SPA Magazine Summer 2008 by St. Paul Academy

The

magazine of

S t . P au l A c a d e m y

and

SPA SUMMER 2008

In this issue: Don Lewis ’71...

p. 20

Stephanie Ross ’82... John Prescott ’85...

Summit School

p. 24

p. 26

St. Paul Academy and Summit School values a diverse community and complies with all applicable laws regarding nondiscrimination.

Mission Statement

In pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning, St. Paul Academy and Summit School educates a diverse and motivated group of young people for leadership and service, inspires in them an enduring love of learning, and helps them lead productive, ethical and joyful lives.

St. Paul Academy and Summit School is an independent, college preparatory day school for students in kindergarten through grade 12. The school was formed in 1969 from the merger of St. Paul Academy, founded in 1900 for boys, and Summit School, founded in 1917 for girls.

Contents

SPA Magazine | Summer 2008

in this issue 2

L e t t e r f ro m t h e H e a d

T h ro u g h t h e D o o r s

C o m m en c e m e n t

College Choices

2 0 0 8 Aw a rd s

Spartan Sports

Class Notes

In Memoriam

Front cover | Tenth graders Isabella McCormick and Harry LaVercombe teamed up at the fifth annual Scrabble Tournament for charity, held March 13 after school in the Randolph Campus dining hall. Forty-two teams participated, raising $1,309 for Women Advocates, Inc. The overall winners of the tournament were seniors Nolan Filter and Kathleen Cann.

2007 Distinguished Alumni/ae

Don Lewis ‘71 named Dean of law school

Stephanie Ross ‘82 is Empoword

Never look down: John Precott ‘85

Inside front cover | Kindergartner Enoch Griffin enjoys “hanging out” at the Lower School playground. summer 2008 | SPA

Welcome A

fter commencement June 8, Tim Elchert, who has been on the faculty in the Lower School since 1980, told me how much he loved watching the graduates parade across the stage. Tim had taught many of the class and he remembered them vividly as young children in kindergarten or grade one or grade three. He laughed and smiled as he recounted his impressions of the young men and women when they first arrived on campus, uncertain and tentative, and some reluctant to leave their mothers for the first time. Watching the ceremony reminded him of the power of the SPA experience and the vivid and impressive ways that students grow and mature. It was satisfying for Tim to know he had played a part in launching these graduates on their journey through school. I like commencements. They are grand moments of institutional celebration and affirmation, and not just for teachers. For graduates, the presentation of the diplomas is an important public affirmation of their achievements. They have reached the summit at SPA and they are poised to advance to the next stage of their lives and their scholarly careers. Many have just turned 18 or will soon do so, and college means an ambit of liberty and opportunity about which they have dreamed and now lies but a few months away. Parents take great pride in their daughters and sons as they cross the stage; they share happily in their children’s accomplishments, they understand that the path to success has not always been easy and they know that an SPA education can be a passport to a successful and productive future. There is an extra measure of comfort and security for parents knowing that their children have succeeded at SPA. This year’s commencement was particularly noteworthy because of the featured speaker, Rob Oden, President of Carleton College. In a humorous and discerning address he applauded the school for its devotion to a true liberal arts education and he ventured his own definition of such an education. Formerly a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Dartmouth College, Dr. Oden frequently traveled with a fellow faculty member, a historian, Professor Charles Woods. On their trips to and from Logan airport, they frequently developed an assignment to guide their conversation. The topic might be medieval England, Professor Woods’ specialty, a topic in the history and culture of the Middle East, or any issue of current import. The assignment for one trip was beguiling in its simplicity: develop a one-sentence definition for a liberal arts education before they reached Logan Airport. It is easy to imagine the scene as these two passionate and engaged scholars, each eminent in his own chosen discipline, drove from western New Hampshire into Boston with its famously congested traffic and aggressive drivers, all the while exchanging observations on the nature of the liberal arts. As they emerged from the Sumner Tunnel they had settled on a definition: a liberal arts education is beginning to think seriously about what it means to lead a worthwhile life. Dr. Oden’s definition resonated with the graduates because it reflected their experience. Over their high school years they have debated serious ethical and historical questions and they have learned not to be deterred by complexity or ambiguity. They have learned what it means to engage in meaningful discussion and respectful debate. They have come to understand what it means to be accountable for their opinions and just how difficult it is to be an informed and disciplined critic. And, not insignificantly, SPA graduates have learned how to learn, that there are systematic ways to ask questions, to evaluate arguments and ideas and, ultimately, to acquire knowledge. There is another reason that Dr. Oden’s definition was so compelling. His traveling companion, Professor Charles Wood, graduated from SPA in 1951, and in their expansive intellectual conversations he had taught Dr. Oden much about SPA. At commencement, Dr. Oden knew precisely to whom he was speaking. The curriculum of Professor Wood’s SPA is very different from the SPA of 2008, but a respect for intellectual mastery in its various forms unites graduates across the decades. Oden assured the graduates that they are prepared and tempered for the challenges ahead while anchoring their educational experience in the deepest traditions of the school’s distinguished intellectual experience. Best wishes for the rest of summer.

Bryn Roberts Head of School 2

SPA | summer 2008

SPA The Magazine of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Summer | 2008 Editor Tracy Madden Graphic Design Kimberlea Weeks deZinnia, inc. Contributors Sasha Aslanian ’86 Paula Kringle Bryn Roberts Photography Bill Alkofer Greg Helgeson Andy King Tom Lundholm Tracy Madden Ann Wight

SPA Magazine is published twice a year by St. Paul Academy and Summit School for its alumni/ae, parents and friends.

Your turn SPA Magazine celebrates the power of thoughts and ideas. We invite you to write, email or fax us your thoughts and comments on subjects related to the SPA community. Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity. Please let us know your suggestions for stories, your thoughts about SPA happenings and your news and photos for “Class Notes.” Development Office St. Paul Academy and Summit School 1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 651-696-1366, phone 651-696-1380, fax alumni/ae@spa.edu

Visit us at www.spa.edu

Through the Doors

of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Leadership Giving + OutstandingVolunteers = Annual Fund Success The SPA Annual Fund finished the 2007-2008 fiscal year having raised $1,205,000 for the school, thanks to strong support from leadership donors and an extraordinary group of energetic volunteers. Participation by parents and faculty/staff also increased significantly over prior years. This year’s theme of “giving to match our expectations for excellence” resonated among leadership donors. SPA’s Board of Trustees led the way with increased giving and 100 percent participation for the sixth consecutive year. Many leadership donors also stepped up to the challenge of significantly increasing their gifts to the school, which helped the Annual Fund finish $114,000 ahead of 2006-2007.

2008-2009 Board of Trustees Charles A. Zelle ’73, President Page Knudsen Cowles, Vice President Charlotte Shepard Johnson ’64, Vice President Byron E. Starns, Secretary Philip W. White ’81, Treasurer Dr. Fahima Aziz William M. Beadie ’58 Roxane Harvey Gudeman Elizabeth Driscoll Hlavka ’82 Ruth Seely Huss ’57 Frederick C. Kaemmer ’88 Bruce A. Lilly ’70 Ranlet Miner Jr. Virginia H. Morris Ann Ruhr Pifer ’83 Dr. Brian C. Rosenberg Gail A. Ward Timothy A. Welsh Shannon McNeely Whitaker ’78 The Honorable Wilhelmina M. Wright

Parent participation grew by 12 percent to 66 percent, the highest level in many years. Parents in the Class of 2012 (this past year’s eighth grade) topped all others with 77 percent participation, followed closely by the Class of 2013 (grade seven) at 72 percent. The Class of 2008 came in third at 69 percent. There was a 30 percent jump in faculty and staff participation, bringing it to 71 percent. Alumni/ae participation remained about the same. Overall, 1,473 donors contributed to the Annual Fund, representing an increase of 139 donors compared to last year. “We are very grateful to every member of the community who chose to support our school through the Annual Fund,” said Gail Ward, Trustee and Annual Fund Chair. “Your participation is important and necessary for our school to continue to be a place of quality and high standards. We are fortunate to have an exceptional group of dedicated and hardworking volunteers who advocated for Annual Fund support by making calls, hosting parties, and leading by example through their own giving to the school.” The Annual Fund received a generous contribution from the proceeds of Hats Off to the Arts: An Evening in Venice, the all-school event held in May and sponsored by the Parents’ Associations. Hundreds of parents and alumni/ae were involved in the event as volunteers and donors. (See page 6 for more information on Hats Off.) “We are actively recruiting Annual Fund volunteers for the coming year, so please consider joining us as a grade level representative, class agent, phonathon caller (October 11-12, November 15-16), event host, or as a leadership solicitor,” Ward said. “Volunteering for the Annual Fund is an important way to be involved and significantly help every student at SPA.” For more information about the Annual Fund, watch for the 2007-2008 Annual Report, which will be distributed in the fall. To volunteer, contact Paula Kringle in the Development Office at 651-696-1320 or pkringle@spa.edu. To donate, go to www.spa.edu/gifts.

summer 2008 | SPA

Through the Doors

of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Board of Trustees

Welsh, Hlavka join Board of Trustees Goldie retires after 14 years on Board At the May 19 meeting of the Board of Trustees, parent Tim Welsh and parent and alumna Libby Driscoll Hlavka ’82 were named to the Board. Re-elected to the Board were President Charles Zelle, Vice President Charlotte Shepard Johnson ’64, Secretary Byron Starns, Fahima Aziz, Roxane Harvey Gudeman, Ruth Putnam Huss ’57 and Wilhelmina Wright. Philip White ’81 was named Treasurer at the meeting. Their new, three-year terms begin the 2008-2009 school year. Retiring was Dorothy Goldie ’73, who joined the Board in 1994. INCOMING

Welsh holds an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School and a BA, magna cum laude, in social studies from Harvard University. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Liz, and their three children, William (7), Katherine (4) and James (3). In addition to having a son at school, Welsh has been working with SPA’s Admission staff over the past year to research the demographics of our current parent base and determine the best ways to reach out to potential new families. In the spring he was also involved in helping to plan a more flexible transportation solution for SPA families living in Minneapolis.

Tim Welsh

Tim Welsh is a Director for global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he leads the firm’s Midwest Financial Services Practice. He is also the co-leader of the firm’s North American Life and Wealth Management practice.

“I volunteer at the school because I want to help keep this exceptional institution vibrant, in part so my kids can continue to get a great education at SPA,” said Welsh. “I give to the Annual Fund to help make certain that the school can attract a wide range of students. By volunteering and giving to the school, we all help to make sure that SPA continues to be a great institution, providing an outstanding education and development experience for our kids.”

In his 17 years with McKinsey, Welsh has served clients throughout the financial services industry, including some of the nation’s leading life insurers, property and casualty insurers, and banks on issues of strategy, organization and operations.

Libby Driscoll Hlavka ‘82

Libby Driscoll Hlavka ’82 grew up in Saint In the Twin Cities community Welsh has Paul and attended SPA helped create the Itasca Project, a coalition of in grades 1 through more than 40 CEOs, the governor, and other 9. She has more than civic leaders that is helping to drive regional 15 years experience development initiatives. He also led the work in strategic planning, program development, helping the Mayor of Minneapolis transform and financial management within academic, economic development activities in the city, corporate, and start-up organizations. Her and he serves on the Board of the United Way. most recent position was Director of Special

SPA | summer 2008

Projects for Stanford Graduate School of Business. She also held several other positions within the university, focused on strategy and curriculum development. Prior to Stanford, Hlavka was an engagement manager with McKinsey & Company. She began her career as a financial analyst with General Electric. Hlavka serves on the boards of Franconia Sculpture Park and Admission Possible. She is an active volunteer and fundraiser for a number of schools and nonprofit organizations. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University, an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and an MFA in Literature and Creative Writing from Bennington College. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Ed, and their three children, Maggie (6), Jack (4) and Annie (2). Her involvement with the school has been varied, ranging from being a student to sending her own children here. She and Tim Welsh have been working on a strategic marketing project with Head of School Bryn Roberts and the Admission staff, and last year she was part of her 25-year reunion planning committee. She served on the silent auction committee for Hats Off to the Arts, volunteered for the Lower School Book Festival and participated on the nominating committee for the Lower School Parents’ Association. She has also helped with various classroom parties and other jobs in her daughter’s classroom. “I love working in my daughter’s classroom, getting to know the teachers and kids and learning more about what happens there every day,” said Hlavka. “We moved back to Minnesota a short time before Maggie started

kindergarten, and volunteering at the school has been a wonderful way for me to reconnect with the community and make new friends.

OUTGOING

“I stopped working professionally when we left California, so the marketing project has provided a great source of challenge, learning, and camaraderie,” she added. “I worked at a university and love getting involved in this very different, but even more compelling, academic environment.”

If you look at Dorothy Goldie’s accomplishments during her many years at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, the list is long. She was a longtime member of the Alumni/ae Council and was Council President in 1993-94. She joined the Board of Trustees in 1994, serving on the Committee on Trustees and the Executive, Planned Giving and Investment committees. She chaired the Finance and Development committees and served as Board Treasurer. She has also worked extensively with the Annual Fund as a phonathon caller, leadership gift solicitor, and as Alumni/ae Chair and Parent Chair.

She and her husband have also chosen to support the school financially by donating to the Annual Fund. “Since tuition doesn’t cover all the costs associated with educating our children, I believe it is the responsibility of parents and alumni/ae to help make up the difference when they can,” she said. “By giving to the Annual Fund, my husband and I feel we’re supporting the efforts of the school to experiment and innovate. The school has been such an important part of my family’s life; I want to help it remain a strong, vital institution for years to come.” Hlavka feels that contributing to the school has strengthened her connection to the SPA community — already strong due to the fact her parents, siblings, and many aunts, uncles and cousins have also attended the school — and she encourages others to volunteer in ways that feel best to them. “Every gift and every hour donated makes a difference,” she said. “And volunteering is great fun, especially connecting with the children in the classroom and making friends with parents and staff.” She is both thrilled and honored to join the Board. “From my work on the marketing project I understand some of the strategic challenges and opportunities facing the school, and believe that my experience will help me make a meaningful contribution,” she said. “I can’t think of a more fascinating and important organization to learn about and work to strengthen.”

Dorothy Goldie ‘73

According to Goldie, her penchant for volunteerism stems from what she considers her “enormous debt” to the school. “My kids assume that since I’ve been so active with SPA, high school must have been a peak experience for me that I have chosen to relive over and over again through my volunteerism,” she laughed. “Not true. I was as miserable in high school as any normal adolescent. But after graduating from SPA, it became clearer to me what I had gotten from the place. “Everything that matters to me in my adult life began at SPA and at Summit School,” she continued. “I learned how to learn, how to think critically. SPA teachers gave me the confidence necessary to be a contributing adult in the world. These were people like Rob Woutat and Naomi Kelly. And it was done primarily by having extremely high standards for the students. Standards that I frequently failed to meet, but through the experience learned more than I might have at an easier school. That’s why I sent my own children here and why I volunteer.” In addition to teaching her to be a critical thinker and learner, Goldie feels her experiences at SPA led her to her current job as Executive

Director for Minnesota Center for Book Arts. When a fellow SPA classmate visited the gallery recently, the two of them discussed how and why Goldie first became interested in art. “Hazel Belvo’s art history class,” she concluded. “That’s why I am here.” Rather than having redeemed her debt to the school, Goldie feels the joy and satisfaction she has gained from volunteering at the school has made her responsibility that much larger. “I’ve gotten more from SPA than I ever put in,” she said. In addition to generous donations of time and energy, she and husband Ralph Schwartz also believe in the importance of supporting the school by donating to the Annual Fund. “What happened to me at Summit School and SPA in the ’60s and ’70s still happens today,” Goldie said. “I saw this with my own children (Max ’03 and Sam ’08). Every day at SPA, transformations begin. Kids get held to high standards. Kids learn to think. This has tremendous value and deserves to be honored through contributions and service. And, it’s terribly rewarding to do so.” Perhaps most rewarding was the feeling of satisfaction she got from co-chairing the Head of School search that resulted in the appointments of Interim Head Tim Rodd and current Head of School Bryn Roberts. Another project she found meaningful was leading the development of the visual identity system for the school. “Dorothy was a superb trustee. She had great passion for SPA, both as an alumna and a parent of two recent graduates, and a deep understanding of the school’s history and culture,” said Head of School Bryn Roberts. “She also appreciated the need for the Board to shape policies that will insure that SPA will be a successful and sound institution well into the future. We will miss her knack for asking the pertinent question on any given issue and her leadership on financial matters.”

summer 2008 | SPA

Through the Doors

of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Hats Off: An Evening in Venice

nets $77,000 for Parents’ Associations, Annual Fund

More than 380 parents, faculty and staff, and other friends of the school attended the May 3 event on SPA’s Randolph Campus. In addition to galleries of artwork from students in grades K-12, there was entertainment by various student groups, live and silent auctions, and food and decorations evoking a sense of Venice.

Thanks to the hard work of nearly 40 core parent volunteers, Hats Off to the Arts: An Evening in Venice netted approximately $77,000 for Parents’ Association programs and the Annual Fund.

The six live auction items raised $15,700, and the 165 silent auction items raised nearly $55,000. Silent auction items included donated art pieces, Minnesota Wild tickets, a Zamboni driving lesson, autographed sports items, gift certificates to area restaurants, tickets to the Minnesota Orchestra, jewelry, wine and other gift baskets, stools handpainted by students, vacation stays, shopping trips, private tours, dinner parties and more. Live auction items included a Vespa and a vacation to Costa Rica. Other funds raised from the evening came from Hats Off to the Arts co-chairs Lauren Florine and ticket sales. Sara Brown.

Co-chairs for the event were Sara Brown (parent of Zachary, grade 7, and Hayden, grade 5) and Lauren Florine (parent of Brent, grade 1). Other committee members included parents Julia Adams, Catherine Ahern, Jon Ashenbrener, Michelle Bradley, Anthony Brandenburg, Hank Brandtjen ’77, Paul Bullard ’80, Julie Butterworth, Julie Causey, Natasha Cejudo, Bonnie D’Aquila, Kirsten Driscoll, Davida Edmundson, Marcy Gast, Margaret Hartman, Lindsay Herbert, Jeanne Goodman Herzog ’72, Libby Driscoll Hlavka ’82, Courtney Hoard, Anne Larsen Hooley, Claire Kayser, Laura Knutsen, Sara Krasny, Ginny Kraus, Terry Campbell Lindeke, Joan Little, Miriam McFall, Julie McGirl McGlincey ’83, Letty Merrill, Karen Nowakowski, Patty Paulus, Paul Quast ’72, Tracey Tipler, Missy Thompson, Esther Tsai and Angelica Volpi.

SPA | summer 2008

Earlier in the week, students from the Lower School were brought to the Randolph Campus to view artwork from students at all grade levels. Grandparents were also invited to a Friday reception where they could view artwork by their grandchildren. “This was my first ‘Hats Off ’ event and I was very impressed by all that I saw,” said Head of School Bryn Roberts. “It was a festive evening that attracted hundreds of parents and supporters of SPA, celebrated the arts and raised thousands of dollars for the Annual Fund and the Parents’ Associations. I especially appreciate the many volunteers who worked so hard to make the evening such a success.”

Upper School

Chris Hughes begins as Upper School Principal New Upper School Principal Chris Hughes joined the faculty and staff at St. Paul Academy and Summit School August 1. Previously he was Academic Dean at Chatham Hall, a girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; boarding and day school in Virginia. His academic credentials include a BA from Lafayette College and an MA from Lehigh University. At Chatham Hall, Hughes was responsible for faculty recruitment and professional development, curriculum development, academic advising, scheduling and faculty evaluation, while continuing to teach and advise students. A Japan Fulbright Memorial Scholar in 2006, he developed a service project in South Africa for Chatham Hall students and directed a leaders-in-residence program that enabled students to work with women of international eminence such as primatologist Jane Goodall and the late Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan. Prior to joining Chatham Hall in 2001, Hughes served as Dean of Students and College Counselor at St. James School in Maryland, a co-ed boarding/ day school for students in grades seven through 12.

Hughes resides in Saint Paul with his wife, Farida, and his children Leigh, an incoming fourth grader, and Jordan, an incoming sixth grader.

Send in your nominations! The Distinguished Alumni/ae Award at St. Paul Academy and Summit School honors alumni/ae who have made noteworthy contributions to society through professional or civic accomplishments and involvement. To make a nomination, go to http://www.spa.edu/alumni/award.aspx and download the 2008 Distinguished Alumni/ae Award nomination form. For more information, contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean â&#x20AC;&#x2122;85 at ddean@spa.edu or 651-696-1308.

Correction | In the Summer 2007 edition

of SPA Magazine, inaccurate listings were made for two awards given to Upper School students. The actual award winners are as follows: Clotilde Emily Irvine Memorial Prize, given for significant achievement in creative writing to Robin Lewis. The Krebs Award, given for excellence in journalism to Ariel Kagan. summer 2008 | SPA

Through the Doors

of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

Art News The Harry M. Drake Gallery, located on the Randolph Campus, hosts eight exhibits throughout the academic year. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with some night and weekend hours.

Everybody Knows This is Nowhere Richard Barlow ’88 September 2-27 Reception: Friday, September 26, 5:30-7 p.m. Oil paintings, watercolors and silver leaf drawings. Alumnus Richard Barlow is an artist, musician and educator living in Minneapolis, Minn. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Fine Arts from University of MinnesotaTwin Cities. He currently works as an adjunct professor of visual art at St. Cloud State University, College of Visual Arts and University of Minnesota. During the summer he is an instructor at Interlochen Center for the Arts. His work has been exhibited both locally and nationally. In addition to his work in the visual arts, Barlow is actively involved in local music, playing in several bands as well as co-curating and producing the annual three-day Heliotrope music festival in Minneapolis. He is a co-founder of Flaneur Productions, a multidisciplinary theater and arts producing group.

Potential Flying Objects James L. Tanner October 2-October 24 Reception: Friday, October 10, 5:30-7 p.m. Ceramic sculpture, paintings and prints. James L. Tanner received his Bachelor of Arts degree at A&M University in Tallahassee, Fla., in 1964, and his Master of Science degree in 1966 and Master of Fine Arts degree in 1967 from University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has had 30 solo exhibitions and participated

SPA | summer 2008

in more than 125 group exhibitions. He has garnered two National Endowment for the Arts Visual Artist Fellowship Grants and a McKnight Foundation Fellowship. His work can be found in the collections of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY; Mint Museum of Craft and Design in Charlotte, NC; Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of Art in Washington, D.C.; and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, among others. Tanner is professor emeritus of ceramics at Minnesota State University, where his teaching career spanned the years 1968-2003.

air sweet air Cheryl Wilgren Clyne October 30–November 25 Reception: Thursday, October 30, 5:30-7 p.m. Drawings, photographs and films. Cheryl Wilgren Clyne, born in Duluth, Minn., received her Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture and Film from University of Minnesota in 2005, and her Master of Fine Arts from the University in 2008. She has moved nearly 40 times in her life, which she feels has had a direct impact on her art. “Much of my past has been left behind, creating in me a strong desire to document nearly everything,” she said. “I search for remarkable events within the evidence of reoccurring daily activity. By working with audio recording, filmmaking and photography I am able to hold on to an instant in time.”

Winter Student Show December 4–19 Reception: Thursday, December 4, 3-4:30 p.m. Work by art students in grades 6-12 comprising photography, ceramics, printmaking, painting and more.

Commencement Class of 2008 Eighty-four seniors gathered on the front lawn of the Randolph Campus Sunday, June 8, to celebrate the 108th commencement of St. Paul Academy and Summit School. The Class of 2008, as well as their parents, families, teachers and friends, were welcomed by Head of School Bryn Roberts and President of the Board of Trustees Charlie Zelle ’73. Interim Upper School Principal Cindy Richter ’78 gave the invocation and choral students presented “Corner of the Sky” from the musical Pippin. Senior speakers Jennifer Fischer and

Diplomas in hand, the Class of 2008 is ready to face the larger world. (Front, Alex Feng and Alanna McFall.)

Kathleen Cann imparted their wisdom to classmates, as did commencement speaker Robert Oden, President of Carleton College. Following the presentation of diplomas, Roberts encouraged the Class of 2008 to continue to work hard, and to seek their passions outside of academics. “The Class of 2008 has met our invitation, and our expectations, every step of the way,” he said. “They are intellectually prepared to meet the challenges of the future.”

summer 2008 | SPA

awards Alumni/ae Bowl The recipient is elected by the faculty from nominations made by the senior class and is given each year to that member of the graduating class deemed to be most outstanding in many areas of school life. Ariella Rotenberg Our honoree seeks challenge, excels in her performance, engages with others and leads by example and action, both in the classroom and beyond. Whether helping to found the SPA dance team, leading the debate team in LincolnDouglas format, participating in the Peer Helper program and the student environmental group, or wrestling with theories of human nature and a just society, her leadership is remarkable.

Faculty Bowl The Faculty Bowl is awarded to that senior who has shown unusual breadth and depth of intellectual interest and outstanding commitment to academic excellence. Linnea Herzog A creative writer, talented musician and accomplished scientist, Linnea Herzog is truly gifted at expressing herself in both intellectual and artistic ways. What is most impressive about Linnea is that she demonstrates her intellectual depth and passion across a wide range of disciplines. Her evident joy and passion for all aspects of learning truly inspires others.

The Erik Flom Memorial Award This award is given to that member of the senior class who has demonstrated unusual courage in the face of personal hardship or who, in the opinion of his or her peers, has made an exceptionally meaningful contribution to the relief of anguish in other persons either within or outside the school. Peter Lile Peter is an extremely intelligent, sensitive, considerate and deeply reflective young man. He is the true liberal arts learner whose curiosity leads him from musical expression to ancient history to mathematics to forms of literary expression to science. Having journeyed through personal 10

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challenges to a mature level of selfunderstanding, Peter is now able to serve as an inspiration and guide for others, sharing his wisdom, his friendship and his joy daily.

Head of School Bowls The Head of School Bowls are awarded to those members of the senior class who have been recognized by their peers and teachers for significant contributions to the school. The award is symbolic both of the school’s values and of the many achievements of the Class of 2008. Willie Gambucci A “lifer” at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, he is the embodiment of what we hope our students will become: genuine, creative, intellectually curious, deeply engaged in and passionate about learning, and a generous spirit. He cherishes his relationships with his classmates and teachers and naturally uses his intelligence, compassion and creativity to enrich the close learning community that defines SPA. Jennifer Fisher Inquisitive, joyful and a tenacious learner in all disciplines, she has a precocious intellect and an unwavering passion to explore all avenues of knowledge. Her curiosity, dedication to excellence, excitement about ideas, exemplary work habits, and a natural ability to connect with teachers as peers and mentors have brought her notable success in all disciplines. Travis Churchward A “lifer” at SPA, he is the very embodiment of school spirit. No other student exudes the same degree of passion, optimism and positive energy about his academics, sports and presence in the community. His school spirit is evident in the classroom and beyond, whether in assemblies, on winter Odyssey, on the Student Activities Committee, or in athletic competitions.

Interim Upper School Principal Cindy Richter ’78 introduced commencement speaker Robert Oden, President of Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., as a “quintessential example of scholar as teacher, and teacher as scholar.” For more information about Oden’s speech, turn to Head of School Bryn Roberts’ letter on page 2.

Commencement Class of 2008

“Take what you’ve learned these last few years, both your knowledge and your passion, and prove your critics wrong. Never be satisfied; there will always be a bigger bubble to burst. Never stop itching for something more. Class of 2008, let’s set the [world] on fire. It’s the least we can do.” — Kathleen Cann

“As we go off in our separate ways next year, do not be afraid of the learning experiences, the ‘mistakes.’ Confront them, and know that whenever you fall and whenever you fail, you have become a part of a community so strong that it will always catch you.” — Jennifer Fischer

Senior Alec Herr gives a big hug to his mom, Mary Kay Herr.

The Class of 2008 shares a laugh at a description of Head of School bowl winner Travis Churchward (second from left) by Head of School Bryn Roberts: “He brings exuberance to his academic work, actually jumping out of his seat when excited about an idea.” summer 2008

| SPA

CollegeChoices Class of 2008

Sophia Aandahl University of Puget Sound

Ryan Evans Boston University

Mondraya Howard University of St. Thomas

Timothy Bohl Lehigh University

Alexander Feng Washington University (St. Louis)

Sarah Hwang St. Louis College of Pharmacy

Frank Brittain University of Denver

Kevin Fields Illinois Institute of Technology

Christopher Kradle Trinity University

Lindsay Brown Georgetown University

Nolan Filter New York University

Alexander Kramarczuk University of Chicago

Tanya Bui Carleton College

Jonah Finkelstein University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Vanessa Levy University of MinnesotaTwin Cities

Jennifer Fischer Yale University

Peter Lile St. Olaf College

Katherine Cattanach University of St. Andrews (Scotland)

Maren Frisell Tufts University

Austin Lilly Colgate University

Ethan Chun Grinnell College

William Gambucci Macalester College

Meredith Lis Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Travis Churchward St. Olaf College

Jessica Garretson Skidmore College

Charl Coetzee Wake Forest University

Arista Gates University of Puget Sound

Kiki Cohen Knox College

Tracy Godbout DePaul University

Charles Collins University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Christiane Haikel Boston University

Parker Cook Brandeis University

Eliza Hartley Vassar College

Anja Crowder Macalester College (Fall 2009)

Bryna Helle College of Idaho

Samuel Donaldson Colgate University

Alec Herr Coe College

Vincent Erspamer Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

Linnea Herzog Wellesley College

Kathleen Cann Oberlin College

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David Liston Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Henry Nahurski School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Benjamin Markhart Lake Forest College

Theodore Neckar Pitzer College

Zahra Masoud Transylvania University

Haley Nelson Year off

Lauren Mast Columbia College (Chicago)

Alexandra Nisita Hamilton College

Ritika Mathur George Washington University

Pierce Norton Loyola College (Maryland)

Alanna McFall Smith College

Katherine O’Brien University of Puget Sound

Peter Morice Columbia University

Mackenzie O’Keefe Loyola Marymount University

James Morley Year off

Aaron Olson Trinity University

Adam Olstein American University Louise Parker Bard College Hayley Peterson Barnard College Emily Philipp Mount Holyoke College Tasha Rhoads Carleton College Jessica Rick University of Arizona Rachel Rongstad Gustavus Adolphus College

Ariella Rotenberg Harvard University (Fall 2009) Interim year at NATIV Israel Program Charles Schokmiller Regis University Jacob Schuerger Rhode Island School of Design Alexandra Schutter George Washington University Peter Schwartz Hamline University Samuel Schwartz University of British Columbia Terrance Schwartz Hamline University

Shivani Sethi St. Olaf College

Wilder Welke University of Oregon

Zachary Sethna Yale University

Everett Wenzel University of MinnesotaTwin Cities

Kelly Smith St. Olaf College Margaret Steenland Boston University April Stewart Northwestern University Kelly Walters Wellesley College Stephen Weiss University of Wisconsin-Madison

John Wight St. Olaf College Peter Wilson Boston University Matthew Wolff Skidmore College Evan Wright Grinnell College Max Zimmerman Boston College

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Awards Assembly Class of 2008

Cum Laude Society

Honoring superior scholarship for students in the top fifth of their class Seniors Lindsay Brown, Kathleen Cann, Anja Crowder, Nolan Filter, Jennifer Fischer, Willie Gambucci, Eliza Hartley, Bryna Helle, Linnea Herzog, Alex Kramarczuk, Peter Morice, Mackenzie O’Keefe, Tasha Rhoads, Jessica Rick, Ariella Rotenberg, Zachary Sethna ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT

HISTORY DEPARTMENT

Ninth Grade Book Award

Music Book Awards

Ninth Grade Book Awards

Nadja Leonard-Hooper

Seniors Jennifer Fischer, Wilder Welke, Ethan Chun, Chris Kradle, Austin Lilly

John Micevych, Taylor Vogt

Tenth Grade Book Award

Jane Meyer John S. Fitch Award

Given by the Class of 1973 to an Upper School student for demonstrating a high level of excellence and interest in the study of English. Junior David Tisel

McNeil V. Seymour Bowl

For excellence in music and for making the greatest overall contribution to the music program. Seniors Linnea Herzog, Peter Lile, Charl Coetzee

Tenth Grade Book Awards

Stephan Conway, Devon Sandberg Eleventh Grade Book Awards

George Plummer, Jonathan Wald Twelfth Grade Book Awards

Music and Drama Book Award

Wilder Welke, Parker Cook

Senior Tim Bohl

Rabbi Harry S. Margolis Memorial Award

Drama Book Awards

Seniors Nolan Filter, Ted Neckar

For unusual interest and initiative in American Government. Senior Kathleen Cann

For significant achievement in creative writing. Senior Christiane Haikel

Dramatics Trophy

Helen Busyn Award

Senior Alanna McFall

For excellence in Social Studies. Senior Peter Morice

In memory of Chauncey Wright Griggs ’22, for the combined qualities of sportsmanship and competitive spirit. Senior Charles Collins Honorable Mention: Seniors Aaron Olson, Evan Wright

The Krebs Award

Seniors Kenzie O’Keefe, Jake Schuerger, Travis Churchward, Jonah Finkelstein, David Liston, Lauren Mast

Girls Athletic Bowl

Edward C. Stringer Senior Speaker Award

French Athletic Trophy

In memory of Richard French ’55, for the combined qualities of sportsmanship and competitive spirit. Senior Rachel Rongstad Honorable Mention: Senior Jessi Rick Colonel Griggs Trophy

For exceptional performance and leadership in a varsity sport. Senior Kathleen Cann Honorable Mention: Senior Meredith Lis Frenzel Boys Athletic Bowl

Given in memory of Thomas Frenzel ’49, for exceptional performance and leadership in a varsity sport. Seniors Peter Schwartz, Terry Schwartz

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William H. Sweney Jr. Memorial Award

For excellence in writing. Senior Charl Coetzee Clotilde Emily Irvine Memorial Prize

For excellence in journalism. Senior Mackenzie O’Keefe Ritchie Debate Cup

For outstanding achievement in debate. Senior Ariella Rotenberg

Given to a girl whose senior speech is deemed to be outstanding in the eyes of the program advisors. Arista Gates Warren Hart Senior Speaker Award

Given to a boy whose senior speech is deemed to be outstanding in the eyes of the program advisors. Peter Lile

Art Book Awards

Rhode Island School of Art and Design Presidential Book Award

Senior Stephen Weiss Ariel Davidson Award

Given for excellence in artistic expression and overall contribution to the Art Department. Senior Alex Feng The Dutton Foster Bowl

Given to a senior who is deeply involved in arts, for his or her artistic and intellectual integrity, infectious creative energy, good humor and generosity. Henry Nahurski

WORLD LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT Chinese

Distinguished Student in Chinese 11 award Dillon Titcomb, 11 Distinguished Student in Chinese 21 award Jacqueline Lis, 9 Distinguished Student in Chinese 31 award Steven Estep, 11 Distinguished Student in Chinese 41 award Hubert Li, 11 Excellence in Chinese award Zach Sethna, 12

French

Distinguished Student in French 21 award Rebecca Wilton, 9 Distinguished Student in French 31 award Madeline Umscheid, 10 Distinguished Student in French 41 award Jonathan Wald, 11 Distinguished Students in French 51 award Jillian Ashebrenner, 11 Linnea Herzog, 12 Excellence in French award Lexi Nisita, 12 German

Distinguished Student in German 21 award Charlotte Westwater, 9 Distinguished Student in German 31 award Abe Cass, 10 Distinguished Student in German 41 award Matt Pichert, 11 Distinguished Student in German 51 award Tanya Bui, 12 Excellence in German award Bryna Helle, 12

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT Burke Rodgers Achievement Book Award

Presented to a student who has made outstanding progress in mastery and understanding of mathematics through sound work habits, a positive attitude and extraordinary perseverance and dedication. Junior Andrew Dougherty Burke Rodgers Excellence Book Award

For interest, achievement and pursuit of excellence in the study of mathematics. Junior Joe Beck Mathematics Association of America

For students with the highest scores in the school in the national mathematics contest. Seniors Alec Herr, Zach Sethna

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT Science Magazine Awards

For consistent and outstanding effort, interest and enthusiasm for the subject, and outstanding contribution to classroom activities. Grade 9: Madeline Butler, Jacqueline Lis, Rebecca Wilton Grade 10: Abe Cass, Paige Owens-Kurtz, Robert Lilly Grade 11: Kristin Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, Adam Rosenberg, Yerby Oldfather Grade12: Zach Sethna, Kelly Walters, Jonah Finkelstein, Maren Frisell

Charles L. Leavitt Jr. Science Book Award

This award is given in memory of Charles L. Leavitt Jr. to a senior who has demonstrated outstanding achievement, interest in, and enthusiasm for science Senior Jennifer Fischer

Harvard Book Award Given to a member of the junior class who combines excellence in scholarship with achievement in other fields. George Plummer

Rensselaer Award

For a junior who is outstanding in mathematics and science. Kari Olmon

Ethel E. Pease Award

Given to a senior whose work and interest in mathematics is in all respects excellent. Senior Jennifer Fischer

Spanish

Outstanding Student in Spanish 11 award Conor Perkkio, 9 Outstanding Student in Spanish 21 award Katherine Engelking, 10 Outstanding Student in Spanish 31 award Steven Wendeborn, 9 Outstanding Student in Spanish 41 award Harrison Hite, 10 Outstanding Student in Spanish 51 award Adriana Grossman, 11 Excellence in Spanish award Jennifer Fischer, 12

L.C. Sprague Cup

Given to a senior with the highest achievement and interest in mathematics. Senior Zach Sethna

Lauren Mast, Terry Schwartz and Zahra Masoud are all smiles at commencement.

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Spartan Sports WINTER Alpine Skiing

The boys’ team listed a 4-4 record in the Tri Metro Conference and the girls’ team listed a 0-10 record in the Conference. The boys’ team placed third in the Conference and eighth at Sectionals. Ross Baker, 9, placed eighth at Sectionals and 25th at State in individual competition. Named All-Conference were Baker, Anders Wennberg, 11, Kiki Cohen, 12. Earning AllConference Honorable Mention were Colin Cowles, 11, Jack Morris, 11, Lindsay Brown, 12.

Boys’ Basketball The boys’ basketball team marked a 1-15 record in the Tri Metro Conference and a 4-23 record overall. Evan McMillan, 10, scored the 1,000th point of his basketball career, was third in

the metro area in scoring with 23.4 points per game and led the metro in rebounding. McMillan was named to the All-Conference First Team, Santano Rosario, 10, to the All-Conference Second Team, and Aaron Olson, 12, and Gabriel Mast, 9, received AllConference Honorable Mention.

Girls’ Basketball The girls’ basketball team marked a 6-11 record in the Tri Metro Conference and a 10-17 record overall. It lost out in the first round of Sections 43-48 to Concordia Academy. Named All-Conference were Niambi Mitchell, 11, and Kristin O’Brien, 11. Earning AllConference Honorable Mention were Megan Leslie, 10, and Jackie Norton, 10.

Fencing The fencing team marked a 5-1 record, with both the boys’ and girls’ teams placing second overall in State competition and second each in epee, saber and foil, with the exception of the girls’ team placing first in foil, making them State Champions. Named All-State were Arshia Sandozi, 11, Jonathan Wald, 11, Charlie Feng, 11, Parker Cook, 12, and Grace Hartman, 11. Named All-State Honorable Mention were Gavi Levy Haskell, 9, Alex Kramarczuk, 12, Marie Siliciano, 7, Jennifer Fischer, 12, Claire Wilhelm, 10, Abe Cass, 10, Erin Lowenthal, 11, Emma Johnson-Rivard, 9. Hartman was also the Midwest Champion and State Champion.

Boys’ Hockey The boys’ hockey team marked a 1-9 record in the Tri Metro Conference and a 7-18 record overall. Mike Falvey, 11, was named All-Conference and Peter Schwartz, 12, Max Hommeyer, 9, Terry Schwartz, 12, and James Trevathan, 10, earned AllConference Honorable Mention.

Girls’ Hockey The Visitation/SPA United girls’ hockey team had a 5-5-2 record in the Tri Metro Conference and a 12-10-3 record overall. Receiving All-Conference Honorable Mention was Delaney Middlebrook, 9.

Nordic Skiing The girls’ team was champions of the Tri Metro Conference and took second at Sectionals. Annie Hart, 10, placed first in the

Junior Niambi Mitchell (right) goes up for the shot.

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Conference and was Individual Pursuit Champion, and she placed third in the girls’ 10K pursuit at Section 3 competition. Meredith Lis, 12, placed second in the Conference. Both girls were named All-Conference, and Kathleen Cann, 12, Caroline Daniels, 10, and Claire Palmer, 10, all received All-Conference Honorable Mention. Advancing to the State meet were Hart, Lis and Cann. Hart received a ninth place medal in the 10K Pursuit and earned All-State honors. The boys’ team took second place in the Tri Metro Championships and third in Section 3. Ben Greenwald, 10, placed first in the Conference and was Individual Pursuit Champion, and he placed second in the boys’ 10K pursuit at Section 3 competition. Alex Whitman, 11, placed third, Andrew Dougherty, 11, placed fourth, and Peter Wilson, 12, placed eighth in the Tri Metro Conference. Named All-Conference were Greenwald, Whitman and Dougherty. Wilson earned All-Conference Honorable Mention. Advancing to the State meet were Greenwald, Whitman and Dougherty. Greenwald earned All-State honors.

Boys’ Swimming and Diving The team had a 4-1 record in the Saint Paul City Conference and an overall record of 5-1. Named All-Conference were Zac Brown, 10, Alex Helfand, 10, and Steven Wendeborn, 9. Earning AllConference Honorable Mention was Billy Lutz, 10.

All information on the sports pages was obtained from the Athletics Department at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. For more photos, go to www.spa.edu/athletics.

The Boys’ Tennis team claimed the State Championship title for the second year in a row. Front row, from left, Dylan Perese, Birk Mitau, Dillon Titcomb, Zac Mohring, Andrew Magne, John Hill. Back, Coach Viet Pham, Joseph Merrill, Robert Lilly, Harry Whitaker, Evan McMillan, Pierce Norton, John Wight, Assistant Coach Chi Pham.

Baseball The baseball team marked a 7-4 record in the Tri Metro Conference and a 9-14 record overall. Named All-Conference were Peter Schwartz, 12, Terry Schwartz, 12, and Mike Falvey, 11. Receiving All-Conference Honorable Mention were Travis Churchward, 12, and Santano Rosario, 10. The Schwartz brothers were also named to the All-Section 4AA Baseball Team and Pioneer Press All-State Honorable Mention.

Boys’ Golf The boys’ golf team marked a 3-8 record in the Tri Metro Conference. Earning AllConference Honorable Mention was Colin Wymore, 11. According to the coaches, “We are excited about the future of SPA boys’ golf. Our seven freshmen and six sophomores gained valuable experience this season. We have several young natural leaders.”

Girls’ Golf The girls’ golf team marked a 2-6 record in the Tri Metro Conference and a 2-8 record overall. Earning All-Conference Honorable Mention was

Katherine Cattanach, 12. Cattanach, Isabella Dougherty, 9, and Elizabeth Diebel, 10, all qualified for first round Section play and advanced to the second round. According to Coach Jim Tisel, “The team is young and improving, with good team spirit.”

Lacrosse This spring marked the first season of girls’ lacrosse at SPA, which had a season record of 0-12. The team included players from SPA and Visitation. It won its first Section game over Prior Lake, but lost in round two to Shattuck-St. Mary’s School.

Softball The softball team marked a 9-3 record in the Tri Metro Conference and a 20-7 record overall. Named All-Conference were Sammi Fox, 9, Christiania Miller, 10, Rachel Rongstad, 12. Earning All-Conference Honorable Mention were Erica Miller, 8, and Anna Olson, 8. Named All-Section were Fox, C. Miller, E. Miller, Rongstad and Megan Leslie, 10. The AA

Softball Coaches Association selected Fox as a member of the 2008 AA All-State Team and she was a Pioneer Press Honorable Mention All-State player this spring.

Boys’ Tennis The boys’ tennis team placed first in the Minnesota Class 1A State Tennis Championship, marking its second consecutive team championship. SPA played Luverne High School winning 7-0, Breck School winning 4-3, and won 6-1 over Rochester Lourdes High School to clinch the title. In individual play, singles player Pierce Norton, 12, placed second in the tournament after winning his first three matches and then coming up short 3-6, 4-6 to Ben Kopecky of Rochester Lourdes High School. The doubles team of John Wight, 12, and Dillon Titcomb, 11, also won their first three matches and placed second overall after losing 3-6, 3-6 to Tips Jackley and Jack Bryant of The Blake School. Named AllConference were Wight, Norton, and John Hill, 9. Earning AllConference Honorable Mention was Titcomb.

Track and Field Both the girls’ and boys’ teams placed eighth in the Tri Metro Conference. Named AllConference were Peter Wilson, 12, Kathleen Cann, 12, Aaron Olson, 12, Maren FlomStaab, 10, Charlie Collins, 12. Receiving All-Conference Honorable Mention were Mary Cann, 8, Alex Feng, 12, Claire Palmer, 10, Ben Greenwald, 10. At Sections, Cann placed third in the 800meter run, Annie Hart, 10, placed fourth in the 3200-meter run, the 4x400-meter relay team of Lily Rogers-Grant, 7, Caroline Daniels, 10, Hart and Cann placed third, and Sonja Manning, 10, placed fourth in high jump. Collins placed fourth in the 3200-meter run, the 4x400-meter relay team of Everett Wenzel, 12, Greenwald, Wilson and Olson placed fourth, and the 4x800-meter relay team of Collins, Olson, Greenwald and Olson placed second.

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MacMullen, Wark honored with 2007 Distinguished Alumni/ae Award Distinguished Alumni/ae Award recipients Edith Nye MacMullen ’47 and Mary Ann Barrows Wark ’65 were honored for their impact on education at a February 25, 2008, dinner in their honor. Head of School Bryn Roberts kicked off the evening, noting the celebration of these women was really a celebration of the school itself, of its programs, its achievements and its people. He lauded MacMullen and Wark for their passion for excellence, and praised them for their balanced lives and their work within their communities. Introducing MacMullen was Sue Scott, K-12 Director of Academic Technology at SPA. Scott had benefited from MacMullen’s guiding hand in graduate school when she struggled with the idea of a lifetime in a science laboratory, eventually realizing that teaching was her true calling. “I thank you for your work as a teacher, and as a teacher of teachers,” said Scott. “We are all a little better off because of that.” Scott read tributes from MacMullen’s children, including from her son, Willy: “The hundreds of Yalies who were inspired by her were so because of her ability to touch them

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with a passionate, powerful embrace. They came by her office in a steady stream, innocent and arrogant, scared and assured, jocks and intellects, all seeking guidance in becoming teachers… Students hung out for hours. They cried, laughed, begged for advice. To her, passion for teaching young people — touching them in some emphatic and intentional way — was her very lifeblood. She believed deeply that teaching was a vocation nearly holy in its power and possibility.” MacMullen took the podium and discussed the differences between education and schooling. Schooling, she said, was a learning of values, while education is much broader, deliberate and systematic. “I was schooled at Summit School,” she said, “but, far more important, I was educated.” She reflected on teachers whom she felt had avenues closed off to them that they were able to open for her, including Sarah Converse, Mademoiselle Henriette Diebold (who taught her accuracy is absolutely essential in some tasks), Margaret Spicer (who instilled in MacMullen a lifelong love of reading and skill in writing) and Helen Busyn (“who I learned the most from of all”). “These women taught me the value of how important it is to do your best, and to keep working and keep trying,” said MacMullen. Board of Trustees member Roxane Harvey Gudeman introduced Wark, noting her life’s work has been an embodiment of the ideals set forth by SPA’s mission statement.

Educate: teach, tutor, school, lecture, instruct, edify, coach, train 4

“Mary Ann is herself an inveterate explorer of ideas and experience — through books, travel, participation in music, ceramics and skiing, or enjoyment of performing arts. But, most often Mary Ann deploys her passion for education to contribute to the joyful learning of others, especially the youngest among us,” said Gudeman. Addressing the assemblage, Wark thanked them for “being so proud of me and what I have done in my adult life.” She discussed the teachers, stories and other legacies from her Summit School days that have continued to affect her life to this day, and noted some classmates sitting in the crowd. She said she loved school from the very first day, and felt supported by teachers from the first day as well. “The teachers looked us in the eyes,” she said. “They enjoyed undoing the roadblocks of learning.” Wark said she appreciated that play was as important as work at Summit School, that she treasured “learning the language of art” and said she felt encouraged at all times to be herself. The following day the women met with students on both campuses, visiting classrooms, speaking in assemblies and engaging in one-on-one conversations. For more information about each of these women, go to http://www.spa.edu/alumni/award.aspx.

1 Mary Ann Barrows Wark visits with students in a first and second grade classroom on the Goodrich Campus. 2 Edith Nye MacMullen sits in on a Chinese language class in the Upper School. 3 Edith Nye MacMullen and mentee Sue Scott, K-12 Director of Academic Technology at SPA. 4 Mary Ann Barrows Wark is congratulated by Summit School classmate Betsy Bertholf Parish. 5 Mary Ann Barrows Wark participates in a class discussion around a Harkness table in an Upper School history class taught by Ben Danielson. 6 Senior Ritika Mathur introduces herself to Edith Nye MacMullen.

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When Lewis enrolled at Northwestern University, his plan was to become a journalist. He interned with the Minneapolis Tribune and worked at The Boston Globe the summer following graduation. “Earning a law degree was a back-up plan,” admitted Lewis. “I thought it would enhance my credentials as a journalist.”

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ambassador, advocate and leader:

named Dean at Hamline University School of Law SPA Headmaster Tom Read may have summed up Don Lewis ’71 best in a college recommendation letter for Lewis to Northwestern University: “Unusually thorough in all his efforts, his achievement in a heavy schedule of academics, extracurriculars and athletics borders on being remarkable.” Lewis, who has a significant record of accomplishments in the legal field, including co-founding the Minneapolis law firm of Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson in 1996, was named Dean of Hamline University School of Law in Saint Paul in March. He began on-the-job training July 1. As Dean, Lewis — while accountable to the President of Hamline University via the Vice President of Academic Affairs — is essentially the Chief Executive Officer of the law school. His fundamental responsibilities include serving as ambassador for the law school to the larger university and the larger community, to law firms and the broader legal community, to the business community and to prospective students. He is also the spokesperson and chief advocate for the law school, particularly in keeping alumni/ae informed and enthusiastic about what is taking place at their alma mater and increasing their financial support of the school. Being an advocate of the law school also means being a visible member of the legal community, attending Bar Association gatherings, speaking engagements and alumni/ae functions, and visiting with the leadership of corporate law departments to “preach Hamline’s mission and vision.” Internally, he serves as the leader of the faculty, ensuring the school continues to achieve excellence in teaching, scholarship and service to the community. Lewis said he felt Hamline was attracted to him in part due to his experience in managing and leading lawyers. “It’s really a function of collaboration and consensus,” said Lewis. “The law school is a very flat organization with an independent faculty.” Lewis will remain Of Counsel to his firm, meaning he will continue to practice on a limited, part-time basis. This is to ease

the transition with clients he currently represents, as well as giving Lewis a reason to maintain a connection with the firm and the opportunity to argue a case in court now and then, allowing him to keep his skills sharp. “That being said, 110 percent of my time will be devoted to Hamline, and practice responsibilities are secondary to my role as Dean,” he assured. This is a particularly exciting time to lead a law school, Lewis said, because of ongoing discussion about the need to reinvent legal education to correct the dissonance between how law schools teach law and how lawyers actually practice law. When Lewis first became interested in the position at Hamline, he had already been a member of the Board of Trustees at William Mitchell College of Law since 2006. He served on the search committee for the new Dean at William Mitchell and helped appoint Eric Janus (parent of SPA alums Seth ’91 and Leah ’95), and learned within that search about the qualities and characteristics sought in a law school dean. “Three of the four law schools in town were looking for a Dean at approximately the same time (William Mitchell, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and Hamline),” said Lewis. “After the William Mitchell search, I was contacted by some friends who encouraged me to apply for the position at Hamline. When I became a finalist there I notified the William Mitchell Board immediately.” Subsequently selected for the Deanship at Hamline, he resigned from the Board at William Mitchell. “Law schools are competitors, but we do share a joint mission of furthering legal education in the Twin Cities,” said Lewis. “The deans see each other at events and come together several times a year to discuss issues, so there is some collaboration.” Lewis said the opportunity at Hamline was especially compelling because of the law school’s nurturing student environment and because, unlike the other law schools in the area, it is part of a small, collegial university setting.

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Don Lewis ’71 earned a BA in journalism with distinction at Northwestern University in 1975 and a JD from Harvard University in 1978. He worked for the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, D.C., as a trial attorney in its Civil Rights Division for three and a half years. In 1982 he returned to Minnesota to work for six years as Assistant U.S. Attorney, where he worked as a federal criminal prosecutor focused on economic and tax crimes. In 1988 he entered private practice, joining the Minneapolis firm of Popham Haik Schnobrich and Kaufman. He and several other attorneys formed their own firm in Minneapolis in 1996, Halleland Lewis Nilan Sipkins and Johnson (now Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson). Other accomplishments: • Former president of the Minnesota Minority Lawyers Association • Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers • Member of the American Law Institute, the American Bar Foundation and the American Employment Law Counsil • Co-founder of Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers • Served on the Board of Governors of the National Bar Association • Immediate past chair of AMICUS, a Minnesota not-for-profit whose mission is to improve public safety by helping inmates and ex-offenders through positive relationships, restorative justice practices and individualized transition services.

“The law school at Hamline is part of a broader family and can take advantage more directly of those resources,” he said. He also liked the open and direct access to the faculty and the fact that Hamline has made noticeable progress in recent years in its standing among law schools nationwide, particularly with its Dispute Resolution Institute and its Health Law Institute. Hamline also has a joint program where one can obtain a law degree in conjunction with a Master of Fine Arts degree, and is considering a joint degree program between the law school and Hamline’s new graduate School of Business. “I want alums to know that it is a much better school now than when they went to school here,” said Lewis. “They should be excited about the growth and quality of this school.”

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Much like with his own firm, what Lewis hopes to ultimately bring to his tenure at Hamline is innovation. “At Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson, the service we provide to clients most often exceeds their expectations,” said Lewis. Although giving excellent customer service may seem a small thing, Lewis says it is vital to the growth and success of an organization. “We are service providers to customers in a very competitive environment and we need to do things better,” he said. “Clients look at how responsive you are in the service you provide, whether it’s returning their phone calls, giving them excellent value for their dollar or being otherwise responsive to their needs.” At the law school, being responsive means renewing the focus on students as customers who are buying a very expensive, very valuable service. “We are doing our students a disservice if we are not providing the skill set they need in order to practice law,” he said. After 100 years of teaching students how to think and analyze like lawyers via case studies, the time has come to add to their bag of tools, said Lewis. “Law students need to learn about interacting with clients, about marketing and business, and they need to learn how to interact with government agencies and regulators,” said Lewis. “The world is becoming increasingly reliant on technology and increasingly global. I’m not sure law schools are teaching students these things. “There needs to be some fresh thinking in how we teach future lawyers,” he added. “There is lots of room for innovation in legal education.” Future lawyers also need to be taught about their responsibility to the broader social community, said Lewis, and the need to embrace diversity in the workplace and the greater world. “Diversity is important because lawyers serve a diverse population,” said Lewis. “If law firms and businesses don’t tap into attorneys with diverse backgrounds, they are selling themselves short on talent. Talent and skill resides in all aspects of a community. Our clients are diverse, and they are looking for and expect to be served by a diverse set of service providers.” More than half of students graduating from law schools right now are women, said Lewis, and they enter the workforce with the expectation of having the same opportunities as men. The same is true for lawyers of color who, like their counterparts, expect to become executives, general counsels, etc. “Providing opportunity for all is important from a business perspective,” said Lewis. “Law schools have a responsibility to serve broader communities and to have an educational environment that reflects all cultures.”

Law schools also need to be responsible for increasing the pool of students of color who are interested in and qualified for legal education, said Lewis. Eventually, he would like to see Hamline engaging in outreach programs with middle and upper school students. Lewis is recognized as a champion of diversity efforts within the legal profession and has co-chaired his firm’s diversity committee, which has been recognized by the Hennepin County Bar Association three of the last four years, including a Special Achievement award in 2006 for its ongoing commitment to diversity. Lewis acknowledged that his experience as a student at SPA was not very diverse, as he and classmate Mike Adkins were the only students of color in his grade. He began at SPA in seventh grade, and was among the first half dozen students of color to attend the school. The year he began was the first year SPA ceased to be a military school, but even without the uniforms “it still felt like a military academy,” Lewis said. Although his experience at SPA was not without its difficulties, the preparation SPA provided Lewis to excel both in college and in his professional life was extraordinary, he said. “Being one of few students of color and coming from a relatively disadvantaged background added a measure of stress, and I remember certain incidents where I was reminded of that,” Lewis said. “But there were people at the school who were very supportive, and all in all the experience was a very good one.” While at SPA Lewis took advantage of many opportunities to be involved in the life of the school. He was editor of The Emerger, student newspaper of the newly merged boys’ and girls’ schools, which received national recognition under Lewis’ leadership. He was a varsity athlete on the cross country, basketball and track teams, and was recipient of the Ritchie Debate Cup (for outstanding achievement in debate) and the Harvard Book Award (given to a junior who is judged to be most excellent with respect to scholarship, leadership and character). He was on the Student Council, was asked to speak at graduation, and won a scholarship to Northwestern University. He fondly remembers teachers Jack Chapman, Ran Miner and Joel Barker. Given Lewis’ 30 years of experience in the legal profession, he has some advice for those considering a career in law.

corporations and individuals, and practicing both civil and criminal law,” said Lewis. “I’ve litigated in State and Federal courts, and in courts around the country. I’ve been fortunate to try cases in a wide variety of areas.” Moving toward education and away from his role as trial lawyer has both positive and negative aspects, said Lewis. He said he enjoys the craft of being a trial lawyer, the adrenaline rush and the challenge. He also enjoys interacting with counsel and witnesses, who can sometimes be unpredictable. “The older you get, the less you miss it, because it’s really hard work and you have less stamina for the necessary preparation,” he said. “But, the more experience you have, the more demand there is for your service.” Lewis’ firm has several major areas of practice, including commercial litigation, labor and employment, product liability and mass tort litigation, healthcare, business law and intellectual property litigation. Prior to becoming Dean at Hamline, Lewis’ own practice centered on employment litigation and white collar criminal defense. He has also litigated healthcare and product liability cases. In 1999, Lewis was hired as local counsel to investigate allegations of academic misconduct in the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities men’s basketball program.

“Be prepared for change,” he said. “The law you believe you will be practicing when you enter law school will be different from when you leave, both in terms of areas of interest and how you practice it.”

“The U of M case is my most well known, visible case,” said Lewis. “What made it even more challenging was the University President and the General Counsel are both lawyers, so they had very high expectations of the level of service they were getting. Plus, people were paying attention, and they wanted to be sure it was done right.”

Lewis’ own practice of law has shifted over time, which he believes has kept his interest in the profession vital and growing.

For more information about Hamline University School of Law, go to law.hamline.edu.

“I have varied and broadened my practice activity, working with government and private law firms, representing government,

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see it. think

giggle focus awake imagine gratitude bliss Stephanie Ross ’82 learned about the connection between mind and body when she was a junior at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. She became seriously ill and was taken to a hospital where she endured surgery, IVs and more. Learning visualization techniques helped her control her body’s responses to the illness and medical interventions, and that memory of the mind-body wellness connection stayed with her. Later, as her mother struggled with ovarian cancer and turned to complementary and alternative approaches to treatment, Ross was again reminded of the importance of the mind-body connection. “My mom had to go from 0-60 in learning about these differing approaches and it was very challenging for her,” Ross explained. “Watching her experience started my own journey to figure out how to help people find manageable ways to incorporate everything — mind, body and spirit — into wellness.” Ross began graduate school at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and finished her degree in Human Development at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Her concentration was in how imagery can be used in the healing process. Since then, Ross has become a holistic wellness practitioner with a specialization in the use of imagery in transformational processes. In other words, she encourages people to use imagery to help them heal physically, emotionally and spiritually.

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“Throughout my life I have seen example after example of how positive thinking, visualization and believing in our own potential can significantly impact outcomes,” Ross said. “I have also seen all too often how easy it is to give up and let negative thoughts and attitudes take over.” Ross has long used imagery in her life by assigning meaning to a word and then visualizing a specific outcome every time she thinks of that word. Convinced of the benefits of a visual reminder as a quick and easy helping strategy, she and business partner Wendy Lutter launched “Empoword,” a product-based business that believes focusing on the right mantra can lead to very real changes in one’s life. The Empoword product line includes words such as focus, gratitude, breathe, imagine, strength, love, bliss, real, awake, balance, brave, giggle and wonder emblazoned with a matching symbol on Tshirts, decals, coffee mugs and more. The words and symbols are intended to remind you of your intentions and to support your efforts, goals and dreams, Ross said, while serving as a point of encouragement along the way. “Empoword was born from my belief that giving up — on a new exercise program, on staying healthy, sometimes even on yourself — is easy and happens more often than we would like,” she explained. “I wanted to create something that would make sticking to your goals easy, and what is easier and more powerful than a simple, single, well-chosen word?”

Stephanie Ross ’82, left, and Empoword business partner Wendy Lutter.

it. believe it.

strength love real balance brave breathe More than just a marketing ploy, however, Ross explained their concept is based on very real science. “There is a branch of science — psychoneuroimmunology, or PNI — that is exploring how the mind, nervous system and immune system interplay and work together,” Ross said. “Simply put, the research shows that our thoughts are affecting our physiology.” Ross said she gathered a lot of information that supports her business’s objectives from two books: Candace Pert’s Molecules of Emotion, and Herb Benson’s The Relaxation Response. Pert discusses how thoughts and emotions impact the cells in our bodies, and Benson’s book reveals how meditation and the use of mantra are efficacious forms of treatment for hypertension and other disease. “The challenge we are presenting is to give the locus of control back to the individual,” said Ross. “Empoword is built on the premise that setting intentions, staying positive and mindful, leads to greater happiness, wellness and fulfilled dreams. Our products are accessible tools to support personal growth, transformation and overall mind-body wellness.

Ross reminds that unconscious thoughts can also influence you, and that those thoughts can impact your life as well. Empoword places subtle reminders on everyday items to encourage you when you need it the most. “It’s not about having total control,” she explained. “It’s about taking control where you can. Positive affirmation is something everyone can benefit from, and Empoword serves as a little extra support and inspiration. “What we’re really selling is a concept,” she continued. “The key ingredient in all Empoword products is the user. They are the ones who give the word significance and meaning. Our graphics are designed to remind you of your intentions, support your affirmations and encourage you along the way.” To learn more about Empoword, go to www.thinkempoword.com. Empoword products may also be found locally at Bibelot Shops, Bachman’s, The Marsh, SaraCura and The SweatShop, to name a few. To learn more about Ross’s private practice, go to www.intuitivehealthmanagement.com. Ross is the parent of Heather and Emily Upin ’12.

“New Age guilt is not what we’re about,” she added. “Sometimes life is overwhelming. This is about doing what you can to control outcomes. We don’t need science to know that our attitude can make a big difference in any endeavor.”

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NEVER LOOK DOWN: JOHN PRESCOTT ’85 by Sasha Aslanian ’86

In 1978, St. Paul Academy and Summit School students learned a new student was coming to the school. John Prescott’s arrival was newsworthy because he was blind. What would be a new experience for SPA teachers and students was already familiar to Prescott, then a sixth grader. “I was always the only blind student at every school I ever went to,” he explained.

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rescott grew up in south Minneapolis, the youngest of three children, and the only blind person in his family. He attended public kindergarten and first grade, and moved to The Blake School in second grade. But the smart, musically talented boy was shown the door after fifth grade. “The school decided that a blind child couldn’t handle their middle school curriculum,” remembered Prescott. His parents approached SPA, and the school seemed welcoming. “All the teachers were incredibly flexible and found this an interesting project,” he said. It took some time for the school to get ready for Prescott’s arrival so he started late, in October of his sixth grade year. He still remembers his first day. “I remember my teacher, Mrs. Frost — she was wonderful and I really, really liked her.” He had a good impression of his classmates, too, as he met them one by one. “Everybody came up and introduced themselves to me, which was really nice.” th It took some adjustment and creativity to work around his lack of sight. In earth science at the Upper School, Prescott needed to identify different rocks that would have been impossible by touch alone. “Mr. Trent — this is a wonderful memory — I remember Mr. Trent teaching me the smells of different rocks. I learned to identify the rocks by smell. It was very creative of him to think of that.”

Prescott says math was always his toughest subject, but that’s “innate to who I am, regardless of the vision stuff.” What did come easily to Prescott was music. He took up the violin and piano at age three. “I quit violin at six,” Prescott said with a laugh, “and just took piano after that.” At SPA, he was a fixture in Spartan Singers, chorus, Madrigal dinners and musicals, like Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado his senior year. “He had a wonderful singing voice,” choir director and music teacher Dr. Olive Jean Bailey remembers. “He could learn music quickly. His mind was phenomenal.” In his academic classes, things like taking notes were more complicated for Prescott than for other students. Classmate and friend Chauncey Griggs recalls, “His Braille typewriter was kind of impractical to haul around and kind of loud. So pretty early on he gave up trying to take notes in class. He tape recorded some of his classes. But he had such an infallible memory. He listened and remembered everything they told him.”

The dreaded 10 grade 10-page research paper in humanities class became Prescott’s first foray into musical history. He turned in 20 pages on the origins of the piano.

Physical education was another challenge. “I couldn’t do team sports,” said Prescott. He needed exercise that didn’t involve chasing a ball. Lower School Principal George Schumacher, an avid cyclist himself, hit on the solution. “Mr. S.” lent his tandem bicycle to the school so Prescott could go for rides with another sighted student, or with Upper School physical education teacher Dave Montgomery. Prescott laughs at the memory of those rides around St. Paul. And he remembers he surprised even his own mother when he took up rock climbing at the Upper School. “My mother said, ‘They can’t have a blind kid climbing the wall!’ but they showed me how to feel for the next foothold. My theory is I was less afraid than a sighted kid because I couldn’t look down!” And while she might have doubted him on the climbing wall, Prescott credits his mother for her strong belief in his abilities. Prescott was among the first generation of blind children sent to sighted schools. He says there was little help for parents to support their pioneering children. “I remember at one point I was doing geometry and we didn’t get the Braille books printed with the diagrams. I was doing geometry with no diagrams.” But Prescott’s mother was resourceful. “My mom and I were using household objects: a jar was a cylinder, a pencil was a line. We were just making things.”

The dreaded 10th grade 10-page research paper in humanities class became Prescott’s first foray into musical history. He turned in 20 pages on the origins of the piano. “It was a beginning for me, too,” he says. The recollection of his early music scholarship is sweet for Prescott as he is now completing his dissertation at University of California-Berkeley on 18th century British composer, organist and violinist John Stanley. Continued on page 28

John Prescott and Chauncey (Todd) Griggs

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Stanley was blind and composed music for the King of England. Prescott wanted to know how a blind musician functioned back then, and how he was perceived and treated. “There were no schools for the blind back then. It was before Braille, before anything. Individual blind people made it based on ability, circumstance and people willing to help them.” Stanley had incredible talent, and an amazing capacity to memorize music. “I’ve had to do all my music by memory myself. That’s something that I feel very connected to.” Prescott completed his coursework for his Ph.D. years ago, and has been giving music appreciation lectures to audiences attending the San Francisco Orchestra and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Recently, he returned to Berkeley, feeling compelled to finish his dissertation — and what he hopes will be a book — on Stanley. “I’m the only blind person I know working in this field. I’m the man for this job,” he said.

fulfilling for me,” he said. Prescott is an easy conversationalist, uncomfortable boasting about his accomplishments, crediting good teachers, supportive parents and calling himself “incredibly fortunate” for the opportunities to study at Oxford while at Carleton College and at Cambridge University on a prestigious Marshall Scholarship. Prescott says he hasn’t kept in touch with SPA living so far away and keeping busy but, as he talks, more recollections come back. Jumping through the hole in the ice after the sauna at Camp Widjiwagan in seventh grade. His senior project building a harpsichord. “Dr. Bailey had wanted to get a harpsichord for the school… so she rounded up six of us and asked us to build it [from a kit]. We all said sure!” The faculty advisors were skeptical. What if the students finished in two weeks, what would they do for the rest of the project? They needn’t have worried. “It took us four months,” Prescott admitted. For the entire summer after senior year, Prescott, Michael Bonine, Tory Herman, Chauncey Griggs, Rick Sutherland and Roxana Orrell worked to finish the harpsichord for the school. “It was such monotonous work, one person read aloud just to keep us all awake as we were sanding, painting, and putting on strings.” He remembers they did at least one all-nighter.

John Prescott and his guide dog, Vanessa

Prescott lives in downtown San Francisco. “My condo is a block from symphony hall and the opera house. I have a wonderful guide dog — my third guide dog. She can get me everywhere. We go all over the city and surrounding communities where the orchestra plays.” When he’s not busy giving lectures or playing his newest musical instrument, the Celtic harp, Prescott is spending time with friends or singing at his church. Twice a month he volunteers for a night ministry. He’s quick to say it’s interreligious; “We’re not out to convert people, just to be there.” From 10 p.m. until 2 a.m., he fields calls. “Sometimes they’re people in real crisis, suicidal, abusive, sometimes just lonely people.” Some calls last a few minutes, some more than an hour. “You don’t need any amazing special qualifications, just be pretty unshockable, and a good listener, compassionate. That’s really

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“None of us knew anything about carpentry. We were just a bunch of nerdy little music kids.” A professional builder helped with some finishing touches, but Prescott remembers the pride they felt in creating that instrument. At an assembly before they went away to college that fall, they dedicated the new harpsichord to the school. “I’m hoping they still have it,” he muses. And indeed, a quick check with current music teacher Anne Klus reveals it is still there. Prescott says sometimes people asked him how he had the courage to go to college as a blind student. He would respond, “I didn’t have the courage to tell my parents I wouldn’t go!” He delivers the punch line and then turns serious. “That’s really important for disabled kids — the attitude of the parents. If the parents think it’s a terrible tragedy, that will rub off on the kids. My parents’ attitude was ‘You have to do things differently, but there’s no reason you can’t do pretty much everything that everyone else does.’” SPA teachers also reinforced that can-do spirit. Prescott said he could joke with friends at SPA about his blindness. There were a few pranks “where they tried to get me to go into the girls’ bathroom,” (“It’s not like he would have seen anything in there,” Griggs teases all these years later) but Prescott insists it was never mean-spirited. And he thinks it was a healthy thing that they could joke about it. A generation earlier he wouldn’t have had a chance to go to school with sighted kids. “It was good for them and good for me.” To hear one of Prescott’s music lectures, download a prelude speaker podcast from www.philharmonia.org.

Class Notes 1931

Kelly Earl Davis

1948

Anne Hartley

1935

Classes of 1948 Reunion weekend contacts: Debbie Butler Bancroft, Anne Hartley, Sally Willius Lehmann, Dick Slade, Carl Weschcke.

1941

Saturday, September 27, dinner and cocktails at The Commodore, 79 Western Avenue North, Saint Paul, 6 p.m. social hour, 7 p.m. dinner. $75/person.

Duncan Baird dbaird4413@aol.com

Marney Brown Brooks marneybb@aol.com Betty Herrmann Cowie geezo612@visi.com

1942

Leila Jackson Poullada Harry McNeely Jr. hmcneely@meritex.com Joe Elsinger

1943

Bob Knox Please contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651-696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu for information about Reunion-Homecoming Weekend 2008.

1944 1945

Ed Bronstien elb@rybovich.com Ginny Kinkead Stockwell

1946 1947

George Mairs

Stan Shepard stanlucyshepard@ worldnet.att.net

Sunday, September 28, brunch at the home of Dick ’45 and Debbie Butler Bancroft in Sunfish Lake, $15/person. For more information, contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu.

1949

Peggy Hamm Lemmon peglem49@comcast.net Bill Clapp bill.clapp@mac.com

1950

Brad Smith jbradner575@comcast.net

1951

Bruce Monick monick4215@aol.com

1952

Helen McGovern Frye Dean Alexander deano472@aol.com

Class Agent Dean Alexander writes, “Below are excerpts from an interview by Andy Levin of The Blackstone Valley Tribune (Mass.) with our Thomas Mattson after publication of his latest book, Orchard Voices. Tom

has been a writer for The Blackstone Valley Tribune for the past 12 years. ‘A native of Minnesota, Mattson journeyed east to Harvard College, where he graduated in 1956... His Midwestern values still intact more than he might admit, Mattson is eclectic, to say the least... He is a local treasure to the thousands who know him through his writing.’ His book, Orchard Voices, is ‘comprised of 98 essays and numerous photos divided into five sections (People, History, Religion, Nature and Sports).’ It ‘is a reflection of its author’s irreplaceable views of Valley life.’ When asked his general approach to an interview, Tom replied, ‘I take people as they are and usually they are able to convey something worth saying to the reader. So I put that down. I try not to embellish much on it, but sometimes I do a bit. I always approach an interview with someone in a spirit of respect, openness, curiosity and hope. The hope is that the person says something true about him or herself... that is enlightening to others.’ The book is my ‘reflection on the lives, the character, the perceptions of around a hundred persons, whether known from having met in the valley, or because they were historical figures. There is also a section on nature. For me, nature is the book of creation.’ Orchard Voices is Mattson’s third book on the Blackstone Valley. The three books contain about 1,300 pages and 400 photos. Tom says, ‘Although I spent my first 17 years in the Midwest, I like New England best. Once I worked on a paper in Southern California, where ancient history was about 1920. I liked the eucalyptus trees and the Pacific and year-around golf, but I really missed the New England fall. There is something comforting about it... New England is something unto itself. And the Blackstone Valley is a microcosm of that.’ He adds, ‘But what is rare about Central New England is the ‘harmonizing’ of nature and architecture. Nature is not spectacular, as in the Rockies. It is small-scaled. But the rocky soil...

has encouraged the building of thousands of stone walls that set off green pastures... the architecture moves from clapboard to Cape Cod shingles to brick and then to stone. Foundations of granite are in place 175 years after people lived in them.’ As a personal note to me, Tom added, ‘Let me say I sometimes wish Northbridge High, in a town of 14,000, could lend a few football players to SPA, not that the Academy would need them every year. But in 2002, for example, the local Rams went 12-0, sat out its first team throughout the second half in all but two games, had three backs who did the 40 in around 4.4, a 250-pound line, a tight end 6’6” and 263 pounds whose father played for the Bengals, and a quarterback who threw 67 career TD passes and ran for 38. The latter received 850 letters from colleges interested in recruiting him. He went to Harvard and the tight end to Brown.’ Amen, Tom.”

1953

John Holman compas2@msn.com

Please contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651-696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu for information about Reunion-Homecoming Weekend 2008.

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Class Notes 1954

1957

1955

Artist Tuck Langland will donate one of his bronze statues, Winter Solitude, to St. Paul Academy and Summit School, with an installation taking place in Lilly Courtyard, Randolph Canpus, Saturday, September 27, at noon. Check www.spa.edu for updated information about the installation ceremony.

Polly Cross Olmstead dpolmstead@mindspring.com Norb Winter Walter Mayo mayowalter@yahoo.com

Kate “Minty” Klein Piper mintypiper@aol.com

1956

Gerry Kyle Bullard rlbullard@comcast.net Ginny Low Campbell ginnybell@aol.com

Dutton Foster pardilqua@aol.com Susan Rose Ward cswsrw@earthlink.net

Classes of 1958 Reunion weekend contacts: Bill Beadie, George Benz, Jim Dickinson, Michael Foote, Mike Parish, John Roe, Judy Parish Diedrich, Nancy Finberg Kurimay, Emily Otis Wurtz. Saturday, September 27, class party at the home of John and Sandra Bemis Roe ’59. For more information, contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651-696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu.

1959 Pictured, from left, are Si and Vicki Ford, Pedersen’s daughter Kia and wife Elizabeth, and Bill Pedersen. Kia is an artist whose work is pictured in the background of this photo. For more information, go to www.kiapedersen.com.

s Vicki Churchill Ford and her husband, Si ’55, organized an outing with friends to 2003 Distinguished Alumni/ae Award winner Bill Pedersen’s New York City architectural firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox. While there the group learned about one of Pedersen’s most well-known building projects, the Shanghai World Financial Center, slated to open in China in July as the world’s second tallest office building.

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1958

Albert (Jim) Dickinson

Ethel Welch Griggs c.griggs@comcast.net Jim Gardner Tom Hauser George May gmay@mayobrien.com

1960

Class Agent needed Please contact Tracy Madden if you would like to volunteer at 651-696-1323, or tmadden@spa.edu.

1961

Crosby Sommers sommers80@msn.com

s Addison Woodward writes, “Nancy Feinberg Kurimay and husband Bill, and my wife Pam and I met for dinner while we were in San Diego in January. It was a fun-filled evening catching up on old news, discussing politics, the likelihood of an Obama nomination, old friends and lots of laughing.”

1962

Bill Peet drpeet@drpeet.com

Class Agent Bill Peet writes, “Libby and I are going to visit my daughter, Noe, (www. myspace.com/noelanipeet — I’m really proud of her beautiful original piano and vocal music!)

and my grandson Andreas in their home port of Vienna, Austria, in July. First we drive Lori, Libby’s adopted daughter with CP, to stay with her dad and his wife in Tennessee. Then we hop on United in Memphis to O’Hare, Vienna and on to Paris for a quick side trip before joining the kids back in Vienna. We arrive in the City of Light July 13, and hop the Chunnel (Eurostar) train for London on the 14th (Bastille Day). In London we’ll run over to Euston Station to catch the Britrail train up to Lancaster, where we will check out Libby’s Lancaster ancestors, the Castle, the Maritime Museum, etc. Since the Britrail lets us go where we want in the two (!) short days we’re there, we’ll probably try to check out the Peet relatives in Derbyshire and/or Yorkshire, too. On the 16th, we chunnel back to Paris and spend two days there before running back to Vienna late on the 18th. On the 19th, we grab our Golf diesel (hopefully) and head for the Etruscan Coast of Italy, where we share a villa for 3-4 days with

Class Notes friends of Noe’s. We should have fun checking out various points of interest on the way over and back, notably other areas of Italy and the Salzburg area of Austria. Then six more days back in Vienna, the City of Music, before powering home on the 29th. First Europe trip since 1986 for me, and first time ever for Libby. We’re excited!” John Works writes, “I have been a hard man to find recently. In honor of the precipitous decline of the dollar I planned two overseas trips. In late April I traveled to London for two weeks of theatre, art, and a very heavy dose of the Church (part of the trip was a ‘pilgrimage’ sponsored by the august Church Club of New York). I loved every minute of it. In 10 days time I will fly to Palermo, Sicily, for a two week tour of that island to look at the other end of Europe. Meanwhile, I just arrived in Spooner (Wisc.) to open the house and clean up this year’s invasion of Japanese Lady Beatles. Noyan Tanberk is in Turkey until mid-June. He now spends about five months of the year beside the Bosphorus in the fall and spring. Who can blame him? I was there last fall for a couple of weeks and, as always, enjoyed myself immensely. Lots of change in Bob Goffstein’s life. I speak with him almost weekly. Bob now has a new house and new wife (Lisa) and is quite happy. That is all the news I have for the moment.” Jon Maier writes, “I couldn’t make any of the recent summer reunions as we tend to be on the road with our kids and camper during early summers, but I will certainly try harder for the big one upcoming in 2012 (plus our belated brood will hopefully have flown the nest by then, freeing up more free time). I’ve been stuck in St. Cloud now for the last 28 years, a broken-down

old medical practitioner; now thankfully retired. Not much exciting to report from here, but I did see Buzz Menold about a year ago on one of his trips home from the D.C. area. He can spin some war tales about Vietnam and being in the North Dakota missile silos, and currently works in arms control negotiations for the State Department. I very much look forward to getting together and hearing lots about everybody’s life and times.”

1963

Nancy Leavitt Mulvey nancymulvey@gmail.com

the entire campus... those of you familiar with green/sustainable building practices know that this is the highest certification and we may be the only educational organization to have won this top certification for an entire campus. If you’re in the Monterey area, I’d love to show you the school. Cheers.”

1964

Cindy Schuneman Piper repip2@aol.com John Maher jmaher1@maine.rr.com

1965

1968

Class Agent needed Please contact Tracy Madden if you would like to volunteer at 651-696-1323, or tmadden@spa.edu.

1969

Ruth Schilling Harwood hardwoods4@comcast.net

1970

Class Agent needed Please contact Tracy Madden if you would like to volunteer at 651-696-1323, or tmadden@spa.edu.

Robert Erickson ericksonrobert@comcast.net Bob Works pkmtfarm@sover.net

1966 Please contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ‘85 at 651-696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu for information about Reunion-Homecoming Weekend 2008.

Peter Brooks writes, “I’ve been pursuing my second career as an abstract painter since retiring from NYC banking in 1995. I have a solo show that just opened at the Monterey Museum of Art. If you’re curious about my work, I invite you to visit pkbrooksart.com. For the past 11 years I’ve served on the board of the Chartwell School, a local Central California school for students with dyslexia and other language-related learning differences. I headed the capital campaign that raised $14 million to build a new campus on the old Fort Ord property. Chartwell has won many awards and it was recently awarded platinum LEED certification for

Mike Brown mbrown@spa.edu

1967

Nancy Platt Jones nandbjones@yahoo.com Phil Bratnober

s Bruce Lilly, right, and son Austin ’08, were on campus together in February to attend the Distinguished Alumni/ae Award dinner honoring Edith Nye MacMullen ’47 and Mary Ann Barrows Wark ’65.

Summit School Class of 1967 Reunion weekend contacts: Lucy Wieland, Christie Hammes, Sally Davidson Foster, Cathy Geist, Anne Cowie, Bonnie Blodgett, Susan Oehler Seltzer. Academy Class of 1967 Reunion weekend contact: Nick Linsmayer. For more information, contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651-696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu.

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Class Notes 1971

1975

1972

1976

Tom Wood tom.wood@gs.com

Class Agent needed Please contact Tracy Madden if you would like to volunteer at 651-696-1323, or tmadden@spa.edu.

Lit Field lfieldjr@tcfield.com

Doug Whitaker douglas.r.whitaker@pjc.com

1977

Hank Brandtjen hbrandtjen@kluge.biz

1978

John Butler jbutler@mairsandpower.com Shannon McNeely Whitaker swhitaker@meritexenterprises.com

photography boom.” Reporter Stephanie Xenos said of Slade, “He’s done a little of everything that a curator, art historian, and writer can do — from serving as a photo researcher and the editor of a photographic arts magazine to his role as director of the McKnight Foundation Artists Fellowships for Photographers Program, which he continues to oversee, and his current side gig as an adjunct assistant curator for the Lee Friedlander exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.” The Minnesota Historical Society Press will publish Looking Homeward: Notes on Photographic Minnesota by Slade in 2009.

Jeanne Goodman Herzog with her daughter and graduating senior, Linnea ’08.

1982

David Weyerhaeuser dweyerhaeuser@gradstaff.com Sally Cammack Miesen sjmiesen@msn.com

Kristina Gustafson writes, “Wow, what fun to receive the SPA alumni magazine. I am sorry that I did not make our 25th Reunion. It was great seeing the photo of everyone! As a quick catch up on me… The kids and I left the farm in Cannon Falls about six years ago and moved to Paradise Valley, Arizona. We are loving it! I am a residential Realtor, specializing in the Biltmore area, and farms and ranches. I am still involved with horses. My new passion is Mounted Shooting. What a thrill! Hope everyone stays healthy, blessed and safe.”

1983

1973

Tracy Cosgrove Lakatua tlakatua@bigsky.net

Charlie Zelle czelle@jeffersonlines.com

Class of 1978 Reunion weekend contacts: John Butler, Paul Baillon, Steve and Shannon McNeely Whitaker. Saturday, September 27, class party at the home of John and Ceci Butler, 6 p.m. For more information, contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651-696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu.

Please contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651-696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu for information about Reunion-Homecoming Weekend 2008.

1974

Roddie Hauser Turner roddie.turner@comcast.net

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1979

Julia Doermann juliadoermann@hotmail.com

George Slade, artistic director for Minnesota Center for Photography, was featured in the June 2008 issue of Mpls-St. Paul Magazine in an article entitled, “Slade Show: Minnesota Center for Photography’s George Slade is at the epicenter of the local

1980

Kris Flom kflom@spa.edu

1981

Class Agent needed Please contact Tracy Madden if you would like to volunteer at 651-696-1323, or tmadden@spa.edu.

Class of 1983 Reunion weekend contacts: Tracy Cosgrove Lakatua, Chris Commers, Ann Pier Ruhr, Mollie Ward. For more information, contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu

Class Agent Tracy Cosgrove Lakatua of Missoula, Montana, was elected chair of the YWCA USA’s governing body, the National Coordinating Board, during its 2008 National Conference and Annual General

Class Notes Assembly in April. Previously, Lakatua was treasurer of the NCB for two years, is a past president of the YWCA Missoula Board of Directors and served on the YWCA Missoula Racial Justice Task Force. She also participated in the YWCA Missoula three-year racial justice social marketing campaign. Lakatua has been a member of more than a dozen nonprofit boards at the local, state, regional and national levels, and currently serves on the grant-making committee for the Social Justice Fund Northwest. She began volunteering for the YWCA in 2000 and joined the NCB in 2004.

1984

Tom Guyer tom.guyer@winsorlearning.com

Kal Grant writes, “Good Lord, where to start? After 11 years of practicing law (and discovering that being a partner is not all that it appears to be when peering up the ladder of success), I went ‘in house’ with JP Morgan in 2005. Life is definitely more civilized — some would say overcivilized — inside corporate America, where we have policies that require a two-week physical and communication absence from the office each year. That’s right, please stow away all electronic devices… My daughter, Isabella, is happily wending her way through her primer year of school at an SPA-equivalent here in Dallas. I was definitely feeling my age when she asked me last week whether we had televisions when I was growing up. I told her yes — but that we only had four channels. Then again, we only watch three now: Disney, Nickolodean and the Cartoon Network. I don’t suppose anyone out there can find me Hannah Montana concert tickets?”

1985

Dave Kansas davekansas22@yahoo.com

Class Agent Dave Kansas writes, “Another fun year for the ’85ers and most of us are knocking down another prime number (41) in the birthday count. I always say 41 is the new 33, or something like that. At any rate, families are growing and jobs are changing and life is rolling merrily along. I recently had lunch with Pat Farrell in New York. He continues his good work as a pastor at Calvary Chapel, Old Bridge, New Jersey, and I’ve had the good fortune of bossing around one of his congregants as an intern at FiLife.com, my current place of operations. Pat looks like he could still handle the ball well at the low post. Myself, I still can’t hit a free throw, so I’ve taken up playing indoor soccer. Pat will be guest teaching at Calvary Chapel Twin Cities in Bloomington (Minn.) in August. Peter Hart writes that he and his wife, Heather, ‘are still living the dream in Portland, Maine. We are just cruising through the relaxing years of parenting three kids (Phoebe, 6, Henry, 4, Lucy, 2). The one thing we don’t have to worry about is what to do with all of our free time. Portland is great. I am still a MoneyMan with AG Edwards — now Wachovia — and my wife started a Chinese language program at the Waynflete School here. We are busy, happy and I am playing hockey again, which is great fun.’ Hart shoots, he scores! I’m sure he’s teaching those New Englanders how a Minnesotan plays real hockey. Out in Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the Big House, John Cunningham and his wife, Rebecca, are raising three lovely girls: Sophy, 8, Ella, 6, and Alita, 2. John writes: ‘I’m working for myself doing tech startup projects

and business development consulting. We are enjoying small college town life. Come and visit.’ He can be reached at jcu@ innoventuresllc.com. John writes that on a recent trip home to the Twin Cities he visited with fellow classmate Sean McCauley. Becka McKay, one of our class’ prolific writers, recently translated the novel Laundry by Suzane Adam into English. Becka describes the novel as ‘a psychological thriller/family drama/post-Holocaust story. Very gripping — was on the Israeli bestseller list for many months. An excellent choice for book clubs!’ Becka has written poetry and done many translations and she has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, a literary prize honoring the best poetry, short fiction and essays published in small presses and magazines (that according to her blurb on Amazon). Indeed, you can buy Laundry at Amazon, so get online and click away! Beyond the latest translation, Becka continues to plug away on her dissertation. We swing to California to find Professor Tom Joo doing the legal beat at UC-Davis. He

lives in Davis, California, with his wife, Irena, and kids Jason, 6, and Alicia, 4. He says his little rugrats are doing great and that Jason ‘hit 4-for-5 in his final two T-ball games’ which may not sound like much, but it’s a T-ball league where they actually throw pitches, so his .800 batting average is pretty impressive. ‘This isn’t to brag so much as to give you a feel for what passes for big news around here (and I see that as a good thing, mind you). Living in a college town is great — I bicycle with my son to his school in the morning and then ride to work. I really like my job, too (beats working for a living, especially in the summer).’ Tom, in his 12th year at Davis, is too modest to mention that he has published many articles and is an expert on corporate governance and has even appeared on CNBC to discuss executive compensation. And, he probably taunts his students with his mastery of trivia. Moving south in the Golden State, Todd Bomberg writes that ‘all is good with the L.A. contingent.’ Todd recently left the hedge fund world and

If you would like to: • submit a class note for the next magazine • become a Class Agent • update us with a change in name or contact information Contact Tracy Madden at 651-696-1323 or tmadden@spa.edu.

If you would like to: • drop by the school for a tour • get involved with Reunion planning • or otherwise volunteer at the school Contact Daymond Dean ’85 at 651-696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu.

If you would like to: • receive periodic email updates from the school, logon to www.spa.edu/alumni and update your email address in the alumni/ae directory.

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Class Notes returned to investment banking, joining several former colleagues at Moelis & Co. ‘Despite the general perception that there are no deals getting done these days, I think I’m busier than I’ve ever been.’ Bankers. Always in demand! His two kids are quickly growing up. ‘Brynn turns six this summer and is just finishing kindergarten at The Buckley School (which is eerily like SPA — brings back a lot of great memories every time I go to her school). Brock turns two this

| 1985 continued

summer — he’s a total character and a real flirt with the ladies.’ Apple. Tree. And he adds that his wife Amy is ‘fantastic — the best mother and wife I could imagine.’ In the Twin Cities, much is happening. Bethany Gladhill and husband Patrick Rhone ‘are thrilled to announce the arrival of daughter Beatrix on February 9. Sleepless nights at 40 are a lot more brutal than would have been 10-15 years ago, but she’s worth it.’ For those interested in learning more about

Calendar Alumni/ae Art Exhibit and Reception with Richard Barlow ’88, “Everybody knows this is nowhere,” September 2-27. Reception: Friday, September 26, 5:30-7 p.m., Harry M. Drake Gallery, RC. All-School Reunion-Homecoming Weekend Dinner Party, Friday, September 26, social hour at 6 p.m. in Summit Center and 7 p.m. party in dining hall, RC (see inside back cover of magazine for more details). Alumni/ae Council meeting, October 8, 7:30-9 a.m., Ames Room, RC. Annual Fund Phonathon, October 11 and November 15, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Ames Room, RC. October 12 and November 16, 1-5 p.m., Ames Room, RC. (To volunteer for the phonathon, contact Paula Kringle at 651-696-1320 or pkringle@spa.edu.) Alumni/ae Council meeting, December 3, 7:30-9 a.m., Ames Room, RC. Holiday Party for Alumni/ae from ‘70s/’80s Decades, December 19, 8-11 p.m. at The Happy Gnome, 498 Selby Avenue, Saint Paul, 651-287-2018. Holiday Party for Alumni/ae from ‘90s through 2004, December 19, 8 p.m.-12 a.m. at Sweeney’s Saloon, 96 Dale Street N., Saint Paul, 612-396-0701. Holiday Party for Alumni/ae from 2005-2008, December 29, 7-9 p.m., Bigelow Commons, RC. Alumni/ae Council meeting, February 3, 7:30-9 a.m., Ames Room, RC.

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Beatrix, Bethany and Patrick, check out Beatrix’s blog, www.teamtrixie. com. It is a great blog and lets everyone know Trixie’s nickname: ‘Duchess of Heckofalot, Potenate of Poop.’ Ah, royalty. Our SPA contingent reports in to say that all is well. Daisy Pellant reports that ‘nothing much is happening,’ which is probably music to her ears. She just received her ‘glass apple’ for five years at SPA. Daymond Dean writes that ‘Val ’86 and I spent the first Monday of June watching our middle child, Courtney ’15, participate in the Lower School’s fifth grade moving on ceremony. Courtney finished her top year at the Lower School with Lundy (Tom Lundholm, for those not blessed to have him as a teacher) as I did 29 years ago. Coincidentally, she and John Patterson ’86’s son, Kevin ’15, were the first alumni/ae children that Mrs. Cathy Prunty taught; this June Mrs. Prunty completed her 35th year of teaching at SPA, we Lower School quasi-lifers (editor’s note: that would include your humble scribe) were her first class. This fall, Courtney will join her sister, Danielle ’13, at the Middle School on the Randolph Campus. I will be driven crazy by two battle-loving ’Tween daughters on my ride to school while Val will serenely drive Derek ’20 to first grade where, as he says, ‘I’ll finally get my own turf.’ Brian Hagerty writes that he is still clerking in the Twin Cities for Judge Patrick Schiltz and his wife, Sara Hartfeldt, will be chief resident during her upcoming final year of residency in family practice. He adds: ‘Our daughter, Maura — now 3 — is very excited about soon-to-be President Obama. Maura’s own tribute to him, ‘Little Obama Girl,’ has more than 50,000 hits on YouTube and almost got her on Ellen DeGeneres’ show last summer.’ Lawyer, doctor, fame and fortune!

Niki Winter Tietel’s daughter, Shelby, just wrapped up third grade and son Riley has completed first grade, both at SPA, naturally. She says: ‘It’s so surreal to sit with them in the lunchroom and watch their plays in assembly. So many of the same wonderful teachers are still running around the halls like Molly Kleven, the Pruntys, Lundy, etc. I truly believe the phrase ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same.’ On the home front, Niki says that she and her husband, Mike, have gone a bit bonkers. But, in at least one way, they are completely sane: back in the city of goodness! ‘We sold our 11-year-old house in Eagan and just bought a 113-yearold historical home (read: money pit) in Saint Paul built by Cass Gilbert. It needs a ton of work, but we are hoping it can be ready in time to host our 30th reunion… OK, maybe our 40th. We are excited to be back in Saint Paul and a lot closer to SPA. In keeping with the 100-year theme, our family financial planning firm, Winter & Associates, is celebrating our 100th year in business this summer. We have a lot to be thankful for! Hope everyone else in the class is doing well!’ Cathy Paper writes that she missed the REM concert at Xcel Center in Saint Paul with a crew of SPA and Blake (what?!) alumni/ae led by Wendy Nelson and Karen Earl Reis. Jill Magnuson Romans and Sarah Bancroft were in attendance. ‘I had strep throat and chose to sleep the night away rather than play Twister and Risk in the Carlson executive box. It’s a good thing I noticed in the newspaper that the White Sidewalls, who played at our prom, are still playing in the Twin Cities.’ ‘I saw Julie Silverman Burton at a May wedding of one of my good friends. It turns out the groom, whom she met on Match.com and married at The Walker Sculpture Garden, is Julie’s brother-in-law. Small world. Julie’s father (Michael) didn’t even recognize me. Must have been the long hair, nice dress and

Class Notes wine coolers. FYI, the Match.com success rate is very high, which gives me more proof that the Internet is a powerful tool for sales and love.’ Cathy adds: ‘Speaking of prom, Charlie Flinn and I continue to battle each other in the halls of Best Buy to see who knows more people. While I don’t work there anymore, we meet for coffee on occasion and sit in the Cafe and it feels just like old times. He continues to lead new business ventures for Best Buy. And, if you haven’t printed this already, he lives in Edina! Talk about sellout.’ ‘The Republican Convention is coming to town and if anyone out there wants to rent a house, check out Craigslist. Rumor has it there are several SPA alumni/ae democrats who are looking to head out of town for a small fee.’ As for myself, by the time you read this I will be married to Monica Schulz! We are celebrating our nuptials June 21 in Elmhurst, Illinois, near her hometown of Downers Grove, Illinois. Monica works as a consultant for a Wall Street boutique and we’re looking forward to sharing the event with several Spartans, including Todd Bomberg, Mike Ristau (in from Belgium), Ken Rice (in from Baltimore), Pat Farrell and our football coach Dave Montgomery and his wife Fredi. A group of us, including Ken and Pat, recently met up in New York to share a steak dinner and celebrate the fading days of my bachelorhood. And while these class notes are a great way to keep in touch, we will soon have a chance to gather in person. It’s not too early to mark the calendar for the ’85ers 25-year (gulp!) Reunion, which will take place in the Fall of 2010. I reckon I should be completely bald by then! If you want to share any notes about what you’re doing, shoot me a note at davekansas22@yahoo.com or you can always find me on Facebook. Have a good summer!”

1986

Class of 1988 Reunion weekend contacts: David Salchow, Jennifer O’Brien Bastyr, Fred Kaemmer, Dan Deuel, Rich Barlow, Chris Cheney, Amy Myrbo.

John Patterson johnwilderpatterson@yahoo.com Renee Hilmanowski Ochaya theochayas@oh.rr.com

1987

Saturday, September 27, drinks and hors d’oeuvres at Bar Lurcat, 1624 Harmon Place, Minneapolis.

Carol Bagnoli cbagnoli@yahoo.com Rob Mairs robert.mairs@gpmlaw.com Jay Ettinger jayettinger@comcast.net

For more information, contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu.

1988

1991

Andrew Arashiba writes, “I hope everybody is doing well. I kind of fell out of the SPA scene at the tail end of the ’80s. I sure would like to hear from you people.”

The nuptials of Deepak Nath and his wife, Sara, were recently featured on “Platinum Weddings” on WE TV. The wedding, which took place in Las Vegas, included 650 guests, an East-West theme, fireworks and Nath making an entrance on an elephant. The Naths own Envy Nightclub in downtown Minneapolis with Deepak’s sister, Shalini Nath Walia, and her husband Dave.

Dan Deuel dhd823@comcast.net

s Kristen Hoeschler O’Brien writes, “Terry ’85 and Kristen O’Brien and son Jack, 3, welcomed William Egan O’Brien into the world very early June 3, 2008. At 9 pounds 3 ounces, he just outweighed his brother at birth. So far, William is a mellow baby and, while his big brother purposely won’t acknowledge his brother by name (we think he’s offended we didn’t take his suggestion of ‘Curious George’), he enjoys stroking his brother’s head and singing to him. We’re all very happy and excited with this latest addition.”

1989

Class Agent needed Please contact Tracy Madden if you would like to volunteer at 651-696-1323, or tmadden@spa.edu.

Josh Kriesel krieselj@hotmail.com

1990

Debbie Lipschultz Goldenberg goldenlips275@aol.com Darren Strafelda

Important Numbers Main line 651-698-2451

Alumni/ae Relations 651-696-1308

Main fax 651-698-6787

Annual Fund 651-696-1320

Admission 651-696-1339

Athletics information 651-696-1449

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Class Notes Andy Droel droe0007@tc.umn.edu Chris Murphy cmurphy2004@kellogg. northwestern.edu

1993

1992 Martine Smaller has been involved with Montessori education since first training to become a Montessori teacher in 2004. She began working at Bright Water Montessori in Minneapolis, Minn., whose goal is to bring quality Montessori education to children aged 16 months through kindergarten in families who may not typically be able to afford it. In July 2007, Smaller and other members of the Bright Water Board of Trustees applied to open a charter Montessori elementary program for students in grades K-6, with initial openings this fall for students in grades K-2. The application was approved in October 2007 and Smaller, as Start-Up Coordinator, has been working steadily to secure a location for the school, enroll students and meet guidelines set forth by the Minnesota Department of Education. The school, accredited by Association Montessori International, will have an environmental focus and is sponsored by Audubon Center of the North Woods. This sponsorship will include overnight trips for students and staff to Audubon Center in Sandstone, Minn., to further develop and expand on environmental awareness and stewardship. “We’re trying to promote early education on the North Side [of Minneapolis],” Smaller explained. “Bright Water’s preschool program is the only four-star rated child care program in North Minneapolis. We’re really proud of that.” Maria Montessori, an Italian physician who founded the Montessori education movement nearly 100 years ago, also believed in the tradition of providing access to a broad population who had less opportunity for education, Smaller explained. Bright Water accepts families who receive child care assistance through Hennepin County and has an in-house scholarship program to help students from lower and middle income families attend the school. Smaller’s goal for this first year is to have 16-18 students in each grade. Bright Water’s elementary and preschool will be located within the former North Star Elementary building. “I got a great education at SPA that took me to a lot of places,” said Smaller. “I feel like that education has now come full circle. I am able to take the resources that I received at SPA and invest them in my community, in North Minneapolis. It’s really about making an investment in the world.”

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Class of 1993 Reunion weekend contacts: John Cosgriff, Jim Delaney, Mary Dickinson MacDonald, Matt Nelson.

Ben Beach beach_benjamin@hotmail.com John Cosgriff jcosgrif@gsb.uchicago.edu Mary Dickinson mgdickinson@yahoo.com Jim Delaney jdelaney@wedrivebusiness.com

For more information, contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651-696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu.

Nick Coughlin writes, “I co-founded and work as Communications Director for Minnesota Voters for Animal Protection, a brand new 501(c)(4) which works to pass animal protection laws at the state and local level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Anyone interested in helping animals in Minnesota should join at www.votersforanimals. org.” Class Agent Jim Delaney writes, “I recently launched Engine Innovations, a Marketing, Communication and PR firm for entrepreneurs and companies in transition. It has been really fun so far, every day is something new. I was also recently appointed to the General Board of the Greater Minneapolis YMCA. It is always great to run into Spartans; everyone seems to be doing incredible things.”

s John Cosgriff and his wife, Theresa, welcomed their son Parker into the world November 26, 2007. John is a Vice President at UnitedHealth Group and Theresa is a Buyer at Target Corporation.

1994

Class Agent needed Please contact Tracy Madden if you would like to volunteer at 651-696-1323, or tmadden@spa.edu.

1994 Amy Brynolfson married Aaron Gaalswyck in May 2007. Pictured, from left, Tamara Brenner, Amy and Aaron Gaalswyck, and Annie Tsong.

1992

Class Notes 1995

Kris Weum kris.weum@gmail.com Katie Kirschbaum katiekirschbaum@hotmail.com

1996

Matt Gollinger mgollinger@hotmail.com Minette Loula mloula@courts.state.nh.us

1997

Dena Citron Larson dena.larson@genmills.com Jeff Jarosch jefforama@aol.com

1998

Michael Lorberbaum lorberbaum@hotmail.com Mara Schanfield maraschanfield@gmail.com

s 1995 The third annual Peter Westra Memorial Sprints were held December 7, 2007, at Trollhaugen Ski Area in Dresser, Wisc. The event was sponsored by Peter’s family in conjunction with SPA’s Nordic Ski Team.

1999

Mark Heinert mark.heinert@bestbuy.com Lisa Stein lstein@bu.edu

Class of 1998 Reunion weekend contacts: Tanya Adelman, Michael Lorberbaum, Mara Schanfield.

Evey Olson Wellman writes, “I graduated from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in 2003

with a degree in Marketing and Human Resource Management. I currently work as an Inventory Analyst for CH Robinson Worldwide under our Wal Mart Produce account. I got married September 22, 2007, to Kevin Wellman of Edina. Other SPA alumni in attendance were Stacy

For more information, contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu.

Elizabeth Turan writes, “Still living in Chicago with my husband and kids. Onur and I celebrate our seven-year anniversary in August. Our daughter Zoe is four and our son Anthony is two. I take my realtor license exam in July. Hope everyone is well!”

s 1998 Barry Wark was on campus in February to watch his mother, Mary Ann Barrows Wark ’65, accept the 2007 Distinguished Alumni/ae Award. While here he spoke with a number of teachers, including, from left, Lucy Polk, Cheryl Brockman, Sue Scott, Rolando Castellanos and Mickey Scott.

Noerenberg, Carolyn Westra, Missy Benson Rumery, Kelsey Jorgens, Kristen Sellers and Rebecca Wilson Peres.”

2000

Jesse Markman jesse.markman@yale.edu Ann Marie Miller Winskowski winskowski1@hotmail.com Uju Obi obi@post.harvard.edu Megan (Maggie) Sullivan Noah Mehlan mehlan@stolaf.edu

Sarah Plum, an architect with OWP/P in Chicago, designed a kinetic sculpture, “Checagou,” that was displayed as part of Tulip Days along The Magnificent Mile in Chicago during the months of April and May.

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Class Notes 2001

Tiffany Clark tclark05@aol.com Aram Desteian desteian@stolaf.edu

Marissa Miller writes, “Since graduating from Carleton College in 2005, I have spent the last three years working for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in Minneapolis. In the Fall of 2008, I will start the MBA program at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.”

2002

Sara Cornell scornell@gwu.edu Lauren Nuffort lauren.nuffort@gmail.com Chike Obi obix0004@tc.umn.edu Carly Thomforde cthomforde@northpark.edu

| 2000 continued

2003

Class Agent Brenden Goetz writes, “I finished school at the University of Puget Sound in December with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy. I’ll be working for Outward Bound in Red Lodge, Montana, this summer as a field intern, and then teaching English in Martinique next academic year. All is well!”

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For more information, contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu.

Pacific come with my highest recommendation.”

2004

Sarah Anderson smanderson1@wisc.edu Andria Cornell acornell@gwu.edu Ashley Malecha maritaluv@hotmail.com Tyler Olson tylerolson@aol.com

Abby Greenwald writes, “I graduated this spring from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in International Relations,

2004 Andrew Bennett, who played baseball at SPA and Hamline University, signed with the St. Paul Saints Baseball Club as an infielder in May. As a senior at Hamline Bennett hit .403 with eight homeruns and 49 RBIs (runs batted in) in 41 games. He graduated as Hamline’s career homerun leader with 24, along with a double major in mathematics and physics. He was named to the MIAC (Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) AllConference team and is an Academic All-American. For more information go to saintsbaseball.com.

Emmett Lamb writes, “After SPA and four years at the U.S. Naval Academy I received a commission as an Ensign in the Navy. My first orders were to report as the Ordnance and Gunnery Officer aboard USS Fitzgerald, DDG-62, a position I still currently hold. The Fight’n Fitz is a guided missile destroyer forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, where I currently live. An officer’s life aboard ship is quite busy, but the leadership and travel opportunities are great. Japan and the Western

2002 Class Agent Lauren Nuffort writes, “Lael Nelson and I had a chance to visit fellow classmate Amanda Moar in Vail, Colorado, over a long weekend in February. I am in my second year at William Mitchell [College of Law] and clerk for HealthPartners, Lael is a field engineer for Mortenson Construction, and Amanda has been working for Vail Corporation since November 2007.”

Class of 2003 Reunion weekend contacts: Brenden Goetz, Blake Berquist, Aleks Sims, Jillian Degerness, Emily Shor, Kendra Ackland, Tom Christ.

Brenden Goetz brendengoetz@gmail.com Aleks Sims aks010@drake.edu Jillian Degerness jillian.degerness@trinity.edu Emily Shor Kendra Ackland Tom Christ kiselblat@gmail.com

minors in Chinese and German. I’m pretty excited to put my shiny new degree to work this summer and next year. I will be working for the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, the international governing body for the sport of modern pentathlon, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics! No idea if pentathlon gets airtime in the U.S., but it’s a great sport to watch. Afterwards, I’ll be heading directly to Germany, as I’ve been named a German Chancellor Fellow by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. I’ll be working at the German Council on Foreign Relations in the institution’s China Program. All

Class Notes in all, my passport’s really looking forward to the next 1-2 years!” Sam Salyer, a senior on George Washington University’s men’s tennis team, was named to ESPN Magazine’s Academic All-District II First Team. Named the 2008 Atlantic-10 Men’s Tennis StudentAthlete of the Year, Salyer was the first GWU men’s tennis player in the program’s history to earn First Team accolades. An American studies major, he was also selected to both the A-10 All-Conference Second Team and the A-10 Academic All-Conference team. His inclusion on the Academic All-Conference team marks the third year in a row he earned that honor.

2005

Jack Adams adams@stolaf.edu Lindsay Giese giese@stolaf.edu Hannah Lamb hel1@cec.wustl.edu Kate Meyer meyerk@carleton.edu Nikki Stennes nikkis2100@aol.com Sarah Wald skwald@gmail.com

2006

Lien Bui lbui@gac.edu Rory Collins collinsr@carleton.edu Alex Gast a-gast@northwestern.edu Marjahn Golban mgolban@wellesley.edu Henry Parker hparker@bates.edu

Ana Panone writes, “Over spring break eight other Hamline students and I, along with about 15 Avalon high school students, went to New Orleans. Most of the Hamline students are going into

education, but we had one psych major and one poli-sci major. We were chosen to participate in a program started by a Hamline education professor, Jean Strait. She and a leadership team got a grant of $30,000 for the trip from Travelers Insurance to cover all of the costs. We went down and worked with Hamline’s sister school, Martin Luther King Charter School, in the Lower Ninth Ward. It is the first charter school in New Orleans and many of the students don’t go on past eighth grade, particularly because there is no high school in their district for them to go to. So we paired up and began mentoring the students and have stayed in contact with them via an online site called Blackboard. We help with homework questions as well as just be a friend. While we were down there we also worked in different parks, cleaning and getting them ready to be mowed and enjoyable again. We also visited a restaurant called Cafe Reconcile; it was started by an excon and he founded this restaurant to help teach young adults who aren’t on the right track the skills they need to get and maintain a job, as well as behavioral skills. The cafe is also expanding and becoming a place where young adults can learn how to do things like file taxes, fill out paperwork and other things that might seem discouraging.”

2007

Etonde Awaah tonders@math.com Nicholas Rosenbaum goopygoop@gmail.com Derek Schaible derek.schaible@gmail.com

Devon Holstad, a first-year student at Loyola University Chicago, was a member of the team that placed sixth at the American Mock Trial Association National Championship

s 2008 Jessie Garretson, Vanessa Levy, Nolan Filter and Ariella Rotenberg were named Class Agents for the Class of 2008.

Tournament held at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minn., in April. Holstad was part of the prosecution team, giving the opening statement and cross examining the opposing witness. The team beat out much larger schools, including University of California-Berkeley and Boston University. Derek Schaible, first-year student at Pomona College, was a member of the quiz bowl team that placed first in the CA-HI-NV regional College Bowl tournament Feb. 23-24 in Sacramento, Calif. The four-person team advanced to the College Bowl championship held in April in Minnesota.

2008

Jessie Garretson Nolan Filter Vanessa Levy Ariella Rotenberg

Louise Parker had two of her paintings selected for the “20 under 20” exhibit June 12 at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

Former Faculty and Staff news welcomed! Contact Tracy Madden at 651-696-1323, or e-mail tmadden@spa.edu. Rob Woutat, Upper School English teacher from 1964 to 1987, is a playwright and newspaper columnist. His play, Homo Domesticus, a comedy about house husbands, was produced this spring, and his childhood memoir Dakota Boy is available through major online booksellers. Thor Polson, former Latin teacher, recently published a novel, Childsong, by Athena Press of London. Copies may be ordered through Amazon.com.

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In Memoriam Alfred Miller Fulton Jr. ’32, January 27, 2008, Billings, Mont. Survived by a sister; children Martha, Victoria, Keith and Angus; 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Judith Corning Leslie ’35, May 31, 2008, Saint Paul, Minn. Survived by children Judith Titcomb ’66, Bonnie Blodgett ’68, Frank ’76 and Bruce Leslie ’80 and grandchildren Dan ’04, Callie ’05, Madeline ’07 and Dillon ’09, Alexandra ’01 and Caroline ’04, Allyson ’03, Jennifer ’01, Bridgette ’06, Megan ’10 and Julia, Andrew, Anna and Cameron. Preceded in death by her husband, Frank.

Jane Louise Dunn Graw ’35, November 20, 2007, Lancaster, Wisc. Survived by daughter Patricia Hallgren and husband Chris; grandchildren Gray, Jeff, Max, Casey, Janine; niece Marly Haskins ’50 and husband Darrel and family; and friends. Preceded in death by a sister, Dorothy Dunn Deutsch ’24. Benson “Ben” C. Brainard ’41, May 31, 2008, North Oaks, Minn. Survived by wife Joan; daughters Nancy and spouse Kelly Laird, Susan and husband Bob Nelson; brother John Brainard ’42 and spouse Andrea. John D. Brandtjen II ’45, March 5, 2008, Eugene, Ore. Survived by brother Henry Brandtjen ’46; four children and eight grandchildren. Preceded in death by granddaughter Felicity.

Past Faculty and Staff

Delor “Del” L. Erickson, frequent substitute art teacher, May 30, 2008, Minneapolis, Minn. Survived by wife Colleen Krebs (former English teacher at SPA), children Sonja Erickson and spouse Paul Burpee, and Soren Erickson and spouse Allison; granddaughters Cecilia and Zelda Erickson; siblings LaVon and spouse Joe Halfen, and Wayne Erickson and spouse Barb; nieces and nephews; and former wife Elizabeth Erickson.

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Charlotte Garbrecht Brady ’48, February 16, 2008, Saint Paul, Minn. Survived by husband Harold; son Arthur and wife Jennifer Fridley and family; Curties and Nancy Hale, and Evelyn Geisinger. Hope Macartney Doyle ’48, March 12, 2008, Honolulu, Hawaii. Survived by her husband, David, daughters Alexandra and Jennifer, grandchildren and friends. Michael K. Bechik ’59, April 23, 2008, Bonita Springs, Fla. Survived by wife Donna, sisters Andrea Bechik Plaugher ’57, and Vicki Bechik Hickman ’63 and spouse Bard; daughter Kimberly Thelen and spouse Jeffrey; son David and spouse Pamela; stepchildren Robin Harkess and spouse Mark, Connie Neumann, Alan Neumann and spouse Janet, Eric Neumann and spouse Tara; four grandchildren and seven stepgrandchildren.

Henry “Bocky” D. Morgan Faculty and Medford, Staff ’59, June 1, 2008, Ore. Survived by daughter Cameron and husband Mark Simmonds, and their children Henry and Jillian; son Rick and wife Cate Withrow and their daughter, Zola; uncle Henry H. Morgan ’37 and wife Donna; brother Jonathan ’55 and wife Martha; sister Priscilla Fry ’64 and husband Stewart; nephews and nieces; and his dog, Mysti. Preceded in death by his parents, Samuel ’29 and Natalie Morgan. Nicholas Aaron Stacker ’91, July 6, 2008, Mendota Heights, Minn. Survived by father Howard and sister Tara ’96. Preceded in death by his mother, Lynne.

ReunionHomecoming W e e k e n d

2008

Join the fun September 26-28

There are as many reasons to visit St. Paul Academy and Summit School during Reunion-Homecoming Weekend 2008 as there are SPA alumni/ae. It’s a chance to rekindle friendships with classmates and teachers, watch a sporting event, see how the campuses have changed (and how they have stayed the same) and much more.

Friday, September 26 Visit a class and participate with students in the day’s lesson. No homework or Blue Books to worry about! 9 a.m.-2:15 p.m., RC Tour of the Goodrich Campus, 2 p.m. Meet in the living room and stay for a special 2:10 p.m. assembly, GC Homecoming Pepfest, 2:15 p.m., Briggs Gymnasium, RC Kids’ Carnival/Backyard Picnic, 3-6:30 p.m., near the baseball field, RC Homecoming football game vs. DeLaSalle, 3:30 p.m., Lang Field, RC

Alumni/ae Art exhibit and reception featuring the work of Richard Barlow ’88, “Everybody knows this is nowhere,” 5:30-7 p.m., Harry M. Drake Gallery, RC (exhibit runs September 2-27) Tour of the Randolph Campus, 5:30-7 p.m., meet in Summit Center lobby, RC All-School Dinner for alumni/ae and current and former faculty/staff. 6 p.m. reception in Summit Center followed by a 7 p.m. dinner in the dining hall, RC. $35/person includes buffet dinner and two beverage tickets. For alums who graduated 1998-2008, the cost is $25/person. Spouse or significant other welcome. Cash bar available; please bring I.D. Dress is casual. Complimentary childcare for children ages 3-10.

Saturday, September 27 Doubles tennis tournament, 9:30 a.m., RC tennis courts. Sign up with another alum, student, friend or other for this round robin tournament. Handicap scoring applied; championship match played around 1 p.m. All skill levels welcome. In case of rain, event will be cancelled. Girls’ swimming and diving at Tartan Invitational, Skyview Middle School, Oakdale. Diving, 10 a.m.; swimming, 1 p.m. Heritage Brunch hosted by Head of School Bryn Roberts for all alumni/ae who graduated 50 or more years ago and honoring the Class of 1958, 10 a.m., Bigelow Commons, RC

Installation and dedication of Winter Solitude, a bronze sculpture created and donated by Tuck Langland ’57, 12 p.m., Lilly Courtyard, RC Girls’ varsity soccer vs. Concordia Academy, 1 p.m., Lang Field, RC Boys’ varsity soccer vs. Concordia Academy, 3 p.m., Lang Field, RC Boys’ and girls’ cross country at Roy Griak Invitational, 3:10 p.m., University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus golf course RC = Randolph Campus

GC = Goodrich Campus

For Class Party information, look in the Class Notes section of this magazine or contact Alumni/ae Relations Director Daymond Dean ’85 at 651-696-1308 or ddean@spa.edu. All sporting events on the Randolph Campus are free of charge. If you plan to attend Reunion-Homecoming Weekend 2008, RSVP to the school no later than September 12, 2008. For more information and to register online, go to www.spa.edu/alumni.

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PA I D

St. Paul, MN Permit No. 3400

1712 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105-2194 Address Service Requested

Extra postage is needed for forwarding. To parents of alumni/ae: Please let us know if this is no longer the current mailing address for your son or daughter. Call 651-696-1366 to update us.

making music

This spring marked the 15th anniversary of the Upper School Spring Concert and Community Chorale. For more photos, go to http://www.spa.edu/alumni.