Santa Catalina School Bulletin Summer 2023

santa catalina

2023 SUMMER BULLETIN

3 Under 30: Young alums making their mark

Sister Kieran Library gets a new look

Sixth-graders help university researchers

Crystal Boyd ’89

Director of Marketing and Communications

Jeannie Evers

Writer

Emily Slayton

Graphic Designer

Robin Kelly

Copy Editor

Shannon Gaughf Dillon ’08 Director of Alumnae/i Relations

Contributors

Clarisa Avila, Julie Lenherr Edson ’88, Kendra Klein, Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83, Dr. Barbara Ostos, Barry Panes

Contributing Photographers

DMT Imaging; Marc Howard ’93 LS; Santa Catalina School archives; Santa Catalina School parents, faculty, and students; profile photos courtesy of the subject

On the cover: Seniors brave the rapids on their rafting trip.

Above: Eighth-grade boys enjoying time together at the Middle School pool party.

Inside back cover: A beautiful winter sunrise on campus

Santa Catalina’s Bulletin is published twice a year. We welcome suggestions for topics and news, as well as comments about our publication. Email us at communications@santacatalina.org.

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.

FEATURES

14 Model Students

Sixth-graders take part in a university research project to enhance middle school science curriculum.

24 The French Connection

Santa Catalina welcomes its first exchange students from a new sister school in France.

28 The Veritas Journey

The Journey program is revamped with a focus on interconnected and grade-level themes to enhance the student experience.

30 3 Under 30

Set decorator Claire Cardona ’16, design engineer Emma Williams ’16, and music business executive Blair Miller ’14 are making their marks in traditionally male-dominated fields.

38 More than a Library

A collaborative renovation of the Sister Mary Kieran Memorial Library leads to a stylish new space for study and socialization.

DEPARTMENTS

02 Message from Head of School

03 Campus News

Designing for the Future

across generations, capped off with a lively evening party at Pasadera. It has been a gift to meet many alumnae in person, whether at Reunion or at a number of events on and off campus. Filled with growth, learning, and moments of joy and inspiration, it has been a truly remarkable first-year journey for which I feel grateful and blessed.

Dear Santa Catalina School Community,

Over the course of this fall and winter, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible accomplishments and milestones achieved by our students. Whether it be in the classroom, on the playing field, or in the arts, our students have demonstrated a level of dedication, resilience, and creativity that is exceptional. It is a testament to their hard work and the unwavering support of our faculty and staff.

The past many months have been filled with my first-time experiences of wonderful Santa Catalina traditions and celebrations: the freshman-organized Halloween dinner and senior-created “Haunted Hills” in the Upper School and Pumpkin Olympics with the Lower and Middle School; Kris Kringles, Candlelight Mass, winter pep rallies, and Christmas concerts. Like most of the country, we battled a fierce and unexpected winter, including the closing of the school due to electricity outages. Reunion Weekend was the peak of the on-campus challenges, forcing the cancellation of the first day of activities. Nonetheless, we enjoyed a successful Saturday of on-campus events with alumnae from

These first several months as Catalina’s fifth Head of School have allowed me to begin to understand our strengths and consider areas for further reflection. Our vision for Santa Catalina is rooted in the historic institutional belief that education is not only about imparting knowledge but also about nurturing the whole person. Our mission-centered daily work is devoted to cultivating courageous, gracious, and compassionate leaders who possess the intellectual curiosity, critical thinking skills, and spiritual and ethical grounding to thrive in an ever-changing world.

To best achieve our mission, we are working on enhancements to the daily student experience in both divisions. Areas of focus come from feedback from faculty, families, and students over the last several years. They are also informed by the ever-evolving need to respond to this generation’s needs. In the coming year, in the Lower and Middle School, we will analyze the role of homework, review the science curriculum, and change to a semester system in the Middle School to better balance competing demands on our students. In the Upper School, we will develop a new residential life curriculum, redesign the Journey advisory program (see page 28), and add a new applied sciences engineering focus to our signature programs. We look forward to sharing details about these in the next Bulletin.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the tireless dedication and expertise of our faculty and staff, who are deeply committed to nurturing the intellectual, social, and emotional growth of our students. I am eager to collaborate with them, and I am confident that their guidance and mentorship will continue to inspire our students to become their best selves.

I am filled with excitement and optimism, confident that the coming years will bring opportunities for growth, innovation, and the continued thriving of our mission and identity.

As we design for the future, we think about who our students are today, tomorrow, and perhaps most importantly, who they will be as young adults. At Santa Catalina, we understand the importance of a well-rounded education that prepares students not only for college and career success, but also for a meaningful and purposeful life.

Be well,

Dr. Barbara Ostos Head of School

At Santa Catalina, we understand the importance of a well-rounded education that prepares students not only for college and career success, but also for a meaningful and purposeful life.

First-graders Kate Rees and Walter Sousa compete in the sack race during Pumpkin Olympics.

Dr. Barbara Ostos’ transition to Santa Catalina as the fifth head of school culminated with a meaningful installation ceremony on October 7. Faculty, staff, trustees, students, and Dr. Ostos’ family and friends gathered in the Performing Arts Center to celebrate the start of her tenure. The event, organized with care by Sister Claire and Sister Christine, included student speeches and performances, remarks from the division heads, and a speech by Antoinette Forté, a friend and coworker from Catlin Gabel, Dr. Ostos’ previous school in Portland, Oregon.

Speakers shared personal anecdotes about their time spent with Dr. Ostos and reflected on the qualities that make her an ideal fit for Santa Catalina. Selma Ruiz ’23, the student body president, affirmed: “This year has already reflected her leadership in so many ways. Our campus feels full of positive energy and school spirit. Our student community feels heard and comfortable. Dr. Ostos has shown me that the head of school goes beyond the title.”

Grade 8 student Paige Skinner, the student senate president in the Lower and Middle School, thanked Dr. Ostos “for so willingly embracing who we are [and] for showing a genuine desire to lead us with your inspired new ideas that are still in tradition with all that is important to us: relationships.”

In her own remarks, Dr. Ostos asked the audience to think about their gifts, calling on everyone to raise their hands if they were musicians or

COMMUNITY CELEBRATES DR. OSTOS AS NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL CATALINA UNITES FOR FIRST ALL-SCHOOL PEP RALLY

mathematicians, good friends or hard workers, calm or kind. (“Every hand in the house should be up, from my experience,” she said.)

Acknowledging the community’s collective gifts, Dr. Ostos added: “We might think about God’s gift as our superpowers. … It’s our responsibility to use our superpowers to strengthen our community. I promise to all of you that I will use my gifts (or superpowers) of communication, care, passion, hard work, humor, and strategic thinking to further the mission of Santa Catalina School in all that I do.” She concluded: “What are your gifts? What are your superpowers? Think about them, discover them, develop them, because together with your gifts and mine, we will write the next chapter for Santa Catalina School.”

Santa Catalina School held its first all-school spirit rally in November, uniting students from prekindergarten through grade 12 in games, laughter, and cheers. It was an energetic and fun-filled event that served to highlight the strength of our relationships. The student senates for the two divisions met together to plan the event and served as emcees. Students were arranged in four teams, and each Upper School class joined a mixed-grade group of Lower and Middle School students. Students came decked out in their team colors: white, blue, yellow, or red.

Members of each team competed in a series of fun games that included hitting a balloon across the gym, shifting a cookie from forehead to mouth without the aid of hands, and stepping through a hula hoop while joining hands. All the while, students cheered wildly from the stands for their teammates. The event ended with an epic tug-of-war battle between Upper School and Lower School faculty. (Upper School won.) After the scores were tallied, the white team emerged victorious.

Lower and Upper School students compete in an egg race.

"It's our responsibility to use our superpowers to strengthen our community," says Dr. Ostos.

RENOVATED LIBRARY EARNS PRAISE

The Santa Catalina School community came together March 9 to celebrate the reopening of the newly renovated Sister Mary Kieran Memorial Library.

The event was held in the Performing Arts Center because of rain, but the spirit of those in attendance could not be dampened. Speakers expressed gratitude for the people who made the renovation possible and praised the library as an inspiring space worthy of its namesake. Student performances rounded out the program, including a special song sung by the Upper School girls with rewritten lyrics to the music of “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang.

Matt Gibbs, a past parent and member of the board of trustees, noted that the renovation project preserved the library’s iconic exterior while transforming the interior “in a way that meets the academic, technological, and social needs of today’s students.” At the same time, he said, the library is “flexible enough that it can morph in the future as new ways to teach and to learn arise.”

On behalf of the board, Mr. Gibbs thanked the donors for their critical investment in the project, adding that some lent their expertise to making the building more efficient and healthier. He thanked Anderson Brulé Architects, owned by Pam AndersonBrulé ’76, for their creativity of design and for taking the time to understand the school’s vision for the 50-year-old building. And he thanked Avila Construction for completing the project on time and on budget in just 34 weeks. “The team of Santa Catalina, Avila, and ABA faced every challenge head-on, came up with timely and elegant solutions, and delivered a fantastic new facility for the campus,” he said.

Head of School Dr. Barbara Ostos placed the Sister Kieran Library in historical context, tracing libraries from humble storage spaces in ancient Syria and Iraq to centers of knowledge and culture, as in the Library of Alexandria in Egypt and in libraries championed by Andrew Carnegie in the United States. “Carnegie believed ‘a library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never-failing spring in the desert,’” Dr. Ostos said. “Our newly renovated Sister Kieran Memorial Library is a place I hope our entire community will use as that never-failing spring—a place where words and stories will take hold of us and inspire us individually and collectively; a place where we will find private moments captured by an author’s imagination; a place where we will fuel our empathy for one another and the world in which we live.”

Former Head of School Meg Bradley, who ushered in the renovation project, returned to Santa Catalina for the reopening ceremony. She echoed Dr. Ostos’ sentiment about the magic of libraries when she described how, after moving to Asheville, North Carolina, in

retirement, one of the first things she did was get a library card. Ms. Bradley marveled at the way libraries bring people together. “Being present today, I can only imagine the potential for how many ways this beautiful, remarkable, open, airy, welcoming space will be used by the full community over the next 50 years,” she said.

The final speaker of the day was Peter Folger, a past parent and former chair of the board of trustees. He brought the audience back to the beginning of Santa Catalina in 1950 and to the visionary leadership of Sister Mary Kieran Hannifan, O.P., the school’s first head. “Every entrepreneurial success story has at its core an inspirational leader. Sister Kieran was that person for Santa Catalina,” he said. Sister Kieran oversaw the growth of the school from a few buildings to most of what makes up campus today. The library that bears her name was in the planning stages when she died unexpectedly in 1965; it was constructed that same year and was dedicated in 1967 as the Sister Mary Kieran Memorial Library. Mr. Folger concluded, “I believe Sister Kieran is looking down on all of you who have caused this day to happen, smiling and saying to you, ‘Well done.’”

‘INTEGRITY’ IS CHOSEN AS SCHOOL YEAR THEME

Each year, the Lower and Middle School adopts a new theme that highlights an important value or virtue that speaks to its mission. The theme for the 2022–23 school year was “integrity.” Head of Lower and Middle School Christy Pollacci announced the theme at the Flag Raising Ceremony, where parents and students gathered together to celebrate the start of the school year.

COMPASS HOUSES WELCOME NEW FRIENDS

New Lower and Middle School students were welcomed into their Compass houses during a sorting ceremony on October 19. Compass is a character development program at Santa Catalina, and each student is placed in one of four Compass houses named after the pillars of Catalina’s mission: Excellence, Spirituality, Responsibility, and Service. Each year, new students and teachers, as well as the entire kindergarten class, are assigned to one of the houses.

At the ceremony, eighth-graders introduced new members to the leaders of their Compass circles, smaller groups within the house. The ceremony concluded with everyone joining hands in a giant circle and raising their arms in a wave, accompanied by a recording of The Lion King song “Circle of Life.” Afterward, the Compass circles—consisting of students from different grades—spread out across campus to play getting-to-know-you games.

Mrs. Pollacci explained: “To have integrity implies being accountable and responsible, compassionate and honest, reliable and true—and yet it is not simply about telling the truth. It is living the truth. To have integrity means to be whole, to be one inside and outside; one in what we say, and one in what we do; one in our intentions and one in our actions. And if each of us is one, is whole and complete as an individual, then we can’t help but contribute to the wholeness of our community. And that is who we are. It is our Cougar family, a family where relationships live at the center of everything we do.”

Themes are reinforced all year through service projects, classroom activities, assemblies, and more. Through hands-on experiences of intangible ideas, students are able to make a deeper connection to the real-world meaning of each year’s theme.

Top: Diarmuid Murphy greets a new circle member.

Bottom: Compass leaders Abri De Ranieri and Paige Skinner gather their circles.

Left: First-grader Hallie Dawson shares a smile with her circle.

Students and families gather for the Flag Raising Ceremony.

HEALTH & WELLNESS PROGRAM LAUNCHES IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Santa Catalina’s health and wellness program has officially launched in the Middle School. Students were introduced to the program’s signature Wheel of Well-being on September 15 during a special presentation in the gym.

Liz Hulme, Santa Catalina’s former director of health and wellness and the architect of the program, explained the wheel’s seven dimensions of health. Then students gathered around a re-creation of the wheel on the gym floor, where blue and yellow balloons marked different spots belonging to each of the dimensions. Students moved to a spot based on their answers to several questions: Which area of the wheel is already a strength for you? Which dimension supports this area of strength? Where can you grow? At each stop, students discussed their answers with a partner. “Time for rest” emerged as a common area for growth and speaks not only to sleep but to downtime.

The health and wellness program first launched in the Upper School in 2017 and is beginning its next phase in the Lower and Middle School. In 2022, Middle School students completed surveys indicating areas in which they needed the most support or had the most interest, and the program is being developed with their responses in mind.

CLASSIC NOVEL COMES TO LIFE

GRADE 3 VISITS STEINBECK CENTER

> Third-graders visited the National Steinbeck Center to kick off their biography writing unit. The field trip helped them become familiar with different types of facts to include when telling the story of a person’s life.

Eighth-graders ventured to San Francisco to see the touring Broadway production of To Kill a Mockingbird. They had already studied the Harper Lee classic in English class. Seeing the story unfold on stage allowed them to experience the text in a new way.

In class discussions afterward, the students compared the book to the play, which interpreted events and characters differently—including main character Atticus Finch, the story’s moral center. The play also included scenes not present in the book. Students also discussed the signature style of Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the adaptation. “We enjoyed the hallmarks of his writing, including nuggets of humor scattered throughout what is otherwise a pretty intense play,” reported English teacher Jessica Foley.

GRADE 4 MAKES BLANKETS

> As part of their winter service project, fourth-graders headed to the art room to make blankets. The students donated the blankets to children in need of comfort.

YOUNGSTERS HAD A LITTLE LAMB

> PreK and kindergarten classes had a special visitor, Curly Snuggles the lamb. Coleman, a prekindergartner, has been helping take care of Curly, who was born to one of his family’s sheep.

GRADE 4 VISITS

SANTA LUCIA PRESERVE

> To prepare for their first research report on native California tribes, fourthgraders enjoyed a nature walk at the Santa Lucia Preserve to learn how the Rumsen people used various plants.

KINDERGARTEN FALLS IN LOVE WITH LEARNING

> Students practiced their observation skills with a science lesson about leaves. They took a close look at different types of leaves and then made colorful rubbings of their favorites.

MATH IS DELICIOUS FOR GRADE 2

> Second-graders used Skittles to practice multiplication. By mapping out different problems, students got a good visual representation of the answers. Plus, they enjoyed a little treat for a job well done.

SPANISH LESSONS GO BEYOND THE BOOK

Whether learning from guest speakers or taking field trips, Lower and Middle School Spanish students benefited from experiences that brought their lessons to life. Carlos Ostos, the husband of Head of School Dr. Barbara Ostos, spoke to grade 7 Spanish students about growing up in Venezuela. He described many facets of his home country: its geography, weather, animals, traditions, foods, music, vacation spots, and notable figures. Students asked what he liked about living there as well as practical questions about the currency and when people typically eat meals. Afterward, Mr. Ostos asked the students to share something they want to do when they visit Venezuela; the most popular answer was to pet a capybara.

Off-campus, students enjoyed two food-related field trips to enhance their Spanish language skills. Grade 6 students in the Advanced Spanish class visited Santa Fe Market in Seaside for a scavenger hunt through the store looking for different types of meats, bakery items, vegetables, and fruits. They also noted words that were new to them. The trip ended with lunch in the taqueria and the chance to shop for additional treats. Grade 7 students enjoyed their own lunchtime outing to Sarita’s Mexican restaurant in Monterey, where they ordered their meals in Spanish. The experiences gave students a personal connection to different cultures and traditions, and provided them an opportunity to practice their Spanish with native speakers.

Top: Carlos Ostos tells students about Venezuela.

Bottom: Sixth-graders study bakery items at Santa Fe Market.

TWO STUDENTS COMPETE IN NEW TIGER WOODS GOLF TOURNAMENT

Seventh-grader Anika Minami and fifth-grader Naksh Khera participated in the inaugural TGR JR Invitational presented by TaylorMade, held October 8–10 at Pebble Beach. They were among 60 junior golfers to be selected for the tournament from more than 600 applications. The golfers were chosen based on video and written essays as well as on- and off-course accomplishments.

Anika competed in the Girls 10–12 Division, and Naksh competed in the Boys 10–12 Division. They golfed at The Hay, a new short course designed by Tiger Woods, and The Links at Spanish Bay. “It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Anika, adding that it was surreal to meet Woods. “I didn’t know what to say, really. But it was cool seeing a professional athlete in front of you and not on TV.”

Anika took up golf when COVID-19 hit, and played last year for the Cougars. Naksh, who has been playing for three years, looks forward to joining the team next year. Though Anika enjoys playing team sports, she finds that golf gives her a chance to focus on herself. “It’s just fun to see yourself hitting good shots,” she said.

GRADE 1 SPENDS HOLIDAYS WITH LOCAL SENIORS

First-graders spent two holidays visiting residents of The Park Lane senior living facility. As part of their Project of Passion, students build relationships with Park Lane residents during several holiday visits throughout the year. For Halloween, the students performed the “Monster Mash” dance, listened to the residents read Halloween stories, enjoyed treats together, and shared cards and coloring pages. One resident declared that the card she received was her first Halloween card in 50 years!

Later, for Valentine’s Day, the students teamed up with their eighth-grade Compass leaders to make special valentines for the residents. After delivering the cards, the students and residents decorated cupcakes together for the Safe Place youth shelter in Monterey. The class accomplished its mission of spreading joy and spending time with the seniors in our community.

Anika Minami, grade 7, takes a shot. Naksh Khera, grade 5, poses with Tiger Woods.

A Park Lane resident reads a book to first-graders on Halloween.

MATHCOUNTS TEAM WINS COMPETITION

The Lower and Middle School’s Mathcounts team took first place in the Monterey Bay Chapter Competition and went on to compete in the statewide contest. The Mathcounts Competition Series is a national middle school mathematics competition that builds problem-solving skills and fosters achievement through fun, “bee”-style contests. Each contest has four rounds and is designed to take about three hours to complete.

Six Catalina students competed on February 4 at San Benancio Middle School. The official team consisted of seventh-graders Zamina Singh and Ethan Yao and eighth-graders Emily Zhang and Evelyn Kim. In addition to winning as a team, Emily took first place in the sprint and countdown rounds, and Ethan placed third and second, respectively.

STUDENTS GROW PLANTS THAT ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD

Fifth-graders contributed to a real-world, citizen science project called Tomatosphere, in which NASA and other agencies study the effects of microgravity on seed germination. NASA provided the class with two sets of seeds: One set traveled to the International Space Station and the other stayed on Earth. Without knowing which was which, the students planted the seeds and recorded data as the plants grew, noting size, color, texture, growth rates, and more. The citizen scientists then submitted the data to NASA for research—and learned which plants grew from the space seeds.

Student observations continued as they planted the vines in the school garden and compared fruit production. The project was part of grade 5’s yearlong “mission to Mars” theme in science class. Fifth-graders study science concepts that, in theory, would help them reach the red planet and survive in its environment.

GRADE 6 VISITS SYNAGOGUE

> Sixth-graders took a field trip to Congregation Beth Israel and learned about Judaism in their religion and history classes. Rabbi Bruce Greenbaum answered questions and explained how the Torah is written, kept, and honored.

MIDDLE SCHOOL GOES CAMPING

> About 70 middle school students enjoyed a weekend camping trip at Lake Nacimiento in southern Monterey County. To prepare, they practiced setting up tents on campus. The trip served as a bonding opportunity for the students.

Tomato plants grow from a mix of seeds grown on Earth and seeds sent to space.

PUMPKIN OLYMPICS — A BLAST FOR ALL

From the pumpkin roll to threeleg races, Pumpkin Olympics are always exciting. It was so great to see everyone as we celebrated this yearly tradition. Congratulations to the Compass houses of Service and Spirituality for winning the spirit stick, and to grade 8 for holding on to the tug-of-war trophy!

FALL SPORTS WRAP-UP

This year, Middle School formed four volleyball teams. A coed team of sixth-graders, coached by parent volunteer Lupita Cepeda, competed in the Independent and Parochial Athletic League (IPAL), playing most of the matches on Saturdays in a jamboree format. Student Tony Cutino declared, “It was a fun and social experience.”

Parent volunteers Gena Sagin and Trina Nguyen coached the seventhgrade girls’ team, which competed in the Mission Trail Athletic League (MTAL). Players improved throughout the season, and team spirit flourished. Sloane Nguyen and Gloria Marquez remarked that they learned a lot about volleyball and “also became closer as a team.”

Athletic Director Barry Panes coached the eighth-grade girls’ team, which also competed in the MTAL. Coach Panes said, “It was a challenge playing all 23 players in the matches, but we made it work and only missed the playoffs by one win.” Student MJ Morgan noted, “We won as a team, we lost as a team, but together we formed a bond as strong as a family.”

The combined grade 7 and 8 boys’ team also competed in the MTAL. Coached by parent volunteer John Burton, the team placed in the top four in the regular season, seeded third in the playoffs, and made it all the way to the championship match. The game was well played and the boys finished second, bringing home silver.

The Middle School formed two soccer teams, one girls’ team and one boys’ team, to compete in the IPAL this year. Both teams were coached by Debra Burke and parent volunteer Joe Martis. Coach Burke explained: “From the first game to the last, both teams showed tremendous growth in skill and confidence. It was wonderful to see the eighth-graders step up as leaders and set such a great example for the rest of the team.” Eighth-grader Paige Skinner commented that “spirit, connection, joy, and empathy were reflected as different grades came together in passion for soccer.” The girls’ team finished .500 for the season. The boys’ team was challenged by strong competition in the league this year. Eighth-grader Peter Kremer noted that “it was a hard-fought season, and the game we just played was better than the last game we played.”

(1) Annie Beasley shows power.

(2) Brayden McIntyre fights for the ball.

(3) Finn Reilly sets the ball.

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The seventh-grade volleyball team celebrates a play.

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“From the first game to the last, both teams showed tremendous growth in skill and confidence."

—Coach Burke

WINTER SPORTS WRAP-UP

The Cougars formed two flag football teams for grades 7 and 8—one girls’ team and one boys’ team—to compete in the IPAL. Barry Panes and parent volunteer Brian Denton coached the girls’ team. Coach Panes stated: “We had a very strong girls’ football team this year. Our offense and defense squads worked really well together. We had only one loss and it was a game when we were down some key players.” Seventh-grader and team quarterback Kealani Sagin said, “This year the girls’ flag football team had so much fun, supported each other as a team, was successful, and most of all, left 100 percent on the field.”

Parent volunteer Joe Martis coached the boys’ team. Players were strong in both passing and running. Eighth-grader Hank Wojtowicz reflected: “I had a wonderful experience playing football this year. Even though we weren’t the best team, we were the best in team spirit.” Coach Martis commented: “We had really talented players who often made big plays and scored multiple touchdowns in a game. As a team, we were creative and developed the ability to read, recognize, and problem-solve situations to see success.”

The Middle School had four basketball teams this winter: a combined grades 6–7 boys’ team, a grade 8 boys’ team, a combined grades 6–7 girls’ team, and a grade 8 girls’ team. All four teams competed in the IPAL. Mr. Martis coached both boys’ teams, and Coach Debra Burke assisted during practices. Coach Martis said: “I enjoyed having engaged players that wanted to improve specific parts of their game and were constantly asking for feedback. I’m also proud of the adaptability the players showed to put together a season, culminating with a nail-biting win on the road in our last game.” Seventh-grader Brayden McIntyre reflected, “It was a tough season, but as the season went on we really started playing well together as a team.” Eighth-grader Alex Ribeiro declared: “This was a fantastic season, with an excellent coach, and great players. We had so much fun playing basketball this year and appreciate all the hard work and dedication from everyone.”

Athletic Director Barry Panes and Coach Dane Holmgren coached the grades 6–7 girls’ team, which experienced only one loss this year. Coach Holmgren declared: “We were challenged several times on and off the court but really grew closer as a team. We had great leadership from our seventh-graders and an incredible blend of talented sixth- and seventhgraders getting court time this season. It was fun to watch [the team] get better at each game through the season.” Seventh-grader Zamina Singh reflected, “This year’s girls’ basketball team brought Cougar courage and resilience to the court. We went from zero to hero in the blink of an eye.”

Parent volunteers Rick Sagin and Brian Denton coached the eighth-grade girls’ team. Coach Sagin noted that “the girls had an amazing undefeated season, which included one game-ending buzzer-beater.” Student Lydia Derbin reflected: “This basketball season was such an amazing way to end our eighth-grade year. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to be part of it.”

(1) Avani Singh prepares a free throw.

(2) James Maiorana hikes the ball to J osh Kosmont.

(3) Ethan Yao goes up for a shot.

(4) Flag football players MJ Morgan and Hope Yoshiyama show the fun side of the sport.

(3)

(4)

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For a few days in March, observers became the observed in the sixth-grade science lab. While students dropped blue food coloring into beakers of hot and cold water and made models of what they saw, two university researchers collected data for a project they hope will enhance middle school science curriculum nationwide.

Tamar Fuhrmann of Columbia University and Brendan Henrique of UC Berkeley are part of a team of researchers who have been working with Santa Catalina’s Kelly Miller and a handful of other California science teachers to design lessons for building students’ skills in computational modeling. Ultimately, the goal is to make computational modeling a sustained and longterm practice in middle school classrooms.

Mrs. Miller has been involved with the effort for the past two years, helping to design curriculum for sixth- and seventh-graders. “The project allowed me to push myself to try something totally out of my comfort zone, and it was a great opportunity for my students,” she says.

Computational models use computer programs to simulate real-world phenomena; think of the daily weather report or predictions for the spread of disease. Modeling helps reinforce students’ understanding of science concepts while building their problem-solving skills. According to the researchers, science educators view computational modeling as a valuable tool, but many factors stand in the way of its widespread use in classrooms. The team developed a modeling program called MoDa to break down some of those barriers, including time and ease of use. This is the program that Catalina students tested out during their spring lesson on diffusion.

The lesson progressed in three stages. First, students completed a lab in which they observed the behavior of the food coloring as it moved through different temperatures of water, taking video recordings of the process for reference. Second, they drew a model on paper to recreate what they observed, using arrows to show how the food coloring and water interacted. Finally, the students used the test program, MoDa, to model the movement of particles.

Sixth-graders take part in university research project to enhance middle school science curriculum

MoDa (MoDa.education), derived from the words modeling and data, is a drag-and-drop system that easily allowed students to create water and ink particles, set their speed, and direct the particles to interact with each other. After students input the instructions, a panel in the middle of the screen populated with red and blue dots that started to move. An automatically generated graph at the bottom of the screen charted the spread of food coloring over time. Students could upload their videos to play alongside the model in real time.

Dr. Fuhrmann, who also works alongside researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explains, “The motivation to create MoDa was the idea that scientific modeling is a powerful concept but also difficult to enact in classrooms. We designed MoDa to be a web-based tool where students can create, run, and test their own computer models side by side against real-world data.”

Dr. Fuhrmann and Mr. Henrique watched the students work through each task and talked with them about their thought processes. Dr. Fuhrmann says, “Students understand the micro level by looking at molecules of ink and water, but at the same time they see the macro level of the scientific experiment. I love to see their excitement from science after participating in the program.”

Mrs. Miller notes that the whole experience helped students learn the lesson at a deeper level. “Instead of just knowing what diffusion is, they had to understand what happens with the water and dye molecules and how they interact,” she says. “The struggle to understand a concept at a deeper level and to be able to discuss their ideas and ask questions openly was such a great learning opportunity for all of us.”

Opposite page: Blue food coloring fully diffused through beakers of hot and cold water.

Above: A screen shows all the elements of the MoDa program.

Right, top and bottom: Researchers Brendan Henrique and Tamar Fuhrmann talk to students.

The struggle to understand a concept at a deeper level... was such a great learning opportunity for all of us.

—Kelly Miller

SENIOR WORKS ON REAL-WORLD NAVAL RESEARCH

Last summer, Tarn Reilly ’23 participated in a paid, eight-week internship program at Monterey’s Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), just down the road from campus. The competitive Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) allows high school students to conduct real-world research in U.S. Navy labs across the country.

Tarn explains her motivation for applying to the program: “I wanted to try doing something closer to engineering, the job I’m planning to pursue. I want to work on improving renewable energy technologies in the future.” She describes her contribution: “I worked on making a computer program to predict the quality of potential explosive molecules. Synthesizing new explosives is a time-consuming and prohibitively expensive process. My program would be able to help identify new potential explosives.”

Tarn admitted that, before the internship, her research experience was limited to marine science. Therefore, she was concerned that her love of research was linked to her love of marine science. She describes what she learned: “This summer I got to teach myself coding and the chemistry and physics behind explosives. This was just about as far from marine biology as one can get. I found I really loved it, which led me to realize that I love research itself, not just the ocean.” Finally, she recalls how Catalina helped prepare her for the program: “Most important were the skills I gained from MERP, Catalina’s Marine Ecology Research Program. This program not only taught me how to conduct research, but it also taught me curiosity, critical thinking, and how to push through the discomfort of the unknown.”

SENIOR RAFTING TRIP

> The seniors had a blast during their rafting trip! This tradition is a joy every year, and it’s great to see our students working together.

SENATE HOLDS VOTER DRIVE

> Senate officers Selma Ruiz ’23, Nadia Aligawesa ’23, and Uso Atuegbu ’23 organized a school-wide voter registration drive encouraging faculty and of-age Catalina students to register or pre-register to vote.

FOOTBALL FANS

> Students brought some Catalina energy to a Palma football game, welcoming the team onto the field and cheering them on against their biggest rival, Hollister.

Tarn Reilly ’23 participated in the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program.

JUNIORS TAKE A RETREAT SENIORS EARN NATIONAL ACADEMIC HONORS

During their two days at the St. Francis Retreat Center in rural San Juan Bautista, juniors participated in a variety of team-building and community activities. On the first day, after celebrating September birthdays and exploring the grounds, students gathered for an evening chapel service focused on the joy of being together. The students sat in two nested circles, with one group of students facing outward and the other facing inward. Each girl held a piece of yarn and tied it to the classmate across from her as a symbol of the bond of friendship. Afterward, students gathered around fire pits to make s’mores.

The second day was devoted to games and community activities. Working in groups, the students created collages reflecting the meaning of community and ways to support one another. Later, they played a series of minute-to-win-it games, such as moving M&Ms with a straw or scooping up cotton balls with a spoon while blind-folded. Finally, they had opportunities to participate in yoga and meditation, a coloring session, and more games. In addition, the groups were able to document the weekend through their eyes, with cameras on hand.

The retreat was part of Catalina’s health and wellness program, which recognizes relationships as an important part of a person’s overall well-being. In the end, the students appreciated the chance to get to know their classmates even better.

Gabriela Herrera ’23 received the College Board’s National Hispanic Recognition Award, based on her GPA, her placement in the top 10 percent for PSAT scores, and her scores on four AP tests. Gabriela explains: “A lot of preparation went into my AP exams and my PSAT, so I appreciate that the College Board is taking the time to acknowledge students like me for their overall success in a variety of exams. I am very thankful that they recognized my efforts.” The College Board’s National Recognition Programs grant underrepresented students with academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications and that connect students with universities across the country.

Elena Oh ’23 was named a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program. About 1.5 million students enter the program each year by taking the PSAT. Elena was among 16,000 semifinalists announced in fall 2022, meaning that she scored in the top one percent. About 7,250 students were selected as winners starting in March. Winners are selected by a committee of college admission officers and high school counselors based on students’ abilities, skills, and accomplishments. All finalists are in the running for a $2,500 scholarship.

Scenes from the junior retreat.

JOURNEY DAY BRINGS FRESHMEN CLOSER TOGETHER

Freshmen ventured off campus for some class bonding time during the first Journey Day of the year. Journey Days are a feature of the school’s advisory program. They offer a break from classes for students to build relationships and to focus on college and career opportunities, among other things.

While sophomores and juniors took the PSAT and seniors worked on college applications, freshmen took part in a retreat intended to bring them closer together. The day included icebreakers, teamwork activities, minute-to-win-it games, and spooky storytelling. The students reported enjoying the games and valuing free time to hang out with classmates. Amy Azevedo Mulgrew ’02, math and computer science teacher and freshman class dean, remarks, “The class of 2026 is a really special group of people, and I think they are ready to experience the roller coaster of high school together.”

STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN CHINESE CULTURAL EVENT

Students from Mandarin classes and the Chinese Club volunteered at the fourth annual Chinese Cultural Festival hosted by the Monterey Bay Chinese Association. The students served as bilingual emcees, performed a lion dance and K-pop dance, and showed other participants how to make Chinese lucky knots and paper windmills. The festival provided the opportunity for language students to practice their skills and for Chinese students to share their culture with the local community. Santa Catalina has been a proud participant in the festival from its inception.

One of the games played at the freshman retreat.

A student wears the lion suit. Students staff an activity table at the festival.

THE LITTLE MERMAID MAKES A SPLASH

With its fall musical, Theatre Arts brought to life the beloved Disney animated classic The Little Mermaid. The production involved about 100 individuals including cast members from the Lower and Middle School making it one of the largest shows in Catalina’s history. A defining aspect of the musical was the near-constant use of flying effects, as characters were hoisted aloft to swim through the ocean or soar through the air. The impressive feat, along with an array of background characters moving across the stage in colorful sea creature costumes, helped immerse audiences in the underwater world.

The familiar tale finds mermaid Ariel (Charlotte Juge ’23), the youngest daughter of King Triton, dreaming of a life beyond the sea. After falling in love with Prince Eric (Sylvia Chen ’23) during a visit to the surface, Ariel makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula (CC Shaw ’23) to change her into a human, but the bargain is not what it seems. Ariel needs the help of her colorful friends—Flounder the fish (Eva Ushakoff ’24), Scuttle the seagull (Ashley Yang ’23), and Sebastian the crab (Rehema Kiama ’24)—to restore order.

Stage manager Wendy Liu ’23 comments: “It is truly a massive show, requiring tremendous efforts from the cast and the crew. So many things were happening at the same time. Ariel might need to do a quick change when she is getting on the flying lines backstage while there are sound effects, light cues, set shifts, and prop catching happening onstage.”

There were plenty of strong solo performances. Ursula was a crowd favorite, but the musical was at its most charming during large cast numbers such as “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl.” Supporting characters—including Ariel’s sisters, Scuttle’s seagull pals (who continued to entertain the audience during intermission), and Ursula’s eely minions—were also a delight.

A special nod goes to the professionals behind the scenes, including director Lara Wheeler Devlin ’02, technical director Ana Maximoff, vocal director Mark Purcell, choreographer Nicole Cofresi, and costume coordinator Joanna Winningham. Managing a production of this size and complexity is no easy task, and these leaders helped the students perform at their best.

(1) Rehema Kiama ’24 as Sebastian.

(2) Ursula (CC Shaw ’23) with her eel minions, Flotsom (Kaia Castro-Dara ’25, right) and Jetsom (Mariah Warner ’25).

(3) Prince Eric (Sylvia Chen ’23) takes Ariel (Charlotte Juge ’23) on a romantic boat ride.

GUEST SPEAKER DELIVERS A TALK ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Dr. Masako Toki, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) at Monterey, came to campus as a guest speaker for students in Catalina’s global leadership certificate program. Dr. Toki manages the center’s Critical Issues Forum, a nonproliferation education program for high school students and teachers primarily in the United States, Japan, and Russia.

In her talk, Dr. Toki described growing up in Japan and visiting Nagasaki as a teenager. It is important, she says, to recognize the human cost of nuclear weapons. She provided an overview of the landscape for nuclear weapons today and the slow march toward disarmament. Students asked questions about the ethics of nuclear deterrence, whether there are countries building nuclear weapons in secret, and the process of abolishing and dismantling weapons. Dr. Toki encouraged students to get involved in the Critical Issues Forum, which tackles these issues while promoting cross-cultural communication, and concluded: “Nuclear weapons are an existential threat to humanity. That’s why we need to get young people involved.”

FRESHMEN HOST SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN DINNER

In an annual tradition at Santa Catalina, the freshman class organized a special dinner for Halloween. Each student served on one of four committees: decorations, public relations, entertainment, or food. The decorations committee planned decor and a photo booth; public relations gave a ghostly announcement and made signs; entertainment coordinated and emceed a mummy wrapping contest, costume contest, and karaoke; and the food committee worked with the school’s dining manager to plan dinner and dessert (gummy worm ice cream pie). A full hour of more Halloween fun followed dinner. The fun included trick-or-treating at faculty residences and ever-scary movies in the senior dorm.

Left: Dr. Masako Toki, center, with global leadership students.

SPEAKER SHARES SEVEN TRAITS OF THRIVERS

During her keynote speech for Parents’ Weekend, educational psychologist Dr. Michele Borba provided insights on how to help kids thrive. She modeled her talk on her recent book, Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine. Dr. Borba shared seven science-backed character strengths of thrivers— self-confidence, empathy, self-control, integrity, curiosity, grit, and optimism—all of which help children develop resilience.

She said, “Resilience is a mindset that says, ‘I got this,’ and a tool set that says, ’Here’s what I can use.’” Further, people sometimes see resilience as a single trait: “It’s not," she said. "It’s a combination.” Children don’t need all of these traits to thrive, Borba said. Even combining just two can make a big difference. Parents can help their kids identify which traits they already have and which ones they can develop. “Intentionality is how you make change and how you make a stronger generation of kids,” she said. Learn more at micheleborba.com.

MOCK TRIAL TEAM TAKES ON A DRAMATIC CASE

Santa Catalina’s mock trial team ended on a high note in the 2023 Monterey County contest in February. The team went two-for-two over four rounds of competition, placing fifth overall, with the defense winning its final appearance. Cindy Dai ’23 won an award for best Defense Pretrial Attorney.

Fifteen students were involved in mock trial this year, with a healthy mix of new and experienced participants. Team members began studying the case in September and wrote all of their own direct and cross examinations along with pretrial arguments, opening statements, and closing arguments. The case involved a stage actor aboard a cruise ship who was accused of assaulting a co-star and stealing the victim’s ring, reputedly owned by William Shakespeare.

Faculty coach and English teacher Beth Jones says: “All of the students on the Mock Trial team put in a tremendous amount of hard work this year. Everyone spent many long hours preparing for trial. During the two weeks of the competition, everyone performed beautifully in their assigned roles as attorneys, witnesses, and court officials as they met and exceeded expectations. I am beyond proud of all their success.”

MERP STUDENTS PRESENT RESEARCH AT SCIENCE CONFERENCE

Eleven seniors in the Marine Ecology Research Program presented their research at a professional conference in November. The 103rd annual meeting of the Western Society of Naturalists, held in Oxnard, California, drew about 500 people from academia as well as state, federal, and First Nation institutions. Santa Catalina students attend the conference every year and are the only high school representatives.

At the Friday night poster session, the seniors presented the results of research they conducted during their junior year. Dr. Christian Reilly, director of MERP, reports: “They had good conversations and encouragement from the community. Folks who approached me told me how impressive they found our students and their work.” In fact, he says, students are often mistaken for college undergraduates.

The students’ research explored such topics as hydrodynamics, sea urchin respiration rates, the relationship between ocean temperature and bacteria, the effect of microplastics on blue mussels and hermit crabs, zebrafish behavior in stormwater runoff, and the sounds of bubbles. In addition to presenting, students attended talks on how research contributes to management and policy, how the pandemic inspired innovations in exploration, and why so many marine species remain unknown. Overall, the experience helped students see what it takes to communicate their research and allowed them to learn about the latest science from experts.

Selma Ruiz ’23 poses with her research poster at the conference.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS: ALL ABOARD THE MYSTERY TRAIN

Santa Catalina School Theatre Arts kept the mystery alive in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. The production was a major success and ran January 13–21.

CC Shaw ’23 portrayed famed Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, a passenger on the titular train run by his jovial friend Monsieur Bouc (Rehema Kiama ’24). Just after midnight, on the way from Istanbul to Western Europe, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of year, but by morning it is one passenger fewer. Samuel Ratchett (Sara Harley ’23), an American tycoon, lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Poirot must solve the murder before the killer strikes again.

The detective has an eclectic lineup of suspects to interview: English governess Mary Debenham (Delphinia Hayward ’26) and her secret companion, the Scotsman Colonel Arbuthnot (Ainsley DiNunzio ’25); Hector Macqueen (Eva Ushakoff ’24), the murder victim’s nervous secretary; Russian Princess Dragomiroff (Nikol Lahoda ’26) and her Swedish travel companion, Greta Ohlsson (Charlotte Juge ’23); the beguiling Hungarian Countess Andrenyi (Ava Kruger ’24), who catches Poirot’s eye in more ways than one; American widow Helen Hubbard (Hope Sallee ’26); and the train’s French conductor, Michel (Emmy McHugh ’26).

Poirot soon discovers the murder is connected to a years-old kidnapping and killing of a three-year-old girl named Daisy Armstrong. (The play begins with black-and-white footage of young Daisy and her family, as a sort of prologue.) As the pieces fall into place, Poirot is faced with a decision that will test his morality and belief in justice.

The multinational cast of characters meant that the actors had to learn different accents as well as their lines, and they were remarkably successful. Ava, who portrayed the countess, said that she watched Hungarian YouTube videos as a way to lodge the accent in her mind.

The play was written by Ken Ludwig, who adapted the celebrated novel at the request of the Christie estate. Ludwig injected a healthy dose of humor but retained the glamour, intrigue, and suspense. Most of the humor went to the widow Hubbard; Hope’s haughty portrayal drew regular laughs from the audience. CC was likewise adept at Poirot’s subtle humor, but shifted to heavier emotional moments with ease.

The technical crew once again outdid themselves. The cleverly designed set consisted of two train cars that rotated around each other when the scene called for either the dining car or room compartments. Lighting played a significant role in flashbacks and in the re-creation of the murder. Costumes, hair, makeup, and props all combined to transport audiences to the 1930s.

(1) Hector Macqueen (Eva Ushakoff ’24) and the conductor (Emmy McHugh ’26) look out from the train car.

(2) Col. Arbuthnot (Ainsley DiNunzio ’25) and passengers discover a victim.

(3) CC Shaw ’23 as famed detective Hercule Poirot.

STUDENTS WIN AWARDS IN SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING CONTEST

Seven students were recognized in the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards regional competition. Three students received Gold Key awards, the top prize: Sophie Knipp ’25 for painting, Judy Zou ’24 for sculpture, and Anna Yeh ’23 for critical essay. All three entries went on to national judging.

In all, students received 14 awards in the contest. Artists won in the categories of drawing and illustration, photography, art portfolio, comic art, and digital art, as well as painting and sculpture. Anna wrote her winning essay, “The Female Celebrity: When Is ‘Sex Sells’ Okay?” for her senior history research seminar. She also wrote a short story that earned honorable mention.

SOPHOMORES EMBRACE COMMUNITY SERVICE IN HEALTH CLASS

In the sophomore health class, Concepts of Wellbeing, students build awareness of personal health while strengthening their sense of community and purpose. It was toward this goal that students participated in community service as part of the class. The students devoted 10 hours of their time in the fall semester to projects of their choosing. In reflections at the end of the class, students reported feeling fulfilled, appreciative of what they have, and grateful to be helping others.

Santa Catalina recognizes personal development and relationships as core components of one’s health. By doing service in their health class, students were able to see the connection between doing good for others and doing good for themselves.

The projects covered a wide range of causes. Some students volunteered online. For example, one student spoke with English learners to help them practice the language. Others helped out local organizations, such as animal shelters and food banks. Many students recognized the impact of even small gestures, such as baking birthday cakes for underserved children or writing letters to military personnel. Students put together hygiene packages for a women’s rehabilitation center and helped parentless girls with day-to-day tasks. They also took advantage of service opportunities offered by the school, such as knitting baby hats, participating in beach cleanups, or tutoring peers in math.

In their reflections, students shared that the experience brought more compassion and empathy, and more awareness of injustices. Furthermore, it helped them be more in tune with themselves. Nearly all students said they would continue to make service a regular part of their lives. One student wrote, “This has been one of the best experiences of my year.”

“Monterey,” a painting by Sophie Knipp ’25, won a Gold Key.

It was a dark and stormy night when Santa Catalina’s first exchange students arrived on campus. French sophomores Eva Marie Goossens and Doriane Charlier blew into town during an unusually strong winter storm in January. School had been canceled the day before because of a power outage, and Greer Dorm was still shrouded in darkness when the new arrivals pulled up outside. There, in a sea of dancing light cast by cellphones and lanterns, dozens of Catalina students rushed out to greet them. Eva Marie recalls, “Every girl was actually happy to see us. They were so welcoming when we arrived.”

Eva Marie and Doriane would spend the next six weeks immersed in Catalina culture, taking classes, engaging in campus life, spending time with local families, and joining weekend excursions. It’s all thanks to Catalina’s new partnership with Saint-Denis International School, a Catholic coed boarding and day school in the town of Loches in the Loire Valley of central France. The sister school relationship is Catalina’s first. “Saint-Denis International School is a very special place, and has much in common with Santa Catalina,” says Dr. Kassandra Thompson Brenot ’87, director of global education at Catalina.

In addition to student exchanges, the partnership with SaintDenis provides opportunities for virtual collaboration, cultural understanding, and service projects addressing global issues. And students won’t be the only ones to benefit; teachers can grow their peer network and expand their knowledge of different educational practices. “At its core, a sister school partnership goes beyond connecting schools; it’s about connecting people,” Dr. Brenot explains.

As Catalina does for every new student, the school connected Eva Marie and Doriane with a support network of “big sisters” who could show them the ropes. Nadia Aligawesa, a senior boarding student; Eleanor Song, a junior boarding student; and Ava Kruger, a junior day student—all three part of Catalina’s global leadership certificate program—were happy to serve as guides. “I was most excited to share all of our school traditions with them, as well as Catalina culture,” notes Eleanor, citing favorite meals on campus and elaborate “birthday desks” in Study Hall as examples.

The exchange students quickly settled into Catalina life. They took advantage of almost every trip the school offered. They visited Chinatown in San Francisco, kayaked and surfed in Monterey Bay, shopped at Santana Row in San Jose, and selected family gifts in downtown Carmel. They made a guest appearance in the second-grade classroom to talk about life in France. They went to the sophomore dance. They created TikTok dance videos with other students in the dorm hallway. “Their fun and kind-hearted character brought a fresh new energy to our school,” says Eleanor.

Their time with the Catalina community extended to day families, who hosted the girls in their homes. Eva Marie and Doriane enjoyed a weekend with Ava Kruger and her family; they played board games, went shopping, and took trips to the beach and the aquarium. Christina Cuva Rodriguez, the mother of a freshman at Catalina, invited the two exchange students for dinner. Ms. Rodriguez had been an exchange student in France when she was younger, and she wanted to give Eva Marie and Doriane a chance to experience “real life” in another country, as she had done. “I wanted the girls to see how we live, meet our dog, swap dog stories, and invite dialog about differences they observed,” she says.

"A SISTER SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP GOES BEYOND CONNECTING SCHOOLS; IT’S ABOUT CONNECTING PEOPLE ."

Dr. Kassandra Thompson Brenot ’87

Indeed, the exchange had much to offer by way of cultural comparison. “The question we had the most was, What’s the biggest difference between here and France?” says Eva Marie. “This is the best way to start a conversation.” Aside from noting the sheer size of everything in America, the girls picked up on cultural differences in the school setting. “The teachers [at Catalina] are very friendly—we’re going to have fun with them,” Doriane recalls, whereas in France, the student-teacher relationship is more rigid. Coming from a coed school, they also found the all-girls experience to be something special. Doriane sums it up: “There’s this feeling that we can be normal. Everyone understands us.”

All of this swapping of cultural information is exactly the way to build global competence in students—the key aim of Catalina’s global education program. As Dr. Brenot explains, “It’s knowing how to examine and analyze different cultures, understanding that others have different perspectives than your own, and being able to communicate with people of different cultures effectively and appropriately.” One of Dr. Brenot’s favorite examples from the exchange was comparing sense of humor in France and the United States.

As a boarding school with students hailing from nine countries, Santa Catalina has an innate global awareness. What the exchange program offers is additional perspectives from countries not typically represented on campus—and, of course, the chance for Catalina sophomores to study abroad for six weeks, likely in the fall. In addition to Saint-Denis, Catalina has formed a sister school partnership with Downe House School, an allgirls school in Berkshire, England.

As a parent and former exchange student, Ms. Rodriguez sees the value that time abroad brings to teenagers, including the chance to grow outside of their family unit, feed their curiosity, and gain courage—benefits that would be familiar to any boarding family. As Ms. Rodriguez says, “The exchange program offers a safe and healthy platform for children to mature, navigate challenges, appreciate differences, and share life experiences.” Lasting friendships are also a beautiful side effect.

Eva Marie and Doriane have big smiles their first day of school at Catalina.

Doriane Charlier

"THERE’S THIS FEELING THAT WE CAN BE NORMAL. EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS US ."

(1) Layla Borman ’24 takes the serve.

(2) Reena Dail ’23 was Catalina's top golfer.

(3) Yunah Baek ’26 was part of a winning doubles pair.

(4) Sophie Fieber ’24 makes a save in goal.

FALL SPORTS WRAP-UP

Santa Catalina’s fall athletes made their mark on the field, on the court, and in the pool. Three teams made it to the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships, two athletes won league titles, and 10 Cougars secured all-league honors.

The cross country team made it all the way to the CCS Division V championships, where the Cougars took seventh place and Heidi Green ’25 finished 13th overall. Heidi also claimed the Pacific Coast Athletic League (PCAL) Mission Division title as well as First Team All-League honors. Sofia Rivera ’24 held steady throughout the season as the second fastest runner on the team and pulled within a minute of Heidi’s time at the CCS championships.

In a testament to its continual growth, the field hockey team won four of the last five games of the season to finish in fifth place with a 3-3-2 record in league and 5-3-2 overall. All of the team’s wins were shutouts. Selma Ruiz ’23, who led the team in goals, made the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team. Elle Leatherberry ’23 led the team in assists.

The golf team bookended the season with wins, finishing 2-9 in the Gabilan Division. The team fielded five golfers in the PCAL tournament, taking fifth. Reena Dail ’23, who topped the Cougars’ leaderboard throughout the season, placed seventh in the tournament and received the Elgie Bellizio Sportsmanship Award. Suhana Dail ’26, Haily Wang ’24, and Zoe Allen ’24 jostled for the next top spot on the team throughout the season.

The tennis team claimed a share of the PCAL Gabilan Division title with a 9-1 record. The team advanced to the CCS championships but were knocked out in the first round. Lara Yuan ’23 went undefeated in the regular season and made it to the CCS individual quarterfinals. Amparo Alcaraz ’23 and the doubles team of Maya De Saracho ’25–Manuela Hirschfeld ’26 also had undefeated seasons—as did the junior varsity team. The future looks bright.

Competing in the Gabilan Division, volleyball finished with a 4-8 record in league. However, the Cougars’ 12-10 overall record was enough to secure them a spot in the CCS championships. After beating Mt. Madonna in the quarterfinals, the team fell to Shasta High School in the semifinals. Anna Yeh ’23 was named Defensive Player of the Year, made First Team All-League, and was named to the Monterey Herald’s AllCounty Volleyball Team. Sofia Luna ’24, who led the team in kills and digs, was named Second Team All-League. Ellesia Corona ’24 made the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team.

Water polo went 6-1 in league and 12-2 overall. The Cougars got knocked out of the first round of the PCAL tournament after a tight overtime loss to Carmel. Riley Barringer ’23, who led the team in goals scored, was named First Team All-League. Quinn Connolly ’26 was the next top scorer, and was named Second Team All-League. Goalie Sophie Fieber ’24 also made Second Team, averaging nine saves per game (and scoring a game-winning goal against Carmel). Kate Romans ’23 made the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team.

WINTER SPORTS WRAP-UP

Basketball and soccer started the winter season with a big win: enough players to field junior varsity teams in both sports. Their seasons came to a close with mixed success, but both sports are well-positioned for the years ahead.

Competing in the Santa Lucia Division, the basketball team experienced some growing pains. The Cougars finished 1-9 in league and 1-13 overall. Margaret Spencer ’23 led the team with more than 100 points and 90 rebounds, and was named Second Team All-League. Sofia Luna ’24 proved to be another reliable shooter, and Bianca Fritz ’24 was a valuable leader as cocaptain with Margaret. Zoe Allen ’24 was named to the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team. The Cougars received the Elgie Bellizio Team Sportsmanship Award; the honor is a reflection of their positive attitude throughout the season. Coach Peter Cofresi stated: “There is great potential for the program. All of our athletes work hard and are constantly improving.”

Soccer competed in a higher division this year (Cypress), and rose to the occasion. The Cougars won or tied their first nine games and finished the season in second place with a 5-3-3 record in league and 9-3-3 overall. The team was stacked with young talent; freshmen and sophomores comprised half the team. Federica Hernandez ’26, who scored more than 10 goals, and Olivia DaSilva ’25, a force at midfield, were named First Team All-League. Regina Ortega ’25, who recorded more than a dozen assists, and Liliana Pedroni ’23 were named Second Team All-League. Delilah Fujita ’26, another top scorer, made the Richard Chamberlin All-Sportsmanship Team. Coach Julian Salas noted: “We competed every game and the girls gave it their all. I’m very proud of the team’s performance and we hope to build off this success.”

(2)

(1) Megan Barry-Schoen ’24 controls the ball.

(2) A cross country runner crests a hill.

(3) Coco Xu ’25 celebrates on the court.

THE VERITAS JOURNEY

Santa Catalina School offers a rigorous academic program designed to expand students’ minds and inspire their curiosity and desire for lifelong learning. Whether discussing the anatomy of a cell or American foreign trade policy, our teachers encourage students to think for themselves, to ask questions, and to find answers. By the time they graduate, our students are equipped and empowered to excel in academic and intellectual discourse that is grounded in inquiry and balanced analysis.

This same level of preparation and intentionality has been the aim of our Journey program. The program was created 15 years ago to be a comprehensive advisory program that imparts Santa Catalina culture to students, teaches leadership skills, and ensures excellent college placement. We know that students today need a social and emotional curriculum that addresses their current needs and supports their social identity formation in an evolving and complex world.

This past spring, the Upper School analyzed the strengths and areas of improvement of the current Journey program to better meet student needs. As a result, we revised the program to build on the strengths of its predecessor while integrating new and innovative elements to enhance the student experience. We are excited to announce that this fall, Upper School students will embark on a new journey: The Veritas Journey Program.

At the heart of the new program is our school motto, Veritas, which means “truth.” Veritas serves as the guiding principle that underpins the program’s transformative elements. The Veritas Journey Program represents a commitment to fostering an authentic and meaningful educational journey, in which students can discover their true potential, explore their passions, and embrace their individuality.

One of the key strengths of the Veritas Journey Program lies in its spiraling themes, which create a cohesive and interconnected learning experience every year. These themes are carefully woven into the fabric of the curriculum, empowering students on their journey to personal growth with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.

GRADE-LEVEL THEMES

YEARLY THEMES Leadership

Leadership serves as the foundation of the Veritas Journey Program. Students engage in activities, workshops, and collaborative projects that foster the development of effective communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. This theme empowers students to embrace leadership roles, inspiring confidence and preparing them for future endeavors.

Culture and Community

Cultural understanding and community engagement are vital aspects of the Veritas Journey Program. Through interactions with diverse communities, students develop empathy, global awareness, and a sense of social responsibility. This theme fosters appreciation for inclusion and belonging and encourages students to contribute positively to their communities.

Personal Safety

Personal safety is paramount in today’s world, and the Veritas Journey Program equips students with the knowledge and skills to navigate a variety of situations. Through workshops and practical exercises, students learn about risk assessment, online safety, self-defense techniques, and setting boundaries. This theme empowers students to prioritize their well-being and make informed choices.

Personal Finance

Understanding personal finance is a critical life skill, and the program emphasizes financial literacy. Students learn about budgeting, saving, investing, responsible spending, and debt management. By equipping students with financial knowledge and skills, the program empowers them to make informed financial decisions and to plan for a secure future.

College Counseling

Preparing for college is a significant milestone, and the Veritas Journey Program offers comprehensive college counseling services. Students receive guidance, support, and resources to navigate the college exploration and application process, including standardized test preparation, essay writing support, and individualized counseling. This theme ensures that students are well prepared for the next chapter of their academic journey.

YEARLY THEMES

GRADE-LEVEL THEMES

In addition to these yearly spiraling themes, each year of Upper School the program centers on one of four themes (courage, compassion, responsibility, and grace), also connected to our mission and tailored to each grade level’s unique needs and development.

Freshman Year: Courage—Beginning Your Journey

Freshman year focuses on building courage and resilience as students embark on their high school journey. They are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones, explore new opportunities, and face challenges with confidence. This theme sets the tone for personal growth and development throughout students’ four years at Santa Catalina.

Sophomore Year: Compassion—Embracing Your Community

Sophomore year emphasizes the value of relationships and the importance of kindness. By fostering connections, embracing diversity, and actively participating in the wider community, students develop essential life skills, build empathy, and cultivate a strong sense of belonging. These experiences not only enrich their personal growth but also equip them with the tools and mindset necessary to navigate a diverse and interconnected world with compassion, respect, and understanding.

Junior Year: Responsibility—Learning to Lead

Junior year centers on responsibility and leadership development. Students take on increased responsibilities, both within the school and beyond. They develop essential skills such as accountability, teamwork, and effective communication, preparing them to become influential leaders in their senior year and beyond.

Senior

Year: Grace—Lighting the Way

In their final year at Santa Catalina, students embody grace as they prepare to transition to college and adulthood. They serve as role models for younger students, sharing their knowledge and experiences. The theme of grace emphasizes self-reflection, integrity, and the ability to positively impact others, lighting the way for future Catalinians.

The Veritas Journey Program continues Santa Catalina’s commitment to educational excellence and the development of the whole person. It unlocks a world of opportunities, preparing students to excel in their chosen paths. Equipped with the skills, knowledge, and personal character to be women of impact, students are ready to responsibly navigate the future with courage, grace, and compassion.

A set decorator. An engineer. A music executive.

Though embarking on three different career paths, the young alumnae featured in these pages are united by passion, creativity, and a determination to excel in traditionally male-dominated industries. As they reflect on the experiences that helped shape them, they are shaping their own futures— and serving as guides for the next generation of Catalina women.

Claire Cardona ’16 is a storyteller—not with words or pictures, but with objects. As a set decorator for BuzzFeed’s in-house video production team, Claire adds extra dimension to the action taking place on screen. Whether lining the shelves of a kitchen set, setting the mood of a spooky show, or decorating a dressing room in pink, fluffy textures, there’s always a story to tell, whether you notice it or not.

Claire says: “One of my favorite things is when I get to decorate [for example] a teenage girl’s bedroom and dive deep into the character that is supposed to be living in that room. What would this girl have in her dresser drawers? Even if you’re not going to see it on camera, I like getting all the information that I can about the character and putting that into the set to make it feel like the person lives there.”

BuzzFeed, popularly known for its pop culture quizzes and celebrity content, is a video powerhouse, boasting more than 20 million subscribers on YouTube. Videos range widely from cooking shows to celebrity interviews to reality series. For just a glimpse of the variety of projects Claire works on, she has decorated sets for The Rise and Fall of the Peoples Temple Cult (also available to stream on Peacock), in which two commentators analyze the Jonestown massacre; a history quiz show called Terrible Tales; and fashion videos in which a fangirl is styled by her favorite K-Pop groups.

Before joining BuzzFeed’s Los Angeles studio in summer 2021, Claire freelanced for a year on projects that were just as varied, including social media content for a friend’s advertising company and a low-budget music video. She even designed sets for a wildly popular TikTok illusionist named Zach King, who has more than 76 million followers. (“It was interesting to design for that vertical space,” says Claire.)

The design bug hit Claire early. Growing up, she would always help her mom decorate the house for the holidays—or whenever her mom felt like changing a room, which was often. Ironically, Claire has a harder time decorating her own spaces. “I am so indecisive when it comes to that,” she admits. It’s one of the reasons she enjoys being a set decorator, though. As she explains, “It gives me the opportunity to explore so many different design styles and never have to commit to anything.”

As a teen, Claire also loved writing short stories, and she counts her senior-year creative writing class with Dr. Nancy Hunt as a highlight of her time at Santa Catalina. She explains: “It was so much more fun than even my creative writing classes in college. The class just gave me a lot of creative freedom, and Dr. Hunt was always so supportive and so excited to hear what we wrote.” One assignment in particular would hint at Claire’s current calling. “There was one exercise we did that was telling the story of a character through a setting, through their belongings in their home. I think about that story a lot—and I still, to this day, want to design a set based around the character that I created.”

Writing wasn’t Claire’s only creative outlet, and she credits Catalina with exposing her to additional avenues of storytelling through drama classes, dance, and theatre. “When I took drama class with Mr. [Roger] Thompson my freshman year, I was fascinated to learn about the ways a stage setting, makeup, costumes, and lighting could all play a role in telling the story, and I got to experience that a bit more firsthand when I was in tech at Catalina,” says Claire, who also appeared in the ensemble of two musicals. “I think from then on, I realized that I wanted to combine my love for visual aesthetics and storytelling, and I found that film was the perfect avenue to do so.”

Claire attended Chapman University, where she earned a bachelor of fine arts in television writing and production and production design for film. As she discovered over time that screenwriting was not for her, she has found her happy place in set decoration, where the work is always changing and creative opportunities abound. She plans to stick with BuzzFeed for a while but would love to work on a TV show someday, or even on more music videos.

Regardless of where she ends up, she can draw on her all-girls Catalina experience to help her thrive in an often tough industry. Claire says, “Catalina was honestly one of the best environments for me to grow up in. I felt so safe to explore who I was and what I was passionate about while I was surrounded by other girls, as well as teachers that encouraged us to do so. The environment at Catalina was so empowering. … [It was] so beneficial to have grown up in a place that reminded me that I could really do anything I set my mind to.

“Film can be a very misogynistic industry to work in, and that was apparent to me from the start. Women’s talents and skills are often overlooked or looked down on, and it can be so discouraging and frustrating. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve felt dismissed and mistreated by men in my career, but I’m so thankful that I was able to feel confident as a woman at such a young age because of Catalina, and I know it set me up for success today.”

“The environment at Santa Catalina was so empowering...it was so beneficial to have grown up in a place that reminded me that I could really do anything I set my mind to.”

Emma Williams ’16 recalls that, when she started engineering school at the University of Texas at Austin, she sat down in the big auditorium for orientation and saw no one but men in her row. “I was like, ‘OK, this is going to be different,’” she says. However, the all-girls environment at Santa Catalina gave her the confidence to orient herself in this new reality. “It gave me an internal strength to say, ‘I can excel in these classes. I know that I know what I’m doing.’”

Today, Emma is proving herself right. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, she is now a design engineer at Magnusson Klemencic Associates, a highly regarded structural engineering consulting firm based in Seattle. For the past year, Emma has been working on a mixed-use office and residential project that’s soon to break ground in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is quite literally designing elements from top to bottom. “I’ve been designing everything from parking garages to these giant beams that will hold up a rooftop garden that’s 10 stories up,” she says.

As Emma explains, structural engineers “design the bones behind the beautiful buildings that you get to see.” In other words, they are responsible for making sure the building stays up, whether that’s through simple beams and columns or complex systems to withstand earthquakes or high winds. She adds: “It’s a lot of fun problem solving and getting to see how everything fits together. As someone who very much enjoys architecture and enjoys realizing how built spaces are designed, I like being a part of making that happen.”

Emma says she was introduced to structural engineering by Ned Stork, who taught her freshman geometry honors class. Before starting at Santa Catalina as a math teacher, Mr. Stork was a structural engineer for an international building design company based in London, and he would relate concepts that students learned in class to structures he had worked on. Emma, who was already considering architecture as a career, realized structural design would allow her to marry her math and physics skills with her appreciation for artistic vision and built environments. “Mr. Stork was one of the first people who said, ‘Hey, you might be good at this,’” Emma recalls. She also turned to him for advice when choosing an engineering program for college. “I definitely have him to thank for putting me on this path.”

UT Austin ended up being the perfect program for Emma. In her senior year, she studied abroad at the Technical University of Denmark, where she gained an appreciation for “the elegant functionality of Danish design.” In her master’s program, she worked on a large-scale environmental project for the Texas Department of Transportation, building—and then breaking—a 60-foot-long by 5-foot-tall steel girder.

In addition to her engineering courses, Emma was able to pursue another area of interest close to her heart: the humanities. As she obtained a certificate in Core Texts and Ideas, Emma would go from huge physics lectures to small seminar-style courses that explored major themes of philosophy, religion, history, and literature through seminal writings. Always a big reader, Emma had relished similar classes at Santa Catalina and didn’t want those experiences to end. “I think it’s just a very valuable part of being a well-rounded person and citizen,” she says.

“[Catalina] gave me an internal strength to say ‘I can excel in these classes. I know that I know what I'm doing.’”

The skills she gained from her liberal arts studies have not gone to waste. Emma explains: “A lot of architecture is history and allusion. Understanding the language that architects speak and being able to read a history of certain architecture and put that into context of what I’m doing has been very helpful.” She also continues to draw on the lessons she learned in her Catalina art classes, which she took throughout her four years at the school. “Working with architects or just collaborating with other engineers—being able to take your idea and put a sketch out there to discuss facilitates conversation and innovation so much,” she says.

Emma acknowledges that, as a woman in the engineering field, she has been fortunate not to have encountered any pushback. Still, as she puts it, “There are not as many people who have paved paths for me to follow. It’s not always a given that you will find mentors who have experienced the same things as you or look like

you.” That’s why she really valued her first manager at the firm where she works now. “It was the first time I actually worked directly for a woman in engineering, and it’s something I hadn’t realized I missed in past mentors I’ve had in the industry. … There’s just something about getting to observe and learn from how she interacted and how she responded to certain dynamics, certain things people would say in meetings and how she managed that.”

Emma may one day get to fulfill a similar role for another young engineer like herself, but for now she is focused on soaking up as much experience and inspiration as she can. “I came to this company in Seattle because they do some of the best work in the industry and they have some of the people with the highest expertise, so my continued plan is to keep working on really cool projects and learning as much as I can from people around me and seeing where that guides me.”

“It's a lot of fun problem solving and getting to see how everything fits together.”

Let’s say you’re a talented young musician who posts videos of your songs on social media in hopes of being discovered. And then one day—miracle of miracles—you are discovered. One of your songs goes viral, racking up views and shares. You’re overcome with excitement but also feel a measure of fear. What exactly do you do now?

If you have Blair Miller ’14 in your corner, you have a good chance of making the most of the opportunity. Blair is the founder of Chaos Creators, an entertainment marketing agency based in Nashville. Whether helping artists build their brand in the studio, on a music video set, or on tour, Blair is skilled in the art of sustaining viral moments and in harnessing the power of social media to give creators’ work maximum exposure.

Blair traces her love of music back to car rides with her mom, who would always blast Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross during the commute to school. She played violin, viola, and piano from an early age, participating in Youth Music Monterey through high school as well as in Santa Catalina’s chamber ensemble.

Wanting to stay close to music, Blair attended Belmont University with the intention of studying entertainment law. While there, she had eight different internships at major music companies, including Atlantic Records, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Nashville, and the Country Music Association. As she learned more about the different sides of the business, she turned her focus to marketing.

After graduating in 2018 with a music business degree, Blair worked at a marketing agency supporting the social media efforts of clients such as country stars Brad Paisley, Chris Young, and

Vince Gill. Also on her roster was a new pop artist managed by Kevin Jonas Sr., the father of the Jonas Brothers. Blair and Jonas Sr. started working together during her first week on the job, and their partnership went so well that he brought her another client, and then another. One day, Jonas sought her advice for a non-client artist who was beginning to go viral on TikTok; with Blair’s help, the artist was able to keep the momentum going. “At that point, going viral on TikTok was a new phenomenon, especially to artists,” Blair says.

“Being at Catalina and meeting so many different people with so many different backgrounds helps me relate to the artists I work with because everyone is so different.”

A few months later, Jonas called Blair on her lunch break and asked if she wanted to start a marketing agency with him. “He said ideally—this is on a Wednesday—ideally you quit your job by Friday and you’ve moved and started working with me on Monday,” Blair recalls. So Jonas Group Media was born. As the creative director, Blair oversaw the marketing strategy for a range of artists and creators—whether it was promoting new albums, engaging with fans, or launching campaigns for social media influencers. And, of course, she continued to help clients capitalize on viral moments. In one of her proudest accomplishments, she led marketing strategies that helped land a record deal for singer/songwriter Lanie Gardner, whose cover of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac blew up on TikTok.

After two and a half years at Jonas Group Media, Blair was ready to strike out on her own. In early 2022, she launched Chaos Creators with the goal of disrupting the traditional entertainment marketing landscape. Blair explains: “A disruption to me is some form of unexpected change or unexpected way of doing things

that really makes people stop and look and contemplate [how things are currently done]. So when it comes to social media and marketing campaigns, it’s just being fearless and being outside the box and trying something new, even if it’s not the industry standard.”

Blair says Chaos Creators has experienced a smooth start. She currently has an extensive client roster, primarily pop and R&B artists. “It’s been fun to pick the artists I want to work with and to work on projects that I’m extremely passionate about,” she says. Chaos Creators is a small shop right now—just Blair and one staff member, with occasional interns—but she is in the process of building the company with additional employees in marketing and content creation. One goal is to have a studio where artists can come to create content and collaborate with each other.

As a leader, Blair places great stock in collaboration. It’s a skill she attributes in part to Santa Catalina, where she learned the value of teamwork on the varsity soccer and track teams, as well as in the chamber ensemble and in the communications office as a STAR intern. Catalina’s boarding student population is another experience she draws on as she navigates the music industry. “Just from being at Catalina and meeting so many different people with so many different backgrounds helps me relate to the artists I work with because everyone is so different—everyone has their own perspective and thought and tone,” she says.

As a graduate of Catalina, she also deeply understands the importance of community; some of her favorite memories are of simply hanging out in Study Hall with her friends in the morning. That value is reflected not only in the relationships she builds with artists and their fans, but also in the ways she contributes to the circle of women and people of color in the industry. She has served as a music mentor with the conference/ festival South by Southwest (also known as SXSW) and has been a speaker at events hosted by Women in Music, Berklee College of Music, The NAACP, and the Music Business Association.

Blair’s confident ascent in the music business was born of struggles to be taken seriously earlier in her career, and she hopes others can learn from her journey. She says, “It can definitely be hard being a woman in the music industry, and then on top of that being a minority. When I was first starting out, especially in Nashville, I typically was the youngest in the room, normally one of the only females, and definitely the only black person or black woman. So that was always hard to navigate. I’ve just learned that even if there are preconceived notions, if I come into the room and I know what I’m talking about and I can really back up everything I’m saying, people do take notice. I hope I can pave the way for future women of color and women in general to have these leadership roles, especially at a young age.”

COLLABORATIVE RENOVATION LEADS TO A STYLISH NEW SPACE FOR STUDY AND SOCIALIZATION

Take a walk through the newly renovated Sister Mary Kieran Memorial Library on a weekday afternoon, and you’ll see students using the space just as intended: studying together in private rooms, or alone in pod-like oversized chairs; gabbing away on the second-floor mezzanine; making friendship bracelets at a side table.

Standing at the center of campus since 1967, the library has long been a hub of student activity, academically and socially. Recognizing the library’s important role, and envisioning a space that could further enhance the school’s mission-centric programs, Santa Catalina embarked on a complete interior

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANDERSON BRULÉ ARCHITECTS

renovation of the building. Work was completed in late January after several years of planning and just seven months of construction.

To turn the vision into reality, Catalina engaged familiar partners: Anderson Brulé Architects, led by Pamela AndersonBrulé ’76, which designed the Sister Claire and Sister Christine Mathematics and Science Center (C2); and designbuild contractor Avila Construction, which worked on C2 and other major projects on campus. In addition, Catalina parent and healthy-homes expert Bill Hayward, who assisted the school during the COVID-19 pandemic, helped with the library’s new first-in-class filtration system and other clean air innovations.

“Representatives from all quarters of the Catalina community engaged in the quest to design the future use of the Sister Mary Kieran Library,” says former Head of School Meg Bradley, under whose tenure the library project took shape.

“Faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumnae, and parents provided the rationale and funding to create a welcoming student hub and knowledge center. Working in tandem with talented personnel from Anderson-Brulé Architects and Avila Construction, this thoughtful collaboration resulted in an incredibly welcoming, multi-purpose environment, filled with rich and abundant collections of materials, for quiet study and connection. The heartfelt and positive response at the library reopening provided ample proof that this journey will provide this and future generations with an incomparable learning resource.”

The 14,000-square-foot building features a variety of reading nooks, social spaces, teamwork areas, personal rest areas, and technology. Reflecting the school’s growing emphasis on health and wellness and global education, the library includes a classroom with a full kitchen and adjoining small-group coaching space, and teleconferencing equipment for virtual cultural exchanges. Faculty and students alike have made great use of a second-floor conference room, and the stylishly decorated mezzanine, nicknamed The Porch, is almost never empty.

Sustainable and healthy building measures include highperforming window systems, improved insulation, and efficient mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure. The revolutionary building techniques radically reduce energy consumption, result in less distracting outside noise, and fill the space with healthy filtered air, according to Hayward. “In simple terms, the building no longer overheats in the afternoon sun and the ventilation systems exceed new national standards,” he says.

Although much has changed, important elements of the library remain: the iconic pitched exterior, entryway art

gallery, globe lights, and fireplace help maintain the essence of the original building. As current Head of School Dr. Barbara Ostos notes, “Our new library gives our students inspiring new spaces to collaborate, discover, engage, and relax.”

The renovation benefited greatly from the involvement of partners with such close ties to Santa Catalina. Their knowledge and care for the school was evident in the planning stages as they worked with the community on shaping the future of the library. Pamela, the alumna architect, says, “The school is very close to my heart, and it was an honor to work alongside the talented ABA/Avila team in support of its continued success. This transformed library is the outcome of close collaboration, hard work, and a shared commitment to the school’s educational vision.”

After a soft opening, the library officially reopened its doors to students on Valentine’s Day—fitting for a place that Head Librarian AnaCena Hinterman describes as the heartbeat of campus. She says, “From students guarding their favorite comfy seat with almost ferocious intensity to between-the-shelves reading sessions and test preparation between classes, each student uses the library differently—but every student uses it, and that is such a beautiful thing.”

Ways to Give to Santa Catalina School

Your generosity means so much to the future of Santa Catalina. Every gift matters. Here are ways that you can make a gift.

Corporate Matching Gifts

Give

Give online and make an impact today.

santacatalina.org/giveonline or Paypal and Venmo: @SantaCatalinaSchool

Give

Make your gift by wire transfer. To ensure proper credit and handling, please call 831.655.9392.

Give by Phone

Making a gift is as easy as picking up the phone: 831.655.9348

Many employers have matching gift programs and will match contributions or volunteer hours. You can double or triple the impact of your gift or volunteer hours to Catalina. Find out if your company has a matching gift policy using our matching database at: santacatalina.org/matching-gifts

Give

a Gift of Stock

Gifts of marketable securities are a simple way to contribute. Santa Catalina Account #71934687 Santa Catalina Tax ID #94-1156652

c/o Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Attn. Paul Cahalan 30 Ryan Court, Suite 250 Monterey, CA 93940 831.333.0963

Planned Giving

"Looking back, I see my education at Santa Catalina as a key part of making me who I am today. Donating to Santa Catalina is important to me because I see my donations as 'paying it forward.' I was able to attend Santa Catalina based on generous financial aid, and I want to be sure that support is available to more students in the future. Now that I work for a company that provides gift matching, it’s a no-brainer to get double the impact!

—Autumn E. Quinn ’00

Planned giving vehicles such as gift annuities or remainder trusts can provide substantial tax benefits for donors while generating income for Santa Catalina School. Some donors also choose to include Santa Catalina in their estate plans through a bequest or name the school a beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement account beneficiary. In addition, your gifts of real estate, such as your home, farm, or vacation home, while you retain the right to live there, can result in an immediate charitable deduction on your income tax and a gift to Santa Catalina when you no longer need the property. Donors who make planned gifts to the school are invited to join the Sisters’ Legacy Society.

If you are interested in making a gift, volunteering, or learning more about how you can connect with Santa Catalina, our staff is available to you.

Give by Check

Please send a check, payable to Santa Catalina School, to: Santa Catalina School Development Office

1500 Mark Thomas Drive, Monterey, CA 93940

Gretchen Mueller Burke ’83, ’79 LS Director of Leadership & Legacy Giving 831.655.9392

• gretchen.muellerburke@santacatalina.org

Clarisa Avila

Director of Annual Fund and Parent Engagement

831.655.9348

• clarisa.avila@santacatalina.org

Santa Catalina School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Sister Carlotta O’Donnell, Santa Catalina’s second head of school, was committed to ensuring all students reach their full potential by taking advantage of everything that Santa Catalina has to offer. Today, providing families with the financial support they need remains among the school’s highest priorities.

In honor of Sister Carlotta and the school’s longstanding dedication to a quality experience for all, an anonymous donor established the Sister Carlotta Financial Aid Endowment in January 2023.

Through this donor’s generosity, the Santa Catalina community has the opportunity to amplify access for students by matching the initial $1 million investment with a second $1 million by December 31, 2023.

The timing of this challenge grant came at an important moment for the school. This past winter, Santa Catalina School changed the tuition assistance program to a financial aid program in order to more fully support families with costs beyond tuition. Over time, financial aid will allow the school to cover schoolassociated expenses, such as computers, uniforms, books, class trips, and class rings. The transition to this financial aid model, grounded in our mission and core values, will help ensure Santa Catalina remains relevant by addressing families’ needs and increasing access to the opportunities that create meaning for students.

By the end of this challenge, the Sister Carlotta Financial Aid Endowment will exceed $2 million, providing over $80,000 in annual revenue to help offset costs for families.

Let’s pull together as a community to amplify the generosity of this

and

opportunities that our students have at Santa Catalina.

Thank you, Santa Catalina, for amplifying access!

THE CONTINUES Journey

A Q&A WITH DAMIERA CRUZ ’20

WHAT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY ARE YOU CURRENTLY ATTENDING, AND WHAT YEAR ARE YOU?

I am currently a junior at the University of San Diego.

WHAT MAJOR AND MINOR WILL YOU GRADUATE WITH?

I will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and a minor in philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE).

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO STUDY AND PURSUE THESE AREAS OF INTEREST?

I have always been interested in the humanities. Some of my favorite Catalina classes were Ms. Ueda’s English II and Mrs. Paff’s AP English Literature. I loved analyzing texts in our Harkness discussions. Despite my love for English, I instantly felt at home in Dr. Murphy’s philosophy class. Philosophy allowed me to broaden my world view, refine my logical thinking, and engage in selfreflection. I recall many instances when Katalina Villarreal ’20 and I discussed theories from Dr. Murphy’s class. My initial interest in philosophy—and the fact that philosophy majors tend to have the highest law school admission test (LSAT) scores—inspired me to pursue a degree in philosophy.

I became interested in interdisciplinary study during my freshman year at Bryn Mawr. I noticed that studying seemingly unrelated subjects together leads to a more comprehensive understanding of

society. My philosophy background and interest in improving society led me to find PPE programs; PPE aims to show how morality, politics, and economics affect society.

WHAT OTHER EXPERIENCES (ACADEMIC OR OTHERWISE) HAVE YOU ENJOYED IN COLLEGE?

Some of my favorite academic experiences have been the colloquium hosted by the philosophy department. I have had the pleasure of attending lectures by philosophy and economics professors from other universities. I was also invited to participate in an undergraduate PPE colloquium. With my peers at Chapman University and Pomona College, we discussed the practical implications of effective altruism. These experiences were exciting because I could learn from scholars and students at other schools and see how my studies could be applied in a real-world setting.

In addition, I have had some very impactful internships. I enjoyed working at the University of San Diego Law School’s Children’s Advocacy Institute, where I analyzed statutes related to child abuse disclosures. At the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, I am a student worker at One Safe Place, the North San Diego County Family Justice Center, which serves survivors of abuse, human trafficking, and victimization.

“

MY EXPOSURE TO THE LAW THROUGH MOCK TRIAL HAS SHAPED THE TRAJECTORY OF MY LIFE.

WHAT DO YOU SEE YOURSELF DOING AFTER GRADUATION?

I plan to attend law school. I aim to pursue a legal career focused on protecting vulnerable populations. I am interested in being a prosecutor working on child abuse/neglect and domestic violence cases. I also plan to work on community projects that provide resources for survivors.

WHAT DOES A “DAY IN THE LIFE OF YOU” LOOK LIKE RIGHT NOW?

Currently, my day begins at 5:00 a.m. After a quick breakfast and yoga flow, I head to my internship at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. I complete my work for the day and join the lunch workout group before returning to campus. Following my classes, I either attend club meetings or try to go for a scenic walk. If I can, I try to catch the sunset; there’s something so healing about a San Diego sunset.

HOW DID CATALINA COCURRICULAR INTERESTS CARRY OVER TO YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE?

At Catalina, I was involved in swimming, water polo, and mock trial. In college, I retired from athletics due to injuries. In contrast, my interest in creative writing has remained. I have pieces in my college literary arts publication, The Alcalá Review. Nevertheless, the most influential Catalina co-curricular activity has been mock trial. My exposure to the law through mock trial has shaped the trajectory of my life.

WHAT BROADER LIFE LESSONS DID YOU LEARN AT CATALINA THAT HAVE SERVED YOU WELL IN COLLEGE?

The biggest lesson I learned was balance. At Catalina, I wanted to do everything. There were so many interesting clubs and activities that it felt impossible to join just a few. I wanted to be as involved as possible, but I discovered that being

good at everything is impossible because there’s a finite amount of time. I had to learn how to prioritize what was most important to me. Not only did this allow me to be more present in the activities I was most passionate about, but I also found that I was happier as I no longer felt crushed by the weight of my extracurricular activities.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO NEW STUDENTS AT SANTA CATALINA?

Take advantage of the present—don’t hesitate to do activities or hang out with people you have wanted to! I graduated from Catalina at the start of the pandemic, and there are still things I regret not doing. I always told myself that we could do it “later.” But as we all experienced, sometimes the world changes and there is no later.

IF YOU HAD TO DESCRIBE CATALINA IN THREE WORDS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

Formative. Encouraging. Home.

“

PHILOSOPHY ALLOWED ME TO BROADEN MY WORLD VIEW, REFINE MY LOGICAL THINKING, AND ENGAGE IN SELF-REFLECTION.

Damiera poses with Exexcutive Director Claudio Garcia Grasso during her internship at One Safe Place.

Namaste, the Monterey District Attorney’s facility dog, enjoys a pup cup provided by Damiera during her internship.

2023 Alumnae Reunion

REUNION GIVING 2023

BY THE NUMBERS

$59,856 total Reunion giving dollars raised

142 total Reunion giving donors out of 727 with 7 first time donors

1963

won the Top Class Award and the Sister Kieran Participation Award for the highest number of donors and the highest participation

celebrated their 50th reunion

celebrated their 70th reunion 2018

201 alumnae in attendance

had the highest turnout for 5-year reunions with 31 attendees

34 members of the Class of 1973 were registered attendees, the most of any class

8,718 miles traveled from Jakarta, Indonesia by Shirley Antono ’98 to attend Reunion

1973

20% total Reunion giving participation won the Catalina Award for raising the most money

Distinguished Alumna Awards

The 2023 recipients of the Distinguished Alumna Awards, Tulita Kuchins Gibson ’68 and China Star Scherz ’98, are recognized for their extraordinary achievements as role models to alumnae and students, and for their dedication and service to their professional endeavors.

Tulita Kuchins Gibson ’68

Tulita Kuchins Gibson ’68 is receiving the Distinguished Alumna Award posthumously on the 10th anniversary of her passing. She was nominated by her class, who described her as “a spirited force, indomitable, mischievous, and playfully enthusiastic.”

Tulita was a fourth-grade teacher who spent most of her career—more than 30 years—at Batchelder Elementary School in North Reading, Massachusetts. Her students remember her as their favorite teacher who made school fun, taught them how to be better people, and had a lasting impact on their lives. During her tenure, Tulita created many traditions, including an annual schoolwide field day with class competition, modeled on a tradition from Santa Catalina. She also created a Model U.N. program for her class, and her famous Thanksgiving celebrations included the entire school.

In 2000, Tulita was recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Education for her commitment to excellence in education when she was nominated to be Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. After retiring, she worked at Brooksby Village, an assisted living facility, engaging its senior residents in social activities. Tulita passed away from cancer in 2013.

Tulita served on the Student Senate at Santa Catalina and was actively involved in athletics, music, and theatre. While in college at UC Davis, she returned to Santa Catalina during the summers to work as a camp counselor with her sister Ann Kuchins ’67. Their sisters Jane Kuchins ’70 and Lucy Kuchins Pantoskey ’78 are also Catalina alumnae. In nominating Tulita for this award, her classmates wrote, “Tulita took her Santa Catalina experience and used it to change the world, one fourth-grader and senior at a time.”

China Star Scherz ’98

China Star Scherz ’98 is an anthropologist whose work centers on the distribution, ethics, and value of care. She is an associate professor and associate dean for graduate education at the University of Virginia. Currently, she is leading a new research project on opioid addiction and treatment in Appalachia.

After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2002, China worked for Partners In Health, an international nonprofit public health organization, where she managed a program to help low-income individuals with AIDS gain access to medication and support. She later earned a Ph.D. in medical anthropology from UC San Francisco.

China is also a published author. Her first book, Having People, Having Heart: Charity, Sustainable Development, and Problems of Dependence in Central Uganda, was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2014. She also worked with colleagues in Uganda to complete a monograph on alcoholism; the book will be published by the University of California Press in 2024.

A devoted mother of two, China is an active member of her parish and a financial supporter of families and organizations in Uganda through her ongoing work with Caritas for Children and the Little Sisters of St. Francis.

Tulita Kuchins Gibson ’68

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA

SANTA CATALINA CLASS OF 1968: REMEMBRANCES OF TULITA KUCHINS GIBSON

“What a light in the world.”

—Leelee Clement Doughty

“I remember Tulita for her boundless energy, positive spirit, and strength of character. The world will miss her presence. Tulita was one of my first dear friends at Santa Catalina. She invited me home for an open weekend, which was very important to me at that time. A real gift.”

—Susan Heatley McIntosh

“I remember the summer when Tulita and I decided to run a summer camp. Tulita was the idea factory—a virtual fun-machine—and I was the implementer. The kids kept coming back, so we must have done something right! Mostly, we just had a great time.

“I also remember the time we decided to set up a grocery store in Tara Grau’s garage. It was more Tara’s and my idea than Tulita’s, but she was a good sport. She could ‘play well with others,’ but she much preferred the excitement of being on the edge of trouble. I thought of her as so brave.

“ Tulita had a vitality and a thirst for life. She also had a huge and kind heart. The planet is a better place for the mark she made.”

—Leslie Cooley

“One fond memory I have of times with Tulita is from sophomore year at Santa Catalina, when we shared one of the bunk rooms at the end of Long Dorm. Somehow, a blinking traffic warning light found its way into our closet. Not too noticeable during the day, but at night it gave a glow to the room. . . . Now, I don’t remember how that episode ended or if it happened the same weekend we got busted by Sister Victoire for spending the afternoon roaring in our room. Just roaring for the sheer joy of roaring. I think it earned us each three demerits. . . . Tulita is one of the treasures in my life.”

—Daphne Macneil

“Oddly enough, Tulita and I landed in the infirmary at the same time during our senior year—some sort of fever bug going around. But Tulita was not one to stay put in any infirmary sick bed. Soon, I caught her breaking-the-rules fervor, and both of us were sneaking up and down the hall. It was a blast! I’ve never had such a good time being sick in my life.

“ Tulita had this pink feather duster, and she brandished it like a regent’s sceptre on her stealthy infirmary room drop-bys. I mean, who else but Tulita Kuchins could use a pink duster prop? You were immediately afloat with joy every time she entered the room with it.

“I don’t think Tulita ever entered a room without bringing joy with her. And I think she leaves it to us to hold the joy of her well remembered and ‘alive’ as we enter and depart rooms that come next in our lives.”

—Laurie Gregg

“The news of the loss of Tulita hit me so hard. I will never forget her infectious, deliciously rebellious spirit. She shed so much light on all of us. I hope she knew how much she was treasured by all of us.”

—Liz Moffitt

“Back when most of us were still figuring out who we were, and trying on different styles, Tulita was already happily, completely, herself. I don’t think I’ve ever known a more genuine person. And that smile!”

—Tiggy Black

“Tulita—what an amazing spirit! Our class would not have been as much fun without her. I remember her as always laughing, and just naughty enough to get into and out of trouble . . . and having everyone love her even more. Fun was a big part of Tulita’s life, as I remember her. Wherever she was, there was fun.”

—Nina Nickel Gladish

“I remember her so well because she really stood out on her own. She is someone that I will always remember. God surely called her home.”

—Gail Kimes

“Rose Teichert Grimm ’67 was Tulita’s senior roommate in our junior year. Rose and I shared some happy memories of Tulita, laughing at her ability to get herself into and out of scrapes and brushes with the authorities—that is, the nuns. I just pulled out our freshman yearbook and it fell open to page 52, where there is a picture of Tulita and Susie Charles cleaning a bathroom. The caption reads: ‘Just think, only 32 more demerits for Tulita and Susie to work off.’

“I first met Tulita and Susie in seventh grade, when we took the admission test for Catalina. They were both so highspirited that I thought Catalina might not be so bad! And I was right. She and I were freshman roommates in Long Dorm. She was such a joy to be with—always up, on the go. She could always make me laugh, and she always saw the positive in people and situations.”

—Mary Wynne

“Whenever I saw Tulita, she was happy and having fun telling jokes. She made me laugh. She was also kind to everyone and loving.”

—Anne Hill Russ

China Star Scherz ’98

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK? Ethnographic fieldwork. This is our primary research method in medical anthropology, and it involves spending long periods of time living in a community and getting to know people on their own terms. For me, this has involved time in communities in Ireland, Uganda, and Appalachia. It is an honor to be invited into someone’s life in this way, and I am always amazed by people’s willingness to spend time with me.

WHAT CHALLENGES, IF ANY, HAVE YOU FACED AS A WOMAN IN YOUR CAREER FIELD? Being a parent probably impacts me more than being a woman. While being married to another academic has been a real gift in many ways, it has also been very challenging to find two jobs in the same city.

WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT(S)? Finishing the manuscript for a new book, Higher Powers: Alcohol and After in Uganda’s Capital City. This book is co-authored by my Ugandan collaborators, George Mpanga and Sarah Namirembe, and will be published in January 2024.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY? Medical anthropology explores how social, cultural, political, and economic factors impact the body. We look at how these factors shape the ways that people understand, experience, and respond to states of health and disease. In addition to exploring the medical systems of other cultures, we also look at Western biomedicine as a cultural artifact. Through these various engagements, medical anthropologists can help societies better address the social, economic, and political causes of illness and disease. They are also able to help us understand the historical contingency of contemporary forms of biomedicine; this opens a door for critical analysis. Finally, through their work with other ways of addressing illness and suffering, they are able to reveal alternative paths forward that might prove relevant in other contexts.

WHAT OR WHO INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER IN THIS FIELD? When I was an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, I was inspired by the work of Paul Farmer and his organization Partners In Health. His commitments to providing top-quality health care to the poorest of the poor in rural Haiti were very much in line with the Catholic commitments to social justice that I had learned at Catalina. After I graduated from Berkeley, I went to work for Partners In Health for two years and then went on to pursue my Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology in the joint program between UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley.

WHAT SKILLS, VALUES, OR LESSONS DID YOU LEARN AT SANTA CATALINA THAT HAVE HELPED YOU IN YOUR CAREER OR IN LIFE? Catalina really ignited my interest in service and social justice. I also credit the drama program as the number one contributor to my success as a lecturer.

WHAT DOES RECEIVING THE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AWARD MEAN TO YOU? I was really surprised to receive this award. It’s such an honor to have been recognized by a school that gave so much to me.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST MEMORABLE CATALINA TRADITION AND WHY? The fall and spring musicals. There was something really magical about being part of such extraordinary productions with so many talented people.

WHAT WORDS OF WISDOM DO YOU HAVE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS OR YOUNG ALUMNAE? Just keep stepping on each stone that is put down in front of you. The life that is being written for you is far more interesting than anything you could author for yourself.

WHAT IS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST, AND WHY? I’m really looking forward to spending more time traveling abroad with my husband, Paul, and my children, Iggy and Lucy, in the coming years. It doesn’t matter much to me where we go, it’s always an adventure when we’re together.

ALUMNAE CLASS NOTES

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Beezie Leyden Moore beeziem3@aol.com

Beezie Leyden Moore: Although there are only three of us, we were looking forward to celebrating our 70th anniversary when the state was inundated with rain, and reunion plans for Friday were canceled with the threat that Saturday might be canceled also. After Gray Burnham Hynes checked and discovered that there was no electricity in Carmel and we agreed that travel was risky, we realized we had no choice but to cancel. After missing this year’s events, the Class of ’53 is looking forward to sharing their reunion with the Class of 1954 next year. Gray continues to enjoy her home and family, especially her twin great-granddaughters who just turned two. Fleana Giglio Snapp wasn’t up to joining us this year. She is having some health issues and John is recovering from a recent stroke, but doing well. John and Fleana are surrounded by their daughters Rachel, Ellen, and Susan as well as their cat Ava. I (Beezie) am still enjoying Cambria and my historic little cottage. I have two rescue kitties and two rescue ring-neck doves. I’m fortunate that I still enjoy designing and helping people with remodels. I think when it’s your passion, you’re never too old. My younger son moved to Hot Springs, AR, and I’m going to visit him shortly. It is sad to have lost so many of our dear friends, but how wonderful and fortunate we are to have loving memories of those early years when we lived as a family and helped to establish the traditions of this amazing school. Under the inspirational direction of Sister Kieran and her loyal and dedicated staff, goals were established and achieved and are reflected in so many ways today. She would be proud! Although we missed our 70-year graduation reunion, we’re excited it will enable us to join the “juniors” next March.

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Gloria Felice

gloriafelice@cox.net

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Mary

Pat

Nevin Henderson

Kelly Phillips

plwa2@sbcglobal.net

The Class of 1956 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf Dillon ’08, Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way. We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Bobbie Erro Marsella barbjerro@gmail.com

ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION COUNCIL

Executive Committee

Jalynne Tobias Redman ’72

President

Pat Allen Sparacino ’65

Kathy Trafton ’74

Priya Kumar Raju ’00

Katie Carnazzo Larsen ’02

Anna Lopez Mourlam ’06 Vice Presidents

Shannon Gaughf Dillon ’08

Director of Alumnae/i Engagement

Members

Sandy Hollenbeck Schnieder ’62

Sally Fay ’74

Franc Gargiulo ’80

Lindsay Heller ’95

Paisley Piasecki ’13

Lucy Yu ’17

Sarah Hazel Sallee ’21

Student Representatives

Charlotte Juge ’23

Anacecilia Hernandez ’23

Chapter Chairs

Boston G lenna Pasinosky ’12

Chicago & Midwest Position Available

Dallas Joanne Van der Plas Viola ’84

Hope Morgan ’90

Denver Celia Shelton Rogers ’85

Fresno Cece Fourchy Quinn ’05

Houston Diana Kendrick Untermeyer ’80

Los Angeles Lucy Yu ’17

Monterey Ilse Riebe Colby ’02

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Anne McCullough Griffin frankanneg@aol.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Bobbie O’Connell Munson

bobbiemunson@sbcglobal.net

Our class was overcome this month with the unexpected death of one of our very favorite classmates. On January 26, we lost our beloved

New York Priya Kumar Raju ’00

Paisley Piasecki ’13

Phoenix G loria Felice ’54

B ecky Hays-Rovey ’92

Portland, OR Virginia Sewell ’69

Ann Carter ’71

B rigid Flanigan ’73

Elizabeth Leach ’75

Sacramento Position Available

San Diego Yolanda Orrantia ’91

San Francisco Maddie Callander ’05

Seattle Emily Buswold ’12

South Bay Marita Quint Bruni ’91

Washington, D.C. Devon Walter ’11

International Chapters

Asia Angelina Yao ’99

Diana Mak ’01

Europe Lara Brehmer ’98

Latin America Annie Coppel ’90

Tere Gonzalez ’94

Laurie Washburn Boone Hogen ’58 at Reunion 2023

Louise “Weezie” Grant Garland. She was so very special to each of us. Rene May Lawler: I have moved to a community called The Grove, which is a 55+ community in Camarillo. I have downsized but love my new home and especially all the social activities: pickleball, mahjong, bridge lessons, game night, etc. I also continue to golf and travel. I will be in Iceland in July, as well as a short trip to New York to attend my grandson’ s graduation from NYU. Life is good. (Rene is our first classmate with two great-grandchildren!)

Marie Therese Poniatowska de Maigret: France de Sugny Bark and Dennis have been to Brussels to visit. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to see them both. Our house was full at Christmas for two weeks. Our grandson, Romain, is still re-doing roofs on top of very old cathedrals and chateaux. He is also working on a book about cathedrals in Italy, France, and Spain. Our granddaughter, Prisca, in Barcelona, Spain, is a hardworking nurse. Maguelonne is finishing her studies in political science, hoping to become a political journalist. Ombeline is an artist, and Gwenolle is made to be a lawyer. As for the grandchildren in California, there is Olivia who is at UC Davis, studying to be a designer, and Cas who is a freshman at UCLA. Our son is still in Napa. Our big house in Brussels has many creaky bones and leaky pipes, very much like ourselves, but we are still hanging on. Marilyn Brown Wykoff: Vic and I spent Christmas at Grand Wailea in Maui with family members. It was great fun. We returned home to Carmel Valley to the unending rains. We are looking forward to seeing all of you next year, after our reunion, here at Carmel Valley Manor. You will love it here. Lila Desmond French: I am busy playing tennis and golf, and taking care of the love of my current life, Zoey, my dog. My indoor activities are playing bridge and doing jigsaw puzzles. Christy Belvail Baguio: I am still traveling to UCSF’s oncology department every two weeks. Alfred just celebrated his 88th birthday, with all the kids and grandkids. Our son, Nate, has been in Washington D.C., accompanying the governor of Illinois, for a visit to the White House for the signing of one of the infrastructure bills. Hansi de Petra Rigney: Although my life has continued to be interesting and adventurous, it has changed with the unexpected cognitive decline of Robert, my husband of 52 years. I am very lucky to have thoughtful and kind children, and also lucky, thanks to Sister Christine, that I have found and hired a wonderful caregiver, who lives with us. Thanks to all this wonderful help, I am able to continue my running and competing in many marathons, so far 114! My training is along our beautiful Central Coast, and I feel so very grateful to not only enjoy our beautiful ocean views but seeing friends and using the time to thank God for all the gifts received throughout my life, one of which is having been at Santa Catalina for four wonderful years. As I keep running and getting older, I am slowing down considerably, but, in my

age division, the ranks are thinning and sometimes I don’t have much competition. The last marathon I ran was in Big Sur, where I was the oldest of both the men and the women. Let’s hope I can continue to be active as well as be a good wife, mother, and grandmother. Didi Dwyer Schreiber: It’s been a challenging year but one with countless blessings. In July, I suffered a serious fall, and am still working to regain my strength and mobility. On a brighter note, my dear, sweet, and only granddaughter, Taylor, became engaged to the love of her life, Robert Bernal. They are planning a wedding in October of this year. It has been fun shopping with her for a wedding gown. This is such a happy time for our family. My only grandson, Trevor, is back in California and training to become a golf pro at the country club. I continue to serve in several ministries at my church—ministering to the sick, dying, and homebound is the work that brings me the most joy and gratification. I feel blessed to still be able to serve in this capacity. Julie Hutcheson: I am renting a sweet cottage next door to my sister in Houston. We have a large garden, and so I also have a new puppy, Daisy (5 months), and full of puppy mischief, but keeping me young at heart. Barclay Braden: Our big news this year is the purchase of a getaway spot in the nearby villages in Central Florida. It’s offering us a whole new world of people, activities, services, and medical resources. Mary Kay Denman: Hello to everyone from Long Island, N.Y. Some of our parish events have returned after Covid: monthly cinema, two book groups, and a monthly scripture study. I am excited that my garden helper, Carlo, and I are turning my old pond into a true wildlife pond. Betty Blak Okie: The most interesting happening in my life now is watching my seven grandchildren grow up and work to achieve their aspirations. So far, three have graduated and moved to L.A. for life in the film industry. The next three are still in school. Oskar, the youngest, is severely disabled, but has had his own triumphs: the Edina High School marching band, and the role of Simba in his school’s production of The Lion King ! I am still writing poems and essays for the kids to give them a sense of their family history. I’m also still doing some art classes. All of the family is close and I love seeing us all together and supporting one another. France de Sugny Bark : Dennis and I are well and still enjoying our marvelous life at the Sequoias in Portola Valley. Our three sons and their families are well and happy. Because no one in the family chooses to take over my property in France, we are in the midst of selling everything. So, we are pleased to be close to signing the final papers. We will be returning in May to sign the last paperwork. Dennis and I have managed the property for 40 years, making two trips a year. Now we will have time to do some other things we want to enjoy. Chrissy McCormick Merrill: I am still happily living at the Brocklebank Apartments in San Francisco. I have a new dog, a long-haired dachshund named Cookie. I visit with France de

Sugny Bark and Lila Desmond French often. Susie Hammond Morey: I play golf three times a week and am so glad I had my shoulder replaced. I was also happy to go on to win the challenging tournament following my surgery. I rescue old, little dogs and put them on my Christmas card. Debby McCann: I was so happy to see the photos of Mary Kay’s garden. It is amazing that after so many years, our Class of 1959 is still staying in such close touch. Kathy Mailliard Rende: After two years of agility participation with Maxi, my Papillion/Jack Russell mix, Covid hit and Maxi passed away but my love of dogs continues. I am back at Marin Humane in Novato, CA, volunteering as a DTA and loving every minute. I’m still playing cards with friends, walking two to three miles a day, and especially enjoying watching my grandchildren play their golf and tennis tournaments. Shelley LeBlanc Duke (as emailed by Phil, her husband): I continue to press on to maintain a good life despite being stuck in a wheelchair most of the time. I am in my 11th year following my stroke. Although I no longer ride horses five days a week, I continue my activities with Virginia Tech. I am a board member of the VT Biomedical Research Institute and the Virginia-Maryland Equine Medical Institute, plus being one of nine presidential counselors to the president of VT. Family and friends have been a great support during this time. Blake Anderson: I keep busy with a variety of activities. I will make every effort to be in Monterey for our class reunion next year. Margaret Rosenberg Duflock : I am still running my ranches in San Ardo and agree that I too would do whatever is possible to be at the school for our reunion. Lynne Wildman Chapman: Life is happy and I miss all of my classmates. The memories really are fresh of our days in the dorm and "cards." Hugs to all. Wendy Burnham Kuhn: I tend my garden and converse with my husband as we both grow old. We can count on our sense of life and learned discipline and our solidarity with each other to face the rigors of old age, loneliness, ill health, whatnot, with our joy and humor (almost) intact. Love from me to all my classmates. Kristan Jacobson

O’Neill: I have been living in Fresno this winter with my hubby, Ed, because of the weather being so dangerous at Shaver Lake. I am looking forward to getting back up to the lake. I love the home we have built there, but I’m glad we are close enough to Fresno to see the kids and grandkids. Dits Requiro Peavey is in Carmel with her family and Teresa Annotti Rogers is in Modesto. Bobbie O’Connell Munson: Life for me does not change. It just slows down! I am blessed to watch my grandchildren as they become adults. One is a surgeon, loving her work. One is going to graduate from Columbia in May with a master’s in world health. Andrea Munson ’03 is all over the world as an event planner and loves her life. The only male grandchild is a CPA, and the last granddaughter is finishing her degree in mental health. They are a joy! It has also been a joy to create this yearly

notice about our class, and talk with all of you. I do hope everyone can make it to our reunion next year, and, if we cannot all be there in person, we will try to arrange phone hook-ups so we can at least all talk with one another on that special day. Blessings to all of you.

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Marilyn Ramos Ospina maospina305@hotmail.com

Karen Swanson Crummey kcrum1@sbcglobal.net

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

61

Judy Nagel Cox jcox12rcox@aol.com

Nini Richarson Hart: I just finished six days of celebrating my 80th with family. So many fun and surprise events planned by my family and all involved. Very different year but again so much to be thankful for. Love our class and our Zoom calls. Here in AZ until the end of May then back to SD until November. Blessing to you all.

Patricia Flynn: After two years of pandemic lockdown, I was thrilled to make it to Europe in May to visit friends in Greece (lots of hiking, swimming, good food, and culture), then on to Paris and London. Also did a trip to the Olympic Peninsula and the Eastern side of the Cascades to visit my rock-climbing son who’s just bought a house there. I admit I miss journalism and am still a news junkie, but work projects come up only occasionally, such as the communications work I did recently with the civil rights organization

Public Advocates. Photography, studying Italian, and some creative writing keep me busy, and thanks to the gym, yoga, and hiking I’m lucky to feel healthy and strong. I’m looking forward to a spring tour of civil rights sites in the South and a fall hiking trip to the Dolomites in Italy. It’s also been great reconnecting this year with Santa Catalina sisters on Zoom. So at 79, life is full of blessings!

Penelope

Corey Arango: I have an awesome life. I will be 80 in October but feel 40! I have atrial fib and I am on my fifth pacemaker. I feel grateful that my soulmate, Jorge Arango, saved my life twice, and my cardiologist says, "Penelope, God does not want you yet!" I go to daily mass, walk my 30-acre lake and work out at LA Fitness, take Zoom mindful meditation with a Brazilian and five others, and take Zoom classes at U of Miami. I take care of all my spiritual, physical, emotional, and intellectual needs. I live in paradise, where peace and serenity keep me full of joy! As I always say, I have a room with your name on it if you want to come and visit me here in Miami! Maria Hart McNichol: Last year was a year of life-changing events. Early in the year, I welcomed my newest granddaughter. In August I underwent CAR-T cell therapy for lymphoma – almost six months later my hair is growing back (!) and I remain hopeful that the treatment has been successful. In September, Ed, my dear husband of 46 years, died at home after a long illness. Through his decline and death, our children were able to be directly involved in caring for their dad (along with other wonderful caregivers and Hospice). Difficult times filled with love. The Class of ’61 has established a quarterly Zoom “catch-up” meeting. We share our lives without apology or embarrassment. We laugh about all we have in common … being 80 or almost. We listen, care, understand, and love each other. It is a joy. Susie Munhall Frey: It is hard to hear that some are having difficulties with this business of aging and watching their spouses and family members encounter some of the miserable but expected problems of aging. I turned 80 in January and quite frankly was very happy to do so. I celebrated joyfully. I would like to add that my husband has successfully fought cancer for almost seven years. The last treatment was about one year

ago. We just wait and see and do as much as is comfortable on the golf course or out on a cruise. Kathy Ryan Foy: Aloha, my friends. The past year has been a good one. The socialization has been a real mood booster. I love living in Hawaii and would not want to return to living in Connecticut, where I lived for over 20 years. No more shoveling snow! I miss my friends whom I have not seen for five years. Our Zoom meetings have been such a gift to me. Thank you for your friendship. You were such a blessing during Covid and immeasurable isolation. My family is good for which I am grateful. My three children are treating me to a trip to France and Italy to celebrate my 80th. Since our family has inherited wanderlust, I don’t see all three in the same place at once! We will also stay in Pompeii and visit the beauty of the Amalfi coast. I am taking the “original hula” lessons which is learning the hand movements while seated! The teacher is 82 and fascinating! Looking forward to an in-person reunion. Would love to see other classmates if you are coming this way! Sending much love to each of you and wishing the soon-to-be or already 80-year-olds a healthy transition surrounded by your favorite people and things! Caroline Harris Henderson: Not much has changed in my life in Jacksonville, and I’m grateful for the blessings of health, family, wonderful friends, and plenty to do. I have enjoyed the Zoom sessions and the follow-up notes you write which are especially appreciated since retention of the conversations is a challenge! My boys’ families are both within driving distance so I am able to see them fairly often, including during the holidays. My oldest grandson got married in Canby (near Salem) last August and the occasion gathered almost the whole extended family. It was great to see Mary-Allen Macneil and Steve shortly after that, as they had a stop in Ashland on their way to points north and east with a final destination in Yellowstone. I still volunteer for St Vincent de Paul in social services, a department that helps with rent and utilities and includes a (low-income) housing program for those needing help with those over-the-top deposits to move in. I also visit a few homebound ladies and they are a source of "elder wisdom" and teachers of patience and graciousness. And there is a very part-time job at an investment firm. Travel is limited to Portland and Seattle, the Oregon Coast, and occasionally the Bay Area. I live in the heart of the Southern Oregon wine country, close to Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Jacksonville has its own Britt Music Festival all summer. I have a guest room if any of you are thinking of a trip up or out this way! Mary-Allen Macneil: I resigned from my position as a guiding teacher of my Zen sangha at the end of 2022. I plan to move to a continuing care retirement community in Healdsburg, CA, in the fall. The facility is a joint effort between San Francisco Zen Center and Kendal, a Quaker group. In 2022, I packed in as much travel as possible, including a road trip to Yellowstone National Park with my husband; a fall trip to

Pat Flynn ’61 celebrating her 79th birthday

Penelope Corey Arango ’61

Japan with my grandson; and a Christmas trip to Baja with my extended family. Now, I am divesting! It’s taking much longer than I thought. Does anyone want any books? I still have the Russian textbook from the class I took at Monterey Peninsula College when I was a senior! Terry Lowe Hall: Although I don’t participate in Zoom meetings, I f ollow them closely and love seeing your faces and hearing news from those involved. Rob and I lead a fairly uneventful life here in Palos Verdes. Rob attends his Parkinson’s therapy classes, takes walks, and plays bridge. I swim several days a week, play paddle tennis, see friends, and read voraciously. We also love spending weekends in San Clemente, where the beach and town are both within walking distance. Our three sons and their families joined us (a rare occurrence with everyone living apart) to celebrate Rob’s 80th birthday in November and it was a very special reunion for our family. So we feel blessed—our children are happy and healthy, we live in a beautiful spot by the ocean, and we can rise in the morning, put one foot in front of the other, and be grateful for another day! Sara Fargo: Gratitude, letting it go, and spaciousness are key words for me during this eve of completing my 80th year on the planet Earth. Well, when I look in the mirror I see signs (“chortle”) and the avoir du pois tsk, I have to remind myself to say nice things to my face and entire body. My body is reporting back to me all the fun I had in my youth! I need to remember that it has served me well all these years, even though I treated it poorly at times. Dragging myself to the great outdoors even for the teeniest of walks, much less hitting the yoga mat for a good stretch and some PT for my out-of-whack back are the big challenges. When I do walk, it is a tad faster than a turtle. Even so, in my experience,80 is a great age. Have never been in a better place in my life. Just hope I am up to meeting all the late-in-life challenges that surprise me! Amidst all the difficult, sad, horrific things that are

happening out there in the world, I feel that all I can do is become more peaceful within myself, become kinder to myself than carry that to others. My life is full, but I have to say one of the sweetest is reconnecting with my 1961 classmates.

Judy Nagel Cox: Life is relatively quiet, yet busy. I went to Seattle for Thanksgiving where my granddaughter, Mel, and her significant other, Ben, hosted in their new home, a three-story condominium. My daughter, Sandi, and her husband Jim joined us, as well as Ben’s parents and sister. It was pretty cold and wet in Seattle and I think I’ll keep my visits to spring and summer! Still have no time set for moving to the home I bought in Santa Rosa near Sandi, but have it rented and look forward to the “someday” reality. Have enjoyed our reconnecting in Zoom meetings and encourage any who haven’t come on board to do so. It’s amazing what loving, caring, compassionate, competent, and amazing women we have become and it’s been wonderful getting to know you all again!

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Mary Foley Bitterman

mbitterman@osherfoundation.org

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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DiDi Ditz Stauffer

dditzs45@gmail.com

Sally Rorick-Orlando

rolando@cox.net

Mary-Ellen Bowlin Briel: Since January 2020, I’ve enjoyed one of the pandemic’s greatest gifts: a weekly family Zoom with my five children, 10 grandchildren, and their four dogs. Inspired by these meetups, I began Zoom-teaching the young Afghan ESL students I’d known for several years at Melissa Network, an NGO in Athens for migrant women. Those Zooms soon took on a life of their own, so among other groups, we now have Melissa Mums for single mothers who fled abusive husbands and began the process of resettling in Europe and Canada. More recently, as the Taliban closed education to girls and young women, we began our Afghan Young Women’s Conversation Circle, composed of sisters, cousins, and friends of young women I first knew in Athens. Most are in Kabul or Mazar-e-Sharif, and join us, often audio-only. Whenever they miss a lesson, it’s because a power station has been randomly closed or destroyed, cutting off their internet access. Two weeks ago a couple of the young women asked to start group therapy, something they had had in Athens at Melissa. As I’ve had to remind them, I’m an English teacher, not a therapist. If anybody reading this can give me a hand, please reach out. I’ll have to miss our 60th class reunion because, with Greek travel restrictions lifted, I’ve started responding to the Siren call back to the bricks and mortar of Melissa—and the sun and Aegean-blue sky of Athens! Danielle Varlay Bonnet: Greetings fellow classmates! It’s good to connect with you all once again. I am gaining on my tenth marriage anniversary to a charming and amusing retired Ford design engineer who is specifically good at editing my writing projects and teaching our dogs to howl, in his den, with the door closed. Dave and I have been graced with good health throughout the pandemic, as have our collective three children (his daughter, and my two sons). Our classic car club keeps us busy with social events during the bleak winter months and on the move during the spring and summer with cruises throughout the lake districts and to such marvelous destination points as Shipshewana, an Amish town in Indiana, where we ate a lot of pie last August. Life is good and I am grateful.

Judy Nagel Cox ’61 with her granddaughter Melanie

The Class of 1963 at Reunion 2023

Pat Daugherty Shallenberger: The home front remains pretty much the same. Covid found me last summer and it took 21 days to finally get a negative test! That was way too much alone time. Started to travel a bit again: Maui in February with college friends, several trips to Portland to visit my son and granddog, and occasional visits to Seattle to visit my granddaughter at UW. This past fall the annual reunion of my women college friends resumed after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. We gathered on the Oregon coast to celebrate finally being together and to honor those we had lost. Donna Hollenbeck Ramos: My snapshot review of 2022 is mainly that time is absolutely flying by. Our lives are full and happy. Doug bought a boat that is housed in Olympia, WA, right now with the goal to sail and motor north from there through Puget Sound to Alaska. Mind you, I’m not really a sailor although I do love being out on the water. This has been—and still is—a great learning and a big leap of faith. Doug has been around boats his whole life so he feels quite at home although there’s still so much to learn about the sailing part. I think most people our age are selling their boats but no, not us. It’s a daily adventure. We travel up there from Santa Cruz in our camper van and then go out on the water for several days/weeks. We are back and forth during the summer but mostly up in the northwest. The family is doing well, just growing up so fast. Two of our grandchildren graduated from high school last year and the others are catching up fast. Now that they are driving themselves, they don’t need Grammy to do carpool as often. I actually miss that because it gave me a little time to catch up with them. I am continuing my volunteer work with Citizens Climate Lobby where I learn so much including how to lobby elected representatives. We’ve expanded our strategy goals from carbon fees and dividends to include agriculture, forestry, electrification, permitting reform, and a carbon border adjustment. Becoming well-informed about all of these issues is challenging but also very satisfying. Right now, I’m learning how to quilt. While I’ve been sewing for many years, I’ve never done quilting. Seems like an appropriate gift for the grandkids as they get ready to launch on their own. I’ve had fun creating a design and then choosing colors and textures to make it happen.

Trish Williams: As for what has been going on in my life for the past year, I imagine it isn’t far different from many of us due to Covid. I was all set to resume some long-awaited international travel but then postponed it all to 2023. In fact, I am in Morocco right now. I did have a great week at Chautauqua in upstate New York in July and a cruise on the Columbia River in Oregon in August. When I’m home I do volunteer work for our local NPR and PBS stations and our church. All in all, life is pretty good and I’m staying safe and well and happy.

Sally Rorick-Orlando: Well, I like what a friend of mine said, "Who ever imagined that we’d be spending our ’golden years’ in the midst of a pandemic?" It has been a challenging time, for sure. But I am grateful that I have been able to continue my spiritual direction

practice, though the format has been on Zoom or phone for personal as well as small group work. I miss the in-person work, but there is still so much stuff going around that I have to be mindful with my compromised immune system. I had a couple of hospital stays in the fall, so I have been busy with doctors’ appointments and various tests, and have a new mantra: "Growing old ain’t for sissies!" In spite of it all, we hope to make our annual pilgrimage to Catalina Island to visit my favorite cove for communing with nature in the most inspiring way. Blessings to you all and my dear classmates. Ghislaine de Give: I ran into a closed glass door in November cutting my face, knocking my brain around, and damaging my front teeth. It took several weeks to get all those various parts of my anatomy back to normal. I’m still having dental work done. Unfortunately over Christmas, I fell ill as did both sons, one of whom had pneumonia in both lungs and colitis at the same time. I’m fortunate as I’m virtually back to my normal routine. Alas, this country is having its troubles. Wednesday is a strike of hospitals, firemen, teachers, trains, and buses. These events have the unfortunate effect of making me cautious about expenditures. Jansie Stephens Farris: This past year was a good one when it came to my health! No new illnesses to surprise me. It was a fun year in many ways: helping my grandkids with math homework, working with residents here at Atria, and time with family and friends. As the year came to an end, the family came together to support Pat, my former husband, as he was trying to deal with his brain cancer. He passed in October. Dealing with a family death is never easy. But all in all the year was a good one. Kathleen Brown: It’s been a medically challenging year for my husband, Van (87). Seems the extended warranty on various body parts all decided to expire, but he is stubborn and full of a positive spirit so he fights on! I continue to be busy with my law practice at Manatt, the boards of three public companies, the Mayor’s Fund Los Angeles, and the Stanford Center on Longevity. I will term off MFLA in June and have been elected to serve as a trustee at Santa Catalina, which is a huge honor! I managed to squeeze in a trip to Sicily to tour antiquities, London for a dear friend’s 75th birthday in the fall, and a trip to visit my son and his family in Sydney and Byron Bay last spring. Kids and grandkids are all healthy and well. I have much to be grateful for.

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Antoinette Ziegler Hubbard

joyfuleclectic@icloud.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Pat Allen Sparacino

pat.sparacino@gmail.com

Wendy Wilson Snell

wendywsnell@gmail.com

Bonnie Bray: It’s been almost a year since chemo for stage four colon cancer ended for me, and I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to be feeling as well as I do. The scans and blood work that are done every three months have all been clear, and my life and activities have pretty much returned to normal—reading, gardening, cooking, and walking a couple of miles each day. One positive is that I didn’t miss much of the outside world since my seclusion took place during the height of the pandemic, but now I’m ready to venture out once again. I’m still masking in crowds, but I feel like I may be doing that for some time to come. I have loved talking to and/or getting emails from Kathy Toy Grandemange, Bettie Carroll, Ann Seamster, M.F. Flynn, Kathy McEnerney Harper, Michele Clark , Evie Lindemann, Sue Durney Mickelson, Cathy Clancy Wells, and Ann Sullivan Wray Michele Clark : Life continues to speed by. I challenged my family’s health status when I missed a step and fell down some stairs, requiring surgery to fix a broken arm. However, my nephew is expecting his first child, and we are very excited about the first grandchild. Life is good. Tammy Dougherty: Most of my time is on nana duty with Peter and Alex who are growing up fast. I manage to find time to continue with my work as a designer of curriculum materials and working with schools and districts. Julia Anderson Frankel: Russell and I are fine currently even with our challenges, some of which are not behind us yet but we are working on them. We do see Bettie Hutcheson Carrell and Rich for dinner out occasionally and a small group of friends whom the pandemic and age have shrunk. We find going to the gym and eating better has its rewards along with reading the latest best sellers. I look forward to spring and hope my garden will rejuvenate from being frozen. My delight there has been a family of cardinals. Lola Hogan: Retirement didn’t take. Doing expert witness work and traveling. Alaska, Jamaica, and Christmas markets on the Rhine for 2022. Tulips in April and Africa in September for 2023. Still in Pacific Grove. Evie Lindemann: Well, there is birth, there is death, and everything in between. Regarding my in-betweens, as I have turned 75, which is hard to believe, my vision has shifted in some subtle ways. I care far less about the opinions of the world, my capacity to self-reflect matters a great deal to me, and expressing love where I can most immediately to my family and lovely grandchildren (9, 7, and 4) and to those in my circle nourishes me. I have nearly finished my memoir, just a half chapter to go! The practice of writing about myself, my memories, and various interpretations have shifted how I see so many of my life experiences. I have also joined as a faculty

member at a training center called the Portland Institute, where I teach international courses on grief and loss to mental health professionals. I love the work. I have also just become the chair of a non-profit here in NC called Meher Archive Collective (MAC), which is connected with my spiritual teacher, Meher Baba. Sending love to all, and wishing us collectively good health, and the capacity to sustain our souls through change. Caroline Lord Mackenzie: The pandemic must be under control as the tourists are back! Life in Hawaii is still terrific. I continue to volunteer as a citizen forester counting city trees and studying the urban canopy on Oahu. For the past four months, we have been working at "Gilligan’s Island"/Moku o’ loe counting trees for UH, which owns the island now and has coral and marine mammal research on the island. Super place to do volunteer work. I am still president of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Hawai’i. Now that the pandemic has subsided in many countries, the Peace Corps volunteers are going back into the field. PC volunteers are a much-needed group. I now have a new hip which means I walk, boogie board, and play golf pain-free. Mary Randall Peterson: In mid-January President Biden and Governor Newsom toured the storm damage in Capitola after Santa Cruz County endured the most dramatic high winds and heavy rains on record! Jane Bronner Hummert ’64, Traci Bliss ’66, Nancy Woolf ’70, and I all live within several blocks of each other in the Seabright neighborhood of Santa Cruz just north of Capitola, so we have had plenty to talk about in our normally halcyon community! Leslie Baldwin Power: Since I was a kid, I’ve enjoyed taking pictures. Now, as a board member of the Garden Club of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, I carry a camera to photograph volunteers, boats, and speakers; and, yes, I chair a couple of committees. All keep me busy, yet I do make it to the YMCA! Kathy Ramos Sharp: The family continues to grow and I now have 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. This past year, I joined a

few family members on a summer trip to France where we spent a week in Paris and a week in the Loire Valley. Our group of eight covered a lot of ground in those two weeks—sightseeing, taking pictures, eating good food, and getting in a lot of walking. It was wonderful to be able to travel again (with Covid restrictions mostly lifted) and to be able to visit family and friends during the year. I feel very blessed! Pat Allen Sparacino: Our son and his family, who live in NYC, were with us for Christmas—the last time was in 2018. Having a granddaughter (8) is energizing and exhausting, but such fun. And, it has been wonderful to rendezvous with Maisie de Sugny MacDonald for lunch several times this year. Ann Hodges Strickland: I really don’t have anything new to report. No births, deaths, changes in marital status (Jim and I are still chugging along after 57 years), or address. Kathy Durkin Webster: I’m suffering from empty nest syndrome. My son and his wife moved to Santa Rosa, and my granddaughter is enrolled in Cal Poly Humboldt studying marine biology. I’m looking forward to visiting both beautiful areas soon. Best to all. 66

The Class of 1966 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf Dillon ’08, Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way. We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue.

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Ann Kuchins

Anne Neill

The Class of ’67 is in a reflective period of life where we are acutely aware of the transitory nature of life in that we are experiencing loss in a variety of manifestations and at the same time a sense of resilience to live life to the fullest and a deep appreciation of all the joys of love and friendship throughout the years. We learned of the death of Vicki MacLean Gourlay after some of our classmates had sent in their notes. Cece Morken Gada: I’m happy to still be here! While at my regular line dancing class in May, I experienced an odd discomfort. After my doctor sent me to the ER “for more data,” I ended up needing a stent in my LAD artery (the bad one). I did not have a heart attack since I was treated in time. We, women, are told that heart problems might not be obvious, and that was my experience. There is no history of heart disease in my family, all of whom lived into their nineties. I spent three months doing cardiac rehab and am back to dancing, feeling great, and grateful. Stay well and treasure every day with your families. Carolyn Layton Garner-Reagan: I suppose that this is the time of life when get our share of maladies. In January, I fell down a flight of 12 steps, ending up with two compressed vertebrae. Thankfully, I do not need surgery but I have acquired a lovely new piece of attire: a corset brace! I have to wear the brace for three months and do a lot of physical therapy, avoiding any bending, lifting, or twisting. When I think about how much worse it could have been, I am truly blessed. Bless you all. (Editors’ note: We extend our condolences to Carolyn whose husband Michael passed away in February after she sent in her notes.)

Posing with Sister Christine and Sister Claire during Reunion 2022 are members of the Class of 1967: Anne Neill, Vicki MacLean Gourlay, Joan Seamster, Gay Callahan, and Wynn Woodward

Joanne Bosche Ehrlich ’67, Wynn Woodward ’67, and Joan Seamster ’67 enjoying time in Cabo

Mary Whitney Kenney: I am sorry I missed the last reunion. I have been dealing with my husband’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s, which has caused a radical lifestyle change for us. Aside from the missed reunion and the family illness, 2022 had a lot of happy highlights. I managed to take two grandchildren on Road Scholar trips. I took Neil (10) to the Grand Canyon and Bridget (11) to the Channel Islands. It was a dream come true. I also went on the Camino de Santiago with Road Scholar and three other women. One of the women was my best friend from elementary school. It was my third try for the Camino (the first try was canceled due to the arrival of my youngest granddaughter and the second try was canceled by Covid). We walked about 63 miles—another dream comes true! I am signed up for the Portuguese Camino next August and I can’t wait! Finally, we moved from Palos Verdes to Manhattan Beach to be closer to my son and his family, which includes four children. It was an arduous process, but we ended up in a smaller house on the same block as my son. We moved in a week ago and will be unpacking for a while. I look back on my years at Santa Catalina with great fondness, and it is so nice to know that everyone is as lovely now as they were then. I keep a special thought for our dear classmates who have passed on and for those experiencing health or difficult family issues. Susan Lloyd: It’s sort of like at our ages we’re all playing (hardly by choice!) a roulette game wondering when the needle will fall on us. All the more reason to have and enjoy more merry gatherings like last March for those of us lucky enough to get to the 55th reunion. Wynn Woodward, I don’t think we could possibly have complimented and praised you enough for those two wonderful evenings—your (as always) great dinner party and then the fun patio restaurant evening. To finish up, no news here. Just keeping on, keeping on. Yolanda Scaccia Manuel: Not much new for me this year. I am still working at St. Catherine’s and in June I was fortunate to chaperone a class of newly graduated eighthgraders on an East Coast trip to Boston, New York City, and Washington, D.C. We had a great time, saw all the tourist sites, and learned a lot about American history. Loved the tour director and all

the insights he shared with us. I especially liked Boston, visiting Ellis Island where my grandparents first saw the Statue of Liberty when they arrived in the U.S. from Italy, seeing The Lion King on Broadway, and the Vietnam War Memorial where I located the name of an Army captain whose missing in action bracelet I wore in college. Hope to do the trip again this year. Then after the entire family recuperated from Covid (Chris gave us a scare by ending up in the hospital), I took the twin boys to Disneyland for their graduation present. Always a good time! Laurie Bechtel Dachs: I love hearing from classmates and am glad that most of us are still standing. It is the age when our bodies start to say “enough already” so slowing down a bit and taking better care of ourselves now more than ever is certainly something to consider. I don’t have much news. Our move to Marin to be around three of our kids and eight grandkids is now behind us. What one accumulates in 30 years is quite mind-blowing. I am running my foundation, serving on a couple of boards, and spending lots of grandkid time so no complaints. Feels just about busy enough. My husband said he was going to retire but my sense is that he is busier than ever with transitioning out of running Fremont and preparing for our oldest to take over. I also think he just can’t figure out what he would do with his time! Renata Engler: It is so good to be connected and to share our respective journeys a bit. Vicki was a precious and unique light in my life. Her quiet and gentle kindness and caring blessed my experience of our gatherings. The longer I live, the more I know that nothing real is ever lost or destroyed. Only love (and the attributes of love in action) is real and that is what remains for all of us and endures. Our time on this earth is short and precious. In my heart, I celebrate life and love as they endure even if in other than physical form. Many of the mystics describe our journey as a dream, others as a stage where we play a part … and with death, we wake up and see truly. My year has been filled with ever more caregiving for my husband and some Red Cross volunteer work from a telemedicine platform working from home. There is flexibility in scheduling and I am able to work with complex patients that the system has trouble with, so they become diagnostic and therapeutic orphans. I feel I can help and still use my knowledge. I am also still working in research again with flexible hours mostly from home. I have been too busy but am having trouble cutting back. It is good to be needed and to feel one is still making a contribution. And the unknowns of the future that we do not control may decide for me what I can do in times ahead. So, I have been working on living one day at a time, releasing the past, and remaining hopeful for the future but open to change as I walk the last runway of life without knowledge of its length. I cherish the gift of fellowship we have shared as it continues to give me hope for the future of our struggling and suffering world. Claudia Jones Shepheard: I am sorry that I missed the 55th but Mike has had a terrible year and there was no way to leave him. His Parkinson’s has progressed quickly this year and his neurologist has had to work hard to keep

him on an even keel. Now he is dealing with a bone marrow problem which has required injections to stimulate red blood cell production and transfusions as well. We seem to spend most days with doctor appointments. The best thing that happened this year was the kids, spouses, and grandkids came for Christmas. Brian married in November, and he and Igor were here for five days over Christmas. They were married in Toronto. Mike and I couldn’t make the trip but they took lots of pictures and they gave us an Echo Show with all the pictures downloaded. It’s wonderful to watch them cycle all day. They are so handsome and look so happy; it makes me smile all day.

Terry Cashill Juhola: So very sorry and saddened to hear about Vicki. We are certainly at that stage of life where we are saying goodbye far too often. Our life has been challenging and I’ve kind of gone dark with respect to updates and attending reunions, but I do think of you all and our years together with such fondness and treasure those memories. Trina Smith Overlook : It is such very sad news about Vicki. I had not seen her since the day we graduated, but it sounds from all reports that her life was full of people and causes she loved. I hope her family is well, in spite of their very sad loss, and that they will carry on with lives that would make Vicki proud. I love reading the news from all of you. It makes me smile to think that we have reached this (advanced) age and we are all still active and engaged with issues and pursuits about which we are passionate. Thank you for sharing something of your lives! I feel greatly blessed that my own life has been full with my husband, my family, and several causes that have long been important to me. One reason this stage of life is so enjoyable is because it affords the time and perspective to realize our good fortune. It also reminds me of the importance of giving back in whatever way I can. Sounds to me like many of you are in a similar place. Ann Kuchins: I am looking forward to attending the 2023 Santa Catalina reunion this year as Tulita will be honored as a Distinguished Alumna! She is the first to be honored posthumously. Andy, Lucy, and

Mary Whitney Kenney ’67 visiting the Grand Canyon with her grandson

Cathy Quarre Alexander ’67 skiing with grandson Mark, son of Sara Alexander Vanis ’98

I would like to extend our appreciation to the Class of ’68 who are expressing their love and respect for Tulita in this way. No one would be more surprised by this honor than Tulita! A special thanks to Mary Wynne ’68 and Daphne Macneil ’68 who worked to make this possible. I continue working for the Red Cross. Some highlights were going to Florida as a shelter site manager in the wake of Hurricane Ian and working as the recovery manager for people impacted by the California floods. This weekend, I worked with people impacted by the mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, CA, in my very own San Mateo County. So many life experiences that are bringing more meaning to my life. Trying to cram it all in! Went on a trip to Southern Africa and got Covid on the last two days of the tour. I had a delightful lunch with Joan Seamster in Boston when I attended the second wedding of Tulita’s daughter Kaytea to a kilt-wearing Scotsman. Tulita would love him! I will miss Vicki greeting me at our reunions with “Hi, roomie!”Janette Coustette Moody: I know I haven’t been in touch for a while, so I decided to chime in. The last year has been a time of joy and grief for our family. The day I was to join our class at the home of Wynn Woodward at last year’s reunion was the day I spent in the hospital with my daughter, Rachel, and her husband Terry who died that evening. It was a shock to us all, and her grief has been immense this year. He was dearly loved, and we had a grand memorial for him at Lovers Point on Memorial Day. At Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law Donna died suddenly and her memorial will be later this month. I enjoy painting, singing, music, swimming, travel, gardening, and a six-year fundraising project to educate Maasai girls and boys and help support their families. In the last few years, I’ve created a beautiful garden with mosaic work and some stained glass, with the help of my daughter, Sarah, who is a talented artist. I’m blessed to have a wonderful partner, Martin, who will join me in a garden promise ceremony in May after 20 years together. MaryAnn Vasconcellos and I stay in close touch, and I will credit her for encouraging me to write here. I do enjoy hearing

about you all and hope I can see you soon. Apologies for the long catch-up! I also am sorry to hear of the passing of Vicki. I did not know her well but remember her as a positive, kind, and compassionate woman. There have been so many losses in recent years. My condolences and prayers go out to all of these families and friends who have suffered these losses, including the husband of Carolyn Layton Garner-Reagan. I know how hard it is. Mo Ragan Rafael: I don’t have a lot to report, but I do want to report that I’ve experienced the passing of Vicki as one of the toughest losses of a classmate in all these years. My guess is that this is because we are older and finding life to be more precious with each passing year—and because she touched us all so deeply over all these years and in ways that we just didn’t grok until now. Beyond that, I could report a lot of "this and that" about life in SoCal, but I shan’t. Melinda Bowman: I, too, was saddened by the loss of our cherished Vicki. Her family will be moved by your remembrances. Since I enjoyed all of your notes, I’ll add a few: My days are balanced between joyful activities, working at Tor House in Carmel, and taking care of my grandchildren Lucas (4) and Audrey (1). There have been high points (marrying John Ferreira in June) and low points (losing my nephew, Jonathan Feldman (39), son of Barbara ’66). Jonathan was the photographer and videographer at our wedding. I’m now a new member of the Alumnae Council and look forward to encouraging you to attend alumnae events in your area, or here in Monterey. It’s a blessing to be in the presence of Dr. Barbara Ostos, the new Head of School. I hope you’ll be able to meet her in the near future if you haven’t already. Melissa King: Healthy, happy, grateful to be alive, and now awaiting the birth of our first grandson in April. Both sons are married to young women from large and delightful families, all four millennials in professional fields of their own interest (the girls in nursing, sons in sports and residential building), and relatively nearby (Morgan Hill and Denver at the moment). I keep busy with volunteer grief group counseling; friends; and debating when to pick up and move from this house of 40+ years to somewhere else (Monterey Peninsula or Denver or ?) for the next phase of my life. I’d rather thought I might be on my way to Denver this year but then my sons each popped news flashes I’d not expected for right now—the baby news in Morgan Hill and the more likely first-father-to-be deciding to launch his own construction firm in CO before any human offspring endeavors. Rosalind Teichert Grimm: I too am so sorry to hear of the passing of Vicki. Things are going well for me—all scans and labs have been good for over a year. In case anyone is interested in off-the-wall nutrition for cancer, I believe that I have been helped by a Japanese anti-cancer soup, actually a broth, which I make every few days. Easy to find online or I can send a recipe. My daughter, Therese, has moved to Ojai with her husband and family—it is really great to see them almost every day, after many years of being far apart. Mary Sweetland Laver: My sister, Jane Sweetland ’70, and I and our many

siblings were blessed to have had our mother with us for almost 96 years, till her death in August 2022. She was a generous and loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. My husband Lance and I are both working on a racial justice initiative—for me with the Catholic community in the Philadelphia area. I’m working with an inter-racial team to offer online and in-person workshops through New Encounters: Catholics Confronting Racism (newencounters.org). For downtime, I thoroughly enjoy time with our two granddaughters and playing the NY Times spelling bee at the end of the day. Usually losing to my word-whiz spouse, but fun nonetheless! Always good to hear how our classmates are doing. Thank you for sharing! Kif Brown: Late as usual. Not much to report— and, grateful for that. A simple, happy, retired life in Utah. Fun times with family and a 16-year-old hound. Brenda Beckett: Sad to learn that Vicki is gone. The sadness I feel, thinking about those of us whom I won’t see again, seems directly proportionate to the pleasure of reading these emails and remembering our years together. It is so special to feel a connection with such kind, wise, and spirited women. I’m sorry to realize that some of us are going through difficult times. This is the most interesting stage of life thus far, but it brings challenges we probably never imagined back in the day. As for my news, I really don’t have any, I’m happy to say. Still enjoying my condo in SF, loving city life, and my elderly dachshund. Lots of books still to be read, shows to stream, and podcasts to keep the wheels turning. Treasured friendships. Opera, ballet, swimming. I’m one lucky duck. Love to all! Lyn Wyman: Two years since the last update and I’m grateful to have happy news to share. Daughter Annie is engaged to be married in October of this year, and we’re deep into wedding planning. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying getting to know my future son-in-law, AJ, who is a gem. Daughter Molly continues her good work with Jobs for the Future. She just returned from a six-week visit to Costa Rica—a combination of working and vacationing made possible by Zoom, etc., and of course, her sense of adventure. Spending time with them and good friends keeps me sane, in combination with time to myself. As for all of us, there are the inevitable “vicissitudes.” (Almost certain I learned this word at Santa Catalina. Remember vocabulary quizzes?) But I’m learning more every day about accepting, letting go, and taking deep breaths, not necessarily in that order. Our 55th reunion, over a year ago now, was truly a highlight. So meaningful to be with you at the memorial gathering and so heartwarming to continue connecting at the home of Wynn Woodward. I really lucked out being a member of the Class of ’67! Anne Neill: The stress of lockdown during the height of the pandemic caused my travel bug to feel pent up. In the last year, to release the bug, I took trips to Hawaii, Cabo, Canada, Switzerland, and France. I attended a mountaineering course in Chamonix with my daughter and climbed the Col du Brévent. Early on, after having completed mounds of paperwork for travel, I began thinking about staying closer to home, so I bought a small

Janette Coustette Moody ’67 with her partner

get-away condo in Lake Taho—no planes, no vaccination cards, no masks, no hassle. Looking back, one of the year’s highlights was being able to spend time with Vicki before she died. Joan Seamster and I traveled to Vicki's country property of outside Vancouver, where she introduced us to her beloved dogs and horses, then we all traveled by car and ferry to meet Wynn Woodward at her summer place on an island also in British Columbia. Little did any of us know what was to happen to Vicki within several months. Unfortunately, her cancer was not discovered until it had metastasized, and treatment was not effective. I am especially grateful for that time together. In general, I am especially grateful to have wonderful, interesting, and supportive classmates. It never ceases to amaze me how long we’ve known one another or how long we’ve managed to stay in touch. We may go months or years without chatting, but a phone call, chance meeting, email string, etc., brings us right back to the forefront of an incredible group of incredible women.

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Eugenie Schlueter

emschl@sbcglobal.net

Daphne Macneil

daphnemacneil@yahoo.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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The Class of 1969 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf Dillon ’08, Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.

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Marie Cantin

rapideye1@aol.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

71

The Class of 1971 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf Dillon ’08, Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.

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Suzanne Scoville

suzanne.scoville@gmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

The Class of 1968 at Reunion 2023

Anne Neill ’67 with her daughter in Switzerland

Thank you, Class of ’73, for the fun and thoughtfulness of all those buttons!

Thank you, most of all, for letting us share our 50th anniversary with your 50th Reunion. Nineteen seventy-three was quite a year for us all!

Sister Claire and Sister Christine

Lucia Blair Webster lbwebster@comcast.net

Diane Hull Gansauer: I recently retired from full-time work as a funeral celebrant but continue to teach with the Celebrant Foundation and occasionally officiate ceremonies. I devote most of my time to writing my book, Reflections on the Long Walk Home, and to hiking. I hope to finally complete the Continental Divide Trail by crossing over the border into Canada this summer.

Juanita de Sanz: I am in love with my new grandson and my new partner, Dave. I am still practicing psychotherapy, throwing ceramic pots on the wheel, and traveling more than ever! Debbie HummBremser: Since I married a man with a sweet son, there never was an empty nest. Raising four on the Monterey Peninsula was a dream come true with my parents to imprint them with goodness. Fast forward to retirement in the Sierra Foothills, we felt like college students with funds as we feathered our nest at Ikea. Our kids are scattered from Kauai

to Helsinki, Santa Barbara to Toro Park. All are married, and none have reproduced. Life is grand, even when you are snowed in a week before our 50th reunion with all our Catalina girls! Justine Schmidt Bloomingdale: The reunion for the Class of 1973 was perhaps the most meaningful as it almost didn’t happen due to the atmospheric river’s arrival on the Monterey Peninsula colliding with our own. Despite gale-force winds, major power outages, and serious flooding, those of us who did make it to the peninsula felt victorious in that alone. It was an added bonus to see so many dear and treasured faces and hear so many stories. Sister Claire and Sister Christine were also celebrating their 50th year at the school so it was meaningful for us to share our anniversary year with them. We were overjoyed to see Laurie Washburn Boone Hogen ’58 who said of our class, “You were naughty but you were always kind to each other.” Fifty years on I will gladly embrace that as our epitaph. Basia Belza: I continue to teach and do research as a faculty member at the University of Washington School of Nursing. I thoroughly enjoy working with our students who come from all over the world. A class I taught in the fall, Philosophical Inquiry and Nursing Science, included graduate students from the U.S., Oman, Costa Rica, Kenya, Taiwan, Thailand, and China. The nursing profession faces shortages due to a number of factors including but not limited to lack of faculty. I feel like I am making a difference in helping build our factory workforce. Please give a big thank you to the next nurse you see! Our playtime is spent on Lopez Island where we hike, enjoy the farmer’s market, and support the building of the first public swimming pool on the island. I was a cheerleader in our float in the 4th of July parade to bring awareness about the need for a pool and we won the Lopez Island Mayor’s Award! Teresa Barger: I had a wild ride in the markets for the last five years. Navigating an investment firm through Covid had some positives with team members becoming closer through calls and Zoom. My family all bought houses that were adult milestones for daughters in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. I also bought a farm in Virginia. We have embarked on the socially impactful path

of growing peonies. And I was chagrined that Covid deprived me of the fun of Reunion. I miss my classmates! Nancy Coulson Warrington: I spent a precious weekend reunion with long-time friends from Santa Catalina. Time away provided a respite from a major move out of my home of more than 20 years. My husband and I have relocated to both Rancho Murieta, CA, and Fairview, OR. The move to Fairview allows time with our two grown children and Rancho Murieta provides sunshine, club activities, and access to the wonders of the Bay Area. Kathy Grant Carver: My last job was spent growing a nonprofit for seven years, whose mission is to reduce food, waste, and hunger, while contributing solutions to climate change. I am retired now but I miss the excitement, challenges, and relationships from those wonderful years. I still live in Marina with my husband, George, and our children live close by.

The Class of 1973 at Reunion 2023

Debbie Humm-Bremser ’73 with her family

74

Sally Fay

calgal75@aol.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

75

Meggan Laxalt Mackey

mackey.dm@gmail.com

Christine Blom Gomez: Thank you so much, Meg, for bringing our class together again with updates that we can look forward to every other year. And mega thanks to Dede Duoos Davis for spearheading our class notes for more than 10 years. Life is good. Celebrate it, everyone, as much as you can. We are truly blessed to have the close friendships and memories that Catalina has brought to us. Deanna Duoos Davis: In October, my eldest son, Rhys, married his girlfriend of eight years, in a lovely creekside wedding in the Colorado Rockies. Then, in January my younger son, Beau, proposed to his girlfriend of eight years. (Yes, both boys met their soulmates in Santa Barbara, in the same month of August 2014, but at different venues). I am so looking forward to the sound of little pitter-patter feet someday! In March of last year, Chris Blom Gomez dropped by with her sweet husband, Daniel, to visit and we chatted over lunch. In the same month, I also linked up with Dryden Branson Bordin in Monterey to catch up. Then in June, Joan Artz and I went camping off Manchester Beach. A short trip, but lots of fun and laughs. In February of this year, Dryden Branson Bordin, Mollie Drake, Annette Leach Alcocer, and I got together for lunch at Shadowbrook in Capitola. I hope everyone is doing well! Diana Oliver Bartley: It’s good to share our news, as it’s been three years since our last reunion! What a curious time that was—as the world was closing down due to Covid. It was when my favorite bar and restaurant was reduced to doing curb-side service that I thought it was time to return to London while I still could. I loved staying with Chris Blom Gomez, Deanna Duoos Davis, Karrie Schreiner Barnett, Rene Maratos Patterson, and others in Carmel. Not only does it seem like a lifetime ago since we had our reunion—it is a different life! (Aren’t you glad we were able to meet before the world contracted?) But it’s a life that remains fun and interesting, and being able to travel again is wonderful. Jeannie Vibert Sloane ’74 and I met up after 48 years! I was out for a family wedding in Locust Valley on Long Island (the same church where my parents were married) and Jeannie has a cottage nearby, so

we enjoyed lunch at the yacht club where I was staying. We recognized each other immediately! Our daughter Rosie and James were married in October at an amazing house called North Cadbury Court, in Somerset. It was a truly wonderful weekend. I am still rowing and playing the ukulele and tutoring when it suits me. Sending nothing but good cheer and love to you all.

Elizabeth Patton Boyens: I am living in the Sacramento area near my two children. My oldest is self-employed with a very successful titlesearching business. He has two adorable children, Slater and Remy, that are the light of my life. Grandchildren are definitely the best thing going. My younger son is a senior bank examiner, so very busy at this time! I have been housesitting at my brother’s house in Santa Cruz this year, which you may all remember from the party we had there. I helped my brother buy the house when my parents passed away. I have an online clothing business which I have had for 17 years and I love it. I also am a mixed media outsider artist—I make creepy dolls and other bizarre things! You can find me on Facebook at “never would creatures.” My husband passed away last May. We were separated, and he was not doing well. Everything else is going well for me, though! I will look forward to hearing from everyone else. Irene Blackwood Moulton: I am doing great (not to mention aches and pains). My husband, Steve, retired, and I am looking to retire in a couple of years (or sooner)! We are getting ready to celebrate 47 years married. Besides our four children, we have 20 more blessings: 11 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, three granddogs, and one grand cat! We stay quite active both in our church and with all those little blessings that keep us smiling, traveling, and laughing. I hope all my classmates are as happy and blessed as we are. Jeannie Jagels Vaughn: I am going to try to answer each of Meg’s prompts (what are your joys, sorrows, surprises?) as my way of talking about my life. My joy is a new grandson who was born on my 65th birthday and was named after my husband, Peter. I have waited longingly for a grandchild and it is as wonderful as everyone says. I am over the moon, but my sorrow is that they live in New York. I am now bi-coastal and fly back every month so I do not miss him growing up! My surprise was that my son and his husband, who is French, did a pandemic pivot and moved to France. They are happy there (a joy), but it was a surprise and somewhat of a sorrow, as Harry was the only one of our children who lived in Pasadena. My two daughters live in New York and they are nine blocks from one another—so that is another joy. My two dachshunds substitute for my children. They are a great joy to me and they are far softer and obedient—well maybe not. They are dachshunds! I have seen Sarah Colmery Preston, though not as much as before the pandemic. I saw Adrienne Morphy Ladd last summer at the Sun Valley Writer’s Conference. I also saw Kim Wright-Violich in Sun Valley and I hope to see Christie Wills Price at the end of May.

It is amazing how much it means to see these familiar people at this time in my life. I would like very much to see Meg Laxalt Mackey on one of our trips to Idaho! I am looking forward to spending more time with my kids wherever that may be—France, New York, and Pasadena. I have made plans to travel next fall and I have signed up my husband for a group trip, which is amazing. We are going hiking in Sicily. I am also looking forward to a calmer political landscape. The last few years have left me bereft about how polarized we have become. I feel hopeful though, for the first time in a while. I am not sure exactly why but I do. I look forward to hearing how all our classmates are doing and I want to go to another reunion to see all your lovely faces. Katy Moore-Kozachik : My husband and I moved back to Carmel three years ago to be close to family. He has Alzheimer’s and I am trying to navigate a simple, quiet life at home so that we both can enjoy the peace and beauty of this area. During Covid, I published his memoir Tales from the Pumpkin King's Cameraman (by Pete Kozachik). It was quite the project, but it’s my gift to his legacy. He is a retired cinematographer. Anyway, joyfully, I saw Christine Blom Gomez at my house last summer for a lovely afternoon! And Amanda Bryan, Dede Duoos Davis, and Joan Artz are in contact through texts. I talk with Alia Agha at least once a week—we have remained close friends all these years! Hi to everyone, and take care! Lisa Barry: Life is good! I am very happy living in Marin County. My husband and I feel so lucky to have miles of open space and hiking trails right out our back gate, which we take advantage of often. I am still working one to two days a week as a surgical nurse. Once a week I take our 75-pound white golden retriever to a local assisted living center where he gets and gives lots of love while I play Scrabble with any takers. Those who play may not remember what happened two minutes ago, but they often beat the pants off me when it comes to the game. The mysteries of the aging mind! Like everyone else, I love getting together with fellow classmates whenever I can. Liz Leach: Life is super busy for me with my gallery in Portland, OR; the citywide art biennial, Converge 45; my marriage to a wonderful man, Bert; my delightful, fun, and smart granddaughter, Evelyn; and my daughter, Gwen and her husband, Ty. Bert and I have also

Liz Leach ’75 with granddaughter Evelyn

been fortunate to travel a lot—we love seeing Catalina friends in San Francisco (Kit Tobin ’74, Sally Fay ’74, and Barbara Gault ’74)—and would love to see more when time permits. I stay in touch with Sarah Colmery Preston and look forward to seeing everyone at our 50th, if not sooner! Sarah Colmery Preston: I have been working at Cate School in the advancement office for 11 years! Meg Bradley (the previous head of Santa Catalina) hired me and taught me almost everything I know. Working at a residential boarding school reminds me every day what a special experience we all had at Catalina. I also am on the board of Santa Barbara Chanelkeeper. They do an incredible job of keeping our off-shore waters in Santa Barbara pristine. My oldest daughter Hallie lives close by in Carpinteria with her husband Philip and they have three children. I am lucky enough to see Henry (7), and Annie and Sallie (5) nearly every day. They are so much fun! My daughter, Claire, is in Los Angeles, so I see a lot of her as well. My youngest, Robbie, is in the USMC reserves and just took a job in Austin, TX. Last year, I did two fun trips. One was to Egypt, which is fascinating! The second was to a cooking school in Sicily. Both places are well worth visiting. Big thank you to Meg for taking on this job (compiling class notes)! Tracy Burke Taylor: I am thriving in my new season of being solo after 21 years of marriage. I am grateful to God, my family, and friends who supported me through a difficult time and I am excited for my next chapter. I am still living in Valencia, CA, enjoying traveling to national parks, long-distance bike rides, painting, and writing music. I am celebrating 30 wonderful years in the beauty business in Hollywood, with 18 of those years at Anastasia in Beverly Hills as an esthetician/ eyebrow artist. It is an honor to work with such a visionary in the beauty industry and I cherish my devoted clients. My greatest joys are my daughter, Angela; her husband, Spencer; and my two grandsons, Austin and Beau. They are living

outside of Salt Lake City. Between visits, I have become a very good long-distance nana! I look forward to our next reunion! Mary McGuire Alessini: Our joy is our granddaughter, Natalia (2 1/2), who lives with us (as does Evelyn); and she is so much fun. She is not so great at shoveling all the snow we’ve had this season, but she sure is cute out there. (We are in the Salt Lake City area by the mouth of the Little Cottonwood.) Our family is good. Paul is with his parents right now for his mom’s 99th, and his dad is 103. We will both visit my mom (98) in April. We are getting to travel, and it is so much more fun to do it for leisure. Retirement is great! Right now, I am looking forward to spring! Cindy Biaggi-Gonzalez: I am retired after more than 30 years in education, having served as a classroom aide, teacher, and eventually as the principal/superintendent of our very small K-8 school district here in Manchester. That was quite an amazing experience as it entailed wearing many hats, from the custodian and substitute bus driver (needed to get a special license!) to a teacher of multiple grades, all while completing the duties of a superintendent/ principal. Never a dull moment! During that time, I also got married and had a beautiful daughter (23). I also enjoy working in my garden and taking photos. I think photography is the one constant in my life since I was about 12 and now I hope to be able to give it much more attention than the occasional wedding or quinceañera, and daily life documented over the years. Many wishes to you! Michele Bozzo Mahi: Happy to report that my husband, Lono, and I have settled in Southern California to be near our daughters and their families. What a difference between Northern California and Southern California. Life and destinations are always based on time in traffic. But, the best part of being here is that we have two awesome grandsons (5 and 9) and a sweet granddog nearby to visit often. Since leaving Fresh Express after 16 years, I am keeping busy recruiting in the agricultural industry. Take care and hope to be at the next reunion (50th)! Sarah Bryant: Striking a balance in this new normal is

tricky. Everything is fine, but I’m still feeling a bit shaky since Covid. All the zooming and listening to the radio and audiobooks during Covid, I folded more than 1,000 origami cranes. A Rotary colleague asked me what I was going to do with them when I was finished—she had lots of ideas when I hadn’t a plan. She’s since been instrumental in pulling me out of the dumps and has become a really good friend. She’s from Minnesota, where her parents settled after their incarceration in an internment camp during WWII. She settled on Bainbridge Island, where there was a significant Japanese-American community who were warmly welcomed back after the war. Their property was preserved and cared for by local residents. My friend started a DEI working group in our Rotary Cub, and I was the first person she asked to join the group. I’m very proud of that and have been involved in the Japanese-American Community (bijac.org) making crane mobiles and leading origami folding demos, etc., ever since. It’s a kind of full circle for me. My granddad looked after his Japanese-American neighbors’ property in Southern California during the war and also was a Rotarian, which I only recently learned. These connections mean a lot to me. Meg Laxalt Mackey: Thank you, Class of ’75, for sending in notes about your lives. How wonderful it has been to hear from you. For those who didn’t have the time or energy, we look forward to our next submission. We want to hear from you! As I reflect on my life, I can honestly point to my years at Santa Catalina as a rock-solid foundation. When life was shaking around me, it was a source of steadiness and support. Even though I was likely too young to realize it, this helped give me the strength I needed to get through many tough times, and the grace to recognize and celebrate many joys. Thanks to each of you for playing a huge part in that. I am fortunate to still be in

Tracy Burke Taylor ’75 with grandsons Austin and Beau

Mary McGuire Alessini ’75 with granddaughter Natalia

Meg Laxalt Mackey ’75 with daughter Erin

Boise, ID, where my husband Dennis and I share our home in the Boise foothills with our three dogs: Pintxo (Basque for “little bite” or tapa), Riley, and Finney. (My family calls Dennis “St. Francis” because he is always caring for dogs, wild birds, pigeons, and animals of all sorts.) My Studio M design business remains busy with many rewarding book design projects. I’m also in the middle of a great history project about an amazing Idaho printer and publisher at their almost 50-year mark. It will include a book, a traveling exhibit, and a workshop at Boise State University. Books are still the love of my life, from making them to helping others create theirs! My daughter, Erin (38), is in the Portland area, but she’s close enough to visit me (and sip a bit of wine when we’re together). She has collaborated with me as an illustrator on some books that I have designed, and we co-design wine/cider/vermouth labels for Sun Break Wines and Cider in Oregon. We missed three big trips to my Basque country homeland, Portugal, and Maine due to Covid but we will be able to enjoy the Rhine River and Amsterdam soon in honor of my grandmother who passed away one year ago at almost 104! I have not seen any of you in a long time, but I have been able to catch up at least a few times a year by email or text with Jeannie Jagels Vaughn and Liz Leach Jane Wilson Hanna and Dede Duoos Davis, we gotta up that game again! Invite remains open for any of you to connect by email, text, or phone, and if anyone wants to visit Boise, ID, please do! Otherwise, I am looking forward to seeing you at our 50th!

Margaret Ganz

itstartsat50@hotmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue! 77

Julie Power Pantiskas

juliepantiskas@gmail.com

Julie Power Pantiskas: In December, I ended up in Dallas, TX, for several weeks to assist my daughter, who had a brief illness. If you can’t spend your 39th wedding anniversary with your husband, who do you call? Jameen Wesson Jacoby, who was my maid-of-honor all those years ago. We had a blast catching up and talking about everything from Santa Catalina, family, and just life. Thank you, Jameen, for a priceless afternoon! I continue to stay busy with

my company, The Flavor of California Bob’s Big Boy Salad Dressing and Dip, as well as mentoring entrepreneurs at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering Start-up Garage in Marina del Rey. When not working, I am spending time with family and friends. Leslie Person Ryan: I am the CEO of the non-profit Sweet Wheel Summerland Farm. We are doing great work by educating and empowering the next generation of farmers while ensuring food security. I recently returned from an eco-farm conference in Pacific Grove. While in Monterey, I skipped lunch and went to visit Santa Catalina. It was great just to walk around the campus and drive into where all my old dorm rooms were! None of them are there anymore. They’re all offices! I stumbled into a great performance of Agatha Christie’s Murder on Orient Express and the campus was so beautiful! (Editor’s note: Make sure you look up Leslie the next time you are in the Santa Barbara area. Like most nonprofits, she could use a little help or share some Catalina Sister love.) Stephanie Leach Decker: Life is good! I continue to enjoy Reno-Lake Tahoe with my husband and two Goldendoodles. We welcomed our first granddaughter in Denver. This summer I am sponsoring a hiking event in Lake Tahoe on July 8 to raise funds to fight against human trafficking. Let me know if you want to join in the fun! Lorena Farias de la Garza: We’ve had a full year of excitement and great things in our family. In January my son, David, moved to Atlanta with his family, so we have been spending time there enjoying our grandchildren. Last March our third son, Diego, was married here in Monterrey, and in June our first granddaughter was born, after three baby boys. Also in June our youngest son, Damian, was married in Puerto Rico, and he is now living in Dallas with his beautiful wife. I spend most of my time visiting my kids and playing golf. This year is my 38th wedding anniversary and we are celebrating it on a cruise over Japan in April. I am very blessed because my mother is still with us at the young age of 94 years old! Hope Waterbury: I am spending time in sunny Florida working on renovations to my house. It’s

a long process as we are doing a lot ourselves, but love it. I am still working as a personal trainer and aquatic trainer in the summer, specializing in movement and working with older adults. On a sad note, my mother passed away in February. I lived with her and cared for her over the last three months. We were very close, and even more so after my dad passed 10 years ago. She was an amazing woman and I learned a lot from her! Amy Callery Davidson: I have happily retired from teaching at a private school in Pasadena, CA. Rob and I are enjoying time traveling and getting to spend lots of time with our three sons and two grandchildren, Theo and Olivia. It is an exciting new chapter in our lives. Jane Johnston: I just finished moving to Gunbower in country Victoria, Australia. Lots more to do to make it ours but I am enjoying working on it. Rupert is looking to retire this year, as all my work is remote these days. We are hopeful that we will start traveling around Australia. My daughter-in-law had a son to go along with our beautiful granddaughter and our daughter is due in May. I am delighted that our little family is growing! I pray that you are all in good health and are happy!

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Elizabeth Stelow liz@dinunzio.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

The Class of 1978 at Reunion 2023

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Deirdre Smith dsmith7123@ sbcglobal.net

Leeanne Chappell: I am back in school studying towards a master’s in counseling psychology. I’ll have my associate degree this summer and I hope to be an MFT in the future. Last spring I hiked Half Dome in Yosemite with my son, Stewart. Other than school, I moved back to Davis to be with my family. I’ve been painting a lot and love to find inspiring landscapes while on hikes around Marin. Any classmates that want to go hiking, please reach out. I’m in!

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Mindy Malisoff Baggett mbaggett@cox.net

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Kellen Flanigan kellen@kellenflanigan.com

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Meg Gibbons Bertero megbertero@gmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Susan Smith Nixon snixon@starbucks.com

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Dana DePuy Morgan danamorgan@mac.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Lil McDonald Manthoulis maria.manthoulis@gmail.com

Monica Stewart Baker moniker1963@aol.com

Julie Moore Delany julie@bushwire.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Krysia Belza

Susan Smith Nixon: We are enjoying the thriving city of Austin, TX! Audrey ’19 is studying at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL. Her concentration is motion design. This past summer she interned at Q2 in Austin contributing her talents with motion design. Winning awards, Audrey has truly found her passion in the niche field of art, animation, film, and music. I continue to lead the Starbucks team of downtown Austin. In

Leeanne Chappell ’79 with son Stewart The Class of 1983 at Reunion 2023

Susan Smith Nixon ’87 with daughter Audrey Nixon ’19

addition, I enjoy training for triathlons. I am most proud of qualifying for the World Championship 70.3 in St. George, UT, and was awarded All-World Athlete in the 2022 season. Carter Hachman Jackson: I can’t believe I’ve lived in London for 20 years now! In 2019, I moved from a medium-sized digital agency to WPP, the world’s largest holding company of marketing agencies, and I’m having a ball. It’s been a fun and steep learning curve on all things data and AI, not to mention politics. Jacko and I just went large on his 50th with a massive Après Ski blowout … in a yurt … complete with snow machines … in Battersea Park. Another recent highlight was the result of chatting with Kassie Thompson Brenot at Reunion about the global learning program at Santa Catalina. I connected her to my cousin, Amy Smith Ainscough ’94, whose daughter is at Downe House, a terrific all-girls boarding school in England, and off the back of that Catalina and Downe House are going to exchange students. Or maybe the real highlight was having Kassie stay with us on her way to Downe House, drinking champagne, putting the world to rights, and possibly ending the night on the dining room chairs belting out Piaf’s Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien at the top of our lungs. Illa Amerson: We’re still in the D.C. area. Adalyn (3) just moved up to the primary classroom at her Montessori school and is thoroughly enjoying it. The belly dance studio I dance with is finally back in performance mode. We’re doing our first big show since 2019 this April and I can’t wait to be back on stage again. Cristina Manuguerra Gage: I feel so blessed and grateful to have my daughter, Elisabeth, attend Catalina. It was fun watching her experience traditional Santa Catalina events as well as experience some new ones too! Hard to believe these four years whizzed

by—we have enjoyed the experience! I have always been proud to be an alumna, and I am so happy my daughter is one too!

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Jennifer Pratt

curgie615@earthlink.net

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Kim Meek

kmeekfi@gmail.com

Ninive Clements Calegari: I was thrilled to attend the wedding of the daughter of Francesca Cerisola this summer in France. Francesca and all her four children are well. I am still the CEO of Enterprise for Youth, where we offer training and paid internships to Bay Area youth. We are especially proud of our Climate Career Corps where we provide green skills training and experiences and exposure to green professions. Also, the Teacher Salary Project co-authored legislation, and the American Teacher Act was released in Congress this February. If passed, the legislation would provide a ramp for states to raise their minimum teacher salary to $60,000. Nínive Carmen is a freshman at Middlebury and JeanPaul is a freshman in high school. Thankfully, both are healthy and engaged in their favorite activities. Rebecca Khamneipur Morrison: I have continued to write and be published on a national level. I wrote a piece in Newsweek this past March about the Oscars—how growing up in Iran, my American movies broadened her view of what was possible for a young Iranian girl “who had never seen beyond her corner of

the world, where ideas of female equality and empowerment were far from reality.” (Editors’ note: Her writings are beautiful, vulnerable, and relevant.) Last summer Bridget Callaghan Zaro, Kim Rudas Goerlitz and I had a few get-away weekends together! One up in Bainbridge Island where our families come together each summer. It has become a beautiful tradition we all look forward to each year. I (Kim Meek) also had a chance to have a getaway weekend with Rebecca Khamneipur Morrison this past year. We laughed and laughed and laughed. I made sure we jumped in her pool at 7:00 a.m. each day just to get the blood pumping. Life for me has been busy with my work as a financial consultant and with Hadley’s kindergarten year. There has been lots of school engagement and volunteering time, but what a gift. Summer for us will be filled with work of course, but also family vacation time in Tahoe, Hawaii, and to our favorite weekend destination, Tinsley Island. Sarah Clark Woolf ’s kiddos are spread out from Ole Miss to Cal Poly and Stevenson. Sarah is still blowing my mind with her impressive career in politics, and flying her plane. She is living life to the fullest. Mo Duflock Bernal: My oldest daughter, Quinn, was married this past summer. We had an amazing celebration in Cabo San Lucas.

Cristina Manuguerra Gage ’87 with daughter Elisabeth ’22

Illa Amerson ’87 and family

The Class of 1988 at Reunion 2023

Members of the Class of 1989: Rebecca Khamneipur Morrison, Bridget Callaghan Zaro, and Kim Rudas Goerlitz

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Sarah Lewis Boyle boyledesign831@gmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Amy Bacon Clausing amyclausing@me.com

Bernadette Lussier: I moved back to San Francisco in 2019 after 20 years supporting the automotive industry. I work with start-up companies as they scale to production. Would love to get together with our classmates in the area. Monica Duflock : Well, the only year that all three boys were together in high school is winding down and we are celebrating Carter going off to SMU in the fall! He is so excited for his next adventure and selfishly I could not be more thrilled as I am in Fort Worth, right down the road, a great deal for equine competitions. Now it’s back to the grind of college tours and applications as Colby finishes up his junior year and starts looking ahead. Touring colleges and feeling the energy on campuses has been so much fun! My youngest, Conrad, is finishing his freshman year and has been loving skiing as much as possible this winter. This past April, while I was in Mexico for my niece’s wedding, I saw Veronica Jimenez who was at school with us freshman and sophomore year. It was so great to see her and her husband—my cheeks were sore from laughing so much! I am still competing in the reined cow horse events, which take me across most of Texas and everywhere in between here and there. I have not been able to compete as much the last year or two, but I started breeding my mare, and having babies every spring has been a blast! I try to get to the ranch as much as possible to spend time with my mom. As she has gotten older she has handed off more ranch responsibilities to my siblings and I and that has been a great place for us to put our energies. In November, my mom and I were on campus and spent the afternoon with Sisters Claire and Christine. It was so great to catch up with both of them and reminisce. In February, I enjoyed an evening in San Francisco getting to meet the new head of school and visiting with other alums. It was a great Catalina evening and I very much enjoyed meeting Barbara Ostos and being able to experience all of her energy. As one would expect, Catalina is continuing to move in a great direction! Amy Bacon Clausing: I continue to live in San Mateo with my husband, Paul; son,

PJ (14); golden retriever, Toby (13); and beagle, Winston (9). I’ve been working at a start-up, qualified, for two years. I run our event program which has been a lot of work, but a blast. In June, PJ graduates from 8th grade, and just like that I’ll have a high schooler. It’s so hard to believe! This year, I have been able to see Cammie Calcagno Newell, Ali Morey Garrett, Amanda Hennigan Mansour, Monica Duflock , and Hilary Meek . In August, we all went to Missoula, MT, to celebrate the life of the one and only Kathe Calcagno. It was wonderful to be together as a group to support our dear friend Cammie and celebrate her incredible mom. In January, Monica and I celebrated Ali's birthday in San Francisco. Also in January, Ali, Amanda, and I were in Santa Barbara to celebrate Cammie's birthday. Getting together with my dearest friends is soul-nourishing and I’m grateful for every moment with them.

Amy Paulsen apindc@yahoo.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

Catherine MacDonald Christian cchristian75@me.com

Members of the Class of 1991 enjoying time together: Hilary Meek, Cynthia Kitchel, Amy Bacon Clausing, Cammie Calcagno Newell, Alison Morey Garrett, Amanda Hennigan Mansour, Monica Duflock, and Daphne Demas Ghriskey

Hello, Class of 1993! I’m excited to be moonlighting as the class secretary this time around. Although I know many of us will have caught up in person at our reunion by the time of publication, many of us remain in far-flung locations with busy and interesting lives. Without further ado, here are the highlights of where we are and what we’re doing! Sarah Folger Kilmain: I am back teaching second grade full-time and am loving it! My children are star athletes on the slopes. My daughter, Morgan, graduated last year from high school and is taking a gap year to see how she does on the “freeride world tour.” Son Jack is a sophomore who also competes in the big mountain. Madeline Daniels Rienecker: I am managing my family property in Monterey. I’m also an indoor cycle/spin instructor. My marine biologist husband, Erich, and I celebrate our 19th anniversary this year. My son, David (21), works in the robotics department of the Door Dash labs in SF, building delivery robots, and he continues to play water polo and study engineering. My daughter, Della (14), is finishing eighth grade. Della is 6’1” and a great volleyball player. When I have downtime, I love traveling through Europe or going to Burning Man. Kelly Neary Djokovic: Stacy Henderson Faber Mellon is arriving for a

The Class of 1993 at Reunion 2023

visit in just a few days, to spend the week skiing with me in Colorado. A week with your bestie and mountain air is always good for the soul. My godson, (Stacy's son, Chandler) is coming to visit the week after the reunion, and my husband, Milos, and I are excited to be his spring break destination. We’re just finishing up a major remodel on our home, which is south of Denver, so if anyone is in the area, look me up and come say hi so we’ve got an excuse to entertain in our new outdoor kitchen!

Stacy Henderson Faber Mellon: I just built a cute house in downtown Alpharetta, GA, and I am a senior enterprise account manager for an IT consulting firm and serve on the board of two IT networking organizations (I promise it’s actually a lot of fun!). My son, Chandler (22), is a senior at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) and will be graduating in May. He will serve as an officer in the Army and will attend the police academy, working towards placement as a U.S. Marshall. My daughter, Hannah Jane (17), is a junior in high school. She hopes to attend Ole Miss (The University of Mississippi) and major in interior design. Amy Allina-Chambers: I am one busy lady, between my family (husband, teen, and stepson) and my career in public service. My home is full of love and I am finding joy in life. My current work is in a program to increase equity and inclusion. If anyone is educationally inclined, feel free to ask for details, as I would love to share. Kimberly Roberts Gnagy: I missed Reunion for a good reason—I moved to Oregon the week before! I sincerely hope this will be our last move for a while. My son, Cooper (3), is full of energy. I still run the Lodge in Alaska every summer, which keeps me busy. Christine Griffin Young: After 11 years in Oslo, Norway, our family moved to Boulder, CO, in 2021. It was an adjustment, especially for James (13) and Charlotte (16), but we’re settled in and enjoying how much easier it is to see family and friends these days. I am studying at the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver, and love it. I would love to hear from anyone who lives in the area and wants to meet up! Andy Riegel Smith: I ran the Spooner’s Cove Trail Race for the first time (13k up to the top of Valencia Peak and back down) and I’ve run a 5k every single week of 2023 so far! I work in the chemistry department at College of

the Sequoias, molding the scientific minds of the next generation. My family and I have recently traveled to Yosemite and Hawaii, and have trips to Alaska and New York City upcoming. I am a theater mom with a very talented pre-teen daughter, and in the support of said child, I will miss our reunion. Corinne Quinn: I will graduate with my Doctorate in Chiropractic (D.C.) from Life Chiropractic College West in Hayward, CA, in June 2023! After graduation, I will enter another doctor’s practice as an associate with a long-term goal of opening my own chiropractic clinic in my hometown of Vallejo, CA. I feel blessed to be able to complete my advanced degree with the support and encouragement of many, including my parents who are cheering me on from above. Cedra Ginsburg Goldman: I am living in Denver with my husband, Doug, and our two sons, Collin (15) and Bryce (11). I have had my own architecture consulting business for 12 years and am currently pursuing my doctorate degree in the field of public health. I am looking forward to the future and all the exciting changes it will bring. Maighdlin Pope Anderson: I have been an acute care NP in critical care for a long time and started teaching acute care NPs at the University of Pittsburgh three years ago. Recently I also took on the role of director of the adult-gerontology acute care NP program. I love teaching but not administrating so I’m trying to steer back toward the teaching side of things. What I absolutely love is learning about disaster and wilderness medicine. I am on call for DMAT (federal response team) and working towards a fellowship in the Wilderness Medical Society. I went to Nepal last fall with the WMS to trek and also to be at the hospital opening for a rural hospital that WMS helped sponsor and build. I met a ton of people who want to do what I want to do travel, practice medicine, climb mountains and have become involved in some very cool projects. One that I am particularly excited about is working with the non-profit Musa Masala to help create a support system for several rural Nepali nursing students who received a scholarship for school from Musa Masala. There are so many interesting people within and outside of Nepal working to uplift and support professional nursing in the country and it’s a great thing to start to be a part of. Also working on a grant to test for mountain sickness at Everest Base Camp which would be a fun project too. I do search and rescue too, on the board of directors for my team. Lately working on ideas of how to practice, rather than theoretically, increase racial and SES diversity in our team and better represent the Pittsburgh community as a whole. Someday I hope to do rural medicine ED jobs in Alaska and Montana. Aside from my fascinating work, I also have my lovely family. Lyra (13) is involved in typical 13-year-old shenanigans. Quin is in Tucson with his partner, moving back to Philadelphia in the summer. Aeryn is in college learning that sometimes you have to teach yourself all the things and that friends make the world go around. Lyssa Lord Ellis: After the tragic passing of my husband, my children and I are focusing on honoring the amazing person that Jason was by moving his love

forward and out. Recent adventures in the Ellis family include an overnight stay for me and my daughter on the USS New Jersey—the famed WWII battleship that also served in Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, and the Persian Gulf. Our dorms at Catalina were light-years better than those bunks! My oldest son recently got his driver’s license and will be able to drive himself to his summer lifeguarding job. My eighth-grader is playing lacrosse and is involved in the school play. And my sixth-grader’s robotics team just earned a place at the World Championship! We also found out this summer that our dog has allergies. To everything. Whoever heard of a dog being allergic to (among many other things) pollen, trees, and grass? Grass! The DOG is allergic to GRASS. I still can’t quite understand it! So he is now getting immunotherapy because that’s a thing you can do now. Catherine MacDonald Christian: My husband, Tony, and I recently celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. Our daughter Corinne (20) is a pre-med student at Willamette University. She hopes to attend medical school in Italy next year. Our daughter, Isabelle (17) is homeschooled and is a junior in high school. I recently began a new job as the director of facilities for a start-up concierge primary care chain. I’m excited because our focus is on making healthcare affordable and revolutionizing the way it’s delivered. I will absolutely talk your ear off about it if anyone would like more details. Anyhow, I’m in charge of sourcing new real estate locations, managing the construction of new clinics, and maintaining existing ones. It feels great to be working in a field I’ve been ranting about forever. I never would have thought that with a construction management background, I’d ever be able to be involved in making affordable healthcare a reality. I love feeling excited to get up and go to work in the morning! Aside from work and family, I take a girls’ trip to Disneyland every fall with friends, and if any Catalina friends want to jump on board with this awesome tradition, let me know because a little Disney and girlfriend time is good for the soul!

The Class of 1994 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf Dillon ’08, Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

Stacy Henderson Faber Mellon ’93 with her children

Catie Ryan Balagtas

catieryan@gmail.com

Catie Ryan Balagtas: In this last year, I unexpectedly became the first woman to ascend the second tallest building in the world—it’s certainly a surreal experience to stand atop a spire at 2,227 feet and look straight down to the street. Also for the first time (since Catalina), I’ve become a runner—also a bit surreal. I speak with Chelsea Shofner Dow on a regular basis and I’ve had the great fortune of meeting up with Leah Kinsella and Danielle Huthart for some quality time in nature, reminiscing Catalina days, contemplating landscapes, and watching bald eagles at Danielle’s farmstead. Next up, I am looking forward to spending more time with my husband, Charlie, at our farm and doing what we can to bring sustainable development practices to the provinces and coastal regions of the Philippines. Chrissy Barnett Miller: My family and I are now back in the States after spending seven years living overseas in Okinawa, Japan. My husband is back working for the Navy in D.C. and I’m an associate producer working for a PBS station, Maryland Public Television. We are back living in the D.C. area and experiencing a bit of culture shock after being away for so long. Our two girls (7 and 10) are doing well and adjusting to life in the States. Recently, we took a trip to NYC and were able to catch up with Megan Heister which was great as we hadn’t seen each other in some time. We look forward to traveling around the U.S. as well as reconnecting with family and friends we haven’t seen in a while. Chelsea Shofner Dow: I have been busy raising my four teens in Colorado. It is definitely an extreme sport that I haven’t quite mastered. Next year, my oldest will attend college and I can hardly believe I have an adult child. When not engaged in family duties, I love working in my art studio and hanging out with our many pets as well as enjoying the beautiful outdoor landscape. I hope everyone is healthy and happy! Dian Krishna Elias: I’ve finally passed my first

Dan grading in Kendo after six years! Traveling quite a fair bit this year to Japan and Australia. Finally, I get to reunite with people I haven’t seen in years! Here’s to a chance to visit America again. Caroline Barkan Wilkinson: My husband Bary, myself, and our three kids Parker (18), Drew (17), and Sophia (13) continue living in San Francisco. Crazy to think that we have one off to college next year with the second one right behind. Then even scarier our “baby” is going into eighth grade. It feels like a lot of transition in this phase of life, but it is so wonderful to watch them grow and get their own lives launched. Bary is still in tech and I (with the help of the family) have been raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. It is a lot of work (adorable work) and incredibly rewarding. We have gotten to know a lot of the clients that receive the dogs and it makes all of the hard work and giving the dog back after a year worth it. I hope that everyone is doing well and I hope to see some or all of you at some point soon! Danielle Huthart: It’s been eight years since I moved to NYC from Hong Kong, and six years since launching HALO Hydration with my co-founders. Our electrolyte drink is now stocked online and in Walmart! I also became a certified functional health and wellness coach in 2022 and recently sat for my board exams. I’ve seen Valerie O’Halloran ’96 on a few occasions, had coffee with Meg Heister, and also spent a weekend with Leah Kinsella and Catie Ryan Balagtas at our farmhouse upstate in Accord! Sending my Catalina sisters so much love. Jennifer Cryan-Ugalde: Last year was probably one of the most difficult years of my life, but by September things started to pick up when I received a temp promotion as a USFS utility forester to keep our fastest pace and scale and newest developed forestry protection project going on USFS land. I oversaw a massive Liberty Utility Co. infrastructure improvement project to the resilience corridor for safety, and to protect the Lake Tahoe Basin’s California side from forest fire due to power line damage. When the permanent position becomes available, I’ll be going for it. Wish me luck! Additionally, we endured the largest winter snowfall on record since 1952! I’ve mastered skiing, now my second ski sport discipline, after

my first, of course, snowboarding. Despite the upset from several caved roofs and other massive challenges we faced all winter, I am proud to say I had the best time in 22 years in Lake Tahoe, and love what the joy of mountain living has offered me. Leah Kinsella: I am living in New Jersey with my husband and son (2). Motherhood is fulfilling and a whirlwind. I still teach meditation and have proudly self-published The Pregnancy Deck. If anyone is in the New Jersey area look me up!

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Jenny Noble

jnoble78@hotmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Morgan Rogers McMillan

morganrogersmcmillan@gmail.com

Angelique Cabral Osborn: I live in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles with my husband, Jason, and kiddos, Adelaide (5) and Aiden (3). Most recently I starred in Big Sky (season three) on ABC and Maggie on Hulu. But the work my kids are most excited about is my DreamWorks cartoon called Dragons: The Nine Realms (on Peacock and Hulu) and the Disney animated feature I’m costarring in (but technically can’t talk about yet except to say it’s premiering this Thanksgiving). Lisa Walgenbach Cornehl: I am living in Manhattan Beach, CA, and have two boys, Carter (12) and Harrison (10). I am the chief legal officer at First American Financial in Orange County and the boys are very active in multiple sports so I spend a lot of time running all over Southern California to work, a field, or a court! My oldest son is excelling at tennis and won his first tournament so I have officially become a tennis mom! Ash Ferlito: I live with my partner and two dogs in Ithaca, NY; we let the snapping turtle go. In addition to my studio-based art practice, I have three ongoing collaborative projects: a bird club for artists (but open to all) that I co-founded through the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture with online talks and in-person events; an experimental rewilding garden project transforming a monoculture turf lawn into a diverse and exciting habit for insects and animals; and Moth Ball, an annual midsummer celebration of the creatures of the night—equal parts pageant and citizen science project. I miss California! Angela Iwafuchi Jung: I have been fortunate to live in Millbrae, CA, for the past 14 years with my husband, two sons (Logan, 9; Lucas, 7), and puppy, Maverick. After 17 years working at Wells Fargo, I accepted

Catie Ryan Balagtas ’95 with classmates Leah Kinsella and Danielle Huthart in New York

Caroline Barkan Wilkinson ’95 with her family

a position to work for Fifth Third Bank in January 2020. I was able to attend my first Catalina alumnae reunion last year and was so happy that I did (Reunion usually happens on my son’s birthday)! Jessica Wong and I have been meeting every so often but recently have been running into each other at basketball tournaments for our kids. Jessica Wong: Life has been crazy. As an OB/ GYN with PAMF/Stanford, I wasn’t able to work remotely while the kids were home during Covid. Thankfully Dietrich (my high school sweetheart) managed everything, and both kids, Bryce (10) and Elina (8), are now miniature versions of him: sneakerheads, rock climbers, and basketball players. We were fortunate enough to have family close by and formed many memories with our multigenerational family, including our 105-yearold grandmother. Jasmin Reate: I’m back at Conde Nast working on custom-branded content and, of course, event production. I’m grateful that I can do my job remotely from Carmel! I love when so many of our classmates come to visit. Last fall I ran into Stephanie Melo DaSilva in the PAC for the opening night of The Little Mermaid ! Mary Hodgins: I finally left Washington, D.C. after 20 years and moved to Seacoast, NH, with my family. It has been a great change and we love living close to the ocean and the mountains. We would love visitors anytime. Stacey Robbins Jordan: I still reside with my family in Manhattan. This past fall my littlest, Bryce, joined big brother Dylan and big sister Riley at the Academy of St. Joseph in NYC for PreK. We spent Christmas with Aunt Kelly Robbins Huddleston ’99 and our parents, Bill and Joanne, in Tahoe and are super excited to hit the slopes together again next year! Whitney White Perkins: Hey, Class of ’97 and all my Catalina sisters! I miss you more than you’ll ever know. I’m still living in New Orleans but moved to a new home in 2020 just outside of the center. We joke that we bought a tree and a house came with it—ha! We are on the river and love seeing the ships go by. During Covid, we’d take our daughter, Amelia, over the levee to hunt for pirate treasure. Barrett (2) and

Amelia (7) are the best of friends! Mardi Gras has just passed. Each year we love attending the parades. This is not your Bourbon Street nonsense. It’s a family affair that lasts weeks! Since having children we have included them in the experience and it always proves to be the "best day ever." Now, during Lent, the whole city will behave tamely until Easter and even the restaurants will offer seafood specials on Fridays. I’m working as a Realtor with McEnery Residential and continue to host family-friendly walks/events in the community. My husband, Jonathan, works in film and enjoys day trading. Please know that you, your family, and your friends are always invited to visit. We can’t wait to see you!

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Natalia Woodhall Chappelow

nataliawoodhall@yahoo.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

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Laura Stenovec

laurastenovec@gmail.com

Natalie Burke Hayes: We moved back to the U.S. from Korea last summer and live in Chevy Chase, MD. I am loving living here. It’s been a fun year of exploring Rock Creek Park and all of the wonderful museums and restaurants in D.C. Our son, Charlie (2), runs our household. Life is busy but full. Ariana Ebrahimian: I officially bought the dental practice from my father in April, although it will still be quite a while before he’s

ready to retire, which is fine by me! Working with my parents is the best part of the job. My sister, Elena Ebrahimian ’04, made me an auntie again with the birth of her second baby in February. I was invited to join the Scientific Advisory Board for Biocidin Botanicals this year and have enjoyed speaking for them and consulting on all things oral microbiome/functional dentistry related. And saving the best for last, frequent visits with Gina Anderson this year have kept me laughing and wishing she lived closer. Claudia de la Fuente: After more than six years in Cambodia, my kids and I moved to Geneva in August 2022. I am still working at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, covering several countries in the Europe and Central Asia region. We are enjoying the lake and parks and the kids even get to go skiing during the school day! Elizabeth Poett-Campbell: I am going into the fourth season of my cooking show, Ranch to Table, on HBO, Discovery, and Magnolia Network. I am super excited about my cookbook that comes out in October 2023 and I am looking forward to hanging out with some Catalina ladies this summer! Christina-Lauren Pollack : My lifestyle blog, Inspirations and Celebrations, which I started in 2011 is now syndicated on MSN.com. I launched an Etsy shop in April 2022 called IC Lifestyle Images, which has been selling my photography prints to customers around the world, was featured on Brides.com, and I recently received Etsy’s Star Seller badge. In November 2022, I partnered with a leading VC-backed technology company to launch my own branded women’s apparel rental subscription service called FashionForwardBox.com, which is now helping women across the U.S. to elevate their style on a budget. And, finally, I’m now the executive vice president of my family’s company, Creative Balloons Manufacturing Inc, which is now selling party decorating products nationally and internationally in Walmart and other retail chains. Work aside, I adopted an adorable puppy named Kingsley, and am helping my brother and his fiancée plan their upcoming wedding in Tuscany. So, life has been busy and fun! Lili Romero: I’m getting divorced after seven years of marriage and 15 years together, which is giving me a whole new lease on life. Everyone should try it! I moved into the bottom unit of a duplex where my two girls, Itzel and Mayahuel (Maya), and I live. My sister, Marisol Romero ’03, lives on the top. I have been hanging out with Brynn Hatton while she is on sabbatical this year in Los Angeles and I am trying to make her live here forever. Soli and I became tias again because Kai Romero ’01 had her third baby in January 2023. He is adorable just like his two siblings and parents! Ali Schneider: Last year was a busy year. I have been running a small immigration law firm, Meadowlark Immigration PC, in Portland, OR, for eight years. My husband, Chris, and I married in October 2022. I was very lucky to have fellow Catalinans Anne White, Lindsay McDonald Stalowy, and Lindsey Morse ’98 celebrate with us. They even had the whole wedding party serenade us in Catalina style with a rendition of “Sweet Caroline” by changing the lyrics to “Sweet Chris and Ali.” They brought the house down!

The Class of 1998 at Reunion 2023

Kate Fagan

katepfagan@gmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

Kai Romero

kai.romero@gmail.com

Kai Romero: We welcomed our son, Miguel, in January. Older sibs Leonora (4) and Diego (6) are pumped!

Kelsey Hodgins Diver

hodginskelsey301@gmail.com

Alex Sutty

alex.sutty@gmail.com

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 summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

Kelsey Hodgins Diver: I am living in Massachusetts with my husband, Dennis, and two kids, Margaret (3 ½) and Robert (2). I am currently working on continuing my education in early childhood education. I spend what little free time I have catching up with Monica Johnson Steiner as well as visiting my sister, Mary Hodgins ’97, and my niece and nephew. Kristen Kitaji: I just launched my new real estate brokerage in Carmel called IKONIK Realty. I love helping my clients find and sell their dream homes and I am excited about this next chapter in my career. I reside in Carmel with my husband, Bobby; our two children, James (7) and Mila (5); our two French bulldogs, Bubba and Wilson; and our Bengal cat, Loki. Rosie Brabeck Commons: I am living in Monterey County with my husband and two boys and working as an occupational therapist for a local school district. On my time off, I enjoy seeing Kate Smith for local hikes. We always love family adventures with Amy Swanson Spano and family and Katie Tugend Lehner and crew. Justine Sterling: I celebrated one year in Los Angeles and gave birth to the latest (and final) member of my family, Felix. His big brother, Calvin, is thrilled. His dad, Mike, is also very happy about it. I continue to taste food and write about it for a living as the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I implore you to please visit sporked. com for all your food recommendation needs. In particular, I want you to try Motor City Pizza—the best frozen pizza out there, and Talenti raspberry cheesecake gelato, and Spiked Spindrift half and half. Ok, I’m done now. Priscilla McCarthy Barolo: I have settled into life in Carmel with my husband, Joe, and sons, Owen (6) and Aidan (3), who are complete handfuls but very cute. I left my role at Zoom last April and have since started my own strategic communications

consulting business. I am enjoying getting more time with my kids while learning a lot of new skills in my new role. I loved catching up with Alex Sutty, Justine Sterling, Stephanie Wai, and Gaby Asmus Raila in Los Angeles for a ladies’ weekend last fall (where we totally fit in at Club Underground, the Gen Z hip-hop nightclub we visited) and have the pleasure of seeing Sara de Bretteville Tiedeman most days for our nanny share drop off! Alex Sutty: I still live in Newport Beach, CA, with my husband and two children, Christoper (4 ½) and Alexander (2). We spend a lot of time playing soccer, scootering, battling invisible aliens, and playing at the beach. My parents and sister (Anika Sutty ’07) live nearby, and we see them often. As such, their grandpa has become their favorite person to hang out with. I recently switched roles to product manager at Zuora and am loving it. I very much look forward to catching up with those able to make it to our 20-year reunion! Sabine Korting Carl: I still live in Bonn, Germany, but now have another reason to regularly visit the States as my sister, Christina Korting McGranaghan ’05, welcomed her first daughter in 2022. Soli Romero: I’ve spent the last six months working on a big studio feature in Sydney, and trying to sneak out to other parts of Australia when the schedule allows. I spent Christmas in New Zealand and am currently trying to decide if I should ride some camels in Broome in a few weeks’ time. Other than that, I’ve been writing a lot (I made it to the second round of the Warner Brothers fellowship this year), and FaceTiming with my brand-new nephew, Miguel. Gwendolyn Roberts Bright: I’m homeschooling the kiddos, hosting a weekly half-day nature-based playgroup and a monthly new moon fire circle, and taking doula clients again for the first time since pre-Covid for out-of-hospital birth only. My spouse is between jobs and we’re unfortunately very stuck in Charlottesville. I’m looking forward to spring and a second year of growing food on the land where I’m learning a lot about invasive plant removal and restoration of native habitat, trying to keep the eco-anxiety at bay. Annijke Wade: I currently live in the Monterey Bay area with my partner, Clayton, and our two dogs. I work in geospatial technology—satellites and data on the

Miguel, son of Kai Romero ’01

The Class of 2003 at Reunion 2023

business and customer-facing side. Outside of my professional life, I am a professionally sponsored athlete; mountain biking is my main sport. In 2021, I experienced a life-altering mountain biking accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury, and am a full-time wheelchair user. Since my accident, I have been able to continue my professional sports career as an adaptive mountain biker. I serve on a board and am a member of a few organizations that are focused on increasing opportunities for BIPOC and disabled athletes. I look forward to growing my professional career, mentoring folks who have experienced life-changing injuries, and bringing awareness to both BIPOC and para/ adaptive athletes.

Katie Fruzynski

katie.fruzynski@gmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

Madeline Callander

madeline.callander@gmail.com

Shannon McKenna: I was married in February of this year in Southern California. I was happy to celebrate with Lauren Vice, Holly Adams Easley, and Kelsy Avalos-Feehan, and sad that Miyabi Yu Leu and Michelle Balch couldn’t make it but am very much looking forward to meeting their new baby girls! My husband and I went to college together but didn’t officially meet until 10 years after we graduated through some mutual friends. It’s important to keep those school friendships alive! We live in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles and would love to see anyone in

the area. As I write this, I am looking forward to seeing Christine Chiu for the first time in several years in a few weeks as she passes through L.A.! Eliza Hussman Gaines: I was promoted to publisher of WEHCO Media, Inc. in January 2023. My husband and I welcomed our fourth child in March 2022. Jaclyn Applegate Wylde: It’s an exciting 2023! In February, I married my wonderful bride, Lilah, at a small San Francisco City Hall wedding. We joke that it was the most intentional shotgun wedding as our first child, Cecilia Rose, arrived in April. It’s a big year for the new Wylde family!

The Class of 2006 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf Dillon ’08, Assistant Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way. We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

Natalie Kocekian

nkocek@gmail.com

It was so wonderful to catch up with everyone who joined our 15-year reunion last year! I (Natalie Kocekian) am still living in the greater Los Angeles area since 2020 and recently started a new position at YouTube TV in 2023. I’m lucky to be living close to other class members Kelley Trapp and Madeline Aiello! Kaycie Gillette: I was lucky to see a few Catalina girls in 2022, with multiple visits with Eleana Collins (still BFFs!) and seeing Abby Woodward in NYC and meeting her adorable kids. Abby and her husband also welcomed a little girl in August, Avery Jordan. She’s working at the venture arm of a large company in D.C. Please reach out if you’re ever in the D.C. area! Would love to catch up with classmates. Kate Holcomb Walker: Our family purchased our first home and moved to Conroe, TX, and we are loving it so far! Kate Carrubba: Our family relocated to Marina, CA, in early March to a house we discovered when we were in the area for last year’s reunion. I’d love to reconnect with anyone in the area outside of the 5-year reunion timeline!

Shannon McKenna ’05 at her wedding with classmates Holly Adams Easley and Lauren Vice, and other guests

Eliza Hussman Gaines ’05 and family

Jaclyn Applegate Wylde ’05 with her spouse Lilah on their wedding day

Kaycie Gillette ’07 holding the daughter of Abby Woodward ’07

08

Shannon Gaughf Dillon slgaughf@gmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

09

Mary Bolt mar.e.bolt@gmail.com

Megan McCaffrey mccaffrey.mf@gmail.com 10

Maeko Bradshaw maeko.bradshaw@gmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

11

Kelsey Player kelsey.player93@gmail.com

Kelsey Riordan

kelseyriordan11@aol.com

Taylor Griffon: I moved to Alexandria, VA, in January of 2022 for a promotion at work. I am now the budget justification program manager for the military construction program at NAVFAC HQ. I love my new job and love living in Alexandria. I was engaged in December 2022 to Gary Bair; we’ve been together for a little over three years and I couldn’t be happier. We will tie the knot in March of 2024 in Hilton Head, SC. Recently, I have seen Kelsey Player while she has been traveling for work and Kyra Morrissey visited in April! I am looking forward to our 15-year reunion in 2026!

Christina Quisno

: After two years in Switzerland with Nestlé, I have relocated to Bentonville, AR, to lead the Nestlé sales finance team supporting Walmart, Inc. I am enjoying meeting a new community of people and working alongside the top global retailer. I continue to enjoy traveling to new places both in the USA and beyond. Rae Gregory: After teaching at Stratford School for four years, I accepted a first-grade teaching position at The Hamlin School in San Francisco. I also earned my Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential! During my school breaks, I enjoy teaching swim lessons and tutoring. San Francisco continues to be a great place to reconnect with my Catalina classmates: Kyra Morrissey is my roommate again; Kelsey Player recently moved to the City, and we are attending the wedding of Natalia Fernandez Madero in Mexico in June; and I am a bridesmaid in the wedding of Kelsey Green ’13 at Catalina this August! Kristina Flathers Ferraro In April I gave birth to our little cuddlebug daughter, Audrey. We’re so in love! Otherwise I am still working at Notre Dame.

12

Katharine Garcia

katharine.garcia8@yahoo.com

Chloe Dlott

ccdlott@gmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue! 13

Caitlin Dullanty caitlindullanty@gmail.com

Annie Haueter

anniehaueter@gmail.com

The Class of 2008 at Reunion 2023 Taylor Griffon ’11 with fiancé Gary

Audrey, daughter of Kristina Flathers Ferraro ’11

The Classes of 2013 and 2018 at Reunion 2023

14

Kylie Moses kyliemoses14@gmail.com

Emma Russell emmarussell@yahoo.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

15

Julia Clark julicclark09@gmail.com

Mackenzie Fisher kenzieayn7@gmail.com

16

The Class of 2016 is without a class correspondent. Please contact Shannon Gaughf Dillon ’08, Director of Alumnae/i Engagement, to volunteer to serve your class in this meaningful way.

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

17

Annarose Hunt

annarosyrosy@gmail.com

Annarose Hunt: I just graduated from The New School with my BFA in dramatic arts and I’m working off-Broadway at the SoHo Playhouse here in New York. I have an adorable studio in

Brooklyn and my cat, Sealey, and I are doing great! Lucy Yu: I am humbled and blessed to live my best life in Los Angeles! The majority of my day consists of assisting the president of Lucasfilm, but once the work day is over, I enjoy going to Disneyland with co-workers and trying new restaurants around LA with my best friends.

18

Sylvan Free sylvanfree@gmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

Kacey Konya konya@usc.edu

Molly Gilbert: I was delighted to have the opportunity to study the culture and coral reefs in Sri Lanka in January 2023; this experience was a wonderful supplement to my Great Books studies which constitute my major at Saint Mary's College of California. I also had the privilege to perform with our chamber choir in Puerto Rico in 2022. Outside of academia, I continue to run my own freelance digital illustration, concept art, and content creation business. I have worked as a customer success manager for a startup tech company and am the executive commissioner for my college's honors program. Next year, I will be furthering my education in the UK by pursuing a master's in philosophy! Emily Poole: Hey y’all! As a theatre production and design student at Ithaca College, I’m almost finished getting my BFA in lighting, costume design, and technology. I’m finishing up my junior year of college studying abroad in London which has been immensely exciting for many reasons including my newfound proximity to fabulous croissants. Come this summer, I’ll be working as a lighting apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera, which I’m super pumped about. I miss you all and hope life is treating you with kindness. Kacey Konya: It is hard to believe that my time as a USC Trojan is coming to an end. This May, I will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, an emphasis in risk management, and a minor in applied analytics. After graduation and a fantastic internship last summer, I am thrilled to join Deloitte full-time as a cyber and strategic risk analyst in the Los Angeles office. As always, I am incredibly grateful for my Santa Catalina foundation and the support I have felt from the community every step of the way. Fight on!

Taylor Ford

tnford@usc.edu

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue!

Dylan Barry-Schoen dbschoen25@gmail.com

Sutton Pinkus

suttonpinkus@gmail.com

Georgia Meyer

georgiameyer325@gmail.com

We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter. Look for your class notes in the winter issue! 23

Charlotte Juge cpjuge@gmail.com

COMMUNITY TRANSITIONS

Alumnae

Marriages

Ali Schneider ’99 to Chris Woods

Jaclyn Applegate ’05 to Lilah Sutphen

Hakela Felton ’14 to Eric Hapner

Births and Adoptions

Kai Romero ’01, son Miguel

Justine Sterling ’03, son Felix

Kendall Hoxsey-Onysko ’04, son Jack

Jaclyn Applegate Wylde ’05, daughter Cecelia

Lexi Daurenheim Lynch ’07, daughter Junalie

Kelley Trapp ’07, son Arlo

Abby Woodward ’07, daughter Avery

Anastacia Calciano Thomas ’08, son Anthony

Andrea Whipple-Samuel ’08, daughter Ellie

M.J. Foletta Fehlhaber ’12, daughter Magnolia

In Memory

Anne Hicks Kimball ’56 on the death of her husband

The family of Weezie Grant Garland ’59

The family of Vicki MacLean Gourlay ’67

Carolyn Layton Garner-Reagan ’67 on the death of her husband

The family of Pamela Wedlake Cardman ’68

The family of Candace Call Maurer ’69

CLASS NOTES INFORMATION

PHOTO SUBMISSIONS

We welcome your photos for inclusion in Class Notes. Due to space restrictions, we are unable to publish all of the photos we receive. Photos meeting the requirements listed below will take priority.

Please note the technical requirements for photos:

• Images need to be 3” x 5” or larger

• Images need to be a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (or at least 800KB)

Priority is given to the following types of photos:

• Photos with groups of alumnae

• Photos with one alumna

• Photos without an alumna will only be included if space allows.

Please provide the names of all alumnae in the photo, including class year, and the location of the occasion.

SPACE LIMITATIONS

We do our best to include all of the updates that are sent in. Due to space limitations, the Communications and Alumnae Relations offices of Santa Catalina School may edit content in order to fit the space allotted. Thank you for your submissions.

To submit photos electronically, please send them as attachments to: shannon.dillon@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

Elizabeth Patton Boyens ’75 on the death of her husband

Hope Waterbury ’77 on the death of her mother

Nora McNeely Hurley ’78 on the death of her half-brother

The family of Beth Bisgrove Wayne ’78

Andrea Bohn Eisinger ’80 on the death of her mother

Marti Ham Fuller ’84, Marie Ham ’87, and Pamela Ham Butler ’88 on the death of their father

The family of Nadine Guarerra Spencer ’92

Jordan Gersh ’17 on the death of her mother

Items in Transitions reflect communications received between October 16, 2022 and March 12, 2023.

SCHEDULE

We publish notes for each class once a year—odd-numbered class years in the summer and even-numbered in the winter.

2022- 2023 Board of Trustees

Laura K. Lyon ’81

Chair

Brett Davis Collins ’93

Vice-Chair

Matthew T. Gibbs II

Vice-Chair

Carolyn Hartwell O’Brien ’74

Vice-Chair

Michael Roffler

Treasurer

Tracy Miller Hass ’75

Secretary

Dr. Barbara Ostos

Head of School

Louise Diepenbrock Baker ’81

Sister Claire Barone

Gerardo A. Borromeo

Kathleen Brown ’63

Herm Edwards

Jon Giffen

Tracy A. Huebner

Brogiin Keeton ’01

Edward King

Charles I. Kosmont

Kate Brinks Lathen ’96

Tina Hansen McEnroe ’70, ’66 LS

Judith McDonald Moses ’86, ’82 LS

Mary Khasigian Nikssarian

Kenneth Peyton

Victor Ramirez

Pete Upham

Jalynne Tobias Redman ’72

President, Alumnae Association

Honorary Trustee

Brooks Walker, Jr.

2022-2023 Leadership Team

Dr. Barbara Ostos

Head of School

John Aimé

Assistant Head of School

Dr. John Murphy

Assistant Head of School for Mission and Identity

Crystal Boyd ’89

Director of Marketing and Communications

Jamie Buffington Browne ’85

Director of Admission

Julie Lenherr Edson ’88

Director of Upper School Strategic Initiatives

Ron Kellermann

Business Manager

Peter Myers

Interim Head of Upper School

Christy Pollacci

Head of Lower and Middle School

Kevin Wasbauer

Senior Director of Development

santa catalina

2023 SUMMER BULLETIN

3 Under 30: Young alums making their mark

Sister Kieran Library gets a new look

Sixth-graders help university researchers