T H E
M A G A Z I N E
Summer 2018
From The Hill to the World: Celebrating the Class of 2018
O F
S T.
S T E P H E N’ S
E P I S C O P A L
S C H O O L
SNAPSHOT Rachel Schlesinger, Joshua Morgan and Ellie Schlesinger celebrate graduation
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CONTENTS
2 Head Lines 3 Historic Boost to the Endowment 4 Spark 2023 Launched
P H OTOS COVER: Grayson Matula and Rachel Parker share a quiet moment before graduation Santos Bonilla gets a hand with his graduation rose from English teachers Jenneken Van Keppel and Jenny Huth; Kimberly and Brian Casey at this year’s Spring Swing event; Carol Kayem and Lucille Hancock enjoy Grand Day
68th Graduation Exercises
6 Upper School Graduation Ceremony 15 Faculty and Staff Recognition 16 Middle School Closing Ceremony 6
Spartan Life
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head of school
18 Employees Retire from The Hill 20 Strengthening Bonds with
Christopher L. Gunnin
St. Etienne
21 International Host Family Program 22 Performances in New York and Ireland 23 Spartan Sports News 24 Celebrating Women in Sports 25 TEDxYouth@Austin 26 Creating a More Inclusive Campus 27 Annual Fund and Spring Swing 28 Grand Day 30 Empowering Kids Through the Arts
editor Anne Marie Becka
class notes editor Nolu McIlraith ’12
design Ellen Buckmaster, Bucko Design
contributors Christine Aubrey Sherry Buchanan Chris Caselli ’82 Jenni Evans Jennie Gray ’93 Ricky Green ’86 Sophie Guess ’18 Melody Harman Emily Hummel ’86 Kendra Lipman Nolu McIlraith ’12 Elizabeth Hansing Moon Jacquelyn Mouton- Johnston April Paine Virginia Talley ’97
Alumni News
32 Intersection of Faith and Medicine 34 Martin Luther King Jr. Endowment 37 Class Notes 44 Planting Seeds for Tomorrow
Spartan magazine is published twice a year for constituents of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. Copyright © 2018 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 2018
FROM THE HILL to the world The end of each school year is always the perfect time to reflect on the journey our students have taken, admire their engagement and achievements, and imagine what they are ready for next. As educators we routinely review and mark the growth of our students. But the close of the year brings a new recognition of the remarkable intellectual, physical, social and emotional growth of each one of our students. As such, we quickly turn our attention forward to envision what new challenges they might be ready to take on. This exercise of looking both backward and ahead is never more powerful than when examining the changes in our graduates. The athletic banquet, final fine arts performances, senior retreat, end-of-year awards ceremony, baccalaureate service and graduation ceremony all give us the opportunity to pause and reflect on each student’s unique journey while on The Hill. With great pride in their efforts and achievements and with tremendous hope for their futures, we cannot help but imagine the lives of our graduates, in college and beyond. Indeed, the Class of 2018 embodies the highest ideals of St. Stephen’s, as reflected in our school prayer: “…Seeing our life as a journey together, empower us to make a difference in the world, with open minds, open hearts and open doors.” The act of looking back in time to remind ourselves of our history, coupled with immediate planning for the future, occurs on an institutional level as well. This year our school was actively involved in an in-depth strategic planning process. Every stakeholder group in our community was invited to participate in core values exercises that served to define who we are, collectively, as a school, at our core. We took stock of our current strengths and areas for growth and created a vision for campus-wide improvements and enhancements throughout the next five years. Our ultimate goal throughout this process was for the full community to recommit to our longstanding core values and collaborate on a new shared vision for the school’s future. The resulting strategic plan, Spark 2023, far exceeds these objectives. In addition to identifying and prioritizing our primary strategic initiatives, Spark 2023 defines nearly 60 specific plans, programs and projects that will help us achieve our vision for the school St. Stephen’s will become. In this issue of Spartan magazine, you will gain insight into many of our students who live into our founders’ vision and embody the great aspirations of the St. Stephen’s community. You also will learn more about the intentional work we have done at an institutional level to plan for an even stronger future for St. Stephen’s. We have rearticulated and recommitted to our core values and school mission. We have reaffirmed and strengthened the essential core qualities of our community and the student experience, and we have embarked on meaningful initiatives to ensure that we continue live into our mission even more fully in the years to come. I hope that this issue of Spartan also provides you with the opportunity to pause and celebrate our students’ growth and successes as we have at the end of the school year. I think that you will see in their experiences the same elements that always have been at the heart of the St. Stephen’s experience: the development of sharp minds, great and humble hearts, and strong spirits. You will see, as our faculty and staff do every day on campus, that Spartans are as dedicated, engaged and as invested as ever and that the school, true to form, provides developmental experiences that, at once, support and challenge students to become the best versions of themselves…from The Hill to the world. — christopher l. gunnin, head of school
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Spartan Magazine
I N COMMU N IT Y
STILL WATER FOUNDATION
$5 MILLION ENDOWMENT GIFT
ST. STEPHEN’S IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE RECEIPT OF AN HISTORIC $5 MILLION GIFT TO THE SCHOOL’S ENDOWMENT FROM THE STILL WATER FOUNDATION. Jill Wilkinson ’64, president of the Still Water Foundation board and a former St. Stephen’s trustee, has a long history of supporting the school. “In addition to this new gift to the general endowment, the Still Water Foundation has consistently supported the Annual Fund, faculty development programs and capital projects throughout the last three decades,” said Christine Aubrey, associate head of school for advancement, who stewarded Still Water though the gift-giving process.
“We are tremendously grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Still Water Foundation on this effort and are humbled by its board’s unwavering support of our school and its mission,” Gunnin said.
“Still Water endowed the St. Stephen’s Master Teaching Chair in Critical Languages, which enabled us to become the first high school in Texas to teach Mandarin Chinese,” Aubrey explained. “And many of our teachers have earned their master’s degrees from St. John’s College during summer breaks thanks to Still Water’s support of teaching excellence. The foundation even made the final gift in our last capital campaign, which pushed us past our goal in early 2015.
of Spartans.”
“With this important leadership gift to the school’s endowment—the largest gift in St. Stephen’s history—the Still Water Foundation has once again demonstrated its deep trust in the school and strong desire to uphold and advance our founders’ bold vision for a diverse, inclusive and equitable school community that respects and celebrates the unique character and dignity of every student,” Aubrey said. The Still Water Foundation’s endowment gift came in answer to a call from Head of School Chris Gunnin and the board of trustees to double the existing endowment from $15 million to $30 million within the next three to five years—the most ambitious endowment initiative in the school’s history. This $5 million gift will boost the school’s general endowment, which provides the broadest level of support to daily school operations.
“With a robust endowment, St. Stephen’s will be better able to maintain the economic, social and cultural diversity that has been one of the cornerstones of our founding vision,” he added. “This momentous $5 million endowment gift will help us uphold and preserve the St. Stephen’s experience for current and future generations
Please join us in celebrating this incredibly meaningful gift from the Still Water Foundation. If you would like to join Still Water in supporting St. Stephen’s general endowment, please contact Christine Aubrey at caubrey@sstx.org or Hayden Blood, director of major gifts, at hblood@sstx.org. Thank you!
Why Endowment Matters St. Stephen’s has launched the most ambitious endowment initiative in our school’s history—one that will uphold and preserve the St. Stephen’s experience for current and future generations of Spartans. Please support the school and our students by making a gift to the endowment today at www.sstx.org/endowment.
Thanks to the great generosity of the Still Water Foundation, the school is now significantly closer to reaching its $15 million goal. As of this spring, the Advancement team has raised $11 million toward the effort to double the school’s endowment.
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I N CO MMU N IT Y
Summer 2018
STRATEGIC PLAN
LAUNCHED At the end of April, the St. Stephen’s community gathered to celebrate the launch of the school’s new five-year strategic plan, Spark 2023. The event marked the culmination of a yearlong process of envisioning the many ways that St. Stephen’s can continue to reach new levels of excellence across all areas of campus and student life in the next five years. “Throughout this past year, members of our community have engaged in a collaborative process of revisiting our history, redefining our core values and mission, and recommitting to our founding principles,” Head of School Chris Gunnin said at the event. “We also have joined together to dream boldly about our school’s future and to imagine ways that our institution can continue to grow and even more meaningfully fulfill our mission to prepare Spartans to live lives of meaning and service.” Guided by Christina Drouin, founder and executive director of the Center for Strategic Planning, the comprehensive strategic planning process ensured that a wide range of participants— students, faculty and staff, parents, alumni and trustees—were able to participate in the creation of the plan. The number of contributors was impressive: 178 people attended the core value sessions in the fall, more than 1,000 people responded to the online surveys, 176 people gathered for Visioning Day in January, and more than 80 people participated in the initiative drafting sessions. Using the school’s core values and mission as a guidepost, participants ultimately outlined three primary goals, 14 strategies and close to 60 strategic initiatives that will help us achieve our collective vision for the school without straying from the philosophical framework on which St. Stephen’s was built.
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The resulting goals and initiatives all branch from a single, overarching vision for the school’s future: By 2023, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School will be a vibrant and inclusive community inspiring all learners for lives of meaning and impact from The Hill to the world. A highlight of the launch event was the presentation of this new vision and strategic goals by a group of 7th grade Spartans— members of the Class of 2023, whose senior year coincides with the final year of the plan. Shaina Schechter presented the first goal: “By 2023, the enduring mission and core values of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School will inform all policies and practices.” Preston Miles read the second goal: “By 2023, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School will be a boarding and day community that provides a balance of joyful exploration, reflection and selfdiscovery, and the vigorous pursuit of excellence.” Lexi Bielinski announced the third goal: “By 2023, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School will be an informed and innovative community that champions solutions to social, environmental and ethical issues.” The students were followed at the podium by a number of teachers, staff and parents, who spoke about the specific plan initiative they were most excited about and felt would have the greatest impact on the school and its students. Their selections highlighted opportunities for better integrating boarding and day students into shared campus experiences, building solar capabilities to power campus operations, ensuring that all students have access to the full scope of student experiences regardless of cost, developing a dedicated design thinking lab, and creating additional internship and alumni networking opportunities for students, among others. Gunnin brought the evening to a close with a final message of thanks to everyone who lent their time and talents to the strategic planning process. “Thanks to the full participation of so many, the nearly 60 initiatives we have committed to are ambitious, compelling and fitting to this school we love,” he said. “Throughout the year, I have been impressed time and again by the energy and commitment with which the full community has approached this process,” he added. “Everyone
Spartan Magazine
PHOTOS LEFT TOP TO BOTTOM: Head of School Chris Gunnin presents Spark 2023 at the launch event; members of the Class of 2023 Crawford Arnow and Shaina Schechter; strategic planning committee co-chair Trustee Jolynn Free with parent Neeraj Gupta; RIGHT TOP TO BOTTOM: Yvonne Adams, director of equity and inclusion; Parent Michelle Cline
Recommitting to Our Founding Principles
involved embraced this project with healthy doses of care and consideration. Members of every constituency in our community showed up, rolled up their sleeves, explored, researched, reflected and dreamed together about ways we can become an even stronger learning and living community in the next five years.�
Central to St. Stephen’s strategic planning process was the creation of a new mission statement and focused value statements that characterize who we are as a school and all that we hope to provide for our students and graduates. Adopted by the board of trustees in February, the new mission statement defines our shared purpose as one seeking to inspire a lasting love of learning and spirit of service so that each of our students lives a life of meaning and enriches the world. The five core values underscore the Episcopal beliefs that embody our mission: love of learning, balance, diversity, community and service.
To learn more about the mission, read the full list of core values, and review the strategic plan goals and initiatives, visit the school website at www.sstx.org/about.
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68TH
GRADUATION EXERCISES On the morning of Saturday, May 26, the St.St. St. Stephen’s Episcopal School community and special guests gathered in Chapel to celebrate the school’s 68th Graduation Exercises and honor the Class of 2018. Head of School Chris Gunnin welcomed the graduates and their families to this important milestone occasion. “In true Spartan tradition, you have made it a part of your lives —even at an early age—to find ways to make the world a better place,” Gunnin said. “You are engaged, aware, and not afraid to confront injustices or tackle imperfections. For those of us who have had the privilege of guiding you through your St. Stephen’s journey, we have marveled at your energy and enthusiasm, and we applaud your resilience and conviction.”
Jud Kyle and James Kyle leave the Chapel as new alumni
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UPPER SCHOOL
In an emotionally charged talk, Wilson counseled the graduates on how to craft a meaningful life. “Trust yourself and embrace who you are,” he advised. “We are all our own worst critics and commonly focus on our mistakes and shortcomings. Life is not a competition. It is about embracing ourselves and celebrating our strengths while accepting our weaknesses. Each of you is awesome in your own way, and now it is time to begin to truly discover that fact.
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G R A D U AT I O N
Following his remarks, Gunnin was followed at the podium by science teacher Johnny Wilson, who was chosen by the Class of 2018 to address them at graduation. He acknowledged to the crowd how difficult it had been to script his speech. “I’ve tried to live my life unscripted,” noted Wilson, who will retire this month after 29 years at St. Stephen’s.
UP P E R SCHOOL GRADUATIO N
“Walk with grace and courage through life,” Wilson said. “Don’t be afraid to go off the high dive! Don’t be afraid to take a risk and step out of your comfort zone or take the harder road. Don’t fear change; fear complacency. “Care about life—yours and others,” he added. “Don’t just swim on the surface; spend time in the deep end. Immerse yourself in life. Get emotionally involved, and be present. But know that to get involved in direct service to others is dangerous, because it’s like opening Pandora’s Box. You will never be able to quit caring again! But what you get in return is priceless.” Following Wilson’s speech and the presentation of major awards and diplomas, Isaac Tilin ’18 presented the senior speech. A long-standing tradition at graduation, the senior speaker is elected by the outgoing class to summarize their collective school experience. “While I’ve always known that St. Stephen’s is a special place, it’s only been in these past few months that I’ve learned what it is that makes it so special,” Tilin acknowledged. “At a big high school, you can have 700 kids in your grade, and there will be people who graduate with you who you’ve never even seen. But at St. Stephen’s, we all know each other through athletics or theater, art or classes. More importantly, we care about each other, which I think is what makes this place so special. “I don’t think I could ever express how thankful I am to be a part of a community made up of…people who inspire me every day to do my best and follow what I believe in— whether that’s history, math, ceramics or cross-country,” he said. “And that’s the thing; nearly every student is wellrounded because teachers and classmates alike encourage us to apply our knowledge to life outside of the classroom and support us when we choose to take risks. “We have been shaped by our time here and our conversations with teachers and students alike,” Tilin concluded. “I couldn’t be more proud to be moving on to the next chapter of our lives with a group that I know is destined to change the world in a very powerful way. Thank you all for everything. You will always have a special place in my heart.” St. Stephen’s 68th Graduation closed with a recitation of the school prayer and the benediction, led by the Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Congratulations, Class of 2018!
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Summer 2018
Spartan Magazine
PHOTOS OPPOSITE PAGE TOP TO BOTTOM: Maya Shamir and Lea Silveira share a hug after graduation; Junro Narita with Zach Jones, Eli Night, Bernie White and Franklin Lassandro. THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Tobi Ogunmola and Maria Martinez; Madeline Casas and Cameron Watkins; Harry Sage, Andrew Yow and Hayden McCormick; Cameron Conyers; Isaac Tilin was chosen by his classmates to present the senior speech at graduation
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UP P E R SCHOOL GRADUATIO N
Summer 2018
Medals and Honors The Velberta Asher Towner Award in the Performing Arts is named for “Bert” Towner, a member of the St. Stephen’s faculty from 1958 to 1984 and longtime chair of the Fine Arts department. This award is presented to a student who has excelled in the performing arts—music, drama and dance. The 2018 Towner Award was presented to Brendan Whyburn and Susannah Joffe.
The Bishop John E. Hines Medal is named after the Rt. Rev. John Hines, founder of St. St. 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 his or her junior and senior years. The 2018 Bishop Hines Medal was presented to Hayden Mast. 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.” Ava Mouton-Johnston was named the 2018 Brewster Medal recipient. 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 Blossom Maduafokwa.
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The Don Cunningham Memorial Award is 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. The 2018 Cunningham Award was presented to Ava Mouton-Johnston and Franklin Lassandro.
Spartan Magazine
Diplomas with Honors Bella Almanza Nevin Arimilli Patrick Atherton Miranda Ayres Madeline Casas Cecilia Cosby Allie Goldreyer Natalia Gutierrez Lindsey Hentschel Grace Hooker Sofia Hsu Mason Jester Susannah Joffe James Kyle Jud Kyle Blossom Maduafokwa Maria Martinez Grayson Matula Joshua Morgan Ava Mouton-Johnston Serena Oh Cat Orman Ross Ostrander Rachel Parker Katia Peppas Rachel Schlesinger Maya Shamir Lea Silveira San Sukavut Jonathan Tan Eloise Thompson Cameron Watkins Natalee Weis Isabel West Bernie White Angela Yang Lucy Yang Raymond Yang Zach Young
Cum Laude Society Madeline Casas Sophie Guess Natalia Gutierrez Grace Hooker Sofia Hsu James Kyle Jud Kyle Blossom Maduafokwa Hayden Mast Grayson Matula Joshua Morgan Ava Mouton-Johnston Cat Orman Rachel Parker Harry Sage Rachel Schlesinger Maya Shamir Eloise Thompson Cameron Watkins Angela Yang Lucy Yang Raymond Yang
Spiritual Leadership Award Andrew Yow
International Student of the Year Lucy Yang
National Chinese Honor Society Madison Liao
National Latin Exam
Harry Sage, summa cum laude Mason Jester and Eloise Thompson, cum laude
National Latin Honor Society Mason Jester, Harry Sage, Eloise Thompson, Walter Woo
American Mathematics Competition Hayden Mast, Angela Yang
American Invitational Mathematics Exam Angela Yang
StuGov Senior Leadership Award
Ava Mouton-Johnston, Andrew Yow
Jan Hines Senior Leadership Award
Miranda Ayres, Georgia Plater, Harry Sage, Rachel Schlesinger, Andrew Yow
Proctor Medals
Pierce Affleck Patrick Atherton Julia Chavez Joanne Chen Blossom Maduafokwa Maria Martinez Zachary Moss Serena Oh San Sukavut Jonathan Wilkey Lucy Yang Andrew Yow Katherine Zhang
Equity and Inclusion Leadership and Service Award
Patrick Atherton, Blossom Maduafokwa, Cameron Watkins
Environmental Leadership Award
Amelia Allen, Denise Devlyn, Ava Mouton-Johnston, Rachel Schlesinger
DCWP Award Isaac Tilin
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Jonathan Tan, Mason Jester, Zach Young, Eli Night, Nevin Arimilli; Yang Yang and Angela Yang; Miranda Ayres and Francesca Loiodice; Allie Goldreyer and Madison Liao
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G R A D U AT I O N
Hayden Mast Harry Sage
UPPER SCHOOL
Diplomas with High Honors
UP P E R SCHOOL GRADUATIO N
Summer 2018
Senior Book Prizes English 12 Maya Shamir Chinese 6 Harry Sage Spanish 7 Hayden Mast Advanced European History Joey Zhao Multivariable Analysis Raymond Yang Statistics and Selected Topics Nina Mewborne Engineering James Kyle Advanced Latin 6 Eloise Thompson Theology Sophie Guess Astrophysics Hayden Mast Geology Hammer Award: Natalee Weiss; Cloos Award: Rachel Parker, Jonathan Tan Advanced Physics San Sukavut
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Harrison Liu, San Sukavut and Johnason Wei; Ben Abikhaled and Sean Dreher; Serena Oh and Amanda Cedillo-Johnson; Son Chanchaiworravit; Lindsey Hentschel, Isa Di Laura, Maya Shamir, Lea Silveira and Cameron Watkins
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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 2018 Sumners Music Award recipient was Andrew Yow. 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 Katia Peppas.
Fine Arts Performance Awards Outstanding Choral Student Andrew Yow Outstanding Orchestra Performer Grayson Matula Outstanding Chamber Musician Grayson Matula Outstanding Violin Student Joshua Morgan Outstanding All-Around Orchestra Member Harry Sage Outstanding Piano Student Madeline Casas Outstanding Thunder Drummer Jacob Lewis Outstanding Guitar Ensemble Member Jacob Lewis Outstanding Applied Arts Student Natalee Weis Outstanding Graphic Design Student Jack McClish Excellence in Ceramics Elias Garibay Excellence in Darkroom Photography Natalee Weis Excellence in Digital Imaging Julia Chavez Outstanding Theatre Technician Nina Mewborne Outstanding Dance Performers Bess Dossett, Susannah
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Jillian Palmieri, Santos Bonilla, Lindsey Hentschel, Bernie White, Henry Colangelo and Cameron Watkins; Issy West, Jamal January and Eloise Thompson; Anna Sheinberg
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G R A D U AT I O N
UPPER SCHOOL
Joffe, Amanda Cedillo-Johnson, Serena Oh, Alex Valdes Theatre Focus Award Winners Katia Peppas, Joey Zhao RISD Book Award Katherine Zhang  
UP P E R SCHOOL GRADUATIO N
Summer 2018
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. This year’s David Paschall Award recipients were Ava MoutonJohnston and Bernie White. 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 2018 Athletic Leadership Award was presented to Eloise Thompson and Bernie White.
All SPC Award Winners Girls Cross Country Amelia Allen Girls Volleyball Bella Almanza Boys Soccer Ben Abikhaled Girls Soccer Natalia Gutierrez Boys Swimming and Diving James Kyle, Jud Kyle Boys Golf Yang Yang Girls Lacrosse Ava Mouton-Johnston Boys Lacrosse Franklin Lassandro, Walter Woo Boys Baseball Jonathan Wilkey Boys Track and Field Jamal January (110 hurdles,
300 hurdles, Long jump, Triple Jump, 4x400 Relay) and Cameron Conyers (100 Meter, 200 Meter, 400 Meter, 4X400 Relay)
Spartan Shield Award Tennis Academy Isabella Di Laura and Nevin Arimilli Soccer Academy Natalia Gutierrez and Bernie White
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Sam Lyzzaik, Bernie White and Jonathan Wilkey; Zach Jones, Jud Kyle, Issy West, Katia Peppas, Natalee Weis, James Kyle and Jamal January; Bess Dossett, Lindsey Hentschel, Academic Dean Kim Garey, Georgia Plater and Bella Almanza; Henry Alvarez and Alex Valdez
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Spartan Magazine
Special 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. St. St. Stephen’s faculty and staff. English Department Chair Jenny Huth, Ph.D., and Middle School English Teacher Miriam Murtuza, Ph.D., both were awarded the Dean H. Towner Master Teaching Chair. Science Teacher Johnny Wilson received the Upper School Teacher Excellence Award. Science Teacher Troy Lanier received the Middle School Teacher Excellence Award.
PHOTOS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Sophie Guess, Eloise Thompson, Mason Jester, Andrew Yow; Madison Liao rejoices in her graduation; Towner Master Teaching Chair Award winners Jenny Huth and Miriam Murtuza; PA President Melinda Young presents the Staff Excellence Award to Alison Chang
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G R A D U AT I O N
UPPER SCHOOL
Alison Chang, administrative assistant to the head of school, received the Staff Excellence Award.
MI DDL E SCHOOL CLOSI NG C E R E M O NY
Summer 2018
MIDDLE SCHOOL
closing ceremony On June 1, the Middle School held its Closing Ceremony to honor its graduating eighth grade students and outstanding members of all grades. During the morning program, Middle School Head Magnus Maccow presented a number of academic, 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 Channing Allen, Kendall Dowd, Zoe Ehrlich, Sophia Hawthorne and Natalie Kim. Jael Dammann (8th grade), Crawford Arnow and Devin McDonald (7th grade) and Zach Geller (6th grade) were recognized for Highest Academic Standing in their Class. 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. Liberty Baker received the 2018 Spirit of Hope Award.
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Dade Miura, L.D. King, Zachariah Foster, Aidan Castanon and Oscar Humphrey; The Gunnin Family: Nancy, Cooper, Chris and Ellie; Patrick Simmonds, Tony Shan, Arielle Sher, Carly Silverstein, Allie Routh and Zoe Schaffer; Middle School Head Magnus Maccow
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Spartan Magazine
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Giulia Walker, Blake Peifer and Taylor Bernard; Arielle Sher, Kendall Dowd, Lucille Hancock, Nicole Heyer and Natalie Kim; Zoe Ehrlich
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SPARTAN LIFE
Summer 2018
SPARTAN Life
EVENTS CLUBS CULTURE CELEBRATIONS AWARDS TALENT SPORTS HOLIDAYS ACHIEVEMENTS SUCCESS
PHOTOS LEFT: Michael Richards with Head of School Chris Gunnin; RIGHT: Cindy Morriss
Faculty and Staff Say Goodbye to The Hill Michael Richards, Chief Financial Officer
Cindy Morriss, Middle School English
Perhaps no one has earned the chance to put his feet up and rest more than Michael Richards, who has served as chief financial officer at St. St. Stephen’s since 2004. Throughout his tenure, he has shepherded St. St. Stephen’s to its highest level of financial security in our 68-year history.
“As far back as high school, I wanted to teach English,” said Cindy Morriss, a well-loved Middle School English teacher who retired from The Hill in June. Morriss initially came to St. Stephen’s as a parent and immediately fell in love with the school community.
Richards came to St. Stephen’s from Episcopal High School in Houston, where he served as the chief financial officer for 21 years. “I was looking for a new challenge in my professional career,” he said. “I found that challenge at St. Stephen’s.” In addition to overseeing the school’s daily financial and facilities issues, Richards was school liaison to the board of trustees’ finance, campus and audit committees. He also served on the St. Stephen’s Endowment Fund Board and the retirement plan and financial aid committees.
“Two of my children, Kat ’06 and Matthew ’09, were well into their St. St. St. Stephen’s careers when I joined the staff in 2006,” she explained. “My children thrived in the Middle School, sampling many types of activities, being challenged academically, and feeling nurtured and loved by faculty and staff. They loved the school so much that I wanted to be a part of it too.”
“Michael has been disciplined and deliberate in strengthening the school’s financial standing,” said Head of School Chris Gunnin. “He also has worked to oversee building projects, campus security, dining hall operations, school transportation and campus maintenance. A steadfast and loyal leader, he has supported the student experience, strengthened our living and learning community, and positioned the school for success for generations to come.” According to Richards, his retirement plans are pretty simple: spend more time with his wife of 40-plus years, dote on his four grandchildren, and continue to wreck both his kitchen with his cooking and the golf course with his game. “I will never shoot my age,” he concluded, “but would be satisfied if I could develop some level of consistency with my shots.”
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Her first year at the school, Morriss worked as a half-time assistant in Becker Library. The next year she had the opportunity to teach a sixth grade English class, in addition to her library duties. The following year she became a seventh grade English teacher. Her other responsibilities have included serving as seventh grade team leader, working on the curriculum committee and teaching Self Science. “I have been energized by my students,” she explained of her time in the classroom. “Without a doubt, I have learned as much from them as they have from me. I also have had the pleasure of working with gifted, dedicated colleagues whom I respect and enjoy being around. After a detour through the practice of law and parenting, I feel lucky to have had the chance to return to my first love!” The St. Stephen’s community is tremendously appreciative of these exemplary community members for their tireless dedication to our students and our school!
Spartan Magazine
The Great Legacy of Johnny Wilson In late spring, the St. Stephen’s community gathered in Chapel to celebrate the retirement of biology teacher Johnny Wilson, who has served students and peers with fierce devotion and infectious joy for the last 29 years. Throughout Wilson’s impressive tenure at the school, he has served as Middle School dean of students and assistant head, MS science teacher, Upper School dean of faculty and US biology teacher. He also has led countless student trips across Texas and to Guyana and Haiti. The Rev. Todd FitzGerald opened the heartfelt service by perfectly summarizing Wilson’s influence on students, faculty and staff: “He has taught us how to love.” FitzGerald then led participants in a rousing rendition of Episcopal Hymn No. 602, “Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love,” a fitting tribute for a man who filled his classroom with remarkable intelligence, humor and humanity. Following the hymn, numerous students, alumni and faculty shared personal stories of how Wilson has influenced their lives, including the following: Madeline Casas ’18 said, “Mr. Wilson boldly and courageously lives by example in every aspect of his life. He inspires me and everyone around him to become better versions of ourselves, because he radiates the most positive energy imaginable from every fiber of his being.” Rising senior Ian Hutchinson said, “Mr. Wilson is one of my favorite people. Going to Haiti and seeing him connect with and impact people was really inspiring. His positivity is contagious, as is his love and care for the environment.”
unmasked, biology teacher Dean Mohlman called Wilson “a modern Lorax,” referencing the Dr. Seuss character who chronicles the plight of the environment and speaks for the trees.
Reid Powers ’11 said, “Johnny Wilson is one of those rare people whose kindness and energy infects everyone around him—whether teaching biology or sitting around a fire in the Davis Mountains telling stories, he makes everyone’s life a little happier. Thank you, Mr. Wilson, for all of the small moments where you reached out to us. It made all the difference in the world.”
The program closed with Dean of Faculty Wallis Goodman telling Wilson that a gift has been made in his name to our sister school, St. Etienne, in Salmadere, Haiti, where Wilson has led multiple student service trips each year and helped foster stronger bonds between our two school communities. “We all appreciate your hard work and dedication to both of these schools,” Goodman concluded.
Theology Department Chair Jim Woodruff noted, “It is good to work with someone who is a stand-up person, who tries to match what they do with what they say—a real human being. Back in his hometown of El Dorado, Ark., they might have called such person a mensch. That’s what Mr. Wilson seems to be, and I think that’s what he’s really been teaching—how to be a real human being.”
Early this summer, the Johnny Wilson Endowment Fund was created in recognition of the care and devotion he has showered upon our school community throughout the past 29 years. If you would like to honor his service with a contribution, please visit www.sstx.org/endowment.
Following the many speakers, Wilson was treated to a performance of the Grateful Dead’s “Uncle John’s Band” by the school’s Madrigal singers, who wore Hawaiian shirts in recognition of his standard school dress. During the song, Wilson was set upon by a troop of gorillas— faculty, students and alumni dressed in brightly colored gorilla costumes—a nod to how Wilson greeted his biology students on the first day of class each year. When the song ended and the gorillas were
PHOTO Jim Woodruff, theology department chair, with Johnny Wilson and F rank Mikan, science department chair
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Strengthening Connections with St. Etienne Eske ou pale Creole? We do — thanks to Fritz Lindor, a Haitian Creole translator who worked closely with St. Stephen’s students and teachers during the school’s annual service trips to Haiti in 2017 and 2018. Lindor visited St. Stephen’s campus in early February to teach beginning Haitian Creole language classes to faculty and students preparing to travel to our partner school in Salmadere, Haiti. His classes were open to anyone interested in learning the language. Lindor also spoke to students during senior Theology and gave a special Chapel presentation on Haitian culture on the final day of his visit. Lindor, who grew up in Port-au-Prince, did not always have money to attend school, so he taught himself to speak English by listening to the radio and sounding out words in books. “I looked at pictures in the books and started to learn the words,” he said. “I listened to the radio programs and wrote down what I heard—then used a dictionary to look up the words. It was difficult, but I kept fighting.” His hard work paid off. When his mother had saved enough money to send him to school, he was far ahead of the other students in English. “The first English test I took, I finished in five minutes,” he explained. “When I turned it in to the teacher, he thought I had not finished, but I scored 96 out of 100. Learning English motivated me to learn more and more.” Lindor studied social work at Université d’Etat d’Haiti and supplemented his income by teaching English language courses. Following college, he attended a professional interpreter program and now works as a medical translator at a hospital. “I work primarily alongside American doctors and missionaries,” said Lindor, who is fluent in Haitian Creole, English, French and Spanish. While working with St. Stephen’s students during service trips to our partner school St. Etienne in Salmadere, Lindor developed close
friendships with trip leaders Johnny Wilson, Rebecca Gibbs and Jamal Middlebrooks. “I felt like I became part of the group very quickly; it felt like we had always known each other,” he said. “When you are able to speak the same language as someone, you get to know them better. It brings people together so you can get to know them more personally.” Lindor said he wanted to help St. Stephen’s students learn Haitian Creole prior to their trip so they could connect better with the people while there. “I’m contributing to good communication between your students and my community,” he said. “An interpreter pulls two separate cords together and connects them. When you learn a foreign language, you also learn about the culture of the people.” Gibbs, who has worked alongside Lindor in Haiti for several years, believes his work with our school community is a blessing. “Having Fritz become part of our St. Stephen’s family is one of the best things to have happened to our partnership with Haiti,” she said. “His never-ending enthusiasm for Haitian culture and his love for us are palpable. Having someone who can easily translate for us has been a game-changer for the program. But to have gained his friendship through this partnership is really the most valuable thing of all.” Lindor deeply values the partnership as well. “Each time your students come to Haiti, there’s a strong connection made,” he said. “We see it when the students leave; they are sad and cry because they have enjoyed the experience and the people there. It means something to them to be there and connect with the Haitian people. Some of the students have returned to Haiti many times. It is true that when you live somewhere it becomes your home — home, sweet home.” PHOTOS TOP: Fritz Lindor with Middle School students; BOTTOM: Fritz Lindor teaching a Haitian Creole language class at St. Stephen’s
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Spartan Magazine
A Familial Connection for International Students “The International Program was one of the things that most attracted us to St. Stephen’s when looking at schools for our children,” said Mary Beth Jester, parent to two St. Stephen’s graduates. “We really loved that the school offers a highly global and diverse campus, so becoming a host family to international students seemed like a great fit for us. We’ve made some really strong connections with students by being a host family.” St. Stephen’s started its host family program more than two decades ago. Overseen by the school’s International Program staff, the program pairs international and American expat students with local host families who provide a familial touch to students while they are far from home. “Host families really provide that personal touch to students that they miss being away from home,” said Sarah Todd, International Program director. “Host parents give the students a birthday card or a bag of candy at Halloween. Others attend sporting events or school plays the kids are involved in. For some of our international students, their connection with the host family is one of the most important relationships they have during their time at St. Stephen’s.”
For Ayres, the program brought far more to her own family than she ever expected. “My kids gained a greater understanding of others and became more compassionate,” she said. Jester agreed the program can have a big impact on students and families alike. “For a while, one of our sons played on the same sports team as the international student we hosted,” she said. “I think it added an extra level of comradery for them. At the end of the day, despite cultural differences, they really are just teenagers.” If you are interested in serving as a host family to a St. Stephen’s international student, please contact the International Program office or parent Maryann Bell, parent liaison for the 2018–19 school year.
Jester believes the host family program helps build a strong sense of community between international students and day student families. “It gets the local families involved in the boarding program, and it gives our international students a home-like atmosphere when they are away from their parents,” she said. “I like to stop by campus every now and then to visit our international students—just touch base to see how they are doing. I think it helps them feel more settled.” A common misconception about the program is that host families are expected to house international students when school is closed. “Having students to our home is not a requirement of the program, but we’re a family that likes to open our door to others,” Jester said of hosting international students during short breaks. “Typically, we host two kids a year so they have someone to hang out with when they stay with us.” “One of the beauties of the program is that the school doesn’t dictate how to interact with the students,” explained Heatherly Ayres, mother to four Spartan alumnae and parent liaison to the International Program for the past seven years. “Being a host family provides a wonderful opportunity to learn the nuances of other cultures. When you sign up, you never know in what direction the experience will go. It depends on the student you’re paired with. “Good communication goes a long way,” Ayres added. “The more you talk with the students and get to know them, the better you’ll become at integrating them into your family activities. You really can build your own unique experiences, depending on the student you’re matched with. For
PHOTOS TOP: Lucy Yang, Lisa Murphy and Reagan Murphy; BOTTOM: Chiayenne Wolfe and Sirah Diallo with Althea Eggleston
example, several of the international students loved to cook, so we let them use our kitchen to prepare meals with the Chinese Culture Club.”
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St. Stephen's Global Ensemble performed with Atash at Carnegie Hall in April
Global Ensemble Performs at Carnegie Hall Members of St. Stephen’s Global Ensemble hit the Big Apple this spring for a special command performance at Carnegie Hall on April 23. The Global Ensemble, comprised of 54 members of St. Stephen’s orchestras and Thunder drumline, together with award-winning world music band Atash, performed a highly expressive and dramatic concert in the renowned Stern Auditorium, which has hosted countless historic programs since 1891. Collaboration was paramount for this project, as original music by Atash was arranged for full orchestra and expanded percussion under the direction of John Moon, St. Stephen’s orchestra director and Atash violinist. Trevor Detling, director of Thunder, worked with the school’s drummers to create exciting versions of their sound, as well as with the other percussionists and orchestra members. Concert Master Grayson Matula ’18 and Moon led the musicians through “Global Harmony,” an eclectic program influenced by classical, blues, jazz, percussion, mystic Sufi, Central and South American, South Indian, and European musical traditions. A short 45 minutes later, the audience and performers experienced that exquisite moment of silence as the last sounds faded away.… And then the hall erupted with warm, prolonged applause, providing the perfect finish to this beautiful concert. A week after returning to Austin, the Global Ensemble performed their Carnegie program in a special Homecoming Concert in the Temple Family Theatre of the Helm Fine Arts Center for the school community.
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The opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall is a privilege and an honor. Yet it also was an opportunity to learn, to strive and to build a stronger ensemble, as our student musicians tested themselves on this great stage. What they learned in preparing for this very public performance will last a lifetime. — elizabeth hansing moon, fine arts department chair
Madrigals Perform at Christ Church Cathedral During the first week of spring break, Director of Choral Music Kendra Lipman led the Madrigal Singers on an inspiring trip to Ireland. During their trip, the Madrigals gave a number of vocal performances, enjoyed walking tours of local towns and castles, and viewed the Book of Kells (c. 800) in the library of Trinity College in Dublin. The trip culminated with performances at Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral. “The capstone event of our trip was the final concert in Christ Church Cathedral, the oldest church in Ireland and by far the best acoustic space I’ve ever performed in,” Lipman noted. “It was thrilling and an experience that we will never forget.” The Madrigals performed a special Homecoming Concert showcasing the songs performed during their Ireland trip for the St. Stephen’s community on April 26.
Spartan Magazine
Coach Carrozza Named to National Fitness Foundation Honorary Board Carrozza is a familiar face to many athletes and runners in the Austin area. The founder of RunTex in the late 1980s, he is credited with building the city’s reputation for promoting and supporting active lifestyles. Carrozza has led the St. Stephen’s cross country and track teams since 2015 as a part-time coach. He joined the faculty full time last August, when he also started coaching the swimming and diving teams and teaching physical education and health classes. “The St. Stephen’s school community is thrilled to celebrate this great honor with Coach Carrozza, who has dedicated his life and career to promoting athletic pursuits and healthy living,” said Jon McCain, director of athletics. “We are proud to have Paul train our student-athletes and serve as a model for healthy living for all Spartans.” In February, Paul Carrozza, head coach of the school’s cross country, track and swimming teams, was named a member of the inaugural National Fitness Foundation’s honorary board. The official charity of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN), the National Fitness Foundation’s honorary board consists of 27 former members of the PCSFN, spanning five decades and eight presidential administrations. Carrozza was a member of the PCSFN under President George W. Bush from 2000 to 2008.
According to the National Fitness Foundation website, the organization was chartered by Congress in 2010 as a non-partisan nonprofit to support the mission of the PCSFN. The foundation’s honorary board was established in February 2018 to commemorate the dedicated service of health and fitness leaders by providing them with the opportunity to lead programs and drive innovations that prepare children for a lifetime of health and fitness. PHOTO Coach Paul Carrozza
Nine Seniors Sign to Play Sports in College On February 7, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School celebrated National Signing Day with a special ceremony honoring the nine members of the Class of 2018 who signed to play sports at the college level. The full school community celebrates these outstanding student-athletes for their tremendous dedication both in the classroom and in athletic competition. Go, Spartans! Bella Almanza will play volleyball for Harvard University Nevin Arimilli will play tennis for The University of Texas at Austin Denise Devlyn will row crew at the University of Washington Isa Di Laura will play tennis at Texas Tech University Natalia Gutierrez will play soccer for the United States Air Force Academy James Kyle will join the diving team at Carnegie Mellon University Jud Kyle will join the diving team at Carnegie Mellon University Stephen Lemmon will play football for Grinnell College Bernie White will play soccer at Amherst College
PHOTO (LEFT TO RIGHT) Denise Devlyn, Jud Kyle, James Kyle, Natalia Gutierrez, Nevin Arimilli, Stephen Lemmon, Bernie White, Bella Almanza and Isa Di Laura
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Celebrating
Women in Sports The St. Stephen’s community celebrated female Spartan athletes throughout the week of Feb. 5, leading up to National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Activities culminated on February 7, when Head Athletic Trainer Kathy Rainey and Middle School Athletic Coordinator and Field Hockey Coach Chelsea Richards led a special Chapel service honoring girls and women in sports. During their Chapel talk, Rainey and Richards provided a fascinating history of women in sports — from Althea Gibson becoming the first African-American woman to win three grand-slam tennis championships in the 1950s, Katherine Switzer registering to run the Boston Marathon in 1967 and the creation of the sports bra in 1977, to the American Women’s Soccer team winning the World Cup in 1999, Sue Falcone becoming the first female major league athletic trainer in 2012 and Becky Hammon being named the first female assistant coach of the NBA in 2014.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Chelsea Richards and Kathy Rainey
“I was 11 years old when I saw Brandi Chastain and the rest of the USA National Women’s Soccer Team defeat China,” Richards said. “I still remember Chastain falling to her knees and ripping off her jersey after she scored the winning goal. This World Cup gave millions of little girls in my generation the idea that they could compete and succeed on the largest stage in a traditional sport.”
During their presentation, Rainey and Richards asked a number of pointed questions: Why are only 40 percent of female teams in the NCAA led by female coaches? Why is the number of women coaching men’s collegiate teams less than 2 percent? Why does the public think it is OK for men to coach and announce women’s sports, but views it as odd for women? Why are the salaries of professional male and female athletes still not equal? What will it take for women of our students’ generation to lead in sports?
Rainey also recalled the importance of the event. “I watched the same game as a 27-year-old woman,” Rainey noted. “For the first time, I thought the women that I played with and knew could be on TV. I also thought, ‘Holy, cow! A woman just took her shirt off on national TV!’ Suddenly, training in a sports bra without a shirt became acceptable.
“We want to challenge you to be the next generation of change,” Rainey said to the Spartan student-athletes in the Chapel. “It is simple: lead confidently, take risks and support each other in sport.”
“From Althea Gibson to Brandi Chastain, the opportunities for women to play sports have increased significantly, but we still have so far to go,” Rainey concluded.
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Spartan Magazine
Leaning into Discomfort at TEDxYouth@Austin Sophie Guess, a member of the Class of 2018, has helped organize one of the most engaging speaker programs for young people in Austin for the past two years. An offshoot of TEDx, which provides a platform for “ideas worth spreading,” TEDxYouth@Austin is a youth-led, adult-mentored event filled with innovative speakers and opportunities for creative collaboration. Held on Feb. 17, the 2018 program attracted more than 800 students from the Austin area. As content director of the daylong program, Guess arranged the speakers and supervised the website, video and photography teams. In the Q & A below, she provides insight into this powerful and inspiring event.
This year’s program theme was “Discomfort Zone.” Why was this selected?
I hope that anyone who attended TEDxYouth@Austin left with ideas to discuss. The whole goal of TED is to spread ideas. It is not to persuade, but solely to share. I hope that at least one speaker connected with each individual in the audience.
What have you gained from your time at St. Stephen’s? I have been amazed at how inclusive the students at St. Stephen’s are. St. Stephen’s has allowed me to seek out knowledge in a collaborative and encouraging environment while making connections with peers looking to do the same. The teachers encourage learning for the sake of learning and pursuing your interests instead of building a resume. It’s easy to take risks in a safe and healthy environment.
Discomfort Zone was chosen as a way to encourage our attendees to take risks safely. Great accomplishments result from nontraditional methods and allow for learning about the world and ourselves. By stepping out of our comfort zones, we can learn more about the people around us and establish connections that we might not have experienced before. The program was specifically curated to facilitate discussions about topics that are typically taboo. While they might have led to debate, they were sure to lead to deeper thought.
What was most meaningful part of the day for you? My favorite part of the event is always the speakers, because I get to be involved in curating their speeches. Many of the speakers this year were found through my St. Stephen’s connections, including local high school students and St. Stephen’s English teacher Greg Bonetti. It is amazing to meet someone whose ideas you know about and finally get to hear them present in person. It feels like taking a mental picture and making it a reality. I especially connected with the speaker Saanya Bhargava. She is a junior at Westlake High School who advocates for the removal of plastics from the ocean and explains the ways that everyday people can help. Her speech illuminated the issues caused by the use of drinking straws. They are too light to be recycled, so they almost always end up in the oceans. Since then, the issue of straws has become one of interest to me and has caused me to think about how the small habits we maintain affect the world as a whole.
What did you hope others would gain from the event? It’s such an amazing opportunity! TED events can cost thousands of dollars to attend, but ours is free to students in exchange for four hours of community service. So there is no financial barrier that restricts the audience. This encourages greater connections around Austin and a wider sharing of interesting ideas.
PHOTOS TOP LEFT TO RIGHT: TedxYouth organizers Sophie Guess, Matthew Kearney and Nancy Giordano; BOTTOM: St. Stephen’s English teacher Greg Bonetti speaking at TedxYouth
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SUPPORTING STUDENT DIVERSITY
As a school community, we believe every student should be free from discrimination, including those based on gender identity and/or gender expression. Last fall the board of trustees adopted a new policy to reflect St. Stephen’s commitment to the safety and well-being of every student:
Creating a More Inclusive Campus When I arrived at St. Stephen’s as a faculty member six years ago, I realized that we had come a long way in terms of inclusivity and support for the LGBTQ community since I graduated in 1997. Back then St. Stephen’s did not have any kind of club to support gay or bisexual students, much less gender expansive or transgender students. Three years ago, faculty co-sponsors Greg Bonetti, Colleen Hynes and I decided to merge the Gay-Straight Alliance and Defining Feminism clubs to create a new student group called the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). This year we had more than 100 student members, three faculty sponsors and a handful of other faculty members who consistently attended our meetings. During club time, we explore a wide range of topics, including feminism, sexuality, gender identity and allyship. Other related clubs available to students include an Upper School affinity group for those who identify as LGBTQ and a new Middle School Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Educating the larger St. Stephen’s community about LGBTQ issues has truly been a team effort. One important initiative has been to work with faculty to update the health curriculum to teach related topics in approachable, age-appropriate ways. In 10th grade health class, we organize panel discussions in which faculty and student participants volunteer to share their stories— either as allies or as members of the LGBTQ community—and answer questions that students in the class may have. Last year we also organized a panel discussion with four transgender adults to specifically address ways to support transgender students on our campus. We also have taken a number of steps to create more visible support of the LGBTQ community on our campus. Last year we updated the Safe Space sticker program by training faculty and staff on ways to make our campus spaces safer and more inclusive for everyone. In addition, we have organized a number of special Chapel presentations. Last fall several students presented in Chapel for Ally Week. And this spring we invited alumnus Spencer Dunkerley-Offor ’13 back to campus to share his personal story for National Day of Silence. Students and faculty across campus showed their support by wearing “HUMAN” shirts designed by a member of GSA. We also created “Words Hurt” posters featuring images of faculty and students in order to emphasize the power of language. We truly believe that these efforts have made our community more inclusive and equitable.
—Virginia Talley, Ph.D. ’97, Upper School Spanish Teacher
PHOTOS TOP: National Day of Silence Chapel speakers Virginia Talley ’97, Yvonne Adams, Spencer DunkerleyOffor ’13, Colleen Hynes and Greg Bonetti; RIGHT: A “Words Hurt” poster featuring St. Stephen’s students, faculty and staff
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It is the mission of St. Stephen’s Episcopal School to nurture moral growth, to respect the dignity of every human being, and to value each individual as a beloved child of God. Further, it is the school’s mission to challenge and motivate students to live intelligently, creatively, and humanely as contributing members of society. St. Stephen’s strives to provide and maintain a safe and supportive learning and educational environment that is free from harassment, intimidation, and/or bullying and that is free from discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability or weight. We support an inclusive environment to ensure transgender, gender non-conforming, and transitioning students feel safe, welcome and respected. We will continue to monitor and conform our policy in an effort to assure that every student is able to realize our promise to develop sharp minds, great and humble hearts and strong spirits.
Spartan Magazine
Thank You for Supporting the Annual Fund I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the many members of the St. Stephen’s community for supporting the 2017–18 Annual Fund campaign. From parents, faculty and staff, to alumni, grandparents and trustees, your generous gifts truly made a difference to the success of this year’s Annual Fund campaign. The Annual Fund helps bridge the gap between income received from tuition and the school’s operating budget. That is why we ask for 100 percent participation from the full school community. When the full school community rallies together to support the Annual Fund, we are able to fulfill our historic mission and vision of providing a broad spectrum of students with access to a St. Stephen’s education, ensuring that our campus community reflects the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of our world. Thank you for your continued support of St. Stephen’s and our students. — sherry buchanan, director of the annual fund and parent liaison
Annual Fund parent chairs Charles and Catherine Sansbury with their sons Will ’18 and John ’17
The Spring Swing auction raised important funds for the school’s operating budget, PA-sponsored student activities, and a special “Make It Happen” project above and beyond the school’s operating budget. This year, Make It Happen supporters can proudly say that they made it happen! More than 100 donors raised $144,000 for the redesign of Becker Library.
Spring Swing co-chairs Jackie Alvarez, Stephanie Duprie Routh and Jenni Evans
Spring Swing’s Glamping Extravaganza In late February, the St. Stephen’s Parents’ Association (PA) hosted their 14th Annual Spring Swing auction, where fundraising and friend-raising went hand in hand throughout the evening. The “Wanderlust” theme was extremely entertaining for the more than 450 attendees, who came decked out in creative glamping attire. Clayton Gym was transformed into a camper’s dream destination—thanks to vivid student-created murals depicting local destinations like Big Bend National Park. Outside Clayton, the Kata lounge tent served as the perfect backdrop for spurof-the-moment compositions from a typewriter poet and decadent campfire s’mores.
When students and faculty return for the 2018–19 school year, they will find a more open and flexible library space that provides different zones supporting diverse learning styles and needs. Traditional seating arrangements will share space with individual study stations, as well as a new portable device charging station and lounge seating. Mobile chairs and tables will allow students to reconfigure their study areas, and a retractable wall and multi-level seating will enhance learning opportunities for classes. Additionally, new laptops will be available for student use throughout the updated space. The event could not have been accomplished without the many parent volunteers, faculty and staff, and outstanding PA leadership. Special thanks go to Spring Swing co-chairs Jackie Alvarez, Jenni Evans and Stephanie Duprie Routh, as well as Make It Happen co-chairs Heatherly Ayres and Marianna Sher. Thank you to everyone who came together to support and celebrate the mission of St. Stephen’s at this great event. Wanderlust proved to be an extraordinary excursion for all.
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Autumn Houston, Barbara and Michael McHale, and David Houston
A Truly Grand Day Every spring St. Stephen’s welcomes grandparents to campus for a special day on The Hill with their grandkids. This annual capstone event enables students to share the rich academic and cultural life of the school with their grandparents and other honored guests.
“Actually, looking back, the little things—favorite foods, playful nicknames and silly games—the funny thing is that years later, those aren’t that little,” he noted. “Those memories and feelings and moments have lasted my lifetime. Only big things can last that long.
This year’s Grand Day kicked off with a rousing welcome from the school’s Thunder drumline. Visitors then attended classes with their grandchildren before enjoying a delicious lunch in the dining hall.
“So thank you for the big things,” he added. “And thank you for the little things that a lifetime from now we will realize were bigger than we once thought. Thank you for sharing your grandchildren with us. I hope you will return to St. Stephen’s often. You are always welcome here.”
A highlight of the day for many was the special Grand Day Chapel service. After welcoming grandparents to campus, Head of School Chris Gunnin recognized parents Caly Aguirre Bours and Courtney Jones for co-chairing and planning the event, as well as honorary chairs Pat and Roger Medors, grandparent chairs of the Annual Fund. During his address, Gunnin shared several meaningful memories of his own grandparents and talked about the great impact they had on his development. “Some of these things are little things,” he said. “But there were big things, too. I knew unconditionally that my grandparents loved me. I knew that I was safe with them. I knew that if anything ever went wrong in Dallas, we could retreat to the family farm and be OK. Those are big things. 28
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Fran Nichnowitz with Charlie Poses
Spartan Magazine
“Thank you for the big things. And thank you for the little things that a lifetime from now we will realize were bigger than we once thought. Thank you for sharing your grandchildren with us. I hope you will return to St. Stephen’s often. You are always welcome here.” — head of school chris gunnin
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Hudson Quinn, Penny Burck and Robert Quinn; Shannon Lynch and Jan Peterson; Ruth Chia with Meghan Chia; Kalyan and Vasantha Annamalai with Ravi Sukkawala; Javier Montemayor-Aquirre and little sister Caly with Calita and Ricardo Aguirre; Sandra Gil and Fernando Arroyo
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Empowering Students Through the Arts Arts educator Jennie Tudor Gray, a member of the Class of 1993, joined the St. Stephen’s faculty last fall to teach an array of fine arts courses. Throughout the academic year, she has inspired students to take risks, challenge themselves and grow their creative spirit. In return, she has provided students with numerous opportunities to share their artistic works with the larger Austin community at such venerated showcases as the East Austin Studio Tour, Mexican American Cultural Center, Eastside Collective and Art.Science.Gallery. In the essay below, she shares with readers how she seeks to empower students through arts education.
Art Classroom as Social Laboratory I believe art should be accessible to everyone. By encouraging students to experiment and take risks with different materials and concepts, they are better able to express themselves and formulate their sense of self, develop their identities. Right away, from the first day of class, I let students know that they will not be graded on talent and that it is possible for them to excel in class if they are willing to challenge themselves, try their best, be open-minded and creative, and look at each assignment from varying angles. In project-based learning, our art room is often like an art laboratory where we constantly experiment and face fears during the creative process. Making projects personally relevant to each student is essential for them to develop their creativity and find their artistic voice. Establishing foundations in art historical and cultural contexts, as well as visual culture and media literacy, also help students navigate their own expression of self both inside and outside the classroom. In class, I provide a strong background in the history and context of each lesson, but balance that by giving students the freedom to explore themes, styles and techniques of their choosing. I am passionate about using arts education as a tool for social change and art as social practice. I believe that the power of communication, ability to collaborate and the creative problem-solving skills used in art can help carry messages of social justice and create a more equitable and peaceful society. I also believe our culture benefits from youth representation in the arts, which helps shape our present and future as a society.
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More than an Enrichment Offering As an arts educator, I have found that the arts are often downplayed as a hobby — not a true “academic” subject, but merely an “enrichment.” As such, I sometimes need to advocate for the validity and significance of the profession, its role in fostering students’ sense of self and their place in the world, and the vital role arts and culture play in a functioning society. Many people think that it is not possible to have a career in the arts, so I try to help shatter those myths and encourage students and others to look for the art and design all around them in everyday life, to appreciate art for art’s sake, and reframe the interdisciplinary opportunities behind creative and design thinking. In reality, there are a wide variety of college, vocational and career opportunities available to students under the umbrella of fine arts and design.
Spartan Magazine
This is one of the reasons I try to give my students connections to the wider Austin community — displaying their works in professional settings and connecting them with creative professionals. Through these opportunities, students are able to take pride in and inspiration from showing and sometimes selling their work in a professional setting. This also shows them it is possible to have a career in the arts.
Art Education in the 21st Century My amazing visual art colleagues, Elizabeth Zepeda and Lisa Orr, and I are continually looking for innovative ways to incorporate more technological resources in the classroom. Our students are especially interested in the connections between art, technology and science. In the future, we would like to offer a digital arts program where students can have equipment available to create original digital art and more. We are also looking into utilizing 3D printers and seeking ways to connect with other disciplines and departments, such as the maker, robotics and engineering classes. Working at St. Stephen’s has taught me the importance of an interdisciplinary, collaborative and innovative approach to education. The school has even supported my own professional development with a local digital arts organization through a faculty innovation grant, so I am able to share with my students what I have learned about robotic art, coding, digital glitch art and interactive art. I look forward to collaborating more with my colleagues and students to bring more 21st century technology to my classroom. —jennie tudor gray ’93, fine arts teacher
A Spartan Returns to The Hill Hailing originally from Massachusetts, Jennie Tudor Gray ’93 and her mother relocated to Texas and joined the St. Stephen’s community when she was in 8th grade. They were drawn to the school because her mother saw it as a path for Gray to create influential change in the world around her. Gray believes the school’s mission and vision — how they are integrated into student life on The Hill — gave her the skill set needed to positively influence society. Gray, who now uses her own art as a mechanism for change, blends her passion for social justice, building community and the arts. During her time on The Hill, Gray not only discovered the depths of her own artistic expression but also explored ways in which the arts could be used as a catalyst for change. She now stresses the importance of art as both process and product when working with her students. She also strives to preserve the integrity of traditional artistic practices while embracing technological advancements in the arts. After graduating from St. Stephen’s, Gray earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in studio art and her teaching certificate at Texas State University. Gray said she never realized how lucky she was to have had the “quintessential St. Stephen’s experience” until she went to college. “My St. Stephen’s education not only equipped me with the academic skills needed to succeed as a professional artist, but also instilled in me the values of humility and community, a commitment to service, and the pursuit of social justice,” she said. Now, at the conclusion of her first year as a member of the fine arts faculty, Gray has had the opportunity to evaluate artistic practices on campus, as well as outline her programmatic vision. She continues to encourage “collaboration across all academic disciplines to support the whole student” and to find creative ways that students can use their artistic expression to push the boundaries of academic achievement. She also hopes that the prevailing elitism in art can be eliminated by dismantling barriers to access and stressing the importance of community. Thanks to her connections in the local art scene, she has helped integrate St. Stephen’s students into the wider Austin community. She believes these unique collaborations will have a lasting impact on all participants.
PHOTOS Last winter Jennie Gray’s Middle School art students created two lifesize human sculptures using everyday materials of plastic wrap and tape and then displayed them in various locations in and around Gunn Hall.
— Nolu McIlraith ’12, alumni relations and giving coordinator
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The Intersection of Faith and Medicine in Patient Care The beauty of the St. Stephen’s experience is that the mission and vision of the school are instilled in the minds of all Spartans. While the academic experience may continue to evolve throughout the coming years, the school’s commitment to supporting growth in mind, body and spirit has never wavered. The St. Stephen’s mission and vision, along with the inclusive and nurturing culture, serve as a guiding moral compass for St. Stephen’s students long after they graduate.
Chaplain Liz Fleming Powell BCC ’91, Dr. Paul Harford ’71 and Dr. Krishna Pokala ’02 are a perfect example of how the shared St. Stephen’s experience shapes and impacts the lives of students after they leave The Hill. Powell, Harford and Pokala form a patient care team at Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas. The trio co-manages patients’ end-oflife care, supports patients’ families, and provides spiritual assessments for patients and family in need. Their collaboration is rooted in holistic care — treating the whole person and acknowledging how mental and social factors affect their care needs. In many ways, holism and healthcare perfectly align with the mission and vision of St. Stephen’s, as they all focus on mind, body and spirit. Despite having attended St. Stephen’s at different times, their similar experiences at the school make their collaboration particularly impactful. A board certified chaplin, Powell is an Episcopal priest who serves as palliative care chaplain and coordinator of Dell Seton’s No One Dies Alone Program, which provides spiritual assessments and care planning for patients. She is passionate about inclusivity, has a strong commitment to service learning, fosters interdepartmental collaboration, and is committed to promoting the intellectual and emotional development of youth. Powell has extensive experience working in an academic setting and an inherent desire to help shape and institutionalize practices and policies to help protect and best support her constituents. She is highly cognizant of her responsibility to serve individuals of all faiths, ensuring that her practice and the spaces in which she operates are nondenominational and welcoming to people of all faiths and belief systems. Harford, who received his medical degree from The University of Texas at Austin and specializes in internal medicine, serves as director of critical care services. He embraces working in a community and collaborating with other care givers as a means of supporting his patients and their families. He is passionate about working in a field that allows him to serve other people, especially in times of critical need. His passion for service was cultivated at St. Stephen’s, and he often credits the school for inspiring many of his classmates to pursue careers within such fields as well.
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Pokala, who received his medical degree with a specialty in neurology at the University of Oklahoma, works in the neurology department at the hospital. Like Harford, he values the importance of community-focused medicine. He credits St. Stephen’s with helping him embrace his passion for academia and exposing him to a variety of human experiences outside of his hometown. “St. Stephen’s teachers Alexander Zhukov and Frank Mikan greatly influenced my career choice,” Polaka said. “They inspired me to further my science education at MIT, which then led to medical school.” Powell, Harford and Pokala all enrolled as boarding students at St. Stephen’s, where they sought a challenging academic experience and diverse community. All three have said that their time at St. Stephen’s was critical in helping to shape their lives for years to come — from the formal academic training they received, the ethos they experienced at the school, and their ability to develop and mature in a caring environment that fostered their intellectual curiosities and embraced their authentic selves. They also stressed the importance of and need for creating a global citizenship, building community and collaborating with one’s peers. They believe the school’s boarding community exposed them to great diversity of thought as well. They said it called for them to be a part of something larger than themselves, leading them to understand the value of learning and working with people from across the country and around the world. Powell said of her time living in the dorms that it “felt as though the boarding community was a great equalizer.” Inside the dorms, she explained, a student’s socioeconomic background did not affect the ways in which she and her classmates interacted with one another. “The boarding programing was, in a sense, a microcosm of people of different ethnicities, political beliefs and socioeconomic backgrounds,” she said, noting that a similar microcosm is also replicated at the hospital where she and her fellow alumni work.
Spartan Magazine
Dr. Paul Harford ’71, Chaplain Liz Fleming Powell BCC ’91 and Dr. Krishna Pokala ’02
Harford agreed with Powell’s perspective on dorm life. “At St. Stephen’s, especially in the boarding community, you are continually surrounded by people of different backgrounds,” he said. “You are extremely close to these people for a long time, and they are all so different from one another. Eventually, you start to gain new perspectives from the variety of the human experiences and where people come from. Some students came from broken homes, low-income homes, rich homes…. As I was differentiating myself as a teenager and trying to find myself, I was relying on those around me for support.” Harford believes that St. Stephen’s not only exposed him and his classmates to the diversity of people’s lived experiences, but it also equipped them with the skills needed to navigate those differences while working at Dell Seton. They believe their work together is effective because they are able to support the many components of a patient’s identity and, therefore, care for the patient’s whole self. They sometimes see colleagues from vastly different backgrounds struggle to understand people from different cultures. “How do we teach someone to be unbiased about somebody’s culture, way of thinking or what they’ve gone through?” Harford asked. He and Pokala both believe they were taught the essence of this at St. Stephen’s, and they try to translate their knowledge and understanding to their medical residents and other colleagues. While the answer to Harford’s question is everchanging, Pokala agreed that “being able to appreciate and recognize the patient as a whole person can only be achieved when incorporating different perspectives.”
be effective in her role at the hospital. “I am able to support individuals of different faiths by creating a nondenominational space that is welcoming to everyone,” she said. “Unlike in a church, where the congregation is static, in the hospital setting the patient population is fluid.” Powell not only serves patients and their families, but supports the medical staff that cares for them as well. “It is the doctors, nurses, clinical assistants and respiratory therapists that are my congregation, too,” she explained. “They encounter suffering and other hardships—all of which they absorb and move through.” As for advice for current and future Spartans, Powell suggested students spend time in conversation with people in the St. Stephen’s community. “Talk to students, classmates, faculty members,” she advised. “Slow down and savor your conversations. St. Stephen’s is a community filled with vibrant, curious, interesting, challenging and engaging people. The richness of the time spent in such a community is a treasure and a gift.” Harford also believes that the relationships students develop at the school are unique. “There is a complexity to them that cannot be replicated elsewhere,” he said. “Surround yourself with people you admire and like.” He believes that doing so is crucial to promoting one’s own emotional and intellectual development and to pushing oneself to be the best that one can be. Without a doubt, Harford, Pokala and Powell have followed this great advice to the benefit of their patients and colleagues alike. —nolu mcIlraith ’12, alumni relations and giving coordinator
Powell believes that she, too, is called upon to be open and accepting of people’s varying backgrounds in her work. She credits St. Stephen’s with teaching her to navigate a diverse landscape of people and enabling her to sstx.org
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A Renewed Focus on Social Justice “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.
The Rev. David Sugeno ’83, Ricky Green ’86, Jennifer Cook Purcell ’89 and Elizabeth Ozmun
Spartans know the history of our school’s groundbreaking, when the Rev. John E. Hines set shovel to dirt and prophetically declared our land ripe for a new type of Christian school—one that would serve as a model for the Social Gospel. Sixty-eight years later, applying Christian ethics to the problems that plague our society, including poverty and racism, remains central to our school mission. And for many students, the desire to serve and support others propels them to seek equity for all throughout their lives. Ricky Green ’86, an Austin attorney and community volunteer, continues to live the values he learned from his parents and as a student at St. Stephen’s. Green recently rallied a group of St. Stephen’s graduates to create The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Financial Aid Endowment to honor the school’s commitment to upholding the Civil Rights leader’s great legacy and vision. This special named endowment will enable St. Stephen’s to continue its enduring mission to strive for justice and peace for all people and respect the dignity of every human being. In the essay that follows, Green shares his personal story and motivation for creating the MLK endowment.
I grew up in an all-black, tough, impoverished neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas. I am the youngest of five boys. My parents, Sammy and Veda Green, provided a warm, loving environment for me and my brothers, but it was incredibly difficult at times for our family to find our moral compass in a tough, poor neighborhood, with lots of crime and poverty swirling around us. My parents were born during the Great Depression under the Jim Crow laws that enforced racial segregation from Reconstruction to 1965. My dad dropped out of school after the eighth grade to pick cotton in Gladewater, deep in East Texas. There was little to no opportunity for
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most people in East Texas, especially black folks, so he moved to Fort Worth, met my mom and married her in December 1950. She finished high school but did not have the chance to go beyond that in the segregated South. When I was growing up, there were plenty of opportunities to find trouble. In my hood, there was petty theft that was not so petty as the neighborhood kids grew older—stealing that later became robbery, even murder. I needed the discipline that Mom doled out; although, at the time, it did not seem fair. But Mom kept me and my brothers on the “straight and narrow.”
Spartan Magazine
Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” —The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Trustees Emily Hummel ’86, Ricky Green ’86 and Evan Smith with Mattie Schaunessy ’15 and Shandy Maccow ’15
I went to an all-black school in kindergarten, first and second grades; a black and Hispanic school for the third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades; and really was not exposed to a school with white students until the seventh grade. Although some civil rights laws had been enacted due to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education that outlawed “separate but equal” education and the 1960’s Civil Rights Acts, desegregation took a long time to filter through the school systems.
When I was 15 years old, I had the opportunity to attend St. Stephen’s as well. Rudy had laid down the groundwork for me. Of course, being a know-it-all teenager, I told my mom, “No, I don’t want to go there.” That would mean I would have to leave my home in Fort Worth and move to Austin to go to boarding school. My mom told me, “You have two options: You can go to St. Stephen’s or you can go to St. Stephen’s.” You could say my mom made the decision very easy for me.
When I was growing up, my mom encouraged me to play sports— escape through sports. She was tireless in her efforts to take me to school early in the mornings for practices. “Idle hands are the devil’s tools,” she told me, as I shivered in her unheated car in the dead of winter, waiting for a bus to take me to school for practice.
Moving into a dorm at St. Stephen’s was a very difficult transition for me, coming from a poor, all-black neighborhood. I did not get along with my first roommate, David Moore ’86. I did not know anything about Steely Dan, and he played Steely Dan all the time. I was used to R&B music, and we had constant arguments about whose music was better. We changed roommates and then became great friends!
My life experience significantly evolved due to the kindness of some conscientious and engaged St. Stephen’s students. Clarke Heidrick ’68 and John McFarland ’68 were determined enough to go to school administrators after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. They organized and coordinated a memorial scholarship for low-income minority students. My brother, Rudy Green ’71, became the first St. Stephen’s MLK Scholar when he set foot on campus the fall of 1968.
I remember seeing the rector at the school smoking a cigarette, and it blew my mind. I grew up in a Pentecostal church, Church of God in Christ, in Fort Worth. Church of God Christians believe in baptism with the Holy Ghost, which follows sanctification and is revealed by an experience of speaking in tongues, and the experience of speaking in tongues is evidence of the presence of the Holy Ghost after sanctification. In lifestyle, Church of God Christians expect members to abstain from all alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs. So when I saw
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the rector smoking a cigarette, I satirically and facetiously looked to the heavens for that certain lightning strike to cleanse his sins. Still, I knew then that St. Stephen’s was a very different place than where I came from, a place I wanted to experience. Although the first year was a very difficult transition for me, I knew this was the place for me. I became great friends with my classmates, and today many of us stay in contact through a fantasy football league. I was blessed and fortunate enough to go to the University of Pennsylvania for undergraduate studies and Southern Methodist University for law school. I can honestly say that I never would have heard of Penn if not for St. Stephen’s first-rate college-prep program. The Rev. King’s vision and passion have inspired not only my family but also our nation, whether black, white or otherwise. The Rev. King gave a speech to a group of high school students in Philadelphia in October 1967 that continues to resonate with me. He spoke about the importance of creating a blueprint for our lives: “Number one in your life’s blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your own worth, and your own somebodiness. Don’t allow anybody to make you feel that you are nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance.… “And I say to you, my young friends, doors are opening to you—doors of opportunities that were not open to your mothers and your fathers—and the great challenge facing you is to be ready to face these doors as they open. “So I would urge you to study hard, to burn the midnight oil; I would say to you, don’t drop out of school. I understand all the sociological reasons, but I urge you that in spite of your economic plight, in spite of the situation that you’re forced to live in—stay in school. “And finally, and finally, in your life’s blueprint must be a commitment to the eternal principles of beauty, love and justice.... However young you are, you have a responsibility to seek to make your nation a better nation in which to live. You have a responsibility to seek to make life better for everybody. And so you must be involved in the struggle of freedom and justice.” There’s an African-derived saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I truly believe it’s a community effort. It takes great and loving parents, supportive friends, and a caring community to raise us from tough situations to magnificent heights. Heidrick, McFarland and other donors started the MLK scholarship at St. Stephen’s 50 years ago. Today, I believe it is important to bring back the MLK scholarship as an endowment to further galvanize the school’s pursuit of equity and justice. Resurrected as The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Endowment, this financial aid fund provides a powerful opportunity to increase student diversity at the school, positively impacting not only the student recipients, but all members of the school community. You are invited to participate in St. Stephen’s commitment to the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. through the endowment as well. —ricky d. green ’86, st. stephen’s trustee, 2011–17
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A Glimpse into Our History St. Stephen's can claim several milestones in the chronicles of human and civil rights. It was the first coeducational Episcopal school in the nation and the first integrated boarding school in the South. In 1967 funding for the enrollment of black students at St. Stephen's came from North Carolina's Anne C. Stouffer Foundation. The Stouffer Scholarship Program, which continued at the school into the mid-'70s, recruited talented, motivated black students from across the South and placed them in southern boarding schools. The program had a “halo effect,” spreading the good word about the school in minority communities and attracting students of color who came with or without Stouffer funds. When Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated April 4, 1968, the shattering news inspired quick action at St. Stephen's that would have a lasting legacy. Clarke Heidrick and John McFarland, both members of the Class of 1968, established the MLK Scholarship as a show of support for their friend and classmate, Greg Hicks ’68, the school's first AfricanAmerican boarding student. A few months later, Rudy Green ’71 entered St. Stephen's as the first recipient of the MLK Scholarship. His younger brother, Ricky Green ‘86, followed 15 years later, with many excellent MLK students in the years between them. By the early 1990s the school faced economic challenges, and the MLK Scholarship was discontinued. Fast forward to 2016. In gratitude for his St. Stephen’s experience, Ricky Green launched an effort to bring back the scholarship, and in 2018 the MLK Financial Aid Endowment was born.
Spartan Magazine
Class Notes 1951 WILL BREWSTER
brewsterwilliam34@gmail.com
1952 FRED HELDENFELS
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
Linda Bullock is still writing the final chapters of her third book. Her four little grand nephews, all under the age of nine, are the experts on both her computer and smart phone. Her youngest niece and her fiancé were wed on June 2.
1961
mjhines1@cox.net
S T E V E J O L LY
stevejolly@mindspring.com
COLIN PHIPPS
1962
colin@phippsfarm.com
D AV I D S A N D E R S
rdavidsanders@msn.com
1956 ELLEN MCCORQUODALE MARTIN
1963
ellen@mccorquodale.net
J U L I A C AU T H O R N
julia@texancapital.com
1957 RU T H W I L S O N W I T T E N
Ruthwitten@aol.com
1958
R O B E RT H E N D E R S O N
rehenderson@nvcc.edu
1969 JOSH HARRISON
Dallas Baxter drove in from Alpine to attend Shirley Sherman’s memorial service on March 17. She and Pat Black enjoyed the memory-filled homily given by the Rev. Anne Knight Hoey ’56. After Shirley’s ashes were interred in the Memorial Garden, the U.S. Army (complete with bugling) did their impressive flag folding, as Shirley had served in the Army in her youth. The flag will be kept in the school’s archives.
MIKE HINES
1955
1968
1964
JHarrisonLaw@aol.com
Josh Harrison and wife Vicky (Williams) Harrison attended the visitation for Mary Lacy Clifton Chase in Waco, Texas, on Jan. 22. This was a very sad occasion for the two of them, but it was nice to have a chance to visit with Chase’s husband, Jim, and son, Jamey. Mary Bachman Burke and Alan Fenton continue to travel a lot — carpe diem! They were on campus for Grand Day, where they also ran into Mike Childers Parten. They enjoyed having a reason to be back on campus again and having the explicit realization that St. Stephen’s continues to meaningfully nourish more generations of students. Anne Johnson Moultrie is enjoying retirement after 36 years with the University System of Maryland. She continues her travels (since retiring, she has traveled to Colombia, hiked in Patagonia and marveled at Easter Island) and is spending more time with grandchildren Jaden (6) and Corinne (2). Anne and her husband, Ralph, will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary on Sept. 30. Anne said she looks forward to returning to St. Stephen’s for the Class of 69’s 50th Reunion in the fall of 2019. She enjoyed a minireunion with Marcia White Roberts and Sarah Johnson Entenmann in March.
We need a Class Representative. If interested, please contact Nolu McIlraith ’12 at nmcilraith@sstx.org.
J. P. B RYA N
1965
BryanJ@teai.com OR andrea@thebryanmuseum.com
DIANNE DUNCAN TUCKER
ddtuck@aol.com
1959 TOM ROMBERG
1966
tromberg@me.com
CANDY MILLER
hcm@postoakfarm.com
1960
Candy Miller maintains a web page for the class at www.postoakfarm.com/SSSLink.htm
PAT FAT T E R B L A C K
ggpat77@gmail.com
Nancy Hopwood enjoyed photo trips to Morocco in November and Rajasthan in January and also traveled to the Philippines in the early spring. She enjoys taking the photographs, but post-processing not as much. She is no longer seeing patients, so one could say that she is retired.
1967 R A N D Y PA RT E N
jrparten@parten.com
Anne Moultrie ’69 enjoyed a mini-reunion with Marcia White Roberts ’69 and Sarah Johnson Entenmann '69 in Washington, D.C.
1970 We need a Class Representative. If interested, please contact Nolu McIlraith ’12 at nmcilraith@sstx.org.
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1971 K AT H RY N M I L L E R A N D E R S O N
zjmiller1513@gmail.com
Lou Porter Bailey is trying to get used to being retired, and it’s not easy! One big help was a fun trip to Chicago in April with her husband, Scott Bailey ’70, daughter Katherine Bailey Brown ’05 and son-in-law TJ Brown ’99. They saw the play “Hamilton,” but the highlight of the trip was visiting with former St. Stephen’s teacher Steve Smock, who lives in Chicago. She has known and loved him for 50 years. Smock was a fantastic teacher and later a good friend. Lou hopes he comes to Reunion this year. Jeff Glanz reports that his grandson was born on April 4, 2018. His Mother, Dori, and son are healthy and happy! Camilo Ian Reyneri weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 21.25 inches long.
1972 We need a Class Representative. If interested, please contact Nolu McIlraith ’12 at nmcilraith@sstx.org.
1973 DOUG ANDERSON
dlalaw@hotmail.com
1974 ANN RHODES MCMEANS
armcmeans@gmail.com
Mike Peters is delighted not to have ALS! The anniversary of his misdiagnosis was last February. He is happy that his CIDP is responding well to treatment. He is also thrilled to be retired. He is finding his way back into photography in a little more serious way; he has managed to take a few photos that are actually pretty darn good. William Goetzmann was inspired by seeing Michael Mehaffey at the last reunion and following his work and writings. As a result, he got a team of MBA students to create teaching cases on visionary urban projects past and present. This project took them to Canary Wharf in England to investigate Brexit and to the Rialto in Venice to study a complex historical renovation for a new luxury mall—he had a great class. Ann McMean is approaching 20 years of working in nutrition research for Baylor College of Medicine at Texas Children’s Hospital. She loves working in a teaching/ research hospital, as she never stops learning. Her younger son, Will, got married in March to Maureen. Her
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Lou Porter Bailey ’71 and Scott Bailey ’70 with former Stephen’s teacher Steve Smock in Chicago
older son, John, married Jessie in December 2016. She now has two great daughters-in-law!
1977 R O B E RT E T T I N G E R
robert@ettlaw.com
Abigail Klamert moved back to Ohio, where she looked forward to reuniting with close friends, furthering her involvement with community organizations and boards, gardening, and restarting her bed and breakfast. Life in Ohio is beautiful and cheap.... She looks forward to visiting Texas in the future! Carter Hobbs and Janet are both still working but were able to go to Germany last October and will be going there in June and September as well. Their daughter and two grandsons are stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany for the next two years. Their son, Justin, got married on New Year’s Eve to a wonderful woman. They feel so blessed with an expanding family, good health and rewarding work.
1975
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
1980 MILES WRIGHT
miles@xanofi.com
1981 CHARLOTTE STUCKEY BRIGHAM
M A RY B R A N D T
charlotteesbrigham@yahoo.com
mary.l.brandt@gmail.com
E R I C A P E T E R S S TA F F O R D
S Y LV I A M C I N T Y R E - C R O O K
Erica.Stafford@bvcpa.com
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”
1982 W E N D Y W H I T E NAU G H T O N
wendy.naughton@gmail.com
Spartan Magazine
1983 L AU R A M E A R S M I R E C K I
llynnmir@aol.com
1984 S U Z A N N E C A N TA R I N O P F E I F F E R
SuzannePfeiffer@austin.rr.com
1985 L I B B I E WA L K E R A N S E L L
libbieansell@gmail.com
1986 CHRIS BRECKWOLDT
cbreckwoldt@sstx.org
1987
Ricky Green '86 and Chris Breckwoldt '86 reunited to celebrate MLK Day in January at the downtown march in Austin
randallwe@aol.com
1988 MARK ROWE
markrowe@henna.com
1989 We need a Class Representative. If interested, please contact Nolu McIlraith ’12 at nmcilraith@sstx.org.
1993 D AV I S B A L D W I N
rdbaldwin@mac.com
Mari-Vaughn Johnson and husband Isaiah welcomed their sweet son, Francis Paerka, into the world in August 2017.
1994 C AT H E R I N E C O O K W E I S S
1990 JOSEPH FRISZ
friszman@yahoo.com
Phillips Nazaro was named senior vice president and general counsel of Marc Jacobs International.
1991 LIZ FLEMING POWELL
lz.powell@gmail.com
1992 MONIKA POWE NELSON
giantmonsterprincess@gmail.com
Monika Nelson reported that the Class of 1992 had a great reunion! They terrorized the staff at Fresa’s Chicken al Carbon by wandering around and not staying in their designated seating area because they “cannot be contained.”
cmcook76@aol.com
Travis Greig started a job last year as an architect at Clayton & Little in Austin, Texas, and closed his own firm to do so. He is still sitting on the St. Stephen’s board of trustees, chairing the campus committee and doing his best to represent the 90s. His twin girls are starting kindergarten in the fall at Highland Park Elementary. Chris Carothers, along with his wife and daughter, is living in Toronto, Canada. He started working last year for TD (Canada's largest bank) in analytics and data science. Ellen Ponze has lived in Hövelhof, Germany, with her husband and their two children, ages 10 and 7, since 2012. They enjoy being there and having the kids grow up near their cousins from both sides of the family. She is not officially working, but as her German gets stronger, she is trying to become more involved in the local art communities and also regularly helps in the kids' school. They travel throughout Europe as much as they can and also try to get back to the United States at least once a year. She reports that living there was meant to be a five-year experiment, but now it's looking more open-ended!
ADMISSIONS 2018–19 2018 SEPTEMBER 1 Class Visit Dates Available on the School Website
CALENDAR
C AT H E R I N E H O E Y R A N D A L L
OCTOBER 1 Family Interviews Begin NOVEMBER 1 Financial Aid Application Available on the School Website DECEMBER 1 Financial Aid Deadline for Returning Families DECEMBER 2 Open House for Prospective Students
2019 JANUARY 25 Application Deadline and Financial Aid Deadline for New Families
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Jan Dorr Freeman married Donnie Freeman on Oct.13, 2017, at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens and was walked by her brother, Bert Dorr ’94.
Summer 2018
1999 BECKY HOLLIS DIFFEN
Becky@beckyanddaniel.com
Don’t forget to join the Class of ’99 Facebook group. Tiffany (Wallis) Parcher and husband Daniel became parents again, this time via adoption from China. With three kids they are now outnumbered as parents and are trying to quickly learn zone defense. They are still living and working in Denver and enjoying their family of five! Heather (Burt) Amos and partner are expecting their second baby in August. All is going well, and they are looking forward to meeting him or her! They are also busy house hunting and hoping to move out of Bristol, England, and live in the Gloucestershire countryside. She is a senior midwife and manages a busy antenatal and postnatal ward, but she loves it!
terrace, so she can throw some lovely parties in the summer. She is senior vice president of operations for TouchCare, a healthcare startup. During the past year, she took some time off and was able to squeeze in some pretty big trips with her boyfriend to South Africa, China, Australia and Italy. Kari (McDonald) Helm, husband Jeff, son David (4), and daughter Elizabeth (2) moved from Houston, Texas, to Mexico City, Mexico, in the spring of 2017. They relocated for a two-year assignment for both Kari (financial accounting advisory) and Jeff (tax) with Ernst & Young. Kathleen Tanner and her husband, Beau, welcomed a baby girl, Madison Jeanne Beduze, on Dec. 5, 2017. Her adorable older brother, Tanner, is smitten and completely in love with his new role as big brother!
Amanda Inskeep and husband Andy welcomed a baby boy, Jack, in January. Wedding of Jan Dorr Freeman ’94 and her husband, Donnie Freeman Catherine Cook Weiss is enjoying teaching preschool at St. Matthew’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas.
1995 RHEA BENBOW THOMAS
Eric Camp and Karla have two little boys, Nicholas (3) and Cameron (1). After four years in Nairobi, Kenya, they moved on to Accra, Ghana, in August, where they plan to be for another four years. In February, he and Karla had the pleasure of joining Katherine Bailey Brown ’05 and TJ Brown ’99 on a weeklong trip of a lifetime to Italy. Venice during Carnival was pretty special, and they got to try 25-year-old aged balsamic vinegar during a food tour in the Parma region!
rheabt@gmail.com BETH COCKERHAM MACK
semack77@gmail.com SETH ALLEY
sethalley@msn.com
Julia Weems reports that 2017 was a great year. She and her husband bought and remodeled a flat and sold their old one. Their daughters Ena (3) and Nico (7) are doing well
A N N S T R A U S E R PA L M E R
annstrauser@hotmail.com H AW K I N S L I
hli3@yahoo.com
1996 MEGHAN ALEXANDER
malexander@alexanderatty.com SHANNON POWERS FLAHIVE
spowers1@austin.rr.com
Becky (Hollis) Diffen was named a partner at McGuireWoods, where she continues to focus her practice on renewable energy transactions. She has enjoyed coaching daughter Darcy Jane’s softball team, which has brought back many fond memories of Spartan softball.
2000 We need a Class Representative. If interested, please contact Nolu McIlraith ’12 at nmcilraith@sstx.org.
Children of Kathleen Tanner ’01: daughter Madison and son Tanner Laura (Neuhaus) Zittrain is going on eight years in Cambridge, Mass., where husband Jonathan and she welcomed a son last year. Isaac Russell loves bananas and recently discovered his bellybutton. Last November she met up with Whitney Corbett Rohrer for a 36-hour jaunt in New York, N.Y. The next week in Austin, she hung out with Jenny Pyle and saw Lillie Furman Henson at Donn's Depot. Also earlier that year, Laura introduced St. Stephen’s English Department Chair Jenny Huth to their little Beowulf. Last fall Laura accepted an artist residency at Autodesk's BUILD space, where she is designing and fabricating a historic spacesuit sculpture on the site of a failed 1960's NASA research center in Cambridge. She recently exhibited some of her Voyager 2 sound installation work at MIT as part of their new space exploration initiative. A highlight was, when conducting her research, she got to try on a fully pressurized, cutting-edge spacesuit!
K AT E H E N R I C H S O N
malexander@alexanderatty.com
Melissa Potapova moved from the UK back to Houston in February.
1997 CAMERON BEESLEY
2001
leardsfool@gmail.com
JULIET FRERKING
frerking@gmail.com
1998
K AT H E R I N E B AY E R
kittybayer@gmail.com
JA R E D H O C K E M A
jhockema@mac.com
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Juliet Frerking lives in New York City in a way-toosmall apartment. However, it has a huge private
Jenny Huth with the son of Laura Zittrian ’01 and Jonathan Zittrian
Spartan Magazine
2008 A M A N DA K U S H N E R
amandakkushner@gmail.com
Amanda has set up a Facebook group called St. Stephen’s Class of 2008. Rachel Startin has started a new engineering job at a cutting-edge research company near Oxford, England. Ashley Robert graduated from St. Mary's University Law School and passed the Texas Bar Exam in 2016. A licensed attorney, she joined the U.S. Marine Corps as a law contractor in 2017. After finishing 10 weeks at Officer Candidate School, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant. She is now stationed in Camp Pendleton, Calif., and will attend the Naval Justice School located in Rhode Island this fall to complete her training as a judge advocate general.
2009 J. J. B O T H A
johannbbotha@gmail.com C H A N TA L S T R A S B U R G E R
chantal.strasburger@gmail.com
2010 C A R L O T TA G A R Z A
carlotta.garza@gmail.com O M A R YA G H I
omaryaghi2@gmail.com RYA N N Y O U N G
rhy9@cornell.edu
Laura Zittrian ’01 trying on a fully pressurized, cutting-edge spacesuit
2011 L I N D S AY R E D M A N
llredman@gmail.com
2002
2005
KEAN TONETTI
R A C H E L K AT Z
twombly.gray@gmail.com
stonetti@gmail.com
rpk228@gmail.com
H E N RY S I K E S
G R AY T W O M B LY
whsikes1@gmail.com
2003
2006
We need a Class Representative. If interested, please contact Nolu McIlraith ’12 at nmcilraith@sstx.org.
SELINA STRASBERGER
2004 BRIAN KAUFMAN
selina.strasburger@gmail.com
A L I A YA H G I
alia.yaghi1@gmail.com
S A R A H C R O M W E L L S H E P PA R D
2012
sarahhcromwell@gmail.com
HELEN ELIZABETH OLD
helenelizabeth1@me.com CAROLINE PRINGLE
brian.r.kaufman@gmail.com
2007
ERIC NEUHAUS
A N N E B U C K T H A L C H I LT O N
JA K E P O L I T T E
ean2324@gmail.com
anne.buckthal@gmail.com
jake.politte@rocketmail.com
COLE ARLEDGE
Y O S UA H U R O D O
cole.arledge@gmail.com
yosua.adiyasa@hotmail.com
carolinepringle93@gmail.com
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ALUMN I N EWS
2013 JAMES CARTER
carter@rice.edu
Summer 2018
University in May with degree in social studies and minor in human evolutionary biology. She is excited to start her next life journey!
LISA NORDHAUSER
lisa.nordhauser@gmail.com
James T. Carter graduated from Rice University with distinctions in research and creative works last May and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Columbia Business School in New York, N.Y. Brian Reigh graduated from Dartmouth College in May 2017 and just finished his first year of law school at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law in Victoria, B.C. Jessica Manzano-Valdez graduated from Pomona College and is currently teaching sixth grade English/ language arts in Fort Worth, Texas, through Teach for America. She is engaged to a fellow Pomona graduate. Yee Sang Wong is currently engaged to Henry Wen, an architecture classmate from The University of Texas at Austin. She is working toward her architecture license in New York, N.Y. Kaydee Reese is working as a project manager in candidate Beto O’Rourke’s campaign for U.S. Senate. She is very excited about the upcoming election and wants everyone to go out and vote!
Noah Schwartz graduated from Tufts University last May and is working on a political campaign in Houston, Texas.
2014 JACKLYN HORTON jaclynlhorton@gmail.com NATHAN GOLDBERG nathangoldberg@college.harvard.edu Caroline Jones attends nursing school at Baylor University. Allie Arnett hopes to work as an assistant speech pathologist. Chania Whitaker is attending chiropractic school in California. Mattie Mouton-Johnston works as a registered nurse at Georgetown Hospital in Washington, D.C. Izzy Mendiola is teaching high school English in San Antonio, Texas with Teach for America.
Gabi Eisenberg is looking forward to starting law school at The University of Texas at Austin in the fall.
Elizabeth Twichell is teaching high school chemistry in Richmond, Calif., with Teach for America.
Maddy Blankenship works with Adrienne Jackson at RPA Advertising in Los Angeles, Calif.
Alexandra Altamirano is working for Morgan Stanley in New York, N.Y.
Matt Wong currently lives in Austin, Texas, and works for Facebook.
Kelly Twombly is working for J.P. Morgan in New York, N.Y.
Mariela Sarinana just graduated from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, where she played college tennis. She now lives in Mexico City and works for a German company called Henkel.
Alex Lin will begin working for McKinsey in San Francisco, Calif., this fall, but not before going through an accelerator with MIT friends for their educational tech startup.
Isaac Becker was commissioned into the U.S. Marine Corps as a second lieutenant after graduation and just checked in for Naval Flight School.
Eva Coke works at the Dallas branch of J.P. Morgan.
Lauren Clendennen is excited to be working as a nurse in New York, N.Y., taking care of mothers and babies. Rosa Castaneda currently lives in Austin, Texas, and will be heading off to grad school this fall at Webster University in Vienna, Austria, for her master's degree in international relations. Aly Blumhagen is living in New York, N.Y., and working in the film/television industry. Danielle Strasburger graduated from Harvard
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Matthew Trabold works for an architecture firm in Austin, Texas. Megan Nater and Stephanie Parker both work for Facebook. Eric Liang is an engineer for Apple in California. Elizabeth Gladden works in the marketing department of Dell all the way up in Boston, Mass.
Jamie Molina booked a season at the Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, Fla. Diehl Sillers works for the National Parks Service as a natural resource assistant in Southern Arizona. Zach Wright plays professional soccer for the Rio Grande Valley Toros in the United Soccer League. Phill Reid works for Red Bull at their headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif. Siena Ramsey assists a manager at a film and television production company in London, England. Ella Martin-Gachot is working on her own documentary about the queer community and the concept of home in Paris, France. Jeffery Tsao and Edward Du are both pursuing master’s degrees at the University of Rochester: Jeffery in optics and Edward in operating systems. Karina Husodo is pursuing a master’s degree in operations research. Sean Cai will start a mechanical engineering master’s program at Georgia Tech in the fall. Alyssa Epstein and Will Deaderick will share a campus again — this time at Stanford University. Will is working on a master’s degree in machine learning, and Alyssa is attending law school. Helen Tschurr is attending law school, and she is taking her talents to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Anthony Chen is in flight training in New Zealand, preparing for an exciting career in aviation with a Taiwanese carrier. Conor Donnelly hopes to start work as the male swing on the Disney Fantasy Cruise starting in December 2018. He will tour the Caribbean Islands for seven to 10 months. Peyton Malesovas, who is currently a visual manager at Free People in Palo Alto, Calif., is planning to take a break this winter to get her yoga certification while living and working at a ski resort in Colorado. Christine Hubbard is taking a year off to travel around the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
2015 JIM OLD
jamesold1@mac.com
Saara Hassoun works as a chapter development consultant for the Tri Delta Executive Office, visiting Tri Delta sorority chapters all over the country.
Spartan Magazine
2016 NICK GOLDREYER
nick.goldreyer@gmail.com
2017 We need a Class Representative. If interested, please contact Nolu McIlraith ’12 at nmcilraith@sstx.org.
FORMER FACULTY Laurence A. Becker premiered his second documentary film, “Fierce Love and Art” in May. This film explores the lives of autistic savants. His passion for film all started in one of his two English classes at St. Stephen's in March 1969. He invites everyone to check out the film’s web site at www.fierceloveparents.com to learn more about this amazing film.
IN MEMORIAM James Dazey ’56 passed away in April 2018. He spent his final days in the company of his brother, Wade, in Ojai, Calif. Nancy Green Hargrove ’67 passed away in January 2016. Shirley Sherman, Former Staff Shirley Ann Sherman was born on Dec. 10, 1919, in Elk City, Kan. Sherman graduated from high school in 1936 then moved to Austin, Texas, to live with her brother and his wife. Sherman worked at Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) for a year before enrolling at The University of Texas at Austin. She continued to work part time for TRS while earning her degree in business administration. After graduating from UT in
Ohlendorf ’01 Visits Spartan Spring Training St. Stephen’s varsity baseball team had a chance to up their game in March — thanks to a visit by former Major League Baseball pitcher Ross Ohlendorf ’01. Ohlendorf, who played both baseball and basketball as a student at St. Stephen’s, spent time pitching to the players so they could experience going to bat against a professional player. Following their time on the field, he spoke to the team about his love for the sport and his time in the majors, which included playing for Princeton University, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Coach David Paschall, former director of athletics at St. Stephen’s, also participated in team practice. Many thanks to this great alumnus for spending time with our student-athletes!
1942, Sherman joined the U.S. Army as a soldier in the Women’s Army Corp. She was stationed in Hanford, Wash., where she worked on the Manhattan (Nuclear) Project. At the close of World War II, the army sent her to Vienna, Austria, where she served as personal secretary to Lt. Gen. Geoffrey Keyes. She was honorably discharged from the army on July 30, 1948, but reenlisted three months later, serving with the rank of Sergeant First Class. Following the war, Sherman worked as a counselor and photographer at Camp Mystic, located 100 miles west of Austin. While there, she met the Rev. William Brewster, St. Stephen’s first head of school. He recruited Sherman to work at the school as secretary to the head and registrar. She started work at St. Stephen’s the day the school officially opened in the fall of 1950.
Shirley Sherman
Sherman’s “day job” involved handling an immense amount of paperwork for the school, including typing exams, recording grades, distributing report cards, and coordinating communications among school constituents. In addition, she served as head of the women’s residential staff and lived on campus in a one-room apartment connected to Freeman Dormitory. She also was the unofficial school photographer; her
black-and-white photos of campus life in the 1950s are prominently displayed in meeting spaces across campus, including the board room, dining hall and Admission Office. Sherman possessed a rough-hewn spirit and nononsense personality. Her many friends lauded her sharp wit. She also was a great animal lover, talented carpenter and naturalist. She could identify the many birds, wildflowers and fossils found on campus, and she was never without her cocker spaniel companion. Everyone who met Sherman understood how deeply devoted she was to St. Stephen’s throughout her impressive 57-year tenure at the school. She officially retired from school life in January 2008 but remained connected to St. Stephen’s until her death on Jan. 21, 2018, at the age of 98. A memorial service for Sherman was held in the school Chapel on Saturday, March 17. Following the service, her ashes were interred at the Brewster Memorial.
sstx.org
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ALUMN I N EWS
Summer 2018
Class Notes Submissions We encourage alumni to share personal updates with us for Class Notes. Spartan alumni are contacted by their
Planting Seeds for a Stronger Tomorrow
Class Representatives several times a year for news and information. For assistance contacting your Class Rep or to submit news directly by email, please contact Nolu
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone else planted a tree long ago.” — warren buffett, philanthropist
McIlraith ’12, alumni relations and giving coordinator, at 512.327.1213 x178 or nmcilraith@sstx.org. Class Notes also can be submitted directly online at
Everyone reading that wonderful quote from Warren Buffett has a connection to St. Stephen’s in some way. Regardless of the road that led us here, what we all have in common is a personal history impacted by a school whose mission is to inspire a lasting love of learning and spirit of service.
www.sstx.org/alumni/. Select the “Stay Connected” box. For help finding your Class Rep, please visit the Alumni page at www.sstx.org/alumni. We welcome high resolution photographs with your Class Notes submission. Please send a JPG format in the largest
My own St. Stephen’s story began 13 years ago, when our family of five relocated from Houston to Austin. Shortly after arriving, I discovered St. Stephen’s when searching for a school for my children. It was then that I began my journey as a parent volunteer and fundraiser. During that time, I witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of a St. Stephen’s education.
size possible (at least 900 pixels; image 3 inches wide at 300 dpi). Please list the names and class years of everyone in the photo in the email.
Spartan magazine editors reserve the right to edit or omit any information submitted.
As a parent of two alumni, Michael ’14 and Abigail ’17, I understand and value the culture of this great school, and I am committed to ensuring that St. Stephen’s remains a place that values the dignity of every student and nurtures each child’s unique talents and aspirations. Melody Harman
For these reasons and many more, I was delighted to accept the position of director of planned giving, carrying on the great work of Lou Porter Bailey ’71, who retired in December 2017. Although I have large shoes to fill, I am up for the challenge and excited to begin this new chapter in my career. I am deeply passionate about and committed to my work helping St. Stephen’s build a strong endowment through planned gifts. Planned gifts provide perpetual financial support to the school, ensuring that St. Stephen’s remains vibrant and vital for future generations of Spartans. As we like to say in Advancement, an endowment is the great differentiator between schools that stay true to their values and those that do not. I know this to be accurate from my many years working in fundraising at independent schools. As such, I find it rewarding to know that my work will help protect and preserve the longstanding mission and values of St. Stephen’s that we all hold dear. Since joining the St. Stephen’s community, I have been overwhelmed by the warm welcome I have received from the entire community. Every day I get to enjoy working on our beautiful 370-acre campus, be inspired by our dedicated faculty, and witness the great energy of our confident and eager students. What a blessing! It is an honor to do my part to help St. Stephen’s secure our school’s future. I hope to connect with many members of our school community in the months ahead, but please feel free to reach out to me directly if you would like to learn more about how to create a lasting legacy for yourself and your family at St. Stephen’s. Together we will plant the seeds for a stronger tomorrow. — melody harman, director of planned giving
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
Get Social! Connect with St. Stephen’s and your classmates online. Facebook “f ” Logo
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@StStephensAlumni
@SSTX_OnTheHill
@StStephenSchool
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@StStephensAustin
If you have not received emails from the alumni office recently, we may not have your current email address. Please send your information to nmcilraith@sstx.org so you do not miss invitations to alumni events and news about your classmates. Thanks!
Spartan Magazine
oin us for REU N ION 2 01 8
Reuniting Kindred Spirits
SEPTEMBER 21-23, 2018 Alumni Barbecue on The Hill Spartan Block Party Homecoming Football Game Networking Social Hour Pioneer Spartans Dinner (Classes of 1951 to 1968) Campus Tours
Alumni Chapel and Champagne Brunch Class Visits Lunch with Class of 2021 Hike to the Gulch School Night at the Observatory Admission Open House
Graduates from All Class Years Are Invited to Reunion 2018! Special celebrations for the class years ending in 3 and 8. W W W. S S T X .O R G / R E U N I O N sstx.org
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If you receive multiple copies of this publication or have updated address information to share with us, please send an email to jsarrett@sstx.org. Thank you!
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PARTING SHOT Blossom Maduafokwa received the Dobbie Leverton Fenton Medal at graduation from the Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison
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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
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