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Pursuing the greater good
Contents
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Spring 2019
Generations of Guidance and Gratitude By Head of School Christopher P. Garten
Seven Alumni Pursuing the Greater Good By Karla DeJean
School News School News - Sports School News - Arts Alumni News and Class Notes Upcoming Alumni Events
Special thanks to Keith Neu for his sports photography.
Christopher P. Garten Head of School Margo Kirstein Director of Development
Chris Hedges Director of Marketing & Communications
Karla Dejean Writer & Project Manager, photographer
Sarah Ott Lautar ’05 Director of Alumni Engagement
Taylor Evans Communications Specialist, photographer Š 2019 The Seven Hills School
Christopher P. Garten HEAD OF SCHOOL
GENERATIONS OF GUIDANCE AND GRATITUDE From its earliest days, Seven Hills has always defined its mission in the most ambitious terms, preparing students not just for college, but for fulfilling and purposeful lives. As early as 1906, Ad Summum, the motto of Miss Doherty’s College Preparatory School (CPS), “expressed the students’ obligation to the God-given best that lies in us, every one.” In 1927, the first brochure of the newly-established Hillsdale School articulated the school’s aim “to develop genuine thinking power and the force of character requisite to put…intellectual attainment to effective use.” Our current mission statement, reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees just this fall, stresses that Seven Hills “seeks to engage students’ hearts and minds” and “prepares them for meaningful and fulfilling lives.” In short, beyond mere preparation for college, the goal of a Seven Hills education has been to train students for rich and full lives and to encourage them to devote their talents, their hearts and minds, to engaging with the world and to bettering the lives of others. As a school community, we take great pride that, over the last 114 years, so many of our graduates have lived out the values of this school. So, this issue of the Seven Hills magazine celebrates a few of those lives. From medicine and law, to national defense and social justice, we introduce you to some of our graduates who have devoted their lives to pursuing the greater good. The lives of these graduates, and of so many more, reflect our school values of kindness, compassion, and service to others. These values were established by the great educators who have led this school, Mary Harlan Doherty, Ruth Jones, Helen Lotspeich, Miriam Titcomb, Ted Wuerfel, Doug Stenberg, Peter Briggs, and by six generations of teachers who have modeled these values in their own lives. Happily, their legacy still guides our efforts to this day.
Christopher P. Garten Head of School
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SEVEN HILLS CL ASS OF 2019 Our congratulations and very best wishes go with the members of the Class of 2019, who will be attending the following colleges and universities in the fall.
S E V E N
H I L L S
O F
2 0 1 9
M A T R I C U L A T I O N
L I S T
Boston University
Hanover College
Tufts University -2
University of Toronto
Carleton College -2
Harvard University
University of Alabama
University of Virginia
Claremont McKenna College
Hillsdale College
University of California,
University of Washington
College of Charleston
Indiana University -2
College of Wooster
Loyola University/Chicago -2
Columbus College of Art
Miami University -6
and Design Denison University -2 DePaul University -2 Dickinson College Drexel University Duke University -2 Earlham College Elon University Emory University -2
4
C L A S S
New York University Northeastern University Northern Kentucky University Northwestern University Occidental College Ohio State University -4 Purdue University -4 Savannah College of Art and Design
San Diego University of Cincinnati -6 University of Dayton -3 University of Illinois University of Kentucky University of Maryland University of Michigan -5 University of Missouri University of Pittsburgh University of South Carolina University of Southern California
University of Wisconsin Vanderbilt University -3 Villanova University Virginia Polytechnic Institute Washington & Lee University Wittenberg University -2 Yale University -2
alumni Pursuing the greater good
How seven alumni who span 34 graduation years are using their knowledge to help others
They all share a common bond. At some point, they were all Seven Hills students. And at some point, they all decided to devote their expertise, time, and energy to helping others. He is a United Airlines pilot from Mississippi, who still serves as a reservist in the Air Force. She is a Cincinnatian who remains committed to women’s empowerment after retiring from a life of social work. She is one-third of a D.C. powerhouse civil rights team who wrote a rider famously referenced during the 2018 Academy Awards, and her sister is a pediatric surgeon in Cincinnati, who travels to other countries to perform surgeries on children who desperately need them. One alumnus stands before the World Bank to share plans for safer traffic patterns to save lives. One transports life-saving cells across seas. And yet another alumna uses equestrianism to help children and adults with psychological, cognitive, and physical differences strengthen their minds and bodies. In this issue, we celebrate seven activists, legal warriors, healers, and visionaries. Read their stories to learn about how they continue to pursue the greater good.
By Karla Dejean
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SUZY MARQUARD H ’68 Chairwoman of therapeutic equestrian program GallopNYC.org
alumni 6
Pursuing the greater good
UNBRIDLED DEDICATION GallopNYC Therapeutic Riding Program is arguably one of the most prolific of its kind in New York City. But Suzy Marquard’s H’68 vision of spreading hope and increased independence to others didn’t start out with such sweeping, grand ideas. It started out with one horse and one need. Marquard, herself, was the first recipient. “In the late summer of 2001, my father asked if I would like to have an injured racehorse he had bred on his farm near Lexington, Kentucky,” said Marquard, who suffered from the acute trauma many New Yorkers endured after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “On Sept. 15, the horse became mine. It was a lifesaver to have a horse of my own to care for and bring along after Sept. 11.” At the time Marquard met her horse, The Druid, she was a highpressure corporate finance lawyer working in Newark, New Jersey. When she rode The Druid, she immediately began to experience the therapeutic power of her equine friend, harking back to her childhood love of riding. Her anxieties eventually subsided. Marquard’s connection with The Druid became the inspiration for her involvement with GallopNYC, which has served, rehabilitated, and empowered hundreds of people with varying needs. “A friend told me about this organization that did therapeutic riding and I started to volunteer,” she said. Now Marquard, who has since retired from her position as a
lawyer, is the chairwoman of the GallopNYC board and helps run two stables and programs at other locations throughout New York City, constantly building upon her vision to give people in the city access to a traditionally ruralbased experience. She works to improve lives every day, whether the recipients are veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, children with autism or cerebral palsy, or people who have suffered brain injuries.
“Suzy is an amazing woman who is incredibly generous with her time and her resources,” said Reischer. “There are so many people who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity or access to ride horses. With Suzy’s vision and dedication, they can.” Marquard is fueled by the personal journeys of her riders, such as the story of a young man with cerebral palsy who couldn’t sit up or walk independently. “After a few years of riding with us, he can now take a shower by himself, something he could never do
before,” said Marquard. “Horses are amazing therapeutic animals because their movement helps strengthen the rider’s core and leg muscles. When people have weaknesses in their cores or can’t sit up to ride the horse, the motion of the horse replicates the way the human pelvis moves when walking.” An organization that started with three riders 12 years ago and rented all the horses they used, GallopNYC.org now serves 557 riders per week throughout New York City, including one rare indoor facility in Queens. GallopNYC board member Sol Reischer said Marquard’s tireless commitment inspires others to serve, citing a project that involved Marquard and her husband building a 30-ft.-long ramp, steps, and a mounting area for wheelchair users. “Suzy is an amazing woman who is incredibly generous with her time and her resources,” said Reischer. “There are so many people who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity or access to ride horses. With Suzy’s vision and dedication, they can.”
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TOM MCELHINNEY ’92 Air Force instructor pilot and United Airlines commercial pilot
alumni 8
Pursuing the greater good
ON THE WAY UP Tom McElhinney ’92 has struck a professional balance so profound it is the subject of his thesis as he works to become a colonel. A 27-year veteran pilot, McElhinney leads a highly successful career as a senior pilot for United Airlines, taking 180 passengers across oceans and continents in a Boeing 767. When he is not flying United passengers on cross-continental flights, McElhinney serves as the squadron commander of the 43rd Flying Training Squadron and a
“My Personal Challenge project my junior year was to learn how to fly,” said McElhinney. “I signed up at Lunken Airport and flew 10 hours. During my Personal Challenge project, a flight instructor broke down all of my options: spend years as a flight instructor and as a regional airline pilot or join the Air Force to finish learning how to become a pilot.”
T-38 instructor pilot at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi. For McElhinney, it’s a perfect blend of who he is and the importance he places on service.
“I want to give back to the Air Force, the Department of Defense, the United States, and all the taxpayers,” said McElhinney. “I choose to be in the Air Force and be a commercial pilot because they both bring me joy for different reasons. I love the Air Force because I value service. I love flying and I love serving.” McElhinney’s post places him in charge of 85 instructors who teach 400 student pilots, conducting about 10,000 flights a year from Columbus Air Force Base, as part of their training requirements. That interest in maintaining a connection with young people who aspire to become pilots stems from his junior and senior years at Seven Hills.
“I could have retired from the Air Force three years ago, but I chose not to because I want to give back to my country and to the people who did something for me on the way up.”
After attending the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, McElhinney started fighter pilot training with the Air Force and later, as an F-16 fighter pilot, transferred to South Carolina. There he met his wife, Esther, who was also serving as a fighter pilot. After a tour in South Korea, McElhinney transferred in 2006 from Active Duty to the Air Force reserves when he accepted a pilot position at United Airlines.
Whether he is helping young people achieve their dreams in the Air Force, or transporting thousands of passengers across the globe each year, McElhinney’s insights and perspective are a reflection of his life of service. He was so moved by the decreasing number of Air Force instructor pilots that, in pursuit of his master’s toward becoming a colonel, he is writing his thesis on the need for Air Force pilot training bases to help pilots strike a professional balance. “Air Force pilot training bases aren’t able to retain instructor pilots when airlines are hiring at the rate they are now,” said McElhinney. “My hypothesis is that, in order to maintain a strong number of reserve pilots, the Air Force will have to offer opportunities for pilots to do what I am doing—serve as a reservist and work as a commercial pilot. I could have retired from the Air Force three years ago, but I chose not to because I want to give back to my country and to the people who did something for me on the way up.”
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MARSHA WILLIAMS ’77 Volunteer bone marrow and stem cell courier
alumni 10
Pursuing the greater good
LIFE-GIVING RELAY When she was 5 years old, Marsha Williams ’77 underwent surgery for a congenital heart defect. She was in and out of hospitals for months, years. Tubes, transfusions, needle pokes, and doctor visits were her normal. And, with all of the other notable character traits Williams has acquired as someone whose life began amid a flurry of risks, there is one in particular that stands out. “I’m good in a crisis,” she said. Williams is one of only about 400 volunteer bone marrow and stem cell couriers in the United States, and only one of about 50 importers—couriers trained to transport cells from donors in other countries to patients in the U.S. After delivering and importing to and from more than 90 locations across the world over the last five years, her unflinching nerves and intuitive logistical sense continue to serve her well. Williams’ journey to becoming a medical courier began 11 years ago, when she left New York City, where she held strategic market research positions at Sesame Workshop and Nickelodeon. With the goal of creating a more flexible schedule, she launched her own company, Harvest Research Group LLC, which she continues to run from her Cincinnati office. A few years after she started her business, Williams learned of the volunteer courier opportunity with the National Marrow Donor Program, and decided to apply. After completing the interview process and attending an intensive training seminar, Williams was accepted into the
program as a domestic courier, transporting life-saving stem cells from donors to patients within the U.S. Two years later, she trained to become an importer, in which couriers are required to transport life-giving cells from across seas to patients in the United States.
the flight attendant. In another situation, Williams sheltered in place with the medical cooler while awaiting a stemcell pickup during a terrorist attack at the nearby Brussels airport.
That is where Williams’ medical history and personality under pressure come into play, making her a high-level importer who works out of Germany, England, and China. Williams shares a number of unforeseen mishaps that would make the average
“It’s like a relay,” said Williams. “When you realize these two IV bags are someone’s second chance at life, it’s really powerful. I don’t get ruffled very easily when things go wrong. The number one thing on my mind when I transport is getting those cells to the patient as efficiently as possible.”
“No matter what situation you are in— give. Our lives change when we change the lives of others.”
traveler crumble, let alone someone who is carrying lifegiving cells to another country. Williams remembers a winter-time trip to Atlanta a few years ago, in which her quick thinking resulted in her plane making a connection because she communicated her mission to the pilot, via a note to
Friend Joe Obermeyer called Williams a skilled problem-solver. “She has a gusto for her work that’s pretty remarkable,” he said. “I’m in awe of Marsha. She has a tremendous amount of energy.” Williams said she finds balance as a volunteer courier and importer, and encouraged others to seek out volunteer opportunities as well. “We all take so much,” said Williams. “No matter what situation you are in—give. Our lives change when we change the lives of others.”
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MEERA KOTAGAL ’99
Assistant Professor of General and Thoracic Surgery Director, Pediatric Surgery Global Health Program Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
KALPANA KOTAGAL ’95
Partner, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll
alumni Pursuing the greater good
12 photo by Julianna Boehm
JUSTICE FOR ALL Meera ’99 and Kalpana ’95 Kotagal are fierce defenders of justice for all. And, for the two sisters, it’s a global thing. Meera, a pediatric surgeon at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, takes her mission of healing and hope to resource-limited countries, working to improve capacity to take care of children in those countries by teaching others and performing surgeries on children. Kalpana, a civil rights attorney at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll in Washington, D.C., has worked tirelessly to seek justice to address inequalities women and people of color face in a variety of workplaces. A year ago, however, her work took a Hollywood turn when a rider she co-wrote was mentioned during the 2018 Academy Awards. That chapter of her story began when she tackled co-writing a rider—a provision or attachment added to a legal document—to address hiring diversity in film and television just as she does for any other client. But when Kalpana and her colleagues began presenting the rider to Hollywood agents and lawyers, Kalpana’s efforts ended up in the spotlight on the national stage. It turns out that two-time Academy Award winner Frances McDormand’s agent attended one of those presentations and shared it with McDormand. When McDormand gave her acceptance speech for best actress last year, she highlighted the rider. Kalpana, a mother of two boys, laughingly said she didn’t know
about the Oscars announcement until she woke up to dozens of tweets and texts from friends and colleagues. “I have two kids,” she said. “I went to sleep early.” Both Kalpana and her sister, Meera, say they owe much of their success to the attention of two loving parents with an enormous sense of global consciousness, and to the individualized attention from dozens of Seven Hills teachers. While that may be true, a conversation with the sisters instantly reveals their selfless
“My sister and I received the support we needed to help cultivate the strengths that have allowed each of us to touch the lives of others.”
generosity also springs from their sisterhood and support for each other. “I have the deepest admiration for how true Meera’s path has been,” said Kalpana. “Meera has been thinking and talking about issues of children’s health in the developing world since I can remember.” After determining she would become a pediatric surgeon, Meera decided that her operating room would span not just a wing in a children’s hospital, but the globe. Because she believes so deeply in
healthcare as a human right, Meera founded the Pediatric Surgery Global Health Program, for which she has traveled to Malawi to operate on children in need. When asked if her work is groundbreaking, Meera said, “There are many surgeons and some pediatric surgeons who are working in global health to help take care of kids. But I am in a unique position where I am lucky to have substantial support from my division, department, and Cincinnati Children's to do this work.”
Meera
Kalpana
Meera said she and her sister have always understood that their privilege was something to be used to help others. “As a society—without necessarily meaning to—we value some people more than others. Both Kalpana and I are working to try to reverse that. Unlike many who don’t have the opportunities we have had, we are incredibly blessed—by our parents, by where we were able to go to school, and by our education,” said Meera. “When I think about Seven Hills, I think about the kind of individual attention and recognition we received. My sister and I received the support we needed to help cultivate the strengths that have allowed each of us to touch the lives of others.”
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MARGE DAVIS C’65 Founder of 241-KIDS
alumni 14
Pursuing the greater good
A CALL FOR HOPE Marge Davis C’65 is the kind of person who casually shares local history facts that will have you thinking for days. One of her facts is particularly
victims of domestic abuse and
training, that, in turn, improves
stunning. “In the 1870s in
neglect. We knew the police
the experiences of children
Cincinnati, child welfare was
presence was often causing even
who may have to be referred to
a spin-off of animal welfare,”
more stress for families.”
foster care. It’s a game-
said Davis. “The idea of rallying behind the welfare of animals actually came first, then people started thinking about the welfare of children. Animal
After several years of seeing child victims and families endure unnecessary stressors due to the lack of continuity in services,
welfare came even before we had household telephones.” Davis, the founder of 241-KIDS, knows all about the history of child welfare in Cincinnati because she doesn’t know a world without it. She is a daughter and granddaughter of Cincinnati-based social workers, and until she retired in 2001, she was a social worker as well. It was that combination of vision and knowledge that laid the
“Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services wanted to start the hotline in 1975 because everyone involved—the police, social workers, and the juvenile courts—wanted people trained in social work to be part of the
that speaks to the mission of social work—to keep families together and disrupt children
“Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services wanted to start the hotline in 1975 because everyone involved—the police, social workers, and the juvenile courts— wanted people trained in social work to be part of the process, not just the police.”
groundwork for Davis’ historymaking initiative.
changing approach
as little as possible, said Davis. It is no exaggeration to say that Davis’s legacy continues to better the lives of all children who receive social services in the greater Cincinnati area. Gratitude for her work extends throughout the state. In 2005, the National Association of Social Workers' Ohio Chapter Region 6 gave Davis a Lifetime Achievement Award. And
Davis, along with assistance from
although she has since retired
community partners and other
from active involvement in 241-
agency staff, created a more
KIDS, Davis continues to devote
discreet way for people to help
her life and time to helping others.
children in trouble. For decades, 241-KIDS has been a household term, but it has also changed the way children receive help.
“I think addressing the issue of training for workers and not just throwing them into the job but having training beforehand
process, not just the police,”
Today, because of 241-KIDS,
is so important,” said Davis. “It
said Davis, who supervised the
witnesses of domestic abuse
shows these families in crisis that
Children’s Protective Services
can call for help discreetly, and
social workers have the child’s
Unit. “Kids who were victims were
the response—often a social
best interest at heart. As social
being taken from their homes in
worker in an unmarked car—is
workers, we are committed to
police cars and taken to detention
discreet as well. Social workers
families.”
facilities just because they were
also receive ongoing, relevant
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MARC SHOTTEN ’92 Program manager at the World Bank
alumni 16
Pursuing the greater good
A DIPLOMATIC ENDEAVOR For Marc Shotten ’92, his job is all about saving the lives of those put in harm's way in rapidly developing countries. He approaches his work like a surgeon, peeling layers to locate the problem, by traveling the globe to engage ministers and agencies, and working with local advocates to create sustainable mobility solutions to prevent death and injury, and put in place the conditions for stronger economic development. A Seven Hills lifer who said he recalls the push by his teachers for community service during his grade school years, Shotten said he has always gravitated to work that involves helping others. As an 18-year program manager and development aid specialist at the World Bank, Shotten has learned to meld his seasoned analytical skills with the art of conversation and empathy to learn from the clients he is helping. He has devoted the greater part of his adult professional life to the World Bank’s mission, and in particular during the last 10 years, to establishing safer, greener, and more sustainable transportation options. Through diplomatic work, fundraising, and published reports, Shotten has pushed for the global recognition of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as safeguarding construction projects that threatened to cause harm to school children and families in parts of India and Ethiopia, Uganda, China, Malaysia, and Oman, to name a few.
The primary purpose of the World Bank—created in 1944 as part of the United Nations family—is to alleviate extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity among low- and middle-income countries through loans and grants. During his time at the World Bank,
“Road crashes from increased motorization are literally the number one killer of young people worldwide, bigger than malaria and tuberculosis. Other health crises get the attention because they are in the news more frequently.”
Shotten’s efforts have led to governments allocating more than $1 billion toward preventing road and transportation construction deaths throughout the developing world. “Behind every story on the ground, there is a problem and solution that needs to come out. And it’s my job to find it,” said Shotten. “Part of the process is to see where future development aid will go and look at ways to improve outcomes without causing harm to those who are supposed to benefit from it.” By winter 2018, when a scheduled work break for surgery and a
move in his department took place, Shotten had visited about 50 countries as part of his career. His work has also included engaging major philanthropic partners, such as Michael Bloomberg, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Fortune 500 firms, and nongovernmental organizations. “I was determined to figure out how to accelerate change without harm, knowing the resources and technical knowledge in the developing countries are generally not where they need to be, commensurate with the growth of globalization in the last 20 years,” said Shotten. Shotten said he wants to look back on his career and know he has affected change. “Road crashes from increased motorization are literally the number one killer of young people worldwide, bigger than malaria and tuberculosis. Other health crises get the attention because they are in the news more frequently,” said Shotten. “We should not, in the 21st century, be willing to accept multigenerational loss of families through death and disability as a byproduct of what is helpful growth in nations, the United States included.”
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SCHOOL NEWS
EDWARD E. FORD FOUNDATION AWARDS MATCHING GRANT TO SEVEN HILLS By Chris Garten, Head of School We are thrilled to announce that, in late March, we got word that Seven Hills had been selected by the Edward E. Ford Foundation to receive an Educational Leadership Grant of $250,000. The matching grant will be used to develop the Civic Engagement Seminars, a signature program to foster informed social awareness and civic engagement in Upper School students, both here at Seven Hills and at schools
secondary schools” and to “inspire them
The Edward E. Ford Educational
around the country.
to leverage their unique expertise…
Leadership Initiative, launched in
to advance teaching and learning
2008, established matching grants
throughout this country.” Since its
of $250,000 for “generative,
inception, the E. E. Ford Foundation
transformational, and replicable”
has awarded approximately $125 million
programs that give a “public purpose”
in grants to over 900 schools and
[to] “private education.” Since its
associations.
inception, Educational Leadership
The Edward E. Ford Foundation was founded in 1957 to support innovation and creativity in the nation’s independent schools. Its mission is “to strengthen and support independent
Grants have been awarded to just 38 of the nation’s leading schools, including Lawrenceville, Deerfield Academy, The Westminster Schools, Lovett School, Riverdale Country School, Taft School, Hawken School, John Burroughs School, and Cate School. Once the required matching funds have been secured, Seven Hills will use its grant to develop the Civic Engagement Seminars, which will
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SCHOOL NEWS
immerse students in an extended study
local, national, and global perspective.
of the most challenging issues facing our
The ultimate goal of the program is to
world: war, poverty, trade, migration,
encourage students to think globally and
resource scarcity, climate change,
act locally, to find ways to become more
disease, sustainable energy, and more.
actively engaged in innovative problem-
The seminars, which will be team taught
solving, including the valuable work being
be replicated by schools around the country. We are honored to have been selected, alongside some the nation’s strongest schools, for an Educational Leadership Grant. We truly believe that, as this new signature program unfolds, it will have a powerful impact, not only on our own students, but on students around the country. This effort, like so much of what we do, helps fulfill our larger purpose—to help by Seven Hills teachers, university
done by many of Cincinnati’s cultural
professors, and local civic leaders, will
and social service institutions. The
explore complex social issues, from a
hope, over time, is to develop a model
our students understand the world, in all its complexity, and to use their talents to improve the lives of others.
program in civic engagement that can 19
SCHOOL NEWS
SEVEN HILLS CONGRATULATES NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS National Merit Finalists
Six Seven Hills seniors were named National Merit Finalists in 2019. The National Merit Scholarship Program honors talented U.S. high school students each year for academic excellence. The Seven Hills School congratulates the following National Merit Finalists: Ari Gleich, Aryan Katneni, Max Lane, Chris Nathan, Susanna Spooner, and Max Yuan.
National Merit Semifinalists
Two students were named National Merit Semifinalists. They are George Eng and Eddie Hatfield.
National Merit Commended Students
The Seven Hills School continues its tradition of excellence with 10 seniors, who were named Commended Students in the 2019 National Merit Program. The Seven Hills School congratulates the following National Merit Commended Students: Andrew Brown, Michael Glum, Greg Kalin, Felix Karthik, Patrick Kilcoyne, Abby Markworth, Amisha Mittal, Rohan Sachdeva, Aishwarya Varma, and Michael Weirich.
NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS ARE ARYAN KATNENI*, CHRIS NATHAN*, ARI GLEICH*, MAX YUAN*, MAX LANE*, SUSANNA SPOONER*, EDDIE HATFIELD, AND GEORGE ENG Names with * are National Merit Finalists
Seven Hills Senior Named Candidate in 2019 Presidential Scholars Program Seven Hills senior Aryan Katneni has been named a candidate in the 2019 Presidential Scholars Program, one of the nation’s highest honors for graduating high school seniors. Presidential Scholars are selected on the basis of academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership, and service activities. The Commission on Presidential Scholars will make final selections of up to 121 Academic Scholars (including one male and one female from each state) and up to 20 Art Scholars.
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NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED STUDENTS ARE FRONT: ANDREW BROWN, AISHWARYA VARMA, ABBY MARKWORTH, AMISHA MITTAL, AND PATRICK KILCOYNE BACK: ROHAN SACHDEVA, MICHAEL GLUM, FELIX KARTHIK, MICHAEL WEIRICH, AND GREG KALIN
PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR CANDIDATE ARYAN KATNENI
SCHOOL NEWS
2019 FREDERICK A. HAUCK SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW MEMBERS OF CUM LAUDE SOCIETY
The Seven Hills School has awarded the 2019 Frederick A. Hauck Scholarships in Math and Sciences to sixth-grader Nicholas Stein; seventh-graders Dhanush Bearelly, Arjun Gupta, and Mikul Wyer; sophomore Charlie Ringel; and juniors Rajiv Raman, Ethan Rising, and Hannah Wang.
Cum Laude Students
Bottom row: Abby Markworth, Max Yuan, Mike Nordlund, Rohan Sachdeva Top row: Ella Samaha, Andrea Stancescu, Annika Alper, Ariel Gleich, Nina Martinez Diers, Neda Tehrani, Madison Peltier, Kristen Porter, Katie Remaklus, Megan McLennan, Allison Huffman. *Not pictured, Amisha Mittal, Kayzad Bharucha, Alexander Grass, Belinda Wang
MS Hauck Winners — Mikul Wyer, Nicholas Stein, Dhanush Bearelly, and Arjun Gupta
The award is named after Dr. Frederick A. Hauck, a world-renowned nuclear scientist and philanthropist who served on the Atomic Energy Commission and worked closely with Albert Einstein. Seven Hills established the Hauck Scholarships to recognize students who demonstrate outstanding achievement and commitment in mathematics and/or science. Winning students entering grades seven and eight receive a grant of $250 to be applied to tuition for an approved summer enrichment program. Winning students entering grades nine through 12 receive a one-year scholarship of $1,000 to be applied to their 2019-20 tuition at Seven Hills’ Upper School.
US Hauck Winners — Rajiv Raman, Hannah Wang, and Charlie Ringel (Not pictured: Ethan Rising)
The Upper School honored its new inductees into the Seven Hills chapter of the Cum Laude Society, a national honor society that recognizes academic excellence, at the Cum Laude dinner on April 10. New members are juniors Annika Alper, Kayzad Bharucha, Alex Grass, Allison Huffman, Nina Martinez Diers, Megan McLennan, Kristen Porter, Katie Remaklus, Ella Samaha, and Andrea Stancescu; and seniors Ariel Gleich, Abigail Markworth, Amisha Mittal, Michael Nordlund, Madison Peltier, Rohan Sachdeva, Neda Tehrani, Belinda Wang, and Max Yuan. The event’s guest speaker was former Seven Hills math department chair Anne Ramsay. The event also honored the members who were inducted last year as juniors: Madeleine Jay, Gregory Kalin, Felix Karthik, Aryan Katneni, Christopher Nathan, Varshini Odayar, Annabel Stanley, and Grant Veldhuis.
order to grow and live a more fulfilling life. She shared three, starting with, “Learn to uproot yourself and place yourself in different situations throughout your careers. “As you consider college, grad school, summer internships, and professions, I hope you don’t get bogged down with planning your full life and path. I hope you will be open to the possibility of uprooting to put yourselves in different kinds of soil,” said Ramsay. “It will make you a better person and enrich your life in ways you can’t imagine would be possible if you allow or maybe force yourself to do something different periodically.” Ramsay also urged Cum Laude members to consider two more points—“Remember to give
Head of School Chris Garten said, “Modeled after Phi Beta Kappa at the college level, the Cum Cum Laude Faculty Laude Society recognizes Bottom row: Beth Driehaus, Nate Gleiner, Lenore Horner, Wynne Curry Top row: Katie Swinford, Tina Kuhlman, Jennifer Torline, academic excellence in Anna Works-McKinney, Marielle Newton some of this country’s most prestigious high schools. Membership of your heart as much as you do your intellect, is strictly limited to schools with exemplary and remember the importance of mentorship academic programs, and Seven Hills is one when you are in the position to mentor.” of just a handful in Ohio. Induction means As part of the annual Cum Laude Society that these students are being recognized induction ceremony, it is tradition for faculty as among the best of the best in secondary members of the Cum Laude Committee education in the nation.” to address each new member with remarks Ramsay, who resigned from her position as compiled from quotes from the students’ Upper School math teacher at Seven Hills in teachers. For a direct link to the remarks, 2018 to become a middle school math and type in this link, 7hills. science teacher at St. Francis Seraph School org/2019cumlauderemarks, or in Over-the-Rhine, said she decided she download a QR Code app to needed to uproot herself from a more known your smartphone and scan the and comfortable professional experience in code on this page. 21
SCHOOL NEWS
STUDENTS AND FACULTY ATTEND STUDENT DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP AND PEOPLE OF COLOR CONFERENCES From Nov. 28 through Dec. 1, six Upper School students and nine Seven Hills faculty members attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and the People of Color Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Our students and 1,600 of their peers experienced three days of leadership training centered around issues of equity and justice. Faculty, joined by educators from around the world, participated in workshops and attended presentations on a range of topics, including cultural competency, supporting students of color, selecting and teaching diverse literature, creating resilient school culture, and promoting empathy. Nate Gleiner, Upper School English teacher and equity and justice chair, called the conferences “invaluable” for everyone who attended. “For the adults, the workshops provided us with resources and ideas
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for creating an environment of equity and inclusion here at Seven Hills,” Gleiner said. “The students who attended said that the activities and discussions they experienced were nothing short of life-changing, and they returned to school passionate about sharing their new awareness with others." Upper School students who participated included juniors Rosalind Roland, Hannah Kelly, and Nina Martinez Diers, and sophomores Savoy Lackey, Christina Torlone, and Hana Mahmoud.
In addition to Gleiner, faculty attendees included Doherty Spanish teacher John Krauss, Lotspeich third-grade teacher Kim Walden, Lotspeich Spanish teacher Megan Hayes, Middle and Upper School French and Spanish teacher Jacky Kalubi, Middle and Upper School head librarian Megan Whitt, Upper School learning support specialist and history teacher Amaris White, Upper School English teacher Marielle Newton, and Upper School math teacher Anna Works-McKinney.
SCHOOL NEWS
THANK YOU! The Seven Hills development office gratefully acknowledges and thanks the more than 230 volunteers who dedicate their time and energy to ensure The Seven Hills School is able to continue providing the rich learning experience and tight-knit community that defines a Seven Hills education. 2 0 1 8 - 1 9
D E V E L O P M E N T
Fleming & Dobbs Ackermann Julie Albright Margo Alexander ’07 Christie Alexander ’04 Louise Knauft Allen H’54 Janet Allen-Reid ’76 Nancy Osmond Allgeier C’68 Nupur Anand Lynette Andersen Sarah Anderson Karin Anderson Abrell ’88 Libby Andrews Sydney & Bob Anning Dulany & Rob Anning ’86 Jim Anthony ’93 Gay Seybolt Bain H’51 Christine Porter Barton ’83 Shelly & Nolan Bean Barbara Beaver Sally Bidlingmeyer ’84 Jack Binkley Rose Bitsoff Heidi Black ’98 Hannah Bloch ’80 Wendy Braff Aideen & Payson Briggs ’87 Sarah Pancoast Broad ’94 Kenya Brock ’98 Bruce Brown John Brooks, Jr. ’94 Angela Buckley Sumbol Budhani Edward Buyniski ’06 Denise Caccavari Madeline Caldemeyer ’11 Karen Bidlingmeyer Callard ’80 Scott Carroll ’85 Peter Cha Lalitha Chunduri Terry Clayton Rebecca Lindy Coll ’83 Marilyn Collins Zack Conyne ’05 Dorothy (Kim ’84) & Evan Corbett ’82 Brit Cowan ’03 Betsy Russel Craig C’58 Angie Apple & Robert Cybulski Jennifer Dauer
V O L U N T E E R S
Diana David Joseph ’99 Paige deBuys Ron DeLyons Laurence Deprez-Zenezini Amy DeWitt Lisa Diedrichs Sharon Dizenhuz Priscilla Dunn Anne Scherz Durket H’72 Nancy Hogan Dutton H’56 Colleen Dwight Tara Eaton David Ellis Susan Esler Merry Ewing ’76 Phyllis Ewing Meredith (Edwards ’98) & John Ficks ’89 Ginny Fisher Marc Fisher Paul Foerster L’47 Rachel Foster Julie Gabriel Jessica Moss Gagin ’04 Tom Garber ’96 Deborah Koons Garcia H’67 Jane Garvey C’74 Effie Gelman Raji Ghosh Ben Glassman ’93 Margot Good Abram Gordon Tammy Gravitt Anne & Tate Greenwald III Marni Greenwald Krista Gubanich Brooke Guigui Edward Hall Marguise Hanser-Griffin Ellen Haude ’88 Adam Hayes ’94 Muff Hays ’79 Henry Head ’13 Lisa Richardson Henske ’83 Karlene Herman Debbie Hill Jill Acomb Hoff H’63 Sherry Holcomb Ed Howe ’84 DeeAnne Schroeder Hunstein H’57
Eric Hunter ’86 Dianna Icenhower Kay Ilg Joan Fankhauser Ireton C’51 De'Yana Jackson Clay Jamison ’06 Rose Johnson Evan Joiner ’03 Jim Jurgensen II Marielle Kabbouche-Samaha Jacky Kalubi Tshiunza Kalubi ’02 Elida Kamine ’99 Jessie Karthik & Karthik Kanagarajan Victoria Karamanoukian Amy Bulger Kattman ’89 Susie Keller ’04 Lair Kennedy Sashi Kilaru Sarajane & Richard King Emily Kite Betsy Klerk Peter Koenig Sue Kraus Jennifer Kreines Susan Steman Laffoon H’57 Jutta Lafley Barbara Anderson Landen H’62 John Larkin ’13 Michael Laurence ’87 Margaret Avril Lawson ’75 Andy Lenobel ’01 Laura Hoguet Leonard ’06 Laurie Crutchfield Leonard C’69 Peter Levin David Levine David Levy ’99 Sally Leyman Sharon Liao ’12 Rica Ligeralde Ina Zimpelman Loftspring C’69 Sylvia Lotspeich Greene L’55 Jackie Mack Laurie Maguire Zola Makrauer Anne Mapes ’11 Suzy Marquard H’68
Mike Marrero Karen Marshall Nicki Martin ’09 Josh Martin Allison Wheeler Mattison ’89 Robert McCoy Katie McNamara ’11 Tim Meckel ’77 Lois & Cliff Mentrup Karen Meyer Dan Meyer Robbie Michelman Ken Mims ’81 Velma Morelli Jennifer Moriarty Lilamae Mueller Nancy Maxwell Mullen H’71 Harrison Mullin Sybil Behrens Mullin ’83 Alisa Murph Asia Reid Narayan ’05 Theo Nelson Marti Newland ’98 Steve Newman ’02 Mark Niehaus ’12 Alex Niehaus Chip Niehoff ’88 Michael Nordlund Eric O'Driscoll Libby Warrington Ott ’78 Jim Papakirk Sarah Pearce Phipps ’96 Alex Phillips ’02 Jenny Pierani Polly & Bill Pierani Austin Poston ’11 Joni & Dick Quimby Alex & Andrew Quinn Lisa Raimondo Jessalyn Reid ’08 Ramsey Reid ’03 David Robinson ’84 Susan Robinson Jennie Rosenthal L’75 Connor Rouan ’14 Lynn Schweitzer Rush H’68 Sunny Bowman Saelinger C’61 Laura Lindner Sankey ’82 Walker Schiff ’10 Jayna (Schlegel ’90) &
Dan Schimberg ’80 Allison Schneider John Schneider Katie & Ran SenGupta Michelle Setzer Dotty Shaffer ’83 Lindsay Shapiro Caroline Kalnow Shemony ’06 Dennis Shiels Tiffany Shiver Marc Shotten ’92 Mary Jo & Bill Simpson Jo Sittenfeld ’98 Tiernan Sittenfeld ’92 P.G. Sittenfeld ’03 Christie Barnard Smith H’56 Shelly & Matt Smith Erin Snelting Kelli Stein Jennifer Stein Sarah Steinman Liz Stock Jane Sutton Kim Takahashi Mandee Thompson Cynthia Twachtman C’68 Avanti Vadivelu Benjamin van der Horst ’05 Kirsten Van Dyke Aaron VanderLaan ’91 Anne Sheffield Vanoy C’73 Heather Zaring Vecellio ’92 Brian Wabler Elizabeth Walker Liza Martindale Weiner ’99 Joy Whinery Katherine Oechler Whitbeck H’67 Russell White Judy Wiesemann Jim Wiesmann Karen Wilger Marsha Williams ’77 Laura Welles Wilson ’84 Winsome Wilson Lisa Collins Winick ’85 Joan Wolfram Luke Wulsin ’10 Sharon Yosafat 23 Genet Zewge
SCHOOL NEWS
MIRIAM TITCOMB MEMORIAL FUND
Grants for Enrichment Since 1978, the Miriam Titcomb Fund, an endowed enrichment fund established by alumnae, has made it possible for more than 100 Seven Hills faculty and staff to have meaningful travel and study experiences. These adventures are personally and professionally inspiring for our faculty and staff. Their increased scholarship and enthusiasm enriches the entire school community. We are pleased to share the stories of 2018 recipients Tracy Hickenlooper, Tyler McIlwraith, Brooke Richart, and Bill Waskowitz.
ASSISTANT HEAD OF DOHERT Y LOWER SCHOOL TRACY HICKENLOOPER Tracy Hickenlooper was awarded a Titcomb grant for her experience, “Exploring Alaska.” Tracy and her husband,
David, spent 12 days in Alaska, traveling 755 miles on the Alaska Railroad to visit Anchorage, Seward, Talkeetna, and Denali National Park. Tracy and David enjoyed Alaska’s many natural landscapes, such as mountains, coastal rainforests, and glaciers, took a 10-mile sea kayaking trip, and saw a wide variety of native animals, including puffins and whales. They also went fly fishing and took an ATV ride through Denali National Park. “A big highlight of my trip was the Denali Backcountry Adventure,” Tracy said. “On this tour, we traveled 92 miles into Denali National Park experiencing the breathtaking scenery and wildlife sightings. We saw bears, moose, caribou, and wolves.” Tracy not only had a trip of a lifetime, complete with picturesque views and amazing wildlife, she also found a new perspective.
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“The feelings I experienced
during this special two weeks of travel brought me back to myself,” Tracy said. “I felt tremendous gratitude for the interesting life I have lived, with all its challenges. I was also grateful for being able to experience this unforgettable adventure. I feel very fortunate to be able to travel, and pursue my passions.”
LOTSPEICH LOWER SCHOOL PRE-KINDERGARTEN TEACHER TYLER MCILWRAITH Tyler McIlwraith was awarded a Titcomb grant for her experience, “Behind the Lens in Tanzania.” Tyler embarked on a photographic safari of Tanzania, snapping pictures of all types of flora and fauna.
SCHOOL NEWS
MIRIAM TITCOMB MEMORIAL FUND
Grants for enrichment
“The elephants noticed us, but kept walking around, eating, and carrying on. We sat for a very long time just observing them,” she said. “I remember that night—after being out all day and seeing so many elephants—my face hurt from smiling. My muscles were literally sore and tired from being in a smile all day long.”
M I D D L E S C H O OL LEARNING SPECIALIST BROOKE RICHART Brooke Richart was awarded a Titcomb grant for her experience, “A Whale of a Time.” Brooke traveled to South Africa for three weeks in search of her favorite animal—the humpback whale.
“It has always been a dream of mine to see these big African animals in their natural habitat,” Tyler said. “More and more of them are being added to the endangered species list each year and eventually, many will be gone. I felt a sense of urgency to get there sooner rather than later.” Tyler said the Titcomb grant allowed her to “take the perfect trip,” and combine her love of animals with her passion for photography. She has been studying photography and takes photos whenever she travels. Although there were many amazing moments, one of Tyler’s favorites happened on her first day touring Tarangire National Park. Her group saw a herd of more than 20 elephants of all ages, including newborns. Tyler said it was unlike anything she’s ever seen.
capital of the world. The bay the city overlooks is deep enough that, allegedly, you are able to see whales from the shore,” Richart said. “Most mornings, I sipped coffee on the balcony debating
Brooke ventured to South Africa’s whale coast, a cluster of small towns bordering the Atlantic Ocean known for epic whale watching. “I spent time in a small town called Hermanus, the self-proclaimed whale
whether a given splash was in fact a humpback or just waves breaking.” Richart also explored South African cities Johnannesburg and Cape Town, touring museums and eating wonderful food. She traveled to Kruger National Park and rode a cable car up Table Mountain. 25
SCHOOL NEWS
MIRIAM TITCOMB MEMORIAL FUND
Grants for enrichment, continued Ultimately, the goal of her travels was to do as much whale watching as possible. “Humpback whales are creatures that I've felt connected to my whole life. They are my patronus, if you will,” Brooke said, referring to the “Harry Potter” series. “I’ve always admired their ability to travel far and wide, to adopt behaviors that seem to have no purpose besides enjoyment, and to live peacefully.”
HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL BILL WASKOWITZ Bill Waskowitz was awarded a Titcomb grant for his experience, “Hiking the Long Trail: A Reflection on Risk.” Bill set out to hike the Long Trail, a
273-mile trek following the main ridge of the Green Mountains from the Massachusetts-Vermont state line to the Canadian border.
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Bill completed about three-quarters of the trip, enduring hunger, body aches, hiking some of Vermont’s highest peaks, and dreaded Vermudd, which can
swallow a leg whole. He said although he didn’t reach his goal of hiking the trail in its entirety, it was OK because he took a risk.
Toward the end of his journey, Bill found a flow, enabling him to “to tune in to the simple task of putting one foot in front of the other.”
“Risk has long been a part of my own personal and professional philosophy and belief,” Bill said. “By taking risks, we often discover a voice that had never been heard or realize a passion that had previously been buried by years of relentless repetition. By having taken the risk to complete the Long Trail, I was able to put to test a more dramatic form of risk.”
“This sense of flow could only have resulted after days when I struggled to distract my mind from what my body was telling me,” Bill said. “While I had often experienced this sense of flow during long runs, it was always a temporary feeling. What I was able to experience on my hike stayed with me for entire days, allowing me to be fully present and appreciative of all that I was doing.”
SCHOOL NEWS
CREATING CONVERSATIONS SPEAKER SERIES The Seven Hills School’s Creating Conversations is a speaker series designed to engage as a community, with each other and with the help of experts in their fields, about raising bright, healthy, happy children.
L E S S O N S I N S AV I N G A L I F E Members of the Seven Hills community learned the fundamentals of the suicide prevention method, Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR), during a Creating Conversations workshop hosted in January by Seven Hills’ counseling department. Child Focus clinician Melanie Palmer led about 30 participants through a number of case studies and scenarios involving young and older teens. Palmer stressed that those who may be in trouble should be expressly asked, “Are you having thoughts of ending your life?” because the directness of the question often allows the recipient of the question to trust the questioner. If the person in trouble says yes, the next act is to persuade that person to believe that there is help and a way out of what Palmer called “tricky brain,” which is a state of mind that makes some people feel there is no end to their pain. The final step includes referring the person to a crisis facility that can help. The QPR workshop was the second in Seven Hills’ counseling department’s Creating Conversations parenting series. TEACHING RESILIENCE TO STUDENTS OF ALL AGES Members of the Seven Hills community learned all about the brain in early March, during the final Creating Conversations event of the school year, titled, “Raising Emotionally Healthy Children and Adolescents: Understanding Brain
Donna Volpitta shares thoughts on resilience in Hillsdale Commons.
Science to Build Resilience.” Researcher and founder of the Center for Resilient Leadership, Donna Volpitta, Ed.D., presented basic neuroscience concepts, including ways parents can understand how the brain develops and learns. Volpitta shared that parents should encourage independence and mindful decision-making, which will help students establish resiliency the next time a challenging situation arises. “There is a certain blend of chemicals the brain releases after students achieve a solution to a problem on their own—that ‘YES!’ moment,” said Volpitta. “If young people have someone always solve that problem for them, their brains will actually lose the pathway that allows them to get to that moment of success.”
She also challenged parents to rethink their children’s behaviors, as well as their responses to those behaviors. “Crying rebalances our neurochemicals. That’s why we feel better after we cry. We actually are better,” said Volpitta. “And consider that boys need to tantrum more than girls, so when we don’t let them cry, they aren’t getting what they need to regulate. And part of learning how to regulate is where we gain resilience.”
The Seven Hills School Speaker Series
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SCHOOL NEWS
PERSONAL CHALLENGE Aishwarya Varma At age 17, senior Aishwarya Varma has visited India at least seven times. That’s seven visits spent walking down a street in Mumbai and seeing hungry orphans roaming the streets. Seven visits during which she has heard stories about child trafficking. And seven times she has visited public schools in Kerala or Bangalore where teachers have little to no basic classroom resources. Varma, whose parents grew up in India, said she was tired of feeling hopeless about the cities so strongly connected to her family history. So, the violinist, violist, and pianist decided to leverage her musical talents to plan and organize a benefit concert for Pratham U.S.A., a nonprofit organization that funds quality education for children in India. “I’m here, going to such a good school. I have world-class opportunities at my feet, but these kids don’t have education, some of them don’t have parents, some are sold into prostitution,” said Varma, who began her Personal Challenge project in late 2017. “Many of these kids don’t have opportunities to change their circumstances. I wanted to do something for them.” Varma, whose family is originally from Kerala, in the southernmost part of India, began planning the concert by inviting her musician friends to perform. She secured a donated space at the Wyoming Fine Arts Center and appealed to dozens of donors via email, in person, and social media. In April 2018, Varma’s vision came together. Musicians from local music studios attended in force, playing a number of classical pieces for a crowd of about 100 people. Varma participated as well, playing “The Swan” for viola and piano by Camille Saint Saëns. Varma’s initiative raised more than $4,000 for Pratham—mostly from donations and also from the $10 admission charged at the concert. The funds were wired to the 28
organization, and have gone toward classroom education for schoolage children, as well as to vocational schools for girls and women. Varma’s adviser, history teacher Jen Faber, called Varma’s project “exceptional.” “Aishwarya’s project is such a great example of a Personal Challenge project because things did not go exactly as she planned and she had to overcome many obstacles along the way,” said Faber. “Throughout the process she learned so much empower women and children in India. about the difficulties in fundraising and “My grandmother dropped out of high organizing events. She was truly devoted to the PERSONAL CHALLENGE IS A REQUIRED purpose and the PROJECT THAT OFFERS STUDENTS THE outcome.”
OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE SOMETHING OF
Varma said she INTEREST AT A DEEP AND MEANINGFUL LEVEL plans to continue WHILE EXPERIENCING THE EXCITEMENT OF her work with Pratham LEARNING. AS PART OF THE VENTURE, WHICH or a similar IS TYPICALLY COMPLETED BY STUDENTS IN organization, and has even researched starting her own chapter of the philanthropic school to help her sister with her children,” program at her college. Varma said she is said Varma. “Organizations like Pratham help proud of her work, not because of merely people like my grandmother get back on what she did, but because it ties her to track for education.” her heritage and helps create a pipeline to
SCHOOL NEWS
PERSONAL CHALLENGE Max Yuan Senior Max Yuan spent the summer before his senior year working on a robot—a robot he conceived of and built himself. For his Personal Challenge project, Yuan designed, redesigned, 3-D printed, constructed, and programmed a robotic arm and its controller. Yuan has a longstanding fascination with robotics and programming, previously constructing remote control vehicles and cars from wood and acrylic sheets. The robotic arm was his most challenging project yet. “I’ve always been interested in robotics, but I think this is a much bigger and more complex project compared to others,” Yuan said. “This is the only robot I designed and 3-D printed.” He based his robotic arm on industrial robots
were compact, but could also fit the wires. His first model of the controller was half its current height because he didn’t realize the wires needed much more space. The multiple redesigns and reprints were worth it when Yuan was able to assemble the completed robotic arm. “After so many frustrating redesigns and failed parts, it was really satisfying to see everything come together and just work very smoothly and a lot better than I intended,” he said.
Yuan’s adviser, Upper School computer science teacher, Brian Arnold, said this Personal Challenge THEIR JUNIOR OR SENIOR YEAR, SEVEN HILLS project was a huge undertaking STUDENTS ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES THAT HELP because it combined THEM FURTHER EXPLORE THEIR INTERESTS OR mechanical design, electrical design, and STRETCH BEYOND THEIR COMFORT ZONES. the programming STUDENTS SHARE THEIR PERSONAL CHALLENGE of an Arduino PROJECTS WITH THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY AT microcontroller. “Any of these aspects ONE OF TWO EVENTS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. of the project could have been the focus used on assembly lines. Yuan wanted to incorporate the smooth curves and lines of the arms into his own project. Yuan’s robotic arm can complete a variety of tasks. It can pick up and set down objects, stack objects, and be taught other movements. “It’s very flexible,” he said. “It has six motors, so that’s six degrees of freedom. I can pretty much do anything within its range.” Yuan’s project required myriad bouts of trials and errors. The arm and controller are composed of 37 intricate 3-D printed parts that fit together perfectly. He estimates he went through two to three redesigns and reprints per part. The controller alone is full of wires and Yuan found it challenging to design enclosures that
of a worthy Challenge project, but Max tackled all of them, and with impressive quality and capabilities,” Arnold said. “I've seen prototypes of similar commercial robotic arm products produced by experienced engineers, and I feel Max's implementation was as clean if not cleaner. It was very impressive work.” Yuan said his Challenge project opened his eyes to the world of 3-D printing and how it can be used in robotic design.
“I really enjoyed constructing the robotic arm. With other robots, I had to design based on the materials I had,” Yuan said. “Now the design forms around my own ideas. I think that’s really allowed me to evolve my robots to the next level.” Yuan already has an idea for his next 3-D printing project. He plans to design and 3-D print a robot hand that detects the
movements of a glove being worn by the person controlling it. “I’m really looking forward to working on that over the summer,” Yuan said. 29
Fall 2018 Personal Challenge Presentations Samples of students’ projects In fall 2018, juniors and seniors shared their Personal Challenge projects, the results of months, and sometimes years, of hard work. Seven Hills students, faculty, and staff enjoyed presentations about topics ranging from dog training, to sewing, to wellness.
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SCHOOL NEWS
2017-18 LIFETIME GIVING SOCIETY
Updated, corrected list from the 2017-18 Annual Report THE LIFETIME GIVING SOCIETY WAS ESTABLISHED TO RECOGNIZE SOME OF SEVEN HILLS’ MOST DEDICATED SUPPORTERS. THE INDIVIDUALS LISTED BELOW HAVE PROVIDED GIFTS DURING THEIR LIFETIMES OF $100,000 OR MORE. THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS PROVIDE FOR CAPITAL, EDUCATIONAL, AND OPERATIONAL NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL AND MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF A SEVEN HILLS EDUCATION. WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO THESE BENEFACTORS FOR THEIR ONGOING DEDICATION TO THE SCHOOL. $1 MILLION AND ABOVE Pat Cornell Brodie H’38* Nancy & Steve Donovan Marjorie (Wood H’40) & Charles* Drackett The Thomas J. Emery Memorial Estate of Margaret Hooker Fraser H’63 Carol (Homan C’41) & Ralph Haile Jr.* The John Hauck Foundation Betty Freyhoff Johnson H’40* Kris & Cal Kalnow Pat Landen H’50 Beth & Jim Schiff Adele & Robert* Schiff Robert & Adele Schiff Family Foundation Inc. The Louise Taft Semple Foundation Anne Drackett Thomas H’66 Peg & Mike Valentine Mary Beth & Craig Young Anonymous (1) $500,000 TO $999,999 Martha & Ralph Burchenal Helen Chatfield H’64 Eva Jane (Romaine H’48) & Andy Coombe* Harriet “Happy” (Ratterman H’42) & John Downey Jr.* Susan (Gurganus L’63 H’69) & Kim Drackett Margaret Pogue Fisk C’33* Fund for Independent Schools of Cincinnati Inc.
Priscilla Reed Gamble L’29* Elizabeth Deupree Goldsmith H’38* Louise (Atkins H’56) & Joe Head Peggy (Palmer H’35) & Robert Keeler* Betty & Joseph Landen* The H.B., E.W. & F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation C. Lawson Reed L’31* Elizabeth & Patrick Rogers Jacob G. Schmidlapp Fund Jennifer & John Stein Sarah & Steiny Steinman Nellie Leaman Taft H’55* Anonymous (1) $250,000 TO $499,999 Estate of Robert Allen Jennie (Rosenthal L’75) & Allan Berliant Helen (Chatfield H’41) & Robert Black Jr.* The Camden Foundation Shannon (Kelly H’67) & Lee Carter Julie & Frank Cohen ’91 Lawsie (Pennington C’65) & Michael Coler Tucker (Jones ’79) & Michael Coombe L’72 Carolyn & Mike Collette Tracy & Dave Davis The Harriette R. Williams Downey Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation Kari & David Ellis
The Edward E. Ford Foundation Mary O'Brien Gibson H’32* The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation Dr. Frederick Hauck* Kathy & Tom Hayes Karen & David Hoguet Hummingbird Society Foundation Ginger & Steve Kent Libby (Landen ’77) & Bruce Krone A.G. Lafley Margaret Lafley Mary & John March* Kevin McNamara Francie Garber Pepper H’58 Jan & Wym Portman Alex & Andrew Quinn The Resale Shop Susan Arnold & Diana Salter Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee Nancy & Tom Shepherd Nancy & John Silverman Elizabeth C. B. & Paul G. Sittenfeld Marcia Brady Tucker Foundation Welchwood Foundation Karen & Frank Wood Anne Sanger & John* Wulsin Rosamond Reed Wulsin C’38* Mary Witt Wydman H’43* Anonymous (7) $100,000 TO $249,999 The Avril Family The Phyllis P. Anderson Foundation Janet (Fast H’46) & Frank* Andress Dulany & Rob Anning ’86 Sue & Steve Baggott Cindy & Andy Berman Susan & Steve Black L’60 Jane & Bob Bohinski Rhoda (Allen H’67) & John Brooks L’57 Cathy (Smale H’72) & Robert Caldemeyer
Catherine Cantey Kim & Martin Chavez Lalitha & Jaideep Chunduri Sheila & Philip Cohen Mary Ida (Sloneker ’77) & Marshal Compton Linda & Billy Cyr Susan Haas & Craig Decker Kathy & Bill DeWitt Jr. TSHS Doherty Parents Association Mary Sloneker Donahue Jeanne Drackett* Sandy (Hauck C’49) & Allen* Elliott Evelyn & Marc Fisher Helen & James Gamble L’34* Christine & Chris Garten Sudie Ernst Geier H’41 Shelly & Michael Gerson Naomi Tucker Gerwin H’57 Jan Fullgraf Golann H’67 Margot & Dan Good The Robert Gould Foundation Inc. Linda (Heldman H’71) & Gary Greenberg Penny Ferguson Griffith C’61 Helen & John Habbert Ellen Haude ’88 Mark Heiman Family Foundation Shirley Heldman* Grace (Allen ’80) & Brian Hill Dr. Norman Hill L’39* Genny Edwards Hilmer H’47 Karen Holley Horrell & Jack Horrell The Andrew J. Jergens Foundation Martha Whitaker Jones H’43 R.A. Jones & Co. Foundation Archana & Sashi Kilaru Susan & David Knust Tina Sutphin Kohnen H’59 Jane Garvey C’74 & John Lanier Anne & John* Lawrence Jr. Dr. Joseph Levinson* Sally & Ray Leyman L’67 Malcolm McElroy L’55*
Marylou & John McIlwraith Katy Hollister & Brad Miller Karen Meyer & Rick Michelman Sally & Murray* Monroe Nabama Foundation Meghan & Andy Nelson Patti (Williams C’74) & Buck Niehoff Lisa Lee & Michael Nordlund Ohio Valley Foundation Tory (Woodhull H’63) & John Parlin III L’54 Peterloon Foundation Sherry & Virgil Reed Janet Allen-Reid ’76 & David Reid Melody Sawyer Richardson C’61 Greer & John Schneider Mary Corinne Gamble Scherr H’28* Jayna (Schlegel ’90) & Dan Schimberg ’80 Anne & Jim Shanahan Phyllis & John Smale* Anne Thomson Smith H’32* Kathleen & Jim Stengel Lotspeich L. Taft Family TAS Foundation Elizabeth Adams Tehan C’28* Dorrie Thompson The Tomcinoh Fund TSHS Upper Parents Association Arleigh & Ronald W. Tysoe Ruth Smith Upson H’41* Ellen & Ray van der Horst Drew Gores L’66 H’72 & George Warrington Suzanne (Mooney H’43) & John Warrington* Jean Sawyer Weaver H’41* Judy (Robinson H’67) & Joe Williams The Wydman Family Foundation Marcy Wydman ’76 Anne & Allen Zaring Anonymous (3)
* Denotes deceased 31
SCHOOL NEWS - SPORTS
WINTER SPORTS HONORS Student athletes shined in a standout winter season The Seven Hills girls swim team ended
its season with the title of Miami Valley Conference Champions (MVC) and a fifth-place finish overall at the state championship. Senior Emma Shuppert was named a state champion in the 100 backstroke. She also placed second in the 200 medley relay, fourth in the 400 free relay, and eighth in the 200 IM. Shuppert was also named the MVC Swimmer of the Year. Shuppert, along with her teammates senior Claire Harrison, senior Dottie Callard, junior Jocelyn Spanbauer, and freshman Ella Jo Piersma set new school records in the girls 200 medley relay, the girls 100 free, the girls 200 free relay, girls 100 backstroke, and the 400 free relay. Harrison, Piersma, Shuppert, and Spanbauer were also named state runners-up in the girls 200 medley relay. The boys swim team placed fourth overall in the state championship and was named MVC Champions. The team was also named district runner-up. Senior Greg Kalin was a state runner-up in the 100 fly and the 100 backstroke. Kalin also placed fourth in the 400 free relay and broke the school record in the boys 100 fly. Additionally, Kalin was named the MVC Swimmer of the Year. Kalin competed at the state meet alongside his teammates senior George Eng, junior Spencer Boyd, sophomore Tim Kalin, and sophomore Barry Bates. Boyd, Eng, and Tim and Greg Kalin were state runners-up in the 200 boys medley relay. Varsity swim coach Brandon Williams was named MVC Coach of the Year. The boys basketball team advanced to the sectional championship game this season and shared the gray division MVC Championship. Senior Brice Hill was the MVC Player of the Year and was named to the District 16 First Team. Hill scored his
1000th career point during the 2018-19 winter season. Hill was also recognized as second team in the All-District Awards. Hill also received the MVC Dick Snyder Sportsmanship Award for displaying integrity and good sportsmanship throughout the season. Junior Curtis Harrison received an honorable mention in the All-District Awards. Boys varsity basketball coach Willie Hill was named MVC Coach of the Year.
David Gelman
The Seven Hills girls basketball team had a solid season, with a record of 10-6 in the MVC and 12-9 overall. Junior Laura Shuppert received an honorable mention in the All-District Awards. The girls bowling team was 4-2 in the conference and 8-10 overall, advancing to districts. Junior Max Creech was the MVC Bowler of the Year. Creech placed first in the MVC Girls Bowling Tournament.
Gymnastics Team
The boys bowling team was 7-3 in the conference and 11-10 overall. The team advanced to the sectional tournament. Junior Adam Firestein was named to the MVC First Team. The cheerleaders lit up the sidelines and cheered our girls and boys basketball teams. Senior Madison Peltier was named to the MVC First Team, All League. The gymnastics team received the District Sportsmanship Award. Junior Grace Copfer received the MVC Sportsmanship Award.
Cheerleading
Seven Hills wrestling was represented by Freshman David Gelman, the team’s only member. He had an excellent season and was named to the MVC's First Team.
Max Creech
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SCHOOL NEWS - SPORTS
Emma Shuppert
Swim team
Greg Kalin
Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball
Girls Bowling
Boys Bowling
Brice Hill
Laura Shuppert
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SCHOOL NEWS
SEVEN HILLS ABROAD
China and France
China
The Seven Hills Upper School hosted 10 students and three teachers from Shanghai, China, in late January, as part of a cultural exchange partnership with Shanghai Xi’nan Weiyu school. From Jan. 28 to Feb. 1, our visitors from Shanghai enjoyed a very snowy and cold time in Cincinnati. On the first day of their visit, exchange students went
34
shopping with Upper School Chinese teacher Nanyue Zhu. Because of a polar vortex sweeping through the Midwest, students also had two snow days with their Seven Hills families. Students went bowling and visited local museums. On their last day, exchange students visited Seven Hills and were immersed in our culture and routine. Seven Hills students worked together to create a video in Mandarin Chinese to give exchange students a virtual tour of an American school. Exchange students also shared their skills. They performed dances, sang, taught calligraphy, and demonstrated how to make Chinese knots for Middle School students. “The Chinese students had so much fun, and our Middle and Upper school students had an opportunity to practice their Chinese,” said Mia Wu, Middle and Upper Chinese teacher. “Our students said they learned so much about Chinese life in a short time.”
Wu said she loves the exchange program, and her students are looking forward to traveling to China in early June. “All the kids learn so much about each other's culture,” Wu said. “Our students become more interested in Chinese culture and so many students choose to study the language after coming back from China. Students who know Chinese feel proud that they are using Chinese in a total immersion situation.”
France
In fall 2018, the Upper School welcomed 26 students and three teachers from France as part of a cultural exchange with Institution Croix Blanche, located in Lille, France. Students will travel to France from May 24 to June 5. They will be hosted by the student, who visited in the fall, and spend the last two days of their trip in Paris.
SCHOOL NEWS
BOOKS FOR LUNCH 2019 WELCOMED SY MONTGOMERY BOOKS FOR LUNCH SPEAKER SY MONTGOMERY KNOWS ANIMALS. THE AUTHOR AND NATURALIST SHARED COMPELLING STORIES WITH STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ATTENDED SEVERAL BOOKS FOR LUNCH EVENTS IN FEBRUARY ABOUT HER MYRIAD EXPERIENCES AND OUR UNIQUE BONDS WITH CREATURES OF ALL KINDS. MONTGOMERY’S LATEST BOOK IS, “HOW TO BE A GOOD CREATURE: A MEMOIR IN THIRTEEN ANIMALS.”
“
“Once you realize the world loves you back…you treat this planet with the reverence it deserves.” -Sy Montgomery Montgomery’s Seven Hills tour began with an intimate patron dinner at the home of parents Lisa Lee and Mike Nordlund. Dozens of Seven Hills parents and Cincinnati community members gathered to learn more about
shared a lecture with members of the school community during a luncheon at Xavier University’s Cintas Center. Head of Upper School Matt Bolton introduced the Cincinnati Zoo’s director Thane Maynard, who in turn introduced Montgomery. Maynard has known Montgomery since she visited the zoo to promote her 1995 book, “Spell of the Tiger.” Maynard said, like primatologist Jane Goodall and professor and animal behaviorist Temple Grandin, Montgomery truly knows how to think like an animal.
Author Sy Montgomery signs books following her lecture at the Cintas Center.
very powerful message,” Garten said. Books for Lunch, chaired this year by Shelly
Montgomery spoke about how, throughout
Smith and Teresa Weirich, celebrated its 33rd
her life, animals have been teachers. Her first
year. Thank you to the entire Books for Lunch
teacher was a Scottish terrier named Molly.
committee, Robin Kiley, Marsha Firestein,
“Molly died when I was a teenager, but she
Maria Kalomenidou, Nancy Norton, Sandhya
showed me the way,” she said. “I knew what
Shenai, Denise Caccavari, and Rae Vuic, for
my destiny was.”
planning the event.
Since Molly, the author has learned from Pictured above, from left, Books for Lunch co-chairs Shelly Smith and Teresa Weirich, author Sy Montgomery, Head of Upper School Matt Bolton, Head of School Chris Garten, and Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard.
Montgomery’s aquatic odyssey with her favorite octopus friend, Octavia, her treks with tarantulas and critters who crawled in her hair, and her travels in the field across the globe. Montgomery dined with her guests, answered questions, and enjoyed the Nordlund’s hospitality. The next day, Montgomery spoke to Upper School students about her work and held a more personal discussion in the library
emus, tigers, and octopuses. “Once you realize the world loves you back…you treat this planet with the reverence it deserves,” she said. Montgomery opened the floor to questions and the lecture was closed with remarks from Head of School Chris Garten. Garten commented on Montgomery’s lessons, including the importance of empathy and the need to enlarge our circle of compassion. “It’s a very,
Pictured at the Books for Lunch event at Xavier University’s Cintas Center are, front row, Head of Upper School Matt Bolton, Head of School Chris Garten, Drew Vecellio, Shriya Sekar, Sy Montgomery, Aleena Arif, Naina Puroshothaman, and back row, David Kiley, Anika Parameswaran, Jamie Holcomb, and Rachel Michelman.
following the assembly. Montgomery then 35
SCHOOL NEWS - ARTS
LOTSPEICH FINE ARTS TRIO “Fine art is not just our work. It’s our lives. It’s what we love.” - Jody Knoop, Seven Hills Lower School art teacher
students who range in ages from 2 to 11.
Just inside the doors of Hillsdale Campus’ storied Red Barn, creative dramatics teacher Russell White instructs and inspires more than a dozen groups of students, weekly, tailoring learning points and activities to the needs and skills of
A few hundred steps away, art teacher Jody Knoop and music teacher Robin Wilson teach multiple levels of classes in the bustling, colorful Ingeborg R. Meckel Center for Language and Fine Arts, as well as in the Early Childhood Center. Surrounded by her wide-eyed students, Knoop reveals her next lesson—candle-making, mechanical box construction, or a deep-dive on da Vinci. Across the hall, Wilson raises her hands in preparation to conduct her students’ first handbell rehearsal. Third-graders learn the basics of writing music, and pre-kindergarteners sway in another class, waving colorful scarves, feeling the rhythm. Whether it’s a display of clay sculptures at the entrance of the Lotspeich building, classes in the Red Barn, or a grade-level musical performance in Founders Hall, the fine and performing arts at Lotspeich are dynamic, ever-present, and unique.
These scenes take place in Lotspeich’s art spaces every day. And every day, we celebrate the work, creativity, and determination of our young artists. Shortly before spring break, we caught up for a fun Q&A with the stellar teaching
team who inspire Seven Hills’ Lotspeich Lower School students at every turn.
Q: Name one of your favorite lessons.
A: Knoop (32 years at Seven Hills):
I enjoy cross-curricular art lessons that involve working together with other disciplines and lessons my colleagues are teaching. I also enjoy teaching my students to design optical illusions and
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SCHOOL NEWS - ARTS
art projects that really get the kids excited, like our lamp projects. White (19 years at Seven Hills): Our youngest students learn how to collaborate onstage and use body movement to tell a story. When they get older, they learn about stage direction, as well as the different techniques of theater, acting, and improvisation. They gain an extra level of confidence in the Red Barn that will stay with them in and out of their classrooms. Wilson (12 years at Seven Hills): I love seeing the kids start out in prekindergarten and graduate to grade-level performances. Our fourth-graders are already thinking about what their fifth-grade musical will be next year. I also love seeing what instruments my students play outside the school, which is why I invite them to perform in recitals during our assemblies.
Q: Why the arts?
30 words or less
A: White: The performing arts give students an outlet to be impulsive in a
good way. They don’t usually involve screens; they involve real people. Knoop: I always say, when the grid goes down, art students will be able to make something that will help solve a problem. Wilson: The arts naturally tap into all parts of the brain. Students who have regular exposure to art education have a much more balanced learning experience, across all disciplines.
Q: When did you know you were an artist?
A: Knoop: My mother and
grandmother were both artists. They were always making something. My grandmother was a woodcutter and printmaker. My mother did mosaics and created big art pieces, such as murals and welded sculpture. My father was an architect. I was being prepped from age
3 on learning all the kinds of different art techniques, which is perfect for what I do now at Seven Hills. White: I was a freshman at Wyoming High School when I took my first acting class. We were required to audition for the play, “Pygmalion.” That led to being in my first play and I have never stopped loving theater and acting since then. I felt like I had found my home. Wilson: I started playing piano when I was 7 years old and it became my passion. My grandmother was a ballerina and she dabbled in music, but I got really serious about piano in middle school. Once I was in high school, I knew I wanted to go into music. In college I began playing for churches and I have been doing that ever since.
drama music visual art drama 37
SCHOOL NEWS
STINGER MADNESS and Seven Hills Day of Giving During the last week in February, the Seven Hills campuses were abuzz with two important yearly events that support The Seven Hills Annual Fund—the weeklong Stinger Madness, which ran Feb. 25 to March 1, and the Day of Giving, which ran for 24 hours on Feb. 28. In the bustle of this busy week, emails, letters, and videos flowed out of the development office and from our volunteers, and gifts from across town and around the world flowed in.
Stinger Bees Filled the Hills!
As Stinger Madness and Day of Giving gifts were pouring in, our development team was out on our two campuses Filling the Hills with Stinger Bees, each with a sticker bearing the name of those who made the gift.
Stinger Madness
Our weeklong Stinger Madness brought together families of current Seven Hills students for a friendly competition to see which of the three divisional teams (Team Fox/ Murch for the Lower School divisions, Team Waskowitz for the Middle School division, and Team Bolton for the Upper School division) could achieve the highest parent participation percentage in the Annual Fund by the end of the week. The Middle School division pulled off a win after coming out ahead by only a few percentage points. Congratulations to Team Waskowitz for taking home the 2019 Stinger Madness trophy! Check out www.7hills.org/StingerMadness to see our Stinger Madness videos!
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SCHOOL NEWS
Seven Hills Day of Giving During our 24-hour Day of Giving, friends of the school—alumni, grandparents, parents of alumni, and many others— showed tremendous support, as they made their gifts to the Annual Fund. As always, it was a great pleasure to hear from so many friends of Seven Hills.
Thank you for Filling the Hills!
Our grateful thanks to our donors and our Annual Fund volunteers, whose encouragement helped us Fill the Hills during Stinger Madness and Day of Giving! A grand total of 217 friends and families of Seven Hills made Annual Fund gifts during these events, joining the more than 1,100 donors who have already supported the 2018-19 Seven Hills Annual Fund.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to make your Annual Fund gift for the 2018-19 school year there is still time, as our fiscal year runs through June 30. Please visit www.7hills.org/ AnnualFund to make your gift today.
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SCHOOL NEWS
S A M P L E S
F R O M
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also discussed the importance of having access to clean water, and observed and drew conclusions based on their experiences.
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which the students make puppets, lace paper shoes, and create Venn diagrams. “This is also a story in contrast and comparison,” said Pietroski. “The students
KINDERGARTENERS EXPLORE UKRAINIAN TALE “THE MITTEN”
CLEAN WATER STUDY
As part of their winter studies on pioneer life, Doherty Unit II students learned about water filtration in their global discoveries unit. Unit II Teacher Joan Claybourn asked students to consider how they could obtain fresh drinking water in the mid-1800s. Students worked together to create a filter to clean the water. “They were given items such as coal, cotton, gravel, sand, and nylon to make different filters,” said Claybourn. “They had to decide what items they thought would clean the water the best and in which order they should use them when creating the filter.” Claybourn said the students drank the water in the end, thanks to P&G’s water filtration packets. The guided lesson allowed students to work collaboratively on a trial-and-error basis as they determined which materials filtered grass and other debris out of the water best. The students 40
In early January, Doherty kindergarteners in Lindsay Pietroski’s class actively participated in a dynamic reading of “The Mitten,” a Ukrainian tale, which has been told by multiple authors and in a number of ways. The students listened to three versions, adapted by children’s authors Jan Brett, Alvin Tresselt, and Jim Aylesworth. For Brett’s version, the students sat in a circle surrounding a cloth mitten as big as the students! As Pietroski read the book, the students, who held puppets of the animal characters in the book, placed their animals in the giant mitten, illustrating the action of the characters. Students especially enjoyed acting out the story’s conclusion, in which a tiny mouse’s whiskers tickle the bear, resulting in a sneeze that sends all of the animals flying out of the
mitten. Pietroski said the story study incorporated a number of learning skills, in
really learn to appreciate the different ways that one story element can be told.” FIRST-GRADERS COLLECT POSTCARDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Throughout the school year, Lotspeich first-graders in Aimee Burton and Marilyn Braun’s classes collect postcards from around the United States and the world. “Our goal is to collect a postcard from all 50 states and all seven continents,” Burton said. The project is part of first grade’s ongoing study of geography. Through collecting postcards, students learned interesting facts about the United States and the world. “We always learned
S A M P L E S
something new from the postcards,” Braun said. Students were even able to get a postcard from Antarctica—one of the hardest postcards to find. A parent told Burton and Braun about a website called penguinscience.com that helped teachers and students send postcards to a scientist in Antarctica. Students decorated their postcards with penguins and sent them to the scientist, who sent them back with an Antarctica postmark. Braun said students prepared their postcards by studying penguins and checking out books from the library. HOUR OF CODE
Hour of Code was held in early December, kicking off a worldwide effort to teach students about coding. At Lotspeich, librarian Lori Suffield and science teacher Natalie Wildfong taught coding classes to celebrate the week. “We did a lot of unplugged coding, or coding offline, in pre-kindergarten through third grade,” Wildfong said. “Students took part in many different investigations where they had to meet different objectives by building and
F R O M
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manipulating various materials. We used marble runs, drawings, grids, ozobots, and other materials throughout the unit.” Suffield worked with second- through fifth-graders for Hour of Code activities. In one class, students used block coding in the program Dance Party. Students programmed a person to dance with different music. “It was a great introduction to coding,” Suffield said.
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countries were controlled by the colonizing Spain, United States, Latin American, Russian, and Great Britain governments. Students then worked in groups to draw the flag of their colonizing nation and present a situation report to their classmates. Huff said the report “allowed each country to speak and say what happened.” The class also simulated communication by telegram and developed alliances between the colonizers. EIGHTH-GRADERS STUDY “LORD OF THE FLIES”
Laura Clemens’ eighth-grade English students took a deep dive into the classic
SEVENTH-GRADE HISTORY CLASS LEARNS ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY DIPLOMACY
Doug Huff’s seventhgrade history class learned about foreign policy diplomacy and the Monroe Doctrine in February, a policy enacted in 1823 that outlined the United States’ opposition to European colonialism in the Americas. Students created a map of the world to see which smaller
Continued on page 42
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SCHOOL NEWS
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novel “Lord of the Flies” in early winter.
trips to Hawaii to visits to colder climates.
multiculturalism, history, linguistics, and
After reading the book, students
In French, Kalubi asked what students
anthropology. “Learn your family migration
completed a project using their skills and
would bring along and they answered with
story,” Daboiku said. “It will help you
unique talents to illustrate their knowledge
words like, “les bijoux” (jewelry), “le sac à
understand who you are and who we are as
of the content and meaning behind the
main” (purse), and “des chaussures”
a nation.” Upper School history teacher
literary classic. Clemens said the projects
(shoes), to name a few. Kalubi said the
Amaris White said she invited Daboiku to
casual questions allowed the students to
speak to the Seven Hills community in
build their confidence in speaking
order to give students an opportunity to
conversationally in French. She also asked
view their historical academic knowledge
students to study the weather patterns of
through the lens of an academic speaker
French-speaking countries.
who is also a storyteller and expert on the
were completely driven by student choice. “There was a wide range of student responses to the book,” she said. “I told students, ‘take your talents and use that as your medium for showing your understanding.’ ” Some students designed board games, painted scenes from the novel, created an escape room experience, and wrote short stories. BUILDING VOCABULARY IN FRENCH I
What would you wear if you were going to the Oscars? In a January lesson, Madame Jacky Kalubi asked her Upper School French I students to consider their packing list in a number of traveling scenarios, from
varied experiences of African Americans in VISITING STORYTELLER URGES,
the Midwest. Seven Hills’ Upper School
“LEARN YOUR MIGRATION STORY”
student-run African American Awareness
Renowned local storyteller Omope
Club and White invited Daboiku, a
Daboiku shared her rich family history with
curriculum designer and former Cincinnati
Middle and Upper School students in small
State instructor, to speak. Her visit was
and large groups in mid February. Her
part of Seven Hills’ African American
stories, which centered around her
Awareness Club’s observance of Black
nine-generation family migration across
History Month.
and throughout the United States, included threads of lessons in geography,
42
LINDA WOLFE
47 YEARS OF SERVICE
“
“Linda was a teacher who inspired generations of children by simply being Linda. She loved good books, but most of all, she appreciated her students—and they knew it. She challenged them to think carefully and deeply. The literature she chose, especially for the Bridges program, was not always easy to read or to understand, but it always taught important life lessons and those lessons were often her best. She will be sorely missed and never replaced.” – Judy Davis, Doherty learning specialist
PAT KRAMER
Assistant Food Service Manager 26 YEARS OF SERVICE
“
“After more than 20 years together, it’s hard to pinpoint just one favorite memory about Pat. We’ve laughed together, leaned on each other, traveled together, and grown old together. We’ve had many, many good times. Seven Hills will miss Pat’s humor, her ability to make you laugh, dependability, willingness to do whatever it takes to make you happy, and her bright orange Mustang.” – Jan Alford, Food Service Director
retirements
Doherty Librarian and Teacher
JOANIE WEIDNER
Admin. Assistant to the Head of Middle School 8 YEARS OF SERVICE
“
“As the ‘face and voice of the Middle School,’ Joanie has created an atmosphere of efficiency, respect, and compassion that has permeated every corner of our community. When you interact with Joanie, you know that you will be heard and treated with respect. You also know that you will be treated as a human being who has value and meaning.” – Bill Waskowitz, Head of Middle School 43
Counseling Department Chair and Lotspeich Lower School Counselor 43 YEARS OF SERVICE
“
“Judy has had a tremendous impact on the continued development of the Lower School guidance program. She brought mindfulness and growth mindset theories to the Lower School, incorporated brain science into the classroom, and began the prekindergarten motor program at Lotspeich. She has also served as an amazing resource for students, faculty, and parents for Seven Hills as a whole. Parents deeply trust and respect Judy, and frequently seek her out for guidance with challenges their children are facing, parenting questions, and insight.” – Liz Lorenz, Learning Support Department Co-Chair, Lotspeich Lower School math resources teacher, and math enrichment coordinator
TERRY BETTS
Doherty Nurse and CPR and First Aid Trainer 22 YEARS OF SERVICE
“
“Terry’s kindness shows through her warm, friendly smile and gentle laughter that she has shared with us every day for the last 22 years. Since she came to Doherty in 1997, her love and compassion for the children has always been evident as she wipes away tears, cleans cuts, settles a stomach, or deals with a more serious injury or illness. Terry is highly organized and has always kept the faculty well-informed of children’s needs and has led us in learning the most up-to-date procedures and how to handle any emergency. We wish Terry much happiness as she retires but we will miss our nurse and our friend!” – Marty Gerhardt, Doherty physical education, health teacher, and athletic coordinator
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retirements
JUDY ARNOLD
Upper School Learning Support Specialist 17 YEARS OF SERVICE
“
“Barb Frey’s patience, good cheer, bottomless expertise, and nearly microscopic attention to kids’ individual learning needs is the stuff of legend. Whether she’s guiding them as they organize an essay, study for a history test, grasp the quadratic equation, or construct a lab report, Barb is simultaneously teaching and demonstrating critical study skills. No wonder kids seek her out, not only during school hours but at night and on weekends, as well: They know she will help them grow into stronger, more organized, more resourceful learners. We and our Upper School students are very lucky to have had her with us for so long and very sorry to lose her to a well-earned retirement at the end of this year.” – Susan Marrs, Assistant Head of School, director of college counseling and director of studies
SUE BONE
Middle School Physical Education and Instrumental Ensemble Teacher 26 YEARS OF SERVICE
“
retirements
BARB FREY
“Sue is positive, and positive people affect the world. Can you imagine touching the lives of thousands of students in this way? Sue doesn’t have to imagine. She makes kids feel important and valued. She goes out of her way to do the little things that make a difference. I can’t think of another person at Seven Hills who is as involved in the fabric of Middle School life.” – John Rising, Lower, Middle, and Upper School instrumental teacher
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ALUMNI NEWS
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: VELMA MORELLI supportive family among the Seven Hills community. I was with the school for 35 years, most of those years serving as secretary to a total of five heads of school, before retiring in 2008.
Q: In what ways have you given back to Seven Hills, both today and in the past?
A: While working for the school, I did
There are a number of ways to volunteer your time to Seven Hills, and even more reasons to do so! We asked former administrative assistant and parent of an alumna, Velma Morelli, why she chooses to give back to Seven Hills.
Q: How did you first get involved with Seven Hills?
A: I first became involved with Seven
Hills as a secretary for the development office in the fall of 1974, the year after the Hillsdale and CPS merger. I often stayed late for meetings or events, and one night we were getting ready for an evening event, when I noticed one of our trustees sweeping the front steps of the school building. I thought to myself, “What a wonderful place we have here, when a board member takes time to help in that way.” Being recently divorced and still adjusting to the changes, I found a welcoming and 46
my best to support the entire Seven Hills community by attending plays, concerts, sporting events, carnivals, May Fete, and countless other events. This was less out of a sense of responsibility than doing things I enjoyed with my colleagues and friends. Since retiring from Seven Hills, I have volunteered for the development office in several ways, most often by joining Helping Hands, a group of volunteers, retired personnel, and current parents to help with large mailings from the school. Oh, what fun we’ve had seeing good friends, talking about old times, and meeting the new faces at Seven Hills! So, I guess you could say I’ve gone back to my job as secretary!
Q:.Everyone has a lot going on and many worthy causes competing for their time. Why do you continue to give of your time to Seven Hills?
A: I have regular lunches and visits
with other Seven Hills retirees and we really enjoy visiting the school and seeing the new construction. In many ways, it is a different school on the
outside, but on the inside, it is the same warm, supportive place I called home for three and a half decades. My youngest daughter, Melissa, graduated from Seven Hills in 1985 and now works in the business office. I am always connected to Seven Hills, even when I’m not physically there. I continue to volunteer so that I can keep in touch with a school that I hold near and dear to my heart!
We’re Thankful for Volunteer Support The development office is grateful for the support we get from our volunteers. If you’d like to join our team of volunteers, we’d be very happy to have you! HELPING HANDS
Join fellow alumni and friends of Seven Hills who assist with occasional development office mailings. ANNUAL GIVING COMMIT TEES
Help support the Annual Fund by writing notes or making calls to encourage Seven Hills families and friends to make a gift. C L A S S R E P R E S E N TAT I V E S
Help keep your classmates connected to each other and to the school with information about upcoming events, sharing classmates’ news, and encouraging Annual Fund support. To volunteer, please contact the Development Office at 513.728.2430 or development@7hills.org.
ALUMNI NEWS
DOES THE SCHOOL STILL … ? Alumni often ask us if the school maintains events and traditions that they remember fondly from their own years at the school. Many times, our answer is, “Yes, we still do that!”
MIDDLE SCHOOL TRIP TO NORTH CAROLINA Each year, Middle School students and teachers pack up their sleeping bags and hiking boots and jump on a bus bound for the North Carolina mountains for the annual camping and bonding trip, organized through the company Adventure Treks. In the fall, eighthgraders head to Pisgah National Forest, outside of Asheville, North Carolina, as part of an advisory bonding experience
where students explore nature together as they hike, camp, go rock climbing and
Middle School art teacher Elissa Donovan, who coordinates the trip these days, describes it as an “amazing out-of-theclassroom learning adventure!” “Students become more self-reliant, putting up tents, cooking for each other
whitewater rafting, and, most importantly, form connections with old and new classmates. The tradition began in the late 1990s and has continued for more than two decades. By challenging themselves in an unfamiliar environment, the students not only gain confidence in their abilities, but they also forge special bonds with their classmates. The excursion is a favorite memory for many former Middle Schoolers and Seven Hills graduates. Beth Krone ’05, who took part in the trip in 2000, fondly remembers swimming and sliding down Sliding Rock. The sense of class camaraderie that happened by the end of that trip stood out for her as well. “I remember our entire class singing John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ in unison on the bus!”
over camp stoves, and living without bathrooms,” said Donovan. A highlight from this year’s trip included a delicious Mexi Cook Off.
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ALUMNI NEWS
CATCHING UP WITH KAYLYN WILLIAMSON ’07 “The fundamental skills and my initial spark of interest were born out of the outstanding STEM curriculum at Seven Hills. I think back on hours spent in Mr. Abineri’s classroom and his approach to solving problems, which really set me up for success in college and in my career as a whole.”
Q: Please tell us about your education and career path after graduating from Seven Hills.
A: After graduating with a B.A. in
biological chemistry in 2011 from Wellesley College, I worked as a research technician in a laboratory studying cancer biology at Massachusetts General Hospital. I learned a lot about what it meant to be a full-time scientist in this position and was hooked! I transitioned to working for a small biotechnology/ pharmaceutical company, Constellation Pharmaceuticals Inc., in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2016, I decided to pursue my Ph.D. in cancer biology at Harvard Medical School. I am currently in my third year of graduate school and am working in the laboratory of Dr. Cigall Kadoch, Ph.D., studying a protein complex that plays important roles in cancer development and progression.
Q: How do you stay involved in your community today?
A: I have been fortunate enough to
benefit from formative mentorship and exposure to world-class research opportunities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields throughout my education, starting with Seven Hills. Unfortunately, not everyone has these same privileges. Recently, I participated as a student mentor in the Health Professions Recruitment and 48
Exposure Program (HPREP) at Harvard Medical School, which aims to provide high-achieving high school students from the Boston area who lack resources with an opportunity to learn more about STEM fields.
Q: In what way did your time at
Seven Hills influence your choice of career or field of study?
A: The fundamental skills and my initial spark of interest were born out of the outstanding STEM curriculum at Seven Hills. I think back on hours spent in Mr. Abineri’s classroom and his approach to solving problems, which really set me up for success in college and in my career as a whole. The strong laboratory-based core science curriculum also exposed me early on to the type of questions scientists ask on a daily basis.
Q: If you could give your high school
self one piece of advice, what would it be?
A: I would remind myself that there is
plenty of time to figure out what you want to do, and to take advantage of the opportunities to learn fundamental problem-solving and critical thinking skills. There are so many interesting careers that aren’t part of the cookiecutter list of occupations students are sometimes asked to visualize themselves in, and there is plenty of time to figure out where your interests might fit.
Kaylyn Williamson ’07
Q: Please tell us about one of your favorite memories from Seven Hills.
A: Some of my favorite Seven Hills
memories, in addition to those in the classroom, took place with friends competing for the Stingers on the tennis courts or the many extra hours spent in the Donovan Arts Center OUR DIRECTOR OF working on pottery ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT, projects. SARAH LAUTAR ’05,
CAUGHT UP WITH SEVEN HILLS ALUMNAE KAYLYN WILLIAMSON
ALUMNI NEWS
CATCHING UP WITH SARAH SHEPARD HOFFMAN ’94 “ The two most important influences from my time at Seven Hills were the confidence I gained to choose a path that spoke to me and the community of amazing lifelong friends I made while I was a student. ”
Q: Please tell us about your education and career path after graduating from Seven Hills.
A: After graduation I attended the
University of Colorado Boulder, where I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing and a minor in art history. During my time in college, I became very interested in photography and took classes whenever I could. After graduation, I moved to San Francisco, where I worked for three years in advertising. From there, I moved to New York where I found a position with an art auction house. While there, I got to know the head of the photographs department and was soon offered a job as his assistant. That began an exciting and incredibly rewarding 15-year career working at Phillips, Christie’s, and Sotheby’s auction houses—eight years in New York and seven in San Francisco. With my return to San Francisco, I got married and started a family. After my second child, I left the auction world to work independently AND SARAH SHEPARD as a director of HOFFMAN TO ASK the new art fair THEM ABOUT THEIR in San Francisco. This EXPERIENCES SINCE led me to an GRADUATING FROM exciting SEVEN HILLS. opportunity to open an art gallery, which afforded me the chance to bring a new art perspective, choices, and
expertise to Marin County, just north of San Francisco, where I now live. I opened the gallery on Dec. 1, 2018.
Q: How do you stay involved in your community today?
A: I try to say “yes!” whenever anyone
approaches me with a volunteer opportunity, whether it is serving on the benefit committee for Headlands, an arts residency in Marin, or supporting one of the many wonderful museums or art schools in the Bay Area, such as SFMoMA, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco Art Institute, or California College of the Arts. Outside of the art world, I support organizations such as the San Francisco Parks Alliance and the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito. Socially, I try to attend as many arts events as possible, while juggling family life.
Q: In what way did your time at Seven Hills influence your choice of career?
A: . The two most important influences from my time at Seven Hills were the confidence I gained to choose a path that spoke to me and the community of amazing lifelong friends I made while I was a student. There were many teachers who influenced me, especially art history teacher Mrs. [Betsy] Sittenfeld, art teacher Mrs. [Diane] Kruer, and French teacher Mme. Françoise Hobson. While my French skills are nothing to brag about, Madame instilled in me a love for
Sarah Shepard Hoffman ’94
France through her class and a very memorable trip to France in eighth grade with a group of other Seven Hills students. Since then, my career and personal life have taken me to France 10 times and I hope that trend continues!
Q: Please tell us about one of your favorite memories from Seven Hills.
A: Where to begin? If I may list more
than one—drama in the Red Barn, walking around the Lotspeich track with friends, playing overhead in the pavilion at Lotspeich, watching the eclipse outside of science class at Lotspeich with our handmade viewers, mini courses, sitting on the deck in the sun with friends during Upper School, going to the state tennis finals with my tennis partner and great friend, Anna Binkley Kennedy. I could go on all day! 49
LOTSPEICH classes of 1944, 1949, 1954, 1959, 1964, 1969, and 1974 SEVEN HILLS classes of 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, and 2000 The classes of 2005, 2010, and 2015 will celebrate their reunions on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020.
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classes of 1945, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, and 1970
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 1995 ON YOUR 25TH REUNION!
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CONGRATUL ATIONS TO THE CL ASS OF 1970 ON CELEBRATING YOUR 50TH REUNION REUNION REPS Reunion reps are needed to help make this a special weekend for your class. While the school-sponsored reunion events are for everyone to enjoy, each class organizes its own class-specific events. Please volunteer to help plan an event for your class. The more people from your class who are able to attend, the better your reunion will be. Please contact Sarah Ott Lautar ’05, director of alumni engagement, by email at sarah.lautar@7hills. org or by phone at 513.728.2432.
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ALUMNI RETURN FOR SECOND ANNUAL PANEL AND NETWORKING RECEPTION
On Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, alumni returned to Hillsdale Campus for the second annual Alumni Career Panel and Networking Reception. Meeting in the Donovan Arts Center’s Black Box Theater, the crowd enjoyed hearing the panelists’ words of wisdom and stories, based on an array of professional experiences and influences. Many of the panelists’ comments reflected the value in continuing to challenge oneself and taking a proactive approach to work. Jennie Rosenthal noted that she regularly evaluates her volunteer commitments. “If I’m on a board and it’s not fulfilling, or I’m not excited, or I’m not contributing, or it’s not a good fit then I need to move on,” Rosenthal said. “Don’t be afraid to try something that is totally out of your wheelhouse.” Tshiunza Kalubi echoed this sentiment when he advised, “Remain a student. Constantly be studying, be reading, know what’s going on and what’s changing in your field—it keeps you sharp.” The discussion showcased how the Seven Hills values manifest themselves long after high school graduation. Christie Alexander’s words of wisdom illustrated the value of respect for others when she shared, “Always value the people you work with. Tell people you appreciate what they do.” 52
We are grateful to all the panelists for sharing their time and expertise, and our moderator P.G. Sittenfeld ’03: • Christie Alexander ’04, dermatologist, St. Elizabeth’s Physicians • Sally Bidlingmeyer ’84, math teacher, Hyde Park Elementary School • Tshiunza (Dan) Kalubi ’02, senior community development analyst, City of Cincinnati • Alex Phillips ’02, managing partner, Bannockburn Global Forex • Jennie Rosenthal L’75, community activist
Celebrating the reunion classes of 2003, 2008, and 2013!
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On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the classes of 2003, 2008, and 2013 gathered at different bars in Over-the-Rhine to reconnect and celebrate their reunions. The Class of 2013 celebrated its fifth reunion at Queen City Radio. Thanks to John Larkin and Henry Head for planning the event and rallying classmates! The Class of 2008 marked 10 years since graduating from Seven Hills and caught up at Rosedale in Over-the-Rhine. Celebrating their 15th reunion, members of the class of 2003 gathered at Rhinegeist Brewery over local beer and pizza. Thanks to P.G. Sittenfeld for organizing the class’s get together!
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Young Alumni Holiday Party at MadTree Graduates from the last 10 years gathered at MadTree Brewing Company in Oakley for the annual Young Alumni Holiday Party, which moved to Thanksgiving weekend this year. With football on the big televisions, alums enjoyed local beer and pizza while catching up with old friends in town for the holiday weekend.
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#THROWBACK A Friendly Game of Field Hockey For years, field hockey played an important role in the lives of CPS, Hillsdale, and Seven Hills athletes and their friends. Decades of yearbooks include
references to the CPS and Hillsdale field hockey teams’ records against other schools—including each other, before the three schools merged. Girls also played field hockey as an intramural sport, donning cleats and grabbing
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hockey sticks for CPS’ Gold and Blue teams or Hillsdale’s Green and Gold teams. Generations of alumnae fondly remember competitive afternoons on the field and the honor of being chosen for one of the schools’ athletic societies.
who participated in volleyball, basketball, and other sports teams, as well. As Nancy Osmond Allgeier C’68, a member of the HAC and field hockey teams during her years at CPS remembers, the HAC was a big deal, even if athletic team participation was a more relaxed activity in those days. “We didn’t play a lot of other schools—maybe we’d play Summit [Country Day] and Hillsdale once in a while.” In addition to the games against rival schools, CPS’ Blue and Gold teams played intramural field hockey against each other, securing in-school bragging rights for the year. Hillsdale also held hard-fought intramural field hockey matches between the Green and Gold teams, in addition to fielding varsity and junior varsity teams that competed in inter-school games. Each year, strong field hockey players were invited to join an honorary group, the Laurel Hockey Team. Drew Gores H’72 remembers field hockey as an important sport throughout her years at the school. She was chosen to be on the
1983 At CPS, skilled athletes were chosen for the Honorary Athletic Club, or “HAC.” Each year, the HAC held a game in the spring, after which the older girls would “tap” a few freshmen to join the club. The HAC was not exclusive to field hockey. Membership included all-around athletes
1967 Laurel Hockey Team as a sophomore, junior, and senior. Selected annually by longtime gym teacher and coach Carol Brestel, the Laurel Hockey Team was celebrated at an annual luncheon, during which the teammates wore laurel crowns. Gores remembers that sports were more laid back during her time at school, recalling, “We might practice once a week before a game against another school. And, in those days, no one’s parents came to games.”
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With the addition of girls soccer, tennis, volleyball, and crosscountry teams, field hockey faced a shortage of available players. While the school enjoyed some successful field hockey teams in the 1980s, it bid farewell to field hockey as a varsity sport after the 1987 season. The heavy wooden hockey sticks, however, lived on in the hands of students in gym classes for many more years, and in the hearts of generations of former players.
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Alumni Basketball Games On Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018, alumni basketball players headed back to Kalnow Gym on Hillsdale Campus to burn off their Thanksgiving feasts. The women’s alumni game had a great turnout and defeated Varsity, thanks to the help of several alumnae in town to celebrate their 15th Reunion! Several alumni attended as spectators to cheer on their former classmates and teammates. The men fielded enough for two teams and a close game with all of the players leaving it all on the court. Thanks to all who came out to play!
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Seven Hills Roadshow Visits the Bay Area! The Seven Hills Roadshow headed west to the San Franscisco Bay Area this spring. Deborah Koons Garcia H’67 graciously hosted alumni at her home in Mill Valley, California, on the evening of March 21, 2019. With beautiful views overlooking the valley, alumni caught up with one another and swapped memories from their Seven Hills days. Many alumni mentioned specific teachers who influenced their professional interests, from Sarah Shepard Hoffman ’94, who credited Betsy Sittenfeld’s art history class with leading her to pursue a career in the arts, to Ellen Haude ’88, who recalled that she kept her calculus textbook from David Abineri’s class on her desk when she worked as an options trader on Wall Street. Chris Ach ’92 shared with his classmates that he felt that those who most influenced him at Seven Hills were history teacher Bob Turansky, drama teacher Patti Flanagan, and athletic director Duke Snyder. Event host Deborah Koons summed up the legacy of her education, observing that, at Hillsdale, “I learned that I could do whatever I set out to do.” Thanks to all who attended, and to Deborah for hosting such a lovely gathering!
Seven Hills Roadshow Stops in D.C. with Special Guest Susan Marrs! The Seven Hills Roadshow visited the nation’s capital on Thursday, April 11, 2019. Washington, D.C.-area alumni joined together at The Front Page in Dupont Circle to reconnect and visit with Assistant Head of School and Director of College Counseling Susan Marrs. Ably led off by Hannah Bloch ’80, Nancy Hogan Dutton H’56, Sunny Bowman Saelinger C’61, Marc Shotten ’92, and Tiernan Sittenfeld ’92, the guests each shared a brief snapshot of their professional histories and the role that Seven Hills has played in their lives. Many people mentioned the importance of lifelong friendships formed at Seven Hills, and the connections between alumni of many generations in attendance that evening testified to the bonds formed even years after graduation. Thank you to our hosts for helping to make for such a great evening! Hannah Bloch ’80, Zack Conyne ’05, Nancy Hogan Dutton H’56, Susie Keller ’04, Jessalyn Reid ’08, Ramsey Reid ’03, Sunny Bowman Saelinger C’61, Marc Shotten ’92, Tiernan Sittenfeld ’92
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REUNION 2019 Classics Luncheon and Goodall Award Presentation Alumni came together for Reunion Weekend and the presentation of the Goodall Award in early April, at the annual Classics Luncheon. Guests celebrated the induction of the Hillsdale and CPS classes of 1969 into the Classics Society on the occasion of their 50th reunions. Director of College Counseling and Assistant Head of School Susan Marrs presented the Goodall Award, the school’s highest alumni honor, to this year’s recipient, Tim Wyant ’96. Following the luncheon, a number of alumnae made their way to Doherty Campus for a tour with Doherty Head of School Tracy Murch and Assistant Head of Doherty Tracy Hickenlooper.
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Ina Zimpelman Loftspring C’69, Nancy Osmond Allgeier C’68, Ellen Graf Reister C’68, Cathy Fox Blassaras C’69, Millie Hudson Diehl C’58
Pat Landen H’50, Glenna McLain Light C’57, Janet Fast Andress H’46, Betsy Alexander Berry H’57, Sandy Hauck Elliott C’49
Beth Davis Bartlett H’69, Kathy Upson Larson H’69, Kathy Robertson McCord H’69, Bunny Smith Kerckhoff H’69, Eileen Ward Barrett H’69
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REUNION 2019 Classics Luncheon and Goodall Award Presentation
Ina Zimpelman Loftspring C’69, Barbara Busener Miller C’69, Cathy Fox Blassaras C’69, Laurie Crutchfield Leonard C’69, Martha Schuster Schinbeckler C’69, Valerie Vornheder Allendorf C’69, Debbie Meyer Chamberlain C’69, Janet Loveland C’69
Caroline Corbett ’20, Emma Rooney ’20, Bryan Fisher ’20, Santi Garcia ’19
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Missy Richards Holzman H’59, Judy Allen Thompson C’56, Lee Adair Adams H’57
Tim Hogan, Patty Hogan, Tim Wyant ’96, Seven Hills’ Director of College Counseling and Assistant Head of School Susan Marrs, Robin Wood C’68
Mildred Hudson Diehl C’68, Ginger Howard Kuhn C’68, Nancy Osmond Allgeier C’68, Melanie Heinichen Barloh C’68, Deborah Daniel Long C’68, Ellen Graf Reister C’68
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REUNION 2019 Classics Luncheon and Goodall Award Presentation
Lee Adair Adams H’58, Betsy Alexander Berry H’57, Glenna McLain Light C’57, Ann Weichert Kranbuhl C’64, Judy Allen Thompson C’56
Bryan Fisher ’20, Santi Garcia ’19, Polly Adair Culp H’65, Ann McDowell Santen H’56
Director of Annual Giving Vallie Freeman, Joan Fankhauser Ireton C’51, Barbara Huenefeld LeBlond C’62, Caroline Corbett ’20, Emma Rooney ’20
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Barby Simpson Garner H’61, Carol Iannito Euskirchen H’61, Jeannie Zimmerman Donaldson H’60, Missy Richards Holzman H’59
Back row: Laura Smith Barrett H’69, Beth Davis Bartlett H’69, Patsy Robinson H’69, Bunny Kerckhoff Smith H’69, Therese Steiner H’69 Front row: Eileen Ward Barrett H’69, Kathy Upson Larson H’69, Kathy Robertson McCord H’69
Back row: Barbara Busener Miller C’69, Valerie Vornheder Allendorf C’69, Janet Loveland C’69 Front row: Cathy Fox Blassaras C’69, Martha Schuster Schinbeckler C’69, Debbie Meyer Chamberlain C’69, Ina Zimpelman Loftspring C’69, Laurie Crutchfield Leonard C’69
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REUNION 2019 Classics Luncheon and Goodall Award Presentation
CPS alumnae on the tour of Doherty Campus
Pat Landen H’50, Janet Fast Andress H’46, Sandy Hauck Elliott C’49 64
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Seven Hills Presents the Goodall Award to Tim Wyant ’96 Seven Hills presented the Goodall Award for Distinguished Alumni to this year’s recipient, Tim Wyant ’96, during the Reunion Weekend Classics Luncheon. Each year, the school bestows the Goodall Award on an alumna or alumnus who has achieved distinction bettering the lives of others in a public or private career or activity. After spending several years playing squash professionally, Tim began a career seeking to provide access to educational opportunities for underserved kids through the sport of squash. He currently serves as the executive director of the Squash and Education Alliance, the umbrella organization and governing body for 24 urban squash and education programs in the U.S. and abroad.
of course, is that it’s a first-rate education. But one of the other things that I really appreciated about being at Seven Hills was that it felt like a place that supported love, tolerance, and caring,” Wyant said. “You could be pretty much any kind of kid you wanted to be, and be happy at Seven Hills. That always meant a lot to me, and that encouraged me in my development as a kid.” Following the luncheon, Wyant took part in a Q&A with senior Welby Anning at the Upper School’s afternoon assembly.
Tim Wyant ’96 accepting the Goodall Award from Director of AN EXCERPT FROM ASSISTANT College Counseling and Assistant Head of School Susan Marrs HEAD OF SCHOOL AND DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE “After graduating from Harvard and several COUNSELING SUSAN MARRS’ years of playing professional squash, Tim INTRODUCTION: looked for a way to use his love of and “I really got to know Tim when he reached expertise in that sport to help other kids. the Upper School and began to distinguish That led him to CitySquash and the Squash himself as a thoughtful and Education Alliance, which use squash and serious student, a to introduce kids to opportunities about stellar athlete, and, best which they might otherwise never be able to of all, a wonderful human dream. Things including but going far beyond being. Long before instruction in squash; things like academic most kids his age were tutoring and mentoring and self-discipline, like thinking about much scholarships to prep schools, and access to more than who’d scored colleges that have changed their lives forever. the winning soccer goal or where the party was “As you can see, Tim spends his days making that weekend, Tim was sure that the Squash and Education Alliance thinking about essential kids have access to spectacular opportunities, issues of right and wrong, and that they are nurtured athletically, about what was and Head of School Chris Garten, 2019 Goodall honoree Tim Wyant ’96, academically, and emotionally as they learn to wasn’t fair, and about Director of College Counseling and Assistant Head of School Susan Marrs pursue those opportunities. They learn to work social and environmental hard in school and on the court, to aspire and to causes—not so much in a personal sense, but teachers, like Bob Turansky, who have had an succeed. Tim’s ethics become their ethics. And in a societal, even global sense. His convictions impact on his life, as well as the Seven Hills Values. we are all the better for it.” were rock-solid, and he argued so ardently for “For me, there are so many things about Seven what he believed was morally right. Hills that are wonderful, and one of them, Assistant Head of School and Director of College Counseling Susan Marrs introduced Wyant, recalling his strong sense of ethics and fairness during his time at Seven Hills. Wyant addressed the luncheon crowd, remarking that he had been thinking about old friends and
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REUNION 2019 Art Show
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REUNION 2018 Individual Class Events CPS 1969: Robin Reynolds, Debbie Meyer Chamberlain, Weasie Yeiser McAlpin, Brett Cain, Gretchen Holzman Kauscher Back row: Cathy Fox Blassaras, Laurie Crutchfield Leonard Front row: Michaele Hahn Jordan, Donna Kiefer Jawrunner, Martha Schuster Schinbeckler, Barb Busener Miller, Janet Loveland Not pictured: Ina Zimpelman Loftspring
CPS
1969 HLS 1969 Back row: Patsy Robinson, Laura Smith Barrett, Nancy Fuller, Kathy Robertson McCord, Beth Davis Bartlett Front row: Mary Asbury, Therese Steiner
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CPS 1974 Back row: Libby Helmholz Jones, Diane Moffett, Victoria Bentley, Janie Liggett Mercurio, Karen Schulman-Bear, Goody Harrison Hirsh Front row: Leslie Sciarra Shimer, Janet Jones, Jo Ward Shair 68
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CPS 1974 Chuck Shimer, Jane Garvey, Leslie Sciarra Shimer, Libby Helmholz Jones, Jo Ward Shair, and Janet Jones CPS
1974 1979 Back row: Alan Schwartz, Doug VanDerzee, Tom Lewis, Pam Greeno, John Erhardt, Larry Pauly Middle row: Mindy Lowry Lewis, Lindsey Kemper Burgess, Emily Lenherr Karr, Lisa Vadis Turner, Rebecca Litwin, Cappy Wilson, Muff Hays, Caroline Elder Prem, Stacey Lang Kahan
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Laurie Crutchfield Leonard Ina Zimpelman Loftspring
Patsy Robinson Therese Steiner
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Jane Garvey
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Lindsey Kemper Burgess Brad Kuhr
C L A S S
Front row: Kathryne Gardette, Anne Newstedt Phelps, Cindy Muhlhofer Tinkham, Jodi Bakst
R E P S
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Rebecca Litwin Caroline Elder Prem Alan Schwartz
John Brooks Jr.
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Diana David Joseph
Sally Bidlingmeyer Dorothy Kim Corbett David Robinson Laura Welles Wilson
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Thank you to all of the Class Reps
for their efforts and enthusiasm in planning gatherings and rallying your classmates throughout Reunion Weekend!
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REUNION 2018 Individual Class Events
1984 Casey Wood Santora, Murray Monroe, Dorothy Kim Corbett, Janet Goering Patin, Tanya Linda, David Robison, Sarah Kress Rumpke, Helen Mattheis, Sally Bidlingmeyer
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1984 Casey Wood Santora, Janet Goering Patin, Helen Mattheis, Tanya Linda, Dorothy Kim Corbett
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1989 1989 Above: Kristin Kendall Hibbert, Amy Bulger Kattman, Katie Peter Austing, Dede Gay Persson, Zak Morgan, Sarah Gay Zamary, John Ficks Right: Katie Peter Austing, Clay Slusher, Amy Bulger Kattman
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1999 Back row: Steve Scroggins, Breckie Easley-Hunt, Alex Boymel, Jennifer Frey, Scott Shapiro, Tripp Phillips Front row: Elida Kamine, Diana David Joseph, Monica Baker, Anjuli Mangat McFarland
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CLASS NOTES News from our Alumni 1968
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Margo Taft Stever (H) (Sleepy Hollow, New York) recently published a new collection of poetry, titled “Cracked Piano.” Margo has published numerous other collections of poetry and has seen her poems, essays, and reviews published in a number of anthologies and magazines. She is the founder of the Hudson Valley Writers Center and the founder and coeditor of Slapering Hol Press. 1 2
Peter Edward Matthews (Dayton, Ohio) shares that he is the pastor of historic McKinley United Methodist Church, as well as the director of the Center for Global Renewal and Missions at United Theological Seminary. With the Global Village, he assists in revitalizing three congregations and a campus ministry in developing a pipeline for a new generation of people working in historic African-American congregations. He also recently published his fourth book, “King of the World: The Global Influence of Martin Luther King, Jr.” Married with two adult sons, jazz, and his grandson are his joy!
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1974 Lucinda Lelt Leugers (C) (Kingman, Arizona) earned her Ph.D. in leadership and change from Antioch University, and she is now associate dean at Mohave Community College in Kingman.
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Emily Balskus (Cambridge, Massachusetts) was recently recognized by Science News as 4 a member of its SN 10 Class of 2018 for early and mid-career scientists who are breaking ground. She is also the first woman in her field to be awarded tenure at Harvard University! Congratulations, Emily!
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2003 Tim Balskus (Seattle, Washington) recently moved to Seattle with his wife, Sandra. They welcomed baby Nora in September 2018. 3
2000 Ben Balskus (Chicago, Illinois) has a new 4 position with The Pizzo Group, a family of four companies based in Chicago that restores ecosystems and provides sustainable landscape solutions.
2005 Best wishes to Jay Shifman (Cincinnati) on his marriage to Lauren Moore Shifman on Dec. 15, 2018! 4
ALUMNI NEWS
In Memoriam Our condolences to the families and friends who have lost loved ones. startups and corporations. He loves living in Prague and would love to hear from Seven Hills visitors to the city by email at ross@cleevio.com!
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Congratulations to Didi Mamaligas (San Francisco, California) on her recent marriage to Michael Werneiwski! Didi and Michael celebrated their nuptials on March 9, 2019, at Holy Trinity St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Cincinnati. Chelsea Zesch ’09 served as a bridesmaid, and fellow members of the class of 2008, Matt van der Horst and Kenji Takahashi, were in
to sarah.lautar@7hills.org.
Mary “Mollie” Stuart Kreimer (H) (Silver Spring, Maryland) passed away on March 14, 2019. Jeanne Johnson McCarthy (H) (Cincinnati) passed away on Dec. 7, 2018.
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Marilyn Fox Hill (H) (Cincinnati) passed away on Jan. 13, 2019.
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Mary “Betsy” Tucker Sanders (H) (Washington, D.C.) passed away on Jan. 14, 2019. 6 7
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Mary Reis Sullivan (C) (Cincinnati) passed away on Jan. 16, 2019.
Friends
St. John Bain (Cincinnati) passed away on Feb. 7, 2019
SHARE YOUR NEWS
New job? Recently married? Written a book? If you have stories to share, please don’t hesitate! Go to www.7hills.org/alumniupdates. Drop us a line and send high resolution photos (.jpeg format)
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Ross Woodworth (Prague, Czech Republic) reports that he recently started a new role as Head of business development at Cleevio, which creates mobile apps for
Amy Fleming Chatfield (H) (Leland, Michigan) passed away on Feb. 15, 2018.
Nancy Heald Hatch (H) (Cincinnati) passed away on June 29, 2018.
Robin Schimberg Lee (Cincinnati) and her husband, Sean, welcomed their daughter, Olivia Elise Lee, on Dec. 16, 2018. Congratulations to the Lee family! 5
Elizabeth Balskus (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) recently moved to Pittsburgh to pursue a Ph.D. in healthcare ethics at Duquesne University.
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Richard Garten (Jacksonville, Florida) passed away on April 5, 2019. Richard Garten was father of current Head of Seven Hills School Christopher P. Garten
attendance. Didi is a postdoctoral researcher in neuroscience at University of California San Francisco, and Mike works in sales for Ironclad, a legal contracting software startup. 6 7
Joseph “Joe” H. Head Jr. (Cincinnati) passed away on April 24, 2019. Alfred “Alfie” Moore (Cincinnati) passed away on Dec. 27, 2018.
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CLASS NOTES News from our Alumni summer. They hope to expand TicketBay to offer tickets to other sporting events and possibly to other schools. 9 10
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2011 In January, Gilbert Richards (Cincinnati), Ian McNamara (Cincinnati), Miles Hill (Lexington, Kentucky), Tucker Robinson ’15 (Cincinnati), who attends Miami University, Andrew Head ’15 (Cincinnati), who attends Miami University, and George Karamanoukian ’15 (Cincinnati), who attends Colgate University, met up to cheer on the Stingers at a basketball game back in Kalnow Gym! 8
students in the engineering school to compete in HackOHI/O, a program to foster tech culture at OSU, and then developed TicketBay together over the
INTERESTED IN BEING A REUNION REP FOR YOUR CL ASS?
Please Contact
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Sarah Ott Lautar ‘05, Director of Alumni
Jason Guo (Columbus) and Sam Stevens (Columbus) were recognized in a publication for the Ohio State University College of Engineering for developing an app, TicketBay, which helps students buy and sell football tickets. Jason and Sam initially joined forces with two other
Engagement sarah.lautar@7hills.org 513.728.2432 9
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Alumni Calendar 2019-20 Thursday, Jan. 8, 2020
Alumni Sports Day Volleyball at 10 a.m. Tennis (coed) at 10 a.m. Women’s Soccer at 10 a.m. Men’s Soccer at 12 p.m. Hillsdale Campus, Red Bank Road
Alumni Career Panel & Cocktail Hour 6-8 p.m. The Schiff Center, Hillsdale Campus Friday & Saturday April 17 and 18, 2020 Taste of Seven Hills and Reunion 2020 CPS, Hillsdale, and Seven Hills classes of ’45, ’50, ’55, ’60, ’65, ’70, ’75, ’80, ’85, ’90, ’95, and ’00 Lotspeich classes of ’44, ’49, ’54, ’59, ’64, and ’69 Please email Sarah Lautar ’05 at sarah.lautar@7hills.org to volunteer!
Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 Homecoming Picnic at 5 p.m., fireworks at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 Homecoming Women’s Soccer at 1 p.m. Men’s Soccer at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, 2019
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Seven Hills Roadshow Visits in 2019-20 Dates and locations TBD We’ll be visiting New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Naples in the 2019-20 school year. Keep an eye out for dates and details to come!
Alumni Basketball Games Women’s at 1 p.m. Men’s at 3 p.m. Kalnow Gym, Hillsdale Campus
Young Alumni Holiday Party Date and Location TBD Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019
save the date
Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019
Fifth, 10th, and 15th Reunions For classes of 2014, 2009, and 2004 Locations TBD Please email Sarah Lautar ’05 at sarah.lautar@7hills.org to volunteer!
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The Seven Hills School Hillsdale Campus 5400 Red Bank Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45227