Summer 2016
IN THIS ISSUE Graduation! Capital Update Alum Profile: Trent Rosenbloom G’84, ’88 Quick Recall
By Alexandra S. Thurstone G’80, ’84
Ford Middendorf G’16 talks about how SFS molded him: “…So I now reflect and appreciate the teachers at St. Francis. They took my wild, impetuous energy and channeled it into a person that values education, teamwork, art, music, and drama. These people didn’t try to change or control me, but rather bring out the better in me.” Wyvern Report
By now, you’ve probably figured out that I’m a big fan of St. Francis, having spent the majority of my life here. I am reminded every single day that I am here what a spectacular and unusual place this is, and how lucky I am to get to work at this school. As you may know, at St. Francis, our tradition is for any 8th grader or any senior who so wishes to speak at Graduation. And as always, our students capture best what makes St. Francis special. Most often, there are quite a few who to choose to honor us with their words. Following are some excerpts from these speeches delivered at our recent Graduation and Goshen Campus Graduation events. Please take a look for a reminder of the essence of St. Francis School! Ford Middendorf G’16 talks about how SFS molded him: “It has taken time for me to develop. I don’t run for the hills as much anymore and I barely ever tackle people that often. So I now reflect and appreciate the teachers at St. Francis. They took my wild, impetuous energy and channeled it into a person that values education, teamwork, art, music, and drama. These people didn’t try to change or control me, but rather bring out the better in me. What’s amazing is how they did, which still eludes me after nine years. So I end this by saying thank you to the wonderful teachers who had to deal with my younger self.” Amelia Dimas G’16 calls SFS home: “Through my whole time here, St. Francis has never been simply a school. It has been a home. I didn’t just learn about algebra or history, I learned about living. I learned about myself.” Lorenzo Mahoney G’16 talks of the warmth, compassion and joy at SFS: “I feel strongly about St. Francis because here students are allowed to unleash their creativity and are given more freedom than at most schools.
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I attribute this to the school’s positive outlook and attitude. It is a place that promotes kindness and supportive behavior between students. This is seen on athletic teams and in the classroom, where students use teamwork and critical thinking skills to overcome their problems. If I had to describe St. Francis in one word, it would be “warm.” The people here create a school where everyone feels welcome rather than ostracized. I can’t imagine any other school that would fill me with so much joy and compassion.” Mariah McCrocklin ’16 talks about the amount of care from our teachers: “The amount of time and effort teachers put into supporting the students by meeting with them outside of class and helping to ensure we succeed is truly unique. They clearly care about students and develop a bond that is beyond just academics, which creates an environment where learning is fun and students look forward to going to class.” Zoë Koss G’12, ’16 talks about how at St. Francis you can be yourself: “We all know St. Francis is awesome. I had an amazing, memorable high school experience where I met so many great people, learned so many cool things, took so many awesome classes. Maybe it took a detour to help me see what a special place St. Francis really is. It’s become somewhere I looked forward to school every day, somewhere I could wear all the hair bows and frilly skirts I wanted, somewhere Japanese comics counted as a Senior Project, somewhere my best friend and I could wait in line at Subway and excitedly discuss World War II and vector calculus.”
Zoë Brohm ’16 talks about how her love of learning was cultivated at SFS: “Slowly but surely, it has become one of my favorite places to be. I know, crazy, right? Now that I am 18, I have spent a huge growing portion of my life at St. Francis. When I first started going to St. Francis, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But one thing I knew for sure: I was going to be happy. I remember the first semester of freshman year, Mr. Garrett actually got me excited about math. And that was hard to get me to do, because nothing in that class had ever made sense to me before. While I still have much more life ahead of me, my love for learning has grown immensely. And on this journey of ups and downs, I have had the great opportunity to grow an extended family and more than a handful of best friends. I am so positive that I wouldn’t be as open to new things, or as much of the person that I am today, if it weren’t for this special place. These past four years have been such an important part of my life. It’s my childhood. And I don’t regret a single moment of the time that I’ve spent at St. Francis.” We look forward to seeing the many 8th graders continuing into the High School grow and progress into the independent young adults they are well on their way to becoming, and we wish those moving on the best. Our graduated seniors are headed out to conquer the next step on their journeys - we wish them good luck and hope that they will all come back and visit us soon!
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By Síofra Rucker G’84, Director of Advancement
Mayor Fisher and the Wyvern mascot in June 2016
The addition, named Expanding Thought! by our students, will provide High School students with a student-centered Commons Room, similar to a college’s student activity center with comfortable seating, pingpong and pool tables, plenty of study space with charging stations, and a new student kitchen, all for students to relax and recharge during free periods and lunch. Wyvern Report
This has been a summer of expansion - and even the Mayor came to see our progress! With this recent purchase of a large portion of the ground and first floors of the 233 W. Broadway building, the High School’s footprint will increase by approximately 50%. The addition, named Expanding Thought! by our students, will provide High School students with a student-centered Commons Room, similar to a college’s student activity center with comfortable seating, ping-pong and pool tables, plenty of study space with charging stations, and a new student kitchen, all for students to relax and recharge during free periods and lunch. The renovation will also include a flexible “Space for Thought” with presentation and sound equipment that can be used for classes, performances, lectures, and events. In addition, the School will be adding its own MakerSpace, called “The Workshop,” as well as new administrative offices, and a new lobby and front entrance to the School facilities. This $2.75 million project, renovating and remodeling these parts of our National Register of Historic Places building, is part of the school’s $15 million Capital Campaign. The architect is Lake|Flato of San Antonio, TX, the AIA Firm of the Year in 2005, who also completed the Master Plan for the school. Local architectural services are being provided by Design+, Inc. with construction by Buffalo Construction, Inc. Financing is being provided by Commonwealth Bank & Trust Company.
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to our Parent Association Every parent at SFS is a member of the Parent Association (P.A.). The P.A. raises funds through dues and fun family and student events throughout the year to give back to the school in the form of P.A. grants. Last year they granted $15,000.00 to the school to purchase: High School Items to fund our MakerSpace, including a 3D printer, woodshop supplies, and more Goshen Items to fund our MakerSpace, including a 3D printer, woodshop supplies, and more Makeover of the “sick room” into a “wellness room” Preschool Tricycles Various hands-on STEM activity items, such as a wind tunnel, rubber ramp, and more Questions about how to support your P.A.? Ask Andrea Melendez G’83, ’87, High School P.A. Chair, at DowntownPA@StFrancisSchool.org or Tamara Reif, Goshen P.A. Chair, at GoshenPA@StFrancisSchool.org
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Paul Harshaw ’86
If you are not receiving emails from the school, update your contact information by emailing Alissa Shoemaker, Alumni Coordinator, at AShoemaker@StFrancisSchool.org.
Robert Bonnie ’80
Mehran Tirandaz ’83
Wyvern Report
Abby Kaplan ’89
Robert Bonnie ’80, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment for U.S. Department of Agriculture, was awarded the Ducks Unlimited 2016 Wetland Conservation Achievement Award. Robert received his award in the Senior Federal Official category, one of six awards given each year. Note from an alumnus - Mehran Tirandaz ’83 I am glad I am reconnected to St. Francis. When I graduated from St. Francis, I went to George Washington University in Washington D.C. and obtained my B.S. degree in biology. I subsequently went to medical school at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. I did my internship in internal medicine at New York Medical College and my internal medicine residency at Barnes Hospital at Washington University in St. Louis, and became boarded in internal medicine. I became interested in radiology and did a second residency in radiology at the LSU Medical Center in New Orleans. I subsequently completed a body imaging fellowship at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and did another fellowship in musculoskeletal radiology at the University of California, Irvine. I met my wife, who is also a radiologist and specializes in mammography at the University of California, Irvine, when she was also a fellow. We live in Mission Viejo, CA. I am currently the medical director of a radiology department in a 200-bed hospital in Riverside, CA. Interestingly, up until 2013, all radiology residents, no matter where their training was done, even if it was in Hawaii, had to take their oral board exams at the Executive West Hotel in Louisville in June of their last year of training. So I was in Louisville when I took my oral boards in 1999 and I went with my wife when she took her oral boards in 2007. It is good to see Louisville having grown so much, including downtown, and I am glad St. Francis has expanded and all campuses have merged. Note from an alumnus, current parent, and teacher, Paul Harshaw ’86 In May 1986, after graduating from the High School downtown (the old one, not the updated and remodeled version that stands today), I truly believed my days at St Francis were behind me. Little did I know other plans were being formulated in the stratosphere way out of my control. It started in the late 90s into the early 2000s when Madison Cawein the Artist-In-Residence at the time, and my old teacher, needed a regular substitute teacher, and being a struggling artist, I jumped at the opportunity. I loved my few years helping out at the school and relished my time back being a Wyvern. Time passed and I found myself married with two kids,
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Augustus Taylor, son of Jessica Lee Taylor ’00
Spencer Crawford ’13
Sarah Von Gaasbeek ’07
working at a preschool where my children attended. Life was good, but again, plans out of my control were swirling above. This time I got a call from Alexandra Thurstone. We had gone to St. Francis together, and by seeing her around town and my family’s continued support of my alma mater through various fundraisers, she knew I was teaching. At first I wasn’t sure why she wanted to meet with me, but my wife did. As always, she was right, there was an opening in the Preschool, and they wanted me for the position! It only got better, because not only did I jump at this incredible opportunity to become a Wyvern again, but my two kids, Adam, 7, and Sophie, 5, would follow me and attend the greatest school ever. My wife Kasia had fallen in love with the school when we came for my 25th reunion, and needless to say, we are overjoyed at all the work the stratosphere has done. We have just finished our first year at the Goshen Campus and find ourselves more in love with the school, the staff and the faculty than we’ve ever could have imagined. We can’t wait for our second year. Abby Kaplan ’89 is living with her husband in Brooklyn and working as a qualitative researcher in the healthcare industry. Her husband is the front-of-house manager at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, so she gets to see lots of theater and film. Alex is a proud cancer survivor and began a non-profit organization called Burning Survivors, inspired by the Burning Man Festival. Alex and her husband recently completed a 40-mile bike ride through New York City to raise money for cancer research. Jessica Lee Taylor ’00 is living in Cincinnati with her husband, Mark and one-year old son, Augustus. They have a home in the Westwood neighborhood. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and works as a therapist with St. Elizabeth Physicians Group. Annie-Laurie Auden ’02 just finished her residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She is on an International Medicine track through her residency program and received a grant to do a research project on cholera in Haiti. She loved the beauty of the
country and is thinking of going back with Doctors Without Borders or a similar program. Sarah Van Gaasbeek ’07 is about to start her second year at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. She is very excited to be back in Louisville after going to college in Brooklyn and spending a year in Toronto. Spencer Crawford ’13 is a rising junior at Transylvania University. He expects to graduate in May of 2017. He just got back from studying abroad in England where his favorite class was “Invaders, Traders, & Lovers: How the Norman French influenced English Literature”. He had a blast exploring London and especially Stonehenge while making new friends along the way.
marriages Lia Saunders ’07 and Jeremy Tyler Garcia married at Berkeley Botanical Garden on May 21st. Lia and Jeremy are taking an extended honeymoon backpacking through South America, starting in Columbia and going through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. After that amazing trip, they will be hiking the Appalachian Trail in the summer of 2017. They will be blogging about their adventures along the way. Follow them and offer advice at: http://practicalwanderlust.com/.
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Trent in his senior year at St. Francis in 1988
Trent Ro
Briefly describe your career after leaving St. Francis. I graduated St. Francis High in 1988 and went off to Northwestern University, just outside Chicago in Evanston, Illinois. I really loved Northwestern from the moment I first visited as a prospective student. I loved its deep winter snows, the proximity to downtown Chicago and its endless lake beaches, the diverse student body, and its course offerings. I ended up majoring in the History and Literature of Religions, but also focused on French and PreMedicine. In my junior year, I studied abroad in France, living in the towns of Tours and Paris. Also, in my very first months at Northwestern, I had a class conflict and had to take a class at an alternate time. There I met Ellie, the woman who would ultimately become my wife, now of over 20 years. Ellie and I now live in Nashville, with our three children, a dog, and a cat.
“I remember reinventing myself several times, trying to find the right fit, and I remember having the safety to do so.” – Trent Rosenbloom
After Northwestern, I moved to Nashville to attend medical school at Vanderbilt, and never left. At Vandy, I went through four years of medical school and four years of residency training in the fields of internal medicine and pediatrics. I then spent two years of postdoctoral studies to pursue a master’s degree in public health. In addition, over the course of my residency training, I nurtured a growing interest in a field called biomedical informatics. Biomedical informatics is the interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to the study of how biomedical information, data, and knowledge are created, used, and stored during clinical patient care. I was fortunate to be at Vanderbilt, which houses one of the largest and highest impact clinical and academic departments of biomedical informatics in the country, and many of the field’s leaders are on the faculty here. During my fellowship, I began to build a research portfolio evaluating different computerized informatics programs, including electronic medical records, computerized tools to help doctors write notes, and websites where patients can log in to interact with their medical records and doctors’ offices. I am currently the Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and an Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics with secondary appointments in Medicine, Pediatrics, and the School of Nursing at Vanderbilt. I am also the Medical Director for a community-based, federally-qualified health center in Nashville. On the side, I am also the long-time race director for the Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon, one of the most notoriously hilly road marathons in the country. Looking back at your time at St. Francis, what stands out? I have a lot of memories from my time at St. Francis, and many stand out. I remember the freedom of the open downtown campus, allowing easy access to the grit, beauty, and culture of mid-1980s urban Louisville. I remember
Wyvern Report
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osenbloom G’84, ’88 the varied personalities of the diverse students and faculty members. I remember taking the city bus to school until my classmates were old enough to drive, then hitching in with them. I remember the Dizzy Whizz, Ollie’s, the Galleria, and the little New York-style pizza place around the corner. I remember reinventing myself several times, trying to find the right fit, and I remember having the safety to do so. I remember photon club, and fencing club, and yearbook club. I remember taking pictures of everybody and everything to fill the yearbook pages. I remember loads of little details, far too many to name here, from the kitchen co-op listening to Paul Simon’s Graceland for the first time in the student rec room and finally getting a shadow painted on the wall to enjoying fine English teas while studying AP Chemistry and reading as many books as I could to get credits for English class. What are you currently working on? People are increasingly taking control of their own healthcare and health-related information. As a big part of this, they are increasingly capturing health, wellness and clinical data about themselves, using a growing palette of inexpensive and pervasive technologies. These technologies allow people to record, analyze and curate health data outside of settings where healthcare is traditionally delivered, and without consistently involving healthcare professionals. Examples include wrist-worn accelerometers with software that calculates daily footsteps and sleep, GPS-enabled devices that track miles run or biked, web-based health journaling tools, smart online food diaries, and networked weight scales or blood pressure machines. People also use online resources, including portals to their doctor’s electronic medical record systems and social networks to help them use and interpret data both from these technologies and from more traditional medical testing. In many cases, these technologies can complement—or even replace—specific relationships with healthcare professionals. Interestingly, while these technologies are incredibly widespread and interest in them continues to grow, there is almost no scientific research studying them. Scientifically, it is important to understand how these technologies influence people’s
health, their engagement with healthcare systems, and their motivations. Anecdotal information has indicated that these technologies do improve engagement, and may improve health in certain settings, but may not in others. As a result, this area is ripe for research to help guide policy-making, decisionmaking and resource use. This is an area where I have been focusing my research and policy work in recent years. How do you define success? Frankly, I don’t focus on success. I focus on spending time doing what I feel is important. Perhaps that, to me, is success. I value being able to go to work every day and find what I do interesting, to enjoy the people I work with, and to walk away with a sense that I am contributing. Sometimes, that may mean spending the days in meetings moving my research forward. Other days, it may mean spending energy via creative thought in writing, design or even statistical analysis. Sometimes it even means butting heads with colleagues as I fight for what I believe in, or work to an appropriate compromise. However, my job and work do not define me. I find it equally important to spend time out hiking with my wife or kids, exploring Tennessee’s myriad state parks, waterfalls, bluffs and geologic features. I take great satisfaction in spending a couple of weeks each summer volunteering as the doctor at a summer camp in rural northern Wisconsin, and seeing my children’s successes attending and thriving at their own camps. I find it important to take the time to work on my personal fitness and health, trying to keep in shape enough to run a marathon or a trail race. I find it important to have the time and flexibility to take long road trips with my family, whether it be to camp or just down to Chattanooga for a weekend of exploring. I find it important to have diverse interests in reading, cooking, fermenting (breads, cheeses, beers, pickles), and photography. To me, being able to foster these foci and balancing them with a professional life is important to me. Perhaps that is success.
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Crawfish Boil On April 13th, Summer Auerbach ’00 and Brandon Coan opened their lovely home for the 5th Annual Crawfish Boil. Guests enjoyed delicious sides in addition to an amazing table of crawfish, corn, kielbasa, potatoes, and dashes of salt and seasonings. Friends and family stood side by side feasting on the boil while catching up with classmates and teachers. This new tradition has quickly become a favorite alumni gathering and we hope that many of you will join us next spring!
baby
wyverns
Danny Alvarez ’93 ran for Jefferson County District Court Judge and received close to 17,000 votes. He came in 4th place in a crowded field of 21, beating out former judges, prosecutors, and other candidates, despite being placed second to last on the ballot. He and his wife, Marie Therese Keating, just welcomed their second child, Isabela Frances on June 14th. Isabela joins big brother Ben and big sister Gabby, a 6th grader at SFS.
Isabela Frances Alvarez
Margaret Louise Dorf
Jacob Dorf G’99, ’03, and his wife Sarah welcomed baby Margaret Louise Dorf on June 28th. Brandon Dowlat ’09 welcomed baby Jaden Josiah Lee on March 29th. Darcy Wheaton Dugan ’04 and her husband Jacob welcomed baby Camille Lynn Dugan on May 27th. Kiara Floyd ’11 welcomed baby Madalynn Rose Chandler on May 28th.
Finn Grey Roth
Madalyn Rose Chandler
Batula Al-Said
Camille Lynn Dugan
Jeff Roth ’99 and his wife Britt welcomed a son, Finn Grey Roth, on June 2nd. Finn is a very happy baby and is loved on by his older sister Royce. Jeff and Britt currently run a health and wellness business but will be launching a babies’ and kids’ clothing line (royce + finn) later this summer. Gus Wathen ’97 welcomed baby Willeby Nell Wathen on May 17th. Noor Ambure ’13 and his wife Rukia welcomed daughter Batula Al-Said in June 2016. They are living in Louisville.
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James Mason G’83 ’87
James his senior year at St. Francis in 1987
James and the Wyvern mascot in Spring 2016
Every year we have the distinct pleasure of honoring one of our St. Francis School graduates. We are truly fortunate to have such an amazing pool of Wyverns to choose from who continually support the school and our Mission, while also demonstrating the qualities of a St. Francis graduate years after they leave our halls. This year, we honor James Mason from the Goshen Class of 1983 and the High School class of 1987 as the 2015-16 Alumnus of the Year. James has been an integral member of the St. Francis community from the get-go, beginning with his time as captain of three different varsity sports and as a member of the School Committee. Following his long tenure at St. Francis, James went on to Davidson College, graduating in 1991 with a degree in economics, with a specialty in the history of economics and economic theory. He started two businesses - a real estate redevelopment company and a real estate management company - in his first two years after graduation. For nearly 20 years, he has served on the Board of Directors of Magnolia Bank and currently is Chairman of the Bank. He is also on the Board of Directors of Commonwealth Bank and Trust Company, and currently owns a number of insurance and real estate companies. While by now, James is obviously very comfortable in a boardroom, he also serves as president of his local competitive soccer program in Elizabethtown. And a little known fact is that just after graduating from college, James served as an assistant soccer coach here at St. Francis, where his love for soccer began. Most importantly to us, selfishly, James has served on the St. Francis Board of Trustees and the finance committee since 2009. Here, he has proven yet again to be an integral member of the Wyvern community. James was part of the High School Board prior to merger, and helped smooth the transition to a merged St. Francis, with his roots on both campuses. His financial expertise has also been instrumental in helping us achieve balanced budgets and in secure the financing we needed to build the Gym in Goshen and, just this past May, to close on the additional space in our 233 W. Broadway Building for the High School expansion. James truly represents the ideal alumnus, without whom St. Francis would not be what it is today.
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Class of 2016 Enrollments and Acceptances Rose Gilbert
Middlebury College, Centre College, Wesleyan University
Princeton University, Duke University, Georgetown University, New York University, Northwestern University
Jonah Goodman
Ayrion Bailey
Eastern Kentucky University, Jefferson Community and Technical College
DePaul University, Baruch College, City College of New York, Hunter College of CUNY
Emily Jade Hogan
Truman Baize
St. Olaf College, Miami University, University of Louisville, Centre College
Earlham College, Centre College, Bellarmine University, University of Louisville
Michael Iovenko
Western Kentucky University, University of Louisville
Jisha Abraham
Hanover College, University of Louisville, Bellarmine University
Gilman Bagga
Sam Borden
Yale University, Reed College, Indiana University
David Borders
Xavier University, Butler University, Denison University, DePauw University, Miami University of Ohio, Ohio Wesleyan University, Saint Louis University
Graciella Kamar
University of Louisville, Bard College, Drexel University, Eckerd College
Zoë Koss
Brown University, University of Virginia, Centre College
Zoë Brohm
Columbia College-Chicago, Bradley University, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, DePaul University, Western Kentucky University
Jesse Lanier
Denison University, Western Kentucky University, Indiana University Southeast
Bailey Chapman
Jackie LeMastus
University of Alabama
University of Kentucky, University of Cincinnati
Lena Crum
University of Louisville, Columbia College-Chicago
Yiwei Lv
University of Southern California, Northeastern University
Page Dabney
Eckerd College, Auburn University, Centre College, University of Cincinnati, University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Kentucky, Miami University, University of Louisville
Chris Malpartida
Berea College, Bellarmine University, University of Louisville, Northern Kentucky University, St. Catharine College, Thomas More College
Ellie Davenport
Michael Malpartida
Centre College, Colorado State University, DePaul University, Earlham College, Hood College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Wittenberg University, Wofford College, College of Wooster
Berea College, Bellarmine University, University of Louisville, Northern Kentucky University, St. Catharine College, Thomas More College
Aliya March
Northern Kentucky University
Mariah McCrocklin
William Woods College, University of Findlay
Gaby Melendez
University of Kentucky, Bradley University, Hanover College, Kent State University, Ohio University, Western Kentucky University
Emerson Mudd
University of Cincinnati, Saint Louis University, University of Kentucky
Paige Pence
Auburn University, University of Kentucky
Cat Runner
Columbia College-Chicago, University of Louisville, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale, Western Kentucky University
Emmaly Saliga
Loyola University-New Orleans, University of Cincinnati, Fordham University, Indiana University, University of Louisville, Warren Wilson College, Western Kentucky University
Tsion Sima
Eastern Kentucky University, Quincy University, Jefferson Community and Technical College
Jonathan Simpson
University of Louisville, Indiana University, Oberlin College, Loyola University-New Orleans
Autumn Thompson
University of Louisville, Bellarmine College, Hanover College, University of Kentucky, University of Cincinnati, University of Illinois
Esmé Tyler
Connecticut College
Alissa Vance
Eckerd College, Centre College, Clark University
Ben Weaver
Centre College, University of Louisville, University of Missouri-Columbia
Forrest Wourms
Jefferson Community and Technical College
Rosemary DeMarco
Hunter College of CUNY, University of Louisville, University of Cincinnati, Loyola University Chicago, Warren Wilson College
Devlin deVries
Ohio Wesleyan University
Alec Diaz
Spalding University - Kentucky College of Art and Design
Charley Drew-Wolak
Earlham College, Bellarmine University, Lewis and Clark College, Eckerd College, Hanover College, Indiana University, Warren Wilson College, College of Wooster
Madison Ebel
Centre College, Earlham College, Ohio Wesleyan University, College of Wooster, Murray State University
Grace Edwards
Centre College, Earlham College, University of Findlay, University of Kentucky, Lynchburg College, Ohio Wesleyan University
Sam Edwards-Kuhn
Bowdoin College
Nan Elpers
Colorado College, Bellarmine University, University of Cincinnati, Hanover College, University of Louisville, College of Wooster
Kinsey Emerson
Olivia Ford
Wyvern Report
Earlham College, Centre College, Bellarmine University, Ohio Wesleyan University, Transylvania University, Wittenberg University, College of Wooster, Hanover College, University of Louisville Oberlin College, Centre College
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Awards Assembly 2016 at the Downtown Campus BOOK AWARDS
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF ARTS AND LETTERS AWARDS
Bryn Mawr Book Award (purposeful young woman) Gabby Smedley
Smith Book Award (excellence in English) Elise Pfeiffer
Dartmouth Book Award (excellence in Languages) Emma Boland
University of Louisville Yarmuth Book Award (excellence in Community Service) Eilieh Stokes
Excellence in Photography Emily Jade Hogan
University of Kentucky Book Award (excellence in Leadership) Ella Rennekamp
Overall Excellence in the Arts Rose Gilbert
Hampden-Sydney Book Award (purposeful young man) James Risley Harvard Book Award (excellence in Math) Matthew Siciliano Princeton Book Award (excellence in Science) Madeline Case
University of Virginia Book Award (excellence in History) Brownie Southworth
Excellence in Studio Art Alec Diaz
Excellence in Music Jay Swan
U.S. ARMY SCHOLAR/ATHLETE AWARDS
David Borders Lucy Lv
Yale University Book Award (excellence in English) Jillian Morrison
High School Graduation Awards Phi Beta Kappa Award Sam Borden Class of ‘93 Esprit de Corps Nan Elpers Caroline Mercer English Prize Rose Gilbert Thomas H. Pike Award Rosemary DeMarco, Sam Edwards-Kuhn Head of School Award Sam Borden, Lucy Lv
Honors Graduates Sam Borden, David Borders, Charley Drew-Wolak, Madison Ebel, Sam Edwards-Kuhn, Nan Elpers, Olivia Ford, Rose Gilbert, Zoë Koss, Jesse Lanier, Lucy Lv, Paige Pence, Emmaly Saliga
St. Francis AP Scholars Sam Borden, Madison Ebel, Sam Edwards-Kuhn, Nan Elpers, Rose Gilbert, Emily Hogan, Zoë Koss, Jonny Simpson, Esmé Tyler
Senior Project Honors Gilman Bagga, Sam Borden, David Borders, Zoë Brohm, Rose Gilbert, Zoë Koss, Jonathan Simpson
Rotary Club “Unsung Hero” Sam Edwards-Kuhn
Mayor’s Outstanding Senior Gilman Bagga
Preschool “Lifers” Gilman Bagga, Jackie LeMastus
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Goshen Campus Class Day Awards/8th Grade Graduation
Goshen Campus Graduation 2016
The Edward Y. Mason, Jr. Athletics Award (for Sportsmanship and Dedication to St. Francis Athletics)
Will Cole, Grace Donovan, Connor Gorman, Bruce Hamilton, Kyle McLaughlin, Ford Middendorf, Sydney Ragland, Bradley Wilson The Russell D. Herr Art Award Cloey Beardsley, Connor Gordon, Ford Middendorf, Carolyn Siegenthaler, Bradley Wilson, Holly Yelton The Ed Gupton Drama Project Award Sean Denham, Amelia Dimas, Caroline Frederick, Hayden Jones, Lorenzo Mahoney, Grace Malone, Eston McLeroy, Ellie White, Bradley Wilson
Wyvern Report
The Volunteer Service Award Ella Davis, Ryane Jones, Carolyn Siegenthaler The Eagle Award Cloey Beardsley, Bruce Hamilton, Ford Middendorf The Spirit of St. Francis Award Amelia Dimas, Connor Gordon, Eston McLeroy, Drew Perkins The Head of School Award Ryane Jones, Lorenzo Mahoney
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The Cassie Stevens Memorial Award was created by the Goshen Campus Class of 2014 in honor of Cassie Stevens, a former member of the class who moved away from Louisville after the 5th grade and lost her courageous battle with cancer in 2013. The award is given to the current 5th grade student who consistently greets the world with a smile and places others’ needs before his/her own. This student is not afraid to be him/ herself and harbors a refreshing spark of individuality. S/he seeks to find the brightness in life and the beauty in everyone. In short, s/he has found a love of life, like Cassie Stevens. We present this award with the hope that by honoring her special qualities, we can carry on her light.
Lucy Frederick
The Frank Q. Cayce Scholarship Award Noelle Dry, Jimmy Lancaster, Drew Siciliano Goshen Campus St. Francis “Lifers” Attended St. Francis continuously from Preschool through 8th grade:
Sean Denham, Grace Donovan, Caroline Frederick, Gary Jurige, Natalie Lancaster, Lorenzo Mahoney, Grace Malone, Eston McLeroy, Sydney Ragland, Holly Yelton Attended St. Francis continuously from JK/ Kindergarten through 8th grade:
Will Cole, Connor Gorman, Eli Jaffe, Ford Middendorf, Bradley Wilson
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“I think QR gave me
Sam Borden
Madison Ebel
Rose Gilbert
Zoë Koss
Sam Edwards-Kuhn
confidence in myself, confidence to speak up and defend myself. It taught me that getting out there and being wrong sometimes was miles better than never putting myself out there at all.” – Zoë Koss
Lucy Lv
Quick Recall, a competitive academic quiz game, is comprised of a team of four students who listen to questions read by a moderator and try to beat the clock, and the opposing team, with a correct response. In 2015-16, six seniors - Sam Borden, Madison Ebel, Sam Edwards-Kuhn, Rose Gilbert, Zoë Koss, and Lucy Lv - led our Varsity QR team to heights yet unknown: undefeated in the Jefferson County Non-Public Schools League and league champions for the second year in a row before embarking on a Governor’s Cup run through District and Regional competition to qualify for State. These six seniors are heading off to college and beyond, so we thought it fitting to hear what QR - and their coaches, Tom Miron and Ron Garrett - meant to them. Q: What is a time the team really just nailed it or really missed the mark? Sam Borden: Our best game was probably our final game against Manual at Regional Governor’s Cup. Everyone was really on the ball and we even had the lead for a half. Sadly, we ended up losing in overtime after a tie in regular time. But that game was magical. Sam Edwards-Kuhn: One time a teammate and I messed up 7 + 4 with ten seconds to do it, but you can’t get ‘em all. It was the end of a long day. Q: What is your favorite QR memory? Sam Edwards-Kuhn: My favorite QR memories are the U of L tournaments that went 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on a Saturday, and there was nowhere I would rather be.
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Sam Borden: Honestly, if you picked any of the practices or the tournaments, it’d be the best time. The camaraderie on the team was stellar. Everyone was making jokes and laughing and having a great time. There was also just something about waking up early on a weekend and going to play this super-fun game with your friends while you ate a terrible lunch of pizza and cookies and then went home and slept for 12 hours. Rose: From Miron passing around soda and carrot sticks from his fridge to Garrett trying to get us to focus to making esoteric inside jokes, lunch practices were always fun. Zoë: My greatest moment was the third match of senior year versus St. X - our nemesis. They were ahead for the entire match, but throughout the second half, we were slowly but surely catching up. By question 39 – second to last question – we were tied, 37-37 I think. Question 39 goes by and no one gets it. No points. Then question 40, last question of the match before overtime. It starts off about some fictional male character who made his fortune in speculation, something something, who had a daughter named Bonnie Blue that died in a horse riding accident. What? I knew! Rhett Butler, Gone With the Wind! My hand’s shaking and I hit the button and I win the match against St. X. Best day ever. I guess Gone With the Wind trivia would be another strength of mine. Q: How do you think doing QR at St. Francis will impact you in college or life? Sam Borden: QR definitely made me less timid to speak up. Especially if I knew someone was wrong. Because on the bonuses, the four on a team deliberate on the correct answer, and the way the power dynamic works is that sometimes someone else’s answer holds more weight than your own. So if you knew the correct answer, and the other person didn’t, you had to speak up. And quickly, you only had ten seconds. Lucy: QR taught me how to work with each other as a team and be friends with everyone. I could never imagine doing activities like QR in English before I came to St. Francis, so it also showed me that nothing is impossible if you are dedicated to it. Rose: QR (and my teachers’ coaching) taught me to trust my hunches and to keep calm and think straight under pressure, skills I’ll need in college and for the rest of my life. Zoë: I think QR gave me confidence in myself, confidence to speak up and defend myself. It taught me that getting out there and being wrong sometimes was miles better than never putting myself out there at all.
Q: Why should other students do QR? Madison: Other students should do QR because it keeps your brain sharp. Now I always try to remember tidbits of interesting information because it might come up in a QR setting. Sam Borden: To paraphrase the mythical Michelle Jones ’15: “Because it’s amazing.” And to elaborate on what she meant: “It’s amazing because you get free food.” But in all seriousness, QR is just a fun time. It was a way to blow off steam from a hard class, or a way to pull you through a really long day. It was time with friends and great teachers, it was a time of just having fun. Plus, you’ll be really good at trivia when you get to college. Lucy: The reason is so simple: because it is FUN! And plus you get to act like you are one of the smartest kids in the school, so why not? Q: How did the teachers/education at SFS help you be so successful in QR? Madison: The teachers were very helpful in preparing us for what kinds of questions we would get. Garrett and Miron especially. They could tell us what to look out for and what doesn’t matter. I don’t think I could have kept up with the team if they weren’t there to guide me. Sam Edwards-Kuhn: Our teachers and coaches gave countless hours to learn, practice, and have fun, and I will always be grateful for that. They also collectively know everything, so that’s helpful. Rose: Many successful QR teams study lists of important personages and events, but we’ve never really had to. More often than not, the answer to a question will be something we’d learned in class rather than through rote memorization. For example, because we’ve all read and discussed the Ramayana and Gilgamesh in our Culture and Civilization classes, we’re much faster to answer questions about them than someone who has only read a plot summary. Zoë: The best thing about the SFS curriculum is how diverse it is, especially the Civ classes we get freshman and sophomore year. Seriously, no other school’s team knows about obscure Persian religions (Zoroastrianism) or ancient texts like we do. Really, we go into it with a well-rounded, in-depth education from St. Francis. None of us are necessarily “specialists” like you see at other schools and I think that’s really cool. Thank you to each of these seniors for his/her part in making this remarkable team. This QR team will be long remembered in the hallways of St. Francis.
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Save the Dates for fun! “Our Good Earth”
Saturday, October 15th, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. on the fields of the Goshen Campus
Imagine!
Saturday, February 25th, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. at the Tim Faulkner Gallery
By Kim Hales, Director of Development
One of the many things that allows us to be extraordinary is the Annual Fund. In 2015-16, we exceeded our goal and raised over $350,000. This total encompasses gifts large and small and shows the dedication of our community. We were very proud to have 100% of our Board of Trustees as well as 100% of our faculty and staff contribute to the Annual Fund. Our alumni participation continues to grow, and over 85% of our current parents contributed as well, a percentage which is far higher than local or national averages. This support is a true testament to the confidence and trust our community has in St. Francis and our Mission. To each of our donors, we thank you for your consistent and ongoing support! As we move into the 2016-17 school year, remember that one person can’t do everything, but that together we can accomplish a great deal. Last year, in fact, over 400 of our 700 gifts were at or below $100; each and every gift allows us to reach our goal and provide funding for so much of what makes St. Francis special. As with all tuition-based schools, tuition doesn’t cover the full cost of a St. Francis education; in fact, it only covers 73% of it. Your help is needed and appreciated. Annual Fund dollars make sure that we can: • Strengthen and expand our innovative curriculum and extracurricular activities • Support our outstanding faculty • Provide need-based financial aid This year, don’t think that a smaller gift won’t make an impact. You have the power to make a difference.
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Welcome Alissa!
The Wyvern Report is a publication of the St. Francis Advancement Department and is published three times a year. We’d love to have updates, news, and photographs for future Wyvern Reports. Please send them to Alissa Shoemaker, Alumni Coordinator, at AShoemaker@ StFrancisSchool.org. If you are not receiving emails from us, or we have something wrong on your address/contact info please also let Alissa know. — Síofra Rucker G’84 Director of Advancement Kim Hales Director of Development Melanie Pugh Development Assistant Marcy Jackson Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Welcome to our new Alumni Coordinator and Registrar, Alissa Shoemaker! Alissa is a former professional harpist and librarian, and she and her husband, Kirk, have two children, Sydney (3rd grade) and Wilson (Kindergarten), who are students on our Goshen Campus. She looks forward to meeting our Wyvern alumni and can be reached at AShoemaker@StFrancisSchool.org.
Alissa Shoemaker Alumni Coordinator Renaissance Creative Creative Design
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 Alissa Shoemaker in the Alumni Office, AShoemaker@StFrancisSchool.org, of his/her contact information, including mailing address, email address, and/or cell phone, so we can keep him/her in the loop on Wyvern happenings.
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If we have something incorrect here, please accept our apologies and set us straight by using the postage-paid envelope inside to let us know.
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Louisville, KY 40202
IN THIS ISSUE Graduation! Capital Update Alum Profile: Trent Rosenbloom G’84, ’88 Quick Recall www.StFrancisSchool.org