Spartan magazine, Summer 2019

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Summer 2019

St. Stephen’s 69th Graduation Exercises

SNAPSHOT Sophomore Ebube Oraelosi enjoys painting on The Hill during the ISAS Arts Festival

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CONTENTS

P HOTOS COVER: The Rev. Todd FitzGerald, Evan Ugarte, Natalie Kim, Emma Hou, Cristian Dominguez, Jim Crosby ’70 and Matthew Kim prepare for graduation

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TOC: Discovering Radical Hope at our inaugural diversity conference; St. Stephen’s hosted the 2019 ISAS Arts Festival; Callie Cho and classmates celebrate graduation

head of school

St. Stephen’s 69th Graduation Exercises 13 Upper School Ceremony 21 Faculty and Staff Recognition 22 Middle School Ceremony

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Christopher L. Gunnin

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chief marketing and communications officer David E. Perryman

managing editor Anne Marie Becka

class notes editor Nolu McIlraith ’12

design Ellen Buckmaster, Bucko Design

Head Lines Discovering Radical Hope The Art of Community Sustainability Initiatives School Safety Enhancements

Spartan Life 24 Retiring Teachers Bid Farewell 25 Literary Festival Highlights 26 Costa Rican Exchange Students 27 Emmie Casey Builds Bots!

28 Field Hockey and Senior Honors 29 Annual Fund and Spring Swing 30 Grand Day Delights Alumni News 32 Crackers and Milk Tour 34 Class Notes

contributors Andy Aceves Yvonne Adams Michelle Andrews Cynthia Bartek Sherry Buchanan Chris Caselli ’82 Emmie Casey ’23 Suzanne Danuser Wallis Goodman Chris Gunnin Jacob Hale ’19 Melody Harman Christine Messina Michelle Michel Elizabeth Hansing Moon Jacquelyn Mouton David E. Perryman Chelsea Richards Spartan magazine is published twice a year for constituents of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.

Copyright © 2019 St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

subscription information and address changes Joanna Sarrett, jsarrett@sstx.org or 512.327.1213 x158

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H E AD LIN ES

Summer 2019

Unwrapping THE GIFT OF COMMUNITY The end of the academic year is a uniquely active and energizing time in the life of St. Stephen’s. In addition to our routine campus activities, our school calendar is full of campus celebrations and traditions. Dating back several decades, senior offerings are among the most special of these traditions, as graduating Spartans share their ideas and creative talents with our community during daily Chapel services.

During senior offerings students often reflect on the experiences and relationships that have impacted them most profoundly. While the offerings are deeply personal expressions, they also give voice to what many students feel as they approach the end of their time on The Hill. It is a privilege to witness these messages and appropriate that they are shared during a daily Chapel program that has called them to define, affirm and build community throughout their St. Stephen’s experience.

I marvel at the courage of seniors who choose to share offerings. I am proud of the authentic and powerful voices they have developed, as well as their ability to construct mature, poignant stories. But I am most impressed by their willingness to be vulnerable. They are, after all, young adults speaking before a community of 500 others in honest, heartfelt, personal ways. This willingness to share a glimpse into one’s most intimate thoughts and emotions is something that occurs only when a foundation of trust has been laid. It arises from a place where we feel emotionally, psychologically, intellectually and spiritually safe … when we “feel at home” with those around us.

This spring, I was particularly struck by a comment Brooke Silverstein ’19 made during her senior offering. In reflecting back on what St. Stephen’s meant to her, she said, “St. Stephen’s has given me an incredible education, but it has also given me something better: my people.”

In that simple yet profound assertion, Silverstein gets to the heart of the learning that occurs and the relationships that fostered that learning. Her comment speaks to what many of us—students and adults alike—experience at St. Stephen’s. We learn and grow, but more importantly we experience the precious gift of belonging to a place and to a people who are bound by shared values and a common commitment to live meaningful lives that enrich the world around us. Simply put, we feel at home.

This issue of Spartan magazine celebrates our community and the many ways we create a sense of belonging that makes our members feel at home. This sense of community is brought to life through strategic initiatives focused on sustainability and care for creation, events such as the ISAS Arts Festival and the Radical Hope Diversity Conference, as well as traditions like Grand Day, the Literary Festival and our Crackers and Milk Tour for alumni.

As Spartans, we have the privilege of living and learning together in a sacred community—one that prepares our students to graduate from The Hill inspired to live lives of meaning and make a difference in the world.

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— christopher l. gunnin, head of school

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Spartan Magazine

Conference leaders Rodney Glasgow, Ph.D., Yvonne Adams and John Gentile

LEFT TO RIGHT: Ellie, Cooper, Chris, Addison and Nancy Gunnin

DISCOVERING RADICAL HOPE at the School’s Inaugural Diversity Conference

If we are all unbiased at birth, but born into belief systems that inform our personal perspective, how do we break from the assumptions and judgments we learn as children and move forward into the world without prejudice?

John Gentile, co-facilitator of St. Stephen’s inaugural diversity conference, “Radical Hope,” believes the solution can be found in our willingness to have our worldview disrupted and readjusted. “When you are a child, how the people around you react to the world informs your schema―your sense of ‘normal’―and how you then react to the world,” explained Gentile, co-director of the Office for Identity, Culture and Institutional Equity at Horace Mann School in the Bronx, N.Y. “This framework becomes the lens we view everything through.” sstx.org

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or many of us, this sense of “normal” is fully imprinted on us in early childhood. “By the age of 6 months, humans can identify racial differences among people,” Gentile explained. “By fifth grade stereotyping is complete, and what we think of others has been set.”

To illustrate his point, during a conference breakout session Gentile showed students a photograph of an orange ball and asked them what it was. The students all agreed it was an orange ball. “How do you know that?” he asked, rhetorically. He then showed students a picture of an orange, the fruit. “Now our understanding of a round orange object has shifted. It is round and orange, but it won’t bounce. This new image disrupts our sense of the world, so now we have to adjust our schema to accommodate different objects.”

The schema we develop around people is the same. When we meet someone who does not fit easily into our schema, we become confused and uncomfortable. “Most men don’t wear high heels and nail polish, but I do,” Gentile said, holding up a hand with metallic lacquered nails. “That pushes the boundaries of other people’s schema.”

Further, as we are introduced to a wider variety of people and ideas, our understanding of the world is expanded, particularly when we see others like ourselves. “I remember seeing another little boy in my elementary school wearing nail polish,” Gentile said. “Suddenly, I felt that there were other people like me, that I was not alone. My world view shifted.”

The Elephant (Err Gorilla) in the Room While Gentile held breakout sessions on identity development with students, Rodney Glasgow, Ph.D., his conference co-facilitator, trained faculty and staff on identifying unconscious bias.

Glasgow kicked off the breakout session by showing a video of people tossing a ball back and forth and asked everyone to count the number of times the ball was passed. After watching intently, most attendees were able to cite the correct number.

“Yes,” affirmed Glasgow, head of middle school and chief diversity officer at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Md. “But how many of you noticed the gorilla walk across the screen?” Huh? Almost no one had, because they had been too focused on counting the passes.

Glasgow then showed participants another video almost identical to the first. As expected, everyone in the room saw the gorilla this time, but no one noticed that the background of the video changed colors and that one of the players dropped out of the passing game. When Glasgow pointed out these changes, everyone in the room was stunned.

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Yvonne Adams, director of equity and inclusion

“How can we not notice these obvious changes that are taking place right in front of us?” he asked. “The gorilla is racism and oppression. When we watched the second video and everyone saw the gorilla, we were really proud of ourselves. We think we’re enlightened and see racism, but we all miss the other subtler things,” he said. “We only become aware of them when they are pointed out to us.”

Glasgow said that the same is often true of microaggressions ― those subtle but offensive derogatory comments or actions directed at minority groups that reinforce negative stereotypes and make people feel marginalized.

For Glasgow the big question is how do we do both: count the passes and also look for the changes, notice the obvious racism and the subtler microaggressions? “The solution is ally-ship,” he said of the process of building relationships based on trust, consistency and accountability with marginalized individuals and groups.

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“If you’re in a meeting and see something that seems off, you become afraid that you’re the only one who might have seen the gorilla,” Glasgow explained. “You become afraid that if you mention it, people will say you’re crazy or that you’re too sensitive. So you think to yourself that if there is a gorilla, the director of diversity will see it and take care of it. So then the rest of us can all just keep counting….”

“In life, you cannot rewind the tape,” he noted. “If someone says they saw the gorilla, we have to believe them even if we did not see it ourselves.

Otherwise, they are made to feel like they are part of the problem.”

Creating a New World Together The “Radical Hope” diversity conference was organized by St. Stephen’s Director of Equity and Inclusion Yvonne Adams, who was supported in her efforts by community activist Sam Davis, members of the school’s student affinity groups and senior Riley Nichols.

“Riley wanted to replicate the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) and her experience there for other students,” Adams explained.

“She had a desire to create something that would have a lasting impact on the community.

“For the last two years, the SDLC website has crashed due to the volume of people trying to register and has sold out within the first 24 hours,” Adams explained. “After hearing about this and going through moments of frustration and sadness, Riley decided that this opportunity needed to be given to more people. Shortly thereafter she started sending me text after text with ideas for our own conference ... and so ‘Radical Hope’ was created!”

The organizers’ goal in developing the program was to give participants effective means for overcoming systemic bigotry. “Humans created this system of exclusion, but we believe we can create a new system of inclusion,” Adams said.

Held on March 30, “Radical Hope” was open to all regional ISAS-school students and teachers, as well as equity and inclusion program directors from member schools in and around Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. More than 200 students, faculty and staff representing a wide range of affinity groups and their allies participated in the daylong program.

liberal mindset that rests on the idea that we’re good if we have a diversity statement and change our use of pronouns. But that doesn’t change other systemic issues that are more deeply seated. The racism we’re seeing in schools is both systemic and individual.”

Glasgow said that he is most concerned about young people who are never told “no” because their privilege blinds them to the injustice suffered by others. “Liberals will say they cannot dismantle the system of privilege; in truth, they don’t want to,” he said. “They live a good life and don’t really know how much of that came from the system others want them to tear down.”

His advice to people struggling against bigotry? “Resiliency is important,” Glasgow said. “Carry your own ‘safe place’ with you wherever go. Know that there is no endpoint to this work. We will never fully arrive, but we can move forward.”

Gentile agreed. “I wish for students and young people to understand their collective power,” he said. “If more young people would say, ‘I wish they would…,’ then more adults would have to show up in a different way.

“The work starts small, but you build upon it, leading to big moments of joy and love, special moments of connection,” Gentile said. “You may want to punch someone in the throat, but we need to focus on the power of love.

“Although there is no endpoint to this work, there are countless opportunities for creativity and joy,” he concluded. “We can be creative and all play with the Legos together. We can create a new world together.”

ADAMS RECEIVES NATIONAL DIVERSITY AWARD In April, Yvonne Adams, director of equity and inclusion, received the 2019 DiversityIS Leadership in Diversity Award. This award recognizes individuals at K-12 independent schools in the United States who have done exceptional work in encouraging and supporting the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students and employees.

“Most independent schools exist in a bubble,” Glasgow said. “But what is happening nationally now around race is seeping into schools. Racists are empowered to come to the surface and speak out.

“There’s a strong feeling among schools that their moral value is determined by whether or not they get this right,” he added. “There’s a pervasive

Since 1993, Adams has taught our school community to lean into discomfort and seek positive change, driven by a Radical Hope for a more equitable and inclusive world. Congratulations!

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Summer 2019

THE ARTof COMMUNITY The 2019 ISAS Arts Festival Upholding the longstanding tradition of celebrating students’ artistic endeavors and achievements, St. Stephen’s was honored to host the 52nd annual ISAS Arts Festival in April. The festival is a jewel in the crown of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. It has provided countless opportunities for students to perform, learn, share and grow their artistry for more than half a century.

Dedicated to visual art, music, dance, theatre, film and creative writing, the ISAS Arts Festival is designed to be a joyous celebration of the arts in all forms. This year’s festival brought together close to 4,000 students and faculty from 48 ISAS schools across the southwest. Our hope was for every participant to leave our campus with enriching new ideas and exciting experiences that they could take back to the studio or practice room, to their next lesson or class, to enhance their learning.

“Being able to experience a performance with hundreds of people from all over has been absolutely incredible,” said senior Griffin Foster. “The festival has given me a different perspective on how I interact with people, because it has given me the ability to embrace music and use that to create connections with others.”

“I knew students were going to leave this festival with extraordinary memories of friends that they met and special experiences they had with artists and their teachers,” said Head of School Chris Gunnin. “These are memories that will last a lifetime.”

— elizabeth hansing moon, fine arts department chair

After more than a year of planning and logistical coordination, the St. Stephen’s campus was transformed in amazing ways. We turned gyms into theatres and art exhibition spaces, classrooms into performance venues, monstrously large tents into dining areas and live music halls, and natural greenspaces into outdoor classrooms.

Finally, early in the morning of April 11, the first of almost 80 charter buses rumbled onto campus. And in an instant, the 2019 ISAS Arts Festival sprang to life. Every student performance and exhibited work of art was reviewed by professional artists, who provided students with thoughtful critiques and creative encouragement. And thanks to our own faculty’s connections, this year’s festival boasted nearly 150 special workshops and master classes in addition to scheduled performances and exhibitions.

For many students, the ISAS Arts Festival is a defining experience in their Upper School years. As students see the work of other students with shared interests and that of professional artists, they leave the festival with new inspiration and ideas, and the impetus to develop their own unique artistic voices. Regardless of the careers they choose, students’ lives are made richer, more interesting and more thrilling when they explore and develop their creativity.

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P H OTOS TOP TO BOTTOM: Natalie Kim rehearses with the orchestra; the music DJ workshop in action; RIGHT PAGE: Students wrapped up the first day with a silent disco party

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“Hosting this festival gave us an opportunity to welcome colleagues and students from across states into our community to celebrate the arts, to hold up these amazing students — CHRIS GUNNIN, HEAD OF SCHOOL and showcase their extraordinary talents.”

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Letting the Creatives Create Planning for the festival involved students at every opportunity, including creating a festival theme that was consistent with St. Stephen’s values and conveyed who we are as a school. Spartans who had attended previous festivals loved the sense of community that emerges each year during the event, when so many kids come together with a common purpose. From that idea, “The Art of Community” theme was born.

PHOTO S CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: An individual portfolio review; students painting the community mural, Band of Beasts, under the direction of alumnus Will Crosby ’05; the St. Stephen’s choir; a ceramics workshop; a view of the exhibit hall

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Summer 2019

Spartan Magazine

P H OTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: A film editing workshop; Fine Arts Chair Elizabeth Hansing Moon; festival coordinators Joan Swartz, Natalie Kuo ’12 and Robert Whyburn; Spartan dancers

BY THE NUMBERS

3,400

Student Artists

400 Teachers

Three Times

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St. Stephen’s Has Hosted

ISAS Schools

FIVE STATES

200 Guest Artists

Innumerable Moments of Joy!

The Wizards of Oz St. Stephen’s fine arts faculty began preparing for the 2019 ISAS Arts Festival last spring, more than a year before the event. Elizabeth Hansing Moon, chair of fine arts, has been the great and powerful force behind St. Stephen’s outstanding arts initiatives for more than 30 years, including the ISAS Arts Festival. She teamed up with the seemingly tireless Robert Whyburn, venue and logistics coordinator, and Natalie Kuo ’12. These three individuals were instrumental in organizing the nearly nonstop two-and-a-half-day festival. They were supported in their efforts by a cadre of faculty, staff and parent volunteers, without whom the festival would not have been as engaging or fun.

Special kudos go to Joan Swartz, parent volunteer coordinator, for her remarkable organizational skills and boundless energy.

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CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES Last October, during the school’s fall break, a number of students, faculty, trustees and alumni gathered for our first-ever Sustainability Summit at St. Stephen’s.

For many years, our students have shown great interest in sustainability. Campus-wide recycling, for instance, was initiated by students in the early 1990s well before there were any municipal programs to complement such efforts. Throughout the last 10 years, a student group called the Green Goblins has been one of the most active on campus, contributing significantly to educating the entire school community about environmental issues and taking actions to conserve school resources.

The inaugural Sustainability Summit held last fall represents one of the first significant milestones in our larger school community’s effort to acknowledge these student accomplishments, partner with other organizations in promoting sustainability and plan for a bright future of sustainability efforts at St. Stephen’s. In fact, Spark 2023, our five-year strategic plan, contains no fewer than six initiatives devoted to sustainability and conservation, including the school’s aspiration to become “a model of sustainability and environmental responsibility.”

The summit was opened with remarks by Spartan parent Marilu Hastings, vice president of sustainability operations at the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, an organization that has provided extraordinary support for environmental causes.

Hastings’ remarks were followed by a longer presentation by Jim Walker, director of sustainability at The University of Texas at Austin. His role requires not only a deep knowledge of the business of sustainability but also an understanding about how to inform and engage educational communities in sustainability. Walker has coordinated the work of many groups that have achieved something remarkable: All home football games at UT are now “zero waste” events, meaning no trash is sent to landfills! “Educating students for a more sustainable future involves the ‘marriage of critical thinking and moral ethics,’” Walker explained to conference participants. “Such education is one of the emerging differentiators in higher education: People want to see institutions seriously take on the challenges of the 21st century.”

Attendees also heard from Jay Banner, Ph.D., professor of geological sciences and director of the Environmental Science

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Institute at UT. Banner was a contributing author to the federal government’s recent “Fourth National Climate Assessment” and serves as founding director of Planet Texas 2050, an interdisciplinary project that connects scholars with policy makers to collaborate about ways to address the great challenges Texas faces in an era of increasing population and extreme weather.

“The massive drought of 2011 cost the state almost $8 billion in agricultural losses, led to the death of more than 300 million trees and created the conditions for the worst wildfire season in the state’s history,” he explained.

In the wake of this engaging summit, the school community has made notable progress in meeting the ambitious goals set out in Spark 2023. Students have continued to show great leadership in making Chapel presentations, participating in community events and taking on the daily work of composting thousands of pounds of food scraps from the dining hall. Faculty members from various departments have held more formal discussions about finding additional ways to teach sustainability, and a number of teachers are seeking and finding good professional development opportunities to inform these discussions with even greater knowledge.

The Heritage Institute of Sustainability will conduct an exhaustive sustainability audit for the school. The results of this audit should provide the critical information administrators need to make decisions about what kinds of resources will be needed to make the campus more sustainable in the very near future. We look forward to sharing more about this progress in the coming year!

— wallis goodman, dean of faculty

A Bright Idea.

Thanks to John Chovanetz, director of facilities and maintenance, St. Stephen’s has successfully reduced its carbon footprint and saved money. Chovanetz discovered a rebate program available through Austin Energy that covers 80 percent of the cost of converting existing inefficient light fixtures to LEDs, which typically use only 15 percent of the energy of older fixtures. Austin Energy has predicted that this single campus improvement will save enough electricity to power the equivalent of 40 homes for an entire year!

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Yosua A. Husodo ’12 (far left) with the Green Goblins

SUSTAINABILITY STEWARD VISITS THE HILL St. Stephen’s was thrilled to welcome one of our own back to campus this spring. Yosua A. Husodo ’12 visited on April 17 to speak with members of the school community about the urgent need for increased environmental awareness.

Husodo, who earned a B.A in environmental studies at Eckerd College, is working on a master’s degree in sustainability management at the University of Toronto Mississauga. His career goals meet at the intersection of environmental science and economics. “I want to help businesses rethink their operational decisions so they look at them through a wider lens, one that includes environmental, social and economic perspectives,” he explained.

Husodo kicked off his campus visit by meeting with the school’s Green Goblins environmental club. He spoke with students about a range of pressing sustainability issues, including the extreme damage done to the planet by plastic bags, product packaging and other consumer waste materials. He believes numerous sustainability issues are a direct result of human behavior, such as excessive shopping and a desire for convenience.

“There are little things people can do every day that could have a big impact on the environment,” he explained. “We all need to be more mindful of how our personal decisions affect the natural world.”

“First and foremost, focus on waste reduction,” he advised. “Take your own cups to coffee shops and your own bags to the grocery store. Pay attention to the packaging you inadvertently purchase along with your groceries. Rather than just grabbing 10 apples pre-bagged in plastic, consider buying from the bulk bin and only what you really need. This will help eliminate both environmental damage and food waste.”

“Also, think about your energy use at home―the number of lights you use and your thermostat settings,” he said. “Maybe you don’t need to keep your air conditioner set on 72 degrees; maybe you could be just as comfortable at 76 degrees.”

His final words of advice to the Spartan community? Nurture healthy relationships―those with the people around you and with the environment. “We are not here just to be good stewards of the environment while we continue to consume and extract our natural resources,” he said. “It is important for all of us to understand that human society is a part of nature, not the other way around.”

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SCHOOL SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS Planning for active-threat situations on campus has become an unfortunate necessity for schools and universities across the country. Even though St. Stephen’s hopes we never experience such an emergency, we have been training employees and students to be prepared. Throughout the academic year, we took several steps in our ongoing efforts to enhance campus safety for all members of our school community.

During spring term Cindy Stadulis, chief financial officer, and Donna Cowling, director of security, led a school-wide effort to implement Avoid, Deny, Defend (ADD) training. ADD is based on Texas State University’s Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Program, which has been deployed by law enforcement officers around the nation. It is an effective, easy-to-remember method for organizations and individuals to use.

School officials initially worked with representatives from the Austin Police Department, Austin Regional Intelligence Center and Westlake Fire Department to determine how outside agencies would respond to a threat on our campus. Next, students and employees learned about ADD through formal communications, presentations and Q&A sessions. Small-group discussions also were held for students and teachers to talk about various scenarios, including how they would respond to a threat using ADD techniques. Finally, the entire campus community participated in an emergency drill in March that lasted about an hour. After receiving emergency notification of threats in three different locations on campus, employees and students put their ADD training into action. A newly formed group of safety stewards assisted participants throughout the exercise.

The Safety Stewards Committee was established last fall to coordinate the school’s efforts to train, inform, prepare and respond to emergency situations on campus. Led by Stadulis, the committee comprises 30 individuals representing different campus constituencies. Individuals were appointed to the committee based on their expertise, strategic location on campus, professional responsibilities and ability to respond in an emergency situation.

The committee meets several times throughout the year to plan the

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school’s responses to various threats and review additional safety measures that could be implemented on campus.

Following the ADD drill in March, school officials evaluated feedback from participants and identified opportunities for improvement.

The goal of the school’s training this spring was to ensure that the campus community is prepared to respond effectively to active threats. However, the techniques are useful to anyone facing such a situation, and our students and employees are now equipped with valuable skills and knowledge they can use throughout their lives.

— david e. perryman, chief marketing and communications officer

How ADD Works When people are faced with an active threat, consider three possible courses of action: Avoid, Deny, Defend. Avoiding the threat is based on the premise that the more distance people can put between themselves and the threat, the better. It calls for people to have an exit plan before a threat arises, pay attention to their surroundings and move away from the threat as quickly as possible. If people are not able to avoid the threat, they can deny it by creating barriers between themselves and the threat. This can be accomplished by locking and barricading doors, turning off lights in rooms, hiding behind large objects and remaining quiet. Defend is the last course of action if the threat cannot be avoided or denied. This calls for people to be aggressive and committed to their actions to stop the threat and to do whatever it takes to survive.

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2019 COMMENCEMENT

“Graduates, this morning we gather in Chapel to honor the ways you have grown in your time as Spartans,” Head of School Chris Gunnin told the Class of 2019 and members of the school community at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School’s 69th Commencement Exercises on May 25.

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“Certainly you have left your mark on us,” he added. “In turn, when you head out into the broader world, you will take our love, our prayers, our deepest wishes for your success with you. The world needs St. Stephen’s graduates.”

P H OTOS TOP TO BOTTOM: James Wieland and Chiayenne Wolfe walk with their classmates to the Chapel; Wyatt Gill and Ariana Zarse

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G R A D UAT I O N

“As I have imagined this day together over the last few weeks, I have reflected often on our school prayer,” Gunnin said, adding that the phrase, “seeing our lives as a journey together” resonated deeply with him. “This prayer that we have offered together, shoulder-to-shoulder, hundreds of time in this sacred space has always defined our relationships, our connections, our experiences and our work as lifelong endeavors.

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English teacher Andy Aceves, who was selected by the senior class to address them during graduation, echoed that sentiment in his remarks. “There’s an injured world beyond these walls, my dear friends, but what I’ve learned from you, more than anything else, is that we can rescue it every day through nothing more than our actions and our intentions,” he said.

Aceves sought to dispel any belief the seniors might have about him being a “wise mentor,” brimming with sage advice. “What could I hope to teach you about working hard or making an impact in your community that you have not already demonstrated all around The Hill and in this very Chapel?” he asked. “The most constructive use of these final moments I get with you is not to give you advice about the type of people you should strive to be after you collect your diplomas, but rather to give you license to trust in the type of people you already are.

“You can be anything you want in this life, if you work hard and believe in yourself,” Aceves said. “You can be kind and brave, strong and sensible. You can be a good neighbor or friend or classmate, father, mother, brother, sister. You can be the hardest working person in every room you enter, the first person to speak out against an injustice you see in the world around you, or the last person standing up for something or someone precious and defenseless.

“If your motivation comes from within, if it is rooted in the wisdom and passion and kindness you brought to this campus every day, then there will be no such thing as a wrong turn on the path you follow,” he concluded.

Following Aceves’ remarks, which were exuberantly received by tearful graduates, the ceremony proceeded with the presentation of major awards and diplomas. Jacob Hale then took the podium to present the senior speech. A long-standing tradition, the senior speaker is chosen by the outgoing class to summarize their collective campus experience.

Hale told his fellow classmates that their class legacy could be summarized in one word: heart. “We treat each other with love and compassion,” he said. “When one person is down, there are several right behind ’em to lift ’em back up. The kindness displayed throughout the class, even between people who otherwise have little in common, is unparalleled … because we live with passion.

“This characteristic is more than a legacy we leave behind on The Hill,” he added. “Rather, it is something we will carry for the rest of our lives.”

Following Hale’s speech, the ceremony closed with a recitation of the school prayer and the benediction, led by the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Congratulations, graduates!

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P H OTOS TOP TO BOTTOM: Gabri Walker, Katie Hale, Riley Bray and Julia Hashman; Jesus Perez, Ryan Turner and Ford Martin; English instructor Andy Aceves addressing the graduates

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P H OTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Zach Taylor; Omar Diaz Miron Olloqui; a special graduation moment; Ellie Lack, Pria Gokhale and Sophie Tan

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Medals and Honors The Bishop John E. Hines Medal was named after the Rt. Rev. John Hines, founder of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, who was a man of extraordinary vision and bold action. The Bishop Hines Medal is awarded to the member of the senior class who maintained the highest academic standing throughout their junior and senior years. The 2019 Bishop Hines Medal was presented to Jordan Cobb.

Named for the school’s first headmaster, The William Brewster Medal was established in 1960 by the St. Stephen’s faculty to recognize a member of the senior class who has made the greatest total contribution to the life of the school. The recipient is an engaged and talented student—strong across all disciplines and genuinely interested in “the life of the mind.”

The 2019 Brewster Medal was presented to Jacob Hale.

The Dobbie Leverton Fenton Medal is awarded annually to a member of the senior class who promotes the values of social justice. This year’s Dobbie Leverton Fenton Medal was awarded to Riley Nichols.

The Velberta Asher Towner Award was named for a longtime member of the St. Stephen’s faculty and former chair of the fine arts department. This award is presented to a student who has excelled in the performing arts. The 2019 Towner Award was presented to Brooke Silverstein.

The Don Cunningham Memorial Awards are presented to a female and male senior who have lettered in three sports in their senior year and have demonstrated outstanding talent, leadership, dedication and sportsmanship. This year’s Cunningham Awards were presented to Travis Dowd and Riley Nichols.

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P H OTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Jordan Cobb with Bishop Andy Doyle; Senior speaker Jacob Hale; Clay Nichols, Riley Nichols and Academic Dean Kim Garey; Brooke Silverstein with Elizabeth Hansing Moon, fine arts department chair

Spartan Magazine

Diplomas with Honors Lara Bell Ella Benjamin Emiliano Bonilla Emma Breckwoldt Crayton Carrozza Philip Chang Veer Chauhan Cathy Chen Callie Cho Oscar Chu Sirah Diallo Nina Duan Will Dure Aidan Ellis Wyatt Gill Jacob Hale Katie Hale Kristen Hanks Kailey Hicks Hoshi Hu Ian Hutchison Greta Kastner Ellie Lack Josh Lafair Ford Martin Ben McCord Ben McHorse Síofra Murdoch McKenna Potter Caroline Ratliff Elizabeth Rowe Ben Sabra Amitai Sachs-Bernstein Lavanya Sankaran Katya Shmorhun Brooke Silverstein Haley Stilp Sophie Tan Ingrid Villarreal Gabri Walker Tyler Wong Ari Zarse

David Allen Lauren Aung Veer Chauhan Philip Chang Cathy Chen Jordan Cobb Audrey Czuchna Sirah Diallo Travis Dowd Nina Duan Julia Hashman Kailey Hicks Hoshi Hu Josh Lafair Ben McCord James Mohn Medy Mu Síofra Murdoch Elizabeth Rowe Lucy Schmidt Brooke Silverstein Ingrid Villarreal

The Catherine Elliott Montgomery Prize is awarded by a committee of teachers to a member of the senior class whose creativity, character and scholarship give promise of a contribution in history or the social sciences. The 2019 Montgomery Prize was awarded to James Mohn.

The Jan Hines Senior Leadership Award is presented to those students who have made positive contributions to our school and worked tirelessly to make our community a better place.

This year’s award was presented to David Allen, Sirah Diallo, James Mohn, Medy Mu and Mary Orms.

Spiritual Leadership Award Jacob Hale

Service Learning Distinction

Aidan Ellis, Pria Gokhale, Mia Metni, Ingrid Villarreal, Gabri Walker

Equity and Inclusion Leadership and Service Award Camila Arroyo Sirah Diallo Riley Nichols Chiayenne Wolfe

Haiti Service Award Lucy Schmidt

DCWP Award Ben McCord

International Student of the Year Sirah Diallo

National Chinese Honor Society Noah George McKenna Potter

Classical Languages National Exams Lauren Aung Greta Kastner James Mohn

Mathematics Awards Jordan Cobb Oscar Chu

Proctor Medals Amanda Bratton Eric Chou Eduardo De Leon Sirah Diallo Cecilia Fields Tom Guan Madison Meyer Omar Diaz Miron Olloqui Mary Orms Jesus Perez Marco Saucedo Chiayenne Wolfe Barry Xue Laura Zhu P H OTOS TOP TO BOTTOM: Lavanya Sankaran and Elizabeth Rowe; Wyatt Smith and Leon Yu

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G R A D UAT I O N

David Allen Lauren Aung Jordan Cobb Audrey Czuchna Travis Dowd Julia Hashman James Mohn Medy Mu Lucy Schmidt

Cum Laude Society

UPPER SCHOOL

Diplomas with High Honors

UP P E R SCHOOL GRADUATIO N

Summer 2019

Senior Book Prizes English 12 Katya Shmorhun Chinese 6 McKenna Potter French 4 Sirah Diallo Spanish 7 Sofia Otero Spanish 8 Jacob Hale Advanced European History Jordan Cobb Calculus AB Lauren Aung Multivariable Analysis James Mohn Music Theory Hoshi Hu Statistics and Selected Topics Sirah Diallo Advanced Statistics Travis Dowd Engineering Eduardo De Leon Advanced Latin 5 James Mohn Theology Tom Guan Advanced Physics Will Dure Advanced Biology II Travis Dowd Advanced Art Riley Bray Advanced Art History Katya Shmorhun Astrophysics Audrey Czuchna Geology Callie Cho and Kailey Hicks

P H OTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Kailey Hicks, Emma Breckwoldt, Camila Arroyo and English instructor Ben Hines; Amitai Sachs-Bernstein; Sirah Diallo and Vanessa Diaz lead the procession

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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

Spartan Magazine

Fine Arts Awards The Rev. Charles Abram and Virginia Sumners Music Award is presented annually to a member of the senior class who has made the greatest overall contribution to music at the school. The 2019 Sumners Music Award recipient was Laura Zhu. The Anne Dewey Guerin Award is awarded each year to the member of the senior class who has made the greatest contribution to the theatre program. This year’s Anne Dewey Guerin award was presented to Ella Benjamin.

The RISD Book Award is presented to a senior with outstanding achievement in the visual arts who exemplifies the creative spirit and a strong commitment to the study of art. This year’s recipient was Jasmine Zhang.

PH OTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Nina Duan with Bishop Andy Doyle; Tyler Wong, Art Kumthongdee, Noah George and Tom Guan; Ella Benjamin; Aidan Ellis with Margaret Butler

UPPER SCHOOL

Choral Student Aidan Ellis Saxophone Players Thomas Kong and Tyler Wong Soloist for Global Orchestra James Mohn Leader for Global Orchestra Brooke Silverstein Global Orchestra Team Members David Allen and Veer Chauhan Chamber Ensemble Duo Nina Duan and Laura Zhu Guitar Ensemble Member Lee Trahan Applied Arts Gracie Salomon Graphic Design Lavanya Sankaran Ceramics McKenna Potter Darkroom Photography Cecilia Fields Digital Imaging Kailey Hicks Theatre Focus Ella Benjamin and Cecilia Fields Theatre Technician Cecilia Fields Dance Performer Brooke Silverstein Choreographer Sofia Otero Spartan Film Aidan Ellis

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G R A D UAT I O N

Awards of Excellence

UP P E R SCHOOL GRADUATIO N

Summer 2019

Athletics Awards The David Paschall Award was created to recognize and honor outstanding accomplishments of students in academics and athletics. To be eligible for the award, a student must earn a varsity letter during each term and maintain honor roll status during the fall and winter terms. The 2019 award recipients were Emma Breckwoldt, Callie Cho, Travis Dowd, Josh Lafair, Ben McHorse, Síofra Murdoch, Riley Nichols, Margaret Savage and Lucy Schmidt.

The Athletic Leadership Award is presented each year to a male and a female studentathlete who have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities throughout Upper School. The 2019 Athletic Leadership Award was presented to Crayton Carrozza and Caroline Ratliff.

All SPC Award Winners Boys Cross Country David Allen, Phillip Chang and Travis Dowd Field Hockey Callie Cho, Síofra Murdoch and Riley Nichols Girls Volleyball Jenna Rogge Boys Basketball Zach Taylor Girls Basketball Kailey Hicks Boys Soccer Bryan Rangel Girls Soccer Madison Meyer and Margaret Savage Boys Swimming Ben McCord Girls Lacrosse Riley Nichols and Caroline Ratliff Boys Track and Field David Allen, Phillip Chang and Travis Dowd Boys Tennis Griffin Foster and Josh Lafair

P H OTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Lucy Schmidt and Chloe Lawrence; Travis Dowd, Crayton Carrozza and Philip Chang; Bryan Rangel

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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

Spartan Magazine

Faculty and Staff Recognition At the end of the academic year, awards of excellence were made to the following stand-out members of the St. Stephen’s faculty and staff: Jim Woodruff, theology department chair, and Rick Pearson, science instructor, each were awarded the Dean H. Towner Master Teaching Chair.

Mathematics Instructor David Hailey received the Upper School Teacher Excellence Award.

Classics Department Chair John Rocklin received the Middle School Teacher Excellence Award.

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UPPER SCHOOL

P H OTOS TOP: Faculty Excellence Award-winner John Rocklin with Head of School Chris Gunnin and Melissa Rubin, 2018–19 PA president; BOTTOM: Staff Excellence Award-winner Frank Hernandez

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G R A D UAT I O N

Frank Hernandez, a member of the housekeeping staff, received the Staff Excellence Award.

MI DDL E SCHOOL CLOSI NG C E R E M O NY

Summer 2019

MIDDLE SCHOOL closing ceremony On the morning of May 31, the Middle School held its Closing Ceremony to honor graduating eighth grade students and recognize accomplishments of students in all grades. During the program, Middle School Head Magnus Maccow presented a number of special academic, artistic, athletic and community leadership awards, including the following: The Academic Hall of Fame Award is presented each year to the students who achieved High Honor Roll status every term for three years of Middle School. This year’s award was presented to Crawford Arnow and Devin McDonald.

Crawford Arnow (8th grade), Zach Geller (7th grade) and Audrey Wan (6th grade) were recognized for outstanding scholarship for achieving Highest Academic Standing in Their Class.

Named for the first head of Middle School, The Pricilla Foster Award recognizes an inspiring student leader with a can-do spirit and desire to help others. Aidan Stewart was awarded the 2019 Pricilla Foster Award.

Makailynn Garcia (7th grade) and Josie Mullan (6th grade) were recognized for reflecting the highest traditions and core values of our school with the Citizenship Award.

The Linda Douglass Spirit of Hope Award recognizes a student leader who exemplifies what it means to make a difference in the St. Stephen’s community and beyond. Lily Brainard received the 2019 Spirit of Hope Award.

PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Crawford Arnow; Shaina Schechter, Eliza Cho and Ella Eggleston; Audrey Wan with Middle School Dean Eileen Wilson; Lily Brainard with Head of School Chris Gunnin; Devin McDonald with Dean Eileen Wilson

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

P H OTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Byars Langdon, Anna Kavanagh, Priya Jhaveri and Mia Jackson; Judith van Dusen, Daniel Wilschetz and Lauren Williamson; Blair Peng and Alex Park; Zach Geller with Middle School Head Magnus Maccow

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Spartan Magazine

SPARTAN LIFE

Summer 2019

SPARTAN Life

EVENTS CLUBS CULTURE CELEBRATIONS AWARDS TALENT SPORTS HOLIDAYS ACHIEVEMENTS SUCCESS

Retiring Teachers Bid Farewell DAVID HAILEY, MATH INSTRUCTOR

MARK KAZANOFF, PH.D., MUSIC INSTRUCTOR I arrived at St. Stephen’s in the fall of 2002, looking for new challenges in my career. I had always admired the school and loved the beautiful campus. It was an exciting opportunity.

During my time here I have taught math, reestablished the math contests TXML and Mandelbrot, worked with Breakthrough Program students, sponsored debate and chess teams, served on the discipline committee, and coached girls’ golf, as well as boys’ and girls’ soccer. I am particularly proud of my Chapel talks, which grew into an annual affair.

I have most enjoyed my relationships with students through the years. The advisory system, assigned lunch tables, being able to coach as well as teach, and simply the general sense of community on campus have given me the opportunity to connect with students both inside and outside of the classroom. Some of my strongest connections have been with students I never had in my math classroom; this is an extraordinary facet of the St. Stephen’s community. I will miss the people, but also the trees.

I love The Hill.

It is difficult to know if my leaving is, in fact, retirement. I definitely want to take some time to consider what is next for me. I may be through teaching, but maybe not. Much like when I came to this school, I am in search of new challenges. When I do officially retire, I will hopefully relocate to a place of natural beauty with a leisurely pace, probably the high desert of West Texas or Santa Fe.

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I started at St. Stephen’s as a part-time teacher in 1996, giving a few saxophone lessons each rotation. Three years later, I started teaching full time, adding music theory classes and saxophone lessons. By 2001, we had started the Upper School jazz band, which I directed. Middle School jazz band and jazz combo soon followed. I have run the Music Lab since its inception. Additionally, I have taught music history, social science seminars and a class in American Soul. Of course, I also have been an advisor and taught independent study courses in music.

My original intention was to work at a college or university, but I did not want to move away from Austin. When the position at St. Stephen’s came up, it seemed like a great way to get into teaching.

I will miss the liveliness and excitement of the students, their creativity and passion, as well as working with student musicians to create a beautiful concert of jazz music. Even if a student graduates and never touches an instrument again, I believe their exposure to jazz and the experience of us playing music together will have changed their life for the better. The occasional collaborations I have had with other faculty members for dance, theatre and Chapel programs also have been rewarding.

For the last 20 years, I pretty much have held two full-time jobs: teaching and my music career. I am looking forward to having only one job! It will be easier for me to travel a bit more with my music friends, as well as write and practice.

Spartan Magazine

A Deep Dive into the Writer’s Mind What do jellyfish, Texas cattle drivers and pie-baking hockey players have in common? They were all subjects discussed by our guest writers during this year’s Literary Festival!

Our students also connected virtually with several influential writers unable to visit campus in person. Poet Matthew Zapruder, blogger Ana Marie Cox and journalist Amy Chozick shared their knowledge with eager audiences.

On January 16, a talented group of novelists, journalists, poets, songwriters and filmmakers from Texas and beyond gathered on our campus for the school’s biennial Literary Festival, when we celebrate the craft of writing in all its forms. The following highlights provide a glimpse into this exciting event.

Several seniors helped introduce authors and facilitated conversations.

Jacob Hale moderated sessions with noted presidential historian and chief executive officer of the LBJ Library and Museum, Mark Updegrove. James Mohn moderated sessions for Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright, who encouraged students to approach journalism from the standpoint of a storyteller. Chiayenne Wolfe welcomed journalist Chris Hooks ’08 back to campus. When asked about his time on The Hill, Hooks said St. Stephen’s gave him “curiosity about the world and a real hunger to experience it.”

Science writer Juli Berwald discussed her book, “Spineless,” an exploration of the interconnectivity between jellyfish and the health of our planet’s oceans. Nate Blakeslee, whose recent work also focuses on the environment and nature, presented his book, “American Wolf,” which details the struggle to maintain balance between wildlife and land owners near Yellowstone National Park.

Singer-songwriter Bruce Robison took center stage in the Black Box theater, delighting students with personal reflections about his music career in Austin. Ngozi Ukazu discussed the process of crowdfunding her successful graphic novel, “Check, Please!,” a coming-of-age story that explores gender identity in hockey. On the big screen in the Helm, filmmaker and UT Professor Stephen Mims presented clips from his documentary, “Run Like the Devil,” which chronicles the senate race between Beto O’Rourke and Ted Cruz.

In the Middle School, aspiring creative writers attended workshops facilitated by Austin Bat Cave writers Sheenika Medard and Tina Lentz-McMillan. Young Adult author Cory Oakes led interactive story development exercises that featured zombie cows, drag queens and even Marie Kondo!

In a special program for parents, legendary screenwriter and photographer Bill Wittliff joined in a lively discussion with festival co-chair Evan Smith, chief executive officer of The Texas Tribune. Wittliff regaled the audience with tales about writing the adaptation of “Lonesome Dove,” traveling across Texas with Willie Nelson and maintaining creative control of his works.

Special thanks go to Smith and co-chair Melinda Young, who worked closely with library staff to select engaging authors for the festival. We are also deeply indebted to the parent volunteers and faculty and staff who served as author chaperones and session proctors. The festival proved to be a lively celebration of all things literary!

— michelle andrews, librarian PHOTO (left to right) front row: Leticia Urieta, Brittani Sonnenberg, Sheenika Medard, Cary Oakes, Ngozi Ukazu, Nate Blakeslee; second row: Evan Smith, Lawrence Wright, Mark Updegrove, Juli Berwald, Aliyya Swaby, Chris Hooks ’08; third row: Leila Sales, Tina LentzMcMillan, Cedric Golden, Bruce Robison; back row: Kathryn Ormsbee, Charlotte Moore, Bill Wittliff

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SPARTAN LIFE

Summer 2019

St. Stephen’s Welcomes Costa Rican Exchange Students In January St. Stephen’s welcomed five exchange students from Gredos San Diego (GSD), an international educational cooperative based in Spain. The GSD students, all of whom were on a four-week break from their school in San Jose, Costa Rica, chose to use their time off to enhance their language skills and immerse themselves in campus life.

Throughout their month-long stay, these honorary Spartans attended classes alongside 9th and 10th grade students and lived with St. Stephen’s families. The GSD students also were well supported on campus by International Advisor Adriana Redmond and other members of the school’s International Program Office. A number of Upper School students volunteered to serve as mentors as well. They met up with the Costa Rican students throughout the day to answer questions and provide a friendly face on The Hill.

Sarah Todd, International Program director, partnered with GSD on the initiative. GSD schools are secular and envision fostering tolerance and freedom of thought while instilling educational values based on respect for human dignity and the promotion of research and discovery in the humanities and sciences. “Their mission resonated with me and parallels with our own,” Todd said.

“During their stay, the Costa Rican students carried a full course load, attended advisory and participated in after-school activities,” Todd noted.

“All the students are bilingual [English and Spanish], and several study Mandarin Chinese at their school in San Jose. We hope to continue this project in the years to come in both Costa Rica and Spain, as well as other parts of the world.”

“We wanted to immerse these students in a true American experience,” said Redmond, who oversaw their daily schedules and served as a campus touchstone throughout their stay. “In addition to participating in the school’s Literary Festival and MLK Day march, they practiced with sports teams, helped out with community service and attended the winter formal.

One student even auditioned for the Modern Voices concert.

Participating students included Alfonso Bolivar, Sarah Bonilla, Paola Gutierrez, Aurora Morice and Andres Pazos. They were accompanied during portions of their St. Stephen’s visit by Ana Gutierrez, a teacher from their school.

Sophomore exchange student Aurora Morice said she willingly gave up part of her vacation to experience student life at St. Stephen’s. “This was one of those opportunities that doesn’t show up very often, and I wanted to make the most of my time in high school to experience new things,” she said.

“My favorite part was making friends, going to so many interesting classes, getting to dance around, munching on countless snacks and trying to keep up while singing hymns in Chapel.

“And, of course, there’s the food,” she added. “I mean y’all have a freakin’ waffle maker and an ice cream machine, and that to me is enough of a good reason to be in this school. Lunch time was never disappointing.”

Awesome treats aside, Redmond said the collaboration between GSD and St. Stephen’s provided a great learning and living experience for everyone involved. She believes St. Stephen’s students and our host families gained as much from the experience as the travelers. “Their visit helped expand our own students’ understanding of what it means to be part of a global community,” she said. “The program helped make the world a little smaller and closer for everyone involved.”

PHOTO (left to right) Costa Rican Exchange students Paola Gutierrez, Aurora Morice, Sarah Bonilla, Andres Pazos and Alfonso Bolivar

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Spartan Magazine

Emmie Casey Builds Bots!

From my first visit, I was determined to go to St. Stephen’s. The campus is beautiful and the students were welcoming, but I was really looking forward to the challenge. I really like all of our teachers. I feel like they are open to you as an individual. I feel that everyone in the school community is open to diversity and treats others with compassion. I love my group of friends; I feel that we all have each other’s backs and are willing to support each other, both academically and socially.

to the school’s makerspace [Project Idea and Realization Lab] during study halls. Spring term I worked with senior Jenna Rogge to make prosthetic arms for people who were either born without a limb or are an amputee.

I’m interested in studying engineering in college. I don’t know what kind yet but biomedical and aerospace, along with mechanical and electrical, are on my mind.

— emmie casey, class of 2023

I have been interested in engineering for a long time. When I was younger, one of my babysitters was a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering.

We would make things together. She really inspired me to try engineering.

For the Invention Convention two years ago, I created the SmartLocker 2023, a school locker that unlocks with your thumbprint. It won the Best Technological Breakthrough Invention award.

I became involved in robotics in seventh grade, when science teacher Troy Lanier made an announcement at lunch about the Middle School robotics club. I had no idea what we were going to be doing. At my old school, there was a robotics team that did competitions, and I had always been interested in trying it out.

Last year, we started off the club by making light-up Halloween skull pins.

We took a pre-made circuit board that was shaped to resemble a Dia de los Muertos skull, and soldered light bulbs where the eyes were.

Then we moved onto making spiderbots, which has been the most interesting project I’ve worked on. Each student got two spiderbot kits that had two sets of legs with a motor in the middle to connect them. After we assembled that, we were able to modify it ourselves and individualize the project. We then added infrared sensors and used Arduino circuit boards and, with a little coding, had self-driving spiderbots! At the end of the year, we even had a race!

This year, we finished several projects, including talking Halloween skulls and “useless machines”―laser-cut boxes with a motor and gear box that is configured to flip switches on and off. I am also looking forward to hacking a Barbie car―one big enough for a child to sit in―to make it self-driving.

I love being in robotics club and hanging out with people who have similar interests as me. We get to make things and learn about robots and coding.

Last year I won the Domo Arigato Award in Robotics at the end of the year.

It was a surprise, and I was very excited.

In addition to robotics, I enjoy playing field hockey and golf, singing in choir and playing piano, and studying Chinese. I am also in Newspaper Club and president of Middle School Student Government. I enjoy being able to go

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SPARTAN LIFE

Summer 2019

Field Hockey Honors This spring Chelsea Richards, field hockey program director, was named Texas Field Hockey Coach of the Year by MAXfieldhockey.com, a leading online community for high school and college field hockey players and fans. Richards was selected after leading the Spartans to a program-best third-place finish in the Southwest Preparatory Conference last fall.

Richards also was one of six coaches selected to lead a team at the USA Field Hockey AAU-Junior Olympic Games last summer. Her squad earned a gold medal at the tournament.

A day after Richards was named Texas Field Hockey Coach of the Year, our school received word that nine members of the field hockey team had earned a place on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association National High School Academic Squad. Honored students included Callie Cho, Kate Goodman, Aubrey Johnson, Lizzy Jones, Ellie Lack, Síofra Murdoch, Riley Nichols, Caroline Ratliff and Margaret Savage.

“I think it speaks volumes of these student-athletes that they can train at a high level on the field and also perform at a high level in the classroom,” Richards said of her Spartan players. “It’s not easy to maintain high grades, and I’m proud to have such a well-rounded group of young women in our program.”

PHOTO TOP: Spartan Field Hockey players; BOTTOM: (left to right) Crayton Carrozza, Riley Bray, Travis Dowd, Chris Mabley, Callie Cho, SÍofra Murdoch, Riley Nichols, Elizabeth Rowe

Spartans Sign to Play Sports in College On February 6, St. Stephen’s celebrated National Signing Day with a special ceremony in the school Chapel honoring the eight members of the Class of 2019 who signed letters of intent to play Division I and III sports in college. Each student was introduced by Jon McCain, director of athletics, before being joined by their parents and special guests for the signing. The St. Stephen’s community is proud of these outstanding student-athletes. Go, Spartans!

Riley Bray | crew at Tufts University Crayton Carrozza | cross country/track at The University of Texas at Austin Callie Cho | field hockey at Swarthmore College Travis Dowd | cross country/track at Rice University Chris Mabley | football at Washington University SÍofra Murdoch | field hockey at Harvard University Riley Nichols | field hockey at Trinity College Elizabeth Rowe | crew at Wesleyan University

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Spartan Magazine

Thank You for a Record-Breaking Annual Fund As the 2018‒19 Annual Fund wrapped up, I found myself humbled and deeply appreciative of our community’s generosity. Our incredible team of class captains and parent callers, who willingly gave their time last fall, contributed to a highly successful campaign. St. Stephen’s parents made meaningful gifts, enabling us to exceed our financial goals. In addition, Spartan alumni, grandparents, faculty and staff were instrumental in enabling us to achieve our highest singleyear total in Annual Fund history. The results truly reflect a shared commitment in supporting the numerous programs that make St. Stephen’s exceptional every day.

Louie and I feel so fortunate to be part of this school community, and we are thankful for the many dedicated people who have personally contributed to our daughters’ individual growth and development.

We support the Annual Fund each year not only in recognition of the inspirational teachers, coaches and staff who are the core of the St. Stephen’s experience, but also for the beautiful campus and many amenities we all appreciate. Giving to the Annual Fund ensures all students can continue to benefit in this wonderfully unique environment on a hill. Thank you for your support.

— suzanne danuser, annual fund parent chair, 2018‒19

Spring Swing: The Night Before St. Stephen’s 15th annual Spring Swing, hosted by the Parents’ Association (PA), was held on February 23 at Eberly. This was the first time the fundraising event was held off campus, and the move was well received. Titled “The Night Before,” the timing of the event coincided with the Academy Awards, which were held the following evening. In keeping with the theme, David Wolfson and Lauren Sheppard created hilarious parody movies to promote each of the 12 faculty packages offered in the silent auction.

The live auction package, featuring an opportunity to attend the 2020 Grammy Awards as an industry insider, boasted lively bidding. This was followed by the “paddles up” portion of the event, which supported this year’s Make It Happen project, a complete renovation of the Crossroads, located on the lower level of Becker Library. By the end of the night, participants raised more than $100,000 to remodel the heavily trafficked student study area.

As attendees closed out the evening, they received deluxe gift bags filled with goodies from a number of popular Austin businesses, including High Brew Coffee, Austin Eastciders and Primizie. Spring Swing sponsor Lyft provided complimentary transportation for sponsors and their guests.

PHOTO (left to right) Suzanne, Emily ’17, Rose ’21 and Louie Danuser

Spring Swing 2019 was co-chaired by Christine Messina and Elizabeth Smith. Sandra Brown served as volunteer coordinator. In addition, a number of parent volunteers and faculty members helped ensure the success of the event, which helps supports the PA and the school’s operating budget.

— christine messina, spring swing co-chair, 2018‒19

PHOTO (left to right) Spring Swing Volunteer Coordinator Sandra Brown, incoming PA President Annie Wilkerson, Spring Swing Co-Chair Elizabeth Smith, outgoing PA President Melissa Rubin, Make It Happen Chair Melinda Young and Spring Swing CoChair Christine Messina

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SPARTAN LIFE

Summer 2019

Grand Day Delights The St. Stephen’s campus springs to life every year with the arrival of the bluebonnets, but it never fully blooms until Grand Day. Students eagerly await the arrival of their grandparents and special family friends for this annual capstone event, excited to take them along to morning classes, Chapel service and lunch in the dining hall. Thank you for visiting campus and sharing in the St. Stephen’s experience with your Spartans!

PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Luke West and Patricia White; Gene Phillips, Trey Phillips and Elsa Phillips; Garrett Nalle, Carolyn Fricke, Caroline Nalle and Karen Fricke Nalle ’88; Manuel Pena, Isabella Bauer and Mary Pena; Nellie Lou Slagle and Ray Swartz

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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

Spartan Magazine

PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Annual Fund Grandparent Co-Chair Pat Medors with Chad Medors, Mia Gonzalez, America Gonzalez and Israel Gonzalez; Mitch Nichnowitz and Charlie Poses; Gloria Traylor and Kendall Dowd; Rose Ulmer, Mikaila Ulmer and Thomas Ulmer

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ALUMN I N EWS

CRACKERS

Summer 2019

B MILK TOUR

In honor of our early graduates from the classes of 1951 to 1980 and with a nod to St. Stephen’s beloved founders, we have embarked on a “Crackers and Milk” tour to reconnect with early alumni and longtime friends of the school. Our first stop? Austin, of course!

In late February, Austin-area alumni gathered at the Inn at Jennifer’s Gardens to reminisce with classmates and share school legends of the past.

As a special treat, a few were asked to share reflections on old Austin and highlights of their St. Stephen’s experience.

The Crackers and Milk event was the brainchild of Director of Planned Giving Melody Harman, who co-hosted the event with Fred Meyers ’71, who owns the inn with his spouse, Jennifer Meyers. “Since joining the St. Stephen’s staff, I have been drawn to stories about the pioneering years of the school and alumni’s favorite old traditions like serving crackers and milk every night before lights out,” Harman said.

After seeing how much fun our alumni had at the Austin Crackers and Milk event, Harman began making plans for the next few tour stops. In June she visited with alumni in Washington, D.C., and she plans to meet with other early graduates in Houston, Dallas, Corpus Christi and San Antonio soon.

Check your mailboxes for invitations to these upcoming regional events!

Christine Aubrey, associate head of school for advancement, kicked off the festivities with a warm welcome to our early alumni. “We work to carry on the strong values and traditions established by our founders and pioneering students, such as sit-down lunch and gathering the boarding community for a snack before bed,” she said.

Guest speakers included Hank Ewert ’70 and Jane Dryden Louis ’69, who remembered when Austin was one of the cheapest places in the area to live. “A gallon of gas cost 35 cents, a six-pack of beer cost 99 cents and you could buy a nice house for $15,000,” Ewert said.

“Back then, it cost less than $1,000 to be a boarder at the school,” Louis added. “I’ve never been able to tell another person about St. Stephen’s and have them ‘get’ it. The people I shared my experiences with are like family to me; the school has always been my home.”

Christine Aubrey, Hank Ewert ’70, Jane Dryden Louis ’69, Fred Myers ’71 and Melody Harman

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Claire McKay ’71, retired athletic program director David Paschall, Hank Ewert ’70 and retired history teacher Laura Camp

Spartan Magazine

PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: In keeping with school tradition, early Spartans were served a snack of crackers and milk; Christopher Edmonds ’71 and Conrad Derdeyn ’52; Spartans share stories of the early days at St. Stephen’s

One of the more poignant memories shared by alumni was of the “love in” held in the spring of 1969, when a group of students went from classroom to classroom, sharing messages of love and acceptance and hugging each other. “This feeling of love just swept across campus,” explained Kathryn Miller Anderson ’71, who said the impromptu event ended with everyone laughing together in the school swimming pool.

Gwin Steph ’71, Kathryn Miller Anderson ’71 and Ellen Jockusch ’70; When pressed, Ellen Jockusch ’70 finally came clean about her contraband dorm cat, Wooden

Perhaps the most hilarious story was shared by Jeannette Cook ’58, who reminisced about her favorite practical joke: “I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and heard this weird grunt outside the stall. When I opened the door, I came face to face with a wild baby hog,” she said of the feral hog left in the girls’ bathroom by a group of boys. “Obviously, it was all very primitive back then.”

Jeannette Cook ’58 (far left)

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ALUMNI N EWS

Summer 2019

Class Notes 1951 WILL BREWSTER

brewsterwilliam34@gmail.com

1952 FRED HELDENFELS

golf, croquet and pickle ball players. They are members of Church of the Good Shepherd in North Carolina, where Bishop Hines and his wife, Helen, are buried next to Hines Hall. They also just returned from a tour of Egypt, which was led by a world-renowned Egyptologist and archeologist. He asks that classmates email him at taberco@gmail.com if they want to get in touch.

fheldenfels@gmail.com

1953 E D NA N O E L H E L D E N F E L S

fheldenfels@gmail.com

1954 MIKE HINES

poppyhines@msn.com

Bob Turpin has yet to retire and is still working in real estate. He wishes he could still coach baseball, because Coach Foster, who was also his favorite teacher at St. Stephen’s and longtime friend, taught him a lot, both in the classroom and on the field. His children and grandchildren are doing well. He also stays active, which he counts as a blessing.

1958 J. P. B RYA N

1955 COLIN PHIPPS

colin@phippsfarm.com

Bartel Morgan and wife Beverly now live in a twobedroom cottage in a senior community in northwest Houston after downsizing and selling their house. Their 2-year-old great-grandsons have a new baby sister.

When the weather gets better, they hope to visit them all in New Jersey.

BryanJ@teai.com OR andrea@thebryanmuseum.com

Henry V. Campbell III reported that after 24 years he achieved knighthood in the Order of Saint John at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. In January his son, William, was ordained into the priesthood in Corpus and welcomed his first baby on Easter.

1960 PAT FAT T E R B L A C K

ggpat77@gmail.com

Linda Bulloch shared that St. Stephen’s was where she experienced an important apprentice version of her creative writing and journalism career. Not only were the faculty, notably Dr. Becker and Mr. Melcher, outstanding teachers, but the experience of serving as editor of the Spartan newspaper prepared her for her life’s work.

Today, in retirement, she continues to write and edit other writers’ works, as well as teach a creative writing class through the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Nancy Hopwood wrote that last fall she attended her 50th medical school reunion at UTMB in Galveston.

“Great turn out. I am fully retired (active emerita) from the University of Michigan. Still traveling and photographing.”

Dallas Baxter has been editing the second edition of the Big Bend Gardener’s Guide, a publication of the Big Bend chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas. “With 20,000 square miles and 20,000 people, no one can afford to write a gardening guide just for us ― so we did. The first edition was paper, this one is online as of May 1.”

1956 ELLEN MCCORQUODALE MARTIN

ellen@mccorquodale.net

Anne Pratt reported that her life has been different for a long time. Her husband, Peter Pratt, passed away from Huntington’s Disease, a dominant genetic disorder. Any child born to someone who is a carrier of the gene has a 50/50 chance of inheriting that gene. Unfortunately, all four of their children inherited the gene. Her children, Kim, Pito, Scott and Jody, have all passed from Huntington’s. Pratt does have a 93-year-old friend with whom she goes out every night. He makes her laugh, which has helped to save her sanity.

Danbey Park and wife Betty took their two daughters, their husbands and four grandchildren, Caroline (14), Kirksey (14), Walker (13) and Aly (12), on a grand tour of Paris, Florence, Tuscany and Rome last July. They said it was a fabulous and memorable experience for the family. Park also recently made contact with Paul Kern, who vacations in Lake Junaluska, N.C., every summer.

Park and Kern plan to meet there this July.

Pat Black has been traveling and singing. She will be in Richmond, Va., this summer, singing a Benjamin Britten piece. She also got a new left hip in September.

Henry V. Campbell III ’58

1959

1961 S T E V E J O L LY

stevejolly@mindspring.com

TOM ROMBERG

1957 RU T H W I L S O N W I T T E N

Ruthwitten@aol.com

Bill Taber celebrated his birthday at Hyatt Lost Pines Resort near Austin with his family in late March. He and wife Gail stay in reasonably fit condition, as they are avid

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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

tromberg@me.com

Ross Goodell is in good health, living in an assisted living facility in New York City within walking distance of the Times Square area. To his surprise he enjoys all that life has to offer. He sends blessing to all Spartans.

1962 DAV I D S A N D E R S

rdavidsanders@msn.com

Aline Gaubert reported that she and husband Paul have lived off and on in the bluebonnet clad Hill Country 15 miles from St. Stephen’s. Their Escondera community

on Southwest Parkway has a familiar intimacy in terms of intellectual caliber. “Escondera has the addition of luxury and a pool.” Her daily routine consists of writing, painting, yoga, dance and geriatric aerobics ... unlike the old grind of lack of sleep, rushing toward deadlines, and mandatory track and field. There are no housekeeping inspections, and the food there is nutritious. And yet, there are things she dolefully misses about her time at St. Stephen’s: Communist demonstrations, dorm riots (you had to have been there), the endearing nicknames, learning to love Classical music with Mrs. Millerick and getting published in the Spartan newspaper. She still has her sidekick of the last 30 years, Karen Fries. The two have become like sisters, enjoying the Austin to-do list.

They just wish they could see more of their St. Stephen’s brothers and sisters.

1963 JULIA CAUTHORN

julia@texancapital.com

John Hines and wife Maria Partlow recently moved from Louisville, Ky., to Cashiers, N.C., to enjoy the Smoky and the Blue Ridge mountains. They also spend about five months a year at their property on the southeastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Their son,

Spartan Magazine

Josh, has expanded Clark’s Oyster Bar in Austin to include one in Aspen, Colo. Their daughter, Bekah, continues her teaching career at Casis Elementary in Austin. Hines sends his best wishes to his classmates.

Patricia A. Morrison wrote that she attended St. Stephen’s for only one year, as an 8th grade day student.

With school on Saturdays and her daily roundtrip bus rides into town, she said she never felt like she fit in.

“Yet, St. Stephen’s runs in my veins.” Her father was a founding trustee, and she was trustee in the 90s.

Her brother, Gary Morrison ’58, and her son, Chris Carothers ’94, are both alumni, and her closest friends are alumni. “‘Once a Spartan, always a Spartan,’ as Dean Towner would say.”

Michael Schultz wrote that he and wife Linda celebrated their 50th anniversary on June 14. Their first grandbaby, James Michael McAfee, was a year old on March 27.

They continue to teach and do research at Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas. Linda is a chemistry professor and has been teaching for 42 years. She is very active in research and publishing. Schultz continues with gynecology and emergency medicine. Their daughter, Michele, is also a chemistry professor and teaches medical technology at the Tarleton branch in Fort Worth,

Texas. Their son, Steven, has five degrees and is starting his accounting career.

1964 A RT H U R W R I G H T

arthur.wright@tklaw.com Edith Powell Reed has enjoyed participating in alumni events since she moved to the Austin area in 2016. She is still adjusting to living in the Austin area. She continues to work part time, seeing hospice patients, which was her vocation full time before she semi-retired. She is glad that she can still dabble in something that she loved so much while still getting eight hours of sleep a night and no on-call duty. It also keeps her out of her children’s way. Her two daughters live within 15 minutes of her, which may be too close for them but it is just right for her. These days she is mainly working at trying to have a weed-free lawn and a flower bed that attracts birds and butterflies ― which means she pulls weeds a lot more than she wants to. There have been no major changes recently in her life, and she is appreciative of that. The days of loving excitement are behind her; the days of enjoying life, nature, family and quiet are just enough for her.

Provide for Your Loved Ones…and for the School You Love While planning your estate and providing for your family, consider making a legacy gift to St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.

It’s as easy as naming St. Stephen’s as a beneficiary in your will, trust or life insurance policy.

Planned gifts provide important financial support for the St. Stephen’s Endowment, ensuring that your favorite school on a hill remains vital and vibrant for future generations of Spartans. Many gift options can be initiated with a simple Legacy Council commitment form. Create your lasting legacy today! www.plannedgiving.sstx.org sstx.org

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ALUMNI N EWS

1965 DIANNE DUNCAN TUCKER

ddtuck@aol.com Robert B. “Rocky” McAshan retired after 35 years at Frost Bank and built a house in Leander close to his son and grandchildren.

Julia Wilkinson is still working as an artist. She and her husband, Stephen, live in Austin. They are restoring old cottages in the Heritage neighborhood. They have one son, Dennis Wilkinson ’93, who lives with his wife and three children in California.

Scott Shelton and his wife, Tricia, celebrated their 50th anniversary last November and are living near Lake Whitney, Texas, on a golf course at White Bluff Resort.

He is near his kids and four grandchildren, who live in the Dallas area. He is still practicing law and has offices in Midland and San Angelo.

Arthur Wright has retired from the practice of law and, with his wife of 50 years, built a house on Lake Austin.

They live five minutes from his daughter, Eileen Wright ’96, and her children.

1966

Summer 2019

Stroud Kelley wrote that he is still in Prague and has been enjoying a visit with daughter Frances Ozaki ’06 and grandson Katsuya Carter Ozaki from Tokyo.

Deborah Roettinger is still living in Australia and trying to recover from the New Zealand tragedy (as if one can!).

“However, it is comforting to know that there are actually prime ministers like Jacinta Arden in this world.”

Ann Gateley continues to have degenerative chassis problems (spine, knee and feet). She spent the first quarter of 2019 with Ira, as they traveled to Australia and New Zealand. “New Zealand is a lovely and peaceful place. We were despondent over the recent terrorist attacks.” After spending four weeks on that trip, they returned home for a couple of weeks then flew the other way to Holland and Portugal. They also spend time in New Mexico and always appreciate visitors.

1967 R A N D Y PA RT E N

jrparten@parten.com

1968

Classmates should email Candy to get a link to the Google Doc with shared class pictures.

Jan Goodloe is enjoying retirement after 46 years of teaching French. She misses the interaction with her students and colleagues, but doesn’t miss the grading! She keeps up her language skills by listening to podcasts, reading, watching TV5 Monde and teaching two adult ladies every week or so. She now has more time to spend with her grandson, who turned 2 in May. She has begun teaching him French, too. Life as a grandparent is much easier, as she can devote her time completely to him. She has also joined the Junior League Singing Sustainers group. They visit nursing homes, assisted living facilities and memory care centers. Their current song list is Broadway tunes. “It is so rewarding when their faces light up, and they sing with us. It’s not just therapy for them, it’s therapy for us, too!”

Louis Buck and family are finally coming out of their winter funk. “It was cold and windy, with lots of rain.”

They spent Christmas in Bruin, Pa., with their oldest son’s in-laws at their farm near the Allegheny River.

They headed for Normandy the week before the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

no one objected. They were very fortunate to have such a talented mediator, which ultimately resulted in a settlement of the case. He and wife Vicky look forward to attending their 50th reunion this year. They are working on plans in the hope that they will have a great turn out.

1970 You need a Class Representative! If interested, please contact Judy Mullinix at jmullinix@sstx.org.

1971 K AT H RY N M I L L E R A N D E R S O N

zjmiller1513@gmail.com

Lou Bailey wrote that she and husband Scott Bailey ’70 have been working hard to get used to retirement. They travel some, go to movies in the middle of the day and see friends. They volunteer at a food pantry called Micah 6 of Austin. They are most successful at napping a lot!

“I miss seeing the people who work at St. Stephen’s and the school’s alumni, parents and students so much!”

[Editor’s note: We miss you, too, Lou-baby! Life in the trailer is not the same without you!]

ROBERT HENDERSON

rehenderson@nvcc.edu

CANDY MILLER

hcm@postoakfarm.com

Robert Henderson wrote that his grandchild, Laila Grace O’Donnell, celebrated her first year at his house with her mom, Diana, and dad, Patrick, and her Aunt Rachel and Uncle Sameer by demonstrating with both hands and her face the proper approach to a cake smash. Many photos and videos commemorated this occasion. His wife, Leilani, retired on January 6 and promptly beat the snow storms by leaving for Honolulu for two months. He visited for Valentine’s Day. “Upon our return to Northern Virginia and our dregs of winter, we pronounced the goal for next year to be three months in Honolulu!” He will work for a while longer and is still enjoying the challenges each day. “I thought of St. Stephen’s and the site plan survey, which asked a number of questions for which I was not qualified to answer. But in true fashion, I gave them the benefit of my opinions. It was a good opportunity to reminisce about favorite spots, outdoor spaces, and our time together there in high school.”

1969 JOSH HARRISON

JHarrisonLaw@aol.com

Josh Harrison wrote that on December 10, 2018, he was surprised to discover that a mediator appointed in a case in which he was representing one of the parties was none other than Tom Tuohy ’71. They had to explain the connection to all of the parties involved, and fortunately

Walter Adams reported that The University of Texas is setting up an endowed chair in the name of his father, Richard N. Adams. They hosted a celebration in his honor on April 10, 2019.

Rueben Rivers reported that he closed his traditional general internal medicine practice on May 31, 2019, after 37 years. Since the closure he has been working for a local effort, as the state moves into Medicaid reform, teaching residents in family and internal medicine, and traveling more. “It has been a great life so far. More excitement still looms near.”

Michael Henderson wrote that he retired three years ago. Since his retirement, he enjoys, fishing, reading and hiking. He also loves music and good food.

1972 DA R R E L L DAV I D

darrell.s.david@gmail.com

Darrell David reported that he and wife Brenda were treated to a great dinner in Las Vegas by Gaylord Rhodes. They enjoyed beginning to fill in the gaps of almost 50 years since graduation and look forward to hosting Gaylord next time he comes to Austin. He and Rhodes are interested in hosting an alumni golf tournament and ask that anyone who would like to join reach out.

1973 DOUG ANDERSON

dlalaw@hotmail.com

Peter Pate reported that he and wife Kacy are not quite empty nesters since they got a relatively late start, but their children, Zach and Kassidy, are in college and doing well. They have decided that life as a flatlander is not for them; he’s at Radford, she is looking at Appalachian State University. They had a great time in January, spending a week in the Florida Keys. He attended a training class to support his volunteer role as a district commissioner for the BSA, and Kacy went along to soak up the much warmer weather and enjoy the culinary delights of far southern Florida. While he knows he has a lot fewer years in front than behind in his civil service career, he is not sure when they will retire and leave the Washington, D.C., area.

1974 ANN RHODES MCMEANS

armcmeans@gmail.com

Michael Mehaffy wrote that these days she spends her time between Stockholm and Portland, Ore., based at KTH University and working with UN-Habitat on the “New Urban Agenda” ― the framework agreement for sustainable urbanization for the next 20 years.

She finds it to be fascinating work, involving a lot of travel, speaking, meeting amazing people and seeing (sometimes working on) inspiring projects. She was just in Nairobi, Kenya, and toured new public space projects in the slums there ― very inspiring and positive work. She is still involved with the Prince of Wales’ organizations too, which are also very remarkable. She keeps a firm footing in Portland also, because she has her consultancy there and her growing family, which now includes six grandkids!

Will Goetzmann reported that he has enjoyed staying in touch with his classmates via Facebook over the last few years. He has been enjoying the Connecticut shore and exotic travel with his wife, Mariko. He is also working hard at Yale School of Management, where he taught a course last year on real estate and design partly inspired by seeing Michael Mehaffy at the last reunion.

David Smith reported that he and his wife, Celia, finally downsized and moved eight blocks away, but they will probably be in temporary housing for six months, as they need to do a total remodel on the place they bought. The wine marketing business continues to grow, and they just added a major supplier from Italy.

They now work with about 200 family-owned wineries from around the world with the majority of the wineries based in France, Spain and Italy. He expects to continue to do it as long as he continues to enjoy it. “Both boys are doing well. Ethan, the oldest, is still doing music but has gone back to school to take courses so he can

Spartan Magazine

apply to graduate school in psychology for 2021. It seems that most of the courses from a music degree are not applicable. Daniel is a lawyer in Austin and travels much more than I did at his age. Celia is still teaching half time.”

Ann McMeans stated that she sends a reminder to all her classmates that their 45th reunion is this year! She is planning the party, so if anyone has any good ideas for venues for the 1974 class party, please let her know!

1975 M A RY B R A N D T

mary.l.brandt@gmail.com S Y LV I A M C I N T Y R E - C R O O K

sycrook1@cox.net

1976 D A N I E L N O RT O N

daniel@danielnorton.com

Join the Facebook Page “St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Class of 1976”

1977 ROBERT ET TINGER

Members of the Class of 1977 celebrate their 40th reunion

robert@ettlaw.com

Ann Henkels turned 60 in April, and classmates Mimi Wasson and Betsy Vineyard Kaminsky ’78 were adventurous enough to trek up to Princeton, Texas, to help her celebrate! She will complete her master’s degree in August 2019. It should be noted that she did not earn her bachelor’s degree until she turned 40… she’s a late bloomer of sorts.

William Osburn said his daughter, Catherine, graduated from Yale in 2012. Since then, she has been based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, working primarily as a radio correspondent for National Public Radio and Public Radio International. She can be heard reporting on their shows: “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered” and “The World.”

David Followill wrote that 2018 was quite an eventful year. He was lucky to act as a radiotherapy health consultant for the International Atomic Energy Agency for the 20th year. He travelled to Vienna, Austria, three times and also attended a conference in Barcelona, Spain. August was quite memorable, as he had emergency surgery to repair a dissected aorta and heart valve. Afterward, he spent the next three months recuperating. His best accomplishment was to walk his oldest daughter down the aisle at her wedding six weeks after the surgery. He returned to work in November 2018 and is nearly back to 100 percent. He continues to work at MD Anderson Cancer Center and has entered his 33rd

year of employment there. He plans to make it to at least 35 years before considering retirement.

Mark Tucker enjoyed celebrating the 40th reunion at Derby and Lisa David’s home, where a great time was had by all. Party crashers included Eric Grayson ’79, Maggie Tucker ’83 and Hank Ewert ’70.

1978 MARK TUCKER

mrtucker@mindspring.com

1979 C A R R O L L L I V E LY R E E S E R

carroll@reeser.net

Steve Pais wrote that it is amazing how 40 years have passed, and they are set to celebrate their 40th class anniversary. He would like classmates to start making their plans now to attend this year’s Reunion (September 27 to 29) so they can catch up in person.

Reunion will be a great opportunity to visit the campus and reconnect. He hopes to see everyone there.

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ALUMN I N EWS

Summer 2019

1980

1984

1987

MILES WRIGHT

S U Z A N N E C A N TA R I N O P F E I F F E R

C AT H E R I N E H O E Y R A N DA L L

miles@xanofi.com

SuzannePfeiffer@austin.rr.com

randallwe@aol.com

Larbi Megateli wrote that her music is now available for free on YouTube and YouTube Music, as well as iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Spotify, etc. Her artist webpage can be found at https://store.cdbaby.com/artist/ larbimegateli.

Lisa Prentice Hughes lives in in Louisville, Colo., outside of Boulder. She has been teaching part time and volunteering. Her family had a fun trip to Paris in summer 2018, and they look forward to their first cruise in summer 2019. She would love to see any classmates when they come to the visit the area. Hughes also runs into Elizabeth Henna occasionally, as they live in the same city.

1981 CHARLOTTE STUCKEY BRIGHAM

charlotteesbrigham@yahoo.com E R I C A P E T E R S S TA F F O R D

Erica.Stafford@bvcpa.com

1982 WENDY WHITE NAUGHTON

wendy.naughton@gmail.com

John Waid reported that his first book, Reinventing Ralph ‒ A Little Story for Salespeople about CultureDriven Selling, was published in 2018. His new book, Inspiring Isabella ‒ A Little Story for Leaders about Culture-Driven Leading, is dedicated to his 16-year-old daughter and is due to be published in late 2019.

1988 MARK ROWE

markrowe@henna.com

Wendy White Naughton relocated from London to Frankfurt, Germany, in August 2018 with her husband, two children Hana (15) and Evan (12), and dog Noelle (5).

She works for the public relations firm Hill and Knowlton Strategies, which has very strong ties to Austin and St. Stephen’s. Jack Martin, Hill and Knowlton Strategies’ CEO, was on the St. Stephen’s board of trustees, his children are Spartans and so are several of their colleagues in the Austin branch. White oversees the health and wellness work for the firm in Europe, and she loves the work. They welcome visitors and are hoping to have a small alumni group in Germany. She is connected to Clay Crosby ’78 and his family, who live about 15 minutes from them, and Charlotte Gardiner, who lives in the north of Germany. Clay recently travelled to Berlin to support an event she was doing to launch the Headspace app in Germany. “It was nice to have him there and to have someone to speak with about life on The Hill.”

1985 L I B B I E WA L K E R A N S E L L

1989

libbieansell@gmail.com

J O H NAT H A N Q UA N D E R

jdquander70@gmail.com

Tom Herbert became senior vice president of advancement at Miami University and president of the Miami University Foundation.

JOSEPH FRISZ

Mark Conwell married his wife, Tasha, eight years ago, and they live in the Houston area. Tasha added three more daughters to his two. Her second oldest was married to an Australian a few years back, and Conwell and his wife just welcomed their first granddaughter, Norah Anderson, in March. Conwell is semi-retired but looking for something new after 21 years at Continental/ United Airlines.

1983 L AU R A M E A R S M I R E C K I

llynnmir@aol.com

Laura Mears Mirecki stated that her favorite memory of St. Stephen’s is that of her counselor, Dobbie Fenton.

She was far from home, living at St. Stephen’s while her parents and four brothers lived in Monterrey, Mexico.

Dobbie was the smiling face that reassured her that she would acclimate well to the campus. Dobbie encouraged her to get more involved in campus activities, which she did. She traveled with a group of other students to socialize with physically and mentally challenged persons once a month. And she became involved with the MLK group, which worked the concession stand. She also babysat for Dobbie’s daughter, Claire. She is very grateful for Dobbie’s care because she is still able to call St. Stephen’s her alma mater!

Norah Anderson, first granddaughter of Mark Conwell ’85

1986 CHRIS BRECKWOLDT

cbreckwoldt@sstx.org

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1990 friszman@yahoo.com

1991 LIZ FLEMING POWELL

lz.powell@gmail.com

David Rozelle spent his 24 years in the U.S. Army deployed to Afghanistan in support of the United Nation’s mission Resolute Support. During this fourth combat deployment, he continues to learn about the international effort for peace and has been busy working as director of staff for a 17-nation effort within force development. His team is responsible for training all the new Afghan national army and police.

Jim Lindley lives in London and serves as counselor for commercial affairs at the U.S. Embassy. He is a foreign service officer with the Department of Commerce’s U.S. commercial service, the trade promotion arm of the international trade administration, with the mission of promoting economic prosperity, enhancing job creation and strengthening national security by assisting American companies to expand exports and succeed in overseas markets. He and his wife, Susan, also celebrated the birth of son Jack Lewis Lindley in February.

Adam Seligman wrote that he and wife Hilary Kessler Seligman have three daughters, the oldest of whom is starting her college visits… an event that takes him back to college counseling at St. Stephen’s with Hank Ewert.

The family lives in San Francisco, and he took a job at an internet search company about a year ago. They have lived in the Bay area for almost 20 years. “It is definitely a little different than growing up in Austin in the 80s. But when the kids ride the Muni all over town on their own, it reminds me of the freedom I had exploring Austin in high school.”

Spartan Magazine

1995 RHEA BENBOW THOMAS

rheabt@gmail.com BETH COCKERHAM MACK

semack77@gmail.com SETH ALLEY

1992

sethalley@msn.com

MONIKA POWE NELSON

A N N S T R AU S E R PA L M E R

giantmonsterprincess@gmail.com

annstrauser@hotmail.com

Ryder Henry is living in Pittsburgh with his wife and two sons, ages 3 and 7. He paints, makes miniature spaceships and toys, and shows his work locally. He and his boys enjoy playing freeze-tag.

H AW K I N S L I

Sara Moore McEachern wrote that she is changing careers. She is working toward her teaching certificate and expects to be in the classroom, probably in an elementary school, in the fall.

MEGHAN ALEXANDER

hli3@yahoo.com

1996 malexander@alexanderatty.com SHANNON POWERS FLAHIVE

spowers1@austin.rr.com

Monika Powe Nelson keeps busy volunteering for the BETO campaign and the Mississippi Democratic Party.

K AT E H E N R I C H S O N

Elisabeth Sharp McKetta shared that she and her husband wrote a children’s book, We Live in Boise. On April 20, she gave a TEDxBoise talk about tiny house living. She feels lucky for the skills, relationships and passions St. Stephen’s nurtured in her on a daily basis, as they have impacted her in a thousand ways.

Jayson H. Seidman reported that he opened his Austin boutique hotel called the East Austin Hotel on East 6th Street on April 1. The opening of East Austin Hotel was a major milestone project for him and the latest addition to his other hotel properties located in New Orleans, New York City and Marfa, Texas. He also recently had a great article published in the latest hardcover UK-based Monocle book, The Monocle Guide to Hotels, Inns and Hideaways.

Adrienne Johnson married Tim Casterline on April 7, 2019. The couple lives in Austin.

1998 JA R E D H O C K E M A

jhockema@mac.com

malexander@alexanderatty.com

1993

1999

DAV I S B A L D W I N

1997

rdbaldwin@mac.com

CAMERON BEESLEY

leardsfool@gmail.com

Craig Jackson recently connected with Gilbert Saiz after 24 years. Gil is doing great, living in London.

Jackson recently moved back to Texas from Atlanta.

He and his wife are doing well and recently adopted a rescue dog named Sasha they picked up in White, Ga., in April.

Virginia Talley wrote that after seven years of teaching at St. Stephen’s, she has decided to start her own travel and consulting business called Travel Grackle. She will continue teaching and tutoring in Austin, consulting and leading trips to Spain, Argentina and Chile. Please check out her new business at travelgrackle.com to learn more.

BECKY HOLLIS DIFFEN

becky.diffen@gmail.com

Don’t forget to join the Class of ‘99 Facebook group.

Tiffany Parcher wrote that she and her husband, Daniel, became parents again in 2018. They adopted 2-year-old Lucy from central China and are now outnumbered by three little girls.

Mackenzie Martin married Josh Cook during Thanksgiving weekend at her family ranch in Montague County. Members of the wedding party included her

Craig Jackson ’93 adopted sweet pup Sasha in April

1994 C AT H E R I N E C O O K W E I S S

cmcook76@aol.com

The Parcher Family: Jenna, Daniel, Lucy, Tiffany ’99 and Courtney

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ALUMN I N EWS

Summer 2019

2001 JULIET FRERKING

frerking@gmail.com K AT H E R I N E B AY E R

kittybayer@gmail.com

John Turpin and his wife, Stephanie, welcomed a son, Henry Marienau Turpin, on February 4.

Meredith Farmer wrote that she is still an English professor at Wake Forest University, and she also spent a few months in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Institution. She would love to catch up with anyone who lives in or is passing through either Washington, D.C., or Winston-Salem, N.C. Mackenzie Martin ’99 with husband Josh Cook sister Shannon Martin ’08, brother Andy Martin ’01 and Rebecca Whitehurst ’99. Flower girls included Maliha Samji, daughter of Rabia (Cumber) Samji, and Eila Doman, daughter of Aysha (Akmal) Doman. Ring bearers included Kaysan Samji, son of Rabia (Cumber) Samji; Mark Doman, son of Aysha (Akmal) Doman; and Tej Dannenbaum, son of Keya (Jayaram) Dannenbaum.

Julie Weems wrote that she is still the fashion school director at IED Barcelona, Spain. Her husband, Sergio, is a music and events producer. They have two daughters, Ena (4) and Nico (8), who attend the Swiss School. If any Spartans are in Barcelona, please contact Weems, as she would love to catch up. In the meantime, please explore her students’ work at www.fashionbarcelona.com.

2000 You need a Class Representative! If interested, please contact Judy Mullinix at jmullinix@sstx.org.

Rachel Haggerty Stephens and Shelby Stephens ’01 live in the Deep Eddy neighborhood in Austin with their two little girls, Larramore (14 months) and Chambers (3), as well as their 9-year-old great dane/lab mix.

Haggerty Stephens is a partner at Wally Workman Gallery and editor of the online arts magazine aether.

The family just added a 1989 pontoon boat to their fleet and asks that you wave if you spot them on the lake.

2002 KEAN TONETTI

stonetti@gmail.com

2003 You need a Class Representative! If interested, please contact Judy Mullinix at jmullinix@sstx.org.

Dianna Moore married Ryan Purcell in Austin in March 2018. “We met while we were both working in Cape Town, South Africa.” They now live in Austin.

Daniel Diffen joined the board of a new nonprofit, Austin Allies, which provides community service opportunities to local Austin families. If you are in Austin with kids of any age, he would love to help you get involved. Daniel has enjoyed coaching Brydon (8) in soccer.

Becky (Hollis) Diffen was named chair of the renewable energy practice at McGuireWoods. She and husband Daniel coached daughter Darcy (7) in softball in spring 2018. She asked for any members of the Class of 1999 who are interested in helping to plan their reunion class festivities to reach out to her directly.

Lauren Hilgers reported that her book, Patriot Number One, was named one of the best books of 2018 by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Kirkus Reviews and The San Francisco Chronicle, among others. It was also shortlisted for both the PEN Jaqueline Bograd Weld Award in biography and the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize.

It just came out in paperback.

Helen Logue ’00, Claire Hahn, Dianna (Moore) Purcell ’03 and Mary Moore ’14

40

St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

Spartan Magazine

2004

2005

Erika Dahl-Stamnes has been working in the solar

BRIAN KAUFMAN

R A C H E L K AT Z

industry. She hopes to pick a graduate program soon

brian.r.kaufman@gmail.com

rpk228@gmail.com

for a masters.

ERIC NEUHAUS

ean2324@gmail.com

Lindsey Hadfield wrote that she and her husband,

2006

working in Dubai for the past year. After several years

SELINA STRASBURGER

at Morgan Stanley, he left his job in investment banking

selina.strasburger@gmail.com

and moved to Santa Monica to begin his new job in

Justin Hadfield, welcomed a baby boy on Sept. 30, 2018, in Houston.

Adam Schlegel moved back to America after living and

private equity. He would love to catch up with any SARAH CROMWELL

St. Stephen’s alumni who are living and working in the

sarahhcromwell@gmail.com

area or just visiting Los Angeles.

Matt Blankenship Jr. wrote that he has put down roots

Caitlin Watkins plans to marry Max Daniller-Varghese

in Los Angeles, Calif., performing in an emo synth pop

this fall at Springdale Station in Austin.

band and touring the West Coast.

Delaney Ozmun has been living in Portland with her

2007 A N N E B U C K T H A L C H I LT O N

long-term partner, Noah. She has been working toward becoming a licensed clinical social worker as a schoolbased child and family therapist.

anne.buckthal@gmail.com

Mark Dougherty has been spending most of his time COLE ARLEDGE

learning how to be a neurosurgeon. He is a first-year

cole.arledge@gmail.com

resident in training at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.

Lizzie Varner Han moved to Houston in 2018 and joined The Hadfield family

the law firm of King & Spalding as a member of the firm’s

Johann Botha moved in with longtime friend Dustin

government matters healthcare group. Her husband,

Godevais. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and works at

Brian Kaufman wrote that he recently won the

Kelvin Han, joined the law firm of Winston & Strawn as

Google.

2019 International Hotel Investment Forum and the

a member of their intellectual property group. They are

International Society of Hospitality Consultants Young

proud aunt and uncle to Grace Varner (2), daughter

Leader Award. Kaufman is founding manager and

of Adam Varner ’03 and Hen Kennedy, and they were

2010

partner of the Kaufman Companies.

excited to welcome another niece or nephew to the

C A R L O T TA G A R Z A

family this April. Their 15-year-old toy poodle, Heidi, is

carlotta.garza@gmail.com

as spry as ever, as is their rabbit, Audrey.

O M A R YA G H I

2008

omaryaghi2@gmail.com

AMANDA KUSHNER

RYA N N Y O U N G

amandakkushner@gmail.com

rhy9@cornell.edu

Amanda has set up a Facebook group for the class called St. Stephen’s Class of 2008.

Maxine Olefsky was married to husband Justin Kenney on March 10 at the Harvard Club in Boston, Mass. She

2009

was surrounded by friends, family and Spartan alumni, including Rebecca Smaha, Audrey Wozniak, Josh Ellis,

J. J. B O T H A

Nick Ellis, Sam Joseph, Ikem Leigh, Jake Nevola, Jake

johannbbotha@gmail.com

O’Hare, Hailey Wozniak ’15 and Jacky Zhu. Olefsky now works as a biostatistician in AIDS research at Harvard

Brian Kaufman ’03

C H A N TA L S T R A S B U R G E R

School of Public Health. Her husband, Justin Kenney,

chantal.strasburger@gmail.com

graduated from Harvard Law School in May.

Chantal Strasburger has recently moved stateside after

Henry Chan became the first University of Washington

a year in the UK. She is continuing to run her custom

student or graduate to receive the Schwarzman

Lennie Waite just started a new job as assistant

embroidery business (readreceipts.co.uk) while also

Scholarship, a highly prestigious and competitive award

professor of psychology at the University of St. Thomas

working on launching a ceramics brand. She is very

modeled after the Rhodes Scholarship. This scholarship

in Houston. “My husband and I are expecting a baby girl

excited to return to her love of pottery and sculpture.

takes place at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and

in late May.”

“Shout out to Ms. Orr for continuing to inspire me!”

Eric Neuhaus launched a funeral home business called True Funeral and is getting married in October.

sstx.org

41

ALUMN I N EWS

Summer 2019

Henry Chan ’10

2012 Hai Zheng Olefsky, Mitchel Wong, Maxine Olefsky ’10, Justin Kenney and Rose Wong

HELEN ELIZABETH OLD

Photo by: Randall Garnick

helenelizabeth1@me.com

is focused on developing the next generation of global

Kaylin Balley reported that at the beginning of January

CAROLINE PRINGLE

leaders. Students spend the year immersed in Chinese

a few Spartan alumni celebrated the wedding of Corinne

carolinepringle93@gmail.com

language and culture and graduate with a master’s

Trabold and Ben Steger!

degree in global affairs.

JA K E P O L I T T E

jake.politte@rocketmail.com

Jenine Hassoun graduated from medical school on May 7 and moved to Nashville, Tenn., to start an OB/GYN

Y O S UA H U S O D O

residency at Vanderbilt University.

yosua.adiyasa@hotmail.com

Denise Owusu graduated from Carnegie Mellon

2011

University with an M.S. in engineering and technology

L I N D S AY R E D M A N

innovation management (focus in sustainable energy

llredman@gmail.com

and climate change mitigation) and now works as an energy and utilities consultant at West Monroe Partners

G R AY T W O M B LY

Corrine Trabold ’11 was married in January

Twombly.Gray@gmail.com H E N RY S I K E S

WHSikes1@gmail.com A L I A YA H G I

Alia.yaghi1@gmail.com

Madeline Perry completed her master’s degree in education administration at the University of Houston, where she has now started work on a doctorate in the same field. She was married in April 2018 with Spartan alumnae Caroline Jones ’14 and Jenny Greer by her side.

Andrew Lee wrote that he is as an officer in the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy and serves as an interpreter, working closely with the U.S. Navy. He has enjoyed the experience and getting to travel to different countries, working between ROK and the United States.

Andrew Lee ’11 (center)

42

St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

in New York City.

Spartan Magazine

Cody Treybig reported that he is learning Arabic! He will begin his fifth semester at Rice University in Houston in the fall.

Anique Toscano completed her third semester abroad.

She has spent semesters in London, Shanghai and Paris and will return to New York University in the fall. She works for J.P. Morgan in New York City, helping large corporations facilitate socially driven investments. She also has been working to create a nonprofit partnered with the NYC Child Protective Service to offer memory boxes to children in the foster care system in hopes of improving familial relationships between foster families

Yvonne Adams, Danielle Strasburger ’13 and Octavia Sadler

and biological families and increase reunification rates.

Austin Marshall recently was promoted to senior

2014

Colin Hancock plans to attend Columbia University’s

marketing manager at Mom+Pop music, where he

JA C K LY N H O RT O N

Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and

oversees upcoming releases of Jai Wolf, FKJ and Tycho.

jaclynlhorton@gmail.com

Preservation and pursue a master’s in urban planning.

He has moved to the Greenpoint neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y.

N AT H A N G O L D B E R G

nathangoldberg@college.harvard.edu

Reed Goodman stated that he has been living in

2016 NICK GOLDREYER

Midland, Texas, with his wife, Stephanie. They both

Liza Ayers has been bouncing around since graduating

welcomed son Jasper Joseph Goodman on February

from Vassar College in May 2018. She has worked

25. He added that their home is always open to any

as a youth environmental educator in Maine, a

Spartans in the area. Goodman is passionate about his

communications assistant for a sustainable agricultural

2017

career in the artificial lift and completion tool sectors of

policy organization in Washington, D.C., a program

You need a Class Representative! If interested,

the oil industry.

assistant for a college study-abroad program based

please contact Judy Mullinix at jmullinix@sstx.org.

nick.goldreyer@gmail.com

in D.C. and a production assistant for a film festival in

2013 JA M E S C A R T E R

Idaho. She now works as assistant chef on a sailboat that takes groups of guests on overnight trips around the

2018

coast of Maine.

ALLIE GOLDREYER

carter@rice.edu

allie.goldreyer@gmail.com

LISA NORDHAUSER

2015

ANDREW YOW

lisa.nordhauser@gmail.com

JIM OLD

dandrewyow@gmail.com

jamesold1@mac.com

Kofi Asante was featured in Forbes magazine. After

B L O S S O M M A D UA F O K WA

successfully launching Powerloop at Uber Freight,

Jim Old graduated from the University of Virginia

Asante was offered an executive position at another

with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and earned an

innovative startup. In January, he became director of

engineering business minor. In July he started working

strategy and business development at Elroy Air in San

for ExxonMobil in Houston in their global projects

Francisco. The company is building an autonomous

department as a cost engineer.

bmaduafokwa@yahoo.com

IN MEMORIAM John Belcher Ashmun, former trustee, died peacefully

airplane that can deliver supplies in both remote and congested areas. They aim to increase the quality of

Matthew Snyder was named Cornell University’s co-op

at home in Houston on Jan 7, 2019. Ashmun was a

life by unlocking the potential of aerial deliveries both

student of the year for his work at Enviro Water Minerals

founding member of the Episcopal Day School and

domestically and internationally.

Co., a water desalination company, in El Paso, Texas. He

YMCA in Midland. He served on the board of trustees at

plans to begin working on a master’s degree in civil and

Princeton University and St. Stephen’s Episcopal School.

Danielle Strasburger graduated from Harvard in May

environmental engineering at Cornell in the fall.

Susan Elizabeth Elliott Hammon ’61 passed away

2018. She then moved to Cusco, Peru, where she has been working for GirlSportWorks, an NGO that teaches

Ricardo Vega graduated with a degree in finance in

peacefully at home in Winston Salem, N.C., on Oct. 11,

sports and life skills to young girls. She recently visited

December 2018 from St. Edward’s University. In May

2018, after battling a six-month illness. She is survived

campus to talk with students about women in sports.

2019 he also graduated with a degree in accounting.

by husband Ritz Ray, as well as sons Ian, Dudley and

sstx.org

43

ALUMN I N EWS

Summer 2019

After graduating from St. Stephen’s, she earned her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas in 1990. She earned her J.D. from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law in 1993. Her legal career culminated with her move to DLA Piper in Austin to head the firm’s real estate practice. In 2018, she was named district council chair for Urban Land Institute Austin, the first woman ever selected for the position.

Carey pursued her dreams and her passions and inspired others to do the same. She is survived by husband Eric Venditti, stepdaughter Eleanor, father Bill Gunn, her sister and brother-in-law, Christina Gunn Robinson ’96 and George E. Robinson III, and her Susan Elizabeth Elliot Hammon ’61

beloved nephews.

Daniel, and grandsons Gabriel and Logan. Hammon

James Ryland (Ry) Woodruff ’06 passed away on

was a professional sculptor, a passion that spanned

Feb. 28, 2019, in Austin. Throughout his 31 years, Ry

29 years. Her crowning achievement is a bas-relief

was known for his interest in people and their paths in

installation on the corner of 4th and Main in Winston

life, his thoughtfulness in exploring big questions, and

Salem, N.C. The piece embodies her loving and peaceful

his warmth and engagement. He grew up on the St.

spirit. A small family service was held in her honor in

Stephen’s campus, as both his parents were boarding

West Jefferson, N.C.

faculty members. He was known as a skilled writer with a keen interest in books and ideas, and he loved

Molly Malone Chesney, former faculty/staff, passed

learning. For a time, until his academic plans were cut

away on March 10, 2019, at the age of 67. After earning

short by illness, he was enrolled in the Plan I Honors

a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1973, she

Program of The University of Texas at Austin, as well

earned an M.A. in art history in 1980 from The University

as at Austin Community College. He loved his family

of Texas at Austin. While there, she met her husband,

and was loved in return. His sister and brother-in-law

Lee Chesney, a studio art professor. She loved to

were steady, compassionate allies in his joys, as well

write and to aid others in their writing and research,

as with his struggles with mental illness, and he was

which she did throughout her time at the University of

close to both his mother and father. He helped many

Texas Architecture Library, the LBJ Library, the Hogg

on their own paths to sobriety through his involvement

Foundation, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Northfield

with Alcoholics Anonymous. Ry is survived by his

Design Associates and KOOP Radio Austin. She was a

parents, Vicki and Jim Woodruff, current teachers at

tireless advocate for social justice, volunteering for

St. Stephen’s; his sister, Rebecca Woodruff ’04, his

Planned Parenthood, St. James Episcopal Church and

brother-in-law, Adam Gaeddert, and niece Clara Frances

the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Texas.

Gaeddert; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Class Notes Submissions We encourage alumni to share personal updates with us for Class Notes! Spartan alumni are regularly contacted by their Class Representatives several times a year for news, information and photos. For assistance contacting your Class Rep or to submit news directly by email, please contact Judy Mullinix, director of advancement operations, at jmullinix@sstx.org.

Class Notes also can be submitted directly online at www. sstx.org/alumni/. Select the “Stay Connected” box to provide us with current news about your life, family and career!

For help finding your Class Rep, please visit the Alumni page on our website at www.sstx.org/alumni.

We welcome high-resolution photographs with your Class Notes submission. Please send a JPG format in the largest size possible (at least 900 pixels; image 3 inches wide at 300 dpi). Please include the names and class years of everyone in the photo.

Spartan magazine editors reserve the right to edit or omit any information submitted.

Get Social!

Connect with St. Stephen’s and your classmates online.

Facebook “f ” Logo

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Facebook: StStephensAlumni

Instagram: SSTX_OnTheHill

Twitter: StStephenSchool

Christopher Quander ’82 passed away on Dec. 20, 2018, following a courageous fight against cancer. He is survived by his children, Christopher, Elizabeth and

LinkedIn: St. Stephen’s Episcopal School Alumni

Sarah; parents Joseph and Arthuree Quander; brothers Joseph ’78, Stephen ’81, Jonathan ’89 and Martin ’92; YouTube: StStephensAustin

and many other family and friends. Beyond his career accomplishments and community involvement, the greatest joy in his life was being a father. The Quander

Private Alumni Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ StStephensAlumniGroup

family would like to thank the many members of the St. Stephen’s community who expressed their kindness, love and support for Chris and their family.

Carey Gunn Venditti ’86 passed away at her home on Jan. 10, 2019. She spent a beautiful last week on earth relaxing in Martinique and chasing rainbows with her husband, Eric Venditti, and stepdaughter Eleanor.

44

St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

Ry Woodruff ’06

If you have not received emails from the Alumni Office recently, we may not have your current email address. Please send your information to Joanna Sarrett, data manager, at jsarrett@sstx. org to make sure you do not miss invitations to events and news about your classmates. Thanks!

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