SPA Magazine Fall 2021 by St. Paul Academy

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FALL 2021

SPA MAGAZINE | FALL 2021

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The Magazine of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

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.

The Class of 2021

PRINCIPAL THOUGHTS:

The 112 members of the Class of 2021 are attending 73 colleges and universities around the country. See pages 20-23 for more photos and details from Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021.

A CONVERSATION WITH SPA’S THREE PRINCIPALS IN THIS ISSUE: 2020-2021 ANNUAL REPORT

>> PERFORMANCES

Scott Streble

>> LETTER FROM THE HEAD

In 2020-21, all of SPA’s performances, including theatrical productions and concerts, were recorded and streamed online for the community to enjoy. Our student actors and musicians (and their teachers) learned an entirely new set of skills, including rehearsing and recording at home, singing and reciting lines while masked, and editing performance video together into a full production. It was a challenging but fruitful year for SPA performing arts.

2021-2022 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS Timothy A. Welsh, President William M. Beadie ’58, Secretary Litton E. S. Field, Jr. ’75, Treasurer MEMBERS

Middle School Fall Play: Alice in Wonderland Bartlett (Bake) J. Baker ’71 Mark W. Addicks Hyung Choi Jennifer Coates ’96

BLUEPRINT FOR THE NEXT DECADE This issue of SPA Magazine, which includes the Annual Report 2020-21, is our first since the onset of the pandemic, and it offers an impressive overview of how the SPA community flourished throughout these challenging months. Since the onset of COVID in the spring of 2020, there have been moments of anxiety and frustration for our families, our students, and our teachers. But there have also been moments of joy, resilience, and connection, particularly this fall as we resumed in-person classes for five days each week. Even with our COVID precautions, SPA has felt refreshingly like school in September 2019. Our successful opening this fall reflects the leadership of the three division Principals who are profiled in our cover story. Lower School Principal Beth Nelson, Middle School Principal Virginia Andres, and Upper School Principal Theresa Collins are master educators, visionary thinkers, and compassionate leaders. As a team, Beth, Virginia, and Theresa are a powerful and dynamic representation of the breadth and depth of SPA’S K-12 leadership team. Beth Nelson stepped into the Principal’s role this summer with a deep appreciation for the culture of the Lower School, an understanding informed by her 23 years as a faculty member that included 14 years as the Lower School’s Assistant Principal. Beth creates a sense of stability in the busy and buoyant world of the Goodrich Campus. Her calm, steady demeanor was and is essential in the time of COVID, and her extensive knowledge of our curriculum (including recent innovations in K-5 math, literacy, and social-emotional learning and wellness) is one of our most valuable assets. The tenure of Virginia Andres, now in her third year as Middle School Principal, is split evenly into “before” and “after” the onset of COVID. Her first months with us were a wonderfully exploratory and productive time; we came to know her in the fall of 2019 as a perceptive leader and a careful listener, with a savvy sense of how Middle

John W. Cosgriff ’93 Schools work. When the pandemic landed in March 2020 in the middle of Virginia’s second semester, those qualities proved invaluable. Under her leadership, the Middle School has never lost sight of its guiding principles. Virginia knows that her students are in the process of defining themselves as individuals, and she understands how to guide them (and their parents) as they follow the sometimes bumpy and unpredictable path through adolescence. Upper School Principal Theresa Collins, who joined SPA in July, is the newest member of the team. The virtual nature of our Principal search in early 2021 was unfamiliar terrain for us, but even Zoom could not dim Theresa’s appeal. Her talent, her empathy, and her humor shone through in those conversations. Now, even in these early months of her tenure, she has been extraordinarily deft in using the storehouse of knowledge she gained in her 15-year career as an independent school educator and administrator at the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago to frame her evolving perceptions of SPA’s Upper School community. I am proud and grateful to be working with these three leaders during my final year as Head of School at SPA, and I am thrilled that Beth, Virginia, and Theresa are part of the team that will welcome and support the school’s next leader. As this issue of SPA Magazine goes to press, we have just announced the appointment of Dr. Luis Ottley to be that leader [see page 4 for more details— Ed.], and I am glad that Dr. Ottley will be the beneficiary of our Principals’ talents as individuals and their strength as a team. I know our entire community joins me in celebrating the remarkable trio of leaders.

Elizabeth Driscoll Hlavka Anne Larsen Hooley David W. Kansas ’85 Varun B. Kharbanda ’92 David A. Kristal Amanda Kay Liu Scot W. Malloy Philip McKoy

Middle School Musical: Fame Jr.

Barbara L. Naramore Tim O’Brien ’77 Thomas H. Patterson ’57 Christopher (Chip) J. Pearson J.P. Peltier Anthony (Tony) Sanneh ’90

Upper School Musical: Song, Dance and Taking a Chance: A Master Class in Musical Theater

Upper School Fall Play: Under Milk Wood Bryn S. Roberts, Head of School www.s p a.e d u

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2021-2022 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Contents Fall 2021

OFFICERS Timothy A. Welsh, President William M. Beadie ’58, Secretary Litton E. S. Field, Jr. ’75, Treasurer MEMBERS Mark W. Addicks

The Magazine of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Editor’s Note:

We are pleased that publication of SPA Magazine has now resumed, following a hiatus due to the pandemic. This issue of the magazine includes both a retrospective of the 2020-21 school year and a hopeful look ahead. We are very grateful to the entire SPA community for their support, and we hope you enjoy this issue of SPA Magazine. Ami Berger, Editor, SPA Magazine

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

Bartlett (Bake) J. Baker ’71 Hyung Choi Jennifer Coates ’96 John W. Cosgriff ’93 Elizabeth Driscoll Hlavka Anne Larsen Hooley David W. Kansas ’85 Varun B. Kharbanda ’92 David A. Kristal Amanda Kay Liu Scot W. Malloy Philip McKoy Barbara L. Naramore Tim O’Brien ’77 Thomas H. Patterson ’57 Christopher (Chip) J. Pearson J.P. Peltier Anthony (Tony) Sanneh ’90

Features Follow us on instagram.com/ spa_spartans

2 Letter from the Head 20 Celebrating the Class of 2021: Commencement and College Choices 24

On the cover

PRINCIPAL THOUGHTS:

A Conversation with SPA’s Three Principals

The leaders of SPA’s three divisions– Upper School Principal Theresa Collins, Middle School Principal Virginia Andres, and Lower School Principal Beth Nelson–share their thoughts on leadership, community, and the role of a Principal.

2020-2021 ANNUAL REPORT

IN THIS ISSUE:

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

2020-2021 ANNUAL REPORT

Departments Check out our photo galleries at stpaulacademy. smugmug.com

4 Through the Doors 14 Spartan Sports 32 Alumni/ae News 34 Philanthropy St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 651-698-2451 (main line) 651-696-1380 (fax) info@spa.edu www.spa.edu

36 Class Notes 43 In Memoriam Head of School >> Bryn S. Roberts Editor and Principal Writer >> Ami Berger Principal Photographer >> Scott Streble 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.

Read SPA Magazine online at spa.edu/ SPA_Magazine

>> THROUGH THE DOORS

Head of School Bryn Roberts Announces Retirement After an extraordinary 16-year tenure as St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s Head of School, Bryn S. Roberts will retire at the end of the 2021-22 school year. Roberts’ retirement was announced to the community in April 2021 by Board of Trustees President Tim Welsh. Roberts, who has served as SPA’s Head of School since 2006, will be succeeded by Dr. Luis Ottley, who was announced as SPA’s next Head of School in October 2021 after an international search conducted by the nine-member Board of Trustees Head of School Search Committee.

“

Few educators and school leaders have enjoyed the opportunities and support that I have received throughout my tenure as the Head of School at SPA, for which I am deeply grateful. – Bryn Roberts, Head of School

“Each of us in the SPA community has benefited from the wise, caring, and thoughtful leadership Bryn has provided for so many years,” Welsh says. “It has been one of the great privileges of my life to work alongside such an inspiring leader.” Welsh and Board member Tim O’Brien ’77 were the co-chairs of the Board of Trustees Search Committee, which oversaw the search for Roberts’ successor. Search Committee members also included Lit Field ’75, Libby Hlavka, Anne Hooley, David Kansas ’85, Varun Kharbanda ’92, Phil McKoy, and Chip Pearson; the Board partnered with search firm Carney Sandoe & Associates (CSA) in identifying the school’s next leader. “It has been a marvelous experience and an honor to lead SPA, and I know that this is the right time for me to step away and for the school to embrace new leadership,” Roberts says, noting that his retirement date was set several years ago and prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. His successor, Dr. Ottley, will join the SPA community over the summer of 2022 after concluding his tenure as Head of School at St. Martin’s Episcopal School, a private day school in suburban Atlanta. In his thirty-year career in independent schooling, Dr. Ottley has also served as Head of School at Marin Horizon School in Mill Valley, 4

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CA; led Middle Schools in New York and Seattle; and held multiple administrative, classroom, and coaching roles at independent schools in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Dr. Ottley holds a B.S. from Allegheny College (PA), a M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University (MD), and an Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently working towards a Master of Divinity degree from Dr. Luis Ottley Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CA). Roberts is looking forward to his final months at SPA and working closely with Ottley to ensure a smooth leadership transition. “Few educators and school leaders have enjoyed the opportunities and support that I have received throughout my tenure as the Head of School at SPA, for which I am deeply grateful,” says Roberts. “I hope that we will be beyond the worst of the pandemic and thus able to focus on renewing the expansive bonds of our community and envisioning the next stage of this remarkable school’s evolution.”

Twelve Members of Class of 2021 Named National Merit Semifinalists

Twelve members of the Class of 2021 were named National Merit Semifinalists by the College Board in fall 2020. The 12 Semifinalists were Noel Abraham, Rafael Barocas, Maya Choi, Henry Hoeglund, TJ Isberg, Samuel Konstan, Maxanne Millerhaller, Michael Moran, Alek Radsan, Julia Scott, Gabriella Thompson, and Isabel Toghramadjian.

The SPA Semifinalists represented 11% of the Class of 2021; nationally, less than 1% of high school seniors are named Semifinalists, based on results from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). A total of about 16,000 high school seniors from across the country were named Semifinalists in 2020-21, including 288 from Minnesota. In addition to the 12 Semifinalists, an additional 16 members of the senior class earned “Commended”

honors from the College Board: Isobel Alm, Anthony Chen, Eli Conrod-Wovcha, Eloise Duncan, Adrienne Gaylord, John Hall, Rylan Hefner, Gavin Kimmel, Elizabeth Kristal, Liv Larsen, Hannah Lorenz-Meyer, Liam Lynch, Isabel Medrano, Tobias Polley, Jennifer Ries, and Phineas Tait. Commended Students are recognized as those in the top five percent of high school seniors, based on results from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The 16 Commended students bring the total of seniors who were honored by National Merit to 28, which represented 25% of the Class of 2021.

Middle and Upper School Robotics Teams Both Qualify For Minnesota State Tournaments

MS Robotics

Despite the challenges of competing virtually, both the Middle School and Upper School robotics teams qualified for their respective State Tournaments. The

Middle School, which fielded three robotics teams, sent the “Don’t @ Me” team to the State Tournament in March 2021, and the Upper School’s team, the Autonomice, competed at their State Tournament at the end of May 2021. In addition to building and programming a robot, the Upper School team also participated in outreach events, interviewed practicing engineers about their career paths, and documented their design process in a portfolio.

US Robotics www. spa.e du

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>> THROUGH THE DOORS

New Leadership for Lower and Upper Schools SPA welcomed two new divisional Principals to school this fall. Theresa Collins, a veteran of independent schooling from Chicago, is the school’s new Upper School Principal; and long-time SPA Lower School teacher and administrator Beth Nelson steps into the role of Lower School Principal. [For more on Collins, Nelson, and Middle School Principal Virginia Andres, see our cover story on page 26.–Ed.] Theresa Collins has been immersed in independent schooling since she joined Francis W. Parker, a K-12 independent school in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, as an Upper School English teacher in 2006. Prior to that, she taught English for 13 years at Evanston Township High School, where she also served in a staff development role for new teachers. She Theresa Collins is a leader in the Progressive Education Network (PEN), and has served as the organization’s Board President and as the Director of the PEN National Institute. She holds a B.S. in Secondary English Education from Miami University (Ohio); a M.A. in Humanities from Northwestern University (IL); and a Certificate in Advanced Educational Leadership from Harvard University. In announcing Collins’ appointment to the SPA community in February 2021, Head of School Bryn Roberts noted her “deep understanding of the world of Upper School students, faculty, and the concerns and needs of the parent community.”

Beth Nelson is well known to the SPA community, having taught music and movement in the Lower School since 1998 and served as the Lower School’s Assistant Principal since 2006. Nelson completed her M.A. in music education at the University of St. Thomas and earned a B.S in music education from the University Beth Nelson of Minnesota. A regular presenter at professional workshops throughout the country, Nelson is an adjunct faculty member in the graduate music education program at the University of St. Thomas and the Director of the Orff Schulwerk Teacher Certification program. “Beth is particularly adept at working with our students, teachers, and families as we move out of COVID and reconnect as a Lower School community,” Roberts says. “I look forward to her voice and her leadership, and I am delighted that she is our next Lower School Principal.”

Middle School Math Team Takes First Place in the Southeast Metro Junior High Math League In the 2020-21 Junior High Math League season, SPA’s two Middle School math teams posted exceptional results. The Gold team took first place overall in their division, and the Blue team took third place. Individually, SPA students took six of the top ten spots in individual competition, including two Spartans who tied for first place: First Place: Theo Su ’25 and Arlo Zirps ’25 (tied) Third Place: Shefali Meagher ’26 Fourth Place: Allan Wang ’26 Fifth Place: Humza Jameel ’25 Ninth Place: Trevor Hou ’26

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Kendall McCaugherty © Hall+Merrick Photographers

Upper School renovation wins award for design excellence from the American Institute of Architects

SPA’s redesigned Upper School was among seven architectural projects awarded a 2020 Honor Award by the American Institute of Architects Minnesota (AIA).

renovation, the AIA judges noted HGA’s “timeless yet modern” approach, its focus on reusing and renovating existing spaces, and how the new spaces allow the school flexibility for future use.

The award recognized Minneapolis architecture and engineering firm HGA for its design work on two projects on the school’s Randolph Campus: the new Schilling Center for Math and Science (completed in fall 2018) and the renovation of Old Main and the Humanities Wing (completed in spring 2019). This is the second time in five years that HGA has won the award for its work with SPA; in 2017, the HGA-designed Huss Center for the Performing Arts was also honored with an AIA Honor Award.

Moore, who served as the project lead for the Upper School renovation and also worked on the Huss Center project, says that HGA’s six-year collaboration with the school has provided the firm with enormous opportunity for design innovation, particularly given the Randolph Campus’ location and footprint. “What has always struck us in our work with SPA is how sensitively the Randolph Campus sits within a very dense residential and commercial neighborhood,” Moore says. “Because everything around the campus has a small footprint, our designs needed to break the buildings’ masses down into smaller parts that allow for light and visual connection between the interiors and surrounding neighborhood.”

“This is the second such award for HGA’s work with SPA–an impressive accomplishment and one that affirms, in the most important ways, their extraordinary work and vision,” says Bryn Roberts, SPA’s Head of School. Roberts notes that the many challenges of the Upper School project, especially the integration of the multiple architectural styles of the century-old Randolph Campus, makes this award “particularly gratifying for all who worked on it.” “We take great pride in these projects and this award,” says HGA Associate Vice President Jim Moore, “and congratulations are also due to SPA’s leadership and faculty for the exceptional vision and program that served as the unquestionable foundation for the award-winning qualities of this work.” Established by the American Institute of Architects Minnesota in 1954, the Honor Awards recognize outstanding built projects by AIA Minnesota members, or firms that are owned by AIA Minnesota members, that practice professionally in Minnesota. Submissions were evaluated according to the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, in alignment with AIA National Architecture Awards. Achievement within the Framework for Design Excellence requires a holistic approach to design, addressing the interdependence among people, buildings, infrastructure, and the environment. In honoring the Schilling Center and Upper School

The Schilling Center includes almost 40,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory, and collaborative space for SPA’s science, math, engineering, computer science, and robotics programs. In its submission for the AIA award, HGA noted that the building “Afford[s] all the functionality of a sophisticated lab building…this design breaks down the typical scale and opacity of traditional lab construction, integrating SPA’s unique curriculum into an intimate neighborhood setting.” The renovation of Old Main and the Humanities Wing involved 38,000 square feet and 20 classrooms, designed around discussion, small-group work, and technology in a design that “restores and represents the original elegance” of the space, according to HGA’s submission. “Ultimately, our ability to do excellent work stems from the excellence of our clients,” Moore says. “Strong design cannot be created in the ether. In this case, it comes from the strength of SPA’s pedagogy, curriculum, and especially the strength of the relationships between the students and their teachers. That is what makes the school successful and what has made these projects successful.” www. spa.e du

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>> THROUGH THE DOORS

Spartans Shine in 2021 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards Seventeen SPA students in grades 8-12 received recognition in the 2021 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards (MSAA) program. Established to ensure that literary and artistic talent were recognized in schools and communities across the country, the program began as a small writing contest; today, it offers recognition in 27 diverse categories including animation, architecture, dramatic script, fashion, painting, photography, poetry, and sculpture. This year’s 17 MSAA winners, listed below, earned 31 Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention awards.

Gold Key • • • •

Adrienne Gaylord ’21 Katherine Goodman ’21 Julia Macomber ’22 Fiona Rucker ’21

Silver Key • • • •

Annika Brelsford ’22 Katherine Goodman ’21 Ruby Hoeschen ’21 Luka Shaker-Check ’21

Honorable Mention

Annika Brelsford ’22 Adrienne Gaylord ’21

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Isobel Alm ’21 Annika Brelsford ’22 Sarina Charpentier ’22 Katherine Goodman ’21 Noa Gross ’22 Ruby Hoeschen ’21 Serene Kalugdan ’25 Maya Ketema ’23 Liv Larsen ’21 Kylie Ringness ’24 Fiona Rucker ’21 Luka Shaker-Check ’21 Maxwell Spencer ’23 Isidor Valdez ’25 Jasmine White ’21

Katherine Goodman ’21

Isidor Valdez ’25

Jasmine White ’21

Fiona Rucker ’21

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Luka Shaker-Check ’21

Ruby Hoeschen ’21

Julia Macomber ’22

Isobel Alm ’21

The ensemble Spotlight Awards for Under Milk Wood included: Overall Performance: Outstanding Ensemble Performance: Outstanding Student Orchestra: Outstanding Light and Sound Crew: Outstanding The Ensemble

Upper School fall play earns 15 Hennepin Theatre Trust Spotlight Awards SPA’s production of Under Milk Wood, the 2020 Upper School fall play, was the recipient of 15 awards from the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Program. Spotlight is an awards program for high school theatrical performances. Throughout the school year, Spotlight evaluators view participating high schools’ theatrical performances and award honors to selected productions, ensembles, and individuals.

Rylan Hefner ’21

Gracie Tilney-Kaemmer ’21

Achievement in Theatre: Honorable Mention Overall Production: Honorable Mention Acting Performance: Honorable Mention Run Crew: Honorable Mention Overall Technical Team: Honorable Mention

The individual Spotlight Awards for Under Milk Wood include:

Adrienne Gaylord ’21

Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Rylan Hefner ’21 as Rev. Eli Jenkins, Mr. Pugh, Organ Morgan, Voice, Ensemble Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role: Gracie Tilney-Kaemmer ’21 as Polly Garter, Mrs. Cherry Owen, Neighbour, Voice, Ensemble Outstanding in Technical Leadership: Miranda Bance ’21 as Sound Designer Outstanding in Technical Leadership: Rafi Barocas ’21 as Board Operator Honorable Mention Performance in a Leading Role: Isobel Alm ’21 as Mrs. OgmorePritchard, Mrs. Beynon, Neighbour, Voice, Ensemble Honorable Mention Performance in a Leading Role: Adrienne Gaylord ’21 as Rosie Probert, Mrs. Dai Bread Two, Neighbour, Voice, Ensemble Evaluator Shout Out: Maren Ostrem ’21, Gavin Kimmel ’21, Nathan Forsberg ’21, and Grace Krasny ’21

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>> THROUGH THE DOORS

SPA Expands Office of Intercultural Life as Part of DEI Strategic Plan

Naomi Taylor

As part of the Defining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SPA initiative launched in the fall of 2020, SPA has expanded its Office of Intercultural Life. Led by Dr. Naomi Taylor, the school’s Director of Intercultural Life, the office now includes Alexis Irish ’15 as a full-time Intercultural Life Program Specialist. Irish, who is a member of SPA’s Class of 2015 and a graduate of Davidson College, joined SPA in July of 2021 after several years working as a youth facilitator focused on students’ health and wellness, specifically for Black, Indigenous, youth of color. As the Intercultural Life Program Specialist, she works to create and implement programming for students in the Middle and Upper Schools.

“

Our ultimate goal with all of these initiatives is to ensure that SPA is a school where every student has an equal opportunity to thrive and a community where every child, adult, and family feels a genuine and authentic sense of belonging.

– Bryn Roberts, Head of School

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Alexis Irish ’15

Tina Alvir-Romero

The school has also created an Intercultural Life Faculty Fellowship Program designed to build the internal capacity of DEI coaches, experts, and mentors among K-12 faculty. The inaugural Faculty Fellow is Tina Alvir-Romero, who teaches Spanish in SPA’s Lower School. Alvir-Romero’s one-year fellowship began in June 2021 and will focus on building DEI coaching and mentoring skills through targeted professional development. According to Head of School Bryn Roberts, additional initiatives focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion are already underway this school year. These include a task force investigating the recruitment, retention, and support of faculty of color; a K-12 curriculum mapping project that will identify and examine the ways in which the school teaches diverse viewpoints across divisions and disciplines; and a new Board of Trustee Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which will work to shape Board policies regarding DEI, and support and measure progress within the school. A comprehensive strategic plan for DEI work is underway, Roberts says, and will be shared with the entire SPA community. “Our ultimate goal with all of these initiatives is to ensure that SPA is a school where every student has an equal opportunity to thrive and a community where every child, adult, and family feels a genuine and authentic sense of belonging,” says Roberts, who notes that students of color currently make up 38% of the K-12 student body, and 50% of students new to SPA this year are students of color. “These are significant changes but they are, in many ways, just the beginning,” Roberts says. “The stragetic plan for DEI will encompass elements of all these initiatives and will suggest additional paths that SPA will follow in the months and years to come.”

SPA student-journalists and publications win national awards, including a Pacemaker Award for Iris: Art + Lit In spring 2021, the Journalism Educators of America and the National Student Press Association held their annual National High School Journalism Spring Convention. The challenges of publication during a pandemic did not keep SPA’s student journalists and publications from earning multiple national accolades during the event. Most notably, Iris: Art + Lit, SPA’s arts magazine, won a NSPA Pacemaker Award, one of only eight art and literature magazines nationally to be so honored. This is the second year Iris has won a Pacemaker Award, which is known as “the Pulitzer Prize” of student journalism. Iris was also the recipient of two “Best in Show” Awards: a first-place award in Magazine Design for Maya Coates Cush ’23 (photography), Bev O’Malley ’23 (poetry) and Maren Ostrem ’21 (page design); and a second-place overall Best in Show award in the Literary Arts Magazine category. Additional awards included a Superior Award for photojournalist and political commentator Nikolas Liepins ’21 for his photo story covering reaction in the Twin Cities in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and the Derek Chauvin trial. Liepins’ award was part of the National Student Media Contest program, in which students from across the country and internationally compete individually for awards in categories including

photo, broadcast, graphic design, literary magazine, design, and writing. Liepins was one of only 38 students honored with the “Superior” ranking, the highest award, out of 438 entries. Ibid Associate Editor in Chief Leona Barocas ’23 earned an Honorable Mention Award in the National Student Media Contest program in the Yearbook Copy/Caption: Student Life category, and the digital RubicOnline was awarded a third-place overall Best in Show award in the Small School Website category. SPA faculty member Kathryn Campbell, who directs the Upper School’s student publication program, notes that the virtual format of the convention allowed more students to participate in the JEA/NSPA event. “It’s rare to have an entire staff travel to a national convention, so the virtual convention has been such a good opportunity for Ibid and The Rubicon print/online staff members to watch sessions together in class and discuss their take-aways on reporting, editorial leadership, and journalism ethics,” says Campbell, who is “thrilled with how our student journalists embraced the virtual experience and placed in contests,” she adds. “They have made this unconventional learning process their own and continue to report with passionate curiosity and high ethical standards.”

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Original Research by SPA Student-scientists Win International and Scientific Journal Publishes the Original Research of Mina Mandic ’21 The Journal of Emerging Investigators, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, has published the original research of Mina Mandic ’21. Mandic, who graduated from SPA in the spring of 2021 and is now a first-year student at Swarthmore College, conducted her research in the Upper School’s Advanced Science Research course Mina Mandic ’21 during the 20192020 school year. Mandic’s research project, entitled Exploring the Wonders of the Early Universe: Green Pea Galaxies and Luminous Flux, is a study of the light emitted by “Green Pea”

galaxies—entities that may provide clues to the conditions of the earliest galaxies in the universe. She pursued her project as part of the Upper School’s Advanced Science Research (ASR) course, which is SPA’s most advanced course for student-scientists. Mandic’s project earned multiple honors in the state, national, and international science fair competition process in 2020. She won one of five finalist spots for Minnesota students at ISEF, the International Science and Engineering Fair, as well as a major award at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Upper School science faculty and department chair Karissa Baker taught the ASR course during Mandic’s junior year and worked with her on her project; Baker notes that Mandic was first inspired to study cosmology after taking SPA’s Space Science elective with Dr. Steve Heilig her sophomore year. “Dr. Heilig’s class inspired Mina to dig into cosmological research in the ASR course, and to connect with Dr. Claudia Scarlata [a cosmologist at the University of Minnesota] to act as a mentor for her research, says Baker. “Mina was remarkably independent in her project,” Baker adds, “and I was very impressed with how she took feedback, especially during the competition process in the spring of 2020. She was continually improving how she communicated her work to both experts in the field and the general public.”

Four Student-scientists Compete in International Competition At this year’s 2021 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), four SPA student-scientists– Jack Hlavka ’22, Naci Konar-Steenberg ’22, and the team of Levi Mellin ’21 and Nikolas Liepins ’21–were among the top student-scientists from high schools around the world to present their original research and compete for awards in twenty-one disciplinary categories in science and engineering. ISEF is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition; for the last two years, the ISEF competition has been held virtually due to the pandemic. The four students developed their original research as part of SPA’s Advanced Science Research seminar, and earned a spot at the ISEF finals 12

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through their exceptional performances at regional and state science fairs. At this year’s ISEF awards ceremony, also held virtually, Jack Hlavka’s project, Treatment of Simulated Acid

Mine Drainage with Desulfovibrio Desulfuricans, was awarded a thirdplace Grand Award in the Environmental Engineering category. The ISEF judging team includes university faculty and scientists, industrial engineers and scientists, representatives of private and federal research centers and agencies, medical researchers, and post-doctoral fellows. Hlavka’s award carried a prize of $1000 and put him among the top high school scientists in the world.

Jack Hlavka ’22

Naci KonarSteenberg ’22

Levi Mellin ’21

Nikolas Liepins ’21

National Accolades Anthony Chen ’21 Named a Top Scholar in Nation’s Most Prestigious High School Science Competition In January 2021, SPA senior Anthony Chen ’21 was named a Top 300 Scholar and Semifinalist in the 2021 Regeneron Science Talent Search competition. Chen was the only student from Minnesota to be named a Semifinalist. Previously sponsored by Intel, the Regeneron STS is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school students. The 300 Scholars were selected from 1760 research applications from 611 high schools across 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and 10 countries. Scholars are chosen based on their exceptional research skills, commitment to academics, innovative thinking, and promise as scientists. Chen’s research paper, entitled The Effects of Short Term Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation on Diatom Photosynthetic Productivity, is a biological study of the effects of 5G cellular network frequencies of the radiofrequency (RF) spectrum of phytoplankton, with an eye towards understanding the potentially harmful effects of 5G cellular technology. Chen pursued his research as part of SPA’s Advanced Science Research seminar in the fall of 2019; in February of 2020, the project also advanced to the finals of the International Science and Engineering Fair as part of the 2020 Twin Cities Regional Science Fair (pictured above). Chen chose to pursue his topic not long after the introduction of 5G wireless technology and the “unparalleled bandwidths” it promised. “I couldn’t help but wonder how such new technologies might affect us, both in terms of negative health effects and environmental consequences,” Chen says. He realized that virtually no research had been done on the intersection of new, extremely high frequency electromagnetic radiation which make up 5G and the biosphere. “I began to design my own research, focused on addressing this gap in our understanding,” he says, eventually with the help of US Science faculty member Karissa Baker, who teaches the Advanced Science Research seminar. “I’ve always loved the sciences,” Chen says, “and the freedom and creativity of research made every failure a learning experience.” Baker was thrilled when Chen approached her about joining the ASR class to pursue research he had already begun on his own. “Anthony approached me midway through his sophomore year to tell me about a research project that he was working on at home,” Baker recalls. “I asked him to join my research class, and he jumped right into the experience.” Chen continued his ASR project in Baker’s class in his junior

Anthony Chen ’21

year, where he took the research “to the next level,” Baker says. “True to form, Anthony designed a project where he would need to construct his own apparatus. He built his own Faraday cages, which required some significant research to determine the appropriate materials and fabrication techniques. He dug into primary literature to choose the most appropriate diatoms to test, and to figure out his equipment set-up to measure dissolved oxygen levels. He achieved all of this independently, checking in as necessary to discuss access to equipment and to discuss his methods. Anthony is an excellent scientist and mathematician,” Baker says. “He is a remarkably independent, self-driven and collaborative problem-solver, and I am very pleased–but not at all surprised–that his work has been honored in the Regeneron competition.” “I was overjoyed to be recognized,” Chen says of his Regeneron award. “In many ways this award validated all my trials and tribulations, and invigorated me to keep striving and dreaming big for the future. I also believe this recognition is a testament to SPA’s nurturing community of wonderful teachers and motivated students,” he adds. “My success would not have been possible without the influences of every person along the way, and for that I am truly grateful.” www. spa.e du

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>> SPARTAN SPORTS | FALL 2020 SEASON RECAP Solvej Eversoll ’23

GIRLS’ TENNIS SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Girls’ tennis was a force to be reckoned with in fall 2020. The Spartans posted a 8-2 regular season record, including four undefeated matches. In the postseason, SPA beat Providence Academy in the first round of the Section 4A Team Tournament thanks to lights-out play by their top three singles players. Unfortunately, SPA met their match in the next round and was eliminated by a talented Breck team.

VOLLEYBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Spartan Volleyball focused their season on mastering fundamentals and establishing their rhythms. Even though the team only tallied one win for the year, the Spartans were excited to have earned their 3-2 victory in a hard-fought game against rival Blake. The team was led by a strong group of seniors as well as up-and-coming sophomore Solvej Eversoll.

Due to the pandemic, girls’ tennis did not host individual sections in Fall 2020.

ALL-CONFERENCE: Elizabeth Trevathan ’22, Maggie Fields ’22, Maya Choi ’21

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Kate Hick ’22, Leni Nowakowski ’23

Elizabeth Trevathan ’22

ALL-CONFERENCE: Solvej Eversoll ’23

Heidi Deuel ’23 (#11)

GIRLS’ SWIM AND DIVE

GIRLS’ SOCCER

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Despite a regular season record of 2-6-2, girls’ soccer played close games throughout the year and fought hard in every match. Highlights of the year included wins over Providence Academy and Breck, as well as ties against strong Minneapolis Southwest and Mounds Park Academy teams. In the Section 3A Tournament, #11-seeded SPA faced off against #6 South St. Paul in the first round of play and while the Spartans played the Packers close, they ultimately fell short, 2-1.

ALL-CONFERENCE: Naomi Straub ’22

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Heidi Deuel ’23

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Katherine Welsh ’22

The Sparks swimming and diving team, a co-op between SPA and Highland Park Senior High, had a strong showing in 2020, winning 5 of their 7 dual meets and finishing second in the conference. In the Section 6AA Championships, the Sparks swimming team finished in sixth place with 11 top-ten performances. In the diving contest, SPA’s Katherine Welsh ’22 won the one-meter diving contest with the best diving score in recent team history and the fifth-highest section score of all Class AA divers!

Jack Biggs ’21

BOYS’ SOCCER Joey Stolpestad ’23

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Boys’ soccer started the 2020 season with two big wins over Minneapolis South and Minneapolis Edison. With a 4-4-2 record, SPA headed into the postseason seeded #9 in the Section 3A Tournament. The Spartans played #8 Hiawatha Collegiate in the first round and clinched the advance on a header-goal in the final minute of play. In Quarterfinals, SPA matched up against #1 Holy Angels and despite limiting their opponent to only one goal, the team could not find the back of the net and was eliminated.

ALL-CONFERENCE:

FOOTBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: It was a rebuilding year for the SMB Wolfpack, a cooperative program among SPA, Minnehaha Academy, and The Blake School. The team had graduated a talented senior class and struggled with injuries, but still went 3-3 on the season, earning their “W”s against Mound Westonka, St. Anthony, and IMAC rival Providence Academy. The team was hoping to capitalize on their momentum in the postseason but COVID cut their season short and the team did not participate in conference play.

ALL-DISTRICT HONORABLE MENTION: Joey Stolpestad ’23, Judah Thomas ’22

Jackson Biggs ’21 Nate Cohen ’23, Zekiah Juliusson ’22, Milo Waltenbaugh ’21

IMAC BOYS GOALIE OF THE YEAR: Jackson Biggs ’21

CROSS COUNTRY SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Spartan Cross Country’s impressive season of running culminated with knockout performances in the conference and section meets. Conference highlights included the girls’ team missing first place by just two points and Inga Wing ’25 finishing first overall to be named 2020 IMAC Champion. At the Section 4A Meet, the girls’ team finished third and Taylor Barkwell ’25 and Carys Hardy ’24 finished in the top ten. The boys’ team also raced with incredible heart and Michael Moran ’21 capped off his high school career with an eighth place finish.

ALL-CONFERENCE: Michael Moran ’21, Inga Wing ’25, Carys Hardy ’24, Taylor Barkwell ’25 The 2020 cross country team

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Maren Overgaard ’26

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>> SPARTAN SPORTS | WINTER 2020-21 SEASON RECAP

ALPINE SKIING SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Alpine Skiing was competitive in a shortened season, sending two student-athletes, Julia Scott ’21 and Henry Giles ’24, to the Minnesota State Alpine Championships in March 2021. The two had qualified for State with strong performances at the Section meet, where Julia finished 8th (55th in state) and Henry finished 4th (87th in state). The team has a lot to look forward to in 2021-22 as they return three all-conference and three all-conference honorable mention skiers.

ALL-CONFERENCE: Nikola Barkwell ’23, Julia Scott ’21, Will Sedo ’22, Soren Mishra ’23, and Phineas Tait ’21

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:

Julia Scott ’21

Clara Garner ’22, Sophie Cullen ’22, Wyatt Tait ’23, and Matt Degnan ’21

BOYS’ SWIM & DIVE

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Boy’s Swim & Dive had another competitive season, going 4-4 in conference meets. They ended their season on a high note, placing third at the conference meet and fifth at sections. Connor Overgaard ’24 and Rishi Bhargava ’24 took home All-Conference honors following a great showing at the section meet: Connor finished 12th in both the 200 and 100 Freestyle and Rishi finished 14th in the 50 Freestyle and 11th in the 100 Breaststroke.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Boys’ Basketball was competitive and consistent all season long, finishing with a record of 9-8 in a condensed season. The team was the #2 seed in their section and advanced to the section 4AA semifinals behind an amazing 42-point performance from senior captain Adam Holod ’21. The team saw their season end with a 76-59 loss to Twin Cities Academy/ Great River in the semifinal game. They are poised for another successful year in 2021-22 returning All-Conference Honorable Mention honorees and twins Brandt Baskerville ’22 and Clarke Baskerville ’22.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Tenzin Bawa ’23

ALL-CONFERENCE: Connor Overgaard ’24, Rishi Bhargava ’24

Adam Holod ’21

Girls’ Basketball spent a challenging season focusing on developing their individual skills as well as team chemistry for the future. Fishing with a 6-13 record and the #9 seed in sections, the team won their first section game with a close 34-29 victory over North Lakes. Their season ended in the Section 4AA Quarterfinals to the #1 seed, Minnehaha Academy. The Spartans have a bright future as they return the majority of their team and all-conference player Lindsay Browne ’23.

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Brandt Baskerville ’22 and Clarke Baskerville ’22

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Symbol denotes team or athlete competed at the State level

Lindsay Browne ’23, Gabriella Thompson ’21

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Annabelle Bond ’21, Julia Baron ’21

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

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Lindsay Browne ’23

Lucie Bond ’22

NORDIC SKIING Inga Wing ’25

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Our Spartan Nordic team had an exceptional season, with the Girls’ team taking home the IMAC conference title and the Boys’ team finishing 4th in IMAC. That success propelled the Girls’ team to the State Nordic Championships, where Inga Wing ’25 led the team with a thirdplace finish to get on the podium; teammate Helen Townley ’25 also placed in the top thirty, finishing 29th overall. As a whole, the team placed ninth at State and individual finishes included Taylor Barkwell ’25 (80th), Sara Browne ’21 (156th), Sila Liljedahl ’23 (158th), Maren Overgaard ’26 (131st), and Marie Schumacher ’22 (149th).

GIRLS’ HOCKEY

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Lucie Bond ’22

Inga Wing ’25, Helen Townley ’25, Taylor Barkwell ’25

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION:

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Anthony Chen ’21

Adam Holod ’21

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Girls’ Hockey finished the 2020-21 season with an overall record of 10-9-0. The team was led by All-Conference performer Lucie Bond ’22 and All-Conference Honorable Mention honorees: Allison Audette ’21, Erin Magnuson ’21 and Charlotte Goings ’24. The team finished the year strong, advancing to the Section 6AA Quarterfinals before losing to #3 seed Wayzata.The team looks forward to another winning season in 2021-22 as they return a strong nucleus of players.

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Allison Audette ’21, Erin Magnusson ’21, and Charlotte Goings ’24

George Peltier ’23

BOYS’ HOCKEY SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Boys’ Hockey found their footing late in the regular season and posted a strong postseason run. They finished the year advancing to the Section 4A Quarterfinals as the #7 seed before losing to #2 seed Mahtomedi. They finished the season 3-13-0 and saw athlete Michael Bagnoli ’21 garner All-Conference honors, while John Becker ’21, Judah Thomas ’22 and George Peltier ’23 took home All-Conference Honorable Mention honors.

ALL-CONFERENCE: Michael Bagnoli ’21

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: John Becker ’21, Judah Thomas ’22, George Peltier ’23

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>> SPARTAN SPORTS | SPRING 2021 SEASON RECAP BOYS’ TENNIS SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Boys’ Tennis put together another successful season qualifying for the State Tournament in both team and individual competition after an impressive showing in the section tournament. The dynamic doubles duo of Liam Lynch ’21 and Luka Shaker-Check ’21 made it to the championship round of the MSHSL State Doubles Tennis Tournament after winning their Round 1 match (6-0) (6-0) over Pipestone, their Round 2 match (6-2) (6-4) over Virginia and their Semifinal match (6-4) (6-2) over Thief River Falls. They would ultimately fall to a tough Breck team in the final round.

The 2021 boys’ tennis team

ALL-CONFERENCE: Luka Shaker-Check ’21, Liam Lynch ’21, Maik Nguyen ’24

BOYS’ GOLF SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Spartan Golf finished 5-2-0 in the regular season, with Thomas Reinhart ’21, George Peltier ’23, Henri Peltier ’24, Connor Overgaard ’24, Ethan Peltier ’25, and Luke Welch ’23 all advancing to the Section match in the postseason. After the first round, Thomas Reinhart and George Peltier qualified for Day 2 of Sections, shooting a 79 and 87 respectively. On Day 2, Reinhart finished with a score of 84 and Peltier with a score of 93.

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Alex Moore ’21, Leo Benson ’24

Symbol denotes team or athlete competed at the State level

Mia Hofmann ’22 The 2021 boys’ golf team

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

BOYS’ LACROSSE

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: For the sixth year in a row, SPA partnered with Concordia Academy, DeLaSalle High School, Minnehaha Academy and St. Agnes High School to form the cooperative TrIMAC Blacks boys’ lacrosse team. The team hit their stride at the end of the season advancing to section competition, before falling to Park High School.

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Theo Moen ’21

The St. Paul United Lacrosse team, a cooperative team with Visitation school, had an exceptional season, winning the Tri-Metro Conference Championship and finishing the season with a 10-4 record. Their season was highlighted by signature wins against St. Croix Prep, Eagan and Holy Angels. The team continued their success in the postseason, winning their play-in game with a dominant 16-6 win over the St. Paul Bobcats team, before ultimately falling to Cretin-Derham Hall in the Section quarterfinals.

BOYS’ BASEBALL

Jane Cristakos ’21

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

Boden Strafelda ’22

Ivan Starchook ’21

Boys’ Baseball had its best regular-season finish in recent years (13-10-0) and made another deep run into postseason play, advancing to the Section semifinals before falling to St. Agnes and St. Croix Prep in double-elimination Section Final play. This strong play generated interest from local media including the Highland Villager, which profiled team leaders Boden Strafelda ’22 and Judah Thomas ’22 and the team’s exceptional season

ALL-STATE: Boden Strafelda ’22

ALL-CONFERENCE: Boden Strafelda ’22, Judah Thomas ’22, Levi Mellin ’21, Jackson Small ’21

GIRLS’ SOFTBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: In a rebuilding year for the team, Spartan softball worked together to get better individually and as a team. The outlook for this group is high, as the team returns All-Conference performer, Greta Magnuson ’23 and All-Conference Honorable Mention honoree Catherine Hooley ’23 for the 2021-22 season.

ALL-CONFERENCE: Greta Magnuson ’23

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Catherine Hooley ’23, Jane Cristakos ’21

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Bobby Verhey ’21

TRACK AND FIELD SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Spartan Track and Field found success in both running and field events during their season. Their dominance would continue into the postseason as multiple athletes advanced to the 4A Section tournament. At Sections, the Girls’ team finished 14th overall and 3rd in the 4x800m relay, 4th in the 4x100m relay and 5th in the 4x400m relay. The Boys’ team finished 15th overall. Individually, Inga Wing ’25 finished 6th in the 400m, Taylor Barkwell ’25 finished 10th in the 3200m, Sara Browne ’21 finished 5th in the 300m hurdles and Maya Coates-Cush ’21 placed 9th in discus. Ivan Starchook ’21 finished 2nd in the Long Jump, Jack Hlavka ’22 got 3rd in the 800m and Matt Degnan ’21 finished 6th in the 300m hurdles.

ALL-CONFERENCE:

GIRLS’ GOLF

Sara Browne ’21, Lindsay Browne ’23, Carys Hardy ’24, Jack Hlavka ’22, Ivan Starchook ’21

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Despite a shorter season, the girls’ golf team found success, going 2-1-0 in matches and posting strong scores in postseason and section play. Elianah Cohen ’21 and Nikola Barkwell ’23 both advanced to the first round of Sections, with Barkwell advancing to the second round. Elianah Cohen ’21 and Freya Brokken ’23 took home All-Conference Honorable Mention honors.

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION: Elianah Cohen ’21 and Freya Brokken ’23

The 2021 girls’ golf team

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CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2021

COMMENCEMENT 2021

On June 6, 2021, SPA celebrated the 112 members of the Class of 2021 in a joyous Commencement ceremony in the Huss Auditorium. Thanks to guidance released by the Minnesota Department of Health in April allowing for in-person gatherings, it was the first time since March 2020 that the community had been able to celebrate a milestone event in person. Due to the heat advisory in place on Commencement day, the ceremony was held indoors, with the graduates’ families in the auditorium and overflow guests watching the proceedings in viewing areas around the Randolph Campus. Highlights of the ceremony included the Commencement address by departing Upper School Principal Max Delgado and Senior Speakers Rashmi Raveendran ’21 and Nikolas Liepins ’21. Masks were required during the ceremony for all graduates and guests; the graduates had the option of removing their masks to walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. After the ceremony, the graduates and their guests celebrated with an outdoor reception in the Lilly Courtyard.

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Commencement speaker Max Delgado addresses the Class of 2021.

Head of School Bryn Roberts fist-bumps Aman Rahman during the presentation of diplomas.

Nikolas Liepins (left) and Rashmi Raveendran were selected by their classmates to be this year’s Senior Class Speakers.

Jackson Small

Lizzie Kristal

Photos by Scott Streble

The Class of 2021 seated on the Huss Center stage.

2021 BOWL RECIPIENTS

Anthony Chen received the 2021 Faculty Bowl, awarded to that senior who has shown unusual breadth and depth of intellectual interest and outstanding commitment to academic excellence.

Isabel Toghramadjian

Patrick Hooley

Nikolas Liepins received the 2021 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.

Rylan Hefner

Gabriella Thompson and John Hall were the recipients of the 2021 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.

Sara Browne

Noel Abraham

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CLASS OF 2021 COLLEGE CHOICES

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PRINCIPAL THOUGHTS

A CONVERSATION WITH SPA’S

From left: Beth Nelson, Virginia Andres, and Theresa Collins.

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THREE PRINCIPALS BY AMI BERGER | PHOTOGRAPHS BY SCOTT STREBLE

St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s three-woman team of division Principals has taken on the 2021-22 school year. SPA Magazine sat down with Beth Nelson (Lower School Principal), Virginia Andres (Middle School Principal) and Theresa Collins (Upper School Principal) for a conversation about the role of a division Principal, learning from COVID, and what the future holds for each division at SPA.

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A FAMILIAR FACE WITH A NEW ROLE IN THE LOWER SCHOOL:

BETH MELIN NELSON

Beth Nelson began her tenure as Lower School Principal in fall 2021, but she has been a part of the SPA community since joining the Lower School faculty as a music and movement teacher in 1998. In addition to her classroom teaching, she has served as the Lower School’s Assistant Principal since 2006. Nelson also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the graduate music education program at the University of St. Thomas and is a member of the Orff faculty at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She has presented and performed at national, international, regional conferences and workshops as a member of the American Orff Schulwerk Association. Nelson completed her M.A. in music education with a concentration in Orff Schulwerk at the University of St. Thomas and earned a B.S in music education from the University of Minnesota.

SPA Magazine: You’re moving this fall from a classroom-based role into a full-time administrative role. What has that journey been like for you? Beth Nelson: It feels like a very natural journey, really. I’ve always had a toe in the water of administrative work–I’ve been the Assistant Principal at the Lower School since 2006, and I’ve also been a course director at the University of St. Thomas, where I teach graduate courses. Even before SPA, I was on the executive leadership team at MacPhail [Center for Music in St. Paul]. But when I joined the Lower School faculty in 1998, I was a young teacher and really wanted to focus on my pedagogy and growth as an educator. I loved my time as a teacher so much–SPA has allowed me to really dig deeply into my practice in the classroom with students, and my teaching colleagues are the best in the world. But the attraction of an administrative role has never left me! When I was considering the Principal role, it felt to me like an opportune time for someone else to receive the gift of teaching in the Lower School’s incredible music and movement program. And it’s time for me, after 31 years in education, to take the threads of knowledge and skills that I have acquired over the years and weave them together here to support the community I care about.

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SPA: What will be the biggest differences between your work as a teacher and your role as a principal? Nelson: As a principal, you have to have the aerial view. Instead of being on the ground, working with students on a daily basis, you need to fly above everything and have that broad picture view that includes all of our constituents, from our students to our faculty and staff and our families. You have to be mindful of all the points of connection, and be able to understand when things are functioning well and why, and also ask the right questions when things don’t function as well. What are the gaps here? Where do we need additional support or innovation? How can we create the pathways to make that happen in the right way at the right time? The other big change this year is our new administrative team in the Lower School, which is such a strong and talented group. Jake Ban is our new Assistant Principal, and we have a new Lower School Learning Specialist, Tristan Gavin–Jake and Tristan are both amazing additions to our admin team and student-support program. Ally Youderian is part of that team as well–she joined us last year as our Lower School Counselor. I am really excited about working with the three of them, and with the K-12 leadership team as well. I learned a great deal last year about the way that K-12 leadership team functions, and I deeply appreciated how thoughtful, reflective, and supportive the leadership team is–I wasn’t surprised, but just very reassured that the place I have chosen to dig my roots deep for my career is the place that I’ve always believed it to be and one that cares deeply about people’s success. SPA: What are a few of your initial goals for the start of the 2021-22 school year? Nelson: We need to reflect on what has transpired over the last year and a half, to process as a community, and to identify some of the valuable learnings. Just as an example: our facility with technology is at a completely different place than it was before the pandemic. Our fluency with remote learning platforms, with video production, with a wide range of apps increased exponentially last year. That’s true for our students, their parents, and their teachers– we’re just all in a completely different place. What’s exciting about

“As a principal, you have to have the aerial view. Instead of being on the ground, working with students on a daily basis, you need to fly above everything and have that broad picture view that includes all of our constituents, from our students to our faculty and staff and our families.”

that this year is that we don’t need to rely on that technology as a sole mode of instruction in the way we did when we were in Distance Learning. We can find the places where it can really have a more meaningful impact in our classroom, to enrich things that we’re already doing. We can look at all those tools and say, “how can that online platform or tool help us go where we want to go next in our classrooms?” Another issue on the front burner is how we come back together as a community. We spent last year moving between very different modalities of delivering instruction: we went from in-person to hybrid to remote and then back again, and we had some students learning from home all year. We navigated a couple of different schedule changes and had a few grade-level cohorts in quarantine at various times. Now that we’re back in person, what does that look like? Many of our students don’t even remember what it feels like to be back in school every day! We can’t just assume that things will feel the same as they did in 2019. I see us as a faculty and an adult community focusing first and foremost on our relationships: rebuilding the foundation of our very connected, very engaged school community so that our students are ready and available to do deep learning.

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LOOKING AHEAD IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL:

VIRGINIA ANDRES

Prior to joining SPA in the fall of 2019 as Middle School Principal, Virginia Andres served as the Principal of the Middle School and Chair of the PK-12 Art Department at O’Neal School in Southern Pines, North Carolina and as the Middle School Dean of Students at the Norwood School, a K-8 independent school in Bethesda, Maryland, of which she is also an alumna. Andres’ administrative career is also informed by her experience as a classroom teacher; she has taught Middle School English and drama in addition to Lower School math and reading. Andres holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Science degree in educational supervision and administration from Johns Hopkins University. She is an alumna of National Cathedral School, an independent school in Washington D.C.

SPA Magazine: You began your tenure as Middle School principal in the fall of 2019, before the onset of COVID in the spring of 2020. What was the first part of that year like? Virginia Andres: I think of that first year in terms of “before” and “after,” for sure. When the year began, I’d just come from being a principal in North Carolina, and I was so looking forward to joining the Middle School team here. I was impressed by how studentcentered the faculty are in their teaching practice: they are always thinking about what is best for student learning, how they can help each of their students progress, move to the next step, meet them where they are and move to the next step. One of the first things that the MS faculty really dove into during the fall of 2019 was our advisory program, which is at the heart of the entire Middle School experience. We took some time as a faculty that fall to examine those practices and how they relate to both the student experience and the faculty experience–what we wanted the entire MS community to look like for both children and adults. I felt very honored to be working with such a thoughtful, fun-loving group of teachers. They embraced the reflective process: they came up with some wonderful faculty norms, in the same way that they would then lead their students in creating their own grade-level norms. It was a

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great practice at the time, and in retrospect it was also something that we were then able to use when we encountered the pandemic. Some of those norms were incredibly helpful: “breathe and let go,” “find and foster joy,” “clear is kind” are a few that come to mind. SPA: You mentioned the Middle School advisory program–can you give us an overview of how that advisory program works in grades 6-8? Andres: Yes, our Middle School advisory curriculum centers around social-emotional learning and development. Every student in Middle School is part of a small-group advisory of 8-10 students in their grade, with an advisor who is part of that grade’s teaching team–it’s a student’s “home base” at school, so to speak. Advisories meet every morning and are often together at other points in the day, so advisories grow very close with each other and the advisor over the course of the year. The advisory curriculum is based on a pedagogical approach called Developmental Designs, and it’s specifically tailored for young adolescents. It focuses on establishing community so you can create a space where everybody feels like they belong. It’s an inclusive curriculum: the students have a voice in what they want their community to look like, and responsibility in how they help maintain that atmosphere of inclusion and belonging for all students so that all voices can be heard. We use the practices in our academic classes as well as our advisory program, because it gives us a common language as a community. It permeates everything we do in the Middle School, and I know it will be incredibly helpful this year as we come back together in a more “normal” way and reconnect with each other. SPA: Speaking of reconnecting: what does that process look like for the Middle School? Andres: We have always known how important community is at SPA, but last year really brought it home. In a normal year, we are so intentional about building relationships–whether that’s in the classroom, our advisories, in assemblies, on field trips, and all the other ways in which we usually come together. Not being able to

“I see my role as making sure that we have an engaging vision in place and that we’re all headed in the same direction, and it’s my responsibility to make sure that the teachers have what they need to do the best job for their students.”

do that last year left teachers, students, parents, and families feeling somewhat disconnected. So the fall is all about reconnecting: we created day-long orientations for each grade in the Middle School so students and teachers could spend some real time together even before our academic program began. The purpose of those orientations was to remember and celebrate how we support each other academically and socially, now that our five-day in-person schedule is back. That theme will carry through the entire year, both in our classrooms and in our co-curricular programs–sports teams and plays and clubs and music ensembles. It’s vital for our students and our teachers to get back to having some fun! Last year was very serious–appropriately so. Obviously we’re still taking our health and safety seriously, but we’re also going to remind ourselves that we have to find and foster joy. SPA: Overall, how do you see your role as the Principal of the division? Andres: I love being a principal because I do a little bit of everything. I try to look at the division from whatever thousand-foot height, and think “Okay, what is the arc of these three years for our students, and how do we successfully transition them into the arc of

the Upper School?” I get to think about the big questions that define life at school, and then collaborate with our teachers and our student support teams on bringing those ideas to life. I see my role as making sure that we have an engaging vision in place and that we’re all headed in the same direction, and it’s my responsibility to make sure that the teachers have what they need to do the best job for their students. That might be support or mentoring from me, or professional development, or additional resources in a specific area. It’s similar to how we approach classroom teaching: we’re no longer the “sage on the stage,” we’re the “guide on the side.” I see myself in the same role with the faculty. I want to help them problemsolve, to be able to take several steps back and put all of the pieces together for a successful outcome, which is ultimately the growth of our students. That role extends to our families too–part of my role is making sure that the connection between the school and the home is maintained, and that we’re building a partnership with our families. Early adolescence can be as challenging for parents as it is for students, and since I work with so many students every day I have a wide perspective on the challenges and opportunities of this developmental stage. That broad lens can help in supporting parents; during difficult moments I can say “here’s the long view, maybe we’ve hit a bump in the road here, but this is why this will help further down the road.”

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A NEW LEADER FOR THE UPPER SCHOOL:

THERESA SQUIRES COLLINS

The newest member of the team is Theresa Squires Collins, who joined SPA as Upper School Principal in July 2021. Collins came to SPA from Francis W. Parker School, a K-12 independent school in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, where she served as an Upper School English teacher beginning in 2006. During her tenure at Parker, Collins was a faculty leader and served as Chair of the Upper School English Department for five years. As Chair, she supervised, mentored, and evaluated teachers, supported their professional development and selfevaluation, collaborated with faculty on course offerings, and led individual and departmental goal-setting. She is a leader in the Progressive Education Network (PEN), and has served as the organization’s Board President and as the Director of the PEN National Institute. She is also a dedicated classroom educator, teaching World and American Literature in addition to elective courses on African American Literature, Identity Development in Contemporary Culture, and Issues of Race, Class, Gender & Sexual Orientation. She holds a B.S. in Secondary English Education from Miami University (Ohio); a M.A. in Humanities from Northwestern University (IL); and a Certificate in Advanced Educational Leadership from Harvard University.

SPA Magazine: What drew you to SPA, and to the Upper School Principal position? Theresa Collins: I’ve known about SPA for some time, in part because I have family in St. Paul, and also just from being a part of the independent school landscape for many years. When I began looking around for principal roles, I had several colleagues who told me I should take a look at SPA. That included my good friend Joe Ruggiero, who is currently the Upper School principal at Blake–Joe said “well, if you’re not going to come work for me, you should check out SPA.” He was right! When I started doing the deeper dive into the school, and taking a good look at the Upper School program in particular, there were so many elements that were really, really appealing to me as an educator and as an administrator. I loved the focus on inquiry and the discussion-based learning

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model, and the really high value placed on teaching and developing excellent teachers. SPA: What was it like to interview during a pandemic? Collins: I was so grateful that I could actually visit SPA last spring– being able to walk around the school, talk to people, and check out classrooms in person really sealed the deal for me. There is such a sense of community here, and the work that I saw going on in the Upper School classrooms–even in the midst of COVID–just blew my mind. The teachers were passionate about their work and their students, and I had a great conversation about student wellness with Susanna [Short] and Emily [Barbee, the Upper School counselors]. It was evident from every adult I talked to that this is a place that views education as an ongoing process of what it means to be human–that comes out in so many different ways. And the students! Wow, I just loved my conversation with the student group–I took so many notes. There were about a dozen Upper school students in the group that met with me. I asked them how they were feeling about school and the pandemic, and every single one of them had nothing but praise for their teachers and the level of support they were feeling. They were just so grateful and very open about the premium they place on the relationships that they have with their teachers. I just can’t say enough about how genuine and thoughtful the students were. And they had so many good questions– SPA students definitely aren’t shy about asking questions. They clearly want to be a part of their own educational experience, they want to have a voice in shaping it, they want to be part of those conversations. It was wonderful to meet with them, and I only wished I had had more time. One of the things I’m looking forward to is getting to know the students and figuring out ways to stay engaged with them over the course of the year. SPA: What else is on your agenda for this school year? Collins: Well, I’ll need to first get a really good sense of what life at SPA is like on the ground, and Tom [Anderson, Upper School Academic Dean] and Chantal [Thornberry, Upper School Dean of Students] were so helpful over the summer in getting me prepared for that. As a team, one of our top priorities this year is re-establishing the Upper School’s sense of community and connection. That will be especially important

“SPA students definitely aren’t shy about asking questions. They clearly want to be a part of their own educational experience, they want to have a voice in shaping it, they want to be part of those conversations.”

for me as a brand-new member of the community, but I think it will be important for everyone after the year-plus we’ve just been through. We need opportunities to reflect on what’s happened, and find some intentional ways to connect as a community. That’s made easier, I think, by the fact that we have this absolutely amazing Upper School facility– I’ve just been walking around the building with my jaw on the floor over how beautiful these spaces are. I’m envisioning using those spaces in some different ways this year, maybe finding ways to get faculty out of their individual departmental areas and spend more time together in different ways and places. Our teachers have so much expertise in their content areas but they are also experts at building relationships and connecting with their students, and both those areas are so important to grow and foster, especially at this particular moment in time. On the academic side, I’m really enjoying immersing myself in the Upper School curriculum and especially the six-day block schedule. I taught in a sort of modified block schedule [at Francis Parker], but we did not have the big blocks of 75-minute time for every class like SPA does, which is such a gift. I’m excited to see what teaching and learning looks

like in a true block schedule, and also just getting the flow of the year– Homecoming and watching the games and going to plays and concerts. SPA: What’s a lesson from last year that you’ve taken with you into this year? Collins: I think it’s the symbiotic relationship between delivering academic content and connecting with the students themselves. Last year when I was teaching, I found myself seeking ways to connect with my students not just on what we were doing in class but on how they were doing: have you eaten today? Are you sleeping okay? The sleep was such a huge issue for students–many of them developed such crazy sleep schedules during COVID. That was really eye-opening for me as a teacher and also as the parent of a high-school senior, because sleep is such a critical component of health and having the clarity of mind to be present in your learning. I learned what wellness looks like, and how you can be intentional as an educator about supporting the cultivation of healthy habits among your students. That is definitely top-of-mind for me this year.

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>> ALUMNI/AE NEWS

ALUMNI/AE EVENT CALENDAR

ALUMNI/AE COUNCIL WELCOMES NEW PRESIDENT:

HAYLEY PETERSON ’08

Visit www.spa.edu/alumni/events for link and more information

Led by President Hayley Peterson ’08, the SPA Alumni/ae Council has continued its work during the pandemic. Peterson, who stepped into the Council President’s role in the fall of 2020, leads the eleven-member Alumni/ae Council, listed at right, along with three Committee Chairs: Events Chair Matt Gollinger ’96; Volunteerism Chair Mercedes Henderson Clark ’88; and Fundraising Chair Walt Lehmann ’81.

Alumni/ae Holiday Party (in-person) Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, 6-8 p.m.

For more information about the Alumni/ae Council, contact Chris Jenkyns, SPA’s Director of Alumni/ae Programs, at cjenkyns@spa.edu.

December 2021 Alumni/ae Council Speaker Series: “Global Reach: A Conversation About Foreign Policy” (virtual) Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021, 8-9 a.m.

Panel featuring Anne Toomey ’97 and Melissa Schumi Jones ’97, moderated by Sasha Aslanian ’86 visit www.spa.edu/alumni/events for more information

Alumni/ae Holiday Meetup (virtual) Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, 6-7 p.m.

Sweeney’s Saloon, 96 Dale St., St. Paul Visit www.spa.edu/alumni/events for more information

2021-22 ST. PAUL ACADEMY AND SUMMIT SCHOOL ALUMNI/AE COUNCIL Hayley Peterson ’08 President Mercedes Henderson Clark ’88 Volunteerism Chair Matt Gollinger ’96 Events Chair Walt Lehmann ’81 Fundraising Chair Dr. Kevin Boeh ’86 Chris Cheney ’88 Sarah Crandall ’02 Peter Daniels ’02 Jim Delaney ’93 Jamie Forman ’77 Stephanie Hill ’11 Ali Hussain ’07 Reid Kett ’13 John Moore ’95

SPA ALUMNI/AE COUNCIL SPEAKER SERIES

In December 2020, the St. Paul Academy and Summit School Alumni/ae Council hosted A Conversation on Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic as part of the Alumni/ae Council Speaker Series.

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The virtual event featured a panel of alumni/ae who were deeply engaged in educational issues during COVID, including Nathan Arnold ’03, senior policy advisor at EducationCounsel, an educational consulting firm in Washington, D.C.; Anne Moertel ’06, who led communications at the San Francisco Unified School District on food access for students during the pandemic; and Pete Daniels ’02, who teaches Upper School Spanish at SPA. The conversation was recorded and is available to watch on SPA’s YouTube channel.

Be Social With Us!

Reunion Weekend 2020 receives Gold Award from Council for Advancement and Support of Education St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s Alumni/ae Relations office was honored for its work in transitioning Reunion Weekend 2020 from an in-person to an online event. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) awarded the school a Gold Level Award in its annual Pride of CASE District V competition for colleges, universities, and independent schools in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The Pride of CASE V Awards showcase best practices in alumni relations, fundraising, advancement services, special events, and marketing and communications. SPA’s submission, Ingredients for Creating a Virtual Reunion Weekend from Scratch, focused on the creation and implementation of a virtual Reunion Weekend for SPA alumni/ae during the pandemic in fall 2020. In awarding the Gold Award, the CASE judges noted that the SPA team “pulled together a creative approach to creating a reunion experience that allowed participants to create their own in-person reunion while connecting with each other online.” “Without the enthusiastic response and efforts by our Reunion Volunteers to make Virtual Reunion a success, this award and weekend would not have been possible,” says [Chris Jenkyns, Director of Alumni/ae Programs]. “Thank you to everyone who assisted and participated for your support!”

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).

Instagram: instagram.com/spa_spartans

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.

MANY THANKS TO ALL ALUMNI/AE WHO ATTENDED REUNION 2021! It was a wonderful weekend of reconnecting with classmates and friends. Photos from class parties are on pages 38-41, and photos from the entire weekend are on SPA’s SmugMug photosharing site at stpaulacademy.smugmug.com/AlumniaeandAdvancement/2021-Reunion-Weekend.

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

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>> PHILANTHROPHY

ANNUAL FUND: VOLUNTEERS LEAD THE WAY In a “normal” year, the success of the Annual Fund is measured in dollars and participation. In 2020-21—a year that was anything but normal—SPA’s Annual Fund added a third metric of success: the outpouring of enthusiasm and engagement from the team of parents and alumni/ae that served as Annual Fund volunteers. “Volunteers are always the backbone of our Annual Fund efforts,” says Annual Fund Director Alyse Simondet, “but last year, our Annual Fund volunteers went above and beyond.” Although outreach efforts were limited by the pandemic, Simondet says that the group made up for those limitations with a sense of urgency and commitment to the school. “From the very beginning, our volunteers expressed a lot of appreciation for what SPA was able to accomplish during COVID, and obviously wanted to help in any way they could.” That included hundreds of calls and emails to fellow parents and alumni/ae, sharing the importance of the Annual Fund as the school navigated the uncertain landscape of “doing school” in a pandemic. “Having the flexibility of those Annual Fund dollars was absolutely essential during the

2020-21 school year,” Simondet says, “and our crew of volunteers was fantastic at explaining that to their peers.” “Like practically everything last school year, volunteering for the Annual Fund was challenging, but it was also very rewarding,” says parent David McKinney, who served as the Middle School Co-Chair of the Annual Fund with his wife Kristine McKinney; the couple’s daughter is now in Grade 8. The less personal elements of volunteering— such as Zoom meetings instead of in-person coffees— were outweighed in many cases by a sense of gratitude, the couple says. “We heard from many, many families— including those who were brand-new to the school—who expressed so much gratitude for the SPA community,” says Kristine McKinney, “and for our extraordinary commitment to excellence, inclusivity, and generosity in the midst of a pandemic.”

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VOLUNTEER VOICES “I volunteer for the Annual Fund because I feel that we all have a responsibility to give back. While we pay tuition for today, the Annual Fund is for tomorrow: it helps continue a legacy of the school that goes beyond our own children’s time within the school. Our children will one day be alumni, and it will have great meaning in their lives to continue to have their school—where they spent much of their time and formative years—still thriving. We want SPA to always be a place that they can feel proud to have attended because it continues to adjust, grow, and thrive as the world changes.”

“As a graduate of SPA, I am thrilled that my children [Henrik ‘31 and Maren ‘33] get to attend the school as well. As the Lower School Chair for the 20-21 Annual Fund, I saw first-hand the number of parents who are dedicated to enriching their children’s lives at school—that’s the kind of participation that helps support SPA’s mission by providing unrestricted funding to bridge the gap between tuition and the actual cost of the experience. The pandemic has made it challenging to connect with the community and making those calls was sometimes daunting, but each call provided a wonderful opportunity to hear from other parents and reconnect with fellow alums.”

Nisha Taneja, Lower and Middle School Parent and Annual Fund Volunteer

Eric Vegoe ’97, Lower School Parent and Chair of the Lower School Annual Fund

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“

“As an alum, I appreciate the skills I developed and lifelong relationships that I forged at SPA. As a parent of two current Upper School students, my appreciation for the school has only deepened. SPA has meant a lot to me, and I am proud to help support it by volunteering for the Annual Fund. It was challenging and humbling last year to reach out to the parent community about the need for fundraising dollars at SPA as we all navigated both the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, but the willingness of parents to continue to support the SPA Annual Fund speaks to how much the community values the school.” David Murphy ’90, Upper School Parent and Annual Fund Parent Chair

HONORING

Tim Elchert, Tom Fones, and Jim McVeety St. Paul Academy and Summit School is pleased to announce the creation of funds honoring the recent retirements of three revered SPA educators: Tim Elchert, Tom Fones, and Jim McVeety.

The Tim Elchert Fund honors the legacy of empathy, compassion, and love for children and families that were the hallmarks of Dr. Tim Elchert’s 37-year counseling career at SPA’s Lower School. The Fund will support programming in the Lower School focused on “whole child” development, including professional development and training opportunities for teachers and programming for parents. “This fund is a tribute to the programs Dr. E spent decades creating,” says Director of Institutional Advancement Dorothy Goldie ’73. “The ethos of caring and kindness that infuses the Lower School is due in no small part to his careful, kind, loving work with children and families.”

The Tom Fones Fund for Debate honors Tom Fones’ 24 years of teaching and coaching SPA’s renowned Upper School Debate program, as well as his impact on the SPA community through the Senior Speech program. The Fund will provide financial resources to the Debate program, and to individual students who otherwise would not be able to participate fully in tournaments or other off-campus activities. “Tom was distinctive in the impact he made during his tenure,” says Goldie. “Every student who graduated during Tom’s time at SPA worked with him, through either a Senior Speech or the Debate program. There are few teachers who have made as big an impact as Tom on the whole of the Upper School.”

The Jim McVeety Scholarship Fund honors Jim McVeety and the many roles he played in his nearly four decades of service at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, including Middle and Upper School teacher, math department chair, Dean, advisor, and coach. The Fund will provide needbased financial aid for middle-income families for whom SPA’s tuition is out of reach. “Service to both the SPA community and the wider world is an important value to Jim,” Goldie notes. “Jim committed his life to helping young people advance, and now through this scholarship fund, deserving students will be given a chance to acquire an exceptional education at SPA.”

If you would like more information about contributing to one of these funds, please contact Sarah Johnson, Senior Development Officer, at sjohnson@spa.edu.

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>> CLASS NOTES

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 We look forward to hearing from you!

Included here are Class Notes that have been submitted since January 2021. Class Notes submitted prior to January 2021 are available online at www.spa.edu/alumni/publications/class-notes.

’68 Class Agent Anne Cowie cowieanne@gmail.com

s Bruce Lilly, Charlie Greenman, Chip Lindeke and Bill James gathered at a Woodbury

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. To become a Class Agent, please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1302.

s Members of the St. Paul Academy Class of 1968 hosted Nick Linsmayer to a farewell lunch on the occasion of his move to Sanibel, FL. Pictured left to right are Bill Sjoholm, Dar Reedy, Jim Vaughan, Nick Linsmayer, and Bill Levin.

’69 Class Agent

hockey rink “to regain some of our lost glories on ice and talk about almost everything,” Charlie reports, adding that Barry Ross and Gates Blodgett also join the group on occasion. “These gatherings, now almost weekly, are a highlight of my weeks,” Charlie says. Betsy Cudworth Perna reports that following

the Class of 1970’s “zoomtastic” virtual 50th Reunion in the fall of 2020, classmates from the Reunion Committee have continued to meet, including Cynthia Mills, Kate O’Brien, Chip Lindeke, Charlotte McDermott, Betsy Perna, Terry Gilberstadt, Ellen Seesel and Charlie Greenman.

Kristine Burton klbminn@hotmail.com

After 25 years serving as the Executive Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Dr. John Fitzpatrick retired at the end of 2020. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the world’s leading institute for the study and appreciation of birds.

’70 Class Agent Charles Greenman c_greenman@msn.com

’77 Class Agent Hank Brandtjen hank@bf-lp.com

Gretchen Glenney Damon celebrated Earth Day by volunteering to help clean up Lilydale Regional Park. Julia Weyerhauser Heidmann joins the class list of authors with the publication of her first book, Climate Change Impacts All Species.

On November 14, 2020, Chris Kuhn set a class record with the recording of 22 turkeys in his backyard. He challenges anyone to do better but he wants photographic proof. 36

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William Farrell has taken up long-

distance biking on the scenic back roads of Taiwan, including rides up to 100 kilometers. “If anyone is Taiwan bound, stop by and say hello!” he says. Chuck Strouse and Tim Hartnett

Class Agent

The Class of 1978 is looking for a Class Agent. Please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

sang their way down memory lane as they reconnected over the passing of Jerry Jeff Walker. Rumor has it they jumped so high and lightly touched down.

s Jamie Forman was profiled by the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation in an online feature entitled “Local Lawyer’s Passion For Education and Mentorship Fuel Giving.” “I have been successful with many aspects of my life. For this, I feel incredibly lucky,” Jamie says in the profile. “I believe that my own schooling has contributed to this success, including with my chosen field of law. By my giving back, I am hoping that others will enjoy similar fortune and success, and in turn will give back in ways that are meaningful to them.” Annie Bailey knows her trivia

having taken the top spot with her team in the Team Jeopardy ECCT 2021 competition. Rightly so, she celebrated National Midwives Day. Sarah Ross Caruso was a Precinct

Captain for Amy Klobachar’s presidential campaign in Iowa. Pamala McInnis participated in a

COVID-19 vaccine study.

results have been so successful that it is now a frontline treatment for all patients who come to Gillette. Jennifer is a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery Specialist and the Associate Medical Director of Research and Clinical Outcomes at Gillette.

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s Gene Sung, M.D. has been named the President of the World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care, an international medical association which promotes the highest standards of intensive and critical care medicine across the globe, without discrimination. The WFSICCM has a membership of over 85 national scientific societies with a combined individual membership of over 90,000 intensive and critical care practitioners throughout the world. “During this time of Covid, accessibility to good ICU care and education has shown to be of extra importance world-wide. I hope to help in this cause during my term as President,” says Gene, who is Associate Professor and Director of the Neurocritical Care and Stroke Division at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

’93 Class Agent Ben Beach beach_benjamin@hotmail.com John Cosgriff john.w.cosgriff@gmail.com Jim Delaney JDelaney@PoweredByEngine.com Mary Dickinson MacDonald mgdickinson@yahoo.com

s Nathan Johnson has been named one of the Bush Foundation’s 2021 Fellows, a group of visionary individuals who are leading transformative change in their communities. The Bush Fellowship provides Fellows with up to $100,000 over 12 to 24 months to pursue education and learning experiences that help them develop the skills and relationships to foster large-scale change in their communities and region. Nathan, who is an Architectural Technology faculty member at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, will use the Fellowship to further his work to change design and construction processes to be more inclusive and to have a greater economic impact for communities of color. In addition, he will study leadership methods that inspire equitable solutions and lead efforts to diversify the architecture profession.

Jennifer Coates, a veteran

corporate attorney, has joined the St. Paul Academy and Summit School Board of Trustees. Jennifer, who recently joined Minneapolis law firm Dorsey & Whitney as a Partner in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group, began her term as a SPA Trustee in July 2021. She and her husband are the parents of two current SPA students in Middle and Upper School.

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

’96 Class Agent Minette Loula mmloula@gmail.com

A group of five medical experts at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in Saint Paul led by Dr. Jennifer Laine recently published an innovative article in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery about their innovative treatment for patients who have congenital bowing of the tibia. The treatment has helped correct the growth of patients who have the rare condition, and

sWith many speaking engagements converted to virtual events in 2020, Tyler Olson had the opportunity to virtually emcee the Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards competition, which included 50 students from 50 different countries and over 10,000 attendees. Tyler credits his work with Tom Fones on his Senior Speech for his great success.

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>> CLASS NOTES

Reunion Weekend 2021: All-Alumni/ae Reception and Alumni/ae Art Show Alumni/ae from all classes joined us on Friday evening for the All-Alumni/ae Reception and Alumni/ae Art Show, featuring the work of Angela Carr ’66, Claus Benjamin Freyinger ’96, Katherine Parfet ’66, and Valerie Sands ’81.

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Reunion Weekend 2021: Heritage Brunch On Saturday morning, alumni/ae who graduated in or before 1971 enjoyed the annual Heritage Brunch to reconnect with classmates and hear an update on the life and culture of the school from Head of School Bryn Roberts.

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>> CLASS NOTES

Reunion Weekend 2021: Class Parties

CLASS OF 1951: Left to right: Henny Jackson Schoeller, Scotty McGregor Gillette, Junie Stringer DeCoster, Jojo Millard Chervenak, Hugh Klein, Bill Schrader, Jim Rupert. Not pictured: Bruce Monick and Stanley Hubbard

CLASS OF 1954-1958: First row, seated left to right: Jan Goodwin Rupert, Susan Fischer Koll, Susan Rose Ward, Vicki Churchill Ford, Marty Rarig, Minty Klein Piper. Second row, left to right: John Huss, Charc Ward, Ruth Putnam Huss, Caroline Davidson Foster, Sally Davis Patterson, Maureen Acosta, Dee L., Gerry Kyle Bullard, Tom Patterson, Bill Kansas. Third row, left to right: Robert Bullard, Bill Beadie, Dutton Foster, Michael Foote, Frank Ward, John Rupert, John Milton, Si Ford.

CLASS OF 1966: Back Row, left to right: Mike Brown, Jim Fitzpatrick, Judy Titcomb, Karla Hollinshead, Matt Hollinshead, Bob Fink, Doug Peterson; front row, left to right: Betsy Brown, Fritz Magnuson, Hilary Magnuson, Georgie Hilker, Marcus Hilker, Ellen Donnelly, Ben Oehler, Betsy Bond

CLASS OF 1970: Front row, seated left to right: Cynthia Davidson Mills, Mary Stockwell Lindridge, Chip Lindeke, Betsy Hannaford, Kate O’Brien: second row, left to right: Mimi Ravits, Lucy Hollinshead, Ellen Seesel, Terry Schilling Gilberstadt, Katie Hartzell Blevins, Charlie Greenman, Chris Downey, Nelson Nones, Laura Bathke; third row: Bob Adair, Paul Kroeger, John Sell

CLASS OF 1971: First and middle row, left to right: Bob Hartzell, Binkie Cammack Closmore, Nancy Mairs Daly, Chris Dozier, Peter Myers, Lester Strouse, Mary Manlove, John Ravits, Susan Hartnett Webb, Sarah Felder, Molly Greenman, Barb Godfrey Kuykendall, Mary Wieland Nolan, Sue Headley Keller, Mary Sprafka Foshee, Alice O’Brien Berquist, David West, Sharon Kennedy, Henry Watanabe, Bake Baker. Back Row, left to right: Don Lewis, Jack Whitaker, Bob Klas, Mark Harrison, Endel Kallas, Tim Drake, Peter Gilbertson, Dan Titcomb, Tom Wood 40

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CLASS OF 1976: Front row (left to right): Blake Shephard, Steve Countryman, Sandra Rosenberg, Laura Aronson Thrane, Joe Kennedy, Dennis Countryman, Tom Braman, Randy Lane, Andy Mohring, Jerry Wimmer. Back row (left to right): John Jasinski, Peter, Jonathan Fellows, Bob Mast, Jeff Norton, Greg Whitaker, Trip Lund

CLASS OF 1980: Left to right: Sheila Delaney Moroney, Andy

CLASS OF 1981: Left to right: Sylvia Strobel (Walt Lehmann), Walt Lehmann, Sally Lightner, Rolf Hanson (Ann Sundberg’s spouse), Sarah Storvick, Sarah Kyle (Mike Kyle’s spouse), Mike Kyle, Beth Lilly, Anne Sampson Celander, Christy Earl White, Sanjaya Saxena, (not pictured: Phil White).

CLASS OF 1986: Zoom Participants in foreground: Kevin Boeh, John Salchow, Mariel Dickson Milito, Chris Hoff, later joined by Nat Jarvis. Front Row, seated left to right: Heather (Irvine) Capuano, Sasha Aslanian, Karen Garrett; Second Row, left to right: Rebecca Stewart, Kirsten (Banks) Cutler, Jill (Magnuson) Romans, Ben Leadholm, Chris Cochran, Lori Dockman, John Patterson, Erik Takeshita, Karla (Klocow) Johnson. Fashionably late arrivals after photographer left: Renee Hilmanowski Ochaya and Katherine Lewis.

CLASS OF 1991: Carlos Adams, Katie Barlow Shilts, Steven

CLASS OF 1996: Pictured left to right: Jay Vatassery, Eric Johnson, Brian Fairchild, Minette Loula, Anne Cammack, Michael Rucker, Jennifer Laine, Jolie Chehadeh, Kari Chester. Not pictured but attended: Gene Suh, Travis Prunty, Rob Pottle, Greg Geller, Ravi Ramalingam, Courtney (Cummins) Daniel

London, Shannon McCarty Ingersoll, Lydia Conn, Jodi Bahl, Heather Zehring, Stacey Barenbaum Lanning, Tasslyn Frame Magnusson, Kate Bradford Rodbro, Hilary and Arrisen Towner. Not pictured but attended: Brian Vegoe, Seth Janus, Julie Cammack Backer, Betsy Rosenberg Schwartz and Rachel Rubin.

Ward, Chip Hauser, John Moroney, Kris Flom. Reunion attendees from the Class of 1980 included Peter Albrecht, David Bradley, Paul Bullard, Tory Smith Burrows, Geoff Buscher, Denise Lilyholm Callahan, Mark Duvall, Kris Flom, Hendrie Grant, Chip Hauser, Heidi Hijikata, Tom Kayser, Cindy Greenberg Kozloff, Richard Kyle, Carrie Victor Lee, Bruce Leslie, Dan Levitt, Pam Victor Libertini, Nancy Jasinski Lotane, Ken Lukaska, Elizabeth Mairs, Peter Mairs, John Moody, Sheila Delaney Moroney, Merilu Stevenson Narum, Tom Paper, Rachel Abramowicz Pressman, Jamie Thomssen, Elizabeth Wedel, and Bobby Zelle

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>> CLASS NOTES

’07

to practice preventive medicine and protect her community both within and outside of the clinic.” As the winner of the Humble Hero award, Darwin received a brand-new 2020 XL1200 Sportster Roadster.

Class Agent Etonde Awaah eawaah@gmail.com Derek Schaible derek.schaible@gmail.com

’08 Class Agent Nolan Filter nolan.f.filter@gmail.com Jessie Garretson Jessiepiper@gmail.com Vanessa Levy vanessa.s.levy@gmail.com Ariella Rotenberg rotenberg.ariella@gmail.com

postdoctoral associate at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where she is studying the genetic basis of psychiatric disease. Linnea’s band won a Boston Music Award for Rock Artist of the Year in 2020 (joining the likes of Aerosmith, Belly, and Morphine). Since then, she has started a new group, Linnea’s Garden, which released their first EP on Red on Red Records in March of 2021. The group is looking forward to the return of live music.

’10 Class Agent Anne Walli annewalli.amw@gmail.com

Bryce Holstad has left his work

s Darwin Longfellow, a Physician Assistant in New Mexico, was named a “Humble Hero” by Dunlop Motorcycle Tires for her work during the COVID-19 pandemic. In nominating Darwin for the award, a colleague noted, “As a fellow healthcare provider, I have been humbled by Darwin’s selfless service to her patients. She has met her community where they are, and cared for them with limited resources and support, working diligently

’14

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s Linnea Herzog earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience in 2020 from Brandeis University and is now a

as a staff attorney at Iowa Legal Aid and has formed a new private firm, Lakes National Law, LLP in Washington County in Minnesota. His new firm merged the practice of previously private attorneys licensed in California, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin. Bryce now lives in Stillwater, MN.

Tony Sanneh, who recently joined the SPA Board of Trustees, was quoted extensively in a New York Times article in February 2021 about his anti-racism work with his own Tony Sanneh Foundation and with Common Goal, a social movement led by global soccer players designed to tackle racism in the sport. “We had to step up and work collectively,” Sanneh says about the effort in the article. “[We must] use our success to work for others in this industry. We have to all work together to combat societal challenges.”

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Class Agent

The Class of 2014 is looking for a Class Agent. Please contact alumni@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

Yusra Murad was interviewed

by National Public Radio in February 2021 to discuss her family’s organization, Zakat, Aid and Charity Assisting Humanity (ZACAH), and its work to assist unhoused individuals in finding safe and warm places to stay during the winter months.

>> IN MEMORIAM

Full remembrances and obituaries are available on the SPA Alumni/ae website at www.spa.edu > Alumni > Publications > In Memoriam. Our condolences are with the family and friends of those we have lost.

1939

1945

1949

Betty Wold Johnson

Lewis ‘Buddy’ Harris

John Blackburn Kinkead

Passed away May 5, 2020

1940 Betty Vaughan

Passed away November 7, 2019

January 15, 1927 - September 28, 2020

John Jackson

Passed away April 5, 2020

Emmy Lou Jacobson

Passed away March 6, 2021

1941

Betty Parsons Tennant

Joann Aalfs

Alfred Sedgwick

December 16, 1926 - September 19, 2020

March 29, 1923 - February 3, 2021

February 17, 1927 - April 27, 2021

1942

Cynthia Stoltze Hardison

Rosamond Lloyd

November 26, 1924 - September 3, 2019

1946

Anne Lovering Elsinger

Arnold Bockstruck

January 9, 1925 ~ August 25, 2019

December 25, 1927 - October 28, 2019

Philip Margolis

John Calvin Neimeyer, Jr.

February 9, 1928 - September 9, 2020

July 7, 1925 - October 14, 2020

June 4, 1928 - May 23, 2019

John Tate, Jr.

1947

1942 - October 16, 2019

1943

Elizabeth Bancroft Cammack

Martha Fulton

Timothy Blodgett

Passed away November 26, 2020.

August 13, 1929 - January 2, 2020

Elizabeth Nye Suter

Lowry Smith

Passed away May 26th, 2019

April 23, 1929 - October 25, 2019

Hugh K. Schilling

Shirley Williams

March 14, 1925 - September 22, 2020.

Sydney Wold

Passed away August 25, 2020

1944 Robert “Bob” Frenzel

Passed away on April 11, 2021

Passed away September 17, 2019

(Baroness Shirley Williams of Crosby) July 27, 1930 - April 12, 2021

1948 Bonnie Langford Hoover

Passed away October 1, 2019

Peter Butler

Passed away September 27, 2020

Augustus Clapp III

November 10, 1931 - August 18, 2019

Juliana Griggs Marty

February 26, 1931 - June 2, 2020

Marguerite Hamm “Peggy, Mimi” Lemmon January 2, 1932 - January 5, 2020

Frederick Theodore Weyerhaeuser Passed away December 24, 2020

1950 Clarissa Bockstruck Cole

Passed away October 23, 2020

Dorothy Griffith MacDonald Passed away December 19, 2019

John Towle

Passed away December 28, 2019

1951 Russell Collins, Jr.

June 15, 1933 - February 6, 2021

Catherine Myers Buscher

Passed away November 3, 2020

Patricia Sweney Hart

June 25, 1933 - April 2, 2020

1952 Samuel Joy

December 9, 1934 – September 23, 2020

Passed away Jan. 1, 2020

James Maslon

February 2, 1927 - January 19, 2021

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>> IN MEMORIAM

1953

1960

1970

R. James Gesell

Victoria Cross

Katherine (Roe) Cross

John Holman

Michael Driscoll

Katherine Levin Stenslie

August 14, 1935 - December 21, 2019. December 4, 1934 - June 13, 2020

Passed away August 29, 2019

1961

1955

Pierce Mackay

Chauncey Griggs III

January 28, 1942 - October 9, 2019

Passed away January 7, 2021

Bruce Quick

Edward Hamm Sr.

Passed away April 25, 2020

June 22, 1937 - March 12, 2021

Dorothy Ames Turner Olund

Horace ‘Hod’ Irvine II

November 25, 1943 - July 29, 2019

Passed away October 14, 2019

1962

Richard “Sarge” Kyle

April 30, 1937 - June 22, 2021

William Menold, Jr.

Richard Tongen

December 22, 1936 - December 10, 2020

Georgia Sommers Wright

Passed away December 20, 2019

Passed away January 23, 2020

John Works, Jr.

August 25, 1944 - January 9, 2020

1963

1956

James Andrews

Phillip Ameluxen

January 11, 1944 - September 9, 2020

Passed away August 13, 2019

Brenda Raudenbush Griffin May 25, 1938 – April 4, 2020

Morgan ‘Skip’ Rasmussen Passed away August 7, 2019

1966

1957

Christopher Cardozo

Walter Andrews, Jr.

Passed away February 21, 2021

May 23, 1939 - May 31, 2020

H. William (Bill) Shoemaker

Diane Devitt-Kushner

December 19, 1938 - May 18, 2020

Passed away October 29, 2020

Jeffrey Tyler, Sr.

1959 December 11, 1939 - June 5, 2021

Ethel W. Griggs

Passed away November 19, 2020

1971 Rhonda Anderson Gordon

June 5, 1953 - September 27, 2020

Cynthia Nerenberg Peck

August 20, 1953 - June 25, 2020

Julie Burg Rist

Passed away September 3, 2019

1994 Martin Veinsreideris

Passed away October 11, 2020.

1998 Todd Anderson

Passed away July 13, 2020

Sarah May

Passed away January 15, 2020

2004 Alexander Johnson

Passed away May 20, 2020

2016 Alice Tibbetts

Passed away April 15, 2021

Jeffrey Updegraff

Friends of SPA

1967

Russell Greenhagen

Passed away December 9, 2020

Robert Bement, Jr.

Elizabeth Fobes Murphy

Passed away December 13, 2019

William Colhoun Motter III January 25, 1941 - July 11, 2021

Passed away December 27, 2020

Diane Wachtler Koob

May 20, 1949 - March 17, 2021

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(parent of alum and volunteer) 1938 - 2020

Thomas Read

William Bierman, Jr.

Barbara Sonkowsky

1949-2021

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Beth Miner

(former Head of School) September 15, 1923 - December 21, 2019

John “Jack” Thera

(former faculty) May 16, 1942 - November 24, 2020

1968 August 20, 1950 - July 16, 2021

SPA

December 20, 1951 - December 1, 2020

Passed away on May 1, 2020

Harold “Todd” Freeman III

March 22, 1952 - April 23, 2020

(former faculty) Passed away September 17, 2019

>> PERFORMANCES

Scott Streble

>> LETTER FROM THE HEAD

2021-2022 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS Timothy A. Welsh, President William M. Beadie ’58, Secretary Litton E. S. Field, Jr. ’75, Treasurer MEMBERS

Middle School Fall Play: Alice in Wonderland Bartlett (Bake) J. Baker ’71 Mark W. Addicks Hyung Choi Jennifer Coates ’96

Elizabeth Driscoll Hlavka Anne Larsen Hooley David W. Kansas ’85 Varun B. Kharbanda ’92 David A. Kristal Amanda Kay Liu Scot W. Malloy Philip McKoy

Middle School Musical: Fame Jr.

Barbara L. Naramore Tim O’Brien ’77 Thomas H. Patterson ’57 Christopher (Chip) J. Pearson J.P. Peltier Anthony (Tony) Sanneh ’90

Upper School Musical: Song, Dance and Taking a Chance: A Master Class in Musical Theater

Upper School Fall Play: Under Milk Wood Bryn S. Roberts, Head of School www.s p a.e d u

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

June 2017

FALL 2021

SPA MAGAZINE | FALL 2021

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage

The Magazine of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

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.

The Class of 2021

PRINCIPAL THOUGHTS:

The 112 members of the Class of 2021 are attending 73 colleges and universities around the country. See pages 20-23 for more photos and details from Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2021.

A CONVERSATION WITH SPA’S THREE PRINCIPALS IN THIS ISSUE: 2020-2021 ANNUAL REPORT

SPA Magazine Fall 2021

Articles inside

Class Notes

Through the Doors

Philanthropy

On the cover

Letter from the Head

Alumni/ae News

Celebrating the Class of 2021 Commencement and College Choices