UHS Journal
SAN FRANCISCO UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL FALL 2023
A magazine for the San Francisco University High School community Fall 2023 Volume XXXVI
EDITORIAL BOARD Shaundra Bason Matt Levinson Marianna Stark ’89 MANAGING EDITOR Ruth McDaniels COPY EDITOR Evan Hulka ’00 DESIGNER Design Action Collective PRINTER Community Printers CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Kevin Kitsuda Bill Reitzel UHS Faculty EDITORIAL STAFF Shaundra Bason Kate Garrett Thelma Garza Elena Hobden Dara Northcroft Megan Storti
CONTACT THE JOURNAL If you have news, questions, or comments, please contact us via communications@sfuhs.org. ALUMNI NEWS AND CLASS NOTES Please send alumni updates and class notes to UHSalumni@sfuhs.org. FOR ADDRESS CHANGES Please email address changes to communications@sfuhs.org. The UHS Journal is a publication of San Francisco University High School, and is circulated free to more than 7,000 households of alumni, parents, current and former faculty, and friends of the school. Periodical’s postage paid at San Francisco, California. Postmaster: send address changes to Mailing Records Office, San Francisco University High School, 3065 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA, 94115. ©2023 San Francisco University High School. All rights reserved. Printed in California on recycled paper. Cover illustration: Illustration by Design Action Collective.
UHS
SAN FRANCISCO UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL FALL 2023 UHS JOURNAL VOL. XXXVI
Journal
UNIVERSE
2
Letter From the Head CAIS Accreditation & Strategic Mission Work Breakthrough Summerbridge Teaching Fellow Host Family Tells All By Claire Myers ’86
Brenton Song ’24 Shares Summer Internship Search Advice, Develops Template to Help Students
13 Welcome New Trustees
Your Contribution Matters 2023 Decorator Showcase
CAMPAIGN
ANNUAL REPORT
16
26 27
18
CALIFORNIA STREET CAMPUS GROUNDBREAKING
6
SUMMER MATH AT UHS
10
BREAKTHROUGH SUMMERBRIDGE By Dara Northcroft, Executive Director, Breakthrough Summerbridge
ALUMNI
19 20 22 23
HOW DO YOU “ALUMNI”? By Austin Moreman ’15 and Zoe Yzabella Taylor ’19 CLASS NOTES PIZZA PARTY ALUMNI DONOR SPOTLIGHT
COLLEGE COUNSELING
23
SUPREME COURT RULING ON RACE CONSCIOUS ADMISSIONS
24 25
GRADUATION CLASS OF 2023 COLLEGE ADMISSION STATISTICS
Finance Committee Letter Parent Guardian Association Letter
DONOR SPOTLIGHT: JENNI & HASSAN ZAIDI
FEATURES
Board Chair Letter
28 29 30 46
Alumni Association Letter Fundraising Gift Listing Thank You to Our Volunteers
UNIVERSE
LETTER FROM THE HEAD class they visited, committee members walked away inspired and moved by the level of engagement, the complexity of the content, and the passion of the teachers. At the end of each day, the first thing they wanted to talk about was what they saw in the classrooms. It was so much fun to hear outside educators beaming about the magic and dynamism I see at UHS every day. In their final report, they wrote:
Matt Levinson, head of school
Dear UHS Community,
I
worked with a colleague several years ago who always used to say, “community does not happen by accident; it happens by intention.” At UHS, we are intentional about “building and sustaining a diverse community of backgrounds, perspectives, and talents,” as our mission states. Community is the first word out of my mouth when I talk about UHS. So you can imagine how heartened I was when the California Association of Independent School Visiting Team came to UHS last February as part of our formal accreditation process and community was the central quality that stood out to them. They came to the All School Meeting (ASM) on the first morning of their visit and were both surprised and inspired to see the meeting being led entirely by students. As there often is at ASM, there was a palpable, playful spirit, and our core value of agency was front and center as one student shared a reflection, another student made a club announcement, and the gathering concluded with an energetic Battle of the Classes. The unmatched quality of the classroom experience also stood out to the Visiting Team. In each
2
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
“It is refreshing to see University High School’s mission statement come alive in the hallways and classrooms and it is equally reassuring to hear the repeated corroboration of this work in the various meetings held with the visiting team. The embrace of transformational over transactional education is not a mere bullet point in the school’s Vision Statement but is an explicit intention set for all administration, faculty, and students.” The Visiting Team also identified the future growth and expansion of UHS to be an area of focus and development. With the new California Street Campus set to open in the fall of 2025, we have much work to do to prepare for the migration of our science and math faculty into the new building as well as the incorporation of a new gym, dining commons, and community spaces. A major recommendation from the Visiting Team report was: “That the Administrative Team create a clear and thoughtful plan for operations, staffing, space allocation, and programming in the California Street building that will ensure that the culture of classroom engagement and inspiring student-teacher relationships is maintained as the school population and campus expand.” The campus expansion will allow the school to utilize freed-up space in Lower Campus and to
consider new programmatic opportunities as we relocate many of our classrooms to California Street. This thinking will be part of a comprehensive review of our mission, vision, and values in the coming months as a first step in a new strategic design cycle and updated campus master plan. There is no shortage of exciting work in front of us and community will remain at the forefront of all our efforts. One of our trustees shared that beyond the program and space benefits of the new campus, the ability to amplify community is at the heart of UHS. We will host ASM in the new gym, our students will be able to gather and eat in common spaces, both indoors and outdoors, and we will be able to handle years of overflow spectators at our many sporting events. One of our goals this year is to work with our community to better understand
and define how we will build and sustain community, from Jackson Street to California Street. When we open the doors of the California Street Campus in the fall of 2025, it will be with intention. Sincerely,
Matt Levinson Head of School
UNIVERSE
CAIS ACCREDITATION & STRATEGIC MISSION WORK About CAIS Accreditation
About Strategic Mission Work
The California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1941. CAIS serves nearly 100,000 students in more than 235 independent non-profit elementary, middle, and high schools throughout California. Offering an ongoing cycle of accreditation, training, and support to independent K-12 schools throughout California, CAIS provides professional development, networking, resources, and solution-driven guidance to member school heads and trustees.
This year, one of the Board’s strategic goals is to work with the Mission Task Force on a comprehensive review of the UHS mission, vision, and values. With the strategic goal of examining how the school perceives its own identity and is perceived by external stakeholders, this review will identify what is immovable, exceptional, and essential about the UHS educational experience. Through surveys, stakeholder interviews, and working sessions with the Board of Trustees and Administrative Team, the Task Force will draft an updated version of the UHS mission statement for board review and approval in the Spring of 2024. This work will amplify the value of a UHS education for years to come, helping the school attract and retain right-fit students, families, faculty, and staff. Additionally, this work will lay the foundation for the next phase of strategic design and planning as we move through the 50th anniversary of UHS’s founding and into the next chapter of our institutional history. n
Through regular accreditation cycles, CAIS assesses its member schools in six key areas: Institutional Purpose and Core Values, Teaching and Learning, Financial Sustainability, Operational Purpose and Core Values, Institutional Stewardship and Leadership, and Institutional Improvement and Sustainability. This year, UHS was granted a seven-year accreditation status, which is the longest length of time for which a school can be accredited.
OUR MISSION
San Francisco University High School welcomes students of demonstrated motivation and ability to engage in an education that fosters responsibility and the spirited pursuit of knowledge. We are a school where adults believe in the promise of every student, and together we work to build and sustain a community of diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and talents. UHS challenges each individual to live a life of integrity, inquiry, and purpose larger than the self.
sfuhs.org
3
UNIVERSE
Breakthrough Summerbridge Teaching Fellow Host Family Tells All By Claire Myers ’86
W
e invited a Breakthrough Summerbridge Fellow to stay with us for eight wonderful weeks this summer, and the experience far exceeded our expectations. Noelle Kee, rising junior at Barnard College, was, as one might imagine, intelligent, kind, and really good with kids! From day one we had interesting conversations around the dinner table and got to hear about her UHS job and all of her college activities (studies in neuroscience, campus job, sorority, etc.) as well as the fun things she would do in SF on weekends with her Summerbridge cohort (rock climbing, sailing, SF Half Marathon, etc.). We conducted our lives as usual, including her whenever possible, but otherwise she was very independent. Noelle was extremely courteous and respectful at all times and she formed genuine connections with each of our children. Her presence in our
home contributed to our family’s understanding of what an outstanding program Summerbridge is, and how lucky we are to be part of today’s UHS community. Our kids signed up to be NTIs (NonTeaching Interns) and got to see how the program works firsthand. Summerbridge is a stacked cascade of win-win-wins: professional teachers support college-aged Fellows; Fellows learn to create classrooms and curricula; SF middle school students attach to the UHS campus and learn a lot both academically and socially; NTIs assist and learn what Summerbridge is all about and understand its impact on the community. The Celebration event at the end of
the summer session was as moving as anything I have witnessed in education. As a parent I was thrilled to have our kids observe a young adult in situ: an astute young woman who landed an estimable summer job and who had created numerous other positive things for herself by taking her education seriously. She had a lot of fun doing it all, and that is the best of all. Thus, the Summerbridge “cascade of wins” flowed right into our home!
In my fifth decade of knowing UHS, I feel like I have finally found the heart of the community. We are honored to be a Summerbridge host family and encourage anyone who is able to take part in this experience; not only will you not regret it, you will receive much more than you give. Claire Myers ’86 Parent of John Michael Mulcahy ’25 & Jamie Mulcahy ’27
From starting my day walking through the Presidio to UHS with a smile at 7:30 A.M. to taco dinners at 7:30 P.M. with the Myers-Mulcahys, I couldn’t have asked for a community that felt more like family. Being a 7th Grade Life Science Teaching Fellow at Breakthrough Summerbridge solidified my desire to be part of an education system not only for the students, but also for the faculty and staff. I will never forget the caring and welcoming environment, the families involved, and the bonds, memories, and impact created. I’m honored and grateful to call the Myers-Mulcahy Family my extended family on the West coast, and Breakthrough Summerbridge my family around the world. – Noelle Kee, 2023 Breakthrough Summerbridge Teaching Fellow
4
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
UNIVERSE
Brenton Song ’24 Shares Summer Internship Search Advice, Develops Template to Help Students L ast spring, Brenton Song ’24, worked with Marianna Stark ’89, UHS Director of Alumni Engagement and Giving, to create a resume and begin a summer job search. His goal was to find a substantive position in a serious, professional setting. Given his aspiration to gain understanding and insight into possible career paths, his placement in the employment law firm Baker Curtis & Schwartz, P.C. was a rich experience enhanced by the guidance and support he received from fellow students and from Marianna at UHS. Marianna has offered resume and job search coaching every spring to UHS students since her arrival in 2017. The initiative was born from her observation that students seeking to approach alums for career and college advice went in “cold” and unprepared, lacking in awareness of how to make the most of an alum’s time. Most students who meet with her have never written a resume or articulated their skills in an interview setting. Marianna counsels students that internships for high schoolers are few and far between. In addition to contacting nonprofits and municipal agencies, she encourages students to use their personal networks and be prepared to design their own jobs in partnership with their future summer supervisors. “I tell students, your network is any adult who you know, including your parent’s co-workers or your neighbors, or someone you admire and has made a strong impression on you,” Marianna said.
After Brenton’s resume was ready, he started telling his friends he was looking for an internship. Classmate Kamila Baker ’24 offered to connect him with her father, Chris, an employment law attorney, founder and partner with Baker Curtis & Schwartz.
“We offered Brenton an interview because Kamila vouched for him,” Chris explained. “Just as important, his resume explained that one of his skills was information confidentiality. That is something we put a lot of stock in because lawyers are obliged to be very careful in handling and holding the information of others. Brenton also aced his interview. He arrived on time, was a little nervous but incredibly prepared, personable, and obviously very smart!”
following fall. This template helps both students and supervisors ensure a positive working relationship.
“Brenton did a great job,” Chris further praised. “He’s right that reading case law can be like reading a different language, and he learned quickly. By the end of the summer, he was actually performing at the level of a law school student. We were quite surprised and very impressed.” Brenton’s advice to students seeking an internship is, “Don’t be afraid of rejection. Be open to new experiences. Use an
internship to learn about a field you may be interested in, even if you’re not sure it’s going to be your life’s path.” He’s not sure he’s going to be a lawyer, but he is grateful for the experience and knows it will benefit him no matter what his major or future career may be. n Are you a UHS student who may be looking for an internship? Contact Marianna, and to look for Brenton’s templates for formalizing the intern/supervisor relationship, go to sfuhs.org/alumni
Brenton’s assignments during his six-week internship included research, writing case briefs, and using Microsoft Excel. He said that reading the law was “like learning a new language.” He worked closely with Chris and was in and out of his office many times a day. One of Brenton’s favorite parts of the job was eating lunch often with Chris and his partners, where he was able to engage in casual conversation and learn more about the legal field. As part of his summer engagement, Brenton developed a template for high school students seeking internships. Its goal is to formalize student engagement and to clearly establish the goal of receiving school credit the
sfuhs.org
5
F E AT U R E S
Summer Math at UHS During Summer 2023, UHS offered 3 math courses • Online Math II • Precalculus (for acceleration) • Math Foundations as a pre-Math I developmental course.
ONLINE MATH II & PRECALCULUS We offer two online blended classes for current UHS students: Math II and Precalculus. These courses allow students to accelerate over the spring & summer by working independently on an intense, condensed version of a full-year course. Both summer courses are taken asynchronously with instructor support. MATH FOUNDATIONS COURSE This summer, we launched Math Foundations, a 3-week program for incoming 9th graders who were identified as needing extra support prior to Math I. Math Foundations is taught by our Math 1 faculty along with student TAs to help incoming students develop confidence and skills for high school math success. The content focuses on pre-algebra skills including computation, algebraic problem-solving and communicating mathematically. Daily lunch guests introduce students to key adults on campus. The pilot program was offered by invitation only, at no additional cost to incoming students.
Key Benefits of Summer Math • Courses are offered free to current UHS students. • Allows students to start in Math 1 and reach AP Calculus or AP Statistics • Independent learning with teacher support on Zoom. • Meet many members of the Math Department faculty and staff
6
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
F E AT U R E S
Students Reflect on Summer Math Question: What advice do you have for future students? Student Reflections: “I would say write out all of your work even if you can do it in your head. Personally, it makes it easier to keep track of your steps, and seeing how you solved past problems often helps you solve future ones.” “I think it’s good to have easy access to a friend in the class, as well as the teacher, so that you never get stuck on one particular problem or concept. Having a source of help can save you a lot of time and help you better understand what you’re learning.” “Some advice I would give to prospective students next year is to manage your time well and work ahead if possible. Working ahead is a much better strategy than doing all the assignments on the day of, as it gives you flexibility to take some days off when you are tired or need a rest, as you have worked ahead and take the liberty to do that.” “My advice to students is to use the tools available to you and communicate with your teacher even if it is through email. You will get a lot more out of the course and feel more confident going into each test the more you ask questions.” “I learned that if you get a little ahead, it gives time for deeper understanding and is overall more helpful.”
sfuhs.org
7
F E AT U R E S
Summer Math at UHS
Week One: Sandeep kicked off the first week of our inaugural Summer Math Foundations Course. A smorgasbord of improvisational games built community and got students warmed up. Teaching Assistants (Gurnoor ’25 and Carla ’26) began orienting students to campus. Topics included: number sense, order of operations, commutative/distributive/associative properties, fractions/decimals/ percents, negative numbers, graphing in coordinate plane, vocabulary. Brown Bag Lunch guests were faculty and staff members Otelima & Shoba, Wendy, Justin, Ryan, and Megan.
8
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
F E AT U R E S
Week Two: Shoba took on week 2 of the program! Community relationships deepened as students learned more about one another by sharing “3 Things About Me” and enjoying Hide and Seek together during break times. Shoba even got to be seeker one day! :) TAs Caroline and Martha (both ’26) joined the TA crew. Topics include: Simplifying Equations, Solving Equations and Inequalities in One Variable, Word Problems, and Graphing. Brown Bag Lunch guests were Matt, Alexandra, Byron, Leah, Nasif, and Nicole. Week Three: Wendy wrapped up the last 3 days of Summer Math Foundations. Students flexed their teamwork muscles by working on several team challenges (longest paper chain and index card tower design) and showed just how much they had learned about UHS and one another in TA-designed Kahoots and a campus scavenger hunt! Topics covered included: dimensional analysis (intro), exponents/square roots, and scientific notation. Brown Bag Lunch guests were: Demond, Carol, and A’Jaee and Anthony.
sfuhs.org
9
F E AT U R E S
Breakthrough Summerbridge — Dara Northcroft, Executive Director, Breakthrough Summerbridge Dear Friends, As I reflect on the completion of another amazing year of Breakthrough Summerbridge programming, I am, as ever, awed by our accomplishments— the growth of our students, the talent of our teaching fellows, the support of our instructional coaches, and the strength of my administrative team. Beyond marking the graduation of another exceptional group of students, this summer delivered a major victory: a $200,000 grant commitment from Crankstart Foundation, which will play a vital role in helping us improve the impact we can have on students. Our goals in seeking out this funding were specific: we
10
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
endeavor to improve the social and emotional learning programming for our students, to boost the academic performance of our students by updating our curriculum, and to strengthen our college access programming. This all ties to our ongoing commitment to pivot as needed to best meet the college preparatory goals of our students and to empower our teaching fellows and instructional coaches. Beyond the pride we feel for all our Breakthrough Summerbridge graduates, we have been especially heartened to welcome the two graduates who chose to attend UHS, for whom our community has become a special place. We also love receiving visits from the other four Breakthrough Summerbridge
graduates who are current students, and from the many high-school-aged alumni who volunteer each summer to support the program. None of what we do would be possible without the generosity of the UHS community. Thank you for rallying around Breakthrough Summerbridge each year. Thank you for helping us create life-changing programming that so positively impacts our talented middle school students to thrive. With Breakthrough Summerbridge Spirit,
Dara
F E AT U R E S
sfuhs.org
11
F E AT U R E S
12
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
UNIVERSE
Welcome New Trustees The San Francisco University High School Board of Trustees is a volunteer board composed of UHS parents/guardians (past and present), alumni, and community members. The board reflects the school’s diverse community and draws its expertise from many areas, including education, law, medicine, finance, community development, and nonprofit leadership. Trustees serve in a governance role and work on various committees that support our strategic design for the school’s long-term health, including finance, community, and equity, investment, buildings and grounds, risk, campaign, and governance. This year, we are fortunate to have three new trustees joining our board. Please join us in welcoming Efrain Perez, Nadya Ramsaroop, and Julia Wong.
Efrain Perez P ’24, ’27 is a Sr. Director of Customer Success at Splunk, a technology company focusing on business analytics, compliance, and security data platforms. Efrain began his career in technology at Hitachi in 2000 where he spent 20 years playing an active role in expanding its global Internet of Things (IoT) business, more recently serving as the Vice President of Global Services. Efrain is an Oakland native and attended UC Berkeley. While there he was also driven by his passion for serving the community, focusing on incarcerated youth. He and his wife, Alejandra, have two daughters at UHS, Isabella ’24, Ava ’27, and an English Bulldog, Coda. The Perez family enjoys staying active while finding time for family and cheering on the Warriors.
Nadya Ramsaroop PhD P ’24, ’27 is a licensed psychologist and her corporate consulting practice focuses on leadership development. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas, a Doctorate from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center School of Biomedical Sciences, and a Post-Doctoral fellowship from Stanford University all in the specialty area of applied psychology. Nadya is a Blue Ribbon committee member of Civic Influencers, a youth voter engagement organization and has also served on the board of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, an advocacy group for immigration policy. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two dynamic daughters, Serina ’24 and Riyana ’27, who add immeasurable meaning to her life and push her to walk her talk on a daily basis. She loves to travel, read, soak in the wonder of the ocean and the stars and chat with anyone willing to engage.
Julia Wong MD P ’26 is a pediatrician and a second generation native San Franciscan. She earned her B.A. in Art History/Studio and English from Wellesley College, received her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and completed her pediatric residency at Penn State Children’s Hospital. Prior to becoming a physician, Julia was an educator. She was the art teacher at Hazelwood Elementary School in Campbell and assistant-taught First Grade at Katherine Delmar Burke School, her alma mater. She has served as a trustee at Burke’s, where she chaired the 21st Century Skills Subcommittee and co-chaired Governance. She currently serves as a trustee at Town School for Boys, where she co-chairs the Risk Management Committee, sits on the Audit Committee, and served on the Covid-19 Task Force. Julia is married to Roger Kuo, and they have two sons, RJ ’26 and Hudson (Town ’26).
sfuhs.org
13
UNIVERSE
Your Contribution Matters JOIN US IN GIVING BACK TO THE SCHOOL THAT INVESTED IN YOU.
Austin Moreman ’15 “ Of all the academic and professional environments I’ve passed through, UHS has had the greatest impact on the way I see myself and the way I show up in the world. Any time I feel the confidence I developed thanks to UHS, I feel grateful to still have a voice in this community and be a part of this alumni network.”
Trevor Chong ’15 “ I’m proud to be a UHS alumnus and am immensely grateful for all the challenges faced, lessons learned, and relationships nurtured at school. As someone who has benefited greatly from my UHS experience, I recognize the importance of helping others by supporting the Red Devil community so that others may benefit as I have.”
Zio Enriquez ’11 “I am grateful to have spent such formative years at UHS. That experience built the foundation necessary to open new avenues and navigate the future. Giving back is one way to ensure those pathways remain open.”
Zoe Yzabella Taylor ’19 “ Since benefiting from the generosity of others, I’ve made an active choice to give back to the communities that fostered my success. The choice to donate to University and Breakthrough Summerbridge is not only a great way to continue the school spirit we felt as Red Devils—it unlocks opportunities for future generations.”
14
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
UNIVERSE
2023 Decorator Showcase We send our deepest appreciation to the hundreds of people who supported a successful 2023 Decorator Showcase and the thousands of people who visited the home. The passion and dedication of our designers, sponsors, advertisers, and our fantastic volunteers shone in every aspect of the event. We couldn’t have made the experience so seamless without the leadership of Parent Co-Chairs Anne Holden (P ’24) and Karine Serra (P ’23, ’26), and we’re
proud to have met our target of raising more than $1 million for financial aid programs at UHS. To all the generous supporters who made direct donations, the groups who rented out the house for evening parties, and the thousands of visitors whose ticket purchases boosted our funding, we thank you. In its 44th year, the 2023 Showcase home, 625 El Camino Del Mar, stands in the idyllic oceanside Sea Cliff
neighborhood. It opened with 28 thoughtfully designed spaces appointed by a talented team of designers. In just six months, this 6,000-square-foot Spanish-style home was transformed from top to bottom. Highlights included a brand-new outdoor deck space – the first ever for the home – that seamlessly blended into the stunning architectural design. This year marked the first in-person Showcase exhibition since 2018 due to constraints posed
by COVID. With over 13,000 visitors, the home was thoroughly enjoyed. Since 1977, Showcase has raised more than $18 million, with proceeds helping to provide hundreds of students with access to a UHS education. The 45th annual Decorator Showcase will be open this spring from April 27 to May 27, 2024. Check the website for more information by visiting https://decoratorshowcase.org/. n
sfuhs.org
15
C A M PA I G N
California Street Campus GROUNDBREAKING
A
celebratory crowd turned out on June 7 to memorialize the symbolic first turning of the earth for our anticipated California Street Campus – an event that broke new ground in more ways than one. The new 50,000 square-foot building at 3150 California will house a state-of-the-art STEM center, a full-sized gym and sports center, as well as a café and gathering spaces for students. Building from the ground up is a first for UHS; the school first opened its doors on Jackson Street (the original Burke’s School campus) before expanding along Washington and Sacramento Streets into existing buildings. Head of School, Matt Levinson, paid tribute to founding UHS trustee, Ray Haas P ’88, ’90, who attended the event and was
16
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
part of the team who launched the school. “This is an historic moment in the school’s history,” said Matt. “The school that Ray originally dreamed of creating will continue on with a bright future, harmonized with the creation of a new campus that will elevate and expand San Francisco University High School to new heights for a diverse group of students across the Bay Area to experience an extraordinary education.” The new campus will enable us to extend our outreach efforts in alignment with our goal to attract a broader swath of students. With a new front door facing the heart of San Francisco, right along a MUNI line, coupled with our longstanding commitment to financial aid, access will only increase (this school year, we allocated $4.5 million to support over 100 UHS students). With the planned expansion of our
student body to 500 - an increase of more than 10% - we will be able to support even more students. The new campus will also naturally attract and help to retain outstanding staff and faculty and the student experience will only continue to improve as we build upon incredible programming. Perhaps most exciting is the opportunity for true community gathering that this new campus will enable. We will be able to host postseason competitions (another first) and fill the gym with over 600 fans. Much in the way that Paul Goode Field has served as a hub for games, Big Red Fridays, and school events like graduation, the new gym will provide space for us to build and strengthen our community. Matt closed his remarks by thanking the many people who helped make this project a reality
– donors, volunteers, trustees, parents, alumni, and friends of UHS – all under the remarkable leadership of board and campaign chair, Laura Spivy. With over $40 million raised from our community for this remarkable addition to our campus, it is clear that the words of founding head, Dennis Collins, still ring true today – “University High School is not going to be satisfied with being simply another school. The faculty aspires to more, and the students deserve more.” The UHS California Street Campus will open to the community in the fall of 2025. For information on how to get involved, contact Shaundra Bason, Director of Strategic Philanthropy at shaundra.bason@sfuhs.org. n
C A M PA I G N
sfuhs.org
17
C A M PA I G N
DONOR SPOTLIGHT:
JENNI & HASSAN ZAIDI W
e are thrilled to be part of this community and feel fortunate to have both of our children at UHS. Our son Adam is a senior, and our daughter Mina just started this fall. We didn’t take for granted they would both end up at UHS; as is often the case with siblings, they’re different in terms of personality and academic interests. It’s been gratifying to see them both find their groove and be happy at UHS in their own ways. Over the several years that we’ve been UHS parents, we have grown in our conviction that UHS enables a wide range of kids to thrive – it’s a special place where young people can be successful in whatever form that may take, from the classroom to the field and beyond. We’ve seen firsthand how students with a broad
18
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
range of talents and interests can come together and enhance the school’s diversity, thereby creating the ideal environment for learning, sharing and growing. The sum of the parts is so much greater than the whole! Agency is another reason we love UHS. The school provides the right amount of scaffolding to help students advocate for themselves without ever truly casting them out on their own. We have enjoyed seeing our children’s independence grow as a result; they navigate challenges and learn how to problem solve largely on their own, but always with the nearby support of their mentors, teachers, and deans. During Zoom classes in the Covid lockdown, Adam’s mentor was instrumental in keeping him challenged despite the uncertain times.
We have been impressed with the quality of the academics and teaching, which can inspire kids to love a subject and want to excel. UHS teachers are not only stellar in the classroom, but they truly care about kids, whether it’s getting to know them better in order to write letters of recommendation or jumping in on challenges that may come up. It’s this support and empathy that inspire learning as well as help develop new academic passions. Having Mina start at UHS this fall reminded us that the beginning of the high school journey can be exciting for both parents and child (especially without the anxiety of Covid we had during Adam’s first year!). What we know now is that participation in our wonderful community can take many forms; there is not just one way to be involved. From the
many subgroups that are part of the Parent Guardian Association to smaller things like helping organize breakfasts, there is a culture of connection that makes it easy to get to know teachers, fellow parents, and many others. Our advice to first-year parents is to just get out there and try something new—the same advice we gave our kids. And our broader reflection is around giving our students space. We have embraced the surprise and delight of seeing them evolve in ways we might not have expected. They have explored and grown through all the amazing opportunities at UHS, both inside and outside the classroom, and we have appreciated how UHS embraces and develops the whole child. n
ALUMNI
How Do You “Alumni”? — Austin Moreman ’15 and Zoe Yzabella Taylor ’19
A
dmittedly, summer as an adult is less special than summer as a high schooler. Yes, the weather is nice (unless you live in San Francisco) and days are longer, but the excitement of getting out of your routine and trying something new isn’t the same as it was during time spent as a student at UHS. This summer, however, we had the new and special experience of being the inaugural cohort of UHS’s Young Alumni Council Summer Fellowship. Every Friday, the two of us, along with Director of Alumni Engagement and Giving, Marianna Stark ’89, met on Zoom to talk about what makes UHS unique, why it’s important to us, and how to engage our young alum peers. One of our first conversations was around the question, why do we as alumni give – of our time, our efforts, our money – to UHS? For Zoe,
vividly remembering the feeling of possibility that her first day at Breakthrough Summerbridge gave her makes her excited to give back to a community that was so generous to her for seven years. Just as it was when she was a student, Austin sees UHS as a network of interesting and curious people and is excited for the possibilities that come from engaging the school as an alum. We both support UHS so that the community we know it to be can remain as inclusive and accessible as possible. Although the UHS English Department may disagree, we spent many of our meetings playing with the idea of how “alumni’’ is a verb as much as it is a noun. Yes, everyone becomes an alum when they graduate. But to be an alum can also mean attending events, making yourself available as a resource for current students
and fellow alums, and supporting UHS’s work through financial donations. This is especially true for young alumni! We both came into the summer with an image of what an engaged alum looks like: older, a leader in their field, able to give donations of four-plus figures, or maybe the parent of a current student. Yet, we spent time poring over many years of giving data, learning that there truly is no “type” of donor or donation. Young adult alumni, this is where we come in! Our experience participating in this fellowship underlined the importance, both for the school and for ourselves, of being an active member in this community. Alumni under 30 represent about 25% of the total Alumni Association, so it’s important that our voices are heard – in the UHS Journal magazine, when considering alumni event programming,
when collecting input for school projects like the Next Level Campaign, and more. There’s lots of low-hanging fruit, like updating your contact information in the UHS database, following UHS on social media, and attending alumni events (hello, free food!). There are also ways that might be a bit more of a stretch, but can have a profound impact, like pledging $20 a year in honor of the person or aspect of UHS life that means the most to you. This summer, we ventured into how we can honor our duties as alumni to give back in a manner that feels true to ourselves and our voices as young alumni, celebrating that giving our time and resources looks different for everyone. Whatever the verb form of “alumni” means to you, know you have a voice and a place in the UHS alumni community. n
sfuhs.org
19
ALUMNI
CLASS NOTES Nikola Tede MD ’79 shares that she is still working as a pediatric cardiologist in San Francisco with Stanford Medicine Children’s Health and “living in Muir Beach with [her] husband Joseph Ferraro and two-year-old border collie, Scout.”
Lisa Francesca ’79 reviewed classmate Marc Zegans’s ’79 poetry collection, Lyon Street, in the summer edition of Rain Taxi Review of Books. “While too many literary works about San Francisco reek of nostalgia, what prevents this book’s deep search of the past from becoming sentimental is Zegans’s honesty... Growing in richness with successive readings, this lyrical collection reads beautifully aloud—no surprise given the poet’s background in music and writing—and it is a fitting tribute to a time of experimentation, celebration, and art.” Lisa is also a writer, well-known for The Wedding Officiant’s Guide (now in its 2nd edition from Chronicle Books) which she based on more than a dozen years spent officiating at weddings.
20
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
this new venture. I’m hoping that folks will consider looking me up, and that I’ll have the opportunity to work with kids from our wonderful UHS community.”
Congratulations to Billy Brooks ’80 who received the Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award in recognition for his 25 years as a recovery biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Billy has contributed to the recovery of several species including manatees, beach mice, piping plovers, wood storks and more. Katherine Melchior Ray ’81 writes, “After enduring COVID in Berlin, where we lost our jobs (again), we fast-forwarded our retirement dream lifestyle without retiring! We now live the first half the year in Nice, France, where Nordstrom had sent me years ago for work, and the second half on the West Coast. In the Fall, I teach global marketing at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, commuting between the Bay Area and Portland. Year-round, I consult remotely with global clients and am finishing my memoir about risk and reinvention as a global CMO/MOM. Stay tuned!” Brad Solomon ’81 shares, “I have retired from the California Attorney General’s Office and opened up Solomon College Advising. After receiving my certification from UCLA, I’m now working privately as a college counselor with high school students and families applying to college. I’m excited about the chance to help make dreams come true and looking forward to
Lincoln Mitchell PhD ’85 recently published his eighth book, The One Hundred Most Important Players in Baseball History (Tigeras, Artemesia Publishing, 2023), which highlights those who have had the biggest impact on baseball, popular culture, and history throughout their careers. Lincoln is a professor at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. In addition to having authored books across a range of topics including foreign policy and the history of San Francisco, Lincoln’s writing has appeared on CNN and NBC, in the New York Times and the San Francisco Examiner, and numerous other publications.
Randy Woo ’86, Charlie Haynor ’86, Sascha Mornell ’86, Andrew Guggenhime ’86 and Tom Page ’86 met up in Tahoe in the summer of 2022.
Charlie Haynor ’86 sold his investment advisory practice, Rayner & Haynor, to United Capital Financial Advisors (UCFA) in 2014. UCFA was subsequently acquired by
Goldman Sachs in July 2019. As of September 2023, Goldman was in the process of selling the rebranded Personal Financial Management (PFM) division to Creative Planning. Charlie has stayed through all of these transitions, and marked his 30th year in the business in 2021. In June, Maya Browne ’88 joined the Writers’ Colony as Chief Communications and Giving Officer. Writer’s Colony is an in-person residency for emerging creatives that serves as a launch pad for Black writers entering the business of Hollywood. Amy Seff MSW ’94 is interning as a grief counselor with Mission Hospice. “I am really enjoying it and am working on getting my hours for my LCSW, after toggling back [and forth] from law to social work. This experience is giving me a way to use my own loss and grief experiences to help others and to keep my deceased parents and sister close to my heart.” Amy is looking forward to seeing classmates at their 30th reunion next spring. In September, Alex Chriss ’95 became President and CEO of PayPal. Alex joined PayPal from financial software company Intuit, where he worked for nearly 20 years and was most recently Executive Vice President and General Manager of Intuit’s Small Business and Self-Employed Group.
ALUMNI and training programs. Prior to arriving at UCSF, Julia was a faculty member at the University of Michigan, where she distinguished herself as the nation’s top expert in the intersection of health policy and health IT.
Boe Hayward ’96 has been advocating behind the scenes for a rainbow on the southbound side of the Robin Williams tunnel. Last summer, Boe’s outreach to culture reporter Peter Hartlaub resulted in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that prompted Sen. Mike McGuire to ask Caltrans officials to consider the improvement. Thanks, Boe!
Julia Adler-Milstein PhD ’97 has been appointed chief of the newly created Division of Clinical Informatics and Digital Transformation (DoC-IT) at UC San Francisco. The new division will promote the integration and application of information technology to improve patient care. It will serve as the academic home for applied clinical informatics researchers, UCSF’s Clinical Informatics Fellowship, and foster research, career development, DEI and new education
Cameron Kramlich ’98 shares, “My wife Carrie Burgener and I bought a house above the Truckee River in Verdi, NV, this spring. While we’re keeping our San Francisco place, we just love waking up to see the sun dance with the Sierras and beautiful hikes start just out our front door! We have lots of space, so look forward to lots of house guests.” Warren Wu ’98 has been living in Singapore on the island of Sentosa for the past year. He is the Head of Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) and Private Financing Markets in Southeast Asia and India with UBS.
Dr. Alon B. Neidich ’99 and his wife, Julia A. Connolly, welcomed their daughter, Laila Elle Neidich, on March 19. Everyone is home, healthy and thriving. Adi, now three years old, is enjoying his new role as a loving big brother and remembering to be gentle with his sister.
Aaron Fung ’00 writes, “I’m living in Wilmette, IL (a suburb of Chicago not too far from Northwestern University) with my wife Caitlin and our two kids, Cooper and Clementine. I am a manager on the inclusion and diversity team at Pinterest and I spend my free time playing badminton, planning world travel, running my career coaching business (CoachingAF), and volunteering with Ascend, a nonprofit organization that seeks to develop and promote pan-Asian professionals. If your travels bring you out to Chicago, please look me up!” John Morris ’03 is living in San Francisco, offering voiceover workshops, coaching, and training to children and adults. A professional voiceover actor since age seven, he voiced the role of Andy in the Toy Story films and Santa Boy in The Nightmare Before Christmas, among other roles. Prior to earning his B.A. in Theatre Arts from UCLA and a M.A. in Museum Studies and Education from Johns Hopkins University, he was involved in theater at UHS. John recently ran into Adam Lau ’02 at the War Memorial Opera House, where Adam is performing in San Francisco Opera’s fall productions of Lohengrin and The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. You can reach John at johnmorrisvoiceover@gmail. com. Aaron Tartakovsky ’08, CEO of Epic Cleantec, served recycled wastewater beer at his wedding to Mila Lazarevsky last May. The crisp Kolsch-style ale was produced with highly purified building greywater by Devil’s Canyon Brewing Co. Read the full story in the New York Times.
FORMER FACULTY
Pictured: Paul Chapman, Diane Schroeder, Prudy Kohler, Ronda Calef, Chris Raisbeck ’81, Andrea Saveri ’80.
Former faculty and alums attended the memorial service for founding Spanish teacher Anita Bowers (Aragon-Kreplin) last summer.
Pictured: Jon Reider (college counseling), Sudie Sides (history), Bruce Lamott (music), Tim Price (music), Jim Chestnut (CFO/COO), Diana Morris-Wild (library), Joanne Sugiyama (registrar), Prudy Kohler (arts), Deborah Shaw (Latin), Rob Spivack (science), Diane Schroeder (athletics), Everett Rosemond (Spanish).
Diane Schroeder reports that, in August, founding faculty held their annual Schadenfreude party, timed to take place simultaneously with the day that current faculty convene for the start of the school year. n Got news? Send it to UHS.alumni@ sfuhs.org. Go, Devils!
Claire Feuille ’14 wrote and performed a show, Like Other Girls, at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
sfuhs.org
21
ALUMNI
PIZZA PARTY
Pizza Party Program’s going strong! When you get three or more alums together for any kind of snack, we’ll reimburse you up to $50 when you send us a photo with your tablemates and the restaurant check. All grad years eligible! And past faculty too! Only one submission per person per year, please: sfuhs.org/pizzaparty
Austin Moreman ’15, Ali Meneghetti ’15, Lindsey LePlae ’15
Maddy Chung ’15, Aaron Barbieri-Aghib ’15, Brenda Walker ’15
Back row Evan Jones ’99, Charles Thornton ’99, James Joun ’99, Dave Denning ’99; front row Dylan Miller Evans ’99, Jonathan Perelli ’99, Perry Hammond ’99, Christian Topham ’99
Front row L-R Thomas Mattes ’11, Olga Baranov ’12, Izzy Simon ’14, second row L-R Sophie Dalal ’12, Holly Johnson ’82. Thanks to Holly, UC Berkeley Law director of administration and donor engagement, for sending in this great photo of UHS alums who are UC Berkeley Law students
Fletcher Grumbach ’21, [Simon Schwartz Bay ’21], Reed Schwartz ’19, David Wignall ’21
Annika Peterson ’23, Tobin Parkhill ’23, Anya Armentrout ’23, Purple Peterson ’23
Clockwise from far left: Farrand twins, Jay Farrand ’97, Amanda Farrand, Margaret Timbrell Hiatt ’97, Zoe Kretzschmar Taylor ’97, Aaron Hiatt, James Taylor, Fyfe Taylor, Hiatt twins
22
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
William Chang ’19, William Urrutia ’19, Ezra Parkhill ’19
Mark Burford ’85, Duncan Lyon ’87, Lincoln Mitchell ’85, Ed Lovett ’88
ALUMNI
ALUMNI DONOR SPOTLIGHT Patrick Heron ’88 The UHS experience was one of the most broadening in my life. From the outdoor education program, to working in Breakthrough Summerbridge admissions, to enjoying academic breadth, UHS positioned me to follow in the footsteps of two fellow alumni, Christie Blom Callahan ’86 and Elizabeth Brakeman de Bord ’87, and earn the MoreheadCain Scholarship to University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I will forever be grateful for the mentorship and support I received from UHS faculty, which prepared me to build Frazier Life Sciences, my biotechnology investment firm; to give back by serving as board chairman at LifeMoves, the largest provider of emergency housing services in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties; and to serve on the investment committee for the Gates Strategic Investment Fund. Patrick co-leads Frazier’s Life Sciences team and invests across the spectrum of therapeutics opportunities, from early-stage drug development companies to commercial-stage pharmaceutical companies.
Shreya Gandhi-Gupta ’16 UHS taught me how to speak and write eloquently. I felt the freedom to be curious and question everything. There were no limits or boundaries to what we could do while at UHS. I learned to structure my thinking and have the confidence to speak my mind, which guides me to this day. I was honored to participate as one of two student representatives on the strategy committee that helped name our school’s values in 2015. We chose inquiry, care, integrity, agency, and interconnection. That work became the foundation for the campus expansion plan, so it’s a thrill to see it coming to life now. Shreya is a management consultant at Oliver Wyman. She currently works with health plans at the intersection of healthcare and technology. Outside of work, she is a volunteer tour guide at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and enjoys traveling around the world to visit all the pieces on her art history bucket list (inspired by senior year AP Art History at UHS!).
Supreme Court Ruling on Race Conscious Admissions A s part of our educational vision, University High School is committed to embodying our fundamental belief that collaboration among people with diverse backgrounds and life experiences is essential to deep learning. In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling on race-conscious college admissions, we write to reaffirm this commitment and to let you know what we have planned to support all members of our community moving forward. One of the school’s core values is Integrity, which for us includes “honoring the wholeness of each individual.” This value calls us to embrace, nurture, and encourage the full expression of each person’s unique lived experience
and sense of identity, including their race and ethnicity. The college counseling office and our entire faculty and staff will continue to support our students, and especially our BIPOC students, as they share their whole selves in whatever ways are authentic for them, both throughout their time at UHS and during the college admissions process. The ways that the Supreme Court’s decision will impact the college application process are not yet clear, but the college counseling office is monitoring the unfolding situation and maintaining close communication with admissions professionals. The team continues to include information about the Court’s decision in all of our
programming. In addition, we intend to collaborate with our colleagues in college admissions to provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information available.
Our Statement on Equity and Community begins, “At UHS, we believe that the deepest learning requires collaboration among people who embody a diversity of backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives. Building and sustaining a community composed of a wide range of social and cultural identities requires that all members have the resources they need to thrive. To this end, we must further our self- knowledge, our ability to communicate effectively across individual differences, and our capacity to cultivate
an anti-racist, anti-oppressive school culture mindful of systemic barriers to equity. We do this work on a personal, professional, and an institutional level, recognizing that our community is part of a larger and more complex world.” This Supreme Court Decision underlines the critical importance of living true to these beliefs and commitments, and we are honored to do so in partnership with each of you. n
sfuhs.org
23
COLLEGE COUNSELING
GRADUATION 06.05.23 Paul Goode Field
24
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
CLASS OF 2023 COLLEGE ADMISSION STATISTICS By the end of their time at UHS, our graduates are inspired, confident, and ready for their next adventure. With the support of our experienced and supportive college counselors, students map out paths forward that best match their values, passions, and aspirations. While we take pride in the broad range of excellent colleges and universities that our students choose to attend, we are proudest of who they are when they graduate from UHS: individuals ready to live lives of integrity, inquiry, and purpose larger than the self. COLLEGE
ACCEPT
Alfred University American University Amherst College Arizona State University Campus Immersion Art Center College of Design Bard College Barnard College Bates College Boston College Boston University Brandeis University Brown University Bucknell University California Polytechnic State UniversitySan Luis Obispo California State Polytechnic University-Pomona California State University-Fresno California State University-Fullerton California State University-Monterey Bay Carleton College Case Western Reserve University Chapman University Claremont McKenna College
1 3 1
Clark University Colby College Colgate University Colorado College Colorado School of Mines Colorado State University-Fort Collins Columbia University in the City of New York Connecticut College Cornell University Dartmouth College Denison University DePaul University Drexel University Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversityDaytona Beach Emerson College Emory University Emory University-Oxford College Fordham University Franklin and Marshall College George Washington University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of TechnologyMain Campus Gonzaga University Hampton University Harvard University Haverford College Hobart William Smith Colleges Howard University Humboldt State University Indiana University-Bloomington Iowa State University John Cabot University Johns Hopkins University Kenyon College Lafayette College
3 5 5 6 1 1
4 1 2 1 4 5 6 6 3 5
ATTEND
1
1 1 3 1 1 2 2
8 3 1 1 1 6 2 4 1
3 4 3 1 1 3 3 2 2 1 1 2 9 2 5 2 1 1 1 2 3 1 3 1 3 1 1 2 3 4
1 1 1
1 1 1 1 3 2 1
2 1 2 1
2 2
1 1
COLLEGE
Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Maryland Macalester College McDaniel College McGill University Michigan State University Middlebury College Morgan State University Mount Holyoke College New Jersey Institute of Technology New York University Northeastern University Northwestern University Oberlin College Oberlin College | Conservatory of Music Occidental College Pace University Pennsylvania State UniversityMain Campus Pitzer College Pomona College Pratt Institute-Main Princeton University Providence College Purdue University-Main Campus Queen’s University Reed College Regis University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhode Island School of Design Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Saint Mary’s College of California San Diego State University San Francisco State University San Jose State University Santa Clara University Sarah Lawrence College School of the Art Institute of Chicago Scripps College Seton Hall University Skidmore College Smith College Sonoma State University Southern Methodist University Spelman College St. John’s College Stanford University Stevens Institute of Technology Stony Brook University SUNY at Purchase College Swarthmore College Syracuse University The New School The Posse Foundation The University of Alabama The University of British Columbia The University of Edinburgh Trinity College Dublin Trinity University
ACCEPT
1 4 5 2 1 4 1 3 3 1 1 1 1 6 7 1 8 1 3 1 2 3 2 1 3 3 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 3 1 1 5 2 1 3 1 3 1 1 4 1 1 5 2 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 1
ATTEND
1
2 1 1 2 1 1
3 2 3
1
1 1
1
2
1
5 1
1 1
1
COLLEGE
Tufts University Tulane University of Louisiana Union College University of Alabama in Huntsville University of Amsterdam University of Arizona University of California-Berkeley University of California-Davis University of California-Irvine University of California-Los Angeles University of California-Merced University of California-Riverside University of California-San Diego University of California-Santa Barbara University of California-Santa Cruz University of Chicago University of Colorado Boulder University of Denver University of Glasgow University of Hawaii at Manoa University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Kansas University of Maryland-College Park University of Massachusetts-Amherst University of Minnesota-Twin Cities University of New HampshireMain Campus University of North Carolina at Asheville University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Notre Dame University of Oregon University of Pennsylvania University of PittsburghPittsburgh Campus University of Puget Sound University of Richmond University of Rochester University of San Diego University of San Francisco University of Southern California University of St Andrews University of the Pacific University of Toronto University of Vermont University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Washington-Seattle Campus University of WashingtonTacoma Campus University of Wisconsin-Madison Utrecht University Vanderbilt University Vassar College Villanova University Wake Forest University Washington and Lee University Washington University in St Louis Wentworth Institute of Technology Wesleyan University Wheaton College Whitman College Williams College Worcester Polytechnic Institute
ACCEPT
ATTEND
4 4 1 1 1 1 8 20 6 5 5 5 10 7 20 4 14 5 1 1 2 1 1 2 1
1 3 1
3 2 1 1 3 1 3
1
1 2 1 1 14 1 2 1 3 1 1 3 3 7 1 2 3 1 16 1 16 1 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 5 2 5 2 3
sfuhs.org
1 1 1
3
1
3
1 1 1
25
ANNUAL REPORT
Laura Spivy
CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES Dear San Francisco University High School Community, I write to you in the spirit of gratitude and celebration for the milestones our community has reached this year and for your partnership in aiding those accomplishments. I am thrilled to share some of our achievements as a board in partnership with the Head of School and the entire administrative team, as well as some of the exciting initiatives underway this year. In May, we celebrated an occasion that was 17 years in the making: we gathered at 3150 California Street to break ground on the building that will serve as our new front door and a hub of learning for decades to come. This accomplishment is a reflection not only of the dedication of our donors, but the generosity of so many members of our community who rallied to lend their talent and time. We are equally grateful for your support of our UHS and Breakthrough Summerbridge Annual Fund which supports the robustness and quality of the student experience.
Next Level Campaign • Stewarding an on-time and on-budget completion of the California Street Campus for opening in the fall of 2025 This is just a brief overview of our meaningful and collaborative work. I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve alongside such a dedicated team and I look forward to continuing to serve University High School.
Thank you again for the many ways that you are committed to our school and the entire community. Laura Spivy P ’18, ’20, ’23, ’25 Chair, Board of Trustees
OUR VISION
We are a courageous community dedicating ourselves to: EMBRACING education as a transformational, rather than a transactional, endeavor
This year marks Matt Levinson’s 10th year as a head of school, and I want to express my deepest appreciation for his leadership. As a passionate educator, innovative thinker, and visionary leader with a deep love of community, Matt has exceeded our highest expectations as a head of school. From his strong leadership of our California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) accreditation process, to his enthusiastic stewardship of the Next Level Campaign, to his unwavering commitment to DEI through the adoption of the Equity and Community Statement, he has had a decisive impact on UHS. We are fortunate to have Matt at the helm during this transformative time in our school’s history. Thank you to Matt and Pri for their dedication.
EMPOWERING our students to invent and sustain their own vision of success and sense of purpose
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP 2023-2024 With the academic year well underway, we are focused on continuing to support our Head of School in key areas, notably:
ENSURING that University High School remains a strategically nimble institution, engaged in learning, reflection, and growth on all levels
ESTABLISHING a school culture that provides a dynamic and challenging education while simultaneously promoting wellness, care, and wholeness EMBODYING our fundamental belief that collaboration among people with diverse backgrounds and life experiences is essential to deep learning
Strategic Design • Kicking off a strategic design process with self-reflection around identity work and long-term goals and applying a data-driven approach to future enrollment • Focusing our efforts on the assessment and mitigation of risk, especially with respect to campus expansion • Actively managing the school’s finances for long-term financial sustainability
Equity and Community • Building and reinforcing our intentional institutional commitment to DEI through our newly revised Equity & Community statement
26
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
NEXT LEVEL CAMPAIGN The Next Level Campaign is a dedicated effort to raise funds for the critical priorities of programs, people and physical spaces that enrich our community and to realize our collective vision of an equitable and transformational educational experience for all students.
ANNUAL REPORT
Raj Patel
FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS
O
n behalf of the Board of Trustees, it is my pleasure to share the healthy financial position that San Francisco University High School continues to maintain. On a consolidated basis, including the core education program, Breakthrough Summerbridge, and our endowment’s releases for operating expenses, we ended our fiscal year on June 30, 2023, with an increase of $2.1 million in net assets (without donor restrictions). This increase will be used to help support the California Campus project.
Total expenses for the year were $29.1 million. Salaries and benefits totaled $18.1 million, or 62.2 percent of overall expenses. Financial aid expenses were $3.8 million, or 13.1 percent of total expenses. Other direct expenses were educational program expenses of $3.1 million, or 10.7 percent; general administration expenses of $3.3 million, or 11.3 percent; and development expenses of $0.8, or 2.7 percent. Not included in these expense items are $0.7 million of cash outlay related to capital purchases and principal payments on debt.
Total revenue for the year was $31.2 million (before allowance for financial aid). Tuition and fees provided $25.6 million, or 82.1 percent of total revenue. The Annual Fund, including gifts designated for financial aid, Breakthrough Summerbridge, and other programs, added $2.2 million and contributed 7.0 percent of overall revenue. Endowment and released funds totaled $ 2.8 million, or 9.0 percent of total revenue, and other income added $0.6 million, or 1.9 percent of total revenue.
The Board continues to take its role as a careful steward of the resources entrusted in its care very seriously and assures all its stakeholders that San Francisco University High School’s finances are being prudently managed for the benefit of the community, its students, and their families.
The school’s endowment fund finished the fiscal year on June 30, 2023, at a value of $36.0 million, increasing from $33.1 million a year ago, a year-to-year increase of $2.9 million. This result is the effect of the net endowment gains of $4.2 million plus new endowment gifts of $90 thousand, minus the transfer of $1.4 million to the operating budget, in accordance with school’s endowment spending policy.
Raj Patel P ’21, ’23
David Morandi
PRESIDENT, UHS PARENT GUARDIAN ASSOCIATION As I enter into my final year as a parent at UHS, I am filled with gratitude for our family’s experience at the school. From cheering on the Red Devils to attending concerts and musicals and enjoying student art shows, it has been a wonderful four years. Witnessing Ava’s educational journey has caused my wife, Brandi, and I to reflect on the power of education and, in particular, the importance of independent schools. Independent schools have been transformative for Ava; they have allowed her to pursue her passions in rigorous yet supportive environments and helped her develop a strong sense of self and independence. Our family’s first exposure to independent schools started with Ava at the Hamlin School. There we witnessed the incredible ways in which generations of educators and benefactors can provide students with
a rich and loving educational environment. We quickly realized that we were benefiting from the generosity of those that had come before us and felt compelled to continue to support future generations of students. By the time we arrived at UHS, we were fully committed to providing whatever type of support we could to continue the school’s legacy of excellence. Through my work with the Parent Guardian Association, I’ve loved seeing people rally as a community and it has only reinforced my belief in the tremendous role parents and guardians must play in the success of schools like UHS. Whether they donate their time or treasure, parents and guardians can all do something to make their child’s school a better place. As PGA President, I have been humbled by the joy and eagerness with which families have stepped forward to engage at all levels of UHS life. To the Executive Committee officers, class representatives, PGA sub-committee chairs, and the hundreds of parents and guardians who participate in PGA events, I send a heartfelt thank you. Your dedication and energy are vital to the success of our community, and I encourage all parents and guardians to participate in supporting our students and UHS in the years to come.
David Morandi P ’24
sfuhs.org
27
ANNUAL REPORT
Marianna Stark ’89
DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT AND GIVING Dear Fellow Alums, The University High School Alumni Association fosters an inclusive, engaged community that reflects our school’s values and inspires life-long connections across cohorts. Whether you were a member of the first UHS class in 1975 whose mascot was the Unicorn, or graduated last spring, we all share a unique educational experience. We are a vibrant community of over 4,000 alums around the world. Not only does the Alumni Association care deeply about keeping alums connected to UHS and to one another, we help alums contribute in a multitude of ways. Last year’s Runway Lecture speaker, Atteeyah Hollie ’98, SB ’94, came back to UHS to speak about ending wealth inequality in our justice system. Zoe Yzabella Taylor ’19 and Austin Moreman ’15 became our inaugural UHS Young Alumni Council Summer Fellows and helped us strategize young alumni programming. Nicole Cariño ’17 served as the alumni representative on the UHS Equity and Community Stewardship and Oversight Committee.
This year, 19 alums were sent a gold UHS lapel pin in honor of a significant milestone: 20+ years of giving. This group has reached 258 members. Another 28 alums received the red and white pin for making their first gift, including 18 members of the Class of 2023. We also recognized 49 alums for two years of giving and another 49 for five years of giving. In 2022-2023, 9.1% of alumni made 502 gifts totaling $1.14 million to all funds, including the Next Level Capital Campaign. Support for financial aid remains a high funding priority for alumni. Congratulations to the Class of 1998 for raising $45,946 for their Class Gift in honor of their 25th reunion. Thanks to co-chairs Alexandra Delanghe Ewing, Matt Farron, Elizabeth Hammerman, Kristen Hale Kelly, Merrett Wong, and Warren Wu for their leadership. Will the Class of 1999 exceed this record Class Gift? Stay tuned! We are already well underway in planning alumni gatherings for the 2023-2024 season. As always, we will hold a holiday party and celebrate alumni honors on campus, and we are looking forward to our All-Class Reunion honoring classes ending in 3 and 8 at the Decorator Showcase. In addition, we are slated to host a new event—Civ Night for alumni at the Head’s Home—in or around April. Please stay tuned for details.
Go, Devils! Marianna Stark ’89 Director of Alumni Engagement and Giving
OUR VALUES INQUIRY
AGENCY
• Seeking out different perspectives and learning from one another
• Pursuing our passions with confidence, creativity, and humility
• Striving to deepen our understanding of the evolving world
• Discovering and making real our own distinctive and evolving expressions of excellence
CARE
INTERCONNECTION
• Cultivating empathy, compassion, mindfulness, and resilience
• Engaging as socially responsible citizens in communities both near and far
• Recognizing and seeking to address injustice
• Recognizing that we form a web through our common humanity: what affects one person affects us all
• Being curious, open-minded, and courageous
• Investing wholeheartedly in our work and in one another
INTEGRITY
• Being truthful, open, honest, and reflective • Honoring the wholeness of each individual • Acting to fulfill a purpose larger than the self
28
U H S J o u r n a l | FALL 2023
• Taking risks and growing from the experience
• Building and sustaining an intentionally diverse, equitable, and inclusive school
ANNUAL REPORT
2022–2023
Fundraising The success of our 2022-2023 fundraising year was a true testament to the generosity of our community. Thank you to our trustees, parents and guardians, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, faculty and staff, friends, and foundations. It is because of you that UHS is able to empower our students to live a life of integrity, inquiry, and purpose larger than the self.
Tuition and Fees
$25.6m
82.6%
Gift Revenue
$2.2m
7.1%
Decorator Showcase
$1.1m
3.5%
Endowment Allocation
$1.4m
4.5%
Other Income
$0.7m
2.3%
$31.0m
100.0%
Salaries & Benefits
$18.1m
62.6%
Financial Aid
$3.8m
13.1%
Program
$3.0m
10.4%
Management & General
$3.2m
11.1%
Development
$0.5m
1.7%
Decorator Showcase
$0.3m
1.1%
$28.9m
100.0%
TOTAL
NEW GIFT REVENUE UHS & Breakthrough Summerbridge Annual Fund
$2.2m
Decorator Showcase
$1.1m
Endowment
$0.1m
Capital
$13.8m
TOTAL GIFT REVENUE
OPERATING REVENUE*
$17.2m
OPERATING EXPENSES*
TOTAL * Unaudited numbers
sfuhs.org
29
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 10748 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
3065 JACKSON STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115 @SFUHSorg
Make a gift
alumni events
Thank you for your generous support of UHS. Questions? Contact development@sfuhs.org
We hope you will join us at an event soon. Questions? Contact UHSalumni@sfuhs.org
Your Contribution Matters
Explore Our Calendar
