Fall 2013
IN THIS ISSUE The Second Year A New Gym for Goshen Graduation 2013 Alumni Profile: Hannah Wells ‘06
By Alexandra S. Thurstone G ’80, ’84, Head of School
Our overall enrollment is up from 445 on the start of school in 2012-13 to 470 on the start of school this year, for an overall increase of 6% Wyvern Report
year As I write this article, we have begun the second year of being one St. Francis School. When I think back on last year, it is astounding to me how much we accomplished. I’d like to share just a few of our major accomplishments with you now: we merged the school bylaws and successfully merged the Boards; merged our staff and student handbooks – a gargantuan task; created a new mission statement; created a new vision statement; conducted a massive survey of all our constituents that got an amazing 800+ responses and led to the creation of a new advertising and marketing campaign that really captures our essence; adopted a mascot (the Wyvern) and new colors (red and blue); made a decision on the future location of our campuses – High School staying Downtown, JK-8 staying in Goshen, and PS moving to Goshen beginning 2014-15; successfully completed our two-campus master facilities plan; painted and carpeted the whole Goshen Campus; took down the garage on the Downtown Campus and created a beautiful new parking lot for our community; broke ground on the long-promised Goshen gym (scheduled completion in spring 2014); added 24 students (5% increase) during the 12-13 school year; started Chinese in the Middle School and music at the High School; secured a teacher from China through the College Board for the Middle School in 2013-14; founded the Learning Resource Center on the Goshen Campus in partnership with the Lansford Learning Acceleration Center, offering remediation in reading and math, academic support, occupational therapy, speech therapy, tutoring, and organizational support; held our first threecampus field day; brought High School home games for our field sports to the Goshen Campus; added the ability for 7/8 students to play varsity sports; had our first Gates Millennium Scholar and outstanding college admissions once again (Harvard, Columbia, Penn, as well as a wonderful diversity of liberal arts and large state universities and community colleges), as always focusing on the best fit for each student; successfully completed the five-week Annual Fund for parents, faculty/staff and Board, and achieved absolutely stellar participation results: met our goal of $320,000 and achieved 99% parent participation on the Downtown and Goshen Campuses, whereas the national average is about 60%; and, most importantly, continued to deliver on our mission and provide the best possible educational experience for every one of our students! The great news is that the momentum continues this year at St. Francis. Our overall enrollment is up from 445 on the start of school in 2012-13 to 470 on the start of school this year, for an overall increase of 6%. On the Preschool Campus, we opened with 73 students, which is just shy of last year’s opening enrollment of 75. However, this year, the Junior
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Kindergarten moved back to Goshen, so this enrollment would have been higher than last year’s if JK were still at the Preschool. Plus, we have already added two students since the first day of school, with another soon to join us. Overall, we welcomed 35 new students to the Preschool this fall. Considering that we announced that the Preschool will move to the Goshen Campus in 2014-15, we are thrilled that we maintained our enrollment, and look forward to many of our Preschoolers moving with us to Goshen next year. On the Goshen Campus, we opened with 249 students, up 6% from 235 last year, and the largest Goshen Campus enrollment since 2008. In addition, we have already enrolled two new students on the Goshen Campus. There are a total of 40 new students on the Goshen Campus, with 26 new Lower School students and 14 new Middle School students. JK returned to Goshen this year with seven students. The grades with the most new students include the 3rd grade with eight new students, making it the largest class on the Goshen Campus at 40 total, and the 6th grade, also with eight new students. Every grade on the Goshen Campus has at least one new student, with most having three or more new students. We are also very pleased that 14 of our JK or K students came from the SFS Preschool. The High School opened with 148 students, up 9% versus last year’s 135 students on opening day, and the largest opening-day enrollment in the High School’s 38-year history. We have already added two additional new students on the Downtown Campus. In addition, the freshman class is 38 students, which is also, to our knowledge, the largest freshman class in the High School’s history. With this enrollment, there are a total of 42 new St. Francis School students on the Downtown Campus, with 24 new freshmen (the remaining 14 came from the SFS 8th grade, comprising over half their class); 14 new 10th graders (bringing that grade to 43 students, and making it the largest class in the entire Preschool-12th grade school – and it is now up to 44 students); and four new 11th graders. We have continued our tradition of enriching our community with foreign exchange students. This year, we welcome a 10th grader from Spain and an 11th grader from Germany, as well as our returning two Chinese students, also in 10th and 11th grade. Some people have asked recently how large we intend to grow. This is a question the Board and administration have pondered. We believe that 300 is the appropriate maximum size for the JK-8 grades (the Goshen Campus enrollment has been larger than this in the past, but not with a Preschool on site), and 180 is the maximum for the High School (and would require finishing out two new classrooms on the third
floor to accomplish). Next year, we plan to decrease the size of the Preschool to 50 students, which is the maximum size that the space in Goshen will accommodate, and we expect the Preschool to be completely full going forward. All told, this would result, for now, in a maximum all-campus enrollment of 530 with the Preschool on the Goshen Campus. Our long-term plan is to build a new Primary/ Preschool wing that would allow a larger enrollment (numbers TBD) for the Preschool, in particular. With the growth we’ve been experiencing these last two years, we are well on our way to reaching these goals. This continues to be a very exciting time in the life of St. Francis School. Through our Master Facilities Plan and the Campaign that will make these dreams a reality, we will transform the future of our school. However, we will always maintain the unique environment that is St. Francis and stay true to our Mission: St. Francis cultivates a joyful, compassionate, intellectual community that celebrates individuality and inspires independent thinking for life.
message from chair of the board of trustees, Wes Johnson The Board of Trustees recently completed our annual Board Retreat, kicking off another year of working on strategy, budgets, fundraising, facilities, governance, and planning for the long-term success of the School. Our collaboration with the faculty and staff is especially gratifying – it is an honor to work with such dedicated, skilled, and passionate people. I want to share a special moment from the meeting. Alexandra has just begun her 11th year as Head of School, and the Board celebrated her 10th year as Head with a special gift. You can see the portrait (left) of Alexandra, commissioned by the Board and created by former artist-in-residence Matt Gatton, that celebrates Alexandra’s 10 years as Head. The piece is truly exceptional; Matt created the portrait from pieces of St. Francis bumper stickers, and it is amazing. I hope you agree it is a fitting gift to Alexandra from an appreciative Board.
3 www.StFrancisSchool.org
and coming to y
a new gym for th By Síofra Rucker G’84, Director of Advancement
Of course, our Goshen Campus already is about as green as it gets, sitting on 64 acres of Oldham County fields.
Baby Wyverns have arrived and are available at a Wyvern Store near you!
Our new Goshen gym will be more environmentally friendly than the one it replaces. The project is an adaptive reuse of the existing gymnasium, a reuse that will match the original building’s 13,700-square-foot footprint. We will keep the concrete pad and the steel framing, but as you can see, the look will be very different. In accord with our commitment to sustainability, construction of the new facility will incorporate the latest environmentallyresponsible practices, and the structure will feature the most efficient heating, cooling, and lighting systems available to us. This gym will allow our athletic teams to practice simultaneously side-byside and will offer a regulation playing court for home games. The Gym is an integral part of the Goshen Campus, as an impressive three-quarters of our Middle School students engage in interscholastic sports, and all JK-8 students take part in Physical Education in our Gym every year they attend the Goshen Campus.
Wyvern Report
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o you summer 2014?
the goshen campus!
from current parents, grandparents, alumni and friends of the School who want to help create this gorgeous gym. The most hands-on aspect of the fundraising will involve our current JK-8th grade students, who are also able to play a role.
Architect Doug Pierson, of (fer)Studio, has created a gorgeous, modern, energy-efficient gym with a nod to the archetypal red roofed horse barns of Oldham County. Among (fer)Studios’ completed renovations is the Green Building, an environmentally forward-thinking and LEED Platinum certified design located in the rejuvenated NuLu district in downtown Louisville. Alumni parent Tim Peters of Peters Construction, which also oversaw The Green Building construction, is our construction manager. Of course, all this has to be paid for. To that end, we are launching a $12-$14 million capital campaign that will run in stages during the next five years. Our Co-Chairs are alumni parent and current grandparent Dace Brown Stubbs, alumni parent Nina Bonnie, and current parent Ginny Frazier. This is the first phase of the campaign; and happily, the majority of major gifts to build the gym have been raised. The balance of gifts will be raised through this school year
Campaign Co-Chair Ginny Frazier is heading up the student phase of the campaign. Our strategy is to use philanthropy as a teaching tool within the curriculum. “We want every student to feel they have helped their School and they made it happen,” states Ginny. Our students are already active in Service Learning raising money for and helping other nonprofits; this phase will bring the focus to their own School. Each class will work with their teacher to pick a small item for the gym: Things like hula hoops, a soft serve ice cream machine for the concession stand, basketballs, etc. Taking hula hoops as an example, the children will work together to determine how many hula-hoops they’d need for themselves and the other children. Then they can figure out how much that will cost and how they can raise that money throughout the year. The children will do the work to raise the money via bake sales, etc. and then they will purchase the hula-hoops. At the end of the school year, the class will present the hula hoops to Alexandra, Reed, and Athletic Director Tony Butler and have a hula hoop party! Our goal is that our students experience the full circle of philanthropy. We hope you join the Board, Campaign Co-Chairs, Staff, Faculty, Parents, and Students who are working together to transform the Goshen Campus by making your gift too! Donations are accepted via the envelope enclosed in this magazine or via our website, www.StFrancisSchool.org/GivingBack.
5 www.StFrancisSchool.org
By Ginny Tyler Director of Alumni Relations
Hannah Wells ’06 Briefly describe your path after leaving St. Francis. After St. Francis, I went to Columbia University, where I majored in linguistics. I studied Hungarian, which led me to spend my junior year in the coolest city in Eastern Europe: Budapest. Back in New York during my senior year, I started an internship at a non-profit that focused on networking for senior women lawyers. I worked there full-time for several more months after graduation, and then I moved to Miami to spend some time with my family and my boyfriend before I left for the Peace Corps in Armenia the next summer. While I was in Armenia, I lived in Shvanidzor, a tiny village of about 400 people in the dry, dusty, isolated border region in the south of the country. My assignment was to teach English in the small village school, and I also worked to improve the English of the Armenian English teacher, who had had very limited English education during the Soviet era. In the afternoons, I ran a few different clubs where I incorporated American-style activities in order to get the kids to practice English and learn about other topics, which included dental hygiene, how to care for the environment, and democratic elections. After about two years in Armenia, I came back to Miami for the summer and started law school at NYU in August. Looking back at your time at St. Francis, what stands out? The teachers respect the students as independent thinkers, and this autonomy within the community is absolutely vital to being able to focus on intellectual pursuits, rather than on rebellion against arbitrary rules.
Hannah Wells ’06 recently returned to New York to attend New York University’s Law School after serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia for two years. She discusses life overseas and her decision to return to school. Top Photo: Hannah with her six-yearold neighbor, Sirahush, at a school picnic. Bottom Photo: Hannah’s neighbors in the village all grew and sold fruit, and they loved to give her figs, which were her favorite.
Wyvern Report
Do you recall a specific teacher or friend that influenced you in some way? So many teachers at St. Francis really helped shape who I have become: Sra. Katz, first of all, opened up the world of languages and linguistics to me, both in class and out. Ms. White taught me how to write, of course, but she also saw and acknowledged my teenage angst. Miron always had solid, practical advice, as long as you didn’t ask him about Iberian geography. Cipinko, History, prepared me to think like a college student. Mrs. Crutcher, Theatre, let me express myself. And Mr. Rost, Math, showed me that humans are capable of drawing perfect circles freehand. How was St. Francis a factor in determining your path? I learned that I wanted to be an artist as a student at St. Francis and was encouraged to pursue that. I keep in touch with Ann Stewart Anderson and Madison to this day. What advice would you give to St. Francis students? Enjoy where you are, but don’t be afraid to go after new experiences, as well.
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faculty edition Every so often one of our alums comes back to the school for more than a visit. With 9 alumni working on the Goshen and Downtown campuses, that list continues to grow. Below is a brief profile on our two newest hires. Trent Apple ’92 was hired in the history department to guide the sophomores through Culture & Civilization of the Medieval World. Lizzy Denny G’05 ’09 is spending her first post-college year back on the Goshen Campus as Director of the Enrichment Program.
Other alumni currently teaching or working at St. Francis School
Now that you have returned to St. Francis, do you recall a specific teacher or friend that influenced you in some way? Trent: It is from time-to-time odd to be teaching history next door to your own history teacher. Maybe I drifted off to sleep in Tom Miron’s U.S. class and have merely dreamt the intervening decades, only to soon wake and realize I need to remember why Taft could only engage in Dollar Diplomacy. More likely, it was Tom, along with his fellow faculty John Klus and Mike Radow, that influenced my studies and my return to the St. Francis history department. Lizzy: Now that I’ve returned to St. Francis, I’m able to work with some of the amazing teachers that once taught me. It has reminded me of how much St. Francis has made me the person who I am today. I’m still struggling to call everyone by their first name instead of “Mr. Gabhart” or “Ms. Rudd”. Hopefully I’ll get used to that soon!
How is St. Francis different today from when you went here? Trent: Excepting the vicissitudes of modernity – think “Mr. Apple, can I use my smart phone in class?” – St. Francis is markedly the same. It’s most gratifying as an alumnus to see, from my perspective, that the core idea of the school, its skeleton, remains unchanged even as it is fleshed out anew by the students, faculty, staff, and parents that contribute to the St. Francis community. Also, I am now much worse at soccer. Lizzy: St. Francis seems to have grown and developed so much since I was a student here. It’s still great with its small class sizes and dedicated teachers but you can tell that since the elementary and preschool have joined with the high school, there’s a much stronger community and students seem to be much more prepared for a smooth transition from one campus to another. I think it’s a rare opportunity to be a part of a school located both in rural Kentucky as well as downtown Louisville and all of the students seem to be very happy to have it!
Briefly describe your career outside of St. Francis. Trent: (J.D. Tulane University; B.A. New College) I have practiced law, taught at Bellarmine University, and covered international soccer for an online publication.
Barret Bell ‘02 High School English, Gender Studies Tina Brown G’00 ‘04 Lizzy: I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Comparative Languages Lower School Art and Linguistics as well as Women’s Studies from Earlham College. At Julie Dayton G’01 Earlham, I was able to travel abroad to Curacao to study Creole culture 1st and 2nd Grade LA/SS and language (Papiamentu), the Netherlands where I studied Dutch language as well as Women’s Studies, and Benin (in West Africa) where I Patrick Donovan G’79 ‘83 was able to intern with a women’s advocacy group and study the French 8th Grade LA/SS language. This summer I completed an internship at Kentucky Youth Michael Mahoney G’78 Advocates and am currently interning at the Louisville Metro Office for 7th Grade LA/SS Women. I am so thankful for the opportunities that St. Francis gave me Síofra Rucker G’84 to study abroad when I was a student here (Spain, Switzerland, China)! Director of Advancement Alexandra S. Thurstone G’80, ‘84 Head of School 7 www.StFrancisSchool.org
Class Day 2013 at the Goshen Campus Frank Q. Cayce Scholarship Award (7th grade) Lillian Dine Young, Theo Taylor Edward Y. Mason, Jr. Memorial Award For Sportsmanship And Dedication To St. Francis Athletics Riley Cobb, Iman Ghali, Grace Herrmann, Aaron Lattis, Jillian Morrison, James Risley, Matthew Siciliano, Andrew Thurstone Russell D. Herr Memorial Art Award Jewel Bailey, Grace Herrmann, Piper Hillerich Drama Project Service Recognition Piper Hillerich, Blaire Kidwell, Aaron Lattis, James Risley, Andrew Thurstone Volunteer Service Award Megan Haupt, Blaire Kidwell, Lillian Lenihan, Jillian Morrison, Sophia Norman, Kierra Scott Eagle Award Grace Herrmann, Phillip Sullivan Spirit Of St. Francis Award Jewel Bailey Head Of School Award Jillian Morrison, James Risley
Downtown Campus Graduation 2013
Awards Assembly 2013 at the Downtown Campus BOOK AWARDS Dartmouth Book Award (excellence in Languages) Harper Tighe
University of Kentucky Book Award (excellence in Leadership) Gray Thurstone
Harvard Book Award (excellence in Math) Kinsey Morrison
University of Virginia Book Award (excellence in History) Jessi Lowe
Princeton Book Award (excellence in Science) Olivia Beres
Yale University Book Award (excellence in English) Bennett Hood
Smith Book Award (excellence in English) Lexi Drexelius
Bryn Mawr Book Award (purposeful young woman) Tristan Krebs
University of Louisville Book Award (excellence in Community Service) Olivia Beres, Kinsey Morrison
Hampden Sydney Book Award (purposeful young man) Gray Thurstone
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARTS AND LETTERS AWARDS Excellence in Video/Film Excellence in Drama Overall Excellence Henry Hawkins Joe Harlan in Art Sara Moran Excellence in Art Excellence in Music Tristan Krebs Goshen Campus Graduation 2013
Goshen Campus Graduation GOSHEN GRADUATION RECOGNITION St. Francis “Lifers” Attended St. Francis continuously from Preschool through 8th grade: Emma Boland, John Jurige, Blaire Kidwell, Lillian Lenihan, Matthew Siciliano Attended St. Francis continuously from Kindergarten through 8th grade: Megan Haupt, Aaron Lattis, Sophia Norman, Sarah Stodghill, Andrew Thurstone
Wyvern Report
Joe Harlan
U.S. ARMY SCHOLAR/ATHLETE AWARDS Kathryn Klingle and Rob Jamner
Graduation Awards Phi Beta Kappa Award Teddy Finkelstein and Kathryn Klingle Class of ‘93 Esprit de Corps Carly Bidner Caroline Mercer English Prize Maya Jamner and Rob Jamner Thomas H. Pike Award Kathryn Klingle Head of School Award Teddy Finkelstein and Anthony Perry Honors Graduates Teddy Finkelstein, Kathryn Klingle, Anthony Perry, Emma Riely, Joey Slucher, Sydney Westervelt, Ana Zapata
Senior Project Honors Adam Leibson, Olivia Loeffler, Sara Moran, Anthony Perry, Lora Rosenberg, Joey Slucher, Sydney Westervelt Commonwealth Diploma Teddy Finkelstein, Rob Jamner, Kathryn Klingle, Lora Rosenberg St. Francis “Lifers” Attended St. Francis continuously from Preschool through 12th grade: Teddy Finkelstein, Caroline Johnson, Hank Paradis
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College Acceptances and Enrollments for the Class of 2013 Noor Ambure
Berea College, Spalding University, Bluegrass Community College, Indiana UniversitySoutheast
Carly Bidner
Mt. Holyoke College (ED)
Huestina Bista
Hanover College, Templeton Scholar, Xavier University, Earlham College, University of Louisville, Spalding University
Evan Booker
Brevard College
Tyneshia Carter
Savannah College of Art and Design, Columbia College-Chicago, Eastern Kentucky University, Woodbury College, Philadelphia University, Drexel University
Spencer Crawford
Transylvania University, Murray State University, Hanover College, University of Louisville, Bellarmine University, Centre College, Xavier University (OH)
Ben DeJarnette
Carthage College, Drew University
Rachel Emerson
Knox College, Bradley University
Teddy Finkelstein
Columbia University, Pomona College, Colgate University
Tyler Fister
University of Kentucky, California State University-Fullerton
Alex Gutierrez
University of Cincinnati, Hanover College, Bellarmine University, University of Kentucky, DePaul University, Xavier University, Earlham College, University of Louisville
(EA) Early Action (ED) Early Decision Olivia Loeffler
Rhode Island School of Design, Knox College, Eugene Lang College-New School, Wheaton College (MA), Centre College, Maryland Institute College of Art
Kendall Malone
Rhodes College (ED)
Napa Matsoso
University of Kentucky
Sara Moran
University of North Carolina-Asheville, Hanover College, Goucher College
Setho Moshoeshoe
Northern Kentucky University
Mohamed Musa
Spalding University, Northern Kentucky University
Hank Paradis
Hofstra University
Anthony Perry
University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, Georgetown University, Bellarmine University, Howard University, University of Connecticut, University of Kentucky, Vanderbilt University, University of Miami, American University
Emma Riely
Centre College, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Centre College, Loyola University Chicago, College of Wooster, American University, St. Louis University, Eugene Lang College - New School, Furman University
Lora Rosenberg
Lehigh University, Bradley University, University of Evansville, University of Kentucky
TJ Schneider
Austin Community College (TX)
Joey Slucher
Earlham College, Hanover College
Reed Smith
DePaul University, University of Alabama, University of Mississippi, Western Kentucky University, Clemson University
Callie Trawick
American University, University of Evansville, College of Wooster, Eugene Lang College-New School, Wheaton College (MA)
Maya Jamner
Colorado College (ED)
Rob Jamner
Oberlin College (ED)
Caroline Johnson
Michigan State University, DePaul University, University of Denver, St. Louis University, Loyola University (IL)
Emma Johnson
Webster University, Bowling Green State University, Northern Michigan University, Miami University (OH), Ohio University, Murray State University
Cole Jordan
Centre College, College of Wooster, Wittenberg University, Earlham College
Sydney Westervelt
Brandeis University (ED)
Aaron Wolff
Western Kentucky University
Jailah Keltee
Clark Atlanta University
Ana Zapata
Kathryn Klingle
Harvard University (EA)
Hanover College, Templeton Scholar, Earlham College
Adam Leibson
Hampshire College, Bennington College
Nathan Zimmerman
Matthew Linkous
Middlebury College, Indiana University-Kelley School of Business, Bellarmine University, Macalester College, Colby College, Colgate University, University of Virginia, Bowdoin College
Bellarmine University, Indiana UniversitySoutheast, Western Kentucky University
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St. Francis 2009 exchange student Michael Margineanu graduated from Jacobs University in the spring of 2013. Michael then attended the summer program at Vienna Biocenter, working in the laboratory of Dr. Daniel Gerlich at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA). He plans on to go on to KAUST in Saudi Arabia for his master’s degree, where he has been offered a full scholarship for a MS in Bioscience. Isaac Hodes G’04 ’08 graduated from Carleton College in 2012, where he was the President of his class, and he has recently formed his own company, Marion Technologies. His company is working on a communications platform for care management companies and hospitals. They will use text messages, artificial intelligence, and statistics to collect and analyze data on how patients are doing, in order to keep them healthier and to communicate their care to their loves ones.
Claire Johnson G’07 ’11 is entering her junior year at Michigan State University and plays forward on the MSU field hockey team.
Meredith Maple G’02 ’06 was recently awarded a Teaching Assistantship for History at the University of Louisville under the tutelage of Malissa Taylor ’92. Malissa recently joined the history department at U of L teaching Islamic Studies. After leaving St. Francis, Malissa attended Princeton University where she received Highest Honors, and was named to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. She then headed to New York University for her master’s in Near Eastern Studies before heading west to the University of California, Berkeley to complete her Ph.D. in Middle East History in 2011.
picnic & games On a Saturday in early August, our fearless teams of Wyverns faced each other for the annual alumni vs. varsity soccer game. Six recent graduates of the Class of 2013 – including Napo Matsoso (currently playing soccer for the University of Kentucky), Setho Moshoeshoe (currently playing soccer for Northern Kentucky University), and Mohammed Musa (currently playing soccer for Spalding University) – joined veteran alumni players Willie Harshaw ‘82, Kenny Reutlinger ‘84, Sam Stodghill ‘86, Mac Shannon ‘89, Davis Tyler ‘91, and Trent Apple ‘92, as well as recent grad Griffin Cote ‘12, for an exciting game and a win for the alums. The picnic was well attended overall by recent graduates of the Goshen and
Wyvern Report
Alumni and current JV and Varsity soccer team
Downtown Campuses cheering on the games as the field hockey team also had a scrimmage against Holy Cross, which resulted in their first win of the season. Many from the Goshen Class of 2013 were on hand to check out their “Walk of Honor” bricks as well as to gather last year’s yearbooks and catch up before their first year as freshmen. Chef Matt from Goshen grilled out and there were two bouncy houses and gelato from Gelato Gilberto. This is one of our favorite events, as it is the only all-campus and alumni event that we have that combines faculty, students (current and alumni), parents, family, and friends together in a fun and casual atmosphere. We hope to see you out there next year!
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alumnus of the year
James Wheaton ‘07, Calley Heffer ‘04, Darcy (Wheaton) Dugan ‘04, Jacob Dugan, John Wheaton, SFHS Physics teacher 1984-2008
On April 13, 2013 Darcy (Wheaton) Dugan ’04 married Jacob Dugan. Many St. Francis family and friends attended from far and wide, including her father, former St. Francis Physics teacher, John Wheaton, who made the trek from China to walk his only daughter down the aisle. Darcy and her husband live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Wedded Bliss: In early September, Rob Kemp ’89 married Stephanie Klose in Norwalk, CT; while back in Louisville, Rob Duncan ’90 said his “I do’s” to Becky Evans. Congratulations all around! Etienne Vouga G’99 ’03 received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in Computer Science and is currently working on a one-year post-doc at Harvard in the applied math group. Etienne has had a number of publications and speaking engagements, and as such was offered and accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at University of Texas (Austin) beginning in fall 2014. James Tillet ’98 is the new Chef of Jacknife Café, a gourmet counter-service restaurant serving breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday at Butchertown Market in NuLu. Check them out on Facebook. Charley Miller ’96 recently launched a new app on iTunes called TouchCast. As a game designer and producer of all things web-related, Charley has been working on groundbreaking tech work for years. TouchCast is a video app that works like a website, allowing the viewer to browse while watching. Download it now for free on iTunes. Kimberly Levin ’91 participated as a panelist for a conference, “Film and Filmmaking in Kentucky,” put on by the University of Louisville’s Center for Arts and Culture Partnerships with the Kentucky Arts Council on Oct. 4th. Virginia Mattingly ’88 recently spent several weeks in Liberia, West Africa volunteering with the World Computer Exchange and helping to establish the Computers for Girls program. She recently earned tenure at the University of Louisville’s Law School.
Every year we have the distinct pleasure of honoring one of our St. Francis School graduates. We are truly fortunate to have an amazing pool of Wyverns to choose from who support the School and our mission and demonstrate the qualities of who a St. Francis student is years after they leave our halls. We would like to acknowledge George Parker from the class of 1995 as the 2012-13 Alumnus of the Year. Although George only attended St. Francis for his senior year, he has remained the most engaged member of his class, helping to reform and reorganize the alumni committee, sitting in on numerous meetings for PR and marketing of the School, offering his services and expertise for our website (including professionally scanning hundreds of yearbook pages for every year the high school has been open), and hosting alumni events around town and in his own home. We are honored to have George as a part of our community and look forward to working with him in the coming years.
upcoming alumni events 20ish Reunion Dinner (Classes of 1990-1994) 10ish Reunion Dinner (Classes of 2000-2004) St. Francis School, Downtown Campus Friday, November 29th Wyverns in New York Von Wine Bar – Sunday, December 15th at 6:30 p.m.
For more info on any of these events, contact gtyler@stfrancisschool.org or check out our Alumni Facebook page: Wyverns SFS. Keep us informed of changes in your contact information and updates on what you have been up to. Send all information to GTyler@StFrancisSchool.org.
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By Renee Hennessy, Preschool Director
It really is quite simple: opportunities. By Emily Essex, Director of Development
Preschool provides an opportunity for children to experience an environment that encourages critical thinking, problem solving, appropriate risk-taking, all while supporting their developing self esteem. It is a place to learn about things that are of interest to your child; where open-ended questions are asked to promote thought and language development. Activities are intentionally planned by experienced teachers. This
SFHS
(st. francis “hot shits”) Many of you already know how important the Annual Fund is to the School. As a reminder, the Annual Fund is a yearly fundraising effort (July 1- June 30) that provides immediate unrestricted support to the operating budget and helps bridge the gap between tuition revenue and the actual cost of educating our students. Without the generous support of all of our community, including you, the hallmarks of a St. Francis education wouldn’t be possible: small class sizes, low student-teacher ratios, exemplary scholarship and financial aid programs, comprehensive learning resources, a diverse student body, and a truly exemplary faculty. We are thrilled to announce that we already have 100% faculty, staff, and Trustee participation to the campaign this year AND 99% of our current parents have also made their commitment to the campaign. Now it is your turn! Please return the envelope enclosed or go online to www.stfrancisschool.org and click the Annual Fund button. Thank you for your continued support!
Wyvern Report
dinner club
by Ron Mikulak, faculty emeritus
There was a time that between the three of us (Tom Miron, Bob Foshee, and Ron Mikulak) we had taught everyone who went to the high school; we can’t say that now. Bryan Armstrong ’98 came up with the idea to get some guys together to eat and drink now and then. After going to a few of those, I thought I would like to eat and drink with some people who dress better, so I thought it was time to ask some women. I tried to contact people on my facebook friends list that I thought might get along, but apparently that list is limited. If any of you know of any SFHS alums who are in town and you would like to join in some of these, make a list so next time we don’t leave anyone out. It is always a kick to hear what people who were once students find themselves doing out in The Real World. Keep looking around, and bring some funny stories back for the next outing.
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is extremely important, given what is happening with a child’s brain development at this time. Their little bodies are growing and their brains are making important connections. When children have responsive, skilled teachers, studies say that rapid growth occurs. Our environment is purposefully planned to engage children in meaningful play. One of the hallmarks of our program is our music class. Exposing preschoolers to pitch, tempo, and volume are just a few of the concepts taught – all while taking special care not to spoil the sheer joy of music. So the next time you’re asked “why Preschool”, it’s not just a place to drop your little ones off while you run errands or work; the answer is opportunities.
gatherings and whatnot…
Every so often, a few alumni gather together to dine and drink, and invite along one of their teachers.
These events are fun, relaxed, and perhaps the way we wish we could always see Tom Miron, Ron Mikulak, or Bob Foshee – with their guard down and in a good mood (!). There are few expectations other than to show up. It is when you as alumni decide to put together something that participation is at its best. Take the New York gathering every December: If it were not for Wyverns in and around NYC taking the lead, this event would not have the great attendance that it always does. If you want to get together, we at the School will help you in any way that we can. To that end, we are starting a trial run of our latest offering: the Wyvern Pop-Up. What’s a Wyvern Pop-Up? It’s an alum-hosted, small, casual
gathering of Wyverns somewhere outside of Louisville. You simply sign up with the Wyvern Alumni Office and we’ll send a box of Wyvern Swag (baby Wyvern stuffed animals, bumper magnets, T-shirts, etc.) to the event and once we get some great photos of this Wyvern Pop-Up, we’ll reimburse the host for the first round or two! (Of course there are a limited number of events per year and limits on reimbursements, but you get the idea.) Curious? Contact Ginny at GTyler@StFrancisSchool.org for more information. In addition to these Wyvern Pop-Up events, we will continue to offer our usual array of gatherings and hope that you might make one of them as we would love to have you there.
Note to Alumni Parents: If you are receiving mail that is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer resides at home, please notify Ginny Tyler in the Alumni Office, GTyler@StFrancisSchool.org, of their contact information including: mailing address, email address, and/or cell phone so we can keep them in the loop on Wyvern happenings. 13 www.StFrancisSchool.org
By Reed Gabhart, Head of Goshen Campus
children The concept of service learning Marley Diamond ‘21 was introduced on the Goshen and Tucker Campus a few years ago. The difference between a day of service and a service learning project is that the former accomplishes a particular task, while the latter engages students in choosing an organization to help, based on their interests. Teachers guide students through a weeks- or months-long process, during which students learn about their chosen organization, do research on why and who they helped, and craft a plan to aid their particular group.
On the Goshen Campus, there has always been a strong emphasis on nurturing wellrounded children in every way. Of course, academics are at the forefront, but we also strive to celebrate individuality and help to bring out what is truly special in each student. Ethical development and emotional intelligence are key, and one way we work to foster these is Service Learning.
Wyvern Report
On the Goshen Campus, every grade level completes a Service Learning project during the course of the school year. 6th grade language arts teacher Shelly Jones serves as Service Learning Coordinator, heading up our efforts. She just organized our second annual Philanthropy Fair, at which various community non-profit groups and agencies visit the school to present their causes to students. One of the highlights from 2012-13 Service Learning projects was our 1st grade’s work with the Louisville Zoo. The children raised $500 for the Louisville Zoo through selling hot chocolate and baked goods. In addition, they were able to secure a partnership between 3M and the Zoo for a BAIR hugger. The students purchased a box fan, limb trimmers, metal shelves, a convertible hand truck, three digital aquarium thermometers, two cases of BAIR hugger blankets, a resource book, and some outdoor caging for lizards. The Zoo was so moved that they invited us to come present our gifts in person, where a zookeeper spoke and the Zoo’s Board recognized the children. The children were then allowed to visit the Zoo for the remainder of the day as a thank-you. For the 2013-14 school year we have joined with over 20 schools in our region to form a partnership with “We Act/Free the Children,” the largest international service learning organization in the world. Stay tuned for more news and heartwarming stories about St. Francis Service Learning!
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By Suzanne Gorman, Head of Downtown Campus
Stanley Baker ‘15
belongs in education
Opera singer Beverly Sills opined: “Art is the signature of civilizations.” Unfortunately, it seems only too common in schools today to cut back on arts education. Particularly in high school, few schools maintain a requirement that students take an art class of any kind. At the Downtown Campus of St. Francis School, this has been a tradition since our doors opened in 1977. Moreover, the courses have always been taught by artists-in-residence, who are practicing, professional artists in their own rights. Our current staffing includes Gaela Erwin, Archie Borders, and Jenny Zeller. Gaela, who heads the drawing and painting classes, has her own work represented in six museums throughout the South and Midwest. She has won numerous awards, the most recent of which is a Commended Award at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Annual Portrait Competition. Archie, our filmmaking artist-in-residence, runs his own company and specializes in feature films, infomercials, and commercial advertising. His most recent feature film, “Pleased to Meet Me” is an adaptation of Starlee Kine’s “This American Life” piece and stars Academy Award nominee Aimee Mann, Grammy Award winners Loudon Wainwright and Joe Henry, and X front man John Doe. Jenny, our newest artist-in-residence, is a photographer who just joined us this year. She spent 15 years in Key West running a gallery and traveling extensively to acquire art and is a 2014 recipient of the Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council.
The philosophy behind the core drawing and painting class has been that just as everyone can learn to read, everyone can learn to draw – it is a skill that may come more easily to some than others, but it is achievable by anyone. The filmmaking and photography classes develop the artistic eye in other ways, but with the same ethos. Offerings at the High School go beyond this visual-art requirement to enable interested students to explore a variety of other art forms. This year’s music options, from Middle School maestro Bob Bertke, include a weekly performance elective and after-school jazz band and music theory groups. Theatre choices comprise a weekly Playwriting class with Justin Dobring; an after-school improvisation group (“Currently Out of Order”); the fall play (this year, Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile); and the spring Showcase of studentwritten and -directed plays. Goshen faculty member Rachael Dobring directs the improv group and the plays. Another writing outlet is Creative Writing, spearheaded by English teacher and Dean of Faculty Cia White. Students have ample opportunity to hone their writing skills, as evidenced in the amount of original work that finds its way into Senior Projects and Morning Meeting poetry readings, as well as by the awards our students have received in recent Literary LEO and Actors Theatre New Voices writing competitions. Art is alive and well at St. Francis! We invite all members of the St. Francis community to experience a dramatic or musical performance, visit the Art Show, or join us for a Morning Meeting poem reading.
15 www.StFrancisSchool.org
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We THINK, therefore we are St. Francis. 233 West Broadway
Louisville, KY 40202
IN THIS ISSUE The Second Year A New Gym for Goshen Graduation 2013 Alumni Profile: Hannah Wells ‘06