SANTA FE PREPARATORY SCHOOL MAGAZINE 2022-2023 PORT ANNUAL RE E D SI IN
Making It Work Santa Fe Prep’s Makerspace program teaches independence, initiative, innovation, and the importance of failure. p. 17
SANTA FE PREPARATORY SCHOOL MAGAZINE
SANTA FE PREP BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Jenny Cohen Kaufman ’94, Chair Sara April, Vice Chair David Kocon, Treasurer Leah Swanson, Secretary Stephen Badger Liz Bremner Randy Dry Edward Gale Dominic Garcia Estevan Gonzales Miquela Korte Christine Lehman, Emerita Thao Marquez Suzanne Moss, Emerita Fred Nathan Claire Pfister Joohee Rand Carol Romero-Wirth, Emerita Dennis Romero Leslie Anne Ross Jenna Scanlan Warren Thompson ’72, Emeritus SANTA FE PREP ALUMNI BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Elege Simons-Harwood ’94, President Alicia Bertram ’09 Amalia Bertram ’14 Julia Bertram ’11 Reed Bienvenu ’01 Chris Chakeres ’94 Lucy Gent Foma ’05 Matthew Harland ’79 L. Noel Harvey ’87 Adelma Hnasko ’92 Jenny Cohen Kaufman ’94 Kate Kennedy ’05 Todd Kurth ’81 Erik Litzenberg ’90 Danny Quinn ’12 Willy Richardson ’92 Laurel Seth ’70 Cass Thompson ’08 Peter White ’82 SANTA FE PREP ADMINISTRATION
Aaron Schubach, Head of School Ashley Satterthwaite, Associate Head of School and Head of Upper School Heather Robinson, Head of Middle School Hayley Burke, Co-Director of College Counseling Dieu Ho, Director of Breakthrough Santa Fe Todd Kurth ’81, Director of Athletics Mary Little, Director of Admissions & Marketing Catherine McKenzie, Director of Library Services Michael McNeill, Director of Advancement Sam Ritter, Director of Davis New Mexico Scholarship Bruce Sachs, Director of Finance Nick Stofocik, Director of Facilities John Utsey, Director of Technology Matt Ybarra, Co-Director of College Counseling 2 | PRE P
WI NTER 2023
Letter From the Head of School
Contents W I N TE R 2 0 2 3
LETTER FROM TH E H EAD OF SCHOOL
05 The opportunities in front of our students and school are manifold. STORYTELLING AND EDUCATION
AROU N D T H E QUA D S
06 From student-led clubs to facilities updates, there’s always something exciting happening on the Santa Fe Prep campus. EVENTS, ACTIVITIES, AND INSPIRATION
10 ADMISSIONS SPOTLIGHT
COV E R STORY
26 Prep’s Makerspace program helps students learn independence, MAKING IT WORK
initiative, innovation, and the importance of failure as motivation for eventual success — or at least motivation to give it another try. 2022-2023 AN NUAL REPORT
Prep enrollment has not been at this level since 2008.
34 We give thanks to the alumni, parents, PREP’S HONOR ROLL OF DONORS
BLU E GRI FFI NS BU LLETI NS
11 ATHLETICS NEWS AND NOTES
Athletes of the year, ski mountaineering, Santa Fe Girls Lacrosse, and more. SALUTI NG TH E CLASS OF 2023
grandparents, faculty and staff, and other generous supporters of Santa Fe Prep. ALUMN I U PDATES
13 CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE, NOT PERFECTION
On June 2, the Santa Fe Prep community assembled in the Upper School Quad (for the first time since 2019!) in celebration of the Class of 2023.
62 CLASS NEWS
FACU LTY AN D STA FF H IG H L IG H TS
66 ALUMNI WEEKEND 2023
Stay connected with your alma mater and with each other.
16 A PREP ICON
As our school reaches its 60th anniversary, one member of our community celebrates her 50th year on campus.
On the first Saturday in June, Prep alumni of all class years were invited back to campus for a reunion.
18 EDUCATOR ACCOLADES
69 UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS
Through local honors, personal creative endeavors, professional development, and trips around the globe, Prep’s staff and faculty members kept busy in 2023.
Join us for the 2023 Alumni Holiday Party and Alumni Weekend 2024!
A LOOK BACK
21 FOUNDING MEMORIES
In honor of our 60th year, we asked a few of our founding community members to reflect on their memories of the earliest days of our school. PARENTS OF ALUMNI:
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
ENGAGE WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
If your child is not receiving this magazine at their permanent address, please notify us so that it may be sent directly to them. Updated delivery addresses, or requests to cancel delivery of Prep magazine, may be sent to alumni@sfprep.org.
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts with Prep! Letters to the editor may be sent to news@sfprep.org or to the school’s mailing address: 1101 Camino de la Cruz Blanca, Santa Fe, NM 87505.
We welcome feedback through our school social channels.
WI NTER 2023
@SantaFePrepSchool @SantaFePrep Magazine Photos by Sheena Chakeres,
Melissa Fricek, Nicole Moulton, Kim Richardson and Anne Staveley. PR EP | 3
4 | PRE P
Letter From the Head of School
Storytelling and Education
S
OMETIMES, being the leader of an educational institution entrusted with the potential of talented young people can feel daunting. As Head of Prep, I gain hope and inspiration by reflecting on the generations of educators and graduates who see Prep as their inspiration and point of origin. The themes and threads that create Prep’s story are compelling and real. As Prep celebrates its 60th birthday, we are inspired by our founders and educators who worked vigorously to create and sustain Santa Fe Prep — a transformative environment designed to propel students to new horizons. Recently, our faculty have been dialoguing about ways we can enhance our Portrait of a Graduate outcomes in the midst of ubiquitous access to generative artificial intelligence. What are the new horizons we are propelling students towards? These new developments put us in an interesting intellectual position. We firmly believe that STEM education is a critically important field, and enhancements are needed to enrich Santa Fe Prep’s curricula and facilities, and we believe that the human side of design, collaboration, and leadership are ever more important as AI quickens,
but does not necessarily deepen, the intellectual world. Those who can think for themselves and examine the hypotheses inherent in the material they consume will be happier and professionally in demand. The opportunities in front of our students and school are manifold. As we plan our next sixty years, we are inspired by our current cast of characters and their stories, many of which appear in this magazine. George Saunders, in his recent book A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, notes that in the best stories, every scene must be worthwhile of its own accord and purposely advance the storyline. This maxim serves as an admirably clear and useful guide to both storytelling and education. Our faculty and staff approach every day and every program with the same intentionality, and I thank you for being a part of how we advance the story of Santa Fe Prep.
AARON SCHUBACH HEAD OF SCHOOL
WI NTER 2023
PR EP | 5
Campus News
Around
THE QUADS The End of an Era in the Performing Arts Department Cheers and best wishes to Chris Ishee, who retired in 2023 after 25 years teaching music at Prep! Outside the classroom, he music-directed more than 40 school productions, beginning with Jesus Christ Superstar in 2000. This past spring, Chris worked on his final performances on the Driscoll Auditorium stage — the Upper School musical Something Rotten! and Newsies, Jr. in the Middle School. And a huge congratulations to the cast and crew of Something Rotten!, which was awarded the top prize of Best Production at the 2023 Enchantment Awards, New Mexico’s high school musical theater awards. This was Prep’s fifth consecutive nomination in the category and our school’s first win!
6 | PR E P
DEIJ Initiatives Center the Student Experience Throughout the school year, Prep’s Diversity Equity Inclusion and Justice committee works to guide our community — adults and students — through ongoing conversations and practices as we build a more intentionally inclusive environment in which to learn and work. JEDI Club is now in its second year at Prep. Founded in response to student requests for a program dedicated to matters of diversity and inclusion, JEDI is open to Upper School students of all identities and backgrounds. At bimonthly lunch meetings, students have an opportunity to thoughtfully engage with the themes of DEIJ through conversations about recent events, pop culture, and their own experiences. And in the fall, six Prep students traveled to St. Louis, MO to participate in the Student Diversity Leadership Conference — a multiracial, multicultural gathering of student leaders from independent high schools across the US and abroad. Led by chaperones Rachel Kesler and Lisa Nordstrum, Eliza BadnerLane ’25, Ana Karen Chavez ’25, Will Cook ’24, Lili Devon ’25, Zoe Marquez ’25, and Sebastian Portillo ’26 made up Prep’s largest cohort of students to attend the conference in the last decade!
Revitalizing TAP TAP — Prep’s foundational service learning program — originally stood for Thursday Afternoon Program. Every Thursday, Prep students, teachers, and even some chaperoning parents would spread out across Santa Fe to engage in acts of service and community support. Now known as the Teen Action Program, TAP is still striving to meet community needs while also sparking within our students a commitment to education, leadership, social responsibility, and personal discovery. Many of our current TAP groups were started by students who identified a specific need within their community and designed a project to address that need. This year, TAP is shifting from the less frequent full-day structure of the past few years — implemented following Covid lockdowns — to 12 half-days of service throughout the school year. “The thought behind the shift in timing was to give students an opportunity to still connect with their classes and teachers during service days, and to increase the frequency of service throughout the year,” says Eric Wynn, Prep’s Director of TAP and Experiential Education. “We feel increased frequency of contact with service providers will strengthen existing relationships even more, and give the students more familiarity with the authentic community needs they’re addressing.” Thank you to the off-campus service organizations with whom our students are partnering this year: Aspen Community School, Assistance Dogs of the West, Atalaya Elementary, Big Brothers Big Sisters Mountain Region, Breakthrough Santa Fe, Brookdale Senior Living Santa Fe, Carlos Gilbert Elementary, El Castillo, The Food Depot, Kearny Elementary, Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary, Reading Quest, Reunity Farm, Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society, Santa Fe Children’s Museum, Santa Fe County Teen Court, Santa Fe Habitat for Humanity, Santa Fe Watershed Association, Wood Gormley Elementary Questions about TAP and service learning at Prep may be directed to Eric Wynn at ewynn@sfprep.org. WI NTER 2023
PR EP | 7
Campus News
Women in Government Club Exemplifies our Portrait of a Graduate During the 2022-23 school year, we unveiled the Santa Fe Prep Portrait of a Graduate — a shared vision of the skills, characteristics, and core values our school wishes to instill in its students, comprising six primary tenets and five additional core values. In the same year, Virginia Moore ’24 founded the Women in Government Club on campus, meant to inspire her classmates to investigate and reflect on women’s history and experiences at every level of government — local, national, and international. Per one of the tenets of the Portrait of a Graduate, the culturally aware and responsive citizen relates to people with different perspectives and life experiences. They compare and contrast cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs in order to celebrate differences and create a more just world. Now in her final year at Prep, the senior class president reflects on the inspirations behind the club’s founding and the significance it holds for her and her fellow classmates. My dream to work within the judiciary started when I had the privilege of meeting Ruth Bader Ginsburg when I was nine years old. Seeing a powerful woman who was able to cause significant cultural change was an incredibly powerful experience, and it is an experience without which my life goals would not be the same. Since then, I have been able to meet other women like Nancy Pelosi and Deb Haaland, who have only further inspired me. I felt compelled to provide such experiences to other young women in my community, so I created Santa Fe Prep’s Women in Government Club. Each week, we would meet and talk about important women in government (some of whom were controversial or from other countries). During one of the club times, I was able to bring the young women to the Roundhouse during the legislative session to speak with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. We were able to sit in her office and speak as a group with her; she shared anecdotes and advice for the young women of the club. The culminating event for the club, though, was a panel discussion in which the three women on the New Mexico Supreme Court and a state representative shared their experiences with the community. They shared invaluable advice to not only young women interested in law, but young women in general. As I head to college next year, I’m grateful to have had these conversations, and I hope that members of the community similarly benefitted.
8 | PRE P
WI NTER 2023
An Eye on Campus Improvements “It was intense, man,” says Nick Stofocik when asked about his earliest days as Director of Facilities at Prep. Since joining the staff in the summer of 2022, Nick has spent the past year and a half spearheading projects large and small with his Facilities team to enhance and improve our campus. These initiatives have ranged from fixing water and drainage systems in the library and on Brennand Field to eliminate flooding, to adding new storage in the Middle School science lab and new tables in the Kurth Reading Room for increased student comfort while studying. A focus on tree health and sustainable landscaping has improved the look of our front entrance, parking lot, and garden beds, and ADAcompliant ramps and handrails around campus have improved school safety and accessibility. For Nick, the most gratifying project was patching and fixing the roofs to eliminate leaks in the main administration building, Upper and Middle School classrooms, and the gym. “I can actually sleep at night now, knowing I won’t walk in to find damage in the morning, or get a call from a teacher that their classroom ceiling is leaking.” His team’s next tasks will include finding space for a new math office and cleaning up the grounds behind the Middle School to create an outdoor classroom. In the meantime, Nick enjoys greeting arriving students each morning while on traffic and crosswalk duty. “Saying hi and getting kids to smile that early in the morning… I love that part of my job.”
Welcome, New Staff!
Welcome to the thirteen new members of Prep’s faculty and staff who joined us for the 2023-2024 school year Pictured (from left):
Juli Bray-Morris, School Wellness and Mental Health Counselor Patrick Firme, ROCA Program Coordinator Yesenia Bermejo, Breakthrough Santa Fe Middle School Program Manager Ashley Satterthwaite, Assistant Head of School & Head of Upper School Gabriella Masoni, Upper School History Kaitlyn Roy, Director of Learning Services Heather Robinson, Head of Middle School Rachel Kesler, Upper School History Not pictured:
Cheney Doane, Music Oscar Loya, Breakthrough Santa Fe Student Support Coordinator David Páez, Upper School Spanish Ashley Smith, Business Manager Gregg Turner, Upper School Math WI NTER 2023
PR EP | 9
Admissions
Admissions Spotlight
A
S WE KICKED OFF THE 2023-2024 ACADEMIC YEAR, we were thrilled to welcome 83 new students and 3 returning students to Prep for a total enrollment of 346 students. Enrollment has been increasing year over year and has not been at this level since 2008. Our new students come from over 25 different schools across Santa Fe and beyond, and bring with them a diverse range of talents and experiences. Prep values socioeconomic diversity within our community, and we are proud to continue our commitment to making a Prep education available to as many qualified students as possible. This year, over a third of our students receive need-based tuition assistance. The total amount awarded is $1,754,192, and the average grant is $15,804 (with grants ranging from $2,000 to $26,600). We continue to see increased interest in both Prep’s middle and upper school programs, and lower attrition has meant that we have had limited space in the 9th grade for the past few years. We also felt the impact of the sudden closure of Santa Fe Waldorf School right before the opening of school. Waldorf’s closing was a loss for the broader Santa Fe community, and we recognize the challenge and disruption that this closure brought to many families. We worked closely with impacted students and families and were able to welcome 8 new students to the Prep community. The 2024-2025 admissions season is officially open, and we are excited to get to know prospective students and families as they explore middle and high school programs in Santa Fe. The application deadline is February 21, 2024, and decisions will be released on March 8, 2024. The Admissions Office is leading the way in the school’s transition to Veracross for our new Student Information System; using Veracross will streamline the application process for families and for the Admissions team. Details regarding the application timeline and process may be found on the Admissions page at sfprep.org.
Mary Little Director of Admissions
Summar Aubrey ’00 Asssociate Director of Admissions and Co-Director of Tuition Assistance
CURRENT ENROLLMENT STATS:
7TH GRADE:
7th grade: 58 8th grade: 60 9th grade: 66 10th grade: 58 11th grade: 58 12th grade: 46
Female Students: 28 Male Students: 30 Students of Color: 40% Receive Tuition Assistance: 40% Malone Family Foundation Scholars: 2 Leonard Family Scholars: 2
10 | PR E P
WI NTER 2023
Athletics
Blue Griffins Excel on the Field…
Blue Griffins Bulletins Junior Named to US Ski Mountaineering Team Last March, the International Ski Mountaineering Youth World Cup finals were held in Val Louron, France in the Pyrenees Mountains. 140 athletes representing 12 different countries competed, including 13 skiers from the US. Helen Desmond ’25 competed in three events over the span of four days — sprint, individual, and vertical — her combined scores placing her 6th overall in the U16 Division.
The soccer pitch saw many major achievements for the Blue Griffins last season. In the middle school, Prep’s 8th grade and 7th grade teams faced off for the APIAL championship, with 8th grade claiming the win after a tight game. This victory marked Prep’s sixth league title in eight years and capped off an undefeated season for the 8th graders. And in the upper school, both varsity teams claimed district titles, with the girls progressing to the quarterfinal round of the state championship tournament and the boys making it to the semifinals.
…on the Course… Following last year’s cross country state championships, Quinlan Dry ’25 ran his final race of the season at the Garmin RunningLane National Championships, held in Huntsville, Alabama. Competing against the best high school runners in the country, Quinlan placed 2nd in the 5,000 meter race!
Ski mountaineering, also known as Skimo, is a sport that requires athletes to climb and descend varying routes through the mountains. Some events are on-piste with obstacles, while others are off-piste, requiring technical mountaineering skills. Back in the States, Helen spent last winter and spring working to qualify for the Skimo National Team. To do so, she needed to place amongst the top three skiers in six races across the western US. A win on April 9th at Mammoth Mountain in California secured her position on the 20232024 team roster. As ski mountaineering gains in popularity — the sport will feature in the Winter Olympics for the first time in 2026 — the level of competition is also increasing, with US team members having to re-qualify every season. Helen, who began backcountry skiing around age 10 and now trains primarily in Utah, says she’s just focused on having fun. “There’s a really great group of girls on the youth national team.” And while she’s “not really thinking about competing in the Olympics,” she is looking forward to next year’s Youth World Cup, to be held in Molde, Norway.
…and on the Track!
At the track and field state championships, Prep set six new school records with the boys and girls teams both placing 2nd overall. The girls relay team were state champions in the 4x100M race, while the boys claimed victory in both the 4x100M and 4x200M races.
WI NTER 2023
PREP | 11
Athletics
Tennis Coach Retires After 30 Years Ralph Bolton was named District Tennis Coach of the Year, the culmination of a three-decade career spent coaching Blue Griffins and other athletes around the state. In his final season, he coached the boys team to a district championship and a 2nd place finish at the 4A state tournament, where Jackson Friedland ’25 and Henry Kaufman ’25 earned 3rd in the doubles bracket. The tournament also marked the final matches for Ralph’s son, Jonas Anderson-Joyner ’23, who won a major upset in his quarterfinal match to make it to the semis and finish 4th overall. "There’s so much I’ll miss playing for my dad,” Jonas said following Ralph’s final match as coach. “The most is probably just spending time together. Not necessarily talking about tennis, but life and what we think about random things."
Santa Fe Lacrosse Team Achieves Record Season Based at Prep, a girls lacrosse team comprised of students from many different Santa Fe high schools — and cocaptained by Georgie Doerwald ’24 — went undefeated for a 10-0 season in the spring, beating teams in New Mexico as well as southern Colorado, where the sport is more widespread. Santa Fe Girls Lacrosse was not only named State Champions, but ended the season ranked 2nd in the Southwest Colorado region and 454th in the nation!
Three Students Named Athletes of the Year in Their Sports In June, the Santa Fe New Mexican named three Prep athletes in their 2023 Spring Athletes of the Year round-up.
On the tennis court, Andrea Voinescu ’25 earned female tennis player of the year — following in the footsteps of older sister Isabel Voinescu ’22, who received the same honor during the 2021 season. Andrea placed 3rd overall in the 1A/4A singles bracket at the state tournament in May and finished the season with an 11-3 mark in singles play. 12 | PR E P
On the golf course, William Babcock ’25 and Jazmin Leardsakulphasuk ’24 were named male and female golfers of the year. William was the sole representative from Prep’s boys team at the state tournament, a spot he earned by winning the District 2-1A/3A title in April. Jazmin placed 3rd at the state tournament after finishing runner-up at districts, where the girl’s title was claimed by Giulia Baccante ’25.
WI NTER 2023 2022
Celebrating excellence, not perfection, in the Class of 2023 ON JUNE 2, THE SANTA FE PREP COMMUNITY assembled in the Upper School quad (for the first time since 2019!) in celebration of the Class of 2023. Families, friends, teachers, mentors, and the 49 graduating seniors were treated to song, impassioned speeches, and even a final chemistry lesson. In his opening remarks, Head of School Aaron Schubach spoke frankly about issues of humanity and human emotions in this time of ChatGPT and the growing presence of AI in our lives. "What does it mean to embrace our humanity? Is it to celebrate finitude and transition, doubt and hope, regret and joy? All emotions you might be experiencing today. Mental health researcher Jean Twenge urges young people to remember that mental health is defined as the appropriate response to the stimuli. It’s okay if sad things make you sad — all of our emotions have a place. Today you are going to feel many things, but don’t skip over being proud of yourself."
Alumnus PaaWee Rivera ’09 reflected on his childhood in the Pueblo of Pojoaque, his decision to challenge himself as a young student by attending high school at Prep, and the many choices, opportunities, and variables since his own Commencement ceremony that have led him to his current position as Senior Advisor and Tribal Affairs Director for the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. When he recently found himself preparing to brief President Biden in the Oval Office ahead of the White House Tribal Nations Summit, PaaWee was struck by the fact that he was not sitting at that decision-making table because he had planned it that way but because, when asked, he was well prepared for that moment and to say yes to that unexpected opportunity.
"Today is an incredibly important milestone in your lives, and you should be proud. The skills and experiences that you’ve gained here will be the reason that you’re prepared to embrace opportunities — planned or otherwise — that will help you decide what the future holds for you. You should come to expect success, not as a one-off chance or luck, but through your persistence."
Rae Ota — recipient of the Douglas Schwartz Class Speaker Award — echoed these sentiments as she described the ways in which the Covid pandemic shaped the Prep experience of the Class of 2023 and how the time spent and lessons learned here have prepared them for what comes next. "Ideally, I’d like to give this high school experience a 10/10... Still, there are many things along the way that did not go as expected... I think only a very few of us will tell you everything worked exactly as envisioned. But in each unpredicted instance, we have been determining for ourselves how to be with each outcome... On every path we find ourselves, planned or unplanned, we can choose how to perceive it and base our actions from there."
To close the ceremony, Valedictorian Fionnuala Moore’s speech was presented as a lesson in chemistry, explaining how atoms form bonds — an "enchanting, miraculous" process that occurs between hydrogen atoms as well as Santa Fe Prep students. "After sharing our days, our goals, our fears and dreams with this community for so long, we’ve emerged fundamentally, chemically changed. We’re bonded... We will always have these bonds as a part of us, helping to determine who we are and what we will do in the future."
Congratulations, Class of 2023! We can't wait to see what each of you does next!
WI NTER 2023
PREP | 13
PREPARED FOR THE WORLD WITH OPEN HE ARTS AND MINDS C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S , S A N TA F E P R E P C L A S S O F 2 0 2 3
Prep has challenged me to push myself, both academically and personally. I have learned to problem-solve and analyze and communicate complex ideas. I’ve also gained confidence and self-understanding. I’ve grown so much because of everyone I have met at Prep, and I am grateful to be a part of this community. —A. Walpin , Class of ’23
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE CLASS OF 2023 • 5 National Merit Finalists • 2 Davis New Mexico Scholars • 4 LANL Foundation Scholars • 2 National Hispanic Scholars • 1 National Indigenous Scholar • 2 Century Bank Super Scholars • 70% of all early action applications were accepted • Average SAT score is 1390, placing the class average in the 95th percentile nationally. • Over 90% of the class was awarded merit or need-based scholarships for college. • $32,508 is the average scholarship per year for students receiving aid at the schools they are attending.
14 | PR E P
O U R G R A D U AT E S A R E AT T E N D I N G :
I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by people who challenge me and support me to be my best self in everything that I do. No matter where we go, we will always be cheering each other on.
American University Appalachian State University Arizona State University Brandeis University Bryn Mawr College Cal Poly San Luis Obispo California Lutheran University California Institute of Technology Carleton College Colorado College Colorado State University, Ft. Collins Dartmouth College Duke University Elon University Georgetown University Hobart & William Smith Colleges Loyola University Chicago New York University, Shanghai Occidental College (3) Pepperdine University Princeton University Southern Methodist University Southwestern University St. John’s College, Annapolis Stanford University Texas Christian University Texas Tech University Union College University of California, Irvine (2) University of California, Berkeley University of California, Santa Cruz University of Chicago University of Colorado, Boulder University of Denver (2) University of New Mexico (2) University of Southern California University of Vermont Vassar College Virginia Commonwealth University Western Washington University Whitman College Willamette University
—K. Bair, Class of ’23 Photo Credit: Anne Staveley
PREP | 15
Faculty Spotlight
A Prep Icon As our school reaches its 60th anniversary, one member of our community celebrates her 50th year on campus.
W
19 74
HEN ASKED what experiences or memories come to mind when she thinks about the five decades she’s spent at Prep, Jean Kithil laughs. “Have you got a couple hours?” Known affectionately as Parka, she has been a stalwart of the school since the fall of 1973, the year she was first hired to coach girls field hockey. In the years that followed, she added basketball (1973-1976), lacrosse (1987-1996), and swimming (1998-2002, as assistant) to her coaching repertoire, served as head of the PE Department, taught Health, and led 8th grade hiking trips to Havasu Falls. Originally from Rye, New York, Parka grew up sailing competitively and rowing crew on the Long Island Sound. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Skidmore College in 1965 and lived for a time in Alaska before settling with her husband 16 | PR E P
Philip in Santa Fe. Now in her 50th year at Prep, Parka still works part-time in the Athletics Department. On any given day she might be found painting lines on the field ahead of a soccer game, ordering uniforms, organizing materials in the athletics archives, or leading swim lessons in Middle School PE — a program she founded and has run since 1985. And when not at Prep, she leads an exceptionally active personal life. Newly 80, she still skis in the winter and hikes every Tuesday, having led rim-to-rim hikes of the Grand Canyon for many years in memory of her late son, Carlton Kithil ’96, a nature lover and outdoorsman. At home, she and Philip live on the same property with their daughter, Christina Kithil ’98, and her family. “Parka is a renaissance woman,” says current PE Department chair Lis Desmond. She plays guitar and her WI NTER 2023
skills as a visual artist are well known in the Prep community — look for her “Parkatoons” of Prep athletes (some dating back to the ’70s) decorating the Athletics bulletin board in the Commons building or her watercolors of favorite spots around campus, many of which have been made into greeting cards. She even hosts monthly art workshops and gatherings on campus with former students. Parka, who was the first coach in Prep’s history to lead the girls basketball team to the state tournament in 1974, speaks fondly of her early years coaching Prep athletics. “The ’70s and ’80s were the most special years for me, because I was not much older than the girls I was coaching,” she says, reminiscing about trips to Denver for games and the earliest days spent clearing rocks and weeds from the old field with her players for hockey practice. Rennae Ross — Prep’s health coordinator, who has worked with Parka in the
Jean Kithil, known affectionately as Parka, has been a stalwart of the school since the fall of 1973.
Athletics Department for 30 years — corroborates the memory, laughingly describing an annoyed Parka taking to Brennand Field with a push mower when it hadn’t been properly mowed. “I learned my ’feisty’ from her,” Rennae says with affection. “She has a wicked sense of humor,” Athletics Department Assistant Jackie Utsey agrees, noting how much fun she’s had sharing an office with Parka. “She loves to laugh.” As a community, we are beyond fortunate to have had Parka — and her sense of humor and care for our students and athletes — as part of our school’s identity and lineage for five decades. And we’re grateful that she doesn’t seem to be slowing down or stepping back any time soon. “It’s such a great school. There’s always something interesting happening that I can get into.”
WI REN NTER EE ROSS 2023
PREP | 17
Faculty and Staff Highlights
Educator Accolades Through local honors, personal creative endeavors, professional development, and trips around the globe, Prep’s staff and faculty members kept busy in 2023.
Girls Inc. of Santa Fe recently released Inspirations, a publication celebrating more than 80 strong, smart, and bold women and girls who are making an impact in New Mexico. Since its inception in 1955, GISF (formerly the Santa Fe Girls Club) has helped girls learn to set and achieve goals, confront challenges, resist peer pressure, and see college as attainable through programming focused on healthy living, academic enrichment and support, life skills, and independence. In August, an event celebrating the publication of Inspirations recognized our own Lisa Nordstrum and Yesenia Bermejo. Lisa, Prep’s New Mexico history teacher and an alumna of the Girls Club, credits the program with providing her lifelong friends, role models, and leadership skills. Last year, through funding from the state legislature and support from Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, she developed and wrote a K-12 curriculum to teach New Mexico students about the historic contributions of women across our state. At Prep, Lisa also introduced a popular honors women’s history course for Upper School students. Yesi, who joined the Prep community this past summer as Breakthrough Santa Fe’s Middle School Program Manager, was honored for her previous work at Nina Otero Community School, where she served as a Communities in Schools Coordinator and facilitated Girls Inc. groups. Known for her open-door, open-heart attitude at Nina Otero, her unconditional support of and care for students has certainly carried over to her role with Breakthrough.
18 | PR E P
Over the summer, Upper School science teacher Jocelyne Comstock was awarded a spot in Project ICE — a pilot program of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), which is hunting for the "oldest ice" in Antarctica. Ice cores are compared to others from Greenland and the Arctic, and are dated using gas bubbles trapped inside, which also reveal information about atmosphere composition at the time the ice formed. The program was hosted at Oregon State University in Corvallis, home to the Ice Core Lab and the Marine & Geology Repository, where cores from around the world are logged and stored (in a -20°C freezer!) for further study. Jocelyne and the Project ICE team assisted in making editorial changes to curriculum for use in future classes.
WI NTER 2023
When he’s not working hard with his team to maintain our campus, Facilities Director Nick Stofocik is active in the Santa Fe theater scene. After serving primarily in production and stage management roles over the past decade, he recently took the director’s chair at Teatro Paraguas to present City Mice by local playwright Rosemary Zibart. As director, Nick led a six-person crew and five-person cast for eight performances over two weekends in August. While the play marked his Santa Fe directorial debut, it was far from Nick’s first time helming a production. Prior to moving to Santa Fe in 2012, Nick worked professionally in New York, where he stage managed on Broadway and headed his own theater company, Brooklyn on Foot. “We called it that because we did everything. Not just directing, but tech, fundraising, all of it.” Now raising two children in Santa Fe, Nick feeds his creative side via theater and background work in local film and television productions. (Look for him in the Amazon Prime show Outer Range!) He will return to the director’s chair for another locally-written theatrical production in 2024. Break a leg, Nick! Since 2009, Prep staff and faculty members have been afforded the opportunity to travel far and wide thanks to grant funds from the EE Ford-Conway Family Summer Sabbatical. This past summer, two members of our faculty used their grants to travel Down Under — Lisa Nordstrum (the 2020 recipient, previously delayed by Covid restrictions) and this year’s recipient, Rennae Ross. Rennae is well known in our community as an avid soccer fan — she coached Prep’s girls team to three State Championship games and is president of the New Mexico Youth Soccer Association. In July, she and her husband Patrick traveled to New Zealand ahead of the start of the Women’s World Cup and spent two weeks in Auckland and Wellington. While the impetus for the trip was to watch the United States play in their group stage matches, Rennae also enjoyed plenty of sightseeing.
In Wellington, she toured the Wētā Workshop, a special effects and prop company that produces effects for television and film, and visited the only remaining rainforest in the country.
Along the way, she also met up with some Prep alumni — Joy Mills ’01 (and daughter Willow) and Amber Woods Fayerberg ’02 both now call New Zealand home; Tessa Bodell ’03 (pictured above left), an airline pilot, happened to be visiting the country; and Anika Gusterman Amon ’97, Prep’s current girls basketball coach, and future alumna Cassiana Serna ’24 (both pictured above right) had also traveled to attend the tournament. "I got to see soccer played at a level I haven’t seen in a long time,” says Rennae. “Even though [the US team] didn’t play to the level we expected them to, it was still amazing to see Megan Rapinoe, Alyssa Naeher, Julie Ertz, and of course Rose Lavelle, Trinity Rodman, players we’ll be seeing play for a long time."
WI NTER 2023
PREP | 19
Faculty and Staff Highlights
Reflecting on Who We Are; Looking Ahead to Who We Want to Be Santa Fe Prep is engaged in a period of introspection as we chart our course forward for the next 60 years and beyond
In an unplanned coincidence, Lisa had simultaneously traveled to New Zealand with her children, Emma Sheppard ’17 and Leo Sheppard ’28. And while the trip wasn’t scheduled to coincide with the World Cup, they did take in one group stage match: a 5-0 trouncing of Italy by Sweden. “My family’s roots are Swedish, so we treated them like our home team!” says Lisa. During their week in New Zealand, Lisa and her family stayed with Prep alumna Laura Priddy Murray ’81 and her husband Lester on their farm in the Marlborough region. The farm, which produces merino sheep, has been in Lester’s family since the 1800s. There, Leo helped plant avocado trees and the family enjoyed hikes and even swam with dolphins. From New Zealand, Lisa, Emma, and Leo traveled to Cairns, Australia to explore the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, the original motivation for making the trip Down Under. They snorkeled around Fitzroy Island and took daytime and nocturnal hikes in the world’s oldest rainforest, where they saw platypuses, flying fox bats, and crocodiles. They even enjoyed some rainforest delicacies — citrus-flavored ants (only Leo was brave enough to give them a try!) and black sapote and wattleseed ice creams. “The purpose of the trip was just to be in nature and understand and enjoy the environment,” Lisa says. “That’s why we travel and what we love to do.”
20 | PR E P
WI NTER 2023
Founding Memories
IN HONOR OF OUR 60TH YEAR, WE ASKED A FEW OF OUR FOUNDING COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO REFLECT ON THEIR MEMORIES OF THE EARLIEST DAYS OF OUR SCHOOL, SHARED HERE WITH EXCERPTS AND PHOTOS FROM OUR FIRST YEARBOOK — PUBLISHED BY THE CLASS OF 1967 AS THE MAKA HENA — AND SKIRMISHER ISSUES.
"It’s always a pleasure to return to 'The Prep.' That it prevails after all these 60+ years gives me visceral palpitations. To remember its frail but hopeful beginnings and then stand among its permanence 50 then 60 years later is a marvel. It’s an enduring tribute to both the small group of dreamy founders as well as the succession of talented and devoted teachers, headmasters, students, and parents that followed. And it’s always a particular pleasure for me to meet my former students who still remember our unique rapport as pioneers and attribute so much of their current persona to those classroom moments we all shared. Love to everyone." TOM SYDORICK, FOUNDING FACULTY MEMBER
PREP | 21
Founding Memories
"My first day at Prep, 10th grade, Canyon Road Campus, 1964. I had been going to school in California; we had just moved to Santa Fe. I had done well in the California schools, pretty much effortlessly. My first class at Prep was Biology with Mr. Wilson. The whole 10th grade was maybe 16 students, and we were all in this class. Mr. Wilson pulled out a glass container, like a terrarium, that had some dirt, a couple twigs, and some spider webs in it. He asked us to write a paragraph about it. I did not see much to write about. I stretched to write a full paragraph; it was all dead. Nothing there. Mr. Wilson then started calling on students to read their paragraph. (I believe all of the other students had attended Prep the prior year.) Oh my goodness! Some wrote about life and death, some created amazingly descriptive pieces, philosophizing about emptiness. Some wrote about the absence of greenery and what that might mean. The possible lives of the now-gone spiders. Mine was so lacking. No depth, no imagination. I thought, "What have I gotten myself into? I’m going to have to pay attention here!!" That was my first introduction to the kind of thinking that would be required of me at Prep. Another memory, same campus, Mr. Watson’s Spanish class. Mr. Watson asked us if we knew the meaning of Sangre de Cristo, the name of the local mountain range. No one knew. "Where is your intellectual curiosity?" he said. And I wondered, "Yes, why have I never wondered about that? What else am I not wondering about?" It all felt like I was waking up after having breezed, sleeping, through my entire education until that point."
“One of my first memories was our first PE classes were spent pulling weeds to clear a field next to the Santa Fe River so we could set up a volleyball net and kick a soccer ball around.” MARK NOHL ’68
"I have a million Prep stories nestled in my memory. For example, in 1967 our boys soccer team had been playing together with the same cohort for four years, and we were a good team. Of course, soccer then was not as popular as it is now, and we had to search for teams to play, such as St. John’s College and Denver Country Day. But the team’s proudest moment came when we played the Air Force Academy’s B team. We didn’t win, but the score ended in a tie. Not bad for Prep, with approximately 60 boys against 2,000 cadets." ALBERT REED ’68
JALICE (DAUM) WIEST ’67
22 | PR E P
WI NTER 2023
Founding Memories
PREP | 23
Founding Memories
"I am so grateful for my SFP experience! Mr. Saam, Mr. Kurth, Madame Armingaud… What a beautiful sendoff to my college years. The old riverbed campus remains so dear to me." LOU ELLIS BRASSINGTON ’69
"I remember soccer and field hockey bus trips to Colorado to play against other teams. Lots of poker games were played in the back of the bus. During Sophomore year, there was a biology field trip to Mexico. We were going to collect specimens of marine life. Mr. Wilson brought one or two large barrels of formaldehyde with us to preserve our specimens. There were 8 students, Mr. Wilson, and one parent chaperone (my mom) traveling in the school vehicle (something like a Suburban) and a pickup truck. We had a great time camping on the beach and had an adventure in a jungle village trying to buy chicken because we were tired of the food we brought, then talked the two adults into taking us to a nice dinner. In the end we arrived home with one marine specimen, a small starfish. Prep’s original campus on Upper Canyon Road was in a beautiful location with the Santa Fe River running right through. That provided space for water fights, snowball fights, or just sitting and talking. The smokers went way up to the end. The quad provided enough bench space for eating lunch or sitting in the sun watching people walk by. Milk and cookie break was a real treat." JANE (DAUM) KADLUBEK ’69
24 | PR E P
WI NTER 2023
Founding Memories
"It seems a million years ago that I transferred from Manderfield to the Canyon Road campus of Prep in the middle of the 5th grade. That was a game changer, and the introduction to a host of classmates and teachers who made a huge impact on my life. When I transferred, Prep was taking students from the 5th grade on. I believe I was in either the last or the next to last class that started in the 5th grade (I joined in January 1972). I was supposed to be class of ’79, but I skipped from 8th grade (Canyon Road) to 9th grade (Cruz Blanca) after the first trimester of the 1974-1975 school year. My 8th grade gang was the last to “graduate” at Canyon Road — everyone was at Cruz Blanca at the start of the next school year. I went to that graduation all in black (drama queen!) because of the loss of the campus. Sheesh, the things we do as teenagers! After my “skip,” I wanted to go back, but Bob Kurth wouldn’t let me. And he was right, as in so many other things! " GRACIE TREDWELL SCHILD ’78
A DIGITIZED COLLECTION OF PREP YEARBOOKS, PRESENTED BY THE ADESSO ARCHIVES, MAY BE FOUND AT:
bookcase.yearbookscanning.com/bookcase/shozc
PREP | 25
Cover Story
MAKING IT WORK
F
IRST CONCEIVED with the goal of “teaching kids how to make things,” Prep’s Makerspace class has developed into a program that helps students learn independence, initiative, innovation, and the importance of failure as motivation for eventual success — or at least motivation to give it another try. The one-semester elective course open to all Upper School students is a non-linear, self-paced, and highly interactive introduction to technology, from 3D printers to laser cutters to sewing machines. In the classroom, students are granted the agency and opportunity to choose their own projects, knowing failure is never punished and the only expectation is to troubleshoot, experiment, and try again. Here, Ambrose Ferber ’93 — Prep’s Associate Director of Technology, Technology & Engineering Department Chair, and Makerspace program leader — and a few of his students, past and present, tell us a bit about what the Makerspace has taught them.
Programs and spaces that energize young minds like our Makerspace have inspired further investment in our school's STEM programming. Stay tuned for more as part of our 60th Campaign!
26 | PR E P
WI NTER 2023
Making It Work
The very first seeds of the Maker program at Prep actually began when I first started teaching here, and our technology offerings were still under the department of Computer Science. The Computer Science electives were pretty hardcore — math modeling and visualization, dabbling in artificial intelligence, that kind of thing. The kids in those classes were doing serious work, but there were only a couple of those kids each semester, and the demographics lacked diversity. When I took over, there was a strong mandate to think about ways to be more inclusive and get a wider population of kids interested in technology. My first classes were just a Digital Citizenship class in the Middle School and Web Code in the Upper School. I thought maybe the accessibility and ubiquity of the Web, coupled with an opportunity for visual graphic design work, would appeal to more kids. It has mostly worked over the years, but even at the beginning I knew I wanted to get more "engineer-y," and that something like a MakerSpace would appeal to an even wider demographic. We also had an Upper School Robotics course then, taught by phenom science teacher and fencing coach Rob Madril. It was pretty old school, with a heavy emphasis on electrical engineering problems and circuit design. When Rob left Prep, I took the opportunity — with the
unfailing help, support, and guidance of Director of Technology John Utsey — to take over that course, add some more modern tools like 3D printers and Arduino micro controllers, and rebrand it as "MakeRobots" as a transition to a full blown Maker class. That first semester was a doozy! I didn't yet know exactly what the class should look like, and the room was more like a wild playground than anything. Some of the very specific rules for this space and for the course were created in the wake of that semester, many of them actually named after students in that class. The "Steinkraus Voltage Limitation Rule," in particular, comes to mind. After learning all John and I did running that first class, the current evolution of the class began to take shape, including its emphasis on teaching failure and its non-linear structure. We also added some new equipment, like laser cutting. These days, students drive the areas in which they want to focus, amassing "ranks" in four different disciplines, instead of the class linearly moving through disciplines all together. Their abilities and skill sets are built through a combination of optional disciplinespecific workshops, their own research, a curated library of papers and videos, and one-on-one interactions. I almost never supply anything that resembles a checklist style recipe that students can
WI NTER 2023
just follow, check off each item, and get a good grade. The class is specifically designed so that students will fail on the first few iterations of every project, and are forced to accept that failure, alter some aspect or aspects of their design, and iterate again until they reach a point of success. Students are graded on their ability to iterate more than anything else. The non-linear, rank-based approach is also helpful for students who take the class more than once, as they can progress through later ranks without having to sit through fundamentals. Students who achieve the "Architect" rank (or who are trying to achieve it) in a discipline can also act as TAs or junior instructors in that discipline. They even have a hand in maintaining equipment. It makes for a vibrant and energetic room — with students and teachers running around, tons of projects going on, and a delicious sense of chaos pervading the space. The only thing this paradigm isn't good for is keeping track of everything in a traditional gradebook system. Makerspace is 21st century shop class — I want students to be able to write some code, be able to solder, be able to use some traditional tools, be able to fail, be able to think through problems, be able to use their hands, be able to repair things, be able to design in 3D, be able to self-start, be able to write a proposal, be able to articulate their thoughts. But more than anything, I hope every student who leaves this room is beginning to look at the world in a new way, and is beginning to challenge some of their assumptions about themselves.
—AMBROSE FERBER ’93
PREP | 27
"THERE IS A FEELING IN THIS CLASS THAT I HAVE NOT FOUND IN ANY OTHER CLASS." I’m in my second semester of Makerspace. There are many enjoyable aspects of the class, from the chooseyour-own-adventure style, to learning how to work with machines such as our 3D printers and laser cutters, to wiring, coding, and printing pieces to create little games. There is a feeling in this class that I have not found in any other class. My favorite skill I’ve learned is how to use the 3D printers. One night you can have an idea or a problem that you need to solve; for example, you need a pencil holder for your desk. You can come to class the next day, measure the pencils you need to hold so they fit perfectly, make a model in one of the various software programs we have access to (my favorite is TinkerCad), start printing during class, and have it for the next day. Once it comes out, it’s super strong. The filament we print with, I have found, is stronger than most everyday plastics I use. This is my absolute favorite class at Prep!
Makerspace is a creative space where one can almost build anything that they imagine. It teaches us to problem solve when we encounter problems in our projects and to solve them in inventive ways. All of this is important, but the one thing that makes Makerspace truly unique is how “hands-on” it is. Instead of just drawing up diagrams or designing projects. You make these designs come to life by using a wide array of machinery and tools. One project that I especially enjoyed was a lamp engraved with a character. With a friend, I custom designed this lamp and we used the machinery and tools to prototype and develop it. We 3D printed the base, laser-engraved acrylic for the lampshade, and used an Arduino to code multi-color LEDs to light the lamp. Throughout the process of building this, my friend and I encountered many problems, especially with the coding. However, with research and some direction from Ambrose, we solved it. Ambrose allows his class to be fun, while teaching an array of impressive skills. For a great class and all the memories, I thank you, Ambrose.
—ALEX INGRAM JACOBS ’24
—STECK HARWOOD ’26 28 | PR E P
WI NTER 2023
Making it Work
Makerspace taught me how to fail. I know that’s a strong statement, but it’s the honest truth. What meant the most to me in this class was not the friends I made or the projects I finished — thank you to the 3D printers for surviving my touch-activated Toothless model. It was the ability to go to a class where the only ask was for you to do your worst, and the expectation was you would use the tools and people around you to ask for help. There is nothing like it anywhere else on campus. I learned that when the project means everything to me — or at the very least, I’ve spent too much time on it already to give up — I can finish it. I took classes in the Makerspace at the beginning and end of my Prep career. Both times I learned this lesson and watched my classmates learn it with me. I am an engineering student now, and I fail more often than I would like to admit. However, Makerspace showed me that failure is a part of life, but is not my final destination, merely the motivation to ask for help and try something new.
—CAROLINE MOORE ’22
Makerspace has been the most influential class I have taken in my time at Prep. The freedom and encouragement in the classroom have built my confidence, creativity, and passion for designing and building to heights I never thought they would reach. I have learned to use CADs, 3D printers, a laser cutter, and soldering irons. I have learned why electrical circuits work the way they do and tried my best to memorize the values of resistor bands. Most importantly, I have learned to try things. When I want to make something, I should try making it. Even if I’m not sure it’s going to work, I should at least try to design it, and I will. I have all the basic skills I need to design, cut, print, and solder, and all the necessary tools at my fingertips. Ambrose’s passion is contagious, and as crucial as his direct support is, his style of making me figure things out for myself has been the most effective. There are no limits to what can be made in his classroom, and no restrictions on where I can apply those skills on my own.
—CHLOE ROBERTS ’25 PREP | 29
Making It Work
Even before I took Makerspace, I had a passion for technology and engineering. As a little kid, I started building PCs and keyboards just because it intrigued me. By the 11th grade I had built several more, as well as electric guitars and drones, so naturally I was excited to take Makerspace. Initially, the class seemed complicated but still very interesting. I started off with basic soldering and 3D modeling, which inspired me to start my first independent project outside of class with a friend. I noticed that when I would export from the 3D modeling software I was left with an STL file, which made me wonder if it was possible to write the raw code for an STL file. Discovering that this would be no easy job, I turned to generative AI, knowing its coding potential. To my surprise, it was able to write raw STL code, but that didn’t mean that this code made the shape it was instructed to. In fact, most of the code we looked at was missing pieces, which — after cross-referencing with correct code — I was able to hand correct. After several long nights staying up trying to remedy this, we were able to create several basic shapes. After a lot of trial and error, we were even able to make a complicated 8-sided cube. We quickly 3D printed this cube and presented it to Ambrose, for which we were awarded our own rank for our innovation, “Inventor.”
—MARS BUETENS ’24
30 | PR E P
Cover Story
"THE MAKERSPACE IS A PLACE FOR ME TO MAKE WHATEVER MY IMAGINATION CAN COME UP WITH."
When I was little, my father had this reference book of code for web developers, and I carried that book with me wherever I went. To me, that book was a thousand different worlds. Some days those codes held the answer to every spy mission, other days those were the codes needed to shut down rockets that would destroy our world from Dr. Evil. Other days that book was used to create the new and very best in flying cars. It was not until I was much older that I finally realized what that book actually was. I still have never picked it up to write code for a website, much to my father's disappointment. But what I lack in ones and zeros I hope I make up for in my creativeness for mixing my passions with technology. Over the course of my time at Prep, I took Makerspace a number of times, and not because my father was the teacher (despite what some might say), but because the Makerspace was a place for me to make whatever my imagination could come up with. This sometimes led to my downfall, as I often let my imagination get way too far ahead of me (though I never did even attempt a flying car). There were two things I made that I think were some of my best work. The first would be my replica of the rose from Beauty and the Beast. It glowed from beneath, and had the illusion of floating. It was made by using the laser cutter to cut the rose out of acrylic, which was supported by a 3D printed stand, and inside of which was housed an Arduino microcontroller and LED strip lights. A string of actual code that I wrote told the rose when to light up and what color to be. The second thing I created was a light-up purse that contained some light sensors, an Arduino, and more LED strip lights within. Some much more sophisticated sets of code detected when it was dark, and caused the LEDs to light up, and make the bag glow. These are but two of the many things that I created, but the two that I am the most proud of. Makerspace taught me that if you can dream it, you can make it.
—FIONA FERBER ’23
WI NTER 2023
PREP | 31
S TAT E M E N T O F P U R P O S E 32 | S F PR E P A N N UA L RE P O RT 2 0 2 2 /2 0 2 3
SANTA FE PREP IS AN AMBITIOUS AND DIVERSE LEARNING COMMUNITY DEDICATED TO ACTIVE DISCOURSE. WE VALUE OUR PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY OF SANTA FE, WHICH ENRICHES AND DEFINES US. WE CULTIVATE QUALITIES OF CHARACTER, SCHOLARSHIP, AND CITIZENSHIP IN OUR STUDENTS THAT INSPIRE THEM TO ACT RESPONSIBLY AND COMPASSIONATELY AT HOME, AT SCHOOL, AND IN THE WORLD. THROUGH THE MANY DIALOGUES THAT UNFOLD ON CAMPUS EACH DAY, OUR STUDENTS EXERCISE THEIR MINDS IN ACTIVE INQUIRY. THE DISCOURSE OF SANTA FE PREP PROMOTES THE JOY OF DISCOVERY, THE POWER OF CRITICAL THINKING AND REFLECTION, AND THE THRILL OF CREATIVITY. OUR COMMITMENT TO COLLABORATIVE LEARNING FOSTERS AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT GROUNDED IN TRUST, WHERE STUDENTS HONOR AND RESPECT EACH OTHER AND THEMSELVES. THE WORLD IS FULL OF POSSIBILITY. EMPOWERED WITH THE VALUES AND QUALITIES INHERENT IN OUR SCHOOL, OUR STUDENTS CAN EMBRACE LIVES OF THOUGHTFUL PURPOSE.
S F PREP A N NUA L REPORT 2020/ 2021 | 33
A NNUAL REPORT
2022/23
34 | CO N T E N TS
Contents 34
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
35
HEAD OF SCHOOL LETTER
37
ADVANCEMENT UPDATE
38
ANNUAL FUND
42
COMMEMORATIVE GIVING
44
ENDOWMENTS
46
59
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
CARITAS
ASSOCIATED PROGRAMMING REPORTS
BY THE NUMBERS
48
60
2023/2024
2023/2024
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
Jenny Cohen Kaufman ’94, Chair Sara April, Vice Chair David Kocon, Treasurer Leah Swanson, Secretary
Aaron Schubach, Head of School Ashley Satterthwaite, Associate Head of School and Head of Upper School Heather Robinson, Head of Middle School
Stephen Badger Liz Bremner Randy Dry Edward Gale Dominic Garcia Estevan Gonzales Miquela Korte Christine Lehman, Emerita Thao Marquez Suzanne Moss, Emerita Fred Nathan Claire Pfister Joohee Rand Carol Romero-Wirth, Emerita Dennis Romero Leslie Anne Ross Jenna Scanlan Warren Thompson ’72, Emeritus
Hayley Burke, Co-Director of College Counseling Dieu Ho, Director of Breakthrough Santa Fe Todd Kurth ’81, Director of Athletics Mary Little, Director of Admissions & Marketing Catherine McKenzie, Director of Library Services Michael McNeill, Director of Advancement Sam Ritter, Director of Davis New Mexico Scholarship Bruce Sachs, Director of Finance Nick Stofocik, Director of Facilities John Utsey, Director of Technology Matt Ybarra, Director of College Counseling Santa Fe Preparatory School 1101 Camino de la Cruz Blanca Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 WWW.SFPREP.ORG @santafeprepschool @santafeprep
S F PREP A N NUA L REPORT 2022/ 2023 | 35
LETTER
From the Head of School DEAR SANTA FE PREP COMMUNITY,
Last spring, I had the opportunity to teach at Prep. Though I already knew what it was like to be a Prep parent (my son Ben is now in 11th grade) and Head of School (my 4th year), it was in a Santa Fe Prep classroom that I fully felt the Prep magic. Teaching politics and philosophy to some of the most engaged and engaging students with whom I have worked, I was reminded of the power of learning and conversation to shed light on and enlighten our world. This is, after all, what we do. Schools should always hold teaching and learning to the highest standards and strive to inspire curiosity that transcends the classroom. Through my teacher’s lens, I saw and experienced that Prep is engaged in this important work. Prep had clearly prepared my junior and senior students to listen well, write well, read and think deeply, and perhaps most importantly, find joy in learning. As we celebrate our 60th anniversary and develop our case for support for our comprehensive campaign, we know one thing for sure– that the 60 years of
Head of School Aaron Schubach (front row center) with faculty and staff kicking off school year planning for 2022-2023
philanthropic support of Prep has been put to the best use. We look at the PEOPLE on campus (faculty, staff, and students), the extraordinary PROGRAMS that we offer, and the beauty of the PLACE we call home each day and know this to be true. But we always want to be even better. Results of a 3-month feasibility study in early 2023 led us to conclude that support for our people and programs is stronger than ever, and we look forward to reaching out soon to the entire community of trustees, faculty and staff, parents, alumni, and friends of the school to further strengthen our ability to serve the talented youth of Santa Fe. In the 2022-2023 school
year, we raised $568,000 for the school’s Annual Fund for operations, an additional $550,733 for the endowment, $211,000 for the 60th Anniversary Gala, and just over $250,000 for Breakthrough Santa Fe. What’s more? We had fun doing it. People working together toward the common goal of the very best education in Santa Fe requires steadfast and enthusiastic support. As we look to the future, we are purposefully seeking ways to recruit and retain the best teachers and staff, to support innovative and cutting-edge STE(A)M programming, and to expand our campus space to accommodate progress. I feel a true sense of
gratitude for the authenticity of the Prep community; we are the school different in the city different. We strive to create students who go into the world with open minds, strong communication and writing skills, and a sense that the world– and caring for the world– is our shared interest. As you read the pages that follow, we hope that you join us in gratitude for Prep and the many dollars above tuition that are required to make this all happen. Most gratefully,
Aaron Schubach Head of School
36 | A DVA N CE M E N T UPDAT E
SF PREP A NN UA L REPORT 2022/ 2023 | 37
D E PA R T M E N T U P DAT E
Advancement at Santa Fe Prep
2022/2023
ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE Leah Swanson, Chair Stephen Badger Liz Bremner Erin Bunkley Alejandra Castillo Randy Dry Estevan Gonzales Adelma Hnasko ’92 Thao Marquez Michael McNeill Elicia Montoya Jenna Scanlan Aaron Schubach
Advancement Committee Report THANKS TO THE HARD WORK of the Advancement Committee, the advancement team, the Board of Trustees, and Santa Fe Prep parent volunteers, the school continues to exceed its goals to meet the school’s budget through fundraising. Together, we raised close to $570,000 of our $540,000 goal that makes up the difference between tuition and the actual operating cost to run the school.
This was also a year of unity. The Booster Club, Parents’ Association, and Advancement Office combined their spring fundraising efforts into one gala event, including an online silent auction and live auction and dinner at Bishop’s Lodge. The event raised $211,000 in support of Prep Athletic Programs, Breakthrough Santa Fe, and Prep Tuition Assistance, but most importantly, the various support groups of the school were able to show unity in their common interest to help Prep thrive. 75% of Santa Fe Prep parents supported the annual fund in 2022-23 and understand the importance of the school’s philanthropic efforts. It is with gratitude that we submit this full annual report of donor recognition and use of funds. Leah Swanson Advancement Committee Chair
BOARD CHAIR JENNY COHEN KAUFMAN '94 and Director of Advancement Michael McNeill celebrate Prep's 60th at Bishop's Lodge.
38 | S F PR E P A N N UA L RE P O RT 2 0 2 2 /2 0 2 3
Santa Fe Prep Annual Fund Donor Recognition 2022-2023 THANK YOU so much to the
HEAD OF SCHOOL’S CIRCLE
SUN MOUNTAIN
following donors who, through their annual gifts to Prep, or to scholarship funds, help make so many great things happen for our students.
$5,000-$9,999
$1,000-$2,499
Sara and Daniel April Connor Browne and Christina Price David and Amanda Kocon Amy and Evan Land Alexander and Karen LoRusso Lavi and Armine Malhotra Thao and Samuel Marquez Elicia Montoya and Kurt Gilbert Fred and Arlyn Nathan Shobhan Porter ’88 and Joel Rowland Jenna and Wilson Scanlan Thornburg Investment Management Owen and Katherine Van Essen Todd Vaziri and Kearsley Higgins
Anonymous Ryan Bailey ’94 and Melanie Maxon David and Patricia Baker Liz Bremner and Karen Crow Alejandra Castillo and Charles Roth Nathaniel Chakeres ’98 and Almea Matanock ’99 J.P. Dahdah ’93 Steven Dayton and Carol Norton David DePolo David and Deborah Douglas Henry and Jolonda Field Jose Franco and Audrey Abeyta Dylan Fuge ’97 and Alexis Fuge Girish Ganesan and Sampreetha Govindankutty Nora Geiss ’99 The Gubelmann Family Foundation Noel Harvey ’87 Sean and Rebecca Healy Michael and Cindy-Ann Hersom Miquela and Kevin Korte Jack and Adrienne Ladd Christine and Jonathan Lehman Michael McNeill Nancy Ann Mellen Foundation Russell Olson and Frances Parker Nigel and Sara Otto Dave and Elizabeth Parker Joohee and Lee Rand Thomas Ritter and Christine Keller Bruce Roscherr and Susan Kurien Leslie Ross and Adriana Molina John and Lillie Sandoval William Scarborough Gracie Tredwell Schild ’78 Thomas Spier ’96 and Stephanie Spier Warren Thompson ’72 and Mickey Thompson Andrew Wallerstein and Mary Sloane Larry White ’68 Marie Wilkinson and Cyril Christo
FOUNDERS $25,000+
Stephen Badger David Paradice and Claire Pfister Jacqueline Mars Santa Fe Prep Booster Club Santa Fe Prep Parents’ Association
ELRINGTON BELL SOCIETY $10,000-$24,999
Josiah Child and Mary Nell Wegner Charnes Chiu and Kathryn Chan Randy Dry and Ocean Munds-Dry Catherine Dry and Guillermo Bleichmar Edward and Maria Gale Jenny Cohen Kaufman ’94 and Justin Kaufman Benjamin and Holly Kirby Josh Klinefelter ’93 and Kelsey Klinefelter Antoinette Silvey ’82
GRIFFINS $2,500-$4,999
Rebecca and Brant Bair Jamie Berg ’91 and Asher Berg Thomas and Erin Bunkley Cudd Foundation Greg and Alice Dunn Ariana and William Feinberg Adelma Hnasko ’92 and Thomas Hnasko Dominic and Celia Garcia Linnea Geiss Gallagher ’96 and Wade Gallagher Van and Sandra Gilbert Estevan and Adi-Risa Gonzales Ernest and Melina Martinez Phil and Julie Murray Len and Barbara Rand Judy Sanchez Carol Ann Sass Aaron Schubach and Anna Sass Philip and Jessica Smucker Christopher Stanek and Kate Ferlic Leah and Sloan Swanson The Walt Disney Company
S F PREP A N NUA L REPORT 2022/ 2023 | 39
40 | S F PR E P A N N UA L RE P O RT 2 0 2 2 /2 0 2 3
PREP FRIENDS $5-$999
Anonymous Liza Abeles Lutzker ’97 and Bobby Lutzker Christian Alexander ’02 Jackson Alexander ’12 Radu Alexandrescu and Roxana Raicu Rebecca Allahyari Kristina Alley and Timothy Farrell Lesli Allison ’83 Amazon Smile Foundation Deborah Anderson Keller Katie Arnold and Steven Barrett Philip and Courtney Asprodites James Attlesey and Katie Macaulay Summar Aubrey ’00 Paul and Katharina Babcock Jennie and Maurizio Baccante Katherine Bair ’23 Jamison Banks and Zonnie Miera Stephanie Barks ’71 John Barton ’73 and Polly Barton Canton and Leah Becker Letty Belin Dustin Belyeu ’95 and Brooke Belyeu Karin Bergh Hall ’70 Alicia Bertram ’09 Amalia Bertram ’14 Julia Bertram ’11 Genevieve Betts and David LeBard Vishal Bharat and Jessica Boyd Bryan and Jennifer Biedscheid Reed Bienvenu ’01 and Rosalind Bienvenu Mark Bixby Russ Bixby Tai and Satara Bixby Fara Blaszak ’92 David Blick and Suzanne Thornton Bruce and Cynthia Bolene Chris Border Libby and Lee Boyle Carole Brito Jim and Elizabeth Brockmann Justin Brown ’00 Hayley Burke Clark Bussey and Judith Ribble Will and Rochelle Bussey Dave Caldwell and Elizabeth Ortiz Patricia Caldwell Julie Campbell ’75 Frances and Carlos Carreon
Josh Carswell ’89 and Cristy Carswell Linnea and Courtney Carswell Chris Chakeres ’94 and Sheena Chakeres Ajoy Chandra and Katharine Griffing Sally Chappell ’81 Stewart Chritton ’76 and Laura Chritton Marissa Chrysler Brooke Clodfelter Larry and Marilyn Cohen Jocelyne Comstock Ellee Cook ’09 Luz Corrales Allegra Correll ’11 Gregory and Vonda Davis Matt Declerck and Martha Yazdani-Declerck Alex Del Mar Nancy Desiderio and Michael Sloane Elisabeth and Matthew Desmond Josh and Mitra Devon James Dickinson ’83 and Carolyn Dickinson Zachary Dillenback Stephanie DiLorio Charles and Erin Doerwald Bobby and Chrystal Dominguez Deatramus and Akinah Dooling Jackson Dooling ’14 W. Houston Dougharty ’79 and Kimberly Dougharty Jennifer Dryfoos Shannon Duran Tim Enfield ’09 Zander Evans and Emily Haozous Brad Fairbanks and Karen Burbank Jess Falkenhagen and Tiller Russell Ambrose Ferber ’93 and Rebecca Ferber ’96 Kenneth and Andrea Ferjancic Andrea Fiegel Kristina Fisher ’98 Lucy Foma ’05 Megan Fonseca ’97 and Jeremy Fonseca Matt French and Heather Novak French Liz Friary Melissa and Andrew Fricek David Friedland and Sarah Davis Benjamin Friedman ’91 and Rocio Alvarez Camila Friedman-Gerlicz ’06 and Todd Volz Christine and Richard Furlanetto
Michael and Cynthia Furlanetto Joaquin Garofalo and Jaclynn Castanon Marián Giraldez Elizo and Lance Lewis ’06 Shirley and Jim Goering Tim and Darlene Goering Andrea and Arthur Gonzales Debra and Leo Gonzales Joseph Gonzales Eli Goodman ’88 and Kristin Goodman Keri and Tim Goorley MacDonnell Gordon ’69 and Charlene Shildmyer Christopher Graeser and Alexandra Ladd Augusta Gronquist ’10 Anika Gusterman Amon ’97 and Mark Hosenfeld Heather Gutierrez Lori Gutierrez Peter Hagen and Lindsay Faulkner-Hagen Katharine Handler ’88 Matthew Harland ’79 and Katie Harland Chris and Sally Harvey Elege Simons Harwood ’94 and Kyle Harwood Anna and Robert Hastings Morgan and Kathryn Hees James Heidenberger Clara and Ward Hendon David Henkel and Cleo Griffith Alexanra Henry Tom Mix Hill Dieu Ho Chris and Carrie Ishee Kevin and Mariana Ivens Dina and Douglas Jansen Dennis Jasso and Inga Hendrickson Hadley and Madeleine Johnson Sam Johnson ’02 Breshaun Joyner and Ralph Bolton Jeannette Kelly Susan Kelly ’72 and Christy Stanley Karl Kilborn ’86 Kira Ora Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation John and Sati Kohn Simone and Laura Koutsouflakis Robin and Fred Koval Michael Kovnat and Holly Morris Robinson Kurth ’83 and Kelly Beatley Todd Kurth ’81 and Kendel Fesenmyer
DON ORS | 41
Frederick Lamont Solar and Renata Law Earl and Jessica Lawrence Zoe Ledbetter Sarah Meghan and Morgan Lee Philipp Lehmann ’99 Marcia and Tim Lenihan Jim and Story Leonard Hanna Levin Jesse Levin ’98 and Shane Plossu Renny and Maria Levy Mary and Kent Little Bill and Marcia Litzenberg Erik Litzenberg ’90 and Melissa Litzenberg Clea Lopez ’96 and Edward Huyck Nicola Lopez ’93 Timothy Lopez and Ronda Fleck Los Alamos National Laboratory Adam Lowenstein Leza Lowitz and Shogo Oketani Jessyca Lucero-Flores Cindy and Neil Lyon Jennifer and Robert MacDonald Lee and Susan MacLeod Tony and Gayatri Malmed Tony and Johnna Marlow Sid and Carolyn Maxwell Ross and Rebecca McDonald Sidway McKay ’69 and Bev Nelson Catherine McKenzie Ismael Mena Cameron and Adamantios Miranda Toner Mitchell ’81 and Cullen Curtiss Seth Montgomery ’12 Laura Montoya ’70 and Andrew Montoya Sam Montoya and Leah O’Shell Barry and Jo Ann Moore Brent and Mary Ann Moore David Moore and Marci Riskin Susan Morris Matt and Annie Mullins Yuki Murata and Chris Long Dan Murray and Kim Davis Sara Naegelin ’01 Robert and Townley Neill Matthew Nerzig and Sharman Leventon Raymond Newell and Adriana Reyes Newell Marvin Nogueda Chris Nordstrum and Rich Brown Lisa Nordstrum
Jebb Norton ’09 Leslee and Robert Oaks Hisa and Kris Ota Owen Perillo Karen Phillips ’98 and Kyle Olmon Aiyana and Stuart Pendleton Tony Pinkerton ’91 Greg Pollak ’68 Elizabeth Pope ’83 and Christopher Pope Romeo Portillo and Heather Rider Katy Power Sara and Steve Priola Mark Prochaska and Rebecca Sam Sean and Aimee Putnam Victoria Quijada ’68 Elizabeth Quirante Elliot and Gail Rapoport Amy and Joey Reich Bradley Reid and Katherine Herrell Daryl Reyner ’68 and Mark Reyner Stephanie Reynolds ’85 Willy Richardson ’92 and Kim Richardson Sam Ritter and Kat Keener James Rivera and Carla Montoya-Rivera Jesse Roach ’90 Andrew and Anna Roberts Catherine Rogers ’85 Louise Rogers ’84 Claire Romero and David Bomse Joel and Patricia Rosen Rennae Ross and Patrick Foy Yadiner Sabir Bruce Sachs and Denise DuPont John and Paula Salazar Marianna Sanders ’97 Amy Sanders O’Rourke ’99 and Beto O’Rourke John and Lillie Sandoval Sky Sartorius ’04 Melody Sauceda Billy Scarborough ’09 Ed and Kathy Sceery Christopher Schiano and Michelle Gallagher Roberts Michael Schriber and Christina Alfieri Nancy Schwanfelder Zack Shandler and Lisa Schub Daniela Silverstein ’92 and Seth Silverstein Bill Simmons and Nancy Parker Ben Sleeman Jaime Smith and Karin Thron
Peter Spier ’94 and Stacey Spier Thomas and Ria Spier Russell Spinney and Nicole Stern Sarah Stark Stein & Brockmann, P.A. Nick Stofocik Craigie Elizabeth Succop Aviva Sussman and Scott Broome Kristen Sweeney ’68 and Phillip Sweeney Melissa Talachy and Mateo Romero William and Leslie Talbot Gregory Throne ’10 Thomas and Karen Tiegler Jillian Tomlinson Ulrich Consulting Group, LLC Mark and Jodi Urbanak John and Jackie Utsey Christella Velarde and Joe Adams Stephen Velie and Hannah McCaughey Andrea and Frederic Verswijver Gentiana Voinescu and Tudor Ocneanu Kathy Wagner Drew Walker Michael Wall and Rebecca Entwisle Edward Walpin and Cynthia Melugin Ashley Watson Alan Webber and Frances Diemoz Brian Weed and Tirawan Howard Christian and Christie Weichsel Anna Westen ’97 Carla Westen ’94 and Eugene Flores John and Julia Wheeler Laura Wheeler Peter White ’82 Michael Wiese and Margaret Hennessey William and Janislee Wiese Jalice Wiest ’67 William and Jemima Winkler Brian and Christy Wood Peter Wurzburger Eric and Amy Wynn David Wynne Matt Ybarra and Linda Serrato Ybarra Fred and June Yoder Douglas and Katherine Zang Richard Zierman ’89 Ellen Zieselman
42 | S F PR E P A N N UA L RE P O RT 2 0 2 2 /2 0 2 3
IN HONOR
IN MEMORY
In honor of Kathleen Abeles
In memoy of Michael Amrine ’67
Liza Abeles Lutzker ’97 and Bobby Lutzker
Greg Pollak ’68
In honor of Joan Broome
In memory of James Chakeres
Aviva Sussman and Scott Broome
Jim and Elizabeth Brockmann Stein & Brockmann, P.A.
In honor of Dave Caldwell
Seth Montgomery ’12
In memory of Deborah Cornelius
In honor of Chris Chakeres ’94
W. Houston Dougharty ’79 and Kimberly Dougharty
Elege Simons Harwood ’94 and Kyle Harwood In honor of Lisa Fisher
Nora Geiss ’99 In honor of Mary and Ray Howes
In memory of Robert Kurth
Andrea and Arthur Gonzales In memory of Brian Scarborough ’06
Billy Scarborough ’09
Brad Fairbanks and Karen Burbank In honor of Sandy Martone and Chris Zucker
Sarah Meghan and Morgan Lee In honor of Susan Matthews
Nancy Desiderio and Michael Sloane In honor of Elicia Montoya
Brent and Mary Ann Moore In honor of Robert Oaks
Leslee Oaks In honor of Benjamin Riebsomer
Shannon Duran In honor of Donald J. Ross
Leslie Ross and Adriana Molina In honor of the SFP Cass of 1983
Elizabeth Pope ’83 and Christopher Pope In honor of Leah Swanson
Brent and Mary Ann Moore In honor of Emily Talbot ’12
William and Leslie Talbot In honor of Christella Velarde
Andrea and Arthur Gonzales
GIFTS IN KIND Gisela Genschow Gary Holladay Jay Ritter
DON ORS | 43
Alumni Funded Two Griffins! TOTAL SANTA FE PREP ALUMNI GIVING FOR 2022-2023: $46,350
As a result of our annual fundraising efforts, giving during our all-class reunion weekend and from a challenge grant in the spring, Santa Fe Prep alumni contributed enough to fund almost two full scholarships to Prep! What could feel better than Griffins funding Griffins? THANK YOU, ALUMNI!!
Impact Fund Donors FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE “STRATEGIC IMPACT FUND,” these funds are raised for the specific purpose of supporting tuition assistance and supplement endowment revenues. The funding of a strong tuition assistance program is central to Prep’s mission. More than 40% of the incoming 7th grade received tuition assistance in 2022-2023, and close to 31% of students overall benefit from robust impact-based fundraising. This year, the following donors contributed an additional $250,000 toward helping more students attend Prep.
Stephen and Karen Bershad Liz Bremner and Karen Crow Edward and Maria Gale Josh Klinefelter ’93 and Kelsey Klinefelter Lee and Joohee Rand Jenna and Wilson Scanlan Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund Peter A. Spier ’94 and Stacey Spier Thomas J. Spier ’96 and Stephanie Spier Steele Family Foundation Thornburg Foundation
Thank you to everyone for their 2022/23 participation! If you would like to make a gift or pledge please visit: www.sfprep.org/supportprep or scan:
Questions? Email us at the Advancement Office jtomlinson@sfprep.org or mmcneill@sfprep.org
44 | S F PR E P A N N UA L RE PO RT 2 0 2 2 /2 0 2 3
2022/2023
REPORT
ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE Dominic Garcia, Chair
Endowments at Santa Fe Prep Endowment Committee Report THE SANTA FE PREP ENDOWMENT assures the long-term stability of the school. It is to
this end that, through thoughtful management and investment strategies, the endowment committee dedicates its time and expertise. In close collaboration with Ulrich Investment Consultants, this group is charged with setting investment policy, determining long and short-term courses of action, and making recommendations to the Board for strategies that adapt to market trends. As of June 30, 2023, the endowment for Santa Fe Prep reached a total of $23,403,762. The endowment is made up of nearly 40 permanently endowed funds, and the school’s 4% annual draw on those funds provides a significant amount of need- and merit-based scholarships, faculty professional development opportunities, and general operating support for the school.
Kristin Bradbury Connor Browne Jenny Cohen Kaufman '94 David Kocon Michael McNeill Elicia Montoya Joohee Rand Bruce Sachs Aaron Schubach Wendy Trevisani
Dominic Garcia Endowment Commitee Chair
Endowment Fund Donors
A SUCCESSFUL ENDOWMENT MEANS THAT SANTA FE PREP CAN RELY ON INVESTMENT INCOME TO ASSURE THAT OUR OPERATIONAL NEEDS ARE MET. We cannot thank our
endowment donors enough for continuing to show support for our endowment.
$25,000+
$1,000-$2,499
Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund
Phil and Julie Murray Fred and Arlyn Nathan Blair and Trey Naylor
James Alley III ’84 Kristina Alley and Timothy Farrell Frank and Sue Cannon James Goodwin Russell Olson and Frances Parker Linda Vincent
$5,000-$9,999
$5-$999
Susan Foote and Stephen Feinberg Carl Kawaja ’82 and Gwendolyn Holcombe
Elisabeth Alley Samson and Becca Benen Alexa Beutler and Brian Stonecipher Dorothy Beutler Erica Beutler and Ben Marden Mark Bixby Russ Bixby Mary Beth Booth The Egan Family Nicholas Farrell ’22
$10,000-$24,999
William and Louisella Frank Dianne Howard Vivian Ivy Holly Lynton Nancy Maniscalco Joyce Olson Carol and Riley Palmer Susan Prins Sam Ritter and Kat Keener Carissa and Robert Schneider Susan Shelton Jill Spross
END OWMENTS | 45
Endowment Funds AS OF JUNE 30, 2023
TOTAL ENDOWMENT
$23,403,762 Breakthrough Operating Fund $986,786 Buckman Scholarship $282,592 Davis Breakthrough Scholars $1,523,680
The EE Ford/Conway Faculty Growth & Enrichment Initiative Endowment $252,246
The Malone Family Foundation Endowment $2,438,903
The Elias Farmer Memorial Scholarship Fund $355,075
The Mary and Ramsay Harris Endowment $3,280
The Endowment for Faculty Compensation and Development $846,792
$806,911
The Faculty Professional Development Fund $272,070
EE Ford Summer Teachers Colloquium $295,297
The Goodwin Family Scholarship $816,800
James and Elisabeth Alley Scholarship Fund $119,042
The Griffin Chair for Inspirational Teaching $394,322
Doris Bry Scholarship Fund
Kathryn Wasserman Davis 20th Century History Chair $847,879
The Headmaster’s Scholarship Fund $829,695
Permanent Endowment Fund Trust $2,941,630
The J. Burchenal Ault Library Fund $301,179
Spirit of Santa Fe Prep Endowment $524,507
The Jenny and Alice Lee Memorial Scholarship Fund $130,332
The Arlene LewAllen Artist Outreach Endowment Fund $26,259 The Board of Trustees Summer Fellowship Account $93,196 The David Ginocchio Endowed Scholarship Fund $343,674 The Edward E. Ford & Margaret P. Driscoll Endowment Fund for Upper School Faculty Summer Study $207,662
The Kathryn O’Keeffe Endowment for Native American Students $958,587 The Leland Thompson Founders’ Endowment Fund $283,028 The Leonard Family Scholars Endowment $2,842,097 The M.A. Healy Chair for Teaching Excellence $610,172
The Minority Scholarship Endowment Fund $822,668 The Mordaunt Elrington Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund $52,386 The Parents’ Association Endowment for Tuition Assistance $199,216 The Quincy Brave Conway Scholarship Endowment $75,477 The Robert W. Kurth Endowment $125,743 The Sage Fund $445,105 The Sage Endowment 50th Campaign $113,175 The Santa Fe Preparatory Class of 1988 Scholarship Fund $9,643 The Tamsin F. Bemis ’84 Memorial Scholarship Fund $429,775 The William H. Borchers Fund for Teacher Professional Development $85,380 Tuition Assistance 50th Capital Campaign $711,503
46 | FI N A N CE S
REPORT
Santa Fe Prep Report of Finances Finance Committee Report THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE SANTA FE PREP BOARD OF TRUSTEES meets regularly and follows NAIS best practices in its management of the school’s resources. Working closely with the Head of School, the Director of Finance and his staff, the committee oversees the development of the annual school budget based on institutional priorities and facility needs as determined by the Board of Trustees. As part of its thoughtful fiscal management, the finance committee sets philanthropic goals and tuition assistance levels based on the overall financial health of the school. The expertise of this committee assures a sustainable future for our school.
Annual decisions regarding tuition and salary increases are just part of the crucial work of this group and require a great deal of time and thought. In a year when inflation was a clear threat to budgets across the country, Prep’s finance committee was still able to propose a budget with a salary increase of 6% while keeping the tuition increase at just 4.7% -this after having offered 4.5% salary increase in 2021-2022 and 3.5% tuition increase that same year. The school remains debt free, continues to benefit from increased enrollment, and enjoys the security of a healthy endowment. David Kocon Finance Commitee Chair
REVENUE SOURCES
EXPENSES
2022/2023
FINANCE COMMITTEE David Kocon, Chair Sara April Ajoy Chandra Edward Gale Dominic Garcia Michael McNeill Elicia Montoya Joohee Rand Bruce Sachs Aaron Schubach Leah Swanson 79% 5% 15% 1%
Tuition and Fees Annual Fund Endowment Draw Other
67% 15% 18%
Salaries and Benefits Tuition Assistance Buildings/Instructional Other
SF PREP A NN UA L REPORT 2022/ 2023 | 47
Statement of Financial Position AS OF JUNE 30, 2023
ASSETS Cash and Equivalents
REVENUES $ 3,286,417
Investments Equities and Fixed Income Securities
22,792,867
Accounts Receivable Tuition and Fees Pledges Receivable
50,871 41,489,867
Tuition and Fees (net)
8,408,380
Gifts and Grants (net)
10,484,043
Special Events
33,645
Interest and Dividends
499,210
Oil and Gas Royalties
767
Rents and Other
20,523
Other Receivables
117,898
Net Realized and Unrealized Gains
1,772,601
Prepaid Expenses
155,517
Net Revenues
21,219,169
PP & E Endowment Land and Art Cash Value of Life Insurance Other Tangible Assets Other Art Total Assets
8,271,871 14,700
EXPENSES
0
Financial Aid
$ 1,689,451
100,947
Instructional
5,263,811
249,848
Fundraising and Advancement
$ 76,530,803
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses
$ 697,819
Deferred Revenue
2,470,971
Other Liabilities Scholarships Payable Total Liabilities
46,161
2,366,895
Davis Scholarships
6,752,660
Plant Operation and Depreciation
1,375,638
Total Expenses Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets
$ 17,863,752 4,389,800
Beginning Net Assets
72,141,003
$ 23,873,879
Ending Net Assets
$ 76,530,803
$ 10,774,452
Temp Restricted
12,708,995
Permanently Restricted
21,774,390
Davis Scholarships
7,399,087
Total Net Assets
52,656,924
Total Liabilities and Net Assets
Administration
20,658,928
NET ASSETS Unrestricted
415,297
$ 76,530,803
48 | S F PR E P A N N UA L RE P O RT 2 0 2 2 /2 0 2 3
REPORTS
Associated Programming Report from the Parents’ Association AS IF PARENTING WERE NOT A MORE-THAN-FULL-TIME JOB IN ITSELF, Santa Fe Prep’s parent volunteers build the strength of the Prep community through activities that celebrate their common ground: their kids. With the help of class representatives, the Parents’ Association hosts and organizes parent coffee meetings, regular PA meetings, a new family buddy system, special events for graduating seniors, parent social events, community support, and help for school events, such as the Parent Open House.
As part of its annual routine, the PA hosts a faculty and staff appreciation lunch in February, during which parent volunteers provide a homemade potluck lunch as well as cash gifts to faculty and staff with hand-written thank-you cards. We truly appreciate all that teachers and staff do in support of our kids! The Rummage Sale 2023, co-chaired by parents Leza Lowitz and Alexandra Ladd, raised over $40,000 for Tuition Assistance and Breakthrough Santa Fe. The entire Santa Fe community is invited to this on-campus sale, and it is one of the most impressive ways that parent volunteers show what a difference working together can make. In addition to the rummage sale, parent involvement in the 60th Anniversary Gala also helped the school raise over $211,000 in support of the school. Building community takes a great deal of time and resources. Prep is always grateful for the willingness of parents to go above and beyond to give and give back. Thank you!! Elege Simons-Harwood ’94 and Anna Hastings 2022-2023 Parent Co-Presidents
B REA K THROUG H SA NTA FE | 49
Report from Breakthrough Santa Fe BREAKTHROUGH SANTA FE is a six-year comprehensive college preparatory
program that supports motivated students academically and socially through a range of services, from summer programs to after-school tutoring, supplemental Saturday instruction, and individualized college and financial aid counseling. Our program serves over 200 students in Santa Fe from grades 7-12 who meet at least two of five need criteria correlated with high school dropout. These criteria include: residing in a single-parent household, being the first in the family to attend college, being an English language learner, being a first-generation student, and being a student of color. We have been hosted by Santa Fe Prep since 2004, and we belong to a network of 24 Breakthrough sites across the U.S. Breakthrough students enter the program the summer after 6th grade and participate in a 6-week rigorous academic program at Santa Fe Prep. Our summer program employs exceptional high school and college students to teach classes, creating a dynamic near-peer learning environment. With only 6-8 students per class, there are many opportunities for hands-on learning. Many of our summer Teaching Fellows go on to become career teachers or educational equity advocates, due in part to their experiences with us.
“What Breakthrough means to me is a place where you can be yourself and be confident … just be yourself and allow yourself to come out of your shell because nobody will judge you here at Breakthrough.” - Middle School Student, Summer 2023 “Teaching is a skill that is developed through doing and is something that does not always go the way it is supposed to. I had my lesson plans complete, I had my labs done, but nothing could have prepared me for actually meeting and learning alongside the kids. That came with them.” - Teaching Fellow, Summer 2023 “Our children had a great time at Breakthrough. They were very excited to come back the next day and do their homework [...] We appreciate all the teachers and the directors for all the love, the care, the challenges and the fun.” - Middle School Parent, Summer 2022
This last summer, we welcomed 36 new 7th-grade students to Breakthrough and completed yet another successful six weeks of intensive learning, led by our 19 Teaching Fellows from all across the country. Our middle school students wrote research and analytical essays, completed a cow eyeball dissection, and strengthened their math skills through games. Our high school students also made college visits to the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, Highlands University, and St. John’s College; seniors also began many parts of their college applications. And for the first time since the pandemic, we brought back our well-beloved annual camping trip at the end of the summer. At Breakthrough, students work hard and take risks in their classes and in their communities, but most importantly, they have fun! Dieu Ho, Director
Facts and Figures: 88% of Class of 2023 attending college 13 members of Class of 2023 received the Davis NM Scholarship 8 members of Class of 2023 received the Breakthrough Scholarship CLASS OF 2029:
100% of our students are students of color 92 % of students qualify for free or reduced lunch at school 94% of students will be the first generation in their families to attend college 78% of students speak a language other than English at home 31% of students come from a single-parent household
50 | A S S OCIAT E D PROGRAMMI N G
Breakthrough Santa Fe Donors $25,000+
City of Santa Fe Davis New Mexico Scholarship $10,000-$24,999
Las Campanas Community Grants Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation New Cycle Foundation Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation Santa Fe Hestia Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation Santa Fe Prep Parents’ Association Santa Fe Community Foundation United Way of Central New Mexico Richard and Rachel White $5,000-$9,999
Stephen and Karen Bershad The Encantado Foundation William and Meg Feldman Gale Family Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation Barrett Toan and Polly O’Brien $2,500-$4,999
Anonymous Harry’s Roadhouse New Mexico Children’s Foundation Robert Moody Foundation Jenna and Wilson Scanlan Steele Family Foundation Andrew Wallerstein and Mary Sloane $1,000-$2,499
ABCD Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation Avalon Trust Daniel Burton and Caroline Little Cudd Foundation Harris Ho Jack Kotz Jack and Mary Gilliam Endowment Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation
Elizabeth Lawrence and Andrew Montgomery Robert Levin and Mei Negishi Susan Matteucci and Mike Loftin Cynthia Onore and Stanley Karczewski Alan Rogers Michael and Miriam Schechter Paul and Carolyn Shapiro Philip and Jessica Smucker Slate Stern Paul and Missy Stockton Susan and Conrad De Jong Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation Leah and Sloan Swanson Tim Terell Frans and Deborah Trouw Owen and Katherine Van Essen Peter and Marianne Westen William and Janislee Wiese $5-$999
Paul Abrams and Abigail Adler Jan and Rick Adesso Sam Baca and Rita Rios-Baca Liz Bremner and Karen Crow Edison Buchanan and Sally Corning Dan and Amanda Burns Larry and Marilyn Cohen Nancy Dahl George Duncan and Sheryl Kelsey Stan and Rosemary Eads George Economo Kristin Economo Ellie Edelstein and Margie Edwards William and Donna Fishbein Wayne and Deborah Gilbert Dan and Lisa Guttmann Robb and Numi Hirsch Adelma Hnasko ’92 and Thomas Hnasko Leslie and Hervey Juris Robin Kipnis and Penn Ritter Thomas Leech and Kathleen Koltes Jim and Story Leonard Emma June Lerma
Alexander and Karen LoRusso John and Robin Lyle Lee and Susan MacLeod Michael McNeill Daniel Michael Fred and J.J. Milder Fred and Arlyn Nathan Jane Oakes Jose and Kay Ofman Anne Pedersen and Mark Donatelli David and Susan Pulling Victoria Rabinowe Sam Ritter and Kat Keener Mitchell Rocha Dennis Romero Rennae Ross and Patrick Foy Hilary Russell Allie Schechter Shaggy Peak Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation Jeremy Shelton ’91 Stephanie Shields Laura Sindell Arlene Stredler Brown Kathy Wagner Angela Welford Michael Wiese and Margaret Hennessey Nick Wirth Daniel and Carmen Yohalem
DAVIS NEW MEXICO SC HOL A RS HIP | 51
The Davis New Mexico Scholarship Report THE DAVIS NEW MEXICO SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS THROUGHOUT NORTHERN NEW MEXICO
The Spring of 2023 marked the inauguration of the tenth class of Davis New Mexico Scholars. Beginning with five Breakthrough Santa Fe students in 2014, the scholarship program has grown to over 200 students, hailing from communities throughout Northern New Mexico. This means that our impact has grown, as more and more students, schools, and communities understand that there is a pathway to college outside of the state for motivated and high achieving students, regardless of where they are from. The growth, however, has been methodical. Below is a map that shows the communities that scholars came from during the first four years of the scholarship. The data has been anonymized, and students are grouped by the census block in which their permanent address is located:
Chart showing the approximate homes of Davis New Mexico Scholars, 2014-2018
However, if you compare this with a chart that shows the past four years, you can see not only the tremendous growth in the number of scholars, but also the vast difference in the geographical spread of these students. Much of the growth of the Davis New Mexico Scholarship statewide has been Chart showing the approximate homes of Davis New Mexico through the Rural Scholars, 2019-2023 Opportunities for College Access, or ROCA Program. Headed by a coalition of the Davis New Mexico Scholarship– of educators statewide and guided and by extension, Santa Fe Prep–has by Matt Ybarra, the Co-Director of grown to include students whose College Counseling here at Santa Fe orbits never would have touched our Prep, ROCA has helped bring students campus here in Santa Fe. Through the Davis New Mexico Scholarship, firstfrom around Northern New Mexico generation college students throughout into the scholarship. Additionally, the state are finding their way to we have had targeted outreach and colleges and universities around partnerships with schools on the the country. Navajo Nation, particularly with Navajo Prep, and this has helped For more on the Davis New Mexico us bring in students from the Four Scholarship, go to www.davisnm.org. Corners area. For more information on the Rural Opportunities for College Access As we close out our first decade program, go to www.rocanm.org. of awarding Davis New Mexico Scholarships, it’s worth pausing to consider how our impact has grown beyond its original impulse. The impact
52 | S F PR E P A N N UA L RE P O RT 2 0 2 2 /2 0 2 3
LETTER
Private Scholarships The power to fuel systemic change for first-generation college students THE CHALLENGE
Each year philanthropists invest $6.1 billion in private scholarships for more than 1.6 million students on their way to earning a college degree. Many of these scholarships were created to help level the playing field for first-generation and underrepresented students. But scholarships alone cannot remove all obstacles faced by first-generation students both in accessing higher education and graduating on time. College completion has proven to produce better economic outcomes and job prospects, higher wages, increased satisfaction levels, and a higher quality of life. However, when college scholarships are awarded without a focus on completion, promising young people often struggle to navigate the road to graduation. Before a firstgeneration student can take advantage of the professional and social mobility a college degree can provide, that student must first graduate. But graduation is not only the result of academic commitment; it also requires a student to deal with the
social, emotional, and financial strains of pursuing a degree. While this is true for all students, the problem is more pronounced for students who are the first in their families to attend college. Inclusivity initiatives, students’ hard work, and the availability of scholarships have unlocked access to higher education for some students. But once enrolled, those students are often left to navigate college without the on-campus support they need. First-generation students often struggle to find an on-campus community that looks, acts, and speaks like them or understands their background. Even the hardest-working student relies on numerous factors, including community, to successfully graduate. Due to longstanding institutional blind spots, colleges and universities can overlook or underestimate the challenges of being a first-generation student. The result? Lower graduation rates despite sufficient academic ability. When scholarship programs ignore these additional factors affecting the
graduation of first-generation students, student outcomes suffer. Most providers of private scholarships see data on the distribution of the funds they award, but few are analyzing the impact of those dollars on graduation rates. Even though receiving a scholarship means students have an increased likelihood of graduating from college, still only 45 percent of scholarship recipients nationwide graduate in four years. Given that first-generation students and those from low-income families are less likely to win scholarships than their peers from more affluent backgrounds, it is clear that private scholarships without a focus on completion do not provide a clear path toward the benefits of a college degree. CHANGE IS NEEDED
A scholarship is not just a prize for a job well done; rather, it is a resource that empowers students to attend college and ultimately make meaningful change in themselves and their communities. The goal of improving first-generation
DAVIS NEW MEXICO SC HOL A RS HIP | 53
student outcomes to create better futures is laudable. However, additional investments must be made in the systems and structures that support college completion. Private scholarship programs spend a lot of time vetting students but very little time vetting the institutions that receive their investments. Philanthropists, community foundations, and other scholarship providers need to put more effort into evaluating and understanding how their dollars move the needle on college completion before writing the checks. It is essential that the institutions scholars attend have appropriate missions and visions as well as a culture that prioritizes completion for all students. In addition, school administrations must recognize the challenges first-generation students face and provide support programs on campus to overcome those challenges. SPECIFICS: WHAT HAS WORKED
The Davis New Mexico Scholarship seeks to break the generational opportunity gap in New Mexico by supporting first-generation students before, during, and after their college careers. We invest not only in the students themselves but also in support systems such as college prep and college access programs. In addition, we have chosen partner colleges that provide the non-financial scaffolding that is essential to student success
and timely graduation. In addition to scholarship funding, students receive a dedicated advisor and regular communication and guidance from the Davis New Mexico Scholarship staff. Our team of educators and counselors has developed an outcomesdriven approach that supports students on their path to obtaining a four-year degree. College access support must start before first-generation students even consider attending college. Our program is part of a group of scholarship providers who partner with college access programs, often beginning in middle school. Active investment in high school programs and college counselors helps build student confidence and strengthens their ability to navigate not only the college admissions process but also college itself. We also recognize the importance of making sure students are part of a community that will support them to and through completion. Because research has demonstrated the efficacy of cohort programs, we make certain that Davis New Mexico Scholars get to know one another on campus. With the advocacy of college and scholarship staff, scholars build a network of support that helps propel them on to graduation. Yet support for first-generation students cannot end with graduation. In order to fully realize the impact of a diploma, students must have
employment opportunities once they receive their degrees. First-generation students often graduate with fewer connections to career opportunities than their peers and are far more likely to accept jobs that do not take advantage of their college degrees. We’re building connections with employers in the corporate and nonprofit sectors and working with students, alongside the career services staff at our partner colleges, to ensure that they have highquality job opportunities after they earn their degrees. THE END GAME: LET’S MAKE IT COUNT
Ultimately, if well-meaning philanthropists are interested in truly creating successful fist-generation student outcomes, it is imperative that we invest in schools and programs that support student success. We need to reexamine how scholarships dollars are allocated. In addition, we must partner with practitioners, programs, and higher education institutions that focus directly on college completion. By investing strategically, we can help not only to improve first-generation graduation rates but also to elevate the future of our communities. Andrew Davis, Founder Sam Ritter, Director Davis New Mexico Scholarship
54 | BOO ST E R CLU B
Report from the Booster Club THE SANTA FE PREP BOOSTER CLUB is a separate 501(c)(3) which raises funds
exclusively for the Athletic Department. The Booster Board was started by a group of Prep parents in 1983. In addition to raising money, the Booster Board donates over 150 volunteer hours annually to the school. Whatever the reason–camaraderie or competitiveness, exercise, entertainment or the pursuit of excellence–numerous Santa Fe Prep students find value in playing on one or more of the school’s many sports teams. The Booster Board raises funds through volleyball and basketball gate entry fees, Griffin Gear sales, and Booster Club memberships and sponsorships. Time and time again, we have seen you, the Prep Booster family, rise to meet the moment, facing opportunities and challenges head-on. With your help, the Booster Club raised over $80,000 over the past year! The value of the Booster Club to the school is indisputable. Your generosity has allowed us to make a large annual gift to the athletic department for designated purposes like purchase of uniforms, equipment and supplies. In the past, we contributed $100,000 toward the purchase of Sun Mountain Field, $9,000 toward a new bus, $6,400 toward weight room renovations and $12,000 toward gymnasium upgrades. In 2020 we contributed $20,000 toward the Adesso Archives athletic boards in the gym lobby. In 2022 we purchased a new high jump pit for the Athletic Department, and in 2023 we purchased a new scoreboard for the gym. As you watch our student athletes in action, know that the Booster Club is a vital part of the Prep sports experience-and we are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support. For more information or to become a member, visit: www.sfprep.org/ parents/booster-club.
2022/2023
SFP BOOSTER BOARD Rebecca Bair, President President Kurt Gilbert, Vice-President Vice-President Andrea Ferjancic, Treasurer Kristin Gasteazoro, Secretary Dustin Belyeu '95 Karen Crow Debra Gonzales Sean Healy Tom Hnasko Justin Kaufman Alexandra Ladd Toner Mitchell '81 Ocean Munds-Dry Anna Sass Chris Stanek Christie Weichsel
A SS OCIATED PROG RA MMIN G | 55
Booster Memberships Many heartfelt thanks to the following fans in the stands, who purchased memberships or sponsored us for the 2022-2023 school year as well as our lifetime members, whose commitment is unparalleled. INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
EL PATRON MEMBERS
LIFETIME MEMBERS
Kim and Willy Richardson '92 Beth Succop Christie Weichsel
Elizabeth and Jim Brockmann
Mark and Martha Alexander Cameron and Eric Anderson Christian and Maggie Andersson Sara and Dan April Brant and Rebecca Bair Cathryn and Marc Bertram '78 Boys and Girls Club Leigh Anne and David Brown Connor Browne and Christina Price Karen Crow and Liz Bremner Ocean Munds-Dry and Randy Dry Kate Ferlic and Chris Stanek Kurt Gilbert and Elicia Montoya Liz and Michael Grover Sean and Rebecca Healey Jenny Cohen Kaufman '94 and Justin Kaufman Jeannette Kelly Henry and Tina Lanman Marcia and Tim Lenihan Neil and Cindy Lyon Lee and Susan Macloud Samuel and Thao Marquez Fred and Arlyn Nathan Patrick and Stacy Quinn Wilson and Jenna Scanlan Jules and Devon Stokov de Jong Mark and Jamie Stone George Strickland and Anita Osgard Peter and Wendy Trevisani Owen and Kathy Van Essen Cindi Vernold and Mark Hopkins Mary Vickers Michael and Debbie Whiting Sasha Wilcoxon Peter and Carol Wirth Douglas and Katherine Zang
FAMILY MEMBERS
Genevieve Betts and David LeBard Rochelle Bussey and Will Glenn Frances and Carlos Carreon Sarah Carswell '92 and Richard Stump Lance and Stephanie DiLorio Alexis and Dylan Fuge'97 Nina and Michael Furlanetto Keri Goorley Lisa and Jason Griego Katy and Peter Kunkel Sharman Leventon and Matt Nerzig Carla Montoya-Rivera Rebecca Parish and Michael Crawford Roxana Raicu and Radu Alexandrescu Brian and Eliza Serna Aubrey Willett Jen Young BLUE MEMBERS
Kristina Alley Martha Arnett and Cory Hirsch Brooke and Dustin Belyeu '95 Libby and Lee Boyle Andrea and Ken Ferjancic Adi-Risa and Estevan Gonzales Debra and Leo Gonzales Kearsley Higgins and Todd Vaziri Alexandra Ladd Jeff Maxwell Judy Sanchez Anna Sass and Aaron Schubach Jodi and Robin Stumbo
BRONZE SPONSORS
Sara Blessing Blue Water Solutions Stein & Brockmann, PA Nedra Matteucci Galleries Porcelain Skin SILVER SPONSORS
Katie Macaulay and Jim Attlesey GOLD SPONSORS
Oral Surgery and Dental Implants of Santa Fe
56 | S F PR E P A N N UA L RE P O RT 2 0 2 2 /2 0 2 3
Prep Celebrates in Hip(py) 60s Style! ON THE EVENING OF APRIL 27, more than 200 guests attended the Santa Fe Prep
gala at Bishop’s Lodge in celebration of the school’s 60th anniversary. Trustees, parents, former parents, alumni, community partners, faculty, staff, and friends turned out in full-on 60s regalia in a festive and energetic show of support for the school. This event was a first-ever combined effort of the spring initiatives of the Santa Fe Prep Booster Club, the Prep Parents’ Association and the Advancement Office. Cocktails on the lawn were followed by a sit-down dinner, video presentation and live auction. Prior to the event, an online auction (of over 100 items!) was held for the entire Prep community—near and far. Together, those efforts, along with ticket sales and sponsorships raised $211,000 in support of tuition assistance, athletics, and Breakthrough Santa Fe. See you at the next gala in 2025!
60TH ANNIVERSARY
GALA COMMITTEE Becky Bair, President, Santa Fe Prep Booster Club Elege Simons-Harwood, Co-President Parents’ Association, Alumni Board Chair Anna Hastings, Co-President Parents’ Association Michael McNeill, Director of Advancement Ocean Munds-Dry, Incoming Booster Board President Christie Weichsel, Décor Chair Erin Bunkley Sibby Schlaudecker Estevan Gonzales
TABLE SPONSORS OUTTA SIGHT TABLES ($10,000) Anonymous FAR OUT TABLES ($5,000) Century Bank Charnes Chiu and Kathryn Chan Durham, Pittard & Spalding, LLP Egolf, Ferlic, Martinez & Harwood, Attorneys at Law Thornburg Investment Management
SPECIAL THANKS GO TO CHRISTIE WEICHSEL, who lent her design expertise
and sense of fun to making the room spectacular. Décor was then cleverly re-purposed for the upper school prom!
GROOVY TABLES ($3,000) Anonymous Christus St. Vincent Health City Different Investments Hinkle Shanor, LLP McGinn, Montoya, Love & Curry Adriana Molina and Leslie Ross
60TH A N NIVERSA RY GA L A | 57
GROOVIEST GALA SUPPORTERS Many thanks to the following who generously supported, bought tickets, bought auction items, and came to share in the fun at Bishop’s Lodge! Jan Adesso Christina Alfieri James Alley ’84 Kristina Alley and Timothy Farrell Brogan Andersson Maggie and Christian Andersson Sara and Dan April Martha Arnett and Cory Hirsch Stephen Badger Katharine Arnold and Steven Barrett Becky and Brant Bair Patricia and David Baker Alicia Bertram ’09 Amalia Bertram ’14 Cathryn and Marc Bertram ’78 Julia Bertram ’11 Genevieve Betts and David LeBard Satara and Tai Bixby Joann Bolleter Libby and Lee Boyle Liz Bremner and Karen Crow James Brockmann Martha Brooks Rachel Brown Alejandra Castillo and Charles Roth CCS Fundraising Consultants Sheena and Chris Chakeres Kathryn Chan and Charnes Chiu Paul Chen Arturo Delgado David DePolo W. Houston Dougharty Ocean Munds-Dry and Randy Dry Denise DuPont and Bruce Sachs Jeana and Robert Efroymson Aline and Terry Ellis Jess Evans Ariana and Bill Feinberg Andrea and Kenneth Ferjancic Kate Ferlic and Chris Stanek Heather and Matt French Gosia and Alan Friedman Dylan Fuge Nina and Michael Furlanetto
Michelle Gallagher Roberts and Christopher Schiano Marian Giraldez-Elizo Adi-Risa and Estevan Gonzales Debra Gonzales Marisa Bodell Gubelmann ’98 and Wyeth Gubelmann Jessica Harper and Nathan Aufrichtig Elege Simons Harwood ’94 and Kyle Harwood Sally and Chris Harvey Dusti Harvey James Harwood Anna and Rob Hastings Clara and Ward Hendon Cindy-Ann and Mikey Hersom Kearsley Higgins and Todd Vaziri Maureen Hill Numi and Robb Hirsch Adelma Hnasko ’92 and Tom Hnasko Kristina Hool Sean Hughes Amanda Ingram Jacobs Claudia Joseph and Andy Joseph ’92 Breshaun Joyner and Ralph Bolton Jenny Cohen Kaufman ’94 and Justin Kaufman Susan Kelly ’72 Brent Knox Amanda and David Kocon Alexandra Ladd and Christopher Graeser Joanne Lefrak Christine and Jonathan Lehman Story and Jim Leonard Maria and Renny Levy ’79 Jaimie and Scott Lippmann Mary and Kent Little Marcia and Bill Litzenberg Melissa and Erik Litzenberg ’90 Tim Lopez Leza Lowitz Katie Macaulay and James Attlesey Robin Martin ’72 Ron Martinez Susan Matteucci Amy McCawley Michael McNeill Thao and Samuel Marquez Dave Miller Toner Mitchell ’81and Cullen Curtiss
Elicia Montoya and Kurt Gilbert Yuki Murata and Chris Long Julie and Phil Murray Arlyn and Fred Nathan Walter Nelson Chris Nordstrum and Rich Brown Lisa Nordstrum Adele Oliveira ’03 Gretchen Pomeroy Christina Price and Connor Browne Daniel Quinn ’12 Joohee and Lee Rand Suzanne Rasic ’95 and Marc Rasic Rachel Ray ’02 Willy Richardson ’92 Sam Ritter Mitchell Rocha Patricia amd Joel Rosen Leslie Ross and Adriana Molina Rennae Ross Judy Sanchez Melody Sauceda Peter Sarkisian ’84 Carol Ann Sass Jenna and Wilson Scanlan Gracie Schild ’78 Anna and Aaron Schubach Jen Scott Linda Short Julie Silverhart and Michael Walta ’94 Veree Parker Simons ’94 and Quinn Simons ’92 Jessica and Philip Smucker Jennifer Stennis Jamie Stone Charles Streeper Aviva Sussman and Scott Broome Leah and Sloan Swanson Patrick Talamantes Andrea and John Teague Jillian Tomlinson Catalina Gentiana Voinescu and Tudor Ocneanu Mary Nell Wegner and Josiah Child Christie and Christian Weichsel Rachel and Richard White Marie Wilkinson Paul Winkler Nicholas Wirth Kelly Wolpert and Michael Benanav
58 | S F PR E P A N N UA L RE P O RT 2 0 2 2 /2 0 2 3
AUCTION ITEM DONORS We thank the following individuals and businesses who contributed items, services and experiences to the gala. Africa Calls Babette and Christina Alfieri Ancient Sun: Distinctive Jewelry Design Maggie and Christian Andersson Arioso Artful Tea Auberge Resorts Stephen Badger Alicia Bertram ’09 Amalia Bertram ’14 Julia Bertram ’11 Bishop’s Lodge Chris Border Scott Broome Erin and Thomas Bunkley Core Fit Private Training Coyote Café Built Design Studio Andrea Broyles Catch Santa Fe Poke Company Andrea Cermanski Chris Chakeres ’94 Lis Desmond Erin Doerwald Ocean and Randy Dry Aline Harris Ellis ’85 and Terry Ellis ’84 Ambrose Ferber ’93 Field Trip Fine Art Framing Camila Friedman-Gerlicz ’06 and Todd Volz French & French Interiors Heather and Matt French Richard Furlanetto Lydia Gallagher Genesis Spas and Pool Supply Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Geronimo Goler Fine Imported Shoes Estevan and Adi-Risa Gonzales Harry’s Roadhouse Sally and Chris Harvey Anna Hastings Dr. Sean Healy Cynthia Jones Jewelry
Andy Joseph ’92 Louise Ladd La Fonda on the Plaza La Napoule Art Foundation LewAllen Jewelry Kimberly Lujan Thao and Samuel Marquez Katie Macauley Michael McNeill Elicia Montoya Matt Mullins Meraki Women’s Boutique Hiroshi Murata Nancy Sylvia Murata Yuki Murata Nedra Matteucci Gallery New Mexico Museum Foundation New Mexico United Lisa Nordstrum Ojo Santa Fe Francie Parker Joohee and Lee Rand Suzanne Rasic ’95 and Marc Rasic RBA The Reel Life Rennae Ross Willy Richardson ’92 RGI Santa Fe Painting Workshops Santa Fe Playhouse Santa Fe Prep Booster Club Melody Sauceda Sazon
Jenna and Wilson Scanlan Aaron Schubach and Anna Sass Sibby and Chris Schlaudecker Jen Scott Seamless Skin The Shed Julian Sibony SITE Santa Fe Ben Sleeman Southwest Airlines Reeve and Michael Stein Kelly Stranahan StretchLab Aviva Sussman Leah Swanson Tesuque Village Market Wendy and Peter Trevisani Violet Crown Wearabouts Christie and Christian Weichsel Dakota Weiss VENUE AND VIP RECEPTION SPONSOR:
Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection Santa Fe GROOVY MUSIC DJ SPONSOR:
Wearabouts Contemporary Clothing, Downtown Santa Fe
C A RITA S S OCIET Y | 59
The Caritas Society, established by Santa Fe Preparatory School’s Board of Trustees in 2003, recognizes those who wish to remember Santa Fe Prep by testamentary provision in their will or estate plan. The Society, which is an honorary organization, recognizes those individuals who have made a deferred gift to Santa Fe Prep. Besides enabling the school to thank these donors, it encourages them to tell us of their plans and encourages others to make similar gifts to ensure Prep’s future. Membership in the Caritas Society is open to those who have made bequest provisions or planned gifts in the form of charitable trusts, real estate, or life insurance. Membership in the society is for life. If you are interested in more information, please contact Director of Advancement Michael McNeill at 505.795.7526 or mmcneill@sfprep.org.
Anonymous (4) David and Margaret Alexander Cathryn and Marc Bertram ’78 Ms. Julie A. Campbell ’75 Dr. and Mrs. Larry Cohen William and Amy Conway Anita and Joseph Ginocchio Katie and Matthew Harland ’79 Brad and Lauren Hunt Lawrence B. and Betsy S. Kilham Jim and Story Leonard Gregg and Diana Lowe Drs. Steve and Meredith Machen Fred and Arlyn Nathan Karl and Lisa Ray Jay and Katherine Shelton Mickey and Warren Thompson ’72 Jim and Amy Weyhrauch
60 | S F PR E P A N N UA L RE P O RT 2 0 2 2 /2 0 2 3
Santa Fe Prep In The Numbers Quiz
37%
32%
?
Prep’s first yearbook published
Prep established
in the 2022-2023 annual fund
solar panel installation
Aaron Schubach becomes Head of School
WHAT YEAR? 1967
1961
2018
2020
volumes in the Prep library
class of 2023 SAT average
acreage of Prep campus
enrolled students for 2023-2024
33
345
#
academic faculty with advanced degrees
76%
PERCENT OF...
students of color at Prep
parents who participated
80%
%
students receiving tuition assistance 2023-2024
RANDOM #S 1390
13,202
IN THE NUMB ERS QUIZ | 61
students who enroll in college each year
trustees who give to the Prep annual fund
class of 2023 early action college acceptances
7th grade students receiving tuition assistance 2023-2024
90%
100%
70%
41%
Blue Griffin chosen as mascot
Booster Club established
first girls state soccer
first boys state soccer
1988
1996
1974
faculty to student ratio, 1 : _
current Prep parents who are also alumni
New Mexican first-generation students receiving full scholarships to college annually
26
50
9
average class size
championship
LEED Gold Certified library addition 2006
16
1981
students who graduated in 1967
championship
class of 2023 early decision college acceptances 40%
Breakthrough
15
Alumni
Class News 1960’s
Jalice (Daum) Wiest ’67 is enjoying retired life in Chandler, AZ with her husband Nick. They have three grown children and nine grandchildren, ranging in age from five months to 21 years, seven of whom live in Arizona and two in the Bay Area. Jalice and Nick enjoy short trips when they can travel, helping people locally, birthdays with grandkids, and trying to stay exercised. Occasionally they get back to wonderful Santa Fe, where Jalice has three siblings, including Prep graduate Jane Kadlubek ’69. Jalice has such fond memories of Prep (much more so than college!) and especially credits the school with teaching her how to think critically. Happy 60th anniversary, Prep! Albert Reed ’68 was a founding student at Prep and a native Santa Fean who grew up on Canyon Road when it was dirt with an active acequia running down it. He graduated from UNM in 1972 with a degree in English with a Spanish minor, and went on to complete a year of UNM’s graduate program in creative writing, where he had the good fortune to have Rudolfo Anaya as a professor. He worked at Ski Santa Fe in the 80s, where he was in charge of grooming and snowmaking, before finally getting a “real” job at Santa Fe Community College. He worked at the College for 21 years and served as dean of Business and Advanced Technologies for the last ten. Albert is now enjoying retirement, pursuing photography and outdoor activities, and catching up on deferred maintenance at his home.
62 | PR E P
Mark Nohl ’68 and Deborah Smith Nohl ’69 are celebrating their 47th wedding anniversary in September. They have remained in Santa Fe over the years, enjoying the culture, food, skiing, sailing, and raising their son Colin. Mark is a retired fine arts photographer, and was the photographer for New Mexico Magazine for 25 years. Deborah is a retired RN, working 38 years in the surgical area, critical care, and pain management. Mark and Deborah now enjoy traveling to Vermont to spend time with Colin, his wife Erin, and their son Lupin. Lou Ellis Brassington ’69 teaches middle school history at an independent school in Albuquerque as well as a Children’s Literature course at UNM. She is also finishing her PhD in history, and thinks Bob Kurth would be happy to know she is weaving Sartre and Camus (from his beloved senior humanities class) into her theoretical dissertation! She has two millennial children, a great and supportive British husband, and two miniature schnauzers who they love to pieces. Life is good!
WI NTER 2023
After Prep, Jane (Daum) Kadlubek ’69 attended Seton Hill College in Greensburg, PA, graduating with a major in US History and Secondary Education. It was at Seton Hill that she met her husband Dennis. The two celebrated their 50th anniversary this past July. Jane and Dennis moved from PA to Santa Fe in 1974, where they both worked for Santa Fe Public Schools for 25 years. Dennis was a middle school math teacher and Jane taught middle school social studies for 20 years, after which she served as a Clinical Supervisor for Intern Teachers. They raised three amazing children — a teacher, a school psychologist and lawyer, and a founder and the first CEO of Meow Wolf — and are now the proud grandparents of three granddaughters.
1970’s
A native Santa Fean, Hyda Maria Dougherty ’73 shares music, dance, and water blessings for numerous occasions. She has recently completed Ant to Zinnia: Nature’s ABCs, part one of her Children’s Literacy Art Program. Denise Lynch ’76 and her fiancé, Captain J.H. Shannon III, call the Galisteo Basin home and lead Great Conversations from the Galisteo Basin, a listener-sponsored podcast covering art, literature, politics, and science that impacts both the Southwest region and the globe. Visit radiofreegalisteo.com to learn more!
Class News
After college in Virginia, Gracie Tredwell Schild ’78 lived in the DC area for 12 years and in Germany for 17 years. She returned to Santa Fe in 2011 and worked in Advancement at IAIA for six years — quite different from the school she remembers playing basketball against in the 70s! In 2018, she started her own business doing bookkeeping and database work, mostly for nonprofits. Gracie has way too many hobbies and is looking forward to retirement in a few years when she’ll have time to birdwatch, travel, play tennis, knit, quilt, sing, and do more volunteering. She tutors English as a Second Language for the Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe (founded by her former Prep teacher Meredith Machen!) and works with the Neighbor to Neighbor Fund Drive for the Food Depot. Her son Christoph (Santa Fe Prep Class of 2016) visited recently, and she keeps hoping the “Land of Entrapment” will pull him in again, as it has done for so many.
Aline Harris-Ellis ’85 and her family traveled in Europe this summer. Aline’s husband Terry Ellis ’84, daughter Peyton Ellis ’20, son Taylor Ellis ’17, and Taylor’s girlfriend Teslin Ishee ’18 are all Griffins! This year, Zélie Pollon ’86 selfpublished Hit The Road! A Badass Mom’s Guide For Families Who Want to Travel The World. She also recorded her own audio version. She lives between Santa Fe and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, teaching women how to invest in real estate and running women’s retreats. Find her at travelforabetterlife.com!
1990’s
1980’s
After graduating from Columbia University, Lesli Allison ’83 returned to Santa Fe and served as Communications Director for St. John’s College, then spent 16 adventurous and wonderful years managing a ranch in Colorado for Karin Griscom ’83. She returned to Santa Fe in 2012 and now serves as CEO of the Western Landowners Alliance, an organization of landowners dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of private and working lands in the American West. Her son John graduated from Prep in 2021 and is now a junior at Franklin and Marshall College.
Jesse Roach ’90 runs the water utility for Santa Fe, work that he finds engaging and meaningful. This past summer, he and his family traveled to Hawaii. His daughter Dahlia is a sixth grader and his son Coulter is a freshman at Prep this year — future class of 2027!
WI NTER 2023
Jamie Asher Berg ’91 lives in Lenox, MA with her husband and poodle. Her son Arden is a senior at Phillips Academy Andover, and her son Josh is a junior at U Mich studying biology. She is active doing landscaping and dog walking, taking care of her poodle and rental property in Lenox, and occasionally harvesting some vegetables from her small garden. Jamie enjoys hikes and virtual social time these days, and dreams of one day becoming an evangelist for soil sprouts, book clubs, and meditation.
Ivan Kraljevic ’94 has received multiple film awards over the years. He produced The Book of Queer, which was nominated for six daytime Emmy Awards in 2023. Currently, Ivan lives in Los Angeles and is writing and directing a dark comedy about a man who brings recently deceased people back to life.
Natalie Mead ’94 and her family were recently moved to Australia for the next three years by her company. They are living outside Sydney in a town called Bayview. A total change from life in the States, but overall an amazing opportunity! PREP | 63
Class News
Laura Veree Parker Simons ’94 has the immense privilege of working with Antoine Predock Architect on many wonderful projects in New Mexico as well as Guanacaste, Costa Rica and other locations abroad. Recently, the company unveiled their vision for the Albuquerque Rail Trail — a multi-use trail that will connect key destinations, including the Bosque, to the greater downtown area of Albuquerque. Veree’s favorite adventure in life, however, is her lovely family. It is pure delight navigating parenthood with her husband Quinn Simons ’92 and their three kiddos — Perrin (13), Shepard (11), and Turner (9) — all of whom keep Veree loving, smiling, exploring, trying, and learning. Rebecca Weiner ’95 lives in Red Hook, Brooklyn with her husband Drake Bennett, who is a Staff Writer at Bloomberg Businessweek, and their 6- and 8-year-old sons. She has been working for the NYPD for some time and was recently named Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism. Rebecca and her family visit Santa Fe as often as they can, and have aspirations to move back one day!
For the past 15 years, Anika Gusterman Amon ’97 has been living in Santa Fe with her husband and 9-year-old daughter, working as a real estate appraiser and staying involved at Prep by coaching the girls basketball program and assisting with soccer when time allows. She has recently begun a new endeavor in the world of flavored butter, starting a local company called AGA Smör. Kristina Fisher ’98 recently celebrated 21 years as Associate Director of Think New Mexico, the nonprofit think tank that has led successful efforts to enact many landmark laws, including laws ending predatory lending and creating a Strategic Water Reserve. Kristina lives in Santa Fe with her husband of 10 years, Phil Carter. Together, they help lead the all-volunteer Albuquerque Wildlife Federation (AWF), which organizes ecological restoration projects on lands across New Mexico. Among other duties, Kristina writes and distributes AWF’s monthly newsletter, the Pine Cone, which was first published by Aldo Leopold in 1915.
Cristi Hegranes ’99 has identified as a journalist since she was a little girl and will never forget xeroxing pages of The Griffin newspaper in the halls of Santa Fe Prep. Today, Cristi is the CEO and founder of Global Press, an international news organization that trains and employs local women journalists in some of the world’s leastcovered places. In September, her book Byline was published, written to serve news audiences and journalists alike in this challenging global moment. It’s full of powerful stories and tangible steps we can all take to create a more informed and inclusive world. Victoria Tishman Kamerzell ’99 is excited to share that she has recently taken on a new role as the Director of Development and External Affairs at a Federally Qualified Health Center with six locations across the Bay Area. In her role, Victoria has the unique opportunity to fundraise and build vital alliances to expand access to free and affordable healthcare. She would be delighted to connect with fellow alumni who share similar values and interests!
Send us your Class Notes! We’d love to hear from you! Email Jillian, jtomlinson@sfprep.org or Michael, mmcneill@ sfprep.org, with your news and photos.
64 | PR E P
WI NTER 2023
Alumni
2000’s
After 20 years away from Santa Fe, Alexandra (Zandra) Fleming ’01 and her family came back early in the pandemic “for a few weeks” for childcare help from her parents. Three years later, she’s happy to say they’re here to stay, raising their young family. Maxine (age 7) is a 2nd grader at Wood Gormley and Alden (newly-minted age 5) is in his last year of preschool at Desert Montessori, while Zandra and her husband Brian try to keep up. They are stoked to be back around these mountains and a wonderful community. Rachel Noll James ’04 is a co-founder of the production company Emergence Films, which champions femaledriven films. In 2021, she completed production on the feature film Ingress, which she wrote, directed, and starred in. The film will have its release in January 2024 in select theaters and then on streaming worldwide. Rachel also recently completed production on the feature film Inheritance, which she also wrote and starred in, and will be entering the festival circuit in 2024.
Michael Meade ’06 is loving life in Santa Fe, blessed with his beautiful family. He is currently developing a children’s book, just as his senior yearbook predicted!
Julia (Harris) Bachmeier ’09 and her husband welcomed their first child in November of 2022. The three of them, along with their two dachshunds, live in Colorado where Julia works as the Director of Operations for PR Newswire’s newsroom and investor relations website product. After graduating from Prep, Julia attended the University of Colorado where she earned a degree in Communications. She also holds a Professional Project Manager certification. Julia has many lifelong friendships among her Prep classmates and looks forward to every trip home! Austin Evans ’09 works in regulatory trade compliance and research security at Idaho National Laboratory. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in National Security Policy and was recently honored as one of Santa Fe’s “Forty Under Forty” business leaders. Devon MacLeod ’09 lives in Denver with her husband Viatch and her two kids, Evelyn and Griffin. She currently works as the Director of Operations at a boutique law firm. She loves spending time outside in the Colorado mountains, and is so excited to share her love of camping, skiing, and hiking with her kids.
WI NTER 2023
Ali (MacKenzie) Smith ’09 and her husband Drew welcomed a little girl this November! Ali currently resides in Kansas City where she teaches first and second grade.
2010’s
Will Blaine ’11 welcomed his first child, Emma Blaine, this past March. He currently lives in Albuquerque with his wife, Dr. Lisa Saa, and works at Los Alamos National Laboratory. In 2020, Harsh Bhundiya ’16 completed his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Aerospace from the California Institute of Technology. There, he became passionate about the field of spacecraft structures and has since pursued his passion as a PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, expecting to graduate in 2025. He is currently researching methods of robotically fabricating large spacecraft in orbit, with the hope of achieving kilometer-scale antennas and solar arrays in space. Harsh fondly remembers his middle school and high school days at Prep and is grateful to all the teachers who instilled a neverending thirst for knowledge in him.
PREP | 65
Class News
Francesco (Frank) Lanzante ’19 recently finished undergrad at Skidmore College in beautiful Saratoga Springs, New York. He now holds a BS in Studio Art with a concentration in Ceramics and Sculpture, and was honored to receive the Barbra Green Wild Award for ceramics as well as the Entrepreneurial Artist Award. Frank is currently working for and being mentored by renowned potter Adam Field in Helena, Montana. He plans to continue his education through an MFA program in the coming years, and hopes to become an educator himself. Frank credits Prep and his early exposure to ceramics for giving him the opportunity to explore his passion.
Since graduating from Prep, Vineet Narayanan ’19 has completed dual degrees at the University of New Mexico — BS in Statistics and BS in Biochemistry along with Minors in Honors and Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and in Chemistry. Induction into Prep’s Cum Laude honor society gave Vineet the motivation and inspiration to pursue and value academic excellence; during his undergraduate years, he was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) and Phi Kappa Phi (PKP) honor societies. His love for healthcare and systems science now has him pursuing his MS in Healthcare Leadership, and in 2028 he will complete his MD from his top choice medical school in Ohio. Vineet has continued his passion for classical violin by giving volunteer violin performances at senior retirement homes and memory care units, while also performing in Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Music. The joy of making music with Chris Ishee at Prep — as well as with the New Mexico All State Orchestra and at the 2019 ISAS Southwest Regional Music Festival in Austin — is forever cherished. He would like to express his deepest gratitude to Joey Reich, Anna Westen, Nick Wirth, Liz Friary, Dave Caldwell, Leslie Hale, and other Prep faculty members who guided him in this amazing journey so far.
Tom Sydorick with former Head of School Steve Machen and current Head Aaron Schubach. 66 | PR E P
WI NTER 2023
Alumni
Alumni Weekend For the second consecutive year, Santa Fe Prep alumni returned to campus on the first Saturday in June for an all-class reunion weekend! On June 3rd, more than 75 alumni from classes spanning Prep’s history gathered for campus tours, classes led by current faculty members, and a picnic lunch. The day began with a State of the School address led by Head of School Aaron Schubach, a conversation that also included a special appearance and contributions from Tom Sydorick, one of our school’s founding faculty members.
In the classroom, alumni discussed the state of New Mexico education with former Breakthrough Santa Fe Associate Director Jordan Bosiljevac, practiced fly-tying with Aaron Schubach and Jamie Dickinson ’83, and learned about monotype printmaking at the Meem with art teacher Matt Mullins. On Brennand Field, former Blue Griffins faced off in a soccer scrimmage — including one of Prep’s newest alumni,
WI NTER 2023
Class of 1983
PREP | 67
Alumni
Jack Dolan ’23. Over lunch, alumni were treated to live music in the Upper School Quad by local band Candy Bomber, featuring future alumnus Leo Sheppard ’28 on drums. And following the festivities on campus, several private parties were held in honor of classes celebrating major milestones. Members of the class of 1998 gathered at the home of current Prep parent Marisa Bodell Gubelmann ’98 in celebration of their 25th class reunion, while Jamie Dickinson organized a reunion for the class of 1983’s 40th! Thank you to all who joined us at Prep and attended privately-hosted events! If you would like to plan a class reunion to coincide with next year’s event (scheduled for Saturday, June 1st), please reach out to Jillian, jtomlinson@spfrep.org, for class contact lists and additional information.
68 | PR E P
8 9 9 1 f o s s a l C
WI NTER 2023
Alumni
Upcoming Alumni Events Santa Fe Prep alumni of all class years are invited to join us on campus for the following celebratory occasions. Check your inbox for formal invitations and additional information. Gather your classmates and make plans to reconnect at your alma mater! Questions may be directed to jtomlinson@sfprep. org. Want to organize your own class reunion? Please let us know so we can help you!
DECEMBER 21, 2023:
Alumni Holiday Party Meet, mingle, and enjoy festive refreshments, catered by La Choza, with fellow alums in the Prep Library. JUNE 1, 2024:
Alumni Weekend Join us for the third annual Alumni Weekend, featuring campus tours, mini classes, class reunion celebrations, and other special events.
PREP | 69
WINTER 2023 SFPREP.ORG
SANTA FE PREPARATORY SCHOOL MAGAZINE
Sant a Fe Prep
is bringing our S t
fe rat egic Plan t o li by launc hing a 60t h anniversar y fundraising cam paign in 202 4!
Help us as we gather support from the entire community to
FORM THE NEXT 60! To find out more, contact Michael McNeill at mmcneill@sfprep.org.