UHS Journal Spring 2015 by SFUHSorg

uhs journal A Magazine for University High School Families, Alumni, and Friends

Springâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;2015

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.

Spring 2015

UHS Journal 02 From the Head’s Desk 04 A Strategy for the Future by Alissa Kinney Moe, Director of Communications

08 By Design: UHS Alumni in Fashion by Holly Johnson ’82, Director of Alumni Relations

12 At My Desk with Nasif Iskander 14 The UHS Album: Lift Every Voice by Alissa Kinney Moe, Director of Communications

16 Classroom Reflections: Opportunities Beyond Our Campus by Paul Hauser, Science Instructor and Mentor

17 Red Devil Rally by Jim Ketcham, Athletic Director

20 Spotlight On: Decorator Showcase The Heart of Presidio Heights

21 Spotlight On: Fundraising at UHS Why Your Gift Matters

22 Community Milestones 23 Alumni Association News by Holly Johnson ’82, Director of Alumni Relations

24 Class Notes / In Memoriam by Holly Johnson ’82, Director of Alumni Relations UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL

Vol. XXVI, No. 1 EDITOR

Alissa Kinney Moe EDITORIAL BOARD

Shaundra Bason Thelma Garza Kate Gorrissen Holly Johnson ’82

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

PHOTOGRAPHY

Ian Browne ’17 Jane Coté-Cook James Faerron Jean Fruth UHS Communications DESIGN

Nørvik Design PRINTING Burns & Associates Fine Printing

San Francisco University High School admits and welcomes students of any race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national, or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, employment policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school administered programs.

(Cover Photo) A scene from University’s Fall 2014 production of The Tempest. Credit: James Faerron. 1

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

From the Head’s Desk I’m getting the distinct impression that it’s time to rearrange the furniture in my office. Last week, the editorial board of The Devil’s Advocate crowded in with a proposal to upgrade their technology and expand their budget. Days earlier, Dean of Students Alex Lockett and I were establishing a timeline and discussing our group reading assignment with juniors and sophomores who have stepped up to lead next year’s day-long symposium on the past, present, and future of UHS. Since September, the Strategic Design Committee has been graced with the presence and intelligent perspective of two students who are providing us with an essential lens on the student experience in our ongoing strategic design process (see pages 4–8). Almost every day now, I find myself holding meetings in which the first minute is devoted to re-organizing the various chairs from my worktable and informal seating arrangement to form a circle for more open group conversation. It is not unusual for the furniture shuffle to happen for larger, weekly meetings; but the fact that it now happens nearly every day (often multiple times a day), tells me that it may be time to find a better, more permanent, solution. This furniture re-arrangement ritual also indicates the increasing emergence of a strong student voice in UHS’s thinking, planning, and decision-making. From after-school meetings to planning workshops for our MLK, Jr. Day Teach-In to lunch sessions organizing our 40th anniversary celebration, students—across all grades and experiences—have a seat at the proverbial UHS table. This is not necessarily a recent trend—over the past two years, students have made their way to my office often to talk about a variety of issues. But it is becoming clearer to me that our students are more and more engaged with the major innovations, change-making, and planning that is happening on this campus. And as a head of school, this is an inspiring movement to witness. We have long made spaces for more traditional student leadership paths at University, like Student Council (a truly outstanding group of young leaders who gamely tackle any challenge we throw their way) and the much-lauded Peer Advising Program (which pairs trained juniors and seniors with ninth-grade and sophomore clusters, providing younger students with informal counseling and support around the myriad issues that face adolescents in their early high school years). However, more innovative spaces are now developing on our campus to aid student inquiry, initiative, and agency throughout the school community. And our adults are eager to encourage this exciting growth: faculty mentors, our senior class dean and director of student leadership, and our nascent Human Development Department do their work not only in the expected ways, but also in pioneering and exciting spaces and forums that are new to our community.

Back in February, I attended a panel of college presidents at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) annual conference in Boston. We were treated to a lively question-andanswer session about the future of colleges and universities and the preparation our students need to be leaders within those institutions. Nan Keohane, who served as president of Wellesley College (1981–93) and Duke University (1993–2004), said (to paraphrase): “We should help students prepare for independence. They need to have confidence, so that when they don’t have an answer or if they need help, they know how to simply ‘Go and ask!’” Others on the panel quickly voiced their agreement, noting that independent schools should be as intentional as possible about building leadership skills (including the confidence to ask questions) in our students. In the words of another panelist, “We need to teach young people how to truly belong to a community.” This refrain, embraced by every educator sitting on that panel, struck a chord in me, because we’ve always placed a high value on student engagement at UHS. No doubt, our students will be best prepared to continue to engage in their college communities and beyond if they are given the tools at UHS from both formal and informal leadership opportunities. I am delighted to see more UHS students at the table as we open our ears, hearts, and minds to these talented young people who are eager to help shape the future of our school. With all of this hum, energy, and activity, I am now thinking about replacing my traditional office seating areas with a conference table to support the emerging way we are holding discussions and planning for the future at UHS. What do I have to do to make that happen? I guess I’ll take a page from our students and, in the words of Nan Keohane, “Simply go and ask!”

Julia Russell Eells head of school Graphic recording by Michelle Boos-Stone and Alece Birnbach of Five Elements Consulting Group. Shared courtesy of the National Association of Independent Schools. UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Dean of Faculty Nasif Iskander adds a few words to a kaleidoscope of post-its at a recent faculty/staff exercise focusing on University’s school values.

“There seems to be an appetite and an energy to engage in this process at UHS, a trust in collaboration— a partnership—that feels palpable to me. With Julia on board, I think there’s a spirit of cooperation and partnership that’s necessary to do this work well … You have to have that piece to really move forward— and at UHS, we have it.” — JAY BANFIELD our constituent groups in the data-gathering and in the structure of the committee itself, and that will continue.” Almost immediately, the committee made a crucial decision that would shape the process going forward. “Perhaps the biggest leap we made was moving toward the idea of not just developing a strategic plan— but being a strategic school in our decisionmaking process,” says Jay. “We’re not going to just produce a document, check the boxes, and be done with it—we recognize that as an organization, we need to create a process by which we can continue to make strategic decisions, many years down the road, with a structured methodology. I think that was the first epiphany for us—making the shift from strategic planning to strategic designing.”

A Strategy for the Future

The current process officially began last summer (after an inspiring meeting with futurist Andrea Saveri ’80 in May), when UHS formed a committee, comprised of students, alumni, trustees, faculty/staff, and parents, to begin tackling the project. Strategic Design Committee (SDC) Chair Jay Banfield (Trustee and P’16) notes that it was important to create a committee that was a joint body: “Part of [our information gathering] has been, and will continue to be, through committee members who represent stakeholder groups. We hope and trust that people are going to those representatives to say, ‘Have you thought about this? Have you discussed this? I’d love for this to be on the table.’ That’s why it was so important to get a wide array of people representing as many stakeholder groups as we could imagine. There has been a voice for all of

BY ALISSA KINNEY MOE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

With Head of School Julia Russell Eells entering into her second year at the helm of University and the school in the midst of a CAIS (California Association of Independent Schools) accreditation self-study, UHS was in the perfect position this past summer to begin thinking strategically about both our goals as a community and our future as an institution. Still a relatively young school, this marks the sixth time we’ve embarked on a strategic planning process (though, as you’ll read, our current process holds some distinct differences from past efforts). As the educational landscape around us evolves with new and renewed pedagogical ideologies and practices (the “maker” movement, STEAM curricula, project-based learning, and the breakneck expansion of technology, just to name a few), UHS is on the cusp of a wholly new and exciting time for thinking and learning. UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Throughout the summer and fall, the SDC engaged in Learning Together, phase one of the strategic design process, with the aim of exploring not only the climate, community, history, and pedagogy of UHS, but also those of other schools we admire and new pedagogical ideologies and practices. At the same time, UHS was undertaking a self-study for CAIS, which the SDC understood could inform and greatly aid our strategic design work. As a committee,” Jay recalls, “we recognized that there would be a confluence of the two processes, that throughout the self-study, the faculty and staff would be spending a lot of time identifying strategic issues—while at the same time, the SDC would be meeting and coming up with a list of issues and ideas to think through and consider together.” This spring, the committee moved into the second phase of the process, Identifying Our Values, which began with a series of presentations and conversations at a Faculty In-Service Day in late February. Jay and

fellow members of the SDC, including UHS Board of Trustees Chair Cathryn Schember P’06, ’08, ’12, ’15, and current junior Shreya Gandhi-Gupta ’16, joined the UHS faculty and staff for this day of reflection concerning what values we share as a community. Jay was struck by the commonalities he saw in the discussions he witnessed that day, the meetings the SDC was having, and the information the committee was uncovering through talks with different stakeholders in the community and the self-study document. “At UHS, there’s been a lot of alignment around the strategic issues that we should grapple with—and I think that’s been very reassuring,” notes Jay. “There seems to be an appetite and an energy to engage in this process at UHS, a trust in collaboration—a partnership—that feels palpable to me. With Julia on board, I think there’s a spirit of cooperation and partnership that’s necessary to do this work well… You have to have that piece to really move forward—and at UHS, we have it.” Looking ahead, Jay says he is excited for the SDC to lay down a framework for University High School, a rubric or methodology by which the school can make sound, strategic decisions that will always serve to keep us at the forefront of college preparatory education and lead us into the future. “We will set a series of strategic issues and decisions through this process at some point in the spring, summer, or fall. And then hopefully we’ll have created a repeatable, living process that allows us to continue to make strategic decisions, running them against our agreed upon value set and aligning them with our developing vision. Fast-forward two years from now when we’re faced with a strategic decision, we’ll be evaluating that decision alongside our mission statement, alongside our community values, and thinking about how this decision positions us in the competitive educational marketplace. At that point, because of the work we are doing now, we will have a process to run things through. That would be my hope, and that’s the kind of legacy I’d want to leave behind in this process.”

For updates on our the strategic design process at UHS, please keep tabs on our Strategic Design webpage at www.sfuhs.org/strategicdesign.

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

a strategy for the future co n t i n u e d ...

The Stages of Our Strategic Design

From the Committee

In this first phase of the process, the Strategic Design Committee began a thorough survey of University’s history and current climate. By investigating exactly where we’ve been, where we are today, and where our community hopes to go in the future, the committee sought to gain a comprehensive view of our school.

NASIF ISKANDER

MICHAEL HOLT

NASIF ISKANDER, DEAN OF FACULTY

“I have been inspired by the dedication and generosity of the other members of the committee, from the students and faculty members who cheerfully give over a portion of their evenings for our frequent meetings, to the Board members who already volunteer so much of their time and energy, yet are committed to working as long as it takes to make this a meaningful and effective process.

During phase two, the SDC has honed in on a far-reaching but succinct set of community values that will guide its work in establishing a vision for University’s future. By basing our strategic design on the values we all share, our school can ensure that we stay a future course that remains true to who we are as an institution and community.

I think that the school is at a very special moment in its history—we have a unique opportunity to shape a future that is true to our core identity and values, but responsive to the ways that the world is changing. Our approach of examining and understanding the “roots” of the institution, while seeking inspiration from what is happening elsewhere in the world, will give us a framework for designing projects and initiatives that help us realize the full potential of the school, while remaining authentically “UHS.” I’m grateful to Julia and the Board leadership for crafting a process that provides the school with such a profound opportunity for growth and improvement.”

With all the pieces that have been collected from learning together and discussing our values, the committee will set forth a structure by which UHS can make strategic goals and decisions both now, for the purposes of this process, and also in the future, as new opportunities and challenges arise.

MICHAEL HOLT, ENGLISH INSTRUCTOR

“As a teacher, it can be hard to step back and consider the school as a whole. My classes tend to absorb all my attention and time. So being on the Strategic Design Committee has allowed me to look at UHS from a different angle. I’ve had the chance to think about the larger forces exerting themselves on the school, who we are in relation to those forces, and who we’re going to be. And that process encourages me to approach my teaching in new and invigorating ways.

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

This will be an exciting and evolutionary time for our community, and we look forward to embracing our future, while also staying true to the caring and focused community that believes in the promise of every student.

Jay Banfield, Chair, Trustee, P’16

Shreya Gandhi-Gupta ’16

Cathryn Schember, Trustee Chair, P ’06, ’08, ’12, ’15

Paul Gross ’15

Julia Russell Eells, Head of School

Michael Holt, English Department, Curriculum Committee

Linda Burch, Trustee, P ’12, ’17 Ron Cami, Trustee, P ’15, ’16, ’19 Penny Coulter, Trustee, P ’09, ’11, ’16 Shoba Farrell, Mentor Coach, Math Department, Student Life Committee Matt Farron ’98, Trustee

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Nasif Iskander, Dean of Faculty Christina Jacobs, Science Department, Faculty Affairs Committee Bill Madison, Trustee, P ’14 Grant Winfrey ’84 6

SHREYA GANDHI-GUPTA ’16

MATT FARRON ’98

I’ve been surprised by the vast possibilities that open up once you begin these discussions. Because the question at the base of the committee’s work is essentially, “What should a school be?” Suddenly I find myself challenging my most basic assumptions. I’ve been teaching for about 10 years, so challenging those assumptions at this stage in my career is wonderfully disorienting.”

SHREYA GANDHI-GUPTA ’16

“[Being part of this process] is a rare opportunity not many students get, and I’m so grateful to be able to really get to know my school and help it improve. Some of my favorite moments have been the opportunities I’ve been granted to interact with groups of people I might not otherwise have spent time with, such as the faculty during their in-service day, or the Board of Trustees. I’ve really appreciated the various non-student perspectives they’ve brought to the table, and they’ve helped me to balance out my own views on the school. I probably shouldn’t be quite so surprised by this, but I’ve definitely been impressed by how in-tune the faculty is with the student perspective. Also, I’ve really come to appreciate much of the faculty planning that goes on behind the scenes, especially how much thought and effort they put into crafting their curricula and teaching styles.”

MATT FARRON ’98, TRUSTEE

“This process has been very informative for me, a good survey regarding University’s evolution and where it is now. Perhaps the most memorable moment for me was the

SHOBA FARRELL

values-based discussion that both the faculty and the Board had to better understand where we are now—and where we’re going in the future. Being part of the Strategic Design Committee and being part of this work has certainly been an affirmation of what I felt I already knew, and I’m most excited about the quality education we’ve been able to maintain throughout all these years—it’s what UHS is all about. And the heart of the community and purpose of the school is very much intact. We don’t need a big overhaul—the questions more surround how we better shine a light on qualities that make us unique as a school of and for the City of San Francisco.”

SHOBA FARRELL, MATH INSTRUCTOR AND MENTOR COACH

“[This experience] has been so inspiring and thought-provoking, and I’ve had many memorable moments. One that stands out is when Robert Sapolsky P ’15 was a guest at a SDC meeting about stress. When he was asked what we could do to lower stress in our students, he replied, “What I would do in my lab is remove the adrenal gland, but of course you cannot do that.” It was both really funny and an important reminder of the limits of what we can and cannot do with regard to the impacts of stress. My favorite thing about our committee is how valued the students’ perspective is in each of our meetings. We are really lucky to have two students who are bold, insightful, and care deeply about our school. It is a joy to think, dream, and create with them twice a month.”

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Max is another New York transplant who’d been working in film for 15 years when he was inspired by political events in Kenya to make something with the Kenyan fabrics he’d always loved. Partnering with a designer, he founded SUNO, which quickly became an award-winning fashion house with many VIP customers, including First Lady Michelle Obama. Accolades soon followed, and SUNO was named the winner of the 2013 CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear.

By Design:

Alumni in Fashion BY HOLLY JOHNSON ’82, DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Among the innumerable sets of eyes focused on the runways of New York City’s fashion week in February were those of many UHS alumni who have forged careers in the fashion, design, and retail industries. From a fashion designer to the CEO of a major clothing retailer, from a creative entrepreneur to the trio of merchandising experts at locally owned Gap Inc., these alums are immersed in a world that many of us only experience through celebrity photos and fashion magazines. According to Marianna Stark ’89, a long-time Gap Inc. executive, Fashion Week stands out because it represents a key to many aspects of the fashion industry. “Everybody is looking at trends, how to maximize one for your product, and knowing what is around the corner. Some trends come from the street up and others come top down from the runways. We are all hoping to hit the trend at the right point for our customers and ride it as long as possible,” she says.

MAX OSTERWEIS ’92 CREATOR OF SUNO

The ways our featured alumni interact with the fashion industry are so varied, it would be impossible to neatly sum them up. But as you’ll see from these colorful vignettes of their careers, the values and advantages of a UHS education (such as collaboration, mentoring, and inquiry), are being put to good use in their fascinating professional lives.

MARK LEE ’80 Mark realized his career would CEO OF BARNEYS NEW YORK INC. probably involve fashion soon after leaving San Francisco for New York University in 1980. He says that spending high school with 60+ highly intelligent classmates was an inspiration, and he sees a direct correlation between French class and his success. “French class with Madame Neuville prepared me for my career in Europe as CEO of Yves Saint Laurent from 1999–2004, and it was my base in French that allowed me to easily learn Italian, which was helpful for my entire career at Gucci/Gucci Group from 1996–2008.” He has been CEO at Barneys New York since 2010. It could have been a long road for someone who remembers wearing mostly painters’ pants and button-down shirts to school. But personality-wise, fashion has been a great fit for Mark. He credits the common sense instilled in him by his mom above all else. Also crucial? “Having a small ego in a big-ego world and the ability to make For UHS alums interested and execute speedy decisions. Fashion is in a career in fashion, a fast-paced world that is constantly Mark foresees that the changing—there’s no time to sit around.”

balance between creative and business skills will remain critical, along with an understanding of the digital world.

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

For UHS alums interested in a career in fashion, Mark foresees that the balance between creative and business skills will remain critical, along with an understanding of the digital world. “Global under-

Unlike most of our other featured alums, Max says he was actually more of a fashion plate in high school than he is today. “These days I have a very simple uniform: black 501s, a white tee, and white Chuck Taylors. But when I was in high school, there was a lot of experimenting going on as far as my look went. I remember printed Versace shirts, plaid Gaultier pants, purple Cross Colors overalls, baggy Girbaud jeans, hand-painted tees, and a lot of Gap.” While his interest in fashion and politics may have sparked the genesis of SUNO, Max notes that a combination of seemingly opposing qualities have helped his continued success: patience and impatience, ignorance and confidence, an ability to collaborate and not be shy about delegating, persistence and manners, having a strong vision and being a good listener, and being a dreamer and a planner. Looking towards the future, he sees an industry that values a variety of skills. “It’s about a lot more than just designers designing things—there are the buyers who need to have a sense of what will sell and work well in their stores, the stylists who need to have taste and a point of view, the salespeople who need to be able to seduce the buyers, the editors who criticize and/or contextualize the work, the production people who make the designs, shows, and shoots a reality, the merchants who help the world see things from the designer’s point of view and who remind the designer that there is an outside world that feeds them, the photographers who help tell the story of the clothes, the public relations people who help guide the designs into the world, the manufacturers who make the clothes or the raw materials, and the models who bring the clothes to life. While each of these professions require a different mix of skills and personality types, ultimately the skills that help you succeed in fashion are probably the same skills that help you succeed in most any other field—an ability to work hard, build solid relationships along the way, be persistent, be reliable, and love what you do.” Max has found his second career incredibly rewarding: “We’ve got an office full of bright, talented, and hardworking people who I enjoy being around. We make beautiful things, through a process that we feel good about, and then we get to share our work with the world. It’s hard work, but I feel pretty damn lucky that I get to do what I do every day.”

standing, including language skills, can be a plus,” he adds. And pursuing fashion can be an intensely rewarding path. The best part of his day, Mark says proudly, is working with his team, who are “brilliant creative and business people, each unique and passionate about their role and contribution to Barneys New York.”

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

alumni in fashion continued...

CARLOS RIVERA-ANAYA ’01 MARKETING MANAGER, MRPORTER.COM

Carlos came to fashion marketing after a brief stint as a legal assistant at a corporate law firm in New York’s Financial District. “I was quite heavily involved in student politics in college, so the plan was to work in the legal industry for a couple of years as a precursor to law school. I quickly came to recognize that my interests lied in more creative fields, such as media and men’s fashion. In an odd twist of circumstances, I made my way from Wall Street to GQ magazine. I found myself developing new skill sets, consequently leading me to a longer trajectory in sales and marketing,” he explains.

Falling into the GAP At last count, nearly a dozen UHS’ers work for Gap Inc. at one of its retail brands (Gap; Old Navy; Banana Republic; Intermix; Athleta; and, until recently, Piperlime). But even though the same name (Gap Inc.) is printed on each of their paychecks, their experiences vary greatly and allow each to forge a unique career path.

Carlos landed at MR PORTER, the men’s fashion arm of the Net-A-Porter group, early on and runs the company’s US marketing. He sees personality traits such as strong intuition, critical thinking, and resourcefulness as major strengths in the business. “Having a naturally strategic mind will give you the edge in the luxury space. I’m also an eternal optimist, which doesn’t hurt—I encourage my colleagues to take risks if I believe it’s the right move,” he explains. Going forward, Carlos encourages people interested in the industry to become proficient in technology: “The fashion industry is rapidly becoming more accessible purely by way of technology. A good understanding of digital marketing is key to working in the industry these days. We’re no longer just thinking about what happens inside the boutique or department store—in fact, the brick-and-mortars are working tirelessly to infuse their stores with the level of inspiration and convenience that online shopping allows. For an online business, the user experience is paramount, and these days even more nuanced than ever. At MR PORTER we weigh design, functionality, and offering on even scales—altogether, they determine what sets us apart.”

GENEVIEVE ERNST ’02, MANAGER, EDITORIAL PRODUCTS AT DVF (DIANE VON FURSTENBERG) Genevieve studied journalism at UC Irvine and forged a career for herself as a writer, most lately for the fashion house founded by Diane von Furstenberg. Genevieve fell into fashion by chance; she was working at a magazine when a friend suggested she become Ms. von Furstenberg’s assistant. “I wasn’t particularly drawn to the fashion industry, but I had previously read about Diane’s life and philanthropy, and the opportunity to work directly with her was intriguing. I learned that the majority of her executives were women, and decided that regardless of the industry, I stood to benefit from the experience.” “After three years as Diane’s assistant, I helped her edit a memoir (The Woman I Wanted to Be, Simon & Schuster, 2014), which led to a full-time role in the Marketing Department copywriting, developing editorial content, and continuing to assist with her writing and speeches.”

“Having spectacular teachers showed me how important mentorship is, and being in a community focused on diversity and doing your absolute best spoiled me in a great way. I’ve been drawn to that sort of environment ever since!” — GENEVIEVE ERNST ’02 UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Like it is for Mark at Barneys, collaborating with colleagues is the best part of Genevieve’s day. “As part of a two-person team that manages all copy and aims to keep a consistent brand voice, I work with many other teams over the course of a day. Some is creative, some is business-driven, and having an eye on all of it is a fascinating look at how a fashion house operates.” She traces her love of teamwork back to University. “Having spectacular teachers showed me how important mentorship is, and being in a community focused on diversity and doing your absolute best spoiled me in a great way. I’ve been drawn to that sort of environment ever since!”

Sarah Van Ness ’88 Merchandise Manager at Gap Inc. When did you realize that your career would involve fashion and design? Actually, not until I found myself in it, after a year as an outdoor guide and a year in investment banking. It’s hard to believe, but I celebrated my 20th anniversary with Gap last August. What are the skills and aptitudes that the future fashion industry will require and that students or alums interested in working there should focus on? Or do you think these skills are timeless? To be successful in fashion you will always need to understand your customer, be able to bring teams together to manage the end-to-end pipeline, and have a passion for the product you are putting out there. This requires flexibility, collaboration, financial acumen / analytical skills, and constant study of the market place. Was there anything from your time at UHS that helped you find this path? The greatest things structurally from UHS were the small class sizes, which taught us how to listen openly and participate in group discussions. Working with so many teams here, this is a critical skill and format one has to be comfortable with. Philosophically, I think the spirit of teaching how to think, throwing ideas out there that might be right, might be wrong— but are original—was incredibly valuable. What did you wear in high school? Vintage men’s 501’s, with a white tee shirt and crew neck sweater.

Genevieve says that working at DVF has helped her closet develop into an explosion of color, and gives her an excuse to buy great shoes. In high school, she says her standard uniform consisted of jeans, Converse, and a black denim jacket she still owns to this day. 10

Nora Handsher ’04 Assistant Merchandiser at Gap Inc./Old Navy

Marianna Stark ’89 Director, Product and Retail Planning Operations at Gap Inc./Old Navy

What’s the best thing you get to do in a typical day?

My favorite part about my job is working with our design team to come up with our line of products for the season. I work with them closely—from researching trends, to reviewing sketches, to choosing fabrics and colors. My job is to be the voice of the customer through all of this, making sure the product we produce is saleable. But I’ve always been on the creative side, so I love working through the whole creative process.

It is rewarding to get to work in the different areas such as inventory management, merchandising, corporate finance, and corporate communications. For the past five years, I’ve been doing process management work, which means I work with a product throughout its entire evolution—from the time it’s just a gleam in a designer’s eye until the day it lands on an Old Navy shelf.

What personality traits and skills do you possess that have helped you in this career? Working as a team is a really important part of my job. Being able to communicate clearly with people who work in other functions to achieve a common goal is a must. In merchandising, design, production, inventory management, technical design, marketing, and visual merchandising on a daily basis. You have to be able to speak in design lingo, financial terms, and know every step of the production process. It’s important to listen carefully, absorb information, and communicate clearly in order to work effectively with your teammates. Also, it’s important to be both creative and analytical at the same time—taking your analysis of the past to determine your creative strategies for the future. Was there anything from your time at UHS that helped you find this path? My favorite class at UHS was Western Civ. It was the perfect blend of creative and analytical, and it really taught me how to think and how fluid the worlds of history, music, and art were. It was what inspired me to be an Art History major in college and the skills I learned in that class translate every day in my job. When I analyze the business every week, I have to find themes and use the data to tell stories. I can see directly how current events, weather, art, music, and entertainment directly impact trends and aesthetics. It’s the same exercises I went through during that class—finding the common thread and analyzing how events may impact aesthetics or behavior.

When did you realize that your career would involve fashion and design? When I graduated from college, we were going through a recession, and I didn’t know what kind of job an Art History major would find. I got a temp job at Gap and was asked to join the Buyer Training Program. But I actually started early in fashion—I won an entrepreneurship award from the City of San Francisco in fourth grade for ribbon-covered barrettes I made and sold to Macy’s. What are the skills and aptitudes that the future fashion industry will require and that students or alums interested in working there should focus on? I’ve worked at the Gap for 15 years, and the people who are happy here are motivated, smart, talented, and flexible. The corporate culture favors philanthropy and volunteerism. I hope that UHS students and alumni interested in working at the Gap or places like it will contact me—I enjoy mentoring people and talking about the many different kinds of opportunities that exist here. What did you wear in high school? Guess jeans with zippers on the ankles, baggy tops and sweaters, and Sperry topsider sneakers. It was like a uniform, everyone sort of hiding their body.

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

At My Desk

WITH NASIF ISKANDER, DEAN OF FACULTY 2

1. JAMES “This is a favorite photo of my son James, who’s now 10 years old. He’s loving music, reading, writing, baseball, and school these days. He’s also taking guitar lessons, and we play a lot of music together now. Ten is a great age, and my wife and I have a blast with him.”

2. GOOGLE CARDBOARD

“Google Cardboard provides a cheap way to convert your iPhone into a virtual reality headset. You can buy the kit for a few dollars or make your own with a laser cutter. The goggles, along with a variety of apps, use the gyroscope in the iPhone to track the direction you’re looking, immersing you in a three-dimensional, artificial world.”

3. REPLICA OF THE FIRST MAGNETIC COMPASS “From the Han Dynasty in China in 250 BC, this compass is also known as the ‘south-pointing spoon.’ The spoon is carved from a naturally magnetic material so that the handle always points south, and it is meant to mirror the Big Dipper, whose handle also always points south. It took me years to find one of these—I spent a lot of time wandering around Chinatown and looking around on the Internet. I finally found this one day during one of those Internet searches.”

8 4

4. IPAD “I’m currently using the iThoughts app quite a bit, which is a mind-mapping app that I use to track recruitment and hiring plans each year—it’s like a recruiting and hiring flow chart. I use my iPad all day long, and this is one of many, many apps I rely on. I also use Evernote, iDraw, Keynote, Dropbox, Explain Everything, Prezi, Redshift, and Solar Walk on a daily basis. My students also use a number of these apps and always need to have their iPads at the ready in Astronomy class.”

5. UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN WORKBOOK “The Science Department is using this workbook as a framework for its large-scale curriculum re-design project. There are a few members of the department who’ve used it in the past, and it’s a highly respected and widely used standard for curriculum design.”

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

6. NOTES FROM PROFESSIONAL GROWTH CONVERSATIONS

7. ASTROLABE “This is a working, fully functional replica of a medieval Islamic astronomical computer, made with our laser cutter by students in my Astronomy class. It was the world’s first handheld computer, mapping the whole universe onto a small disc that you can use for navigation, time-keeping, surveying, calculating prayer times, making astronomical predictions, and performing trigonometric calculations.”

“These notes are from professional growth conversations I’ve had with 25 teachers this year. University is now a member of the Folio Collaborative and uses the Folio software platform, which has greatly enhanced our culture of faculty learning and professional development by allowing teachers to outline their goals, collaborate on the refinement of these goals with their supervisor, and track their progress as they achieve them.”

8. ARDUINO “I’m using this small, cheap, programmable computer kit to learn how to make smart circuits that interact with their environment. Arduinos are the standard in the ‘maker’ world—inexpensive, capable, and easy to use. I’m currently exploring how I might incorporate it into student projects—but I also just want to play with it.”

9. POWERPOINT SLIDE “In the beginning of my Astronomy class, we discuss the history of our scientific ideas. This slide illustrates the intellectual ancestry of European science—the broad variety of cultures that built its foundation in the Renaissance.”

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

“The community symposium gave us a glimpse of what’s possible when students and adults in our community work together. I hope to maintain this spirit of collaboration in the future—especially the model of students leading adults, with adults taking their cues from students and stepping in as needed to support the students’ vision.” — TILDA KAPUYA, DIRECTOR OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION

The UHS Album:

Lift Every Voice BY ALISSA KINNEY MOE, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

On Friday, January 16, 2015, University’s faculty, staff, and students waived the usual class schedule to come together as a community and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the spirit of numerous other civil rights leaders who dedicated their lives to make our world a more just and peaceful place. Students, faculty, and staff participated in a variety of workshops and all-school meetings during the day-long “Lifting Our Voices” Symposium. Workshops included: Athletes as Agents of Social Change, He for She: Understanding the Role of Men in Feminism, Keith Haring and Ai Weiwei: The Confluence of Art and Politics in the PostModern World, What Does White Antiracist Activism Look Like?, and Questioning Our Modern Western View of Islam. UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Organized by Director of Multicultural Education Tilda Kapuya and titled “Lifting Our Voices,” the day-long symposium consisted of inspiring music provided by the UHS Camerata and Satonics a capella group; poignant memories and stories shared by faculty, staff, and students in the Theater; and a vast array of workshops and discussions planned and led by students and adults alike. Workshops covered a plethora of topics, ranging from fair trade in the garment industry to feminism to the misrepresentation of Islam in Western news outlets. Ultimately, the symposium created space for a powerful day that led to important conversations, encouraged us to be more open with one another, and brought us closer as a community.

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Classroom Reflections:

Opportunities Beyond Our Campus BY PAUL HAUSER, SCIENCE INSTRUCTOR AND MENTOR

Red Devil Rally BY JIM KETCHAM, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

When you become a teacher, you are always striving to refine your methods and develop subtle practices that deepen the engagement of your students or encourage individual learners to demonstrate their creative thoughts. The engagement and process of growing more skillful are the rewards of the work and, luckily for teachers, students echo this practice as they translate risks into rewards almost daily. The professional part of the teacher’s mindset commands us to be forward-thinking in creating ever more inclusive, engaging, and powerful spaces for learning in our classrooms. I often reflect back on my own high school tenure to recall those experiences, classes, and challenges that helped me to develop the practical problem-solving skills and deep thinking I knew would benefit me down the road. And while I can confidently— and joyfully—say that many of my teachers impacted my personal journey in sustained ways, I know too, that having the chance to witness and engage in science being done in a professional setting was a profound and formative high school experience that I have carried with me ever since. UHS is undoubtedly a place with a deep and rich history of teaching and learning. In fact, in feeding our hunger for learning, we often become absorbed and engrossed in the UHS progression—that upcoming assignment,

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

class, or project. It is precisely because of their drive, creativity, and preparation that UHS students are so primed and eager to apply their learning in the real world. Luckily, we live in the Bay Area, where applied science and cutting-edge research is happening every day and reputed worldwide. With all these factors in mind, I’ve recently been looking for ways to strengthen and deepen the opportunity for our students to experience science outside the classroom. During my own time working in the world of scientific research, I developed an understanding of the laboratory environment and the ways that high school students can be helpful and engaged in the research process. I’m hopeful that I can pass these insights and competencies onto our budding scientists here at UHS and give these students the opportunity to pursue their passions at this early stage. Growing a grassroots summer science initiative at University will allow more students the opportunity to realize their math and science potential both in and outside the walls of UHS and leave for college with the experience and confidence of knowing how to pursue applied learning in a meaningful way.

During my time at UHS, I’ve also focused on developing in my role as a mentor to my unique and dynamic group of 14 students. While guiding and teaching are two sides of the same coin, I have found that it is especially important to witness and accompany students on their journeys, while not attempting to predetermine their path or rush their growth process. It’s my hope to bring this same attitude of guidance and companionship to students looking for summer science enrichment and research opportunities. I want every student who pursues these opportunities to take ownership of their individual process as they learn what is best for them and pursue the avenues that are most personally fulfilling. With this in mind, I’ve begun weekly roundtable-style sessions this spring for interested students to help them demystify the process and develop motivation and intuitions to find and pursue what they are most interested in. I’ve been impressed by their initiative, willingness to put themselves out there, surprising comfort with the unknown, and adaptability. These attitudes will undoubtedly serve them in the summers to come and years beyond as they move from high school to college to career. The students of UHS have always impressed me with the effort and energy they possess and continually pour into exploring and refining the activities that give them their raison d’être, and I am excited to partner with them in order to support and further those passions and ambitions.

One of the great benefits of my job is that I get to live the adventures of not just one team, but of all the Red Devils who participate in University’s Athletic Program. And though every season is different, our teams consistently set goals that are not just about competitive objectives, but also team connectedness and fun. Our athletic achievements are built on the foundation of outstanding player experiences (positive, constructive, and memorable), and that’s something we take great pride in at UHS. My apologies for not being able to include all deserving Red Devil highlights from the past year on this list—the University Athletic Program has such a rich and powerful history, and the wonderful achievements and memories just keep on coming.

Girls’ Tennis was invited to an exciting new event this year: a two-day series of matches pitting the best teams from the Central Coast Section (CCS) against the best teams from our North Coast Section (NCS). The CCS is a powerhouse section, with great teams from the Peninsula, a hotbed of junior tennis talent, and they organized this event expecting to showcase their dominance. Our team drew large schools Mountain View, Salinas, and Cupertino, as well as Saint Francis (Watsonville). UHS not only won all of its matches (one of only five teams out of 40 to do so), but was key to the NCS pulling out an upset 42–38 victory.

The Boys’ Lacrosse program, which won eight consecutive championship titles in the first eight years of our league’s existence, had seen a dynamic Marin Academy program not just catch up—but surpass— the Red Devils by winning league titles in both 2012 and 2013. So when MA easily won our first match-up last spring 16–6, hopes were not high for Big Red under first-year Coach Scott Tompkins. But the team never lost their focus and played their best game in recent memory at last spring’s league championships, taking a 9–4 victory to share first place and earn a co-league title with their MA rivals.

Girls’ Lacrosse has experienced a dramatic surge in popularity in the past few years, with nearly 30 girls now playing in the program. These numbers have enabled the formation of a JV team, providing much better structure for team development. And as the program has grown, the varsity team has excelled, posting a 33–12 record, including an NCS semifinal and final finish last spring. The team also routinely sends players on to college programs, as the boys’ program has done for years.

Boys’ Soccer has long been a powerhouse program, first under the long-time leadership of legendary Coach Rusty Taylor, and now under 11th-year Head Coach Deejae Johnson. The team had perhaps one of its greatest victories with a massive upset in 2013 to win the NCS title over a heavily favored Marin Academy team. This past year, the team had another excellent season, posting a 16–5–4 record, making it to the NCS title game and earning the Nº 2 ranking in NCS (schools of all sizes), Nº 10 in California (155 schools), and Nº 120 nationally (5,100 schools playing fall soccer). The beat goes on!

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

red devil rally co n t i n u e d ...

The Varsity Badminton program here has always had a unique flavor. Most players are new to the sport before arriving at UHS, and many might never have entered the world of high school athletics had this program not been so welcoming. Yet, the coaches—Victor Leung (12th season) and Whitney Baron ’00 (fourth season)—quickly get the players into serious, competitive development mode. This past year, the Section divided all badminton schools into two size classifications. We fell into the smaller division with 25 other schools under 1,400 students. Entering the Section championship, there were several schools favored to win—and we were not one of them. But our coaches concentrated our players into the doubles divisions where three teams made the finals and another took the back-draw title. This creative strategy earned the Devils just enough points to squeeze Kennedy-Fremont 44–41 and take the first-ever NCS title for the UHS Badminton Program.

the boys to eight consecutive regular season and/or playoff titles, and second-year Varsity Girls’ Head Coach Mary Hile-Nepfel (a USF Hall of Fame player herself) has led the girls to one of their strongest seasons ever. *** Right before we went to print, the Boys’ Varsity Basketball team won the NorCal Championship, before losing to Sierra Canyon for the state title. Congratulations on an outstanding season!

UHS students have always had multiple talents and no shortage of great ways to spend their time outside the school day. It follows, then, that one of the most important indicators of the strength of the Red Devil Athletic Program is participation numbers—if our program meets player experience objectives, then we should see healthy team rosters. About five years ago, we set an all-time participation record for the fall, with 155 students on our fall teams. Since then, that number has increased every

year and this past fall, we again raised the bar with 177 students in our fall programs. By team, the counts were—Boys’ Soccer: 54, Cross Country: 42, Field Hockey: 38, Volleyball: 22, and Girls’ Tennis: 21—a great sign of athletic program health!

The cornerstone of the Red Devil Athletic Program is providing a positive experience to each and every student-athlete who chooses to participate. We value coaches who build kids up and teams that have both a seriousness of purpose and a hearty capacity for fun. We survey all players post-season, and one of the questions we ask is whether the experience was positive or not. In the past year, 16 of 25 teams had 100% of their players report that they’d had a positive experience, and overall, 88% of our student-athletes stated they’d enjoyed a positive team experience. These are outstanding numbers and a tribute to the wonderful coaches who create such a great environment for our student-athletes.

This past fall, the UHS Girls’ Volleyball Program had perhaps the strongest team in our school’s history. The team posted a 33–5 record and lost to Branson, the Nº 9-ranked team in the state (schools of all sizes) in the North Coast Section finals. The Devils ended up ranked Nº 6 in NCS (142 schools of all sizes), ranked Nº 45 in the state (1,324 schools) and, Nº 261 in the country (over 14,000 schools)—not bad for a small school with only 400 kids! The team has two D-I recruits and another D-III recruit this year, making it likely the most talented in school history. To call it the best of all time is difficult since the 2003 team won our only California State Volleyball title— but it does make for an interesting debate.

As this article goes to press, the Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball teams are enjoying what is likely to go down as their strongest combined season in school history. Both teams are seeded Nº 2 in the Section Championships and are about to enter the tournament semifinals. The boys and girls have also both qualified for the state tournament—an outstanding achievement that has happened fewer than five times in school history. And both teams can also claim excellent computer rankings—the boys are Nº 22 in NCS, only second to the 2010 –11 team that was ranked Nº 21; the girls are ranked Nº 28 in NCS, by far their highest ranking ever. Tenth-year Head Coach Randy Bessolo has previously taken

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

We lost a truly exceptional member of our community last spring when Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Jim Tracy succumbed to ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), passing away peacefully in his sleep. Coach Tracy was active with our kids up until a week before his death, mentioning to me once that he was sorry he couldn’t spend more time with the team, but that he was just feeling tired. Last June, we had a wonderful memorial service in the packed UHS Theater to honor Jim and announced the Jim Tracy Coaching Award, the first annual athletic award that will recognize one of our outstanding UHS coaches. Coach Tracy’s four-year battle with his disease was made more bearable in large part because of the incredible support of the UHS community, which provided him with a place to live and let him know just how much he had meant to countless UHS runners and athletes through his unique brand of tough-love coaching. I’ve never seen UHS better than I did as I witnessed the countless acts of kindness shown to Coach Tracy throughout the years—and he was blown away by the realization that his work here was truly appreciated. UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Spotlight On: Decorator Showcase

Spotlight On: Fundraising at UHS

The Heart of Presidio Heights We are delighted to announce the 2015 Decorator Showcase, which will run from April 25–May 25 at 3630 Jackson Street, a stunning home nestled in the heart of the Presidio Heights neighborhood. This Elizabethan-style home is a prime example of architect Julia Morgan’s residential work, blending an engineer’s skill with a creative eye. Completed in 1917 for the Rosenberg Family, the concrete structure is timbered with redwood and approached from a graceful side entrance set well back from the street. The three-story, 9,758 square foot residence sits on a 10,145 square foot lot, overlooking the forested expanse of the Presidio and San Francisco Bay.

NASIF ISKANDER

At 3630 Jackson, a stepped brick path leads visitors to an arched Tudor entrance with clustered stone pilasters; a second level, L-shaped façade shelters the doorway, with an overhanging bay that wraps around the second story. The bay features latticed win-

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

DEBBIE GELLER REYNOLDS ’84

OSCAR FLORES ’89

CONNIE LIU ’09

MIKE HOUSE

Our community gives to the Annual Fund for so many important and inspiring reasons…

NASIF ISKANDER DEAN OF FACULTY

“Over my 21 years at University High School, one of the things I have valued the most is the degree of care, kindness, and selflessness that I have seen in every classroom and every public space; this truly is a very special community. But what is not always obvious is how much we rely on the purely private acts of generosity and care that take place behind the scenes and that profoundly influence what we are able to do. The Annual Fund is a vital part of building and sustaining the community we take such pride in.”

Artwork by Clay Seibert.

VISITING SHOWCASE

HISTORY OF THE HOUSE Renowned architect Julia Morgan designed 3630 Jackson Street for Abraham Rosenberg, the “Dried Fruit King,” and his wife Alice in the early twentieth century. The first female student to be accepted to—and graduate from—L’École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Morgan was conversant in numerous architectural styles, from Tudor to Arts and Crafts to Spanish Colonial. Barely five feet tall, she routinely scaled scaffolding at building sites and enjoyed a career that spanned nearly 55 years and the completion of well over 700 buildings. Among her most notable works were St. John’s Presbyterian Church (now the Julia Morgan Theatre), San Francisco University High School (formerly the Katherine Delmar Burke School), the Berkeley City Club, and the legendary Hearst Castle.

Why Your Gift Matters

dows set behind paired Ionic pilasters and framed by arches that repeat the line of the doorway. A high-peaked, gabled roof faces the street, with a five-light, lead-latticed bay below it. Beginning in the spacious reception hall, with its grand balustrade staircase and gumwood paneling and beams, the light-filled home reflects Morgan’s emphasis on interplay between exterior and interior spaces. The sightline to the right passes through the dining room to what was originally a small garden and is now an enclosed patio; to the left, the immense formal living room beckons, with a wall of bay windows looking out on the rear garden and the Presidio. On the second floor, the wooden arch framing the office, with its simple scrollwork, repeats the shapes of arches and Ionic columns above the front entrance. Three of the four spacious rooms feature balconies with views of the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge—an ideal San Francisco backdrop.

DATES:

April 25–May 25 HOURS:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.* Friday: 10:00 a.m–7:00 p.m.* ◆

DEBBIE GELLER REYNOLDS ’84 PARENT OF ZACH ’13

Sunday and Memorial Day: 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.* Closed on Mondays, except for Memorial Day

“The Annual Fund bridges the gap between the actual cost of educating a student and the tuition itself. I give to the Annual Fund not only to bridge this critical gap, but because I believe in the mission of UHS. I support the leadership of UHS and want UHS to continue to attract the best possible teachers and administrators to educate and support the students.”

* Last entry

◆ Please check www.decoratorshowcase.org for information on special events planned for Friday Nights at Showcase! TICKETS:

Available at the door or online at: www.decoratorshowcase.org. We accept payment via cash, check, VISA, or Mastercard. $35 general admission; $30 for seniors (60 and over).

OSCAR FLORES ’89 PARENT OF BRENDA ’13 SUMMERBRIDGE ANNUAL FUND CO-CHAIR

BOOKINGS:

For group bookings of 10 or more, please contact Thelma Garza at (415) 447.3115 or thelma.garza@sfuhs.org. INFORMATION:

(415) 447.5830 | www.decoratorshowcase.org

“Your support of Summerbridge helps to bridge the educational gap that exists in our community and helps to develop future leaders and educators who otherwise would not have these opportunities. You can make an impact today that will last for generations!”

CONNIE LIU ’09 “UHS played an irreplaceable role in shaping me into who I am today, and I remain forever grateful for that. I truly believe that without UHS I would have never gone on to college, let alone attend Yale. Neither of my parents went to college, and I grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in San Francisco, so going to college really did feel impossible. But UHS made it possible. UHS will always have a special place in my heart, and I will always want to contribute to UHS in any way I can.”

MIKE HOUSE PARENT OF MADDIE ’18 “One of the reasons our daughter loves UHS is because of its incredibly diverse community. This diversity brings an intangible quality to the UHS experience that is immeasurable and invaluable. Participating in the Annual Fund, whatever the size of the contribution, shows support for University’s core value of embracing students from all different backgrounds and honors the privilege of a robust learning environment.”

There are a few volunteers who have gone above and beyond in championing the Annual Fund; we would like to thank: THE 2014–15 ANNUAL FUND CO-CHAIRS:

»» Clay Corbus (Josiah ’14 and Ellie ’16) and Carolyn Langelier (Jackie ’12 and Katie ’16) THE SUMMERBRIDGE ANNUAL FUND CO-CHAIRS:

»» Oscar ’89 and Susana Flores (Brenda ’13) THE ANNUAL FUND ALUMNI CO-CHAIRS:

»» Cecily Burrill ’00 and Clayton Timbrell ’00 THE 2014–15 ANNUAL FUND ALUMNI PARENT CO-CHAIRS:

»» Lynn (also a former trustee!) and Peter Wendell (Chris ’99, Brian ’01, Jenny ’03, Carolyn ’04, Patrick ’07, and Emily ’08) And YOU, the alumni, parents, former parents, grandparents, and friends of UHS who have already contributed so generously to this year’s Annual Fund! We hope that if you have not already shown your support with a gift of any amount to the UHS Annual Fund, you will consider doing so today by: USING THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED

LOGGING ONTO OUR UHS GIVING PAGE: WWW.SFUHS.ORG/GIVING

CALLING KATE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AT (415) 447.3117

And remember—your participation is the true gift!

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Community Milestones

Spring 2015

Alumni Association News BY HOLLY JOHNSON ’82, DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Each spring, we honor and celebrate those members of the faculty and staff who have reached special milestones in their careers at UHS. The Journal would like to take this opportunity to recognize the following people for their dedication to our school.

years

UHS alums have continued to connect this year, both locally in the Bay Area and around the country! Alumni took over Trés Restaurant’s Tequila Plaza for the second year in a row this past December as we celebrated our annual Alumni Holiday Reunion. Around 150 alumni enjoyed dinner, drinks, as well as the company of old friends and beloved faculty. In February, our Boston-based alums had a chance to come together and share some laughs and memories with old classmates, Head of School Julia Russell Eells, Director of Development Shaundra Bason, and Director of Alumni Relations Holly Johnson ’82, along with other UHS administrators who were in the city.

Diane Schroeder Athletics

Additionally, we added a special alumni seminar given by a UHS parent (Professor Robert Sapolsky) to the mix of teacher-led seminars this year and enjoyed a special cocktail party for alumni of the first ten classes. Later this spring, our Alumni Leadership Society-level donors (gifts of $750 or more) will be honored with a cocktail party hosted by both Julia and the Board of Trustees.

years

Bruce Lamott Arts

Jim Chestnut Business

Lloyd Connors Math

Sue Davenport Business

Kate Garrett Administration

Our Alumni Weekend, coming up on May 8–9, will cap off the year’s busy schedule of alumni activities and will include an important new tradition—the entire 25th reunion class will be invited to a dinner at the head of school’s house on Friday night, just after Alumni Night at Showcase. Please be sure to watch for news about the many events University will organize to celebrate its 40th Anniversary, from Fall 2015 though Spring 2016. Alumni art shows, performances, assembly presentations, and classroom visits will be among the highlights of this milestone year.

ALUMNI WEEKEND SCHEDULE

For those who need a refresher, please make a note of all the great events taking place during this year’s busy Alumni Weekend:

years

ALUMNI NIGHT AT SHOWCASE

Friday, May 8, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. at 3630 Jackson Street Beginning at 4:00 p.m., alumni can purchase discounted tickets at the door to tour the Showcase house in the company of other alums and enjoy the “Friday Nights at Showcase” hospitality with a complimentary glass of wine.

Jenifer Kent Arts

Carolyn McNulty History

Jon Reider College Counseling

25TH CLASS REUNION DINNER

Friday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Head’s House (3954 Washington Street)

years

ALUMNI BASEBALL VS. UHS VARSITY

Saturday, May 9 at 10:00 a.m. at Paul Goode Field

MILESTONE REUNION PARTY AT UHS (CLASSES ENDING IN ’0 AND ’5)

Saturday, May 9, from 6:00–9:00 p.m. at the UHS campus

top: UHS faculty and staff reunited with alumni in Boston this past February. (l – r) Zach Hall ’14, Josiah Corbus ’14, Head of School Julia Russell Eells, and Sarah Grandin ’06.

Kim Mallory Business UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Barbara Smith English

Ginger Jackson-Gleich ’03 Human Development

Haleh Partovi Math

See www.sfuhs.org/reunions for details and to RSVP.

bottom: Dean of Faculty and Physics Instructor Nasif Iskander reunited with his alumni advisees. (l – r) Declan Conroy ’09, Jacob Rosenberg-Wohl ’11, Katie Ketcham ’09, Andrew Williams ’00, and Nasif Iskander.

Kim Zimmer Shaver Science 22

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Spring 2015

UHS Class Notes 1979

Lisa Basayne Francesca recently wrote a guide for people asked to officiate at weddings, The Wedding Officiant’s Guide, which was published by Chronicle Books In December 2014. The book is based on her own experience officiating weddings and other life ceremonies throughout the past 12 years. Marc Zegans released a new poetry collection, The Underwater Typewriter, which he launched with a reading at Nomadic Press in Oakland in January.

1980 It’s your 35th reunion on May 9! If you haven’t received an invitation in the mail, please contact the Alumni Office at (415) 447.3116 or visit www.sfuhs.org/reunions for more info.

Leah Jewett Royall writes: “After living in Paris for some seven years, I’ve been deputy chief sub-editor on the Observer Magazine in London for twice that time. I’ve got a quintessentially English surname—Royall—and a very British son called Copeland (13) and a daughter, Dare (9). No, I don’t write, but I do make other people’s words read well.”

1981

Nina Kent Young writes: “My husband Adrian and I are extremely happy raising our two kids (Mason, 12, and Magnolia, 3) in Southern California. We still visit SF about six times a year. Maybe there is a move north in our future?”

1982

Seth Farber writes: “Pam and I have three kids in college at the moment. Allie is a senior at Wellesley and will be working in the executive training program at Bloomingdale’s after graduation. Andrew is a junior and Michael is a freshman, both at Harvard. Meanwhile, we have one left at home: Matthew, who is a junior at Rye Country Day School.”

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

Renee Goddard is in the last year of her term as an elected member of the Fairfax Town Council in Marin County. Gabriele Kenaston, whose daughter, Estella Bond ’18, is a ninth-grader at UHS, is also newly wed to Til Schuermann ’83! Congratulations to you both! By our count there are currently 19 married couples amongst our UHS alumni. Heather Noyes McKinsey, her husband Andy, and sons Chris (16) and Austin (20) are enjoying living in San Francisco again.

1984

Steven Kubick writes: “Still enjoying Santa Monica. Kevin and I are celebrating our 21st anniversary of domestic partnership in February. Motion Picture Health tried to a make us get married, but we chose not to do it. We would like to get married one day, just not under duress. And in grand fashion!”

1. Heather Noyes McKinsey ’82 with her family. 2. The Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, where Tanya Malott photographed Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.; her portrait is now housed at the Center.

Another photographer in the class, Colleen Mullins, had her work featured in the New York Times Lens Blog on February 9. Colleen began her photography series, “Elysium,” to understand how Hurricane Katrina changed the ecosystem, especially the area’s tree canopy, and how some organizations are trying to ameliorate the situation by planting a new generation of trees to replace what the storm destroyed. Colleen recently moved back to San Francisco from Minneapolis, but she spends a lot of time in New Orleans.

Deke Sharon conducted and hosted Total Vocal, a celebration of contemporary a cappella music featuring arrangements from the movie Pitch Perfect, television series The Sing-Off, and the American pop lexicon at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium in March.

Karen Neustein Gould reports that her son, Michael Mendelsohn ’15, is a senior at UHS and is the president of the Fantasy Sports Club and captain of the UHS Golf Team.

1986

It’s your 30th reunion on May 9! If you haven’t received an invitation in the mail, please contact the Alumni Office at (415) 447.3116 or visit www.sfuhs.org/reunions for more info.

Laura Wise writes that she lives in Berkeley with her husband, Josh, and their two children (Anna, 12, and Jonah, 8). She works at a country clinic in Hayward as a family physician, seeing patients one-on-one and in group medical visits, both in Spanish and English.

Celebrate this UHS connection to the Nobel Peace Prize: our amazingly talented Tanya Malott took the official portrait of Malala Yousafzai, and it now has a home at the Nobel Center in Oslo! Congrats to Tanya for her beautiful work and for supporting peace! Tanya is an official photographer for The Malala Fund, a nonprofit organization for education advocacy founded by Malala, her father, and a Pakistani activist.

1985

These class notes include information submitted through February 15, 2015. Please submit your news by email to uhsalumni@sfuhs.org or by mail. Photographs are welcome and will be returned upon request. Digital images should be unedited and high resolution for printing. Remember that the Alumni Office is here to help you network with other alumni and connect with old friends. The password-protected online directory can be reached by logging in at www.sfuhs. org/alumni (click on the “Log In” button at the top of the page). Thank you for keeping in touch!

3. Tanya Malott ’84 is an official photographer for The Malala Fund.

Joshua Habermann writes that his family welcomed a second child, a baby boy named Kai, in September 2014. He also enjoyed giving a talk with Deke Sharon at the Chorus America conference.

4. Anne Tolpegin ’88 poses with her costume on the set of Kinky Boots. 5. Marianna Stark ’89 and husband Sam Perry recently celebrated their daughter Tay’s first birthday. 6. Peter Hammerman ’95 at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he works.

Peter Landers and his family have moved to Tokyo, where he is the bureau chief at the Wall Street Journal.

1988

More than 50 UHS'ers and friends enjoyed seeing Anne Tolpegin perform in Kinky Boots at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco last December. Anne was terrific, and we were so proud! Loved her shout-out to UHS and her teachers in the playbill!

1989

Marianna Stark and her husband, Sam Perry, will celebrate their daughter Tay's first birthday on June 22, with a traditional Hawaiian baby luau in their Oakland backyard (Sam grew up in Kailua, HI). Tay has been with Marianna and Sam since the day 24

she was born, and her adoption was finalized in January. She's named after Sam's dad and the River Tay in Scotland. Samantha Bley DeJean held a beautiful baby shower last September in Tay's honor, with many ’89 alums on-hand, including Syida Long, Jennifer Bunshoft Pergher, Jennifer Weiss, Vendela Vida, Stephanie Lorda Terry, and Miller McCord, plus Benicia Gantner ’88, Natasha Boas ’82, Godmother Claire Myers ’86, Aunt Franny Stark ’93, Bella Shen Garnett ’93, and Lisa Congdon ’93. Maury Sterling writes that James Pogrel was a groomsman when he married Alexis Boozer in 2014. Maury lives in Los Angeles and continues to work as an actor.

1990 It’s your 25th reunion on May 9! If you haven’t received an invitation in the mail, please contact the Alumni Office at (415) 447.3116 or visit www.sfuhs.org/reunions for more info.

Sarah Bacon and two business partners were nearly set to open Nourish Café in San Francisco’s Richmond District when we went to print.

Kool-Aid Acid Test #17. We are looking forward to more opportunities to hear Silvie now that she's coming back home!

The Los Angeles Times profiled Blake Robin, aka Luxxury, in a December 14, 2014, story. In it, Blake was described as a: “producer and songwriter whose accomplishments include writing songs for film and TV commercials, performing at San Francisco's Treasure Island music festival, and DJing at silent discos (dancers wear headphones) in Santa Monica.”

1995

1994

Mezzo Soprano Silvie Jensen is moving back to the Bay Area from New York this spring, and sent word of several shows she had confirmed in Chicago and San Francisco, including performing in the SF Symphony’s new venue, Soundbox, where she will sing Nicole Lizée’s new piece,

It’s your 20th reunion on May 9! If you haven’t received an invitation in the mail, please contact the Alumni Office at (415) 447.3116 or visit www.sfuhs.org/reunions for more info.

Jeff Fleishhacker and his wife Jenny welcomed their second child, Sam, into the world this past October. Along with 4-year-old Lucy, they continue to live in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. We had a great visit recently with Peter Hammerman at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where he runs a lab studying cancers of the lungs, head, and neck. He is interested in why many treatments eventually fail as patients become resistant to the drugs. Peter also treats lung cancer patients and teaches graduate students. UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

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He invites UHS students and alumni looking for lab experience to contact him.

1996

Alice Hartley writes: “I’ve moved back to the Bay Area and work for Gap, Inc. in sustainability. Happy to be back in California!”

1997 4

Congratulations to Sekou Banks, who recently published a children’s book. Violet's Nursery tells the story of protagonist Maya’s visit to see her grandfather on the occasion of his 70th birthday, joining a huge gathering of family and friends. In the story, Maya relishes the special time she has with her grandfather while learning that family can extend to community and is made up of many interesting characters. The book is available on Amazon.com in paperback and as an e-book edition on Kindle and on Kobo e-book readers.

1. Sekou Banks ’97 recently published a children’s book, Violet’s Nursery. 2. The cover art for Sekou Banks ’97’s children’s book, Violet’s Nursery. 3. Whitney Baron ’00 and Valerie Moy ’01 have a laugh with other UHS alums at their October 25 wedding. Congratulations! 4. Jessica Pettus ’00 and her fiancé Greg recently welcomed a new puppy to their home.

Robert Reffkin made Forbes Magazine’s list of “40 Under 40” last fall due to the success of his real estate start-up, Urban Compass.

5. The cover of Anthony Cheung ’00’s new classical album, Roundabouts.

1999

6. Hillary Shayne Adler ’02’s daughter, Vivienne Elayne, was born in December. 5

Maggie Ford Danielson was featured in a February SF Chronicle article about the design of Benefit Cosmetics’ offices in San Francisco. Maggie is a global beauty expert at Benefit, which was created by her mother and aunt.

7. Maddie Cichy ’06’s artwork was recently exhibited at 18 Reasons in San Francisco.

8. The members of O Presidente (including Tobias Butler ’09, Swen Hendrickson ’08, Thomas Yopes ’09, and Andrew Zingg ’08) recently released their new album, Crazy Swells.

Erik Sparks and his wife, Teresa, welcomed baby boy Everett Soren on January 30, 2015. Everett joins big sister Annika Elise, who is two-and-a-half. Erik and Teresa moved back to the Bay Area two years ago and Erik works at Goldman Sachs, where he sits next to Alyssa Chong ’06, who is also an associate there.

9. Molly Bondy ’10 has been serving as a docent at Ai Weiwei’s @ Large exhibition on Alcatraz Island.

2000

It’s your 15th reunion on May 9! If you haven’t received an invitation in the mail, please contact the Alumni Office at (415) 447.3116 or visit www.sfuhs.org/reunions for more info.

Anthony Cheung’s new CD got a great write-up in the pink book of the SF Chronicle in January: “Local music lovers who remember Anthony Cheung from his teenage years as the prodigious pianist and budding composer of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra will be gratified and unsurprised by the splendor of the five pieces on this jam-packed new disc by the Ensemble Modern. These are gritty, inventive, and wonderfully assured works that

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

blend American wit and sentiment with the fearless abrasiveness of European modernism—a combination that meshes more smoothly than you might imagine. ‘Fog Mobiles’ for horn and orchestra, for instance, is a Bay Area memory piece channeled through a rigorous, hard-scrubbed approach to instrumental timbre, and the title work—an expansive and endlessly surprising piano solo superbly played by Ueli Wiget—offers a range of rhythmic and textural strategies. But the most fascinating piece here is ‘Hyperbaton,’ which explodes into being and then patiently and quite movingly works through the implications of its own birth.” Whitney Baron and Valerie Moy ’01 were married on October 25, 2014 (16 years to the day from their first date as UHS students). Present were classmates Cecily Burrill, Evan Hulka, Jesse Rosbrow, Jason Angel, and Aaron Fung. Jessica Pettus writes that she recently moved from San Francisco to Orange County, CA, so fiancé Greg Vose could begin a PhD program in Vegetation Ecology at UC Irvine. She and Greg got engaged in July of 2014 after nine years of dating and are planning a September wedding in Bolinas, CA, by which time they'll be celebrating a decade together. UHS classmates Lindsey (Moses) Sikes and Amelia Holmes will be bridesmaids. Jessica and Greg also recently adopted a puppy and are loving their new lives as dog parents. Jessica continues to work for Oracle, where she is the senior manager of content strategy for their marketing events team.

2002

Anna Krasno writes: “I completed my doctorate in counseling, clinical, and school psychology in June 2014. I’m currently working as a registered psychologist at a nonprofit mental health agency in Santa Barbara. I conduct therapy and assessments with children and teens who have been abused, witnessed domestic violence, or who are in foster care.”

Vivienne Elayne Adler was born to Hillary Shayne Adler and Michael on December 6, 2014, in Seattle. Congratulations!

2003

Dustina Sherbine (Wessman-Smerdon) presented “The Closeness of the Walls,” a photography series she completed while studying at the International Center for Photography in 2012 in University’s Jackson Street Gallery, beginning in February.

2004

Colin Feuille received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York in May 2014. He remains at Mount Sinai for residency training in Internal Medicine.

Anna Levin, her husband, and their twoyear-old daughter live in Baltimore. Anna is an attorney in the legal department of Sinai Hospital and her husband is finishing an ophthalmology residency.

2005 It’s your 10th reunion on May 9! If you haven’t received an invitation in the mail, please contact the Alumni Office at (415) 447.3116 or visit www.sfuhs.org/reunions for more info.

Chris Crawford was featured in CNN’s Smart Business for his music publishing rights business, Loudr, which CNN deemed to be “pitch perfect.” George Watsky and Hollis Wong-Wear both had shows in San Francisco in November. Additionally, Hollis was named one of the “Notable Asian American Entertainers” in 2014 by the Center for Asian American Media. They wrote: “In Seattle, Hollis Wong-Wear was neck-deep in the local poetry slam scene and was a prominent up-and-coming performer. Still keeping her poetic grounding, Hollis opened the door to the music world, where she became a singer-songwriter. Through the network of Seattle musicians she eventually met Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and collaborated with them on their single ‘White Walls.’ She teamed up with them again on The Heist, which earned her a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year in 2014. She jams with her band, The Flavr Blue.”

2006

Maddie Cichy exhibited her paintings at 18 Reasons, BiRite's nonprofit community space, last winter. Christina Hagner moved back from New York to attend business school at Stanford. She reports that there are five UHS’ers in her class.

2007

Lexie Perloff-Giles’s family wrote in that she is a first-year law student at Yale Law School and was organizing a major conference on art law in February.

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2008

Thomas Kwok graduated from Caltech last spring with three athletic awards to his name. He played both varsity soccer (four years) and baseball (two years). He won the Director’s Award, which recognizes outstanding contribution in intercollegiate athletics during a student’s entire Caltech athletics career in terms of both athletic performance and intangibles; the Brine Award, decided by the nine league soccer coaches for sportsmanship, community service, and academic success; and Male Sportsman of the Year, voted on by all the participants in the Cal Tech Athletic Program. Thomas spent two years in Malaysia before heading off to Caltech.

Andrew Zingg and Swen Hendrickson, along with their O Presidente bandmates Tobias Butler ’09 and Thomas Yopes ’09, released their new album, Crazy Swells, in January. Andrew then moved back to Brazil, where he will continue his research on photography and Brazilian popular culture in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

2010 It’s been five years already, and we’re looking forward to your first class reunion on May 9. If you haven’t received an invitation in the mail, please contact the Alumni Office at (415) 447.3116 or visit www.sfuhs.org/ reunions for more info. 4

Molly Bondy has been a docent for the Ai Weiwei exhibit, @Large, which opened on Alcatraz last fall. Alumni Director Holly Johnson was happy to run into her while visiting the exhibit!

2011

Nick Perloff-Giles is still hugely active as the electronic music producer FLAXO, all while finishing his junior year at Columbia University, according to his folks.

Ways of Giving to UHS

Sonya Shadan has teamed up with current UHS students for a music education nonprofit. Lessons for Life pairs volunteers with students at De Marillac Academy for music lessons. Alumni can support the project as well; check out www.learnalifelesson.org.

2012

Duncan Hosie was chosen by Business Insider magazine as one of the most impressive students at Princeton University back in November.

GIFTS OF CASH

2013

Cash gifts of any amount to UHS provide resources for immediate use towards the school’s many programs. Checks should be made payable to San Francisco University High School. The school also accepts payments by Visa or MasterCard. Gifts may be made securely online by visiting the school’s web page www.sfuhs.org/giving.

Ellen Chilemba, who spent a gap year at UHS before attending Mount Holyoke College, was recently featured in Forbes for the inspiring work she's done on behalf of Tiwale, the microfinance loan program she founded in her home country of Malawi.

Faculty and Staff

2. Alums catch up at the recent alumni reunion in Boston, MA. 3. Duncan Hosie ’12 was recently featured in Business Insider. 4. Former UHS Soccer Coach Rusty Taylor with UHS faculty and alumni after being honored by the Soccer Old Timers Organization’s Hall of Fame.

UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL SPRING 2015

RESTRICTED AND UNRESTRICTED GIFTS Donors may designate their gifts unrestricted, giving UHS the flexibility to allocate the funds where they are most needed or they may designate their gift to a restricted fund.

MATCHING GIFTS Many businesses and corporations match their employees’ personal gifts to educational institutions. Contact your company’s human resources office for more information.

HONOR AND MEMORIAL We invite you to make a donation in honor or in memory of an alumni, faculty or staff member, parent, trustee, or friend of the school.

Former Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Soccer Coach Rusty Taylor was feted at a dinner last fall when he was inducted into the Soccer Old Timers Organization’s Hall of Fame. Many UHS alums and former colleagues attended.

Aron Canter has been acting in many plays and workshops around New York City.

1. UHS friends from the Class of 2009 gathered at Sonsie’s on Newbury Street at the Boston alumni reunion in February.

San Francisco University High School welcomes many forms of charitable contributions, offering varying tax benefits. Gifts to UHS may be tailored to fit the donor’s interests and tax situation.

In Memoriam We acknowledge the loss of the following members and friends of the UHS community and extend our deepest sympathy to their families and friends. Mark Gorney, father of Doug Gorney ’79, November 17, 2014.

SECURITIES

LIFE INSURANCE

Many donors may realize substantial tax advantages by transferring sizable gifts of appreciated stock to UHS. Capital gains on the amount of appreciation are avoided, and the donor receives a tax deduction for the stock’s full market value at the time of transfer. Please contact the Development Office for complete instructions.

A gift of life insurance can take the form of a new life insurance policy, an existing policy that is paid up, or an existing policy on which premiums are payable. All options can result in tax savings.

DEFERRED GIFTS AND BEQUESTS Many donors can make a more substantial gift to UHS through deferred giving than through an outright contribution. Usually, deferred gifts take the form of charitable remainder trusts that generate income paid to the donor during his or her lifetime, with the principal going to the school after the donor’s death. Donors receive tax benefits, including the ability to diversify assets without the payment of capital gains taxes, and an income tax deduction for the value of the school’s interest, thereby enhancing their own financial situation while making a lasting contribution to the school.

GIFTS OF PROPERTY The gift of a home, building, or land may be advantageous to a donor. Under certain circumstances, arrangements for continued occupancy by the donor for a specified period of time can be made. Tangible personal property may offer the donor an immediate tax deduction. Tax benefits vary and are determined by whether or not the gift is related to the educational purposes of the school.

Bequests, large and small, offer a significant source of support to UHS. Such a bequest, which names UHS as the recipient of all or a portion of a donor’s estate, not only helps the school, but can also reduce the donor’s federal estate taxes.

Jon Mitchell ’83, brother of Lincoln Mitchell ’85, October 10, 2014. Ann Wharton, mother of Carla Fracchia ’81, December 28, 2014. Obituaries in this issue include notices received in the Alumni Office by February 22, 2015. Please let us know if you would like a relative to be remembered in an upcoming issue of the UHS Journal.

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Parents of Alumni, If your son/daughter no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Alumni Office of his/her new mailing address at (415) 447.3116 or UHSalumni@sfuhs.org.

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