SPA Magazine Winter 2019 by St. Paul Academy

WINTER 2019

The Magazine of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

“THE POSSIBILITIES SEEM ENDLESS”

THE HUGH K. SCHILLING MATH AND SCIENCE CENTER

Scott Streble

>> LETTER FROM THE HEAD

BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT DECADE In this issue of SPA Magazine, we are pleased to introduce two new additions to the SPA experience that will define our culture and curriculum in decisive and exciting ways in the years ahead. The first is the stunning Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center, which opened in the fall of 2018 and is now home to our Upper School math, science, engineering, computer science, and robotics classes and faculty. The second is the completion of SPA’s new Strategic Plan, an ambitious and innovative blueprint for the school’s next decade. The implementation of the new plan will begin in the spring of 2019. The Schilling Center and the Strategic Plan are critical pieces of a singular focus: cultivating in very deliberate ways the qualities and skills our students will need to succeed in an unpredictable future. We are living in a time when the forces of change— in particular the sweeping and accelerating pace of technological change and the impact of globalization— are disrupting many of the foundational concepts we associate with our educational and professional lives. Rapid and unforeseeable change, constant innovation, and technological advances that regularly transform the status quo will be a familiar feature of our students’ lives. This reality is new and even disconcerting for those who came of age in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, and perhaps even the early ’90s. The function and form of K-12 education changed comparatively slowly and modestly over the course of the twentieth century. The same can be said for universities and colleges. Though the number of schools and students attending post-secondary institutions grew dramatically after World War II, the main lines and expectations of a college education remained largely unchanged.

SPA’s charge, then, is to prepare our students for the opportunities and challenges that await them. We have spent the better part of the last decade transforming both our curriculum and our physical spaces so that we can meet the pedagogical and cultural challenges of the future. Our mission has always been to ensure that our students leave SPA with mastery of the liberal arts, and in this we have never wavered. But now, it is also expected that we will provide our students with a more nuanced set of skills as well: critical thinking that is rooted in both analysis and empathy; a deep appreciation for and comfort with technology and innovation; and the confidence, curiosity and resilience they will need if they are to master the waves of change that will disrupt and shape society. SPA is, like all strong independent schools, a work in progress. The Strategic Plan reflects our strength as a school and a community. It draws from our history as an independent school that has prized and sought excellence for more than 100 years. The plan enriches our definition of excellence and broadens our understanding of what it means to be a graduate of St. Paul Academy and Summit School. This is an exciting time to be part of the SPA community. I hope that you will come by and visit the school to see our work first-hand, and I look forward to sharing reports of our progress as we implement the Strategic Plan.

Bryn S. Roberts, Head of School

2018-2019 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Contents

OFFICERS Timothy A. Welsh, President

The Magazine of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Winter 2019

William M. Beadie ’58, Secretary Elizabeth Driscoll Hlavka, Treasurer

Features

MEMBERS Mark W. Addicks John W. Cosgriff ’93

2 Letter from the Head

16 Commencement

SPA celebrated the Class of 2018 at the school’s 118th Commencement on June 10, 2018.

Litton E.S. Field, Jr. ’75 Anne Larsen Hooley David W. Kansas ’85 Allan Klein ’64 David Kristal Amanda Kay Liu Scot W. Malloy Philip McKoy Barbara L. Naramore Tim O’Brien ’77 Thomas H. Patterson ’57 J.P. Peltier

Let’s be friends. Follow us at facebook.com.

On the cover

“THE POSSIBILITIES SEEM ENDLESS”

The Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center

On August 27, 2018, students walked into the first day of classes in the brand-new Schilling Center, now the home of all Upper School math, science, engineering, computer science, and robotics courses. Learn more about the new facility from the faculty who bring it to life every day.

32 “The Ideas That Will Be Essential for the Future”: SPA’s New Strategic Plan

In the Spring of 2019, SPA will implement a new strategic plan that will guide the school in the decade to come.

COVER STORY, PAGE 20

Departments 4 Through the Doors 12 Spartan Sports 36 Alumni/ae News 40 Philanthropy 43 Class Notes 51 In Memoriam

On the cover: A Physics 9 class in the new Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center. Photo by Scott Streble.

Head of School >> Bryn S. Roberts Editor >> Ami Berger

St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 651-698-2451 (main line) info@spa.edu www.spa.edu

Contributing Writers >> Ami Berger, Alex Loveland, Jan Shaw-Flamm Principal Photographer >> Scott Streble Contributing Photographers >> Ami Berger, Greg Helgeson, Alex Loveland, John Severson Design and Layout >> Kimberlea Weeks, CEVA Design

SPA Magazine is published twice annually by St. Paul Academy and Summit School for alumni/ae, parents, and friends of the school. We welcome your comments and thoughts. Please contact us at spamag@spa.edu with suggestions for stories, news, and photos, or write us at SPA Magazine, 1712 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55105.

See what we are doing at youtube.com/user/ StPaulAcademy

Check out our photo galleries at stpaulacademy. smugmug.com

Read SPA Magazine online at spa.edu/ SPA_Magazine

>> THROUGH THE DOORS

Thirty-one Seniors Earn National Merit Honors, Including Sixteen Semifinalists The 16 are among only 283 Minnesota seniors to be named Semifinalists this academic year, and SPA is the only independent school in Minnesota to rank in the top five schools by number of Semifinalists. The five schools in Minnesota with the most Semifinalists are Hopkins High School, Wayzata High School, Mounds View High School, SPA, and Edina High School.

Sixteen members of the Class of 2019 were been named National Merit Semifinalists by the College Board in the fall of 2018. The sixteen Semifinalists are Adelia Bergner, Isaac Fink, Isabel Gisser, Maggie Hlavka, Thomas Jaeger, Gabriel Konar-Steenberg, Max Moen, Chloe Morse, Michaela Polley, Jonathan Pomerantz, Lucile Sandeen, Gabriella Seifert, Kieran Singh, Nitya Thakkar, William Welsh, and Gemma Yoo. They represent 15% of the Class of 2019; nationally, less than 1% of high school seniors are named Semifinalists based on the results of the 2017 PSAT exam.

In addition to the sixteen Semifinalists, another fifteen members of the senior class were recognized as National Merit Commended students. They are Joseph Bluhm, Jeffrey Huang, Rachael Johnson, Ezekiel Lam, Abigail Lanz, Olivia McCauley, Aidan McVea, Lauren Osteraas, Elise Parsons, Matthew Pauly, Eliza Reedy, William Rinkoff, Daven Rock, Iris Shaker-Check, and Jonah Spencer. Commended honors are awarded to the top 5% of students in the country, based on results of the 2017 PSAT exam. More than 1.5 million students take the qualifying PSAT exam every year. Overall, the thirty-one SPA students honored by National Merit this year represent 29% of the Class of 2019.

Upper School Robotics Team Qualifies for State Tournament in First Competition of the Year For the second year in a row, one of SPA’s Upper School Robotics teams has qualified for state-level competition in the FIRST Technology Challenge (FTC) after its very first robotics tournament in the 2018-19 season. The teams are coached by Dr. Kate Lockwood, Director of Computer Science and Engineering; and Kirsten Hoogenakker, Design and Innovation Specialist. SPA fields two Upper School Robotics teams, Team 11117 and Team 12660, both of which had robots competing in the first tournament in December 2018. Both teams performed well in the tournament, and Team 11117 was the winner of the Inspire Award—the tournament’s most prestigious award, which automatically qualifies the winner for the State competition. This is the second year in a row that the SPA team has won the Inspire Award. According to the FTC, the Inspire Award is given to that team which “…is a strong ambassador for FIRST programs and a role model FIRST Team… The Inspire Award winner is an inspiration to other Teams, acting with Gracious Professionalism both on and off the Playing Field. This Team shares their experiences, enthusiasm and knowledge with other Teams, sponsors, their community, and the Judges. Working as a unit, this Team will have showed success in performing the task of designing and building a Robot.”

SPA

Winter 2019

www.s p a .ed u

New Faculty in 2018-2019

Tom Anderson, US Academic Dean

Kristin Collier, US English

Mara Duvra, US Art

Leigh Evron, US Math

Kate Glassman, US English and Publications

Samantha Harris, Grades 1/2 Homeroom

Claire Hazzard, LS Librarian

Kirsten Hoogenakker, US Design and Innovation Specialist

Kristen Leppones, Grades 3/4 Homeroom

Dinah MacPhail, MS English and Social Studies

Brendan McCaffrey, Grades 1/2 Homeroom

Olivia Rodriguez, US History

Amy Stading, US Chemistry

Chantal Thornberry, US Dean of Students

Nick Tongen, Grades 1/2 Homeroom

Jasper Turner, US Math

Paul Weaver, LS Science

Bryna Wiens ’08, Kindergarten Homeroom

First-year Debaters Win Minnesota State Novice Championship SPA debate continued its tradition of excellence in the first half of the 2018-19 season, with notable successes for the team’s master and novice debaters. In November 2018, the freshman team of Jack Hlavka ’22 and Per Johnson ’22 dominated the State Tournament for novice debate, going 11-0 in the tournament and earning a decisive win in the final round to be crowned state novice champions. Debate coach Tom Fones calls the pair’s performance at the tournament “stunning” and also notes the strength of several of their freshman classmates on the team: in the individual speaking ratings for the tournament, Nafisa Hagi-Aden ’22 was rated first, Isabella Tunney ’22 was rated second, and Ellie Dawson-Moore ’22 was rated sixth among the 389 teams from 59 schools across Minnesota. The team’s master debaters have also had a strong season. In September 2018, the senior debate team of Olivia McCauley ’19 and Kieran Singh ’19 attended a national invitational tournament, featuring outstanding debaters from around the country. Olivia and Kieran won 5 of 6 of their preliminary debates and then proceeded through double-octofinals, octofinals, quarterfinals and made it to the semi-finals. “This is the best SPA has ever done in this tournament,” says debate coach Tom Fones, “and ranks Olivia and Keiran among the best debaters in the country.”

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 2 01 9

S PA

>> THROUGH THE DOORS

Science Olympiad Qualifies for State for Fifth Year in a Row For the fifth year in a row, SPA’s varsity Science Olympiad team has qualified for the State Tournament. The team’s exceptional performance at the regional tournament in early February 2019 solidified its return to State, where it has been the reigning champion in the “Small School” category for the last two years. Team advisor and US chemistry teacher Ned Heckman notes that SPA now fields three Science Olympiad teams— the varsity team and two junior varsity teams, one of which, the “Younglings,” is comprised entirely of Grade 9 students. All three teams had great success at the regional tournament, which featured nearly two dozen events in topics ranging from circuit labs to astronomy to mousetrap vehicles to geological mapping. In addition to the varsity team advancing to State, several individual students and pairs earned first-place medals in specific events, including varsity members Maya Choi ’21 and Rashmi Raveendran ’21, who earned first place in the Write It Do It category; Richard Chang ’20 and Sameer Bijwadia ’20, who earned first place in the Fermi Questions category; the JV team, which earned first place in the Circuit Lab category; and the JV-Younglings team, which earned first place in the Astronomy category. As the Science Olympiad advisor since the team’s inception in 2015, Heckman is impressed with the students’ commitment to their own success. “I help with team logistics and support the kids when they need help,” Heckman says, “but the students are making the important decisions on their own—how to run practices, content areas to focus on, and competition strategy. I’m very pleased to be able to say that their enormous success is very much their own.”

Middle School Math Teams Sweep Top Two Spots in Division SPA’s two Middle School math teams continued the program’s exceptional success in 2018-19. The “Gold” team finished in first place in the Southeast Metro Division of the Junior High Math League; this is the ninth year in a row that a SPA team has claimed the top spot in the division. In addition, this year’s “Blue” team took second place for a SPA one-two season finish. Middle School mathematicians also performed well in the regional MATHCOUNTS competition, a national program that provides students in grades 6-8 the opportunity to compete in live, in-person contests against and alongside their peers. Among this year’s MATHCOUNTS participants (pictured left) two SPA students finished in the top ten and one team of four finished fifth overall out of 21 teams.

SPA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

Rent wins “Outstanding Overall Production” and Eighteen Other Awards from the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight program

SPA’s production of Rent, the 2018 Upper School spring musical, was the recipient of 19 awards from the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Program, including Outstanding Overall Production. The 19 Spotlight Awards for Rent are the most ever awarded to a SPA production. This was the third year in a row that the SPA spring musical has earned the Outstanding Overall Production award in the Spotlight competition, and the fourth year in a row that the musical has earned more than a dozen commendations. The 2017 musical, Guys and Dolls, earned 18 Spotlight Awards; the 2016 musical, Les Miserables, earned 14 Spotlight awards; and the 2015 musical, Urinetown, earned 16. In addition to the spring musical awards, the fall 2017 production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which was student-directed and produced, was the recipient of 14 Spotlight Awards. Spotlight is an awards program for high school musical performances; throughout the school year, Spotlight evaluators attend participating high school’s musical performances and awards honors to selected productions, ensembles, and individuals. These culminate in a showcase at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Minneapolis in early June.

The ensemble Spotlight Awards for Rent included: • Overall Performance: Outstanding • Achievement in Musical Theater: Honorable Mention • Ensemble Performance: Outstanding • Vocal Performance by an Ensemble: Outstanding • Acting Performance by an Ensemble: Honorable Mention • Movement/Dance Performance by an Ensemble: Outstanding • Overall Technical Production: Honorable Mention • Overall Technical Team: Honorable Mention • Technical Crew: Honorable Mention • Light and Sound Board Operators: Honorable Mention

The individual Spotlight Awards for Rent included: • Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Jonah Harrison as Mark • Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Ned Laird-Raylor as Roger • Honorable Mention Performance in a Leading Role: Maya Shrestha as Mimi • Honorable Mention Performance in a Supporting Role: Noa Carlson as Joanne • Honorable Mention Performance in a Supporting Role: Drew Fawcett as Benny • Honorable Mention Performance in a Supporting Role: JJ Gisselquist as Tom • Honorable Mention Performance in a Supporting Role: Max Moen as Angel • Evaluator Shout Out: Dorienne Hoven as Maureen • Evaluator Shout Out: Ethan Asis as Steve

Dorienne Hoven ’18

Drew Fawcett ’18

Ethan Asis ’19

JJ Gisselquist ’18

Jonah Harrison ’18

Max Moen ’19

Maya Shresthna ’18

Ned Laird-Raylor ’18

www. spa.e du

Noa Carlson ’18

Wi n ter 2 01 9

S PA

>> THROUGH THE DOORS

Upper School Student Publications Among Nation’s Best The Rubicon, SPA’s student newspaper, and the digital RubicOnline have continued their tradition of excellence this winter, accumulating four new national honors in a single week in February 2019.

student journalists for digital media. Mimi Geller ’19 earned first place for her two-part video Both versions of the paper were honored with a Gold feature package, Medal with All-Columbian Honors, an award from the “The Making of a Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), a program of Musical” about the the Columbia University School of Journalism. The judges 2019 Upper School in the competition praised the Rubicon and RubicOnline musical, Rent. Mira staff for their clear commitment to their community and Zelle ’18 earned journalism. “One cannot help but feel a connection to a certificate of the school community after reading this newspaper and merit for her exploring the digital site,” one judge noted. “It is rare to see podcast, “Senior a high school publication that embraces the elements of Mira,” which both civic and community journalism, but The Rubicon staff she produced does just that. They strive to inform and to engage their as part of her readers in current social issues while also focusing on the independent school and local community.” study in publications in the spring of 2018. “I Two additional honors from the CSPA, the Gold Circle feel honored to be able to have access to equipment and Individual Awards, have also been awarded to two Rubicon resources that let me do what I love with journalism,” Geller says. “I am also thankful for the SPA theatre program for letting me capture their magic.” Geller and Zelle’s Gold Circle awards for digital media are in addition to three other Gold Circle awards Members of the Rubicon and earned this fall: one for editorial cartoon/ RubicOnline staff at the National illustration portfolio by Melissa Nie ’18 for Student Press Association work in The Rubicon and two for the 2018 conference in Chicago. issue of Iris: Art + Lit, SPA’s art and literature magazine. Finally, RubicOnline was the subject of two national feature stories in the Journalism Education Association’s ( JEA) publications. JEA’s quarterly magazine, C:JET, featured the RubicOnline staff in the Spring 2019 issue; and JEA Digital Media showcased RubicOnline’s innovation workshop model, Development Day. The Rubicon and RubicOnline are nationally known and considered among the best high school publications in the country, winning dozens of awards every year. But Campbell does not take the publications’ success for granted. “When I talk to other advisers across the country,” Campbell says, “or when we’re asked to share more about what we do with SPA publications, it’s a reminder to me that what is day-today for us on our staffs is really quite special. It is always just tremendous to see the work of our journalists honored in this way.” 8

SPA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

SPA Scientists Qualify for International Competition The fifteen SPA students who competed at the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair (TCRSF) in early March 2019 earned multiple awards and honors, including the competition’s top prize: qualification for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

Sameer Bijwadia ’20 The Impact of Rising Sea Levels on the Florida Everglades

The fifteen students who competed at TCRSF are all participating in SPA’s Advanced Science Research program, taught by Science Department Chair Karissa Baker; twelve of the fifteen are taking the ASR course and three are engaged in independent studies. Baker, who teaches the course and advises the independent study projects, describes the ASR program as “the capstone experience” for science students at SPA.

Richard Chang ’20 The Reliability and Safety of Hobby-Grade Quadcopter

Melissa Nie ’20 and Ethan Dincer ’19 took both regional spots for the ISEF competition, which is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition; this is the second year in a row that SPA has won both regional spots for ISEF. In a SPA regional sweep, both ISEF alternate spots were also earned by SPA students: Maggie Hlavka ’19 was named first ISEF alternate and Gabriel Konar-Steenberg ’19 was named second ISEF alternate. “This is a huge accomplishment and honor for our students,” says Karissa Baker, who chairs SPA’s Science Department and accompanied the students during the regional competition. Baker notes that ISEF is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition, and includes 1700 competitors from around the world that have moved on from their regional science fairs. “Melissa and Ethan will spend a week in Phoenix meeting student researchers from around the country and around the world, sharing their research, attending symposia by Nobel laureates, entrepreneurs, and top university researchers. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Baker says. In addition to the ISEF sweep, all fifteen students qualified to compete at the Minnesota State Science Fair, based on their original research projects.

Maddy Breton ’20 The Effects of Painkillers on the Embryonic Development of Zebrafish

Anthony Chen ’21 The Effects of EMFs on Seedling Germination and Photosynthesis Ethan Dincer ’19 Determination of Mutant JUP Localization in an iPSC Model of ARVC Implications for Diagnosis and Pathogenesis Maggie Hlavka ’19 Early Growth of Tallgrass Under Variable Precipitation and Species Evenness Scenarios Brennan Keogh ’20 A Novel Approach to Utilizing an Invasive Species: Eurasian Water Milfoil as a Substitute for Conventional Chemical Fertilizer Gabriel Konar-Steenberg ’19 Analyzing Predicted Temperature and Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Using Regional Climate Model Output Abdelrahman Mokbel ’20 Optimizing the Vibrational Energy Harvesting Efficiency of the Duffing Oscillator Melissa Nie ’20 Applying Thermopile Array Sensors and Machine Learning to Detect Falls of Older Adults Sammy Ries ’19 Associations Between Garlic Mustand (Alliaria petiolata) and Above-Ground Soil Fungi in a Minnesota Oak Woodland Betsy Romans ’19 The Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on Aquatic Vegetation Nathan Sobotka ’20 The Effects of Various Plastic Pollutants on the Growth of Wisconsin Fast Plants Nitya Thakkar ’19 Sulforaphane Improves Oxidative Stress in Response in Caenorhabditis elegans via SKN-1

Melissa Nie ’20 (pictured left) and Ethan Dincer ’19 were the winners of the top prize at the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair: qualification for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest international pre-college science competition.

Kelby Wittenberg ’19 Differentiation of mES C7 A2-GFP cells into keratinocytes for skin regeneration

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 2 01 9

S PA

>> THROUGH THE DOORS

Thirty-six SPA Student-Artists Earn Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards Thirty-six SPA students in grades 7-12 were honored for their artistic works in the 2019 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards (MSAA) program. Established to ensure that literary and artistic talent was recognized in schools and communities across the country, the MSAA program offers recognition in 27 diverse categories including animation, architecture, dramatic script, fashion, painting, photography, poetry, sculpture, and video games. The Awards are open to all students in grades 7 through 12. SPA’s thirty-six 2019 MSAA winners earned Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention awards, and sophomore Isobel Alm was also the recipient of a scholarship prize for a two-week summer program at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Claire Hallaway ’19

Gold Key

Honorable Mention:

• Isobel Alm ’21 (two individual awards and MCAD scholarship prize) • Lucie Bond ’22 • Lucia Granja ’21 • Claire Hallaway ’19 • Muriel Lang ’19 • Melissa Nie ’20 • Sammy Ries ’19 (portfolio) • Iris Shaker-Check ’19 (portfolio) • Wyatt Tait ’23 • Nora Turner ’19 (individual and portfolio)

• Melissa Nie ’20 • Iris Shaker Check ’19 • Annabelle Bond ’21 • Elianah Cohen ’21 • Henry Daub ’22 • Claire Hallaway ’19 • Kate Hick ’21 • Olivia Lagos ’22 • Annie Lam ’19 • Erin Magnuson ’21 • Addie Morrisette ’21 • Connor Overgaard ’24 • Sammy Ries ’19 • Krista Schlinger ’19 • Marie Schumacher ’22 • Gabi Seifert ’19 • Martha Slaven ’20 • Anna Snider ’20 • Riley Tietel ’19 • Henry Vlietstra ’20 • William Yuheng- Zhao ’20 • Elea Besse ’19 (portfolio) • Ethan Dincer ’19 (portfolio) • Muriel Lang ’19 (portfolio)

Silver Key • John Christakos ’24 • Lucie Hoeschen ’19 (portfolio) • Mia Hofmann ’22 • Annie Lam ’19 (portfolio) • Muriel Lang ’19 • Melissa Nie ’20 • Celeste Parke-Reimer ’20 • Krista Schlinger ’19 • Max Shaffer ’23 • Iris Shaker-Check ’19 • Will Swanson ’19 (portfolio) • Nora Turner ’19 • Clark Waltz ’20 10

SPA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

Sammy Ries ’19 Lucie Bond ’22

Wyatt Taitt ’23

Nora Turner ’19

Isobel Alm ’21 Iris Shaker-Check ’19

A LEGACY HONORED, A DREAM REALIZED:

Hugh K. Schilling â&#x20AC;&#x2122;43 Visits His Namesake Center for Math and Science

In early September 2018, Hugh K. Schilling â&#x20AC;&#x2122;43 visited the Randolph campus to tour the new Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center, made possible by his $15 million gift and named in his honor. Accompanied by Head of School Bryn Roberts, Schilling explored the buildings classrooms and labs, and visited with students and teachers.

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> SPARTAN SPORTS | SPRING 2018 SEASON RECAP Symbol denotes team or athlete competed at the State level

GIRLS’ GOLF

Jeffrey Huang ’19

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: As a team, girls’ golf consistently shot better scores with each match and tournament they played. The team was led by Emilia Hoppe ’18 and Lily Nestor ’19 who represented the Spartans at Sections. Emilia completed her Spartan career with an impressive outing at the postseason meet, finishing just three strokes short of state qualification.

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Lily Nestor ’19, Emilia Hoppe ’18

BOYS’ TENNIS

Emilia Hoppe ’18

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Boys’ tennis put together another successful season which saw exceptional play from both its veteran and young players. The team returned to the Team State Tournament for the third year in a row and finished third overall. The Spartans also sent the doubles pairs of Duke Nguyen ’18/Jeffrey Huang ’19 and Brennan Keogh ’20/Liam Lynch ’21 to the Individual State Tournament; Nguyen/Huang placed fourth.

BOYS’ LACROSSE

ALL-CONFERENCE:

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: For the fourth year in a row, SPA partnered with Concordia Academy, DeLaSalle High School, Minnehaha Academy, St. Agnes High School and St. Croix Lutheran Academy to form the co-op TrIMAC Blacks boys’ lacrosse team. The team had a rebuilding season but put together several exciting games against St. Cloud, Breck, St. Paul, Hermantown/ Proctor, and Providence Academy.

Duke Nguyen ’18/Jeffrey Huang ’19, Nathan Sobotka ’20, Max Soll ’20

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Brennan Keogh ’20/Liam Lynch ’21

Duncan Fleming ’20 Tommy Stolpestad ’20

BOYS’ GOLF SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Boys’ golf had an accomplished season which featured improved scores from the team’s younger players and steady play and leadership from Gus Grunau ’18. Sections proved especially challenging for the Spartans who had to endure a long, two-day tournament which brought players on and off the course due to inclement weather. Ultimately, Gus earned a spot in the Class 2A State Tournament and finished in an impressive 18th place.

Thomas Reinhart ’21

ALL-CONFERENCE: Gus Grunau ’18

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: William Welsh ’19

SPA

Winter 201 9

www.s p a .ed u

GIRLS’ LACROSSE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The St. Paul United lacrosse team, a cooperative with Visitation School, ended the regular season with a record of 5-6. Just before the section tournament, SPU went on four-game winning streak and had a great effort against a strong Cretin-Derham Hall team. The United were seeded #6 in the Section 3 tournament and were eliminated in the Quarterfinals by Minnehaha Academy who ultimately went on to become the Consolation State Champions.

Spartan Softball 2018

ALL-CONFERENCE: Hayley Hoffmann ’18 (#9) and Erin Magnuson

Hayley Hoffmann ’18

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Betsy Romans ’19

GIRLS’ SOFTBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Spartan softball welcomed a new head coach in 2018 and spent the year developing as a team. The team completed the regular season 3-10 and earned their wins over IMAC rivals Minnehaha Academy and Breck. In the Section 4AA tournament, SPA was eliminated in the first round in a heartbreaking, 6-7 loss to St. Paul Humboldt.

ALL-CONFERENCE: Olivia Williams Ridge ’18, Kathleen Bishop ’20

The 4x400 relay team

TRACK AND FIELD SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Spartan Track and Field saw great success in both running and field events in 2018. The team had great conference performances from Tommy Allen ’20 (800 meter) and Annie Kristal ’19 (shot put, discuss) and at sections, Tommy, along with Jak Kinsella ’18, Robin Bartlett ’18, and Koji Gutzmann ’19 qualified for the state meet in the 4x400 meter relay. Tommy finished the season on a high note, taking third place at State in the 800 meter.

BASEBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: After graduating a strong senior class, Spartan baseball spent the 2018 season rebuilding and developing its young bench. The team was 6-14 on the regular season, earning exciting conference wins over Blake, Breck, and Mounds Park Academy. In the Section 4AA tournament, SPA earned a big 9-8 victory over Columbia Heights to keep their season alive but were, ultimately, eliminated by New Life Academy.

ALL-CONFERENCE: Annie Kristal ’19, Emma Hills ’18, Tommy Allen ’20, Jak Kinsella ’18

ALL-CONFERENCE:

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:

Jesper Salverda ’18, Web Lehmann ’18

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Tom Patterson ’18, Ryan Moore ’19

Jesper Salverda ’18

Rashmi Raveendran ’21, Sara Browne ’21, Koji Gutzmann ’19

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> SPARTAN SPORTS | FALL 2018 SEASON RECAP

STATE CHAMPIONS!

FOOTBALL

The State Champion Wolfpack

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

CROSS COUNTRY SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The 2018 Spartan cross country team had a wonderful and memorable season. Both the girls’ and boys’ teams improved throughout the fall, running their best times at the section meet at Battle Creek Regional Park. Maddy Breton ’20 lead the girls’ team all year, and qualified for the Class A State Meet for the the third consecutive year.

ALL-CONFERENCE: Maddy Breton ’20

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:

Maddy Breton ’20

Jonah Spencer ’19

The Wolfpack, a cooperative football team with Minnehaha Academy and Blake, was a force to be reckoned with all year, going undefeated in the regular season and earning a place in the State Tournament for the first time in program history. The team’s state run included victories over Delano in the Quarterfinals (14-7), Waseca in the Semifinals (23-15), and, finally, Willmar in the Championship (44-18) to earn the 2018 State Prep Bowl title. The perfect 13-0 season will go down in program history.

ALL-DISTRICT HONORABLE MENTION: Riley Tietel ’19

VOLLEYBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Spartan volleyball had its best season in recent years with an overall record of 21-8. The team was led by two-time, IMAC Player of Year Blythe Rients ’19 and a handful of veteran varsity players whose prowess was unstoppable all year. The team was seeded #4 in the Section 4AA tournament and advanced to the Semifinals before being defeated by the ultimate Section Champions.

IMAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Blythe Rients ’19

ALL-CONFERENCE: Blythe Rients ’19, Kathleen Bishop ’20, Arie Walker ’20

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Mimi Geller ’19, Audrey Egly ’20

SPA

Winter 2019

www.s p a .ed u

The Conference Champion Volleyball Team

GIRLS’ SOCCER SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Girls’ soccer had a rebuilding year after losing several playmakers to injury and graduation. The team went 2-11-1 in the regular season but were most proud of their postseason run where, as the #13 seeded underdog, they defeated St. Paul Humboldt #12 and #5 St. Paul Highland Park to advance to the Section 3A Quarterfinals. The team’s season came to end against #4 North St. Paul in a highly contested 1-0 game.

BOYS’ SOCCER SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The Spartan boys’ soccer 6-64 season included big wins over Providence Academy and Minneapolis South, as well as an exciting overtime, penalty kick victory against the rival Blake Bears. In the postseason, SPA was seeded #6 and lost a heartbreaking first round game to #11 Minnehaha Academy who the Spartans went 1-0-1 against in the regular season.

Eric Lagos ’19

ALL-STATE: Naomi Straub ’22, Lauren Osteraas ’19

ALL-CONFERENCE: Naomi Straub ’22, Lauren Osteraas ’19

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:

ALL-STATE: Eric Lagos ’19

Izzy Medrano ’21, Tessah Green ’19

ALL-CONFERENCE: Eric Lagos ’19, Michael Forsgren ’19, Ryan Moore ’19

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Jackson Biggs ’21, Thomas Bagnoli ’20, Husaam Qureishy ’19

Lauren Osteraas ’19

GIRLS’ SWIMMING AND DIVING SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Sparks girls’ swimming and diving, a cooperative with Highland Park Senior High School, had another good year, highlighted by exceptional diving scores and improved swim times throughout the season. At the St. Paul City Conference meet, the Sparks’ divers once again swept the toptwo podium spots, and at sections, Abby Lanz ’19 qualified for the Class 2A Diving Tournament for her fourth consecutive year.

GIRLS’ TENNIS SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: The girls’ tennis team had a great season due to veteran leadership and a talented group of underclassmen. The team finished 11-4 on the year with exciting wins over St. Paul Harding, Visitation, Providence, and Mounds Park Academy. In the Section 4A tournament, SPA was seeded #3 and earned a decisive win over #6 Providence Academy before being eliminated in the Semifinals by #2 Breck.

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Amelia Batson ’20

Lauren Dieperink ’20, Mina Mandic ’21, Abby Lanz ’19, Katherine Welsh ’22

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Lucy Sandeen ’19, Jasmine White ’21

Anna Perleberg ’19, Ellie Nowakowski ’19, Elizabeth Trevathan ’22

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Maggie Fields ’22, Izzy Gisser ’19, Maya Choi ’21 Mina Mandic ’21

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

CLASS OF 2018

COMMENCEMENT The 96 members of the Class of 2018 became the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest alumni/ae at SPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 118th Commencement on Sunday, June 10, 2018 at the Ordway Center in downtown Saint Paul. Highlights of the ceremony were remarks by Senior Class Speakers Rahul Dev and Emilia Hoppe, and Dr. Karine Moe, Provost and Dean of Faculty at Macalester College, who served as Commencement Speaker. Commencement speaker Dr. Karine Moe addresses the Class of 2018.

Benjamin Konstan

SPA

Winter 201 9

Aaron Datta

www.s p a .ed u

Daniel Ellis

Rahul Dev (left) and Emilia Hoppe were selected by their classmates to be the 2018 Senior Class Speakers.

Lillian Pettigrew

Drew Fawcett

Graduation Photos | Greg Helgeson and Scott Streble

Anne Klus directs the choir on the Ordway stage.

2018 BOWL RECIPIENTS Naya Tadavarthy (left) received the 2018 Faculty Bowl, awarded to that senior who has shown unusual breadth and depth of intellectual interest and outstanding commitment to academic excellence.

Pictured with Head of School Bryn Roberts (center), Adnan Askari (left) and Numi Katz (right) were the recipients of the 2018 Head of School Bowl, awarded to those members of the senior class who have been recognized by their peers and teachers for significant contributions to the school.

Iya Abdulkarim (right) received the 2018 Alumni/ ae Bowl, which is presented to an individual elected by the faculty from nominations made by the senior class. It is given each year to that member of the class deemed to be most outstanding in many areas of school life.

The Class of 2018 lost one of its own in January 2019, when Henry Zietlow â&#x20AC;&#x2122;18 was fatally injured in a car accident. Please see page 53.

Sourcha Ashe

Eli Goldman

Noa Carlson

Maya Shrestha

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

CLASS OF 2018 COLLEGE CHOICES

SPA

Winter 201 9

www.s p a .ed u

name to c ome

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

“THE POSSIBILITIES SEEM ENDLESS”

THE HUGH K. SCHILLING MATH

On August 28, 2018, the Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center officially opened its doors to Upper School math, science, engineering, computer science, and robotics courses. The Schilling Center comprises almost 40,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory, and common spaces on the northeast corner of the Randolph Campus. It includes 11 hybrid science classrooms, which include laboratory and study/prep spaces; six large mathematics classrooms and the open “math commons”; and the Design Lab, a dedicated “maker space” classroom for hands-on interdisciplinary projects. “The building is elegantly designed with an abundance of natural light, spacious classrooms, and comfortable common areas for students to study and socialize. But the real power of the Schilling Center comes from the people who bring it to life every day,” says Head of School Bryn S. Roberts. On the following pages, SPA math and science faculty reflect on the new building, its impact on their teaching, and the potent relationship between space and learning.

S PA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

AND SCIENCE CENTER BY AMI BERGER | PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT STREBLE

“

“The building is elegantly designed with an abundance of natural light, spacious classrooms, and comfortable common areas for students to study and socialize. But the real power of the Schilling Center comes from the people who bring it to life every day.” Bryn S. Roberts, Head of School

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

2014-2015

TRANSFORMING MATH AND SCIENCE IN THE UPPER SCHOOL: A BRIEF TIMELINE

The Upper School science curriculum undergoes a major revision. The addition of the Physics 9 course (now required of all freshmen) allows for the development of Physics 9 class, Fall 2017 innovative new science electives for upperclassmen. Computer science, robotics, and engineering are added to the curriculum in 2016.

September 2016

Hugh Schilling â&#x20AC;&#x2122;43

SPA announces a $15 million gift from Hugh K. Schilling for the construction of a state-of-the-art math and science center for the Upper School. The gift is the largest single gift ever made to an independent school in Minnesota.

2016-2017 The team from HGA, the architecture firm designing the Schilling Center, meets with math and science faculty to gather input about instructional needs for the new building.

Spring 2017 The East Wing on the northeast corner of the Randolph Campus is demolished in preparation for construction. East Wing demolition

2017-2018

Construction begins, September 2017

The construction of the Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center spans the academic year and the first part of the summer of 2018.

August 28, 2018 The Schilling Center officially opens on the first day of Upper School classes of the 2018-19 year.

SPA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

Mary Lincoln (standing) teaches her Honors Geometry class.

“I CAN PUT STUDENTS AT THE CENTER”:

TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN THE SCHILLING CENTER www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

Much of the second floor of the Schilling Center is dedicated to mathematics classrooms, faculty offices, and common space. The six math classrooms are generously sized (between 730 and 810 square feet) and are all outfitted with multiple white boards, SmartScreen technology, and floor-to-ceiling windows. All told, the space for mathematics is more than double the department’s previous space in the former math and science wing, and includes the central “math area”—a fundamental element of the department’s collaborative culture which has been replicated in the new space.

Math Department Chair Lauren Bussey teaches Algebra and Precalculus. She joined the Upper School math faculty in 2016. “The flexibility that I have within the classroom is so drastically different in Schilling. When I first started teaching in my old math classroom, I would try to shift between individual and group work, but when I asked students to make those transitions, it was such an ordeal. And for a while I was really frustrated—why aren’t students making these transitions as I’m asking them to?—but then when I really watched them, I realized that they actually couldn’t. It was physically impossible for them to move in those old classrooms in the way I was asking them to. “Now, we can move between different activities and configurations so easily. And I’m not trapped into always being front and center in the classroom—now I can move around, and I can put the students at the center of the classroom, which is what we want. I never have to think about the limitations of the space anymore—I just focus on my teaching. I think learning can happen in any space, but well-designed spaces can foster learning in a way that poorly-designed or cramped spaces just cannot.”

Lauren Bussey works with a student.

SPA

Winter 2019

www.s p a .ed u

Mary Lincoln teaches Honors Geometry and Precalculus. She has been part of the math faculty since 2008. “One big difference now is the new technology in the rooms, and how flexible it is. We have SmartScreens in every classroom—what we used to call “smart boards” but they’re so much bigger and easier to use. I use a program on my laptop to project a graphing calculator on the SmartScreen— which is also a touchscreen—so if we’re having trouble with a problem on the graphing calculator, I can show the class what the steps are and what the process actually looks like, versus just saying ‘okay everybody, put this in your calculator.’ “The students love the social space. There’s our math commons, which is more of a quiet study space, or we now have the room to bring small groups of kids into our offices. There can be small groups working on one of the whiteboards in the hallway, or sitting in the comfy chairs and reading. There’s plenty of social time in those common areas, and some kids like that when they’re working—they get more work done if they’re among people. There’s more academic stuff happening in those social spaces than you might realize.”

Jim McVeety, pictured above and right: “I’ve always looked at math as a group activity, and I like to begin every class with all of us looking at each other. That was almost impossible in the old rooms, but now we have room to move.”

Jim McVeety has taught math at SPA since 1983. He currently teaches Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry. “I taught in ‘the caves’—that’s what we called those windowless rooms in Thompson—for thirtysomething years. And now I feel like I’ve been delivered from the caves into paradise. I have windows! “I’ve always looked at math as a group activity, and I like to begin every class with all of us looking at each other. That was almost impossible in the old rooms, but now we have room to move. Today, for example, we began class with everyone in a rectangle, facing each other,

and talked about methods for finding linear functions. Then I asked them to solve a problem together in different iterations—first in pairs, then in groups of four, and they can just swing their desks together to compare their work. Then each group put the two methods they liked best up on the board. Then we went back to the rectangle because we had a quiz, and we just put up the small boards in between each student to preserve the integrity of the quiz. Afterwards, we removed the boards separating us and summarized our work together. That’s the kind of thing that can happen when your classroom is 70 percent bigger than what you had before, and when you’ve had a hand in choosing the furniture that suits your needs.”

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

“DESIGNED WITH EACH DISCIPLINE IN MIND”:

TEACHING SCIENCE IN THE SCHILLING CENTER 26

SPA

Winter 2019

www.s p a .ed u

Mallory Schmidt’s Chemistry class

Science classrooms and offices are located throughout the first and second floors of the Schilling Center. Biology, Chemistry, and Physics each have a dedicated classroom, and three additional classrooms are exclusively for electives: one for Physics electives, one for Biology and Chemistry electives, and one for the Advanced Science Research seminar. All the science classrooms, each of which is just over 1,000 square feet, are hybrid spaces that include laboratories, flexible seating for discussion or small group work, and connected prep rooms. There is approximately 127% more square footage for science teaching and learning in the Schilling Center than in the department’s previous space.

Chemistry teacher Mallory Schmidt also teaches Forensic Science, one of the four new science electives introduced this year. She has taught at SPA since 2012. “When we were redesigning the Upper School science curriculum in 2014, we focused as much on skills as we did on content. Students now have access to basically every bit of information at their fingertips. So the first thing we thought about with the new curriculum was what we wanted the students to be able to do once they left SPA. How could they be better problem-solvers? How could they think more creatively? That’s why Physics became a ninth-grade course, and it’s why we’re developing all the new electives, because we wanted science to be just as much about the skill sets as the content.” “So by the time we sat down with the architects to talk about the Schilling Center, we could be fairly specific about how the building could be built around our classes. Science is done so differently depending on which science you’re talking about. Physics and the design labs need really flexible space with no fixed desks or workspaces, for example, but that doesn’t work for chemistry—I need gas lines and water lines and prep space, and the lab areas have to be configured so I can see what everybody’s doing. The architects really listened, and our spaces are designed with each discipline in mind.”

Upper School Science Electives Environmental Science Forensic Science* Genetics Space Science Honors Chemistry II* Honors Biology II Advanced Mechanics

Advanced Mechanics with Calculus Advanced Science Research Seminar Field Ecology* Organic Chemistry Relativity and Quantum Physics* Waves, Optics, and Acoustics (offered in 2019-20) Electricity and Magnetism (offered in 2019-20)

Courses With An Asterisk* Are New In 2018-19

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

Advanced Science Research Projects: 2018-2019 The Effect of Plastic Pollutants on the Growth of Wisconsin Fast Plants Vibrational Energy Harvesting Differentiation of mES C7 A2-GFP cells into keratinocytes for skin regeneration Early Growth of Tallgrass Under Variable Precipitation and Species Evenness Scenarios The Effect of Rising Sea levels on the Growth of Florida Everglades Plants The Effects of Painkiller Exposure on Zebrafish Developmental Toxicology The Reliability of a Hobby-Grade Quadcopter Analyzing Predicted Temperature and Diurnal Temperature Range Trends Using Regional Climate Model Output The Effects of Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) on AboveGround Soil Fungi in a Minnesota Oak Woodland Engineering a Novel Ankle Foot Orthosis: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Charcot-Marie-Tooth Bracing

Ned Heckman’s Biology class.

SPA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

Ned Heckman teaches Biology and the Genetics elective. He joined the SPA faculty in 2013. “The lab space is what makes the possibilities feel endless in the Schilling Center. Take a class like Genetics, which I taught in the old building: genetics is a lab-based science, but the room I was in didn’t have dedicated lab space—we shared the lab with Biology. So if I wanted to do a lab in Genetics, that meant Bio couldn’t do a lab, and vice-versa. And there’s just no way I could have taught a class like Honors Biology II [a new lab-based elective], which is rooted in five-day stretches of lab work. “I also have modular tables for when I want to have discussions—and in Genetics, especially, discussion is important because there are ethical questions I want the kids to consider—but the lab is always at the core. That built-in lab space is always a good reminder of what we are really trying to do here: get into the space and be scientists. Everything else we do is helping prepare us for that work.”

Karissa Baker is the Chair of the Science Department, and teaches Physics and the Advanced Science Research Seminar. She has taught at SPA since 1999. “The most important difference for me is having a dedicated classroom for the Advanced Science Research Seminar [an upper-level elective in which students design and pursue an original research project]. In the old building, ASR shared a room with most of the other science electives, so the kids didn’t really have the consistent access or the appropriate space they needed to set up and maintain their experiments. Now, the ASR kids are in the room all the time because they have dedicated space for their specific project [See sidebar at left for this year’s projects]. And what they need to do can really vary, from ‘I have this very specific watering schedule for my plants’ or ‘I need to come in every day at noon and feed my zebrafish and measure them’.”

The Design Lab

â&#x20AC;&#x153;GIVING STUDENTS PERMISSION TO BE CURIOUS

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

The newest program in the Upper School, the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) program was created in 2015. The program now offers coursework in computer science, robotics, engineering, and the Advanced Technology Projects seminar. Several spaces in the Schilling Center were built specifically for CSE coursework and projects, including dedicated classrooms for Computer Science and Robotics.

Dr. Kate Lockwood became SPA’s Director of Computer Science and Engineering in 2015. She teaches Computer Science and Robotics, and is the co-coach of the US Robotics team.

The Design Lab One of the most innovative spaces in the Schilling Center is the Sam Sewall ’10 Design Lab, a suite of four rooms dedicated to handson, interdisciplinary design projects. The space includes two large classrooms (one for digital design and the other for hands-on projects), a wood shop, and a project/study room. The Design Lab is not associated with any one course or discipline: any class, teacher, and student may use the space and its wide range of tools, technology, and equipment, which include: 7 MakerBot 3D Printers 2 Prusia 3D Printers 1 Stacker Multimaterial 3D Printer 1 Stratasys 3D Printer 1 60 Watt Laser Cutter 2 Soldering Stations with BOFA filtration units 2 Bandsaws 1 Mitre Saw 1 Drill Press 1 4’x4’ Forest Scientific CNC Router 1 24”x24” Forest Scientific CNC Router 1 Jet Air Filtration System with a Sawdust Collection 1 54” Roland Vinyl Printer/Cutter 1 24” Vinyl Cutter 9 Husqvarna Sewing Machines Full set of power and hand tools

S PA

Winter 2019

www.s p a .ed u

“The Schilling Center has absolutely changed the way the students work. In Robotics they can spread out—they can have team meetings in one part of the room or go back and forth into the little Robotics workshop [a project space in between the robotics classroom and the computer science classroom]. The students who are coding can find a quiet corner and the ones that are building can make their mess. In our old room, we would have been all on top of each other. And the kids have really made that entire space their own—at the beginning of the year, I started to organize the cabinets and drawers, and my students came in and took everything out and relabeled everything and put down drawer liners and completely took it over. It’s definitely their space.”

Dr. Scot Hovan teaches Physics and, starting in the Fall of 2018, the new Priniciples of Engineering elective. He joined the SPA faculty in 2014. “In the Principles of Engineering course, students learn what engineering is and how to do it. That’s basically what I tell the students on the first day. I studied engineering in college, but only because my high school math and science teacher had told me I would be good at it—I really didn’t know what it was. I want our students to see first-hand how engineering plays out in their lives every day. The chair you’re sitting on was engineered by someone, that pen you’re using was engineered. “The class is an introduction to civil engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, and biomedical engineering, and it’s entirely project-based. I start each class with a five- or ten-minute introduction about that day’s work, and the rest of the time they’re working in teams building or refining their projects, either in the classroom or in the Design Lab. That’s the great thing about being in the Schilling Center—there was nowhere to teach this course before, and having the Design Lab is critical. The entire biomedical project [designing a assistive device for either opening a door or cracking an egg] was done in the Design Lab. They’re going through the actual engineering design process, and they’re learning how and why things are designed to address a need or make lives better.”

Kirsten Hoogenakker joined the Upper School faculty in the fall of 2018; her role as Design and Innovation Specialist was created specifically to oversee the Schilling Center’s Design Lab spaces and programming. She also teaches Robotics and Principles of Engineering, and co-coaches the Robotics team. “Essentially, the Design Lab is a project space that engages students in both science and engineering, but then also has elements of creativity and design. It’s basically a space for students to make things—it could be a project for a class, or a club they’re in, or maybe they just want to learn how to use a cool piece of equipment in there. So I’ve been working a lot with Scot’s engineering class, obviously, and the Robotics kids are in the lab all the time. But I’m also doing a ton of outreach to all the other disciplines. I want everyone to find this space useful—my goal is that every student in the Upper School gets into the lab at some point during the year. I worked with Mara Duvra in the Art department on a custom-woodblock project with her printmaking class. Pete Daniels, who teaches Spanish, came to me in the fall and said ‘My class definitely needs to be in here, what can we do?’. He and I brainstormed a bunch of ideas and came up with a project menu for his Spanish III class. A couple of those kids used CAD [computer aided design] programs for the first time. And then we did the wig project with Eric and the play kids [see sidebar at right], and that turned out really great.” “The Design Lab is giving our students permission to be curious in ways that are sometimes hard to teach. I feel like SPA students are really engaged on so many levels. They’re pretty sophisticated. So I love being able to say to them ‘what are you actually curious about? How do you want to learn about this stuff?’ and they’ll come up with something they can do in the lab that I might not even have thought of. Which I love, because this is just the first year! Whatever the Design Lab is today is not what it’s going to be next year or even the next year. It’s going to be an iterative process of figuring out how this space fits into the broader SPA experience.”

The Every(man) Wig Project When director Eric Severson was planning the look of this year’s Upper School Fall Play, Every(man), he envisioned a signature design element: a series of sculpted, massive golden wigs, worn by the actors in the “Goods Ensemble,” symbolizing the main character’s material possessions. In collaboration with Kirsten Hoogenakker, Severson and the show’s design crew used the tools and materials in the Design Lab to produce the wigs. The visual effect of the wigs on stage was stunning, and Severson says the collaboration with Hoogenakker was “one of the most exhilarating and rewarding processes I have taken part in over the course of my artistic career. The possibilities for future collaboration with the Design Lab in terms of theatrical production design are endless,” Severson says, “and I cannot wait to explore them further.”

Scot Hovan’s Principles of Engineering class.

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

THE IDEAS THAT WILL BE ESSENTIAL FOR THE FUTURE

SPA’S NEW STRATEGIC PLAN BY JAN SHAW-FLAMM

St. Paul Academy and Summit School has undergone a host of changes in the decade since the school’s last strategic plan was launched. Since 2010, the school has raised more than $70 million, completed two major construction projects and begun a third, implemented new curricula and programming in all three divisions, and welcomed more than 30 new faculty members as veteran teachers have retired. Now, in 2019, the next step in this transformation is underway: the implementation of a new strategic plan that will guide SPA in the decade to come.

Reading the Future: A Strategic Book List

As part of the Board of Trustees’ work on the new strategic plan, a book list was created for Trustees that covered topics such as technology, globalization, altruism, capitalism, and innovation. The book list included the following titles.

Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future—Martin Ford 32

SPA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life— William Deresiewicz

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion—Jonathan Haidt

“Most strategic plans fit predictable categories, with a fairly rigid set of tasks to accomplish in a predetermined order,” says Bryn Roberts, SPA’s Head of School since 2006. SPA’s new strategic plan, which will launch in spring 2019, is far from predictable, reflecting “the challenges and opportunities we know our students will encounter in the world outside SPA over the next decade and beyond,” Roberts says. At its core, the plan recognizes that the nature of schooling is shifting constantly—and that the pace of those shifts is markedly different from past generations. “Many of us grew up in a world where education had not changed noticeably in decades,” says Roberts. “You had a sense of what school was like and what it was going to be like for the foreseeable future, and this held true for one’s experience in college and as a working adult.” That sense of stability has been largely disrupted. “We are now living in a world where uncertainty characterizes the future,” Roberts says, “and the people who will have the best chance of thriving in that world will be those who understand that the key to success will likely be their adaptability, not their predictability. This is a natural outcome of the sweep of globalization and the technological revolution of the last 20 years.” In planning for that unpredictable future, the SPA Board of Trustees began work on the new strategic plan in 2016, embarking on an 18-month process to learn about the challenges and opportunities that students would face after leaving SPA. Their goal: a plan that would guide the school in preparing students for lives characterized by rapid and unprecedented change. “We don’t know the scope or the specifics,” Roberts says,” but we do have a sense of the skills and habits students will need to have to master the unpredictable tides of the future.”

writers workshop model in the Middle School, and the addition of computer science and engineering to all three divisions. “The Board is aware that SPA has one of the most talented and innovative faculty in the country,” says Roberts. “The faculty will lead the charge in continuing to build an innovative academic program— including the integration of the strategic plan into the K-12 curriculum—and will report their progress back to the Board.” Instead, Board president Tim Welsh wanted the Trustees to be thinking “futuristically” about the larger issues that would impact students as they moved through SPA, their college years, and their professional lives. Welsh, who was a Senior Partner with global consulting firm McKinsey & Company before moving into his current role as a Vice Chairman of Consumer Banking Sales and Service with U.S. Bank, recruited McKinsey consultant and SPA alumnus John Micevych ’11 to create a reading list for Trustees that covered topics such as technology, globalization, altruism, capitalism, and innovation. Trustees also hosted community leaders for discussion and guidance as the process of creating the new strategic plan unfolded. Brian Rosenberg, president of Macalester College, spoke at the Board retreat in August 2016; his emphasis on the character traits that are most important for success in college resonated with Trustee Anne Larsen Hooley. “Brian stressed the importance of empathy, of understanding things through the eyes of someone who’s not like you,” says Hooley, who is also a current SPA parent. Additional speakers included former Minnesota State Colleges and Universities chancellor Steven Rosenstone and Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower.

The aspirational nature of the plan distinguishes it from most other strategic plans, including the school’s 2009 plan, Roberts says. That previous plan was largely focused on operational issues, from stabilizing enrollment to replacing retired faculty to raising money for construction projects. The school’s current operational strength allows for “a more audacious vision, focused on how to provide students with the skills and habits that will be required to thrive in the dynamic world that awaits them,” says Roberts.

Over the course of the next year, the Board organized itself into task forces, each of which was charged with taking inventory of SPA’s current program and making recommendations about how to further incorporate needed skills and attributes into the student experience. “Our group acknowledged that there are really significant challenges out there in the world,” says Trustee and parent Libby Hlavka. “Our mission at SPA is to educate students to be able to make a difference, so what skills will they need in order to do that? They will need to manage large and complicated projects, to learn from failure and then have the resilience to try something new and different.”

The plan does not focus primarily on the details of the academic curriculum—a very deliberate choice. “The foundation of a SPA education has always been mastery of the core disciplines of the liberal arts, and that will always be the case,” says Roberts, who notes that the SPA curriculum has evolved in many ways in recent years, with the revamping of the Lower School math curriculum, the adoption of a readers/

“The moment that we are content with the present is the moment when we fail to thoughtfully and comprehensively prepare our students for the future,” says Trustee and parent David Kristal. “We have a great tradition of excellence at SPA, but to maintain that we need to embrace not only the themes of a traditional liberal arts education, but also the character attributes, skills, and ideas that will be essential for the future.”

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

6 SIX INITIATIVES

Finding significant overlap in what they found to be essential, the task forces consolidated the results of their research into the six initiatives that eventually became the foundation of the new strategic plan:

Practicing Altruism and Empathy:

The importance of empathy and altruism flows logically from SPA’s mission, “shaping the minds and the hearts of the people who will change the world.” However alumni/ae choose to live out the mission of SPA the long-held expectation is that they will act with the good of the larger community in mind. “Our families want their children to be good citizens,” says Roberts, “and there is increased awareness now that altruism and empathy are critical attributes of being a good citizen.” New programming around empathy will take multiple and age-appropriate forms across the divisions. It will include a cohesive K-12 arc that unifies already strong efforts in teaching the practice of empathy in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools through a common language and approach. This initiative will be shaped largely by faculty in partnership with SPA’s robust student life programming, led by Dr. Jill Romans, Assistant Head of School for Student Development and Community Life.

Exploring Entrepreneurship: There is a natural alignment between “entrepreneurship” and preparing

our students to change the world in whatever manner and by whatever means they choose, large or small. Being a successful entrepreneur requires inventiveness, a passion for experimentation, imagination and adaptability, and entrepreneurial skills are not limited to the corporate or business realm.

“Although entrepreneurship is typically associated with the business world, the skills and attributes of a successful entrepreneur will be broadly applicable in many areas of life and work,” Roberts says. The school will look at options for creating a curriculum in entrepreneurship and will investigate ways to align entrepreneurial coursework with existing coursework at SPA. “The attributes of an entrepreneur will allow you to be a leader in any environment,” says Tim Welsh. “The leadership style that says, ‘I’m the boss and I tell people what to do’ may have worked in a world that was very stable and hierarchical,” he adds, “but we are hoping that in a rapidly changing world that the skills of entrepreneurship will allow students to be leaders in whatever way they choose.”

No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Forces Breaking All the Trends—Richard Dobbs et. Al., McKinsey Global Institute 34

SPA

Winter 2019

www.s p a .ed u

Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing our Kids for the Innovation Era— Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith

Five Minds for the Future—Howard Gardner

Nurturing Global Awareness: Through trade, travel,

and technological innovation, our world has shrunk and is characterized by a degree of connectedness and dependence that would surprise our grandparents. Many strands of the SPA experience connect to the wider world. The challenge for the school is to determine how to fortify these programs in the future while cultivating an enhanced understanding among SPA students what it means to be part of a larger and more diverse world. Global awareness as envisioned in the strategic plan is not tied to travel abroad. “Our students already live in a ‘global city’ without traveling at all,” Roberts notes, “and as they move through their educational and professional lives, they are guaranteed to be working with people of different racial, ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds.” Nurturing such awareness will mean evaluating the curriculum and extracurricular activities to determine how to incorporate a global perspective in all three divisions. Roberts foresees drawing inspiration from peer international schools, independent schools, and public schools in crafting programs, and looking at local nonprofits, businesses and schools in the Twin Cities that educate and engage youth to learn, work, and thrive as responsible global citizens.

Developing Leaders for the Toughest Challenges: The problems facing the world, such as global warming, global poverty, and diminishing natural resources, are growing more grave and intractable; the parameters of these challenges shift constantly and there is no single solution for these sprawling and complex challenges. Making progress will require collaboration across disciplines and between individuals.

This kind of collaboration is already underway in many areas of the SPA experience, but the strategic plan envisions a more cohesive program that will teach the art and science of collaboration throughout the K-12 experience. New programming around collaboration will help students learn to work effectively in diverse groups toward a common goal in ways that engage all students, whether they are natural leaders or not. Roberts notes that many of the changes SPA has already implemented will support such new programming: the 2013 shift to a block schedule in the Upper School, for example, provides the space and time for new initiatives that would allow students to address problems that reflect their passions and interests, test their solutions against real-world conditions, and reflect on their progress and struggle and learn from failure.

Planning for SPA’s Financial Future: Without Building Character: For decades, SPA has recognized

the importance of character development among students, and fully appreciated that building character attributes is as essential as nurturing students’ intellectual capabilities.

The school uses a wide variety of tools and programming to help instill these attributes over the course of a student’s time at SPA, and the strategic plan calls for an even more organized approach, including the creation of a “character curriculum map” analogous to the map for academics for each desired character attribute that shows how these character traits will be developed over course of the SPA career. Such a map will create a common understanding across the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools about character development, and would include class activities, extracurricular programming, and the engagement of parents and families. SPA will also look for models among schools which have already implemented successful character development programs, such as the KIPP Schools in Minneapolis.

sound finances and careful planning SPA will not have the resources to support its admirable programmatic aspirations. SPA’s finances, as assessed and measured by the task force, are strong and, unlike many of its competitors, have flourished since the last recession. The challenge for the future is to ensure that SPA’s financial platform remains robust during the renovation of the Upper School and the implementation of exciting, new curriculum initiatives.

SPA’s opening enrollment in the fall of 2018 was 929—at the high end of the school’s ideal enrollment target of between 920 and 930 students. “We never intended to increase enrollment, even as the footprint of the school grew,” Roberts says. The strategic plan calls for maintaining overall enrollment at its current level, keeping tuition increases as close to the rate of inflation as possible, and refinancing the current bond (from the construction of the Middle School in 2000) to a more favorable interest rate. Careful financial planning will allow the school to fulfill its most important strategic initiative: the hiring, supporting, and retaining of its stellar faculty.

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> ALUMNI/AE NEWS

ALUMNI/AE EVENT CALENDAR April 2019 Upper School Vocal/Orchestral Concert & Community Chorale Saturday, April 27, 2019, 7 p.m.

Huss Center for the Performing Arts, Randolph Campus

May 2019 Alumni/ae Day of Giving Thursday, May 2, 2019

Sponsored by the Alumni/ae Council Visit www.spa.edu/dayofgiving for details.

Upper School Spring Musical: Into the Woods Friday and Saturday, May 17 and 18, 2019, 7 p.m.; Sunday, May 19, 2019, 4 p.m. Huss Center for the Performing Arts, Randolph Campus

June 2019 Class Of 2019 Commencement Sunday, June 9, 2019, 4 p.m. O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, St. Catherine University

August 2019 Golf and Tennis Classic Monday, August 19, 2019

White Bear Yacht Club Visit www.spa.edu/golfandtennis for more information.

September 2019 Reunion Weekend 2019 Friday and Saturday, September 6-7, 2019

Visit www.spa.edu/reunion for more information.

SPA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

ALUMNI/AE

COUNCIL CORNER Q&A with new Alumni/ae Council President Jonathan Brenner ’92 Jonathan Brenner ’92 began his tenure as Council President in fall 2018, following the successful two-year term of Past President Hilary LeBon ’91. Jonathan is the Director of Health Economics and Market Access for Boston Scientific, and has been a member of the Alumni/ae Council since 2015.

Q: What prompted you to join the Alumni/ae Council back in 2015? I wanted to be part of the Alumni/ae Council because I find the school to be an amazing place, and its graduates to be a source of endless creativity, ingenuity, and inspiration. The Spartan alumni/ae community is no ordinary community, and the Council is a part of that—I really enjoy the ways in which the Alumni/ae Council helps to support the school. Q: Why do you think it’s important for SPA alums to stay connected to the school? While the school is always advancing, changing and adapting, it is in many ways the same incredible place that many of us remember, whether you graduated a year ago, a decade ago, or even many decades ago. Spartans are remarkable, and when you stay connected to the school, you see that reflected in both the students and the alumni/ae community. Staying engaged with the school also builds so many connections with your fellow alums, no matter when you graduated. I’m constantly amazed by what I see Spartan alums doing with their lives! Q: What are your goals for the Council in the next year?

2018-2019 COUNCIL MEMBERS Jonathan Brenner ’92 President Kate Logan ’04 Fundraising Chair Craig Smith ’87 Volunteerism Chair Meaghan Moriarty ’99 Events Chair Hilary LeBon ’91 Immediate Past President Dan Citron ’89 Sarah Crandall ’02 Jamie Forman ’77 Lindsay Giese ’05 Matt Gollinger ’96 Mercedes Henderson Clark ’88 Bryce Holstad ’10 Devon Holstad ’07 Steve London ’91 John Moore ’95 Alex Nemeth ’95 Sarah Radosevich ’02 Bobby Whitaker ’11

My goals, and those of all our Council members, are for the Council do to what it does best: connecting our remarkable alumni/ae to each other and the school through a variety of high impact, engaging events, fostering our lifelong bond and supporting the mission of the school. The most important thing I learned at SPA was that individuals really can change the world, but we are even more powerful when we work together. I’m confident the Council will continue to prove that true in the coming years.

Be Social With Us!

Marley McMillan ’05, John Wolf ’85, Peter Skold ’02, and Sarah Schrantz ’97 at the Fall Speaker Series event.

ALUMNI/AE COUNCIL SPEAKER SERIES FALL SPEAKER SERIES: The first Alumni/ae Council Speaker Series event of the 2018-2019 school year was held on October 11 and featured a panel discussion with alums who are at the center of the Twin Cities’ robust food and beverage industry. The lively panel discussion, which was moderated by Marley McMillan ’05, included John Wolf ’85, owner of Chicago Lake Liquor; Sarah Schrantz ’97, owner of Muddy Waters in Minneapolis and Dark Horse in St. Paul; and Peter Skold ’02, co-owner of Waxwing Farms. The panelists discussed navigating the Twin Cities consumer market and catering to customer demands and trends in the highly competitive food and beverage industry.

WINTER SPEAKER SERIES: The winter Speaker Series on February 28 featured Lauren Ballman Patten ’89, who served as both an undercover CIA operative and in FBI intelligence operations related to art crime, work that took her to Europe, Central Asia, and Middle East. She has also worked as a national and international journalist, and now leads Deloitte’s Art & Finance practice in the US, focusing on institutional clients who sell, finance, insure, and display artwork. Laura discussed the world of art crime, and how her career as journalist, business executive, and national security leader for the CIA, FBI, and the Department of Energy informed her perspectives in our increasingly interconnected world. Laura’s talk was moderated by Melissa Krasnow ’85, a Partner and the first Minnesota attorney at the Palo Alto-based VLP Law Group LLP. Video from both Speaker Series events is available on SPA’s YouTube in the “Alumni/ae” channel.

ALUMN&/AE DAY OF

GIVING 5•2•19

Mark your calendars for May 2, 2019— the fifth annual SPA Alumni/ae Day of Giving. Sponsored by the Alumni/ae Council, the Day of Giving is a daylong philanthropic event designed to encourage alumni/ae to give to one of five areas: student financial aid; student life programs; academic support for faculty; the Bill Boulger Fund for Teaching Excellence; or an unrestricted gift.

Visit www.spa.edu/alumni for details.

Facebook: facebook.com/SPAalum or individual class pages (contact your Class Agent regarding Class Pages; these pages are managed by individual classes and are not overseen by the school).

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups/ 1949775 or search on “St. Paul Academy & Summit School Alumni”.

SPA Online Directory: spa.edu > Alumni/ae > Directory to search for classmates, local alumni/ae, or alumni/ae in a particular field or industry.

SmugMug photo galleries: stpaulacademy.smugmug.com > Alumni/ae to view photo galleries from all events.

Instagram: instagram.com/spa_spartans

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> ALUMNI/AE NEWS

RECAP

REUNION WEEKEND 2018

Heritage Brunch

More than 230 alumni/ae from seven decades of graduating classes returned to SPA for Reunion Weekend 2018. The weekend celebrated classes ending in “3” and “8” with the annual Alumni/ae Art Show and Reception on Friday night; attendees also had the opportunity to tour the brand-new Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center. Saturday featured the Heritage Brunch for all alumni/ae who graduated fifty years ago or better, and individual class parties were held on Saturday evening. See pages 44-45 for photos from Reunion Class Parties.

Class of 1978

SPA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

Class of 1988

Schilling Center Tour

Class of 1988

Class of 1993

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI/AE AWARD: RUTH S. HUSS ’57

Ruth S. Huss ’57 is the recipient of the 2018 St. Paul Academy and Summit School Distinguished Alumni/ae Award. Her lifetime of service to SPA was celebrated at a special reception and program on October 3, 2018; the event was held in the Huss Center for the Performing Arts, which is named in honor of Mrs. Huss and her husband John. Mrs. Huss is the epitome of civic-minded leadership, with a quiet but indomitable passion for the educational and artistic institutions of the Twin Cities. She is a 1957 graduate of the Summit School, where the curriculum’s emphasis on the role of art and music within a rigorous liberal arts education made a strong impression. After earning her B.A. from Smith College in 1961, she moved to New York City, where she worked for the conservation department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The years that followed included world travel to Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and a return to Saint Paul, where she met and married her husband, John, in 1972. Mrs. Huss’s global perspective and fearless curiosity, combined with her deep understanding of the power and

importance of the arts, have been the driving force behind her dedicated service to her community for the past five decades. She has served on the boards of many of Minnesota’s most important cultural institutions, including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota Opera, the Alexander Ramsey House, and Camp Widjiwagan. Together, she and John are among the Twin Cities’ most generous philanthropists and ardent ambassadors. The organizations they support are a testament to the value of intellectual inquiry, social connectedness, and artistic expression of all kinds: the Ordway Center, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, People Inc., Hazelden, Habitat for Humanity, the Minnesota State Fair, the Center for Victims of Torture, Twin Cities Public Television, and Minnesota Public Radio have all been transformed by significant gifts from Ruth and John Huss. For the last two decades, St. Paul Academy and Summit School has been the grateful recipient of Mrs. Huss’s advocacy, service, and philanthropy. She served on the school’s Board of Trustees

from 2005 to 2016, and, along with her husband, is a charter member of SPA’s Torch and Lamp Society. In 2000, she established the Camp Widjiwagan fund at SPA in honor of her father, Henry Putnam ’25, to provide ongoing funding for student trips to Camp Widjiwagan in Ely, Minn. In 2004, she established the Huss Chair in Modern Literature, which provides SPA English faculty with professional development support. And in 2014, she and her husband made the leadership gift for the construction of the Huss Center for the Performing Arts, the Randolph Campus’s state-of-the-art performance facility. Since its opening in 2015, he Huss Center has become the heart of the Randolph Campus and a signature component of the school’s commitment to the performing arts. Throughout her life, Ruth Huss has devoted herself to improving the lives of Minnesotans through art, music, and education. Her devotion to her school, her city, and to the ideals of the liberal arts is a powerful testament to the mission of SPA: shaping the minds and the hearts of the people who will change the world. www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> PHILANTHROPHY

PARENT PARTICIPATION CAMPAIGN Q&A WITH CAMPAIGN CHAIR SASHA ASLANIAN ’86 In February 2019, SPA’s annual Parent Participation Campaign will kick off in support of the Annual Fund. Contributions from current parents are critical to the Annual Fund’s success; more than 30% of the dollars given to the Annual Fund every year come from current parents. Parents are also the volunteers that make the campaign possible, says new campaign chair Sasha Aslanian ’86. Q: You have many demands on your time. Why is it important to you to make time to volunteer for the Annual Fund? Aslanian: When my kids first started at SPA in Middle School, I would come to their concerts or teacher conferences and walk away flooded with gratitude. I saw how my kids were spending their days in an environment perfectly attuned to learning. I know my daughters benefit from the generosity of previous families, and I want to keep SPA strong and vibrant for the children who come after mine. Q: What are your goals for the Parent Participation campaign this year? Aslanian: I really value participation. Last year 62% of families contributed to the Annual Fund and I’d like to increase that number. We don’t all share the same financial resources, but we can all give something that’s meaningful to us. Participation in the Annual Fund says to our kids and to our community, “This isn’t just a transaction. We share a deeper commitment to this school.”

It’s important to note that tuition doesn’t cover the full cost of an SPA education, and raising tuition significantly would put SPA out of reach for more families. The Annual Fund is an elegant solution to this, since that piece of the budget is generated through gifts. Some are very large, some are more modest, but every single one represents a family coming together with the community to support all our kids. Q: How does your experience as an alumna inform your relationship to the school now? At my 30th SPA reunion a few years ago, my classmates and I all sat together in the living room of our host’s home, reading aloud from dorky yearbooks, gently teasing one another, reminiscing and laughing. There was a relaxed warmth and kindness in that room. I felt deep acceptance and tenderness for the people who shared my SPA years, a recognition of how lucky we were, and tremendous gratitude that I get to experience it again, refracted through the lives of my children. As a student, I couldn’t see the continuity of this place, the layers of connection, how the community is knit together. My experience as a parent has deepened my affection and appreciation for the school. All my old teachers have now retired, but I recognize their energy, dedication, and creativity in my children’s teachers today. The essential qualities of St. Paul Academy and Summit School haven’t changed, yet the school keeps getting better. The Parent Participation Campaign is still looking for volunteers! To be a part of the campaign, contact Alyse Simondet, Director of the Annual Fund, at asimondet@spa.edu. To make a gift, visit spa.edu/giving.

2017-18 Annual Report Corrections

2017-2018 ANNUAL REPORT

Please note the following corrections to the 2017-18 Annual Report. We extend our apologies for these errors. • In the listing of donors to the Bill Boulger Fund for Teaching Excellence, Tom Kilkelly was mistakenly listed as a former faculty member. Andrew Bennett ’04 and Ken Williams ’92 were mistakenly omitted from the list of former faculty members. • Mark and Mary Westra were mistakenly omitted from the list of Endowed and Current Use Fund Donors ($1,000 - $4,999), Parent of Alumni/ae Donors, and Grandparent Donors. • Steven and Maurine Hatting were mistakenly omitted from the list of Grandparent Donors.

SPA

Winter 2019

www.s p a .ed u

2018 SPA AReport_4.indd 1

11/10/18 9:42 AM

WHY WE GIVE:

Judd ’93 and Michelle Gilats Judd and Michelle Gilats are the parents of two current SPA students in the classes of ’24 and ’28, and Judd graduated from SPA in the Class of ’93. Those multiple perspectives, along with their “if you can, you should” approach to philanthropy, is the reasoning behind their leadership-level gift to the school’s Building Futures Capital Campaign.

When Judd ’93 and Michelle Gilats were planning their move from Chicago back to Minnesota in 2013, a top item on the to-do list was finding the best school for their two young daughters. Michelle was in charge of research (“I felt too biased,” Judd says), and it became quickly clear that SPA was the front-runner. “After visiting the Lower School, Michelle was sold,” Judd says. “It was warm and inviting, and put a strong emphasis on teaching to each child, not just pushing everyone to move at the same pace.” Judd’s memories of his own time at SPA also had an impact on their decision, despite his best attempts to keep his biases under wraps. “Michelle had always heard me say how fortunate I thought I was to have had the education that I did,” Judd

says. “When I got to college [at the University of Wisconsin-Madison], I felt I was much more ready to handle the academics than many of my fellow students, and it was primarily because of the emphasis on learning to learn and analyze that my SPA education had given me.” Their daughters have both thrived at SPA: “While being very different kids and very different learners, each has found success,” Judd says, “and I’ve been impressed with how well the school does with kids that learn differently.” Michelle agrees, and was especially impressed with the ease of her older daughter’s transition from the Lower to Middle School in 2017. “I was amazed at how thoughtfully SPA prepares the kids for the move to the Middle School,” Michelle says. “The fifth grade year is designed to

give the students more responsibility, confidence, and independence, and prepares them so well for the years ahead. It was wonderful to witness.” Although their girls are still years away from taking classes in the renovated Upper School or the new Hugh K. Schilling Center for Math and Science, the couple was inspired to give to the school’s Building Futures Capital Campaign. “Both our girls are very interested in math and science,” Judd says, “and our older daughter has been excited about the Schilling Center from the day it was announced—she’s excited to get there in a few years. I generally believe in the theory that if you have the ability to give, you should,” he adds. “This gift felt like a great way to show our support for the school.”

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> PHILANTHROPHY

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE:

Upper School Renovation With the completion of the Hugh K. Schilling Math and Science Center, the Building Futures capital campaign is now focused on raising the funds to support the continued renovation of the Upper School. The interior overhaul of Old Main, which was completed in November 2018, included updated spaces for the Center for Learning and Teaching and renovated classrooms for Upper School History, Debate, and Wellness classes.

the Schilling Center, the Old Main renovation, and the transformation of the humanities classrooms. The Building Futures Campaign Core Committee (see committee list below) continues its outreach to the community and will be actively fundraising throughout 2019. For more information about the capital campaign, please contact Dorothy Goldie ’73, Director of Institutional Advancement, at dgoldie@spa.edu.

Currently, the two floors of the former math and science wing are under construction; this space will be completed in spring 2019 and will provide the Upper School English and World Language faculty with larger and more flexible classrooms that better accommodate the school’s seminar-style approach to humanities learning.

Building Futures Campaign Core Committee Libby Hlavka, Co-Chair Tim Welsh, Co-Chair Anne Larsen Hooley David Kristal Mrunalini Parvataneni Tom Patterson ’57

The overall campaign for the renovation is now more than 81% complete, with $31 million raised towards the total project cost of just over $38 million, which includes

The former math and science wing, currently under construction, will be the new home of Upper School English and World Language classes.

SPA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

>> CLASS NOTES

’54

’59

’64

CLASS AGENTS

CLASS AGENT

CLASS AGENTS

Alice Mairs bonnie1673@earthlink.net Walter Mayo mayowalter@yahoo.com

James Gardner jpgmn@comcast.net

John Maher jcmaher72@gmail.com Cynthia Piper cindypiper46@gmail.com

Have news to share? Email your news to alumni@spa.edu or send it to Class Notes: St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55105

Cindy Piper says that her

s Sandra Roe, Mary Allan, Lee Murphy, and Judy Diedrich ’58 s Bill Kansas was inducted into the Minnesota Master Swimming Hall of Fame this year. In his 43-year swimming career, Bill has earned 34 individual and 17 relay National Top-10 swims, 12 individual and 12 relay state records, 2 All-American relay swims, and 4 FINA Top-10 relay swims.

(pictured left to right above) had a mini-reunion last spring. The group had a great time catching up and seeing one another.

’63 CLASS AGENT Nancy Mulvey nancymulvey@gmail.com

Warren Olson celebrated

’57 CLASS AGENTS Dutton Foster duttonfosters@comcast.net Susan Rose Ward cswsrw@comcast.net

Tom Milton published a new

novel, “The Godmother,” on June 1, 2018. This is Tom’s fourteenth published novel in a series that addresses issues of peace and justice.

his birthday this June by visiting the D-Day beaches. While abroad, he also visited both American and British cemeteries which he found both moving and emotional, and then followed up that visit with a few days in London revisiting where he lived 39 years ago.

life feels as if I “am dancing as fast as I can”. She is still riding but no longer skis. She still exercises daily and will try to do so as long as she can stand up! Cindy has nine grandchildren. She says she keeps ponies on hand for the kids and that the pool and farm attract them and keep them busy. Cindy lives in Tucson from New Year’s until April 15 and welcomes any visitors.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Become a Class Agent! Class Agents keep in touch with their classmates and provide updates on SPA happenings. Class Agents also help with special events and reunions. All classes welcome additional volunteers and multiple Class Agents are encouraged.

’66 CLASS AGENT F.M. Brown brownfmb1921@gmail.com

Angela Krawetz has been

busy creating a new body of work (paintings) and editing several of children’s books. This winter, she and her dog Sassy began puppy obedience class; she is hoping they learn the command “Stop” so she can stop chasing her down the block. Other than that, Angela shares that she is doing well but is still having a hard time adjusting to Minnesota weather since moving back.

To become a Class Agent, please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> CLASS NOTES

>> Reunion 2018 Classes ending in “3” and “8” celebrated their Reunions with Class Parties on the evening of Saturday, September 8.

SPA Class of 1968 | Left to right: Dan Starjash, Joe Benson, Rick Titcomb, Jack Thera, Jim Vaughan, Jim Kamman, Gardner Bemis, Jim Borchert, Doug McMillan, David Megarry, Greg Pierce, Otto Christenson, Dar Reedy, Jeff Alden (kneeling), Bill Bierman, Nick Linsmayer, Bill Levin.

1948 | Back row, left to right: Pat Butler, Twiss Butler ,Suzanne Elsinger, John Elsinger, Ella Slade, George Millard, Sally Willius Lehmann, Sandra Weschcke, Millicent Thompson Lang, Libby Prest, Jim Prest. Front row, left to right: David Butler, Priscilla Farnham, Kitty Wolff Hartzell, Marti Holman Norton, Dick Slade. Summit Class of 1968 | Front row, left to right: Martha Ravits, Jeanine Werner Johnson with Cordelia Burpee on skype. Middle row, left to right: Carol Godfrey Warren, Anne Cowie, Jody Schoonover Roche, Bonnie Leslie Blodgett, Brenda Lockhart Springsted. Back row, left to right: Christie Hammes, Katie Platt, Lucy Wieland, Barbara Lannin, Cathy Geist, Flopsy Field Farnham, Martha Garrett Burdess, Sally Davidson Foster.

1953 | In front: John Holman. Left to right, John Milton,Jim Stevenson, Judy Blake, Ann Luyten Dieperink, Jim Gesell, Bill Langford, Mac Seymour, Caco Baillon, Dick Pryor, Ed Stringer.

1973 | Back row, left to right: back row: Barney Harris, Charley Bathke, Richard Waterfield, Charlie Zellie, Richard Brynteson. Front row, left to right: Lynn Schilling Brown, Lisa Schilling Greenman, Elisabeth Paper, Helen Easton, Sally Stockwell, Ginny Clapp Buell, Kate Boardman Walters, Dee Dee Goldie.

1958 | Back row, left to right: Walter Fricke, John Rollwagen, Frank Ward, David Mayo, Addison Woodward, Tony Shull, John Rupert, Mike Foote, Todd Freeman, Richard Angell. Front row, left to right: Mike Parish, Bill Beadie. Then, in the middle, left to right, Robert Wolff, Blake Davis.

SPA

Winter 2 019

www.s p a .ed u

To view more photos from Reunion 2018, visit www.spa.edu > Alumni > Publications > Photo Albums.

1978 | Left to right: Paul Ballion, Mary Holman, Lisa Tesar, Renee Heinee, John Butler, Jim Bronstein, Heidi Mairs, Clover Earl, Phil Allen, Phil Stringer, John Perry, Mike Dieperink, Scott Austin, Andreas Aeppli, Phil Foussard, Bob Albrecht.

1983 | Back row, left to right: Bert Wilson, Eric Dieperink, Mike Sands, Todd Johnson, John Seymour, Ned Patterson, Rich Geist. Annemarie Sawkins, Ben Ford, Nick Franco, Shane McCarron, Trip Johnson, Chris Commers, George Leiter (former math teacher and Class of â&#x20AC;&#x2122;83 graduation speaker). Middle row, left to right: Cynthia Fisher Wilson, Georgeanna Lewis, Jennifer Abuzzahab, Cathy Suessbrick Best, Aaron Schloff, Peter Zelle, Tim Miner. Front, left to right: Ann Ruhr Pifer, Emily Katzung Koenig, Andrea Kauffmann Gruber, Susie Wedes Beaumaster, Polly Dawkins.

1988 | Front row, left to right: Andrew Arashiba, Catherine McKenzie, Jennifer Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, Shannon McCauley. Second row, left to right: Jessica Barry, David Salchow, Darren Gerke, Sean Draine, Lesley Crosby, Dana Nelson, Anne Vorbach, Daniel Barsness. Back row, left to right: Ben Rasmussen, Mark Ferris, Matt Brier, Gerard Lagos, Dan Deuel, Ron Thompson, Ian Luepker, Aaron Satran, Peter Morgan, Fred Kaemmer, Gina Christ, Jeff Johnson, Ann Courington, Ben Seymour, Mark Rupert, Rick Epstein, Amy Myrbo, Robert Goff. Not pictured: Mercedes Henderson-Clark.

1998 | Front row, left to right: Marcus Gatto, Peter Cox, James Garrett. Row 2: Ian Kell, Matt Craighead, Emma Page, Sr. Castellanos, Julia Rupp Struve, Adam Witt. Row 3: Mara Schanfield, Sara Weum Wellington. Next: Patrick Flanagan, Kara Johnson. Next:Aaron Bergad, Alicia Boxall Czech, Wihelmina Mauritz Shoger. Next: Aaron Bergad, Susan Scibora Tervola, Anna Kurhajec. Next: Michael Lorberbaum, Hart Rosenblatt, Kat Thompson Pescheck. Next: Kristen Dorf, Bree Yaeger Jensen, Kirsten Klevan. Next: Emily Harris, Erica Sandey, Brendan Miller. Top: Elizabeth Johnson Turan, Drake Mehlan, Tanya Adelman.

1993 | Front row, left to right: Kirstin Dragasakis, Tascha Geiger, Ann Westra, Lara Livgard, Mike Milinovich, Karen Vail, Matt Nelson, Chris Lawrence. Back row, left to right: Jens Strand, Ben Beach, Stan Shepard Jr., Pete Peterson, Evan Ruotsinoja, Nate Johnson, Boris Kopilenko, Nick Coughlin.

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> CLASS NOTES

mile hike on the New England trail in the summer of 2017. Nancy completed the WI Ice Age trail in 64 days over 4 months, and became the 177th person to do so. With many memories and stories to tell, Nancy says some of her favorite days were those she hiked with fellow classmate Alice O’Brien Berquist.

’71 CLASS AGENTS Alice Berquist aberquist@comcast.net Thomas Wood woodman53@comcast.net

s Alice Berquist and several classmates gathered to celebrate turning 65 years old. Happy birthday to (pictured above, left to right) Susan Headley Keller, Sharon Kennedy, Molly Greenman, Peggy Tiffany, Sharon Kennedy, Marta Ljungkull, and Alice O’Brien Berquist. Jane Bratnober Ransom also attended. Ginny Stryker Brodeen started a new career as an aquatic instructor at the YMCA. She adds this job to her other new career in photography and acrylic abstract landscapes. Four years ago, she and Rawley bought the Fitzpatrick’s house in North Oaks. Since then, they have had all four boys out to see their old homestead.

Peter Myers’ new documentary film produced for TPT-Twin Cities PBS “Made in St. Paul: Stories from the Ford plant” premiered on January 14 as part of the weekly “Minnesota Experience” series. Peter was the executive producer/ writer of the film which draws on interviews with Ford employees, insights from local historians, and extensive research conducted by Brian McMahon for his acclaimed book, “The Ford Century in Minnesota.”

’75 CLASS AGENT Litton Field litton.fieldjr@northriskpartners.com

s Lit Field spent Thanksgiving 2017 with his wife Anne on Danco Island, just off the coast of Antarctica.

s Nancy Mairs Daly embarked on the 110 mile Wisconsin Ice Age trail last summer after completing an inspirational 215

SPA

Winter 2019

’79 CLASS AGENT The Class of 1979 is looking for Class Agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308. www.s p a .ed u

Carlton Calvin was

highlighted in the LA Times in August 2018. The article highlights Carlton’s path to entrepreneurship, his leadership style at Razor USA, and Razor’s newest product: electric scooters which are being used in a newly launched dockless shared e-scooter program. Check it out on the LA Times website (Keyword: “Carlton Calvin”). Reverend Charlotte Lehmann

was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist (UU) minister in October 2017. Rev. Lehmann served as the interim minister for the UU Church of Tallahassee in Florida from 2016-18. In August 2018, she moved to Manassas, Virginia to begin her call as the settled minister of the Bull Run UU Congregation, where her installation was celebrated in early 2019.

’80 CLASS AGENTS Thomas Kayser tckj@chicagobooth.edu

s Gregory Kowalski was chosen to give the Petersburg High School commencement speech last spring for the graduating Class of 2018, most of which were his students eleven years earlier in second and third grade. Gregory dedicated the first part of his speech to one of his education mentors: Mr. Foley from SPA. He reminisced about how Mr. Foley would often to say to students, “When you first appeared in my class, your brain was but a lump of clay” and shared how that has shaped how he views education. He also wanted to thank all his classmates for how they shaped his school experience and subsequent career as an elementary teacher.

Michael Kelley is living in the

Como Lake neighborhood of St. Paul. He is in his fifth year volunteering at Morning Star Community Development Corporation and is assisting with the construction of and funding for the organization’s new facility. His daughter Sophia Myers-Kelley ’13 is pursuing her MLIS at St. Kate’s and began a new position with Women Against Military Madness.

’81 CLASS AGENTS Walter Lehmann walt@lehmannplc.com

s Walt Lehmann celebrated the graduation of his son Webster Lehmann ’18 from SPA this spring with his classmates. He is pictured above with fellow classmates Daniel Zelle and Norah Shapiro whose kids Mira Zelle ’18 and Jonah Harrison ’18, respectively, also graduated in the SPA Class

of 2018. Additionally, Walt’s daughter Emelia graduated from the University of Chicago last spring and his wife Sylvia began a new job as the COO of Ideastream, a public broadcasting group in Cleveland. Since then, Walt has settled into a new rhythm of life which includes splitting time between their house in St. Paul and their apartment in downtown Cleveland. He continues his art, entertainment and museum law practice, Lehmann PLC, and recently helped author a book on museum intellectual property law (Rights and Reproductions: The Handbook for Cultural Institutions), which was published this fall. Finally, he continues to edit his uncle’s memoirs, which he is planning to self-publish as A Seat in the Front Row: Recollections of a Foreign Service Officer in the Cold War, and is writing a textbook on museum law. He hopes the textbook will be completed in time to use for a course on museum law which he will be teaching at Mitchell Hamline Law School in 2019.

Los Angeles, Department of Architecture and Urban Design in the graduate level, Masters of Architecture program.

’92 CLASS AGENT Andy Droel adroel@gmail.com

’97 Joining Jeanne (pictured second from right) at the investiture ceremony were classmates (pictured left to right) Anne Magnuson Hartnett, Sara Mairs, and Tim Commers. Kal Grant has started a new

job and is now a partner at Jackson & Walker. Prior to her return to “billable hours,” she worked for 14 years as inhouse counsel with a financial institution. She is enjoying her downtown office and new colleagues, and looks forward to keeping busy when her daughter graduates and leaves for college in 2020.

CLASS AGENTS Jeff Jarosch jeff.jarosch@gmail.com Dena Larso denacitronlarson@gmail.com

s Jonathan Brenner and his wife Irina welcomed their third child Riley Thomas Brenner on June 6, 2018. Jonathan reports that Aria and Tovi are thrilled to have a baby brother!

’96 CLASS AGENT Minette Loula mmloula@gmail.com

Benjamin Freyinger recently accepted a teaching appointment as Lecturer at the University of California

s After spending the last six years in the United Kingdom at the University of Reading, Charles Leavitt moved back to the U.S. to take a position as Assistant Professor of Italian at the University of Notre Dame. He is joined in this move by his wife Brynn and two-yearold son Nathaniel.

’84 CLASS AGENTS Thomas Guyer tom.guyer@winsorlearning.com

In October 2018, the Honorable Jeanne M. Cochran

was appointed as the Sixth Congressional District Judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals by Governor Dayton. Over the years, SPA has left its mark on the Office of Administrative Hearings with Alan Kline ’64, James LaFave ’79, and Perry Wilson ’72 also serving as Administrative Law Judges for the State of Minnesota.

s 1990|Former U.S. national soccer team member Tony Sanneh traveled to Pakistan during the Men’s FIFA World Cup as part of the State Department’s first ‘Sports Envoys’ to Pakistan. Tony (pictured center-right in the red shirt) helped host daily clinics and motivational sessions for kids in the area in order to help them develop skills to positively contribute to their communities. www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> CLASS NOTES

’97 continued

s Melissa Schumi Jones came to SPA’s Randolph Campus this fall to speak with students about her career at the State Department and how SPA helped prepare her for a career in foreign service. She also discussed her tours in Indonesia, Peru, and Lesotho, where she lives with her husband and two children.

CLASS AGENT Mara Schanfield maraschanfield@gmail.com

s Matt Wernz is currently living in Chicago with his wife Jackie who he married in 2009. The pair has two kids, Isaiah (6 years old) and Cecily (4 years old). Matt currently works for the Federal Trade Commission, investigating and litigating fraud and other consumer protection cases. In his spare time, he reports spending time running marathons, coaching his kids’ sports teams, and being an avid basketball fan.

SPA

Winter 2 019

Amanda (Mandy) JagolinoCole is currently living in

Houston, where she cares for critically-ill stroke patients, teaches residents and fellows, and performs research on how to increase access to stroke care for underserved and rural communities. She and her husband are the parents of two boys, one born in December 2017 and the other in January 2019. Amanda shares her regards and hopes everybody is happy doing well on their continued endeavors.

’98

Adam Dashe and his wife Ilana are living in Tokyo with their three kids, Eliot (7 years old), and Sophie and Leah (5 years old). Adam works for Edwards Lifesciences, a medical device company, where he has helped provide high quality catheter-delivered heart valves to patients all over the world. Before moving to Japan, Adam worked for Edwards in Irvine, California for 6 years, and then in Geneva, Switzerland for 5 years where all three kids were born. He reports that it has been a great and unexpected experience living abroad. He hopes to cross paths in the future and encourages people to reach out if they are ever in Japan.

s Josh Rucker is living in West Hartford, Connecticut with his wife Maura and two busy and silly girls, Reiss (6 years old) and Avery (3 years old). Josh works at the University of Connecticut as a compliance manager and has www.s p a .ed u

been in the field of disability access compliance for 10 years. Having a school-aged child of his own has made him realize how fortunate he was to go SPA and be among a great group of classmates!

change of pace after 15+ years working in politics. Alex and his wife are still living in DC and welcomed a new baby, Connor Dunn Conant, this fall. He reports that his brother Nicholas Conant ’01 currently lives in Minneapolis and that his mom is in Florida. Alex also shares the unfortunate news of his dad’s unexpected passing; he died after having a stroke on Memorial Day earlier this summer. He hopes everyone is doing well and looks forward to seeing his classmates at their 25th reunion!

s Nathan Gin met his wife Catherine in Hong Kong before finishing law school and the couple now lives outside of Philadelphia with their three boys, Adrian (9 years old), Sebastian (4 years old), Damian (2 years old), and their three chickens. Currently, Nathan is an attorney working in Wilmington, Delaware. While he shares they don’t get back to Minnesota often, the family is frequently in Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington D.C. and they encourage people to be in contact if they ever find themselves on the East coast.

Sarah Siegfried Enerson works in downtown Minneapolis and lives in Richfield with her husband, two teenage stepsons, two dogs, and two daughters, Elena (3) and Nicole (2).

s Alex Conant reports that after working on Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign, he started a public relations firm in Washington D.C. that works exclusively for corporate, nonprofit, and trade association clients. He is excited for the

’99 CLASS AGENT Lisa Stein lisaannestein@gmail.com

s May Bend is thrilled to be back in the Twin Cities after living on the east coast (NYC and Washington DC) and abroad in South America for 18 years. Currently, Mary is a Communications and Policy Specialist for the World Bank. However, she is also excited to reconnect with SPA alumni/ ae and explore opportunities to enter corporate strategy and communications.

’01

’04

CLASS AGENT

CLASS AGENTS

Aram Desteian desteian@gmail.com

Ashley Anton antonashley@gmail.com Andria Mann andria.m.cornell@gmail.com Tyler Olson tylermolson@gmail.com Sarah Raisch sarah.m.raisch@gmail.com

Jeremy Nerene’s business GrocerKey was featured in the Wisconsin State Journal this fall. GrocerKey is a digital tool that allows consumers to shop from any device for their groceries and allows retailers to manage merchandising, ads, marketing campaigns, and orders.

’03

Dr. Claire Wahmanholm,

who teaches Upper School English at SPA, celebrated the release of her new book Wilder: Poems like the last syllables in November 2018. Dr. Wahmanholm was the recipient of the 2018 Lindquist & Vennum Prize for Poetry last spring; the prize carries a $10,000 award as well as publication by Milkweed Editions. She celebrated her book release with family, friends, and colleagues with a party in early December inside the planetarium of the new Bell Museum.

s Andrew Bennett and his wife Alexis Bennett welcomed their daughter Addison Ireland at 3:13 p.m. on Friday, October 12 at UCSF’s Betty Irene Moore Women’s Hospital. Addison weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces and measured 20.25 inches in length. Her parents report that she can’t wait to see her hometown San Francisco Giants play in April!

Brenden Goetz joined

InterWorks, Inc. as an Analytics Consultant several years after completing his MS in Business Analytics from the University of Denver. Brenden is based in Boulder, Colorado, but splits his time between working remotely and traveling the country.

Lien Bui lbui@gustavus.edu Rory Collins roryfcollins@gmail.com

Alexandra Wennberg received

the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship and in September, she will be moving to Padua, Veneto, Italy to continue her research on Alzheimer’s disease.

’07 Etonde Awaah eawaah@gmail.com Derek Schaible derek.schaible@gmail.com

’05 CLASS AGENTS John Adams adamsjackc@gmail.com Lindsay Giese lindsaygiese@gmail.com Nicole James nstennes@gmail.com Hanna Lamb hanna.lamb@gmail.com Sarah Wald skwald@gmail.com

Dr. Lauren Linsmayer is doing

Maya Dusenbery’s first book,

s Marshall Buckler welcomed Alexander George Buckler to the world on April 14, 2018. Baby Lex and his mother are both healthy and big sister Kara loves her baby brother very much.

CLASS AGENTS

CLASS AGENTS Kendra Ackland Thomas Christ kiselblat@gmail.com Jillian Degerness Brenden Goetz brendengoetz@gmail.com Aleksander Sims aleksander.sims@gmail.com

’06

“Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick,” was published by HarperOne in March 2018. Peter Stenson released his second novel last spring. The novel is titled “Thirty-Seven” and is a story about a cult that dies off and is restarted by its only surviving member: Member No. 37. His first novel, “Fiend,” was released in 2013 and is set in St. Paul during a zombie apocalypse.

s Emily Sepler Grinberg and her husband Maksim Grinberg welcomed their first son, David “Dieter” Aaron Grinberg, on July 19. Dieter is already enjoying his many honorary aunts and uncles from the SPA community including Marley McMillan, Melley Turner Richards, Emily Grinberg, and Sophie Rupp.

www. spa.e du

the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, which is a yearlong fellowship administered by the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Lauren was selected as a legislative fellow and has been working on the Senate Commerce Committee’s Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over coastal, marine, weather, and climate policy issues. Last fall, the Committee asked Lauren to give a briefing to congressional staff on coral conservation and management, given her PhD in coral biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, CA. During her fellowship, she also has helped draft a bill that reauthorizes and enhances the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, which expired in 2004.

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> CLASS NOTES

senior goalie recorded a career high 15 saves and helped Hamline earn their third trip, in four years, to the MIAC playoffs.

’08 CLASS AGENTS Nolan Filter nolan.f.filter@gmail.com Jessica Garretson Jessiepiper@gmail.com Vanessa Levy vanessa.s.levy@gmail.com Ariella Rotenberg rotenberg.ariella@gmail.com

Alanna McFall

is thrilled to announce that her debut novel, “The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus” is scheduled to be published in May 2019 with indie publisher Atthis Arts. “The Traveling Triple-C Incorporeal Circus” is a paranormal road trip story following the adventures of two ghosts and a mime. Alanna is currently based out of the San Francisco Bay Area and has published a number of short stories and plays.

’13 CLASS AGENT Sophia Myers-Kelley smyerskelley@gmail.com

Emily Nordquist

attended the 2018 Obama Foundation Summit this fall and as a member of the Foundation’s Community Leadership Corps, Emily was selected to be featured speaker at the Summit for her work to spread financial literacy in the Chicago area.

SPA

Winter 2019

s 2008 and 2010 | Annie Walli ’10 and Everett Wenzel ’08 were married in St. Paul in September 2018. The pair had many Spartans in attendance, including Tim Bohl ’08, Becky Engeleiter ’11, Mara Walli ’13, Wyatt Wenzel ’10, Emily Phillip Bryant ’08, Cameron Causey ’13, Parker Cook ’08, Nick Forsgren ’11, Kent Hanson ’16, Maddie Hanson ’13, Bryce Holstad, Amanda Hotvedt ’13, Ian Middlebrook ’10 and Bryna Helle Wiens ’08.

Neerja Thakkar won a “Womenin-Technology” scholarship from Adobe Research last winter. The Women-inTechnology Scholarship program recognizes outstanding undergraduate female students who are studying computer science. Neerja was one of just 10 students internationally to win the award. Additionally, Neerja was also named honorable mention for the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship.

’16 CLASS AGENTS Catherine Braman katiebraman85@gmail.com

s Hagop Toghramadjian and his wife Natasha (née Bednarz) were married on August 4, 2018 at St. Sahag Armenian Church in St. Paul. After spending last year in Armenia, the couple recently moved back to the east coast where Hagop is attending Harvard Law School and Natasha is starting her PhD at Harvard’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

’14 CLASS AGENTS The Class of 2014 is looking for Class Agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

s Jonathan Sogin graduated from University of Wisconsin— Madison with a BSc in Food Science and a minor in Business graduate school last spring and is now at Cornell University where he is working toward an MSc in Food Science with a focus on Food Safety.

’15 CLASS AGENTS The Class of 2015 is looking for Class Agents! Please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

Dean Isaacson was named MIAC

Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week in late October 2018. The honor came after an impressive win over Gustavus where the

www.s p a .ed u

Justin Jallen started his NCAA Division I hockey career at Brown University in Fall 2018 following two successful years of junior hockey with the Northeast Generals in the North American Hockey League.

>> IN MEMORIAM

In Winter 2019, SPA lost three beloved retired faculty: Wes Schultz, Joanna Victor (also a member of Summit School’s Class of ’51), and Rob Woutat. Full memorials for Mr. Schultz, Ms. Victor, and Mr. Woutat will be included in the next issue of SPA Magazine.

’42 Joanne Brown Wright, age 93, died peacefully on May 29, 2018, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Joanne was born on June 4, 1924 to Montreville Jay and Minnie Stinchfield Brown and welcomed by her three sisters, Katherine, Louise, and Marney ’41. She was married for 55 years to Theodore Douglas (T.D.) Wright ’41 and had a beautiful life which revolved lovingly around family and art. Joanne is survived by her children Peter ’67, John ( Jane Gehan), Alice ’72 (Dan Taylor), Sarah (Ted Iwaszek), and Charlotte (Bill Pritz); grandchildren Eric, Eileen, Florence, Clara, Lindsay, Natalie, Ester, Rose, Julia, Zoe, and Charlie; and great grandchildren Mirabelle, Phoebe, and Emma.

’45 Richard (Dick) Bancroft Jr. died peacefully on July 16, 2018 just short of his 91st birthday. He was preceded in death by his parents Rich and Polly; son Bill ’73; and sister Polly Hebbie ’50. He is survived by his wife Debbie ’48; children Hunter ’78 (Helga Lange), Ann ’74, Carrie ’80 (Roberto Gutierrez), and Sarah ’86 (Andrew BancroftHoward); sisters Elizabeth Cammack ’47 and Mary Field ’52; and cherished grandchildren Alma, Maya, Saman, Morgan, Frank, and Charlie.

’47 Glenna M. Price died at the age 88 on June 15, 2018. Glenna was born and raised in St. Paul where she graduated from Summit School before attending Skidmore College. She grew up to become an outdoors

enthusiast and was good at anything she set her mind to. Her passions included gardening, collecting wildflowers, fishing, hunting, golfing, mushroom hunting, showing horses, and horseback riding. Glenna was preceded in death by her husband Milton D. Price Jr. ’45; children Milton D. Price III and Deborah Price; and parents Glen and Josephine Millard. She is survived by her daughters Georgia (Rich) Mottl and Pam Ira; daughter-in-law Mary Price; siblings George Millard ’48 and Josephine Chervenak ’51; and five grandchildren, one greatgrandchild, and many nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.

’48 Thomas E. Dosdall passed away on March 9, 2018 at the age of 87. Born in St. Paul, Thomas attended St. Paul Academy and later went on to Princeton, graduating in 1952. Thomas spent many years between Minnesota and his beloved California. He retired from H.M. Smyth and also spent time as a member of the SPA Alumni/ae Council in the 1950/60s and as a SPA Class Agent from 1998-1999. He is preceded in death by wife Patricia Hickey Dosdall and brother Chet ’45. He is survived by his wife Annella Zervas Dosdall; sister Mary (Reyn) Guyer ’53; children Diana ( John) Herman, Debbie (Chip) Daniels, Mike (Carol) Dosdall ’73, Teri (Tom) Vannelli, and stepdaughter Patti Baker (Randy) Brunter; grandchildren Keri, Kevin (Kate), Patti (Patrick), Mike (Fallon), Rob (Nikki), Christy (Matt), Brad, Tom (Annie), Kiira, Steven (Andrea), Eric, Becca, and Katrina; and six great-grandchildren.

Ellen Salisbury Daggett Nedved, age 87, passed away peacefully on July 2, 2018. Ellen was passionate about gourmet cooking, backgammon, African violets, her friends and family, the Episcopal Church, entertaining, antiques, and family history. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Donald J. Nedved; parents Albert Henry Daggett and Ruth Soule Daggett; siblings John Daggett and Judith Daggett Kalafat ’51; daughter Judith Nedved Clausen Kunz ’72; and granddaughter Nicole Brand. She is survived by her sons James (Paula) Nedved, Jonathan ( Jan) Nedved ’75, and Christopher (Elaine) Nedved; nieces Lisa Kalafat, Amy Kalafat Pinotti, and Kelly Kalafat Maurer; grandchildren Adam (Amy), Alex, Elliott, Austin, Cassie, Jamie, Nicholas, Lindsey (Tom); and great-grandchild Olivia; and Samantha Smith.

’54 David M. Beadie passed away peacefully at the age of 81 from complications of nearly 26 years of Parkinson’s disease. Dave graduated from St. Paul Academy and Harvard. After a tour with the National Guard and a year with 3M, he went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota Law School and enjoyed a long career practicing law with Faegre and Benson in Minneapolis. Dave and Karen married in 1994 and relished a close and loving marriage for 24 years, enjoying the company of their friends and family at their homes in Minnesota and Maine, and at their cabin in Detroit Lakes. He was a long-time member of Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina and the Minikahda Club. He also loved playing bridge, golf, hockey, and enjoying opera and symphonic

music. Dave dealt with Parkinson’s with courage, grace and a sense of humor. He also worked hard to treat everyone in his life with interest, dignity, and kindness. Dave was preceded in death by his parents William McGregor Beadie and Helen Steele Beadie. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife Karen; brother Bill ’58 (Carol); nephews Guy ’86, Ryan (Molly), and Bill ’91 ( Jaymie); Karen’s sister Marcia (Gayland) Regier; and family members Paula Heinz (Bryan) and Ann and John Regier.

’55 Parker Keenan “Ted” Bagley died on October 6, 2018 with his children by his side. Parker was born in Minneapolis on August 19, 1937. He graduated from St. Paul Academy and went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Yale University in 1959. He later received an M.D. degree from Temple University School of Medicine in 1966 and completed a residency in Radiology at University of Minnesota in 1972. After finishing his residency, Dr. Bagley moved to Florida and worked as a radiologist in the hospital setting for 12 years before establishing his own outpatient practice. He was a member and vestryman of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church and also served on Rotary International. In his leisure time, he could be found out on his boat enjoying the water. Dr. Bagley is survived by his children Ann (Christopher) Bagley Willms and Donald (Elizabeth) Bagley II; grandchildren Nina, Olivia, Donald, Ruth, Kathryn, and Anna; sister-in-law, Birdie Westerdahl; nephew John; and niece Linda Dornbach. He was

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> IN MEMORIAM

preceded in death by his parents Donald Shepherd Bagley and Ruth Keenan Bagley; his brother Donald Gibbs Bagley ’53; and his wife Marcia Pappas Bagley.

’59 Mary Mueller Walsh ’59, age 78, died on August 27, 2018. Mary attended Summit School and went on to Northwestern University where she received a B.A. in music. She is preceded in death by her husband Lorence and numerous beloved pets. She is survived by her children, Lori (Roger) Cawley and Christopher (Megan) Walsh; grandchildren Mary, Sarah, Dylan, and Evelyn Walsh; and brother Robert W. ( Joey) Mueller, Jr.

’61

’63

Bob Verhey, age 75, died peacefully of complications from pancreatic cancer on September 8, 2018. Bob was born and raised in the Highland Park neighborhood and attended St. Paul Academy. He went on to earn his BA from Duke University and his MBA from Dartmouth College before joining the workforce. Bob had a very diverse professional career as a corporate leader, entrepreneur, business coach, and professor. He worked for several companies including Xerox Corporation, Memorex, Fibreboard Corporation, and American Red Cross, and helped launch numerous companies in a variety of industries in San Francisco, Hilton Head Island, and Alexandria. In his later years, Bob was a business coach for several start-up companies and a professor of business and communications at UC Berkeley, Georgia Southern University, and Santa Barbara City College. In 52

his free time, Bob was an avid skier, tennis player, and golfer. He also loved spending time with family, following the 49ers, Warriors, Nationals, and Capitals, and traveling around the world to attend numerous Olympics and world class sporting events. He was an extremely optimistic and outgoing individual who gave an enormous amount of time to charity, teaching, and coaching. Bob was preceded in death by his parents Seymour and Jane Verhey. He is survived by his wife Carol Johnson; three siblings Jim (Annie) Verhey ’65, Tom (Linda) Verhey ’68, and Fred (Victoria) Verhey ’70; children Bob (Nancy) Verhey ’86 and Anne Paquet; and five grandchildren Allie ’18, Jennie ’19, Bobby ’21, Tommy ’23, and Jonathan.

SPA

Winter 2 019

Peter Bovey died suddenly at his Oak Park home on July 12, 2018 with his wife and daughter by his side. The son of Frank Alden Bovey II and Shirley Elfman Bovey, Peter grew up in the St. Paul and attended St. Paul Academy. He attended Harvard College and then earned his Masters of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He spent years building houses in Vermont, Arizona and Maine, where he acquired his architect stamp. In the 1980s, new industry technologies became available and enabled Peter to open a computer business, Micrographics, in Chicago. Around this time, he married Ruth, his wife of 30 years. They eventually moved to Oak Park where his interest in architecture was revived and he opened Oak Park Renovations. He had a never-ending thirst for knowledge, inexhaustible curiosity, unique brilliance,

www.s p a .ed u

humble nature and keen sense of humor. His loves included reading, folk music, hiking, bird-watching, nature, eastern philosophies, and hosting annual Hanukkah parties and seders. Peter was also a pacifist and activist against the Vietnam War and continued to be actively engaged in politics in his later years. Peter is survived by his wife Ruth; his children Rebekah, Diantha, Solomon, and Rachel; and his grandchildren Saya and Lorik.

’67 Lucy Harrison Gehan was born on February 9, 1949 in Minneapolis and died peacefully, surrounded by family, on August 11, 2018 after a courageous battle with cancer. Lucy graduated from Summit School and the University of Colorado. She worked as a mother, designer, and gardener, and loved to paint, play tennis, pick wildflowers, and ride horses. She loved her family, friends, the XZ Ranch, and her dogs. Lucy is survived by her husband Mark; children Mark ( Jamie) and Alice; siblings Scott (Nancy), Mark (Susan), and Julie (Dennis); granddaughter Lucy; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Samuel Netherly died on March 2, 2018 in New Orleans at age 68. Sam grew up and lived most of his life in Afton, MN before moving to Louisiana. He attended St. Paul Academy before going on to Case Western Reserve University and the University of Minnesota. In 2009, he retired after working 34 years as a product development chemist at 3M where he received multiple patents. He enjoyed many hobbies, including sailing, woodworking, photography, target shooting,

and handloading. It was after retirement that he found the true passion of his life: training and volunteering with two therapy dogs, Sasha and Annabelle. With his dogs, he visited hospitals in St. Paul and New Orleans, and brightened the days of hundreds of patients and families. He was preceded in death by his parents George and Winnifred Netherly. He will be greatly missed by his wife of 41 years, Dawne Pflughoeft; daughters Lindsey Netherly and Alexandra Netherly; son-in-law Brandon Sherman; grandson Roman; and half-brother Kent Harrison.

’70 Peter Barrett Stryker, age 66, passed away on July 5, 2018. Peter was born in St. Paul to the late John Stryker and Mary Stryker Lewandowski. He attended St. Paul Academy and Summit School. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife Sally Stryker; and brother Charles Stryker ’67. He is survived by his children Kathleen Stryker and Christian (Tasha) Stryker; two grandchildren Alice and Harper; and his brother James Stryker ’66.

’71 Christopher Kusske passed away on October 17, 2018. Christopher was born on January 15, 1953 and attended St. Paul Academy and Summit School where he excelled in art, music, theater, and cross country. His love for the earth, from the Boundary Waters to the Queen Charlotte Islands, eventually evolved into an incredible career in landscape design. Chris also had a keen appetite for learning from those

around him and loved to share his knowledge. From Christopher’s childhood through adulthood, he nurtured and loved friendships, many of whom he had for more than 55 years. He welcomed a good conversation and was thoughtful, considerate, consistent, and devoted in his interactions with his friends and family. He is survived by his husband Allen Kolkowitz, family, and friends throughout the world.

’72 Judith Nedved Kunz passed away in February 2018.

’77 Dale Martin, age 59, passed away on November 9, 2018 at his home in Naperville, IL surrounded by his family. Dale attended St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Gustavus Adolphus College, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Thomas University, and Walden University. He worked at Sperry/Unisys, Cargill and Temple & Associates. Dale is survived by wife Betsy; children Andrew and Kelsey; brother Earl; and lots of family. He was preceded in death by his parents Patricia R. and Albert F. Martin; his brother Paul ’75 (Lillian); nephew Shawn; and niece Kitana.

’88 Christopher Allen James, age 47, passed away on July 25, 2018 from complications following surgery. Christopher grew up in St. Paul and attended St. Paul Academy and Summit School, where he excelled in art and theater. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Art History and Theater from Sarah Lawrence College and a Master’s degree in Arts Administration from Saint Mary’s University. As a professional, Christopher worked as a marketing and public relations director for many major non-profit organizations and had recently begun a new and exciting job as Director of Gallery 110 in Seattle before his passing. He founded and ran the Fully Reciprocal Theater Company and was a member of the Minneapolis cowboy yodeling band, Rope Trick. Throughout his life, Christopher loved good writing. He railed against bad grammar and “obnoxiously overused phrases,” to the delight of his Facebook friends, was an excellent cook, and loved to travel. He had a sharp wit and came up with hysterical puns and impersonations, making his friends and family laugh. Christopher is survived by his loving husband Joe Carl; his parents Donald and Suzanne James; his sister, Cynthia (Scott) Murdoch ’82; his niece Emily Macaluso ’09 (Tony Guerra) and nephew Philip Macaluso ’10; and many other relatives and dear friends.

Friends Martha Kaemmer (Former Trustee, Parent of Alumnus, Grandparent) died peacefully on March 29, 2018 surrounded by her family. Martha grew up in Bayport, Minnesota, on the

banks of the St. Croix River where she acquired a love of nature and water. As a child, she spent summers with her family in the Apostle Islands, a practice she continued with her own children and grandchildren. Martha was an active Carleton College alumna, parent, and Trustee. She met her husband of 50 years, Arthur (Art) Kaemmer, at Carleton, and the two were married in 1967. Martha’s love for bringing people together over good food led her to co-founding and, ultimately becoming the owner of, Cooks of Crocus Hill, a gourmet cooking school and kitchen shop on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. She led Cooks as a successful entrepreneur for over 35 years. Martha was also an expert in non-profit governance, and her wisdom and level-thinking made her a highly-respected and sought-after board member for a number of Twin Cities organizations, including the Minnesota Historical Society, Carleton College, the Minnesota Opera, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, the Science Museum of Minnesota, TPT, Weisman Art Museum, the Walker Art Center, and Planned Parenthood. In her spare time, she loved indulging in the arts, studying history, and spending time by the Mississippi River and on Captiva Island in Florida where she and her husband Art spent part of every winter. Great-great granddaughter of Hans Jacob Andersen, founder of the Andersen Window Corporation, Martha is survived by her husband Art; her sister Mary Hulings Rice; her children Fred C. Kaemmer ’88 (Kate Tilney) and Julia L. Kaemmer ’91 (Olivier Vrambout); grandchildren Gracie ’21, Lela ’23, Luca, and Zora; and her favorite aunt, Alice Hulings.

’18 Henry Zietlow died on January 14, 2019, when the car he was driving was struck by another vehicle on a rural Wisconsin highway. Below is an excerpt from Head of School Bryn Robert’s note to the SPA community the day after Henry’s death. “I have sad news to report. We learned last night of the death of Henry Zietlow, a member of SPA’s Class of 2018 and Bowdoin College’s Class of 2022. Henry and his mother, Sarah, were driving near Hayward, Wisconsin on Monday morning when a driver in a truck lost control of his vehicle, swerved, and crashed into their car. “Henry was a thoughtful and earnest young man. His father, Nathan, wrote to me and noted that SPA was an important part of Henry’s life and his family’s life (Nina, Henry’s sister, is a member of SPA’s Class of 2016). Henry, in his understated and quiet way, was immersed in life at school. He was an outstanding student with a particular love for science and Chinese, a talented violinist, and a ‘Widji kid’.” Many of our current students and faculty have fond personal memories of Henry, and I know that our entire community shares my sense of profound loss. It is time for us to remember Henry and to support each other at this moment of grief and tragedy.”

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

>> PERFORMANCES

Upper School Musical: Rent May 18-20, 2018 Middle School One Act Showcase May 24, 2018

Middle School Fall Play: The Orphan Train October 26-27, 2018

For more photos from SPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s student performances, visit stpaulacademy. smugmug.com/studentlife

Upper School Fall Play: Every(man) November 16-17, 2018

SPA

Winter 2019

www.s p a .ed u

Middle School Choir Concert December 20, 2018

Upper School Winter One-Acts January 25, 2019

Upper School Pops Concert December 7-8, 2018

Middle School Instrumental Concert December 19, 2018

www. spa.e du

Wi n ter 201 9

S PA

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PA I D

Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 3400 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105-2194 Change Service Requested

June 2017

TO PARENTS OF ALUMNI/AE: If this is no longer the current mailing address for your alumni/ae child, please let us know at alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1318.

HOMECOMING 2018

Led by this year’s Spartan, Betsy Romans ’19, students “stormed the field” in the annual Homecoming tradition. For more photos from Homecoming 2018, visit stpaulacademy.smugmug.com.