieved naturally through discussions during rehearsal… . I truly believe the reason we were successful on stage was because of the powerful and loving family we became offstage.”

That was true for the tech crew as well. “We got to know each other very quickly, and tech became as much a place of fun as it was work,” said stage manager Emma Patterson ’17.

From left, Anna Martin ’18, Mackenzie Roth ’19, and Cayleigh Capaldi ’18 in You Can’t Take It With You

MOTIVATED STUDENT FORMS CODING CLUB

Lauren Morgenthaler’s first experience in a high school computer science class was nerve-wracking. As a sophomore at Menlo School in the heart of Silicon Valley, she was the only girl in a room full of boys. She was knowledgeable, eager, and passionate, but was still afraid to speak up for fear of what her classmates would think of her. “I lacked confidence in my abilities because I was in an environment where I didn’t have a lot of female support or females to look up to in general,” she recalls.

When Morgenthaler ’17 joined Santa Catalina in her junior year, she wanted to make sure her classmates didn’t have the same experience. That’s why she formed the school’s Girls Who Code club.

Realizing there was a lack of opportunity for girls to study computer science in the Monterey area, Morgenthaler decided to open the club to the wider community. She set up a time and place (Saturday mornings at Monterey Peninsula College), secured the necessary equipment, and trained to be a facilitator so she could lead the classes. As a 17-year-old, she was initially rejected as a facilitator, but she convinced the organization’s leadership to let her facilitate with an adult chaperone. “They said, ‘Sure. We haven’t done that before, but go for it.’”

Top row: Vivian Yip, Angela Hu, Kylie O’Shaughnessy;

Front row: Jane Oentoro, Katherine Kim, Lauren Morgenthaler, Sofie Wang

Girls Who Code is a national organization whose sole mission is to close the gender gap in computer science. The nonprofit serves 27,600 students through chapters in all 50 states. Local clubs follow a program that teaches girls the fundamentals of computer science and then encourages them to apply their newfound knowledge—for example, by developing an app or a website.

The Monterey club held its first meeting on October 1, 2016. The club is open to girls in grades 6 to 12. Most members are Catalina students, but the youngest is a 12-year-old from Carmel Middle School. With the first year almost at an end, Morgenthaler believes she accomplished what she set out to do. “I wanted to create a safe and friendly environment for girls to come into and be able to fulfill their potential and accomplish anything.”

STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN MODEL UN CONFERENCE

Twenty students from Santa Catalina participated in the fourth annual High School Model United Nations Conference on November 5. The county event was the culmination of a weekslong program that simulates the real-life U.N. Working mostly in pairs, students researched, debated, and established policies and resolutions on international issues. They acted as delegates for 11 countries, and participated in three organizations that make up the U.N.

The students also submitted position papers, for which two teams received awards: seniors Jane Shim and Hashini Weerasekera, who represented the United Arab Emirates in the General Assembly, and juniors Coco Chai and Orlinka MitokoKereere, who represented Malaysia in the Security Council.

U.N. ORGANIZATIONS

THE SECURITY COUNCIL

Seven students were on the Security Council, where the topic was the situation in the Middle East, with a focus on the Syrian refugee crisis.

THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Five students served on this council, which tackled how to ensure universal access to water.

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

In the General Assembly, which had eight students, the topic was equitable representation on the Security Council.

“You cannot be what you cannot see.” — Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code

THE MYSTERY IS IN THE ENDING

If you went to all five performances of the fall musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood , it’s likely you would have seen five different endings. The same would be true, in fact, if you went to 486 performances. (We have the math to back it up.)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood is based on the unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. Rather than impose an ending, playwright Rupert Holmes decided to let the audience choose how the story would end. The play, set in 1892 England, revolves around a love triangle between Edwin Drood (played by Cayleigh Capaldi ’18), his betrothed Rosa Bud (Fila Oen ’18), and John Jasper (Madigan Webb ’17), Edwin’s uncle and Rosa’s voice teacher. When Drood disappears, it looks as if the jealous Jasper murdered him. The audience gets to choose among eight possible killers (including characters played by Anna Baricevic ’18, Ana Leon Nuñez ’18, Jessica Almos ’18, McCall Briskele ’17, Bailey Brewer ’20, and AnnaRose Hunt ’17).

The play is presented as a show within a show, with each Catalina thespian portraying both the character and that character’s actor. An emcee (Juliana Tarallo ’17) holds the show together, presenting each possible scenario to the audience.

The murder isn’t the only mystery to solve: The audience also votes on the true identity of a detective who turns up to investigate the case, and chooses two lovers to give the play a happy ending.

Drood was a rollicking success. The girls had excellent comedic chops and singing voices beyond their years, and every visual element—from costumes to sets—was perfectly evocative of the time. And with the heavy audience interaction, The Mystery of Edwin Drood was not just a play, but an experience.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood was not just a play, but an experience.

Ana Leon Nuñez ’18, foreground, and Anna Baricevic ’18 in The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

VOLLEYBALL’S HISTORIC SEASON

The 2016-17 volleyball team was the first in Monterey County history to go undefeated in the regular season.

The volleyball team began practicing for the 2016 season on August 8. No one at that time could have predicted how the season would go. Fast-forward to October 26 and the Cougars have completed a perfect 14–0 league record, with a dominant win over rival Carmel High School. The defending league champions were once again sole owners of the Mission Trail Athletic League (MTAL) volleyball title. The team’s 22–0 overall record marks the first time in Monterey County history that a girls’ volleyball team went undefeated in the regular season.

The team’s run didn’t end with the league season; the Cougars earned the No. 1 seed in the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoffs with an automatic advance to the quarterfinals. They quickly moved on to the CCS final against defending champion Notre Dame Salinas, where they won their first-ever CCS Division V Championship in a straight-set victory. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) NorCal Division V playoffs saw the team triumph over Ripon Christian and Bradshaw Christian. Reaching the semifinals for the second straight year, the Cougars faced Marin Academy, the second-ranked Division V team in the state. Catalina’s previously unbeaten volleyball squad lost in four very close sets, ending the historic run of 27 straight wins, a Monterey County volleyball record.

Congratulations to the 2016 Cougar volleyball team, to Coach Paul Elliott, and to the many parents and friends who supported the team during this unforgettable season. Go, Cougars!

ALUM CADDIES FOR WINNER CARSON DALY AT AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

Annie Bowlsby ’11, ’07 LS was the caddy for TV personality Carson Daly at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am from February 9-12. Daly won the amateur portion of the PGA tournament with his pro partner Ken Duke.

Bowlsby, a caddy at Pebble Beach Resorts, was dubbed Daly’s “secret weapon” for her knowledge of the course. She first caddied for him years ago in the Nature Valley First Tee Open, and he was so impressed that he flew her out to caddy all of his events at Pebble while she was still a student at the University of Delaware, where she played golf on a scholarship.

Bowlsby was the top player at Catalina, earning First Team All-League and Central Coast Section honors all four years.

She has also caddied for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith at the AT&T.

Annie Bowlsby ’11, ’07 LS was Carson Daly’s “secret weapon” at the AT&T Pro-Am.

FALL SPORTS

WRAP-UP

On top of volleyball’s recordsetting season, other Catalina teams shone. Cross country, golf, and tennis teams made it to the CCS playoffs in 2016, and golf and tennis won league titles.

Cross Country At the Division V race at the Stanford Cross Country Invitational, senior Audrey Bennett took 22nd, with a time of 20:15.90. Bennett was consistent throughout the MTAL season, setting the fastest time on the 2.46-mile course at Jacks Peak. Four runners competed in the CCS Championships.

Field Hockey In a difficult varsity season, senior Kira Cruz was named to the Monterey Bay League (MBL) first team and classmate Sophia Hussain was named to the second team. Although both captains are graduating, several star players return next season.

Golf The Cougars took the MBL title with a 10-stroke win over runner-up

Stevenson. As a team, the Catalina golfers finished 10th at CCS. Junior Coco Chai won the MTAL golf title with a 74 and finished fifth at CCS, qualifying her for the NorCal Girls Golf Championship, where she tied for 46th.

Tennis Catalina went 11–1 in MTAL play and 16–5 overall and claimed the league title. Seniors Isabelle Redfield and Kaylaa Kawasaki haven’t lost a No. 1 doubles league match since 2014. Freshman Gabriela Nagy finished the season 10–1 in singles league matches. Juniors Caroline Stewart and Samantha Do also completed a perfect season in league play at the No. 3 doubles position. Catalina was the only team of four from Monterey County to advance to the second round of the CCS team playoffs. Tennis has advanced to the postseason for six years in a row.

Water Polo The Cougars made it to the finals of the MBL Pacific Division Tournament and finished in second place with a 12–3 record. A highlight of the season was the 17–1 win over Harbor High School in the semifinals. Sophomore Abby Fisher had 92 goals in 19 games, with a single-game record of 12 goals against Gilroy. Seniors Ivy Armijo and Sammy Bennett led the team in

steals with 61 each. The team is graduating four seniors but looks to be strong for the 2017 fall season.

WINTER SPORTS

WRAP-UP

Basketball Under new head coach Curt Breitfuss, the Cougars pulled off some notable wins and finished with a 6–10 record. In a nail-biter, Lauren Rodriguez ’18 landed two free throws with 16 seconds on the clock to push Catalina past Greenfield. The following week in a win over King City, Audrey Bennett ’17 scored 31 points and Abby Gunter ’20 had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Bennett averaged 15 points a game.

Soccer After a slow start, the Cougars closed out the season with four wins in five games, including two victories against playoff teams. Overall, their season record was 4–10–2. Forward Allie Aiello ’17 led Catalina with 15 goals in the season. Seniors Aiello, Maddison Long, and Charlotte Wade were four-year varsity starters.

Ivy Armijo ’17 led this year’s water polo team with 61 steals.

The Arts A FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS

Increasingly, employers are seeking so-called soft skills when making hiring decisions. Interpersonal soft skills are essential to any occupation, whereas hard skills tend to be job specific. Last year, LinkedIn analyzed the profiles of its members and compiled a list of the top 10 most sought-after soft skills. On that list were good communication skills, the ability to be a team player, critical and creative thinking, and adaptability. These were among the same skills that Santa Catalina’s art teachers named when asked to describe the benefits of an arts education.

“In the art department, we recognize that the percentage of students who will work directly in the arts is very small,” says Michelle Avery, chair of the Upper School art department. “So our goal is [to help them] realize they have this inner well of problem solving, creativity, and perseverance that they can draw upon in anything they do.”

Creativity, inherent in the arts, is especially desirable in business. According to a survey conducted by business research organization The Conference Board and nonprofit advocacy group Americans for the Arts, creativity is among the top 5 applied skills sought by business leaders. As much as 72 percent claimed that

is of high importance in job candidates.

“Students who have learned through art how to see new patterns, how to learn from mistakes, and how to envision solutions are the ones likely to come up with the novel answers needed for the future,” says Lower and Middle School art teacher Susan Smith.

Elizabeth Leach ’75, who owns her own gallery in Portland, Oregon (see page 45), believes artists have an edge in creative problem solving because they tend to think outside the box. “As an artist, you’re looking at things visually,

creativity

Wanted: A creative thinker and problem solver with strong communication skills. Must work well with others.

Students who have learned through art how to see new patterns, how to learn from mistakes, and how to envision solutions are the ones likely to come up with the novel answers needed for the future.

—Susan Smith, Lower and Middle School art teacher

Students at work in the art studios

Everything is designed by somebody. Some things are poorly designed, and you know it when you see it… . I like to think that people who went through an arts curriculum, and a very good one, will design something better.

—Michelle Avery, Chair of the Visual Arts Department

teacher Susan Kendall actively engages students in this intermingling of disciplines in the school’s Boiler Lab. There, students build cities, farm machinery, and cardboard boats using practical skills like construction, soldering, and circuitry. But first they design objects in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. “It gives them more confidence than using simplified apps,” Kendall says. “This is where they create, not use.”

so you may not be looking at things the way everybody else sees them,” she says. Google Ventures and other venture capital firms have been snapping up designers to help spot good startups and guide the fledgling companies in successfully developing products and services. Design is evident when it comes to websites, apps, and games, but what about light socket covers, buildings, or even entire cities?

“Everything is designed by somebody,” says Avery. “Some things are poorly designed, and you know it when you see it… . I like to think that people who went through an arts curriculum, and a very good one, will design something better.”

This is where the arts meet STEM to create STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. In the Lower and Middle School, technology

It’s not just the visual arts that foster the qualities that employers want. Kate Fagan ’00 started playing the cello in fourth grade and then the flute; she picked up the bassoon as an eighthgrader. With the bassoon, she earned a scholarship to the University of Colorado, where she received a bachelor’s degree in music education. You might expect her to be in the classroom, arcing a baton through the air as she conducts an orchestra of budding musicians. Instead, she’s a data analyst for the health insurer Aetna, writing computer programs that help the company better understand its members’ health care. But hers is not a case of an arts degree wasted. “It was more that I decided that a career in health care was the correct path than that music was not right,” says Fagan, who went on to receive a master’s degree in public health in biostatistics and epidemiology at CU’s Colorado School of Public Health. Despite the change in career path, her music studies are far from wasted. “Music taught me the importance

( 1 ) Lower School students get creative in the technology lab. ( 2 ) Printmaking in the LMS art studio. ( 3 ) Claire Lerner, Upper School art and photography teacher, advises a film photography student.

of self-confidence,” says Fagan, who attended Santa Catalina as a senior year boarding student and who played cello for the musical productions. “It’s not always my strong suit, but music helped me know the power of believing in myself, which is something I use every day. Music also taught me about working in cooperation with other people and how to connect to your teammates, which I also use in my job.”

Clearly, though, the arts are not just about building job skills. They have been a hallmark of every great civilization, a way of communicating a particular culture to the rest of the world. In children, the process of making art

helps hone their fine motor skills, and the act of talking about it builds their vocabulary. In the realm of mental health, art offers a break for the brain.

“It’s meditative,” says Upper School art teacher Claire Lerner. “Our art classes provide a space in the day for students to have a reflective time.” That’s important not only because it gives busy students a chance to regroup, but also because it helps them process the information they’ve been given in their other classes.

“By working with your hands and using different parts of your brain, you’re allowing all of that work to assimilate,” Lerner says.

More than half of Catalina’s Upper School students are enrolled in the visual arts program. “It’s probably one of the busiest places on campus,” says Avery. Even though most of them will go on to work outside of the arts, those who do make a career of it will be

participating in a significant economic driver. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the arts and culture sector is a $730 billion industry, claiming a larger share of the economy than transportation, tourism, and agriculture. The nonprofit arts industry alone supports 4.1 million jobs. Attendees at art shows, music events, and plays spend money on dinner, parking, baby-sitting, and such, all of which benefits local economies.

In the end, the most important measure of an arts education is the person it shapes—someone who learns how to find the inner voice; to express himself or herself; to embrace diversity; to appreciate beauty; and to create, innovate, and collaborate. “Art has nothing to do with right and wrong,” says Smith. “It has to do with being yourself, finding yourself, challenging yourself, and discovering what is right and true for you.”

21ST CENTURY SKILLS

Here are some of the many important skills that an arts education develops, according to Santa Catalina’s art teachers:

Creativity

( 1 ) Michelle Avery works with Digital Media students.

( 2 ) Susan Kendall looks on as Middle School students practice their soldering skills in the Boiler Lab.

( 3 ) Susan Smith jokes with fourth-graders.

Problem solving Critical thinking Innovation Logic Attention to detail Communication Self-confidence Cooperation/collaboration Perseverance Empathy Cultural awareness Design Decision-making Focus Respect Observation Forming opinions Learning from mistakes Reflection

Fine motor skills Vocabulary Interpretation

Using visual information Curiosity Evaluation

man on a mission

When Alexander Janko ’83 LS first approached Joan Anderson about turning her New York Times best-selling memoir into a movie, one of her first questions was: What does a 40-something-year-old man want with a story about women?

It’s a fair question. Her memoir, A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman, recounts the transformative period in her life when, as an empty nester in a stagnant marriage, she decided to retreat to the family cottage in Cape Cod rather than follow her husband across the country to his new job. It’s about rediscovering herself after years of living for other people and learning that the story of her life, even in its later stages, was still unwritten.

A student at Santa Catalina Lower and Middle School with two older sisters and a busy ob-gyn father, Janko grew up surrounded by women. Like Anderson, he experienced a profound transformation later in life. So when he read the mildewy, jacketless copy of Anderson’s memoir that had appeared on his kitchen counter, he found himself on a mission.

“I opened it up and three hours later I was convinced that I needed to make a movie, not for myself necessarily, but for all women, all the daughters of those women, all the granddaughters of those women,” he said.

Anderson was sold. In a reflection titled “From Memoir to Movie,” she wrote, “I came to realize he’s one of those rare males who understands the feminine need to be something other than a roster of roles.”

Year by the Sea marks Janko’s directorial debut after a decade working in Hollywood as a composer and orchestrator. The movie opened in late February 2017 in Florida after racking up more than a dozen awards on the festival circuit. The movie took seven

years to come to fruition, financed in part by a robust Kickstarter campaign. Janko’s doggedness to get it made speaks to more than just his love of the material. The film is a manifestation of a dream he’d had as a child but then ignored for 20 years. That dream returned to him the moment he experienced the collision of a professional high and a personal low.

Lost and found

The story goes that when his sisters’ piano teacher pulled up outside the Janko house in his pink van, three-yearold Xandy would climb up on the piano bench and scream until he got a piece of the action. By seven, Xandy had picked up the cello; he started playing in trios and quartets a couple of years later, and continued to play through high school. He wrote an original composition that opened the door to Princeton.

Janko didn’t intend to make music a career. Though he ended up with a degree in music, he began college with a focus on East Asian studies. A chance encounter with the mom of a childhood friend led him to an internship with Oscar-nominated composer Alan

Silvestri, and later to Hollywood, where he teamed up with composer David Newman on 35 films.

Then, in 2002, a career milestone: Janko composed the score for My Big Fat Greek Wedding. But just as that independent movie was becoming a sensation, Janko and his then wife, Cressey Belden Janko ’87, lost their first child, a son, in stillbirth.

“The juncture of such a personal crisis with such a professional opportunity

shook me to the core,” he said. “It lifted the rose-colored glasses off my face.” The consumerist trappings of Hollywood no longer appealed to him. The loss of his son was tempered by the birth of his daughter, and she was what mattered. He left Los Angeles with his family, built a cabin in the wilderness with his father, and took stock of his life. His childhood self returned to his consciousness.

“I was eleven years old when I had this strong, profound vision of wanting to be a monk—and I don’t mean that in a

Alexander Janko preps a scene on Nantucket Sound.

Janko with sisters Ibi Janko Murphy ’83 and Julia Janko Wong ’82.

I want to start to think about what I can do as a human being but also as a creative being to have a greater impact on the world.

religious sense,” he said. “I mean that in a sort of focused, simple life sense. For me, what that’s evolved into is being a creative monk… . I realized I don’t want to worry about every paperclip that’s in my desk drawer. I want to start to think about what I can do as a human being but also as a creative being to have a greater impact on the world. That’s when I decided to pursue independent filmmaking.”

That’s also when Anderson’s memoir showed up on his kitchen counter.

Women as they are

When Janko reflects on the process of making the movie, which he also wrote, he often returns to his experience at Santa Catalina. He believes that, as a boy on a majority-female campus, he became more attuned to the hyper-selfconsciousness that some girls feel, but also more aware of their natural strength and confidence.

From music teacher Avon Gillespie, who arrived at the school when he was in grade 5, Janko learned the importance of emotion behind a performance.

“If anything, it probably just heightened my sensitivity…and I’m saying that was a good thing,” he said. “In today’s world, in our current political environment, being the father of a daughter, I think it’s an invaluable asset to have as a man.”

WHERE DID THAT BOOK COME FROM, ANYWAY ?

Alexander Janko says the memoir that inspired the film just showed up on his kitchen counter. But how did it get there? His wife at the time found it at the dump.

“Here’s the crazy, surreal thing about that. Over the course of the movie, I’ve heard this story over and over about people finding the book at book swaps and transfer stations,” Janko says. One woman got a flat tire and pulled over in front of a bookstore. When she went in, the book literally fell at her feet.

Guess the book just has a way of finding people.

MEET THE CAST

Year by the Sea features a familiar cast of Golden Globe, Emmy, Tony, and Pulitzer Prize winners.

With Year by the Sea , it was important to Janko that it be as truthful as possible to the female experience. Part of that involved doing something radical in an industry that’s coming under increasing fire for its ageism: casting older actresses as they are, not as Hollywood says they should be.

During the casting process, he said, he heard many stories of actresses being told they wouldn’t get any work unless they had plastic surgery. So he made a point to hire only actresses who had resisted that directive.

Bisson Murdoch Mysteries LIZ S. Epatha Merkerson Law & Order ROBIN Michael Christopher Mr. Robot ERIKSON Celia Imrie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

To learn more about the film, the festival awards won, or to view the trailer, please visit yearbythesea.com.

“I didn’t mean that to say we were punishing the ones who had,” he explained. “I felt it was important to make a movie where I was representing truth, organic truth, on the screen. …For a 60-, 70-, 80-year-old woman to go to a movie and see herself represented equally and fairly is very different. That’s what I’m excited about: to try to shift the perspective a little bit.”

Janko has not left music behind. In addition to writing and directing Year by the Sea , he composed the score. It’s minimalist and simple, like the soothing ebb and flow of the water lapping at Cape Cod’s shores—and like the postHollywood life he has carved out for himself.

“There’s something that’s very calming and very comforting about spending the majority of my time creating,” he said. “I’ve shifted my focus away from Hollywood and toward a more non-monetarily driven pursuit of the arts. That’s directly related to my experience at Catalina. The value system of growing up at a parochial school is there is a higher goodness, a higher reason, a higher purpose.”

In the pursuit of that higher purpose, Janko’s and Anderson’s fates aligned. “I think the tagline says it best: It’s never too late to reclaim your life.”

JOAN

Karen Allen Raiders of the Lost Arc CAHOON

Yannick

Photos courtesy of Alexander Janko ’83 LS, Ibi Janko Murphy ’83, and Year by the Sea

I think the tagline says it best: It’s never too late to reclaim your life.

santa catalina

( 1 ) Alexander Janko shows Karen Allen how to whisk eggs on the set of Year by the Sea. ( 2 ) Janko discusses a scene with Allen on Cape Cod.

& emergence evolution

RELATIONSHIPS BONDED CHLOE CORRIVEAU ’15 TO ART—AND TO CATALINA

When Chloe Corriveau ’15, ’11 LS looks through the lens of a camera, she sees the world in black and white. Color is a distraction. What interests her is the composition of the photograph—the forms of the people and the structures in front of her.

Corriveau uses a camera that belonged to her mother, who passed it down when her daughter became a freshman at Santa Catalina. These days, the camera does more than take photographs; it keeps her close to her mom, who passed away midway through Corriveau’s sophomore year.

“It gives me the sensation of looking through the same lens as her,” Corriveau said. “Almost as if I’m sharing with her what I’m seeing whenever and wherever I choose to do photography.”

In the composition of Corriveau’s life as an artist, her mother is an important figure. “My mom was unconditionally supportive of my creative endeavors,”

Corriveau said. But her mother’s death would lead to another transformative relationship, one forged in grief but strengthened by art.

Photography teacher Claire Lerner was Corriveau’s advisor at the time, offering a shoulder to cry on. Her office became a place of escape. “She wanted to come back to school, maybe too soon, but she did want to come back and resume her life like any other kid would want to,” Lerner recalled. “But at the time it was overwhelming.”

Then, less than two months later, Lerner’s father passed away. “And Chloe was there for me, too.”

Film photography of Iceland by Chloe Corriveau.

Imagine if I didn’t have those art classes growing up. I would never have known what my passions were until now.

As they worked through their grief together, and Corriveau became Lerner’s photography student the following year, the two of them turned increasingly to art, drawing inspiration from each other to craft pieces reflective of their parents. Corriveau made a mixed media piece out of her mom’s personal belongings; Lerner worked on a series of small paintings of her dad’s furniture.

“Making art to deal with the loss of a loved one can provide a sense of inner peace,” said Corriveau, “and I think Ms. Lerner and I were going through that process together.”

Over time, grief became a lesser part of the equation. Said Lerner, “We started developing a rapport on a higher art level, as one artist to another.”

When Corriveau applied for the University of Washington’s coveted design program, she turned to Lerner for input. She also sought advice from Michelle Avery, her senior year studio art teacher. Avery encouraged her to create a portfolio for a fictitious business, so Corriveau designed business cards, a website, and packaging for a friend’s organic granola.

“I honestly think that’s probably what got me into the program and what separated [my portfolio] from the others,” Corriveau said. Her drive and level of talent didn’t hurt. Lerner describes Corriveau as an artist of sophistication, with a good eye and an intensity to her approach.

There may be no better example of her drive than what Corriveau did last summer. Even before she learned she had been accepted into the UW design school—which has a 23 percent acceptance rate—Corriveau applied for its Design in Rome study-abroad program. “I really wanted to get into design, so I just acted like I was going to achieve that,” she said.

She was one of only a dozen students selected to make the trip. The photography-based program lasted four weeks. For the first three, they toured the Italian capital, paying special attention to its history and architecture. In the final week, they ventured into northern Italy to see craftspeople at work in small, family-based factories.

This part of the program spoke most to Corriveau, who describes herself as a hands-on artist. She’s still figuring out her

Making art to deal with the loss of a loved one can provide a sense of inner peace, and I think Ms. Lerner and I were going through that process together.

( 1 ) An artist at work in Italy, taken by Corriveau.

( 2 ) Chloe Corriveau and Claire Lerner

style as a designer, but she does know that it leans to the fine art side, mixing physical works—like painting and film photography—with digital. “I think I prefer to get my hands dirty and just create something I can hold,” she said.

The breadth of her art education at Catalina played a role. Before Corriveau came to the school in grade 6, art was recreational. At Catalina, art is a required part of the curriculum, which set her on a path toward making a career out of creativity. From the foundational skills she learned in middle school to the drawing, printmaking, photography, and design

skills she learned throughout high school, Corriveau has taken away something from everyone, and made it her own.

She knows she wouldn’t have gone as far had she stayed in public schools, where art may not be a priority. “We would have some nice markers, and that’s it,” she recalled. “In those public schools I went to, you only had easily accessible materials. That’s fine for a fourth-grader. But as you get older, it’s nice to be able to explore different opportunities for art.”

The word she uses to describe the lack of art education elsewhere is bummer.

“Especially for someone like me. I mean, imagine if I didn’t have those classes growing up. I would never have known what my passions were until now.”

As she continues to explore where her passions will take her, two things are for certain: Her Catalina teachers have her back, and her mom is by her side.

( 1 ) In a digital photograph taken by Corriveau in Rome, a family plays cards in a courtyard.

( 2 ) Chloe Corriveau’s favorite photographs were from Iceland.

( 3 ) An accordian player on the streets of Italy, taken by Corriveau.

ON THE GREEN

As a freshman, Corriveau competed as a member of the University of Washington’s women’s golf team. That year, the team claimed their first-ever NCAA national championship in women’s golf, knocking out defending champion Stanford.

SLOWING IT DOWN IN ICELAND

Before Chloe Corriveau started her Design in Rome summer program, she and a friend spent five days exploring Iceland in a camper van. Though she walked away from Rome with an impressive photo portfolio, she prefers the images she took of the glacial landscape to the north. For one, she did more film photography there. “I have more of an eye with film, because you take more time with it,” she says. Time was definitely on her side in Iceland in a way it wasn’t in fast-paced, crowded Italy. “In Iceland, I was just with the earth the whole time.”

THE work of Art

HOW GALLERY OWNER ELIZABETH LEACH ’75 TRANSFORMED PORTLAND

Last summer, hundreds of people walked the streets of Portland, Oregon, on a scavenger hunt of sorts, popping into artists’ studios, galleries, museums, and cultural institutions for a new event called Converge 45. The event, founded by art dealer Elizabeth Leach ’75, showcased the city’s vibrant art scene and its place on the national and international stage. While the public toured the city with a brochure of 47 venues to guide them, artists, curators, and collectors from across the United States and abroad engaged in three days of probing conversations about the state of contemporary art.

I brought what my point of view was to this city. When I came here, I was already accustomed to national and international art, so I started bringing it here.

The convergence of artists and art lovers in this city on the 45th parallel reflects a cultural world that Leach helped shape. Portland was an insular, regional player when she opened her gallery nearly 36 years ago. She arrived as a 24-year-old with an art history degree from Scripps College, a few years of professional experience in Los Angeles, and an awareness of the greater art world from travels to Europe and New York. In a city with few galleries and a locals-only attitude, it didn’t take her long to upset the status quo.

“From the beginning, she didn’t rely on exhibiting pretty landscapes or well-crafted sculptures,” according to a 2011 profile of Leach in The Oregonian. “In the gallery’s third month, for example, Leach presented light installations by New York artist Hap Tivey… . It was the kind of work being talked about in Los Angeles and New York. Leach became the first dealer in Portland to show Tivey and similarly challenging artists.”

A look inside Portland’s Elizabeth Leach Gallery.

“I brought what my point of view was to this city,” Leach said in an interview for this article. “When I came here, I was already accustomed to national and international art, so I started bringing it here.” She also brought with her a spirit of collaboration that apparently was lacking. When artists whose work didn’t fit her gallery’s abstract mold came to her, she naturally referred them to the other galleries in town, “which I guess wasn’t ever done before.” And she was among the first to forge relationships

with business people, politicians, and nonprofits to boost the art scene’s profile. Converge 45 is a clear and natural extension of that.

“Over time, I earned respect from the community,” she said. “I wasn’t given it right away, which I understand now.

I was 24 when I opened the gallery, and people didn’t realize how much knowledge I had.”

THE GALLERY

WHERE 417 N.W. 9th Avenue

Portland’s Pearl District

ARTISTS

The gallery’s website lists about 60 artists who have exhibited there or are represented by Leach. The artists who have exhibited in 2017 include Christopher Rauschenberg, Hap Tivey, Julia Mangold, Libby Wadsworth, and Victoria Adams.

WEBSITE elizabethleach.com

Leach’s interest in art began in a humanities class during her junior year at Santa Catalina. Her teacher, Laurie Boone ’58, displayed an image of the Stone Age figurine Venus of Willendorf and asked, “What does femininity mean to you?”

“It just clicked,” Leach said. She realized just how much art can express ideas and emotions. After that, “nothing really sang to me like art history. It’s how I can funnel all of my feelings and passion and intellect and skills.”

When it comes to the business of selling art, Leach said she owes a lot to her experience at Catalina. “It gave me the rigor to start something and finish something, to hold myself to a standard of excellence, not to compromise.”

She was driven right from the start. Looking to build up a roster of collectors, she cold-called companies and, according to The Oregonian , mailed invitations to patrons whose names she culled from Oregon Symphony programs. “People thought I was assertive,” she explained.

FAMILY BUSINESS

Elizabeth Leach’s daughter, Gwendolyn, has been the managing director of the gallery for the past seven years. Lately, she’s been bringing her young daughter with her. “Kind of makes me want to stop working and play,” Leach says.

( 1 ) ( 2 ) Elizabeth Leach being interviewed about Converge 45 ( 3 ) Leach’s son, Tyler Rivenbark, and his girlfriend at Converge 45.

“In business, you have to be… . Opening a gallery is a huge undertaking, a risky venture. It’s right next to opening a restaurant. It’s something you have to pay attention to daily.”

As the gallery approaches its 36th anniversary, Leach is as busy as ever. At the beginning of the year, she oversaw the installation of a 15-by-15-foot stainless steel sculpture in a downtown lobby. Her packed exhibition schedule included another installation by Tivey, the artist whose work she exhibited in the early days of

Gallery photos and portrait courtesy of Elizabeth Leach Gallery. Converge 45 photos courtesy of Sally Fay ’74.

her gallery. She advises people who are building their private collections. She travels frequently—to fairs, museums, galleries, and studios—to keep up with trends and to look for new talent.

And, of course, there’s the second year of Converge 45, set for August 9–12, 2017. Leach and the other organizers are making a greater push with community outreach this year. The event’s theme, “You in Mind,” speaks not only to the people of Portland but to the future of the city’s art scene itself.

“Part of the desire is to encourage and support the younger emerging spaces so we have successful generations of venues for artists and the city of Portland,” Leach said.

Maybe the owner of that emerging venue will be the next Elizabeth Leach.

CONVERGE 45

WHEN August 9-12, 2017

WHAT

Converge 45 is a multi-day event showcasing contemporary art and ideas in galleries, art institutions, and public spaces throughout Portland, Oregon. The inaugural event in 2016 featured an Artists’ Congress, a three-day conversation among artists, writers, and thinkers around issues in contemporary art. Ideas born during this gathering will be realized through largescale exhibitions and projects in 2017.

Continuing with the theme “You In Mind,” this year’s event features exhibitions highlighting up to 35 regional and international artists, as well as a curated program called Intersection@Converge 45. Kristy Edmunds, artistic and executive director of UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, is the guest artistic director again this year.

WEBSITE converge45.org

“Portland Bridges” by Jami Dwyer via wikipedia

Part of the desire is to encourage and support the younger emerging spaces so we have successful generations of venues for artists and the city of Portland.

2017 Alumnae Reunion

REUNION GIVING 2017

BY THE NUMBERS

total Reunion giving donors out of 652

Top Class Award for reaching or exceeding their participation goal

won the Catalina Award for reaching or exceeding their fundraising goal (1967, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997)

celebrated their 50th reunion

1967 38

members of the Class of 1967 were registered attendees*, the most of any class

260

alumnae in attendance, a seven-year record

4alumnae celebrating Reunion are mothers of current students

(Jameen Wesson Jacoby ’77, Kassandra Thompson Brenot ’87, Erica Olin Giannini ’87, Susan Smith Nixon ’87)

8,102

miles traveled from Jakarta, Indonesia, by Devie Kusumaputri ’97 to attend Reunion

*Forty-seven members of the Class of 1967 attended various events over the course of their 50th reunion weekend!

Distinguished Alumna Awards

The 2017 recipients of the Distinguished Alumna Awards, Lauren Bechtel Dachs ’67 and Cynara Coomer ’87, are recognized for their extraordinary achievements as role models to alumnae and students, and for their dedication and service in their volunteer and professional endeavors.

Laurie Bechtel Dachs ’67 is vice-chair of the board of directors and president of the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. In addition to her leadership of the foundation and of the Stephen Bechtel Fund, Dachs serves on the board of directors for the Water Foundation and on the advisory council to the Public Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center. In the recent past, she served on the board of directors of the Land Trust Alliance and on the advisory council of Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment.

In her work as president of the Bechtel Foundation, Dachs keeps STEM education at the forefront of the foundation’s focus. She specifically searches for programs that concentrate on math learning standards for K–8 students and on programs that expand STEM learning beyond the classroom to after-school activities.

Dachs has been an advisor or board member for many environment, education, and health organizations, including Stanford University, The Nature Conservancy of California, Children’s Hospital and Research Center in Oakland, Head Royce

School, The Thacher School, Lawrence Hall of Science, and the Center for Underrepresented Students in the College of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. She is also a founder of The Lake School, a nonprofit preschool in Oakland.

Dachs graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor of arts in psychology and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Cynara Coomer ’87, M.D., F.A.C.S., is the chief of breast surgery and director of the Florina Rusi-Marke Comprehensive Breast Center at Staten Island University Hospital. Additionally, Coomer is the physician liaison for the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons at SIUH, and she holds an academic appointment of assistant clinical professor of surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Previously, Coomer was a breast surgeon at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, where she developed a

successful clinical practice devoted to the treatments of both benign and malignant breast diseases. Prior to joining Mount Sinai Medical Center, she was a breast surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital. As a medical contributor to Fox News and FoxNews.com, her clinical research and news reports are focused on women’s health—specifically, breast cancer and breast health at all ages. Coomer is also on the Medical Advisory Board for the magazine Bella New York.

Coomer graduated from Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 2002 and completed her surgical residency at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences Medical Center. Following her residency, she was appointed Assistant Professor of Surgery. She is board certified in general surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Coomer is affiliated with numerous professional societies, including the American Society of Breast Surgeons, American Society of Breast Disease, and American Society of Clinical Oncology, and is a recipient of several awards, including the Patients’ Choice Award, America’s Top Surgeons, and the Physician of Distinction from the American Cancer Society.

Laurie Bechtel Dachs

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA

WHAT OR WHO INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE YOUR CAREER?

I have always wanted to work in the nonprofit sector. I was a kid of the ’60s. That carried with it [the drive to] do something to make the world, the planet, and the people who live on it better, and I have enough of an engineering gene to love trying to solve problems.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK? Working with smart but humble people who want to solve problems. They are selfless and committed to the work and care deeply about making a difference.

AS A PHILANTHROPIST, WHAT TRENDS DO YOU SEE AMONG DONORS AND GIVING? There is substantial money entering the sector from new, young (and in some cases inexperienced) donors, which creates opportunities but some concern. Donor-advised funds are rapidly increasing. The sector has become more professional, diverse, and strategic, and we are struggling a bit to find the balance between being too linear about measuring (using an investment-type returns philosophy—there aren’t always clear ways to measure impact) and the other extreme of making contributions based on who you know or what you get as a donor—recognition, status, and the tax benefit. We need to make sure that those who want to do philanthropy accept the responsibility that goes with it and make sure they remember that the nonprofits we serve are the ones on the front line. They need us as thought partners and advocates.

HOW DID YOUR EXPERIENCE AT SANTA CATALINA IMPACT YOUR LIFE? I think Catalina confirmed my desire to commit to doing good, to giving back, given the opportunities and privileges I had been afforded. We lived in a bit of a bubble there, especially during that period when so much was going on in the world. But there was an ethic of service and collaboration with classmates and the nuns who helped shape who I became over the years. High standards, both academically and personally, were on full display and certainly encouraged me to bring my best self forward to the classroom, the sports field, and dorm life.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST MEMORABLE CATALINA TRADITION, AND WHY? I loved our retreats. The no-talking weekends [were] very replenishing. Life was full and busy and noisy, and I loved the quiet and the time and space just to reflect.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR CURRENT STUDENTS OR YOUNG ALUMNAE?

Think about the future. Don’t get overwhelmed doing it, but make sure you start to find those areas of study, of life, that you care about. Don’t worry, it probably will change many times as you go through life. But it will give you some focus when there are so many options to consider, and that focus will be somewhat of a northern star when you need it.

WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? To spend a month hiking (and eating) my way through Italy.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE, AND WHY? To stop the degredation of our planet, which is contributing to the massive vulnerability of huge swaths of people and to wars over resources. Mobilizing others to fight for what is needed would be a wonderful power to have.

Cynara Coomer

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT? My two beautiful daughters! Professionally, my greatest achievement is the development of the Florina Rusi-Marke Comprehensive Breast Center. It’s a beautiful place that provides care from superb healthcare professionals in a comfortable and compassionate environment.

WHAT SKILLS, VALUES, OR LESSONS DID YOU LEARN AT CATALINA THAT HAVE HELPED YOU IN YOUR CAREER OR IN LIFE? Santa Catalina taught me confidence: confidence in all areas of my life and confidence to pursue a vision or a dream—confidence to believe that being a woman is not a limitation. Catalina also showed me what it means to have a sense of community. I learned that it’s important to care for those around us and to give to those who are less privileged.

HOW DID YOUR EXPERIENCE AT SANTA CATALINA IMPACT YOUR LIFE? Santa Catalina was the foundation of my life both personally and professionally. Personally, it showed me the importance of being part of a community and preserving that community. Catalina helped provide the moral compass to follow in daily life, and it taught me discipline. I learned that there is no end to all that we can discover and that we should never stop learning.

WHAT IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL OR REWARDING PART OF YOUR JOB? Being a breast surgeon, I am thankful to deal with a disease that generally has an excellent prognosis for many patients. I am often inspired by the grace and strength that my patients show as they deal with their diagnosis and treatment. It is incredibly rewarding to see them get to the other end of their journey and to know that they have beat the disease.

WHAT ADVANCEMENTS DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE IN CANCER RESEARCH IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS?

The ability to diagnose patients with cancer, especially recurrences, will be easier because it is likely that tests such as simple blood tests will be able to identify cells that indicate cancer cells are present. In addition, more targeted medical therapies will become available that will improve survival outcomes.

WHAT DOES RECEIVING THE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AWARD MEAN TO YOU? It is a tremendous honor. My family immigrated to the United States, and Santa Catalina began my educational experience in this country. I am confident that I would not have pursued my career as a physician if I had not attended Santa Catalina. The superb education in a nurturing and supportive environment gave me the confidence to dream big. To be given this recognition has touched my heart in a way that I cannot describe, and I owe it all to Santa Catalina.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR CURRENT STUDENTS OR YOUNG ALUMNAE? Dream big. It’s important to have a goal to achieve. Some will say it’s impossible; others may be skeptical, but just keep heading toward that dream.

WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? Race car driving.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE, AND WHY? To change animosity into kindness. The world would be a better place if we followed the Golden Rule.

ALUMNAE CLASS NOTES 53

Laurie Angel McGuinness lambo10@aol.com

Beezie Leyden Moore: My life continues to be busier than I would like. I still live in beautiful Cambria, and keep busy with home remodel designing. My hope is to slow down and spend more time painting, a hobby that I’ve always enjoyed but never found time to hone my skills, which are sorely lacking. I’m also exploring the possibility of downsizing as my home is three stories and way too large for one person, three cats, and two birds and it seems the older I get, the fewer visitors I have. My only grandchild, Ellie (13), had her amazing Bat Mitzvah in August. What a milestone that is! I’m so proud of her! Next year marks our 65th anniversary of graduation from Santa Catalina. I know we are so few now, but have great hopes that we will all be able to attend our reunion. Let’s start making plans! Laurie Angel McGuinness: Looking back over 2016, I wondered who, of all my friends, had done the kindest thing. Then it dawned on me. Beezie Leyden Moore (my roommate in 1952-53 at Santa Catalina) decided that she would come all the way north to my house and prepare Thanksgiving dinner for me and my gentleman friend because I can’t stand for any length of time. What a friend! What a meal! This of course reminded me of all the things I am thankful for: my son who comes to visit every Saturday so we can talk endlessly about politics and the high tech world (he talks high tech and I listen); my daughter, who calls me every day from her Indian reservation near Temecula to chat about people and relationships and how she has raised her four terrific children; my six grandchildren who I love to the moon; and my five great-grandchildren. Last year I talked about the pretty wedding we had in my garden and this year I would like to introduce you to Sean and Silvia’s son, Sir Arthur. Gloria Donnelly Anderson sends greetings to her classmates. Gloria was always a reader and still is. She has found that military history is her great favorite. Fleana Giglio Snapp: We are all well. Ellen, our cancer survivor, has a few lingering issues from the radiation that need attention. I will be 82 soon and John is 84 and was diagnosed recently with wet macular degeneration (AMD). He has been asked to participate in a clinical trial study, sponsored by Allergan, that may put the AMD in total remission, or at least, stop it as it is now. Everyone else is doing well with work and life. Gray Burnham Hynes is so busy every year that I was gob-smacked when she returned my call last night. What a nice surprise! We talked about her ongoing successful career as a “stager.” She gets homes in shape to sell. Gray’s been doing this with her business partner for 25 years now and still likes it. Every day is a new challenge,

every job is different, and every client is just great to work with. She said, “The job is rewarding, because when it’s finished, we both feel proud of the quality of work we did.” Gray’s health is very good so she has the energy to keep on working. Gray lives quite close to her children and her sister, Robin. Her other sister, Wendy, comes for a visit annually from France. Since she was always a reader, I had to ask what she’s reading now and got this: Invention of Nature, a biography of Alexander Humbolt, a rather mad scientist of the NapoleanBonapart era. I immediately felt illiterate. Debbie Kneedler Berggren: My mother used to say that getting old was not for sissies, and now I know what she meant! I’m seeing several doctors at Walter Reed and am on the mend. I did get away on my annual fall trip to Hilton Head, SC, with Navy friends. I go to yoga twice a week and knitting once. In April, my granddaughter had my first great-grandchild, a boy. It was wonderful to have my whole family here for Christmas. Greetings to my classmates and I look forward to hearing their news.

54 Gloria Felice gloriafelice@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 fall issue!

55

Mary Nevin Henderson Pat Kelly Phillips plwa2@sbcglobal.net

Mary Nevin Henderson: I’m still going to Mesa for spring training. My granddaughters are busy with their lives: Hailey graduated from ASU two years ago and is working in San Diego. Caitlin, a UCLA graduate, is living and working in San Francisco. Alison is a sophomore at the University of Colorado in Boulder and Olivia is working in Napa and waiting to start at the Police Academy. She received her Associate of Science degree last year from Napa Valley College. I had a wonderful conversation with Carol Speegle Lannon. She really keeps busy. Carol still plays golf two or three times a week and is president of the Woman’s Club (Casa Ahreza) at Carmel Valley Manor. Carol had just returned from France and a great visit with her step-daughter, Sally Hansen Greene Blackburn ’71. Carol still sees Sandy Stolich Brown. Sandy divides her time between Pebble Beach, S.F., and Palm Desert. She is still in the antique business and enjoys playing bridge. Julie Work Beck and I had another great talk. The building she supervised in Monterey has

ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION BOARD

Executive Committee

Shannon McClennahan ’87

President

Laurie Washburn Hogen ’58, Liz Holt Protell ’64

Kathy Trafton ’74, Yvette Merchant Nichols ’96 Katie Carnazzo ’02

Vice Presidents

Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83

Director of Alumnae Relations

Members

Jalynne Tobias Redman ’72

Jennifer Moulton-Post ’82

Ann Frasse Stowe ’82

Christina Nalchajian Whitley ’85

Stephanie Post Pollard ’85

Brett Davis Collins ’93

Lindsay Heller ’95

Kate Lynch Jerkens ’97

Priya Kumar Raju ’00

Brogiin Keeton ’01

Kai Romero ’01

Marina Barcelo Bruketta ’04

Chapter Chairs

Boston Kate Myers Brizius ’88

Chicago Lisa Cavanaugh Wiese ’74

Dallas 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*

New York Priya Kumar Raju ’00

Phoenix Gloria Felice ’54

Portland, OR Virginia Sewell ’69 Ann Carter ’71 Brigid Flanigan ’73

Sacramento Laura Lyon Gaon ’81

San Diego Ann Frasse Stowe ’82

San Francisco Yvette Merchant Nichols ’96

Seattle Madeleine Lynch Greathouse ’85

Washington, D.C. Kerri Robinson Johnson ’92 Liz Belanger McGarvey ’00

International Chapters

Asia Rene Leung ’99

Angelina Yao ’99 Diana Mak ’01

Europe Lara Brehmer ’98

Latin America Leslie Hulse ’88 Annie Coppel ’90 Tere Gonzalez ’94

*Designates Alumnae Association Board member

been completed. The construction manager was the nephew of our freshman classmate, Clarice Borelli. Julie still manages the family real estate business and finds time to play tennis. She keeps in contact with Yvonne Lyons, Sarah McCloud, and Lynn McMath. Now some news from Pat Kelly Phillips, who talked to Sue Barsi Scurich and heard about her beautiful holiday with her family and then a great visit with her daughter, Mimi, who is now the reading resource specialist at Queen of Apostles School, in San Francisco after Christmas. They were real tourists, checking out the beautiful views from the top of the Mark Hopkins and all the holiday decorations and events. Now she is getting ready for her sons, Tony and Mike, to continue a longtime family tradition of making prosciutto. They start with about 54 hams, covered with salt and sugar for three weeks, then put them into a press which takes out the moisture, wash and hang in a smoke house to dry for a year. On the Friday after Thanksgiving they do a “slicing” party, vacuum pack all the slices and give them to their clients for Christmas. Clarice Borelli Felice has become a grandmother again for the ninth time! She is keeping very busy with all of the kids and grandkids. We had fun talking about all the adventures we had at Santa Catalina and also some fun things that happened at San Jose State. I am still busy volunteering but have cut back on a few things. Still working with my neighborhood to help the homeless population get back on their feet. The city just approved a project by PATH to build villas where they can live, learn skills, get jobs, and become self-sufficient. I’m also trying to do more research on my ancestry to share with the family. 56

Sheila

Godwin Peavey 56 sheilapeavey@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 fall issue!

57

Carole Lusignan Buttner wmbclb@aol.com

Bobbie Erro Marsella: Life here in the Central Valley has become increasingly quiet due to the progression of Gary’s Parkinson’s disease. We have around-the-clock care. I am so grateful that we can have him at home. Our grandchildren, Aidan and Nadia, live here in Fresno. They are a barrel of fun and extremely entertaining; their entertainment comes not only in the form of their Irish humor and pranks, but in the form of magnificent talent at the piano. Our French grandson, Blaise, came from Paris to California this past summer. He is

becoming a real Sierra hiker. We only get to see him about three weeks each year so we treasure his time with us. Our daughters Mary, Anne, and Lisa are all well. I am well and grateful for morning Mass and precious friends. Denise LeBlanc Hellier: Our trip to France last summer was all that I could have hoped for. Having my three children in the same place at the same time in 10 years was so fantastic. They just took up as though it was yesterday and the four grandchildren got along fine. During the two weeks, we stayed in the Vaucluse, canoeing under the Pont du Gard, and dancing on the Pont in Avingnon! We then stayed in a magnificent 400-year-old country house, with a faded elegance about it, in the Dordogne. We did touristy things in the morning and swam in the afternoon, ate simply, tasted local everything, and have come home with wonderful memories. Maribeth Conway Steiner: Our big news is that our last two bachelors (in their 40s) were married two summers ago, and now we have two new grandbabies! We are truly blessed and happy. We made the big move to a downtown condo 11 years ago, where Carole Lusignan Buttner and Murray visited. We sold our place in Molokai and have a place in Bend, OR, to see family. Camille Annotti: Life is very good. My health is fine, as it is for the rest of my family. My children are all gainfully employed and seem content with their work and lifestyles, as are my two beautiful grandchildren. I still have my accounting practice that I operate from home; I still love crunching numbers. My work, my children, grandchildren, and close friends make my life perfect for me. My mantra is “live, laugh, love, and dance like nobody is watching!” I really do think of you each so very often. Nancy Gregg Hatch: I have been lingering over each of your names, remembering our adolescent selves, and then shifting the lense to the present. And so I send to you my loving thoughts and hopes for the wellbeing of you and

all you cherish throughout the time ahead. Betty Ann Bernadicou Lambert: Remember us from our days when laughing and eating out were our way of life (think of Angel donuts and Blum’s coffeestas). Studying in Study Hall before dinner, and Mass and rosary in the beautiful chapel were also the norm. And I remember how sleek Mimi Desmond Mathews, Joyce Downton and Fran Brankenridge Neumann looked in their riding britches and could miss lots of study halls. Now, I am grateful for the grown-up friendships with all of you. Carole Lusigan Buttner: In November, we sold our house in Pomfret, CT, and moved into a wonderful retirement community in Essex, CT. This is a beautiful area of New England within an hour of where we raised our family. We are delighted by our fellow residents, who are still very engaged in all aspects of life. Community living at this stage shares many of the joys we shared at Santa Catalina—with an ounce of perspective added! I am very grateful that we are still sharing this path that Sister Kieran laid before us. Mary Hunt Cano: Last year was sometimes hectic and sometimes very tranquil. I am still exploring the San Diego/La Jolla area. There are so many things to see and do here. In April, I went to Monterey to court to finalize Aunt Charlotte’s estate and on the way home, I went to the Reagan Library to see the exhibit “Treasures of the Vatican.” Having had the good fortune to visit the Vatican several times, I was curious to see what they had sent to California. There were a lot of reproductions of statuary but the main displays had to do with the newly canonized Saint Pope John Paul II. It was interesting but disappointing to anyone who has been to the Vatican! In May, I went to London and spent a month in Europe. This time, I, went to stay a week with my cousin in Lucca. I had a fantastic time in Tuscany, culminating in a dinner with 24 of her family present. Back in the UK, I visited friends in Wales and my other cousin in Oxford. I enjoyed the beautiful summer in San Diego and used our pool quite a bit. The fall was filled with travels to Northern California and then Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. Hard to believe that 60 years have gone by!

58

Kathy Howard Loparco

kathyloparco@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 fall issue!

59

Bobbie O’Connell Munson

bobbiemunson@sbcglobal.net

This past year was one of joy as well as sadness. Didi Dwyer Schreiber lost her husband, Paul, in December 2015 and there was a large group

The Class of 1957 at Reunion 2017

of our classmates to give support and love to Rene May Lawler during the loss of her beloved husband, Byron, who we all knew and loved from the many reunions he attended for our class. He was such a special person, and married to Rene for 53 years. These are the times we really begin to realize how very important our classmates are to us, in the totality of our lives, and how much those relationships, formed during our youthful high school years, keep flowing love and support for the rest of our lives. How very lucky we all are to have shared that very special time together at Santa Catalina. Didi has purchased a smaller home in the Villages, and will move to it as soon as she sells her present home. She spent a wonderful Christmas with her family in Maui, and sounds wonderful. Hansi De Petra Rigney and husband, Bob, are running a “hotel” in Carmel for family and friends, and says their home is full of those escaping the foul winter weather of Germany and the East Coast. Hansi was on the road to recovery after cancer surgery but proceeded to tear a hamstring. However, this mighty gal ran running her 100th marathon in Boston this April. It is hard to believe, and congratulations to her on this achievement. Barclay Braden emailed from Florida but still commutes to Colusa, CA, and France De Sugny Bark from the Sequoias community in Portola Valley. They love their new smaller home and still spend May, September, and October in France at their rural property there. M.T. Poniatowski de Maigret writes from Belgium and says they “are still shell shocked over the political issues there and are surrounded by soldiers and police, reminding them that a bomb might be around the next corner.” Mary Kay Denman emailed that she is still very involved with an adult spiritual formation program in her parish, and is looking forward to the spring when she can get back to her gardening. Margaret Rosenberg Duflock emailed from the Ranch, saying all was well— even after celebrating her 75th. Lynne Wildman Chapman emailed me to tell me she and her son, Mills, were heading north on the Coast Starlight train through California to go to Seattle to meet up with her daughter, Ashley, for Christmas. She thought I should check out the train time schedule and hop in the car and “wave to them” on their way through Southern California. Kathy Mailliard Rende says that she and John have been on trips to New York and New Mexico for the operas. She was in Indian Wells during March, with the grandchildren, for the tennis tournament. Kristan Jacobson O’Neill reports that she really enjoys no longer having a full-time business, but now she has either remodeled or rebuilt every home they own. Aside from rebuilding Shaver Lake and Fresno, she and Ed took a five-masted sailboat cruise around Tuscany in the fall and said it was great fun. Penny Fletcher emailed from Honolulu and says she still loves it. She had her entire family there for Christmas. Lila Desmond French is still in Palm Dessert, but says she is hoping to move to San Jose Del Cabo soon. She had just spent a week in Puerto Vallarta with her daughters, Kim and Carson Billings Lovell ’89, and families for the holidays, and had done a river cruise between Budapest and Prague, which was magical. She is

still playing tennis and golf, and has a new dog, Zoey, who is the cutest! Marilyn Brown Wykoff and Vic never disappoint me, but I do need to lie down for a rest after each of her emails! They have taken two trips together to both Kauai and Oahu, and then flew back with their daughter and three of their grandsons to Maui. They recently took a cruise out of San Francisco to multiple stops in Latin America before going through the Panama Canal, to then sail on to New York. She says they still spend their time between Clements, Carmel, and San Francisco. A wonderful email from Debby McCann, who said, “Now, I finally understand why everyone is so unabashedly happy with their grandkids! She’s a delight, cute, and brilliant! Sound familiar?” (Grandkids are God’s way of apologizing for making us grow old!) She shared that her sister, Margaret McCann Grant ’57, is going through some serious health problems, so we shall keep her in our thoughts and prayers. Deb was there for Rene’s husband’s memorial service, which she said was a magnificent tribute to his life. Deb’s hubby, Tim, refuses to retire so no long trips, but she loves her garden. It is always such a joy to hear from her. As for me (Bobbie O’Connell Munson), all is about the same. All of the grandkids are in college or have already graduated and are in their professions. It seems so strange without them here. As usual, I thank you, my dear Class of 1959, for making my job easy and responding to the call for news.

60

Marilyn Ramos Ospina maospina305@hotmail.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 fall issue!

61

Penelope Corey Arango pcarango@bellsouth.net

Kathie Foy: My life continues to be in Connecticut. I take care of “entitled” children and can only say “God help us!” I am concerned for what kind of adults these little ones will become. My children live far away, which is difficult for me; one is in Morocco and another in Hawaii! Penelope Corey Arango: The highlight of our summer was reconnecting with Curry Leigh Curran, Edie Chase McDougal, Bess Van Buskirk Brassel, and Caroline Harris Henderson. I had the thrill of seeing Curry the previous year in New York while attending her one-woman show with Pat Flynn. Edie is a wonderful, animated storyteller. Her life has been fascinating and her daughter is adorable.

She was a gracious hostess in Portland, ME, and introduced us to fun restaurants with delicious seafood, which we all gobbled up! Curry regaled us with her life as an actress and life being married to a well-known actor, Edward Hermann. She and I were roommates and talked into the wee hours while watching the Olympics. Bess has done a variety of jobs—entertaining us about the people she met. She is recovering from her second shoulder operation, which is a long and painful recovery. Pray for a smoother time for her! Caroline intrigued me with her description of her past life on a farm raising food and livestock. Both ladies were discovering parts of the Northeast by car. Sara Foy: In October, I retired fully from Santa Barbara City College Foundation where I had worked part-time for three years after my retirement from my full-time position in the president’s office at SBCC. This past year, I returned to yoga classes and then started taking Integral Yoga Hatha teacher training classes. There are a few more requirements to fulfill and then I will be certified. In the meantime, it has had a profound effect on my life. Daily meditation and walking are more a part of my life now than ever before. For the past three years, I have been in a writers’ group, which has been enormously encouraging and enlightening. The 55th Reunion in March 2016 had a different flavor for me than reunions in years past. Reconnecting with Lissa Gahagan Nicolaus, Nini Richardson Hart and Mary-Allen Macneil was fun and heartwarming, and made me realize even more the special tie that we all have. Last month, I had the dearest visit with Margaret “Margs” Brackenridge Dalis in her new digs after not seeing her for about five years. Mary-Allen Macneil: Steve and I have had a busy year. I went to Italy twice, because my older daughter and her family live in Rome now. On the second trip, Steve came with me, and we hiked the Amalfi Coast for a week. My other daughter and her family live in San Francisco, much closer. In my capacity as a Zen priest, I started a meditation group in Oakhurst last summer, and this fall Steve helped to convert a storefront in Oakhurst as a permanent location. I also completed a three-year training program in spiritual direction at Mercy Center in Burlingame. I’ve found the training very synergistic with Zen teaching. Interestingly, there is a Catholic priest at Mercy Center who is also a Zen Master. Because of my training in both theist and non-theist approaches, I have a fascinating mix of people in spiritual direction, including atheists, agnostics, and humanists, as well as traditional Christians, Jews, and Buddhists. This old lady is having fun! Penelope Corey Arango: I am staying with my sister Susan Corey ’65. As to my 2016, it was interesting to say the least. I still own my two companies, Arango Group and Arango Press. I am publishing a book for the press and continue as an independent contractor specializing in industrial psychology. I work out of my home office, which is great. I am enjoying my annual visit to Pasadena, where I stay with my brother George and sister Susan, and meet all my cousins. Such fun! Patricia Flynn: Last summer, I returned to my home in San Anselmo after having spent three years in New York City,

and what wonderful years! I originally went to do a yearlong communications project for the ACLU’s Immigrant Rights Project. I also immersed myself in the cultural wonders the city offers day and night, and feel so lucky for having had that opportunity. It was great to spend time with my dear friend, Kathie Ryan Foy, and we were able to go together to Curry’s amazing play. Since returning to California, I’ve been working parttime at KQED, the NPR station in San Francisco, where over the years I’ve been everything from senior news editor to on-air anchor. This time, I’m an editor in the science unit, which is hugely stimulating and a great way to update my totally outmoded science knowledge! So still love being involved in interesting work and no thoughts of retirement. I’m happy to be closer to my son, Matthew, when he’s actually in the Bay Area and not off rock-climbing somewhere. I’m single again; lucky to be very healthy and energetic; enjoying life but very concerned about the new occupant of the White House! The death of Pamela Parker Krasney last year put me back in touch with some of you, and I’d love to reconnect with classmates if you’re in the area.

62

Mary Bitterman mbitterman@osherfoundation

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 fall issue! 63

DiDi Ditz Stauffer dditzs45@gmail.com Sally Rorick-Orlando rorlando@cox.net

Jansie Farris: Getting used to retirement and having fun with grandkids (nine of them, ages 1-9). All were together for Thanksgiving, creating an amazing, chaotic fun time! CT scans this past year showed lung still clear of cancer so that was a real up! No downers this past year and for that I am grateful. Sally Rorick-Orlando: The past year was a tough year in the loss department: Rick’s brother died last October, in January his sister died, and in June, our rescue dog died. On the upside, we went to our favorite dude ranch in Montana with daughter Julia, nieces, and great-nephews. It was a great reunion; the boys fell in love with horses and freedom. In October, I travelled by myself for the first time in 10 years with a bucket list trip to the Omega Institute in New York. I heard Dr. Bessell van der Kolk speak about trauma and its effect on the brain. Then I did a week-long EFT (the tapping procedure) workshop and then came home with new tools in my kit! I am doing spiritual direction small groups

and one-on-one work. I also started a writing class and a music appreciation class. Now I don’t even miss my job that got phased out in January! Ghislaine de Give: Since I stopped work about a year ago, I have been doing more painting. I do oil painting and silkscreen classes. In the first, I can inch my way across the canvas and make big and little adjustments to what I see. Silk screen demands that I think in layers and have an end vision in mind. Two totally opposed ways of thinking, which keeps the mind elastic, but the total vision requirements of silk screen is really hard for me. I am looking for a volunteer job that coincides with my career in consulting and this may take some time. I have coached young people on finding jobs and doing CVs, so something like “dress for success” might fit the bill. I am also looking into efforts on behalf of protecting democracy and climate control. Other than that, I do yoga, Pilates, and swim. They were all the result of injuries and wear and tear to various parts of my outer envelope but I am glad because I love the exercise and find it keeps me balanced. I want to do a week of St. Ignatius’s spiritual exercises as I have started to read interpretations of his teachings. They are tolerant, insightful, and inspirational. I have my first grandchild: Arlo Poulden. He is a joy, good natured, healthy, and always smiling. I never expected this to be such a life-altering event. Mary Ellen Briel: Like the past several years of my retirement, this one has found me on the road quite a lot. My Minnesota friends and children accuse me of despising the winter weather, and I won’t deny my phobia of ice these days! I’m currently back in the south of India at a Catholic-Hindu ashram, which supports a school. As a retired English teacher, I work with the young teachers of the school, which serves nearly 200 children from surrounding villages. I came here this year after spending Christmas and New Year’s with my daughter, who is an artist in Hong Kong. She is, as always, working on what I can only call some “edgy” work—shark fins, at the moment— but she continues to love HK. Earlier in the fall, I worked at The Melissa Project, which welcomes young women, Syrian refugees, for daily classes in its great old mansion in central Athens. Time there was too short—a couple weeks—so I hope to return to that amazing place, and if anyone else wants information on the project, feel free to be in touch with me. Just after the election, Jansie Stephens Farris and I had lunch on the Peninsula with Sisters Claire and Christine, and later, with several classmates. It was extraordinarily moving to learn what these women are all doing in the face of the startling turn signaled by our country’s presidency; it gave me hope back in November, and now, it gives me something to say when people ask, “And what are U.S. people like you going to do ?” Very grateful for these strong women, and for Santa Catalina’s role in our lives! Roxanne Spieker Morse: My 2016 highlight was my trip to Burma. It is so new and unknown that I wanted to get there before Mr. Marriott did. I went on a 10-day trip up the Irrawaddy River (Rangoon to Mandalay, so poetic!), which was truly eye-opening. I also planned visits to places

in Thailand that I had not seen: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai. What lovely people I met in both countries and so many Asian treasures. While I have no grandchildren in Southern California, I travel to see them in San Francisco, Tennessee, and New York City. I continue to work as a travel consultant and there is way too much temptation on my desk! Trish Scott Williams writes that the high of this last year is that their daughter, Katie, and her husband moved back to St. Louis in April with their children Hunter (3) and Madison (2). They are a joy to have nearby and so helpful and supportive. The low is, unfortunately, the continued progression of Bruce’s Alzheimer’s disease, which was diagnosed in 2008. His friends have been so thoughtful and take him for walks and workouts to give Trish some time off. Amazingly, Bruce is still his sweet, good-natured, humorous self and is so appreciative of the good care Trish is giving him. They feel very fortunate to have discovered so many blessings through this devastating disease. Diane “Didi” Ditz Stauffer: My news was a bike trip along the Danube with my daughter, Anne, in September—beautiful countryside, weather, and delightful people. Oh, the food and wine were fabulous! My son, John, an attorney, is now working in Seattle. We were together for Christmas, but I do miss him not being closer. I’m looking forward to our 55th reunion in 2018!

64

Antoinette Ziegler Hubbard joyfuleclectic@icloud.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 fall issue!

65

Pat Allen Sparacino pat.sparacino@gmail.com

Deborah Tanous Scofield dmscofield@cox.net

Sally Leonard Harris: Well, I’m embarrassed to say I have not contributed once to the Class Notes in 50 years. No excuse for it. I think I’ve become more sentimental after the loss of my husband and realizing what a great part Catalina played in my life. Suffice it to say, I have really enjoyed getting together with a lot of old friends and hope to see more of you. My garden club in Pasadena has included two Catalina girls: Eugenie Schleuter ’68 and Cindy Dow Wenzlau ’78. I have also met up for lunch in west L.A. with Molly Helm Lynch and MF (Meredith Flynn); Pam Hately Williams in Palm Desert; Barbie Hately Dupont in Monterey; Julia Anderson Frankel in Carmel Valley; and Bonnie Bray and Sue Durney Mickelson twice in Oregon. Sue and I continue to text a lot. In Carmel Valley, where I have a house, I’ve just run into Pam Clancy

Stephan ’64 and Natalie Stewart ’63. Last month, as a guest at Carmel Garden Club, I had long talk with Fidela Zanetta Schneider ’64. It’s been a stunning number of friends. There are many more of you I would love to see so look me up online or in Carmel Valley!

66

Lorri

Ditz McCarthy

lorditz@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 fall issue!

67

Ann Kuchins

kuchinsa@yahoo.com

Anne Neill anneneill@yahoo.com

By the time you read this, our 50th reunion will have come and gone. As of now, it looks like we are going to have a terrific turnout. Over the past 50 years, we have experienced joy, sorrow, love, fulfillment, disappointment, and many changes. Throughout it all, our ties to each other have not only remained constant but for many of us, these ties have grown and become more inclusive as the values, friendship, and experiences of Santa Catalina created bonds that we continue to share. But what of the present? It looks like we continue to grow as we transition to a new part of life

and greet new challenges and experiences with optimism, energy, wisdom, and maybe a little cynicism or wistfulness, as nothing is ever perfect. Michelle LaMothe: I will have some time with my brother, Pierre, and then am going down to the Islands to do some work on a history volume of my mother, who originally came from there; nice way to spend a winter’s month. I was not run over by a motorcycle this past year! And, out of physical therapy—tada! Mo Ragan Rafael: Spending my last day here with my niece and her family on the Big Island. It’s been a sweet, sweet experience, and I will miss these little “keikis” after being their live-in “tutu” (auntie) for nearly a month! I helped out on their seven-acre organic farm in Kealakekua, just “makai” of the highway: off-loading and spreading two trucks’ worth of mulch under new banana, guava, fig, mango, papaya, and cacao trees! It took me right back to my single days as an organic avocado and fruit farmer on my two acres in Encinitas, though my pitch-forking, shoveling, and raking muscles aren’t quite what they used to be! Carolyn Layton Garner-Reagan: I continue to enjoy retirement thoroughly. We are now the disgustingly proud and glowing grandparents of two adorable little boys (2, 6 months). I take both boys to story times at the library. (What else would you expect from a retired librarian?) Before my husband, Michael, fell and broke his ankle early in December, we took care of both boys two days a week. We expect that Michael will be fully recovered by the time of our Baltic cruise in late May, which will give us three days in St. Petersburg. Ever since Miss Hoetmer’s fascinating Russian history class our junior year, I have long wanted to go there! I help co-coordinate the Lay Visitation Ministry at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. I garden, planted winter veggies this year, and

read as much as time permits. Mary Whitney Kenney: I finally moved into my new house, and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday there with my son, his wife, and their three children. It is great to be able to see the grandchildren often. Bulldozers are now in the backyard “remodeling” the landscaping! I am is still working out my new identity as a retired person, but I volunteer regularly for the Veterans Project at the Los Angeles County Bar Association, advising veterans on traffic tickets and the expunging of criminal records. Melinda Bowman Manlin: After six months of retirement, I now work full-time in a local law office. I continue to stay active at St. Mary’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Pacific Grove, and I enjoy ballroom dancing every week. My daughter, Kathryn (33), lives close by and my son, David (30), now lives in Bend, OR. Rosalind Boswell Seysses: We should all be extremely grateful to you two for taking this on. The problem is that some of us have reached a stage in our life where we are happily stable. The no news is good news phase. Classmates I have seen: Joanne Bosche Ehrlich is back in full working order despite several operations and a hip replacement. She plays tennis several times a week. She often goes to the theatre in New York, and London once a year. She sees Anne Neill, Joan Seamster, and Wynn Woodward, who I will let speak for themselves. I saw Wynn with Joanne in New York in November (Wynn looking very stylish!). Catherine Caufield continues to defend West Marin from overdevelopment. She also goes into the wilderness with Terry, her husband, and their camping van and sends the most beautiful and interesting photos. Nan Peletz Grand-Jean continues to paint large and beautiful canvasses. She is an enthusiastic grandmother of Phoebe (1). She and Catherine Caufield lunch regularly. Enjoyed seeing lots of classmates in March. It was the first time I have been to California in eight years. I get as far as New York a few times a year, but jet lag puts me off going to the West Coast. Our reunion inspired me! Ann Kuchins: I am now fully and happily retired. I am busy with theatre and the League of Women Voters and other political activities, but I am also looking for something new. My treat to myself this past year was a trip to Cuba. My brother Andy’s daughter, Coco, has committed to play basketball for a full scholarship at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. After graduation, she is committed to five years of service. Not only am I very proud of her basketball success but I am also very proud of her for her commitment to her country. And this from an old liberal who has participated in antiwar marches when I felt it was necessary! Brenda Beckett and I organized a field trip to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, with lunch afterwards, and were joined by Margie Helm, Katy Lewis, and Lyn Wyman Terry Cashill Juhola: I am still doing some consulting, stepping in when they don’t have local family. I provide personal assistant services to help with daily life activities: banking, financial, insurance, etc. I also assist as a medical advocate during doctor appointments, testing, and hospitalization and act as liaison between

The Class of 1967 at Reunion 2017

the individual, physicians, and family. I am also a director on the Central Oregon Community College Foundation Board, which I love. Bruce is still consulting with local CEOs—not ready for retirement yet! Our daughter, Alex, left Google in Boulder after 10 years to join a start-up called Bitsbox, which teaches children how to code. She and her husband, Matt, have Cashill (7) and Beau (3 ½). Our youngest, Tyler, is still in Bend and also working for a start-up, Shape, which creates software for digital marketing. I am so sorry to miss the reunion, but had a family obligation that took precedent. I know that it was a wonderful gathering of the Class of ’67! Lyn Wyman: An eventful year in many ways, the highlight being our tour of Ireland in May. Ireland was sunny 10 out of 12 days to the constant amazement of our guide. My teetotaling husband had a

beer—usually Guinness—every day, and we had a lovely time. Our younger daughter, Annie, who lives in Brooklyn, recently made a short film that she co-wrote, co produced, and acted in. Her next step is Kickstarter to raise money to enter The Minimalist in film festivals. And after five years of working in nonprofits, Molly, our eldest, started grad school at Columbia to get her master’s in public administration. Excited about both of their ventures and about both kids being in the same city, albeit on the East Coast. This prompts Dennis and me to speed up our de-cluttering and downsizing efforts in CA to make us more nimble for short and occasional long-term visits to NYC. In the meantime, I am figuring out how to most effectively be an “anxious, jealous guardian of democracy.” Unless the unforeseen happens, this means at least four years of making “good trouble,”

as John Lewis would say. Also amazed that this is the year of my 50th high school reunion. So proud to be a member of the fabulous Class of 1967! Our heartfelt condolences go out to Laurie Hammonds Hall on the death of her son, Jason, and to Cathy Quarre Alexander on the death of her mother, Harriet Meyer Quarre.

68

Eugenie Schlueter

emschl@sbcglobal.net

Daphne Macneil daphnemacneil@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 fall issue!

69 Virginia Sewell vsewell@mac.com

Cay Craig continues to work on her Madagascar project, CPALI, an NGO that helps subsistence farmers to cultivate native resources, create products, and secure markets for them. “We are now making shibori-dyed silk and raffia textiles and they are gorgeous! I am lucky to be working with a product designer, marketer, and business woman—all rolled into one! We are looking for someone who might want to take over the program, as an importer, so if you know of anyone who is interested in owning their own import business send them our way.” Terry Whitney Baganz , as usual, has traveled to exotic places as part of her work as a geologist. She explored dinosaur sites (Triassic and Cretaceous-aged fossils) in Argentina and is currently working on the tectonic origins of the Caribbean. She says this project will keep her gainfully employed for at least another year. “I survived yet another massive layoff in the oil industry. Pretty good record, considering I have been working in the industry now for 38 years and have managed to have only worked for two companies my entire career.” Terry also hangs out at her cottage-by-the-sea in New Harbor, ME. “It’s always good to get away to a fishing village, where every morning we awaken to lobster boats tending to their traps.” She travels with her 43-year-old Sierra Design backpack, which still looks as young as she does. Sara Callander Stephens also traveled to Argentina this year to visit her son, Charlie, who lives in Buenos Aires. Together they made the long trek to Machu Pichu. “What an extraordinary experience that was! Delighted I visited now and not later as the stairs are high and deep and altitude management was a surprise to me, as I am used to the Sierras.” When not climbing mountains, Sara still works for her medical advocacy and planning

Terry Whitney Baganz ’69 visiting Argentina and exploring dinosaur sites

Karen Johnson Hixon ’69 with husband Tim

Lindsay Pettit ’69 with her grandchildren

Sara Callander Stephens ’69 with son Charlie at Machu Pichu

company. She is lucky to have her two married boys and four grandchildren living nearby in San Francisco. “New Year’s resolution is to try to be more involved with Santa Catalina events this year. We have an extraordinary class of amazing women.” Lindsay Pettit also enjoys both nursing and grandchildren. “I can’t believe they are so grown up, but I still see them all the time, and we have a standing Thursday night dinner—just me and the grands. I am still working pretty much full time as a nurse practitioner, and our group was recently acquired by Stanford, which meant learning a whole new computer system. I figure it helps stave off the coming dementia, since I am using my brain more. I will probably work until 70 and then partially retire, since I really do love what I do and, again, it keeps the brain working!” And then there are those who have been nursing their husbands. Karen Johnson Hixon reports that she has been “mostly taking care of Tim the last several months” after a knee replacement gone awry. “Thankfully, he is much better and almost back to normal.” Karen is delighted that her son, Bryan, is about to get married. Lorna MacKay Smith has decided to leave the medical field behind entirely. “I retired from Kaiser last month and am trying to turn off the mental alarm every morning! I am looking forward to quilting, reading, and trying to find someone to teach me how to drive a horse and buggy. It’s so wonderful to have time for granddaughters and to just putter around the house. It does take some getting used to though!” For some, retirement entails moving to another state. Julia Donohue Schwartz , still horse crazy, has finally become a permanent resident of the great state of Oregon, having completed her move to Eagle Point. “We have a lovely home on 37 acres and worked diligently in 2015 and 2016 to make it horse and dog compatible with fencing, a horse barn, a hay barn, etc. At last we are done with construction and can enjoy it! We also have a new dog. She was a pound puppy! Now three dogs and three horses are here and I still have a reining show horse and my darling husband bought me a weanling filly for my birthday, who is from my favorite stallion and a mare we bred, raised, and sold many years ago. What a wonderful and loving present to enjoy!” Laurie Watson Raymond is moving from Massachusetts to Louisville, KY! “In September,

my daughter, Maria, had her third son and so I decided to move to Lexington this coming June to be more available to her and my grandsons. I’ll be retiring from my private practice at the end of March, and I feel excited about starting this new chapter in my life. It’s great to hear from other classmates, and if any of you live anywhere near Lexington, give me a shout! I’d love to see you!” Marna Sweeney Haley and her husband, Dennis, are leaving snowy Durango every winter for sunny Sun City, AZ. “No snow to shovel, though I miss the grandkids that we left in Durango. We’re playing golf and I’m attending community bible study weekly. Last week I went to a sewing club meeting and—get this!—a calligraphy club meeting! I’m still walking and lifting some weights, trying to keep my bones strong. We appreciate our friends and health and family more than ever.” Victoria BernstorffGyldensteen is already far away overseas. From that vantage point, she has this observation: “The world is off-kilter as far as I’m concerned; so much instability. It is best to hold on to something you care about. For me, it is my sweet granddaughter, Clara Constance (1). So happy to see that Santa Catalina is still a place where children, young adults, and young women are learning, caring, and doing.” Sugar Franich Filice is enjoying her new baby granddaughter too, as well as Catalina friends. “All’s well with our family. We enjoy having our daughter, Molly, her husband, and sons, Ryder (6), and Rory Sugar (2), nearby in San Francisco. Our son, Gennaro, his wife and their baby, Maya, live in Michigan, but we all managed to gather last June in Sedona to enjoy the holidays together. Conquering the games of Bridge and golf has now turned into a lifelong pursuit. Belonging to two book groups and keeping fit also present their challenges, but I’m leading a blessed life. Still enjoy splitting my time between S.F. and Orinda, where Gus is based. A highlight last year was enjoying lunch with Pam Walsh Coakley, Sandy Donnell, and Gail Frick , my roommate at Santa Catalina’s camp. So many memories and so much laughter!” I (Virginia Sewell), too, managed to connect with some Catalina friends: Patty Look Lewis and Anne Gregory Knight in Santa Barbara, where my sister has a vacation home filled with Patty’s art. We lunched on Patty’s patio, overlooking acres of citrus and sage and lots of other blooming things. Patty and Annie are blooming too. I, like everyone else, am crazy about my grandchildren. I’m about to take Zella (4) and Cooper (2) and their mom to Kauai for a good long visit to the ocean, which they never see in Colorado. I’m busy selling houses in Portland, which is one of the hottest markets in the country. I find myself enjoying activities I would never consider in my younger days, like golf and, most recently, Mah Jong, which could easily become addicting. But I would still join Julie on horseback or Sara on a climb to Machu Pichu. On a sadder note, Georgene Dovolis ’58, sister of Darlinda Dovolis Ball, passed away this year. Our condolences, Darlinda, and to those of you

who may have lost a parent, relative, or friend this year. We are at that age where we mourn the loss of loved ones at the same time that we welcome the arrival of new grandbabies, new pets, and new experiences. Let’s remember each other and make the most of every day!

70

Marie Cantin

rapideye1@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 fall issue!

71

DeDe Rogers

dede.rogers@comcast.net

Patty Lee Schminke patricia.schminke@gmail.com

Jodi Ehrlich Kroening: My dad celebrated his 90th birthday in style on August 4. It was a wonderful celebration! After spending a lovely week with Mom the last week of June, I lost her very unexpectedly at the end of July. We held a lovely celebration of life for her in early September. My husband, Keith, got a great new job in April after a long period of unemployment and is working in L.A. Sara Lawrence Thom: After nine years in the Arabian Gulf region, I’ve moved back to my hometown in Ojai, CA. When I arrived in July, I was very happy to be able to do some work for the Bernie Sanders campaign before it was shut down. Though there has been a six-year drought, we are enjoying all the rain this winter is giving us and it looks like a gorgeous spring is in the cards. I’m working with special needs education for a company here and doing some substitute teaching for the lovely Krishnamurti school, Oak Grove School. My son, Robert, is still living in Brooklyn, working in Manhattan for an NGO. He loves Brooklyn and is applying to Ph.D. programs as he wants more political science with an economic slant. Max has graduated from the University of Auckland in New Zealand and is moving to Ann Arbor to do a graduate degree at the University of Michigan. Julie Garcia: I had a great time at the reunion this year. I sold my business, Sun Oaks Tennis and Fitness, after 30 years. It was a difficult decision but found the right buyer at the right time. I hope to pursue some smaller investments and projects in the near future, but plan to leave time for travel and relaxation. Katherine Blair Rible: I did not make it to the 45th because I was in the middle of securing a new job after being laid off for a year. I

Sugar Franich Filice ’69 with her family

was very fortunate and landed with a small insurance company out of Dallas. I was given the opportunity to start up an operation for them and stay in L.A. Justin turned 70 last March and we decided to spend quality time with each other, travel, and enjoy our new home. A few years ago we fell in love with the Carson Valley. We found the perfect property for us and began the process of building a home after selling our home of 30 years in L.A. We moved to Gardnerville, NV, last April to be involved with the construction. We are fortunate to have family in Reno: Susie Riley ’62, my oldest sister; two of her three children; five of her eight grandchildren; and Peggy, my middle sister. (Susie’s daughter, Katie Lagarza, graduated from Catalina in 1992.) I saw Marty Jo Demetras briefly this summer when she was in Reno. Ranee Barsanti and I have been in touch and we plan to get together soon. Erica Sullivan Fuller: In June, Walter and I celebrated our 30th anniversary in France with family and friends! After several years, we finally have our two sons, Marc and Ian, not only living on the same continent, but in the same city—San Francisco! Ian is following his French roots and working for the French government in S.F. He is aiding Business France by reaching out to U.S. companies to do business in France. We are truly blessed to have our daughter-in-law, Ali, to add some much needed femininity to our family! Had a great time reconnecting with our classmates for our 45th reunion. Marty Jo Demetras: This past year was filled with travel with family and friends. Son Trevor married Brittany in Chicago last winter and daughter Jenn celebrated her fifth anniversary. John and I continue to work at the University of Arizona. This summer marks 40 years for me in and around UA—amazing how time flies. My love of dance takes me near and far to see wonderful performances. During a trip to Reno, I saw Kitty Blair Rible and Justin as they were building a new home in Gardnerville. Also saw Ranee Barsanti, who has been in the area for years running the Thunderbird Ranch. I keep tabs with Candy and Don, who are both doing well. Candy and her son, Deke, have taken over the family ranch after the passing of her father and brother in the past several years. My best to everyone and my heart to Chris for the loss of her husband last year. Janet Miller Abbott: Frank and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary last August with our entire family (eight children, four sons-in-law, and four grandchildren). As of November 30, we now have five grandchildren, ages 2 and under, and I try to spend a little bit of time every other month or so visiting them in Virginia and Washington. Our son, Robert got married at the Carmel Mission on February 18. He married Emily Ward, the daughter of Susan Work Ward ’73. I am still working with Frank in the LED lighting business and the real estate development business. I am also enjoying my work on two foundations. Our youngest child is now a junior at Regis University in Denver. We’re almost empty nesters! Carol Hamerly Moses: I am still enjoying the practice

of law. I never cease to be amazed how normal people get sideways with the law. Rand, Lucy, and I are safe on Lewis Creek, now affectionately called Lewis River. My community activities are serving on the boards of several nonprofits and the local Federal Bar Association. My 95-year-old mom is like the energizer bunny; she never quits! Cheers for a wonderful 2017 to everyone! Leslie Fancher Rodman: I continue to work with an all-women non-profit organization in San Luis Obispo. This past year we raised and distributed more than $104,250 to organizations that help children in need. We are so proud of the work we do and are now trying to get our name in the community so we can earn more money and help more children within our county. My husband, Ken, and I continue to travel. This past fall we cruised from Boston to Montreal and then a road trip back to Boston. We hit the colors perfectly. I also continue to play golf as much as I can. It was fun seeing many of you at the reunion last March. Kate McInerny: Once again, it is so special to be able to be in touch with each other. I often meet people whose schools do not have such developed alumni networks. How lucky are we! My daughter, Clare, was accepted into an accelerated Bachelor of Science nursing program at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland last spring. She loves it and is leaning toward specializing in critical care. She graduates this May. In late 2010, I retired from real estate sales, left the Bay Area after 32 years, and moved to Jacksonville, OR. In 2012, the first Trader Joe’s in southern Oregon opened nearby and at almost 60 I was lucky enough to be hired. The entire experience of upending my life, starting over again, and being open to a whole new life has been amazing. I discovered that our sophomore history teacher and sister of Louise Harris ’72, Caroline Harris Henderson ’61, lives a couple blocks from me and I see her at TJ’s regularly! This world is so small! Kathleen Charles: It has been a very active year working in Africa on projects financed by World Bank, USAID, and African Development Bank related to helping small and medium enterprises (especially in the agriculture sector) to obtain finance and technical training on management. It has been wonderful to interact with local Africans who have an entrepreneurial spirit and an uncanny drive to succeed, literally against all odds. For personal hobbies, I have started to collect some very interesting African art and I am still playing a lot of tennis in Africa and in Paris, where I am based at the moment. Hope to write a book about these adventures over the next several years. Ariane Berthoin Antal: David and I continue to pursue our professional commitments full-time, and enjoy the growth of our family; all three of our kids are now married and we have four grandchildren. The biggest change in our lives in Berlin is our engagement with refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran. We go to their centers and invite refugees to go to concerts and museums with us, and also to dinners at home. We cannot solve the major life challenges they face, but we can offer them

moments of normality and beautiful cultural experiences. We are excited to see how the arrival of refugees has already started to spark new artistic ventures, as they bring their creativity and skills into projects with locals. The most meaningful kind of integration! Ann Carter: Writing this in the midst of packing to move from our “headquarters” of the last three decades in Portland, OR. That chapter is closed as Palmer and I move to an apartment that is one quarter the size of where we are now. I’ve retired from the for-profit-world and am busy with my not-forprofit organizations—so busy it seems more like work! My mother just celebrated her 90th birthday in Colusa and is weak of memory but strong of heart. My brother, Ben, is running the farm and I try to participate from afar. Our daughter, Allegra, is at Duke for her M.B.A. and son, Charlie, is living and working in L.A. for an engineering services firm. We had a family sailing trip in the Windward Islands for New Year’s. Wish I could entice my classmates to Portland. It’s hipster central—just like all of us! Hilary Wickersham Clark : Last year was a big year for us with a wedding and two new granddaughters. Hadley Clark ’05 was married in June at Lake Tahoe. Kit’s wife had Quinn in July and she was followed by Emerson in October. We are doing fine, and trying to figure out what to do now that we are the grownups. Richard is an avid cyclist, while I continue enjoying my love of cooking. Anne O’Leary: After eight years of retirement, I’m back at the State Department. I work in the office handling Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, reviewing and redacting information before release to the public. My new office is best known for its recent review of the Hillary Clinton emails, a challenge that helped create an uptick in hiring retired Foreign Service officers with security clearances. We have complete freedom to set our own hours and schedules, but can only work the equivalent of half a year. This suits me just fine, since Russell and I travel several times a year to Northern California and Kahnawake, Quebec, to see our parents. I can easily take time off for visitors, and urge classmates to come stay with us. My most recent Catalina visitor was DeDe Rogers, who flew out for the memorial service for Harrison Spencer, the husband of Christine Michel Spencer. We were joined by Nora Barger and Kate McGuire, niece of Kathleen McCarry Fraser Patricia Lee Schminke: It is hard to believe that I left corporate life seven years ago. Bob, my husband of 41 years, is still working. We would love to do more camping while we are able. I love duplicate bridge and participated in the Huntsman World Senior Games last October. I live for our sunset hikes and skiing and whatever else gets me outside. I also do a little volunteer work at the senior center. Inside, I love cooking and caring for my elder kitties. Looking forward to my mother’s 90th in February, which will be a great family gathering, and DeDe Rogers and Steve are coming, too! It made me so happy to see classmates at our 45th reunion!

72

Suzanne

Scoville

suzanne.scoville@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 fall issue! 73

Barbara

Smith O’Brien beob2110@gmail.com

Teresa Barger: Daughter Medora has been in Nairobi for two years working with a social enterprise dealing with sanitation in the slums.

She is now deciding about business schools for the fall. Amelia is a fashion designer in NYC and really finding her unique style; her website is AmeliaBrown.com. Travis is still having fun as a sole practitioner lawyer and got to play “God” this year. He had the title role in Arguing with God , written by a friend of ours who deeply believes in citizen theater. I am running my emerging markets investment fund with two partners and a staff of 30. It is not always great for the blood pressure but we think we are doing good, helping each investee company to improve its governance, transparency, environmental practices, etc. Sending wishes for a better, saner, more peaceful 2017! Janie King: I have finally found a real nursing job and after a year it is slightly less terrifying. Even more terrifying is that doing home health for Cedars Sinai means that I drive—in L.A.! Essentially what has happened is that because traffic is a component of the space/time continuum here, I have turned into “the perpetually tardy driving nurse.” Sue Work Ward: Emily got married in February 2017 to Robert Abbott, son of Frank and Janet Miller Abbott ’71, nephew of Donna Miller Casey ’66, Marian Miller Stilz ’73 and Leslie Miller Schemel ’76. They were married in Carmel followed by an evening reception in Pebble Beach. The wedding and reception were filled with many members of the classes of ’71 and ’73. Ed and I couldn’t be happier as he is a fine fellow and possesses a fine sense of humor—a familiar Miller trait! They will be living in San Francisco. Sue Weyerhaeuser Messina: I have an exciting year ahead: expecting my third grandchild in July; cruising through the fjords of Norway followed by a week in Scotland to celebrate Bob’s birthday; and my daughters opened their own business in Carlsbad, CA, in March. It’s a lady’s boutique with fabulous upscale clothing and accessories! And of course, there is always the boating, shrimping in May, crabbing, fishing, and squidling whenever we’re not busy! Best of all, my dad is doing great.

Cyndy Nadai: I am still living in Sydney and continue to assist several not-for-profits. I am chair of Good2Give, which enables and promotes payroll giving in Australia. My partner, Roslyn, and I continue to advocate for retaining open space and the return of modern mental health services to Callan Park, an old psychiatric hospital which was closed in 2008. Marianne Cleary Santizo: My daughter, Sofie (16), is doing well at St. Mary’s College High School in Berkeley and is a delight when she’s not acting like a two-year-old in a 16-year-old body. I continue to enjoy my work as a clinical nurse specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry at a local community agency, which specializes in supporting families where there is disability, either in the parent, child, or often both.

Suki Bryan: I’m thankful that JB O’Brien lives in Napa as it gives me a chance to see Barbara Smith O’Brien from time to time. She and Byrne came out for a visit in September. We had a good time doing a little wine tasting and touring the newly renovated Freemark Abbey and restaurant. Congrats to Tina Greene and Anne Cochran Frischkorn for becoming new grandparents this year! Also exciting is the engagement of Emily Ward, the daughter of Sue Work Ward to Robert Abbott, the son of Janet Miller Abbott ’71. My daughter Megan continues to make me proud with her horse show accomplishments and many half marathon endeavors. I am traveling a bit to cheer her on. Wishing you all a healthy happy 2017!

Basia Belza: Martin Bickeboeller and I were happily married in August in the Rosary Chapel at Santa Catalina. We had the opportunity to travel

The Class of 1972 at Reunion 2017

Marianne Cleary Santizo ’73 and daughter Sofie

Basia Belza ’73 with husband Martin Bickeboeller

this past year: Warsaw, the Dolomites (summiting Plattkofel) and Die Seiser Alm in L’Alpe di Siuse. I was thrilled to finish the Big Sur 21 miler. I started in a new interim position as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the UW School of Nursing. My career has been largely teaching and research, so a shift to administration is most interesting. I presented on a panel about career perspectives at Santa Catalina. It was fun to interact with 17-yearolds and reflect on the value of a career as a nurse scientist. And wonderfully, I had the opportunity to visit with Lucia Blair Webster and Barbara Smith O’Brien in Washington, D.C., during the O’Brien moving month! Barbara Smith O’Brien: I’m happy to report all is well with the O’Briens. I left the Candy Association in September, traveled to California for two weeks in October (spending time with Suki Bryan and Mary Martha Waltz ’60) and while on vacation, we decided to move permanently to Annapolis, MD. Hope to move in March. Basia Belza and Lucia Blair Webster innocently came over for lunch and we made them pack boxes for the afternoon! 74

Sally Fay calgal75@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 fall issue!

75Deanna (Dede) Duoos Davis deanna.davis@yahoo.com

Liz Walker Rudinica: This year I passed into my sixth decade with a pajama party in Newport Beach. My husband is retired and consulting part time. Our oldest son has successfully been married a year and no children yet. Our youngest son is still gainfully employed at a studio in Hollywood; it’s been a year and he was just promoted to night vault manager, whatever that means! All I know is that he will join a union, be paid more, and be stressed more. He just announced that he is engaged! The husband and I travelled to Europe, London, Antibes, Monaco, and France—a lovely trip. We also had a few trips to our home in Hawaii. A sculptural mermaid piece I created was published in a book for the first time; I was thrilled! I’m dabbling with soft pastels and other media. Looking forward to a healthy 2017! And of course, to the celebration for Amanda Bryan’s 60th! Lori Fitler Nugent: I am happily married and living on Sarasota Bay, FL. I stay busy as an event planner and spend my spare time gardening and boating. I have two wonderful sons but no grandchildren yet. I would love to see everyone in May but I don’t see that happening. I don’t get back to California much but want to make another

reunion soon. Wishing everyone well! Annette Leach Alcocer: I enjoyed an excursion out of the country. My news is very small: two little grandsons (Andrew and Matthew); still bookstore manager at Catalina and love it; enjoyed a great trip to Quebec City last fall. Wishing everyone a Happy 60th Birthday! Elizabeth Leach and her news from Portland, OR: Last year was probably one of the biggest years of my life! Dr. Bert Berney and I were married in July in Black Butte, OR—a beautiful setting near Bend. Kit Adrews Tobin ’72 and Lisa Barry were able to join us. It was a perfect day! Another incredible moment was the birth of my first grandchild in April. Evelyn Anne comes to work every day with my daughter, Gwendolyn, who has been the gallery’s managing director for over seven years. I helped launch a city-wide art event called Converge 45. Sally Fay ’74 attended this successful launch year and the second year of Converge 45 is August 9-12, 2017. It is a really fun weekend of viewing art, partaking in cocktail parties, exploring Portland, and participating in panel discussions. Please come and join us! (Editor’s note: Please see our feature article about Elizabeth on page 36.) Lisa Barry: I am wrapping up my career as an operating room manager. I’ll continue with patient care now and then, but I’m ready to hang up my hat as manager. In February, I headed to Guatemala for a two-week surgical mission to repair cleft lips and palates. I know from the past it will be long days, but the daily tears of joy from parents when they see their children in the recovery room is worth every minute of hard work. Looking forward to Amanda’s celebration of 60! Adrienne Morphy Ladd writes from San Francisco: I continue to work full time for a Bay Area healthcare consulting firm called Freed Associates. I had my 25-year anniversary this year. I have had almost every job in the company and if I am lucky they will run out of jobs to give me and make me retire. Our son, Joseph, is a sophomore at Trinity College in Hartford; my dad went there, as did my brother Chris for two years, so I guess Joseph is third generation. He plays on the golf team and is having a great time. We have lived in the same house in San Francisco for over 25 years and spend most weekends at our house in Bolinas, where I am happy to look at the ocean all day. Jack and I traveled to Santa Fe, Vermont, Providence, Pasadena, and St. Malo to see family and friends. We even took a trip to Monterey to play golf for three days. Also, took a trip to Carpinteria to help Sarah Colmery Preston move to their new house and got a chance to see two of my brothers at the same time. Looking forward to some 60th birthday celebrations this year! This summer Dryden Branson Bordin and Tracy Miller Hass spent a wonderful afternoon with Nancy Williams Shea at the bridal shower of Nancy’s daughter, Sarah. Dryden and her husband Craig get together with Rick and Annette Leach Alcocer every chance they can while visiting Carmel. She said she even snuck in a surprise Diet Coke with Joan Artz by the pool at The Carmel Mission Inn while on business. Dryden was so in awe of all the selfless efforts Joan made to support

the firefighters during the Soberanes Fire. She has reconnected with Kathleen Dormody Seabourne-Smothers, who shares a common love of all things dog, Lake Tahoe, and exercise. Kathleen is excited about attending the birthday reunion in Napa. Joan Artz: The most fun I had in 2016 was being at the Reynolds ranch for the 80th birthday party for the mother of Dede Duoos Davis last summer. Later, the party continued at Keefers Inn with Chris and Cecily Marble Hintzen. My proudest moment of the year was when our class pitched in to feed the firefighters during the Soberanes Fire. Thank you again, and thank you, Dede, for spreading the word. I did something new in 2016, which was to offer a collage class for families evacuated from the fire, and then another one at Earthbound Farm Center, where Leslie Dunn dropped by and made a beautiful collage. From Ventura, CA, Christine Blom Gomez: Went to Venice, Italy, with my 16-year-old niece and had a blast. Rainy days looking down at the Rialto Bridge and getting lost in the maze of the city. Walked for miles every day and usually had three espressos a day. Then, on to Austria to visit relatives. Looking very much forward to Amanda’s big gala—even though we have to turn 60 to make it happen! Michele Bozzo Mahi from Salinas, CA: I left my job in June as the HR/ business partner at Fresh Express; after 16 years, I have the qualifications to do my own thing on my time as an independent HR consultant and recruiter. In August, my youngest daughter, Kanani, was married in Santa Barbara. Special thanks to Sarah Colmery Preston for the last-minute babysitting referral for my grandson, Jax. Since leaving a full-time job, I found myself with lots of flexibility but still busy with various projects and opportunities to share what I’ve learned along the way. From Northern California, Katy Moore-Kozachik : I’ve been working on the opening of season two for Sense8 and a new show coming out in March. Other than that, I ran into Joanie Artz at Garland Park and hope to see her and Christine Blom Gomez soon! Alia Agha and I enjoyed a wonderful spa day in Sonoma to celebrate her birthday! All the way from northern Virginia, Jeanne Armstrong Podracky: My husband, Dean, is retired from the Navy, and focused on home remodeling and home improvement. We currently have three Australian Shepherds, four cats and a Blue Front Amazon Parrot—all rescues. I continue working as a government contractor and love every minute! Meggan Laxalt sent news from Idaho: Daughter Erin married Jared Schuurmans this past April. My daughter and her husband now live in Vancouver, WA. He is a police officer and she is an admissions counselor at Portland State University. I have been helping the Basque Museum with their education programs, and onto other adventures soon. Awaiting word on the possible publication of my book, Lekuak, which is about the places of immigrants through several generations. (Note from Dede Duoos Davis: Two days before Meg sent in her news, her brother, Steve, passed away. This heart-breaking news follows the loss of her other brother, Paul, just two years ago. Please keep

Meggan in your thoughts and prayers as she deals with this terrible loss.) Writing from Utah, Mary McGuire Alessini: Diana Oliver Bartley and I met up in London for tea a couple weeks ago and had a great time catching up. She’s planning to see everyone in Napa in May. Diana Oliver Bartley checked in from London: I continue being a learning support tutor, rowing, and enjoying the pleasures of living in such an amazing city. Highlights include trips to Switzerland to watch my husband and daughter do the Cresta Run, playing with my ukulele group, spending time on Saltspring Island in the summer, and being grateful for family and friends. Lesley Miller Anderson is recently retired and hopes to join the 60th birthday bash in Sonoma. Stella Sinner Lauerman: I started a new job in January with Special Kids Crusade in Monterey (very close to Catalina!). It is a nonprofit that serves children with disabilities and their families. The other big news is that my oldest daughter, Mary Claire, got married in April! The wedding was in the Santa Cruz mountains amidst the redwoods, so the pictures were spectacular! My second daughter, Emily, is teaching preschool in Santa Cruz and loves it, and Mike is doing well in his day program. My husband, David, continues to commute to San Jose to his job as a workers’ compensation administrative law judge. Tracy Hobbs Jones writes from Carmel Valley: My husband, Jeff, and I just love being grandparents! We were blessed with two more in 2016 and travel to Washington as much as possible to get in those hugs. Our son, Brian, and his wife live in Kirkland and have two beautiful girls, Addyson (5) and Kenley (1). Our daughter, Sarah Jones Rediske ’04, and her husband live in Tacoma and have Jacob (1). I had the opportunity to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in November—an extraordinary trip. I am Facebook friends with Margaret Donlin Goodhouse ’76 and she was most helpful with plans for my trip as she lived in that area of the world. I am in my 13th year as the director of advancement for Palma School (a boys’ school) in Salinas and as long as I enjoy it, I will continue raising money for these wonderful students. Amanda Bryan checked in after coming back from a ski trip in Tahoe: I had been skiing in deep powder not seen in years! It was thrilling! I am looking forward to seeing everyone at our Napa getaway 60th birthday celebration in May of this year! And finally, a little news from yours truly, DeDe Duoos Davis: My two boys experienced the loss of both grandfathers within a couple of months. Happier times were to be had during summertime when we celebrated my mother’s 80th birthday—a big bash, fabulous band, good eats. Lots of fun!

Christine Blom Gomez, Cecily Marble Hintzen and Joanie Artz graciously accepted my invitation to help serve appetizers. Thank you, ladies! My eldest son, Rhys, landed a fabulous job with SBMenus in Santa Barbara as director of operations, securing restaurant contracts and managing over 100 drivers throughout the greater Santa Barbara area. His younger brother, Beau, may temporarily hang up his singing hat as he pursues a possible career as a

sous chef. And finally, time has yielded me a nice little work studio—screaming for needle and thread to get to work. Best to you all in 2017!

76

Margaret Ganz

itstartsat50@hotmail.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 fall issue!

77

Julie Power Pantiskas aspenjp@aol.com

Julie Power Pantiskas: Busted by the Sisters! In October, I went to Carmel for a business dinner and a meeting. The group of men I was traveling with and I went to a Carmel Valley restaurant for dinner. We were not even there for 15 minutes when Sister Claire and Sister Christine busted me. Here we are 40 years later, and I can’t get anything past them. Too funny! Stephanie Leach Decker got married last year. Her two sons have graduated from BU and Boulder and are enjoying the working life. Her wonderful 18-year-old stepson just joined the U.S. Marine Corps. They plan on visiting him at Camp Pendleton. She keeps herself busy by working at Kaiser Permanente on healthcare policy. They have made Walnut Creek home. Paula Opperman McKinney happily married Robert Mackintosh last May. They have a wonderful spiritual life together. She works at a local nonprofit and he

is an engineer. They went to France and Italy on their honeymoon. She loved Giverny, where Monet lived and painted. It was just an amazing trip. Our old science teacher, Dr. Ruth, would be so proud of Nicola Latham Jones, who is a senior scientist in the cell biology program and a staff gastroenterologist in the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Sickkids in Canada. She also has a strong interest in the education and career development of clinician scientists and is the principal investigator for the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program, an interdisciplinary training program aimed at developing the next generation of clinician scientists in child and youth health across Canada. Gina Jansheski is heading to India for a 3-month volunteer sojourn. She has four sons, ages 24-34. The oldest is an Air Force pilot and also flies for Southwest Airlines. The second is in Iraq on deployment with the Department of Defense. The third is a yoga and meditation teacher and entrepreneur in Phoenix. The youngest is just now applying to become a pilot in the Marines. Gina continues to take on short-term pediatrician positions, allowing her to volunteer in other countries until she retires. She asks for “prayers because, like any path of service, there are obstacles that sometimes pose some difficulty in determining the correct action to take. I pray for guidance and to be ever mindful of God’s plan for my life.” Ellen Barbieri Rollins: 2016 was pretty wild for her and her husband. She decided, after 36 years at Tiffany & Co., it was time to retire in April. They sold their house in Seattle and moved back to Northern California, close to her family. “It’s fantastic to be back! I’m taking a bit of time off and have done some traveling. And will probably look for something fun to do in the fall.”

Jameen Wesson Jacoby: Mary Michael is at USC, Mae at University of Dallas and Madigan is a senior at Santa Catalina, which has been an enriching experience for her—great girls in her class with interests that vary greatly. However, one consistency is the politeness, kindness, and femininity in their strength and voice. Madigan is extremely involved with the theatre program and will continue on with it. “We have an accomplished theatre teacher, Mrs. Lara Wheeler Devlin ’02. Any donations toward the arts at Santa Catalina will be much appreciated!” Jameen and her husband, Jon, keep busy traveling between states making time for family, hunting, and tennis. They are actually finding time to visit St. Barts with friends. She is “devoted to the Navy Seals; they are the reason we can celebrate life here in our country on a daily basis.” Elizabeth Rawitzer Bozzo and Lisa Bozzo Orlandini are heading to Maui for some R&R and will be missed at our reunion. I (Julie) run into Lisa from time to time at different Catholic fundraisers. She continues her work with St. Bede’s Catholic Church in La Canada. Sandi Fleishhacker Randall ’s daughter, Becca, who is a Santa Catalina camp alum, just graduated from Metro University and is planning on law school. She is hoping for Stanford. Sandi is volunteering at a high school for students with autism. She and Mark are busy with adding a second floor to their home in Denver and will be celebrating 33 years of marriage in June. They just

Paula Opperman McKinney ’77 with husband Robert Mackintosh

returned from a trip of their lifetime to Australia for three weeks. They climbed the Sydney Bridge, wine tasted outside of Melbourne, snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef, and even attempted driving, as well as three incredible days at Urluru, more commonly known as Ayers Rock. Speaking about Down Under, it was great to hear from Jane Saunders Johnston, who lives in Australia. She shares that the economy is tough right now and things are pretty tense as no one is sure what will happen next, worldwide. She would have liked to come over for the reunion but is currently out of work. Elizabeth Lungren Bloom still lives in Castaic, CA, which is within Santa Clarita Valley, north of San Fernando Valley. She has worked in law enforcement for the past six years. Most importantly, her son, John-Robert, celebrated his 20th anniversary since his cancer diagnosis and has been blessedly healthy since 1999. He will graduate law school in May from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, where he also earned his undergraduate degree. Needless to say, she is one proud mom! Elizabeth continues to volunteer in the area of children’s cancer. This often includes one of her passions, like running half/ full marathons. Dorothy Hodges Pona wished that she could have made it to our 40th reunion but she had a total knee replacement and it was too difficult for her to travel. Her three children have moved back home claiming that they needed to help her rehab. Her oldest is a police officer, so she feels well protected. She said, “Not sure from what since I live in the middle of Amish country.” Her middle son is searching for “the perfect job” or any job once his bank account gets to 0. Her daughter is a sophomore in college and majoring in education and plans to get her master’s degree in special needs. For Gary and I (Julie Power Pantiskas), 2016 was the hardest year of our lives. We lost both of our mothers, as well as, several aunts, uncles, and cousins. Overall, we lost seven family members within six months. We are spending time between Sacramento and Pasadena. I am an executive with one of the largest mortgage lenders in America, which is based in Sacramento. Lauren moved to Dallas where she is managing several retail stores and Megan is in the process of transferring colleges. Gary and I celebrated 33 years of marriage in December.

78Joan David lunanegra6@att.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 fall issue!

79

Deirdre Smith

dsmith7123@sbcglobal.net

Julie Jones Breitfuss: I’ve been lucky to live in the Monterey area for the last 17 years, so I have seen Catalina on an almost daily basis with our four kids attending and graduating from Catalina’s lower and upper schools. To see the school through a parent’s eyes was so different for me than from

when we were students. I don’t think I knew what I had in front of me. Today and everyday when I walk onto Catalina’s campus, I have so much pride in knowing that I am a part of such a great and special school. Being fortunate to experience it a second time through my kids made me that much more appreciative of what we all share in Santa Catalina. I’m not sure that I can say anything that is wise, humorous, or newsworthy, but I will say that my life here on the Peninsula is fulfilling. My kids, husband, and dog are all the loves of my life and I count each day with my friends and family a blessing. I appreciate all of those who I have connected with on Facebook and look forward to all future posts and pictures. I wanted to mention that if anyone hasn’t seen the new additions of the Lower School library, art and music classrooms it’s a must see, but the real crown jewel is the Math and Science Center on the Upper School side of campus—absolutely stunning—and endless opportunities abound for the high school girls with a new robotics classroom! Tova Hornung: Ken and I just returned from our sixth wedding anniversary, which was a South East Asia cruise. We visited Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia. and Thailand. We tried to find Yuwadee Chawawatnapong before our departure but the trail went cold at TMB Bank in Bangkok. Alas, I could not find her. So if you are reading this, know I tried to find you and see you! Cambodia was the highlight, although it was sad as 65 percent of the people are under 30 due to the Khmer Rouge. We hope and pray that everyone will have balance and light in their life in the coming months. Grace Tietje Stimac: My children and grandson are the loves of my life. My silly dogs bring me joy. Time at the beach or out in the beauty of nature calms my busy mind and brings life into focus. Attending Sunday mass wraps me in fellowship and the love of God. What have I learned over the years? Love in the many spaces of life is supreme.

Dana

Grace Tietje Stimac ’79 with her family

LeeAnne Chappell ’79 with sons Stewart and Hunter

Children of Julie Jones Breitfuss ’79: Kirstie ’09, Courtnie ’16, Kellie ’11, Erik ’11 LS

Mindy

Malisoff Baggett mbaggett@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 fall issue! 83

Kellen Flanigan Stinnett kellen@kellenflanigan.com

Mary Pinkus: We are still in Woodside and I’m still a full-time volunteer—and somehow despite multiple foot and other surgeries, I’m still running.

I can thank Catalina for fueling that love. Our daughter Amy is graduating from Penn this spring and doing Teach for America in San Francisco. Charlie is a freshman at Wake Forest and loving it. Our other two daughters, Ellie and Sutton, are both still at home in grades 11 and 8 at Menlo. We currently have a foreign student from Chile living with us. Usually our foreign students are either Stanford athletes or students from Africa. Never a dull moment! Gretchen Mueller Burke: I am in my sixth year at Catalina, running the alumnae/i relations office. Isabelle is in her second year at the Pathway Program at UCLA, which is a college experience program for young adults with intellectual disabilities. Watching her grow in her independence and prepare for her life’s next steps has been remarkable to watch. Oliver is a

freshman at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. He plans on working this summer or next in Los Angeles in the entertainment industry. Maximilian is now a sophomore at York School. Both Oliver and Max earned their Eagle Scout rank and we celebrated this achievement in May of 2016. It’s been so nice to see Sarah Adams Fletterick and Michelle Degnan Ackert at Catalina over the summer. Both have daughters who attend Summer at Santa Catalina. Also nice to connect with classmates at alumnae gatherings where I have seen Patty Cerisola Mansi in New York; Kellen Flanigan Stinnett who graciously hosted our alumnae gathering in Los Angeles; Molly Johnson Grimmett in Sacramento; and Jean Mandel and Marcena Hopkins Peterson in San Francisco. Most recently, I caught up with Patty and her son Flavio in the Mexico City Airport for 20 minutes as she was arriving and I was departing! Ibi Janko Murphy continues to live on campus with her husband, John, who is Assistant Head of School for Mission and Identity Son, George, is now in third grade in Santa Catalina’s Lower School, where Ibi is a religion teacher for Kindergarten through grade 4 and the coordinator for the character education program, Compass. Nella Nencini-Hutchings: I’m still living full time in Kenya and travelling all over Africa as well as abroad for my safari business, Tin Trunk Safari. I’ve been helping people discover the magic of Africa for 11 years now and still loving it. After 12 years, James and I married last year (thus the new last name!) and that has been a very good thing, too. My three stepsons are now spread all over: one finishing at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland; one in his second year at Georgetown in D.C.; and one beginning at the University of Exeter in England. I would love to see my old Catalina classmates—ideally over here with your families on safari —but if not, somehow! It’s been way too long and I wish all of you lots of joy! Mimi Gorin: I do have interesting news this time, which is that I married Jim Domke in October. He is amazing and I am so happy. Right now we are in Australia on an Australia-New Zealand trip. Kellen Flanigan Stinnett: My daughter, Madison (25), has moved

The Class of 1982 at Reunion 2017

Celebrating the marriage of Mimi Gorin ’83 are her classmates Terrie Murray, Marcena Hopkins Peterson, Jessica Girard Archibald, Jean Mandel, Laura Koda, and Michelle Degnan Ackert

Terry Murray Wahlstedt ’83 with her son Lance

Kellen Flanigan Stinnett ’83 with her family and their dogs

to NY and is working for RED Digital Camera as their East Coast curator. She loves her job and gets to come home quarterly and do her freelance photography. My son, Nico (24), finished building his camper and is traveling around the country as he pusues his love of rock climbing, skiing, and cycling. He graduated from Westminster College in Salt Lake City with a degree in environmental studies, so he is exploring the environment. My husband, Rob, who is a general contractor in CA and NV, has been offered a job in NV so we are planning to sell our house in L.A. and make our

move to Nevada. My real estate broker license will allow me to sell the homes he builds in NV! We had some sorrow this year as I lost my biological father at the end of May and Rob lost his father in January. Christine Sahadi Slonek : Life is good for the Sahadi/Slonek household. I live in a great neighborhood in Los Gatos with my two girls, Lexi (16) and Ashley (15). They both attend Los Gatos High School and are excelling in academics, and volleyball is their sport of passion. The fall season for volleyball was very exciting as the Los Gatos High girls won the CCS championship this year. They both participate in club volleyball as well so that keeps us busy January through June each year. I am still working as a commercial real estate agent for Newmark Cornish & Carey and I have a passion for remodeling homes and building homes, which is something I am hoping will turn into a business of its own someday. My brothers, sister, mom, and dad are all doing well and we try to see them throughout the year if we are not too busy. Jessica Girard Archibald: I am in my sixth year working at an elementary school as an intervention teacher (on-site tutoring and co-teaching). We just said bon voyage to Ingrid (20) as she is spending her spring semester in New Zealand studying environmental conservation; she is a junior at Washington University in St. Louis. Truitt (14) is a freshman in high school and enjoys sports, his friends, and music. Brian just started a new job and we celebrated all of that and our 28th anniversary by spending Christmas in Oahu this year. We are looking forward to visiting Ingrid in New Zealand over Easter vacation. Terrie Murray Wahlstedt: Life is still somewhat chaotic in Southern California with three boys: Jonas (16), Finn (13), and Lance (9). Happy to say that 2016 was filled with family, travel, and catching up with old friends. While in NYC, I had the chance to stay with Patty Cerisola Mansi and her lovely family. Had brunch with Rachel Mendelson Rice while she was in L.A.

Fun in the snow with members of the Class of 1987: Katie Graham Devine, Ingrid Mueller Angier, Erica Olin Giannini, Sylvia Estrada Hellmund, Laura Evans Manatos, Monique Chamlian Wright, Tory Thornton, and Marian McCall Barclay

Then was up in San Francisco to celebrate the recent marriage of Mimi Gorin Domke along with Marcena Hopkins Peterson, Jessica Girard Archibald, Jean Mandel, Laura Koda, and Michelle Degnan Ackert. Looking forward to Puerta Vallarta this year! Jean Mandel: Life in San Francisco is great. I am spending plenty of time at the airport—heading to such spots as Paris, Copenhagen, Seattle, and Austin. For some time now, I have been evolving my consulting practice and am now focused on strategic planning, change management, and product innovation. I love the work. Highlight of holiday season was a get-together in honor of the wedding of Mimi Gorin Domke, featuring a surprise appearance by Jessica Girard Archibald and Terrie Murray Wahlstedt. Good fun!

The Class of 1987 at Reunion 2017

Mimi Gorin ’83 at her wedding to Jim Domke

Jessica Girard ’83 with her family

84

Victoria Manassero Maat junebugjump@icloud.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 fall issue!

85

Krysia Belza Logsdon catalina@krysiabelza.com

86

Katharine Folger Yeager yeagerkbf@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 fall issue!

87

Susan Smith snixon@starbucks.com

Sarah Wagner Johnson: Greetings from Cape Cod! Last March, we moved to Falmouth, MA, and are really loving life on the Cape. Justin is working at Woods Hole Oceanographic

Institution, and I’m the director of the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit. Livia has taken to the beaches and bike paths and plays trombone in the school jazz band. Come visit— would love to see you! Keri Hickey Westphal: Mike and I still live in Phoenix. I’m still doing hair and makeup artistry and he is a manager for Empire Caterpillar. Henry (14) is applying for high school, playing tennis, guitar, and video games. Ryan (12) is going into middle school, training for his second degree black belt and starting the tournament season. So life is busy, but we’re grateful and happy! Susan Smith Nixon: I have relocated from Hawaii to California to be closer to Audrey, who is attending Santa Catalina. She is a sophomore. We have lots of fun in California with running races, snowboarding, and enjoying all the wonderful activities in California. I have visited with Queena Kim and Marsha Plat . I transferred with Starbucks and work with store teams in the Bay Area. Ingrid Mueller Angier: We are still living in Medina, WA, where I remain busy raising three girls (16, 14, and 11). I am usually at a tennis tournament two weekends each month with my older two girls, Bridgette and Annaliese. The youngest, Catherine, chose a different path and her passion is gymnastics. So my husband and I are usually dividing and conquering. Just this past year my husband and I realized a long-held dream to own a vacation place in the mountains. We chose Park City, UT, and have been able to share our place with family and friends. In February, I invited several Catalina girls out for a ski vacation. You can imagine the laughter and love that was felt! Sylvia Estrada Hellmund flew out from Miami; Laura Evans Manatos came from D.C.; Marian McCall Barclay came from Bend, OR; Katie Graham Devine came from Piedmont, CA; Monique Chamlian Wright came from Kentfield, CA; Erica Olin Giannini came from Carmel Valley, CA; and Tory Thornton, who went to Catalina our sophomore year for a semester, came from San Diego.

88

Jennifer Pratt curgie615@earthlink.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 fall issue!

89

Elizabeth Maher Purdum elizabethpurdum@hotmail.com

Big news from Kim Meek . She’s engaged and expecting her first child, a baby girl due in June! Congratulations, Kim! Heidi Cohen Cook is busy with work and life. Both she and Jim are happy and healthy. Her oldest, Madison, is graduating from high school in a few months. Right now

she has been admitted to MSU, Ole Miss, and University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). Of course, Heidi is pulling for UNR. Her son, Jack, is in middle school and loving it. Proud parenting moment: Jack’s football team had an undefeated football season withJack playing quarterback and earning Most Valuable Player. Emily Palmer Browne is keeping busy. She’s working as a nurse in the med/acute neuro unit—and loves it! Her family is all doing well. She reports that she “had a blast with Maureen Duflock Bernal and her daughters at a country concert in Palm Desert! Just like in ol’ times!” Lisa Javellana Hill is discovering what new adventures life has in store for her. Her daughters are both in college. Alexis is a senior at Dartmouth and Sam is a freshman at Johns Hopkins. Elizabeth Maher Purdum: Not much to report from me. I thought that with both girls in school full time that my house would be spotless and I would make amazing dinners every night. Alas, my house is not spotless and dinners are often basic.

90

Augustina Stevens augustinastevens@icloud.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 fall issue!

91

Marita Quint Bruni

marita.quint@gmail.com

I didn’t have a chance to thank everyone for coming and to report about the amazing time we had last year! Maria Juarez Letamendi, Ale Leon Letamendi, Kiki Diaz Brown, and

Susan Smith Nixon ’87 with daughter Audrey ’19

Kim Meek ’89 with her fiancé

Yolanda Orrantia all made the trip from Mexico, and were first-time reunion attendees, as were Kirsten Silvey and Bernadette Lussier, who traveled from New Mexico and Michigan. Per tradition, some of us met for drinks and lunch at the Tap Room at the Lodge after touring campus, attending Mr. Oder’s history lecture, and checking out the amazing new math and science building. Sitting in on Mr. Oder’s class made us all want to go back to school. We reserved a very long table at Casanova to accommodate our class night dinner. In attendance were Jeannie Clancy, Alison Morey Garrett, Audrey Keebler Scott, Molly Martin Hirschfield, Bernadette Lussier, Carolyne Geisler, Dania Ketchum, Monica Duflock, Cammie Calcagno Newell, Amanda Hennigan Mansour, Amy Bacon Clausing, Joanne Nadherny Jensen-Hawkins, Sarah Evans Norbraten, Maria Juarez Letamendi, Ale Leon Letamendi , Kiki Diaz Brown, Yolanda Orrantia, Kirsten Silvey, and myself (Marita Quint Bruni). We had a wonderful time reconnecting, and hope to see all these faces and more at our next reunion! A big thank you to Carolyne Geisler and her boyfriend, Greg Profeta, who hosted us for brunch on Sunday at his restaurant, The Forge in the Forest. It might have been the mimosas, but we all agreed that a reunion south of the border may be in order! Our condolences to Katherine Hambleton Movalson: As classmates may have seen in the “In Memory” section last time, my mom passed away in July after a long series of health issues. Brian’s dad passed away six weeks earlier so it was a very tough season for our family, including Meredith (10), Hobs (9), and Olin (6). Hard to believe we are all losing our parents—and if you need tips on cleaning out your family home, I have advice I’d love to share. As much as we love Oregon, the last few weeks of snow and ice storms in Eugene

have me dreaming of Mexico! Count me in for a reunion south of the border! Carrie Rodella: The biggest regret I have for 2016 is not making it to our reunion! Alas, I still live in the south of Italy, which makes short trips to California logistically challenging to say the least, but next time I will find a way to come. I made it stateside for the holidays and spent time with family in California and my parents in Arizona. I remain active with my local Rotary Club and teach adult Sunday school classes at the Mormon church. Work wise, I finally broke down and opened another branch of my small business, an English school. This second branch is in a city about an hour from where I live. My business partner is a teacher with whom I have worked for many years. The second branch is in its second academic year and is doing really well. My son’s dream is to attend college in the U.S. We sent him to Hotchkiss last summer for a three week science program that he loved. Yolanda Orrantia: My biggest news is that I moved to La Jolla last summer and that I’m engaged. Wedding bells will also be ringing for classmate Kirsten Silvey: Working as a geriatrician in Albuquerque. Getting married to my love, Leslie, in a small family-only wedding in Portland, OR, in August. Then we are off for a Celtic honeymoon in Scotland and Ireland. Michelle Lynch is also getting married in the spring to her fiancé, Brian Strauss. Monica Duflock : I just got home from an amazing trip to Morocco. I feel so grateful that I was able to join seven girlfriends on a truly unforgettable trip. The country is rich with vibrant colors and has beautiful influences from France and other countries. We checked out the outdoor markets, textiles, and of course rode camels! Back here in Marin, life is great. I am staying very busy with my three boys and lots of sports. My oldest is in 7th grade and this next year we will be checking out high schools. I am staying busy with my riding

and competing in horse shows. In November, I was reserve world champion at the AQHA World Championships in Oklahoma City—such a thrill to be able to show at that level. I am thankful for my boys, their happiness and health, and of course, great friends and family. Maria Juarez Letamendi: I just got back from Mexico City today. My daughter, Emilia ’16, started college there at the Tecnológico de Monterrey. My son is at Army and Navy School in San Diego so I will be flying back and forth to see them. Diego, my youngest son, is sure going to be spoiled now that my two oldest are gone! My husband, Fernando, and I are thinking of traveling more now that we have more time. I’m still living in Mazatlan right in front of Ale Leon Letamendi’s house, so if anyone wants to come visit, mi casa es su casa . Fernando and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary this past December! When can I see you (Marita) and Mel? I (Marita Quint Bruni) had a chance to grab lunch with Melanie Vincent Nichols while I was down in Newport Beach in the fall. Her twin daughters, Sienna and Madeline, are in the second grade this year and keep her very busy. Melanie and her husband, Josh, continued their tradition over the summer of taking their girls to visit National Parks and visited Yellowstone, Bryce, and Zion after the summer sailing program ended for their girls. For Melanie and her husband, watching their daughters sail in the Newport Harbor is a dream come true. Melanie met her husband at the same yacht club sailing in the summer when she was 13. Being able to have their daughters follow in their footsteps is something of which they are both very proud. My family spent two weeks this summer traveling to Tuscany and Castel di Sangro, where my grandmother is from. We had promised my dad a big family vacation to Italy, and it was nice to get together with my cousins and celebrate. We basically ate our way through Italy, and I don’t regret a single spoonful of gelato! We’re settling into life back home in Los Gatos, and although it’s taken some adjusting, we’re happy to be home. Addison is now in grade one, and Mason is in pre-school.

92 Amy Paulsen apindc@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 fall issue!

93

Galen Johnson galen.a.johns@gmail.com

On behalf of the class, I want to again extend deepest sympathies to Nicole Lazarus on the

Melanie Vincent Nichols ’91 with her family

Maria Juarez Letamendi ’91 and her husband Fernando in Las Vegas

death of her husband, Jeffrey Adan, last February. Our love to you and Nova. Andy Riegel Smith is the new chemistry lab technician at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA. Her daughter, Story (6), is in first grade. She and her sister, Ryan Marie Abrash ’92, have completed eight runs this year, including Disney half-marathons, 10ks, and 5ks, and are planning on many more in the coming years. Pamela Edwards Brown: In May 2016, I left the Monterey County Public Defender’s Office to start my own private practice based in Salinas and Hollister. It is so fulfilling to be in business for myself, and this time has been both challenging and exciting. Life with two 3-year-olds and an 8-year-old has been even more so!

We spent a lot of time last year traveling around the state. The kids started a new school in the fall, and the best part about it is uniforms! My husband, Horace, continues his career at Lowe’s and loves it. I can’t believe we’re only a year away from our 25-year reunion. Can’t wait to see everyone next year! Sarah Brown Goforth: We’re wrapping up our time in Texas while my husband finishes up a tour as a consular officer in Juba, South Sudan, with the Department of State. I’m keeping busy with our three kids, a new dog, and a new job— teaching Kindergarten for the first

time. Our next tour will start in August and we’ll move back to D.C. for language training and then to Ankara, Turkey, in summer of 2018. We’re enjoying being global nomads and visitors are always welcome! Finally, congratulations to Kelly Neary, who married Milos Djokovic in Colorado in June 2016. Stacy Henderson Faber Mellon was the matron of honor. We wish you and Milos a lifetime of happiness, Kelly!

94

The Class of 1994 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83, Director of Alumnae Relations, 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 fall issue!

95

The Class of 1995 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83, Director of Alumnae Relations, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.

96 Jenny Noble

jnoble78@hotmail.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 fall issue!

The Class of 1992 at Reunion 2017

Andy Riegel Smith ’93 with her sister Ryan Marie Abrash ’92

Kelly Neary ’93 with her maid of honor, Stacy Henderson Faber Mellon ’93

Sarah Brown Goforth ’93 with her daughter

Jasmin Reate jlreate@gmail.com

P. Samantha Lewis and Jeffrey C. Rohwer were married in January 2017 at the California Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento. Both are fifth generation descendants of California pioneer families, and their paths crossed in vain for decades until finding each other in January 2016. One year later, they exchanged vows in a place that pays homage to California history and the events that finally brought them together. Classmate Minta Ershaghi Spencer and former Santa Catalina teacher, Monika Howell, were in attendance. Samantha, Jeff and their sons, TJ (12) and Nate (10), split their time between Chico, where Samantha is the CEO of her family almond farm, and Davis, where Jeff is a senior vice president and regional manager for the Private Bank at Wells Fargo. They enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon in Chile and are excited to see all of Samantha’s classmates at the upcoming reunion. Angelique (Angel) Cabral is happily living in Los Angeles, starring on the hit CBS comedy, Life in Pieces. (She plays Colleen and the show is on Thursday nights at 9:30 p.m. on CBS if you haven’t seen it yet!) She has a film called Band Aid at Sundance this year, and also did some fun guest spots on Grey’s Anatomy and Transparent. Her husband, Jason Osborn, graduated with honors in July from UCLA Anderson, with his executive master’s in business. He now runs marketing for HALOS. They just finished remodeling their home in the Hollywood Hills and Angel is excited for what this year has to bring! Aimee Cervelli Bunting is still living in Cotati and celebrated her ten year anniversary to her husband, Antonio, this last summer. She has four children, all school-aged now (grade 2, kindergarten, and transitional kindergarten), with her youngest just starting preschool this year. Aimee has enjoyed volunteering at her children’s school for the past few years, and just started a parent-teacher art program using the school’s art curriculum. The goal by the end of the year is to have an art portfolio created for each of the 360 students! She is enjoying being involved and connected to the classroom again. Amanda Smith Burke: Life for

the Burke family is finally grand! We learned a lot in 2016— being a mom and dad of three under three is hard, yet we can handle it. Being a mom is not always pretty and perfect, yet it is beautiful. We also learned we eat more rice and beans than an average family! We enjoy living, working, and playing in Newport Beach, CA. Our three little cherubs are growing fast, Elizabeth (4), Sam and Scarlett (2). Julie Sunoo Flanders and her husband, Kevin, will celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary this June. They have two beautiful daughters, Jasmine (11) and Jaiden (8). Jasmine joined the Santa Catalina family when she started sixth grade in September, and Jaiden will join in a few more years. Jenny McClendon works for Center for Well-Being, a health care non-profit in Sonoma County focused on diabetes and heart disease prevention, working to increase access to health services. Her husband, Adam, and she are preparing for two teenage girls in the house and all the policing that entails. Jenny recently started a flower farmer-florist venture called Jenni Flora (www.jenniflora.com) growing flowers on their

Roberta Fernandez de Junco ’97, Teresa Paez-Garza ’97, and Mariana Trevino ’97 with a friend in Rome

Sebastopol property. Kai Baker Stringfield and her husband, John, have been busy with their twin boys, Jackson and Jayden (3). The boys move nonstop and keep her busy at all times! Kai graduated from law school at the University of Maryland in 2012, and is currently working at a management consulting firm in Bethesda, MD. The only brother of Teresa Paez-Garza was recently ordained as a Catholic priest in Rome. She was fortunate to witness this momentous occasion, and Roberta Fernandez de Junco and Mariana Trevino joined her!

The Class of 1997 at Reunion 2017

Angel Cabral ’97 with husband Jason and their cute pup

Aimee Cervelli Bunting ’97 with her family

Natalia

Woodhall Chappelow nataliawoodhall@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 fall issue! 99

Laura Stenovec laurastenovec@gmail.com

Beth Fruzynski Beam: In September, we relocated from the East Coast to San Jose for me to take a position as senior director for global sanctions compliance at Silicon Valley Bank. In addition to our son Matt (2), we are expecting our second at the end of February. Justine Carroll Campbell: I am living with my husband, Bill, and Will (1) in Los Angeles. Working and being a mom is a lot of work, but so much fun. Doing art when I can, and trying to be better at staying in touch with all of the Catalina girls! Sarah Maguire Duffy: Maggie is perfecting her new role as a big sister after we welcomed our baby boy, Charlie, in May. I enjoyed maternity leave, and the opportunity it gave me to work on a new startup. I am also excited to be back in the classroom teaching art. Denver has been a great place to catch up with Catalina girls and a great city to launch a business with my co-founder and fellow mom. Kiitos, a mobile app and website for parents to buy, borrow, and sell baby and kids gear among friends, friends of friends, and the community, will hit the app store this spring. Marissa Anschutz Hermer: We’ve moved to Pacific Palisades! Sadie was born in April and her big brothers Max (5) and Jake (3) adore her! It is so great to be back in the California sunshine. Elizabeth Poett-Campbell: I’m keeping busy on the ranch while running after two high-energy boys. I am expanding my beef business to include more ranch raised meats and veggies. I have been keeping up with lots of Catalina girls. I got to meet Rustin, the son of Alaina McDonald Sylvester, as well as Will, the son of Justine Carroll Campbell, which was so much fun! Ali Schneider: This has been a very busy year for me! My immigration law firm, Meadowlark Immigration PC, is in full swing. My business partner and I work on humanitarian cases: victims of crimes, survivors of domestic violence, family unity, and asylum. We also do a lot of community outreach and education. It is very rewarding, hard, and enjoyable work. Last summer, I was so happy to attend the 10 year wedding vow renewal of Lindsay McDonald Stalowy to Eric Stalowy and finally meet their son, Mac! And my boyfriend, Chris, and I are enjoying the Pacific NW outdoors as much as possible. Lindsay McDonald Stalowy: I made a career change within my firm from accounting to human resources. The move

has given me more time to spend with my family and to travel. We’ve been able to visit California (where we saw Elizabeth Poett-Campbell), Panama, the Outer Banks, Spain, the Bahamas and we’re looking forward to our upcoming trips to Nicaragua and Oregon. In July, my husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with a sweet vow renewal near our home in Asheville. It was great to have Ali Schneider attend, especially since she stood by my side 10 years ago as a bridesmaid! Amy McCormick Vokey: Nick, James (3), Basil (the dog) and I have moved to L.A. and welcomed Felix Day Vokey the day after Thanksgiving. It’s so nice to finally be back in California! Angelina Yao: In 2016, my husband and I took six months off from our work and life in Hong Kong and moved to Palo Alto, CA. We had such a great time reconnecting with friends and plugging into Silicon Valley’s energy. I met up with some of my fellow alums including Lysbet Verlenden, Katie Maurer, Laura Stenovec, Natalie Burke, Rochelle DeCastro and Justine Carroll Campbell. I also went back to visit Santa Catalina a few times and have been working with my co-chairs of the Asian alumnae chapter, Rene Leung and Diana Mak ’00, and the admissions office to help with admission recruiting in Asia. As a result, we hosted an event in Hong Kong in November for alumnae and prospective students. I also started my own company, Heels & Yield, which is dedicated to helping women achieve holistic wealth by empowering them to become financially savvy. We think it’s never too young to empower women financially, so we’re developing a finance and business club at Santa Catalina to give students the tools and training to make savvy financial decisions that fit with their life goals! Go Cougars!

As for me, Laura Stenovec, I am loving my work with Beautycounter. I’m a managing director and founding member and feel fortunate to have a job that makes me run to my (home) office every day. If you haven’t heard of us, check us out! I’ve had the pleasure of spending lots of time with my Catalina friends over the past year. I always say that one of the best decisions of my life was saying yes to Santa Catalina 22 years ago.

01Sheila Callahan White sheilacallahan@gmail.com Amy Franson franson.amy@gmail.com

Kiren Rizvi Jafry: I got married in May 2016! I married Zahid Jafry, who’s been a friend since elementary school. We had Catalina sisters at our wedding, which included Michelle Schneider, Brogiin Keeton, and Annie Hilby. We had a traditional Pakistani and Persian wedding of multiple days and multiple cities. Brandy Maloney: I’ve been living and studying in New Zealand for the last five years, where I’ve just qualified as a veterinarian with distinction. I married James, another veterinarian, in February. He and I own a small veterinary clinic in a small town on the beach. I’d love to see any Catalina girls who may venture down this way and to catch up when I make it back to the States. In the meantime, my life is made up of little snippets of James Herriot adventures (or at least I like to think of it that way).

Kiren Rizvi ’01 and husband Zahid Jafry

00Susie Bokermann susiebokermann@gmail.com Brigitte Kouba brigittekouba@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 fall issue!

Sasha Irving sasha.irving@gmail.com Olivia Nilsson olivianilsson@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 fall issue!

03Monica Johnson Steiner monicafax@gmail.com Gaby Asmus gmasmus@gmail.com Megan Mulloy megan.mulloy@gmail.com

Priscilla McCarthy Barolo: My husband Joe and I welcomed our son, Owen, on June 22. We still live in San Mateo and I still work in enterprise marketing at Zoom Video Communications. We had an awesome time seeing everyone at the wedding of Gaby Asmus Raila last August and we enjoyed the wedding of Alex Sutty this April! Alex Sutty made the switch from large consulting firm to rapidly growing startup, Zuora, and has been enjoying working there for the past year. She lives in Huntington Beach with her husband whom she married in April 2017 in Sydney, Australia. She had a blast catching up

with some Catalinans at Gaby Asmus Raila’s wedding back in August. Kristen Kitaji Corliss moved back to Carmel in 2013 and works in business development for an agriculture company in the area. She married her husband Bobby at Tehama in December 2014; they welcomed their first child, James, in September 2015. Elisabeth Wilkie moved to Berlin, Germany, last fall to attend the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin. Soli Romero: My new best friend/nephew Diego William Romero-Huebner, son of Kai Romero ’01, was born in September 2016. We’ve been inseparable ever since! Gaby Asmus Raila: I married Travis Raila in August in Sonoma and had a wonderful time celebrating with Veronica Asmus ’05, my bridesmaids Alex Sutty and Megan Mulloy, as well as guests Justine Sterling, Priscilla McCarthy Barolo, Stephanie Wai, Amy Swanson Spano and Liz Wilkie. Since then, my husband and I have been traveling as much as possible and celebrated Alex Sutty’s wedding in Sydney. Kelsey Hodgins Diver is living in Massachusetts. She married Dennis, a Massachusetts State Corrections Officer, in August 2016. Her sister Mary Hodgins ’97 was her matron of honor. Kelsey is currently a nanny and concentrating on getting her teaching license to become a kindergarten teacher. She hopes to start grad school soon. Katie Tugend Lehner: I’ve been living in San Diego with my husband and working as a physical therapist. My husband’s job as a Naval Officer has kept him busy with several deployments while I stayed busy with my work and more recently motherhood. We welcomed our first daughter in 2014 and have loved the challenges of parenthood more than we could have imagined. In 2015 the Navy had us move across the world

to Guam, which was a unique adventure for our family. While in Guam, we found out that we were expecting our second child, and when I was 6 months pregnant, we found out that our baby had Down Syndrome. While this came as a huge shock, we were still very excited to meet our little girl. Since then, we have moved back to San Diego, and welcomed our second beautiful daughter in August 2016. With two kids I’ve transitioned into a full-time mom while my husband stays busy in the Navy. We’re looking forward to what the future has in store for us, and hopefully seeing my classmates at our reunion next year! Sabine Korting Carl planned to travel through Montreal and upstate New York in March. She was excited to meet up with Bryna Lieberman and her sister, Christina Korting ’05.

04

Katie Fruzynski katie.fruzynski@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 fall issue!

05

Madeline Callander madeline.callander@gmail.com Lyndsay Peden McAmis mcamislc@gmail.com

For most of 2016, Olivia Hussman Ramsey was enjoying working at a cute neighborhood stationery store in Little Rock. In September, she and her husband, Joe, welcomed a baby boy, Wright. She loves being a stay-at-home mom and living down the street from her twin sister’s family. Kat Kennifer: I pursued a career change into nursing, a field to which I’ve long felt called. Earlier this year I began working at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco in the Cardiac ICU. Since my return to the city, I have greatly enjoyed catching up with members of the Catalina community, including distinguished alumna Ninive Clements Calegari ’89—we had a great time discovering she was the commencement speaker at my sister’s graduation!

Miyabi Yu Leu: Last summer, Shannon McKenna, Michelle Balch, Kelsy Avalos-Feehan and I reunited in Napa to celebrate Christine Chiu’s wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony with Michelle Chiu ’07 and Silvia Yeh ’04 as her bridesmaids. In the autumn, our son, Christopher, was baptized at St. Anne’s in San Francisco with the help of Michelle Balch as his godmother. We are also excited to announce that we will be expecting another boy in July!

The Class of 2002 at Reunion 2017

Lauren Kristich lekristich@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 fall issue!

07Natalie Kocekian nkocek@gmail.com

Natalie Kocekian: It is my third year living in San Francisco with my boyfriend and working at Lucasfilm Ltd. This year I am working as an associate project manager on Star Wars Episode VIII —in theaters December 2017! Kate Carrubba is also living in San Francisco and got married last May. “Julia Strumpell and Caitlin Bryant attended the wedding! I also went on a fantastic honeymoon in the French Polynesia.” Kate manages the U.S. website of Benefit Cosmetics. Congrats to Ashley Anderson Avilla, who married Brandon in September 2015. Ashley works for Dole as a food safety manager. Lisa Mulligan: I am currently a participant in Harvard’s Program in Refugee Trauma and worked this past year with Syrian and Afghan refugees in Greece. While in Greece, I worked in partnership with UNHCR and the Greek Air Force to help ensure that the most vulnerable cases in camp received mental health support and protection. I love what I am doing and am happy to speak to any Catalina alumni who want to learn more about how they can help refugees. Kaycie Gillette-Mallard was recently with Lisa, Mari Swim, Eleana Collins, and Amanda Darnell at Abby Woodward’s wedding last year in Hawaii! Kaycie is now working for Teach for America. Lastly, in early March 2016, Caitlin Bryant was invited into the University of Massachusetts Boston Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program, to which she enthusiastically accepted! In July, Caitlin quit her job at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and did a cross-country trip with her mom stopping in many locations: Chicago, Mount Rushmore, and Salt Lake City. Caitlin says, “I began my Ph.D. program in September 2016 under the mentoring of Dr. Paul Nestor, whose research focuses on psychotic spectrum disorders. I have already begun planning my master’s thesis, which will focus on stigma of mental illness in young adults and adolescents at risk for psychosis and how these young people disclose their diagnosis and symptoms to others.”

08Shannon L. Gaughf slgaughf@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 fall issue!

09

The Class of 2009 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83, Director of Alumnae Relations, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.

11

Kelsey Player

kelsey.player93@gmail.com

Kelsey Riordan kelseyriordan11@aol.com

10

The Class of 2010 is without a class correspondent.

Please contact Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83, Director of Alumnae Relations, 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 fall issue!

Christina Quisno: I am currently working for Nestlé in the Finance Management Trainee program. I am transitioning this month to my next rotation in Cleveland, OH, where I will be working with the trade analytics team. Previously, I completed 18 months of manufacturing finance and was located in the Charlotte, NC, region. I have enjoyed global travels as well as explorations in the southeast region this past year. In addition, I have enjoyed getting to see past classmates as much as possible. Megan Knetemann currently lives in Boston and is in her last year of a master’s program in applied developmental and educational psychology with a certificate in human rights and international justice at Boston College. Megan hopes to work in a counseling and advocacy role with young women on issues of gendered violence, and will continue to live in Boston after graduation. Kelsey Riordan: After graduating in June 2015 from UC Santa Barbara, I began my journey to find a great company that would allow me to use my global studies degree. I moved up to Portland, OR, within the last year and love my new city. While exploring the enterprising spirit of Oregon, I’m also working with great people and growing professionally. Though I’m still searching for my dream company, I’m enjoying every step of this adventure. Clem Yost: I moved to London in September 2015 to work in the British film and television industry. Since then I

The Class of 2007 at Reunion 2017

have interned for numerous companies, including Archery Pictures, Curtis Brown Agency, and finally a five-month stint in the development and acquisitions department at Pinewood Pictures. For me, 2016 was a year of firsts. I ran my first marathon in Paris in 2016, cheered on by the lovely Anna Viviani. I also partook in my first political protest against a bill proposed by then MP and now PM Teresa May. Lastly, I have become something of a raging feminist and I plan on marching and protesting my way through 2017, starting with the Women’s March on London in January and the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign in February. Lots of love from London! Natalie Simmons: I graduated from my five-year program at Northeastern, Magna Cum Laude, in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration, concentrating in marketing and management with a minor in graphic design. I graduated with three co-ops (six-month job experiences) under my belt: sales at a tech startup in Boston; account assistant at a technology incubator in Cape Town, South Africa; and project assistant at a social impact strategy consultancy in Boston. I graduated with an offer from my final co-op at Cause Consulting. I accepted and now work as a full-time associate at Cause Consulting assisting the co-founders of the company in building signature cause and corporate social responsibility programs for Fortune 500 companies. Rae Gregory: I am in my second year working at Santa Catalina in the admission office and as a resident faculty member in Hills. I was promoted to assistant director of admission along with Kelsey Player. I continue to work closely with prospective day and boarding families. I am lucky enough to travel for admission and meet people from all over the country. In September 2016, my grandmother, Evelyn Gregory, passed away at the age of 96. She was one of my biggest supporters when I was a student at Catalina. She taught me that the best gift you can ever receive is a great education, and I feel

Visiting the Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver, Canada are Gary Grondahl, Hana Mohsin ’11, Margaret Bozzo ’09 LS, Sara Mohsin Grondahl ’03, Clare Bozzo ’12, Dan Bozzo, and Elizabeth Rawitzer Bozzo ’77

so fortunate to be an alumna of Santa Catalina.

Franchesca Cortes: I have been working in Bogotá, Colombia, for the past year and a half as a senior strategic communications assistant in the Fundación Bolívar Davivienda (the Bolívar Davivienda Foundation), which is one of the largest foundations in Colombia. I am specifically in charge of the communications for the Corporate Volunteering Program, one of the many programs of the foundation. Since volunteering is a foreign concept for many in this country, my job has been enjoyably challenging. I have been working hard, getting involved in volunteering opportunities and getting to know the small towns around Bogotá

as well as other parts of Colombia. Grace Anne Sillano: I moved to Prague in September 2015 and taught English there for about a year. Still living and loving Prague but now work as a travel consultant and marketing assistant for a travel agency called Go Real Europe. I am currently on a two-week work trip visiting Poland (Krakow), Hungary (Budapest), and Austria (Vienna and Salzburg). I have traveled quite a bit the past year and a half and continue to love living here. Sending love from Europa. Kelsey Player: I am in my second year working for our alma mater in the admission office. Rae Gregory and I were promoted to assistant directors of admission, and continue to work with prospective boarding families. I love the opportunity to show families what makes Catalina so special. I am also living in Thompson with the freshmen as part of the resident faculty.

12Katharine Garcia katharine.garcia8@yahoo.com Chloe Dlott aquabubble87@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 fall issue!

Kristina Flathers ’11 and Christina Quisno ’11 in Chicago

The Class of 2012 at Reunion 2017

Caitlin Dullanty caitlindullanty@gmail.com Annie Haueter anniehaueter@gmail.com

Abbey Austin: I graduated in December from UCSB with a degree in linguistics and Italian. I also received my TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) certificate and have been working at EF International Language School for the last eight months. I am beginning a new job as a marketing development rep with Curvature, a global IT company based in Santa Barbara. Joan Chen: I have recently been hired by Morgan Stanley Japan to work full time as an info security analyist. I will be moving to Tokyo after graduation. Jiwon Yi: I had a wonderful last few years at Pomona College. I had a blast living and studying in London and traveling while I studied abroad at the University College London last spring. I’ll be graduating this May with a degree in neuroscience. I recently won a scholarship awarded by Pomona to two graduating seniors each year, which funds a yearlong master’s degree at the University of Cambridge. Thanks to the scholarship, I’ll be pursuing an MPhil in pharmacology at Cambridge next fall, conducting neuropharmacology research on naked mole rats. I’m very grateful for this exciting opportunity, and I’m looking forward to returning to England. I recently met up with Kelsey Green in San Jose and with Grace Lee in Korea; it’s always wonderful catching up with friends from Catalina. Giselle Morgan: Since transferring to California Institute of the Arts, I’ve exhibited my photography at the Tate Modern in London and was deemed one of the 35 emerging

artists under the age of 35 in the state of Utah. Alongside that, I had my first solo exhibition, “Profane Illumination” in Los Angeles. Alexis Kern: Currently I’m living in Long Beach, CA, in my second semester of dental hygiene school at Cerritos College. I’m very happy and feel like I’m making a difference as a clinician and educator in people’s oral and overall health. Very excited to get out in the real world!

14Kylie Moses

kyliemoses14@gmail.com Emma Russell emmarussellpg@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 fall issue!

15

Julia Clark

julicclark09@gmail.com

Mackenzie Fisher kenzieayn7@gmail.com

16

Lucy Stowe

Lucystowe@me.com

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 fall issue!

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)

Georgia Sedlack ’13 and

Giselle

Morgan ’13

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.

To submit photos electronically, please send them as attachments to: gretchen.muellerburke@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

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

Class Notes has a new schedule. We will publish notes for each class once a year—odd-numbered class years in the spring and evennumbered in the fall.

COMMUNITY TRANSITIONS

Alumnae

Marriages

Stephanie Leach ’75 to Jerry Decker

Paula Opperman McKinney ’77 to Robert Mackintosh

Mimi Gorin ’83 to Jim Domke

Kelly Neary ’93 to Milos Djokovic

P. Samantha Lewis ’97 to Jeffrey C. Rohwer

Angel Cabral ’97 to Jason Osbourn

Kiren Rizvi ’01 to Zahid Jafry

Gaby Asmus ’03 to Travis Raila

Kelsey Hodgins ’03 to Dennis Diver

Hadley Clark ’05 to Ben Childs

Anna Lopez ’06 to Nicholas Mourlam

Kate Carrubba ’07 to Michael Best

Ashley Anderson ’07 to Brandon Avilla

Abby Woodward ’07 to Andrew Glenn

Births and Adoptions

Sally Botts ’97 and Scott Drescher Duke

Justine Carroll ’99 and Bill Campbell Will

Sarah Maguire ’99 and Charles Duffy Charlie

Marissa Anschutz ’99 and Matt Hermer Sadie

Amy McCormick ’99 and Nick Vokey Felix

Kai Romero ’01 and David Huebner Diego

Priscilla McCarthy ’03 and Joe Barolo Owen

Katie Tugend ’03 and Sam Lehner Addison

Olivia Hussman ’05 and Joe Ramsey Wright

Miyabi Yu ’05 and Albert Leu Christopher

In Memory

Our love and prayers to:

Madeline Nagel ’57 and Judy Nagel Cox ’61 on the death of their mother

The family of Georgene Dovolis ’58

Rene May Lawler ’59 on the death of her husband

Didi Dwyer Schreiber ’59 on the death of her husband

The family of Barbara Grant Kangas Armour ’62

The family of Annie Hart Butler ’62

The family of Diane Stephens Watters ’63

Antoinette Ziegler Hubbard ’64 on the death of her husband

Cathy Quarre Alexander ’67 on the death of her mother

The family of Mary Louise Frawley ’67

Laurie Hammonds Hall ’67 on the death of her son

Jodi Ehrlich ’71 on the death of her mother

Edith Andrews Tobin ’72 on the death of her father

DeDe Duoos Davis ’75 on the death of her father

Meggan Laxalt ’75 on the death of her brother

The family of Janice Koht Marasco ’76

Julie Power Pantiskas ’77 on the death of her mother

Elizabeth Lungren Bloom ’77 on the death of her brother

Kellen Flanigan Stinnett ’83 on the death of her biological father

Andrea Watson-Bross ’85 on the death of her mother

Mia Wigmore ’87 on the death of her father

Ceci Marihart ’89 on the death of her father

Jakie Kangas Beard ’89 on the death of her mother

Nicole Lazarus ’93 on the death of her husband

Sally Botts Drescher ’97 on the death of her son

Faculty & Staff

Births

Ashley and Dustin Moranda, Dorothy

Heather Frost and Michael Overby, Ingrid

In Memory

Our love and prayers to: Christy Pollacci on the death of her mother

Items in Transitions reflect communications received between October 15, 2016, and April 16, 2017.

Maya Pollack ’15, Leslie Gobel ’15, and Kari Hamwey ’15 catch up at the Young Alumnae Christmas gathering on campus.

Leslie Hunt Johnson, Kerry Robinson Johnson, and Becky Hays Rovey from the Class of 1992 celebrating at Reunion.

Upper